Sports

Hungary Thrash England 4-0 In Nations League

Published

3 years ago

June 14, 2022

England are staring relegation from the top tier of the Nations League in the face after a 4-0 thrashing by Hungary on Tuesday inflicted the Three Lions’ heaviest home defeat since 1928.

Hungary secured their first win over England for 60 years in Budapest 10 days ago and followed that up with their first win on English soil since a famous 6-3 win at Wembley in 1953.

A double from Roland Sallai and late goals from Adam Nagy and Daniel Gazdag kept Hungary on course to reach the Nations League finals next year.

Marco Rossi’s men are not headed to the World Cup in Qatar, but lead Germany by a point, with European champions Italy two points behind the group leaders with two games to go.

England are three points adrift at the bottom of the section and need a revival in September away to Italy and home to Germany to avoid relegation.

However, of greater concern for Gareth Southgate will be his side’s form just five months away from the World Cup.

Southgate was the target for much of the scorn of the home crowd in Wolverhampton despite his record of leading England to a first major tournament final for 55 years at Euro 2020 and the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup.

The England boss bemoaned a reliance on Harry Kane and Raheem Sterling for goals before the match and once again England were toothless.

The only goal Southgate’s men have scored in four Nations League matches this month was Kane’s late penalty in a 1-1 draw in Germany a week ago.

The return of a crowd at Molineux after Saturday’s goalless draw with Italy was played behind closed doors did little to spark England into life.

Fatigue at the end of a long season that began just weeks after losing the Euro 2020 final to Italy has been blamed for England’s lacklustre form.

However, there are major defensive issues for Southgate to address before the World Cup.

John Stones rounded off a miserable evening when he was harshly sent off for a second yellow card eight minutes from time.

The Manchester City centre-back was also at fault for the opening goal as he turned a free-kick into Sallai’s path, whose shot had too much power for Aaron Ramsdale.

Sallai produced another deadly finish to double Hungary’s lead 20 minutes from time when he latched onto Martin Adam’s inch-perfect pass to fire in between Ramsdale’s legs.

Kane saw a looping header come back off the bar as England briefly stirred.

But they were cut open at ease on the counter-attack in the closing stages as Hungary secured a memorable win.

Nagy drilled home a powerful shot from the edge of the area.

Stones was then given his marching orders before Gazdag broke clear to rub salt in England’s wounds.

AFP

Sports

WAFCON: Ihezuo Strikes Late As Nigeria Edge Botswana To Reach Quarter-finals

Published

1 day ago

July 10, 2025

Editor

Substitute Chinwendu Ihezuo came off the bench to score a dramatic 89th-minute winner as Nigeria sealed a 1-0 win over Botswana in their Group B clash at the 2025 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) on Thursday.

Nigeria looked set for a frustrating evening until Ihezuo met a low cross from Esther Okoronkwo and tapped home at the back post for her second goal of the tournament.

The result, secured at the Stade Larbi Zaouli in Casablanca, confirmed the Super Falcons’ place in the quarter-finals.

Despite being overwhelming favourites, the nine-time champions struggled to break down a resilient Botswana side and their outstanding goalkeeper, Sedilame Boseja.

The Super Falcons were wasteful in front of goal for much of the contest, with Asisat Oshoala and Toni Payne both missing first-half chances. Botswana came close to a shock lead through Balothany Johannes and Laone Moloi, whose efforts tested Nigeria goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie.

Sports

Oliseh Urges Osimhen To Choose Premier League Over Galatasaray Return

Published

3 days ago

July 9, 2025

Editor

Former Super Eagles head coach, Sunday Oliseh, has issued a strong word of advice to Nigerian striker Victor Osimhen amid mounting speculation linking the Napoli forward with a surprise return to Turkish giants Galatasaray.

In a post shared on X (formerly Twitter), Oliseh warned that the 26-year-old striker is at a pivotal stage in his career and must carefully consider his next move to avoid future regret. He wrote, “Victor Osimhen is at a very delicate crossroad. He needs to find his way to the Premier League in a hurry or he risks so much regret! Man. United and Arsenal need this player if only…..”

Oliseh’s comments come amid reports that Osimhen is preparing for a permanent switch to Galatasaray, where he previously starred during a loan spell, scoring 26 goals to lead the club to the Turkish Super Lig title. However, the Nigerian legend believes a move to England’s top flight would better suit Osimhen’s development and global standing.

Now 26, Osimhen’s age is reportedly becoming a factor in transfer negotiations, with some Premier League clubs cautious about making a high-value investment. Delaying a move to England any further could reduce his appeal in the competitive Premier League market, insiders suggest.

Despite being contracted to Napoli until 2026, Osimhen’s future remains uncertain. The striker was expected to return for pre-season training, but reports in Italy claim that new head coach Antonio Conte has no intention of including him in his plans and could relegate him to the youth team.

Sports

Liverpool Return To Training In Wake Of Jota death

Published

4 days ago

July 8, 2025

Editor

Liverpool’s stars returned to training on Tuesday for the first time since the tragic death of forward Diogo Jota.

The Premier League champions postponed the start of pre-season training after Jota, 28, and his brother Andre Silva died in a car crash in northern Spain last Thursday.

Manager Arne Slot and a number of the Liverpool squad, led by captain Virgil van Dijk, attended Jota’s funeral in his home town of Gondomar, near Porto, on Saturday.

Mohamed Salah, Andy Robertson, Conor Bradley and Wataru Endo were among the players pictured arriving at the training ground.

Salah said in his tribute to the Portuguese international that he was frightened to go back to Liverpool to face the reality of Jota’s passing.

“Teammates come and go but not like this. It’s going to be extremely difficult to accept that Diogo won’t be there when we go back,” Salah posted on Instagram.

A site of remembrance has been set up at the club’s iconic Anfield stadium where hundreds of bouquets of flowers, shirts, scarves and pictures have been left by fans and former players in recent days.

Liverpool’s first pre-season friendly is scheduled for Sunday away at Championship side Preston.

But ticket sales for that match have been suspended pending a final decision on whether the match will go ahead.

Liverpool are then due to go on an Asian tour, playing AC Milan in Hong Kong and Japanese side Yokohama Marinos before the end of the month.