Sport
Newcomers Georgia shock Portugal 2-0 to advance at Euro 2024
Georgia stunned former champions Portugal 2-0 on Wednesday to reach the knockout stage at Euro 2024 —- their first-ever major tournament.
The match was settled by an early Khvicha Kvaratskhelia strike and a Georges Mikautadze penalty kick.
The win, albeit against a largely second-string Portugal who had already made it into the next round, represented the greatest result for Georgia.
This was since the country gained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.
But there was nothing undeserved about the way Willy Sagnol, a former Bayern Munich and France defender, and his side claimed a third-place finish in the tournament’s Group F.It was a win that had now set them up for a last-16 meeting with three-time Euro winners Spain.Georgia’s win also means that England will line up against Slovakia, Romania take on Netherlands and Portugal face Slovenia in the round of 16.
Hungary, who had been in contention for a spot in the next round, were edged out.The tournament debutants took the lead in the second minute when Kvaratskhelia, the Napoli winger, raced away after a careless pass by Antonio Silva.He then powered a low shot past Diogo Costa in Portugal’s goal.
Cristiano Ronaldo —- one of only three starters for Portugal who also played in their 3-0 win over Turkey on Saturday —- stretched and strained for every ball.This was as he sought to become the oldest goal scorer at a Euro tournament at the age of 39.But Georgia defended as if their lives depended upon it and sought to catch Portugal on the break.In the 53rd minute, Silva compounded his earlier error by committing a foul in the penalty box which led to an award of a penalty kick after a VAR check.
Mikautadze, who had provided the pass for Kvaratskhelia to open the scoring early on, steered his kick past Costa, making him the top scorer at Euro 2024 so far with three goals.Ronaldo was booked in the first half for arguing and he cut a frustrated figure when he was substituted after the break, kicking out at a water bottle.Georgia goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili made late saves to keep Portugal at bay in the final minutes.At full-time, Georgia’s squad and coaching staff sprinted onto the field to celebrate in front of thousands of their fans.
Reuters/NAN
The Nigeria Football Federation appointed Mali coach Éric Chelle as the new head coach of Nigeria’s senior men’s national football team, becoming the third man to be in charge of the Super Eagles since the resignation of Jose Peseiro in March 2024.Chelle’s appointment was confirmed by the NFF on Tuesday, hours after president Ibrahim Gusau in another video had said the appointment would be soon.“The Executive Committee of the Nigeria Football Federation has endorsed the recommendation of its Technical and Development Sub-Committee for the appointment of Mr. Éric Sékou Chelle as Head Coach of Nigeria’s senior men national football team, Super Eagles,” NFF said in a statement.“At its meeting held in Abuja on Thursday, January 2, 2025, the NFF Technical and Development Sub-Committee had recommended the appointment of the former coach of the senior men national team of Mali as the new head coach of the Super Eagles. This recommendation was on Tuesday, 7th January endorsed by the NFF Executive Committee.”
According to the NFF president, Gusau, Chelle’s work will begin immediately with the home-based Super Eagles at the 2024 African Nations Championship in Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda where Nigeria will be competing with 17 other countries from February 1-28.
“We are all concerned and we want whoever will take charge of the team must start immediately and that is why we also have the policy that it is the same coach that will manage the CHAN Eagles. So, you cannot have the opportunity to manage a team comprising of home-based players and at the end of the tournament, you come back to tell us that you don’t see one or two that can be injected into the senior national team.”The Super Eagles B are currently in camp at the Remo Stars Stadium in Ikenne under the tutelage of Remo Stars Coach Daniel Ogunmodede and his Rangers International Counterpart Fidelis Ilechukwu as well as goalkeeper trainer Olatunji Baruwa, who led the team through the qualifiers against Ghana.
Chelle, who won five caps for the Aiglons of Mali and coached clubs such as GS Consolat, FC Martigues, Boulogne and MC Oran, has been head Coach of the Aiglons since 2022.At the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations finals, Chelle’s Mali came very close to a place in the semi-finals, losing to hosts and eventual winners Ivory 2-1 after extra time, after leading by a lone goal until the final minute of regulation time.Another work cut out for him would be guiding the Super Eagles to earn a ticket to the 2026 FIFA World Cup finals, with the team currently languishing in fifth place in their qualifying group ahead of the next round of matches taking place in March.
– commissioner says govt passionate about youthThe Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Obasa, has reiterated the importance and benefits of sports to Nigeria.According to Dr. Obasa, sports is an area that should not be downplayed as it has the capacity to make the country greater, enrich the youth and improve businesses across the country.The Speaker made the remark on Friday evening at the opening of the second edition of the Obasa Games 2024, a platform through which the organisers seek to further unite the youth in Lagos.Commending Abdul-Ganiyu Vinod Obasa, chairman of Kings Sports International and organiser of the Obasa Games, the Speaker noted that emerging developments in sports prompted the Lagos Assembly’s amendment of the State’s Sports Commission Law to accommodate new areas that are beneficial to the youth.”I am passionate about football and I have always been a sportsman myself. Sports is an advantage to us in this state and the nation and I am reiterating that it is the future of our youth. Go anywhere in the world; sports has become a huge business,” he said.Obasa further stressed that sports can help combat crimes and increase youth engagement in activities that boost national growth and development.”We have realised that government alone cannot provide employment. We have also realised that because of the peculiarities of our nation as well as our advantage in terms of population, we can generate businesses out of sports to move the youth away from crime,” he said adding that Obasa Games will remain sustained.The Lagos Commissioner for Youth and Social Development, Omobolaji Ogunlende, also commended the organisers of the games pledging the support of the government for such initiatives aimed at growing the youth. He charged the participants to be at their best.In his address, Abdul-Ganiyu said the success of the first edition of the games gave the impetus to continue and expand the scope.”This year’s event, featuring football, boxing, table tennis,chess, and Scrabble, brings together talented athletesand teams from across the 10 Local Government Areasand 18 Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) within the Lagos West Senatorial District.He said the games were organised to honour theremarkable contributions and vision of the Speaker for Lagos State.”His commitment to the development of our state,his unwavering support for our youth, and his passion forfostering sports as a vehicle for positive change havebeen our inspiration,” he said.Chairman of the Agege Local Government Area, High Chief Ganiyu Egunjobi, said his council and the Orile-Agege Local Government Development Area decided to partner with the organisers to be a part of the passion that Obasa exhibits for sports.”Sport has proven to be a cost-effective and flexible tool for promoting peace and development objectives. Sport is also an important enabler of sustainable development,” he said urging residents to always imbibe the spirit of sportsmanship.
MultiChoice Nigeria has announced that the 2024 President Federation Cup final will be broadcast live on SuperSport, available on DStv and GOtv.
A statement by the company said it has finalised arrangements to broadcast the men and women’s finals, scheduled to take place at the Mobolaji Johnson Arena on Saturday, June 29.
The women’s final between Rivers Angels and Naija Ratels will kick off at 1 pm, on SuperSport (DStv Ch 204 and GOtv Ch. 62), while the men’s final between Abia Warriors and El-Kanemi Warriors will kick off at 4 pm on the same channel.
Executive Head of Marketing, MultiChoice West Africa, Tope Oshunkeye, said the company is pleased to broadcast this year’s final of the oldest football cup competition in Nigeria.
“We are pleased to announce that the 2024 men and women’s President Federation Cup final will be broadcast live on SuperSport. This is part of our commitment to giving Nigerians the best of local and international sporting moments. The tournament, formally known as the FA Cup, is rich in history and has produced memorable moments for Nigerian football, and SuperSport will be bringing the magic of this year’s final to our customers, starting with the women’s final at 1pm followed by the men’s final at 4 pm,” he said.
The prestigious President Federation Cup final is returning to the history ground, formerly Onikan Stadium, which hosted the final from 1945 to 1972.
Customers can watch the President Federation Cup final and the ongoing Euro Championships by downloading the MyDStv or MyGOtv app, or dial *288# to reconnect or upgrade their subscription.
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