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46 — Vanguard, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2017
Eagles exhibited
strong will – Rohr
Super Eagles coach
Gernot Rohr
praised his
team’s resolve after the
three-time African
champions came from two
goals down to beat
Argentina 4-2.
Nigeria won thanks to
a goal each for Kelechi
Iheanacho, Brian Idowu
on his debut and a brace
from Alex Iwobi.
“My players are
mentally strong, they
showed strong will.” Rohr
said.
“I’m very happy with
their performance. There
were two completely
PSG star Angel D’
Maria revealed
that the Argentine time
was simply overran by a
rampant Nigerian Super
Eagles during their
international friendly in
Russia.
D’ Maria who scored
against Nigeria at the
2008 Olympic Games
final in Beijing stated that
Kelechi Iheanacho’s goal
was a warning sign to
Argentina.
‘’What a match. We
started well, successfully
held the first half. But the
goal of the Nigerians
before the break was a
turning point.
‘’We were physically
overpowered by a very
strong opponent. And we
calmed down a bit, and
we paid for it. It’s good
that this is not the World
Cup yet.
‘’We will slowly play,
correct the mistakes.
Italy? She received a
serious blow. Extra proof
that any team can win
different halves.
“The opening period
was very hard. One could
believe the match was
already over after
Argentina scored their
second goal. But we
managed to perform a
comeback.
“After we scored we
rearranged our play in
the break and performed
much better in the second
half.”
The win will have been
special for Idowu who
was born in Russia and
plays for Russian premier
league club Amkar Perm.
I’m glad we didn’t lose a
World Cup game — Di Maria
from the so-called
heavyweights.’’
Italy sack coach after World Cup failure
Italy have sacked coach
Giampiero Ventura
after the four-time
champions failed to reach
the World Cup for the first
time since 1958.
The Azzurri lost a
play-off with Sweden 1-
0 on aggregate to spell
the end of 69-year-old
Ventura’s 17-month
tenure.
Ventura said his record
was “one of the best of the
last 40 years”.
“I lost only two games
in two years,” he told
Italian television show Le
Iene before the Italian
Football Federation fired
him on Wednesday.
Ventura replaced
Antonio Conte in June
2016, and was described
as a “master of football”
by Italian football
federation president
Carlo Tavecchio.
However, Italy took one
point out of a possible six
against Spain in
qualifying and also drew
at home to Macedonia.
Diego Maradona has called on
the Argentina Football
Association to give him another
crack at managing the national
team after accusing Jorge
Sampaoli of throwing away the
team’s prestige.
Argentina, who qualified in the
final round of fixtures for the
World Cup in Russia, were
humbled at home in a 4-2 defeat
by Nigeria on Tuesday evening
to leave the former Sevilla
manager on the brink.
Maradona not only claimed it
was time for Sampaoli to go, but
suggested that he would be the
U- 20 Female World Cup: Give us the ticket,
Edo Deputy Gov charges Falconets
As the U- 20 National
women’s team
tackle their counterparts
from Morocco on
Saturday at the Samuel
Ogbemudia Stadium in
Benin –City for the FIFA
U-20 Women’s World
Cup qualifiers, Edo State
Deputy Governor,
Comrade Philip Shaibu,
has charged the
Christopher Danjuma–
led team to go all out for
goals, adding that the
Edo State government
has put all machinery in
place to ensure a
successful game.
Addressing the
Falconets at their first
training session in Benin,
Comrade Shaibu said
that Edo State
government is happy
hosting the team as he
charged them to ensure
they beat Morocco.
“On behalf of the State
Governor, Mr. Godwin
Obaseki. I want to
welcome you all back to
Edo State again. We are
very happy hosting you
once again. I want to use
this opportunity to inform
you that the government
has put every thing in
place to ensure a
successful game. I also
want to congratulate you
for putting up a big fight
in far away Morocco. I’m
very convinced that you
are battle ready to do
Nigeria proud on
Saturday. What we are
interested in is the ticket
for the France 2018
Female World Cup.”
“I also want to tell you
that the Governor has
directed all female
schools in Benin to come
TOO HOT... Super Eagles striker Alex Iwobi outwits Argentina’s
Cristian Pavon (left) during the international friendly match. Iwobi
scored two goals.
“I can only apologise to the Italians,
not for the will or effort but for the result,
which as I know is the main thing,” said
former Napoli and Sampdoria boss
Ventura after Italy’s World Cup hopes
were ended.
Maradona wants Argentina job
to the Stadium on Saturday to
cheer you to victory. And we have
also thrown the gates open for
people, that is to tell you that the
government is interested in the
promotion of female football in
Nigeria. We will all be at the
stadium to ginger our girls to
victory.”
Okpalla loses dad
The death has been announced
of Octogenarian, Pa
Raymond Eze Ibekwe Okpalla
who passed on last week at his
country home in Nkpologwu
village, Aguata Local Government
Area of Anambra State.
Pa Okpalla who was over 90, is
survived by many children and
grand children, among whom are
former Nigeria international,
Sylvanus Okpalla, Christian
Okpalla, Okechukwu Okpalla,
Priscillia Okpalla, Samson Okpalla,
Ngozi Okpalla, among others.
prime candidate to replace him
after comparing his winning
record to any of Argentina’s
recent managers.
The list of statistics shows that
Maradona’s winning record of 75
per cent, achieved between 2008
and 2010 as Argentina coach, is
the highest out of any manager
since Cesar Luis Menotti’s reign
in the 1960s.
Writing on Instagram,
Maradona said: ‘Who won more?
Make your own conclusions. I am
furious because they are
throwing away our prestige, but
it is not the fault of the lads.
‘I want to return.’
Argentina were booed off the
pitch after submitting to defeat
against Nigeria, in which they
threw away a 2-0 lead and
conceded three times in the
second half to leave confidence
ahead of the 2018 tournament at
an all-time low.
A
former Argentinian soccer
official took his own life
the same day he was accused of
taking bribes on the second day
of the FIFA corruption trial.
Jorge Delhon was accused
during testimony into the FIFA
corruption trial on Tuesday of
accepting $500,000 a year from
2011 to 2014 to secure
broadcasting rights to
international soccer games
Delhon was found dead on rail
tracks in Buenos Aires after
colliding with a train later that
day.
The 52-year-old lawyer worked
for Football For All, a government
program which held broadcasting
rights for soccer games in
Argentina.
Iwobi’s goals
were classic,
says Macherano
BARCELONA and Argentine
defender, Javier Macherano has
stressed that Alex Iwobi’s brace for the
Super Eagles in their international
friendly on Tuesday night were quality
strikes.
“He (Iwobi) took his goals really
well,” Mascherano said.
“Maybe we should have defended
better but the quality of the second
strike from the edge of the box makes
me think otherwise.
“We dominated the first half but they
scored from their only shot on target
before the half-time break. Their second
goal was well taken by the Arsenal lad
(Iwobi) then the fourth goal by the same
player killed the game off.
“It’s better to lose this way before we
get to the World Cup, and the Nigerian
team are obviously one of the most
physical sides we have faced in a while.
“Congratulations to Nigeria they
deserve to win.”
Hard to say we
would’ve won if
Messi played
– Argentina Coach
Jorge Sampaoli the coach of the
Argentina national team has played
down suggestions that his team would
have beaten Nigeria if they had
Barcelona star Lionel Messi playing
during their 2-4 loss in Tuesday’s
friendly.
Messi returned to Barcelona after
Argentina 1-0 win over Russia in a
friendly game decided on Saturday,
hence missed the 2-4 loss to Nigeria, a
game which Argentina threw a two goal
lead.
Speaking after the game Sampaoli
refused suggestions that if Messi had
played they would have won, insisting
that the players he had on the pitch
should have done better.
“We (Argentina) have to move away
from being a one man team. Maybe the
scoreline would have been different with
Messi on the pitch, but it’s hard to say
because we had enough quality in the
team to win any game”, Sampaoli said.
“Nigeria were way better in the second
half, they never stopped running and
that made it hard for us to find any sort
of rhythm going forward which they took
advantage of to win. They did well to
win”.
Argentine football official commits suicide
His name was mentioned during the
FIFA trial in New York centering on
Jose Maria Marin, the former head of
Brazil’s Football Confederation, Juan
Ángel Napout, former Fifa vicepresident
and Manuel Braga, who led
Peru’s soccer federation.
Aguero set for City
medical check-up
Sergio Aguero is set for a medical
check-up at Manchester City
after being taken unwell at half-time
in Argentina’s friendly against Nigeria.
The club have moved to ease worries
about their record scorer’s health and
at this stage have not ruled him out of
Saturday’s Premier League game
against Leicester.