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46 — Vanguard, THURSDAY, JANUARY 30, 2020 RAF AND TUMBLE Nadal’s hopes of matching Federer’s Grand Slam haul crushed by Thiem HOT and bothered Rafael Nadal will not equal Roger Federer’s Grand Slam record in Melbourne after crashing out of the Australian Open quarter-finals. The world No1 was desperate to stand alongside Federer in the Slam pantheon on Sunday evening – he has spent his whole career chasing his Swiss rival – but those hopes were cruelly dashed by the inspired Dominic Thiem. As Nadal lost his composure over a time warning and also felt hot under the collar, the Austrian played the match of his life, progressing 7-6 7-6 4-6 7-6 in a thrilling four-hour-tenminute clash on the Rod Laver Arena. Nadal, 33, will remain stranded on 19 majors – one shy of Aussie Open semifinalist Federer – and his best chance of drawing level will come on his favoured clay court home of Roland Garros. ormer Manchester United Fstriker Danny Webber hailed the predatory instincts of Kelechi Iheanacho after the red-hot Leicester City number 14 found the net against Aston Villa in the Carabao Cup semifinal second leg at Villa Park on Wednesday night. A superb play from Aston Villa on the break ended with a tremendous finish from Matt Targett after lovely play by Jack Grealish in the 12th minute before Iheanacho’s equalised with 18 minutes left on the clock. In stoppage time, a dramatic goal from Egypt star Trezeguet saw Aston Villa beat The Foxes 2- 1 on the night (3-2 on aggregate) to progress to the final of the Carabao Cup. Speaking during commentary Pablo Mari becomes Arteta’s first Arsenal signing Flamengo centre-back Pablo Mari has agreed a move to Arsenal on loan until the end of the season,with the option to make the deal permanent in the summer. The move ends what turned out to be a topsy-turvy transfer deal that initally stalled and saw the defender return to Brazil. The clubs seemingly agreed to the deal last weekend, with Mari traveling from Rio de Janeiro to London That, of course, is if Federer doesn’t do the unthinkable and beat Novak Djokovic and then win a seventh title Down Under. Of the four Grand Slams, this is the one that has caused Nadal the most issues and it is 11 years since he lifted his one and only Norman Brookes Challenge Cup. But credit to Thiem who played magnificently throughout, especially in the three tie-breaks. He said: “The whole match was on a good level, and we were both in good form. We had this epic match in New York two years ago. I had a feeling I would be lucky. The net cord was on my side. “He is one of the greatest all time, one of the biggest legends this sport has had, and you need luck to beat him. “It came to 5-4, a special situation, I am serving for the match against Rafa for my first semi-final at the •Iheanacho Webber hails Iheanacho’s predatory instincts of the game for the world feed (Super Sport), Webber said : “We spoke about his record before the game and it’s him who just sets the move. “It’s all about Harvey Barnes, I think it is a shot but it doesn’t matter because Kelechi Iheanacho senses there’s an opportunity at the back post, he comes in. “It’s not actually an easy finish , it bubbles up, very, very good finish. It puts Leicester back in the game against the run of play.” Iheanacho’s strike vs Aston Villa saw him continue his remarkable record of scoring in every single Cup game he has featured in this season - five goals in five appearances. to undergo a medical and sign with the Premier League side. However, negotiations suffered a setback on Monday with Mari then returning to Brazil. Mari put pressure on the Flamengo’s hierarchy to accept Arsenal’s offer and sources told ESPN the deal was never dead despite Flamengo putting out a statement criticising Arsenal’s attitude. Nonetheless, the deal now •Nadal Australian Open, and it mentally tough situation. I couldn’t handle it, but turned it around in the tiebreaker. “I am happy I won the tie break otherwise we would be in a fifth now. I feel good so far. I am full of adrenaline and happy moments, so we will see when that is off, how I feel •Ronaldo •Pablo sees Mari reunite with Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta. Mari, 26, was on Manchester City’s books between 2016 and 2019 — where Arteta served as an assistant for Pep Guardiola — but never actually played for the first team. Ronaldo hits 200 million followers on Instagram uventus talisman J Cristiano Ronaldo is certainly neither tired of making the headlines nor breaking records. The former Real Madrid ace has flagged off history making achievements in the new decade 2020 hitting a massive 200 million followers on Instagram. American singer, songwriter, actress and television producer Selena Marie Gomez, his closet rival and the one he overthrew to become ‘King of social media’ back in October 2018, is W some 32million follows away from reaching Cristiano. According to Forbes, Ronaldo makes staggering $47.8million dollars per year from paid-instagram posts. He will be looking to continue his free-scoring form when Juventus hosts Fiorentina on Sunday after a disappointing result last time out. Ronaldo has scored 33 goals in all competitions for club and country this campaign and would be looking to increase his tally come Sunday. Some have predicted that the rise and rise of the Portugal international is bound to continue and he has a finger in virtually every pie thus making him a regular item on social media. Only recently the former Manchester United ace hinted that he might venture into movies when he parts ways with the round leather game. But the parting ways with the round leather game some also say will not be come soon for Ronaldo who continues to dazzle his followers both on and off the pitch. Ronaldo has so far made 2,752 posts followed by 200 million people but follows 434 people. Coronavirus threatens athletics world Indoor Championships orld Athletics officials are set to take a decision whether to hold the World Indoor Championships billed for March 13-15 in Nanjing, China. Shaquille O’Neal breaks down in tears over Kobe Bryant SO’NEAL HAQUILLE has paid an emotional tribute to his former teammate Kobe Bryant after the 41-year-old tragically died in a helicopter crash alongside his daughter and seven others on Sunday. The pair played together for eight years with the LA Lakers before O’Neal left for the Miami Heat in 2004. O’Neal, 47, had been due to be a pregame pundit for TV network TNT ahead of the game between the Lakers and local rivals the LA Clippers. But with Tuesday night’s game postponed in the wake of the tragedy, Shaq and his colleagues instead sat on court at the Staples Center and paid tribute to Bryant. O’Neal said: “The fact that we lost probably the world’s greatest Laker, the world’s greatest basketball player is just - listen, people are going to say take your time and get better, but this is going to be hard for me. “I already don’t sleep anyway, but I’ll figure it out.” Upon hearing the news, O’Neal desperately hoped it wasn’t true: “I didn’t want to believe it. I said to my son, ‘I hope some buttface made this up and it’s not true’. “But then after getting all the calls... my spirit just left my body. I never could have imagined nothing like this. “I was thinking the other day I’ve never seen anything like this. All the basketball idols that I grew up [watching], I see them. They’re old.” •Shaq SHAQ TRIBUTE Nigerian athletes and those from other countries are building up to the season opener ahead of the 2020 Olympics in Japan, but the health scare situation in China threatens to mar their expectations. Already Team Despite still texting regularly, O’Neal revealed that he hadn’t seen Bryant since the day of his final Lakers game in 2016. Kobe Bryant’s helicopter lacked recommended warning system T he helicopter carrying Kobe Bryant didn’t have a recommended warning system to alert the pilot he was too close to the ground but it is unclear it would have averted the crash that killed the former NBA star and eight others on Sunday, federal regulators and experts said. Pilot Ara Zobayan had been climbing out of the clouds when the aircraft banked left and began a sudden 1,200-foot descent into a hillside that lasted nearly a minute. Local conditions on the day of the crash were foggy. “This is a pretty steep descent at high speed,” Jennifer Homendy of the National Transportation Safety Board said on Tuesday. “We know that this was a highenergy impact crash.” The aircraft was intact when it hit the ground, but the impact spread debris over more than 500 feet. Determining what caused the crash will take months, but investigators may again recommend that helicopters carrying six or more passenger seats are equipped with a Terrain Awareness and Warning System (TAWS) that sounds an alarm if an aircraft is in danger of crashing. The agency made that recommendation after a similar helicopter, a Sikorsky S-76A carrying workers to an offshore drilling ship, crashed in the Gulf of Mexico in 2004, killing all 10 people on board. GB are reportedly set to pull out of t h e Championships, following advice from the Foreign Office to avoid travel to China. A spokesperson for World Athletics hinted that •Kobe they were monitoring the situation closely and were in contact with the World Health Organisation. The coronavirus has now infected more than 6,000 people and the death toll has risen to 132. The virus originated in Wuhan but has since spread to other regions of the country. The Department of Health announced that British nationals returning from the Chinese city will be put in quarantine for 14 days. Coronavirus is still spreading and unless it can be quickly brought under control other sporting events could be under threat.
Don't renew Rohr's contract, Odegbami tells NFF Nigeria football legend, Segun Odegbami has observed that the Super Eagles havn’t achieved much with coach Gernot Rohr in charge and has asked the Nigeria Football Federation to get a manager with a winning history. Odegbami who won the Africa Cup of Nations with the Super Eagles in 1980 was speaking against the back ground of the reluctance by the NFF to extend coach Rohr’s contract. He is expected to start negotiations next month with the NFF. But Odegbami feels the job shouldn’t be given to Rohr. “I think we have had enough of these foreign coaches, especially ones that don’t have pedigree. Especially with the Super Eagles we should go and get the Zinedine Zidanes and Jurgen Klopps not Coaches without pedigree that we end up paying stupendous salaries,’ said Odegbami during a sports radio chat. ‘With Gernot Rohr, he has taken us to the World Cup and brought us back and to the Nations Cup, but has disappointed us.’ ‘We have a generation of Nigerian players who have played at the highest level that are capable of training our national teams. It is time we start looking in their direction to bring them in. Okwonkwo happy to work under ‘legend’ Henry Nigeria youth international Orji Okwonkwo has opened up about his excitement to work under Montreal Impact head coach Thierry Henry. The 22-year-old joins the Major League Soccer (MLS) club for a second season on-loan from Bologna. Okwonkwo enjoyed a superb first season in Canada, netting eight goals in 28 games on his way to earning Impact’s Most Valuable Player award. Talking to BBC Sport the versatile winger revealed his excitement at learning from the Arsenal legend, who will be eager to improve on Impact’s ninth place finish from last season. “I’m looking forward to making a bigger impact when I wear the shirt again,” Okwonkwo told BBC Sport. “I feel lucky to get a chance to work under a legend like [Thierry] Henry. I can learn important tips on how to be a better player from someone who has won the World Cup and achieved so much at club level as well. ‘If they are good enough to play for the best teams in the world under some of the best Managers in the World, then why aren’t they capable of handling our National teams?’ ‘In the past Amodu (Shaibu) took us to the Nations Cup won Bronze, he also qualified us for the World Cup. ‘Augustine Eguavoen won Bronze at the Nations Cup and Keshi won the AFCON, these people did this under the most unfriendly environment, but still won something.’ ‘Honestly, we should start looking at the generation from Yobo (Joseph), have them understudy with top coaches in Europe and in two years we can have them back home coaching our teams. Kaizer Chiefs extend Akpeyi’s contract to 2022 Daniel Akpeyi has extended his contract with PSL side Kaizer Chiefs and will remain at the club until June 2022. Akpeyi joined Amakhosi in the January transfer window of 2019 on a one-year deal. The move was a contingency plan after first choice goalkeeper Khune Itumeleng suffered a long term injury. But, the Nigerian has been so impressive he has remained first choice for Manager Ernst Middendorp, although Khune has been in and out with niggling injury concerns. Yesterday, the club confirmed the 33 year-old has agreed a contract extension that’ll see him stay for another two seasons. Player Updates! We are pleased to announce that goalkeeper Daniel Akpeyi>Ø•Ý who joined Chiefs in January 2019 has earned himself a two-year contract extension to June 2022. It is believed Chiefs value their Nigerian goalkeeper at •700k and the sixth highest in the Club. According stats provided by transfermarkt .com the former Warri Wolves Goalkeeper is ranked the 625th highest in value among goalkeepers in the World. •Odegbami Vanguard, THURSDAY, JANUARY 30, 2020 — 47 Eguavoen: Rohr deserves a new contract Super Eagles Captain and on one condition coach, Austin Eguavoen has backed •Rohr Former Super Eagles captain and midfield maestro, Austin ‘Jay Jay’ Okocha said he failed to win CAF and FIFA football awards because he was busy creating goals for others to score. Okocha played in Germany, France, England and Turkey and despite his world acclaimed soccer artistry, he was never crowned as the Africa Player of the Year or shortlisted for the FIFA World Best. The closest Okocha came to winning Africa’s top prize was in 1998 when he finished as runner-up to Morocco’s Mustapha Hadji. “In my time, it is true that the number 10 position was prestigious, but if you wanted to become the best in the world you had to play in 9,” the former Super Eagles skipper was quoted by Afrique Sports. “I am certain that if I had played higher, I would have won at least two gold balls, not African, but the gold ball which recognizes the best player in the world. “It is not pride, but just an observation. I think I had the ability to play 9, however, I preferred the position of No. 10 because it allowed me to unleash all my creative genius.” Okocha, though, won the BBC African Footballer of the Year award twice and was also named the Best Player of the Tournament at the 2004 African Cup of Nations. Former coach Gernot Rohr for a new deserved Super Eagles contract on one condition, he must stay here in Nigeria. Living in Nigeria, according to Cerezo will afford him time to watch over our local players and also help develop the local football. “Westerhoff did the same while coaching the super Eagles team and players back home in the league had access to him directly”, He told brila.net. “Gernot Rhor has done well, he deserves a new contract, but he must be resident here in Nigeria to help us develop our league and our football, Eguavoen added. “I don’t think that should be a big deal, Rohr deserves a contract but I want him more here in the country than out there. Okocha: Why I didn’t win CAF and FIFA awards Red House are Grenville School's Interhouse sports champions Grenville School in Ikeja, Lagos held its second Inter-house sports competition last Friday, at the University of Lagos Sports Center in Akoka with Red House emerging as overall winner. Yellow House, Green House and Blue placed second, third and fourth respectively. The chairman of the occasion, Rotharian Jide Ajayi urged schools to encourage sporting activities stating that it helps to discover the talented ones at a tender age. “This event will help them develop their skills, talents will be discovered along the line and they have to know that when you’re in a competition like this you will learn a lot. They will learn that if you lose today and you plan well you can win next time”. Ajayi further noted that Grenville Schools is keen at developing a total child and so we “cannot undermine the place of Sports in our curriculum as it promotes the three major domain of learning, the It was another thrilling day at the ongoing preliminaries of the football event of the Nigeria Oil and Gas Industry Games as semi-finalists emerged following the conclusion of procedings on Match Day 3 at the Legacy Pitch, National Stadium, Lagos. Today is rest day. Team DPR who were 6-1 winners over SEPLAT on Tuesday, booked their place in the semi finals after another dominant display against PTI in the last match played yesterday. DPR won 3-1 as captain of PTI saw red after he brought down a cognitive, Affective and Psychomotor. In addition, gifted students with extra-ordinary skills are brought to lime light at competitions like this. It is a time of fun and laughter which is beneficial to good health and general well being of everyone, especially those of us who live in Lagos where stress is a major part of our daily lives”. The chairman of the school, Mr Jide Babalola noted that the school takes sports seriously stating that it helps to build mental the health. “Sports education not only teaches students to maintain their physical well being bit also teaches the habit of discipline, resilience, competitiveness, and also a time of fun for the students and parents present. Sport is very important in education that is why we don’t compromise the space of sport in our curriculum. The significance of sports cannot be over emphasized because it encourages mental alertness” NOGIG 2020: NNPC sets up semi-final clash against ExxonMobil •As DPR, TOTAL also hit last four DPR striker near the vital area. His dismissal weakened the PTI defence line as DPR players soon took advantage of their numerical superiority to score two quick goals. PTI pulled one back but the overwhelming display of the DPR players resulted in a collapse of their defence. They conceded the third goal just before the final whitsle to end the encounter 3-1 in favour of DPR. Earlier, TOTAL showed class as they anihilated EROTON 11-0 in their encounter. It was a game to forget for the EROTON players who were described by a spectator as tourists. The massive score ensured they booked their place among the last four who will contest for semi-final spot against DPR on Friday. Tournament giants, NNPC ensured nothing distracted them from their target of lifting the trophy this term as they crushed 2018 finalists, CHEVRON 5-0 to set up a semi-final pairing against the defending champion, ExxonMobil who recorded a hard-earned 1-0 victory over NAOC yesterday.
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