Football

Ghana Edge Unlucky Super Falcons Out Of WAFU Cup Final

Nigeria’s Super Falcons have failed to reach the finals of the maiden West African Football Union (WAFU) Women’s Cup after losing 5-4 on penalties to Ghana

The match ended in a 1-1 draw after regulation time before both teams proceeded to penalties in the match played at the Treichville Sports Park Stadium in Abidjan.

Cyril Olisema scored in each half to send visiting Akwa United through to the next round after beating Hawks of Gambia 2-0, and qualify 3-2 on aggregate.

The “Promise Keepers” needed to win with two clear goals in the second leg after last week’s surprised 1-2 defeat in Uyo in the first leg.

The diminutive striker who led Akwa’s frontline ahead of Gabriel Okechukwo broke the deadlock seven minutes before the break when he guided his effort past the rushing Adama Gassama in goal following a defensive howler by Mass Manga.

The Nigeria University Games Association in conjunction with Pace Sports Entertainment Limited has concluded arrangements to stage a football competition for universities registered with NUGA. Both parties signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Tuesday in Lagos to kick-start the competition tagged Higher Institution Football League (HIFL).

Leicester City have agreed to pay the Football League £3.1m to settle the league’s long-running claim that the club breached financial fair play rules when they made a £21m loss in their 2013-14 season. Leicester won promotion from the Championship that season after their owner, Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, who owns Thailand’s duty-free company King Power, had invested more than £100m since his 2010 takeover, and subsequently they won their unlikely Premier League title in 2016.

In only their first continental match at the renovated Agege Stadium in Lagos, Mountain of Fire & Miracles (MFM) beat AS Real Bamako of Mali 1-0 in their preliminary round second leg on Wednesday.

Midfielder Akuneto Chijioke scored the solitary goal five minutes to the end of the keenly contested encounter to secure MFM’s passage to the next round 2-1 aggregate, following their first leg 1-1draw at the Stade Modibo Keita in Bamako.

But at the Soccer Temple, as the Agege Stadium is known, there were few chances despite the host's dominance in the first stanza. Okorom Stanley nearly put them in front in the 39th minute but his long range shot from outside the box after receiving a pass from Akuneto Chijioke missed the target. A minute from recess, Ayinde Abiodun saw his lively shot in front of the visitors’ box narrowly off the mark.

Super Eagles manager Gernot Rohr has finally ruled out the possibility of including Lille goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama on his 23-player roster for the 2018 World Cup.

The German pointed out that the veteran goalkeeper has been inactive for his French club since the start of this season.

He is not playing anywhere, so we cannot take players who are not playing, Rohr told reporters at the Aiteo/Nigeria Football Federation Awards on Monday.