Kingsley Coman scored the only goal for the Bundesliga champions, who had long since secured their place in the last 16, to leave United without even the consolation of dropping into the Europa League.

An embarrassing early exit from Europe's elite competition increases the pressure on manager Erik ten Hag with United also languishing in sixth in the Premier League.

The damage to United's Champions League hopes was done long before the arrival of Bayern when they failed to win three of their four games against Copenhagen and Galatasaray.

Copenhagen beat Galatasaray 1-0 on Tuesday to join Bayern in the last 16, with the Turkish giants finishing third.

"We didn't lose it today, that's clear," said Ten Hag.

"We had I think opportunities in games (against Copenhagen and Galatasaray). We were in winning positions; we scored many goals and we gave it away."

It is just the fourth time that an English side has finished bottom of their Champions League group.

A troubled season for Ten Hag reached a new low on Saturday when Bournemouth won for the first time at Old Trafford and with ease in a 3-0 victory.

The former Ajax boss responded by recalling Raphael Varane to the starting line-up for the first time in nearly two months.

The Frenchman has been surprisingly frozen out by Ten Hag but is likely to have a big part to play in the coming weeks as Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw had to be replaced during Tuesday's action, adding to an already lengthy injury list.

"We are losing players and losing players who are very decisive," added Ten Hag, who was also without Marcus Rashford, Lisandro Martinez and Casemiro.

"In many games it was the case in this campaign that we didn't have players available."

Bayern were already assured of progressing as Group A winners but Thomas Tuchel's men had a point to prove themselves after suffering a 5-1 hammering at Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday.

"It's never comfortable at Old Trafford, but I think we deserved to win. "We needed a reaction, and we got a reaction," said Tuchel.

Harry Kane started on his return to England and played a decisive role in the winning goal as he teed up Coman to blast past Andre Onana.

Bayern remain unbeaten in the Champions League group stages since 2017 and extended a competition record of nine consecutive away wins at this stage of the competition.

Yet the German giants rarely had to get out of second gear as they look forward to the knockout stages in 2024.

"After the result at the weekend we had a really high motivation here," said Kane.

"I think there could have been a bit more in the final third. We had a good start to the season, but I feel like there are a few more gears to go up."

There was no such excuse for United's lack of urgency as they bowed out with a whimper.

Shaw's long-range effort that Manuel Neuer comfortably batted behind was United's only shot on target.

But the loss of Shaw at half-time and Maguire during the first half, to an apparent groin injury, only added to Ten Hag's woes ahead of a daunting trip to Liverpool on Sunday.

United did have one big chance to go in front early in the second half, but Bruno Fernandes' wild effort that flew well over the bar summed up his side's lack of quality and composure in the final third.

Bayern were also far from their free-flowing best.

However, they needed just one slick move to win the game as Kane flicked Thomas Mueller's pass into the path of Coman to fire home his fifth goal of the season 19 minutes from time.

Napoli reached the last 16 of the Champions League on Tuesday after seeing off Braga 2-0 and ending a home hoodoo which had stretched back two months.

The Italian champions qualified second in Group C behind Real Madrid thanks to Serder Saatci’s clumsy own goal and Victor Osimhen’s first goal since early October, both which came in the first half.

Walter Mazzarri’s side would have got through even with a single-goal defeat but in the end comfortably qualified for the next round, snapping a six-match winless streak at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.

A first win in Naples since beating Udinese in late September made sure that Napoli finished the group stage on 10 points, six ahead of Braga who drop down to the Europa League.

Braga knew that they had to win by at least two goals in order to leapfrog Napoli and Bruma wasted a great chance to put the away side into the lead with just two minutes on the clock, lashing wide from close range after confusion in the Napoli area.

However their task was made that much taller in the ninth minute, when the unfortunate Saatci tripped over Matteo Politano’s low cross and sent the ball spinning towards his own goal.

Braga goalkeeper Matheus did his best to keep the scores level but could only claw the ball out after it had already crossed the line.

Napoli pushed for a second but had a superb Alex Meret save to thank for Braga not pulling level with a Ricardo Horta rocket from distance.

However in the 33rd minute newly-crowned African player of the year Osimhen effectively sealed Napoli’s passage into the next round.

Moments before the Nigeria striker was left open-mouthed at Piotr Zielinski not squaring to him when he was completely unmarked just yards from goal, opting instead to smash a shot straight at Matheus.

But this time Natan played the right pass afer bursting down the left flank and allowed Osimhen to bundle in his seventh goal of what has been a difficult campaign to date in southern Italy.

Osimhen’s first goal in this season’s Champions League left Braga needing to score four goals without reply to get through and the wave of relief was tangible both in the stands and on the pitch.

Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa should have scored when Osimhen perfectly teed him up in the 65th minute, but the Cameroon midfielder could only shot straight at Matheus.

The only negative note of proceedings was Khvicha Kvaratskhelia’s continued struggle for form, the out-of-sorts Georgian yet to open his account in Europe’s top club competition this term.

However he will have another chance in the new year thanks to a win which broke a painful run of three straight losses and could bring some confidence back to troubled Napoli.

Victor Osimhen and Asisat Oshoala have made the final shortlists for the 2023 Globe Soccer Awards in the men’s and women’s categories.

Osimhen, who was on Monday crowned best player in Africa, is among the 11 players in contention for the Men’s award.

The other players who made the shortlist are Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid), Vinícius Jr (Real Madrid), Kylian Mbappe (PSG), Mohamed Salah (Liverpool), Karim Benzema (Al-Ittihad), Lionel Messi (Inter Miami), Bernardo Silva (Man City), Kevin De Bruyne (Man City), Erling Haaland (Man City) and Cristiano Ronaldo (Al Nassr).

Osimhen is looking to become the first African player to win the Best Men’s Player at the Globe Soccer Awards.

Oshoala has been shortlisted alongside Aitana Bonmatí, Mary Earps, Fridolina Rolfo, Linda Caicedo, Amanda Ilestedt, Georgia Stanway, Olga Carmona, Sam Kerr and Debinha for the Women’s award.

The Barcelona Femeni forward won a seventh CAF Women’s Player of the Year award on Monday night in Marrakech, Morocco

The awards gala will hold at five-star Atlantis, The Palm, on January 19, 2024 in Dubai.

The President of the Nigeria Football Federation, Ibrahim Gusau has praised the trio of Victor Osimhen, Asisat Oshoala and Chiamaka Nnadozie for making Nigeria proud at the 2023 CAF Awards in Morocco on Monday night.

Nigeria became the biggest winner at the event, winning three major awards to make history.

Victor Osimhen won the African Player of the Year award to end Nigeria’s 24-year wait for the coveted prize.

Super Falcons star, Asisat Oshoala won a record-breaking sixth African Women’s Player of the Year award following a sensational season with Barcelona, which culminated in a league triumph and Women’s Champions League glory.

Another Super Falcons star, Chiamaka Nnadozie, was named African Women’s goalkeeper of the year.

The Super Falcons were named the women’s team of the year after their impressive showing at the 2023 Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.

Gusau expressed his delight after a history-making night for Nigeria in Morocco.

Gusau said: “I am very excited tonight. This has been hugely rewarding for our football and for our country as a whole. I congratulate Osimhen, Oshoala, and Nnadozie, and I congratulate the Super Falcons as a team for bringing us this honour.

“My charge would be that they all keep doing what they know how to do best, keep improving, and keep winning. The sky will be the beginning for them.”

Gusau was present at the event. He was presented with the women’s team of the year award won by the Super Falcons.

He dedicated the award to all women football teams in Africa.

Nnadozie used the opportunity to encourage young footballers not to give up on their dreams.

“To all the young girls growing up in Africa, dreaming of becoming a footballer one day, believe me dreams do come true. My dad didn’t want me to play football, but I’m sure he’s gonna see this and be happy. So, keep dreaming, keep working, and I believe that one day you’ll get to this stage.”

• Asisat Oshoala extends a record sixth CAF African Women’s Player of the Year Award
• Osimhen wins first CAF African Player of the Year award in the men’s category
• Morocco and Nigeria win National Team of the Year awards

Nigeria’s Victor Osimhen and Asisat Oshoala won the biggest individual awards at the CAF Awards 2023 in the Moroccan city of Marrakech on Monday night, 11 December 2023.

Osimhen, the Nigerian striker who made headlines in Italy and also for his contribution in the Super Eagles jersey, won the CAF African Player of the Year for the first time while his compatriot, Oshoala won her record sixth CAF African Women’s Player of the Year. 

Osimhen's remarkable journey saw him fend off stiff competition from Moroccan full-back Achraf Hakimi and Egyptian striker Mohammed Salah.

Nigerian icon Oshoala secured the CAF Women's Player of the Year for a record sixth time. The attacker’s dominance continued as she inspired Barcelona to Champions League glory, finishing as the club's top scorer with 27 goals across all competitions.

Morocco's Walid Regragui was crowned CAF's Best Coach of the Year in the Men's category – recognised for guiding the Atlas Lions to a historic World Cup semi-final run in Qatar.

South Africa's Desiree Ellis secured the Best Coach award in the women's category for her outstanding work with Banyana Banyana. This was Ellis’ record fourth award in this category, which she has won consistently since 2018.

In CAF InterClub, South Africa and Al Ahly’s Percy Tau won the CAF InterClub Player of the Year.

Senegal's Lamine Camara, the 19-year-old FC Metz forward, clinched the CAF Young Player of the Year award, marking his meteoric rise in African football.

Moroccan prodigy Nesryne El Chad won the inaugural CAF Women's Young Player of the Year award.

Morocco won the Men’s National Team award following their performance at the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, while Nigeria won the Women’s National Team of the Year award.

Egyptian giants Al Ahly clinched the Male Club of the Year award, with the women’s award going to South African side Mamelodi Sundowns.

South Africa dominated the continent’s Best XI players in the Women Category while two members of Morocco’s World Cup semi-final team were included in the male version.

The ultimate winners in each category were decided through a voting process involving a panel comprising CAF Technical Committee, Head Coaches, National Team captains and media professionals.

Full List of Award Winners:

Player of the Year (Men): Victor Osimhen (Nigeria, Napoli)

Player of the Year (Women): Asisat Oshoala (Nigeria, Barcelona)

Interclub Player of the Year (Men): Percy Tau (South Africa, Al Ahly)

Interclub Player of the Year (Women): Fatima Tagnaout (Morocco, AS FAR)

Coach of the Year (Men): Walid Regragui (Morocco)

Coach of the Year (Women): Desiree Ellis (South Africa)

Goalkeeper of the Year (Men): Yassine Bounou (Morocco, Al Hilal)

Goalkeeper of the Year (Women): Chiamaka Nnadozie (Nigeria, Paris FC)

Young Player of the Year (Men): Lamine Camara (Senegal, Metz)

Young Player of the Year (Women): Nesryne El Chad (Morocco, Lille)

National Team of the Year (Men): Morocco

National Team of the Year (Women): Nigeria

Club of the Year (Men): Al Ahly (Egypt)

Club of the Year (Women): Mamelodi Sundowns (South Africa)

Former AC Milan striker, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, has rejoined the club as an advisor, RedBird Capital Partners, owners of the Serie A outfit announced on Monday.

In a statement published through GlobeNewsWire, RedBird confirmed that Ibrahimovic is back for a third spell at the club – even if he is their employee officially – and also that he will also serve as a Senior Advisor to AC Milan Ownership and Senior Management.

Zlatan is one of the most iconic football players to have ever played the game having won 34 trophies across his spells with Malmo, Ajax, Juventus, Inter, Barcelona, Milan, Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester United and the Los Angeles Galaxy, with over 500 club goals to his name.

It was back on June 4 of this year that the 41-year-old announced his retirement from football following Milan’s final game of the Serie A season, and there had been speculation about what would be next.

The answer is a return to Milan as an Operating Partner at RedBird. As per the statement, Ibra will ‘collaborate with RedBird’s global investment team in supporting the firm’s existing investment portfolio across sports, media and entertainment’.

He will also ‘help source and evaluate new investment opportunities for the firm, and will advise RedBird portfolio companies on commercial projects, digital content strategies and strategic brand building initiatives to extend their presence on a global basis’.

At AC Milan, Ibra will serve as a Senior Advisor to Ownership, which is led by RedBird and includes the New York Yankees.

Gerry Cardinale commented on the return: “We have all been fortunate to witness Zlatan’s greatness as a player and his contributions in leading AC Milan to the top of Serie A. What makes a winner of Zlatan’s caliber is not just physical talent, but also high intellect and an entrepreneurial spirit.

“At RedBird, we have developed partnerships with a very select group of high-performing world class athletes and artists who are able to thrive in the RedBird ecosystem across our sports, media and entertainment portfolio.

SUPER Eagles midfielder Wilfred Ndidi continued his brilliant form for Leicester City yesterday as they defeated Plymouth 4-0 to stay on top of the English Championship table.

Ndidi rounded off the scoring in the 55th minute to take his tally this season to two goals and four assists in 16 Championship appearances as the Foxes seek a quick return to the Premier League.

His fellow Nigeria international Kelechi Iheanacho was not in the matchday squad.

In Italy, Ademola Lookman was the hero for Atalanta in their 3-2 win over AC Milan in Bergamo.

The Nigeria forward scored two goals in the 38th and 55th minutes to give Atalanta the lead twice but each time they were pegged back, first by Olivier Giroud’s strike and later by Luka Jovic in the 80th minute.

Lookman was taken off in the 82nd minute and his replacement Aleksei Miranchuk set up fellow substitute Luis Muriel for a sensational back-heeled goal in the fifth minute of stoppage time.

Former Everton star Lookman has now registered six goals and two assists in 15 Serie A appearances this season for seventh-placed Atalanta.

In the Scottish Premiership, Super Eagles striker Cyriel Dessers was also on the score sheet yesterday as Rangers defeated Dundee United 3-1 at Ibrox.

The 29-year-old, who celebrated his birthday on Friday, marked the occasion with the opening goal as Rangers stay five points behind leaders Celtic.

Super Eagles defender Leon Balogun was also in Rangers’ starting line-up, the 35-year-old centre-back making his seventh Premiership appearance of the season.

There were also goals for Chidera Ejuke in Belgium and Moses Usor in Austria yesterday.

Ejuke scored his second goal in eight Belgian Pro League appearances as Royal Antwerp defeated Cercle Brugge 3-1, while Usor also netted his second Austrian Bundesliga goal in 13 games in their 3-1 victory at Lustenau.

In France, Moses Simon featured for Nantes for all 90 minutes but they were beaten 2-1 by Ligue 1 champions and leaders Paris Saint-Germain at Parc des Princes.

[NaijaTimes]

Manchester City manager, Pep Guardiola has said only one team can ‘fail’ to win the Premier League title, as they are judged by higher standards than their rivals.

Guardiola stated this ahead of Sunday’s trip to Luton Town.

City are looking to end a four-match winless run, a situation Guardiola has never experienced as a coach.

Guardiola feels the reaction to their form is over the top.

He told reporters: “What they demand of us, they didn’t demand of our friends – at all.

“There is only one team that is going to ‘fail’ to win the Premier League, that is us. For the rest, [winning] it is a big success. Any team.

“In the end, if they don’t win – Arsenal, Liverpool, Chelsea, everyone – it is normal because City should win.”

[DailyPost]

Who is the greatest right-full back in the history of Nigerian football?

About a year ago, I asked football fans the question above, and conducted a small poll to get an answer. The response from Chief Dele Adetiba, a veteran journalist, broadcaster and Guru of Advertising, who has seen most of Nigeria’s generation of footballers since the 1950s to date, was not surprising. It coincided with that of a few others who watched Tony ‘Parkins’ Igwe play in the 1960s in Nigerian football.

For about 5 years, between 1966 and 1972, ‘World 2’, as Tony was nicknamed at the time by adoring football fans, could not be touched. He was way ahead of his generation in technique and skills as a defender.

Tony owned the right full-back position. He introduced to football at the time, a defensive style of play that flourishes in modern football today as the wing-back. Tony was the first player to consistently do the overlapping run, an elegant gallop down the right flank like a traditional winger, joining the attack and delivering beautiful pin-point, final crosses to strikers (Amusa Shittu, Sunny Oyarekhua and Peter Anieke) in the box. It was a style that was decades ahead of the time. He made it popular, doing it so well and owning the ‘patent’ with a nickname ‘World 2’, the best number 2 in the world!

He was a member of the 2nd All-Africa Games Gold-winning Green Eagles in 1972. He was selected amongst the African XI team after the Games. He was also a member of the first Nigerian national team to qualify and to participate in the Olympic Games. That was in Mexico in 1968.

Tony Igwe relocated to the United States of America soon after the 2nd All-African Games. He was one of the first set of Nigerian athletes to do so for the sake of securing an education whilst still playing the beautiful game.

Since then, some 50 years ago, he may have visited Nigeria only once or twice. He eventually became an American citizen, and has had nothing to do with Nigerian football. It is not surprising that in my survey, no one under the age of 50 even knew who he was.

Sadly, of the 22 players that made up the 1972 national team only 7 are still alive. Yet, Tony, one of the ‘oldest’ in the squad at the time, is still some years away from turning 80. They were all very young and died young.

I was a toddler growing up in Jos, when Tony Igwe and his colleagues, all secondary school football players, took Nigerian football by storm. The political crisis in Nigeria of 1966, the pogrom, truncated their schooling in Jos and romance with the great Jos township team that was on the verge of winning that year’s FA Cup in Lagos. Tony and a few of his team mates at the Academy Institute of Commerce in Jos, never returned to the city. They remained in Lagos to birth one of the most flamboyant, most followed and most successful privately-owned clubs in Nigeria’s history – Stationary Stores FC. This was the only club in Nigeria’s football history to have produced 9 of the 11 members of the starting line-up of the Green Eagles at a particular time.

Through the decades I kept in touch with several of that national team members, including Tony Igwe.

Last week, we spoke again, and I reminded him that he was one of a few remaining members of a great generation of Eagles, and that it is important he speaks to Nigerians and tells his story, if only for the sake of posterity and history.

He agreed. So, for the first time in decades, World 2 will be joining me on the set of ‘90 minutes with Mathematical’ this Saturday morning on Eagle7 Sports Radio, 103.7 FM Abeokuta, for an exclusive conversation.

NIPOGA Games and I

With more Polytechnics and Colleges of Technology than Universities in Nigeria, NIPOGA Games are probably the biggest sports competition in the country.

The Games started during my final year at The Polytechnic Ibadan in 1976. As the Director of Sports of the Student Union Government at institution, I was a major driver of the establishment of the Games and the hosting of the very first event. I actually moved the motion for The Polytechnic Ibadan to host the first Games at a meeting in Benin a year before.

Although I have only remotely followed the Games from a distance since then, I have been aware of its expansion and its contributions (not in any big way, though) to the production of national athletes in various sports and development of sports in Nigeria.

Last week, I was brought back into the fold by the Rector of the Delta State Polytechnic, Ogwashi-Uku, Delta State, Bldr. Professor Emmanuel Achuenu, whose Polytechnic hosts the 22nd edition of the NIPOGA Games titled NIPOGA OGWUASHI-UKU 2024, next year.

The rector decided to bring me out of the woodwork, and installed me as Ambassador of the 2024 Games to be held at the Polytechnic in the headquarters of the Aniocha-South Local Government Area of Delta State, some 15 minutes’ drive from Asaba, the Delta State Capital. I am just imagining what transformation that would bring to the institution as well as that relatively quiet part of Delta State when the Games are over.

To play the role of Ambassador is a responsibility that I accepted with great humility and pride because it brings me back to my primary educational constituency with very fond memories of my years participating in the NATS games that metamorphosed into NIPOGA.

By the way, I am a very proud graduate of Polytechnic education. I deliberately made the choice to attend a technical institution after my secondary school because the message then was that the future belonged to those with skills and not certificates.

I was a first-class student out of secondary school. After my OND, I was admitted into Imperial College in London, West Michigan University, Kalamazoo, Michigan, Michigan State University, Detroit, Michigan. The introduction of the Higher National Diploma program in 1974, touted as equivalent to a Bachelor’s degree at the time, provided me a window to remain and play my football in Nigeria (I was an emerging star in Africa) whilst receiving a practical education in an institution that had the best mechanical engineering workshop and foundry in West Africa. The Polytechnic was an initial attraction for thousands of other young Nigerians at the time.

Today, many regret taking that route in their educational pursuit. In ignorance and nonsensical poor judgement Nigeria is paying a huge price for relegating middle-level manpower development through Polytechnic education, and stigmatising the Diplomas. The graduates are made to walk and work with an inferiority complex and without a spring of pride in their feet.

Nigeria is suffering from it. Its productive sector remains unproductive without the essential manpower that would have driven it and engaged the vast army of young boys and girls that now find solace in entrepreneurial skills development outside of the Polytechnics and Colleges of Technology.

It is common sense that middle-level manpower development is still where the future lies, with practical skills, particularly in science and technology, the engine room of productivity without which Nigeria would never join the club of developed nations.

For sure, with pride, I shall be playing a big role in NIPOGA 2024 as an Ambassador.

The Field Marshall’ comes to Lagos.

Next Wednesday in Lagos, ‘Chairman’, Christian Chukwu, MFR, one of the greatest legends of Nigerian football, former Captain and former Manager of the national, team, comes into Lagos for the presentation of his autobiographical book, ‘The Field Marshal’.

This will take place at the Main Auditorium of the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs, NIIA, Kofo Abayomi Street, Ikoyi, Lagos.

Beyond the launch, the event will provide all those that have not being to see and experience the Air Peace-sponsored ‘NIIA Wall of Fame’ the opportunity to do so and behold that truly beautiful national monument.

It is an event not to be missed. I shall be there to honour my friend and captain.