Arsenal recorded a 6-0 win over RC Lens to qualify for the Champions League knockout stages in style.

The Gunners made a return to the competition for the first time in seven years and have advanced to second round with a game to spare after breezing past Lens at the Emirates Stadium.

Kai Havertz gave Arsenal the lead with a close range finish from Jesus’ pass in the 13th minute.

Saka set up Jesus for the second goal after a powerful run to leave Lens defenders at his wake.

Saka went from provider to score two minutes later to make it 3-0.

Martinelli added the fourth goal bottom corner finish from the left to continue the scoring spree.

Odegaard scored the fifth goal with a volley from a Tomiyasu’s pass to end the first half 5-0.

The Gunners became the first team to have five different scorers in the first half of a Champions League match.

Jorginho put the icing on the cake from the spot after Abduqodir Khusanov handled the ball in the 18-yard box to make it 6-0.

In the other Group B match, PSV defeated Sevilla 3-2.

Arsenal are on top of Group B with 12 points from five games, PSV are guaranteed a second-place finish with 8 points from four games with a game to spare.

•Sports Minister summons Portuguese coach

Super Eagles coach, Jose Peseiro, told the Nigeria Football Federation Technical Committee not to teach him his job but rather pay him and his team their outstanding allowances, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.

Peseiro allegedly said this while reacting to the NFF Technical Committee Chairman, Shariff Ahlan’s comment in the wake of his future as Eagles coach, stating that the Eagles job is bigger than the Portuguese.

Ahlan told Peseiro in a meeting in Lisbon, Portugal in October that the Eagles had been struggling due to his poor technical abilities.

“You’re busy to pay me my allowances but not busy to tell me what I will do,” Peseiro replied Ahlan when he was told that he would defend his squad list for subsequent games.

Despite guiding Nigeria to qualification for the forthcoming Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast, Peseiro’s uninspiring side trails Rwanda and South Africa in their 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign on the back of two 1-1 draws against Lesotho and Zimbabwe.

In 15 games in charge of the Eagles, Peseiro has won six and lost six with the three-time African champions scoring 31 times – with 10 coming in one game against Sao Tome and Principe – and conceded 21 goals.

“Henceforth, if I remain in the technical committee, if he submits a professional list he would come and justify the list in front of the committee explaining why he invited each player based on their statistics and club performance.

“From our side, we’ve said Peseiro can’t do the job, if you look at how he runs the affairs of the team it seems the Nigeria national team is bigger than him honestly.”

Meanwhile, Sports Minister, John Enoh, has summoned Peseiro over the poor performance of the Eagles in the 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign.

Enoh made this known during a media parley with journalists in Abuja on Wednesday.

He said, “I am happy to report that I had a meeting with the NFF president, secretary and the Technical Department of NFF regarding the Super Eagles.

“What we came out of that is that I’ve had to request that the coach (Peseiro) be summoned and I think at some point next week there’s going to be an engagement with him.

“All of that is trying to respond to the outcome of these matches, especially the World Cup qualifying games.

While reacting to the call from some football stakeholders that the Portuguese should be sacked over poor results, Enoh said that despite the emotions and passions of Nigerians over football, the decision to sack a coach is not taken due to emotions.

“As a minister, I am concerned that the Nigeria national team is not delivering, not meeting up with our expectations. The Africa Cup of Nations is so close that we need to be careful in what decisions we make but the next qualification rounds for the World Cup, the next match is in June, so it gives us more time to take decisions going forward.

“AFCON is going to start January 13, are we going to request to fire the coach (Peseiro), I mean the answer is as good as mine.

“I have found out that in this sector, there are passions and emotions. Where you are seated and where I am providing leadership, you don’t respond, you know you are not driven by passions and emotions.”

[Punch]

Napoli have reportedly reached a decision over an asking price for Victor Osimhen.

Since arriving in Naples in 2020, the forward has proceeded to enjoy a legendary stint.

He has scored 65 goals and contributed 16 assists from 112 appearances in all competitions.

A large chunk of those strikes came during Napoli’s Serie A title-winning campaign in 2022-23, ending a wait of more than three decades to lift the trophy.

However, with a different manager at the helm and already eight points adrift of leaders Inter Milan in the standings, there is a different mood at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona this season.

That includes the situation involving Osimhen who, while still making an impact, has faced constant speculation regarding his future and was on the receiving end of two offensive posts from the club’s social media team in recent times.

With just over 19 months remaining on his contract, a decision will soon need to be made regarding everyone’s next move, there seemingly being an impasse over any progression.

At a time when Osimhen is said to have little interest in a renewal, Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis is prepared to play hardball over a sale, insistent on making a profit on the €80m that they shelled out more than three years ago.

The likes of Chelsea and Arsenal – alleged admirers of the 24-year-old – have always been conscious that it would take in excess of that fee to sign Osimhen in January or next summer.

Nevertheless, according to Il Mattino, De Laurentiis is currently insisting on receiving €150m (£130.06m) for his star man.

How any of his suitors react to that stance remains to be seen with it having recently been alleged that Chelsea plan to make a move in January.

Co-owners Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital are not in a position where they can afford that fee due to their FFP restrictions, unless they make a number of sales to offset that figure.

From Arsenal’s perspective, that stance would automatically rule them out, and it has already been suggested that they are priortising other positions at the start of 2024.

Despite De Laurentiis reportedly wanting to demand what would be one of the biggest fees in world transfer history, Napoli’s position will significantly weaken if they reach next summer without Osimhen penning a renewal.

[EagleOnline]

The 2023-2024 UEFA Champions League matchday five produced some stunning results which amplified why the UCL is the elite club football competition in the world.

In the matchday five games that went down on Tuesday night, November 28, virtually every match venue across Europe recorded nail-biting actions. But the most enthralling encounter took place at the Etihad Stadium between Manchester City and RB Leipzig.

During the game, RB Leipzig led the reigning UEFA Champions League winners 2-0 in the first 33 minutes and City had to wait until the 54th minute before they started fighting back courtesy of a goal from Erling Haaland. Phil Foden and Julián Álvarez helped City to complete the comeback as Pep Guardiola’s men won 3-2 to reaffirm their place in the next round and their first spot in Group G.

Another venue that almost produced a spectacular result was the Parc des Princes where Newcastle United enjoyed the lead from the 24th minute of the game courtsey of a strike from Alexander Isak.

It was not until the injury time of the second half that Paris Saint Germain scored the equalizer via a penalty taken by Kylian Mbappe in the 98th minute.

The draw dropped Newcastle to the third spot in Group F with 5 points in 5 games, two points below second-placed PSG and five points below first-placed Borussia Dortmund.

At San Siro, Nigeria’s winger, Samuel Chukwueze scored his first Champions League goal for AC Milan but that wasn’t enough to stop Borussia Dortmund from beating them 3-1 in front of their fans as they dropped to the bottom of Group F with five points in five games.

This means that the group is still open for Milan, Newcastle, and PSG as they are all left with just a game to push for qualification to the next round.

At the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys, FC Barcelona gave themselves a very strong advantage heading to the last game of the Group stage with a 2-1 win over Porto.

The win left them at the top of Group H with 12 points in five games, three points above second-placed Porto and third-placed Shakhtar Donetsk. This means that a draw is enough for Barca to seal their place in the next round.

Below are all the results of the Champions League games played on Tuesday, November 28:

SS Lazio v Celtic (2-0)

Shakhtar Donetsk v Antwerp (1-0)

Feyenoord v Atlético Madrid (1-3)

Paris Saint-Germain v Newcastle United (1-1)

AC Milan v Borussia Dortmund (1-3)

Manchester City v RB Leipzig (3-2)

BSC Young Boys v Crvena Zvezda (2-0)

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FC Barcelona v FC Porto (2-1)

Nigerian former professional football striker and the former head coach of the Nigeria national team, Samson Siasia, has said that the Super Eagles cannot triumph in the forthcoming 2023 African Cup of Nations (AFCON), considering the results of their recent friendly matches.

In order to have a shot at competing for the title at the 2023 AFCON tournament, Siasia emphasizes the need for the players to enhance their performance.

Naija News reports that the recent matches against Lesotho and Zimbabwe have been far from impressive for the Super Eagles. The development has raised concerns among patriotic citizens as the Nigerian team hopes to secure a fourth title in Cote d’Ivoire.

As a former member of the Super Eagles squad that triumphed in the 1994 AFCON in Tunisia, Siasia firmly believes that both the players and the technical staff must step up their game if they wish to make a significant impact at the upcoming AFCON.

“Like the majority of Nigerians, I am worried about the Eagles’ lacklustre performances so far. Struggling against countries like Lesotho and Zimbabwe is not a good sign of a team ready to win the Africa Cup of Nations as well as qualify for the 2026 World Cup,” the former striker stated in an interview with Channels Television.

“Let us not deceive ourselves, we cannot be the best in Africa with this disorganised team. Our players must be made to understand what it means to wear the green and white jersey of the nation while the coach also needs to improve on the tactical approach,” Siasia added in his comment on Jose Peseiro’s team.

Naija News reports that the Super Eagles will open their campaign at the 2023 AFCON against Equatorial Guinea on January 14 at the Alhassan Quattara Stadium, Ebimpe.

They will face hosts Cote d’Ivoire and Guinea-Bissau on January 18 and 22, respectively.

Following the three-day retreat held for Ministers, Special Advisers, Permanent Secretaries and heads of Agencies and Departments by President Bola Tinubu, rather belatedly, three weeks ago with the theme: “Delivering on the Renewed Hope Agenda” some of the Ministers have been jumping up and down, as if the Retreat was the shot in the arm they needed to shift out of their slumber. We have seen quite a number of body movements lately: from the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace, Festus Keyamo, telling the heads of agencies and parastatals under his Ministry that whoever wants to sabotage him through non-performance would be fired. The Minister of Women Affairs, Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye has also made a big show of launching tricycles and sewing machines to empower women – the Pink Riders Transport Scheme. Candidly, I don’t know how many women ride tricycles across Nigeria, but it is the pattern around here that policies are often rolled out without thought or reason or prior research. The Minister of Arts, Culture and Creative Economy, Hannatu Musawa has also launched a road map for the cultural sector. But the Ministry that is the focus of this piece is Power, and its new Minister, Adebayo Adelabu, grandson of the inimitable legend, Adegoke Adelabu, a stormy petrel of Nigeria’s First Republic/Ibadan/Western region politics and brilliant author of the book, Africa in Ebullition. It must have occurred to Adebayo Adelabu that as Power Minister, he too must be seen to be doing something. So, shortly after the Presidential retreat, he called a press conference where in a copy-cat manner, he read out a riot act to the heads of agencies under his Ministry with the tone of condescension already copyrighted by Festus Keyamo: anybody that does not support me will be fired! President Tinubu may have to call the mini-Emperors, closet Headmasters, in his cabinet to order. Going about intimidating people with threats is not how to be a Minister. One Minister has even turned himself into a quasi-military administrator of the Federal Capital Territory!

However, Minister Adelabu has shown some enthusiasm for the job, and he should be advised on the basis of the things that he has said. On November 8, he told his audience, in addition to the afore-mentioned threat that (2) President Tinubu has directed that stable electricity supply must be achieved before anyone can raise the issue of cost-reflective tariff, which should have been done before now, but with the present administration having removed fuel subsidy, it would be politically inexpedient to add to the people’s burden by increasing electricity tariffs. Hence, the Federal Government is subsidizing electricity up to N70 per kilowatt hour whereas the actual cost should be about N130/N140 per kilowatt hour. Indeed in 2015, President Buhari disallowed the Multi-Year Tariff Order (MYTO). And (3), the Minister said it is shameful that Nigeria is generating just about 4,000 MW. Previously, he had promised that under his watch, Nigeria should have 20, 000 MW of electricity supply by 2026; (4) he promised to investigate the legality of the five-year license extension of the licenses given to Discos and Gencos which expired on October 31, 2023, and (5) he talked about government playing a more central role in the electricity sector. “I am determined to make impact”, he reportedly said.

I like his enthusiasm, but that is not enough. I have seen at least one detailed commentary, on aspects of the Minister’s rhetoric, notably Ijeoma Nwogwugwu’s “Penkelemesi in The Power Sector” (ThisDay, back page, Nov. 13). I want to add my voice to the conversation that my big worry is that Minister Adelabu has been sounding too strident as if he is a regulator. No, he is not, and he has to resist the temptation to keep sounding as if he is from the Moon. The remit of the Minister is policy and helping to provide an enabling environment for the sector to thrive. Nigeria needs a reform-minded Minister in the power sector. The Minister needs to break the jinx, and so, he cannot afford to gamble. The road map for the electricity sector in Nigeria was put in place from Obasanjo to Jonathan as Presidents. The latter kick-started a comprehensive reform. But under President Buhari the privatization and deregulation process got truncated, mismanaged, turned upside down. Nothing worked because there was no proper coordination in the whole of eight years. Nigeria would need a minimum of about 42, 000 MW to jump-start anything but here we are, at the level of 4,000 MW, far behind most African countries and yet our electricity needs, given our population, far outstrips the African average. South Africa with a population of 57.3 million people generates about 41, 194 MW and that is not even enough for it. The Minister is right when he describes the situation as shameful. It is embarrassingly obvious however that he has not been talking to industry stakeholders. Nigeria is not short of ideas. What we lack is effective implementation. He needs to set out by finding out what the problems are. Managing the electricity sector is a specialized job, and there are people in this country who know where the corpses are buried, and who the members of the dangerous cabal in that sector are. The more he talks, the more the cabal people will plot against him. He must ask questions from the regulatory agencies also: what is their roadmap? What happened to the original road map? He should study the terrain and simplify the issues through rigorous consultations. Why for example has the Electric Power Sector Reform Act of 2005, not worked? Who are the perpetrators of impunity, lapses and sabotage within the sector? Then he must clear the table: Nigeria’s electricity sector is corrupt. All the people feeding fat at the people’s expense, be they government officials or contractors, must be identified and sanctioned through a proper, preliminary audit of performance within the value-chain.

Minister Adelabu can learn from the experience of two previous Ministers. He knows Bola Ige, SAN, orator, lawyer, statesman who was Minister of Mines and Power (1999 – 2000). Upon assumption of office, Bola Ige of the Alliance for Democracy (AD), working for Obasanjo’s People’s Democratic Party (PDP) government boasted that he was going to fix Nigeria’s electricity problems in six months. He underestimated the problem. Those were the days of National Electric Power Authority (NEPA). It is commonly agreed that Bola Ige was sabotaged by the generator importers and contractors who were making humongous profits from Nigeria’s inefficiency. Chief Ige later became the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice but his tenure in the Ministry of Mines and Power was a low point in his otherwise sterling career in Nigeria’s public space. The Obasanjo administration spent over $12 trillion on the power sector in eight years. Everything went down the drain. Years later, when former Governor of Lagos, Babatunde Raji Fashola was appointed by President Muhammadu Buhari as Minister of Power, Works and Housing, and some people started suggesting that he had promised that he too would fix Nigeria’s power supply in six months, he quickly rushed to the media to say that he never said so. Buhari spent eight years but Nigeria still faces the crisis of epileptic power supply.

In fairness to Fashola though, he prioritized consultation with stakeholders. He held regular sectoral meetings, even if those meetings eventually degenerated into conflicts between him and the distribution companies (DISCOs), but those meetings offered him a better understanding of the sector, even if the challenges in the sector were overwhelming. Adelabu must proceed with a sense of history. There are other stakeholders in the sector that should be consulted: Dr. Ransom Owan, Dr Sam Amadi, both formerly of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), Ambassador Godknows Igali, former Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Power, Engr. Beks Dagogo-Jack, former Chairman of the Presidential Task Force on Power and co-Chairman of the Committee on Gas to Power (2012 - 2014), Professor Chinedu Nebo who handed over the assets of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN), successor of NEPA, to private investors in November 2013, Rilwan Lanre Babalola who was Minister of Power 2008 to 2010, and a host of others. They are in a position to show him where the corpses are buried in a sector that is practically a graveyard of hopes and aspirations! In his time, Professor Nebo, who is a man of the cloth promised that he would drive away the evil spirits in the power sector. Those evil spirits defied Nebo. They are still there. The Minister also needs to find out what happened with the Rural Electrification Agency which became a cesspool of corruption. Every Minister comes along with the promise to improve electricity supply but the only people who benefit from all the investments are corrupt people within the value chain. It has become fashionable to blame the DISCOs, who occupy the last mile of electricity delivery, but the problem is not with the DISCOs.

Has the Minister bothered to find out what happened or is happening to the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN)? The Nigerian Government appointed Manitoba, a Canadian Company to manage power transmission in Nigeria – a management contract of over $200 million. Money was released to Manitoba but the company was never allowed to function. It could not execute all the projects that it was supposed to manage and deliver upon. Manitoba has since left Nigeria out of frustration. The Transmission Company is now unfortunately in the hands of government officials, the same old NEPA officials whose cognomen is “Never Expect Power Always.” There must be an audit of TCN as soon as possible, and an urgent probe of all persons who have subverted government policy. Nigeria cannot continue to move from darkness to darkness – the unfortunate reality that we are dealing with is that there are incompetent people in the value chain. And how effective is the interface between TCN and the GENCOs and DISCOs? What happened to loans disbursed in the past? The other major challenge is the supply of gas. The Governor of Niger State has been asking for a share of the derivation fund because his state hosts hydro dams, and he thinks his people deserve more from the national cake because of the hydro dams in Kainji, Jebba, and Shiroro in his state. Some of these Nigerian Governors and Ministers sound like they just left primary school, but that is not the focus of this piece today. The truth is that in the power sector, the main source of power is gas-fired power – that is thermal power which relies on natural gas to generate electricity – about 85% gas as opposed to 15% hydro. Nigeria’s thermal plants include Olorunsogo, Geregu, Egbin, Omotosho, Afam, and Sapele. But gas supply is a problem, a big constraint for the GENCOS, in part because gas supply has not been decoupled from oil.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has been discussing the power sector with the Germans. Olaf Scholz, the German Chancellor was in Nigeria on a state visit in October. Nigeria and Germany have had strong bilateral relations for more than 60 years. Recently, President Tinubu also travelled to Germany to attend the Compact with Africa summit on the sidelines of the G-20 meeting. He and Chancellor Scholz met again and one of the issues they discussed was Nigeria’s power sector and specifically Nigeria’s deal with Siemens, the German company with which the Buhari administration entered into an agreement – a three-phase plan to provide electricity in Nigeria. The agreement was signed under what was called the Presidential Power Initiative (PPI). By that plan it was expected that by 2023, Siemens would have provided up to 11, 000 MW. We are at year-end. That has not happened. Even the idea of mini-grids has not worked. Siemens is an equipment company, not a Transmission company, not a DISCO, but everyone refers to how that company has helped the electricity generation process in Egypt. Siemens has not worked well here because it is mired in Nigeria’s complex web of zero transparency and lack of accountability. As it turned out, Nigeria started adding other things, talking about local content. Which local content? What does Nigeria produce as local content in the electricity sector? Then, COVID-19. Then the Russia-Ukraine War. And then, no magic from Siemens. The German Chancellor reportedly told President Tinubu that generating the electricity is not the problem but Nigeria has to follow through at its end. He was absolutely right. Everything is about us. We have to follow through. Minister Fashola managed to plug some missing links in distribution because he paid attention. Adelabu must pay attention to details.

What is the way forward? The Minister must sit down with stakeholders. When they call him, he should have enough presence of mind to return their calls. He is holding a public office, not a private office. He must also work hard to dismantle the cartels in the sector. The industry needs to be more investor-friendly, and it is the duty of the Ministry to create an enabling environment. In addressing petty corruption in the sector, government also needs to focus on energy theft. More than 50% of the meters supplied so far to consumers are being by-passed. Nobody really wants to pay for electricity because the chaos in the sector is well known. To break the jinx, the TCN must be handed over to concessionaires. TCN and the Nigerian Gas Company are controlled by government. It is not clear how the industry can make progress if government continues to constitute itself into an obstacle. The Minister wants to review the extension of licenses. If he had done his home-work, he would have discovered that the extension is the result of a mutual agreement between government and the DISCOs – both parties having failed to fulfil their own parts of the bargain since 2013.

Going forward, the Tinubu administration must come up with a National Position on Power beyond the general statements in the 2023 election campaign manifesto. At pages 30 to 32 of the Renewed Hope Manifesto, Tinubu promised to eliminate the disconnect between generation and distribution, provide support for meter asset providers, investment for power in rural areas, power sector governance reforms, and what is generally described as “Nigeria First Power Policy.” I suggest that the President should set up a National Council on Power Reforms which will report directly to him, to begin a much-needed conversation about and around the electricity sector.

Super Falcons’ striker, Asisat Oshoala, Goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie, and Coach, Randy Waldrum, are among contenders in the Confederation of African Football’s (CAF) final shortlist for the 2023 Awards.

Also in the shortlist are the duo of Esther Ajakaye and Deborah Abiodun, who are in contention for the Young Player of the Year award.

Oshoala will battle with Nnadozie, Zambia’s Barbara Babanda, and South Africa’s trio of Andile Dlamini, Hilda Magaia and Thembi Kgatlana for the Player of the Year Award.

Others in that category are Cameroon’s Ajara Njoya and Anissa Lahmari, Fatima Tagnaout, and Ghizalaine Chebbak, all of Morocco.

Nnadozie is also listed for the Goalkeeper of the Year Award, in which she would contend with the Moroccan duo of Imane Abdelahad and Khadija Er-Rmichi and South Africa’s Andile Dlamini and Kaylin Swart.

Ajakaye and Abiodun will face Ghana’s Comfort Yeboah, Morocco’s Nesryne El Chad and South Africa’s Thubelihle Shamase in the Young Player of the Year award.

Coach Waldrum, who took Nigeria to the second round of the New Zealand/Australia 2023 Women’s World Cup, is pitted against Mehdi El Qaichouri (SC Casablanca),  Reynald Pedros (Morocco), Desiree Ellis (South Africa) and Jerry Tshabalala (Mamelodi Sundowns) for the Coach of the Year award.

Nigeria is listed in the National Team of the Year Award alongside Morocco, Senegal, South Africa, and Zambia.

CAF said in a statement that the winners of each category would be determined after the votes of a panel comprising members of its technical commission, media professionals from member associations, head coaches and captains of member associations, including clubs involved in the group stages of interclub competitions.

The awards ceremony will hold on December 11, 2023, at the Palais des Congres Movenpickin Morocco.

[Guardian]

SUPER Eagles striker Umar Sadiq produced a sensational strike to help Real Sociedad to victory in Spain, while his international teammate Terem Moffi also scored for Nice in France last night.

It took Sadiq his 14th appearance in all competitions to open his goals account this season but it was well worth the wait.

The 26-year-old Nigeria international picked the ball up in midfield and glided past two defenders before firing a rising shot from about 30 yards out that gave the Sevilla goalkeeper Marko Dmitrovic no chance.

The sensational strike was in the 22nd second minute and Real Sociedad’s second goal following Dmitrovic’s third minute own goal.

Morocco striker Youssef En-Nesyri pulled one back for Sevilla on the hour mark but Sociedad held on to claim a tight victory.

Sadiq, who was making only his fourth LaLiga start of 12 appearances this season, was taken off to huge applause in the 75th minute, 13 minutes before Sevilla veterans Sergio Ramos and Jesus Navas were both sent off.

With the victory, Real Sociedad moved up to fifth in the LaLiga table while Sevilla are 15th.

In France, Super Eagles striker Moffi scored the only goal of the encounter as Nice defeated Toulouse 1-0.

Moffi struck in the 54th minute to take his Ligue 1 tally to four goals and two assists in 13 matches this season as Nice moved to within one point of leaders Paris Saint-Germain.

Also in France, Nigeria winger Moses Simon played the full game as Nice were held to a 0-0 draw by Le Havre, while Super Eagles defender Kevin Akpoguma was brought on at the start of the second half in Hoffenheim’s 1-1 draw at home to Mainz in the German Bundesliga.

PHOTO: Umar Sadiq celebrating his goal.

[NaijaTImes]

Manchester United captain, Bruno Fernandes, has explained why he let Marcus Rashford take a penalty in their 3-0 victory over Everton on Sunday.

The England international forward hit a personal-best 30 goals for the Red Devils last season, but headed to Goodison Park in 2023-24 with just one effort to his name. He was able to double that tally from the spot on Merseyside, with club captain Fernandes stepping aside after a VAR review presented United with an opportunity to score their second goal of the game from 12 yards – following a spectacular overhead kick opener from Alejandro Garnacho.

Quizzed on why he passed the ball to Rashford, Fernandes – who is the Red Devils’ go-to option on penalty duty – told Sky Sports: “Because I felt that Marcus needed a bit of confidence, needed goals. Marcus is an excellent penalty-taker too. I’m 100 per cent sure that he could score the penalty. It’s not about who takes it, it’s about scoring the penalty and Marcus did it perfectly.”

Rashford has faced plenty of uncomfortable questions this season, on the back of signing a lucrative new contract at Old Trafford, but Fernandes says none of the 26-year-old’s team-mates have ever doubted his quality. He said when asked if Rashford’s confidence has dipped: “Obviously strikers, wingers, they want to score goals, they need to score goals, that’s part of their game and it gives you a boost. After the penalty, Marcus was unstoppable – he could take on everyone. I think sometimes you need this chance, this opportunity to get confidence back. But Marcus has been great for us. Obviously last season he was amazing, so everyone’s expectations for this season were higher. It’s just about getting his goals back and everyone will stay say that he is world-class again.”

United boss Erik ten Hag added to BBC Match of the Day when asked how much Rashford needed his goal: “A lot. You see also how great captain Bruno is. He assessed his team-mate needed that goal. He has the confidence in Rashy, who is a good penalty taker. As a team you need that leadership that you back each other. We have to go step by step. This is one step.”

[Leadership]

Nigeria’s football stars invited by the President of Cameroonian Football Association, Samuel Eto’o for a ceremonial tournament holding in Victoria City, Cameroon, on Thursday 30 November 2023 will be killed if they honour the invitation, a separatist group has warned.

The warning was issued in a voice message sent to DAILY POST’s correspondent by one Comrade Chris Anon who claimed to be head of the Ambazonia Interim Government based in the United States of America.

Eto’o invited international football stars including those in Nigeria to the tournament to promote relationships and football development in Cameroon.

The Restoration Fighters of the Ambazonia Interim Government, who are agitating for the independence of Southwest Cameroon, warned Nigeria’s former national football skipper, Austin Jay Jay Okocha, Daniel Amokachi and other ex-Super Eagles stars not to honour Eto’o’s invitation.

They emphasized that their security will not be guaranteed if they ignore the warning.

Anon described the tournament as a mockery of the Ambazonian people.

The separatist group has ordered a total lockdown on Victoria City and entire Fago County on the said Thursday 30 November 2023.

The group warned residents to stay indoors, stressing that violation of the order would be met with death.

Parts of the voice message stated, “The Restoration Fighters of Ambazonia Control Victoria and entire county and are committed to ensuring the lockdown. Our determination to safeguarding the integrity of Ambazonia independence struggle will not be deterred. We show no mercy for any persons who attempt to disregard the lockdown.

“It is essential to emphasise the severity of the situation and to caution against actions that could be misconstrued as aligning with any forms of propaganda.

“The football match proposed by Samuel Eto’o is very controversial; it is a misguided and insensitive initiative.

“That decision to involve international players from Nigeria is deeply troubling.

“The timing and location of the tournament give rise to suspicions.

“We seriously and strongly caution Jay Jay Okocha, Daniel Amokachi and others who are promoting and preparing to participate in the tournament to reconsider their involvement as their participation may unintentionally result in bloodshed.

“We cannot help but question Samuel Eto’o’s decision to organize this tournament in Victoria, an Ambazonia territory that has been marred by war for over seven years, for which 30,000 Ambazonians have been killed.

“It raises legitimate concerns about potential exploitation of the situation for purposes that are not in the best interests of Victoria and Ambazonia in general.”

[DailyPost]