I made many Nigerians happy. I don’t think I deserve this sadness in retirement.” – Kanu

EPL: Hazard scores 100th goal for Chelsea in slim victory against Watford

EPL: Hazard scores 100th goal for Chelsea in slim victory against Watford

Eden Hazard scored twice as Chelsea gained a hard-fought win at Watford to reclaim fourth place in the Premier League table.

The Belgian opened the scoring when he collected Mateo Kovacic’s pass, took the ball around goalkeeper Ben Foster and calmly finished for his 100th Blues goal.

Chelsea’s lead only lasted two minutes until Roberto Pereyra volleyed past Kepa Arrizabalaga from the edge of the 18-yard box.

But Hazard grabbed his second of the match in the second half when he converted a penalty after Foster had bundled him over.

Chelsea had dropped to fifth when Arsenal drew at Brighton earlier on Wednesday, but this result takes Maurizio Sarri’s side back to fourth, 11 points behind leaders Liverpool.

It was a return to winning ways for the Blues after they suffered a surprise 1-0 loss at home to Leicester City on Saturday.

Hazard, who joined Chelsea for £32m from Lille in June 2012, became only the 10th man to reach 100 goals in all competitions for the club when he put the visitors ahead in the first minute of injury time at the end of the first half.
It came after Watford’s Etienne Capoue sloppily gave the ball away near the halfway line.

That enabled Kovacic to break forward before releasing Hazard, and the Belgium international did well to go around Foster and score his 10th Premier League goal of the season.

After Watford had equalised, Hazard’s 101st club goal came in the 58th minute as he sent Foster the wrong way from the spot after the former England goalkeeper bundled him over in the penalty area.

Hazard’s quality proved to be the difference as Sarri again opted to use the two-time Premier League title winner as a ‘false nine’, with Alvaro Morata injured and Olivier Giroud, who has only scored one Premier League goal in 15 appearances in 2018-19, among the substitutes.

Chelsea had further opportunities as N’Golo Kante raced onto Hazard’s through ball but could only drag his effort wide. Willian also was unlucky not to add a third for the visitors, when his 20-yard strike rebounded off the outside of the post.

The only negatives for Chelsea were a hamstring injury for Pedro with the man who replaced him, 18-year-old Callum Hudson-Odoi, also going off late on. (BBC)

BREAKING! Mourinho Left Manchestser United!!

Klopp Apologizes For Overzealous Celebrations In Derby Win

The England player moved the ball upwards and presented Origi with a simple headed finish into an open net to seal a 1-0 win.

Klopp raan into the pitch in wild celebration but has now apologised for doing so.

“I have to apologise because I didn’t want to be disrespectful but I couldn’t stop myself. It just happened,” Klopp told Sky Sports.

“The game was with unbelievable intensity. Both teams had chances. Both goalkeepers had outstanding performances. In the end, it was a very weird goal. I can’t imagine the disappointment of Everton. But we got it and we will take it. It is a brilliant night.

“If I could describe it (how he felt) then I would have control over it. We don’t want to look for excuses but that’s how it is. I’m not sure what the FA has to do in a situation like this but I will have to wait.

Luke Shaw admitted a “thick skin” is required to play under Jose Mourinho

 

The defender has been the focus of much discussion during Jose Mourinho’s time at the club, with the manager publicly criticising the left-back on numerous occasions.

“You need a thick skin to play under this manager and for this club,” Shaw told a news conference. “We need to fight for the manager, fans and club. I signed my contract because good things are going to happen at this club.

“It is the biggest club in the world and we, as players, need to take what is said and take it on board. We need to fight for the fans, for the club.”

“It is really hard to put a finger on what is going on,” he said. “It is frustrating to watch, but we all know, as a team, that we are better than that.

“We do train really hard in the week and we always push each other. Some games I can’t put my finger on it, but it is easy for me to come here and talk well. We need to show it on the pitch.

“I think everyone in the changing room is a fighter. We all need to be pushing each other and we all want to win trophies. You can’t say we aren’t fighters. We all want to be the best team in the league.”

“Don’t Mess With Me” – Luis Suarez Tells Team-Mate Pique After Defeat By Real-Betis

Nigerian Striker, Brown Ideye buys himself a 2018 Rolls Royce for his birthday

Nigerian Striker, Brown Ideye buys himself a 2018 Rolls Royce for his birthday

Nigerian Striker, Brown Ideye has purchased a luxury a 2018 Rolls Royce worth millions for his birthday.

The football star who turned 30 years last month, gifted himself a 2018 Rolls Royce Wraith for his birthday and his fans can’t keep calm.

Ideye, who plays as a striker for Chinese club Tianjin Teda also has a 2017 Rolls Royce.

 

“Messi Is The Best Player In The World” – Football Legend, Maradona Declares

Diego Maradona has accused the media of trying to drive a wedge between himself and the Barcelona star, Goal.com reports.

The Argentine has reiterated his belief that countryman Lionel Messi is the best player in the world.

Maradona seemed to take aim at the Barcelona star last weekend, when he appeared to question the way that the 31-year-old is deified.

Maradona, in particular, took aim at Messi’s mentality, claiming that he is not a leader.

“Messi’s a great player, but he’s not a leader,” the 1986 World Cup winner was quoted as having said by La Ultima Palabra Mexico. “Let’s stop making a God out of Messi. Messi is just another player for Argentina.”

Furthermore he was cited as having accused the Barca ace of “going to the bathroom 20 times before a game”.

The Dorados head coach, however, has said that his comments were taken out of context and accused the media of driving a wedge between himself and the player he once led as Argentina coach.

“I know who Leo is, I know he’s the best player in the world,” he said on Sunday. “If I said a player goes to the toilet 20 times before a game, I never named Lionel Messi.

“They want to put me into confrontation with Messi but they cannot. The friendship I have with Lionel is bigger than anything they can write, and I’m saying that he’s the greatest in the world.”

 

 

Messi injured: to miss El Clasico, out for three weeks

Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi has been ruled out of next week’s El Clasico, after the club confirmed he fractured his arm in Saturday’s 4-2 win over Sevilla at the Nou Camp.

In the 17th minute of the clash, Messi went down awkwardly and was eventually forced off nine minutes after the incident, and replaced by Ousmane Dembele.

After the match, Barca posted a tweet confirming the injury.

It read: “Tests carried out on the first team player Leo Messi have confirmed that he has a fracture of the radial bone in his right arm. He will be out for approximately three weeks.”

The prolific forward will also be absent for the Champions League clash at home to Inter Milan on Wednesday.

If the time of his recovery span over exactly three weeks, then he will be out of the Copa Del Rey trip to Cultural Leonesa, as well as the league trip to Rayo Vallecano, the return Champions League match with Inter and possibly the home league game with Real Betis on November 11.

 

Former NBA star Kobe Bryant Removed from Film Jury Over 2003 Rape Allegation

Former NBA star Kobe Bryant has been removed from the jury of an upcoming film festival at the behest of a Change.org petition that said the former basketballer should not be involved due to the 2003 rape allegation made against him, according to Variety. (At the time, Bryant had said any relations were consensual; he pleaded not guilty to felony charges, which were later dismissed; and he settled a related civil suit).

The 40 year old — who won an Academy Award earlier this year for his work on the animated short film Dear Basketball — was set to participate in the Animation Is Film Festival this weekend in Los Angeles.

In a statement to Variety, Eric Beckman — the CEO of GKIDS, the producer of the event — said, “After discussions with the various stakeholders of Animation Is Film, the decision has been made to remove Kobe Bryant from the 2018 jury. We are a young organization and it is important to keep our collective energies focused on the films, the participating filmmakers, and our festival attendees.”

While responding to the festival’s decision to remove him from the jury, Bryant tells PEOPLE in a statement, “I was honored to have been originally invited by Animation is Film to serve on the 2018 Jury, and am disappointed to no longer serve in that capacity.”

“This decision further motivates me and my commitment to building a studio that focuses on diversity and inclusion in storytelling for the animation industry. I remain focused on changing the world in positive ways through diverse stories, characters, and leadership, in order to inspire the next generation.”

 

 

Belgium Boss Roberto Martinez Reveals Marouane Fellaini ‘Should Be Fit’ For Manchester United’s Trip To Chelsea

Belgium coach Roberto Martinez has said that Marouane Fellaini “should be fine” for Manchester United’s Premier League clash with Chelsea on Saturday afternoon.

There wa fear that the midfielder would be absent for his club at the weekend be cause he did not feature in Belgium’s 1-1 draw with the Netherlands in the UEFA Nations League on Tuesday.

“He should be fine, it’s just he wasn’t 100%. He’s got an important game at the weekend and this wasn’t the game to use players who weren’t 100%. We expect he should be fine in the next couple of days,” Martinez told reporters.

 

Napoli are willing to let Maurizio Sarri take over at Chelsea for free

 

According to the daily telegraph, Napoli are willing to let Maurizio Sarri take over at Chelsea for free if they are able to get defender David Luiz in return.

As it stands the Blues would have to pay Sarri’s £7 million ($9.4m) release clause if they wanted to bring him to Stamford Bridge this summer.

But the Serie A outfit are willing to waive that if they are able to get David Luiz for a cut-price fee of around £15m ($20m).

We Now Know The Club That Wants To Sign Usain Bolt

 

Jamaican Usain Bolt got the football world awake after he scored a brace in a preseason match for Australian club, Central Coast Mariners. Based on the promise he showed, there were reports that a European club wanted to sign him.

We can now confirm that the club is Malta-based Valletta FC, and they’re dead serious about making Bolt a deal.

According to Punch, negotiations are already in place to bring Bolt on board by December 13, when the club will be playing in the Maltese Super Cup final. 2018 makes it exactly 10 years since Bolt broke the world record in the 100 and 200 metres in Beijing.

So, winning the cup with Valletta will be another historic feat on its own for the world’s fastest man. Kwese ESPN reports that Valletta has won 24 Maltese Premier League titles, 14 Maltese FA Trophy titles and 11 Maltese Super Cup titles.

With this rate of success, they’re looking to reach the group stages of the Champions League in the future. By signing with them, Bolt will be increasing his chances of getting noticed by his dream club, Manchester United.

 

 

Usain Bolt Shocked By Surprise Drug Tests

According to the fastest man in the world, Usain Bolt, unprecedented doping tests have come as a surprise to him, as he attempts to ply his trade in football.

The Jamaican athlete retired from track and field and has been trying to sign with a club.

Bolt is currently on trial with Central Coast Mariners in the Australian A-League and despite being without a club, he is being tracked for doping tests.

“So guys I’ve retired from track and field looking to become a footballer but look at this,” Bolt said via an Instagram story as he zoomed in on the notice.

“How am I going to get a drug test today? I’m not even a professional footballer yet. Seriously…

“So I asked the lady, ‘Why am I getting drug tested when I haven’t signed for a club yet?’ and she said they told her I’m an elite athlete so I have to get tested.”

Eden Hazard Says He Will Not Force Chelsea To Sell Him (Read His Comments)

Under-pressure Germany Coach Joachim Loew Insists He Can Handle The Criticism

Germany football national team coach Joachim Loew seemed to have regained his poise as he faced the media Monday ahead of a match against France, just two days after being on the receiving end of a humiliating defeat to Netherlands

“I can handle criticism very well,” Loew said at a press conference ahead of Tuesday’s Nations League game against the world champions at the Stade de France.

After Germany lost 3-0 to the Netherlands on Saturday, Loew had seemed irritated and flustered as he refused to answer questions from German media about his future.

That loss left Germany bottom of their Nations League group, fuelling questions about whether he should have retained his job after the humiliating early exit from the World Cup.

“Of course, the defeat in the Netherlands has done a lot of damage, to the staff, the players and most of all the fans,” Loew said on Monday.

“It’s not really surprising to me. After the World Cup, it is a process we have to manage. There will be setbacks or defeats. I am not too surprised about that.

“It’s normal for me to be criticised, but I can handle criticism very well. I’ve spoken with the president (of the federation), it’s clear that we have to stick together.

“Criticism from the outside does not bother me. It is important that I motivate my players against France. I can easily forget the criticism and remain 100 percent focused.”

Defeat on Tuesday would leave Germany on the verge of relegation to the B division of the Nations League. It would also be a sixth in 2018, a German record in a calendar year.

“We have nothing to lose against the world champions,” Loew said. “We are here to take the three points.”

“We want to play boldly against the world champions. As for the players, of course, if you suffer a 3-0 defeat, you have to make changes. One thing I can tell you is that Neuer will be in goal… “

Messi is a great player, but he’s not a leader – Diego Maradona

According to Argentina legend, Diego Maradona, Lionel Messi will never be a leader. He said that the Barcelona forward ‘goes to the toilet 20 times a game’.

Messi who has decided to take a break from the national team following their poor performance during the World Cup has been criticized for his performances for Argentina.

The 31-year-old has captained Argentina since 2011 but Maradona, who won the World Cup back in 1986, believes the Barcelona star has no leadership qualities and believes he should be considered as an equal to Cristiano Ronaldo.

“Messi’s a great player, but he’s not a leader,’ Maradona told Fox Sports Mexico.

“Before talking to the coach and players, he’ll play on the PlayStation. Then, on the field, he wants to be the leader. He’s the best in the world with Cristiano [Ronaldo].

“For me, it’s difficult to say it but it’s useless to make a leader out of a man who goes to the toilet 20 times before a game.

“There’s no two ways about it. Let’s stop making a god out of Messi. Messi is just another player for Argentina.

“I wouldn’t call him up right now, but never say never. We have to take the pressure off him.

“We have to take the leadership away from Messi for him to be the Messi we want him to be.

“I’d make him play as I want. I’d call him up and play him how I know Messi plays.”

Video: Nigeria 4 – 0 Libya [Africa Cup of Nations – Qualification] Highlights 2018

Watch the highlights of the Nigeria four goals against Libya which made them go second in Group E ahead of their return leg in Sfax, Tunisia.

Odion Ighalo scored his first treble for Nigeria while Samuel Kalu got his first Nigeria goal

Countinho says Barcelona current form is not normal

Barcelona terrific attacker, Philippe Coutinho has admitted that his team’s current form “is not normal”, but the Brazilian is confident that the Catalan outfit will overcome their recent troubles.

The Spanish giants have only won one of their last five La Liga matches and are without a victory in their last four.

The disappointing run of form has seen the Catalan outfit drop off the top of the table, and Coutinho has conceded that his side are currently going through a tough patch.

That said, the former Liverpool attacker has insisted that there is ‘no reason to panic’.

“Going four [league] matches without a win is not normal for this club,” Diario Sport quotes Coutinho as saying.

“A football season is a long time and lots of things can happen, so the situation is always amplified but we know not to panic.

“I am not worried because I know this team, we are still in at the top end of the table and we made a strong start in the Champions League. We are calm.”

Barcelona will return to La Liga action with a home game against table-topping Sevilla on October 20.

Dybala gives verdict on Ronaldo & Messi