Sports
Crystal Palace finally score, win first EPL game against Chelsea
It’s been a long time coming but Wilfried Zaha starred as Crystal Palace finally scored in the Premier League in a 2-1 win over Chelsea.
Wilfried Zaha returned to inspire Crystal Palace as the Eagles recorded their first goals and points of the season en route to consigning Chelsea to back-to-back Premier League defeats.
Flying winger Zaha injured his right knee during the opening-day defeat to Huddersfield Town and has been powerless as Palace lost their opening seven league matches without scoring a goal.
Another defeat to nil would have set an unwanted English league record at nine, including one at the end of last season, but Selhurst Park erupted early on when an Andros Townsend cross crept past Thibaut Courtois via a combination of Yohan Cabaye and Cesar Azpilicueta.
Tiemoue Bakayoko was given the freedom of the Palace area to head home his first Premier League goal and level the scores, but the influential Zaha – who was a menace throughout – restored Palace’s lead shortly before the break with a cool finish.
An inevitable second-half barrage arrived from Chelsea and Cesc Fabregas lashed an effort against the crossbar, but Palace clung on for a priceless victory.
It marks another disappointment for Antonio Conte, whose side were beaten 1-0 at home by Manchester City last time out and the Blues now trail Pep Guardiola’s league leaders by nine points.
Palace remain bottom of the table, seven points adrift of 17th, but the return of Zaha will give Roy Hodgson – who tasted victory as Palace boss for the first time – renewed optimism.
Zaha provided Palace with fresh attacking impetus and he forced Courtois into an early save after collecting Townsend’s low left-wing cross and turning Gary Cahill in the area.
The wait for a goal was over in the 11th minute. James McArthur cleverly slipped a pass to Townsend, whose drilled cross ricocheted off Cabaye’s knee under a challenge from David Luiz and clipped Azpilicueta before squirming past Courtois.
Palace’s frailties were exposed with startling ease just seven minutes later, though, as Cesc Fabregas fired in a corner from the right that Bakayoko headed in unmarked for his first Premier League goal.
Zaha lashed an effort past the left post, while more poor marking at a corner led to Michy Batshuayi – deputising for the injured Alvaro Morata in one of four Chelsea changes – heading wastefully over the crossbar.
Chelsea then lost Victor Moses to a hamstring injury before their misery increased on the stroke of half-time.
Mamadou Sakho powered deep into Chelsea’s half and fed Zaha, who brilliantly jinked inside Azpilicueta before placing his shot across Courtois into the bottom-right corner.
Chelsea upped the tempo early in the second half and Fabregas’ stinging 25-yard drive beat veteran goalkeeper Julian Speroni – playing in place of the injured Wayne Hennessey – but rattled the bar.
The visitors continued to create the better second-half chances and Marcos Alonso looped a header over from Willian’s corner just after the hour before Pedro’s long-distance drive was saved by Speroni.
Palace should have put the game to bed in the closing stages when Courtois spilled Townsend’s 25-yard effort, but Patrick van Aanholt somehow drilled wide on the follow up with the goal gaping.
It almost proved a costly miss as Sakho recklessly tried to backheel out of danger against Charly Musonda, but thankfully for a raucous home crowd Fabregas drilled wide.
The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has confirmed the appointment of German tactician Bruno Labbadia as the new Head Coach of Nigeria’s Senior Men’s National Team, the Super Eagles.
This development was announced by the NFF General Secretary, Dr. Mohammed Sanusi, in the early hours of Tuesday, following the approval of the NFF Executive Committee based on a recommendation from its Technical and Development Sub-Committee. Labbadia’s appointment takes immediate effect.
Born on 8th February 1966 in Darmstadt, Germany, Labbadia enjoyed a distinguished playing career, earning two caps for the German national team. His club career included stints at prominent clubs such as Darmstadt 98, Hamburger SV, FC Kaiserslautern, Bayern Munich, FC Cologne, Werder Bremen, Arminia Bielefeld, and Karlsruher SC. Notably, he won the Bundesliga title with Bayern Munich in 1994.
Labbadia’s coaching career has seen him manage top-tier clubs such as Hertha Berlin, VfB Stuttgart, VfL Wolfsburg, Hamburger SV, and Bayer Leverkusen, among others. He holds a UEFA Pro License and is well-regarded for his tactical acumen.
With his appointment, Labbadia becomes the sixth German to lead the Super Eagles, following in the footsteps of Karl-Heinz Marotzke, Gottlieb Göller, Manfred Höner, Berti Vogts, and Gernot Rohr. Höner notably guided the Super Eagles to a runner-up finish at the 1988 Africa Cup of Nations, while Rohr qualified Nigeria for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.
Labbadia’s immediate task is to prepare the Super Eagles for their upcoming 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifying matches.
Nigeria will face Benin Republic on Saturday, 7th September in Uyo, and Rwanda on Tuesday, 10th September in Kigali. The team will also play four additional qualifying matches in October and November as they aim to secure a spot in the 2025 AFCON, scheduled to be held from December 21, 2025, to January 18, 2026.
The Super Eagles, placed in Group D, will face familiar foes Benin Republic, who recently defeated Nigeria in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. The draw for the AFCON qualifiers, held in Johannesburg, South Africa, last month, also sees Nigeria taking on Libya and Rwanda, both of whom are also part of the Super Eagles’ group for the 2026 World Cup qualifiers set to be hosted in the USA, Canada, and Mexico.
Labbadia’s appointment comes at a crucial time as the Super Eagles look to regain their dominance on the African continent and secure qualification for both the AFCON and the World Cup.
Finidi George has stepped into a new role as the technical manager for NPFL side, Rivers United, following his resignation as coach of the Super Eagles.
During his brief tenure with the Eagles, George’s 1-1 draw against South Africa in Uyo and a 2-1 loss to Benin Republic in Abidjan cast doubts on Nigeria’s World Cup qualification, prompting calls from fans for his dismissal.
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Nevertheless, Rivers United, the 2021-22 champions, expressed optimism in a statement on Wednesday via their official handle about having the former Eagles international manage their team.
“Finidi brings a wealth of experience and expertise to our team, having had a distinguished playing career spanning over fifteen years,” the statement read.
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Dr. Okey Kpalukwu, General Manager of Rivers United FC, welcomed George, stating, “We are delighted to have Finidi George join our team. His appointment marks a new chapter in our club’s history, and we are committed to working together to achieve success.”
Expressing his gratitude to the club, an elated George remarked, “I am honored to have this opportunity, and I thank the Sports Commissioner, the General Manager, and the supporters for their confidence in me. I am committed to working hard and making the team win.”
Inter Milan were taken over by US fund Oaktree on Wednesday after the Serie A champions’ outgoing owners Suning missed a deadline to repay a debt worth hundred of millions of euros.
In a statement, Oaktree announced they had “assumed control” of Inter after the non-repayment of a “three-year loan to Inter Milan’s holding companies that matured on 21 May 2024 with a total balance due of approximately 395 million euros ($428 million)”.
Chinese conglomerate Suning have relinquished control of Inter to Oaktree three days after the team were officially crowned Italian champions for the 20th time.
Suning borrowed 275 million euros at over 12 percent interest three years ago to pay staff and players as the Covid-19 pandemic ravaged the finances of clubs across Europe, putting up their controlling stake in the club as collateral.
“Oaktree is dedicated to achieving the best outcome for the long-term prosperity of Inter Milan, with an initial focus on operational and financial stability for the Club and its stakeholders,” Oaktree continued.
Inter became a powerful force at home and abroad after Suning acquired the club in 2016, with seven trophies including two Serie A titles and two European finals.
Simone Inzaghi’s team cruised to this year’s championship, winning the Scudetto with five matches remaining by beating AC Milan in a thrilling local derby.
Oaktree, which manages $192 billion in assets, said they are “committed to working closely with Inter Milan’s current management team, partners, the league and governing bodies to ensure the Club is positioned for success on and off the pitch”.
Inter ended up in the hands of Oaktree in a manner similar to the way another US fund, Elliott Management, took control of their local rivals Milan in 2018.
Elliott became Milan’s owners when Chinese businessman Li Yonghong was unable to repay a loan he had taken out when he bought the club from the late Silvio Berlusconi’s Fininvest the previous year.
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