Sports
Jesus, De Bruyne On Target As Guardiola’s Title Tilt Continues
Manchester City’s unstoppable march at the Premier League summit shows no signs of slowing down as goals from Gabriel Jesus and Kevin De Bruyne secured a 2-0 win over Leicester City at the King Power Stadium.
Pep Guardiola’s side have been in irresistible form so far this season and Saturday’s result moved them nine points clear of second-placed Chelsea, with rivals United playing later in the day and Tottenham having lost at Arsenal.
Jesus gave City the lead a minute before the half-time break with a simple tap-in after a move that had sliced open the hosts’ defence.
De Bruyne then doubled their advantage just three minutes into the second period as he thumped home from 25 yards for his third league goal of a sparkling campaign.
The only blot on City’s copybook was the enforced first-half withdrawal of England defender John Stones, who pulled up holding his right hamstring.
David Silva and Jesus missed chances to extend City’s lead as the second half wore on, but two blistering attacks either side of half-time were enough to secure another impressive success.
Guardiola handed a first Premier League start since August 26 to Vincent Kompany, but the Belgian started sluggishly and was lucky not to be dismissed after just three minutes.
The 31-year-old hacked down Jamie Vardy as the England striker latched onto Vicente Iborra’s pass, but referee Graham Scott deemed Stones to be in a covering position and opted to give the City captain only a yellow card.
Kompany was involved again soon after, stretching well to divert Riyad Mahrez’s dangerous cross just wide of his own goal as the hosts continued to impress going forward.
City’s trademark swashbuckling approach was largely absent in the early stages, but a typically incisive move involving Fabian Delph and Leroy Sane resulted in Kasper Schmeichel tipping over Silva’s shot from just inside the penalty area.
Raheem Sterling was then only inches away from connecting with Sane’s fizzed cross as the visitors started to hit their stride.
City finished the half strongly as Silva thrashed over from the edge of the area before the Spaniard teed up Jesus for the opener. Sterling carved open the Foxes defence with a threaded pass into the path of Silva, who had the simple task of rolling it across the six-yard box for the Brazilian to grab his eighth league goal of the season.
Leicester’s positive approach at the start of the second period was nearly rewarded when Harry Maguire’s effort from a corner was deflected onto the post.
City took full advantage of that reprieve to deliver a stunning counter-attack, which resulted in Sane finding De Bruyne on the edge of the area for the former Chelsea man to unleash a superb left-footed strike into the roof of Schmeichel’s net.
Jesus was then denied his second just moments later as Schmeichel thwarted him from just six yards out and Silva once again fired over as his wait for a goal continued.
City comfortably kept Leicester at arm’s length in the final 20 minutes as the hosts desperately tried to find a way back into the game and were ultimately able to claim yet another three points at something approaching a canter.
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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