Sports
Klopp praises his record-breaking side and backs Reds to continue scoring
Jurgen Klopp hailed Liverpool’s record-breakers and urged them to take their calm and clinical finishing into the remainder of the season.
Liverpool blitzed Maribor 7-0 to go top of Group E in the Champions League, after Spartak Moscow stunned Sevilla 5-1 and are in full control of their destiny to reach the knockout phase. It was their first away in the Champions League group stage since November 2009.
The final score ensured Klopp’s team surpassed the achievements of sides in 1964 (Reykjavik), 1976 (Crusaders) and 2001 (FC Haka), who had previously made Liverpool’s biggest away win in Europe 5-0. So dominant were Liverpool, though, they could have easily amassed double figures.
It was the kind of display Klopp believed had been coming and after so many weeks of frustration, lamenting how points have been squandered with missed chances, he hopes this will prove to be a turning point.
Asked for his assessment of the performance, Klopp said: ‘Good! Or even better. From first second it was exactly what we wanted to do. We wanted to show the best counter pressing in the last few weeks – I really thought that protecting our offensive movements were really good but we could have done better in counter pressing – and tonight was really good. A few of the goals came from counter-pressing situations.
‘How we finished these situations was good too, we were cool enough. Often this season we have been alone in the box and not relaxed enough to play the right pass but tonight was different.
‘We showed how good we can be and we never gave up. It was a good all-round performance. It has to be to win 7-0 of course.’
On setting a record score, Klopp added: ‘It will give the players a lot of confidence. I was told about the record after the game and I didn’t know about it. The wonderful history of this club can feel like a back-pack at times so it is nice to write our own good piece of the history.
‘It will be difficult to beat that record. It is quite rare to win 7-0 but it showed we did unbelievably well. Maribor were quite confident before the game for different reasons. We could read the papers over here because my assistant speaks the language and he said they were positive because no English team had won in Maribor (in the Champions League).’
Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Philippe Coutinho shared five goals between them, while Trent Alexander-Arnold completed the rout but the history making goal was plundered by Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Klopp is aware of how big a moment it was for his £35million signing.
‘It will open his chest.,’ said Klopp. ‘It will help him a lot. He could have scored two. It was nice from Daniel how he made this goal, really cool. The performance was very active.
‘The boys deserved that, and we really kept on going. The only problem recently was how to explain why we didn’t win.
‘That has been the most difficult thing about our recent games. When you don’t score it is a challenge to stay confident but we will try to use this result now.
The next game is Tottenham so it’s pretty likely it will not be a similar result. We have five days to recover and prepare and we are looking forward to it,’ Klopp added.
The Chairman of Agbele Sporting, Hon. Ponmile Omidiji, has rejoiced with and extended warm felicitations to the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Remo Stars Football Club, Hon. Kunle Soname, on the occasion of his birthday.
This was contained in a statement personally signed by Omidiji and made available to journalists in Ibadan on Sunday.
The statement reads: “It is my greatest pleasure to felicitate with you, the man of the masses and a philanthropist par excellence, on your day of birth.
“You are a morale booster and a great motivator to this generation. You always utilise any position you occupy for the benefit of others. Indubitably, you are a good man and worthy of emulation,” he added.
Omidiji also seized the opportunity to commend Hon. Soname’s contributions and tireless efforts towards the development of football in Nigeria and beyond, noting that such commitment is truly appreciated.
He offered heartfelt prayers for the celebrant, praying that Almighty God would continue to bless and protect him, that God’s grace would abound in his life, and that all his concerns would be firmly in God’s hands. He further wished that the world would always be kind to him.
Christian Chukwu, former captain and head coach of Nigeria’s national football team, the Super Eagles, has died at the age of 74.
The football icon passed away in the early hours of Saturday, though the exact circumstances surrounding his death remain unclear at the time of reporting.
The news of his demise was confirmed by his longtime friend and teammate, Chief Olusegun Odegbami, who spoke to Channels Television. Odegbami, who played alongside Chukwu in Nigeria’s triumphant 1980 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) squad, expressed deep sorrow over the loss.
“I just received the news that between 9:00 and 10:00 this morning, ‘Chairman’ Christian Chukwu, MFR, my bosom friend and teammate, one of the greatest football players in Nigeria’s history, has passed on,” said Odegbami.
“Babuje, Emmanuel Okala, MON, gave me the sad news a few minutes ago. May ‘Onyim’ find peace with Our Creator in Heaven and console his family,” he added.
Born on 4 January 1951 in Enugu, Chukwu carved a legendary career in Nigerian football, notably captaining Enugu Rangers to numerous domestic triumphs and leading them to continental glory in 1977 with victory in the now-defunct African Cup Winners’ Cup.
He made history in 1980 as the first Nigerian captain to lift the African Nations Cup trophy following a 3–0 win over Algeria in the final held in Lagos.
Chukwu went on to contribute to Nigeria’s football success off the pitch, serving as assistant to Dutch tactician Clemens Westerhof during the Super Eagles’ victorious 1994 AFCON campaign and their debut appearance at the FIFA World Cup the same year.
As head coach, Chukwu led the Super Eagles to a third-place finish at the 2004 Africa Cup of Nations in Tunisia. His tenure as national coach lasted from 2002 to 2005, ending during the qualification phase for the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany.
Nicknamed “Chairman” for his commanding presence on and off the pitch, Chukwu also played a role in Nigeria’s youth football development, working as assistant coach during the 1985 FIFA U-16 World Cup, which Nigeria won in China.
In 2019, he battled prostate cancer, which affected his mobility. A public appeal for support was launched, and Nigerian billionaire Femi Otedola stepped in to cover his overseas medical expenses, reportedly donating $50,000 for his treatment.
Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim believes Marcus Rashford was unable to see football “the way I see it” before the unwanted England striker was shipped out of Old Trafford.
The 27-year-old Rashford fell dramatically out of favour with the Portuguese boss and spent seven weeks on the sidelines until he was loaned to Premier League rivals Aston Villa during the transfer window.
“I couldn’t put Marcus to see the way you’re supposed to play football and to train the way I see it,” Amorim said on Thursday.
“And sometimes you have one player that is really good with one coach, and the same player with another coach is different.
“I just wish the best to Rashford and to (Aston Villa coach) Unai Emery, and they can connect because he’s a very good player.”
Amorim, whose team face Leicester in the FA Cup fourth round on Friday, said his focus now is on turning around a wretched season.
“Guys, in the summer… like we said before, we are fighting for our jobs until the summer,” he said.
“So, I am just focused on these games. Thankfully about Marcus he is in Birmingham now with Unai, so you can take these questions to another coach. We are just focused on our players at the moment.”
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