The Nation Newspaper

Category: Sports

  • Puncheon hails ‘true’ display

    Southampton winger Jason Puncheon reckons the real Saints turned up when they saw off QPR 3-1 at Loftus Road on Saturday.

    Puncheon turned in a fine display against Rangers, with whom he had an unsuccessful loan spell last season, and netted the second goal for the visitors.

    “It’s always good to get one against a former club, but the most important thing was getting three points,” he said.

    “We sort of got on the front foot and did what we’ve been doing in recent weeks. I thought we were solid, and that showed in the first half and the second half.

    “We have always known as a group that we shouldn’t be where we are.

    “There have been games that haven’t gone our way and games that have slipped through our hands, but we were determined not to do that from back-to-front and in [terms of] finishing off goals and that happened.

    “You can sit there and say it’s easy, but we were on the top of our game on every yard of the pitch.

    “The two midfielders covered every blade of grass on the pitch, Gaston [Ramirez] and Rickie [Lambert] both put in a lot of work as did the full-backs, centre-halves and goalkeeper.

    “That counts, that’s what it’s all about and that’s what we did.”

     

  • License to thrill for Roberto Carlos’s World XI

    A round this time of year everyone is talking about the FIFA Ballon d’Or. Who’s your pick to win this year?

    Roberto Carlos: Obviously everyone’s talking about [Lionel] Messi, but I reckon he’s won enough and there cannot be much more room in his trophy cabinet.

    Therefore, I’d vote for Cristiano Ronaldo. He’s someone who can win matches for you many different ways, from varying situations in attack. He deserves to win it again.

    Speaking of deserving winners, many people consider you one of the finest

    players of your generation never to have won this award. Would you go along with that?

    Well, back in 2002, I came up against Ronaldo and he robbed me of the trophy (laughs). But I’m not sure quite what my supporters saw in me (laughs again).

    Joking aside, I think there probably was a period of six or seven years when I was the best around in that position, and that’s something I’m immensely proud of. Moreover, that generation had an absurd amount of supremely talented players, all operating in midfield or up front, where you tend to get more attention.

    Now that you’re going into coaching, who’s to say you won’t win the FIFA Coach

    of the Year award one day?

    (Laughs) Do you think so? At least let me take the first step. I still have a long way to go before I starting thinking about that kind of thing.

    So who would choose as Men’s Coach of the Year?

    Well, seeing as [Pep] Guardiola has left Barcelona, I think it should go to Jose Mourinho. A club side like his is harder to manage than a top national team – something I know a lot about. During my time at Real Madrid, I played under Fabio Capello, who did an amazing job. But when you look at Mourinho’s results, you can see his coaching has a lot of merit and he really knows how to deal with the situations he faces.

    OK so let’s hear your FIFA/FIFPro World XI…

    Right, here goes. First Casillas, Daniel Alves, Thiago Silva, David Luiz and Marcelo; in midfield Xavi and Xabi Alonso; Ribery and Van Persie as withdrawn strikers; and Neymar, Messi and… Cristiano Ronaldo up front.

    You’re right. OK let’s back up a bit. I better put Xabi Alonso on the bench as I need Cristiano Ronaldo. And I’ve forgotten Iniesta! OK, how about I sacrifice

    David Luiz and leave Daniel Alves, Thiago Silva and Marcelo. Barcelona play like that with three defenders, so why can’t I? (laughs)

    Right so the final XI are: Casillas, Daniel Alves, Thiago Silva and Marcelo; Xavi,

    Ribery, Van Persie and Iniesta; Messi, Neymar and Cristiano Ronaldo? Exactly.

    Fair to say then that we can expect Roberto Carlos the coach to be a tad attack-minded?

    (laughs) Give me a team like that, and you bet we’ll play offensively.

  • Barca must fall —Emenike

    Barca must fall —Emenike

    EMMANUEL EMENIKE has said home team Spartak Moscow must beat Barcelona on today to stay alive in the Champions League.

    Spartak are bottom of Group G with three points from four matches, but they could improve their chances of going past the group stage with a win over the Catalan giants Barcelona who they almost upset at Camp Nou in September before they lost 3-2.

    “Our game at home on Tuesday against Barcelona is a must-win game for us to boost our chances. I will do my best to get in the goals that will help us beat Barcelona,” Emenike told MTNFootball.com

    “We lost to them at Camp Nou narrowly. I am sure we can beat them.

    “The home loss to Celtic was a big setback for us, but that’s in the past and getting past Barca is my target.”

    He added: “Beating Celtic and Barcelona are the only remedies for us to be part of the next round. We can do it for the fact that Celtic beat Barca, we also can beat both of them.

    “We can’t be written off, this is football and anything can happen in our next two games. And we just need to stay positive and give our best.”

    Spartak final group game will be on December 5 away at second-placed Celtic, who shocked the top Russia club 3-2 in the reverse fixture early last month.

  • LASG renovates National Stadium Knock-up Hall

    LASG renovates National Stadium Knock-up Hall

    THE Knock-up Hall of the National Stadium in Surulere, Lagos which will be used for the table tennis event of the 18th National Sports Festival has been installed with “Fibre Elastic Zinc,’’ to enhance its illumination.

    A correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) who visited the venue on Monday reports that the development is coming less than a week to the commencement of the Games. NAN observed that part of the roof and the sides were being removed and replaced with the fibre-elastic zinc.

    NAN also reports that the edifice, which could not serve as an effective training venue for players or host competitions because of its poor lighting, now has those problems solved by the Lagos State Government.

    Nasiru Bello, National Coach, Nigeria Table Tennis Federation (NTTF), explained that the upgrade was sponsored by the Lagos State Government, as part of its arrangements to host the festival. Bello said fibre elastic zinc, which is a modern technology, would provide good illumination in the hall for players who would participate in the event.

    “The fibre elastic zinc is a new technology that foreign countries use in their sports halls and now, the Lagos State Government has taken advantage of the festival to upgrade our facility. This has automatically changed the face of the hall and players will be happy to play in a clearly visible environment, without stress, unlike what we experienced in the past,’’ he said.

    Bello commended the Lagos State Government for the good work, noting that the NTTF had been crying out against the poor lighting of the edifice.

    “Lagos State has done well for the NTTF and I thank God for the festival because it provided the platform for this good development, which has been one of our lingering needs,’’ he said.

  • Obudu: Dinkesa speaks on toughest race yet

    Obudu: Dinkesa speaks on toughest race yet

    ABEBE DINKESA says his historic win of the Obudu International Mountain Race men`s title last Saturday at the Obudu Ranch Resort is the most challenging of his three titles at the event.

    The Ethiopian made history on Saturday when he became the first man to win the men`s individual title three times.

    “This is the toughest of the three Obudu Races I have won,” starts Dinkesa . “The first kilometer was relatively flat. The toughest and most demanding part of the race was between two and eight kilometers,” Dinkesa recalls.

    “Once I got past the 8km mark I was sure I could hold onto the lead ahead of the Kenyans and win the race,” says Dinkesa.

    Kenyans MacDonald Ondara (1:02) and Robert Chemosin (1:03) followed ahead of Uganda’s Phillip Kiplimo (1:04).

    “I was not prepared for this new course when I came. I thought we would run more on the asphalted road like we used to do in past editions. Next year I will come better prepared,” Dinkesa assured.

    Meanwhile, Patrick Ugbe, Cross River State Commissioner for Sports and Youth says he is more than convinced the state is ready to host the World Mountain Running Championships in 2014 following Saturday`s successful hosting of the 8th Obudu International Mountain Race.

    ”I am delighted this year`s race ended without any technical hitch. Virtually everybody connected with the race had grins of satisfaction on their cheeks after the race in spite of the fact that we dealt with new challenges this time round’, said Ugbe, adding that the new course and transportation arrangements were part of the requirements set out by the WMRA while granting the state the right to host its flagship event in two year’s time.

     

     

     

  • Baines: Hard to dislodge Cole

    Baines: Hard to dislodge Cole

    Leighton Baines does not believe he is on an ‘even keel’ with Ashley Cole in terms of England selection because he is not playing in the Champions League.

    Baines has been pleased that Roy Hodgson has given a fair chance to those who have impressed at club level, having started five of England’s six games this season.

    However, most of those appearances have come as a result of Cole’s absence through injury and he admits it will always be difficult to get ahead of his fellow left-back in the international pecking order.

    Baines feels sure that Cole is at an advantage playing for a club like Chelsea, while his Everton side are not involved in European competition.

    “I wouldn’t have thought I’m on an even keel with Ashley because he’s with a club that’s playing at the very top level,” Baines said in The Sun.

    Speaking about Hodgson, Baines added: “He’s looking at everyone and giving us all a fair crack.

    “But I’m sure playing in the Champions League carries some weight because you are up against the best players in the world.

    “So it’s no small task trying to get into the team ahead of Ashley.”

  • TENNIS: Agassi captures home town victory in Las Vegas

    TENNIS: Agassi captures home town victory in Las Vegas

    Andre Agassi won his second straight PowerShares Series event and thrilled his hometown fans with an 8-3 triumph over Jim Courier in the championship match of the Cancer Treatment Centers of America Championships, Saturday night at the Mandalay Bay Hotel in Las Vegas, NV.

    The victory moved Agassi into fourth place in the PowerShares Series rankings, as he now sits just 600 points behind top-ranked Jim Courier, after Courier gained 100 tonight with his semifinal win. Agassi is looking to make a late season surge into the top three of the point standings, in order to receive a share of the $1,000,000 PowerShares Series purse. Just two events remain on the 2012 schedule with stops in Denver and Anaheim upcoming at the end of November.

    “It always means the world to me, to play here in Las Vegas in front of all the people that have supported me throughout my entire career,” said Agassi, who had his wife Stefanie and entire family on hand for the match tonight, along with many students from his Preparatory Academy. “I felt the enthusiasm of my supporters, and I really like the way I’m striking the ball right now.”

    It was the second straight year that Agassi has taken home the title here in Las Vegas, defeating Pete Sampras in the finals of last year’s event at the Thomas and Mack Center.

    In the evening’s first semifinal, Michael Chang and Jim Courier waged a fierce back and forth battle as both players held serve up until 6-5 when Courier broke to advance to the final with a 7-5 victory.

    In the second semifinal Agassi handed John McEnroe his first semifinal loss in a PowerShares Series event since October 18 in Detroit, beating McEnroe in a highly charged and entertaining 7-5 set. McEnroe expressed his displeasure with a mid-match “moon over Vegas”, showing all of the fans his Bjorn Borg brand underwear.

    After a short Thanksgiving holiday break, the 2012 PowerShares Series returns to action Thursday night, November 29 for the Jeep Championships, presented Cancer Treatment Centers of America in Denver, Colorado. Agassi will rejoin Chang, Courier and McEnroe when the action gets under way at 7:30 pm at the Pepsi Center.

  • GOLF: McIlroy eager to make history at Hong Kong Open

    GOLF: McIlroy eager to make history at Hong Kong Open

    Only one golfer has successfully retained the Hong Kong Open title in 53 years. Rory McIlroy wants to be the second.

    McIlroy drilled a brilliant bunker shot on the last hole a year ago to win the title by two strokes, becoming the tournament’s youngest winner at 22 after being runner-up in 2008 and 2009.

    He first competed in Hong Kong at 16, when he got a glimpse of the area off mainland China.

    “I first came here as a junior in the Faldo Series and players like Oliver Fisher and myself and a few others stayed at the golf club at Fanling and it was great fun and I’ve always really enjoyed the golf course,” McIlroy said. “Then when it became a European Tour event, I came back and stayed in the city on Hong Kong island and I’ve just really enjoyed the buzz and the atmosphere.”

    Only Taiwan’s Hsieh Yung-yo has won the event two years in a row, in 1963-64.

    “It’s here also that I have had some great experiences as a player, taking part in one of the best playoffs ever against Lin Wen-tang in 2009,” McIlroy said. “Then I was able to finally put my name on the Hong Kong Open trophy last year.”

    McIlroy will face 19-year-old Matteo Manassero, the new Singapore Open winner, who will play the opening two rounds with McIlroy.

    “When I think of Rory, I think he has an impossible game to imitate,” the Italian teen said. “He is so good and he plays probably the best game in the world.”

    While McIlroy has sealed the European Tour money title, others are eager to make the top 115 and secure automatic tour membership for next year.

    Four players will come off the money list for not playing the minimum of 13 events, including Scotland’s Martin Laird who has played in 10. The cutoff will be 119th.

    Rhys Davies of Wales currently holds that position, and two former tour winners in Bradley Dredge (121st) and Andrew Dodt (122nd) are within $2,400) of Davies.

    Also, Portugal’s Ricardo Santos, this year’s winner of the Madeira Islands Open, is looking to seal the rookie of the year award.

  • Clarke ‘thinking’ about Europe

    Clarke ‘thinking’ about Europe

    Steve Clarke believes West Brom are “in the right position to think about Europe” but has refused to get carried away.

    Albion climbed into fourth spot after Saturday’s 2-1 home success over Chelsea – their sixth in seven home matches this season – thanks to goals from Shane Long and Peter Odemwingie.

    Long produced an inspired performance despite the death of his grandmother 24 hours earlier while stand-in keeper Boaz Myhill produced several fine saves in the absence of Ben Foster.

    Albion are showing they now have strength in depth but former Chelsea player and coach Clarke is content to let any dreams of Europe nestle with supporters and not in the dressing room.

    He said: “At the moment, we are in the right position to think about Europe – but we go from game to game.

    “That is boring I know, but I think this weekend we’ll let the supporters dream a little bit.

    “The team are certainly in a very good moment, but within the camp we’ll keep our feet on the ground.

    “I think people have been taking notice of us for quite a few weeks now.

    “We are aware of that, they can take notice if they want, but we work from game to game.”

    Clarke has managed to make West Brom into more of an attacking threat since he succeeded the pragmatic Roy Hodgson who had made Albion hard to beat.

    He said: “I wanted to try and make supporters go home happy at the weekend after watching a team who have played attractive football and tried to play football the right way and get positive results.

    “We’ll go chasing three points and, if we keep doing what we are doing, it can be a good season for us.

    “We closed the gap on Chelsea and managed to put a few more points between some teams that are below us.”

  • LSHA names squad for Eko 2012

    After comprehensive screening of players for the 18th National Sports Festival tagged Eko 2012, the Lagos State Hockey Association (LSHA) at the weekend unveiled a 36-man squad that will represent the state at the sports fiesta.

    With the final list of 36 being submitted to the technical committee of Lagos State Sports Council, the 10 players not selected were decamped for the team to go into final camping for the championship. The list is made up of 18 male and 18 female players with assurance from the LSHA boss, Tunde Popoola that the state would do well at the festival.

    “From the rules of Hockey is going to be final 18. We were 28 in camp in the male and female categories. So we are dropping 10 each to having our final 18, so as to concentrate on those tactical areas because if we have a large crowd, the tactical approach might be difficult to achieve but now that we are going to have our final 18…,” he said.

    Popoola added: “”With what we have seen now I think these players are good enough to go for the championship. I think I am expecting them, like an optimist to win the gold medals at stake. They played against the best hockey team in Nigeria, arguably Union Bank, so it is something good for the festival.”

    The selected players in the male category include, Shotande Hussein, Offa Condition, Sanni Doyin, Odufade Hafeez, Bako Yau, Ali Mohammed, Ojabowale Olakunle, Anthny Oviawe, Disu Lateef, Lanre Shodipo, Sulaimon Hammed, Arasanwa Blessing, Taiwo Willimas, Nurudeen Salami, Olaluwoye Ayo, Muiz Bello, Falowo Babajide and Olowolayemo Adewale.

    The female team is made up of Funmilayo Ashimolowo, Anyanwu Prisca, Titilayo Bawa Ahla, Kehinde Odubote, Funke Akinbuwa, Adetola Adegbite, Esther Ikejiofor, Jullit Izume, Maria Aragbada, Hellen Ukugba, Ope Adegboye, Jegede Happiness, Balogun Eunie, Mayowa Aina, Tobi Awoyemi, Mary Akpan, Abbey Salako and Funke Oguntuyi.