Kelwaram Chanrai Champions League has kicked off the first leg of the 5th edition of the competition at the Onikan Stadium, Lagos. Players comprised from the 10 companies that make up Kelwaram Group which are: Afprint; Chanrai; Sunola; Chanrai Nigeria; Kelwaram; Afcot Nigeria; Kelwaram Nigeria; Asahi; Chanrai Healthcare and Sunseed.
As a follow-up on the event, another match will be played next Sunday and the final will hold on May 1, to commemorate the Workers Day.
Speaking with The Nation, Deputy Group Managing Director of Kelwaram, Mr Victor Eburajolo said the Group has been in Nigeria for 106 years, and the football match has teams named after each company of the group.
He said because there is need to balance work and life and create an avenue for employees recreation, it chose football due to its popularity and team spirit.
“We use this game to preach team spirit for employees and the need for them to rely on each other to be able to meet their goal and for team bonding. It also breeds cooperation and so that they will know the other from the sister company.
Project Manager of the company, Mr Sanjeev Tandon said the teams, auctioned and bought by the company senior managers, comprise of all its staffs from the Directors to the casual workers. They are made up of six male teams and two female teams with expatriates and Nigerians alike.
Tag: Champions League.
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Group kicks off Champions League
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CAF Champions League: Rangers beat Zamalek 2-1, crash out
Nigeria Professional Football League champions (NPFL) Enugu Rangers have been dumped out of the CAF Champions League despite beating Egyptian side Zamalek 2-1.
The Nigerian side lost the first leg 1-4 in Egypt and immediately set out to cancel the deficit by taking the lead in the game courtesy of a goal from Tope Olusesi few minutes from the half time break.
Zamalek equalised in the second half through substitute striker Bassem Morsi in the 71st minute to restore their goal advantage leaving the Nigerians with a mountain to climb, as they needed to score four goals to progress to the next round.
Godwin Aguda restored Enugu Rangers’ lead via the spot but the 2-1 win was not enough for them to progress to the next round, which is the group stage.
Just like Rivers United, Rangers will now drop to the CAF Confederations Cup where they will be hoping to make atonement for their poor showing in the CAF Champions League.
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Guardiola takes blame for Man City exit
Pep Guardiola says his failure to convince his players to attack and be aggressive in Monaco was the reason for their Champions League elimination.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that leading 5-3 from the first leg of their last-16 tie, City fielded an attacking XI in the second leg on Wednesday but lost 3-1 to go out on away goals.
“I tried to convince them in all the meetings we had to come here, try to attack and score,” said Guardiola.
“My mistake was being not able to convince them to do that.”
The Spaniard added: “I did [convince them] in the second half but it was too late.
“All managers make mistakes but I don’t think it was down to a tactical mistake.
“It’s simple. The difference was between the first and the second half. In the second half we tried to win the game, we tried to play. I did it all my career in that way. But the problem was the first half. We weren’t there.”
City were overrun and sloppy at the back as they conceded twice in the first half.
They were much improved in the second 45 minutes and looked to have saved themselves through Leroy Sane’s 71st-minute strike, but further defensive frailties were exposed as Tiemoue Bakayoko headed in a decisive third for the home side.
Guardiola continued: “It’s not about the defence. Today was not about that. Why was the second half a problem with the defence?
“Our strikers have to be aggressive and pick the ball up, but we didn’t at this crucial time. That’s why we are out.”
This is the first time that a side managed by Guardiola have exited the Champions League at the last-16 stage.
But he was adamant his players would learn from the experience and come back stronger next season.
“I came here to win the Champions League. I tried, I tried – and I will try again,” he said. “Playing like we have done this season, like in the second half, would have been enough.
“The competition is so demanding. Hopefully we are going to learn so that, next season, we can come back here and make the same performance we did at the Etihad for the whole 90 minutes.”
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Cavani marks birthday in style
Edinson Cavani revelled in Paris Saint-Germain marking his 30th birthday with a “special” 4-0 thumping of Barcelona on Tuesday.
PSG took a huge step towards the Champions League quarter-finals with an emphatic victory in the first leg of their last-16 tie.
Cavani rounded off the scoring after a double from Angel Di Maria – also celebrating his birthday – sandwiched a goal from Julian Draxler.
The Uruguay international enjoyed the occasion, but was quick to point out that PSG cannot lose focus on domestic matters.
“For four seasons I have been in Paris and we have played some great matches, but this victory has a rather special flavour because of the meaning of this day for me,” Cavani told beIN Sports.
“We are all very happy. We have done a great job but tomorrow we will have to recover.
“For now, we are not thinking about the second leg. We must focus on the league and the domestic cups, which are also very important.
“It will be necessary to prepare for the match in Barcelona because football is beautiful because you never know what can happen before a game.”
Centre-back Marquinhos praised PSG’s defensive performance but still anticipates a tough match in the second leg in Barcelona on March 8.
“We are a young but solid team,” said Marquinhos. “We knew how to squeeze them, how to be well positioned with the low block, and we know how to take advantage of our opportunities.
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Ronaldo misses training ahead Napoli clash
Cristiano Ronaldo missed Real Madrid’s Monday training session due to a minor knock, but the attacker is expected to be fit to face Napoli.
Real Madrid attacker Cristiano Ronaldo sat out Monday’s squad training as the Champions League holders prepare for the first leg of their round-of-16 tie with Napoli.
Ronaldo suffered a minor knock to his right leg in the 3-1 LaLiga win over Osasuna on Saturday and stayed in the gym as a precautionary measure.
“Real Madrid continued to prepare for the first leg of the Champions League round-of-16 tie against Napoli,” a brief statement on the club’s website reads.
“Ball work took centre stage in a session that saw [head coach Zinedine] Zidane call up Real Madrid Castilla player Enzo. Madrid completed the first session of the week performing various possession and pressing exercises, ball circulation and crossing and finishing.”
Ronaldo’s physical problems are not expected to keep him out Wednesday’s encounter at the Santiago Bernabeu, with the Portuguese likely to resume regular training on Tuesday.
The 32-year-old has netted 21 goals in 26 appearances in all competitions for Madrid in 2016-17, but the attacker has scored just twice in the Champions League this term. He was crowned the competition’s top scorer last term with 16 strikes in 12 outings.
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Champions League: Here comes Dragon ball!
Ahead of the start of the Champions League knockout stages, adidas unveiled on Monday the new match ball that will be used throughout the rest of the competition.
Celebrating Wales, who host this year’s final at the Principality Stadium, the ball’s unique design features a striking dragon print.
The adidas team, who travelled to Cardiff for part of the design process, received inspiration from the power and strength that the dragon represents in Celtic mythology.
The ball is also set to deliver the performance benefits required to match the standards of Europe’s stars, such as Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, Cristiano Ronaldo and Thomas Muller.
The Welsh-inspired ball will be used for the first time on Tuesday night as the knockout stages get under way.
Benfica vs Borussia Dortmund and Paris Saint-Germain against Barcelona kick off the last-16 first-leg matches.
And the enthralling encounters don’t stop there, as Bayern Munich host Arsenal on Wednesday, while Real Madrid play Napoli at the Bernabeu.
And the adidas ball will be used in every match, including final on June 3 in Cardiff.
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Martins out of Asia Champions league
Nigerian international Obafemi Martins will watch this year’s Asia Champions league from the sidelines after Shanghai Shenhua was knocked out in the playoff by Brisbane Roar Wednesday.
Martins who played alongside club’s biggest buy, and Argentine international Carlos Tevez was in action for the entire duration of the match but neither player could remedy the situation as Brisbane ran away with a 2-0 victory
The unexpected loss makes Shanghai Shenhua the first Chinese Super League team to lose a Champions league play-off in 14 years.
Goals from Brandon Borrello and Tommy Oar was all that was needed for Brisbane to carry the day.
Shanghai Shenhua manager Manager Gustavo Poyet had dubbed this fixture as must-win in the build-up, labeling reaching the Champions League groups and qualifying for next year’s competition his only targets for his first season, unfortunately the dream has come crashing like a pack of cards.
But the former Sunderland and Real Betis boss will now be re-assessing after a defeat at the hands of a team restricted by a £1.6million salary cap, a fraction of Tevez’s weekly wage.
It took just 87 seconds for Brisbane Roar to launch themselves into a surprise lead in Shanghai.
Former Ipswich Town winger Oar dashed down the left wing with the hosts’ defensive organisation lacking from kick-off and had all the space he needed to pick out Borrello with a floating cross to the back post.
His marker got caught under the dropping ball, allowing Borrello to hammer in right-footed on the volley past goalkeeper Shuai Li.
Obafemi Martins came close to saving the situation after getting a rare opportunity but had the effort blocked by Luke De Vere.
The former Newcastle ace was again guilty of a miss from inside the area with his feet in a tangle as Shenhua began to dominate but with the hosts in the ascendency Oar struck against the run of play.
After the break, Shenhua sought to drag themselves back into it but were twice thwarted by goalkeeper Jamie Young who saved first, from Sheng Qin’s drive, and then again to palm away a Tevez free-kick.
But it was Martins that was adjudged the most wasteful, shooting wide with four minutes to go with the goal gaping after Li had fumbled a quick free-kick.
Shenhua will now be left to concentrate on the Chinese Super League, which returns next month.
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CAF CHAMPIONS LEAGUE:Eguma: Rivers Utd will get tip on AS Real Bamako
Rivers United Technical Manager, Stanley Eguma has stated that they hope to get sufficient information about their CAF Champions League preliminary round foes, AS Real Bamako of Mali before their two-legged cracker next month.
Real Bamako which eliminated Enyimba of Aba in 2014 in the first round will host Rivers United in the weekend of February 10-12, 2017 while the return leg takes place in Port Harcourt a week later.
Eguma told SportingLife that they had started making enquiries about their Malian opponents and that they have got preliminary report on the team from their new recruit, Zoumana Doumbia and that they hope to ask some players of FC Ifeanyiubah who are from the region to explain the strength and the weaknesses of AS Real Bamako to them.
He said they were also waiting for the delivery of the recent video tapes of the Malian side with a view to studying it and assessing them.
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UEFA: Wednesday’s fixtures
Monaco vs CSKA Moskva
Tottenham Hotspur vs Bayern
Leverkusen Borussia Dortmund vs Sporting CP
Legia Warszawa vs Real Madrid
København vs Leicester
City Porto vs Club Brugge
Sevilla vs Dinamo
Zagreb Juventus vs Olympique Lyonnais
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UEFA Champions League Updates
Europe – UEFA Champions League results
FT Beşiktaş 1 – 1 Napoli
FT Ludogorets 2 – 3 Arsenal
FT Basel 1 – 2 PSG
FT Benfica 1 – 0 Dynamo Kyiv
FT Borussia M’glabach 1 – 1 Celtic
FT Manchester City 3 – 1 Barcelona
FT Atlético Madrid 2 – 1 Rostov
FT PSV 1 – 2 Bayern München
FULL-TIME: Manchester City 3-1 Barcelona
The full-time whistle goes and it’s a famous night for Manchester City in the Champions League; and it’s a deserved victory over Barcelona.
GOAL! Ludogorets 2-3 ARSENAL – Mesut Ozil (88 mins)
WONDERFUL FROM OZIL AND ARSENAL HAVE SURELY WON IT! Elneny clips the ball over the top and the German is clean through. He dinks the ball over the onrushing Borjan, glides past two covering defenders and slots into an empty net!
GOAL! Borussia Monchengladbach 1-1 CELTIC – Moussa Dembele (76 mins, pen)
Dembele sends the Gladbach goalkeeper the wrong way to level the scores. We’re in for a treat in Germany.GOAL! PSV Eindhoven 1-2 BAYERN MUNICH – Robert Lewandowski
Bayern’s brilliant marksman has fired them ahead with a close-range finish from a David Alaba crossGOAL: Manchester City 3-1 Barcelona (Gundogan 74 mins)
Aguero dispossesses Messi atop the area before springing De Bruyne. He returns a pass for the Argentine, who sprays it out wide for Navas. The Spaniard’s cross isn’t turned it, but it falls so kindly for Gundogan who finishes easily from eight yards with Ter Stegen stranded.GOAL: Manchester City 2-1 Barcelona (De Bruyne 51 mins)
DE BRUYNE WITH A STUNNER! Sensational movement behind that free-kick from the Belgian who gives City their first lead of the night! Outstanding hit from him, but Ter Stegen will be kicking himself. It was far from unstoppable.
GOAL! Ludogorets 2-2 ARSENAL – Olivier Giroud (41 mins)
Arsenal have been pushing for an equaliser and they finally have it thanks to Olivier Giroud who heads home a Ramsey cross.
GOAL! PSV Eindhoven 1-1 BAYERN MUNICH – Robert Lewandowski
Andres Guardado is adjudged to have handled the ball, giving Bayern a lifeline from the spot.
Robert Lewandowski steps up and coolly slots into the bottom right-hand corner – sending the goalkeeper the wrong way.GOAL: Manchester 1-1 Barcelona (Gundogan 39 mins)
Barcelona right back Roberto tries to be too clever atthe back and Aguero latches onto his loose ball on the edge of Barca’s box.
The Argentina star quickly sprays the ball to Sterling whose first-touch ball into the box is tapped home by Gundogan.UEFA Champions League
FT Beşiktaş 1 – 1 Napoli
HT Ludogorets 2 – 2 Arsenal
HT Basel 0 – 1 PSG
HT Benfica 1 – 0 Dynamo Kyiv
HT Borussia M’glabach 1 – 0 Celtic
HT Manchester City 1 – 1 Barcelona
HT Atlético Madrid 1 – 1 Rostov
HT PSV 1 – 1 Bayern München