Tag: Ogenyi Onazi

Nigeria international and Lazio midfielder Ogenyi Onazi revealed to AfricanFootball.com during the holiday weekend how crazy he is about perfumes and powerfully-built cars.

He also opened up on his latest addiction – photography – which is taking him away from playing music.

Excerpts:

 

AfricanFootball.com: Do you find time to watch movies at all?

ONAZI: Yes, I watch movies.

 

What kind of movies do you love to watch?

I like comedies and I follow Nigerian movies very closely. They are my favourite.

 

What freaks Onazi the most?

I love perfumes. I like the Tom Ford range as well as Creed. I was previously stuck on Paco Robanne. I see myself as someone who likes to experiment with perfumes, so I tend to change quite often.

 

Which of your properties do you cherish most?

What I cherished most are not properties that I bought with money. My family and closest friends I cherish dearly. There are some people who make my life run smoothly, they have contributed immensely to my achievements, so I cherish them to bits.

 

What are the cars in your garage?

I currently drive a 2015 edition of BMW X4 SUV and I also like the Range Rover Sport. I tend to go with powerfully-built cars.

 

How do you dress if not on duty?

I love to dress casually. Although I have learnt that people tend to address you the way you dress, so I tend to do some shirt and suits lately.

 

What are your hobbies?

It’s interesting how I have transformed over time with respect to hobbies. I used to love playing music, which I still do. I then got hooked on Play Station. But right now, I am currently hooked on photography. I have been using the ActiveOn action camera for a while, and it has been a big part of me lately.

 

So, the camera actually led you into loving photography?

Yes, it’s tempting – it has eight lens glasses that give me sharp images. It has an aqua mode that makes it possible for me to snap under water without affecting the colour. It has 4x digital zoom. It’s a wonderful machine.

 

Ogenyi Onazi was left on the bench as Paul Pogba’s brace and Carlos Tevez allowed 10-man Juventus to thump Lazio 3-0 at the Olimpico late on Saturday.

The result means Juve are now unbeaten in 20 Serie A meetings with the Aquile, home and away, since December 2003.

Stefan de Vrij, Carlos Tevez and Antonio Candreva had early efforts not far off target, while De Vrij performed a crucial sliding tackle to stop Tevez shooting from nine yards.

Juve broke the deadlock with a classic counter-attack, as Tevez switched the play for Paul Pogba, who kept his cool to drill in from the edge of the box on 25 minutes.

Juve doubled their advantage 10 minutes after the restart, as Lorik Cana’s error sparked a counter with Claudio Marchisio setting up unmarked Tevez on the edge of the box. It was the Apache’s ninth goal in the last 10 Serie A games.

Candreva stung Buffon’s gloves, but Pogba added a third on 64 minutes, when Pirlo and Pereyra combined to thread through and he side-footed the finish under Marchetti. The 21-year-old feinted a shot across the goalkeeper, but then put it near post instead.

Super Eagles midfielder, Ogenyi Onazi has tipped the Super Eagles to win its next three qualifying matches and seal a place at the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) in Morocco.

Nigeria’s hopes of qualifying currently hang on a thread after two defeats and a draw in their first three qualifying matches but Onazi believes the African champions can pull the chestnut out of the fire and record remarkably positive results in their next three games.

“Nobody is happy we lost to Sudan but we just have to put it behind us because we still have three more games to play beginning with our match against Sudan today.

“It’s a must win game and I am sure that by God’s grace, we will achieve that,” Onazi said to supersport.com.

Large sections of the Nigerian fans have turned against the team in recent days following the underwhelming results posted in their first three qualifying matches.

Onazi said the fans will “soon smile” as the players have resolved to win their next three matches and hoist the country’s flag amongst the gathering of nations in Morocco in 2015.

“We know the fans are not happy. We perfectly understand that and we promise that they will soon smile.

“We want to win against Sudan and there are special characteristics in this team.

“I set out to win every game I play and it’s the same thing with all members of this team.

“The most important thing we have going for us though is that we put God first in everything we do,“he said.

 

• Says Eagles are still African Champions

SS Lazio of Italy midfielder, Ogenyi Onazi has admonished Nigerians not to write them off after the loss to Congo ahead of the team’s tie against  South Africa tonight in Cape Town.

Onazi in a brief chat with SportingLife said he was more than disappointed with the way they played against the Red Devils but cautioned that the Eagles would lift their game against the Bafana Bafana tonight in Cape Town.

He said it would be wrong and also unprofessional for Nigerians to write them off after a loss, assuring that the Eagles would stage a comeback in Cape Town against the Bafana Bafana.

“It was a day we couldn’t click but that is not to say that we should be written off. Football is quite unpredictable but the loss to Congo is an eye opener and we have resolved to make amends when we face South Africa on Wednesday(today)” Onazi said to SportingLife.

• Breaks tibia and fibula

• Forgives Matuidi

Reports from Brazil are that Ogenyi Onazi has fractured his tibia and fibula after a tackle from Blaise Matuidi during France’s win over Nigeria on Monday.

The Lazio midfielder was caught by his opponent’s challenge just before the hour mark of Monday evening’s Round of 16 clash.

Stretchered off with what appeared at first to be an ankle injury, Onazi is reported by nigeriafootball.com and outlets in Italy as having actually fractured the tibia and fibula in his left leg.

Initial indications are that the 21-year-old faces two months on the sidelines, for a challenge that brought Diego Maradona to comment: “It is impossible that the referee did not see this criminal tackle, it is worse than what Suarez did.”

Onazi posted an image of his lower leg and ankle in a cast on Monday evening, with the text: “Thanks to every one for your prayers, will be fine by his grace. God bless Nigeria.”

Meanwhile, the midfielder has replied Blaise Matuidi’s apology for the horror lunge that left the Lazio midfielder with a suspected double fracture of the tibia and fibula in his left leg.

21-year-old Onazi tweeted his reply to Matuidi’s Twitter apology, saying “Hi @MatuidiBlaise thanks for your support and concern. Let the game go on.

“Thanks to you guys, my friends and fans for your love, support and encouragement. Hoping to do much better next time.”

However, Italian media outlet Corriere dello Sport is claiming that Onazi assured Lazio FC directors there are “no fractures.”

Lazio also released a tweet for the player: “Forza Onazi! You’ll be back better than ever!!! Good luck and Stay Strong!!”

Commonly referred to as Eddy, Onazi was stretchered off after a shocking challenge from Matuidi in Monday’s Round of 16 match which Nigeria lost 2-0 to the French.

Ogenyi Onazi may have   crashed out with the Super Eagles at the ongoing FIFA World Cup, but his Italian side have already fixed the return date for the new Serie A season.

All Serie A clubs start preseason plans from Monday, with Torino the earliest to report back and the rest of the League to follow shortly.

Onazi’s Lazio, along with Cagliari, Napoli, Parma, Empoli, Genoa and Sassuolo, are all calling players back on July 11, whilst Palermo will ask theirs to return a day later.

Inter start work from July 4 at Appiano Gentile, ahead of a training camp from July 9 to the 20 in the small Trentino town of Pinzolo in the northern Alps and then the start of their US tour on July 23.

Next Saturday will see Andrea Stramaccioni begin work with his new Udinese players and the day after that Fiorentina will report back for duty.

From Monday July 9, Chievo and Milan will be back at work, with the Rossoneri under new Coach Pippo Inzaghi then also due to fly out to the US for a tour from July 24.

Defending champions Juventus, whose preseason plans take them out to Indonesia, Australia and Singapore, start work on July 14, as do Atalanta.

Roma are back at Trigoria from July 15, before they also head out to America from July 21. From August 9 they are then due for a week in Austria.

Verona are due to start training from July 16, whilst the last team to confirm their place in Serie A for next season, Cesena, will begin preparations to beat the drop from July 19.