After suffering a shocking defeat to Cape Verde in the opening group match, Nigeria’s D’Tigers bounced back strongly in the second match against Mali.

To the utmost surprise of the fans and supporters, Nigeria suffered an opening day defeat to Cape Verde despite putting up a decent performance.

The second game against Mali is a must-win and started roughly for the Nigeria side but narrowly won the first quarter 16-15.

The Malians came back stronger in the 2nd quarter, dominated the game and won 24-14.

D’Tigers took over again in the 3rd quarter and their effort paid off as they recorded 23-16 and still did enough to win last quarter 19-15.

The outcome of the game means that D’Tiger emerged victorious 72-70 (16-15, 14-24, 23-16, 19-15) and put their hope of qualifying for the World Cup back online.

Chelsea midfielder Jorginho rescued a 1-1 draw against Manchester United as the Italian’s penalty atoned for the blunder that allowed Jadon Sancho to put the visitors in front on Sunday.

Thomas Tuchel’s side dominated for long periods at Stamford Bridge but fell behind when Jorginho’s poor control presented Sancho with the chance to score early in the second half.

Jorginho made amends for that mistake as he stroked home a penalty after Aaron Wan-Bissaka fouled Thiago Silva.

It was the least Chelsea deserved after they laid seige to United’s goal and saw David de Gea make a series of fine saves.

Chelsea, unbeaten in their last 11 games in all competitions, remain top of the Premier League but are now just one point ahead of second-placed Manchester City, who defeated West Ham earlier on Sunday.

United, in eighth place, are 12 points adrift of the leaders but this gritty display was something to build on after a traumatic period.

Michael Carrick was in charge of United for a second successive game after Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s sacking, with the appointment of Ralf Rangnick as interim manager until the end of this season expected to be confirmed shortly.

United are in discussions with Rangnick, who is working as director of sports and development at Lokomotiv Moscow.

But in the meantime Carrick had overseen a vital win at Villarreal in the Champions League on Tuesday and he used the same defensive blueprint to frustrate Chelsea.

Given Rangnick’s preference for a intense pressing game-plan that may not suit Cristiano Ronaldo, it was intriguing to see the sometimes diffident Portugal striker left on the bench by Carrick until the 63rd minute.

With Bruno Fernandes as the false nine and Marcus Rashford and Sancho on the flanks, United set up for a point and got exactly that.

Hakim Ziyech found space in the United area early on but his low shot was saved by De Gea, setting the tone for the rest of the afternoon.

– Frenetic finale -Moments later, Marcos Alonso’s header from Silva’s long pass caught Victor Lindelof and Wan-Bissaka out of position.

Callum Hudson-Odoi seemed certain to score when he pounced on the loose ball, only for De Gea to repel the forward’s close-range effort with a superb save.

Manchester United technical director Darren Fletcher was on the bench wearing an ear-piece, sparking suggestions he was in contact with Rangnick.

Rangnick is regarded as the godfather of ‘gegenpressing’, the tactics copied so successfully by Tuchel and Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp, and United had spells when they closed down Chelsea with more authority than they showed in the final weeks of Solskjaer’s reign.

But if Rangnick was offering advice to the United bench ahead of his impending appointment, he might have been concerned at how deep they were sitting.

Antonio Rudiger was left in acres of space when his 25-yard drive was tipped onto the crossbar by De Gea.

United had ventured into the Chelsea area only twice in the first half, but they broke out to snatch the lead five minutes after the interval with their first shot on target.

Fernandes’ hoofed clearance should have been easy for Jorginho, but Chelsea’s captain made a hash of dealing with the high ball and Sancho was rewarded for pressing hard as he stole possession, sprinted clear on goal and slotted past Edouard Mendy.

After going 14 games without a goal following his close-season move from Borussia Dortmund, Sancho has two in his last two matches.

The Ballon d’Or award ceremony is one of the most anticipated events in the football world. The award, first given out in 1956, is presented by the French weekly magazine, France Football, to the best footballer of the year.

The prestige of the Ballon d’Or is such that the editor-in-chief of France Football, Pascal Ferre, recently revealed that Cristiano Ronaldo confessed to him that his core aim is to have won more Ballon d’Or awards than Lionel Messi by the time he retires. This is according to the Madrid-based daily, Marca.

The 2021 edition of the Ballon d’Or is the 65th award ceremony. The men’s and women’s Ballon d’Or winners will be crowned at a gala event at the Chatelet Theatre in Paris on Monday, November 29.

The event will also hand out the Kopa Trophy, given to the best men’s player under 21; and the Yashin Trophy handed to the best goalkeeper.

The last men’s Ballon d’Or winner is the Argentine skipper Lionel Messi, who in 2019 picked up his sixth award, the most in the award’s history.

It was in the 2019 ceremony that Eric Cantona while accepting the UEFA President’s Award, befuddled the world with his cryptic poem speech, which he opened with a line from William Shakespeare’s “King Leah”.

The 2020 Ballon d’Or award was a few shades stranger than Cantona’s speech, not because it was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but because it was cancelled even though most of the football world knew that one player stood head and hips above his peers and most deserved the honour: the Polish striker, Robert Lewandowski.

Since then, “Lewy was robbed” has become a staple argument in many conversations among football enthusiasts.

Since the 30-man shortlist for the 2021 ceremony was announced on October 8, there have been daily debates on social media (and bars and barbershops) as to who will go home with this year’s award.

The 30-man shortlist includes Robert Lewandowski, Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe, Karim Benzema, Pedri, Jorginho, Kevin De Bruyne, Rúben Dias, Giorgio Chiellini, Leonardo Bonucci, Nicolò Barella, N’golo Kante, Gianluigi Donnarumma, Bruno Fernandes, Phil Foden, Erling Haaland, Harry Kane, Simon Kjær, Romelu Lukaku, Riyad Mahrez, Lautaro Martinez, Luis Suarez, Neymar, Cristiano Ronaldo, Raheem Sterling, Mohammed Salah, Gerard Moreno, Mason Mount, Cesar Azpilicueta, and Luka Modric.

However, out of the 30 nominees, these five players have been touted by many as standing the most chance of clinching the award: Robert Lewandowski, Lionel Messi, Karim Benzema, Jorginho, and N’golo Kante.

Each of their performances will now be assessed before Monday’s likely winner is stated.

Karim Benzema

In 2021, Benzema registered an impressive tally of 42 goals and 14 assists.

He was also among the French team that won the UEFA Nations League.

However, his failure to win a major tournament stands against him, as the Nations League is not considered to be a serious competition by many.

In 2020, ex-Arsenal FC manager, Arsene Wenger said, “We need to get rid of the Nations League and find clearer events that everyone understands.”

Benzema’s chances may also be hampered on the basis of morality, as a Versailles court on Wednesday found the French forward guilty of complicity in attempted blackmail against his French teammate Mathieu Valbuena, according to Guardian UK.

N’golo Kante

The French midfielder was crucial in Chelsea’s Champions League triumph last season, claiming UEFA’s Player of the Match award in both semi-final legs against Real Madrid as well as the final against Manchester City.

He also won the UEFA Super Cup with Chelsea but registered only 2 goals and 1 assist in 2021.

His chances are hampered by fact that defensive midfielders rarely win the award.

Jorginho

In 2021, the Italian midfielder scored eight goals and had three assists.

He won Euro 2020, Champions League, and the UEFA Super Cup. He was also named the UEFA Player of the Year.

While Jorginho ends the year with much silverware to his name, he did not give a standout individual performance for either club or country.

Robert Lewandowski

The Pole scored 54 goals and made 10 assists in 2021. He also won the Bundesliga, Club World Cup, and DFL-Supercup.

Last season, Lewandowski set a new Bundesliga single-season goals record on match-day 34, netting his 41st of the campaign to surpass Gerd Müller’s 49-year-old record of 40 goals.

There is no doubt that Robert Lewandowski would have won the Ballon d’Or in 2020 had it not been controversially cancelled by France Football.

With 180 journalists voting on the Ballon d’Or, there may well be a large number of them who believe that Lewandowski’s 2020 performance should be recognised with the 2021 award.

Lionel Messi

In 2021, the Argentine scored 41 goals and registered 14 assists.

He won the Copa del Rey with his former club, FC Barcelona. And he led Argentina to their first silverware since 1993, winning the Copa America, where he was also named Player of the Tournament and won the Golden Boot.

The reason why a seventh Ballon d’Or looks likely this year is down to his international achievement.

At the Copa America, he had the joint-most goals (4) and chances created (21), as well as the most goal contributions (9), assists (5), shots (28), and shots on target (11) – a typically influential showing which this time resulted in silverware.

2021 Ballon d’Or Likely Winner:

Lionel Messi.

…Eagles star wary of in-form Watford

Wilfred Ndidi has revealed that his move to Leicester City has been vital to his career

Ndidi joined the Foxes for £17m from Belgian side Genk in January 2017 and the Nigerian admits he owes to Claudio Ranieri who made him his first signing under his reign at the Foxes.

“That (Leicester City) was a really important move in my career, so I’ll always remember it,”

“Joining Leicester City has been fantastic for me. It’s a great club.”

Ndidi who made his return from injury against Spartak Moscow a fortnight ago also sent Ranieri – now coach at Watford a heartfelt message thanking the Italian for bringing him to the Foxes.

“I’m very grateful to him because he gave me the opportunity to come to Leicester and play in the Premier League for the first time,” he continued.

Ranieri was appointed Watford boss at the start of October and has picked up six points so far with victories over Everton (5-2) and Manchester United (4-1) and the 24-year-old is wary of the Hornets form.

“We’re expecting a tough game but one which provides a great opportunity to build confidence and pick up points.

“They had a great result against Manchester United in their last game so we know they will be feeling good but we’re playing at home, in front of our fans, and we believe we can get the win.”

Since his move, Ndidi has made 188 appearances for the Foxes and added an FA Cup winners medal to his personal list of achievements.

The Premier League match between Burnley and Tottenham was called off a little under an hour before kick-off on Sunday because of heavy snow at Turf Moor.

Attempts to clear the pitch proved in vain as the undersoil heating struggled to cope and snow fell as quickly as it could be removed.

The announcement was made shortly after both sides had named their teams for the match in the northwest of England.

“Due to concerns with the playing surface and surrounding areas, it’s been deemed that the game can’t go ahead safely,” said a tweet on Burnley’s official account.

Burnley manager Sean Dyche told the BBC the snow was falling so thickly that it was re-covering the pitch every time it was cleared.

“The referee explained the safety angle as well so it was important to make a decision early,” he said.

“It fell that quick and that heavy. It’s still quite strong now. (The pitch) can’t get rid of the snow that quick.”

Antonio Conte’s Spurs are seventh in the table while Burnley were seeking to move out of the relegation zone after being unbeaten in their past four matches.

Edema Godmin Fuludu is a Nigerian Ex International who played as a midfielder in his career days as a footballer. He played club football for New Nigerian Bank, BCC Lions and Julius Berger all in Nigeria and and Altay F. C in Turkey. Edema Fuludu played internationally for the Super Eagles of Nigeria and was part of the triumphant Nigeria’s squad at 1994 African Cup of Nations . Fuludu has served as head coach of Warri Wolves and Chairman Delta State Football Association. He shares his thoughts with LN247 on the raging debate on the state of Nigerian football, the Super Eagles as well as the embattled manager Gernot Rohr.

Please, read on.

Facts are sacrosanct. The truth must be told. Gernot Rohr has not fallen short of the targets set for him by his employers the NFF. He has qualified the team for AFCON and gotten to the World cup Africa play offs and he may or may not qualify for Qater 2022.

I think talks about the need to sack him is coming on the hills of his inability to produce a team that plays with consistency and robust kind of way the Super Eagles were known for. Given the arrays of young and enterprising players in the likes of Osimhen, Ndidi, Ekong, Aribo and Chukwueze to mention a few Rhor could not in 5 years establish pattern desirable to the average Nigerian Super Eagles fan. His negative attitude towards home grown talents and undesirability to help develop our football as National teams’ Technical Adviser are the main issues leading to this uproar about his removal.

His sack will of course Shake up the Super Eagles but it definitely will just be a stop gap remedy in re-engineering the National team.
Other factors working against the team that we can lay bear on the table include but not limited to-:

1. Welfare and prompt remuneration of players. It is not fair to owe players so much backlog of allowances having performed and matters arising from it treated like master servant relationship with subtle threats like we can replace you as many are even begging to put on the National jersey.
2. Merit on invitation to the National team has taken a back drop such that the modus operandi in invitation is “corrupted”. We have a technical department yet one Tunde is sitting in Europe determining who gets called up or not.
   3 The Technical department of the NFF which is a very vital organ of the NFF am sure has little or no input in what happens to the Super Eagles. This should not be in normal circumstances.
   4.Complacency has set in in majority of the current players due to lack of effective competition for placement in the team. Fear of losing positions has disappeared thus reducing the verve to put up hundred percent at all times.
3. Personally I think too many diaspora players is also another factor. Those who were born and bred in Nigeria have this different psyche and are always happy to be back home and want to perform to not only win but please their families, friends and associates in Nigeria. They understand the street mentality here and expect to see and felicitate with people here after a game regardless of the associated financial pressure on them. This is purely a subjective opinion but it has it’s psychological consequences.
4. Finance: The NFF needs funds and these funds when accessed must be judiciously and transparently deployed according to needs. Government must and should release funds as at when due and hold the receivers accountable. Too much controversy on funds received and utilized by the leadership of the NFF.
5. The current NFF President seems to be the star player of the National team. He is apparently more popular than the active players on the media front. He should delegate and make sure actions are taken. Now reports say he is traveling to London to discuss with a substantive new coach.
   WHAT TO DO
   What we need to do include getting a new coach to inject new ideas and pump up players adrenaline on the need to be more patriotic and of course provide for their welfare.
   I am an advocate of a home base coach with structured backroom staff helped by an accountable Technical Department of the NFF. We need a coach who will be allowed to do his job without the Federation imposing so much influence on what must be or not. A coach who will not allow players forced on him.
   We must begin to put into use positive scouting mechanism that allows merit to rule who gets called up.
   Focus must also come to our domestic league because a country’s football prowess is mostly determined by its league. We had a football culture and pattern. There was a Super Eagles of Nigeria. The future is now.