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ASISAT OSHOALA ELATED AS FIRST AFRICAN UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE SCORER

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Even defeat of her team, Femeni FC Barcelona, Nigeria’s three-time ‘African Footballer of the Year’ recipient, Asisat Oshoala, was delighted to be the first African footballer to score a goal in the final match of Women version of UEFA Champions League on Saturday in Budapest, Hungary.

Oshoala is a Loanee from Dalian Quanjian in China as being a star player for the Barcelona side. Sadly her club lost 1-4 to defending champion of UEFA Champions League side FC Lyon of France. 

The French side, on record have won the trophy four time in a row and this season did not lose any match thus made them the overwhelming favorite to win the cup again.

But yesterday on her Instagram page, the Nigerian star player took time to appreciate the consolatory goal she scored for FC Barcelona in the 88th minute to reduce the tally to 1-4.

“I would like to appreciate this moment as the first ever Nigeria/African player to play in a UEFA Women’s Champions League final game and first ever to Nigerian/African player to score in final game and first to score FC Barcelona first UEFA Champions League final goal. “I promise to keep rapping this flag (Nigeria).#NoLimit#StandingOnMyOwn#Alhamdulilah#ProudMoment#LivingTheDream#ForTheRecord#HistoryRegardless of all this, still proud of this team (FCBarcelona). It is only the beginning…… silver today, gold tomorrow. We will keep fighting,” she expressed on her office a page on Instagram.

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Six hours after the post, Oshoala with 365k followers has had 17,688 likes and comments for the expression.

In the match on Saturday, first-time finalists, FC Barcelona almost led early on through Lionesses forward Toni Duggan, but after she fired narrowly wide, Lyon ruthlessly netted four times before the break.

Lyon continued their remarkable European dominance as Ballon d’Or winner Ada Hegerberg’s first-half hat-trick against Barcelona helped the French giants secure a fourth consecutive Women’s Champions League title.

Former Liverpool and Arsenal forward  Oshoala netted a late consolation for the Catalan club but they could do nothing to stop Lyon claiming a sixth European crown in eight years.

Having secured a 13th consecutive French league title in April, the French club were playing in their eighth European final since 2010, after a 3-2 aggregate win over Chelsea in the semi-finals.

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The best-funded side on the continent wrapped up the latest of their 23 major honours of this decade before half-time, largely thanks to Hegerberg’s clinical treble.

The 23-year-old made history as she became the first player to net a hat-trick in a Women’s Champions League final since the competition’s rebranding in 2010.

The Netherlands winger Shanice Van de Sanden’s pace down Lyon’s right created the game’s first two goals, as she crossed for Germany’s Dzsenifer Marozsan for the opener and then similarly for Hegerberg.

Amel Majri then squared the ball in the area for Hegerberg’s second, before Bronze’s whipped right-wing cross met the striker’s run perfectly to complete her 16-minute treble inside the first half hour.

The result saw Bronze who helped Lyon win last year’s final and Fishlock both earn the second European titles of their careers, although the Wales midfielder missed 2015’s final with German club Frankfurt because her loan spell from Seattle had ended.

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Meanwhile, FC Barcelona President, Josep Maria Bartomeu was proud of the team’s achievement and particularly delighted within the consolatory goal scored by Oshoala as a soul lifting for the team club in the years to come.

“You have marked a path. Reaching this final has already been extraordinary. We will return again! Congratulations!” He twitted after the match on Saturday.

Oshoala, who is an integral part of Nigeria’s national team for many years is expected to bring her form with the Spanish side this season to play when the Super Falcons aims to make a mark at the forth coming FIFA Women World Cup finals which gets underway from June 7th in France.

Kunle Solaja is the author of landmark books on sports and journalism as well as being a multiple award-winning journalist and editor of long standing. He is easily Nigeria’s foremost soccer diarist and Africa's most capped FIFA World Cup journalist, having attended all FIFA World Cup finals from Italia ’90 to Qatar 2022. He was honoured at the Qatar 2022 World Cup by FIFA and AIPS.

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Portugal call up same player named in England Under-18 squad

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Mateus Mane in England's colour

Wolverhampton Wanderers forward Mateus Mane has become hot property after Portugal named the 17-year-old in their Under-18 squad on Friday, one day after England included him in their squad.

Mane was called up for a second successive England youth camp by coach Liam Bramley before the team travel to Marbella for a four-team tournament this month.

Mane is eligible for both teams having played for the Portugal Under-17 side last season. As the Under-18 team is a non-UEFA age group, both nations are entitled to call the player up.

He made his England international debut last month against the Portugal Under-18 side who have named Mane in their squad for a four-nation tournament this month.

With both tournaments running concurrently, Mane can only play for one team and Wolves and England confirmed he would feature in Bramley’s side.

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Reuters has contacted Portugal’s football association for clarification.

While players with multiple nationalities have played for more than one country if they are eligible, they are not allowed to switch allegiances at senior level – unless they have played only in friendly matches for the first country.

-Reuters

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Soon Cisse ceases to be Senegal’s Coach

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After 107 matches spanning nine years, Aliou Cisse will not have his contract renewed as Senegal coach, officials confirmed on Wednesday. Of the 107 matches, Cisse’s team won 70, drew 24 and lost 13.

But the impressive scorecard is not enough to impress his employers.

Thus, the end beckons for Cisse’s successful nine-year spell in charge of the side that included a first Africa Cup of Nations title and two World Cup qualifications.

He had been under increasing pressure after Senegal’s surprise last 16 exit at the 2023 Cup of Nations when they lost on penalties to hosts Cote d’Ivoire.

Senegal are unbeaten in six matches since then, but home draws with the Democratic Republic of Congo and Burkina Faso, and criticism from certain quarters over their style of play, made up the mind of the country’s sports ministry, who fund the salary of the national team coach, that a change was needed.

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“The FSF would like to thank Aliou Cisse for his good collaboration and his brilliant results at the head of the various national selections that he has managed since his arrival in 2011 and wish him every success for the future,” the Senegalese Football Federation (FSF) said in a statement.

FSF added Cisse’s exit stemmed from a failure to fulfil the targets in his last contract, which expired at the end of August, which included victory at the 2023 Cup of Nations and reaching the quarter-finals of the 2022 World Cup.

They also said the “regression of our national team in the FIFA rankings and the risk of disaffection between our national team and the Senegalese (public)” had played a role.

The FSF will appoint an interim technical team to lead the side in Cup of Nations qualifiers against Malawi at home on Oct. 11 and away four days later.

Cisse, 48, was captain of Senegal when they reached the quarter-finals of the 2002 World Cup with what is heralded as a golden generation of players.

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He briefly had a spell as caretaker coach of the national team in 2012, but took over full time three years later.

He led Senegal to 2018 and 2022 World Cup qualification, making the last 16 in the latter before losing to England. They were beaten in the final of the 2019 Cup of Nations by Algeria.

The side made up for that disappointment when they beat Egypt in the final two years later to be crowned African champions for the first time.

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Why  FIFA banned Samuel Eto’o

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Always in the news for bad reasons, Samuel Eto’o has again made global headlines. The FIFA Disciplinary Committee has banned the former striker and the current president of the Cameroon Football Federation.

He is banned from attending Cameroon’s matches for the next six months for violating conduct rules during the recent U-20 Women’s World Cup, where his national team faced Brazil in the round of 16.

According to FIFA’s Disciplinary Committee, Eto’o was found to have breached articles 13 (“Offensive behaviour and violations of fair play principles”) and 14 (“Misconduct of players and officials”) of FIFA’s Disciplinary Code.

The sanction stems specifically from the match between Brazil and Cameroon, held on September 11 in Bogotá, Colombia. As a result, Eto’o will be prohibited from attending any matches involving Cameroon’s national teams, both male and femaleacross all age groups.

“Mr Eto’o has been notified today, the date on which the sanction comes into force,” stated the FIFA press release.

This is not the first time Eto’o has faced controversy. He previously drew attention for his behavior towards players and national team coach Marc Brys, whom he allegedly threatened in front of cameras if his directives were not followed.

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During the Qatar World Cup, the former Real Madrid, Mallorca, and Barcelona player made headlines again after assaulting a fan who filmed him outside a stadium after a match.

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