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Between Teslimi ‘Thunder’ Balogun and Haruna Ilerika
It is 51 years this Sunday since the legendary Tesilimi Balogun passed on. Later this year, it will be 15 years since another iconic Lagos footballer, Haruna Ilerika died.
Both have their contrasts and similarities. While, Balogun was tall, Ilerika was short even as both held football followers spellbound during their playing days.
A sort of parallel exist between them. Ilerika was born in 1949, the year Balogun made his international debut for Nigeria. Balogun died in 1972, the year Ilerika made his international debut for Nigeria.
The anniversary of the opening of the National Stadium Lagos coincidentally also marks death of Ilerika who was one of the principal characters of that occasion.
He featured in the Nigeria versus Mali match when the National Stadium was opened on December 4, 1972.
Three other Nigerian players at the occasion – Skipper Godwin Achebe, later day skipper Victor Oduah and first scorer at the arena, Yakubu Mambo and Sunday Oyarekhua among others – have also died
Haruna Ilerika was iconic as a school boy sensation and got cheering crowd enthralled with his scintillating dribbling skills and superb ball control.
His diminutive stature belied his immense dribbling skills. Ilerika stunned opponents with soccer artistry as a one-man artist. He combined a rare alertness of thoughts, fleetness of feet, dazzling close ball control and body-swerving dummies.
He established himself as fast bustling skills which he showcased when Nigeria won the football gold medal at the 1973 All Africa Games in Lagos.
Another memory of his skills was the two equalizing goals he scored against Egypt at the 1976 Africa Cup of Nations in Ethiopia.
So graceful was he on the pitch that an Ethiopian lady admired him and gave him her necklace as the Nigerian team sat in the bus on their way out of the stadium.
His career started at Zumrattul Islammiyah Grammar School where in combination with equally small-stature Tajudeen Ajagun they formed ‘terrible twins’ of the then exciting Lagos Principals’ Cup.
Ilerika had his first club experience with a relatively unknown Patterson Zachonis (PZ) before joining Metal Construction FC and later moved to the better established Stationery Stores.
The short schemer easily gained a place in the star-studded Stores in March 1971.
The following year, he was invited to the national team and easily impressed with his dribbling skill as he made a debut in the away friendly match with Mali on November 22, 1972.
He played 30 times for the Nigerian national team, the last match being the goalless encounter with Sierra Leone on October 16, 1976 in Freetown.
His skills at the 2nd All Africa Games in January 1973 got him a place in the continental assembly put together by CAF under the tutelages of Coach Charles Kofi Gymfi of Ghana and Rachid Mekhloufi of Algeria in the Afro-Latin America duel in 1973.
By Kunle Solaja, MetLife Stadium, New Jersey
Argentina midfielder Enzo Fernandez etched his name into FIFA World Cup history on Sunday after becoming only the sixth player ever to be sent off in a World Cup final.
Fernandez was shown a straight red card in the third minute of added time during Argentina’s final against Spain after a reckless challenge on Spanish defender Pau Cubarsí. The dismissal came after the Argentine had earlier been booked for simulation, capping a frustrating evening for the midfielder.
His red card also means Argentina have now produced two players who have been sent off in World Cup finals, more than any other nation.
Sports Village Square recalls that the first-ever red card in a FIFA World Cup final was issued to Argentina’s Pedro Monzón during the 1990 final against West Germany at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome. Monzón was dismissed as Argentina went on to lose 1-0. In the same match, teammate Gustavo Dezotti was also sent off, making it the only World Cup final to feature two expulsions from the same team.
Fernandez now joins an exclusive and unwanted list of players dismissed in football’s biggest match.
The players sent off in FIFA World Cup finals are:
- Pedro Monzón (Argentina) vs West Germany, 1990
- Gustavo Dezotti (Argentina) vs West Germany, 1990
- Marcel Desailly (France) vs Brazil, 1998
- Zinedine Zidane (France) vs Italy, 2006
- John Heitinga (Netherlands) vs Spain, 2010
- Enzo Fernandez (Argentina) vs Spain, 2026
History has rarely been kind to teams reduced to 10 men in the World Cup final. Except France in 1998, when Marcel Desailly was dismissed late in a comprehensive 3-0 victory over Brazil, every team that has had a player sent off in the final has ended up on the losing side.
Fernandez’s dismissal therefore added another chapter to one of the tournament’s most exclusive and unfortunate records, reinforcing the trend that a red card in the World Cup final has almost always been accompanied by defeat.
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BY KUNLE SOLAJA, NEW YORK
Africa emerged as the most successful confederation in the group stage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with an unprecedented 90 percent of its representatives advancing to the Round of 32.
Nine of the 10 African teams that started the tournament secured places in the knockout phase, giving the Confederation of African Football (CAF) the highest qualification rate among all six continental confederations.
The African nations progressing to the Round of 32 are South Africa, Morocco, Côte d’Ivoire, Cape Verde, Senegal, Egypt, Ghana, DR Congo and Algeria.
Only one African team failed to survive the group stage, underscoring the continent’s growing competitiveness on football’s biggest stage.
CAF’s 90 per cent success rate placed it ahead of South America’s CONMEBOL, which saw 83.33 per cent of its teams advance, and Europe’s UEFA, whose members recorded an 81.25 per cent qualification rate.
The figures represent a significant shift in the global football landscape, where European and South American nations have traditionally dominated World Cup competitions.
The expanded 48-team format appears to have provided African countries with greater opportunities to showcase their progress, and they responded with a series of impressive performances throughout the group stage.
Cape Verde emerged as one of the tournament’s surprise packages by reaching the knockout rounds for the first time, while South Africa, DR Congo and Algeria also celebrated historic advances.
Senegal made history by becoming the first African nation to score five goals in a World Cup match, while Morocco continued the momentum generated by their remarkable semi-final run at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
In contrast, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) endured a difficult campaign, with only 22.22 per cent of its teams progressing. The Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) recorded a 50 per cent qualification rate despite having the advantage of three host nations.
Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) failed to place any team in the Round of 32.
World Cup Round of 32 Qualification Rates by Confederation
- CAF (Africa): 90%
- CONMEBOL (South America): 83.33%
- UEFA (Europe): 81.25%
- CONCACAF (North and Central America/Caribbean): 50%
- AFC (Asia): 22.22%
- OFC (Oceania): 0%
The statistics show Africa’s growing influence in world football and raise hopes that the continent could produce its strongest collective performance ever in the knockout stages of a FIFA World Cup.
With nine teams still in contention, Africa enters the Round of 32 with more representatives than any other confederation and a genuine opportunity to challenge for the latter stages of the tournament.
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BY KUNLE SOLAJA, NEW YORK.
Ecuador will look to continue their strong record against Concacaf opposition when they face Curaçao in a Group E encounter at the FIFA World Cup 2026.
The South Americans enter the match having won their last two World Cup meetings with teams from the Concacaf region and will be eager to maintain that trend as they chase a place in the knockout rounds.
For Curaçao, however, the fixture represents an opportunity to create history.
The Caribbean nation is one of the tournament’s debutants and is still searching for its first World Cup victory. After suffering a heavy defeat to Germany in their opening match, Curaçao will be desperate to demonstrate the resilience and determination that earned them a place at the expanded 48-team tournament.
A victory would make them the first of the World Cup 2026 newcomers to register a win and would provide a significant boost to their qualification hopes.
Ecuador are expected to rely on their experience at this level, but they know underestimating Curaçao could prove costly. The underdogs have already shown flashes of attacking quality despite their difficult introduction against Germany.
As the group stage begins to take shape, both teams understand the importance of securing points. Ecuador are chasing progression, while Curaçao are chasing history.
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