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EPL: We want to win badly – Arteta fires title warning to Man City
Arsenal manager, Mikel Arteta, has admitted that his team want to “win badly”, as they continue to lead the way in the Premier League title race.
The Gunners were to forced to ground out another narrow victory, as they beat Brighton 2-1 at the Emirates on Saturday.
Captain Martin Odegaard had opened the scoring in the first half with a low drive.
Arteta’s men doubled their lead immediately after the break, thanks to an own goal from Georginio Rutter.
But Brigton pulled one back through Diego Gomez and also most got an equalizer, but were denied by an excellent David Raya save.
When asked about the nervy atmosphere inside the stadium after Brighton’s goal back, Arteta said: “That’s a willingness to win! We all want to win so badly.
“Now I don’t want to lose what I have and we have to play to continue to score and show that composure and that ability and we should have scored the third one.
“We have two massive chances to put it to 3-1 and then it would have been different. We haven’t, so we have to suffer a little bit more.”
The result means Arsenal continue to maintain a two-point lead at the top over Manchester City.
Super Eagles head coach Eric Chelle has said Tunisia’s late fightback shows there are still work to be done in his team.
The Super Eagles raced to a 3-0 lead against Tunisia with goals from Victor Osimhen, Wilfred Ndidi and Ademola Lookman.
But Tunisia got a goal back through Montassar Talbi in the 74 minutes before Ali Abdi converted a penalty on 87 minutes to set up a nervy finish.
Reflecting on the encounter Chelle, however, said there are positives to take in the clash with the Carthage Eagles.
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“We still have to play a game that will bring the confidence and shows our ambitions.
“There’s positives in Tunisia’s comeback. It shows that there is still something for us to work on and something to improve. It will keep me and my players motivated.”
On how he felt in the final 15 minutes of the game when the Super Eagles were under pressure, he said:”Those final 15 or so minutes will give me nightmares. I was going a little bit crazy about what was happening because the players deserved a big game. And it was a test against a big team like Tunisia.”
The win against Tunisia means the Super Eagles have qualified for the round of 16.
Up next for them is their final group fixture against the Cranes of Uganda on Tuesday, December 30.
The Ugandans played out a 1-1 draw with fellow East African side Tanzania.
By James Agberebi in Fes, Morocco
Photo by Ganiyu Yusuf in Fes, Morocco
Former tennis star Anna Kournikova is ending 2025 in style after welcoming her fourth child with partner Enrique Iglesias.
The 44-year-old, known nowadays for keeping fierce guard of her privacy, announced the arrival of her baby on social media earlier in the week.
She kept the gender of her baby to herself but shared a picture of the newborn wrapped in a blanket with her followers, capitoning the image: ‘My Sunshine’.
Now, an insider close to the private couple has lifted the lid on how their life has changed since the arrival of their fourth child on December 17.
‘Anna and Enrique are so excited about welcoming a fourth child to their family,’ the source was quoted as saying by People. ‘They are floating on air.
‘Anna and Enrique love family life and will spend the holidays with their family, which varies in size depending on who is around.
Anna Kournikova and Enrique Iglesias have officially become a family of six after welcoming their fourth child together
The Russian former world no 8 welcomed her fourth child with the Spanish singer
‘It will be busy and chaotic as always, only a bit more so, but all with joy and love.’
It emerged back in August that Kournikova was pregnant again and that she and Iglesias were expanding their family.
‘Both of them love being parents and having a fourth is the best present ever,’ the insider added.
Kournikova and the ‘Hero’ singer, 50, are already parents to seven-year-old twins Lucy and Nicholas, and five-year-old daughter Mary.
They have been together since 2001, meeting on the set of the singer’s video for the song ‘Escape’.
The happy news comes just a few months after she was pictured in a wheelchair and wearing a protective boot, sparking an outpouring of concern.
Kournikova was pictured being pushed by her daughter at Miami’s Bal Harbour shopping center back in January while also wearing the boot over her foot.
In early August, however, she was spotted running her children to martial arts in Miami, allaying fears of any lingering health issues.
Kournikova met Iglesias on the set of the hitmaker’s music video for 2001 single ‘Escape’
It is believed she may have suffered a foot injury and undergone surgery around that time.
Kournikova burst onto the scene in the tennis world when she turned professional at the age of 14.
She got as high as eighth in the world rankings but never won a Grand Slam singles title.
But in the doubles, she enjoyed greater success once she partnered up with Martina Hingis. Together, they won the Australian Open doubles championship in 1999 and again in 2002.
She never officially confirmed that she had retired but her last game was in May 2003 when she was just 21 years old.
Kournikova’s rise was blighted by stress fractures in her back and feet – her foot injuries meant that there was extra concern when she was pictured in a protective boot earlier this year, considering her history.
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Anna Kournikova ‘floating on air’ after welcoming fourth child at 44 with Enrique Iglesias
Manchester United are ‘negotiating personal terms’ with Auxerre and Mali star Lassine Sinayoko, who will be out of contract in the summer of 2026.
Amorim has already seen his side take wins over Liverpool and Chelsea this season but, when asked if the manner of this one made it one of his most satisfying at the club, he agreed.
“Especially if you see the second half,” he said. “We managed to defend sometimes with a back six but we suffer together and that is a good feeling.
“If we have always this spirit we are going to win so many games. I think it is something we need to feel, that we can win sometimes without playing so well, we can win games with the spirit and with a togetherness in the team.”
The Portuguese manager is expected to be backed by INEOS in the upcoming transfer windows, with United’s need for midfield and attacking reinforcements made clear by the options on his substitutes bench on Friday.
Former international Mutiu Adepoju has said it is important for the Super Eagles to secure top spot in their group at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.
Eric Chelle’s side defeated the Carthage Eagles of Tunisia 3-2 in a Group C fixture at the Complexe Sportif de Fès on Saturday night.
Victor Osimhen, Wilfred Ndidi, and Ademola Lookman were on target for Nigeria in the game.
Tunisia got their goals through Montassar Taibi and Ali Abdi.
Read Also:AFCON 2025: I Was Disappointed We Conceded The Two Goals Against Tunisia –Onyeka
The Super Eagles sit at the top of their group going into Tuesday’s clash with the Cranes of Uganda.
Chelle could decide to rest some of his top stars with qualification for the Round of 16 already secured.
Adepoju however said it is important for the team to maintain winning momentum and finish top of their group.
“For the last game against Uganda, the coach will make changes, but it is important not to disrupt the winning momentum,” Adepoju during his post-match analysis on Afrosports.
“It is also important for the Super Eagles to finish top of their group. That will ensure they stay in Fes for their last group game”
By Adeboye Amosu
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Cricket legend Brett Lee reveals the moment that changed his life as he receives one of the game’s highest honours
Brett Lee credits fellow fast-bowling legend Dennis Lillee with setting him on the path to greatness in a career that has led to his induction into the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame.
Lee, renowned for his express pace, first set his sights on crashing through the 160kmh barrier and wearing the baggy green, when he was nine years old.
But it was as a teenager that the NSW South Coast product had his first encounter with Lillee at a fast-bowling camp.
‘You’re the quickest here, but if you don’t change your (bowling) action, in two years I reckon you’ll have a broken back,’ Lee, now 49, recalls Lillee saying.
At the time, Lee ignored the advice.
‘When you’re 16 you think you’re invincible, and two years later I broke my back,’ he said.
Aussie fast-bowling legend Brett Lee is pictured after being inducted into the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame on Sunday
Lee (pictured with former teammate Shane Warne during the 2005 Ashes) became one of the quickest and most feared bowlers in cricket history
The former Aussie star’s life changed when he met legendary paceman Dennis Lillee (pictured) at a cricket camp when he was a teenager
Cricket Australia, then known as the Australian Cricket Board, was desperate to nurture Lee’s talent and flew the young speedster to Perth to work with Lillee.
‘Throughout my whole career he’s been incredible in modifying my action, changing my action and allowing me to play – I wouldn’t say pain-free – but to get to the speeds I did,’ Lee said.
Lee went on to become one of the quickest and most feared bowlers in cricket history, claiming 310 wickets in 76 Tests during one of Australia’s most formidable fast-bowling eras.
He was also one of the nation’s greatest limited-overs bowlers, taking 380 wickets in 221 ODIs and 28 wickets in 25 T20Is over an international career that spanned 1999-2012.
One of three brothers, Lee recalls he couldn’t bat or bowl leg-spin as a kid, and always dreamed of bowling fast.
He treated the 160kmh mark like runners did the four-minute mile, idolising the likes of Lillee and Jeff Thomson.
Lee’s fastest delivery in international cricket was clocked at 161.1kmh – among the fastest balls ever bowled.
‘I wanted to bowl quick and to have that thrill of being able to run in and see the stumps fly, it became this obsession,’ Lee said.
Lee aimed to break the 160kmh/100mph barrier, like one of his idols, Jeff Thomson – and did just that during his glittering career
‘That’s what I wanted to do. I think back to the age of nine or 10 and I wanted to break that 160km/h barrier.
‘Jeff Thomson was a guy I looked up to through the 70s and 80s and 160.45km/h was his record.
‘I thought, ‘I want to have a crack at that one day’ – and I was lucky to achieve it.’
Lee was a key figure in an era of Australian dominance, contributing to one-day World Cup titles in 2003 and 2007, as well as multiple Ashes campaigns.
Fittingly, he was unveiled as a Hall of Fame inductee on Sunday at the foot of Lillee’s statue outside the MCG, after a Boxing Day Test that was dominated by bowlers.
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Cricket legend Brett Lee reveals the moment that changed his life as he receives one of the game’s highest honours
Super Eagles attacker, Ademola Lookman, has sent a message to Nigerian fans following their 3-2 win over Tunisia on Saturday night.
Lookman provided two assists and netted one to earn himself the Man of the Match in the 3-2 win over the Carthage Eagles.
Nigeria has made it to the round of sixteen with the win and will play Uganda in a game that is no longer of much importance to the team.
Lookman has been outstanding so far in the competition, having won the game against Tanzania for Eric Chelle’s side.
Speaking after the game against Tunisia, Lookman said, “We’re in the right direction. I think today we’re outstanding from the first half into the second half, and then, you know, they had a spell in which they scored two goals.
“But apart from that, we were very good today.”
Asked if he had any particular message to the Nigerian fans, he added, “Keep supporting us.
“We really need you. So keep on being behind us. Keep on driving us and yeah, keep supporting us. Thank you.”
Former Super Eagles coach Gernot Rohr has said Benin Republic’s historic first-ever AFCON win over Botswana has boosted their chances of reaching the knockout rounds of the tournament.
Benin pipped Botswana 1-0 on Saturday after they fell by the same scoreline in their opening group game against DR Congo.
“We’re happy, it’s a historic victory because Benin had never won a match in the Africa Cup of Nations in their four appearances,” Rohr said.
“It’s the first one, so we’re very happy. It gives us hope if getting out of this tough group before the last match against Senegal.
t will obviously be complicated, but my team chowed some great things in terms of play, and morale too.”
He continued: “It was tough against DR Congo, where there was a VAR malfunction that prevented us from getting a penalty, but my players forgot about that and they produced good football.
“In the end (vs Botswana), they backed off a bit not to my liking, but they wanted so badly to defend this first victory that we have to forgive them.”
Yohan Roche fired Benin to history on Saturday. His deflected strike sealed a 1-0 win over Botswana in Group D at the Africa Cup of Nations.
The breakthrough came in the 28th minute. Roche exchanged passes with captain Steve Mounié, then shot from close range. A defender’s touch wrong-footed the keeper and sent Benin into dreamland.
It was their first victory at the finals after 16 attempts since debuting in 2004. They had five draws and 10 defeats before this moment, despite reaching the quarter-finals in 2019.
Botswana remain winless in the competition. They have now lost all five of their Cup of Nations matches, stretching back to their debut in 2012.
Next up: Benin face Senegal on Tuesday. Botswana take on DR Congo. The top two teams in each group, plus four best third-placed sides, advance to the Round of 16.
Barau FC coach Ladan Bosso has charged the Super Eagles to win the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations title as compensation for not qualifying for the 2026 World Cup.
Recall that Nigeria lost out in the African play-offs final after losing 4-3 on penalties against DR Congo in Rabat, Morocco, last month.
Speaking with Footy Africa, the former Flying Eagles coach stated that he advised the Super Eagles players to restore Nigeria’s pride by winning the tournament.
Read Also:AFCON 2025: Win Against Tunisia Step In Right Direction For Us –Lookman
“The team must do well at the Nations Cup and aim to win it for Nigerians as compensation for missing out on the FIFA World Cup.
“They can use the disappointment of failing to qualify as motivation to fight for the title, and I urge Nigerians to continue supporting and praying for the team.
The Super Eagles led the Group C encounter in Fes 3-0 with 17 minutes remaining through goals from Victor Osimhen, Wilfred Ndidi and Ademola Lookman before Montassar Talbi’s header from a Hannibal Mejbri free-kick pulled one back for the North Africans.
Tunisia were then given a late penalty, following a video assistant referee (VAR) review, for a handball by Bright Osayi-Samuel and Ali Abdi converted in the 87th minute to set up a frantic finale.
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Jake Paul watches helplessly as speed skater fiancee leaves Olympic qualifying in tears after disaster strikes
Jake Paul’s fiancee Jutta Leerdam left the Dutch Olympic Trials in tears on Friday after the speed skater crashed out of her signature event and failed to qualify for the winter games in Milan in February.
The 26-year-old Leerdam, an Olympic silver medalist in Beijing 2022, agonizingly fell into a barrier in the 1000m distance – the competition she has won twice at the Speed Skating World Cup – and did not finish.
Her partner Paul was watching on from the stands, a week after his jaw was broken in two places in his moneyspinning boxing mismatch against British heavyweight Anthony Joshua. There was nothing he could do as Leerdam tearfully made her way off the ice.
‘I know this is her whole life. Her whole dream. And everything she’s worked so hard for,’ he later told reporters. ‘My heart is broken.’
It means she is now relying on her country’s national selection committee to pick her to compete on the biggest stage of all in the race she has previously been dominant in. That decision will likely be announced in the first few days of January.
‘I’m skating so well in practice. What those girls are skating here, I could have easily skated today,’ Leerdam said after teammates Femke Kok and Suzanne Schulting capitalized on her error to secure their own places in Italy.
Jake Paul’s fiancee Jutta Leerdam left Dutch Olympic Trials in tears after crashing
Paul watched from the stands, a week after taking a nasty defeat in his Anthony Joshua fight
The 26-year-old Leerdam was visibly upset at what could prove to be a really costly error
‘I’ve won the past World Cups. I’ve always been at least in the top two at the world level. I hope they (the selection committee) will look at my level, including today, how I was skating before I fell, and the growth I’m making.’
Leerdam, who missed Paul’s fight with Joshua to focus on the Olympic trials, was at a loss for words to explain exactly how or why she crashed into the barrier in such catastrophic fashion.
‘I don’t know if there was anything on the ice, but it felt like I was standing on something. I completely slid,’ she said.
Leerdam will compete again at the Dutch Olympic trials, which run until Dec. 30, to seal a place representing her country in the 500m speed skating race. But it is no secret that the 1000m event is the one that means the most to her.
‘I’m so hyper-focused on one competition,’ she said to Dutch media back in October. ‘When the pressure is on, I just skate faster. I always put pressure on myself and want to make progress every time, which isn’t easy.’
Earlier this week, her fiance Paul said how much he was looking forward to cheering Leerdam on at the Winter Olympics. He often travels to Europe to support her at skating competitions.
Discussing what the near future holds as he recovers from his broken jaw, Paul said on brother Logan’s ‘Impaulsive’ podcast: ‘I’m going to take some time off to go support Jutta at the Olympics (in Milan).
‘Then she’s going to move to Puerto Rico (where Paul lives). Move her here. Maybe go snowboarding or something.’
Paul and Leerdam pictured together in Lake Como, Italy, in happier times in early 2025
Paul often travels to Europe to cheer his fiancee Leerdam on at her skating events
But Leerdam was visibly distraught after such a catastrophic crash in Olympic trials
But now those plans have been left hanging by a thread.
In a plea to the skating authorities that will decide her fate, Leerdam added: ‘I really belong at these Games. I feel so good, I’m skating so well, I’m opening so hard.
‘And this is truly the most frustrating moment for this to happen, because I almost never fall. I really want to win that (gold) medal for the Netherlands.’
Paul and Leerdam have been together since 2023, after Paul messaged her with an invite to appear on his podcast.
‘I never, ever expected to date him, like never,’ Leerdam said on the documentary profiling Paul’s fight against Mike Tyson earlier this year.
‘Of course, I didn’t know a lot about him. I could only scroll on his Instagram and form an opinion like the whole world does. But he is the complete opposite.’
Paul, who had four plates inserted into his broken jaw after the Joshua fight and lost teeth during the procedure, told his brother Logan this week that he wants to start a family with Leerdam soon.
Paul took six rounds of punishment at the hands of Joshua last Friday night in Miami
He had to go in for surgery soon after the fight and lost teeth in the procedure on his jaw
‘I feel ready bro, I have such baby fever,’ he said. ‘Like, I want kids so bad.’
The couple announced back in March that they had gotten engaged.
Paul earned an estimated $92million from the Joshua fight, which lasted six rounds, and insisted that despite receiving such a pummeling, he is going to keep on fighting.
‘I did have fun. I love this sport and I love this job, it doesn’t even feel like a job. This sport has done so much for me,’ he said.
As part of his recovery, Paul could not eat solid food for seven days in order to let his jaw heal.
Ademola Lookman has described the Super Eagles 3-2 win against Tunisia as a step in the right direction.
Lookman was the star of the show as he scored a goal and also provided two assists in the hard-fought win for the Super Eagles.
The Atalanta man set up Victor Osimhen for the opener in the 44th minute with a delightful cross.
Five minutes into the second half Lookman set up th second goal as his corner kick was nodded home by Wilfred Ndidi.
Also Read: AFCON 2025: ‘I Was Tensed’ –Omerou Reacts To Super Eagles’ Victory Vs Tunisia
He then made it 3-0 as he received a pass from Osimhen, beat his marker before firing past the keeper.
The impressive display of the 2024 African Player of the Year earned him the Man of the Match award.
“Three points on the board, so it’s a step in the right direction,” Lookman said after the game.
“We dominated from the first half to the second half. They had a spell where they scored two goals, but overall we were very good today.”
Also, he urged the Super Eagles fans to keep supporting the team.
“Keep supporting us, we really need you. Keep being behind us and supporting us,” he added.
By James Agberebi in Fes, Morocco
Photo by Ganiyu Yusuf in Fes, Morocco
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Why the man behind the MCG’s $10million Ashes debacle WON’T be sacked despite admitting to awful mistake
The curator responsible for the Boxing Day Test farce will keep his job despite admitting his mistakes were behind the contest ending in just two days, with the stadium’s chief executive backing him to the hilt.
Cricket Australia is bracing for a heavy financial loss of more than $10million after England won the fourth Test inside two days, only a month after the Ashes opener in Perth also ended with three days to spare.
It is the first time the same series has had multiple two-day Tests in 129 years.
Millions of dollars in refunds will be handed to patrons who had purchased tickets for day three, which had been sold out and could have attracted a third successive crowd of more than 90,000.
MCC curator Matt Page left 10 mm of grass on the pitch, up from 7 mm last year when Australia famously beat India late on day five.
‘We’re trying to balance that contest between bat and ball throughout, over the four or five days, to provide that captivating Test for all,’ Page said in front of a heaving press conference at the MCG on Sunday.
Melbourne Cricket Club CEO Stuart Fox (centre left) and MCG head curator Matt Page (centre right) address the media on Sunday morning after the debacle in the Boxing Day Test
Despite Page admitting to making a mistake that short-changed fans and left Cricket Australia with a loss of more than $10million, Fox stood by Page and said he had ‘done a great job’
‘We left it longer because we knew we were going to get (hot) weather at the back end that we knew we needed our grass (for).
‘You look back at it and you go, well, it’s favoured the bowlers too much days one and two.
‘If that doesn’t happen, then we set ourselves up really good for day three and four.’
This pitch was treacherous to bat on for both sides, prompting criticism even from fast-bowling greats such as Stuart Broad, Glenn McGrath and Brett Lee that it was unfair for batters.
England captain Ben Stokes, even after securing his country’s first Test win in Australia for 15 years, slammed the state of the pitch for being too heavily in favour of bowlers.
‘Being brutally honest, that’s not really what you want,’ Stokes said.
‘Boxing Day Test match, you don’t want a game finishing in less than two days. Not ideal.’
Bitterly disappointed the Test ended so quickly, MCC boss Stuart Fox has full faith in Page and his ground staff.
The ‘Oh what a wicket!’ sign behind England star Joe Root (pictured) took on a very disappointing meaning after the fourth Ashes Test finished in just two days
Aussie stars including Marnus Labuschagne (pictured) came back to the MCG to sign autographs on Sunday as a gesture to fans who were short-changed by the early finish
Page was poached from the WACA after the MCG pitch received a poor rating when only 24 wickets fell across five days in a dull 2017 draw.
Fox suggested not all of the blame should be on Page, saying aggressive batting also contributed to the landslide in wickets.
‘We brought Matt on eight years ago because he’s considered one of the best in the country, if not the best,’ Fox said.
‘I still believe that, and I always will.
‘He’s done a great job; him and his team worked tirelessly to get this right.
‘You can see he’s disappointed. He carries that responsibility and my job as a leader is to support people.
‘When you believe in your people, you get behind them and support them and I know he’ll respond.’
Australia star Travis Head, who top-scored in the match with 46, felt sorry for Page.
‘I feel for him, it’s bloody tough,’ Head said on Sunday.
‘You leave one or two millimetres (of grass) on with high quality bowling, and you find yourself short, and you take two or three mills off with high quality batting, and you go the other way.
‘We try and find the perfect result to try to build a product that looks amazing.
‘You ideally get it to late day four, early day five, you don’t flirt with draws, I think everyone wants to see someone win.’
Both teams thought so little of the pitch they decided the best way to bat was to attack rather than wait for an unplayable delivery.
Smith praised the batting of England blaster Harry Brook, who regularly charged down the pitch and looked to play outrageously aggressive shots.
Brook followed up a first-innings 41 with an unbeaten 18 in the successful run chase.
Australia and England will enjoy an extra three days to prepare for the fifth and final Test at the SCG, which starts on January 4.
The Super Eagles of Nigeria booked an early place in the Round of 16 at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) after beating Tunisia 3-2 in a Group C encounter on Tuesday night, December 27.
Goals from Victor Osimhen, Wilfred Ndidi and Ademola Lookman put the Super Eagles firmly in control before a late Tunisian rally made for a tense finish. The victory leaves Nigeria with a perfect record after two matches and confirms qualification with a game to spare.
Osimhen opened the scoring just before the break, reacting quickest inside the box to steer Nigeria in front in the 44th minute, thanks to an assist from Lookman. The goal settled the West Africans, who returned from the interval with renewed authority.
Five minutes after the restart, Ndidi doubled the advantage with a well-taken header from a cross as he recorded his first goal for the Super Eagles.
Tunisia struggled to contain the tempo and were punished again in the 67th minute when Lookman capped a sweeping move with a composed strike following an assist from Osimhen to make it 3-0.
Tunisia, however, refused to fold. Montassar Talbi pulled one back in the 74th minute, sparking belief among the Carthage Eagles. That belief grew late on when Ali Abdi converted from the penalty spot in the 87th minute to reduce the deficit to a single goal.
Despite the late scare, Nigeria held their nerve through the closing moments to seal a win that keeps them top of Group C with six points from two matches. Tunisia remain second on three points, while Tanzania and Uganda trail behind.
The result means Nigeria can approach their final group game against Uganda with confidence, knowing progression is already assured. For Tunisia, the pressure now shifts to their last group stage fixture which is against Tanzania on Tuesday, December 30.
Super Eagles captain Wilfred Ndidi has questioned the centre referee’s decision to award a penalty against his side in their hard-fought 3-2 win against Tunisia in their AFCON 2025 Group C clash on Saturday.
With the Super Eagles 3-1 up, Tunisia were awarded a penalty after Bright Osayi-Samuel was penalised for handling the ball inside the 18-yard box while trying to head a cross.
The referee had initially waved play on but was adviced by the VAR team to have a second look at the incident and eventually gave the spot kick.
The penalty was well despatched by Ali Abdi who sent Stanley Nwabali the wrong way with a left foot strike which ended in the roof of the net.
However, every effort to draw level by the Carthage Eagles proved futile as the Super Eagles held on to secure a 3-2 win.
Reflecting on the decision, Ndidi posited that it was a wrong call by the referee.
“I was surprise about the penalty decision,” Ndidi told journalists after the match. “I’m 100 percent sure that was not a penalty because both players went for the ball and his (Osayi-Samuel) hand was in a natural position, I was shocked he went to the VAR.”
Ndidi opened his goals account for the Super Eagles with a superb header from Ademola Lookman’s corner to put the Super Eagles 2-0 ahead.
Also Read: AFCON 2025: How Super Eagles Rated In Thrilling Win Over Tunisia
When asked on how he felt getting on the score sheet for the Super Eagles, the Besiktas star described it as amazing.
“It was amazing, trying to feel this way is a proud moment for me, it’s been a long time coming I got the goal but the most important thing is getting the win so I’m really proud of it.”
On his partnership with Alex Iwobi and Frank Onyeka in the team’s midfield, he added:”Every day we try to improve from one game to the next, it’s all about improvement, we have the qualities in the team, it’s not just about who is starting because we are all in this together.”
The victory against Tunisia means the Super Eagles have booked their place in the round of 16 and will now face Uganda in their final group fixture.
By James Agberebi in Fes, Morocco
Photo by Ganiyu Yusuf in Fes, Morocco
SPORT
The man behind the Ashes’ biggest controversy makes stunning admission after Boxing Day Test farce
The MCG’s head curator has confessed that he and his crew got it badly wrong and admitted he was in a ‘state of shock’ as the Boxing Day Test lasted just two days thanks to the pitch he prepared.
In an extraordinarily unusual move for a curator, Matt Page fronted the media on Sunday morning as fingers were pointed over the farcical scenes in Melbourne, where his decision to leave extra grass on the pitch robbed fans of three days’ play and left Cricket Australia up to $10million out of pocket.
‘I was in a state of shock after the first day, to see everything that happened and 20 wickets in a day, I’ve never been involved in a Test match like it, and hopefully will never be involved in a Test match like it again,’ Page said.
‘It was a roller-coaster ride for two days to see everything unfold.’
Page defended the decision to leave 10mm of grass on the wicket instead of the 7mm for last year’s Boxing Day Test against India, which went the full five days.
‘This year we went in with 10mm as we knew we were going to get a lot of hot weather at the back end of the game,’ he said.
MCG head curator Matt Page (pictured) fronted the media on Sunday to confess he and his crew got the Boxing Day Test pitch badly wrong
Pictured: England stars Harry Brook (left) and Jamie Smith celebrate winning the Test at the MCG, which lasted just two days and cost Cricket Australia as much as $10million
‘We’re really conscious of flat pitches, we don’t want to go back to what we had in 2017 [when it favoured batters far too much]. Our grass is vitally important to what we do.’
Despite the outcry over the failed deck, an ‘obviously disappointed’ Melbourne Cricket Club CEO Stuart Fox threw his support behind Page.
‘Matt and his team have done it before and he’s produced some good pitches, so I’ve got all the faith in the world in Matt and his team,’ Fox said on Sunday morning.
After the second two-day Test of the summer, Australia players will return to the MCG to sign autographs for fans who were instead hoping to watch them play out in the middle.
Cricket Australia is bracing for a monster financial loss after England won the Boxing Day Test inside two days, only a month after the Ashes opener in Perth also ended with three days to spare.
It is the first time the same series has had multiple two-day Tests in 129 years.
Millions of dollars in refunds will be handed to patrons who had purchased tickets for day three, which had virtually been sold out.
Speaking before the match, Page was hoping to replicate the surface for the epic 2024 Test against India that ended in the final session on day five.
But instead the pitch became a fast bowler’s dream, as neither team bothered with one over from a spinner.
This pitch was treacherous to bat on for both sides, prompting criticism even from fast-bowling greats such as Stuart Broad, Glenn McGrath and Brett Lee, and former England captain Michael Vaughan.
Melbourne Cricket Club CEO Stuart Fox (pictured third from left) threw his support behind Page despite the farce
Page (left) is pictured examining the failed deck with a match official on the second – and last – day of play in the Test
‘Maybe if you took it from 10 to eight mm (of grass), it would have been a nice, challenging wicket, but maybe a little bit more even,’ stand-in Australia captain Steve Smith said.
‘But groundsmen are always learning and they’ll probably take something from that.’
England captain Ben Stokes, even after securing his country’s first Test win in Australia for 15 years, slammed the state of the pitch for being too heavily in favour of bowlers.
‘Being brutally honest, that’s not really what you want,’ Stokes said.
‘Boxing Day Test match, you don’t want a game finishing in less than two days. Not ideal.’
Nobody from either side managed to reach 50, with Travis Head’s second-innings 46 the top score.
It was the first Test in Australia where a batter has not posted a fifty since 1932.
Both teams thought so little of the pitch they decided the best way to bat was to attack rather than wait for an unplayable delivery.
Smith praised the batting of England blaster Harry Brook, who regularly charged down the pitch and looked to play outrageously aggressive shots.
Brook followed up a first-innings 41 with an unbeaten 18 in the successful run chase.
‘Running down the wicket, playing some kind of rogue shots and trying to get the bowlers off their lengths that way,’ Smith said of Brook.
‘Whether we could have been a bit more proactive potentially, and played a few more of those, that’s something we’ll talk about.
‘It’s also a tricky one to do that, you want to try and dig in for your team.’
The rapid-fire Boxing Day Test comes eight years after the MCG pitch came under criticism and received a ‘poor’ rating when only 24 wickets fell across five days in a dull draw.
Australia and England will enjoy an extra three days to prepare for the fifth and final Test at the SCG, starting on January 4.
Nigerian international Kenneth Omerou has disclosed that he was tense after Tunisia almost pulled a comeback against the Super Eagles in Saturday’s Group C game of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations. Nigeria appeared to have complete control after Victor Osimhen, Wilfried Ndidi, and the excellent Ademola Lookman gave the team a 3-0 lead. However, […]
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