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From Maroc ’88 Heartbreak To Eagles’ 2025 Return
Maroc ’88 Memories And A Painful Final Revisited
THE last time that Morocco hosted the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in March, 1988, I was a “Youth Corper” in Enugu, old Anambra State, serving the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) at the Anambra Motor Manufacturing Company (ANAMMCO), in Emene, Enugu.
I remember walking a long distance with my friends from our Corpers Lodge to a British Colonial era coal facility in Enugu to watch the final match where Cameroun defeated Nigeria 1-0 through a controversial Emmanuel Kunle penalty. The long trek back home after the match was a ponderous one as we digested the disappointment of losing a second straight final to Cameroun, following their more deserving and comprehensive 3-1 victory in the 1984 final in Ivory Coast.
Rufai, AFCON History And A Book In The Making
When I interviewed the late Super Eagles goalkeeper, Peter Rufai for his biography which I co-authored with him before he died in July this year, Dodo Mayana recalled the events of AFCON ’84 and ’88 where he was Nigeria’s numero uno in very interesting detail. (Be on the lookout for a formal release of the book in the near future).
Back To Morocco, 37 Years Later
Thirty-seven years on from that 1988 disappointment in Morocco, the Super Eagles return to the North African country chasing another AFCON glory in 2025. And that is why I found myself at the Lagos airport boarding a Air Maroc flight to Casablanca this Thursday evening, 18 December, 2025.
Airport Tales And Old Complete Football Bonds
I am in the company of Complete Sports freelance photographer Ganiyu Yusuf and Segun Ogunfeyitimi, himself a former photographer with our famous magazine, Complete Football. Both of them regale me with stories of their exploits together at various local and international assignments as we waited for our flight.
Ayoub El Kaabi scored one of the goals of the tournament as Morocco kicked off their 2025 Africa Cup of Nations campaign on a winning note after overcoming Comoros 2-0 on Sunday in Rabat.
The match started with an early chance for Morocco in the 10th minute, when a penalty was awarded. Soufiane Rahimi’s spot-kick was brilliantly saved by Comoros goalkeeper Yannick Pandor, keeping the score level.
However, Brahim Diaz broke the deadlock in the 55th minute, finishing a quick build-up play inside the box to the delight of the vociferous home supporters.
Read Also:EXCLUSIVE: Playing World Cup Playoffs In Morocco Would Favour Us At AFCON 2025 – Ajayi
Moments later, at the 75th minute, Ayoub El Kaabi, freshly on the pitch, scored with an acrobatic left-foot bicycle kick, extending Morocco’s lead to 2-0 and sealing the victory.
With this win, Morocco claims three points and starts the tournament on a high note.
The Atlas Lions will now look ahead to their next match against Mali on Friday, December 26.
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Distressing scenes as Browns rookie Quinshon Judkins suffers sickening leg injury before being carted off
Cleveland Browns rookie Quinshon Judkins was carted off the field in Sunday’s game against the Buffalo Bills after bending his leg awkwardly on a tackle by linebacker Matt Milano.
The 36th pick of April’s NFL Draft was quickly ruled out for the rest of the game after disturbing video replay showed his lower right leg flailing as he landed at Huntington Bank Field.
Judkins left the game leading all rookie running backs with 805 rushing yards. He also had a team-high seven touchdowns on the ground this season.
MORE TO FOLLOW…
Cleveland Browns rookie Quinshon Judkins was carted off the field in Sunday’s game against the Buffalo Bills after bending his leg awkwardly on a tackle by linebacker Matt Milano
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Distressing scenes as Browns rookie Quinshon Judkins suffers sickening leg injury before being carted off
Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim has confirmed that Bruno Fernandes will be sidelined for “a while” after sustaining a hamstring injury in their 2-1 defeat to Aston Villa on Sunday.
Fernandes pulled up in the first half with no one near him and was seen rubbing the back of his right leg.
Amorim subsequently decided to replace Fernandes with Lisandro Martinez during the interval.
“I think it’s soft tissue, so it’s going to be a while. We’ll see,” Amorim told Sky Sports.
“It is really strange. During this year, especially at this time, we have so many problems, but we have to cope with that.”
Right now, they’re Africa’s number one in the FIFA World rankings; their poster boy, Achraf Hakimi is the current African player of the year; they qualified for the 2026 FIFA World Cup without dropping a point; and they’ve been confirmed to co-host the 2030 FIFA World Cup with Spain and Portugal. Everything is sweet and dandy for Moroccan football at the moment. The AFCON title will be the cherry on the cake.
Taxi Talk, Amokachi Memories And Osimhen Expectations
The foregoing facts and huge expectations were reeled out to Ganiyu Yusuf and me by taxi driver Muhammed as he took us to the Super Eagles HOTEL SAHRAI. The moment we entered his cab and introduced ourselves as journalists from Nigeria, his first exclamation was “AMOKACHI! How is Amokachi?!” We told him Daniel Amokachi was fine. Then he asked about “that gangling striker, the gangling striker……” When we told him that Rashiid Yekini had died, he couldn’t hide his shock and grief: “Ohhhhhh!”
Muhammad is not as familiar with Nigeria’s current crop of players, but he expects Nigeria to do well, anyway. “I only know Victor Osimhen very well,” he said. “Nigeria always had very good players, very strong players, so I’m sure that even your new team will be strong. I wish you good luck against Tanzania, Tunisia and Uganda, but not against Morocco,” he said with a laughter. ‘We want the Cup, we want to win the Cup this time,” he repeated as we dropped off at the Super Eagles hotel.
Inside Hotel Sahrai, Security Checks And Eagles’ Camp
HOTEL SAHRAI is located in a quiet neighborhood in Fez. Multi-storey residential buildings lead to the hotel, but there were hardly any people on the streets when we arrived. The particular street that led to the Eagles hotel was cordoned off at one end with uniformed security men in sight. The team bus with the insignia “NIGERIA” boldly written on it was packed bedside the hotel which meant that the players and their officials were in the premises. Two Nigerian flags with one Moroccan flag in the middle hung at the main entrance to the hotel. The whole environment was quiet.
We approached the security men who explained that they had instructions from the Confederation of African Football (CAF) not to allow any unauthorized visitors into the hotel. But when we showed them our accreditation tags, they relaxed while we waited.
I had chatted with the Super Eagles Media Officer, Promise Efoghe earlier in the day and soon, he came out to attend to us. We were probably the first set of Nigerian journalists to visit the hotel on a mission and Promise promised (pun intended) to speak to the coach, Eric Chelle, on my mission. I would get a feedback when we all assembled at the Eagles press conference and practice session scheduled for the following day, Sunday, 21 December at 4.00pm. With that assurance secured, Ganiyu and I left the hotel premises without seeing any of the players.
CAF’s Four-Year AFCON Decision And What It Means
The AFCON biggest news of the day broke far away in the Moroccan capital, Rabat, where CAF President, Patrice Motsepe announced at a press conference that the AFCON will start being played only once every four years from 2028. For a tournament that has been played every two years since inception in 1957, the four-year cycle will be a major policy shift. CAF’s objective is to introduce an annual African Nations League, similar to the European Nations League, in order to generate more activity and, ultimately, more revenue, for African football.
Considering the conflict that the two-year cycle had been having with European club sides over the release of African players, and with the promise of more money coming in, CAF’s decision to reduce the frequency of the AFCON is not likely to attract much opposition. Personally, I only wish that Nigeria had won more AFCON titles than the miserly three that we currently have. Now, it might be virtually impossible to reach Egypt’s record of seven titles in my lifetime, or even equal Cameroun’s five titles anytime soon.
Super Eagles Focus And Mr. Chef Partnership
Meanwhile, AFCON 2025 action begins tomorrow, Sunday, 21 December when Morocco takes on Comoros in the opening match in Rabat. But my focus will be on the Super Eagles training here in Fez because that is the primary reason a certain Mr. Chef Food Seasoning (@Mr.ChefNigeria) decided to pick my bills to the AFCON as Official Partners of the Super Eagles and other Nigeria national football teams. More on Mr. Chef and the Super Eagles in my diary tomorrow….
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Celtic 3-1 Aberdeen: Pressure on Wilfried Nancy eases as late, late goals earn long-awaited win
Wilfried Nancy could be forgiven for looking a little bewildered as a strange sound greeted the full-time whistle at Celtic Park this afternoon.
For the first time since arriving at the club, the Frenchman heard cheers coming from the Celtic supporters. He’s certainly not used to it.
At the fifth time of asking, he has finally got a win under his belt. He may well have saved his job as well.
Nancy has resembled a dead man walking ever since he stepped into the dugout, and were it not for two late, late goals here, there’s every chance this would have been the last time we saw him on the sidelines.
That’s how close this came to being another almighty disaster in a season absolutely full of them.
A large band of supporters gathered outside the main doors ahead of kick-off to once again vent their frustrations over the men running the show behind the scenes.
Manager Wilfried Nancy looks to the heavens after Celtic regain the lead against Aberdeen
Celtic defender Kiernan Tierney races off to celebrate scoring their second goal in a 2-1 victory
Peter Lawwell has already been forced to stand down, but in their eyes, a few more have to follow. This result will do little to calm the storm amongst the fans.
Celtic have issues to solve behind the scenes, of that there is no doubt. But there are all sorts of problems on the park too, as evidenced here.
A goal to the good and up against 10 men for the entire second half, Celtic made life so hard for themselves.
In many ways, it was a kind of performance we’ve become accustomed to seeing under Nancy. There’s been plenty of scrutiny over his tactics, but there’s little he can do when the players on the pitch continue to make basic individual errors – at both ends of the pitch.
For all his faults – and there are certainly a few to choose from – the manager hasn’t had much luck in that respect. Maybe, for his sake, that will start to turn now.
On another day, this could have been a pasting for Aberdeen. Perhaps it should have been given how little they offered.
Jimmy Thelin can’t have any complaints over the scoreline, albeit there will be a tinge of disappointment that his side couldn’t get a rare point in Glasgow’s east end.
Benjamin Nygren carved out the game’s first opportunity, driving into the Dons box before firing over the bar. He should have done much better.
The Swede was involved moments later as Celtic cut through the visitors’ defence with alarming ease. His ball released Daizen Maeda in behind Dylan Lobban, and his cross was begging to be tapped home by Johnny Kenny from close range.
Only he knows how he failed to make contact. The Irishman has a knack of getting into the right positions, but the final product is too often lacking.
He had a nightmare at Tannadice midweek, and it was the same story here. That was the first of two gilt-edged chances which fell his way in the first half. He put the other well wide of target.
Auston Trusty had to be sharp at the other end to thwart Marko Lazetic as the AC Milan loanee got set to pull the trigger. It was an intriguing battle all afternoon between the two of them.
TEAM LINE-UPS
CELTIC (3-4-2-1): Schmeichel 4; Ralston 6 (Donovan 82), Trusty 5, Tierney 7; Yang 6 (Forrest 70), McGregor 6, Engels 6, McCowan 6 (Scales 69); NYGREN 7.5, Maeda 7; Kenny 5 (Yamada 70).
Booked: Engels
Manager: Wilfried Nancy 6
ABERDEEN (5-4-1): Mitov 6.5; Lobban 3, Devlin 5, Milne 6, Knoester 6, Jensen 6 (Nisbet 89); Keskinen 5 (Gyamfi 54), Aouchiche 4 (Kjartansson 68), Armstrong 4, Karlsson 5 (Shinnie 54); Lazetic 5 (Bilalovic 68).
Booked: Armstrong, Jensen.
Sent off: Lobban.
Manager: Jimmy Thelin 4
Referee: David Dickinson 6
Maeda should have put the hosts in front just before the half-hour mark. Dimitar Mitov made a pig’s ear of gathering an Arne Engels corner, dropping the ball right at the feet of the Japanese.
Somehow, his first-time strike from six yards flew wide. It was a quite astonishing miss.
The Dons keeper then collected himself to turn a Nygren effort round the post as Celtic threatened once again.
Nygren did eventually break the deadlock on 40 minutes, slotting a Maeda cutback into the bottom corner. The response from the stands was one of relief more than anything else.
They’ve been quick to get on Nygren’s back throughout this campaign, incidentally. Some of the criticism is justified, but his stats are impressive nevertheless. This was his ninth goal in all competitions.
What more are the supporters looking for from a man who cost around £1.5m over the summer? He’s been one of very few relative success stories this season.
It got even better for Nancy’s men before the interval. Mitov’s attempted pass to Lobban was woeful, and ill-advised with Maeda in the vicinity. The Celtic striker took one touch to race clear, but was promptly pulled back by the full-back. A straight red card all day long.
Mitov redeemed himself to an extent with three top-drawer stops to keep his side in the contest early in the second half. First, he got a strong hand to a Trusty header, before somehow clawing away Callum McGregor’s half-volley.
Nygren’s audacious dink then came back off the post with Aberdeen on the ropes.
This could, and should, have been a far more comfortable afternoon for the hosts. Arne Engels headed against the upright with the goal at his mercy midway through the second period. It looked far easier to score.
Mitov then dealt with a low drive from substitute James Forrest. Another chance gone.
Celtic’s vulnerability at the back has been well documented. In truth, they’ve been a shambles since Nancy came in the door.
You always get the feeling that a howler – in whatever form – is never too far away. And true to form, they were cut open with minimal fuss as Aberdeen found a leveller from nowhere.
Kjartan Mar Kjartansson came out on top in a scrap with Maeda on the halfway line, before getting his head up to thread a delightful ball into the path of fellow sub Kenan Bilalovic, who wasn’t spotted by Trusty.
Ref David Dickinson sends off Aberdeen’s Dylan Lobban just before half-time at Celtic Park
Kasper Schmeichel didn’t cover himself in glory. The big Dane is another whose performances have fallen off a cliff of late, and looked sluggish as he came off his line to meet Kjartansson. He got a hand to the striker’s effort, but it wasn’t enough to keep it out.
Nancy may well have needed security to get out of the stadium had this ended in a draw. Thankfully for him, Kieran Tierney came to the rescue, heading in a Colby Donovan ball at the back post with stoppage-time looming.
Forrest swept home from McGregor’s pullback to net for the 17th consecutive season.
It gave the reigning champions some much-needed breathing space and enabled them to stay within touching distance of Hearts, who swatted Rangers aside earlier in the day.
Tough tests are still to come in the form of trips to Livingston and Motherwell, before the second Old Firm derby on January 3.
But this is at the very least something to build on for Nancy. The pressure, even if it is just for a few days, has been lifted somewhat.
Barcelona will go into 2026 sitting four points clear at the top of the LaLiga table.
This follows their 2-0 win over 10-man Villarreal on Sunday evening.
Hansi Flick’s men went in front thanks to a penalty from Raphinha in the early exchanges.
Raphinha picked himself and converted the spot-kick after he had been fouled by Santi Comesana.
Leading into half-time, Renato Veiga’s wild challenge on Lamine Yamal earned him a straight red card, making Villarreal’s assignment that much more difficult.
Yamal then made it 2-0 following a scramble inside the penalty box.
The win takes Barcelona to 46 points, while Real Madrid are in second place with 42.
Afrobeats singer Davido has demonstrated his unwavering support for the Super Eagles, staking $25,000 (approximately N36 million) on Nigeria’s opening Group C match against Tanzania at the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2025.
The singer shared a snapshot of his betting slip on his X page, predicting that both teams will score in the match, with a potential payout of $96,564 (about N140 million).
Recall that Davido has previously wagered $10,000 on Nigeria’s World Cup playoff match against Gabon, which the team ultimately lost.
The Super Eagles are to face Tanzanian on December 23 at the Complex Sportif de Fes in Morocco, marking Nigeria’s quest for a fourth AFCON title.
Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Xavi Simons has tendered an apology after his straight red card against Liverpool in Saturday’s Premier League.
Simons was initially only cautioned by the referee, John Brooks, but that decision was upgraded following a review at the pitchside monitor.
Spurs eventually suffered a 2-1 defeat, a match which also saw Cristian Romero sent off. Fully acknowledging his mistake, Simons via his official social medial handle apologised to everyone at Tottenham and to Van Dijk personally.
Read Also:Nigerian Midfielder Set To Join MLS Club Colorado Rapids
“Errors happen. Van Dijk is my captain (for Holland). I would never consciously hurt him or others.
“To my Spurs teammates, my coach and the fans. I take responsibility.
“I’m really sorry.”
Defeat to Liverpool has left Spurs sitting 13th on the Premier League table.
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Aston Villa vs Manchester United – Premier League LIVE: Latest score, news and updates as Benjamin Sesko misses HUGE chance to take the lead with Emi Martinez making important save on his return
Follow Daily Mail Sport’s live blog for the latest score, team news and updates as Manchester United take on Aston Villa at Villa Park in the Premier League, with Ian Ladyman and Tom Collomosse reporting from the ground.
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Aston Villa vs Manchester United – Premier League LIVE: Latest score, news and updates as Benjamin Sesko misses HUGE chance to take the lead with Emi Martinez making important save on his return
Manchester United boss, Ruben Amorim has once responded to the criticisms he received for dropping Kobbie Mainoo on the bench.
The manager has been heavily criticised by pundits and fans of the Red Devils who believe the player should be playing regularly.
However, the Portuguese had most recently made it clear that there was no way his captain, Bruno Fernandes, would be dropped from the XI for the 20-year-old since both of them play the same position.
It was during the time of Erik ten Hag at Old Trafford that the 20-year-old academy graduate became a first team player.
During the 2023-24 season, Mainoo played 32 games for Manchester United across all competitions that season.
But since after the arrival of Amorim the midfielder no longer gets playing time.
Responding to complaints by those who feel the England international should play more regularly, Amorim told reporters as quoted by Fabrizio Romano
“Kobbie Mainoo needs to fight for his job. I think that is not a bad thing to be on the bench of Man United at 20 years old,” he said.
“I remember Ronaldo was on the bench, sometimes Rooney, Veron… I remember the history of Manchester United and nobody didn’t fall”.