Nigerian sprint icon, Tobi Amusan has set a new African women’s indoor 60-meter record of 7.75 seconds at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix in Boston.

The 27-year-old’s 7.75 seconds in Boston means she has retired the 7.77 mark she set in Kazakhstan at the Astana Indoor Meet in January.


Despite setting an African record, Amusan’s 7.75 effort was insufficient for first place in Boston, where she finished second to America’s Tia Jones in 7.72 seconds.

On January 27, in her first race of the new season, the Nigerian broke the 7.82seconds African record set by fellow Nigerian Gloria Alozi.

Amusan now has two of the fastest times ever run by an African woman in the 60m Hurdles and is on track to break the World Record of 7.68 seconds before the indoor season ends.

Amusan is ranked second on the world top list for the season behind Devynne Charlton of the Bahamas who ran 7.75 last week at the Corky Classics in Lubbock, Texas.

Amusan has also moved up to number 20 on the world all-time list and the reigning Commonwealth Games champion has now broken all three African records held by Alozie.

She first broke her predecessor’s African Games record of 12.74 set in 1999 when she ran 12.68 to win 10 years later (2019).


Amusan followed up by breaking Alozie’s 12.44 African record when she ran 12.42 seconds on her way to winning her first Diamond League title.

The sprint hurdler now owns the Nigeria, Nigerian Championships, African, African Games, African indoor, Commonwealth Games, World Championships, and world records.

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SOUTH Africa goalkeeper Ronwen William has shared the credit for his heroic performance last night with his teammates and the technical crew.

The Mamelodi Sundowns shot stopper was the hero in the AFCON 2023 Africa Cup of Nations quarter-final against Cape Verde in Yamoussoukro last night, becoming the first goalkeeper to save four penalties during a shootout in the history of the tournament.

Williams’ saves helped Bafana Bafana defeat Cape Verde 2-1 in the shootout after full-time and extra-time ended 0-0.

The 32-year-old former SuperSport United goalkeeper was named Man of the Match for his heroics but he insisted the award belonged to the entire team.

“It was tough. They played their part and it was my time to play my part,” Williams said while receiving his prize.

“I am just glad that we are in the next round. This is not mine but it is for the collective.

“The staff, technical team and each player. This journey has been tough but we soldiered on as a team so I will accept this on behalf of each and every player in Bafana Bafana.”

Bafana Bafana take on the Super Eagles in the semi-finals on Wednesday at the Stade de la Paix in Bouake.

The last time South Africa reached the AFCON semi-finals was in 2000 and they also faced Nigeria, who won 2-0 in Lagos as co-hosts.

The Super Eagles also beat Bafana Bafana at the AFCON in 2019.

[EagleOnline]

The Golden Glove at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations will be contested between Nigeria’s Stanley Nwabali and Ronwen Williams of South Africa.

Both Nwabali and Williams have kept clean sheets in their last four matches and will face each other in the semi-finals.

The only goal Nwabali conceded at the tournament, was in the Super Eagles opening 1-1 draw with Equatorial Guinea.


Williams let in two goals for Bafana Bafana when they lost 2-0 to Mali in their first fixture.

Interestingly, both goalkeepers play in South Africa. Nwabali represents Chippa United while Williams turns out for Mamelodi Sundowns.

As it stands, both stoppers have four clean sheets, more than any other keeper has been able to secure in Ivory Coast.

Twenty-four (24) years after Tijani Babangida’s brace saw-off South Africa in their last Africa Cup of Nations semi-final appearance, both sides will meet again next Wednesday to decide one of the finalists for this year’s AFCON.


Babangida’s 1st and 34th-minute goals took care of business on that occasion in front of a packed stadium in Surulere, Lagos when Nigeria co-hosted with Ghana.

A brilliant penalty shoot-out performance by South Africa’s goalkeeper, Ronwen Williams helped South Africa fight off a dogged Cape Verde side while Nigeria defeated Angola 1-0 on Friday to set up the semi-final.

Although both sides have met in subsequent AFCONs, it has not been at the penultimate stage. In all the meetings, Nigeria has triumphed.

In Tunisia 2004, Nigeria saw off Bafana Bafana 4-0 in the group stage, while their last AFCON meeting was in 2019 in the quarter-finals when Egypt hosted. Samuel Chukwueze and Troost-Ekong’s goals helped Nigeria to a 2-1 win.

The Golden Glove at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations will be contested between Nigeria’s Stanley Nwabali and Ronwen Williams of South Africa.

Both Nwabali and Williams have kept clean sheets in their last four matches and will face each other in the semi-finals.

The only goal Nwabali conceded at the tournament, was in the Super Eagles opening 1-1 draw with Equatorial Guinea.

 

Williams let in two goals for Bafana Bafana when they lost 2-0 to Mali in their first fixture.

Interestingly, both goalkeepers play in South Africa. Nwabali represents Chippa United while Williams turns out for Mamelodi Sundowns.

As it stands, both stoppers have four clean sheets, more than any other keeper has been able to secure in Ivory Coast.

[DailyPost]

Angola coach, Pedro Goncalves, believes his team didn’t enjoy the kind of privileges the Super Eagles of Nigeria have been enjoying in the 2023 AFCON which was why his team lost to them.

Pedro Goncalves who has been in charge of the Angola national team since 2019 proved that he had a compact team at the 2023 AFCON by leading the lowly-rated side to record three wins and one draw before they met Nigeria in the quarter-finals of the tournament on Friday, February 2.

Despite looking more compact than the Super Eagles, the star-studded Nigerian side proved to be too good for them with a lone goal courtesy of a strike from Ademola Lookman.

The Super Eagles would have won the game 2-0 if Victor Osimhen’s powerful header in the second half wasn’t controversially counted as an off-side.

In his assessment of the game, the Portuguese tactician believes that the Super Eagles enjoyed the privilege of being in the same city, Abidjan, since the tournament started on January 13.

He also claimed that his players are not as exposed as Super Eagles players who are playing in some of the best leagues in the world.

“It is true that we played against a very strong opponent. But the Nigerian players were fresher than ours, and their physical display made them able to create more chances than us,” coach Pedro Goncalves said.

“Most of their players take part in very high-level competitions, and they have never gone out of Abidjan. But we’ve gone to three different cities in the course of this tournament, so this triggered fatigue for my players.

“Also, most of my players play in the home league, and some of them aren’t experienced playing in big competitions like the AFCON.”

Former Chelsea ace, Eden Hazard has suggested that Al-Nassr captain Cristiano Ronaldo is not a bigger player than him in terms of ‘pure football.’

Hazard also insisted that former Barcelona captain Lionel Messi still remains the greatest footballer.

Speaking recently with L’Equipe, Hazard said, “Individually, Messi is perhaps the only one. I loved watching the Barcelona player, less so at the end, but he is the greatest in history.


“It is impossible to take the ball away from him. Cristiano is a bigger player than me but, in terms of pure football, I honestly don’t think so. Neymar, maybe. After that, he’s no better than me.”

Hazard retired from football at the age of 32 last October.

Ronaldo and Messi are still playing at age 38 and 36, respectively.

The Super Eagles put up a professional performance to eke out a 1-0 win over surprise quarterfinalists Angola. A first half goal from Ademola Lookman, his third in the tournament, was all the Nigerians needed to book their place in the semi-final for the 16th time, where they will take on DR Congo or Guinea, who play the second quarterfinal later on Friday night.

Stanley Nwabali was fit enough to start in goal, and coach Jose Peseiro went with the same team that defeated Cameroon. Nwabali kept his fourth consecutive clean sheet to become the third Nigerian goalkeeper to keep four consecutive clean slates at the AFCON after Best Ogedegbe in 1980 and Ike Shorunmu in 2002.

The Eagles could have scored in the first minute with a loose ball in the Angola box, but Frank Onyeka’s shot was blocked after Ademola Lookman failed to get the ball on target. The Palancas Negras threatened immediately after through Agostinho Mabululu, but Nwabali diverted his shot for a corner kick.

In the 23rd minute, Osimhen threatened with a header, but Antonio Signori held on. The Napoli forward had another chance for a header in the 35th minute, but he glanced the ball out. Angola pushed back and won back-to-back corners in the 36th and 38th minutes.

And then Lookman struck. Moses Simon sped past Kialonda Gaspar, and with Osimhen’s run taking away other defenders, Lookman rifled the ball past Signori into the roof of the net. The Eagles created another goal-scoring chance in the third minute of added time in the first half, but Zaidu Sanusi dithered in the box and lost the opportunity to cross.

Nigeria had more ball possession in the first stanza, more shots on target, and comfortable control of the contest.

The second half saw Angola coach Soares Goncalves introduce Zini for Estrela as the Angolans sought new ways to breach the Eagles’ resilient defence. Osimhen teed up Alex Iwobi on the edge of the Angola box, but his shot was blocked for a corner kick. Sanusi had a shooting chance, but his shot was wide off target.

In the 59th minute, Angola produced their best goal-scoring chance after Iwobi had turned over possession. Fredy, quiet all evening, slid the ball through the Nigerian defence, and Zini was one-on-one with Nwabali, but his shot struck the post, and Ekong cleared the immediate danger.

Simon weaved past two Angola defenders on the hour, but his shot was blocked as the Eagles tried to find a second insurance goal. Sanusi played his free-kick over the wall, but it was tame and comfortably gathered by Signori. The Eagles thought they had that second goal in the 75th minute, but Osimhen had strayed marginally offside before heading past Signori.

VAR drew their lines, and Osimhen’s wait for a second AFCON goal continued. In the 81st minute, Lookman fed Osimhen, who created a shooting chance, but his shot was blocked. Nwabali was called to make two saves as the Eagles held on for their fourth consecutive clean sheet and a place in the semifinal, the 16th in the country’s history.

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has officially announced the prize money for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), setting the stage for an intense battle as teams vie for the prestigious trophy. As the tournament progresses into the quarter-finals, it’s clear that there’s more than just glory at stake.


The winning team of the 2023 AFCON will earn a substantial $7 million, marking a significant achievement in their football journey. The runner-up is also set for a generous reward, receiving $4 million, while the semi-finalists who do not advance to the final will each be awarded $2.5 million.


Teams making it to the quarter-finals will be granted $1.3 million, demonstrating the tournament’s high regard and competitive spirit. Additionally, participants who exit at the round of 16 stage are not left behind, with each team receiving $800,000.

Even the teams that finish third in their respective groups will see financial compensation, securing $700,000, and those ending their campaign at the bottom of their groups will get $500,000. These incentives highlight CAF’s commitment to supporting and rewarding the efforts of all participating teams.

Amidst the anticipation for financial rewards, the Nigerian team, the Super Eagles, are focused on clinching their fourth AFCON title as they prepare to face Angola in a crucial quarter-final match in Abidjan. A victory against Angola would not only advance Nigeria in the competition but also edge them closer to the substantial $7 million prize.


While the monetary incentives add an extra layer of excitement, the primary goal for the teams remains to secure the esteemed AFCON trophy. Winning the tournament is a testament to continental supremacy and an indelible mark in the annals of African football history.

With the quarter-finals underway, the competition is heating up, and fans across Africa are eagerly watching as the remaining eight teams contend for the trophy and their share of the lucrative prize pool.

President Bola Tinubu has uplifted the morale of the Super Eagles of Nigeria after calling them on video call.

The call was made ahead of Super Eagles match against Angola in the ongoing African Cup of Nations tournament.


Speaking via video call from France, the President urged the players to reach for goals in the crucial Africa Cup of Nations quarter-final clash against Angola this evening.

The video call was posted on his son, Seyi Tinubu’s Instagram story on Friday, February 2.

Nigeria vs Angola is the first quarter-final game of the ongoing TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations by 6 pm today.

All eyes are on the Super Eagles of Nigeria as they slug it out against Angola in the AFCON Cote d’Ivoire 2023.

The target for Nigeria is to qualify for the semi-final.

The winner between Nigeria and Angola on Wednesday, February 7, 2024, at the 40,000-capacity Peace Stadium in Bouake, will face the winner of Cape Verde vs. South Africa to be played also on Friday.

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Last modified on Friday, 02 February 2024 16:14