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2025 AFCON: Ademola Lookman And Alex Iwobi Headline Nigeria Squad For Rwanda And Benin

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2025 AFCON: Lookman and Iwobi headline Nigeria squad | fab.ng

The Nigeria Football Federation has unveiled a 23-man squad for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers against Rwanda and Benin Republic.

Leading Group D with 10 points from four matches, the Super Eagles need just a draw in their last two games to confirm their spot in the tournament set to be held in Morocco.

Atalanta’s Ademola Lookman, Galatasaray’s Victor Osimhen, and Fulham’s Alex Iwobi and Calvin Bassey headline the squad.

These players are expected to play crucial roles in securing wins over the Cheetahs and Amavubi. Additionally, regulars like Samuel Chukwueze, William Troost-Ekong, Kelechi Iheanacho, and Bayer Leverkusen’s prolific Victor Boniface bolster the lineup.

The squad also sees fresh talent, with Victor Collins earning his first call-up after impressive performances for Nasarawa United in the Nigeria Professional Football League.

Meanwhile, Real Sociedad forward Sadiq Umar returns to the team following a lengthy injury recovery.

For the goalkeeping duties, coach Augustine Eguavoen will see a competitive battle between CAF Awards nominee Stanley Nwabali, Maduka Okoye, and Ethiopia-based Anas Obasogie.

The Super Eagles will face Gernot Rohr’s Benin Republic on November 14th at Stade Felix-Houphouet-Boigny. Four days later, they will return to Uyo for their final qualifier against Rwanda at Godswill Akpabio Stadium.

Coach Eguavoen’s side aims to improve on their previous AFCON performance, where they finished as runners-up in the last tournament held in Côte d’Ivoire, losing to the host nation in a hard-fought final.

2025 AFCON: Nigeria Full Squad for Rwanda And Benin

Goalkeepers:

Stanley Nwabali plays for Chippa United in South Africa. Maduka Okoye represents Udinese in Italy. Amas Obasogie is part of Fasil Kenema in Ethiopia.

Defenders:

William Ekong features for Al-Kholood FC in Saudi Arabia, while Bright Osayi-Samuel plays for Fenerbahce in Turkey. Bruno Onyemaechi is with Boavista in Portugal, and Gabriel Osho recently joined Auxerre in France.

Calvin Bassey brings his defensive prowess from Fulham, England. Olaoluwa Aina represents Nottingham Forest, and Victor Collins, a local star, plays for Nasarawa United.

Midfielders:

Wilfred Ndidi commands the midfield for Leicester City in England. Raphael Onyedika showcases his talent at Club Brugge, Belgium.

Alhassan Yusuf Abdullahi competes for New England Revolution in the USA, while Fisayo Dele-Bashiru recently moved to Lazio in Italy.

Frank Onyeka is with Augsburg in Germany, and Alex Iwobi strengthens Fulham in England.

Forwards:

Samuel Chukwueze stars for AC Milan in Italy. Victor Osimhen leads the attack for Galatasaray in Turkey, and Ademola Lookman impresses at Atalanta, Italy.

Kelechi Iheanacho recently joined Sevilla in Spain, while Victor Boniface continues his goal-scoring form at Bayer Leverkusen, Germany.

Moses Simon plays for Nantes in France, and Sadiq Umar represents Real Sociedad in Spain.

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SPORTS

Barcelona’s Dominant Victory: Raphinha Shines In 5-1 Win Over Mallorca

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Raphinha Shines In 5-1 Win for Barcelona Mallorca | fab.ng

A second-half brace by Raphinha played a pivotal role in the Blaugrana’s success as Barcelona extended their lead at the top of LaLiga to four points.

They did this with a commanding 5-1 victory over Mallorca, breaking a three-match winless streak in the league.

After a surprising home defeat to Las Palmas, Barcelona needed a strong performance against an in-form Mallorca side. Determined from the outset, Hansi Flick’s team applied early pressure.

Their efforts paid off in the 12th minute when Ferran Torres capitalised on a defensive error, nudging the ball past Leo Roman to score his second goal of the season.

Buoyed by this early breakthrough, Barcelona continued to dominate. Torres nearly added a second, but Roman’s sharp reflexes kept the scoreline in check.

Meanwhile, Lamine Yamal missed a crucial opportunity, firing wide when well-positioned in the box.

Despite Barcelona’s dominance, Mallorca remained dangerous on the counterattack. Their persistence paid off just before halftime.

Pablo Maffeo unselfishly set up Vedat Muriqi, who tapped in from close range to level the score. This goal highlighted Mallorca’s resilience and set the stage for an intense second half.

Mallorca - Barcelona match stats

Raphinha Takes Charge in the Second Half

Barcelona resumed with renewed intensity after the break. Torres and Raphinha both came close to restoring the lead.

Their pressure finally yielded a penalty when Johan Mojica fouled Yamal in the area. Raphinha confidently converted the spot-kick, notching his 15th goal across all competitions.

The Brazilian forward continued to lead Barcelona’s attack. In the 60th minute, Yamal delivered a stunning trivela cross, which Raphinha expertly finished, extending Barcelona’s lead to 3-1.

This goal underlined their attacking prowess and tactical cohesion.

With momentum firmly on their side, Barcelona sealed the win with two late goals. Frenkie de Jong capitalised on a loose ball to score, demonstrating perfect positioning.

Minutes later, he assisted Pau Victor, who easily slotted home, making it 5-1. These late strikes not only secured the win but also extended Barcelona’s unbeaten streak against Mallorca to 17 matches (15 wins, 2 draws).

This dominant performance reaffirms Barcelona’s title credentials. Their blend of youthful energy and experienced leadership, highlighted by Raphinha’s brilliance, sends a clear message to their LaLiga rivals.

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Liverpool Beat Manchester City To Extend Lead To 11 Points

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Liverpool beat Manchester City to extend lead | fab.ng

Liverpool widened their lead in the Premier League to an impressive 11 points over defending champions Manchester City with a commanding 2-0 victory at Anfield.

This result extended City’s winless streak to seven matches across all competitions, marking the worst run of Pep Guardiola’s managerial career.

Guardiola responded to City’s recent struggles by benching regular goalkeeper Ederson in favour of Stefan Ortega.

However, Ortega faced relentless pressure from the start as Liverpool launched a series of aggressive attacks.

Dominik Szoboszlai tested the goalkeeper twice early on and then set up Virgil van Dijk, whose powerful header struck the post.

The opening goal seemed inevitable, and Anfield didn’t have to wait long for a moment of brilliance from Mohamed Salah.

The Egyptian delivered a pinpoint cross that found Cody Gakpo at the back post, who bundled the ball into the net, sending the Kop into raptures.

City’s strategy of playing out from the back continued to cause them problems even after conceding. Van Dijk missed another opportunity with a header, and Gakpo fired over the bar as Liverpool maintained control.

Although City managed to reduce the flow of Liverpool’s attacks, they struggled to create any meaningful chances.

Their first shot didn’t arrive until the 39th minute when Rico Lewis’s tame effort missed the target. This encapsulated a miserable first half for the champions.

The statistics told the story…

It was the longest City had gone without a shot in a Premier League match since April 2010. Although they looked slightly more threatening after the break, Liverpool remained dominant.

Gakpo had another shot blocked by Matheus Nunes, and Van Dijk headed another chance over the bar.

Salah then intercepted a loose pass from Bernardo Silva, racing through on goal only to lift his shot over the bar, missing a golden opportunity to double Liverpool’s lead.

Despite their dominance, Liverpool still needed a second goal to seal the win against Manchester City. That decisive moment came 12 minutes from time. Ruben Dias lost possession, allowing Luis Diaz to sprint through on goal.

Ortega brought Diaz down, conceding a penalty. Salah confidently stepped up and converted the spot-kick, redeeming himself after a midweek miss against Real Madrid. This goal marked his 13th direct contribution in his last 11 starts against City.

With this victory, Arne Slot’s Liverpool side solidified their dominance at Anfield this season, having already beaten the champions of England, Spain, and Germany.

They now sit nine points clear at the top of the Premier League table, leaving Arsenal trailing behind.

Meanwhile, Manchester City finds itself in unfamiliar territory. This defeat marks their fourth consecutive league loss, a streak they haven’t endured since August 2008.

The defending champions now sit outside the top four, facing mounting pressure and searching for answers as their title defence falters.

Liverpool’s performance underscored their credentials as genuine title contenders, with clinical finishing, defensive solidity, and moments of individual brilliance.

In contrast, City must regroup quickly to halt their downward spiral and reignite their season.

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SPORTS

Ancelotti Admits Mbappe Is In “Difficult Moment” And Lacks Confidence

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Kylian Mbappe, Ancelotti admits is in a 'difficult moment' | fab.ng

Kylian Mbappé, the 25-year-old French striker, delivered another lacklustre performance for Real Madrid on Wednesday night.

In their 2-0 Champions League defeat at Anfield, Mbappé struggled to impact the game, failing to pose a significant threat to Liverpool’s defence and missing a crucial penalty.

Since his high-profile transfer from Paris Saint-Germain to Real Madrid in June, Mbappé has endured a difficult start to life in Spain.

He has managed to score only one goal in five Champions League appearances for the Spanish club.

Despite his recent form, which includes just one goal in his last six games across all competitions, manager Carlo Ancelotti remains steadfast in his support for Mbappé.

Ancelotti views the World Cup-winning forward as an “extraordinary” player who simply requires patience and support to fully adapt and excel in the Spanish league.

“It’s a difficult moment for him, we’ve got to support him and give him our love, he’ll soon be fine,” Ancelotti said.

“It could be a lack of confidence maybe. Sometimes you have moments when things aren’t quite working out for you. But you get through these moments. People miss penalties, it happens a lot. You can’t put too much grief on him for that.

“He works hard, he’s got to keep working hard and fighting. You get through these moments. Things just aren’t running for him at the moment. We’ve got be patient. He’s an extraordinary player.”

Ancelotti acknowledged Liverpool’s superior performance, stating that they deserved to win the match.

“I think that to be totally honest with you, it was a fair result,” he said. “They have a really good dynamic at the moment, they are switched on, they play with a high intensity.”

Ancelotti expressed confidence that Real Madrid’s form would improve significantly, despite their current position of 24th out of 36 teams in the league and the looming threat of missing the knockout phase.

“I think this game today wasn’t a decisive game,” he said. “We’ll be there, we’ll be competing in the knockout phase, like in previous years.”

Real Madrid midfielder Jude Bellingham concurred with his manager’s assessment, stating that Liverpool had outperformed them in the match.

“They were more up for it than us which is very disappointing. It is a bad result against the best-performing team in Europe,” he said.

“We are disappointed at how we have performed and it is important that we win the next three games and give ourselves a chance to go through.”

Bellingham also voiced his support for Kylian Mbappé.

“He is a wonderful player but the pressure on him because of how good he is is huge. The penalty is not why we lost the game. They performed better than us. I know that he will produce many more moments that will be huge for this club,” he said.

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