Manchester continued their quest for at least a top four finish with a win at Sunderland. The Red devils had the hot red fork out to see off the black cats and cruise to a 3 nil win. Here are the highlights and goals.
Enjoy.
What initially was a big moment for Akwa United, who sealed their first away win of the current NPFL season – and first since their promotion to the top flight – soon turned sour as the victory over Kano Pillars at the Sani Abacha Stadium was marred by crowd trouble, with officials of both teams caught in the middle of the melee.
Enugu Rangers have appointed Head Coach, Chukwuma Agbo as replacement for suspended Imama Amapakabo.
There was late drama at the Mohammed Dikko Stadium as hosts Katsina United came from behind to defeat Enyimba 2-1 in a pulsating Matchday 18 encounter.
NPFL Clubs are complicit in the spate of crowd disturbances and violence at venues of league matches, NFF Integrity Officer, Chris Emerua has told brila.net.
Nigeria football legend, Kanu Nwankwo has suggested that football may be dying in the country and the fans are feed up with excuses of non-performance of the national team.
Roger Federer doesn’t love the “perfection” Image that sometimes he receives by fans and media for his game style and very calm character. ´Of course there are many things that I don´t do perfectly or not entirely´, the Swiss player told Watson.ch in an exclusive interview. ´I have my difficulties too. It can´t be alright all the time. I am not happy that they attribute me the perfection image, because I can only disappoint people. It´s also a mystery from where all this comes from. I only try to be myself, it doesn’t matter how much I am successful with sponsors or how many famous people I met. I know my origins and I know what is my family and my friends. Of course sometimes I live unbelievable experiences, but that´s not the most important thing.´
He has been competing for almost two decades. Which is the key of his success? ´You have to be happy. Otherwise you lose energy. Travels, autographs, Photos, be known everywhere. Not everyone must be something cumbersome. I went through a phase in which I felt burnt out. I needed to take a little break from pictures and autographs. I had realized that if I continued like that, I would have felt tired in the matches. Then I felt fresh again and I never had such problems. The absolute goal is the match, I like to win and not to lose. If you don’t have dreams or goals, nothing has sense.´
Source : http://www.tennisworldusa.org
Westbrook has consistently carried the Thunder to wins in the season after the franchise was rocked by Kevin Durant’s departure. Combine that with his historic production, a league-leading 31.9 points plus 10.7 rebounds and 10.4 assists per game
“Russell Westbrook to be the only player since Oscar Robertson to average a triple-double. No disrespect to their team, but I think James Harden has more help over there,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said before the game. “Earlier in the year, people said he can’t keep this up for 82 games, and he has. What he’s done is really something that you see once in a lifetime, so my vote would go to Russell Westbrook” .
No player in the league carries a bigger burden than Westbrook, who has to be historically productive to give the Thunder a decent chance to win.
Oklahoma City is an outstanding team when Westbrook gets a triple-double, going 33-9 in those games. The Thunder are 13-25 when he doesn’t.
Westbrook, who has three 50-plus-point triple-doubles this season, more than any other player in NBA history has in a career. “I don’t know any other way to play. When I get on the floor, I try to leave everything I have, regardless of seedings, records, the time of day, whatever. It doesn’t matter to me. Basketball is basketball, and I try to go out there and leave it all on the floor” said Westbrook.
10. Arsenal are unbeaten in their last 14 matches against Crystal Palace, stretching back to a 2-1 win at Highbury in October 1994.
9. Arsenal’s record over the Eagles since that game is W11 D3, with only one of those draws coming since 2000.
8. That draw was a 1-1 result at Selhurst Park last season, when Palace also scored for a fourth consecutive game against Arsenal.
7. Arsenal have scored exactly two goals in six of their last seven meetings with Palace.
6. Olivier Giroud scored the opener in the 2-0 win over Palace on New Year’s Day. France international Giroud boasts nine goals for club and country in 2017.
5. Arsenal head into this clash having ended a three-game run without a win in the Premier League by beating West Ham 3-0 on Wednesday night.
4. Palace, meanwhile, saw a four-game winning streak ended with last Wednesday’s 3-1 defeat at Southampton.
3. Both sides have scored in seven of the last 10 games involving Palace and Arsenal.
2. Christian Benteke has scored two goals in two games, having previously netted just once in the league in 2017.
1. Mesut Ozil’s goal on Wednesday ended the Germany international’s 13-game wait for a goal in any competition. It takes his club tally for the season to 10.
WHAT THE MANAGERS SAY
Crystal Palace manager Sam Allardyce: “I can see it going right to the wire, in the end it will be about who can hold their nerve and that is the big key to success when the pressure is on you at this level.
“When the bell starts ringing you know the time is running out. You’ve got to be very brave and stand up and be counted in those situations if you want to survive and be in the Premier League next year.”
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger: “We came out of a very difficult period and what we have shown is that we are united and focused and determined to do things right again.
“That was questioned for a while and I think we gave the right response. We have to show that focus now until the end of the season. There’s still a lot to fight for.”
Source : http://bet.unibet.co.uk
Paris – Crowd pullers Novak Djokovic and Nick Kyrgios closed in on a mouth-watering Davis Cup final duel on Sunday but France and Belgium cast themselves in the role of party-poopers.
World number two Djokovic and his 2010 Davis Cup champions Serbia team had already booked their place in September’s semi-final against nine-time winners France by beating Spain who were hamstrung by the absence of Rafael Nadal.
But firebrand Kyrgios needed to seal the deal for Australia on Sunday, securing the winning point in the first of the reverse singles to defeat 32-time champions United States.
That gave Australia a semi-final trip to Belgium who also had to wait until Sunday to wrap up a second last-four date in three years by seeing off Italy, the conquerors of defending champions Argentina in the first round.
Kyrgios’s 7-6 (7/4), 6-3, 6-4 win over Sam Querrey gave the Australians an unassailable 3-1 in Brisbane.
The controversial 21-year-old Kyrgios revealed that Australian captain Lleyton Hewitt had asked him to be the team’s leader and he had been happy to accept the challenge.
“I’m playing better, but I’m just in a happier place,” said the world number 16.
Kyrgios pushed eventual champion Roger Federer to the brink in the semi-finals in Miami last week and has made the final four in three of his last four tournaments.
He said that during this run of good form he had always had one eye on the Davis Cup.
“I’ve been looking forward to this tie for a long time now,” he said.
“I always had one eye on it. When I was in the States I always knew I had to come here and play two big matches.”
Should Kyrgios and Djokovic make the final in September, the Australian will not be cowed by the challenge having seen off the world number two twice this year, in Acapulco and Indian Wells.
Belgium, the runners-up to Great Britain in the 2015 final, made sure of their semi-final place when national number one David Goffin eased past Italian veteran Paolo Lorenzi 6-3, 6-3, 6-2 in Charleroi for a 3-1 lead.
“There’s a lot of time between now and September but Australia will be our focus,” said Goffin who won both his singles at the weekend. “We are going to prepare well for it.”
To nullify the big-serving Kyrgios, Belgium will opt for a clay-court surface if given the opportunity.
Djokovic reckons France, who made their fifth semi-final in eight years by beating Britain in Rouen, will also go for clay, either in Monte Carlo or even Roland Garros where he won his first French Open last year.
The 12-time major winner says all the pressure will be on France who lost the 2010 final to Serbia in Belgrade. France have lost three finals since their last title triumph in 2001.
“They have had so much success down the years,” said Djokovic. “It’s a very important tournament for them but they have come up short recently so they will be very hungry.”
“They are likely to pick red clay. I am relishing the clay-court season as I felt I played really well throughout this Davis Cup week.”
Source : http://www.sport24.co.za