Author: Brila

Soccer Without Fans: What the Pandemic Showed The COVID-19 pandemic made world football experience things they had never before. Closed door matches took away live audiences, and with them the feeling, rhythm, and economy of the sport. Teams from Europe to South America had to adapt to this new norm, but the silence they faced was deafening. With no chants, crowd reactions, or any pressure quaudence, the matches lost their intensity and became more clinical and often surprising; the home advantage disappeared. Unlike the pre – pandemic time, broadcasters had to implement artificial crowd sounds to create their own version…

Despite the pressure, Getafe maintained their lead, concluding the match with 42 points and securing their La Liga status ahead of the final game of the season.

This defeat marks Nigeria’s third consecutive semi final exit in the U20 AFCON, having previously fallen to Gambia in 2023 and Mali in 2019.

Osimhen added his second of the match later in the half, finishing a well executed counterattack. Akgün, who played a key role throughout, provided the assist for all three goals.

The 26-year-old Nigerian forward has continued to attract attention from elite clubs across Europe after a prolific season on loan at Galatasaray, where he scored 24 goals in 28 Turkish Super Lig appearances.

Prior to the victory, the Glasgow side had endured a difficult run of form, recording three draws and one losses in their previous four league fixtures.

Awoniyi, who had only been on the pitch for five minutes after coming on as a late substitute for Ibrahim Sangaré, received immediate treatment on the field following the incident.

Nigeria were flawless from 12 yards, converting all their penalties through Emmanuel Chukwu, Israel Ayuma, and substitute Precious Benjamin.

Commenting on the broader impact of the experience, she said: “There’s a lot of pressure to do well, and
that extends to the family too.

His performances not only sparked transfer interest from Europe but also caught the eye of national team selectors.