Sports
AFCON 2023: Lookman happy to make debut for Nigeria at Ivory Coast 2023.

Ademola Lookman
Football player
Super Eagles and Atalanta BC forward, Ademola Lookman, says that he can’t wait to feature in his first Africa Cup of Nations tournament for Nigeria,
Lookman is one of the 13 Super Eagles players that trained yesterday at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium in Abuja in preparation for the 2023 AFCON qualifying games against Guinea Bissau.
25year old Lookman,switched allegiance to Nigeria after representing England at the youth level. He made his Nigeria debut in a 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifying match against the Black Stars of Ghana which ended goalless in Kumasi.
Nigeria and Guinea-Bissau will clash in the first leg at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium Abuja on Friday, 24th March while the reverse fixture is scheduled to hold at the Estadio 24 de Setembro in Bissau next week.
Lookman who has played six matches so far for Nigeria and scored one goal in Super Eagles’ 10-0 win against Sao Tome and Principe, a 2023 AFCON qualifying match, at the Grand Stade D’Agadir in Morocco on June 13 2022 said :
“I want to feel the AFCON. I want to win it but we have to do the battle ahead of us first by ensuring that Guinea Bissau does not prove a stumbling block,” Lookman told journalists after Super Eagles’ training.
“We are fit and will be ready for the match on Friday. I want to qualify and play my first AFCON and really looking forward to it,” Lookman stated.
Lookman has been in fine form in Serie A this season. He has so far netted 12 goals and five assists from 26 goals.
The 34th 2023 Africa Cup of Nations [ AFCON) will take place in Ivory Coast in January and February 2024.
Sports
Barcelona Scores 31 Goals In Season’s First 7 La Liga Rounds, Second Only To Sevilla’s 1940/41 Record
In a La Liga Matchday 7 fixture, Barcelona defeated Sevilla 3-1 away from home.
Following this match, Barcelona remains firmly at the top of the La Liga standings with a perfect record of seven wins from seven games. In these matches, they have been prolific, scoring an impressive 31 goals.
In the history of La Liga, only one team has scored more goals than Barcelona after the first seven rounds: Sevilla, the same team Barcelona defeated on Saturday, who scored 40 goals in the first seven games of the 1940/41 season.
It is worth noting that in that season, Sevilla defeated Barcelona 11-1 in the opening match of the league.
Sports
Napoli Sign Nigerian Defender
Napoli Women have officially completed the signing of Nigeria international defender Chidinma Okeke from Mexican club América Femenil.
The 26-year-old centre-back joined Napoli Women on a permanent transfer on Friday, September 18, and signed a two-year contract that will keep her at the Italian club until 2028.
Okeke arrives in Italy after two seasons with América, where she helped the Mexican club win the 2025/26 CONCACAF Champions Cup. She played 27 Liga MX Femenil matches during the 2025/26 season and also featured in seven Champions Cup games.
Her move to Napoli adds another European chapter to a career that has already taken her through Nigeria, Spain, Japan and Mexico. She joined Madrid CFF in 2019 after playing for Robo Queens in Nigeria, then moved to Mynavi Sendai before signing for América in August 2024.
The Nigerian defender can play at centre-back and also operate at full-back, giving Napoli another option in defence as they prepare for the new Serie A Women season.
Okeke has also built significant experience with Nigeria. She played at the 2016 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup, the 2018 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup and the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup before featuring for the Super Falcons at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
Her first competitive challenge with Napoli could come on September 26, when they open their 2026/27 Serie A Women campaign away to Juventus at Biella. The match is scheduled for 12:30pm local time in Italy, or 11:30am Nigerian time.
Napoli finished seventh in the 2025/26 Serie A Women standings, while the new season features 12 teams, with the top three earning places in the UEFA Women’s Champions League and the bottom side dropping into Serie B.
Okeke said she was pleased with her first days in Naples after meeting the coach, staff and new teammates, adding that her goal is to give her best alongside the team.
Sports
Arteta: Brighton Defeat Taught Us An Important Lesson
In Premier League Matchday 5 fixture, Arsenal suffered a 0-3 away defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion. After the match, Arteta shared his thoughts on the game.
“Brighton & Hove Albion deserved the win. For large periods, especially in the first half, our fundamentals weren’t good enough. We didn’t win enough duels, and we didn’t win enough second balls, which made us struggle.”
“We made many mistakes, particularly against a team that likes to press high. We didn’t apply the defensive principles we should have, so we were constantly under pressure and couldn’t get out of difficult situations as we usually do. There’s a lot to learn from this, but ultimately, it’s disappointing.”
Was it surprising that a solution wasn’t found today?
“There are two points. First, credit to them for their style of play and their commitment in every action. We fell below our expected standards, even by Premier League levels. When we miss opportunities like we did today, everything becomes impossible.”
“I want to congratulate Brighton & Hove Albion on their performance. This is an important lesson for us. If I were to evaluate the team’s performance and competitiveness over the past six or seven weeks, it has been as expected, but today’s match taught us a profound lesson.”
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