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Falcons give top position in Group B to the Aussies after Barren Draw With Ireland.

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Nigeria’s Super Falcons on Monday at the Brisbane Stadium strolled into their third ever knockout stage of the women’s world cup with a rather disappointing barren draw against hard fighting Irish girls in Green who with their white Jersey matched Nigeria moment for moment.

At the other group match, the Aussie Babes turned the table with a brilliant 3-0 knock of Canada at the Melbourne Rectangular Stadium.

 

Nigeria fielded Oshoala from the start this time and she missed scoring by the gap of the skin of the tooth twice before she was pulled out in the second half. Kanu too shot blank making fans to shout on top of their voices, GIVE US ONE GOAL! Which was what Nigeria needed to top Group B but for the first time, Nigeria was not defeated in their group game.

 

I report that it was no imported Irish Potatoes and Chicken for the Falcons (except Jos Potatoes), who celebrated moderately moment Ref. Katia Garcia of Mexico blew the final whistle compared with Australians who jumped on each other the moment Ref. Stephaine Frappart of France blew her final whistle.

 

Nigeria had lost six of their previous outings of the final group games except beating Denmark with 2-0 in 1999 and Canada 1-0 in 2011.

 

Nigerian coach was full of encomium for his players saying things were not right initially but the players were resilient not losing a single game adding that he is unmoved facing either England or Denmark next. Asked how he will celebrate with his girls without imported Irish Potatoes, the coached winked probably because he was with his players at a street Buka in Brisbane yesterday where an Akwa Ibom Chef gave the players and officials Fufu also called Akpu with draw soup and Okporoko also called Mangala in South East of Nigeria.

 

Australia was brilliant with Hayley Raso of Real Madrid opening the goals account against Canada in the 9th minute as a Catley cross found her smoking and VAR check said no offside. Raso scored again through a goal mouth melee and Raso slammed it in 37th minute but VAR ruled it off. She collected a pass sent to Sheridan who dilly dally with the ball and got her brace in the 39th minute.

 

Manchester City player, Mary Fowler scored the 3rd goal for Australia in the 58th minute through Foord who had done well beating the Canadian defence to pass to Fowler for the goal.

 

Canada and Australia were facing each other for the second time after playing 2-2 in their final group game in 2007. Australia had defeated a CONCACAF team, Jamaica 4-1 in 2019.

 

Australia had won 1-0 over Ireland and Nigeria drew goalless with Canada in the first round of the group; Canada beat Ireland 2-1 and Nigeria sent Australia to the Rest Room 3-2 in the group second round matches.

 

Co-hosts Australia is not like New Zealand who are out of the tournament. Australia tops Group B with6 points scoring 6 goals and conceding 3; Nigeria is second chalking 5 points from a win and two draws, scoring 3 goals and conceding 2; Canada has 4 points from a win and a draw scoring 2 goals and conceding 4 while Ireland will avoid dodging in dustbins at Dublin in Ireland for she tried having a draw and scoring a lone goal while conceding 3 to rock the bottom of the group.

 

Australia faces runners-up of Group D and Nigeria that is second will face winner of group D in the Round of 16 matches.

 

Tomorrow Tuesday 1st August, group E matches will be concluded at 0800 hours as Vietnam meets Netherlands at Forsyth Barr Stadium and Portugal try the Yankees of USA at Eden Park.

 

Group D matches will also be decided same tomorrow at 12 noon as the Lionesses of England tackles China at Hindmarsh Stadium and Haiti faces Denmark at NIB Stadium.

 

By Eniola Olatunji 

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Iraola: My Fight With Isak Has Never Been About Goals

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Liverpool head coach Andoni Iraola says Alexander Isak is a “massive” player for him – but adds he “fights” with the player about needing to do more for the “collective”.

 

Isak scored twice in the opening nine minutes in the 2-0 win over Ipswich to take his tally to three for the season – but Iraola hinted the player needs to do more off the ball for the team.

“He’s a massive player for us,” he told Sky Sports. “My demands will not be about the goals: he’s fit, in a good shape and he will produce the numbers.

“But my fights with him are more about other stuff, how to help the team in other situations. But it’s good he has played two full games and today a good amount of minutes, scoring the goals.”

Iraola did not reveal which specific areas Isak needs to improve, but it could be interpreted that Iraola wants his striker to do more in the pressing.

“I will demand other things so we can play well,” he said in his post-match press conference about those demands to Isak. “And if we play well, we are in good positions, the goals will come.

“He has to contribute to the collective and when everyone helps, after the goals and results will come.”

Iraola also said to Sky: “Today we were much, much better in our press. We were recovering very high and then we can contact him in good positions.

“If we recover the ball lower, it will be more difficult to find him to have less spaces. So we need more quality effort to put our No 9 in situations like he had today.”

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‘It’s So Strong’ – Sabalenka Halts Play Over Cannabis Smell

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Aryna Sabalenka briefly halted her US Open match against Kamilla Rakhimova because of a strong smell of cannabis before cruising into the fourth round in New York.

 

Top seed Sabalenka raised the issue after going 3-0 up in the first set against Uzbekistan’s Rakhimova, telling umpire Eva Asderaki-Moore that “someone is smoking weed”.

The Belarusian asked the umpire to intervene “because it’s so strong”.

Asderaki-Moore spoke to an official on her radio and made a smoking gesture to someone behind her, before play continued.

Two-time defending champion Sabalenka went on to secure a confident 6-3 6-4 victory on Louis Armstrong Stadium as she chases a fifth Grand Slam singles title.

Sabalenka said afterwards she was not sure where the smell of cannabis was coming from but asked fans to be more mindful.

Smoking is not permitted on site at Flushing Meadows but the smell of cannabis sometimes wafts on to court from the nearby Corona Park.

It is legal to smoke it in New York for adults aged 21 and over.

“It’s a bit tricky to handle that smell while you’re trying to compete at your best,” Sabalenka said.

“I don’t know if it was coming from the crowd or was from the outside because the wind blows it into the stadium.

“I just hope they’re going to be a bit more aware of that stuff.”

Sabalenka is not the first player at this year’s US Open to complain about the smell of cannabis at Flushing Meadows.

Britain’s Katie Boulter previously said it was distracting, while Harriet Dart and Francesca Jones also noticed the smell.

In past years players including Novak Djokovic and Alexander Zverev have also complained.

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Onana Gets Twins As Salah Welcomes First Son Weeks After Joining Turkish Team

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Egyptian football star Mohamed Salah has welcomed his third child and first son, named Lail, Trabzonspor President Ertuğrul Doğan said after the Turkish club’s third-round league match against Amedspor.

 

Doğan said Salah and his Cameroonian teammate André Onana travelled outside Turkey following the match as their wives were due to give birth.

“After the Amed match, we travelled abroad with Onana and Salah. Onana welcomed twins, while Salah welcomed a baby boy. I congratulate their families and wives,” Doğan was quoted as telling Turkish media.

Salah’s sister, Rabab Salah, later revealed the baby’s name on Instagram, posting a photograph of a baby hat and congratulating her brother on the birth of Lail.

The child is Salah’s first son. The Egyptian star and his wife, Magi, already have two daughters, Makka and Kayan.

Doğan’s comments came after a photograph of Salah and Onana aboard a private jet circulated online, prompting questions among Trabzonspor supporters and local media about the reason for their trip.

The club president said both players had travelled for family reasons following the match.

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