ONANA STARS AS UNITED WIN THE FA CUP
Andre Onana has been a polarizing figure among supporters and opponents alike but it’s hard to deny that his presence between the sticks have been vital to Manchester United this season. He wasn’t helped by recurring injuries to members of the backline and the team’s poor performances from time to time.
Man United faced off against Man City in the FA Cup final and Onana played a starring role. He was idle in between the sticks for most parts of the first half. However, when he was called to action in the 36th minute, he dealt with Bernardo Silva’s shot comfortably. City’s first shot on target.
He would have the crossbar to thank in the 55th minute as Erling Haaland shockingly failed to find the back of the net from a few yards out with his first shot on target. The Cameroonian subsequently pulled out a brilliant one-handed save to deny Kyle Walker’s belter from range, reacting swiftly to keep his clean sheet intact. He was called to action once more as Walker fired a low shot from outside the box again. He got down swiftly and pushed the ball off. A stunning save once again!
City would grab their consolation goal through Jeremy Doku. The Belgian cut in from the left and fired an unstoppable pile driver from about 20 yards out, beating Onana at his near post. Onana will certainly feel he should have done better. Nonetheless, United held on to secure the win and the trophy ultimately. His superb saves were crucial to United’s conquest of their city rivals. The goalkeeper capped off his debut season in England with the FA cup trophy and he got some form of revenge over Man City for his loss in the Champions League final the previous season.
KING ADEMOLA LOOKMAN
It has been a fairytale week for Ademola LOOKMAN and Atalanta. He ran the show as Atalanta cruised to a three nil win over Leverkusen in their midweek Europa League final tie, bringing Leverkusen’s 51 game unbeaten run across all competitions to an end. He also played a starring role as Atalanta thumped Torino in their final match of the season consolidating their 4th position finish on the Serie A table.
Leverkusen were favourites for the trophy and rightly so but it was Lookman who got La Dea to a perfect start in the 7th minute as he connected well with Zappacosta’s cross, hitting it first time into the back of the net. His second goal was a thing of beauty as he picked up the ball from a misplaced headed pass and drove at the Leverkusen defence with purpose, cutting in & nutmegging Granit Xhaka. He fired a curling shot subsequently from outside the box into the back of the net. A sensational goal to double the lead sending the Atalanta fans into delight and Leverkusen’s into despair. He completed his hat trick in the later stages of the second half. Atalanta won the ball in their half and Scamacca drove forward with the ball. The latter threaded the ball to Lookman and he showed skill and tenacity once again. He raced into the box, took a quick step over to shift it to his left foot and fired it thunderously into the back of the net leaving the goalie with no chance.
Atalanta were crowned Europa League champions winning an European trophy for the first time in the club’s history. Lookman became the first player to score an hat trick in the final of the Europa League.
Fresh off their trophy win, Gasperini’s men faced off against Torino in their final league fixture of the season. A stunner from Scamacca gave Atalanta the lead in the 26th minute. Picking up from where he left off on Wednesday, Ademola Lookman was at his clinical best as he reacted fastest to tap home the rebound from Pasalic’s saved shot as the goalie made a mess of it and double La Dea’s advantage. Lookman was also at the heart of Atalanta’s third goal. He was fouled by an opposing defender after showing some silky footwork in the 18 yard box and the referee awarded a penalty to the home side. Pasalic took the penalty & dispatched the ball into the back of the net, sending the goalie the wrong way. The Atalanta keeper would pull out a superb save in the dying minutes to cement his clean sheet. A perfect end to the season for La Dea, Europa League Champions and a top four finish.
RAHIMI RISES TO THE OCCASION
UAE side Al Ain faced off against Japanese side Yokohama FM in the second leg of the Asian Champions league final. Yokohama FM went into the tie with a 2:1 lead over Al Ain from the first leg. Al Ain were in need of a spectacular performance and they just swept their opponents away.
They got off to a perfect start as competition top scorer, Soufiane Rahimi raced forward with the ball, laid it off nicely to Yahia Nader and the latter flicked it back into the path of Rahimi who slotted the ball into the back of the net, tying both sides on aggregate. A couple of minutes later, Rahimi went down in the box from a challenge by the defender but was shown a yellow for simulation. A VAR review overturned the original decision and a penalty was awarded to Al Ain. Kaku dispatched it accordingly into the bottom right hand corner.
A momentary lapse in concentration by the Al Ain defence would allow Yokohama to pull one back through Yan Matheus, allowing both sides to go level on aggregate scores for the second time in the match. Rahimi was at the center of the action once more as the Yokohama keeper was shown a straight red card for his rash challenge on the former outside the area just before the break.
Ain’s persistence paid off after the break as a blocked cross fell kindly into the path of Rahimi who controlled it expertly, cut inside and fired the ball into the back of the net with the help of a slight deflection. The Moroccan striker wheeled off in ecstasy removing his shirt in his celebration.
There was more to come as Rahimi set Laba Kodjo off following a quick one two between both players and a goalkeeping howler from Yokohama’s keeper would allow Kodjo to tap the ball into an empty net in the 91st minute. There was a final act as substitute Kodjo laid the ball into the path of Matias Palacios. The latter set the ball and took aim at the goal. The Togolese striker then flicked the shot into the back of the net from close range to grab his second of the night.
Al Ain became champions of Asia for the second time in history picking up the trophy for the first time in 20 years after winning the inaugural edition back in 2003. Rahimi finished with 13 goals & 3 assists to his name across 13 appearances, picking up the Most Valuable Player & Top Scorer Awards respectively.
SIMY SALVAGES A DRAW FOR THE GARNETS
Relegated side, Salernitana faced off against second placed AC Milan in their final top-flight game of the season. Milan raced off to a two nil lead over Salernitana in the first half and it seemed they were well on their way to the win. Alas, that wasn’t meant to be as a spirited comeback inspired by Simy ensured both sides shared the spoils.
Simeon Nwankwo was brought on as a second half substitute for Grigoris Kostanos in the 60th minute. His impact was immediate as he flicked Sambia’s cross from a corner kick into the back of the net to give the away side some hope. The Nigerian striker nearly doubled his tally two minutes later but his header was denied on this occasion.
Milan restored their two goal margin in the 76th minute but Sambia pulled one back with a well taken goal from outside the box. Winning the ball back in midfield, he evaded opposing players and lashed the ball calmly into the back of the net to give the away side a fighting chance. Simy got the much desired equaliser in the closing minutes of normal time, reacting swiftly and tapping home the rebound after Tchoauna’s shot was saved. A clinical display for the substitute.
MBIANG ENSURES SURVIVAL WITH LAST GASP EQUALISER
Relegated threatened Empoli faced off against AS Roma at the Carlo Castellani Stadium in a must win clash for the home side. Things proceeded smoothly for the Tuscan side in the opening minutes of the match as they took the lead through Matteo Cancellieri. Emmanuel Gyasi capitalised on a failed clearance by the Roma defender to lay the ball across to Cancellieri & he did the honours. AS Roma had a goal ruled out for offside 8 minutes later but were not to be denied as they got the equaliser through Hassem Aouar in the additional minutes of the first half.
Manager Davide Nicola looked to his bench for inspiration and brought on Mbaye Niang to help him grab the win at the start of the second half. Both sides came close to grabbing the winner in the second half but were unsuccessful with Empoli even clipping the crossbar once & Roma having another goal ruled out. The moment of glory would come in the dying minutes of the game. M’baye grabbed the winning goal in the 93rd minute latching onto Cancielleri’s pass and firing his shot beyond the goalie. The whole stadium & the small Italian Tuscan town erupted in ecstasy.
The goal was very vital to the home side as it secured the three points for them and guaranteed their survival in the Italian top flight for another season. A huge slice of history as this is the first time they’ll spend three consecutive campaigns in the top flight without getting relegated. It’s not hard to understand the Senegalese striker’s inclusion after the break as only Christian Stuani has scored more goals (seven) as a substitute across Europe’s top five leagues than Mbaye Niang’s five. A reliable super sub!
FINIDI GEORGE NAMES HIS FIRST SQUAD
Newly appointed Nigerian team coach Finidi George, has named his squad for Nigeria’s upcoming World Cup Qualifiers. He opted to name a 23-man squad with some notable names such as Ola Aina missing out. The list was unveiled in a statement released by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) on Friday.
Goalkeepers: Stanley Nwabali (Chippa United, South Africa); Maduka Okoye (Udinese FC, Italy); Ojo Olorunleke (Enyimba FC).
Defenders: Chidozie Awaziem (Boavista FC, Portugal); Bright Osayi-Samuel (Fenerbahce FC, Turkey); Sadiq Ismael (Remo Stars FC); Oluwasemilogo Ajayi (West Bromwich Albion, England); Calvin Bassey (Fulham FC, England); Benjamin Tanimu (Ihefu SC, Tanzania).
Midfielders: Wilfred Ndidi (Leicester City, England); Raphael Onyedika (Club Brugge, Belgium); Alhassan Yusuf Abdullahi (Royal Antwerp FC, Belgium); Frank Onyeka (Brentford FC, England); Alex Iwobi (Fulham FC, England); Fisayo Dele-Bashiru (Hatayspor, Turkey).
Forwards: Nathan Tella (Bayer Leverkusen, Germany); Victor Osimhen (SSC Napoli, Italy); Kelechi Iheanacho (Leicester City, England); Samuel Chukwueze (AC Milan, Italy); Paul Onuachu (Trabzonspor FC, Turkey); Ademola Lookman (Atalanta FC, Italy); Victor Boniface (Bayer Leverkusen, Germany); Terem Moffi (OGC Nice, France).
The Super Eagles will resume their qualifying campaign on June 7, 2024. They will play host to South Africa & face Benin Republic three days later in Abidjan.
