SPORTS
Messi Goals Crashes Arsenal’s Champions League Hopes
Barca coach Luis Enrique joked this week that all he needed to do was shout ‘Abracadabra’ for Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez to deliver the kind of magic display that would bewilder the Gunners.
On this occasion, it was Messi who answered his coach’s call with a second-half brace as the Spanish champions survived a stern examination from Arsene Wenger’s side to escape the Emirates Stadium with a result likely to condemn the hosts to a sixth successive last-16 exit.
The leaders of La Liga, chasing a sixth European Cup triumph, are now unbeaten in 33 games in all competitions – a blistering streak that includes 14 wins from their last 15 games.
After being dazzled by Messi’s magic wand, it will take an act of astonishing escapology for Arsenal to go through in the return leg at the Camp Nou on March 16.
“I liked everything about us today from the very beginning,” Luis Enrique said.
“I liked the way we scored and we had plenty of possession.
“Our opponent defended with every player in their own half but we still managed to hamper them.”
Wenger added: “Barcelona is a great team. The regret I had was we looked like we could dominate the game, then we give the goal away.
“Realistically it is very, very difficult, if not impossible (to make the quarter-finals).”
Aware that Arsenal‘s refusal to curb their attacking instincts had left them fatally vulnerable in the Champions League knockout stages, Wenger set out to stifle Barca with a cautious game-plan.
Nacho Monreal had clearly taken Wenger’s words to heart and he earned an early booking for chopping down Ivan Rakitic.
But there was more than just mindless muscle to Arsenal’s approach.
Aaron Ramsey sent Mesut Ozil clear down the left edge of the penalty area with an exquisite backheel and then raced onto the German’s return pass for a powerful shot that was blocked by the visitors.
Irrepressible
Only a last-ditch block denied Hector Bellerin, with the rebound falling to Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, whose scuffed close-range shot was straight at Barca goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen.
But with half-time looming, Barca, refusing to be hounded out of their stride, finally escaped Wenger’s tactical straitjacket.
An opening goal should have followed when Dani Alves met Sergio Busquets’ pass with a volleyed cross that Suarez headed wide with only Petr Cech to beat.
Completely anonymous in the first half, Neymar underlined Barca’s renewed sense of purpose immediately after the interval with a surging run past Bellerin onto Andres Iniesta’s astute pass.
The Brazilian should really have scored, but Cech came to Arsenal’s rescue as he raced off his line to save.
Olivier Giroud rose above the Barca defence to meet Ozil’s cross with a header that ter Stegen brilliantly clawed away.
But Luis Enrique’s men were irrepressible and Suarez drilled narrowly wide of both Neymar and the far post.
Messi had never scored against Cech in six encounters with the Arsenal goalkeeper during his time at Chelsea.
But the Argentine did have six goals in his four meetings with Arsenal and he extended his mastery over the Gunners in the 71st minute.
In the blink of an eye, Neymar turned defence into attack as he seized on a clearance, flicked a pass to Suarez on the left and sprinted onto the return ball.
For virtually the first time all night, Arsenal had left themselves exposed and Neymar slipped a pass to Messi, who was left all alone to plant an emphatic finish past Cech.
Suarez should have doubled the visitors’ lead soon after, but the former Liverpool striker hit the post when it seemed easier to score.
It mattered little as Arsenal sealed their own fate in the 84th minute when substitute Mathieu Flamini, exposed by Per Mertesacker’s sloppy clearance, conceded a penalty with a crude challenge on Messi, who picked himself up to slot home from the spot.
(AFP)
Marcus Rashford announced himself at Barcelona in spectacular fashion with a brilliant second-half brace that sealed a 2-1 victory over Newcastle United in their Champions League opener at St James’ Park on Thursday night.
The England forward, on loan from Manchester United, struck twice within nine minutes to mark his first Champions League goals since 2021. His clinical header in the 58th minute and a thunderous strike from distance in the 67th proved decisive, making his return to England one to remember.
Anthony Gordon pulled one back for Newcastle in stoppage time, but the Magpies were left disappointed in their bid to start strongly on their return to Europe’s elite competition.
Rashford, whose career has stuttered in recent seasons, looked revitalised under Hansi Flick, tormenting Newcastle’s backline and registering his seventh career goal against them. The performance will have stung Manchester United fans, whose club are absent from Europe this season and struggling domestically.
Barcelona, five-time European champions, showed resilience after a sluggish first half in which Newcastle looked the sharper side. The hosts had opportunities through Harvey Barnes and Joelinton, but Rashford’s decisive brilliance turned the tide.
The result underlined Barcelona’s ambitions after last season’s semi-final exit to Inter Milan, while Newcastle’s dreams of a statement victory faded despite the late rally.
Almost 28 years since Faustino Asprilla’s iconic hat-trick stunned Barcelona at the same venue, this time it was Rashford who stole the spotlight on Tyneside.
By: Imo Owo
Among the ever-volatile Manchester United fanbase, scapegoats are always in season. This time, the collective daggers are targeted at André Onana, the Cameroonian goalkeeper whose every move between the sticks has seemingly been magnified, scrutinised, and crucified.
Following the 2-2 draw against Lyon in the Europa League quarterfinals—a match United came painfully close to winning, the narrative took on a familiar, reactionary tone: Onana is at fault. Again.
But here’s the inconvenient truth for the knee-jerk critics: Onana is not at fault—he’s simply become a fall guy in a team that has been creaking from back to front.
*The First Goal: A Collective Failing*
Let’s talk about the first goal conceded in Lyon. Yes, Onana anticipated a flick from the Lyon attackers and hesitated. His calculated decision unfortunately backfired when no touch was made and the ball sailed directly into the net. Was it avoidable? Perhaps. Was it wholly his fault? Absolutely not.
But WHERE WERE THE DEFENDERS? Why was the ball allowed to travel untouched across the six-yard box without a single Manchester United head making contact? This is a team that has struggled consistently with defending set-pieces all season, so this was not an isolated lapse. It was another episode in a long-running defensive horror series—and Onana, being the last man, was the unfortunate easy target.
*The Second Goal: The Usual Goal-mouth Chaos*
The second goal, a late equalizer by Ryan Chekri, was preceded by the defensive chaos that has come to be the hallmark of the team. The ball pinballed around under immense pressure, nerves frayed, composure evaporated, and Onana found himself facing a sudden point-blank shot. He managed to parry it, but the rebound was scored.
Expecting a miracle save under such circumstances is either naïve or willfully dishonest. The real question is: why was the defence unable to manage the game after United went ahead? Why do the outfield players repeatedly lose their heads, their calm, and their direction when it matters most? If Onana had better shielding—better organised, more confident and less jittery defenders—this conversation might not even be happening.
*The Blame Culture*
There’s a worrying trend in the modern football fanbase, particularly among the impatient hordes on social media: the collective amnesia that forgets past heroics the moment a mistake is made. Have we already forgotten the various occasions Onana saved United’s blushes in games this season? Or how, unlike his predecessor David De Gea—who was hounded out for being weak on crosses—Onana provides a calmness in ball distribution and command of the area that modern goalkeeping demands?
It is intellectually dishonest to compare De Gea and Onana without context. The former was a reactionary shot-stopper in a largely reactive United team. The latter is a high-line, sweeper-keeper tasked with initiating play, managing space, and serving as a quasi-defender when the centre-backs lose shape. Different profiles. Different eras. Different challenges.
A dysfunctional system cannot produce fully functional individuals. Let’s be honest: Onana is not manning the posts for peak Sir Alex Ferguson’s United. He is between the sticks for what might be the most psychologically weak United side in history. The midfield is inconsistent. The backline is consistently injury-prone and makeshift. The attackers are blunt and wasteful. The team cannot control games and cannot kill off games. Yet, all fingers point to the goalkeeper.
Why? Because in this United team, every player looks worse than they are. From Casemiro to Eriksen to Maguire, the problem isn’t just individual—it’s structural. And until that structure is fixed, no goalkeeper in the world, not even vintage Manuel Neuer, would be spared. Even the team’s talisman and captain, Bruno Fernandes, has a bad game sometimes.
You do not go from Ajax to Inter Milan to Manchester United if you’re not elite. Onana has proven himself on some of the biggest stages in European football. He’s manned posts in Champions League knockout rounds, played in high-pressure derbies, and helped Inter to a Champions League final. That pedigree does not vanish overnight. So, before we scapegoat him, perhaps we need to pause and ask the real questions: Why does it seem like every good player United signs becomes average overnight?
Onana, like every player, has his flaws. But he is also one of the few players trying to build something amid the wreckage. If we must critique, let it be balanced. If we must analyse, let it be intelligent. Because at the end of the day, Manchester United’s problem is not the man between the sticks—it’s the system collapsing around him. So to the witch-hunters calling for his head: perhaps the real blunder is failing to think beyond (racial) sentiments and emotions.
…Says the Renewed Hope Agenda offers best opportunity for sports development
By Ebriku John Friday
Driven by his undiluted resolve to boost sports development in line with the Renewed Hope mandate of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Honourable Minister of Sports Development, Senator John Owan Enoh signed three Memoranda of Understanding, on Friday the 19th of April 2024 in Lagos. 
Senator Enoh announced that a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed with GTI Asset Management and Trust Limited to relaunch the Challenge Cup as the President Federation Cup in collaboration with the NFF to reignite interest amongst fans and elevate it to global standards. The renamed competition will involve grassroots teams, create employment for approximately 500,000 Nigerians, engage over 100,000,000 football enthusiasts, and showcase our country’s greatness globally. The President Federation Cup will become President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s legacy championing Nigerian football.
This was disclosed in a statement by Diana-Mary Nsan, S.A. Media, to the Honourable Minister of Sports Development on Saturday.
The Minister stated thus “our groundbreaking agreements with key private sector players like GTI are indications of our resolve to revolutionize sports in Nigeria, leveraging innovation, technology, and human expertise.” He thanked Mrs Tinuke Watti, the Permanent Secretary of the Sports Ministry, Alhaji Ibrahim Gusau, President of the NFF, and Mr Abubakar Lawal and all members of the GTI team for their invaluable contributions.
For the second deal, the Federal Ministry of Sports signed a landmark agreement with top lottery company Yanga Games to raise the revenue profile of the Ministry and ensure a new deal for the welfare of athletes. The Sports Minister stated that “we are partnering with YangaGames to bring maximum benefits to the athletes and all critical stakeholders.We shall give institutional encouragement and support to the Management of Yanga Games to succeed in this onerous task of rebuilding our sports sub sector.”
Chairman/CEO of Yanga Games Mr Derrick David Kentebe said” We are so super excited by this opportunity to work with the Ministry of Sports Development to change the narrative about Sports in the country. We see opportunities for marketing our athletes and sports generally.” He also added that “we shall raise about 34 Billion in the next four years to assist athletes and improve sports in the country. We shall help to develop grassroot sports and sustain youth involvement through raffle draws, fundraisers and other avenues.” Senator Enoh said that he strongly believes President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda offers the best opportunity to promote systemic development in Nigerian sports and the collaboration aims to make sports more attractive to private investors so that it can receive meaningful investments from the private sector.
For the third agreement, the Federal Ministry of Sports Development joined forces with EFFA Management for specific purposes that will enhance various aspects of the sports ministry’s strategic six-point policy framework. When Senator Enoh took office, the Ministry developed a six-point agenda named W.A.I.F.A.R. This agenda includes the welfare of our athletes, activation of sports as an industry, infrastructure development, funding for sports development, activation of grassroots sports, and the reorganization of sports federations to ensure effective delivery. Senator Enoh said that the sports sector is currently experiencing a surge in efforts to improve its performance and the Ministry is fully prepared to establish partnerships that will facilitate this much-needed transformation.
With these three groundbreaking agreements, Nigerian sports is at the cusp of phenomenal development that will further propel athletes and federations towards greater success. Senator Enoh thanked all parties for keying into the vision of the Ministry and stated that the Ministry will continually pursue causes that will lead to strategic positioning for greater development.
