Picks of the week: Ballon d’Or nominee Ademola Lookman displayed a world-class performance for the Super Eagles. Meanwhile, Paralympics 2024 came to a close with team Nigeria 40th on the medal log. On the tracks, Marc Marquez made back-to-back wins on the MotoGP tracks while Sabalenka won her second Grand Slam title.
What a week for Nigerian sports! The Super Eagles soared back to winning form with a dominant 3-0 victory over the Benin Republic in the Afcon 2025 qualifiers, courtesy of Ademola Lookman’s double strike and Victor Osimhen’s goal. The team, led by Austin Eguaveon, will face Rwanda next on Tuesday.
But that’s not all – the Falconets, Nigeria’s U20 women’s team, put on a show with a 4-0 thrashing of Venezuela, securing their spot in the knockout stages of the U20 Women’s World Cup in Colombia. Amina Bello, Chiamaka Okwuchukwu, Flourish Sebastine, and Joy Igbokwe all found the net, with the Falconets finishing second in Group D behind Germany.
And let’s not forget the Paralympics and other sports that made this week an unforgettable one for sports enthusiasts across the nation. It’s been an incredible display of talent, teamwork, and dedication. Bring on the next match!
Nigeria wrapped up the Paralympics 2024 with an impressive haul of seven medals! Esther Nworgu and Onyinyechi Mark led the charge, winning silver and gold in para-powerlifting respectively. Flora Ngunwa and Rose Omalayo also secured silver medals in javelin and para-powerlifting, while Isau Ogunkule won bronze in para-table tennis. Olufemiayo Folashade made history, becoming the first para-athlete to lift 166kg and winning gold in the 86kg powerlifting event.
The 2024 NWFL Championship came to a close, with Ibom Angels and Honey Badgers securing promotion to the NWFL premiership. Ibom Angels defeated Osun Babes 2-0, while Honey Badgers edged out Pelican Stars.
The NPFl saw eight games across various centers, with Remo Stars, Enyimba, and Niger Tornadoes securing away wins. A total of 18 goals were scored. Check out the full-time results of the games.
The 30-man shortlist for the 2024 Ballon d’Or was revealed, featuring six players from England’s Euros 2024 squad. Manchester City and Arsenal dominate the list with eight players. Notably, Lionel Messi and Christiano Ronaldo are absent from the list for the first time since 2003.
Manchester United’s Kobbie Mainoo and Alejandro Ganarcho were nominated for the Kopa trophy, while Aston Villa’s Emiliano Martinez is up for the Yashine trophy. Pep Guardiola is in the running for Men’s Coach of the Year.
In women’s football, England’s Lauren James, Lucy Bronze, and Lauren Hemp are nominated for the women’s Ballon d’Or award, alongside Babra Banda.
Aryna Sabalaneka redeemed herself after last year’s finals loss, winning the US Open title with a 7-5 7-5 victory against Jessica Pegula. This is her second Grand Slam win this year, following her Australian Open triumph. Similary, Jannik Sinner held off a late charge from Taylor Fritz to win 6-3 6-4 7-5 and secure his first US Open title, making it his second Grand Slam of the year.
On the tracks, Marc Marquez made it back-to-back wins with his victory at San Marino Grand Prix. The championship winner ended a three-year winless run in Aragon last week, and winning in San Marino meant Jorge Martins’s championship lead was brought down to seven points. Francesco Bagnaia and Enea Bastianini were second and third, respectively, on the podium despite the race being challenged by weather conditions.
