Chelsea will hope to progress to the last four while keeping key players fresh for the Premier League schedule.
Sports
Super Eagles Come From Behind To Draw Russia
A depleted Super Eagles side sign off from international duty with a draw in Moscow.
Nigeria came from behind to earn a draw in a first-ever senior international match against Russia.
The Super Eagles arrived in Moscow full of confidence after winning the Unity Cup in west London last week, though they can perhaps take even more confidence at securing the result without several key names such as Victor Osimhen, Alex Iwobi, Ademola Lookman and Ola Aina.
Those absences did open the door for the likes of Victor Boniface and Christantus Uche to impress, but it was Tolu Arokodare who made the most of the opportunity and has staked a claim to start the crucial World Cup qualifiers against Rwanda and South Africa later this year.
As for Valery Karpin’s Football Union of Russia, who have been suspended by FIFA and UEFA since October 2022, it’s the first time they have failed to win since October 2023 – a run that stretched eight games.
The hosts took the lead just before the half hour mark and slightly against the run of play, though the creation of the goal – albeit fortuitous – was sublime.
Danil Krugovoy got forward from left-back and sent in a teasing cross intended for teammate Nikolay Komlichenko in the middle. However, Semi Ajayi couldn’t help but get the final touch as he sent the ball into his own net.
Just over a week ago, Ajayi forced an own goal at the right end as Nigeria beat Ghana in the Unity Cup semi-final but on this occasion, luck was not on his side.
Despite not creating much either side of the goal, the Super Eagles were unlucky to be behind at the break.
As Fisayo Dele-Bashiru raced clean through, he looked certain to equalise but Paris Saint-Germain’s backup goalkeeper Matvey Sofanov showed no signs of a Champions League final hangover by making a wonderful save to keep out the effort.
Russia should have doubled their lead early in the second half when Viktor Melekhin was left unmarked following a free-kick. But with just Maduka Okoye to beat, he side-footed an effort high and wide.
That miss would comeback to haunt the hosts as Nigeria substitute Arokodare showed his best Osimhen impression by pouncing on a rare mistake from Safonov to equalise.
In truth, Russia had the best chances to win the game but Nigeria goalkeeper Maduka Okoye made two fine saves – including one at full stretch to keep out Aleksey Batrakov’s effort that was destined for the bottom corner – whilst Dmitri Barinov blazed over right at the end.
Standard.co.uk
Chelsea attacker Cole Palmer will not feature in the Blues’ Carabao Cup quarter-final against Cardiff City, head coach Enzo Maresca has confirmed.
The match is set for Tuesday at 8 pm in the Welsh capital, with a place in the semi-finals at stake.
Palmer recently returned to action after a spell out with groin and toe injuries and scored in Chelsea’s weekend victory over Everton at Stamford Bridge.
However, Maresca, in his press conference on Monday, explained that the young forward is being carefully managed to avoid overexertion.
“I’ve already said many times in press conferences that we have many players who need to be protected. Cole is one of the players who deserves to be protected right now. In this moment, he’s not available to play two games in three days. So, he won’t be available for tomorrow’s game, but should be fine for the weekend,” Maresca said.
The Chelsea coach also praised Cardiff City and their manager, Brian Murphy, highlighting the challenge the Blues will face:
“They are top of the league, playing nice football and winning games. I know Brian and know he is doing a good job. This will be a dangerous game for us, and we need to pay attention and be careful tomorrow. We have the opportunity to achieve something important, which is to reach the semi-final of this competition.”
Victor Osimhen has been crowned Sportsman of the Year at the 2025 GQ Türkiye Men of the Year Awards, DAILY POST reports.
Osimhen received the prestigious award at an elaborate ceremony on Wednesday night.
The Nigeria international was recognised for his contribution to Galatasaray’s domestic double last season.
The 26-year-old registered 37 goals and seven assists across all competitions for the Yellow and Reds.
Osimhen has already netted 11 goals in 14 matches for Okan Buruk’s side this season.
He is the first Nigerian to win the award.
Former Nigeria international Tijani Babangida has warned Super Eagles coach Eric Chelle against building the team solely around forward Victor Osimhen ahead of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.
Babangida expressed concern over Nigeria’s over-dependence on the Galatasaray striker, particularly after the team’s struggles when Osimhen was substituted at half-time during the 2026 World Cup play-off defeat to DRCongo.
“It is dangerous that it appears that the Super Eagles are built around Victor Osimhen. It was when Osimhen was removed at the beginning of the second half against Congo that the team started to struggle. That is very bad,” Babangida told Tribal Football.
The former winger emphasised that the Super Eagles of his era were not dependent on a single player and urged Chelle to address the issue before the tournament.
“The Super Eagles of my time were not built around one player. Many people have observed that the Super Eagles are built around Osimhen. This is a problem that Eric Chelle must fix if the team wants to win the AFCON,” he said.
“Chelle must impart this mentality to all the players, the attackers especially, that the team is not built around Osimhen. Any player given the nod to feature in any game must perform very well and play as a team.”
Babangida stressed that while a fully fit Osimhen is valuable, the team must maintain high morale regardless of his availability.
“We need a fully fit Osimhen, but we also need fully mentally prepared players who know that with or without Osimhen, Super Eagles can win. Morale should be high in the team whether Osimhen is there or not,” he added.
“Super Eagles should not be in a mess if Osimhen is injured. Chelle must address this issue because injury is part of the game. Osimhen’s absence in any game should not be the end of the world for Super Eagles.”
Nigeria have been drawn in Group C alongside Tanzania, Uganda, and Tunisia as they chase a fourth AFCON title.
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