The champions of Portugal got their league campaign underway with a disappointing result crumbling 2-3 away to Boavista in a bad tempered game that saw two red cards, OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.

Benfica opened scoring in the 22nd minute through Angel Di Maria and the lead lasted till ten minutes after the half time break when Róbert Boženík drew the home side level. Five minutes after Benfica had a player sent off.

With 15 minutes left to play in the game, Rafa Silva restored the lead of the visitors and just when it looked like they were cruising to an away win to start their defence title, Bruno Lourenço struck from the spot on the dot of 90 minutes to bring scores to 2-2. He was sent off ten minutes later.

A draw was what both teams look destined to settle for before Boženík struck in the 13th minute of time added on made possible after a lengthy stoppage in play. It ended up as the winner but large credit will go to the duo of Chidozie Awaziem and Bruno Onyemaechi.

The duo who are linked with a departure from the club before the close of the transfer window put in a fantastic display with Awaziem in particularly showing why French Ligue 1 side Nantes are keen on signing him.

He impressed with his tackles, aerial duels and passes from the back. A performance that can easily pass as one of his best in the Portuguese top division. Onyemaechi on the other hand was a rock on the left side of defence with his constant foray down the flanks.

Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman

19 year old Samuel Omorodion Aghehowa marked his debut in the LaLiga by scoring for Granada in their 1-3 loss to Atletico Madrid yesterday, OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.

The teenager was handed a start for his first game in the Spanish top division after an extraordinary year with the youth team of Granada, where he scored 18 goals in 33 games.

He showed that form isn’t a flash in the pan by introducing himself to the top level with a smart finish after reacting quickest to a low cross. He diverted the ball powerful pass Jan Oblak in goal for the home side in the 62nd minute.

Born in Spain to Nigerian parents, his form last season caught the attention of our editorial team, and two months ago he was noticed by the U20 youth team selectors of Spain and rewarded with a call up to the U19 team of Spain, where he has five caps and a goal.

Despite that, the well built forward is still eligible for Nigeria at various levels but for now Spain hold the aces regarding his international future.

Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman.

A call has been made to the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) and other stakeholders on the need to have very good playing surface for the senior national team of Nigeria, OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.

Nigeria have decided to move their games to the Godswill Akpabio stadium in Uyo from the Moshood Abiola stadium in Abuja, which have been their home for the last two years despite complains from the players about the poor nature of the pitch.

Speaking on the main issue the players are facing, Aina said the lack of a proper playing surface is a bigger hindrance to their quest to dominate Africa and the world at large, more than even the much talked about non payment of allowances.

” You see the whole issue of unpaid allowances is not pleasant at all but that is not our major problem. If we can get at least ten good pitches where we can play train and play our games at home, we will be unplayable. If you remember we won all our away games during the world cup qualifiers but struggled at home. It’s the playing surface”, he said.

” Alex (Iwobi) complained about it and he is very correct. We will beat almost any team in Africa and probably the world if we get good pitches in Nigeria. The team is loaded with talents, all we need is a better surface to express ourselves”, he rounded up saying.

Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman

Fans of Villarreal were heart broken yesterday in their opening league game of the season as they succumb to a late 1-2 loss at home to Real Betis with a late goal in the final minute of time added on, OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.

William Jose 95th minute free kick decided the game in favour of the visitors much to the disappointment of the fans of the home side, who were contented with at least a draw after seeing their team draw level in the 62nd minute.

There was however a reason for the fans to cheer just before the game when it was announced that Samuel Chukwueze, who left the club two week ago for Italian Serie A giants AC Milan is in the stadium.

Chukwueze joined the serie A side in a deal worth around €30m and he was back at the club, where his career as a professional football started four years ago to say thank you for the opportunity.

He rose from the youth team of the club to the main team in less than a year and established himself as a regular in no time. He ended up making a total of 207 appearances with 37 goals and 31 assists.

The 24 year old had his most productive season last time out when he notched 13 goals and 11 assists. A tally he will be eager to improve on at his new club.

Damian Waziri

The first choice goalkeeper of the senior national team of Nigeria Francis Uzoho has hit back at a bike and insulting comment made to him by a fan of the senior national team of Nigeria in the aftermath of his praises for the goalkeeper of the women’s team of Nigeria, OwnGoalNigeria.comreports.

Chiamaka Nnadozie covered herself in glory at the women’s world cup with top notch performance for the Super Falcons, who were knocked out in the round of 16 via penalties by the champions of Europe England.

Her performances earned her praises with Uzoho joining in consoling her after her post lamenting the exit of the team at the round of 16. She was particularly pained over the manner which they lost and rightly so judging by the fact that they played with one extra player after the red card to Lauren James of England.

” Impressive tournament number one”, Uzoho posted. It drew reactions from lot of people but one went to the extreme by calling the Omonia Nicosia goalkeeper a pig. ” Mumu better learn to keep from her. No be to dey do like pig for post”, he posted in pidgin English and it means ” fool learn how to be a goalkeeper from her and not like a pig in goal”.

Uzoho reacted by saying ” You see wetin this pig don achieve? Up to your 5th generation no go fit achieve am. Just dey play”, he said in pidgin which means ” What he has achieved as a pig in goal can’t be matched by the 5th generation of the individual who called him a pig”.

Ade Emmanuel

The saga over the contract extension of Victor Osimhen at Italian Serie A side Napoli appears to be coming to an end following breakthrough in talks over a new deal with two years left on his current deal at the club, OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.

Napoli have been sweating over the future of the 24 year old who powered them to their first league title in 33 years with 28 goals last season, making him the first African player to win the top scorer award in the history of the Italian Serie A.

A move away was on the card with top teams around Europe desperate to have the Nigerian but Napoli’s €200m valuation was too high to be met, only Saudi Arabia side Al Hilal came close to meeting the valuation.

That saga is now firmly over with a new deal that will keep him at the club till the summer of 2026 and not 2028 as earlier reported by most media outlets. Furthermore his deal will carry only one buy out clause as opposed to reports that says he will have two different clauses. One for teams in Europe and the other for teams in Saudi Arabia.

The buy out clause is pegged at €150m and it kicks in at the end of next season. Meaning he is sure of staying at the club for the entirety of the defence of their league title. His salary has also been increased to meet up with his current release clause.

Osimhen will earn in excess of €10m a year net. A huge increase on his current €3m a year pay made possible by the fact that he could have earned move if he has insisted on leaving the team in the summer transfer window.

His current wage makes him the highest paid player ever in the history of the club that was once home to football legend Diego Maradona and others like Gonzalo Higuain, Edinson Cavani, Marek Hamsik, Dries Mertens among others.

Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman

Dutch giants Ajax have reached agreement with Middlesbrough for the signing of 27 year old forward Chuba Akpom for a fee in the region of €12million (£10.4m, $13.2m) plus in €2m add-ons.

Akpom has been granted permission to travel to the Netherlands to complete the deal, which will see him undergo a routine medical before putting pen to paper on a five year deal.

He finished last season as the top scorer in the English Championship scoring 29 goals in 42 games in all competitions. A form that saw him linked to a lot of teams from England and elsewhere in Europe.

It went down to a two way battle between the Dutch side and Ligue 1 side Lens but at the end of it, the forward picked the Dutch side and as reported by OwnGoalNigeria.com he will be reunited with former Arsenal recruitment chief Sven Mislintat.

The move will also put him in a better stead for a first time call up to the senior national team of Nigeria following the approval of his switch of nationality from England to Nigeria. He represented the English team at several youth levels.

Daniel Martins

Nigeria international forward Paul Onuachu is close to bringing an end to his unpleasant time in England with Championship side Southampton, OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.

Onuachu has failed to hit the ground running with the Saints following his move in January from Belgium side Genk. The Nigerian was brought in as part of their January signing in a bid to beat the drop.

They failed to stay in the English top division and he is among the players who have been told they can leave the club as they bid for an instant return to the top division. He hasn’t made the matchday squad for any of their League games this season, but he did play the final 22 minutes of their 3-1 win over Gillingham FC in the EFL Cup.

A return to his former side Genk is now heavy on the book, with talks said to be progressing nicely on a swap deal involving the 29 year old and Ghanaian right back Joseph Paintsil.

Paintsil is wanted by Southampton but agreeing a fee with Genk hasn’t been possible hence the idea of a swap deal with the Belgium side also open to having Onuachu back to the club, where he scored 85 goals in 134 games.

Daniel Martins.

Florence Ifeoluwa Otedola populary known as DJ Cuppy appears to have found love again after reportedly breaking up with British boxer Ryan Taylor, OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.

The daughter of Nigerian billionaire Femi Otedola was engaged to the boxer, but their recent act on social media suggests that they have both gone their separate ways with their decision to unfollow each other on all platforms.

Furthermore they both stopped posting their pictures together or separately on their social media page. DJ Cuppy who is a disc jockey and also a musician is a huge football fan and once dated former Nigeria international Victor Anichebe.

This time around rumours of having an affair with another Nigeria international hit social media after Nottingham Forest forward Emmanuel Dennis posted pictures of themselves together with a love emoji and a video, where she was all over him.

❤️❤️❤️ @cuppymusic pic.twitter.com/gM4No0aIgF

— DENNIS BLESSED (@dennisblessed42) August 13, 2023

Dennis wasn’t listed by Forest in their opening 1-2 loss to Arsenal yesterday with his compatriot Taiwo Awoniyi scoring the only goal for the team yesterday. His future at the club is uncertain, the same as the thought about having an affair with the super star DJ Cuppy.

Osas Mahawi