Nottingham Forest survived relegation in the most dramatic fashion by beating English Premier League second placed team Arsenal 1-0. A win that also handed the title to Manchester City.

Nigeria international Taiwo Awoniyi got the only goal of the game , his third in a row and also his 9th goal of the season in his first season at the club following his summer move from German side Union Berlin.

Awoniyi has scored five goals in his last three games and former Nigeria Super Eagles star Celestine Babayaro says the lanky 25 year old has the traits of legendary Nigeria international forward Rashidi Yekini.

He said he is more in the mould of the all time top scorer for the senior national team of Nigeria than Napoli star Victor Osimhen, who has been largely compared to the former Africa footballer of the year.

” When I watch him play, it’s like Yekini in his prime. The way he comes alive in the box and fights for very ball. He uses his body very well and don’t need to get much involved before scoring. He is to me more like Yekini than Osimhen. Their style is so similar”, he told Owngoalnigeria.com.

Daniel Martins

The coach of the winners of the Africa U17 Cup of Nations Salio Dia of Senegal has taken a swipe at the handlers of the U17 team of Nigeria, who were knocked out of the tournament in the quarter final.

Senegal came from behind to beat Morocco 2-1 in yesterday’s final with both teams alongside the two other semi finalist picking a ticket to the U17 World Cup, which will take place in India later this year.

One of the favorites going into the tournament was the U17 team of Nigeria but they crashed out in the quarter final losing 1-2 to Burkina Faso. In the build up to yesterday’s final Dia explained why the Nigerian team led by Nduka Ugbade failed.

He made reference to his time at Aspire Academy and how the Nigerian who came to the academy displayed a particular skill set. He said they are skilful, fast and very talented and berated the coaches of the Nigerian team for not using them correctly.

“When I was a coach at  Aspire Academy, we had about 7 to 10 Nigerian players every year. They are skilful, fast and very talented.Nigeria just need to work with their players in the right way, in order to get the right results in the future”, he said while speaking on the possible reasons why Nigeria failed.

Osas Mahawi

The CEO of Belgium side Union Saint-Gilloise says Nigerian forward Victor Boniface will definitely leave the club in the summer, when the summer transfer window opens, Owngoalnigeria.com reports.

Boniface had an interesting season with 14 goals in all competitions this season and at some point was the joint highest goal scorer in the UEFA Europa League alongside Marcus Rashford of Manchester United.

According to Philippe Bormans who is the CEO of the club, the next three games will be the last the Nigerian will play in the colours of the team, saying the number of clubs interested in the forward means selling him in the summer is a must.

“Whether there is even one percent chance that Boniface will stay? Never say never, but it seems very unlikely to me. I can no longer count the interested clubs that are concrete on two hands,” Bormans told Belgium newspaper Het Belang van Limburg.

Signed for just €2m in the summer, in recent days he has been linked with Eintracht Frankfurt, Union Berlin, Napoli and AC Milan among other teams, who have been impressed with his power playing all action style.

The club has slammed a price tag of €20m on the 22 year old Nigerian, a fee that will see him go into their record books as their greatest sale ever.

Mohammed Mowiz

Reports in the English media has it that coach of the senior national team of England Gareth Southgate will hand Crystal Palace midfielder Ebere Eze a maiden call up to the Three Lions after a very impressive end to the season.

Eze has blossomed under manager Roy Hodgson, he has scored ten goals this season and six came in his last seven games under the English manager who was handed the role following the sacking of Patrick Viera.

That form hasn’t gone unnoticed by the FA, who have been tracking the 24-year-old for some time and he was in contention for selection in 2021 before an injury ruined his chances and for the World Cup last year.

His chance could come in next month’s Euro 2024 qualifiers versus Malta and North Macedonia according to the Sun. They also said any potential delay could see Nigeria reignite their interest in luring him to the Super Eagles.

It was claimed in the same report made available to Owngoalnigeria.comeditorial team that representatives of the Nigerian team were at some point reaching out to him every week.

“Nigeria have supposedly worked hard to seal the deal for Eze and reportedly used to phone him every week. But rumours suggest they have stopped doing so to relieve pressure on him and not beg”, a portion of the report reads.

One person who actually pushed to have Eze in the Super Eagles was former NFF president Amaju Pinnick, who met with the midfielder three times in a year, but failed to convince him to commit his future to Nigeria.

Mohammed Mowiz

One of the most talked about players for English Premier League side Crystal Palace this season is Michael Olise. The midfielder played a huge role in the turnaround that has seen them beat the drop with games to spare.

Presently a junior international with France, the left footed midfielder was first invited to the senior national team of Nigeria by former coach Gernot Rohr. Two years ago he was included in the list of players for the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers games against Benin Republic and Lesotho respectively.

Rohr had him on standby in his 24 man list for the games, which were later postponed. Between that time he answered the call by the French U21 side and now appears to have made up his mind on representing them even at senior level. Rohr however did his best to get him.

” It was something really funny. After the first invitation which he turned down citing non issuance of a Nigerian passport. He was told to change his phone number. The then coach of Nigeria was really pushing to have him but his representatives have always had France in mind”, a source close to the player told Owngoalnigeria.com.

Mohammed Mowiz

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) hasn’t hidden their desire not to extend the deal of current coach of the team Jose Peseiro, whose deal will run out in June, which coincides with their final two games in the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.

Nigeria will take on Sierra Leone and Sao Tome and Principe respectively needing just a point to seal a spot in the tournament, which was originally billed for this year but will now take place in Cote D’Ivoire next year.

Peseiro’s deal would have expired by then and even when the president of the NFF Ibrahim Musa Gusau was interviewed about the fate of the coach, he said no decision has been reached on his future.

As first reported by Owngoalnigeria.com, the football house has already penned down the name of five coaches, who have signified their interest in handling their team in the aftermath of Peseiro’s departure.

On his part, the Portuguese coach is willing to take a pay cut to remain in his job but all of this is subject to an appraisal of his first year in charge of the team, according to a chieftain of the NFF.

” Before taking any decision, we will hear from our technical department and also hold a meeting like I told you some days ago. I can however assure you that if he is going to be replaced then it will be a coach who can be termed as world class. Take my word for it”, he told Owngoalnigeria.com.

Damian Waziri

With various leagues around the world coming to an end, teams have started making plans for next season in earnest with contacts and contract of players of interest ahead of the summer transfer window.

German Bundesliga side Werder Bremen are in the market for a striker and are not in anyway wasting time with targets already identified and approach made as the summer transfer window draws near.

A source close to the top scorer and best player in the English Championship Chuba Akpom told Owngoalnigeria.com that the 27 year old who scored 28 goals this season is one of the targets of the German side, he said talks are already at an advanced stage.

His contract with Middlesbrough, who narrowly missed out on a spot in the final of the promotion play off expires on the 30th of June. Among the teams that have made steps towards signing him on a free transfer is the Bundesliga side.

They only thing holding the deal at the moment is the fact that they are studying other options particularly in England, where two teams in the English Premier League and another newly promoted side have made their intention of signing him known.

Despite their contact, it is Werder Bremen that appears to be the most advanced in talks over a deal, as they have already submitted a written offer with the wages he will earn on what will be a three years deal with the option of another.

Daniel Martins

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has dismissed a petition from Nigeria seeking the disqualification of the U23 team of Guinea on the grounds that, they fielded an overaged player in the qualifiers for the U23 Africa Cup of Nations, OGN reports.

Nigeria’s U23 team were eliminated by Guinea in the final round of the qualifiers for the CAF U23 Nations Cup, which is the tournament that will produce teams to represent the continent at the next Olympic Games. Guinea held Nigeria to a goalless draw in the first leg match in Abuja last March and won 2-0 in the return leg played away from home in Morocco.

The NFF protested against Guinea claiming that one of the players – Alsény Soumah a player of Horoya AC – was overaged.

CAF has now thrown out the protest by Nigeria as Guinea was able to establish that Nigeria’s claim was based on mistaken identity as there were two different players with the name Alsény Soumah.

Guinea have been given the all clear to take part in the U23 Africa Cup of Nations.

Osas Mahawi

Head coach of the senior national team of Nigeria Jose Peseiro is opened to lowering his wages in order for him to keep his job as the coach of the team, OGN can exclusively reveal.

Peseiro’s $70,000 a month deal will expire in June and in the wake of reports linking the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) with coaches to take over his role , the Portuguese isn’t willing to walk away.

The NFF under Ibrahim Musa Gusau is currently battling to meet up with paying his salaries which was agreed by the former board of the NFF led by Amaju Pinnick. It was said that the wages will be handled by the presidency.

Outgoing minister for youths and sports Sunday Dare made it known back then but that hasn’t been the case and the coach is owed six months of unpaid salaries, making the decision not to offer him a new contract a bit dicey for the football house.

We gathered that if he is to stay on as coach, the NFF will seek for a reduction in his present wage and that will also be the premises for any one who will potentially replace him as coach. The idea is to negotiate a salary that they can conveniently afford.

Sources close to the coach said he is open to the idea as it will keep alive his dream of leading the team to the AFCON and possibly win it. Something he has repeatedly said he can do and even agreed for it to be in his deal that is about to expire.

For now he has the support of the senior players in the team and they are making a case for him to be retained as coach for another year. Their stand has been communicated to the NFF and they will make a decision after the final rounds of AFCON qualifiers in June.

Osas Mahawi

Representatives of former Romanian star Adrian Adrian Mutu have arrived Nigeria for talks with the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) over the soon to be vacant role of the coach of the senior national team of Nigeria.

Present head coach of the team Jose Peseiro won’t be handed fresh terms when his deal expires in June. He will however be in charge of the team for the final two games of the AFCON qualifiers against Sierra Leone and Sao Tome and Principe respectively.

In a bid to immediately replaced him, the football house has shortlisted coaches as first reported by OGN for the role. Among the name is South African coach Pitso Mosimane and per sources Romanian football star Adrian Mutu is also in the list.

According to Wale Ajayi of NSM media, the representatives of the coach are already in Nigeria pushing for a verbal agreement ahead of taking over as coach in June, when the job will become vacant.