Category: Sports

by Ben Ayuko

{image by Getty Images}

{contact info: gnrlspecific@gmail.com}

England National Team Manager, Gareth Southgate, has once again been called out for the lack of urgency in his team’s style of play. After, shall we say, escaping with a point against Denmark, a good team on its own merit but a team most would’ve expected England to beat nonetheless, the dissatisfied clamor amongst the English fanbase is almost palpable from about 8,000km away here in Kenya.

Having mentioned before the start of the tournament that it could very well be his last chance to win something for his country, one would’ve half expected the home support to be behind him; One Last Dance, as they say…

But no. The English fans are as vocal about their opinions of him as ever, and they are not pulling any punches.

And we’re only two games in.

You love to see it.

by Ben Ayuko

{image by the Guardian}

The Euro 2024 got underway on Friday, and it’s been a brilliant first weekend. A lot of goals scored. Players reveling in the pressure that comes with representing your country.

Germany opened the tournament in style in front of their home crowd with an entertaining 5-1 demolition of 10-man Scotland. They look like a team reborn under their new coach Julian Nagelsmann and such a result may be an omen of things to come and a sign that other teams should be wary of their ambition to go all the way to the final.

Spain overcome some difficult spells in their game against Croatia to take all 3 points in what turned into a comfortable 3-0 victory. The young squad they have seems to have gelled together really well under their new captain Alvaro Morata (who opened the scoring) and such as result against strong opposition shows a sign of intent that we should watch out for further along into the tournament.

Italy, the current holders, look to make amends for a poor World Cup campaign in Qatar and they started that off with a 2-1 victory against Albania thanks to a scorcher of a finish from outside the box by Nicolo Barella (the goal of the tournament, so far). It is yet unclear whether or not Italy can defend their title, but that opening day victory certainly holds them in good stead.

England, finalists in the previous Euro tournament, survived a second half onslaught from Serbia as they managed to see out a 1-0 victory, courtesy of a goal by Jude Bellingham. It was far from a convincing performance, but they got the job done and have set themselves up in the best way for the rest of the tournament.

Netherlands had to dig deep and be patient in order to get passed an inspired Poland side that seemed intent on ruining their party. It took a goal by substitute Wout Weghorst in the 83rd minute to give them the lead for the first time in the match as they then saw the game out at 2-1. Having got to the World Cup quarter finals, there is some curiosity over what this team can do in this tournament. They are by no means the favourites, but don’t let that fool you into thinking that they couldn’t just go out and win the whole thing. They are definitely one to watch.

There are still some top teams left to play, e.g. France, Portugal, Belgium, etc., but if they play like we know they can, this might turn out to be one of the most competitive Euro tournaments we have ever seen.

by Ben Ayuko

{image by SMCP}

China went into the final day of the World Cup 2026 qualifying campaign needing a single point to guarantee safe passage ahead of Thailand into the next round of games. Now as much as that may seem like a very doable task, they were coming up against South Korea, the group leaders and one of the toughest teams in international football across the world, let alone in Asia. It was either that or pray for a miracle from an out of form Singapore team who only had only managed to secure a single point across all 5 group games. China was in the driving seat, and they needed to put in a professional performance to calm the supporters’ nerves and grab that last qualification spot firmly with both hands.

So of course, they only went and lost 1-0 to South Korea.

And Thailand was just about to kick off against Singapore, the worst team in the group (by far). Should they win the game with a 3-goal deficit (which was very doable against a team that had conceded more goals than every other team in the group combined and then some) then there was nothing China could do to rebuttal. It would’ve been all over. And Thailand knew it. And China knew it. And Singapore knew it. Everybody knew it. And maybe that was it. Maybe that’s what drew out such a performance. The atmosphere was crying out for somebody to step up and claim the moment. But nobody told Singapore’s number 1 that it wasn’t meant to be HIS moment.

40yr old Hassan Sunny, claiming his 115th cap for his country, just rained the mother of all typhoons onto Thailand’s parade. They did not see him coming. Making a whopping 11 saves across the 90 minutes to keep Thailand at bay, Sunny all but assured China’s safe progress into the next round. I mean sure, Thailand won the game comfortably at 3-1, but they needed one more goal. One more goal to get them over the line. One more goal to push them closer to their dream.

Of course, if China had scored 1 more goal in their game, then it wouldn’t even matter. Heck, I probably wouldn’t even know who Hassan Sunny is. But as things stand, not only do I know of his glory, but he is also a Bonafide legend in China.

Chinese citizens can’t get enough of him at the moment. Whether it’s making him a trending topic on social celebrating his heroics, flocking at the restaurant he owns in his home country, or sending him money online just to say thank you to him.

An excerpt from The Straits times reads:

The 40-year-old told The Straits Times after a training session at the Jurong East Stadium on June 14: “This experience is a whole level of different, definitely unforgettable.

“Of course, it’s crazy to get so much support from foreign fans, some of them even flew in from China yesterday just to visit my stall.

Lions goalkeeper Hassan Sunny to donate money from China football fans to charity | The Straits Times

Hassan Sunny walked out on the pitch on Tuesday 11th, June just like he always did when ready to represent his country; ready to give what he had and hope for the best. Who would have thought that, at 40yrs old- near retirement age for a goalkeeper, that day would produce probably one of, if not, THE biggest moment of his entire footballing career?

{by Ben Ayuko}

{gnrlspecific@gmail.com}

{image courtesy of Fantasy Scout}

The EURO 2024 tournament is almost underway and if you’re as avid a football fan as I, then you have most definitely thought about assembling a team made up of all of your favourite players and setting them loose on the footballing world to see who could match up to them. Maybe challenging your friends to make a team of their own and comparing which is better. Well, thanks to the UEFA gaming team, you can do just that for the upcoming EURO 2024 cup tournament.

With a budget of €100m, make up your very own team comprised of players who are taking part in the tournament and earn points based their real-life performances on the pitch. This means the players in your fantasy team earn points depending on their performances on the pitch in the competition.

If they score or assist, keep a clean sheet or win back the ball, you earn positive points. If they get book, concede a goal or score an own goal, you get negative points.

At the end of each round, your score is tallied up and compared to the other players playing from all over the world. You could also make a mini league comprising of just you and your close friends. Or random people you don’t know reading your online article. All they would need to do is click on the tournament tab, go to join tournament and input a code, like say:

2AvJVF

Or click an auto joining link, like say:

https://gaming.uefa.com/en/eurofantasy/leagues/2AvJVF/0048006F00720069007A006F006E00200043006800610073006500720073/JaahBen%20

I’m only posting this here as an example, it’s not because I don’t have friends. Really, it isn’t. You believe me, right? Right?

Anyway, if you’re a football fanatic who nobody listens to because they think you do not know what you are talking about, this is a good way to put your reputation on the line and see how you stack up against each other. Even if you aren’t a football fan, it can still be a fun game to play just for the heck of it. Ladies, if you’re trying to get on a potential suitor’s good side by sharing in his love for sport but he seems hesitant to believe your love of football, there will beno doubt about it after you show him your fantasy team.

You can join it at any time as the tournament goes on. You even get to give your team a name and once you’re done setting everything up, this is more or less what it would look like;

{by Ben Ayuko}

{image by Tribuna}

Will Jude Bellingham win the race to the most prized individual title in football?

The 20yrold enjoyed a spectacular debut season at his new club, Real Madrid, racking a total of 23 goals and 13 assists (36 G+A) in 42 games {including 1 assist in the 2-0 champions league final victory over Borussia Dortmund}.

Aside from winning the much-coveted (15th) Champions League Trophy, arguably the pinnacle of European football, his contributions were telling in earning Real Madrid their 36th Spanish La Liga title. Notable contributions include game winning goals in both el Clasico games against their bitter rivals, Barcelona.

As good as he has been though, he will undoubtedly be facing some stiff competition from other World Talents;

Erling Haaland, who earned the golden boot with a league high 27 goals, had a telling contribution in Manchester City retaining the English Premier League trophy after seeing off stiff competition from both Arsenal and Liverpool. He contributed 38 Goals and 6 assists (44G+A) in 45 games. His hat is sure to be in the Ring.

Harry Kane, of Bayern Munich, had 44 Goals (most in Europe) and 12 Assists (56 G+A) in 45 games across all competitions in Europe (including a spectacular strike from the halfway line) and was one of the standout performers of the season. However, despite being the top marksman in Europe (let alone winning the golden boot in the German Bundesliga) his failure to get his hands on any silverware may stifle his chances at getting the award. Though he may yet have a say if he captains his country to EURO 24 glory.

Kylian Mbappe, Bellingham’s new teammate at Real Madrid, also had a solid season, boasting 44 Goals and 10 Assists (54G+A) in 47 games across all coemptions in Europe. His tally earned him the Golden Boot in France’s Ligue 1 as well as clinching his team the Domestic Treble.

Finally, Vinicius Junior, Bellingham’s current Real Madrid teammate, was just as if not more influential in Real Madrid’s successful season. His 24 goals and 9 assists (which included a brace in the semi-final and a goal in the final) in 38 games (33G+A) went a long way in securing the La Liga and Champions League Trophies for his club.

Given the EURO 24 / Copa America tournaments are about to take place in June/July, the award may very well go to whoever manages to clinch the title for their country.

It is important to note that; with Norway’s failure to qualify, Erling Haaland may find himself at a disadvantage as he will not be able to prove his worth at the EURO 24 tournament.

No doubt every single player on the list is deserving of the accolade as each of them has proved themselves time and time again over the course of the last 9 months. However, it appears to Bellingham’s name that keeps being mentioned in the conversation. And given that this is the first time in over 10yrs that neither Lionel Messi nor Cristiano Ronaldo is up for the award, the trophy is up for grabs.

[Photo Courtesy]

By Eugene Oyier

Manchester United handed Everton their 11th consecutive winless match in the Premier League, beating them 2-0 at Old Trafford. Under Erik ten Hag, United continued their dominance with a fifth straight victory against the Toffees.

Despite Everton’s desperate need for goals – they’ve managed only 14 in open play this season, the lowest in the league – they made a disastrous start by conceding early. James Tarkowski’s challenge on Alejandro Garnacho inside 10 minutes forced referee Simon Hooper to award United a penalty, which Bruno Fernandes calmly converted.

Even as Everton had chances of their own, with Dwight McNeil and James Garner coming close, United maintained control. Before halftime, another penalty was given as Garnacho was brought down by Ben Godfrey, and Marcus Rashford confidently doubled United’s lead.

In the second half, Everton hoped to turn the game around, but United looked more threatening. Garnacho and Fernandes continued to create opportunities, testing Jordan Pickford in goal.

As the match progressed, United secured the win, breaking their streak of back-to-back defeats and keeping their top-four aspirations alive. However, Everton’s persistent struggles in front of goal raise concerns, as their five-point gap above the relegation zone becomes increasingly precarious with each passing week.