Category: Sports

by Ben Ayuko

{image by AFP}

 

Spain were finally crowned champions at the European Championships 2024 to put a thoroughly deserved seal on the otherwise perfect tournament they had. England really did put up a fight, but Harry Kane and co. will have to fight another day to win a continental trophy.

It was a very tentative first half as neither team looked to give anything away very early on. Both teams were tiptoeing around the occasion, almost as if trying not to be noticed by the other until later in the game. England’s tactic of hitting the opposition on the counterattack was working a treat as they opted to let Spain have the ball and pounced on any mistake they made. Spain, however, showed their resolute defense and were not so easily penetrated. 0-0 at the break in an enticing deadlock of a game.

Whatever team talk La Roja were given at halftime probably sounded like the Sermon on the Mount because Spain came out flying at England. They more or less caught the 3 Lions by surprise by immediately upping the tempo from the first half and could have easily scored 2 goals in the opening 5 minutes of the second half. Alas, they had to settle for just the one. Neat interplay between Dani Carvajal and youngster, Lamine Yamal allowed the latter to drive into the box and set up Nico Williams on the far side of the penalty box. Williams, one of the players of the tournament, sent a low drive shot off his left foot, past Jordan Pickford, and into the England net to give Spain the lead just 2min after the break.

Spain then proceeded to lay siege to England goalmouth. It was such a dramatic shift from the more tactical approach in the first half. This was all guns blazing and the spectators were loving every minute of it. This shift in tone prompted Gareth Southgate to make 2 changes. First taking off Captain Harry Kane, and second introducing Chelsea’s star boy, Cole Palmer.

Southgate’s long-standing tradition of having substitutes who make a difference once again paid dividends as Palmer ran onto a setup by Jude Bellingham and, rather gently, place the ball in the bottom corner of the Spanish net. Unai Simone stretched as much as he could to try to save it, but to no avail. With 73minutes of the clock, the score was now 1-1.

It looked as though this thrilling game was destined for extra time. That was, for sure, what every neutral fan wanted given. It was therefore a little melancholic to see Spain take back the lead with mere minutes to spare in the game. 4 minutes in fact. This is because Spanish substitute Mikel Oyarzabal latched onto a low cross into the box by Marc Cucurella and converted it into the England net from close range, breaking England hearts.

Without enough time to mount a riposte, 2-1 is how the game ended with La Roja lifting the coveted trophy yet again.

by Ben Ayuko

{image by Getty Images}

 

It took Extra-time for Argentina to put Colombia to bed and retain their Copa América title.

Messi and co. were made to wait to get proceedings under way due to the unrest caused outside the stadium. In fact, the game was delayed by a whole hour just so the organizers could get a hold of the situation at hand. The passionate fans outside the stadium seemed to spark something in Colombia because as soon as the game started, they flew straight out of the box. They may have been the underdogs, but they sure did not look like it. They were brave and front footed, taking the game to Argentina and putting pressure on them from the onset, clearly showing their intent as the spectators gleefully cheered them on. Jhon Córdoba, the Colombian centre-forward, probably came the closest after his volleyed effort bounced off the right-hand post.

After a halftime performance by the indelible Shakira, spirits were certainly high in the stadium and both teams upped their levels to try and steal a march on the other. There were many stars on show on the day, the likes of James Rodriguez and Angel di Maria showing their quality for their teams. The former in particular being at the centre of his teams every move. Spirits in the Argentina camp, however, definitely took a hit after their talisman and star man, Lionel Messi, went down with an innocuous injury. He could only break into tears as he was being substituted out of what may be his final appearance for his national team. They held on, though, without their Captain as the game ended 0-0.

Extra-time is always a tentative occasion as both teams are very aware of the fact that all it takes is one mistake to lose an entire tournament. And that is exactly how it went, until the inevitable happened. Kevin Castaño was driving forward with the ball, trying to lead a one-man counterattack for Los Cafeteros when he was intercepted by Rodrigo de Paul in the heart of midfield. Being out of his position, he could only watch as 2 passes later, Giovanni lo Celso had played in Lautaro Martinez through on goal one-on-one with the keeper, who made no mistake placing the ball into the top corner and sealing the victory for Argentina.

1-0 the game ended as La Albiceleste maintained their period of international dominance, winning their 3rd trophy in 5 years.

by Ben Ayuko

{image by GOLPERU}

Who will be the Kings of the Americas?

That is the question…in question and it will be answered on Saturday night as Argentina face Colombia in the final of the Copa América tournament 2024.

Argentina, fresh off a World Cup victory in the last international tournament anyone has played in (save for the Africa Cup of Nations scheduled in mid-February, for some reason), will be looking to cap off a period of international success with yet another trophy in their cabinet, retaining the Copa trophy they currently hold. And they will be feeling really confident about doing so because, while Colombia is one of the better sides in the tournament, they were never really classed among the favourites. There is a clear gap in quality in certain areas of the pitch. That, coupled with the fact that La Albiceleste boast, in their ranks, a person whom many consider the greatest footballer who has ever played the game, Captain Lionel Messi, it is looking almost like a formality for Argentina to add to their trophy cabinet.

The Colombians, though, should not be underestimated as they too have enjoyed a really good tournament. Having gone toe-to-toe with the likes of Brazil and beating other tournament favourites Uruguay with 10-men in the semi-final, they will feel that they definitely have a chance to cause a major upset and lift the coveted trophy themselves. Legendary Star man and captain James Rodrigeuz will be looking to partner with mercurial winger, Luis Diaz, in order to run the Argentina defense ragged and give their team the advantage.

Both teams will have the chance to double the number of Copas they hold as they have each only won it once before. Therefore, in terms of tournament history, Los Cafeteros have just as much of chance of winning as Argentina.

It is a classic tale of the underdog, with the backs to the wall, coming up against a Goliath of an opponent.

Will Argentina add another notch to their metaphorical belt, or will Colombia rise to the occasion and become the pride of a nation?

by Ben Ayuko

{image by SkySports}

 

Spain will meet England in the Final of the European Championship 2024. This will be more than just a game of football. It will be a clash of nations, a clash of ideologies, a gauntlet for the whole footballing world to judge.

La Roja will be looking to cap off their, otherwise perfect, tournament, having reached the final by winning every single game (6) they played while conceding just 3 goals. They have graced the tournament with their classic Spanish flair that reminded of us of their period of dominance in the early 2010s. With veteran Dani Carvajal having served his suspension in the semi-final, their squad will be back to its strongest level, save for Pedri who remains sidelined after his clash with, now retired, Toni Kroos.

The 3 Lions will be looking to show that they deserve to be victors, especially after they stumbled on penalties in the last Euros Final. They have come through the tournament in direct contrasting fashion to Spain. Whereas Spain have always looked like the assured winners in every game they have played, England have always looked very unsure of how to play their game. Of the 2 sides, Spain definitely had the harder draw, playing the likes of Croatia and Italy in their group stage, and then progressing to the likes of Germany and France in the knockouts. And in every single game, it is only Germany who made them go the distance. England could only manage 1 win in their group stage and very nearly went out in the knockout rounds against Slovenia and then against Switzerland, needing some late heroics in both games, including penalties in the latter, to stay their course.

If it is a question of who deserves to lift the trophy, the answer, without a shadow of a doubt, is obviously England. Okay I’m joking, but how scandalized were you? No, Spain has, by far and away, been the best team at the tournament thus far. It is rare that a team plays the most entertaining football while also dispatching all of the other tournament favourites so effortlessly. If it came down to vote, it wouldn’t even be close.

But in life, one rarely gets what they deserve. Therefore, the victor of this tournament will simply be the one who wants it more. The one who is willing to risk losing anything to gain everything.

It is sure to be a memorable occasion.

by Ben Ayuko

{image by Getty Images}

 

Colombia survived a second half siege from Uruguay to book themselves a place in the Copa Final.

Uruguay met Colombia, in what promised to be an interesting matchup, to fight for a place in the Copa Final against World Cup winners Argentina. It was a clash of ideologies with Colombia being a more physical side and Uruguay having more technical players.

Uruguay peppered the Colombia goal with chance after chance in the first half, majority of which fell to their new star man, Darwin Núñez. Núñez, unfortunately, could not find the finishing touch as majority of these chances were wayward efforts that he should really have done better with. Colombia was thriving playing on the counterattack with players like captain, James Rodríguez and Luis Díaz, in particular, showcasing their talents in quick transition. It was one such transition that saw Los Cafeteros travel up the pitch and earn themselves a corner-kick. James Rodríguez lifted the ball into the penalty box and Jefferson Lerma rose highest to head Colombia into the lead. 1-0 to Colombia into the break which would have rounded off the perfect first half performance for their, or really any, manager. were it not for a moment of madness from right-back Daniel Muñoz.

Muñoz got himself into a tussle with Uruguayan midfielder Manuel Ugarte, which ended with him shoving his elbow into Ugarte’s face and the referee, subsequently, shoving a red card into his face, much to the dismay of the Colombia contingent. 1-0 up and 1 man down into the half-time break, they seemingly had to prepare for war by the time they came back out.

And that seems to have been the gist of the team talk they received because, that 10-man Colombia team became heroes, in the face of adversity, for their nation. They played with even more energy. They were even more unrelenting, forcing Uruguay into situations they did not want to be in. Even a legendary substitute appearance by Luis Suárez wasn’t enough to ebb the flow of the game away from Colombia. Of course, it didn’t help that La Celeste had abandoned all footballing principle, resorting to the tried and tested method of simply “having a go“, but it would be difficult to say the Colombians didn’t deserve that final result.

1-0 it ended as Uruguay crashed out of the tournament and Colombia booked their ticket to Florida for the Final.

by Ben Ayuko

{images by AP}

 

England managed to eke out a cheeky 2-1 victory over the Netherlands in the European Championship semi-finals.

And it was all thanks to Ollie Watkins. He couldn’t have written himself a better script at the start of the season. He was probably growing angsty on the substitutes bench, wondering when he would get his chance to show himself to the world. And when the chance came to him, he wasted no time at all.

It was a very explosive start to the game as after just 6minutes, Xavi Simmons eased Declan Rice off the ball, took a touch and left England goalkeeper, Jordan Pickford, floundering helplessly as he rifled the ball straight into the top corner. 1-0 to the Oranje, who looked primed and ready to meet La Roja in the final.

England’s response to the early setback was quite positive as they ended up having what many people consider their ‘best half of football’ in the tournament thus far. They peppered the Dutch goal with chance after chance, keeping Dutch goalkeeper, Bart Verbruggen, relatively busy without troubling him too much. Indeed, England needed some extra help once they were inside the box. And some would say they got it.

In what it is one of the most controversial decisions of the tournament, the referee awarded England an incredibly soft penalty. Denzel Dumfries, the defender in question, raised his foot to block the ball and from England Captain, Harry Kane’s, strike. This resulted in an England penalty. Reprieve for England as Kane dispatched the spot kick and drew them back level.

It was a tale 2 strikers in the 2nd half as Wout Weghorst’s introduction off the bench indeed had an impact on how his team played. With his large frame and deft footwork, he allowed a more direct kind of play that helped to set up Netherlands nicely, seeing more of the ball and putting more pressure on the England goal. It was, however, his opposite number Ollie Watkins who would steal the headlines today.

Running into space and latching onto a through-pass by fellow substitute Cole Palmer, Ollie Watkins executed what is quickly starting to look like his signature finishing move. From the tightest of angles, he used his first touch to set himself up and his second to laser the ball right through defender, Stefan de Vrij’s legs, past Verbruggen and into the bottom corner. A 90th minute winner to end all 90th minute winners. Using the little time, he was afforded to live the childhood dream of every single football fan. And it showed, with the effulgence of joy emanating from his face. What a way to realize your dreams, doing it for your nation.

Thanks to him, the 3 lions now have a date with Spain at the Euro Finals in what is promising to be a blockbuster of a game.

by Ben Ayuko

{image by Getty images}

Argentina secured their spot in the Copa América final after a comprehensive 2-0 victory over a stubborn Canadian side.

It always felt as though La Albiceleste would have too much quality for the Canadian side, and it didn’t really take long for us to see it. It was in the 22nd minute when Argentina midfielder, Rodrigo de Paul, received the ball on a swivel in midfield before playing an inch-perfect through pass onto the feet of the running Julian Alvarez. The Centre-forward took it expertly with his first touch and eloquently finished it right through the goalkeeper’s legs with his second to give Argentina the 1-0 lead.

Canada tried to put up a fight, with touted Chelsea signing, Jonathan David, in particular latching onto a long throw in by right-back Alistair Johnston and trying to tuck it into the near post of the Argentina goal. Argentina goalkeeper, Emi Martinez, however, was on hand to make a good save and deny them the opportunity. 1-0 into the break with Argentina 45minutes away from securing progression into the final.

The 2nd half promised to offer more of the same action as Les Rouges seemed determined to take the game to Argentina. There being only a goal in it, Argentina needed to make sure they put the game to bed before they found themselves in yet another penalty shoot-out. And so, no sooner had the 2nd half kicked off than Argentina doubled their lead. It was in the 51st minute when some brilliant work from Lionel Messi down the right wing opened the opportunity for Enzo Fernandes to have a shot at goal. Messi, who had made the pass and kept running toward goal, found himself right in the path of the effort, electing to get a touch on it and deflect it away from the diving Maxime Crépeau, making it a more difficult chance to save.

2-0 to the good, Argentina saw out the game expertly and booked themselves a spot in the finals, awaiting their opponent who would dare challenge them for the cup of the Américas.

by Ben Ayuko

{image Getty images}

Spain and France met in the 1st semi-final of the 2024 European championships and gave us a thrilling and very entertaining feast for our eyes.

Spain immediately staked their claim on the proceedings as they took control of the football. They were passing it around with that oh so familiar Spanish Flair that reminded everybody of their dominance in the early 2010s. An early chance squandered by midfielder, Fabián Ruiz, suggested that their quality may be too much for France to handle. And then, in the 8th minute of the 1st half, France struck.

It was as though the world needed reminding as to who Spain’s opponents were. The back-to-back World Cup finalists were not about to be outdone in such a routine manner. After receiving the ball on wide on the left-hand side, Kylian Mbappe took a touch before lifting it into the penalty area right onto the forehead of an unmarked Kolo Muani, who nodded France ahead from point blank range. This would turn out to be France’s first goal scored in open play since the tournament began. And what a time they picked to do it.

1-0 to Le Bleu giving La Roja the mountain we all thought they would have to summit to get to the final.

France enjoyed a period of some dominance right after this and had they have got a 2nd; the game might have been done. Spain themselves looked almost like they had begun accepting their fate. They were devoid of any inspiration. They, therefore, needed something special to lift their spirits. Step up 16yr old wunderkind, Lamine Yamal.

It was in the 20th minute when he took the ball in his stride on the right wing and cut inside, past Adrien Rabiot, onto his favoured left foot and curled in a gem of a shot passed French keeper, Mike Maignan. The whole Stadium erupted. The whole footballing world took a bow. What a feat for someone so young, taking the woes of a nation onto his own shoulders and flipping it on its head.

That proved to be the jolt they needed as merely 5minutes later, Spanish midfielder, Dani Olmo expertly controlled a deflected cross from inside the box and sent it right across goal, leaving both Maignan without a hope of stopping it.

This proved to be the extent of the damage as, after the break, Spain opted to limit France’s opportunities and saw out the game professionally. 2-1 it ended and no doubt France was disappointed by the end result, but it would be difficult not to say the better team won. Through to the final they go, waiting to see who would dare be their opponent.

 

by Ben Ayuko

{Image by ESPN}

The Netherlands turned around a tough test to topple Turkey after scoring 2 goals in 6min, to emerge victorious and book a spot in the Euro 2024 semi-finals against England.

England who, after a nervy end to their game against Switzerland, needed penalties to get through to the next stage.

This sets up an intriguing clash as neither team has really set the tournament alight this year. They have both been pragmatic in their approach to the game as they have always ended up doing what needed to be done to get to where they are now. What with Netherlands just about making it out of their group after finishing in 3rd place and with England being canonically labelled as “the most underwhelming team” in the tournament thus far. Both managers will definitely want to turn around the narrative and secure a spot in the final as they, surely, both believe that they could go all the way. But how would they go about it?

England, on paper, would definitely look like having the better team. Team Captain Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham have arguably been 2 of the best players in Europe this past season, both in contention for the coveted Ballon d’Or trophy while Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka have both enjoyed exceptional seasons at their club with the former in particular making a name for himself at his new club. They will definitely feel that they have the measure on Ronald Koeman’s side. However, given the fact that they have never, at any stage, really looked like winning any of their games against the “lesser” opposition, Gareth Southgate’s men will surely tread with caution as this Netherlands team will provide a much sterner test than they have come across in the tournament thus far.

In Cody Gakpo, the Netherlands have one of the players of the tournament thus far, no doubt, in part, due to the 3 goals (almost 4 last time out) he has scored which leaves him joint at the top of the top scorer standings. In fact, of the players remaining in the tournament, nobody has scored as many goals as he has. At the other end of the pitch, they have their captain and leader (and hopefully legend if all goes well) Virgil van Dijk, Gakpo’s club teammate, who is fresh off somewhat of a resurgent season at his club side and who is looking to prove all doubters wrong. Wout Weghorst, who has been every bit the definition of the term “Super-sub” could also inspire his team from off the bench if need be while Memphis Depay, the Dutch side’s leading man, will no doubt feel like he has something to prove at the top level of European football.

However it ends, it looks to be quite an intriguing clash. Both team’s footballing philosophies look primed to cancel each other out which means that it is very likely that the winner of this game will be determined purely by whoever wants it more.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

by Ben Ayuko

{image by AP}

The All Blacks narrowly got one over the Three Lions in test match over the weekend. It was a close affair as both teams showed up fully intent on taking the game to their opponent.

New Zealand took the lead after winger, Sevu Reece, ran onto a cross kick by fly half Damien McKenzie and carried over the England try line. McKenzie’s failure to convert the try proved vital as England then took the lead after Marcus Smith converted a Maro Itoje try, bundling over the tryline with sheer force and determination. New Zealand took back the lead with a try from Number 8, Ardie Savea, making an overlapping run onto a pass from fullback, Stephen Perofeta, who did well to sidestep a challenge and create the space to run into. Right on the stroke of halftime, England converted a penalty to level the score at 10-10 going into the break.

The second half started with a bang as merely 5 or so minutes after the break England took the lead with a try from Immanuel Feyi-Waboso. He soared over the tryline after England forced New Zealand to commit numbers to one side of the pitch, leaving an overlap on the other side. Quick interplay capped off with a good pass wide by Marcus Smith to the winger made it 15-10 to England, Smith failing to convert the try.

It was a much more calculated affair after that as both teams were weary of giving away any cheap concessions. Damien McKenzie made up for his first half conversion woes by converting 2 penalties to give New Zealand back the lead. It was a nervy affair, with England throwing the kitchen sink at New Zealand in a bid to try and get the final word, but to no avail.

New Zealand held on to secure a 16-15 victory after a tough test match in front of their home crowd at the Forsyth Barr Stadium in Dunedin, New Zealand.