CL: Liverpool into semi-finals after Benfica thriller
Liverpool remain in the hunt for a historic quadruple after a thrilling draw with Benfica secured a Champions League semi-final against Villarreal. Having established a 3-1 lead in Lisbon, Liverpool extended their advantage with Ibrahima Konate’s powerful 21st-minute header from a Kostas Tsimikas corner. Benfica equalised through Goncalo Ramos’ excellent turn and finish, before Roberto Firmino’s two second-half goals – a tap-in followed by a volley – in front of the Kop looked to have put the Reds in control. But after Roman Yaremchuk broke through to beat Alisson and make it 3-2 on the night, Darwin Nunez scored a late equaliser. Nunez was then denied by Alisson as Benfica finished strongly but Liverpool held out to advance 6-4 on aggregate. They now host Villarreal – the club they beat in the semi-finals of the Europa League in 2016 – on 27 April before travelling to Spain for the second leg on 4 May. Villarreal secured their last-four spot by overcoming Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals. Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp said: “I’m really happy because being in a semi-final is so special. “We expect a couple of really difficult games. It will be a tough cookie but we are a tough cookie, so who cares? “Villarreal deserved to get through. I know Bayern Munich don’t want to hear that.” The semi-final brings Liverpool face-to-face with Villarreal boss Unai Emery, who has won the Europa League four times. Three of those triumphs came at Sevilla, including victory over Klopp’s Liverpool in the 2016 final, and the other with his current club. Klopp added: “The manager is the king of the cup competitions, so they are experienced and a team full of desire and well organised with top-class players.” Reds still in quadruple hunt The games are coming thick and fast for Liverpool at the business end of the campaign, with a huge FA Cup semi-final against Manchester City up next on Saturday – the second meeting between the Premier League’s top two in a week. They head for Wembley knowing they are one round away from a third Champions League final in five seasons under Klopp. The Liverpool boss made seven changes to the side that started the first leg in Portugal last week, with Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane among those on the bench. There was a return for James Milner who, at the age of 36, became the oldest Englishman to start a Champions League match since 37-year-old David Beckham did so for Paris St-Germain in 2012-13. The Reds were made to work hard for their place in the semi-finals as Benfica came out fighting but the damage was done in the first leg. “I made seven changes and that makes life not easy for the players,” added Klopp. “We lost concentration when we were 3-1 up and it looked like we were through. “It was not exactly what we wanted but it is absolutely not important. “If we played the best game of the season tonight, it wouldn’t have made it more likely to get to the final. We are through and that’s all that matters and I’m really happy.” After Saturday, Liverpool – who trail leaders Manchester City by a single point – have a chance to return to the top of the Premier League, for 24 hours at least, when they host Manchester United in the Premier League the following Tuesday. It will require a monumental effort for Liverpool, who won the Carabao Cup in February, to finish the season with four trophies and they will certainly have to defend better than they did in this game. But with just a few weeks of the season left, they remain in the hunt for what would be an incredible feat. Source: BBC
Ghana to play Portugal in the FIFA opening game
The Black stars of Ghana have been drawn together in the same world cup group with Cristiana Ronaldo Portugal, Uruguay and Korea. The Black Stars opening game will be against Portugal. The World Cup draw was held on, Friday, 1 April 2022 at the Doha Exhibition and Conference Centre. This will be the fourth time Ghana is participating on Fifa world cup competition. Apexnewsgh.com/Ghana/Ngamegbulam Chidozie Stephen Please contact Apexnewsgh.com on email apexnewsgh@gmail.com for your adverts and credible news publications. Contact: 05555568093
World Cup 2022: Ghana held to goalless draw by visiting Nigeria
Intense West African rivals Ghana and Nigeria could not be separated as they played out a stalemate in the first leg of their 2022 World Cup play-off in Kumasi. Hyped up beforehand, the contest in front of a capacity crowd in the Ghanaian city featured few chances but was played at a rare pace in an electric atmosphere. Nigeria thought they had won a penalty fifteen minutes from time, only for Moroccan referee Redouane Jiyed to overturn his decision after consultation with the Video Assistant Referee, being used in an African World Cup play-off for the first time. Bidding to reach their seventh World Cup, Nigeria host three-time qualifiers Ghana in Abuja on Tuesday in another likely feverish affair. The Baba Yara Stadium was desperate for a home goal but instead saw both goalkeepers pull off fine stops in a closely-matched contest between two sides who exited this year’s Africa Cup of Nations early on. Visiting goalkeeper Francis Uzoho twice denied Ghana debutant Felix Afena Ohene-Gyan before thwarting lively duo Abdul Fatawu Issahaku and, with a stunning stop, Mohammed Kudus. At the other end, Nigeria forward Moses Simon was rebuffed twice by Ghana goalkeeper Jojo Wollacott as the teams met in a World Cup clash for the first time since 2001. Early on, the main threats were coming from Ghana coach Otto Addo’s side with Gideon Mensah missing the target before Kudus’ rasping shot was pushed away. Nigeria’s first effort came from Simon as he thumped in a low drive blocked by Wollacott, while Uzoho smothered Jordan Ayew’s effort after the forward’s pace had stretched the defence. With the game finely poised, Nigeria had two chances in quick succession as Joe Aribo spurned a fine opening before hotshot Napoli striker Victor Osimhen also fluffed his lines. In the 75th minute, Nigeria thought they had earned a penalty given after Idrissu Baba handled the ball in the box but the referee overturned his initial verdict. Asked to check his decision by VAR on the pitchside monitor, Jiyed instead ruled that Idrissu had been fouled in the build-up. Nigeria will be the happier of the two sides ahead of Tuesday’s second leg but with the away goals rule in place, Ghana know any score draw – at the Abuja Stadium where Nigeria have not played a home match in over a decade – will take them to their fourth finals. Another goalless draw would see the tie go to extra time and if there are still no goals after 120 minutes, a penalty shoot-out will decide which of the rivals goes to Qatar. Source: BBC
VIDEO ATTACHED: The moment Emmanuel Adebayor confessed to be a Nigerian
Sheyi Emmanuel Adebayor a Togolese professional footballer has got the world talking on social media after his confession as a Nigerian.Apexnewsgh.com report Even though the name Adebayor is a well-known originated name from the Yoruba tribe of Nigeria, this is the first time Emmanuel Adebayor was seen openly pronouncing himself as a Nigerian when he was sighted offering his support to the Super Eagles of Nigerian ahead of their Sunday AFCON game against Tunisia. Adebayor represented the Togo national team at the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany, the country’s debut, and to date only, appearance at the World Cup. In January 2010, Adebayor was one of the players involved when the Togo team’s bus came under gunfire on the way to the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations in Angola, after which he retired from national team duty. In 2013, he returned to the Togo team for the 2013 African Cup of Nations in South Africa, where he helped them to qualify for the quarter-finals. He is currently Togo’s all-time top goalscorer with 32 goals. Watch the video of Adebayor confessing being a Nigerian as he supports Super Eagles of Nigeria below: Apexnewsgh.com/Ghana Please contact Apexnewsgh.com on email apexnewsgh@gmail.com for your credible news publications. Contact: 05555568093
UER: The sorry state of football infrastructure of the upper east region, a good sign of leadership incompetence
In the Upper Region, one of the key social amenities you cannot see as a region like any other region in the country is a functional regional sports stadium for sporting activities and only a few in the region are worried about such sorry development. A Development Economist with the University for Development Studies (UDS) and CEO of Kasaligu Arrow Heads FC Dr. Michael Ayamga-Adongo on his Facebook wall on Sunday, January 23, 2022, said when he passed through the Bolgatanga Stadium which is supposed to be a regional stadium, “The stadium is in a terrible shape. You would rather hunt grass cutter there than play football”. He added: “To put it in perspective, the regional capital does not have a pitch good enough for division one games. The least said about training pitches the better. Teams from the region have to travel to other regions to play their home games”. However, he called on Northern Development Authority, Regional and M/DCEs and MPs in the region to see the sports stadium as a development issue. Below is his full Facebook post: THE SORRY STATE OF FOOTBALL INFRASTRUCTURE OF THE UPPER EAST REGION I passed by the Bolgatanga Stadium yesterday. It reminded me of my last goal for my team soccer missionaries (now Zuarung FC) in the Milo games. The stadium is in a terrible shape. You would rather hunt grass cutter there than play football. To put it in perspective, the regional capital does not have a pitch good enough for division one games. The least said about training pitches the better. Teams from the region have to travel to other regions to play their home games. The Astro Turf under the zongo project is less than a standard pitch and cannot be used for Association football. How and why we spend millions to construct such a pitch beats my imagination. We are all complaining about the black stars’ embarrassing outing at AFCON. Well, those are our chickens coming home to roost. A country willing to spend $25 million to prepare for a tournament and almost zero on player development infrastructure is even lucky to qualify for the tournament in the first place. TROPHIES ARE WON AT TRAINING NOT AT TOURNAMENTS. Comoros defeated Ghana because they put money in football development. Years ago, we played and strived so we could get the opportunity to meet the President. Today, the President has become an agent calling and begging players with Ghanaian last names to play for Ghana. Coaches used to travel round Ghana to discover talents. Now we employ coaches who read websites to select players. We used to export the best players. Now we Import rejected players. Back to the Upper East. Unlike other regions, the water table in the upper East is relatively good and stable. With mechanized boreholes we can develop and maintain good training pitches. The northern development authority ought to see this lack of a standard pitch and training facilities for football as a development issue. The regional Minister, M/DCEs MPs etc ought to see this as a development issue. Football is widely seen by many as an alternative livelihood and career path. True. The other side of the coin is that, football contributes significantly to school dropout. As a club owner, I have come across thousands of young boys and girls who left the region to join clubs and football academies in the south and by that truncated their education. Many did not make it in football and have become part of the growing unemployment problem. Developing football infrastructure means expanding education alternatives. It is not just a game. Apexnewsgh.com/Ghana/Ngamegbulam Chidozie Stephen Please contact Apexnewsgh.com on email apexnewsgh@gmail.com for your credible news publications. Contact: 05555568093
Ministry of Youth and Sport tasked GFA to reconstitute Black Stars Management Team
According to the statement by the Ministry of Youth and Sports, following the emergency meeting, the Ministry, in accordance with its mandate, asked the Ghana Football Association to reconstitute the Black Stars Management Committee. During the frank and forward-looking discussion, the Ministry emphasized strongly the disappointment of the Ghanaian people and their Government in the national team’s poor showing, ending in our group stage elimination at the AFCON 2021. Below is the full Statement Apexnewsgh.com/Ghana Please contact Apexnewsgh.com on email apexnewsgh@gmail.com for your credible news publications. Contact: 05555568093
Sports Minister summons GFA after AFCON abysmal performance
The Ministry of Youth and Sports has summoned the Ghana Football Association leadership to an emergency meeting scheduled for Friday, 21 January 2022, to urgently discuss and take decisions aimed at salvaging the poor performance of the Black Stars. The meeting has become necessary following the team’s sudden exit from the ongoing AFCON in Cameroon. Black Stars was booted out on Tuesday night, 18 January 2022, after a 3-2 defeat to AFCON debutants Comoros. Below, is the Ministry summon: Apexnewsgh.com/Ghana Please contact Apexnewsgh.com on email apexnewsgh@gmail.com for your credible news publications. Contact: 05555568093
Okudzeto Ablakwa called for a probe into Black Star’s abysmal performance
The Member of Parliament for the North Tongu constituency of the Volta Region, M. Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has called for a probe into why Ghana football is in a mess. The MPs call came after Ghana’s early exit from the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon which breaks the heart of many. Below is his full post on Facebook: What a shambolic outing by the Black Stars! This will go down as perhaps the most disastrous tournament performance in Ghana’s footballing history. Who would have imagined that my 3 goals prediction will rather be in favor of Comoros — the underdogs who shall eternally cherish their humiliation and annihilation of Ghana tonight as though they lifted the World Cup. Without a shred of doubt, this Black Stars selection could not have faced the North Tongu Female Keep Fit Club. The team must be immediately dissolved, the coach sacked, and a full-scale national public enquiry launched into why Ghana football is in such a sorry mess. Ghana’s day of self-inflicted international shame! Apexnewsgh.com/Ghana Please contact Apexnewsgh.com on email apexnewsgh@gmail.com for your credible news publications. Contact: 05555568093
JUST IN: CAF Banned Black Stars Player Who Turned a Fighter In The Ongoing AFCON Tournament
Ghana striker Benjamin Tetteh has reportedly been ban by the Disciplinary Committee of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) for punching Gabonese player after full time. This will rule Tetteh out of the knockout and quarter final stages of the tournament as the Black Stars take steps to qualify to the next stage of the tournament. Tetteh was shown a retrospective red card by Algerian official Lahlou Benbraham for swinging a punch at a Gabon player. The incident took place at the end of Ghana’s 1-1 draw with Gabon on Friday evening, a hugely damaging result for the Black Stars in their bid to reach the knockouts. There was visible frustration on the Ghana bench after Gabon’s Jim Allevinah scored an equaliser in the 88th minute. And that frustration spilled onto the pitch after Benbraham blew for full-time, with players arguing with each other and their opponents. Eventually 24-year-old Tetteh, who had come on as a substitute, swung a punch at Aaron Boupendza.
Ghana on track to host best African Games – Mustapha Ussif
The Minister of Youth and Sports, Mr Mustapha Ussif, has said Ghana is on track to host the best-ever African Games in August 2023. The Member of Parliament for the Yagaba-Kubori Constituency in the North East Region, said the government has everything well planned and ready. Construction works are ongoing at the Olympics Stadium at Borteiman alongside the Legon Stadium, which will be used to stage the games. The 13th African Games – dubbed Accra 2023, is expected to bring together 54 countries, 25 sporting disciplines, and 16,000 sportsmen and women. On Thursday, 16 December 2021, the Local Organising Committee (LOC) for the African Games launched the official logo, mascot and website of the continental games at the Accra International Conference Centre. The logo has the map of Ghana and Africa, decorated in the red, gold, green colours of Ghana, as well as a sprinting athlete. The flame-wielding eagle mascot is draped in a red, gold, green vest. “I’m super excited that we have launched the logo, mascot and the website”. “That’s a testimony that we are on track and we’re focused on delivering the best African games”, he said. “Concerning funds and logistics, Mr Ussif said the president has made sure that everything has been put in place “to get the facilities ready by August 2023”. The LOC further revealed its intentions to embark on a regional tour so that every Ghanaian can have a feel of the games.