Sports
Dortmund Beat Newcastle To Blow Group Wide Open
Borussia Dortmund blew the Champions League’s group of death wide open as Felix Nmecha’s goal beat Newcastle 1-0 at St James’ Park on Wednesday.
Newcastle twice hit the woodwork in the closing stages through Callum Wilson and Fabian Schar, but now have work to do to reach the last 16 on their return to the competition after 20 years.
The German giants’ first win in Group F lifts Dortmund above Newcastle on head-to-head record with both sides on four points.
Paris Saint-Germain lead the section on six points with last season’s semi-finalists AC Milan bottom on two.
Newcastle had announced their return to the Champions League stage in style with a 4-1 demolition of PSG three weeks ago.
But the Magpies were handed a deserved reality check after a surprisingly flat performance.
Dortmund had failed to score in their opening two games in the toughest group in the draw.
But their defeat by PSG last month was the only time they have lost in 12 games so far this season.
Dortmund dominated the opening 45 minutes, but should still have fallen behind when Anthony Gordon fired straight at Gregor Kobel with just the Swiss goalkeeper to beat.
Newcastle were then dealt a major blow when former Dortmund striker Alexander Isak was forced off with injury.
Donyell Malen and Niclas Fullkrug tested Nick Pope but it was an inspired piece of play from a centre-back that eventually helped Edin Terzic’s men break their duck.
Nico Schlotterbeck robbed Gordon of possession in midfield and burst forward before crossing for Nmecha to stroke into the far corner in first-half stoppage time.
Sandro Tonali is expected to be handed a 10-month ban in the coming days for alleged breaches of betting rules during his time with AC Milan.
However, Eddie Howe still turned to the Italian international off the bench to try and inspire a turnaround.
Newcastle were left to rue one huge missed opportunity when Isak’s replacement, Wilson, fired into Kobel’s legs with just the goalkeeper to beat.
Wilson then saw a flicked header come back off the crossbar.
Howe’s men came even closer in the dying seconds of stoppage time as Schar’s deflected effort looped over a helpless Kobel and bounced kindly back off the bar for Dortmund into the path of a covering defender.
But the visitors clung on to leave the group delicately poised heading into another clash between the sides in Dortmund on November 7.
Nigerian Afrobeats singer Davido has claimed that he started his life in a one-room apartment in a public compound, known locally as a face-me-I-face-you.
The singer made the claim on a song titled CFMF, off his fifth studio album, 5ive, which was released on Friday.
He claimed that he is now living a flamboyant life due to Jesus’s divine intervention.
“Take a step and walk into my life…
Started all the way from face me I face you
Face me I face you
And now, I am living real large all thanks to Jesu
All thanks to Jesu oh,” he sings.
His claim has been met with a groundswell of doubts, especially on social media, as the singer is known to be the son of billionaire businessman Deji Adeleke.
This is not the first time Davido has attempted to paint a grass-to-grace story in his music.
On his debut 2011 single, Back When, Davido claimed many ladies rejected his advances when he had no money but began chasing him after he achieved fame and success.
The song didn’t achieve much commercial success, partly due to the doubts that greeted his claims of humble beginnings, as he was known to be from a wealthy background.
Davido finally gained widespread prominence after the release of his 2012 breakthrough single, Dami Duro, where he embraced his wealthy background and boasted that he was unstoppable as the son of a rich man.
Nigeria’s popular stand-up comedian, Oluwaseyitan Lawrence Aletile, aka Seyi Law, has vowed never to support the presidential ambition of former Labour Party, LP, candidate, Peter Obi.
Seyi Law said he would never support Obi’s presidential ambition due to his failure to call the Obidient movement to order.
In an interview on the Teju Babyface podcast, Seyi Law recalled how Obidients attacked his wife and children because he supported President Bola Tinubu.
He lamented that Obi has refused to admit that Obidients attacked those who did not support him.
According to Seyi Law: “I don’t feel down at all because when you talk too much, I swear for you. One of the good things that God has done for me is that my anger doesn’t last long.
“Personal anger for me doesn’t last long. The only place it lasts long is when you leave me and attack my children, mother, and wife.
“The moment you cross that boundary from me to my children, mother, and wife — there is no forgiveness.
“That is why there is nothing on earth that Peter Obi can do that will make me support him. They (Obidients) attacked my children and my wife.
“As long as Peter Obi will not call them to order and he keeps denying that they are doing that, he will never get my support.
“Let Peter Obi wear the garment of Jesus Christ today — he will never get my support. Hate or love me, my personal way of life is between me and God.
“Any organization that does not support free thinking is a cult.”
Inter Miami superstar, Lionel Messi, has admitted that he desired to return to Barcelona, but it did not eventually work out.
Messi was keen to return to the LaLiga giants after the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
The 38-year-old, who won the tournament with Argentina, eventually left Paris Saint-Germain as a free agent for the Major League Soccer, MLS.
“I had the intention of returning to Barcelona and being able to go back to a place I always wanted to be, but it wasn’t possible again,” Messi told Simplemente Fútbol.
“After that, it (deciding on a new club) became a family decision. The fact that we won the World Cup also had a big impact.
“I was clear that I didn’t want to be at another team in Europe, I didn’t want to go to any of them.
Messi wasat Barca for 17 seasons, winning a total of 35 trophies, including ten (10) Laliga titles and four (4) Champions League titles.
At Inter Miami, he has lifted two trophies – the 2023 Leagues Cup and the 2024 MLS Supporters’ Shield.