Super Eagles striker Victor Boniface has begun his rehabilitation following a successful knee surgery.
The Werder Bremen striker, on loan from Bayer Leverkusen, went under the knife in Innsbruck, Austria, on Saturday.
The Nigerian international has already been ruled out for the remainder of the season, with the hope of bouncing back for next season.
The 25-year-old shared a video on social media showing him working with a physiotherapist.
Watch the video below..
Super Eagles striker Victor Boniface has finally broken his silence after his club, Werder Bremen, ruled him out for the rest of the season following knee surgery.
Earlier today, Werder confirmed that the Nigerian forward will undergo surgery after consulting a specialist in Austria, sidelining him for the rest of the campaign.
Following a successful procedure, Boniface shared a message on his official X account, reflecting on his struggle with the injury.
He wrote: “Been putting a fake smile for almost a year, but God knows why all this is happening.
“Grateful to God.”
Egypt booked their place in the semifinals of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations with a hard-fought 3-2 win over defending champions Ivory Coast in an entertaining quarterfinal clash in Agadir on Saturday.
The Pharaohs raced into a two-goal lead and, despite sustained pressure and a late fightback from Ivory Coast, showed composure to see out the contest and end the champions’ title defence.
Ivory Coast suffered an early setback as Egypt struck in the fourth minute. Hamdy Fathy won possession in midfield and released Emam Ashour, whose incisive through ball found Omar Marmoush.
The forward broke in behind the defence and calmly finished into the bottom-right corner.
Egypt doubled their advantage in the 32nd minute from a corner. Mohamed Salah’s delivery was met by Ramy Rabia at the back post, and the defender headed the ball back across goal and into the net to put Egypt firmly in control.
The Elephants reduced the deficit just before half-time through a set piece. Diomande delivered a dangerous free-kick from the left, Odilon Kossounou flicked it on, and the ball ricocheted off Ahmed El Fotouh before crossing the line to make it 2-1 at the interval.
Egypt restored their two-goal cushion shortly after the restart with a quick counter-attack.
Rabia played a long ball forward to Ashour, who produced a precise trivela pass across the box for Salah. The captain finished confidently into the bottom-left corner to make it 3-1.
Ivory Coast continued to push and pulled another goal back in the 73rd minute. A corner caused chaos in the Egyptian box, substitute Krasso headed the ball back into danger, and Guela Doué eventually bundled it home to set up a tense finale.
Despite late pressure, Egypt defended resolutely to preserve their lead and secure progression.
The result eliminates the defending champions and sends Egypt into a semifinal showdown against Senegal on Wednesday, January 14.
Manchester City produced a ruthless display to demolish League One side Exeter City 10-1 and book their place in the FA Cup fourth round, matching the biggest winning margin in the club’s history.
Antoine Semenyo marked his Manchester City debut with a goal and an assist after completing a £65m move from Bournemouth, as Pep Guardiola’s side overwhelmed opponents two divisions below them at the Etihad Stadium.
Despite an early scare when Liam Oakes forced a sharp save from James Trafford inside five minutes, City quickly imposed themselves.
Academy defender Max Alleyne opened the scoring on 12 minutes, poking home his first senior goal for the club.
Rodri then doubled the lead with a long-range strike, before Exeter’s resistance collapsed further through two own goals. Captain Jake Doyle-Hayes and defender Jack Fitzwater both inadvertently turned the ball into their own net, sending City into the interval with a commanding 4-0 advantage.
The second half became a one-sided exercise as City added six more goals. Rico Lewis finished from Semenyo’s cross before the Ghana international scored himself, showing composure to convert after being played through.
Exeter teenager George Birch scored a late consolation in front of the travelling support, but it did little to soften a chastening afternoon for the visitors.
The result equalled City’s 10-1 win over Huddersfield Town in 1987 and extended their home FA Cup winning streak to 16 matches. It also provided a timely morale boost after recent Premier League frustrations.
For Exeter, the defeat continued a difficult trend against top-flight opposition, marking their 11th consecutive FA Cup loss to Premier League sides.
Founder of BUA Group, Abdul Samad Rabiu has made a generous pledge to the Nigeria Super Eagles following their impressive victory against Algeria, describing the win as a morale booster for the entire nation.
In a public post shared on his Instagram page after the match, the billionaire businessman praised the players for lifting Nigeria’s spirit and announced massive cash incentives ahead of the semi-finals.
In his words, he said:
“Congratulations to our Super Eagles players on a brilliant victory against Algeria. You have lifted the spirit of the nation, and we proudly cheer you on as you prepare for the semi-finals.”
To further motivate the team, the BUA founder pledged huge financial rewards tied to performance.
“I pledge USD $500,000 to the players upon winning the semi-final, with an additional USD $50,000 for every goal scored. Should you go on to win the final, I further pledge USD $1,000,000, plus USD $100,000 for each goal scored in the final.”, he added.
He ended his message by wishing the team continued success as they push forward in the competition.
Many reactions have followed his social media announcement. A commentator wrote, “Big money, big encouragement.” Another added, “Now that’s how to support the national team.”
With morale high and major incentives on the table, all eyes are now on the Super Eagles as they head into the semi-finals carrying the hopes of millions of Nigerians.
Nigeria has secured a spot in the semi-finals of the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco.
The Super Eagles pulled off a stunning display to beat Algeria 2-0 in their quarter-final clash on Saturday evening, to book their spot.
Eric Chelle’s men dominated the Desert Foxes for most of the first half, but failed to find the back of the net.
The closest Nigeria came to opening the scoring, came when Calvin Bassey’s effort was cleared off the line.
But in the second half, Victor Osimhen headed in Bruno Onyemaechi’s cross, before setting up Akor Adams for the second goal.
The three-time African champions will now clash with the hosts Morocco for a place in the final.
Algeria captain Riyad Mahrez has jokingly admitted that he is “afraid” ahead of his team’s clash with Nigeria, while emphasizing that the Desert Foxes must be fully prepared for a difficult test at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.
Speaking at his pre-match press conference, Mahrez praised the quality of the Super Eagles, describing the current Nigeria squad as more dangerous going forward than the team Algeria faced at AFCON 2019.
The winger acknowledged Nigeria’s attacking strength, warning that Algeria will need to be at their very best to advance.
“I’m afraid (laughs). They have scored a lot of goals in this competition,” Mahrez said.
He also suggested the game would be more open than Algeria’s previous encounter against DR Congo, a scenario he believes could suit both sides’ attacking qualities.
“We expect the next match to be more open, which will give us more space to showcase our abilities, and we must be fully prepared,”he added.
Reflecting on past meetings between both teams, the former Manchester City star insisted that comparisons with Algeria’s 2019 semi-final victory over Nigeria would be misleading.
“This match against Nigeria will be very different from the one in 2019. That was in Egypt, with different players, a different style of play, and a different journey,” he said.
Mahrez also revealed the personal importance of the tournament, confirming it will be his final Africa Cup of Nations. The 34-year-old admitted he is eager to end his AFCON career on a high by lifting the trophy once again.
“This will be my last AFCON. I want to win the Africa Cup of Nations again with this generation. I really want it,” he said.
Former UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman has publicly apologized after a private FaceTime call with former heavyweight boxing champion Anthony Joshua was leaked online without his consent.
The clip, which appeared in a YouTube video shared by Usman on Wednesday, showed an emotional exchange between the two athletes following a fatal car accident in Nigeria that claimed the lives of two of Joshua’s close friends.
The conversation took place on December 30 while Joshua was still recovering from injuries sustained in the crash and shortly before an MMA event in Lagos.
Joshua survived the accident on December 29 along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, which killed the boxer’s close associates, Sina Ghami and Latif Ayodele.
Joshua was pulled from the wreckage and rushed to Duchess International Hospital, where he received treatment. In the footage, the boxer is seen lying in a treatment room with bandages around his head and torso as he opens up to Usman about the loss. He admitted that the reality of what had happened was yet to fully register.
Joshua replied, “One was in the front and one was behind him, on the right side. They both passed away. It still hasn’t sunk in. It still hasn’t hit me yet.”
“I’m sorry for that, man. You scared the world, I’ll tell you that right now,” Usman responded.
“Life is short, man. Life is short. And now look, I get to speak with you for the first time,”Joshua said.
“I know. It’s a funny way how things move, you know? We thank God,” Usman replied.
“You scared the world. It’s crazy because, obviously, we deal with the haters and all the bull**** every time, and it sucks that it takes something serious like this to really see how many people have their eyes on you,” Usman added.
The release of the clip sparked criticism online, with many questioning why such a sensitive moment had been made public. Responding to the backlash via his Instagram story on Thursday, Usman accepted responsibility and apologised for not keeping the conversation private.
He wrote, “After seeing what’s being written, it’s quite heartbreaking. Being on camera that whole day in preparation for The AKO Show, it completely slipped my mind that my conversation was recorded.
“I realised afterwards and asked about it. I take full responsibility for not properly reviewing the video that was released and for failing to keep my private conversation with my brother, AJ, private. SMH. Big L on me. That’s not something I would ever do to a friend or brother.”
Former Anambra State governor and 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has condemned the ongoing non-payment of match allowances to Nigeria’s national football team, the Super Eagles, calling it a national embarrassment that damages the country’s reputation and demoralizes its players.
Obi made the remarks in a post on his official Facebook page, expressing concern that Nigeria continues to generate troubling narratives even at moments when citizens need unity and positive distractions.
According to him, the Super Eagles have been a major source of national pride, lifting the spirits of Nigerians at home and abroad through their recent performances, yet are now facing avoidable distractions due to the failure to pay their agreed match bonuses.
“At a time when Nigerians need joy and unity—something the Super Eagles have been providing by winning matches and lifting our spirits worldwide—these same players are being denied their basic match allowances,”Obi wrote.
He said the situation damages Nigeria’s international reputation and unfairly places additional pressure on the players ahead of a crucial quarter-final encounter, stressing that the failure to honour pre-tournament agreements is unacceptable.
“The Super Eagles do not deserve this embarrassment or the avoidable distractions ahead of a crucial quarter-final match. Nigeria must learn to fulfil its obligations,” Obi added.
Arsenal failed to capitalise fully on dropped points elsewhere but still strengthened their grip on the Premier League title race after a goalless draw with Liverpool.
The Gunners had the chance to open an eight-point gap at the summit following midweek draws for Manchester City and Aston Villa. Instead, they had to settle for a point, extending their lead to six.
Arsenal controlled much of the opening period, claiming possession and territory, but struggled to translate dominance into clear-cut chances.
Their approach relied heavily on crosses into the box, yet lacked the decisive movement required to finish them off.
Despite being second best early on, Liverpool carved out the best opportunity of the half. Conor Bradley pounced on a miscommunication between David Raya and William Saliba before clipping an effort that rattled the crossbar.
Arne Slot’s side, operating without a recognised striker due to Hugo Ekitike’s absence, grew into the contest after the interval and posed greater attacking threat. However, their improved intent still failed to produce a breakthrough.
Neither side managed to find the cutting edge needed to claim all three points, with defences ultimately on top.
The draw keeps Arsenal top of the table, now six points clear, while Liverpool remain fourth as the title race continues to take shape.
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