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Super Eagles defeat Iran in international friendly

The Super Eagles of Nigeria defeated Iran 2-1 in their first match of the invitational four-nation tournament in Turkey.

Moses Simon and Akor Adams scored the goals in the slim win over the Iranians at the Mardan Titanic Sports Complex in Antalya on Friday.

The tournament is the Eagles’ first assignment since their third-placed finish at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) and also the continuation of the team’s pride-restoring campaign following their failure to qualify for the 2026 World Cup.

Despite the absence of Victor Osimhen and Calvin Bassey due to injuries, the Eagles maintained the solid performance that earned them a podium finish at the last AFCON.

Maduka Okoye returned to the team and the starting line-up. The other new face in the eleven was Igoh Ogbu, replacing Bassey.

The Eagles wasted no time before bearing their talon. Simon pulled the team ahead in the first six minutes. The strike was produced with the signature move of FC Paris: drifting into the opponent’s box to collect the ball, beating a defender with the drop of the shoulder, before wrapping his boot around the ball and sending it low into the ne

Osimhen fires warning to Galatasaray ahead of Champions League last-16 draw

Galatasaray forward, Victor Osimhen, has sent a warning to his team-mates that there “are a lot of things” they need to improve on, ahead of the Champions League Round of 16.

Osimhen proved to be the talisman for the Turkish giants, as he scored the decisive goal in their play-off tie against Juventus.

Despite taking a 5-2 lead from the first leg, Gala saw themselves 3-0 down to 10-man Juventus after 90 minutes, forcing the game to extra time.

But Osimhen stepped up to pull one back before Yilmaz scored a second goal for the visitors.

After the game, Osimhen saluted the resilience of Juventus players, while warning his own team-mates to go back to the drawing board.

“We qualify, but we have a lot of things we need to improve on,” Osimhen said.

“We’re going into the next round to play the big dogs.”

Galatasaray could face either Tottenham Hotspur or Liverpool in the last 16.

Wilfred Ndidi on his goal celebration: "It was for Papilo, the legend Kanu Nwankwo. Growing up, my dad was a huge fan of Kanu. In our house, Kanu was the ultimate hero.

My dad always talked about his grace, his goals, and how he represented Nigeria. I actually told myself before the game that if I scored, I had to do it for my dad. He’s the one who pushed me into football and always told me stories of the greats.

Celebrating like Kanu in a Super Eagles jersey is my way of saying 'thank you' to my father for all his support and for showing me the way. It’s a very proud moment for my family."

[Ademola Victor TV]