SPORTS
FIFA Club World Cup: Egyptian Giants Al Ahly Win Bronze medal
Egypt’s Al Ahly equalled their best-ever finish at the FIFA Club World Cup when they defeated South American champions, Palmeiras, after their third-place play-off ended goalless on Thursday in Qatar.
Egyptian Captain and goalkeeper, Mohamed El Shenawy, was Al Ahly’s hero in the shootout, saving Felipe Melo’s penalty to ensure that the African champions won 3-2 in Qatar.
El Shenawy had earlier saved Rony’s tame effort while Luiz Adriano missed the target, with Ahly also missing through Amr El-Sulaya and Marwan Mohsen.
Junior Ajayi thought he had made the breakthrough in the second half only for his goal to be narrowly ruled out for offside, while El-Sulaya could have done better with a first-half effort dragged wide.
There was no extra-time at the end of the game, meaning the match went straight to penalties.
“From the start of the tournament, we all promised that every player will give his maximum effort in order to achieve a good position,” El Shenawy said after the game. “Thankfully, all our efforts paid off and we managed to win the bronze medal.”
“We had a great game and we fought very hard to win the bronze medal. Our coaching staff analysed Palmeiras very well. Every player in the team only focuses on doing what is best for the whole team. Everyone fought very hard to win the bronze medal.”
Al Ahly, who performed creditably in their semi-final against Germany’s Bayern Munich to earn widespread praise, enjoyed great support from the stands, thanks to Egypt’s sizeable expatriate community in Qatar.
“The players’ spirit and determination to please our fans are the secrets behind the bronze medal,” added El Shenawy.
The record nine-time African champions’ previous best performance at the Club World Cup came in 2006, when they also finished third.
Al Ahly’s display is Africa’s best at the tournament since 2013 when Morocco’s Raja Casablanca – one of only two teams from the continent to finish runners-up, along with DR Congo’s TP Mazembe in 2010 – reached the final on home soil.
Later In the day, a 59th-minute Benjamin Pavard goal earned dominant FC Bayern München a 1-0 victory over Tigres UANL of Mexico in the final and their second FIFA Club World Cup™ triumph.
It also completed a magnificent outing for the Bavarian behemoths, emulating the achievement of Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona in 2009/10. (PANA/NAN)
The finals of Gov. Peter Mbah Secondary Schools Games, on Thursday began in Enugu with the arrival and accreditation of athletes at Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium Enugu.
Dan Onwuegbuna, Director, Information, Ministry of Youth and Sports, Enugu State, said in a statement on Thursday that the games would be held between Aug.
7 and Aug. 10 at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium and the Enugu State Sports Council.“The games is designed to help the state discover talents to represent the state at the forthcoming U15 National Youth Games scheduled to take place in Asaba, Delta, from Aug. 26 to Sept. 6,” he stated.
Onwuegbuna said that apart from representing the state at the Youth Games in Asaba, talented athletes discovered would represent the state in other competitions.
He quoted the Commissioner for Youth and Sports, Lloyd Ekweremadu as thanking Gov. Peter Mbah for approving the games.
Onwuegbuna said that the games was made possible following the collaboration between the Ministry of Youth and Sports and the state Post Primary Schools Management Board (PPSMB).
The games finals followed the outcome of the inter- Secondary Schools competitions held at the local government areas in the six Educational Zones in the State – Enugu, Agbani, Awgu, Udi, Nsukka and Udenu.
“The games will feature athletics, boxing, chess, basketball, volleyball, football, tennis and scrabble,” Onwuegbuna stated.
Super Falcons goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie has been nominated for the 2025 Women’s Yachine Trophy, the Ballon d’Or award for the best female goalkeeper.
The 24-year-old recently joined Brighton Women FC from Paris FC after helping the French side win their first major title in nearly two decades.
Nnadozie delivered a heroic performance in the final of the 2025 Coupe de France Féminine, where Paris FC edged Paris Saint-Germain 5-4 on penalties following a goalless draw at Stade de l’Épopée in Calais.She was also instrumental in Nigeria’s success at the 2024 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON), where the Super Falcons secured a record-extending 10th continental crown against host nation, Morocco.
Her standout displays earned her the Best Goalkeeper award and a place in the Team of the Tournament.
Other nominees for the Yachine Trophy include Ann-Katrin Berger (Gotham FC), Cata Coll (Barcelona Femeni), Hannah Hampton (Chelsea Women) and Daphne van Domselaar (Arsenal Women).
Nigeria’s Super Falcons maintained 36th position in the latest FIFA women’s world ranking.
The latest ranking was released on FIFA’s official website yesterday.
While the Super Falcons remain the number one team in Africa, WAFCON 2024 runners-up Morocco are third on the continent and dropped to 64th spot in the world.
Former WAFCON champions Banyana Banyana of South Africa maintained 54th place in the world and second in Africa.
Ghana’s Black Queens who claimed third place at the WAFCON dropped to 67th position in the global ranking.
The Super Falcons recently won their 10th Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) after coming from 2-0 down to beat hosts Morocco 3-2 in the final.
Second half goals from Esther Okoronkwo, Folashade Ijamilusi and substitute Jennifer Echegini completed the turnaround.
Okoronkwo, scored a goal and provided two assists against the Moroccans was Named Player of the Match.
Chiamaka Nnadozie was named Goalkeeper of the Tournament while Captain Rasheedat Ajibade won the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award.
Meanwhile, World champions Spain (1st, up 1) had an impressive run to the final of the UEFA Women’s EURO 2025 with five back-to-back wins, which was enough to see them reclaim top spot in the ranking, a position they previously held from December 2023 to June 2024.
The USA (2nd, down 1) have therefore been knocked off their perch, which they had occupied since August 2024.
However, three convincing home wins in friendlies during this period have kept the USA in contention, and they are now sitting less than two points behind Spain.
The top 10 has been shaken up completely since the June edition of the ranking, with France (6th, up 4) performing best among them.
France completed a flawless group stage at the European Championship before falling to Germany in the quarter-finals.
The next edition of the Women’s World Ranking will be published on 11 December 2025.
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