Football Glee Nigeria

Nigerian striker, Odion Ighalo grabbed a brace for Watford in their premier league clash with high flying West Ham at Vicarage road over the weekend to move Watford into mid table.

The forwards 2 goals were enough to sink West Ham. His first goal came in the 38th minute after Chelsea loanee, Nathan Ake, dispossessed Andy Carroll and crossed low for Ighalo who made no mistake.

Ighalo doubled Watford's lead after Tomkins failed to deal with a weak pass with the ball slipping through for Ighalo who blasted the roof of the net to grab his second goal and his seventh of the season.

Ighalo is now joint second highest goal scorer with Leicester City's Riyad Mahrez on 7 goals and 3 behind Leicester's goal machine Jamie Vardy.

Javier Mascherano has admitted two counts of fraud totalling 1.5 million euros.

The Barcelona defender failed to declare 1.5 million euros in earnings in 2011 and 2012, according to state prosecutors.

He admitted the charges in a brief appearance in court near Barcelona.

A court filing released in September revealed that Mascherano deposited nearly £1.25M with the authorities to repay the amount owed plus interest.

The judge however, must now decide whether the case proceeds to trial.

There is every likelihood though, that Mascherano might be made to pay a fine before the case goes to trial since he has admitted his guilt and paid the tax plus interest.

Chelsea manager, Jose Mourinho is expected to be on the bench when Liverpool visit Stamford bridge on Saturday for this weekend's premier league cracker.

Mourinho is currently facing a charge of misconduct for his behaviour in last weekend's premier league match at West Ham. He was sent off to the stands during the match as Chelsea lost 2-1 to West Ham.

His case is expected to be treated after Chelsea's game with Liverpool.

Mourinho has also lodged an appeal with the FA against a separate suspended stadium ban he received for comments he made about officials in Chelsea's 1-3 loss to Southampton where he accused officials of being scared of awarding penalties to Chelsea.

PSG winger, Angel Di Maria, has given reasons for his departure from Old Trafford last summer.

In an interview with Spanish sport paper Marca, he for the first time gave reasons for his unceremonious departure from Manchester United.

" I started very well, then I had problems with people in the club," he said.

"Then I started being put on the bench, things like that happen in football. After the robbery at my house, everything made me want to leave," he added.

He also went on to say that he initially didn't want to leave Real Madrid but when it was clear he was no longer wanted at Madrid, he opted for Paris St Germain.

 Unfortunately, due to Financial Fair Play clampdown on PSG, the deal could not be done. And so he had to proceed to United. But when the offer from PSG came last summer, he could not pass up the opportunity.

Former West Brom striker, Brown Ideye grabbed a late winner for Olympiacos in the 79th minute to give Olympiacos a vital Champions League Match day 3 win over Dinamo Zagreb in Croatia.

The striker chased what appeared a lost cause to strike home past Dinamo's Eduardo from a tight angle on 79 minutes in a smash and grab win for Olympiacos.

Dinamo created the better scoring chances but failed to utilise them whereas Olympiacos were restricted to long range efforts.

Olympiacos remains in 2nd place with 6 points in Group F behind Bayern Munich who are also on 6 points after a surprise 2-0 loss to Arsenal at the Emirates.

The Golden Eaglets have secured their place next round after they trounced hosts Chile 5-1 in the Estadio Sausalito Vina Del Mar.

It didn't take long for the Nigerian team to get on the driving seat as Chukwueze opened scoring in less than a minute after kick off. Nwakali increased the Eaglets led from the penalty spot on 17 minutes.

The goals fest continued in the second half as Chukwueze grabbed his second of the game in 61st minute while Osimhen made it 4 for Nigeria 5 minutes later again from the penalty spot.

Allende grabbed a consolation for Chile on 81 minutes but Nigeria restored their 4 goal cushion 5 minutes later through Osimhen who also got his brace.

Nigeria next takes on Croatia in their final group game.

Nigeria striker, Emmanuel Emenike has announced his international retirement from the national team. He made the announcement on Instagram in a post which indicates he may be quitting because of on going tensions in the Super Eagles camp which he described as a "threat zone" and "family house"

Emenike, 28, who currently plays for Al Ain has been out of form for the Super Eagles and last scored for Nigeria in October 2013 in the 2014 World Cup qualifiers against Ethiopia were he bagged 2 goals in Addis Ababa. Since then, he has struggled for form for both club and country.

He is the second senior player after Vincent Enyeama to retire from the national team since the last international break.

He wrote on Instagram: " No more Eagles career! After 5 great years, I am happy to announce that I have put full stop to my national team career for the sake of national peace".

"It is a pleasure for me to have played for this great country. I never regretted it and I think it is the best time to end it. Million thanks to all the fans who have been very supportive during the good times and bad times".

Emenike will be fondly remembered for his contributions to the national team during the African Cup of Nations in South Africa where Nigeria emerged winners. He won the top scorer award after scoring 4 goals.

Brazilian forward, Neymar, scored 4 goals including 2 spot kicks as Barcelona defeated Rayo Vallecano 5-2 to go joint top with La Liga rivals, Real Madrid.

Rayo Vallecano had gone ahead after 14 minutes through Guerra after he stabbed home a low cross from former Manchester United winger Bebe. 

Neymar restored parity from the penalty spot in the 22nd minute and put Barca ahead again from the penalty spot 10 minutes later.

He bagged his hat trick in the 69th minute after stabbing home a rebound after Suarez's initial shot was saved. Neymar made it 4-1 after Suarez raced clear and unselfishly squared to Neymar who tapped into an unguarded net.

Neymar returned the favour as his cross was turned into the back of the net by Luis Suarez. 

Rayo Vallecano who had created several scoring opportunities and dominated play for most of the second half got a deserved second on 86 minutes as Sanchez Ruiz took advantage of sloppy defending by Barcelona.

Neymar, 23, becomes the first Brazilian since Julio Baptista to score 4 goals in a La Liga game and is now top scorer in La Liga with 8 goals.

Reigning U-17 World Cup champions, the Golden Eaglets, got off to a winning start as they defeated the USA 2-0 in their opening match in Santiago Chile.

Chukwudi Agor put Nigeria in the driving seat 5 minutes into the second half after a goal mouth scramble in the US 6 yard box.

Nigeria increased their lead 11 minutes later after Victor Osimhen beat two US defenders to calmly finish past the hapless US goalkeeper.

Matters got worse for the USA as Auston Trusty was shown a straight red for a poor challenge.

Nigeria go top of the group after Chile were held by Croatia to a 1-1 draw. Nigeria will next take on the hosts, Chile.

Celtic and Nigeria defender, Efe Ambrose has promised to not repeat the mistakes that cost Celtic a win in their 2-2 draw with Fenerbahce in the Europa League as they head for Motherwell in this weekend's Scottish Premier League fixture.

Efe Ambrose was guilty of 2 costly mistakes which Fenerbahce's Brazilian attacker, Fernandao, took advantage of to cancel out Celtic's 2-0 lead. Leigh Griffiths and Kris Commons had put Celtic in a commanding position.

Ambrose's back header to Craig Gordon was poor and Fernandao latched at the opportunity to pull one back. He also failed to mark Fernandao as he nodded home Fenerbahce's equaliser.

Brendan Rodgers has landed a job with Qatari owned television network BeIn Sports as a pundit.

One of the network's anchormen, Richard Keys revealed on twitter Rodgers  will be recruited by the company to work as a pundit.

Rodgers has been out of work for less than 2 weeks after the ex- Liverpool boss was sacked and replaced with former Borussia Dortmund manager, Jurgen Klopp.

Rodgers will work as a pundit alongside Richard Keys and Andy Gray. His role is likely to be studio based rather than a co-commentary.

Former Liverpool and France Striker, Djibril Cisse has denied any wrongdoing after being arrested by French authorities in an inquiry into a sex tape extortion plot.

Cisse was one of four people held by French Police over an investigation into what could be an attempt to blackmail an  international footballer.

"They (French Police) came to get me to hear my side of the story. I've never blackmailed anyone," said Cisse after he was released.

It is claimed that the 3 other detainees have a mobile phone video footage of an international footballer having sex with his partner.

Prosecutors indicated that Cisse was not thought to be an instigator of the conspiracy and has been released without charge.

Liverpool have been hit with another injury blow as striker, Danny Ings, is set to miss out the rest of the season after sustaining an anterior cruciate ligament injury in Jurgen Klopp's first training session in charge of the Reds.

Ings, 23, has scored 3 goals for Liverpool in 7 matches and also recently featured for England in the Euro 2016 qualifiers against Lithuania.

Liverpool's Joe Gomez has also been ruled out for the rest of the season for a similar injury while on international duty.

Liverpool will travel to White Hart Lane to take on Tottenham Hotspurs this weekend and will also be without Belgian striker, Christian Benteke who is also nursing a hamstrung injury.

Liverpool left back, Joe Gomez, is set to miss out the rest of the season after sustaining a serious knee injury in an England U-21 game against Kazakhstan.

The 18 year old full back sustained an anterior cruciate ligament damage to his knee in England's 3-0 victory over Kazakhstan.

He was substituted 10 minutes to the end of the game.

Chelsea manager, Jose Mourinho, has been handed a suspended one match Stadium ban and £50,000 by the Football Association for his comments about match officials.

Mourinho had accused match officials for being afraid to award Chelsea penalties after referee, Robert Madley failed to award Chelsea a penalty kick in Chelsea's 1-3 loss to Southampton at Stamford Bridge.

The FA swiftly charged Mourinho for his remarks which "implied bias on the part of a match official".

Former Newcastle winger, Jonas Gutierrez, is suing Newcastle United over the way he was treated after he was diagnosed of having testicular cancer.

Gutierrez is accusing Newcastle of discrimination because of the ailment. The case is to be heard by an Employment Tribunal in March next year.

The 32 year old Argentinean was released by the club at the end of last season after being with them for 7 years.

Gutierrez who now plays for Deportivo La Coruna only made 10 appearances for the club after the initial diagnosis in 2013.

Gutierrez is said to be aggrieved that the club "did not care" about him as they informed him of their release of him over the phone.

The Super Eagles recovered from their poor outing against the Democratic Republic of Congo to defeat arch rivals Cameroon 3-0 in a friendly in Brussels.

The Super Eagles went ahead through Celtic defender, Efe Ambrose in the 39th minute as he rose highest to score an excellent free kick taken by John Obi Mikel.

Cameroun were down to 10 men shortly after the restart as captain Stephane Mbia was dismissed for a heavy challenge.

Nigeria took advantage of their numerical superiority and increased their lead after Moses Simon converted a long pass from skipper Ahmed Musa.

Odion Ighalo added gloss to the score line as he nodded home an excellent cross from Elderson Echiejile.

Rising Arsenal star, Alex Iwobi, came in as a substitute for Ahmed Musa in the 79th minute.

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) have announced that they will organise a testimonial for Super Eagles goalkeeper, Vincent Enyeama.

Enyeama,33, who has made 101 appearances for the Super Eagles, briefly quit the national team after a bust up with  national team coach, Sunday Oliseh. But after the intervention of the NFF chairman, Amaju Pinnick, Enyeama made a U-turn and reversed his decision and has since apologised for his actions.

Pinnick revealed that Enyeama deserved a befitting testimonial in appreciation for the 13 years of service he has rendered to the nation. He also stated that whether  Enyeama chooses to remain with the Super Eagles or not, Enyeama deserves a testimonial. He added that Enyeama didn't have to leave the Super Eagles under acrimonious circumstances after all the good work he has done for over a decade.

Sepp Blatter is currently appealing his 90 day suspension from his position by FIFA.

He has been suspended while the FIFA ethics committee investigate corruption allegations against him. Blatter has continually denied any wrong doing.

On Thursday, Blatter, along with Secretary General Jerome Valcke and Vice President Michel Platini were suspended. They all maintain their innocence.

New Liverpool manager, Jurgen Klopp has said that managing Liverpool is the " biggest challenge" in world football.

Jurgen Klopp replaced Brendan Rodgers as manager of Liverpool and has signed a 3 year contract which will see him earn £5m a year and could also rise up to £7m with add ons and Champions league qualification.

He will be taking over a side which is placed at 10th position with 12 points from 8 games.

"I was never a guy for an easy way. This is the most challenging job in football. This is the most interesting job in world football." He told LFCTV.

Klopp who has been out of work since May will be joined by his former assistants at Dortmund, Zeljko Buvac and Peter Krawietz.

"I know what I want. First I need to talk to the players to find a common way. We will find that and who wants to do what I propose." He continued.

Sunderland has named former West Ham manager, Sam Allardyce, as their new manager. He takes over as Dick Advocaat stepped down as manager following Sunderland's draw with West Ham after going 2 goals up.

Sam Allardyce, 60, who has been offered a 2 year contract left his post at West Ham at the end of last season after the club decided not to extend his contract.

Allardyce will be coming with a lot of experience in relegation dog fights and will be expected to re- enact those feats.

"Of course, it's a challenging job. But I hope to be able to help bring the stability and success everyone wants." Said Allardyce.

"I'm looking forward to working with the players and of course, I will be relying on the help of Sunderland supporters." He added.

Allardyce had previously managed Bolton Wanderers, Newcastle, and Blackburn Rovers. His first game is an away trip to West Brom on October 17.

Dutchman, Dick Advocaat has admitted that his Sunderland squad were not good enough to avoid a relegation scrap.

Advocaat stepped down as manager of the club after he saw his side give up a 2 goal lead and draw with West Ham leaving the club winless after 8 matches. Advocaat had stepped down briefly after aiding Sunderland to beat the drop last season but he soon changed his mind during the summer.

Advocaat in an interview with Studio Voetbal, said: "I already made my decision last week, but the club asked me to do the match against West Ham and I really wanted to finish this in style".

Stoke City Striker, Mame Biram Diouf, has been informed that his mother was among those who lost their lives in the stampede that occurred during the last Hajj in Mecca.

Stoke City via their official twitter handle announced this sad news and expressed its condolences to the Stoke forward.

It is unclear at the moment how long Diouf will be excused from club duties.

Spanish authorities have dropped criminal proceedings for tax evasion against Barcelona striker Leo Messi but will instead continue  prosecution of his father who was his agent.

Messi's father, Jorge Messi, if found guilty,  could face up to 18 months in jail and a fine of £1.6 million.

Messi and his father were accused of evading taxes to the tune of £3.1million.

Prosecutors allege that his father was able to defraud the Spanish authorities by using offshore companies in Belize and Uruguay in 2007 and 2009.

The prosecutor stated that Lionel Messi should not have to face charges since his father was in charge of his finances as documents published reveal.

Former manager of Liverpool, Brendan Rodgers, as expressed his disappointment after his three and year reign with Liverpool was cut short.

Brendan Rodgers was shown the exit door after Liverpool were held to a 1-1 draw at Goodison Park by rivals, Everton.

In a statement issued on his behalf by the League Managers' Association, Rodgers,42, said he was "incredibly disappointed" his three and a half year tenure was over.

"It has been an honour and privilege to manage one of the game's great clubs", said the Northern Irishman.

Liverpool have contacted the representatives of Jurgen Klopp in their bid to replace the sacked Brendan Rodgers.

Klopp, who is said to be open to a move to England, is regarded as the strong favourite to take over from Brendan Rodgers.

Liverpool are hoping to have a manager in charge when they visit White Hart Lane to take on Tottenham.

Jurgen Klopp,48, led Borussia Dortmund to back to back league titles in 2010-2011 and 2011-2012 seasons. He also led Borussia Dortmund to the Champions League final in 2013 where they lost to domestic rivals Bayern Munich at Wembley.

He stepped down as manager at the end of last season after he saw his Dortmund side end up in mid table due to a poor start to their Bundesliga campaign

The FA has charged Jose Mourinho for misconduct over his remarks about match officials following their 1-3 loss to Southampton at Stamford Bridge.

The FA feel his comments about the match officials "imply bias on the part of the officials".

Mourinho accused referee Robert Madley of not awarding a penalty to Chelsea and suggested that the officials were afraid to do so.

Mourinho has up until October 8 6:00pm BST to respond to the charges.

Brendan Rodgers has been relieved of his duties at Liverpool. His sack was announced by the Fenway Sports Group, owners of Liverpool, shortly after they were held to a 1-1 by Everton in the Merseyside derby.

Rodgers has been under pressure in recent weeks after Liverpool's poor start to the season. Liverpool have only won 3 of their 8 premier league games this season.

In a statement released by the FSG, they said: "Ambition and winning are at the heart of what we want to bring to Liverpool and we believe this change gives us the best opportunity to deliver it".

"The search for a new manager is under way and we hope to make an appointment in a decisive and timely manner".

Rodgers was in charge for 165 games. He won 63 of those, drew 40 and lost 42. Meaning he had a win percentage of 51.6%, inferior only to Rafa Benitez's record of 56.3%.

After the draw with Everton had gone on record to say that he wasn't feeling any pressure and that he had the backing and understanding of the owners.

Sergio Aguero returned to his best as he scored 5 goals for Manchester City in their league game with Newcastle United.  The goals came in a 20 minute spell of dominance of Newcastle by City.

The Magpies had gone ahead in the 18th minute through Alexander Mitrovic. But Newcastle failed to extend their lead when chances came their way and they eventually got punished as Aguero equalised for City 3 minutes to half time.

Aguero added two more goals within 2 minutes in the second half in the 49th and 50th minute before Kevin De Bruyne made it 4-1 in the 53rd minute.

Aguero added 2 more in the 60th and 62nd minute before he was substituted in the 66th minute.

Aguero now joins a select group of strikers who have scored 5 goals in one game. They include: Alan Shearer (Newcastle), Andy Cole (Manchester United) Dimitar Berbatov (Manchester United) and Jermaine Defoe (Tottenham Hotspur).

Watford Striker, Odion Ighalo, was on target for Watford as they held Bournemouth to a 1-1 draw on Saturday.

Ighalo capitalised on a misplaced pass by Bournemouth keeper, Artur Boruc in first half stoppage time to side foot home. Gkenn Murray,who was filling in for the injured Callum Wilson, put the Cherries in front earlier in the 28th minute.

Murray should have restored Bournemouth's lead in the second half but he failed to convert a penalty awarded to Bournemouth late in the game.

Ighalo has now netted 21 goals in 26 league games in 2015, more than any player in the top 4 divisions.

Barcelona were defeated for the 2nd time this season as they suffered defeat at the hands of Sevilla 2-1in Seville.

Barcelona played for the first time since 2011 without the trio of Lionel Messi, Xavi Hernandez and Andreas Iniesta. Both Messi and Iniesta are suffering injuries.

Krohn-Dehli put the hosts ahead in the 52nd minute while Iborra extended their lead in the 58th minute. Neymar pulled one back for the visitors in the 74th minute from the penalty spot but could not inspire his side to get anything out of the game.

Barca will rue their luck as they struck the woodwork 5 times during the game against a team still struggling in La Liga.

Barcelona has also now lost back to back away games. They lost 4-1 to Celta Vigo in their previous away game.

Chelsea suffered more misery over the weekend as they lost at home to Southampton 1-3 despite going ahead early in the game.

Willian put the Blues ahead on 10 minutes with a well taken free kick. The goal was Willian's 4th of the season. But any hopes that Chelsea present woes were about changing fizzled quickly as Steven Davis Drew Southampton level 2 minutes before half time.

In the 60th minute, Sadio Mane put Southampton in front after failing to convert several scoring opportuniities at the start of the second half. Things grew from bad to worse for Chelsea as Graziano Pelle made the game safe for Southampton by scoring 18 minutes from time.

This defeat leaves Chelsea 16th on the league table and also means that they have already conceded 17 goals already in just 8 games this season, already over half of what they conceded in the whole of last season.