Troost-Ekong, who joined Al Kholood from Greek champions PAOK this summer, had been involved in two defeats and one draw in his first three games for the Ar Rass-based club.

The tide, however, turned in favour of the Super Eagles skipper in his fourth attempt in their away clash with Al Wehda.

2019 AFCON top goalscorer Ighalo was looking for his second goal of the season but Troost-Ekong kept his compatriot quiet to help the visitors keep their first clean sheet.

3⃣ WE MOVE! pic.twitter.com/RaXDNcak0J

— William Troost-Ekong (M.O.N) (@WTroostEkong) September 19, 2024

Spanish attacker Álex Collado netted the only goal of the encounter in the 60th minute to hand Al Kholood all three points out of the relegation zone.

Champions League

Ademola Lookman created two goalscoring chances but Atalanta failed to capitalise as the Italians were held to a goalless draw in Bergamo.

Victor Boniface shone like a million stars as Bayer Leverkusen strolled to a 4-0 away win at Feyenoord in the Netherlands.

Peter Olayinka did his bit for Red Star Belgrade but it was not enough to help his team avoid a 2-1 home loss to Portuguese giants Benfica.

George Ilenikhena powered home a stunning second-half finish to inspire AS Monaco to a thrilling 2-1 victory over ten-man Barcelona.

https://twitter.com/AS_Monaco_EN/status/1836869912322543780

The Lagos-born teenager, 18, becomes the youngest Champions League goalscorer in the history of Monaco, breaking the record set by Kylian Mbappe.

The Bafana Bafana of South Africa will play against the Super Eagles after both sides met at the AFCON 2023 semi-final, where the game ended in a penalty shoot-out, with Stanley Nwabali stepping up to be Nigeria’s hero.

Ikpeba, who won the AFCON 1994 title with the Super Eagles warned the Nigerian footballers to be very careful against the South Africans, and in the same vein, called for the Nigerian populace to give their support to the Super Eagles, so they can make the most of their home advantage.

“South Africa will be stubborn as we saw at the last AFCON. They have a lot going for them and are no longer intimidated by Nigeria. The Super Eagles have to therefore step up to beat them in Uyo. It won’t be an easy match, but Nigeria have the players to win. This is a game of their lives and Finidi (George) has to get them to win this match. We have to support the team to get the job done,” the 50-year-old told Score Nigeria.

Nigeria will be without Victor Osimhen and Nathan Tella. The former will be unavailable due to an injury he sustained with Napoli, while the latter pulled out of the squad for family reasons. The pair have been replaced by Kenneth Igboke and Ibrahim Olawoyin.

After retiring from football,  the former Enugu Rangers full-back accrued experience with Chelsea as an assistant manager, and later as a Technical Director with the London side. He also worked with AS Monaco in France as a Sporting director.

Earlier this season, the 57-year-old was appointed the Saudi Pro League’s chief football executive, leaving him the sole task of overseeing football affairs in Saudi Arabia, focusing on developing the competition and the teams.

Speaking in an interview with the Telegraph, Emenalo revealed his plans for the Saudi Pro League after they’ve drawn big footballing names like Karim Benzema, Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar.

However, the former Monaco Sporting director isn’t satisfied with the motive, citing that the ambition of the league is to create an “absolute top product” where the likes of Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe want to play.

Salah was the subject of a failed £150 million bid from Al-Ittihad last year and has one more year left on his Liverpool deal. In the same way, De Bruyne, 32, has the same period remaining on his contract with Manchester City and Emenalo believes they can help the Saudi League achieve their goal.

“It does help that on a public level, their performance is there, their quality is indisputable. All things being equal, which means their clubs, the players, management, our situation, our stakeholders and everybody, these are the types of players that can significantly improve what we’re trying to do. There’s no hiding away from that,” the former Notts County defender told the Telegraph.

In his playing days, Emenalo racked up 14 appearances for the Super Eagles of Nigeria, playing in the 1994 FIFA World Cup.

English-Nigerian defender, Tosin Adarabioyo, appears poised to depart London club Fulham FC as negotiations have yet to materialise into a concrete deal, Soccernet.ng reports.

This lack of progress in discussions has provided potential suitors, including London-based Tottenham and French outfit Monaco, an opportunity to secure his services as a free agent, given his contract’s impending expiration in less than six months.

Reports from Italian transfer expert Fabrizio Romano’s ‘Daily Briefing’ indicate that Tosin, previously linked with a switch to play for the Super Eagles, has not received a fresh offer from Fulham.

Having emerged from the Manchester City Academy, the player remains undecided about his future, considering multiple clubs’ interest in signing him as a free agent.

Despite various UK media outlets reporting on this matter, The Sun News has disclosed that the 26-year-old has expressed his desire to depart Fulham as a free agent at the end of the season.

Although the Cottagers proposed a new deal under his current terms, the defender seems inclined to turn it down, favouring a departure at the campaign’s conclusion.

Amidst these developments, the Daily Mail notes persistent interest from rival clubs, suggesting a potential bargain deal in January.

Fulham are aware this could be their final opportunity to capitalise on the center-back. However, the player’s rapport with manager Marco Silva remains positive, leaving options open regarding his future.

Adarabioyo has made two starts this season, featuring against Nottingham Forest and West Ham United, notably scoring in the recent 5-0 victory against West Ham. He aims to further showcase his abilities in Fulham’s upcoming clash against Burnley.

Former Arsenal youth product Folarin Balogun has made a surprising choice for his top three best strikers in the world, with Victor Osimhen, Erling Haaland of Manchester City, and France’s Kylian Mbappe receiving his praise, Soccernet.ng reports.

In a viral video on social media, Balogun, who is currently on loan at Stade de Reims, expressed his admiration for these exceptional strikers.

Despite his own impressive record of 21 goals in 37 matches, Balogun still looks up to these top talents in the striker role.

In the video shared by ESPN, Balogun explained his choices, naming Haaland as his top pick due to the electrifying Norwegian forward’s incredible skills.

He described Osimhen as a “World Class striker” and acknowledged Mbappe’s remarkable positioning in front of the goal.

“I think I’d say over the last couple of seasons, he has really made that move into a World Class striker,” Balogun noted.

Watch the video here:

https://twitter.com/espnuk/status/1715654154373185958?s=46&t=b9FUBUNstw3lkK85djbEwA

While Osimhen is currently sidelined due to injury, he had been in remarkable form for Napoli, helping them secure a Scudetto victory after 33 years.

He has continued this excellent form into the current season, with six goals in eight domestic league appearances.

Super Eagles striker Terem Moffi failed to score for Nice, but Jeremie Boga’s second-half finish ensured that they defeated Monaco at Stade Louis II, Soccernet reports.

After scoring twice and assisting another in Nice’s 3-2 victory over PSG last week, Moffi was looking to produce another top performance for the Eagles.

Both teams were pretty even in the early exchanges, with chances falling on both ends, but they failed to utilise them. Unfortunately for Monaco, they conceded a penalty in the 9th minute after a foul by Jordan Lotomba.

Folarin Balogun was tasked with taking the penalty, but it was saved. Moffi did not get a lot of joy in the first half, but he still had another 45 minutes to create magic.

Nice conceded another penalty in the 55th minute after a foul by Morgan Sanson. Balogun took charge of the penalty again. Still, Marcin Bulka in Nice’s goal saved it.

Moffi had two shots on goal but none of them ended up in the net. He also had 27 touches and two key passes. However, he was taken off in the 78th minute for Evann Guessand.

Nice eventually got the vital winner late in the game as Jeremie Boga scored the in stoppage-time to ensure it ended 1-0.

Super Eagles midfielder Bonke Innocent was missing in action as FC Lorient forced visiting AS Monaco to a 2-2 draw in a matchday five clash in the Ligue 1 on Sunday, Soccernet.ng reports. 

Innocent has seen only four minutes of action in Ligue 1 this season, with his absence largely unexplained by Lorient or the player.

Against Monaco, Lorient manager Régis Le Bris deployed Julien Ponceau and Laurent Abergel in the centre of the park.

The tactical setup appeared to have worked great as Benin Republic forward Ayegun Tosin gave the home side the lead in the second minute.

But Monaco gave the perfect response 15 minutes later through a fine strike from Russian winger Aleksandr Golovin.

Nothing separated the two teams until the 69th minute when former Arsenal striker Folarin Balogun, who was introduced from the bench two minutes earlier, put Monaco ahead for the first time in the encounter.

But deep into stoppage time, Lorient’s number ten Romain Faivre smashed home the equaliser to ensure a share of the points with the visitors.

The point sends Monaco to the top of the Ligue 1 table with 11 points, ahead of second-place Reims with ten points and OGC Nice with nine.

It would be recalled that Super Eagles striker Terem Moffi scored twice and assisted the other in a man-of-the-match display to inspire Nice to a thrilling 2-3 win away at Kylian Mbappe’s PSG.

However, despite this setback, AS Monaco remain determined to secure Adarabioyo’s services, albeit with a twist – they plan to sign him for free next summer. [via ASMFC]

Tottenham and Monaco had emerged as the top contenders vying for the signature of the Manchester City-trained defender. 

Fulham were inclined towards negotiating with Tottenham, who were willing to meet their financial demands. However, the player himself had his sights set on joining Monaco.

After days of negotiations, Fulham had finally opened the door to the departure of the talented defender. This development buoyed AS Monaco’s hopes of striking a deal.

However, the crux of the matter remained unchanged – Fulham did not budge from their €15 million valuation of Adarabioyo. This figure proved to be a stumbling block for his move to Ligue 1.

As a result, Adarabioyo will continue to wear Fulham’s colors. However, with only one year left on his contract, Les Monegasques are plotting a strategic move. They aim to secure the player’s services on a free transfer next summer, capitalising on his contract situation.

For Adarabioyo, staying put at Fulham means that he will now focus on earning a spot in manager Marco Silva’s plans. He faces stiff competition, notably from Nigerian defender Calvin Bassey, who recently joined from Ajax, for one of the two coveted center-back positions.

Notably, Fulham have strengthened their midfield by acquiring dynamic Super Eagles playmaker Alex Iwobi just before the transfer deadline.

Iwobi and Bassey could play pivotal roles in influencing Adarabioyo’s international allegiance. Although the England-born defender has shown inclinations towards representing Nigeria, he has yet to announce his decision formally.

This is a significant departure from Fulham’s initial stance this summer, where Tottenham had been the favourites to secure Adarabioyo’s services.

Serie A giants Inter Milan were also interested in the versatile defender earlier this year. But they have not firmed up their interest during the transfer window. 

While Fulham had maintained a steadfast desire to offload the player to Tottenham, Adarabioyo’s unwavering determination to join the Principality side has gradually shifted the balance of power.

The latest twist in this transfer saga unfolded just days ago during a training session, according to Foot Mercato. 

Per the report, Adarabioyo displayed his discontent during training, promptly gathering his belongings in response to coach Marco Silva’s directive.

Silva had clarified that those players not fully committed to the club’s cause should depart. Adarabioyo took this directive literally, a move that did not go unnoticed.

In light of the player’s clear desire to leave, Silva has been working behind the scenes to facilitate Adarabioyo’s move to Monaco.

Following this incident, discussions surrounding the transfer were reignited between Fulham and AS Monaco.

This suggests a growing likelihood of Adarabioyo’s imminent departure to the Ligue 1 club.

The potential transfer to Monaco also holds significance for Adarabioyo’s international aspirations.

Having been overlooked by the English national team, the center-back now appears more inclined to represent three-time African champions, Nigeria.

However, to bolster his chances of securing a spot with the Super Eagles, Adarabioyo needs regular playing time in one of Europe’s top five leagues.

Super Eagles defender Calvin Bassey has completed the first part of his first medical ahead of his transfer to Premier League club Fulham, Soccernet reports.

Bassey has been heavily linked with a transfer away from Dutch Eredivisie giants Ajax to the Premier League this summer. The 23-year-old defender just joined the club last summer, but he failed to adjust to the club’s playing style.

Brighton were in the mix at first, as they were looking for a replacement for Levi Colwill, who looks primed to remain at Chelsea. However, Fulham emerged as frontrunners, and they have gone about their business sharply.

They agreed on a €21million fee with Ajax, and he travelled to the US for his medical on Thursday.

According to transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, Bassey has completed the first part of his medical, and they just need to complete some minor details before the transfer is sealed. In fact, the transfer is supposed to be completed, and Bassey should be announced by Saturday.

Bassey is expected to take over Anglo-Nigerian defender Tosin Adarabioyo’s place in the Fulham backline as the latter is set to join Monaco.