Sports

Darwin Nunez ‘moment of madness’ on Liverpool home debut was red mist, says Gary Neville

Published

1 year ago

August 16, 2022

Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville called Darwin Nunez’s red card a “moment of madness” while Jamie Carragher deemed the situation a “nightmare” for Liverpool.

Luis Diaz salvaged a 1-1 draw for Liverpool against Crystal Palace at Anfield despite Nunez having been sensationally sent off for a headbutt on his full debut. Wilfried Zaha’s first-half goal had given Palace the lead against the run of play and when Nunez reacted foolishly to a push from Joachim Andersen.

Neville said Nunez could have no complaints about the red card but sympathised with the Uruguay striker for “his moment of madness” having been in that situation himself as a player when he completely lost his head.

He said: “It’s a moment of madness. It’s a proper butt, Andersen will feel that.

“We don’t know why he’s done it. I’ve done two or three things like this in my career. We don’t know why we react. We have no idea. We go off and think ‘what did I just do’ – honestly. I kicked a ball at a fan at Everton and did a similar thing in a game against Steve McManaman. It’s that red mist. It comes over you.

“When you get sent off like that it’s the loneliest place in the world. You might have a kit man with you but it’s horrible. You are in that dressing room and your team-mates are out on the pitch. You’ve left them down and you feel so bad. You don’t need to say too much to a player that has been sent off as it’s awful anyway and they take responsibility. I’m sure he’d have gone around the dressing room to apologise. The rest of the lads in that dressing room will pick him up as it’s a good dressing room.”

ALSO READ Kremlin says Brittney Griner prisoner swap with USA must be discussed without publicity

“It’s a nightmare start for him as a player at Liverpool, it’s a nightmare for Jurgen Klopp as he is trying to integrate him into a new team. The issue wasn’t tonight, the problem is how long it will be until he is back in the team as he’ll likely only be on the bench after the suspension to get up to speed so it could be five or six weeks until we see him back in the Liverpool starting XI.”

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp:

“I’ve seen it back, that’s of course a red card. He was provoked all the time but that’s not how he should behave.

“I will talk to him, it makes no sense when I talk too much about it in public. It’s not the reaction you want to see. The centre-halves in the Premier League will do that to him, he’s a handful himself.”

‘Nunez will learn from the red card’

Liverpool midfielder James Milner:

“I didn’t see the incident [Nunez’s red card]. He is going to be disappointed in that. We have to get around him and rally. He will learn from it. The team reacted well and the ground did and got behind us. We could have nicked it but it wasn’t to be. Good teams react to disappointments and stick together. You see the readiness for the season and the fight. We have had a tough week and preparations have not been ideal. Nobody can deny we have fighting spirit.

“Sometimes you need a moment of brilliance and when you have players like Luis on the pitch, he can create something out of nothing. It was an incredible goal. Hopefully there will be many more.”

ALSO READ Wema Bank Reports Gross Earnings of ₦131.1 billion, up 42.3% y-o-y, declares dividend of 30kobo per share

Up Next

Liverpool 1-1 Crystal Palace: Luis Diaz equaliser after Darwin Nunez is sent off for a headbutt salvages point for Reds

Don't Miss

EPL: Man City players elect new captain

Click to comment

Sports

Emir of Doma Hosts Women’s B’ball League Players in Lafia

Published

2 days ago

September 22, 2023

Seun Okerayi

The Emir of Doma, Dr. Aliyu Amadu, has called on the sponsors of the Women’s Basketball League in Nigeria, Zenith Bank, to do more for basketball in the country.

He stated this while receiving all the teams and officials participating in the Second Phase of the Savannah Conference of the ongoing Zenith Bank Women’s Basketball League in Lafia, Nasarawa State yesterday.

The Emir who was a former basketball player appreciated the bank and the Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF) for allowing the state to host the national competition while assuring all the players and other visitors a great stay in the community.

The teams; Nigerian Customs, Nigerian Army, Air Warriors, Nasarawa Amazons and Plateau Rocks alongside their officials and all the referees were at the Andoma Palace on a courtesy visit while also getting the royal blessings.

“I want to welcome the ladies, who made this tournament possible, you are welcome to Nasarawa State and Doma Kingdom, the only palace in Nigeria with a basketball court,” he said.

“I want to specifically appreciate Zenith Bank for facilitating this competition, we are hoping they will do more for basketball so that the day the NBA players will be coming, we will see their banner side by side with other sponsors and it will document what they have been doing for the game of basketball in Nigeria.

The emir said that it was possible to bring NBA to Nigeria.

“We can bring NBA teams to Nigeria, we have hosted the World Cup in football, and other sports have been to Nigeria and basketball must have its place, all the other sports have been hosted and sponsored by the Nigeria government, they should do same with basketball. Several Nigerians are bringing fortunes from NBA, so why can’t we bring the game here for our people? It will be on record that Nigeria have hosted superstars here.“

ALSO READ Tracklist of Asake's second album work of art' released

Meanwhile, Nigerian Customs Ladies whitewashed Nigerian Army 76-36 points yesterday to seal their qualification to the finals in Lagos.

Sports

UCL: Bayern compounds Man U’s woes in 7goals thriller, as Arsenal return with a bang

Published

2 days ago

September 21, 2023

Seun Okerayi

Bayern Munich on Wednesday night compounded Erik Ten Hag’s Manchester United’s woes in a seven-goal thriller at the Allianz Arena.

The German champion beat Manchester United 4-3, leaving manager Ten Hag with more questions than answers about his defensive options following the team’s humiliating 3-1 home defeat to Brighton over the weekend.

Goals from Leroy Sane, and Serge Gnabri gave the German side a two-goal advantage in the first half before United fought their way back into the game.

Harry Kane and Mathys Tel completed Bayern’s lead over Man United in a game that was more of a contest than many expected.

After the break United again started well, pulling a goal back on 49 minutes with Rasmus Hojlund recording his first goal for the club with the aid of two deflections.

Within minutes, Bayern won a penalty which made the game safe, and Eriksen was adjudged – first by VAR, who advised the ref to watch a replay – to have handled Dayot Upamecano’s header.

From the penalty spot, Kane made no mistake, and though Casemiro bagged two late goals to make things interesting, Tel’s goal saw the German champions take control of the group while United desperately needed a break.

Arsenal on the other hand enjoyed a fine return to the Champions League as they thrshed PSV Eindhoven 4-0 at the Emirates Stadium.

The Gunners made a return to the Champions League after six years of absence from Europe’s elite competition. Arsenal last played in the Champions League in 2017.

ALSO READ Phil Jones kicked out of Manchester United’s dressing room

Bukayo Saka, Leandro Trossard, Gabriel Jesus, and Martin Odegaard all scored as Arsenal sent the right warning across.

Arsenal started a goal rush with Saka getting Gunner’s first inside eight minutes before Trossard doubled the lead, Jesus added a third before the break and Odegaard capped off a fine evening.

David Raya retained his place in the Arsenal goal having replaced Aaron Ramsdale for Sunday’s Premier League win at Everton.

Sports

Amusan relishes historic Diamond League win

Published

4 days ago

September 20, 2023

Seun Okerayi

World women’s 100m hurdles record holder, Tobi Amusan, says the track in Eugene, Oregon holds a special place in her heart and her list of conquests.

The Nigerian wrapped up her season on an outstanding and record-breaking note by clinching the Wanda Diamond League title for the third consecutive year on Sunday night on the track she has come to affectionately call her own.

The 26-year-old posted an impressive performance in the 100m hurdles event at the Oregon Diamond League despite facing tough competition from Olympic champion Jasmine Camacho-Quinn, Kendra Harrison, Danielle Williams, Nia Ali, Tia Jones and Megan Tapper.

Amusan started off strong and maintained her lead, clearing the final hurdle and finishing with an impressive season best time of 12.33secs. Camacho-Quinn from Puerto Rico gave a strong chase, coming in second in 12.38secs, while USA’s Harrison took third place in a time of 12.44secs.

The world champion, Jamaica’s Williams, finished fourth in 12.47secs.

This remarkable victory marked Amusan’s third consecutive Diamond League title, making her only the second woman in Diamond League history to achieve a hat-trick of 100m hurdles titles.

The Nigerian athlete accomplished this feat on the same track in Oregon, where she had won the World Championship the previous year and set the current world record of 12.12secs.

After the race, an elated Amusan said, “I came out here and said it’s my race to lose, and I will give my all. I said it’s 200 or nothing because, 100 per cent, I am not winning today (Sunday). So, I came out here, and I told God to give me the strength.

ALSO READ Wayne Rooney insists it is difficult managing Manchester United with Ferguson still around

“I said this (racing in Eugene) is God’s track. I came here, I’m like ‘This is my track; I’m going to dominate’ and God did just that.”

Amusan expressed gratitude to God, dedicating her win to her coach, her family, her fans and everyone who had supported her throughout the challenging year.

“Right now, I just want to rest. I’m just grateful to God; that’s all I can say this season. This win is not about me; it’s for my coach, my family, and everyone who supported me throughout this year. It’s been a rough one, and I’m just thankful,” she said.

The record-setting victory provided a glorious end to the season for Amusan, who had experienced disappointment after failing to defend her world title at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary, in August.