Nigeria vs RDC: Why was Osimhen substituted at halftime?
Nigeria vs RDC: Why was Osimhen substituted at halftime?Eric Chelle, the Super Eagles' head coach, explained why he substituted Victor Osimhen at halftime during the African World Cup playoff final ag...
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Arsenal’s injury woes mount ahead of Bayern clash
The international break usually provides clubs with a rare opportunity to catch their breath, at least a little. However, with the upcoming CL clash against Bayern, Arsenal is already racing against t...
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Troost-Ekong after Nigeria's elimination: 'It's a very difficult day'
InterviewTroost-Ekong after Nigeria's elimination: 'It's a very difficult day'Nigeria will not be taking part in the 2026 World Cup. The Super Eagles were eliminated on penalties by the Democratic Rep...
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Barcelona keeping tabs on former La Masia prodigy amid concerns over left-back position
A recent report from Mundo Deportivo has highlighted Barcelona’s growing concern in the left-back position.The club are not satisfied with Alejandro Balde’s performances this season, with the Span...
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![](/<figure><img alt="Nigeria vs RDC: Why was Osimhen substituted at halftime?" src="https://media.zenfs.com/en/foot_africa_articles_352/4eb2e9e6b65f03aaffce251e3be57136" data-uuid="13479958-3a24-325c-8454-0e1564dcbbe8"><figcaption>Nigeria vs RDC: Why was Osimhen substituted at halftime?</figcaption></figure><img height="0" src="https://media.zenfs.com/en/foot_africa_articles_352/4eb2e9e6b65f03aaffce251e3be57136" width="1200" data-uuid="13479958-3a24-325c-8454-0e1564dcbbe8"><p>Nigeria vs RDC: Why was Osimhen substituted at halftime?</p><p>Eric Chelle, the Super Eagles' head coach, explained why he substituted Victor Osimhen at halftime during the African World Cup playoff final against DR Congo on Sunday.</p><p><!--filtered-->Osimhen was replaced by Akor Adams as the match ended 1-1 in Rabat, before DR Congo clinched victory in the penalty shootout. Frank Onyeka and Mechak Elia had scored for their respective teams. When questioned outside the stadium about the decision to take off Osimhen, Chelle simply replied:</p><blockquote>He has an injury.</blockquote>)
![](/<figure><img alt="Arsenal’s injury woes mount ahead of Bayern clash" src="https://media.zenfs.com/en/onefootball_articles_802/230906645174188ca2de35151fcace0c" data-uuid="0cd95f1c-8e86-3eb4-9548-72b3cb4f13b3"><figcaption>Arsenal’s injury woes mount ahead of Bayern clash</figcaption></figure><p>The international break usually provides clubs with a rare opportunity to catch their breath, at least a little. However, with the upcoming CL clash against Bayern, Arsenal is already racing against time.</p><div></div><p>The reason for this is the now massive personnel concerns. Even before the international break, the Gunners had to do without an entire offensive line, including Martin Ødegaard, Gabriel Martinelli, Viktor Gyökeres, Noni Madueke, and Kai Havertz.</p><p>Now, two more regular players have been affected while with their national teams. Italy's Riccardo Calafiori didn't play at all due to hip problems. "It wouldn't have been fair to him or Arsenal," said coach Gennaro Gattuso, hinting at a precautionary measure, providing at least a little reassurance.</p><p>Defensive boss Gabriel seems to have been hit a bit harder. The Brazilian was substituted due to injury after 64 minutes in the recent match of the Seleção against Senegal. He buried his pain-stricken face in his shirt.</p><div class="onefootball-match-scores-data"><br></div><p>Subsequent examinations revealed a muscle injury in his right thigh. After the match in London, Gabriel stayed in his chosen home for further treatment. He now risks missing not only the Arsenal city derby against Tottenham (23.11.) but also shortly after against Bayern (26.11.)</p><p><em>This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. <a href="https://onefootball.com/de/news/duell-gegen-bayern-steht-an-arsenals-personalsorgen-werden-immer-groesser-41961420">You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.</a></em></p><hr><p>📸 Ryan Pierse - 2025 Getty Images</p>)
![](/<figure><img alt="Troost-Ekong after Nigeria"s elimination: "It"s a very difficult day"" src="https://media.zenfs.com/en/foot_africa_articles_352/e11229e833473fd728b7ad23729a0726" data-uuid="f3ea9403-0e12-38d1-9912-3f1fbeaa9e8e"><figcaption>Troost-Ekong after Nigeria's elimination: 'It's a very difficult day'</figcaption></figure><p>Interview</p><img height="0" src="https://media.zenfs.com/en/foot_africa_articles_352/e11229e833473fd728b7ad23729a0726" width="1200" data-uuid="f3ea9403-0e12-38d1-9912-3f1fbeaa9e8e"><p>Troost-Ekong after Nigeria's elimination: 'It's a very difficult day'</p><p>Nigeria will not be taking part in the 2026 World Cup. The Super Eagles were eliminated on penalties by the Democratic Republic of Congo after a 1-1 draw in the final of the African playoffs.</p><blockquote>We are devastated. I am proud of the boys, they gave everything, not just today, but over the past ten months.</blockquote><p>Despite the disappointment, he tried to stay positive:</p><blockquote>There are plenty of positives to take away. The future of this team is promising... but today is a very difficult day.</blockquote><p>The captain also reminded everyone that attention is already turning to the next AFCON in a month's time.</p>)
![](/<figure><img alt="Barcelona keeping tabs on former La Masia prodigy amid concerns over left-back position" src="https://media.zenfs.com/en/barca_universal_articles_732/9cdc5d4ec5387ba76ebad399945dadb3" data-uuid="8007f7a9-ec3b-37e0-8a71-29733cb3adda"><figcaption>Barcelona keeping tabs on former La Masia prodigy amid concerns over left-back position</figcaption></figure><p>A recent report from <a href="https://www.mundodeportivo.com/futbol/fc-barcelona/20251117/1002570523/debate-sobre-lateral-grimaldo-recamara.html" target="_blank">Mundo Deportivo</a> has highlighted Barcelona’s growing concern in the left-back position.</p><p>The club are not satisfied with Alejandro Balde’s performances this season, with the Spaniard showing a significant drop in performance levels.</p><p>Moreover, Barcelona lack the services of a reliable alternative. Although Gerard Martin has done well, he hasn’t shown the kind of quality that will be enough to compete with Balde in the long run.</p><p>This has forced Barcelona to scour the market for a new left-back who can act not only as a backup for Balde but also as a competitor. </p><h2>Barcelona keeping tabs on Grimaldo</h2><p>Keeping that in mind, the report points out that Barcelona are keeping tabs on Alejandro Grimaldo of Bayer Leverkusen.</p><p>Barcelona were keen on signing the former <em>La Masia</em> prodigy <a href="https://barcauniversal.com/hansi-flick-pushing-barcelona-for-a-new-defensive-signing-two-players-on-the-radar/" target="_blank">not too long ago</a>, but the club simply didn’t have the financial resources to bring him back to Catalonia.</p><img height="0" src="https://media.zenfs.com/en/barca_universal_articles_732/2995a9d741dcc57593f3d6f0cde9e8f8" width="2048" data-uuid="cfb6898a-b61f-36db-b9cf-ec6e1c89fee7"><p>Barcelona are concerned about Balde’s performances. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)</p><p>However, Barcelona’s job now could be made easier by the fact that Grimaldo has a special clause in his Leverkusen contract that allows him to join a Spanish team for a figure of around €15-20 million.</p><p>Although Barcelona would ideally like to sign Josko Gvardiol and Nuno Mendes for their quality, they are a bit unrealistic options for Barcelona right now due to their hefty price tags.</p><p>Grimaldo, to that end, is a more affordable option for Barcelona, while the Spaniard’s <em>La Masia</em> past could help transition quickly to life under Hansi Flick.</p><p>Grimaldo, for his part, remains determined to return to Barcelona and play for his former club once again. Whether or not Barcelona can make that happen, either in January or next summer, remains to be seen.</p>)