Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane has expressed happiness with Karim Benzema after his brace in their thrashing of APOEL.

Cristiano Ronaldo and Benzema happened to have scored two goals each during the APOEL 6-0 trash by Real Madrid in Nicosia tonight.

According to TF, Zidane said at the final whistle: "We have played a very good game, very serious."

On Benzema and Ronaldo, he continued: "I am happy for them, they will continue working, we knew that this was going to happen, that their goals would come, we have to keep working, we know that both are very good, now we have to think about the next match.

"We are calm, we have had bad moments, but we will have better times.

"All the players of this squad are involved and prepared, they are all very good."

Photo credit: Football365

Liverpool started well as they were able to net 3 goals during the first half of the game played in Spain. But they allowed complacency to get into their game as they fell to an astonishing revival from Sevilla.


“We stopped playing football in the second half,” Klopp declared. “We have one real weapon - playing football - and we didn’t do that in the second half before we conceded the second goal.

“It was absolutely OK that we were confident after that first half. It’s obvious what we did – the real problem is we stopped playing football. Our main mistake was that for 15 minutes we didn’t play football, we were passive, we were a little bit too deep. They fought back and well done to them.


“It feel like we lost, but we didn’t lose. There is a game to go and it’s still in our hands but at the moment it feels really bad.”

Source: The Independence
Photo credit: LiverpoolFC

Banky Wellington Recovers from 3rd Skin Cancer tumor Surgery

November 10, 2017

The past few weeks of recovery have been tough, but beautiful. I’m finally back on my feet, feeling stronger and ready to get back to life. I’m especially thankful to my Nurse Susu for loving me and being by my side every step of the way – I don’t deserve U ??,

Banky W at the hospital after skin cancer surgery/ Photo credit: Instagram

Banky Wellington popularly known as BankyW took to his social media page to share with friends and fans the story of his recent successful surgery. Banky posted pictures of the scars and made a quite touching statement that would leave you thanking and appreciating the almighty all day.

”A wise man once said this: “Scars. A sign that you had been hurt. A sign that you had been healed.” Scroll through the pictures to see mine.

I’m sharing these because they’re proof of what God has brought me through. And because somewhere out there, I know there’s someone who needs to hear this.

Banky W scar after the surgery / Photo credit: Instagram

For those who’ve been wondering why I’ve been away so long..I had my 3rd surgery on a rare strain of skin cancer tumours in my shoulder last month. The first 2 times were over 10 yrs ago, then it recently resurfaced. But this isn’t a sad story as much as it is a reminder, and a testimony.

A reminder that you should never take life for granted. You only get 1 shot. Some people went to sleep and never woke up. Many others have lost the battle to cancer and other illnesses. Many are still fighting. U never know when your time will be up so don’t waste another minute. It’s also a testimony about the goodness of God. I think I had to go through this again to remember how merciful God is to me; Lord knows I don’t deserve it but He saves me time and again anyway. I keep saying I need to write a book. I really, really do.

Banky W on his feet after the surgery/ Photo credit: Instagram

The past few weeks of recovery have been tough, but beautiful. I’m finally back on my feet, feeling stronger and ready to get back to life. I’m especially thankful to my Nurse Susu for loving me and being by my side every step of the way – I don’t deserve U ??, my parents & siblings, in-laws & close friends for the love, support and prayers, my Pastors – Pastor Tony Rapu & Pastor Del Balogun of TPH, Pastor Taiwo Odukoya and Pastor Bayo Adeyokunnu – for constantly praying with and for me. And of course to Dr Wodajo & Dr Miralli & their teams – who God used to operate on me successfully.

I’m thankful for life, provision and healing. Pls dont feel bad, or msg me with any worries.. God has done it, just thank Him for me.
The pain will eventually go away but the scar won’t – and I’m glad because it’s a reminder to me of what God has done, and evidence to you of what He CAN do. I’m not stronger or better than anyone. I’m just a living testimony that no matter what u face, U can survive & thrive, by God’s grace.”

4 common human causes of car accidents

  

Here are 4 common human mistakes that lead to car crashes on the road.

Driving a car is not a piece of cake. Actually, it requires a number of skills to have a safe trip. It is estimated that there are about 10 million car accidents happening in the world every year and this number is non-stop year by year.

Nigeria is also not an exception. According to an annual report, human error is one of the main reasons leading to car accidents and crashes in the past few years. Here we list the 4 most popular and dangerous human mistakes to avoid so that you can have a safe trip.

1. Drunk or drugged driving

Drinking and using drugs before or while driving can endanger you. Although drivers themselves know well that they shouldn’t get drunk or use the drug while driving, they still underestimate the influence of these.

Drivers must be alert and focused while sliding behind the wheel unless they fail to control their driving. Not only alcohol could thrust us into danger but smoking pot and other drugs can also make us intoxicated and uncontrollable.

Don’t drink and drive! Leave your car alone if you are inebriated. Taking a taxi is a great idea.

Don’t drink and drive! Leave your car alone if you are inebriated

2. Inappropriate speeding

Over speeding is the second leading cause of car accidents after drunk driving. Driving too fast will pose a threat not only to the driver but also the passengers even the pedestrians and traffic participants. However, driving too slow will also put you in trouble with other vehicles especially in the freeways. A study shows that the possibility of a crash increases when the speed is above or below the average speed.

Therefore, adjusting the speed when driving is an important skill that keeps your trip safe. And even when the weather is bad, don’t risk going fast, this can kill you.

The possibility of a crash increases  when the speed is above or below the average speed

3. Tired and sleepy driving

When you are tired, all you need is a rest. When you are sleepy, all you need is a sleep. Otherwise, drowsy driving can lead you to a damage of a crash. When your body needs to sleep, it will tend to get it. So you cannot react promptly and flexibly in case of necessity or even just driving properly.

Alertness is a necessary condition for the driver to sit in front of the steering wheel. You need to take a short rest before driving if you get tired and sleep a little to awake yourself if you are sleepy.

Alertness is a necessary condition for the driver to sit in front of the steering wheel

4. Distracted driving

Distracted driving includes any activity that deflects driver’s attention on the go. Drinking, eating, talking and texting on your phone are the most common expressions of distracted driving leading to car accidents.

Care and patience are two qualities that are never excessive especially for drivers. So do not harm yourself and others just because of your distraction.

Distracted driving includes any activity that deflects driver’s attention on the go

Ronaldo has endured a nightmare start to the season, scoring just one La Liga goal for Real Madrid so far.

There seems to be genuine concern at the Bernabeu that their talisman is finished, with the 32-year-old approaching the twilight years of his career.

And Spanish website Don Balon claims that Lionel Messi thinks Ronaldo will never rediscover the form that has made him such a formidable opponent of the years.

Ronaldo won FIFA’s Player of the Year award last month for his exploits for Los Blancos last term, where he fired them to Spanish and European glory..

But the brutal fact is he has looked unworthy of that award based on this season’s performances.
He has eight goals across all competitions but Madrid’s domestic plight has coupled with his own.

Barcelona already sit eight points clear of Real Madrid at the summit, with Valencia sandwiched in between.
Don Balon say Messi also intends to up his game even further to beat Ronaldo to individual awards next season.

The 30-year-old supposedly reckons Ronaldo will be unable to match his own goalscoring exploits, with the Argentina international already having 12 for the current campaign.

But Barcelona’s performances as a team will no doubt determine what awards he scoops in 2018.

Rojo and Fellaini were expected to miss the vital trip to Stamford Bridge after lengthy spells on the sidelines, but the duo appear to be close to a first team return after they boarded the United train on Saturday.
Fellaini’s presence may be crucial to United at Chelsea, with Mourinho often turning to the towering Belgian attacking midfielder if his side are chasing goals late in a game, while Rojo will be looking to make his first appearance since April after a serious knee injury.

The duo’s return will be a welcome boost to United, with boss Mourinho suggesting his side’s uninspiring performances in recent weeks has been due, in part, to a lengthy injury list.

Even though Mourinho hit out at his rivals for ‘moaning’ about injuries last month - in comments that many suspected were directed at Chelsea boss Antonio Conte, the United boss has been doing some complaining of his own in the build up to his return to Stamford Bridge.


“I should cry every week about our injuries and remember everybody day after day or press conference after press conference,” states Mourinho. “I should remember every day our situation, so it’s my fault, it’s my decision, it’s my way of dealing with problems, it’s my way of trying to motivate and give confidence to the players that are going to replace people.

“But again maybe I have to reconsider my profile. I know that I moan with a lot of things but I don’t do with injuries and probably I should because your question is a good question.

“I think any other manager would be speaking about Pogba every day. ‘Oh I don’t have Pogba, oh when I have Pogba, oh 10 matches without Pogba, oh all the Champions League group phase without Pogba, oh all the big matches against Liverpool, against Chelsea, against Spurs without Pogba.’
“I don’t speak about Pogba one single time, it’s only when you ask me about his situation and it’s not just Pogba. It’s Fellaini, it’s Carrick, it’s Ibra, it’s Marcos Rojo, it’s a big group of players. So yes, I think we are doing very, very well. Very, very well.

“I really think that you and the specialists, you know the football that we were playing in the beginning of the season. You know and now you pretend you don’t know.

“Now you pretend that we never played amazing football, we never scored lots of goals, we never scored amazing goals, we never had our midfield players and our defenders arriving in the opposition box and scoring goals and creating chances, I know that you know that.

“You just pretend because it’s convenient for you to pretend that this didn’t exist, but exist. And we miss our players, of course, and we had to play big matches without them and probably we are going to play one more without them again.”

The Special One enjoyed working with the France international at the Bernabeu and has been interested in adding him to his squad ever since he took over from Louis van Gaal.

Spanish outlet Don Balon claim Mourinho thinks Varane is in the wrong hands as he continues to play for Zinedine Zidane.

The former Chelsea boss has also reportedly told the 24-year-old he will enjoy a better playing career in the Premier League.

Varane has made 11 appearances in all competitions for Real this season but has struggled to find his best form.

United have held a long-term interest in the centre-back ever since Sir Alex Ferguson was in charge at Old Trafford.
The Red Devils currently have a number of central defenders at their disposal.

Mourinho has Chris Smalling, Eric Bailly, Phil Jones, Marcos Rojo and Victor Lindelof to pick from with Daley Blind also able to play in the position.


Speaking back in March, Varane confirmed he had a ‘special relationship’ with Manchester United boss Mourinho.

"I mostly wondered if the club was in line with my project, namely to play," he said when quizzed on why he decided to stay at Real.
.

.Manchester United's Paul Pogba transfer negotiations were so complex Jose Mourinho vetoed a move for Miralem Pjanic after it emerged Juventus were interested in the Bosnian playmaker. Mourinho allowed the brilliant Balkan to join the Italian champions so Juve had a creative option to offset the probable departure of Pogba.
Mourinho was initially pessimistic about United's chances of signing Pogba amid expected competition from Real Madrid and the saga was also compromised by France's European Championship campaign. Agents were banned from entering the team's hotel, which was not ideal for the combustible Mino Raiola, whose client Blaise Matuidi was a fall-back option in the event Pogba moved to Madrid.

When Mourinho identified the areas in the United squad he wanted to strengthen, the term M.E.N. Sport revealed he used for the central midfielder was 'captain'. Pogba was not ready to have the armband strapped to his bicep last term but it took him a mere month to earn that privilege in his second campaign.

The Blues were thoroughly beaten by the Serie A side, and are the only English side to have lost a game in the Champions League this season.

Chelsea’s defending at points in the Roma match was so bad that it has been extensively mocked on social media.

Matt Law, a good source for Chelsea news, reports that Conte was “seething” and gave the “Chelsea players a brutal dressing down.”
Two new Chelsea injuries revealed
There is much to concern Chelsea fans who will be reading this and wondering how long Antonio Conte will remain at Stamford Bridge..


Law writes: “The Board are sympathetic of the fact that Conte’s squad has been hit by injuries and suspensions, and there is also a level of acceptance that the summer transfer window could have gone better.”

But, he also reveals that two key Chelsea midfielders are carrying injury problems ahead of the key Premier League match against Manchester United on Sunday.

Law: “Injuries to N’Golo Kante and Danny Drinkwater have meant that Tiemoue Bakayoko has had to play with pain in his knee, while Cesc Fabregas has shown signs of fatigue after working himself into the ground.”
Who will start in the Chelsea midfield on Sunday?

N’Golo Kante has been out with a hamstring injury since playing for France in Bulgaria during the last international break.

The Chelsea coaching staff are hopeful over Kante but it is far from definite he will play.
As it stands, Danny Drinkwater will surely have a good chance of starting against Manchester United.

Bakayoko has endeared himself to Chelsea fans by colouring his hair blue but has struggled in recent games.

The revelation above explains his poor form. But, this must be a huge worry, considering Bakayoko missed the start of the season due to a knee injury.

And, if Fabregas is exhausted, why does he keep playing in a central midfield role?

Cristiano Ronaldo admits that the loss of the likes of Alvaro Morata to Chelsea has weakened Real Madrid.
Morata opted to leave Madrid in the summer transfer window as Antonio Conte moved quickly to bolster his attacking options at Stamford Bridge.

The 25-year-old signed for the Blues back in July and is seen as the main replacement for Diego Costa at the west London club.
Morata has been making a steady start to life in London, with the striker having netted six goals in the Premier League so far this season.

And Ronaldo admits that the loss of Morata in the summer has hampered Real Madrid, who were beaten 3-1 by Tottenham in the Champions League on Tuesday night.


Ronaldo is quoted as saying by Metro: “The players who have come in have great potential.

“But Pepe, Morata and James Rodriguez made us stronger – now the team is younger.

“We are also without [Dani] Carvajal and [Gareth] Bale. ‘It’s not a worse squad, but it has less experience and that is very important – though it is not an excuse. I’m happy and don’t want to set off alarms.”

Morata will be hoping to feature for Chelsea when the Blues return to Premier League action on Sunday afternoon with a crunch clash against Manchester United at Stamford Bridge.
The Blues head into that game looking to get back to winning ways after the disappointment of their 3-0 loss to Roma in the Champions League on Tuesday night.

Chelsea are currently fourth in the table and nine points behind leaders Manchester City after 10 games of the new campaign.

Manchester United could have the services of midfielder Paul Pogba ahead of this weekend’s Premier League clash versus Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. The France international has missed as many as 10 games for United since sustaining a hamstring injury versus Basel in mid-September.

According to The Sun, the 24-year-old is looking ‘good and sharp’ in training and could make the matchday squad for Sunday’s late kickoff against the Premier League champions.

As per the report, Pogba has rejoined his fellow teammates in full training, and he stands the chance of at least making the substitutes’ bench, should he go unscathed in the sessions prior to the Blues game.

United had to utilise reduced resources in central midfield last month with the likes of Pogba, Michael Carrick and Marouane Fellaini all on the sidelines.

Carrick returned from a mystery illness earlier in the week, and it appears that Pogba has followed the veteran in first-team training with Fellaini – the only midfielder out with a knee strain.

United currently trail league leaders Manchester City by five points, and Jose Mourinho may have to adopt an attacking approach versus Chelsea on the road – in order to come up with all three points.

Antonio Conte’s side were in tatters during the 3-0 Champions League loss at AS Roma, and Manchester United have the perfect opportunity to capitalise on any jitters in the Blues backline..

Cristiano Ronaldo was left in awe by the performance of Tottenham’s Christian Eriksen during Los Blancos’ 3-1 humbling at Wembley on Wednesday night, and wants to bring the Dane to the Santiago Bernabeu, according to a report.
 Ronaldo wants chairman Florentino Perez to move for the midfielder and fill the gap left in Real’s midfield by the departure of James Rodriguez..


Spurs dominated the game against the two-time defending champions, securing qualification for the knockout stages with their first ever win over Madrid.

There were dazzling performances all over the pitch for Tottenham, including a starring role for Dele Alli as he bagged a brace, but it was Eriksen who left Ronaldo wanting more.
The report claims Ronaldo thinks the Dane would fit perfectly into Real’s midfield, and help to provide both competition and rest for the overworked Luka Modric and Toni Kroos, with Zinedine Zidane unsure over the quality of new signing Dani Ceballos.
Eriksen sealed Spurs’ victory with their third goal on the night, finishing coolly after being played through by Harry Kane, and was involved heavily throughout the night as the North Londoners secured a famous win.

CRISTIANO RONALDO has endured a slow start to the campaign and Lionel Messi reportedly knows what is bothering the Real Madrid star. .

Other than his six goals in the Champions League so far, Ronaldo has struggled in front of goal with just one La Liga goal to his name.

He missed the opening four games of the season due to a suspension picked up in the first leg of the Spanish Super Cup win against Barcelona.

But Real Madrid lost on his return to league action in a shock 1-0 defeat to Real Betis.
And last weekend’s loss to Girona was followed by a demoralising defeat to Tottenham with the Premier League side mounting more pressure on Zinedine Zidane.

In contrast, Barcelona have enjoyed a near perfect record in the league with Messi scoring 12 in 10 games.

And the Argentina international reportedly knows why Ronaldo has been struggling of late.

According to Diario Gol, Ronaldo is secretly annoyed that he isn’t getting a contract renewal despite publicly stating his intent not to do so.
The report claims Ronaldo is upset because he wants to be on the same wage as Messi at Barcelona and the Portuguese star will leave on a free at the end of his contract.
Ronaldo recently beat Messi to 2017’s Best FIFA Men’s Player award for the second year running and is odds-on favourite to win this year’s Ballon d’Or.

The 32-year-old will be hoping to add to his one goal in La Liga this weekend when Real host Las Palmas on Sunday (7.45pm).

The 36-year-old, named as a substitute for the Ligue 1 side's fixture away to Vitoria, was sent off even before the game got under way for an "altercation with supporters", according to a live text commentary on the Marseille website.

Video footage showed Evra lashing out at one of his own club's fans as players and supporters, who had seemingly scaled barriers to reach the advertising hoardings at the Estadio D Afonso Henriques in Guimaraes, confronted each other at the side of the pitch. Evra was then was ushered away by a team-mate.

According to a report in L'Equipe, he was reacting to taunts directed at him.

The Frenchman, who won five Premier League titles and the Champions League during an eight-year spell with United, joined Marseille from Juventus in January..

.Chelsea star Alvaro Morata has released an interview with Four Four Two to discuss about his first months in England and in the Premier League.

The Spaniard joined the Stamford Bridge in the summer and Cristiano Ronaldo is already regretting letting him go.

Morata, however, has never felt as happy as he does at Chelsea right now.

“This is perhaps the first time in my senior career that I've started five matches in a row, or felt like the No.1 striker at a club. Any coach who gives you that support gives you so much confidence it’s what I needed this year”, the Spaniard told the British magazine.

“It’s a big responsibility being the main centre-forward at Chelsea, because you’re the team’s  the reference point. You support every attacking move, because they look to get the ball into your feet or into the channels. Conte? After bringing me to Juventus before he joined Italy in 2014, I always thought that we would get back together. He’s gone to the death for me. His is a huge assist, if you like, for me coming to Chelsea, because I really wanted to renew that relationship with him and repay all the faith that he’s shown in me.”

The Premier League side, who defeated Benfica 2-0 at Old Trafford on Tuesday night to seal their fourth consecutive UEFA Champions victory this term, have been linked with the Celtic forward ahead of the forthcoming January transfer window.
The 21-year-old, who has featured eight times for France’s Under-21 side, has scored five goals and provided two assists in 11 appearances in all competitions for the defending Scottish Premiership champions so far this season.

Dembele, who joined Celtic back in June 2016 following his switch from EFL Championship outfit Fulham, has since netted an impressive 37 strikes in 60 games overall for Brendan Rodgers’ side, winning the league title, Scottish League Cup and Scottish Cup.

The report suggests Red Devils manager Jose Mourinho is the frontrunner to land Frenchman Dembele, who played the full 90 minutes last night as FC Bayern Munich defeated Celtic 2-1 to knockout them out of the Champions League.

The Wales international was called up for his country’s upcoming friendlies against France and Panama.

That’s despite Bale not playing since suffering a calf injury in Real Madrid’s Champions League win over Borussia Dortmund in September.

He missed Wales’ two final World Cup qualifiers against Georgia and the Republic of Ireland.

And his inclusion has reportedly angered Real chiefs and are getting ready to sell the former Tottenham star.
.Real believe Bale’s decision to join up with the Wales squad is part of his plan to manoeuvre a move away from the Bernabeu.

And it is said the La Liga giants will look to offload Bale as soon as possible.

Since moving to the Spanish capital in 2013 he has lifted the Champions League three times as well as the league title last season.

But his time in Madrid has been plagued by injuries as he played just 19 La Liga games last campaign.

His latest setback is the 18th injury the Welshman has suffered since moving to Real.

In the summer Jose Mourinho openly discussed the possibility of signing Bale at Manchester United but ultimately opted against making a bid.

When Antonio Conte and Jose Mourinho locked horns last Autumn for the first time in English football it was the Italian who comprehensively triumphed, humiliating his rival - on his former stomping ground - to such an extent that a seething Mourinho lambasted him in a hostile exchange at the final whistle.
It’s been just over a year since Chelsea hammered Man Utd 4-0 at Stamford Bridge, in a result which kick-started the Blues’ title charge, while it left the Red Devils dangling down in 7th place. In the end Conte stormed to the Premier League title in his debut season, whereas Mourinho had to settle for 6th spot, although he did win a treble of sorts….


The duo renew their rivalry on Sunday afternoon in different circumstances. Conte heads into the match under pressure following a stuttering start to Chelsea’s title defence in which they have lost three of their opening 10 games. But, while a confidence-boosting win this weekend would reduce the gap between the defending champions and United to a single point, a defeat would cut them seven points adrift, and worst still it could leave them a whopping 12 points behind leaders Man City.
Mourinho gained a small slither of revenge for that 4-0 defeat in April’s 2-0 victory at Old Trafford, but the result ultimately meant little in the grand scheme of things, meaning the Portuguese coach will view Sunday’s showdown as the perfect opportunity to kick Conte when he’s down.


Conte has undoubtedly been hindered by injuries to key players this term, but this is part and parcel of being a football manager, and something that happens to all bosses. Player power has always been a problem at Chelsea, with reports indicating that a number of Conte's troops are unhappy with his training and methods, but if this is the case the Italian needs to quickly find a way to lift his side following a heavy 3-0 Champions League defeat to Roma.
the relationship between Conte and owner Roman Abramovich is in tatters, with the ruthless Russian on the verge of changing managers for the 12th time in 14 seasons. The Sack Race has already gobbled up and spat out three managers this season, and at the time of writing Conte is priced at 10/1 to be its next victim.

Title-winning managers have suffered a dismal fate in recent years, with the likes of Mourinho, Claudio Ranieri, Roberto Mancini, Carlo Ancelotti all discarded within a year of leading their respective clubs to the summit of English football, while Sir Alex Ferguson retired after winning his 13th and final title.

Conte will be hoping he doesn’t follow this trend and be sent to the guillotine in the next couple of weeks...