At Independence Basketball Championship, Chief of Deffence Staff Affirms Military’s Commitment to Sports

The Chief of Defence Staff CDS Gen. C.G Musa has reaffirmed the military’s commitment to promoting sports, particularly basketball, as a means of fostering unity and peace in society.

This was evident at the ongoing Chief of Defence Staff CDS Independence Basketball Championship in Abuja, where exciting matches unfolded on Day 1.

The tournament kicked off with a series of intense games that showcased the talents of various teams. The Armed Forces faced a tough challenge from the Hard Rockers, ultimately falling short with a score of 49-66. Meanwhile, Bauchi Nets and Gilali engaged in a closely contested match, with Gilali emerging victorious at 66-50. Plateau secured a solid win against Kada Stars with a score of 63-55, while Kano Pillars dominated over Niger Potters with a score of 57-40. Suleja and Gombe Bulls battled it out in a close game, with Gombe Bulls clinching a narrow victory at 65-61. City Chiefs and Rivers Hoopers also delivered an exciting match, ending with Rivers Hoopers prevailing at 51-46. Defenders displayed a strong performance against Novena, securing a convincing win at 80-56. Lastly, Mark Town Flyers soared to an impressive victory with a score of 83-64.

During the opening ceremony, Gen. Musa emphasised the importance of sports as a non-kinetic approach to promoting peace and engaging the youth. He highlighted the role of basketball in harnessing the talents of Nigerian athletes and fostering unity within the community.

Musa expressed the military’s dedication to organising more basketball championships in the future, recognising the positive impact of sports on society.

As the tournament progresses, spectators can expect more thrilling matches and displays of sportsmanship from the participating teams. The Chief of Defence Staff CDS Independence Basketball Championship serves as a platform for celebrating athleticism, camaraderie, and the spirit of competition, embodying the values of unity and peace through sports.

Madrid Target Return to Winning Ways against Villarreal

Real Madrid are set to host Villarreal today in their bid to get back to winning ways after drawing 1-1 in the Madrid Derby against Atlético de Madrid on Sunday.

Los Blancos conceded an equaliser late in second half stoppage time and missed out on the opportunity to trim LaLiga EA SPORTS leaders FC Barcelona’s lead to one point, following Barça’s 4-2 loss away at CA Osasuna on Matchday 8. Instead, Carlo Ancelotti’s side are currently three points off top spot.

Meanwhile, Villarreal CF have gotten off to a solid start to the 2024/25 campaign, with El Submarino Amarillo pushing for European qualification after missing out on the European spots last season.

An entertaining match-up Marcelino’s side are set to visit the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu in what promises to be an entertaining fixture between two teams who offer fans historically high-scoring fixtures when they face each other. As many as 26 goals have been scored in the last five duels between Real Madrid and Villarreal CF across all competitions, working out at 5.2 per game.

This includes last season’s wild 4-4 draw at the Estadio de la Cerámica. Arda Güler netted twice, with Joselu and Lucas Vázquez scoring a goal each before the break to give Los Blancos a 4-1 lead heading into the second half. However, Alexander Sørloth, who has now joined Atlético de Madrid, struck four times to help the hosts secure a 4-4 draw on Matchday 37 back in May.

The last team to win at the Bernabéu

Another memorable clash between the two sides took place on April 8th 2023, in the Spanish capital. There, Samuel Chukwueze bagged a brace to lead Villarreal CF to a 3-2 victory away from home. That was the last time Real Madrid suffered a defeat on home soil, with Los Blancos since going 28 league games and 38 matches across all competitions unbeaten at the Bernabéu.

Could that run be broken again? Well, Real Madrid have kicked off the season without dropping a single point in four games at home, but Villarreal CF have been equally impressive on the road. In fact, only FC Barcelona have managed to pick up more points than El Submarino Amarillo away from home this term.

Marcelino’s side remain undefeated on the road, having celebrated three 2-1 victories, at Sevilla FC, RCD Mallorca and RCD Espanyol, as well as one 1-1 draw despite going down to 10 players with 20 minutes to go away at Valencia CF. As for Real Madrid, they beat Real Valladolid (3-0), Real Betis (2-0), RCD Espanyol (4-1) and Deportivo Alavés (3-2) at the Bernabéu to record a perfect 12 points at home so far.

Los Blancos haven’t lost a single LaLiga EA SPORTS game for over a year, with their last defeat having taken place on September 24, 2023, at the Estadio Cívitas Metropolitano against Atlético de Madrid, a 3-1 loss. From that point on, Real Madrid have gone unbeaten for as many as 40 matches, having registered 29 victories and 11 draws in the league. In fact, this streak of 40 games without defeat is currently the second-longest in LaLiga history. It now remains to be seen if the last team that celebrated a win against Los Blancos at the Bernabéu can deal a similar blow to Carlo Ancelotti’s side today.