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I Have Scored 17 Goals In All Competition This Season- Sadiq Umar Reveals

Published

4 years ago

January 19, 2021

….Vows To Score More Goals

former- Under 23 star, Sadiq Umar says there are no limits to his scoring abilities after he fired a brace to lead Almeria to the Round of 16 of the Copa Del Rey in their 5-0 rout of La Liga Santander side, Deportivo Alaves last weekend.

Sadiq opened the scoring for the La Liga Smartbank side in the eighth minute before getting his brace in the 45th minute. Ager Aketxe, Andres Battaglia (own goal), and Juan Villar were the other scorers for Almeria in the rout.

The forward who has now scored five goals in his last two games for Rojiblancos including a sensational hat-trick in their 3-1 victory over Ponferradina on January 3rd, 2021 told www.dasportstainment247.com that they were able to eliminate Alaves in the Copa Del Rey because of their self-belief and confidence.

The 23-year-old’s two goals against Alaves made it his 17th goal of the season having scored six goals for his ex-club Serbian’s Partizan Belgrade from 10 games before crossing over to Almeria in October last year. He has netted 11 goals from 19 games for Almeria with nine of those goals scored in the La Liga Smartbank and an additional two in the Copa Del Rey.

Having met his target of 17 goals for last season in just 29 games this term and with lots of games more to be played, the Striker opined that he hopes to score more crucial goals for Almeria as they eye La Liga Santander return at the end of the season.

“My target is to beat my last year’s goals and now I have done it. Without limits, I just have to keep on going and see where I will arrive (at the end of the season),” Umar told www.dasportstainment247.com.

The Rio Olympics bronze medallist added that Rojiblancos are improving In every game based on the numbers of matches and successes they have recorded including the morale-boosting 5-0 triumph over the topflight side, Alaves last weekend.

“For us to beat a first-team side (like Alaves) all came with the belief and the pep talk we had among ourselves. We told ourselves that we needed to get a positive result from big games such as this and this inspired us to achieve our target. Even though I had played bigger teams than this before, like playing against big clubs in the Europa League like Manchester United. I also played in Serie A (for Bologna and AS Roma). I have experience when it comes to such games.

“But here (before the game with Alaves), we didn’t bother ourselves thinking we want to play a first division team because of the commitment to the target we have set for ourselves. We just wanted a test in bigger games and we did past the test. Now, it gives us more confidence in the team which keeps us going,” he concluded.

Umar’s superlative season is rubbing on Almeria positively as they are currently third in the La Liga Smartbank with 41 points from 20 games. They are a point and four points adrift of second and first placed Mallorca (42 points) and Espanyol (45 points) who both have played a game more than Almeria.

The Rojiblancos will host Sabadell on Sunday this week after their tie with Kenneth Omeruo’s Leganes initially fixed for January 10th, 2021 was postponed indefinitely because of bad weather and they will be relying on their best marksman in the league (nine goals) for goals.

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NSC DG Olopade Meets NSC Directors, Calls for Scientific Approach to Sports Federation Activities

Published

2 weeks ago

November 27, 2024

The Gleamer

Joel Ajayi
The Director General of the National Sports Commission (NSC), Hon. Bukola Olopade, has reiterated the new transformative vision of the Commission during his meeting with the Directors and Heads of Departments of the Commission.

The interactive sessions allowed senior officials to introduce themselves to the new DG, who emphasized the importance of strategic, standardized and scientific approach to the Commission’s operations, including the conduct of Sports Federation Elections.

In his remarks, Olopade stressed the need for reforms that would attract top administrators to vie for leadership roles within Nigeria’s Sports Federations.
“There is no way we can’t be looking at having top industry CEOs on board in our Sports Federations,” he stated.

The DG also highlighted the Commission’s mandate to elevate the Corporate image of various Sports in Nigeria.

He reemphasized the NSC’s commitment to reviving key initiatives such as the National Sports Industry Policy and the 10-Year Football Master Plan.

“The Chairman and myself strongly believe we need to have a different approach to our Federation Elections,” he noted.

“This is why the emphasis of the Renewed Hope agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is a balanced approach to both sports consumption and sports production.”

The meeting reflects the new direction of the NSC, with Olopade pledging to champion and support policies that will foster professionalism and sustainable development across Nigeria’s sports landscape.

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