The Super Eagles of Nigeria suffered a 2-1 defeat to the Wasps of Rwanda in their final match of the African Cup of Nations qualifiers.

Winger Samuel Chukwueze put Nigeria ahead in the 59th minute, but Rwanda quickly turned the game around with goals in the 72nd and 75th minutes.

Despite the loss, Nigeria topped their AFCON qualifying group with three wins, two draws, and one defeat.

Super Eagles star Ademola Lookman has made the final five nominees of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) for the footballer of year award.

This was contained in a statement by the communications department of the body on Monday.

The statement reads in part, “Simon Adingra (Cote d’Ivoire / Brighton & Hove Albion), Serhou Guirassy (Guinea / Borussia Dortmund), Achraf Hakimi (Morocco / Paris Saint-Germain), Ademola Lookman (Nigeria / Atalanta) Ronwen Williams (South Africa / Mamelodi Sundowns).

“Other categories announced today include Goalkeeper of the Year, Interclub Player of the Year, Coach of the Year, Young Player of the Year, Club of the Year, National Team of the Year.

“The glittering ceremony designed to celebrate African football excellence recognizes exceptional performances in both club and national competitions, culminating in the prestigious tites of CAF African Player of the Year in both the men’s and women’s categories.
“A total of seven categories have been confirmed by CAF in the Men’s Category of the awards, shortlisting the five top performing players, coaches and teams in each of the categories.”

Lookman having finished 14th in the 2024 men’s Ballon d’Or will hope to be the 6th Nigerian man to win the prestigious award on the heels of Osimhen who won the feat in 2023.

The 2024 edition of the CAF Awards takes place in Marrakech, Morocco on December 16.

New Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim has arrived at the club’s Carrington training complex.

Amorim’s arrival was confirmed in a statement titled “Ruben Amorim arrives at Carrington” on the club’s website on Monday.

“The 39-year-old boarded a flight from Beja airport in Portugal to Manchester in the morning, just hours after a 4-2 win over Braga in his final match in charge of former club Sporting.

“Ruben Amorim was greeted outside the men’s first-team building with a hug from chief executive Omar Berrada, and was also welcomed by sporting director Dan Ashworth and technical director Jason Wilcox.

“Amorim will meet key staff, in advance of being able to start work once his visa is obtained.

“Our new boss has 13 days to prepare for his first game in charge of the first team – our Premier League fixture away to Ipswich Town on Sunday 24 November (16:30 GMT),” the statement reads.