Sport
Maresca Praises 16-Year-Old Reggie Walsh After Chelsea’s Europa Win
Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca was full of praise for teenage midfielder Reggie Walsh after the Blues sealed a 1-0 win over Djurgarden in the Europa Conference League semi-final second leg on Thursday.
The 16-year-old made his first senior start for Chelsea, slotting into Maresca’s system seamlessly. A first-half goal from Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall proved enough to secure the victory at Stamford Bridge, sending Chelsea to the final with a 5-1 aggregate win.
They will now face Real Betis in the final later this month. Betis edged Fiorentina 4-3 across both legs in their own semi-final clash. Speaking after the game, Maresca shared his thoughts on Walsh’s standout performance.
“He was smiling, relaxed, and just enjoying himself,” Maresca said. “I told him to play like he does in training. You could see he wasn’t scared, just confident.” The Chelsea boss added, “Reggie fits perfectly into the way I want my team to play. At just 16, the way he demanded the ball and handled possession was impressive.”
Maresca also gave a lighthearted reminder of Walsh’s age: “Tomorrow, he still has to go to school—but there’s no doubt he’s a very talented player.” Chelsea return to Premier League action this weekend as they prepare to take on Newcastle United.
Super Eagles defender Calvin Bassey has opened up about a difficult period in his career, revealing that he almost stepped away from football.
Speaking during a recent interview, Bassey shared that he once made a personal promise to himself to quit pursuing football professionally if he failed to secure a spot at a professional club.
“I remember being 15 and going into my final year, and I told myself that if I didn’t get into a professional club, I would quit football. It was that simple,” he said.
“I would just stop pursuing it seriously and only play for fun. Thank God I eventually got a club, because I honestly don’t know where I would be otherwise.”
It has been reported that the Confederation of African Football (CAF) fined Egypt $5,000 following their clash with Zimbabwe for failing to manage post-match media obligations.
It was noted that after the match, the Egyptian players ignored the media. This action was said to be a violation of CAF’s media regulations, which led to the fine being imposed.
Head of the Super Eagles, Eric Chelle, shared that the big-name players on the team are not happy about being benched.
He recalled when he took out Samuel Chukwueze during the match against Tanzania.
“Yes, of course, we’ve in this team a lot of big names. They are competitors; they aren’t happy when they go to the bench,” Chelle said at his post-match interview.”
“My job is to make choices, and we’re playing a 4-4-2 diamond, and at this moment I feel we have to protect the wing.”
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Super Eagles Star Calvin Bassey Opens Up on Nearly Walking Away from Football
