Ivory Coast booked their place in the 2015 African Cup of Nations final following a 3-1 win over the Democratic Republic of Congo at the Estadio de Bata on Wednesday evening. . Goals from Yaya Toure, Gervinho and Serge Wilfried Kanon secured the Elephants’ place in the Afcon final for the third time in nine years. . Having netted 10 goals between them in two qualifying match-ups, goals were to be expected and that is exactly what the sides delivered in what was a thrilling semifinal encounter. . Both teams were guilty of starting slow at this year’s tournament, but…
Author: David F.
Dutch midfielder Kevin Strootman is to undergo treatment of the left knee he was operated on in March, the Roma footballer said on Thursday. . “There’s a lot of speculation in the media about me and I would like to explain to all the fans what the real problem is,” Strootman tweeted. . “In the match v Fiorentina (Saturday) I got a knock on my left knee. It’s bruised and therefore I should rest my knee for a couple of weeks. . “This gives me the opportunity to remove some scar tissue which has bothered me a bit after the…
VfL Wolfsburg said on Friday they were close to signing Germany winger Andre Schuerrle and selling striker Ivica Olic to Hamburg SV but the deals have not been signed yet. . The 24-year-old World Cup winner Schuerrle, who joined Chelsea in 2013 has struggled to carve out a regular starting spot. . Croatian forward Olic is set to move back to Hamburg once the Schuerrle deal is sealed. . “I say no,” Wolfsburg sports director Klaus Allofs when asked whether the much-reported deals were sealed. . “We have two issues, Olic to Hamburg and Schuerrle to us. Fact is this…
Steve Bruce has been handed a boost as his Hull City side look to reverse a recent loss of form when they take on Newcastle United in Saturday’s early kick-off in the Barclays Premier League. . Hull sit in the relegation zone having lost three of their past four league matches. A lengthy injury list has hindered Bruce over recent weeks but he has received good news with the return to training of Nikica Jelavic, Abel Hernandez, Gaston Ramirez and Andy Robertson, while Alex Bruce also has a chance of recovering in time for the visit of the Magpies. .…
Arsenal’s new signing Gabriel Paulista could make his Premier League debut against Aston Villa but leading goalscorer Alexis Sanchez is not likely to be risked with a hamstring injury, manager Arsene Wenger said on Friday. . The 24-year-old defender joined the Gunners from the Spanish side Villarreal earlier this week and Wenger is confident the Brazilian will provide stiff competition for first-choice central defenders Laurent Koscielny and Per Mertesacker. . “He’s ready to go. He’ll be in the squad, certainly,” Wenger told a news conference. “Maybe it will take some time to adapt completely, but overall it is very good…
Tunisia head coach, George Leekens, has assured that midfielder Jamel Saihi will stay on for the Afcon despite criticisms from the leadership of his French club, Montpellier. . Leekens stressed that Saihi is a key player for the Carthage Eagles and will remain with the team for the duration of the Africa Cup of Nations if they progress to the last four. . “I can assure that Saihi will not leave the camp and he will stay till the last match for us. He is a key player in our team and we will not let him leave. We will…
Algerian international striker, Islam Slimani, now looks all but out of this year’s Africa Cup of Nations in Equatorial Guinea. . The Sporting Lisbon forward will miss the rest of the tournament due to a muscle injury that kept him out of their last group match against Senegal. . Slimani is not expected to be part of the squad to face Ivory Coast, according to reports from Algerian state television. . The Algerian striker picked up an injury in their first match against South Africa, and then suffered a relapse of the same injury in the second match against Ghana.…
Ghana’s national team reached rock bottom with fans after a World Cup debacle in Brazil, but two thrilling victories over Algeria and South Africa at the Africa Cup of Nations have the Black Stars buzzing again. . After a disastrous outing at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, marked by indiscipline, an embarrassing row over appearance fees and a first round exit, Ghana’s national football team are hoping to warm themselves into the hearts of football fans once more. . Fans gave the Black Stars the thumbs-down when they let them down in Brazil after raising hopes for another good…
Cameroon coach Volker Finke is giving his troops the thumbs up despite a group stage exit at the Afcon. . They Indomitable Lions crashed out after making a return to the elite African tournament following absences in 2012 and 2013. . They drew their opening two games with Mali and Guinea, before losing 1-0 to Cote d’Ivoire. . “I think really the Ivory Coast took advantage of a little mistake we made in the first half to score the goal,” Finke notes about their defeat to the Ivorians. . “We tried really hard. Everyone gave their best, so that’s why…
Manchester City winger Scott Sinclair has joined Aston Villa on loan for the rest of the season, the Premier League clubs said on Friday. . The 25-year-old has failed to secure a regular place in the City side since his move to the Etihad Stadium from Swansea City in 2012 and has made only two appearances in the league this season. . Sinclair spent last season on loan at West Bromwich Albion, making 11 appearances in all competitions. . Champions City said the temporary deal with Villa could be made permanent at the end of the campaign. . “I am…
Chelsea striker Diego Costa will miss his side’s top-of-the-table Premier League clash against Manchester City after losing his appeal against a charge of violent conduct, the English Football Association said on Friday. . The Brazilian-born Spain striker has been banned for three matches after treading down on Liverpool’s Emre Can in the first half of the League Cup semifinal, second leg at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday. . Chelsea, who are five points clear at the top of the table, will be without Costa for Saturday’s clash against Manchester City as well as games at Aston Villa and home to Everton.…
Crystal Palace came back to win a Premier League game from a two-goal deficit for the first time as new manager Alan Pardew’s restorative powers worked wonders for them again on Saturday. . In his first league game in charge last week, Palace trailed 1-0 against Tottenham Hotspur before winning 2-1 and last weekend they were two goals down at Burnley but won 3-2 with Dwight Gayle’s late strike securing three vital points. . Having started against Tottenham in the relegation zone, the south Londoners are now up to the relative safety of 12th, four points above third from bottom…
Southampton have a golden touch in the transfer market and they appear to have struck the jackpot again after loanee Eljero Elia scored both goals in Saturday’s 2-1 win at Newcastle United. . The experienced Dutch striker, signed on loan from Werder Bremen this month, drilled in a low shot after 14 minutes to put Southampton ahead and his deflected shot on the hour sealed a fifth win in six Premier League games for the Saints. . Despite losing a batch of top players in the summer, and their manager Mauricio Pochettino, Southampton have thrived under Ronald Koeman. . The…
Harry Redknapp will be staying as Queens Park Rangers manager despite widespread media speculation he is about to be sacked with the Premier League club facing an immediate return to the Championship (second tier). . QPR chairman Tony Fernandes said on Monday that he wanted to set the record straight over the 67-year-old’s future after Saturday’s 2-0 home defeat by Manchester United left them second-bottom, one point from the safety zone. . “There’s been a lot of rumours about Harry’s position being under threat, so I thought it was time to end all the speculation so everyone can focus on…
It will take a “phenomenal” offer to prise Chelsea forward Andre Schuerrle away from the club, manager Jose Mourinho said on Friday. . The Portuguese claimed he had no plans to sell or buy in the January transfer window but did not rule out Germany’s Schuerrle exiting Stamford Bridge, while Egypt winger Mohamed Salah has also been linked with a switch. . With both players said to be growing frustrated with a lack of first team opportunities, media reports said Bundesliga side VfL Wolfsburg have made an offer for Schuerrle, while Salah is said to have piqued the interest of…
More managers will be sacked in the Premier League and Football League than ever before if current trends continue, according to the League Managers Association’s (LMA) quarterly report. . As of the end of December, 27 managers – more than a quarter of the Premier League and Football league’s 92 clubs – had been dismissed from their clubs. The tally is three more than at the same stage last season. . A further seven managers resigned or departed by mutual consent. . “If the trend continues we are on course to exceed the total dismissal record of 46 set in…
Mali coach Henryk Kasperczak believes CAF should find a better way to separate teams with identical records for future Africa Cup of Nations tournaments, but it prepared to accept his team’s fate when they draw lots later on Thursday. . The Eagles and Syli Nationale of Guinea played to a 1-1 draw in their final Group D Match on Wednesday, meaning they ended in second and third place (behind group winners and quarterfinal qualifiers Ivory Coast) and have identical records. . A drawing of lots will be conducted later today to determine which of the two progresses into the last…
Billionaire Klaus-Michael Kuehne has acquired a 7.5 percent stake at former European champions Hamburg SV after pumping in 18.75 million euros in investment and also bagged the stadium naming rights, the club said on Thursday. . Hamburg, struggling to avoid relegation in the past few seasons, has been dogged by financial problems and a string of expensive but unsuccessful transfers. . Kuehne’s investment is not only a much-needed shot in the arm for Hamburg but a major hope for the long-term future of the only Bundesliga club to never have played in the second division since the top league’s creation…
Young Nigerian midfield talent, Sad’eeq Yusuf, is being monitored by English club, Liverpool and Italian giants, Juventus, supersport.com can report. . The two European clubs have been monitoring the situation of the teenage midfielder who has been a target of Dutch Eredivisie side, Ajax. . Yusuf is supposed to have travelled to Amsterdam but has encountered delays in obtaining permit to enter The Netherlands following an invitation from Ajax director Marc Overmars. . The 18-year-old has been unable to secure necessary paperwork from the Dutch embassy which has now left the trip to Amsterdam in doubt. . With the trip…
Algeria captain Abdel Madjid Bougherra is expected to be ready for their Afcon quarterfinal clash against Ivory Coast on Sunday. . Bougherra suffered a broken nose in Algeria’s last match against Senegal in Group C of the Africa Cup of Nations. . The medical staff of the Desert Foxes have now assured that Bougherra’s injury does not look serious and will not stop him from leading Algeria against the Elephants of Ivory Coast in Malabo. . According to Algerian TV, FC Porto playmaker, Yacine Brahimi, will also be ready for the quarterfinal clash after he suffered a knock in the…