Head coach of Nigeria’s U20 football team, Manu Garba has expressed satisfaction with his charges’ 3-1 win over Senegal in the opening game of this year’s Africa U-20 championship in Senegal. . Goals from Ifeanyi Matthew and Taiwo Awoniyi who bagged a brace, saw the Nigerian side cruise to a straightforward 3-1 victory over the Senegalese at Stade Léopold Sédar Senghor in Dakar. . The Flying Eagles seemed to run out of steam in the second half following a blistering start to the game but Manu stressed that winning their first game was more important than the actual performance. .…
Author: David F.
Amajita coach Thabo Senong says he is confident Amajita will reach the last four of the CAF African Youth championships and qualify for the World Cup scheduled for New Zealand in two months’ time. . The National Under 20 Men’s team are in the same group with Ghana whom they meet tomorrow, Monday 9 March at (16h30) 18h30 SA time in a resort village of Saly, together with mali and Zambia. . After playing Ghana, South Africa next meet mali on Thursday, 12 March before rounding off their group stage assignments against Zambia on Sunday, 15 March in Dakar. .…
Around one third of the 70 500 tickets for this year’s Champions League final in Berlin will be reserved for football officials, sponsors and corporate hospitality, Uefa said on Tuesday. . European soccer’s governing body said 20 000 tickets would be allocated to supporters of each of the two finalists, with another 6 000 going on sale to neutral fans via Uefa’s website. . “As usual, fans and the general public are being allocated the majority of the tickets for the final,” Uefa said in a statement. . “The remaining tickets are allocated to the local organising committee, Uefa and national associations, commercial…
Team Ghana are set for the AYC in Senegal after wrapping up preparation on Wednesday. . The team defeated Danish lower side Ringobing IF 2-1 in their final pre-tournament warm-up game played on Tuesday. . The Satellites have been camping in Antayla, Turkey, for the past two weeks and played their first friendly with Azerbaijan which they won 2-1. . “We have enjoyed good hospitality since arriving here and I must say the players have really enjoyed the training tour here because everything was in order,” said Kingsley Osei Bonsu, Vice Chairman of the Black Satellites management committee. . He…
Swansea striker Bafetimbi Gomis suffered a serious health scare that overshadowed Tottenham’s 3-2 win at White Hart Lane on Wednesday. . Gomis collapsed and needed treatment for several minutes before being rushed to hospital for tests. . The south Wales club later revealed that France international Gomis was in a stable condition, but the incident marred an otherwise entertaining encounter. . Determined to make up for their lacklustre League Cup final loss against Chelsea on Sunday, Mauricio Pochettino’s side took a quick lead through Nacer Chadli. . South Korea midfielder Ki Sung-yueng equalised after Gomis’s collapse. . But Ryan Mason…
Manchester United moved a step closer to Champions League qualification as Ashley Young’s 89th-minute goal clinched a dramatic 1-0 win against Newcastle on Wednesday. . Louis van Gaal’s team looked set to lose ground on their rivals in the race for the top four places until Newcastle goalkeeper Tim Krul gifted Young his first goal in 14 months with just a minute to go at St James’ Park. . The match was heading towards United’s eighth league draw of the season before Wayne Rooney made a late break and Krul could only divert his attempted clearance to Young, who coolly…
Goals from Victor Moses and Mame Diouf lifted Stoke to a 2-0 win over Everton and up into eighth in the Premier League on Wednesday. . The win kept Mark Hughes side on target for their highest ever league finish, last season’s ninth with 50 points. . The Potters are already on 42 points with 10 games of the season remaining. . However, the defeat leaves Everton struggling to avoid getting involved in a battle for survival as they have just one win from their last 12 league outings. . This loss left them in 14th but just six points…
Holders Bayern Munich struck either side of the break to beat second division Eintracht Braunschweig 2-0 on Wednesday and advance to the German Cup quarterfinals. . A dazzling free kick by David Alaba on the stroke of halftime and Mario Goetze’s solo effort in the 57th minute were enough for Bayern, who were in control but never needed to hit top form against their toothless visitors. . The Bavarians, top of the Bundesliga and chasing another domestic double, were up against a gutsy Braunschweig defence, with winger Franck Ribery frustrated in the first half by Braunschweig’s physical play. . Arjen…
Barcelona eased into their fourth Copa del Rey final in five years as they completed a 6-2 aggregate win over Villarreal with a 3-1 win at El Madrigal on Wednesday. . Neymar had missed a penalty in Barca’s 3-1 first leg win three weeks ago, but made amends after just three minutes when he turned home Lionel Messi’s cross. . Jonathan dos Santos gave the hosts hope with an equaliser on the night against his old club, but Villarreal’s chances of a famous comeback faded when Tomas Pina was shown a straight red card for a heavy challenge on Neymar.…
Premier League leaders Chelsea chalked up another three points with a 1-0 victory at West Ham United on Wednesday to protect their five-point lead over champions Manchester City. . City, who laboured to a 2-0 win over bottom club Leicester City, might have hoped Chelsea would suffer a hangover from their League Cup final win over Tottenham Hotspur but Chelsea are made of sterner stuff and Eden Hazard’s header decided matters at Upton Park. . David Silva’s goal and a late effort from James Milner enabled City to stay in touch, although Manuel Pellegrini’s side were unimpressive at The Etihad…
Charlie Austin believes Queens Park Rangers are ready to kick-start their fight for Barclays Premier League survival when they return to action against Arsenal on Wednesday. . QPR did not play last weekend due to Tottenham Hotspur’s involvement in the Capital One Cup final and they watched from Dubai as Sunderland, Burnley and Aston Villa, who are also fighting relegation, all lost. . Chris Ramsey’s side are out of the bottom three on goal difference only, but have a match in hand on all of the teams around them, with the exception of bottom-club Leicester City. Austin, QPR’s top scorer…
Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti complained his players had lacked zip and shooting accuracy after the La Liga leaders let slip a one-goal advantage and were held to a 1-1 draw at home to Villarreal on Sunday. . The stalemate at the Bernabeu, when Cristiano Ronaldo’s 52nd-minute penalty was cancelled out by a fine Gerard Moreno strike in the 64th, left Real two points clear of second-placed Barcelona, who host their great rivals in three weeks, with 13 games left. . It was the first game the European champions have failed to win at home in La Liga since they…
Real Madrid’s draw at home to Villarreal in La Liga on Sunday not only cut their lead over second-placed Barcelona to two points but also means the ‘Clasico’ in three weeks time is likely to have added piquancy. . Real and Barca each have two more domestic league games before the clash at the Nou Camp, the European champions playing at Athletic Bilbao and at home to Levante and the Catalans hosting Rayo Vallecano and travelling to Eibar. . If the gap stays the same, as is likely, a win for Real in the lair of their arch army would…
Relegation-threatened Elche scored a penalty two minutes from time to secure a 1-1 draw away to Celta Vigo in the Spanish league on Monday. . Midfielder Victor Rodriguez made the most of a brush against Celta Vigo left-winger Michael Krohn-Dehli to earn a penalty that defender David Lomban converted in the 88th minute. . Krohn-Dehli had given Celta the lead in the 61st minute when he tapped-in Jonathan Castro’s perfect cross after the defender had timed his run forward to beat the Elche defenders’ offside trap. . Celta stay eighth place on 32 points after 25 rounds while Elche are…
John Terry earned the 13th major winner’s medal of his 20-year Chelsea career on Sunday with a commanding defensive performance and his first Cup goal, then urged his young team mates to use the win over Tottenham as a springboard to more success. The 34-year-old central defender lifted the League Cup — his 12th trophy as captain — after scoring just before halftime in a 2-0 Wembley win. “That could be the start of something very good but we have to kick on and we have the league to focus on,” said Terry, who earned the man-of-the-match award. Terry’s towering…
Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho said he felt “like a kid” after claiming the first trophy of his second Stamford Bridge tenure with a League Cup final victory over Tottenham Hotspur. . A deflected John Terry strike and a Kyle Walker own goal gave Chelsea a 2-0 win at a rain-soaked Wembley on Sunday and earned Mourinho his third success in the competition after two triumphs during his first spell as the west London club’s manager. . It ended a 914-day wait for silverware for the 52-year-old Portuguese — the longest of his managerial career — and he expressed hope that…
Jose Mourinho clearly saw Harry Kane and Christian Eriksen as Tottenham Hotspur’s two chief League Cup final weapons and the way the pair were subdued played a key role in Chelsea’s 2-0 Wembley triumph. Chelsea fans looked at each other in bewilderment when the teams were announced before kickoff on Sunday, barely able to believe Mourinho had opted to replace the suspended Nemanja Matic in midfield with rookie central defender Kurt Zouma. The inexperienced Frenchman had only made the starting line-up 13 times previously but his manager did not want a repeat of the 5-3 Premier League defeat inflicted by…
Jose Mourinho clearly saw Harry Kane and Christian Eriksen as Tottenham Hotspur’s two chief League Cup final weapons and the way the pair were subdued played a key role in Chelsea’s 2-0 Wembley triumph. Chelsea fans looked at each other in bewilderment when the teams were announced before kickoff on Sunday, barely able to believe Mourinho had opted to replace the suspended Nemanja Matic in midfield with rookie central defender Kurt Zouma. The inexperienced Frenchman had only made the starting line-up 13 times previously but his manager did not want a repeat of the 5-3 Premier League defeat inflicted by…
Jose Mourinho has assured Chelsea fans that John Terry, subject of a ‘captain, leader, legend’ banner that is on permanent display at Stamford Bridge, will be at the club next season. . The 34-year-old centre half, who scored the opening goal in Sunday’s 2-0 League Cup final victory over London rivals Tottenham Hotspur at Wembley, has a one-year contract that expires at the end of the season. . “I know what my board tells me and the player tells me and there’s no doubt he is going to get his (new) contract before the end of the season,” manager Mourinho…
Australia midfielder Mile Jedinak has accepted the violent conduct charge handed out to him by the FA, his club Crystal Palace said in a statement on Tuesday. . He was charged for an apparent elbow to the head of West Ham United’s Diafra Sakho in the second half of Palace’s 3-1 victory in the Premier League on Saturday. . The incident was not seen by the match officials but West Ham manager Sam Allardyce said Jedinak deserved to be sent off. . Palace, who are 12th in the table, visit sixth-placed Southampton later on Tuesday.