Thursday, November 3, 2016

Ghana qualify for 2010 World Cup finals

Share Chelsea midfielder Michael Essien scored as Ghana defeated Sudan 2-0 in Accra Sunday to become the first African qualifiers for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

Inter Milan midfielder Sulley Muntari gave the ‘Black Stars’ an early lead and Essien added a second soon after half-time, unleashing a drive that flew into the net at the near post.

The result coupled with closest challengers Benin and Mali drawing 1-1 in Cotonou a few hours before left a Ghanaian side boasting a 100 percent record with an unassailable seven-point Group D advantage.

It will be the second successive World Cup appearance for Ghana, who did best of the five African teams in Germany three years ago by reaching the knockout second round before losing 3-0 to defending champions Brazil.

A quarter of the 32 qualifiers for the first World Cup to be staged in Africa are known with Ghana joining Australia, Brazil, Japan, Netherlands, North Korea, South Korea and hosts South Africa. Mali had threatened to put Ghanaian celebrations on hold by taking the lead through former France youth international Mamadou Samassa on 71 minutes only for Mohamed Aoudou to equalise three minutes from full-time.

Tunisia snatched a 2-2 draw in Nigeria thanks to an 90th-minute Oussama Darragi goal in a top-of-the-table Group B clash to maintain a two-point lead with two rounds left. A capacity 60,000 crowd saw Osaze Odemwingie fire the ‘Super Eagles’ into the lead with a close-range shot midway through the first half only for Nabil Taider to level soon after from a superb curling drive.

Michael Eneramo converted a low cross 10 minutes from full-time to put the home team ahead again only for Darragi to hammer a Haitham Mrabet pass into the net from an acute angle. Mozambique edged Kenya 1-0 in the same group courtesy of a goal midway through the second half from veteran South Africa-based striker Manuel ‘Tico Tico’ Bucuane.

Tunisia have eight points, Nigeria six, Mozambique four and Kenya three with the leaders chasing a fourth consecutive appearance at the quadrennial showcase of international football. Adel Taarabt scored two minutes into stoppage time as Morocco were rewarded for some enterprising second-half play with a 1-1 draw away to Togo in a Group A clash.

Togo led from the fourth minute through Moustapaha Salifou as they returned to Lome after a three-match ban following post-match violence at a 2008 African Nations Cup qualifier.

Gabon have six points, Togo five, Cameroon four and Morocco three although the ‘Indomitable Lions’ have a chance to go top Wednesday when they host the surprise pacesetters in Yaounde.

A new look for 2016, this is the Matt Miazga men's jersey will be wearing as they compete for the trophy this summer. Edgar Castillo, David Bingham, Jozy Altidore, Steve Birnbaum and Geoff Cameron. ali krieger jersey USA The five group winners qualify for the World Cup in South Africa between June 11 and July 11 and the top three finishers in each mini-league secure places at the Nations Cup five months earlier with hosts Angola.

France boss Domenech gets vote of confidence

Share Under-fire French coach Raymond Domenech received the dreaded vote of confidence on Sunday, just hours after the 1998 world champions suffered another setback in their bid to reach the World Cup.

Saturday’s 1-1 draw against Romania in Paris left France, the 2006 runners-up, needing to beat Serbia in Belgrade on Wednesday to keep their hopes of automatic qualification alive.

“I repeat: yes, yes, yes. I have to say it three times. He has the job of qualifying us for the World Cup,” said French Football Federation (FFF) president Jean-Pierre Escalettes. “And I repeat that even if we have to go into the play-offs, it’s still Raymond Domenech’s job.”

France’s desperate fight to finish top of their group has also been hit by injuries to playmaker Franck Ribery and defender Julien Escude, who scored an own goal in Saturday’s game.

“We don’t know whether they will be able to play on Wednesday,” said Domenech. “We shall see, we generally wait a day after a match (Monday in this case) to take an overall analysis.”

Ribery, who has a calf problem, has endured an injury-plagued summer and has barely played for Bayern Munich this campaign. He came on in the 57th minute against Romania without making much of an impression.

Serbia lead France by four points in Group Seven with just three matches remaining.

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A new look for 2016, this is the Edgar Castillo men's jersey will be wearing as they compete for the trophy this summer. David Bingham, Steve Birnbaum, Darlington Nagbe, Geoff Cameron and Jozy Altidore. morgan brian jersey USA Inter´s world is crumbling – Icardi

Are England good enough to win World Cup 2010?

Share England will no doubt qualify for next years World Cup in South Africa. Every World Cup year the media and England fans have this blind optimism that is inexplicable. I must admit I buy in to the hype of the England teams ability to win every tournament we compete at. Unfortunately for every England fan since 1966 our optimism has been misplaced.

The question is will next year’s World Cup be any different from every other tournament we have competed at in recent years? I don’t think it will. Our performances in qualification have been promising but that has happened in previous years, hence the optimism. England look like they could qualify quite comfortably from group six. Croatia and Ukraine have arguably underperformed in the group and both sides have proven little to no threat to the Three Lions.

England always look solid until they face good opposition such as when we were defeated 2-0 in Spain in Fabio Capello’s first defeat in charge. I hate to say this but I think our team is over-hyped by the previously mentioned media.

A new look for 2016, this is the David Bingham men's jersey will be wearing as they compete for the trophy this summer. Steve Birnbaum, Geoff Cameron, Kyle Beckerman, Jozy Altidore and Darlington Nagbe. heather o'reilly authentic jerseys Yes we have some very good players and a few world-class players, but we just haven’t got enough strength in-depth in our squad to prevail at a major tournament.

World-Class Players The three players in our squad that I would say are world-class would be Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney, Liverpool midfielder Steven Gerrard and Chelsea centre-back John Terry. However Liverpool captain Gerrard has underperformed for his country in the past, but it looks like boss Fabio Capello has found an ideal role for him playing in the deep lying second striker role that he has become accustomed to at Anfield.

The Problem Positions The goalkeeping position has proved a problem position for England managers in the past and its no different for Capello. West Ham goalkeeper Robert Green has looked nervy and unconvincing in recent games. Unfortunately England are not endowed with great keepers anymore. We have Portsmouth’s David James who is 39 and error prone.

We have Wigan’s Chris Kirkland who has had more injuries than the A+E. Manchester United keeper Ben Foster hadn’t been playing many games until this season, but he too has looked a bit shaky in the United goal. Then there is Scott Carson of Championship side West Brom, but he has only made three appearances for his country.

Another problem position is right back. The current player in possession of the shirt is Liverpool’s Glen Johnson. The former Portsmouth star is fantastic going forward and is a good attacking weapon. Unfortunately for Glen he isn’t the best defender in the world.

I really like him as a footballer, even though I’m an Everton fan, but I think he should be a right winger and not a right back. Hes in the mould of a Brazilian full-back such as Roberto Carlos and Cafu. If he could work on the defensive part of his game he could be one of the best in the world.

The alternatives at right-back are Wes Brown, who is a really solid defender but cant really go forward, quite the opposite to Johnson ironically! If you put Johnson’s ability to go forward and Brown’s ability to defend together we have the complete full-back. Manchester United’s Gary Neville could be another alternative, but the experienced full-back has struggled with fitness and injury problems in recent seasons.

We have lots of ability and a world-class coach, all we need now is a bit of luck and all our best players stay injury-free. In past years the dreaded metatarsal has struck one of our key players before each of the last three major tournaments. I really hope that I am proven wrong and England go on to win the World Cup next year in South Africa.

A new look for 2016, this is the Steve Birnbaum men's jersey will be wearing as they compete for the trophy this summer. Geoff Cameron, Jozy Altidore, Ethan Finlay, Darlington Nagbe and Kyle Beckerman. hope solo authentic jerseys Maybe I have have just endured too much heartache at the hands of the Three Lions. Maybe its time for them to repay the fans and bring home the trophy from South Africa next July.

Friday, September 30, 2016

Rostov 2 PSV 2: Propper´s penalty miss costs visitors

PSV’s poor run against Russian sides continued as they were held to a frustrating 2-2 draw by Rostov in the Champions League.

Phillip Cocu’s team came into Wednesday’s encounter at Olimp-2 Stadium having failed to claim a victory from their previous four matches on Russian soil in European competition.

And the Eredivisie champions looked unlikely to buck that trend when they fell behind to Dmitry Poloz’s early strike, though they pulled level courtesy of Davy Propper’s deflected shot.

Rostov built on the lively opening, Poloz again on target as Ivan Danilyants’ side restored their advantage, only for Luuk de Jong to cancel it out in first-half stoppage time.

PSV were much improved in the second half, Propper seeing a penalty saved by Soslan Dzhanaev before being denied by the woodwork, but Rostov held firm to secure a vital point in Group D.

In the first meeting between the sides, it was Rostov who opened the scoring eight minutes in, Poloz slotting home the club’s first Champions League group-stage goal at the culmination of a well-worked move.

Rostov’s celebrations were short-lived though as PSV – on their first meaningful venture forward – restored parity courtesy of Propper’s strike, which took a wicked deflection off Vladimir Granat.

Sardar Azmoun went close as the hosts searched for an immediate response, the forward engineering some room in the box before driving a venomous effort over the crossbar.

Azmoun continued to threaten, and the 21-year-old was the architect as Rostov retook the lead in the 37th minute, his header teeing up Poloz, who duly doubled his tally with a thumping finish into the bottom-left corner.

PSV again responded well to Rostov going ahead – Propper turning provider as he teed up Luciano Narsingh – but the winger was flagged offside before he slid home the finish.

However, Cocu’s side did have another leveller on the stroke of half-time, De Jong heading in from point-blank range after Santiago Arias’ shot had rattled the crossbar.

PSV were gifted the chance to take the lead for the first time 55 minutes in, referee Clement Turpin harshly deeming that Cesar Navas had brought down De Jong in Rostov’s area.

Propper, in search of his second, stepped up to take the resulting penalty, but the Dutchman could not find the target this time round – Dzhanaev pulling off a superb stop.

Matters were made worse for the visitors just after the hour-mark, midfielder Jorrit Hendrix having to be helped off the pitch after a heavy collision with Poloz at the other end.

Cocu’s men finally had a foothold in proceedings, though, and Propper was desperately unlucky not to double his goal haul when his blistering attempt clattered off the underside of the crossbar and into the hands of Dzhanaev.

A new look for 2016, this is the Megan Rapinoe soccer jersey will be wearing as they compete for the trophy this summer. Morgan Brian, Alex Morgan, Carli Lloyd, Lauren Holiday and Ali Krieger. hope solo jersey usa Anthony Martial, Daley Blind, Ander Herrera, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Wayne Rooney, Memphis Depay, Morgan Schneiderlin, Matteo Darmian, Phil Jones, Juan Mata, Antonio Valencia, Marcus Rashford. Rostov’s goalkeeper was the hosts’ hero again late on, reacting instinctively to parry away Steven Bergwijn’s strike to force PSV, who lost to Atletico Madrid on matchday one and face Bayern Munich next, to settle for a share of the spoils.

Just as in the first half

As an enthralling first half continued apace, City looked threatening with every attack and Celtic were sliced open when David Silva’s threaded pass found Sterling, who beat Tierney with instinctive skill before side-footing the ball past Gordon to equalise.

Within 72 seconds of the second half, the ball was in City’s net again when Kolarov made a terrible mess of Tierney’s cross and Dembele, with his back to goal, scored by hooking the ball over his shoulder and past Bravo.

Just as in the first half, City were quick to draw level again and it was another Silva pass that opened Celtic up before Aguero’s shot was saved and Nolito tucked home the rebound.

After an hour of end-to-end football played at a frenetic pace, Celtic put men behind the ball in the final half hour to ensure they did not let a vital point slip, and Gordon made a good save to prevent Kolarov’s cross from finding Fernandinho as it flashed across the face of goal.

Fernandinho almost gave one of the Champions League’s most entertaining encounters a final twist when he hit a dipping drive just over from 25 yards, and Gordon rescued Celtic in injury time with a fine reaction save from Ilkay Gundogan to ensure a share of the spoils.

Key Opta stats: – Since their Champions League debut in 2011-12, only three teams (BATE Borisov 65, Bayern 60, & Galatasaray 60) have conceded more goals than Manchester City (57). – Raheem Sterling has been directly involved in seven goals in his last five Champions League starts (four goals, three assists).

– Sterling has scored in three consecutive appearances (all comps) for the first time in his career. A new look for 2016, this is the Morgan Brian soccer jersey will be wearing as they compete for the trophy this summer. Alex Morgan, Lauren Holiday, Heather O'Reilly, Ali Krieger and Carli Lloyd. hope solo usa jersey Ashley Young, Paul Pogba, Jesse Lingard, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Axel Tuanzebe, Timothy Fosu-Mensah, Sergio Romero, Chris Smalling, David de Gea, Marcos Rojo, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Michael Carrick. – Moussa Dembele’s opener was the quickest goal Celtic have ever scored in the Champions League (2:23).

Celtic 3 Manchester City 3: Dembele at the double in six-goal thriller

Manchester City’s winning streak under Pep Guardiola came to an end in dramatic fashion as Celtic got their first Champions League point of the season from a thrilling 3-3 draw.

Guardiola’s City went behind for the first time in the Spaniard’s tenure when Moussa Dembele put Celtic ahead after just three minutes, despite appearing to have been in an offside position.

City hit back just nine minutes later through Fernandinho only for Raheem Sterling to steer Kieran Tierney’s shot into his own net, but the England winger made amends with a superb turn and finish at the other end to level the match before half-time.

Dembele put Celtic ahead for a third time shortly after the restart to keep a roaring home crowd dreaming of a memorable victory, but Nolito equalised swiftly when Craig Gordon parried Sergio Aguero’s shot into his path.

The result marks an impressive response from Celtic – hammered 7-0 by Barcelona in their Group C opener – while City will hope the blip in their immaculate record under Guardiola is nothing more than just that.

Brendan Rodgers said before the game that Celtic needed to start brightly and they did just that when a free-kick found James Forrest in space in the box and he crossed for Nir Bitton to fire in a header that beat Claudio Bravo via a touch from Dembele’s chest.

Bravo saved well from Kolo Toure soon afterwards but Celtic’s impressive start was undone when Aleksandar Kolarov’s shot found its way to Fernandinho, who controlled the ball before sliding a low shot past Gordon into the corner of the net.

But Celtic maintained their high tempo attacking football and restored their lead when Tomas Rogic broke down the middle and fed Tierney, whose angled shot hit Sterling’s outstretched leg and flew in at the near post.

A new look for 2016, this is the Alex Morgan soccer jersey will be wearing as they compete for the trophy this summer. Lauren Holiday, Ali Krieger, Amy Rodriguez, Carli Lloyd and Heather O'Reilly. hope solo soccer jersey

As an enthralling first half continued apace, City looked threatening with every attack and Celtic were sliced open when David Silva’s threaded pass found Sterling, who beat Tierney with instinctive skill before side-footing the ball past Gordon to equalise.

Besiktas 1 Dynamo Kiev 1: Tsygankov stuns wasteful Turks

Wasteful Besiktas failed to make the most of their superiority against Dynamo Kiev as Viktor Tsygankov secured a fortuitous 1-1 draw in the Champions League on Wednesday.

The teenager entered the pitch with 62 minutes on the clock and made the telling contribution a few moments later, helping Dynamo to capitalise on their hosts’ inability to convert their numerous chances.

Prior to that Besiktas enjoyed complete control over their visitors throughout, particularly in the first half, and Ricardo Quaresma’s fine free-kick just before the half-hour mark was the least they deserved.

Tsygankov made them pay for not adding to that, though, and Dynamo continued to rise in prominence as a result of that equaliser. Besiktas struggled to contain their visitors towards the end, as their control of proceedings completely evaporated, but luckily for them Dynamo were unable to steal a late win in Group B.

The home side showed real attacking intent right from the start and were quick to get shots away, with Talisca and then Vincent Aboubakar forcing Artur Rudko into straightforward saves from distance in the opening 10 minutes.

Dynamo were struggling to keep Talisca on a leash and the Brazilian saw another effort deflected just wide of the right-hand post in the 13th minute after latching on to Andreas Beck’s well-placed cut-back.

Besiktas eventually took a deserved lead in style after 28 minutes, as Quaresma caressed a 25-yard free-kick into the top-right corner after the rampaging Aboubakar was cynically fouled by Nikita Korzun.

The hosts’ dominance was absolute and they almost got a second shortly after as the lively Aboubakar burst past Rudko, only for Yevhen Khacheridi to produce a crucial last-ditch tackle.

Dynamo perked up slightly after the break and some slack Besiktas defending allowed Denys Garmash two attempts in quick succession in the 57th minute, but Fabricio in the hosts’ goal pushed away the initial effort and then tipped the midfielder’s rebound around the post.

The visitors’ improvement was made to tell 25 minutes from time, as Besiktas failed to deal with Sergiy Rybalka’s free-kick delivery and 18-year-old substitute Tsygankov found the net from a tight angle.

Besiktas struggled to mount much of a response to the equaliser and Dynamo’s improvement continued.

Tsygankov saw another decent attempt cause panic in the Besiktas ranks with 10 minutes go, but on this occasion his volley flew just past the left-hand post.

A new look for 2016, this is the Lauren Holiday soccer jersey will be wearing as they compete for the trophy this summer. Ali Krieger, Carli Lloyd, Shannon Boxx, Heather O'Reilly and Amy Rodriguez. hope solo soccer Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Eric Bailly, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Timothy Fosu-Mensah, Marouane Fellaini, Morgan Schneiderlin, Marcus Rashford, Ander Herrera, Phil Jones, Luke Shaw, Ashley Young, Memphis Depay. And Andriy Yarmolenko was then denied by Fabricio in the closing stages when one-on-one, as the goalkeeper ensured his side held on for a point.