2014 WORLD CUP - ARGENTINA - KEY PLAYER - ‪LIONEL MESSI - PROFILE

Lionel Andrés Messi; born 24 June 1987, is an Argentine footballer who plays as a forward for Spanish club FC Barcelona and the Argentina national team. He serves as the captain of his country's national football team.

By the age of 21, Messi had received Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year nominations. The following year, in 2009, he won his first Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year awards. 

1 Jul 2014
2014 WORLD CUP - USA - KEY PLAYER - ‪JERMAINE JONES - PROFILE

Jermaine Junior Jones, born 3 November 1981, is a German-American footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Turkish club Beşiktaş. He has previously played for Eintracht Frankfurt, Bayer Leverkusen, Blackburn Rovers and Schalke 04. He was born in Germany and represented them at U21 and senior level.

1 Jul 2014
NATIONAL TEAM - NIGERIA - COACH - STEPHEN KESHI RESIGNS AFTER EXIT

He becomes the sixth manager to leave his job during the World Cup, following the departures of Honduras's Luis Suarez, Iran's Carlos Queiroz, Japan's Alberto Zaccheroni, Italy's Cesare Prandelli and Ivory Coast's Sabri Lamouchi.

Keshi, who captained Nigeria at the 1994 World Cup finals, was previously in charge of Mali and Togo.

1 Jul 2014
2014 WORLD CUP - DAY 18 - LAST SIXTEEN - FRANCE vs NIGERIA 2:0

LAST SIXTEEN
30th June 2014

France vs Nigeria 2:0

30 Jun 2014
2014 WORLD CUP - DAY 18 - LAST SIXTEEN - GERMANY vs ALGERIA 2:1

LAST SIXTEEN
30th June 2014

Germany vs Algeria 2:1

30 Jun 2014
2014 WORLD CUP - GERMANY - KEY PLAYER - THOMAS MUELLER‬ - PROFILE

Müller's role can be described as an attacking all-rounder, a player able to play in a variety of forward positions. He can play in any of the attacking midfield roles but usually plays in the center for Bayern Munich, and on the right for Germany.

He has been used as an out-and-out striker on occasion. Müller has been praised for his maturity, pace, technique, awareness and positioning.

30 Jun 2014
2014 WORLD CUP - FRANCE - KEY PLAYER - ‪KARIM BENZEMA - PROFILE

He has been named French Player of the Year twice for his performances in 2011 and 2012. Benzema is a former French youth international and has represented his nation from under-17 level onwards. 

Benzema has earned over 65 caps and represented France at three major international tournaments; the 2008 and 2012 editions of the UEFA European Football Championship and the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

30 Jun 2014
2014 WORLD CUP - DAY 17 - LAST SIXTEEN - NETHERLANDS VS MEXICO 2:1

LAST SIXTEEN
29th June 2014

Netherlands vs Mexico 2:1

Lucky dutchmen!

29 Jun 2014
2014 WORLD CUP - DAY 17 - LAST SIXTEEN - COSTA RICA VS GREECE 5:4 - win on penalties

LAST SIXTEEN
29th June 2014

Costa Rica vs Greece 5:4

Costa Rica through on penalties.

29 Jun 2014
2014 WORLD CUP - MEXICO - KEY PLAYER - ‪Giovani dos Santos‬ - PROFILE

Giovani dos Santos‬ was born in Monterrey, Nuevo León, Giovani joined FC Barcelona's academy of La Masia at the age of eleven and played for Barcelona's Juvenil A category where he helped his team to make a comeback in the league and win the regional title. 

This title allowed them to participate in the Youth Copa del Rey, where they faced other regional champions, among them their historic arch-rivals, Real Madrid. 

29 Jun 2014

2014 World Cup - warm up - Bosnia-Herzegovina vs Ivory Coast 2:1

Ivory Coast defender Kolo Toure has contracted malaria and missed the 2:1 defeat by Bosnia-Herzegovina in a world Cup Warm-up on Saturday.

Toure, 33, was taken ill on a flight to the United States on Wednesday, but is expected to be fit for the finals. "He did not participate in the match against Bosnia but will return early next week," said professor Cyrille Dah, head of the team's medical staff.

Yaya Toure also missed the friendly in St Louis with a muscle problem. Kolo Toure contracted the illness in the Ivory Coast city of Abidjan before meeting up with his national squad at their training camp in Dallas.

Dah added that the Liverpool defender had undergone treatment which ended on Friday. Manchester City midfielder Yaya Toure, 31, has been undergoing treatment in Doha and is expected to join the Elephants' squad in America on Saturday. The pair's absence was felt by the Elephants, who fell to a double strike by Edin Dzeko.

The Manchester City striker scored once in each half to give Bosnia a 2:0 lead before Didier Drogba scored a late consolation goal for Ivory Coast. 

Dzeko, Bosnia's all-time leading international scorer, gave the eastern Europeans the lead after just 17 minutes when he rifled a shot into the back of the net from just inside the box. 

He scored again in the 53rd minute, controlling Miralem Pjanic's cross with his first touch and volleying the ball into the net with his second.

Ivory Coast created some good opportunities and were finally rewarded with a goal in the last minute when Drogba, playing in his 100th international, was brought down by Anel Hadzic.

Already his country's most prolific scorer, Drogba chalked up his 64th international goal when he scored from a free-kick. Both teams will participate at the tournament in Brazil.

Bosnia play Mexico in a friendly in Chicago on Tuesday before flying to Brazil to finish off their preparations for the World Cup, where they are drawn in Group F with Argentina, Iran and Nigeria.

Ivory Coast's next warm-up match is against El Salvador in Dallas next Wednesday. The Africans are in Group C, along with Colombia, Greece and Japan.

 

31 May 2014
(BBC Sport UK)

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