NATIONAL TEAM - SWITZERLAND - 2014 WORLD CUP - Goodbye, Ottmar Hitzfeld. All the best and take care.

Hitzfeld has made a positive impression wherever he has been stationed and his name is still regularly chanted in the stands at Bayern Munich.

“He put together a really good team that will last for many years to come,” Granit Xhaka told FIFA.com, before Josip Drmic added: “He’s done a great job.” 

2 Jul 2014
2014 WORLD CUP - DAY 19 - LAST SIXTEEN - ARGENTINA VS SWITZERLAND 1:0

LAST SIXTEEN
1st July 2014

Argentina vs Switzerland 1:0

1 Jul 2014
2014 WORLD CUP - DAY 19 - LAST SIXTEEN - BELGIUM VS USA 2:1

LAST SIXTEEN
1st July 2014

Belgium vs USA 2:1

1 Jul 2014
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

2015 Africa Cup qualifier - 1st round- 2nd leg - results so far

AFRICA CUP 2015 QUALIFIERS

Rwanda pull off surprise win over Libya - Rwanda shocked Libya in the second leg of their 2015 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier, winning 3:0 at home to progress to the next round.

• Rwanda vs Libya 3:0
The sides had been locked at 0:0 after the first game but a hat-trick from Dadi Birori saw Rwanda comfortably home in Kigali.

The Wasps, playing in their first game under new coach Stephen Constantine, are 27 places below Libya in the Confederation of African Football rankings. Rwanda will next face either Namibia or Congo.

• Uganda vs Madagascar 1:0
Earlier, Uganda squeezed past Madagascar with a 1:0 second-leg win that put them through on away goals after the tie ended 2:2 on aggregate. 

Geoffrey Massa struck for the Cranes after only 13 minutes but Uganda were unable to find their way through again and had to come through a tense finish in Kampala to book their place in the next round.

• Sierra Leone vs Swaziland 1:0 
Sierra Leone booked their place in the second round with a 1:0 over Swaziland in Freetown on Saturday.  Skipper Umaru Bangura scored from the penalty spot in the 65th minute to give Sierra Leone a 2:1 aggregate victory.

On Friday Mozambique and Kenya became the first teams to reach the final qualifying round after playing their second legs on Friday.

• South Sudan vs Mozambique 0:0
With a 5:0 lead over South Sudan from their first encounter, Mozambique were huge favourites to progress. South Sudan, however, managed to salvage some pride at least, by holding their opponents to a 0:0 draw at home.

Comoros Islands vs Kenya 1:1
Kenya made it through after drawing 1:1 away to Comoros Islands, giving them a 2:1 win on aggregate.

Lesotho vs Liberia 2:0
The 'Crocodiles' advance in Africa Cup qualifiers with win over Liberia. Lesotho recorded one of the most impressive results in their history when beating Liberia 2:0 to qualify for the second round of 2015 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying.  Having lost the first leg 1:0 in Monrovia, the small highland kingdom won through 2:1 on aggregate.

Two first-half goals were enough to comfortably ensure the 'Crocodiles' first Nations Cup qualifying win in seven years, with their last success coming against Niger in 2007. Lesotho have never appeared at a Nations Cup final and face Kenya in the next round.

 

1 Jun 2014
(BBC Sport UK)

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