stars in Europe - Uche not angry at Nigeria World Cup snub

The Villarreal striker was not picked by Keshi, despite scoring 12 goals in the Spanish top flight this season. Uche has not played for his country since they won the Africa Cup of Nations in South Africa last year. The 30-year-old insists, however, that he holds no grudges against Keshi. "Of course as a professional footballer you'd love to represent your country, but I have never had bad words towards the national coach," Uche is widely regarded as one of Nigeria's most reliable strikers at international level and is one of his nation's all-time top scorers, with 18 goals in 45 appearances, behind Rashidi Yekini, Segun Odegbami and Yakubu Aiyegbeni. 

10 May 2014
2014 World Cup - squad - Shola Ameobi in provisional Nigeria squad

Stoke striker Peter Odemwingie and Newcastle forward Shola Ameobi are in Nigeria's provisional 30-man World Cup squad for Brazil 2014.

7 May 2014
stars in Europe - Wilfried Bony - Ivory Coast striker happy at Swansea City

The Ivorian has scored 24 goals in all competitions since joining the Swans from Vitesse Arnhem for a club-record fee of £12m last summer. Bony, 25, has been the bright spot in a disappointing Premier League season. 

4 May 2014
NATIONAL TEAM - MOROCCO - COACH - former player Badou Zaki confirmed as new coach

Zaki takes charge of the Atlas Lions for the second time in his career.

3 May 2014
club - coaches - Youssef resigns as Al Ahly coach

Al Ahly has accepted the resignation of coach Mohamed Youssef on Thursday. Youssef had been in charge of Al Ahly since May last year following the resignation Hossam El Badry.

2 May 2014
African Champions League 2014 - DR Congo rivals drawn together

TP Mazemebe, runners-up in last year's Confederation Cup, and AS Vita Club are fierce rivals

30 Apr 2014
African Confederation Cup 2014: play offs - 2nd leg - fixtures & results

Fixtures and results for the 2014 Confed Cup.
2013 champions: CS Sfaxien (Tunisia)

Winners advance to group stage

29 Apr 2014

2015 AFRICA CUP QUALIFIERS - 2ND ROUND - first leg - all results

Benin, Lesotho and Congo Brazzaville all recorded victories in Sunday's Africa Cup of Nations second-round first leg qualifiers, as Mozambique picked up two precious away goals in Tanzania.

AFRICA CUP 2015 PRELIMINARIES

Benin again relied heavily on West Bromwich Albion midfielder Stephane Sessegnon. 

He struck their only goal in the 19th minute to earn a 1-0 win over Malawi in Cotonou.

The match ended with both teams reduced to ten men.

Red cards were shown to Benin's Badarou Nafiou and Malawi's Frank Banda for an incident in the 84th minute.

Sessegnon's goal puts him top of the goal-scoring charts in the qualifiers. 

He has four goals after he struck three in Benin's second round victory over Sao Tome e Principe.

Elsewhere Lesotho defeated Kenya 1:0 in Maseru.

Their first leg triumph was completed by a Bushi Moletsane goal on the hour mark.

Kenya had to do without several first-choice players who were refused permission to play because the game fell outside Fifa's international match calendar.

On a disappointing day for East Africa, Tanzania were pegged back to 2:2 by Mozambique in Dar es Salaam.

Tanzania were hoping to take advantage of new Dutch coach Mart Nooij's experience of four years in charge of Mozambique from 2007 to 2011.

Despite being boosted by the availability of star front men Mbwana Samata and Thomas Ulimwengu, who were freed by Democratic Republic of Congo outfit TP Mazembe, Tanzania were thwarted by a determined Mozambique side.

After a goalless first half, the visitors took the lead two minutes after the break from the penalty spot with Elias 'Dominques' Pelembe scoring.

But Tanzania fought back. Zanzibar-born Mcha Khamis hit the equaliser in the 66th minute, and then just seven minutes later, he put the hosts ahead with his own penalty.

The crowd in Dar es Salaam must have thought Tanzania had done enough to win, until the last minute of the game when Isac Carvalho struck to earn Mozambique a 2:2 draw and give them two precious away goals going into their home leg.

Rwanda, who shocked Libya in the last round, found the going much tougher away to Congo-Brazzaville who won their home leg 2:0 in Pointe-Noire. Cesaire Gandze and Ferebory Dore scored Congo-Brazzaville's goals.

On Saturday, there were first leg victories for Botswana, Uganda and Sierra Leone.

14 teams in total are battling over two-legged ties to fill the remaining seven places in the group stage.

The second legs will be played on the weekend of 1-3 August.
Morocco hosts the Nations Cup finals tournament from 17 January to 8 February 2015.


2nd round first leg - all results
•    Botswana vs Guinea-Bissau 2:0 
•    Uganda vs Mauritania 2:0 
•    Sierra Leone vs Seychelles 2:0 
•    Lesotho vs Kenya 1:0 
•    Tanzania vs Mozambique 2:2 
•    Congo Brazzaville vs Rwanda 2:0 
•    Benin vs Malawi 1:0 

 

21 Jul 2014
(BBC Sport UK)

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