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

olympic games 2016 - qualifiers - caf u23 - 2nd round - 2nd leg - all results

OLYMPIC GAMES 2016 Qualifiers
(2015 CAF U-23 Championship qualification)
2nd round

 

Ghana vs Congo 0:1
Congo: Agg. 1:1 (4:5 pen)
1:0 1st leg
0:1 2nd leg

Sierra Leone vs Cameroon 1:1
Sierra Leone: Agg. 1:1 (a)
0:0 1st leg
1:1 2nd leg

Mauritania vs Mali 1:3
Mali: Agg. 2:4 
1:1 1st leg
1:3 2nd leg

Botswana vs Zambia 0:2
Zambia: Agg. 1:3
1:1 1st leg
0:2 2nd leg

Rwanda vs Uganda 0:2
Uganda: Agg. 1:4
1:2 1st leg
0:2 2nd leg

Zimbabwe vs Swaziland 2:2
Zimbabwe: Agg. 2:2 (a)
0:0 1st leg
2:2 2nd leg

Tunisia vs Sudan 2:0
Tunisia: Agg. 3:0
1:0 1st leg
2:0 2nd leg

 

Cameroon became the first major casualty of the 2016 Olympic Games football qualifiers in Africa after being eliminated by Sierra Leone this weekend.

The outsiders scored a stoppage-time goal in Yaounde to snatch a 1:1 draw and win the second-round tie on away goals after a goalless first leg last weekend.

Sierra Leone captain Sorie Barrie scored in the 93rd minute, after Joseph Minala had put Cameroon ahead.

Minala, the 18-year-old Italy-based footballer caught up in an age storm last year amid claims he was over 40, had put the 'Indomitable Cubs' in front in the opening half at Stade Ahmadou Ahidjo before Sierra Leone's decisive equaliser.

Adding to the humiliation of Cameroon - the Sydney 2000 Olympics football gold medallists - was the fact that they had home advantage in both legs of the qualifier restricted to under-23 footballers.

Sierra Leone was not able to host international fixtures because of the deadly Ebola epidemic.

Exiting the Olympics qualifiers at the first hurdle is the latest in a string of woeful performances this year by Cameroonian sides, once among the strongest in Africa.

The Olympic team also flopped in the 2015 All-Africa Games, losing an eliminator in Zimbabwe and drawing the return match.

Cameroon fared dismally at senior level, too, failing to win a match at the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations in Equatorial Guinea and being eliminated after the first round.

Clubs have fared equally poorly with all four representatives going out of the 2015 CAF (Confederation of African Football) competitions in the early stages.

The scene is equally bleak at age-limit level.

Cameroon did not qualify for the 2015 African youth championship and failed to get beyond the first round of the junior championship.

Sierra Leone will now face Algeria in the third round of qualifying.

Elsewhere, Ghana's Black Meteors were also eliminated.

They lost the second leg against Congo Brazzaville 1:0 which took the tie to 1:1 overall. 

Congo then won the subsequent penalty shoot-out 5:4 in front of a home crowd at Pointe-Noire.

Zambia went through with a 2:0 win over Botswana in Lusaka on Sunday, winning 3:1 on aggregate.

Second half goals from Ronald Kampamba and Kelvin Mubanga earned Zambia a meeting with Ivory Coast in the next round.

Adama Niane sealed a 3:1 victory for Mali over Mauritania in Bamako by converting an 88th-minute penalty.

He also scored the opening goal on two minutes, Boubacar Bagili equalised, and Moctar Mohamed Cisse put the Malians ahead again midway through the second half.

Mali, who forced a 1:1 first-leg draw in Nouakchott, advanced 4:2 on aggregate and play reigning African under-23 champions Gabon next.

Uganda secured a showdown with Egypt by defeating Rwanda 2:0 in Kampala to complete a 4:1 overall triumph.

The Ugandan Kobs scored twice within five minutes just past the hour with a John Ssemazi goal followed by one from Faruku Miya.

 

The 2015 CAF U-23 Championship qualifying rounds will decide the participating teams of the 2015 CAF U-23 Championship, a youth football tournament organised by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) for the under-23 national teams of their member associations. 

A total of eight teams will play in the final tournament, to be hosted by Senegal.

The 2015 CAF U-23 Championship acts as qualification to the 2016 Summer Olympics men's football tournament for the CAF, with the top three teams qualifying.

 

1 Jun 2015
(BBC Sport UK)

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