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

AFRICA CUP 2017 QUALIFIERS - GROUP STAGE - 2ND MATCHES - all results

AFRICA CUP 2017 QUALIFIERS

 

Group A
Djibouti vs Togo 0:2
Liberia vs Tunisia 1:0

Group B
Central African Republic vs DR Congo 2:0
Madagascar vs Angola 0:0

Group C
South Sudan vs Equatorial Guinea 1:0
Benin vs Mali 1:1

Group D 
Comoros vs Uganda 0:1
Botswana vs Burkina Faso 1:0    

Group E
Guinea-Bissau vs Congo 2:4
Kenya vs Zambia 1:2

Group F
São Tomé and Príncipe vs Morocco 0:3    
Libya vs Cape Verde 1:2     

Group G 
Tanzania vs Nigeria 0:0    
Chad vs Egypt 1:5

Group H 
Rwanda vs Ghana 0:1
Mauritius vs Mozambique 1:0

Group I
Sierra Leone vs Ivory Coast 0:0

Group J
Seychelles vs Ethiopia 1:1
Lesotho vs Algeria 1:3

Group K
Namibia vs Senegal 0:2     
Burundi vs Niger 2:0          
    
Group L
Swaziland vs Malawi 2:2
Zimbabwe vs Guinea 1:1

Group M
Mauritania vs South Africa 3:1
Gambia vs Cameroon 0:1

 

Togo won their second straight 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier when triumphing 2:0 in Djibouti but did so without star striker Emmanuel Adebayor.

Unwanted by Tottenham Hotspur, the 31-year-old failed to respond to a call-up following a row over the captaincy ahead of Togo's win over Liberia in June.

New captain Serge Akakpo wasted little time in making an impact, scoring after three minutes, before Jonathan Ayite doubled the lead before half-time.

Togo lead Group A with six points.

However, Tunisia will move ahead on Saturday if they record their second victory in as many games when travelling to Liberia.

The game in Monrovia will be the first full international Liberia has hosted since the lifting of a ban imposed because of the Ebola crisis.

Liberia, which last hosted an international in May 2014, was declared Ebola-free on Thursday.

Tunisia beat Djibouti 8:1 during the opening round of 2017 Nations Cup qualifiers in June.

South Sudan earn first competitive victory

South Sudan have achieved their first competitive victory since joining international football in 2012, beating Equatorial Guinea in their 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier.

Atak Lual scored the only goal of the game in the 52nd minute in Juba the to give his side an historic win.

The result lifts South Sudan up to second in the table in Group C, with Benin and Mail playing on Sunday.

South Sudan played their first official friendly against Uganda in July 2012.

It was only in 2011 that organised football was first played in South Sudan, after the country gained its independence from Sudan.

Uganda edged to victory away to Comoros in Group D thanks to a single goal which came in the 25th minute.

Tonny Mawejje struck the decisive blow to lift the Cranes top of the table on a maximum six points from two games.

Uganda almost missed the tie because of financial difficulties but Ugandan President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni provided $210,000 to cover the team's travel costs.

In the group's other tie, Botswana beat Burkina Faso 1:0.

Joel Mogorilosi scored five minutes after the interval and his side held on to the advantage over the 2013 beaten finalists to secure their first points.

In Group J Seychelles also took their first point after a 1:1 draw with visitors Ethiopia.

Nelson Laurence slotted home a 24th minute penalty to give the hosts a surprise lead which lasted half an hour. 

A strike by Tesfaye Seyoum restored parity and put Ethiopia top of the table from Algeria who travel to Lesotho on Sunday.

Burundi hoisted themselves from the bottom of Group K with a 2:0 win over visiting Niger. 

Fiston Abdul Razak grabbled the opener on 24 minutes and Papy Faty sealed the win with seven minutes of the tie remaining.

The result allowed Senegal top pull three points clear at the summit as they earned a 2:0 away win at Namibia. 

English Premier League stars Cheikhou Kouyate, of West Ham, and Southampton's Sadio Mane got the goals.

Three-time African champions Nigeria were fortunate to earn a point away to Tanzania in Group G, just about keeping their opponents out in a 0:0 draw.

Stand-in goalkeeper Carl Ikeme of English side Wolves, in for the bereaved Victor Enyeama, was the outstanding player of the match.

Wakaso Mubarak scored an 85th-minute free-kick to give Ghana a 1:0 victory over Rwanda in Group H. 

The Black Stars were without striker Asamoah Gyan because of a knee injury but managed to ensure they have maximum points from their first two games.

 

 

 

6 Sep 2015
(BBC Sport UK)

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