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

WORLD CUP 2018 QUALIFIERS - AFRICA - 1st ROUND - 2nd leg - so far

WORLD CUP 2018 QUALIFIERS
1st round / 1st leg
Region: Africa
Date: 2015

 

Mbwana Samatta

 

Sunday's 2nd leg fixtures

Malawi vs Tanzania 1:0 
Ethiopia vs Sao Tome e Principe 3:0 
Kenya vs Mauritius 0:0 

Tanzania win 2:1 on aggregate
Ethiopia win 3:1 on aggregate
Kenya win 5:2 on aggregate

 


Tanzania are through to the next round of 2018 World Cup qualifiers, despite losing the second leg of their preliminary round tie 1:0 in Malawi.

The Taifa stars went to Blantyre with a 2:0 advantage from their home leg on Wednesday to go through 2:1 overall.

Malawi got back into the tie with a goal from John Banda in the 43rd minute of the return leg on Sunday.

But the Flames failed to score again, resulting in their elimination from the 2018 World Cup.

Goals were also hard to come by for Tanzania whose TP Mazembe duo, Mbwana Samatta and Thomas Ulimwengu had given the visitors a useful cushion in the first leg in Dar es Salaam.

Tanzania face a difficult fixture in the next round of qualifying.

They will take on Africa's top ranked side, Algeria, as they continue their bid to reach Russia in 2018.

The result piles more pressure on Malawi's coach, Ernest Mtawali who was appointed at the start of August.

Also on Sunday, Ethiopia hosted Sao Tome e Principe, overturning a shock 1:0 deficit from the first leg to win the return leg 3:0 and go through 3:1 on aggregate.

Ethiopia wasted no time as they began their comeback, with Dawit Fikadu scoring for the hosts after just one minute.

A penalty from Gatoch Panom in the 49th minute gave Ethiopa a 2:1 lead in the tie, and Deng Ramkel Lok made sure of Ethiopia's win with a strike in the 75th minute.

The reward for Ethiopia is a fixture against Congo Brazzaville in the next round.

In the other fixture on Sunday, Kenya were held 0:0 at home by Mauritius in Nairobi but still progressed 5:2 on aggregate.

The Harambee Stars failed to capitalise on their goal haul from the first leg but had already done enough to secure their place in the next round where they will face Cape Verde.

 

13 Oct 2015
(BBC Sport UK)

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