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

AFRICAN CONFEDERATION CUP 2015 - FINAL - 2ND LEG - RESULT

AFRICAN CONFEDERATION CUP 2015 Etoile Du Sahel

 

Tunisia's Etoile Du Sahel beat South Africa's Orlando Pirates 1:0 in the second leg of the African Confederation Cup final in Sousse to triumph 2:1 on aggregate.

Captain Ammar Jemal scored the winner for the Tunisians to add to his late equaliser in the first leg, which had finished 1:1.

Sunday's game was played amid tight security, following Tuesday's bomb attack in Tunis, with a reduced crowd and an earlier kick-off time.

Jemal - the 28-year-old centre back, who previously played in the German Bundesliga with FC Cologne and Ajaccio in the French Ligue 1 - emerged as his team's star, as Etoile won Africa's second-biggest club competition.

His bundled finish in the 24th minute of Sunday's decider at the Olympic Stadium in Sousse added to his vital equaliser in the final minutes of last Saturday's first leg in Soweto, which cancelled out Thamsanqa Gabuza's strike.

Jemal's second goal of the tie came after Pirates defender Happy Jele miscued a cross and the ball spun viciously back towards goal, with the centre-half managing to bundle the ball over the line.

Originally scheduled for an 1830 GMT kick-off, the last major match of the 

African continental club season was brought forward by four-and-a-half hours.

Orlando Pirates host Etoile Du Sahel in first leg of 2015 Confederation Cup Final

And the initial crowd limit of 20,000 in the 25,000-seat stadium was halved to 10,000 on the orders of Tunisian authorities.

Pirates were already familiar with Tunisian teams, beating CS Sfaxien 1:0 in a Confederation Cup group game in Sfax four months ago.

But that did not help in the two-legged final, as Jemal - deputising as captain for injured goalkeeper Aymen Mathlouthi - inspired Etoile to claim a ninth African title.

It is also the fifth Tunisian success in 12 finals of the African equivalent of the Europa League, with Sfaxien having triumphed a record three times.

In addition, it marks Etoile's first continental title since the 2008 Super Cup as well as coach Faouzi Benzarti's third African club title.

Pirates were hoping to end a 14-year African trophy drought by South African clubs, but that wait goes on, with the 1995 African Cup of Champions Clubs (now African Champions League) and the 1996 Super Cup marking their last continental triumphs.

Etoile pocket $660,000 (625,000 euros) and secure a Super Cup date with Champions League title-holders TP Mazembe in Democratic Republic of Congo city Lubumbashi.

 

 

30 Nov 2015
(BBC Sport UK)

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