NATIONAL TEAM - BELGIUM - 2014 WORLD CUP - Belgium welcome attack-minded foes

“The United States came out to win the match rather than avoid defeat. We were then able to take advantage of the extra space,” confirmed Kevin De Bruyne, who opened the scoring in the third minute of extra time and put in a fine all-round performance, linking well with Eden Hazard in particular. “It was a real pleasure to play such free-flowing football,” he added.

2 Jul 2014
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

2016 OLYMPICS - Nigeria beat Honduras to win men's football bronze

Sadiq Umar scored twice for Nigeria against Honduras

 

Nigeria vs Honduras 3:2

Sadiq Umar scored a brace as Nigeria won an Olympic bronze medal in the men's football with a 3-2 win over Honduras in Belo Horizonte.

Nigeria, the 1996 Olympic football champions, are now the first African country to complete an Olympic medal sweep having won a sliver medal in Beijing in 2008.

Aminu Umar had hit both posts before Sadiq Umar scored from close range in the 34th minute after captain Mikel John Obi's fine run.

Four minutes after the break, Mikel's strike was half-punched away by Lopez and it fell for Aminu Umar, the Turkey-based forward, to calmly finish inside the box.

Sadiq Umar got his second and his fourth of the tournament in the 56th minute to set the Eagles in flight and put them 3-0 up.

But Anthony Lozano pulled a goal back after 70 minutes, and Honduras' late fight-back was firmly on when Marcelo Pereira scored with four minutes left on the clock.

The Dream Team VI held off their opponents' late rally to win the country's first medal of the Rio games.

Victory gave Nigeria - beaten by Germany in the semi-finals - their place in history, by winning all three men's football Olympic medals.

At Atlanta in 1996, they became the first African team to win the gold medal.

They also finished runners-up at the 2008 Beijing Olympics to take silver, where current under-23 coach Samson Siasia also coached the 'Dream Team' in China.


 

21 Aug 2016
(BBC Sport by Oluwashina Okeleji)

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