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

STARS IN EUROPE - Tunisia - CLUB - TRANSFER - Sliti joins Dijon on loan

Dijon FCO Naim Sliti

 

Tunisia international midfielder Naim Sliti has joined French side Dijon on a season-long loan from rivals Lille.

The 24-year-old initially joined Lille on loan last year before signing a permanent deal until 2020 in May.

His future was in doubt last month when he learned he was no longer required by new Lille coach Marcelo Bielsa.

Despite interest from several clubs, Sliti opted to join Dijon, who have the option to sign him on a permanent deal when his loan expires next year.

"It's true I received some offers but there are a lot of things that motivated me to come to Dijon," Sliti told the club official website.

"The first, and most importantly, is that the coach called me.

"It's a crucial year for me with the World Cup in mind, so it's important to feel confident and see that the coach is counting on you.

"I checked on the club, and I had very good feedback. 

A healthy atmosphere prevails within the club. 

It's like a family. 

I am very happy to be part of this family."

In his sole campaign in the top flight, Sliti played 18 games for Lille last season, scoring once.

"I had a somewhat mixed year, but honestly, that served me well for experience," said Sliti.

"I learned a lot, and today I can tell you that I am really happy and I look forward to playing football again.

"I think that here is the ideal place to find this football pleasure and I cannot wait to meet my new teammates."

Sliti, who began his career with Sedan before moving to Paris FC in 2013, has won 12 caps for his country and scored three goals.

He represented his country at the 2017 African Cup of Nations - where he played all four matches as Tunisia exited the tournament in the quarter-finals.

 

 

26 Jul 2017
(BBC Africa by Oluwashina Okeleji)

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