AFON 2019 MATCH REPORT: Eagles beat South Africa to book semi-final place

Super Eagles soared high into the semi finals of the 2019 AFCON after beating South Africa 2-1 in the quarter finals of the ongoing tournament in Egypt. Two strikes in either halves by  Samuel Chukwueze and Williams Troost Ekong was enough  to to seal Nigeria qualifications  
Super Eagles coach, Gernot Rohr made two changes to the made two changes to the starting XI, that played against  the indomitable lions with Nigerian young talented forward Samuel Chukwueze returning to the starting lineup for the second time in the competition while Jamilu Collins started in place of Torino left back Ola Aina.
Nigeria looked th better side very early into the game as the kept pressurising the South Africans, the pressure eventually paid off in the 27 minute after a wonderful play from Ahmed Musa and Alex Iwobi on the left wing.  The Arsenal’s forward cross was met with a first attempt from Samuel Chukwueze but was blocked from the centre of the box before his second strike hits the back of the net to give Nigeria the lead.
Rohr’s men looked to increase their tally as  Chukwueze had his attempt sail way over the bar with the Villarreal  man continously tormenting the Bafana Bafana defenders  when he failed to connect with his teammates as the super eagles dominated for the large part of the first half.
Nigeria started the second 45 minutes in the same vein they ended the first. Stoke city midfielder Oghenekaro Etebo had his neatly struck freekick saved by  goalkeeper Ronwen Williams.
The tie wasn't over yet as South Africa levelled up from their first shot on target in the 71st minute from Bongani Zungu header from the left side of the six yard box to Zungu who sends a wonderful header into the net following a set-piece but immediately there is a VAR check after the assistant first ruled the goal as offside. Replays show the ball came off the back of Nigeria’s Ighalo before Zungu planted his header. There was a delay of two to three minutes before South Africans can celebrate their goal.

Super Eagles got the lead back few minutes from the final whistle. William Troost-Ekong right footed shot from very close range to the bottom right corner. Assisted by Moses Simon with a cross following a corner.

AFCON 2019 MATCH REPORT : Tunisia vs Ghana (Pen. 5-4)

Tunisia will now face tournament surprise package Madagascar in the quarter final in Al Salaam on Thursday after substitute keeper Farouk Ben Mustapha proved a gamble which eventually payed off when head coach Alaine Giresse brought him on for the penalties, as he saved Caleb Ekuban spot-kick.

Tunisia took the lead in the 72nd minute courtesy of a Taha Khenissi goal, before  Substitute Rami Bedoui scored an own goal at the stroke of full time to change the face of the encounter,sendin the game into extra time after he dipped a header beyond his keeper Hassen Mouez as he deflected Mubarak Wakaso's freekick.

Ghana who had the best scoring chances felt as though they should have gone ahead before the break but had a late first half goal disallowed, after skipper Andre Ayew back-heeled the ball into the net off his brother Jordan’s cross, but the goal was disallowed for a handball in the build-up.

Ghana had another close chance quarter of an hour into the game when Kasim’s header from a Wakaso corner struck the upright while Andre Ayew had his effort from the rebound saved by the keeper.

Prior to the own goal, Tunisia came close to taking the lead when Khazri cut back a cross from the left for Khenissi to shoot home, but his effort was blocked by Nuhu Kasim.

In the 70th minute, Khazri swung in a corner from the right met by Khenissi again, this time the striker’s effort struck the crossbar.

But two minutes later, his industry paid off when he won the ball on the right before playing Wajdi Kechrida through with the right back’s low cross into the box being turned home beyond Richard Ofori by Khenissi.

With Tunisia’s late own goal, the game was forced into extra time and even then, it was a full contest despite the tired legs. Khazri forced off a great save from Ofori with a strong shot from the edge of the area.

Asamoah Gyan who was a late second half substitute brushed a header his way,with the ball going wide.

Before heading into the penalties with the Tunisian substitute goal keeper Farouk  Ben Mustapha  being the hero of the night saving a spot kick which gave North Africans the advantage.

Eagles should be wary of Tau and Lorch threat - Okocha

Former Super eagles captain Jay-Jay Okocha has stated his worries about the damage South Africa duo Percy Tau and Thembinkosi Lorch could cause the Super Eagles defence in Wednesday's Afcon 2019 quarter-final fixture at the Cairo International Stadium with a semi-final ticket up for grasp in the continental showpiece.

Stuart Baxter's side knocked out the host nation Egypt in the Round of 16 match on Saturday, Okocha while speaking  with on SABC FOOTBALL, has picked out match-winner Lorch and Tau as Bafana's threats to the Super Eagles' progress.

"I believe in the team but I'm worried about Lorch and Tau, they look the most dangerous players for Bafana Bafana going forward and they have been instrumental, especially in the last game. Lorch made his debut and he justified his selection, so these are two players I'm worried about". Okocha said.

Speaking about his expectations from the encounter, he also added; 

"It will be a great match and the good thing is that both teams found good form at the right time but of course, as a Nigerian, I will like to see Nigeria go through.

"I will also like to see a good derby match, a match that will represent African football, a classic Afcon match but at the end of the day, let us narrowly win the game."

Nigeria and South Africa have played on 13 occasions, with the Super Eagles winning five while Bafana have won just four, although Baxter's men are unbeaten in the previous five meetings. Both nations most recent meetings was during the qualifying rounds for Afcon 2019, with Gernot Rohr's men claimed a 1-1 draw  last November in Johannesburg. 

[New] WOMEN WORLD CUP FINAL HIGHLIGHTS : USA 2 vs NETHERLANDS 0

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WOMEN WORLD CUP: USA beat Netherland to win fourth world cup

Megan Rapinoe struck a 61st-minute penalty before Rose Lavelle netted a fine solo goal as the United States beat European champions Netherlands 2-0 to become Women's World Cup winners for the fourth time.

Reign FC forward Rapinoe scored the opening goal in the encounter and her sixth goal of the tournament to ensure Jill Ellis' side successfully defended their title at the expense of a Netherlands team that fought bravely to overcome their underdogs tag but ultimately came up short. The goal, which came after a VAR review showed Netherland's Stefanie van der Gragt's foul on Alex Morgan. The spot kick brought Rapinoe level with Morgan and England's Ellen White in the goalscoring stakes, while Netherlands forward Lieke Martens cut a frustrated figure as the Dutch struggled to create chances.

Lavelle provided the best moment of an entertaining clash in Lyon when she carried the ball from the centre circle to the edge of the box before producing a classy finish to her solo run, the quality of which reflected everything fans at this World Cup have come to expect from its dominant team.

[New] AFCON 2019 VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS : South Africa 1 vs Egypt 0

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AFCON 2019 MATCH REPORT : Bafana Bafana shocks host to book quarter-final place

South Africa left it late at the Cairo international stadium as they defeated Hosts nation and favourites Egypt 1-0 to book a place in the quarter finals against Nigeria.

Orlando Pirates forward Thembinkosi Lorch was the hero in Cairo as his strike in the dyeing minutes if the encounter proved to be more than enough to secure South Africa's passage into the next round at the expense of the North Africans.

Egypt had the first opportunity of the match in the fourth minute when captain Ahmed El-Mohamady delivered the ball in to the box with the ball rebounding back off Thulani Hlatshwayo straight to Mohamed Salah, whose left-footed effort went slightly wide off the left-hand upright.

Bafana had theirs too with decent attempt on goal in the 15th minute when they quickly broke on the counter-attack throuhg Percy Tau, who cut inside on to his left foot and struck a powerful effort towards goal but went straight at Pharaohs' goalkeeper Mohamed El-Shenawy who saved comfortably.

 

Bafana continued to grow as the game progressed, as they won a free-kick in a promising position in the 21st minute when Kamohelo Mokotjo was brought down by Trezeguet on the edge of the box. Tau curled a beauty towards the top right-hand corner forcing El-Shenawy into a brilliantly tipped save.

 The Pharaohs responded swiftly on the counter-attack through Salah, who fed an unmarked Trezeguet who shot straight at Ronwen Williams from the angle. Shortly before the half-hour mark, Mkhize played the ball in to the box for Lorch after Tau had sold an intelligent dummy, but the Absa Premiership player of the Season dragged his effort wide of the right-hand upright.

 

Lorch then found room at the back post and fired a volley away at goal but it was bravely blocked. Soon after, Mokotjo skimmed an effort along the turf that went inches wide of the right-hand upright after being assisted by Mothiba.

 

It was all Egypt at the beginning of the second half and Trezeguet should have scored in the 57th minute when Salah released him with a lovely through ball in to the box but he could only side-foot the ball first-time straight at Williams, who made a routine save.

 

Bafana won a free-kick on the right flank in the 70th minute when Mokotjo was felled by Ayman Ashraf. Lorch whipped in the set-piece to the back post where Hlatshwayo rose above his marker but headed wide of the right-hand upright.

 

Soon after, Bafana played some slick one-touch football with Mkhize threading the final pass through for Lorch, whose effort was straight at El-Shenawy from the angle.

 

With five minutes to go, Bafana scored what would ultimately be the winner. A brilliant counter-attack released Mothiba down the right flank, who squared the ball for Lorch before the Orlando Pirates coolly slotted the ball around El-Shenawy and in to the bottom left-hand corner.

AFCON 2019 MATCH REPORT: Nigeria comes from behind to beat Cameroon in five-goal thriller

It was a feisty affair at the Alexandria Stadium, Egypt as the Super eagles took on the indomitable lions of Cameroon in the round of 16 match. 

The game lived up to its billings as both teams starting with the front foot as they looked for an early lead. But it was the Nigerians who broke the dead-lock in the 20th minute, thanks to a deflected effort from striker Odion Ighalo before their west African counter-part responded in style as Stephane Bahoken side-footed a Christian bassogog's cross  and Clinton Njie added the second as Seedorf's  men ran to 2-1 lead at half-time.

After the break, Gernot Rohr's men came in search of the equalizer as they look more spirited and hungry as two goals in three minutes swung the game back in Nigeria's favour, as winger Ahmed Musa chest down Awaziem's cross for Ighalo to volley-in his second for the evening, with the striker also returning such favour as he played a nice pass through the legs of a Cameroonian defender to assist Iwobi's winner to set up a quarter-final with the Bafana bafana,who stunned the host 1-0 in the second fixture.

Nigeria also had been on the receiving end of an upset in their previous game, a 2-0 defeat by Madagascar in their final group match, ensured they weren't going to come out top of the group prior to their round of 16 match. 

They produced their best performance of the tournament to end hopes of retaining the title they won in Gabon in 2017.

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[New] AFCON 2019 VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS : Nigeria 3 vs Cameroun 2

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Alisson set Golden glove record

Liverpool and Brazil number one Alisson Becker have set the record for the First shot-stopper to have won three Golden glove in one season. For club and country, Alisson has kept clean sheets in his last nine games.The 26-year old kept more clean sheets than any other goalkeeper in the Premier League with 21, despite Liverpool  losing out on the title to eventual winners Manchester City by a lone point.

The Brazilian also kept more clean sheets than any other goalkeeper in this  season's Champions League, helping them secure the sixth European trophy which meant Alisson had collected two Golden Glove awards and that tally has now been increased to three at the Copa America.

Host Brazil are yet to concede a goal in their five games thanks to his brilliant performance between the sticks, meaning Alisson will scoop the accolade at the end of the tournament regardless of the result against Peru in the final.

As such, Alisson is now the first goalkeeper in football history to win three separate Golden Glove awards in a single season.

Both Alisson and Virgil van Dijk have been the key men in the Reds' rapid rise to the top of the European football under Jurgen Klopp.

Ospina joins Napoli

Arsenal goalkeeper David Ospina has completed a permanent move to Series A with Napoli the English club confirmed on Thursday.

Ospina, joined Napoli on a loan deal at the start of the 2018-19 season after finding his first-team opportunities with the Gunners further limited by the arrival of Bernd Leno. 

And after making 24 appearances for the Italians in his first campaign the Colombian, who represented his nation in this summer's Copa America before being eliminated by Chile in  the quarter finals.The shot stopper would now make a €3.5 million move to Napoli. 

Ospina played as an understudy to veteran goalkeeper Petr Cech for most of his time with the gunners, and was restricted to less than 10 Premier League appearances for each of his final three seasons before swapping north London for Naples. With Cech also stepping down at the end of last season, Leno is expected to be deputised by Argentine shot-stopper Emiliano Martinez in 2019-20.



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Tottenham have confirmed the signing of Lyon midfielder Tanguy Ndombele in a record transfer of €60 million for the club via their twitter account.

The 22-year-old France international Ndombele joins on a six-year contract, following through  as the North Londoner's second signing after wrapping up the deal for Leeds winger Jack Clarke who would be sent back on loan to the championship club  as Mauricio Pochettino looks to improve his squad.

The initial fee could rise to about €70 million (£63m/$79m) in bonuses for the young midfielder who enjoyed two superb seasons with the French outfit after being  signed from Ligue 1 team Amiens for just €8 million (£7.2m/$9m) two seasons ago. Since then, he has been an integral part of Lyon midfield set-up, making almost 100 appearances in all competitions for Lyon and established himself as their star man, finishing last season with three goals and eight assists in all competitions.

Ndombele addition however would mean well considering his ability to break through defense lines with his dribble, skill and power considering the possibility of losing one of their  midfield players as reports continue  to make the rounds about the uncertainty surrounding the future of Denmark international Christian Eriksen, who had been heavily linked with a move away from North London, with teams such as Real Madrid and Liverpool keeping a close eye on the 27-year old Danish. 

AFCON 2019: Group winners and Lossers as stage is set for round of 16

Having completed all group stage  matches in the on-going Africa cup of nations (AFCON)held in Egypt, group leaders have already emerged from each group  as well as second placed teams who also have been guaranteed qualifications into the round of 16.

However, 14 countries have automatically progressed into the round of 16, while 7 countries have been eliminated  as a result  of not being  able to qualify as group best lossers, after their campaign in the nations tournament have been ended.
Countries that have progressed into the round of 16 from their  respective groups include:

Group A: Egypt [host], Uganda, DR Congo

Group B: Madagascar, Nigeria, Guinea

Group C: Algeria, Senegal

Group D: Morocco, Ivory Coast

Group E:TBC

Group F: Ghana, Cameroon, Benin


Let's take a look at each group and which country have been eliminated:

Group A: Zimbabwe

Group B: Burundi

Group C: Kenya, Tanzania

Group D: Namibia

Group E: TBC

Group F: Guinea-Bissau



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Juve completes Rabiot signing

Italian giant Juventus have completed the signing of Adrien Rabiot, the club announced

The midfielder joins the Italian champions on a free transfer after his contract with Paris Saint Germain expired, having completed his medical Monday. 

Juve did not disclose any details about the French midfielder's deal, but he will be presented to the media on Tuesday. 

Reports have had it that the 24-year-old midfielder had agreed  a five-year deal worth around €7 million per year with the Turin club, with his mother and agent, Veronique, set to pocket a commission of  around €10m.

Rabiot had been heavily linked with a number of high-profile clubs which kind include  Liverpool, Barcelona, Tottenham and Manchester United after he was frozen out by PSG in the second half of the 2018-19 campaign.

He made 227 appearances for the first-team but his last game was in December 2018, having been frozen out of the team. While reports suggest the suspension was due to Rabiot's looming departure, coach Thomas Tuchel insisted it was due to his individual performance for the club.  

The return of sporting director Leonardo to PSG sparked reports that Rabiot could be set to renew his contract at Parc des Princes but his mother and agent, Veronique, made it clear there was no going back on his decision to leave the French giants.

Arsenal roll back time in new kit unveil

Arsenal have unveiled their new kit for the 2019-20 campaign with the squad embracing London's vibrant culture.

The Gunners in partnership with kit maker Adidas for the first time in 25 years, having enjoyed partnership with Puma, and the team's new strip represents a re-imagining of the club's popular 1990s look.

The iconic three stripe design has been stretched to run along the shoulders and across the collar, with the conventional logo placed on the right side of the chest.

Arsenal officially announced the fresh home jersey with a promotional video on social media, which sees club legend Ian Wright narrating while walking through the streets of London. A number of stars appear in the short clip, starting with Ozil, who shows off a new haircut in a barbershop with Sead Kolasinac.

Striking duo of Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang were also seen taking an English breakfast in a local cafe and one of Arsenal's most famous fans, Idris Elba, stops by for a fitting cameo.

Unai Emery's squad will line up in the famous red and white once again next term, looking to improve on a fifth-place Premier League finish last season and their  Europa League final loss to Chelsea.