Zambia belied their lowly world ranking to emerge as surprise Group D winners ahead of continental giants Cameroon as the Africa Cup of Nations first round came to a nerve-jangling climax on Thursday.
With a superb 2-1 win over Gabon, Zambia jumped from bottom to top of their mini-league to earn a quarter-final date with Nigeria.
World Cup qualifiers Cameroon had to come from behind to draw 2-2 with Tunisia, a result that left them second in the table and facing defending champions Egypt in a re-run of the 2008 final in Ghana.
For Tunisia and Gabon, who had shocked Cameroon in the opening game, it meant the end of the road in Angola.
Zambia, who just sneak in to FIFA s top 100 in 84th place, burst out of the blocks in Benguela, intent on bagging the thre…
Uruguay travel to Venezuela on Tuesday knowing that defeat could end their hopes of qualifying for the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
Oscar Tabarez s side were one of the highlights of the 2010 FIFA World Cup as they finished fourth, playing an attractive brand of football along the way.
They also won the 2011 Copa America and looked to be embarking on an era of success that would see them compete with traditional South American heavyweights Brazil and Argentina.
But Uruguay might not even qualify for the 2014 FIFA World Cup if they lose in Ciudad Guayana on Tuesday.
Uruguay s form in the World Cup qualifiers has been dreadful, and with just 13 points from 11 matches, they sit seventh.
That is in a qualification group minus Brazil who are already guaranteed to play in the tournament due …
Corinthians have offered assurances they are taking action following a report their stadium, a host venue for the 2014 World Cup, could be set to subside.
The Arena Corinthians, located in the Itaquera neighbourhood of Sao Paulo, was built for the FIFA competition and hosted the opening game between Brazil and Croatia.
However, a report in Brazilian newspaper Folha de Sao Paulo claims a water leak in the underground car park could spark a landslide that may result in the collapse of the stadium.
The reigning Brazilian champions have confirmed they are in talks with the stadiums constructors, Odebrecht, about the report.
An official Corinthians statement read: From the early hours, Arena Corinthians and Corinthians are in contact with Odebrecht, responsibl…
According to Sky Italia, Leeds United midfielder Ronaldo Vieira is on the verge of completing his £7 million move to Sampdoria. The 20-year-old is said to have arrived in Italy in order to finalise the deal, which has been in the pipeline for quite some time now.
The youngster has been impressing at Elland Road since joining the club in 2016, and it seems as if he s ready to take the next step in furthering his development. Leeds have been steadily improving their own squad ahead of the new Championship season, but when you ve got a player as talented as Vieira on your hands, interest from abroad is to be expected.
Leeds will be aiming to make a realistic push for the top six this season in the always competitive second tier of English football, whereas Sampdoria will …
Mauricio Pochettino admitted Chelsea are “not good enough” after they were beaten 4-2 by Wolves in front of a furious home support at Stamford Bridge.
Matheus Cunha’s hat-trick earned Gary O’Neil’s team a first victory on this ground since 1979.
The hosts meanwhile were booed off at half-time and again at the final whistle, with fans directing their anger at both the players and their manager following a 10th league defeat in 23 games this season.
“I think we are all not good enough at the moment, that’s the reality,” said Pochettino. “Myself also. I’m the first responsible for the situation. What we were showing today was that we are not good enough. I agree 100 per cent.
“We didn’t manage the situation properly. No one can be saf…
Southampton forward Sekou Mara’s quickfire second-half double in the 3-0 FA Cup replay victory over Watford booked a fifth-round trip to Liverpool.
The Championship high-fliers extended their unbeaten run in all competitions to 24 matches when Che Adams teed up the 21-year-old Frenchman in the 52nd minute.
Mara, who had been linked with Sheffield United in the January transfer window after making just one league start this season, doubled his tally six minutes later with his fifth goal in nine appearances, before Adams wrapped things up 14 minutes from time.
Clinical
— Southampton FC (@SouthamptonFC)
Coventry coasted to a home tie against non-league Maidstone after three goals inside nine second-half minutes dispatched Championship rivals …
As the end of his 17-year career at Liverpool draws to a close, Steven Gerrard had words of praise for all the managers he has worked with at Anfield.
Given his debut by Roy Evans in 1998, Gerrard also played for Gerard Houllier, Rafael Benitez, Roy Hodgson and Kenny Dalglish before current boss Brendan Rodgers took over in 2012.
After a treble of League Cup, FA Cup and UEFA Cup under Houllier in 2001, Gerrard s finest moment arrived under Benitez when he inspired his side to come from 3-0 down at half-time against Milan in the 2005 UEFA Champions League final as Liverpool eventually prevailed on penalties.
Another inspiring performance in the FA Cup final a year later brought further silverware before, under Dalglish, he lifted the League Cup again, following a…
Atletico Madrid s future is an exciting one, according to Diego Simeone, after his side defeated Espanyol to remain within touching distance of La Liga leaders Barcelona.
Antoine Griezmann s exqusite goal three minutes into Saturday s encounter at the Vicente Calderon was enough to extend Atleti s unbeaten streak in all competitions to 10 games and maintain a four-point gap between themselves and Barca.
Asked if he believed that his side could match the feat of 2013-14 – when they claimed the title for the first time in 18 years – Simeone cited key differences between the two sides, but could not hide his exictement over the potential of his current crop.
I do not see similarities with the team two years ago, that was men, boys of 27 or 28 years the…
Cristiano Ronaldo has claimed sex with model girlfriend Georgina Rodriguez is superior to the best goal of his glittering football career.
Speaking in an interview on ITV, Ronaldo was asked about a spectacular overhead kick he scored against Juventus for Real Madrid in April 2018.
The 34-year-old agreed it was the best goal of his career, but it still did not match a night between the sheets with 25-year-old Rodriguez.
No, not [when compared] with my Geo, no! Ronaldo said as he laughed at the question.
I tried to score this goal for many, many years. I had scored 700-odd goals but I hadn t done this. I thought finally I had scored a bicycle, the beautiful jumping .
The way I had done against Gianluigi Buffon, against Juventus, in the Champ…
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The Protuguese Primeira Liga is another national league that has made a successful comeback after the world-wide break in sports caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. And in the 26th round of the 2019/20 season which comes up next, FC Porto are set to welcome Maritimo to the Estadio Dragao on Wednesday evening.
FC Porto
Having suffered Benfica to beat them to the title by two points last time around, Porto are still very much in the same boat with the same rival again. The two teams top the table together at the moment with 60 points each, though Benfica are actually in front on goal-difference. There is really very little chance for anyone else to grab the title this term, with SC Braga sitting third with no more than 46 points to their n…