Category: Sports - Page 58 - African News Today

World Cup: Korea Republic Loses 1:0 to Sweden

18Jun

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Sports, World Cup

World Cup: Korea Republic Loses 1:0 to Sweden

Sweden managed a 1:0 win over Korea Republic in a match that went without a goal until the 65th minute. The goal came courtesy of a penalty that was nicely converted by the Swedish Captain, Andreas Granqvist. The Koreans were unable to get a single shot on target all true the match while the Swedes had only 4 shots on target. That was pretty balanced with the Swedes having a 52% ball possession and the Koreans a 48% ball possession. According to Shin Taeyong, the Korean Coach, "In the second half we made some adjustments to concentrate on our speed and managed to find opportunities, but Sweden played really well. Among the 32 teams at this World Cup, Sweden are one of the tallest. They are able to take advantage of this and their physical condition. "We really wanted to win this m...

18Jun

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Sports, World Cup

World Cup: Belgium Trashes Panama 3:0

In an expected result, Belgium defeated Panama by 3 un-replied goals. Though the first half ended goal-less, the Belgians can back in the second half to score all three goals. The first goal was scored in the 2nd minute of the second half by Mertens while Lukaku scored the second in the 69th minute and a third in the 75th minute. After the match , the Panaman Coach said "I think we have learned a lot from today's game. It was a very emotional day. This is the fifth time I've been at a World Cup but it felt like the first. The team was still very emotional at the start of the match but as time went by, they were able to focus better. It was an incredible experience for our country and I think that our performance was not bad. You're never happy when you lose but I told my players that...

World Cup: Nigerian Coach Defends Formation in Loss to Croatia

17Jun

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Africa, Nigeria, Sports, World Cup

World Cup: Nigerian Coach Defends Formation in Loss to Croatia

Against the criticism he has been receiving from Nigerians in general and former players like Okocha regarding the formation the Super Eagles played against Croatia, Gernot Rohr has said that the formation was not the problem. While speaking to German press, he said "We didn’t concede in normal play, we conceded only two goals from set pieces. This is not a question of tactics or system. Our system was okay, we cannot play with three (at the back) when there is only one centre forward. "We played with four defenders because there were three Croatian strikers who are very strong. I was satisfied with the organisation of the team but what we missed in the game is being professional from set pieces. Each game is different. We know we can play with three centre backs but it was not a goo...

17Jun

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Sports, World Cup

World Cup: Mexico Shocks Germany 1:0

Defending champions Germany were shocked to a 1:0 defeat to Mexico. Hirving Lozano's first half goal, scored in the 35th minute was all Mexico needed to win the match. As would be expected, Germany made attempts, having 60% of ball possession, 25 attempts at goal with 9 being on target, 9 off-target and 7 blocked. With just 12 attempts at goal with only 4 being on target, Mexico still took the day. https://youtu.be/6BSeFs40QOI Mexico will now take on Korea Republic on the 23rd while Germany will take on Sweden later the same day.

World Cup: Costa Rica Loses 0:1 to Serbia

17Jun

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Sports, World Cup

World Cup: Costa Rica Loses 0:1 to Serbia

A 56th minute strike from Aleksandr Kolarov was enough to earn Serbia a slim win over Costa Rica. The encounter which was equally matched saw both teams having an equal share of boal possession. Both teams had 10 attempts at goal, with Serbia having 3 on-target, 5 off-target and 2 blocked while Costa Rica also had 3 on-target, 3 off-target and 4 blocked. https://youtu.be/aF1yvuffr6A Costa Rica will now take on Brazil on the 22nd while Serbia will take on Switzerland later the same day.

16Jun

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Africa, Nigeria, Sports, World Cup

World Cup: Nigeria Loses 2:0 to Croatia

Nigeria continued the losing streak of the African representatives to the world cup with a 2:0 loss to Croatia in their first match. Nigeria's woes began in the 32nd minute when Etebo touched in a wayward header while trying to defend a corner kick, giving the Croatians the lead. In the 71st minute, Ekong Grabbed hold of Mandzukic again while defending a corner gifting the Croatians with a penalty which Modric converted nice. Nigeria now has an up-hill task to qualifying for the next round, being bottom of group D. Croatia will now play Argentina on the 21st while Nigeria will Iceland on the 22nd.

World Cup: Iceland Thwarts Argentina as Game Ends 1:1

16Jun

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Sports, World Cup

World Cup: Iceland Thwarts Argentina as Game Ends 1:1

Argentina was shocked into a 1:1 draw by Iceland. Argentina opened scoring through a Kun Aguero strike in the 19th minute of the match. Alfred Finnbogason responded for Iceland in the 23rd minute, tapping in the equalizer following a brief goal mouth scramble. Though Argentina had about 73% of the ball possession, they could not break down the wall setup by the Icelanders. Argentina was awarded a penalty in the 64th minute when Messi was brought down, bought the goalkeeper who was in fine form saved Messi penalty. Argentina will now take on Croatia on the 21st while Iceland will take on Nigeria on the 22nd.

World Cup: France Edges Past Australia 2:1

16Jun

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Sports, World Cup

World Cup: France Edges Past Australia 2:1

France managed a 2:1 win over Australia in a match many thought will be easy for France. After the first half ended goal-less, Antoine Griezmann opened score for the French in the 58th minute via a penalty. Less than five minutes after the French goal, the Australians responded with a goal of their own from the penalty spot courtesy of Mile Jedinak. Pogba however sealed the game for the French with an 81 minute goal. Australia will face Denmark on the 21st while France will now face Peru later the same day.

World Cup: Ronaldo Scores A Hat Trick As Portugal Holds Spain to a 3:3 Draw

15Jun

By admin2 Comments

Sports, World Cup

World Cup: Ronaldo Scores A Hat Trick As Portugal Holds Spain to a 3:3 Draw

In a pulsating match that saw Cristiano Ronaldo opening the score tally with a 4th minute goal via penalty, Spain and Portugal played out a 3-all score line. Ronaldo opened score when he converted a 4th minute penalty awarded to Portugal when he was brought down in the 16-yard box. By the 24th minute, Diego Costa equalized for Spain and Ronaldo shot Portugal into the lead in the 44th minute just before half-time. Upon resumption of hostilities, it took about 10 minutes for Diego Costa to again hammer in a goal which brought the game level. Just 3 minutes later, in the 58 minute, Nacho fired in a delightful shot from distance that ricocheted off the upright into the net, putting Spain in the lead for the first time. It looked like Spain was coasting home with the full three points ...

World Cup: Morocco Lose 0:1 to Iran Via Own-Goal

15Jun

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Africa, Morocco, Sports, World Cup

World Cup: Morocco Lose 0:1 to Iran Via Own-Goal

In the second match of the day and the first match of group B, Morocco and Iran were looking set to play out a goal-less draw until a last minute own-goal gave Iran the win. Though Morocco had more ball possession and looked like the team with more intent, they failed to convert any of their chances. Sadly, Aziz Bouhaddouz knocked a goal into his own net in the 5th minute of additional time, starting Morocco on a losing note. Morocco will now face Portugal on the 20th while Iran will face Spain on the same date.