Author Archives: Ashikodichukwunweike

Equatorial Guinea progressed to the quarter-finals of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) after a nail-biting penalty shootout victory over Mali. Nothing could split the sides after 120 tense minutes, but Jesús Owono was the hero, saving Falaye Sacko’s spot-kick to send his country to the last eight to face Senegal.Equatorial Guinea conceded just once in their three group games, and were proving a particularly tough nut to crack in a cagey first half. Ibrahima Koné netted in each of Mali’s group games, and had the best chance of the half in the early stages, but he somehow failed to hit the target from close range. RB Leipzig midfielder Amadou Haidara squandered a glorious chance before the break, as he completely failed to make proper contact with the ball from a set-piece. Mali thought they’d won a hugely controversial penalty moments before the interval, as Moussa Doumbia was bundled over after a challenge by Josete Miranda. However, VAR intervened to overturn the referee’s decision, with Doumbia already off balance when he went to ground.Mali continued to waste gilt-edged chances after the restart. Yves Bissouma did brilliantly to find space in the box before sliding in Mohamed Camara, but with the goal at his mercy, he blazed his shot over the bar. The game hit a lull as both teams readied their armies of substitutes, with the game looking destined for extra time.Equatorial Guinea found fresh energy as the game progressed and carried that into extra time. Basilio Ndong unleashed a shot from outside the box that bounced awkwardly in front of Ibrahim Mounkoro, but the goalkeeper did well to turn the ball round the post. Fatigue was clearly starting to set in as both sides struggled to find the necessary quality in the final third, meaning penalties would be the deciding factor in Limbe.Emilio Nsue blazed the first spot-kick over the bar, but Owono restored parity by denying Massadio Haïdara. Hamari Traoré was the next to falter, missing the target in wild fashion, before Pablo Ganet squandered the chance to send Equatorial Guinea into the last eight. Into sudden death, seven converted penalties were followed by an unsuccessful attempt from Sacko, whose effort was saved by Owono. Incredibly, that’s the third time the ‘National Thunder’ have reached the quarter-finals of AFCON, a 100% success rate from their finals entries.

Egypt advanced to the next round of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) on penalties, sending Ivory Coast crashing out of the tournament, whilst securing their third consecutive victory heading into the quarter-finals. After a minute’s silence was held to pay respects to the lives lost at Olembé Stadium a couple of days ago, the hotly anticipated last-16 clash between two former AFCON winners started in electric fashion. Franck Kessié fired a low attempt wide of the post from 20 yards out in the 3rd minute, as the Ivorians had Egypt on the back foot early on. The ‘Pharaohs’, however, rattled the crossbar in the 16th minute as Omar Marmoush walloped an audacious attempt from long range, as the 45th-placed FIFA ranked nation looked to get a foothold in the fixture.Turning up the temperature, Mohamed Salah attempted to increase Egypt’s two-goal tally at the tournament by unleashing a volley from the edge of the area following some excellent build-up play, but Badra Ali Sangaré superbly tipped his effort over the bar. Ivory Coast thought they’d taken the lead before the break when an unmarked Ibrahim Sangaré attempted a spectacular volley inside the box, but the ball was directed straight at the goalkeeper, who palmed away.The game was finely poised after HT, as both sides found dominant spells with the ball, but neither could find that crucial breakthrough to propel themselves ahead. As the game continued to play out, you could sense it was going to take something really special to steal the victory. It took until the 70th minute for Sébastien Haller to test the goalkeeper in the second half, as he headed towards goal from a set-piece, forcing a stunning save from Mohamed El Shenawy.The final 10 minutes saw ‘Les Éléphants’ in control, as El Shenawy was tested again by Wilfried Zaha, before the goalkeeper was taken off through injury as the game headed to extra time. However, despite the extra 30 minutes, neither side could find the answer to book their place in the quarter-finals. In the end, it came down to penalties, with Eric Bailly missing a crucial spot-kick, allowing Salah to seal the win. The result sees Egypt triumph 5-4 in the shootout to advance and face Morocco on Sunday in Yaoundé.

Leading contenders Nigeria were dumped out of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in the round of 16 courtesy of goalkeeper Maduka Okoye’s error as Tunisia reached their fourth successive quarter-final at the tournament thanks to a 1-0 victory in Garoua.The Covid-ravaged ‘Eagles of Carthage’ made three changes for this contest with 10 squad members isolating due to the virus. Despite being on the back foot at the start of the contest, Tunisia had the best chance of the first half when centre-back Montassar Talbi saw his close-range effort cleared off the line by Leicester City’s Wilfred Ndidi. Augustine Eguavoen’s men were the only team coming into the round of 16 with a 100% record but struggled to find the attacking fluency required to overly trouble their opponents, and the North Africans would have been the happier to get to the break goalless.They were even more delighted just after the interval as Youssef Msakni drove forward and shook off Ola Aina before cutting inside Ndidi and firing in a swerving shot from 25 yards that brushed Okoye’s left glove and found the bottom corner. The stopper, on loan from Watford, should have diverted the shot around the post despite its ferocity and the ‘Super Eagles’ needed to up their intensity if they were to have a chance of matching their third-place finish from 2019’s AFCON.Alex Iwobi replaced Kelechi Iheanacho just before the hour mark, but was sent off minutes after entering the field following a VAR check for treading on Msakni’s right ankle in his eagerness to regain possession. Nigeria then sparked into life as Moses Simon was denied by Bechir Ben Saïd, before Seifeddine Jaziri blazed over wildly at the other end and Naïm Sliti drew a good save from Okoye as the match began to open up. Ben Saïd suffered a rush of blood to the head as he went to meet Umar Sadiq on the edge of the box, with Bilel Ifa saving his goalkeeper’s blushes by sliding in to put the ball behind for a corner which came to nothing.Tunisia ultimately saw out the game to secure their first win over Nigeria in normal time in the pair’s eighth AFCON meeting after Sadiq slid an effort agonisingly past the far post in stoppage time. Mondher Kebaier’s side will hope to get more players fresh as they prepare to face Burkina Faso on Saturday, while Nigeria head home pondering what might have been.

Manchester United moved into the UEFA Champions League places after Marcus Rashford struck a dramatic injury-time winner. The hosts leapfrogged Arsenal, Tottenham and West Ham in extraordinary circumstances after a game of very few chances.Despite the huge implications of this clash, with both sides vying for a chance to end the day inside the top four, it was a fast and frenetic start to proceedings. The hosts soon took control, but struggled for clear-cut openings. Mason Greenwood saw a dangerous effort blocked by Aaron Cresswell, before Cristiano Ronaldo came inches away from nodding home Bruno Fernandes’ cross. The ‘Hammers’ best chances came on the break, with Michail Antonio and Jarrod Bowen evading challenges from the midfield before being felled by stern challenges from the returning Harry Maguire. Neither side had been able to register a shot on target before HT.Alphonse Areola was the first goalkeeper to be tested moments after the restart, as a fortunate deflection allowed Fred a huge chance, but the French shot-stopper was able to turn his effort round the post. The ‘Red Devils’ had failed to score from a corner so far this season, and Raphaël Varane should’ve set that record straight on the hour mark, but his near post header drifted narrowly wide.Ralf Rangnick’s substitutes combined to snatch all three points for the hosts. Anthony Martial slotted into Edinson Cavani, who squared across the six-yard box to find Rashford for a tap-in. The 24-year-old’s second goal in as many games sent the Stretford End into raptures, securing a crucial win for his side in the race for the top four. David Moyes’ men failed to offer any real threat to David de Gea all afternoon, extending their poor record at Old Trafford, failing to win on any of their last 14 league visits.

https://youtu.be/GGXfoQxD5BI

Liverpool cruised past Arsenal 2-0 to reach a record-extending 13th League Cup final, whilst simultaneously recording their first-ever victory over the ‘Gunners’ away from home in the competition’s history.Arsenal have now only won one of the previous 18 encounters against the ‘Reds’ in all competitions and, in truth, they will be disappointed not to have created more in the game, which resulted in a fairly comfortable night for the visitors.It was Mikel Arteta’s men who started full of energy and looked like the side more likely to open scoring, with Gabrielle Martinelli menacing down the left, before Alexandre Lacazette’s free-kick drew a fine save from Caoimhín Kelleher. However, it was the side draped in yellow who would strike first, though they saw Joël Matip’s side-footed effort ruled out for offside. However, there would be no denying Diogo Jota moments later, as he rolled home his fourth goal in as many games against the London side, after some smart footwork saw him float past Takehiro Tomiyasu.Arsenal have failed to score against Liverpool in their last four H2Hs, and the remainder of the first half saw little hope of Arsenal changing that unwanted record, though Fabinho’s last-ditch challenge, after some more Martinelli magic, stopped a certain goal before HT.The opening exchanges of the second half were fiercely contested, with Lacazette spurning a golden opportunity to put his side level, before Kaide Gordon inexplicably blazed an even more gilt-edged chance over the bar at the other end. Liverpool struck the woodwork through Ibrahima Konaté’s header, and, with the game becoming increasingly stretched, the away side missed further opportunities to put the game out of reach. Jota would pounce again though, after a fantastic crossfield pass by Trent Alexander-Arnold found the forward, who made no mistake with his dinked finish to send Liverpool to the brink of cup glory.To add insult to injury, the ‘Gunners’ saw Thomas Partey sent off with minutes to go as the Arsenal players vented their frustrations. Meanwhile, Liverpool reach their second League Cup final under Jürgen Klopp, although they will be hoping for more luck this time around, after losing out on penalties to Manchester City in 2016.

Mali2-0FinishedMauritaniaSoccerAFRICA: Africa Cup of Nations – Round 320.01.2022 20:00MaliMali2-0FinishedMauritaniaMauritaniaMatchReportOddsH2HStandingsVideoPhotosNewsEagles prey on mediocre MauritaniaPhoto: AFPEagles prey on mediocre MauritaniaYesterday, Ben SullyMali eased past Mauritania to finish top of Group F, and the dominant display extended their unbeaten run in the Africa Cup Nations (AFCON) group stage to seven games.After conceding two goals in the opening ten minutes against Tunisia in matchday two, Mauritania would have been looking for a more positive start in their final group stage encounter. Unfortunately for the ‘Lions of Chinguetti’, Mali had other ideas as they took the lead within the opening two minutes. A Hamari Traoré cross reached Massadio Haïdara and the Lens man made a tricky finish look simple as he guided the ball into the far corner, registering the fastest goal of the tournament so far.With their eyes firmly set on finishing top of Group F, ‘Les Aigles’ went searching for a second goal and their relentless pressure nearly resulted in Ibrahima Koné grabbing Mali’s second of the game, but the Sarpsborg forward was denied by the legs of Babacar Diop. Mauritania have failed to score in their previous four games at the AFCON finals, and their troubles in front of goal continued in the first half, as they struggled to carve out any real chances of note.Mauritania did not learn their lessons from the first half as they conceded yet another early goal in the second period. Some clumsy defending resulted in Moussa Doumbia being brought down in the box, and Koné stepped up to score from the spot for a third consecutive game. Content with their two-goal lead, Mali began to focus on retaining possession rather than searching for a third, and they cruised through the closing moments to guarantee their place in the knockout stages.As well as finishing the group stage with seven points, Mohamed Magassouba will be pleased to see his side keep their second clean sheet of the tournament, while the ‘Lions of Chinguetti’ end a disappointing campaign without a point or a goal to their name.

Gambia continued their stunning debut Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) campaign, after Ablie Jallow’s stunning stoppage-time winner secured a 1-0 victory over Tunisia at the Limbe Omnisport Stadium.Both teams headed into the contest having already qualified for the knockout stages, with Gambia’s achievement on their AFCON debut particularly remarkable after entering the competition as the lowest-ranked team – 150th in the FIFA standings.The state of the pitch left a lot to be desired, and almost caught out Gambia keeper Baboucarr Gaye, who misjudged the bobble on Omar Colley’s back-pass and was relieved to see the ball go behind for a corner inside the opening two minutes. Tunisia were having the lion’s share of possession, but showed little quality in the final third. The ‘Aigles de Carthage’ squandered a gift to take the lead in first-half stoppage time, as Pa Modou was penalised for a foul on Seifeddine Jaziri inside the box, but the latter saw his resulting penalty saved by Gaye – the third spot-kick which Tunisia have missed at this year’s tournament.There were ugly scenes at HT when a fracas broke out with the teams heading towards the tunnel, and a red card was brandished to Tunisia substitute keeper Farouk Ben Mustapha amidst the mayhem. That sudden and dramatic sending off left their head coach Mondher Kebaier in disbelief, and he was seemingly perplexed by the decision when discussing it with referee Fernando Guerrero.The ‘Scorpions’ had shown little attacking intent up to this point, but Musa Barrow was inches away from breaking the deadlock in spectacular fashion when his stunning free-kick cannoned off the bar. However, Tunisia eventually succumbed to a late Gambia winner, when Jallow rifled in a superb left-footed strike from inside the box which left keeper Bechir Ben Saïd standing motionless. Gambia can now look forward to a last-16 tie against Guinea in Bafoussam on Monday, while Tunisia face an arguably stiffer test when they face Nigeria in Garoua on Sunday.

A convincing 3-1 victory against Algeria saw the Ivory Coast secure their spot in the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) last 16, and deprive a firmly second-best opposition of any chance to steal Egypt’s mantle as the last team to win successive titles.High pre-match stakes gave way to a cautious start in Douala, and both sides were keen to take care in possession, though that meant a lack of clear cut chances in the opening stages. Algeria almost caught Ivory Coast out after 21 minutes, when Ismaël Bennacer’s shot from a quick corner was pawed away, but it was his Milan midfield partner Franck Kessié who drew first blood moments later. He burst into the box on the break, and guided the ball home following some sharp footwork from Nicolas Pépé to make it 1-0.Taking the lead settled The ‘Elephants’, who looked supremely well-drilled and forced Algeria to resort to long balls, thanks to a compact mid-block which set them to break away at any time. Kessié in particular caused a number of problems with his off the ball movement, and the free-kick he won in the 39th minute resulted in the Ivory Coast doubling their lead. An unmarked Ibrahim Sangaré headed home, as a defensively-derelict Algeria edged closer to boarding an early plane out of the tournament, deservedly trailing 2-0 at HT.Patrice Beaumelle’s side didn’t take their foot off the gas after the break, and Ivorian predator Pépé bagged a third on 54 minutes after capitalising on an error, before slaloming through and wrapping the ball into the far corner with his left boot. Moments later, Algeria were awarded an admittedly soft penalty, when Youcef Belaïli went down after making contact with Simon Deli. Though widely seen as the only Algerian with sufficient skill to mount any fightback, Riyad Mahrez failed to convert, and it felt like a fitting summary of Algeria’s tournament-long woes in front of goal.Algeria did end their mini-drought after 74 minutes with a consolation strike, when Sofiane Bendebka knocked in their first goal of the tournament, and almost turned ‘consolation’ into genuine hope shortly after, when Aïssa Mandi’s header forced a fine stop out of Badra Ali Sangaré. But there was only ever going to be one winner, and not even a last-ditch Sebastien Haller headed goal being ruled out for offside at FT could quieten the Ivorians’ celebrations, and they will enter the knockout phase as one of the genuine favourites to lift the trophy.FlashScore Man of the Match: Franck Kessié (Ivory Coast)

https://youtu.be/KkI9Z9XYyd0

Three second-half goals by Anthony Elanga, Mason Greenwood and Marcus Rashford secured a 3-1 win for Manchester United against Brentford in West London, in the teams’ first league meeting since 1947. The victory was a historic moment for the ‘Red Devils’ as they became the first Premier League side to achieve 300 away wins.Cristiano Ronaldo returned to the side in place of Edinson Cavani and was almost found early on by Bruno Fernandes, with home captain Pontus Jansson making a timely interception. However, Thomas Frank’s men then enjoyed a spell of dominance, creating several chances. Mathias Jensen was denied from close range on his 100th ‘Bees’ league appearance by David de Gea’s outstretched left leg before Vitaly Janelt’s curling effort was blocked by Victor Lindelöf.United were unable to get their forwards into the game and a poor corner saw Brentford break as Jensen was repelled for a second time by De Gea before Ivan Toney’s follow-up was almost knocked into his own net by Raphaël Varane. The hosts will have rued the fact that they weren’t ahead and United came alive quickly after the teams returned, Ronaldo heading onto the bar after Fernandes’ cross.On 55 minutes, the deadlock was broken as Fred’s perceptive pass found Elanga in the box and the 19-year-old held off Mads Roerslev, flicked the ball in the air and nodded over Jonas Lössl into the corner. Brentford didn’t have a huge amount of time to recover before United doubled their advantage courtesy of Greenwood, who ended a league scoring drought stretching back to 16 October. Scott McTominay’s clipped pass was brilliantly chested into Fernandes’ path by Ronaldo and the Portuguese midfielder surged forward before squaring for Greenwood, who tapped into an empty net. The points were sealed as McTominay worked tenaciously in the middle of the park and then laid off to Fernandes, who slipped in substitute Marcus Rashford to lash home as United saw out the victory, their first in the league in 2022, despite Ivan Toney’s late consolation, which came after a penalty-box melee following a corner.Manchester United remain seventh, but are now within two points of fourth-placed West Ham, who they host on Saturday, while Brentford play Wolverhampton Wanderers the same day

Steven Bergwijn’s injury-time double for Tottenham stunned a Leicester City side that seemed destined for certain victory, and revived the London club’s hopes of a top-four finish, as well as extending their unbeaten start under Conte to nine league games.Spurs dominated the opening stages, and looking to add to his 17 goals in 16 matches against Leicester – his most against a single opponent – Harry Kane could have handed his side the lead from two gilt-edged opportunities. Luke Thomas was responsible for the first not nestling in the back of the net, clearing the shot off the line after Kane had beaten three defenders to set up the shot from close range. Shortly afterwards, at the peak of the visitors’ pressure, Kane headed onto the bar following a corner.In typical fashion, the ‘Foxes’ broke swiftly with their first attack of the game five minutes later, and Patson Daka finished from a tight angle, though he was aided by some sketchy defending. Tottenham didn’t take this lying down, and continued their onslaught against the hosts. When Pierre-Emile Højbjerg had another attempt cruelly cleared off the line it seemed like Spurs were destined for an irritating night at the hands of Brendan Rodgers’ tricky side.Moments later though, Spurs won the ball on the halfway line before working it through to Kane. The striker made up for his earlier misses with his 250th club-level career goal, cutting inside past Çaglar Söyüncü before curling in off the post from inside the box.This set up an angsty second half, and the battle turned into an end-to-end encounter, but once again, despite Tottenham’s dominance in terms of the number of chances, Leicester found themselves ahead with 15 minutes to play. Harvey Barnes made an instant impact off the bench, teeing up James Maddison to fire in off the right post.

https://youtu.be/_t-pba5S8XE