Sport

Friday, 22 June 2018 04:24

From the reserves to the World Cup, Nigeria keeper comes of age

Even as part of the youngest side at the World Cup in Russia, Nigerian goalkeeper Francis Uzoho stands out as a novice in international football. The gangly 19 year-old has played only seven times for his country and even fewer for his club, Deportivo La Coruna of Spain where he has mostly appeared for the B team. Yet coach Gernot Rohr has entrusted him with the gloves for the tournament, including Friday's high-pressure Group D game against Iceland in Volgograd, a match that the manager says Nigeria have to win after their opening 2-0 defeat to Croatia. "He is the…

Friday, 22 June 2018 04:23

Croatia in dreamland as Messi's Argentina suffer nightmare

Croatia were in dreamland on Thursday after advancing to the knockout phase of the World Cup for the first time in 20 years with a 3-0 rout of Argentina that left a subdued Lionel Messi and his team mates facing yet another flop. The emphatic Group D victory at the Nizhny Novgorod Stadium on Thursday ensured Croatia became the fourth country to reach the second round of the tournament and condemned twice champions Argentina to an anxious next five days as they await their fate. Croatia are top of the group with six points while Argentina have just one point…

Friday, 22 June 2018 04:20

Salah, Neymar, Messi, messy, messy: World Cup stars stifled

With nagging injuries, heavy marking from opponents and some simply uninspired play, the top stars of the 2018 World Cup have struggled to deliver on the impossible expectations they carried into the tournament, with one prominent Portuguese exception. Aside from Cristiano Ronaldo, who has all four of Portugal's goals in its two games, many of the biggest names are off to a shaky start. No one has had rougher treatment from the opposition than the world's priciest player, Neymar. During Brazil's opening 1-1 draw with Switzerland, the 26-year-old was fouled 10 times, the highest number on a single player in…

Thursday, 21 June 2018 04:25

Ronaldo earns edgy Portugal 1-0 win as Morocco's hopes end

A below-par Portugal were again rescued by Cristiano Ronaldo's eye for goal as they stumbled to 1-0 victory over Morocco on Wednesday that meant the unlucky North African side become the first to be eliminated from the 2018 World Cup. Ronaldo headed his fourth goal of the tournament after four minutes, following his last-gasp equaliser in a hat-trick in the 3-3 draw with Spain, to take the European champions to four points and top of Group B. Iran have three points and Spain one ahead of their meeting later on Wednesday. Morocco, who had a real go at the Luzhniki…

Wednesday, 20 June 2018 04:28

Senegal saves Africa from embarrassment at World Cup

By starting its World Cup with a win, Senegal also saved Africa from embarrassment in the tournament. The continent was facing the prospect of a worst-ever World Cup start before Senegal beat Poland on Tuesday. The 2-1 victory was the first and only African win in the first round of matches, after Egypt, Morocco, Nigeria and Tunisia all lost their opening games. A few hours after Senegal's win, Egypt then also lost its second match, 3-1 against Russia. As in 2002, when Senegal beat then-defending champions France in its opening match, it now hopes to build on the momentum. But…

Wednesday, 20 June 2018 04:26

Russia parties after Egypt win puts them near World Cup knockouts

Russian fans erupted in celebration on Tuesday as the World Cup hosts cruised past Egypt 3-1 in their second game in Group A, virtually booking a place in the knockout stages of the tournament. Russia is the lowest FIFA ranked side at the event, but two games in they are top of their group with six points and are poised to qualify for the next stage. State television broadcast footage of fans chanting "Russia" ecstatically, waving flags at locations around the country and celebrating the victory in St Petersburg. "The game was just crazy, (Egypt talisman Mohamed) Salah couldn't do…

Wednesday, 20 June 2018 04:24

World Cup: No Russian? No Problem. There's an app for that

Randall Garcia and his wife were on a bus in the Russian city of Samara when a local resident stared at the couple and pointed his phone at them. The screen read: "Good luck Costa Rica!" Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, or Neymar may be the stars of the World Cup. But Google Translate has been the Most Valuable Player for many fans to leap over the language barrier in Russia. They have used the mobile app version to order food, change money and meet new people, especially in cities like Samara, where most people only speak Russian. "Google Translate has…

Tuesday, 19 June 2018 05:16

World Cup 2018: Stranded Nigeria fans trickle out of Kaliningrad

About 100 Nigerian football fans stranded in Kaliningrad following their team's loss to Croatia in their World Cup opener were finally on the move on Monday after what was described as a visa gaffe. Most of the supporters had planned to take the train from Kaliningrad back to Moscow following the Super Eagles 2-0 loss on Saturday but did not have the necessary visas to pass through countries like Lithuania and Latvia. Russian officials stepped in to help the marooned fans by arranging flights but they were not free. Supporters said they were told flights would be found at the…

Monday, 18 June 2018 04:36

World Cup 2018: Brilliant Mexico stun champions Germany

Defending champions Germany made a disastrous start to their bid to win back-to-back World Cups with a shock defeat by Mexico. Hirving Lozano's first-half goal was the difference between the two sides in an enthralling encounter in Moscow, but the surprising result was not the only concern for Germany coach Joachim Low. His disjointed side looked extraordinarily vulnerable on the break even before Javier Hernandez punished them with the pass that set up Lozano to cut inside and fire home. Toni Kroos almost replied instantly with a free-kick but Guillermo Ochoa tipped it on to the bar and that was…

Sunday, 17 June 2018 05:01

Croatia need own goal and penalty to overcome Nigeria

Croatia beat Nigeria 2-0 on Saturday with an own goal from Oghenekaro Etebo and a penalty from Luka Modric to go top of World Cup Group D, one of the toughest and most unpredictable in the tournament. Modric's coolly taken 71st minute spot kick gave the scoreline a clear-cut feel, but the fact that Croatia failed to score on their own from open play was testament to some wayward shooting. While dominating for long periods, they struggled to penetrate the Nigerian defence and failed repeatedly to find the target with speculative shots from well outside the penalty area. The result…

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Sunday, 17 June 2018 05:00

Croatia fans cycle all the way to Russia for World Cup

Some soccer fans will follow their teams anywhere to see them play in the World Cup. For five friends from Croatia that meant cycling 1,500 kilometers (930 miles) all the way from Zagreb to Kaliningrad in Russia. The epic trek took them 15 days, cycling for 10 hours a day as they pedaled through Slovenia, Hungary, Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Poland. On the way they encountered a number of challenges including a broken bridge. As they reached their final destination, the group collapsed into a bar and celebrated with a well-earned drink. They're now looking forward to Saturday's game…

Saturday, 16 June 2018 04:38

Magic Ronaldo lights up World Cup with hat-trick to deny Spain

Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo lit up the World Cup in his own inimitable style on Friday, curling in a late free kick to complete a remarkable hat-trick and earn his team a 3-3 draw in an enthralling clash with neighbours Spain. In by far the best game of the tournament so far, Ronaldo twice put Portugal in front, Diego Costa replied each time, Nacho gave Spain the lead with a stunning volley and Ronaldo then had the last word with a superb free kick he won himself. Ronaldo has a relatively poor free-kick record for Portugal and when he and…

Friday, 15 June 2018 04:36

Russia crush Saudi Arabia 5-0 in World Cup opener

Russia launched the World Cup party in spectacular style when they thrashed a feeble Saudi Arabia 5-0 in the tournament's opening match on Thursday to give the host nation the lift they desperately needed after a nine-month winless run. Substitute Denis Cheryshev scored two brilliant goals after Yury Gazinsky had headed the World Cup's first after 12 minutes. Artem Dzyuba was also on target a minute after coming on as a 70th-minute substitute and Aleksandr Golovin completed a memorable day by smashing in a free kick with the last action of the game. The result equalled the best in a…

Tuesday, 12 June 2018 04:05

Stoke sign Nigeria's World Cup-bound midfielder Etebo from Feirense

Stoke City have signed Nigeria international midfielder Oghenekaro Peter Etebo on a five-year contract from Portuguese club Feirense, the second-tier Championship club said on Monday. Etebo, who will represent his country in this month's World Cup in Russia, is Stoke's first signing of the close season with the Potters paying 7.2 million euros (6.4 million pounds) for the 22-year-old. "I'm particularly pleased that he took the time to look beyond our current league status and understand who we are as a club before choosing us ahead of current Premier League and Bundesliga clubs," Stoke's Chief Executive Tony Scholes said on…

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