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AFCON : Mane Sends Senegal to the Quarter-finals

Sadio Mane fired Senegal through to the Africa Cup of Nations quarter-finals as they saw off Uganda 1-0 in Cairo.The Liverpool striker is targeting more silverware after helping his club side land Champions League glory, and Mane's first-half strike carried his nation past awkward opposition.Mane missed a second-half penalty after he had been clattered, but his earlier clinical finish proved enough.Senegal, for whom this was an eighth win in their last nine games, will next face Benin who earned a shock 4-1 penalties win against Morocco following a 1-1 draw earlier on Friday.
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Brazil winger Willian ruled out of Copa Final

Brazil winger Willian has been ruled out of Sunday's Copa America final against Peru due to a muscle injury, his side said in a statement on Thursday.Willian, who will remain with the team at their training base ahead of the final, scored Brazil's final goal in their 5-0 drubbing of Peru in the group stage and scored in their penalty shootout victory over Paraguay in the quarterfinals.He was brought on for winger Everton at half-time in the Selecao's2-0 win over Argentina in the last four but tests on Wednesday revealed he had sustained a muscle injury.Willian was a late replacement in the squad for Neymar, who was forced to miss the tournament in his home country after sustaining an ankle injury in a friendly against Qatar in June.Willian is Brazil's only absentee for the final at the Mar...
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Peru upsets Chile and will face Brazil in Copa Final

Peru advanced to the final of the Copa America and a date with hosts Brazil after beating double defending champions Chile 3-0.Chile were outclassed by a quick and eager Peru side, who looked a different outfit from the one that scored just three goals in four games on their way to the semi-finals and lost 5-0 to Brazil earlier in the tournament.Peru took the lead 20 minutes into the match when a corner from the right was nodded on to Edison Flores, who volleyed home at the back post.They made it 2-0 17 minutes later after a huge mistake from Chile goalkeeper Gabriel Arias, who charged out of his area to intercept a long pass but Andre Carillo got there ahead of him. Carillo’s cross found Yoshimar Yotun, who controlled the ball on his chest before volleying home into the unguarded net.Chil...
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Brazil beat Argentina and Advances to Copa Final

Brazil advanced to the final of the Copa America with a 2-0 win over old rivals Argentina in Belo Horizonte on Tuesday thanks to a goal in each half from Gabriel Jesus and Roberto Firmino.Jesus gave Brazil the lead in 19 minutes when Firmino sent in a low cross for the unmarked striker to side-foot home from close range.The two combined again on the counterattack after 71 minutes to make it 2-0 after great work from Jesus left Firmino with the simplest of tap-ins.“We knew that it would be difficult because of the players they have,” said Brazil’s Casemiro.“It’s about details. We knew it would be scrappy and that there would be wind-ups and time wasting. But we have to congratulate our strikers who did a great job. When they got chances, they scored.”Argentina have not beaten Brazil in a ma...
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Chile eager to make Copa history against Peru, says Vidal

Chile midfielder Arturo Vidal says the reigning Copa America champions are focused on making history ahead of their semi-final against Peru.The 2015 and 2016 champions are aiming for a third continental title in a row, a feat only achieved once before by Argentina in successive years from 1945-47."We want to leave our legacy as triple champions, that's our dream," said the Barcelona midfielder, an integral part of Chile's only two previous Copa successes."That's why we want to play our best match of the Copa against Peru. It would be something historic for us to get to the final and that's our aim."Chile faced Peru in the 2015 semi-finals on home soil when they won 2-1 before beating Argentina on penalties in the final for their first ever continental success."We need to play the perfect m...
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AFCON 2019 : Algeria ease past Tanzania to make it three wins in a row

Algeria’s Adam Ounas scored twice and Islam Slimani also netted in a 3-0 win over Tanzania as they finished top of Group C at the Africa Cup of Nations on Monday after their second-string side proved far too strong for their opponents.The goals all came in the last 10 minutes of the first half as the pace of the Algerians and the accuracy of their passes cut open the Tanzanian defence almost at will.The victory meant Algeria matched hosts Egypt and Morocco with a full haul of nine points in the group stage, while Tanzania finished bottom as they returned to the tournament for the first time since 1980.Algeria will face a third-placed finisher in the last 16.Algeria made nine changes, having already secured qualification after a morale-boosting win over Senegal in their previous match, usin...
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Spain Wins U21 Euro Title

Spain claimed their fifth U21 European Championship title with a 2-1 victory against Germany on Sunday, taking them level with Italy for the most tournament wins.The sides had met exactly two years ago in the U21 Euros 2017 final - which Germany won 1-0 - but it was revenge for Spain in Udine and they started quickly as Fabian Ruiz hammered home inside seven minutes.Germany pushed for an equaliser in the second half, but Dani Olmo (69) took advantage of a spilled save from goalkeeper Alexander Nuebel to double Spain's lead.Nadiem Amiri made it a nervy finish with a sensational strike in the 88th minute, but Spain saw the game out to claim their first U21 Euros title in six years.
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Brazil Advances to Copa America Semifinals with shootout win over Paraguay

Brazil beat Paraguay 4-3 on penalties to advance to the last four of the Copa America on Thursday after they drew 0-0 in their quarter-final in Porto Alegre.Gabriel Jesus got the winning kick for Brazil after Gustavo Gomez and Derlis Gonzalez missed for the visitors. Roberto Firmino pulled his spot kick wide for the hosts.Brazil will next face the winner of Friday’s quarter-final between Argentina and Venezuela in Belo Horizonte next Tuesday.Brazil dominated most of the game, especially after Paraguay’s Fabian Balbuena was sent off in the 58th minute for fouling Firmino as he bore down on goal.The home side laid siege to the Paraguayan goal without joy, Willian hitting the post in the last minute and Everton seeing a shot deflected over the bar.In the other two quarter-finals, Colombia pla...
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Salah Send Egypt into Africa Cup of Nations last 16

Mohamed Salah scored his first goal of the Africa Cup of Nations as hosts Egypt secured a place in the last 16 on Wednesday with a 2-0 win over the Democratic Republic of Congo.Ahmed Elmohamady prodded Egypt ahead on 25 minutes after a wicked Salah cross and the Liverpool star slammed in a second shortly before half-time to spark frenzied celebrations at a packed Cairo International Stadium.Record seven-time champions Egypt rode their luck at times as DR Congotwice struck the crossbar in the first half but the Group A leaders held firm to join Nigeria as the first teams through to the knockout phase.Egypt overcame the distraction of Amr Warda being banished from the squad earlier in the day over mounting sexual harassment allegations. The claims surfaced earlier this week on social media p...
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Italy beats China to reach FIFA Women’s World Cup quarterfinal

Italy made its case to be considered a contender in the Women’s World Cup after a convincing 2-0 win over China on Tuesday night.Coach Milena Bertolini believes Italy is set to play in its first quarterfinal since 1991 because her players are striving for a goal that goes beyond the final result.“They have a mission. Their mission is to try and have the Italian public to discover and appreciate the women’s game,” Bertolini said. “This aspect helps you because it allows you to find that extra energy and motivation. I really believe this side has allowed the women’s game to break new ground back home.”Italian viewers have had good reason to tune in. While the men’s team failed to qualify for last summer’s World Cup in Russia, the women are proving to be a revelation in France.China had ...
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Coutinho: Brazil yet to hit peak form

Brazil's 5-0 victory over Peru on Saturday has provided the five-time world champions with renewed confidence as they prepare for the Copa America knockout phase, midfielder Philippe Coutinho said on Monday.The hosts beat Bolivia 3-0 in their opening match before laboring in a 0-0 draw with Venezuela. But Coutinho said the emphatic victory against the Blanquirroja proves the Selecao are on the right track ahead of Thursday's quarterfinal here against a yet to be determined opponent."We've had three difficult games," the Barcelona attacker told a news conference. "The first one was complicated because of everything it involves. In the second, we didn't play as well as we expected and in the third game we showed that we have made progress. We expect to improve even more from here."Brazi...
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Uruguay beats Chile, faces Peru in Copa America quarterfinal

Uruguay beat Copa America defending champions Chile 1-0 on Monday to claim the top spot of Group C.Edinson Cavani’s 82nd minute goal moved Uruguay to seven points and above Chile, which remained with six.Uruguay will face Peru in the quarterfinals on Saturday, while Chile will play in Sao Paulo against Colombia which has won all three of its matches and is yet to concede a goal in the tournament.Ecuador and Japan drew 1-1 in the other match of Group C, a result which eliminated both from the tournament.Cavani scored with a header to the right of Chile goalkeeper Gabriel Arias when more than 58,000 fans at the Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro were already accepting a goalless result.It was the striker’s second goal in this year’s Copa America.
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AFCON 2019: Cote d’Ivoire earn 1-0 win over South Africa

The Elephants of Cote d’Ivoire has defeated the Bafana Bafana of South Africa by a goal to nil in the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournament courtesy a second-half strike from Aston Villa striker Jonathan Kodjia.The two countries went head to head on Monday afternoon in a Group D encounter in the ongoing AFCON in Egypt. The match which was played at the Al Salam Stadium produced one of the most fiercely contested but entertaining fixture of the continental showdown since its commencement.Lille attacker, Nicholas Pepe dazzled upfront for the Elephant throughout the match but a solo run around the 10th minute particularly attracted cheers from spectators who loved what they saw.Few chances created by the two sides could not produce any goal as referee Louis Hakizimana blew his whistle...
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Riyad Mahrez Makes his mark as Algeria beat Kenya

Manchester City winger Riyad Mahrez was on target as Algeria launched their Africa Cup of Nations campaign with a 2-0 Group C win over Kenya.Baghdad Bounedjah scored from the penalty spot in the 34th minute to give Les Fennecs the lead.A meandering run from Youcef Atal was brought to an end by a poor challenge from Dennis Odhiambo and Bounedjah made no mistake from the resulting penalty.Mahrez then doubled the advantage two minutes before the break when his shot from Ismael Bennacer’s cut-back was deflected past goalkeeper Patrick Matasi by Abud Omar.Kenya were more of a threat after the interval but failed to test Algeria goalkeeper Rais M’Bolhi, with Michael Olunga’s shot that was blocked by Aissa Mandi as close as they came.
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Argentina Sneak Past Qatar to survive Copa America group stage, Colombia stay perfect

Argentina will start from afresh in the Copa America after averting disaster with Sunday’s 2-0 victory over Qatar that sent them into the knock-out stages, star Lionel Messi said.Goals from the Barcelona icon’s forward partners Lautaro Martinez and Sergio Aguero were enough to propel Argentina from bottom of Group B to second and into a quarter-final meeting with Venezuela on Friday at Rio’s Maracana stadium.“The important thing was to win to keep going in the Copa, to get through the group stage,” said Messi, who will turn 32 on Monday.“This will be an important boost for what’s to come ... another Copa begins now.“This victory must give us strength and make us grow as a team.”Argentina’s performance was far from pitch-perfect, but they were good enough to beat a limited Qatar side, who g...
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Dani Alves Confirm Paris Saint-Germain Exit

Just hours after scoring in Brazil's 5-0 win over Peru at the Copa America, Dani Alves announced he was leaving Paris Saint-Germain. The 36-year-old right back, who is captain of Brazil, had been with the French champions for two seasons and was at the end of his contract. "Everything has a start, middle and end, and the time has come to put a full stop here," Dani Alves said on Instagram. Dani Alves did not reveal where he might go, and leaves PSG as compatriot Leonardo returns as the new sporting director.His departure also comes at a time when rumours are circulating about the future of Neymar, the world's most expensive footballer who has had an injury-hit season laced with controversy.Alves signed for PSG at the same time as Neymar, in the summer of 2017.The Juazeiro-born player,...
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Nigeria Start AFCON With Narrow Win Over Burundi

Nigeria's Africa Cup of Nations campaign got off to a winning start on Saturday as they edged out Burundi 1-0.Gernot Rohr's side, who are 89 places above Burundi in FIFA's world rankings, struggled for long periods in their Group B opener at the Alexandria Stadium but sealed all three points in the 77th minute.Odion Ighalo, introduced for Paul Onuachu just four minutes earlier, latched onto Ola Aina's wonderful back-heeled pass and coolly whipped the ball past Jonathan Nahimana.Nigeria will hope to put in a vastly improved performance against Guinea on Wednesday, while Burundi face Madagascar a day later.
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Hosts Egypt Celebrate Winning Start to Africa Cup of Nations

Egypt opened their Africa Cup of Nations campaign with a 1-0 win over Zimbabwe in Cairo.Liverpool star Mohamed Salah endured a frustrating night as Trezeguet emerged as the hero for the hosts of the competition.The winger curled home four minutes before the interval to reward the Pharaohs for a dominant first-half display.Zimbabwe did threaten late on after Egypt failed to capitalise on further chances but the home side held on.There had been reports Zimbabwe's players could boycott the Group A encounter amid a pay dispute but that did not materialise.Yet Zimbabwe soon looked like the outsiders they had been billed as.Mohamed Salah, Marwan Mohsen and Abdallah El-Said all forced good saves from Edmore Sibanda early on.Liverpool forward Salah also fired over and wriggled through a series of ...
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Alexis Sanchez Sends Chile Into Copa America Quarter-Finals

Alexis Sanchez put a miserable club season with Manchester United behind him as he sent Chile into the Copa America quarter-finals with the winning goal in Friday's 2-1 win over Ecuador. Jose Fuenzalida gave reigning champions Chile an eighth-minute lead but Enner Valencia equalized for Ecuador from the spot. Sanchez bagged the winner, his 43rd goal for his country, but Chile finished with 10 men after Gabriel Achilier's red card a minute from time. The 30-year-old Sanchez started only nine Premier League matches, scoring just once, in an injury-interrupted season for the Red Devils in which he struggled to make an impact when he did play.But he scored for the second game running in Salvador as Chile joined Colombia as the only teams to qualify for the knock-out stages after their fir...
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Yannick Carrasco Banned from Dalian Yifang Training

Arsenal target Yannick Carrasco has been suspended from Dalian Yifang training and imposed with a fine as speculation over his future intensifies.The Chinese Super League club have cited his recent behaviour as the reasoning behind the ban.They issued a notice to suspend the 25-year-old, while also ordering him to pay fines for his behaviour within the next three days.It comes after heavy speculation linking Carrasco with a move to Arsenal, the club he had been previously linked with before opting to move to Dalian Yifang in February 2018.The Belgian joined Monaco from Genk in 2010, before spending three years at Atletico Madrid under Diego Simeone, during which he scored the equalising goal in the 2016 Champions League final against city rivals Real Madrid.
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