EURO 2016 UPDATE

The first set of UEFA EURO 2016 Round of 16 fixtures see Northern Ireland's fiery tale run ended by fellow British Isles occupants as McAuley's 75th minute own goal send Wales through to the quarterfinal. In an earlier fixture, Shaqiri's 85th minute equaliser for Switzerland forced Poland to play penalties and Lewandowski led in a hundred per cent performance by Poland while Arsenal bound Xhaka lost his kick as Poland get a quarterfinal ticket. Portugal sneaked through to the quareterfinal to face Poland as they had to wait till the 117th minute to break Croatia.

There were no shocks in store in the second set of UEFA EURO 2016 Round of 16 fixtures, with all three pre-match favourites getting the job done to progress to the quarter-finals. While France had to dig deep to overcome Republic of Ireland 2-1, it was much plainer sailing for Germany and Belgium, who eased to 3-0 and 4-0 victories over Slovakia and Hungary respectively. Besides the lack of upsets, the three ties had one other common denominator: the crucial contributions by an attacking wide man, as Antoine Griezmann, Julian Draxler and Eden Hazard stole the show.

Not for the first time this tournament, France were made to sweat on Sunday in Lyon. They trailed for a sizeable chunk of the game against a pragmatic, solid Republic of Ireland side, before bouncing back in the second half, spearheaded by a sparkling showing from Antoine Griezmann. The underdogs put the cat among the pigeons practically right from kick-off, forging in front in the second minute after Paul Pogba had felled Shane Long in the box. Robbie Brady kept a cool head to convert the resulting penalty. Les Bleus then toiled to little avail for almost an hour against an imperious Irish defence, behind which Darren Randolph was in equally commanding form between the sticks. However, a half-time reshuffle, which involved Kingsley Coman replacing N'Golo Kante and a switch from 4-3-3 to 4-2-3-1, ultimately paid dividends and Antoine Griezmann made himself a hero with a brace to take France through to the quarter-finals, where they await the winner of Monday's tie between England and Iceland.

Germany had a much smoother ride into the quarter-finals, helped by a far better start than the hosts. Just eight minutes had elapsed when Jerome Boateng fired Die Mannschaft ahead with a magnificent volley from 20 yards. Mesut Ozil had the chance to double his side's lead from the spot five minutes later, only to be denied by Matus Kozacik, but the world champions kept pushing and eventually extended their advantage through Mario Gomez just before half-time, following some superb wing play from Julian Draxler. Draxler capped a livewire performance and added further gloss to the scoreline in the 63rd minute, volleying home exquisitely following Toni Kroos's corner, and an impeccable Germany cruised over the line against opposition who offered little resistance.  

Belgium ended up even more comfortable winners against an entertaining Hungary team. The Red Devils prevailed 4-0 in a high-tempo, open match, although they had to wait until the final quarter of an hour to seal the deal. Toby Alderweireld opened the scoring after ten minutes with a powerful header from Kevin De Bruyne's free-kick, but the Magyars did not lie down and threatened to get back into it early in the second half. However, the Belgians upped their game and killed off the contest in the latter stages, inspired by some magic from Eden Hazard. The Chelsea star first served up the all-important second goal on a plate for Michy Batshuayi in the 78th minute, and then made it 3-0 himself two minutes later. Yannick Ferreira Carrasco chipped in with a fourth goal in stoppage time to clinch Belgium's biggest ever win at a tournament.
  
Next matches
Italy-Spain (6pm)
England-Iceland (9pm)

The winners of UEFA EURO 2016 go on to represent Europe at the FIFA Confederations Cup Russia 2017

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COPA AMERICA CENTENARY CHAMPION, CHILE!

By Habeeb Akinfegbe

Thunder had struck twice by the time Chile were crowned champions of the Copa America centenario after defeating Argentina again on penalties in the final of the special Copa America championship.

Chile made it back-to-back Copa America titles after seeing off South American rivals Argentina 4-2 in a penalty shootout in Sunday's ill-tempered final. Both Argentina and Chile were reduced to 10 men in a fiery first half in a rematch of last year's decider, as Marcos Rojo and Marcelo Diaz saw red, and neither team could break the deadlock after 120 minutes of play in front of more than 82,000 fans at MetLife Stadium.

And for the second successive year, a shootout was required to determine a winner, with Chile coming out on top again following spot-kicks as Argentina's 23-year wait for a major trophy continued.

After captain and goalkeeper Claudio Bravo denied Sergio Aguero with a stunning finger-tip save in extra time, he was at it again in the shootout, keeping out Lucas Biglia's effort following Lionel Messi's skied shot over the bar as Francisco Silva stepped up and converted the winning penalty.
The 4-2 shoot-out loss marked a third consecutive defeat in a final for Argentina, beaten last year as well as the 2014 World Cup.

Argentina opened on the front foot, pressuring Chile’s backline from the first whistle. The pressure nearly paid off 20 minutes into the match when a careless turnover by Chile centre-back Gary Medel allowed Argentina’s Gonazalo Higuain clear in on goal, but La Albiceleste’s No9 chipped attempt over Claudio Bravo missed wide.

Minutes later, Nicolas Otamendi flashed a header wide that hit the outside of Bravo’s net, causing confusion among the Argentinian supporters in the stands who believed their central defender had put La Albiceleste into an early lead. The match took a significant turn less than half an hour into proceedings when Marcelo Diaz picked up a second yellow card for bringing down Argentina captain Messi, after having earned his first caution in similar fashion 12 minutes prior to his sending off. However, Argentina did not hold onto their numerical advantage for long as Marcos Rojo was shown a straight red card for his tackle on Arturo Vidal only minutes before half-time. The first 45 minutes came to a close with neither side able to break through, largely a result of the stop-start nature of the game.

Second-half substitute Sergio Aguero had a chance to win it six minutes from full-time after beating Chile’s last defender, but the Manchester City hitman sent his shot well high and wide of the goal. A last-gasp effort from La Roja nearly won it before the final whistle but Alexis Sanchez’s close range effort was well blocked by Ramiro Funes Mori, which sparked a quick counter-attack from Argentina and a solo run by Messi, whose shot screamed wide. 


The first round of penalties went begging as Romero saved Vidal’s effort before Messi fired over the bar. The second round was far more emphatic as Nicolas Castillo and Javier Mascherano both converted with authoritative strikes. Two rounds of successful penalties followed before Jean Beausejour finished for Chile as Bravo denied Biglia. Silva then stepped up for Chile and slotted home to ignite Chilean celebrations.

La Albiceleste have now lost three major finals in three years starting from Brazil 2014 World Cup to last year's regular Copa America edition and a frustrated Lionel Messi declared that he is planning to retire from international football following Argentina's loss to Chile in the Copa America Centenario final.

"The national team is over for me. That's four finals [lost]; it's not for me," Messi told reporters after losing his third final in as many years. "The decision is made, I think."
Sunday's match finished without a goal and went to a penalty shootout, with Messi missing his spot kick on the way to a 4-2 defeat.

A devastated Messi

It was the second time in as many years that Chile beat Argentina on penalties in the Copa, which itself followed the Albiceleste's loss to Germany in the World Cup final in 2014. Messi also was part of the Argentina side who lost to Brazil in the final of the Copa America in 2007. It was gathered that Messi has been locked in a dispute with officials at the Argentine Football Association, taking his frustration to social media prior to the final, but his own performance in Sunday's final also seemed to be weighing on him after the contest. "I feel a great sadness right now that this is happening again," he said. "I missed my penalty, which was super important. That's it."

Argentina's attention automatically shifts to the next matches in World Cup qualification ahead of the 2018 tournament in Russia. Gerardo Martino's men sit third in the CONMEBOL pool after six matches.

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COPA AMERICA FINALE: A REMATCH

By Habeeb Akinfegbe

The special edition of the Copa America titled Copa America centenario has come to the final match and incidentally it is going to be a rematch of the last regular tournament hosted by Chile in 2015. In the first semi final, Argentina were ruthless against the hosts as they won 4-0, two goals shy of the six they put past Paraguay at the same stage in 2015 although Paraguay put one back. Their fellow finalists Chile defeated Colombia with two early goals, better than their 2-1 against Peru in 2015.

The 2015 Copa América was the 44th edition of the Copa América, the main international football tournament for national teams in South America, and took place in Chile between 11 June and 4 July 2015. The competition was organized by CONMEBOL, South America's football governing body.
Twelve teams competed, the ten members of CONMEBOL and two guests from CONCACAF – Mexico and Jamaica, the latter of which competed in the Copa América for the first time. Uruguay were the defending champions, but were eliminated by Chile in the quarter-finals. Chile won their first title by defeating Argentina in the final on a penalty shootout after a goalless draw. As winners, they qualified for the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup in Russia.

The 2015 Copa América Final was the final match was held on 4 July 2015 in Santiago's Estadio Nacional, and contested by hosts Chile, and Argentina, a final which will come up again in the Centenario. This edition was the seventh hosted by Chile. The match marked the third time Chile had reached a final. They had never won the competition; their last finals appearance was in 1987, when they were defeated by Uruguay. Meanwhile, Argentina reached its fifth final in Chilean territory. Their previous finals appearance was in 2007, when they were defeated by Brazil, while their last championship (including worldwide tournaments) was won in 1993. Including the editions from 1916 to 1967, when the Campeonato Sudamericano had a round-robin tournament format without a final match; it was the fifth appearance of Chile, and the twenty-seventh of Argentina, in the top two.

Route to the 2015 Final

Chile		Round	Argentina
Opponent	Result	First stage	Opponent	Result
Ecuador	2–0	Match 1	Paraguay	2–2
Mexico	3–3	Match 2	Uruguay	1–0
Bolivia	5–0	Match 3	Jamaica	1–0
Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts  Chile 3 2 1 0 10 3 +7 7  Bolivia 3 1 1 1 3 7 −4 4  Ecuador 3 1 0 2 4 6 −2 3  Mexico 3 0 2 1 4 5 −1 2		Final standing	Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts  Argentina 3 2 1 0 4 2 +2 7  Paraguay 3 1 2 0 4 3 +1 5  Uruguay 3 1 1 1 2 2 0 4  Jamaica 3 0 0 3 0 3 −3 0
Opponent	Result	Final stages	Opponent	Result
Uruguay	1–0	Quarterfinals	Colombia	0–0 (p: 5–4)
Peru	2–1	Semifinals	Paraguay	6–1

Both sides had opportunities to open the scoring, and Chilean goalkeeper Claudio Bravo made a close-range save from Sergio Agüero, who had been set up by Lionel Messi. However, soon afterwards, Argentina made the first substitution due to a hamstring injury, with Ángel Di María making way for Ezequiel Lavezzi. Chile finished the first half with three yellow cards, while Argentina had none.

Chile began the second half with attacking momentum, and the first Argentine yellow card went to Javier Mascherano for deliberate handball. With 15 minutes remaining, both teams made substitutions, with Argentina switching their centre-forward from Agüero to Gonzalo Higuaín, and Chile making an alteration in midfield, replacing Jorge Valdivia with Matías Fernández. Minutes later, Arturo Vidal went down in the penalty area, but no foul was called. With nine minutes remaining of regulation time, Argentina made their final substitution, Javier Pastore was replaced by Éver Banega; soon after his entrance into the game, Banega was fouled by Charles Aránguiz, who was booked. Argentina then had their best chance of the game with only seconds remaining in regular time. Argentina staged a counterattack after Chile lost the ball. Messi dribbled past two Chilean defenders before passing the ball to Lavezzi near the penalty area, Lavezzi then passed the ball to Higuaín, who charged down the right side with a tight angle to shoot. His shot was inches wide of the inside of the post, however, and instead the ball hit the outside of the net. After regulation time, the game remained goalless.

Early into extra time, Chile made their second substitution, replacing Eduardo Vargas with Ángelo Henríquez. In the final minutes of extra time, Chile had a corner, which was cleared by Lucas Biglia and Higuaín. During the second period of extra time, Chile had their best chance to take the lead, after a goal throw from Claudio Bravo failed to be properly cleared away by Mascherano, leaving Alexis Sánchez to run down the pitch and shoot, only for his shot to go over the crossbar. Later on, Messi was fouled, giving a free kick to Argentina, which Gary Medel cleared three times from the Chilean penalty area to take the game into a penalty shootout.

Matías Fernández took the first penalty, dispatching it past Argentine goalkeeper Sergio Romero, and Messi netted Argentina's first attempt to keep the scores level after the first round. Second was Vidal, who scored, despite Romero making contact with his shot. Higuaín then missed, with an attempt which went too high. Aránguíz scored from a powerful attempt and then Bravo saved Banega's shot. Alexis Sánchez scored the winning penalty, a Panenka-style finish (the Panenka is a technique used in penalty kick-taking in which the player, instead of kicking the ball toward the left or right corner of the goal, gives a subtle touch underneath the ball, causing it to rise and fall within the centre of the goal thus deceiving the goalkeeper. It was created by Czech player Antonín Panenka, who presented this technique to the world in the 1976 UEFA European Championship finals, when he beat German goalkeeper Sepp Maier and gave the title to the Czechoslovakian national team. After its sensational debut in the tournament, the Panenka kick has been used on rare occasions and mostly by highly respected players who can deal with the consequences of missing a penalty kick that way. This style of penalty kick is also called Il cucchiaio ("the spoon"), in the Italian speaking world).

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EURO 2016 UPDATE: EXCITING ROUND OF 16 DRAWS

By Habeeb Akinfegbe

Germany and Poland finished first and second respectively after both playing 1-0 victories against Northern Ireland and Ukraine respectively. Northern Ireland relinquished their first spot on the best third placed teams but went through eventually as the fourth best third placed team. Germany face Slovakia, Poland face Switzerland and Northern Ireland play fellow British in Wales who have red hot Gareth Bale in their line up, he is currently joint top scorer of the competition with three goals.

Croatia came from behind to topple Spain in an exciting match after shaking off Morata's seventh minute opener, third of the competition, to hit the current champions on the 45th and 87th minutes with goals from Kalinic and Perisic respectively to finish top of the group and set up a date with another member of the Iberian Peninsula Portugal, who finished third in their group while Spain once again have to come face to face with Italy in a delicate encounter with history wrapped around it.

Surprisingly, Italy lost to a determined Irish team which knew they had their destiny right in front of them and were bold enough to grab it and rescue their participation in the competition after defeating Italy 1-0. Belgium also did enough to weather the storm against Ibrahimovic as a Mangala thunderbolt

Historic - Brady's header against Italy

eliminated the Swedes and sent Ibrahimovic into retirement without a European tittle Swansong to his international career. Belgium face Hungary and the Republic of Ireland face France.

Hungary and Portugal did what was expected of them in a six goal thriller. Hungary needed a draw to return to the summit of European football while Portugal needed a win to be sure of an automatic qualification. It ended a draw in the end and it appeared to be enough for the Portuguese as well. Iceland fought to the end and got a 2-1 win over Austria. They face England in the round of 16.

The following are the Euro 2016 round of 16 fixtures:

Saturday 25  Switzerland v Poland
                     Wales v Northern Ireland
                     Croatia v Portugal
Sunday 26    France v Republic of Ireland
                     Germany v Slovakia
                     Hungary v Belgium
Monday 27   Italy v Spain
                     England v Iceland

The winners of UEFA EURO 2016 will represent Europe at the FIFA Confederations Cup Russia 2017

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COPA AMERICA UPDATE

The final four of the Copa America is upon us and two semi-final ties that promise to serve up no shortage of excitement, goals and fine football are on the bill. Hosts USA, the only team left in the competition who have yet to win it, are joined by holders Chile, Argentina – beaten finalists at the most recent edition, as well as at the last FIFA World Cup™ and Brazil 2014 quarter-finalists Colombia, who are bidding for their second continental title 15 years after their maiden crown.

USA-Argentina (Tuesday 21, Houston, 8pm)

At the Copa America Centenario tournament taking place in USA, Argentina have been in superb form, winning their first four matches and scoring 14 goals along the way while only conceding twice. On Tuesday, captain Lionel Messi and Co will meet the tournament hosts in Houston with a spot in the final up for grabs. And although the Stars and Stripes have every reason to be wary of the Argentinian threat they are set to face, Jurgen Klinsmann’s side is buoyed by a recent surge of confidence, stemming from their own spell of success in the competition following their opening 2-0 defeat to Colombia. "We are not scared of them at all," Klinsmann said in the build-up to the semi-final. It may not be on the forefront of the USA coach or players’ minds, but the Americans have had success against La Albiceleste in this tournament before, which will give the Stars and Stripes’ supporters an added boost of confidence going into Tuesday’s tussle.

USA’s 3-0 victory over Argentina at the 1995 Copa America in Uruguay, which spurred Steve Sampson’s side to a semi-final run in the tournament, still stands out as one of the nation's most memorable moments in their footballing history. Frank Klopas opened the scoring for the Americans, and by half-time USA led 2-0 courtesy of Alexi Lalas’ charging run through the centre of the Argentinian defence to redirect Cobi Jones’ cross.

Instead of coming out for the final 45 minutes content to hang on to their lead, the United States continued to control the tempo of the match as Joe-Max Moore set-up Eric Wynalda for a tap-in to round up the scoring just before the hour mark. The win clinched Group C for the Americans, which forced Argentina, two-time defending Copa America champions, to face Brazil in the quarter-finals.
A Seleção subsequently dispatched La Albiceleste on penalties after a 2-2 draw in Rivera, while USA stayed in Paysandu to play Mexico. The Americans beat their CONCACAF rivals on penalties following a goalless draw, to send the Stars and Stripes into the Copa America semi-finals for the first time.

The result was considered a disgrace for Argentina for a number of reasons. Having won their first two games in the group, Daniel Passarella’s men believed victory over the Americans was a foregone conclusion. As a result, Passarella made nine changes to his squad, including the relocation of playmaking threat Marcelo Espina. “(I felt) embarrassed,” Espina said when asked for his thoughts about the heavy defeat to the Americans. “I played as a left midfielder. Daniel (Passarella) decided to change almost all the starters, because we were already qualified for the quarter-finals. He played Marcelo Gallardo as a playmaker, so he played me on the left in the midfield, and I spent all the game watching the back of Cobi Jones. Well, not all the match because I was replaced at half-time. We were ashamed, that is the truth. We had a very bad game both collectively and individually, and the result reflected that. It was a big frustration…this was a chance we did not take advantage of. The worst part of that loss is that we had to face Brazil."

USA will be banking on this previous success as an inspiration against a similarly in form Argentine side like that of the 95 edition when they take to the field in the first semi final of this year's edition.

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EURO 2016 UPDATE

  By Habeeb Akinfegbe

France consolidated on their top spot in group A as they finished with seven points after pulling a draw in their final group game against Switzerland, the latter equally maintained the second position as both of them qualified automatically for the second round. Albania defeated Romania 1-0 in Lyon and they stand a chance of making the second round depending on the final rankings, they currently lie third on the rankings. Since becoming a member of FIFA in 1932 had to wait over eight decades to finally qualify for a major tournament. Cana, who has been playing for his country since 2003, knows more than most, how tough it is to make it to a FIFA World Cup™ or a EURO, which may explain why he is so ready to savour his country’s new-found success. "I don't know if this win beats qualifying for the tournament. It’s different," he said. "They are two special matches for sure. Qualifying was something no other team had achieved, so it was something historic,” said Cana. Armando Sadiku’s goal against Romania was certainly the stuff of legends. His 43rd minute header was perfectly placed over and across the keeper at the far post and set up a victory that was well deserved – especially as Albania refused to sit back and invite Romania on to them, despite have been on the painful end of much late heartbreak in recent times.

Wales capped off a memorable UEFA EURO 2016 group stage campaign by brushing Russia aside 3-0 to finish top of Group B, eliminating their opponents in the process. The Welsh leapfrogged neighbours England on the table after Roy Hodgson’s side were unable to find a way past a dogged Slovakian defence in a 0-0 draw. Chris Coleman’s men kicked off in Toulouse knowing a draw would be enough to take them through to the knockout stages but the Welsh mindset was anything but negative. They went for the Russians right from the off and deservedly took the lead in the 11th minute when Aaron Ramsey ran clear before coolly chipping the ball over Igor Akinfeev. The Russian keeper was exposed again in the 20th minute. He managed to keep out Neil Taylor’s first shot, only for the left-back to convert the rebound and double his side’s lead. Gareth Bale rounded off the scoring in the 67th minute, calmly slotting the ball home with the outside of his foot after being played in by Ramsey, a goal that makes him the top scorer of the competition so far after scoring in each of Wale's group games scoring the opening goal of the group stage in the 10th minute against Slovakia and the last in the 67th minute against Russia.

England were frustrated by Slovakia in Saint-Etienne. The Three Lions had the lion’s share of possession but came up frustratingly short in the final third against a packed rearguard. Slovakia keeper Matus Kozacik did well to keep out Nathaniel Clyne's shot from close range in the 53rd minute and Martin Skrtel did brilliantly to deviate a goalbound Dele Alli effort over his own bar on 61 minutes. The draw means Slovakia have four points and are well placed to qualify as one of the four best third-placed teams to progress, they currently top the rankings.

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COPA AMERICA UPDATE

By Habeeb Akinfegbe

The stage is now set for the last four of the once in a life competition, the Copa America centenario. The hosts were the first to make it through after defeating Ecuador then 120 minutes couldn't separate Peru and Colombia but the latter finally went through after winning the ensuing penalty shootout 2-4 after Trauco and Cueva failed to score Peru's third and fourth kicks. The Semi finals start on the 21st of June as the United States face Argentina and Colombia face Chile the following day.

Messi equalled Gabriel Batistuta's 54-goal record for Argentina, joining the Fiorentina great as their country's equal top goalscorers when he turned home the third goal (his fourth of the competition) as Argentina went on to rout Venezuela 4-1. His goal followed a first-half brace from Higuain, who looked in inspired form, scoring his 27th and 28th goals for his nation, with Tottenham's Erik Lamela also getting in on the goalscoring with his first touch of the ball after coming on just four minutes earlier. Messi - who finished with a goal and two assists - was making his first start of the tournament, lining up in a frightening front three alongside Higuain and Nicolas Gaitan, with Angel Di Maria sitting out through injury.

In the last quarterfinals, a team that brought the longest unbeaten streak in the world, 22 consecutive matches, into the Copa America Centenario  quarterfinals got knocked out in a humiliating fashion 0-7 to Chile who seem not to remember their opening day defeat to Argentina as they emphatically took Mexico apart.

Eduardo Vargas, who was one of the best players in the tournament that Chile won on home soil in 2015, was again unstoppable. He had four goals and was joined on the score sheet by Edson Puch and Arturo Vidal. Jean Beausejour didn't look to have been at all affected by the knock he took in the final group game, pushing forward and keeping defender Paul Aguilar pinned back.
Vidal's superb showing both getting forward to assist his teammates as well as muscling through the midfield was the only thing that made manager Juan Carlos Osorio look smart on the evening. Prior to the match, the Mexico boss had said Vidal is the player from Chile he'd add to the team.
It's a failure by Mexico's own standard but a humiliation by any measure. The goal was to make the top three at this tournament, a competition Uruguay's FA chief accused of being set up for Mexico to win. Instead, El Tri are out at the quarterfinal stage after suffering a defeat heavier than the one Brazil put on lowly Haiti earlier in the competition.

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EURO 2016 UPDATE

By Habeeb Akinfegbe

After the second round of group matches, all the teams now know where they stand in this competition; some are out, some have advanced with a match to spare, some are assured of qualification but not positions while others have wide and slim outside chances.

The hosts are already through with a match to spare, 6 points in the bag with two goals from Payet. In the final round of group matches starting later tonight the hosts face Switzerland who need a draw while Romania must beat Albania by at least 2 goals without conceding and France beat Switzerland with a 1-0 scoreline.

In group B, England will finish in the top three as they prepare to face Slovakia who can still qualify by beating England. Wales may go through with four points but they face a Russian side that can still make it through. All to play for in this group.

All of Germany, Poland and Northern Ireland can still make it to the second round considering the newly introduced berth reserved for four third placed finishers. As a matter of fact Northern Ireland tops the table of best third placed teams so far.

In group D, Spain are already through, Croatia are assured of a top three finish with four points while Czech equally stand an outside chance of progressing as they face fellow outside chance hopeful, Turkey who have no point.

Like France and Spain, Italy have a hundred per cent record and have qualified without conceding a goal, only Spain are yet to concede with a hundred per cent record, and the Azurris have netted thrice while the Spaniards have a quadruple. Rising power in world football, Belgium follow closely with three points after losing their opening fixture to Italy. Sweden lie third with a point gotten against Republic of Ireland who are unfortunate to concede an own goal from Clark in the 71st minute then lost to Italy. Sweden will fancy their chances against Belgium while Republic of Ireland will need a miracle to go through when they face Italy.

Hungary lead group F with four points and are assured of finishing in the qualification zone. Iceland follow while CR7 and Portugal surprisingly lie third with draws from two fixtures. Iceland face Austria in the battle for survival as they are on two and one points respectively, thus one of them will definitely go out. In the other game that will mark the end of all group proceedings, Portugal tackle table toppers Hungary, in a match of redemption for Portuhal and a statement of return to prominence for Hungary.

As regards the third place hopefuls; Northern Ireland lead with three points and plus one goal difference, Slovakia have three points and no goal difference, Portugal with two points and no goal difference, Czech Republic have one point, minus one goal difference and two goals for, Romania have one point, minus one goal difference and two goals for, Sweden sits bottom of the table with one point, minus one goal difference and one goal for.

Nothing big has changed on the scorers chart apart from the fact that there are now five players still tied though but on 2 goals each: Lukaku, Payet, Stancu, Morata and Bale. No Ronaldo neither is there Ibrahimovic.

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COPA AMERICA UPDATE: USA MAKE LAST FOUR

 

The U.S. became the first side to book a place in the semi final following an excellent first half display which saw them eliminating Ecuador and stand a chance of facing the most in-form team of the tournament, Argentina, should the latter win their quarter final tie against Venezuela.

For the majority of the second half, the yellow-clad South Americans looked destined to spoil the party at CenturyLink Field, but the U.S. held it together just enough to give the strong pro-U.S. crowd a just reward for pushing them on with a 2-1 victory. Heading for the Copa America semifinals, a feat few saw the Americans accomplishing, but the benchmark Jurgen Klinsmann set for his team before the tournament began.

Klinsmann insisted he would be able to count on his veterans to deliver and they did, with Clint Dempsey starring in front of his home-club fans. The Sounders star scored the first goal and set up the second to continue an MVP-caliber tournament run.
The defense was strong yet again, at least when the match was 11 against 11. John Brooks carried over his outstanding form from the Paraguay win, and held it together despite Ecuador appearing to target him for physical abuse. Geoff Cameron and Brooks cleaned up most of the threats in the first half, but found things much tougher in the second half after Jones was issued a red card for allegedly striking an Ecuador player in the face. Antonio Valencia's cynical foul on Alejandro Bedoya earned him marching orders on the same play, setting up a 10-on-10 battle that suited an Ecuador team already chasing the match. It left the Americans scrambling to deal with waves of Ecuadorian speed, but the U.S. defense took care of many of the threats, while poor Ecuador finishing did the rest.


Enner Valencia had his chance to tie the match late, but sent a wide-open header wide of the goal, which was the best sign of the second half that this might be a good night for the U.S.
The pro-American crowd this city promised came and delivered, and while the 47,322 attendance fell well short of a sellout, the atmosphere was still excellent, as the fans urged their team on and offered loud protestations at the many questional officiating decisions in the second half.
Klinsmann took a bit of a gamble with his lineup, choosing to start Matt Besler at left back and moving Fabian Johnson to right back. The move paid off, with Besler holding his own defensively, and even contributing to the attack by delivering the service that eventually produced Zardes' security goal that made the score 2-0. Of course, Ecuador responded with an 18-yard strike from Michael Arroyo, but that goal merely helped produce a nail-biting final 15 minutes that never produced an Ecuador equalizer.

Thursday's victory came at a cost, though. Jones, Alejandro Bedoya and Bobby Wood will miss the semifinal due to suspensions, which will force Klinsmann to test his bench in a way he hasn't had to yet this tournament. A semifinal meeting against the winner of the Argentina-Venezuela quarterfinal looms in Houston, and while the U.S. will be a heavy underdog if Argentina is the opponent, nobody was worrying about that too much on Thursday night. The only thing American fans and players were concerned about was enjoying the victory, and the well-deserved party that is soon to follow. A successful run to the Copa America semifinals has earned this U.S. team a chance to celebrate.

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EURO 2016 UPDATE

By Habeeb Akinfegbe

The second set of group matches started as Slovakia got their UEFA EURO 2016 campaign back on track and pushed Russia against the ropes with a 2-1 victory on Wednesday. The Russians, meanwhile, have just one point ahead of their final Group B fixture versus Wales. In Group A, Romania and Switzerland shared the points (1-1) and remain on course for a spot in the Round of 16, while France defeated a Albania and are now assured of advancing to the knockout stage with six points.


France again had their supporters on the edge of their seats right till the end against a disciplined Albania team, having previously dug deep for a late winner against Romania. After a poor first-half display which saw Didier Deschamps’ men fail to hit the target or force Etrit Berisha into a meaningful save, the situation threatened to get even worse for Les Bleus in the second period, as

Albania struck the post.  As the game drew to a close, the French finally began to lay siege to the opposing goal, and eventually made the breakthrough in the last minute through Antoine Griezmann, before adding a fine second via Dimitri Payet deep into stoppage time. Despite the suspense and late drama, France have now qualified for the Round of 16.

Some losses are harder to take than others. Slovakia’s defeat by Wales had apparently left a bitter taste in the mouths of their players, who felt as if they had let the opening match slip from their grasp. Against Russia, they made their dominance count more effectively, with a little help from Vladimir Weiss and Marek Hamsik. They first combined to great effect after half an hour, the latter laying a lovely ball on a plate for the former to score. Just before the break, the skilful Napoli midfielder showed that he could also finish with aplomb, smashing a majestic curling shot into the back of the net. The Russians came back to life late on, halving the margin to 2-1 through a Denis Glushakov header, but it was a case of too little, too late. Russia must now overcome Wales to ensure that their French adventure continues. After losing to Slovakia, Russia suffered their 13th defeat at a European Championship, one fewer than the undesirable record (14) held by Denmark. In addition, the Russians have conceded at least one goal in their last seven outings in the continental contest.

Romania and Switzerland locked horns at Parc des Princes, eventually sharing the spoils in a back-and-forth encounter. After soaking up some Swiss pressure, the Romanians took the lead via a Bogdan Stancu penalty. La Nati did not allow that to distract them from their task, creating a number of chances, one of which – a powerful half-volley from Admir Mehmedi just before the hour mark – resulted in a deserved equaliser. They continued to control the game for the time remaining, with the Romanians relying on hopeful counter-attacks. The Swiss now look well-placed to move on to the next round as they prepare to take on France, in a match that will decide first place in the group. The Romanians, meanwhile, continue to dream, and could advance with a win over Albania.

The second set of matches continued on Thursday as England picked up their first UEFA EURO 2016 victory, defeating Wales in injury time at the end of a match they had dominated throughout. The Three Lions now have the same number of points in the Group B table as Slovakia, the team they face next. Later in the day, Northern Ireland moved a step closer to clinching an unlikely round-of-16 berth by pulling off a remarkable 2-0 win over Ukraine – their first ever triumph in a European Championship. Consequently, Mykhaylo Fomenko’s men are the first side to be eliminated from the tournament. Elsewhere, Germany and Poland played out the first 0-0 draw of the competition, which, despite the dearth of goals, was not lacking in intrigue.

In search of a second victory at EURO 2016 and a first success over neighbours England for 32 years, Wales looked as if they had the match in their grasp after taking the lead through a Gareth Bale free-kick just before half-time, in what was the 102nd clash between the pair of old rivals. Impressively, the Real Madrid star has scored 15 of the 32 Welsh goals recorded since Chris Coleman took charge in February 2012.  Jamie Vardy equalised on the 52nd minute and Daniel Sturridge conjuring up a reassuring winner in the final seconds.

Northern Ireland had never beaten Ukraine in a competitive match, nor had they ever won a game at a European Championship prior to Thursday’s encounter. They put both those statistics to bed in Lyon, knocking Ukraine out of the EURO 2016 in the process. Ukraine had the majority of the ball in the first half, but lacked penetration versus a solid Northern Irish defence. The British side came to life in a second half that was interrupted in the 57th minute by a severe hailstorm, 36-year-old Gareth McAuley opening the scoring with a header. Deep into stoppage time, Aberdeen winger Niall McGinn slotted home to secure a historic result for the debutantes.

There were large numbers of Polish and German fans at the Stade de France as well, and they ended up witnessing a defensive battle that finished scoreless. Slightly more on top throughout, Germany lacked imagination up front, with Mario Gotze and Thomas Muller failing to find a way past the opposition’s rearguard. Poland were disciplined and also dangerous at times, even though their star man, Robert Lewandowski, has still not managed a shot on target at the tournament. In the end, a share of the spoils was a fair result, one which cements the teams’ positions of first and second in Group C.

Today Friday 17 the following matches come up:
Group E
Italy-Sweden (3 pm)
Group D
Czech Republic-Croatia (6 pm)
Spain-Turkey (9 pm)

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COPA AMERICA UPDATE

By Habeeb Akinfegbe

It was indeed the last game, if the competition were to end right now Argentina would have been deservedly crowned as champions as no team in the group stage possess similar form as the Argentines. Argentina maintained their 100 percent start to the Copa America Centenario with an easy win over Bolivia, as holders Chile booked their place in the quarterfinals on Tuesday.

Argentina already assured of a quarterfinal berth after wins over Chile and Panama, wrapped up their Group D campaign with one-sided win at Seattle's CenturyLink Field. The victory sees Argentina reach the last eight as group winners, handing them what in theory should be a straightforward assignment against Venezuela in Foxborough on Saturday. The two-time world champions are determined to end a 23-year wait for a major title after suffering agonising defeats in the finals of the 2014 World Cup and last year's Copa America. Argentina coach Gerardo Martino elected to rest captain Lionel Messi after his devastating hat-trick performance against Panama.
But the Argentines were still far too strong for a feeble Bolivian team who were overwhelmed in a devastating opening period. The match was effectively settled within the first quarter of an hour, with Tottenham Hotspur winger Erik Lamela opening the scoring with a deflected free-kick in the 13th minute. Two minutes later China-based forward Ezequiel Lavezzi marked his comeback from injury with a goal, volleying home from close range after Gonzalo Higuain's downward header.
Central defender Victor Cuesta made it 3-0 just after the half-hour, diverting home Lavezzi's low cross in the 32nd minute. With Messi coming on as a substitute at halftime, the game became a question of when or if the Barcelona superstar could grab a 54th international goal to equal Gabriel Batistuta's longstanding scoring record.


Alexis Sanchez and Eduardo Vargas both scored twice as Chile advanced with a 4-2 victory over Panama. Chile recovered from the shock of falling behind to a Miguel Camargo goal after only five minutes, with Vargas scoring twice before Arsenal's Sanchez grabbed a third in the Group D game.
Sanchez added his second in the 89th minute to complete the scoring. Chile will now face Mexico in the pick of the quarterfinals on Saturday.

The Quarter-finals

16 June 2016 21:30

United States	Match 25	Ecuador

CenturyLink Field, Seattle Referee: Wilmar Roldán (Colombia)

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17 June 2016 20:00

Peru	Match 26	Colombia

MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford

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18 June 2016 19:00

Argentina	Match 27	Venezuela

Gillette Stadium, Foxborough

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18 June 2016 Mexico	Match 28	Chile

Levi's Stadium, Santa Clara

Sequel to the historical elimination of Brazil, they have parted company with coach Dunga after the five-time FIFA World Cup™ winners exited the Copa America Centenario at group stage, the first time they have been eliminated that early in almost 30 years. The 1-0 defeat to Peru brought to an end a near-two-year stint in charge of A Seleção, the USA 1994 winner's second spell in the dugout after leading his nation from 2006-10. Team coordinator Gilmar Rinaldi and the rest of the coaching staff have also been dismissed. Brazil currently sit sixth in South American qualifying for Russia 2018, outside of the four automatic spot and fifth play-off position, having won just twice in six games, drawing their latest two games 2-2 with Uruguay and Paraguay. "The Brazilian Football Confederation have announced that it will be dissolving the technical committee of the Brazilian national team," an official statement read. "The team's coordinator, Gilmar Rinaldi, coach Dunga and his entire team will leave their positions. "Now, the CBF starts the process of choosing the new technical committee of the Brazilian national team. The CBF gives thanks for the dedication, the seriousness and commitment of the staff while performing their work." Their next qualifying match comes against second-place Ecuador on 1 September in Quito.

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EURO 2016 UPDATE

By Habeeb Akinfegbe

In group F, the first set of group matches were concluded when Portugal drew Iceland and Hungary got the better of Austria. Austria-Hungary is the second most played international fixture after Argentina-Uruguay, and the countries’ 137th meeting on Tuesday was the first to be held within the confines of a UEFA European Championship. During an encounter that burst into life in the second half, the Hungarians picked up their 67th win (2-0) in the long rivalry, a result that propels them to top spot in Group F. A little later in the evening, Portugal had to content themselves with a share of the points versus a spirited Iceland, who were making their debut in the continental competition.

Unbeaten in their qualifying campaign (nine wins and one draw), Austria were many football fans’ pick to emerge as a dark horse at UEFA EURO 2016, and when Bayern Munich defender David Alaba, who tends to move up to midfield when performing in Austrian colours, struck the post in the second minute, it seemed as if the game would be sticking to that script. But instead of accepting this scenario, Hungary managed to overcome the odds in the second half, after Gabor Kirali had kept them in it in the first period with fine saves from Alaba (10th minute) and Zltako Junuzovic (43rd minute). Bernd Storck’s men took the lead in the 62nd minute through Adam Szalai, who got on the end of a through ball from Laszlo Kleinheisler and stabbed it home. After Austria’s Aleksandar Dragovic was sent off for a second yellow card, the Magyars took advantage of their numerical superiority to seal the three points via an effective counter-attack, Zoltan Stieber adroitly chipping the ball over the advancing goalkeeper three minutes from time.
Hungary sit on top of Group F due to Iceland’s draw with favourites Portugal, who despite dominating the first half and breaking the deadlock through a 32nd-minute Nani strike, could not find a second goal that would have put the match to bed. Subsequently, the resilient Icelanders, who had posed little threat up to then, dragged themselves back into the match five minutes into the second half, Birkir Bjarnason – curiously left unmarked in the box – slotting the ball into the net for 1-1. The tournament newcomers held on for a valiant point, which their fans celebrated just like a victory upon hearing the final whistle.

At 40 years and 74 days old, Gabor Kiraly became the oldest player to represent his country in a European Championship match on Tuesday. The shot-stopper and his legendary grey tracksuit bottoms have been a comforting presence between the sticks for Hungary fans since 25 March 1998, when he made his international debut against today’s opponents, Austria.

Today's actions sees two groups dishing out football entertainment in three matches; Group B
Russia-Slovakia (2 pm) Group A Romania-Switzerland (5 pm) France-Albania (8 pm) - all Nigerian time. As regards the goal chart, no player has made any headway as 21 players are now tied on 1 goal each.

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