Gabon sink Burkina Faso

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Gabon's Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang put aside the trauma of his last African Nations Cup finals appearance with the first goal in a 2-0 win over Burkina Faso in their Group A opener.


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BATA, Equatorial Guinea - Gabon's Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang put aside the trauma of his last African Nations Cup finals appearance with the first goal in a 2-0 win over Burkina Faso in their Group A opener on Saturday.


The French-born striker, who missed the decisive penalty in a quarter-final shootout against Mali three years ago when Gabon co-hosted the tournament, opened the scoring in the 19th minute.


It was a classic poacher's goal as he found his way blocked but steadied himself at the second attempt before blasting home at the Estadio de Bata.


A close-range header from Malick Evouna in the 72nd minute wrapped up the victory that puts Gabon top of the section after the first day of the tournament following a 1-1 draw between hosts Equatorial Guinea and Congo in the opening match.


He might have had a second with 20 minutes remaining as a dangerous reminder of his speed saw the Borussia Dortmund forward burst away on the left wing only to hit his shot narrowly wide with the ball swinging across the goal.


But soon after Evouna wrapped up a hard-fought win when he rose amongst the Burkinabe defenders to head home Frederic Bulot's cross.


Burkina Faso, who were runners-up at the last finals, looked the classier of the two teams, getting behind the Gabon defence to set up several chances, but overelaborated when a simpler approach could have paid dividends.


Jonathan Pitroipa, voted best player at the last Nations Cup, hit his 30th minute effort straight at Gabon goalkeeper Didier Ovono, who earlier made a fine save from Bertrand Traore.


Chelsea teenager Traore, on loan at Vitesse Arnhem in the Dutch league, made an exciting combination with elder brother Alain in attack but they were let down by their final touch.


Gabon could have increased their lead at least twice at crucial junctures over the game.


In the first half Didier Ndong was clear but fluffed his chance and midway through the second half Bulot managed to shoot straight at goalkeeper Moussa Fofana from in front of goal. – Reuters






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News sport : Siena freshman breaks backboard in rather tame fashion

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Siena forward Willem Brandwijk scored only one point in a 34-pooint loss to Canisius at the Koessler Athletic Center in Buffalo on Friday, but he'll probably remember the forgettable game the rest of his life.

Brandwijk, a freshman from Netherlands, threw down a tame-looking reverse dunk in pregame warmups that caused the basket to fold and the backboard to shatter delaying the start of the game by an hour. You have to wonder whether the basket was set up correctly because it seemed to come down rather easily.


Siena was not assessed a technical foul for dunking in pregame warmups because it happened before the officials came on to the floor. Siena coach Jimmy Patsos, whose team is now 6-10 overall and 3-4 in the MAAC, was able to find some humor in it after the game.



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[Kyle Ringo is the assistant editor of The Dagger on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at kyle.ringo@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!






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Chelsea thrash Swansea

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Chelsea ran riot at Swansea City by scoring four goals before halftime on the way to a 5-0 win.


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London - Chelsea ran riot at Swansea City by scoring four goals before halftime on the way to a 5-0 win that sent Jose Mourinho's side surging five points clear in the Premier League on Saturday.


Brazil midfielder Oscar and Spain striker Diego Costa grabbed two apiece inside the opening 36 minutes as Swansea were torn to shreds. Substitute Andre Schuerrle got his name on the scoresheet late in a more even second half.


“It was the perfect game, everything went in our direction,” Mourinho, who will be hoping Arsenal can take points off second-placed champions Manchester City on Sunday, told Sky Sports.


Manchester United briefly climbed above Southampton into third spot, 12 points behind Chelsea, with second-half substitutes Marouane Fellaini and James Wilson on target in a 2-0 win at second-bottom Queens Park Rangers.


But Ronald Koeman's Southampton again showed they cannot be dismissed as genuine contenders for a top-four finish when they won 2-1 at Newcastle United in the late kickoff.


Eljero Elia scored in each half for the Saints who have 42 points to United's 40.


Playmaker Christian Eriksen struck another late winner to give Tottenham Hotspur a seventh 2-1 league victory this season, at home to Sunderland, and lift them above Arsenal into fifth, three points behind United.


Seventh-placed Liverpool's upwards push gathered momentum when Fabio Borini and Rickie Lambert scored in a 2-0 victory at Aston Villa who have now gone five league games without a goal.


Crystal Palace recovered from 2-0 down to snatch a 3-2 win at fellow strugglers Burnley, their second consecutive league victory since Alan Pardew took charge taking them up to 12th.


Bottom club Leicester City's recent burst of form, which had earned them seven points from three games, was ended by a 1-0 home loss to Stoke City, Spaniard Bojan Krkic scoring the winner.


Swansea have proved tough opponents in south Wales since joining the Premier League in 2011 and had only suffered two home defeats this season, but they were no match for a rampant Chelsea side who oozed class.


From the moment Oscar ruthlessly punished an errant pass by Gylfi Sigurdsson to put Chelsea ahead in the first minute the writing was on the wall for the hosts.


A slick one-touch passing move ended with Costa making it 2-0 after 20 minutes and the Brazil-born Spaniard made it 3-0 following more dozy Swansea defending.


Oscar's second, a cheeky dink over busy Swans keeper Lukasz Fabianski, was followed quickly by Willian striking the crossbar as Chelsea threatened to run up a rugby score.


However, the fizz went out of the visitors in the second half and they had to be content with one more goal when Schuerrle got the final touch to deny Oscar a hat-trick.


Mourinho has been tetchy lately, but offered sympathy to his Swansea counterpart Garry Monk.


“There are matches that go away from our control and as managers we can't do much,” said the Portuguese coach.


“I can understand that he was frustrated but the only thing I can say is that it's better to lose one match 5-0 than to lose five games 1-0.” – Reuters






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Equatorial Guniea frustrated by Congo

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Republic of Congo snatched a late 1-1 draw against host Equatorial Guinea in the opening game of the African Cup of Nations.


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Bata, Equatorial Guinea – Republic of Congo snatched a late 1-1 draw against host Equatorial Guinea in the opening game of the African Cup of Nations, muting a packed stadium of lively red-shirted home fans who thought they were on their way to a surprise win.


Equatorial Guinea captain Emilio Nsue scored in the 16th minute to kick off the soccer celebrations at Bata Stadium after the crowd had already been treated to a performance by American singer Akon during the opening ceremony. But Thievy Bifouma equalized with three minutes to go, sliding a low shot in from a tough angle to spoil the host's opening night.


Equatorial Guinea had missed a series of good chances in the second half to stretch its lead before the Congolese hit back.


“I'm happy that the team left a good impression, but obviously there were moments to win it,” said new Equatorial Guinea coach Esteban Becker.


Worries over attendances at this African Cup were temporarily pushed aside as the supporters crowded in. Equatorial Guinea stepped in to stage the tournament at the last minute in place of Morocco. Its team had also initially been disqualified for fielding an ineligible player in qualifying, but was allowed back in as the new host.


Nsue rewarded the fans early on when he hit his shot under Congolese goalkeeper Christoffer Mafoumbi from close range following a slick run and pass from winger Kike Boula. Nsue sprinted toward one section of supporters, punching his chest and shouting out in celebration, and some fans spilled out onto the running track on the edge of the field to join him.


Higher-ranked Republic of Congo under veteran French coach Claude Le Roy was expected to win the opening game in Group A, but it didn't find any rhythm in the first half as the home team fed off its noisy support.


Young goalkeeper Felipe Ovono saved Equatorial Guinea in the second half when he dived and pushed away a shot by Ladislas Douniama that looked certain to be the equalizer. A late free kick from Republic of Congo also rebounded off the post.


Equatorial Guinea also had chances, with Iban Edu sending a swerving shot from 40 yards (meters) out that Mafoumbi scrambled to stop late in the first half. Javier Balboa had a golden chance to make it 2-0 in the 61st as he broke clear of the defense, then hit a low shot straight at Mafoumbi.


Nsue also missed when one-on-one with the 'keeper and had a goal disallowed in the 73rd.


The equalizing blow came for the home fans in the 87th minute when Bifouma made the late pressure from Republic of Congo pay.


“The players fought until the end and we drew. It's not so bad,” said coach Le Roy.


Le Roy did complain about the 65-minute drive he says his squad had to make to get to the stadium in sweltering equatorial heat and without air conditioning in its bus.


“It's not possible to disrespect players like that,” Le Roy said, telling organizing body the Confederation of African Football to sort it out.


The organizers are under pressure after the tournament was only switched to the small Central African nation two months before kickoff, and there have been teething problems.


They had also expected a capacity crowd of over 35,000 for the opener, but it was probably more. With all the seats taken, fans appeared to be still flocking in. Many crammed together to stand and watch from the walkways behind the seats. They had roared and danced, waving bright orange inflatable hands as Akon performed on the running track wearing a long black coat in the 30-plus Celsius (86 Fahrenheit) temperatures.


The president of the country, Teodoro Obiang Nguema, also attended to officially open the 16-team, three-week African soccer championship. – Sapa-AP






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United battle past QPR

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Manchester United striker Radamel Falcao shrugged off his missed chances saying he was glad to have been given a full match in their 2-0 win at Queens Park Rangers in the Premier League.


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London - Manchester United striker Radamel Falcao shrugged off his missed chances saying he was glad to have been given a full match in their 2-0 win at Queens Park Rangers in the Premier League on Saturday.


United scored second half goals through substitutes Marouane Felaini and James Wilson while Falcao, controversially left out of the side that lost 1-0 at Southampton last weekend, was busy throughout but failed to get on the scoresheet.


“They were 90 very important minutes for me, I need to play and I'm very happy to be able to do so and obviously I'm very keen to be able to score again,” Falcao said.


“I'm sure the chances will come as I had them today,” added the Colombian, who will be hoping he impressed manager Louis van Gaal with his movements despite not finding the net.


Van Gaal left Falcao out of his squad last Sunday at Southampton where his team's 10-match unbeaten run was halted.


He then told the Colombian, who has managed three Premier League goals since his loan move, he must prove himself.


And while Falcao worked hard, it was Van Gaal's second-half substitutes who stole the limelight.


Young striker Wilson replaced injured centre back Jonny Evans while Fellaini, often criticised last season after a big-money mover from Everton, took Juan Mata's place at halftime as Van Gaal adopted a more attacking formation.


“It was a change to attack, and with a lot of risk,” the Dutchman, who started with a 3-5-2 line-up, said.


United were indebted to goalkeeper David De Gea for keeping them in the game in the first half, especially with a brilliant save from a Charlie Austin volley after half an hour.


Van Gaal's adjustments early in the second half paid off with Fellaini heading home Antonio Valencia's cross two minutes after Green made a fine save from a header by Falcao.


Defender Marcos Rojo said United took more risks in the second half. “We knew the pitch was small and it would be a tight fight and we saw that in the first half,” Rojo said.


“We were left with two centre backs but I think we controlled them quite well,” he said of his second half partnership with Phil Jones. – Reuters






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News sport : D'Angelo Russell's dazzling pass deserved a better finish for Ohio State

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Ohio State freshman D'Angelo Russell led the Buckeyes with 10 points in fhe first half at Iowa on Saturday. He had only one assist in the first 20 minutes but should have had another.

Russell put a little english on a wonderful pass through the lane to Sam Thompson controlling the bounce and getting it to curve around a defender early in the half, but Thompson couldn't finish when he corralled it and found himself with a layup opportunity.


Iowa led by nine at the break in a pivotal game for the Buckeyes who came in 3-2 in Big Ten play.


- - - - - - -


[Kyle Ringo is the assistant editor of The Dagger on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at kyle.ringo@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!






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News sport : Greg Cosell's AFC championship preview: The changing Patriots

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When teams come together in training camp, most of them have a belief in a foundation, and a way they want to play.


New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick doesn’t seem like he’s a believer in, "We have to play this way to be successful."


I think the way a team plays tells you what the coaches think about the team’s ability and what they’re capable of. Belichick feels the Patriots are capable of doing whatever they have to do to beat a specific opponent.


[Join FanDuel's $2M AFC/NFC Title fantasy league: $25 to enter; top 17,475 teams paid]


Their approaches against last week’s opponent, the Baltimore Ravens, and the regular-season game against this week’s opponent, the Indianapolis Colts, shows they can and will adjust – sometimes to extreme measures.


Against Baltimore, the Patriots began to shift how they wanted to play. As the first half went on they ran more spread formations out of base personnel. They played more up-tempo, with more no-huddle and some empty sets. The Patriots created difficult matchups in the slot out of the base spread formations, often with a linebacker on a receiver. They used quick drops, quick throws and sustained drives.


And the Patriots, who had 27 called passes and seven called runs in the first half (not counting a Tom Brady kneel down), decided in the second half to ditch the run game altogether. There was more quick drops and quick throws into short voids in the Ravens predominant zone coverage. And Brady did a great job executing the offense.


A touchdown to Rob Gronkowski in the third quarter showed how much control Brady was in. The Ravens showed man coverage across the board with an alert for “zero blitz,” meaning there would be no deep safety. Brady knew it was “zero blitz” because safety Darian Stewart moved up to the line of scrimmage late in the play clock. Gronkowski was the “X iso” against safety Will Hill. Brady signaled for Gronkowski to run a quick slant – it was a great example of NFL quarterbacking.



(NFL.com screen shot)


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By the time it was done, the Patriots had thrown the ball every play in the second half, aside from one Brady sneak and three kneel downs at the end. They felt that was how to beat the Ravens, by getting to their secondary. The approach was completely different against the Colts in Week 11.


In that game, the Patriots figured they could run on the Colts’ front seven. They ran sets with six offensive linemen as a big part of the game plan. Running back Jonas Gray had 37 attempts and 32 came with six offensive linemen, and almost all were between the tackles. Gray had 201 rushing yards in a win. In that game, and the playoff game against the Colts last season, the Patriots have rushed for a total of 480 yards.


The Patriots’ offense is very game and opponent specific. A lot of teams, if they tried to change like the Patriots do, the results would be disastrous. But the Patriots are capable of playing much different styles. Maybe when Brady is done, if Belichick is still coaching and Jimmy Garoppolo is playing quarterback, the Patriots won’t be doing this. But Belichick certainly thinks they can do it now.


That leads into this week’s game. Based on the last two games, you’d think the Patriots would be run heavy. But you just never know with Belichick. And the Colts defense is much better now. Linebackers Jerrell Freeman and D’Qwell Jackson are playing much better lately, as is the defense as a whole. You can’t assume the Patriots will do something because they’ve done it before against the same opponent.


Colts offense vs. Patriots defense


The other side of the matchup has some interesting components. In the first meeting, the Patriots mostly matched up cornerback Brandon Browner with tight end Coby Fleener, cornerback Kyle Arrington was on T.Y. Hilton and cornerback Darrelle Revis was on Reggie Wayne.


But, again, this is the Patriots, and things can change.


I don’t know that Revis will shadow Wayne, who hasn’t been a big part of the Colts’ offense lately. And the Patriots are playing a different style of defense than they were playing in Week 11. In that game against the Colts they ran a lot of nickel defense with four cornerbacks with safety Devin McCourty. In the last month or so they have evolved. McCourty is matching up on tight ends. That’s what they did against Baltimore. They’ve then run a lot of “2 man” with Tavon Wilson and Duron Harmon as the deep safeties. That’s a change from back in Week 11.


You can look at what the Patriots have done in the past for clues on how they’ll play a team in a rematch, but it’s usually a mistake to try to predict what they’ll do on either side of the ball.


- - - - - - -


NFL analyst and NFL Films senior producer Greg Cosell watches as much NFL game film as anyone. Throughout the season, Cosell will join Shutdown Corner to share his observations on the teams, schemes and personnel from around the league.






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Bafana raring to go - Phula

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Thuso Phala says Bafana Bafana are excited to have finally arrived in Equatorial Guinea and is raring to go ahead of Saturday's start to the Africa Cup of Nations.


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Johannesburg – Thuso Phala says Bafana Bafana are excited to have finally arrived in Equatorial Guinea and is raring to go ahead of Saturday's start to the Africa Cup of Nations.


“You can see when you arrive here that there is a vibe that says the tournament is here and about to start,” Phala said after South Africa arrived at their base camp in Mongomo, 11 hours after leaving Libreville, Gabon.


“We can feel the excitement growing from the people we have met, more so among the players as this is the moment we have all been waiting for.


“We just want to get down to the business of playing.”


After a three-hour wait for their connecting flight from Malabo to Mongomeyin Airport, near Mongomo, Shakes Mashaba's troops finally made it to their final destination as preparations wind down before their first fixture, against Algeria, on Monday.


Bafana Bafana were in Gabon for a training camp where they played two warm-up matches.


South Africa were held to a 1-1 draw against Cameroon before following it up with a 3-0 win over Mali.


Mashaba says all eyes now turn to Algeria, the top ranked team in Africa.


“Our arrival here signals the beginning of the tournament, if ever there were any doubts about the event then they need to be removed,” he said.


“We have gone about our business with our preparations and we are happy with our achievements and now we wait for Algeria.”– Sapa






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Redknapp’s conspiracy claim

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Queens Park Rangers manager Harry Redknapp has claimed that a club insider is trying to force him out of Loftus Road.


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Queens Park Rangers manager Harry Redknapp has claimed that a club insider is trying to force him out of Loftus Road, in comments published by several British newspapers on Saturday.


QPR went into the weekend's Premier League fixtures inside the relegation zone, sparking newspaper speculation that Redknapp's days at the west London club will be numbered if their fortunes do not improve quickly.


But Redknapp, 67, believes that he has the full support of owner Tony Fernandes and has alleged that elements within the club are trying to destabilise him.


“Somebody is trying to cause me a problem here, by talking to the papers,” Redknapp said ahead of his side's home game with fourth-place Manchester United.


“I know what the score is: I'm not silly, I'm very streetwise. Someone's trying to cause me a problem, I'm sure. I wasn't born yesterday. Someone has said something, but it's not a problem.


“I've never had it before. I've never been at a club before where someone has said I'm going to get the sack. And I don't see why. Who puts it in the paper? Someone's put it in the paper.”


He added: “They should check everyone's mobile phones and find out. That's the best way. It's easy.” – AFP






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Could Wenger spend big in January?

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Alexis Sanchez's scintillating form since arriving in the Premier League could give frugal Arsene Wenger belief that Arsenal can find value for money during the January transfer window.


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London - Alexis Sanchez's scintillating form since arriving in the Premier League could give frugal Arsene Wenger belief that Arsenal can find value for money during the January transfer window.


The Chilean forward has been fifth-placed Arsenal's talisman this campaign, scoring 18 goals in all competitions and having a hand in many more after joining from Barcelona for 35 million pounds ($53 million) in the close season.


Former Arsenal striker Thierry Henry, who struck 175 league goals for the club, described Sanchez as Wenger's “best signing in the last six years” and the manager is delighted with his recruit.


“He is one of the faster adaptors to the Premier League I've seen,” Wenger said.


“Maybe Sanchez is one of our better signings, but then do you consider the price you pay as well? We paid good money for him. Is he value for money? Of course.”


Arsenal fans will hope the success of this move will persuade the French manager to spend big in this transfer window, something Wenger has often been reluctant to do despite the team's obvious need for reinforcements.


After an indifferent start to a season in which many had expected the north London club to build on last year's FA Cup win, their first trophy in nine years, Wenger reportedly has 20 million pounds to spend in January.


The team's porous defence, plagued my injuries, is the area in most need of strengthening.


A deal for Legia Warsaw's teenage defensive midfielder Krystian Bielik is set to be completed next week for a reported 2 million pounds but a more experienced, established target is yet to materialise.


“We are out in the market and we are working very hard every day. All our scouts and our people are working very hard to find a defender,” Wenger said.


Arsenal visit second-placed Manchester City on Sunday, 11 points adrift of their hosts. – Reuters






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Eye candy set to take centre stage at Afcon

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Here's a list of players who will make women weak at the knees when the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations gets under way.


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Durban - With the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) kicking off on Saturday the eyes of football fans and talent scouts will be fixed firmly on the continent.


Women will suddenly take a liking to the predominantly male-supported sport for a different reason – they will be checking out the sexy players.


While many women can't differentiate between a free-kick and a penalty, they all seem to have one common goal when it comes to football tournaments – to catch a glimpse of the hot stars.


The Independent on Saturday compiled a list of players who will make women weak at the knees when the tournament, which will be hosted by Equatorial Guinea, gets under way.


Representing South Africa will be captain Dean Furman, 26, and midfielder Andile Jali, 24.


Affectively known as Mlungu to his hordes of supporters, Furman, who plays for Doncaster Rovers, is admired mostly for his welcoming warm persona and his boyish next door look .


Short in stature, Jali is known for his aggressiveness on the ball and his fearless behaviour towards opponents. It’s his never-say-die attitude, arrogance and love for his Xhosa language that leaves many screaming his name.


Ghana is not only known for their entertaining carpet football, but also for their sea of hunky players.


With his toned six-pack and rugged look, Kevin Prince Boateng, 27, is renowned for his foot speed, strength and juggling tricks.


The German-born player had pop sensation Rihanna hot and bothered during the World Cup in Brazil last year, when she tweeted that she might have to support Ghana because of Boateng.


His brother, Jérôme Boateng, 26, plays for the German national team and is vice-captain at FC Schalke 04.


The indomitable Lions, as Ghana is known to their die-hard supporters, is also home to André Ayew, 25.


While he might be famous for being the son of the legendary three-time winner of the African Footballer of the Year award and a Fifa member Abedi Pele, most women will notice Ayew by his smouldering eyes and striking features.


Besides his gentleman conduct on the field, it’s his towering height that Seydou Keita is known for. The 34-year-old captains the Mali team and is a versatile midfielder for Italian club A S Roma.


Described as a hunky ebony stud by English female football supporters, Ivory Coast player Salomon Kalou, 29, also makes the list, thanks to his perfect abs.


Fellow Ivorian Yaya Touré, 31, who is widely considered among the finest African players in the world – both for his ball skills and dashing looks, is also the reigning African Player of the Year.


Also gifted in the looks department is Cape Verde striker Ryan Mendes. The 25-year-old will leave girls enthralled with his rugged features, including his curly bouncy hair.


Independent on Saturday






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Bafana to give Africa the Shakes

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Bafana coach Shakes Mashaba is targeting their opening game against Algeria to set tone for Afcon.


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Mongomo, Equatorial Guinea – Coach Shakes Mashaba is targeting Monday’s tournament opener against Algeria to set the tone for what he expects is going to be a great Africa Cup of Nations for Bafana Bafana.


Mashaba says that right from the start that he packed to stay until February 9 – the day after the final of the biennial showpiece in Bata, which is about 260km from the team’s base in Mongomo, where they will be playing all their group matches.


Bafana, however, are in Group C, better known as the “group of death”. It includes Ghana and Senegal and it’s going to be difficult to qualify for the quarter-finals as one of the first- or second-placed teams in the group.


But a win over tournament favourites Algeria could go a long way in setting the platform for an assault on African glory that didn’t even seem remotely possible six months ago.


And, being the first match of the tournament, it could be easier for the South Africans to get in a sucker punch against a team who were close to beating eventual champions Germany in the round of 16 at last year’s World Cup in Brazil.


“All 16 teams wish to win their first game,” Mashaba told the media yesterday after the team arrivedrom Libreville, Gabon.


“Once you don’t win the first game it puts you under pressure, and then you have to double your efforts to win the last two games.


“But another thing we have to be aware of is that the first game of a tournament is not easy – it is unpredictable, and nobody is sure what will happen.


“We are trying to make an impression, to get a result, and then start going forward.”


Mashaba likes to talk a good game, but even he knows it’s going to be difficult to try to break down the teams in their group.


However, Bafana’s successful training camp in Gabon is going to give them a loads of confidence. Especially after the 3-0 win over a full-strength Mali line-up, which showed that Bafana could cope with the physical challenges posed by the big West African sides.


“It is a tough group. You are talking about Algeria, the No 1 side in Africa; Senegal, who have an expensive squad of players – all playing abroad – and Ghana, who are a strong side,” Mashaba said.


“The biggest problem is that you have three types of approaches, three styles, in all the matches.


“But fortunately for us, things went well in Gabon – we managed to play three types of teams. We played Zambia, we took on Cameroon, who are strong, physical and quick going forward with their combinations, and we played Mali.


“We played some of the teams who are favourites to win Afcon, but we are ready. The preparations went well.”


The expectations of the nation are high following Bafana’s unbeaten qualifying campaign. But Mashaba says his team aren’t feeling the pressure there is on them to win the Afcon for the first time in 19 years.


“It goes without saying that if you plant a flower and it blossoms, a woman says she wants more. When we started we were building a team for the future and things went well for us, so now everyone says we have to win the Afcon.


“But I don’t want people to doubt us – we stand a good chance of competing and going to the final.”


Algerian journalists, who were later asked by Ghanaian officials to leave the Hotel Mongomo where Bafana and Ghana had booked to stay, were trying to find out how much Mashaba knew about their national side.


But the veteran coach was playing his cards close to his chest, and chose to talk about his young side, who had surprised everybody with an unbeaten run in their last 10 matches.


“It is dangerous knowing another team’s strong points – it might lead to paralysis,” Mashaba joked when asked about Algeria’s strengths. “We know what Algeria can do and which players they rely on, but yesterday, today and tomorrow – well, it’s never the same.


“Things change, so we are expecting everything, and that is why I am saying the preparation helped us going into this tournament.” - Saturday Star






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Chelsea won’t sign players

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Premier League leaders Chelsea are not planning on doing business during the January transfer window, manager Jose Mourinho said.


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London - Premier League leaders Chelsea are not planning on doing business during the January transfer window, manager Jose Mourinho said on Friday.


Mourinho's men have topped the table for most of the season but having let a six-point lead slip to two in recent weeks with Manchester City hot on their tails, British media speculated Chelsea could bolster their defence.


The Portuguese, though, said he was happy with his squad and had no plans to buy defensive reinforcements despite his back four being carved apart in a 5-3 defeat at local rivals Tottenham Hotspur two weeks ago.


“I'm happy with the squad, it is not a big group but a good group,” Mourinho told a news conference ahead of his team's visit to Swansea City on Saturday.


“I'll be happy if nobody leaves or nobody comes but the market is open so you never know.


“I have the two best goalkeepers in the Premier League, I have fantastic defenders. The team defends very well. We conceded five in one game and that is better than conceding one each in five matches and losing five matches.”


Title rivals Manchester City have already added to their squad with the signing of Ivory Coast striker Wilfried Bony from Swansea for a reported 30 million pounds ($45.54 million) on Wednesday.


Asked for his view on the deal, Mourinho remained unmoved by City's new signing.


“Well done. He is a good player and a good striker,” Mourinho said. “If they have the money and can spend the money and have no problems with Financial Fair Play, well done.


“They can only play with 11 though. If Bony plays and Dzeko is on the bench then I am happy with that. But to have Aguero, Jovetic, Bony and Dzeko is magnificent.”


Mourinho faced the media on Friday for the first time after missing last week's press conference before a win against Newcastle United.


He had refused to face reporters after being charged with misconduct by the Football Association for claiming there was a campaign against Chelsea following a draw at third-placed Southampton.


“Now I am in conditions to control myself and a week ago I couldn't control my words so to avoid bigger problems I stayed away,” Mourinho explained.


“I am not interested in the FA charge, I just ignore it and get on with my job.” – Reuters






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Nasri injury blow for City

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Manchester City's Samir Nasri will miss Sunday's game against former club Arsenal after being ruled out for up to a month with a calf injury.


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London - Manchester City's Samir Nasri will miss Sunday's game against former club Arsenal after being ruled out for up to a month with a calf injury, manager Manuel Pellegrini said on Friday.


The France playmaker is also likely to sit out their crucial clash with Premier League leaders Chelsea on Jan. 31, but there was better news on the injury front for City fans with captain Vincent Kompany and striker Sergio Aguero declared fit.


“Unfortunately, Samir Nasri has a calf injury so he will not be fit. I think he will be out for around three weeks to a month,” Pellegrini told reporters.


“Vincent Kompany is 100 percent fit. We have some doubts about Edin Dzeko. We will see tomorrow the squad list.”


The Chilean coach was again pressed on the future of Yaya Toure, who is away at the African Nations Cup, after the midfielder refused to confirm he would be at the club next season in an interview with CNN.


Pellegrini, however, seemed unconcerned.


“I think Yaya is 100 percent committed with our team and with this team. I don't have any doubts about that,” he said.


City's title challenge suffered a blow as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Everton on Saturday which left them two points behind Chelsea.


Having drawn two of their last three league games, City need a victory to stay on the coat-tails of Jose Mourinho's side, who could extend their lead to five points with victory over Swansea City on Saturday.


“It's a very important game,” Pellegrini said.


“Arsenal are not at the top of the table at the moment but they always have high targets. Both teams play very attractive football so I hope we are going to see a very good match.”


City reinforced their attacking options this week with a 28-million pound ($42.4 million) deal for striker Wilfried Bony, but will not be able to call on his services until he returns from the Nations Cup with Ivory Coast.


Pellegrini stressed that the arrival of the powerhouse forward does not spell the end of the road for Stevan Jovetic at the Etihad Stadium.


“Bony is replacing Alvaro (Negredo), not Jovetic. Stevan is a very important player for us,” he said.


“We sold Alvaro because he had personal problems and did not want to continue here.” – Reuters






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Chiefs release Nkhatha early

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Kingston Nkhatha is no longer a Kaizer Chiefs player and has joined SuperSport United with immediate effect, Chiefs said on Twitter.


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Johanneburg – Kingston Nkhatha is no longer a Kaizer Chiefs player and has joined SuperSport United with immediate effect, Chiefs said on Twitter.


“Breaking News: Kingston Nkhatha is no longer a Glamour Boy and has joined SuperSport United with immediate effect! We wish him all the best!” Chiefs tweeted from their official account, (at)Kaizer_Chiefs.


Chiefs provided further confirmation on their official website.


“We wish to take this opportunity to thank Kingston for the service he has rendered during his time with us,” Chiefs' director of football, Bobby Motaung, told kaizerchiefs.com.


United announced their capture of Nkhatha last week, stating that the player would join the Pretoria team at the end of his contract with Chiefs on July 1.


But the two clubs successfully managed to negotiate the player's early release, paving the way for the Zimbabwean striker to make his move to Matsatsantsa six months ahead of schedule.


Nkhatha had entered into the final six months of his contract at Chiefs, meaning he was able to speak to any club regarding a move away from Naturena.


Nkhatha spent two-and-a-half years with the Glamour Boys after signing from Black Leopards on July 1, 2012. –Sapa






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