Algeria qualify for Afcon quarter-finals

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Algeria scored early and late to advance to the quarter-finals of the African Cup of Nations with a victory over Senegal.


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Malabo - Algeria scored early and late Tuesday to advance to the quarter-finals of the African Cup of Nations with a 2-0 victory over Senegal.


Riyad Karim Mahrez gave the top-ranked team in Africa the lead in the 11th minute and Nabil Bentaleb added the other in the 82nd.


The win gave Algeria six points in Group C and a spot in Sunday's quarter-finals.


Ghana won the group by beating South Africa 2-1 in the other match in Mongomo.


Mahrez found space behind the defense and collected a long free kick from Madjid Bougherra before beating Senegal goalkeeper Bouna


Coundoul to give Algeria the early lead.


Bentaleb received a pass from Sofiane Feghouli toward the end of the match, controlled it quickly and drove the ball into the net.


Sapa-AP






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Bafana crash out of Afcon

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Bafana were sent crashing out of Afcon after relinquishing a one-goal lead for a third match in a row against Ghana.


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Johannesburg - South Africa were sent crashing out of the Africa Cup of Nations after relinquishing a one-goal lead for a third match in a row against Ghana in Mongomo on Tuesday night, losing 2-1.


Mandla Masango had sent Bafana Bafana into the lead after 17 minutes with a wonder-strike from the edge of the area in Equatorial Guinea, but John Boye's equaliser on 73 minutes was all it took to condemn the South Africans to bottom of group C.


But there was more misery to come for Shakes Mashaba and his outfit when Andre Ayew scored the winner seven minutes from the end, ending South Africa's campaign with a single point from three outings.


Masango was one of four changes by Mashaba, who named Brilliant Khuzwayo in goal - a third goalkeeper in as many matches - while Bongani Ndulula started ahead of Sibusiso Vilakazi, and Rivaldo Coetzee was back in the team ahead of Thulani Hlatshwayo, who was out with concussion.


A deflated South African team limped to full-time as Ghana bagged a vital win on a night when permutations dictated that all eyes were on the second game of the group, where Algeria ran out 2-0 winners over Senegal.


Senegal could have done South Africa a favour by beating Algeria in that game, but even if West Africans could have managed the feat, Bafana's defeat sealed Ghana's progression, Algeria topping the group with a superior goal-difference over the Black Stars.


With Algeria winning by two goals, South Africa would have progressed to the next stage had they held on to their 1-0scoreline, but it was not to be for a Bafana outfit that had gone six games unbeaten in the Cup of Nations qualification tournament.


As with the opening two fixtures against Algeria and Senegal, Bafana were the first to score but frailties at the back allowed Ghana to come storming back, as South Africa's back line were exposed and ultimately cost the country a place in the knockout rounds.


A nervy start had South Africa on the back foot from the first whistle, but when Masango netted a fantastic snap-shot volley with 17 minutes on the clock, hopes of an unlikely qualification out of a tough group looked a realistic prospect.


News had already filtered in that Algeria had stolen the lead in the other game in Malabo, which kicked off simultaneously, when Riyad Mahrez opened the scoring after 11 minutes.


That set South Africa up for a nervy finish where a second goal would have wrapped up the group, but once Ghana showed their class and took second place in the group when Senegal looked favourites to do so.


Bafana's performance in the second half lacked killer instinct and the team looked like one holding on for dear life, instead of searching for a second.


Boye needed little encouragement when he netted Ghana's first, which had looked on the cards for some time.


Not long after, Ayew put the result to bed with his header which Khuzwayo was no match for as a disappointing tournament came to an end for the 1996 champions.


Sapa






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News sport : Marcus Mariota's brother, Matthew, will join Oregon as a walk-on defensive lineman

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The Mariota Era is officially not over at Oregon.


Matthew Mariota, brother of Heisman-winning quarterback Marcus Mariota, has elected to walk-on at Oregon, according to a report by KHON2.



Matthew Mariota is a 6-foot-3, 230-pound defensive lineman, who played both end and outside linebacker in high school.


He does not have a page on any of the major recruiting sites, but was an Interscholastic League of Honolulu honorable mention selection.


Marcus Mariota elected to forego his senior season and enter the NFL draft. He is currently working out in San Diego while training for the NFL combine in late February.


For more Oregon news, visit DuckSportsAuthority.com.


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News sport : Marshawn Lynch: 'I'm here so I won't get fined'

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Marshawn Lynch needed to come to Super Bowl Media Day. He needed to speak for four minutes and 30 seconds. He did exactly that, and nothing more.


Lynch sat down at the podium and announced that he would be saying only "I'm here so I won't get fined," and that was all he said, for less than five minutes. He may well have eluded a fine in excess of $50,000, but if he did so, it wasn't by much.


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News sport : Two Iowa running backs cited for disorderly house

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Iowa running back Akrum Wadley (25) stiff arms Northwestern linebacker Chi Chi Ariguzo (44). Saturday, Nov. 1, 2014, in Iowa City, Iowa . (AP Photo/Justin Hayworth) Two Iowa running backs reportedly had a little too much fun on Saturday night.


According to the Cedar Rapids Gazette, Jonathan Parker and Akrum Wadley were cited for a “disorderly house” charge after Iowa City Police were called to a loud party.


The complainant reported “yelling and an outside party” and Parker and Wadley, both 19, were “issued citations for the scene.” The two are scheduled to appear in court for the incident on Feb. 11.


Wadley apparently wasn’t too discrete about the party, either. He sent an invite for the party “to the entire (Iowa) class of 2017” on Facebook.


Both backs were redshirt freshmen for the Hawkeyes in 2014. The 5-foot-11, 180-pound Wadley, a native of Newark, N.J., rushed for 186 yards and a score on 33 carries, most of which came in a 106-yard effort in a win over Northwestern on Nov. 1.


Parker, a 5-foot-8, 180-pound back from St. Louis, Mo., had 141 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries in 2014. He also caught three passes for 42 yards and led the team with 531 kick return yards.


For more Iowa news, visit HawkeyeReport.com.


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News sport : Bill Belichick's cute exchange with young reporter

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Yes, we just used "cute" and "Bill Belichick" in the same headline.


We're not lying, either. The famously grumpy New England Patriots coach interrupted his grimaces and grunts during Tuesday's Super Bowl Media Day to smile and answer a question from a little girl.


"What kind of stuffed animals do you like," asked Chya, who is actually the daughter of Patriots linebacker Jerod Mayo and does interviews for the Patriots' team website.


"Um, I like a little puppet," Belichick said, cracking a smile. "You can kind of put your fingers in. It's a little monkey and then he can talk and move his fingers and nod his head, so he can kind of talk back to you."


You can go ahead and insert your own Tom Brady joke here.


Belichick's exchange with Chya didn't last long, but it ended up being one of the most talked-about portions of the Patriots' media session. Maybe that's because Belichick responded to every deflate-gate question with some form of "We're looking ahead to Seattle."


That was to be expected, but we'd rather listen to him talk about his monkey puppet again and again.


And so we will.



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SuperSport's Brockie harbours lofty goals

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Jeremy Brockie, the striker from Wellington Phoenix FC in New Zealand, wants to set the local scene alight.


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Pretoria - What can SuperSport United expect from their new signing Jeremy Brockie?


“I can score spectacular goals every now and then. Hopefully I can score a couple of them and make the fans happy,” said Brockie.


The striker from New Zealand, whom SuperSport signed from Wellington Phoenix, wants to set the local scene alight.


But his international record is not that impressive.


Brockie, a member of the New Zealand national team since 2006, has turned out 45 times for his country but has scored just once. Though at club level his stats are not bad, the question is what did Gordon Igesund see in the 27-year-old forward from Christchurch.


“I am a hard-working striker who doesn’t like to give defenders much time on the ball. I like to put them under real pressure. Going forward I am a striker who can counter all- round and behind.


“I am very mobile and I can score with my left and right foot. I have played 110 games in the professional league and I have scored 40 goals. Hopefully I can continue to score goals here.


“There’s no reason why I can’t,” said Brockie.


“I am going to work hard for this club and show my enthusiasm. I am not here for a holiday. I am here to win things. I am sure the fans will appreciate the hard working striker that I am. Hopefully we can get some reward from that.”


If Brockie’s words are anything to go by, then PSL defenders should be bracing themselves for a tough time.


Brockie is yet to kick a ball for SuperSport in an official match but already he is familiar with the expectations and plans that Matsatsantsa a Pitori have.


As a striker, a lot will be expected from Brockie as the Pretoria outfit will be challenging for silverware. Brockie says he has spoken to SuperSport boss Khulu Sibiya about the club’s ambitions. “I had a chat with him back in December when I came to sign a contract. I know he has high expectations for this club.


“I have high expectations of myself also. I count myself lucky to be a professional footballer. I can’t take it for granted. This club is very ambitious.


“That probably comes from the chairman. I am an ambitious player. This club won titles before and I can’t see a reason why we can’t win them again,” said the former New Zealand youth international.


Igesund says he spotted Brockie during his tenure as the national team coach during Bafana Bafana’s Australasian tour. Igesund is expecting a return of 16 to 20 goals from the former Newcastle Jets player.


“All footballers or all sports people are all under pressure to perform.


“I have been brought here to score goals. Hopefully I can do that and we can win football games. If he wants me to score 16 to 20 goals I better start practising shooting now,” said Brockie, who was part of the New Zealand team that played during the 2009 Fifa Confederations Cup on African soil.


Brockie says he wants to attain double figures for the three-times PSL champions.


“I have set goals and I normally keep the majority of them to myself but if I can score double figure goals and the rest of the players are chipping in, there’s no reason why we can’t win championships and cups,” said Brockie.


Pretoria News






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News sport : Gronkowski 'sings' Katy Perry's 'Roar'

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Super Bowl Media Day is always a mess of ridiculous questions and non-answers, so credit Rob Gronkowski to be one of the few players to actually spool off more than a "happy to be here" cliche. When asked if he could sing a few bars of Super Bowl halftime show performer Katy Perry's "Roar." And he did ... well, he tried, at least. Gronkaraoke is better than no karaoke, we guess.


How much longer till kickoff?


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News sport : Oklahoma safety Hatari Byrd cited for possession of drug paraphernalia, alcohol

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Aug 30, 2014; Norman, OK, USA; Oklahoma Sooners safety Hatari Byrd (4) knocks a pass down in front of Louisiana Tech Bulldogs running back Hunter Lee (back) during the first half at Gaylord Family - Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. (Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports) Oklahoma safety Hatari Byrd was cited by Norman Police following an incident early Saturday morning.


According to the Tulsa World, the 20-year-old Byrd was cited “on complaints of possession of drug paraphernalia by a minor and possession of alcohol by a minor.” He was pulled over after being observed “driving left and of the center line and right of lane markers and speeding” after 2 a.m. on January 24.


After being pulled over, Byrd was found to be in possession of a small bag of marijuana in the driver’s seat. There was also a bottle of Fireball Cinnamon Whiskey “in the passenger floorboard.”


Byrd was cited for two misdemeanor offenses and then “released from the scene.”


Byrd, who is expected to compete for a starting role as a junior next season, appeared in all 13 games for the Sooners in 2014. He registered 17 tackles, three pass breakups and forced one fumble.


As a freshman in 2013, Byrd played in five games and had three tackles.


For more Oklahoma news, visit SoonerScoop.com.


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News sport : Louis CK on Patriots: 'Sometimes you do stuff that's not fair so you can win'

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Louis CK is one of the most brilliant minds of our time, and when he turns his attention to the New England Patriots, you can be sure he'll hit you with white-hot truth. "They want to win real bad," CK said on David Letterman's show, speaking of his Patriots, "and sometimes you do stuff that's not fair, so you can win."


The conspiratorial spin CK and Letterman put on deflate-gate is utterly ridiculous, and also utterly believable. "Pretty boy" Tom Brady mouths off to the Ravens, so the Ravens get their revenge. It's perfectly understandable, and to Louis CK, all part of the game. This is just football, after all. Who cares?


____

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News sport : Nebraska commit upset by comment made by Michigan coach during visit

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(via Rivals) Michigan has been doing all it can in order to salvage its 2015 recruiting class in the weeks since Jim Harbaugh arrived on campus. When Harbaugh was hired, the Wolverines had just six verbal commitments. Since then, Michigan has flipped three committed prospects, including former Nebraska commit Reuben Jones.


This week the Wolverines were after another Nebraska pledge, three-star defensive end DaiShon Neal.


This one didn’t work out quite as well for the Wolverines as Neal announced Tuesday morning that he is committed to Nebraska.


According to Mlive.com, Neal and his family hosted UM defensive line coach Greg Mattison at their home in Omaha on Monday night. Neal’s father, Abraham Hoskins Jr., told Omaha’s 1620 The Zone that he was close to suggesting his son flip his commitment to Michigan.


Things quickly changed, however.


"Michigan was a powerhouse, they came in and they stormed us, they made one bad statement and it was over," Hoskins told 1620 on air. "They said without football, Daishon wouldn't be able to go to Michigan. Like we couldn't afford to send him there, or that we couldn't get him in academically. Once he said that, we pretty much escorted him out of the house."


Added Neal: “(They) basically tried to call me stupid in front of my face.”


According to Rivals.com, the 6-foot-7, 245-pound Neal is the top-rated player in the state of Nebraska. He committed to the Huskers last April, but was considering other schools like Oregon and Oklahoma following Nebraska’s coaching change. After deciding those schools weren’t for him, Michigan was the latest school to enter the picture.


“I was leaning towards Michigan, with their academics, stats, everything,” Hoskins said. “What if he never played again in his life? That degree could have taken him anywhere.”


Now with Michigan out of the picture, Neal says he’ll sign with the Huskers.



For more Nebraska news, visit HuskerOnline.com.


For more Michigan news, visit TheWolverine.com.


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News sport : Oregon governor follows through on national championship bet with Ohio governor

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Cincinnati Bengals president Mike Brown, left, watches practice with Ohio Gov. John Kasich, center, and Kasich's daughter Reese. (AP Photo/Al Behrman) It turns out that this Oregon fan with a brand new Ohio State tattoo wasn’t the only one who put a wager on the College Football Playoff National Championship. The governors of Oregon and Ohio did too.


Per the Columbus Dispatch, Oregon governor John Kitzhaber followed through on the bet this week by sending Ohio governor John Kasich “cheese, honey and jam from the Beaver State.” The package arrived Monday morning, two weeks after the Buckeyes knocked off the Ducks, 42-20.


Additionally, a six-pack of Total Domination IPA from Ninkasi Brewing in Eugene is en route to Kasich’s office. It was shipped separately.


If Oregon pulled out the victory, Kasich was prepared to ship out “a six-pack of Columbus Brewing Co. IPA, buckeye candy and a tray of lasagna from the Monte Carlo restaurant in Westerville.”


Not too shabby for a friendly wager. Not only does Kasich get the sweet taste of victory, he now has a taste of some fine Oregon delicacies.


For more Ohio State news, visit BuckeyeGrove.com.


For more Oregon news, visit DuckSportsAuthority.com.


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Atletico hosts Barcelona in titanic clash

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Atletico Madrid and Barcelona have Spanish football all to themselves for the return leg of their Copa del Rey quarter-final.


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Madrid - Atletico Madrid and Barcelona fittingly have Wednesday in Spanish football all to themselves for the return leg of their Copa del Rey quarter-final.


All eyes will be on Vicente Calderon Stadium, where visiting Barcelona bring a 1-0 advantage.


The other three return legs are on Thursday, when Espanyol takes a 3-1 lead into Sevilla, Villarreal goes to Getafe 1-0 up, and Athletic Bilbao and Malaga start without a goal yet.


Here are some things to know about the matches:


Barcelona streak


After romping past Elche 6-0 in the league, Barcelona is on a six-match winning streak in all competitions, and still on course for a treble.


Coach Luis Enrique is expected to field a strong attacking lineup including Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez against Atletico.


“I'm at my best moment with Barcelona,” Neymar says. “I carry on growing and having more to do at the club. I want titles and many more things.”


Last season, Barcelona lost in the Copa final to Real Madrid. Atletico knocked out Real in the previous round.


To bench Torres or not


Atletico coach Diego Simeone has to decide whether to make the unpopular choice of benching striker Fernando Torres, who scored twice against Real, in favour of the in-form attacking duo of Mario Mandzukic and Antoine Griezmann.


Also, they will be without key defender Diego Godin, who is suspended.


Whatever Simeone's decisions, the team back him.


“Everyone knows Simeone, and they know how he loves the games and how he prepares them - always to win,” defender Jose Maria Gimenez said. “That's the energy he gives us, that winning energy.”


Atletico has won only two of its last five matches. It comes off a 3-1 win against crosstown rival Rayo Vallecano, but has lost its last two games against Barcelona.


Eager for a comeback


Eager to fill its Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium on Thursday, Sevilla exhorted its fans to support the team for what it called “another historic comeback,” and offered members tickets at 5 euros.


Queues formed around the stadium on Monday.


Sevilla will be without defensive midfielder Grzegorz Krychowiak, who has a ligament injury to his left ankle.


Three in a row


Athletic Bilbao and Malaga ought to be getting sick of each other: This will be their third consecutive game. Athletic drew 1-1 against Malaga at San Mames Stadium in the league at the weekend.


During the previous matches, both teams defended staunchly and tried to break their opponents down at set-pieces or on the counterattack.


Sapa-AP






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News sport : 5-star RB says he's choosing either ITT Tech or University of Phoenix (Video)

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With National Signing Day coming next Wednesday, five-star running back Soso Jamabo – the top-rated player in the state of Texas according to Rivals.com – has a big decision to make.


While he’s taken official visits to Texas and Texas A&M in recent weeks, he’s also considering two other off the radar schools: University of Phoenix and ITT Tech.




Of course, University of Phoenix and ITT Tech are both online universities and neither have a football program, so Jamabo is having some fun and joking around about the hectic recruiting process.


The Longhorns are considered by some to be the favorite to land the 6-foot-2, 201-pound Jamabo, but Jamabo is also considering UCLA, Texas A&M, Baylor and Notre Dame.


Jamabo, a native of Plano, Texas, is the fourth-best running back and the No. 22 overall prospect in the class of 2015 according to Rivals.com.


He’ll reportedly announce his decision on signing day.


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Afcon quarter-finals moved

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Malabo - This weekend's African Nations Cup quarter-finals have been moved away from the small Equatorial Guinea towns of Ebebiyin and Mongomo due to concerns over the pitches.


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Malabo - This weekend's African Nations Cup quarter-finals have been moved away from the small Equatorial Guinea towns of Ebebiyin and Mongomo due to concerns over the pitches.


Saturday's quarter-final between the host nation and Tunisia, scheduled for the 5 000-capacity Estadio de Ebebiyín, has been shifted to Bata, the Confederation of African Football said on Tuesday.


It will be played as the second match in a double-header also involving the derby between Congo and Democratic Republic of Congo.


Sunday's quarter-final in Mongomo between the winners of Group C and runners-up in Group D, will now be played as the opening match of two at the Estadio de Malabo.


The first games will kick off at 1600 GMT with the second moved 30 minutes later than originally scheduled at 1930 GMT.


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