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Tag: Australia

  • Denmark 1-1 Australia – Jedinak converts VAR penalty

    Preview

    Though far from pretty and perhaps undeserving, Denmark earned a valuable three points with their 1-0 victory over hard-luck Peru on Saturday in Mordovia. That result, coupled with France’s less-than-spectacular 2-1 win over Australia earlier in the day at Kazan, has the Danes sitting in a good position within Group C.

    However, Denmark players, including star Christian Eriksen, admit they were far from their best and fortunate to come out ahead. The Danes should expect things to be just as tough against Australia, and perhaps tougher knowing they won’t have the services of veteran midfielder William Kvist.

    Reports surfaced Sunday that the 33-year-old Kvist will miss the rest of the tournament after he was stretchered off in the first half because of what proved to be a punctured lung as the result of two fractured ribs. Kvist was sent home to recover, leaving Denmark manager Åge Hareide in somewhat of a bind.

    The Socceroos, meanwhile, offered an admirable performance against the favoured French, often frustrating the superior side, especially in the first half. However, it proved to be technology – specifically VAR – that was the star of the match.

    That defeat leaves Australia with little room for error in this one, but still enough confidence to believe they should rebound to earn at least a point. This will be the fourth meeting between the sides, with Denmark winning two of the three previous meetings after a 2-0 victory in 2012.

    Last Time Out

    Peru 0-1 Denmark

    Denmark managed just three shots on target and held possession 48% of the time, but made their best scoring opportunity of the game count.

    Unlike Peru, who missed several chances among their six shots on goal, highlighted by Christian Cueva’s penalty that sailed high over the bar right before the half.

    Read five things we learned from Denmark’s victory HERE.

    Though Peru did a solid job neutralising the Danish attack and paying close attention Eriksen, one of the few times they gave the Tottenham midfielder space, he made them pay. Eriksen threaded a nifty pass to a pursuing Yussuf Poulsen, who beat forward-moving Peru keeper Pedro Gallese in the 59th minute.


    While Poulsen, whose foul led to Cueva’s penalty, came through when it mattered, keeper Kasper Schmeichel continued his recent brilliance by thwarting attempts from Edison Flores, Paolo Guerrero and Jefferson Farfán. His five straight clean sheets top his father Peter Schmeichel’s run of four in a row from 1995.

    Paced by Schmeichel, Denmark have gone 16 consecutive FIFA-sanctioned matches without a defeat.

    France 2-1 Australia

    Though Australia manager Bert van Marwijk praised his side’s performance and intensity, he and his players were left frustrated in the end.

    French star Antoine Griezmann converted a penalty in the 58th minute as a result of the first VAR penalty decision in World Cup history. Referee Andres Cunha did not immediately call Josh Risdon’s contact with Griezmann but used the video technology to make the ruling. The Aussie coach and some players thought Cunha was too quick to go to the video.

    The Socceroos did equalise four minutes later when Mile Jedinak converted a penalty of his own following a Samuel Umtiti hand ball in the box. 


    However, as Australia tried to hang on for the point, France’s Paul Pogba took a ball from Olivier Giroud that he sent to the underside of the crossbar and down slightly across the line in the 81st minute. Goal-line video confirmed the winning shot, which was partially touched by Aussie defender Aziz Behich on the way in.

    Australia managed just one shot on target, but their organisation and structure kept them in the contest despite that lack of attacking prowess.

    Denmark Lineup

    When Kvist was taken off Saturday, Hareide replaced him with Lasse Schone and the results appeared mixed. Ajax’s Schone, however, could get the call to start Thursday.

    Andreas Christensen, a key part of Denmark’s central defence, came off late against Peru because of cramping, but is expected to be ready for this contest. If he’s somehow unable to go, Jannik Vestergaard might get an opportunity on the Danes’ backline.

    Reportedly, 20-year-old forward Kasper Dolberg is set to gain a spot in Hareide’s starting XI as one of the possible lineup changes for this contest.

    Australia Lineup

    Needing a result, Australia could opt for a more attack-orientated formation, but obviously still need to be vigilant of Eriksen. If the 4-2-3-1 remains intact, Jackson Irvine could be an option to help in the midfield.

    Jamie Maclaren is another potential option up front should van Marwijk look to be more aggressive from the start.

    Key Battle: Yussuf Poulsen (Denmark) vs Trent Sainsbury (Australia)

    Poulsen now has a goal in two straight games, both assisted by Eriksen. Poulsen fared well down the right side of the field against Peru even though Denmark collectively offered few serious scoring chances.

    He also showed composure and the ability to regroup after his foul on Cueva. It would have been interesting to see how Poulsen reacted had Cueva converted from the spot – and if his confidence would have taken a hit.

    Instead, he earned a reprieve and made up for the mistake in the biggest way possible. That’s the mental toughness needed in a big event like the World Cup, and a trait that should only help Denmark going forward.

    Australia’s own man of the match Saturday, Sainsbury was a big reason France’s attack looked lost at times, especially in the first half. The 26-year-old centre back was relentless while making life difficult for the likes of Griezmann and Ousmane Dembele.

    Sainsbury’s positioning was key and his passionate play seemed to ignite the rest of the Australia backline as the match went on. One of his tackles actually deflated the ball.

    Though Denmark don’t possess the same attacking talent as France, Sainsbury still must be at his best while Aaron Mooy leads the midfield hold against Eriksen.

    Talking Points

    Forward thinking Danes

    Denmark might have felt they were “lucky” to beat Peru, who Hareide said “probably deserved more” from their meeting. But in this tournament, three points are as valuable as the gold on the World Cup trophy.

    The Danes know they need to play better than they did over the weekend, and that Australia could prove just as worthy an opponent – at least from a defensive approach – because of the fits they gave France.

    It’s about making the proper adjustments and playing with more passion, something that lacked against the Peruvians amidst an electric atmosphere in Mordovia.

    Denmark shouldn’t be short on motivation because the reality is they are one win away from all but securing a spot in the knockout stage for the first time since 2002.

    Believing in the system

    Moments after their frustrating defeat to France, the Aussie’s turned their attention to Denmark and what they must do next. They also feel their defensive style of play can produce a result against the Danes.

    The Socceroos totaled six goals in the two friendlies before the World Cup, that included two own goals. Add in Saturday’s penalty conversion and Australia are putting themselves in a position to score.

    Their structure is usually based on forcing the opponent to make mistakes and taking advantage of the opportunities that may result.

    That confidence is admirable, but will it be enough to earn at least one point against a Denmark side whose defensive form might be at the highest of any team in the 32-team field right now?

    Prediction: Denmark 1-0 Australia

    Sometimes close calls or a notion that the better team not winning can be a blessing amidst a run of success for a side.

    Perhaps that’s the case with Denmark, who should learn their lesson from the opener and play with more passion and intensity in the follow-up.

    Australia will provide another tough task, but Eriksen will be poised to be more of a factor and Schmeichel will again have his moments in helping the Danes record another victory to pave their way to the round of 16.

  • Commonwealth: Akeredolu to reward medalists from Ondo

    Gov. Oluwarotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State says athletes from the state who won medals at the just concluded Commonwealth Games in Australia will be rewarded.

    Akeredolu disclosed this during a fund raiser and inauguration of the National Athletics Development Centre by the Nigeria Sports Development Fund Inc. ( NSDFI ) on Monday evening in Akure.

    “Going to the Commonwealth and winning medal is not easy, that is what the minister of sports said.

    “If each state had won two medals at the event, the country should have topped the medals table,” he said.

    The coach and athletes to be rewarded are Purity Akuh, a wrestling coach with the State Sports Council and national coach,  Aminat Adekuroye and  Odunayo Adeniyi, gold medal winners as well as  Bose Samuel, a bronze medalist.

    The athletes won medals in the wrestling event at the Games.

    Commenting on the Centre, Akeredolu said the initiative would engage the youths of the state positively.

    The governor noted that the programme was bound to succeed because the money would come from the masses and not government.

    Akeredolu encouraged people of the state and the country at large to key into the programme as it would benefit both the rich and the poor.

    Earlier, the Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Solomon Dalung,  said the funds from the programme would go a long way in  preparing  athletes for the 2020 Olympics.

    Dalung, represented by Mr Ademola Are, Director, Federation and Elite Athlete Department of the ministry, said the programme was a practical example that ‘government cannot do it all’.

    The minister said that a similar programme was initiated in 1994 and before the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, urging people to see it as a Nigerian project.

    Read Also: ‘Osinbajo for Ondo MSME clinic Thursday’

    Also speaking, the state Commissioner for Youth and Sports Development, Saka Yusuf-Ogunleye, said the programme and community lottery scheme was a partnership between Ondo State Government, Athletics Federation of Nigeria and NSDFI.

    According to Yusuf-Ogunleye, one of the benefits of the partnership was establishment of sports facilities in the three senatorial districts of the state.

    The Director General of NSDFI, Mr Olajide Fashikun, said the launch had a target of raising N900 million for 90 athletes in five sports for the Olympics.

    Fashikun said that the programme only needed 4.5 million Nigerians to donate N200 only in 90 days for the dream to come to reality.

    “For every of the 90 athletes, we shall as a nation give them what it takes to rule the world. The last time we did this was 1994 when our fund supported those preparing for 1996 Atlanta Olympics Games.

    ” We shall repeat the feat. By the last day of July 2018, we want to make sure we have delivered on this task,” he said.

    NAN

  • World Book Day: Australia’s oldest library works to promote reading

     

    On the celebration of this year’s World Book Day, The News South Wales State Library, Australia’s oldest library, said is making efforts to promote reading and literacy throughout the community.

    The official made the remark on Monday to mark World Book Day or World Book and Copyright Day, a yearly event celebrated on April 23 by UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation to promote reading, publishing and copyright.

    Read Also: World Book Day and its Significance in the 21st Century

    A wide range of activities took place on Monday at the library to mark the World Book Day, held on the anniversary of William Shakespeare’s death for lovers of literature to promote reading, publishing and copyright.

    The library’s Manager of Research and Discovery, Maggie Patton, said “with collections of more than six million items including books in foreign languages in particular Chinese, a lot of them are available to read on site, but we also lend them through our public library network.

    “We also have some much older manuscripts and rare books in Chinese as well.’’

    Dating back to 1826, the library located in the centre of Sydney, Australia, showed off some of its rarest and most iconic works of literature to the public, including Shakespeare’s four folios, first edition of Jane Austen’s Emma and various editions of Miguel de Cervantes’ Don Quixote.

    Apart from holding some of the greatest works of literature, Patton said the state library was often flooded by students looking for non-fiction as well.

    She said “we have lots of students coming in to look for books on business, economics and commerce.

    “We have our traditional services, where we expect people to come in and have a look at the materials here, but we also have online service through our website and we subscribe to numerous electronic journals and electronic books.

    “We also have a massive digitisation programme, where we’re digitalising some of the materials so it can be viewed online from anywhere in the world.’’

    The library is also working to promote reading and literacy throughout the community.

    One of the roles of the state facility is to help fund a public network of 300 libraries across New South Wales.

    Patton said “Onsite in the library we have a fantastic learning services team and they do a lot of programmes for young people, from kindergarten through to high school graduation.

    “The students read, do author talks, and there are lots of activities through reading here in the library,’’ he said.

    NAN

     

  • Gold Coast 2018: Nigeria reaches Table Tennis team final

    Nigeria’s table tennis team on Monday defeated England 3-2 in the men’s team semi-finals at the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games.

    The News men reports that the team will face India in the final.

    Segun Toriola lost Nigeria’s first match 3-2 ( 14-12, 9-11, 7-11,13-11,7-11 ) to Paul Drinkhall, but in match 2, Bode Abiodun recovered from two sets down to beat Liam Pitchford 3-2 ( 8-11,9-11-4,13-11,11-5 ).

    The pair of Olajide Omotayo and Segun Toriola beat the duo of Samuel Walker and Paul Drinkhall 3-1 ( 2-11, 11-7,12-10,11-7 ) in match 3.

    Read Also: Commonwealth Games: Nigeria’s reach 100m Final

    Although Olajide Omotayo lost 3-2 ( 11-9, 4-11, 8-11, 11-9, 5-11 ) to Liam Pitchford in match 4, Bode Abiodun sealed Nigeria’s place in the final by beating Samuel Walker in match 5 with a nervy 3-2 ( 8-11, 11-8, 11-9, 6-11, 11-8 ) win.

    The Nigerian had defeated host Australia 3-1 in the quarter-finals, as well as Belize 3-0 and Malaysia 3-1 in the group games.

    NAN

  • BBC launches new company for content creation

    The BBC has launched a new company named BBC Studios heralding what it called “a new chapter” for the its content creation.

    The newly created studio, the merger of BBC Worldwide and the old BBC Studios, brings the BBC Group into line with the rest of the industry to ensure the creative and commercial success of the organisation in face of increasing competition for viewers.

    According to a statement, the new studio, officially, will see content through the full life cycle of development, commissioning, production and co-production, sales and distribution and will underpin the creation of new BBC-owned intellectual property.

    Following the March announcement to set up a production office in Sydney, Australia, the new company is developing new production opportunities in Beijing, China.

    The move follows a series of productions such as “The Blue Planet II” which went viral in China last year.

    Award-winning executive producer Matthew Springford, who has over 20 years’ experience in factual program-making, will be based at its office in Beijing alongside the company’s distribution team.

    It will be working with Chinese TV stations and digital platforms to co-develop and co-produce original content and new formats across all factual genres.

    Leading a staff of around 3,000 and overseeing an annual turnover of 1.4 billion pounds (1.96 billion U.S. dollars), CEO Tim Davie said: “BBC Studios has what it takes to create and export quality British programs in this new age of content.”

    Xinhua/NAN

  • Commonwealth Games: Nigeria to face Australia, New Zealand and Canada

    Commonwealth Games: Nigeria to face Australia, New Zealand and Canada

    Nigeria has been grouped alongside Australia, New Zealand and Canada in the basketball event of the XXI Commonwealth Games, Gold Coast 2018.

    Despite being ranked number 1 in Africa and 32nd in the world, Nigeria is still the lowest ranking team in their group.

    Host- Australia who finished 4th at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games is ranked 10th in the world.

    Set to make their debut at the Commonwealth, Canada is ranked 25th in the world and have participated in 9 Olympic games and won a silver medal at the 1936 Games in Berlin.

    New Zealand will be taking part in their 21st Commonwealth Games, having competed at every games since their inception in 1930 which has seen many people dubbing it as the ‘Group of Death’.

    The fixtures released by the organisers yesterday will see D’Tigers start their campaign against New Zealand on Friday 6th April 2018 before facing Canada, a day later.

    On Monday, 10th of April, it will be a great battle against the host.

    Reacting to the draws, Vice President of the NBBF, Babatunde Ogunade described it as a ‘Group of death.’

    The former Nigerian captain said the team’s performance will be hinged on the preparation for the games and the decision of the players to step up and prove a point.

    “We want to use it as preparation for the World cup qualifier in which case we bring in foreign based players to join their home grown counterparts for a longer period, get more practice and bonding time for the team.

    “We will use the opportunity of the Commonwealth camping to prepare for the World Cup qualifiers of both windows.”

    According to organisers, the top 2 teams in group A will proceed to the semifinals stage while the bottom 2 teams from group A will play the top 2 teams from pool B in the qualifying finals with the 3rd A vs 2nd B and 4th A vs 1st B.

    The order of the games will be determined during the competition.

    The camping has since opened on Friday, 5th of January, 2018 in Lagos.

  • Australian surgeons find toothpick in woman

    Australian surgeons find toothpick in woman

    Australian surgeons, who treated a 70-year-old woman suffering from severe abdominal pain, said they found a toothpick stuck in the patient’s swollen gut.

    The doctors in Victoria State’s capital Melbourne said the toothpick was lodged in an inflamed area of the colon of the woman.

    The woman usually visit the hospital four times in a month for the pain, according to their report in the BMJ medical journal released on Wednesday.

    The surgeons said they believed the “toothpick impaction” had pierced the woman’s colon and “exacerbated her symptoms.’’

    The surgeons said initial medical scans showed no evidence of perforation or any foreign body in the woman’s gastrointestinal system and the case highlighted the importance of considering such items in patients suffering from these bowel conditions.

    Their patient has since recovered.

    “Toothpick ingestion is an uncommon but potentially fatal cause of acute abdomen,” said the doctors.

    “The reported mortality associated with perforation from toothpick ingestion is 9.6 percent, and of these patients 38 per cent died in spite successful removal of the toothpick.

    “The main risk factors for ingesting toothpicks included meals containing the small sticks and accompanied by alcoholic beverages, and a habit of chewing the items,’’ they said.

    Many patients “are not aware of toothpick ingestion.’’

    (Xinhua/NAN)

  • Man charged with sending bullet to deputy PM

    Man charged with sending bullet to deputy PM

    A 74-year-old man was charged on Thursday with posting a bullet and threatening letter to Australia’s Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce.

    The man was charged with stalking and using a carriage service to menace, harass or offend.

    Police alleged that the man sent the bullet and threatening letter to Joyce’s electoral office in the country town of Tamworth where it was opened by a staff worker on November 6.

    Police also alleged that the man made a threatening phone call to a private home on December 22.

    Authorities also alleged that the letter contained a message about the controversial Adani mine project, News Ltd reported.

    The man was granted bail and is due to appear in court on February 12.

    The Indian company Adani plans to build Australia’s largest coal mine in central Queensland’s Galilee Basin.

    The Australian government and the Queensland state government are both promoting the mine, saying it will generate thousands of jobs.

    Opponents say the project will fuel global warming and destroy the Great Barrier Reef, which is already being damaged by warming oceans.

    There are also concerns about Adani’s corporate track record, including allegations of involvement in bribery and money laundering.

    (dpa/NAN)

  • Sia clocks 42 – Things you should know about her

    Sia clocks 42 – Things you should know about her

    Award winning pop star, singer, song writer, record producer and music director Sia Kate Isobelle Furler clocks 42 on Monday 18th December 2017.

    Sia who was born in 1975 in Adelaide, Australia, is a pop artist who adds a little bit of Soul and Hip-hop sometimes.

    The Australian songstress has been making waves in the music industry over the years due to her unique style of appearance and outstanding voice.  She has this signature of blonde and black wig with either a big bow worn on it or a hat. The wig serves as a covering for her face.

    When confronted with the question as to why she covers her face, she replied “music is meant for the ears, not the eyes”.

    Before she started covering her face, she showed her face a couple of times in her videos and even on the red carpet.

    It is obvious from her pictures, that she is more or less obsessed with red lipsticks and not a fan of accessories.

    Sia, in an interview with the National Public Radio (NPR), mentioned that she doesn’t hide her face because she is shy.

    Although, in the year 2016, Sia came out as bi-sexual, however in 2015, She got married to filmmaker Erik Anders.

    Her marriage to Erik dissolved after two years over irreconcilable differences.

    Sia

    The pop artist has written numerous songs that were hits in the past years which includes”Cheap Thrills”, “Titanium”(with David Guetta), “Chandelier” “Diamonds” (for Rihanna), “Pretty Hurts” (for Beyonce) and many others. She has collaborated with Zayn Malik, The Weeknd, Celine Dion, Eminem and many others.

    The album, “1000 Forms of Fear” debuted at the top of the Billboard 200, selling over 52,000 copies then.

    She has also been involved in movies like Annie (2014), Transparent (2015), Zootopia (2017), Lion (2017), Wonder Woman (2017), Fifty Shades darker (2017) providing melodious sound tracks.

    As an activist, Sia’s kindness could be seen in her love against aids on World Aids day and LGBT, she campaigns against aid, provide homes for homeless pets (especially dogs) and many other things. It is no doubt that Sia is a lover of dogs as she has pictures of dogs tattooed all over her hands.

    As an award winning singer, Sia has been nominated for series of awards and has won many of them. She has won eight APRA Awards, ten ARIA Awards, MTV Video Music Awards among many others.

    Sia is known for her stupendous lyrics, poetry, contemporary dances (with Maddie Ziegler as her main muse), weird song titles like Elastic Heart, Hostage, Fire meets Gasoline and so much more.

    Cheers to a fabulous new year for the pop artist.

    Sia

  • Semenya to attempt double again at Commonwealth Games

    Semenya to attempt double again at Commonwealth Games

    Caster Semenya will again attempt the 800 metres and 1500m double at next year’s Commonwealth Games, before setting her sights on a world record.

    The 26-year-old South African won gold in the shorter distance and a surprise bronze in the 1500m at the World Championship in London in August.

    “I will again be going for the double, but I need to improve on my tactics (for the 1500m),” she told reporters.

    “The 1500m is a race that excites me. I look forward to racing it.”

    Her coach Jean Verster said the 800m world record would be a priority for Semenya after the April Games at the Gold Coast in Australia.

    “We will be gunning for that in the next season.

    “I think she can probably break it already, but we’ve got to find the right race because you don’t want to put all your cards on the table and then get beaten,” he told South Africa’s Independent Newspapers.

    Semenya won the 800m in London in one minute 55.16 seconds, the fastest time in the event since 2008.

    “I believe a time of 1:52 is possible. It is just a matter of getting in the right race with the right pacemaker,” said Verster.

    The world record of 1:53.28 is now almost 35 years old and was set by Czech Jarmila Kratochvilova in Munich in July 1983.

    NAN