The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Confeds Cup

  • Rangers thrown out of Confeds Cup

    Rangers thrown out of Confeds Cup

    Nigeria’s Enugu Rangers has been kicked out of the CAF Confederations Cup after fielding an ineligible player against Sfaxien of Tunisia, MTNFootball.com reports.

    According to an official statement by the Confederation of African Football, goalkeeper Daniel Emmanuel was not properly registered for the competition, but was fielded by Rangers during matches against the Tunisians.

    Rangers won the first leg in Enugu 1-0 and held the Tunisians to a goalless draw in the return fixture.

    Sfaxien has thus replaced Rangers in Group A of the Confederations Cup.

    The other teams in the group are Stade Malien of Mali, Etoile du Sahel of Tunisia and Saint Georges from Ethiopia.

     

  • Italy grabs Confeds Cup bronze

    Italy claimed third place at the Confederations Cup with a 3-2 penalty shootout victory over Uruguay after a 2-2 draw in an entertaining third-fourth place play-off at Arena Fonte Nova in Salvador.

    Davide Astori slotted home Italy’s opener after an unfortunate deflection off the goalkeeper, before Edinson Cavani’s fine finish restored parity, Goal.com reports.

    Two brilliant free-kicks, from Alessandro Diamanti and Cavani late in the second half added to the score, before an entertaining match was settled on penalties after a competitive extra-time period.

    In the shootout, Diego Forlan saw his effort saved by Gianluigi Buffon, and further misses from Walter Gargano and Martin Caceres handed Cesare Prandelli’s men the bronze medal.

  • Spain rolls out ‘big guns’ for Nigeria

    Spain rolls out ‘big guns’ for Nigeria

    Spain coach Vicente Del Bosque would revert to his first-choice side for Sunday’s Confederations Cup clash with Nigeria, Supersport.com reports.

    “It would be basically that side, yes,” said Del Bosque when asked if he would name the same side that beat Uruguay 2-1 last Sunday in Recife.

    Del Bosque fielded a nominal ‘B’ team in the 10-0 thrashing of Tahiti on Thursday though that included some of the best players in Europe in Fernando Torres and David Villa, who scored seven goals between them against the Oceania champions.

    “I have no problems,” Villa said when asked about the possibility of reverting to the bench. “There are 23 strong players in the squad, and we are a team and the coach decides who he wants to play. He would choose, it is part of the game.”

    Spain, who is unbeaten in 24 matches, has qualified for the semifinals and would likely meet Italy in Fortaleza next Thursday.

    Even if the Spaniards lose to the African champions, Nigeria would have to win by at least four goals as Uruguay would almost certainly beat Tahiti in Recife.

     

     

  • Confeds Cup: Odegbami hails Eagles victory

    Confeds Cup: Odegbami hails Eagles victory

    Former Green Eagles Captain, Segun Odegbami, on Tuesday acknowledged the bold strides being taken by the Super Eagles as the rebuilding process continues.

    Odegbami hailed the team for their composure against the backdrop of the match bonus furore in Windhoek, Namibia.

    Odegbami told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos on Tuesday that the 6-1 drubbing of the Tahitian team will spur them to perform better in subsequent matches at the Confederations Cup.

    The ace winger, however, noted that the Tahitians did not put up the kind of resistance usually expected in a competition of the calibre of the Confederations Cup.

    “The Tahitians didn’t put the Eagles under any form of pressure, but am sure in their next match against Uruguay the Eagles will face a stiffer test.

    “Winning their first match will boost their morale which is good for the players psychologically; they need to build their confidence.

    “Our qualifying matches have been quite impressive; the rebuilding process is getting better by the day.

    “In spite of the crises in the team, they have grown with each match; I can only hope it gets better,’’ Odegbami said.

    NAN reports that the Super Eagles trounced their Tahitian opponents 6-1 in their opening match at the ongoing Confederations Cup tournament in Brazil.

    The team will engage their Uruguayan foes on June 21 in another Group B encounter at the city of Fortaleza.

     

  • Keshi ‘relieved’ after Tahiti thrashing

    Keshi ‘relieved’ after Tahiti thrashing

    Nigeria coach Stephen Keshi said he was relieved his side had avoided any further injuries after Monday’s thrashing of minnows Tahiti 6-1 in their opening game at the Confederations Cup in Belo Horizonte.

    Forwards Victor Moses, Kalu Uche and Emmanuel Emenike were all ruled out by injury before the tournament, while midfielder Ogenyi Onazi missed Monday’s game with a knee problem.

    MTNFootball.com reports that Keshi hopes the Lazio player will be available for Thursday’s encounter with Uruguay, which is likely to play a significant role in determining whether or not Nigeria progress from Group B.

    “There are no (new) injuries to the players, because I’ve already lost four players,” he said.

    “With all this journey we’ve been having, arriving yesterday (Sunday) morning at four o’clock, I’m just happy there’s no major problems concerning injuries.”

    Nigeria’s preparations were disrupted by a dispute over bonus payments that meant the squad did not arrive until 36 hours before the first game.

    Speaking ahead of the game, Captain Vincent Enyeama had revealed that the disagreement remained unresolved, but Keshi said that was not the case.

    “The issue of the bonuses has been settled. Nothing is holding us back anymore and all we need to do now is play football,” he said.

    Nnamdi Oduamadi, who scored a hat-trick for the African champions at Estadio Mineirao, said the players had put the dispute behind them.

     

     

  • Confeds Cup: Nigeria defeats Tahiti 6-1

    Nigeria Super Eagles on Monday night defeated Tahiti 6-1 at the end of the first half in the ongoing FIFA Confederations Cup in Brazil.

    Uwa Echejiele opened the scoring in the fifth when his shot took a slight deflection off a Tahitian defender.

    Nnamdi Oduamadi doubled the scoring minute after he rounded off a sleek team work in the 10th minute.

    He added his second of the night when he slotted home Ahmed Musa’s pull out in 26th minute.

    The Tahitian put up a spirited fight, but lack of experience at this level proved their greatest undoing.

    The Polynesia Island nation pulled a goal back through Jonathan Tehau in the 54 th minute, while three further goals through Oduamadi, Echiejile and Tehau’s own goal completed the rout.

     

  • Bonus row not over – Enyeama

    Bonus row not over – Enyeama

    Super Eagles captain, Vincent Enyeama, said the row over bonuses that delayed the squad’s arrival at the Confederations Cup had not been resolved, but the players were putting it behind them.

    The African champions did not arrive in Brazil until the early hours of Sunday morning, just 36 hours before their Group B opener against minnows Tahiti on Monday, after missing the scheduled flights on Thursday, MTNFootball.com reports.

    The players were unhappy about being offered bonus payments of $2,500 (1,873 euros) following a 1-1 draw with Namibia in World Cup qualifying and had demanded double that amount from the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).

    A truce was eventually brokered by Sports Minister ,Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, but Enyeama has revealed that the players were still not satisfied.

    “We haven’t settled anything, but we’ve moved on and everything is normal,” the Maccabi Tel Aviv goalkeeper told journalists.

    “We accept the criticisms, we’re responsible for our actions and we stay as a team.

    “For now, this act is behind us. We’re professionals. We don’t want to talk about this — it’s about the past and we don’t want to spend our energy on these things.

    “After the championship we’ll revisit it, but for now we’re done.”

    Coach Stephen Keshi, seated beside Enyeama at the pre-game press conference, refused to criticise his players, but admitted he was concerned about the effects of their late arrival.

    “I’m not going to tell you I’m upset with the players. The decision depends on the circumstances around it,” he said.

    “We’re here, which is the most important thing. We’re here to make Africa and Nigeria proud. Whatever has happened before is behind us and we just need to concentrate and play our game.

    “I’m a bit worried about fatigue. We have been working mentally and otherwise so the team is in shape, but the fatigue is what I’m worried about. I hope everything will be OK for tomorrow (Monday).”

    Lazio midfielder Ogenyi Onazi had apparently been ruled out of the tournament with a knee injury, but Keshi said he could yet link up with the squad if he is able to prove his fitness in Nigeria.

    “I’m still waiting for a call from Onazi,” Keshi said.