Sport
Everton beat Leicester City 2 – 0 as they climb 5th
Everton beat Leicester City 2 – 0 as they climb 5th . The visitors took the lead as Richarlison cut in from the left before beating Kasper Schmeichel with a low strike for his second Premier League goal of the season.
Everton scored in each half to beat fellow Champions League hopefuls Leicester and move back into the top five of the Premier League.
Moments later Jamie Vardy headed straight at Robin Olsen, making his second appearance of the season after Everton boss Carlo Ancelotti again rotated his goalkeepers, dropping England keeper Jordan Pickford to the bench.
The Toffees lost impressive midfielder Allan to what looked a hamstring injury just before the interval and Leicester pressed for an equaliser early in the second half.
But the early-season leaders doubled their advantage from a corner, with Schmeichel making a fine double-save only for defender Mason Holgate to stab in the rebound for his first Everton goal.
Leicester were then awarded a penalty for an Andre Gomes foul on fellow substitute Ayoze Perez but referee Lee Mason reversed his decision after viewing the pitchside monitor.
Perez then had a goal disallowed for offside as Leicester missed the chance to go top of the table before joint-leaders Liverpool and Tottenham face each other at Anfield. Are the Foxes genuine title contenders?
Approaching two years in charge, boss Brendan Rodgers has already turned Leicester from a mid-table side into Champions League hopefuls.
This time last year they were second in the Premier League and looked the only side capable of reeling in runaway leaders Liverpool.
But their collapse over the second half of last season started over the festive period, culminating in missing out on Champions League qualification on the final day.
This game, and the next two against Tottenham and Manchester United, offered an opportunity for Rodgers’ young side to show they are now capable of staying the distance and challenging for the title.
They made a bright start, with Youri Tielemans firing just wide from Vardy’s lay-off, but Everton gradually took control and Schmeichel should have done better when he pushed Richarlison’s 20-yard strike into the bottom corner.
Vardy wasted a great chance to hit straight back as he headed James Justin’s cross straight at Olsen, but Leicester only had one more shot on target.
Tielemans and James Maddison fired off-target early in the second half before Leicester were again undone at a set-piece. This season they have conceded more goals from corners than any other Premier League side (seven).
That must be addressed if they are to establish themselves as genuine title contenders – or will they be content to continue their progress this year by ensuring they do clinch a top-four finish?
Another clean sheet despite resting Pickford
Many had called for Pickford to be taken out of the line of fire when he was dropped to the bench after a tough spell earlier in October.
Ancelotti made it clear that it was not a permanent demotion, saying he still trusted Pickford and was “used to rotating the goalkeepers”.
And the Italian proved that by switching them again after Saturday’s win over Chelsea, when Pickford helped Everton keep their first clean sheet in the Premier League since the opening weekend of the season.
After his side struggled to adjust to the loss of influential full-backs Seamus Coleman and Lucas Digne to injury, Ancelotti experimented with a back three but has now shored up his defence after switching to a flat back four.
Olsen had to kick the ball clear early on as Everton almost played themselves into danger, but otherwise the Sweden international was well protected.
That steady back four also provided the platform for the Toffees to threaten going forward, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin twice going close in the first half.
Holgate then pounced for the second goal immediately after Michael Keane and Calvert-Lewin were denied, before Gylfi Sigurdsson fired over as the Toffees secured a second straight clean sheet.
Everton have ensured the momentum from their fine start has not been lost and, just shy of his first anniversary at Goodison Park, Ancelotti aims to follow Rodgers’ lead by turning his side into Champions League hopefuls.
What’s next?
Everton host Arsenal on Saturday (17:30 GMT) before facing Manchester United in the EFL Cup quarter-finals on Wednesday (20:00).
Leicester visit Tottenham on Sunday (14:15), followed by a home game with Manchester United on 26 December (12:30).
Source – BBC News
Soccer fans in Nigeria have expressed their confidence that the Super Eagles will win the Africa Cup of Nations tournament.
The Nigerian team qualified for the finals after defeating South Africa in the semi-final round of the competition. They face hosts Ivory Coast for the last game of the tournament today.
This will be the second match between both teams. The elephants of Ivory Coast suffered a 1- 0 defeat in their encounter with the Super Eagles at the group stage. Nigerian soccer fans say they are confident that the team will also win the final game.
Moshood Olatunji says, “We’re taking the cup. We’re not bragging and we’re not being pretentious and we’re not underestimating any group. But I think the Nigerian team started slow and they really worked as a team. The thing they had that I could see was the teamwork. They play for each other, they’re not playing for the coach, they’re actually playing for each other as a team. And I think if they carry that attitude into the finals, there’s no stopping us.”
Maxwell Ogbaje says, “I’m not surprised that we got to where we are today. We actually have a strong team. We have been at our best. It’s not just by chance, people see it that the one zero, one zero has always been a lucky thing, but it’s not. There’s actually good effort from the team that has brought that success.”
“Let them keep doing what they are doing especially the back 5. It’s a fantastic tactic that the coach Peseiro has been able to knock the boys with, so they should do what they do. They should be tight behind and they should take their chances. They should hit them on the counter and I believe if they are able to do that and they stay together, then Nigeria will be able to carry the day,” says Sam Maimagani.
It’s the eighth time Nigeria has made it to the finals in the Africa Cup of Nations and the 4th for Ivory Coast.
Nigeria is already a three-time winner of the Africa Cup of Nations and a triumph in today’s encounter will make it the 4th in 10 years.
A win for Ivory Coast will make them a three-time champion of the AFCON. Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu is expected to be at the game today to cheer the Super Eagles to victory.
Source: SABC
In other news – Phelo Bala’s father has passed away
His death was announced by his stepson and musician Loyiso Bala on Saturday, 10 February on his social media platforms. Jafta died this morning in the hospital.
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Bayern Munich leapfrogged rivals Borussia Dortmund to clinch their 11th consecutive Bundesliga title in a last-day drama in German football on Saturday, May 27.
In a climactic season finale, Bayern Munich ended up celebrating an unexpected title win while Dortmund’s dream of their first league trophy since 2012 was left in tatters following a 2-2 draw with Mainz.
Dortmund were leading by two points before their last match for the season but were held to a 2-2 draw at home by Mainz on Saturday, allowing Bayern to finish in first place with a goal difference.
RB Leipzig and sensational Union Berlin are third and fourth respectively and will also compete in the Champions League next season.
Hertha Berlin and Schalke 04 have been relegated, while VfB Stuttgart will go into the relegation playoff.
In other news – Celine Dion cancels 2023-2024 shows over health
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India is looking to a new generation of talented young cricketers led by teenage batter Shafali Verma to propel them to a first Women’s T20 World Cup title this month. Long-serving skipper Mithali Raj and record-breaking fast bowler Jhulan Goswami, trailblazers for women’s cricket in India, both retired last year.
New captain Harmanpreet Kaur said both players are still on hand to give advice, but it is time to look forward. Whenever we need they are always available to us, that’s what you expect from senior players,” the 33-year-old told a recent press conference.
“Nobody can fill their places, but the young girls who are getting the chances are doing well. One of the players who has grabbed her chance is Verma, an attacking opening batter who led India to victory in the inaugural U19 T20 World Cup in South Africa last month.
The 19-year-old will be back on familiar ground for the T20 World Cup, which is again in South Africa. It starts on February 10 and India are chasing a breakthrough first title, having been runners-up behind hosts Australia in the last edition, in 2020. Their first match is against arch-rivals Pakistan on February 12 in Cape Town.
Verma made her international debut at the age of just 15 and was in the team that reached the T20 World Cup final in 2020.
She also played in the one-day World Cup and was a member of the Indian side which took silver at last year’s Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.
The youngster looks up to big-hitting England batsman Liam Livingstone for inspiration and considers Indian great Sachin Tendulkar a role model. After captaining India to victory in the U19 World Cup, Verma said: “This is just the beginning.”
“When I entered the Under-19s, I only focused on winning the Under-19 Cup and we have won that today,” ESPNCricinfo quoted her as saying. I will look to take this winning confidence with me and win the senior World Cup.”
Besides Verma, the India team also includes Smriti Mandhana, Richa Ghosh, Deepti Sharma and Renuka Singh. The women’s game is making inroads in the cricket-mad country, with the inaugural Women’s Premier League set for March, ahead of the men’s IPL.
Last month, India’s cricket board auctioned off five women’s IPL teams for $572.5 million. The new generation “are ready to be the representatives of the modern generation of women’s cricketers”, cricket journalist Sharda Ugra told AFP.
“The women’s IPL is going to start and they are the perfect representation of the kind of Indian women cricketers that belong to the T20 generation. They have the right mindset and they are very, very talented.
Source: eNCA
In other news – Idols SA canceled after 21 years
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