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Who are the contenders heading into Friday’s WAfcon draw?

• Banyana Banyana.
  

  Africa Cup of Nations

  Africa’s top women superstars will take to the field in Morocco in July to contest the 14th edition of the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations.

  It’s set to be a stacked field, and with the tournament having been skipped amidst the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, expect the big names of the women’s game to be raring to go as they compete for the continent’s grandest prize.

  Ahead of Friday’s group-stage draw, GOAL preview the top five contenders ahead of Friday’s WAfcon draw.

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  Nigeria

  Asisat Oshoala’s recent injury—sustained while on duty with Barcelona—represents a setback for the Super Falcons, who now face a race against time to be fit and firing for the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations.

  It’s been an injury-hit year for the attacker, who would have been hoping to inspire the West African giants to victory in Morocco.

  Without her, Randy Waldrum will require some of the 11-time champions’ other players to step up, but he’ll hope his stacked squad can go the difference with or without their talisman.

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  Cameroon

  Runners-up on four occasions—including in both 2014 and 2016—Cameroon will be desperate to go one further this time around.

  Qualification came amidst a flurry of goals—eight at home against The Gambia—and the Lionesses certainly have the quality to cause the Super Falcons (and others) great concern.

  Ajara Nchout—now of Internazionale—has the potential to be one of the stars of the tournament, and will assist in Friday’s draw.

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  Morocco

  The third of the top seeds, Morocco will be boosted by home advantage—which served the men’s African Nations Championship team well during their victory in 2018—but also have considerable talent to turn to as well.

  They’ve lost only once in the last year, and a five-game winning streak—including a recent 2-0 friendly victory over Ghana’s Black Queens—bodes well.

Goal takes a look at the most prolific marksmen from across Europe's top 5 leagues this year, including Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Son Heung-Min

Getty=15) Rony LopesAS Monaco | 15 games | 9 goalsAdvertisementGetty Images=15) Florian Thauvin Marseille | 17 games | 9 goalsGetty Images=15) Son Heung-MinTottenham Hotspur | 18 games | 9 goalsENJOYED THIS STORY?

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Emilio Andreoli=13) Gonzalo HiguainJuventus | 13 games | 10 goals

MatériaMais Notícias

O São Paulo encerrou neste sábado a preparação para enfrentar o Athletico-PR, neste domingo, no Morumbi. No treino desta manhã, no CT da Barra Funda, a novidade foi a volta de Vitor Bueno, recuperado de dores na coxa direita que na derrota por 2 a 0 para o Fluminense. Com isso, Fernando Diniz pode contar com força máxima para 32ª rodada do Brasileirão-2019.

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A atividade, fechada para a imprensa, promoveu um intenso treinamento tático, que possibilitou o posicionamento das peças titulares que entrarão em campo neste domingo. Além disso, foi reforçada a troca de passes de olho nas saídas de jogo a partir da defesa, sem contar as cobranças de Diniz em relação à marcação. Por fim, o grupo trabalhou finalizações e bolas paradas.

Vitor Bueno, substituído durante o duelo com o Fluminense por conta de dores na coxa direita, treino sem restrições nesta manhã com o restante do elenco. O meia está confirmado como um dos relacionados após realizar exame de imagem na última sexta-feira, que não apontou lesão no local. Caso seja preservado, Bueno daria lugar a Alexandre Pato no ataque. Igor Gomes, que cumpriu suspensão na 31ª rodada, reforça a equipe titular de Diniz.

Dessa forma, o treinador são-paulino tem quase todo o seu grupo à disposição, com exceção de Everton e Rojas, que permanecem sob os cuidados do Reffis para tratar lesões no joelho. Assim, um provável Tricolor para este domingo é: Tiago Volpi; Daniel Alves, Bruno Alves, Arboleda e Reinaldo; Jucilei (Luan), Tchê Tchê e Igor Gomes; Antony, Vitor Bueno (Pato) e Pablo.

São Paulo e Athletico-PR se enfrentam neste domingo, às 16h, no Morumbi, pela 32ª rodada do Brasileirão-2019. Atualmente os são-paulinos ocupam a quinta posição com 52 pontos, um atrás do Grêmio, quarto colocado e dentro da zona de classificação direta para a fase de grupos da Copa Libertadores.

RelacionadasFutebol NacionalNos pênaltis, São Paulo elimina o Corinthians e decide o Paulista sub-17Futebol Nacional09/11/2019VôleiDe virada, São Paulo/Barueri vence Osasco e é campeão paulistaVôlei09/11/2019Brasileirão32ª rodada do BR: palcos, árbitros, onde ver, suspensos e penduradosBrasileirão08/11/2019

All must live in a post-Phillip Hughes world, where the protection of the head and the region around it is given far greater attention due to the unimaginable events of last summer. As a result, Chris Rogers has been ruled out of the first Test in Dominic

Daniel Brettig in Roseau02-Jun-2015Chris Rogers complained of a headache the morning after his blow to the head, but had felt worse. Peter Brukner had certainly seen worse, including when Rogers himself was struck in the back of the helmet when fielding close to the bat at the Gabba last year. Michael Clarke and Darren Lehmann want to choose their best XI, and for the past 19 matches that has included Rogers as the steady, calming presence at the top of the order.On Monday morning before training at Windsor Park, these four men debated Rogers’ availability for the first West Indies Test in Dominica. It was a lengthy and at times animated exchange, with plenty of arm waving evident from a distance. The final result had Rogers ruled out of the match due to signs of concussion after the impact from a local net bowler that momentarily stunned him on Sunday.Once upon a time, this dialogue would have gone another way. As the player protested his readiness, the coach and captain would have allowed him to continue batting in the nets and let him take his place in the side unless there was major evidence of trouble. The advice of the team doctor – or physio in earlier years – would have been just that.In the extreme case of Justin Langer, he fought through repeated blows to the helmet until 2006, when a particularly sickening hit from Makhaya Ntini in Johannesburg left him badly shaken and set him on the road to retirement within a year. Nevertheless, in the second innings Langer was physically blocked from leaving the dressing room in his batting gear by the captain Ricky Ponting and team manager Steve Bernard, as Australia stuttered through a nervy fourth innings chase.Now, however, all must live in a post-Phillip Hughes world, where the protection of the head and the region around it is given far greater attention due to the unimaginable events of last summer. Brukner, of course, had flown instantly from Melbourne to Sydney upon word of Hughes’ injury reaching him, and stood ashen-faced alongside the family as they dealt with the pain of a loss that will forever influence thinking about the dangers inherent in the game.”I think there’s probably a few players that wouldn’t have played as many Test matches as they did if that was the case long ago,” Clarke said of changing times. “But, I think there’s obviously a lot of research done by the experts in all sports. You know, it is spoken about a lot – certainly when I spent some time at home before coming here – in the AFL and in the rugby league in particular.”There’s been a lot spoken about with concussion and as hard as it is on Chris, I think credit needs to go to Peter Brukner, our team doctor. He’s an expert in this field and he believes Chris has those symptoms and it wouldn’t be smart form him to take the field. So, look, I always want to win, I always love seeing Australian cricket have success. But at the end of the day I’d rather see the health and safety of the individual come first and foremost, and in this case that’s exactly what we’re doing and I think it’s a really smart decision.”The smartness or rightness of the decision will be of only scant solace to Rogers, who finds himself out of the Test team at the outset of dual tours that have been billed well in advance as his final cricketing lap of the world. Ruled out for medical reasons is not the same as being dropped, but now the opportunity passes on to others, likely Shaun Marsh and Adam Voges, to seal their places in the Test team. Brukner said that Rogers tried to talk him around “as they do”, and Clarke placed himself in the opener’s shoes.”Oh, look, I think Chris is exactly like me,” he said. “He wants to play, as I want him to play, but he also understands and respects that there is a lot more to it than just walking back out onto the field and playing again, as I’m sure the doc would have said, if he gets hit again who knows what the consequences are, and I don’t think anybody wants to see that happen for the sake of missing one game. You know, that’s the way it is.”In some ways, it appeared as though Rogers knew he was in trouble from the moment of the ball after he was hit. He had shrugged off the blow in the nets, as is traditional, but a wild haymaker at the next delivery drew a self-recriminatory scythe at the stumps. Rogers has been so prolific for so long it can be easy to forget there is a fragility to him common to all batsmen, and whether he appreciates it or not, some time to take stock before returning in Jamaica may not be a bad thing.Meanwhile, Australia will try to go on without him in Dominica, much as West Indies will battle without their own left-handed limpet Shivnarine Chanderpaul. They will do so because they never again wish to feel the way they felt on November 25, 2014, a day that ensures no doctor’s opinion will ever be taken lightly.Asked about this episode in light of that one, Nathan Lyon conveyed its scarring by saying very little at all. “You know the answer to that,” he said. “So I don’t really need to go into that over here, sorry.” Australia never want to go back there, and so Rogers must sit out this match.

West Indies offspinner Sunil Narine underwent a fresh testing process on his bowling action at the Sri Ramachandra Universtity, an ICC-accredited centre, in Chennai on Thursday

Nagraj Gollapudi03-Apr-2015West Indies offspinner Sunil Narine underwent a fresh testing process on his bowling action at the Sri Ramachandra Universtity, an ICC-accredited centre, in Chennai on Thursday. The reports from the test are likely to be submitted on Saturday, and by Monday, the BCCI’s sub-committee dealing with suspect bowling actions will finalise its decision on whether Narine would be available to play for Kolkata Knight Riders this IPL.This means Knight Riders were forced to grudgingly accept the BCCI diktat which stated that Narine had to undergo tests at the Chennai centre despite him having got a clearance from the University of Loughborough in March.It is understood that Narine appeared in front of the BCCI’s sub-committee which deals with suspect bowling actions. Former India fast bowler Javagal Srinath is head of the three-man panel which comprises former India captain S Venkataraghavan and ex-international umpire AV Jayaprakash.Srinath’s panel observed Narine in real time and also put him through various tests with the entire process lasting for less than two hours. Apparently the panel did not study the results from the Loughborough centre.Knight Riders had lodged a protest with BCCI president Jagmohan Dalmiya questioning the necessity of a separate test when Narine had got himself cleared from an ICC-accredited testing centre in Loughborough. But Dalmiya informed the team management that he was helpless and instead of giving an explanation, he suggested it would only benefit the franchise if Narine traveled to Chennai.Narine remains the most valuable player for Knight Riders, the defending IPL champions, who will play Mumbai Indians in the tournament opener on April 9 at Eden Gardens. After he was called in successive matches during last year’s Champions League Twenty20, Narine made a comeback to competitive cricket with Trinidad & Tobago in the Nagico Super50, including a career-best 6 for 9 in the final to overwhelm Guyana.More importantly, Narine achieved that feat with a new bowling action, which he has been working extensively on in the company of experts like former Pakistan offspinner Saqlain Mushtaq.

يعمل محامو ساندرو تونالي، لاعب نيوكاسل الإنجليزي، على التفاوض لتخفيض عقوبة اللاعب بعد اعترافه بالمقامرة في مباريات كرة القدم بشكل غير قانوني.

وبدأ الأمر بظهور أنباء توضح أن نيكولو فاجيولي، لاعب يوفنتوس، قيد التحقيق بسبب المراهنة على منصة غير قانونية، ومن ثم تم الإعلان عن تورط تونالي ونيكولو زانيولو أيضًا.

وأفادت تقارير في وقت لاحق عن تورط أكثر من 12 لاعبًا في الدوري الإيطالي، في قضية رهانات على منصة غير قانونية.

واعترف تونالي بالمراهنة على مباريات كرة القدم، بما فيها التي يشارك بها نادي ميلان الإيطالي، والذي كان يلعب له في ذلك الوقت، وأصر على أنه يراهن فقط على فوز ميلان وبالتالي لا يشتبه في قيامه بالتلاعب بنتائج المباريات.

وبحسب صحيفة “لاجازيتا ديلو سبورت” الإيطالية، يأمل محامو تونالي أن يساعده اعترافه وتعاونه على تجنب الإيقاف لمدة طويلة، وهي نفس الاستراتيجية التي تتبعها محامو فاجيولي والذي تم إيقافه 7 أشهر.

وسوف يسافر محامو تونالي إلى روما يوم الإثنين، للتفاوض على صفقة إقرار بالذنب مع المدعين العامين.

ويشير التقرير إلى أن حالة تونالي تختلف عن فاجيولي، حيث أبلغ الأخير بنفسه الاتحاد الإيطالي بمجرد وضعه قيد التحقيق، كما أنه لم يراهن على ناديه يوفنتوس، على عكس تونالي الذي راهن على ميلان.

Mushfiqur Rahim, the Bangladesh captain, has said that while the side will miss suspended allrounder Shakib Al Hasan on the West Indies tour, the ODI series will offer young players a chance to show their skills before the 2015 World Cup.Shakib was given a six-month suspension by the Bangladesh Cricket Board in July on grounds of “serious misbehavior” with the side’s new coach, Chandika Hathurusingha, and for his altercation with a spectator during a recent ODI against India. The allrounder had played a stellar role during Bangladesh’s last full tour of West Indies five years ago, after taking over as captain from the injured Mashrafe Mortaza. On that tour, Shakib led Bangladesh to an overseas Test series win, followed by a victory in the ODIs, and he also did well in the 2007 World Cup and 2010 World T20 in the Caribbean.”He has been our best player in the last eight to ten years,” Mushfiqur said. “Of course we will miss him. The series will be a difficult one without Shakib. But in our last series, against India, some new young players have stepped up. This is yet another opportunity to have a closer look at them before the World Cup.”Bangladesh’s only away wins against Test-playing countries have come on tours of Zimbabwe and West Indies. Mushfiqur said the team had discussed its lack of success away from home and conceded the team isn’t “strong on paper”. However, he said the challenge was in motivating his troops.”We have done well in ODIs back home but we have had problems with consistency overseas. We have addressed it, and we look forward to it.”It is going to be a big challenge for us but the boys are up for it, they are hungry and ready to do well. We are not a strong team on paper, but if we do well in the field and execute the plans, then hopefully it will be a great series for us.Bangladesh started the tour on the right foot, with a convincing win over Grenada in the warm-up game. They will also bank on the experience of players like Imrul Kayes and Sohag Gazi, who had toured the West Indies in May this year with the Bangladesh A squad.”We will try to take advantage of our Bangladesh A players in the side. At the same time, the practice game was great for us. Our batters and bowlers did well. The outfield wasn’t great but the players are in good shape,” he said.Dwayne Bravo, the West Indies captain, said he was happy to have the new fast-bowling combination of Ravi Rampaul and Kemar Roach in the side. Roach, who made a comeback to international cricket in the series against New Zealand, had battled injuries for almost a year and had also undergone shoulder surgery. Bravo also hoped Jason Holder would have an impact for West Indies in this series.”Roach has been out due to injury. Ravi has been our best bowler throughout the time he has been playing. There’s also Jerome Taylor, who is back into cricket, and you can’t forget Jason Holder who has done good things since he has come into international cricket,” Bravo said. “I’m happy all those players are fit and available for selection. It makes the competition within the team tougher but at the same time, it’s good to be able to put our best XI. We have good quality fast bowlers, good spinners, players who can bat deep as well.”

Will Gidman kept his nerve with the bat to steer Gloucestershire to a three-wicket victory over Yorkshire in the Royal London One-Day Cup at Headingley.

Press Association29-Jul-2014
ScorecardWill Gidman rolled his four-day form into the 50-over arena•PA PhotosWill Gidman kept his nerve with the bat to steer Gloucestershire to a three-wicket victory over Yorkshire in the Royal London One-Day Cup at Headingley.It was a fine all-round performance from Gidman who, after claiming two wickets in a tight opening spell, ensured his side got to their modest target of 193 with an unbeaten 71 off 89 balls with 10 fours.Yorkshire were left kicking themselves for an undisciplined batting display which saw them lose three wickets with the score on 45 before their last five crashed for 18 runs in 22 balls.And their total would have been much smaller but for a record-breaking sixth-wicket stand of 129 between Adil Rashid, who made 71 and 56 from Jack Leaning 56.Their early demise in 41.4 overs left Gloucestershire with nine overs to bat before the interval and a double strike by Tim Bresnan left them uneasily placed on 27 for 2, Hamish Marshall slashing hard to second slip where Adam Lyth held on to a fast catch and Chris Dent being strangled down the leg-side.Gidman came in at 69 for 3 after Michael Klinger 37 had fallen to Richard Pyrah for 37 and he had plenty of re-building work to do as his side succumbed to fine bowling from Rashid and Pyrah to slump to 83 for 6.He then received excellent support from offspinner Jack Taylor, who attacked strongly in only his eighth List A match to make a career-best 38 off 39 balls with three fours and a six. The pair had put on 69 in 13 overs when Taylor was caught at slip driving at Rashid’s last ball, the legspinner finishing with 3 for 43 from his 10 overs.Gidman remained in control, his half-century coming from 74 balls with six fours, and 28 deliveries remained when the winning run came from a Bresnan wide.Yorkshire threw caution to the wind after winning the toss and carelessness cost them both openers in the first three overs to leave them on 16 for 2. Alex Lees cut Gidman straight into the hands of Ian Cockbain at point and Lyth aimed to leg only to fall lbw to the left-arm pace of David Payne.Kane Williamson and skipper, Andrew Gale, looked to be mastering the bowling until both got out as three wickets fell with the score on 45. Gale was caught behind by wicketkeeper Adam Rouse for 16 while attempting to steer Payne to third man, Williamson, on 12, nicked a good ball from Gidman which left him and Jonny Bairstow was taken low down at first slip by Klinger off Payne for a duck. The catch looked a perfectly clean one but Bairstow waited until the umpires had conferred before walking off.The first half of Yorkshire’s batting order had been swept away in 13 overs on a slow but firm pitch but when Gidman was rested with figures of 2 for 16 through seven overs and Payne eight overs 3 for 21, things became a little easier for the sixth-wicket pair of Leaning and Rashid. Both batsmen began to blossom as their confidence grew and Leaning drove Taylor to the extra-cover boundary to raise three figures, Rashid lofting a straight drive for four in the same over.Rashid was the more dominant of the two and he completed his maiden half-century in his 59th List A innings from 71 balls with five fours. When the stand had reached 129 it became Yorkshire’s highest for the sixth wicket in one-day cricket, beating the unbroken 128 between Anthony McGrath and Gary Fellows in the Cheltenham and Gloucester Trophy quarter-final against Essex at Chelmsford in 2002.But then, in a bizarre spell of almost suicidal play, Yorkshire crashed from 174 for 5 to 192 all out in just three full overs. First to go was Rashid who drove Benny Howell to long-on and was caught by Cockbain.Leaning completed his 50 off 73 deliveries with three fours and a six before both Bresnan and Pyrah were run out cheaply in consecutive overs by direct hits and Leaning dashed out of his crease to a leg-side wide from Taylor and was stumped, the spinner’s next ball trapping Jack Brooks lbw.”The wicket was quite slow and holding a bit and the match turned into a bit of a scrap,” Gloucestershire director of cricket John Bracewell said. “Gidman and Payne hit the right areas and found the correct length and took wickets up front. Leaning and Rashid put on a good partnership which was bound to happen and we faced a respectable but achievable total.”We always said this could be a competition for Will Gidman because 50-overs cricket suits his bowling and he showed that it does. It was good to beat a class side like Yorkshire who have some excellent outstanding cricketers. To tip them over on their home turf is a good effort.”

Rohit Sharma has said he hopes to pick up the skills of consistent cricket from Michael Hussey, who will be joining Mumbai Indians for IPL 2014. Hussey was not retained by his previous franchise, Chennai Super Kings, and was bought by the defending IPL champions for Rs 5 crores ($833,000 approx) in the auction in February.Hussey’s inclusion is expected to strengthen Mumbai’s top order that is missing Ricky Ponting, Sachin Tendulkar and Dwayne Smith from last season. The bowling is also missing Mitchell Johnson, who was one of the leading wicket-takers in their title win, but Rohit said that the presence of Zaheer Khan was a boost.”Except Mitchell Johnson and Dwayne Smith, we have pretty much the same side,” he told the . “We wanted to buy Johnson and used the joker card too but sadly it couldn’t happen. However, the core players still remain the same; plus, we have Michael Hussey and Zaheer Khan, who bring a lot of experience. So picking the right combination will be important for us. On a personal note, I’m looking forward to learn from Hussey how he manages to be so consistent.”Rohit, who took over as captain from Ricky Ponting midway last season, said the leadership role had given him confidence that he carried forward into international cricket. He also stressed that the biggest test for most teams this season would not be the new conditions in UAE, but finding a team spirit right away due to the formation of new squads.”More than the playing conditions, what will be the key for most of the teams is how quickly every player gels with the other,” he said. “After the auction, the teams have many new members and it will be a challenge for them to perform as a group. If the atmosphere in the dressing room is friendly and positive, then it is reflected on the field. Right combinations will be the key to success. These will be challenging two months ahead.”

In early January, Sri Lanka’s chief selector Sanath Jayasuriya recommended that Thisara Perera be denied the no-objection certificate for the Big Bash League. A month later, Thisara became Sri Lanka’s saviour in the first ODI after having already played a pivotal role in the 2-0 win in the preceding Twenty20 series.In the intervening time, he worked overtime in the nets back in Colombo and played two first-class matches for Colts. He believes the extra training helped him turn around his form, after he made only 13 runs in three ODIs against Pakistan in the UAE.”After the UAE tour, I had one-month period for training session,” Thisara said. “I worked hard with supporting staff in Sri Lanka. It was really helpful for me.”Jayasuriya was adamant that a stint in Australia playing Twenty20s would not help him progress as an allrounder, having used a similar treatment to rouse him out of a slump previously. “We are not giving him permission to play in the Big Bash. He has to work and stay in Sri Lanka,” Jayasuriya had said. “The reason is poor form. He’s been in very poor form with his bowling and batting. He needs to work on some things with the coaches in Sri Lanka.”Bangladesh now know how helpful the rap had been for Thisara, and how effective his confidence can be for Sri Lanka. From 67 for 8, he rescued Sri Lanka with an unbeaten 80 off 57 balls, which is the third-highest by a batsman at No. 9, and is only the second by a Sri Lankan after Guy de Alwis.But match-winning rescue acts are not new to Thisara. His unbeaten 36 here in Mirpur four years ago was the first instance when his last-ditch hitting helped Sri Lanka to a win. Against South Africa in early 2012, his unbeaten 69 helped his side to a famous win. There have been a 21 not out and a 19 not out against Australia in 2012 and 2013, as well as the unbeaten 35 against Bangladesh in the second T20 in Chittagong last week.Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews called Thisara’s innings “absolutely brilliant” and praised his all-round abilities. “He is one of the best allrounders that we have. He has been winning us matches in the past few years with bat and ball, he is matured. He did it in the T20s in Chittagong, and he has improved quite rapidly. Hopefully he will continue to do the same thing in the future.’The way he batted was absolutely brilliant. When Thisara and Sachithra were batting, I thought we should get to at least 150 to give the bowlers some sort of chance. He is matured now, he has been winning games with bat and ball.”