top world soccer news

the final return

2010-02-13T01:00:00.000-08:00

Coach Marcello Lippi said he was eager to meet English Italy - Fabio Capello is handled - in the World Cup final.

"Before the tournament, Brazil was always mentioned as a favorite," said Lippi.

"As usual, we must not underestimate the Spanish, English, French, and German. They are the team that came into the World Cup champion with the target," he continued.

However, still according to Lippi, the most desirable today is the final return to Italy and England meet.

"I just want to see how Capello as the Italian national anthem was played," said Lippi.

According to Lippi, he was not surprised with the results made English. Capello diasul teams always play well.

Commenting on a possible return to the Ferrra Ciro national team, and helped in the 2010 World Cup, Lippi said: "It's not an option. Ferrara is currently resting and thinking about his future."

Ferrara left the Azzurri to take over as Juventus coach. He failed, and fired.

Lippi will not consider Antonio Cassano to enter into the national team. Moreover, the temperamental striker was now no longer a core Sampdoria player.

"I never spend time thinking about Cassano. For me it was not the issue," he said.

Lippi has won 16 to 17 players to take to the World Cup. He still will look for six more, so that brought the squad number 23 people.

Don Carlo

2010-02-07T16:56:00.000-08:00

Carlo Ancelotti (born June 10, 1959 in Reggiolo, Province of Reggio Emilia) is an Italian football manager and former player. He is the current manager of the English Premier League football club Chelsea F.C.

A midfielder, Ancelotti enjoyed a successful playing career, most notably with AC Milan, with whom he won two Scudettos and two European Cups in a five year period. He was capped 26 times for the Italian national team and played at the 1986 and 1990 World Cups.

After spells as coach of Reggiana, Parma and Juventus, Ancelotti was appointed AC Milan manager in 2001. Ancelotti guided Milan to the Scudetto in 2004, the UEFA Champions League in 2003 and 2007 and the Coppa Italia in 2003. They were also Serie A and Champions League runners-up in 2005. He is one of six men to have won the European Cup as player and manager.

Coaching career

Ancelotti is one of only six coaches to win the Champions League as both a player and a coach, along with Miguel Muñoz (Real Madrid player 1956, 1957, Real Madrid coach 1960, 1966); Giovanni Trapattoni (AC Milan player 1963, 1969, Juventus coach 1985); Johan Cruyff (AFC Ajax player 1971-73, FC Barcelona coach 1992), former Milan teammate Frank Rijkaard (AC Milan player 1989, 1990, Ajax player 1995, FC Barcelona coach 2006) and Josep Guardiola (FC Barcelona player 1992, FC Barcelona coach 2009). He also ranks second in number of Milan matches coached with 413, trailing Nereo Rocco.

Reggiana, Parma, and Juventus

Ancelotti's first coaching job was with Serie B squad A.C. Reggiana 1919 in 1995. In his only year with the club, Reggiana earned promotion to Serie A. Ancelotti then returned to Parma - which included upstart goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon and current Milan goalkeeping trainer Villiam Vecchi - in 1996. He became the successor of Marcello Lippi at Juventus the next season, but went trophyless during his two-year stint, finishing runner-up twice in Serie A.

A student at Coverciano, in 1997 he penned a research article entitled "The Future of Football: More Dynamism".^[3]

Milan

Ancelotti's fortunes changed when he went to AC Milan in 2001 as a replacement for the fired Fatih Terim. He was inheriting another recently trophyless team in Milan, as the Rossoneri had floundered domestically and in Europe since their last Scudetto victory in 1999. In his first full season, Ancelotti soon had Milan back in European competition, leading them to the semi-finals of the 2001-02 UEFA Cup, in which Milan finished third.

The following season, Ancelotti, who was heavily criticized by club president Silvio Berlusconi due to his defensive tactics, was able to adopt a creative play in Milan while making several roster changes. He made Dida, still maligned for his 2000 Champions League howler against Leeds United, his new starting goalkeeper barely a month into the 2002-03 campaign, while converting budding attacking midfielder Andrea Pirlo to a defensive playmaker and playing him behind Manuel Rui Costa. At the same time, the striking partners of Filippo Inzaghi and Andriy Shevchenko were dominant and dynamic. Milan won the 2003 Champions League, beating Ancelotti's old team, Juventus, 3-2 on penalties at Old Trafford, and the Coppa Italia and took home the Scudetto in 2004.

Under Ancelotti's reign, Milan were also back-to-back Serie A runners-up to Juventus in 2004-05 and 05-06 (both Scudetti were later wiped from the record books due to Juventus' involvement in the Calciopoli scandal), and lost the 2005 CL final to Liverpool F.C. losing 3-2 on penalties after leading 3-0 at halftime. Two years later, though, Milan avenged their defeat to Liverpool with a 2-1 win at the Olympic Stadium in Athens on May 23, 2007, leading to Ancelotti's second Champions League trophy as Milan coach and his fourth title overall, having also won it twice as a Milan player in 1989 and 1990.

Chelsea

Ancelotti announced his resignation from Milan less than an hour following their 2-0 victory over ACF Fiorentina on May 31, 2009, after the club terminated his contract by mutual consent with one year remaining. The next day, he was confirmed as the new Chelsea manager after agreeing to a three-year, £9-million contract.^[4] Ancelotti, succeeding temporary replacement Guus Hiddink, became the club's fifth manager in 21 months, following Jose Mourinho, Avram Grant, Luiz Felipe Scolari and Hiddink. He is the third Chelsea manager hailing from Italy, after Gianluca Vialli and Claudio Ranieri.

On 9 August 2009, Ancelotti scooped his first trophy as Chelsea manager, the Community Shield, after beating Manchester United on penalties. His first Premier League game in charge of the Blues ended in a 2-1 home victory over Hull City on the 15th August 2009. On the 26th of September Chelsea lost their first game under Ancelotti at the DW Stadium against Wigan Athletic, losing 3-1. On 2 December, Chelsea exited the Carling Cup at the quarter finals stage following a penalty shootout defeat to Blackburn Rovers after a 3-3 draw at Ewood Park.

celebrating his goals

2009-10-13T08:36:00.000-07:00

Totti is known for celebrating his goals as well as scoring them. His most famous celebration was in the second Derby della Capitale of the 1998-99 season, in which he scored during the final minutes of the game and celebrated by flashing a T-shirt under his jersey, which read "Vi ho purgato ancora" ("I've purged you guys again"), in reference to his scoring against Lazio in the previous derby on 29 November 1998. Another derby goal against Lazio saw him take over a sideline camera and aim it at the Roma fans. As a tribute to his then-pregnant wife, Ilary Blasi, Totti imitated a childbirth scene by stuffing the ball under his shirt and laying on his back while his teammates extracted the ball. His current ritual of sucking his thumb after a goal began after his son was born and subsequently after the birth of his daughter. Blasi has revealed that Totti actually sucks his thumb in honor of her, as she has a habit of sucking on her thumb.

totti

2009-10-13T08:17:00.000-07:00

(born 27 September 1976 in Rome) is an Italian World Cup-winning footballer who is the current captain of Italian Serie A club Roma. His position is that of a striker or an attacking midfielder, though he is best known for playing as a second striker. He has spent his entire career at Roma, is the number-one goalscorer and the most capped player in the club's history.

Totti won several awards in Italy during his career including a record 5 times Italian Footballer of the Year and 2 times Serie A Footballer of the Year. He was named by Pelé as one of the top 125 greatest living footballers in March 2004.

Totti is currently the top active Serie A goalscorer, and joint-eighth all-time in league history (along with Gabriel Batistuta) with 184 goals.

After three years on the youth team, Totti made his first appearance for Roma's senior side at the age of sixteen, when coach Vujadin Boškov let him play in the 2-0 away victory against Brescia on 28 March 1993. In the following seasons, he began to play more games, and thus he succeeded in scoring his first goal on September 24, 1994 in a 1-1 draw against Foggia. By 1995, Totti had become a regular in the starting eleven and scored 16 goals in the next three seasons. When he assumed the team captaincy in 1997, he began to gain recognition as a club symbol. Manager Zdeněk Zeman played with an offensive 4-3-3 formation, in which Totti was the left winger. Totti scored 30 goals during Zeman's two-year managerial stint.

Though Totti was not called up for the 1998 FIFA World Cup, he was named the Serie A Young Footballer of the Year in the 1998-99 season.

the former Milan hitman

2009-10-13T08:07:00.000-07:00

Ukrainian powerhouse Dynamo Kiev started this year’s Champions League campaign with a 3-1 home victory against Rubin Kazan. The guests took the lead before the break, but Dynamo fought back to record a win, much to the satisfaction of veteran forward Andriy Shevchenko .
“I enjoy playing for the team a lot, so Dynamo’s result is all that matters for me. If I score, then it is good, but if I do not, I do not care as long as my team is OK. I am very happy we won,” said Shevchenko after his side’s victory.

“To tell you the truth, I was a bit nervous because the last time I played for Dynamo in the Champions League was ten years ago. It was very important for us to win our first match at home, because we have a very tough group. We need to get maximum points at home if we want to make it to the first knockout round.

“Rubin defended with skill and scored, so we struggled in the first half. After the break we changed our game. We started to move more and began to tackle them in the middle of the pitch and that created more chances to attack down the wings. That, together with our skill and big desire, allowed us to win,” added the former Milan hitman.

“We made it tighter for them in the middle of the pitch and prevented Rubin from switching play from defence to attack. Both defenders and midfielders got closer to their men and that allowed us to counterattack.

“We improved a great deal after the break, Rubin played to keep their advantage and could not change how the game went when we gained the momentum. After we scored two goals in quick succession it was very difficult for them to change anything. We deserved our victory.”

Andriy Shevchenko is being offered a chance to revive his playing career by moving back to his old club Dynamo Kiev.

‘For a footballer like him, the doors of Dynamo are always open,’ said club president Igor Surkis.

‘If Andriy wants to continue playing top level football we’ll give him this opportunity.’

The 32 year-old has expressed a desire to remain at AC Milan but with only two goals this season in official games, and none in Serie A, it is unclear if the Italian club will want to keep its one-time hero.

Surkis fears that Shevchenko’s wife, American model Kristen Pazik, would veto a move to Ukraine, just as she was the moving force behind his switch to Chelsea three years ago, seen by many as a disaster for a striker who was seen as the best in Europe at the time he moved to Stamford Bridge but whose career has gone downhill ever since.

‘It’s very important too that his own desire coincides with that of his family. His wife may be not so keen on moving to Ukraine,’ said Surkis.

Shevchenko has voiced his frustration at not knowing his next destination. One rumour suggests Chelsea might waive a transfer fee for the Ukrainian.

Recently the player said testily: ‘If you want to know about my future you better ask Roman Abramovich about it.’

First-team regular

2009-10-13T08:06:00.001-07:00

Terry began to establish himself in the Chelsea first team from the 2000-01 season, making 23 starts, and was voted the club’s player of the year.^[18] He continued his progress during 2001-02, becoming a regular in the defence alongside club captain and French international Marcel Desailly. On 5 December 2001 he captained Chelsea for the first time, in a League match against Charlton Athletic. Chelsea reached the FA Cup final, following wins against London rivals West Ham and Tottenham in the fourth and six rounds respectively, and Fulham in the semi-final - where Terry scored the only goal in a 1-0 victory. A virus denied Terry a place in the starting line-up for the final, although he came on as a second-half substitute as Chelsea lost 2-0 to Arsenal. In season 2003-04, his performances led to him being handed the captain's armband by manager Claudio Ranieri, when Desailly was out of the side. He played well in the absence of the French international, forming a strong defensive partnership with William Gallas.

the only English player

2009-10-13T08:02:00.000-07:00

John George Terry (born 7 December 1980 in Barking, Greater London) is an English professional footballer. Terry plays in a centre back position and is the captain of Chelsea in the Premier League. Terry is also captain of the England national football team.

Terry was voted best defender in the UEFA Champions League in both 2005^[2] and 2008, the PFA Players' Player of the Year in 2005,^[3] and was included in the FIFPro World XI for four consecutive seasons, from 2005 to 2008.^[4]^[5]^[6]^[7] He was also named in the all-star squad for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, the only English player to make the team.^[8] He wears the number 26 shirt for Chelsea.

In 2007, he became the first captain to lift the FA Cup at the new Wembley Stadium in Chelsea’s 1-0 win over Manchester United, and also the first player to score a full international goal there, scoring a header in England’s 1-1 draw with Brazil.^[9] However, the 2007-08 season saw Terry and Chelsea miss out on three trophies, losing the League Cup Final to Tottenham Hotspur and Premier League and UEFA Champions League to Manchester United with Terry missing a penalty in the Champions League final shootout, sending it to sudden death. Had he scored, the European Cup would have been secured for Chelsea.^[10] After the final in Moscow, teammate Frank Lampard described Terry as "a man's man".

Terry made his Chelsea debut on 28 October 1998 as a late substitute in a League Cup tie with Aston Villa; his first start came later that season in an FA Cup third round match, a 2-0 win over Oldham Athletic. He spent a brief period on loan with Nottingham Forest in 2000 to build up his first team experience. Terry was involved in an incident at a West London nightclub with Chelsea team mate Jody Morris and Wimbledon's Des Byrne. He was charged with assault and affray, but later cleared.^[13] During the affair, he was given a temporary ban from the England national side by the FA.^[14] Previously, along with Chelsea team-mates Frank Lampard, Jody Morris, Eiður Guðjohnsen and former team-mate Frank Sinclair, in September 2001 Terry was fined two weeks wages by Chelsea after drunkenly harassing grieving American tourists in the immediate aftermath of the September 11 attacks.^[15]^[16] During his early days at Chelsea Terry shared a flat with Andrew Crofts

Rio

2009-10-13T07:54:00.000-07:00

Armed with elegance, pace and an astute ability to read the game, Rio Ferdinand is one of the finest defenders in world football.

The Peckham-born star burst onto the Premiership scene with West Ham United under the guidance of Harry Redknapp before being snapped up by Leeds United for £18million in November 2000.

The 2002 World Cup provided Rio with the stage to make the transformation from budding talent to accomplished defender, and his performances in Japan convinced Sir Alex to part with £30million.

Although initially hampered by injury, Rio

found his feet towards the end of his first season, as United came back from the dead to overtake Arsenal and win a 15th league title.

In September 2003 disaster struck. The defender missed a routine drugs test and, despite appealing, was banned from football for eight months in January 2004.

Since returning from suspension, Rio has consistently justified his tag as a world-class defender. He's also chipped in with valuable goals, perhaps most dramatically with an injury-time winner against Liverpool in January 2006.

Although an increasingly potent threat from

willing to offer midfielde

2009-10-13T07:51:00.000-07:00

Oct 11, 2009 11:20:10 AM

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EPL: Andre Ooijer - De Souza Robinho, Manchester City - Blackburn Rovers (PA)

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Barcelona reportedly want to sign Manchester City pair Robinho and Vincent Kompany, and are willing to offer two of their stars in a part-exchange deal.

According to The Daily Mirror, the Catalans are willing to offer midfielder Yaya Toure - brother of City defender Kolo - and veteran defender Carles Puyol to sweeten the deal.

While Citizens boss Mark Hughes has made it clear that both Robinho and Kompany are firmly in his first-team plans, he could be tempted with Barca's offer, having publicly declared his admiration for both Toure and Puyol.

The Barca captain continues to hold out on a new contract offer and looks set to leave in the next transfer window. City were close to signing Puyol in August, instead securing the services of Joleon Lescott from Everton.

prestigious award

2009-10-13T07:50:00.000-07:00

According to SkySport24, AC Milan's flamboyant Brazilian Ronaldinho has won the 2009 Golden Foot award.

Only players over the age of 29 are eligible for this prestigious award, which commemorates both their personalities along with their personal achievements and those with their team. Rather than being an achievement for just the previous year, on which the Brazilian could be thought to have very few grounds to win an award, the Golden Foot celebrates the player's entire career.

Ronaldinho will receive the award in a ceremony in Monte Carlo tonight, after which he will leave a permanent mould of his footprints on the 'The Champions Promenade' on the waterfront. All previous winners of the award, including the likes of Alessandro Del Piero and Ronaldo, have done the same in an unusual 'walk of fame'.

As such, a player can only win the Golden Foot award once, although there is no limit on the number of times they can be nominated. In fact, David Beckham has been nominated on every occasion apart from 2003.

The other nominees for this year's award were Gianluigi Buffon (Italy), Luis Figo (Portugal) Steven Gerrard (England), Ryan Giggs (Wales), Thierry Henry (France), Raul Gonzalez Blanco (Spain), Francesco Totti (Italy), David Beckham (England) and David Trezeguet (France).

Ronaldinho joins an elite group of players to have won the award since its inception in 2003, and the previous winners are listed below.

Roberto Carlos (2008)
Alessandro Del Piero (2007)
Ronaldo (2006)
Andriy Shevchenko (2005)
Pavel Nedved (2004)
Roberto Baggio (2003)

set to miss up to a month

2009-10-13T07:45:00.000-07:00

Real Madrid Star Cristiano Ronaldo Ruled Out For A Month - Report

He has suffered a recurrence of his ankle injury...

Oct 11, 2009 9:01:38 PM

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Cristiano Ronaldo, Real Madrid (PA)

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Cristiano Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo is set to miss up to a month of action for Real Madrid after sustaining an ankle injury in Portugal's 3-0 win over Hungary on Saturday, according to AS.

The winger suffered a recurrence of the same ankle injury which he picked up in Real's win over Marseille in the UEFA Champions League at the Bernabeu on September 30.

There were doubts over his fitness going into this game, after he failed to make Madrid's trip to Sevilla last weekend but after a fitness test on Friday he was declared fit to play.

Ronaldo played less than half an hour of the European Group One World Cup qualifier and following an MRI scan after his return to Madrid the club have revealed that he will be out for at least three or four weeks.

"After the clinical examination and MRI scan, the player has suffered a recurrence of his injury to his right ankle. The minimum estimated [recovery] time is three to four weeks," the medical report read.

As a result Ronaldo is likely to miss two Primera Liga ties as well as both Champions League games against Milan with a trip to the Vicente Calderon to face Atletico Madrid on November 8 a possible return date for the Madrid's top marksman.

ronaldo career

2009-10-13T07:42:00.000-07:00

2003–2005

Ronaldo with Manchester United

Ronaldo became Manchester United's first-ever Portuguese player when he signed for £12.24 million after the 2002–03 season.^[13] He requested the number 28 (his number at Sporting), as he did not want the pressure of living up to the expectation linked to the number 7 shirt, which had previously been worn by players such as George Best, Bryan Robson, Eric Cantona, and David Beckham. "After I joined, the manager asked me what number I'd like. I said 28. But Ferguson said 'No, you're going to have No. 7,' and the famous shirt was an extra source of motivation. I was forced to live up to such an honour."^[14]

Ronaldo made his team debut as a 60th-minute substitute in a 4-0 home victory over Bolton Wanderers. He scored his first goal for Manchester United with a free kick in a 3–0 win over Portsmouth on 1 November 2003. He scored United's thousandth Premier League goal on 29 October 2005 in a 4–1 loss to Middlesbrough. He scored ten goals in all competitions, and fans voted him to his first FIFPro Special Young Player of the Year award in 2005.

2006–2007

In November and December 2006, Ronaldo received consecutive Barclays Player of the Month honours, becoming only the third player in Premier League history to do so after Dennis Bergkamp in 1997 and Robbie Fowler in 1996.^[15]^[16] He scored his 50th Manchester United goal against city rivals Manchester City on 5 May 2007 as United claimed their first Premier League title in four years, and he was voted into his second consecutive FIFPro Special Young Player of the Year award at the end of the year.

Despite rumours circulating in March 2007 that Real Madrid were willing to pay an unprecedented €80 million (£54 million) for Ronaldo,^[17] he signed a five-year, £120,000-a-week (£31 million total) extension with United on 13 April, making him the highest-paid player in team history.^[18]^[19]

Ronaldo amassed a host of personal awards for the season. He won the PFA Players' Player of the Year and PFA Young Player of the Year awards, joining Andy Gray (in 1977) as the only players to receive this honour.^[20] In April, he completed the treble by winning the PFA Fans' Player of the Year. Ronaldo was also one of seven Manchester United players named in the 2006–07 PFA Premier League Team of the Year.

2007–2008

Ronaldo (centre) and Rio Ferdinand celebrating a goal

Ronaldo's 2007–08 season began with a red card for a headbutt on Portsmouth player Richard Hughes during United's second match of the season, for which he was punished with a three-match ban.^[21] Ronaldo said he had "learned a lot" from the experience and would not let players "provoke" him in the future.^[22] After scoring the only goal in a Champions League away match against Sporting, Ronaldo also scored the injury-time winner in the return fixture as Manchester United topped their Champions League group.^[23]

He finished as the runner-up to Kaká for the 2007 Ballon d'Or,^[24] and was third in the running for the FIFA World Player of the Year award, behind Kaká and Lionel Messi.^[25]

Ronaldo scored his first hat trick for Manchester United in a 6–0 win against Newcastle United at Old Trafford on 12 January 2008, bringing Manchester United up to the top of the Premier League table.^[26] He scored his twenty-third league goal of the season in a 2–0 win against Reading, equalling his entire total for the 2006–07 season.^[27] During a 1–1 Champions League first knockout round draw against Lyon on 20 February, an unidentified Lyon supporter continuously aimed a green laser at Ronaldo and United teammate Nani, prompting an investigation by UEFA.^[28] One month later, Lyon were fined CHF5,000 (£2,427) for the incident.^[29]

On 19 March 2008, Ronaldo captained United for the first time in his career in a home win over Bolton, scoring both goals in the 2–0 victory.^[30] The second of the goals was his 33rd of the campaign, which set a new club single-season scoring record by a midfielder and thus topped George Best's forty-year-old total of 32 goals in the 1967–68 season.^[31] Ronaldo scored another brace in a 4–0 win over Aston Villa on 29 March, which at the time gave him 35 goals in 37 domestic and European matches as both a starter and substitute. Ronaldo's torrid scoring streak was rewarded with his becoming the first winger to win the 2007–08 European Golden Shoe, finishing eight points ahead of Mallorca's Dani Güiza.^[32]

In the 2007–08 Champions League final on 21 May against league rivals Chelsea, Ronaldo scored the opening goal after 26 minutes, which was negated by a Chelsea equaliser in the 45th minute as the match ended 1–1 after extra time. His misfire in the penalty shoot-out put Chelsea in position to win the trophy, but John Terry shot wide right after slipping on the pitch surface, and Manchester United emerged victorious 6–5 on penalties. Ronaldo was named the UEFA Fans' Man of the Match,^[33] and wrapped up the campaign with a career-high 42 goals in all competitions, falling just four short of Denis Law's team-record mark of 46 in the 1963–64 season.

dos Santos Aveiro

2009-10-13T07:35:00.002-07:00

Full name	Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro
Date of birth	5 February 1985 (1985-02-05) (age 24)
Place of birth	Funchal, Madeira, Portugal
Height	1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)
Playing position	Winger, Forward

Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro, OIH (Portuguese pronunciation: [kɾɨʃˈtiɐnu ʁuˈnaɫdu]; born 5 February 1985)^[1] is a Portuguese footballer who plays as a winger for Spanish club Real Madrid and serves as captain of the Portuguese national team. Ronaldo currently holds the distinction of being the most expensive player in football history after having transferred to Real Madrid in a deal worth £80 million (€94m, US$132m). His contract with Real Madrid is believed to have made him the highest-paid player in the world.^[2]

Ronaldo began his career as a youth player at CD Nacional and his successes with the team led to a move to Sporting Clube de Portugal two seasons afterwards. Ronaldo's precocious talent caught the attention of Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson and he signed the 18-year-old for £12.24 million in 2003. The following season, Ronaldo won his first club honour, the FA Cup, and reached the UEFA Euro 2004 final with Portugal, in which tournament he scored his first international goal.

In 2008, Ronaldo won his first UEFA Champions League title, and was named player of the tournament. He was named the FIFPro World Player of the Year^[3] and the FIFA World Player of the Year, in addition to becoming Manchester United's first Ballon d'Or winner in 40 years.^[4]

Three-time Ballon d'Or winner Johan Cruyff said in an interview on 2 April 2008, "Ronaldo is better than George Best and Denis Law, who were two brilliant and great players in the history of Unite

came off the bench to secure Ivory Coast

2009-10-12T18:35:00.000-07:00

JOHANNESBURG: Talisman Didier Drogba came off the bench to secure Ivory Coast a place in the World Cup Finals with a 1-1 draw against Malawi on Saturday.

The Group E result made sure the Ivorians would join Ghana and hosts South Africa in next year’s tournament but the battle for three remaining berths from the region hung in the balance.

Cameroon stayed ahead in Group A after dispatching Togo 3-0 in Yaounde, while African champions Egypt kept alive their hopes with a 1-0 away win in Zambia.

With the Ivorians needing only a draw against bottom placed Malawi in their qualifier in Blantyre, coach Vahid Halilhodzic rested most of his key players for what was presumed a routine challenge.

But after Malawi broke the deadlock in the 63rd minute through Jacob Ngwira, Halilhodzic was forced to introduce the might of Drogba, who had been left on the bench along with Barcelona midfielder Yaya Toure.

The Ivorian captain took just two minutes from his entry on to the field to score the equaliser and secure a second successive World Cup trip for the west Africans.

Cameroon are one point ahead of Gabon in Group A while Egypt moved level with Algeria on 10 points in Group C.

Hosni Abd Rabou scored with a thunderous long-range effort in the 69th minute to give Egypt a 1-0 win in Chililabombwe.

Algeria are expected to restore their three-point lead when they host bottom-placed Rwanda in Blida yesterday, setting up a potentially thrilling deciding match in Cairo between Egypt and Algeria next month.

Cameroon and Gabon are also set for an exciting finale in Group A after they both won their last home matches.

Cameroon’s Geremi scored after missing a first half penalty while Jean Makoun and Achille Emana added second half goals in their rout of Togo.

Gabon ended Morocco’s slim hopes with Hull City’s Daniel Cousin among the goal scorers.

top world soccer news

the final return

Don Carlo

Coaching career

Reggiana, Parma, and Juventus

Milan

Chelsea

celebrating his goals

totti

the former Milan hitman

First-team regular

the only English player

Rio

willing to offer midfielde

Oct 11, 2009 11:20:10 AM

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prestigious award

set to miss up to a month

Real Madrid Star Cristiano Ronaldo Ruled Out For A Month - Report

He has suffered a recurrence of his ankle injury...

Oct 11, 2009 9:01:38 PM

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Players

ronaldo career

2003–2005

2006–2007

2007–2008

dos Santos Aveiro

came off the bench to secure Ivory Coast