2010 Africa Cup of Nations: after the end of the first half the partial result of Egypt-Ghana is 0-0. Top Scorer of the tournament at the moment is Mohamed Nagy, alias Geddo with 4 goals.
At the Estádio 11 de Novembro of Luanda (Angola) Egypt and Ghana played the final of the 27th edition of the wonderful tournament of Africa. The final has been reached by two opposite example of the African football. On one side Egypt, with only one player who plays in Europe (Mohamed Zidan). On the other side Ghana, where 22 of the 23 players belong to an european club. Another interesting fact is that Ghana never scored more than 1 goal in this tournament, while Egypt scored at least 2 goals per game with an average of 3.
At the first of the first half the partial result is 0-0 with both teams that played a very tactical match and no clear chances. The impression is that Ghana controlled the game a little bit more than Egypt, even if the second had the best chance of the game at the 40th minute. Fathi took a free kick from the right. It beat everyone but he stook out a hand to try and deflect it.
The line-up: Ghana: Richard Kingson, Hans Sarpei, Issac Vorsah, Samuel Inkoom, Lee Addy, Andre Ayew, Anthony Annan, Asamoah Gyan, Kwadwo Asamoah, Emmanuel Badu Agyemang , Opuko Agyemang. Egypt: Essam El Hadar, Hany Said, Wael Gomas, Sayed Moawad, Ahmed El Mohamady, Hossam Ghaly, Ahmed Fathi, Ahmed Hassan, Hosni Abd Rabou, Mohamed Zidan, Emad Moteab.
Other news: this year the hosts Angola were to be joined by 14 teams, instead of the usual 15 because the Government of Togo decided to pull-out the team from the tournament. For this reason Togo has been banned for the next two editions of the tournament.
Premier League, week 24: the “blues” defender and captain of the English national team scores the victory gol versus Burnley for 2-1. Manchester United and Arsenal will face tomorrow in a match that worth the second place.
Chelsea – Burnley 2-1: most taught that the Terry‘ scandal of these days would create some problem to the Chelsea defense (Terry is accused to chated his wife). At the opposite, the charismatic player led the Chelsea to the victory. John Terry scored at the 82′ by head on a cross of Malouda.
It has been a very taught match, with the Burnley that had drawn level through Steven Fletcher after the goal of Nicolas Anelka. At the end of the game the captain grabbed the match. Now Chelsea has 4 points more than the closest rival Manchester Utd, 5 over the Arsenal and the two teams will face tomorrow in a match.
Liverpool – Bolton 2-0: the Liverpool of Rafa Benitez doesn’t give up and win at Anfield for 2-0 against Bolton. The goals have been realized by Kuyt and an own goal of Davies. A negative protagonist of the match is Alberto Aquilani. Bolton asked for a penalty because he toched the ball with his hand. The italian player didn’t play brilliantly and at the 65′ has been substituted by Lucas. The offensive player insipired the goal that closed the match.
At the end of the match, Benitez showed his satisfaction for the performance (undefeated by 6 matches). The coach reassures the fans abouth the Champions League of the next year. However in these days there are several news about his transfer to Juventus next year, and seems that he his trying to ask more money to Liverpool to remains.
The results of the week 24 – Premier League:
Liverpool – Bolton 2 – 0
Wigan – Everton 0 – 1
Birmingham – Tottenham 1 – 1
Fulham – Aston Villa 0 – 2
West Ham – Blackburn 0 – 0
Hull City – Wolverhampton 2 – 2
Burnley – Chelsea 1 – 2
Matches of Sunday, January 31st:
Manchester City – Portsmouth Arsenal – Manchester United
Videogames: Electronic Art announced the release of the football game for the next World Cup 2010 in South Africa.
The next World Cup is getting closer and, as a tradition, the EA couldn’t miss this event with a new release of its game, FIFA 10, in the World Cup version.
The game is called: FIFA World Cup 2010, will be the official game of the tournament and will have the rights of all the 199 teams that joined the World Cup qualifying round including, obviously, the 32 nations that will play the final phase in South Africa in order to win the World title.
The release date of FIFA World Cup 2010 is the next 30 April 2010; the game will be commercialized for all the platforms PS3, Xbox 360, PSP and Wii.
FIFA World Cup 2010 will be officially presented at the Stamford Bridge of London where will be showed all the improvements comparing to FIFA 10.
Here are the characteristics of the World Cup game:
In FIFA World Cup 2010 will be available 199 national teams (all licensed).
There will be the original Coaches of the 32 teams that will join the final phase.
10 official stadiums of South Africa.
Several bugs of FIFA 10 corrected and more than 100 improvements.
New graphics for stadium supporters, adapted to the World Cup.
Better AI of the teams (defense and goalkeeper)
Better management of the cross.
In the Nintendo Wii version there will be the Zakumi’s Dream Team Mode in which it will be possible to play with Zakumi, the World Cup 2010 mascotte.
Football world cup 1950: the fourth edition of the football world league was played from 23 June to 16 July 1950.
The post-war period and the competition’s organization
The competition was played again after twelve years from the previous edition held in France, given that the 2nd World War had prevented the regular taking place of the world matches in the last eight years.
In that time frame, the trophy, won by Italy in the 1938 edition, was jealously kept by Ottorino Brassi, at that time president of the Italian Soccer Association and FIFA vice-president.
The Second World War, with its atrocities and unnumbered victims, had permanently marked the worldwide economy and the socio-politic equilibrium: there were whole countries to rebuild and an economy to set on foot. Despite of problems, the football regained power everywhere in the world, also in order to forget the tragedy just passed.
In this atmosphere, the only place suitable for hosting the event was Brasil. The nomination was positively accepted also because, after two consecutive world cup (1934 and 1938) held in Europe, it could now be played in USA
Partecipants
As in the two previous editions, after a preliminary step, the partecipant to the final competition were:
Uruguay
Brazil
Italy
England
Sweden
Spain
United States
Chile
Yugoslavia
Paraguay
Mexico
Switzerland
Bolivia
Only 13 Countries took part in the world cup, an odd number for a tournament with elimination. The final list was determined more by the political and economic post-war conditions of the countries rather than the results of the qualification matches.
Many european countries could not take part in the event because of the high costs required, while Germany and Japan were not invited because mainly considered responsible of the worldwide conflict.
Interesting the presence of the british teams, for the first time in the history. Given the worldwide aspect of the competition, they put an end to the quarrel with FIFA. The traditional British Home Championship (played by the British national teams) of 1949-50, was used as step of qualification to the world cup and was won by England. Although Scotland had the right to participate to the event, because arrived in the second place in the inner Championship, it refused the invitation.
Also India and Turkey, even though qualified, didn’t take part in the final step of the competition. The first was disqualified few days before the beginning of the world cup, for its striking request of playing barefoot, while the second voluntarily decided to reject the invite.
The (short) presence of Italy
Brazil and Italy had the right to partecipate to the final step because respectively the host country and the winning team in office.
Italy risked to miss the event until some days before it, both for the restricted economic conditions of the country and because the team had lost 9 players, belonging to the Torino Team, died in the terrible plane accident close to Superga.
This sad moment, so keenly present in the italian players’ mind, created a kind of psychosis in the team. The players indeed wanted to reach Brazil only travelling by sea.
FIFA payed everything for the italian team. The travel lasted two weeks and the players stood to the the event tired and demotivated. In spite of the training in the boat deck, it is told that after few days all the footballs fell in the sea, letting the team without the right physical training. Italy was defeated by Sweden for 3-2.
Neither England succeeded in the world cup’s qualification. It was defeated by The United States. The day after the english citizens believed it was a false news or an error in the local newspapers. To this days that result is remembered as one of the darkest moment of the english sport
For the first time in the history of the world cups, there were no matches with a direct exclusion and neither a final match. The winning team of the second step was crowned as the champion of the world cup.
Brazil, the host country, was qualified with Uruguay, Sweden and Spain the second step.
Brazil was the favorite
The most memorable match of the world cup’s history, Brazil – Uruguay, was competed the 16th July 1950. Brazil, which had won against Sweden and Spain with two strong results, 7-1 and 6-1, would be qualified also with a draw. While Uruguay had won against Sweden for 3-2 and it had drawn with Spain, with a final result of 2 -2
Brazil was, without any doubts, the favourite for the title, its course was incomparable in the world cup of 1950. The power of the team and the warmth of fans were the perfect formula for a certain victory.
The brazil team and the whole country lived the day of the match with a great palpitation, everybody believed that in few hours Brazil should have been the winner of the competition.
Along the streets of the Capital we could meet groups of joyful fans and there was also a beautiful parade as in the famous brazilian carnival. At the same time, lots of people attacked ticket-booths of Maracana stadium to buy tickets. Many hours before the match, fixed for 3 pm, the tickets were sold out. The stadium was packed of people and all the preparations to celebrate the victory were arranged. Before the final result of the match, the soccer confederation had printed thousands of memorial postcards and conied 22 golden medal to thank its players.
Final match. Brazil vs. Uruguay: the greatest silente of football history
The first half recorded the absolute supremacy of Brazil, but Uruguay managed to keep the draw. Two minutes after the second half Brazil managed to hit up with a goal of Friaça, which animated the stadium. Uruguay kept on with its tidy play , illuminated by the great player Schiaffino. At the 66’ minute, Ghiggia jumped over the brazilian Bigode and passed the so called “el Pepe” Schiaffino, who scored. Although the draw still privileged the brazilian team, the Uruguayan goal was a cold shower for the Seleçao, which was demotivated and players gave up playing. At the 79’, only eleven minutes before the end, a miracle happened: Ghiggia scored the second goal for Uruguay. In that moment there was “the greatest silence of the football history”, a deep silence, almost surreal in a stadium full of fans. Brazil tried to come from behind to win the game, but without success.
The Uruguay, against any expectation, became the winner of the World Cup
At the end of the match, the atmosphere of Maracanà stadium was surreal. Lots of fans were suddenly taken ill in the terraces and the ambulance’s sirens melted with the cries and shouts of the defeated players.
Nobody was worried about the prize-giving ceremony, neither Jules Rimet, the president of the FIFA. He had prepared a prize discussion in portuguese sure of Brazil’s victory, instead he sadly gave the trophy to Uruguay, obliged to leave soon the stadium. In spite of this, Ghiggia was attacked after the match. The player was seriously injured, he came back in Uruguay with crutches and he stayed without playing for the net whole year. It was the only time in the world cup’s history that the national anthem of the winning team was not played.
For Brazil football’s history, 16 July 1950 was a terrible day. It was considered a national mourning day: many people committed suicides because they had bet all their properties and money on Brazil as winner, while others died hit by strokes.
After that tragic day, remembered as “O Maracanazo”, the brazilian soccer confederation decided to change players’ uniform. During those years players wore a white t-shirt with blue collar and white shorts and knee socks. The uniform was changed with a blue t-shirt and white shorts and knee socks, for some years. In 1954, the uniform changed again and it was as in our days: golden t-shirt with green collar, blue shorts and white knee socks. From this colours the Brazil team was called “the green-golden national”.
Premier League, week 23: in the lonely match of the Premier League of today, Manchester United beats Hull City and reaches the top of the table.
Manchester United – Hull City: with 4 goals scored against Hull City, Wayne Rooney trails the “Red Devils” at the top of the Premier League table, and consolidates the supremacy among the Top Scorers of the tournament with 19 goals. Follow him Darren Bent (Sunderland), Jermain Defoe (Tottenham) and Didier Drogba (Chelsea) with 14.
Rooney is the first player of Manchester United who scored 4 goals in a match since November 2004, when Van Nistelrooy did the same thing agains Sparta Prague in Champions League. The next record to brake is the number of goals scored in a Premier League Season (his personal record is 23). In the meanwhile, Manchester United looks the other teams from the top with 50 points.
Probably is just a temporary situation since Chelsea, coached by Carlo Ancelotti, and Arsenal are only 2 points behind with less matches played. The Blues have to play 2 more matches: the next one on Wednesday versus Birmingham. While Arsenal is going to play versus Aston Villa.
Manchester City did well in the last matches with the new Coach Roberto Mancini. However they archived any hope to catch up the first three teams in the table (-12 points from Manchester). They will play next match next Sunday, January 31st, against Portsmouth.
Serie A, week 21: tonight at the Olimpic Stadium in Turin, Juventus faces Roma in a very important match for the future of both teams.
In Torino, Juventus and Roma plays a match precious for the Champions League zone. The teams are third and fourth in the table, and the winner will reach the third place. Ranieri, that last year coached Juventus, is now doing very well with Roma. Moreover the team of the Capital has back Francesco Totti, even if he will start from the bench. Toni and Vucinic will start the match.
In Juve, Ciro Ferrara has a big emergency. Felipe Melo is disqualified. The midfield will play in a rumble with Marchisio, Sissoko that just came back from Africa Cup, Diego and the new purchase Candreva. Forward will play Del Piero and Amauri.
Transfer market Juventus: Juventus reached an agreement with Udinese for the transfer of the young midfielder Antonio Candreva, whose property is splitted with Livorno.
Juventus, in the middle of a crisis with 4 loss in the last 5 matches, try to repair the emergency in the middle of the field. The “bianconeri” want Candreva, a young player of Livorno that has already two presences in the National team with Marcello Lippi.
Candreva is actually in Livorno, but the property is splitted half and half with Udinese. Juventus just reached an agreement with Udinese for 8,5 millions. To close the negotiation they have to satisfy the requests of Livorno. The tuscany team ask for players: probably Albin Ekdal (actually in Siena) and Marcelo Zalyeta. In the next hours we will see if the negotiation ends with a positive result for Juventus.
