Ivory Coast sink Mali at the death in AFCON quarters

Ivory Coast sink Mali at the death in AFCON quarters
Ivory Coast's Oumar Diakite celebrates scoring their second goal with teammates durign their Africa Cup of Nations - Quarter Final against Mali at Stade de la Paix, Bouake, on Feb. 3, 2024. (Reuters)
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Updated 03 February 2024
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Ivory Coast sink Mali at the death in AFCON quarters

Ivory Coast sink Mali at the death in AFCON quarters
  • The result marked another upward turn for the Ivory Coast in a roller coaster AFCON campaign
  • Ivory Coast now return to Abidjan, where they will face the Democratic Republic of Congo

BOUAKE, Ivory Coast: A back-heel goal by Oumar Diakite in added time at the end of extra time gave hosts Ivory Coast a 2-1 win over Mali in Bouake on Saturday after a dramatic Africa Cup of Nations quarter-final.
Reduced to 10 men by a red card at the end of the first half, the Ivorians fell behind in the second half to a Nene Dorgeles goal only for Simon Adingra to equalize in the 90th minute.
The result marked another upward turn for the Ivory Coast in a roller coaster AFCON campaign in which they scraped into the knockout stage after a 4-0 hiding from Equatorial Guinea.
It was a heartbreaking outcome for Mali, who dominated for long periods and, despite missing a penalty, seemed set to maintain a record of never losing a Cup of Nations quarter-final.
Ivory Coast now return to Abidjan, where they will face the Democratic Republic of Congo on Wednesday in the semifinals, but Diakite is set to miss out after picking up a second yellow card while celebrating his winning goal.
This was the sixth meeting of the countries in the AFCON with the two-time champions Ivory Coast winning four and drawing one previously against rivals whose best showing was 1972 runners-up.
Ivory Coast caretaker coach Emerse Fae made three changes to the lineup that started in the dramatic last-16 penalty shootout triumph over defending champions Senegal.
In came midfielder Franck Kessie, scorer of the winning penalty, winger Nicolas Pepe and forward Christian Kouame in place of Ibrahim Sangare, Oumar Diakite and Jean-Philippe Krasso.
Mali had one enforced change to the team that defeated Burkina Faso to set up the west African showdown with Diadie Samassekou replacing ill Mohamed Camara in midfield.
Mali made light of the fact that the majority of the capacity 40,000 crowd in the central city were supporting the host nation and established early dominance.
The Eagles had an appeal for a penalty rejected after the ball struck the outstretched hand of Odilon Kossounou because there had been an earlier offside.
But when Kossounou fouled Lassine Sinayoko, the Egyptian referee pointed to the spot only for Adama ‘Noss’ Traore to have his 17th-minute penalty saved by Youssouf Fofana.
Ivory Coast were battling to create chances until just before half-time when Seko Fofana blazed over when offered a good chance just outside the area.
A troubled first half for Kossounou got worse on 44 minutes when shown a yellow card for the second time, after clipping Sinayoko, and was sent off.
Fae immediately brought on Wilfried Singo to bolster the defense with Pepe sacrificed, and Ivory Coast were lucky to still be level when the half ended.
Mali attacked continuously against 10 men and finally broke the deadlock when Dorgeles raced across the pitch and from just outside the D unleashed a shot that flew past Fofana.
Substitute Diakite came close to levelling, with his header from a corner finishing just off target.
Diakite was involved in the last-gasp equalizer with Adingra pouncing on a deflection off Boubakar Kouyate inside the area and hammering the ball past goalkeeper Djigui Diarra.
Another Ivorian substitute, Sebastien Haller, headed against the crossbar in the first half of extra time.
Later on Saturday in Yamoussoukro — 110 kilometers (68 miles) south of Bouake — Cape Verde face 1996 champions South Africa in the last quarter-final and the winners face Nigeria.


Low turnout for France-Israel match would be understandable, says Upamecano

Low turnout for France-Israel match would be understandable, says Upamecano
Updated 10 sec ago
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Low turnout for France-Israel match would be understandable, says Upamecano

Low turnout for France-Israel match would be understandable, says Upamecano
  • Israeli soccer fans were attacked in Amsterdam last week by groups shouting anti-Israeli slurs
  • “I can understand why people don’t want to come. It’s their choice. We’ll keep going, we’ll fight on the pitch,” 26-year-old center-back Upamecano told reporters

PARIS: A low turnout for France’s high-security Nations League soccer match against Israel at the Stade de France on Thursday would be understandable, defender Dayot Upamecano said on Tuesday.
French media expect only 20,000 fans in the 80,000 capacity stadium north of Paris, where President Emmanuel Macron will attend under tight security, with 2,500 police around the stadium, 1,500 across the city and 1,600 stadium staff deployed.
Israeli soccer fans were attacked in Amsterdam last week by groups shouting anti-Israeli slurs, with at least five people injured after Maccabi Tel Aviv’s Europa League game at Ajax.
Some Maccabi supporters were also seen chanting anti-Arab slogans before Thursday’s match.
On Sunday, Israel urged its citizens to avoid attending cultural and sports events abroad involving Israelis over the coming week.
French supporters’ group Les Irreductibles Français conducted a survey among its members, which showed 15 percent would boycott the France-Israel match due to the Israel-Gaza war.
Some 30 percent cited “security risks,” with 34 percent listing practical reasons such as being unavailable or out of holiday time.
“I can understand why people don’t want to come. It’s their choice. We’ll keep going, we’ll fight on the pitch,” 26-year-old center-back Upamecano told reporters on Tuesday.
Dutch police said they took away more than 300 pro-Palestinian protesters who ignored a ban on demonstrations in Amsterdam on Sunday and detained 50 more following clashes involving Israeli soccer fans last week.
“We will stay focused on the upcoming match. Sorry I didn’t see what happened in Amsterdam,” Upamecano added.
Asked If the France-Israel match should have been moved he added: “Somewhere else? I don’t know at all. I’m just here to play. I’ve loved playing football since I was little.
“Yesterday was November 11 (Armistice Day). I love peace, I hope that one day we’ll find it again, in every country.”
France are second in Nations league Group A2 on nine points from four games, a point behind Italy and five ahead of Belgium. Israel are bottom of the four-team standings without a point.
The Europa League match between Turkish side Besiktas and Maccabi Tel-Aviv on Nov. 28 will be played at a neutral venue in Hungary, European soccer’s governing body UEFA said on Monday.


Former France striker Wissam Ben Yedder gets 2-year suspended jail sentence in sexual assault case

Former France striker Wissam Ben Yedder gets 2-year suspended jail sentence in sexual assault case
Updated 28 min 19 sec ago
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Former France striker Wissam Ben Yedder gets 2-year suspended jail sentence in sexual assault case

Former France striker Wissam Ben Yedder gets 2-year suspended jail sentence in sexual assault case
  • The prosecutor requested a jail sentence of two years, six months, including 18 months suspended
  • The plaintiff’s lawyer, Frank Michel, said during the trial that the victim was in a state of shock and asked for 25,000 euros in damages

PARIS: French soccer star Wissam Ben Yedder received a suspended sentence of two years in prison on Tuesday after his trial last month in France for sexually assaulting a woman, one of his lawyers told The Associated Press.
The prosecutor requested a jail sentence of two years, six months, including 18 months suspended.
Lawyer Marie Roumiantseva said Ben Yedder, who was accused of sexual assault while intoxicated, was ordered to pay compensation of 5,000 euros ($5,300) to the victim. The court in the southern city of Nice also imposed on Ben Yedder a duty to follow treatment.
The plaintiff’s lawyer, Frank Michel, said during the trial that the victim was in a state of shock and asked for 25,000 euros in damages.
Ben Yedder was charged after a woman filed a lawsuit against him in September. He can appeal the ruling.
The 34-year-old player, a prolific striker who has also played for the national team, was briefly detained then released after the incident in his car on the French Riviera. He was arrested at his home later that night after he first refused to stop his car.
The court also ordered the suspension of Ben Yedder’s driving license for six months.
After his arrest, Ben Yedder — who has since started alcohol detox and therapy — admitted he drove while under the influence. He said during the trial he was so drunk he has no recollection of any kind of sexual assault.
Ben Yedder has been without a club since his contract with Monaco expired at the end of last season.
He scored 16 goals with three assists in the French league last season to help Monaco finish second behind Paris Saint-Germain. In five seasons with Monaco, he scored 118 times in 201 appearances in all competitions to become the club’s second-highest scorer behind retired Argentine striker Delio Onnis (223).
Ben Yedder has 19 caps for France, the last of which came in June 2022.
In a separate legal case last year, Ben Yedder was charged with rape, attempted rape and sexual assault over another alleged incident in the south of France.


Carsley loses eight and calls up five for last England squad

Carsley loses eight and calls up five for last England squad
Updated 12 November 2024
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Carsley loses eight and calls up five for last England squad

Carsley loses eight and calls up five for last England squad

LONDON: England interim manager Lee Carsley gave a first senior call-up to Aston Villa forward Morgan Rogers as one of five additions to his last squad on Monday after eight players pulled out.
The team faces Greece in Athens on Thursday before hosting Ireland three days later. Both games are in the Nations League.
Seven of the players to drop out came from the top four clubs in the Premier League: Levi Colwill and Cole Palmer of Chelsea; Arsenal’s Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka; Manchester City midfielders Phil Foden and Jack Grealish and Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold. The eighth withdrawal was Southampton goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale.
Rogers was promoted from the Under-21 squad alongside Burnley goalkeeper James Trafford, Newcastle’s Tino Livramento and Everton’s Jarrad Branthwaite. Of the quartet only center-back Branthwaite has a senior England cap.
West Ham’s Jarrod Bowen, who has 12 senior caps, was also added to the squad.
Carsley will return to his role as Under-21 manager after Nations League games, with Thomas Tuchel starting as the new boss in January.
Defeat in Athens would end England’s chances of automatic promotion from the second tier of the Nations League.
Tuchel has signed an 18-month deal that begins on January 1, so will only be an interested observer during this month’s games.
England squad
Goalkeepers
: Dean Henderson, Jordan Pickford, James Trafford
Defenders: Marc Guehi, Lewis Hall, Taylor Harwood-Bellis, Ezri Konsa, Rico Lewis, Kyle Walker, Jarrad Branthwaite, Tino Livramento
Midfielders: Jude Bellingham, Conor Gallagher, Morgan Gibbs-White, Angel Gomes, Curtis Jones, Morgan Rogers
Forwards: Anthony Gordon, Jack Grealish, Harry Kane, Noni Madueke, Dominic Solanke, Ollie Watkins, Jarrod Bowen


Turkiye football club chief jailed over attack on ref

Turkiye football club chief jailed over attack on ref
Updated 11 November 2024
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Turkiye football club chief jailed over attack on ref

Turkiye football club chief jailed over attack on ref
  • Incident occurred in December 2023 following a 1-1 draw between Ankara’s MKA Ankaragucu and visiting Caykur Rizespor in Turkiye’s top flight

ANKARA: A former football chief in Turkiye’s Super Lig was sentenced to more than three years in prison Monday over an on-pitch attack on a referee, the Anadolu news agency reported.
The incident occurred in December 2023 following a 1-1 draw between Ankara’s MKA Ankaragucu and visiting Caykur Rizespor in Turkiye’s top flight.
Footage from the scene showed Ankaragucu’s then president Faruk Koca rushing onto the pitch and punching referee Halil Umut Meler after he blew the final whistle, shouting: “I’m going to kill you!“
He appeared to be incensed over the ref’s decision to send off one of his players, and disallowing an earlier goal by Ankaragucu. Caykur had scored an equalizer in injury time.
Denouncing the attack as “despicable,” the Turkish Football Federation (TFF) suspended Super Lig matches for eight days and initiated criminal proceedings against Koca and several others.
Several days later, Koca apologized and resigned as club president but insisted his team had been cheated by the referee.
The court on Monday handed him three years and seven months for “intentional injury to a public sports official” as well as six months and 20 days for “making threats.”
It also handed him a five-month suspended sentence for “violating the law on violence prevention in sports.”
During the incident, the referee — who fell to the ground after being punched — was also kicked several times by other club officials, leaving him with a head trauma.
The court also handed prison sentences to three other officials for causing, or trying to cause, “intentional injury” to a public sports official, with sentences ranging from one to five years behind bars.
The incident provoked uproar in Turkiye and a flurry of condemnation, including from FIFA, football’s world governing body.


3rd-place Nottingham Forest face home defeat to Newcastle

3rd-place Nottingham Forest face home defeat to Newcastle
Updated 11 November 2024
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3rd-place Nottingham Forest face home defeat to Newcastle

3rd-place Nottingham Forest face home defeat to Newcastle
  • Man Utd win to end Van Nistelrooy’s interim spell; Ipswich shock Spurs

LONDON: Third-placed Nottingham Forest’s fine run came to an end in a 3-1 home defeat to Newcastle on Sunday. 
Forest had won three games in a row to sit just behind Liverpool and Manchester City at the top of the table and their dream run looked set to continue at the City Ground.
Murillo’s towering header from Anthony Elanga’s free kick opened the scoring.
But Newcastle hit back strongly after half time.
Alexander Isak’s fourth goal in as many games began the fightback.
Joelinton then curled in a sensational strike from the edge of the box before Harvey Barnes sealed the three points that lifts the Magpies into eighth.
Arsenal and Chelsea both start the day 10 points behind leaders Liverpool and in desperate need of a win if they are to challenge for the title.
Captain Martin Odegaard starts for the first time in two months for Arsenal, who are aiming to snap a three-game winless streak in the Premier League.
Meanwhile, Manchester United signed off Ruud van Nistelrooy’s temporary stint in charge with a 3-0 win over Leicester on Sunday as Ipswich stunned Tottenham 2-1 for their first Premier League victory in 22 years.
Ipswich will play host to Amorim’s first match in two weeks and go into that game buoyed by their first win since ending a two-decade wait to return to the top flight.
Spurs were finally made to pay for their slow starts at home as they went behind for the 13th time in 15 Premier League games at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in 2024.
Sammie Szmodics took advantage of statuesque Tottenham defending to open the scoring with an overhead kick on 31 minutes.
Liam Delap doubled the visitors’ lead in far less spectacular fashion as he lashed in from point-blank range after Radu Dragusin directed a cross toward his own goal.
Spurs had come back to win in eight of the previous 12 matches they conceded first at home this year but this time left themselves with too much to do.
Rodrigo Bentancur reduced the arrears with a powerful header from Pedro Porro’s corner but they fell to a fifth league defeat in 11 games.
Ipswich move out of the relegation zone at Crystal Palace’s expense, while Spurs slip to 10th.
Elsewhere, in Italian football, Atalanta moved level with Serie A leaders Napoli on Sunday after coming back from a goal down to beat spirited Udinese 2-1 and continue an unlikely title bid.