Morocco 3-4 Nigeria (AET): Amazing Eagles fly past Atlas Lions The Super Eagles went three goals down, woke from their slumber and tamed the Atlas Lions after extra-time to grab CHAN semi-final ticket By JUSTICE VERA Jan 25, 2014 6:34:00 PM

Nigeria have secured a place in the semi-final of the African Nations
Championship after beating Morocco 4-3 after extra-time in the
quarter-final match played at the Cape Town Stadium.
A first half brace from Mohsine Moutaouali and a goal from Iajour
Mouhssine ensured Hassan Benabicha's side got a three-goal lead in the
first half of the tension soaked encounter but the second half saw
goals from Ugonna Uzochukwu, Rabiu Ali and Ejike Uzoenyi on the dot of
90 minutes ensured the game proceeded into extra-time.
However, it was Abubakar Ibrahim's strike in the second half extra
time that made the difference for Stephen Keshi's side in the
seven-goal thriller.
The Super Eagles mounted pressure on the Moroccan defence in the early
minutes of the match which saw them play three corners in the opening
ten minutes.
Azubuike Egwueke failed to give Nigeria the lead in the 11th minute
when his header off Uzoenyi's cross went over the Atlas Lions' cross
bar. Nevertheless, Keshi's men continued to dominate but lacked the
cutting edge when it came to finding the back of the net.
Morocco's first chance came off Iajour's simple tap from a well
tailored pass received from the midfield after the Eagles lost
possession in the middle.
Minutes later, Uzoenyi produced a fine pass to set Gbolahan Salami
free down the flank, with the latter supplying a dangerous low ball
into the box, allowing Rabiu Ali to fire a tame shot at Nadir
Lamyaghrf in the best of the opening exchanges.
Moutaoualislotted home Morocco's opener with a classy finish in the
33rd minute after he received a pass from Fatah Said.Iajourscored the
second off a swerving free kick outside Nigeria's defence after
Mouhssine was pushed off the ball by Bright Esieme.
Stephen Keshi's side rallied following that setback. First, Salami
fired a testing effort at Nadir which the Morocco keeper smartly
tipped over the bar, before Rabiu Ali's long range missile that went
over the cross bar.
Moutaoualigot his brace in the 40th minute following another clever
pass from Mouhssine who had a stupendous afternoon.
On resumption of the second half, Nigeria took charge of the game and
posed a few problems for the Atlas Lions, and deservedly got their
first throughUzochukwu– beforeAligot Nigeria's second six minutes
later.
There continued to be chances at both ends. Mohammed Oulha picked up a
loose ball from distance before striking on the half volley from 25
yards, only to see Egwuekwe turn it behind. Nigeria then had a shout
for a penalty after the ball bounced up on Hachim , but referee
Bernard Camille thought otherwise.
The Super Eagles grew in confidence and equalised on 90 minutes
throughUzoenyi's rocket outside the Atlas Lions' defence which saw the
game move into extra time.
While it seemed the game would head for a penalty shoot-out, in second
half extra time,Ibrahimpounced to give Nigeria the winner after
Morocco goalkeeper and captain, Nadir Lamyaghri spilled an easy ball
off Uzoenyi's cross.
Nigeria will now wait for the winner between Ghana and DR Congo in
Sunday's quarter final game.

Chelsea condemn United, Spurs win

Samuel Eto'o's hat-trick saw Chelsea to a 3-1 win over Manchester
United at Stamford Bridge on Sunday that piled pressure on the Premier
League champions.
This result left title-holders United 14 points adrift of leaders
Arsenal with 16 league games of the season remaining and six off a
place in the Champions League.
Their seventh league loss this term also turned the spotlight back on
David Moyes, the successor chosen by Alex Ferguson, British football's
most successful manager, to replace him following his retirement at
the end of last season.
"We did not deserve to be 2-0 down at halftime," Moyes told the BBC.
"We had a little bit of bad luck with the first one (goal) but we
can't blame anyone else but ourselves for the other two.
"We did not defend well enough and did not get a chance like Chelsea
got to score, so we can only blame ourselves for that," the Scot
added.
However, the former Everton manager insisted: "We will keep going. We
showed a lot of good things today."
Victory left Jose Mourinho's Chelsea within two points of Arsenal.
"I think it is a big win and deserved, yes," Chelsea manager Jose
Mourinho told the BBC. "They (United) started better than us, they had
a good initiative.
"The second half was different. For 25-30 minutes we had very good
control until we dropped back and they reacted with pride," explained
the Portuguese boss after his 100th Premier League win as a manager.
"The second goal was the killer in the box I know from many years ago
and it looks like Samuel Eto'o is coming back," added Mourinho, who
managed the forward when they were both at Inter Milan.
Eto'o gave Chelsea a 17th minute lead when his shot from just outside
the box deflected off Michael Carrick.
This video is not available.The 32-year-old veteran Cameroon striker
made it 2-0 on the stroke of halftime when, following Gary Cahill's
centre, he smashed the ball home from six yards out.
United, without injured strikers Wayne Rooney and Robin van Persie,
were 3-0 behind four minutes after the interval when more lax
defending from a set-piece allowed Cahill a free header.
His effort was blocked by United goalkeeper David de Gea but, barely a
yard away, Eto'o reacted first and made no mistake as he become the
first Chelsea player to score a hat-trick against United since Seamus
O'Connell in 1954.
Javier Hernandez, on as a substitute for Ashley Young, pulled a goal
back 12 minutes from time.
But that was as good as it got for United whose misery was compounded
when captain Nemanja Vidic was sent off in stoppage time for a rash
challenge on Eden Hazard, with Rafael de Silva then fortunate to
escape a red card for an equally wild lunge on Cahill.
"I have not seen Rafa's but I have seen Vidic's. Vidic's for me is not
a red card, it was a yellow card," said Moyes. "If Rafa's was a bad
one I would hopefully come out honestly and say what I think."
Earlier, Emmanuel Adebayor scored twice as Tottenham Hotspur moved
level on points with Liverpool after a 3-1 win away to struggling
Swansea.
Adebayor's goals, separated by a Chico Flores own-goal, ensured
Tottenham remained unbeaten in the league under manager Tim Sherwood,
whose record now stands at five wins and a draw since the Englishman
replaced sacked predecessor Andre Villas-Boas.
After Swansea's Wilfried Bony had hit the crossbar, Adebayor gave
Spurs the lead, against the run of play, in the 35th minute when he
headed in an excellent cross from Christian Eriksen.
And the north London side made it 2-0 in the 53rd minute when Flores
put Kyle Walker's cross into his own net.
Adebayor put the result beyond doubt 19 minutes from time before Bony
scored a consolation goal.
Sherwood welcomed Adebayor's rediscovered hunger and form after the
player became disillusioned and marginalised under Villas-Boas.
"It's obviously great for the football club and great for Ade himself,
who's flying at the moment and enjoying his football."

Legendary actress Suchitra Sen no more(Video)

Renowned actress Suchitra Sen, who was also called Bengal's Greta
Garbo, died in Kolkata at 82 today.
The health condition of the actress had been in hospital since
December 23 for treatment for a respiratory tract infection.
Ms Sen began her career with the Bengali film 'Shesh Kothay' in 1952
and is known for her role in Bimal Roy's 'Devdas' (1955) and 'Aandhi'
(1975).
Ms Sen was also the first Indian actress to be awarded at an
international film festival - Best Actress award for 'Saptapadi' at
the Moscow film festival in 1963.
But after her 1978 movie, 'Pronoy Pasha' flopped; she disappeared from
the public eye and even allegedly refused the Dadasaheb Phalke Award
in 2005 preferring not to make a public appearance.
Khaleda urges govt to release detained journalists

Obama to reveal curbs on NSA spy programmes

President Barack Obama is to announce changes to US electronic spy
programmes after revelations made by ex-intelligence contractor Edward
Snowden.
He aims to restore public confidence in the intelligence community.
Mr Obama is expected to create a public advocate at the secretive
court that approves intelligence collection.
His proposals come hours after UK media reports that the US has
collected and stored almost 200 million text messages per day across
the globe.
A National Security Agency (NSA) programme extracted and stored data
from the SMS messages to gather location information, contacts and
financial data, according to the Guardian newspaperand Channel Four
News.
As so often, [President Obama's] liberal instincts may be at war with
his perceived duty as commander in chief - and he may be doomed to
disappoint many on both sides of the debate

Seedorf confirmed as new AC Milan coach...Jan 16, 2014 12:51:00 by BLISS GIST...

The Dutchman had already announced that he would take charge of the
Serie A side on Tuesday and the Rossoneri have now formalised his
appointment
...
PM AC Milanhave confirmed the appointment of Clarence Seedorfas
their new head coach following the dismissal of Massimiliano Allegri.
Allegri was sacked on Monday, less than 24 hours after a shock 4-3
loss to Sassuolo that left theRossoneri11th in Serie A and 20 points
adrift of the Champions League qualification places.
Former Milan midfielder Seedorf announced the following day that he
had decided to end his playing career in order to return to San Siro
as coach.
Mauro Tassotti took temporary charge for the midweek Coppa Italia
clash with Spezia but Seedorf met with Milan vice-president Adriano
Galliani on Thursday and put pen to paper on a contract that will run
until June 2016.
The 37-year-old Dutchman will take charge of his first training
session at 15:00CET, while first game at the helm will be Sunday's
Serie A meeting with Verona at the Giuseppe Meazza.
Seedorf, who was capped 87 times by Netherlands, spent 10 years with
Milan, with whom he won two of his four Champions League medals.

Official: Chelsea re-sign Matic for €25m

Chelseahave confirmed they have re-signed midfielder Nemanja Maticfrom Benfica.
The Blues were on the brink of agreeing a deal worth €25 million
for the Serbon Monday after holding talks with the Portuguese giants
in Lisbon.
Matic travelled to London on Tuesday to undergo a medical, and has
now signed a five-and-a-half year contract at Stamford Bridge.
"I am very happy for this opportunity to be back at this club," Matic
told the club's official website. "I feel very good because of that
and just want to say I will give my best to help the team and make the
Chelsea fans happy."
The 26-year-old joined Chelsea for just €1.8m in 2009 but left two
years later as part of the deal which brought David Luiz to west
London in January 2011.
Jose Mourinho has long considered a top-class defensive midfielder his
most urgent transfer target and with his physique, technical ability
and athleticism, Matic is believed to fit the bill perfectly.
Mourinho added: "I am very pleased that Nemanja is returning to
Chelsea. He has grown as a player in Portugal and has become a
fantastic all-round midfielder.
"I am sure he will become a very important member of the squad and
help us to achieve our ambitions."
The return of Matic will be financed in large part by the €18m sale of
Kevin De Bruyne to Wolfsburg, which is expected to be announced
imminently.
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Manchester City close in on 'Nigerian Neymar' Yahaya

The attacking midfielder would be the third Nigeria Under-17
international to sign on at the Etihad Stadium following the African
nation's success at the World Cup
Jan 11, 2014 11:00:00 PM
EXCLUSIVE
By Paul Clennam
Manchester Cityare poised to secure a deal for Nigeria under-17star
Musa Yahaya.
Yahaya scored four times in seven matches at the U-17 World Cup held
in the United Arab Emirates, with Nigeria beating Mexico 3-0 in the
final to win the tournament.
Dubbed the 'Nigerian Neymar', Yahaya had been tracked by Tottenham, as
well as teams in Portugal and Spain, but City appear to have won the
race for the 16-year-old and are in deep discussions with the player's
agent, Babawo Mohammed.
The attacking midfielder, who plays at the Mutunchi Academy in his
homeland, would become the third member of the African nation's junior
team to join City and is keen to link up with his international
team-mates at the Etihad Stadium.
Yahaya, who describes Andres Iniesta as his footballing hero and has
admitted he wants to play for Real Madrid, has remained coy over his
immediate future in recent months.
"I am not going to talk on that one [where he wants to move], I have a
manager in Babawo Mohammed. I have left that for him to handle. He
knows me and knows what is good for me," he told MTNFootball in
November.Striker Kelechi Iheanacho, who won the Golden Ball at the
U-17 World Cup after picking up six goals and seven assists, signed a
pre-contract agreement with Manuel Pellegrini's side on Friday and
will join when he turns 18 in October.
Chidi Nwakali, meanwhile, is also on the verge of signing for the club
after arriving for talks last week, with City opening their
state-of-the-art Etihad Campus training facility in August.

Ashlee Simpson Engaged To Evan Ross

Engagement season is in full swing and another celebrity couple joined in as Ashlee Simpson became engaged to Evan Ross.





The "Crazy Sexy Cool: The TLC Story" star tweeted a photo of the happy pair with the caption, "The love of my life said YES!!!!!!"




Posting the same pic, the "Pieces of Me" singer wrote, "My baby love and I are ENGAGED!!!



Hallelujah Hawaii !!!!!"





The pair have been dating publicly since last July, when they were spotted at his mother Diana
Ross's concert after-party. Ashlee was previously married to Pete Wentz, with whom she shares a
5-year-old son.

Mourinho surprised at Mikel’s 'goal scoring appetite'

Chelseamanager Jose Mourinhohas praised John Obi Mikel's impact on
his squad as the Blues won their third round FA Cup game against Derby
County on Sunday.
The Blues were late in scoring before the Nigerian's header in the
second half put them on their way to winning 2-0.
Mikel was given the captain's armband by Ghanaian Michael Essien
instead of Ashley Cole and he went on to make great impact afterwards
scoring his fourth ever Chelsea goal on the day he made his
300thappearance for the club.
"I never recognise his ability to score goals," Mourinho told the
club's website.
"I recognise his ability to play as an anchorman, to play that
position in a very comfortable way, with no mistakes. He reads the
game well, plays in an intelligent and safe way, but I never recognise
his goal scoring appetite.
"There was a smile on my face [when he scored]. For some reason Essien
gave him the armband, normally it should go to Ashley Cole, so maybe
it made him believe he was a goal scorer!
"It was important for us, we were dominating and dominating, creating
and creating but the goal was not arriving. It was like the winning
goal.'
Mikel is in the running for the 2013 Caf African Player of the Year
award that will be announced on Thursday January 9 at a gala to be
held in Lagos. He is contesting against Ivoirians Yaya Toure and
Didier Drogba.
He has seen support for him rise in recent days with Nigeria coach
Stephen Keshi stating: "It will boost the team and Mikel and all
Nigerians because it has been a long time since we last won the award
and I know we deserve to win this year."

'It's always a complete mess with me' - Di Maria fumes over crowd gesture row.

Angel Di Mariahas hit out at suggestions he made an obscene gesture to
supporters after being subsituted in Real Madrid's 3-0 win over
Celtaon Monday.
The Argentine was seen to grasp his groin as he left the field in the
victory at Santiago Bernabeu after some sections of the home support
booed him for his performance.
Di Maria insists he was not attempting to make any gesture and claims
his actions - unlike those of his team-mates' - are scrutinised to a
frustrating extent whenever he takes to the field.
"It wasn't for anyone. I adjusted myself and kept running," the
25-year-old toldFox Sports.
"I've never had problems with the fans. I could feel that half were
applauding and half booing.
"I went out totally naturally. They always expect me to do something.
I always have to clarify what I do. With everyone else nothing happens
and with me it's always a complete mess.
"I fight every day for a place at Real Madrid and it makes me angry
that things are always being invented about me. But I am calm because
I know it was nothing."
Carlo Ancelotti had earlier suggested any attempted gesture from Di
Maria would have been "a mistake" but stressed he was not
concerned over the incident.
Two goals from Cristiano Ronaldo - his 399th and 400th of his career -
and a strike from Karim Benzema sealed the points for the hosts
against Celta.