DOUALA - Esteban Obiang scored 20 minutes from time as Equatorial Guinea pulled off one of the great Africa Cup of Nations finals upsets with a 1-0 win over defending champions Algeria on Sunday.
The shock Group E result leaves Algeria bottom of the standings and needing a win in their last group game against the Ivory Coast on Thursday to stand any chance of advancing.
The story of Matchday 1 across AFCON was probably Sierra Leone's unlikely 0-0 draw with tournament favorite Algeria last Tuesday.
There is truly nothing like the Africa Cup of Nations, and this year’s edition is no different.
RIYADH - Athletic Bilbao substitute Nico Williams struck late in the second half to give the Spanish Super Cup holders a 2-1 come-from-behind win over LaLiga champions Atlético Madrid in Thursday's semifinal.
Bilbao set up a showpiece clash on Sunday against Real Madrid, who beat Barcelona 3-2 on Wednesday.
Brazil coach Tite has left out Renan Lodi for their World Cup qualifiers against Ecuador and Paraguay because the Atlético Madrid full back has not had a full course of COVID-19 vaccines.
"Renan Lodi was excluded from the possibility of being called up due to his non-vaccination," Tite, who recalled Dani Alves and Philippe Coutinho, told reporters on Thursday. "He missed the chance to compete (for a place)."
James Rodríguez is being praised as a hero in the Qatar Stars League after saving the life of a colleague on Jan. 8. The Colombian was playing for Al-Rayyan when Al-Wakrah defender Ousmane Coulibaly collapsed on the goal-line due to a cardiac arrest, just seconds after he sent the ball to a corner kick.
Reports say while everybody was panicking, Rodríguez ran to Coulibaly and performed a life-saving maneuver. The phrase is not an oversell — the doctors who took care of Coulibaly in the stadium applauded his intervention.
Coming off a disappointing 2021 season in which Minnesota United clearly took a step backward, there wasn't much joy to be found among Loons fans at the start of the offseason.
Relegation-threatened Reading got absolutely hammered by promotion hopefuls Fulham in the Championship on Tuesday — losing 7-0 at the Madejski to braces from Harry Wilson and Aleksandar Mitrović and further goals from Kenny Tete, Neeskens Kebano and Tosin Adarabioyo.
In a poetically fitting way, Reading's 33-year-old striker Andy Carroll also had two outrageous efforts ruled out for being clearly offside.
When asked what motivates him to continue playing football after the age of 50, Kazuyoshi Miura softly answers: "I have this passion of wanting to play, so that keeps me going"
It’s frustrating when you see countless European coaches, fans and media outlets focusing more on what the Africa Cup of Nations costs than the joy it brings. Yes, some European clubs are without some top players for a little while, but no one complains participation in the Euros or Copa América. For proof of what AFCON means to the continent, look no further than the tears of Mohamed Kamara, the young Sierra Leone keeper who was named Man of the Match after an unlikely 0-0 draw with Algeria on Tuesday.