Germany becomes soccer World champions

Germany has won this year's edition of the Federation of International Football Association (FIFA) World cup in Brazil. The European country has become the first side to do so on South American soil. The Joachim Loew tutored side overcame a spirited effort that was put up by Argentina in Rio de Janeiro.

It was the third meeting between these two sides in a final. While the Argentines won the 1986 edition, Germany recorded a 1-0 win four years later.

Lionel Messi couldn't re-enact his group stage form against the three time World champions. The Barcelona forward scored in the first four games of the tournament but his goals seems to have dried up after the second round match against Switzerland.

Germany dictated the final match, but they were unable to break down the highly disciplined Alejandro Sabella led team. Gonzalo Higuain had the chance to put the two time champions in front when he got to the end of a through pass, but the Napoli frontman fired the ball wide.

Lionel Messi and Palacio also missed the chance to score against Manuel Neuer who was adjudged the best keeper of the tournament.

Mario Gotze came in as a late substitute for Miroslav Klose and the Bayern Munich player became the hero of the day. He latched on to the ball from the left before beating Sergio Romero on the near post.

Germany has now won the World cup on four occasions. The next mundial will be in Russia in 2018.

Argentina vs Netherlands soccer preview

The World cup stadium in Sao Paulo will be alive again on Wednesday when the second semi final of this year's FIFA World cup takes centre stage.

Argentina will play against Netherlands in an explosive encounter. The South Americans have won the tournament on two occasions, while the Dutch side have lost their  two finals in 1978 and 2010.

They actually lost the 1978 final against a Diego Maradona inspired team. This time around, Lionel Messi will be the focal point of the 'Albaceleste'. Messi has scored four goals in Brazil and he will be expected to play a key role in taming the 'Oranje' of Netherlands on Wednesday.

Coach of the Argentine team,Sabella could feature Sergio Aguero in this fixture. The Manchester City striker has missed the last two matches due to a groin injury he sustained against Nigeria. He will be subjected to a late fitness test.  No one can guarantee that the ex-Atletico de Madrid player will be influential against Louis Van Gaal's men.
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Angel Di Maria is out of the World cup and he won't be expected to play a part in Wednesday's fixture. The Real Madrid striker got injured in the game against Belgium.

The Europeans
Netherlands overcame a dogged Costa Rican team in the quarter final on  Saturday via penalties. The trio of Arjen Robben, Wesley  Sneidjer and Robin Van Persie will lead the Dutch assault in Sao Paulo. RVP and Robben have scored 3 goals each.

This is the third World cup semi final in the last five appearances for Netherlands. Louis Van Gaal will obviously replace Clissen with Tim Krul if this match should go beyond 90 minutes and extra time.

ChatSoccer predicts a 3-2 win for Netherlands.

Kick off time: 20.00 UTC

Belgium bundled out of Brazil 2014

The Belgian national team have crashed out of the on going FIFA World cup in Brazil. The so-called golden generation of Belgium were woeful in their quarter final match against Argentina in Brasilia.

Napoli forward,  Gonzalo Higuain scored the only goal of the match after eight minutes.  The ex-Madridsta finished brilliantly after getting to the end of lovely ball from the midfield.

Angel Di Maria was very influential in the opening minutes of the game until he injured his thigh. A ferocious shot hit his thigh and after receiving a short treatment, he couldn't continue with the intensity that was noticed before then.
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Lionel Messi was denied by Courtious on few occasions as the Argentines failed to add ti their goal tally.

Eden Hazard and Fellaini couldn't trouble the South Americans,  while the introduction of Romelu Lukaku was not effective.

Argentina will face the winner of Netherlands in Sao Paulo on Wednesday. This will be the first time in 24 years that the 'Albaceleste' will go beyond the quarter final of the World cup.

Brazil knocks out Colombia

The Samba boys of Brazil are through to the semi final of the 2014 FIFA World cup. The five time champions defeated Colombia by 2-1 in Fortaleza on Friday night.

Captain of the side, Thiago Silva bundled Neymar's corner kick into the net after seven minutes of action. 

The captain won't be available for the next match against Germany after picking up his second yellow card of the mundial.

The Brazilians were able to contain the Colombians who were appearing in their first ever quarter final.

In the second half, Brazil extended their lead to 2-0 via a free kick.  David Luiz converted the set piece from 30 yards.
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James Rodriguez scored his sixth goal of the tournament through a penalty kick, but it wasn't enough to deny the host nation from booking a place in the last four.

Neymar Junior has been ruled out of the tournament due to injury.

Germany and Brazil will play the first semi final match on Tuesday.

Messi and Musa score twice as Ecuador crashes out of Brazil 2014

Lionel Messi and Ahmed Musa both scored braces for their countries in Argentina's 3-2 win over Nigeria on Wednesday afternoon. The four times World best player scored his first goal of the game in the third minute. The Barcelona forward fired a loose ball into the net after Nigerian defenders failed to clear Angel Di Maria's shot.

A minute later, Ahmed Musa scored the equaliser for the reigning African champions. He received a pass from Michael Babatunde and curled in a shot round Romero that was in goal for the Argentines.

Messi made it 2-1 to Argentina shortly before the end of the first half. He curled a free kick over the defence wall and into the far corner of the Nigerian net.

Musa scored his brace within the opening minutes of the second half when he ran in between Argentine defenders before sending Romero the wrong way.

Rojo scored the winner for Argentina when the ball came off his knee after a corner kick was taken.

Argentina will face Switzerland in the round of 16 while Nigeria will meet France.

In group E, Ecuador were knocked out of the World cup after playing a goalless draw against France. The South Americans finished third in the group with 4 points.

Brazil 2014 World cup weekend review 2

Crunching fixtures were placed across different match centres at the ongoing FIFA World cup in Brazil. Costa Rica continued their Cinderella run by recording a 1-0 victory over Italy in Recife. The Central Americans are now on top of group D with six points.
Mario Balotelli missed several scoring chances in that encounter while Buffon couldn't have a clean sheet on his return from injury.

Group E

Arena Fonte Nova stadium was the venue of the seven goal thriller between Switzerland and France. Didier Deschamps' men were very dominant throughout the game. Olivier Giroud scored the first goal for the 1998 champions before Valbuena,Sissoko and Karim Benzema added their goals. Benzema also missed a penalty in the first half.

The Swiss side scored two consolatory goals as the scoreline ended 5-2. France are now on top of group E with 6 points from two matches. Honduras were beaten 2-1 by Ecuador in an entertaining match that took place at the Arena de Baixada in Curitiba.

Group F
Argentina struggled to edge Iran by a lone goal in a match that was played at the Estadio Mineirao in Belo Horizonte. The two time World champions laboured to break down a resolute Iranian defence for 90 minutes. Carlos Quieroz's Asian team were denied penalties by the centre referee. Romero was called into action on some few occasions as the Persian team tried to create an upset, but a last minute moment of magic from Lionel Messi was enough for Argentina to claim all the three points at stake.

Sabella's team are currently on top of the group standings with 6 points.

The Arena Pantanal in Cuiaba was the host venue for the encounter between Nigeria and Bosnia&Herzegovina. The African side recorded their first win in 16 years by claiming a controversial victory over Bosnia. Peter Odemwingie scored the only goal of the game in the 29th minute of action after Emmanuel Emenike has out-muscled a Bosnian defender on the right wing.

Edin Dzeko's goal was erroneously ruled out for offside. The Manchester City striker was furious after the match and alleged that the referee robbed his team of victory. Nigeria are now second in the group with 4 points.

Group G
Germany and Ghana played a 2-2 draw in Fortaleza. The encounter took place at the Estadio Castelao where Germany took the lead through a header from Mario Gotze. Andre Ayew equalised for Ghana before Gyan Asamoah put the African team in front the second half. Joachim Loew's German team were on the brink of suffering a shock defeat before Miroslav Klose came off the bench to equalise for the Germans. Klose has now equalled Ronaldo da Lima's 15 goal record in the World cup. The Germans are now on 4 points.

On Sunday night, Portugal scored a last minute goal to deny USA  a memorable win. Nani's 5th minute goal seems to be the motivation that Bento's team needed to erase the memories of their 4-0 demolition against Germany, but the American scored two second half goals through Jermaine Jones and Clint Dempsey. The American were less than 10 seconds away from victory, but Cristiano Ronaldo provided a nice cross that was nodded into the back of the net. Portugal are at the bottom of the group.

Group H
Belgium booked their place in the last 16 of the tournament after a 1-0 win over Russia. Marc Wilmots' team was unconvincing throughout the match, but they managed to get a late goal and they are now through to the first knockout stage of Brazil 2014. The Maracana stadium in Rio de Janeiro was the venue of the match,

The other group match ended in a 4-2 win for Algeria. The desert foxes of Algeria defeated South Korea at the Estadio Beira Rio in Porto Alegre. The victory was the first World cup success for the North African team in 32 years. The team now have 3 points and they are second behind Belgium.

Results 

Italy 0-1 Costa Rica

Switzerland 2-5 France

Honduras 1-2 Ecuador

Argentina 1-0 Iran

Germany 2-2 Ghana

Nigeria 1-0 Bosnia

Belgium 1-0 Russia

Algeria 4-2 South Korea

Portugal 2-2 USA

England dumped out of Brazil 2014

The three lions of England have been knocked out of this year's FIFA World cup that is currently going on in Brazil. The 1966 champions lost their first to games to Italy and Uruguay by 2-1 on both occasions.

The exit of England was confirmed when Costa Rica defeated Italy by 1-0 on Friday afternoon. The CONCACAF team recorded the upset at the Arena Pernambuco in Recife. England were hoping that the 'Azuri' of Italy were going to beat the Central Americans, but the 2006 champions succumbed to a shocking 1-0 defeat.

England cannot go beyond the group stage of Brazil 2014 because Uruguay and Italy have three points each while Costa Rica are ahead with 6 points.
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Roy Hodgson came to this soccer fiesta with the hope of going far, but inexperience of a major tournament has ended their World cup campaign.

Their last match will be against Costa Rica on Tuesday.

Africa's woes continue as Mexico hinders Brazil

The dismal outing of African teams at the ongoing FIFA World cup in Brazil continued on Tuesday night. The Fennec foxes of Algerian lost their opening group match to Belgium by 2-1. The 1990 African champions took the lead midway through the first half when Jan Vertoghen brought down an Algerian player in the penalty box.

Courtious was sent the wrong way by the Algerian player that converted from the penalty spot. The Belgians failed to make any reasonable impact in the first hlaf of the match, while the Africans failed to extend their lone goal lead.

Marc Wilmots men' started the second half on a good note by dictating the pace of the game. After a while, Maroune Fellaini nodded in the equaliser after getting to the end of a beautiful cross from the left wing.

The team scored the winning goal through a spectacular shot the was taken by Martens.

Ghana also lost their group match against the United States of America on Monday. The four time African champions fell behind by a lone goal after Clint Dempsey put the Americans in front within 31 seconds of action. His goal is the fifth fastest goal in World cup history. Michael Bradley ,Johnson and a host of other USA players marshalled the midfield and prevented Asamoah Gyan from troubling their defence.

After the commencement of the second half, the USA soccer team conceded an 82nd minute goal  that was scored by Andre Ayew, but the leveller didn't last. Four minutes later, Brooks scored the winning goal for Jurgen Klinsman's men as Ghana suffered a huge loss in their bid to go beyond the group stage of Brazil 2014.

Portugal and Germany are the other teams in Ghana's group.

Drab draw in Fortaleza
Brazil settled for a goalless draw in their pulsating encounter against the El Tri of Mexico. The five time World champions couldn't put the ball behind the goal of Guillermo Ochoa. Neymar and other Brazilians players were unable to beat the former Ajaccio shot stopper despite firing several shots at him.

The match between Brazil and Mexico finished goalless.

Akinfeev's blemish erased
Russia played out a 1-1 draw against South Korea in group H. The 2018 World cup hosts went behind after Akinfeev failed to make a routine save, but the Russians got an equaliser went the Korean keeper failed to parry a shot that was fired towards the goal later in the match.

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German machine crushes Portugal

The three time World champions confirmed their superiority over Portugal by beating them 4-0.

Germany beat Portugal by 4-1 in the third place match of the 2006 World cup.

Joachim Low guided the Germans to a 4-0 win over Bento's team.  Thomas Muller scored a hat trick while Matt Hummels also got his name on the scorers sheet.

Muller has now scored a total of 8 goals in his three world cup appearances.

The Bayern Munich attacker scored the first goal through a penalty while Hummels doubled the lead.  Muller nade it 3-0 before the end of the first half.
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Pepe was sent off after his crazy attack on a German player.

Cristiano Ronaldo was not given the chance to impose himself on the match. Nani tried to unlock the German defence, but Lahm and his team mates didn't allow Manuel Neuer to do much work.

USA and Ghana are the other teams in the group. 

Clueless Nigeria draws again

The boring and clueless Super Eagles of Nigeria were involved in another draw against Iran at the on going FIFA World cup in Brazil.

The team drew against Mexico, Scotland and Greece in their pre tournament games before losing by 2-1 against USA.

The uninspiring African champions didn't play like a team that had a game plan or a reputable manager despite dominating the possession by 70%.

Victor Moses showed that he has not been in action for a larger part of the season.

John Mikel Obi was a boring midfielder that seems to have lost interest in football while Ahmed Musa failed to make use of his pace.
Godfrey Oboabona got injured after 30 minutes of action and he was replaced by Joseph Yobo.

The Iranians had just one shot on goal throughout the encounter.  Shola Amoebi came in to replace Moses.

Carlos Quieroz set up his team to defend while Keshi showed his lack of technical ability. Peter Odemwingie was introduced into the match towards the end of the game.

The Stoke City striker showed why he shouldn't be left on the bench, but it was too late for him to rescue Nigeria from getting all the three points at stake.

The Nigerian Football Federation should start thinking of getting a coach with a better technical ability.

Final score: Iran 0-0 Nigeria

World cup weekend 1 round up

In group A, Mexico defeated Cameroon by 1-0. The CONCACAF representatives had two other goals wrongly cancelled by the centre referee.

Group B
Defending champions of the ongoing FIFA World cup were demolished by Netherlands. Spain lost the match by 5-1 despite taking the lead through a Xabi Alonso penalty. Robin Van Persie scored the equaliser for Louis Van Gaal's team shortly before the end of the first half. The flying Dutchman lived up to his name by beating Iker Casilas through a looping header.
Arjen Robben also scored a brace in that match. His second goal is one of the best goals of this tournament so far. Robben's second goal was simply fantastic. He lashed on to a pass and raced into the penalty box, he rounded the keeper and beat the challenges from Sergio Ramos and Gerard Pique.


Chile defeated Australia by 3-1 in the other group match. Alexis Sanchez out the South Americans in front after 11 minutes before two other goals were scored by the rampaging Chileans.
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Group C
Colombia started their World cup campaign with a convincing 3-0 victory over Greece. The match was played in Belo Horizonte. Jackson Martinez was among the goal scorers at the Estadio Mineirao. The South Americans are appearing in the world cup for the first time in 16 years. The Greeks were torn apart in the encounter.

Japan surrendered a 1-0 lead in their match against Cote d' Ivoire in Recife. Kesuke Honda put the Asians ahead in the first half. After the introduction of Didier Drogba, Aurie delivered two beautiful crosses that were converted by Bony Wilfred and Gervinho.

Group D
At the Estadio Castelao in Fortaleza, Costa Rica recorded an upset by defeating Uruguay 3-1. Edinson Cavani scored from the penalty spot in the first half, but the Central Americans scored three goals to condemn Oscar Tabarez's men to an opening group C match defeat. Luis Suarez warmed up on the sidelines, but he was an unused substitute in the match that had Pereira sent off later in the game.

England suffered a 2-1 loss against Italy in Manaus despite creating many chances and adopting an aggressive attacking style of play. The Azurris of Italy took the lead through Marchiso's 35th minute goal . Andrea Pirlo sold a dummy to Daniel Sturridge and other England defenders by allowing the ball to pass through him.

Group E
In Brasilia, Switzerland defeated Ecuador by 2-1 on Sunday afternoon. Valencia scored for the South Americans in the first half after the Swiss failed to defend a set piece. Seferovic scored a last minute goal to guarantee three points for Ottman Hitzfield's men.

In Porto Alegre, France defeated Honduras by 3-0. Karim Benzema scored a brace against the CONCACAF team.

Group F
Argentina overcame Kovac's team in Rio de Janeiro. The Maracana stadium was the venue of this group opener. Bosnia and Herzegovina lost the match by 2-1. An own goal from a Bosnian defender gave the two time World champions the lead in the 3rd minute of play. After the restart, Lionel Messi doubled the lead for 'Albaceleste' on Sunday evening. The Barcelona forward exchanged passes with Gonzalo Higuain before firing a shot into the opposition's net.
Ibisevic scored Bosnia's first ever goal in the 84th minute of play.

Nigeria lands in Sao Paulo

The Super Eagles of Nigeria have landed in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The reigning African champions played four friendly matches in the build up to the biggest soccer fiesta. Stephen Keshi's men played goalless draws against Mexico and Greece before losing 2-1 to the United States of America.

Nigeria also played a 2-2 draw against Scotland at the Craven Cottage.

The Super Eagles has been training in Florida for about 5 days before they left Miami on Tuesday morning. Elderson Echiejile of AS Monaco of France didn't travel with the team due to injury. The former Sporting Braga defender was dropped from the World cup squad after he sustained an injury before the match against USA.

Ejike Uzoenyi is expected to join the team in Brazil as a replacement for Echiejile. Uzoenyi was the most valuable player of the African Championship of Nations in South Africa. The former Enugu Rangers player reportedly wept profusely after he was dropped from the initial 23 man list.

Nigeria's first group F match will be on June 16th in Curitiba. The team will meet Iran for the first time in 16 years. The only previous meeting ended in a 1-0 win for the African team.

African champions will leave Sao Paulo for Curitiba where they will aim to record their first World cup win since 1998.

World cup friendly round ups

As the Brazil 2014 FIFA World cup draws near, teams around the world are getting set for the biggest soccer fiesta on the planet by engaging one another international friendly matches.

England and Honduras played out a goalless draw in a match that was interrupted by electric storms.

Nigeria's group F opponent, Iran defeated Trinidad and Tobago by 2-0 while Belgium edged Tunisia by a lone goal in Brussels.

Super Eagles falter again.
African champions, Nigeria succumbed to a 2-1 defeat in Jacksonville,Florida. The 2013 African champions have not won a competitive match since a 1-0 win over Zimbabwe in January.

Steven Keshi's men were beaten by the United States soccer team that was led by Jurgen Klinsmann. The Nigerians dominated the game in terms of ball possession, but they failed to break down the US defence. Michael Bradley and Jozy Altidore created so many problems for the sluggish Nigerian back four. After half an hour, the US took the lead via Altidore.

After the restart, the Nigerian team ran out of ideas after some substitutions were made. Michael Babatunde,John Mikel Obi and Shola Amoebi were some of the players that made way for others at half time.

Altidore doubled the lead after 62 minutes of action. The Sunderland player capitalized on the unreliable Joseph Yobo and made it 2-0. A late penalty was converted by Victor Moses as Tim Howard marked his centenary debut with a 2-1 win for the US team.

Nigeria drew goalless against Mexico and Greece and managed to play a 2-2 draw against Scotland.
The team's first group match will be on June 16 when they face Iran. Bosnia & Herzegovina  and Argentina are the other two teams in group F.

The Americans are placed in the same group with Portugal,Germany and Ghana.

RESULTS
France 8-0 Jamaica
Trinidad 0-2 Iran
San Marino 0-3 Albania
Argentina 2-0 Slovenia
Belgium 1-0 Tunisia
Cameroon 1-0 Moldova
Colombia 3-0 Jordan
Costa Rica 1-1 Ireland
Croatia 1-0 Australia
El Salvador 0-2 Spain
Greece 2-1 Bolivia
Mexico 0-1 Portugal
Japan 4-3 Zambia
Hungary 3-0 Kazakhstan

Nigeria and Brazil 2014 World cup

The reigning African champions-Nigeria have been grouped with Argentina, Bosnia and Iran ahead of this year's FIFA world cup in the Samba nation.

Brazil remains the most successful team in World football. The South American country have won five World cups and appeared at every edition of the mundial since 1930.

Nigeria will lead four other countries to Brazil 2014 as African champions. This is the second time the West African country of about 170 million will be doing so after they emerged as champions of the continent in 1994.

Nigeria got to the summit of African football by winning the African cup of nations in 2013. The Super Eagles also became the first African team to book a place in Brazil after a 4-1 aggregate win over Ethiopia.

The supporters club of the country has given Stephen Keshi's men the mandate of playing in the semi final.
The football federation has also hinted that the team must go beyond the second round of the tournament.

Nigeria had disastrous outings in 2002 and 2010 when the team failed to scale through the preliminary rounds. 

The top players of the squad are currently finding it difficult to feature regularly for their clubs.

Mikel Obi has been warming the bench since December while Victor Moses has almost become a ball boy at Liverpool. Players like Shola Amoebi, Elderson Echiejile and Godfrey Oboabona are also bench warmers in their respective clubs.

One wonders how Stephen Keshi will be able to get a killer squad that can beat a Bosnian team inspired by Edin Dzeko or a star studded Argentine team.

The 'Albaceleste' of Argentina are currently enjoying scintillating performances from their players in Europe. Lionel Messi, Gonzalo Higuain, Javier Pastore, Ezekiel Lavezzi, Zabaleta and others are doing well.
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Stephen Keshi should recall Peter Odemwingie and try to replace Ahmed Musa with Ejike Uzoenyi. These two players combined with Ogenyi Onazi(Lazio), Kelechi Iheanacho, Emmanuel Emenike, Kenneth Omeruo(Middlesbrough), Chinedu Obasi (Schalke 04) and Vincent Enyeama (Lille) should form the backbone of the final 23 man list that will be in Brazil.

Keshi has made the team one of the best squads to look out for in June.

Nigeria held by Italy in London

The Super Eagles of Nigeria were held to a 2-2 draw by Italy in London. The reigning African champions had just booked their place at Brazil 2014 world cup 48 hours before the match.

The international friendly that was played at the Craven Cottage started with some early spells by the Nigerians but the Cesare Prandelli side scored their first goal in the 11th minute through Guiseppe Rossi.

Mario Balotelli was able to turn in the box 18 before releasing Rossi who was clearly unmarked. The Villareal striker fired the ball into an empty net.

The Nigerians absorbed the pressure and started dominating the fixture. In the 35th Shola Amoebi delivered a fine cross and Bright Dike nodded the ball into the net. The goal lifted the African champions and they went in front five minutes later.

Amoebi sidefooted after receiving a pass from the left flank of the Super Eagles. The Nigerians went into half time as the better team.

After the restart,Andrea Pirlo and Diamanti were introduced into the game. The Italians got an equaliser in a move that also involved Mario Ballotelli.

Austin Ejide sustained an injury after denying Parolo the chance to make it 3-2. Vincent Enyeama,Emmanuel Emenike and Ahmed Musa replaced Ejide,Dike and Victor Moses. There was no other goal from both sides but the Italians called Enyeama into action on many occasions. Parolo,Pirlo and Balotelli all forced him to make world-class saves.

Emmanuel Emenike and John Ogu also drew some top saves from the Italian keeper.

Nigeria can now look ahead to a promising 2014 football calendar.

World cup qualifier roundup

Cameroon has joined Nigeria and Ivory Coast at the 2014 World cup in Brazil. The indomitable lions of Cameroon defeated the 'Carthage Eagles' of Tunisia by 4-1 in Yaounde. The 2nd leg third round qualifier turned out to be a bad fixture for the North Africans.

Tunisia were forced to a goalless draw in the first leg. The 2004 African champions needed a score draw or an outright win to qualifier, but Cameroon confirmed their place at Brazil 2014 world cup on Sunday. Webo gave the hosts the lead after 4 minutes of action. A sloppy defending by the visitors gave Samuel Eto'o Fils' team mates the chance to jubilate. On the half hour mark, the Central Africans doubled their lead.

After the restart,Tunisia pulled a goal back,but the Cameroonians added two more goals through John Makoun.

On Saturday,Nigeria and Cote d' Ivoire booked their places at the2014 FIFA world cup.

In the European zone, France were shocked by Ukraine in Kiev. The 1998 World champions were lost 2-0 on Friday night. Their array of stars like Loic Remy,Oliver Giroud,Frank Ribery and Samir Nasri couldn't save them from suffering a loss.

In Lisbon, Portugal defeated Sweden by 1-0. Cristiano Ronaldo scored a beautiful header in the 82nd minute. The Real Madrid star almost scored a brace when his 84th minute effort came off the crossbar.

Greece defeated Romania by 3-1 in Athens,while Iceland and Croatia settled for a 0-0 draw in Reykjavik.

The return leg of the play-offs will be played on Tuesday.

Uruguay and Mexico are expected to confirm their place at Brazil 2014 when they meet Jordan and New Zealand respectively. The South Americans defeated Jordan 5-0 in the first leg while New Zealand were crushed 5-1 by Mexico.

Montevideo and Auckland are the venues for these two games.

Eagles qualifies for Brazil 2014 world cup

The Super Eagles of Nigeria have qualified for the 20th edition of the FIFA world cup in 2014. The reigning African champions defeated the 'Walya Antelopes' of Ethiopia at the UJ Esuene stadium in Calabar.

The Nigerians started the game by trying to score an early goal. Emmanuel Emenike should have put Stephen Keshi's men in front after six minutes. He received the ball in the penalty box but his tame shot was saved by Basa. The Ethiopian keeper went to save shots on goal that came from Ogenyi Onazi.

In the 20th minute, an Ethiopian defender handled the ball in the penalty area and Victor Moses converted from the spot to make it 1-0.

The Super Eagles slowed down the pace of the game for the remaining part of the first half.

Brown Ideye missed a couple of chances and failed to make a reasonable impact in the Nigerian attack.

After the restart, the Nigerians approached the game with more seriousness. The Ethiopians tried to mount pressure on Nigeria in order to get an equaliser that never came.

Sunday Mba and Victor Nsofor came on to replace Brown Ideye and Victor Moses respectively.

Nsofor main contribution to the game was a trademark freekick that was scored in the 81st minute. The ex-Inter Milan player curled a free kick that went into the top corner of the Ethiopian goal.

Nigeria could have won 3-0,but Ahmed Musa missed an absolute sitter in the injury time. He hit the ball with his knee with the goal at his mercy.

Nigeria will now head to the Craven Cottage where they will take on the 'Azurris' of Italy in an international friendly match.

Emenike sinks Ethiopia

Emmanuel Emenike's brace was enough for the Super Eagles to record a 2-1 away win over the 'Walya Antelopes' of Ethiopia in a World cup qualifier on Sunday.

The Turkish-based striker scored his first goal from 25 yards in the 67th minute. Emenike forced his way through an array of the opponents' defence line before firing an unstoppable shot that flew into the bottom corner of the Ethiopian goal.

The hosts had taken the lead in a bizarre fashion on the 54th minute. A cross from the left flank of the 'Antelopes' was not well saved by the Nigerian keeper and he appeared to have caught the ball on the line while standing behind the goal.

The Nigerians missed the chance to score a second goal in the 78th minute when Ahmed Musa's ferocious strike came off the post.

Emenike broke into the opponents' penalty area before he was pulled down. He stepped up and scored his fourth goal in his last three matches for Nigeria.

The second leg play-off of this Brazil 2014 tie will be played on November 16th in Calabar.

Namibia vs Nigeria preview

The Brave Warriors of Namibia will host the Super Eagles of Nigeria in a FIFA World cup qualifier on Wednesday night. The South African team has four points from four games while their visitors are on top of the group with 8 points.

The Namibian national team coach resigned from his position on Monday morning after receiving death threats from unknown persons.

Roger Palmgren masterminded a draw against Malawi in Blantyre last week.

These two sides have met five times between 2001 and 2013. The African champions defeated Namibia on those occasions. The two previous meetings in Windhoek ended in a slim 1-0 win for Nigeria.

The first leg of this tie ended by the same goal margin in Calabar. Ahmed Musa is expected to lead the attack of Nigeria together with Brown Ideye and/or Joseph Akpala.

Sunday Mba,Mikel Obi and Ogenyi Onazi are some other players that will feature in the match.

Steven Keshi is expected to lead Nigeria to another win after last Wednesday's triumph in Nairobi.

Meanwhile, fans of the reigning African champions have warned the team not to underrate the 'Brave Warriors' of Namibia due to the resignation of Roger Palmgren.

Kick off time: 19:00GMT
Date: 12th June,2013
Venue: National stadium, Windhoek,Namibia.

Follow this writer on twitter @inspiredMichael http://twitter.com/inspiredMichael

International football round up

The Three Lions of England defeated San Marino by 5-0 at the Wembley stadium on Friday night. Roy Hodgson's men were captained by Wayne Rooney in the absence of Steven Gerrard and Franc Lampard who missed the match due to suspension and injury respectively. Rooney and Danny Welbeck scored a brace each , while Alex Oxlade Chamberlain of Arsenal added the fifth goal. Rooney put up a spectacular show to justify the confidence of his manager who named him as the captain for the day. Meanwhile,Theo Walcott will remain in hospital for further check up. The Arsenal winger was badly injured on the chest after just 6 minutes of action.

In Dublin, it was a total nightmare for Geovanni Trapatoni's men. The Irish were beaten 6-1 at home by a rampaging German team that was led by veteran Miroslav Klose. Marco Reus and Toni Kroos scored a brace each while Mesut Ozil and Klose scored a goal each. The Irish team started very well, but they lost the midfield battle and that gave the Germans a lot of space to operate.

Reigning World champions defeated Belarus by four goals to nil in Minsk. Barcelona attacker, Pedro Rodriguez was the star player of the day. He scored a brilliant hat trick and also provided an assist for Jordi Alba in the first half of the match. The 'La Furia Roja' have now played 47 World cup qualifiers without a defeat. Their last World cup qualifier ended in a 1-0 win over Georgia.

In Amsterdam,Netherlands rolled over Andorra by 3-0. The 'Orange' men appeared to have put the disappointment of Euro 2012 behind them, as they now have six points from two games.

In Moscow, Cristiano Ronaldo failed to score a goal as Portugal went down by a lone goal. The Russia are now on top of their group.

In Bogota, Colombia defeated Paraguay by two goals to nil while Ecuador scored thrice against Chile. The Chileans managed to score a goal.
France suffered a 1-0 defeat to Japan in international friendly. The Blues were beaten by Shinji Kagawa's 89th minute strike at the Stade de France in Paris.