Moroccan-American referee, Ismail ElFath, who has been heavily criticised for awarding Portugal a “controversial” penalty in a match against Ghana has broken silence.
According to reports, Ismail ElFath said he was in the right for awarding Ronaldo a penalty, which enabled Portugal to lead the game.
He indicated that he was professional and holds nothing against Ghana. He said based on what he saw at that moment, it was a penalty.
According to the referee, he used to play soccer with Ghanaians in the US in his neighborhood, thus regrets the uproar the game has brought.
The penalty decision handed 3 points to Portugal and sent Ronaldo into the top of FIFA World Cup records ahead of Pele and Maradona.
Many pundits around the world say the referee’s penalty call was wrong while a third goal by Rafael Leao has come up strongly as a possible offside.
The Bank of Ghana’s (BoG) Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) has raised the policy rate once again by 2.5 percentage points to 27%.
This is the fifth time the policy rate has been revised this year.
In October, the Committee increased the policy rate to 24.5 percent, the fourth increment.
The Monetary Policy Committee following its 109th meeting noted that inflation risks and concerns about the exchange rate were the driving forces for the recent increase.
This means that the cost of borrowing is anticipated to increase further, however it will depend on the customer’s risk profile. Customers with established credit may get slightly better rates than first-time borrowers or those who are viewed as being at risk.
“The inflation forecast shows that in the outlook, inflation will likely peak in the first quarter of 2023 and settle at around 25% by the end of 2023. This forecast is conditioned on the continued maintenance of tight monetary policy stance and the deployment of tools to contain excess liquidity in the economy. There are however some risks to this forecast that would have to be monitored, including additional pressures from the proposed VAT increase, and exchange rate pressures. Continued vigilance to the evolution of these potential price pressures in the outlook will be key”, Dr. Ernest Addison, Governor of the Bank of Ghana stated”.
He added “the Committee is of the view that significant upside risks to the inflation outlook remain. To continue to anchor inflation expectations, the Committee therefore decided to increase the policy rate by 250 basis points to 27.0%”.
Ghana is playing against South Korea and the tides are in favour of Otto Addo’s side.
The Black Stars are dominating the game. Two goals have been scored by Ghana before the end of the first half of the game.
At the 27th minute, Mohammed Salisu scored a goal. Mohammed Kudus, in less than 10 minutes added another for Ghana to lead with two goals.
The game is underway and social media users are singing the praise of Jordan Ayew, whom they say has been phenomenal.
As Ghana looks for a successful outcome, Jordan Ayew joins Andre Ayew and Inaki Williams in the front row.
Jordan Ayew is a good holder of the ball who links up play very well. He dribbles so well and knows how to draw fouls from his opponents. Drop the hate for the lad, he’s one of Ghana’s best playmakers.
Alidu Seidu, Daniel Amartey, Alexander Djiku, Mohammed Salisu, and Baba Rahman made up the back five. Tariq Lamptey and Gideon Mensah replace Seidu and Baba Rahman, and Djiku moves to the bench.
Otto Addo keeps the Abdul Salis Samed, Thomas Partey, and Mohammed Kudus trio in the center of the park.
In preparation for the match against South Korea, Ghana’s head coach, Otto Addo, has made three adjustments to the Black Stars squad that played Portugal in the team’s opening match.
Alidu Seidu, Daniel Amartey, Alexander Djiku, Mohammed Salisu, and Baba Rahman made up the back five for the match against South Korea. Addo has since switched to a four-back.
Tariq Lamptey and Gideon Mensah replace Seidu and Baba Rahman, and Djiku moves to the bench.
The gaffer keeps the Abdul Salis Samed, Thomas Partey, and Mohammed Kudus trio in the center of the park.
As Ghana looks for a successful outcome, Jordan Ayew joins Andre Ayew and Inaki Williams in the front row.
Following Sunday’s 1-1 draw with Spain, Manuel Neuer expressed relief that Germany is “still alive” in the World Cup.
Germany’s unexpected loss to Japan in their opening encounter ended their chances of making it to the round of 16.
However, Costa Rica bounced back from a 7-0 drubbing at the hands of Spain by defeating Japan 1-0, leaving everything up for grabs in Group E’s remaining matches.
In the clash of the Group E powerhouses at Al Bayt Stadium, Alvaro Morata gave Spain the lead. However, Niclas Fullkrug, who came off the substitute, equalized and gave Germany its first point.
Hansi Flick’s Germany team needs to defeat Costa Rica in their last group game on Thursday in order to advance, and they also need to pray that Spain wins against Japan.
Goalkeeper Neuer is just happy that Germany still has a chance of avoiding a second consecutive World Cup loss at the group stage after Dani Olmo palmed his effort against the crossbar to deny him an early goal.
“It was a tough match against a very good Spain side,” said the Germany captain. “We took on the fight and didn’t allow them many chances over the 90 minutes.
“Our defensive work was superb from front to back. Our compactness made it difficult for them to score a goal against us. Their goal was simply quality and very hard to defend against. Nevertheless, we continued to believe in ourselves.
“The main thing is that we’re still alive. The thing we can have influence over is getting three points against Costa Rica.”
After receiving a last-minute call-up to the team, Fullkrug only recently made his full international debut for Germany and scored his first goal in a competitive match.
The 29-year-old Werder Bremen striker said: “We were determined to get a result from the game, and it was very important for our confidence.
“We still have room for improvement. We don’t need to get carried away, but we can go into the final game with hope that we can make it through.”
When Vice President Dr. Mahamadu Bawumia was observed on a commercial jet while traveling within the country, social media users immediately began to remark in droves.
According to a picture posted on social media by journalist Manasseh Azure Awuni, the flight to Tamale took off early on Saturday, November 26.
Manasseh captioned the photo thus: “This morning, those of us on board Africa World’s Embraer 145 commercial flight to Tamale were joined by an unexpected passenger.
“I don’t know how often it happens, but this is the first time I have heard or seen Ghana’s president or vice president on a local commercial flight,” the post added.
Dr Bawumia is buckled up on an Embraer 145 aircraft operated by Africa World Airline. He is alone in the double row of seats, and his security assistant is seated just behind him.
The image has drawn mixed reactions, with some admiring his gesture and others criticizing it as mere theater.
Others are reminded of how many leaders in other jurisdictions go to and from work on bicycles, buses, and trains.
Investigations by GhanaWeb shows that it is not the first time the Vice President has flown on a commercial flight locally.
Bawumia’s trip to the same Tamale in early November 2022 was via the Togbe Afede-owned Africa World Airlines. He flew to the Northern Regional capital for an event organized by the Northern Development Authority (NDA).
Photos shared exclusively on Twitter by a user @nie_gh, showed the Second Gentleman in a queue waiting his turn to board the flight. He is also pictured in one of the photos waving to some people.
We further corroborated whether he indeed had an engagement in Tamale within that time and our search returned a Ghana News Agency report on what he went to do in Tamale.
The November 3 report read in part:
Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia has launched the Medium-Term Development Strategy for Northern Ghana (MTDS) to create economic growth and improve the livelihoods of the people in the area.
The MTDS, which will be implemented within the next five years (2022 – 2027), focuses on promoting socio-economic growth and climate change adaptation whilst unlocking the potential of the northern savannah ecological zone by building synergies of actors, and building the resilience of the people to create wealth and restore the environment.
When Ghana travels to the Education City Stadium to play South Korea today, they risk being eliminated early from Group H of the 2022 World Cup.
On the first day, the Asian rivals impressively held Uruguay to a scoreless tie while the Black Stars suffered a heartbreaking 3-2 loss to Portugal.
On the opening day of the 2022 World Cup, there were a total of four 0-0 ties. South Korea put out a valiant effort in their 0-0 draw with Uruguay, however the woodwork did save them on a few occasions.
Paulo Bento’s team held on for a point against their South American opponents, displaying their defensive resiliency that was also present in their most recent games prior to Qatar. Federico Valverde and Diego Godin both saw shots crash off the goal frame.
The Tigers of Asiaenter their match against Ghana having only lost one of their previous 10 games across all competitions, and the Kim Min-jae-managed defense has kept three consecutive clean sheets during a four-game unbeaten run.
Despite their strength in the defensive third, South Korea failed to register a shot on goal during the Uruguay draw for the second time in four World Cup games, and Ghana undoubtedly had some experience holding teams at bay during the run-up to Qatar.
Another World Cup group game, another goal for Cristiano Ronaldo, but the five-time Ballon d’Or winner could only watch on from the bench in horror as A Selecao very nearly threw away a two-goal lead against Ghana on Thursday evening.
Following Ronaldo’s penalty, Joao Felix and Rafael Leao struck either side of Andre Ayew’s response before Osman Bukari reduced the deficit further, and the howler of the tournament award very nearly went to Portugal goalkeeper Diogo Costa, who rolled the ball out without knowing that Inaki Williams was behind him.
The Athletic Bilbao forward immediately tried to pounce on that gilt-edged chance right at the death, but he slipped at the vital moment as Ghana succumbed to a 3-2 loss, which leaves them bottom of the Group H standings and at real risk of an exit before the final matchday.
No matter what transpires in Uruguay’s showdown with Portugal, Ghana will be out if they suffer defeat to South Korea at the Education City Stadium, but a six-game scoring streak at the World Cup does stand the Black Stars in good stead.
Monday’s game will mark the 10th meeting between South Korea and Ghana in all competitions, with the last six yielding three wins apiece for both nations, but Ghana ran out convincing 4-0 winners during the most recent battle in a 2014 friendly.
South Korea fans rejoiced in the return to fitness of Son Heung-min, who donned a protective mask against Uruguay after his recent eye socket fracture and came through the game unscathed.
However, fellow Premier League attacker Hwang Hee-chan – who was an unused substitute on Thursday – is dealing with hamstring discomfort and will not be able to feature here.
Bento has also been handed a concern over key centre-back Kim Min-jae, who has been dealing with calf discomfort and is classed as a doubt for the contest.
As for Ghana, Otto Addo lined up in a defence-heavy formation for the showdown with Portugal, which very nearly paid dividends, but the need for victory could see the Black Stars shift to a four-man defence here.
Addo should be working with all 26 players for Monday’s meeting, where any change in system would likely put Mohammed Salisu’s place at risk as Bukari and Kamaldeen Sulemana push to return in a more attacking setup.
Andre Ayew won the battle of the brothers with Jordan Ayew to start in the loss to Portugal, and the Al-Sadd man’s goal last time out should be enough to see him retain his place alongside Williams.
Andre Ayew did train separately from the team alongside right-back Alidu Seidu on Friday, but there is nothing to suggest that the duo will not be ready for Monday.
South Korea possible starting lineup:
Seung-gyu; Moon-hwan, Min-jae, Young-gwon, Jin-su; Jung, In-beom; Na, Lee, Son; Ui-jo
Ghana possible starting lineup:
Ati Zigi; Lamptey, Amartey, Djiku, Baba; Partey, Abdul Samed; Sulemana, Kudus, A. Ayew; Williams
Ghana’s previous defensive resilience was broken with ease by Portugal, but they demonstrated plenty of attacking nous at the other end and should have no problem troubling this South Korea backline.
Bento’s side proved their worth against Uruguay, though, and we can only envisage a closely-fought battle ending with the spoils shared as the race for a top-two spot goes right down to the wire.
Following Belgium’s unexpected World Cup loss to Morocco, Jan Vertonghen appeared to poke fun at teammates Kevin De Bruyne and Eden Hazard.
As the penultimate opportunity for the Red Devils’ golden generation to win a championship, Roberto Martinez’s team fell far short of their potential as late goals from Romain Saiss and Zakaria Aboukhlal gave the Atlas Lions a 2-0 triumph.
When Belgium lost to France in the World Cup semifinals by a score of 1-0, De Bruyne and Hazard argued that an aging Belgium was better suited to win the tournament before the Group F matchup.
“We are too old. I think our chance [to win] was in 2018,” the Manchester City midfielder said. “We have a good team, but it is getting older.
“We lost key players. We have good new players coming in, but they are not at the level of other players in 2018. I see us more as underdogs.”
Skipper Hazard, who feels his side had “greater chances” of glory in Russia, added: “We don’t have the three fastest centre-backs in the world, but they know that.”
Belgium has scored the fewest goals through two World Cup games since the tournament’s inception in 1930 after scoring none against Morocco after defeating Canada 1-0. (none).
Vertonghen appeared to take a dig at his team-mates when addressing the media in the mixed zone following the loss. “I guess we attack badly because we are also too old up front,” he said.
Defeat to 2018 runners-up Croatia in their final Group F match on Thursday would result in an early exit from the competition, and Thibaut Courtois insists the Red Devils must raise their game.
“We know that Croatia are an excellent team, they have talent and are well-organised,” he said. “They are good at counter-attacks, one-on-one and have no flaws.
“It will be like a final – after all, they are the finalists of the last World Cup. So far, we haven’t played adequately in this tournament, if we want to win we have to level up.”
At the Education City Stadium in Qatar, the Black Starswill play again today when they take on the Taegeuk Warriors.
Following a 3-2 loss to Portugal in their Group H opening, Ghana will enter the game wanting revenge. South Korea and Uruguay were able to draw 0-0 in the meantime.
Prior to Monday’s match against South Korea in their second World Cup game, Ghana coach Otto Addo acknowledged feeling under pressure.
Ahead of the clash, Addo has revealed why they will face a difficult task against the Taegeuk Warriors.
The Black Stars will need a win to stand a chance of reaching the knockout stage. Heading into matchday two, Ghana are fourth without a point while Portugal are top with three points.
After facing South Korea, Ghana will conclude their group matches against Uruguay at Al Janoub Stadium on Friday.
After falsely accusing a guy of rape and blackmailing him for money, a woman managed to escape punishment.
Following Chelsea Orton’s falsehoods, her victim underwent abuse and was left dependent on antidepressants.
The 22-year-old admitted to blackmailing the unnamed man between July and August 2019 for £200.
In an effort to support her tale, Orton even went so far as to inform the man’s relatives about the rape fake.
But when her victim mustered the courage to call the police, the single mother was finally exposed.
Orton, from Nuneaton, Warwickshire, admitted to blackmail and was slapped with an 18-month prison sentence, suspended for 12 months at Warwick Crown Court.
She was also had to give the victim £200 in damages.
The victim became so desperate to stop Orton from calling him that he changed his phone number.
Only after the victim told a coworker about the blackmailing did they advise him to call the police.
The police began looking into the alleged rape before the alleged blackmail on August 5 after Orton went to them and said she had been raped.
Prosecutor Caroline Harris said: “The defendant was interviewed on the 5th of January and she accepted that the telephone number was hers and said she wasn’t responsible for sending all the messages and blamed her friend.
“She said she would not have asked the victim for his bike or phone as they would have meant a lot to him.
“She accepted taking money from him, around £60 to £100 and when a higher figure was put to her she accepted that this was possible too.”
She told the victim’s family about the alleged rape and went to the police about it too(
Image:
Paul Beard / SWNS)
In a victim statement read out by Ms Harris, the victim said he had been left needing antidepressants to get over the claims.
He said: “When all this first happened and Chelsea was blackmailing me I felt trapped. I was scared and this caused me anxiety. As it went on and it was reported to the police I became depressed. I had sleepless nights.
“Even though I hadn’t done anything wrong all I could think was that I would be arrested because of her lies.
“Her behaviour has had an impact on my social life. I had incidents when I was out at my local pub where random people would come up to me and call me a rapist.
“I had to see my GP to help me cope. I was prescribed anti-depressants.”
Recorder Louisa Cieci ra told Orton: “You are to be sentenced to one offence of blackmail.
“In July 2019 you told the victim that he had raped you and repeatedly demanded money from him in order to keep quiet and not report it to the police.
“The blackmail included the threat to report the matter to the police in respect of serious sexual offence. In terms of the harm that was caused I also think that was high.
“The impact on the victim has been quite severe, he had to go through a police investigation and is suffering ongoing distress as a result of your conduct.
The Guinness Book of Recordshas named an Elderly dog, who is 22 years old, as the oldest living dog in the world.
Although the dog’s owner Alex Wolf of Colorado, USA, adopted him from a rescue shelter in 2002, more than 20 years ago, he was actually born on September 24, 2000, two years earlier.
Alex, who is now 40 years old, claims to have met him while attending a California university.
Speaking to Today, Alex said; ‘He’s been there every step of the way. ‘I’m so glad we got him. He’s the best.
‘If we were having a later night, he would stay up, and if I was sleeping in, he would sleep in. He was one of the guys.’
Asked what he thought was the secret to his longevity, he said: ‘I give him all the credit. He’s gotten a lot of love, and I think he’s just a strong dog. He’s been there every step of the way. I’m so glad we got him. He’s the best.’
Alex had intended to have a larger dog than 7kg Gino when he originally went to the animal shelter to get a puppy.
However, once he met the dog, he realized he was the one and never turned around.
He said: ‘I’ve taken great care of him over the years and he is still in relatively very good shape…and really cute still which is surprising considering his age!’
Despite his accomplishment, Gino wasn’t the oldest dog ever recorded.
Bluey, an Australian cattle dog who lived to be 29 years old before being euthanized in 1939, holds the record for the longest lifespan.
A medium-sized dog typically lives 10 to 13 years.
During a meeting with Trump in Mar-a-Lago this week, Kanye West revealed that the former US president allegedly insulted his ex-wife Kim Kardashian and turned down his desire to run alongside him in the 2024 election.
The artist and fashion designer disclosed he met with Trump on Wednesday to talk about a potential merger in a two-minute campaign advertisement released to Twitter on Friday morning, November 25.
Ye gave his own description of the conversation in the brief video, claiming that the previous president heard him express his desire to become president.
Kanye claims that he questioned Trump after the former US president warned him that he would lose if he ran for office.
‘The thing that Trump was most perturbed about [is] me asking him to be my vice president,’ Kanye said the clip posted on his recently-unlocked Twitter account on Thanksgiving night.
He continued: ‘I think that was, like, lower on the list of things that caught him off guard.
‘It was the fact that I walked in with intelligence.’
He charged that the former president had distanced himself from other public personalities like Fuentes because of their opinions while dismissing key members of his cabinet, including top advisers Karen Giorno and Steve Bannon.
West would go on to praise Fuentes as a Trump “loyalist,” praising his support for the Capitol takeover by supporters of the then-outgoing president on January 6, 2021.
‘Nick Fuentes, unlike so many of the lawyers and some of the people [Trump] was left with on his 2020 campaign, he’s actually a loyalist,’ West said in the video, which featured a caption with the hashtag #YE24.
‘When all the lawyers said, “forget it, Trump’s done,” there were loyalists running up in the White House, right?’ West continued.
Ye proceeded to chide the Trump for not doing anything to help the hundreds of Americans being prosecuted for their part in the January 6 insurrection attempt
‘Why, when you had the chance, did you not free the January 6ers?’ West asked incredulously.
The rapper then offered advice to Trump, telling him to ‘go and get these people that the media tried to cancel’ .
West said he did not become offended until Trump insulted Kim Kardashian to his face, though the insult itself is censored in the footage.
Trump allegedly told West, ‘you can tell her I said that.’
The rapper said that at that point, he told Trump, ‘That’s the mother of my children.’
‘Trump started basically screaming at the table telling me I was gonna lose,’ West recalled, adding, I mean, has that ever worked for anyone in history?’
‘I’m like, “Wait, hold on Trump – you’re talking to Ye.”‘
Senegal and coach Aliou Cissehave been forced to rely on the back-up squad in Qatar since losing star attacker Sadio Mane.
On Friday, they stepped up and delivered, with Dia’s goal ending a stretch of 31 shots without a World Cup goal.
Senegalwas more precise this time, scoring three goals on just 0.8xG. (compared to one goal from 0.9 xG for Qatar).
Asked if he was frightened at the thought of trying to keep Mbappe quiet, Hjulmand replied: “I don’t think it’s good to be frightened. We have plans to stop him. At Parken [in September] we had a good plan, a good structure. He had two or three chances and no matter what plans you have against top players, you can’t keep them down.
“We have carried out plenty of analysis to try to minimise his impact, we don’t want him to show the talent he has.”
With France’s captain Simon Kjaer playing alongside Giroud at Milan, Hjulmand is hopeful that some inside information can also assist contain the French danger.
He added: “I hope it’s an advantage. A player like Giroud is very good at what he does. It’s a pleasure seeing so many strikers in the latter stages of their careers showing how to move in the box, showing how to be dangerous in their positioning and showing how to finish in the box.
“Giroud is better now than he was before, he is very dangerous. Simon knows him very well and we have been talking about the small details.”
Denmark enjoyed back-to-back wins against Didier Deschamps’ side in the Nations League earlier this year but Hjulmand knows facing them at a World Cup is a different proposition.
“We have tested them a couple of times but this is a different tournament,” he said. “But we know that if we play our best we have a chance of getting a good result.
“To be able to do that, we have to take a big step forward in quality from the first match.”
Denmark and France kick off six hours after the other Group D encounter between Australia and Tunisia, and Hjulmand admitted the result of that game could affect his approach to the game.
“I won’t watch that game, but I will obviously know the outcome as it will influence how we approach our game,” he said.
“I am only really talking about the last 25 minutes. We are focused on winning the match but the other game will influence our approach.”
After losing to Senegal 3-1, World Cup hosts Qatar are again facing the prospect of leaving the competition early.
After being defeated 2-0 by Ecuador in their initial Group A match, Qatar’s late charge on Friday at Al Thumama Stadium fell short of securing a crucial victory.
Senegal had the upper hand after goals from Boulaye Dia and Famara Diedhiou, so Qatar’s first World Cup goal from Mohammed Muntari gave them hope.
After Senegal had a strong start, the raucous Qatar supporters seated behind Edouard Mendy’s goal were incensed in the 34th minute when Akram Afif was allegedly fouled by Ismaila Sarr. However, referee Antonio Mateu Lahoz rejected the seeming legitimate penalty appeals.
However, just as Qatar had gotten comfortable in the game, Boualem Khoukhi’s catastrophic error was made evident when his clearance fell to Dia, who finished calmly and without error.
Qatar’s hopes were dealt a further blow three minutes into the second half – Diedhiou turning in Ismail Jakobs’ inswinging corner.
Senegal had Mendy to thank for two excellent stops as Qatar searched for a goal back, the Chelsea goalkeeper brilliantly denying Almoez Ali and Ismaeel Mohammad.
Muntari’s superb header four minutes after coming on set up a grandstand finish, yet Dieng swept home to strike the decisive blow and leave Qatar on the brink.
What does it mean? Little hope for hosts
Qatar won the Asian Cup in 2019, and given they had three more years to build ahead of this tournament, they would have been hoping to put on a show on home turf.
However, despite their efforts, the hosts have not yet met the standards needed.
Qatar is on the verge of leaving after defeat. If Ecuador and the Netherlands draw in their other Group A match on Friday, or if the Oranje triumph, they will be eliminated.
Now, the Netherlands’ only chance of moving on is if Qatar can get lucky and defeat the Netherlands in their final group game the following week. Even that might not be enough.
Senegal find their shooting boots
Senegal and coach Aliou Cisse have been forced to rely on the back-up squad in Qatar since losing star attacker Sadio Mane.
On Friday, they stepped up and delivered, with Dia’s goal ending a stretch of 31 shots without a World Cup goal.
Senegal was more precise this time, scoring three goals on just 0.8xG. (compared to one goal from 0.9 xG for Qatar).
Blunt Qatar pay the price
Ali’s shot, saved by Mendy, midway through the second half was Qatar’s first attempt on target of the tournament.
They ultimately finished with three efforts on target in this match, but the lack of composure in front of goal – and the shortage of creativity to get there on many occasions – was evident.
Key Opta stats
– Qatar have become the first host nation to lose two matches in a single group round of a World Cup.
– Senegal scored three goals in a World Cup match for a second time, after a 3-3 draw with Uruguay in 2002. This was also the first time they won a World Cup game by a margin of more than one goal, in what was their 10th match at the finals.
– Qatar became only the third host nation to concede three goals in a single group-stage game, after South Africa in 2010 and Russia in 2018 (both 3-0 defeats to Uruguay).
– Senegal became the first African side to beat the host nation at a World Cup; all of the previous four instances of an African side facing the hosts had seen them lose by an aggregate 12-2 score.
– Aged 29 years and 345 days, Diedhiou became the oldest Senegal player ever to score at the World Cup.
Gianni Infantino, president of FIFA, thinks Diego Maradona should have a day of remembrance at each World Cup.
In November 2020, the illustrious Argentine passed away at the age of 60 following a heart arrest.
At a ceremony marking the second anniversary of Maradona’s passing, Infantino paid tribute to the erratic player and said each following World Cup should honor his lasting influence on football.
“Diego is immortal, he is with us,” Infantino said. “We not only need to pay tribute but to celebrate also Diego. I would like that from now on, at every World Cup we would take one day to celebrate Diego Armando Maradona, because he made so many people fall in love with our sport, football.
“I am Italian and an Inter supporter. I am not Argentinian nor a Napoli supporter, and of course Diego made Inter and Italy cry many times, but we love him.
“I am proud because after our arrival to football, mine and Alejandro [Dominguez, CONMEBOL president], Diego came back to be with us at the World Cup in Russia, and personally I had the chance to speak to him many times and start a friendship, and it was then when I realised his depth.
“Diego was a great leader in Argentina, South America and in all the world. We need to keep celebrating him. I feel great emotion, we would have liked him to be here at this World Cup, but he is in all our hearts.”
Remembering the great Diego Maradona, who sadly passed away two years ago today.
At Argentina’s press conference ahead of their crucial Group C encounter with Mexico, head coach Lionel Scaloni also acknowledged the anniversary of Maradona’s death, saying: “It’s a very sad day for everyone, tomorrow we will hope to bring some joy for Diego if he is looking down on us.
“Every time we see an image of him, it’s unbelievable that he’s not here with us. Tomorrow hopefully will be a happy day for all of us.”
The Albiceleste were surprisingly beaten 2-1 in their opening World Cup clash against Saudi Arabia, and striker Lautaro Martinez reiterated Scaloni’s comment that he and his team-mates will look to honour Maradona by securing a better result against Mexico.
“This is a very special day” the Inter forward said. “We have him in our minds as Argentinians but he was a very important player for everyone in global football, not just us.
FIFA reported that the stadiums hosting the Qatar World Cup were 94% full for the opening round of matches, despite the fact that vacant seats were evident in practically every game.
The finals’ venues have caused significant uncertainty because original reports of their capacities were later found to be unreliable.
The final will be held in Lusail Stadium, which was formerly estimated to hold 80,000 spectators while Al Bayt Stadium could accommodate 60,000. The capacity of each of the remaining six stadiums was listed as no more than 40,000.
The official stadium capacities have been clarified by FIFA, and each stadium is now far larger than previously thought.
The TUC thinks the ruling is unjust because the government vowed not to do it.
In his presentation of the 2023 budget statement on Thursday, Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta highlighted the government’s decision as one of several steps to rein in the spiraling public spending.
“I am really disappointed about the freeze of employment in the civil and public services in 2023, because this is something that the TUC has spoken about it all this while. When the IMF team came to this country, we had the opportunity to meet with them and one of the issues we raised with them is about the freeze of employment that always becomes their conditionality anytime they access their programme, we were assured that that was not going to happen,” he stated.
Mr. Ansah noted that the TUC will discuss this issue with its Social Welfare Committee and respond appropriately.
Meanwhile, government has introduced a number of measures to cut its expenditure for the year 2023.
Below is the full text of implementation of the Cabinet directives on expenditure measures
Mr Speaker, as a first step toward expenditure rationalisation, Government has approved the following directives which take effect from January 2023:
• All MDAs, MMDAs and SOEs are directed to reduce fuel allocations to Political Appointees and heads of MDAs, MMDAs and SOEs by 50%. This directive applies to all methods of fuel allocation including coupons, electronic cards, chit systems, and fuel depots. Accordingly, 50% of the previous year’s (2022) budget allocation for fuel shall be earmarked for official business pertaining to MDAs, MMDAs and SOES;
• A ban on the use of V8s/V6s or its equivalent except for cross-country travel. All government vehicles would be registered with GV green number plates from January 2023;
• Limited budgetary allocation for the purchase of vehicles. For the avoidance of doubt, the purchase of new vehicles shall be restricted to locally assembled vehicles;
• Only essential official foreign travel across government including SOEs shall be allowed. No official foreign travel shall be allowed for board members.
Accordingly, all government institutions should submit a travel plan for the year 2023 by mid-December of all expected travels to the Chief of Staff;
• As far as possible, meetings and workshops should be done within the official environment or government facilities;
• Government-sponsored external training and Staff Development activities at the Office of the President, Ministries and SOEs must be put on hold for the 2023 financial year;
• Reduction of expenditure on appointments including salary freezes together with suspension of certain allowances like housing, utilities and clothing, etc.;
• A freeze on new tax waivers for foreign companies and review of tax exemptions for the free zone, mining, oil and gas companies;
• A hiring freeze for civil and public servants
• No new government agencies shall be established in 2023;
• There shall be no hampers for 2022;
• There shall be no printing of diaries, notepads, calendars and other promotional merchandise by MDAs, MMDAs and SOEs for 2024;
• All non-critical projects must be suspended for the 2023 Financial year.
Despite missing his penalty against Mexico, Robert Lewandowski continues to be Poland’s “number one” penalty taker, according to head coach Czeslaw Michniewicz.
The Barcelona forward is still searching for his first World Cup goal after Guillermo Ochoa denied him from 12 yards out in the Eagles’ Group C opening on Tuesday. He went scoreless in Russia four years ago.
Lewandowski, however, will continue to be Poland’s first option if they are given another penalty in their second group game against Saudi Arabia, Michniewicz stated.
“When it comes to the penalties, Robert is still number one,” the head coach said. “As a striker, of course, he will make a decision whether he will shoot or pass it on to someone else. He feels ready to score for Poland.”
Jan Bednarek believes while Lewandowski will be desperate to break his finals duck, the captain’s main focus is on the team’s performance in Qatar.
“Robert Lewandowski is our captain, he’s a striker, he wants to score as many goals as he can,” the on-loan Aston Villa defender said. “But for him, the good of the team is most important. He wants us to win.
“He hides his pride in his pocket, and he really focuses on working as hard as he can. It’s not important to him if he scores or not, he wants us to win the match.
“He’s got his individual objective, but I am convinced he places the team’s success at the top. This is the best striker in the world. I hope he leads us to win. I don’t know if he will score or not, but the most important thing is for us to win.”
Following his outstanding performance against Australia, Hugo Lloris is certain Adrien Rabiot will be essential to France’s World Cup defense, while Didier Deschamps expects even more from Ousmane Dembele.
Rabiot took on a central role for Les Bleus in their 4-1 victory over the Socceroos in Qataras a result of the injuries to Paul Pogba and N’Golo Kante.
Before halftime, the Juventus midfielder took control of the situation by equalizing Craig Goodwin’s earlier goal and helping set up the first of Olivier Giroud’s two goals.
Rabiot then became the first French player since Christophe Dugarry against South Africa in 1998 to both score and assist a goal in his World Cup debut.
Lloris said: “A lot has been said about the absences of Kante and Pogba, who have been vital engines for us for some years now.
“But you can forget that there are players who can step up and have the maturity and experience to take a leading role – Adrien has that.
“We know his qualities, there is an opportunity for him at this World Cup.
“The opportunity is coming at the right time and he has shown that against Australia.
“He stepped up and scored that goal and gave an assist to Olivier, it shows the impact he can have on the team.
“We know how talented he is, but he also is a very hard worker, he is very technically gifted, a very elegant player. I’m sure he’ll help us go as far as possible.”
Although Dembele contributed to Australia’s triumph, Deschamps thinks he still has to work on his game.
The Barcelona forward started France’s opening two games at the 2018 tournament, but he only made two more substitute appearances in Russia. His superb cross set up Kylian Mbappe.
After that, he did not play in the final victory.
But Deschamps insists Dembele has not arrived in Qatar with a point to prove, saying: “I don’t think he wants to make up for it or forget it; he was in 2018 squad, and it was successful.
“Four years ago, he was going through a difficult time with major injuries. Now, he is more mature, but he is still full of youthful exuberance. He is in a club that is very demanding, and maybe he is better at that club.
“He is always capable of creating problems for the opponent as he is so quick and skilful, but he needs to rule out any wastefulness and be as effective as he possibly can.
“He was pleased to be in first XI [against Australia], and he put in a good performance.”
After falling to a late 2-0 loss to Iran, Gareth Bale acknowledged that Wales is in danger of being eliminated from the World Cup.
The Iranian team’s late goals from Rouzbeh Cheshmi and Ramin Rezaeian caused the 10-man Dragons to lose heartbreakingly in Qatar.
Rob Page’s team just has one point after two games after that defeat, therefore in order to maintain their chances of moving on, the Welsh must defeat England on Tuesday night.
The 33-year-old captain Bale spoke after the final horn: “It is painful. There is no other way to describe how devastated we are.
Rouzbeh Cheshmi struck in the eighth minute of stoppage time for Iran
Iran put in a commanding performance, but the Dragons’ chances of winning were dashed in the 86th minute when Wayne Hennessey was sent off for charging out of his goal and colliding with Mehdi Taremi.
Bale thought it marked a turning point in the previously acrimonious situation.
The 48-year-old said: “Our performance before the red card was not acceptable.
“We hoped it would all come together, but we were nowhere near the levels we’ve set and the standards we’ve set in recent games.
“One or two you can carry, but when there are so many off days there is only one outcome.
“I always take responsibility, that’s my team. The sending off didn’t help of course but at that point we had five forwards on the pitch so couldn’t get a defensive shape.
“But yes I’ll always take responsibility for performances.
“It’s a difficult changing room at the minute but we will be ready [against England]. It’s a local derby and a great game to finish on and we’ll be prepared to go.”
Rob Page admitted his Wales side underperformed against Iran
After being second best for much of the contest at the Ahmed bin Ali Stadium, former Wales striker Iwan Roberts was critical of Page’s men.
He said: “I’m extremely disappointed in how Wales performed. If we’re being honest, we haven’t been good enough in the two games.
“The thing for Wales is our fitness levels. Not enough of our players are playing 90 minutes regularly. Not enough energy, nobody looked fresh. You can get a couple of players through like that, but not five or six.
“We were lucky against the USA. We lost to the better team, no doubt about it. They were fitter, more confident, more sharp. We can’t complain about that result at all.”
Ashley Williams, who led Wales to the 2016 Euro semifinals, has a better attitude.
The ex-Swansea defender, 38, said: “I think Wales gave it their all as they always do, they worked as hard as they could in this second half. Iran probably shaded Wales a bit.
“We didn’t get ourselves into good enough areas in the second half and didn’t have enough chances on the Iranian goal. So I’m gutted for all the boys.”
Wayne Hennessey saw red late on for Wales
After suffering a 6-2 defeat to England in their opening game, Iran are now well in the race for the knockout stages ahead of their final group clash with USA on Tuesday.
Manager Carlos Queiroz said: “This is just the beginning, but we need to finish the job. [It is] a wonderful day for us.
“All respect to my players, who showed they love to play football. Our players deserve to be supported. We want to play for the fans.”
In recognition of Trevoh Chalobah’s impressive form under Graham Potter, Chelsea have extended his contract until 2028.
Since Potter took over from Thomas Tuchel in September, the 23-year-old has played in 12 of the former Brighton and Hove Albion manager’s 14 games as manager.
With a club option to extend to 2029, Chalobah is now committed to the Blues until at least June 2028.
The defender, who has been with Chelsea since the age of nine, said: “I’m over the moon to sign this contract. It’s been an honour every time I put the shirt on. I want to give my all and do anything for this club.
“As everyone knows I’ve been here from a young age and to continue here is every kid’s dream. whenever I get the chance, I’ll give my all for the club and look for the future ahead.”
Chelsea chairman Todd Boehly and co-controlling owner Behdad Eghbali added: “We’re delighted that Trevoh will be extending his stay with Chelsea.
“He has been with us since childhood and has grown into an exceptional young player.
“He’s an important part of our men’s first team squad and we’re excited to see what’s next for Trevoh at Chelsea.”
Only five countries are representing Africa at the ongoing 2022 World Cup tournament happening in Qatar.
Ghana, Tunisia, Senegal, Morocco, and Cameroon are those representing the continent.
This time around, all of these teams are being led by their own respective national coach, which is unprecedented.
Otto Addo is leading the Black Stars of Ghana, Rigobert Song is handling Cameroon, Aliou Cisse leads Senegal, while Morocco is being led by Walid Regragui and Jalel Kadri is leading the charge for Tunisia.
The coaches and how they are currently performing:
Otto Addo
Ghana’s head coach Otto Addo (R) reacts during the international friendly football match between Brazil and Ghana at The Oceane Stadium in Le Havre, northern France on September 23, 2022. (Photo by Damien MEYER / AFP)
The 47-year-old faced defeat in his opener against Portugal on Thursday, November 24. The scoreline read 3:2 at the end of the game. Ghana bounced back during the second half of the game.
Otto Addo, a former midfielder says Ghana is under pressure to qualify. Ghana will face South Korea next week Monday and, subsequently, Uruguay on December 2.
Aliou Cisse
In this file photo, Senegal’s head coach Aliou Cisse holds a Senegalese flag as he celebrates after winning the Africa Cup of Nations (CAN) 2021 final football match between Senegal and Egypt at Stade d’Olembe in Yaounde on February 6, 2022. CHARLY TRIBALLEAU / AFP
The 46-year-old who was part of the Senegal team that reached the 2002 World Cup quarter-finals in South Korea suffered a two nil defeat against Netherlands in their opening game. The Senegalese players have however proven to be formidable despite their defeat and the absence of their star player, Sadio Mane.
Today, Senegal will play against Qatar. They will later face Ecuador on November 29.
Rigobert Song
Cameroon’s coach Rigobert Song Bahanag wears a One All Sports jacket during a training session at the Ahmadou Ahidjo stadium, in Yaounde on November 6, 2022, ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2022. (Photo by Daniel Beloumou Olomo / AFP)
Also 46-years old, Song could not secure victory for Cameroon when his side came up against Switzerland on Thursday. Their defeat was a goal to nil.
Song who masterminded a shock World Cup play-off victory over Algeria will next week Monday face Serbia. Brazil will be their next contender, whom they face on December 2.
Walid Regragui
Morocco’s coach Walid Regragui attends a training session in Doha on November 16, 2022, ahead of the Qatar 2022 World Cup football tournament. (Photo by FADEL SENNA / AFP)
Morocco being led by Walid, 47, met a stalemate when they faced Croatia on November 23. None of the teams managed to score. Beginning his coaching career in 2012, Walid will once again bring his experience to test when Morocco faces Belgium this Sunday.
On December 1, they come up against Canada.
Jalel Kadri
Last but not least, and oldest among the coaches, Jadel, 50, also could not secure a win for Tunisia, but neither did he lose. He drew against Denmark on November 22.
Taking over from Mondher Kebaier, will have to play a fast one on Australia on Friday to secure a place in the tournament. Tunisia face France on November 30.
From the performances so far, these five African countries would have to up their game as they are not in a comfortable lead.
Tunisia’s head coach Jalel Kadri takes part in a training session at Al Egla training facility in Doha on November 17, 2022 ahead of the Qatar 2022 World Cup football tournament. (Photo by MIGUEL MEDINA / AFP)
A video of Giorgia Meloni, a right-wing politician who has become Italy’s new prime minister, accusing France of using a “colonial currency” to “exploit the resources” of African countries has been widely shared on social media.
There have been recent tensions between the two countries over how to deal with African migrants. Italy refused to allow a migrant rescue ship to dock, France accused the Italians of “unacceptable behaviour”.
The video clip shows Ms Meloni claiming that “50% of everything that Burkina Faso exports ends up in… the French treasury”.
On 19 November, Dutch commentator Eva Vlaardingerbroek tweeted the video, saying “I bet Emmanuel Macron now regrets to have picked a fight with Giorgia Meloni”. This got tens of thousands of retweets.
On 20 November, the Daily Mail wrote about the video clip with the headline: “Italy’s new firebrand PM launches blistering diatribe saying immigration from Africa would STOP if countries like France halted exploitation of continent’s valuable resources”.
But the video clip with Ms Meloni is actually from 2019 – long before she became prime minister – and her comments back then were wrong.
What did Giorgia Meloni claim?
The video is from an interview given on 19 January 2019 on the private Italian TV channel La 7, when Ms Meloni was an MP and leader of the right-wing party, Brothers of Italy.
Ms Meloni holds up a CFA franc bank note, describing it as a “colonial currency” that France prints for 14 African countries which, she claims, it uses to “exploit the resources of these nations”.
Image caption, The clip has been widely shared on social media
She then holds up a picture of a child working in a gold mine in Burkina Faso and claims that “50% of everything that Burkina Faso exports ends up in… the French treasury”.
“The gold that this child goes down a tunnel to extract, mostly ends up in the coffers of the French state.”
Italian PM, Giorgia Meloni on Africa’s liberation.
“The solution is not to take the Africans and bring them to Europe. The solution is to free Africa from certain Europeans who exploit it and allow these people to live off what they have,” she says.#INDnews@GiorgiaMelonipic.twitter.com/iOUavJBrbz
The video clip ends with her saying “the solution is not to take Africans and bring them to Europe, the solution is to free Africa from certain Europeans who exploit it”.
We looked into a similar claim in 2019 when another Italian politician blamed France for impoverishing Africa and encouraging migration to Europe.
What is the evidence?
France does print currency – the CFA franc – for 14 African countries, including Burkina Faso. Participation in this currency is voluntary.
The currency was created by France in the late 1940s to serve as legal tender in its then-African colonies.
IMAGE SOURCE,GETTY IMAGES
At the time Ms Meloni made her claim in 2019, France required African countries that used the CFA franc to deposit 50% of their foreign exchange reserves (not their exports) with the French treasury, in return for a guaranteed exchange rate with the Euro.
These countries were free to access these reserves at any time if they wanted to and France paid them interest while holding them (at 0.75%).
France didn’t “demand 50% of everything Burkina Faso exports” either.
According to World Bank data, France isn’t even among the top five destinations for Burkina Faso exports in total value, the leading export being gold. In 2020, it exported nearly 90% of its gold to Switzerland.
We asked Ms Meloni’s office if she still stands by her comments but have not received a reply. The French government has not responded to our request for a comment either.
What’s happened since?
In December 2019, reforms to the CFA zone were announced, dropping the requirement that countries in the zone deposit half their reserves in France.
France began the process of transferring reserves back last year, according to news reports.
The IMF said in March this year that the account where these reserves were held in France had been closed, and that the Central Bank of West African States (which controls monetary policy for eight countries including Burkina Faso) now manages the reserves.
It is free to deposit these where it chooses.
Why is the French currency zone controversial?
Critics of the CFA currency arrangement have called it a relic of colonialism, saying it has impeded economic development for the 14 African countries that are part of it.
They also argue that they have no say in deciding monetary policies agreed to by European nations in the Eurozone.
An article for the US-based Brookings Institute last year said that while countries using the CFA franc had generally seen lower inflation, the CFA franc arrangement limits their policy options, particularly in dealing with the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
Other economists have pointed out that annual average GDP growth – the increase in the value of all goods and services produced – of CFA countries and other African economies has been fairly comparable over time.
IMAGE SOURCE,GETTY IMAGES
Image caption, Protests against the currency were held in Rome in 2019
France defends the currency system as ensuring a “stable economic framework” for the economies that are part of it, and as the currency is pegged to the Euro it says it provides better protection against economic shocks and helps control inflation.
And countries are free to leave the zone, it adds.
In 2020, the East African Community Partner States put in place the requisite institutions to ensure a single currency for the region by 2024 as outlined in the EAC Monetary Union Protocol.
Giving his New Year’s Address to the Staff of EAC Organs and Institutions spread across East Africa from the EAC Headquarters in Arusha, Tanzania, EAC Secretary General Amb. Liberat Mfumukeko said that the Bill for the establishment of the East African Monetary Institute (EAMI) had already been assented to by the Summit of Heads of State.
“The establishment of this institute will help to provide impetus towards the formation of the East African Monetary Union, which is the third pillar of our integration,” is quoted to have said Amb. Mfumukeko in a release.
According to him, the EAMI would later be transformed into the East African Central Bank that would issue the single currency.
He said the Council of Ministers had approved the EAC Domestic Tax Harmonization Policy, while noting that proper implementation of the policy would reduce tax competition thereby enhancing cross-border trade and investment in the region.
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The Isuzu Sales Team led by Mr. Maneesh Raseen, Heads of Sales,Al Mansour Auto – Dar es Salaam, paid a courtesy call on EAC SG @pmathuki to appreciate him for his leadership & progress made under the Common Market, that has eased movement of their goods across the region. pic.twitter.com/iaV6sLZgtH
With regards to the financial sector, the Secretary General said that the Community had developed requisite legal instruments (Bills) for the insurance and microfinance sub-sector and strategies for implementation of financial education and insurance certification.
“Further, we implemented the financial market infrastructure for payment and settlement systems as well as finalized regional regulations for portability of pension benefits and consumer protection,” he added.
He said that Community would have in place an EAC Investment Helpdesk and a Buyer-Seller Online Platform by June 2020.
“Both facilities will increase intra-EAC trade by creating awareness and markets for products manufactured within the EAC region.”
The Community, with US$20 million support spread over five years the World Bank, had also operationalised an EAC Statistics Development and Harmonization Regional Project.
“The project will support production of quality and harmonized statistics in the region through capacity building in the National Statistical Offices of the Partner States and the EAC Secretariat as well as support the establishment of the EAC Bureau of Statistics,” said Amb. Mfumukeko.
On the East African Court of Justice, the SG disclosed that sub-registries opened in the Partner States’ capital cities had elevated the visibility of the Court and reduced the costs of litigation and access to justice to the citizens of the Community.
“The residents can now easily take advantage of the Court and have their disputes resolved. In addition, the finalization of the review of the EACJ Rules of Procedure in 2019 will now provide seamless procedures to the benefit of the litigants,” said Amb. Mfumukeko.
On fisheries, the SG revealed that the Lake Victoria Fisheries Organization (LVFO) updated the status of fish stocks on the lake registering a 21% increase in total biomass to 2.68 million metric tonnes between 2018 and 2019.
“The Nile Perch population increased by 48%, from 0.55 million to 0.82 million metric tonnes over the same period. LVFO also revised Co-Management Guidelines for Lake Victoria, which provide for enhanced participation of stakeholders in fisheries management as well as capacity of fish traders and inspectors to promote market access, improved revenue collection and enhanced fish quality and safety assurance.”
LVFO received funds from the EU for a Start-up Phase of ECOFISH Project to enable consultations with key stakeholders to facilitate development of the detailed programme for enhancing regional policies and institutional frameworks.
The SG urged all EAC Staff to rededicate themselves to serving the region, a task he described as a privilege, adding that they had been recruited competitively based on their unique skills and expertise.
It is expected that in the next two years, this goal would have been realised.
Tite is confident Neymarwill continue playing at the World Cup for Brazil despite the ankle injury he sustained in a bruising opening contest with Serbia.
The Paris Saint-Germain forward limped off in the latter stages of the Selecao’s 2-0 victory, which was sealed by Richarlison’s second-half brace, having been repeatedly fouled at Lusail Stadium.
Neymar looked close to tears as he received treatment on the bench, before being pictured with a swollen ankle as he made his way to the dressing room.
Brazil team doctor Rodrigo Lasmar confirmed the 30-year-old will undergo further assessment in the next 24 to 48 hours but Tite, who revealed Neymar continued playing a further 11 minutes after sustaining the injury, is adamant he will return.
“[Neymar] felt this pain throughout the game, but he decided to stay on the pitch to help his team,” the head coach said.
“So it’s remarkable that he could bear this pain while his team was playing. He stayed 11 minutes on the pitch after his injury, until the moment he could no longer continue, and he was substituted.
“We are confident that Neymar will continue playing; he will continue playing in the World Cup.
“I didn’t see Neymar was injured – the capacity he had to overcome it tricked me, I only saw it now in the video. When he actually dribbled, it caused that injury, and in that second goal you see when he controlled the ball that he felt it.”
Richarlisonscored twice as Brazil opened their World Cup campaign with a routine 2-0 win over Serbia.
The Tottenham forward broke the deadlock with a close-range finish just after the hour mark at the Lusail Iconic Stadium.
Richarlison then sealed the points with a stunning acrobatic effort 17 minutes from time as Tite’s side made a winning start in Group G.
The Selecao remain unbeaten in their opening match at the finals since 1934, when they lost 3-1 to Spain in the first round.
Unbeaten in their past 15 World Cup group games, Brazil controlled the first half but without creating many goalscoring opportunities.
Casemiro tested Vanja Milinkovic-Savic with an ambitious effort from distance, while the Serbia goalkeeper was quickly off his line to prevent Vinicius Junior latching onto Thiago Silva’s precise throughball.
The Selecao carved their opponents’ defence open with a neat one-two between Raphinha and Lucas Paqueta in the 35th minute but the Barcelona forward could only shoot straight at Milinkovic-Savic.
Brazil carried a greater threat after the break. Milinkovic-Savic rescued Serbia by denying Raphinha, who had dispossessed Nemanja Gudelj outside his own penalty area, while Neymar fired wide from close range.
Alex Sandro rattled the post from 30 yards before the Samba Boys finally broke through in the 62nd minute; Richarlison prodding home the rebound after Milinkovic-Savic parried Vinicius’ initial effort.
Richarlison then gave Brazil breathing space in emphatic fashion 11 minutes later; controlling Vinicius’ low, hard cross with his left foot, before swivelling and sending a magnificent acrobatic volley flying into the bottom corner with his right.
Tite’s side almost increased their advantage as Casemiro hit the crossbar and Milinkovic-Savic denied Rodrygo, but the two-goal margin was enough to lift them to the Group G summit.
What does it mean? Brazil eventually make their dominance tell
Brazil registered 22 shots to a mere four from their opponents, but just the two goals were enough to earn maximum points for Tite, who became the first coach to lead the South American giants in successive World Cups since Tele Santana (1982 and 1986).
Meanwhile, Serbia have now lost eight of their 10 matches at the finals since 2006, with only Australia (nine) recording more during that span.
Richarlison’s rich vein of form continues
Chosen ahead of Gabriel Jesus to lead Brazil’s line, Richarlison grasped the opportunity with both hands as he sealed the victory with two contrasting strikes.
The first Selecao player to score twice on his World Cup debut since Neymar eight years ago, the Tottenham forward has now found the net nine times in his last seven international appearances.
Neymar a marked man once again
Although he was withdrawn with 10 minutes remaining, Neymar is already the most-fouled player at this year’s World Cup having drawn nine during this contest — four more than any other player.
The Paris Saint-Germain forward will have been disappointed not to score. But he was involved in a game-high 20 duels, while only Vinicius (four) registered more shots on goal (three).
What’s next?
Both sides are back in Group G action on Monday. Brazil look to build on their winning start against Switzerland, while Serbia seek a response against Cameroon.
Tears streamed down the face of Richarlison. He was inconsolable. He had shed blood, sweat and tears to force his way into the Brazil squad.
Then the XI. Yet, just three weeks before Tite named his squad for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™, he was on crutches.
Blubbering, he struggled to speak. Eventually, the words trickled out. “I’m devastated,” he said. “I was so close to the realisation of my dream. The last time I had this injury I was out for two months.” Furthermore, Tite had already said, reiterated and – irritated – eventually stressed that he would not gamble on players whose fitness was in doubt. It turns out that declaration had a disclaimer.
“Richarlison, Tottenham,” Tite said as he read out his 26-man list for the flight every Brazilian craved to Doha. Richarlison did not even hear the second word. Tite probably heard the London-based attacker’s wild celebrations all the way from Granja Comary, Rio de Janerio. “I was really, really nervous,” Richarlison admitted, explaining his excitement.
“The World Cup is the dream of dreams. I was so scared.” Pombo (Pigeon, his nickname) is an absolute teacher’s pet. The coach handed the attacker his debut in 2018 and has made him an ever-present in the frighteningly competitive Seleção squad. So despite Richarlison having only played 100 minutes since his injury, he was named up front for the curtain-rasier. Richarlison, quintessential Richarlison, careered over the Lusail Stadium turf in the first half, harrying defenders and forcing turnovers of possession.
If the first 45 showcased his desire and indefatigability, the second spotlighted his opportunism and excellence. It was 0-0, just after the hour, when Richarlison reacted to a rebound to fire Brazil ahead from close range. Eleven minutes later he executed a spectacular bicycle-kick to seal the deal. The moment Richarlison had dreamed about so much for so long – the one he thought had evaporated – was even better than he could have concocted.
“I’m so happy for him,” Antony told FIFA+. “He’s a great guy. He deserves it. That’s Richarlison. You give him a chance, he scores. You should see him in training. He shoots from anywhere and everywhere, all sorts of angles. He’s an incredible player.” “His performance was outstanding,” added Fred. I want to congratulate him. It’s not easy on your World Cup debut, but he scored two goals. The most important thing is that we got the victory. It was a great performance.”
Barcelona seized control of Group D in the Women’s Champions Leagueby thrashing Bayern Munich 3-0 in front of a crowd of 46,967 – a new group-stage record.
Second-half goals from Geyse, Aitana Bonmati and Claudia Pina helped Jonatan Giraldez’s team maintain their perfect record in the competition on Thursday, as well as ending that of Bayern.
The Camp Nou crowd – which surpassed the competition’s previous group-stage record of 18,341 by a considerable margin – had to remain patient for the opener, but the Blaugrana were good value for their win after Brazil international Geyse broke the deadlock.
The result moved Barca three points clear of their opponents as well as maintaining their six-point advantage over Benfica, who beat Rosengard 1-0 courtesy of Cloe Lacasse’s goal.
Meanwhile, Arsenal maintained their narrow lead at the top of Group C with a 1-1 draw against Juventus, who remain two points behind the Gunners after surrendering a second-half lead.
Lineth Beerensteyn put the hosts ahead shortly after the break, but fellow Netherlands international Vivianne Miedema nodded home from a corner nine minutes later to keep the visitors top.
Reigning champions Lyon also remain in fierce contention for a quarter-final spot after cruising to a 3-0 win at Zurich, moving them to within a point of second-placed Juve.
Signe Bruun added two goals after Melvine Malard headed in an early opener, helping the eight-time champions to their first Champions League win of the season.
When Antonee Robinson detected a feeling of contentment in some English quarters following the draw for FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™, the USA left-back was immediately “fired up”.
It was an instinctive response to a perceived slight that shone a bright light on the character of a persevering, undaunted and resilient competitor.
The 25-year-old, a first pick for Gregg Berhalter after comprehensively winning over the formerly sceptical American coach, is modest, thoughtful and proud.
Robinson was fresh from a loan with Bolton Wanderers in the English Championship when he made a senior USA debut shortly before the 2018 Russia World Cup, the first tournament without American involvement since 1986.
Prevailing opinion at Robinson’s parent club Everton was that the player, who joined aged 11, didn’t possess the attributes to reach the height of his sport. His progress at Goodison Park was checked by fitness issues – Robinson broke his left knee patella in 2014 and the following year needed microfracture surgery on his right knee – and the presence of first-rate left-back Leighton Baines.
The eve of a World Cup meeting with England, the country of Robinson’s birth, partway through a personally exceptional Premier League campaign, then, feels an appropriate point to reflect on the Fulham player’s steeply-climbing career trajectory.
“To come from where I have, and shattered the expectations people did or didn’t have of me, to play in this World Cup, means everything to me,” says Robinson. “My family expected me to do big things, though, and to achieve everything they thought I would and still have so much room to grow and so much ahead of me, makes them immensely proud.
“To turn around my situation to play regularly in the Premier League and know I genuinely had a big part in helping us qualify for this World Cup, and wasn’t just making up the numbers, means even more. That is why we play the game. To win and to be competitive and to make our family and friends proud of us. It is a genuinely proud moment for me and stepping on the pitch at a World Cup was one of the best days of my life.”
High intensity
Robinson started and finished USA’s first World Cup game since the last-16 defeat by Belgium in 2014 when Berhalter’s team drew 1-1 with Wales on Monday. He was typically quick and energetic – Robinson registered 81 sprints, recorded a comparatively extraordinary high-intensity distance of 1,618m and clocked a top speed of 35.4km/h, surpassing anything attained at World Cup 2018 – and prominent in a fast, aggressive and purposeful first-half performance when USA threatened to blow away their opponents.
As it was, the US had only one goal to show for their superiority and Wales recovered for an ultimately deserved draw. Don’t expect Gareth Bale’s late penalty to clip the wings of Berhalter’s intrepid team, however.
USA didn’t have it all their own way in CONCACAF qualifying. They had to wait until their third match for a victory, when Robinson’s equaliser after coming on at half-time in Honduras paved the way for a 4-1 win.
They eventually took the final automatic qualification spot, pipping Costa Rica on goal difference. Berhalter’s squad boasts only one player with World Cup experience in 2014 veteran DeAndre Yedlin and its average age of 25 years and two months makes it the second youngest at the tournament behind Ghana. Robinson, however, insists the USA’s objective in Qatar is to surpass the achievements of the team of 2002, which reached the quarter-finals.
“If we follow our gameplan and give everything we have, there is no limit to what we can do,” he says. “On our day, we can beat any team in front of us. We are coming here to try to win the World Cup.
“It was the first qualifying cycle for a lot of players. Going through that and learning in the deep end brought the group together and taught us what it takes.
The World Cup is new territory, but we have already entered new territory together. I know you hear this a lot from players, but I have never felt the togetherness and belief we share in our group. I am very excited going into battle with this team.”
Robinson qualifies for USA through father Marlon, who gained citizenship after moving from England to White Plains, New York, as a teenager. The player represented his adopted country at U-18 and U-23 levels before his first senior call-up under interim coach Dave Sarachan in May 2018, providing an assist in a debut win over Bolivia.
However, he initially regressed under Berhalter, who was appointed in December 2018. He is unflinching when reliving his first game for the coach, who selected Robinson at wing-back for a friendly against Jamaica. “Even in training leading up to the game, I wasn’t really at a level,” says Robinson, who was playing for Wigan Athletic at the time. “Gregg is quite a technical coach and it wasn’t something I’d known at that point of my career. Playing for Bolton and Wigan, I was largely dependent on my athleticism to get me through games.
“When I received my next call-up [in November 2020, after 17 months out of the picture], I still wasn’t playing my game or full of confidence. But when we got to the World Cup qualifiers, I let loose and understood everything he was asking from me, offensively and defensively. I was confident and knew what to do in games and chipped in with goals and assists.”
Universally known as Jedi, the nickname that’s accompanied him since the age of five, Robinson marked his strike against Honduras with a 360-degree backflip. Does he have anything planned if scores in Qatar? “Scoring at a World Cup is no easy feat and I have in my head what I would do,” comes the reply. “I hope it becomes a reality, then everyone will know.”
Inspiration from the past
It betrays an innate flamboyance that Robinson cites South Africa’s joyful goal celebrations at their home tournament in 2010 among favourite World Cup memories. He is passing time in the players’ lounge at the US hotel – beside the “messing around and playing pool” – watching other fixtures because, “we are still those kids who grew up watching the World Cup”. “If we were at home,” continues Robinson, “we’d be trying to watch the games. It is the biggest event in the world.”
Robinson, who transferred from Wigan to Fulham in August 2020, is conscious of USA’s record of winning one and drawing one of two World Cup fixtures with England.
The 1-0 defeat for England in Belo Horizonte in 1950 has been widely revisited this week following the exploits of Saudi Arabia and Japan. When the countries met in Rustenburg 12 years ago, it was a man of Fulham, Clint Dempsey, who scored for the States in a 1-1 draw. The Fulham-USA connection gave birth to the term Fulhamerica and Robinson is grateful for the two-pronged support harvested by compatriots Brian McBride, Carlos Bocanegra, Kasey Keller, Eddie Johnson and Dempsey.
Robinson nonetheless recalls England, in his view, expecting to brush aside USA in 2010. And he noted a similar outlook among sections of the media when the nations were drawn together in Qatar. “It was a similar story back then [2010], England would look down on the USA,” says Robinson. “When the draw came out a lot of papers were saying England had the easiest group. I think it is the hardest group.
That fired me up even more to diminish the claim they would stroll through the group. “I like being an underdog and upsetting people and if I can play that role, it would be great. Previous US teams have got through on determination and grit and workrate. They have never been easy to play against. If we can emulate that and add our quality, we will be fine.”
Italian Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, made a passionate call to heads of state in European countries to cease from deliberately taking advantage of Africa.
In an interview dated 2019 – long before she became prime minister shared by broadcaster Darren Grimes, the Prime Minister stated that none to little has been done to ensure Africa is independent.
She cited an instance where Burkina Faso continues to feed France, even after colonisation, due to some stringent deals made.
“Burkina Faso is one of the poorest nations in the world. France prints colonial money for Burkina Faso, which has gold. In return they demand that 50% of everything that Burkina Faso exports end up in the coffers of the French treasury.
“The gold that this child goes down a tunnel to extract mostly ends up in the coffers of the French state,” she said.
According to her, taking Africans and bringing them to Europe is not the way to go about ensuring Africa is self-reliant. For her, “the solution is to free Africa from certain Europeans who exploit it and allow these people to live off what they have.”
“The solution is not to take the Africans and bring them to Europe, the solution is to free Africa from certain Europeans who exploit it.”
This by the Italian PM is one of the most extraordinary broadcast interviews I’ve ever seen, utterly eviscerating. pic.twitter.com/SuykmknuP6
Most, if not all African countries, are unable to govern themselves without western influence. Since their independence, these countries have had a hard time to operate independently since they remain dependent on foreign countries.
Pele, Uwe Seeler and Miroslav Klose have all netted at four World Cups but Ronaldo is now out in front in that regard after scoring at a fifth finals.
Here, Stats Perform looks at each of Ronaldo’s previous seven goals on the biggest stage of them all, three of which came in one game.
Portugal 2-0 Iran (Frankfurt, 2006)
Ronaldo scored from the penalty spot for the first of his World Cup goals against Iran in 2006, making him Portugal’s youngest ever scorer in the competition at 21 years and 132 days, a record that stands to this day. Despite Portugal finishing third that year, a teenage Ronaldo did not add to his goals tally.
The Selecao put seven goals past North Korea, with Ronaldo scoring the sixth of those to end a two-year wait for an international goal. Portugal failed to find the net in any of their other three matches in South Africa and were eliminated by Spain in the last 16.
Portugal 2-1 Ghana (Brasilia, 2014)
Ronaldo scored a late winner in Portugal’s final group match against Ghana — a simple finish following some poor defending — but it was not enough to prevent his side from exiting Brazil 2014 in the first round behind the United States and tournament winners Germany.
Entering the tournament as the world’s best player, Ronaldo lived up to his billing by scoring a hat-trick in what will go down as one of the all-time great individual World Cup performances.
After opening the scoring from the penalty spot, the superstar forward beat David de Gea with a shot from outside the box and then scored a late free-kick to rescue a point in a topsy-turvy thriller.
Portugal 1-0 Morocco (Moscow, 2018)
Ronaldo was not finished there, either, as he made it four goals for the tournament with an unstoppable header inside four minutes against Morocco, with that proving to be the winner.
However, his goalscoring touch eluded him in the knockout rounds as he fired a blank in the 2-1 loss to Uruguay in the last 16.
Black Stars head coach Otto Addo has admitted his side are under pressure to qualify from Group H after losing 3-2 to Portugal in their 2022 World Cup opener on Thursday.
Black Stars began their campaign on a wrong note, losing narrowly to Fernando Santos’ side.
After the goalless first half, CristianoRonaldo opened the scoring for Portugal via the penalty spot but Ghana equalised through skipper Andre Ayew from close range.
Portugal responded with two goals in two minutes to seal the points, Joao Felix converting a delightfully clipped finish and substitute Rafael Leao coolly stroking in just seconds after coming on.
Osman Bukari headed in a late consolation for Ghana and there could have been real drama in the ninth minute of stoppage time.
“First of all, surely, we have a chance especially because they played a draw so if we win against South Korea and Portugal win hopefully against Uruguay then we will be second so the chance is still big,” coach Addo said after the game.
“And surely it will be very, very tough to beat South Korea because they are good. But now we have to win. We are under pressure but they too.”
The defeat means Black Stars are bottom of Group H after Uruguay and South Korea played out a goalless draw earlier on Thursday.
The Black Stars will now switch their attention to their attention to the match against South Korea on Monday before taking on Uruguay on December 2 at the Education City stadium.
Portugal edged Ghana for a 3-2 win at Stadium 974 on Thursday evening in the Black Stars’ 2022 World Cup opener as VAR was missing in action.
Cristiano Ronaldo converted a controversial penalty to give the Portuguese the lead just after the hour mark before Andre Ayew levelled for Ghana.
There was late drama as the European nation scored two-in-two minutes for a 3-1 lead. Substitute Osman Bukari headed in brilliantly late on to end the game 3-2.
The Black Stars became the first African team to score a goal at this year’s tournament.
Portugal leads Group H with three points after the win, with Ghana bottom. Uruguay and South Korea have a point each after drawing goalless earlier.
The Black Stars will next play South Korea on November 28 while Portugal faces Uruguay on the same day.
Cristiano Ronaldo got the first sight at goal but Ghana goalkeeper Lawrence Ati-Zigi was very proactive to run out of his line and put the ball to safety in 10 minutes.
The A Selecao restricted the Black Stars to their own half in the first 20 minutes, playing 76% of the ball while Ghana has only 24% of possession.
At the half hour mark, Ronaldo drilled the ball into Ghana’s net but he fouled Alexander Djiku in the process.
The Black Stars’ plan to catch Portugal on the counter wasn’t working as the midfield could not spot Inaki Williams, with the Euro 2016 champions getting 5 attempts, one on target against Ghana’s zero.
A half completed dominated by the two-time semifinalists ended in a goalless draw.
Ghana finally came out of their own half to play as Mohammed Kudus made a marvellous solo run to hit a great shot that missed the target narrowly 10 minutes into the second half.
Portugal was awarded a soft penalty that was not checked by the VAR after a least touch from Mohammed Salisu. The protestations of the Ghanaian players were ignored by the USA referee Elfath.
Ronaldo made no mistake from the spot as he converted brilliantly to break the deadlock in the 64th minute to make World Cup history. He became the first player to score in five consecutive tournaments.
Ghana pulled the equalizer through Andre Ayew, who latched onto a Kudus cutback in the 73rd minute.
Portugal caught Ghana’s backline sleeping on the break as Joao Felix picked a Baba Rahman missed ball to convert from the right side of the box in the 78th minute.
The same situation repeated itself two minutes later. This time on the right side, with substitute Raphael Leao converting from the left post.
With a minute to the end of the 90, Osman Bukari cut Portugal’s lead to one after heading in a Baba Rahman cross from the left.
Portugal held on to for the victory to ward off Ghana’s late pressure for an equalizer.
Lucas Hernandez has successfully undergone surgery after rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament in France’s 4-1 World Cup opening win against Australia on Tuesday.
Hernandez’s club Bayern Munich confirmed he had the operation in Innsbruck on Thursday, with his rehabilitation to commence in Munich in the coming days.
The defender was ruled out of the remainder of the World Cup due to the injury that saw him replaced after only 13 minutes.
Bayern did not provide a timeframe on Hernandez’s recovery but it is expected he will miss the rest of the 2022-23 season.
Hernandez is the latest injury blow for the world champions, who saw Paul Pogba, N’Golo Kante, Karim Benzema and Christopher Nkunku all ruled out before the tournament started.
France head coach Didier Deschamps said after Tuesday’s game: “Like the whole group, players and staff, I am extremely sorry for Lucas.
“We are losing an important element. Lucas is a warrior and I have no doubt that he will do everything possible to return to the game.
“I know him well. Courage, he will have it, that’s for sure. On behalf of the group, I wish him the best possible recovery.”
Hernandez has made 11 appearances, including 10 starts, for Bayern this season, having missed six weeks with an adductor injury sustained in September.
Ghana coach Otto Addo fumed at the decision to award Portugal a penaltyin their thrilling win over the Black Stars on Thursday, declaring: “I don’t know if the VAR wasn’t paying attention”.
Cristiano Ronaldo became the first player to net at five editions of the World Cup when he opened the scoring from the spot at Stadium 974, as Portugal eventually ran out 3-2 winners.
Ghana, however, were incensed by referee Ismail Elfath’s decision to award the spot-kick, believing Mohammed Salisu won the ball with his challenge on the five-time Ballon d’Or-winner.
Asked whether Ronaldo benefitted from a favourable decision, Addo said: “I think you’d have to ask the referee. I have no proof of that, but we were playing the ball, then there was a contact.
5 – Cristiano Ronaldo has become the first player to score five in different editions of the World Cup (2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022). Limitless. pic.twitter.com/w6noDKxoVR
“If I look at that moment, it’s incredible. If you look at a replay, we played the ball. It was actually a foul against us.
“The game was hectic, we made a few mistakes to allow the second and third goals, opening the lines for them to pass it. It was a little bit unlucky.
“With a bit of luck, we could have got one point. The referee was not in our favour. In my view, our yellow cards were deserved, but for me, holding jerseys is also a yellow card. I don’t know what was wrong, but he was really not in our favour.
“I asked some people from FIFA if I could talk briefly to the referee in a calm and quiet way, but they said he is in a meeting and it’s not possible.
“I think they have match analysis, so it’s the truth, but surely you can have some minutes for the coach.”
Ghana full-back Tariq Lamptey was also asked about the decision, responding: “I think you saw it. You can give your opinion.”
The African nation have now lost their opening match on three of their four participations at the World Cup (W1), but Lamptey believes there were plenty of positives to take.
“Obviously, I would have liked to get the win,” Lamptey said. “They have a lot of world-class players in their team, but we felt like we could have got the result we deserved, and we were so close to getting that.
“We know we played well, but it’s a difficult one as we know we could have got something. We’ll put that energy into our next game and give it our best.”
4 – Portugal 3-2 Ghana was just the fourth #FIFAWorldCup match to see as many as five goals having been 0-0 at half-time, after:
Poland 5-1 Peru (1982)
Netherlands 2-3 Brazil (1994)
Belgium 3-2 Japan (2018)
To be honest Ronaldo hasn’t been actually that bad. He just just need to work on his passing, shooting, movement, ball retention, dribbling, crossing, decision-making, set pieces, man-marking, ball control, tackling, shooting & few others things.
This information was announced by Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, when he presented the 2022 budget statement in Parliament on Thursday.
Prior to increase, VAT – standard rate was at the rate of 12.5%, National Health Insurance Levy (NHIL), 2.50%, Ghana Education Trust Fund (GFL), 2.50%, 1% COVID-19 Levy, 1%, (VAT) on NHIL and GFL and 1% COVID-19 Levy was 0.75%.
From 19.25%, VAT will now hit 21.75%.
“Mr. Speaker, the demand for roads has become the cry of many communities in the country. Unfortunately, with the current economic difficulties and the absence of dedicated source of funding for road construction, it is difficult to meet these demands. In that regard we are proposing the implementation of new revenue measures,” he said.
According to him, the increase in VAT is expected to yield GHc2.70 billion which will be used to augment funding for the road infrastructure development.
“This will be complemented by a major compliance programme to ensure that we derive the maximum yields from existing revenue handles,” he added.
Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta presented the 2023 Annual Budget Statement and Economic Policy of Government to Parliament today.
This is being carried out by the Finance Minister on behalf of the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo in accordance with Article 179 of the 1992 Constitution and section 21 of the Public Financial Management Act, 2016 (Act 921)
The budget according to the Ministry of Finance will focus on government’s strategies to restore and stabilize the macro economy, build resilience and promote inclusive growth and value creation.
The Ministry also said it will feature updates on Ghana’s engagement with the IMF for an IMF-supported Programme; year-to-date macro-fiscal performance of the economy; the YouStart initiative under the Ghana CARES Programme; climate action strategies; fiscal measures and debt management strategies to ensure fiscal and debt sustainability and promote growth.
Kevin De Bruyne was named player of the match in Belgium’s 1-0 win against Canada in their World Cup opener on Wednesday, but he was unsure why.
Belgium were second-best for large parts of the Group F contest at Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium, with Thibaut Courtois having to save a penalty from Alphonso Davies before Michy Batshuayi scored what proved to be the winner.
De Bruyne cut a frustrated figure as little came off for him on the night, and he was as confused as anyone as to why he had been awarded player of the match.
“I don’t think I played a great game, I don’t know why I got the trophy – maybe because of my name,” he said at a post-match press conference.
“We just didn’t play well as a team, especially in the first half.
“We started really badly, the momentum was with Canada and we couldn’t break through the press. I think there was more space than we thought.
“I don’t think we played a good game, me included, but we found a way to win.”
De Bruyne completed just 23 of his 33 passes (70 per cent), though did still create four chances, three more than any of his team-mates.
“When I saw the way we played I thought we were playing long too much, there was more space,” he added when asked about a confrontation with Toby Alderweireld immediately after the goal in the first half.
“You have to attract the pressing, play short and cross that line, but I don’t think we were brave enough to find that position.
“At half-time we cleared it up and things are OK, no hard feelings with Toby.”
Belgium head coach Roberto Martinez also acknowledged his team had not played well, but praised them for getting the three points.
Former Black Stars captain, Stephen Appiah, has charged the current team to give out their best in their 2022 World Cup opener against Portugal today.
In a tweet, he encouraged the players to work as a unit and endure the difficult task ahead of them in order to emerge victorious.
“My Guys today is yet another day to prove to the world that we are the only Black star that shines,”
“The battle may seem tough but remember you are not alone. Ghana and Africa is behind you. Fight with team work, determination and perseverance… It is possible…”
My Guys today is yet another day to prove to the world that we are the only Black star that shines.
The battle may seem tough but remember you are not alone. Ghana and Africa is behind you. Fight with team work, determination and perseverance… It is possible…🇬🇭🇬🇭 pic.twitter.com/91G48F0V8h
Black Stars will begin their campaign against Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal before taking on South Korea and Uruguay in the other Group H matches.
Only three sides from the continent have ever progressed to the quarter-finals; Cameroon in 1990, Senegal in 2002, and Ghana in 2010.
Ghana will be hoping to progress from the group stage at this year’s tournament.
Black Stars exited the group stage at the 2014 edition in Brazil after a slow start to the tournament.
Ghana are making a record 4th World Cup appearance in Qatar having previously played in the 2006, 2010 and 2014 in Germany, South Africa and Brazil respectively.
Goals from Sophie Ingle and Erin Cuthbert put Chelsea on the verge of qualification from Group A of the Women’s Champions League as they beat Real Madrid 2-0 on Wednesday.
A drab contest at Kingsmeadow came to life after 67 minutes as Ingle got on the end of a Millie Bright flick from a corner to head home, before Cuthbert’s cross from the right flew straight in past the helpless Misa Rodriguez to double the hosts’ advantage just four minutes later.
The win means Chelsea maintain their100 per cent record from three games, sitting five points ahead of Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain, who thrashed Vllaznia 5-0 to record their first victory of the campaign.
PSG eased to the win against their Albanian opponents thanks to goals from Grace Geyoro, a Matilda Gjergji own goal, a Ramona Bachmann penalty, Sandy Baltimore and substitute Magnaba Folquet.
In Group B, Roma took an early lead against Wolfsburg through Valentina Giacinti, before Ewa Pajor equalised for the visitors – her fourth Champions League goal in three games – to share the spoils.
St. Polten won their first points of this year’s competition with a hard-fought 1-0 win at Slavia Prague, with Maria Mikolajova scoring a sensational 91st-minute winner for the Austrians.
“I decided to shoot at the very last moment,” Mikolajova said after the game. “I was thinking about passing the ball, but made the right decision. It is hard to describe how I felt when the ball went in because it’s a very important win.”
That leaves Slavia Prague bottom with zero points, three behind St. Polten, while Wolfsburg and Roma remain clear at the top with seven each at the halfway point of the group stage.
Belgium “need to improve” if they are to stand a realistic chance of going deep at the 2022 World Cup, according to defender Toby Alderweireld.
It was Alderweireld’s long pass that created the only goal of the game for Michy Batshuayi as Belgium struggled to make much headway against an athletic and well-drilled Canada team.
Alphonso Davies saw an early penalty saved by Red Devils goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois and Canada also squandered a host of first-half chances as Belgium held on to a precious win to take an early lead at the top of Group F.
Alderweireld said: “We didn’t play our best game, but we fought hard, especially in the second half and it’s better to improve things with three points in the bag than no points.
“We weren’t good enough on the ball, we didn’t create the right spaces and in the second half we could have hurt them a lot more. Our last pass has to be a lot better.
“The first step is to get through but we need to improve.”
Alderweireld’s sentiments were shared by fellow defender Timothy Castagne, who felt Canada’s no-fear approach made them tricky opponents.
The Leicester City full-back said: “We were expecting that, it’s not easy to play against.
“We tried to play through them but we could not find the free men. When we did, we had some good opportunities but couldn’t finish them.
“We can thank Thibaut for keeping us in the game first half. After that we defended pretty strong together, which hasn’t always been our strongest suit so that’s good.”
With Argentina and Germany having already lost in Qatar to unheralded opponents, Castagne was just pleased Belgium avoided joining the ranks of beaten favourites, adding: “If you get the win, you get confidence even if it wasn’t our best game.
“Some big teams have lost so it’s good to get off to a good start points-wise.”
While Belgium were relieved, it was a night of pride and frustration for Canada. They emerged with enormous credit, inspired by the shrewd leadership of head coach John Herdman, but will rue their profligacy in front of goal.
Defender Steven Vitoria said: “We deserved more against a world-class side. When we play like that we’ll be a lot closer to winning than anything else. It was a fantastic performance but at this level you have to get the win.
“The intention is to be fearless on the biggest stage, this is a new Canada and we gave that statement to the world. But no excuses, we’re here to win and we’re not satisfied.”
Thomas Partey and Mohammed Kudus are set to named in Ghana’s starting XI to face Portugal in their 2022 World Cup opener today.
The duo missed Black Stars’ friendly win over Switzerland for various reasons, however, they are expected to named in coach Otto Addo’s line-up.
Kudus has been in fine form for Ajax this season, primarily playing as a false nine. He has scored 10 goals and provided two assists in 21 appearances.
Partey on the other hand, has been a key cog of Mikel Arteta’s side this season, making 15 appearances and scoring two goals in the process.
Black Stars will begin their campaign against Portugal on Thursday before taking on South Korea and Uruguay in the other Group H matches.
Ghana are making a record 4th World Cup appearance in Qatar having previously played in the 2006, 2010 and 2014 in Germany, South Africa and Brazil respectively.
The 2022 FIFA World Cup takes place between November 20 and December 18, 2022.
Only three sides from the continent have ever progressed to the quarter-finals; Cameroon in 1990, Senegal in 2002, and Ghana in 2010.
Ghana will be hoping to progress from the group stage at this year’s tournament.
Black Stars exited the group stage at the 2014 edition in Brazil after a slow start to the tournament.
Death has claimed the life of one Sadiya, who lived in Nguru, Yobe State of Nigeria with her husband.
Sadiya is alleged to have been held captive by her husband in their Nguru residence for a whole year. During the period, she is said to have not been provided any food but a local drink known as Kunu.
The deceased’s mother, Hadiza has accused Ibrahim Yunusa Bature for the death of a child, who was a mother of four.
Instabiog9ja says, interacting with the media, Hadiza noted that she smelt foul play when she phoned her daughter and sensed a very depressing tone.
She then visited her son-in-law and found her daughter at the brink of death. Hadiza stated that Sadiya could not walk because she was extremely weak.
Sadiya was then rushed to the Aminu Kano Teaching hospital for treatment where she died a few days later.
Hadiza has called on relevant authorities to ensure that the death of her daughter is investigated.
It is reported that Yunusa Bature has accepted blame. It is claimed that he locked up his wife to protect her from her family members who allegedly sought to harm her.
Cristiano Ronaldo could set a new World Cup record if he finds the net for Portugal in their opening Group H clash with Ghana on Thursday.
Currently part of an exclusive club of four men to score at four finals, Ronaldo could stand alone as the only player to net at five consecutive events with a goal in the Middle East.
A win in the most famous competition of all is the only jewel missing from the attacking star’s crown and his Portuguese side begin their quest for a first global title against the Black Stars.
Ghana ran to the brink of the last four in 2010 before an agonising penalty shoot-out defeat to Uruguay sent them home. However, the African Outfit have failed to reach those heights since, falling in the group stage in 2014 and missing out on qualification in 2018.
Team news
While Renato Sanches and Diogo Jota both missed out on Fernando Santos’s 26-man final squad through injury, the Portugal boss still has a plethora of famous faces under his wing in Qatar.
Joining Ronaldo among the ranks are Joao Cancelo, Bruno Fernandes, Bernardo Silva and Rafael Leao, to name just four.
Ronaldo missed the friendly win over Nigeria on Thursday with gastroenteritis but was back in training by Saturday and is expected to take centre stage as Portugal open their campaign.
Ghana boss Otto Addo can call on Athletic Bilbao’s Inaki Williams and Mohammed Kudus of Ajax in attack, along with Premier League names such as Daniel Amartey, Tariq Lamptey, Jordan Ayew and Mohammed Salisu.
Stats
Otto Addo’s Ghana are the lowest-ranked team at the World Cup
The two sides met in Group G at World Cup 2014, with Portugal running out 2-1 winners. In their quest for revenge, Ghana can take some solace from the fact that their opponents on Thursday have lost two of their last four fixtures.
They suffered 1-0 defeats against both Spain and Switzerland in the Nations League, as Santos’s men fell to second place.
Ronaldo and his teammates also had to struggle through a qualification playoff, having been pipped to automatic progression by Serbia. But since, Portugal have won six out of their nine matches and they come up against a Ghana outfit who have won just three of their last six matches.
The Ghanaians are ranked 61st in the world, making them the lowest-ranked nation in Qatar.
Prediction
While perhaps not considered to be in the same bracket as favourites Brazil, Portugal are regarded as a strong shout for a slot in the latter knockout stages and are not envisaged to struggle overly in the group phase against Ghana, Uruguay and South Korea.
A price of 3/4 is available with LiveScore Bet for a Portugal win to nil against the Black Stars, who face a battle to mirror the exploits of 2010 and progress from the round-robin phase.
With his Manchester United departure now confirmed, Ronaldo can welcome in the new year by looking toward the future and laying claim to an individual World Cup goalscoring record would begin this new chapter in style.
The Portugal icon can be backed at 6/5 with LiveScore Bet to score at anytime.
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