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GOAL picks out some eye-catching and unimpressive showings from the last-four clashes in Cameroon

GettyAfcon 2021 semi-finals

Senegal and Egypt defeated Burkina Faso and Cameroon, respectively, to set up what is a highly anticipated final between the West Africans and seven-time winners.

Which performances in the last four were impressive and whose displays were a disappointment?

AdvertisementBackpagepixToo Good: Gabaski

Since replacing Mohamed El-Shenawy in the 88th minute of the Round of 16 success over the Ivory Coast, Egypt’s replacement goalkeeper has now saved three penalties in those two games.

He stopped one in the victory over the Elephants and repeated the trick against the hosts on Thursday night and then some.

Gabaski thwarted Harold Moukoudi and James Lea Siliki to put the Pharaohs into a healthy advantage in the shootout, thus becoming the hero for the North African side.

If El-Shenawy is unable to feature on Sunday, Carlos Queiroz will trust in Gabaski who is yet to concede from open play since deputising for Egypt’s number one.

BackpagepixToo Bad: Vincent Aboubakar

For a second game running, the Indomitable Lions forward fired blanks, failing to convert one of the host nation’s best chances.

While Aboubakar did not quite miss as many opportunities against the Pharaohs as the quarter-finals, the striker’s off-kilter finishing proved costly this time.

Having flourished hitherto, the competition’s top scorer petered out when he needed to come up trumps.

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Getty Images.Too Good: Saliou Ciss

Ciss was a constant menace bombing forward for the entirety of Senegal’s 3-1 success over a plucky Burkina Faso outfit, fashioning more opportunities than all but Sadio Mane.

The left-back was equally dominant in his one-v-one tussles against the Stallions, winning every aerial duel on the night.

The 32-year-old has featured in every game so far at the finals and Aliou Cisse will count on the full-back for the decider.

Superstar performers from Real Madrid, Juventus, Liverpool, Barcelona and Bayern Munich helped guide their sides into the quarter-finals

Getty Images1Gonzalo Higuain – Juventus

Probably thought he had done enough after netting twice inside the opening nine minutes of a first leg clash with Tottenham, but saw Spurs hit back to leave the tie level. Juventus needed away goals at Wembley, and their Argentine hit-man got the first to help seal a dramatic 4-3 aggregate success after an excellent all-around performance.

AdvertisementGetty Images2Wissam Ben Yedder – Sevilla

Was only introduced in the second leg of a meeting with Manchester United in the 72nd minute, but made the most telling of contributions. Within 87 seconds of entering the fold he had fired Sevilla in front, and doubled their lead four minutes later to leave Jose Mourinho and Old Trafford stunned.

Getty Images3Lionel Messi – Barcelona

Messi opened the scoring in the second leg of Barcelona's tie with Chelsea with the quickest goal of his career after just two minutes and eight seconds. He then set up Ousmane Dembele for the Frenchman's first Barca goal and Messi put the seal on his club's safe passage into the quarter-finals by scoring his second of the night, which was also his 100th in the Champions League.

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4Thomas Muller – Bayern Munich

Netted the first of Bayern’s eight goals across two legs against Besiktas, with a brace in a 5-0 victory on home soil helping to end the tie as a contest. The World Cup winner was also heavily involved in the return date, with his inch-perfect cross allowing Thiago Alcantara to break the deadlock.

Newcastle United star Kieran Trippier was involved in a heated exchange with his own fans during the club's match against Bournemouth.

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Trippier involved in a heated exchange with fansNewcastle went down 0-2 against BournemouthMagpies suffered two more injuriesGetty ImagesWHAT HAPPENED?

English international full-back Kieran Trippier was seen confronting a set of Newcastle United fans after the club's Premier League clash against Bournemouth on Saturday which they lost 2-0 courtesy of Dominic Solanke's brace. Trippier got involved in a heated exchange with the supporters and eventually, he had to be pulled back by his team-mate Joelinton.

AdvertisementWATCH THE CLIPWHAT DID KIERAN TRIPPIER SAY

Speaking to after the game, the 33-year-old explained, "The fans are emotional, of course they are. They have travelled a long way, they spend a lot of money to come and watch us. I was just having a chat with one of them, I said we are giving everything. There is no need to panic, we are still in a good position in the league, we are still in the Champions League, Carabao Cup quarter-finals, there is no need to panic. We got beat, we do apologise for that result, but the most important thing is that the lads are giving everything. We are giving more under the circumstances."

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GettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Eddie Howe is already dealing with injuries to star players like Jacob Murphy and Alexander Isak and on Saturday, Miguel Almiron and Fabian Schar had to leave the pitch with hamstring injuries.

Two teenage Birmingham City fans were arrested for misogynistic chanting at referee Rebecca Welch in the club's win over Sheffield Wednesday.

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Referee Rebecca Welch target of abuseTwo teenagers arrestedClub condemns discriminationWHAT HAPPENED?

The 17-year-olds were detained after being overheard by officers directing abuse at Welch during Saturday's Championship fixture at St Andrew's. The arrests overshadowed Wayne Rooney's maiden win as Birmingham manager since his appointment last month.

AdvertisementWHAT WEST MIDLANDS POLICE SAID

A statement from West Midlands Police said: “We have arrested two boys for misogynistic chanting at the female referee during Birmingham City’s home game at St Andrew’s today

“Our officers heard the chants being directed at the official and acted quickly to arrest the two, who are both 17.

“They are currently in custody on suspicion of a public order offence as we carry out enquiries. We don’t tolerate any form of hate and it is important hate crime is reported to us."

THE BIGGER PICTURE

Ahead of Saturday's fixture, Birmingham had reminded supporters about acceptable behaviour via its website and social media after Welch had received misogynistic abuse when she took charge of the club's defeat to Preston North End in January. That game marked the first occasion in which a female official had refereed an English second tier game. Welch went on to make further history by being appointed as fourth official for Fulham's defeat to Manchester United in the Premier League earlier this month.

On Sunday, Birmingham expressed their disappointment at the arrests, stating: "Birmingham City strongly condemns all forms of discrimination and will support the police with their enquiries."

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GettyWHAT NEXT FOR REBECCA WELCH?

The history-making Welch will take charge of the Championship fixture between Hull City and Rotherham United on Tuesday. The game is her sixth appointment as a Championship referee

Kyle Abbott had a dream Test debut, but his second outing hasn’t yielded the same reward

Firdose Moonda in Cape Town02-Mar-20140:00

‘They’ve batted incredibly well’ – Abbott

Kyle Abbott nearly dismissed Michael Clarke on 99 during an intriguing tussle•Getty ImagesKyle Abbott delivered his first ball in international cricket in February 2013. It came after five balls after Vernon Philander broke Pakistan’s opening partnership in Centurion. Dale Steyn and Rory Kleinveldt had applied pressure before that and all Abbott needed to do was follow in that vein.By the end of that day, Abbott had raced past all three of those seamers. Through a combination of swing and accuracy, Abbott finished the day with the second-best bowling figures by a South African on debut and Pakistan were following on. Perhaps Test cricket wasn’t so difficult after all.More than a year later Abbott bowled for the second time in an international match. Australia’s openers had surged to 64 without loss. Steyn and Philander were off colour, Morkel was quick and threatening but had not broken through and Graeme Smith had already resorted to using a spinner. Suddenly, Test cricket seemed a much tougher game.”A year ago I sat here after my first Test, I bowled exactly the same and had seven wickets to my name,” Abbott said. “I probably bowled a bit worse then actually, but that’s the great thing about this game, it humbles you.”Without a single wicket to his name, Abbott has been brought back down to earth even though he had more than 12 months to come down from the high of his maiden outing. There was not much swing to be found on the first day’s cool but dry air and the surface did not have much in it for the seamers so the going was tough against an Australian line-up that were intent on asserting themselves. “It was pretty demanding out there,” Abbott admitted. “But I also think we stuck at it well.”With Morne Morkel assuming the role of the attacker in Dale Steyn’s absence, the rest of the pack were supposed to hold the line. Neither Vernon Philander nor the spinners did that while Abbott came closest. He said he knew there be a little more needed from him given that South Africa were a man down. “He is the world leading bowler so not having him will make a dent in your plans. Graeme [Smith] said this is the card we’ve been dealt and he is going to call a lot more on the bowlers.”Abbott compared the challenge of being without Steyn to being similar to the one he faced this morning, when howling wind threatened to throw him off his line at any moment. He also knew he was better than being blown away and wanted to prove it.For five consecutive overs, Abbott did not give a run away. He bowled just short of a length, a line close to offstump and Steve Smith’s bat, before going up against a nervy Michael Clarke on 99. Clarke elaborately shouldered arms to what could be either the leave or the ball of the day, one that moved back into him and missed the stumps by millimetres.Abbott built pressure for a period, something South Africa were unable to do for most of the first day. Even though it held little relevance in the context, it is a skill he could be called on to perform in future. “What I did this morning is how I’ve got myself into this side in the first place,” Abbott said. “Yesterday wasn’t what I am all about. This morning was a better reflection of what I can bring to this side. I have been told the lines I hit is good enough to keep guys at bay and I hope I can keep doing that.”Through that, he was part of one of the best passages of play on a curtailed day and admitted he enjoyed it. “That was a great period of Test cricket,” he said. “Clarke was looking to pounce on anything remotely short and wide and there were a few balls where he tried to create something but got stopped at gully. He really put my skills put to the Test. There were a few moments where he smiled and nodded and it was just great competition.”It may also serve as evidence Abbott is at the front of queue to fill this role later on, which would be progress for a side that unsure of who its fourth seamer should be before this match. They have tried Ryan McLaren and Wayne Parnell and have thought about using Rory Kleinveldt, so much so that Abbott did not expect to play in this Test series. He was added to the squad only because Parnell was ruled out and considered himself nothing more than cover.On Friday afternoon, Abbott was told he was going to have to be more than that. The news tied his stomach into a knot. “It kind of ruined my dinner plans. I didn’t have much of an appetite,” Abbott said. “The selectors made up their minds that they wanted four seamers and I had played a bit of four-day cricket so that weighed it nicely in my favour.”The same cannot be said of the position South Africa find themselves in now. Australia are closing in on a first-innings score of 500 and time has already been lost in the game. Only two outcomes seem likely and a South Africa win is not one of them.It’s a situation Abbott has not found himself in with the national team before. But he is taking heart from the fact that he has not seen Newlands this flat and if South Africa’s line-up can put up a fight, he wants to believe anything is possible. “We have to bat well, just as they did,” Abbott said. “As soon as we start thinking of a draw or any negative thoughts come in, we won’t be on the right track. Knowing this team, we’re still going to stay positive. There’s a series up for grabs.”

An excellent team performance from Hobart Hurricanes in their first match of the season consigned Melbourne Stars to their second straight defeat

The Report by Freddie Wilde20-Dec-2014
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsDarren Sammy smacked an unbeaten 38 off 12 balls to provide Hurricanes a late surge•Getty ImagesAn excellent team performance from Hobart Hurricanes in their first match of the season consigned Melbourne Stars to their second straight defeat. The pressure of a steep chase of 190 got to Stars, whose strong batting order wilted against some probing bowling and eventually fell short by 52 runs.After being been put in by Stars, who brought in Daniel Worrall for Clive Rose, Hurricanes, without Travis Birt, were flattened to 3 for 31 after 5.1 overs. Their new signing Alex Hales was dismissed for a duck by Jackson Bird, before John Hastings removed Tim Paine for 19 and George Bailey for 2. Stars bowled well in the Powerplay, conceding just three fours, and deserved their success, but all three wickets came as a result of poor attacking shots as Hurricanes, perhaps encouraged by a flat MCG pitch and a deep batting order, went a little too hard.The early setbacks reduced the strategic options for Hurricanes who had no other choice but to rebuild as they exited the Powerplay. Ben Dunk, who was dropped on five by Luke Wright, and Jonathan Wells combined to produce a 90-run partnership for the fourth wicket – a new record for the Hurricanes. Captain Bailey, speaking after the match heaped praise on the pair, saying it was the “blueprint of how to play in the middle-overs of a T20.”Such acclaim was perhaps slightly generous because the partnership could have been even more impressive with Dunk struggling for fluency and timing, hitting just two fours. But crucially, he fought hard, facing 42 balls for his 43. The stability of partner provided by Dunk allowed Wells to capitalise and score his third T20 fifty. But even Wells never really cut loose, striking just four fours and a single six in his innings of 68. It was a partnership characterised by proactivity and energy.However, after 12 overs with the Hurricanes at 3 for 82, their innings moved up a gear with overs of 10 and 15 runs preceding Dunk’s dismissal to a mistimed pull shot in the 15th over. By the time Dunk departed, Hurricanes had been elevated to 4 for 121 with 27 balls still remaining.Twelve of those deliveries were faced by Darren Sammy, fresh from being released by Sunrisers Hyderbad, who thrashed 38 off 12 balls to propel Hurricanes towards 200 in a remarkable assault. Sammy was assisted by Evan Gulbis, who struck 14 from just five balls after Wells fell in the eighteenth over. The penultimate over bowled by Worrell was mauled for 30, including three sixes and two fours, leaving him nursing the worst figures ever recorded in the Big Bash League – 0-60 from four overs.Sammy’s high back-lift, clean swing, steady head and brute force ensured 47 were collected from the final two overs and 108 from the final eight. The knock powered Hurricanes to a commanding 5 for 190.Hurricanes opened the bowling with spinner Xavier Doherty, the Stars openers Cameron White and Luke Wright were unperturbed by such a move and started strongly, scoring 30 off the first three overs. However, Wright and Kevin Pietersen fell before the Powerplay was done, both beaten by the pace of two well-targeted short balls from Joe Mennie and Ben Hilfenhaus respectively.The hopes of Stars took a further blow just two overs later when Glenn Maxwell was caught at mid-on off Hilfenhaus. Maxwell has now failed to score more than 43 for 29 T20s, and has made 19 scores of less than fifteen in a sequence of matches dating back to the middle of IPL 2014.When Maxwell fell, the required run-rate for Stars had spiralled to above ten and the chase had reached a pivotal point. The same sagacity and intelligence exhibited earlier by Dunk and Wells was required were the Stars to stay in the match long enough for the likes of James Faulkner to provide a late surge.However, an irresponsible shot from David Hussey, charging leg-spinner Cameron Boyce and failing to get to the pitch of the delivery, saw him fall for 11 and any realistic chance of a victory for Stars receded when White fell soon after for a stoic 62.As the seagulls gathered, the rate climbed, the balls dripped away and the MCG slowly emptied, the Stars lower order crumbled at the hands of Hilfenhaus (4 for 27) and Mennie (3 for 20), who completed an encouraging victory for Hurricanes.

Allrounder Tim Bresnan has been added to England’s Ashes squad and could play in the second Test in Adelaide, which starts on December 5

George Dobell02-Dec-20130:00

‘Praying for Bresnan to be fit’

Allrounder Tim Bresnan has been added to England’s Ashes squad and could play in the second Test in Adelaide, which starts on December 5.Bresnan, 28, was diagnosed with a stress fracture in his lower back in August and missed the final Test of the Ashes in England. While he arrived in Australia with the Test squad, his on-going involvement was always dependent on him proving his fitness ahead of the second Test.Having taken four wickets in the England Performance Programmes’ match against Queensland Second XI last week and undergone a thorough fitness test afterwards, he has now officially been added to the squad. He has also been bowling at full pace in the nets for a couple of weeks.Chris Tremlett filled the third fast bowler’s spot normally taken by Bresnan in Brisbane but produced a modest performance. With England also keen to strengthen the batting after a dismal performance in the first Test and the loss of Jonathan Trott, Bresnan, a far better batsman than Tremlett, could be set for an almost immediate return. Both Steven Finn and Boyd Rankin all but bowled themselves out of contention with disappointing performances in Alice Springs.It appears that Gary Ballance will benefit from Trott’s departure and win the chance to bat at No. 6 in Adelaide, with Joe Root or Ian Bell set to move to No. 3. Root, despite an unconvincing performance in Alice Springs, appears the more likely choice, with the England camp reluctant to weaken a strength by moving Bell from the No. 5 position from which he largely defined the previous series in England.

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Crystal Palace fans have taken to Twitter to discuss where Mamadou Sakho ranks amongst their best ever centre-backs, with many suggesting that the Frenchman stands alone at the very top of the pile.

The former Paris Saint-Germain captain arrived in south London in a £26m deal from Liverpool back in 2017, following a stunning six-month loan spell prior to the permanent deal in which he was nominated for the club’s Player of the Season award.

Since then, he has formed a formidable partnership alongside James Tomkins at the back, which has been the foundation of what is currently the fifth best defence in the Premier League, behind only Liverpool, Manchester City, Tottenham and Chelsea.

Sakho can, however, be a controversial figure amongst Palace fans, as he often tends to do outlandish things such as back-heel the ball inside his own box and play risky passes – real heart in mouth stuff.

Be sure to check out the incredible story of the man who rose from a Tanzanian refugee camp to become one of Australia’s biggest football stars in the video below…

His commanding performances at the back, in which he combines solid, body-on-the-line defending with composure and the ability to play the ball out of defence, have clearly impressed the Palace fans, and they think he ranks as one of their very best according to their reactions on Twitter…

Manaf Mohamed, who was hired as general manager of the USA Cricket Association in January 2011, has been dismissed by USACA chief executive Darren Beazley

Peter Della Penna28-Jun-2013Manaf Mohamed, who was hired as general manager of the USA Cricket Association in January 2011, has been dismissed by USACA chief executive Darren Beazley. The move came after the USACA decided to terminate the general manager’s position due to its redundant functions.”The termination was due to the elimination of the general manager position,” Mohamed told ESPNcricinfo, when asked about the reason for his removal. “I wasn’t surprised. I was expecting it simply because there was a lot of overflow area between some of the activities that I used to do as the GM and then with the CEO coming in doing a lot of high-level stuff. Knowing something about our funding position, I kind of expected it in the long run. It would all come down to how they manage the budget.”Mohamed, 65, had previously served as USACA’s second vice-president from 2008 until he stepped down from a volunteer position to take on a paid job as general manager in 2011. He was originally hired to fill the administrative void left by the removal of USACA’s first chief executive, Don Lockerbie, who was dismissed in November 2010. The position of a general manager did not exist during Lockerbie’s tenure as CEO, but having a full-time paid administrator is one of the requirements for Associate countries to receive an increased level of ICC funding. With USACA in no rush to hire a new CEO after Lockerbie’s departure, the position of general manager was created, with Mohamed taking on the role.In December 2012, USACA announced that Darren Beazley had been hired to become the next chief executive and he confirmed that the decision was part of a larger re-structuring within USACA.”The role of general manager is no longer necessary with a full-time CEO and the removal of the role is part of a larger re-structure of our HR function that is ongoing,” Beazley said in a written statement. “Manaf has been a diligent servant to the game of cricket here in the US. Whilst we are sorry to see him go in a permanent capacity, I am very pleased that he’ll remain involved in some of the projects that we have coming up. His experience as a previous USACA Board member and paid administrator is very valuable to the future direction of US cricket.”

The BCCI has moved the Supreme Court challenging the participation of Lalit Modi in the Rajasthan Cricket Association elections

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Jan-2014The BCCI has moved the Supreme Court challenging the participation of Lalit Modi in the Rajasthan Cricket Association elections. The decision to do so was taken by the working committee last week, where it was agreed upon that the board would intervene in the ongoing case filed by former RCA chief Kishore Rungta and would seek clarification from the Supreme Court regarding the BCCI’s resolution to ban the former IPL chairman for life.Modi is expected to return to cricket administration as RCA president, the election for which was held last month. The results will be out on January 6 with the ballots in possession of the Supreme Court till then. The court is monitoring the elections and has appointed a former judge, Narendra Kasliwal, to oversee the process.While expelling Modi on multiple charges of misconduct, the BCCI had said that “he shall not in future be entitled to hold any position or office, or be admitted in any committee or any member or associate member of the board”. Modi, however, got his candidature for the RCA presidency approved by the Supreme Court by exploiting a technicality that the RCA was governed by the Rajasthan Sports Act.The BCCI filed a petition in the Supreme Court holding that that any association that its state bodies maintain with Modi is tantamount to tarnishing of the board’s image. The BCCI’s petition to the apex court also claimed that Modi’s nomination was improper as it was carried out despite the board’s stern objection to the same. The RCA elections were overseen by two Supreme Court-appointed former judges, with Modi allowed to contest as the polls were not governed by BCCI rules. The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear the case on January 6.