Sakho hits back at critics over Senegal absence

The West Ham striker withdrew from Senegal's Africa Cup of Nations squad with a back injury but returned to hit the winner in the Irons' FA Cup victory over Bristol City

Following his withdrawal from Senegal's Africa Cup of Nations squad, West Ham striker Diafra Sakho has hit back at those who have questioned his desire to play for his country.

The Hammers declared that Sakho's persistent back problem rendered him unfit to travel to Equatorial Guinea for the tournament, which got underway earlier this month.

Senegal were less than happy with the decision and their ire may have been further exacerbated when Sakho, returning to action for the first time since New Year's Day, came off the bench to score the winner in West Ham's FA Cup fourth-round tie at Bristol City on Sunday.

Following that victory, Sakho took to social media to respond to those who have doubted him.

"Friends, supporters, Senegalese people," he wrote on Facebook.

"I took the time to browse all of your reactions on social networks. Very quickly the joy which lived in me after scoring and save (sic) my club today turned into great sorrow and great anger.

"Great sadness because some of your words have touched me in the depths of my person, my heart, and this, without knowing what really happened.

"Great wrath, because after all my tests passed, my fighting day after day, season after season to finally wear the jersey of my homeland, the jersey of my family, the only nation which has in my eyes, you doubt my love and my patriotism.

"My absence from this 2015 CAN, my first CAN, was not without penalty. The dream of helping my country win flew this year but is not dead!

"Don't ever doubt the lion who sleeps in me, as I never doubt the passion that burns in you."

Stoke keen to sign Adama Traore

Stoke are keen to bring Adama Traore to the Britannia Stadium from Barcelona. Mark Hughes watched the Barcelona B forward in action at the weekend.

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Roma & Tottenham discussing Destro

Tottenham are in talks with Roma over striker Mattia Destro. The Italian forward is desperate for playing time while the club want to bring in Luiz Adriano. Spurs centre-back Vlad Chiriches could be included as part of the deal.

DR Congo 1-1 Tunisia: Bokila steals draw as Ibenge's men scrape through

Ahmed Akaichi scored in the first half to give Tunisia the lead but a goal from Jeremy Bokila put his side through on goals scored

Tunisia and DR Congo both booked their places in the Africa Cup of Nations quarter-finals with a 1-1 draw on Monday.
Group B leaders Tunisia controlled the vast majority of the clash in Bata, but could only muster one goal through Ahmed Akaichi.
Akaichi's improvised header capped a period of utter dominance for Georges Leekens' men that saw Yassine Chikhaoui cause all sorts of trouble for the DR Congo defence.
Tunisia looked destined to pile on the misery for the Democratic Republic and saw two goals disallowed for offside.
However, Jeremy Bokila popped up in the 66th minute to earn his side a place in the next round on goals scored with a record sixth Afcon draw in a row.
The result sees Tunisia set up a last-eight clash with hosts Equatorial Guinea in Ebebiyin, while DR Congo will face Congo in Bata.
Tunisia made three changes from their 2-1 win over Zambia last time out and should have taken the lead in the 10th minute as they looked good value for their status as group leaders in the early stages.
Akaichi picked up the ball on the right flank and drove into the area, although he arguably left it too late to square the ball to Ferjani Sassi.
The ball did eventually find its way to the midfielder around 12 yards out, but his low strike was blocked on the line by Joel Kimwaki, before Yassine Chikhaoui failed to turn Wahbi Khazri's follow-up effort in at the post.
Chikhaoui looked to be Tunisia's biggest attacking threat early on and forced a superb diving save from Robert Kidiaba after 20 minutes – cutting in on his right foot following a superb passing build-up before aiming a curling effort at the far corner.
DR Congo's first real chance came as Dieumerci Mbokani saw a curling free-kick tipped around the post by Aymen Mathlouthi, but Tunisia finally made their pressure pay in the 31st minute.
Another neat passing move saw Chikhaoui pick up the ball in the box and, after turning and squirming his way through a sea of blue shirts, he pulled the trigger, only for Akaichi to dive in with a header to deceive the goalkeeper and break the deadlock.
Chikhaoui looked to have added his own name to the scoresheet with a sublime volley two minutes later, but the linesman had already raised his flag for offside, before Ali Maaloul sent a long-range free-kick just over.
Tunisia had another goal chalked off shortly after the break when Akaichi strayed offside before sending an effort under Kidiaba, but the 2004 champions were less adventurous during the second half, choosing instead to protect their one-goal advantage.
Bokila dealt Tunisia a wake-up call when he headed narrowly over from a right-wing cross in the 63rd minute and had his side level soon after.
A long ball was headed into the path of Bokila by Dieumerci Mbokini, with the substitute sending a low effort beyond Mathlouthi.
Kidiaba tipped a Hamza Younes effort over the crossbar as Tunisia looked to regain the lead, but DR Congo held on to reach the knockout stages for the first time since 2006.

Nigerians Abroad: Ighalo hits four, Anichebe, Nwofor, Nwankwo , Uchebo on target

It was a harvest of goals for Nigerians in Europe over the weekend with former Flying Eagles skipper, Ighalo grabbing the headline with goals

ENGLAND
Victor Anichebe found the back of the net twice in West Bromwich Albion’s 2-1 win at Birmingham City to send them to the fifth round of the FA Cup on Saturday afternoon.
The game played at the St. Andrew’s saw Anichebe hit target in the 25th and 35th of the encounter which killed the dreams of their hosts of moving to the next round of the oldest football competition in the world.
Albion took a 25th-minute lead when Anichebe latched onto Saido Berahino's threaded pass before drilling a pinpoint strike in off Darren Randolph's near post.
Ten minutes later Anichebe had his second, once again receiving a Berahino pass before outmuscling ex-Baggies defender Paul Robinson and driving a shot beyond Randolph with the aid of an unfortunate ricochet off the Birmingham captain.
In London, things took a calamitous turn for John Obi Mikel as his side crumbled 4-2 to League One side, Bradford. The Catalyst was taken off the pitch with a head injury in the 70th minute and was replaced by Cesc Fabregas. Jose Mourinho’s men conceded thrice in the final 16 minutes of the game to bow out of the competition.
Middlesbrough pulled off one of the upsets of the round, eliminating Premier League champions Manchester City from the FA Cup at the Etihad. Goals from Patrick Bamford and Kike did for the citizens with Kenneth Omeruo not dressed as he was good enough for the bench - his fourth in succession.
Odion Ighalo was in scintillating form as he smashed an awe-inspiring four goals past Blackpool as Watford battered Blackpool 7-2 in an English Championship game played on Saturday evening at the Vicarage Stadium.

Carl Ikeme kept a clean sheet as Wolves were held to a goalless draw by Charlton at Molineux. This result leaves Kenny Jackett’s men outside the promotion playoff places in 7th.
 
SPAIN
Ikechukwu Uche played 64 minutes for Villarreal. A solitary strike from Luciano Vietto won the points for the Yellow Submarine, who occupy the final Europa League place in La Liga.
Elsewhere in Spain there was little joy for Ramon Azeez and Isaac Success; the former was an unused substitute as Almeria were trounced 3-0 by Espanyol, while the latter was not named in the squad for Granada’s 2-2 draw against Deportivo.
Both their clubs occupy the bottom two places in La Liga, and there is a real danger Azeez and Success could find themselves playing in the Segunda Division next season.

ITALY
Joel Obi made only his sixth start of the season for Inter in their 1-0 loss to Torino at San Siro. The 23-year-old featured in at left-back, and while it was not an unusual occurrence to see him feature at wing-back under previous manager Walter Mazzari, it is hardly his favoured position.
Lazio had no need for midfield strongman Ogenyi Onazi, as they completed controlled AC Milan at the Olimpico. The Eagles were deserved 3-1 winners, shrugging aside the disappointment of going behind in the 4th minute to rally in the second half and claim a win to move them into third in Serie A.

FRANCE
Vincent Enyeama was on from to finish for Lille OSC as they suffered a 1-0 defeat at home to Monacowith Dimitar Berbatov getting the solitary strike. Elsewhere, Elderson Echiejile was on for 90 minutes, fulfilling his defensive responsibilities for the visitors impeccably and with minimum fuss.

NETHERLANDS
Cambuur made a good fist of their tie against league leaders PSV Eindhoven, but in the end superior quality won out. Philip Cocu’s men ran out 2-1 winners, leaving Bartholomew Ogbeche and his teammates to wonder what might have been had they been more clinical in front of goal.
Young defender Tyronne Ebuehi came on in the 65th minute as ADO Den Haag went down 1-0 to Go Ahead Eagles. The 19-year-old right-back was born in Haarlem, Netherlands but is eligible for Nigeria by parentage. He has made six Eredivisie appearances this term, five as a substitute.
Abiola Dauda could only watch on from the bench as Heerenveen demolished his Vitesse team 4-1 at Abe Lenstra Stadion. A ruthless display of clinical finishing started in the 4th minute and was rounded off in the 53rd, with centre-back Kenneth Otigba forming an almost impenetrable platform behind.
 
PORTUGAL
Forward Simeon ‘Simmy’ Nwankwo was on target for Gil Vicente in a 2-2 draw against Vitoria de Guimaraes on Saturday. The 22-year-old opened the scoring in the 26th minute, but his side’s hopes of a win were dashed by a 90th-minute penalty awarded to the hosts.
Simmy has five goals in 14 appearances for Gil Vicente this season.
Super Eagles forward Michael Uchebo was decisive in Boavista’s 1-0 victory over Braga. Uchebo struck with eight minutes to play, his third goal of the season, to secure a sixth league win in 18 attempts for Boavista.
The 24-year-old has made ten appearances to date for Boavista.
 
BELGIUM
Uche Nwofor was on target for Lierse as they drew 1-1 at home to Waasland-Beveren. The striker opened the scoring in the 13th minute, before Renaud Emond cancelled out the opener on the hour.
The Super Eagles striker has two goals in nine Jupiler League appearances for bottom-placed Lierse.

AC Milan must beat Lazio to save Inzaghi from the sack

AC Milan's Coppa Italia quarter-final against Lazio on Tuesday will be decisive in deciding the future of under-fire coach Pippo Inzaghi.

The former Italy striker only succeeded Clarence Seedorf as boss seven months ago but his job is hanging by a thread following a disappointing run of results.

Milan have taken just one point from their four league games in 2015 - including a 3-1 defeat at Lazio on Saturday that was far more convincing than the scoreline suggests - and Goal understands that the outcome of Tuesday’s Italian Cup game will be pivotal in resolving Inzaghi’s fate.

President Silvio Berlusconi is furious that Milan are currently in 10th position in Serie A with almost no chance of qualifying for Europe via the league.

The Milan players are fully in support of Inzaghi and do not believe he is to blame for the club’s current struggles – with Philippe Mexes and Jeremy Menez even offering the 41-year-old their backing publicly.

But Milan have already drawn up a list of possible replacements for Inzaghi, with long-term assistant coach Mauro Tassotti and former Roma boss Luciano Spalletti at the top of their initial shortlist.

Cape Verde 0-0 Zambia: Both teams crash out with draw

The 1-1 draw recorded by DR Congo was enough to send them through on goals scored and send Cape Verde out at the group stages

Cape Verde and Zambia crashed out of the Africa Cup of Nations following a goalless draw in their final Group B game at Nuevo Estadio de Ebebiyín on Monday.
A victory would have been enough for either nation to progress to the quarter-finals, but they lacked the quality to reach the last eight and Democratic Republic of Congo and Tunisia progressed following their 1-1 draw.
Cape Verde went into the game in second place, but bow out after drawing all three games, with Democratic Republic of Congo leapfrogging them on goals scored.
Zambia, the 2012 Afcon winners, entered the game knowing they had to win to have any chance of going through.
Evans Kangwa and Mukuka Mulenga had clear opportunities to hand Zambia victory late on, but both men were unable to finish.
Incessant torrential rain led to puddles developing on the pitch and it seemed the game could be postponed, but both sides persevered in vain as their tournament was cut short.
The onus was on Zambia to get on the front foot from the off, but neither side looked threatening in the opening stages.
Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha breathed a sigh of relief when he spilled Given Singuluma's long-range drive and Kangwa was wrongly adjudged to be offside as he followed it up.
Zambia captain Rainford Kalaba then had half a chance to open the scoring when he was given too much space in the penalty area 23 minutes in, but his tame shot was deflected wide.
Cape Verde's Garry Rodrigues showed a sharp turn of pace to get down the inside right 10 minutes before the break, then let himself down with a lack of composure by firing off target with a poor finish.
It was Cape Verde who finished the half strongly, though, with Zambia enduring two alarming moments just before the break.
Toni Varela got his header all wrong when he was left unmarked from a Rodrigues free-kick. Winger Rodrigues then delivered a side-footed set-piece which somehow evaded everybody and went out for a goal-kick.
Conditions deteriorated at the start of the second half, with standing water appearing on the pitch as the rain continued to lash down, preventing the ball from rolling in certain areas of the pitch.
The game was allowed to continue, though, and substitute Djaniny forced a save from Kennedy Mweene with a long-range drive that bounced awkwardly in front of the Zambia goalkeeper.
Kangwa resorted to desperate measures when he took a dive in the penalty area and was shown a yellow card 15 minutes from time.
The same player was unable to make contact with Chisamba Lungu's cross three minutes later as Zambia pressed for a winner, while Mulenga also spurned a golden opportunity when firing wide from close range in stoppage time.

Siasia absolves players of blame over Tunisia defeat

The Dream Team VI handler has refused to fault his players following their defeat to Tunisia U-23 side in an international friendly on Saturday

Nigeria U-23 coach, Samson Siasia has absolved his player of blame following their 5-3 defeat in the hands of their Tunisian counterpart in a friendly encounter played in Tunis.
A brace from Junior Ajayi and strike from Etim Emmanuel could not prevent the Dream Team from going down to their hosts in the eight-goal thriller played at the El Menzah Stadium.
According to ‘Siaone’, a lot of factors caused the defeat to the north African opponents, and is hoping to make up for the rout when both sides meet again on Wednesday.
"I don’t want to blame the players too much for the loss to the Tunisians in the first match on Saturday, said Siasia in a statement released by the Nigeria Football Federation.
"Without appearing to be making excuses for them, we arrived in Tunis on Friday afternoon and immediately went to training but the weather did not help matters.
"Most of them were traveling outside the country for the first time and you can’t wish that away,’’ Siasia said in a statement by the Nigeria Football Association (NFA) in Abuja on Sunday.
The coach also said the weather was a critical issue while thanking the NFF for the game which will help him and his assistants correct noticeable lapses.
"Weather was really a factor. However, in the first match, my assistants and I noticed a number of areas we need to improve on seriously before we can say we have a team.
"We thank the NFA for organising these matches because they will really help us prepare for the qualifiers against Gabon, and other matches in the race to the All-Africa Games and the 2016 Olympics,” he concluded.

Neymar: Ronaldo should be punished

Barcelona star Neymar says he understands Cristiano Ronaldo's frustration boiling over after he was shown a red card during Real Madrid's 2-1 win over Cordoba.

The Portuguese seemed rattled throughout the contest, with video footage appearing to show him throwing a punch at Jose Angel Crespo, which went unnoticed by the referee.

But Ronaldo was later punished for kicking out at Edimar Fraga in another moment of indiscipline, which resulted in him being sent off.

The three-time Ballon d'Or winner later apologised on social media for losing his temper, but he has received the support of Neymar.

"It is difficult because sometimes there is provocation," he said. "It happened to Zinedine Zidane, it happened to me. Nobody has the coolness to remain calm 100 per cent of the time.

"We must think with our heads. I think he should be punished.

"It is the referee's responsibility to protect players on the pitch, particularly when they are targeted by hard challenges. Hard tackles must be punished."

Neymar has been one of Barcelona's shining lights amid a turbulent campaign at Camp Nou, with boardroom upheaval followed by reports of a dispute between Lionel Messi and coach Luis Enrique.

The Brazil captain has scored 19 goals in 25 games in all competitions and eased the goalscoring burden on the Argentine.

The 22-year-old was asked whether the presence of his South American team-mate could hinder his own bid to become the best player in the world, but he says Messi's influence is only positive.

"I have no problem. I've shared a dressing room with Ronaldinho and I never had problems with him. I've played with many great players. Messi is the best player in the world and I'll always have huge respect for him."