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MONDAY, JUNE 15, 2015 SPORTS Nigeria back to winning ways JOHANNESBURG: Nigeria returned to win- Saturday’s other qualifiers with a 7-1 ning ways in African Nations Cup qualifica- thumping of Sao Tome e Principe for tion on Saturday but former champions their biggest ever margin of victory South Africa and Zambia suffered embar- while Angola beat the Central African rassing home draws in their opening Republic 4-0. matches of the preliminary competition for Zimbabwe, whose players had to travel the 2017 finals. some 600km by bus to Malawi after miss- A new-look Nigeria, who were 2013 ing their flight, secured a 2-1 away win in champions but failed to qualify for the Blantyre with a late goal from Khama Billiat, 2015 finals, overcame a slow start to beat whose intended cross crashed into the top Chad 2-0 in Kaduna but 2012 champions of the net from out on the wing. Zambia squandered a late spot kick and Zimbabwe were the only team to win away were held to a goalless draw by Guinea in Saturday’s 11 qualifiers. Algeria, Burkina Bissau in Ndola. Faso, Mali, Senegal and Uganda were all The Gambia, who had been banned for victorious at home in their respective ties. two years from international competition Nabil Bentaleb got the last goal as Algeria for age cheating, returned with a hard were too good for the Seychelles in a 4-0 fought 0-0 draw at 1996 winners South victory in Blida. Africa in Durban, a match delayed four Mame Biram Diouf and Sadio Mane hours because the match officials from were among the scorers as Senegal edged Madagascar arrived late. past Burundi 3-1 in Dakar while Modibo Nigeria were held for more than hour by Maiga got the opening goal in Mali’s 2-0 tri- Chad before Gbolahan Salami rifled home umph over South Sudan in Bamako. in the 63rd minute and Odion Ighalo added There are 12 more qualifiers set for late a second from a penalty 10 minutes from yesterday as the completion of the opening time. But midfielder Ogenyi Onzi was sent weekend of the preliminaries. The next set off for shoving an opponent and will miss of matches are in September. The winners the Super Eagles’ next two qualifiers of the 13 qualifying groups plus the two CHRISTCHURCH: Germany’s Hany Mukhtar (left) and Hamidou Traore of Mali compete for a header during their U20 soccer World Cup quarterfi- against Tanzania and Egypt. best runners-up qualify for the finals in nal game. —AP Cape Verde were the big winners in Gabon.—Reuters Danes inflict more Mali, Senegal lead African misery on Serbia charge at Under-20 WCup COPENHAGEN: Yussuf Poulsen’s first inter- Schmeichel pulled off a superb save to WELLINGTON: African countries captured two tiebreakers after both won one and drew one of two German players missed their shots and Mali national goal and a late effort from Jakob palm Aleksandar Mitrovic’s powerful head- semifinal places at the Under-20 World Cup yes- their three group matches. progressed. “We didn’t lose the match because Poulsen secured Denmark a 2-0 victory er onto the crossbar and away to safety. terday as Mali and Senegal kept up their surpris- Brazil has found goal-scoring increasingly dif- of the opponent, we lost it because of penalties,” over Serbia in their Group I Euro 2016 quali- Schmeichel was soon called into action ing run in the tournament. ficult as the tournament has progressed but has Germany coach Frank Wormuth said. “At the end fier on Saturday. again, parrying a stinging shot from Adem Mali pulled off its biggest upset yet by beat- been efficient in shootouts. Brazil looked tired it’s luck to win.” Serbia, who have one point from five Ljajic to keep the Danes’ slender lead intact. ing European champion Germany 4-3 on penal- after being taken to penalties by Uruguay three Mamadou Thiam scored in the 76th minute games in a dismal qualifying campaign, The Danes spent much of the second ties while Senegal beat Uzbekistan 1-0 for the days ago, and Portugal dominated much of the to send first-time qualifiers Senegal to the last dominated the hosts for the entire second half clearing their lines, Agger putting in a only regulation-time win in Sunday’s quarterfi- game but wasted a number of chances. In the four. Uzbekistan had been kept in the match by half but a combination of last-ditch defend- commanding performance at the back, nals, three of which were decided in shootouts. shootout, Lucao missed the second penalty for goalkeeper Dilshod Khamraev, who pulled off a ing and some spectacular saves from keep- manhandling the Serbian forward line and Serbia and the United States traded 18 penal- Brazil but Raphael Guzzo, Andre Silva and Nuno series of remarkable saves before Thiam’s combi- er Kasper Schmeichel sent them home stealing the ball off the toes of the Serbs on ties before Serbia emerged 6-5 winner of a Santos all missed for Portugal, allowing captain nation with Remi Nassalan created the winning empty-handed. several occasions. match which had been locked 0-0 after extra Danilo and Gabriel Jesus to send the Brazilians goal. “We have prayed a lot since the beginning Denmark took the lead in the 13th The sucker-punch came in the 88th time. through. of the competition and particularly in the last minute from a superb flowing move, Pierre minute when the Danes made a rare foray And five-time champion Brazil was taken to “Everyone saw what happened but in the end few days,” Senegal coach Joseph Koto said. “Most Hojbjerg sweeping a long ball to Nicklas forward and substitute Jakob Poulsen held penalties for the second match in a row before we were able to celebrate in the penalty importantly I want to congratulate my players Bendtner whose deft touch placed it per- off Nikola Maksimovic to rifle the ball low beating Portugal 3-1 following another 0-0 draw. shootout,” Brazil coach Rogerio Micale said. because they truly played a heroic match today.” fectly in the path of Poulsen who drove it past Stojkovic. Serbia will play Mali and Brazil will play Senegal “Portugal created more in front of goal than we Serbia advanced to their maiden World Cup home. The Danes could have gone two up Portugal’s 3-2 victory away to Armenia in Wednesday’s semifinals. did and deserved to win today.” Portugal coach semifinal after a marathon shootout against the just after the half-hour when Matija earlier in the day means they top Group I Brazil is the last of football’s superpowers Helio Sousa was left to regret his team’s failure to U.S. The match needed 18 penalties to decide a Nastasic clumsily tripped Pierre Hojbjerg on 12 points, with the Danes second on 10. remaining in the tournament. South American “finish off everything we created.” “We stamped victor. but Denmark captain Daniel Agger’s penal- Albania are third on seven points and a champion Argentina failed to progress from our authority on the game, we were better in Serbia held the Americans to just two shots ty was easily pushed away by by Vladimir game in hand, with Serbia and Armenia group play along with Central America’s champi- every area but we just couldn’t score,” he said. on target in the game. “Today we won an impor- Stojkovic. Behind at the break, the Serbs rooted to the bottom with a single point on Mexico. Former champion Ghana and front- Germany led 1-0 after the first half and also tant game and defeated a very good team in the launched a second-half onslaught but each. —Reuters runner Nigeria both fell in the round of 16, missed a penalty in regulation time before com- United States. I think it was a very even game for which also claimed 2013 finalist Uruguay. While ing up short in the shootout. The penalty both teams,” Serbia coach Veljko Paunovic’s said. Brazil and Serbia qualified for the last 16 at the shootout was level at 3-3 when Mali baulked first “In the end, I think we were lucky with the penal- top of their groups, Mali and Senegal needed with a miss. With the game there for the taking, ties.” —AP Brazil advance, Colombia shock France at World Cup VANCOUVER: Brazil advanced to the last 16 of Third-ranked France had been bidding to seal Yoon whose side had dominated for long peri- the Women’s World Cup on Saturday with a their last 16 berth after a 1-0 win over England, ods. “It’s a shame because there were many hard-fought 1-0 win over Spain as France fell 2-0 but must now wait until the final game in a tight Korean fans cheering for us. We need to give our to Colombia in the first upset of the tournament. Group F. absolute best to pull everything out in our last France’s defeat threw Group F wide open as Colombia, ranked 28, moved top with four game with Spain.” rivals England rekindled their campaign with a points from two games, with France on three Fran Kirby, dubbed ‘our mini Messi’ by coach 2-1 win over Mexico in Moncton. along with England who beat Mexico 2-1 on Mark Sampson, and Karen Carney kept England’s Andressa Alves got Brazil’s only goal in Saturday. The Mexicans have one point. “Now we hopes alive in a 2-1 win over Mexico.