SPORTS MONDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2013 Italy await for jubilant Nigeria LONDON: Nigeria will have precious little time to celebrate their qualification for the World Cup, with a friendly game against European heavyweights Italy scheduled to take place in London today. The fixture at Fulham’s Craven Cottage stadium will kick off a little over 48 hours after the African champions won 2-0 against Ethiopia in Calabar on Saturday to qualify for next year’s football extravaganza in Brazil. Given the prohibitive timeframe, Nigeria coach Stephen Keshi is expected to use today’s match to test the depth of his squad, but his players are eager to finish the year in posi- tive fashion. “This is an important game for us as we begin our build- up to next year’s World Cup and so we have to take it very seriously,” said Sporting Braga left-back Elderson Echiejile. “A good result against one of the top teams in the world will also help our FIFA ranking leading up to the main draw for the World Cup.” Nigeria will hope to draw inspiration from their only pre- vious meeting with Italy, which took place at the 1994 World Cup in the United States. Appearing at the tournament for the first time, Nigeria came within two minutes of a stunning victory over Arrigo Sacchi’s side in a last-16 tie in Massachusetts, only for Roberto Baggio to force extra time with an 88th-minute equaliser before settling the game from the penalty spot. MIAMI GARDENS: Neymar No. 10 of Brazil moves the ball around Wilson Palacios No. Italy went on to lose the final to Brazil, Baggio missing the 8 of Honduras in the first half during a friendly match at Sun Life Stadium. — AFP decisive spot-kick in a penalty shootout, but Nigeria are now seasoned World Cup campaigners and will be appearing at Brazil hammer Honduras their fifth tournament next year. Beaten semi-finalists at this year’s Confederations Cup in Brazil, where Nigeria went out MIAMI: Brazil turned on the style in the minute when Paulinho took possession in the group phase, Italy are bidding to return to winning second half to score four goals and ham- on the right and delivered an inviting ways after a run of three successive draws. mer Honduras 5-0 in a friendly in Miami low cross for Bernard to strike home from They drew 1-1 with Germany in Milan on Friday, but on Saturday. eight yards. coach Cesare Prandelli says that his side have a long way to Bernard, Dante, Maicon, Willian and Brazil doubled their lead in the 54th go before they can be considered World Cup contenders. Hulk scored for the Brazilians, who took minute when a Dante header hit two “At the World Cup we can do unbelievable things, but we can’t say we’ll be going to Brazil to win the title, nor that we their time to settle but ran out comfort- Honduran defenders, wrong footed goal- are the strongest team. We’re really not,” he said. able winners. Substitute Robinho stood keeper Valladares and rolled into the net. “We’re a good squad, but we need to be humble, all of us, out in the second half in his first interna- Brazil’s third was similarly scrappy, and we need to have optimal physical condition on the tional appearance in two years. Valladares parrying a Paulinho shot only pitch. “I was happy with the way we played, as far as Maicon, who had the easiest of “If we have these ingredients, if we know how to take our we were very good, and it was great for tap ins in the 65th minute. chances, then we can play some top-quality games.” Mario me to come back and play like this,” said Substitute Hulk had been on the field Balotelli has gone six games without scoring for club and Robinho, who hit the post with a lovely just three minutes when he provided a country, but Prandelli has backed the 23-year-old AC Milan strike. “We thoroughly deserved the win cut back for Willian to score his first inter- striker to rediscover his scoring touch. and I’m delighted.” Honduras took the national goal with a side foot finish from “He’s not happy when he doesn’t score,” said the Azzurri game to Brazil in the early stages and put 12 yards out. coach. “I told the lad he did well (against Germany), but he in some aggressive tackling, particularly Hulk himself completed the rout in wasn’t satisfied. That’s just the way he is.” against Barcelona striker Neymar. the 73rd minute when he finished a won- Balotelli is likely to have a new strike partner against But as the game went on Brazil gradu- derful team move by curling a left foot Nigeria, with in-form Fiorentina frontman Giuseppe Rossi ally took control, with Paulinho particu- shot into the corner of the net. Brazil expected to come in for Dani Osvaldo after flu-like symp- larly prominent in midfield and David now travel to Toronto, where on Tuesday toms kept him on the bench at San Siro. However, Juventus Luiz leading from the back. they play Chile, 2-0 victors over England centre-back Andrea Barzagli will miss the game with an Brazil opened the scoring in the 21st on Friday. —Reuters adductor injury. — AFP Elderson Echiejile Root keen to face new From bedsit to Brazil Test batting challenge for England’s Townsend SYDNEY: Joe Root insists he has no prob- knocks in the July-August series when lems dropping down England’s batting opening with skipper Alastair Cook. “I defi- order for this week’s Ashes series opener nitely learnt a lot from it and I’ve got a lot of LONDON: Rising England star Andros Townsend based I could do.” It was the beginning of a haphaz- With Aaron Lennon sidelined by a foot injury against Australia to accommodate in-form things out of it,” he said. need only recall the days of eating furtively pre- ard introduction to professional football for the and record signing Erik Lamela being eased into life Michael Carberry as opener. “There are parts of my game I’ve worked pared pasta dinners in a spartan hotel room to youngster, but by then he had already been given a in north London, Townsend, now 22, took hold of The young Yorkshireman is expected to hard on from last (English) summer... hope- appreciate the position he is in today. taste of the ups and downs to come. the right-wing position at Spurs with both hands. be named at number six for England in fully I can become a better player for it.” After a stunning introduction to international A member of the youth set-up at Spurs from the And when his form was rewarded with a first Thursday’s first Test at Brisbane’s Gabba Root was all praise for what Hampshire football, the Tottenham Hotspur winger has his age of eight, Townsend was informed in his mid- England cap against Montenegro last month, he after Carberry’s fine start to their Australian opener Carberry has achieved so far in sights set on next year’s World Cup in Brazil, but his teens that the club had decided to release him-only produced a man-of-the-match display crowned tour. Carberry cemented his claims for a Australia. “If you look at Michael Carberry’s path to the top has been unique in its circuitous- to be told a day later that he had been reprieved. with a fine goal in a 4-1 win that took Roy second Test cap by reaching half-centuries tour so far, he has played exceptionally well ness. Aged 17, he joined third-tier Yeovil Town for “I’ve grown up a Spurs fan and I’ve always want- Hodgson’s side to the brink of World Cup qualifica- in all three warm-up matches, including an and scored a huge amount of runs and the first of nine loan spells that would include stints ed to play for Spurs, so to be told you’re not good tion. Townsend watched the last World Cup as a fan unbeaten 153 against Australia A in Hobart. been in very good form,” he said. at Leyton Orient, Milton Keynes Dons, Ipswich enough is obviously heart-breaking,” he says. during a family holiday in Cyprus, but although he Carberry’s latest knock of 50 off 71 balls “It’s hard to ignore that. As far as the Town, Watford, Millwall, Leeds United, Birmingham “But then, 24 hours later, I was back in, so I was accepts that he now has a “foot through the door”, Saturday helped steer the tourists to a sev- team is concerned it’s very exciting.” Root, City and Queens Park Rangers. delighted, and I wanted to take that second chance he does not want to get carried away with dreams en-wicket win over a Cricket Australia who had an X-ray after being hit on the fin- In Yeovil, an unglamourous market town in and not let it go again.” of the Copacabana. Invitational XI in Sydney. ger in his first-innings 75 but was cleared of southwest England, Townsend and hotel room- The road ahead was no less undulating, howev- “Obviously when you’re a youngster, when The batting shift does not appear to any break, is confident he can make a good mate Jonathan Obika-another Spurs loanee-smug- er, and by the time he was loaned to QPR in January you’re at school in the playground, you pretend have hurt Root, who scored 75 in England’s fist of batting down the order.