Revenge for Last Two World Cups

The United States national team finally got revenge on Ghana for putting them out of the last two World Cups.

In 2006, in Germany, The United States finished bottom in their group, with one point, after a 1-2 defeat against Ghana on the third matchday - Dempsey 43' / Dramani 22', Appiah 45' + 2'. Considering that Italy would go on to beat The Czech Republic, they needed to win that match to advance.

In 2010, in South Africa, United States qualified from the group stage, winning it even, but they encountered Ghana in the very next round, and they lost again by the same (overall - extra-time included -) scoreline - Donovan 62' (pen.) / Boateng 5', Gyan 93' [- E.T.]

So, they were probably really looking forward to give their best, if not in all matches at this World Cup, then particularly in the match against Ghana, above all.
(FIFA can really draw, them ties, so as to make the viewers' mouths water, sometimes, can they not? How the hell do they pick them so juicy, so often?)

This time, in 2014, The United States pressed right from the get-go, and went ahead through the earliest goal at this final. Again, Clint Dempsey got on the score-sheet. Minute: 1.

Then the match turned into a stalemate, but just when it was looking desperate for the Ghanaians, with less than ten minutes left to go, a defensive hole appeared for once in the American defense, and Marseille's Andre Ayew made it 1-1, following a quick counter move.

But the U.S.A. team, some might say lucky on this particular day, got another one extremely quickly, after less than 4 minutes following Ayew's equalizer. John Brooks scores, with a header, on his World Cup debut, and punished Ghanaian carelessness.

Nothing more to report after that.

Highlights:

(Group G) Ghana 1-2 USA

2013.02.09 - The Results

ITALY: Serie A

18:00 -- Juventus - Fiorentina 2-0     highlights
20' Mirko Vucinic
42' Alessandro Matri
20:45 -- Lazio - Napoli 1-1     highlights
[1-0]  11' Sergio Floccari
[1-1]  87' Hugo Campagnaro

Current standings:
1 Juventus  24 17 4 3 50-16 +34  55p
2 Napoli  24 15 5 4 46-21 +25  50p
3 Lazio  24 13 5 6 35-26 +9  44p
4 Milan  23 12 4 7 41-29 +12  40p
5 Inter  23 12 4 7 36-28 +8  40p



NETHERLANDS: Eredivisie

18:45 -- ADO Den Haag - NAC Breda 2-1 (0-0)
19:45 -- Groningen - Waalwijk 2-1 (1-1)
19:45 -- Heerenveen - VV Venlo 2-2 (0-1)
19:45 -- Heracles Almelo - Willem II 4-1 (3-1)
20:45 -- Vitesse - PSV 2-2     highlights
[0-1]  19' Dries Mertens (pen.)
[1-1]  77' Wilfried Bony (pen.)
[1-2]  78' Georginio Wijnaldum
[2-2]  89' Wilfried Bony

Current standings:
1 PSV  22 15 2 5 75-24 +51  47p
2 Ajax  21 12 7 2 50-23 +27  43p
3 Twente  21 12 6 3 37-18 +19  42p



TURKEY: Super Lig

12:30 -- Buyuksehir - Belediyespor 0-2 (0-1)
15:00 -- Genclerbirligi - Eskisehirspor 0-2 (0-1)
18:00 -- Elazigspor - Besiktas 1-3     highlights
[1-0]  5' Ahmet Gork
[1-1]  45' Filip Holosko
[1-2]  56' Ibrahim Toraman
[1-3]  82' Manuel Fernandes
18:00 -- Karabukspor - Bursaspor 0-3 (0-0)

Current standings:
1 Galatasaray  20 10 7 3 38-24 +14  37p
2 Besiktas  21 9 8 4 46-32 +14  35p
3 Antalyaspor  20 10 3 7 32-29 +3  33p



AFRICA NATIONS CUP: 3rd-Place Final

19:00 -- Mali - Ghana 3-1 (1-0)     highlights



FRANCE: Ligue 1

17:00 -- Saint-Etienne - Montpellier 4-1 (2-0)
20:00 -- Ajaccio - Bordeaux 1-0 (1-0)
20:00 -- Nancy - Reims 1-2 (1-0)
20:00 -- Nice - Lorient 1-1 (0-0)
20:00 -- Troyes - Sochaux 0-0
20:00 -- Valenciennes - Brest 2-1 (2-0)

Current standings:
1 PSG  24 15 6 3 45-13 +32  51p
2 Lyon  23 13 6 4 38-21 +17  45p
3 Marseille  23 13 3 7 30-28 +2  42p
4 Saint-Etienne  24 11 7 6 36-18 +18  40p
5 Nice  24 10 9 5 36-28 +8  39p



PORTUGAL: Primeira Liga

21:15 -- Estoril - Guimaraes 2-0 (1-0)

Current standings:
1 Porto  17 14 3 0 44-8 +36  45p
2 Benfica  17 14 3 0 44-12 +32  45p
3 Pacos de Ferreira  17 8 7 2 23-12 +11  31p
4 Braga  17 9 3 5 38-24 +14  30p
5 Rio Ave  17 7 4 6 21-22 -1  25p

2013.02.06 - The Results

AFRICA NATIONS CUP: Semifinals

16:00 -- Mali - Nigeria 1-4     highlights
[0-1]  25' Uwa Echiejile
[0-2]  30' Brown Ideye
[0-3]  44' Emmanuel Emenike
[0-4]  60' Ahmed Musa
[1-4]  75' Cheick Diarra
19:30 -- Burkina Faso - Ghana 1-1, 1-1 after extra time, 3-2 on penalties, 4-3 final score (including penalties)     highlights
[0-1]  13' Wakaso Mubarak (pen.)
[1-1]  60' Aristide Bance

2013.02.02 - The Results

AFRICA NATIONS CUP: Quarter-Finals

16:00 -- Ghana - Cape Verde Islands 2-0     highlights
54' Wakaso Mubarak (pen.)
90' + 5' Wakaso Mubarak
19:30 -- South Africa - Mali 1-1, 1-1 after extra time, 1-3 on penalties, 2-4 final score (including penalties)     highlights
[1-0]  31' Tukelo Rantie
[1-1]  58' Seydou Keita



PORTUGAL: Primeira Liga

19:00 -- Rio Ave - Sporting 2-1 (1-1)
21:30 -- Guimaraes - Porto 0-4     highlights
14' Eliaquim Mangala
37' Jackson Martinez
56' Jackson Martinez
73' Jackson Martinez

Current standings:
1 Porto  17 14 3 0 44-8 +36  45p
2 Benfica  16 13 3 0 41-12 +29  42p
3 Braga  16 9 2 5 35-21 +14  29p
4 Pacos de Ferreira  16 7 7 2 22-12 +10  28p
5 Rio Ave  17 7 4 6 21-22 -1  25p



TURKEY: Super Lig

15:00 -- Kasimpasa - Elazigspor 0-0
18:00 -- Antalyaspor - Buyuksehir 1-0
47' Lamine Diarra
18:00 -- Bursaspor - Galatasaray 1-1     highlights
[1-0]  18' Sebastian Pinto
[1-1]  30' Umut Bulut

Current standings:
1 Galatasaray  20 10 7 3 38-24 +14  37p
2 Antalyaspor  20 10 3 7 32-29 +3  33p
3 Besiktas  20 8 8 4 43-31 +12  32p



ITALY: Serie A

18:00 -- Torino - Sampdoria 0-0
20:45 -- Napoli - Catania 2-0     highlights
31' Marek Hamsik
44' Paolo Cannavaro

Current standings:
1 Juventus  22 15 4 3 46-15 +31  49p
2 Napoli  23 15 4 4 45-20 +25  49p
3 Lazio  22 13 4 5 32-22 +10  43p
4 Inter  22 12 4 6 35-25 +10  40p
5 Milan  22 11 4 7 39-28 +11  37p



NETHERLANDS: Eredivisie

18:45 -- AZ Alkmaar - Groningen 0-1 (0-1)
19:45 -- NAC Breda - Zwolle 3-0 (1-0)
19:45 -- Roda - Heracles Almelo 3-3 (1-2)
20:45 -- PSV - ADO Den Haag 7-0
9' Georginio Wijnaldum
57' Christian Supusepa (o.-g.)
64' Dries Mertens
66' Jeremain Lens
80' Jurgen Locadia
85' Dries Mertens
90' + 1' Georginio Wijnaldum

Current standings:
1 PSV  21 15 1 5 73-22 +51  46p
2 Twente  20 12 6 2 35-14 +21  42p
3 Ajax  20 11 7 2 47-23 +24  40p



FRANCE: Ligue 1

17:00 -- Lorient - Rennes 2-2 (1-0)
20:00 -- Bastia - Evian 0-0
20:00 -- Bordeaux - Valenciennes 2-0 (1-0)
20:00 -- Brest - Nice 0-2 (0-1)
20:00 -- Lille - Troyes 1-1 (0-1)
20:00 -- Sochaux - Saint-Etienne 1-2 (0-1)

Current standings:
1 PSG  23 14 6 3 42-12 +30  48p
2 Lyon  22 13 6 3 37-18 +19  45p
3 Marseille  22 13 3 6 30-27 +3  42p
4 Bordeaux  23 9 11 3 26-15 +11  38p
5 Nice  23 10 8 5 35-27 +8  38p

2013.01.28 - The Results

AFRICA NATIONS CUP: Group B, Matchday 3

18:00 -- Congo DR - Mali 1-1     highlights
[1-0]  3' Dieumerci Mbokani (pen.)
[1-1]  14' Mamadou Samassa
18:00 -- Niger - Ghana 0-3     highlights
6' Asamoah Gyan
23' Christian Atsu
49' John Boye

Final standings:
1 Ghana  3 2 1 0 6-2 +4  7p
2 Mali  3 1 1 1 2-2 0  4p
3 Congo DR  3 0 3 0 3-3 0  3p
4 Niger  3 0 1 2 0-4 -4  1p



PORTUGAL: Primeira Liga

21:00 -- Porto - Gil Vicente 5-0
4' Danilo
11' Vitor Vinha (o.-g.)
54' Steven Defour
75' Silvestre Varela
90' Jackson Martinez

Current standings:
1 Porto  16 13 3 0 40-8 +32  42p
2 Benfica  16 13 3 0 41-12 +29  42p
3 Braga  16 9 2 5 35-21 +14  29p
4 Pacos de Ferreira  16 7 7 2 22-12 +10  28p
5 Rio Ave  16 6 4 6 19-21 -2  22p

2013.01.24 - The Results

SPAIN: Copa del Rey (Quarter-Finals, leg 2)

20:00 -- Betis - Atletico 1-1, 1-3 on aggregate
[0-1]  45' Diego Costa
[1-1]  90' Jorge Molina (pen.)
22:00 -- Malaga - Barcelona 2-4, 4-6 on aggregate     highlights
[0-1]  8' Pedro Rodriguez
[1-1]  12' Joaquin Sanchez
[1-2]  49' Gerard Pique
[2-2]  68' Roque Santa Cruz
[2-3]  76' Andres Iniesta
[2-4]  80' Lionel Andres Messi



AFRICA NATIONS CUP: Group B, Matchday 2

16:00 -- Ghana - Mali 1-0     highlights
38' Wakaso Mubarak (pen.)
19:00 -- Niger - Congo DR 0-0

Current standings:
1 Ghana  2 1 1 0 3-2 +1  4p
2 Mali  2 1 0 1 1-1 0  3p
3 Congo DR  2 0 2 0 2-2 0  2p
4 Niger  2 0 1 1 0-1 -1  1p

2013.01.20 - The Results

FRANCE: Ligue 1

14:00 -- Bastia - Rennes 0-2 (0-1)
17:00 -- Lille - Nice 0-2 (0-0)
21:00 -- Bordeaux - PSG 0-1     highlights
43' Zlatan Ibrahimovic

Current standings:
1 PSG  21 12 6 3 37-12 +25  42p
2 Lyon  21 12 6 3 35-18 +17  42p
3 Marseille  21 13 2 6 28-25 +3  41p
4 Nice  21 9 8 4 33-26 +7  35p
5 Rennes  21 11 2 8 31-26 +5  35p



NETHERLANDS: Eredivisie

12:30 -- Groningen - Utrecht 0-2 (0-0)
14:30 -- Ajax - Feyenoord 3-0     highlights
7' Viktor Fischer
40' Viktor Fischer
62' Christian Eriksen
14:30 -- Willem II - ADO Den Haag 1-1 (0-1)
16:30 -- Roda - NEC Nijmegen 2-0 (1-0)

Current standings:
1 Twente  19 12 5 2 35-14 +21  41p
2 PSV  19 13 1 5 61-21 +40  40p
3 Ajax  19 11 7 1 45-20 +25  40p



TURKEY: Super Lig

12:30 -- Antalyaspor - Genclerbirligi 3-5     highlights
[0-1]  2' Bjorn Vleminckx
[0-2]  4' Bjorn Vleminckx
[1-2]  8' Murat Duruer
[1-3]  24' Musa Nizam (o.-g.)
[1-4]  28' Bjorn Vleminckx
[2-4]  39' Lamine Diarra
[3-4]  59' Isaac Promise
[3-5]  82' Bjorn Vleminckx
15:00 -- Trabzonspor - Karabukspor 1-3 (1-2)
18:00 -- Fenerbahce - Elazigspor 2-2 (0-2)

Current standings:
1 Galatasaray  18 9 6 3 35-22 +13  33p
2 Besiktas  18 8 7 3 40-27 +13  31p
3 Antalyaspor  18 9 3 6 31-27 +4  30p



ITALY: Serie A

12:30 -- Fiorentina - Napoli 1-1     highlights
[1-0]  33' Facundo Roncaglia
[1-1]  42' Edinson Cavani
15:00 -- Chievo - Parma 1-1 (0-1)
15:00 -- Genoa - Catania 0-2 (0-1)
15:00 -- Milan - Bologna 2-1 (0-0)
15:00 -- Pescara - Torino 0-2 (0-2)
15:00 -- Siena - Sampdoria 1-0 (0-0)
15:30 -- Atalanta - Cagliari 1-1 (0-1)
20:45 -- Roma - Inter 1-1 (1-1)

Current standings:
1 Juventus  21 15 3 3 45-14 +31  48p
2 Napoli  21 13 4 4 41-19 +22  43p
3 Lazio  21 13 4 4 32-21 +11  43p
4 Inter  21 12 3 6 33-23 +10  39p
5 Fiorentina  21 10 6 5 38-25 +13  36p



AFRICA NATIONS CUP: Group B, Matchday 1

16:00 -- Ghana - Congo DR 2-2     highlights
[1-0]  40' Emmanuel Agyemang-Badu
[2-0]  49' Kwadwo Asamoah
[2-1]  53' Tresor Mputu
[2-2]  69' Dieumerci Mbokani (pen.)
19:00 -- Mali - Niger 1-0     highlights
84' Seydou Keita

Current standings:
1 Mali  1 1 0 0 1-0 +1  3p
2-3 Congo DR  1 0 1 0 2-2 0  1p
2-3 Ghana  1 0 1 0 2-2 0  1p
4 Niger  1 0 0 1 0-1 -1  0p



PORTUGAL: Primeira Liga

17:00 -- Estoril - Gil Vicente 1-2 (1-1)
17:00 -- Maritimo - Olhanense 1-0 (1-0)
19:00 -- Braga - Setubal 4-1 (2-0)
21:15 -- Rio Ave - Guimaraes 1-3 (0-0)

Current standings:
1 Benfica  14 11 3 0 37-11 +26  36p
2 Porto  14 11 3 0 32-8 +24  36p
3 Braga  15 9 2 4 34-19 +15  29p
4 Pacos de Ferreira  15 6 7 2 17-12 +5  25p
5 Rio Ave  15 6 3 6 18-20 -2  21p

Zambia in the Final of the African Cup of Nations

Ghana came into the semifinal against Zambia as the clear favourite.
Even the Zambian coach was in agreement.

But Zambia stepped up to the challenge and won the game.

Those who are looking for a scapegoat should look no further than Asamoah Gyan. He had missed a penalty at the World Cup in South Africa, and he missed a penalty in this game, too.
In minute 8, Gyan stepped up to take the spot kick and sent the ball weakly towards the goalkeeper's left. Mweene saved it, and Zambia ended up winning.
That's the gist of it.
Oh, yeah, and Mayuka's goal was well-placed and somewhat spectacular. It also came at the right time, with only twelve minutes remaining.

Too bad for Ghana.

Seems like Ivory Coast has a huge chance to lay claim to the title of Africa's best nation in association football, given Ghana's not qualifying for the final.

Highlights:

Ghana Defeats Tunisia

At the African Cup of Nations, in Gabon, Ghana needed extra time to dispose on Tunisia.

Not only that, but they needed a huge error from Tunisian goalkeeper Mathlouthi to score the winning goal. It came in minute 101, and was scored by D. Ayew.

Tunisia played well, but Mathlouthi ruined everything. Check out the...

Highlights:


Ghana is going to play Zambia, while Ivory Coast faces Mali, on Wednesday, in the semifinals.