Chelsea beat Barcelona (4-2 pens): Blues win shoot-out after Hazard wondergoal

Luis Enrique's side looked to have sealed a win with two second half goals after Eden Hazard's solo strike, but Gary Cahill's header forced the game to penalties

Thibaut Courtois sealed a penalty shoot-out victory for Chelsea over Barcelona in the International Champions Cup.

Barcelona looked to be heading for a victory after Luis Suarez and Sandro cancelled out Eden Hazard's sublime opener during the second half.

But Gary Cahill headed in from close range in the closing stages - and picked up a bloody nose in the process - to force the game to a penalties.

Alen Halilovic chipped his spot kick against the bar and Courtois saved from Pique as Loic Remy scored the winning penalty.

Chelsea were virtually at full strength, with Hazard, Courtois, Diego Costa, Cesc Fabregas, Oscar, Nemanja Matic, Branislav Ivanovic, Cahill and Cesar Azpilicueta all starting.

Suarez, Ivan Rakitic, Sergio Busquets and Jeremy Mathieu were included in Barcelona's starting XI, while Gerard Pique, Andres Iniesta, Jordi Alba and Pedro were among the substitutes.

Chelsea stormed out of the blocks on the front foot, and centre-back Kurt Zouma almost headed the Premier League champions into a third-minute lead.

Mourinho's men got the goal they deserved seven minutes later thanks to Hazard, who skipped past four Barca players before he coolly slotted the ball underneath Marc-Andre ter Stegen.

The match ebbed and flowed as Barca slowly found their rhythm, but only the woodwork prevented Chelsea from making it 2-0 as Barca's back four struggled to contain the likes of Hazard and Costa.

Oscar's free-kick struck the crossbar in the 26th minute, with Ter Stegen rooted to his line.

Suarez - lively throughout the first half - thought he had equalised in the 31st minute but the Uruguay international was denied again by Courtois, who dived down quickly to his right.

Chelsea were a constant threat on the break and Costa wasted a golden opportunity to double the lead moments later after beating the offside trap and out-running his opponents, but the Brazilian sliced his effort just wide of the post.

Suarez engineered an opening for Rakitic to restore parity before the interval, however the Croatian midfielder skied his shot over the bar from just outside the six-yard box.

However, Suarez got the goal he deserved six minutes into the second half, scooping the ball over Courtois, despite Zouma's best efforts on the line.

Barca dominated from that point and went in front courtesy of Sandro in the 66th minute. The La Masia graduate drifted onto his right foot and curled the ball beyond Courtois.

With time running out in Landover, Cahill courageously headed over substitute keeper Jordi Matip in the 86th minute, picking up a bloody nose in the process.

The goal forced the game to penalties, and after Halilovic hit the bar, Courtois saved from Pique, leaving Remy to calmly seal the win for Jose Mourinho's side.

NFF unveils Oliseh as Super Eagles coach (see photo)

Sunday Oliseh has been unveiled by the Nigeria Football Federation as coach of the Super Eagles.
The 40-year-old was the overwhelming favourite to be handed the role after the ‘Big Boss,’ Stephen Keshi, was shown the exit door by the NFF two weeks ago.
On Wednesday, Oliseh finally signed a contract with the NFF which ties him to the Super Eagles until 2020, becoming the fifth player in the 1994 class to handle the senior national team after Austin Eguavoen, Samson Siasia, Daniel Amokachi and Keshi.
“It’s a great honour to be coach of this great national team,” said Oliseh at the unveiling ceremony in Abuja.

ADVERTISEMENT

“I’m not coming as a messiah. I’m coming as a man who wants to serve his country and give 150%.
“Gone are the days when we had individual players who can win games on their own. But we have potential,” he said.
He also laid down the law to players of Nigerian origin on his requirements before they can feature for his team.
“No player outside of first division in Nigeria or elsewhere will play for the Super Eagles. We will work together with the technical committee because if we fail, they fail,” he concluded.
The ex-Nigeria international will now hope to inspire an immediate improvement in the Eagles’ fortunes, starting with a win against Tanzania in an Africa Cup of Nations qualifier in September.

SPORTS: Gonzalo Jara's poke in backside earns him ban

 

 

 

 

 

Chile's hopes of making the Copa America final on home soil were dealt a blow after key defender Gonzalo Jara was suspended for three matches and handed a $7,500 fine by South America's football confederation for poking his finger into Edison Cavani's backside.

"We regret this sanction but we will accept it," the Chilean Football Federation (ANFP) said in a statement on its website after Jara was ruled out of Chile's semifinal with Peru as well as the final if the hosts win Monday's game.

CONMEBOL opened disciplinary proceedings against Jara on Saturday, saying it was obliged to do so after receiving a formal complaint about the player's conduct by Uruguayan officials.

Cavani was given a second yellow card for retaliating by slapping Jara in the face, while the Chilean went unpunished as the poking incident was missed by the match officials last week.

Jara has been one of Chile's top performers at the tournament, forming a solid partnership in the heart of defence with Inter Milan's Gary Medel and his suspension means one of either Francisco Silva, Miiko Albornoz or Jose Rojas will come in.

While accepting Jara's punishment, the ANFP wants similar punishments handed out to Uruguay players for their behavior during the game.

"We're confident that the appointed disciplinary authority of the governing body of South American football will also apply the same rigor to the players of the Uruguay national team that were opportunely reported to have assaulted the assistant referee of the Chile-Uruguay match, Chilean players, disrespected the officials and the assistant to the stadium audience."

The ANFP named seven Uruguayan players -- Cavani, Diego Godin, Fernando Muslera, José Giménez, Jorge Fucile, Alvaro Gonzalez and Christian Stuani -- in its submission to CONMEBOL.

"The charges against them are the attacks and insults evident in Wednesday's game between Chile and Uruguay in the Copa America 2015, against the refereeing body and Chilean players, as well as provoking the audience at the National Stadium."

Chile coach Jorge Sampaoli has criticized Jara's suspension, arguing it had set a dangerous precedent.

"If you start acting on allegations outside of the referees report, things are going to get very complicated," Sampaoli said.

"If people start getting suspended on the basis of allegations from one side, then everyone will start trying to do it," he added.

Jara's provocation of Cavani was arguably reminiscent of some of the dark arts Uruguayan footballers have traditionally employed to put opponents off their stride.

Think of Luis Suarez biting Giorgio Chiellini, the violence-plagued Intercontinental Cup matches of yesteryear or any of the array of tricks used by former Juventus defender Paolo Montero, who still holds the record for the most dismissals -- 16 -- in Italy's Serie A.

Scottish players were also shocked by what went on in their 1986 World Cup game against Uruguay.

"It was awful. They would kick you, spit on you, pull your hair and put their fingers in places where fingers shouldn't go," striker Graeme Sharp told The Daily Telegraph last year.

"They were horrible, but their mentality was to win at all costs."

Meanwhile, former Uruguay captain Diego Lugano took to social media to warn Jara that he could be something of a marked man in future.

"This boy 'Jarita' will have to 'talk' when we next meet in the world," said Lugano's Twitter post, which has been retweeted over 12,000 times.

Repeat Offender

The incident made front page news in Uruguay but the match report by Chile's state-owned La Nacion failed to mention Jara's bizarre behaviour when discussing Cavani's dismissal.

Jara, who plays for German Bundesliga side Mainz 05, has history of past provocations.

Quite aside from becoming overly acquainted with Cavani's rear, he is also no stranger to Suarez's nether regions.

In 2013, the 29-year-old touched Suarez's genitals as both players awaited a corner during a World Cup qualifier, prompting the then Liverpool striker to lash out.

Gonzalo Higuain was also the victim of an attempted bum poke when Chile and Argentina met in 2012.

Suarez is not at the Copa America because of his own role in one of sport's more unsavory events when after biting Italy's Giorgio Chiellini at the 2014 World Cup, the Barcelona forward earned a nine-game international ban.

After Cavani's dismissal, things went from bad to worse for Tabarez's side.

Uruguay finished the game with nine men, with Jorge Fucile's late red card sparking a lengthy confrontation between players and officials from both sides as well as the dismissal of coach Tabarez.

UCLA Football Coaches Want To Drop Charges Against Diddy

Diddy just got a HUGE break after the UCLA football coaching staff decided that they are going to drop the case against him! TMZ is reporting that the coaches are “regretful” the altercation ended in an arrest. Although the coaches still think Diddy is a punk, they don’t want to make this a legal issue because it would be bad for the team.

SPORTS:U20 Iheanacho and Sucess to be droped from today's Match against Korea DPR

Kelechi Iheanacho

Midfielder Kelechi Iheanacho and striker Isaac Success could be dropped to the bench for Nigeria’s second game against Korea DPR at the Fifa U20 World Cup in New Zealand on Thursday.

Both started in the 2-4 loss to Brazil on Monday morning but coach Manu Garba is expected to make changes to his starting line up when they face the Asians, according to a report by Africanfootball.com.

Success, who scored Nigeria’s first goal, is likely to be replaced by Bernard Bulbwa who will partner Taiwo Awoniyi upfront. 

Iheanacho, who has received criticism for his display, would be replaced by Enyimba’s Kingsley Sokari.

ADVERTISEMENT

According to the report, injured Ifeanyi Mathew is also expected to be replaced by Akinjide Idowu while the coach has kept faith with goalkeeper Joseph Enaholo whose blunders resulted in Brazil’s late flourish. 

The match would kick-off at 5am Nigerian time

S[PORTS; Footballer Christiano Ronaldo caught urinating on the street (see photos)

Football star,Cristiano Ronaldo was caught urinating in the streets of ST.Tropez following a night out with the boys. footballer was spotted leaving Saint Tropez’s exclusive club Le Quai in the early hours of Monday, before using the street as the toilet.
The French Police who saw him during the act immediately gave him a stern warning.

SPORTS: Nude Rider got Disqualified for having Erection in Kent Nude Cycling Event

A cyclist was disqualified from a nude cycling event in Kent after getting ‘overexcited and aroused’.

Witnesses say police led the man away after stunned participants noticed as they de-robed at the start of the World Naked Bike Ride.

‘I heard gasps and I turned around – it was a horrible sight,’ one witness is quoted as saying on the Cambridge News.

‘It’s fair to say he was overexcited and got aroused. It looked like he was enjoying the event a bit too much.

‘One of the organisers went over to him and told him to put his trousers on while speaking on a walkie-talkie to police.

‘The man looked sheepish when he was spoken to by the police.
The cycling event organiser Barry Freeman said: ‘We do not accept this behaviour and he was dealt with and removed before the ride started

See Photos: from the fight between Floydmaywheather vs Many Pacquaio

The fight of the decade between America's Floyd Mayweather and Philippine's Manny Pacquaio took place at the MGM Grand last night May 2nd and was it a fight or what? For those who didn't watch live, here are some photos from the fight. Continue for more...