Sports
Colombia 2011: Eagles, Others Set To Rumble For Glory
The 2011 edition of the FIFA World Youth Championship WTC, for Under-20 players will commence today in Colombia as Nigeria’s Flying Eagles and other U-20 teams of the world chase glory. It is indeed a stage for the future stars of FIFA World Cup and opportunity for the players to showcase themselves for a possible fast track to professional success at different clubsides.
For the coach John Obuh tutore team, who will be aiming to rewrite their unimpressive preparation for the tournament with a good outing, it is pertinent that they begin their race brightly against Guatamela tomorrow.
The players themselves will also want to use the tournament as stepping stone to secure career-defining opportunities.
The competition’s various coaches will frame their team talks accordingly, though their personal goals can hardly be said to differ. They too harbour dreams of emerging triumphant while wanting to prepare their charges for a future in the game. “It will be an unforgettable event for my players,” Croatian tactician, Ivan Grnja told Tidesports’ source a few months ago. “They’ll gain experience which will be very useful for them for the rest of their careers. This tournament will be a springboard for each and every one.” Croatian legends Robert Prosinecki, Davor Suker and Zvonimir Boban, all former FIFA U-20 World Cup protagonists, would no doubt concur.
“This World Cup could be a turning point in their careers,” said Austria coach, Andreas Heraf. “It’s without a doubt the most important competition in the world after the senior World Cup. The media interest around it will be huge. It’s very important for youngsters at this age to participate in big international events. Some of them will perhaps never have this chance again. It’s a superb occasion to make a name for yourself.”
That is exactly what concerns Nigeria’s manager, John Obuh, however. “A few players intend to take advantage of this World Cup to awaken the interest of big European clubs and obtain lucrative contracts,” said the Flying Eagles coach, whose squad draws heavily from the exciting generation that finished runners-up at the FIFA U-17 World Cup in 2009. “Above all, they don’t want to stay in Nigeria. I never stop telling my players that they need to learn to take care of things in their proper order. Right now, they have to focus all their attention on this competition. There’ll be time later to negotiate contracts overseas.”
Several of the young talents due to appear on Colombian soil have already found homes at leading European sides, though, with a few agreeing deals this summer. Argentinian duo, Erik Lamela and Juan Iturbe recently clinched respective moves to Roma and Porto, for example, while Uruguay’s set-piece specialist Adrian Luna has signed with Espanyol.
Even for these players, however, the FIFA U-20 World Cup represents a chance to improve further and use their skills to steer their nations towards glory. “I know what I have to offer to Uruguay”, said La Celeste’s Luna. “We want to make history, just like we did in the South American Championship. Uruguay have never won an U-20 World Cup and we’d love to do it.”
Having plenty to live up to since Uruguay’s senior team recently ended a 16-year Copa America title wait, Luna has every reason to aim high, however, the goalscoring dreamer’s thirst for victory is shared by all 503 of his peers. “We’ll be playing this World Cup to go all the way,” explained Joel Campbell, whose Costa Rica side by no means feature among the favourites. His thoughts are echoed by Mexico’s Ulises Davila, who hopes he and his team-mates can match their world champion U-17 counterparts: “Our goal is to go down in history and make everyone in Mexico immensely happy.” Over in the Argentinian camp, Iturbe is no less ambitious: “Our objective is to have a great tournament and fight for the world title. Argentina are potential winners of every competition we enter.” As for France, Antoine Griezmann has spoken of wanting to “win the World Cup and show the whole of France that the young players are there to take over in the coming years”.
While Brazil’s Casemiro and Saudi Arabia’s Abdullah Otayf all have a similar tale, some coaches have been outlining a wider range of targets. Few possess as far-reaching ambitions as Ever Almeida, for example, with the man holding the reins for Guatemala, bent on effecting a complete cultural shift among the country’s national teams.
Andrea Cambiaso scored at both ends during the first half of Saturday’s Derby d’Italia, before Pierre Kalulu’s red card forced Juventus to play the entire second half a man light.
Substitute Francesco Pio Esposito got Inter back in front with a bullet header, then Manuel Locatelli’s pinpoint finish looked to have salvaged a point for the Bianconeri, before Zielinski struck on the cusp of stoppage time.
Juventus made the brighter start, but they were masters of their own downfall in the 17th minute, when Cambiaso deflected Luis Henrique’s cross beyond Michele Di Gregorio.
Cambiaso atoned within nine minutes, catching Henrique on his heels when Weston McKennie’s cross squirmed through to the back post and applying a side-footed finish.
But after Bremer cleared Zielinski’s dinked effort off the line, Juve’s hopes were damaged when Kalulu received his second yellow card for a 42nd-minute pull on Alessandro Bastoni, though the Inter centre-back appeared to go down theatrically.
Di Gregorio made a remarkable stop to thwart Hakan Calhanoglu, but as Juventus dropped ever deeper, they were punished when substitute Esposito guided Federico Dimarco’s searching cross into the far corner with 76 minutes on the clock.
It looked like Inter would have to settle for a point when Locatelli whipped a wonderful finish into the bottom-left corner in the 83rd minute, but Zielinski had the final say as his 20-yard drive fizzed through Locatelli’s legs and beat Di Gregorio.
A cloud of uncertainty has settled over Liverpool after comments from Hungary head coach Marco Rossi reignited speculation about Dominik Szoboszlai and Real Madrid.
Rossi, who has worked closely with Szoboszlai since his teenage years, revealed that the midfielder’s lifelong ambition is to play for the Spanish giants.
“Because of the very close and direct relationship I’ve had with Dominik since he was a child, Real Madrid has always been his dream,” Rossi said.
For a Liverpool side building around Szoboszlai as a centerpiece of Arne Slot’s project, those words landed hard.
Within hours of Rossi’s remarks, Szoboszlai interacted on social media with two Real Madrid players, applauding posts from Vinicius Junior and Trent Alexander-Arnold following Madrid’s win over Real Sociedad.
His reaction to Vinicius’ post drew particular attention. The exchange with Alexander-Arnold, his former Liverpool teammate, was seen as less surprising.
Still, in the hyper-connected world of elite soccer, even a digital thumbs-up can carry weight. On Merseyside, fans and pundits quickly began dissecting the meaning behind the interactions.
Szoboszlai, Hungary’s captain, has become one of Liverpool’s most influential players. That status is precisely why Rossi’s comments triggered such an intense reaction in England.
The midfielder had just delivered on the field as well, scoring in Liverpool’s 3-0 FA Cup fourth-round victory over Brighton & Hove Albion at Anfield.
After the match, Mohamed Salah heaped praise on his teammate, calling Szoboszlai “the best player in the world.” Slot struck a slightly more measured tone but echoed the sentiment.
“I think there are many elite players in the world, but I definitely agree with Mo that he is one of them,” Slot said. “He is very important for us.”
Szoboszlai is under contract at Liverpool through 2028. However, the club is reportedly eager to open extension talks in the coming months to secure his long-term future.
The player himself addressed the situation recently with notable candor.
“There’s nothing yet, to be honest. Nothing from now on. It’s not in my hands. That’s how it works,” he said. “There’s no progress, but if the right offer comes, we’ll see.”
He was equally clear about his affection for Liverpool.
“We’ll see what happens. Hopefully everyone will be happy in the end. Of course I want to stay. I like the city, I like the club, I like playing with these guys. I love Anfield, I love the fans. Let’s see what the future brings. It’s not my fault. I’d love to stay. We’ll see.”
Inter’s dramatic victory boosted their lead over rivals AC Milan to eight points, ahead of the Rossoneri hosting Como on Wednesday. Juventus, meanwhile, could drop out of the top four as Roma visited Napoli last night.
The last four Serie A matches between Inter and Juventus have produced a total of 21 goals (an average of 5.25 per game), compared to just nine in the previous six (1.5 per game).
Cambiaso became the first player in Derby d’Italia history to score and put through his own net in the same match between these old rivals, but it was Zielinski’s fifth Serie A goal of the season that proved decisive.
Inter will argue they were deserved victors after amassing 21 shots and 1.88 expected goals (xG), while Luciano Spalletti’s visitors mustered 10 shots and 0.92 xG – though the Bianconeri actually attempted six of their shots while down a man in the second half.
Premier League strugglers Wolves overcame resolute Grimsby Town in challenging conditions at Blundell Park to reach the FA Cup fifth round at the expense of the side that eliminated Manchester United in the last round.
Santiago Bueno scored from Wolves’ only shot on target with an hour played, diverting Joao Gomes’ cross past goalkeeper Jackson Smith with his thigh to end the League Two club’s resistance.
Unrelenting rainfall caused heavy ground underfoot and one penalty area in particular- that of Grimsby’s Smith in the first half – was already a quagmire before kick-off.
Charles Vernam shot narrowly wide from the edge of the box with just 43 seconds on the clock as Grimsby sought to catch their top-flight visitors cold.
Wolves had to wait until the 17th minute for their first opportunity of note, forward Tolu Arokodare firing over with a first-time attempt.
The white paint of the pitch markings soon blended and blurred with the mud as the surface rapidly deteriorated, and both sides struggled to stitch together cohesive attacks as passes travelled unpredictably across the sodden ground.