Sports
FWWC: South Africa in First Knockout Stage, Edge Italy 3-2 in Group G
The Banyana Banyana of South Africa on Wednesday stunned the Azzurre of Italy with a 3-2 victory enough to send the Italian girls back home from the Wellington Regional Stadium in the last group G games.

The Italians drew the first blood via a penalty kick through Juventus Forward, Ariano Caaruso who scored from the penalty spot in the 11th minute after Dhlamini bumped on Becccarri.
The equalizer came in the 32nd minute through an own goal when Benedetta Orsi’s back pass to goalkeeper Durante went out of reach for her.
Unmarked Hildah Magaia got assistance from Kgatlana in the 67th minute to put it over Durante for South African goal number two but Caruso completed her brace in the 74th minute when a ball came to her from a crowded box touching her on her hips and rolling into the net for the equalizer. South Africa 2 Italy 2.
The decider came 90+2nd minute when Racing Louisville player, Thembi Kgatlana who had scored against Argentina beat three players to just push it past helpless Durante. Africa went wild with jubilation as the Argentines wept knowing they are out of the tournament by whiskers.
The South Africans missed their Captain 30 year old Refiloe Jane who plays for Sassuolo of Italy as she got a knock along the line. Their dependable midfielder, Kholosa Biyana who plies her trade with Sporting de Gijon had two yellows and is suspended for this game.
Both teams only met once on 17th October 2007 when Italy won 2-0. Italy won their only African opponents, Nigeria 1-0 in 1991.
Sweden had dazed South Africa 2-1 in the first round matches and Italy won 1-0 over Argentina but in the second round matches, Argentina played 2-2 draw while Sweden ponded Italy 5-0.6 goals and conceding 6 also; Italy could only make 3 points from a win and two loses scoring 3 goals and conceding 8 while Argentina brought up the rear with only a point scoring 2 goals and conceding 5.
Sweden topped group G with maximum points of 9 scoring 9 goals and conceding only one; South Africa came second with 4 points from a win, a draw and a loss scoring
With the results today, South Africa will face Netherlands on Sunday at 0300 hours at the Allianz Stadium while Sweden that placed second will play four times champions USA at the Melbourne Rectangular Stadium also on Sunday at 1000 hours in the Round of 16.
The Banyana Banyana team coached by Desiree Ellis is at the World Cup for the second time but they were sent out at the group stage in their last outing at France 2019. The team is in their first ever qualification for the Knockout stages.
We are still expecting at 1100 hours Group F matches. Panama the whipped team of the group will try to survive against former Champions, France at the Allianz Stadium while the Reggae Girlz will try to obtain another miracle with a win over the Samba Girls of Brazil at Melbourne Rectangular Stadium.
The last group games meant for Group H will be decided at 1100 hours tomorrow Thursday. African representative, Morocco will trade tackles with Columbia at the Perth Rectangular Stadium with Ref Maria Caputi of Italy in charge.
At the same time, South Korea that is yet to score a goal or score a point will engage the German Machine at the Lang Park Stadium also called Suncorp Stadium with New Zealand Ref Anne-Marie Keighley.
By Eniola Olatunji
Sports
PSG v Lyon Moved As Paris Prepares For More Protests
Paris St-Germain’s Ligue 1 match against Lyon has been pushed back 24 hours to Monday as the French capital prepares for another weekend of protests.
The fixture at the Parc des Princes in Paris had been scheduled to kick off at 19:45 GMT on Sunday but will instead take place at 20:30 on Monday.
The Ligue de Football Professionnel (LFP) announced the postponement in a statement on Friday after French police prohibited the fixture from taking place on its original date.
French authorities are preparing a major security operation for demonstrations planned for Saturday.
Around 550,000 people took part in demonstrations last Saturday to protest rising fuel prices, education standards and the cost of living, which have escalated after weeks of student protests.
Marches took place in several major French cities, including Paris, backed by unions and student groups, and were marred by some incidents of violence, looting and destruction.
The security challenge is further complicated by Sunday’s NFL match between the Pittsburgh Steelers and New Orleans Saints at the Stade de France, an event expected to require a significant police deployment.
The game will be played in Saint-Denis, about 10km from Place de la Bastille, where the protests are expected to begin.
The disruptions have already affected France’s domestic football schedule with Toulouse’s Ligue 1 home game against Troyes moved from Saturday to Sunday at the request of authorities.
Reigning French and European champions PSG are second in the standings after seven matches, while Lyon lead the table on 14 points, ahead of the holders on goal difference.
The match will also now be played on the same day as the Ballon d’Or ceremony in London.
Injured PSG pair Ousmane Dembele, the 2025 winner, and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia are among the contenders for the award.
Sports
Portugal National Team Congratulates Ronaldo On Extending Goal Tally
In Round 11 of the Saudi League, Al-Nassr faced Al-Fayha away from home. In the second half, Félix set up Ronaldo for a free kick, which Ronaldo converted for his 982nd career goal. Late in the match, Ronaldo started an attack that Ângelo Borges finished to seal a 3-1 victory for Al-Nassr.
The Portuguese national team posted a congratulatory message on social media after the match: “Cristiano Ronaldo adds another goal to his tally!”
Sports
El Clásico: Jurgen Klopp Tips Barca To Win On Sunday
Germany manager Jürgen Klopp has stated he favors Barcelona to win Sunday’s El Clásico against Real Madrid.
In his view, Hansi Flick’s Barcelona is clearly the stronger team at this stage. However, Klopp also admitted he has always had a personal preference for Barcelona.
In an interview with German broadcaster DAZN, Klopp confirmed he would not miss the highly anticipated Spanish football clash: “Of course, I will watch El Clásico between Barcelona and Real Madrid. I have watched this match at every stage of my life.”
Klopp also discussed how his views on the rivalry have evolved and why he supports compatriot Hansi Flick’s Barcelona.
Klopp said: “In the past, I supported Barcelona more because I hated how Pepe and other defenders used to just sweep everything away in the backline. That was the only reason I always supported Barcelona. Nowadays, I look at the game from a neutral perspective. I support the stronger team. And as things stand, that team is likely to be Barcelona.”
Barcelona has had a strong start to the season and will host their old rivals at Camp Nou, currently leading Real Madrid by six points. However, Barcelona suffered their first defeat of the season this week against Paris Saint-Germain.
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