Brazil
Copa America: Brazil and Peru reach semi-finals
The knockout stages of the Copa America are underway, and they’ve begun with a bang. The first game of the evening came in Goiania, as Peru faced Paraguay. Then it was the big one, with holders and favourites Brazil coming up against 2015 and 2016 champions Chile. Here is how the games went. Peru 3-3 Paraguay (Peru win on penalties) Lapadula got himself a brace The first knockout tie of the competition brought us the highest scoring game, with Peru and Paraguay playing out an absolute cracker. Paraguay took the lead early on when captain Gustavo Gomez bundled in from a corner. But this lead lasted fewer than ten minutes, as Gianluca Lapadula tapped home an equaliser from Andre Carrillo’s cross. Things got a whole lot trickier for Paraguay in the lead up to half time. Lapadula notched his s...
Brazilian potential presidential candidate announces he is gay
Brazilian governor and potential major party presidential candidate Eduardo Leite, a prominent critic of President Jair Bolsonaro, came out as gay in a TV interview. Leite, governor of the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul, would be the first openly gay presidential candidate in Brazil. Anti-gay rhetoric has been a staple of speeches by Bolsonaro, who once declared that if he had a gay son, he would rather the child died in an accident. “I have never spoken about a subject related to my private life,” Leite told Brazilian journalist Pedro Bial in a TV interview on Thursday evening. “But during this moment of low integrity in Brazil, I have nothing to hide, I am gay. I am a governor who is gay, not a gay governor, as former President Obama in the US was a president who was Black, not a Bl...
Copa America quarter-finals preview: Argentina and Brazil going for the trophy
The Copa America group stages have ended, and we now know our line-up for the knockout rounds. This is where things get incredibly interesting. One poor game, and it’s all over. It’s all about the result. Ahead of the quarter-finals, here are our predictions for the last eight ties. Peru vs Paraguay Can Peru get past Paraguay? Peru surpassed expectations in the group stages. Aside from one 4-0 thrashing at the hands of Brazil, they enjoyed a strong showing, finishing in second place. Paraguay also gave a good account of themselves in their group. They managed to pull off a surprise win against Chile and suffered narrow defeats to Argentina and Uruguay. They finished in third place. It’s a difficult one to call. Both sides have fairly similar records, scoring five in their four group outing...
Nigeria adds South Africa to its coronavirus ‘red list’ for arriving travellers
Nigeria is adding South Africa to its “red list” of countries for which there are stringent restrictions for arriving passengers, officials said during a briefing on Monday. Nigeria is introducing the restrictions due to the spread of the Delta variant in South Africa, Chikwe Ihekweazu, the head of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, said. The country joins India, Brazil and Turkey on the list. “In Nigeria, we haven’t found the Delta variant yet,” Ihekweazu said during the briefing. Non-Nigerian passport holders and non-residents who visited the countries on the list within 14 days are barred entry from Nigeria, while passport holders and residents must undergo a seven-day quarantine in a government-approved facility at cost to the passenger. They are also required to take Covid-19 tes...
Copa America: Ecuador ends Brazil’s winning run, qualify for quarterfinals
Brazil’s ten-game winning run came to an end after Ecuador earned a 1-1 draw in the final Copa America group game in Goiania. Coach Tite made ten changes from the midweek win over Colombia as Neymar, Casemiro, Thiago Silva and Richarlison were rested. The reigning champions had already booked their spot in the next round as group winners and Venezuela’s defeat to Peru, means Ecuador join Brazil in the final eight. And it was nearly the perfect start for Brazil as Renan Lodi broke clear down the left and looked to be bundled over inside the box within the opening minute. The referee and VAR disagreed. Brighton’s Moises Caicedo was then stretchered off on 17 minutes with a knee injury in a blow to Ecuador, with Angel Mena coming on. Then Ecuador skipper Enner Valencia came close to scoring t...
Brazil vs Ecuador – Copa America 2021 Preview, Head To Head, Players to Watch & Predicted Line-ups
Brazil and Ecuador will trade tackles at the Estadio Olimpico Pedro Ludovico on Sunday in the final round of the Copa America 2021 Group B fixtures. The Brazilians have already nailed down the top place in Group B as they continue to build momentum ahead of the knock-out stages. Meanwhile, the Ecuadorians could miss out on the tournament’s quarter-finals for the second time in a row if they fail to secure a positive result here. Brazil Preview Brazil staged a stunning second-half comeback to beat Colombia 2-1 last time out and maintain their perfect start to Copa America 2021. Even though they have already sealed a top place in Group B, the Selecao won’t be lacking motivation against Ecuador as they look to conclude a group stage at Copa America with a 100% record. Brazil’s attacking set-u...
Nigerian government says no immediate plan to ban cylinder imports
The Federal Government says it had no immediate plan to ban the importation of gas cylinders as part of its LPG expansion and implementation plan. Mr Dayo Adesina, Senior Special Assistant on Domestic Gas in the office of the Vice-President, made the disclosure in an interview with newsmen on Sunday in Abuja. He said that the government was working on first building local capacities before contemplating a ban. According to Adesina, who is also the Programme Manager of the National LPG Expansion and Implementation, Nigeria still has a lot of cylinder deficits to fill in meeting the LPG expansion plan. He explained that the plan was to get LPG to the remotest of villages and discourage use of firewood and other fuels that are inimical to the environment. Adesina said that of the nation’s ove...
‘Rashford is nowhere near him’ – Some fans react to Liverpool man’s latest ‘masterclass’ display
Brazil left it late to secure a 2-1 victory against Colombia in the Copa America on Wednesday. The Selecao went behind for the first time in eight games, but goals from Roberto Firmino and Casemiro earned them an important victory. Brazil had won their previous nine games, all but one without conceding a goal. However, Colombia took the lead in the first half through a wonder strike from Luiz Diaz. Juan Cuadrado produced a brilliant cross from which Diaz scored with an acrobatic overhead kick. In the second half, Brazil pushed hard for an equaliser and nearly got it through Neymar, who could only hit the bar after being put through by Firmino. The Liverpool striker finally got the equalising goal with a header after meeting a cross from the left. It came from a controversial circumstance a...
Late goal gives Brazil controversial win over Colombia in Copa America
Brazil continued their winning romp through the Copa America on Wednesday, eking out a controversial 2-1 victory against Colombia after struggling most of the match to answer a magnificent bicycle-kick goal by Luis Diaz. The 11th-hour win gave the “Selecao” a perfect nine points from three matches in the South American championships, and extended their current winning streak to 11 matches. However, the victory was steeped in controversy: Brazil’s second-half equalizer, a Roberto Firmino header, was preceded by a Neymar pass that glanced off Argentine referee Nestor Pitana. Colombia heatedly argued afterward that play should have been stopped, but Pitana ruled neither side was hindered and allowed the match to continue. Disgruntled Colombia fans on social media turned the referee’s name int...
Brazil vs Colombia – Copa America 2021 Preview, Head To Head, Players to Watch & Predicted Line-ups
Brazil’s imperious Copa America 2021 charge continues on Thursday as they take on out-of-sorts Colombia at the Estadio Olimpico Nilton Santos. Saying the Brazilians have impressed at the tournament would be an understatement, given their +7 goal difference from their opening two Group B matches are off the charts. Meanwhile, Colombia will surpass Brazil in the standings with a win here despite enduring a torrid Copa America 2021 campaign so far. Brazil Preview Reigning Copa America champions Brazil have become the first nation to qualify for the 2021 knock-out stages following a perfect start to their Group B campaign. After dismantling Covid-hit Venezuela 3-0 in their Copa America 2021 opener, the Brazilians put four unanswered goals past Peru to claim a place in the quarter-finals. Despi...
Copa America: Lionel Messi equals record as Argentina progress
Lionel Messi earned a record-equalling 147th cap for Argentina as they progressed to the Copa America quarter-finals with victory over Paraguay. Papu Gomez scored the decisive goal early on, meeting a pass from Angel Di Maria before producing a fine finish. Messi, 34, equalled Javier Mascherano’s appearance record for the national team in the hard-fought win in Brasilia. Argentina top Group A ahead of Chile, who drew 1-1 with Uruguay to also advance to the knockout stage. The hastily-rearranged tournament in Brazil, which was moved from Argentina just two weeks before it was scheduled to start because of a surge in Covid-19 cases in the country, is Messi’s latest chance to win silverware with the senior team. The six-time Ballon d’Or winner was typically influential, playing a part in the ...
Brazilian president fined for not wearing mask
Brazilian President, Jair Bolsonaro, has been fined for not wearing a mask as he joined thousands of motorcyclists at a rally in Sao Paulo. Bolsonaro waved from his bike to the cheering crowd as he used the occasion to insist masks were useless for vaccinated people. The rally snaked in and out of the city, arriving back at Ibirapuera Park, where the far-right leader addressed supporters and said mask-wearing for vaccinated people was pointless. However, President Bolsonaro’s claim has been disputed by most health experts. “Whoever is against this proposal is because they don’t believe in science, because if they are vaccinated, there is no way the virus can be transmitted,” said Bolsonaro. Under 12% of Brazilians have had both doses of a vaccine, the ministry of health says, and many expe...
