ABUJA: Nigeria
became the latest marquee name to miss out on qualification for the 2012
Africa Cup of Nations on Saturday after they were held to a 2-2 draw by
Guinea.
Guinea finished top of Group B with 14 points from
six matches, while Nigeria were second on 11 points. In the other match
of the group, Ethiopia defeated bottom team Madagascar 4-2.
Two-time champions Nigeria last failed to qualify for the Nations Cup in 1986 when they were eliminated by Zambia.
Defending
champions Egypt and four-time winners Cameroon have also failed to
qualify for the African football showpiece to be staged in Gabon and
Equatorial Guinea in January.
Nigeria suffered a massive
setback 10 minutes into the second half when Ismael Bangoura smashed
home a rebound after a shot from distance came off the post.
The
Super Eagles drew level in the 64th minute when Russia-based striker
Obinna Nsofor fired home from inside the box after he was set up by
substitute Ahmed Musa.
Nigeria then took the lead in the
71st minute when substitute Ikechukwu Uche shot home after he was set up
by an Emmanuel Emenike header from inside the box.
Guinea
then got the result they needed five minutes into stoppage time when
Traore Ibrahima sneaked in a low shot beyond goalkeeper Dele Aiyenugba.
(AFP)
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COLOMBO: - Sri
Lanka's cricket board (SLC) has been officially warned for the "poor"
quality of the pitch at Galle, which hosted the first Test in their
recent series against Australia, the International Cricket Council (ICC)
said on Friday.
The SLC was in line for a sanction after
the pitch was criticised as "too dry" by both teams after Australia won
the test by 125 runs last month.
"It was clear ... that the
amount of turn, especially early in the match, was excessive and there
were occasions... where the ball went through the surface of the pitch,
bouncing
unusually steeply from a good length," ICC general manager Dave Richardson was quoted as saying in a statement.
"...taking
into account that it was the first time that a pitch at Galle has been
rated as 'poor', and given the intention of the curator to prepare a
pitch that provided a fair balance
between bat and ball, we have decided to impose a warning as the sanction."
The
world governing body of the game also directed pitch consultant Andy
Atkinson to inspect the ground at the end of this month and recommend
necessary corrective measures.
SLC will have to submit a
report to the ICC confirming that the corrective actions had been
implemented before the staging of the next international match at the
venue.(Reuters)
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TOKYO:
World number four Andy Murray claimed his second singles title in two
weeks by coming from a set behind to beat Spain's Rafael Nadal in the
Japan Open final on Sunday.
The 24-year-old Briton, fresh from winning ...
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