PHARAOHS REPEAT

At Luanda, Angola:

Mohamed Gedo scored the only goal of the match at 85 minutes on Sunday as Egypt successfully defended their African Nations Cup championship with a 1-0 win over Ghana. Pictured here in this Darko Bandic photo for Getty Images are the jubilant Pharaohs celebrating their seventh ANC title.

Ajax And Feyenoord Draw In Big Dutch Derby At Rotterdam

At Rotterdam, Netherlands:

Georgino Wijnaljum's equalizer at 67 minutes enabled Feyenoord Rotterdam to salvage a 1-1 home stalemate in the big Dutch derby with Ajax Amsterdam in Sunday Eredivisie action. Marko Pantelic scored in the 57th minute for the visitors.

Comback Draw For Livorno At San Siro

At Milan, Italy:

Cristiano Lucarelli's equalizer at 53 minutes lifted Livorno to a 1-1 road draw with AC Milan Sunday in Serie A action. Massimo Ambrosini scored for the Rossoneri at 44 minutes.

A Nice Win For Monaco

At Fontvieille, Monaco:

Park Chu-Young scored twice (19', 60') and Nene added what proved to be the game winner (62') as AS Monaco climbed up to fourth place in the Ligue 1 standings Saturday with their fourth straight league win, a 3-2 home triumph over Nice.

Parakeets Back On Winning Track With Shutout Win

At Barcelona, Spain:

In Saturday action in the Spanish Premiera Division, Luis Garcia's goal at 58 minutes proved to be all the scoring as Espanyol downed visiting Athletic Bilbao 1-0.

Super Eagles Capture Third Place Game

At Benguela, Angola:

Victor Obinna scored the only goal of the match at 55 minutes as Nigeria defeated Algeria 1-0 to capture the third-place match of the African Nations Cup on Saturday.

Bayern Bust Open Scoreless Contest To Smother Mainz

At Munich, Germany:

After a scoreless first half, Daniel van Buyten (58'), Mario Gomez (75'), Arjen Robben (86') each tallied once as Bayern Munich wore down and overpowered visiting Mainz 3-0 in German Bundesliga play on Saturday.

Message To Togo: Forget 2012 and 2014

This is what you get when the State interferes with your soccer federation's decisions.

'Gers Blast Falkirk

At Glasgow, Scotland:

Rangers, paced by goals courtesy of Steven Davis (18'), John Fleck (57'), and Steven Whittaker (62'), dominated visiting (and relegation-threatened) Falkirk 3-0 in Saturday Scottish Premiership action.

Bhoys Top Accies On Road

At Hamilton, Scotland:

Three minutes after entering the game as a substitute, Morten Rasmussen scored his first goal for Celtic (67') as the visiting Bhoys bested Hamilton Academical 1-0 Saturday in Scottish Premier League play.

Wolves Come Back Twice To Gain Road Draw With Tigers

At Kingston upon Hull, England:

Anthony Gardner's own goal (49') and Matthew Jarvis' tally (67') enabled visiting Wolverhampton to twice come from behind to gain a 2-2 English Premiership draw on Saturday with Hull City. Jan Vennegoor (11') and Stephen Hunt (PK-52') provided the scoring for the Tigers.

Juve Coach Canned

After some rough going recently , it was time for The Old Lady to make a coaching move.

Braga Hold Off Lions 1-0 At Home

At Braga, Portugal:

Paulo Rosales scored the lone goal of the match at 32 minutes as Sporting Braga held off Sporting Club Portugal 1-0 Friday at home in Portuguese Liga play.

Deuces Wild In Colombia

The first week of playoff series to determine berths in the group stage of the Copa Libertadores concluded Thursday.

At Barranquilla, Colombia:

Racing (Uruguay) gained a 2-2 road deadlock in game one of their two-match set with Atletico Junior. The guests got a goal each from Mathias Mirabajes (28') and Jose Ignacio Pallas (67'), while the hosts got a goal each from Emerson Acuna (12') and Martin Arzuega (90'+1).



The winner of this two-match series would be placed in Group One alongside Corinthians (Brazil), Cerro Porteno (Paraguay), and Independiente Medillin (Colombia).

ANC Final: It's Egypt vs. Ghana

The semifinal round of the African Nations Cup took place Thursday in Angola.

At Luanda:

Asamoah Gyan scored the only goal of the match (21') scored the only goal of the match as Ghana defeated Nigeria 1-0 to reach Sunday's final.

At Benguela:

Hosni Abd Rabou (PK-39'), Mohamed Zidan (65'), Mohamed Abdelshafy (81'), and Mohamed Gedo (90'+3) each delivered a goal as Egypt embarrassed eight-man Algeria 4-0.

Egypt will take on Angola in Sunday's final at Luanda. Algeria will battle Nigeria in Saturday's third-place game at Benguela.

Setanta Sports USA To Go Dark

I kind of figured this was eventually going to happen.

More Copa Libertadores Playoff Action

The playoff round for berths in the group stage of this year's Copa Libertadores continued with three games on Wednesday.

At Rosario, Argentina:

In match one of their two match series, Newell's Old Boys were held to a 0-0 home stalemate by Club Sport Emelec (Ecuador). Whoever wins this two-match series will compete in Group Five along with Internacional (Brazil), Cerro (Uruguay), and Deportivo Quito (Ecuador).

At Potosi, Bolivia:

Roberto Carlos Correa's equalizer at 88 minutes enabled Real Potosi to salvage a game-one 1-1 home draw with Cruzeiro (Brazil). Wellington Paulista scored for the visitors at 7 minutes. The winner of this two-match set will be placed in Group Seven alongside Velez Sarsfield (Argentina), Colo-Colo (Chile), and Deportivo Italia (Venezuela).

At Chiclayo, Peru:

Juan Aurich, with Luis Tejada scoring both goals (10', 58'), took game one of their two-match series with Mexico's Estudiantes Tecos 2-0 at home. The winner of this series would be placed in Group Three alongside defending champions Estudiantes (Argentina), Club Bolivar (Bolivia), and Alianza Lima (Peru).

Visiting 'Gers No Buddies To St. Mirren

At Paisley, Scotland:

Powered by goals from Steven Davis (2') and Nacho Novo (86'), Rangers blanked St. Mirren 2-0 on the road Wednesday in the Scottish Premier League, tightening their hold on first place.

Late Goal Sends Hibs By Bhoys In Glasgow

At Glasgow, Scotland:

In Wednesday Scottish Premier League action, Danny Galbraith's game winner (90') powered Hibernian to a 2-1 road win over Celtic.

First Stage Of Copa Libertadores Commences

The qualifying stage for group stage play in the Copa Libertadores commenced on Tuesday with the opening games in two two-match home-and-away series.

At Santa Fe, Argentina:

Federico Nieto (5'), Esteban Fuertes (66'), and Facundo Bertoglio (69') each scored once as Colon de Santa Fe held off visiting Universidad Catolica (Chile) 3-2 in game two of their two-match set. The series will resume on February 9 at Santiago, Chile. The winner would be placed in Group Eight, alongside Brazil's Flamengo, Universidad de Chile, and Caracas FC (Venezuela).

At San Cristobal, Venezuela:

Armando Maita scored the only goal of the match (30') as Deportivo Tachira blanked visiting Club Libertad (Paraguay) 1-0 in game one of their two-game series. The series will resume next Tuesday at Asuncion, Paraguay. The winner would be placed in Group Four alongside Lanus (Argentina), Blooming (Bolivia), and Universitario (Peru).

Another Maalox Moment For Rafe As Wolves Gain Home Draw With Reds

At Wolverhampton, England:

In Tuesday English Premiership action, Wolverhampton gained a 0-0 home stalemate with Liverpool.

They May Be Defending Bundesliga Champs, Yet...

If your team has not won in the league since November, and they are now in the lower half of the Bundesliga standings, your position as head coach may not be as secure as it once was.

This was the same guy who coached VfB Stuttgart to the league title three years ago.

ANC: Pharaohs and Super Eagles Reach Semis

The quarterfinal round of the African Nations Cup concluded in Angola on Monday:

At Benguela:

Ahmed Hassan scored twice (37', 90'+5) as Egypt defeated Cameroon 3-1 to reach the semifinal round. The Pharaohs will take on Algeria in Benguela on Thursday.

At Lubango:

After 120 scoreless minutes, John Mikel Obi, Obafemi Martins, Victor Nsofor Obinna, Peter Osaze Odemwingie, and Vincent Enyeama each made a successful spot kick as Nigeria won the penalty kick shootout 5-4 over Zambia to reach Thursday semifinal against Ghana at Luanda.

Nine-Men Nerazzurri Take Milan Derby

At Milan, Italy:

Goals from Diego Milito (10') and Goran Pandev (65') paced Inter Milan to a 2-0 win over AC Milan Sunday in Serie A play. The Nerazzurri won this game (they were the designated home team) despite losing Wesley Sneijder (27') and Lucio (90') to red card ejections.

ANC: Black Stars And Desert Foxes Reach Semis

The quarterfinal round of the African Nations Cup commenced on Sunday in Angola.

At Luanda:

Asamoah Gyan scored the only goal of the match (16') as Ghana defeated Angola 1-0. The Black Stars will play in a Thursday semifinal round match at Luanda against the winner of Monday's Zambia-Nigeria contest.

At Cabinda:

In Sunday's other contest, Karim Matmour (40'), Madjid Bougherra (90'), and Hameur Bouazza (90'+3) each provided the goals as Algeria scored twice in the 90th minute and later in second-half play to overtake Ivory Coast 3-2 to advance to the semifinal round. The Desert Foxes will take on the winner of Monday's Egypt-Cameroon contest in a Thursday semifinal match at Benguela.

Parakeets Held To Home Draw By Mallorca

At Barcelona:

A successful penalty kick at 80 minutes from Borja Valero lifted Mallorca to a 1-1 road draw Sunday in Spanish Premiera Division play with Espanol. Pablo Daniel Osvaldo scored at 49 minutes for the Parakeets.

Second-Half Rampage Lifts Bhoys

At Perth, Scotland:

Marc-Antoine Fortune's double (64', 81') made up half of a second-half scoring barrage that carried Celtic to a 4-1 road triumph over St. Johnstone in SPL action on Sunday.

Home Win For Ajax

At Amsterdam, Netherlands:

Gregory Van Der Wiel scored the only goal of the match at 63 minutes as Ajax Amsterdam blanked visiting AZ Alkmaar 1-0 Sunday in Dutch Eredivisie action.

Gers Salvage Point At Home

At Glasgow, Scotland:

Andrew Little's equalizer (90') enabled Rangers to salvage a 1-1 home draw with Heart of Midlothian Saturday in Scottish Premier League action. Scott Robinson scored for the visiting Jambos at 75 minutes.

Bayern Top Bremen In Wild Contest

At Bremen, Germany:

Thanks to tallies from Thomas Muller (25'), Ivica Olic (35'), and Arjen Robben (78'), Bayern Munich won a wild 3-2 road decision against Werder Bremen Saturday in German Bundesliga action.

FA Cup: Wolves Come Back To Force Replay

At Wolverhampton, England:

Goals from David Jones (37') and Ronald Zubar (84') enabled Wolverhampton to gain a 2-2 home draw Saturday with League Championship club Crystal Palace in fourth round action in the FA Cup. The visiting Eagles got goals courtesy of Alan Lee (3') and Darren Ambrose (49').

The two teams will go at it again in a fourth round replay on February 2 in London on the Eagles' home pitch, with the winner advancing to the round of 16.

ANC: Zambia and Cameroon Advance As Group Play Concludes

Group stage play in the African Nations Cup concluded with two games played in Group B in Angola.

At Lubango:

Goals from Samuel Eto'o (46') and Landry N'Guemo (64') enabled Cameroon to gain a 2-2 draw with Tunisia that locked up a berth in the quarterfinal round for the Indomitable Lions.

At Benguela:

Rainford Kabala (28') and James Chamanga (62') provided the scoring that carried Zambia to a 2-1 win over Gabon which lifted the south central African country into the elite eight of the tournament.

FINAL GROUP D STANDING:

1. Zambia (GP: 3; GD: 0; PTS: 4)
2. Cameroon (GP: 3; GD: 0; PTS: 4)
3. Gabon (GP: 3; GD: 0; PTS: 4)
4. Tunisia (GP: 3; GD: 0; PTS; 3)

Zambia and Cameroon advanced to the quarterfinal round.


NOTE: Zambia, Cameroon, and Gabon each won one match amongst each other. When removing all matches concerning Tunisia, all three teams had a goal differential of 0. Zambia scored and allowed four goals. Cameroon scored and allowed three goals. Gabon scored and allowed two goals. Zambia wins the group on the total number of goals scored in the matches between the teams concerned.

Sucks for Tunisia, for they were the only undefeated team in the group. They also happened to be the only winless squad in Group D.

Here is the lineup for the quarterfinal round:

Sunday:

At Luanda:

Angola vs. Ghana

At Cabinda:

Ivory Coast vs. Algeria

Monday:

At Lubango:

Zambia vs. Nigeria

At Benguela:

Egypt vs. Cameroon

ANC: Pharaohs Eliminate Benin; Super Eagles Fly Into Quarterfinals

Action in Group C play in the African Nations Cup concluded with two games Wednesday in Angola.

At Benguela:

Ahmed El Mohamady (8') and Emad Moteab (23') provided the scoring that paced Egypt to a 2-0 win over Benin, eliminating the West African nation from the tournament.

At Lubengo:

Peter Odemwingie doubled (45', 47') as Nigeria overpowered Mozambique 3-0 to lock up a berth in the quarterfinal round.

FINAL GROUP C STANDINGS:

1. Egypt (GP: 3; GD: +6; PTS: 9)
2. Nigeria (GP: 3; GD: +2; PTS: 6)
3. Benin (GP: 3; GD: -3; PTS: 1)
4. Mozambique (GP: 3; GD: -5; PTS: 1)

Egypt and Nigeria advanced to the quarterfinal round.

ANC: Black Stars Blank Burkina Faso To Advance To Quarterfinals

Group B action in the African Nations Cup concluded on Tuesday.

At Luanda, Angola:

Andre Ayew scored the only goal of the match at 30 minutes as Ghana blanked Burkina Faso 1-0 to advance to the quarterfinal round.

FINAL GROUP B STANDINGS:

1. Ivory Coast (GP: 2; GD: +2; PTS: 4)
2. Ghana (GP: 2; GD: -1; PTS: 3)
3. Burkina Faso (GP: 2; GD: -1; PTS: 1)

Ivory Coast and Ghana advanced to the quarterfinal round.

Ghana will take on Angola in Luanda and Ivory Coast will battle Algeria in Cabinda in quarterfinal round play, both games taking place on Saturday.

Scorless Draw Sends Both Angola and Algeria Into Quarterfinals

Group A action in the African Nations Cup concluded Monday with a pair of games played in Angola.

At Luanda:

A 0-0 stalemate between Algeria and hosts Angola was god enough to send both teams into the quarterfinal round.

At Cabinda:

Frederic Kanoute (1'), Seydou Keita (3'), and Mamadou Bagayoko (85') each scored once as Mali defeated Malawi 3-1. Nevertheless, thanks to Algeria's scoreless draw with Angola, and because of they lost the head-to-head tiebreaker for second place to Algeria, the Eagles were still eliminated from the tournament.

FINAL GROUP A STANDINGS:

1. Angola (GP: 3; GD: +2; PTS: 5)
2. Algeria (GP: 3; GD: -2; PTS: 4)
3. Mali (GP: 3; GD: +1; PTS: 4)
4. Malawi (GP: 3; GD: -1; PTS: 3)

Angola and Algeria advanced to the quarterfinal round.

Ajax Settle For Road Draw With NAC

At Breda, Netherlands:

Rasmus Lindgren's goal at 37 minutes enabled Ajax Amsterdam to gain a 1-1 road draw with NAC Breda Sunday in Dutch Eredivisie play. Ellery Cairo scored at 19 minutes for the homestanding Rats.

ANC: Goose Eggs For Gabon and Tunisia; Indomitable Lions Win Goalfest

Two games in Group D took place at Lubango, Angola as the African Nations Cup continued.

In the opener, Tunisia and Gabon battled to a 0-0 stalemate.

In the nightcap, goals from Geremi (68'), Samuel Eto'o (72'), and Mohammadou Idrissou (86') enabled Cameroon to eke out a 3-2 victory over Zambia.

GROUP D STANDINGS:

1. Gabon (GP: 2; GD: +1; PTS: 4)
2. Cameroon (GP: 2; GD: 0; PTS: 3)
3. Tunisia (GP: 2; GD: 0; PTS: 2)
4. Zambia (GP: 2; GD: -1; PTS: 1)

Ronnie's Hat Trick Propels Rossoneri

At Milan, Italy:

Ronaldinho's hat trick (PK-12', 72', 89') helped propel AC Milan to a 4-0 home fistbeating of AC Siena Sunday in Serie A action.

Lions Hang On For Narrow Home Win

At Lisbon, Portugal:

Liedson's second-half double (60', 72') enabled Sporting to hold off visiting CD Nacional de Madeira 3-2 Saturday in Portuguese Liga action.

Nene Bails Out Monaco

At Fontvieille, Monaco:

Two late goals from Nene (84', 90') lifted AS Monaco to a 2-0 home win Saturday over Sochaux in Ligue 1 play.

Early Goals Sink Parakeets

At Pamplona, Spain:

Francisco Juanfran (7') and Walter Pandiani (9') each tallied early in the first half as Osasuna blanked visiting Espanyol 2-0 Saturday in Spanish La Liga action.

ANC: Super Eagles Top Benin; Pharaohs Clinch Quarterfinal Berth

Two games from Group C play in the African Nations Cup took place Saturday in Benguela, Angola:

In the opener, Ayegbeni Yakubu's successful penalty kick at 42 minutes provided all the scoring as Nigeria defeated Benin 1-0.

In the nightcap, Mohamed Gedo's goal at 81 minutes sealed a 2-0 win for Egypt over Mozambique and a spot in the quarterfinal round for the Pharaohs.

GROUP C STANDINGS:

1. Egypt* (GP: 2; GD: +4; PTS: 6)
2. Nigeria (GP: 2; GD: -1; PTS: 3)
3. Benin (GP: 2; GD: -1; PTS: 1)
4. Mozambique (GP: 2; GD: -2; PTS: 1)

*Clinched berth in quarterfinal round.

Georgios Salvages Home Draw For Bhoys

At Glasgow, Scotland:

Georgios Samaras' equalizer at 40 minutes enabled Celtic to salvage a 1-1 home stalemate with Falkirk in Saturday Scottish Premier League play. Carl Finnigan scored in the 19th minute for the visitors.

Nacho's Goal Lifts 'Gers To Road Win

At Hamilton, Scotland:

Nacho Novo's goal at 78 minutes carried Rangers to a 1-0 road win over Hamilton Academical Saturday in Scottish Premier League action.

Wolves Drop Home Contest To Wigan

At Wolverhampton, England:

Goals from James McCarthy (60') and Charles N'Zogbia (73') propelled Wigan Athletic to a 2-0 road win over Wolverhampton Saturday in English Premier League action.

2-0 Home Win For Bayern

At Munich, Germay:

In action Friday in the German Bundesliga, Bayern Munich, thanks to goals form Martin Demichelis (35') and Miroslav Klose (86'), blanked visiting TSG Hoffenheim 2-0. For the first time in nearly two years, Bayern sit atop the Bundesliga standings.

ANC: Even With Ten Men, Elephants Thump Ghana To Gain Quarterfinal Berth

Group B:

At Cabinda, Angola:

In Friday's lone African Nations Cup contest, Ivory Coast locked up a berth in the quarterfinal round with a 3-1 victory at the expense of Ghana. Yao Kouassi Gervinho (23'), Siaka Chico Tiene (66'), and Didier Drogba (90') each tallied once for the Elephants, who still won the game with only ten men as Emmanuel Eboue was red carded at 55 minutes.

GROUP B STANDINGS:

1. Ivory Coast* (GP: 2; GD: +2; PTS: 4)
2. Burkina Faso (GP: 1; GD: 0; PTS: 1)
3. Ghana (GP: 1; GD: -2; PTS: 0)

* Clinched berth in the quarterfinal round.

Beaver Picked First In SuperDraft

Oregon State University forward Danny Mwanga was the first player selected in Thursday's Major League Soccer SuperDraft by the expansion Philadelphia Union.

ANC: Algerians Pick Up Win To Stay In Contention

In Thursday African Nations Cup action, two contests from Group A took place in Luanda, Algeria.

In the opener, Rafik Halliche's goal at 43 minutes provided all the scoring as Algeria remained alive in the competition with a 1-0 win over Mali.

In the nightcap, Amado Flavio (48') and Alberto Mateus Conteir Goncalves Manuco (54') provided the scoring that propelled Angola to a 2-0 win over Malawi.

GROUP A STANDINGS:

1. Angola (GP: 2; GD: +2; PTS: 4)
2. Malawi (GP: 2; GD: +1; PTS: 3)
3. Algeria (GP: 2; GD: -2; PTS: 3)
4. Mali (GP: 2; GD: -1; PTS: 1)

Monaco Deliver Fistbeating To Montpellier

At Fontvieille, Monaco:

In Wednesday Ligue 1 action, Lukman Haruna scored twice in the second half (55', 66') as AS Monaco climbed up to seventh place in the league standings following their 4-0 home fistbeating of surprising Montpellier.

ANC: 1-0 Win For Gabon; Zambia and Tunisia Draw 1-1

Two games , both at Lubango, Angola, in Group D play Wednesday in the African Nations Cup.

In the opener, Daniel Cousin scored the lone goal of the match at 17 minutes as Gabon defeated Cameroon 1-0.

In the second contest, Souheil Dhaouadi's equalizer at 40 minutes canceled out Jacob Mulenga's 19th-minute score as Tunisia came from behind to gain a 1-1 draw with Zambia.

GROUP D STANDINGS:

1. Gabon (GP: 1; GD: +1; PTS: 3)
2. Tunisia (GP: 1; GD: 0; PTS: 1)
Zambia (GP: 1; GD: 0; PTS: 1)
4. Cameroon (GP: 1; GD: -1; PTS: 0)

CAF: Egypt Posts Comeback Win; Mozambique Erase Two-Goal Deficit To Gain Draw With Benin

Action in Group C play in the African Nations Cup began on Tuesday with both games taking place in Benguela, Angola.

Emad Moteab (34'), Ahmed Hassan (54'), and Mohamed Gedo (87') each tallied once as Egypt overpowered Nigeria 3-1.

Mozambique, with goals courtesy of Almiro Lobo (29') and Carlos Goncalves (54') came back from two goals down to gain a 2-2 deadlock with Benin in Tuesday's other Group C match.

GROUP C STANDINGS:

1. Nigeria (GP: 1; GD: +2; PTS: 1)
2. Mozambique (GP: 1; GD: 0; PTS: 1)
Benin (GP: 1; GD: 0; PTS: 1)
4. Nigeria (GP: 1; GD: -2; PTS: 0)

New Coach For Chicago Fire

The Chicago Fire on Monday decided on the former head coach of El Salvador's national soccer team.

ANC: This is a World Cup Finalist?! Elvis (No, Not That One) Helps Malawi Knock Off Algeria; Goose Eggs For Ivory Coast and Burkina Faso

At Luanda, Angola:

Russel Mwafulirwa (17'), Elvis Kafoteka (35'), and Dave Banda (48') each tallied once as Malawi stunned Algeria 3-0 Monday in Group A play in the African Nations Cup.

GROUP A STANDINGS:

1. Malawi (GP: 1; GD: +3; PTS: 3)
2. Angola (GP: 1; GD: 0; PTS: 1)
Mali (GP: 1; GD: 0; PTS: 1)
4. Algeria (GP: 1; GD: -3; PTS:0)

Group B:

At Cabinda, Angola:

Burkina Faso and Ivory Coast battled to a 0-0 stalemate.

GROUP B STANDINGS:

1. Ivory Coast (GP: 1; GD: 0; PTS: 1)
Burkina Faso (GP: 1; GD: 0; PTS: 1)
3. Ghana (GP: 0; GD: 0; PTS: 0)

This group was reduced to three teams with Togo officially disqualified from the tounament in the aftermath last Friday's bus attack.

The top two teams in this, and all three four-team groups, will advance to the quarterfinal round.

It's Official: Togo Out Of ANC

Togo has formally been disqualified from the African Nations Cup.

Ronaldinho Double Helps Rossoneri Sink Juve On The Road

At Turin, Italy:

Ronaldinho doubled (72', 88') as AC Milan overpowered Juventus 3-0 Sunday on the road in Serie A action. Alessandro Nesta got the scoring started for the Rossoneri at 29 minutes.

Mali Erase Four-Goal Deficit To Gain Draw With Hosts In ANC Opener

The 2010 African Nations Cup, being played in Angola, began play on Sunday.

Group A:

At Luanda:

Goals from Seydou Keita (79', 90'+3), Frederic Kanoute (88'), and Mustapha Yatabare (90'+4) enabled Mali to come back from four goals down to gain a 4-4 draw with Angola in the opening match of the tournament.

Parakeets Back On Winning Track

At Barcelona:

Goals courtesy of Verdu (13') and Fernando Marques (71') lifted Espanyol to a 2-1 home win over Real Zaragoza Sunday in Spanish La Liga play.

Reversal Reversed: Togo Again Out Of African Nations Cup

The Togolese prime minister has ordered his country's players to return home from Angola and the players have now agreed.

SparrowHawks To Play After All

Togo's national team players voted unanimously to stay in the African Nations Cup in "memory of the dead."

Lions Come Out On Top

At Lisbon, Portugal:

Tonel came up with the game's lone goal at 84 minutes as Sporting defeated visiting Leixores 1-0 Saturday in Portuguese Liga action.

Togo Pulls Out Of African Nations Cup

The developments stemming from Friday's bus attack may have even placed the tournament in jeopardy.

Attack On Togo's Team Bus

Here's a bit on the attack by Angolan rebels on the (Democratic Republic of) Congolese border that took place on Friday:

Two players are reported to be injured and a Togolese sports ministry spokesman in Lome said that the bus driver had been killed in the attack. The Sparrow Hawks are in the country ahead of the African tournament, which gets under way on Sunday.

"The Angolan driver was killed on the spot," the Togolese official told Reuters.

Owen Coyle Leaves Clarets For Trotters

Owen Coyle has left Burnley to become the new manager at Bolton Wanderers.

Hey, Maybe They Should Have Hired Sven

The New York Red Bulls on Thursday announced that former FC Copenhagen coach Hans Backe as their new head coach.

Richie Williams, who served the second half of the 2009 season as interim head coach, will stay on as an assistant.

Triumphant Return For "Becks" As Rossoneri Smother Genoa

At Milan, Italy:

Goals from Ronaldinho (PK-32'), Thiaquinho (38'), Marco Borriello (48', 60'), and Klaas-Jan Huntelaar (PK-74'), plus a solid 75 minutes from a returning David Beckham lifted AC Milan to a 5-2 home beatdown of Genoa Wednesday in Serie A action.

Could It Happen?

A lockout for MLS?

FA Cup: Wolves Survive Scare To Advance

At Birkenhead, England:

Matt Jarvis scored the only goal of the match at 77 minutes as visiting Wolverhampton defeated League One club Tranmere Rovers 1-0 Sunday in the third round of the FA Cup.

Next up for Wolves: a fourth round encounter with League Championship club Crystal Palace at home in three weeks.

Old Firm Derby Ends In 1-1 Draw

At Glasgow, Scotland:

Lee McCulloch's equalizer at 81 minutes enabled Rangers to gain a 1-1 road draw with archrivals Celtic on Sunday in Scottish Premier League action. This goal canceled Scott McDonald's 79th-minute tally for the Bhoys. Rangers lead Celtic by seven points atop the SPL standings.

Late Heartbreaker For Parakeets

At Valencia, Spain:

Nikola Zigic's goal in the 90th minute lifted Valencia to a 1-0 home win Saturday over Espanyol in La Liga action.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Happy New Year from Soccer Or Association Football!