Son shines but Kane injury mars Spurs stroll

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Tottenham Hotspur's South Korean striker Son Heung-Min (C) celebrates scoring his team's second goal during the English FA Cup quarter-final football match between Tottenham Hotspur and Millwall at White Hart Lane in London, on March 12, 2017. PHOTO: Glyn KIRK / AFP

Son Heung-Min’s hat-trick fired Tottenham into the FA Cup semi-finals, but his side’s 6-0 victory against Millwall was overshadowed by Harry Kane’s potentially serious ankle injury.

Kane limped off in the 10th minute at White Hart Lane after his ankle twisted awkwardly.

The England striker was sidelined with another ankle problem earlier this season and the injury is a major worry for Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino.

England manager Gareth Southgate will also be concerned as he is due to name his squad for forthcoming fixtures against Germany and Lithuania.

Tottenham are looking to win the FA Cup for the first time since 1991 and close the gap on Premier League leaders Chelsea, but those ambitions would be much harder to achieve without their leading scorer.

Despite Kane’s absence, Tottenham were too strong for third tier Millwall and they marked the last FA Cup tie at the Lane before the stadium is demolished, with a commanding quarter-final display.

Christian Eriksen opened the scoring and Dele Alli and Vincent Janssen were also on target, but it was Son who took centre-stage with his treble.

Tottenham will discover their opponent for next month’s Wembley semi-finals on Monday, but news of Kane will be anticipated even more eagerly.

Given the notorious reputation of Millwall’s support, much of the pre-match focus had been on the possibility of crowd trouble.

There was a tense atmosphere outside the stadium before kick off, but a huge police presence managed to contain the threat of serious violence despite bottle throwing and minor scuffles.

Inside, a large segregated area was used to keep Millwall and Tottenham fans apart, with a line of stewards wearing orange hard hats in case missiles were thrown.

Millwall arrived with a 17-match unbeaten run that included FA Cup upsets of Bournemouth, Watford and Leicester, but facing a team of Tottenham’s class was a different proposition altogether.

Dominating possession with ease, Pochettino’s side battered Millwall from start to finish as they cruised to a 16th win from 18 home games this season.

– Incessant pressure –

Kane’s injury came early, the England star’s ankle twisting badly after Jake Cooper slid into him.

After several minutes of treatment, Kane limped off to be replaced by Danish winger Eriksen.

It was a big blow for Tottenham given Kane’s red hot form had brought him eight goals in his last four appearances and 24 for the season.

As Tottenham regrouped, Millwall striker Steve Morison curled wide from 20 yards in a rare moment of alarm for the hosts.

But Tottenham’s incessant pressure was rewarded in the 31st minute when Alli chested down a high clearance and Eriksen pounced to drill a low shot into the far corner from just inside the area.

Victor Wanyama powered a header against the crossbar as Tottenham pressed for the second goal, which arrived in spectacular fashion from Son in the 41st minute.

Picked out by Eriksen on the edge of the area, Son cut inside and curled a sublime shot past King.

Son’s first goal since January was the perfect way to silence some unsavoury taunts aimed at him by Millwall fans, and the South Korean wasn’t finished yet.

Making a perfectly-timed run onto Kieran Trippier’s pass, Son got in behind the Millwall defence in the 54th minute and volleyed a fine finish past King.

Alli tapped in Eriksen’s cross for the fourth in the 72nd minute and Janssen made it five seven minutes later with his first goal from open play for Spurs since signing last year.

There was still time for Son to be gifted his treble in stoppage-time when King let his shot slip through his legs into the net.

Vía The Guardian Nigeria http://ift.tt/2mfPx3k

Neymar doubtful for Deportivo clash

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Barcelona's Brazilian forward Neymar (R) celebrates with Barcelona's Brazilian midfielder Rafinha after scoring during the Spanish league football match FC Barcelona vs Real Sporting de Gijon at the Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona on March 1, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / LLUIS GENE

Barcelona are set to be without Neymar after his Champions League heroics against Paris Saint-Germain when the Spanish champions continue their quest for a third straight La Liga title at Deportivo la Coruna on Sunday.

Neymar scored twice and set up Sergi Roberto’s remarkable 95th-minute winner as Barca completed the biggest Champions League comeback of all time from a 4-0 first leg deficit in a 6-1 win.

However, the Brazilian missed training on Saturday due to a left abductor strain. Neymar was pictured celebrating Barca’s comeback along with three-time Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton into the early hours of Thursday morning.

Outgoing Barca coach Luis Enrique, though, insisted he is confident his side won’t suffer a hangover at Deportivo with the Spanish title race on a knife-edge.

“I have trust in the experience of my players to know that we have a lot at stake,” said Luis Enrique on Saturday.

Barca lead Real Madrid at the top of the table by a point, but Madrid have a game in hand.

Wednesday’s exploits have raised hopes Barca can claim a second treble in three seasons as they are heavy favourites for the Copa del Rey final against Alaves.

However, Luis Enrique, who will leave the club at the end of the season, tried to temper expectations.

“We are aware that everything is still to be decided,” he added.

“There are eight teams left in the Champions League, three competing for La Liga and two in the Cup.

“That means we can win zero, one, two or three titles. Right now we can only concentrate on Deportivo.”

Midfielder Rafinha is also expected to miss out for Barca due to gastroenteritis.

Vía The Guardian Nigeria http://ift.tt/2mMVhow

Leicester thriving without Ranieri as Mahrez sinks Hull…See full details

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Leicester City's Algerian midfielder Riyad Mahrez (R) celebrates with Leicester City's English interim manager Craig Shakespeare (L) after scoring their second goal during the English Premier League football match between Leicester City and Hull City at King Power Stadium in Leicester, central England on March 4, 2017.
Lindsey PARNABY / AFP

Leicester City's Nigerian midfielder Wilfred Ndidi (C) scores with this header to make the score 3-1 during the English Premier League football match between Leicester City and Hull City at King Power Stadium in Leicester, central England on March 4, 2017.
Lindsey PARNABY / AFP

Leicester’s revival following Claudio Ranieri’s shock sacking gathered pace as Riyad Mahrez inspired a crucial 3-1 win over fellow strugglers Hull on Saturday.

Following Ranieri’s ruthless dismissal last week, Leicester have finally recaptured the form that carried them to the Premier League title last season.

In severe danger of being relegated, they ended a run of five successive league defeats with a 3-1 victory over Liverpool on Monday and followed that with a come-from-behind success against Hull at the King Power Stadium.

Sam Clucas put Hull ahead but Christian Fuchs equalised before half-time and Mahrez struck in the second half.

Tom Huddlestone’s own goal capped an encouraging day for Leicester, who are five points clear of the bottom three and can breathe easier after a turbulent period.

Hull remain second bottom and are four points from safety after their winless run in away league fixtures stretched to 13 games.

Amid reports that former England manager Roy Hodgson has spoken to Leicester’s Thai owners about succeeding Ranieri, interim boss Craig Shakespeare has made it clear he wants the job.

Ranieri’s former assistant has been backed by several of Leicester’s stars and they boosted his job prospects by securing successive league wins for the first time this season.

The hosts should have been ahead early on when Mahrez’s free-kick picked out Wes Morgan, only for the unmarked Leicester defender to head wide. Leicester’s shoddy finishing could have been costly as Clucas gave Hull a surprise lead in the 14th minute.

Oumar Niasse found Kamil Grosicki and his cross from the touchline was poked home from close range by Clucas for the midfielder’s first goal of the season.

But the champions were unfazed and Fuchs bagged just his second goal in two seasons with Leicester in the 27th minute. Jamie Vardy carved open the Hull defence with a penetrating raid and from his cross, Fuchs pounced on the loose ball to fire home.

Unable to turn their first half dominance into further goals, Leicester narrowly avoided falling behind again when Hull’s Harry Maguire headed against the crossbar from Grosicki’s corner early in the second half.

But Hull have not been out of the relegation zone since Marco Silva took over in early January and the Tigers were destined to spend another weekend in the bottom three.

Mahrez, a major disappointment this term after being voted player of the year last season, had gone close twice in quick succession before the Algeria winger hit the target in the 59th minute.

Working space on the edge of the penalty area, Mahrez drilled a low shot that eluded a weak attempted save from Hull goalkeeper Eldin Jakupovic at his near post.

It was the first time Mahrez had scored in open play in his last 28 league appearances. Leicester wrapped up the points in the final moments when Hull midfielder Huddlestone headed into his own net from Wilfred Ndidi’s flick.

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Murray claims 45th career title with Dubai triumph…See full details

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World number one Andy Murray of Great Britain returns the ball to Spain's Fernando Verdasco during their ATP final tennis match, as part of the Dubai Duty Free Championships on March 4, 2017.<br />KARIM SAHIB / AFP

Andy Murray clinched his first title of 2017 and 45th of his career as he dominated Spain’s Fernando Verdasco 6-3, 6-2 to win the Dubai Tennis Championships on Saturday.

World number one Murray claimed the trophy in the emirate for the first time after losing the final five years ago to Roger Federer. The Scot finished the job in just 73 minutes on the first of three match points, an untouchable service winner.

“It’s obviously nice to finally win here,” said the top seed. “It feels great to take the trophy for the first time.

“I played a good match today. I had a bit of a slow start, but we’ve had a lot of late nights this week. But once I got going, I was moving well and finished strong.”

Murray improved his record over 35th-ranked left-hander Verdasco to 13 wins and just one loss. He was playing in his second final of 2017 after losing to Novak Djokovic in nearby Doha during the opening week of the season in January.

The first three games of the contest featured breaks of serve before Murray steadied, breaking for 5-3 and taking the opening set. In the second, Murray earned a 2-1 lead as he eased to victory.

Murray now makes the long flight halfway around the world to Los Angeles to prepare for the start of the Indian Wells Masters.His win on Saturday allowed Murray to become the first British champion in the 25-year history of the Dubai tournament.

He was playing in his seventh final in his last eight tournaments and 14th final in his last 16 events.

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DJ Cleo – Yile Gqom ft. Winnie Khumalo [Mp3 + Lyrics]

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DJ Cleo bless fans with a new Gqom mix titled Yile Gqom featuring super star Winnie Khumalo whose hit Lazaru is still banging.

Listen to what they came up with below.

DOWNLOAD

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Xenophobia attacks: FG wants NEPAD Continental to intervene

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A man holds a brick near the hostels in the Jeppestown area of Johannesburg where clashes broke out / Mujahid Safodien /AFP<br />

The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr Babachir Lawal, has called on the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) Continental to intervene in the xenophobic attacks on Nigerians in South Africa.

He made the appeal on Tuesday in Abuja during the two-day stakeholders meeting and skill initiative workshop for youth empowerment organised by the NEPAD Continental and NEPAD Nigeria.

Lawal was represented by Amb. Roy Ugo, the Permanent Secretary, Cabinet Affairs, Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF).

He said that NEPAD Continental as seat of the continent’s development programme in South Africa should design a quick intervention programme to end the attacks on Nigerians.

According to him, Nigeria and South Africa have several business and economic development partnership which should not be disrupted because of some groups of selfish persons.

He said that the Federal Government would not want to take any drastic action that would negatively affect the relationship between Nigeria and South Africa.

Besides, Lawal charged the NEPAD continental office to engage with relevant authorities in South Africa to do the needful with stringent measures put in place to punish perpetuators of xenophobia to serve as a deterrent to others.

In a response, Mrs Esterine Fotabong, Director, NEPAD continental said that the Government of South Africa has openly condemned the attacks on Nigerians and fellow Africans in the country.

She said that that there would be a peaceful dialogue to resolve the misunderstanding and to continue the peaceful relationship between both countries for a better future.

Fotabong said she would relay the message to the Chief Executive Officer of NEPAD Continental so that quick interventions would be put in place to stop the menace.

Vía The Guardian Nigeria http://ift.tt/2mBg3oH

Trump plots big increase in defense spending

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US President Donald Trump speaks to members of the National Governors Association and his administration before a meeting in the State Dining Room of the White House February 27, 2017 in Washington, DC. / AFP PHOTO / Brendan Smialowski

President Donald Trump on Monday teased a budget plan that includes a substantial increase in defense spending and cuts in foreign aid.

Previewing a plan that will attempt to translate campaign promises into dollars and cents, Trump promised a “public safety and national security budget.”

An administration official said that Trump’s plan would include a $54 billion increase in defense spending and a corresponding decrease in non-military programs.

“Most federal agencies will see a reduction as a result,” the official said.

There will also be a “large reduction in foreign aid,” he added, on condition of anonymity.

The proposal, which will be picked over and must ultimately be approved by Congress, would increase defense spending — already the largest in the world — by almost 10 percent.

Trump claimed that his budget “follows through on my promise on keeping Americans safe.”

“It will include a historic increase in defense spending.”

His comments come a day before he addresses a joint session of Congress, an important agenda setting event for new presidents.

The initial outline did not include proposals for mandatory spending or tax proposals, which make up the bulk of outlays and receipts.

The budget is a keystone statement of Trump’s priorities for the coming years.

The nearly four trillion dollar annual federal budget is a declaration of intent that puts the president’s policy goals down in black and white.

It also separates affordable campaign promises from the fanciful and is the final arbitrator after turf wars between departments and powerful interest groups.

Trump has promised to cut waste and duplication in federal spending.

US president after US president has made similar promises on coming to office, before delving into a text that runs in the thousands of pages and tossing the plan into the thicket of Congress.

Trump has oodles of campaign promises to pay for, but faces a national debt set to hit $20 trillion on his watch and a deficit at 3.1 percent of GDP and rising.

Trump’s promises — from building a wall on the Mexican border to stepping-up the deportation of undocumented immigrants — carry an estimated price tag of $5.3 trillion, according to the non-partisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget.

Vía The Guardian Nigeria http://ift.tt/2mDbclJ

PSG tackles Barcelona in knockout stage as Champions League returns…See full details

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After sixty-eight days of rest, one of the biggest ‘loves’ of football fans the world over, the UEFA Champions League, returns with its knockout stage on the day generally set aside to celebrate love, How romantic is that?

The UEFA Champions League will not be the only football competition making a long awaited return this midweek as its ‘poor sibling’ the Europa League will also be back on our TV Screens. Using the word ‘poor’ to describe the competition is only in comparison to the Champions League because of the fact that the UCL is the richest sporting event in the world. The Europa league is far from as it’s among the top ten richest sporting events in the world and should not be scoffed at. I will be previewing all four of this midweek’s UCL matches and I will also give out my betting tips on all twenty fixtures that will take place in both European tournaments this midweek to aid you place your bets on www.nairabet.com

PSG vs. BARCELONA
PSG will host Barcelona with plans of showing no love to the Catalans in the city of love in one of the two games that will be played tonight in the UCL. The Parisians have been knocked out of this competition twice by Barcelona in the past four editions and they would not want to suffer the same fate for a third time. Luck should be on the French side as they have never lost any of their previous Champions League last 16 ties, having won all four of them. They are currently in second place in ligue 1, three points behind Monaco and are unbeaten in seven games, winning six of them. Barcelona have a very decent record in France, having won more than they have lost and against PSG, they will be hoping to leave Paris with at least a draw. The Blaugrana are on a three game winning streak against PSG and that will give them the added morale going into this tie. They were also in ruthless form over the weekend destroying Alaves 6-0 in La Liga. These teams have met seven times in the past with just one win for PSG and four for Barca. For this fixture, a double chance bet on PSG at odds of 1.66 on www.nairabet.com will be advisable and a bet of over 2.5 goals

BENFICA vs. DORTMUND
The other game that will take place tonight in the UCL will be between Benfica and Dortmund in Portugal. The Portuguese giants reached the knockout stages after finishing second in their Group with eight points. They lost home and away to Napoli, beat Dynamo Kiev home and away and recorded a pair of draws against Besiktas. They have a fantastic home record this season, picking up fourteen wins and three draws from their eighteen matches in all competitions at the Estádio da Luz. They have won seven of their last nine matches in the league, with just one loss. Their opponents today, Borussia Dortmund, won their group ahead of eleven time champions, Real Madrid and were unbeaten raking up four wins and two draws, both coming against Madrid. They have been scoring for fun in this season’s UCL, piling up twenty one goals in the group stage, with fourteen of those coming two legs against Legia Warsaw. Their surprise defeat to Darmstadt this past weekend ended their eight match unbeaten run in the league. These sides have met just once in a UEFA Competition and that was in the 1963/64 European Champion Clubs Cup. Benfica won the first leg 2-1, but were thrashed 5-0 by Dortmund in the return leg to overturn the deficit. The Portuguese team have a solid home record against German opposition with ten wins, eight draws and two losses from twenty games, while Dortmund have lost on three and won on two of their five visits to Portugal. Benfica will be looking to take an advantage into the second leg in Germany and will fancy their chances of getting a win tonight at home. My betting tips for this game will be a double chance bet on Benfica and over 2.5 goals.

BAYERN MUNICH vs. ARSENAL
Arsenal have not progressed beyond this stage since 2010 and to break that barren spell, they will need to put up their best performance of the season to get past Bayern Munich. The first leg of this tie comes up tomorrow at the Alianz Arena and Arsenal will need to get a respectable result to stand a chance of ending their round of sixteen hoodoo. The Gunners have been knocked out at the last-16 stage for the past six seasons in a row. The Gunners haven’t lost in this season’s competition and will be hoping to leave Germany with that record intact. As for Bayern Munich, they haven’t been their usual stellar selves in the UCL this season, losing twice in the group stage, against Rostov and Atletico Madrid. They won their four other fixtures to finish second behind Atletico. The Bavarians have been impressive in the league, winning ten of their last thirteen league games and leading the league with seven points. They also haven’t lost at home this season and will not want to start now. Franck Ribery might return from a hamstring injury in time to for this game, while Jerome Boateng remains sidelined with a shoulder problem. This should be a very interesting encounter as there is a lot at stake for both teams.  A Bayern win and over 2.5 are my betting tips for this match.

REAL MADRID vs. NAPOLI
Eleven-time winners, Real Madrid will entertain Italian side Napoli at the Santiago Bernabeu tomorrow evening in the first leg of their round of sixteen clash. It wasn’t an ideal scenario for Madrid in the group stage as they were upstaged by Dortmund and finshed second in the group. The draw against Legia Warsaw was the result that really cost los Galacticos and in the final group game, having led Borussia Dortmund 2-0 at home they conceded two late goals to draw that game and finish the group in second place. Napoli were in a very tight group and entering the final group match away to Benfica, there was a chance they could win the group or be eliminated from the competition and they ensured they finished top of the group with a 2-1 win in Portugal. This will be the first time the teams have met in the Champions League and it will be a return to their old club for Raul Albiol and Jose Callejon. Real are the defending champions and have won two of the last three competitions so will be the heavy favourites to win this tie. I will advise on a bet of a Real Madrid win and over 2.5 goals

We will have our fill of European fixtures this midweek and it will feel even better with money in your pockets as you enjoy twenty matches bet from today through Thursday. I will leave you with betting tips for the Europa League fixtures below that will guide you as you place your bets on www.nairabet.com. Remember that these games are just the first leg fixtures and in a fortnight, the reverse fixtures will come up and I will preview them for you.

EUROPA LEAGUE
Krasnodar vs. Fenerbahçe (Double chance for Fenerbahce)
Olympiakos Piraeus vs. Osmanlıspor (Olympiakos win)
Astra vs. Genk (Double chance for Genk)
Ludogorets vs. København (Double chance for Ludogorets)
Celta de Vigo vs. Shakhtar Donetsk (Over 1.5 goals)
Gent vs. Tottenham (Double chance for Tottenham)
Rostov vs. Sparta Praha (Double chance for Rostov)
Borussia M’gladbach vs. Fiorentina (Over 1.5 goals)
AZ vs. Olympique Lyonnais (Double chance for AZ)
Manchester United vs. Saint-Etienne (Manchester United win)
PAOK vs. Schalke 04 (Double chance for Schalke)
Athletic Club vs. APOEL (Athletic win)
Legia Warszawa vs. Ajax (Double chance for Legia)
Villareal vs. Roma (Over 1.5 goals)
Anderlecht vs. Zenit (Over 2.5 goals)
Hapoel Be’er Sheva vs. Beşiktas (Double chance for Hapoel)

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Ronaldo injury scare for Napoli clash…See full details

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Real Madrid's Portuguese forward Cristiano Ronaldo / AFP PHOTO / PIERRE-PHILIPPE MARCOU

Cristiano Ronaldo trained apart from the team on Monday just two days ahead of Real Madrid’s Champions League last 16 home leg against Napoli.

The Portuguese goal machine with a record 96 Champions League strikes to his name suffered a heavy tackle in a 3-1 win over Osasuna at the weekend.

And as the rest of the Real Madrid squad trained on ball skills Monday “Cristiano Ronaldo and Fabio Coentrão trained inside the facilities’ the Real website reported. Ronaldo suffered a knock to his right leg, according to press reports, adding he was expected to shake off the injury in time to play Wednesday.

On a happier note for the 10 times European champions Welsh forward Gareth Bale took full part in training Monday, looking fresh, sharp and upbeat after three months out with a heel injury.

Bale will take no part in Wednesday’s game but could well be back in the starting line up for the February 22 return leg in Naples.

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