Coach Aliou Cisse believes Senegal will back up their status as the continent’s top-ranked side after a stuttering start to their bid for a first Africa Cup of Nations title.

Senegal began their campaign in Egypt with an easy 2-0 win over Tanzania but were far from their best in a 1-0 loss to Group C rivals Algeria.

A draw against Kenya in their final match in Cairo would send the Teranga Lions through to the last 16 where they would face the runners-up from Egypt’s group, in which all four teams are in still contention.

“I’m not the type to call everything into question in four days, I’m someone who is very balanced. There are things which haven’t worked but that’s no reason to start a revolution in the space of four days,” Cisse told reporters on Sunday.

“We’ve been No 1 in Africa for three years and we went to the 2018 World Cup. It’s our first defeat in four years on the continental stage. I don’t think a team that lacked mental strength would have achieved such a run.”

Cisse, the captain of the side that lost the 2002 final to Cameroon on penalties, snapped back at comments from Kenya coach Sebastien Migne suggesting Senegal had a tradition of buckling under pressure when the stakes are high.

“I think my counterparts have a tendency to speak about us. Take care of themselves, take care of their own teams. What does he know about the Senegalese mentality? What does he know about our people? How can he say we don’t have the mental strength?” Cisse countered.

He also slammed the performance of Zambian referee Janny Sikazwe in the wake of the Algeria defeat, in which Sadio Mane had a strong penalty appeal dismissed.

“I don’t want to come back to the refereeing which I found, today I will say it, really catastrophic and unacceptable,” said Cisse.

“There are things I don’t want to say about the refereeing because I would be suspended, but there comes a point when you have to protect the integrity of our players.”

🔰 Cameroon and Ghana, two of the most successful teams in Africa Cup of Nations history with nine titles between them, cancelled each other out in a forgettable 0-0 draw on a day of three stalemates.

Ghana nearly snatched the points in the 88th minute when Kwabena Owusu intercepted a dreadful Jean Armel Kana Biyik pass, charged forward and fired a ferocious shot against the bar.

Highlights 📹 http://v.duta.us/bjTlpQAA

🔰 Angola and Mauritania drew 0-0 in Group E, leaving both sides facing a battle to advance to the knockout stages. It was a second draw for Angola, while Mauritania, making their tournament debut, picked up their first point.

Highlights 📹 http://v.duta.us/IeLVxwAA

🔰 Benin and Guinea Bissau completed a hat-trick of goalless draws with a stalemate that left both teams waiting for their first-ever win at the competition. The teams rarely looked like breaking the sequence of blanks in a scrappy match short of clear chances.

Highlights 📹 http://v.duta.us/HBDhwwAA

Read more: http://v.duta.us/2MGJUwAA

Arsenal will have to pay Crystal Palace to 100 million pounds to capture Ivory Coast striker, Wilfred Zaha, 26.
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– But the chairman of The Eagles, Steve Parish is afraid that selling Zaha could threaten his plans to get new club owners … He is afraid of shaking the club to decline, for Zaha is a great help for them in the Premier League.
#EPLTransfersUpdates

Luis Suarez missed a spot-kick as Peru beat Uruguay on penalties in Salvador on Saturday to reach the Copa America semifinals, where they will play Chile.

Edison Flores scored the decisive penalty as Peru, who were thrashed 5-0 by Brazil in their previous match, qualified for the semifinals for the third time in the last four editions of the Copa.

For the last dozen years, Argentina has been waiting for global superstar Lionel Messi to lead their football team to a major international trophy.

But when the the country needed the five-time Ballon d’Or winner most, Messi failed to emulate the feats of Diego Maradona in 1986 – when for some he almost single-handedly won the World Cup.

Four times Messi has lined up with Argentina in a major final – the 2014 World Cup and Copa America in 2007, 2015 and 2016 – but every time they have lost.

He has often come under criticism for failing to reproduce his Barcelona form when wearing the sky blue and white jersey of the national team.

Now, ahead of a mouth-watering Copa semifinal against hosts Brazil in Belo Horizonte, Argentines are simply waiting for Messi to turn up.

“This is the match for Messi to appear,” screamed Ole newspaper’s online edition after Argentina beat Venezuela 2-0 to secure the Brazil semifinal.

Ironically, at this tournament, while Argentina’s performances have been improving steadily, Messi has, if anything, become less influential.

Argentina were all at sea in their opening 2-0 defeat to Colombia and needed a Messi penalty to salvage a 1-1 draw with Paraguay.

But in the 2-0 win over Qatar that qualified Argentina for the knock-out rounds, and the quarterfinal victory over Venezuela by the same score, Messi became an increasingly peripheral figure.

NOT AT MY BEST

He admitted as much after the Venezuela match, saying: “I’m not at my best level, I’m not playing how I hoped I would. I’m not having my best Copa America.”

Brazil centre-back Thiago Silva is not so convinced, though.

“For me, Messi is the best player in history, the best I’ve ever seen play. It’s a privilege to play against him,” said a player who hails from the country that produced Pele, Garincha, Socrates, Ronaldo and Ronaldinho.

Messi turned 32 during the tournament and while he doesn’t appear close to retirement, it cannot be too many years away.

His game has changed over the years and he no longer produces the same kind of, or quantity of, darting runs at the heart of opposition defences.

He plays deeper than he used to, passes more and is more selective with his runs.

He also rests more than he used to and took an eight-month break from the national team following the World Cup in Russia, only returning in March in a 3-1 friendly defeat to Venezuela.

But he is more than just the star of the team these days, he is the leader and captains both club and country.

During the club season, Messi took the lead in defending Philippe Coutinho, whom he will line up opposite on Tuesday, from criticism levelled at the Brazilian playmaker in the Catalan press.

Messi also defended Barcelona boss Ernesto Valverde against the brickbats.

And here, while his and Argentina’s attacking performances have been nothing to enthuse about, Messi took the time to praise the team’s defensive efforts.

“Defensively we didn’t have any problems and the team was very solid at all times,” he said following the Venezuela victory, which he described as a “complete” performance.

ESSENTIAL CONTRIBUTION

And Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni acknowledges that Messi brings much more than just brilliance on the field.

“For me he gives an essential contribution on the pitch, and if you saw everything he brings in the dressing room…” said Scaloni.

“Messi is Messi, he’s the best.”

Before the tournament began, much of the talk was about whether Messi could ever land the one thing missing from his impressive list of accolades: an international trophy.

He’s won the Champions League four times, La Liga 10 times and the Copa del Rey six times with Barcelona, but nothing major with Argentina, who haven’t won anything since 1993.

Tuesday’s semifinal in Belo Horizonte looks tailor made for the Messi of old.

Brazil have yet to concede a goal in the competition but despite victories of 5-0 over Peru and 3-0 against Bolivia, they looked ponderous and lacking imagination in the 0-0 draws against Venezuela and Paraguay.

The semifinal promises to be a tight affair, in which a moment of Messi magic could be enough to settle it.

Argentina is waiting and praying for just such a moment.

Television audience records have been smashed, global media coverage has been unprecedented and the quality of football has won over many sceptics – now the women’s World Cup heads into its final week, the business end of the tournament.

The United States, the defending champions and three-time World Cup winners, remain favourites to lift the trophy in Lyon on Sunday but first they must deal with a confident England side in Tuesday’s semifinal.

In Wednesday’s game, European champions the Netherlands take on a Sweden side who are on a high after upsetting Olympic champions Germany in Saturday’s quarterfinal.

On Sunday, fans of all four teams began to arrive in Lyon, bringing their colour and bonhomie to the central French city.

The Dutch turned Valenciennes orange on Saturday, while thousands of Americans had poured into Paris for Friday’s win over the hosts. England have had unprecedented levels of travelling support and Sweden’s status as one of the pioneer nations in women’s football means they never lack for backing.

What fills veterans of the women’s game with such confidence for the future is the sight of so many young female supporters in the crowds, school-age players who idolise the international footballers.

There is a family atmosphere but also a new generation of women fans, such as Italy’s well-organised and vocal ultras.

It is a far cry from the days when attendance was limited to pockets of friends and families of the players alongside curious locals.

The hearts and minds aspect of this tournament has been a runaway success but now it is all about winning and losing.

There have been many coaches and players, no longer here in France, who have described their exits from the competition as part of a learning process, a development plan, an episode in the growth of the women’s game in their countries – and with good reason.

Italy, beaten by the Dutch on Saturday and playing in their first World Cup for 20 years, were certainly justified in taking such a view. The Spanish know they are on an upward curve and some of the emerging nations will have benefited from their experiences.

But, as the tears of French and German players following their eliminations in the last eight showed, such perspective is not for everyone.

“This England team is ready to win now,” said coach Phil Neville, adding that defeat to the US would represent failure for a team who have fallen at the semifinal stage in their last two major tournaments.

“The only way for us to go back home is as winners.”

England brushed aside a traditionally solid opponent, Norway, in their quarterfinal, winning 3-0, and their performance left the Americans, who beat France 2-1 thanks to a pair of goals from Megan Rapinoe, under no illusions about the task that faces them.

“England was super clinical the other night,” Rapinoe said. “We have absolutely our work cut out for us.”

The match-up that will capture the most attention will be the direct confrontation between Rapinoe, on the American left wing, and Lucy Bronze, England’s powerful and gifted right wing-back whose thundering strike against Norway was a highlight of the tournament.

The Netherlands are in their maiden World Cup semifinal and will look to their in-form striker Vivienne Miedema, a 22-year-old who has scored 61 goals in 80 games for her country and is one of three members of the side playing in England for Arsenal.

But Sweden showed against Germany that their direct, counter-attacking style is highly effective and their coach Peter Gerhardsson is not satisfied yet.

“We’ve talked about the possibilities here to go far and win every game,” he said.

“There’s not a single cell in our body that is content with this. We’re going to go for it.”

Ghana’s slow start to the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations continued on Saturday night when they were held to a 0-0 draw by Group F rivals Cameroon at the Ismailia Stadium.

The result sees the Indomitable Lions on top of the group standings with four points, while the Black Stars are second with two points. However, the log order could well be altered by the late game on Saturday between Benin and Guinea-Bissau.

Ghana settled the quicker of the two teams and created the first clear chance in the ninth minute, with Jonathan Mensah teeing up Thomas Partey for a shot in the middle of the penalty area, but the midfielder sent his effort high and wide.

The Black Stars were soon dealt a major blow, though, when winger Christian Atsu appeared to tweak a hamstring while shooting wide from distance in the 12th minute. The Newcastle United man was replaced by Samuel Owusu shortly thereafter.

Cameroon had plenty of possession but had to wait until after the half-hour mark to have their first goal-scoring opportunity, as Karl Toko Ekambi sprinted into space behind the defence, only for Jonathan Mensah to make a superb recovery challenge.

On 36 minutes the Indomitable Lions’ Clinton N’Jie found space down the right of the penalty area and sent a powerful effort on target which Richard Ofori had to turn around his near post for a corner kick.

The Ghana goalkeeper was in action again five minutes later, making a brilliant save to turn away a powerful left-footed shot from Christian Bassogog and ensure the match went to halftime with the score locked at 0-0.

The defences tightened up in the second half and chances were far harder to come by at either end. Cameroon responded with a double substitution in the 74th minute, introducing Stephane Bakohen and Eric Choupo-Moting (who was dropped from the starting XI due to an injury concern), while a short while later Ghana sent on veteran forward Asamoah Gyan.

Yet it was another Black Stars substitute, Owusu Kwabena, who came closest to breaking the deadlock – seconds after he came on in the 87th minute he intercepted a ball in midfield, sprinted forward and rattled the crossbar with a well-struck effort.

Cameroon 0

Ghana 0

Cameroon: Onana, Fai, Bong (Choupo-Moting 74’), Ngaedu-Ngadjui, Kana-Biyik, Bassogog, Oyongo, Mandjeck, Zambo Anguissa (Malong 82’), Ekambi (Bahoken 74’), N’Jie

Ghana: Ofori, Yiadom, Kasim, Mensah, Rahman, Wakaso, Partey, Asamoah (Gyan 78’), Atsu (Owusu 15’), J. Ayew, A. Ayew (Kwabena 87’)