Co-Hosts advance after stunning Senegal

Equatorial Guinea qualified for the Africa Cup of Nations quarter-finals after stunning highly-fancied Senegal 2-1in Bata.

The National Lightning left it extremely late to clinch victory, with their winner coming in the 94th minute of the match, which sent the 40,000 crowd in the Estadio de Bata into delirious celebration.

The victory was somewhat of a shock, especially since Senegal had been tipped by many to go far in the tournament.

The defeat was the second of the tournament for the Senegalese and they now exit the competition they expected to go far in, with their coach Amara Traore expecting to make the semi-finals at least.

The Teranga Lions had thought they had kept themselves in the tournament after equalising in the 89th minute, through Moussa Sow.

The host nation were not to be denied though with Kily firing in an unstoppable 25-yard shot four minutes into added time. There was still time after that for Equatorial Guinea centre back to be sent off, capping an extraordinary end to the game.

Randy had opened the scoring for the Lightning in the 62nd minute, firing home at the back post, after Kily had sent over a inviting cross.

The co-hosts will fancy their chances against anyone in the last eight after beating a Senegal side with a highly fated front-line of Demba Ba, Pappis Demba Cisse and Mamadou Niang.

The West African’s exit from the tournament is good news for Newcastle though as it means that Ba and recent signing Cisse will be returning to the club earlier than expected, though that will be of no concern to the Senegalese supporters, whose wait for African Nations Cup glory goes on.

Written by Mike Jones, a big fan of placing a football bet at the weekends!

Valdes drives Barca forwards

Barcelona goalkeeper Victor Valdes has hailed his side’s 4-1 victory away to Malaga last week, in a match the often underused stopper proved to be integral. The victory comes after an away run that has seen the defending La Liga champions pick up only three wins in eight games – a deciding factor in the club’s failure to keep pace with Real Madrid at the top of the table.

Spain’s long-term number-two produced a series of stunning saves to stop Malaga from running away with the match during the early stages. A Lionel Messi hat-trick ensured Barcelona left Malaga with the three points, keeping them within five points of rivals Real. Those looking at the Betfair la liga betting will be wondering how close things will get.

Valdes was quick to play down his own role in the comprehensive victory, instead highlighting the importance of picking up three points away from the home.
“We needed this win away from home for our morale because we had spoken about not killing off games and dropping points [as a result],” he said.

“I do not know if they are some of my best saves [ever], but I’m pleased with my game and also happy for some of my colleagues who do not get many minutes but were able to play against Malaga.”

Guardiola will be well aware that his side can no longer afford to drop anymore away points if they are going to have any hope of defending their La Liga title this season. Their hopes already depend on Real slipping up which, on current league form, doesn’t look like happening anytime soon. Fans of Betfair sports betting tips should bear this in mind.

Should Jose Mourinho’s Madrid side indeed go onto win the league for the first time in three years, then Barcelona will be in no doubt that it was their league form that has cost them their title.

Goalkeepers may be the difference between winning and losing this February

February is a make-or-break month in the course of the European season, with teams quickly getting submerged in the deep-end of domestic and international campaigns. The Champions League returns at the knockout stages, whilst in England the big-boys go head-to-head to determine the destination of the Premier League title. Fans investment in football tickets can quickly become a waste of money if your goalkeeper does not play to the highest standard.

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Keepers to Watch at Euro 2012

Defense wins championships. It’s one of the most widely-used clichés in sports, for good reason. Offense puts people in seats, draws in viewers, and commands the most attention (and in professional sports, often gets the highest salaries), but if you don’t have some semblance of a defense, you will often fall short, even in the Eredivisie!

In soccer, the backbone of a great back line is the goalkeeper. A great keeper can make up for an average defense, but the reverse is very, very rarely true. And at Euro 2012, there will be several quality keepers who will be integral to their teams’ hopes and chances for success, with the top two Euro 2012 betting favorites perhaps boasting the top two keepers in the tournament – and in the world.

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