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i frown alot

THE DAY REPLAYED -

In the provincial capital they call the 'City of Abundance', USA and Korea DPR staged a veritable feast of attacking football and gripping excitement, and by sharing four goals they underlined that the FIFA Women's World Cup will showcase the more even nature of the global game. Additional emphasis arrived later in the shape of two more drawn affairs, as England and Japan and then Nigeria and Sweden all put a point on the board.

If the Opening Match left the undeniable impression that Germany are once again the team to beat at China 2007, then day two suggested there will be a host of teams challenging for their crown. Prominent among them look sure to be Korea DPR, who gave USA a mighty scare in Chengdu.

From first to last the Koreans - fast, furious and relentlessly dogged - got in the face of their more illustrious rivals. If they had been slow to talk up their chances, reluctant to say too much about themselves, their first entrance on the China stage revealed them to be an outfit no one will dare take lightly.

They unleashed their first shot early, with just 12 seconds gone, and were still on the front foot in the dying seconds, calling Hope Solo into desperate but confident saves to safeguard a point for the two-time world champions.

If that was a meagre reward for a team who have become used to winning at the FIFA Women's World Cup - this was only the fifth time in 25 matches that victory had eluded them - then they were satisfied with it. The possession rating, 54 per cent to 46 per cent in Korea DPR's favour, showed the dominance of the Asian team, although the Americans had the most shots - 21 to 18.

One of those saw Abby Wambach maintain her astonishing record in the international arena with her 76th strike in less than 100 matches early in the second half. She was off the field receiving treatment for a head wound and heard the roars of the crowd as Korea DPR then forged ahead with two goals in four minutes.

The first owed something to the difficult conditions as the rain lashed down, Kil Son-Hui seeing her shot slip through the goalkeeper's grasp. Four minutes on and substitute Kim Yong-Ae slotted the ball home, but Wambach had rejoined the action in time to see Heather O'Reilly grab an equaliser. It was the first time Korea had registered a draw in their seventh game in the competition.

The afternoon fixture set a standard that the two later games would do well to match but again, there was so much to enjoy for the neutral supporters as the two games built to an exciting climax with late goalscoring drama.

In Shanghai, Japan were delighted by their opening goal, which came from Aya Miyama's hard-driven free-kick, but were then overtaken as Kelly Smith, making her FIFA Women's World Cup debut and tipped by the Chinese legend Sun Wen no less to emerge as the player of the tournament, really went to work inside the last ten minutes, scoring first with her left, then with her right.

However there was no denying the Japanese free-kick specialist and with the clock showing 94 minutes, she lashed the ball home from almost an identical position to her earlier goal.

Nigeria also struck late on to deny Sweden a first-ever win in an opening fixture. Mind you, the Scandinavians had only ever lost before so this counts as an improvement. Captain Victoria Svensson, her country's leading scorer in the 2003 tournament, finally broke the resistance of the African side's goalkeeper Precious Dede to put the Swedes in front and then, with eight minutes remaining, Cynthia Uwak, who like Dede plays her club football in Sweden, produced the leveller.

I REMEMBA THE DAY I POSTED
[size=78pt]
blu RULES[/size]

on their thread. 5 mins later, the guy removed the shit

justkunmi ON MANU'S THREAD

a40 ;d

tell him 2 leave nella

ditch

james blunt

cabali:
the point?

psschw

hez become the latest soothsayeer

2 cos u 2like trouble

a20

chelsea

sniperwolf:
@

ASIA

jk 'll never allow such trash on his thread

she no common

robber

what time do they ir it there?

i hope itz inthe nite o

[size=18pt]NGA-SWE: Post-match quotes [/size]
Effiom Ntiero, Nigeria coach
This was a tough game. We knew the group was tough coming in. Today's was a balanced game. Sweden played well, but we stuck with them. They had a bigger reputation coming in to the game, but my girls played their hearts out today and never gave in. I could not be more proud. This is a great starting point, but now we want to improve with each match. You have to get better all the time to win a tournament like this and that is what we will try to do. I had to make some changes to my team for various reasons and all of the new players responded well to the challenge. We still have some big names to play in the USA and North Korea, so we have to be careful not to get ahead of ourselves.


Thomas Dennerby, Sweden coach
The result is not what we were hoping for. We had some very good chances in the first half and we hit the bar twice. We struggled late in the game and we were punished for not having taken our early chances. This is what happens when you switch off at crucial times in a game. Everyone in the group (B) has one point so anything can happen now. The USA and North Korea will be very tough games, but Swedish players always fight all the way to the end. We have a good chance to beat both of the teams we will meet next and that's exactly what we will focus on in the coming days.



Stella Mbachu, Nigeria midfielder
This was a wonderful result for us. The Swedes came out to beat us, but we never let them feel comfortable on the pitch. We played well and the result is a fair one. We showed our class on the field today and we hope to keep doing so.


Perpetua Nkwocha, Nigeria forward
This was always going to be a tough game for us. Very few people gave us a chance, but we never gave up and scored late to get level. This is the sign of a strong team with good psychology. We will hopefully keep up this form and get even better

Cynthia Uwak, Nigeria forward
I can't explain how good it felt to score that goal late and rescue a point for us. I play in Sweden so I know a lot of those Swedish girls. I will be able to walk tall when I go back there to play.

Victoria Svensson, Sweden striker
Of course it's disappointing to surrender a goal so late in the game. It's not the kind of thing any team should do. We were unlucky at times tonight, but now we have to get our heads right and come out better in our next two games.

Hanna Ljungberg, Sweden striker
We have to accept this result and move on, that is what we will do.

KAI

THOSE GALS ALMOSTKILLED NE

I HEARD SWEDEN HAS NEVER WON AN OPENING GAME AT THE WOMEN' WC.

SINCERELY, I THINK NAIJA 'LL BEAT USA, IT AINT A DREAM

whatz ur biz/

[size=18pt]KALOU: PUTTING AFRICA ON ICE [/size]
[b] Salomon Kalou was one of three players to rejoin training at Chelsea on Tuesday following international duty.
Monday had been a day-off for what remains of the squad following call-ups but today the young Ivorian striker returned to Cobham along with John Mikel Obi, who had played an African Cup of Nations qualifier for Nigeria at the weekend, and Tal Ben-Haim, free for club duty again. Israel had only one Euro 2008 qualifier scheduled this fortnight.
For Kalou, his time abroad had seen an international job completed. A 0-0 draw away to Gabon ensured qualification for the African Cup of Nations although there wasn't exactly dancing in the streets throughout Ivory Coast at the news.
Anything better than a 6-0 defeat would have guaranteed safe passage to the tournament.
'We knew we were going to go through, it was not a surprise,' Kalou confirms, talking after his first Chelsea session back.
'But it was also very important that we went through the qualification competition without losing any games. It was good for confidence.'
Ivory Coast finished with ten points from four games, their group reduced to only three teams because Djibouti withdrew.
'Now we come back and try to bring that positive spirit that we had with the national team to our clubs,' he adds, having come on in the 62nd minute of Saturday's draw.
Ivory Coast's qualification means all Chelsea's Africans will, if selected, be involved in the January/February tournament.
Nigeria had secured a place even before their Saturday win over Lesotho and Michael Essien's Ghana are the hosts.
Ivory Coast, with Didier Drogba in the side, were losing finalists two years ago when they were defeated on penalties by Egypt, the previous host nation.
The 2008 event will be Kalou's first major international tournament, his Ivory Coast debut having been made in February. He has six caps.
For now though, he is putting all that to the back of his mind.
'It will be my first tournament but most important is just to be focused here at Chelsea and if I am in good shape for my club, that is also very good for my national team.'[/b]

;d ;d ;d

THANK U SIR

IF I HEAR THE NEWS ABOUT THE NEWMOON, I 'LL POST IT

akola ur threa sucks jo

hmmn

KALOU: PUTTING AFRICA ON ICE
Salomon Kalou was one of three players to rejoin training at Chelsea on Tuesday following international duty.
Monday had been a day-off for what remains of the squad following call-ups but today the young Ivorian striker returned to Cobham along with John Mikel Obi, who had played an African Cup of Nations qualifier for Nigeria at the weekend, and Tal Ben-Haim, free for club duty again. Israel had only one Euro 2008 qualifier scheduled this fortnight.
For Kalou, his time abroad had seen an international job completed. A 0-0 draw away to Gabon ensured qualification for the African Cup of Nations although there wasn't exactly dancing in the streets throughout Ivory Coast at the news.
Anything better than a 6-0 defeat would have guaranteed safe passage to the tournament.
'We knew we were going to go through, it was not a surprise,' Kalou confirms, talking after his first Chelsea session back.
'But it was also very important that we went through the qualification competition without losing any games. It was good for confidence.'
Ivory Coast finished with ten points from four games, their group reduced to only three teams because Djibouti withdrew.
'Now we come back and try to bring that positive spirit that we had with the national team to our clubs,' he adds, having come on in the 62nd minute of Saturday's draw.
Ivory Coast's qualification means all Chelsea's Africans will, if selected, be involved in the January/February tournament.
Nigeria had secured a place even before their Saturday win over Lesotho and Michael Essien's Ghana are the hosts.
Ivory Coast, with Didier Drogba in the side, were losing finalists two years ago when they were defeated on penalties by Egypt, the previous host nation.
The 2008 event will be Kalou's first major international tournament, his Ivory Coast debut having been made in February. He has six caps.
For now though, he is putting all that to the back of his mind.
'It will be my first tournament but most important is just to be focused here at Chelsea and if I am in good shape for my club, that is also very good for my national team.'

yesterdAY'S PICS

nananananannannan

yes


dont u think so?

henry007:
i'll like 2 watch makin of the video umbrella im sure everyone wants 2 watch it aswell.umbrella sold more than 'lik a boy' 2 coma which means rihanna is up the ladder and ciara is bizzy huggin all and sundry wid ha bare chest instead of rihanna's matured nudity.ciara is so not like a boy so beta not say that.she's gurly aswell only her arms and legs speak the male language.ciara also needs more boobs 2 complement her bony ass. 'rihanna we love u' sounds like fun. i love both of em but rihanna just rocks ,not in beauty but in every oda aspect.

[size=38pt]MATURED  NUDITY[/size]

Four years ago, Nigeria arrived in the USA with a fearsome reputation after winning yet another African championship, but fell well short on the world stage with three straight losses and no goals scored.

This time around, on the eve of China 2007, the situation looks eerily familiar. The Nigerians edged past up-and-coming Ghana to secure their seventh African crown, scoring seemingly at will against less formidable continental opponents than the Black Queens. Futhermore, in a strange twist that must create a real feeling of déjà vu, the Super Falcons find themselves up against the very same opposition as four years ago: favourites USA, world runners-up Sweden and Asian dark horses Korea DPR.

The obvious question begs asking: are the fragile African champions heading for another rude awakening on the world stage here in China? For Perpetua Nkwocha - captain and veteran of the side that shipped 11 goals in three defeats at USA 2003 - the answer is simple. "The World Cup in the USA is over," the experienced striker told FIFA.com from the team's final training session before opening against the Swedes. "We are a totally different team from that one and we are stronger, better prepared and ready to show what we can do. We are motivated by what happened four years ago and determined to show the world who we are."

Uwak emerges
One new element in the team is Nkwocha's young strike partner, Cynthia Uwak. Short-listed for FIFA World Player of the Year, the jet-heeled powerhouse, who so impressed at last year's FIFA U-20 World Cup in Russia, will be more than a handful for Group B's fancied favourites. "Some important players from the past have gone now, but we have exciting youth in the team like Cynthia (Uwak) and this will pose a big problem for Sweden first, then the USA and North Korea," Nkwocha warned. "She will be hungry to make a name for herself at this World Cup as will our many other young players."

Uwak and Nkwocha combined to score no fewer than 13 goals in five continental qualifiers on the road to China and their understanding will be key to hopes of success here in the Far East. The fact that Nigeria have only ever won two matches from 13 over four FIFA women's finals is not something that is worrying Nkwocha and her team. It is, however, acting as a source of motivation.

"The so-called big teams will be foolish to underestimate us this time around," she said. "We are not a team to be taken lightly. We have been preparing for a long time and we take our football very seriously. We will do everything in our power to make sure we do not perform poorly this time out." If Perpetua's determination and confidence count for anything, China 2007 could well be the stage for Nigeria's women to tear up their reputation as a paper tiger and roar for the first time on the world scene.

language of lateness! ;d