Flying Eagles defeat hosts Argentina to advance at FIFA Under-20 World Cup

Nigeria eliminated host nation Argentina as goals from Ibrahim Muhammad and Rilwanu Haliru Sarki sent the six-time champions out of the FIFA Under-20 World Cup on Wednesday.

On an incredible night in western Argentina, the Flying Eagles pulled out every trick in the book to defend in numbers and then score two goals through quick counter-attacks.

The performance in this round of 16 match had the Albiceleste Sub-20, who had won all their three matches in the group phase, stunned as they crashed out of the tournament.

Nigeria Head Coach Ladan Bosso had promised that his boys would give as much as they got, and they did that and more with clear intent from the ninth minute.

That was when a snapshot by Ibrahim Muhammad on the edge of the penalty box went narrowly off.

There were even exchanges afterwards, and the South Americans came close with a header in the 39th minute.

But the Flying Eagles returned with more stamina and guile in the second half and completely dominated the hosts in front of nearly 30,000 fans in San Juan.

Goalkeeper Chijioke Aniagboso had saved from Barco in the 51st minute and Jude Sunday’s shot was held by the opposition goalie.

Thereafter the two-time silver medallists struck the underside of the bar with an intelligent shot from the edge of the box by Tochukwu Nnadi in the 58th minute.

The hosts did escape there but would not be that lucky three minutes later when from a long Aniagboso ball out, substitute Emmanuel Umeh found an onrushing Muhammad.

He stretched beyond the attention of two defenders and pushed the ball beyond the advancing goalkeeper into the net.

Two minutes later, Umeh could have turned goalscorer when he ran powerfully down the left and planted himself in a good position but dragged his shot a little too wide.

Carboni saw his shot held by the calm Aniagboso and then headed wide before Umeh again came close, only to be foiled with the goalkeeper beaten.

The nifty Romero hit the upright with a deceptive shot in the 83rd minute.

Also, Abel Ogwuche cleared the ball as two Argentines were set to pull the trigger in the 85th minute, with things becoming really anxious.

The hosts, who are under the tutelage of the legendary Javier Mascherano, poured forward in search of the equaliser and were then open to a sucker punch.

AC Milan’s Victor Eletu showed tenacity to hold on to another long Aniagboso ball out of defence.

He then lifted for Haliru Sarki to nod into the net with aplomb for Nigeria’s second with one minute into added time.

The victory somewhat atoned for Argentina’s 2-1 defeat of Nigeria in the final of the 2005 edition of the competition in The Netherlands.

That was when Lionel Messi scored twice from the penalty kick spot to deny the African champions.

Victory took the Flying Eagles to the quarter-finals, where they meet the winners of the Ecuador-South Korea round of 16 duels to be decided on Thursday.

Argentina’s Central Bank ‘is plotting to put Lionel Messi’s face on a bank note’ to mark nation’s World Cup win in Qatar

Argentina’s Central Bank is reportedly considering a Lionel Messi banknote after the superstar guided Argentina to their first World Cup win since 1986 in Mexico.

According to newspaper El Financiero, the Central Bank of the Republic of Argentina are eager to mark the national team’s historic win in Qatar and have been working on ideas since before the epic 4-2 shootout win in the final over France.

Mock-ups of the 1,000 peso note being discussed has since gone viral – with fans eager to see it enter circulation.

It is detailed in EF that a key part of the reason behind the 1,000 bill is that it begins with a ’10’ – Messi’s shirt number for Argentina.

While Messi’s grinning face is on one side of the note, this group’s nickname ‘La Scaloneta’ is the wording proposed for the back.

In 1978, officials issued commemorative coins when Argentina won its first World Cup back in 1978.

Commemorative coins were also produced on the 50th anniversary of the death of Eva Perón, the former First Lady of Argentina. Under national coach, Lionel Scaloni’s reign, Argentina have gone on to win the 2021 Copa America, the first ever Finalissima at Wembley Stadium and the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Argentina fans burn a coffin with Mbappe’s face during trophy parade

Some Argentina fans went at extreme lengths to express their hate for French footballer, Kylian Mbappe, by burning a coffin with his face during the World Cup trophy celebrations.

Over 4 million Argentines turned out for the open-top bus parade through the streets of Buenos Aires, though it had to be halted for safety reasons due to some fans attempting to jump onto the bus from above.

A viral video shared from the celebration which was shared on social media, showed some Argentina fans holding up a coffin that contained a cross and a picture of Mbappe.

It was set ablaze while the fans jumped up and down and chanted. The clip was posted by Get French Football news, with the caption:

“Argentinians with a lovely 24th birthday present for Kylian Mbappé here.”

Drake lost $1 million bet on Argentina winning World Cup after last minute goal

While it might seem the “Drake curse” has been broken after he picked Argentina to win the 2022 World Cup, the Canadian rapper still lost the $1 million bet he placed on the South American country.

The fabled Drake curse was named in the late 2010s for the propensity of sports teams (especially soccer teams) to lose major titles when endorsed by Drizzy, whether by way of something as simple as Drake taking selfies with players or being spotted wearing a particular team’s jersey.

Before the World Cup final was played yesterday, Drake placed a $1m bet on Argentina to win the tournament in normal time.

As posted on Drake’s Instagram Story, he made the bet on Stakes and would’ve earned $2.75 million if he had won.

Because the game was still tied 3-3 following 3 late dramatic goals from French star, Kylian Mbappe, before regulation time expired, Drake missed out on his $2.75 million bounty. Argentina eventually won the World Cup after defeating France 4-2 on penalties.

Argentina’s Senate approves historic bill to legalize abortion.

Argentina’s Senateapproved a bill to legalize abortion Wednesday in an historic vote seen as a major victory for abortion rights advocates in the Catholic-majority country.

The Senate voted 38-29 to give millions of women access to legal terminations under a new law supported by President Alberto Fernández. The margin was expected to be much smaller.

Massive crowds of abortion rights activists and anti-abortion campaigners gathered outside the Palace of the Argentine National Congress to await the results, which came in the early hours of the morning after an overnight debate. Supporters of the bill greeted the news with loud cheers — and, in some cases, tears of joy.
Gabriela Giacomelli, whose two sisters aborted illegally, called the scene “very emotional.”

“We have been fighting for years,” Giacomelli said. “I see young people now, though I hope they never have to abort, but if they do now they can do it safely.”

Another abortion rights activist, Sofia Gonzalez, said she believed Wednesday was a “historic moment” in Argentina’s history. “Starting today, I believe everything changes,” she added.
The proposed law will legalize abortion in all cases up to 14 weeks of pregnancy. Abortion in Argentina, South America’s third-most populous country, is currently only permitted when a pregnancy results from rape or endangers the life or health of the woman.

In all other circumstances, abortion is illegal and punishable by up to 15 years in jail.

Abortion advocates hope Argentina’s decision will spur similar movements in Latin America’s other Catholic-majority states.

Tamara Taraciuk Broner, the acting deputy director of Human Rights Watch (HRW) Americas Division, said before the vote that if the law passed, it would “send a very strong message to the region that it is possible to move forward with legalization of abortion — even in a Catholic country like Argentina.”

Across Latin America and the Caribbean region, only Cuba, Uruguay, French Guiana and Guyana allow for elective abortions, according to the Center for Reproductive Rights. In Mexico City and the Mexican state of Oaxaca, abortions are also available on request, but are severely restricted throughout the rest of Mexico.

By contrast, El Salvador, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Honduras, Nicaragua and Suriname ban abortions in nearly all circumstances. Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala and Panama allow for abortion only if it’s to preserve the woman’s health or help save her life. 

Abortion has long been a divisive issue in Argentina, and the vote galvanized activists on both sides of the debate.

Abortion rights advocates wore green handkerchiefs in a movement that became known as the green wave. Anti-abortion activists dressed in blue — the color of the “save both lives” movement, and that of the national flag.

This isn’t the first time the issue has gone to the Senate. In 2018, during the conservative administration of former President Mauricio Macri, an attempt to legalize abortion in Argentina passed the lower house, but was narrowly defeated in the Senate.

In recent months, the abortion rights movement received a huge boost from the support of President Fernández, who came to power last December.

In a recorded address shortly before his inauguration, Fernández pledged to “put an end to the criminalization of abortion.”

Wearing a green tie — a symbol of the abortion rights movement — Fernández said criminalizing the procedure unfairly punishes “vulnerable and poor women,” adding they were the “the greatest victims” of Argentina’s legal system.

“The criminalization of abortion has been of no use,” he said, noting that it “has only allowed abortions to occur clandestinely in troubling numbers.”

Fernández said more than 3,000 people had died from illegal abortions since 1983. No official figures are available for how many illegal abortions take place in Argentina, but the National Health Ministry estimates that between 371,965 and 522,000 procedures are performed annually.

According to a report from HRW, nearly 40,000 women and children in Argentina were hospitalized in 2016 as a result of unsafe, clandestine abortions or miscarriages.

Citing National Health Ministry data, the HRW report found that 39,025 women and girls were admitted to public hospitals for health issues arising from abortions or miscarriages, and more than 6,000 were aged between 10 and 19.

Experts say the new law will allow 13- to 16-year-olds with normal pregnancies to access abortion services without a guardian. Doctors will have the option to “conscientiously object” to performing abortions, although the law states they will have to find another doctor to do so.

The bill also uses inclusive language acknowledging that not all people who become pregnant identify as women.

Camila Fernandez, a self-identifying transgender woman, who was instrumental in the push for the bill’s language that reads “people with ability to be pregnant,” told CNN that youth and the LGBTQ community were instrumental in challenging an “adult centrist and patriarchal power that has perpetuated privileges and injustices.”

‘Troubling numbers’

The abortion debate has created tension in a country with deep Catholic ties.

Argentina, the birthplace of Pope Francis, has seen a gradual rise in agnosticism in recent years, although 92% of Argentinians still identify as Roman Catholic, according to the CIA.

Argentina’s constitution cements government support for the Catholic Church and recognizes Roman Catholicism as the official religion. However, a 1994 amendment removed the requirement that the president must be Catholic.

In November, Francis weighed into the debate, encouraging the anti-abortion group Mujeres de las Villas to “move forward” with their work.

In a handwritten letter addressed to congresswoman and group intermediary Victoria Morales Gorleri, Francis said “the problem of abortion is not primarily a question of religion, but of human ethics, first and foremost of any religious denomination.”

“Is it fair to eliminate a human life to solve a problem? Is it fair to hire a hit man to solve a problem?” he wrote.

On Saturday, the Church of Argentina called on the Senate to vote against the bill, with Bishop Oscar Ojea, president of the local bishops’ conference and an outspoken opponent of abortion, saying opposition was supported by “medical science and law,” Reuters reported.

Aguero: Messi and I are like an old married couple!

The Manchester City striker says that he and the Barcelona star have conflicting habits that leads to a bit of bickering

Sergio Aguero joked that he and Lionel Messi are like “an old married couple” whenever they room together while on international duty with Argentina.

The Manchester City star has been a member of Argentina’s senior setup since 2006, having earned 97 total caps while scoring 41 goals.

Aguero is Argentina’s third-leading goalscorer, trailing only Gabriel Batistuta and, of course, Messi, who sits atop the country’s scoring list with 71 goals.

With Messi having made his Argentina debut in 2005, the Barcelona star and Aguero have become close throughout their careers as they’ve featured together at three World Cups, four Copas America and during the gold medal-winning run at the 2008 Olympics.

And Aguero says that sharing a room with Messi isn’t always easy as the two have developed a unique relationship during their time as team-mates with Argentina.

“He always complains, we are like an old married couple,” Aguero joked on the “Santo Sabado” program.

“I always fall asleep with the TV on and when I wake up the next morning he is always complaining to me.

“He arrives at the hotel and is instantly taking a shower while I’m just sitting talking on my mobile phone. Then he will remind me that we need to go down to dinner and we do not have time.”

Messi scored the lone goal from the penalty spot in Argentina’s recent 1-0 win over Ecuador to kickstart CONMEBOL’s World Cup qualifying campaign.

With that goal Messi has now scored 21 times in World Cup qualifiers, with his former Barcelona team-mate Luis Suarez’s 22 goals the most ever in the competition. 

Messi and Argentina are set to face Bolivia on Tuesday before returning next month for qualifiers against Paraguay and Peru.

Aguero is currently battling injury, with Manchester City set to face Arsenal on Saturday ahead of an October 21 Champions League opener against Porto.

Messi, meanwhile, will rejoin Barcelona ahead of this weekend’s clash with Getafe before the club turn their focus towards their Champions League clash with Hungarian side Ferencvaros.

READ ABOUT THE RECENT PROTEST IN ARGENTINA!!!

Covid-19: Protests as Argentina’s cases pass 900,000

Thousands demonstrate against the Government of Alberto Fernandez, the quarantine and the reform of the Judicial Power, in front of the Obeslico of the city of Buenos Aires, Argentina, 12 October 2020
protest in Buenos Aires in their cars

Thousands have joined anti-government protests in Argentina as confirmed coronavirus infections continue to rise, passing 900,000 on Monday.

Many Argentines are angry at the government’s handling of the crisis and the economic effect of lockdowns, as well as issues such as corruption.

A strict lockdown early in the pandemic meant that the number of cases grew slowly at first.

Upon further investigation, more than 24,000 people have died with Covid in the South American nation.It registered its highest daily number of confirmed cases on 7 October, when 16,447 infections were registered.

On Monday, health authorities reported 9,524 new cases. Health officials say there has been a steep increase in infections in large cities in the interior of the country.

Thousands of Argentines joined anti-government protests in the capital, Buenos Aires, and other major cities on Monday.Their grievances were varied, including opposition to reform of the justice system and calls for corruption cases to be investigated.

Many also said they were opposed to the government’s handling of the pandemic, in particular the effects of lockdowns which have further hurt Argentina’s already ailing economy.

Some parents attending the march in Buenos Aires told local media they wanted schools to reopen while people working in the hospitality sector said they were facing economic hardship after months of lockdown

But following an easing of restrictions cases have been rising steeply.

As of Monday, Argentina has 903,730 confirmed cases of coronavirus, making it the country with the sixth highest number of infections.

Covid-19: Cases by country. Top six. A graph showing the six countries with the highest number of confirmed coronavirus cases .

Messi Eyes World Cup Glory

Superstar footballer Lionel Messi will take a break from his Barcelona soap opera as he bids to fire Argentina to the World Cup in Qatar and what will probably be his last chance to try to win the coveted trophy.

The 33-year-old, a record six-time winner of the Ballon d’Or, has won everything in the club game with Barcelona several times over but his international trophy cabinet looks bare in comparison.

“The only goal I have now is to win the World Cup with the national team,” he has said.

The closest he has come so far was as losing finalist against Germany in 2014.

Thursday’s clash with Ecuador gives him the chance to start building towards one last tilt at that goal.

He will be 35 by the time the Qatar World Cup ends, and will turn 39 during the following global showpiece in North America.

In the meantime, he has a pair of qualifiers — Argentina also travel to Bolivia next Tuesday — to distract him from his club travails.

Messi tried to force his exit from the Catalan giants in the close season but Barca held firm and a 700 million euro release clause ensured he remained, albeit disgruntled.

Playing Ecuador in his homeland may provide a welcome respite but it is also fraught with potential difficulty.

Four years ago at the start of qualifying for the 2018 World Cup in Russia, Ecuador stunned Argentina 2-0 at River Plate’s iconic Monumental stadium in Buenos Aires.

It took a hat-trick by an inspired Messi in Argentina’s final qualifier — away to Ecuador — to send the twice world champions to Russia.

Messi lends luxury £12m private jet with kitchen and two bathrooms to Argentina team-mates for international duty

LIONEL MESSI has generously offered up the use of his £12million private jet to his Argentina team-mates for the international break.

Argentina take on Bolivia and Ecuador in their first two 2022 World Cup qualifying matches on October 8 and October 13.

The jet seats 16 people, with the chairs folding out into eight beds and, due to the coronavirus pandemic, Messi has offered up his plane to Argentine stars currently playing in Europe to help them stay safe.

Messi was joined by the likes of Paulo Dybala, Juan Foyth, Marcos Acuna, Lucas Ocampos and Nicolas Otamendi on the jet.

The five Argentina stars will then join Messi on the return trip back to Spain in a bid to limit interaction at public airports.

The Barcelona star, 33, first started using the £12m Gulfstream V jet in 2018 – and he has leased it from an Argentine company on a number of occasions in the past few years.

The plane was infamously forced to make an emergency landing in Brussels due to a technical fault earlier this year.

It boasts a number of incredible features, including its very own kitchen.

There are two bathrooms and enough seats for 16 people.

The chairs can even be folded up and turned into eight beds so the players can get some much-needed shut-eye on the long flight to South America.

COVID19 CASES IN ARGENTINA

Argentina Covid cases approaching 800,000

Against a drop in the number of Covid-related deaths and daily cases in Peru one Latin American country where infections continue to rise is Argentina.

Though sad but true, Health Authorities registered their highest number of daily cases so far on Friday with 14,687 confirmed infections. While the figures were lower on Saturday and Sunday, Argentina looks set to pass the 800,000 cases mark later on Monday.

Recent Statistics

The worst affected area is the capital, Buenos Aires, and its surroundings.

Argentina was one of the countries which imposed a strict lockdown early on but, as it has loosened restrictions, the number of infections has jumped up.

Experts warn that because the number of coronavirus tests being carried out in Argentina is very low, the real figure could be much higher.

‘You’d go to war for Messi’ – De Paul praises Argentina star’s leadership

The Barcelona star is a source of great inspiration for his international team-mates

Rodrigo De Paul has admitted he’d go to war for Argentina captain Lionel Messi and revealed a lighter side to the Barcelona star. 

Messi was first named captain of his nation in 2011 and has also been handed the armband at Camp Nou. 

De Paul, who earned his first international cap in 2018 and plays at club level for Udinese, has emerged as a regular for Argentina over the past year and has clearly savoured playing alongside Messi.

While the six-time Ballon d’Or winner could overawe his team-mates, De Paul stressed Messi’s openness has made him an ideal leader. 

“You look up to him obviously, but when you start sharing things with him, he is so transparent that instead of telling him what you think of him, you feel more like asking him about his little kids or of reminding him of the time he took you out with his studs up in a Valencia-Barcelona game,” De Paul told FIFA.com.

“When he becomes your captain, you’d go to war for him if he asked you to.

“The key thing is that everyone knows what they’re expected to do, nobody is trying to hog the headlines. The only untouchable one is Leo. The rest of us contribute by doing whatever is asked of us.”

While Messi has become an important leader for Argentina, he’s still up for a few jokes with De Paul, who has been dubbed the team’s biggest joker. 

“That’s what they say, but sometimes I’ll just throw an idea out and some others will quickly run with it…Tucu Pereyra, Leo Paredes…Even Messi himself will join in – I’m not the only one,” he said. 

De Paul was also quick to defend Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni, who has often been criticised by fans and pundits for his bold team selection.

“He may lack experience as a head coach, but he has 30 years’ experience of the dressing room,” De Paul said.

“He understands how groups work, knows his trade, came up through the national youth teams, played at a World Cup.

“I don’t know how many people would have had the determination to implement the changes he made or to call up players not among the top teams in world football.”