Burkina Faso's U17 national team were beaten (1-3) by Russia U16 in a friendly match in Manavgat, Turkey, on Sunday. The young Burkinabe reduced the deficit in the 89th minute through Chérif Ali Barro, after three goals from Burkin (15th), Vozratosv (54th) and Kondakov (88th). Burkina Faso had already been dominated by the same team on March 22.
For former world boxing champion Carl Frampton, Francis Ngannou does indeed have a place in boxing. The 37-year-old Irishman believes the Cameroonian could beat several heavyweights outside the world's Top 15.
Things move fast in sport.After his disputed loss to Tyson Fury, many observers saw Ngannou shining in boxing.But the Cameroonian was quickly slowed down by Anthony Joshua a few days ago. He was no match for the Briton.So much so that some observers are calling for him to return to MMA. Carl Frampton, former featherweight world champion, disagrees.
"The money he's making in boxing is incredible, it's better than anything he's done in the UFC so far. There are still fights for him and he put in a very, very credible performance against Fury, let's not forget that. He's had two boxing fights, a very close one against who the majority of boxing fans consider the best heavyweight, and then a loss to AJ [Joshua], and that's what happens with heavyweight boxing. If he wants to, I think there's still a place for him at the boxing table," says Frampton. Ngannou will appreciate that. In any case, his name is currently associated with an MMA fight against Brazilian Renan Ferreira.
It's the end of the 13th edition of the All-Africa Games. The DR Congo delegation returns from Accra with 18 medals (2 gold, 7 silver, 9 bronze). All 11 were won by boxers. Steve Mbiya Kulenguluka (71 kg) and Peter Pita Kabeji (80 kg) took gold. Boxing also picked up 5 silver and 4 bronze medals.
DR Congo's other medals came from handball (2 silver), wrestling (4 bronze) and 3X3 basketball (1 bronze). The Congolese arrived in the Ghanaian capital with a delegation of 137 athletes: 81 men and 56 women. They competed in 15 different disciplines. In the final medal rankings, DR Congo came 20th.
Rinsola Babajide made a major contribution to UD Tenerife's 5-0 win over Sevilla in the Liga Feminina on Saturday. She scored and provided three assists. It was the Super Falcon's third goal in 21 league matches for the Spanish outfit this season.
With just 33 athletes sent to Accra for the All-Africa Games, Eritrea did better than many delegations such as DR Congo, which had around 100 athletes. The Eritreans finished 11th in the medals table. This was thanks to a big harvest in cycling. 14 of the 15 medals were won by cyclists. They won 6 gold, 2 silver and 6 bronze medals. The other gold medal went to Samsom Amare Hailemicael, winner of the half-marathon.
The friendly match between Algeria's U20 team and Tunisia's was marked by a surreal scene. The Algerians lost 3-2 to the Tunisians but it was the attitude of Yacine Manaa, Algeria's U20 coach, that irritated the Algerians. He violently attacked his players.
A scuffle broke out between the two teams and the Algerian coach slapped two of his players to calm them down. An attitude that did not go down well. Many Internet users were outraged by "such violence". The Algerian Football Federation may well take action against the coach.
Algeria beat Bolivia 3-2 in a friendly on Friday March 22. Back in the national team after 26 months on the sidelines, Yacine Brahimi was in the starting line-up and provided an assist. The 2019 African champion also wore the captain's armband in the absence of Riyad Mahrez. The former Rennes player is savoring the moment. "It's a great honor for me, especially after more than two years away from the national team. So hamdoullah, I'm happy and I hope to continue like this. For us, the most important thing today was to get back to winning. It was to win. The only thing on our minds was to win, win, win. I think we had a very, very good first half. Then we had a bit of a slump, but our motivation remained intact, we didn't give up and we managed to win the game."
Yacine Brahimi also had a kind message for Riyad Mahrez: " Today the coach gave me the armband, but I'm not the only captain. Riyad Mahrez isn't with us, but he's still the captain of the team. It's not important, it doesn't change me as a person, I'm always there to push, to motivate with or without".
In the Winsunited Tournament, Tunisia challenged Croatia, 3rd at the last World Cup, on Saturday March 23. The Croatians won 5-4 on penalties, after a 0-0 scoreline at the end of normal time. The Croatians dominated the game, with 14 shots, including 4 on target, and 71% possession. As for the Tunisians, they took 5 shots, 1 on target. Croatia will join Egypt in the final (March 26). The Pharaohs beat New Zealand 1-0 on Friday. Tunisia, for their part, will face New Zealand in the match for 3rd place on Monday March 25.
🚨 La Tunisie 🇹🇳 s’incline aux TAB face à la Croatie 🇭🇷 (0-0, 5-4) pic.twitter.com/isysZT741T
— 🏆 Actu Foot Afrique (@ActuFootAfrique) March 23, 2024
On Saturday, March 23, Côte d'Ivoire and Benin faced off in a friendly in Amiens. The duel ended in a 2-2 draw. The goal-rich encounter began with Olaïtan opening the scoring for Benin from a direct corner (8th). Gradel then equalised from a free-kick (29th). In the 51st minute, Olaïtan scored twice. But Oumar Diakité, in fine form, levelled the scores again (69th).
📹 Le petit 𝐁𝐀𝐍𝐆𝐄𝐑 de Junior Olaitan pour ouvrir le score face à la Côte d'Ivoire.#CIVBEN #AllezLesGuépards 🐆 pic.twitter.com/zqCYTzYTE6
— Bénin Football 🇧🇯🐆 (@FootballBenin) March 23, 2024
On Friday March 22, Brahim Diaz made his debut for Morocco against Angola (1-0). Although he didn't score, the 24-year-old showed some fine qualities. After the game, the Madrid-born player was asked about the 2024 Olympic Games, which Morocco hopes to host this summer. The Moroccan media assure us that he is one of the priorities for the 3 players over the age of 24. The former Milanese would like to be part of the event, even if he remains cautious.
"I'll try to be present as much as possible and... in everything I'm allowed too. At the end of the day, I'm a Real Madrid player and I want to give my all for my club and the national team. Whatever I can contribute on the pitch, I'll be delighted to do it," Brahim Diaz tells Marca.