#SSU #SPORTSUPDATE Ivory Coast coach Herve Renard on Thursday published his roster for the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Sierra Leone and Cameroon set for early September. The Frenchman, who succeeded Sabri Lamouchi last month, included four home based players in his 26-man squad, which his predecessors never dared in an official match. Beside Didier Drogba, who has retired from international duty, defensive Didier Zokora and Everton striker Lacina Traore, all the members from the 2014 World Cup squad figure on the list. The Elephants will open their 2015 Afcon group stage qualifying against Sierra Leone on September 6 in Abidjan, but the Ivorian government is yet to authorise a venue for the encounter following the outbreak of Ebola disease in Sierra Leone. ------------- Robin van Persie insists troubled Manchester United will quickly turn the corner under new manager Louis van Gaal as they prepare to face Burnley on Saturday. Van Gaals disappointing start hit a new low in midweek as United suffered an embarrassing 4-0 defeat at third tier minnows Milton Keynes Dons in the League Cup second round. Before that United lost their opening game of the season at home to Swansea City and drew 1-1 away to Sunderland last weekend. But, lifted by Uniteds British record £59.7 million signing of Argentina midfielder Angel Di Maria, Dutch striker van Persie is confident that, despite a difficult start to life for his compatriot, there will be an upturn in fortunes in the near future. ------------- Young Chipolopolo coach Hector Chilombo says his team is ready for Saturday’s decisive Senegal 2015 African Youth Championship qualifier against Malawi Under-20. Zambia Under-20 will host The Young Flames in a last round, final leg qualifier at Nkoloma Stadium in Lusaka armed with a 2-1 lead from the first leg on August 16 away in Blantyre. Chilombo said the team is also injury free as it chases its first African Youth Championship appearance in seven years. “We are ready for the game and we played our last training game on Wednesday against Airport United at Nkoloma Stadium,” Chilombo said. Chilombo said his team has been training at Nkoloma since Monday to have a full feel of the match venue. Meanwhile, Zambia beat Faz Division Two side Airport United 7-1 in that training game on Wednesday morning at Nkoloma. Napsa Stars Striker Saith Sakala fired in a hat-trick while Green Eagles winger Spencer Sautu and Konkola Mine Police striker Austin Muwowo notched a brace each. ------------- Champions League holders Real Madrid will face former European champions Liverpool, FC Basle and debutants Ludogorets of Bulgaria following the group stage draw on Thursday. The eagerly-awaited event, held at the Grimaldi Forum in Monte Carlo, had a distinct air of deja vu about it. Bayern Munich and Manchester City were drawn in the same group for the second successive season, as were Chelsea and Schalke 04, and Arsenal and Borussia Dortmund. Barcelona and Paris St Germain, both clubs with strong links to Qatar, will also face each other in a mouthwatering clash. ----------------- Top seeds Serena Williams and Novak Djokovic were forced to take a backseat to Americas latest tennis sweetheart on Thursday, as 15-year-old Catherine Bellis hogged the Flushing Meadows limelight once again. However, Bellis, who shot from obscurity to fame with a shock first round win over Australian Open finalist Dominika Cibulkova, could not deliver the fairytale American tennis fans had hoped for, falling 6-3 0-6 6-2 to Kazakhstans Zarina Diyas. While former U.S. Open champion Andy Murray played in front of thousands of empty seats on the Arthur Ashe Stadium court, hundreds lined up at the entrances to a jam-packed Court 17, trying to catch a glimpse of CiCi - the teenagers nickname. ------------- Reuters) - United States will miss the big-hitting Dustin Johnson in next months Ryder Cup at Gleneagles more than former world number one Tiger Woods, according to 1991 European team member Paul Broadhurst. Woods ruled himself out of a possible wildcard pick because of poor form and a lack of fitness while fellow American Johnson has taken a leave of absence from golf in order to deal with personal challenges. The par-72 PGA Centenary course in Scotland, created by 18-times major winner Jack Nicklaus, measures 7,243 yards in length but the back nine is not overly long at 3,492 yards. ------------------ (Reuters) - Eighth seed Andy Murray, who overcame cramping in his first-round victory, roared past unseeded German Matthias Bachinger in straight sets on Thursday to reach the third round of the U.S. Open. Murray, the 2012 U.S. champion and 2013 Wimbledon winner, looked fresh and strong in cool, breezy conditions as he rolled to a 6-3 6-3 6-4 victory at Arthur Ashe Stadium in his first meeting against the German. The Briton, never broken in the one hour 46-minute match, ripped 36 winners, more than doubling the 17 unforced errors he was charged with. Murray said he was well over the effects of the cramps he suffered in Mondays first-round match against Dutchman Robin Haase.
Posted on: Fri, 29 Aug 2014 09:10:16 +0000
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