Nigeria Win the AFCON 2013 – Sunday Mba Scores the Winning Goal on a Sunday

"Born on Sunday, named on Sunday, played on Sunday, scored on Sunday, Pls join me in welcoming Sunday Mba...."~Wahab Adeshoga

After a beautiful closing ceremony with performances from some of Africa’s biggest musicians, Nigeria faced Burkina Faso in the AFCON final to see who the best team in the continent is. The match was well attended as all the tickets to the 94 000 seat National Stadium were sold out. The Nigerian supporters outnumbered the Burkina Faso supporters but there were many South Africans in the Stadium supporting the under dogs, there were even some Ethiopian fans in attendance.

Nigeria v Burkina Faso Result

Nigerian dominated the first half and was rewarded when Sunday Mba scored late in the first half. The Burkina Faso that was playing in the first half was not the Burkina Faso that we have seen throughout the tournament. In the second half Nigeria continued to dominate the match and missed many opportunities to seal the match. Burkina Faso began to play well and made moves forward but to no avail. They continued attacking in the dying stages on the match but it was too little too late. Sunday Mba’s goal was enough to win Nigeria the AFCON on this day, the 10^th of February on a Sunday.

Stephen Keshi Joins an Elite Club

Nigerian coach Stephen Keshi becomes only the second African coach to win the AFCON as both a player and a coach.

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AFCON 2013 Final SA - Nigeria v Burkina Faso

Aristide Bance the Burkinabe Forward celebrating 

It’s on this Sunday as the Super Eagles of Nigeria take on the Burkinabe’s. Nigeria are reaching their first final since the year 2000 whereas Burkina Faso are going to be playing in their first final, their previous best performance having been a semi-final exit when they hosted the AFCON.

Super Eagles the Giants are Becoming Confident Predators

Nigeria is confident going into the final as they have been showing an increase in performance in each game. The people of Nigeria had doubts about this team and there were questions surrounding many of their star players who were left out of the AFCON 2013 South Africa. I even doubted if the super eagles would get past the quarterfinals as they were going to face Ivory Coast who were the pre-tournament favourites and had played well during the group stages. Nigeria surprised everyone by playing well in defeating the Ivoirians who seem to always choke on the big stage (they remind me of the South African Cricket team). The team is getting support now and even those who doubted Stephen Keshi and his team are behind their team now. The AFCON seems to have united Nigerians as evidenced by the twitter comments I read following Nigeria’s victories. If Stephen Keshi’s side win the final on Sunday he will become only the second African to win the AFCON both as player and coach.

The Underdogs are Looking to Upset the Giants 

On the other hand, the Burkinabe’s are not to be taken lightly. They surprised everyone by making past the group stages, since in previous AFCON’s they had not managed to win a match on foreign land. They made it out of the group stages with the help of their top goal scorer in this AFCON Alaine Traoure who was injured in the final match of the group stages. He will not be playing in the final but will be there to support his team mates. Another key member of the Burkinabe squad Jonathon Pitroipa was sent off on Wednesday for simulation after he was tackled in the Ghanaians penalty area but after an appeal for him to play in the final as the simulation was a wrong call by the referee; he has been cleared to play in the final. It must be a relief for the Burkinabe as he is by far their best player of the tournament so far.   Things are looking up for the Burkinabe and they are growing in confidence as evident in their match against Ghana. Despite being denied a penalty, losing Pitroipa and having what looked like a legitimate goal denied they came out on top. Their Striker Aristide Bance had a good game on Wednesday with numerous shots at goal in which he converted one to equal the score against Ghana. Bance even showed confidence when he took a cheeky penalty during the penalty shootout which Burkina Faso won 3-2. This lanky striker could prove to be a menace against the Super Eagles. 

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Burkina Faso Make it to The Final of The AFCON 2013 Ghana is Out

Bance the goalscorer for Burkina Faso
Source: Twitter

In what was arguably the most exciting game of the tournament Burkina Faso have qualified to go to the finals of the AFCON 2013, beating the favourites Ghana 3-2 on penalties after drawing the game 1-1 in 120 minutes of open play. Burkina Faso controlled the game they out played Ghana. Even though Ghana had a few chances to score which they missed Burkina Faso had more chances, Bance the Burkina Faso forward has multiple chances to convert, he hit the cross bar once and scored their goal in the second half after Ghana had scored from the penalty spot in the first half.

Ghana had trouble dealing with the Burkina Faso attack, they had trouble dealing with Bance and Janathon Pitroipa. The referee was against Burkina Faso in this match first he denied them what looked like a clear goal, then he gave Pitroipa a red card when he had clearly been fouled in the 18 area, saying that he was diving . It was Pitroipa's second yellow that is why he got a red. Despite this the Burkinabe's pulled through and won the match that they should have won in open play through penalties.

Burkina Faso has now for the first time qualified for the final of the AFCON, where they will meet the Super Eagles of Nigeria. This will be an epic match, a David v Goliath match. Burkina Faso have been entertaining throughout this tournament and have had a solid defense only conceding twice so far in the tournament.
They have made the sand pit that is Mbombela Stadium their home, doing very well there. They have been my favourite team this tournament, and I am looking forward to seeing them play Nigeria in the final this weekend.

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Nigeria is Through to The Finals of AFCON Mali is out

Nigeria win semi-final 4-1 against Mali
Source:Twitter

Nigeria Have made it to the AFCON 2013 final after not being in a final since year 2000. They made it to the final after beating Mali by a convincing 4 goals to 1. Mali qualified to the semi-final after upsetting the host nation by winning 3-1 on penalties after 120 minutes of tough football which resulted in a 1-1 score in open play. Elderson Echiejile scored the opener a low header from a lovely cross from victor Moses. Brown Edeye scored their second goal. Nigeria made it 3 when Emmanuel Emenike's shot was deflected into the net.

In the second half Nigeria scored their forth when substitute Ahmed Musa tapped it in. Mali finally got a consolation goal late in the second half scored by Cheick Diarra.

We are now waiting to see who Nigeria are going to face in the final between Burkina Faso and Ghana. The favorites going into the match is Ghana but this is football so everyone has a chance.  This match is going to play later today in about an hours time at 20:30.

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Getting More Followers, Visitors, Reblogs, and Likes on Tumblr

Getting more Tumblr Reblogs and likes from my tumblr dashboard

Tumblr is a very popular blogging and social media platform, if you are looking to start a blog this is a great platform in terms of how your content gets shared by others. You could also use Tumblr  as a picture blog that links to your main written blog because people on Tumblr like short content as opposed to 1000 word posts. If you are planning to start a Tumblr blog or already have one but want to increase your followers and the hits you get each day then continue reading this post as I share some of the stuff I learnt since joining Tumblr about 9 months ago.

How to Get More Tumblr Followers

• To get followers on Tumblr you need to get   people to see your stuff first. How do you make people see your stuff? Well first you have to make it interesting, if it is interesting people will share it and with a social/blogging network like Tumblr your blog could go viral.

• Post stuff that is unique, do not just reblog other people, if you want to grow your number of followers you should post mostly stuff that you created or you found, stuff that you think no one else has posted on Tumblr yet. You want to be the go to person not the copycat.

• Tag your pictures with the write keywords for your target market, go to google type in the first few words of the terms you want to rank for, use the other related searches that show up on google in your tags to get more people. For example if you are a fitspo, people on google now search for terms like gym motivation tumblr instead of just gym motivation so use that as one of your tags.

• Do not just post pictures; write something related to the picture as a caption. Write down a quote that you think goes well with the picture. It’s not enough having a picture having a quote written on it, the search engine can’t read that. Most people do not write stuff underneath their pictures that is why you do not find a lot of tumble blogs ranking well in google for non picture searches. I managed to rank my Tumblr blog well on the first page of google for my target keywords because I give all my pictures written titles or captions that are quotes or little words of wisdom.

• Schedule your posts so that you posts often per day and your posts are spread out throughout the day so that you do not spam people’s dashboards. I usually only post 2 to 3 posts per day spread evenly throughout the day, Posting more would have given me more followers but I am unable to do that right now as I do not have the time and I do not want to simply reblog other peoples post’s.

• Follow other tumblr blogs and read their about me pages and give a well thought out compliment to the blogger or just start a conversation. Then like their stuff and reblog some of their stuff so that they take notice, this will lead to that person checking out your Tumblr and reblogging, liking or even following you.

• When you reblog other people’s stuff be sure to write something as a caption to make it unique, possibly a caption related to the pic or a funny comment, Tumblr peeps love a sense of humor.

• Reply to those who ask you stuff except maybe those annoying anons who have nothing better to do than ask rubbish.

Screenshot of my Tumblr Google Analytics, showing growing traffic to my Tumblr  from AUG 2012 - JAN  2013
CLICK ON IMAGE TO ENLARGE

• I prefer a theme with a side bar, not the cluttered theme with pictures everywhere. A simple theme with a few pictures per page does the job. In your side bar place a picture of your or your interests creates a good first impression, and if the people are interested in getting to know you further make sure you have an “about me” page where you share some interesting things about yourself. You can modify and personalise a theme to look unique by messing about with the code. I personally just googled colour codes and I changed my common theme to a unique one. Check out my blog to see for yourself http://aesthetic8packabsworkoutprogram.tumblr.com/ , its nothing spectacular but it serves its function.

• If you are good with photoshop even better for you because you could create beautiful images and be as successful as http://gymandmotivation.tumblr.com/. That blog has a great design and a huge following which grows every day.

• Lastly do not give up, I was stuck on 70 followers for a while about 6 months ago till I started doing the things I have been telling you about, now my Tumblr is growing at about  10 -15 followers a day. I know that is not a big number but it’s something, its shows growth. 

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The New Audi R8 V10 2013 Model – A Dream Supercar

The new R8 V10 2013

I remember the first time I saw an Audi R8 on the web; I was amazed that a super car could look so futuristic yet so sexy. I was even more amazed that the luxury car manufacturer Audi was making super cars now. The next thing I saw it in Iron Man being driven by Robert Downey Junior, he made that car look even cooler, a car fit for the wealthiest man in the world (I thought), and a car fit for super heroes and super hero movies. If the same guy who created the iron man suit could drive the R8, it meant it that this car was technologically advanced. The next thing I know I was driving this car in games. A year or two later I finally saw the car with my own eyes, it was outside a club I was at, I was in awe. Finally I could confirm with my own eyes that the pictures were not lying, unlike the pretty girls you see on magazines and on the internet that often turn out not as pretty in reality, this car was the real deal.

2013 R8 Interior 

R8 2013 Model

Audi has given their R8 a minor facelift but it’s still has a mid-engine all wheel drive, the engines remain unchanged. All that has changed is that the R8 has been fitted with a new front grill and the use of Led Headlights and tail lights and it has a new transmission.

It comes in a 4.2 litre 430hp V8 engine and a 5.2 litre 525hp V10 engine. It comes in a six-speed manual transmission and a new S tronic seven-speed dual-clutch auto. The V10 with an S tronic transmission can accelerate to 100km/h in just 3.5 seconds.

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Day 2 AFCON 2013 SA Quarterfinals – Burkina Faso v Togo Results

The Togo team during their quarterfinal v Burkina Faso
source: Tadegnon

After the great match of Nigeria v Ivory Coast with Nigeria going through to the Semi-finals, Togo v Burkina Faso followed at Mbombela Staduim. Mbombela Staduim being the worst pitch in this tournament, I had read an article saying they had manually removed some of the sand from the pitch but that did not seem to help as it was still horrible during the quarterfinal match.

Burkina Faso v Togo

Burkina Faso had played really well during their group matches, drawing twice and trashing the Ethiopians 4-0. Togo on the other hand had lost a one, won one and managed a draw in their final match to qualify for the first time to the quarterfinals of the AFCON.

The match between Togo and Burkina Faso was fast paced with Burkina Faso attacking from early in the match; they had a few opportunities to score but fumbled in front of goal. The Togolese also had a few wasted chances during the first half which they failed to convert. In the second half Burkina Faso launched attack after attack again to no avail. The Togolese attacked whenever they could too but again they failed to score. The match went to extra time, this time the Burkina Faso team was going on a full on attack at times with their whole team with the exception of the keeper on the Togolese side of the field. Burkina Faso was rewarded when Jonathon Pitroipa headed in a beautiful gaol in the 105^th minute of play before the extra time half time whistle was blown. Burkina Faso kept possession of the ball during the second half of extra time to secure a victory and reach the semi finals for only the second time since 1998 AFCON.

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Day 2 AFCON 2013 Quarterfinals – Nigeria v Ivory Coast results

Nigerian fans celebrating Nigeria beating Ivory Coast 2-1.
Source: Twitter

Day two of the AFCON 2013 South Africa promised to be an entertaining day, because African giants Nigeria and Ivory Coast the favourites to take the cup were going to go head to head. This was for many people the final before the final, unfortunate for one of the teams as there had to be a winner and a loser.

Ivory Coast v Nigeria

Nigeria had a bad start to the tournament with many people believing that this was not their best squared considering the amount of football talent in Nigeria. They only just managed to get into the quarterfinals by winning their last game against Ethiopia by 2 goals to nil from the penalty spot.

Ivory Coast on the other hand had dominated their group, by clinching 2 wins before they had to sweat to come back from a 2-0 deficit against Algeria who brought the game to the Ivoirians only to draw the match 2-2.

Coming into the match the Ivoirians were the favourites, with many thinking this Nigerian squad was going to book their flights back to Nigeria after their match, but it was not to be so. Nigeria the super eagles finally showed up to the AFCON 2012. They had their best showing of the tournament so far, they attacked the Ivoirians from the get go, so it was not surprise when they scored first(Emenike) even though I felt the Ivoirian goal keeper should have block that ball since it was in his direction. In the second half the Ivoirians finally showed up to the match in an effort to fight back, they were rewarded for their efforts when they scored from a beautiful header (Tiote). This was not to be their day as later in the second half the Nigerians scored a beautiful and powerful shot into the top corner (Sunday Mba) of the Ivoirian net.

Ivory Coast the favourites are out, in the quarterfinals of the AFCON 2013, they join the hosts South Africa and Cape Verde in the teams eliminated in the quarterfinals.

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AFCON 2013 South Africa Day 1 of the Quarterfinals results

Keita giving Yeye a wedgie during Mali v SA game AFCON 2013

It was a beautiful day of football on the second of February 2013 during the AFCON 2013. Ghana played against the giant killers Cape Verde and Mali faced the hosts Bafana Bafana. The first quarter finals were clashes between group A of AFCON 2013 and group B of AFCON 2013.

Ghana v Cape Verde

Ghana had been one of the favourites to win the tournament since the beginning of the AFCON, they had also supported the favourite tag by coming out top of their group with 7 points, drawing their first match and convincingly winning their next two games. Cape Verde on the other hand were the underdogs of the tournament from the get go having qualified by eliminating Cameroon in the qualifiers. They began their tournament with two draws and end the group stages with an impressive win over Angola by coming from a goal behind to win the game 2-1.

Cape Verde started the quarterfinal well taking the game to the Ghanaians, they had many shots at goal compared to Ghana but they failed to hit the target, Ghana started off slow but were growing in stature as the match progressed. Ghana got a penalty when their player was shoved off a ball in the 18 area. Ghana converted the penalty into a goal but that did not stop the Cape Verdeans from attacking. In fact when the goal was scored the game became more exciting. The Cape Verdeans launched attack after attack but it was to no avail as they failed to score. During a last minute attack by the Cape Verdeans each and every one of their players went to the Ghanaian goal in an attempt to score from a corner, including their keeper. They failed to score,  the ball was cleared by Ghana and they launched a counter attack which turned into a goal as they netted into the empty goal of Cape Verde to make it 2-0.

Mali v South Africa

Mali had a tough group stage, they began with a victory over Niger, then a loss to Ghana then they drew their final match against the DRC to secure a second place finish in their group. South Africa started their tournament under pressure from the home crowd expecting a victory in the first match against Cape Verde but was held to a boring 0-0 draw. South Africa improved in their second Match by starting like a house on fire to defeat Angola 2-0. There once again impressive when they came back twice against the Moroccans to draw the match 2-2 and secured a place in the next round top of their group.

The South Africans played their best since the tournament began in the first half during the quarterfinal, constantly attacking the much favoured Malians. They scored a deserved goal when Thuso Phala crossed the ball to Rantie who tapped into the back of the net. South Africa began the second half well but let the Malians get back into the game when an un-marked Keita scored a stunning header from a cross. The Malians were now improving as the match approached 90 minutes but the match ended with a 1-1 score so it had to go into extra time. During extra time both teams tried to score the winning goal but could not convert the opportunities they created. Extra time was over and it was now time for penalties. Mali won by converting all 3 penalties whereas the South Africans only managed to score one, with Furman, Mahlangu and Majoro not converting. Shabalala was the only South African to convert from the spot. Mali had for the second year running moved on to the semi finals by defeating the hosts on penalties. 

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