Mario Pasalic struck late on to boost Atalanta’s top-four hopes in Serie A with a 2-1 win at Napoli.The Chelsea loanee scored with 10 minutes left to complete the visitors’ comeback after Duvan Zapata – on loan from Sampdoria – levelled in the second half.Gianluca Mancini’s first-half own goal had put Carlo Ancelotti’s Napoli on course for victory on Monday but Atalanta climbed to fifth, level on points with AC Milan.Juventus clinched an eighth straight title with five games left after Saturday’s 2-1 win over Fiorentina – leaving Napoli marooned in second, 20 points behind.They are six points ahead of Inter and are yet to seal second spot and failed to shrug off last week’s disappointing Europa League exit to Arsenal.Mancini turned into his own net from six yards to open the scoring after 28 minutes under pressure from Dries Mertens.But Zapata scored his 24th goal of the season to level after 69 minutes and Pasalic pounced after Zapata’s backheel to win it.–Source: Sky Sports
Source: talkSPORT Gabriel Jesus’ early header proved the difference as quadruple-chasing Manchester City reached the FA Cup final with a 1-0 win over Brighton.The Brazilian headed home a from a brilliant Kevin De Bruyne cross after just four minutes at Wembley.Controversy erupted when City’s Kyle Walker escaped a red card after a VAR review of a coming together with Alireza Jahanbakhsh but, despite resisting further damage, Brighton could not find a way back.Chris Hughton’s men applied plenty of pressure in the second half, with Aymeric Laporte producing a fine clearance to deny Glenn Murray but City managed the game well.Raheem Sterling also had three good chances to make the game safe.City made a confident start, and while Brighton may have been pleased to see that Sergio Aguero had failed to shake off a knock, they were soon left reeling by his deputy.Just four minutes of mostly City-controlled play had elapsed when De Bruyne bent a delicious cross behind the Seagulls defence that sat up invitingly for Jesus to meet with a powerful diving header.Brighton’s fans, who outnumbered those from City and were clearly savouring the occasion, were immediately silenced. The team were similarly deflated and it took some time for them to recover.Yet City did not go in immediate search of the killer blow. With another big date in the Champions League at Tottenham on Tuesday they seemed content to play patiently and it did not make for a great spectacle.While Brighton had a half-chance through Anthony Knockaert and David Silva had a shot blocked, the main talking point of the first half came when Walker and Jahanbakhsh clashed.The pair chased a ball into the City area, with Walker reacting badly to being pushed in the back. After going head to head, Walker made the next move, appearing to push forcibly towards Jahanbakhsh.Referee Anthony Taylor booked the City player but there was a VAR check for a potential red card. Eventually, Walker was given the benefit of the doubt but bickering between the players continued for some time afterwards.It was perhaps with that in mind that City boss Pep Guardiola removed Walker at the interval, although the England full-back had also required treatment towards the end of the first half.With left-back Oleksandr Zinchenko out injured and Benjamin Mendy making his first start since November in his place – which had been a surprise – City perhaps showed potential vulnerabilities on the flanks.Yet Brighton could not expose them further despite a positive start to the second period.Pressure almost paid off when Shane Duffy headed into the danger area from a corner, while Murray looked a certain scorer as the ball dropped invitingly in front of goal, only for Laporte to intervene and hack over the bar.That prompted a response from City and Sterling brought a fine save out of Mathew Ryan with a curling effort from outside the box.The England star also had an effort blocked by Lewis Dunk before forcing another save from Ryan in the closing moments.In Brighton’s final flurry, Knockhaert appealed for a penalty after a clash with Laporte but nothing was given.
Source: Talk Sports A ruthless Liverpool side gave Arsenal a lesson in prolificacy as they tore through their defense to secure a 3-1 win.Although they dominated possession, the Reds were lucky to go into the break with the lead as Arsenal passed up two huge chances.And then Liverpool took control, with Joel Matip heading home from a corner and the Gunners fell apart.Mohamed Salah celebrates scoring his second of the afternoonMohamed Salah scored twice as the visitors began to look weak, with the scoreline an unfair reflection on Arsenal’s performance for the first half.Substitute Lucas Torreira then came off the bench to score in front of the Kop, but it merely made the scoreline more reflectable as the game was over as a contest.Record signing Pepe started with real purpose, becoming the first player to dribble past Virgil van Dijk in 50 Premier League games.The Ivory Coast international then curled a shot wide just before the half-hour and Henderson had an effort deflected for a corner as the battle of the top two teams remained goalless at Anfield.Salah was insatiable at Anfield and Arsenal could not contain him Pierre-Emerick Aubamaeyang failed to lob Adrian as the Spaniard scrambled back to his goal, while Nicolas Pepe saw his tame shot palmed out by the 32-year-old.Pepe should have done better when he ran clear of the Liverpool defense but shot straight at Adrian.Liverpool broke the deadlock five minutes before the break as Joel Matip powered in a header from a corner by Trent Alexander-Arnold.The Reds were then awarded a penalty three minutes into the second half when David Luiz pulled back Mohamed Salah in the area and the forward confidently made it 2-0 with a rising spot-kick.Lucas Torreira pulled one back for the GunnersLiverpool was 3-0 ahead just before the hour as Salah scored his second goal of the game, outpacing the Arsenal defense from halfway and cutting in from the right to curl a left-footed shot across goal into the far corner.As the tempo of the game began to drop, Arsenal found a consolation as Torreira was teed up by Aubameyang. Although his initial effort was blocked, the Uruguay international then fired in a snapshot which gave Adrian no chance.The result moves Jurgen Klopp’s side back up to the top of the Premier League table and ensures their 100% record is still intact.Arsenal is now second after the defeat and must re-gather themselves ahead of a north London derby against bitter rivals Tottenham Hotspur next Sunday at the Emirates.
For champions, Liverpool, they have a pretty tough start to the season with a trip to Chelsea, a match against Arsenal and a Merseyside derby in their first five games.Man City have to contend with matches against Wolves, Leicester and Arsenal while Man Utd face only Tottenham from last season’s top 6 from last season in their first five matches.Aside from their Week 2 match against Liverpool, Chelsea will also take on Crystal Palace and Southampton in their opening fixtures.Take a look at the first 5 PL Fixtures for last season’s Top 6 and ArsenalLiverpoolv Leeds (H)v Chelsea (A)v Arsenal (H)v Aston Villa (A)v Everton (A)Man Cityv Aston Villa (H)v Wolves (A)v Leicester (H)v Leeds (A)v Arsenal (H)Man Utdv Burnley (A)v Crystal Palace (H)v Brighton (A)v Tottenham (H)v Newcastle (A)Chelseav Brighton (A)v Liverpool (H)v West Brom (A)v Crystal Palace (H)v Southampton (H)Leicester Cityv West Brom (A)v Burnley (H)v Man City (A)v West Ham (H)v Aston Villa (H)Tottenhamv Everton (H)v Southampton (A)v Newcastle (H)v Man Utd (A)v West Ham (H)Arsenalv Fulham (A)v West Ham (H)v Liverpool (A)v Sheffield Utd (H)v Man City (A) Next season in the Premier League promises to be one of the most exciting in recent history.It’s hoped that it will, at the very least, be more competitive than the last campaign which saw Liverpool walk away with the title.It’s certainly shaping up to be a more unpredictable season with Chelsea and Man City already making high-profile signings, Man Utd chasing big-name targets, Liverpool keeping their title-winning squad intact and FA Cup winners, Arsenal hoping for a much better league campaign.With the release of the new season’s fixtures, all the sides in the Premier League sides have a fair idea of what they need to do to ensure they are in a decent-enough position come May.The fixtures will be particularly interesting to the teams hoping to make it into the Top 4 this season and those hoping to remain in it.More from Citi Sports
Ghana football giants, Hearts of Oak, are expected to unveil their new team bus in the coming days.The Phobians have been criticized by many football fans and enthusiasts for not having a team bus for some years now.The management of the club have been promising the arrival of the bus for years now, but it looks like the vehicle has finally arrived.The sleek bus, nicely branded in Hearts of Oak colours, was spotted in Accra on Monday, with the club expected to make an official announcement soon.
AddThis Sharing ButtonsShare to FacebookFacebookShare to TwitterTwitterShare to MoreAddThisPersevering Michigan farm land a magazine unveiling called: ‘Taste the Local Difference’ was recently presented to bring attention to residents of Northeast Michigan to buy local year round, to keep the economy where they live growing.“If every single Michigan household spent $10 on local food a week from a grower or producer in Michigan, that’s 1.6 billion dollars that would back into the Michigan economy a year,” Northeast Michigan Local Coordinator, Molly Stepanski said.Stepanski said thanks to farmers, and the support of the community her own farm along with others is growing.“We have more access to food in this region. I’m pretty passionate about this, and so the reason we were able to do as well as we’ve done is because farmers have helped us,” she added.When it comes to creating more access to local foods throughout the community, one example is the new salad bar Posen Schools now has. Stepanski said having local food throughout the community of Northeast Michigan has been amazing thanks to everyone pulling together to keep families having healthier menu options at their tables.“The community has been so supportive, they’re so behind what we’re doing. They’re incredibly supportive of fresh food and local food. It’s been a world wind of support and love from our community, it’s amazing,” she said.AddThis Sharing ButtonsShare to FacebookFacebookShare to TwitterTwitterShare to MoreAddThis Tags: Farming, Magazines, Taste the Local DifferenceContinue ReadingPrevious “Field Trip Friday”: Shipwreck ToursNext Alpena’s 911 Director Gurisko Resigns
AddThis Sharing ButtonsShare to FacebookFacebookShare to TwitterTwitterShare to MoreAddThisALPENA, Mich. — Besser Elementary School students brought life to their first ever wax museum for historical figures.A group of fifth graders became the faces of popular leaders from the medieval age to the present day Wednesday afternoon. History teacher Sarah Winter says the ancient faces derived from a writing project.“I had 30 kids out of 70 want to do the history wax museum,” said Winter, “where they took their figure from history, used a costume to look like that person and then give a 30 second, one minute performance.”A majority of the school walked through the one–time wax museum. Fifth graders were studying Native American history leading to the Revolutionary War. When it came time to portray a historical figure, they choose characters beyond the era that they learned about in the classroom.“It’s been a month long process where they’ve been reading about their person from history, studying, putting their research booklet together, and then for extra credit, becoming a figure coming alive at the museum,” said Winter.AddThis Sharing ButtonsShare to FacebookFacebookShare to TwitterTwitterShare to MoreAddThisContinue ReadingPrevious Senior Living: A new, free program that can save livesNext Photo of the Day for Thursday, April 25
AddThis Sharing ButtonsShare to FacebookFacebookShare to TwitterTwitterShare to MoreAddThisALPENA, MICH — Nine-eleven tributes continued into Wednesday evening in Alpena. Participants of the area’s 4–H Club honored those who lost their lives by dedicating their horse show to fallen heroes.The event started with the singing of the national anthem, then offering a moment of silence as Alan Jackson’s “Where Were You” played in the background. The commemoration was followed by demonstrations from the horses. 4–H trustee Cindy Krentz says they couldn’t let the day go by without honoring lives lost in the tragedy.“We felt it was very important to honor 9-11 because of the fallen victims that happened back on that horrible, horrific day and so that our youth and all of our participants there don’t forget what had happened at that time.”AddThis Sharing ButtonsShare to FacebookFacebookShare to TwitterTwitterShare to MoreAddThis Tags: 4-H, 9-11, alpena, horseContinue ReadingPrevious Registration open for this year’s chili and chowder cook-offNext Michigan leaders and activists hold press conference to express frustrations with contaminated water
The Ghana Golf Association (GGA) will on Tuesday, July 16, organize a one day seminar for sports journalists in the Accra Municipality.The seminar scheduled for the Media Center of the Accra Sports Stadium will commence at 9:30am. The Media seminar is proudly supported by renowned Travel agency: Doscar Travel and ToursA statement by the Ghana Golf Association, the seminar will focus on the language and techniques of golf reporting.According to the statement, the seminar is aimed at enhancing the knowledge of sports journalists to ensure accurate reportage on golf. The statement said the Association has lined up experienced resource persons to take the participants through the seminar.The statement said the Association has therefore extended a formal invitation to all sports journalists in the Greater Accra Region to be part of the one day seminar.It added that the Association is therefore calling on all media houses to assign one reporter each for this seminar.
Global football chief Sepp Blatter insisted preparations for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil were on track Tuesday despite construction delays and a deadly accident which mean three stadiums will miss an end-of-year deadline to be ready. As the football world geared up for Friday’s eagerly-anticipated draw, governing body FIFA revealed three of the tournament’s 12 venues would not be able to meet the December 31 deadline for completion. One of the venues, Sao Paulo’s Itaquerao stadium, was the scene of a fatal accident last week which claimed the lives of two workers who were crushed to death when a crane toppled over. In addition, the completion of stadiums at Curitiba and and Cuiaba is now set for February, just four months before the finals kick off in June. FIFA President Blatter however played down the significance of the construction delays, saying he was confident Brazil would be successful hosts of their first World Cup since 1950. “We have just received a report. There are some small delays in construction of stadia. But so small that with one exception (Sao Paulo) we can say everything is ready,” said Blatter. The issues are “so small we can close our eyes,” he added.FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke said the stadium in Curitiba, which has been lagging behind schedule more than the other venues, would not be ready until the end of February. “We are not in crisis mood,” Valcke stressed. “Curitiba is the one where we are facing the most problems and won’t be delivered before the end of February 2014.”We will be ready to get the stadium by the end of February 2014,” Valcke said. The Arena Amazonia in Manaus, in the heart of the tropical rain forest, also remains under construction, as does the one at Cuiaba. Brazilian sports ministry executive secretary Luis Fernandes indicated that the stadiums lagging behind would be ready “in late January, or late February.” On Wednesday, Brazilian Sports Minister Aldo Rebelo will be among officials fronting pre-draw events where the hosts will stress they can overcome doubts about transport links, hotel prices and urban crime. Representatives from the Ministry of Tourism and the Civil Aviation authority will also address complaints about unreasonably high prices. Other concerns focused on accommodation capacity with some 600 000 foreign tourists expected to attend the month-long event starting June 12 in Sao Paulo. There is also a shortage of domestic flight links between venues as the government mulls whether to allow foreign airlines to run domestic routes to ease the strain. Some countries are also worried about the sheer size of the country, as some teams may face an onerous travel schedule with matches as far south as Porto Alegre, cold in the Brazilian winter, but also in tropical Manaus, and sultry Fortaleza some 3,000 kilometres (1,900 miles) away. Italy on Wednesday is set to propose the introduction of two two-minute time-outs per match to reduce the risk of players becoming dehydrated after FIFA elected not to change early afternoon kickoff times in some venues where the heat is likely to be a factor. The draw itself will feature eight groups of four teams and one of nine non-seeded European nations will face being moved into pot 2 alongside the five-strong African contingent and two South American sides.England coach Roy Hodgson, whose unseeded team could be in line for a tough draw, says the geography issue is almost as important as which teams his men will face. “There are venues in Brazil that will be harder to play in than others,” said Hodgson before heading for Costa do Sauipe from Rio. The eight seeds are hosts Brazil, reigning champions Spain, three-time winners Germany, Argentina, conquerors of two titles, fellow two-time winners Uruguay, Colombia, Belgium, and Switzerland, whom Hodgson led to the second round at USA ’94. With the draw venue an hour’s drive north of the Bahia state capital Salvador, organizers are hoping the event will not be marred by the kind of popular unrest which hit last June’s Confederations Cup. Many Brazilians are angry at the estimated $11 billion cost of staging the World Cup – about another $15 billion will follow for the 2016 Rio Olympics – believing the money would have been better spent on improving public transport,education and health care services.