Sports
Win, loss for Djokovic
World number one Novak Djokovic lost one of his two opening singles matches on Saturday at the charity tournament he organised, and his day got worse when news broke that one of the event’s four legs has been scrapped due to coronavirus concerns.
Shortly after beating fellow Serbian Viktor Troicki in his opening match, Djokovic said he was disappointed that the Adria Tour’s third leg in Montenegro, scheduled for June 27-28, had been called off.
“I am so sad for the Montenegro leg,” he told the Balkan nation’s Sport Klub television in a courtside interview in front of a capacity 4,000 crowd.
“We tried everything, but the borders are still not open and we don’t have time to organise it all.”
With 12,251 confirmed cases and 253 deaths related to COVID-19, Serbia is among the countries whose residents are not allowed to travel to its southern neighbour Montenegro.
Earlier on Saturday, Djokovic’s younger brother Djordje and the Adria Tour director, released a statement saying the event’s board had decided to scrap the Montenegro leg.
Asked at a news conference after his defeat by Filip Krajinovic whether there was an alternative host nation able to replace Montenegro in a fortnight, Djokovic said:
“We are looking at several alternative options and locations which I don’t want to reveal at this point.
“We are running out of time so we will know where we stand either tomorrow or the day after.”
The second leg will be held in Croatia’s coastal resort of Zadar on June 20-21 and the final one in Bosnia’s Banja Luka on July 3-4. – Reuters
Sports
WAFU B U20: Ghana’s Jerry Afriyie crowned MVP in semi-final win over Cote D’voire
Ghana U20 striker Jerry Afriyie was crowned Man of the Match in the side’s come back 2-1 win over Cote D’voire in the WAFU B U20 Semi-final on Sunday October 27, 2024 in Togo.
The talented striker, who is the leading top scorer with four goals, scored a magnificent spot kick to complete the comeback win for the Black Satellites at the Stade Municipal.
The Black Satellites will be making a return to the AFCON Championship next year after winning the title in 2021 under Abdul Karim Zito.
It was an incredible finish to an afternoon that began badly for Ghana as Konan Loukou gave the Ivorians an early lead before the Ghanaians pulled parity from a deflected corner kick to end the first half, before Jerry Afriyie sealed victory from the spot kick.
The win ensured the Black Satellites qualification to the 2025 U20 Africa Cup of Nations.
The WAFU B U20 Championship serves as the qualification for the 2025 Africa U20 Cup of Nations, with only the finalists going through.
This 2025 U20 AFCON will also serve as the African qualifiers for the 2025 FIFA U20 World Cup in Chile, where the four semi-finalists will qualify automatically.
Sports
Ghana to face rivals Nigeria in epic 2024 WAFU B U20 Final
Ghana and Nigeria will face off in the WAFU B U20 Final after the two West African giants dispatched their respective semi-final opponents in Togo on Sunday October 27, 2024.
The Black Satellites produced a sensational comeback 2-1 win over Cote D’voire in the first semi-final at the Stade Municipal before Nigeria also rallied from behind to beat Niger 3-1 in the second semi-final match.
Ghana and Nigeria will renew their long-standing rivalry in Wednesday’s Final at the Stade de Kégué.
Desmond Ofei’s side will be hoping to go one step further by reclaiming the sub-regional title from defending champions Nigeria.
The WAFU B U20 Championship serves as the qualification for the 2025 Africa U20 Cup of Nations, with only Ghana and Nigeria going through.
This 2025 U20 AFCON will also serve as the African qualifiers for the 2025 FIFA U20 World Cup in Chile, where the four semi-finalists will qualify automatically.
