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ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates -- Nigeria beat Mexico 3-0 in the Under-17 World Cup final on Friday to win the tournament for a record fourth time.Anthony Hitchens . Nigeria went ahead in the ninth minute through Erick Aguirres own goal before Kelechi Iheanacho doubled the lead in the 56th. Nigeria captain Musa Muhammed scored from a free kick in the 81st minute to complete the victory as the country surpassed Brazils three titles at the U17 level. In what was a rematch of Nigerias 6-1 win in the opening Group F match, Mexico had the better chances early. Alejandro Diazs close-range effort was just wide of the target and minutes later Nigeria goalkeeper Dele Alampasu tipped Ivan Ochoas header over the bar. However, Nigeria then went on a counterattack and Musa Yahahas shot deflected off Aguirre and past Mexico goalkeeper Raul Gudino. The remainder of the opening half was played at a frenetic pace and saw both sides squander opportunities. Alampasu made another good save in the 30th minute from Ulises Jaimes header after a lovely ball from Mexico captain Ulises Rivas. For Nigeria, Awoniyis strike hit the side of the net in the 37th minute, while Yahahas long-range effort struck the crossbar just before halftime. Both teams threatened in the opening stages of the second half, and Nigeria doubled its lead when Iheanacho took advantage of Gudinos poor attempt to clear the ball. Mexico continued to attack and could have scored when Aguirre found Ochoa in space. But his header from right in front of goal was wide of the target. The West Africans sealed the victory when Muhammed curled a free kick from the edge of the penalty box over the wall and past the outstretched arms of Gudino in the 81st minute. Earlier, Sweden clinched third place after beating Argentina 4-1, thanks to Valmir Berishas hat trick. Carlos Strandberg also scored for Sweden, while Lucio Campagnucci found the net for Argentina. "Theres a lot of feelings right now, Sweden coach Roland Larsson said. "This is my last game with this team, so this is the perfect present for me. "This is a sensation for Swedish football; no one would believe we could do this." Iheanacho was crowned Golden Ball winner for best player, while Swedens Berisha earned the Golden Shoe award for most goals with seven. Jay Novacek Jersey Dallas Cowboys . 10 shirt. The Japan forward was presented on Wednesday as an AC Milan player after signing a 3 1/2-year contract on a free transfer from CSKA Moscow. Travis Frederick Jersey Dallas Cowboys . Ekblad led all defencemen with 23 goals and finished tied for fifth in scoring among blue-liners with 53 points in 58.GENEVA -- In a dramatic climax to one of the tightest groups in Champions League history, Borussia Dortmund needed an 87th-minute goal at Marseille to advance at the expense of Napoli which beat Arsenal. Dortmund, last seasons beaten finalist, was on the brink of elimination and missed a series of chances against the 10-man French side until Kevin Grosskreutz scored to clinch a 2-1 win. Instead, Dortmund won the group ahead of Arsenal, which lost 2-0 to Napoli as all three teams finished on 12 points and head-to-head tiebreakers sent the Italians out. "What a feeling! We were almost out of the competition. This is great. We deserved it. And I didnt even hit the ball right," said Grosskreutz, who was born and raised in Dortmund. On a tense day for Italian clubs, AC Milan advanced by clinging on for a 0-0 draw at home to Ajax after captain Riccardo Montolivo was sent off in the 22nd minute. Juventus exited in the afternoon after Wesley Sneijder scored late for Galatasaray to win 1-0 in atrocious weather and pitch conditions in Istanbul. The match had resumed after being abandoned in snow and hail on Tuesday evening. Barcelonas progress was smooth and easy as Neymar scored three in a 6-1 rout of Celtic, ensuring the Spanish champion won Group H ahead of Milan to be seeded in the draw on Monday. Schalke beat Basel 2-0 to finish runner-up behind Group E winner Chelsea, which beat last-placed Steaua Bucharest 1-0. Germany will have four teams in the last-16 draw for the first time, and England also has its full quartet remaining. Italy has only Milan, confirming the recent slump of Serie A clubs in Europes top competition. Zenit St. Petersburg advanced with the worst record, stuck on just six points -- six fewer than Napoli -- after losing 4-1 at Austria Vienna. However, third-placed Porto failed to take advantage, having a penalty saved in its 2-0 loss at Group G winner Atletico Madrid. Dortmunds progress seemed under control when Polish forward Robert Lewandowski scored in the fourth minute against Marseille, which lost all its group matches. Though Souleymane Diawara levelled with a header in the 14th, Marseille was soon reduced to 10 men when Dimitri Payet was shown a second yellow card for being adjudged to have dived in the Germans penalty area. Dortmund laid siege to the home goal in the second half but Lewandowski missed an open goal, putting his shot into side netting after rounding goalkeeper Steve Mandanda. Randy White Jersey Dallas Cowboys. Marco Reus, who had earlier struck the post, shot over from six meters (yards) and Lewandowski was denied a penalty claim in the 85th when bundled to the ground by Mandanda. When Grosskreutz scored, Napoli then led Arsenal through Gonzalo Higuains 73rd-minute goal but needed to win by three goals. Despite Arsenal midfielder Mikel Arteta being sent off in the 75th, Napoli added only a second from Jose Callejon in stoppage time to complete one of the unluckiest group-stage exits since the Champions League format was created in 1992. Milan put up a defensive barricade to fend off Ajax attacks after Montolivo was shown a straight red card for stamping on Christian Poulsen. "It seems to me that anti-football won today," said Ajax coach Frank de Boer, who suggested that World Cup final referee Howard Webb should also have sent off Mario Balotelli in the second half. Red cards decisions were a factor at Schalke where Basel needed only a draw to advance. Basel defender Ivan Ivanov was sent off in the 31st, two minutes after Schalke captain Benedikt Howedes had been shown only a yellow card in a similar situation at the other end. Schalke led in the 50th when Julian Draxler connected with a first-time shot from a right-flank cross, and Joel Matip exploited Basels failed offside trap seven minutes later. Brazil star Neymar had yet to score for Barcelona in the Champions League until adding a third first-half goal Wednesday, after strikes from Gerard Pique and Pedro Rodriguez. Cristian Tello got the sixth before Giorgos Samaras got last-placed Celtics consolation. Third-placed teams in the groups -- including former European champions Ajax, Juventus and Porto -- will transfer to the Europa League in that competitions last-32 draw on Monday. Juventus will host the final in May. In the Champions League draw, seeded teams cannot play a team from their own country or the team it already played in the group. ------ Seeded teams: Manchester United, Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain, Bayern Munich, Chelsea, Borussia Dortmund, Atletico Madrid, Barcelona. Non-seeded teams: Bayer Leverkusen, Galatasaray, Olympiakos, Manchester City, Schalke, Arsenal, Zenit St. Petersburg, AC Milan. ' ' ' |
