24 hours ago

The world of Internet has given us the chance to have a glimpse of what's going on around the world. I just stumbled upon images that Reuters captured in the last 24 hours. Let me share a few of them.

We start with Indonesia. This one shows Punk community members dance during a punk music festival in Bandung, Indonesia West Java province.

And in the Philippines, a girl takes part in a local Lenten ritual called "Moriones" in Mogpog, Marinduque, Philippines.

A stuntman rides a motorcycle inside the "Well of Death" attraction during a fair in Bhaktapur, Nepal.

Further afield in Europe, the Borussia Dortmund team bus is seen after an explosion near their hotel before their Champions League quarter-final first leg game against AS Monaco in Dortmund, Germany.

A crow flies towards a tree in a blooming rapeseed field on a spring morning in Vufflens-la-Ville near Lausanne, Switzerland.

And back to this part of the world, Reuters has this shot of the sun set in Pyongyang, North Korea.

Well, hope you've had a pleasant enough 24-hours-ago. Would you like to share it? Use the Comments below.

Results - The Best named at FIFA football awards

Yes, he did it! The results are in.. Malaysian Faiz Subri is the Winner of the FIFA Puskas Award 2016!

The FIFA Puskás Award 2016: Mohd Faiz Subri

Mohd Faiz Subri: 59.46% of total votes (Yep! I voted.)
Marlone: 22.86% of total votes
Daniuska Rodriguez: 10.01% of total votes
Others: 7.68% of total votes

From The Star:

PETALING JAYA: Faiz Subri has made Malaysia proud.

The 29-year-old created history this morning when he was named the winner of the Puskas Award for the best goal at the Best FIFA Football Awards 2016 in Zurich. He is the first Asian to win the award.

Faiz’s physics-defying goal in the 4-1 win against Pahang in a Super League match at the City Stadium in Georgetown on Feb 16 last year garnered 59.46% online votes. He finished way ahead of the other two finalists.

In esteemed company: Faiz Subri (standing) posing for a photograph with (from left) Michel Salgado, Diego Maradona, Gabriel Batistuta and Roberto Carlos before the FIFA awards ceremony in Zurich this morning. - The Star

Other winners include:

The Best FIFA Men’s Player 2016: Cristiano Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo: 34.54% of total votes
Lionel Messi: 26.42% of total votes
Antoine Greizmann: 7.53% of total votes

The Best FIFA Men’s Coach 2016: Claudio Ranieri

Claudio Ranieri: 22.6% of total votes
Zinédine Zidane: 16.56% of total votes
Fernando Santos: 16.24% of total votes

More pictures available of The Best: Winners with their trophies



Sources:
- FIFA
- The Star

FIFA Puskas Award 2016 - Results today

For Malaysian football fans, here's something to look forward to..

Penang striker Mohd Faiz Subri, his wife and their two sons left for Zurich, Switzerland yesterday morning to attend the FIFA Football Awards gala to be held at 6pm on Jan 9.

Mohd Faiz Subri is one of three finalists vying for the Puskas Award. The other two contenders are Jonathan Marlon Azevedo da Silva of Brazil and Danisuka Rodriguez of Venezuela, the only woman to make the final list.

Theirs are the final three goals in the running for the FIFA Puskás Award 2016, whittled down from the initial shortlist of ten. The goal with the most votes is the winner.

Stay tuned for news of the winner of the Puskas Award (Best Goal of the Year).

WHATEVER happens in Zurich, Switzerland, on Monday (Tuesday morning here), all Malaysians can be proud of Mohd Faiz Subri.

The vote, which decides the best goal between 30 September 2015 and 30 September 2016 inclusive, closes today, 9 January.

The winner will be announced at the FIFA Football Awards ceremony in Zurich, Switzerland, on Jan 9.

The Puskas Award was named after legendary Hungarian striker Ferenc Puskas, who won three European Cups with Spanish giants Real Madrid from 1959 to 1966.

Since its introduction in 2009, the award has been won by world famous football stars such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Neymar and James Rodriguez. — Bernama



Sources:
- The Star
- FIFA

UEFA EURO 2016 - Semi-finals

Which team are you rooting for?

Source: uefa.com

Match schedule

Semi-finals
SF1: Portugal v Wales – Wednesday 6 July, 21:00 (Lyon)
SF2: Germany v France – Thursday 7 July, 21:00 (Marseille)
•Golden Boot: tournament top scorers
•Official form guide: Player Barometer

Final
Portugal/Wales v Germany/France – Sunday 10 July, 21:00 (Saint-Denis)

Arsenal wins Community Shield 2014

What a start for Arsenal in the new football season lifting the FA Community Shield, a win over Manchester City 3-0 at the Wembley Stadium in London.

The FA Community Shield is the curtain-raiser for the English Premier league. This is an annual football match between the reigning champions of the Premier League and the winners of the FA Cup.

The game was played between Manchester City, champions of the 2013–14 Premier League and Arsenal, who beat Hull City in extra time to win the 2014 FA Cup Final.

The match was Arsenal's 20th Community Shield appearance to Manchester City's tenth. The only edition in which the two teams previously met was in 1934, which Arsenal won 4–0.

Image source: thefa.com

Argentina on to the 2014 World Cup Finals on Sunday

So it's 0-0 at full time but Argentina 4, Netherlands 2 on penalties. What a way to lose, eh? The other semi-final played yesterday was won by Germany - 7 goals to 1 (Brazil).

A look at the scoreline..

After 62 games, we have now come to the final two games. Brazil and Netherlands will play for third placing on Saturday.

The Finals between Germany and Argentina will be played on Sunday an hour earlier than the usual timing. Do take note if you don't want to miss any part of it.

You may also want to read these:
- Oh boy Oh boy Oh boy! Brazil 1 - Germany 7 (World Cup semi-finals)
- FIFA World Cup 2014 - Opening Ceremony, Facts and Schedule
- Another fun day at the World Cup
- 2014 World Cup Results Update
- World Cup - Semi-finals

Image sources:
- fifa.com
- livescore.com

Oh boy Oh boy Oh boy! Brazil 1 - Germany 7 (World Cup semi-finals)

Woh! What a semi-final defeat for the Brazilian team in the 2014 World Cup semi-finals!

Brazil 1 - Germany 7

The goals..

Brazil's coach, Scolari: The Worst Day of My Life..

While Germany's Joachim Low says We need to remain humble.

Will we see another similar upset in today's match or rather tomorrow's match? Argentina vs Netherlands next.

Who are you rooting for?


You may also want to read these:
- FIFA World Cup 2014 - Opening Ceremony, Facts and Schedule
- Another fun day at the World Cup
- 2014 World Cup Results Update
- World Cup - Semi-finals

Image sources:
- fifa.com
- livescore.com

World Cup - Semi-finals

If you've been following the World Cup, chances are you'd be staying up or getting up (as in the case for Malaysians) to watch the next match.

Only four teams left, two from Europe (Germany and Netherlands; and two from South America, Brazil and Argentina). Did you get the right underwear? Or going out to get all four this time?

Brazil plays Germany deciding who gets into the final. (Update: Result here..)

And Argentina plays Netherlands the following day.

Alright, let's work backwards a little..

Quarterfinals..

Image source: fifa.com

Happy Father's Day and World Cup reactions

To all Fathers out there, HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!
And if you're a footie dad, what better treat than to have the World Cup happening in the same month, yes?

This morning, England vs Italy... 1 - 2. Ouch!

And for an earlier match, someone showed me a similar image as the one I recreated below. See if you can figure it out.

Clever, eh?

FIFA World Cup 2014 - Opening Ceremony, Facts and Schedule

Source
Let the fever begin, football fever, that is. With the English Barclay's Premier League and the UEFA Champions League having ended their season, football fans here will have something to look forward to in the football department. The World Cup will keep fans entertained for the next month. Unfortunately, the games will be played at rather odd times for us here as we are 11 hours ahead of Brazil, give or take an hour difference the country being so big, some match venues vary in time.

FIFA World Cup 2014 Opening Ceremony will start at 3:15 p.m. June 12 (local time) at the Arena Corinthians in Sao Paulo, Brazil. It will be at 2:15am June 13, Malaysia time. The 25-minute ceremony will feature 600 artists including acrobatic gymnasts, trampolinists, marshal arts-style capoeira performers and stilt walkers.

Yes, Jennifer Lopez will be among the performers, having overturned her decision earlier on to pull out of performing the official World Cup song at the ceremony. She will perform We Are One (Ole Ola) alongside rapper Pitbull and Brazilian singer Claudia Leitte.

Live telecast available on RTM and Astro. Options for live-streaming is limited here in Malaysia but if you are in the United States, you can actually live stream all 64 matches via ESPN. However, The Star offers these Twitter options:

You’re welcome to follow Cristiano Ronaldo (@Cristiano) or Wayne Rooney (@WayneRooney), but those guys aren’t as interesting as you think they might be. Far better to follow are guys like Rio Ferdinand (@RioFerdy5), Joey Barton (@Joey7Barton) or Michael Owen (@TheMichaelOwen), who may not be in the World Cup, but are not afraid to speak their mind about anything (which makes for some entertaining tweets indeed).

Of course, you can also follow @MyStarTwo, @StarOnline, StarSport_My and @mStarOnline for updates.

Get a glimpse of what to expect at the Opening..

The Opening Ceremony will serve as the prelude to the opening match of the tournament between Brazil and Croatia, which kicks off at 5pm local time.

The opening ceremony is a tribute to Brazil and its treasures: nature, people, football.

Match schedules and other information on World Cup 2014 can be found here on the official FIFA website. The month-long World Cup will end with the finals on July 13.


By the way, did you know that..

- This Will Be The First World Cup Ever With Goal-Line Technology. Finally!
- Brazil Is The 5th Country To Host A World Cup For The 2nd Time
- Brazil Will Use Drones and US Robots During The World Cup
- 2014 World Cup Is The Most Expensive World Cup Ever
- A Paraplegic Teenager Will Take The First 2014 World Cup Kick
- Official 2014 World Cup Song Is Called ’We Are One’
- France Demanded 2 Types Of Soaps In Each Hotel Room
- Germany Built Their Own World Cup Hotel And Training Camp - in Bahia
- Brazil Is ‘The Most Expensive Team’ In The 2014 World Cup
- Lionel Messi Is ‘The Most Expensive Player’ In The 2014 World Cup
- 2014 World Cup Champion Will Win 35 Million US Dollars
- FIFA Will Ban Players From Showing Messages Under Football Shirts

You can read more about the above facts and other Facts of World Cup 2014 here.


A Google Doodle for FIFA World Cup 2014..

For your convenience, thought I'd borrow this full schedule of matches and where to watch them from, International Business Times:

Thursday, June 12
Group A: Brazil Vs. Croatia, 4 p.m. ET, Sao Paulo (ESPN)

Friday, June 13
Group A: Mexico Vs. Cameroon, noon, Natal (ESPN2)
Group B: Spain Vs. Netherlands, 3 p.m., Salvador (ESPN)
Group B: Chile Vs. Australia, 6 p.m., Cuiaba (ESPN2)

Saturday, June 14
Group C: Colombia Vs. Greece, noon, Belo Horizonte (ABC)
Group D: Uruguay Vs. Costa Rica, 3 p.m., Fortaleza (ABC)
Group D: England Vs. Italy, 6 p.m., Manaus (ESPN)
Group C: Ivory Coast Vs. Japan, 9 p.m., Recife (ESPN)

Sunday, June 15
Group E: Switzerland Vs. Ecuador, noon, Brasilia (ABC)
Group E: France Vs. Honduras, 3 p.m., Porto Alegre (ABC)
Group F: Argentina Vs. Bosnia-Herzegovina, 6 p.m., Rio de Janeiro (ESPN)

Monday, June 16
Group G: Germany Vs. Portugal, noon, Salvador (ESPN)
Group F: Iran Vs. Nigeria, 3 p.m., Curitiba (ESPN)
Group G: USA VS. Ghana, 6 p.m., Natal (ESPN)

Tuesday, June 17
Group H: Belgium Vs. Algeria, noon, Belo Horizonte (ESPN)
Group A: Brazil Vs. Mexico, 3 p.m., Fortaleza (ESPN)
Group H: Russia Vs. South Korea, 6 p.m., Cuiaba (ESPN)

Wednesday, June 18
Group B: Australia Vs. Netherlands, noon, Porto Alegre (ESPN)
Group B: Spain VS. Chile, 3 p.m., Rio de Janeiro (ESPN)
Group A: Cameroon Vs. Croatia, 6 p.m., Manaus (ESPN)

Thursday, June 19
Group C: Colombia VS. Ivory Coast, noon, Brasilia (ESPN)
Group D: Uruguay VS. England, 3 p.m., Sao Paulo (ESPN)
Group C: Japan VS. Greece, 6 p.m., Natal (ESPN)

Friday, June 20
Group D: Italy Vs. Costa Rica, noon, Recife (ESPN)
Group E: Switzerland VS. France, 3 p.m., Salvador (ESPN)
Group E: Honduras VS. Ecuador, 6 p.m., Curitiba (ESPN)

Saturday, June 21
Group F: Argentina Vs. Iran, noon, Belo Horizonte (ESPN)
Group G: Germany Vs. Ghana, 3 p.m., Fortaleza (ESPN)
Group F: Nigeria VS. Bosnia-Herzegovina, 6 p.m., Cuiaba (ESPN)

Sunday, June 22
Group H: Belgium Vs. Russia, noon, Rio de Janeiro (ABC)
Group H: South Korea Vs. Algeria, 3 p.m., Porto Alegre (ABC)
Group G: USA VS. Portugal, 6 p.m., Manaus (ESPN)

Monday, June 23
Group B: Netherlands VS. Chile, noon, Sao Paulo (ESPN2)
Group B: Australia VS. Spain, noon, Curitiba (ESPN)
Group A: Croatia Vs. Mexico, 4 p.m., Recife (ESPN)
Group A: Cameroon Vs. Brazil, 4 p.m., Brasilia (ESPN2)

Tuesday, June 24
Group D: Italy VS. Uruguay, noon, Natal (ESPN)
Group D: Costa Rica Vs. England, noon, Belo Horizonte (ESPN2)
Group C: Japan Vs. Colombia, 4 p.m., Cuiaba (ESPN)
Group C: Greece Vs. Ivory Coast, 4 p.m., Fortaleza (ESPN2)

Wednesday, June 25
Group F: Nigeria VS. Argentina, noon, Porto Alegre (ESPN)
Group F: Bosnia-Herzegovina, noon, Salvador (ESPN2)
Group E: Ecuador Vs. France, 4 p.m., Rio de Janeiro (ESPN2)
Group E: Honduras VS. Switzerland, 4 p.m., Manaus (ESPN)

Thursday, June 26
Group G: USA VS. Germany, noon, Recife (ESPN)
Group G: Portugal Vs. Ghana, noon, Brasilia (ESPN2)
Group H: South Korea Vs. Belgium, 4 p.m., Sao Paulo (ESPN)
Group H: Algeria Vs. Russia, 4 p.m., Porto Alegre (ESPN2)

Round of 16
==============
Saturday, June 28
Match 49: 1A Vs. 2B, noon, Belo Horizonte (ABC)
Match 50: 1C Vs. 2D, 4 p.m., Rio de Janeiro (ABC)

Sunday, June 29
Match 51: 1B Vs. 2A, noon, Fortaleza (ESPN)
Match 52: 1D Vs. 2C, 4 p.m., Recife (ESPN)

Monday, June 30
Match 53: 1E Vs. 2F, noon, Brasilia (ESPN)
Match 54: 1G VS. 2H, 4 p.m., Porto Alegre (ESPN)

Tuesday, July 1
Match 55: 1F Vs. 2E, noon, Sao Paulo (ESPN)
Match 56: 1H Vs. 2G, 4 p.m., Salvador (ESPN)

Quarterfinals
=============
Friday, July 4
Match 58: match 53 winner Vs. match 54 winner, noon, Rio de Janeiro (ESPN2)
Match 57: match 49 winner VS. match 50 winner, 4 p.m., Fortaleza (ESPN)

Saturday, July 5
Match 60: match 55 winner Vs. match 56 winner, noon, Brasilia (ABC)
Match 59: match 51 winner Vs. match 52 winner, 4 p.m., Salvador (ESPN)

Semifinals
==========
Match 61: match 57 winner VS. match 58 winner, 4 p.m., Belo Horizonte (ESPN)
Match 62: match 59 winner Vs. match 60 winner, 4 p.m., Sao Paulo (ESPN)

Third-Placed Game
=================
Match 63: loser of match 61 Vs. loser of match 62, 4 p.m., Brasilia (ESPN)

Final
=====
Match 64: winner of match 61 Vs. winner of match 62, 4 p.m., Rio de Janeiro (ABC)


Ole Ola!

Real Madrid Winners of UEFA Champions League 2014

It's Real Madrid, Winners of UEFA Champions League 2014 for the 10th time.  Heartbreak for Diego Simeone's side who suffered their first defeat in this season's competition agonizingly at the final hurdle.

Scoreline: Real Madrid 4; Athletico - 1. Here's the livescore. Brace yourself.

Source: livescore.com
Real Madrid players celebrate at the final whistle..

And more pictures to tell the tale..

Here you'll find more pictures of the celebration - Winners Real Madrid at the UEFA Champions League Finals 2014 held in Lisbon, Portugal. And certainly one for the album.

Olé Olé Olé!


See you in Brazil for the World Cup!


Image source: uefa.com

English Premier League - final two games

I'm lamenting that the English Premier League is fast coming to the end of its current season with just two more games to go. This weekend we see Week 37 games to be played. Here's the schedule if you are following.

Here's the EPL standing after Week 36 - some are still with a game in hand.. though it may not make much difference at this stage now.

Who do you think will win the trophy this season of the English Premier League or now called the Barclays Premier League. Who are you rooting for? Me? I want Manchester City to win. Go MC!


UPDATE:
I'm sure you'd want to know how every club fared at the end of the season, so here's the EPL standing for the 2013/14 season:

(Click to enlarge image)

Image sources:
- Google.com
- Premierleague.com

Google doodle for Brazilian Leonidas da Silva

In the sports of football (soccer), Brazil has produced many great talents. Google today honours one of Brazil's greats with a Google doodle.

Today marks the 100th birthday of Leonidas da Silva.

According to Wikipedia..

Leônidas da Silva was an association footballer and commentator. He is regarded to be one of the most important players of the first half of the 20th century. He played for Brazil in two World Cups, and was the top scorer of the 1938 World Cup.

Born: September 6, 1913, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Died: January 24, 2004, Cotia, São Paulo, Brazil

He was known to have perfected the "Bicycle Kick" and used it in a number of games. Most famous of all, he used it on 13 November 1948, in the massive 8–0 victory over Juventus. The play (and the goal) was captured in an image (below) and is regarded to be the most famous picture of the player. In the 1938 World Cup, he also used the bicycle kick, which delighted the watching spectators. When he did it, the referee was so shocked by the volley that he was unsure whether it was within the rules or not. - Wikipedia

Source

Barclays English Premier League begins today

Here we go again.. the new season of Barclays English Premier League begins today, tonight Malaysia time.

Below is a look at fixtures for the first games of the new EPL season. To determine the actual time of play for KL time-zone, just add 7 hours to the times stated.

A little history in the meantime.

On this day in Premier League history, 17 August, 1996, David Beckham scores from own half and made history.

The goal helped Beckham win Premier League player of the month for the only time in his career. The strike was named the Premier League Goal of the Decade in 2002 and 10 years later it was included in the 20 Seasons best goal selection.

Source: Premierleague.com

Bayern Munich are UEFA Champions League Winners 2013

Source: The Star
The UEFA Champions League final last night saw an all-German Champions League final on English soil at Wembley Stadium. It was Borussia Dortmund vs Bayern Munich.

Bayern Munich emerged winners after the brilliant combined moves of Robbery (a combo-name fondly dubbed by pundits for Dutch player Arjen Robben and French player Franck Ribery) in the final minutes of the game. Robben made it a 2-1 at the 89th minute to clinch the title for Bayern Munich. What a game!

Congratulations to Bayern Munich, current Champions of Europe and for the fifth time!

More photos available on uefa.com