On this day 27 November 1999(Exactly 20 years ago today) The Black Starlets of Ghana beat the United States of America 2-0 at the North Harbour Stadium, Auckland, Newzealand to win bronze medal at the 1999 FIFA U-17 World Cup as Brazil beat Australia on penalties in the final to defend their crown.
Goals Scored : Razak Pimpong 35, Ishmael Addo84
Ghana Line-up : Maxwell Owusu Banahene, Emmanuel Nkrumah, Michael Donkor, Ibrahim Attiku, Razak Pimpong (Kwame Frimpong Pele) , Nathaniel Lamptey, Ibrahim Abdul Razak, Anthony Obodai, Stephen Tetteh, Ishmael Addo, Bernard Don- Bortey
Coach: Sir Cecil Jones Attuquayefio
Ishmael Addo of Ghana won the Golden Shoe award for scoring seven goals. In total, 93 goals were scored by 59 different players, with two of them credited as own goals.
On this day 27 November 2006 (Exactly 13 years ago today) Former Italy captain Fabio Cannavaro won the Balloon d’Or, the first defender in 10 years to be named Europe’s best player.
Cannavaro, who played for Juventus the previous season but then moved to Real Madrid after helping Italy win the World Cup, got 173 points in France Football magazine’s annual poll of 52 journalists from around the world
Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon was second with 124 points, followed by Arsenal striker Thierry Henry in third with 121. Fifty players were nominated
“This is a double honor,” Cannavaro said. “It is given to the best player, and the fact I am a defender makes it even more special.”
FC Barcelona playmaker Ronaldinho, who won the award the previous year, was fourth with 73 points, and Zinedine Zidane was fifth with 71.
Cannavaro was only the third defender in 30 years to win – Matthias Sammer won the award in 1996 and Franz Beckenbauer took it in 1976
He was also the fifth Italian to win, following Roberto Baggio (1993), Paolo Rossi (1982), Gianni Rivera (1969) and Argentina-born Omar Sivori (1961).
“I am the first to be surprised,” Cannavaro said. “This means everything to me.”
Cannavaro and Buffon were arguably Italy’s best players at the World Cup in Germany, where the team conceded only one goal before the final against France, which Italy won on penalty kicks after a 1-1 draw.
On this day 27 November 2004(Exactly 15 years ago today) Marco Antonio Barrera beat Erik Morales by majority decision to win WBC Super Featherweight boxing title at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, final fight of legendary trilogy, The Ring’s ‘Fight of the Year ‘
The early exchanges suggested Barrera was coping just fine beating Morales to the punch, firing more accurate shot and mixing his attacks to the body and head. Barrera won five of the first six rounds giving Morales a boxing lesson in the process. Morales boxes better from range but he simply could not get his jab going and allowed Barrera to slip inside to deliver shorter, snappier combinations with his shorter arms
Rounds 7 and 8 saw a change with Morales finally connecting with his chopping right hand and for the first time Barrera felt that extra 11 lbs of power. Barrera rallied strongly in 9 and 10 to reassert his commanding lead.
Rounds 11 and 12 were incredible. Morales knew he had to go for a knockout while Barrera’s corner were telling him he had to keep letting rip. Neither fighter disappointed with blistering toe-to-toe exchanges throughout the final rounds.
Usually whenever these two get into a brawl Barrera gets the better of it but Morales was finally showing what a great fighter he is, raining down shots on the exhausted Barrera who responded ferociously with left hooks to the ribs and face.
The scoring was closer than you might have imagined, one judge scoring the fight even, the other two giving one-round and two-round victories to Barrera. As the announcement came the hostilities between the fighters continued with a shouting match between the two.
As Barrera was announced victor he held up two fingers to Morales and shouted “dos!” (two) to indicate his two victories over him.
On this day 27 November 2011(Exactly 8 years ago today) Roger Federer claimed a record 6th ATP World Tour Finals tennis title with a 6-3, 6-7, 6-3 win over Frenchman Jo-Wilfred Tsonga in the final in London, England.
On this day 27 November 2011(Exactly 8 years ago today) German Red Bull driver Sebastian Vettel finished 2nd in season-ending Brazilian Grand Prix at Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace to retain his World F1 Driver’s Championship, won by 122 points from Jenson Button.
NB:Vettel is currently with Ferrari
On this day 27 November 2016(Exactly 3 years ago today) German Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg clinched his only F1 Driver’s Championship with victory at the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, wins title by 5 points from team mate Lewis Hamilton
On this day 27 November 2013(Exactly 6 years ago today) Tiger Woods was named PGA Tour’s Player of the Year for the 11th time
On this day 27 November 2013(Exactly 6 years ago today) Nilton Santos, the galloping left back who was a regular in Brazil’s World Cup-winning sides of 1958 and 1962, died in Rio from complications caused by a lung infection.
He was 88 and suffered from Alzheimer’s.
Santos spent his entire career with Botafogo, who announced his death in a statement , and was a colleague of Pele at international level
By: George ‘Alan Green’ Mahamah
