Argentina in round of 16 after an injury time goal from messi

Lione Messi scored an injury-time winner to deny Iran a point as Argentina won 1-0 to make it six points from two matches in Group F and book their place in the round of 16.
The Argentines, who won their first match 2-1 against Bosnia-Herzegovina, had been tipped to win comfortably against Iran on Saturday, but Messi and his teammates were frustrated by their opponents and on a different day might have even endured a shock loss.
Argentina dominated possession during the first half but struggled to create clear goalscoring opportunities. After Sergio Aguero and Gonzalo Higuain both saw shots saved by Alireza Haghighi, Ezequiel Garay spurned a great chance as he headed over.
Up the other end, Iran came close to stunning their opponents just before half-time when Jalal Hosseini met a corner inside the six-yard box only to see his header flash off target.
Argentina goalkeeper Sergio Romero was called into action early in the second half as Reza Ghoochannejhad headed goalwards from Pejman Montazeri's cross, only to see the effort palmed away.
Ashkan Dejagah then had a penalty claim turned down by referee Milorad Mazic, after Pablo Zabaleta slid in for the ball in the box, before the winger forced Romero into a fine save, as the tipped a header over the bar.
Ghoochannejhad had one last chance to claim a memorable win after he broke clear in the final moments only to see his effort saved by Romero.
But, in the first minute of injury-time, Messi worked his magic. The Barcelona forward curled home beautifully with his left foot from outside of the box to clinch a dramatic victory.

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Pope Francis against the legalization of marijuana

The only smoke Pope Francis is fond of comes from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel.

The pope spoke out against the legalization of marijuana and other recreational drugs on Friday during the International Drug Enforcement Conference in Rome. "Drug addiction is an evil, and with evil there can be no yielding or compromise," he said, adding that legalization efforts "are not only highly questionable from a legislative standpoint, but they fail to produce the desired effects."

The comments come after Uruguay — neighbor to Francis' home country of Argentina — passed a law that not only legalized marijuana but nationalized it, putting in place a plan for the government to grow marijuana, harvest it and sell it in local pharmacies.

Meanwhile in America: Pope Francis' warning likely won't have much of an impact in the U.S., where the march toward full legalization continues. Twenty-two states have legalized medical marijuana, with Florida and New York set to be the 23rd and 24th. Two states, Colorado and Washington, have legalized it for recreational use as well.

We've had positive results in those states, though whether or not the pope is wrong certainly depends on your definition of "the desired effects." Colorado is expecting more than $1 billion in marijuana sales in the coming fiscal year, which means $134 million in revenue for the state.

Internationally, a CNN poll from earlier this year found that 55% of respondents want think marijuana should be legal. That's up from 16% back in 1987.

The "cool pope": Pope Francis has garnered praise (and earned a spot on magazine covers) for his populist leanings and seemingly more progressive policies. He has pushed for the world to address income inequality, chastised big banks and famously said, "Who am to judge?" when it comes to homosexuality.

But, as easy as it might be to forget given all the above: Dude's still the pope. The chances of Pope Francis, or any pope, coming out in favor of marijuana are pretty unlikely at this point. Give it some time though — especially with public opinion on the topic changing throughout the world — and we might see Francis or a successor singing a different tune.

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England are Permanently out of the world cup with costa rica win over italy

England were sent tumbling out of the World Cup at the group stage for the first time since 1958 after Costa Rica beat Italy 1-0 in their Group D match in Recife on Friday.
Roy Hodgson’s side needed Italy to take maximum points from the match to have any hope of survival. The result means Tuesday’s match against Costa Rica, who have now qualified for the knock-out stages, is meaningless for England.
Hodgson said he had no intention of resigning after the 2-1 defeat to Uruguay on Thursday in which Luis Suárez scored both goals on his first appearance since undergoing knee surgery a month ago. And he was backed by FA chairman Greg Dyke who said the 66-year-old would be remaining in his post until after the 2016 European Championships.
“We’re supportive of Roy Hodgson, we’ve asked him to stay as manager,” Dyke said. “We do not see any value in changing. We think Roy has done a good job and it is an approach over four years and we hope to do better in the European Championships.”
It is the first time in 56 years England have fallen at this stage of the finals, with that World Cup squad the only one younger than the current crop. The other group-stage exit came in 1950 – the previous time the tournament was held in Brazil – and, while they approached the tournament more in hope than expectation, their early exit rankles.
The general consensus heading into the tournament was that it could not be any worse than the under-achievement in South Africa four years ago. However, defeats to Italy and Uruguay coupled with surprise package Costa Rica means it has been just that, with the inquest that follows unlikely to make pretty reading for the Football Association or Hodgson.
As well as Dyke, Hodgson retains the full support of FA board members Sir Trevor Brooking, Alex Horne and Adrian Bevington, who installed him as Fabio Capello’s successor two years ago. They have seen enough promise in Brazil to believe that Hodgson is the right man to take England through to Euro 2016, which is being held in France.
“Everybody thought we played really well in the first game and narrowly lost,” Dyke said when asked why England had lost both their opening World Cup games for the first time in history. “In the second game it could have gone either way. We were not humiliated or anything like that. They were narrow defeats, but it is for the football people, not for me to identify why we did not win.”
Ever since he took on the job of FA chairman, Dyke has targeted victory at the 2022 World Cup. When he was asked whether that target was still attainable, Dyke said: “Yes, I do, but I think it means lots of changes in English football. I think there is a real chance that we can develop and win in 2022 – that is the aim.”

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Yaya and Kolo Toure younger brother 'Ibrahim Toure' has died aged 28

Ibrahim was also a professional footballer, playing as a striker for clubs including Egypt's Misr El-Maqasah and Lebanese side Al Safa.
In a statement released on Friday, the Ivory Coast Football Association pledged its full support to the Toure family.
The statement read: “Kolo and Yaya Toure just heard about the death of their young brother, Toure Oyala Ibrahim. The entire Ivorian delegation want to show their support to the players.
“The football Ivory Coast federation president (FIF) and the Executive Committee announced to the entire family of Ivorian football the death of Toure Oyala Ibrahim, the younger brother of Toure Kolo Abib and Toure Yaya Gnegneri, which happened on the 19th of June in Manchester (England).
“In such a sad situation, the players from the Ivory Coast national team, and the entire delegation here in Brazil, show their support to the Toure brothers and their whole family. The president of Football Ivory Coast Federation and the Executive Comitee ask Ivorians for their prayers.”
FIFA president Sepp Blatter used social networking site Twitter to offer his condolences.
He wrote: "Very saddened to learn of the death of Oyala Ibrahim Touré, younger brother of Yaya & Kolo Touré. My deepest condolences for your loss. RIP."
The cause of Ibrahim's death was not officially confirmed but reports have surfaced suggesting he had been receiving treatment for cancer while in Manchester.
Manchester City offered their sympathy to their central midfielder Yaya and former defnder Kolo who now plays for Liverpool.
"The thoughts of everyone at Manchester City FC are with Yaya and Kolo Toure following the death of their younger brother Ibrahim," a City statement read.
"Ibrahim was a regular visitor to Carrington and was a popular figure among the staff and players and was extremely close to his two older brothers.
Yaya played for Ivory Coast in the 2-1 defeat to Colombia on Thursday while Kolo was an unused substitute.
The Ivory Coast currently lie second in World Cup Group C and face Greece in Fortaleza on Tuesday.

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