Sports

Ninety-seven and counting. Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez are closing in on 100 goals for Barcelona in 2014-15 and are just two off the number netted by the club's fantastic forward line under Pep Guardiola in 2008-09, when the Argentine attacker played alongside Thierry Henry and Samuel Eto'o.

Messi started that season on the right and scored 38 goals in 51 appearances, with Eto'o on target 36 times in 52 games and Henry not too far behind with 26 in his 42 matches for the Catalan club en route to a treble of Liga, Copa and Champions League titles.

And even though the Argentine netted 73 times in 60 appearances in Guardiola's final season (2011-12) to make a total of 103 goals with Alexis Sanchez (15 in 41) and Cesc Fabregas (15 in 48), the front three in that campaign was constantly chopped and changed (Pedro also netted 13 in 48) but still largely reliant upon Messi's magic.

In terms of a fully functional first-choice front line, however, the two best for Barca in recent seasons are the Messi-Eto'o-Henry trident in 2008-09 (with 99) and the Argentine's association with David Villa and Pedro in 2010-11, which yielded 98 strikes (53 for Leo, 23 for the former Spain striker and 22 for the current Barca winger).

Interestingly, those two teams both won the Champions League - proof perhaps that a balanced front line can help when it comes to breaking down other members of Europe's elite. That, of course, makes sense and bodes well for the hopes of Luis Enrique's side in 2014-15.

This term, Messi has 47 in 48 appearances, Neymar 31 in 42 and Suarez (who sat out the first two months after being banned for biting Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini at the World Cup) is on 19 from his 36 games.

"Messi, Suarez and Neymar are doing great - just as they have been all season," Luis Enrique said on Monday. "They are scoring goals, they give assists and they also help out in defence. I am very happy with them."

Help in defence has been invaluable at times, but the South American forwards will be judged on goals and one more will see the trio draw level with the MVP trident from 2010-11 and another two will equal the MEH attack from 2008-09. And it is merely a matter of time as Barca still have five league games remaining, at least two and possibly three Champions League clashes, plus the final of the Copa del Rey at the end of May.

The 99 goals in 2008-09 arrived in a combined 145 appearances for Messi, Eto'o and Henry, while Leo, Villa and Pedro needed a total of 160 games to reach 98 in 2010-11. By comparison, the Argentine, Neymar and Suarez have racked up 97 so far this term in 126 matches combined - a far superior strike-rate to either of the previous two.

The total is also better than the 89 managed so far by Real Madrid's BBC trio in 2014-15, with Cristiano Ronaldo slightly ahead of Messi on 50 goals (from 47 games) but Karim Benzema (22 from 44) and Gareth Bale (17 from 43) lagging behind both Neymar and Suarez. The France forward and the Welsh winger are also currently injured.

Incidentally, Ronaldo, Bale and Benzema hit 97 in all competitions in 2013-14 (in a combined 143 games) as Madrid claimed the Champions League and the Copa del Rey, so one more goal from Barca's trio this term will also see them overtake that mark.

"I have never seen a relationship like the one between Suarez, Neymar and Messi," defender Gerard Pique said earlier this month. "We are talking about three of the best players in the world. When you're a footballer people always think you are selfish, but these three have a perfect relationship and they understand each other really well. There is no jealousy between them and I think that is clear on the pitch."

At home to 13th-placed Getafe in La Liga on Tuesday, the trio have several new milestones in their sights. One goal will see Messi, Neymar and Suarez overhaul the BBC's best total, two will move them ahead of the MVP strikeforce from 2010-11, while three will take them to a century for the Catalan club in a single season and also eclipse the number set by Leo, Eto'o and Henry in 2008-09.

Still on course for La Liga, the Copa del Rey and the Champions League, only time will tell if Barca can match their treble-winning season of 2008-09, but stats show their formidable forward line is already superior to the trident formed by Messi, Henry and Eto'o that year. And they're not finished yet.

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Ngwa Bertrand

29.Apr.2015

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Ngwa Bertrand

14.Apr.2015

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The regional finals of Fenassco "B" games for the North West in Bamenda have wrapped up for primary schools with Bui Division emerging the overall first with 439 points. In the 2014 Fenassco "B" regional games in Bamenda last year Bui Division was still first.

According to the general classifications of the results of the competitions which held in Bamenda on the 8th of April 2015 Bui Division was first, Ngoketunjia Division came second with 385 points while Mezam Division came third with 313 points, Boyo Division occupied the 4th positions with 221 points while Menchum, Momo and Donga Mantung Divisions occupied the 5th, 6th and 7th positions with 184 points, 178 points and 165 points respectively.

Talking to Cameroon-Concord on the 11th of April 2015 in Bamenda the Divisional Delegate of Basic Education Bui Mr. Angwafor Clement Mankefo who doubles as the president of the Bui Fenessco "B" Bureau attributed the success of his athletes and team sports to transparency, close supervision by his team and follow up of athletes and players by the officials designated. Talking about challenges faced Mr. Angwafor Clement Mankefo said lay private schools are reluctant to pay Fenassco "B" dues of 200francs per athlete as prescribed by the text. He said some of them even if they pay the dues they do so in piece meals as some pay in 150francs per athlete instead of the 200CFA per athlete.

Mr. Angwafor Clement stressed that collection of the Fenassco "B" dues are done within the context of the prescribed text which they can come and verify. He revealed that Bui Division's delegation to the Regional finals was made up of seven team sports, 124 athletes, 14 coaches and five Bureau members. He disclosed that 29 athletes from Bui have been qualified for the national finals in Bafoussam. Thirteen of the 29 athletes are fore individual sports. In addition to that Bui Division qualified two team sports for the national Fenassco "B" finals namely Handball boys and Handball mixed for Boys and Girls.

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Ngwa Bertrand

13.Apr.2015

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The Indomitable Lionesses have qualified for the 2015 edition of the African Games. The Lionesses obtained their qualification ticket by beating Ethiopia 2-1 in the return leg qualifier match on Saturday at the Mfandena sports complex.

The Lionesses therefore qualify on a 4-2 aggregate score given that they beat the Ethiopians by an identical 2-1 margin during the away leg last month in Addis Ababa.

Despite preparing under difficult conditions and without any valuable sparring partner, the Lionesses demonstrated technical and tactical superiority over the Ethiopians. The Lionesses manifested their determination to qualify from the onset of the match as a cross from Aboudi Onguene around the Ethiopian vital met no one to connect the ball to the net. However, it was the Ethiopians who opened scores a few minutes later against the physiognomy of the game benefitting from a penalty kick that was poorly cleared by the Cameroon defence to enable Shitaye Sisiaye who was on the look-out to hammer in a volley that flew past goalkeeper Ngo Ndom.

Cameroon got the equalizer just before the half time mark through Gabriel Aboudi who received a clean pass from Ngono Mani to eliminate the Ethiopian defence and beat the Ethiopian goalkeeper, Dagwawit. Upon resumption of play for the second half, Cameroon stepped up the game, completely suffocating the Ethiopians and would have aggravated scores, had they concretised the several chances they created up front.

However, their effort was compensated at the 75^th minute after Ngono Mani, who gave the assist in the first goal, received a long pass from the back and catapulted the ball with the left foot into the goal post to make it 2-1 for Cameroon. Cameroon will therefore defend the goal medal they won during the African games in Maputo 2011, in Congo-Brazzaville in September.

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Ngwa Bertrand

13.Apr.2015

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