Born in Cameroon, raised in Colorado, forged in the North American women’s league, Estelle Johnson adds reassuring defensive experience as the Indomitable Lionesses as they try to grab their last World Cup chance against New Zealand on Thursday.

Johnson smiles all the time, happy to be playing in her first World Cup at the age of 30 for her country of birth.

“I’m a happy person, I just enjoy football and I enjoy everything that goes along with it,” she told AFP. “But I think I’m extra happy because it’s a great competition.”

Even though Cameroon have lost their first two games in Group E, Johnson says her first World Cup has “been even better that I could have imagined.”

A victory over New Zealand in Montpellier would give Cameroon three points and could be enough to earn a place in the last 16 as one of the four best third-place teams.

Johnson was born in Maroua, Cameroon, in 1988. Her American father was a crop scientist.

At seven she moved to Fort Collins in Colorado. She tried “all type of different sports, basketball, volleyball. I’ve played baseball as well with a team full of boys, only girl on the team!”

“But soccer has always been the sport for me.”

She has played for three US clubs, but was aware that she could appear on the international stage with Cameroon.

“I’ve always thought about it, but once I saw them playing in 2015, I think that’s what really made me want to join the team and I’ve been trying to get on the team for a little while now.”

Her dream was held up by red tape.

“I wanted to play in the African Cup a couples of years back, but nothing really was happening,” she said.

Once Alain Djeumfa took over as coach in January he moved to have her application approved.

“When the second coach Alain took over everything started working,” she said.

VERY MOTIVATED

Djeumfa said he wanted Johnson on his team.

“She is a girl of unparallelled maturity in the game, she is really experienced, has an excellent reading of situations, she anticipates a lot and has a very good footwork,” he said. “She was very motivated. Now she is in Cameroon and we are very proud of her.”

She had a week in Cameroon in May to meet her teammates “and eat African food,” said Djeumfa. “She laughs, and eats all the food!”

In a bilingual, French and English-speaking country, the US star, who plays for New Jersey’s Sky Blue in the National Women’s Soccer League, quickly adapted on the field as well.

“On the pitch, I try to communicate in French,” she said, laughing as she repeated the terms. “‘Droite’, ‘dans ton dos’, stuff like that, it’s not good French but get the message across.”

She’s even trying to adapt to the fact that in most of the world outside the United States the sport is not called ‘soccer’.

“Sometimes I say ‘football’ talking with my Cameroonian teammates.”

Johnson now has six international caps. The last two came in the 1-0 loss to Canada and a 3-1 defeat by the Dutch.

“We’ve played really good matches so far, but sometimes football doesn’t go the way that it’s supposed to go. Against Canada we could have come away with a point,” she said.

Even victory against the Kiwis might not be enough, depending on results in other groups.

“Some things need to happen in our favour, but we just need to make sure we win on Thursday and make sure we do everything possible and get to the next round,” she said.

“We all believe we can do it, we’ve no doubt in our mind we are going to put on a good performance.”

Source: Supersports

Manchester United have identified Ajax goalkeeper Andre Onana as their preferred successor for David de Gea this summer.

The Red Devils are expecting to lose the long-serving Spaniard this summer, who looks ready to move after failing to extend his contract which now has just 12 months left to run.

De Gea last month rejected United’s final contract offer to him, meaning the club will be left with little choice but to sell him off for the best price.

The club has been linked with Jasper Cillessen as a replacement, but with Barcelona seemingly looking to hold out for the player’s €60m asking price, a move for the Dutchman looks beyond what they’re willing to pay.

And if £54m is too much for Cillessen, that’s very much the case when it comes to Jan Oblak; the Atletico Madrid keeper once again emerging as a surprise option this week amid claims the €100m keeper wants out at the Wanda Metropolitano this summer.

As such, The Independent claims United have instead identified Cameroon keeper Onana as their No 1 choice – mainly due to the fact that they believe Ajax will do business at around £40m.

That will keep funds free for the club to spend more on rebuilding their defence, with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer identifying the need to sign a new right-back and possibly a new centre-half too.

Onana is set to be confirmed as Cameroon’s first-choice keeper for the upcoming African Cup of Nations and United are set to monitor his performances before making a move.

AND THE REST

Tottenham are set to make an improved transfer offer for Real Betis attacker Giovani Lo Celso – but the LaLiga side are determined to hold out for £65m – a club record for Spurs – for the Argentine (Daily Mirror)

Aaron Wan-Bissaka has told Crystal Palace he wants to make a dream move to Manchester United (Daily Mirror)

Arsenal are interested in Roma midfielder Lorenzo Pellegrini, who has a £27m buy-out clause in his contract, but face competition from Tottenham, AC Milan and Inter Milan for the Italy international (Daily Mirror)

Zinedine Zidane has won his transfer battle with Florentino Perez with Real Madrid set to move for Paul Pogba over Christian Eriksen (Daily Mirror)

Source: Talkteam.com

Former Chelsea and Manchester United manager, Jose Mourinho, has given a prescription on how Egypt international Mohamed Salah could compete for the coveted Ballon d’Or gong.

The Portuguese manager who managed Salah during his stint at Chelsea, told Beinsports that the Egyptian could compete for the Ballon d’Or only if he manages to win the upcoming African Cup of Nations, AFCON, with the Pharaohs.

“Salah has to win the African Cup of Nations if he wants to compete for the Ballon d’Or,” Mourinho said in post-match analysis of the UEFA Champions League final last Saturday.

26-year-old Salah’s first medal for the season came with Liverpool, last Saturday, after they beat Tottenham in the final of the UEFA Champions League in Madrid. Salah became the first Egyptian to win the title.

He was a joint goal king winner in the English league, sharing the award with Senegalese team mate Sadio Mane and Gabon international and Arsenal forward, Pierre Emerick Aubameyang. It was the second time in a row he was winning the golden boot.

Egypt, hosts of the 2019 AFCON, are drawn in Group A of the AFCON which starts on June 21. They are drawn along with Zimbabwe, Uganda and DR Congo.

The team will be looking to go one better after finishing runners up in the last edition of the tournament staged in Gabon. The Pharoahs lost in the final to eventual winners Cameroon.

Source: Africa News

Paris Saint-Germain’s star striker Neymar has been accused of raping a woman at a hotel in Paris, Brazilian media reports said Saturday, charges that the player’s father slammed as attempted blackmail.

According to a complaint filed with São Paulo police and reported by the UOL and GloboEsporte websites, the Paris Saint-Germain star is accused of “using violence to have sex with the victim without her consent”.

São Paulo’s security secretariat would not provide a copy of the complaint to AFP, confirming only that one had been filed but saying its contents were classified.

The unidentified woman, who lives in Brazil, allegedly met Neymar through Instagram and, after exchanging messages, the footballer invited her to visit him in Paris in mid-May.

According to the complaint, Neymar arrived at the hotel “apparently intoxicated”, and the two chatted and exchanged “caresses”.

But then “he became aggressive and used violence to have sex with the victim without her consent”, the document said.

Neymar’s father, who is also his agent, categorically denied the accusations in an interview with Brazilian broadcaster Bandeirantes.

“This is not true, he has never committed any crime,” said Neymar Santos, arguing that his son was a victim of blackmail. “We have all the evidence and we already gave everything to the lawyers.”

According to Neymar Santos, his son and the woman went on a date, but Neymar did not want to see her again. Since then, the woman has tried to extort money from the player and his family, he said.

“My son can be accused of many things, but I know what kind of man he is… It’s clear that this was a trap,” he said, adding that the family was prepared to release WhatsApp messages that would exonerate Neymar.

According to the media reports, the accuser was in Paris from May 15 to 17, but waited until last Friday to file the complaint in Brazil because she was “emotionally shaken”.

Neymar has recently been embroiled in assault scandals. In May the French football authorities banned him for three matches after he lashed out at a fan after PSG’s embarrassing French Cup loss to Rennes in April.

Neymar, 27, is currently in Brazil preparing for the Copa America, which takes place in the country from June 14 to July 7.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP)

The German goalkeeper has commended the Cameroon international for his fine displays for the Sons of Gods this term

Bayern Munich goalkeeper Manuel Neuer has praised Ajax’s Andre Onana for his impressive displays between the sticks this season.

Onana helped Erik ten Hag’s side complete a domestic double of the Dutch Cup and Eredivisie triumph this campaign.

Unfortunately, the Cameroonian goalkeeper was unable to save the Sons of Gods from a disappointing 3-2 loss to Tottenham Hotspur in the return leg of the Uefa Champions League semi-final fixture.

Ajax bowed out of the tournament based on the away goals rule after settling for a 3-3 aggregate score.

“Hey Onana, it is Neuer from Munich. I’m your biggest fan, of course, you played a very good season for Ajax,” Neuer said in a Twitter video.

“You and your guys deserved to be in the finals so don’t be too sad maybe you will get any chance in the future to come back to the semi-final final and have a better result than the last one.

“Take care and enjoy the celebration with Ajax for the Cup and for the championship in your league. You did a great a job and all the best in the future, my friend.”

Source: Goal.com

Having shone on many of the top stages in world football as a player, Clarence Seedorf now stands before his biggest challenge to date as a coach.

After taking the reins at Cameroon in August 2018, he is now sizing up a trip to the CAF Africa Cup of Nations Egypt 2019 with the Indomitable Lions – who will arrive as reigning champions.

But the road already hasn’t been a simple one. Absent from the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia, Cameroon were anticipating hosting the continental tournament this June. However, after it was deemed necessary to postpone their hosting for two years in November, handing Egypt the reins, it meant Seedorf was left with one crucial game to secure their spot in the finals. A 3-0 triumph over Comoros secured it.

FIFA.com spoke with him on his first nine months at the helm, getting to know Africa and the improving fortunes of former club Ajax and the Dutch national team.

FIFA.com: Clarence, this is your first international coaching role so how do you reflect on your first nine months in charge?

Clarence Seedorf: It was definitely an electric ending to qualifying with all the changes at the last minute. We had to win against Comoros, but it also confirmed the work we’d done up until that moment had been really productive. Ending up with the same points as Morocco, who are one of the favourites to win the AFCON, with only two goals difference says a lot about how we performed and prepared for the other games.

The change of host put you in a uniquely challenging position. Did you need to go through a process of refocusing the team for that final game?

I told my players from day one that I wanted to be first in the group. They knew that every match was serious, every training session was serious and every day was a chance to be their best. It’s a mentality that we’ve been able to create over those months and the last two performances against Brazil and Comoros are an acknowledgement that this team had the right mentality and were ready both technically and tactically to perform.

Having been linked with the likes of the Real Madrid job, the Cameroon role presents something of a different direction. How have you taken to leading the African champions?

Obviously, it’s always an honour to be linked with teams like Real Madrid, but it was a great challenge to get this team ready in just a few days, when normally you’d have a whole pre-season with them, and was actually a very exciting process. Cameroon are historically one of the best teams in Africa and missing out on the finals in Russia was a big disappointment for them. As a result it’s been like starting all over again, rebuilding the team and rebuilding the respect on an international level, which I think we’ve achieved with some great performances.

With a whole host of AFCON front-runners keen to leave with gold, do you think Cameroon have what it takes to retain the title?

Cameroon always has it. We’re in good shape and things are positive but then we need to translate this into matches. No one is going to have an easy day playing against Cameroon in Egypt.

Having played and coached around the world, how have you taken to coaching in Africa?

Similarly to Brazil, there’s a lot of focus on the players, they mean so much to the people in the country. They’re really their idols, their role models and the country stops for the match. But football is a universal language and it comes down to the same things wherever you go.

You’ve taken in the likes of well-known football nations like Morocco and Cameroon, but also smaller ones such as Malawi and Comoros. How has it been discovering those new football cultures?

Besides the experiences of culture, I’m finally able to see Africa, feel Africa and live Africa. There are still lots of problems here but the potential, the talent and the energy is fantastic. It’s wonderful to be able to get into those countries and it’s a privilege to be able to travel around Africa and work there.

You’re doing all that alongside Patrick Kluivert, who you have a footballing connection going back 25 years with. How has that translated to the bench?

We’ve discovered that we’re a really strong duo. We understand each other, we complete each other, it really is the match we hoped it would be. It really is fantastic working with Patrick and we’re looking forward to maybe a lasting relationship and maybe we will be able to have an even bigger impact in Africa and then in Europe some time.

It was a relationship that started at Ajax, who enjoyed their greatest run in Europe since you both were at the club. How has it been seeing them rediscover that European pedigree?

It’s good for football that other clubs and new players are knocking on the door. Of course the DNA of the club and the history always counts: Liverpool, Ajax already have four and five Champions League medals. Ajax has a good mix of both young and experienced players; that combination enables the young players to perform. We had an Ajax side showing the Amsterdam flavour again and I love it.

And with this young talent feeding into the Dutch national team. How are you feeling about the side’s recent revival?

I think a lot has to do with the coaching in general: can you create the right conditions for the players to excel, can you build a cohesion that will translate into a match, can you keep the guys competitive but also still supportive of each other? I feel like these elements have been brought back by Ronald Koeman, who has been doing a great job. Everything seems to be fitting together and I hope this is a lasting movement with Ajax and the Dutch team. Let’s see what it holds for the coming years.

Was it a surprise that there was quite such a dip over the last few years, after finishing second and third at the 2010 and 2014 World Cups?

You need to have a plan and coaches who push you in a certain direction. I think that wasn’t the case a few years ago. Sometimes results can blind you and we didn’t really see the state of things. I think Louis van Gaal did an amazing job (in 2014) with a team that probably wasn’t expected to go all the way to where they went.

The team you featured in at France 1998 was a sensational side, with many of your fellow Ajax graduates alongside you. Do you look back on that tournament as a missed opportunity at all?

Until now, Dutch mentality has been more about playing well instead of winning. That’s something I have always criticised because it needs to be improved. One thing I like about this Ajax side is that, when they are in difficulty, they don’t try to keep looking nice. The ball can go straight out of the stadium or up front, so they can also be more practical.

Everyone wants to play attractive football but Italy have won four World Cups and Holland none, so where lies the truth? What is your choice in terms of the type of mentality you have? Obviously, identities shouldn’t be changed – you should play good football and look to perform within your philosophy, but your adversary won’t always let you perform the way you would like. What do you do then? That’s where potential growth lies for the Dutch.

Source: FIFA.Com

Portuguese soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo has donated $1.5 million to the Palestinians in a move to alleviate the suffering of people in the besieged Gaza Strip.

He allocated the fund to the Palestinians during the holy month of Ramadan.

The soccer player has, in several occasions, denounced Israel’s atrocities against the Palestinians.

Back in 2012, Ronaldo had auctioned off his Golden Boot, the prestigious award given to the best European strikers of the season, to raise funds that were later donated to the Palestinian children.

The following year, in March 2013, at the end of the match between Portugal and Israel for the 2014 World Cup qualifiers, Ronaldo refused to exchange his shirt with an Israeli player.

The Gaza Strip has been under Israeli land, air and sea blockade since June 2007. The blockade has caused a decline in the standard of living as well as unprecedented levels of unemployment and unrelenting poverty.

Palestinians have held weekly rallies along the Gaza border to protest the siege on the enclave and demand the right for refugees to return to their homes they fled during the 1948 creation of Israel.

More than 270 Palestinians have been killed in attacks by Israeli forces ever since anti-occupation protest rallies began in the Gaza Strip on March 30, 2018. Over 16,000 Palestinians have also sustained injuries.

Source: Presstv

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said prior to the humiliating 4-0 thrashing by Everton there would not be wholesale changes to Manchester United personnel in the close season, but Gary Neville, for one, believes he should think again.

United’s millionaire stars such as Paul Pogba and David de Gea put up a display described by the British press on Monday as “abject”, “an apology” for a performance, with the team derided as being generally “rudderless” and “spineless”.

However, whilst it came five years to the day when a 2-0 defeat by the same opponents cost David Moyes his job, it is not Solskjaer who is being targeted but the under-performing Pogba and his team-mates.

The World Cup-winning midfielder, after a series of encouraging performances when Solskjaer first assumed the reins in December, has returned to being the non-existent presence so often the focus of Jose Mourinho’s ire — although it was the Portuguese coach who was sacrificed.

His and Nemanja Matic’s failure to shore up midfield has been a contributing factor to United’s miserable run of six defeats in their last eight games and five successive away losses — their worst run on the road since 1981.

Seldom can a Manchester derby — they host title-chasing City on Wednesday — have been less eagerly anticipated by United fans.

Neville, United to the core and an integral member of Alex Ferguson’s side that accrued eight Premier League crowns and two Champions League trophies, was excoriating in his criticism of the players.

“If you’ve got weeds in the garden, you’ve got to get rid of them,” said Neville, who has become a respected pundit for Sky Sports.

“There’s some Japanese knotweed at that football club and it’s attacking the foundations of the house. It needs dealing with properly.

“I don’t need to name names, you know who they are.”

– ‘Level of happiness’ –

Former England international midfielder Jermaine Jenas, who has also turned to punditry since hanging up his boots, turned on the players as well.

The 36-year-old said such is the negativity in the team that even the younger talents have been sucked into the vortex of supine performances.

“They showed no heart, no desire and no will to win. They were woeful,” Jenas wrote in his column for the BBC website.

“Everyone was guilty.

“Even Marcus Rashford, who has got one of the best attitudes of anyone at the club, got sucked in by what I would describe as a vacuum of negativity.”

United fans may be wondering if the board jumped the gun in giving Solskjaer the job on a permanent basis — as the subsequent results appear to be reflective more of his unsuccessful stint in charge of Cardiff.

Indeed, just as his and the team’s fortunes have dipped, the man who was seen as his major rival for the job has seen his stock rise.

Mauricio Pochettino’s star has sparkled again thanks to Tottenham’s epic win over Manchester City in the Champions League.

But Neville has been slow to criticise his former team-mate Solskjaer.

The man dubbed ‘Red Nev’ after he led a players’ strike with England due to their anger over Rio Ferdinand being dropped because of a missed drugs test, took to the barricades when another unloved former United boss, Louis van Gaal, criticised Solskjaer a few weeks ago.

Van Gaal said Solskjaer was like Mourinho in parking the bus and relying on the counter-attack, only he was more popular because the results were going in his favour.

“Ole has brought in a level of happiness and excitement back to the fans,” retorted Neville.

“At least that’s something because, to be fair, it has been difficult in the last three or four years to watch what we’ve seen.”

Even Neville might be rethinking that statement in the wake of Sunday’s humiliation.

AFP

Egyptian Mohamed Salah, Senegalese Sadio Mane and Ivorian Nicolas Pepe shared the glory among the African stars in Europe at the weekend.

Salah scored with an unstoppable shot from outside the box to complete a 2-0 win for Premier League leaders Liverpool over Chelsea after Mane had nodded the first goal.

Pepe took his Ligue 1 goal tally for the season to 19 by scoring once and also provided two assists as Lille stunned runaway leaders Paris Saint-Germain 5-1.

ENGLAND

SADIO MANE (Liverpool)

He set Liverpool on their way and settled some nerves after a goalless first half by taking advantage of being unmarked to head in Jordan Henderson’s pin-point chipped cross at the back post. For the 27-year-old Senegalese star it was his 18th Premier League goal of the campaign, his best return in his time in England and a reflection of his often unsung contributions to his club sides.

MOHAMED SALAH (Liverpool)

Played a major role in Mane’s goal and added a glorious second minutes later with an unstoppable drive from outside the area for his 22nd goal of the campaign and 19th Premier League strike. The 26-year-old’s celebrations were worth the admittance fee as he knelt on one knee and later kissed the turf. It was a perfect riposte to the Chelsea fans who chanted an Islamopbobic song about him prior to last Thursday’s Europa League clash with Slavia Prague.

VICTOR WANYAMA (Tottenham Hotspur)

The Kenyan powerhouse midfielder has found holding down a regular starting position this season tough through a mixture of injury and form. However, he showed his old sparkle in scoring Spurs’ first in their routine 4-0 humbling of relegated Huddersfield, benefitting from Fernando Llorente pulling an opposition defender with him. The 27-year-old Wanyama profited by getting the better of Tom Hamer and slotting the ball home.

SPAIN

STANLEY CHUKWUEZE (Villarreal)

The Nigerian scored after seven minutes as Villarreal climbed out of the La Liga relegation zone with a 1-0 win at fellow strugglers Girona. However, a tough battle lies ahead for Chukwueze and his teammates as they are just two points above endangered Valladolid.

ITALY

KALIDOU KOULIBALY (Napoli)

Senegal defender Kalidou Koulibaly bagged a brace as Napoli beat Chievo 3-1 to delay Juventus’ bid to win Serie A and condemn the Verona side to relegation. Koulibaly, 27, headed in the opening goal in the 15th minute and claimed his first double nine minutes from time. “We are angry. We want to show another face of Napoli,” added Koulibaly, following his first goals this season, after losing 2-0 to Arsenal in a Europa League quarter-final first leg.

FRANCK KESSIE (AC Milan)

Ivorian Kessie scored from the spot to keep AC Milan in the Champions League places with a 1-0 win over Lazio. Kessie slotted in on 79 minutes to end Milan’s four-match winless run, and stay one point ahead of Roma. The 22-year-old came under fire, however, after the game for holding Francesco Acerbi’s shirt aloft like a trophy along with teammate Tiemoue Bakayoko after the Lazio player had swapped it with French midfielder following the game at the San Siro.

GERMANY

NABIL BENTALEB (Schalke)

The Algerian midfielder returned to action for Schalke for the first time in a month after being dropped for poor discipline. Bentaleb came off the bench in Schalke’s 1-1 draw with Nuremberg to make his first appearance in a royal blue shirt since the 7-0 Champions League drubbing by Manchester City in mid-March. Interim coach Huub Stevens had banished Bentaleb to the reserves for undisclosed disciplinary reasons, but welcomed him back into the fold last week.

ISHAK BELFODIL (Hoffenheim)

Algerian international Belfodil was denied his sixth goal in three league games after his first-half strike against Hertha Berlin was wrongly disallowed for offside. The decision was not overturned by VAR because the whistle had already blown by the time Belfodil fired the ball in. Though Belfodil did not make the scoresheet, Hoffenheim won 2-0.

FRANCE

NICOLAS PEPE (Lille)

The Ivory Coast striker continued his excellent season with a goal and two assists in Lille’s stunning 5-1 thrashing of champions elect Paris Saint-Germain. The 23-year-old gave Lille the lead shortly after half-time by slotting in his 20th goal of the campaign, before teeing up defenders Gabriel and Jose Fonte late on as his side condemned PSG to their heaviest Ligue 1 defeat since 2009.

WAHBI KHAZRI (Saint-Etienne)

The Tunisian international’s 55th-minute penalty set Saint-Etienne on their way to a crucial 3-0 win over Bordeaux as Les Verts chase a Champions League spot. The 28-year-old has scored 14 goals this term since signing from Rennes.

AFP

Tiger Woods won the 83rd Masters on Sunday, capturing his 15th major title to cement an epic return from scandal and injuries that once threatened his career.

Ending an 11-year major drought, the 43-year-old American superstar – who underwent spinal fusion in 2017 fearing chronic back pain would deny him life’s simple joys much less golf wins – seized his first major title since the 2008 US Open.

Woods fired a final-round two-under par 70 to finish on 13-under 275 for a one-shot victory to capture a $2.07 million (€1.82 million) top prize and the green jacket symbolizing Masters supremacy.

An all-American trio of three-time major winner Brooks Koepka, world number two Dustin Johnson and Xander Schauffele shared second on 276.

“I don’t know if there are words – I’m sure he’s ecstatic about it,” Koepka said. “To have the injuries and come back and do what he has done, it has been tremendous to watch.”

PGA TOUR✔@PGATOUR

Tiger Woods’ 15 majors:

1997 Masters
1999 PGA Championship
2000 U.S. Open
2000 The Open
2000 PGA Championship
2001 Masters
2002 Masters
2002 U.S. Open
2005 Masters
2005 The Open
2006 The Open
2006 PGA Championship
2007 PGA Championship
2008 U.S. Open
2019 Masters#

It was the fifth Masters title for Woods, his first since 2005, and it moved him three shy of the all-time record 18 major titles won by Jack Nicklaus.

“A big well done from me to Tiger,” Nicklaus told telecaster CBS. “I’m so happy for him and for the game of golf. This is so fantastic.”

Woods served notice he had returned to form by contending last year at the British Open and PGA before snapping a five-year title drought by capturing the Tour Championship.

Racing to finish before an oncoming thunderstorm, players created their own electric atmosphere, spectators roaring repeatedly for sensational shotmaking on one of golf’s iconic stages at Augusta National, where Woods won his first major title in 1997.

Fans chant Tiger’s name

Woods then drove the green in two at the par-5 15^th and tapped in for birdie to seize the lead alone at 13-under par then sank a four-foot birdie putt at the par-3 16^th to stretch his advantage to two shots with two holes remaining.

Woods parred 17 and walked up to the 18^th green to crowds 20-people deep applauding with delight, but he kept a stoic visage until the job was complete, a tap-in for bogey followed by a fist pump and a scream of joy in celebration of a fairytale fightback like few others in sporting history.

Serena Williams✔@serenawilliams

I am literally in tears watching @TigerWoods this is Greatness like no other. Knowing all you have been through physically to come back and do what you just did today? Wow Congrats a million times! I am so inspired thank you buddy.

Just off the 18^th green, Woods hugged his mother as he had his late father Earl in 1997 and held his children, his back more than up to the task as the crowd chanted his name, a rare tribute, and rivals congratulated him as he entered the clubhouse.

Woods, one shy of matching Nicklaus for the most career Masters wins, won his 81^st career US PGA victory, one shy of the all-time record held by Sam Snead.

He also set a record for the longest gap between Masters triumphs, the 14-year spread one year longer than the old mark set by South African Gary Player from 1961 to 1974.

It completes a fairytale comeback to the pinnacle of golf for Woods, whose career imploded after a 2009 sex scandal before unraveling amid injuries and personal problems.

Logjam of late leaders

After battling to overhaul 54-hole leader Francesco Molinari of Italy, Woods birdied the par-5 13^th to join a lead pack of five at 12-under.

Woods, Molinari, Xander Schauffele, Brooks Kopeka and Dustin Johnson with Australian Jason Day in the clubhouse on 11-under and Patrick Cantlay, who also hit 12-under, foiled by bogeys at 16 and 17.

Woods and Molinari, in the last trio, each birdied the par-5 13^th to reach 12-under while Johnson reeled off three consecutive birdies, the last on an 11-foot putt at 17, to make 12-under.

Barack Obama✔@BarackObama

Congratulations, Tiger! To come back and win the Masters after all the highs and lows is a testament to excellence, grit, and determination.

Schauffele got there on birdies at 14 and 15 and Koepka by answering a double bogey at the par-3 12^th with an eagle at 13 and birdie at 15.

None could go lower except Woods, with Molinari undone at the par-5 15^th when his approach struck a tree limb and his chip barely clung to the side of a damp slope on the way to a double-bogey disaster.

Augusta National moved the final round to Sunday morning due to storms expected to arrive in the afternoon, when leaders would typically be battling for the title.

The Masters, which has not had a Monday conclusion since 1983, decided to cancel its green jacket ceremony at the 18th green in order to hurry spectators to the exits faster.

(AFP)