Artificial pitch holds no fear for Ballack
October 6, 2009
Germany captain Michael Ballack on Tuesday dismissed concerns over the artificial pitch for the crunch World Cup showdown with Russia, saying his team is well-prepared to adapt to the tricky surface.
The Chelsea midfielder, 33, said Germany is confident ahead of the Group Four clash in Moscow on Saturday where a win would see them book an automatic place in South Africa at next June’s tournament.
The match will be played at the 78,000-seater Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow, one of the few major European grounds with artificial turf, but Germany have been practising on a similar surface this week at their training base.
“I have only trained on artificial turf a few times and never played a match on it,” Ballack told reporters after a training session on the astroturf.
“But we are well prepared and … there are also advantages to playing on artificial turf, not just disadvantages.
“Of course, it’s all a bit new, but it’s the same for both teams and so I do not think it will play much of a role.”
Coach Joachim Loew said his players had worked on ball retention and precision passing at their training session and were already coming to terms with the new surface.
“Of course there is an adjustment that we’re going to have to get used to in the next few days but we will get used to it,” said Loew.
“We have a few days to get accustomed to it and then it shouldn’t play a role.”
Germany are just a point ahead of Russia in the qualifying group and victory in Moscow would guarantee Loew’s side a place in South Africa regardless of their last match against Finland in Hamburg next Wednesday.
Ballack said he expected former mentor Guus Hiddink – who left Chelsea after a short stint as coach last season to return to his former role as Russian trainer – to prepare his team well.
“But at the end of the day, you can have respect but you mustn’t forget to play football,” he said.
“We are well prepared and we are full of self-confidence. We know what we can do. We are at the top of the table and I am expecting a classic game, obviously with a good result for us,” Ballack said.
BERLIN (AFP)
Tags: artificial pitch, artificial turf, astroturf, ball retention, captain michael, clash, crunch, hiddink, joachim loew, last match, luzhniki stadium, Michael Ballack, Moscow, qualifying group, russian trainer, self confidence, stint, training session, World CupRelated posts
Canada draws 2-2 with Costa Rica
July 11, 2009
MIAMI — Patrice Bernier and Marcel de Jong scored 3 1/2 minutes apart in the first half and led Canada to a 2-2 draw with Costa Rica on Friday, sending the North Americans to the quarterfinals of the CONCACAF Gold Cup as the Group A winners.
Canada already had assured itself of a berth in the final eight and finished with seven points to earn a match against the Group B runner-up July 18 in Philadelphia.
Costa Rica improved to four points, and advanced to the quarterfinals when Jamaica beat El Salvador 1-0 in the second game of the doubleheader Friday
“Two-two was a fair result. Both teams played to win the pace of the game changed after the first goal,” Costa Rica coach Rodrigo Kenton said. “Canada is a good, calm organized team.”
The first 20 minutes of the match were listless with both teams getting comfortable with the artificial turf surface and the humidity.
But then both teams exploded for four goals in 11 minutes.
Costa Rica opened the scoring in the 23rd minute thanks to two mistakes by Canadian goalkeeper Greg Sutton on the same play.
Sutton’s goal kick went right to Costa Rica’s Armando Alonso, who headed the ball back into the Canadian zone. Striker Andy Herron ran onto the ball and lofted a shot over Sutton who ventured out too far and stumbled while trying to retreat into his goal.
Two minutes later, Canada tied the game when midfielder Josh Simpson drove down the left flank and found an unmarked Bernier, who volleyed the ball into the goal.
De Jong put Canada ahead in the 28th. His free kick from close to 45 meters was cleared back toward him. He settled it and then launched another attempt that skipped once before deflecting off the inside of the left post past goalkeeper Ricardo Gonzalez.
But Costa Rican captain Walter Centeno, the Miller Lite Man of the Match, equalized in the 34th minute, driving a curving free kick from 30 meters over the wall and found the inside of the goalpost
Costa Rica suffered from suspect defending and shoddy goalkeeping for much of the first half.
Despite the breakdowns, the Ticos sent a wave of pressure at Canada in the second half looking for the winner. Celso Borges sent a bicycle kick by the right post early in the half.
Then Canada got a lucky break when the ball off a corner kick hit Canadian defender Richard Hastings’ hands in the 73rd minute, but American referee Terry Vaughan didn’t call a penalty.
Five minutes later, Borges headed Centeno’s corner, but Canadian midfielder Jaime Peters cleared the ball off the line.
In the 84th minute, Centeno sent a header from 10 yards out just over the crossbar.
That’s as close as Costa Rica could get as Sutton and the Canadian defense prevailed.
“Canada was just sitting back and the result was good for them,” Herron said. “They didn’t mind if they just sat there and went forward, so they just defended the whole time trying to get in good position to try to attack us and we just tried, they defended well.”
“The coach was trying to make a couple of changes to get us close to the goal. I mean we tried we tried to do our best, but Canada did a good job defending.”
With injuries and players tagged with cautions, Canada manager Stephen Hart rested five of his regulars.
“I had no choice. I had no choice,” Hart said. “If any of the players were carded they would out been out of the quarterfinals. And we had injuries. I had no choice.”
Julian de Guzman, captain Paul Stalteri, Ali Gerba, Mike Klukowski, Dejan Jakovic and Josh Simpson all began the match on the bench. Jakovic was injured, while De Guzman, the Gold Cup 2007 MVP, could have been suspended for the quarterfinals with another caution. Inserted in their place were Jaime Peters, Andre Hainault, Simeon Jackson, Richard Hastings and de Jong.
“For us this game in particular there were too many changes we just couldn’t find a rhythm,” Hart said. “In the second half we did marginally better, but overall what we had to do tonight was suffer and we got the result of a point, but at least with three games and now we have a few days to recuperate and head to the quarterfinals.”
By: By Vijay Setlur
Tags: ali gerba, Andre Hainault, Andy Herron, armando alonso, artificial turf, Canada, canadian zone, captain Paul Stalteri, captain Walter Centeno, CONCACAF Champions' Cup, concacaf gold cup, Costa Rica, doubleheader, El Salvador, free kick, goal kick, goalkeeper ricardo, goalkeeping, goalpost, Greg Sutton, Herron, Jamaica, josh simpson, julian de guzman, left flank, marcel de jong, Miami, Mike Klukowski, North Americans, patrice bernier, Peters, Philadelphia, quarterfinals, ricardo gonzalez, Richard Hastings, Rodrigo Kenton, second game, seven points, Simeon Jackson, stephen hart, Terry Vaughan, Vijay Setlur, Walter CentenoRelated posts
Swaziland´s only stadium torn apart for lucky charms
June 8, 2009
LOBAMBA, Swaziland (AFP) – The artificial turf at Swaziland’s only football stadium has been ripped apart by players who planted magic charms known as “muti” under the field, officials said on Monday.
Traditional rituals meant to help teams win their games saw the 600,000-dollar turf ripped up over the last month so the muti could be planted underneath, with the damage especially bad by the goals and at centrefield.
Government sports officer Sipho Magagula said the government might consider banning the team suspected of most of the damage at Somhlolo National Stadium on the outskirts of the capital Mbabane.
“This turf is hardly a year old,” Magagula told AFP. “Maybe we have to consider banning one big team because whenever that team would be playing at the stadium something strange would happen at the stadium.”
Sports Minister Hlobsile Ndlovu has filed a formal criminal complaint over the damage, according to local media. Police say they are investigating.
Tags: artificial turf, criminal complaint, field officials, football stadium, games, LOBAMBA, local media, lucky charms, magic charms, Mbabane, Minister, Monday, muti, ndlovu, outskirts, Sipho, Somhlolo, stadium sports, Swaziland, traditional rituals, World CupRelated posts
Costa Ricans rip US for World Cup lead
June 4, 2009
SAN JOSE, Costa Rica (AFP) – Alvario Saborio and Selso Borges scored early goals to give Costa Rica a 3-1 victory over the United States here, putting the Ticos atop North America’s World Cup 2010 qualifying.
Costa Rica improved to 3-1 for nine points in the North and Central America and Caribbean region (CONCACAF) to move past the Americans, who slid to 2-1-1 for seven points to stand second in the six-nation hexagonal qualifying event.
The top three teams advance directly to the 2010 World Cup finals in South Africa. The fourth-place team must come through against the fifth-best from South America in a playoff to reach South Africa.
The Americans suffered their sixth loss in a row at Costa Rica, the longest US road losing streak to any foe, and remained winless on the artificial turf of Saprissa Stadium, known for rowdy supporters fenced off near the pitch.
The Ticos seized the lead in the opening seconds when Saborio sent the ball high and bent it around diving US goalkeeper Tim Howard.
Saborio netted the second-fastest goal ever allowed by the US lineup in a World Cup qualifier, the only faster being a header in the first minute by Carlos Hermosillio in a 2-2 draw with Mexico from 1997.
Borges took a pass from Esteban Sirias and blasted the ball into the net in the 12th minute to double the hosts’ edge.
Pablo Herrera put the finishing touches on the rout in the 68th minute as the margin matched the 3-0 drubbing suffered by the US team in 2005 in their most recent prior visit to Costa Rica.
Landon Donovan averted a shutout with a penalty kick in the second minute of stoppage time, netting the first US goal in Costa Rica since 2000 with a right-footed blast.
Adding to the Americans’ woes was a yellow card on US midfielder Michael Bradley in the 55th minute, one that will keep him out Saturday against Honduras in Chicago in the next qualifying match.
US forward Brian Ching had a hamstring injury and missed the match, which was brought forward one week to allow the Americans to prepare for and play in the FIFA Confederations Cup later this month in South Africa.
Qualifying matches continue Saturday when Costa Rica will visit Trinidad and Tobago, the US squad plays host to Honduras and Mexico will travel to El Salvador.
Tags: artificial turf, Brian, brian ching, Caribbean, caribbean region, Carlos Hermosillio, Chicago, Costa Rica, drubbing, El Salvador, Esteban Sirias, Honduras, landon donovan, Mexico, Michael Bradley, MLS, North America, pablo herrera, penalty kick, saborio, San Jose, san jose costa rica, Saprissa Stadium, selso, seven points, sirias, South Africa, South America, stoppage time, ticos, tim howard, trinidad and tobago, U.S., United States, world cup 2010, world cup finals, world cup qualifier, yellow cardRelated posts
N.Korea move within sight of World Cup finals
March 28, 2009
SEOUL (AFP) – North Korea moved within sight of the World Cup finals Saturday with a 2-0 win over United Arab Emirates in Pyongyang, all but snuffing out any hope the Gulf side had of playing in South Africa.
The Koreans now top Group B in Asian qualifying with 10 points from five games, two points ahead of arch-rivals South Korea, whom they play in Seoul on Wednesday in a grudge match.
In other Group B matches, Iran and Saudi Arabia face each other in a crunch showdown in Tehran later Saturday with the Iranians on six points and the Saudis on four.
Only the top two teams from each group automatically qualify for 2010.
North Korea, the 1966 World Cup quarter-finalists, were far the better team against UAE on the artificial turf of the Kim Il-Sung Stadium.
Pak Choi-Jin scored the opener on 51 minutes with Mun In-Guk putting the game beyond UAE’s reach with a strike in injury time.
It leaves coach Dominique Bathaney’s men languishing on one point from five games with three games to go, including tough trips to Riyadh and Tehran.
Written by: AFP
Tags: arch rivals, artificial turf, Dominique Bathaney, five games, grudge match, guk, injury time, Iran, kim il sung, kim il sung stadium, Kim Il-, korea move, N.Korea, North Korea, pak choi, pyongyang, Riyadh, saudi arabia, saudis, seoul, six points, South Africa, south korea, Tehran, The Gulf, three games, UAE, united arab emirates, World Cup, world cup finalsRelated posts
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