Flavio, Manucho help Angola down Malawi

January 15, 2010


Angola avoided another Mali-style collapse to beat Malawi 2-0 and move to the top of Africa Cup of Nations Group A Thursday.

The 2010 hosts put the trauma of seeing a four-goal lead evaporate in the last quarter of an hour of their opening game behind them with goals from Flavio and Manucho.

The result put Angola on four points with Malawi and Algeria on three and Mali, beaten 1-0 by the Algerians in Thursday’s first match, propping up the table on one point.

“The team put in a fantastic effort,” said Angola coach Manuel Jose.

“We had a lot of injuries, I had to take Gilberto off early. If he had stayed on perhaps we could have closed down the game sooner.

“Then there was Flavio and Zuela, who had a problem in the last minute. But they are the sort of sacrifices you have to make if you want to be champions.

“I believed before the game we could win it. The players were free in their minds, their confidence was very high.”

Angola captain Carlos ‘Kali’ Alonso added: “We showed our strength. We felt more secure and our morale was high.”

Malawi coach Kinnah Phiri was upset over training facilities accorded to his team in the run-up to the game.

“We’ve written a letter of protest to (organisers) CAF – they didn’t let us train at the stadium, we were denied a chance to train yesterday (Wednesday).” Angola, with President Eduardo Jose dos Santos, sporting the team’s scarf, among the 50,000 crowd, burst out of the blocks.

They almost took a lightning lead when Manucho volleyed Flavio’s cross only for Malawi keeper Swadick Sanudi to smother the ball.

On 33 minutes Djalma set up former Manchester United and Hull City striker Manucho, whose fierce effort was only stopped by a superb save from Sanudi.

Jose was forced into an unscripted change of personnel when Jamuana came on for injured Gilberto.

There was a touch of artistry from Malawi’s Peter Wadabwa in the 40th minute when, with his back to the Angola goal, he flicked the ball with his heel at keeper Carlos Fernandes, whose reflex save was equal to the threat.

In first half injury time Flavio’s corner found Manucho in the box, but the striker headed over the woodwork from close range.

The second half was only three minutes old when Angola got the goal they deserved.

Djalma, enjoying a bright game, raced down the left in a move started by Mabina and lofted the ball into the box for a charging Flavio, the striker based in Saudi Arabia, to head past Sanudi.

The president, tapping his white trainers excitedly, beamed.

His smile was even wider when, on 54 minutes, Manucho beat off Malawi skipper Peter Mponda to score from close range.

Mali had defied greater odds to grab a point last Sunday but Angola weren’t about to be caught napping twice.

The one sting in the tail for Jose was the sight of a raft of his troops hit the deck with various degrees of injury – Flavio had to be stretchered off as the hour struck.

LUANDA (AFP)

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Giantkillers Malawi have Angola in their sights

January 14, 2010


Malawi, who claimed the scalp of World Cup qualifiers Algeria on Monday, are intent on dishing out the same treatment to Angola when they meet the Africa Cup of Nations’ hosts here on Thursday.

In only their second ever appearance in the competition Malawi go into the game as the surprise leaders of Group A, ahead of Angola and Mali with Algeria footing the table.

Positive results in their warm-up matches proved no flash in the pan judged by the way they whipped the Algerians 3-0, and coach Kinnah Phiri is looking for more of the same.

“We are outsiders in this competition. We played well in our first match and I congratulate my players.

“We did prepare well and we are reaping the fruits here.

“If we maintain this balance, we can shock the world.”

Angola, who were favourites to go through to the quarter-finals from this group with Mali, won’t make the mistake of under estimating Phiri’s players.

Especially after their inelegant collapse against Mali when they paid the price for thinking they had done enough at 4-0 up with barely quarter of an hour remaining.

Former goalkeeper Kanka Vemba said a change of attitude was required among the Black Antelopes’ ahead of Thursday’s encounter.

“We must adopt the same attacking policy but with another mentality of respecting our rivals.”

Another figure in Angola’s football community, Ndunguidi Daniel, chipped in, declaring: “I know that with the result against Mali our players have a lot of pressure on them. We have to concentrate in all departments and maintain a highly competitive attitude for the entire 90 minutes.”

Angola were spurred on by 50,000 fanatical supporters at Luanda’s all new 50,000-seater stadium on Sunday – at least until the fourth minute of injury time when the noise meter plummeted.

On the plus side they have serious attacking potential, witness the double from Flavio Armado and penalties from Gilberto and Manucho.

But defensive frailties, including by goalkeeper Carlos Fernandes, cost them dear against the Malians.

Angola skipper Kali said: “We have to raise our heads – I’m so sad and sorry – there’s no explanation for letting go of such a big lead. But we’ve got to give a good response in our next match.”

As coach Manuel Jose noted, the loss of what looked like a certain three points “makes the next match a little more complicated. The public deserved a win.”

Jose said the way Angola had collapsed was one of the bitterest pills he had ever had to swallow as a manager and he will be hoping for a more digestible result come Thursday.

LUANDA (AFP)

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Everton stadium hopes dashed

November 26, 2009


Everton’s plans to leave Goodison Park, the club’s home for 117 years, for a new 50,000-seat stadium outside the city of Liverpool have been blocked.

The new stadium was to have been built as part of a new retail park in the nearby town of Kirby in partnership with Britain’s biggest supermarket chain, Tesco.

But the proposed 400-million-pound development will not now go ahead after the British government ruled that it could drain jobs and spending from surrounding communities in what is one of the poorest regions in England.

The decision is a serious setback for cash-strapped Everton’s hopes of enhancing the club’s ability to generate match-day revenues.

Goodison Park, described as “crumbling and hopelessly inadequate” by local newspaper The Liverpool Daily Post, has a capacity of 40,158 which cannot be increased. It also has limited facilities for corporate entertainment in comparison to most of the club’s Premier League rivals.

Everton chief executive Robert Elstone said he was “bitterly disappointed” by the government’s decision.

He added: “We will now regroup and carefully consider the options which are open to us. I feel I must stress that we do remain totally committed to finding a new home for our football club. The hunt for that new home will now intensify.”

The collapse of the Kirby stadium plan could reignite discussions on Everton sharing a stadium with near neighbours Liverpool FC, who have themselves been forced to shelve plans for a new 60,000-seat stadium because of financial constraints.

The idea of sharing a stadium on the model of AC Milan and Internazionale at the San Siro has been ruled out by both clubs in the past but is supported by local politicians and could now return to the agenda.

Goodison has been Everton’s home since 1892, when the club moved from its former base at Anfield, which was taken over by Liverpool FC.

The proposed move to Kirby had been projected to increase Everton’s annual revenues by around six million pounds a year, substantially increasing manager David Moyes’s ability to strengthen what is one of the smallest squads in the Premier League.

Everton have punched above their weight recently, finishing fifth in the Premier League in the last two campaigns as well as reaching this year’s FA Cup final.

The club was however unable to resist a 22-million-pound offer from Manchester City for key defender Joleon Lescott in the close season and his departure, combined with a string of injuries, have contributed to a sluggish start to this campaign.

A 3-2 defeat at Hull on Wednesday left Everton 14th in the table and prompted a warning from Moyes that the club could easily find itself involved in a relegation battle if performances did not improve.

LIVERPOOL (AFP)

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Roles reversed as Milan host troubled Real

November 3, 2009


Two weeks can be a long time in football and that has been exactly the case ahead of Tuesday’s Champions League clash between AC Milan and Real Madrid at the San Siro.

Real come into this match in turmoil and still reeling from their humiliating Spanish Cup 4-0 thrashing at the hands of third division Alcorcon last Tuesday that has left Chilean coach Manuel Pellegrini’s job looking decidedly unsafe.

They may have since beaten Getafe in the league but nonetheless Real have lost three of their previous five matches, including the 3-2 reverse at home to Milan two weeks ago.

Back then it was the Italians and their coach Leonardo who were standing on shaky ground.

They had just ended a four-match winless run with a come-from-behind 2-1 home success against AS Roma but had been struggling all season to find the net.

They had lost at home to Swiss minnows FC Zurich in their previous group C match and less than 10 games into his Milan career Leonardo’s job already seemed on the line.

But Milan came away from the Santiago Bernabeu with an unlikely 3-2 win and are now on a five-match unbeaten run, including four victories — which would have been five but for an injury-time collapse away to Napoli last Wednesday.

Milan’s scoring problems also seem to be a thing of the past as they have found the back of the net 11 times in their last five games having managed only six in their first nine matches.

And Dutch midfielder Clarence Seedorf believes the Italians have their confidence back.

“Our confidence is definitely better now than it was before the first game against Real,” he said.

“There’s no fear, it will be a game between two teams who respect each other and will look to win but I know something — Milan have never feared anyone.”

The pressure is firmly on Madrid and Pellegrini with the team struggling in the injury absence of the world’s most expensive player, Cristiano Ronaldo.

Having made a strong start to their season and been in free scoring form, Real have since faded and expensive French signing Karim Benzema is looking increasingly lost at the club.

Their one saving grace is that Argentine forward Gonzalo Higuain is back from injury and straight into scoring form, having bagged a brace in Saturday’s 2-0 win over Getafe.

“I hope I still have some goals left for Milan,” said Higuain, who also looked forward to next weekend’s city derby. “Let’s hope we can win there and then against Atletico Madrid.”

Real scored twice against Milan in their last match but one of those was a gift to Raul after a howler by Milan’s Brazilian goalkeeper Dida.

However, since then he’s been majestic, producing a stunning one-handed close range block against Chievo in injury time with the score at 1-1, which then allowed Milan to head straight up the other end and score a winner.

That won’t be nice reading for Real but scoring goals hasn’t been their primary problem anyway, their defence has been their major worry.

The statistics don’t look bad at all, they’re only one point behind Barcelona in the league, having scored one goal less and conceded only one more.

But a closer look reveals some serious flaws. Real have put most smaller opposition to the sword but in their biggest two tests this season, they’ve come up short.

They lost 2-1 away to Sevilla and suffered that home loss to Milan. And any defence that concedes four goals to a side two divisions below them has to be questioned.

It all suggests that an entertaining game could be in store for the San Siro crowd, as there’s nothing like defensive lapses to create attacking action.

What’s more, win, lose or draw, both sides will still be favoured to progress to the knock-out rounds as they sit on six points each with Marseille and Zurich three points back.

MILAN, Italy (AFP)

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Poulsen to stay at Juventus

June 27, 2009


Danish Midfielder Christian Poulsen has confirmed that he wants to remain at Juventus and is not thinking of moving out, despite receiving an offer from Fenerbahce.

Turkey based club Fenerbahce have reportedly offered the midfielder a deal, worth £3.7million a year after having a bid in the region of £6.4m accepted by Juve.

But the Denmark international Poulsen is keen on staying in Serie A, amid reports that his wife is unwilling to leave Italy for Turkey.

Poulsen said: “I am honoured by Fenerbahce’s offer, £3.7m is a lot, but to me it’s not just a question of money. I want to continue with Juventus.

“For me, it’s very important that my family finds itself well in the city in which I play.”

It is claimed that the collapse of the potential move means Juve will fail in their bid to land Udinese midfielder Gaetano D’Agostino, who had been lined up as a replacement.

Written by: Abhimanyu Rajput

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United teach Inter and Barca how to avoid the jitter bug

May 11, 2009


Nerves are totally understandable at the end of the season with so much at stake.

Even seasoned campaigners get afflicted by the jitter bug, with Jose Mourinho’s Inter Milan losing the lead twice in a 2-2 draw at Chievo on Sunday with a fourth straight scudetto almost theirs.

Inter let a 12-point lead slip last term and tumbled over the line on the final day while fans will always remember their incredible collapse in 2002, which included a 2-2 draw with Chievo…

Spanish leaders Barcelona were even worse on Sunday, seeing their title party ruined by Villarreal’s two late goals in a 3-3 draw at the Nou Camp.

Of course, they will both still win their respective championships but a quick glance over to England will show how to avoid nerves.

Manchester United beat city rivals Manchester City 2-0 to move within a whisker of retaining their title and there wasn’t a jitter in sight.

Alex Ferguson has cleverly rotated his squad in the run-in to keep players fresh and hungry, especially with a Champions League final to come.

The underused Carlos Tevez, desperate to show he is worthy of a new deal, scored and put in a masterly performance.

Mourinho had a great record against Ferguson before this season, but he has again been out-thought.

PHOTO: Inter Milan’s coach Jose Mourinho (R) reacts to the linesman during his Italian Serie A soccer match against Chievo at the Bentegodi stadium in Verona May 10, 2009. REUTERS/Max Rossi

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Celtic eye St Mirren in Scottish cup clash

March 7, 2009

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GLASGOW (AFP) – Celtic make the short journey to Paisley on Saturday to take on St Mirren in their Scottish Cup quarter-final tie, just a week after the Parkhead side thrashed the Buddies in the league.

A second-half collapse by ten-men St Mirren saw them ship seven goals to the Old Firm giants with Japanese international Shunsuke Nakamura hitting a hat-trick in the match.

Now the Paisley side have a chance for revenge in the Scottish Cup as they host the Hoops at New St Mirren Park for the first time.

The Buddies are unbeaten at their new home and will want to restore some pride as they look to win the cup for the first time since 1987.

After struggling for form in 2009 Celtic added to their confidence-building win against St Mirren with a mid-week victory over Kilmarnock which sent the champions back to the top of the Scottish Premier League.

Defender Glenn Loovens says the thrashing of the Buddies has sparked a Celtic revival and the Dutchman hopes to get more time on the pitch as the club bids to win a domestic treble, with an Old Firm League Cup final next up after St Mirren.

"Scoring a lot of goals is what the team needed," he said. "It’s good for the confidence as it’s always nice to get a good win, especially as we have a lot of games coming up.

"For me I just have to wait for the manager to put me in again and, as I said, there are a lot of games coming up and I hope I get another 90 minutes.

"We have a strong squad as it’s been important all season to change the team a lot and we really need every player now. We know that if a player gets injured or is suspended that we have enough depth to fill it."

On Sunday, Scottish Cup holders Rangers could welcome back midfielder Pedro Mendes to the starting line-up for their quarter-final tie against Hamilton at Ibrox.

The Portuguese has been sidelined for the last two games with a thigh strain but scans revealed there was no tear in the muscle and he should partner Barry Ferguson in the centre of midfield.

The two sides clashed at New Douglas Park in the league last weekend with a goal from Ferguson enough to give the Gers victory.

Manager Walter Smith will settle for the same again this weekend after his side lost their grip at the top of the Premier League following their shock midweek defeat to Inverness Caledonian Thistle.

Lee McCulloch and Nacho Novo are expected to miss the game through injury although they could be fit for next weekend’s League Cup final at Hampden.

In Saturday’s other ties the Aberdeen management team of Jimmy Calderwood and Jimmy Nicholl return to their former club as the Dons take on first division Dunfermline.

Falkirk host Inverness with Terry Butcher’s side high in confidence following their win over Rangers, but both two sides are locked in a relegation battle and could view their tie as an unwanted distraction.

Fixtures (1500GMT unless otherwise stated)

Saturday

St Mirren v Celtic (1215GMT)

Dunfermline v Aberdeen

Inverness CT v Falkirk

Sunday

Rangers v Hamilton

Written by: AFP

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