• Home
• Archives
• LiveScores
• LeagueTables
• Trophies

News Feed

Russia: Leaders Rubin Kazan cruise to victory

Rubin Kazan remain on course to win the Russian championship following a 4-1 win over Krylya Sovetov on Friday.

Ecuadorian Christian Noboa put the defending champions ahead after 48 minutes against Krylya, following a goalless first half.

Alexander Bukharov made it 2-0 eight minutes later, but famous Czech striker Jan Koller struck back shortly after the hour, 2-1.

Gokdeniz Karadeniz restored Rubin’s advantage another two minutes later however, and Bukharov netted his second of the night with 15 minutes to play.

Rubin are now four points ahead of Spartak Moscow, who could bring the gap back to one in their home match with FK Rostov na Donu on Sunday. After this weekend, there will be three rounds left to play in Russia.

Jonathan Roorda

Tags: 15 minutes, Alexander, cruise, ecuadorian, gap, home match, noboa, rostov, rubin kazan, russia, russian championship, spartak moscow, striker, two minutes, victory

Related posts

• Spartak and Zenit victorious in Russia (0)
• Rubin clinch vital win at FK Rostov (0)
• Krylya back on top as Rubin lose (0)
• Tom Tomsk no match for Spartak Moscow (0)
• Rubin Kazan impress at Spartak Moscow (0)
• Zenit beat CSKA in Russian top clash (0)
• Spartak jump to top in Russian league (0)
• Spartak drop valuable points in Russia (0)
• Spartak beaten by Saturn Mosk Oblast (0)
• Schalke 04 impress versus Cottbus (0)
• Rubin Kazan win Russian championship (0)
• Rubin Kazan stay on top as CSKA beat Krylya (0)
• Rubin Kazan lose to Amkar Perm (0)
• Rubin Kazan impress in Russian league (0)
• Rubin Kazan defend lead in Russia (0)

Antonio Valencia has plenty to prove at ManUtd

As if joining Manchester United as Cristiano Ronaldo’s replacement wasn’t enough of a challenge for Antonio Valencia, the Ecuador winger must also live up to his billing as the figurehead of the Premier League’s Latin invasion.

When Ronaldo moved to Real Madrid for a world record 80 million pounds in June, United boss Sir Alex Ferguson was quick to spend 17 million pounds of that fee on luring Valencia from Wigan.

Valencia, 23, first caught Ferguson’s eye during a 20-minute cameo for Wigan against United in 2006.

That substitute appearance made Ferguson aware of how Valencia’s dynamic runs and incisive crosses could hurt opponents and he regularly dispatched scouts to check on his progess over the next two years.

By the time it became obvious that Ronaldo was destined to leave this close-season, Ferguson had already settled on Valencia as his replacement.

“Antonio is a player we have admired for some time now, having spent the last two years in the Premier League with Wigan,” Ferguson said. “I am sure his pace and ability will make a significant contribution to our team.”

One area in which Valencia may struggle to emulate Ronaldo is on the scoresheet. While the Portugal star scored 71 goals in his last two seasons with United, Valencia only found the net seven times in 89 appearances for Wigan.

However, the Ecuadorian opened his United account on his debut in a pre-season friendly against Boca Juniors and Ferguson hopes to get his new signing into areas where he can score more often.

“We were looking at his record and it?s not a good one in terms of goals,” Ferguson said. “But we can assess individual parts of his game, ie, his athleticism, his power and the power of his shot, and we have to think: ‘Why hasn’t he scored more goals?’ And maybe he will score more goals with us.”

The Valencia deal confirmed the rise of a group of players who have had to fight harder than most for their place among English football’s elite.

While Brazil and Argentina internationals will always be high on any top club’s wanted list, it is only in the last two seasons that players from less glamourous Latin countries like Ecuador, Honduras and Paraguay have started to make their presence felt in the Premier League.

Valencia was born deep in the Ecuadorian jungle in Lago Agrio and didn’t kick a ball until he was 10. That didn’t stop him becoming Ecuador’s most expensive player and several of his compatriots are ready to follow in his footsteps in the Premier League.

At Birmingham, there are three Ecuador internationals in Alex McLeish’s squad, with Christian Benitez, a club record eight million pounds signing, expected to score the goals that secure survival.

Benitez arrives with a reputation as a predatory goalscorer after scoring 10 times in 17 appearances for his country, while his veteran Ecuador team-mates Giovanny Espinoza and Ulises De la Cruz add experience to McLeish’s defence.

The man mostly responsible for triggering the deluge of Latin talent in England is Steve Bruce.

During his spell at Wigan, Bruce – now in charge at Sunderland – became frustrated by his inability to persuade players to join his club so he turned his attention to an untapped market.

Using scouts with expert knowledge of Latin America’s lower-profile countries, Bruce was able to sign Valencia and Wilson Palacios, who both became key members of his team before leaving for big fees.

He also signed Maynor Figueroa, a Honduras defender with 45 caps who has proved a resounding success, while Colombian forward Hugo Rodallega has shown flashes of potential.

Bruce continues to mine the Latin market for bargains and snapped up Paulo Da Silva, an experienced Paraguay defender, just weeks after arriving at Sunderland.

LONDON (AFP)

Tags: alex ferguson, athleticism, boca juniors, cameo, cristiano ronaldo, ecuadorian, english football, figurehead, internationals, latin invasion, manchester united, progess, real madrid, ronaldo, scoresheet, seven times, sir alex ferguson, Wigan, winger, world record

Related posts

• United fan Bolt ´disappointed´ by Ronaldo move (0)
• Rooney is Real’s top target: report (0)
• Ronaldo turns attention to Europe after Utd win (0)
• Ronaldo sale forces Fergie to change tactics (0)
• Ronaldo finally gets to try life in the Real world (0)
• Ronaldo can´t wait to complete ´historic´ deal (0)
• Wigan reveal Man Utd approach for Valencia (0)
• Valencia: I am not Ronaldo (0)
• United thrash Spurs to retain pole position (0)
• United net Valencia (0)
• Ronaldo hopes to play in ´clasico´ (0)
• Rejuvenated Owen targets World Cup (0)
• Real gets 153 mln euros in loans for new players (0)
• Owen linked to Man United move (0)
• Messi tops Ronaldo as world star – study (0)

Valencia leads United past Boca Juniors

Ecuadorian Antonio Valencia had a dream debut with Manchester United on Wednesday, scoring the decider to beat Boca Juniors 2-1 at the Audi Cup in Germany.

United’s Anderson scored the opening goal on 23 minutes, and Valencia added the second shortly before the break in his first ever game for the Red Devils.

Insua pulled one back for Boca in the 55th minute but United held on to their 2-1 lead to reach the final of the friendly tournament.

The match was played at Munich’s Allianz, which later also formed the theater of the game between Bayern Munich and AC Milan. Bayern won that game 4-1 and face the English champions in the final on Thursday.

By: Jonathan Roorda

Tags: ac milan bayern, allianz, Anderson, Antonio Valencia, audi cup, Bayern, bayern munich, boca juniors, decider, dream debut, ecuadorian, english champions, game, Germany, Manchester, manchester united, Milan, Munich, red devils

Related posts

• Rensing leads Bayern to Audi Cup victory (0)
• Rooney thirsty for goals as Utd return to Europe (0)
• Bayern winger Ribery back in training (0)
• Bayern see off United in shootout (0)
• We want to miss Liverpool and Man Utd, admit Lahm (0)
• Tough taskmaster van Gaal starts work on Bayern (0)
• Fergie expects United to deliver knockout blow (0)
• Champion League draw: Arsenal v Barcelona – your views (0)
• Beckham has surprised everyone, says AC´s Gattuso (0)
• Bayern stun Milan at Audi Cup (0)
• Bayern keen to extend Ribery stay (0)
• Bayern face tough C.League test: Rummenigge (0)
• Ballack fitness boost for Chelsea (0)
• Ballack fitness boost for Chelsea (0)
• ´Hands off Ribery´ Bayern tell Real – report (0)

Benitez set to miss league opener

Birmingham City manager Alex McLeish has revealed that Ecuadorian striker Christian Benitez is unlikely to be fit for Birmingham’s clash with Manchester United.

The 23-year-old, who has joined Blues for a club record fee of £7.7million from Santos Laguna, is still recovering from a shoulder operation as he enters week seven of the 12-week rehabilitation programme.

While the striker is set to miss the trip to Old Trafford on 16th August when Birmingham begin their Premier League campaign against defending champions United, he is also waiting on UK entry visa clearance

But McLeish remains hopeful that Benitez will be able to feature against Portsmouth three days later, stating that his long-term fitness is the main concern.

“It doesn’t look good for the first game against Manchester United but we’ll see how quickly he heals for the second game,” McLeish told the club’s official website.

“We’ve just got to be patient. We haven’t signed Benitez for the first game of the season, we’ve signed him for the full season and we have to make sure he’s fit for the whole season.”

By: Abhimanyu Rajput

Tags: alex mcleish, Birmingham, birmingham city, christian benitez, clash, ecuadorian, first game, league campaign, Manchester, manchester united, old trafford, Portsmouth, premier league, rajput, Santos, santos laguna, second game, shoulder operation, striker, term fitness, UK, visa

Related posts

• West Ham shock as Englishmen buy Premier League club! (1)
• No complacency as Hodgson celebrates first year at Fulham (0)
• Neville and O´Shea out for ´weeks´ – Ferguson (0)
• Misfiring Robinho puts Man City on defensive (0)
• Midweek Premier League special. Can you beat the panel? (0)
• Manchester United win but face losing Rooney for three weeks (0)
• Man Utd take time over Rooney return (0)
• Liverpool in search of Arsenal revival (0)
• Hong Kong tycoon makes Birmingham buyout bid (0)
• Hodgson dazzled by Bobby’s form (0)
• Ferguson wary of Moscow threat (0)
• Ecuadorean star completes move to Birmingham (0)
• Zola calls on West Ham fans support for crunch match (0)
• Yeung outlines scale of Birmingham ambition (0)
• Villa prove too much for Pompey (0)

PSV’s Mendez sidelined with Achilles injury

Dutch side PSV Eindhoven could be without midfielder Edison Mendez for two weeks. The Ecuadorian is suffering from an Achilles injury.

As a result, the South American should miss the league match with Vitesse and possibly Sparta Rotterdam.

The player’s replacement is likely to be either Otman Bakkal or Haibin Zhou, who could make his debut against Vitesse this Saturday.

With seven games to go in the Eredivisie, PSV are currently in fifth place and already of contention for the title after four consecutive championships.

Written by: Jonathan Roorda

Tags: achilles, achilles injury, consecutive championships, contention, debut, dutch side, ecuadorian, Edison, edison mendez, Eindhoven, Eredivisie, jonathan, match, Mendez, otman bakkal, PSV, roorda, ROTTERDAM, seven games, South American, sparta rotterdam, vitesse, zhou

Related posts

• Netherlands: Alkmaar win, Lazovic saves PSV (0)
• Twente close on PSV in Eredivisie (0)
• Salcido to stay at PSV while fellow Mexican Maza shows frustration (0)
• AZ Alkmaar on course for Dutch title (0)
• AZ Alkmaar held by PSV Eindhoven (0)
• Twente held at Heerenveen, PSV win (0)
• Saviola linked with PSV Eindhoven (0)
• PSV too strong for Vitesse (0)
• PSV Eindhoven: Worst season since 1981 (0)
• Dutch Cup: Heerenveen eliminate Feyenoord (0)
• AZ Alkmaar extend Dutch lead (0)
• AZ Alkmaar close to Dutch title (0)
• Alkmaar keep winning, Twente move into second place (0)
• Ajax beat Feyenoord in Dutch classic (0)
• “Ron Jans not available for PSV Eindhoven” (0)

Hammers loan Julien Faubert to Real

MADRID (AFP) – Real Madrid confirmed Saturday they had taken French midfielder Julien Faubert on loan to the end of the season.

Real said they had an option to buy the 25-year-old if he impresses between now and June, adding he would be officially unveiled on Monday.

Faubert, who has one French cap to date, played for Cannes and then Bordeaux before heading to East London in 2007 – but an Achilles tendon rupture kept him sidelined shortly afterwards and he has not featured this season.

West Ham said the Spaniards would pay 1.5 million euros for the loan deal while AS sports daily put a future transfer fee at six million, around two million less than they paid Bordeaux for his services.

Real boss Juande Ramos has also been tracking Wigan’s Ecuadorian star Luis Antonio Valencia.

Written by: AFP

Tags: 5 million, achilles tendon, achilles tendon rupture, AFP, Bordeaux, boss, cannes, east london, ecuadorian, faubert, LA Liga, loan deal, luis antonio, real madrid, spaniards, two million

Related posts

• Hull face Real Madrid for Pennant (0)
• Real target Wigan´s Valencia (0)
• Real Madrid keen on Valencia (0)
• Man Utd confirm Tevez to leave Old Trafford (0)
• Liverpool´s Alonso ´hands in transfer request´ (0)
• Frustrated Saviola seeks Real Madrid exit (0)
• Tuesday’s Transfer Rumors (0)
• Tevez determined to fight for Man Utd future (0)
• Spanish media insist Ronaldo headed for Real Madrid (0)
• Ronaldo reiterates he is happy at Man Utd (0)
• Record-breaking Barcelona aim to erase season´s ugliest stain (0)
• Real to unveil Benzema on Thursday (0)
• Real to take bid to register players to top sports court (0)
• Real president to resign over rigged assembly claims – reports (0)
• Real open probe into alleged manipulation at AGM (0)

Real target Wigan´s Valencia

MADRID (AFP) – Real Madrid have resumed talks with Wigan to sign the English Premier League side’s Ecuadorian winger Antonio Valencia, local media reported here Wednesday.

According to Spanish sports daily AS negotiations are taking place this week and a deal, either permanent transfer or loan, is in sight before the transfer window closes.

Wigan had reportedly fixed a 17.5 million euro price tag on the former Villarreal star’s head when Real first made contact with them in late December.

The 23-year-old Valencia’s advantage to Real is in his eligibility to play Champions League football in contrast to the Spanish giant’s new signings, Lassana Diarra and Klaas-Jan Huntelaar.

French midfielder Diarra has already played for Portsmouth while Dutch striker Huntelaar has appeared for Ajax this season in the UEFA Cup.

Real agreed with UEFA on Tuesday to drop their appeal to have both Diarra and Huntelaar made eligible for the Champions League.

They must now choose which of the two newcomers they wish to register for the first knockout stage of the Champions League, on February 25 and March 10, against Liverpool.

Real – who are second in the title race, 12 points adrift of Barcelona – have sought to reinforce their squad after several key players such as Ruud van Nistelrooy and Malian midfielder Mahamadou Diarra suffered season ending injuries.

Written by: AFP

Tags: AFP, Ajax, Antonio Valencia, Barcelona, champions league football, ecuadorian, English Premier League, klaas jan huntelaar, knockout stage, LA Liga, lassana diarra, Liverpool, local media, MADRID, malian, midfielder mahamadou diarra, new signings, price tag, real madrid, ruud van nistelrooy, spanish sports, target, UEFA Cup, Villarreal, Wigan, winger

Related posts

• Real must choose between Huntelaar and Diarra: UEFA (0)
• Real Madrid keen on Valencia (0)
• Real to take bid to register players to top sports court (0)
• UEFA turn down Real appeal over players eligibility (0)
• Real files appeal over Champions League players (0)
• Ronaldo commits to Man Utd amid Real speculation (1)
• Record-breaking Raul fires Real closer to Barcelona (0)
• Real ready to battle UEFA at arbitration court – report (0)
• Real abandon action to register players – UEFA (0)
• Freefalling Valencia slip further away from Champions League salvation (0)
• Real winning streak ends as Barcelona go six clear in Spainsh League (0)
• Real swoop for Ronaldo in world record bid (0)
• Masch open to a move (0)
• Lavezzi may be Real Madrid’s next target (0)
• Klaas not a Gunner’s target, says Valdano (0)