PSV jump to top in Eredivisie

January 20, 2010

PSV Eindhoven are the new leaders in the Dutch Eredivisie following a narrow win at Roda JC on Tuesday.

As FC Twente dropped two points at FC Utrecht two days earlier, PSV knew that a win would allow them to jump into shared first place.

And Fred Rutten’s men needed just one goal to achieve just that, with Danny Koevermans netting the winner in the last minute before the interval.

PSV now have the same amount of points at Twente, but their goal record is significantly better.

Tags: danny koevermans, Dutch, dutch eredivisie, Eindhoven, Eredivisie, fc twente, fc utrecht, Fred Rutten, interval, last minute, new leaders, PSV, psv eindhoven, Roda, rutten, twente, utrecht

Hard-fought home wins for Twente and PSV

December 13, 2009

Both FC Twente and PSV Eindhoven had a hard time in Saturday’s Eredivisie action, but ended up winning their home games over NAC Breda and AZ Alkmaar respectively.

For a while, there was a real chance that Twente’s winning streak would come to an end in the match with NAC, who took the lead through Edwin de Graaf after 43 minutes in Enschede.

But Steve McClaren’s Twente recovered after the break and Miroslav Stoch levelled the score from the penalty spot in the 58th minute.

Stoch went on to make it 2-1 nine minutes later, and Costa Rican Bryan Ruiz hit the target for 3-1 with seven minutes to go.

Second-placed PSV were on their way to a goalless draw with reigning champions AZ, who played their first league game without the sacked manager Ronald Koeman.

AZ were not helped by a second yellow card to Mounir El Hamdaoui in the 72nd minute, after which it took PSV another 14 minutes for Ola Toivonen to head home the winning goal.

With half of the season played, Twente remain in first place with a two-point lead over PSV. Ajax follow at another seven points.

Tags: Ajax, Bryan Ruiz, de graaf, Edwin de Graaf, Eindhoven, Enschede, Eredivisie, fc twente, hard time, home games, league game, match, Miroslav, Miroslav Stoch, nac breda, psv eindhoven, ronald koeman, score, seven points, Steve McClaren, target, toivonen, winning streak, yellow card

Eredivisie: McClaren sent off, as Twente are held to 1-1 draw by Feyenoord

August 31, 2009

Former England coach Steve McClaren was sent off on Sunday in FC Twente’s 1-1 draw by Feyenoord at Feijenoord Stadion in the Eredivisie.

Former Bayern Munich star Roy Makaay scored an injury-time penalty after Nicky Kuiper’s 74th-minute goal in a game dominated by McClaren’s ejection.

The FC Twente coach was dismissed for storming onto the field to protest referee Roelof Luinge’s decision to caution Cheick Tiote after the Ivorian midfielder’s 58th-minute foul on Karim El Ahmadi.

Twente and Feyenoord, both unbeaten after five rounds, are tied with PSV Eindhoven in second place with 11 points, one less than AZ Alkmaar, which beat Willem II 2-1 Saturday.

Abhimanyu Rajput

Tags: abhimanyu, ahmadi, alkmaar, Bayern, bayern munich, coach steve mcclaren, Eindhoven, England, fc twente, feyenoord, injury time, ivorian, Karim, Karim El, kuiper, minute goal, referee, roy makaay, stadion, Steve McClaren, time penalty, willem ii

McCarthy, Morris missing from South Africa squad

August 28, 2009

World Cup 2010 hosts South Africa on Thursday named a 24-man squad to play friendly internationals against Germany in Leverkusen on September 5, and Ireland in Limerick on September 8.

Bafana Bafana coach Joel Santana handed 21-year-old KRC Genk defender Anele Ngongca a first ever call-up.

There was also a surprise return to the squad for striker Mabhudi Khenyeza, who was axed from the national squad for the Confederations Cup after leaving the team training camp.

There was still no place, however, for defender Nasief Morris, omitted from the Confederations Cup squad for ill-discipline, or striker Benni McCarthy, who has not played for his country since a friendly match against Chile in February.

McCarthy has been struggling with injury at Blackburn Rovers.

“These are very important games for us, not only in terms of testing our technical and tactical abilities, but also with regard to what we will need in future games. We need to get a lot of international experience,” said Santana.

South Africa will host the 2010 World Cup from June 11 to July 11 next year.

South Africa squad to face Germany and Ireland

Goalkeepers: Rowen Fernandez (Arminia Bielefeld/GER), Brian Baloyi (Mamelodi Sundowns), Shuaib Walters (Bloemfontein Celtic)

Defenders: Siboniso Gaxa (Mamelodi Sundowns), Bevan Fransman (Maccabi Netanya/ISR), Tsepo Masilela (Maccabi Haifa/ISR), Bryce Moon (Panathinaikos/GRE), Aaron Mokoena (Portsmouth/ENG), Anele Ngongca (KRC Genk/BEL), Lucas Thwala (Orlando Pirates), Bongani Khumalo, Morgan Gould (both SuperSport United)

Midfielders: Teko Modise, Benson Mhlongo (both Orlando Pirates), Steven Pienaar (Everton/ENG), Kagisho Dikgacoi (Fulham/ENG), MacBeth Sibaya (Rubin Kazan/RUS), Elrio Van Heerden (Blackburn Rovers/ENG), Siyabonga Nkosi (SuperSport United), Siphiwe Tshabalala (Kaizer Chiefs)

Strikers: Bernard Parker (FC Twente/NED), Mabhudi Khenyeza, Katlego Mphela (both Mamelodi Sundowns), Richard Henyekane (Golden Arrows)

JOHANNESBURG (AFP)

Tags: bafana bafana, benni mccarthy, Bernard Parker, Bryce Moon, Chile, fc twente, friendly match, fulham, Germany, golden arrows, kaizer chiefs, katlego mphela, krc genk, Limerick, maccabi haifa, mamelodi sundowns, Morris, NED, orlando pirates, Portsmouth, Richard Henyekane, rowen fernandez, rubin kazan, sibaya, south africa squad, world cup 2010

AZ and Twente victorious in Eredivisie

August 16, 2009

Dutch champions AZ Alkmaar cruised to a 0-6 hammering of RKC Waalwijk while FC Twente earned a narrow win at ADO Den Haag.

Mounir El Hamdaoui put AZ ahead after 15 minutes at newly promoted RKC, who managed to keep the damage limited until half time.

But after the break, the hosts could no longer resist AZ’s strength. Moussa Dembele made it 0-2 in the 52nd minute and a cross from El Hamdaoui was deflected into his own goal by Hans Mulder in the 67th.

Belgian Maarten Martens added goals in the 75th and 79th minutes, for Jeremain Lens to make it 0-6 in the 82nd.

FC Twente didn’t have such an easy night at ADO Den Haag, but did walk away with the victory thanks to a 64th-minute goal from Blaise N’Kufo. ADO did push for an equaliser but failed.

Although some matches are still to be played on Sunday, Twente are currently in first place while AZ follow in second.

Jonathan Roorda

Tags: 15 minutes, ADO, ado den haag, alkmaar, Belgian, Blaise, damage, Dembele, dutch champions, equaliser, Eredivisie, fc twente, Hans Mulder, hosts, kufo, Martens, minute goal, Mounir, moussa dembele, mulder, victory thanks, Waalwijk

Inter make Arnautovic swoop

August 7, 2009

Serie A champions Internazionale Milano FC have completed the signing of Eredivisie FC Twente’s forward Marko Arnautovic on a season long loan.

The 20-year-old Austrian had long been linked with a move to the San Siro but a foot injury he picked up in the KNVB Beker Cup final in May appeared to have scuppered the deal.

However, the Serie A champions confirmed the 20-year-old will be part of Jose Mourinho’s squad next season.

A brief statement on www.inter.it, read: “FC Internazionale announce they have deposited this morning the necessary documents for the transfer of the Austrian attacker Marko Arnautovic from Twente to the Nerazzurri.

“The two clubs agreed that it will be a loan deal with the option to buy.”

Arnautovic started his career with Floridsdorfer AC, before being scouted by Twente, who bought the 6 ft 3.5 in forward.

The Austrian international was a revelation for the Eredivisie outfit, last season, as he struck 12 times in 28 appearances to help Twente to second place in the Dutch League.

Abhimanyu Rajput

Tags: attacker, Dutch, dutch league, Eredivisie, fc twente, foot injury, Jose, jose mourinho, knvb, knvb beker, loan deal, milano, morning, necessary documents, rajput, revelation, San, san siro, squad, swoop, transfer

Celtic to play Dynamo Moscow in Champions League

July 17, 2009

Former European champions Celtic will play Dynamo Moscow in the UEFA Champions League third qualifying round, announced here on Friday.

UEFA Cup winners Shakhtar Donetsk of Ukraine will clash with Romanian debutants FC Timisoara, while Anderlecht are up against newcomers Sivasspor from Turkey.

Sparta Prague and Panathinaikos come face to face and Portugal’s Sporting take on FC Twente of the Netherlands.

Under UEFA’s new seeding pattern for the tournament, clubs which do not qualify directly into the group stage have two ways of reaching the core part of the competition.

One way is destined for teams progressing from the second qualifying round, being played currently.

The other, known as the “best placed path” is for the remainder – named in the ties on July 28/29 and August 4/5.

The winners of the five best-placed path ties will face one of Arsenal, Lyon, Stuttgart, Fiorentina and Atletico Madrid in the play-off round.

For Celtic, their July 29 home game against the Muscovites will be new manager Tony Mowbray’s first competitive game in charge.

The Russian side finished third in the league last season, while they sit seventh in the current campaign after 13 matches of the Russian season.

The last time Celtic played Russian opposition was two years ago when they faced Spartak Moscow in a similar stage of European club football’s showpiece tournament.

After a 1-1 draw in the Russian capital, the sides fought out a 1-1 draw at Celtic Park, with the Hoops progressing to the group stages of the competition following a dramatic penalty shoot-out, with Artur Boruc the hero on the night.

Champions League 3rd rd fixtures

Best-placed path draw:

(First leg: July 28/29; Second leg: August 4/5)

Sparta Prague (CZE) v Panathinaikos (GRE)

Shakhtar Donetsk (UKR) v Timisoara (ROM)

Sporting (POR) v FC Twente (NED)

Celtic (SCO) v Dynamo Moscow (RUS)

Anderlecht (BEL) v Sivasspor (TUR)

Champions path draw:

Salzburg (AUT) or Bohemian (IRL) v FC Pyunik (ARM) or Dynamo Zagreb (CRO)

Zrinjski (BIH) or Slovan Bratislava (SVK) v Olympiakos (GRE)

FC Zurich (SUI) v WIT Georgia (GEO) or NK Maribor (SLO)

EB/Streymur (FAR) or Apoel (CYP) v Rhyl (WAL) or Partizan (SRB)

International Turku (FIN) or Sheriff (MDA) v Slavia Prague (CZE)

Hafnarfjordur (ISL) or Aktobe (KAZ) v Maccabi Haifa (ISR) or Glentoran (NIR)

Ekranas (LTU) or FK Baku (AZE) v Levski Sofia (BUL) or Sant Julia (AND)

Ventspils (LVA) or Dudelange (LUX) v Makedonija Skopje (MKD) or Bate Borisov (BLR)

Wisla Krakow (POL) or Levadia Tallinn (EST) v Debreceni (HUN) or Kalmar (SWE)

FC Copenhagen (DEN) or FK Mogren (MNE) v Tirana (ALB)

NYON, Switzerland (AFP)

Tags: Artur Boruc, atletico madrid, Baku, Bratislava, celtic park, copenhagen, DEN, dynamo moscow, fc pyunik, fc twente, FIN, Georgia, group stage, group stages, Julia, Krakow, Lyon, MADRID, Makedonija, Maribor, Moscow, muscovites, NED, panathinaikos, POL, portugal, PRAGUE, russian capital, russian opposition, russian side, Salzburg, shakhtar donetsk, sivasspor, Sofia, sparta prague, spartak moscow, stuttgart, Switzerland, Tallinn, the Netherlands, Timisoara, TIRANA, tony mowbray, Turkey, Turku, UEFA Champions League, uefa cup winners, ukraine, Zagreb, zrinjski, ZURICH

Edson Braafheid joins Bayern Munich

June 9, 2009

Dutch defender Edson Braafheid plays the next four seasons for German Bundesliga side Bayern Munich. This was confirmed by the club this Tuesday.

Braafheid formed part of the FC Twente team that finished second in this year’s Eredivisie, and spent two and a half years at the Enschede outfit. The left-back scored one goal in 76 games.

His solid performance caught the attention of Dutch giants Ajax and PSV, but the player eventually opted to move abroad.

Braafheid, who joins fellow countrymen Louis van Gaal and Mark van Bommel in Munich, is the club’s seventh new signing ahead of next season. Other names include Mario Gomez, Ivica Olic and Danijel Pranjic.

Written by: Jonathan Roorda

Tags: Ajax, Bayern, bayern munich, Bundesliga, Danijel, Enschede, Eredivisie, fc twente, fellow countrymen, four seasons, games, ivica olic, Jonathan Roorda, Louis, louis van gaal, mario gomez, Mark van Bommel, Munich, twente, two and a half years

Hamburg´s Jol set to coach Ajax: Bild

May 26, 2009

HAMBURG, Germany (AFP) – Bundesliga side Hamburg are set to lose coach Martin Jol to Dutch giants Amsterdam Ajax as a replacement for Marco van Basten, according to a report in German tabloid Bild on Tuesday.

Although the 53-year-old Jol has a contract with Hamburg until June 2010, Bild reported he will quit the UEFA and German Cup semi-finalists to return to his native Holland.

Former Netherlands coach Van Basten resigned as Ajax boss on May 6 after his side failed to qualify for the Champions League next season and Jol is set to be handed a three-year contract as his replacement.

Hamburg finished fifth in the Bundesliga to qualify for a place in next season’s Europa League while Ajax came third in the Dutch league behind champions AZ Alkmaar and FC Twente.

Tags: Ajax, alkmaar, Amsterdam, bild, boss, Bundesliga, champions league, coach martin, dutch league, Eredivisie, fc twente, german cup, Germany, giants, Hamburg, hamburg germany, Holland, marco van basten, martin jol, native holland, netherlands, semi finalists, side hamburg, Van Basten

Iraqi star Akram signs with FC Twente

May 21, 2009

BAGHDAD (AFP) – Iraqi football star Nashat Akram has signed a three-year deal with Dutch club FC Twente, runners-up in this year’s league title, according to his website.

The promising midfielder with 75 international caps is the first Iraqi player to join the Dutch league and only the second to play in Europe after Hawar Mulla Mohammed Taher Zeebari joined Cypriot club Anorthosis Famagusta.

Akram, 24, a key playmaker in Iraq’s dramatic victory in the 2007 Asia Cup, previously played for Qatari club Al-Gharrafa and last year was on trial at Manchester City but was denied a work permit by the British government.

After a year with United Arab Emirates club Al-Ain in 2007, he was linked to Sunderland before signing this month with former England manager Steve McClaren’s side.

“This is a dream come true, to play in Europe. FC Twente is a good club with a big coach,” Akram said.