Juve bounce back with victory at Haifa
November 4, 2009
Juventus took a significant step towards the Champions League knockout phase by beating Maccabi Haifa 1-0 in their group stage game at the Ramat Gan Stadium here on Tuesday.
The Italian giants, who fell to their first home league defeat in nine months against Napoli on Saturday, opened the scoring through Mauro Camoranesi on the stroke of half-time and were rarely troubled in a turgid second half.
Group A leaders Bordeaux’s victory at Bayern Munich on Tuesday means that Juventus are now four points above the Germans in second place and require three points from their last two matches to progress.
Home goalkeeper Nir Davidovitch was the busiest man in the ground in the game’s early stages and was forced to save from Diego, twice, Amauri and Tiago as Juventus peppered his goal with shots.
Haifa eventually established a foothold in the game, though, with Georgian international striker Vladimir Dvalishvili testing Gianluigi Buffon from close range and then heading over from Yaniv Katan’s cross moments later.
Davidovitch was called upon again to push an Amauri effort around the post as Juve re-asserted their authority and Tiago saw an attempted chip land on the roof of the net 10 minutes before half-time.
With half-time beckoning Juve broke the hosts’ resistance, Camoranesi latching onto Martin Caceres’s right-wing cross and cracking the ball past Davidovitch via the aid of a deflection.
Juve narrowly edged Haifa by the same scoreline when they met in Turin and Ciro Ferrara’s side once again succeeded in keeping the Israelis at arm’s length in the second period, although Shlomi Arbeitman gave them a couple of scares with two headers that were narrowly off-target.
A fourth consecutive group stage defeat means Haifa can no longer qualify for the next round and they must win their remaining two matches to stand any chance of overhauling Bayern to qualify for the Europa League.
RAMAT GAN, Israel (AFP)
Tags: Bayern, bayern munich, Bordeaux, camoranesi, ciro, ciro ferrara, close range, consecutive group, Diego, foothold, four points, Gan Stadium, gianluigi buffon, group stage, haifa, israel, knockout, maccabi haifa, martin caceres, mauro camoranesi, napoli, ramat gan israel, scoreline, second period, stage game, target, turin, Vladimir Dvalishvili, yaniv katanRelated posts
Ancelotti expects great things from Drogba and Anelka
August 24, 2009
Carlo Ancelotti believes Didier Drogba and Nicolas Anelka’s revitalised partnership will strike fear into the hearts of Chelsea’s Premier League title rivals.
The Italian manager saw his new charges extend their perfect start to the season with a 2-0 victory at Fulham on Sunday, sealed by a goal in each half from Drogba and Anelka.
The pair have not always gelled successfully during their time together at Stamford Bridge.
But former AC Milan coach Ancelotti has tinkered with Chelsea’s system, converting his midfield into a diamond formation and challenging Drogba and Anelka to dovetail neatly up front.
The results have been spectacular.
They were exceptional at Craven Cottage, with each player setting up the other’s goal, and Ancelotti has now challenged them to maintain their electric start to the new campaign.
“I was always sure Didier and Nicolas could play together,” Ancelotti said. “They are fantastic strikers and different players. I don’t know why it didn’t work with previous managers – it depends on the system you want to use on the pitch.
“Our idea for Nicolas was that he should stay a little behind Didier. In the first half, he played a bit on the wing, by the right-back, so our play wasn’t so good. In the second it was better as he played more in the centre.
“I see them play well together on the training ground but it is not only Didier and Nicolas who work well. All the players work well and then, when it is a match, they show that they work hard in the week by playing well on the field.
“It’s a great start for the team. We wanted to do this and we have great trust in our possibilities. We have to maintain this now. It is now important that the players have a good motivation.”
Chelsea are second in the Premier League table behind leaders Tottenham and, on this evidence, they will be there for some time to come.
Fulham never gained a foothold in the game, despite having enjoyed previous success against their local rivals, and once Drogba had fired Chelsea ahead in the 39th minute, the game was as good as over.
The goal stemmed from a delicious pass from Anelka, who slid a ball past Fulham defender Aaron Hughes and into Drogba’s path. The Ivory Coast international finished with aplomb and Chelsea were ahead.
The visitors duly took a stranglehold on the game, although Fulham were not killed off completely until the 79th minute, when Drogba played in Anelka, who rounded goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer and rolled into an empty net.
It was a chastening afternoon for Fulham, whose woes were compounded when midfielder Danny Murphy limped off with a calf injury in the second half.
The former Liverpool player is now a doubt for the Cottagers’ Europa League tie with Amkar Perm on Thursday.
“To have a chance of beating Chelsea, we had to be much livelier than we were today,” said manager Roy Hodgson, who was also unhappy at being unable to give new signing Jonathan Greening his debut after his agent delayed signing registration forms.
“We kept them at bay for long periods and we had a decent shape but we didn’t get close enough to them to disturb them. In the end we lost the game and lost deservedly.
“But we have to get up for Thursday now – it’s a long journey but that is what Europe is about. We have to play much better there than we did here.”
LONDON (AFP)
Tags: Aaron Hughes, ac milan, carlo ancelotti, craven cottage, Danny Murphy, diamond formation, didier drogba, Europe, foothold, fulham, hearts, jonathan greening, Liverpool, london, mark schwarzer, midfield, Milan, motivation, Nicolas, Nicolas Anelka, pitch, possibilities, premier league, revitalised, rivals, roy hodgson, s system, stamford bridge, strikers, success, tottenhamRelated posts
Champions League final: Barcelona 2 Manchester United 0
May 28, 2009
Full-time: Barcelona 2 Manchester United 0.
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50: Messi wants a penalty for a push in the box but the referee and most of the neutrals shake their heads.
10: 1-0 to Barcelona: Samuel Eto’o. Completely against the run of play Eto’o beats Nemanja Vidic very easily to get into the box and his shot goes in despite Edwin van der Sar getting touch. That followed two more good chances for Ronaldo. Was Barcelona’s first attack…
Pre-match:
Now the teams are in, and there are no big surprises (see below) here’s Mike Collett’s view from the press seats at the Stadio Olimpico:
Manchester United first out to warm up with 40 minutes to go before kickoff — wearing royal blue tops and white shorts with thousands of fans sainging “Glory Glory Man United…”
Barcelona following them out a couple of minutes later in vivid orange tops reminiscint of the colour they wore when they first won the European Cup in 1992 …. Weather absolutely fantastic, sky still blue, can hardly hear myself talk to colleagues next to me!
No small-talk in the back room for UEFA president Michel Platini, who is out in his seat already. Platini, of course, has decided that this will be the last CL final to be played in midweek. From next season in Madrid the final will be played on a Saturday. Platini wants more familiies and children to have the chance to see the match live and thinks a midweek final restricts schoolkids from going. What about the cost of the tickets?
And this from Mark: The “opening ceremony” starting with what looks like about 50 women dressed in red and green wearing swimming caps and holding shields. Quite what that has to do with Rome or soccer, no one is quite sure…
Barcelona: 1-Victor Valdes; 5-Carles Puyol, 24-Yaya Toure, 3-Gerard Pique, 16-Silvinho; 28-Sergio Busquets, 6-Xavi, 8-Andres Iniesta; 10-Lional Messi, 9-Samuel Eto’o, 14-Thierry Henry.
Manchester United: 1-Edwin van der Sar; 22-John O’Shea, 5-Rio Ferdinand, 15-Nemanja Vidic, 3-Patrice Evra; 13-Park Ji-sung, 16-Michael Carrick, 8-Anderson, 11-Ryan Giggs; 7-Cristiano Ronaldo, 10-Wayne Rooney.
What does it mean? over to Mark Meadows in Rome: “Iniesta and Henry are fit to start for Barca with Silvinho getting the nod at left back. United’s Park Ji-sung is the first Asian to play in a Champions league final while Ryan Giggs will captain the holders.”
More to come…
Evening all, and welcome to our (first) live Champions League final blog. I’m at Reuters HQ at Canary Wharf but I’ll be passing on live updates from our reporters in the stadium — goal flashes, red cards, near misses and general observations from the best night of the European football season.
I’ll put the latest update at the top…
While we wait on definitive team news — particularly on whether Iniesta and Henry will make the Barcelona starting line-up — here’s Milan-based sports correspondent Mark Meadows, who arrived at the Stadio Olimpico a fairly comfortable five hours before kick-off:
A sprinkling of fans are beginning to enter the stadium on what continues to be another lovely sunny day. ‘FOR SIR MATT’ is written out on the seats in Man Utd’s end. It would have been Busby’s 100th birthday yesterday.
Some of those giant inflatables are also fluttering about behind one goal. Strangely they are all dressed in Barca’s kit.
Fans were congregating in the city centre from early on Wednesday. A ’sing off’ between the two sets of supporters was heard while the Barca fans have made the Trevi fountain their spot. More United supporters were around the Colosseum.
More to come… And remember, comments are always welcome…
PHOTO: Barcelona’s Samuel Eto’o (L) celebrates his goal with teammate Lionel Messi at the Olympic Stadium in Rome, May 27, 2009. REUTERS/Darren Staples
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Tags: Anderson, Argentine, Barcelona, berbatov, breadth, Cristian Ronaldo, dangerzone, Edwin van der, Ferdinand, fergie, floppy hair, foothold, freekick, gerard pique, Glory Glory Man, greatness, Henry, last game, lionel messi, MADRID, Manchester, manchester united, Mark, mark meadows, michel platini, midfield, Mike Collett, neutrals, pep guardiola, ROME, ryan giggs, samuel eto, samuel eto o, Sergio Busq, stadio, tevez, tracksuit, UEFA Champions League, Van der, victor valdes, wayne rooney, xaviRelated posts
East Stirlingshire give up on fair play convention
April 8, 2009
I’m not sure if Alex Ferguson would approve of a decision taken by one of his old clubs but East Stirlingshire, where he began his managerial career as a 32-year-old in 1974, have just taken a very controversial stand against “sporting behaviour”.
The modest club, whose major objective in the recent past was to avoid
finishing bottom of the Scottish Third Division, but are currently third in the table, have ordered their players NOT to kick the ball out of play if one of their opponents is down injured.
Coach Jim McInally has told his team to only stop playing if the referee orders them to do so. He was furious following an incident during their 2-0 win at Forfar Athletic on Saturday.
After play stopped 10 minutes from time so an East Stirling player could be treated for injury, Forfar goalkeeper Ally Brown tried to restart play with a soft pass back to East Stirling. However, Forfar’s substitute striker Calum Smith had other ideas.
With time running out and his side 2-0 down, he decided to try and pull one back and was only prevented from scoring by a save from East Stirling keeper Mark Peat.
Players from both sides started arguing which led to three of them being booked and McInally banning his side from kicking the ball out for an injury in future.
“It may seem a bit unsporting, but football is a ruthless business at times,” he explained. “If Forfar had scored, they would have had a foothold in the game and the last few minutes might have been tricky for us.”
Most fans accept the sporting convention as part of the game now and remember how Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger offered to replay an FA Cup tie against Sheffield United after his side had scored without giving the ball back after an injury. It made no difference in the end. They won the original game 2-1 and the replayed game by the same score.
Of course, there is no law against being unsporting in this respect — it is just a convention that has grown up with FIFA’s approval to make the game fairer. But is McInally right or wrong?
Is there a place for sportsmanship in the ruthless world of the Scottish Third Division — or anywhere else for that matter?
PHOTO: Arsenal’s Dutch winger Marc Overmars (R) is congratulated by his Nigerian team mate Nwanko Kanu (C) after scoring a controversial goal during their F.A Cup fifth round match. Sheffield United’s captain David Holdsworth reacts angrily, Feb. 13, 1999. REUTERS/Ian Hodgson
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Tags: alex ferguson, ally, Ally Brown, arsenal, calum, Calum Smith, captain David Holdsworth, coach jim, East Stirling, east stirlingshire, English Premier League, FA Cup, fa cup tie, few minutes, foothold, game, Ian Hodgson, Jim McInally, managerial career, Marc Overmars, mark peat, objective, opponents, referee, replay, Sheffield, sheffield unitedRelated posts
FC Barcelona plan for Miami MLS team dumped
March 4, 2009
NEW YORK (AFP) – Miami is no longer a candidate for a Major League Soccer expansion team after FC Barcelona and the league agreed the poor economic conditions made it unfeasible to launch an MLS team there in 2010.
The announcement made by the league said all sides agreed the timing was wrong after extensive discussions and evaluations, although franchise applicant Marcelo Claure and FC Barcelona still plan to work with the league on projects.
"I want to thank both FC Barcelona and Marcelo Claure for the tremendous effort to bring an MLS expansion team to Miami," MLS commissioner Don Garber said.
Barca have not given up on making a bigger foothold in America.
"The US market continues to be a priority for FC Barcelona," chief executive Joan Oliver said. We will look for additional ways to strengthen our relationship with MLS and America?s soccer fans."
The US league will begin its 14th season in two weeks with 15 clubs with a new team set to begin play next year in Philadelphia and two more set to be added in 2011.
Written by: AFP
Tags: AFP, America, Barcelona, barcelona plan, chief executive, don garber, evaluations, expansion team, fc barcelona, foothold, franchise, joan oliver, LA Liga, Major, Major League Soccer, marcelo, Miami, MLS, mls team, New York, Philadelphia, poor economic conditions, priority, relationship, soccer fans, U.S.Related posts
Hammers brush Fulham aside
January 19, 2009
LONDON (AFP) – West Ham proved they can cope without Craig Bellamy by beating Fulham 3-1 on Sunday while the unsettled striker tries to seal his exit from Upton Park.
Hammers boss Gianfranco Zola left Bellamy out of his squad for the Premier League clash at Upton Park after the former Liverpool star stormed out of training on Friday following the club’s decision to deny him permission to speak to Tottenham.
Bellamy is determined to leave the east London team and could seal a move to Manchester City instead later this week, but Zola and company won’t need to shed too many tears judging by this emphatic victory.
David Di Michele was drafted into the side as Bellamy’s replacement and scored West Ham’s opener before making their third goal for Carlton Cole.
Mark Noble’s penalty had put the hosts 2-1 in front following Paul Konchesky’s stunning equaliser for Fulham as the Hammers extended their unbeaten run to five matches and moved up to eighth in the table.
The West Ham fans quickly made clear their feelings about Bellamy with a series of vitriolic chants that left no doubt he is no longer welcome at the club.
It took just seven minutes for Di Michele to prove he can fill Bellamy’s boots as he punished a howler from former West Ham defender John Pantsil.
With Bellamy in exile, Di Michele partnered Cole up front and the Italian was perfectly placed to take advantage when Pantsil tried to play Lucas Neill’s cross back to Fulham goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer.
Pantsil’s chested pass fell woefully short of Schwarzer and Di Michele nipped in to round the Australian and slot home for his third goal of the season.
Noble kept the pressure on Fulham moments later with powerful effort that stung Schwarzer’s palms.
Fulham gradually managed to gain a foothold in the game thanks to their industrious midfield and drew level in spectacular style.
Konchesky spent several seasons at West Ham before an acrimonious departure and looked to have made a point to his former club in the 22nd minute.
Slick interplay between Dickson Etuhu and Danny Murphy guided the ball to Konchesky on the left flank and the defender surged forward before unleashing a blistering long-range strike that swerved past Robert Green into the roof of the net.
That triggered a sloppy spell from West Ham and Di Michele blotted his copybook when he ballooned a wild shot over from a tight angle after Neill’s pass sent him through on goal.
The Italian did find the net again soon after half-time but his dipping volley was correctly ruled out for offside.
Konchesky had been Fulham’s hero in the first half but he was the villain of the piece in the 59th minute when he sent Cole sprawling with a desperate lunge as the West Ham forward powered into the penalty area.
Referee Phil Dowd immediately pointed to the spot, although he spared Konchesky a sending off by flashing a yellow card even though he was the last man between Cole and Schwarzer.
It was West Ham’s first league penalty for over a year but the rarety of the event didn’t trouble Noble, who calmly stroked his spot-kick past Schwarzer.
Suddenly, there was more spring in West Ham’s step and Cole turned to lash a fierce shot narrowly wide from the edge of the area as Zola’s men went for the killer third goal.
It was Cole who delivered the knock-out blow in the 77th minute. Di Michele slipped a perfectly weighted pass through to his strike partner and Cole did the rest with a cool low finish that handed Fulham a first defeat in 11 matches.
Written by: AFP
Tags: AFP, Carlton Cole, craig bellamy, Danny Murphy, David Di Michele, Dickson Etuhu, east london, emphatic victory, English Premier League, equaliser, foothold, fulham, game thanks, gianfranco zola, hammers, howler, john pantsil, Liverpool, london, Lucas Neill, manchester city, Mark Noble, mark schwarzer, Neill, no doubt, paul konchesky, Phil Dowd, robert green, Schwarzer, several seasons, spectacular style, upton park, west ham, west ham fans, ZolaRelated posts
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