Toure vows to stay at Barca

February 24, 2010

Yaya Toure insists he wants to stay at Barcelona.

The Ivorian midfielder has long been linked with a move to the Premier League and both Arsenal and Manchester City have reportedly expressed their interest but Toure has ruled out an exit from the Camp Nou.

“There is no better club to play at than Barca. I’m happy here and am not thinking of leaving,” Toure is quoted as saying by El Mundo Deportivo.

The 26-year-old midfielder faces strong competition from Sergio Busquets for a place in the starting line-up at the Camp Nou.

“We must respect the decisions of Josep Guardiola. He (Busquets) is a great player, he knows the game plan perfectly and is very smart on the field, he just needs a little progress physically,” Toure said.

“Winning six titles is something historic but I am ambitious and want to win more. Guardiola is the most important person. He supports the team, helps you in difficult times and makes playing at a club like Barca a bit easier.”

Tags: arsenal, barca, Barcelona, busquets, camp nou, decisions, difficult times, game plan, guardiola, important person, manchester city, midfielder, premier league, Sergio Busquets, starting line, Toure

Brady hoping to topple France

November 14, 2009

Republic of Ireland assistant manager Liam Brady is confident the time has come for the Republic of Ireland to end their long wait for victory over one of European football’s top guns like France.

A 1-0 World Cup qualifying victory over Holland in 2001 represented their last major scalp but now France await in a two-leg World Cup play-off.

“I think it’s very possible, to go to Paris with a win under our belts,” said Republic assistant boss Brady.

“If we can nearly beat a team like Italy, we can do the same to France.”

Giovanni Trapattoni’s men came within seconds of a win over reigning world champions Italy last month but Brady believes they can go one better to dump France out of the play-offs and book their trip to South Africa next summer.

“I know it’s maybe been a long time coming to defeat one of the top nations but the Italian game has given us great confidence and also taught us a couple of lessons that we need to take into this game,” added Brady.

“We conceded a goal against Italy from a set-piece, which we weren’t happy with, and then we didn’t hang on to our lead when we took it with a few minutes to go.

“We have learned big lessons from that game.”

The Republic assistant insists there will be no fear in the Irish camp, despite the plethora of big names in the French camp.

“We are not worried about them at all although we respect them,” he said.

“They have some choices to make on which players to go with up front but we can go on about France all day – it’s about what we do, and our players have a great belief in what we are doing.

“There is an understanding of what game we have to play against the French and that’s what concerns me most of all.

“We stick to that and we concentrate on that.

“There’s a really good team spirit and our players know what their jobs are – each and every one of them, and there’s a belief there that, if we stick to our game plan, we can qualify for the World Cup.

“Any advantage at all going to Paris would be very, very welcome and although the pressure is on them more so than us, we are both playing for a place in the World Cup finals, so it’s enormous.

“But if we were to carry a lead to Paris, the pressure would pile on them.”

Abhimanyu Rajput

Tags: belief, belts, Brady, few minutes, France, french camp, game plan, giovanni trapattoni, going to paris, Holland, italian game, Italy, leg world, liam, Liam Brady, long wait, play offs, plethora, republic of ireland, South Africa, top guns, world champions, World Cup

Scotland keep World Cup dream alive

September 5, 2009

Scotland kept their World Cup dream alive with a 2-0 win over Macedonia at Hampden courtesy of Scott Brown’s first international goal and a superb solo effort from James McFadden.

Macedonia, inspired by Lazio’s Goran Pandev, had looked the better team in the first-half but a magnificent second-half showing sealed the three points for Scotland, who now need to beat the Netherlands on Wednesday to secure second place in Group Nine.

Brown, who caused controversy in the first-half when he refused to return the ball to the Macedonians from a drop-kick, headed Scotland into the lead.

McFadden scored the second after a mazy run starting in his own half ended with him rounding Jane Nikoloski to score and help ease the pressure on under-fire manager George Burley.

Scotland struggled to cope with Macedonia’s movement up front in the early stages and Goran Pandev in particular came in for some tough treatment from the Scottish defenders.

The first chance of the match fell to the Lazio striker when IIcho Naumoski laid the ball off to him in the box and Pandev’s thumping strike from just inside the area produced a fine save from Craig Gordon low down at his near post.

Things got worse for Scotland in the 13th minute when Burley’s game plan was thrown into disarray as Preston’s Callum Davidson limped off with a hamstring injury to be replaced at left-back by Steven Whittaker.

Scotland slowly settled into the game and were soon presented with a chance. McFadden’s deflected free-kick fell to Graham Alexander who laid it off to Brown and his powerful strike just went wide.

Another set-piece in the 24th minute produced another chance when Brown spun his marker on the edge of the box after controlling a Darren Fletcher free-kick but his angled drive hit the side netting.

Macedonia always looked dangerous on the attack and Gordon was called into action in the 44th minute when Pandev’s shot took a deflection but the Sunderland keeper did enough to keep it out.

Trouble broke out on the stroke of half-time when the ball was put out of play for a Macedonian player to receive treatment.

Instead of giving the ball back to the visitors Brown whacked the ball off a Macedonian to win a corner.

The Macedonian players reacted furiously to Brown’s unsporting behaviour and in the resulting melee McFadden was booked, meaning he will miss Wednesday’s qualifier against Holland.

Scotland started the second-half brightly and McFadden should have given them the lead in the 50th minute.

Fletcher’s cross fell to the Birmingham City star on the edge of the box but after twisting and turning to create room for himself he mishit his shot to send it high over the bar.

At the other end Pandev was sent clean through on goal but Gordon did well to block his shot and clear the danger.

Macedonia survived a scare in the 52nd minute when Nikoloski’s save from a Kenny Miller shot spun across the face of goal but Igor Mitreski scrambled the ball away for a corner as Fletcher slid in.

Scotland’s pressure paid off when Brown gave Scotland the lead in the 56th minute.

Fletcher floated in a cross from the left and the Celtic star got in front of his marker to glance a header into the bottom corner of the net.

McFadden sealed the win in the 80th minute with a superb solo goal. The Birmingham star picked up the ball in his own half before beating one man and then running through the middle of Mitreski and Goce Sedloski.

He then raced into the box and rounded Nikoloski before stroking the ball into the empty net.

GLASGOW (AFP)

Tags: Birmingham, birmingham city, Brown, callum davidson, Craig Gordon, darren fletcher, deflection, disarray, drop kick, first chance, Fletcher, free kick, game plan, george burley, Glasgow, Goran Pandev, Graham Alexander, Holland, Igor Mitreski, international goal, James McFadden, Jane Nikoloski, kenny miller, lazio, Macedonia, mazy, Preston, scotland, solo effort, Steven Whittaker, striker, the Netherlands, whittaker, world cup dream

Mexico subdues Nicaragua 2-0

July 6, 2009

OAKLAND – A penalty by Luis Noriega late in the first half and a second-half strike by Pablo Barrera helped Mexico to a 2-0 win against Nicaragua in both teams’ Gold Cup opening match Sunday.

Noriega and Barrera’s goals saved three points for Mexico against a Nicaraguan team making its Gold Cup debut and its first appearance in a major international competition.

Mexico, which played most of the match without striker Carlos Vela, came in as a heavy favorite.

Coach Javier “El Vasco” Aguirre’s squad is seeking its fifth Gold Cup title and is trying to restore some credibility in the region after several losses to Central American opponents in World Cup qualifying.

El Tri will take the win to move atop the Group C standings with Guadeloupe, which beat Panama 2-1 in the early match of a doubleheader.

Vela left the game in the 10th minute, limping off the field with a lower right leg injury.

He was carried off the field by two trainers at halftime. He wrapped his arms around their shoulders off both trainers trying to keep pressure of his right leg. The injured was in some sort of wrap.

Chivas de Guadalajara striker Alberto Medina replaced Vela and was key in setting up Barrera’s goal.

Sunday’s match was Vela’s return after sitting out Mexico’s last match, a scoreless draw in a friendly against Guatemala in San Diego.

Noriega converted the penalty kick a minute into injury time.

He sent his shot from the penalty spot to the left of Nicaragua goalkeeper Carlos Mendieta.

Noriega’s score was set up when Nicaragua’s Armando Reyes was whistled for a foul by referee Paul Ward in the 44th minute.

Reyes attempted a tackle from behind on Mexico’s Israel Martinez inside the penalty area but didn’t appear to make heavy contact with Martinez.

Noriega’s score helped send an Oakland-Alameda Coliseum crowd of mostly Mexico fans erupt into cheers as they watched their team head into halftime with the lead.

Nicaragua held to its game plan for most of the first half: defend and look to counter. It worked for more than 45 minutes, until Noriega’s penalty.

Barrera, who replaced Martinez to start the second half, added his goal by tapping in a volleyed pass from right to left by Medina in the 86th minute to seal the match.

Mexico controlled possession in the first half and out-shot Nicaragua 9-1. Nicaragua’s only shot came in the second minute and it almost caught Mexico off guard.

Armando Collado blasted a free kick from 40 yards to the right of Mexican goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa, who had to make a saving dive.

El Tri continued to spread the ball in the second half, creating a few more chances at goal. Nicaragua continued to defend.

Giovani dos Santos sent a header just wide right off a Medina floating centered pass from the right flank into the penalty area in the 54th minute.

Medina and dos Santos created another shot on goal in similar fashion in the 66th minute, but this time a Nicaraguan defender deflected dos Santos’ shot.

Barrera sent a shot from the top of the penalty area with a clean look at goal. But Mendieta held his position to make the save.OAKLAND – A penalty by Luis Noriega late in the first half and a second-half strike by Pablo Barrera helped Mexico to a 2-0 win against Nicaragua in both teams’ Gold Cup opening match Sunday.