Cameroon 0-1 Gabon: Title favorites Cameroon handed shock defeat

January 14, 2010

Four-time African Cup of Nations champions Cameroon were handed a 1-0 shock defeat by Gabon thanks to a 17th minute Daniel Cousin strike.

The two sides had earlier met in World Cup qualifying, and in both the matches, home and away fixtures, Cameroon ran out as victors as they secured their place in South Africa.

Cameroonian forward Achille Emana was first to test Gabonese goalkeeper Ovono Ebang but it would be Ovono’s counterpart Carlos Kameni picking up the ball from the Cameroonian goal mid-way through first half.

Hull City striker Cousin would capitalise on poor defending to strike home a well-placed shot.

Cameroon piled on the pressure in the second half, with Emana and an under-par Samuel Eto’o coming close.

But Gabon goalkeeper Ebang’s solid display kept Cameroon at bay.

The result sees Gabon go top of a group that also includes Zambia and Tunisia, while Paul Le Guen’s World Cup qualifying side will have much to do in their remaining two group games.

Tags: african cup of nations, cameroon, carlos kameni, counterpart, daniel cousin, ebang, Gabon, Goalkeeper, group games, hull city, mid way, Paul Le, paul le guen, samuel eto, samuel eto o, second half, shock defeat, South Africa, striker, Tunisia, victors, World Cup, Zambia

´Russian roulette´ pays off for Ferguson

November 4, 2009

Sir Alex Ferguson revealed he had played Russian roulette to ensure Manchester United secured their passage into the last 16 of the Champions League.

Facing a surprise defeat with his team trailing 3-1 to CSKA Moscow at Old Trafford on Tuesday, the long-serving United manager sent on Wayne Rooney.

With a huge top-of-the-table game at Chelsea on Sunday, which will see United fall five points behind the current leaders if they lose, Ferguson wanted to rest the England striker.

In addition, Rooney had been excused from training on the eve of the game to be at the birth of his first child and had not had much sleep.

Although Paul Scholes and Antonio Valencia, with the aid of a huge deflection, were credited with inspiring United’s fightback, Rooney played a key role in the team’s recovery.

“He’s not had much sleep to be honest with you,” said Ferguson, after his side scored twice in the final four minutes to advance to the next phase with two group games to spare.

“But the third goal forced my hand really.

“He was a safety player for us in the sense that if we needed him he was there.”

Ferguson praised his players for showing character but he could not hide his disappointment at the goals his team conceded.

All three were a result of poor defending, but Ferguson refused to use the absence of first-choice central defenders Rio Ferdinand and Wes Brown as an excuse.

And he warned that his players must improve ahead of the Chelsea match.

“The players were fantastic with the number of chances we made and their keeper made some fantastic saves,” added Ferguson.

“We have lost three goals at home which we are never happy about. Their third goal just after half-time came as a surprise and gave them something to hold on to.

“It was unlike us.

“We will have a lot of set-pieces against us when we play Chelsea. It was a warning to us.”

“But our intensity was fantastic in the final 20 minutes. We didn’t want to send Wayne on that early but it was something we needed to do.”

United, trailing 3-1 at the time, were denied a blatant penalty when Darren Fletcher was tripped by Aleksei Berezutski inside the CSKA penalty area.

But instead of pointing to the spot, Portuguese referee Olegario Benquerenca booked Fletcher.

“I can’t believe it. I watched the camera by the side of the dugout and I just can’t believe it,” added Ferguson.

“It is the worst I have ever seen in my lifetime – unbelievable. The number of chances we did create showed that there is something about Manchester United.

“You can’t appeal a yellow card. I can understand in domestic football that it could get lost in the system but in European football it is crucial because, later in the tournament, to miss a really important game because of that is unfair.

“They (UEFA) should look at that but they won’t. It is a really bad mistake. Okay, it’s human error but it is still a bad mistake.”

CSKA coach Leonid Slutski saluted his players despite their failure to hang on for a famous win which would have been the club’s first in England and would have brought United’s 22 match home unbeaten run in the competition to an end.

The Russian club still have a chance of joining United in the last 16 but will have to rely on German champions Wolfsburg slipping up.

“It’s disappointing we didn’t hold on but I am still very proud of my players,” said Slutski, who replaced the sacked Juande Ramos only last week.

MANCHESTER, England (AFP)

Tags: alex ferguson, Antonio Valencia, central defenders, CHELSEA, cska moscow, darren fletcher, deflection, England, fightback, final four, five points, Fletcher, four minutes, group games, key role, Leonid Slutski, Manchester, manchester united, Moscow, old trafford, paul scholes, Rio, rio ferdinand, russian roulette, sir alex ferguson, table game, Wayne, wayne rooney, wes brown

France and Ireland face off for potential group decider

October 24, 2009

The Women’s World Cup qualifier between France and Iceland, to be played this Saturday, may well shape the way Group 1 of the European zone looks until the end of the campaign.

Although only a few games have been played in the European qualifiers, it is clear that France and Iceland are the main contenders in this group.

The French started convincingly with a 0-7 victory in and against Croatia, which should allow them to recover from the slightly disappointing UEFA Euro 2009 campaign, where France lost to the Netherlands in the quarter finals.

The French squad is relatively young as only five players have an age of 26 or above. Team veteran is without a doubt Sandrine Soubeyrand, who despite her 36 years begins yet another qualification cycle for her country.

Iceland beat Serbia 5-0 in their opening qualifier, and went on to trash Estonia 12-0 last month. The Icelandic ladies aim to once again prove themselves as one of Europe’s powers. Things didn’t quite go so well at this summer’s European championships though, as the group games with France, Norway and Germany were all lost.

The match with France was also the last time the two met, but there have been several other meetings in recent years. The nations shared groups in both of the last two qualifying campaigns for European championships, with France winning three times and Iceland once.

The match between France and Iceland will be played at Lyon’s Stade de Gerland and starts at 16:30 local time.

Jonathan Roorda

Tags: campaigns, croatia, doubt, Estonia, Europe, european zone, face off, France, french squad, Germany, group games, Iceland, Ireland, jonathan, last time, local time, Lyon, match, Norway, roorda, stade de gerland, the Netherlands, three times, veteran, world cup qualifier

Heinze full of beans as he gives Marseille hope

October 22, 2009

Gabriel Heinze delivered Marseille’s first points of this Champions League campaign, the Argentine lifting the French side to a 1-0 win at FC Zurich on Wednesday.

Heinze’s second half contribution gave Didier Deschamps’ team an outside shot of progressing to the knockout stages, the win lifting them up into contention at least for a ticket out of Group C and into the Europa League.

After defeats to AC Milan and Real Madrid Heinze could not have picked a better time to score with Marseille breaking down the Zurich defence in the 69th minute.

It was his Argentine compatriot Lucho’s cross which found the former Real Madrid, Paris Saint Germain and Manchester United defender unmarked at the far post with his sharply angled shot zipping past Zurich keeper Johnny Leoni and into the far corner.

In truth Marseille should have gone into the break in front.

On 42 minutes Brazilian back Hilton, one of four changes from the side beaten 3-0 by Real Madrid, headed over.

Then his compatriot Brandao, in for veteran Spaniard Fernando Morientes, was foiled by a point blank reflex save by Leoni.

Zurich had gone into this fixture lying second in the table after their shock win over AC Milan, but this reality check has left them facing a a dogfight with Marseille with three group games remaining.

The only blip on an otherwise profitable night’s work for Marseille was the red card for a second yellow handed out to defender Laurent Bonnart in the 90th minute.

ZURICH (AFP)

Tags: ac milan, Argentine, better time, blip, compatriot, didier deschamps, dogfight, far corner, fc zurich, fernando morientes, full of beans, gabriel heinze, group games, Johnny Leoni, knockout stages, Laurent Bonnart, league campaign, MADRID, madrid paris, Manchester, manchester united, Marseille, Milan, PARIS, paris saint germain, real madrid, ZURICH

Reds’ in despair with injuries

October 21, 2009

Lyon’s dramatic 2-1 victory over Liverpool inflicted a fourth successive defeat on the English side for the first time in more than two decades. The former European champion must win its final three group games to have a hope of advancing to the Champions League knockout stage.

Liverpool lost only twice in the league all of last season, but with four losses in their first nine games this year, the title has already started to slip away.

Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez is facing up to the worst injury crisis of his five years as the team prepares to face its bitter local rivals on its Sunday visit to Manchester United.

Steven Gerrard, Fernando Torres, Glen Johnson and Albert Riera are all doubts with the Reds needing a win in order to remain in the title hunt.

Strikers Torres and Johnson missed the Lyon clash while Gerrard who sat out the controversial 1-0 Premier League defeat to Sunderland rejoined the team at Lyon only to walk out of the field with the same groin problem after 24 minutes in the game.

Benitez said: “We have just too many problems – I cannot remember an injury situation like this.”

When asked as to how he intends to lift his slumping club, he said “It is something we have to do.

We have to prepare the players, push them, prepare as always and keep going.

It’s a question of doing things properly and having the confidence we can do it.

Today, I would say, with some of the chances, everything could have been different.

We have to prepare for the next game, that’s our job and we will do it.”

Liverpool has won the league a record 18 times in its proud history, but with 11 league championships since 1990, Manchester United has caught them, and is threatening to move right on with a fourth successive crown this season.

Anurada Bhat

Tags: albert riera, champions league, despair, doubts, european champion, Fernando Torres, glen johnson, groin problem, group games, injury crisis, injury situation, Johnson, knockout stage, Liverpool, Lyon, manchester united, premier league, proud history, rafael benitez, reds, Steven Gerrard, strikers, Sunderland

With domestic hopes faded, Pumas can clinch CCL berth

September 29, 2009

With all but mathematical hopes of playing in the Mexican Apertura Liguilla gone, Pumas still has the CONCACAF Champions League to play for.

Having lost all but the slimmest of chances in domestic play in a 1-1 draw with Chivas de Guadelajara on Sunday, Pumas is a draw away from Champions League quarterfinals – a point that could come at home against W Connection Wednesday night.

Last in the Apertura’s Group 3, Pumas is atop CONCACAF Champions League Group D, four points clear of second place Comunicaciones with two games left to play.

On Sunday, Pumas jumped in front much to the delight of the crowd at Estadio Olimpico Universitario when Jahu Chiapas capitalized on a Chivas defensive mistake to put the hosts in front on six minutes.

But Javier Hernandez Balcazar leveled in the 63rd minute for Chivas, which ended the game with 10 men when Xavier Baez was carded twice in two minutes.

W Connection already has been eliminated from the First Citizens Cup in Trinidad, but sits just two points behind Comunicaciones in the Champions League after a stunning 3-0 win in Guatemala on Thursday. Jonathan Frias scored all three goals in the second half for the Savonetta Boys, which snapped a four-game winless streak.

Comunicaciones bounced back well from the embarrassing home loss by thrashing Juventud Retalteca 6-2 on Saturday at Estadio Cementos Progreso. Isido Candia and Edwin Enriquez struck in the opening half and Transito Montepeque scored twice after halftime, as did Fredy Thompson and Manuel Soto for Comunicaciones, which actually fell behind in the seventh minute on a Jairo Perez goal.

Los Cremas face a situation where they could clinch a quarterfinal berth when they take on Real Espana Wednesday in San Pedro Sula. The club sits two points ahead of W Connection and three in front of Comunicaciones. Should Pumas beat W Connection, and Comunicaciones defeats Real Espana, the Guatemalan side would be through.

Otherwise, it will go down to the last group games in October when Comunicaciones faces Pumas at home.

Real Espana lost 4-0 to Pumas last week and didn’t play domestically this past weekend because the Primera Division of Honduras suspended league play amid political unrest surrounding the return of deposed President Manuel Zelaya to the country.

Real Espana has three points from its opening four matches and will need to win its final two matches to have a chance of advancing.

“We (will) exhaust the possibilities to qualify,” Real Espana coach Ramon Maradiaga said. “I will try to earn a [win against] Comunicaciones.”

By Dylan Butler

Tags: baez, berth, candia, cementos progreso, champions league group, chivas, concacaf champions league, Dylan Butler, Edwin Enriquez, first citizens, four points, fredy thompson, frias, game winless streak, group games, guadelajara, Guatemala, guatemalan, Honduras, jairo, Javier Hernandez, Jonathan Frias, Manuel, Manuel Soto, mexican apertura, President Manuel Zelaya, Ramon Maradiaga, san pedro sula, six minutes, thompson, Trinidad, W. Connection, Xavier Baez

Germany join England in Under-21 semi finals

June 23, 2009

Germany advance to the semi finals of the UEFA Under-21 Championships following a 1-1 draw with England. Spain are eliminated from the tournament.

After beating Spain in their second match, the Germans needed only one point against England to secure their spot in the semi finals.

Germany even took the lead through Gonzalo Castro Randon in the 4th minute but the English, who had already qualified, levelled with a goal from Jack Rodwell in the 29th.

Spain beat Finland 2-0 but are one point short in respect to Germany. Marc Torrejon scored the opening goal after 29 minutes and Pedro Leon made it 2-0 in the 55th.

The Spanish were tournament favorites in advance but now have to look back on what was a disappointing performance.

Italy, Sweden, Serbia and Belarus divide the other two semi final spots in their last group games on Tuesday.

Written by: Jonathan Roorda

Tags: belarus, Bundesliga, England, Finland, germans, Germany, group games, Italy, Jack Rodwell, jonathan, Jonathan Roorda, LA Liga, Marc Torrejon, match, pedro leon, randon, rodwell, semi finals, serbia, Spain, Sweden, torrejon, tournament favorites, uefa, uefa under 21, uefa under 21 championships

Mexico, United States win to remain on track for title match at CONCACAF Beach Soccer Championship

June 20, 2009

PUERTO VALLARTA, Mexico – Favorites Mexico and the United States both won their final group games Friday to remain on track for a title match meeting in the CONCACAF Beach Soccer Championship.

Yuri Morales, who scored twice in an opening 6-2 victory over the Bahamas on Wednesday, scored three times against Costa Rica, leading a 6-1 win that set up a semifinal meeting against El Salvador on Saturday.

Mexico got two goals from Gustavo Rosales to pace a 4-1 victory over El Salvador and earn a semifinal against Costa Rica. El Tri finished atop Group A with the USA atop Group B in the six-team event that will send two teams to the Beach Soccer World Cup in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates November 16-22.

Morales scored twice within three minutes midway through the first period to rally the United States, which fell behind for the second time in as many games. Francis Faberhoff scored his first goal of the tournament before the end of the period and Morales added his third midway through the second to put the Americans ahead 4-1.

Raphael Xexeo scored twice in the final period to complete the victory and get the United States within a win of returning to the World Cup.

“This is a great result for us. Our first aim was to finish as first in our group to try to avoid Mexico in the semifinals,” Morales said. “Now we can totally focus on tomorrow’s game, hoping our opponent will be El Salvador to get another chance to show that we’ve improved and deserve to go to the World Cup.”

Rosales, who had three goals in Wednesday’s 10-0 victory over Canada, scored twice in the first seven minutes to pace Mexico over El Salvador. Isaac Rodriguez and Jose Navarette added goals to increase Mexico’s lead to 4-0 before Jose Agustin replied for El Salvador.

Go to Source

Tags: Bahamas, beach soccer, Canada, concacaf, CONCACAF Beach, CONCACAF Champions' Cup, Costa Rica, Dubai, El Salvador, el tri, final group, final period, first period, group games, Gustavo Rosales, Isaac Rodriguez, Jose, jose agustin, Mexico, mexico and the united states, morales, opponent, puerto vallarta, puerto vallarta mexico, raphael, Raphael Xexeo, second time, soccer world cup, three minutes, Tri, united arab emirates, United States, USA, yuri, Yuri Morales

Confederations Cup preview: Iraq – New Zealand

June 20, 2009

Iraq still have a small chance to reach the semi final stage in the Confederations Cup. The Asian champions would have to beat New Zealand, while South Africa lose to Spain. And even then, goal records may not be in their favor.

After a draw and a defeat in their first two group games, Iraq would normally be very unlikely to make it through to the semi’s. The only good news is that while Spain may be qualified already, they might want to beat South Africa to set a new world record of 15 consecutive victories. This is Iraq’s only chance of survival.

New Zealand are already out of contention after losing their first two matches, and the question is how motivated they will be to give Iraq some trouble in their final match at this tournament.

While Iraq haven’t showed much in previous games, they should be able to get a few points from this game as New Zealand simply seems to lack the skills to perform at this international stage.

The match will be played in Johannesburg at 8:30pm local time.

Written by: Jonathan Roorda

Tags: consecutive victories, cup preview, final match, group games, Iraq, johannesburg, jonathan, new world record, New Zealand, previous games, South Africa, Spain, survival, World Cup

We´ll bounce back, vows Kiwi coach

June 15, 2009

RUSTENBURG, South Africa (AFP) – New Zealand coach Ricki Herbert vows his team will bounce back after crashing 5-0 to Spain, a team which he rated as clear favourites for the Confederations Cup title.

The nervous All Whites suffered stage fright on Sunday against the star names of Spain and were four goals down after 24 minutes before they woke up and made a match if it.

Herbert, who played for New Zealand at the 1982 World Cup finals, said it had taught his team, which rarely gets to play such top class opposition, some hard lessons.

“The guys are obviously disappointed. There were too many individual errors but they will take on the chin,” he said.

“We’re not surprised by the Spanish performance, I think they are the favourites to go on and win the tournament.”

New Zealand, the Oceania champions, are playing in their third Confederations Cup but have yet to take a point from seven games.

Herbert said breaking that jinx was a key motivation in their two remaining group games here against South Africa on Wednesday and Iraq next Saturday.

“We haven’t got a point and there’s certainly a burning desire to get that,” he said.

“But the competition itself is enough motivation for us. It’s a new day today and we’ll bounce back.

“We’re learning, but we do have a few things to turn around, particularly against the hosts South Africa who after their 0-0 draw with Iraq will also be looking to turn it around a bit.”