Hull seal place in Asia Trophy final

July 29, 2009

Hull City sealed a place in the Asia Trophy final after beating hosts Beijing Guoan in a dramatic penalty shoot out at the Workers’ Stadium Wednesday.

Hull won 5-4 on penalties after the teams drew 1-1 after full-time and will play Tottenham Hotspur in the final.

Brazilian midfielder Deiberson Geovanni scored an early opener for the Premier League club but the battling hosts cancelled out the score early in the second half via a goal from William Paul Modibo.

The goal wobbled Hull and the hosts found a new sense of purpose on their home turf.

Hull manager Phil Brown looked on nervously from the dugout as his transfer frustrations became all too evident, with his side lacking potency in midfield and attack against what was supposed to be a mediocre Chinese side.

Cheered on by the raucous crowd, Beijing Guoan made Hull chase shadows with superior passing.

On several occasions Hull could only pack their penalty box as Beijing looked to create an upset against the Premier League stars.

Beijing Guoan striker Guo Hui came close to clinching a winner on the 81st minute when he shot across the face of the Hull goal only to clip the post.

Five minutes later and Hull goalkeeper Matthew Duke tipped the ball over after a near post attempt as again Hull struggled to clear their lines.

Moments later Emil Martinez could have sealed the match for Beijing but his six yard drive was easily saved by the Hull keeper.

Instead both teams faced a penalty shoot out to decide which side would face Spurs in Friday’s final, with Hull holding their nerve to win 5-4 in sudden death after Beijing’s Zhang Xinxin blazed his spot kick over the bar.

Beijing will take on West Ham United in the play-off for third place.

BEIJING (AFP)

Tags: Asia, attack, Beijing, beijing guoan, chase shadows, chinese side, dugout, emil, frustrations, geovanni, Goalkeeper, home turf, Hotspur, HULL, hull city, league stars, Matthew Duke, midfield, midfielder, penalty box, phil brown, potency, premier league, raucous crowd, sense of purpose, west ham, west ham united, William Paul Modibo, xinxin, Zhang

Costa Rica tavels to Trinidad riding momentum of victory over United States

June 5, 2009

Fresh off a thorough 3-1 win against the United States that sent Costa Rica to the top of the table in the CONCACAF World Cup qualifying, the Ticos travel to Trinidad & Tobago to play a squad that has never beat them in 12 previous qualifiers dating back to 1966.

On Wednesday night in front of a raucous crowd, Costa Rica dominated the Americans, scoring twice in the first 13 minutes and delighting the fans at Estadio Saprissa in San Jose.

The Ticos improved to 3-0 at the Monster’s Cave in the final round of qualifying, their lone defeat coming to Mexico in its only road match at Estadio Azteca on March 28.

While Costa Rica has momentum and history on its side, Trinidad, which is desperate for a result, will have the crowd support at Dwight Yorke Stadium in Bacolet, Tobago. The Soca Warriors are tied with El Salvador in last place of the six-team group with two points from three matches, drawing Honduras and El Salvador.

Saturday’s match will mark the managerial debut of Russell Latapy, who replaced Francisco “Paco” Maturana. The Colombian resigned April 8 and the 41-year-old Trinidad legend, who scored a critical goal against the USA to advance the Soca Warriors to the final round of qualifying, took over on an interim basis.

“I’m pretty satisfied with the way things are going at the moment,” Latapy told FIFA.com. “I’ve had a good bit of time to work with the local players, and I have to applaud the coaches from the pro league here, who have allowed me access to their players for two full weeks of camp. So, as far as I’m concerned, things are going well and I couldn’t be more pleased.”

As if the task of securing points against Costa Rica isn’t daunting enough, it became even more difficult when Stern John injured his back, putting added pressure on other players. But English-born midfielder Chris Birchall told Trinidad & Tobago reporters that he’s ready to assume the responsibility.

“I know the last time was the goal against Bahrain (in the playoff for the 2006 World Cup), and then I scored in a friendly after the World Cup against St. Vincent, but it’s felt like such a long time since I’ve scored for Trinidad and I think I owe the team a goal or two now,” Birchall said. “It would be great to get on the score sheet on Saturday and help the team to a victory.”

By Dylan Butler

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