Benzema double keeps Real in Barcelona slipstream

January 31, 2010


A delightful back-heel from Jose Maria Gutierrez set up Karim Benzema for the first of a brace as Real Madrid, without suspended Cristiano Ronaldo, beat Deportivo La Coruna 3-1 on Saturday.

The win kept Real five points behind Barcelona who had earlier defeated Sporting Gijon 1-0 to stay top of La Liga in a game which also saw the champions reach the 50-goal mark for the league season.

Esteban Granero headed Real ahead after 13 minutes with the game played out in the home side’s half at the Riazor where the Madrid giants had not won for almost 20 years.

With Felipe Luis injured, Manuel Pablo moved to the left-hand side and the defence never looked comfortable especially against the pace of Benzema.

Raul Gonzalez had the chance to add to the lead with a close-range volley before a moment of real quality from Guti.

Through on goal instead of shooting on his weaker right foot, he back-heeled the ball into the path of Benzema to slot home.

Deportivo had their chances in the second half as Real took their foot off the gas and in a late rally Ivan Riki scored a penalty. The last word though was from Benzema who wrapped up the scoring in injury time.

“We went out to get the result from the very start even though this was not a win at all costs game. We knew how to deal with an important match against a good side,” said Real coach Manuel Pellegrini.

“I am very happy with the win because it was in a stadium which traditionally has been a difficult place to come for Real Madrid and also because we played well, although it did get a bit tight at the end.”

Barcelona stayed top after Pedro Rodriguez scored the only goal in a 1-0 win over Sporting Gijon.

Mate Bilic went close with a header for the home side before Pedro put the visitors ahead with a clinical finish from a defence-breaking through ball by Andres Iniesta on the 30-minute mark.

“This is a good result for us because we played in a stadium where very few teams have won,” said Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola.

“My only regret is that is that we did not make the right decisions in the final moments of the game that would have made the result a lot more comfortable.”

Sporting coach Manolo Preciado though felt that the free-kick that led up to Barca’s goal was not correctly taken.

“That goal was first of all an error from the referee and then from us but this is part of football, sometimes it goes for you and others not,” he said.

A Luis Garcia strike saw Espanyol overcome Athletic Bilbao 1-0 in a scrappy match to give them breathing space at the bottom of La Liga earlier Saturday.

The home side dominated from the start a match in which injury-hit Athletic were never able to get into their stride.

The Athletic keeper Gorka Iraizoz made a couple of important interventions in the first half but he was powerless to block Garcia’s close-range winner on 58 minutes after good work from Javi Marquez down the left wing.

The result moves Espanyol six points clear of the relegation zone but for Athletic, who are chasing a place in Europe, they have now lost back-to-back games.

Despite only managing a draw away to lowly Tenerife, Valencia are well placed to qualify for the Champions League but on Sunday they face a crucial game against fellow aspirants Sevilla who have dropped off the pace since Christmas after losing three of their last four matches.

BARCELONA (AFP)

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No red carpet for Eto´o, says Mourinho

January 30, 2010


Inter Milan boss Jose Mourinho has warned Samuel Eto’o he will have to fight for his place after returning from African Nations Cup duty.

Diego Milito, new arrival Goran Pandev and Mario Balotelli have made sure Cameroon star Eto’o has not been missed over the last month and Mourinho has not called Eto’o up for the leaders’ visit to Parma on Sunday.

The trio’s efforts have helped champions Inter to stretch their lead over second-placed AC Milan, who have played one game less, to nine points, with Milito and Pandev scoring the goals in last week’s 2-0 win over their city rivals.

Balotelli scored the last-gasp goal that took Inter into the Italian Cup semi-finals with a 2-1 win over Juventus on Thursday.

And Mourinho warned Saturday: “There will be no red carpet waiting for Eto’o. That might have happened with someone else, but not with me.

“Samuel has to get back to 100 percent and that’s why, if he has not recovered from all the fatigue of the African Nations Cup, it’s better to wait because it is very hard to start up front for Inter at the moment.”

Eto’o did not train with his teammates on Saturday, but had physiotherapy on a knock to his right foot that he suffered at the African Nations Cup, the club said on their website (www.inter.it).

Mourinho said he expects the visit to 12th-placed Parma to be especially tough, partly because of the team’s recent exertions in beating Milan and Juventus, and partly because of Parma’s “cunning” coach, Francesco Guidolin.

“It’ll be a difficult match,” added the Portuguese.

“Guidolin is cunning, in the good sense of the word. He knows how to play with the players he has. Sometimes he adapts to the opposition, sometimes he changes formation, but he also knows how to build a team capable of playing (good football).”

ROME (AFP)

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U.S. claims place in semis with 4-0 win over Trinidad

January 24, 2010


Sydney Leroux scored a pair of goals for the second time in three days and the United States became the first team to claim its place in the semifinals of the CONCACAF Under-20 Women’s Championship with a 4-0 victory over Trinidad & Tobago on Saturday.

The win also clinched a berth for Mexico, which beat Jamaica 2-0 earlier Saturday. Mexico will face the United States for the Group B title on Monday and the right to face the runner-up from Group B in the semifinals.

The United States went ahead in the fifth minute and dominated throughout, as Trinidad managed only token possession and were outshot 10-0, 7-0 in the first half alone.

Morgan Marlborough and Kristie Mewis accounted for the other goals by the United States, the defending Under-20 Women’s World Cup champion seeking its second CONCACAF title.

It was the second overwhelming performance by the United States, which routed Jamaica 6-0 on Thursday. Saturday’s results eliminated both Caribbean sides Trinidad and Jamaica, who will face off on Monday.

Marlborough put the United States in front in the fifth, running onto a ball from defender Rachel Quon in her own half, striking it first time and lofting it over goalkeeper Kimika Forbes from the top corner of the penalty area.

Kristie Mewis doubled the lead in the 23rd with the help from her younger sister Samantha. Quon drove a free kick into the area, where Samantha Mewis flicked it with her head. The ball caromed off of Trinidad defender Camille Borneo and to Kristie Mewis, who finished from the left side for a 2-0 lead.

Leroux scored her first in the 36thrd, heading in a corner by co-captain Christine Nairn from 10 meters.

She completed the one-sided first half by running onto a through ball from Marlborough in midfield and using a one-time deft touch with her right foot to easily beat Forbes with a slow roller inside the left post.

The United States continued to dominate through the second half, even after Teresa Noyola replaced Leroux in the 57th minute.

Kristie Mewis hit the crossbar with a 35-meter blast in the 70th minute and Forbes thwarted another chance by Amber Brooksin the 72nd, blocking her close-range shot out for a corner.

GUATEMALA CITY

Concacaf

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Defensive disasters cost Juve in Milan thrashing

January 11, 2010


Defensive horror shows at three corners saw AC Milan humiliate Juventus 3-0 at Turin’s Stadio Olimpico and all but end their rivals’ Serie A title hopes and leave coach Ciro Ferrara’s job on the line.

The victory meant Milan moved to within eight points of leaders Inter Milan with a game in hand and the Milan derby to come in two weeks time.

A victory for the rossoneri in that would ensure the champions come under much greater pressure than they have in their previous four title triumphs.

Juve are 12 points back and have lost six of their last eight matches in all competitions while they are also out of the Champions League.

Fans protested after the second goal and some clashed with police afterwards outside the ground but Ferrara remained defiant.

“It’s clear that the 3-0 was a fair result, this is a very difficult time for us,” he admitted.

“But I honestly don’t think my job is at risk, I’m totally concentrated on it.

“It’s not up to me to make decisions, my energies need to be concentrated on the team and trying to overcome this moment.

“I understand (the fans’) disappointment, it’s understandable because we’re not getting results, it has to be up to us to change these things.”

Alessandro Nesta and a Ronaldinho brace settled the affair but all three goals were due to Juve’s inept defending at corners.

Milan coach Leonardo denied the Old Lady of Turin had made life easy for his team, though.

“Honestly it was very difficult, especially in the first first half when we needed some time to get organised,” he said.

“We struggled but we didn’t give up many chances, we didn’t create a lot but we conceded even less.

“The second half was perfect, we managed to hold the ball, pass it quickly and we gave Juve problems.”

It was an unsurprisingly tentative start from both teams but Juve playmaker Diego tried to spark the game into life on 13 minutes as he cut in from the left and curled a right-foot shot just wide of the far post.

However, ‘The Old Lady’ fell behind on 29 minutes after a defensive disaster.

Andrea Pirlo’s corner was poor and sent in low to the near post but Christian Poulsen left it, Felipe Melo missed it, goalkeeper Alex Manninger was caught unawares leaving Nesta, whose marker Zdenek Grygera had stopped, the simple task of tapping home from two yards out at the back post.

Juve did belatedly react but it was centre-back Giorgio Chiellini, their best player, whose shot was straight at goalkeeper Dida after his central defensive partner Fabio Cannavaro’s weak effort fell to him.

Milan, though, finished the half on a high as Manninger parried Thiago Silva’s long range strike before Ronaldinho’s header from David Beckham’s corner was deflected behind.

Juve failed to exert much pressure after the break despite the introduction of Alessandro Del Piero on the hour mark and Chiellini was proving their most dangerous threat from set-pieces, without actually troubling Dida.

The win was secured on 72 minutes as another unimpressive Pirlo corner found Ronaldinho six yards wider than the near post but his flicked header skimmed off Paolo De Ceglie’s head and beat Manninger at his front post.

Two minutes from time Beckham took a short corner and then crossed from the right with Juve’s hapless defensive again missing the ball and a surprised Ronaldinho tapping home at the back post from six yards.

In earlier games, Napoli extended their unbeaten run under coach Walter Mazzarri to 14 games following a 1-0 home victory against Sampdoria that boosted their growing challenge for a top four finish.

German Denis’s second half goal earned the southerners three points that leaves them fourth in the Serie A table, just goal difference behind Juventus and a point above AS Roma.

They have not been beaten since October – 13 league games and one cup match – when former Sampdoria boss Mazzarri took over from the sacked former Italy coach Roberto Donadoni.

Mazzarri refused to get carried away, though.

“We’ll add up the points at the end of the season, this league is very balanced, it’s the details that will make the differences,” he said.

French goalkeeper Sebastien Frey made two crucial second half stops to help Fiorentina beat Bari 2-1 in Florence and go sixth.

ROME (AFP)

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Milner pushes Villa up to third

December 16, 2009


A James Milner-inspired Aston Villa followed up their weekend win at Manchester United with a 2-0 win at Sunderland that underlined the credibility of their challenge for a top four finish.

Milner made Villa’s opener for Emile Heskey then found the net from fully 30 yards to enable Villa to leapfrog Arsenal into third place in the table ahead of the Gunners’ trip to Burnley on Wednesday.

Unsurprisingly, Villa boss Martin O’Neill kept faith with the line-up that had secured victory at Old Trafford while his opposite number Steve Bruce restored winger Kieran Richardson to the side at the expense of Fraizer Campbell.

Sunderland started brightly and Villa were fortunate that Andy Reid’s second-minute corner cleared the goalmouth without anyone getting a touch.

Teenage midfielder Jordan Henderson then almost opened the scoring for the home side, snapping a shot inches wide from Darren Bent’s lay-off.

Sunderland were winning the early 50-50 balls, not always legally. Skipper Lorik Cana and George McCartney both picked up yellow cards, with the latter conceding a free-kick for a trip on Emile Heskey that resulted in Stewart Downing hitting the crossbar from the resulting free-kick.

That was a sign of Villa asserting themselves and the visitors took the lead midway through the opening period. A fine ball from Milner released Heskey into the Sunderland box and the England centre-forward beat Martin Fulop with a confident finish.

Sunderland had not generated a single clear chance by that stage and it was not until ten minutes before the break that they did, Kenwyne Jones heading wide after being picked out by a McCartney’s fine cross.

Reid finally got an effort on target with a right-foot volley two minutes later but Brad Friedel blocked with his legs.

Sunderland should have equalised four minutes after the restart, when Bent flicked McCartney’s long ball into the path of Reid, who sliced his attempted finish wide.

The home side continued to pile on the pressure but Villa, as ever, looked dangerous on the break and only the woodwork denied Ashley Young a goal four minutes before O’Neill’s men doubled their lead.

Sunderland lost possession from a throw-in and the ball fell to the outstanding Milner 30 yards out. The winger, operating in central midfield, steadied himself and unleashed a shot that found the top right corner of the net to seal the points for Villa.

Any chance of a late rally by the home side was extinguished with 13 minutes left when Cana was ordered off after receiving a second yellow card for a late challenge on Milner.

SUNDERLAND, England (AFP)

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United States advances to U-17 knockout round again

November 2, 2009


The United States advanced to the knockout stage at the Under-17 World Cup for the fourth straight time on Sunday, beating the United Arab Emirates 1-0 with Jack McInerney’s second goal of the tournament.

McInerney converted a rebound in the 35th minute of a game the United States had three times as many shots on goals as the Emirates but struggled to finish several prime opportunities.

The result left the United States second in Group E and headed to a second-round match on Wednesday against the winner from Group F, likely Italy. The victory sent the Americans along with Mexico to the single-elimination phase, giving CONCACAF two of its four teams berths in the knockout round.

The United States, the only country to qualify for all 13 U-17 World Cups, created several chances before McInerney put the Americans ahead.

Luis Gil dribbled across the top of the penalty area before sending the ball with outside of his right foot to Nick Palodichuk.

Palodichuk volleyed a low shot with his left foot from the edge of the area that UAE goalkeeper Ahmad Shambih was able to block but not hold. McInerney, lurking near the goal, pounced on the loose ball and poked a left-footed shot past Shambih.

The Americans quickly pressed for an insurance goal with Shambih needing to produce saves to thwart Gil, Stefan Jerome and Alex Shinsky over the next nine minutes.

The United States continued to test Shimbih in the second half, with Gil driving a shot from distance that the goalkeeper hat to leap and stretch across his body to tip away in the 63rd.

U.S. goalkeeper Earl Edwards had a relatively lighter match, but had a handful of saves including one to deny Mohammad Sebil in the 61st.

IJEBU ODE, Nigeria

Source

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Fergie saviour Robins aiming for United knockout

October 27, 2009


Nearly two decades after his FA Cup goal for Manchester United likely kept Alex Ferguson in a job at Old Trafford, Mark Robins will try to knock his old manager’s side out of the League Cup.

Robins’s goal in a 1-0 third round win against Nottingham Forest back in January 1990 came when former Aberdeen manager Ferguson was under pressure after three three years without a trophy at Old Trafford.

But United went on to win the FA Cup, the first of 25 major trophies Ferguson has brought to the club.

They include last season’s League Cup but the 39-year-old Robins, now the manager of Championship side Barnsley, will look to put one over his former boss at Oakwell on Tuesday.

Now the thought of Ferguson being forced out of United, even though the champions lost on Sunday to arch-rivals Liverpool, seems fanciful.

However, the Scot was not always so secure in his job as Robins recalled.

“I had just broken into the first-team fold,” he said.

“The week before I had scored my first league goal against Wimbledon at Plough Lane. There was no alternative but to play me against Forest because there were a lot of injuries to senior players.

“In the first half, I got a chance where the ball was played into my feet. I had my back to goal but I turned and hit it just past the post.

“I got the hair-dryer treatment at half-time because I didn’t lay it back to Brian McClair.

“For the goal, I remember Lee Martin was tackled, the ball came to Mark Hughes and with the outside of his right foot he laid it into the penalty area, but it hit the ground as it came up to me and I needed to guide it back where it came from.

“I got pushed in the back by one of their players but it went in the net and we won 1-0.”

Robins doesn’t mind being known as the man who saved Ferguson’s job even if his old manager has a slightly different take on the events of that key match.

“It’s nice that people think of the goal in that way and that I can have that claim, if you like,” Robins said.

“But Sir Alex wrote a book and, in it, he was asked the question did the goal save his job? He wrote that in training I would have missed it – but because I got a push in the back from Stuart Pearce it went in!

“So did I save his job? Yes, I did.”

BARNSLEY, England (AFP)

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Comunicaciones completes CCL quarterfinal field with 2-1 win over Pumas

October 23, 2009


Comunicaciones completed the quarterfinal field for the CONCACAF Champions League Thursday night, using a pair of first-half goals to hand Pumas its first loss of the competition 2-1 and give Central America a third team in the final eight.

Comunicaciones joined Marathon of Honduras, which earned its place earlier Thursday, and Arabe Unido of Panama as well as Pachuca, Toluca, Cruz Azul and Pumas of Mexico and the Columbus Crew of U.S. Major League Soccer.

The match finished the Group Stage and showed a marked improvement for Central America, which last season advanced only one of 12 teams that qualified for inaugural Champions League into the knockout rounds.

An own-goal by Pumas’ Humberto Gonzalez and a second goal of the tournament by Transito Montepeque was enough to give the Guatemalan side the victory and edge it past Trinidad’s W Connection for the second and last berth from Group D.

Pumas, which has won only one of its last six Mexican league games and is 17th in the 18-team Apertura championship, still finished atop the group with 13 points, four better than Comunicaciones.

Comunicaciones, winless in its last five including four losses, has fallen to seventh in the Guatemalan league, but pushed from the opening against Pumas.

It went ahead in the fifth minute when a throw-in was deflected to the top of the area and Fredy Thompson struck a right-footed shot toward the left post. But midway through the box, it clipped Gonzalez, changed direction and rolled inside the right post past fallen goalkeeper Odin Patino.

Montepeque, who leads Comunicaciones with 11 goals in the Guatemalan Apertura, doubled the lead in the 23rd. A seemingly harmless header out of midfield was inadvertently flicked on by Diego de Buen and Montepeque raced on to it, taking two touches before bending a right-footed shot around Patino from just outside the 18.

Gonzalez atoned for his gaffe to pull Pumas within a goal in the 36th,  extending his right foot to poke Luis Fuentes corner kick – which had been flicked on – past hapless goalkeeper Juan Jose Paredes.

GUATEMALA CITY

Source

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Lyon romp to victory over Debrecen

September 30, 2009


Lyon made it two wins out of two in the Champions League with a comfortable 4-0 victory at Hungarian champions Debrecen at the Ferenc Puskas Stadium here on Tuesday night.

The French side made light of several absences to roar into an unassailable half-time lead through Kim Kallstrom, Miralem Pjanic and Sidney Govou, inflicting upon their hosts a forgettable home debut in Europe’s premier cup competition.

Bafetimbi Gomis lobbed in the fourth after heading the ball past Debrecen goalkeeper Vukasin Poleksic early in the second period, as Lyon established a three-point lead over Liverpool and Fiorentina at the top of Group E.

Lyon were missing summer signings Lisandro Lopez and Michel Bastos through injury, forcing coach Claude Puel to name an unfamiliar starting XI with midfielder Jeremy Toulalan deployed at centre-back and full-back Francois Clerc put into action as an auxiliary right-winger.

It mattered little, though, for the visitors were 3-0 up within 24 minutes, thanks in no small part to the right foot of 19-year-old Bosnian playmaker Pjanic.

In the third minute his left-winger corner was expertly half-volleyed home from the edge of the penalty area by Kallstrom and Pjanic doubled Lyon’s advantage 10 minutes later with a sweetly struck 25-yard free-kick.

Govou then put the game beyond the hosts with a header from a Pjanic corner that glanced off Peter Czvitkovics’s arm before nestling in the bottom-right corner.

Govou nearly notched a second in spectacular fashion, bringing down a right-wing centre, flicking the ball over a defender’s head and firing in a low volley that Poleksic pushed away, while Clerc lashed a volley wide on the stroke of half-time.

When Debrecen did push forward they found France international goalkeeper Hugo Lloris in commanding form.

He denied Czvitkovics three times and tipped over a fierce drive from substitute Gergely Rudolf as the hosts sought a response to Gomis’s strike, before Govou fired straight at Poleksic from Clerc’s subtle through-ball.

BUDAPEST (AFP)

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Muller slams Germany strikers

September 29, 2009


Legendary Germany forward Gerd Muller has claimed the nation’s current crop of strikers would not have stood a chance of playing alongside him in his day.

The 63-year-old, who scored 365 goals in the Bundesliga and 68 goals in just 62 caps for Germany, has criticised Miroslav Klose, Mario Gomez and Lukas Podolski ahead of next week’s crucial World Cup qualifier with Russia.

“When you see what strikers we have in the national team today, in my day, they would not have even been allowed to even sniff the ball,” he told DSF television.

Only one German striker is deserving of a place in coach Joachim Low’s attack, according to Muller, and that is his namesake Thomas Muller, who is making a good impression in his first season as a professional with Bayern Munich.

“He is an incredible young lad,” added Muller.

“He can use both his left and right foot, like me.

“He is quick, strong in the air and he is one that can be taken to the World Cup.”

However, Low has defended the three strikers he is almost certain to name in his squad this week, insisting times have changed since Muller hung up his boots.

“I have the utmost respect for players like Gerd Muller, Franz Beckenbauer and Gunter Netzer and they are role models today, but you cannot make comparisons over decades,” he told the Bild newspaper.

“It has become incredibly difficult for strikers. Football has developed particularly in the art of defending.

“Nowadays, strikers don’t even get five minutes worth of the room that the strikers used to get over 90 minutes in a game.”

Abhimanyu Rajput

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