Centurion scorer Messi hungry for more success

January 18, 2010

At just 22, Lionel Messi just can’t stop making history and on Saturday his glittering career shone even brighter when he became the youngest player in Barcelona history to score 100 goals for the club.

It was the latest landmark for the Argentine star who has already won three league titles, two Champions Leagues and collected both the Ballon d’Or and FIFA World Player of the Year awards in 2009.

Messi scored twice in the final five minutes in Barcelona’s 4-0 home win over Sevilla on Saturday to mark his 100th and 101st goals in Barca’s colours and he has needed just 188 games to reach his century.

The Argentine has 68 goals in the league, 19 in the Champions League, 10 in the Kings Cup, two in the Spanish Super Cup and two in the World Club Championship.

Messi said he was happy to bring up his century but cherished the vital goals he scored in finals last season such as the header against Manchester United in the 2-0 Champions league final win and his goal in the World Club Championship victory.

“I remember the important goals, the ones in finals, more than the nice goals,” said Messi.

“Just like the other important things that have happened in the past this doesn’t hold too much importance and I don’t think about it. I am relaxed over the whole thing and just want to do more things.”

Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola heaped praise on the modest Messi and said the forward could go on to write many more new chapters in Barcelona history.

“You just have to congratulate him. It’s amazing at his age and it’s in his hands to break all the records,” said Guardiola.

“What we all like about him is his endless ambition. I can tell he wants more. The figures show what a great trajectory he’s had and he’s a great example for future generations.”

The two late goals from Messi against Sevilla made it five in his last two matches following a hat-trick at Tenerife last weekend and he now leads the goalscoring charts on 14.

Barcelona are now five points ahead of Real Madrid in the standings after their rivals lost 1-0 at Athletic Bilbao, but Messi called for caution with the season not even at the halfway point.

“It is an important advantage because five points is a decent lead but we know there are a lot of games to go and it is a long season,” said Messi. “There is the whole second half of the season left and Madrid will be up there.

“We don’t have anything to prove to anyone. We will continue with the same mentality as last season and we want to continue winning things and I think we have shown that.”

Barcelona crashed out of the Kings Cup to Sevilla on Wednesday so they won’t be able to match last season’s treble.

But they are unbeaten leaders in the league and are in the last 16 of the Champions League where they face VfB Stuttgart.

MADRID (AFP)

Tags: ambition, Argentine, ballon, Barcelona, Bilbao, champions league, champions leagues, championship victory, five minutes, five points, future generations, hat trick, important things, kings cup, league titles, lionel messi, MADRID, Manchester, pep, SEVILLA, stuttgart, Tenerife, trajectory, vital goals, world club championship

2009: Mexico continues CONCACAF club domination

December 23, 2009

The name of CONCACAF’s premier club tournament has changed. Mexico’s dominance of the region continues.

One year after Pachuca captured the final CONCACAF Champions Cup trophy, Atlante defeated Cruz Azul to claim the inaugural CONCACAF Champions League crown.

It’s a command that has continued into the second edition, with all four of Mexico’s entrants advancing to the quarterfinals of the 2009-2010 Champions League by winning their groups.

By winning the title, its first CONCACAF club title in 26 years, Atlante earned a bid to the Club World Cup in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. There it crushed Auckland City 3-0 only to be overwhelmed by eventual winner FC Barcelona 3-1 in the semifinals.

Atlante stuck first on a fifth-minute goal by Guillermo Rojas, but Sergio Busquets equalized 30 minutes later and Lionel Messi and Pedro sealed the Barcelona win with second-half tallies. Atlante fell on penalty kicks to Pohang Steelers in the third-place game.

It was the second straight fourth-place finish at the world club championship for a CONCACAF side, following Pachuca’s consolation game loss a year ago.

While the all-Mexican final was expected by many, there was plenty of intrigue in the first CONCACAF Champions League.

One of the biggest surprises of the tournament was the Puerto Rico Islanders of the United Soccer Leagues First Division, which needed to qualify through the CFU Club Champions Cup.

The Islanders became the first Caribbean team in 14 years to reach the final four of CONCACAF’s club competition, where they were eliminated by Cruz Azul on penalty kicks.

The Montreal Impact, also of the USL-1, a second-tier North American league, defeated Toronto FC of Major League Soccer to win the Canadian Nutrilite Championship and qualify for the Champions League.

The Impact finished behind Atlante in Group D, advancing to the knockout stage where they faced Santos in the quarterfinals, drawing a Champions League record crowd of more than 55,000 for the home leg.

Montreal stunned the Mexican powerhouse 2-0 in the first leg and led 2-1 at halftime at Estadio Corona before Santos struck four times in the final 37 minutes, including a pair of stoppage time goals by Carlos Darwin, to come away with a dramatic 5-2 victory.

As successful as the tournament was for Mexican and United Soccer League squads, Major League Soccer teams struggled. Of the four teams that qualified – New England Revolution, Chivas USA, D.C. United and Houston Dynamo – just Houston advanced to the knockout stage where they were eliminated by Atlante.

“We’ve established its legitimacy,” CONCACAF General Secretary Chuck Blazer said. “The fans have a level of expectation – they’ve seen what it is, they know what they’re going to get and they have every reason to believe we’re going to make it better as we go. And we will.”

The second iteration of the Champions League looks very similar to the first, with Mexico’s Cruz Azul, Pachuca, Pumas and Toluca leading the way into the knockout stages.

They are joined by the Columbus Crew, the lone Major League Soccer to advance, Marathon of Honduras, Guatemala’s Comunicaciones and Arabe Unido from Panama. The quarterfinals begin March 9.

Nearly half of the field for the 2010-2011 Champions League has been decided with CD FAS, which won a record 17th El Salvadorian league title, and Municipal, which claimed a record 27th Guatemalan league crown, the most recent to book their tickets.

They join American sides Real Salt Lake, Columbus, Los Angeles and Seattle, Mexican clubs Monterrey and Cruz Azul, as well as Honduran Apertura champion Marathon and Arabe Unido.

By Dylan Butler

Tags: abu dhabi united arab emirates, caribbean team, club champions, club world cup, concacaf champions league, CONCACAF Champions' Cup, consolation game, cup trophy, game loss, knockout stage, league crown, lionel messi, montreal impact, puerto rico islanders, record crowd, toronto fc, united soccer leagues, world club championship

Atlante succumbs on penalties at Club World Cup

December 19, 2009

Rafael Marquez Lugo scored to start the second half and Gabriel Pereyra hit the post in the 90th minute, but Atlante could not muster a second goal and eventually succumbed to the Pohang Steelers on penalty kicks Saturday in the third-place at the Club World Cup.

Marquez’s penalty attempt was saved by Pohang goalkeeper Song Dong-jin and Horacio Peralta put his off the post to enable the Korean side to prevail 4-3 after a 1-1 draw. It was the second straight fourth-place finish at the world club championship for a CONCACAF side, following Pachuca’s consolation game loss last year.

Marquez’s goal in the 46th equalized after Denilson put Pohang ahead four minutes before halftime. Atlante had nearly twice the possession as the Korean side and outshot Pohang, but Pereyra hit the post twice – once in each half, requiring the penalty tiebreaker.

Denilson put Pohang ahead after Shin Hyung-min headed a corner that fell to the Brazilian, who beat Atlante keeper Federico Vilar from nine yards with his fourth goal of the tournament.

Pereyra, unable to convert himself, freed Marquez Lugo in the opening minute of the second half and the Atlante forward finished inviting a dominant spell by the Mexican side including Pereyra had a 25-yard free kick that missed just wide in the 55th.

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates

Concacaf

Tags: abu dhabi, abu dhabi united arab emirates, club world cup, consolation game, dhabi united arab emirates, dong jin, federico vilar, free kick, gabriel pereyra, game loss, Goalkeeper, horacio peralta, korean side, nine yards, pohang steelers, rafael marquez, rafael marquez lugo, Shin Hyung-min, song dong, tiebreaker, united arab emirates, world club championship

Messi display worthy of Ballon d´Or

November 30, 2009

Lionel Messi is poised to collect the Ballon D’Or accolade on Tuesday and the Argentine showed why with a mesmerising display to help Barcelona defeat Real Madrid 1-0 in a sizzling ‘El Clasico’ at Camp Nou on Sunday.

Substitute Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored the winning goal on 56 minutes but with the world watching on Messi stole the show with his his mazy runs, clever turns and incredible close control all the more impressive given that he was a doubt for the match with a thigh injury.

Messi, still only 22, scored in the previous two Clasicos – which finished 2-0 and 6-2 in Barca’s favour – but could not cap his stellar display with a goal with Iker Casillas denying him with a wonder save in the closing stages.

“I came off against Athletic Bilbao as a precaution but came back tonight and fortunately we got the right result,” said the softly-spoken Messi.

“We couldn’t find space in the first half but in the second half we got better and the result we wanted.

“The win over Inter Milan (2-0 in the Champions League on Tuesday) was important for us to stay in the competition and now we have beaten Real Madrid who are a top side.”

Champions Barca now lead Real by two points at the summit and can stretch that to five points with victory over Xerez on Wednesday in a match brought forward due to Barca’s World Club Championship commitments in Abu Dhabi in mid-December.

Treble winners Barca are unbeaten in the league since the penultimate day of last season and lie top of the table but goalkeeper Victor Valdes, who produced a crucial save from Cristiano Ronaldo, said there was no room for complacency.

“Real played on the counter attack at times but with real quality,” said Valdes.

“The Spanish league is the best in the world and complicated to win. It is not just Real Madrid there are other such as Sevilla.”

Midfielder Xavi, one of four Barca players shortlisted for the Ballon D’Or, paid tribute to Real and saluted his team-mates for a determined defensive display.

“It was a physical game but a great spectacle,” said Xavi. “Real have a great team as well and a lot of talent up front.

“Madrid are always a competitive team. In all my years in football they have always had a team that can compete at the highest level.

“It was a great defensive display from the whole team to keep them out and get a very important win.”

MADRID (AFP)

Tags: abu dhabi, accolade, Argentine, athletic bilbao, Barcelona, Bilbao, camp nou, Casillas, clasicos, close control, complacency, five points, inter milan, lionel messi, MADRID, mazy, Milan, real madrid, ronaldo, SEVILLA, spanish league, team mates, thigh injury, treble winners, victor valdes, world club championship, xerez, zlatan ibrahimovic

Kaka ready to assume more responsibility

June 17, 2009

BLOEMFONTEIN, South Africa (AFP) – Superstar Kaka, buoyed by his recent high-profile move from AC Milan to Real Madrid, is ready to accept more responsibility as a senior player with Brazil.

The 27-year-old, who signed a six-year contract with the Spanish giants for a reported fee of 65 million euros earlier this month, recognises his growing stature as a senior player in Dunga’s national team.

His willingness to step up was evident in Brazil’s 4-3 victory over Egypt in the Confederations Cup here.

When the referee blew for a penalty in injury time with the scores tied 3-3, the Brazil No.10 showed no hesitation, immediately making his way to the spot before placing his strike past goalkeeper Essam El Hadary.

“Yes, I’m now a leader within the squad. Definitely not the only one, but one of several,” he told Fifa.com.

“It is to be expected that more senior players such as myself, Gilberto Silva, Lucio or even Robinho should take on more responsibilities.

“It’s a role that I take in my stride as it’s a natural progression, it’s not something that was forced upon me.”

His decision to step forward for the penalty kick in a pressure situation was seen by many as a defining moment and one that he said he had learned to handle during his time at AC Milan.

“I think that my attitude is what people expect from me in the national team,” said the midfielder, who will link up with Cristiano Ronaldo at Real next season after the Portuguese forward’s move from Manchester United.

“As for the crucial penalty against Egypt, for example, I’m used to those situations from my last few seasons at AC Milan, so it’s only natural that I should perform a similar role for the national team.”

Kaka was at AC Milan since arriving from Sao Paolo in 2003, scoring 70 goals in Serie A and 23 in the Champions League.

He won the 2007 Champions League with them, the 2004 league title, two European Super Cups and the world club championship in 2007.

His experience also stretches to World Cups.

He was part of the winning squad at Korea/Japan in 2002, though in a peripheral role, and was a starter at Germany 2006 in a team packed with household names like Ronaldo, Roberto Carlos, Cafu and Ronaldinho.

Despite his high-profile summer transfer the Brasilia-born attacking midfielder, crowned FIFA World Player of the Year in 2007, was not at his best last season, spending time on the sidelines with injuries.

But he is now fit and gnashing at the bit, keen to see Brazil win the Confederations Cup and do well at the World Cup in South Africa next year.

“Playing in the Confederations Cup is a great opportunity ahead of the 2010 World Cup, and as long as we remain strong in adversity like against Egypt, I think we’ll be on the right track,” he said.

Tags: ac milan, Bloemfontein, bloemfontein south africa, brazil, defining moment, dunga, Egypt, essam, Germany, Goalkeeper, injury time, Japan, kaka, Korea, lucio, MADRID, Manchester, manchester united, Milan, natural progression, penalty kick, pressure situation, real madrid, roberto carlos, ronaldo, sao paolo, South Africa, stature, winn, world club championship, World Cup, world cups

It´s Hooray Henry as he wins Champions League at last

May 28, 2009

ROME (AFP) – France football great Thierry Henry at last added the Champions League to his medals cabinet here on Wednesday and made it a full house of major football titles.

The 31-year-old – who won the World Cup and Euro titles with France – had tasted final defeat with Arsenal when they lost 2-1 to ironically Barcelona in 2006.

But that record was set straight here on Wednesday as Barcelona deservedly beat holders Manchester United 2-0 with goals by Samuel Eto’o and Lionel Messi, who outshone his United counterpart Cristiano Ronaldo.

Henry too could have all but wrapped the match up soon after half-time with Barca leading 1-0 when he produced a mesmerising piece of individual skill only to be thwarted by Edwin van der Sar.

However, that faded into insignificance for Henry as he soaked up what it meant to win the greatest trophy in European club football.

“Finally I have won it!” said the former Monaco and Juventus striker, who after a miserable first season at Barca under Frank Rijkaard has been rejuvenated under Pep Guardiola.

“I have been waiting for so long for this.

“The last five minutes were the longest in my life. I know we were 2-0 up but we were playing the best team in the world (referring to the world club championship United won earlier this year).

“We didn’t start well and Man Utd dominated for 10 minutes but then we got our passing game together and we ran the game.

“It’s a double celebration as it is my daughter’s birthday.”

For his outstanding team-mate Andres Iniesta – whose last-gasp goal had secured their place in the final at the expense of last year’s finalists Chelsea – it was hard to get a word out of him.

“I am speechless,” gasped the Euro 2008-winning star.

“The Cup is so beautiful. It’s the perfect ending to a spectacular season.”

United manager Sir Alex Ferguson accepted defeat with good grace.

“We started the game brightly but the goal was a killer,” said the 67-year-old Scot, who looked to have had a good omen when one of his horses Last Three Minutes won a race earlier on Wednesday.

“However, they are a better team than us. We conceded two bad goals. Our defence has been good all season but those were two shoddy goals to lose.”

Ferguson, who has nevertheless guided United to the title and to the League Cup this season as well as the World Club Championship, paid special tribute to not Messi but to Iniesta and man of the match Xavi Hernandez.

“Xavi and Iniesta can keep the ball so well that you get the impression they have had it all night.

“That makes it really difficult for us.”

However, Ferguson said that his side would bounce back from a match they had barely ever been competitive in.

“The team has done well this season, it;s their 66th match so fatigue does play a part. And they have showed great resilience. But they have to accept that they will have to be better at this level next season. That is the lesson to be learnt.”

United England central defender Rio Ferdinand accepted that none of the team had really shown their true form – especially true of him and central efensive partner Nemanja Vidic, both badly caught out for the diminutive Messi’s goal when he headed home unopposed.

“Credit to Barcelona, they deserved it as they were the best side. Obviously it is very disappointing for us,” said Ferdinand, who was only cleared fit on the eve of the match.

“None of us played well tonight, it was a collective failure.

“We did create chances but they scored off their first chance and congratulations to them, they were the better team.

“With the Messi goal we could have done better certainly but special moments decide matches and they got the goals.”

Tags: alex ferguson, Andres Iniesta, Barcelona, CHELSEA, club football, double celebration, edwin van, Edwin van der, England, Ferdinand, Ferguson, football titles, France, france football, frank rijkaard, gasp goal, good grace, good omen, Henry, last gasp, lionel messi, Manchester, Monaco, passing game, pep guardiola, Rio, ROME, ronaldo, samuel eto, samuel eto o, Scot, sir alex ferguson, spectacular season, team mate, thierry henry, UEFA Champions League, world club championship

Torres admits Man Utd now in pole position

January 13, 2009

LONDON (AFP) – Fernando Torres has admitted that Manchester United’s demolition of Chelsea at the weekend has put them in pole position to claim a third consecutive Premier League title.

But the Liverpool striker remains confident that Sir Alex Ferguson’s side can be knocked off their perch and has billed the meeting between the two clubs at Old Trafford on March 14 as a potential title decider.

A 3-0 win over Chelsea on Sunday means United will displace Liverpool at the top of the table for the first time this season if they beat Wigan on Wednesday evening then take all three points from their trip to Bolton on Saturday.

"United are the champions right now, they are the favourites," Torres told reporters at FIFA’s World Player of the Year award in Zurich on Monday evening.

"They have shown in the last few years that they’re a very strong side. Look at the great players they have, and they have played two matches fewer, so they could catch up and even go top."

The win over a weary-looking Chelsea has seen bookmakers and pundits install United as odds-on favourites to retain their title in the belief that Ferguson’s side has come through the toughest part of the season.

The successful trip to Japan for the World Club championship did not result in any dropped points on the squad’s return to domestic action and United have already played all their away matches against other members of England’s current Champions League quartet.

"We all know what Manchester United are about," Torres added. "They are champions of England, Europe, the world.

"We do respect them as a team. They have class, they have classy players, we are struggling to keep up with them and stay ahead of them. So, they have quality. But we have options and know the chances we have. I think United have their chances as do Liverpool and Chelsea.

"We have to fight until the end and see what happens. Old Trafford is waiting and hopefully we can make it on an equal footing and try to benefit from a place not always advantageous to us."

Liverpool’s determination to wrest the Premier League trophy away from their great rivals was underlined last week by their manager, Rafael Benitez, ferocious verbal onslaught on Ferguson.

One of Benitez’s key claims — that United had been unsettled by the re-emergence of Liverpool as serious title contenders — was undermined somewhat by his side’s lacklustre display in Saturday’s goalless draw at Stoke.

Torres, who did not start that match, admitted Liverpool could not afford too many more slip-ups.

"The league is extremely important for Liverpool and the people of the city — it’s been 19 years (since the last title) , so is possibly more important than the Champions League. We would certainly like to give back this title."

Benitez meanwhile has predicted that it will take fewer points to win the title than has been the case in the last five seasons because the top flight has become more competitive.

"You can clearly see that there is not much of a points difference between a lot of teams," Benitez said. "That means everyone can beat everyone.

"It could be that it takes fewer points to win the title because you can lose games you expect to win."

United won last season’s title with 87 points and Chelsea amassed a remarkable 95 points in 2004-05, Jose Mourinho’s first season in charge.

Having played 19 matches (exactly half their total fixtures) so far this season, United have claim 41 points so Ferguson’s side will have to improve significantly in the run-in if they are to approach last season’s haul and disprove Benitez’s theory.

Written by: AFP

Tags: AFP, bookmakers, champions league, CHELSEA, England, English Premier League, equal footing, Europe, Fernando Torres, FIFA, Japan, Jose, Liverpool, london, Manchester, Old, old trafford, pole position, premier league, pundits, quartet, quot, rafael benitez, sir alex ferguson, squad, striker, strong side, Trafford, wednesday evening, Wigan, world club championship, year, ZURICH

Ferguson savours sweet riposte to Benitez onslaught

January 11, 2009

MANCHESTER, England (AFP) – Sir Alex Ferguson will savour the riposte provided by his players to Rafael Benitez’s criticism: a 3-0 win over Chelsea that puts Manchester United in the driving seat in the Premier League title battle could scarcely have been more sweetly-timed.

But the Manchester United manager is far too wily an operator to celebrate victory over any adversary prematurely.

So it was not entirely surprising that last week’s extraordinary outburst from Benitez was treated by Ferguson as if he were discussing the worryingly erratic behaviour of a distant, elderly relative.

Where Liverpool’s manager had vented his anger over what he sees as his counterpart’s hypocrisy, bullying of officials and serial whingeing, Ferguson restricted his response to an expression of bemusement in a tone that veered towards the pitying.

"There was a lot of venom in what he has said and I don’t understand where it has come from," the Scot said. "He is obviously disturbed about something. When he reflects on it he must realise what a ridiculous thing he is saying.

"But I don’t want to say anything else because all I want to do is keep my focus on my team."

Sunday’s win means United will displace Liverpool at the top of the table if they win their two games in hand, the first of which is a rearranged fixture at home to Wigan on Wednesday.

Having taken five points out of six from Chelsea and with home fixtures against both Liverpool and Arsenal to come, United are looking ominously well-placed at a time of the season when Ferguson’s sides traditionally hit their stride.

The Scot will be happier however when his squad have navigated their way through a fixtures backlog generated by appearances in the European Super Cup and the World Club Championship.

"We have got some tough games coming up — Wigan who are playing fantastically well at the moment and Bolton at Bolton (on Saturday) which is always a tough game.

"Eight games in January is a big test for us. But we have the squad and hopefully we can cope."

Important as it was, Sunday’s victory will not go down as a vintage performance from Ferguson’s men. Instead, it was Chelsea’s combination of impotent attacking with seriously slipshod defending that provided the defining features of this encounter and it would be intriguing to know what Jose Mourinho, watching from the VIP seats, must have made of it all.

Certainly it is hard to imagine a Mourinho side defending as ineffectively as Chelsea did on United’s second and third goals, both close range finishes from Wayne Rooney and Dimitar Berbatov in which their markers were culpable.

But, as both managers agreed, the contest had been effectively settled by the Nemanja Vidic header which gave United the lead in first-half stoppage time.

"Getting the goal at half-time certainly made the difference — they had to chase the game a bit in the second half," Ferguson said.

"They had a lot of good possession and they are a threat when they get possession because they have so many clever players. But we defended the 18-yard-line really well and I don’t think they got a really clear cut chance."

Chelsea boss Luiz Felipe Scolari admitted his side could not be regarded as credible title challengers unless they improved on what was a decidedly low-energy display here.

"If we play three or four games as now (today), we’re sure not to win (the title) but now it is the time for me and the players to think about our future," Scolari said. "Either we lose everything or we are men and we improve."

Written by: AFP