Football Blog: CHELSEA 4 SPARTAK MOSCOW 1
Source: Football Blog
Thursday, November 4, 2010
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Arsenal vs Tottenham Tickets - Buy / Sell Arsenal vs Tottenham Tickets Saturday 20 November 2010 at Emirates, London
Arsenal vs Tottenham Tickets - Buy / Sell Arsenal vs Tottenham Tickets Saturday 20 November 2010 at Emirates, London
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Monday, October 18, 2010
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Man Utd vs Tottenham Tickets - Buy / Sell Manchester United vs Tottenham Tickets Saturday 30 October 2010 at Old Trafford, Manchester
Man Utd vs Tottenham Tickets - Buy / Sell Manchester United vs Tottenham Tickets Saturday 30 October 2010 at Old Trafford, Manchester
Everton vs Tottenham Tickets - Buy / Sell Everton vs Tottenham Tickets Saturday 23 October 2010 at White Hart Lane, London
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Blackburn vs Chelsea Tickets - Buy / Sell Blackburn vs Chelsea Tickets Saturday 30 October 2010 at Ewood Park, Blackburn
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Chelsea vs Wolves Tickets - Buy / Sell Chelsea vs Wolves Tickets Saturday 23 October 2010 at Stamford Bridge, London
Chelsea vs Wolves Tickets - Buy / Sell Chelsea vs Wolves Tickets Saturday 23 October 2010 at Stamford Bridge, London
Arsenal vs West Ham Tickets - Buy / Sell Arsenal vs West Ham Tickets Saturday 30 October 2010 at Emirates, London
Arsenal vs West Ham Tickets - Buy / Sell Arsenal vs West Ham Tickets Saturday 30 October 2010 at Emirates, London
Arsenal vs Man City Tickets - Buy / Sell Arsenal vs Man City Tickets Saturday 23 October 2010 at City of Manchester Stadium, Manchester
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Arsenal vs Birmingham Tickets - Buy / Sell Arsenal vs Birmingham Tickets Saturday 16 October 2010 at Emirates, London
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Aston Villa vs Chelsea Tickets - Buy / Sell Aston Villa vs Chelsea Tickets Saturday 16 October 2010 at Villa Park, Birmingham
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Thursday, June 17, 2010
FIFA World Cup 2010: Did South Africa Miss an Opportunity to Make a Lasting�Impression?
Amidst much fanfare, the 2010 FIFA World Cup is underway in South Africa. The tournament is the most watched sporting event in the world with an expected viewership of over 700 million. The estimated economic impact to the country is $12 billion. But has South Africa missed a golden opportunity to increase the appeal of [...]
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FIFA World Cup 2010: Did South Africa Miss an Opportunity to Make a Lasting Impression?
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Thursday, May 27, 2010
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Champions League Review « Football Blog – Football News
1ticketlive looks at the 2009/2010 Champions League season, from the arrangement changes to the distresses, inspiring attacking performances and their masterful planned counterbalances, and of course, fate.
Qualification
For the first time in the competition’s history the qualifying rounds were divided in to two audible sections: The Champions Path, for those who won their home league but didn’t automatically succeed for European rivalry, and The Non-Champions Path, which naturally contains those teams who did not win their own league.
Olympiacos made their way unhurried through the Champions Path, dispatching the luminously named Sheriff Tiraspol all along the way. The whereabotus of Deputy Tiraspol are as yet unidentified.
Their competitors Panathanaikos were in the middle of the uppermost profile casualties from the qualifying stage, deafening out after a tough draw against Atletico Madrid. Sporting CP went out to Fiorentina on away goals, whilst in an all British affair; Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal ensured their presence in the group stage with a thumping victory over Celtic. It was a bad start to what would show to be a catastrophic season for Tony Mowbray. Deposed French Champions Lyon kept up their run of successive Champions League appearances with a crushing conquest over Belgium’s Anderlecht.
The Group Stages
The group stage is frequently lambasted for being a unsurprising matter designed to churn the same old teams in to the knock-out phase. This year, though, there were a few results to lift continental eyebrows, starting in Group A, where a 4-1 conquest for Bayern Munich in Turin saw Juventus fall in to the Europa League. It was a consequence which safe Louis Van Gaal the bag, and was one of the first nails in the sarcophagus of Ciro Ferrara’s Juve reign. Maccabi Haifa was the group’s whipping boys, losing all six fixtures, at the same time as French Champions Bordeaux strut impressively from side to side as group winners.
Group B saw qualification for last year’s finalists Manchester United and CSKA Moscow, who were only denied an imposing conquest at Old Trafford by a 92nd minute Antonio Valencia equalizer. CSKA beat German Champions Wolfsburg to second rest – at the same time as the strike partnership of Brazilian Grafite and Bosnian Edin Dzeko frightened, a expensive home defeat at the hands of a Michael Owen hat trick ended any sensible hopes of qualification Wolfsburg might have had. Besiktas won just one of their six games, and of course finished the group base.
Real Madrid were ready and focused for their first break at the European Cup since the return of Florentino Perez, and in spite of a 3-2 home defeat to Leonardo’s AC Milan, finished contentedly as group winners. Milan came second in a impressive group, with Marseille, who’d later come out as French Champions, and FC Zurich sprawling behind.
Having qualified so remarkably, Atletico Madrid went on to do what they do best: radically let down. They failed to win a solitary game, with only their better results against the likewise poor APOEL qualifying them for third place in Group D and a spot in the Europa League – a rivalry they’d finally win. Two of Jose Mourinho’s former clubs, Porto and Chelsea, took advantage of Madrid’s malaise to come to an end in the top two.
Group E provided a additional sign of Liverpool’s frightening decline as they failed to reach the last stages, denying the Kop their conservative ‘great European nights’. Two theatrical home defeats to Lyon and Fiorentina, both to stoppage time goals and a 2-1 shoreline, preserved their destiny. The Italian and French teams qualified in Liverpool’s stead, with Debrecen propping up Scouse pride by concluding in fourth.
Group F was approximately turned on its head by Russian Champions Rubin Kazan, who pulled off a upset 2-0 win at the home of holders Barcelona. In the end, though, the Catalans edged from side to side, along with Mourinho and his Inter, whose decayed luck in Europe finally began to twist as they snuck through with just two wins from their six games. Kazan was eliminated, along with former source of power Dynamo Kiev.
Sevilla by far the strongest side in Group G. There were few surprises, as the Spaniards romped from side to side, thrashing Rangers 4-1 at Ibrox down the way. The Scottish Champions enjoyed the monetary relief provided by the group stages, but couldn’t get benefit of any bonus rounds, finishing bottom of the group. Unirea Urziceni won by the similar score line in Scotland, but a costly 1-1 home draw in the go back tie saw them miss out on qualification to a Christian Gross-revived Stuttgart.
Arsenal came through a comparatively safe way in Group H to qualify as group winners. Their toughest test arrived in their first game, when some trait defensive calamities saw them 2-0 down away to normal Liege after just 5 minutes. A forceful 3-2 comeback proved the means to their qualification, and they were joined by a defensively solid Olympiacos, with Liege and Dutch champions AZ slipping out of argument.
Second Round
Eight groups shaped eight mouth-watering second round ties. The headline stories were the way out of two European super-powers, though maybe both ought not to have approach as such shocks. Real Madrid’s Champions League form has been terrible in current years, but even so their exit to Lyon came as a upset. This 2-1 collective defeat, as much as their breakdown to extort the La Liga title from Barcelona, is what will be cited as the cause for Manuel Pellegrini’s inevitable dismissal. The likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, a finalist just a year before, were destined to be denied the possibility of contesting a European final on home turf.
Chelsea were one of the favorites to win the rivalry, what with having been finalists two years before and having as added Carlo Ancelotti, a coach with established Champions League winning qualifications. However, they came up against past Chelsea hero and vengeance of Ancelotti, Jose Mourinho and his Inter Milan side. The view of facing his past club galvanised Mourinho and his team, and they produced a planned master class to win the tie 3-1.
Manchester United thumped AC Milan 7-2 on collective, and the second leg was more unforgettable for David Beckham’s return to Old Trafford than for United’s 4-0 win, which came with an awkward effortlessness.
Bayern Munich edged past Fiorentina on away goals, but the tie was blemished with argument as a Miroslav Klose goal in the first-leg was allowed to place in spite of the striker being obviously offside. Bayern’s German compatriots, Stuttgart, held Barcelona to a 1-1 draw in the first leg of their tie, but any hopefulness was rapidly extinguished by a 4-0 defeat in the second leg.
There was a similar rotate between Porto and Arsenal. Two awful Lukasz Fabianski mistakes saw the Portugese side take a 2-1 lead to the Emirates Stadium, but a out of control Arsenal racked up five goals to cause to be their first defeat immaterial.
Somewhere else, a terrible blunder from Sevilla goalkeeper Andres Palop saw the Andalucians go out to CSKA Moscow. The usually dependable stopper punched a tame 30-yard free-kick in to his own net, at the same time sending the Russians through at his own team’s cost. Bordeaux, in the meantime, sustained their serene progress with a at ease win over Olympiacos.
The Quarterfinals
In recent years, the Champions League has been under enemy control by financially-doped English teams. By the Quarter-Final phase, Liverpool and Chelsea were out, leaving United and Arsenal holding the British stick. Their positions on conflicting sides of the draw destined that another all-English final, just as in 2008, was on the cards.
Not, though, for long. Man Utd’s tie with Bayern coincided not only with the German side hitting their most excellent form in years, but also with an injury to talismanic striker Wayne Rooney. A confused tie was finally decided by a finish of beautiful brilliance from Dutchman Arjen Robben, who skillfully volleyed a lofted corner in to the net from the edge of the area.
Arsenal, in the meantime, came up against the team in control of not only the European Cup but also the continents best footballer, Lionel Messi. Messi was comparatively quiet in the London-based first leg, but Barca was sparkling, and only some goalkeeping heroics from Manuel Almunia kept the tie spirited. A late Arsenal meeting meant the game ending at 2-2, but Barca was less compassionate at the Nou Camp. After an early fright when Nicklas Bendtner gave Arsenal the lead, Messi took centre-stage with an exceptional four-goal match-winning show.
Both English sides were not in, but France was certain a club in the semi-finals after Bordeaux were pitted against home rivals Lyon. A 3-1 conquest in the first leg proved sufficient for Lyon, as Bordeaux failed to put in to Marouane Chamakh’s towering header in their next meeting.
Inter, in the meantime, progressed in typical Mourinho fashion with two 1-0 wins. In the semis they were due to come up against Barca in what many neutrals had wanted as their final.
The Semis
Inter vs Barca was a fight of personalities, philosophies, and two of European footballs main clubs. The enticing entertainers of Josep Guardiola’s Catalan team faced off against the well-drilled soldiers of Mourinho’s Milanese. A tempting force thrown against an fixed object. Even so, such had been the overwhelming form of Barca against Arsenal that many pundits expected them to send off Inter with a similar strut.
Not so. Inter’s hard-hitting oppose attacking method caught Barcelona off-guard, and the Italians jagged an impressive 3-1 win in the first leg. The Barca-backing pundits begin to quietly sweat, but at ease their a variety of audiences that all would be put right at the Nou Camp.
Not so. in spite of going down to ten men after Sergio Busquets’ overreaction saw Thiago Motta red carded, Inter shaped a unforgettable back guard action to hold Barca to just the one goal and make sure their series to the final. Once again, El Traductor had returned to trouble his former club.
The other semi-final rutted Louis Van Gaal’s Bayern against French Champions League patrons Lyon. The attacking power of the German side proved too much for Lyon, with a 4-0 collective score line underlining the dissimilarity in quality.
The Final
And so to the final: Bayern vs. Inter. The sorcerer rutted against his trainee. After the late Sir Bobby Robson had been moved upstairs to become Director of Football at Barcelona, Mourinho had become Van Gaal’s third ranked assistant in their communal time in the Catalan assets. When asked in the build-up to the game if Mourinho was the best trainer of his generation, Van Gaal witticism that the Portugese was – mainly because Van Gaal himself was a decade older.
Although Mourinho claimed he learnt abundance from his Dutch master, it wasn’t right away obvious in his plans. Bayern are a side loaded with attacking aptitude – defensively susceptible, but rudely thrilling. Inter are built on the model of competence over activity that Mourinho urbanized at Porto and then Chelsea.
Having every won a home double before the final, both sides were chasing an unparalleled treble. Inter’s tough way to the final and Mourinho’s cold blooded nature made the Italians the bookies’ favorites, but football connoisseurs(including Arsene Wenger) plumped for the highest weaponry of Bayern.
In the event, the bookies, as so frequently, proved successful. In a lively final, Diego Milito scored with two of the most clinical finishes you’ll see to end the match and the contest with Mourinho on top. This time, the Portugese’s revels were not muted, he hut tears of joy as Inter ended their half century wait for Europe’s biggest prize.
Mourinho had completed his blot on the Bernabeu, and the people of Madrid cheered as if he was one of their own. In all likelihood, he soon will be. Bring the big cup to Real, and The particular one will be the most Galactic of them all.
Get your Cheap Football Tickets at a cheapest cost at 1ticketlive.com, also get Chelsea Tickets and Arsenal Tickets as well as Manchester United Tickets and Manchester City Tickets at a very low cost.
Source: Champions League Review
Qualification
For the first time in the competition’s history the qualifying rounds were divided in to two audible sections: The Champions Path, for those who won their home league but didn’t automatically succeed for European rivalry, and The Non-Champions Path, which naturally contains those teams who did not win their own league.
Olympiacos made their way unhurried through the Champions Path, dispatching the luminously named Sheriff Tiraspol all along the way. The whereabotus of Deputy Tiraspol are as yet unidentified.
Their competitors Panathanaikos were in the middle of the uppermost profile casualties from the qualifying stage, deafening out after a tough draw against Atletico Madrid. Sporting CP went out to Fiorentina on away goals, whilst in an all British affair; Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal ensured their presence in the group stage with a thumping victory over Celtic. It was a bad start to what would show to be a catastrophic season for Tony Mowbray. Deposed French Champions Lyon kept up their run of successive Champions League appearances with a crushing conquest over Belgium’s Anderlecht.
The Group Stages
The group stage is frequently lambasted for being a unsurprising matter designed to churn the same old teams in to the knock-out phase. This year, though, there were a few results to lift continental eyebrows, starting in Group A, where a 4-1 conquest for Bayern Munich in Turin saw Juventus fall in to the Europa League. It was a consequence which safe Louis Van Gaal the bag, and was one of the first nails in the sarcophagus of Ciro Ferrara’s Juve reign. Maccabi Haifa was the group’s whipping boys, losing all six fixtures, at the same time as French Champions Bordeaux strut impressively from side to side as group winners.
Group B saw qualification for last year’s finalists Manchester United and CSKA Moscow, who were only denied an imposing conquest at Old Trafford by a 92nd minute Antonio Valencia equalizer. CSKA beat German Champions Wolfsburg to second rest – at the same time as the strike partnership of Brazilian Grafite and Bosnian Edin Dzeko frightened, a expensive home defeat at the hands of a Michael Owen hat trick ended any sensible hopes of qualification Wolfsburg might have had. Besiktas won just one of their six games, and of course finished the group base.
Real Madrid were ready and focused for their first break at the European Cup since the return of Florentino Perez, and in spite of a 3-2 home defeat to Leonardo’s AC Milan, finished contentedly as group winners. Milan came second in a impressive group, with Marseille, who’d later come out as French Champions, and FC Zurich sprawling behind.
Having qualified so remarkably, Atletico Madrid went on to do what they do best: radically let down. They failed to win a solitary game, with only their better results against the likewise poor APOEL qualifying them for third place in Group D and a spot in the Europa League – a rivalry they’d finally win. Two of Jose Mourinho’s former clubs, Porto and Chelsea, took advantage of Madrid’s malaise to come to an end in the top two.
Group E provided a additional sign of Liverpool’s frightening decline as they failed to reach the last stages, denying the Kop their conservative ‘great European nights’. Two theatrical home defeats to Lyon and Fiorentina, both to stoppage time goals and a 2-1 shoreline, preserved their destiny. The Italian and French teams qualified in Liverpool’s stead, with Debrecen propping up Scouse pride by concluding in fourth.
Group F was approximately turned on its head by Russian Champions Rubin Kazan, who pulled off a upset 2-0 win at the home of holders Barcelona. In the end, though, the Catalans edged from side to side, along with Mourinho and his Inter, whose decayed luck in Europe finally began to twist as they snuck through with just two wins from their six games. Kazan was eliminated, along with former source of power Dynamo Kiev.
Sevilla by far the strongest side in Group G. There were few surprises, as the Spaniards romped from side to side, thrashing Rangers 4-1 at Ibrox down the way. The Scottish Champions enjoyed the monetary relief provided by the group stages, but couldn’t get benefit of any bonus rounds, finishing bottom of the group. Unirea Urziceni won by the similar score line in Scotland, but a costly 1-1 home draw in the go back tie saw them miss out on qualification to a Christian Gross-revived Stuttgart.
Arsenal came through a comparatively safe way in Group H to qualify as group winners. Their toughest test arrived in their first game, when some trait defensive calamities saw them 2-0 down away to normal Liege after just 5 minutes. A forceful 3-2 comeback proved the means to their qualification, and they were joined by a defensively solid Olympiacos, with Liege and Dutch champions AZ slipping out of argument.
Second Round
Eight groups shaped eight mouth-watering second round ties. The headline stories were the way out of two European super-powers, though maybe both ought not to have approach as such shocks. Real Madrid’s Champions League form has been terrible in current years, but even so their exit to Lyon came as a upset. This 2-1 collective defeat, as much as their breakdown to extort the La Liga title from Barcelona, is what will be cited as the cause for Manuel Pellegrini’s inevitable dismissal. The likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, a finalist just a year before, were destined to be denied the possibility of contesting a European final on home turf.
Chelsea were one of the favorites to win the rivalry, what with having been finalists two years before and having as added Carlo Ancelotti, a coach with established Champions League winning qualifications. However, they came up against past Chelsea hero and vengeance of Ancelotti, Jose Mourinho and his Inter Milan side. The view of facing his past club galvanised Mourinho and his team, and they produced a planned master class to win the tie 3-1.
Manchester United thumped AC Milan 7-2 on collective, and the second leg was more unforgettable for David Beckham’s return to Old Trafford than for United’s 4-0 win, which came with an awkward effortlessness.
Bayern Munich edged past Fiorentina on away goals, but the tie was blemished with argument as a Miroslav Klose goal in the first-leg was allowed to place in spite of the striker being obviously offside. Bayern’s German compatriots, Stuttgart, held Barcelona to a 1-1 draw in the first leg of their tie, but any hopefulness was rapidly extinguished by a 4-0 defeat in the second leg.
There was a similar rotate between Porto and Arsenal. Two awful Lukasz Fabianski mistakes saw the Portugese side take a 2-1 lead to the Emirates Stadium, but a out of control Arsenal racked up five goals to cause to be their first defeat immaterial.
Somewhere else, a terrible blunder from Sevilla goalkeeper Andres Palop saw the Andalucians go out to CSKA Moscow. The usually dependable stopper punched a tame 30-yard free-kick in to his own net, at the same time sending the Russians through at his own team’s cost. Bordeaux, in the meantime, sustained their serene progress with a at ease win over Olympiacos.
The Quarterfinals
In recent years, the Champions League has been under enemy control by financially-doped English teams. By the Quarter-Final phase, Liverpool and Chelsea were out, leaving United and Arsenal holding the British stick. Their positions on conflicting sides of the draw destined that another all-English final, just as in 2008, was on the cards.
Not, though, for long. Man Utd’s tie with Bayern coincided not only with the German side hitting their most excellent form in years, but also with an injury to talismanic striker Wayne Rooney. A confused tie was finally decided by a finish of beautiful brilliance from Dutchman Arjen Robben, who skillfully volleyed a lofted corner in to the net from the edge of the area.
Arsenal, in the meantime, came up against the team in control of not only the European Cup but also the continents best footballer, Lionel Messi. Messi was comparatively quiet in the London-based first leg, but Barca was sparkling, and only some goalkeeping heroics from Manuel Almunia kept the tie spirited. A late Arsenal meeting meant the game ending at 2-2, but Barca was less compassionate at the Nou Camp. After an early fright when Nicklas Bendtner gave Arsenal the lead, Messi took centre-stage with an exceptional four-goal match-winning show.
Both English sides were not in, but France was certain a club in the semi-finals after Bordeaux were pitted against home rivals Lyon. A 3-1 conquest in the first leg proved sufficient for Lyon, as Bordeaux failed to put in to Marouane Chamakh’s towering header in their next meeting.
Inter, in the meantime, progressed in typical Mourinho fashion with two 1-0 wins. In the semis they were due to come up against Barca in what many neutrals had wanted as their final.
The Semis
Inter vs Barca was a fight of personalities, philosophies, and two of European footballs main clubs. The enticing entertainers of Josep Guardiola’s Catalan team faced off against the well-drilled soldiers of Mourinho’s Milanese. A tempting force thrown against an fixed object. Even so, such had been the overwhelming form of Barca against Arsenal that many pundits expected them to send off Inter with a similar strut.
Not so. Inter’s hard-hitting oppose attacking method caught Barcelona off-guard, and the Italians jagged an impressive 3-1 win in the first leg. The Barca-backing pundits begin to quietly sweat, but at ease their a variety of audiences that all would be put right at the Nou Camp.
Not so. in spite of going down to ten men after Sergio Busquets’ overreaction saw Thiago Motta red carded, Inter shaped a unforgettable back guard action to hold Barca to just the one goal and make sure their series to the final. Once again, El Traductor had returned to trouble his former club.
The other semi-final rutted Louis Van Gaal’s Bayern against French Champions League patrons Lyon. The attacking power of the German side proved too much for Lyon, with a 4-0 collective score line underlining the dissimilarity in quality.
The Final
And so to the final: Bayern vs. Inter. The sorcerer rutted against his trainee. After the late Sir Bobby Robson had been moved upstairs to become Director of Football at Barcelona, Mourinho had become Van Gaal’s third ranked assistant in their communal time in the Catalan assets. When asked in the build-up to the game if Mourinho was the best trainer of his generation, Van Gaal witticism that the Portugese was – mainly because Van Gaal himself was a decade older.
Although Mourinho claimed he learnt abundance from his Dutch master, it wasn’t right away obvious in his plans. Bayern are a side loaded with attacking aptitude – defensively susceptible, but rudely thrilling. Inter are built on the model of competence over activity that Mourinho urbanized at Porto and then Chelsea.
Having every won a home double before the final, both sides were chasing an unparalleled treble. Inter’s tough way to the final and Mourinho’s cold blooded nature made the Italians the bookies’ favorites, but football connoisseurs(including Arsene Wenger) plumped for the highest weaponry of Bayern.
In the event, the bookies, as so frequently, proved successful. In a lively final, Diego Milito scored with two of the most clinical finishes you’ll see to end the match and the contest with Mourinho on top. This time, the Portugese’s revels were not muted, he hut tears of joy as Inter ended their half century wait for Europe’s biggest prize.
Mourinho had completed his blot on the Bernabeu, and the people of Madrid cheered as if he was one of their own. In all likelihood, he soon will be. Bring the big cup to Real, and The particular one will be the most Galactic of them all.
Get your Cheap Football Tickets at a cheapest cost at 1ticketlive.com, also get Chelsea Tickets and Arsenal Tickets as well as Manchester United Tickets and Manchester City Tickets at a very low cost.
Source: Champions League Review
Friday, May 21, 2010
Champions League Final Preview: Bayern Munich vs Inter Milan « Football Blog – Football News
Both Inter and Bayern Munich have enjoyed a season of great domestic achievement, but as the two colossal clubs move toward the final of the Champions League – the undoubted highlight of the European footballing calendar – both stand on the brink of a significant treble.
Unique success will not just lay at the feet of the players of each squad. Coaches Jose Mourinho and Louis van Gaal, who are student and mentor in that order, can both join a best group of trainers who have guided two dissimilar teams to success in the most memorable of club competitions. Put quite simply, history is on the line in Madrid, appropriately the city most closely associated with the European Cup.
Inter have been the leading force in Serie A since the middle part of the 2000s, but in spite of preeminence in one of the continent’s toughest leagues, continental success has wholly escaped the Nerazzurri over the route of almost 50 years. Back-to-back European Cup victories in 1964 and 1965 are relics of a past age, and ‘the Big Eared Cup’ is preferred more than any other at La Pinetina.
With the Serie A circlet and the Coppa Italia previously safely on display in Inter’s growing trophy cupboard, all that remains to cap a extraordinary season is a win on Saturday.
The trail to the final has not been simple for the Beneamata. rutted against Barcelona in the group stages, Mourinho’s men needed a final day achievement over Rubin Kazan to see off the Russian champions and Dynamo Kyiv to maintain the second qualifying berth from a potentially ill at ease pool.
It was in the knockout stages where Inter truthfully began to thrive. A meeting with former club Chelsea provided Mourinho with a chance to showcase the Italian side’s title winning qualifications, with a 2-1 home accomplishment followed up by a textbook 1-0 triumph in London. CSKA Moscow provided obstinate but eventually powerless opposition in the quarter-finals as the Nerazzurri recorded a couple of 1-0 victories, before a rematch with Barcelona.
After falling 1-0 down in the opening leg, it seemed a case of business as customary for the reigning champions, but Inter graveled their teeth and raised their height to claim a unforgettable 3-1 victory at San Siro. The second leg at Camp Nou proved to be a planned master class from Mourinho and his Beneamata squad. Only in the closing stages of the match did Barca truthfully intimidate to turn over the two goal shortfall, but the Catalans’ luminous attacking unit couldn’t fathom a method by which to break down ten-man Inter twice.
PREDICTION
Inter Milan 3-0 Bayern Munich
Get your Cheap Football Tickets at a cheapest cost at 1ticketlive.com, also get Chelsea Tickets and Arsenal Tickets at a very low cost.
Source: Champions League Final Preview: Bayern Munich vs Inter Milan: "- Sent using Google Toolbar"
Unique success will not just lay at the feet of the players of each squad. Coaches Jose Mourinho and Louis van Gaal, who are student and mentor in that order, can both join a best group of trainers who have guided two dissimilar teams to success in the most memorable of club competitions. Put quite simply, history is on the line in Madrid, appropriately the city most closely associated with the European Cup.
Inter have been the leading force in Serie A since the middle part of the 2000s, but in spite of preeminence in one of the continent’s toughest leagues, continental success has wholly escaped the Nerazzurri over the route of almost 50 years. Back-to-back European Cup victories in 1964 and 1965 are relics of a past age, and ‘the Big Eared Cup’ is preferred more than any other at La Pinetina.
With the Serie A circlet and the Coppa Italia previously safely on display in Inter’s growing trophy cupboard, all that remains to cap a extraordinary season is a win on Saturday.
The trail to the final has not been simple for the Beneamata. rutted against Barcelona in the group stages, Mourinho’s men needed a final day achievement over Rubin Kazan to see off the Russian champions and Dynamo Kyiv to maintain the second qualifying berth from a potentially ill at ease pool.
It was in the knockout stages where Inter truthfully began to thrive. A meeting with former club Chelsea provided Mourinho with a chance to showcase the Italian side’s title winning qualifications, with a 2-1 home accomplishment followed up by a textbook 1-0 triumph in London. CSKA Moscow provided obstinate but eventually powerless opposition in the quarter-finals as the Nerazzurri recorded a couple of 1-0 victories, before a rematch with Barcelona.
After falling 1-0 down in the opening leg, it seemed a case of business as customary for the reigning champions, but Inter graveled their teeth and raised their height to claim a unforgettable 3-1 victory at San Siro. The second leg at Camp Nou proved to be a planned master class from Mourinho and his Beneamata squad. Only in the closing stages of the match did Barca truthfully intimidate to turn over the two goal shortfall, but the Catalans’ luminous attacking unit couldn’t fathom a method by which to break down ten-man Inter twice.
PREDICTION
Inter Milan 3-0 Bayern Munich
Get your Cheap Football Tickets at a cheapest cost at 1ticketlive.com, also get Chelsea Tickets and Arsenal Tickets at a very low cost.
Source: Champions League Final Preview: Bayern Munich vs Inter Milan: "- Sent using Google Toolbar"
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Monday, May 17, 2010
Friday, May 14, 2010
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Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Manchester City Vs Tottenham Hotspur Preview « Football Blog – Football News
Fourth place will potentially be decided after this game at Eastlands.
Tottenham could guarantee fourth spot with a win over their near rivals. They currently a point ahead of Manchester City with just two matches left to play and so victory here will see them build an unassailable lead of four points.
For City, this is a must-win game as anything other than that will see them hand over Champions League football to Harry Redknapp's men. Victory will put the home side two points ahead of Tottenham and then they will just need to win their last game at West Ham to clinch fourth spot.
Last week, Roberto Mancini's men beat Aston Villa 3-1 at the City of Manchester Stadium to put the Claret and Blues out of the running for the coveted Champions League place. Liverpool's loss to Chelsea meant it is now just a two-horse race between City and Spurs.
City has lost just 1 game in their last 6, to near rivals Manchester United. They have only lost 2 games in the whole season at Eastlands, and will be hoping to pull off a famous victory on Wednesday night.
Tottenham, on the other hand, beat Bolton Wanderers 1-0 at the weekend. Tom Huddlestone scored the winner on that occasion. They have led the race for fourth for a long time now, but two defeats in the month of April saw City gain some ground.
Spurs have already been in this position before, when they were just a whisker away from gaining fourth spot in 2006. They led the race all they way, before a loss on the final day of the season at Upton Park saw Arsenal take home the accolade. Midfielder Jermaine Jenas said in interview recently that he never wants to have that feeling in him again.
Manchester City team-news:
Gareth Barry, who missed the game at the weekend against his former club, is all set tp return after recovering from a hamstring problem.
Joleon Lescott was recently ruled out for the rest of the season with a hamstring injury, while Stephen Ireland will also sit out this game with an ankle problem.
Tottenham Hotspur team-news:
Centre-half and captain Ledley King, who suffers from a long-standing knee injury, played the game against Bolton but is a major doubt for this one.
Goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes injured his muscle in the win at on Saturday and is unlikely to feature at Eastlands. Ben Alnwick is set to replace the Brazilian in goal.
When these two sides met earlier in the season at White Hart Lane, the Lilywhites ran out 3-0 winners, with Nico Kranjcar scoring 2. This also turned out to be one of the last games in the Mark Hughes era, as the Welshman was sacked just a few days later.
Man City: Nielsen, Fulop, Onuoha, Richards, Kay, Boyata, Kompany, Toure, Bridge, Garrido, Sylvinho, Adam Johnson, Cunningham, Zabaleta, De Jong, Barry, Vieira, Bellamy, Wright-Phillips, Tevez, Santa Cruz, Adebayor, Ibrahim, Nimely.
Tottenham: Gomes, Dawson, King, Assou-Ekotto, Bale, Kaboul, Huddlestone, Bentley, Lennon, Modric, Pavlyuchenko Gudjohnsen, Defoe, Crouch, Jenas, Alnwick, Palacios, Bassong, Walker, Rose, Livermore.
My Prediction:
Manchester City at home has been brilliant this season, while Spurs have failed dismally against the top clubs away from White Hart Lane.
A narrow for the Blues from Manchester to take them into fourth place.
Manchester City 2-1 Tottenham Hostpur
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Source: Football Blog
Tottenham could guarantee fourth spot with a win over their near rivals. They currently a point ahead of Manchester City with just two matches left to play and so victory here will see them build an unassailable lead of four points.
For City, this is a must-win game as anything other than that will see them hand over Champions League football to Harry Redknapp's men. Victory will put the home side two points ahead of Tottenham and then they will just need to win their last game at West Ham to clinch fourth spot.
Last week, Roberto Mancini's men beat Aston Villa 3-1 at the City of Manchester Stadium to put the Claret and Blues out of the running for the coveted Champions League place. Liverpool's loss to Chelsea meant it is now just a two-horse race between City and Spurs.
City has lost just 1 game in their last 6, to near rivals Manchester United. They have only lost 2 games in the whole season at Eastlands, and will be hoping to pull off a famous victory on Wednesday night.
Tottenham, on the other hand, beat Bolton Wanderers 1-0 at the weekend. Tom Huddlestone scored the winner on that occasion. They have led the race for fourth for a long time now, but two defeats in the month of April saw City gain some ground.
Spurs have already been in this position before, when they were just a whisker away from gaining fourth spot in 2006. They led the race all they way, before a loss on the final day of the season at Upton Park saw Arsenal take home the accolade. Midfielder Jermaine Jenas said in interview recently that he never wants to have that feeling in him again.
Manchester City team-news:
Gareth Barry, who missed the game at the weekend against his former club, is all set tp return after recovering from a hamstring problem.
Joleon Lescott was recently ruled out for the rest of the season with a hamstring injury, while Stephen Ireland will also sit out this game with an ankle problem.
Tottenham Hotspur team-news:
Centre-half and captain Ledley King, who suffers from a long-standing knee injury, played the game against Bolton but is a major doubt for this one.
Goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes injured his muscle in the win at on Saturday and is unlikely to feature at Eastlands. Ben Alnwick is set to replace the Brazilian in goal.
When these two sides met earlier in the season at White Hart Lane, the Lilywhites ran out 3-0 winners, with Nico Kranjcar scoring 2. This also turned out to be one of the last games in the Mark Hughes era, as the Welshman was sacked just a few days later.
Man City: Nielsen, Fulop, Onuoha, Richards, Kay, Boyata, Kompany, Toure, Bridge, Garrido, Sylvinho, Adam Johnson, Cunningham, Zabaleta, De Jong, Barry, Vieira, Bellamy, Wright-Phillips, Tevez, Santa Cruz, Adebayor, Ibrahim, Nimely.
Tottenham: Gomes, Dawson, King, Assou-Ekotto, Bale, Kaboul, Huddlestone, Bentley, Lennon, Modric, Pavlyuchenko Gudjohnsen, Defoe, Crouch, Jenas, Alnwick, Palacios, Bassong, Walker, Rose, Livermore.
My Prediction:
Manchester City at home has been brilliant this season, while Spurs have failed dismally against the top clubs away from White Hart Lane.
A narrow for the Blues from Manchester to take them into fourth place.
Manchester City 2-1 Tottenham Hostpur
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Source: Football Blog
Monday, May 3, 2010
Premier League Saturday Review « Football Blog – Football News
Results on Saturday mean that fourth place will be decided by the game on Wednesday.
Tottenham Hotspur beat Bolton Wanderers 1-0 at White Hart lane to stay on course for their first ever Champions League place while Manchester City all but ended Aston Villa’s fourth place hopes with a 3-1 win over Martin O’Neill’s side at Eastlands.
This sets up a mouth-watering encounter between the two sides on Wednesday at the City of Manchester Stadium.
City are a point behind their midweek opponents, and one can confidently say that the team to win this game will be the team to play in Europe’s elite competition next year.
After the game against Bolton, Spurs manager Harry Redknapp said that he was extremely calm ahead of the crunch encounter against Roberto Mancini’s men.
'I don't feel any pressure at all, as we weren't a top four club when I came. We have a good team and play great football, the way it ought to be played, and I get great pleasure from watching that. We have a lot of internationals who have played in big games like this one, so we shouldn't be nervous.'
'It is so important and it will be like a cup final. I'm desperate to see us do it. It would be great.'
Mancini was delighted with his side’s result against Aston Villa, and said that they had a great chance to come fourth, especially because they play their game against Spurs at home, but admits that it will not all be easy.
'We wanted a final this season and now we have a final,' he said. 'It is our most important game of the year and we need all our players to be strong. It will be tough but we want to win it. It is about finishing in the top four, not my future. We must buy good players to come here and top players want to be in the Champions League. We hope that our fans can play a role as well by getting behind our backs.’
Adam Johnson, the young left midfielder, who was signed from Middlesbrough in the January transfer market, was the man who turned the game around, first winning a penalty and then, setting up Adebayor for the second.
Johnson is looking for a place in the England squad this summer at the World Cup, and his manager backs him and believes that he could be a great acquisition for Fabio Capello.
'I was happy with the way Johnson played. Johnson is young and exciting and I think next year he will be even better, for us and England.’
One more thing this win for City meant that now Aston Villa are very unlikely to finish fourth. They are two points behind City and three points behind Spurs, also having played a game more than both of them. A win for either side at Eastlands will see them out of the running.
Manager Martin O’Neill was obviously very disappointed after the game, and the Irishman referred to the Adebayor goal as the ‘pivotal point in the game.’
‘Up until they got the penalty, we were in command. We were playing exceptionally well and able to take any pressure they applied. We looked dangerous, got our goal and had good chances to make it 2-0. We then conceded a penalty and from kick-off we hit the bar and within seconds they had scored. It was a pivotal moment in the game.’
In the final round of fixtures played on May 9th, Tottenham and City travel to Burnley and West Ham respectively. Both these teams have nothing to play for, with one relegated and the other safe. Thus, both City and Tottenham will be expected to win their final games, meaning that the Wednesday fixture will be the one that decides their fate once and for all.
Get Cheap Football Tickets for the up-coming following fixtures
Arsenal vs Fulham Tickets 09 May 2010
Chelsea vs Wigan Tickets 09 May 2010
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Man Utd vs Stoke Tickets 09 May 2010
Source: Premier League Saturday Review
Source: Blackburn Rovers squad: Robinson, Brown, Dunn, Olsson, Salgado, Pedersen, Samba, Emerton, Nzonzi, Nelsen, Andrews, Givet, Jacobsen, Grella, Hoilett, Roberts, Diouf, Kalinic, Chimbonda, Jones, Di Santo, Basturk.
Arsenal squad: Fabianski, Clichy, Silvestre, Campbell, Sagna, Walcott, Song, Nasri, Diaby, Rosicky, van Persie, Mannone, Traore, Vela, Eduardo, Eastmond, Eboue, Bendtner, Arshavin.
My Prediction: Both teams have anything to play for, and that will show on the pitch. This may just turn out to be one of those boring matches with the boring result – a draw.
Blackburn Rovers 1-1 Arsenal
Blackburn vs Arsenal Tickets
Source: Blackburn Rovers Vs Arsenal Preview
Source: Football News
Tottenham Hotspur beat Bolton Wanderers 1-0 at White Hart lane to stay on course for their first ever Champions League place while Manchester City all but ended Aston Villa’s fourth place hopes with a 3-1 win over Martin O’Neill’s side at Eastlands.
This sets up a mouth-watering encounter between the two sides on Wednesday at the City of Manchester Stadium.
City are a point behind their midweek opponents, and one can confidently say that the team to win this game will be the team to play in Europe’s elite competition next year.
After the game against Bolton, Spurs manager Harry Redknapp said that he was extremely calm ahead of the crunch encounter against Roberto Mancini’s men.
'I don't feel any pressure at all, as we weren't a top four club when I came. We have a good team and play great football, the way it ought to be played, and I get great pleasure from watching that. We have a lot of internationals who have played in big games like this one, so we shouldn't be nervous.'
'It is so important and it will be like a cup final. I'm desperate to see us do it. It would be great.'
Mancini was delighted with his side’s result against Aston Villa, and said that they had a great chance to come fourth, especially because they play their game against Spurs at home, but admits that it will not all be easy.
'We wanted a final this season and now we have a final,' he said. 'It is our most important game of the year and we need all our players to be strong. It will be tough but we want to win it. It is about finishing in the top four, not my future. We must buy good players to come here and top players want to be in the Champions League. We hope that our fans can play a role as well by getting behind our backs.’
Adam Johnson, the young left midfielder, who was signed from Middlesbrough in the January transfer market, was the man who turned the game around, first winning a penalty and then, setting up Adebayor for the second.
Johnson is looking for a place in the England squad this summer at the World Cup, and his manager backs him and believes that he could be a great acquisition for Fabio Capello.
'I was happy with the way Johnson played. Johnson is young and exciting and I think next year he will be even better, for us and England.’
One more thing this win for City meant that now Aston Villa are very unlikely to finish fourth. They are two points behind City and three points behind Spurs, also having played a game more than both of them. A win for either side at Eastlands will see them out of the running.
Manager Martin O’Neill was obviously very disappointed after the game, and the Irishman referred to the Adebayor goal as the ‘pivotal point in the game.’
‘Up until they got the penalty, we were in command. We were playing exceptionally well and able to take any pressure they applied. We looked dangerous, got our goal and had good chances to make it 2-0. We then conceded a penalty and from kick-off we hit the bar and within seconds they had scored. It was a pivotal moment in the game.’
In the final round of fixtures played on May 9th, Tottenham and City travel to Burnley and West Ham respectively. Both these teams have nothing to play for, with one relegated and the other safe. Thus, both City and Tottenham will be expected to win their final games, meaning that the Wednesday fixture will be the one that decides their fate once and for all.
Get Cheap Football Tickets for the up-coming following fixtures
Arsenal vs Fulham Tickets 09 May 2010
Chelsea vs Wigan Tickets 09 May 2010
West Ham vs Man City Tickets 09 May 2010
Aston Villa vs Blackburn Tickets 09 May 2010
Man Utd vs Stoke Tickets 09 May 2010
Source: Premier League Saturday Review
Source: Blackburn Rovers squad: Robinson, Brown, Dunn, Olsson, Salgado, Pedersen, Samba, Emerton, Nzonzi, Nelsen, Andrews, Givet, Jacobsen, Grella, Hoilett, Roberts, Diouf, Kalinic, Chimbonda, Jones, Di Santo, Basturk.
Arsenal squad: Fabianski, Clichy, Silvestre, Campbell, Sagna, Walcott, Song, Nasri, Diaby, Rosicky, van Persie, Mannone, Traore, Vela, Eduardo, Eastmond, Eboue, Bendtner, Arshavin.
My Prediction: Both teams have anything to play for, and that will show on the pitch. This may just turn out to be one of those boring matches with the boring result – a draw.
Blackburn Rovers 1-1 Arsenal
Blackburn vs Arsenal Tickets
Source: Blackburn Rovers Vs Arsenal Preview
Source: Football News
Manchester City 3-1 Aston Vvilla: Post-Match Review « Football Blog – Football News
Manchester City all but end Villa’s Champions League hopes after a comeback win against the Claret and Blues.
Roberto Mancini’s men came from a goal down to beat Aston Villa 3-1 in a fiercely contested affair at Eastlands on Saturday.
John Carew opened the scoring for Villa, but then goals from the three Man City strikers – Carlos Tevez, Emmanuel Adebayor and Craig Bellamy swung the tie in favour of the home side.
Martin Fulop, who was signed as an emergency goalkeeper from Sunderland for the injured Shay Given, was a mere spectator early on, as City dominated. But out of nothing whatsoever, the Villans took the lead in the 16th minute. Following a City attack, they broke at lightning pace and Stewart Downing slipped the ball through to Carew, who got there ahead of Kolo Toure and slipped his shot through the centre-half’s legs. Fulop, who conceded 7 at Stamford Bridge on his last Premier League start, managed to get a hand to it, but could not prevent it from going in.
City looked for an immediate response, and had a penalty shout, when Tevez’s shot hit Stephen Warnock on the arm, but the linesman only pointed for a corner.
Brad Friedel also made some important saves to keep Villa ahead.
At the other end, James Milner tested Fulop with a long-range effort, but this time, the Hungarian was up to the task.
Downing then tried his luck from distance, but his well-struck shot went wide.
Referee Mark Clattenburg then once again denied Tevez a penalty when the Argentinean went down under Carlos Cuellar’s challenge.
In the 41st minute, City did get their spot-kick. Warnock’s rash tackle on Adam Johnson left ref Clattenburg with no alternative than to point to the spot.
Tevez stepped up and blasted his penalty down the middle, leaving Friedel with no chance.
Straight from the kick-off after the City goal, Villa almost went ahead again, when Carew hit the crossbar from an improbable angle.
From the same passage of play, City broke at the other end. Patrick Vieira played a brilliant through-ball to Johnson, who had the presence of mind to pick Adebayor and the Togolese tapped in to make it 2-1.
The away side were the much better team early on in the second half, with Ashley Young and Carew both being denied by brilliant saves from Fulop.
Then, City started to dominate, but neither side could find much of an opening. City went close through Bellamy, but Friedel pulled another magnificent save to deny the Welshman by tipping over his curling effort.
Martin O’Neil made his intentions clear with a double attacking substitution, bringing on Emile Heskey and Nathan Delfouneso for Stephen Warnock and John Carew respectively.
It was City though, who got their killer third in the last minute, when Wright-Phillips set up Bellamy, who curled an absolute beauty into the top corner to wrap up the points for the Blues.
With Tottenham also winning against Bolton, the midweek match at the City of Manchester Stadium is sure to be the one which decides who finishes fourth and who does not.
Aston Villa are now three points of the pace, and have played a game more. Liverpool are five points adrift of Tottenham, and anything but win against Chelsea will extinguish all their hopes of Champions League football.
Source: Manchester City 3-1 Aston Vvilla: Post-Match Review
Source: Football Blog – Football News
Roberto Mancini’s men came from a goal down to beat Aston Villa 3-1 in a fiercely contested affair at Eastlands on Saturday.
John Carew opened the scoring for Villa, but then goals from the three Man City strikers – Carlos Tevez, Emmanuel Adebayor and Craig Bellamy swung the tie in favour of the home side.
Martin Fulop, who was signed as an emergency goalkeeper from Sunderland for the injured Shay Given, was a mere spectator early on, as City dominated. But out of nothing whatsoever, the Villans took the lead in the 16th minute. Following a City attack, they broke at lightning pace and Stewart Downing slipped the ball through to Carew, who got there ahead of Kolo Toure and slipped his shot through the centre-half’s legs. Fulop, who conceded 7 at Stamford Bridge on his last Premier League start, managed to get a hand to it, but could not prevent it from going in.
City looked for an immediate response, and had a penalty shout, when Tevez’s shot hit Stephen Warnock on the arm, but the linesman only pointed for a corner.
Brad Friedel also made some important saves to keep Villa ahead.
At the other end, James Milner tested Fulop with a long-range effort, but this time, the Hungarian was up to the task.
Downing then tried his luck from distance, but his well-struck shot went wide.
Referee Mark Clattenburg then once again denied Tevez a penalty when the Argentinean went down under Carlos Cuellar’s challenge.
In the 41st minute, City did get their spot-kick. Warnock’s rash tackle on Adam Johnson left ref Clattenburg with no alternative than to point to the spot.
Tevez stepped up and blasted his penalty down the middle, leaving Friedel with no chance.
Straight from the kick-off after the City goal, Villa almost went ahead again, when Carew hit the crossbar from an improbable angle.
From the same passage of play, City broke at the other end. Patrick Vieira played a brilliant through-ball to Johnson, who had the presence of mind to pick Adebayor and the Togolese tapped in to make it 2-1.
The away side were the much better team early on in the second half, with Ashley Young and Carew both being denied by brilliant saves from Fulop.
Then, City started to dominate, but neither side could find much of an opening. City went close through Bellamy, but Friedel pulled another magnificent save to deny the Welshman by tipping over his curling effort.
Martin O’Neil made his intentions clear with a double attacking substitution, bringing on Emile Heskey and Nathan Delfouneso for Stephen Warnock and John Carew respectively.
It was City though, who got their killer third in the last minute, when Wright-Phillips set up Bellamy, who curled an absolute beauty into the top corner to wrap up the points for the Blues.
With Tottenham also winning against Bolton, the midweek match at the City of Manchester Stadium is sure to be the one which decides who finishes fourth and who does not.
Aston Villa are now three points of the pace, and have played a game more. Liverpool are five points adrift of Tottenham, and anything but win against Chelsea will extinguish all their hopes of Champions League football.
Source: Manchester City 3-1 Aston Vvilla: Post-Match Review
Source: Football Blog – Football News
Friday, April 30, 2010
Thursday, April 29, 2010
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Friday, April 9, 2010
Wolfsburg vs Fulham Review « Football Blog – Football News
WOLFED DOWN
Bobby Zamora scores an absolute stunner to eliminate Wolfsburg and continue Fulham’s unbelievable run.
Fulham’s dream run in this year’s Europa League continued after they beat German champions Wolfsburg in Germany last night.
Bobby Zamora’s beautiful finish after just 21 seconds was the only goal of the game as the Londoners prevailed 1-0 on the night and 3-1 on aggregate.
Leading 2-1 from the first leg at Craven Cottage, Fulham got the perfect start when Zoltan Gera’s pass to Zamora was magnificently controlled by the Englishman before turning and shooting past Diego Benaglio into the bottom corner of the net for his 19th goal of the season.
Zamora has looked impeccable of late, and is sure to have caught the eye of England boss Fabio Capello.
The 1000 English fans, including British actor Hugh Grant, who had made the trip to Germany, jumped for joy.
The hosts thought they had the equaliser in the 13th minute, when Grafite put the ball into the back of the net, only for his effort to be ruled out for offside.
On the half-hour mark, Grafite went one-on-one with Mark Schwarzer, but Fulham were spared again by the linesman’s flag.
Chelsea and Manchester City target Edin Dzeko failed to impress on the night, with the Bosnian’s first shot on target coming only in the 75th minute, which forced a brilliant save from Schwarzer.
Fulham looked dangerous throughout the game on the counter attack but could not convert any of their chances. Zamora could have had a second, but was denied by Benaglio on the hour mark.
The Wolfsburg keeper also made fine saves to deny Simon Davies and then Danny Murphy.
Brede Hangeland then cleared off the line to keep the visitors in front.
Fulham held on to complete yet another amazing victory and move forward into the last 4. They had already eliminated the defending champions Shakhtar Donetsk before the famous win against Italian giants Juventus.
After the game, manager Roy Hodgson was all-smiles and all-praise for Zamora. He said, “It was excellent combination play throughout the midfield and Bobby was very calm in taking his chance. I read that the price for Edin Dzeko is 40 million, so we might have to up our price for Bobby! But we don’t want to sell him.”
Wolfsburg manager Lorenz-Gunther Kostner was distraught after the game and said, “We did not have the team with enough bite and the right attitude. We made mistakes and we made the wrong substitutions. We just didn’t have what it took.”
“I am sure that when Fabio Capello is looking at the players to take to the World Cup, he will make his assessment. I am sure Fabio is aware of Bobby as a player, but Bobby cannot any do more himself.”
This win against the German champions sets up a mouth-watering tie against another German side, Hamburg SV. A superb brace from Mladen Petric and a thirs from Paulo Guerrero helped Hamburg prevail 5-3 on aggregate against Belgian side Standard Liege.
The first leg will take place two weeks later, at the HSH Nordbank Arena, the venue for the final on May 12.
Are you looking for Arsenal vs man city tickets Saturday 24 April 2010? at Emirates, London, just book your cheap football tickets at 0208-586-5660
Source: Wolfsburg vs Fulham Review « Football Blog – Football News
Source: Aston Villa currently lies in 7th place in the Premier League table, five points behind fourth-placed Manchester City. They are still in the running for the FA Cup, and play their semi-final with Chelsea this Saturday. They were losing finalists in the Carling Cup earlier on this season.
Yet, with good record, the Irishman’s job is seemingly not safe. Results of late have seen the club slip-up in their race for a Champions League place next season, and confidence amongst both the players and fans remains low.
A reported bust-up with American owner Randy Lerner has aggravated the rumours of the Irishman walking out next season.
O’Neill said after his team’s humiliating 7-1 defeat at the hands of Chelsea two weeks ago, “I’ll be talking to the chairman at the end of the season to see where we are positioned. People make judgments and calls and I will see if Villa fans are disgruntled with it. I will then see if the chairman-who has a big say in proceedings-agrees with that. Interestingly, I will have a say in proceedings too, because it is my life.”
These statements sent shock waves throughout the country, as they clearly highlighted that the relationship between the manager and the owner is frosty to say the least, although both parties have tried playing this down
Villa was unbeaten in 2010 up until the thrashing at the hands of Chelsea, a run which spanned 10 games. However in those 10 games though, Villa only picked up a miserly 14 out of a possible 30 points, drawing at home to teams like Wolves and Sunderland.
These results have seen frustration grow amongst the fans, who have not been shy to voice there discontent.
Villa is certainly on course to qualify for Europe this season, but a place in the top-four barring a miracle seems highly unlikely.
Rumours of O’Neill’s departure though, have been squashed by the man himself, who has reiterated his continue in the job.
He said, “I have a year-rolling contract and I hope to continue to do a job, the challenges of which I enjoy immensely.”
Fans will do good to remember that when O’Neill first arrived at Villa in 2006 to replace David O’Leary, they were nowhere near the heights where they sit now, having finished in 16th place in the previous season, only 8 points above the relegation zone.
The Irishman’s reign saw a drastic turn of events at the club, as his team went on to be unbeaten in his first 9 games in charge. Finishing a respectable 11th place that season. And then in for the last two campaigns, has lifted them to 6th in the table.
And for this O’Neil should be applauded, as in many people eyes he has done nothing short of a terrific job
There has been a steady rise since his arrival, but perhaps the expectation of steady never-ending improvement is putting the pressure on him.
Villa responded in the best possible way after the Chelsea defeat last week, beating Bolton at the Reebok Stadium to lift a huge weight of O’Neill’s shoulders.
A victory this weekend against Chelsea will certainly do Villa a world of good, and may please Lerner enough to save O’Neill his job.
The up-down in rankings will be going on, but don’t forget to get your cheap football tickets at 1ticketlive.com
Source: Martin O’Neill Hero To Villain « Football Blog – Football News
Source: Football Blog – Football News
Bobby Zamora scores an absolute stunner to eliminate Wolfsburg and continue Fulham’s unbelievable run.
Fulham’s dream run in this year’s Europa League continued after they beat German champions Wolfsburg in Germany last night.
Bobby Zamora’s beautiful finish after just 21 seconds was the only goal of the game as the Londoners prevailed 1-0 on the night and 3-1 on aggregate.
Leading 2-1 from the first leg at Craven Cottage, Fulham got the perfect start when Zoltan Gera’s pass to Zamora was magnificently controlled by the Englishman before turning and shooting past Diego Benaglio into the bottom corner of the net for his 19th goal of the season.
Zamora has looked impeccable of late, and is sure to have caught the eye of England boss Fabio Capello.
The 1000 English fans, including British actor Hugh Grant, who had made the trip to Germany, jumped for joy.
The hosts thought they had the equaliser in the 13th minute, when Grafite put the ball into the back of the net, only for his effort to be ruled out for offside.
On the half-hour mark, Grafite went one-on-one with Mark Schwarzer, but Fulham were spared again by the linesman’s flag.
Chelsea and Manchester City target Edin Dzeko failed to impress on the night, with the Bosnian’s first shot on target coming only in the 75th minute, which forced a brilliant save from Schwarzer.
Fulham looked dangerous throughout the game on the counter attack but could not convert any of their chances. Zamora could have had a second, but was denied by Benaglio on the hour mark.
The Wolfsburg keeper also made fine saves to deny Simon Davies and then Danny Murphy.
Brede Hangeland then cleared off the line to keep the visitors in front.
Fulham held on to complete yet another amazing victory and move forward into the last 4. They had already eliminated the defending champions Shakhtar Donetsk before the famous win against Italian giants Juventus.
After the game, manager Roy Hodgson was all-smiles and all-praise for Zamora. He said, “It was excellent combination play throughout the midfield and Bobby was very calm in taking his chance. I read that the price for Edin Dzeko is 40 million, so we might have to up our price for Bobby! But we don’t want to sell him.”
Wolfsburg manager Lorenz-Gunther Kostner was distraught after the game and said, “We did not have the team with enough bite and the right attitude. We made mistakes and we made the wrong substitutions. We just didn’t have what it took.”
“I am sure that when Fabio Capello is looking at the players to take to the World Cup, he will make his assessment. I am sure Fabio is aware of Bobby as a player, but Bobby cannot any do more himself.”
This win against the German champions sets up a mouth-watering tie against another German side, Hamburg SV. A superb brace from Mladen Petric and a thirs from Paulo Guerrero helped Hamburg prevail 5-3 on aggregate against Belgian side Standard Liege.
The first leg will take place two weeks later, at the HSH Nordbank Arena, the venue for the final on May 12.
Are you looking for Arsenal vs man city tickets Saturday 24 April 2010? at Emirates, London, just book your cheap football tickets at 0208-586-5660
Source: Wolfsburg vs Fulham Review « Football Blog – Football News
Source: Aston Villa currently lies in 7th place in the Premier League table, five points behind fourth-placed Manchester City. They are still in the running for the FA Cup, and play their semi-final with Chelsea this Saturday. They were losing finalists in the Carling Cup earlier on this season.
Yet, with good record, the Irishman’s job is seemingly not safe. Results of late have seen the club slip-up in their race for a Champions League place next season, and confidence amongst both the players and fans remains low.
A reported bust-up with American owner Randy Lerner has aggravated the rumours of the Irishman walking out next season.
O’Neill said after his team’s humiliating 7-1 defeat at the hands of Chelsea two weeks ago, “I’ll be talking to the chairman at the end of the season to see where we are positioned. People make judgments and calls and I will see if Villa fans are disgruntled with it. I will then see if the chairman-who has a big say in proceedings-agrees with that. Interestingly, I will have a say in proceedings too, because it is my life.”
These statements sent shock waves throughout the country, as they clearly highlighted that the relationship between the manager and the owner is frosty to say the least, although both parties have tried playing this down
Villa was unbeaten in 2010 up until the thrashing at the hands of Chelsea, a run which spanned 10 games. However in those 10 games though, Villa only picked up a miserly 14 out of a possible 30 points, drawing at home to teams like Wolves and Sunderland.
These results have seen frustration grow amongst the fans, who have not been shy to voice there discontent.
Villa is certainly on course to qualify for Europe this season, but a place in the top-four barring a miracle seems highly unlikely.
Rumours of O’Neill’s departure though, have been squashed by the man himself, who has reiterated his continue in the job.
He said, “I have a year-rolling contract and I hope to continue to do a job, the challenges of which I enjoy immensely.”
Fans will do good to remember that when O’Neill first arrived at Villa in 2006 to replace David O’Leary, they were nowhere near the heights where they sit now, having finished in 16th place in the previous season, only 8 points above the relegation zone.
The Irishman’s reign saw a drastic turn of events at the club, as his team went on to be unbeaten in his first 9 games in charge. Finishing a respectable 11th place that season. And then in for the last two campaigns, has lifted them to 6th in the table.
And for this O’Neil should be applauded, as in many people eyes he has done nothing short of a terrific job
There has been a steady rise since his arrival, but perhaps the expectation of steady never-ending improvement is putting the pressure on him.
Villa responded in the best possible way after the Chelsea defeat last week, beating Bolton at the Reebok Stadium to lift a huge weight of O’Neill’s shoulders.
A victory this weekend against Chelsea will certainly do Villa a world of good, and may please Lerner enough to save O’Neill his job.
The up-down in rankings will be going on, but don’t forget to get your cheap football tickets at 1ticketlive.com
Source: Martin O’Neill Hero To Villain « Football Blog – Football News
Source: Football Blog – Football News
Liverpool Vs Benfica Preview « Football Blog – Football News
With the Reds’ chances of finishing fourth in the Premier League diminishing by the day, nothing but a win will do today.
Benfica carry a 2-1 first leg lead into tonight’s game at Anfield, after two penalties from Oscar Cardozo turned the game around in Portugal.
Liverpool’s chances of qualifying for the Champions League next season are hanging by a thread after they dropped two more points at the weekend against Birmingham. Captain Steven Gerrard said after the game that it would be “tough to finish fourth”.
Rafa Benitez inexplicably brought off Fernando Torres in that game, presumably the only reason being this Europa League game. Benitez’s future at Liverpool may largely rest on this match, as no trophies and no fourth spot will almost certainly mean there will be somebody new at the helm next season.
In the previous stage of the competition, the Reds turned around a 1-0 first-leg deficit against LOSC Lille and went through 3-1 on aggregate.
Ryan Babel received a dubious red-card in the first leg, ruling him out of tonight’s game.
Left-back Emiliano Insua is also out through suspension.
Benitez conceded today that he agreed that new players need to be signed in the summer to start the rebuilding process at the club.
In his pre-match press conference, the Spanaird said, “I agree that we need to sign some players, we need some money, we need some new investors, and then we can challenge in a better way. The players are working so hard, they cannot do anymore. If we don’t have a new investor, it will be difficult to go forward, to progress.”
Benitez also pointed out Liverpool’s impressive home form. They have now won their last 8 games at Anfield, and the fans will certainly be hoping their men will make it 9.
Benfica are all set to name an unchanged squad to the one that played in the first leg, with winger Angel Di Maria being the major threat.
The winners of this tie will take on the winners of the all-Spanish quarterfinal between Athletico Madrid and Valencia. After the first leg at the Mestalla in Valencia, the score stands at 2-2. Athletico will be favourites to go through in that one, and if Liverpool do progress, it will mean Liverpool star man Ferenado Torres facing his former club.
In the other two quarter-finals, Premier League side Fulham take a 2-1 lead to Germany to face Wolfsburg, while Hamburg take a 2-1 lead to Belgium to face Standard Liege.
Source: Liverpool Vs Benfica Preview « Football Blog – Football News
Source: Football Blog
Benfica carry a 2-1 first leg lead into tonight’s game at Anfield, after two penalties from Oscar Cardozo turned the game around in Portugal.
Liverpool’s chances of qualifying for the Champions League next season are hanging by a thread after they dropped two more points at the weekend against Birmingham. Captain Steven Gerrard said after the game that it would be “tough to finish fourth”.
Rafa Benitez inexplicably brought off Fernando Torres in that game, presumably the only reason being this Europa League game. Benitez’s future at Liverpool may largely rest on this match, as no trophies and no fourth spot will almost certainly mean there will be somebody new at the helm next season.
In the previous stage of the competition, the Reds turned around a 1-0 first-leg deficit against LOSC Lille and went through 3-1 on aggregate.
Ryan Babel received a dubious red-card in the first leg, ruling him out of tonight’s game.
Left-back Emiliano Insua is also out through suspension.
Benitez conceded today that he agreed that new players need to be signed in the summer to start the rebuilding process at the club.
In his pre-match press conference, the Spanaird said, “I agree that we need to sign some players, we need some money, we need some new investors, and then we can challenge in a better way. The players are working so hard, they cannot do anymore. If we don’t have a new investor, it will be difficult to go forward, to progress.”
Benitez also pointed out Liverpool’s impressive home form. They have now won their last 8 games at Anfield, and the fans will certainly be hoping their men will make it 9.
Benfica are all set to name an unchanged squad to the one that played in the first leg, with winger Angel Di Maria being the major threat.
The winners of this tie will take on the winners of the all-Spanish quarterfinal between Athletico Madrid and Valencia. After the first leg at the Mestalla in Valencia, the score stands at 2-2. Athletico will be favourites to go through in that one, and if Liverpool do progress, it will mean Liverpool star man Ferenado Torres facing his former club.
In the other two quarter-finals, Premier League side Fulham take a 2-1 lead to Germany to face Wolfsburg, while Hamburg take a 2-1 lead to Belgium to face Standard Liege.
Source: Liverpool Vs Benfica Preview « Football Blog – Football News
Source: Football Blog
Manchester United vs Bayern Munich Analysis « Football Blog – Football News
UNITED IN DIRE STRAITS AFTER SHAMBOLIC WEEK
A week ago, they led the Barclays Premier League table. They were favorites to progress to the semi-finals of the Champions League. But just 8 days later, Manchester United’s season has come crashing down.
Defeat to Chelsea on Saturday saw them slip to second place in the Premier League. And last night, they surrendered a 3-goal lead against Bayern Munich and thus eliminated themselves out of the Champions League.
For once last night, the master tactician, the man who seems to get everything right all the time, missed a trick. Sir Alex Ferguson said two days ago that there was no chance that Wayne Rooney would play the Bayern game, and he ended up starting him. It was a gamble that backfired on the Scot, as Rooney wasn’t his usual self at all, and the Bayern players didn’t help either, targeting Rooney’s injured ankle on every possible occasion.
The outcome – Rooney burst his vein and the whole of England is sweating again, with the World Cup round the corner. Perhaps a fully fit Berbatov would have functioned much better than Rooney did last night, or maybe even Kiko Macheda would have caused more problems for the Bayern defence with his pace.
Another major factor that saw the match turn on its head was the sending-off of Rafael Da Silva. He needed to have a calm head on top of his young shoulders last night, but two reckless challenges saw him head for an early shower. Five minutes into the second half, after Franck Ribery had already gone past him, the Brazilian right-back, who had already been booked earlier, needlessly pulled him back. The Bayern players then surrounded the referee and only moved away after he had shown him his second yellow.
Addressing this issue, Sir Alex said after the game, “Typical Germans. He’s young and inexperienced but they got him sent off. Everyone sprinted over to the referee. No doubt about it, the sending-off changed it. Bayern would never have won that game. With 11 men it was no problem.”
Whether Ferguson really meant what he said, or whether he said it out of pure frustration, only he knows.
One thing’s for sure though, Manchester United have to forget about their disastrous week and have to move on in their pursuit of the Premier League. Just as Chelsea did after their Euro exit two weeks ago, Manchester United go to Ewood Park to face a rejuvenated Blackburn Rovers side, who have looked very impressive lately, especially at home.
This is followed by the big Manchester derby at the City of Manchester Stadium and all the United fans will be praying to see their star striker fit by then.
Sir Alex went with the right kind of team last night, playing Darron Gibson for Paul Scholes and Nani for Ryan Giggs. His team looked lively, and stunned Bayern with an early onslaught which saw them score 2 in the opening 7 minutes. They even got their third via Nani before half-time.
But Man Utd conceded a soft goal two minutes before the break, and an absolute beauty from Dutch wizard Arjen Robben, fifteen minutes from the end, sealed their fate.
With five games left in the domestic season, Sir Alex will ask for nothing less than maximum points, whilst hoping leaders Chelsea slip-up.
It seems a tall order for United now, but Sir Alex has done the impossible many times before in his illustrious career, and the Old Trafford faithful will be hoping he can do it once more in their quest for that unprecedented fourth consecutive Premier League crown.
Source: Manchester United vs Bayern Munich Analysis « Football Blog – Football News
Source: Football Blog – Football News
A week ago, they led the Barclays Premier League table. They were favorites to progress to the semi-finals of the Champions League. But just 8 days later, Manchester United’s season has come crashing down.
Defeat to Chelsea on Saturday saw them slip to second place in the Premier League. And last night, they surrendered a 3-goal lead against Bayern Munich and thus eliminated themselves out of the Champions League.
For once last night, the master tactician, the man who seems to get everything right all the time, missed a trick. Sir Alex Ferguson said two days ago that there was no chance that Wayne Rooney would play the Bayern game, and he ended up starting him. It was a gamble that backfired on the Scot, as Rooney wasn’t his usual self at all, and the Bayern players didn’t help either, targeting Rooney’s injured ankle on every possible occasion.
The outcome – Rooney burst his vein and the whole of England is sweating again, with the World Cup round the corner. Perhaps a fully fit Berbatov would have functioned much better than Rooney did last night, or maybe even Kiko Macheda would have caused more problems for the Bayern defence with his pace.
Another major factor that saw the match turn on its head was the sending-off of Rafael Da Silva. He needed to have a calm head on top of his young shoulders last night, but two reckless challenges saw him head for an early shower. Five minutes into the second half, after Franck Ribery had already gone past him, the Brazilian right-back, who had already been booked earlier, needlessly pulled him back. The Bayern players then surrounded the referee and only moved away after he had shown him his second yellow.
Addressing this issue, Sir Alex said after the game, “Typical Germans. He’s young and inexperienced but they got him sent off. Everyone sprinted over to the referee. No doubt about it, the sending-off changed it. Bayern would never have won that game. With 11 men it was no problem.”
Whether Ferguson really meant what he said, or whether he said it out of pure frustration, only he knows.
One thing’s for sure though, Manchester United have to forget about their disastrous week and have to move on in their pursuit of the Premier League. Just as Chelsea did after their Euro exit two weeks ago, Manchester United go to Ewood Park to face a rejuvenated Blackburn Rovers side, who have looked very impressive lately, especially at home.
This is followed by the big Manchester derby at the City of Manchester Stadium and all the United fans will be praying to see their star striker fit by then.
Sir Alex went with the right kind of team last night, playing Darron Gibson for Paul Scholes and Nani for Ryan Giggs. His team looked lively, and stunned Bayern with an early onslaught which saw them score 2 in the opening 7 minutes. They even got their third via Nani before half-time.
But Man Utd conceded a soft goal two minutes before the break, and an absolute beauty from Dutch wizard Arjen Robben, fifteen minutes from the end, sealed their fate.
With five games left in the domestic season, Sir Alex will ask for nothing less than maximum points, whilst hoping leaders Chelsea slip-up.
It seems a tall order for United now, but Sir Alex has done the impossible many times before in his illustrious career, and the Old Trafford faithful will be hoping he can do it once more in their quest for that unprecedented fourth consecutive Premier League crown.
Source: Manchester United vs Bayern Munich Analysis « Football Blog – Football News
Source: Football Blog – Football News
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Robbed At The Death – Manchester United 3 Bayern Munich 2 « Football Blog – Football News
Bayern Munich knock ten-man Manchester United out at Old Trafford.
YOU BEAUTY: Arjen Robben scores Bayern’s second
Bayern lost 3-2 on the night, but went through on the away-goals rule, after the two teams were tied 4-4 on aggregate over the two legs.
Sir Alex Ferguson, as promised, made wholesale changes to the line-up that started against Chelsea. Darron Gibson was given the nod ahead of Paul Scholes and Nani started on the left. Wayne Rooney, to everyone’s utter disbelief, made the starting line-up, with Dimitar Berbatov making way on the bench.
Early on, it looked as if Manchester United would stroll through to their fourth consecutive semi-final, when they went 2 up in the first 7 minutes.
In the 3rd minute, Gibson fired a shot from 20 yards, and Hans Jorg Butt reacted extremely late, only to see the ball fly into the back of the net.
It was a dream start for United and it got even better 4 minutes later, when Antonio Valencia’s cross from the right was cleverly flicked into the corner by a completely unmarked Nani. The two youngsters had clearly proved their worth early on.
Bayern were left completely stunned by this onslaught and their goalkeeper made a catastrophic error 5 minutes later to almost gift United a third. Butt’s clearance fell straight to Micahel Carrick, but fortunately for him, the Englishman’s left-footed shot went wide.
The Germans hardly touched the ball in the first quarter of the game, and their first shot on goal cam only in the 25th minute, an effort from Scheinsteiger which was blocked by the Manchester United defense.
United should have got their third in the 34th minute, when Rafael ran free down the right, and with Rooney and Nani waiting in the box, the youngster instead opted for glory himself and put his effort wide.
United clearly looked the much better side and they did get their third four minutes before half-time. Valencia went past Badstuber with ease, before crossing low into the box for Nani to blast into the roof of the net. It was astounding finish, and the fans could sense victory, even with more than half of the game to go.
Two minutes later though, Bayern got the boost which they were looking for. Thomas Muller’s hopeful header forward was controlled on the chest by first leg hero Ivica Olic, before finishing at the far post.
As expected, that goal certainly got Bayern going and they stared magnificently in the second half.
Five minutes after the break, disaster struck for the home side, when they were reduced to ten men. Rafel, who was already on a yellow card, needlessly pulled back Franck Ribery, and all the Bayern players mobbed the referee to make sure the young Brazilian got sent off. It was a clear booking though, and Manchester United was forced to play 40 minutes with a man down.
Rooney was clearly unfit and was struggling to make any impact on the game. After 55 minutes, Sir Alex brought him off and replaced him with John O’Shea.
On the hour mark, Van Der Sar saved a spectacular volley from Ribery to keep United ahead. Sir Alex’s men were hanging by the skin of their teeth, as Bayern dominated possession and passed the ball around with ease.
Nani could have got his hattrick two minutes later though, when he went through one-on-one with Butt, but the goalie pulled off a fantastic save with the palm of his hand.
Half-time substitute Mario Gomez then went close, but his header skimmed the top of the crossbar.
Arjen Robben then came up with one of the most fantastic goals you will ever see. With 15 minutes left to play, Ribery took a corner to edge of the penalty area. Robben stood waiting and volleyed spectacularly into the bottom corner past Van Der Sar. The technique was quite exquisite and so was the finish!
This time though, there was no injury-time goal and Bayern held on to progress to their first semi-final appearance in 9 years, where they will face 7 time French champions Lyon.
Unbelievably, in the first knockout round, Bayern Munich beat Fiorentina by the same scoreline. They won 2-1 in the first leg and lost 3-2 in the second. And in that game too, it was Robben who scored the decisive second goal.
The Germans will fancy their chances against Lyon when they face off in two weeks time and Louis Van Gaal’s men will surely be looking to go all the way.
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Source: Robbed At The Death – Manchester United 3 Bayern Munich 2 « Football Blog – Football News
Source: Football News
YOU BEAUTY: Arjen Robben scores Bayern’s second
Bayern lost 3-2 on the night, but went through on the away-goals rule, after the two teams were tied 4-4 on aggregate over the two legs.
Sir Alex Ferguson, as promised, made wholesale changes to the line-up that started against Chelsea. Darron Gibson was given the nod ahead of Paul Scholes and Nani started on the left. Wayne Rooney, to everyone’s utter disbelief, made the starting line-up, with Dimitar Berbatov making way on the bench.
Early on, it looked as if Manchester United would stroll through to their fourth consecutive semi-final, when they went 2 up in the first 7 minutes.
In the 3rd minute, Gibson fired a shot from 20 yards, and Hans Jorg Butt reacted extremely late, only to see the ball fly into the back of the net.
It was a dream start for United and it got even better 4 minutes later, when Antonio Valencia’s cross from the right was cleverly flicked into the corner by a completely unmarked Nani. The two youngsters had clearly proved their worth early on.
Bayern were left completely stunned by this onslaught and their goalkeeper made a catastrophic error 5 minutes later to almost gift United a third. Butt’s clearance fell straight to Micahel Carrick, but fortunately for him, the Englishman’s left-footed shot went wide.
The Germans hardly touched the ball in the first quarter of the game, and their first shot on goal cam only in the 25th minute, an effort from Scheinsteiger which was blocked by the Manchester United defense.
United should have got their third in the 34th minute, when Rafael ran free down the right, and with Rooney and Nani waiting in the box, the youngster instead opted for glory himself and put his effort wide.
United clearly looked the much better side and they did get their third four minutes before half-time. Valencia went past Badstuber with ease, before crossing low into the box for Nani to blast into the roof of the net. It was astounding finish, and the fans could sense victory, even with more than half of the game to go.
Two minutes later though, Bayern got the boost which they were looking for. Thomas Muller’s hopeful header forward was controlled on the chest by first leg hero Ivica Olic, before finishing at the far post.
As expected, that goal certainly got Bayern going and they stared magnificently in the second half.
Five minutes after the break, disaster struck for the home side, when they were reduced to ten men. Rafel, who was already on a yellow card, needlessly pulled back Franck Ribery, and all the Bayern players mobbed the referee to make sure the young Brazilian got sent off. It was a clear booking though, and Manchester United was forced to play 40 minutes with a man down.
Rooney was clearly unfit and was struggling to make any impact on the game. After 55 minutes, Sir Alex brought him off and replaced him with John O’Shea.
On the hour mark, Van Der Sar saved a spectacular volley from Ribery to keep United ahead. Sir Alex’s men were hanging by the skin of their teeth, as Bayern dominated possession and passed the ball around with ease.
Nani could have got his hattrick two minutes later though, when he went through one-on-one with Butt, but the goalie pulled off a fantastic save with the palm of his hand.
Half-time substitute Mario Gomez then went close, but his header skimmed the top of the crossbar.
Arjen Robben then came up with one of the most fantastic goals you will ever see. With 15 minutes left to play, Ribery took a corner to edge of the penalty area. Robben stood waiting and volleyed spectacularly into the bottom corner past Van Der Sar. The technique was quite exquisite and so was the finish!
This time though, there was no injury-time goal and Bayern held on to progress to their first semi-final appearance in 9 years, where they will face 7 time French champions Lyon.
Unbelievably, in the first knockout round, Bayern Munich beat Fiorentina by the same scoreline. They won 2-1 in the first leg and lost 3-2 in the second. And in that game too, it was Robben who scored the decisive second goal.
The Germans will fancy their chances against Lyon when they face off in two weeks time and Louis Van Gaal’s men will surely be looking to go all the way.
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Source: Robbed At The Death – Manchester United 3 Bayern Munich 2 « Football Blog – Football News
Source: Football News
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Arsenal Vs Barcelona Analysis – Post Match Reaction « Football Blog – Football News
Arsenal V Barcelona Post Match Reaction: HE IS THE WORLD’S BEST
Arsene Wenger was all praise for Lionel Messi after the Argentine forward almost single-handedly demolished Arsenal.
He came, he saw, he conquered. The World Player of The Year 2009 proved just why he is compared to the best ever by putting on an absolutely splendid performance to steer Barcelona safely through to the semis. He scored four goals, all different technically, but fantastic in their own way, to take his goal-tally to an incredible 39 for the season. All this and to think that he’s just 22! Scary, very scary.
Wenger said before the game that there would be many areas in Barca’s game which they would look to exploit, but after 90 minutes, the Frenchman cut a forlorn figure. Nicklas Bendtner gave his side a shock lead after 18 minutes, but it was spectacularly overturned by Messi’s fourth hattrick of 2010. At half-time, it was 3-1. Three for Messi, three for Barcelona, and the game was done and dusted, as if anyone ever doubted it. Messi then added the cherry on his cake, by striking again late on, to join an elite club of only six players to have scored four goals in a Champions League match.
Barcelona had both their centre-backs out, Zlatan Ibrahimovic out and Andres Iniesta on the bench. But who needs them, when you have Messi? Andy Gray, co-commentator for SkySports, remarked after the little Argetinean completed his treble, “They can be without Ibrahimovic, they can be without Iniesta when they have to, but they can’t be without this guy.”
Wenger too was forced to accept that his defence just could not live without Messi.
“The fourth goal he scored, I don’t know many players in the world who can score it. He makes the impossible seem possible. He has several great years ahead of him and, touch wood, if nothing happens, he can reach unbelievable levels.”
Enough said about Barcelona, let’s spare a thought for Arsenal. Where do they go from here? Their title of not having won a title since 2005 looks set to continue. One by one, the Carling Cup, the FA Cup and the Champions League have all gone slipping away.
Mathematically, they are still in the Premier League title race, but with tough trips to Tottenham, Blackburn and Wigan still to go and with leaders Chelsea in rampant form, only a few believe that they will be able to win the league.
They will have to recover quickly from this humiliation, as they travel to White Hart Lane next Tuesday to face an in-from Tottenham side, and anything other than a win there would certainly mean that their title dreams will be over.
Wenger has got injury problems galore, with Cesc Fabregas, Andrey Arshavin, William Gallas, Robin Van Persie, Alex Song and Keiran Gibbs all out injured.
The road ahead looks dark, with Barcelona already said to be lining up a 50 million Euro bid for their captain Fabregas.
Another aspect of Arsenal which is disturbing is that they do not seem to have any sort of depth in their squad. With four or five players injured, their so-much talked young bench doesn’t seem to have what it takes to perform in the big games.
Bendtner is nowhere near Van Persie in terms of quality and Eduardo has looked out of sorts ever since he has returned from the horrendous injury he suffered in 2008. Marouane Chamakh, striker at Bordeaux, is said to have agreed to join Arsenal next season, but Wenger will still has to ship in many big names if he wants to win titles.
This season is certainly the closest Arsenal have come to winning the Premier League since they did it in 2004, and the introduction of Chamakh will certainly be a boost for the next campaign. Even then, if Fabregas leaves in the summer to join the Catalan giants, then the Gunners’ long wait for silverware is set to continue.
Source: Arsenal Vs Barcelona Analysis – Post Match Reaction « Football Blog – Football News
Source: Football Blog
Barcelona vs Arsenal Review – Arsenals Night Messed Up « Football Blog – Football News
Arsenal’s Night Messed Up
Lionel Messi scores four and puts forth a master class as Barcelona breeze through to semis.
THERE HE GOES AGAIN: Messi score Barcelona’s third
3 down and only 1 to go. Arsenal became the third English team to be knocked out of the Champions League this season, leaving Manchester United to be the only torchbearers left.
The Londoners may feel disappointed, but instead should take pride in being the part of a game when the world’s best player showcased something from another planet.
This was after it had all begun so well for Arsene Wenger’s men. In the 18th minute, completely against the run of play, the home crowd of 98,000 odd was silenced when Nicklas Bendtner gave the visitors a shock lead. Abou Diaby picked out Theo Walcott with a lovely through-ball, but the winger’s pass to Bendtner was a bit inaccurate, allowing Dani Alves to slide in and challenge. This attempt was saved by keeper Victor Valdes, but Bendtner got up quickly, took a touch and finished with the outside of his right foot.
The lead lasted barely two minutes, as what followed was something the Nou Camp faithful would remember forever. In the 20th minute, Messi tried to play Xavi through, but Mikael Silvestre stepped in to block. The Frenchman failed to clear his lines though, and Messi took full advantage of that. He blasted a shot from 20 yards right in between the legs of Silvestre and Thomas Vermaelen and found the top corner of the net, giving Manuel Almunia no chance.
Barcelona started playing with much more confidence from then on, and got their second 15 minutes later. Messi played a beautiful ball through tom Eric Abidal, but the left-back’s cross was behind both Pedro and Bojan Krkic in the box. Arsenal failed to clear properly again and paid the price once more. Pedro reacted first and passed to Messi, who took a touch to go past Gael Clichy, before finishing calmly past Almunia with his weaker right foot.
The Argentine wizard got his hat trick in the 42nd minute. Arsenal were short f numbers at the back, and Seydou Keita’s header found Messi, who ran unchallenged to be one-on-one with Almunia, before audaciously chipping over the Spanish goalie. The finish had class oozing from all corners, and Barcelona, amidst a standing ovation, went into half time leading 3-1 in the night and 5-3 on aggregate.
Arsenal turned the tie around in the last 20 minutes in the first leg, and they needed something similar again. They certainly looked livelier after the break, with Clichy looking to be a constant from the left-hand side. The penetration was lacking though, and none of the forward players touched the ball much.
The game entered the latter stages with the score still at 3-1 and any hopes of an Arsenal comeback were extinguished by Barca’s fourth scored by, surprise, surprise, Messi again. Though being surrounded by three Arsenal defenders, he somehow managed to get his shot away, and after Almunia saved his first effort, he calmly slotted it through his legs to make it 4. It was Messi’s 39th goal of the season, and also made him Barcelona’s second highest goal-scorer in this competition, behind Rivaldo.
For Arsenal though, this equalled their worst ever defeat in the Champions League, after they were beaten by the same scoreline by Spartak Moscow nine years ago.
Even though Wenger was disappointed, he quickly pointed out after the game that they were well-beaten by the world’s best team, and more importantly, the world’s best player.
On the flipside though, Barcelona may have a twinge of worry within them, seeing that they do heavily depend on Messi to provide the goods. Last year, the trio of Messi, Eto’o and Henry functioned efficiently, but now with Eto’o playing for Inter and Henry looking only a shadow of his own self, scoring just 3 this season, Pep Guardiola might have to consider signing a few top quality strikers in the summer.
With Ibrahimovic not firing as expected, any long-term injury to Messi may put the pressure on youngsters Bojan and Pedro, who are certainly not the ones you can count on to produce week in-week out.
Arsenal might take inspiration from the fact that they did manage to score, even without players like Cesc Fabregas, Andrey Arshavin and Robin Van Persie in their ranks. And who knows, if they had had these players playing, we might have had a very different story to tell.
Anyway there is still some entertainment left when Arsenal meets Man city on 24 April 2010 in Premier League at Emirates, London
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Source: Barcelona vs Arsenal Review – Arsenals Night Messed Up
Source: Football Blog - Football News
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Newcastle Back In The Premier League « Football Blog – Football News
Newcastle Back In The Premier League
The Magpies secured promotion without even kicking a ball, then celebrated it with a 2-1 win over Sheffield United.
SPECTACULAR: Kevin Nolan scores the winner
Newcastle United are back in the top tier of English football after third-placed Nottingham Forest and Cardiff City played out a goalless draw, meaning Newcastle are guaranteed of a top-two finish.
Manager Chris Hughton was obviously delighted after the result at the City Ground, and said, “This is a wonderful achievement and we are absolutely delighted. That we have secured promotion with six games left to play is a testament to this set of players and how good a season they’ve had.”
Newcastle would have been promoted if they had taken a point against Sheffield United on Monday night, but the draw at Nottingham meant that they were relieved of that obligation.
St.James’ Park was buzzing with joy when their newly-promoted side took on Sheffield, and the team didn’t disappoint as they provided the perfect celebration party with a 2-1 win.
The party though, was threatened to be gate-crashed by the visiting side, when they took the lead in the 22nd minute. James Harper’s corner was glanced in by Richard Cresswell to silence some of the fans.
Newcastle responded strongly and got their equaliser on the half-hour mark. Danny Guthrie swung in a corner, and Sheffield skipper Chris Morgan was penalised for manhandling Andy Carroll. Referee Andy Hall pointed to the spot, and Peter Lovenkrands stepped up and sent Steve Simonsen the wrong way for his 15th goal of the campaign.
Newcastle almost got the winner in the 70th minute when Jonas ‘Spider-man’ Gutierrez went on a magnificent run from the half-way line, but his shot smacked against the post.
Newcastle did get their winner 2 minutes later though, when Lovenkrand’s header was magnificently finished by Kevin Nolan, for his 14th goal of the season.
St.James’ Park erupted and the 50,000 fans’ voices were in full-swing throughout the game.
They thought it had got better in the 3rd minute of injury-time, when Shola Ameobi had the ball in the back of the net, but their celebrations were cut short after seeing the linesman’s flag.
Houghton fought back tears after the final whistle as his team returned to the Premier League and also moved ever closer to their first piece of silverware since 1993.
The Magpies’ boss’ future remains uncertain as prepares for a discussion with owner Mike Ashley as to whether he will continue as manager next season in the Premier League.
At the moment, few Geordies’ would be thinking about that as they prepare for another adventure back in the top-flight. Last time this season, it was tears as Newcastle got relegated with a loss at Villa Park. This time around though, it’s all ecstasy as they go back join the best in the country.
West Bromwich Albion, who currently sits in 2nd place, will be favorites to capture the other automatic qualification place.
In other Championship news, Peterborough was relegated to League 1 after being held to a 2-2 draw by Barnsley at Oakwell.
For detailed information on cheap football tickets please visit us at 1ticketlive.com. We are the premier hub of Cheap Football Tickets in the UK. Currently we have a Hugh quantity of Arsenal vs Man City Tickets for Saturday 24 April 2010 at Emirates, London.
Contact at: 0208-586-5660
Source: Newcastle Back In The Premier League « Football Blog – Football News
Source: Football Blog
The Magpies secured promotion without even kicking a ball, then celebrated it with a 2-1 win over Sheffield United.
SPECTACULAR: Kevin Nolan scores the winner
Newcastle United are back in the top tier of English football after third-placed Nottingham Forest and Cardiff City played out a goalless draw, meaning Newcastle are guaranteed of a top-two finish.
Manager Chris Hughton was obviously delighted after the result at the City Ground, and said, “This is a wonderful achievement and we are absolutely delighted. That we have secured promotion with six games left to play is a testament to this set of players and how good a season they’ve had.”
Newcastle would have been promoted if they had taken a point against Sheffield United on Monday night, but the draw at Nottingham meant that they were relieved of that obligation.
St.James’ Park was buzzing with joy when their newly-promoted side took on Sheffield, and the team didn’t disappoint as they provided the perfect celebration party with a 2-1 win.
The party though, was threatened to be gate-crashed by the visiting side, when they took the lead in the 22nd minute. James Harper’s corner was glanced in by Richard Cresswell to silence some of the fans.
Newcastle responded strongly and got their equaliser on the half-hour mark. Danny Guthrie swung in a corner, and Sheffield skipper Chris Morgan was penalised for manhandling Andy Carroll. Referee Andy Hall pointed to the spot, and Peter Lovenkrands stepped up and sent Steve Simonsen the wrong way for his 15th goal of the campaign.
Newcastle almost got the winner in the 70th minute when Jonas ‘Spider-man’ Gutierrez went on a magnificent run from the half-way line, but his shot smacked against the post.
Newcastle did get their winner 2 minutes later though, when Lovenkrand’s header was magnificently finished by Kevin Nolan, for his 14th goal of the season.
St.James’ Park erupted and the 50,000 fans’ voices were in full-swing throughout the game.
They thought it had got better in the 3rd minute of injury-time, when Shola Ameobi had the ball in the back of the net, but their celebrations were cut short after seeing the linesman’s flag.
Houghton fought back tears after the final whistle as his team returned to the Premier League and also moved ever closer to their first piece of silverware since 1993.
The Magpies’ boss’ future remains uncertain as prepares for a discussion with owner Mike Ashley as to whether he will continue as manager next season in the Premier League.
At the moment, few Geordies’ would be thinking about that as they prepare for another adventure back in the top-flight. Last time this season, it was tears as Newcastle got relegated with a loss at Villa Park. This time around though, it’s all ecstasy as they go back join the best in the country.
West Bromwich Albion, who currently sits in 2nd place, will be favorites to capture the other automatic qualification place.
In other Championship news, Peterborough was relegated to League 1 after being held to a 2-2 draw by Barnsley at Oakwell.
For detailed information on cheap football tickets please visit us at 1ticketlive.com. We are the premier hub of Cheap Football Tickets in the UK. Currently we have a Hugh quantity of Arsenal vs Man City Tickets for Saturday 24 April 2010 at Emirates, London.
Contact at: 0208-586-5660
Source: Newcastle Back In The Premier League « Football Blog – Football News
Source: Football Blog
Chowk: Travel: Arsenal Vs Man City Tickets Saturday 24 April 2010 at Emirates, London
Premier League Football tickets for all matches are now available for sale. Cheap Football tickets UK of all the football matches around the World are for sale at 1ticketlive.com, you can book the Premier League Tickets here. You can also buy your favorite Arsenal vs Manchester City Football Tickets Saturday 24 April 2010 online through our secure and guaranteed online booking system.
arsenal vs Man City Tickets, Emirates, London, United Kingdom
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Source: Chowk: Travel: Arsenal Vs Man City Tickets Saturday 24 April 2010 at Emirates, London
arsenal vs Man City Tickets, Emirates, London, United Kingdom
Also book Arsenal Football Tickets amd Man City Football Tickets righ now at 0208-586-5660
Source: Chowk: Travel: Arsenal Vs Man City Tickets Saturday 24 April 2010 at Emirates, London
Monday, April 5, 2010
Barcelona vs Arsenal Preview « Football Blog – Football News
Injuries galore as Arsene Wenger leads his troops to the Nou Camp.
Both sides go into this highly anticipated Champions’ League quarter-final second leg with many of their key players out.
When these two sides met last week, Barcelona outplayed the hosts for majority of the game, but Wenger insists that there are some weaknesses of the Catalans his team can exploit.
Wenger said, “We created chances, even in the first half when we were dominated. We have not only to defend again, but use the ball better than we did in the first half – there are some ideas we need to exploit.”
There is no news of the teams just as yet, but Wenger has dropped a big hint that he is likely to start Theo Walcott, whose introduction in the first leg turned the game in favour of Arsenal. The Englishman’s pace on the right gave the Barcelona defence a big problem, and he ended up scoring one and being instrumental in the second.
The French boss said, “They will be worried about Theo. I am very happy that he had such an impact on the game – but I also believe we need to stop them from playing as much as they did at the Emirates.”
Arsenal beat Wolverhampton Wanderers at the weekend with an injury-time winner by Nicklas Bendtner, after which Wenger praised their character and unity.
The fact remains though, that despite Arsenal’s seemingly impossible turnaround in the first leg, Barcelona will go into this game as strong favourites. Cesc Fabregas, Andrey Arshavin and William Gallas are long-term absentees from the Arsenal team and are sorely to be missed.
Wenger is always waiting for news about Alex Song, who is a doubt with a groin injury.
Barca right-back Daniel Alves believes that there is a big difference in the quality of the sides and even went to the extent of calling Arsenal ‘lucky’ to get a result at the Emirates. He believes only a miracle can get the London side through.
The Brazilain said, “I have never played in a team that created so many chances so early in the game. Only Almunia and a lot of luck spared Arsenal. We put on an exhibition and it is amazing to think that we drew the match. The final result left us feeling sore but we know that there is a huge difference between them and us and we are ready to confirm that in the second game.”
“Nothing has been decided but Arsenal need a miracle to get to the semi-finals.”
Arsenal can take some inspiration from the fact that the defending champions will be without both their regular choice centre-backs – Gerard Pique and Carles Puyol, both ruled out of suspension.
First-leg hero Zlatan Ibrahimovic is also out, after picking up a calf injury in Saturday’s 4-1 win against Athletic Bilbao. Andres Iniesta, who missed the first leg due to suspension, started training today, but his participation in the game remains unlikely.
On the bright side though, Eric Abidal is all set to return to the starting line-up after a long spell out with a thigh injury. The Frenchman believes that the Catalans’ season could be decided within the next one week.
After this game, Barcelona face Real Madrid in the El Clasico, a game which many believe could be the title decider.
On being asked about the prospect of facing Walcott, Abidal said, “We’ll wait for him there and we’ll see what he can do with the ball. Let’s see if he can get past four defenders.”
So clearly, there’s confidence bursting through the veins of the Barcelona players, but that could play to Arsenal’s advantage, we’ll wait and see, come Tuesday.
To get ticket book at 0208-586-5660
A Hugh quantity of cheap football tickets UK also available at 1ticketlive.com
Source: Barcelona vs Arsenal Preview « Football Blog – Football News
Both sides go into this highly anticipated Champions’ League quarter-final second leg with many of their key players out.
When these two sides met last week, Barcelona outplayed the hosts for majority of the game, but Wenger insists that there are some weaknesses of the Catalans his team can exploit.
Wenger said, “We created chances, even in the first half when we were dominated. We have not only to defend again, but use the ball better than we did in the first half – there are some ideas we need to exploit.”
There is no news of the teams just as yet, but Wenger has dropped a big hint that he is likely to start Theo Walcott, whose introduction in the first leg turned the game in favour of Arsenal. The Englishman’s pace on the right gave the Barcelona defence a big problem, and he ended up scoring one and being instrumental in the second.
The French boss said, “They will be worried about Theo. I am very happy that he had such an impact on the game – but I also believe we need to stop them from playing as much as they did at the Emirates.”
Arsenal beat Wolverhampton Wanderers at the weekend with an injury-time winner by Nicklas Bendtner, after which Wenger praised their character and unity.
The fact remains though, that despite Arsenal’s seemingly impossible turnaround in the first leg, Barcelona will go into this game as strong favourites. Cesc Fabregas, Andrey Arshavin and William Gallas are long-term absentees from the Arsenal team and are sorely to be missed.
Wenger is always waiting for news about Alex Song, who is a doubt with a groin injury.
Barca right-back Daniel Alves believes that there is a big difference in the quality of the sides and even went to the extent of calling Arsenal ‘lucky’ to get a result at the Emirates. He believes only a miracle can get the London side through.
The Brazilain said, “I have never played in a team that created so many chances so early in the game. Only Almunia and a lot of luck spared Arsenal. We put on an exhibition and it is amazing to think that we drew the match. The final result left us feeling sore but we know that there is a huge difference between them and us and we are ready to confirm that in the second game.”
“Nothing has been decided but Arsenal need a miracle to get to the semi-finals.”
Arsenal can take some inspiration from the fact that the defending champions will be without both their regular choice centre-backs – Gerard Pique and Carles Puyol, both ruled out of suspension.
First-leg hero Zlatan Ibrahimovic is also out, after picking up a calf injury in Saturday’s 4-1 win against Athletic Bilbao. Andres Iniesta, who missed the first leg due to suspension, started training today, but his participation in the game remains unlikely.
On the bright side though, Eric Abidal is all set to return to the starting line-up after a long spell out with a thigh injury. The Frenchman believes that the Catalans’ season could be decided within the next one week.
After this game, Barcelona face Real Madrid in the El Clasico, a game which many believe could be the title decider.
On being asked about the prospect of facing Walcott, Abidal said, “We’ll wait for him there and we’ll see what he can do with the ball. Let’s see if he can get past four defenders.”
So clearly, there’s confidence bursting through the veins of the Barcelona players, but that could play to Arsenal’s advantage, we’ll wait and see, come Tuesday.
To get ticket book at 0208-586-5660
A Hugh quantity of cheap football tickets UK also available at 1ticketlive.com
Source: Barcelona vs Arsenal Preview « Football Blog – Football News
Sunderland 3 Spurs 1 Review « Football Blog – Football News
Sunderland 3 Spurs 1
Darren Bent scores twice against his former club Tottenham to help Sunderland to a 3-1 win.
GREAT START: Bent scores inside the first minute
Tottenham’s hopes of a Champions League spot suffered a huge blow when they succumbed to a 3-1 defeat to Sunderland at the Stadium of Light on Saturday.
Bent struck after just 34 seconds to open the scoring for the home side. He doubled their lead with a 29th minute penalty, before missing two from the spot. Substitute Peter Crouch got one back for Spurs but a stunner from Boudewijn Zenden assured all three points.
Sunderland got their perfect start when Tottenham keeper Heurelho Gomes could only parry Fraizer Campbell’s shot and Bent was on hand to tap in. He scored right in front of the Tottenham fans behind the goal and celebrated in determined fashion.
Bent got the opportunity to double the Black Cats’ lead on the half-hour mark, when Steed Malbranque’s shot was saved by Gomes, but right-back Kyle Walker handled whilst clearing and referee Lee Mason pointed straight to the spot. Bent stepped up and powered his penalty into the corner of the net for his 22nd goal in the Premier League this season.
The home side were then awarded another penalty when Campbell surged into the box and tripped over Luka Modric’s outstretched leg. Bent, on a hat-trick, had his spot kick excellently saved by Gomes as Sunderland went into the break two up.
Tottenham needed to make changes, and needed to do it fast. Harry Redknapp made two at half-time, bringing on Nico Kranjcar and Jermain Defoe for Benoit Assou-Ekotto and David Bentley respectively.
Defoe almost made an immediate impact five minutes into the second half, but the English striker’s shot was saved by in-form goalkeeper Craig Gordon.
Sunderland were then awarded their third penalty when David Meyler was tripped by Wilson Palacios. Malbranque volunteered, but Bent waved him aside, only to see his kick saved by Gomes again.
Redknapp then made his third change, bringing on Crouch for Roman Pavlyuchenko. The 6 foot 7 inch striker made an immediate impact, when he towered over his marker and headed Kranjcar’s cross into the bottom corner.
Anxiety started creeping into the Sunderland fans and the two missed penalties started to look more prominent than ever.
Bent was replaced by Kenwyne Jones and the Trinidad and Tobago forward should have killed the game off when he was picked out by Campbell, but he missed his kick, and Zenden’s effort was cleared off the line.
The former Liverpool man was not to be denied though when he smashed his volley spectacularly into the top corner 5 minutes from time to make it 3-1 and seal the points for Sunderland.
Manchester City thrashed Burnley 6-1 later on to capitalise on this slip-up from Spurs to go fourth in the table with 6 games to go. Aston Villa also won at Villa to move closer to Spurs.
Harry Redknapp’s men entertain Arsenal next week in what promises to be a fiercely-contested North London derby and with both sides having as much of an excuse to win it as the other, this one could make or break both these teams’ seasons.
Source: Sunderland 3 Spurs 1 Review « Football Blog – Football News
Darren Bent scores twice against his former club Tottenham to help Sunderland to a 3-1 win.
GREAT START: Bent scores inside the first minute
Tottenham’s hopes of a Champions League spot suffered a huge blow when they succumbed to a 3-1 defeat to Sunderland at the Stadium of Light on Saturday.
Bent struck after just 34 seconds to open the scoring for the home side. He doubled their lead with a 29th minute penalty, before missing two from the spot. Substitute Peter Crouch got one back for Spurs but a stunner from Boudewijn Zenden assured all three points.
Sunderland got their perfect start when Tottenham keeper Heurelho Gomes could only parry Fraizer Campbell’s shot and Bent was on hand to tap in. He scored right in front of the Tottenham fans behind the goal and celebrated in determined fashion.
Bent got the opportunity to double the Black Cats’ lead on the half-hour mark, when Steed Malbranque’s shot was saved by Gomes, but right-back Kyle Walker handled whilst clearing and referee Lee Mason pointed straight to the spot. Bent stepped up and powered his penalty into the corner of the net for his 22nd goal in the Premier League this season.
The home side were then awarded another penalty when Campbell surged into the box and tripped over Luka Modric’s outstretched leg. Bent, on a hat-trick, had his spot kick excellently saved by Gomes as Sunderland went into the break two up.
Tottenham needed to make changes, and needed to do it fast. Harry Redknapp made two at half-time, bringing on Nico Kranjcar and Jermain Defoe for Benoit Assou-Ekotto and David Bentley respectively.
Defoe almost made an immediate impact five minutes into the second half, but the English striker’s shot was saved by in-form goalkeeper Craig Gordon.
Sunderland were then awarded their third penalty when David Meyler was tripped by Wilson Palacios. Malbranque volunteered, but Bent waved him aside, only to see his kick saved by Gomes again.
Redknapp then made his third change, bringing on Crouch for Roman Pavlyuchenko. The 6 foot 7 inch striker made an immediate impact, when he towered over his marker and headed Kranjcar’s cross into the bottom corner.
Anxiety started creeping into the Sunderland fans and the two missed penalties started to look more prominent than ever.
Bent was replaced by Kenwyne Jones and the Trinidad and Tobago forward should have killed the game off when he was picked out by Campbell, but he missed his kick, and Zenden’s effort was cleared off the line.
The former Liverpool man was not to be denied though when he smashed his volley spectacularly into the top corner 5 minutes from time to make it 3-1 and seal the points for Sunderland.
Manchester City thrashed Burnley 6-1 later on to capitalise on this slip-up from Spurs to go fourth in the table with 6 games to go. Aston Villa also won at Villa to move closer to Spurs.
Harry Redknapp’s men entertain Arsenal next week in what promises to be a fiercely-contested North London derby and with both sides having as much of an excuse to win it as the other, this one could make or break both these teams’ seasons.
Source: Sunderland 3 Spurs 1 Review « Football Blog – Football News
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