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David Beckham insists England won’t be motivated by revenge when they bid to seal World Cup qualification against Croatia on Wednesday.
Beckham was part of the England team denied a place at Euro 2008 by Croatia’s 3-2 victory at Wembley in November 2007.
That dismal defeat signalled the end of Steve McClaren’s reign and ushered in a new era under Fabio Capello.
Under Capello’s no-nonense leadership, England have gone on an impressive run of seven successive qualifying victories to move within one more win of reaching next year’s finals in South Africa.
The chance to achieve that aim against Croatia at Wembley would be a cathartic experience for England. But LA Galaxy midfielder Beckham is adamant that the players are focused solely on qualification rather than erasing those painful memories.
“It was disastrous for us as a nation not qualify. It was one of the most difficult times as an Englishman and a footballer for this country. When you don’t qualify and don’t win a game you should at Wembley, it’s hurtful,” Beckham said at England’s hotel on Monday.
“Many players in this squad were involved in that game and hurt that night. Everyone was upset in the changing room after but we have got over that as a squad and a nation.
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“But it’s not about revenge for us. Our objective is about qualifying for the World Cup, not about beating Croatia or putting bad memories to rest.
“It’s about moving forward. The squad have done that. They’ve brought the belief back to the country and the fans. That was the biggest thing for us.
“I’m sure the fans will want us to beat them on the revenge side but most important for us is knowing that if we win we are in the World Cup finals. That’s all we are thinking about.”
After spending most of his England career as the team’s figurehead, Beckham is now forced to settle for a bit-part role.
The former Manchester United star didn’t even make it off the bench in Saturday’s 2-1 friendly win over Slovenia – the first time he hasn’t appeared for England when he has been in the squad since 1998.
But the 34-year-old has no complaints about Capello’s decision to use Shaun Wright-Phillips and Aaron Lennon ahead of him and is just happy to still be in the squad after his England career looked over three years ago.
“It doesn’t worry me at all,” Beckham said. “The manager has his own views and decides who plays and doesn’t.
“He has a squad of players and there were four or five others that didn’t get on as well. Every player wants to play every minute of every game but sometimes it doesn’t happen.
“I’m in the squad, involved in the squad. When you’ve got players like Theo Walcott, Aaron Lennon and Shaun Wright-Phillips playing the way they are, they deserve to be playing.”
If Beckham does make it into Capello’s final squad for the World Cup, it will be his fourth appearance in the game’s biggest showpiece.
To do that he knows he needs to be playing at the highest level possible leading up to the finals. That is certain to mean a return to European football again once the MLS campaign finishes later this season.
Beckham has been approached by Premier League clubs and also admits that AC Milan have told him they are happy to have him back for a second loan spell.
“Everyone is aware that I will finish the MLS season with the Galaxy. We are going pretty well at the moment and after that I need to do what I can to be involved in the rest of the games leading up to the World Cup,” Beckham said.
“I have plans, I have options. It’s always good to have options.
“My career so far has been incredible. I’ve had ups and downs, played in three World Cups, been captain of my country, played for some of the biggest clubs, and I’ve enjoyed that.
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“If we reach another World Cup and I play some part of that, it will be up there with all the other achievements I’ve had in my career. But we’ve not qualified yet.”
Thursday, November 3, 2016
African teams bie to complete W.Cup line-up
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Cameroon, Tunisia, Algeria and Ivory Coast are looking good to join Ghana and hosts South Africa and complete the African line-up at the 2010 World Cup.
Ghana become the first African team to secure a place at the first World Cup to be staged on the ‘Dark Continent’ with a 2-0 triumph win over Sudan in Accra at the weekend courtesy of goals from Sulley Muntari and Michael Essien.
Cameroon, Algeria and Ivory Coast also took maximum points during the fourth series of games in the final qualifying round while Tunisia hit back twice to force a 2-2 draw with Nigeria.
The impact of recently hired French coach Paul le Guen on Cameroon has been immediate and if the ‘Indomitable Lions’ defeat Gabon for the second time in five days Wednesday they will become Group A leaders. Not bad for a team that fell in Togo, lost German coach Otto Pfister and managed only a goalless home draw with Morocco under caretaker Thomas N’knono before Le Guen answered a distress signal.
This mini-league is the tighest of the five with three points separating pacesetters Gabon from bottom team Morocco and if Cameroon can win their two remaining home fixtures it could be sufficient. After tackling Gabon, the ‘Lions’ host Togo on October 10 before visting Morocco the following month as they seek a record sixth World Cup appearance by an African country.
Le Guen, winner of three consecutive French titles with Lyon this decade, gambled by dropping long-serving defender Rigobert Song and passing the captaincy to star striker Samuel Eto’o. The results speak for themselves with a 2-0 friendly win in Austria followed by another two-goal triumph last Saturday in Libreville via goals from Achille Emana and three-time African Footballer of the Year Eto’o.
Tunisia can clinch Group B honours if they beat Kenya at home and Mozambique away, an achievement that will be hard for Nigerians to accept after their shock failure to reach the 2006 World Cup in Germany. Nigeria have the same opponents with a visit from Mozambique followed by a journey to Kenya and if there is a glimmer of hope it would be that a fixture in Nairobi is probably easier than one in Maputo.
Banker may be a dangerous word to use in the unpredictable world of football, but it surely applies to Ivory Coast, who need one point from encounters with Malawi (away) and Guinea (home) to top Group E. The Ivorian ‘Elephants’ share with Ghana a 100 percent record after four rounds and having routed Malawi 5-0 in Abidjan last March, there is no reason to doubt that they can take at least one point from Blantyre next month.
It looks like African champions Egypt will have to defeat Zambia (away) and Group C leaders Algeria (home) to have any hope of reaching South Africa as they trail their fierce North African rivals by three points.
This race may not even go to Cairo in mid-November because it seems far more likely that Algeria will defeat visiting Rwanda next month than Egypt will achieve a similar result in Zambia.
A new look for 2016, this is the Matt Besler men's jersey will be wearing as they compete for the trophy this summer. Kyle Beckerman, Paul Arriola, Lee Nguyen, Jozy Altidore and Gyasi Zardes. mallory pugh jersey USA The five group winners qualify for the World Cup between June 11 and July 11 while the top three finishers in each mini-league go the African Nations Cup in Angola five months earlier.
Ghana become the first African team to secure a place at the first World Cup to be staged on the ‘Dark Continent’ with a 2-0 triumph win over Sudan in Accra at the weekend courtesy of goals from Sulley Muntari and Michael Essien.
Cameroon, Algeria and Ivory Coast also took maximum points during the fourth series of games in the final qualifying round while Tunisia hit back twice to force a 2-2 draw with Nigeria.
The impact of recently hired French coach Paul le Guen on Cameroon has been immediate and if the ‘Indomitable Lions’ defeat Gabon for the second time in five days Wednesday they will become Group A leaders. Not bad for a team that fell in Togo, lost German coach Otto Pfister and managed only a goalless home draw with Morocco under caretaker Thomas N’knono before Le Guen answered a distress signal.
This mini-league is the tighest of the five with three points separating pacesetters Gabon from bottom team Morocco and if Cameroon can win their two remaining home fixtures it could be sufficient. After tackling Gabon, the ‘Lions’ host Togo on October 10 before visting Morocco the following month as they seek a record sixth World Cup appearance by an African country.
Le Guen, winner of three consecutive French titles with Lyon this decade, gambled by dropping long-serving defender Rigobert Song and passing the captaincy to star striker Samuel Eto’o. The results speak for themselves with a 2-0 friendly win in Austria followed by another two-goal triumph last Saturday in Libreville via goals from Achille Emana and three-time African Footballer of the Year Eto’o.
Tunisia can clinch Group B honours if they beat Kenya at home and Mozambique away, an achievement that will be hard for Nigerians to accept after their shock failure to reach the 2006 World Cup in Germany. Nigeria have the same opponents with a visit from Mozambique followed by a journey to Kenya and if there is a glimmer of hope it would be that a fixture in Nairobi is probably easier than one in Maputo.
Banker may be a dangerous word to use in the unpredictable world of football, but it surely applies to Ivory Coast, who need one point from encounters with Malawi (away) and Guinea (home) to top Group E. The Ivorian ‘Elephants’ share with Ghana a 100 percent record after four rounds and having routed Malawi 5-0 in Abidjan last March, there is no reason to doubt that they can take at least one point from Blantyre next month.
It looks like African champions Egypt will have to defeat Zambia (away) and Group C leaders Algeria (home) to have any hope of reaching South Africa as they trail their fierce North African rivals by three points.
This race may not even go to Cairo in mid-November because it seems far more likely that Algeria will defeat visiting Rwanda next month than Egypt will achieve a similar result in Zambia.
A new look for 2016, this is the Matt Besler men's jersey will be wearing as they compete for the trophy this summer. Kyle Beckerman, Paul Arriola, Lee Nguyen, Jozy Altidore and Gyasi Zardes. mallory pugh jersey USA The five group winners qualify for the World Cup between June 11 and July 11 while the top three finishers in each mini-league go the African Nations Cup in Angola five months earlier.
Ribery and Escude back in training
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France playmaker Franck Ribery and defender Julien Escude both shook off knocks to complete a full training session on Monday ahead of a crunch World Cup qualifer away against group leaders Serbia.
Both players were slightly injured during France’s 1-1 draw at home with Romania on Saturday but the French management said the duo took part in training as normal.
Ribery, who injured his calf, has had an injury-plagued close season, barely playing for Bayern Munich thus far this campaign and failing to make an impression after coming on against Romania as a 57th-minute replacement.
Escude, who scored an own goal against the Romanians, picked up an injury to his quadriceps.
Serbia lead France by four points in Group Seven with just three matches remaining so victory on Wednesday for the hosts would leave coach Raymond Domenech and the French scrambling to make the finals in South Africa next year.
Mon 7 Sep, 2009RSS Feed LAST 5 POSTS BY SOCCERNEWS Messi desperate for Argentina success – Bauza Redknapp backs Spurs to finish above Arsenal Inter don´t have time to work on tactics – Vecchi Puel praises Southampton fight
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Both players were slightly injured during France’s 1-1 draw at home with Romania on Saturday but the French management said the duo took part in training as normal.
Ribery, who injured his calf, has had an injury-plagued close season, barely playing for Bayern Munich thus far this campaign and failing to make an impression after coming on against Romania as a 57th-minute replacement.
Escude, who scored an own goal against the Romanians, picked up an injury to his quadriceps.
Serbia lead France by four points in Group Seven with just three matches remaining so victory on Wednesday for the hosts would leave coach Raymond Domenech and the French scrambling to make the finals in South Africa next year.
Mon 7 Sep, 2009RSS Feed LAST 5 POSTS BY SOCCERNEWS Messi desperate for Argentina success – Bauza Redknapp backs Spurs to finish above Arsenal Inter don´t have time to work on tactics – Vecchi Puel praises Southampton fight
A new look for 2016, this is the Kyle Beckerman men's jersey will be wearing as they compete for the trophy this summer. Paul Arriola, Jozy Altidore, Matt Miazga, Gyasi Zardes and Lee Nguyen. christen press jersey USA Inter´s world is crumbling – Icardi
Bilic claims England have weak link
Slaven Bilic has backed his Croatia side to burst England’s World Cup bubble by exploiting what he has identified as a missing link in the make-up of Fabio Capello’s squad.
England’s fortunes have been transformed under Capello and, after seven straight wins in their qualifying campaign, can clinch top spot in group six and a place in next year’s finals by beating Bilic’s men at Wembley on Wednesday.
Croatia, in contrast, are struggling to claim a play-off spot and it all seems a very far cry from November 2007, when Bilic’s men claimed a famous 3-2 at Wembley to deny England, then managed by Steve McClaren, a place at Euro 2008.
The Croatian coach however is far from ready to accept that Capello has made England unbeatable. “They have some advantages but they are also missing something from their game,” he said.
“They are missing some Englishness, some of the things that have always made England teams difficult to defend against and play against.
“All I will say is that they are definitely missing something and we know what it is. But of course I am not going to tell you now what it is. It is our secret.”
Bilic also believes that memories of the way Croatia played on their last visit to Wembley will boost his side’s chances, despite the absence of injured playmaker Luka Modric.
“We did not beat them 10 times in a row but, having said that, we are the only team in the world to have done it twice,” Bilic told The Guardian. “We did it one after the other and that’s important.”
England claimed revenge for the Euro 2008 qualifying defeats by beating Croatia 4-1 in Zagreb at the start of the current campaign and Bilic’s squad’s recent tendency to fail to perform to its potential was again in evidence as they made hard work of securing a 1-0 home win over Belarus on Saturday.
Croatia go into Wednesday’s match in second place in the group with a three-point advantage over Ukraine but their rivals for the play-off spot have a game in hand. Mon 7 Sep, 2009RSS Feed LAST 5 POSTS BY SOCCERNEWS
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England’s fortunes have been transformed under Capello and, after seven straight wins in their qualifying campaign, can clinch top spot in group six and a place in next year’s finals by beating Bilic’s men at Wembley on Wednesday.
Croatia, in contrast, are struggling to claim a play-off spot and it all seems a very far cry from November 2007, when Bilic’s men claimed a famous 3-2 at Wembley to deny England, then managed by Steve McClaren, a place at Euro 2008.
The Croatian coach however is far from ready to accept that Capello has made England unbeatable. “They have some advantages but they are also missing something from their game,” he said.
“They are missing some Englishness, some of the things that have always made England teams difficult to defend against and play against.
“All I will say is that they are definitely missing something and we know what it is. But of course I am not going to tell you now what it is. It is our secret.”
Bilic also believes that memories of the way Croatia played on their last visit to Wembley will boost his side’s chances, despite the absence of injured playmaker Luka Modric.
“We did not beat them 10 times in a row but, having said that, we are the only team in the world to have done it twice,” Bilic told The Guardian. “We did it one after the other and that’s important.”
England claimed revenge for the Euro 2008 qualifying defeats by beating Croatia 4-1 in Zagreb at the start of the current campaign and Bilic’s squad’s recent tendency to fail to perform to its potential was again in evidence as they made hard work of securing a 1-0 home win over Belarus on Saturday.
Croatia go into Wednesday’s match in second place in the group with a three-point advantage over Ukraine but their rivals for the play-off spot have a game in hand. Mon 7 Sep, 2009RSS Feed LAST 5 POSTS BY SOCCERNEWS
Messi desperate for Argentina success – Bauza Redknapp backs Spurs to finish above Arsenal Inter don´t have time to work on tactics – Vecchi
A new look for 2016, this is the Paul Arriola men's jersey will be wearing as they compete for the trophy this summer. Jozy Altidore, Gyasi Zardes, Edgar Castillo, Lee Nguyen and Matt Miazga. kelley o'hara jersey USA Puel praises Southampton fight
Barry aims to avenge Croatian misery
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England midfielder Gareth Barry admits he is desperate to make amends for the lowest moment of his career by helping Fabio Capello’s side secure their World Cup place with victory over Croatia on Wednesday.
Barry was part of the England team who missed out on Euro 2008 after Croatia won 3-2 at Wembley 22 months ago, but the Manchester City star is confident Slaven Bilic’s men will find it much harder in London this time.
Last time, in November 2007, Steve McClaren’s England needed just a draw to qualify for the European Championship finals in Austria and Switzerland but they fell apart in dismal fashion.
McClaren was sacked soon after and Capello took over. The Italian has quickly got England back on track and they can book their trip to next year’s World Cup in South Africa with a victory over the Croatians after winning all seven of their qualifiers.
“Everyone wants to put it to bed on Wednesday and get across the line,” said midfielder Barry, who moved from Aston Villa to Manchester City during the close-season and has been ever-present under Capello.
“A lot of players in our dressing room won’t forget that night at Wembley two years ago. There will be a few memories. But it’s a different manager and a different team now and although that might be in the back of our minds we’ll be confident we can do it this time. “Like many others the last home match against Croatia was the lowest point of my career – being on the verge of qualifying for a championships and then all of a sudden it’s taken away from you.
“It’s not a nice feeling. This is England we’re talking about and we need to be part of these tournaments. But we can put that right on Wednesday.” England have already gained some element of revenge by beating Croatia 4-1 in Zagreb earlier in the qualifying campaign thanks to a remarkable performance from hat-trick star Theo Walcott.
And although Walcott is unavailable for the return game because of injury there is a real sense of belief in the England squad these days. Barry added: “We played some of our best football under this manager in Zagreb and it set us up nicely for the rest of the campaign.
“We’ve come a long way, really if you look at the results. They have all been positive, especially in competitive games and the manager knows that’s what we’ll all be judged on.”
Barry does have one word of caution for his England team-mates, however, as they prepare for a match that is likely to have something of an edge about it following previous encounters.
Croatia, too, are looking for revenge following that rare defeat in Zagreb and are still seething over the way Tottenham’s Luka Modric was ruled out of the tie after being injured in a Premier League game – just as Eduardo had been in the past.
Barry said: “In the away game I think we found out they will fire into challenges and try and make it tough but I’m sure we?ll talk about keeping our heads and keeping 11 players on the pitch.
A new look for 2016, this is the Jozy Altidore men's jersey will be wearing as they compete for the trophy this summer. Gyasi Zardes, Lee Nguyen, David Bingham, Matt Miazga and Edgar Castillo. becky sauerbrunn jersey USA “I think discipline was a massive thing out in Croatia and it will be big again on Wednesday. But this game is completely different. They know we can qualify on the night and the pressure is on them.”
Barry was part of the England team who missed out on Euro 2008 after Croatia won 3-2 at Wembley 22 months ago, but the Manchester City star is confident Slaven Bilic’s men will find it much harder in London this time.
Last time, in November 2007, Steve McClaren’s England needed just a draw to qualify for the European Championship finals in Austria and Switzerland but they fell apart in dismal fashion.
McClaren was sacked soon after and Capello took over. The Italian has quickly got England back on track and they can book their trip to next year’s World Cup in South Africa with a victory over the Croatians after winning all seven of their qualifiers.
“Everyone wants to put it to bed on Wednesday and get across the line,” said midfielder Barry, who moved from Aston Villa to Manchester City during the close-season and has been ever-present under Capello.
“A lot of players in our dressing room won’t forget that night at Wembley two years ago. There will be a few memories. But it’s a different manager and a different team now and although that might be in the back of our minds we’ll be confident we can do it this time. “Like many others the last home match against Croatia was the lowest point of my career – being on the verge of qualifying for a championships and then all of a sudden it’s taken away from you.
“It’s not a nice feeling. This is England we’re talking about and we need to be part of these tournaments. But we can put that right on Wednesday.” England have already gained some element of revenge by beating Croatia 4-1 in Zagreb earlier in the qualifying campaign thanks to a remarkable performance from hat-trick star Theo Walcott.
And although Walcott is unavailable for the return game because of injury there is a real sense of belief in the England squad these days. Barry added: “We played some of our best football under this manager in Zagreb and it set us up nicely for the rest of the campaign.
“We’ve come a long way, really if you look at the results. They have all been positive, especially in competitive games and the manager knows that’s what we’ll all be judged on.”
Barry does have one word of caution for his England team-mates, however, as they prepare for a match that is likely to have something of an edge about it following previous encounters.
Croatia, too, are looking for revenge following that rare defeat in Zagreb and are still seething over the way Tottenham’s Luka Modric was ruled out of the tie after being injured in a Premier League game – just as Eduardo had been in the past.
Barry said: “In the away game I think we found out they will fire into challenges and try and make it tough but I’m sure we?ll talk about keeping our heads and keeping 11 players on the pitch.
A new look for 2016, this is the Jozy Altidore men's jersey will be wearing as they compete for the trophy this summer. Gyasi Zardes, Lee Nguyen, David Bingham, Matt Miazga and Edgar Castillo. becky sauerbrunn jersey USA “I think discipline was a massive thing out in Croatia and it will be big again on Wednesday. But this game is completely different. They know we can qualify on the night and the pressure is on them.”
South Africa face Ireland on World Cup learning curve
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Aaron Mokoena believes South Africa will continue their learning process when they play Ireland in Limerick on Tuesday.
Following their 2-0 defeat to Germany in Leverkusen on Saturday, Bafana Bafana now tackle Ireland at Munster’s famous Thomond Park, a stadium renowned more for its rugby pedigree than soccer.
Mokoena believes the pace and intensity of Ireland’s British-based players will provide a new challenge for his teammates as they continue their preparation for the World Cup next summer.
“We had a really a good game against Germany, they are a very experienced team and of course, they’ve been playing at the top level a long, long time,” said Mokoena, who will hope to add to his record 92 caps on Tuesday.
“It’s great to have that competition and it showed us that when we have the ball we can not afford to lose it easily when playing against these teams. “The reason we’re playing these teams is that they have something we can learn from and Ireland are one of those teams we can really gain something from.
“Germany and Ireland provide two different styles of football, the Irish play like English players – they are tough, strong players, players who you have to get in contact with. “Most of them play in the English leagues where the tempo of the game is very high. So that is what we will need to match.”
As a player with over four years Premier League experience, Mokoena knows just what is required to play against that type of player and indeed, has faced most of Ireland’s players over the years with either Blackburn or his current club Portsmouth.
But as part of a South Africa squad where players are selected from eight leagues scattered throughout the world, things are a little more complex for national coach Joel Santana. “It is tough sometimes but the fact is this team has had almost a year together now and we know each other, especially since the Confederations Cup,” said the South Africa captain.
While Saturday’s opponents Germany are in pole position in their group to seal a place at the World Cup, Ireland’s hopes are still in the balance despite a vital 2-1 victory in Cyprus. One point behind Italy in Group 8, with the Italians holding one game in hand – to be played against Bulgaria on Wednesday, things are delicately poised for veteran coach Giovanni Trapattoni, whose side are currently ranked 38 in the world.
Just like South Africa, Ireland last competed at a World Cup in 2002. Trapattoni will take the opportunity to change his team around on Tuesday, having allowed senior players Robbie Keane, Richard Dunne, Shay Given and Kevin Kilbane to return to their families after the hard fought win in Cyprus.
A new look for 2016, this is the Gyasi Zardes men's jersey will be wearing as they compete for the trophy this summer. Lee Nguyen, Matt Miazga, Steve Birnbaum, Edgar Castillo and David Bingham. whitney engen jersey USA Caleb Folan, Andy Keogh, Liam Lawrence, Keiren Westwood and Darren O’Dea are all in the hunt to start, with Damien Duff likely to skipper the side in Keane’s absence.
Following their 2-0 defeat to Germany in Leverkusen on Saturday, Bafana Bafana now tackle Ireland at Munster’s famous Thomond Park, a stadium renowned more for its rugby pedigree than soccer.
Mokoena believes the pace and intensity of Ireland’s British-based players will provide a new challenge for his teammates as they continue their preparation for the World Cup next summer.
“We had a really a good game against Germany, they are a very experienced team and of course, they’ve been playing at the top level a long, long time,” said Mokoena, who will hope to add to his record 92 caps on Tuesday.
“It’s great to have that competition and it showed us that when we have the ball we can not afford to lose it easily when playing against these teams. “The reason we’re playing these teams is that they have something we can learn from and Ireland are one of those teams we can really gain something from.
“Germany and Ireland provide two different styles of football, the Irish play like English players – they are tough, strong players, players who you have to get in contact with. “Most of them play in the English leagues where the tempo of the game is very high. So that is what we will need to match.”
As a player with over four years Premier League experience, Mokoena knows just what is required to play against that type of player and indeed, has faced most of Ireland’s players over the years with either Blackburn or his current club Portsmouth.
But as part of a South Africa squad where players are selected from eight leagues scattered throughout the world, things are a little more complex for national coach Joel Santana. “It is tough sometimes but the fact is this team has had almost a year together now and we know each other, especially since the Confederations Cup,” said the South Africa captain.
While Saturday’s opponents Germany are in pole position in their group to seal a place at the World Cup, Ireland’s hopes are still in the balance despite a vital 2-1 victory in Cyprus. One point behind Italy in Group 8, with the Italians holding one game in hand – to be played against Bulgaria on Wednesday, things are delicately poised for veteran coach Giovanni Trapattoni, whose side are currently ranked 38 in the world.
Just like South Africa, Ireland last competed at a World Cup in 2002. Trapattoni will take the opportunity to change his team around on Tuesday, having allowed senior players Robbie Keane, Richard Dunne, Shay Given and Kevin Kilbane to return to their families after the hard fought win in Cyprus.
A new look for 2016, this is the Gyasi Zardes men's jersey will be wearing as they compete for the trophy this summer. Lee Nguyen, Matt Miazga, Steve Birnbaum, Edgar Castillo and David Bingham. whitney engen jersey USA Caleb Folan, Andy Keogh, Liam Lawrence, Keiren Westwood and Darren O’Dea are all in the hunt to start, with Damien Duff likely to skipper the side in Keane’s absence.
Little-known hot-shots put Ronaldo in World Cup shade
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The weekend’s World Cup qualifying matches were graced by some of the top strikers in world football, but a glimpse at the list of top scorers from each confederation reveals a striking lack of big names.
Fernando Torres, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Didier Drogba and Cristiano Ronaldo were all in action on Saturday, but none have come anywhere close to the 12 goals scored by Osea Vakatalesau of Fiji.
Vakatalesau has not even featured in a qualifying match since Fiji’s 2-0 win over Oceania section winners New Zealand in November 2008, but he is not the only confederation top scorer who won’t be appearing in South Africa next summer.
Thailand’s Sarayoot Chaikamdee and Uzbekistan’s Maksim Shatskikh were the deadliest marksmen in the Asian zone with eight goals apiece, but both countries failed to qualify. Uzkebistan finished bottom of Group One behind Australia, Japan, Bahrain and Qatar in the final round of the Asian campaign, with former Dynamo Kiev player Shatskikh’s last involvement coming in the 4-0 win over Qatar back in March.
Sarayoot, meanwhile, has not played since Thailand’s 3-0 home defeat to Japan in the third round of qualifying in June last year. Both players were able to fill their boots in the early stages of the qualifying procedure, with Thailand’s 13-2 aggregate victory over Macau and the Uzbeks’ 11-0 demolition of Taiwan going a long way towards explaining how Sarayoot and Shatskikh came to occupy their lofty positions.
Moumoui Dagano of Burkina Faso is the top scorer in Africa with 10 goals, but the 28-year-old’s hopes of participating in next summer’s South African showpiece were dealt a heavy blow when his side were drawn in the same group as all-conquering Ivory Coast.
Luton Shelton of Jamaica and El Salvador’s Rudis Corrales top the scoring charts in the CONCACAF region, but they, too, will not make the finals; Jamaica having fallen by the wayside in the penultimate qualifying round and El Salvador seven points off the play-off spot in the current standings.
Things take on a more familiar feel in South America and Europe, where Brazil’s Luis Fabiano and England’s Wayne Rooney are the sharpest shooters.
Rooney, who has eight goals, is being pushed hard by Spain’s David Villa while Uruguay’s Atletico Madrid striker Diego Forlan is one of nine-goal Luis Fabiano’s nearest rivals.
A new look for 2016, this is the Lee Nguyen men's jersey will be wearing as they compete for the trophy this summer. Matt Miazga, Edgar Castillo, Geoff Cameron, David Bingham and Steve Birnbaum. crystal dunn jersey USA Elsewhere, though, it is world football’s lesser lights that have seized their moment to shine and in the top scorer’s tables at least, it really is anybody’s game.
Fernando Torres, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Didier Drogba and Cristiano Ronaldo were all in action on Saturday, but none have come anywhere close to the 12 goals scored by Osea Vakatalesau of Fiji.
Vakatalesau has not even featured in a qualifying match since Fiji’s 2-0 win over Oceania section winners New Zealand in November 2008, but he is not the only confederation top scorer who won’t be appearing in South Africa next summer.
Thailand’s Sarayoot Chaikamdee and Uzbekistan’s Maksim Shatskikh were the deadliest marksmen in the Asian zone with eight goals apiece, but both countries failed to qualify. Uzkebistan finished bottom of Group One behind Australia, Japan, Bahrain and Qatar in the final round of the Asian campaign, with former Dynamo Kiev player Shatskikh’s last involvement coming in the 4-0 win over Qatar back in March.
Sarayoot, meanwhile, has not played since Thailand’s 3-0 home defeat to Japan in the third round of qualifying in June last year. Both players were able to fill their boots in the early stages of the qualifying procedure, with Thailand’s 13-2 aggregate victory over Macau and the Uzbeks’ 11-0 demolition of Taiwan going a long way towards explaining how Sarayoot and Shatskikh came to occupy their lofty positions.
Moumoui Dagano of Burkina Faso is the top scorer in Africa with 10 goals, but the 28-year-old’s hopes of participating in next summer’s South African showpiece were dealt a heavy blow when his side were drawn in the same group as all-conquering Ivory Coast.
Luton Shelton of Jamaica and El Salvador’s Rudis Corrales top the scoring charts in the CONCACAF region, but they, too, will not make the finals; Jamaica having fallen by the wayside in the penultimate qualifying round and El Salvador seven points off the play-off spot in the current standings.
Things take on a more familiar feel in South America and Europe, where Brazil’s Luis Fabiano and England’s Wayne Rooney are the sharpest shooters.
Rooney, who has eight goals, is being pushed hard by Spain’s David Villa while Uruguay’s Atletico Madrid striker Diego Forlan is one of nine-goal Luis Fabiano’s nearest rivals.
A new look for 2016, this is the Lee Nguyen men's jersey will be wearing as they compete for the trophy this summer. Matt Miazga, Edgar Castillo, Geoff Cameron, David Bingham and Steve Birnbaum. crystal dunn jersey USA Elsewhere, though, it is world football’s lesser lights that have seized their moment to shine and in the top scorer’s tables at least, it really is anybody’s game.
Ghana qualify for 2010 World Cup finals
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Chelsea midfielder Michael Essien scored as Ghana defeated Sudan 2-0 in Accra Sunday to become the first African qualifiers for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
Inter Milan midfielder Sulley Muntari gave the ‘Black Stars’ an early lead and Essien added a second soon after half-time, unleashing a drive that flew into the net at the near post.
The result coupled with closest challengers Benin and Mali drawing 1-1 in Cotonou a few hours before left a Ghanaian side boasting a 100 percent record with an unassailable seven-point Group D advantage.
It will be the second successive World Cup appearance for Ghana, who did best of the five African teams in Germany three years ago by reaching the knockout second round before losing 3-0 to defending champions Brazil.
A quarter of the 32 qualifiers for the first World Cup to be staged in Africa are known with Ghana joining Australia, Brazil, Japan, Netherlands, North Korea, South Korea and hosts South Africa. Mali had threatened to put Ghanaian celebrations on hold by taking the lead through former France youth international Mamadou Samassa on 71 minutes only for Mohamed Aoudou to equalise three minutes from full-time.
Tunisia snatched a 2-2 draw in Nigeria thanks to an 90th-minute Oussama Darragi goal in a top-of-the-table Group B clash to maintain a two-point lead with two rounds left. A capacity 60,000 crowd saw Osaze Odemwingie fire the ‘Super Eagles’ into the lead with a close-range shot midway through the first half only for Nabil Taider to level soon after from a superb curling drive.
Michael Eneramo converted a low cross 10 minutes from full-time to put the home team ahead again only for Darragi to hammer a Haitham Mrabet pass into the net from an acute angle. Mozambique edged Kenya 1-0 in the same group courtesy of a goal midway through the second half from veteran South Africa-based striker Manuel ‘Tico Tico’ Bucuane.
Tunisia have eight points, Nigeria six, Mozambique four and Kenya three with the leaders chasing a fourth consecutive appearance at the quadrennial showcase of international football. Adel Taarabt scored two minutes into stoppage time as Morocco were rewarded for some enterprising second-half play with a 1-1 draw away to Togo in a Group A clash.
Togo led from the fourth minute through Moustapaha Salifou as they returned to Lome after a three-match ban following post-match violence at a 2008 African Nations Cup qualifier.
Gabon have six points, Togo five, Cameroon four and Morocco three although the ‘Indomitable Lions’ have a chance to go top Wednesday when they host the surprise pacesetters in Yaounde.
A new look for 2016, this is the Matt Miazga men's jersey will be wearing as they compete for the trophy this summer. Edgar Castillo, David Bingham, Jozy Altidore, Steve Birnbaum and Geoff Cameron. ali krieger jersey USA The five group winners qualify for the World Cup in South Africa between June 11 and July 11 and the top three finishers in each mini-league secure places at the Nations Cup five months earlier with hosts Angola.
Inter Milan midfielder Sulley Muntari gave the ‘Black Stars’ an early lead and Essien added a second soon after half-time, unleashing a drive that flew into the net at the near post.
The result coupled with closest challengers Benin and Mali drawing 1-1 in Cotonou a few hours before left a Ghanaian side boasting a 100 percent record with an unassailable seven-point Group D advantage.
It will be the second successive World Cup appearance for Ghana, who did best of the five African teams in Germany three years ago by reaching the knockout second round before losing 3-0 to defending champions Brazil.
A quarter of the 32 qualifiers for the first World Cup to be staged in Africa are known with Ghana joining Australia, Brazil, Japan, Netherlands, North Korea, South Korea and hosts South Africa. Mali had threatened to put Ghanaian celebrations on hold by taking the lead through former France youth international Mamadou Samassa on 71 minutes only for Mohamed Aoudou to equalise three minutes from full-time.
Tunisia snatched a 2-2 draw in Nigeria thanks to an 90th-minute Oussama Darragi goal in a top-of-the-table Group B clash to maintain a two-point lead with two rounds left. A capacity 60,000 crowd saw Osaze Odemwingie fire the ‘Super Eagles’ into the lead with a close-range shot midway through the first half only for Nabil Taider to level soon after from a superb curling drive.
Michael Eneramo converted a low cross 10 minutes from full-time to put the home team ahead again only for Darragi to hammer a Haitham Mrabet pass into the net from an acute angle. Mozambique edged Kenya 1-0 in the same group courtesy of a goal midway through the second half from veteran South Africa-based striker Manuel ‘Tico Tico’ Bucuane.
Tunisia have eight points, Nigeria six, Mozambique four and Kenya three with the leaders chasing a fourth consecutive appearance at the quadrennial showcase of international football. Adel Taarabt scored two minutes into stoppage time as Morocco were rewarded for some enterprising second-half play with a 1-1 draw away to Togo in a Group A clash.
Togo led from the fourth minute through Moustapaha Salifou as they returned to Lome after a three-match ban following post-match violence at a 2008 African Nations Cup qualifier.
Gabon have six points, Togo five, Cameroon four and Morocco three although the ‘Indomitable Lions’ have a chance to go top Wednesday when they host the surprise pacesetters in Yaounde.
A new look for 2016, this is the Matt Miazga men's jersey will be wearing as they compete for the trophy this summer. Edgar Castillo, David Bingham, Jozy Altidore, Steve Birnbaum and Geoff Cameron. ali krieger jersey USA The five group winners qualify for the World Cup in South Africa between June 11 and July 11 and the top three finishers in each mini-league secure places at the Nations Cup five months earlier with hosts Angola.
France boss Domenech gets vote of confidence
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Under-fire French coach Raymond Domenech received the dreaded vote of confidence on Sunday, just hours after the 1998 world champions suffered another setback in their bid to reach the World Cup.
Saturday’s 1-1 draw against Romania in Paris left France, the 2006 runners-up, needing to beat Serbia in Belgrade on Wednesday to keep their hopes of automatic qualification alive.
“I repeat: yes, yes, yes. I have to say it three times. He has the job of qualifying us for the World Cup,” said French Football Federation (FFF) president Jean-Pierre Escalettes. “And I repeat that even if we have to go into the play-offs, it’s still Raymond Domenech’s job.”
France’s desperate fight to finish top of their group has also been hit by injuries to playmaker Franck Ribery and defender Julien Escude, who scored an own goal in Saturday’s game.
“We don’t know whether they will be able to play on Wednesday,” said Domenech. “We shall see, we generally wait a day after a match (Monday in this case) to take an overall analysis.”
Ribery, who has a calf problem, has endured an injury-plagued summer and has barely played for Bayern Munich this campaign. He came on in the 57th minute against Romania without making much of an impression.
Serbia lead France by four points in Group Seven with just three matches remaining.
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A new look for 2016, this is the Edgar Castillo men's jersey will be wearing as they compete for the trophy this summer. David Bingham, Steve Birnbaum, Darlington Nagbe, Geoff Cameron and Jozy Altidore. morgan brian jersey USA Inter´s world is crumbling – Icardi
Saturday’s 1-1 draw against Romania in Paris left France, the 2006 runners-up, needing to beat Serbia in Belgrade on Wednesday to keep their hopes of automatic qualification alive.
“I repeat: yes, yes, yes. I have to say it three times. He has the job of qualifying us for the World Cup,” said French Football Federation (FFF) president Jean-Pierre Escalettes. “And I repeat that even if we have to go into the play-offs, it’s still Raymond Domenech’s job.”
France’s desperate fight to finish top of their group has also been hit by injuries to playmaker Franck Ribery and defender Julien Escude, who scored an own goal in Saturday’s game.
“We don’t know whether they will be able to play on Wednesday,” said Domenech. “We shall see, we generally wait a day after a match (Monday in this case) to take an overall analysis.”
Ribery, who has a calf problem, has endured an injury-plagued summer and has barely played for Bayern Munich this campaign. He came on in the 57th minute against Romania without making much of an impression.
Serbia lead France by four points in Group Seven with just three matches remaining.
Sun 6 Sep, 2009RSS Feed LAST 5 POSTS BY SOCCERNEWS Messi desperate for Argentina success – Bauza Redknapp backs Spurs to finish above Arsenal
Inter don´t have time to work on tactics – Vecchi Puel praises Southampton fight
A new look for 2016, this is the Edgar Castillo men's jersey will be wearing as they compete for the trophy this summer. David Bingham, Steve Birnbaum, Darlington Nagbe, Geoff Cameron and Jozy Altidore. morgan brian jersey USA Inter´s world is crumbling – Icardi
Are England good enough to win World Cup 2010?
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England will no doubt qualify for next years World Cup in South Africa. Every World Cup year the media and England fans have this blind optimism that is inexplicable. I must admit I buy in to the hype of the England teams ability to win every tournament we compete at. Unfortunately for every England fan since 1966 our optimism has been misplaced.
The question is will next year’s World Cup be any different from every other tournament we have competed at in recent years? I don’t think it will. Our performances in qualification have been promising but that has happened in previous years, hence the optimism. England look like they could qualify quite comfortably from group six. Croatia and Ukraine have arguably underperformed in the group and both sides have proven little to no threat to the Three Lions.
England always look solid until they face good opposition such as when we were defeated 2-0 in Spain in Fabio Capello’s first defeat in charge. I hate to say this but I think our team is over-hyped by the previously mentioned media.
A new look for 2016, this is the David Bingham men's jersey will be wearing as they compete for the trophy this summer. Steve Birnbaum, Geoff Cameron, Kyle Beckerman, Jozy Altidore and Darlington Nagbe. heather o'reilly authentic jerseys Yes we have some very good players and a few world-class players, but we just haven’t got enough strength in-depth in our squad to prevail at a major tournament.
World-Class Players The three players in our squad that I would say are world-class would be Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney, Liverpool midfielder Steven Gerrard and Chelsea centre-back John Terry. However Liverpool captain Gerrard has underperformed for his country in the past, but it looks like boss Fabio Capello has found an ideal role for him playing in the deep lying second striker role that he has become accustomed to at Anfield.
The Problem Positions The goalkeeping position has proved a problem position for England managers in the past and its no different for Capello. West Ham goalkeeper Robert Green has looked nervy and unconvincing in recent games. Unfortunately England are not endowed with great keepers anymore. We have Portsmouth’s David James who is 39 and error prone.
We have Wigan’s Chris Kirkland who has had more injuries than the A+E. Manchester United keeper Ben Foster hadn’t been playing many games until this season, but he too has looked a bit shaky in the United goal. Then there is Scott Carson of Championship side West Brom, but he has only made three appearances for his country.
Another problem position is right back. The current player in possession of the shirt is Liverpool’s Glen Johnson. The former Portsmouth star is fantastic going forward and is a good attacking weapon. Unfortunately for Glen he isn’t the best defender in the world.
I really like him as a footballer, even though I’m an Everton fan, but I think he should be a right winger and not a right back. Hes in the mould of a Brazilian full-back such as Roberto Carlos and Cafu. If he could work on the defensive part of his game he could be one of the best in the world.
The alternatives at right-back are Wes Brown, who is a really solid defender but cant really go forward, quite the opposite to Johnson ironically! If you put Johnson’s ability to go forward and Brown’s ability to defend together we have the complete full-back. Manchester United’s Gary Neville could be another alternative, but the experienced full-back has struggled with fitness and injury problems in recent seasons.
We have lots of ability and a world-class coach, all we need now is a bit of luck and all our best players stay injury-free. In past years the dreaded metatarsal has struck one of our key players before each of the last three major tournaments. I really hope that I am proven wrong and England go on to win the World Cup next year in South Africa.
A new look for 2016, this is the Steve Birnbaum men's jersey will be wearing as they compete for the trophy this summer. Geoff Cameron, Jozy Altidore, Ethan Finlay, Darlington Nagbe and Kyle Beckerman. hope solo authentic jerseys Maybe I have have just endured too much heartache at the hands of the Three Lions. Maybe its time for them to repay the fans and bring home the trophy from South Africa next July.
The question is will next year’s World Cup be any different from every other tournament we have competed at in recent years? I don’t think it will. Our performances in qualification have been promising but that has happened in previous years, hence the optimism. England look like they could qualify quite comfortably from group six. Croatia and Ukraine have arguably underperformed in the group and both sides have proven little to no threat to the Three Lions.
England always look solid until they face good opposition such as when we were defeated 2-0 in Spain in Fabio Capello’s first defeat in charge. I hate to say this but I think our team is over-hyped by the previously mentioned media.
A new look for 2016, this is the David Bingham men's jersey will be wearing as they compete for the trophy this summer. Steve Birnbaum, Geoff Cameron, Kyle Beckerman, Jozy Altidore and Darlington Nagbe. heather o'reilly authentic jerseys Yes we have some very good players and a few world-class players, but we just haven’t got enough strength in-depth in our squad to prevail at a major tournament.
World-Class Players The three players in our squad that I would say are world-class would be Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney, Liverpool midfielder Steven Gerrard and Chelsea centre-back John Terry. However Liverpool captain Gerrard has underperformed for his country in the past, but it looks like boss Fabio Capello has found an ideal role for him playing in the deep lying second striker role that he has become accustomed to at Anfield.
The Problem Positions The goalkeeping position has proved a problem position for England managers in the past and its no different for Capello. West Ham goalkeeper Robert Green has looked nervy and unconvincing in recent games. Unfortunately England are not endowed with great keepers anymore. We have Portsmouth’s David James who is 39 and error prone.
We have Wigan’s Chris Kirkland who has had more injuries than the A+E. Manchester United keeper Ben Foster hadn’t been playing many games until this season, but he too has looked a bit shaky in the United goal. Then there is Scott Carson of Championship side West Brom, but he has only made three appearances for his country.
Another problem position is right back. The current player in possession of the shirt is Liverpool’s Glen Johnson. The former Portsmouth star is fantastic going forward and is a good attacking weapon. Unfortunately for Glen he isn’t the best defender in the world.
I really like him as a footballer, even though I’m an Everton fan, but I think he should be a right winger and not a right back. Hes in the mould of a Brazilian full-back such as Roberto Carlos and Cafu. If he could work on the defensive part of his game he could be one of the best in the world.
The alternatives at right-back are Wes Brown, who is a really solid defender but cant really go forward, quite the opposite to Johnson ironically! If you put Johnson’s ability to go forward and Brown’s ability to defend together we have the complete full-back. Manchester United’s Gary Neville could be another alternative, but the experienced full-back has struggled with fitness and injury problems in recent seasons.
We have lots of ability and a world-class coach, all we need now is a bit of luck and all our best players stay injury-free. In past years the dreaded metatarsal has struck one of our key players before each of the last three major tournaments. I really hope that I am proven wrong and England go on to win the World Cup next year in South Africa.
A new look for 2016, this is the Steve Birnbaum men's jersey will be wearing as they compete for the trophy this summer. Geoff Cameron, Jozy Altidore, Ethan Finlay, Darlington Nagbe and Kyle Beckerman. hope solo authentic jerseys Maybe I have have just endured too much heartache at the hands of the Three Lions. Maybe its time for them to repay the fans and bring home the trophy from South Africa next July.
Friday, September 30, 2016
Rostov 2 PSV 2: Propper´s penalty miss costs visitors
PSV’s poor run against Russian sides continued as they were held to a frustrating 2-2 draw by Rostov in the Champions League.
Phillip Cocu’s team came into Wednesday’s encounter at Olimp-2 Stadium having failed to claim a victory from their previous four matches on Russian soil in European competition.
And the Eredivisie champions looked unlikely to buck that trend when they fell behind to Dmitry Poloz’s early strike, though they pulled level courtesy of Davy Propper’s deflected shot.
Rostov built on the lively opening, Poloz again on target as Ivan Danilyants’ side restored their advantage, only for Luuk de Jong to cancel it out in first-half stoppage time.
PSV were much improved in the second half, Propper seeing a penalty saved by Soslan Dzhanaev before being denied by the woodwork, but Rostov held firm to secure a vital point in Group D.
In the first meeting between the sides, it was Rostov who opened the scoring eight minutes in, Poloz slotting home the club’s first Champions League group-stage goal at the culmination of a well-worked move.
Rostov’s celebrations were short-lived though as PSV – on their first meaningful venture forward – restored parity courtesy of Propper’s strike, which took a wicked deflection off Vladimir Granat.
Sardar Azmoun went close as the hosts searched for an immediate response, the forward engineering some room in the box before driving a venomous effort over the crossbar.
Azmoun continued to threaten, and the 21-year-old was the architect as Rostov retook the lead in the 37th minute, his header teeing up Poloz, who duly doubled his tally with a thumping finish into the bottom-left corner.
PSV again responded well to Rostov going ahead – Propper turning provider as he teed up Luciano Narsingh – but the winger was flagged offside before he slid home the finish.
However, Cocu’s side did have another leveller on the stroke of half-time, De Jong heading in from point-blank range after Santiago Arias’ shot had rattled the crossbar.
PSV were gifted the chance to take the lead for the first time 55 minutes in, referee Clement Turpin harshly deeming that Cesar Navas had brought down De Jong in Rostov’s area.
Propper, in search of his second, stepped up to take the resulting penalty, but the Dutchman could not find the target this time round – Dzhanaev pulling off a superb stop.
Matters were made worse for the visitors just after the hour-mark, midfielder Jorrit Hendrix having to be helped off the pitch after a heavy collision with Poloz at the other end.
Cocu’s men finally had a foothold in proceedings, though, and Propper was desperately unlucky not to double his goal haul when his blistering attempt clattered off the underside of the crossbar and into the hands of Dzhanaev.
A new look for 2016, this is the Megan Rapinoe soccer jersey will be wearing as they compete for the trophy this summer. Morgan Brian, Alex Morgan, Carli Lloyd, Lauren Holiday and Ali Krieger. hope solo jersey usa Anthony Martial, Daley Blind, Ander Herrera, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Wayne Rooney, Memphis Depay, Morgan Schneiderlin, Matteo Darmian, Phil Jones, Juan Mata, Antonio Valencia, Marcus Rashford. Rostov’s goalkeeper was the hosts’ hero again late on, reacting instinctively to parry away Steven Bergwijn’s strike to force PSV, who lost to Atletico Madrid on matchday one and face Bayern Munich next, to settle for a share of the spoils.
Phillip Cocu’s team came into Wednesday’s encounter at Olimp-2 Stadium having failed to claim a victory from their previous four matches on Russian soil in European competition.
And the Eredivisie champions looked unlikely to buck that trend when they fell behind to Dmitry Poloz’s early strike, though they pulled level courtesy of Davy Propper’s deflected shot.
Rostov built on the lively opening, Poloz again on target as Ivan Danilyants’ side restored their advantage, only for Luuk de Jong to cancel it out in first-half stoppage time.
PSV were much improved in the second half, Propper seeing a penalty saved by Soslan Dzhanaev before being denied by the woodwork, but Rostov held firm to secure a vital point in Group D.
In the first meeting between the sides, it was Rostov who opened the scoring eight minutes in, Poloz slotting home the club’s first Champions League group-stage goal at the culmination of a well-worked move.
Rostov’s celebrations were short-lived though as PSV – on their first meaningful venture forward – restored parity courtesy of Propper’s strike, which took a wicked deflection off Vladimir Granat.
Sardar Azmoun went close as the hosts searched for an immediate response, the forward engineering some room in the box before driving a venomous effort over the crossbar.
Azmoun continued to threaten, and the 21-year-old was the architect as Rostov retook the lead in the 37th minute, his header teeing up Poloz, who duly doubled his tally with a thumping finish into the bottom-left corner.
PSV again responded well to Rostov going ahead – Propper turning provider as he teed up Luciano Narsingh – but the winger was flagged offside before he slid home the finish.
However, Cocu’s side did have another leveller on the stroke of half-time, De Jong heading in from point-blank range after Santiago Arias’ shot had rattled the crossbar.
PSV were gifted the chance to take the lead for the first time 55 minutes in, referee Clement Turpin harshly deeming that Cesar Navas had brought down De Jong in Rostov’s area.
Propper, in search of his second, stepped up to take the resulting penalty, but the Dutchman could not find the target this time round – Dzhanaev pulling off a superb stop.
Matters were made worse for the visitors just after the hour-mark, midfielder Jorrit Hendrix having to be helped off the pitch after a heavy collision with Poloz at the other end.
Cocu’s men finally had a foothold in proceedings, though, and Propper was desperately unlucky not to double his goal haul when his blistering attempt clattered off the underside of the crossbar and into the hands of Dzhanaev.
A new look for 2016, this is the Megan Rapinoe soccer jersey will be wearing as they compete for the trophy this summer. Morgan Brian, Alex Morgan, Carli Lloyd, Lauren Holiday and Ali Krieger. hope solo jersey usa Anthony Martial, Daley Blind, Ander Herrera, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Wayne Rooney, Memphis Depay, Morgan Schneiderlin, Matteo Darmian, Phil Jones, Juan Mata, Antonio Valencia, Marcus Rashford. Rostov’s goalkeeper was the hosts’ hero again late on, reacting instinctively to parry away Steven Bergwijn’s strike to force PSV, who lost to Atletico Madrid on matchday one and face Bayern Munich next, to settle for a share of the spoils.
Just as in the first half
As an enthralling first half continued apace, City looked threatening with every attack and Celtic were sliced open when David Silva’s threaded pass found Sterling, who beat Tierney with instinctive skill before side-footing the ball past Gordon to equalise.
Within 72 seconds of the second half, the ball was in City’s net again when Kolarov made a terrible mess of Tierney’s cross and Dembele, with his back to goal, scored by hooking the ball over his shoulder and past Bravo.
Just as in the first half, City were quick to draw level again and it was another Silva pass that opened Celtic up before Aguero’s shot was saved and Nolito tucked home the rebound.
After an hour of end-to-end football played at a frenetic pace, Celtic put men behind the ball in the final half hour to ensure they did not let a vital point slip, and Gordon made a good save to prevent Kolarov’s cross from finding Fernandinho as it flashed across the face of goal.
Fernandinho almost gave one of the Champions League’s most entertaining encounters a final twist when he hit a dipping drive just over from 25 yards, and Gordon rescued Celtic in injury time with a fine reaction save from Ilkay Gundogan to ensure a share of the spoils.
Key Opta stats: – Since their Champions League debut in 2011-12, only three teams (BATE Borisov 65, Bayern 60, & Galatasaray 60) have conceded more goals than Manchester City (57). – Raheem Sterling has been directly involved in seven goals in his last five Champions League starts (four goals, three assists).
– Sterling has scored in three consecutive appearances (all comps) for the first time in his career. A new look for 2016, this is the Morgan Brian soccer jersey will be wearing as they compete for the trophy this summer. Alex Morgan, Lauren Holiday, Heather O'Reilly, Ali Krieger and Carli Lloyd. hope solo usa jersey Ashley Young, Paul Pogba, Jesse Lingard, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Axel Tuanzebe, Timothy Fosu-Mensah, Sergio Romero, Chris Smalling, David de Gea, Marcos Rojo, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Michael Carrick. – Moussa Dembele’s opener was the quickest goal Celtic have ever scored in the Champions League (2:23).
Within 72 seconds of the second half, the ball was in City’s net again when Kolarov made a terrible mess of Tierney’s cross and Dembele, with his back to goal, scored by hooking the ball over his shoulder and past Bravo.
Just as in the first half, City were quick to draw level again and it was another Silva pass that opened Celtic up before Aguero’s shot was saved and Nolito tucked home the rebound.
After an hour of end-to-end football played at a frenetic pace, Celtic put men behind the ball in the final half hour to ensure they did not let a vital point slip, and Gordon made a good save to prevent Kolarov’s cross from finding Fernandinho as it flashed across the face of goal.
Fernandinho almost gave one of the Champions League’s most entertaining encounters a final twist when he hit a dipping drive just over from 25 yards, and Gordon rescued Celtic in injury time with a fine reaction save from Ilkay Gundogan to ensure a share of the spoils.
Key Opta stats: – Since their Champions League debut in 2011-12, only three teams (BATE Borisov 65, Bayern 60, & Galatasaray 60) have conceded more goals than Manchester City (57). – Raheem Sterling has been directly involved in seven goals in his last five Champions League starts (four goals, three assists).
– Sterling has scored in three consecutive appearances (all comps) for the first time in his career. A new look for 2016, this is the Morgan Brian soccer jersey will be wearing as they compete for the trophy this summer. Alex Morgan, Lauren Holiday, Heather O'Reilly, Ali Krieger and Carli Lloyd. hope solo usa jersey Ashley Young, Paul Pogba, Jesse Lingard, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Axel Tuanzebe, Timothy Fosu-Mensah, Sergio Romero, Chris Smalling, David de Gea, Marcos Rojo, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Michael Carrick. – Moussa Dembele’s opener was the quickest goal Celtic have ever scored in the Champions League (2:23).
Celtic 3 Manchester City 3: Dembele at the double in six-goal thriller
Manchester City’s winning streak under Pep Guardiola came to an end in dramatic fashion as Celtic got their first Champions League point of the season from a thrilling 3-3 draw.
Guardiola’s City went behind for the first time in the Spaniard’s tenure when Moussa Dembele put Celtic ahead after just three minutes, despite appearing to have been in an offside position.
City hit back just nine minutes later through Fernandinho only for Raheem Sterling to steer Kieran Tierney’s shot into his own net, but the England winger made amends with a superb turn and finish at the other end to level the match before half-time.
Dembele put Celtic ahead for a third time shortly after the restart to keep a roaring home crowd dreaming of a memorable victory, but Nolito equalised swiftly when Craig Gordon parried Sergio Aguero’s shot into his path.
The result marks an impressive response from Celtic – hammered 7-0 by Barcelona in their Group C opener – while City will hope the blip in their immaculate record under Guardiola is nothing more than just that.
Brendan Rodgers said before the game that Celtic needed to start brightly and they did just that when a free-kick found James Forrest in space in the box and he crossed for Nir Bitton to fire in a header that beat Claudio Bravo via a touch from Dembele’s chest.
Bravo saved well from Kolo Toure soon afterwards but Celtic’s impressive start was undone when Aleksandar Kolarov’s shot found its way to Fernandinho, who controlled the ball before sliding a low shot past Gordon into the corner of the net.
But Celtic maintained their high tempo attacking football and restored their lead when Tomas Rogic broke down the middle and fed Tierney, whose angled shot hit Sterling’s outstretched leg and flew in at the near post.
A new look for 2016, this is the Alex Morgan soccer jersey will be wearing as they compete for the trophy this summer. Lauren Holiday, Ali Krieger, Amy Rodriguez, Carli Lloyd and Heather O'Reilly. hope solo soccer jersey
As an enthralling first half continued apace, City looked threatening with every attack and Celtic were sliced open when David Silva’s threaded pass found Sterling, who beat Tierney with instinctive skill before side-footing the ball past Gordon to equalise.
Guardiola’s City went behind for the first time in the Spaniard’s tenure when Moussa Dembele put Celtic ahead after just three minutes, despite appearing to have been in an offside position.
City hit back just nine minutes later through Fernandinho only for Raheem Sterling to steer Kieran Tierney’s shot into his own net, but the England winger made amends with a superb turn and finish at the other end to level the match before half-time.
Dembele put Celtic ahead for a third time shortly after the restart to keep a roaring home crowd dreaming of a memorable victory, but Nolito equalised swiftly when Craig Gordon parried Sergio Aguero’s shot into his path.
The result marks an impressive response from Celtic – hammered 7-0 by Barcelona in their Group C opener – while City will hope the blip in their immaculate record under Guardiola is nothing more than just that.
Brendan Rodgers said before the game that Celtic needed to start brightly and they did just that when a free-kick found James Forrest in space in the box and he crossed for Nir Bitton to fire in a header that beat Claudio Bravo via a touch from Dembele’s chest.
Bravo saved well from Kolo Toure soon afterwards but Celtic’s impressive start was undone when Aleksandar Kolarov’s shot found its way to Fernandinho, who controlled the ball before sliding a low shot past Gordon into the corner of the net.
But Celtic maintained their high tempo attacking football and restored their lead when Tomas Rogic broke down the middle and fed Tierney, whose angled shot hit Sterling’s outstretched leg and flew in at the near post.
A new look for 2016, this is the Alex Morgan soccer jersey will be wearing as they compete for the trophy this summer. Lauren Holiday, Ali Krieger, Amy Rodriguez, Carli Lloyd and Heather O'Reilly. hope solo soccer jersey
As an enthralling first half continued apace, City looked threatening with every attack and Celtic were sliced open when David Silva’s threaded pass found Sterling, who beat Tierney with instinctive skill before side-footing the ball past Gordon to equalise.
Besiktas 1 Dynamo Kiev 1: Tsygankov stuns wasteful Turks
Wasteful Besiktas failed to make the most of their superiority against Dynamo Kiev as Viktor Tsygankov secured a fortuitous 1-1 draw in the Champions League on Wednesday.
The teenager entered the pitch with 62 minutes on the clock and made the telling contribution a few moments later, helping Dynamo to capitalise on their hosts’ inability to convert their numerous chances.
Prior to that Besiktas enjoyed complete control over their visitors throughout, particularly in the first half, and Ricardo Quaresma’s fine free-kick just before the half-hour mark was the least they deserved.
Tsygankov made them pay for not adding to that, though, and Dynamo continued to rise in prominence as a result of that equaliser. Besiktas struggled to contain their visitors towards the end, as their control of proceedings completely evaporated, but luckily for them Dynamo were unable to steal a late win in Group B.
The home side showed real attacking intent right from the start and were quick to get shots away, with Talisca and then Vincent Aboubakar forcing Artur Rudko into straightforward saves from distance in the opening 10 minutes.
Dynamo were struggling to keep Talisca on a leash and the Brazilian saw another effort deflected just wide of the right-hand post in the 13th minute after latching on to Andreas Beck’s well-placed cut-back.
Besiktas eventually took a deserved lead in style after 28 minutes, as Quaresma caressed a 25-yard free-kick into the top-right corner after the rampaging Aboubakar was cynically fouled by Nikita Korzun.
The hosts’ dominance was absolute and they almost got a second shortly after as the lively Aboubakar burst past Rudko, only for Yevhen Khacheridi to produce a crucial last-ditch tackle.
Dynamo perked up slightly after the break and some slack Besiktas defending allowed Denys Garmash two attempts in quick succession in the 57th minute, but Fabricio in the hosts’ goal pushed away the initial effort and then tipped the midfielder’s rebound around the post.
The visitors’ improvement was made to tell 25 minutes from time, as Besiktas failed to deal with Sergiy Rybalka’s free-kick delivery and 18-year-old substitute Tsygankov found the net from a tight angle.
Besiktas struggled to mount much of a response to the equaliser and Dynamo’s improvement continued.
Tsygankov saw another decent attempt cause panic in the Besiktas ranks with 10 minutes go, but on this occasion his volley flew just past the left-hand post.
A new look for 2016, this is the Lauren Holiday soccer jersey will be wearing as they compete for the trophy this summer. Ali Krieger, Carli Lloyd, Shannon Boxx, Heather O'Reilly and Amy Rodriguez. hope solo soccer Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Eric Bailly, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Timothy Fosu-Mensah, Marouane Fellaini, Morgan Schneiderlin, Marcus Rashford, Ander Herrera, Phil Jones, Luke Shaw, Ashley Young, Memphis Depay. And Andriy Yarmolenko was then denied by Fabricio in the closing stages when one-on-one, as the goalkeeper ensured his side held on for a point.
The teenager entered the pitch with 62 minutes on the clock and made the telling contribution a few moments later, helping Dynamo to capitalise on their hosts’ inability to convert their numerous chances.
Prior to that Besiktas enjoyed complete control over their visitors throughout, particularly in the first half, and Ricardo Quaresma’s fine free-kick just before the half-hour mark was the least they deserved.
Tsygankov made them pay for not adding to that, though, and Dynamo continued to rise in prominence as a result of that equaliser. Besiktas struggled to contain their visitors towards the end, as their control of proceedings completely evaporated, but luckily for them Dynamo were unable to steal a late win in Group B.
The home side showed real attacking intent right from the start and were quick to get shots away, with Talisca and then Vincent Aboubakar forcing Artur Rudko into straightforward saves from distance in the opening 10 minutes.
Dynamo were struggling to keep Talisca on a leash and the Brazilian saw another effort deflected just wide of the right-hand post in the 13th minute after latching on to Andreas Beck’s well-placed cut-back.
Besiktas eventually took a deserved lead in style after 28 minutes, as Quaresma caressed a 25-yard free-kick into the top-right corner after the rampaging Aboubakar was cynically fouled by Nikita Korzun.
The hosts’ dominance was absolute and they almost got a second shortly after as the lively Aboubakar burst past Rudko, only for Yevhen Khacheridi to produce a crucial last-ditch tackle.
Dynamo perked up slightly after the break and some slack Besiktas defending allowed Denys Garmash two attempts in quick succession in the 57th minute, but Fabricio in the hosts’ goal pushed away the initial effort and then tipped the midfielder’s rebound around the post.
The visitors’ improvement was made to tell 25 minutes from time, as Besiktas failed to deal with Sergiy Rybalka’s free-kick delivery and 18-year-old substitute Tsygankov found the net from a tight angle.
Besiktas struggled to mount much of a response to the equaliser and Dynamo’s improvement continued.
Tsygankov saw another decent attempt cause panic in the Besiktas ranks with 10 minutes go, but on this occasion his volley flew just past the left-hand post.
A new look for 2016, this is the Lauren Holiday soccer jersey will be wearing as they compete for the trophy this summer. Ali Krieger, Carli Lloyd, Shannon Boxx, Heather O'Reilly and Amy Rodriguez. hope solo soccer Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Eric Bailly, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Timothy Fosu-Mensah, Marouane Fellaini, Morgan Schneiderlin, Marcus Rashford, Ander Herrera, Phil Jones, Luke Shaw, Ashley Young, Memphis Depay. And Andriy Yarmolenko was then denied by Fabricio in the closing stages when one-on-one, as the goalkeeper ensured his side held on for a point.
Napoli 4 Benfica 2: Mertens bags two as Napoli run riot
Napoli consolidated their position at the top of Group B as goals from Marek Hamsik, Arkadiusz Milik and a Dries Mertens double secured an impressive 4-2 victory over Benfica at Stadio San Paolo.
Maurizio Sarri’s side were allowed to run riot at the start of the second half, scoring three goals in the space of just seven minutes to turn what had been a closely-fought contest into something of a rout.
Hamsik gave the hosts the lead on 20 minutes when he nodded home a Faouzi Ghoulam corner before Mertens curled home a sublime free-kick early in the second half.
Milik then added the third from the penalty spot and Mertens bagged his second from close range, with Gonacalo Guedes and substitute Eduardo Salvio netting nothing more than a consolations for the visitors.
The victory extends Napoli’s unbeaten run to 11 games in all competitions, while for Benfica, it was a first defeat of the season.
The result also maintains Napoli’s 100 per cent start to their Champions League campaign, while Rui Vitoria’s men are still searching for their first win having been held at home by Besiktas on matchday one.
The tone for an entertaining first half was set in the opening minute when Milik latched on to a fine long ball from Ghoulam but Julio Cesar comfortably gathered the Pole’s toe-poke finish.
Benfica responded almost immediately as Kostas Mitroglou just failed to scramble home the loose ball after Pepe Reina could only palm away a Nelsinho cross.
And the Greece international then saw his 15-yard strike parried by the Napoli goalkeeper after excellent approach work down the left from Alejandro Grimaldo.
But it was the home side who took the lead on 20 minutes as Hamsik took advantage of the visitors’ failure to position a man on the near post by meeting Ghoulam’s pinpoint corner and glancing a header past Cesar.
Milik came close to doubling his side’s advantage just short of the half-hour, narrowly failing to slide home a low free-kick whipped into the box by Jorginho.
Napoli were not to be denied at the start of the second half, however, as Mertens made it 2-0 by bending home a superb free-kick after being fouled on the edge of the box by Lisandro Lopez.
Jose Callejon was then clumsily upended in the box by Julio Cesar, allowing Milik to fire home his seventh goal in eight games from the spot. And Mertens claimed his second from close range when Julio Cesar failed to deal with a cross, Milik deflected the ball back across goal and the Belgian nudged it home.
Substitute Guedes then took advantage of some sloppy home defending to pull one back for the visitors.
A new look for 2016, this is the Ali Krieger soccer jersey will be wearing as they compete for the trophy this summer. Carli Lloyd, Heather O'Reilly, Whitney Engen, Amy Rodriguez and Shannon Boxx. hope solo 1 jersey Chris Smalling, Antonio Valencia, Marcos Rojo, Sergio Romero, Juan Mata, Daley Blind, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Eric Bailly, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Marouane Fellaini, Morgan Schneiderlin. With the points in the bag, the Italian side switched off again four minutes from time, allowing Andre Almeida to pick out Salvio who chested the ball down and calmly fired past Reina, but the damage had already been done.
Maurizio Sarri’s side were allowed to run riot at the start of the second half, scoring three goals in the space of just seven minutes to turn what had been a closely-fought contest into something of a rout.
Hamsik gave the hosts the lead on 20 minutes when he nodded home a Faouzi Ghoulam corner before Mertens curled home a sublime free-kick early in the second half.
Milik then added the third from the penalty spot and Mertens bagged his second from close range, with Gonacalo Guedes and substitute Eduardo Salvio netting nothing more than a consolations for the visitors.
The victory extends Napoli’s unbeaten run to 11 games in all competitions, while for Benfica, it was a first defeat of the season.
The result also maintains Napoli’s 100 per cent start to their Champions League campaign, while Rui Vitoria’s men are still searching for their first win having been held at home by Besiktas on matchday one.
The tone for an entertaining first half was set in the opening minute when Milik latched on to a fine long ball from Ghoulam but Julio Cesar comfortably gathered the Pole’s toe-poke finish.
Benfica responded almost immediately as Kostas Mitroglou just failed to scramble home the loose ball after Pepe Reina could only palm away a Nelsinho cross.
And the Greece international then saw his 15-yard strike parried by the Napoli goalkeeper after excellent approach work down the left from Alejandro Grimaldo.
But it was the home side who took the lead on 20 minutes as Hamsik took advantage of the visitors’ failure to position a man on the near post by meeting Ghoulam’s pinpoint corner and glancing a header past Cesar.
Milik came close to doubling his side’s advantage just short of the half-hour, narrowly failing to slide home a low free-kick whipped into the box by Jorginho.
Napoli were not to be denied at the start of the second half, however, as Mertens made it 2-0 by bending home a superb free-kick after being fouled on the edge of the box by Lisandro Lopez.
Jose Callejon was then clumsily upended in the box by Julio Cesar, allowing Milik to fire home his seventh goal in eight games from the spot. And Mertens claimed his second from close range when Julio Cesar failed to deal with a cross, Milik deflected the ball back across goal and the Belgian nudged it home.
Substitute Guedes then took advantage of some sloppy home defending to pull one back for the visitors.
A new look for 2016, this is the Ali Krieger soccer jersey will be wearing as they compete for the trophy this summer. Carli Lloyd, Heather O'Reilly, Whitney Engen, Amy Rodriguez and Shannon Boxx. hope solo 1 jersey Chris Smalling, Antonio Valencia, Marcos Rojo, Sergio Romero, Juan Mata, Daley Blind, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Eric Bailly, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Marouane Fellaini, Morgan Schneiderlin. With the points in the bag, the Italian side switched off again four minutes from time, allowing Andre Almeida to pick out Salvio who chested the ball down and calmly fired past Reina, but the damage had already been done.
Arsenal 2 Basel 0: Walcott´s capital gains tax Swiss visitors
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Theo Walcott continued his hot streak with a first-half brace as in-form Arsenal eased to a 2-0 victory over Champions League rivals Basel at the Emirates Stadium.
England international Walcott headed home Alexis Sanchez’s cross to open the scoring before taking his tally to four goals in three games with a right-footed drive from a tight angle.
The final margin of victory would have been even greater had it not been for a combination of poor Arsenal finishing and the brilliance of Basel goalkeeper Tomas Vaclíik
Still, Arsene Wenger’s side have now gone eight matches unbeaten in all competitions and sit level with Paris Saint-Germain – who won 3-1 in Ludogorets – at the top of Group A on four points.
The result also means Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka has bragging rights over his brother, Basel’s Taulant, for a second time this year. The pair also faced each other in Switzerland’s 1-0 win over Albania at Euro 2016.
Arsenal had lost 3-2 to Olympiacos in their European home opener a year ago, yet any potential for the visitors to record an upset of their own disappeared during a one-sided first half.
Full-back Nacho Monreal had already forced Vaclík into a smart save before the hosts took the lead in the seventh minute. Santi Cazorla’s lofted pass picked out the run into the left channel by Sanchez, who produced a well-weighted cross that left Walcott with the simple task of nodding the ball into the net from close range.
The same combination then ripped through Basel again to double Arsenal’s advantage in the 26th minute. Having worked a one-two with Sanchez to get beyond a high defensive line down the right, Walcott angled a low drive beyond Vaclík that found the far corner of the goal via the post.
Czech Republic international Vaclik twice blocked one-on-one opportunities for Sanchez before the break, while Mesut Ozil failed to even work the under-pressure goalkeeper by prodding wide when clean through.
Arsenal’s profligacy continued into the second half, Sanchez failing to pick out Ozil in the middle after robbing Marek Suchy of possession before Alex Iwobi fired wide at the end of a powerful run.
David Ospina – picked for the second straight Champions League game following his heroics in the 1-1 draw in Paris – had been a spectator before Birkir Bjarnason’s curling shot finally called the Colombian goalkeeper into action on the hour mark.
However, Ospina was fortunate not to concede shortly after, his failure to deal with a swinging corner going unpunished by a sliding Bjarnason at the back post.
Vaclik continued to be busy though to the final whistle at the other end – denying both substitute Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Sanchez again – as Arsenal coasted to a fifth victory in as many meetings against Swiss opposition.
Key Opta stats: – Alexis Sanchez has had a hand in 11 of Arsenal’s last 16 Champions League goals (four goals, seven assists). – Since the start of last season, only Neymar (nine) has provided more Champions League assists than Sanchez.
– Basel are winless in their last seven Champions League away games (D2 L5), scoring just three goals in that run. A new look for 2016, this is the Carli Lloyd soccer jersey will be wearing as they compete for the trophy this summer. Heather O'Reilly, Amy Rodriguez, Kelley O'Hara, Shannon Boxx and Whitney Engen. hope solo jerseys Marcus Rashford, Ander Herrera, Phil Jones, David de Gea, Ashley Young, Memphis Depay, Wayne Rooney, Axel Tuanzebe, Anthony Martial, Sam Johnstone, Jesse Lingard, Matteo Darmian. – No Arsenal player made more passes (94), had more touches (118) or made more tackles (4) than Santi Cazorla.
England international Walcott headed home Alexis Sanchez’s cross to open the scoring before taking his tally to four goals in three games with a right-footed drive from a tight angle.
The final margin of victory would have been even greater had it not been for a combination of poor Arsenal finishing and the brilliance of Basel goalkeeper Tomas Vaclíik
Still, Arsene Wenger’s side have now gone eight matches unbeaten in all competitions and sit level with Paris Saint-Germain – who won 3-1 in Ludogorets – at the top of Group A on four points.
The result also means Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka has bragging rights over his brother, Basel’s Taulant, for a second time this year. The pair also faced each other in Switzerland’s 1-0 win over Albania at Euro 2016.
Arsenal had lost 3-2 to Olympiacos in their European home opener a year ago, yet any potential for the visitors to record an upset of their own disappeared during a one-sided first half.
Full-back Nacho Monreal had already forced Vaclík into a smart save before the hosts took the lead in the seventh minute. Santi Cazorla’s lofted pass picked out the run into the left channel by Sanchez, who produced a well-weighted cross that left Walcott with the simple task of nodding the ball into the net from close range.
The same combination then ripped through Basel again to double Arsenal’s advantage in the 26th minute. Having worked a one-two with Sanchez to get beyond a high defensive line down the right, Walcott angled a low drive beyond Vaclík that found the far corner of the goal via the post.
Czech Republic international Vaclik twice blocked one-on-one opportunities for Sanchez before the break, while Mesut Ozil failed to even work the under-pressure goalkeeper by prodding wide when clean through.
Arsenal’s profligacy continued into the second half, Sanchez failing to pick out Ozil in the middle after robbing Marek Suchy of possession before Alex Iwobi fired wide at the end of a powerful run.
David Ospina – picked for the second straight Champions League game following his heroics in the 1-1 draw in Paris – had been a spectator before Birkir Bjarnason’s curling shot finally called the Colombian goalkeeper into action on the hour mark.
However, Ospina was fortunate not to concede shortly after, his failure to deal with a swinging corner going unpunished by a sliding Bjarnason at the back post.
Vaclik continued to be busy though to the final whistle at the other end – denying both substitute Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Sanchez again – as Arsenal coasted to a fifth victory in as many meetings against Swiss opposition.
Key Opta stats: – Alexis Sanchez has had a hand in 11 of Arsenal’s last 16 Champions League goals (four goals, seven assists). – Since the start of last season, only Neymar (nine) has provided more Champions League assists than Sanchez.
– Basel are winless in their last seven Champions League away games (D2 L5), scoring just three goals in that run. A new look for 2016, this is the Carli Lloyd soccer jersey will be wearing as they compete for the trophy this summer. Heather O'Reilly, Amy Rodriguez, Kelley O'Hara, Shannon Boxx and Whitney Engen. hope solo jerseys Marcus Rashford, Ander Herrera, Phil Jones, David de Gea, Ashley Young, Memphis Depay, Wayne Rooney, Axel Tuanzebe, Anthony Martial, Sam Johnstone, Jesse Lingard, Matteo Darmian. – No Arsenal player made more passes (94), had more touches (118) or made more tackles (4) than Santi Cazorla.
Borussia Monchengladbach 1 Barcelona 2: Pique grabs the winner
Gerard Pique netted a second-half winner as Barcelona came from behind to beat Borussia Monchengladbach 2-1 in the Champions League after Arda Turan cancelled out Thorgan Hazard’s opener.
Gladbach were thrashed 4-0 by Manchester City in their Group C opener earlier this month, while Barca hammered Celtic 7-0 on matchday one, but the Bundesliga side appeared to be on their way to a shock win following Hazard’s goal after a quick counterattack at Borussia-Park.
However, Arda restored parity with a powerful volley just minutes after coming off the bench, before Pique took advantage of some poor goalkeeping from Yann Sommer to make the difference, thus ending a three-game winless streak for the Liga champions in Germany.
Barca made it two wins from two games without injured star player Lionel Messi after previously seeing off Sporting Gijon 5-0.
Luis Enrique opted to give Rafinha the nod at the weekend, but Paco Alcacer had the chance to prove his worth this time around. The former Valencia star failed to impress, though, and was taken off after the break.
The away side could have gone a goal up via Neymar early on after a sublime team move. Luis Suarez reached Jordi Alba down the left, who immediately set up Neymar with a low cross after an intelligent dummy from Alcacer, only for the Brazil international to fire his attempt straight at Sommer.
Suarez was next to threaten for the Catalans when he made the most of some poor defending from Nico Elvedi after a long ball from Pique, but the former Liverpool star’s wild volley went just wide of the far top corner.
Gladbach seemed to be happy to sit back and try to hit Barcelona on the break and that tactic paid off in the 34th minute when Hazard opened the scoring somewhat against the run of play.
Sergio Busquets recklessly lost possession in midfield and the hosts immediately charged forward with three men, Raffael setting up Mahmoud Dahoud down the left, who in turn laid the ball off for Hazard and the Belgian winger coolly slotted home from close range to beat former Gladbach goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen on his homecoming.
It was Hazard’s seventh goal in 10 appearances in all competitions, already one more than in 36 outings last term.
Shot-stopper Sommer showed his class minutes later to maintain his side’s lead with a brilliant save to keep out Suarez’s volley from close range after a fine pass from Rakitic, with Andreas Christensen clearing the rebound before a Barcelona attacker could get to it.
Luis Enrique opted to bring on Arda for Rakitic after the interval and his decision immediately paid off as the Turkey international levelled the scoring in the 65th minute. Neymar opened up the Gladbach defence with a clever ball over the top and Arda blasted a volley past the helpless Sommer to make it 1-1.
Barcelona immediately started pushing forward and Pique netted the winner eight minutes later after some unconvincing goalkeeping from Sommer.
A new look for 2016, this is the Heather O'Reilly soccer jersey will be wearing as they compete for the trophy this summer. Amy Rodriguez, Shannon Boxx, Becky Sauerbrunn, Whitney Engen and Kelley O'Hara. hope solo jersey Morgan Schneiderlin, Marcos Rojo, Matteo Darmian, Michael Carrick, Wayne Rooney, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Antonio Valencia, Chris Smalling, Juan Mata, Luke Shaw, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Ashley Young. The Switzerland international failed to hold on to Suarez’s shot after a corner and Pique was on hand to dispatch the rebound, Barca holding firm in the closing stages to secure all three points.
Gladbach were thrashed 4-0 by Manchester City in their Group C opener earlier this month, while Barca hammered Celtic 7-0 on matchday one, but the Bundesliga side appeared to be on their way to a shock win following Hazard’s goal after a quick counterattack at Borussia-Park.
However, Arda restored parity with a powerful volley just minutes after coming off the bench, before Pique took advantage of some poor goalkeeping from Yann Sommer to make the difference, thus ending a three-game winless streak for the Liga champions in Germany.
Barca made it two wins from two games without injured star player Lionel Messi after previously seeing off Sporting Gijon 5-0.
Luis Enrique opted to give Rafinha the nod at the weekend, but Paco Alcacer had the chance to prove his worth this time around. The former Valencia star failed to impress, though, and was taken off after the break.
The away side could have gone a goal up via Neymar early on after a sublime team move. Luis Suarez reached Jordi Alba down the left, who immediately set up Neymar with a low cross after an intelligent dummy from Alcacer, only for the Brazil international to fire his attempt straight at Sommer.
Suarez was next to threaten for the Catalans when he made the most of some poor defending from Nico Elvedi after a long ball from Pique, but the former Liverpool star’s wild volley went just wide of the far top corner.
Gladbach seemed to be happy to sit back and try to hit Barcelona on the break and that tactic paid off in the 34th minute when Hazard opened the scoring somewhat against the run of play.
Sergio Busquets recklessly lost possession in midfield and the hosts immediately charged forward with three men, Raffael setting up Mahmoud Dahoud down the left, who in turn laid the ball off for Hazard and the Belgian winger coolly slotted home from close range to beat former Gladbach goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen on his homecoming.
It was Hazard’s seventh goal in 10 appearances in all competitions, already one more than in 36 outings last term.
Shot-stopper Sommer showed his class minutes later to maintain his side’s lead with a brilliant save to keep out Suarez’s volley from close range after a fine pass from Rakitic, with Andreas Christensen clearing the rebound before a Barcelona attacker could get to it.
Luis Enrique opted to bring on Arda for Rakitic after the interval and his decision immediately paid off as the Turkey international levelled the scoring in the 65th minute. Neymar opened up the Gladbach defence with a clever ball over the top and Arda blasted a volley past the helpless Sommer to make it 1-1.
Barcelona immediately started pushing forward and Pique netted the winner eight minutes later after some unconvincing goalkeeping from Sommer.
A new look for 2016, this is the Heather O'Reilly soccer jersey will be wearing as they compete for the trophy this summer. Amy Rodriguez, Shannon Boxx, Becky Sauerbrunn, Whitney Engen and Kelley O'Hara. hope solo jersey Morgan Schneiderlin, Marcos Rojo, Matteo Darmian, Michael Carrick, Wayne Rooney, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Antonio Valencia, Chris Smalling, Juan Mata, Luke Shaw, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Ashley Young. The Switzerland international failed to hold on to Suarez’s shot after a corner and Pique was on hand to dispatch the rebound, Barca holding firm in the closing stages to secure all three points.
Atleti got the lead they deserved after 35 minutes.
Torres missed a glorious chance to break the deadlock after 22 minutes, heading against the post from just three yards out following Saul Niguez’s flick, and Robert Lewandowski nodded a presentable opening into Oblak’s grasp at the other end.
But Atleti got the lead they deserved after 35 minutes. Sloppy play from Xabi Alonso saw the ball break into Carrasco’s path, and he drilled a low finish past Neuer and in off the base of the post from 20 yards.
Ribery scuffed a shot past the near corner after finding a rare pocket of space in the Atleti area, and Muller headed wide when unmarked at a corner just after half-time as Bayern looked for a decisive response.
Ancelotti introduced Arjen Robben just before the hour mark in a bid to inject some attacking verve, but Neuer was called upon to keep his side in the match when he dived to his left to parry Carrasco’s drive from distance.
Bayern set up camp in Atleti’s half in the closing stages, Lewandowski glancing a header just past Oblak’s right-hand post, before Robben arrowed a low shot narrowly wide, but their attacking efforts remained largely laboured against a home defence brilliantly marshalled by Diego Godin.
Griezmann then squandered the chance to make the last few minutes comfortable, crashing his spot-kick off the woodwork after Arturo Vidal had barged Filipe Luis to ground, but Atleti held firm to extend their run to 26 wins in 31 European games on home turf.
Key Opta stats: – Carrasco is the first player to score from outside the box against Bayern this season (all competitions). – Ancelotti has lost five of his last eight meetings against Atletico in all competitions (W1 D2).
– Atletico have taken three penalties in their last four CL games, failing to score any of them (two by Griezmann, one by Torres). A new look for 2016, this is the Amy Rodriguez soccer jersey will be wearing as they compete for the trophy this summer. Shannon Boxx, Whitney Engen, Christie Rampone, Kelley O'Hara and Becky Sauerbrunn. hope solo shirt Anthony Martial, Eric Bailly, Ander Herrera, Daley Blind, Sam Johnstone, Phil Jones, Marouane Fellaini, Sergio Romero, David de Gea, Memphis Depay, Axel Tuanzebe, Timothy Fosu-Mensah. – Only Sevilla (5) have won more penalties than Atletico (4) in the Champions League since last season.
But Atleti got the lead they deserved after 35 minutes. Sloppy play from Xabi Alonso saw the ball break into Carrasco’s path, and he drilled a low finish past Neuer and in off the base of the post from 20 yards.
Ribery scuffed a shot past the near corner after finding a rare pocket of space in the Atleti area, and Muller headed wide when unmarked at a corner just after half-time as Bayern looked for a decisive response.
Ancelotti introduced Arjen Robben just before the hour mark in a bid to inject some attacking verve, but Neuer was called upon to keep his side in the match when he dived to his left to parry Carrasco’s drive from distance.
Bayern set up camp in Atleti’s half in the closing stages, Lewandowski glancing a header just past Oblak’s right-hand post, before Robben arrowed a low shot narrowly wide, but their attacking efforts remained largely laboured against a home defence brilliantly marshalled by Diego Godin.
Griezmann then squandered the chance to make the last few minutes comfortable, crashing his spot-kick off the woodwork after Arturo Vidal had barged Filipe Luis to ground, but Atleti held firm to extend their run to 26 wins in 31 European games on home turf.
Key Opta stats: – Carrasco is the first player to score from outside the box against Bayern this season (all competitions). – Ancelotti has lost five of his last eight meetings against Atletico in all competitions (W1 D2).
– Atletico have taken three penalties in their last four CL games, failing to score any of them (two by Griezmann, one by Torres). A new look for 2016, this is the Amy Rodriguez soccer jersey will be wearing as they compete for the trophy this summer. Shannon Boxx, Whitney Engen, Christie Rampone, Kelley O'Hara and Becky Sauerbrunn. hope solo shirt Anthony Martial, Eric Bailly, Ander Herrera, Daley Blind, Sam Johnstone, Phil Jones, Marouane Fellaini, Sergio Romero, David de Gea, Memphis Depay, Axel Tuanzebe, Timothy Fosu-Mensah. – Only Sevilla (5) have won more penalties than Atletico (4) in the Champions League since last season.
Atletico Madrid 1 Bayern Munich 0: Carrasco gives Ancelotti first taste of defeat
Atletico Madrid took control of Champions League Group D with a 1-0 victory over Bayern Munich at the Vicente Calderon, as Carlo Ancelotti suffered his first defeat in charge of the club.
Diego Simeone’s side beat the German champions by the same scoreline in the first leg of last season’s semi-final clash in April, and they followed that up with a deserved victory thanks to Yannick Ferreira Carrasco’s pinpoint finish.
Bayern went into the game off the back of eight wins in a row in all competitions, but struggled to find any attacking cohesion despite enjoying the majority of possession.
Indeed, Atletico could have led by more before Carrasco’s 35th-minute strike, with Fernando Torres twice spurning good opportunities and Manuel Neuer saving well to deny the goalscorer again.
Franck Ribery dragged a shot wide from close range and Thomas Muller missed a good chance from a header, but Bayern rarely had goalkeeper Jan Oblak concerned during what proved to be a fourth successive defeat in the competition on Spanish soil.
Antoine Griezmann spurned the chance to make it 2-0 when he blazed an 84th-minute penalty against the crossbar, but Atletico now top the group on six points, three ahead of Bayern, who sit in second place above Rostov and PSV following their 2-2 draw.
Atletico’s defensive masterclass kept Bayern at bay in the last-four clash at the Calderon earlier this year, but Simeone’s side had plenty of early pressure and only a smart block from Javi Martinez – following a loose touch – stopped Torres from opening the scoring from close range.
A new look for 2016, this is the Shannon Boxx soccer jersey will be wearing as they compete for the trophy this summer. Whitney Engen, Kelley O'Hara, Sydney Leroux, Becky Sauerbrunn and Christie Rampone. hope solo soccer kits Antonio Valencia, Chris Smalling, Juan Mata, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Ashley Young, Anthony Martial, Eric Bailly, Ander Herrera, Jesse Lingard, Sam Johnstone, Phil Jones. Oblak made a stunning reaction save to deny Muller on the volley after the Germany forward beat the offside trap, before Neuer sprung low to his left to block Carrasco’s effort from the edge of the area.
Diego Simeone’s side beat the German champions by the same scoreline in the first leg of last season’s semi-final clash in April, and they followed that up with a deserved victory thanks to Yannick Ferreira Carrasco’s pinpoint finish.
Bayern went into the game off the back of eight wins in a row in all competitions, but struggled to find any attacking cohesion despite enjoying the majority of possession.
Indeed, Atletico could have led by more before Carrasco’s 35th-minute strike, with Fernando Torres twice spurning good opportunities and Manuel Neuer saving well to deny the goalscorer again.
Franck Ribery dragged a shot wide from close range and Thomas Muller missed a good chance from a header, but Bayern rarely had goalkeeper Jan Oblak concerned during what proved to be a fourth successive defeat in the competition on Spanish soil.
Antoine Griezmann spurned the chance to make it 2-0 when he blazed an 84th-minute penalty against the crossbar, but Atletico now top the group on six points, three ahead of Bayern, who sit in second place above Rostov and PSV following their 2-2 draw.
Atletico’s defensive masterclass kept Bayern at bay in the last-four clash at the Calderon earlier this year, but Simeone’s side had plenty of early pressure and only a smart block from Javi Martinez – following a loose touch – stopped Torres from opening the scoring from close range.
A new look for 2016, this is the Shannon Boxx soccer jersey will be wearing as they compete for the trophy this summer. Whitney Engen, Kelley O'Hara, Sydney Leroux, Becky Sauerbrunn and Christie Rampone. hope solo soccer kits Antonio Valencia, Chris Smalling, Juan Mata, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Ashley Young, Anthony Martial, Eric Bailly, Ander Herrera, Jesse Lingard, Sam Johnstone, Phil Jones. Oblak made a stunning reaction save to deny Muller on the volley after the Germany forward beat the offside trap, before Neuer sprung low to his left to block Carrasco’s effort from the edge of the area.
Ludogorets 1 Paris Saint-Germain 3: Cavani inspires comeback win
Edinson Cavani put his woes from Paris Saint-Germain’s Champions League opener with Arsenal behind him with a double in a 3-1 win over Ludogorets on Wednesday.
Cavani netted in the opening minute of PSG’s first Group A game this month but became the scapegoat for fluffing a simple finish later in the game as Arsenal equalised late on to claim a point.
And it looked for long periods as if PSG would have to settle for another disappointing result at the Vasil Levski National Stadium, Ludogorets opening the scoring in the 15th minute through full-back Natanael’s free-kick.
Unai Emery’s men offered little in way of a reply in the first half until they levelled shortly before the interval thanks to Blaise Matuidi’s first goal of the season.
PSG were then rewarded for an improved start to the second half, Cavani completing the turnaround 10 minutes after the restart, but survived a major scare when Cosmin Moti’s penalty was saved by Alphonse Areola soon afterwards.
The visitors then ensured their would be no way back for Ludogorets as Lucas Moura set up Cavani for a close-range second goal. Cavani was presented with an excellent chance to break the deadlock in the fifth minute as Ludogorets conceded possession deep inside their own half, however, he only succeeded in lashing the ball well wide of the right-hand post.
PSG struggled to break down the hosts in the early stages, though, and fell behind against the run of play as they were caught on the counter from a corner.
Thiago Motta hacked down Svetoslav Dyakov on the edge of the area, allowing Natanael to curl the free-kick through a hole in the wall and beyond Areola.
The initial response from PSG was meek, though Thiago Silva did waste a golden opportunity to level on the half-hour mark, heading Angel Di Maria’s corner wide from point-blank range. PSG had a huge appeal for a penalty then waved away by referee Pavel Kralovec when Cavani went down after being shoved in the back off the ball by Moti.
But PSG did draw level in the 41st minute as Matuidi latched on to an incisive pass from Marco Verratti and slotted home with a cool left-footed finish. Di Maria curled wide on the turn after the break and then hit a weak finish straight at Vladislav Stoyanov from Cavani’s lay-off following more sloppy play in possession from Ludogorets.
But the Argenintian atoned for those misses as Cavani met his free-kick with a header that proved too powerful for Stoyanov to handle. Ludogorets were handed a lifeline two minutes later when Motta gave away a penalty, bundling over Marcelinho in the area, however, Moti failed from 12 yards as his tame spot-kick was easily saved by Areola.
Cavani immediately punished Moti’s profligacy with his second on the hour mark, converting at the near post from Lucas’ cut-back.
A new look for 2016, this is the Whitney Engen soccer jersey will be wearing as they compete for the trophy this summer. Kelley O'Hara, Becky Sauerbrunn, Hope Solo, Christie Rampone and Sydney Leroux. Where can I buy a hope solo jersey? Marouane Fellaini, Sergio Romero, David de Gea, Marcus Rashford, Axel Tuanzebe, Timothy Fosu-Mensah, Morgan Schneiderlin, Marcos Rojo, Matteo Darmian, Paul Pogba, Wayne Rooney, Zlatan Ibrahimovic. The Uruguayan almost turned provider as PSG pushed for a fourth, but his cross with the outside of the boot was turned wide by Matuidi with the goal at his mercy.
Cavani netted in the opening minute of PSG’s first Group A game this month but became the scapegoat for fluffing a simple finish later in the game as Arsenal equalised late on to claim a point.
And it looked for long periods as if PSG would have to settle for another disappointing result at the Vasil Levski National Stadium, Ludogorets opening the scoring in the 15th minute through full-back Natanael’s free-kick.
Unai Emery’s men offered little in way of a reply in the first half until they levelled shortly before the interval thanks to Blaise Matuidi’s first goal of the season.
PSG were then rewarded for an improved start to the second half, Cavani completing the turnaround 10 minutes after the restart, but survived a major scare when Cosmin Moti’s penalty was saved by Alphonse Areola soon afterwards.
The visitors then ensured their would be no way back for Ludogorets as Lucas Moura set up Cavani for a close-range second goal. Cavani was presented with an excellent chance to break the deadlock in the fifth minute as Ludogorets conceded possession deep inside their own half, however, he only succeeded in lashing the ball well wide of the right-hand post.
PSG struggled to break down the hosts in the early stages, though, and fell behind against the run of play as they were caught on the counter from a corner.
Thiago Motta hacked down Svetoslav Dyakov on the edge of the area, allowing Natanael to curl the free-kick through a hole in the wall and beyond Areola.
The initial response from PSG was meek, though Thiago Silva did waste a golden opportunity to level on the half-hour mark, heading Angel Di Maria’s corner wide from point-blank range. PSG had a huge appeal for a penalty then waved away by referee Pavel Kralovec when Cavani went down after being shoved in the back off the ball by Moti.
But PSG did draw level in the 41st minute as Matuidi latched on to an incisive pass from Marco Verratti and slotted home with a cool left-footed finish. Di Maria curled wide on the turn after the break and then hit a weak finish straight at Vladislav Stoyanov from Cavani’s lay-off following more sloppy play in possession from Ludogorets.
But the Argenintian atoned for those misses as Cavani met his free-kick with a header that proved too powerful for Stoyanov to handle. Ludogorets were handed a lifeline two minutes later when Motta gave away a penalty, bundling over Marcelinho in the area, however, Moti failed from 12 yards as his tame spot-kick was easily saved by Areola.
Cavani immediately punished Moti’s profligacy with his second on the hour mark, converting at the near post from Lucas’ cut-back.
A new look for 2016, this is the Whitney Engen soccer jersey will be wearing as they compete for the trophy this summer. Kelley O'Hara, Becky Sauerbrunn, Hope Solo, Christie Rampone and Sydney Leroux. Where can I buy a hope solo jersey? Marouane Fellaini, Sergio Romero, David de Gea, Marcus Rashford, Axel Tuanzebe, Timothy Fosu-Mensah, Morgan Schneiderlin, Marcos Rojo, Matteo Darmian, Paul Pogba, Wayne Rooney, Zlatan Ibrahimovic. The Uruguayan almost turned provider as PSG pushed for a fourth, but his cross with the outside of the boot was turned wide by Matuidi with the goal at his mercy.
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