Jeck Soccer

Serie A - Juve peg back Inter with late goal

2009-04-18T16:45:00.000-07:00

Ten-man Juventus snatched an unlikely point in a 1-1 draw with Serie A leaders Internazionale thanks to Zdenek Grygera's injury time equaliser in Turin.
Mario Balotelli's 64th minute opener had looked like sending Inter 13 points clear at the top of the table, especially after Juve were reduced to 10 men following the dismissal of Tiago on 76 minutes.
But Grygera pounced in the first minute of time added on to peg back Inter, although the champions remain 10 points ahead and well on course to claim a fourth straight Scudetto.
uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/

Liga: Los Más y los Menos del Athletic-Deportivo

2009-04-18T16:35:00.000-07:00

ATHLETIC
Toquero: Voluntarioso. El delantero fue un incordio para la zaga del Deportivo de la Coruña. Apareció con insistencia en el área gallega y puso a prueba con asiduidad los guantes de Aranzubia, aunque le faltó acierto cara a gol. Calificación: 7
Orbaiz: Buen trabajo. El centrocampista mantuvo unido al Athletic de Bilbao y los altos niveles de adrenalina con los que suele actuar el conjunto de Joaquín Caparrós. Orbaiz se encargó del trabajo sucio para que sus compañeros pudieran atacar en constantes oleadas. Calificación: 7 .goal.com/es

Player Ratings: Getafe 0-1 Barcelona

2009-04-18T15:13:00.000-07:00

Barcelona dominated for most of the match against Getafe and Goal.com rates the players on show in the Spanish capital this evening.
GETAFE
Stojkovic 7.5 - Followed up his superb performance against Sevilla last week with another incredible display against Barcelona this evening and he was the reason that Getafe only lost this game by one goal
Cortes 5.0 - Got beaten by the Barcelona front men on plenty of occasions and very fortunate to not be booked earlier than he was..goal.com/en-us/

Brown not worrying yet

2009-04-18T14:22:00.000-07:00

Phil Brown refused to admit there is a crisis at Hull after they slumped to another defeat against relegation rivals Sunderland.
Djibril Cisse scored the only goal of the game just before half-time, extending Hull's miserable run in the league to one win in .skysports.com

Stoke 1-0 Blackburn

2009-04-18T14:12:00.000-07:00

Stoke took a huge step towards securing their Premier League status as they deservedly overcame Blackburn thanks to Liam Lawrence's second-half goal.
Tony Pulis' side had created the pick of the chances before Lawrence latched on to a header from James Beattie and fired home at the Britannia Stadium. .bbc.co.uk

Portsmouth 1 - 0 Bolton Wanderers

2009-04-18T14:07:00.000-07:00

Portsmouth dramatically grabbed a massive three points in their Premier League survival bid as substitute Kanu got the solitary goal in their clash with Bolton at Fratton Park.
The former Arsenal player got the final touch on fellow substitute Nadir Belhadj's inswinging corner in the 78th minute to secure victory /soccernet.espn.go.com/

Middlesbrough 0 - 0 Fulham

2009-04-18T14:03:00.000-07:00

Former Middlesbrough goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer dealt his old club's survival hopes a major blow with a superb save to deny Tuncay Sanli a priceless winner.
Schwarzer, who made 446 appearances in more than 11 years at the Riverside Stadium, kept out the Turkey international's goalbound 47th-minute header as Fulham denied the relegation-haunted Teessiders a second successive Premier League win.soccernet.espn.go.com/

Diego Tristan steals point for West Ham

2009-04-18T12:32:00.000-07:00

Having had to forsake their claret and blue for all white, they led through Emile Heskey's early goal only for a late equaliser by West Ham's Diego Tristan to extend their run without a Premier League win to eight matches.
Gianfranco Zola, the West Ham manager, hailed the point secured by the 33-year-old Spaniard's opportunism as “well deserved”. .telegraph.co.uk

2009-04-16T14:21:00.000-07:00

Udinese Eliminated By Werder Bremen After Six-Goal Thriller
The Italians dominated the match from the start and grabbed a deserved 3-1 lead at half-time. Werder fought back though and scored twice after the break to make it 3-3 after 90 minutes.
TEAM NEWS
The Italians started the match with three attackers in order to bounce back from last week’s defeat. Udinese’s head coach relied on the attacking triumvirate of Fabio Quagliarella, Alexis Sanchez and Antonio Floro Flores to do the damage up front.goal.com

2009-04-16T14:14:00.000-07:00

Brave City exit Uefa Cup
Manchester City were knocked out of the Uefa Cup after they could only muster a 2-1 win in their quarter-final second leg against Hamburg to lose 4-3 on aggregate.
City's European adventure came to a devastating end at Eastlands just when it looked as though they had their German opponents on the ropes.
After a 3-1 first-leg defeat a week ago Mark Hughes' men knew exactly what they had to do and they began the game in bullish mood..skysports.com

Shakhtar secure Euro progress

2009-04-16T13:59:00.000-07:00

Shakhtar Donetsk eased their way into the last four of the Uefa Cup with a 2-1 win against Marseille.
Holding a 2-0 lead heading into the second leg the Ukrainian outfit never looked like allowing that advantage to slip.
They were forced to soak up some early pressure at Stade Velodrome but went ahead just before the half-hour mark through Fernandinho./www.skysports.com/

2009-04-16T12:00:00.000-07:00

Dynamo Kiev 3 - 0 Paris Saint-Germain
Dynamo Kiev benefited from two goalkeeping gaffes by Mickael Landreau to ease past Paris St Germain 3-0 and qualify for the UEFA Cup semi-finals.
The tie was well-poised after last week's goalless first leg at the Parc des Princes but PSG were no match for Dynamo seven days on - although the French side were not helped by a couple of costly clangers by Landreau.soccernet.espn.go.com

2009-04-15T14:21:00.000-07:00

Arsenal cannot afford to sit back against Villarreal, says Tom Dart
Arsenal need only a scoreless draw to qualify. Is there a danger they will be caught in two minds tonight?
Arsene Wenger will impress on his team the need to attack and not get caught out playing for a 0-0, which is what happened when they played Villarreal three years ago. Arsenal were almost taken to extra time by a last-minute penalty in that game, which fortunately for them was missed. I hope they have learned their lesson.
As we saw last night, no matter what the manager might say beforehand, if a side doesn't need to win, their instinct is to be cautious. That could be very dangerous for Arsenal. With their defensive problems, they are not set up to play for a goalless draw. .timesonline.co.uk

2009-04-15T13:55:00.000-07:00

(CNN) -- Cristiano Ronaldo's sixth-minute strike saw holders Manchester United become the first English team to win in Porto, reaching the semifinals of the Champions League 3-2 on aggregate in the process
The European Player of the Year fired a spectacular 35-yard strike into the top corner as United remained on course to become the first team to retain the Champions League -- and will now face Premier League rivals Arsenal for a place in the final in Rome.

2009-04-15T04:45:00.001-07:00

Barcelona Play Next Is Not Important
The anticipation among the media and supporters about Barcelona's Champions League semi-final meeting with Chelsea maybe high, however, the players are unconcerned by the hype.
Samuel Eto'o and Dani Alves were never concerned about whether Barcelona played Chelsea or Liverpool in the semi-final of the Champions League because they saw either as an obstacle to winning the trophy.
While the Blues won through after a dramatic encounter with the Reds on Tuesday evening, the Blaugrana completed the task of progressing against Bayern Munich in Germany..goal.com/

2009-04-15T04:09:00.000-07:00

Chelsea 4-4 Liverpool (agg: 7-5)
Chelsea survived a huge scare before drawing one of the most entertaining Champions League games of recent times to seal a 7-5 aggregate win over Liverpool and book a semi-final against Barcelona.
Guus Hiddink's team led 3-1 after the first leg at Anfield but Fabio Aurelio's free-kick after an awful misjudgement from Petr Cech and Xabi Alonso's penalty put Liverpool in control at the break. .bbc.co.uk

2009-04-12T14:22:00.000-07:00

Real Madrid bleibt im Titelrennen weiterhin scharfer Verfolger des FC Barcelona. Die „Königlichen“ wurden am Sonntagnachmittag ihrer Favoritenrolle gegen Real Valladolid gerecht und feierten im Bernabeu einen 2:0-Sieg.
(thb) Madrid. Der FC Barcelona hatte am Samstag ein 2:0 gegen Recreativo Huelva vorgelegt (Zum Spielbericht) und auch Real Madrid freute sich am 30. Spieltag der Primera Division über drei Punkte, denn die Ramos-Elf siegte gegen Real Valladolid mit 2:0.
Glanzlose Partie
Die Zuschauer im Bernabeu sahen zwar einen Sieg ihres Teams, aber wahrlich keine Glanzleistung. Die beiden Treffer durch Raul (44.) und Arjen Robben (82.) zählten zu den wenigen Highlights der Partie.
Valladolid machte mit einem genauen Kurpassspiel und vielen Kombinationen auswärts zwar eine gute Figur, unterm Strich hatte Madrid die Partie aber stets in der Hand.
Beeindruckende Erfolgsserie
In den letzten 15 Liga-Partien hat der spanische Rekordmeister kein einziges Mal verloren, eine starke Verfolgungsjagd der „Blancos goal.com

2009-04-12T14:02:00.000-07:00

BERLIN, April 12 (Reuters) - A stoppage-time goal by striker Mario Gomez gave hosts VfB Stuttgart a 1-0 win against Hamburg SV on Sunday and boosted their hopes for a European spot.
The defeat left Hamburg in third place, level on 51 points with second-placed Bayern Munich who beat Eintracht Frankfurt 4-0 on Saturday. Stuttgart moved to within a point of fourth-placed Hertha Berlin who are on 49 points.
The top two teams qualify for the Champions League, the third plays Champions League qualifiers while the fourth and fifth-placed teams qualify for what will next year be known as the Europa League.
VfL Wolfsburg top the standings with 54 points after defeating lowly Borussia Moenchengladbach 2-1 on Saturday. reuters.com/

2009-04-12T13:41:00.000-07:00

Fulham pounce on Robinho-less Manchester City
Mark Hughes defended his decision to rest a weary Robinho as the fatigue factor and Fulham conspired to increase the pressure on the Manchester City manager.
wo second-half goals from Clint Dempsey, either side of Dickson Etuhu’s long-range strike, overturned Stephen Ireland’s first-half goal and consigned City to a fifth defeat in six games.
Robinho’s relegation to the substitutes’ bench and City’s dismal performance prompted chants of displeasure from sections of the home supporters, but with the club’s season now seemingly resting the outcome of Thursday’s Uefa Cup second-leg at home to Hamburg, who City trail 3-1, Hughes insisted that he had no option but to gamble on his team selection against Roy Hodgson’s team.telegraph.co.uk

2009-04-11T16:15:00.000-07:00

ROME, April 11 (Reuters) - Mourning for the victims of Monday's earthquake in the Italian region of Abruzzo did not stop tempers flaring in Serie A's first day since the disaster on Saturday.
Cagliari said one of their players was hit in the tunnel after their 2-1 defeat at Fiorentina, while the derby between AS Roma and Lazio was marred by incidents inside and outside the stadium.
"We have a player, (Diego) Lopez, who is hurt so he must have taken a punch from someone," Cagliari boss Massimiliano Allegri was quoted as saying by the ANSA news agency.
"There was a bit of commotion in the tunnel and it seems like there was an attack."
Three players were sent off in the second half of the Rome derby, which Lazio won 4-2, while Roma coach Luciano Spalletti and Lazio team manager Igli Tare were also red-carded because of a heated exchange at halftime.
Spalletti, who was angry about the opening goal coming from a corner wrongly awarded to Lazio and a turned-down penalty shout, and Tare continued the row on television after the game.
Police used tear gas to separate fans of the rival Roman teams while one supporter suffered minor injuries in a clash after the game, newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport reported on its website (www.gazzetta.it).
There had been calls in the media for Serie A to be on its best behaviour as a mark of respect following the earthquake and the day started positively in this regard.
A minute's silence was observed at the start of the games, with the receipts from some going to disaster funds, the players wore black armbands and there were messages of solidarity at the grounds.
Several footballers and coaches said this week that it would have been better to have postponed this weekend's Serie A programme.
The Serie B matches due to be played on Friday, when a mass state funeral was held on a national day of mourning, were postponed.

2009-04-11T13:33:00.000-07:00

Marassi, lo stadio degli errori tecnici
GENOVA, 11 aprile - Marassi stregato per gli arbitri: a poche settimane di distanza, infatti, si ripete un'ipotesi di errore tecnico da parte del direttore di gara. In Sampdoria-Roma del 15 marzo a sbagliare in maniera plateale fu Rosetti, che dovendo ammonire (tra l'altro per la seconda volta) il blucerchiato Padalino attribuì invece il cartellino giallo a Lucchini, con coda di polemiche ma senza effetti concreti. Questa sera in Genoa-Juventus è stato Gianluca Rocchi a commettere uno sbaglio evidente e facilmente dimostrabile, come evidenziato dall'audio-video di Sky, fischiando qualche istante prima che Thiago Motta portasse in vantaggio i rossoblù (a quel punto il gioco era interrotto, ogni possibilità di concessione di regola del vantaggio era saltata) e concedendo comunque il gol. Il regolamento prevede una sola possibilità di ripetere la gara per errore tecnico dell'arbitro: l'ammissione da parte dello stesso direttore di gara dello sbaglio all'interno del rapporto di gara, il cosiddetto referto. Anche se il reclamo della Juventus entro le 24 ore dalla fine della gara può imporre a Rocchi un supplemento di referto convisione e ascolto della cassetta video del match.

2009-04-11T13:25:00.000-07:00

Super Torino, Catania ko 2-1. Inter bloccata sul 2-2
TORINO, 11 aprile - Un'Inter stanca e soprattutto distratta pareggia 2-2 con il Palermo e sale a +10 sulla Juventus, impegnata questa sera contro il Genoa. In vantaggio di due reti a fine primo tempo (Balotelli e Ibrahimovic), i nerazzurri si fanno rimontare nel finale dai gol di Cavani e Succi. La squadra di Ranieri dovrà assolutamente vincere se vuole mantenere qualche speranza di agganciare i nerazzurri in testa alla classifica.
SUPER TORO - Al suo esordio davanti al pubblico amico, Camolese batte 2-1 il Catania grazie alle reti di Bianchi e Natali. La contemporanea sconfitta del Bologna, battuto 4-1 dal Siena, permette ai granata di salire al quart'ultimo posto.
DERBY ALLA LAZIO - La Roma crolla 4-2 sotto i colpi di Pandev, Zarate, Lichtsteiner e Kolarov. Giallorossi in difficoltà fin dall'inizio, espulsi Panucci, Mexes, Matuzalem, Spalletti e Tare.
MILAN E FIORENTINA OK - Grazie ad un gol di Seedorf in apertura di secondo tempo, il Milan passa a Verona contro il Chievo. Ancelotti espulso. Bene anche la Fiorentina, che supera 2-1 il Cagliari con i gol di Pasqual e Vargas.

2009-04-11T13:01:00.000-07:00

Atalanta
1-2 Fiorentina
FIRENZE, 11 aprile - Lopez aggredito da alcuni giocatori viola. Il "confronto" poco amichevole sarebbe avvenuto subito dopo la fine di Fiorentina-Cagliari, nel tunnel che porta le squadre negli spogliatoi: «C'era una gran confusione - ha detto a Sky l'allenatore dei toscani, Cesare Prandelli - ma non ho visto niente. Non posso parlare di una cosa che non ho visto».
«SIAMO STATI AGGREDITI» - «Sono uscito subito dopo la partita e mentre salivo le scale - la ricostruzione del tecnico dei rossoblù, Allegri - ho sentito un po' di parapiglia. Non so cosa sia successo, ma in ogni caso non è stata una cosa carina. Se i miei giocatori sono stati aggrediti? Credo di sì. Ho un giocatore spaccato (Lopez, ndr), un pugno lo ha preso sicuramente. La sfortuna è che a Firenze, per arrivare negli spogliatoi, ci vogliono dieci minuti»

2009-04-11T12:35:00.000-07:00

Manchester United fans weren't the only ones celebrating Federico Macheda's injury-time winner on Sunday - an Arsenal supporter was jumping for joy too. Ian Harris from Borehamwood won £33,530 on The New Football Pools' Footy 15 game last weekend thanks to Macheda's dramatic winner.
Mr Harris had correctly predicted the results of all 14 games in Footy 15 by kick-off time on Sunday and just needed United to see off Villa to complete the full 15. After Gabriel Agbonlahor headed the visitors ahead midway through the second half, things were looking bleak, but Cristiano Ronaldo's equaliser and Macheda's stunning strike made him over £33,000 richer.

Mr Harris told The New Football Pools: "When the results came through and I realised I had won, I couldn't believe it. I had no idea of the amount so didn't mention it to my wife till it had all been confirmed.

"I can't wait to tell her we have won £33,530, she will be delighted and having a 15-month old baby this will come in very handy. I am a football fan and hold a season ticket for Arsenal.

2009-04-11T12:31:00.000-07:00

Federico Macheda did it again for Manchester United, who continue to be pursued by Liverpool and Chelsea in the race for the Premier League title.
The headline-grabbing Macheda nabbed the winner at Sunderland for United, who had briefly been usurped at the top of the table after Liverpool thrashed Blackburn Rovers at lunchtime.
Chelsea are also still in the hunt, but nearly threw away a four-goal lead at home to Bolton Wanderers, while Arsenal rallied to beat Wigan Athletic.
Alan Shearer gained his first point as Newcastle United manager, but his side remain in the relegation zone after a 1-1 draw at Stoke City.

2009-04-11T12:25:00.000-07:00

Arsene Wenger felt his players were worthy of their win at Wigan but gave credit to Steve Bruce's side after what was an entertaining game at The JJB.
The proverbial contest of two halves saw Arsenal go into the break trailing to Mido's goal, only to come out after the interval and overrun their hosts to claim an impressive 4-1 victory.
Following their UEFA Champions League game in Villarreal in midweek it was perhaps no surprise Arsenal were somewhat sluggish in the first period - with Wenger conceding as much post-match.

2009-04-11T12:17:00.000-07:00

Goals from Michael Ballack, Frank Lampard and a double from Didier Drogba gave Guus Hiddink's reinvigorated side the points at Stamford Bridge.
But they had to survive incredible Bolton fightback in the last 20 minutes, after Andy O'Brien, Chris Basham and Matt Taylor had all scored in an EIGHT minute spell.
And boss Hiddink hopes Bolton’s amazing late fightback will be the wake-up call Blues need as they look to finish off Liverpool in the Champions League on Tuesday night.
He said: "We must not let it happen again. It is normal that the players react to the situation.“It was a typical English game. We were leading 4-0 with 20 minutes to go and waiting for a fifth.
“All of a sudden we got very sloppy and too relaxed and didn’t win any duels defensively.“I am not just talking about the defence but also the midfield and front players.

2009-04-11T12:09:00.000-07:00

Tottenham 1-0 West Ham
Substitute Roman Pavlyuchenko scored the winner as Tottenham overcame West Ham at White Hart Lane.
Darren Bent's close-range off-target header was the closest either side came in a fairly tepid first half.
But Pavlyuchenko replaced Bent early in the second half and had an instant impact when he turned his marker James Collins to fire into the bottom corner.
Robbie Keane went close to a second for Spurs at the death but Collins cleared his goalbound shot off the line.
For two sides with such a hotly-contested rivalry, the first half-hour of the game was remarkably tame, with Tottenham having the upper hand but failing to capitalise on their territorial advantage.
They had a penalty appeal turned down after Keane's volley bounced up and hit James Tomkins but there was no serious threat on either goal until around the half-hour mark when the West Ham defence allowed Huddlestone to advance unchallenged towards the box and

2009-04-11T12:04:00.000-07:00

Stoke's stars have been hitting the net at night to keep alive their dreams of Premier League survival.
Tony Pulis's unfashionable side took a massive step nearer topflight safety by finally recording their first away win of the campaign at bottom club West Brom.
The victory was also memorable for a bizarre goal celebration between scorer Ricardo Fuller and team-mate Liam Lawrence.
Winger Lawrence revealed that their horseplay, which involved him falling to the ground after Fuller pretended to shoot him, mimicked a computer game.
Lawrence says 'Gears Of War 2' has done wonders for team morale as several Potters stars log on to the internet most nights to play against each other online.
Former Sunderland star Lawrence says playing on the computer probably stops the squad going out on the town instead.
And Lawrence believes Premier League survival is now firmly in their sights. "The goal celebration comes from a game on the X-Box," said Lawrence. "It's a war game called 'Gears Of War 2' - and I'm the best

2009-04-11T11:48:00.000-07:00

NEWCASTLE - FIVE years ago this month Alan Shearer scored his 173rd goal for Newcastle United as the Magpies defeated Chelsea 2-1 and edged closer to a fifth-placed finish in the Premier League.
Fast forward to 2009 and a repeat result might just lift the troubled St James' Park club to fifth bottom but the club's all-time leading goalscorer must now rely on others to score the goals which matter.
Long since retired as a player, and with eight league fixtures remaining to save Newcastle's top flight status, the former England captain welcomes Chelsea to Tyneside as a rookie manager looking to guide his hometown team to safety.
It would be a tall order for even the most experienced of coaches. Yet, unlike Saturday's opposite number Guus Hiddink, Shearer has no managerial experience whatsoever.
Whereas Chelsea's celebrated coach has six Dutch league titles and two fourth-place finishes at the World Cup under his belt, Newcastle's fourth manager this season has yet to acquire his Uefa Pro Licence.
It is a contrast not lost on the iconic figure appointed to save United from relegation in the absence of Joe Kinnear, the erstwhile Mgapies' manager forced to take a temporary leave of absence following heart surgery.

2009-04-11T11:33:00.000-07:00

The champions regained their place at the summit of the classification on Sunday after a last-gasp 3-2 win over Aston Villa at Old Trafford. They leapfrogged rivals Liverpool who held the top place temporarily after beating Fulham with another last-minute goal the day before.
At the end of the match against Villa, manager Alex Ferguson reserved special words for Italian teenage striker Federico Mac-heda, who scored the winning goal in stoppage time.
Macheda also described the occasion as the 'best day of his life'.
Ferguson admitted that he liked to gamble on situations when the team is in arrears and his introduction of Macheda, with United 1-2 down, paid off.
Yet, in the Champions League quarter-final first leg at home to Porto on Tuesday, the Red Devils only managed to share the spoils in a 2-2 draw.

2009-04-11T11:30:00.000-07:00

Federico Macheda saves the day for Manchester United again
Federico Macheda was not even born when Ferguson won his first piece of silverware at Old Trafford but for the second week running his latest fledgling secured late victory, returning the champions back to the top of the league.
It might not have had the technical excellence of his spectacular winning goal against Aston Villa last week but with only his second touch the 17-year-old Italian striker instinctively cushioned Michael Carrick’s mis-hit shot beyond Craig Gordon, to send the away fans into rapture. Macheda is now averaging a goal every 22 minutes.

Barcelona v Bayern Munich

2009-04-06T17:03:00.000-07:00

Barcelona pair Lionel Messi and Daniel Alves were restricted to substitute appearances at the weekend in order to rest for the tie against Bayern Munich.
Veteran defender Carles Puyol made his comeback from injury against Valladolid on Saturday and should start for Barca.
Bayern defender Lucio is likely to miss the first leg with a groin strain, while Miroslav Klose (ankle) is out.
Defender Martin Demichelis is fit and available, while French midfielder Franck Ribery should also feature.

Fernando Torres looking to surpass Didier Drogba as world's top striker

2009-04-06T16:58:00.000-07:00

Fernando Torres can sate an appetite for silverware whetted with Spain last summer, according to his Liverpool colleague Pepe Reina, who believes the young pretender is ready to show that he is heir to Didier Drogba’s crown as the world’s best striker.
Torres spoke on Monday of vowing to himself that Spain's European Championship triumph in Austria and Switzerland would be the beginning of a glut of trophies at club and international level.

Champions League Preview: Manchester United - Porto

2009-04-06T16:27:00.000-07:00

The reigning Champions League title holders will welcome Porto to Old Trafford on Tuesday evening in what should be an intense encounter...
Federico Macheda’s glorious debut goal heralds a bright future, but Manchester United take to the pitch on Tuesday night determined to settle a score from the past.
The memories of the last minute equaliser that sent the Red Devils tumbling out of the Champions League in 2004 still burns brightly in the minds of everyone associated with the side.
As Jose Mourinho sped down the Old Trafford touchline in tumultuous celebration, so went with him the dreams of European success for the Reds

Almunia: Arsenal Are Ready To Thrive Against Villarreal

2009-04-06T16:21:00.000-07:00

Since Arsenal's last Champion's League outing against Villarreal in 2006, Spanish 'keeper Manuel Almunia has come a long way for his club, replacing Jens Lehmann, between the sticks.
Almunia recently attended a press conference and gave his thoughts on the previous visit to El Madrigal.
"It's a good memory and we'd like to do it again," he said.
"It can be an inspiration to us that we came here to El Madrigal and imposed ourselves the last time and that sent us into the final."

Debutant Federico Macheda gives Manchester United stunning last-gasp victory

2009-04-05T10:32:00.000-07:00

Federico Macheda, an unknown 17-year-old Italian making his debut, hauled Manchester United back to the top of the Barclays Premier League table with a magnificent individual goal three minutes into stoppage time on an afternoon of high drama at Old Trafford.
The teenager, on as a second-half substitute, collected the ball on the edge of the Aston Villa penalty area before turning his man and curling a wonderful shot beyond Brad Friedel into the corner to cap a memorable United fightback.

Everton close in on European qualification after brushing Wigan aside

2009-04-05T10:26:00.000-07:00

The FA Cup offers Everton the most glamorous route back into Europe this season but they are evidently not distracted by an impending Wembley date with Manchester United. David Moyes' side recorded their seventh successive victory at Goodison Park this afternoon, their first such run since winning the FA Cup in 1995, and at a canter over Wigan Athletic to put themselves in sight of European qualification through the Premier League.

Juventus Striker David Trezeguet's Agent Tries To Cool Transfer Talk

2009-04-05T10:20:00.001-07:00

David Trezeguet's agent has tried to play down all the transfer rumours surrounding his client after he sparked off speculation that the player could be leaving Turin in the summer.
Antonio Caliendo, who is the Juventus striker's representative, claimed that both Chelsea and Barcelona are keen on the Juventus striker, and warned that Trezeguet could consider heading out of Vinovo.
Speculation around Europe has been rife, with conflicting reports in Italy, Spain, France and England. Caliendo has now tried to cool off the talk, perhaps in an attempt not to distract Trezeguet from his day-to-day work with the Bianconeri.

Italian Serie A Roundup, Apr. 5

2009-04-05T10:03:00.000-07:00

MILAN (AP) - Chievo Verona striker Sergio Pellissier scored an equalizer in the 90th minute to complete a hat trick and earn his side a 3-3 draw with Juventus in Serie A on Sunday.
The result was a major setback for second-place Juventus as it gave league leader Inter Milan the chance to stretch its lead to nine points in its late match with Udinese.
Inter has 69 points, Juventus has 63 and AC Milan is third with 55 before its game later on Sunday against Lecce.
Pellissier scored twice in the first half, putting Chievo 1-0 up and then giving his side a 2-1 lead after Giorgio Chiellini had pulled a goal back for Juventus, which levelled soon after the break with an own goal by Mario Yepes.
Vincenzo Iaquinta headed Juventus in front in the 79th minute, only for victory to be snatched from his side's grasp by Pellissier's equalizer in the last minute.

Napoli Coach Donadoni Satisfied With Draw Against Sampdoria

2009-04-05T09:54:00.000-07:00

Napoli Coach Donadoni Satisfied With Draw Against Sampdoria
Napoli collected their third consecutive draw since Roberto Donadoni took over, fighting back to earn a 2-2 draw at the Marassi against Sampdoria.
"I am satisfied with what the lads have done. It was not easy because we are dealing with so many absences," the Partenopei boss told Corriere dello Sport from the sidelines.

Sound Siena Step Closer To Safety

2009-04-05T09:47:00.000-07:00

Siena ran-out comfortable 2-0 winners against a lethargic Lazio side short of ideas at the Franchi
Pre-Match
Both sides were desperate to record a victory after enduring difficult times in recent weeks. Siena were looking to increase their seven point gap on the drop zone. Lazio were looking to bounce back from two consecutive defeats and prepare for their looming derby in the best possible fashion.
First Half
It was the away side who threatened first as a powerful corner by Ledesma was headed goal-bound by a towering Cribari from six yards. Fortunately for Siena a reactive Vergassola headed clear on the line, to deny the visitors an early goal.

Reggina 0-1 Genoa CFC

2009-04-05T09:39:00.000-07:00

Surprise package Genoa remain the pacesetters in the race for fourth spot after a narrow win at rock-bottom Reggina.
Substitute Thiago Motta scored the only goal of the game in the second half to give Genoa a vital victory which leaves them two points above Fiorentina with eight games left to play.
Reggina look even deeper in trouble as, without a win in the past 17 matches, they are four points adrift at the bottom of the Serie A standings.

WEIGHT OFF CAGLIARI'S SHOULDERS

2009-04-05T09:29:00.000-07:00

Cagliari boss Massimiliano Allegri believes his in-form team can now play with "no pressure" after securing their Serie A status.
The Rossoblu host Catania on Sunday sitting very comfortably in seventh place on 42 points.
Their 1-0 win at Bologna last time out assured the Isolani a spot in the top flight next season with nine games remaining, something which has taken everyone by surprise, including Allegri.
"We are very happy with the work we have done so far," he said. "Especially when looking back at our opening five defeats of the campaign.
"We didn't anticipate that at this stage of the campaign we would already have defended our top-flight status."

Player Ratings: Roma 2-1 Bologna

2009-04-05T09:24:00.000-07:00

Two penalties from Francesco Totti helped the Giallorossi defeat a battling Bologna team 2-1. Goal.com rates the participants...

Atalanta 1-2 Fiorentina

2009-04-05T09:12:00.000-07:00

Fiorentina moved above Genoa into fourth place in the Italian Serie A thanks to a last-gasp win over 10-man Atalanta.
Gianvito Plasmati put the home side ahead four minutes into the second half after a tame opening 45 minutes, but Stevan Jovetic equalised from the penalty spot after Federico Peluso was sent off for a foul on Alberto Gilardino.
Fiorentina pushed for a winner, but they had to wait until 30 seconds from time before Gilardino struck to earn Cesare Prandelli's side a crucial three points in the race for a place in the Champions League next season.

Benayoun Takes Liverpool Top

2009-04-04T12:59:00.000-07:00

Yossi Benayoun struck a dramatic late winner at Fulham to knock Manchester United off the top of the Premier League table and keep Liverpool's title challenge on track.
The Reds had endured a frustrating afternoon against a determined home side and looked set to miss out on all three points, until Benayoun fired home from close range to add yet another twist to the title race.
Liverpool are now two points clear of United and although they have played two games more, Rafa Benitez will believe his men can end their 19-year wait for a league title.
4thegame.co

Arsenal 2 Man City 0

2009-04-04T10:51:00.000-07:00

.google.com
LONDON (AFP) — Cesc Fabregas made a dream return for Arsenal by setting up Emmanuel Adebayor's double in Saturday's 2-0 win over Manchester City at the Emirates Stadium.
Spanish midfielder Fabregas has missed the last three months with a knee injury but he showed no signs of rustiness by laying on both Adebayor's goals as the Togo striker confirmed his own return to fitness.
With England winger Theo Walcott also impressing on his return to action, Arsenal look in ominous form as the season approaches its decisive final weeks.
This victory tightened the club's grip on fourth place in the Premier League and the scouts from Villarreal - Arsenal's opponents in the Champions League quarter-finals on Tuesday - will have departed for Spain sporting furrowed brows

West Ham 2 Sunderland 0

2009-04-04T10:46:00.000-07:00

thesun.co.uk
JUNIOR STANISLAS and James Tomkins scored their first goals for West Ham to leave Sunderland fourth bottom.
The academy products are clearly ones to watch, after giving Gianfranco Zola's men their eighth home win of the season with strikes either side of half time.
And for the Black Cats, their third defeat in a row leaves them just three points clear of arch-rivals Newcastle in the drop zone.

West Brom 0-2 Stoke

2009-04-04T10:41:00.000-07:00

bbc.co.uk

Stoke won away for the first time in the Premier League to boost their survival chances but severely dent the hopes of rock-bottom West Brom.
Ricardo Fuller capitalised on an error from Shelton Martis and a poor attempt at a save from Scott Carson to give Stoke an early lead from 20 yards.
Carson superbly denied Glenn Whelan, but after the break could not stop James Beattie's left-foot strike.

Newcastle 0-2 Chelsea

2009-04-04T10:38:00.000-07:00

sportbox.tv
Alan Shearer's return to St James' Park as manager couldn't prevent Newcastle United from slipping to another crushing defeat, 2-0 at the hands of Chelsea.
The Blues ran out comfortable 2-0 winners thanks to second-half goals from Frank Lampard and Florent Malouda, with the result keeping alive their Premier League title challenge.
Guus Hiddink's side are just a point behind leaders Manchester United, though Sir Alex Ferguson's men, who face Aston Villa at home tomorrow, have two games in hand.
The game, however, was not without controversy, with United captain Michael Owen having what TV replays showed to be a perfectly good goal ruled out late in the game.

Hull 0-0 Portsmouth

2009-04-04T10:30:00.000-07:00

news.bbc.co.uk
Hull City's poor league form at the KC Stadium continued as they failed to overcome 10-man Portsmouth.
Hull have only won three times at home this season and they were lucky to end the game with a point after Hermann Hreidarsson header hit the post.
The visitors also wasted a great chance to take a first-half lead when Younes Kaboul headed over from close range.
Pompey's Glen Johnson was sent off after the break for a second booking but Hull were unable to capitalise. /news.bbc.co.uk

Four-star Bolton leave Boro on brink

2009-04-04T10:24:00.000-07:00

BOLTON, England (AFP) — Bolton pushed Middlesbrough closer to the brink of relegation with a convincing 4-1 win at the Reebok Stadium on Saturday.
Boro briefly looked as if they might take something from the match after Gary O'Neil cancelled out Kevin Davies's early strike for the Trotters.
But Gary Cahill fired home a match-turning strike just before half-time and Bolton went on to win at a canter with Matt Taylor and Ricardo Gardner finding the net after the break.
It was Boro's ninth straight away defeat and there was little on show from Gareth Southgate's side to suggest they are capable of making up the five points that separates them from Sunderland, the side currently occupying the last survival spot.
.google.com

Palacios sees red as Spurs crash to defeat

2009-04-04T06:46:00.000-07:00

Published Date: 04 April 2009
Northampton referee Pete Walton was at the centre of controversy as Blackburn Rovers hit back from 1-0 down to beat 10-man Tottenham with two late goals.
First Walton, who is set to be awarded another year's extension to his Premier League career after proving his fitness despite passing the retirement age for referees, prompted fierce protests from Rovers over the kick after half-an-hour.

2009-04-04T06:42:00.001-07:00

Blackburn
McCarthy 82, Ooijer 89 2-1 Tottenham
Keane 30(p)

Liga - 2008/2009

2009-04-03T01:55:00.001-07:00

April 2009

Bundesliga - 2008/2009

2009-04-02T02:31:00.000-07:00

April 2009

Fixtures & Results

2009-04-02T02:29:00.000-07:00

April 2009

Ligue 1 - 2008/2009

2009-04-02T02:28:00.001-07:00

April 2009

Premier League - 2008/2009

2009-04-02T02:25:00.000-07:00

April 2009

Serie A - 2008/2009

2009-04-02T02:19:00.001-07:00

April 2009

Scotland 2 - 1 Iceland

2009-04-01T15:25:00.000-07:00

Thank-you Steven Fletcher.
Thank-goodness that someone can lead us to a win over what must be called minnows, Iceland.
Alan Hutton, who played superbly, provided the cross for Ross McCormack to finish superbly, opening the scoring. Motherwell fans will remember fondly their days with the current Cardiff player, but it was the whole of Scotland who love him now.
Indridi Sigurdsson equalised after a speculative drive was rebounded to him. At this point, Burley, and the whole of Scotland, were left disappointed with their nation once again. We were allowed to lose to Holland, losing to Iceland is nothing more than a joke.

England 2-1 Ukraine

2009-04-01T15:23:00.000-07:00

LONDON COLNEY, England, March 31 (Reuters) - England manager Fabio Capello and defender Rio Ferdinand praised Wayne Rooney on Tuesday after the 23-year-old striker was named England's 2008 Player of the Year in a fans' poll.
Rooney will become the youngest England player to reach 50 caps if he plays as expected against Ukraine in Wednesday's World Cup Group Six qualifier at Wembley and is enjoying a rich spell of form with seven goals in his last four internationals.
"Rooney is one of the best players in the world," Capello told reporters at England's training base north of London.

France 1-0 Lithuania: Ribery secures copycat win

2009-04-01T15:20:00.000-07:00

Franck Ribery was France's hero for the second time in five days against Lithuania, his second-half winner in Paris lifting Les Bleus into second place in World Cup qualifying Group Seven.
The Bayern Munich wideman was France's goalscorer in their 1-0 victory in Kaunas on Saturday and he came to their rescue again here, tapping home in the 75th minute just when it seemed the Lithuanians were going to hold out for a draw.

Italy 1-1 Republic of Ireland - Matchtracker

2009-04-01T15:17:00.000-07:00

The battle of Bari has finished in a 1-1 draw as Robbie Keane's 87th minute equaliser keeps Ireland in with a great chance of winning Group Eight and qualifying for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

CLICK HERE FOR PICTURE GALLERY

93.00 FULL TIME It's all over in Bari and Ireland have grafted a well-earned point to stay in touch at the top of the table.

Bosnia beats Belgium 2-1 in World Cup qualifier

2009-04-01T15:14:00.000-07:00

ZENICA, Bosnia-Herzegovina (AP) — Edin Dzeko scored twice to lead Bosnia-Herzegovina to a 2-1 win over Belgium and stay second in Group 5 of World Cup qualifying on Wednesday.
Dzeko was left unmarked on a cross to head home in the 12th minute, and the striker made it 2-0 on a counterattack in the 15th.
Belgium, which lost 4-2 at home to Bosnia-Herzegovina last week, rarely threatened and grew increasingly frustrated, resulting in the dismissal of midfielder Axel Witsel in the 60th for a high challenge on Senijad Ibricic.
Gill Swerts scored with a volley in the 88th for Belgium's consolation goal.
Dzeko scored against the Belgians on Saturday, too, almost eliminating the chances of Belgium qualifying for the tournament in South Africa. Coach Rene Vandereycken is widely expected to be fired Thursday.

Wales 0-2 Germany: Own goal seals points

2009-04-01T15:09:00.000-07:00

Germany took another ominous step towards South Africa 2010 but at least Wales' youngsters were not humiliated.
Wales boss John Toshack can at least be thankful for that small mercy after the soul-searching which followed Saturday's embarrassing home defeat to Finland.
But the points in World Cup Group Four were always heading to a Germany side which was never stretched.

Northern Ireland kept their World Cup dreams alive with a 1-0 win over Slovenia at Windsor Park thanks to a Warren Feeney header. The Dundee United s

2009-04-01T15:05:00.000-07:00

Northern Ireland kept their World Cup dreams alive with a 1-0 win over Slovenia at Windsor Park thanks to a Warren Feeney header.
The Dundee United striker got on the end of a Sammy Clingan cross at the near post and flicked his header into the far corner after 73 minutes.

Kuyt Brace Helps Holland Easy To Victory Against Macedonia

2009-04-01T15:03:00.000-07:00

Holland had an easy evening against Macedonia and recorded a solid 4-0 win to make it 15 points from five matches in Group 9.
TEAM NEWS
Holland coach Bert van Marwijk missed the injured Robin van Persie and replaced him with Real Madrid playmaker Wesley Sneijder. The other ten players were all part of the starting XI in Saturday’s 3-0 win against Scotland.

Macedonia were without their first choice goalie Petar Milosevski due to injury. Therefore, Srecko Katanec opted to field Vardar Skopje shot stopper Tome Pacovski.

Group Seven round-up

2009-04-01T14:58:00.000-07:00

France moved up to second in Group Seven after edging past Lithuania as Austria battled back to beat Romania.
Franck Ribery was once more the hero for France as he scored the only goal of the game in a 1-0 win over Lithuania at Stade de France.
Bayern Munich playmaker Ribery was the match-winner in Lithuania when the two countries met at the weekend.

Poland 10-0 San Marino: Four for Smolarek

2009-04-01T14:51:00.000-07:00

Ebi Smolarek hit four goals to inspire Poland to a 10-0 drubbing of San Marino in a one-sided World Cup qualifier on Wednesday.
Poland, beaten 3-2 in Northern Ireland on Saturday, cruised into a 4-0 halftime lead against Group Three bottom team San Marino thanks to two goals from Rafal Boguski, one by Smolarek and another from Robert Lewandowski.

Switzerland beats Moldova 2-0 in WCup qualifier

2009-04-01T14:49:00.000-07:00

GENEVA — Switzerland won its fourth straight World Cup qualifying match Wednesday, beating Moldova 2-0.
Blaise Nkufo scored in the first half and Alexander Frei added another early in the second. The Swiss beat Moldova by the same score in Chisinau on Saturday.
"I said at halftime that we must go back out and play with the same tempo to look for another goal," Switzerland coach Ottmar Hitzfeld said. "I'm very pleased with the two strikers. They are playing in perfect harmony."
Switzerland has 13 points from six matches in Group 2 and has recovered its poise since a 2-1 loss to Luxembourg at home last September.
The Swiss started the match positively at the Stade de Geneve and looked to exploit Moldova's defensive weakness in the air.

Greece 2-1 Israel: Samaras the saviour

2009-04-01T14:43:00.000-07:00

Greece maintained their status as the leading team in World Cup Qualifying Group Two with a determined victory over Israel at the Pagkritio stadium in Crete.
Dimitris Salpigidis' blistering first-half strike put Otto Rehhagel's side ahead before a defensive lapse allowed Elyaniv Barda to level for the Israelis just before the hour mark.
But Celtic striker Georgios Samaras came off the bench to net a match-winning penalty after Vasilis Torosidis had been fouled by Baram Kayal to clinch all three points and end a successful four days for the Greeks, who previously held the Israelis to a 1-1 draw in Tel Aviv on Saturday.

Denmark beats Albania 3-0 in World Cup qualifier

2009-04-01T14:41:00.000-07:00

COPENHAGEN (AP) — Denmark beat Albania 3-0 to stay at the top of Group 1 in World Cup qualifying on Wednesday.
Leon Andreasen scored with a shot from outside the box in the 30th minute, Soren Larsen added a second in the 37th after a pass from Dennis Rommedahl, and Christian Poulsen beat goalkeeper Isli Hidi in the 80th.
"We played a good game," Denmark coach Morten Olsen said. The win "gives a certain comfort but it must not be a pillow."
Denmark, which has scored three goals in four straight World Cup qualifiers, and Hungary have 13 points each in the group.

Player Ratings: Turkey 1-2 Spain

2009-04-01T14:05:00.000-07:00

Spain grabbed all three points with a dramatic injury time winner from Albert Riera in Istanbul. Goal.com watched the game and gave each player a mark out of ten.

2009-04-01T13:56:00.000-07:00

01/04 Grp 5 Turkey 1-2 Spain
01/04 Grp 1 Denmark 3-0 Albania
01/04 Grp 2 Greece 2-1 Israel
01/04 Grp 2 Switzerland 2-0
01/04 Grp 3 Czech Republic 1-2 Slovakia
01/04 Grp 3 Poland 10-0 San Marino
01/04 Grp 7 Austria 2-1 Romania
01/04 Grp 6 Andorra 0-2 Croatia
01/04 Grp 9 Netherlands 4-0 F.Y.R. Macedonia
01/04 Grp 3 Northern Ireland 1-0 Slovenia
01/04 Grp 4 Wales 0-2 Germany
01/04 Grp 5 Bosnia-Herzegovina 2-1 Belgium
01/04 Grp 8 Italy 1-1 Republic of Ireland
01/04 Grp 7 France 1-0 Lithuania
01/04 Grp 6 England 2-1 Ukraine
01/04 Grp 9 Scotland 2-1 Iceland

Georgia, Montenegro draw 0-0 in WCup qualifier

2009-04-01T13:09:00.000-07:00

TBILISI, Georgia (AP) — Georgia and Montenegro played to a 0-0 draw Wednesday in a World Cup qualifying match.
Neither team came close to scoring at the 40,000-seat Boris Paichadze stadium.
Only 2,000 Georgians came to see the Group 8 game, with most fans boycotting the national team for poor performances in World Cup qualifying.
Both Georgia and Montenegro have three points at the bottom of the group standings. Georgia has played seven matches and Montenegro five.
Georgia next hosts Italy in September, while Montenegro will be at Cyprus on June 6.

Hungary beats Malta 3-0 in World Cup qualifying

2009-04-01T13:06:00.000-07:00

BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Tamas Hajnal scored an early goal in front of a rare home sellout Wednesday to start up Hungary on its way to a 3-0 victory over Malta in a World Cup qualifying match.
Hajnal curled a free kick into the top right corner behind Malta goalkeeper Justin Haber in the sixth minute. Hungary was awarded the free kick after Peter Halmosi was fouled hard near the penalty area.
Zoltan Gera and Roland Juhasz also scored for the Hungarians, who now have 13 points from six matches and leads Group 1.
Hungary, urged on by 35,000 fans at the Ferenc Puskas Stadium, dominated the first half but failed to increase their lead.

2009-04-01T13:02:00.001-07:00

01/04 Grp 1 Hungary 3-0 Malta
01/04 Grp 8 Georgia 0-0 Montenegro
01/04 Grp 4 Liechtenstein 0-1 Russia

Kazakhstan 1-5 Belarus

2009-04-01T11:32:00.000-07:00

ALMATY, April 1 (Reuters) - Belarus crushed Kazakhstan 5-1 in their World Cup Group Six qualifier on Wednesday to retain a slim chance of reaching the playoffs.
Kazakhstan's Renat Abdulin scored his teams's only goal with the opening score in the 10th minute from a Ruslan Baltiyev's free kick. Otherwise Belarus were more aggressive in the first half but wasted several chances to score.
Three minutes into the second half, Aleksandr Hleb evened the score after a one on one with the goalkeeper.
Belarus then scored three times within the next 15 minutes with a goal by Ihar Stasevich and two to Timofei Kalachev. Vitali Rodionov scored the final goal in the 88th minute.

Bulgaria 2 - 0 Cyprus

2009-04-01T11:30:00.000-07:00

SOFIA, April 1 (Reuters) - Bulgaria beat Cyprus 2-0 on Wednesday to end their four-match winless run in World Cup qualifying Group Eight.
Striker Ivelin Popov fired the opening goal after eight minutes when his header from Dimitar Rangelov's left-wing cross gave Cyprus keeper Antonis Giorgallidi no chance.

Latvia beats Luxembourg 2-0 in World Cup qualifier

2009-04-01T11:26:00.000-07:00

RIGA, Latvia (AP) — Jurijs Zigajevs and Maris Verpakovskis scored a goal each Wednesday to help Latvia beat Luxembourg 2-0 in a World Cup qualifying match.
Verpakovskis took advantage of a defensive mistake in the 45th minute and found Zigajevs open in front of the net. Zigajevs quickly connected and beat Luxembourg goalkeeper Joubert Jonathan.
Verpakovskis was credited with the second goal in the 75th after a corner kick found its way through a crowd of players jostling for position in front of the Luxembourg net.
A replay, however, appeared to show that Verpakovskis did not touch the ball.
Latvia's second victory over Luxembourg in a week gave the team six points to keep it close to Group 2 leaders Greece and Switzerland.

2009-04-01T10:51:00.000-07:00

01/04 Grp 6 Kazakhstan 1-5 Belarus
01/04 Grp 5 Estonia 1-0 Armenia More
01/04 Grp 8 Bulgaria 2-0 Cyprus
01/04 Grp 2 Latvia 2-0 Luxembourg

Italy Must Win Against Ireland - Marcello Lippi

2009-03-31T05:05:00.000-07:00

Italy coach Marcello Lippi has asked for great determination against the Republic of Ireland, but he has warned his side to be wary of Giovanni Trapattoni's cunning plans to thwart and outmanouevre them.
La Nazionale head into tomorrow's World Cup qualifier with the chance to stabilise their place at the top of Group 8. Although Italy will fancy their chances, Lippi is being rightly cautious. The coach is expecting Trapattoni to have come up with a scheme which is likely to hinder his side. Nevertheless, Lippi is asking for hunger, determination, and belief as he deploys a master plan to take down the Irish side

Fotbalista Roku 2008 Results

2009-03-29T23:59:00.000-07:00

At an award ceremony in Prague last week, Petr Cech was named the Czech “Fotbalista roku” (”Footballer of the Year”) for the second time, despite his error in the Turkey game at Euro 2008.

The winner is chosen by an Oscar-style football academy, composed of coaches, team captains, national team players with at least 25 caps, previous winners, media representatives, and CMFS (Czech football association) officials.

Cyprus beats Georgia 2-1 in WCup qualifier

2009-03-28T20:53:00.000-07:00

LARNACA, Cyprus (AP) — Cyprus climbed out of last place in its World Cup qualifying group Saturday with a 2-1 win over Georgia.
Michael Costantinou gave Cyprus the lead in the 33rd minute after picking up a through ball from midfielder Chrysostomos Michail and fending off a defender to slot the ball past diving goalkeeper Giorgi Lomaia.
Dimitris Christofi made it 2-0 in the 56th when he redirected a shot by Marinos Satsias from the top of the box, lobbing the ball over Lomaia and into the top right corner of net.
Georgia pulled a goal back in the 71st when captain Levan Kobiasvili converted a penalty.
Both teams got off to a nervous start with few scoring chances for either side in the first half.

Rep of Ireland 1-1 Bulgaria

2009-03-28T20:36:00.000-07:00

rte.ie
Full-time Boos greet the final whistle as a disjointed and disappointing Ireland are held despite taking a first-minute lead. Having said that, Trap's boys remain seven points clear of Bulgaria in second spot, two points behind leaders and group favourites Italy. This display once again highlights the lack of quality, especially in key midfield areas, and the absolutely critical need to encourage Stephen Ireland's return and for Trap to end his feud with Andy Reid. Our place in South Africa could depend on it!

Armenia draws 2-2 with Estonia in qualifier

2009-03-28T20:33:00.000-07:00

iht.com
YEREVAN, Armenia: Armenia substitute Artur Yedigaryan scored a late equalizer Saturday to give his team a 2-2 draw with Estonia in a World Cup qualifier.
Yedigaryan came on for Levon Pachajyan in the 84th minute and headed in Gevorg Ghazaryan's cross four minutes later.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan gave Armenia the lead in the 31st minute, but Konstantin Vassiljev leveled five minutes later from a narrow angle off Martin Vunk's pass from the right at Republican Stadium.
Estonia substitute Sergei Zenjov, who came on in the 63rd, beat goalkeeper Roman Berezovski one-on-one five minutes later to make it 2-1

Luxembourg 0 - 4 Latvia

2009-03-28T20:27:00.000-07:00

espn.go.com
Latvia overwhelmed Luxembourg at the Stade Josy Barthel to keep alive their hopes of qualifying for the World Cup.
The visitors led at half-time of the Group Two game through Girts Karlsons and doubled their lead two minutes after the restart courtesy of Aleksandrs Cauna's strike.
Aleksejs Visnakovs and Andrejs Pereplotkins gave the scoreline a more one-sided look with goals in the 71st and 86th minutes.
Luxembourg goalkeeper Jonathan Joubert had to save his team as early as the fourth minute, parrying the ball out for a corner from Jurijs Zigajevs' free-kick

Wales 0-2 Finland: Kuqi solo goal finishes it

2009-03-28T20:18:00.000-07:00

soccernet.espn.go.com
John Toshack's Wales youngsters were left shattered by a home loss to Finland at the Millennium Stadium that leaves their World Cup dreams in tatters.
This was the day when the bright, new generation of Welsh kids was taught a lesson by the 30-somethings of Finland, who in the end comfortably won this Group Four qualifier.
Old hands like Sami Hyypia and Jari Litmanen dominated the game. Litmanen created the first Finnish goal for another near veteran, former Charlton forward Jonatan Johansson, three minutes from the break.

International Round-up: Pavlyuchenko paves the way for Russia

2009-03-28T19:56:00.000-07:00

independent.co.u
Roman Pavlyuchenko, who is struggling to establish himself as a regular in Tottenham's starting line-up, scored one goal and laid on the other as Russia strengthened their challenge for a place in the World Cup finals with a 2-0 victory over Azerbaijan in Moscow.
Arsenal's Andrei Arshavin was influential in giving Russia control of the Group Four match, but they could not find a way past the Azeri defence until Pavlyuchenko bam-boozled the goalkeeper, Farhad Veliyev, with a free-kick from 25 yards in the 32nd minute. The Spurs striker then threaded a pass through for Konstantin Zyryanov to add the second from close range in the 71st minute and wrap up an unconvincing victor

2009-03-28T18:58:00.001-07:00

28/03 Grp 4 Russia 2-0 Azerbaijan More
28/03 Grp 4 Wales 0-2 Finland More
28/03 Grp 2 Luxembourg 0-4 Latvia More
28/03 Grp 5 Armenia 2-2 Estonia More
28/03 Grp 2 Moldova 0-2 Switzerland More
28/03 Grp 3 Northern Ireland 3-2 Poland More
28/03 Grp 8 Cyprus 2-1 Georgia More
28/03 Grp 7 Romania 2-3 Serbia More
28/03 Grp 1 Malta 0-3 Denmark More
28/03 Grp 2 Israel 1-1 Greece More
28/03 Grp 1 Albania 0-1 Hungary More
28/03 Grp 7 Lithuania 0-1 France More
28/03 Grp 3 Slovenia 0-0 Czech Republic More
28/03 Grp 8 Republic of Ireland 1-1 Bulgaria More
28/03 Grp 4 Germany 4-0 Liechtenstein More
28/03 Grp 5 Belgium 2-4 Bosnia-Herzegovina More
28/03 Grp 8 Montenegro 0-2 Italy More
28/03 Grp 9 Netherlands 3-0 Scotland More
28/03 Grp 1 Portugal 0-0 Sweden More
28/03 Grp 5 Spain 1-0 Turkey More

Artur Boruc gaffe boosts Northern Irish hopes

2009-03-28T18:49:00.000-07:00

timesonline.co.uk
Northern Ireland 3 Poland 2
ARTUR BORUC, the Celtic goalkeeper, made a howler in the Poland goal to gift Northern Ireland a third goal and cement a victory which elevated Nigel Worthington’s men to the summit of Group 3, but it was Manchester United’s Jonny Evans who was the hero of the hour.
Evans scored Northern Ireland’s second goal and was magnificent at the back for the home side after Warren Feeney scored in the first half. Boruc’s botched clearance, however, will haunt him forever.
The home side made a positive start and a quick counterattack along the left flank might have yielded an early goal. West Brom midfielder Chris Brunt played the ball over the top of the Polish defence and Marcil Wasilewski and Michal Zewlakow were caught flatfooted by Feeney’s perfect run. Feeney took aim but pulled his shot across the goal and wide.

UPDATE 1-Soccer-Robben inspires Dutch to 3-0 win over Scotland

2009-03-28T17:40:00.000-07:00

AMSTERDAM, March 28 (Reuters) - Headed goals from Klaas Jan Huntelaar and Robin van Persie in the first half set Netherlands on their way to a comfortable 3-0 win over Scotland in their World Cup Group Nine qualifier on Saturday.
The Dutch made a hesitant start against the injury-depleted Scots but, inspired by winger Arjen Robben, opened the scoring through Huntelaar who headed home a fine cross from Mark van Bommel.
On the stroke of halftime, Van Persie doubled the lead when he headed in Robben's corner and 13 minutes from time Dirk Kuyt converted a penalty after Christophe Berra fouled Huntelaar.

Northwest basks in soccer spotlight

2009-03-25T10:51:00.000-07:00

Three events – all in the Northwest – combined last week for what Major League Soccer commissioner Don Garber described as “one of the more exciting weeks in league history.”
Last Wednesday, the league awarded an expansion team to Vancouver, B.C., and Friday it awarded another to Portland.
Those off-field announcements sandwiched the event that really seemed to excite Garber: Seattle Sounders FC’s inaugural game at Qwest Field.
“I’d call it a spectacular event kicking off our 14th season,” Garber said Tuesday in a state-of-the-league conference call. “... That had the feel of a super-big-time event. I’ve been in the sports business almost 30 years; I’ve been involved in producing the Super Bowl for many of those years and countless other events. And I’ve got to tell you, that was one of the most spectacular sporting events that I’ve ever been to. It brought tears to my eyes, literally.”

European soccer roundup - United lose, Inter seven clear

2009-03-23T08:40:00.001-07:00

LONDON (Reuters) - The English Premier League title race was thrown wide open with leaders Manchester United losing a second successive match and Liverpool thumping Aston Villa 5-0 to close the gap at the top to one point.

Barcelona maintained their six-point lead in Spain, while a double from Zlatan Ibrahimovic ensured Inter Milan stayed seven points clear in Serie A.

Iaquinta helps Juve hammer Roma

2009-03-22T02:06:00.000-07:00

ROME, March 21 (Reuters) - Juventus kept the Serie A title race very much alive when Vincenzo Iaquinta struck twice in a 4-1 win at depleted AS Roma on Saturday.
The Italy forward fired in his first goal after 34 minutes and then headed the visitors back in front early in the second half following Simone Loria's equaliser.
Olof Mellberg and Pavel Nedved added the third and fourth goals after injury-and-suspension ravaged Roma ran out of steam.
The win puts second-placed Juve four points behind leaders Inter Milan, who have 10 games remaining and host bottom side Reggina on Sunday.
"We must think about our results without looking too much at Inter," Iaquinta told Sky television.
"We have nine games left and we have to go on the field with the mentality to win all nine."
The match started scrappily but Iaquinta produced the first bit of class when he was given space just inside the area to fire into the corner of the net.
Loria, much derided by Roma fans after several error-strewn displays this term, was overjoyed to turn in the equaliser just after the break when Juve failed to defend a flat corner.
But Iaquinta, who hopes to be named on Sunday in Italy's squad for the World Cup qualifiers with Montenegro and Ireland, soon had Juve back in the lead.
Zdenek Grygera's cross deflected up off John Arne Riise and former Udinese striker Iaquinta jumped highest to head home.
Riise then cleared Alessandro Del Piero's shot off the line but Juve were not to be denied and Mellberg powerfully headed in a corner before substitute Nedved matched last weekend's scoreline against Bologna with a fierce shot from distance.
Roma, without the injured Francesco Totti and suspended Daniele De Rossi, are two points behind fourth-placed Genoa in the race for the final Champions League qualifying spot.
Genoa host Udinese on Sunday before third-placed AC Milan travel to Napoli.
Eighth-placed Lazio's hopes of European qualification took another blow in the early kickoff when Delio Rossi's side lost 1-0 at Catania.
Striker Michele Paolucci tapped in midway through the first half following a swift counter attack to all but end any lingering fears of relegation for the Sicilians.
Lazio, beaten 3-0 at home by struggling Chievo last weekend, should have equalised but Albano Bizzarri saved Goran Pandev's second-half penalty after the Macedonian had been fouled.

PRANDELLI ALLA MOURINHO: CON IL SIENA A CARTE SCOPERTE

2009-03-21T18:44:00.001-07:00

Una domenica a forti tinte bianconere. Quelle della Juventus, che hanno strapazzato ieri la Roma all'Olimpico. Quelle dell'Udinese, unica italiana rimasta in gara in Europa e dalla quale la Fiorentina spera di strappare un favore in chiave Champions, oggi contro il Genoa. Quelle del Siena, poi, che la Fiorentina deve superare per tornare a respirare l'aria del quarto posto in solitaria.

Manager Fabio Capello supports David Beckham's extended stay at Milan

2009-03-21T18:39:00.000-07:00

LONDON — England manager Fabio Capello supports David Beckham's extended loan deal with AC Milan and says he is happy that the Los Angeles Galaxy star is playing against far better competition than in MLS.
Milan, the Galaxy and Beckham came up with a deal for the former England captain to continue playing in Serie A until the end of the season. His initial loan deal ended March 8 and a new deal was negotiated after Milan failed to meet the Galaxy's valuation for a full-time transfer.
Now Beckham won't go back to the Galaxy until June 30, about halfway through the MLS season, and then hopes to return to Milan in November, when it is over.
Capello believes that his Serie A experience will make him sharper than if he had gone back to the Galaxy earlier because the standard of play in Italy is better.
"There is a difference," he told reporters. "The standard is different and it's important for him at this moment to play in Europe. Not only in Milan but in Europe because it's different. (MLS) is not the same level as the Europeans - Italy, Spain, Germany or England for sure."

Beckham hopes to add experience to England

2009-03-21T10:26:00.000-07:00

(AFP) Saturday 21 March 2009
Former England captain David Beckham believes he can add experience to England at the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™. Speaking to Gazzetta dello Sport, Beckham explained that his sights are set firmly on the global football showpiece in Africa, as well as Milan's quest to return to next season's UEFA Champions League.
Milan spent a year in purgatory in the UEFA Cup this season, after finishing fifth in Serie A last time out and failing to qualify for Europe's premier competition. But most important for Beckham is the FIFA World Cup and he believes he still has a lot to offer.
"My experience for one, because it's a young team," Beckham cited. "For me, it would be enough just to be useful to the team and to keep working with [Fabio] Capello, who has changed our mentality. We needed that."
At club level, Beckham would love to see out his career next season with a UEFA Champions League final against his former club Manchester United, although he admitted he would find it difficult playing against the team he supported as a boy.
"It would be a problem, but if next season there was a Milan-Manchester final, I would want to win, even if I support United," Beckham said. "This season I would like to see Manchester play Barcelona. My former colleagues would win because right now United are too good for everyone. Even if Liverpool, with [Steven] Gerrard, one of the best in the world, are dangerous."
Beckham will stay at Milan until the end of the season before returning to the Los Angeles Galaxy for the rest of the 2009 Major League Soccer (MLS) season. After that, he will return to Italy for the 2009-2010 Serie A campaign, having reached agreement with Galaxy earlier this month over his protracted transfer to the Italians.