Source: http://www.davesfootballblog.com/post/2011/10/27/international-rules-football-is-a-dogs-game/
Thursday, February 28, 2013
International Rules Football Is A Dog?s Game
Yesterday, our pals at Dirty Tackle decided to highlight a Copa Sudamericana match in which a dog invaded the pitch and held up play for 3 minutes. The suggestion that this dog might have been “the most successful pitch invader ever” falls flat, however, when you consider this rather famous moment from the International Rules [...]
Spanish Primera Division ? Weekend Recap ? February 22-24, 2013
Real Madrid, FC Barcelona, and Atletico Madrid all won close matches in the Spanish Primera Division on February 22-24, 2013. Results Friday, February 22, 2013 Athletic Bilba 1-3 Real Sociedad 30′ Ibai Gomez 1 – 0 34′ 1 – 1 Antoine Griezmann 66′ 1 – 2 Imanol Agirretxe 76′ 1 – 3 Carlos Vela Saturday, [...]
The very best images from the Capital One Cup final (aka the Nathan Dyer Show)
Though it took 100 years, Swansea's first (relatively) major trophy in club history couldn't have come much easier. After beating League Cup holders Liverpool and the shadow of European Cup winners Chelsea on their way to the Capital One Cup final against League Two darlings Bradford City, Swansea finished the job with a 5-0 win to become the first Welsh side to win the competition.
It was the biggest win ever in a League Cup final and after Bradford goalkeeper Matt Duke was sent off in the 56th minute, about the only disturbance Swansea experience came from within their own team. Here are some of the best images from the match...
It took Swansea winger Nathan Dyer just 16 minutes to score his first goal and after he did so, he set a tone for the day with his celebration by turning his shirt around on his body so his surname was facing forward. This would prove to be a bit of foreshadowing for how he considers the name on the back of his shirt to be more important than the one on the front.
With Bradford down 3-0 in the 59th minute, even Swansea felt bad when Duke was sent off for taking down Jonathan De Guzman in the box.
On two goals and eager to seal his hat trick, Dyer had a tantrum when designated penalty taker De Guzman (UPDATE: Laudrup has since said that he had not chosen a designated penalty taker) wouldn't let him take the spot kick. Michu, who scored in the 40th minute, tried to talk him down. No short joke intended.
Wayne Routledge also tried to calm Dyer. With a headlock.
And finally, manager Michael Laudrup laughed at him as he was still ranting about the penalty while being subbed off 18 minutes later.
Even as their side was being thoroughly dominated and only had 10 men on the pitch, Bradford fans stood and sang with pride.
After this photo was taken, Dyer licked his Man of the Match award, winner's medal and the League Cup itself just to ensure no one would take them from him.
Swansea toss their highly praised manager all the way to Madrid.
Routledge has trouble wrangling the cup.
Chico Flores does a matador routine and pays tribute to footballers who died far too young. His shirt reads "Spaniards and football does not forget! [Antonio] Puerta, [Dani] Jarque, Miki Roque preciado." Bradford also paid tribute to the 56 fans who died in the 1985 Valley Parade stadium fire.
Pepe talks about Varane, Real Madrid in the Copa & Clasico
Pepe talks about Varane, Real Madrid in the Copa & Clasico - originally posted on Soccerlens.com
Real Madrid prepare for a tough week with the Copa del Rey semifinal against Barcelona tonight. Jose Mourinho is hoping for his team to put up a show against the Catalans to at least have a chance of winning one …
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FIFA 13 Nominated For BAFTA?s
It’s to come as no surprise, but FIFA 13 has been nominated for a BAFTA Games Award in two categories. The footie blockbuster is up for BAFTA in the “BEST GAME IN 2013″ and “BEST SPORTS/FITNESS 2013″ categories. For more information on other nominees and the competitors then hit the link BAFTA Games Awards 2013 [...]
The post FIFA 13 Nominated For BAFTA’s appeared first on FIFA Soccer Blog.
Source: http://fifasoccerblog.com/blog/fifa-nominated-for-bafta/
In Italy, footballers hug ball boys (who happen to be their sons) rather than kick them
The working relationship between footballers and ball boys was damaged last month when Chelsea's Eden Hazard tried to kick the ball out from under a time-wasting Swansea ball boy. It was an ugly incident for both sides, but in Italy, these situations are apparently avoided by employing the sons of footballers as ball boys.
This was the case for Cagliari's match against Torino on Sunday, where Caglairi midfielder Daniele Conti's son served as a ball boy. After Conti scored with an excellent header in the 75th minute to equalize at 2-2, he ran to the other end of the pitch to hug his ball boy son and melt away some of the unsavory memories of the Hazard incident.
The tender moment was just the beginning Conti would generate. Torino made it 3-3 in the 92nd minute despite having two men sent off just before stoppage time. Conti then scored a winner in the fourth minute of injury time with a deflected shot.
Here's Conti's first goal of the day, which is worth watching...
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Who Will Be Relegated in the 2011/12 Premier League Season?
The forthcoming Premier League season is going to be one of the toughest yet for all teams involved. The last campaign saw a tough battle throughout in the lower half of the table with constant positional changes. Even the last game of the season was pinnacle in terms of which clubs stayed up, and which [...]
Maradona reveals the positions his newborn son and Leo Messi?s baby will play for Argentina
Maradona has yet to meet his new son Diego Fernando, who was born last week, but he has already worked out where he will play in a future Argentine national team with Lionel Messi and Kun Aguero's sons. For the record, Messi's son, Thiago, is three months old and Aguerio's boy, who is Maradona's grandson, just turned four.
From Reuters:
"One of them will have to play as a midfielder. I think Thiago (Messi) will command the others. Benjamin (Aguero) will play as a forward and Thiago will play alongside Dieguito Fernando," Maradona told a local radio station from Dubai.
So...no pressure, kids.
[Rewind: David Beckham's son Brooklyn auditions for Chelsea]
It's also worth noting that Maradona has another son named Diego Armando Maradona Sinagra. He's 26 years old and plays in the Argentine fourth division. He also met his father for the first time in 2003 when he conned his way onto a golf course in Italy (Maradona refused to take a paternity test in 1993).
And if you're wondering why Maradona hasn't been home to see Diego Fernando yet, he also explains that:
"I'm under contract in Dubai [as a consultant to organizers of sporting events] until June, and then I'll go to Argentina but I won't stay long," said the 52-year-old former Argentina captain and coach.
"I'll see him (Diego Fernando) all the time possible. He will have everything he needs."
We can only hope that Maradona is back in charge of the Argentine national team when it comes time to usher in this next generation, who will hopefully all be in careers of their choice by then.
More sports news from the Yahoo! Sports Minute:
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Euro 2012: Czech Republic v. Portugal Kicks Off the Quarter-Finals
The Euros start up again today, and with them we’ve got four more days of blessed distraction before it’s back to worrying about how June is almost over and Liverpool haven’t signed anybody while Hulk and Hazard and Marin are already sipping martinis in Roman Abramovich’s lair/discotheque beneath Stamford Bridge while the Chelsea owner strokes [...]
Middlesbrough v Chelsea: Narrow win on the cards for Chelsea
Middlesbrough v Chelsea: Narrow win on the cards for Chelsea - originally posted on Soccerlens.com
Chelsea are looking to seal their place in the FA Cup quarterfinals against Manchester United with a trip to Middlesbrough while Boro are looking to cause a big upset.
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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/soccerlens/~3/aSYU69kYdRU/
Rafa Benitez?s notebook (Man City v Chelsea)
Roberto Mancini comes into the match under pressure. He will be nervous. But I am not. Because interim managers cannot be sacked.
Jack Rodwell plays for Manchester City???
Advice for Frank Lampard: If you take a penalty, Joe Hart won't be expecting a shot he can save.
Demba Ba's face mask...can managers wear them too?
Must tell Ramirez to do something.
City getting more chances. Ivanovic needs to shoot more.
Chelsea fans sing Roberto Di Matteo's name in the 16th minute since that was his shirt number, so what minute will they sing my name when I'm gone? All of the others.
Real Madrid interim manager Rafa Benitez.
Yaya Toure definitely won't score today.
Jinxed it.
Just realized that Oscar is on the bench. Better put him on at the next opportunity and pretend that was the plan all along.
Must buy wider ties.
Need goals. Time to put Fernando Torres in to defend corner kicks.
Carlos Tevez comes off the bench to score a goal?! Strikers can't do that!
We are struggling because of fixture�congestion. Sir Alex Ferguson secretly arranges the fixtures. Therefore, Alex Ferguson is once again conspiring against me. It is the only way he can win. Sad.
Polish striker Piotr Parzyszek misses header at open goal from three yards in Dutch game
Dutch second division sides De Graafschap and SC Veendam were tied at 1-1 with a few minutes remaining of their match on Friday night.
De Graafschap hit the post in the dying moments, gifting the ball to Polish striker Piotr Parzyszek three yards from the goal, with absolutely nothing obstructing him from scoring and claiming the glory for three points.
It would have been much harder to miss the giant target in front of him, but somehow Parzyszek managed to put it over the bar, denying the promotion-chasing side a valuable two points. Understandably, the home fans were in a booing mood when the final whistle blew.
Video via 101gg
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
FIFA 13 Nominated For BAFTA?s
It’s to come as no surprise, but FIFA 13 has been nominated for a BAFTA Games Award in two categories. The footie blockbuster is up for BAFTA in the “BEST GAME IN 2013″ and “BEST SPORTS/FITNESS 2013″ categories. For more information on other nominees and the competitors then hit the link BAFTA Games Awards 2013 [...]
The post FIFA 13 Nominated For BAFTA’s appeared first on FIFA Soccer Blog.
Source: http://fifasoccerblog.com/blog/fifa-nominated-for-bafta/
De Gea Saves United
For anyone that was lucky enough to see the Champions League match between Manchester United and Real Madrid, there may never be another occasion where the ball is launched at the goal as much as it was during this particular span of 90 minutes. Madrid spent the entirety of the game seemingly intent on testing…
The post De Gea Saves United appeared first on SoccerProse.com.
Source: http://soccerprose.com/champions-league/de-gea-saves-united/
A Photo Five Years In The Making
It took five full seasons and a whole lot of grief, but last night, Major League Soccer finally got the photo it had wanted for so long: David Beckham, the most famous footballer on the planet — which he was, at least,�in 2007�when he signed that $32.5 million deal with the Los Angeles Galaxy — [...]
Source: http://www.davesfootballblog.com/post/2011/11/21/a-photo-five-years-in-the-making/
Italian Serie A ? Weekend Recap ? February 23-24, 2013
Juventus won at Siena to extend its lead at the top of the table to seven points in the Italian Serie A on February 23-24, 2013. Results Saturday, February 9, 2013 Palermo 0-0 Genoa 76′ Salvatore Aronica (red card) Sunday, February 10, 2013 Sampdoria 2-0 Chievo Verona 33′ Andrea Poli 1 – 0 83′ Citadin [...]
Source: http://www.the90thminute.com/soccer/2013/02/italian-serie-a-weekend-recap-february-23-24-2013/
Mario Balotelli victim of racial abuse yet again
Mario Balotelli victim of racial abuse yet again - originally posted on Soccerlens.com
AC Milan striker Mario Balotelli has been racially abused by a section of Inter Milan fans in the Sunday's Milan derby at the San Siro.
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Raymond Domenech: All Alone With A Pen
The inevitable has happened: Raymond Domenech’s written a book. It’s called All Alone (Tout Seul) and it appears to have a heavy focus, if it’s not entirely centered upon, the French World Cup 2010 fiasco. And in typical Domenech fashion, it’s been done with drama, controversy and throwing absolutely everyone in the vicinity underneath the [...]
Source: http://www.worldcupblog.org/world-football/raymond-domenech-all-alone-with-a-pen.html
Europa League Draw: Spurs face Inter as Newcastle and Chelsea also marshal on
Europa League Draw: Spurs face Inter as Newcastle and Chelsea also marshal on - originally posted on Soccerlens.com
The third Europa League tournament since the rebranding has reached the knockout stages. Here are the draws for the Round 16 of the Europa League!
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Monday, February 25, 2013
Olivier Giroud Knows Drama
The biggest game of the evening, arguably the biggest of all European World Cup qualifying, was Spain versus France. The European World Champions of the Milky Way, Spain, were hosting, thus a victory seemed a solid bet. At 1-0 in the 88th, Karim Benzema came off for Olivier Giroud. And with mere seconds on the [...]
Source: http://www.worldcupblog.org/world-football/olivier-giroud-knows-drama.html
Does The Europa League Matter Now?
I’ve written in the past about searching for meaning in trophies, and whether winning a competition — any competition — means more to top-flight clubs than the financial windfall that comes with finishing in a top league position. Fans, of course, want the trophies. Last April, I posed this question to a few Manchester City [...]
Source: http://www.davesfootballblog.com/post/2011/12/08/does-the-europa-league-matter-now/
King Eric is back, aka ?No, you can?t have this one!?
The club couldn’t have planned it this way, but on a day after Bar�a lost a Champions League match and the planet stopped spinning, came news sufficient to warm any cule’s heart: Eric Abidal has received medical clearance Let that sink in for a moment. His last match for the side was in February 2012, [...]
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/BarcelonaFootballBlog/~3/gbj09i9NhIs/
Of Messi and Distance: Limited Statistical Analysis of How Far Players Run and What It Means
Virtually every comment on this blog over the last couple of days has been dedicated to an ongoing discussion/argument/flamewar/typofest on whether or not particular players are net positives or negatives for the club. Everyone has been involved, but it’s mostly centered around Lionel Messi and Alexis Sanchez. One comment went as such (typos and orthography [...]
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/BarcelonaFootballBlog/~3/QzfYAHpoQsk/
Sunday, February 24, 2013
Mario Balotelli had a brilliant disallowed scissor-kick goal against Cagliari
Mario Balotelli had his third goal in two matches for Milan to salvage a 1-1 draw against Cagliari, but he nearly had a great winner in stoppage time. In the 82nd minute, Balotelli scored his second important late penalty in as many matches for Milan and shushed the Cagliari supporters after he did so. A short time later, in the second minute of injury time, Balotelli pulled off a graceful scissor kick right in front of goal off a floating header from Robinho at the end line.
Before Balotelli even had a chance to not celebrate, the referee blew his whistle and ruled that the ball had gone out as Robinho put his head to it. "Whether Balotelli's scissor kick counted or not, it looked nice and that's all that matters," said someone who isn't a Milan fan.
Video via 101gg
David Beckham makes PSG debut, jumps into the arms of Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Almost a month after signing for PSG, David Beckham made his debut in Paris, entering Sunday's Classique against Marseille in the 76th minute. PSG had a 1-0 lead since the 11th minute thanks to a Nicolas N'Koulou own goal. But with his wife in the stands and most eyes (and even a special Beck-Cam) on him, Beckham helped set up Zlatan Ibrahimovic for an injury-time goal that would seal the win for PSG and give his French critics a sampling of how he can contribute (outside of the club shop, that is).
Beckham flicked a looping pass off the side of his foot to Jeremy Menez, who then knocked the ball off Ibrahimovic's knee to put PSG up 2-0. As soon as the ball settled into the far side of the net, Beckham jumped into Ibrahimovic's arms to produce what Canal+ declared the "image of the night"...
Somewhere in Barcelona, Gerard Pique knows he's been forgotten.
As you can probably tell, Beckham had a pretty wonderful night. As per usual. From Sky Sports:
"I'm very happy tonight, mainly because of the victory," said Beckham.
"We have played better but it was very important to win. Today was the perfect day, not only because I'm the 400th player in the history of the club, but also because I'm part of a very special team.
"The welcome from the supporters was unbelievable, and I want to say thank you to them.
"It was a great match, the biggest in France. To have the opportunity at my age to play in such a great championship and with a great team, I am very happy and very proud."
Europa League Round of 32: Players to watch
Europa League Round of 32: Players to watch - originally posted on Soccerlens.com
Final preparations are underway for the second leg of the Europa League Round of 32 matches. Here we look at players from each team to keep an eye for.
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Football Is Still What We Make It
The�best thing�about�football is that we can play it any way we want it. This is also the worst thing about football. That’s because fans have this nasty tendency to prattle on about the superiority of their chosen football code like it’s their team. “Our football is the real football!”, they shout as loudly as possible, [...]
Source: http://www.davesfootballblog.com/post/2011/08/09/football-is-still-what-we-make-it/
Luis Suarez scores two great goals against Zenit and steps on an opponent?s back
With his great goals and handballs, tremendous skill and dives, clutch performances and bans for racial abuse, Luis Suarez is a footballer who elicits emotions in extremes. He exists in the complex gray area between supporters who think he is a persecuted genius and detractors who think he is the devil's mentor. And in the second leg of Liverpool's Europa League round of 32 tie against Zenit, this was proven yet again.
Suarez scored twice from free kicks, the second even better than the first, to help Liverpool win the second leg 3-1 in a show of undeniable excellence. He also stepped on a fallen opponent Tomas Hubocan's back while chasing down a ball at the endline. Depending on your view of Suarez, it was either an unavoidable accident or an act of malicious villainy.
Zenit still advanced on away goals with a 3-3 aggregate score, knocking Liverpool out of the tournament. Here's video of Suarez's second free kick goal (be sure to watch the replays to get the full effect of the brilliance of his shot)...
For his supporters, that was all that happened in the match. For his detractors, this was all that happened...
Combining likable and unlikable traits to form the image of an actual human being can be hard.
UPDATE: Zenit players are reportedly calling for UEFA to take action against Suarez for the Hubocan incident.
A tour of the massive hotel suite that is reportedly David Beckham?s new home in Paris
Since David Beckham only signed a five-month contract with PSG and agreed to donate his salary to a local children's charity, the club apparently figured that the least they could do was put him up in a ?17,000 a night suite for the duration of his stay in Paris. So, like new teammate Zlatan Ibrahimovic when he first arrive in Paris, Beckham will be staying at the Hotel Le Bristol (rated Europe's leading hotel in 2007), a short distance from the Champs-�lys�es. Except Beckham will be staying in the hotel's largest accommodations -- the 3,475 sq.ft. Imperial Suite.
The suite features two bedrooms, two bathrooms -- one of which is made of pink Aurora marble (though both look white in the pictures) and has a steam shower and a bath for "total indulgence" -- a dining area that can accomodate up to 12 guests, a sitting room, a large dressing room and probably a private entrance to Narnia too. The occupancy for it is only listed as three people, which could be a problem when Beckham's wife and four kids are with him. But cots are available upon request.
Now let's go for a wander around this place...
The living room -- where David will sit, unblinking and with his head titled slightly to the left, for hours each night.
The dining room -- where David will sit and hold the morning paper.
The sitting room -- where David will see the ghostly apparition of Louis XV, who will him where his secret jewels are hidden before asking for an autograph.
The dressing area -- where David will hang his lavish collection of underpants for every occasion.
The second bedroom -- where David will sometimes get confused and think he's stumbled into someone else's suite.
The master bathroom -- where David will often sit on that little footstool thing in the middle and pretend he's a giant.
Here's a video tour of the joint set to unsettling music...
A Photo Five Years In The Making
It took five full seasons and a whole lot of grief, but last night, Major League Soccer finally got the photo it had wanted for so long: David Beckham, the most famous footballer on the planet — which he was, at least,�in 2007�when he signed that $32.5 million deal with the Los Angeles Galaxy — [...]
Source: http://www.davesfootballblog.com/post/2011/11/21/a-photo-five-years-in-the-making/
EA Hold Marseille Capture Session
EA yesterday returned to�the�Robert Louis-Dreyfus Training Ground of Marseille. EA last visited the�Robert Louis-Dreyfus Training Ground 2 years ago and visited once again in order to carry out better 3D captures for the players faces so they were at a better standard for future FIFA titles. Some screenshots of the session can be seen below. [...]
The post EA Hold Marseille Capture Session appeared first on FIFA Soccer Blog.
Source: http://fifasoccerblog.com/blog/ea-hold-marseille-capture-session/
Saturday, February 23, 2013
The Daily Mail was duped into publishing a fake Chelsea scouting report
On Monday, two days after Chelsea beat Wigan 4-1, the fake document was published in the print version of the Daily Mail as an exclusive under the headline "REVEALED: How Rafa dossier worked a treat against Wigan." The contents of the dossier, described as a "detailed document handed to Sportsmail" were oddly simplistic for something supposedly compiled by Rafa Benitez's opposition analyst Xavi Valero and read "line by line" to Chelsea players by Benitez himself.
MSN summarized the dossier like this:
Valero suggested Wigan had ?lapses in concentration in defence?, were ?unbalanced?, lacked quality defenders and pace, and he predicted opposition teams could ?kill them?.
And so it proved when Ramires was put through to score the first goal after Paul Scharner (?ball-watcher?) and Gary Caldwell (?Very slow in turning ? run at him!?) were exposed by a slick Chelsea passing move.
But on Tuesday, the Daily Mail printed a rather significant correction. From the Guardian:
In a corrections column tucked away on page 2, the paper admitted: "It was understood that the scouting report referred to in the articles was a genuine Chelsea FC club document. We have since been advised that this is not the case and we are happy to clarify the position." No trace of the editorial own goal is available on the Daily Mail's website, as the online version of the story has been swiftly taken down.
Perhaps this was Chelsea's way of telling Ashton that they've plugged their leaks.
Alexi Lalas On The Colbert Report
Good on Alexi to be able to handle the silliness of Stephen Colbert. I thought he handled the interview on match-fixing very well.
The post Alexi Lalas On The Colbert Report appeared first on WVHooligan.com - MLS Blog.
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/WVHooligan/~3/3KEluG15LLQ/
The Daily Mail was duped into publishing a fake Chelsea scouting report
On Monday, two days after Chelsea beat Wigan 4-1, the fake document was published in the print version of the Daily Mail as an exclusive under the headline "REVEALED: How Rafa dossier worked a treat against Wigan." The contents of the dossier, described as a "detailed document handed to Sportsmail" were oddly simplistic for something supposedly compiled by Rafa Benitez's opposition analyst Xavi Valero and read "line by line" to Chelsea players by Benitez himself.
MSN summarized the dossier like this:
Valero suggested Wigan had ?lapses in concentration in defence?, were ?unbalanced?, lacked quality defenders and pace, and he predicted opposition teams could ?kill them?.
And so it proved when Ramires was put through to score the first goal after Paul Scharner (?ball-watcher?) and Gary Caldwell (?Very slow in turning ? run at him!?) were exposed by a slick Chelsea passing move.
But on Tuesday, the Daily Mail printed a rather significant correction. From the Guardian:
In a corrections column tucked away on page 2, the paper admitted: "It was understood that the scouting report referred to in the articles was a genuine Chelsea FC club document. We have since been advised that this is not the case and we are happy to clarify the position." No trace of the editorial own goal is available on the Daily Mail's website, as the online version of the story has been swiftly taken down.
Perhaps this was Chelsea's way of telling Ashton that they've plugged their leaks.
Friday, February 22, 2013
Goals against Bayern Munich are so rare that Manuel Neuer has stopped paying attention
Manchester United widened the gap between them and second-place Man City to 12 points on Sunday, prompting many fans to write off the Premier League season as boring and already over. Meanwhile, in Germany, Bayern Munich have a 15-point lead on Borussia Dortmund and winning comfortably has become so common for Bayern that goalkeeper Manuel Neuer needs his teammates to keep him entertained during matches.
Bayern have allowed just seven goals all season (for comparison's sake, Man United have allowed 31 and Barcelona have allowed 26). It's been six matches since a team last scored against them. Six. Over their last five matches, Bayern have outscored their opponents 13-0, winning by at least two goals in each. According to Bild, Bayern have the biggest ever lead atop the Bundesliga table through 21 rounds and the fewest goals allowed.
Given this level of sustained domination, Neuer has understandably grown bored with waiting for something to save. So in the second half of Bayern's match against his former club, Schalke, Neuer turned his back on the game and had unused substitute Thomas Muller head balls to him from just behind the end line after Bayern's third and fourth goals (in the 51st and 63rd minutes, respectively).
Should this trend continue, Neuer will probably get a lot of reading done by the end of the season.
Barcelona Stunned in the Champions League
Barcelona traveled to the San Siro Wednesday, where they were stunned by AC Milan. AC Milan took the lead in the 56th minute after a Kevin-Prince Boateng goal. Milan then secured the win in the 81st minute when Sulley Muntari scored to give the home side a 2-0 lead heading into the second leg at…
The post Barcelona Stunned in the Champions League appeared first on SoccerProse.com.
Source: http://soccerprose.com/champions-league/barcelona-stunned-in-the-champions-league/
If it continued? (Real Madrid v Man Utd, first leg)
The first leg of Real Madrid and Manchester United's Champions League round of 16 tie was saddled with a tremendous amount of hype and expectation, but actually fulfilled every bit of it. Wonderful headers from Danny Welbeck and Cristiano Ronaldo produced the match's two goals in the first half and laid the foundation for a frenetic second half with a number of great chances for both sides. And so, even though there will be a second leg at Old Trafford to decide a winner, we once again find ourselves asking, "What if it continued?"
97' -- David Blaine finally stops crying after seeing Cristiano Ronaldo put his levitation trick to shame in the first half.
101' -- Missing his first Real Madrid Champions League knockout-stage match in 11 years due to injury, Iker Casillas tries to produce a positive atmosphere by giving away free hugs outside the Bernabeu.
107' -- Going this long without scoring a goal confuses Robin van Persie. He wonders if he died after someone kicked a ball at the back of his head and just didn't realize it yet.
114' -- David De Gea makes yet another great save, decides to wear gloves on his feet instead of boots and only play in Spain from now on.
118' -- A man in the crowd says to his friend, "So, wait, Ronaldo used to play for Manchester United? Why didn't anyone talk about this before the match?!"
123' -- Kaka reads through all of the Twilight books for the 17th time this season.
129' -- Jose Mourinho continues to play mind game with Alex Ferguson by wearing a snood with a suit like a psychotic person.
134' -- Luka Modric does nothing.
139' -- Cristiano Ronaldo scores and is once again praised for not celebrating against his former team by those who fail to realize that he considers his existence to be a supreme celebration in and of itself.
141' -- The match is abandoned when Spanish priests attempt an exorcism on "freckled demon" Wayne Rooney.
145' -- While sharing a tender embrace, Alex Ferguson injects Ronaldo with a slow-acting drug that will leave him paralyzed from the hair down until after the second leg. He briefly mourns his inability to feel human emotions, then thinks a hearty, sinister laugh.
Torino?s Angelo Ogbonna could be the answer to Arsenal?s defensive woes
Torino’s Angelo Ogbonna could be the answer to Arsenal’s defensive woes - originally posted on Soccerlens.com
Arsenal have been linked with a move for highly rated Torino defender Angelo Ogbonna and we take a look at why the Gunners should bring him in the summer
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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/soccerlens/~3/OpoklijAkJk/
Thursday, February 21, 2013
EA Hold Marseille Capture Session
EA yesterday returned to�the�Robert Louis-Dreyfus Training Ground of Marseille. EA last visited the�Robert Louis-Dreyfus Training Ground 2 years ago and visited once again in order to carry out better 3D captures for the players faces so they were at a better standard for future FIFA titles. Some screenshots of the session can be seen below. [...]
The post EA Hold Marseille Capture Session appeared first on FIFA Soccer Blog.
Source: http://fifasoccerblog.com/blog/ea-hold-marseille-capture-session/
Bent committed to Villa
Aston Villa’s Darren Bent has rejected claims that he could be the next high-profile name to leave Villa Park and has reaffirmed his commitment to the club. The England striker only signed for the Villains in January and helped the club steer away from the relegation zone and they eventually finished comfortably in mid table. [...]
Source: http://www.footballnewsblog.co.uk/premiership/bent-committed-to-villa/
Champions League favourites face early exits
Champions League favourites face early exits - originally posted on Soccerlens.com
AC Milan have earned a fantastic victory against Barcelona on Wednesday in the Champions League. Both the La Liga giants could now face early elimination.
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From Soccerlens.com - Football News
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Will FIFA Be Attending The Big Sony Party?
Invitations were sent out a while ago to partners, retailers and press inviting them to a “special” PlayStation event on the 20th of February. The question on every FIFA fan’s mind is whether EA will let Sony showcase one it’s crown jewels in a brand new fancy suit. With the rumour mill in overdrive, this [...]
The post Will FIFA Be Attending The Big Sony Party? appeared first on FIFA Soccer Blog.
Source: http://fifasoccerblog.com/blog/did-fifa-get-invited-to-the-sony-party/
?I don?t know why they should be favorites,? said Wojciech Szczesny before Bayern beat Arsenal 3-1
Bayern Munich made relatively easy work of Arsenal in the first leg of their Champions League round of 16 tie, winning 3-1 at the Emirates with their first two goals coming in the first 21 minutes. The result wasn't much of a surprise to anyone. Except Arsenal goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny.
Before the match, Szczesny told the Evening Standard:
?I don?t know why they should be favourites,? the goalkeeper said. ?I wouldn?t bet money on this one. [...]
?Bayern are flying in the Bundesliga. They have fantastic individual players like [Arjen] Robben, [Franck] Ribery and [Manuel] Neuer in goal. They are very strong but we won?t be scared.?
Of course, you can't fault a player for believing in his team and wanting to be positive, but to say "I don't know why they should be favorites" is a bit silly. Bayern have a 15-point lead(!) atop the Bundesliga and had not allowed a goal in six straight matches(!!!) going into this one. Arsenal, meanwhile, are fifth in the Premier League and lost to a second division club in the FA Cup a few days ago.
Arsenal did prove they weren't scared by attempting a comeback from 2-0 down early in the second half and scoring the first goal Bayern have allowed in over 600 minutes of play. But it wasn't enough and Mario Mandzukic added a third away goal in the 77th minute. So that was just one of many reasons why it was a good thing Szczesny didn't bet on the match.
Previously in overconfident things Wojciech Szczesny has told the press: Predicting Poland would win Euro 2012, assuming Arsenal could beat Milan because Spurs did
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Kilmarnock manager climbs atop railing after getting sent off
Fresh off a four-match ban, Kilmarnock manager Kenny Shiels was sent off after Inverness substitute Borja Perez scored an injury-time equalizer on Wednesday. In a series of events reminiscent of Arsene Wenger's sending off at Old Trafford in 2009 where he stood up behind the benches amongst Man United fans, Shiels was also ordered to the stands for kicking a water bottle. But while Wenger's reaction came off as a defiant attempt to show up the referee that was even cheered by opposing supporters, Shiels' climb up a railing near the dugout just came off as a bit weird.
From the Daily Mail:
Shiels said: 'I was frustrated he didn't give the penalty and I turned round and kicked fresh air and there was a bottle lying on its belly and it touched the bottle.
'I said, 'Look, I didn't mean to kick the bottle'.
His excuse didn't sway the official, though. After initially being told to go, Shiels kicked an advertisement near the bench but didn't leave. When the referee walked back over to him and pointed to the stands, Shiels shrugged, went back to the bench and climbed a railing next to it. He then stood atop the railing with his arms crossed like Batman until a couple of stewards told him to get down. So he stepped back into the stand right behind the dugout and watched the remaining seconds of the match from there.
Here's video of the incident...
Shiels has already been given two touchline bans in the last few months -- one of which was a suspended ban that could go into effect after this showing.
Football Is Still What We Make It
The�best thing�about�football is that we can play it any way we want it. This is also the worst thing about football. That’s because fans have this nasty tendency to prattle on about the superiority of their chosen football code like it’s their team. “Our football is the real football!”, they shout as loudly as possible, [...]
Source: http://www.davesfootballblog.com/post/2011/08/09/football-is-still-what-we-make-it/
Cometh The Hour Cometh The Game (Updated)
Anticipation for a next-gen FIFA is at an all-time high and most of us are�anxiously awaiting a snippet at�tonight’s PlayStation 2013 Meeting where the PS Orbis will be announced. It’s a safe bet that EA will be one of the 3rd party partners that will demo some next-gen gaming art at the event. We expect [...]
The post Cometh The Hour Cometh The Game (Updated) appeared first on FIFA Soccer Blog.
2013 MLS Season Preview: Portland Timbers
Posted in MLSPortland Timbers
We are back in the Western Conference on our season previews. And based on the alphabet, we’ll mostly be here through the rest of our team-by-team previews too (with SKC and Toronto being the one exceptions). We’re headed up to Cascadia to take a look at the Portland Timbers now. Caleb Porter is now the [...]
The post 2013 MLS Season Preview: Portland Timbers appeared first on WVHooligan.com - MLS Blog.
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/WVHooligan/~3/bCImxq01n-8/
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
DTotD: Referee hit in the chest with a rock during Argentine match
Early in the second half of an Argentine second division match between Boca Unidos and Gimnasia, the referee was hit square in the chest with a rock thrown from the stands. Trailing 1-0 to the visiting Gimnasia, Boca Unidos fans were angered further by the referee's decision to show one of their players a red card.
As the ref fended off verbal challenges to his decision from other players, a good sized rock hit him in the left pec and he then slumped to the ground. After getting checked out, the referee did continue and later sent off two Gimnasia players. Gimnasia still won 1-0, though.
This has been the Dirty Tackle of the Day: a chronicling of unfortunate events.
Video via 101gg
Brazil striker Fred pulls over to get a kiss from a woman on a motorcycle
How much fun is it to be a professional footballer in Brazil? Well, when Fluminense and Brazil striker Fred stopped his car in the middle of a turning lane, a women on a motorcycle gave him a kiss through the window.
With other cars going by, "Don Fredon" charmed the female fan without leaving the driver's seat as friend sitting shotgun did the filming. And there you have another day in the life of Fred, professional footballer in Brazil.
Europa League Places at a Premium in EPL
The English Premier League continues to grow in strength throughout their table. Where a few seasons ago any light follower of the EPL could predict places 1-7 as soon as the first ball was kicked in the season, the EPL now has the talent pool and the coaching talent to provide shocks, surprises, and quality…
The post Europa League Places at a Premium in EPL appeared first on SoccerProse.com.
Source: http://soccerprose.com/epl/europa-league-places-at-a-premium-in-epl/
The Daily Mail was duped into publishing a fake Chelsea scouting report
On Monday, two days after Chelsea beat Wigan 4-1, the fake document was published in the print version of the Daily Mail as an exclusive under the headline "REVEALED: How Rafa dossier worked a treat against Wigan." The contents of the dossier, described as a "detailed document handed to Sportsmail" were oddly simplistic for something supposedly compiled by Rafa Benitez's opposition analyst Xavi Valero and read "line by line" to Chelsea players by Benitez himself.
MSN summarized the dossier like this:
Valero suggested Wigan had ?lapses in concentration in defence?, were ?unbalanced?, lacked quality defenders and pace, and he predicted opposition teams could ?kill them?.
And so it proved when Ramires was put through to score the first goal after Paul Scharner (?ball-watcher?) and Gary Caldwell (?Very slow in turning ? run at him!?) were exposed by a slick Chelsea passing move.
But on Tuesday, the Daily Mail printed a rather significant correction. From the Guardian:
In a corrections column tucked away on page 2, the paper admitted: "It was understood that the scouting report referred to in the articles was a genuine Chelsea FC club document. We have since been advised that this is not the case and we are happy to clarify the position." No trace of the editorial own goal is available on the Daily Mail's website, as the online version of the story has been swiftly taken down.
Perhaps this was Chelsea's way of telling Ashton that they've plugged their leaks.
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