EUROPEAN WRAP
European league championships are won and lost over grueling seasons in which every match counts. This weekend was no different as clubs from the English, Scottish, German and French leagues fought out their on-field battles in the search for glory.
Goal! Weekly reporter Julius Ross checks out the pick of the action in Europe.
WHO THE HELL IS HANGELAND?
London was the scene for little-known Norwegian defender Brede Hangeland to claim his 15 minutes of fame, as he became a Craven Cottage hero after his goal gave Fulham a famous victory over Arsenal in the Barclays Premier League.
Bouncing back from their opening weekend defeat at the hands of Hull City, Fulham held on against sustained pressure from Arsene Wenger’s side to record a remarkable victory.
Title hopefuls Arsenal dominated play and possession, but a re-occurring theme – the failure to turn dominance into goals – proved yet again Arsenal’s downfall.
Accumulating a total of 20 shots, the Gunners managed just one shot on target.
Another title hopeful, Liverpool, almost suffered a shock loss in similar fashion to the Gunners, but two late goals from Merseyside favourites denied Middlesborough a first win at Anfield since 1976.
Boro striker Mido came off the bench to give the away side a 1-0 lead with 20 minutes remaining, but Liverpool’s local hero Jamie Carragher had a long-range effort fortuitously deflect in off Emanuel Pogatetz to put the Reds back on level terms with five minutes remaining.
Then Merseyside golden-boy and Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard did what he does best, rifling home a sweet shot in stoppage time to maintain their 100% record and resign Boro to defeat.
In the north of England, injury-prone and inconsistent England striker Michael Owen continued to show he is not yet past his prime as he killed off Bolton’s hopes of snatching a point in their clash at St James’ Park.
Owen, who came on as a substitute for Obafemi Martins, showed glimpses of his best ability and that he still has the goal-scoring knack needed to knock off stubborn opposition, with a smart header in the 71st minute.
Bolton’s Kevin Nolan had a nightmare in front of goal, having a penalty saved by Shay Given and then heading a glorious late chance wide of the Newcastle net in an attempt to claim a point from the Magpies.
Stoke City were on the right end of a dramatic five goal thriller against Aston Villa, the newly promoted side picking up their first victory in this season’s campaign with a 3-2 win.
Tony Pulis’ side, favourites to head straight back down to the Championship next season, played a direct and pulsating style against the Villans and it proved beneficial in an exciting encounter at the Britannia Stadium.
Elsewhere, on loan striker Djibril Cisse gave Roy Keane’s Sunderland a shock 2-1 away win over miserable Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane.
Cisse – signed from Marseille this week – knocked in a late winner to make for a warm welcome back to the Premiership, the ex-Liverpool man getting the perfect start in his debut for Sunderland.
Everton made hard work of their first victory of the season against West Brom, the injury-strapped Toffees scrapping through with a 2-1 victory courtesy of Leon Osman and Ayegbeni Yakubu strikes.
Blackburn and Hull City remain unbeaten as they shared the spoils in an entertaining 1-1 draw at Edwood park.
FAMILIAR TWO HORSE RACE
A familiar pattern has already emerged in the race for the Scottish Premier League title, with both Celtic and Rangers sitting top of the table after only three matches played.
The Old Firm rivals are the only Scottish sides to have won the SPL title since the league’s inauguration in 1998, and the trophy already looks to be heading to Glasgow once more.
Celtic are looking to add to their six titles, whilst Rangers will want to close the widening gap between themselves and Celtic by claiming their fifth trophy this campaign.
Celtic, the current champions, went top of the league this weekend when Greek striker Giorgos Samaras netted a brace and Stephen McManus headed home from a Shunsuke Nakamura set-piece to seal a 3-0 win for the Hoops.
Rangers failed to overtake Celtic on the overall standings after they stumbled to 1-1 draw at Aberdeen, the Gers bitterly disappointed at not claiming the three points after a seemingly legitimate goal was ruled out for offside late in the game.
Other results: Hearts 2-1 St Mirren; Inverness Caledonian Thistle 1-1 Hibernian; Motherwell 1-1 Dundee United; Kilmarnock 1-0 Hamilton Academical.
MUNICH MANAGE MEAGRE DRAW
German midfielder Tim Borowski saved German Champion Bayern Munich’s blushes after coming off the bench to grab an equaliser 16 minutes from time against Borussia Dortmund in Saturaday’s Bundesliga action.
Juergen Klinsmann’s side had seen the match go from bad to worse as they conceded a goal in the opening 10 minutes and then had Dutch midfielder Mark van Bommel sent-off in the 23rd minute.
But the introduction of Tim Borowski off the bench paid dividends for Klinsmann’s side as they managed a second draw of the season.
The German champions have struggled to impose themselves on the new campaign, picking up just two points from a possible six, and they currently sit 11th on the Bundesliga table.
Newly promoted side Hoffenheim retained their unfancied position at the top of the standings, after making it two wins from two with a 1-0 victory over Borussia Moenchengladbach.
Hoffenheim’s Bosnian forward Vedad Ibisevic scored the winner and his second goal of the season in the 31st minute.
Other results: Hamburg 2-1 SC Karlsruhe; Bayer Leverkusen 2-0 VfB Stuttgart; Schalke 1-1 Werder Bremen.
TRAUMATIC FRENCH FIXTURE
Olympique Marseille ended a grief-stricken day on a successful note in French Ligue 1, with a 1-0 away victory over Le Harve.
The importance of the match between the two sides had been overshadowed after an accident 70 km south of Paris in which a coach crash killed two Marseille fans.
French Ligue 1 organisers were caught in two minds whether or not to call off the match, but decided to give it the go-ahead “in memory of the victims.”
Although Marseille were far from their best, Boudewijn Zeden’s fantastic free-kick was enough to hand the side from southern France maximum points.
Le Mans also recorded a 1-0 victory on the third weekend of French fixtures, with Thorstein Helstad grabbing the only goal of the game as the home side struggled past a determined threat from visitors St Etienne.
The win sends Le Mans to third on the French standings, with Helstad’s 38th minute strike just enough in a hard fought match in which St Etienne frustrated the home side throughout.
Monaco’s defender Jerko Leko put the ball in the back of his own net 16 minutes from time, to hand Caen a point in their clash at the Stade Louis II stadium in Monte Carlo
Monaco dominated the match in which they really should have taken all three points, with 19 year-old Frederick Nimani netting Monaco’s only goal after 51 minutes.
The home side missed numerous chances to extend their lead, before Leko disastrously headed in at the wrong end to gift a point to away side they had frequently dominated over the 90 minutes.
Reigning French champions Lyon, who are looking for a 8th successive title, remain unbeaten and sit equal first on the Ligue 1 table after French starlet Karim Benzema and Jean Makoun gave the home side a comfortable 2-0 victory over Grenoble.
Other results: Sochaux 1-1 Paris St Germain; Valenciennes 3-1 Lorient.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Monday, August 18, 2008
Goal! Weekly Article 29: European League Wrap 2
PREMIER LEAGUES RETURN
By Julius Ross
The wait is over. The ‘Greatest Show On Earth’ – The English Premier League – returned to action this weekend as its followers – over half a billion people in 202 countries – tuned in to the most watched sporting league in the World.
And it didn’t disappoint. The seemingly endless months of the off-season finally came to an end as newly promoted clubs, refurbished teams and title aspirants hit the immaculate turf across England.
To add to the excitement in Europe, Germany’s Bundesliga kicked off and France and Scotland’s respective leagues continued in their second week of action.
Goal! Weekly checks out the key highlights of the European weekend.
ONE HULL OF A DAY IN ENGLAND
Hull City began their first ever foray into England’s top-tier competition in their 104-year history with a passionate and historic victory, with a dramatic late winner on the opening weekend of the 2008/09 English Premier League season.
The Kingston Communications Stadium were sent into raptures in the 81st minute when the Tigers completed a sensational comeback over Fulham, with substitute Caleb Folan slotting home the winner for a 2-1 victory.
Newly promoted Stoke City experienced a more grueling return to their first Premier League campaign in 23 years, with Bolton showing no mercy for the newcomers, smashing in three goals in 11 first-half minutes.
Stoke’s Ricardo Fuller managed to pull a consolation goal back for the away side in the 90th minute, but the Potters were ultimately given a reality check of the difficulties the side will face in the coming season in the top flight.
Arsenal took only four minutes to re-commence the goal scoring in the Premiership in their lunchtime kick-off against Coca-Cola Championship winners West Bromwich Albion, courtesy of a debut goal from Samir Nasri.
The £12 million dollar ex-Marseille man side-footed home early in the first half, but Arsenal failed to convert continued pressure, 62% possession and 28 shots into an extended lead.
Tottenham’s £45 million summer spending spree failed to produce the goods against Middlesbrough at the Riverside Stadium, where the London club’s new signings were unsuccessful in producing an opening day victory; Spurs succumbing to a 2-1 defeat.
Dean Ashton opened his West Ham account for the new season, the blond topped striker hitting two goals in a gutsy win over a determined Wigan side.
The Hammers had to hold on against a Lactic fight-back, but although Amr Zaki pulled one back for Steve Bruce’s men, they were unable to convert 27 shots into more than one goal.
Ex-Manchester United and Liverpool star Paul Ince secured three points in his first competitive match as manager of Blackburn, thanks to a winner from defender Andre Ooijer four minutes into injury time against Everton.
Rovers’ 3-2 victory echoed the type of grit and determination their manager showed on pitch during his playing days.
In the final match of the afternoon, an opportunistic strike from prolific Spanish goal scorer Fernando Torres gave Liverpool all three points against Roy Keane’s transformed Sunderland side with a 1-0 victory.
Torres started where he left off last year by powering home a sensational finish from 25-yards to hand Rafa Benitez’s side a perfect start to the season.
Title favourites Manchester United and Chelsea kicked-off their season on Sunday night against Newcastle and Portsmouth, respectively, while Aston Villa entertained Manchester City to round out the Premiership’s opening fixtures.
HOPEFUL HOFFENHEIM IN HAPPY DEBUT
Across to the continent, and German Champions Bayern Munich and last season’s runners-up Werder Bremen failed to impress during their opening day fixtures in the 46th season of the Bundesliga, paving the way for little known 1899 Hoffenheim to enter the spotlight.
The newly promoted Hoffenheim kicked off their first ever season in the German top-flight by demolishing Energie Cottbus 3-0 to surge to the dizzy heights of the top of the Bundesliga table.
Despite being amongst the favourites for the drop this season, Hoffenheim showed few opening day nerves to humiliate Cottbus through a double from Vedad Ibssevic and a Demba Ba strike.
Title hopefuls Schalke 04 joined Hoffeinheim at the top, courtesy of their 3-0 rout over Hannover 96, with all three goals coming from clinical dead-ball situations.
German international Kevin Kuryani made a solid start to the season by nodding home two set-piece drills, whilst Marcelo Bordon headed home from a corner.
Bundesliga holders and 20-time winner Bayern Munich made a slow start to their title defence on Friday night with an unconvincing 2-2 draw against Hamburg SV.
Munich surrendered a 2-0 lead in the opening fixture of the new season, with Hamburg fighting back for a deserved point to spoil Jurgen Klinsmann’s first game in charge of the German giants.
Last season’s runner-up Werder Bremen also shared the spoils in a 2-2 draw with Bundesliga strugglers Arminia Bielefeld, a side which has failed to finish above 12th in the German top flight in the last four seasons.
In the match of the round, Borussia Dortmund recorded a thrilling 3-2 victory over Bayer Leverkusen, with the away team holding on to secure three points despite a late surge from the home side.
In other fixtures, VfL Wolfsburg turned a 1-0 deficit against Colonge into a 2-1 victory with two second-half goals, whilst Karlsruhe SC recorded a comfortable 1-0 win over VfL Bochum.
The opening round of the Bundesliga concluded on Sunday night, when Hertha Berlin traveled to Eintracht Frankfurt and Borussia Moenchengladbach, who return to the Bundesliga after gaining promotion once more, entertained Stuttgart.
RANGERS MAINTAIN PRESSUE ON GLASGOW RIVALS
Back over the North Sea to the United Kingdom and Rangers maintained their winning start to the Scottish Premier League by defeating Hearts 2-0 on the second weekend of SPL fixtures.
The win sustains the early season pressure on titleholders and Old Firm rivals Celtic who traveled to Dundee United on Sunday.
In other SPL results, Hibernian secured a 3-2 victory over Falkirk, Motherwell lost 1-0 at home to Aberdeen, Hamilton Academical secured victory by the same score line over Inverness Caledonian Thistle, while St Mirren played out a 0-0 draw with Kilmarnock.
TITLE HOPEFUL BORDEAUX DROP VITAL POINTS
South and into France, and the second week of French fixtures continued in the 71st Ligue 1 season but there was still no clear title charge evident.
Paris Saint Germain upset one of the competition’s favourites, Girondins Bordeaux, with a goal from their new summer signing, striker Guillaume Hoarau.
Monaco failed to keep their 100% record, but maintained first spot on the Ligue table when they drew 1-1 with newly promoted FC Nantes.
Saint Etienne claimed their first victory of the season with a win over Sochaux, condemning the club to its second consecutive defeat and an early place in the relegation zone.
Other results saw Nice claim the scalp of Nancy in a 2-1 victory, Toulouse brought newly promoted Le Harve back to earth by the same score line and Caen entered the top three with a 3-1 win over Valenciennes.
Le Mans defeated Lille 3-1 to round out the second week of fixtures on Saturday, while defending champions Olympique Lyon continued their title defence against Lorient, Grenoble hosted Rennes and Marseille welcomed Auxerre to the South of France on Sunday.
[COPYRIGHTED TO GOAL! WEEKLY]
Monday, August 11, 2008
Goal! Weekly Article 28: European League Wrap
EUROPEAN ACTION RE-COMMENCES IN STYLE
French, German and Scottish Clubs Open Season in Dramatic Fashion
By Julius Ross
Forget the hectic European summer jam-packed with transfer speculation, scandalous statements from the Cristiano Ronaldo saga and the wash up of Euro 2008, action finally translated from the sidelines and the headlines of the newspapers to the football pitch this weekend.
Both the French and Scottish leagues returned to action for their opening encounters of their respective seasons, whilst in Germany Bundesliga sides warmed up for their 2008-09 campaign with impressive victories in the German Cup.
Goal! Weekly reporter Julius Ross checks out the pick of the action on the European continent.
Champagne Football – French Ligue 1
The French Ligue 1 kicked off in dramatic fashion on Saturday night (AEST) with late drama in several key opening clashes.
Title contenders Marseille surrendered a 3-1 lead away to Rennes to draw 4-4 in a gripping conclusion in the North-West of France.
Marseille will be infuriated at their lack of composure in the final minutes, after unnecessarily dropping two vital points to kick-start their 2008-09 campaign.
Olivier Thomert opened the scoring for Rennes after a mere six minutes, but Marseille replied strongly through Bakari Kone, Hatem Ben Afra and Mamadou Niang to put the away side in a commanding position at half-time.
Rennes launched a fight back in the second half, drawing level through a second goal from Thomert and an own-goal in the 89th minute.
A minute later it appeared that Marseille had secured all three points through an Eliot Grandin strike to make it 4-3, but Rennes’ Bruno Cheyrou snatched a point in the dying seconds.
Newly promoted Grenoble produced some of its own drama in its clash against Sochaux, securing a spectacular victory through late goals by Nassim Akrour and Daniel Moreira who scored in the 87th and 88th minutes, respectively.
Bordeaux shot to the top of the Ligue 1 table courtesy of Fernando Cavenaghi’s goal 10 minutes from time, handing it a 2-1 victory over Caen.
Other fixtures were decided in less dramatic fashion, with four 1-0 victories and a 0-0 draw rounding out the opening day results.
Monaco defeated Paris St Germain thanks to a Frederic Nimani header and Valenciennes beat St Etienne through a penalty from Gael Danic.
Lorient also secured victory via the penalty spot, defeating Le Mans 1-0 with Christophe Jallet slotting home.
Nice succumbed to a lone strike from Le Harve’s Jean-Michel whilst Julien Quercia’s strike helped Auxerre to success against Nantes.
Lille and Nancy played out the only draw of the opening day, with neither side finding the break through in a tense 0-0 draw which saw Lille reduced to 10 men in the final minute.
Current league Champions Lyon began its title defence at home against Toulouse on Monday morning (AEST).
Bundesliga Clubs Serve up Sauerkraut for Lowly Sides in German Cup
In Germany, Bundesliga sides showed no mercy to their inferior opponents in the second round of the German Cup on Saturday.
A week before the Bungesliga kicks-off for the 2008-09 season, the premier division clubs showed off their goal scoring credentials and sent out warnings to their opponents in a series of merciless victories against lowly opposition.
Werder Bremen demolished fourth-division Eintracht Nordhorn 9-3 in the match of the round, with Markus Rosenberg snatching four goals and Hugo Almeida securing a hat-trick in the 12-goal encounter.
Hannover continued the destruction with a 5-0 thumping of Hallescher FC in a heated encounter.
The clash was marred briefly by violence in the stands between opposing supporters, which caused a 10 minute delay to play, but even when police had defused the potentially volatile situation off-pitch, Hannover continued their on-pitch demolition.
Borussia Moenchengladbach were far from lenient on Fitche Bielefield, humiliating the minnows 8-1, whilst Borussia Dortmund further stamped the authority of the Bungelsiga with victory over fourth-division side Rot-Weiss Essen.
Eintracht Frankfurt, Energie Cottbus and Schalke all battered their opponents by 3-0 score lines, with SC Pfullendorf, TB Berlin and Homburg suffering the damage from their respective opponents.
Rangers Kick-Start Campaign with Gutsy Victory
Rangers kicked off their 2008-09 SPL campaign with a win on the opening day of the season courtesy of Andius Velicka’s second-half tap-in against Falkirk.
But it wasn’t all easy sailing for the Glasgow club who were looking to get off to winning ways after being knocked out of Europe by underdogs FBK Kaunas midweek.
It was looking bleak for the Ibrox club in the 54th minute after they conceded a penalty to the home side, but had ‘keeper Allan McGregor to thank for turning Michael Hidgon’s shot round the post.
Velicka’s goal was enough as Rangers held on away from home to put pressure on Celtic, the current SPL Champion, in a season where the Glasgow giants will almost certainly again fight it out for the title.
Elsewhere, Hearts and Motherwell played out a 3-2 thriller, Kilmarnock secured a 1-0 victory over Hibernian and Inverness won 2-0 against Aberdeen.
Saturday, August 9, 2008
Goal! Weekly Articles Uploaded
Ahhhh......finally. After the first day of setting up my blog, i finally uploaded all 27 of my Goal! Weekly articles which have been published so far this year. I have archived them so that they can be viewed by anyone interested in my writing or the issue i am writing on but to also have an online version of my articles available for easy access.
Enjoy!
Enjoy!
Goal! Weekly Article 27: Apple Isle in A-League Bid
TASMANIAN UNITED IN A-LEAGUE BID
Taskforce Releases Logos in bid for Community Support
By Julius Ross
Tasmania’s bid for an A-League side gathered further momentum when its taskforce released four logo concepts for the proposed team last week.
The State’s key campaigners for an A-League side have already registered the name Tasmanian United FC as a part of the bid.
Consisting of a selection of businessmen, strategic planners, political figures and a former English league footballer, the Tasmanian Football Taskforce formed in March this year in an attempt to obtain an A-League licence for the Island State.
The Taskforce must prove to Football Federation Australia that Tasmania can tick the boxes of three required criteria; finance, venue and support, if it is to have a side up and running by the 2011 season.
Designed in Europe and the US, the four logo concepts are part of a branding exercise, which the Taskforce hopes will demonstrate the community support the Tasmanian bid can gather.
The Tasmanian public are required to provide their input in the A-League proposal, with a website set up where viewers can choose to vote for their favourite logo design and provide feedback on the proposals.
The Taskforce’s chairman, John McGirr, also emphasised that if the logos illustrated significant support at this early stage of the proposal, it would confirm the serious nature of the Tasmanian bid to the FFA.
Tasmania’s proposal was kicked-started by the announcement by FFA boss Ben Buckley early this year, which proposed an expansion of the A-League from eight to 14 teams over the next five years, effectively providing an opportunity for a side from the South.
In May, Buckley, incidentally a Tasmanian, announced that a strong Tasmanian bid for an A-League side would be considered if it meets the specific criteria.
However, Tasmanian faces stiff competition from four other regions identified and targeted by FFA for immediate expansion of the league.
Western Sydney, Melbourne, Townsville and Gold Coast are the proposed areas for expansion from eight to 10 teams within the next two years, to 12 teams in around three years time, with the FFA looking towards an eventually expansion to 14 teams.
With so much competition for an ever-expanding A-League, no matter which state in Australia receives the next spot in the League, the expansion can only be good for the game.
While the success of the logo concepts will be revealed over the coming months, the Taskforce believe that they have a suitable venue and financial viability for a successful bid, therefore ticking two of the three required criteria boxes.
The Taskforce are confident that the projected annual running costs of $6 million and a salary cap of $2 million would be achievable by the season 2011-12.
Aurora Stadium (York Park) in Launceston is currently the preferred venue for the proposed side, with the stadium already meeting venue requirements and having staged A-League pre-season matches on numerous occasions.
The venue attracted an 8,000 strong crowd for this year’s Pre-Season Cup match between Melbourne Victory and Adelaide United and Football Federation Tasmania’s CEO Martin Shaw believes that a Tasmanian A-League side could easily achieve a 10,000 average support base per game.
But with Hobart the State’s capital, the Taskforce has vowed to overcome Tasmanian’s North-South divide (hence, also the name Tasmania ‘United’) by providing a venue in both halves of the Island.
This has been the only area of issue in the bid, with the South’s premier venue, Bellerive Oval – which is home to international cricket events – not having ‘drop-in pitch’ technology, which renders it unsuitable.
Shaw believes that the Tasmanian government should get behind the bid and provide financial support to redevelop another Southern venue at North Hobart Oval.
Tasmania has 14,000 registered players and an increasing number of youth development programs including Tasmanian Institute of Sport teams, and the only thing lacking is high-profile football being played in Tasmanian on a regular basis.
The current A-League bid is not the first time that the State has tried to enter a national soccer competition.
In February 2004, Tasmania launched a proposal for inclusion in the National Soccer League but the application was halted when the league became defunct.
A Tasmanian youth team will be involved in friendly matches against A-League National Youth League sides from Sydney FC, Melbourne Victory and Adelaide United in November this year.
The friendlies will gauge where Tasmania’s youth development is at and whether they are at a standard to participate at a national level.
A decision about Tasmania United’s bid will be made around May or June 2009.
To view or vote for the Tasmanian United Logo, visit; www.focussedstrategy.com/ALeague/
Goal! Weekly Article 26: Olyroos Beijing 2008
OLYROOS IN BEIJING BATTLE
Australia face uphill task for Games Glory
By Julius Ross
A foiled terrorist threat will be the least of the Olyroos’ worries when they begin their campaign at the 2008 Beijing Olympics in 11 days time.
Graham Arnold’s side is scheduled to commence their first two games of the tournament in Shanghai Stadium – an Olympic venue targeted by an unknown international terrorist group.
Local police last week cracked a terrorist cell, via a series of raids, which was planning to attack the stadium, however, the Shanghai Public Security Bureau could not reveal details about any of the information collected.
Despite the raids reducing the threat levels, the possibility of a terror attack still exists.
But Graham Arnold’s side will disregard the risk of an attack and focus instead on the uphill task of progressing past challenging opponents in Group A.
Drawn against reigning Gold medallist Argentina, along with tricky opposition in the form of Serbia and the Cote d’Ivoire, Australia will face stiff competition in a bid for an Olympic medal.
Argentina will pose the greatest challenge for the Olyroos during the group stage, with the South American side looking to defend their gold medal achievement at the Athens Games in 2004.
With the likes of Boca Juniors’ Juan Roman Riquelme, Liverpool’s Javier Mascherano and the possibility that Barcelona’s Lionel Messi will join the Olympic side despite protestations from his Spainish club, the Albicelestes will be formidable opponents and are likely to retain their crown.
Although he has been named in the Argentine squad for the Games, Messi may miss the tournament because Barcelona expects him to play in the UEFA Champions League qualifiers that commence mid-August.
With the formidable Argentinean side in a class above the Australians, the Olyroos will look to secure positive results from their clashes against European qualifier Serbia and African representative Cote d’Ivorie.
But that will not be an easy feat, with the Ivory Coast possessing talents such as Chelsea’s Salomon Kalou and Serbia having experience across the board.
Although it appears that the Olyroos will struggle to impose themselves on the early stages of the tournament, Arnold remains optimistic that his side has the chance of securing Olympic glory.
Despite the threats on and off the pitch, Arnold is confident that the Olyroos have a chance at securing a medal at the Games due to his squad’s ability to play in testing conditions, illustrated by their recent results against the likes of South America’s Chile.
The ex-Socceroo coach believes that his side will need to play ‘Asian-type football’ and football that suits the gruelling conditions in China.
But the Olyroos have struggled in their last two friendly matches against Asian opponents in the lead up to the Games, losing narrowly Japan 2-1 and China 1-0.
Arnold has included the services of overage players and national favourites, Archie Thompson, David Carney and Jade North to assist the U23 squad with their international experience.
Arnold hopes that his side will be able to emulate the quarter-final appearance that Australia made at the Athens Olympics four years ago.
The side will face the Korean Republic in their final pre-tournament warm-up match this Thursday, before preparing for kick off against Serbia in their opening match of the Games.
Although Australia’s Olympic glory is often secured in the swimming pool or on the athletic track, the Olyroos will be attempting to achieve a rare Games victory on the green grass of the football pitch.
The 16 team tournament will feature nations qualified from the Asian, African, North American, South American, Oceanian and European regions:
QUALIFIED NATIONS
Host Nation:
-China
AFC Preliminary Competition:
-Australia
-Korea Republic
-Japan
CAF Preliminary Competition:
-Cameroon
-Côte d'Ivoire
-Nigeria
CONCACAF Preliminary Competition:
-Honduras
-USA
2007 South American Youth Championship:
-Brazil
-Argentina
OFC Preliminary Competition:
-New Zealand
2007 UEFA U-21 Championship:
-Netherlands
-Serbia
-Belgium
-Italy
Australia face uphill task for Games Glory
By Julius Ross
A foiled terrorist threat will be the least of the Olyroos’ worries when they begin their campaign at the 2008 Beijing Olympics in 11 days time.
Graham Arnold’s side is scheduled to commence their first two games of the tournament in Shanghai Stadium – an Olympic venue targeted by an unknown international terrorist group.
Local police last week cracked a terrorist cell, via a series of raids, which was planning to attack the stadium, however, the Shanghai Public Security Bureau could not reveal details about any of the information collected.
Despite the raids reducing the threat levels, the possibility of a terror attack still exists.
But Graham Arnold’s side will disregard the risk of an attack and focus instead on the uphill task of progressing past challenging opponents in Group A.
Drawn against reigning Gold medallist Argentina, along with tricky opposition in the form of Serbia and the Cote d’Ivoire, Australia will face stiff competition in a bid for an Olympic medal.
Argentina will pose the greatest challenge for the Olyroos during the group stage, with the South American side looking to defend their gold medal achievement at the Athens Games in 2004.
With the likes of Boca Juniors’ Juan Roman Riquelme, Liverpool’s Javier Mascherano and the possibility that Barcelona’s Lionel Messi will join the Olympic side despite protestations from his Spainish club, the Albicelestes will be formidable opponents and are likely to retain their crown.
Although he has been named in the Argentine squad for the Games, Messi may miss the tournament because Barcelona expects him to play in the UEFA Champions League qualifiers that commence mid-August.
With the formidable Argentinean side in a class above the Australians, the Olyroos will look to secure positive results from their clashes against European qualifier Serbia and African representative Cote d’Ivorie.
But that will not be an easy feat, with the Ivory Coast possessing talents such as Chelsea’s Salomon Kalou and Serbia having experience across the board.
Although it appears that the Olyroos will struggle to impose themselves on the early stages of the tournament, Arnold remains optimistic that his side has the chance of securing Olympic glory.
Despite the threats on and off the pitch, Arnold is confident that the Olyroos have a chance at securing a medal at the Games due to his squad’s ability to play in testing conditions, illustrated by their recent results against the likes of South America’s Chile.
The ex-Socceroo coach believes that his side will need to play ‘Asian-type football’ and football that suits the gruelling conditions in China.
But the Olyroos have struggled in their last two friendly matches against Asian opponents in the lead up to the Games, losing narrowly Japan 2-1 and China 1-0.
Arnold has included the services of overage players and national favourites, Archie Thompson, David Carney and Jade North to assist the U23 squad with their international experience.
Arnold hopes that his side will be able to emulate the quarter-final appearance that Australia made at the Athens Olympics four years ago.
The side will face the Korean Republic in their final pre-tournament warm-up match this Thursday, before preparing for kick off against Serbia in their opening match of the Games.
Although Australia’s Olympic glory is often secured in the swimming pool or on the athletic track, the Olyroos will be attempting to achieve a rare Games victory on the green grass of the football pitch.
The 16 team tournament will feature nations qualified from the Asian, African, North American, South American, Oceanian and European regions:
QUALIFIED NATIONS
Host Nation:
-China
AFC Preliminary Competition:
-Australia
-Korea Republic
-Japan
CAF Preliminary Competition:
-Cameroon
-Côte d'Ivoire
-Nigeria
CONCACAF Preliminary Competition:
-Honduras
-USA
2007 South American Youth Championship:
-Brazil
-Argentina
OFC Preliminary Competition:
-New Zealand
2007 UEFA U-21 Championship:
-Netherlands
-Serbia
-Belgium
-Italy
Goal! Weekly Article 25: Top 10 Weird, Wacky and Wonderful Football Sites
THE WEIRD, WACKY AND WONDERFUL WORLD WIDE WEB
By Julius Ross
In search of alternative footballing websites, Goal! Weekly explores the top 10 most interesting, bizarre, useful and entertaining websites out there in cyberspace.
10. FOOTBALL 365
Website: www.football365.com
As the name implies, Football 365 is dedicated to football 365 days of the year.
On first inspection, the website appears to be an average run-of-the-mill English football site, with focus on fixtures, results, statistics, transfer speculation and all the latest news in England and abroad. However, on second glance, Football 365 takes a much more satirical angle on the everyday footballing issues, referring to teams such as Manchester United as Man Yoo, Chelsea as Chelski and Arsenal as the Gooners to lighten the mood.
On a more serious note, Football 365 does have some credibility, with the ‘Opinion’ section home to ‘Britain’s Best Football Pundit’ Andy Gray.
Overall, Football 365 functions as a bright and colourful website which keeps you up to date with the latest news and gossip in the footballing world, whilst providing you with light entertainment
9. FAMOUS FOOTBALL FANS
Website: http://www.the-football-club.com/famous-football-fans.html
What do The Queen, Prince Harry, Dido and Nick Hornby have in common? They all support Arsenal FC of course! Which football team do Lennox Lewis, Kiera Knightly, John Cleese support? West Ham United! Famous Football Fans is a link off TheFootballClub.com and provides readers with an intriguing insight into which English teams A-List celebrities barrack for. Although most people would find this information relatively useless, for those celebrity obsessed people, Famous Football Fans can provide you with a little extra gossip for the next time you’re catching up with friends over a chai latte at Starbucks.
8. FAN CHANTS
Website: http://www.fanchants.com/
Ever wondered what a particular team was chanting to their opponents? Fan Chants has over 3,000 different footballing chants available for purchase or download or even use as mobile phone ringtones. You’ll never have to wonder again what your team really thinks of their rivals. WARNING! Coarse language within! (Most of them are English, you see).
7. ASK THE REF
Website: www.asktheref.com
Every match day, players and fans alike get stuck into the men and women in black, and more often than not have a query for the match officials. But whilst most of what is said is unprintable here, AskTheRef.com allows those who would like to take up an issue with the referee, to do so in a more humble manner than is seen from the terraces. AskTheRef allows you to enquire about specific refereeing decisions, or provides a great base for expanding your knowledge of the rules of the game, without the risk of seeing Red.
6. FOOTBALL QUOTES
Website: http://www.footballquotes.info/
Football Quotes is one of the many various sites floating around the World Wide Web that capture the hilarious quotes of footballing personalities. Football Quotes have some of the weirdest and wackiest quotes from the likes of David Beckham, Thierry Henry and Steven Gerrard, as well as English managers Bobby Robson and Terry Venables and commentators such as John Motson. Here just a few to inspire you to visit Football Quotes:
"If you can't stand the heat in the dressing-room, get out of the kitchen!" Terry Venables.
"Sometimes in football you have to score goals," Thierry Henry.
"My parents have been there for me, ever since I was about 7," David Beckham.
"I think this could be [England’s] best victory over Germany since the war," John Motson.
5. KIKETTE
Website: http://kickette.com/
Quoted from the website: “Written by a small but perfectly formed crack team of female journalists, fashionistas and debauchery-chasing champagne swillers, Kickette is the number one authority on the web for all things fun, fluffy and footie-related. Multi-millionaire football star shenanigans, exclusive WAG gossip and snarky fashion analysis are the reason we exist. For those that love football, but also love the WAG lifestyle, culture, designer labels, gossip and debauchery just as much, Kickette is the site for you.”
Fun. Fluffy. Footie-related? Whilst most of you will take several minutes to take in contents of the last paragraph, I’ll confirm that, yes, this is a football site designed for the females. When I stumbled across this page with its light pink background and paparazzi shots of a topless Christiano Ronaldo poolside, I was slightly disturbed. However, it is fantastic to discover a rare footballing website dedicated to females supporters of the world game despite the gossip stories having less credibility than Woman’s Weekly or New Idea.
Featuring a ‘Finest Five’ list of the ‘hottest footballers’ and ‘Thursday Thigh Off’ – where readers can assess the ‘quality’ of footballer’s thighs; “may the best quads win!” - the designers of this website have certainly aimed it at their fellow female soccer fans. However, I encourage men to check out this website too, it’s quite interesting to find out able the players’ off-field shenanigans!
4. VIRGIN FOOTBALL
Website: http://www.virginmedia.com/sport/football/pictures.php?npar=nav-football
Despite the incomprehensible web address and the fact that it is funded by multi billionaire entrepreneur Richard Branson, this site is well worth a visit. Featuring sections on the Most Hated Footballers, Euro 2008 Lookalikes, the Daftest Quotes from the Beautiful Game and the Season’s Best Football Chants, it is guaranteed to provide you with hours of entertainment. And a chuckle or two.
3. TOP HOOLIGAN
Website: http://www.tophooligan.com/
No one likes a football hooligan, or hooliganism in general, but Top Hooligan gives you a bizarre insight into football violence. The site has links to the type of clothes that hooligans wear to escape recognition from authorities, the various different Firms which exist, along with pictures and videos. The website does not encourage hooliganism or violent behaviour, and provides articles on how football’s Governing bodies are attempting to curb violence on and off the pitch. Still, not for the faint hearted!
2. SEXY GOALS
Website: http://www.sexygoals.com/
The name says it all – some of the sexiest goals ever scored in World football….in convenient video format.
1. MIDFIELD DYNAMO
Website: http://www.midfielddynamo.com/
Midfield Dynamo is the ‘home of cult football.’ Designed to differentiate itself from the mainstream of ‘normal’ football sites, Midfield Dynamo features everything but the latest football news and gossip. It features sections on ‘The World’s most Bizarre Transfers’, ’10 surprising facts bout Johan Cruff’, ’10 Decent Tea Cup Throwers’, ‘20 Things you will always see at a non-league game’ and ‘Top 10 Notorious Club Owners’ – the peculiar list goes on. If that isn’t enough to satisfy your taste for bizarre football facts, then you can always find out ‘What’s Your Brazilian Football Name?’
Mine is Juliildo, if you’re wondering.
By Julius Ross
In search of alternative footballing websites, Goal! Weekly explores the top 10 most interesting, bizarre, useful and entertaining websites out there in cyberspace.
10. FOOTBALL 365
Website: www.football365.com
As the name implies, Football 365 is dedicated to football 365 days of the year.
On first inspection, the website appears to be an average run-of-the-mill English football site, with focus on fixtures, results, statistics, transfer speculation and all the latest news in England and abroad. However, on second glance, Football 365 takes a much more satirical angle on the everyday footballing issues, referring to teams such as Manchester United as Man Yoo, Chelsea as Chelski and Arsenal as the Gooners to lighten the mood.
On a more serious note, Football 365 does have some credibility, with the ‘Opinion’ section home to ‘Britain’s Best Football Pundit’ Andy Gray.
Overall, Football 365 functions as a bright and colourful website which keeps you up to date with the latest news and gossip in the footballing world, whilst providing you with light entertainment
9. FAMOUS FOOTBALL FANS
Website: http://www.the-football-club.com/famous-football-fans.html
What do The Queen, Prince Harry, Dido and Nick Hornby have in common? They all support Arsenal FC of course! Which football team do Lennox Lewis, Kiera Knightly, John Cleese support? West Ham United! Famous Football Fans is a link off TheFootballClub.com and provides readers with an intriguing insight into which English teams A-List celebrities barrack for. Although most people would find this information relatively useless, for those celebrity obsessed people, Famous Football Fans can provide you with a little extra gossip for the next time you’re catching up with friends over a chai latte at Starbucks.
8. FAN CHANTS
Website: http://www.fanchants.com/
Ever wondered what a particular team was chanting to their opponents? Fan Chants has over 3,000 different footballing chants available for purchase or download or even use as mobile phone ringtones. You’ll never have to wonder again what your team really thinks of their rivals. WARNING! Coarse language within! (Most of them are English, you see).
7. ASK THE REF
Website: www.asktheref.com
Every match day, players and fans alike get stuck into the men and women in black, and more often than not have a query for the match officials. But whilst most of what is said is unprintable here, AskTheRef.com allows those who would like to take up an issue with the referee, to do so in a more humble manner than is seen from the terraces. AskTheRef allows you to enquire about specific refereeing decisions, or provides a great base for expanding your knowledge of the rules of the game, without the risk of seeing Red.
6. FOOTBALL QUOTES
Website: http://www.footballquotes.info/
Football Quotes is one of the many various sites floating around the World Wide Web that capture the hilarious quotes of footballing personalities. Football Quotes have some of the weirdest and wackiest quotes from the likes of David Beckham, Thierry Henry and Steven Gerrard, as well as English managers Bobby Robson and Terry Venables and commentators such as John Motson. Here just a few to inspire you to visit Football Quotes:
"If you can't stand the heat in the dressing-room, get out of the kitchen!" Terry Venables.
"Sometimes in football you have to score goals," Thierry Henry.
"My parents have been there for me, ever since I was about 7," David Beckham.
"I think this could be [England’s] best victory over Germany since the war," John Motson.
5. KIKETTE
Website: http://kickette.com/
Quoted from the website: “Written by a small but perfectly formed crack team of female journalists, fashionistas and debauchery-chasing champagne swillers, Kickette is the number one authority on the web for all things fun, fluffy and footie-related. Multi-millionaire football star shenanigans, exclusive WAG gossip and snarky fashion analysis are the reason we exist. For those that love football, but also love the WAG lifestyle, culture, designer labels, gossip and debauchery just as much, Kickette is the site for you.”
Fun. Fluffy. Footie-related? Whilst most of you will take several minutes to take in contents of the last paragraph, I’ll confirm that, yes, this is a football site designed for the females. When I stumbled across this page with its light pink background and paparazzi shots of a topless Christiano Ronaldo poolside, I was slightly disturbed. However, it is fantastic to discover a rare footballing website dedicated to females supporters of the world game despite the gossip stories having less credibility than Woman’s Weekly or New Idea.
Featuring a ‘Finest Five’ list of the ‘hottest footballers’ and ‘Thursday Thigh Off’ – where readers can assess the ‘quality’ of footballer’s thighs; “may the best quads win!” - the designers of this website have certainly aimed it at their fellow female soccer fans. However, I encourage men to check out this website too, it’s quite interesting to find out able the players’ off-field shenanigans!
4. VIRGIN FOOTBALL
Website: http://www.virginmedia.com/sport/football/pictures.php?npar=nav-football
Despite the incomprehensible web address and the fact that it is funded by multi billionaire entrepreneur Richard Branson, this site is well worth a visit. Featuring sections on the Most Hated Footballers, Euro 2008 Lookalikes, the Daftest Quotes from the Beautiful Game and the Season’s Best Football Chants, it is guaranteed to provide you with hours of entertainment. And a chuckle or two.
3. TOP HOOLIGAN
Website: http://www.tophooligan.com/
No one likes a football hooligan, or hooliganism in general, but Top Hooligan gives you a bizarre insight into football violence. The site has links to the type of clothes that hooligans wear to escape recognition from authorities, the various different Firms which exist, along with pictures and videos. The website does not encourage hooliganism or violent behaviour, and provides articles on how football’s Governing bodies are attempting to curb violence on and off the pitch. Still, not for the faint hearted!
2. SEXY GOALS
Website: http://www.sexygoals.com/
The name says it all – some of the sexiest goals ever scored in World football….in convenient video format.
1. MIDFIELD DYNAMO
Website: http://www.midfielddynamo.com/
Midfield Dynamo is the ‘home of cult football.’ Designed to differentiate itself from the mainstream of ‘normal’ football sites, Midfield Dynamo features everything but the latest football news and gossip. It features sections on ‘The World’s most Bizarre Transfers’, ’10 surprising facts bout Johan Cruff’, ’10 Decent Tea Cup Throwers’, ‘20 Things you will always see at a non-league game’ and ‘Top 10 Notorious Club Owners’ – the peculiar list goes on. If that isn’t enough to satisfy your taste for bizarre football facts, then you can always find out ‘What’s Your Brazilian Football Name?’
Mine is Juliildo, if you’re wondering.
Goal! Weekly Article 24: Ecuadorian Glory
ECUADORIAN GLORY
By Julius Ross
Liga de Quito made history in the 2008 edition of the Copa Libertadores when they became the first ever Ecuadorian club to lift the trophy.
In the 49th season of the CONMEBOL international club tournament, Liga de Quito entered the competition as underdogs, courtesy of their 2007 Campeonato Ecuatoriano de Fútbol victory in the Ecuadorian Serie A.
With the tournament commencing in January, Quito earned a direct qualification place in the Group stage and avoided the preliminary stage of the tournament, meaning that they kicked off their Copa season in Feburary.
Although they managed only three wins from a possible six, the Ecuadorian side qualified second in Group 8 of the tournament, three points behind Brazilian club Fluminense, and consequently knocked out Argentinean side Arsenal and Paraguayan club Libertad.
In the Round of 16, Quito faced a tough draw against three time winners Estudiantes from Argentina.
But a 2-0 victory in the first leg of the knockout match gave Quito an advantage heading into the second leg and despite a 2-1 loss, the club managed a 3-2 aggregate victory to enter the quarter-final stage.
Argentinean side San Lorenzo, who had dispatched of giants River Plate, was Quito’s next challenge and two 1-1 draws over the two legs meant that their quarter-final tie would be decided on penalties.
The club managed an astonishing 5-3 shoot-out victory to secure a semi-final place against Mexican club America, and the Ecuadorian side again squeezed a close result out of the fixture; a 1-1 draw in the first leg enough for Quito to advance on the away goals rule to lock in a final position against group rivals Fluminense.
With the final to be played over two legs, Liga de Quito made a fantastic start to the final play-off, by recording a 4-2 home victory over the Brazilians, through goals from Bieler, Guerron, Campos and Urrutia.
With a commanding lead from the first leg, Fluminense faced an uphill battle to become the first team to erase a two-goal deficit in the final since 1989.
Prior to kick-off, the Fluminense was also hoping to become the ninth Brazillian club from to win the Latin American competition, along with Palmeiras, Sao Paulo, Santos, Flamengo, Vasco, Internacional, Gremio and Cruzeiro.
And the second leg, played at the intimidating Estadio do Maracana in Rio de Janeiro, favoured the home side Fluminense, with around 80,000 fans cheering on their Brazilian heroes.
Despite taking an early lead through Bolanos’ sixth minute goal, Quito succumbed to an incredible fight-back from Fluminense who scored three goals to level the tie 5-5, courtesy of a 3-1 victory in the second leg.
It appeared that it would be Fluminense’s night, with promising young Brazilian Thiago Neves scoring a classy hat-trick to pull his side back into contention for the Copa trophy.
But faced with another penalty shoot-out, Liga de Quito used their experience from their quarter-final shoot-out victory over San Lorenzo, to record a 3-1 victory.
The victory was largely credited to Quito goalkeeper Jose Francisco Cevallos who saved three of Fluminense’s spot kicks, whilst Urrutia, Salas and Guerron all converted to secure an historic victory for the Ecuadorian side.
The win sparked wild celebrations in the Brazilian capital and back in Ecuador, with the 2,000 travelling Quito fans revelling in their club’s dramatic victory.
Whilst the Copa Liberatores victory secured a rare triumph in Ecuadorian history, the continent’s first ever continental title, Quito’s success also earned them a spot in FIFA’s Club World Cup which is held later this year.
Quito succeed where their county had previously failed, with their Ecuadorian representatives Barcelona SC having reached the final twice in 1990 and 1998, but having fallen at the final hurdle.
By Julius Ross
Liga de Quito made history in the 2008 edition of the Copa Libertadores when they became the first ever Ecuadorian club to lift the trophy.
In the 49th season of the CONMEBOL international club tournament, Liga de Quito entered the competition as underdogs, courtesy of their 2007 Campeonato Ecuatoriano de Fútbol victory in the Ecuadorian Serie A.
With the tournament commencing in January, Quito earned a direct qualification place in the Group stage and avoided the preliminary stage of the tournament, meaning that they kicked off their Copa season in Feburary.
Although they managed only three wins from a possible six, the Ecuadorian side qualified second in Group 8 of the tournament, three points behind Brazilian club Fluminense, and consequently knocked out Argentinean side Arsenal and Paraguayan club Libertad.
In the Round of 16, Quito faced a tough draw against three time winners Estudiantes from Argentina.
But a 2-0 victory in the first leg of the knockout match gave Quito an advantage heading into the second leg and despite a 2-1 loss, the club managed a 3-2 aggregate victory to enter the quarter-final stage.
Argentinean side San Lorenzo, who had dispatched of giants River Plate, was Quito’s next challenge and two 1-1 draws over the two legs meant that their quarter-final tie would be decided on penalties.
The club managed an astonishing 5-3 shoot-out victory to secure a semi-final place against Mexican club America, and the Ecuadorian side again squeezed a close result out of the fixture; a 1-1 draw in the first leg enough for Quito to advance on the away goals rule to lock in a final position against group rivals Fluminense.
With the final to be played over two legs, Liga de Quito made a fantastic start to the final play-off, by recording a 4-2 home victory over the Brazilians, through goals from Bieler, Guerron, Campos and Urrutia.
With a commanding lead from the first leg, Fluminense faced an uphill battle to become the first team to erase a two-goal deficit in the final since 1989.
Prior to kick-off, the Fluminense was also hoping to become the ninth Brazillian club from to win the Latin American competition, along with Palmeiras, Sao Paulo, Santos, Flamengo, Vasco, Internacional, Gremio and Cruzeiro.
And the second leg, played at the intimidating Estadio do Maracana in Rio de Janeiro, favoured the home side Fluminense, with around 80,000 fans cheering on their Brazilian heroes.
Despite taking an early lead through Bolanos’ sixth minute goal, Quito succumbed to an incredible fight-back from Fluminense who scored three goals to level the tie 5-5, courtesy of a 3-1 victory in the second leg.
It appeared that it would be Fluminense’s night, with promising young Brazilian Thiago Neves scoring a classy hat-trick to pull his side back into contention for the Copa trophy.
But faced with another penalty shoot-out, Liga de Quito used their experience from their quarter-final shoot-out victory over San Lorenzo, to record a 3-1 victory.
The victory was largely credited to Quito goalkeeper Jose Francisco Cevallos who saved three of Fluminense’s spot kicks, whilst Urrutia, Salas and Guerron all converted to secure an historic victory for the Ecuadorian side.
The win sparked wild celebrations in the Brazilian capital and back in Ecuador, with the 2,000 travelling Quito fans revelling in their club’s dramatic victory.
Whilst the Copa Liberatores victory secured a rare triumph in Ecuadorian history, the continent’s first ever continental title, Quito’s success also earned them a spot in FIFA’s Club World Cup which is held later this year.
Quito succeed where their county had previously failed, with their Ecuadorian representatives Barcelona SC having reached the final twice in 1990 and 1998, but having fallen at the final hurdle.
Goal! Weekly Article 23: EURO 2008
SPANISH SUPREMACY
By Julius Ross
Although much of the hype surrounding the European Championships has diminished over the past couple of weeks, Spain will be celebrating the end of 44 years of heartbreak for many years to come.
After their emphatic triumph in Austria and Switzerland added only a second European Championship to the national side’s trophy cabinet and first since 1964, Spanish fans across the country revelled in wild celebrations on return of their national heroes.
The party commenced within the Ernst Happel Stadion in Vienna, Austria, where the Spanish players celebrated in the change rooms, spraying champagne on team-mates and the King of Spain, Juan Carlos, who had come to congratulate his nation’s stars after their triumph over Germany.
In Spain, millions of Spanish supporters spilled out onto the streets in a sea of red and yellow, to celebrate a rare accomplishment in their country’s cursed history.
Tens of thousands continued the celebrations into the next day, missing their work commitments to party along to the chants of ‘ESPANA! ESPANA!’, ‘OLE, OLE, OLE’ and ‘CAMPEONES, CAMPEONES.’
Wrapped in Spanish Flags or dressed as their nation’s icon, the bullfighter, revellers set off fireworks and danced upon car rooftops to the beeping of car horns.
The Plaza de Colon in the Spanish capital of Madrid was the place to be the next day after the Final triumph, as the nation’s stars returned from Vienna holding the silver cup aloft on touchdown.
An open top bus tour, a special tribute from the Spanish Air Force and numerous speeches saw the triumphant Spanish side cheered on by huge crowds, as the Henri Delaunay trophy touched down in Madrid.
As the young and talented side appeared wearily and exhausted from the aircraft after a long night of celebration, it was clearly apparent that the side was far from their physical peak that they were in at the start of the tournament three weeks earlier.
Placed in Group D and seeded 12th in the competition, Spain made short work of their group opponents on their way to lifting the trophy.
Luis Aragones’ side commenced the tournament in sensational style, with an emphatic 4-1 victory over Guus Hiddink’s Russia, with Golden Boot winner David Villa netting a fantastic hat-trick.
Sweden and Greece provided little resistance for the Spanish, with the side collecting maximum points in Group D with two consecutive 2-1 victories against their group opponents.
Playing attacking, free-flowing, one-touch football, Spain were soon making an attractive surge towards the final.
But in the quarter-finals they faced their toughest test; reigning World Cup holders Italy, a side which they had not won against in competitive match since 1920.
But Italy had had a woeful group-stage, and despite holding Spain to a dull 0-0 via highly defensive tactics after extra time, the momentum was with Luis Aragones’ side heading into the penalty shoot-out.
By far the better team on the day, Spain’s goalkeeper Iker Casillas was the shot-out hero, saving two penalties and allowing Arsenal midfielder Cesc Fabregas to seal a 4-2 victory with the final spot kick.
The victory not only broke Spain’s incredible 88-year drought against the Italians, but it also signalled the end of a penalty shoot-out losing streak on the 22 June, with previous losses against Belgium in the 1986 World Cup, England in Euro 1996 and against South Korea in the 2002 World Cup, all on the same date.
With only one match away from the final, Spain was drawn in the semi-finals with giant-killers Russia, who had dispatched of tournament favourite the Netherlands in the quarters.
But as they had done so in the opening match of the tournament, Luis Aragones’ side were ruthless against the Russians, with a fine display by substitute Cesc Fabregas setting up an emphatic 3-0 victory against the European underdogs.
The victory set up an intriguing final between the impressive Spain and three-time winners Germany, who had claimed the scalps of Portugal and Turkey on their way to another final appearance.
Perennial underachievers, the Spanish side was determined not to fail once more at the final hurdle, and completely outclassed the Germans despite missing top scorer Villa through injury.
The 1-0 score line, courtesy of a neat Fernando Torres finish in the 33rd minute, did not do the Spanish side justice, and the score line could easily have been 3-0.
With a total of 12 goals in the tournament, Spain was the top scoring nation, and striker David Villa finished as top goal-scorer with four goals.
Midfielder Xavi Hernadez was awarded Player of the Tournament, due to his reliability and consistency in the middle of the park.
No less than nine Spanish players were chosen in the UEFA Euro 2008 Team of the Tournament, illustrating the side’s dominance and ability throughout the three week competition.
Spain also ended the tournament as the only unbeaten side to win since Germany in 1996, and the first side since France in 1984 to win all their group matches and go on to win the tournament.
Spain were further rewarded for their impressive performance at Euro 2008, with FIFA awarding them first place on the FIFA World Rankings two days after their Euro triumph, for the first time in the nation’s history.
Unlike in Euro 2004, where ultra defensive Greece managed to win via negative tactics, Euro 2008 produced a worthy winner in Spain, a true footballing side which displayed sensational ability, positive attacking football and most importantly entertaining skill.
By Julius Ross
Although much of the hype surrounding the European Championships has diminished over the past couple of weeks, Spain will be celebrating the end of 44 years of heartbreak for many years to come.
After their emphatic triumph in Austria and Switzerland added only a second European Championship to the national side’s trophy cabinet and first since 1964, Spanish fans across the country revelled in wild celebrations on return of their national heroes.
The party commenced within the Ernst Happel Stadion in Vienna, Austria, where the Spanish players celebrated in the change rooms, spraying champagne on team-mates and the King of Spain, Juan Carlos, who had come to congratulate his nation’s stars after their triumph over Germany.
In Spain, millions of Spanish supporters spilled out onto the streets in a sea of red and yellow, to celebrate a rare accomplishment in their country’s cursed history.
Tens of thousands continued the celebrations into the next day, missing their work commitments to party along to the chants of ‘ESPANA! ESPANA!’, ‘OLE, OLE, OLE’ and ‘CAMPEONES, CAMPEONES.’
Wrapped in Spanish Flags or dressed as their nation’s icon, the bullfighter, revellers set off fireworks and danced upon car rooftops to the beeping of car horns.
The Plaza de Colon in the Spanish capital of Madrid was the place to be the next day after the Final triumph, as the nation’s stars returned from Vienna holding the silver cup aloft on touchdown.
An open top bus tour, a special tribute from the Spanish Air Force and numerous speeches saw the triumphant Spanish side cheered on by huge crowds, as the Henri Delaunay trophy touched down in Madrid.
As the young and talented side appeared wearily and exhausted from the aircraft after a long night of celebration, it was clearly apparent that the side was far from their physical peak that they were in at the start of the tournament three weeks earlier.
Placed in Group D and seeded 12th in the competition, Spain made short work of their group opponents on their way to lifting the trophy.
Luis Aragones’ side commenced the tournament in sensational style, with an emphatic 4-1 victory over Guus Hiddink’s Russia, with Golden Boot winner David Villa netting a fantastic hat-trick.
Sweden and Greece provided little resistance for the Spanish, with the side collecting maximum points in Group D with two consecutive 2-1 victories against their group opponents.
Playing attacking, free-flowing, one-touch football, Spain were soon making an attractive surge towards the final.
But in the quarter-finals they faced their toughest test; reigning World Cup holders Italy, a side which they had not won against in competitive match since 1920.
But Italy had had a woeful group-stage, and despite holding Spain to a dull 0-0 via highly defensive tactics after extra time, the momentum was with Luis Aragones’ side heading into the penalty shoot-out.
By far the better team on the day, Spain’s goalkeeper Iker Casillas was the shot-out hero, saving two penalties and allowing Arsenal midfielder Cesc Fabregas to seal a 4-2 victory with the final spot kick.
The victory not only broke Spain’s incredible 88-year drought against the Italians, but it also signalled the end of a penalty shoot-out losing streak on the 22 June, with previous losses against Belgium in the 1986 World Cup, England in Euro 1996 and against South Korea in the 2002 World Cup, all on the same date.
With only one match away from the final, Spain was drawn in the semi-finals with giant-killers Russia, who had dispatched of tournament favourite the Netherlands in the quarters.
But as they had done so in the opening match of the tournament, Luis Aragones’ side were ruthless against the Russians, with a fine display by substitute Cesc Fabregas setting up an emphatic 3-0 victory against the European underdogs.
The victory set up an intriguing final between the impressive Spain and three-time winners Germany, who had claimed the scalps of Portugal and Turkey on their way to another final appearance.
Perennial underachievers, the Spanish side was determined not to fail once more at the final hurdle, and completely outclassed the Germans despite missing top scorer Villa through injury.
The 1-0 score line, courtesy of a neat Fernando Torres finish in the 33rd minute, did not do the Spanish side justice, and the score line could easily have been 3-0.
With a total of 12 goals in the tournament, Spain was the top scoring nation, and striker David Villa finished as top goal-scorer with four goals.
Midfielder Xavi Hernadez was awarded Player of the Tournament, due to his reliability and consistency in the middle of the park.
No less than nine Spanish players were chosen in the UEFA Euro 2008 Team of the Tournament, illustrating the side’s dominance and ability throughout the three week competition.
Spain also ended the tournament as the only unbeaten side to win since Germany in 1996, and the first side since France in 1984 to win all their group matches and go on to win the tournament.
Spain were further rewarded for their impressive performance at Euro 2008, with FIFA awarding them first place on the FIFA World Rankings two days after their Euro triumph, for the first time in the nation’s history.
Unlike in Euro 2004, where ultra defensive Greece managed to win via negative tactics, Euro 2008 produced a worthy winner in Spain, a true footballing side which displayed sensational ability, positive attacking football and most importantly entertaining skill.
Goal! Weekly Article 22: EURO 2008
GERMANY AND SPAIN TO BATTLE FOR EURO SUPREMECY
By Julius Ross
Less than three weeks ago, 16 European nations had aspirations and dreams of lifting the European Championship trophy.
Now only two sides remain; a result of 18 days of fascinating and unpredictable football, in the 13th European Championship in Austria and Switzerland.
In yet another thrilling week of fixtures, Spain and Germany emerged as finalists from a series of intriguing matches which witnessed World Champions Italy, giant-killers Russia and come-back kings Turkey ousted from the tournament.
Spain and Italy kicked-off the final week of proceedings, in a highly anticipated clash between two of Europe’s big guns.
But the match proved to be a rare disappointment in a tournament of high drama and entertaining football, ending in a dull 0-0 stalemate after 120 minutes.
A part of the competition’s gloss was rubbed off when the two tactic-driven sides cancelled each other out, but there was an element of drama when the match was settled via the lottery of the a penalty shoot-out.
Spain dominated the majority of possession and play, but their intricate one-touch passing failed to find a chink in the Italian’s stubborn defensive line.
While Spain were unable to create clear goal chances with their possession, their midfielder Marcos Senna came closest to breaking the deadlock in the 81st minute, whien Gianluigi Buffon fumbled his drive onto the post.
The ultra-cautious Azzurri also carved out a rare chance in the 60th minute when Mauro Camoranesi’s opportunistic strike produced an instinctive stop by Iker Casillas in the Spanish goal.
The Real Madrid ‘keeper then became the hero of the penalty shoot-out, denying Daniele De Rossi and Antonio Di Natale and allowing Cesc Fabregas to bury his spot kick to set up a semi-final clash with Russia.
Luis Aragones’ side not only secured a semi-final place, but finally put to a rest a jinx which had seen the Spanish side lose three quarter-final penalty shoot-outs on the 22nd of June in various stages of the nation’s history.
Over the last 22 years, the Iberians had failed at the quarter-final stage of cup competition on three occasions, beginning with a World Cup quarter-final penalty shoot-out loss to Belgium in 1986
On the same date ten years later, the Spanish succumbed to tournament hosts, England at Euro 1996.
Again a tournament host inflicted a penalty shoot-out defeat at the quarter-final stage of the 2002 World Cup on June 22; South Korea miraculously defeating the Spanish in the knock-out clash.
But on Monday, the date of June 22nd turned from a black day in Spanish history to one of celebration as the Spanish secured an historic 4-2 victory and put the ghosts of their previous failures, to rest.
After the final quarter-final clash had come to its dramatic conclusion, the tournament had a brief break for the first time in 16 days of action, but the semi-finals re-commenced competition in sensational style two days later when Germany and Turkey clashed in Basel.
Turkey were clear outsiders before kick-off, but their amazing ability to come from behind had been illustrated previously in the dramatic quarter final against Croatia and their 3-2 victory over the Czech republic in Group A action.
Germany were wary of Turkey’s ‘comeback King’ status and producing their own extraordinary late show with a dramatic Philip Lahm goal defeating Fatih Terim’s side 3-2.
It was Germany’s second 3-2 victory in the knock-out stages of the tournament, after they had defeated Portugal by the same score line in the quarter finals.
Turkey will exit the tournament full of pride, after exciting the fans of Austria and Switzerland with their remarkable displays and never-say-die attitude.
After Spain had progressed from their encounter with World Cup Champions Italy in the quarter-final, giant-killers Russia were the next test for Luis Aragones’ side.
Guus Hiddink’s side had proved quite the underdog in both the group and knock-out stages, progressing past Sweden, Greece and tournament favourites Holland, but were unable to continue their dream run, as Spain’s talent proved a barrier too large to overcome.
As they had in their first group match, The Spanish overran the Russians by a three-goal margin to record a tournament double over Hiddink’s men.
Spain managed a 3-0 victory without the services of hat-trick hero from the first match against Russia, David Villa, as he was substituted in the first half for what appeared to be a nasty foot injury.
Villa’s replacement, talented Arsenal midfielder Cesc Fabregas proved the match winner, as he had done in the penalty shoot-out against Italy.
The 21 year-old playmaker set up two goals to send Spain into their first final since 1984.
Russia had been thoroughly outclassed in the clash, and failed to produce the inventiveness and slick penetrations that had enabled them infiltrate even the strongest of defensive opposition.
Once again Guus Hiddink would have been bittersweet about his achievements with underdog Russia; the Dutchman again failing to take a giant-killing side to a final appearance in a tournament, but managing a semi-final appearance is a huge achievement in itself.
His previous accomplishments included taking Holland (1998 World Cup), South Korea (2002 World Cup) and now Russia (Euro 2008) to semi final appearances, he will no doubt be disappointed at the failure once again to reach a major final in his illustrious coaching career.
As the tournament said goodbye to giant-killer Russia, come-back Kings Turkey and World Champion Italy, the focus is firmly centred on the Final in Vienna on Monday morning (AEST).
It will be hard to predict a winner, with both sides featuring impressive strike-forces, creative midfields and solid defences.
Spain will have to be wary of Germany’s set-piece ability and aerial ability, while the Germans will have to contain the speed and skill of the Spanish midfield and forward penetrations, and tighten up their defensive frailties which has seen them concede four times in the last two games.
Spain will be looking to secure their first Championship since 1964, while Germany can look back 12 years to their 1996 triumph on English soil.
Whatever the outcome, we hope that the final will encapsulate the drama, passion and excitement which has dominated the tournament over the past three week.
By Julius Ross
Less than three weeks ago, 16 European nations had aspirations and dreams of lifting the European Championship trophy.
Now only two sides remain; a result of 18 days of fascinating and unpredictable football, in the 13th European Championship in Austria and Switzerland.
In yet another thrilling week of fixtures, Spain and Germany emerged as finalists from a series of intriguing matches which witnessed World Champions Italy, giant-killers Russia and come-back kings Turkey ousted from the tournament.
Spain and Italy kicked-off the final week of proceedings, in a highly anticipated clash between two of Europe’s big guns.
But the match proved to be a rare disappointment in a tournament of high drama and entertaining football, ending in a dull 0-0 stalemate after 120 minutes.
A part of the competition’s gloss was rubbed off when the two tactic-driven sides cancelled each other out, but there was an element of drama when the match was settled via the lottery of the a penalty shoot-out.
Spain dominated the majority of possession and play, but their intricate one-touch passing failed to find a chink in the Italian’s stubborn defensive line.
While Spain were unable to create clear goal chances with their possession, their midfielder Marcos Senna came closest to breaking the deadlock in the 81st minute, whien Gianluigi Buffon fumbled his drive onto the post.
The ultra-cautious Azzurri also carved out a rare chance in the 60th minute when Mauro Camoranesi’s opportunistic strike produced an instinctive stop by Iker Casillas in the Spanish goal.
The Real Madrid ‘keeper then became the hero of the penalty shoot-out, denying Daniele De Rossi and Antonio Di Natale and allowing Cesc Fabregas to bury his spot kick to set up a semi-final clash with Russia.
Luis Aragones’ side not only secured a semi-final place, but finally put to a rest a jinx which had seen the Spanish side lose three quarter-final penalty shoot-outs on the 22nd of June in various stages of the nation’s history.
Over the last 22 years, the Iberians had failed at the quarter-final stage of cup competition on three occasions, beginning with a World Cup quarter-final penalty shoot-out loss to Belgium in 1986
On the same date ten years later, the Spanish succumbed to tournament hosts, England at Euro 1996.
Again a tournament host inflicted a penalty shoot-out defeat at the quarter-final stage of the 2002 World Cup on June 22; South Korea miraculously defeating the Spanish in the knock-out clash.
But on Monday, the date of June 22nd turned from a black day in Spanish history to one of celebration as the Spanish secured an historic 4-2 victory and put the ghosts of their previous failures, to rest.
After the final quarter-final clash had come to its dramatic conclusion, the tournament had a brief break for the first time in 16 days of action, but the semi-finals re-commenced competition in sensational style two days later when Germany and Turkey clashed in Basel.
Turkey were clear outsiders before kick-off, but their amazing ability to come from behind had been illustrated previously in the dramatic quarter final against Croatia and their 3-2 victory over the Czech republic in Group A action.
Germany were wary of Turkey’s ‘comeback King’ status and producing their own extraordinary late show with a dramatic Philip Lahm goal defeating Fatih Terim’s side 3-2.
It was Germany’s second 3-2 victory in the knock-out stages of the tournament, after they had defeated Portugal by the same score line in the quarter finals.
Turkey will exit the tournament full of pride, after exciting the fans of Austria and Switzerland with their remarkable displays and never-say-die attitude.
After Spain had progressed from their encounter with World Cup Champions Italy in the quarter-final, giant-killers Russia were the next test for Luis Aragones’ side.
Guus Hiddink’s side had proved quite the underdog in both the group and knock-out stages, progressing past Sweden, Greece and tournament favourites Holland, but were unable to continue their dream run, as Spain’s talent proved a barrier too large to overcome.
As they had in their first group match, The Spanish overran the Russians by a three-goal margin to record a tournament double over Hiddink’s men.
Spain managed a 3-0 victory without the services of hat-trick hero from the first match against Russia, David Villa, as he was substituted in the first half for what appeared to be a nasty foot injury.
Villa’s replacement, talented Arsenal midfielder Cesc Fabregas proved the match winner, as he had done in the penalty shoot-out against Italy.
The 21 year-old playmaker set up two goals to send Spain into their first final since 1984.
Russia had been thoroughly outclassed in the clash, and failed to produce the inventiveness and slick penetrations that had enabled them infiltrate even the strongest of defensive opposition.
Once again Guus Hiddink would have been bittersweet about his achievements with underdog Russia; the Dutchman again failing to take a giant-killing side to a final appearance in a tournament, but managing a semi-final appearance is a huge achievement in itself.
His previous accomplishments included taking Holland (1998 World Cup), South Korea (2002 World Cup) and now Russia (Euro 2008) to semi final appearances, he will no doubt be disappointed at the failure once again to reach a major final in his illustrious coaching career.
As the tournament said goodbye to giant-killer Russia, come-back Kings Turkey and World Champion Italy, the focus is firmly centred on the Final in Vienna on Monday morning (AEST).
It will be hard to predict a winner, with both sides featuring impressive strike-forces, creative midfields and solid defences.
Spain will have to be wary of Germany’s set-piece ability and aerial ability, while the Germans will have to contain the speed and skill of the Spanish midfield and forward penetrations, and tighten up their defensive frailties which has seen them concede four times in the last two games.
Spain will be looking to secure their first Championship since 1964, while Germany can look back 12 years to their 1996 triumph on English soil.
Whatever the outcome, we hope that the final will encapsulate the drama, passion and excitement which has dominated the tournament over the past three week.
Goal! Weekly Article 21: EURO 2008
LATE DRAMA CONTINUES IN EUROS
By Julius Ross
The early morning starts continued for many Australians around the country, but those who sacrificed sleep were thoroughly rewarded by scintillating performances in the second week of European Championship action.
The week commenced in sensational style, with an historic late comeback from Turkey who dumped the Czech Republic out of the tournament after trailing 2-0 in the early hours of Monday morning.
Two dramatic goals from Nihat Kahveci secured a 3-2 victory and brought Turkish delight to Fatih Terim’s side whilst the Czechs were bundled out of the competition in remarkable fashion.
In the other Group A fixture, Hakin Yakin finally gave the co-hosts something to cheer about as his two goals gave Switzerland victory over an already qualified, second-string Portuguese side.
Although the victory was not enough to lift the side off the bottom of the Group A table, it enabled Switzerland to re-gain some pride and finish on a high note as the curtain came down on their campaign.
Tuesday witnessed an equally courageous effort from the other tournament co-host Austria in Vienna, but the home side were unable to overcome the powerful force of Germany, who progressed in a hard-fought 1-0 victory, courtesy of captain Michael Ballack’s thunderbolt free-kick.
Pre-match hype revolved around Austria’s slim chances of overcoming their neighbours to capture the remaining qualifying position in Group B, but there was no repeat of their 1986 defeat of West Germany as the home side lacked the cutting edge up front.
Group B winners Croatia rested players for their imminent quarter-final appearance, but still proved too strong for a disappointing Polish side which failed to impose itself in the tournament.
The Croats finished on maximum points thanks to an Ivan Klasnic goal which secured the 1-0 victory over the Polish to send Slaven Bilics side into the quarter-finals.
Marco Van Basten’s Netherlands had taken Group C by storm after convincing wins over world champions Italy and European heavyweights France, and finished their group stage in similar fashion on Wednesday morning with a 2-0 victory over a plucky Romania.
Robin van Persie and Klass-Jan Huntelaar grabbed the vital goals, to send the Oranje into the quarters in sensational form.
Italy secured the remaining qualifying spot in Group C, taking advantage of Romania’s loss to the Dutch and did the job against France, dispatching Raymond Domenech’s men 2-0 with a penalty from Andrea Pirlo and a deflected Daniele De Rossi free-kick.
The current world champions have struggled to impose themselves on the tournament thus far, but Roberto Donadoni’s side inflicted another painful defeat on France, the side they defeated to lift the 2006 World Cup.
Italy will miss key players Pirlo and Gennaro Gattuso who picked up their second yellow card of the tournament, leaving the Italian midfield weakened for their difficult encounter with the Spanish on Monday morning.
Spain meanwhile rested a host of players in readiness for the knock-out encounter with Italy, but their second-string stars managed to condemn Championship holders Greece, who ended their tournament on a bitterly disappointing note.
Ruben de la Red and Daniel Guiza scored their first international goals in the absence of Spanish spearheads Fernando Torres and David Villa, whilst Greece’s first goal of the tournament by Angelos Charisteas was not enough to revive Grecian glory.
In final Group D action, ex-Socceroos manager Guus Hiddink worked his magic for newly adopted Russia as he guided his side to a first ever quarter-final appearance.
A clinical display by the Russians was topped by a sensational performance by man-of-the-match Andrei Arshavin, who was a stand-out in his nation’s 2-0 defeat of Sweden.
After a slow start to the tournament, Russia turned on the style in their final Group D match with two classy, well-worked and clinically finished goals
After the conclusion of the group stage, there was no rest period for either the players or the early-birds catching the action on their television screens in Australia, with the quarter-finals commencing in the early hours of Friday morning.
The first quarter-final saw Germany pitted against Portugal in an intriguing encounter.
With all eyes on Cristiano Ronaldo, Germany’s Bastian Schweinsteiger emerged as the match-winner, scoring one and setting up two more, as the 2006 World Cup hosts progressed to a first semi-final appearance in the European Championships since 1996.
Characteristically, well executed set pieces were Germany’s potent weapon, and Portugal’s weakness; Luiz Felipe Scolari’s men unlocked by two clinical headers by Michael Ballack and Miroslav Klose.
Portugal refused to lay down and die as they twice cut a two-goal deficit in half, but the 3-2 score line signalled the end to their title hopes.
The drama continued in the second quarter final, with Turkey building on their dramatic comeback against the Czech Republic earlier in the week to record a similar and equally dramatic come-from-behind victory against Croatia.
With both sides locked at 0-0, extra time failed to produce a winner, but produced an extraordinary display of last-gasp high-drama.
Croatia took the lead with a minute to spare in extra-time, but Turkey managed to grab a late, late equalizer to send the game to penalties, where Rustu Recber was the saviour, the Turks winning 3-1 in the shoot-out to set up a semi-final with Germany.
Guus Hiddink continued Russia’s underdog tilt at the European Championship title as the knocked out tournament favourites Holland 3-1 after extra time.
Player of the week Andrei Arshavin was again the man of the match, and he, along with Dmitri Torbinski struck the vital goals in the last eight minutes of extra time to eliminate Hiddink’s nation of birth.
As we head into the final week of European Championship action, tired Australians will be hoping for more dramatic action to fulfil their early morning starts, as the tournament heads toward its climax.
By Julius Ross
The early morning starts continued for many Australians around the country, but those who sacrificed sleep were thoroughly rewarded by scintillating performances in the second week of European Championship action.
The week commenced in sensational style, with an historic late comeback from Turkey who dumped the Czech Republic out of the tournament after trailing 2-0 in the early hours of Monday morning.
Two dramatic goals from Nihat Kahveci secured a 3-2 victory and brought Turkish delight to Fatih Terim’s side whilst the Czechs were bundled out of the competition in remarkable fashion.
In the other Group A fixture, Hakin Yakin finally gave the co-hosts something to cheer about as his two goals gave Switzerland victory over an already qualified, second-string Portuguese side.
Although the victory was not enough to lift the side off the bottom of the Group A table, it enabled Switzerland to re-gain some pride and finish on a high note as the curtain came down on their campaign.
Tuesday witnessed an equally courageous effort from the other tournament co-host Austria in Vienna, but the home side were unable to overcome the powerful force of Germany, who progressed in a hard-fought 1-0 victory, courtesy of captain Michael Ballack’s thunderbolt free-kick.
Pre-match hype revolved around Austria’s slim chances of overcoming their neighbours to capture the remaining qualifying position in Group B, but there was no repeat of their 1986 defeat of West Germany as the home side lacked the cutting edge up front.
Group B winners Croatia rested players for their imminent quarter-final appearance, but still proved too strong for a disappointing Polish side which failed to impose itself in the tournament.
The Croats finished on maximum points thanks to an Ivan Klasnic goal which secured the 1-0 victory over the Polish to send Slaven Bilics side into the quarter-finals.
Marco Van Basten’s Netherlands had taken Group C by storm after convincing wins over world champions Italy and European heavyweights France, and finished their group stage in similar fashion on Wednesday morning with a 2-0 victory over a plucky Romania.
Robin van Persie and Klass-Jan Huntelaar grabbed the vital goals, to send the Oranje into the quarters in sensational form.
Italy secured the remaining qualifying spot in Group C, taking advantage of Romania’s loss to the Dutch and did the job against France, dispatching Raymond Domenech’s men 2-0 with a penalty from Andrea Pirlo and a deflected Daniele De Rossi free-kick.
The current world champions have struggled to impose themselves on the tournament thus far, but Roberto Donadoni’s side inflicted another painful defeat on France, the side they defeated to lift the 2006 World Cup.
Italy will miss key players Pirlo and Gennaro Gattuso who picked up their second yellow card of the tournament, leaving the Italian midfield weakened for their difficult encounter with the Spanish on Monday morning.
Spain meanwhile rested a host of players in readiness for the knock-out encounter with Italy, but their second-string stars managed to condemn Championship holders Greece, who ended their tournament on a bitterly disappointing note.
Ruben de la Red and Daniel Guiza scored their first international goals in the absence of Spanish spearheads Fernando Torres and David Villa, whilst Greece’s first goal of the tournament by Angelos Charisteas was not enough to revive Grecian glory.
In final Group D action, ex-Socceroos manager Guus Hiddink worked his magic for newly adopted Russia as he guided his side to a first ever quarter-final appearance.
A clinical display by the Russians was topped by a sensational performance by man-of-the-match Andrei Arshavin, who was a stand-out in his nation’s 2-0 defeat of Sweden.
After a slow start to the tournament, Russia turned on the style in their final Group D match with two classy, well-worked and clinically finished goals
After the conclusion of the group stage, there was no rest period for either the players or the early-birds catching the action on their television screens in Australia, with the quarter-finals commencing in the early hours of Friday morning.
The first quarter-final saw Germany pitted against Portugal in an intriguing encounter.
With all eyes on Cristiano Ronaldo, Germany’s Bastian Schweinsteiger emerged as the match-winner, scoring one and setting up two more, as the 2006 World Cup hosts progressed to a first semi-final appearance in the European Championships since 1996.
Characteristically, well executed set pieces were Germany’s potent weapon, and Portugal’s weakness; Luiz Felipe Scolari’s men unlocked by two clinical headers by Michael Ballack and Miroslav Klose.
Portugal refused to lay down and die as they twice cut a two-goal deficit in half, but the 3-2 score line signalled the end to their title hopes.
The drama continued in the second quarter final, with Turkey building on their dramatic comeback against the Czech Republic earlier in the week to record a similar and equally dramatic come-from-behind victory against Croatia.
With both sides locked at 0-0, extra time failed to produce a winner, but produced an extraordinary display of last-gasp high-drama.
Croatia took the lead with a minute to spare in extra-time, but Turkey managed to grab a late, late equalizer to send the game to penalties, where Rustu Recber was the saviour, the Turks winning 3-1 in the shoot-out to set up a semi-final with Germany.
Guus Hiddink continued Russia’s underdog tilt at the European Championship title as the knocked out tournament favourites Holland 3-1 after extra time.
Player of the week Andrei Arshavin was again the man of the match, and he, along with Dmitri Torbinski struck the vital goals in the last eight minutes of extra time to eliminate Hiddink’s nation of birth.
As we head into the final week of European Championship action, tired Australians will be hoping for more dramatic action to fulfil their early morning starts, as the tournament heads toward its climax.
Goal! Weekly Article 20: EURO 2008
EURO KICKS OFF IN STYLE
By Julius Ross
The first week of action in the 2008 European Championships was dominated by dramatic results, individual mastery, painful heartbreak, unfathomable joy and a bagful of sensational goals.
In a week of mixed emotions for the participating nations, delight for one side was often contrasted with the anguish of another, illustrating the fine line between the pain of defeat and elation of success in Europe’s finest cup competition.
Four teams booked their place in the quarter finals after just two matches, while two sides faced the grief of elimination.
Courtesy of impressive performances, Spain, Portugal and Holland joined Croatia in the knockout stages after the teams secured maximum points from their respective outings.
Portugal, Holland and Spain were rewarded for their fine displays of attacking football and clinical finishing, with the sides igniting the tournament and exciting fans with a total of 18 goals.
The Netherlands were by far the most imposing side in the first round of fixtures, after destroying current World Champions Italy 3-0, and humbling France 4-1.
In two displays of clinical, attractive attacking football in the space of four days, the Dutch made their intentions clear and Marco van Basten’s side will surely be favourites heading into the knockout stages.
Portugal and Spain also impressed in their opening matches, but have advanced past somewhat easier opposition than the Netherlands.
Group B qualifier Croatia progressed in slightly less style than the other three sides with mixed performances in their opening two matches.
Although Slaven Bilic’s side were expected to progress to the quarters at the expense of Austria and Poland, few would have predicted that the side would do so by defeating European giants Germany.
After a dour opening performance against lowly Austria had seen them scrape a 1-0 victory in their first match, the Vatreni’s 2-1 win over the three-time champions was the shock of the tournament thus far.
Contrasted with the triumph of the four quarter-finalists was the elimination of co-host Switzerland and reining European Champions Greece.
Switzerland’s fans had encapsulated the atmosphere and sprit of the tournament, but were unable to spur their side onto the last eight.
Failing to collect a single point from their opening two matches, the Swiss will be bitterly disappointed at squandering a 1-0 lead against Turkey in a rain-drenched Basel, where a win was necessary to stay in contention for qualification.
Greece’s dismal attempt to retain their European crown will see Otto Rehhagel’s men return to Athens after their final Group D match, after losses to Russia and Sweden eliminated the titleholders.
Greece’s disappointment will be uncharacteristically shared by pre-tournament favourites France and Italy who now walk a fine line to avoid elimination.
The two face off in a mouth-watering final Group C clash with both sides needing nothing less than a victory to progress.
But if Romania manages to defeat a rampant Dutch side then both France and Italy can expect an early elimination.
Defeating the Dutch is not an impossible feat for Romania; the last time the two sides met the Tricolorii triumphed 1-0 over van Basten’s side during qualification for the tournament.
Holland may also rest players for its final group match in preparation for the quarters, and a weakened Dutch side may allow Romania to advance at the expense of Les Blues and the Azzurri.
Both Italy and France have been extremely disappointing in their opening two matches in the Group of Death, especially after the elevated pre-tournament hype surrounding both the team’s title aspirations.
Germany is another pre-tournament favourite who have struggled to impose themselves on the tournament, and face the unlikely prospect of elimination.
However, the Germans come up against co-host Austria, who, despite an impressive tournament for their lowly position in European football, will be vastly considered underdogs.
Several players have also used the first two fixtures of the group stage to display their talent on Europe’s grandest stage.
Portuguese hero Cristiano Ronaldo illustrated his sensational abilities by scoring a wonderful goal and ceated two more to guarantee a third successive quarter final appearance in the Championships for his nation.
Spain’s David Villa currently tops the goal scoring charts after his four goals, including a sublime hat-trick against Russia, in his side’s opening games has facilitated qualification for Luis Aragones’ team.
Despite his nation’s struggle thus far to secure a qualifying spot, Lukas Podolski has come out firing, scoring all three of his nation’s goals, in sensational fashion.
But the star performers thus far have been the Netherlands, and despite the fact that every member of the Oranje have been playing sensational football, Wesley Sneijder has dominated the Dutch midfield, scoring two goals and running the show for van Basten’s men.
This week will see the conclusion of the Group stages and the beginning of the knock-out rounds, where the drama of Euro 2008 will surely continue.
By Julius Ross
The first week of action in the 2008 European Championships was dominated by dramatic results, individual mastery, painful heartbreak, unfathomable joy and a bagful of sensational goals.
In a week of mixed emotions for the participating nations, delight for one side was often contrasted with the anguish of another, illustrating the fine line between the pain of defeat and elation of success in Europe’s finest cup competition.
Four teams booked their place in the quarter finals after just two matches, while two sides faced the grief of elimination.
Courtesy of impressive performances, Spain, Portugal and Holland joined Croatia in the knockout stages after the teams secured maximum points from their respective outings.
Portugal, Holland and Spain were rewarded for their fine displays of attacking football and clinical finishing, with the sides igniting the tournament and exciting fans with a total of 18 goals.
The Netherlands were by far the most imposing side in the first round of fixtures, after destroying current World Champions Italy 3-0, and humbling France 4-1.
In two displays of clinical, attractive attacking football in the space of four days, the Dutch made their intentions clear and Marco van Basten’s side will surely be favourites heading into the knockout stages.
Portugal and Spain also impressed in their opening matches, but have advanced past somewhat easier opposition than the Netherlands.
Group B qualifier Croatia progressed in slightly less style than the other three sides with mixed performances in their opening two matches.
Although Slaven Bilic’s side were expected to progress to the quarters at the expense of Austria and Poland, few would have predicted that the side would do so by defeating European giants Germany.
After a dour opening performance against lowly Austria had seen them scrape a 1-0 victory in their first match, the Vatreni’s 2-1 win over the three-time champions was the shock of the tournament thus far.
Contrasted with the triumph of the four quarter-finalists was the elimination of co-host Switzerland and reining European Champions Greece.
Switzerland’s fans had encapsulated the atmosphere and sprit of the tournament, but were unable to spur their side onto the last eight.
Failing to collect a single point from their opening two matches, the Swiss will be bitterly disappointed at squandering a 1-0 lead against Turkey in a rain-drenched Basel, where a win was necessary to stay in contention for qualification.
Greece’s dismal attempt to retain their European crown will see Otto Rehhagel’s men return to Athens after their final Group D match, after losses to Russia and Sweden eliminated the titleholders.
Greece’s disappointment will be uncharacteristically shared by pre-tournament favourites France and Italy who now walk a fine line to avoid elimination.
The two face off in a mouth-watering final Group C clash with both sides needing nothing less than a victory to progress.
But if Romania manages to defeat a rampant Dutch side then both France and Italy can expect an early elimination.
Defeating the Dutch is not an impossible feat for Romania; the last time the two sides met the Tricolorii triumphed 1-0 over van Basten’s side during qualification for the tournament.
Holland may also rest players for its final group match in preparation for the quarters, and a weakened Dutch side may allow Romania to advance at the expense of Les Blues and the Azzurri.
Both Italy and France have been extremely disappointing in their opening two matches in the Group of Death, especially after the elevated pre-tournament hype surrounding both the team’s title aspirations.
Germany is another pre-tournament favourite who have struggled to impose themselves on the tournament, and face the unlikely prospect of elimination.
However, the Germans come up against co-host Austria, who, despite an impressive tournament for their lowly position in European football, will be vastly considered underdogs.
Several players have also used the first two fixtures of the group stage to display their talent on Europe’s grandest stage.
Portuguese hero Cristiano Ronaldo illustrated his sensational abilities by scoring a wonderful goal and ceated two more to guarantee a third successive quarter final appearance in the Championships for his nation.
Spain’s David Villa currently tops the goal scoring charts after his four goals, including a sublime hat-trick against Russia, in his side’s opening games has facilitated qualification for Luis Aragones’ team.
Despite his nation’s struggle thus far to secure a qualifying spot, Lukas Podolski has come out firing, scoring all three of his nation’s goals, in sensational fashion.
But the star performers thus far have been the Netherlands, and despite the fact that every member of the Oranje have been playing sensational football, Wesley Sneijder has dominated the Dutch midfield, scoring two goals and running the show for van Basten’s men.
This week will see the conclusion of the Group stages and the beginning of the knock-out rounds, where the drama of Euro 2008 will surely continue.
Goal! Weekly Article 19: EURO 2008
UNDERDOG TO SHINE AGAIN?
Will there be a repeat of Greece’s 2004 triumph?
By Julius Ross
In 2004, Greece shocked the continent of Europe by claiming the European Championship trophy against all odds.
The team from the Mediterranean were mere outsiders prior to the tournament’s kick-off in Portugal, but dramatic victories against defending champions France, the Czech Republic and the host country, saw a sea of blue and white celebrate ecstatically in Athens.
Four years later, and it is unlikely that Greece will mount a second title winning campaign in Austria and Switzerland.
The reigning champs will find it difficult in the 2008 version to retain their crown in a challenging and tightly-poised Group D, where fixtures will be fought out in the Austria cities of Innsbruck and Salzburg.
Greece will have to overcome a talented and youthful Spanish side, Guus Hiddink’s tactically astute Russia, and perennial un-achievers Sweden just to progress to the quarter-finals.
With Greece’s surprise package status now relinquished, and opposition more wary of their giant-killing abilities, it paves the way for another underdog to emerge in their footsteps.
In the search for a new tournament underdog, co-host Austria can be safely ruled out.
The side’s ultimate aim is to ‘survive’ the group stage by avoiding embarrassment against their Group B opposition; Germany, Poland and Croatia.
At 92 on the FIFA World Rankings behind Mozambique, New Zealand and Guatemala, it is no surprise that Austrian fans wanted their national team withdrawn prior to the tournament to avoid humiliation.
Receiving automatic qualification as hosts, Austria’s preparation for the tournament involved 11 friendlies, of which they lost nine, drew one and surprisingly achieved a 3-2 result against the Ivory Coast.
Ten of the 11 matches were played in Austria which suggests the host country can hardly boast home ground advantage and they will surely provide ‘cannon fodder’ for the likes of Germany in their debut tournament.
Romania, on the other hand, may prove to be a likely candidate to adopt Greece’s former underdog status.
The side is appearing in its first competitive finals since 2000, with the last eight years witnessing one Euro and two World Cup qualification failures.
The side will face an uphill battle to progress from Group C, which many appropriately consider 2008’s ‘Group of Death’.
Romania tackles joint-tournament favourites France and Italy and Marco van Basten’s revitalised Netherlands.
But while many would automatically consider France and Italy as favourites to progress, the mouth-watering clash between these sides could easily result in a draw, leaving Romania in a position to unexpectedly snatch a shock qualifying spot.
Their last appearance, at Euro 2000, saw them progress from an equally challenging group consisting of Germany, Portugal and England, before failing to eventual runners-up Italy.
Having already defeated Holland on the way to securing qualification for the tournament, Romania remains relatively unknown, but fearless heading into the challenging group.
Romania’s key man will be Fiorentina’s Adrian Mutu whose excellent club form has seen him net 23 goals for the Italian side this season.
The 29 year-old will look to take his club form onto the national scene, and add to his 28 career goals from 61 caps for the Romanian side.
Another side that may emerge from the tournament as outsiders is Guus Hiddink’s newly adopted Russia.
After parting with Australia after the 2006 World Cup, Hiddink’s aim has was to qualify for Euro 2008 in a tough group that included England and Croatia.
An historic 2-1 victory in Moscow against England during qualifying proved an invaluable three points, with Russia securing the final qualifying spot, edging out the Three Lions by a solitary point.
Hiddink’s task will be to navigate his side past Greece, Spain and Sweden to reach the quarter-finals, a feat that has not been achieved by the Russian national team in two World Cup and two European Championship appearances.
Having guided South Korea to a semi-final place in 2002 and Australia to the quarters in 2006, Hiddink will be relishing the underdog tag, and if there is one man to secure a first-ever second-round appearance in Russia’s history, its Guus Hiddink.
While Russia and Romania await their chance to emulate Greece’s 2004 triumph, Group A kicked off the tournament Sunday morning (AEST).
After an intriguing opening ceremony in Basel, which saw skiers, cows, mountain scenes and waltzes encapsulated the alpine characteristics of the host nations, it was down to business.
But there was no waltzing for tournament hosts Switzerland, as their curtain-raiser against the Czech Republic resulted in a1-0 loss, courtesy of substitute Vaclac Sverkos’ 71st minute strike.
In the other Group A clash, 2004 runners-up Portugal used the pain of defeat last tournament to record a promising 2-0 victory over Turkey on the opening night.
Luiz Felipe Scolari’s men were too strong for the Turks, as Pepe fired home just after the hour mark and substitute Raul Meireles sealed the match three minutes into injury time.
The tournament will continue be played over the next three weeks, culminating in the final on the 29th of June.
Will there be a repeat of Greece’s 2004 triumph?
By Julius Ross
In 2004, Greece shocked the continent of Europe by claiming the European Championship trophy against all odds.
The team from the Mediterranean were mere outsiders prior to the tournament’s kick-off in Portugal, but dramatic victories against defending champions France, the Czech Republic and the host country, saw a sea of blue and white celebrate ecstatically in Athens.
Four years later, and it is unlikely that Greece will mount a second title winning campaign in Austria and Switzerland.
The reigning champs will find it difficult in the 2008 version to retain their crown in a challenging and tightly-poised Group D, where fixtures will be fought out in the Austria cities of Innsbruck and Salzburg.
Greece will have to overcome a talented and youthful Spanish side, Guus Hiddink’s tactically astute Russia, and perennial un-achievers Sweden just to progress to the quarter-finals.
With Greece’s surprise package status now relinquished, and opposition more wary of their giant-killing abilities, it paves the way for another underdog to emerge in their footsteps.
In the search for a new tournament underdog, co-host Austria can be safely ruled out.
The side’s ultimate aim is to ‘survive’ the group stage by avoiding embarrassment against their Group B opposition; Germany, Poland and Croatia.
At 92 on the FIFA World Rankings behind Mozambique, New Zealand and Guatemala, it is no surprise that Austrian fans wanted their national team withdrawn prior to the tournament to avoid humiliation.
Receiving automatic qualification as hosts, Austria’s preparation for the tournament involved 11 friendlies, of which they lost nine, drew one and surprisingly achieved a 3-2 result against the Ivory Coast.
Ten of the 11 matches were played in Austria which suggests the host country can hardly boast home ground advantage and they will surely provide ‘cannon fodder’ for the likes of Germany in their debut tournament.
Romania, on the other hand, may prove to be a likely candidate to adopt Greece’s former underdog status.
The side is appearing in its first competitive finals since 2000, with the last eight years witnessing one Euro and two World Cup qualification failures.
The side will face an uphill battle to progress from Group C, which many appropriately consider 2008’s ‘Group of Death’.
Romania tackles joint-tournament favourites France and Italy and Marco van Basten’s revitalised Netherlands.
But while many would automatically consider France and Italy as favourites to progress, the mouth-watering clash between these sides could easily result in a draw, leaving Romania in a position to unexpectedly snatch a shock qualifying spot.
Their last appearance, at Euro 2000, saw them progress from an equally challenging group consisting of Germany, Portugal and England, before failing to eventual runners-up Italy.
Having already defeated Holland on the way to securing qualification for the tournament, Romania remains relatively unknown, but fearless heading into the challenging group.
Romania’s key man will be Fiorentina’s Adrian Mutu whose excellent club form has seen him net 23 goals for the Italian side this season.
The 29 year-old will look to take his club form onto the national scene, and add to his 28 career goals from 61 caps for the Romanian side.
Another side that may emerge from the tournament as outsiders is Guus Hiddink’s newly adopted Russia.
After parting with Australia after the 2006 World Cup, Hiddink’s aim has was to qualify for Euro 2008 in a tough group that included England and Croatia.
An historic 2-1 victory in Moscow against England during qualifying proved an invaluable three points, with Russia securing the final qualifying spot, edging out the Three Lions by a solitary point.
Hiddink’s task will be to navigate his side past Greece, Spain and Sweden to reach the quarter-finals, a feat that has not been achieved by the Russian national team in two World Cup and two European Championship appearances.
Having guided South Korea to a semi-final place in 2002 and Australia to the quarters in 2006, Hiddink will be relishing the underdog tag, and if there is one man to secure a first-ever second-round appearance in Russia’s history, its Guus Hiddink.
While Russia and Romania await their chance to emulate Greece’s 2004 triumph, Group A kicked off the tournament Sunday morning (AEST).
After an intriguing opening ceremony in Basel, which saw skiers, cows, mountain scenes and waltzes encapsulated the alpine characteristics of the host nations, it was down to business.
But there was no waltzing for tournament hosts Switzerland, as their curtain-raiser against the Czech Republic resulted in a1-0 loss, courtesy of substitute Vaclac Sverkos’ 71st minute strike.
In the other Group A clash, 2004 runners-up Portugal used the pain of defeat last tournament to record a promising 2-0 victory over Turkey on the opening night.
Luiz Felipe Scolari’s men were too strong for the Turks, as Pepe fired home just after the hour mark and substitute Raul Meireles sealed the match three minutes into injury time.
The tournament will continue be played over the next three weeks, culminating in the final on the 29th of June.
Friday, August 8, 2008
Goal! Weekly Article 18: European Champions League
UNITED LIFT THIRD EUROPEAN CROWN
Russian roulette of penalties decide Moscow Final
By Julius Ross
Manchester United secured a hat-trick of European crowns last Wednesday, when they defeated English rivals Chelsea on penalties in a drama-filled night in Moscow.
The victory came 40 years on from their first European title success back in 1968 at Wembley, and coincided with the 50th anniversary of the Munich air disaster, in which members of United’s squad were killed in a tragic plane crash.
It was also fitting that Ryan Giggs added further to United’s history book, his 759th appearance for Manchester beating the long-standing record set by Munich survivor and footballing great Sir Bobby Charlton.
It appeared that history was on United’s side and, ironically, it was Giggs who netted the winning penalty to send the trophy back to Manchester for the first time since 1999.
Although the match was evenly contested between the two English heavyweights, many would agree on review of the tournament that United were deserved winners.
Unbeaten throughout the competition, the Red Devils progressed from Group F with five wins and a draw from six outings, an impressive feat considering opposition came in the form of AS Roma and Sporting Lisbon.
United then went on to down French champions Lyon in the last sixteen, Italian giants Roma again in the quarters, and then Spanish favourites Barcelona in the semi-final, scoring 19 goals and conceding just five to set up a first ever English final.
Attacking flair and defensive stability was the key throughout the campaign for Sir Alex Ferguson’s side, with the competition’s top goal-scorer Cristiano Ronaldo an immense figure in United’s line-up.
Despite being labelled among the favourites from day one of the season, United did meet some heavy criticism late in the tournament when they employed extremely defensive tactics in the semi-final against Barcelona.
Their negative exhibition paid dividends, however, and many could argue that it was a display of defensive superiority which prevented Barca’s ability to score.
In comparison, Chelsea’s campaign was one of mixed results, winning six matches, drawing four and losing one, which often saw the side play some incredibly uninspiring football which barely managed to achieve the results required.
Their knockout stage draw also provided tests of lesser proportions to United, with the Blues facing Greece’s Olympiacos, Turkey’s Fenerbahce and English rivals Liverpool on their way to the final.
Their 2-1 loss to Fenerbahce in Istanbul in the quarter-finals highlighted the fact that the Londoners were not in the same vein of form as the rampaging United who had demolished Roma 3-0 on aggregate.
But the two sides were evenly matched on the night in the Luzhniki Stadium and the two sides had to be separated by the dreaded lottery of a penalty shootout.
United began the brighter of the two, and dominated a first half which could have seen them go two or three goals ahead.
After a cagey opening period, the Red Devils gained the upper hand and who else but English Premier League Player of the Season Cristiano Ronaldo gave his side a much deserved lead with a clinical header for his 42nd goal of the season in all competitions.
A pin-point Wes Brown cross to the back post was met perfectly with Ronaldo’s soaring jump, his header directed into the bottom corner leaving Chelsea’s ‘keeper flat-footed, and the United crowd in awe of the Portuguese winger’s aerial ability.
On the half-hour, United were in full control, dominating 65% of possession and launching further attacks on the Chelsea goal.
The English champions were unlucky not to go further ahead in the 34th minute when Rooney launched a superb counter attack with a glorious ball from his own box to Ronaldo.
The goal scorer then crossed to a diving Carlos Tevez, whose effort was superbly blocked by goalkeeper Petr Cech, and the rebound by Carrick was again met by another world-class save from the Czech international.
Tevez had a second chance to make it 2-0 in United’s favour when Rooney’s accurate cross met the Argentinean’s toe just metres out, but his sliding effort was sliced wide of the net.
United were made to pay for their missed opportunities as a rare surge by Chelsea saw them capitalise on some unlucky defending.
Frank Lampard was given the easiest of finishes after Ghanaian Michael Essien rifled a shot which took a double deflection; the ball falling perfectly to the feet of Lampard who slipped it past an unsteady Edwin Van Der Saar, right on the stroke of half-time.
Chelsea came out in the second half buoyed by Lampard’s equaliser and were a changed side from the first, dominating proceedings with German midfielder Michael Ballack, striker Didier Drogba and Essien troubling the United defence.
The Blues accumulated 11 shots in comparison to their five in the first half, and Drogba’s curling effort which struck Van Der Saar’s upright illustrated how close they were to a winner.
Unlucky to escape a 2-0 deficit in the first half, Chelsea were unfortunate not to win the match in the second.
As the match headed into extra time, both sides reverted to a more cautious approach, unwilling to take risks which may lead to defeat.
Chelsea again started the brighter, and a fantastic piece of play saw Lampard strike the underside of the crossbar three minutes in.
A surging run into the box by Kalou, a touch by Ballack and a beautiful turn and left-footed shot by Lampard was unfortunate not to see Chelsea take the lead.
Scenes turned ugly near the end of the first period, with Drogba receiving his marching orders after he struck United defender Nemanja Vidic across the face in a heated mêlée.
Soon cramp and fatigue played a part in creating a dull finish to the match, with both managers making substitutions ready for the inevitable penalty shoot-out, as rain began to pound the Luzhniki turf.
With so much riding on the penalties, it was amazing to witness an incredible amount of fantastically converted spot-kicks, with only three missed from a total of 14.
The unlucky ones not to convert included Ronaldo whose stuttered run-up failed to fool Cech; Chelsea captain John Terry who slipped on the wet pitch to send his spot-kick onto the woodwork and Nicolas Anelka’s effort which was superbly saved by Van Der Saar.
Fittingly, Ryan Giggs was the final player to convert, to add Luzhniki 2008 to United’s historic successes in Wembley in ’68 and the Nou Camp in 1999.
Russian roulette of penalties decide Moscow Final
By Julius Ross
Manchester United secured a hat-trick of European crowns last Wednesday, when they defeated English rivals Chelsea on penalties in a drama-filled night in Moscow.
The victory came 40 years on from their first European title success back in 1968 at Wembley, and coincided with the 50th anniversary of the Munich air disaster, in which members of United’s squad were killed in a tragic plane crash.
It was also fitting that Ryan Giggs added further to United’s history book, his 759th appearance for Manchester beating the long-standing record set by Munich survivor and footballing great Sir Bobby Charlton.
It appeared that history was on United’s side and, ironically, it was Giggs who netted the winning penalty to send the trophy back to Manchester for the first time since 1999.
Although the match was evenly contested between the two English heavyweights, many would agree on review of the tournament that United were deserved winners.
Unbeaten throughout the competition, the Red Devils progressed from Group F with five wins and a draw from six outings, an impressive feat considering opposition came in the form of AS Roma and Sporting Lisbon.
United then went on to down French champions Lyon in the last sixteen, Italian giants Roma again in the quarters, and then Spanish favourites Barcelona in the semi-final, scoring 19 goals and conceding just five to set up a first ever English final.
Attacking flair and defensive stability was the key throughout the campaign for Sir Alex Ferguson’s side, with the competition’s top goal-scorer Cristiano Ronaldo an immense figure in United’s line-up.
Despite being labelled among the favourites from day one of the season, United did meet some heavy criticism late in the tournament when they employed extremely defensive tactics in the semi-final against Barcelona.
Their negative exhibition paid dividends, however, and many could argue that it was a display of defensive superiority which prevented Barca’s ability to score.
In comparison, Chelsea’s campaign was one of mixed results, winning six matches, drawing four and losing one, which often saw the side play some incredibly uninspiring football which barely managed to achieve the results required.
Their knockout stage draw also provided tests of lesser proportions to United, with the Blues facing Greece’s Olympiacos, Turkey’s Fenerbahce and English rivals Liverpool on their way to the final.
Their 2-1 loss to Fenerbahce in Istanbul in the quarter-finals highlighted the fact that the Londoners were not in the same vein of form as the rampaging United who had demolished Roma 3-0 on aggregate.
But the two sides were evenly matched on the night in the Luzhniki Stadium and the two sides had to be separated by the dreaded lottery of a penalty shootout.
United began the brighter of the two, and dominated a first half which could have seen them go two or three goals ahead.
After a cagey opening period, the Red Devils gained the upper hand and who else but English Premier League Player of the Season Cristiano Ronaldo gave his side a much deserved lead with a clinical header for his 42nd goal of the season in all competitions.
A pin-point Wes Brown cross to the back post was met perfectly with Ronaldo’s soaring jump, his header directed into the bottom corner leaving Chelsea’s ‘keeper flat-footed, and the United crowd in awe of the Portuguese winger’s aerial ability.
On the half-hour, United were in full control, dominating 65% of possession and launching further attacks on the Chelsea goal.
The English champions were unlucky not to go further ahead in the 34th minute when Rooney launched a superb counter attack with a glorious ball from his own box to Ronaldo.
The goal scorer then crossed to a diving Carlos Tevez, whose effort was superbly blocked by goalkeeper Petr Cech, and the rebound by Carrick was again met by another world-class save from the Czech international.
Tevez had a second chance to make it 2-0 in United’s favour when Rooney’s accurate cross met the Argentinean’s toe just metres out, but his sliding effort was sliced wide of the net.
United were made to pay for their missed opportunities as a rare surge by Chelsea saw them capitalise on some unlucky defending.
Frank Lampard was given the easiest of finishes after Ghanaian Michael Essien rifled a shot which took a double deflection; the ball falling perfectly to the feet of Lampard who slipped it past an unsteady Edwin Van Der Saar, right on the stroke of half-time.
Chelsea came out in the second half buoyed by Lampard’s equaliser and were a changed side from the first, dominating proceedings with German midfielder Michael Ballack, striker Didier Drogba and Essien troubling the United defence.
The Blues accumulated 11 shots in comparison to their five in the first half, and Drogba’s curling effort which struck Van Der Saar’s upright illustrated how close they were to a winner.
Unlucky to escape a 2-0 deficit in the first half, Chelsea were unfortunate not to win the match in the second.
As the match headed into extra time, both sides reverted to a more cautious approach, unwilling to take risks which may lead to defeat.
Chelsea again started the brighter, and a fantastic piece of play saw Lampard strike the underside of the crossbar three minutes in.
A surging run into the box by Kalou, a touch by Ballack and a beautiful turn and left-footed shot by Lampard was unfortunate not to see Chelsea take the lead.
Scenes turned ugly near the end of the first period, with Drogba receiving his marching orders after he struck United defender Nemanja Vidic across the face in a heated mêlée.
Soon cramp and fatigue played a part in creating a dull finish to the match, with both managers making substitutions ready for the inevitable penalty shoot-out, as rain began to pound the Luzhniki turf.
With so much riding on the penalties, it was amazing to witness an incredible amount of fantastically converted spot-kicks, with only three missed from a total of 14.
The unlucky ones not to convert included Ronaldo whose stuttered run-up failed to fool Cech; Chelsea captain John Terry who slipped on the wet pitch to send his spot-kick onto the woodwork and Nicolas Anelka’s effort which was superbly saved by Van Der Saar.
Fittingly, Ryan Giggs was the final player to convert, to add Luzhniki 2008 to United’s historic successes in Wembley in ’68 and the Nou Camp in 1999.
Goal! Weekly Article 17: Asian Champions League Coverage
MELBOURNE GAIN VICTORY IN ASIAN SWANSONG
By Julius Ross
Melbourne Victory finished its final Asian Champions League match on a high last week when they defeated Chonburi FC 3-1 to finish second on the Group G table.
It was one of the few positives which has emerged from the Victory’s inaugural foray into Asian’s top club competition; the A-League side amassing a disappointing total of seven points in the group from a possible 18.
Two wins and a draw were all the Victory could muster from their Asian outings and the side finished well behind unbeaten Group G winners Gamba Osaka who progressed with 14 points.
Drawn in the ACL ‘Group of Death’, the Victory were expected to struggle throughout the campaign, with Thai champions Chonburi FC, J-League giants Gamba and Korean F.A. winners Chunnam Dragons proving tough opposition throughout the group stage.
Victory made a dream start to the campaign when they downed Chunnam 2-0 on home soil in the opening fixture, but the 2006-7 A-League champions’ season quickly spiralled downhill; the side losing three matches in a row.
Rooted to the bottom of the table after four matches and out of knock-out stage contention, the Victory were determined to regain pride heading into their final two fixtures, but second place looked unlikely with the side struggling to find form when it counted.
But a hard-fought 1-1 draw with Chunnam in match day five and the 3-1 defeat of Chonburi last Wednesday left the Victory in a more respectable position.
Victory manager Ernie Merrick highlighted the fact that whilst the Champions League had been a tough and gruelling assignment for his players, his side had learned much from their first experience against quality Asian opposition.
Merrick admitted that the Victory now fully understands and appreciates the standard, discipline and quality of football on Australia’s neighbouring continent.
Merrick further underlined that his side’s recovery in the later stages of the competition had gone a long way in making the final result more rewarding and it was great to finish on a high note.
Although Merrick conceded Gamba Osaka were the deserved Group G winners, he was consigned to thinking what might have been if the Victory had had their full strength side out on the park for every match of the campaign.
Both marquee player Archie Thompson and Costa Rican striker Carlos Hernandez missed four and three games respectively, and both were absent for the decisive clashes with Gamba after they suffered injuries early in the tournament.
They both returned to action in the final match against Chonburi, and they highlighted Merrick’s lament at not having them available throughout the campaign, by scoring a goal apiece.
Socceroo Archie Thompson stole the show for the Victory, scoring one and setting up another for Costa Rican team-mate Carlos Hernandez, with a fine 30 minute display.
Making his first appearance since March when a nasty tackle in the Socceroos’ match against China left him sidelined with damaged knee ligaments, Thompson would have pleased national coach Pim Verbeek who was watching from the stands.
A second-half substitute, Thompson played a pivotal role in the Victory’s second and third goals and the game’s overall outcome.
His diagonal run onto Danny Allsop’s superb through ball saw the Australian international round Chonburi ‘keeper Kosin Hathairattanakool to finish into an empty net, after just four minutes on the pitch.
The Victory had the ball in the back of the net for a third time just 5 minutes later, but Rodrigo Vargas’ effort was disallowed by Jordanian referee Salem Mujghef after the Victory defender was deemed to have fouled his marker.
But there were no doubts about Carlos Hernandez’ finish 14 minutes from time, when he powered home a inch-perfect cut-back from Thompson after a neat counter-attack from the Victory.
A calamitous mistake by Melbourne skipper Kevin Muscat had seen his side go 1-0 down in the 54th minute; the defender uncharacteristically failing to clear his lines in the 18-yard box, gifting possession to Chonburi’s Ney Fabiano who rifled home.
The goal came against the run of play, but the Victory were back level within two minutes, when who else but Muscat popped up to cancel out his mistake by slotting home from a scrappy Victory corner.
Muscat’s muted celebration showed his hidden relief of turning from villain to hero.
The final score line was an identical reverse of the 3-1 loss the Victory suffered against Chonburi in Thailand on match day two left the Victory in one point clear of third placed Chunnam Dragons and three points above bottom-placed Chonburi.
Victory will hope its ACL momentum will carry over into this week’s much anticipated friendly against Italy’s Serie A giant Juventus at the Telstra Dome.
By Julius Ross
Melbourne Victory finished its final Asian Champions League match on a high last week when they defeated Chonburi FC 3-1 to finish second on the Group G table.
It was one of the few positives which has emerged from the Victory’s inaugural foray into Asian’s top club competition; the A-League side amassing a disappointing total of seven points in the group from a possible 18.
Two wins and a draw were all the Victory could muster from their Asian outings and the side finished well behind unbeaten Group G winners Gamba Osaka who progressed with 14 points.
Drawn in the ACL ‘Group of Death’, the Victory were expected to struggle throughout the campaign, with Thai champions Chonburi FC, J-League giants Gamba and Korean F.A. winners Chunnam Dragons proving tough opposition throughout the group stage.
Victory made a dream start to the campaign when they downed Chunnam 2-0 on home soil in the opening fixture, but the 2006-7 A-League champions’ season quickly spiralled downhill; the side losing three matches in a row.
Rooted to the bottom of the table after four matches and out of knock-out stage contention, the Victory were determined to regain pride heading into their final two fixtures, but second place looked unlikely with the side struggling to find form when it counted.
But a hard-fought 1-1 draw with Chunnam in match day five and the 3-1 defeat of Chonburi last Wednesday left the Victory in a more respectable position.
Victory manager Ernie Merrick highlighted the fact that whilst the Champions League had been a tough and gruelling assignment for his players, his side had learned much from their first experience against quality Asian opposition.
Merrick admitted that the Victory now fully understands and appreciates the standard, discipline and quality of football on Australia’s neighbouring continent.
Merrick further underlined that his side’s recovery in the later stages of the competition had gone a long way in making the final result more rewarding and it was great to finish on a high note.
Although Merrick conceded Gamba Osaka were the deserved Group G winners, he was consigned to thinking what might have been if the Victory had had their full strength side out on the park for every match of the campaign.
Both marquee player Archie Thompson and Costa Rican striker Carlos Hernandez missed four and three games respectively, and both were absent for the decisive clashes with Gamba after they suffered injuries early in the tournament.
They both returned to action in the final match against Chonburi, and they highlighted Merrick’s lament at not having them available throughout the campaign, by scoring a goal apiece.
Socceroo Archie Thompson stole the show for the Victory, scoring one and setting up another for Costa Rican team-mate Carlos Hernandez, with a fine 30 minute display.
Making his first appearance since March when a nasty tackle in the Socceroos’ match against China left him sidelined with damaged knee ligaments, Thompson would have pleased national coach Pim Verbeek who was watching from the stands.
A second-half substitute, Thompson played a pivotal role in the Victory’s second and third goals and the game’s overall outcome.
His diagonal run onto Danny Allsop’s superb through ball saw the Australian international round Chonburi ‘keeper Kosin Hathairattanakool to finish into an empty net, after just four minutes on the pitch.
The Victory had the ball in the back of the net for a third time just 5 minutes later, but Rodrigo Vargas’ effort was disallowed by Jordanian referee Salem Mujghef after the Victory defender was deemed to have fouled his marker.
But there were no doubts about Carlos Hernandez’ finish 14 minutes from time, when he powered home a inch-perfect cut-back from Thompson after a neat counter-attack from the Victory.
A calamitous mistake by Melbourne skipper Kevin Muscat had seen his side go 1-0 down in the 54th minute; the defender uncharacteristically failing to clear his lines in the 18-yard box, gifting possession to Chonburi’s Ney Fabiano who rifled home.
The goal came against the run of play, but the Victory were back level within two minutes, when who else but Muscat popped up to cancel out his mistake by slotting home from a scrappy Victory corner.
Muscat’s muted celebration showed his hidden relief of turning from villain to hero.
The final score line was an identical reverse of the 3-1 loss the Victory suffered against Chonburi in Thailand on match day two left the Victory in one point clear of third placed Chunnam Dragons and three points above bottom-placed Chonburi.
Victory will hope its ACL momentum will carry over into this week’s much anticipated friendly against Italy’s Serie A giant Juventus at the Telstra Dome.
Goal! Weekly Article 16: European League Wrap 2
INTER LEAVE IT LATE
Madrid, PSV, Celtic secure consecutive titles
By Julius Ross
The Serie A title was finally decided last weekend when Internationale Milan defeated Parma 2-0 on the final day of the season.
Inter striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic, playing his first game in a month after returning from a knee injury, was the hero as his double eventually sealed the victory which saw them finish three points ahead of AS Roma who drew 1-1 at Catania.
Inter had been threatening to secure their third Scudetto in a row and 16th in total for several weeks; however the Milanese side had struck a poor patch of form heading into their final fixtures.
The side had seen their 11 point lead at the top of the table in February reduced to one point, with Roberto Mancini’s side failing to wrap-up the title in the previous two weekends before the penultimate day of the season.
Inter knew that a victory would be enough to see off the title challenge from Roma, however they were cautious of the fact that a slip up could see the trophy they had had their hands on for several months, easily snatched from their grasp.
Inter’s late form collapse was initiated by a 2-0 loss at the hands of Liverpool in the Champions League in February, and the Nerazzurri failed to win their next three league matches against Sampdoria, Roma and Napoli.
Although recovering slightly in early March, later that same month the side again went without a win in three matches against Genoa, Juventus and Lazio.
As early as May 4th Inter had the chance to finally wrap up the campaign, but the side’s attempt to win against fierce city rivals AC Milan proved futile, Mancini’s side suffering a 2-1 loss.
Inter again had the chance to secure their third consecutive Scudetto the following week, but the side could only manage a 2-2 home draw against mid-table Siena.
A festive and expectant crowd had filled the San Siro in anticipation for the title decider, but they watched their side twice surrender their lead and witnessed Marco Materazzi fail to convert a late penalty.
The same weekend Roma did the job away to Atalanta; a 2-1 victory shot them to within one point of Internationale, heading into the decisive round of the Championship.
But although they had flirted dangerously with defeat, the San Siro was the scene of victorious celebrations last Sunday as Inter were presented with the Serie A trophy after returning from the match at Parma, later than night.
In Spain, the title race has been somewhat less dramatic, with Real Madrid defending their La Liga title well before last weekend’s final fixtures.
The Los Blancos finished eight points clear of second placed Villarreal and celebrated their final match of the season in style by demolishing relegated side Levate 5-2 at the Bernabeu.
The emphatic victory was yet another resounding defeat the Madristas have inflicted on their opposition since securing the title back on May 4th with a 2-1 away victory over Osasuna.
Five days after they secured their second consecutive La Liga title and 31st in total, Madrid celebrated by smashing fierce rivals Barcelona 4-1 in front of a packed and partying Bernabeu.
Madrid’s surge towards the title saw them go undefeated in their last eight matches, and the combination of Raul’s 18, Ruud van Nistelrooy’s 16 and Robino’s 11 goals for the season capped a fantastic season in the Spanish capital.
From Spain to Scotland and Celtic secured their third consecutive title last Thursday, as they defeated Dundee United 1-0 and Rangers lost 2-0 to Aberdeen.
Heading into the final fixtures of the season equal on points, Celtic held the advantage via a superior goal difference and came up with the goods to beat their cross-town rivals to the trophy.
Rangers failed to bounce back from their European defeat against Zenit St Petersburg, and the Gers will be supremely disappointed at their late season collapse which has seen them lose two trophies in the space of two weeks, and miss out on the chance to claim a unique treble.
Their disappointment was lifted slightly this weekend when they claimed the Scottish Cup with a 3-2 victory over Queen of the South.
In Holland, PSV wrapped up their fourth consecutive Eredivise title by finishing three points clear of rivals Ajax Amsterdam .
Their 21st title was secured via a final day 1-0 victory over Vitesse Arnhem and sealed automatic qualification into next season's UEFA Champions League.
Madrid, PSV, Celtic secure consecutive titles
By Julius Ross
The Serie A title was finally decided last weekend when Internationale Milan defeated Parma 2-0 on the final day of the season.
Inter striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic, playing his first game in a month after returning from a knee injury, was the hero as his double eventually sealed the victory which saw them finish three points ahead of AS Roma who drew 1-1 at Catania.
Inter had been threatening to secure their third Scudetto in a row and 16th in total for several weeks; however the Milanese side had struck a poor patch of form heading into their final fixtures.
The side had seen their 11 point lead at the top of the table in February reduced to one point, with Roberto Mancini’s side failing to wrap-up the title in the previous two weekends before the penultimate day of the season.
Inter knew that a victory would be enough to see off the title challenge from Roma, however they were cautious of the fact that a slip up could see the trophy they had had their hands on for several months, easily snatched from their grasp.
Inter’s late form collapse was initiated by a 2-0 loss at the hands of Liverpool in the Champions League in February, and the Nerazzurri failed to win their next three league matches against Sampdoria, Roma and Napoli.
Although recovering slightly in early March, later that same month the side again went without a win in three matches against Genoa, Juventus and Lazio.
As early as May 4th Inter had the chance to finally wrap up the campaign, but the side’s attempt to win against fierce city rivals AC Milan proved futile, Mancini’s side suffering a 2-1 loss.
Inter again had the chance to secure their third consecutive Scudetto the following week, but the side could only manage a 2-2 home draw against mid-table Siena.
A festive and expectant crowd had filled the San Siro in anticipation for the title decider, but they watched their side twice surrender their lead and witnessed Marco Materazzi fail to convert a late penalty.
The same weekend Roma did the job away to Atalanta; a 2-1 victory shot them to within one point of Internationale, heading into the decisive round of the Championship.
But although they had flirted dangerously with defeat, the San Siro was the scene of victorious celebrations last Sunday as Inter were presented with the Serie A trophy after returning from the match at Parma, later than night.
In Spain, the title race has been somewhat less dramatic, with Real Madrid defending their La Liga title well before last weekend’s final fixtures.
The Los Blancos finished eight points clear of second placed Villarreal and celebrated their final match of the season in style by demolishing relegated side Levate 5-2 at the Bernabeu.
The emphatic victory was yet another resounding defeat the Madristas have inflicted on their opposition since securing the title back on May 4th with a 2-1 away victory over Osasuna.
Five days after they secured their second consecutive La Liga title and 31st in total, Madrid celebrated by smashing fierce rivals Barcelona 4-1 in front of a packed and partying Bernabeu.
Madrid’s surge towards the title saw them go undefeated in their last eight matches, and the combination of Raul’s 18, Ruud van Nistelrooy’s 16 and Robino’s 11 goals for the season capped a fantastic season in the Spanish capital.
From Spain to Scotland and Celtic secured their third consecutive title last Thursday, as they defeated Dundee United 1-0 and Rangers lost 2-0 to Aberdeen.
Heading into the final fixtures of the season equal on points, Celtic held the advantage via a superior goal difference and came up with the goods to beat their cross-town rivals to the trophy.
Rangers failed to bounce back from their European defeat against Zenit St Petersburg, and the Gers will be supremely disappointed at their late season collapse which has seen them lose two trophies in the space of two weeks, and miss out on the chance to claim a unique treble.
Their disappointment was lifted slightly this weekend when they claimed the Scottish Cup with a 3-2 victory over Queen of the South.
In Holland, PSV wrapped up their fourth consecutive Eredivise title by finishing three points clear of rivals Ajax Amsterdam .
Their 21st title was secured via a final day 1-0 victory over Vitesse Arnhem and sealed automatic qualification into next season's UEFA Champions League.
Goal! Weekly Article 15: AFC WC Qualifier Socceroos v Iraq
REVENGE AT LAST
Schwarzer saves day, Kewell clinical
By Julius Ross
The Socceroos inflicted further pain on the Iraqi Football Federation on Sunday night, as the 2007 Asian Cup winners slumped to a 1-0 loss in Brisbane.
The defeat left Iraq cemented to the bottom of Group 1 in the third round of Asian Football Confederation World Cup Qualifiers, and allowed Australia to gain revenge for a 3-1 humiliation at the hands of the Iraqis last year.
Only seven days prior to the scheduled match at Suncorp Stadium, FIFA had provisionally suspended Iraq from international competition, due to political interference from the Iraqi government, which had left the match in jeopardy.
The government’s decision to disband the country’s national sports federation had left FIFA will no option but to suspend the side, however, world football’s governing body decided to reverse this decision only three days later.
It meant that the highly anticipated Group 1 clash was given the go-ahead, but the end result was one which imposed additional damage on the Iraq Football Federation, after a tumultuous week of proceedings.
In contrast, the Socceroos could not be in a more satisfying position after three matches.
Sitting comfortably on top of their World Cup Qualifying group, currently six points clear of Iraq, Australia look likely to progress to the final stage of Asian qualification.
A sensational Harry Kewell header was the difference between the sides on Sunday; however, the Socceroos were lucky to escape with all three points, despite dominating 62% of possession.
Iraq created enough chances to have bagged a handful of goals, but a rock-solid Mark Schwarzer and the goal-frame prevented the Iraqis from striking the back of the Australian net.
In a high tempo start, Iraq piled the pressure on the Aussie backline and within four minutes they were a whisker away from opening the scoring.
A fiercely struck corner was only parried by Schwarzer as far as Iraqi midfielder Emad Mohammed, whose first-time effort struck the underside of the woodwork.
Mohammed then produced the best of Schwarzer’s reflex actions; the No. 7’s close range shot forced the Aussie stalwart into a fine block with his trailing leg on 27 minutes after poor defending by Michael Beauchamp.
Without high-profile stars such as Tim Cahill, Mark Viduka and Lucas Neill, the likes of Vince Grella, Jason Culina and Marco Bresciano stepped up to control the midfield for the majority of the match against their Asian opponents, with Kewell running rampant up front.
However, the absence of Neill at the back created a few nervous moments for the Socceroos.
But the Lions of Mesopotamia, as they are affectionately known by their supporters, failed to punish the several openings which emerged from the unsettled partnership of Jade North and Beauchamp at the centre of defence.
The two defenders had to thank Schwarzer on numerous occasions for their defensive lapses.
On 36 minutes, North let his man, Younis Mahmoud, free at the near post, but luckily for the Newcastle Jets defender, the Iraqi captain sent his poorly directed header wide.
There were few of the much publicised ‘Iraqi diving antics’ on display, despite both sides tackling hard and showing no love lost in the intriguing encounter.
Australia continued their domination of possession in the second half, and within two minutes they took the lead through Aussie hero Kewell.
A pinpoint Brett Emerton cross from the right met the well-timed jump of the Socceroo No. 10, who buried clinically into the bottom corner of the Iraq net with a powerful header.
The Socceroos continued to dominate the remaining periods of the match, but had to again thank veteran ‘keeper Schwarzer who produced a top class one-on-one save from Hawar Taher after a quick Iraqi counter-attack on 82 minutes.
After a brief stoppage of play, due to two pitch invaders, the Iraqis finished the stronger and more aggressive side, continuously troubling the Australians.
But the Socceroos held on to the final whistle, to confirm that there would be no repeat of their humiliating 3-1 loss at the hands of the Iraqis in last year’s Asian Cup.
Australia’s other Group 1 opponents, China and Qatar, face off on Monday but even a win by second-placed Qatar cannot topple the Socceroos from their current spot on top of the group.
Pim Verbeek’s side play their return World Cup Qualifying match against Iraq in Dubai next Saturday, where the weather may provide a harsh test for the Socceroos, with temperatures expected to be in the high 30s.
Schwarzer saves day, Kewell clinical
By Julius Ross
The Socceroos inflicted further pain on the Iraqi Football Federation on Sunday night, as the 2007 Asian Cup winners slumped to a 1-0 loss in Brisbane.
The defeat left Iraq cemented to the bottom of Group 1 in the third round of Asian Football Confederation World Cup Qualifiers, and allowed Australia to gain revenge for a 3-1 humiliation at the hands of the Iraqis last year.
Only seven days prior to the scheduled match at Suncorp Stadium, FIFA had provisionally suspended Iraq from international competition, due to political interference from the Iraqi government, which had left the match in jeopardy.
The government’s decision to disband the country’s national sports federation had left FIFA will no option but to suspend the side, however, world football’s governing body decided to reverse this decision only three days later.
It meant that the highly anticipated Group 1 clash was given the go-ahead, but the end result was one which imposed additional damage on the Iraq Football Federation, after a tumultuous week of proceedings.
In contrast, the Socceroos could not be in a more satisfying position after three matches.
Sitting comfortably on top of their World Cup Qualifying group, currently six points clear of Iraq, Australia look likely to progress to the final stage of Asian qualification.
A sensational Harry Kewell header was the difference between the sides on Sunday; however, the Socceroos were lucky to escape with all three points, despite dominating 62% of possession.
Iraq created enough chances to have bagged a handful of goals, but a rock-solid Mark Schwarzer and the goal-frame prevented the Iraqis from striking the back of the Australian net.
In a high tempo start, Iraq piled the pressure on the Aussie backline and within four minutes they were a whisker away from opening the scoring.
A fiercely struck corner was only parried by Schwarzer as far as Iraqi midfielder Emad Mohammed, whose first-time effort struck the underside of the woodwork.
Mohammed then produced the best of Schwarzer’s reflex actions; the No. 7’s close range shot forced the Aussie stalwart into a fine block with his trailing leg on 27 minutes after poor defending by Michael Beauchamp.
Without high-profile stars such as Tim Cahill, Mark Viduka and Lucas Neill, the likes of Vince Grella, Jason Culina and Marco Bresciano stepped up to control the midfield for the majority of the match against their Asian opponents, with Kewell running rampant up front.
However, the absence of Neill at the back created a few nervous moments for the Socceroos.
But the Lions of Mesopotamia, as they are affectionately known by their supporters, failed to punish the several openings which emerged from the unsettled partnership of Jade North and Beauchamp at the centre of defence.
The two defenders had to thank Schwarzer on numerous occasions for their defensive lapses.
On 36 minutes, North let his man, Younis Mahmoud, free at the near post, but luckily for the Newcastle Jets defender, the Iraqi captain sent his poorly directed header wide.
There were few of the much publicised ‘Iraqi diving antics’ on display, despite both sides tackling hard and showing no love lost in the intriguing encounter.
Australia continued their domination of possession in the second half, and within two minutes they took the lead through Aussie hero Kewell.
A pinpoint Brett Emerton cross from the right met the well-timed jump of the Socceroo No. 10, who buried clinically into the bottom corner of the Iraq net with a powerful header.
The Socceroos continued to dominate the remaining periods of the match, but had to again thank veteran ‘keeper Schwarzer who produced a top class one-on-one save from Hawar Taher after a quick Iraqi counter-attack on 82 minutes.
After a brief stoppage of play, due to two pitch invaders, the Iraqis finished the stronger and more aggressive side, continuously troubling the Australians.
But the Socceroos held on to the final whistle, to confirm that there would be no repeat of their humiliating 3-1 loss at the hands of the Iraqis in last year’s Asian Cup.
Australia’s other Group 1 opponents, China and Qatar, face off on Monday but even a win by second-placed Qatar cannot topple the Socceroos from their current spot on top of the group.
Pim Verbeek’s side play their return World Cup Qualifying match against Iraq in Dubai next Saturday, where the weather may provide a harsh test for the Socceroos, with temperatures expected to be in the high 30s.
Goal! Weekly Article 14: European Champions League
Devils seek Double, Blues hoping for Revenge
By Julius Ross
As Manchester United head into their historic Champions League Final clash with Premier League rivals Chelsea this Thursday, the Red Devils will hold a slim psychological advantage over the Londoners.
United’s triumph over title challenger Chelsea on the penultimate day of the English Premier League season will see them into the final brimming with confidence after securing their 17th domestic title last weekend.
The Blues, on the other hand, will be slightly deflated by their failure to clinch the League trophy from the Red Devils’ grasp, but will be determined to gain revenge over their English rivals on Europe’s grandest stage.
Although the encounter will be unique in that it will be the first final to feature two English sides, both finalists will known each other inside out.
Having been the English Premier League’s dominant title challengers in recent seasons, a slight psychological advantage may be pivotal in separating the two sides and the final outcome of the match.
But Chelsea, despite their recent league loss, may use their disappointment as extra motivation to provide further mental strength for their side.
It will be Chelsea’s best chance to secure a first ever Champions League trophy, and silence critics who have targeted the club’s inability to progress past the semi-final stage, despite the millions of pounds injected into the club.
Manchester will also be looking to add to its own illustrious history; a victory in Wednesday’s final will see it complete a famous Champions League and domestic double, and will place a third European Cup in the Old Trafford trophy cabinet.
Leading up to United’s most important game in the club’s history since their 1999 triumph in the same competition, manager Sir Alex Ferguson is facing an unusual selection dilemma, with 26 first team players fit and ready to play in Moscow.
The United squad is currently injury and suspension free, which ironically leaves Sir Alex with a selection headache, with all players eager to feature in arguably the biggest match of their careers.
But due to UEFA regulations, Ferguson will have to omit eight players from his squad of 26, with only 18 players allowed to participate in Moscow.
Paul Scholes will be one certain starter in Russia; after missing the 1999 final against Bayern Munich through suspension, Ferguson promised the midfield maestro a starting position to erase the memories of missing out nine years ago.
Despite the selection drama, Ferguson admits his side in a fantastic position to lift a third European Cup, a trophy which he has claimed just once in 13 attempts, highlighting its status as the world’s most prestigious club trophy.
United may also have a slight advantage in the players department, having a certain Cristiano Ronaldo in their squad.
Ronaldo has taken both Europe and the Premier League by storm this season, scoring a total of 41 goals in all competitions and showing his pace, deadly finishing and audacious ability throughout the season.
He will be a key figure in the clash; his ability to unlock the tightest of defences will make him a marked man by Chelsea’s back-line.
Chelsea will also be close to full strength, after manager Avram Grant announced that the influential trio of captain John Terry, defender Ricardo Carvalho and striker Didier Drogba have recovered from various injuries.
Portuguese defender Carvalho missed the final match of the English Premier League season against Bolton, whilst Terry dislocated his elbow and Drogba jarred his knee in the disappointing 1-1 draw last Sunday.
It will be tough to pick a winner, but Chelsea’s 2-1 defeat of United in a crucial Premier League clash back in April shows that it will be a tough and closely fought encounter.
United and Chelsea also locked horns in a cup final last year, facing each other in the prestigious English F.A. Cup Final.
Unfortunately the final failed to live up to expectations and a dull 0-0 draw was played out in the 90 minute period, a Didier Drogba goal separating the sides in extra time.
This time around, we hope that the final produces a fantastic display of world-class football which highlights the status of the European Champions League as the greatest club competition in world.
By Julius Ross
As Manchester United head into their historic Champions League Final clash with Premier League rivals Chelsea this Thursday, the Red Devils will hold a slim psychological advantage over the Londoners.
United’s triumph over title challenger Chelsea on the penultimate day of the English Premier League season will see them into the final brimming with confidence after securing their 17th domestic title last weekend.
The Blues, on the other hand, will be slightly deflated by their failure to clinch the League trophy from the Red Devils’ grasp, but will be determined to gain revenge over their English rivals on Europe’s grandest stage.
Although the encounter will be unique in that it will be the first final to feature two English sides, both finalists will known each other inside out.
Having been the English Premier League’s dominant title challengers in recent seasons, a slight psychological advantage may be pivotal in separating the two sides and the final outcome of the match.
But Chelsea, despite their recent league loss, may use their disappointment as extra motivation to provide further mental strength for their side.
It will be Chelsea’s best chance to secure a first ever Champions League trophy, and silence critics who have targeted the club’s inability to progress past the semi-final stage, despite the millions of pounds injected into the club.
Manchester will also be looking to add to its own illustrious history; a victory in Wednesday’s final will see it complete a famous Champions League and domestic double, and will place a third European Cup in the Old Trafford trophy cabinet.
Leading up to United’s most important game in the club’s history since their 1999 triumph in the same competition, manager Sir Alex Ferguson is facing an unusual selection dilemma, with 26 first team players fit and ready to play in Moscow.
The United squad is currently injury and suspension free, which ironically leaves Sir Alex with a selection headache, with all players eager to feature in arguably the biggest match of their careers.
But due to UEFA regulations, Ferguson will have to omit eight players from his squad of 26, with only 18 players allowed to participate in Moscow.
Paul Scholes will be one certain starter in Russia; after missing the 1999 final against Bayern Munich through suspension, Ferguson promised the midfield maestro a starting position to erase the memories of missing out nine years ago.
Despite the selection drama, Ferguson admits his side in a fantastic position to lift a third European Cup, a trophy which he has claimed just once in 13 attempts, highlighting its status as the world’s most prestigious club trophy.
United may also have a slight advantage in the players department, having a certain Cristiano Ronaldo in their squad.
Ronaldo has taken both Europe and the Premier League by storm this season, scoring a total of 41 goals in all competitions and showing his pace, deadly finishing and audacious ability throughout the season.
He will be a key figure in the clash; his ability to unlock the tightest of defences will make him a marked man by Chelsea’s back-line.
Chelsea will also be close to full strength, after manager Avram Grant announced that the influential trio of captain John Terry, defender Ricardo Carvalho and striker Didier Drogba have recovered from various injuries.
Portuguese defender Carvalho missed the final match of the English Premier League season against Bolton, whilst Terry dislocated his elbow and Drogba jarred his knee in the disappointing 1-1 draw last Sunday.
It will be tough to pick a winner, but Chelsea’s 2-1 defeat of United in a crucial Premier League clash back in April shows that it will be a tough and closely fought encounter.
United and Chelsea also locked horns in a cup final last year, facing each other in the prestigious English F.A. Cup Final.
Unfortunately the final failed to live up to expectations and a dull 0-0 draw was played out in the 90 minute period, a Didier Drogba goal separating the sides in extra time.
This time around, we hope that the final produces a fantastic display of world-class football which highlights the status of the European Champions League as the greatest club competition in world.
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