International Football
Bottom of League One Brentford headed into the break with table-toppers Sheffield Wednesday in the lead courtesy of Charlie MacDonald’s shot on the turn five minutes from the interval. *** Perth Glory 2 – Wellington Phoenix 1 (A-League, September 5, 2010) Perth opened the scoring in just the fifth minute through Mile Sterjovski, who tapped [...]
Switzerland v England, Euro 2012 qualifying, September 7, 2010 Switzerland 4.03; Draw 3.38; England 1.80 You’ve gotta love/hate the English media. Ever since the Three Lions were befuddled in Bloemfontein apparently everything connected to the England national team was terrible. Fabio Capello was a joke. The players were a joke. The FA were seen as [...]
Southampton 0 – Rochdale 2 (League One, September 4, 2010) Managerless Southampton had plenty of chances but failed to take any of them and went a goal behind in first-half stoppage time, when Gary Jones led a break from deep inside his own half to set up a simple chance for Chris O’Grady. Rochdale got [...]
Uganda 3 – Angola 0 (Africa Cup of Nations 2012 qualifier, September 4, 2010) Dennis Obua opened the scoring, sliding home from a right wing cross. Tommy Mawejje added a second just before the hour and late on Geoffrey Sarunkuma headed the third. Cape Verde 1 – Mali 0 (Africa Cup of Nations 2012 qualifier, [...]
Poland 1 – Ukraine 1 (International Friendly, September 4, 2010) In the battle of the Euro 2012 co-hosts, Ukraine went from almost breaking the deadlock to falling behind inside sixty seconds as Auxerre hotshot Ireneusz Jelen put Poland ahead in the 41st minute. Just when it seemed that Poland will claim the bragging rights Evgeni [...]
Serbia 2 – Croatia 2 (European U21 Championship Qualifiers, September 4, 2010) Marko Scepovic put Serbia in front after only two minutes. Croatia hit back with a brace before the break from Ivan Perisic with both goals coming from corners. Filip Duricic equalised with eight minutes to go.
Cartagena 0 – Elche 1 (Spanish Segunda Division, September 4, 2010) Miguel Linares grabbed the winner with two minutes to go. Gimnastic 2 – Girona 0 (Spanish Segunda Division, September 4, 2010) Walter Fernandez claimed a late brace on 79 and 81 for the home side with two headers from right wing crosses. Huelva 1 [...]
Torino 1 – Crotone 1 (Serie B, September 4, 2010) Aniello Cutolo made up for an extraordinary miss on the half hour to put Crotone ahead three minutes after the break with a brilliant long range left-footed strike. Antimo Iunco equalised on 77.
Sliven 0 – Beroe 1 (A PFG, September 4, 2010) After a brief incident of crowd trouble, Vladislav Zlatinov managed to hook home a second half effort to earn Beroe the points. Kaliakra 2 – Minyor Pernik 1 (A PFG, September 4, 2010) Kostadin Markov put Minyor ahead on 27 minutes with a free kick [...]
Melbourne Heart 1 – North Queensland Fury 0 (A-League, September 4, 2010) A 11th minute Nick Kalmar header proved historic for the Melbourne Heart as the A-League’s newest franchise recorded their first ever win. Adelaide United 3 – Sydney FC 1 (A-League, September 4, 2010) Sydney fell behind after just ten minutes through Sergio van [...]
Philadelphia Union 1 – Kansas City Wizards 1 (MLS, September 4, 2010) In-form Sebastien Le Toux’s opener was cancelled out by Davy Arnaud’s clever free-kick. Chicago Fire 1 – LA Galaxy 1 (MLS, September 4, 2010) Former Fulham striker Collins John looked to have won the game on 88 but Omar Gonzalez equalised three minutes [...]
Boca Juniors 1 – San Lorenzo 2 (Argentina Apertura, September 4, 2010) Sebastian Balsas headed home the opener for San Lorenzo, Juan Carlos Menseguez added the second on 88 before Martin Palermo pulled back a consolation. Arsenal Sarandi 1 – Argentinos Juniors 0 (Argentina Apertura, September 4, 2010) Mauro Obolo slid home the winner five [...]
Botafogo 2 – Gremio 2 (Campeonato Brasileiro, September 4, 2010) Antonio Carlos and Gustavo Herrera put Botafogo 2-up within 20 minutes. But Jonas was the hero for Gremio with a second half brace. Ceara 0 – Vasco 2 (Campeonato Brasileiro, September 4, 2010) Ze Roberto tapped in at the back post for Vasco’s first, Fellipe [...]
Drawn against Partizan Belgrade in the Champions League along with Shakhtar Donetsk and SC Braga, Arsenal fans should take note of the following goal from Cleo. 25-year-old Cleverson Gabriel Cordova is rapidly coming to the fore as yet another Brazilian striker of serious promise as he goes from strength to strength at Partizan. So far [...]
Had this effort gone in it would have been the greatest goal in San Marino history. The European minnows collected yet another battering in their last international match, losing 5-nil at the hands of the Dutch. But arguably the standout moment belonged to San Marino striker Andy Selva for attempting an ambitious 50-yard lob over [...]
A new disease that might be even worse than H1N1.Fortunately it only affects football media people - and that too only if you are a german.
The syndrome began with this incident when reporter Jessica Kastrop was struck on the head by a football kicked by Stuttgart defender Khalid Boulahrouz like this...
The sympoms of this non fatal disease are a sudden unreasonable fear that you will be hit on the head by a football.
Watch...!
Comment & analysis round-up Quote of the day: “Barcelona did all that they could to sign me but Arsenal told me I had to stay, that there was no way there were going to let me go. In the end, I had to stay – but the content of my conversation with Arsene Wenger will [...]
Liverpool XI 4 – Everton XI 1 (Jamie Carragher testimonial, September 5, 2010) 35,000 Liverpool fans turned up at Anfield to pay homage to Jamie Carragher’s 14 years at the club and saw the veteran defender score at both ends as well as Michael Owen wear the Liverpool shirt again. Luis Garcia rolled back the clock with [...]
At Broadhall Way.
I had not been inside Stevenage's stadium for long before I realised all was not quite going to plan.
There was just over an hour until the newest addition to the Football League was due to meet Crewe for their first competitive fixture and in many ways everything looked to be in good order.
A milky September sun beamed down on the superb playing surface and the fans slowly started to make their way through the turnstiles as Stevenage prepared for their third home fixture as a League Two club.
But a circle of officials and club representatives stood in the middle of the pitch looked to be in the midst of a very serious discussion.The problem, it turned out, concerned Crewe's away strip. The referee thought it was too similar in both colour and design to Stevenage's white and red home kit.
Crewe warmed-up wearing red socks and shirts with orange shorts, a very funky combination, but the referee was still not satisfied and so when the Alex appeared for kick-off they were sporting Stevenage's yellow away kit.
It was a slightly farcical start to the afternoon but the 400 or so away supporters saw the funny side, making the most of the opportunity to chant "yellows" in support of their team.
I heard someone suggest that it was an embarrassing sequence of events ahead of a professional football match and it is hard to disagree.
Manager Graham Westley has guided Stevenage into the Football League.
But I thoroughly enjoyed my afternoon at Broadhall Way and there were many qualities that I sometimes think have been permanently lost at higher levels of the game.
The ground, now officially called the Lamex Stadium, benefits immensely from the fact that one side and end are terraced. The Stevenage fans packed the terraced side and created a cracking atmosphere.
There is an intimacy at grounds like Stevenage's that I don't think you have at many of the architecturally fantastic but somehow slightly soulless modern stadia. I almost stumbled into several of the Crewe squad as I made my way into the ground and there was none of the separation between players and fans that I think slightly deadens the experience at the top level.
I could hear the instructions and frustrations that emanated from the management teams in the dug-outs, while the vociferous opinions that came down from the stands must surely have reached the players. The home supporters sat in front of me made it very clear that Crewe wideman Clayton Donaldson was slightly too enthusiastic in his desire to embrace the admittedly lush-looking playing surface.
I noticed that Crewe boss Dario Gradi spent a good 10 minutes chatting to two Stevenage supporters as his team went through their warm-up routine, while the veteran manager chatted at length to another fan after the match.
In truth it was a largely ordinary contest, with lengthy passages of scrappy and dis-jointed play. The referee did not help as he was far too quick to blow his whistle, but the contest had plenty to admire.
Crewe defender David Artell suggested afterwards that Stevenage had been very physical in their approach but I felt the home team showed great desire and commitment to hold on for a 1-1 draw after Stacy Long was sent off with half an hour remaining.
Veteran Crewe boss Gradi reckons it is too early to tell whether his side are capable of pushing for promotion. They now have five points from five games and lacked a cutting edge on Saturday that Gradi admitted was a concern.
But the Crewe boss was undoubtedly buoyed by the incredibly promising performance of substitute Nick Powell - a youngster who is apparently already wanted by some of England's top clubs.
Gradi believes that Powell has a big future in the game
The 16-year-old was recently a member of the England Under-17 team that won a round-robin tournament involving Australia, Turkey and Portugal.
And at Broadhall Way the young forward played with a skill and confidence after his 66th-minute introduction that suggested he has a bright future in the game.
Just about his first touch was a sublime flick that wrong-footed an opponent while his time on the pitch featured step-overs, dribbles and two crisp left-foot shots that drew decent stops from Stevenage keeper Chris Day.
Powell almost won the match for his team with a late low strike that caught Day flat footed which narrowly missed the target.
"I have known him since he was 10 and he has always been confident," said Gradi.
"He was a little boy with quick feet and was temperamental as a youngster but he has a lot going for him.
"He is not an easy player to pin down to a position because he likes to go where he wants to go, a little bit like Steven Gerrard.
"However, he is not the same kind of player as Gerrard, he has got more tricks and flicks and is a cleverer player than Gerrard although he does not have his power.
"He is best playing behind the front striker, he is two footed and good in the air."
Powell is one of a trio of Crewe players in the England Under-17 set-up, along with goalkeeper Ben Garratt and forward Max Clayton.
Garratt and Clayton have yet to figure for Crewe's first team, while the match at Stevenage was Powell's second substitute appearance.
The kit fiasco meant that Powell had the name of Ronnie Henry on his back on Saturday afternoon.
But in years to come, it might just be that there will be no confusion about the name of the youngster who made such a good impression after coming off the bench at Stevenage.
You can follow me throughout the season at twitter.com/Paul__Fletcher
Last night’s Euro 2012 qualifier between Belgium and Germany was a big occasion for former Nationalmannschaft playmaker Mehmet Scholl. The 39-year-old was making his first appearance as an analyser on German TV in place of Gunter Netzer. Scholl though became a victim of a prank played by the Germany players who were pretending to aim shots at [...]
Spain beat Liechtenstein 4 - 0 in their Euro qualifier with Torres and Villa scoring two goals each and plenty of tiki taki for the rest of the game.
Meanwhile the good news for next door neighbour Portugal was that they also scored four goals in their game against Cyprus.The bad news was that Cyprus also scored 4 goals in return.Where is Cristiano Ronaldo...?
Laurent Blanc will envy Capello.No hat tricks for the French team as they started their run for Euro 2011. A horrendously offside Sergey Kislyak scored the winning goal for Belarus in the 87th minute.
England scored four goals three of which came from Defoe - ably assisted by a resurgent Rooney....
In the ridiculous world that is football transfer gossip it comes as little surprise to see rumours touted just four days after the window slammed up. The red-top rumour of the day this Saturday surrounds Arsenal’s never-ending, never-producing search for a new keeper with Dynamo Kiev’s 17-year-old Maksym Koval linked with a move to the [...]
In the ridiculous world that is football transfer gossip it comes as little surprise to see rumours touted just four days after the window slammed up. The red-top rumour of the day this Saturday surrounds Arsenal’s never-ending, never-producing search for a new keeper with Dynamo Kiev’s 17-year-old Maksym Koval linked with a move to the [...]
With goals from the Europa League, Premier League and the Liverpool youth academy.
Several beauties flew into the back of the net on Friday night. Arguably the standout goal of the evening came in Turkey’s 3-nil hammering of Kazakhstan where Bayern Munich Hamit Altintop almost punctured a hole in the net with an outstanding shot on the volley. Clearly a training ground move, a Turkish corner was pinged [...]
With his homeless tag, rumours that in fact he’s not very good, Alex Ferguson’s admission that he’d never seen him play before he’d signed him, and the bottom line that few in general have ever seen him play football, Manchester United’s new signing Bebe is perhaps one of the most interesting footballers at the minute. [...]
With his homeless tag, rumours that in fact he’s not very good, Alex Ferguson’s admission that he’d never seen him play before he’d signed him, and the bottom line that few in general have ever seen him play football, Manchester United’s new signing Bebe is perhaps one of the most interesting footballers at the minute. [...]
Melbourne Heart 1 – North Queensland Fury 0 (A-League, September 4, 2010) A 11th minute Nick Kalmar header proved historic for the Melbourne Heart as the A-League’s newest franchise recorded their first ever win.
Japan 1 – Paraguay 0 (International Friendly, September 4, 2010) The new darling of Japanese football, 21-year-old Borussia Dortmund striker Shinji Kagawa, had entertained the crowd with a brilliant run in the first half before he scored the solitary goal in the 70th minute with a beautiful first time finish following an excellent team move. [...]
Poland 1 – Ukraine 1 (International Friendly, September 4, 2010) In the battle of the Euro 2012 co-hosts, Ukraine went from almost breaking the deadlock to falling behind inside sixty seconds as Auxerre hotshot Ireneusz Jelen put Poland ahead in the 41st minute. Just when it seemed that Poland will claim the bragging rights Evgeni [...]
England 4 – Bulgaria 0 (Euro 2012 qualifier, September 3, 2010) (Longer highlights) Jermain Defoe had England off an running inside three minutes when the Tottenham striker pounced on a loose ball from close range to smack in the opener. (First half highlights) The Three Lions went 2-up on the hour, Wayne Rooney slipped Jermain [...]
Liechtenstein 0 – Spain 4 (Euro 2012 qualifier, September 3, 2010) Fernando Torres opened the scoring in the 18th minute with as clever chip after being played through by Andres Iniesta. Eight minutes later David Villa made it 2-0 with a long drive which Liechtenstein goalkeeper Peter Jehle should have done better with. The one-way [...]
Kazakhstan 0 – Turkey 3 (Euro 2012 qualifier, September 3, 2010) After Arda Turan headed Turkey in front, Hamit Altintop doubled the Turks’ advantage with an incredible shot on the volley from a corner. Nihat Kahveci closed out the scoring 14 minutes from time. Andorra 0 – Russia 2 (Euro 2012 qualifier, September 3, 2010) [...]
Algeria 1 – Tanzania 1 (Africa Cup of Nations qualifier, September 3, 2010) A thunderous first half free kick from Idrisa Rajabu and an outstanding second half display from goalkeeper Chabane Hassan has given the Taifa Stars a dream start in Algeria, but an Adlene Guedioura cannon-ball from almost forty yards found the top right [...]
Venezuela 0 – Colombia 2 (International Friendly, September 3, 2010) Juan Cuadrado scored with a powerful shot in the 17th minute and Dayron Moreno used his speed to beat the defence, adding the clincher in the 66th minute. China 0 – Iran 2 (International Friendly, September 3, 2010) Goals in each half from Andranik Teymourian [...]
Portugal 0 – England 1 (European U21 Championship Qualifiers, September 3, 2010) England scored the only goal after 35 minutes when Tom Cleverley played in Daniel Sturridge and the Chelsea man chipped goalkeeper Rui Patricio. Bosnia 0 – Italy 1 (European U21 Championship Qualifiers, September 3, 2010) A solitary strike from Roberto Soriano settled the [...]
Central Coast Mariners 2 – Melbourne Victory 0 (A-League, September 3, 2010) Headers in each half from Rostyn Griffiths and Daniel McBreen saw Central Coast Mariners triumph over Melbourne Victory.
Racing Club 1 – Colon 2 (Apertura, September 3, 2010) Esteban Fuertes had Colon ahead after five minutes but Claudio Bieler had the hosts level in the 31st. Larrivey had the visitors back in front before the break and Colon hung on for the three points. Godoy Cruz 1 – Estudiantes 2 (Apertura, September 3, [...]
