Spanish La Liga Round Twenty Five
Posted on March 6, 2009
Filed Under La Liga | Leave a Comment
Saturday 28th February 2009
Real Madrid won 2-0 at Espanyol, to keep the pressure on Barcelona. Despite not being at their best, they took the lead in the 67th minute, through substitute Guti scoring. Raul scored Real’s second in the 72nd minute, to secure all three valuable points. Sevilla also won, beating Athletic Bilbao 2-1 in Bilbao. Bilbao started the stronger and took the lead in the in the 27th minute, Igor Gabilondo beating Palop with a low effort. Fredi Kanoute equalised for the away side in the 39th minute, smashing home a Mosquera cross. Kanoute scored his second in the 58th minute, the striker firing home from a Romaric through ball.
Sunday 1st March 2009
Atletico Madrid beat Barcelona 4-3 at the Vicente Calderon, in an enthralling encounter. Thierry Henry gave Barca the lead with a sensational long range curling effort. Lionel Messi doubled the lead in the 30th minute, after a goal ball by Samuel Eto’o. Diego Forlan smashed Atletico back into the game in the 32nd minute with superb effort. Sergio Aguero slotted home the equaliser in the 56th minute. Barca regained the lead in the 74th minute, as Eidur Gudjohnsen broke the offside trap and gave the ball to Henry for a tap in. Diego Forlan equalised for Atletico from the penalty spot, after lots of confusion. Sergio ‘Kun’ Aguero scored the winner in the dying minutes, finishing past Valdes after a lucky break off Puyol. This victory was Atletico’s first victory in 2009 and it leaves Barca only four points clear of Real at the top.
Deportivo La Coruna continued their challenge for a European place by winning 1-0 at Numancia, Juan Rodriguez scoring the only goal with fifteen minutes remaining. The win moves Depor up to seventh place in La Liga and leaves Numancia bottom. Recreativo recorded a shock 2-0 away victory to Malaga. Manuel Ortiz Lolo received a red card in the 35th minute for Malaga and the home side couldn’t repel Recre. Javier Cumanas put the away side into the lead on 54 minutes. Adrian Colunga doubled the lead in the 64th minute to secure all three points.
Mallorca scored an away victory beating Sporting Gijon 1-0. Juan Arango gave the away side the lead in the 49th minute. The three points may prove valuable as it took Mallorca out of the drop zone on goal difference. Racing Santander drew 1-1 with Osasuna at home. Racing took the lead in the 13th minute through Oscar Serrano. Walter Pandiani rescued a point for the away side just before half-time. Osasuna now drop into the relegation zone, after Mallorca’s win. Almeria beat Getafe 2-1 at the Estadio Del Mediterraneo. Joffre Guerron gave Getafe the lead after eight minutes, but Alvaro Negredo put the home side level in the 17th minute. Negredo scored his brace in the 65th minute, to give the away side a crucial three points.
Real Betis drew 2-2 with Villarreal in Seville. The away side took a two goal lead. Santi Cazorla gave the Yellow Submarines the lead in the sixth minute; he then doubled that lead in the 36th minute. Betis got back in the game in the 42nd minute through Ricardo Oliveira and the same player scored their equaliser in the 57th minute. The result leaves Real Betis only two points off the relegation zone. Villarreal are in the fourth, three points clear of fifth place Atletico Madrid
Premiership Match Reports Wk27
Posted on March 3, 2009
Filed Under Premiership 08/09 | 1 Comment
Saturday 28th Febuary
Everton 2-0 WBA
Everton did not let the home crowd feel the absence of Arteta and produced yet another glorious display to move within 2 points of 5th placed Arsenal. Unmarked Tim Cahill guided a tough corner kick with a terrific header in the 36th minute to give Everton the lead. Attacks from West Brom broke into a submission and second half was completely dominated by the Toffees. Saha was brought on in the second half after a long gap of injury. He showed magical touch of his United days and produced a stunner left footed goal in the far left corner to make it 2-0. WBA is surely on their way to relegation.
Arsenal 0-0 Fulham
Arsenal yet again failed to score at home and produced a miserable display that ended in a 4th consecutive goalless draw. Van Persie’s power kicks were saved by Fulham’s inspirational defensive man, Schwarzer. Arshavin played really well to feed Persie with pin point passes but Arsenal could not gain anything. Diaby’s 71st minute header was again stopped by Schwarzer as Arsenal came agonizingly close to scoring yet another time. Arsenal lay at lowly 5th place and hopes of Champions League are simply fading away.
Chelsea 2-1 Wigan Athletic
John Terry scored after a long time in EPL to give Chelsea the much needed lead. They came close on several occasions to make matters worse for Wigan but could not steer the ball past Kirkland. Hiddink’s faint title hopes fell into dungeons when Kapo levelled the terms in the 82nd minute. Things became competitive in the injury time. A long clearance was received by Ballack who flicked it and Chelsea’s Mr.Dependable, Lampard rose to the occasion again. He got ahead of Melchiot to guide a header past Kirkland to become the night winners. Chelsea moved into 2nd place after a long time.
Middlesbrough 2-0 Liverpool
The home team’s survival hopes got alive whereas Liverpool’s title hopes faded as they suffered one of the worst season-defeats. An own goal by Xabi Alonso threatened another away draw since everyone expected them to score. Liverpool tried everything to get the equalizer but things got worse. Tuncay Sanli and Downing paired up in the second half to finish the domination of visitors. O’Neil’s pass found Aliadiere who passed it to Tuncay. His bottom corner shot couldn’t be saved and the match ended with unbelievable scoreline of 2-0.
Sunday 1st March
Hull City 1-2 Blackburn
Rovers snatched the away game from Tigers in the starting minutes of the first half as an inspiring display from Warnock helped Blackburn gain the three important points and move out of the relegation zone. Matt Duke made an error in the box and Warnock slashed it past the goalkeeper. A few minutes later he provided a pass to Andrews to make it 0-2. The second half saw 2 red cards, 1 each to every side. With 10 men on both sides, Ashbee pulled one back for the home crowd but it was too late for a fightback. Hull City now stands just 3 points clear of the relegation zone.
West Ham 1-0 Man City
West Ham produced yet another miser defence performance to keep Robinho and party at bay and registered 3 important points. The first half was dull with both sides making half-hearted efforts. The second half was more fascinating as Cole and Di Michele went for the goal several times. Finally in the 71st minute, Collison fired one past City’s defence. Cole came agonizingly close to stretching the lead to 2-0 but was denied by some good goalkeeping. A late free kick almost made it 1-1 when Elano’s kick struck the post.
Bolton 1-0 Newcastle
Bolton produced a wonderful display of football skills to achieve a position in the top 10 after a really long time. The first half produced no great efforts or challenges as both teams kept their nets and yellow card basket clean. Muamba was substituted in the second half for Gardner and a minute later Gardner scores through a first time effort to make it 1-0. Taylor provided the pass for this goal-seeking move. Newcastle got into a quick groove after Geremi was brought on. 3 shots on target were saved by the Bolton defence line to keep Magpies at bay.
Aston Villa 2-2 Stoke City
Aston Villa made a mockery in the last 5 minutes to give away a 2 goal lead and end up the match as a draw. Villa dominated the whole match from the word ‘go’. Petrov was in sublime touch as he shot across the Stoke’s keeper in the 46th minute of the first half and got the lead for the home team. In the 79th minute new substitute Carew made the scoreline 2-0 and it was all over. Shawcross then sprung into action to pull 1 back for visitors before Whelan shot it past Friedel at the edge of the box. A frustrating 2-2 draw for Martin O’Neil, avoiding which could have brought them really close to 2nd and 3rd spot.
Spanish La Liga Round Twenty Four
Posted on February 27, 2009
Filed Under La Liga | Leave a Comment
Saturday 21st February 2009
Barcelona suffered a shock 2-1 home derby defeat to Espanyol. Espanyol started the game as the bottom team in La Liga, but still managed to shock runaway leaders Barca. Barca had midfielder Seydou Keita dismissed after 38 minutes. Former Barca play Ivan De La Pena gave the visitors the lead in the 50th minute, with a good header. A Victor Valdes mistake gifted Espanyol the lead, after the keeper kicked the ball straight to De La Pena, who lobbed the stranded keeper. It was a result which will encourage the chasing Real Madrid.
Madrid hammered Real Betis 6-1 at the Bernabeu. The capital side scored all their goals in the first half. Gonzalo Higuain gave Real the lead after seven minutes. Klaas Jan-Huntelaar scored a brace with goals in the 15th and 24th minutes. Raul got in on the act scoring his own brace, scoring goals in the 36th and 42nd minutes. Ricardo Oliveira had scored in the 30th minute in-between Huntelaar’s and Raul’s braces. Sergio Ramos completed the extraordinary scoring just before half time. Real have now gave themselves hope of catching Barca at the top, after the Catalan side slipped up at home to Espanyol.
Sevilla beat Atletico Madrid 1-0 at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan. They left it late to score the winner, Jesus Navas scoring the in the 87th minute, that goal could be crucial in the fight for those valuable Champions League places. Villarreal beat Sporting Gijon 2-1 at the El Madrigal, to help their Champions League place challenge. Mate Bilic shocked the home fans by putting Gijon ahead in the first minute. That lead didn’t last however, Robert Pires equalising just a minute later for Villarreal. Defender Joan Capdevilla headed the winner in the 39th minute, to secure all three points.
Sunday 22nd February 2009
Malaga defeated Real Valladolid 3-1 away from home to maintain their European challenge. Malaga took the lead in the seventh minute through Albert Luque. Antonio Apono added the second in the 30th minute from the penalty spot. Pedro Oldoni got a goal back for the home team in the 83rd minute. Substitute Nacho sealed all three points in the 87th minute. Recreativo and Almeria drew 1-1 at El Nuevo Colombino. Albert Crusat was dismissed for the away side on 22 minutes. Javier Cumanas gave Recre the lead after 59 minutes, but Iriney Santos equalised for Almeria in the 76th minute from the penalty spot.
Elsewhere Getafe drew 1-1 with Athletic Bilbao at Coliseum Alfonso Perez. Getafe took the lead through Roberto Soldado on 16 minutes. Bilbao equalised through Spanish starlet Fernando Llorente in the 41st minute. Real Mallorca beat Racing Santander 1-0 at ONO Estadi. The visitors had Ezequiel Garay dismissed in the 50th minute. Mallorca left it late to get the winner but it arrived in the 89th minute through Jose Manuel Jurado. Osasuna beat Numancia 2-0 to help in their fight against relegation. Jaroslav Plasil gave the home side the lead after only two minutes. Massoud Shojaei doubled Osasuna’s lead in the 35th minute. Valencia and Deportivo drew 1-1 at the Riazor. David Villa gave Valencia the lead after 25 minutes, but was dismissed for a second bookable offence in the 75th minute. Depor found an equaliser in the 79th minute, through an Adrian Lopez header.
Premiership Football Results Round-Up Week 26 Continued
Posted on February 24, 2009
Filed Under Premiership 08/09 | 1 Comment
Saturday 21st Febuary
Aston Villa 0-1 Chelsea
Guus Hiddink’s first match as Chelsea manager started on a positive note as Chelsea Defeated Aston Villa in their home ground to swap places with the rivals. A 19th minute brilliance from Frank Lampard saw Anelka encashing on his pass and made a final subtle touch to break the Villa defence. The win broke Villa’s unbeaten 13 match run and marked Chelsea’s first win in 10 years at the Martin O’Neal’s hunting ground. Villa seemed tired after playing their 3rd match in 6 days. Scares from each side were cleared by respective goalkeepers. Friedel saved Terry’s thumping header, Lampard’s freekick and Cech managed to keep Agbonlahor at bay. Ashley Young’s 20 yard free kick in the 34th minute shoved the crossbar to Cech’s relief.
Arsenal 0-0 Sunderland
Arsenal’s dismal performance continued as the dream of yet another Champions League appearance slipped further. It was an opportunity to beat the minnows at the Emirates after Villa lost in their home ground. Arshavin could not mark his debut well and his two attempts were saved by Fulop. Sunderland on the other hand was aggressive in midfield and kept Gunners at bay. Fulop managed to save every attempt which were few and rare. Just when Arsenal began to attack full hands in the last 10 minutes, they suffered a blow. Clichy limped out and Sagna was looking in no good shape. Gallas’ close range shot and Toure’s header effort went in vain as Arsenal had to share points yet another time this season.
Bolton 2-1 West Ham
Matt Taylor and Kevin Davies ensured a victory at the Reebok in the opening minutes with two golden strikes for Bolton to make it 2-0 in 11 minutes. Taylor deservingly was the man of the match with his constant threatened passes in the West Ham’s defence. West Ham’s counter attacks from Di Michele, Carlton Cole and Noble were no good as match went to 2-0 at halftime. Parker pulled one back for the visitors in the 66th minute. Cole’s header was spilled by Jaaskelainen in the 82nd minute but was recovered fast. West Ham slumped to their first defeat in 8 matches in the EPL to stay at the 8th position.
Middlesbrough 0-0 Wigan
Boros could not help themselves at the home ground and still remained in the relegation zone. Without a win in 14 matches, Boro found themselves in trouble when a 16th minute harsh challenge from Cattermole forced Digard to limp out on the 23rd minute. Downing’s 34th minute low shot was saved by Kirkland. Desperate to win, Southgate injected two more strikers in the form of Aliadiere and Tuncay in the second half. Alves 73rd minute effort was kept at bay by Kirkland and an 86th minute drive by Gary O’Neil somehow found his legs to help Wigan earn an away point and still stay in the 7th spot.
Stoke City 2-2 Portsmouth
Beattie almost snatched a remarkable win for Stoke but an injury time own-goal frustrated the home crowd and helped Pompey share the away points. Kranjcar’s brilliance helped Pompey draw the first blood in the 75th minute but referee ruled Johnson’s chest tap as handling the ball. The event awarded a penalty to the home side and Beattie stepped in to finish a top-class penalty. Minutes later his header made it 2-1 for home side. In the dying moments Hreidarsson’s on target shot was deflected by Shawcross past Sorensen and gave Pompey an unexpected 1 point.
Manchester Utd 2-1 Blackburn
Rooney’s fitness return helped United draw the first blood at Old Trafford in the 23rd minute. Minutes later, Roque Santa Cruz ended United’s amazing 1334 minutes clean sheet record by deceiving Kuszczak and tapping in the far corner. Ronaldo’s 40th minute free kick was blocked by Blackburn defensive wall. Andrews brought down Ronaldo and his superb 60th minute free-kick revived the touches of last season’s Ronaldo. A classic dipping beauty saw United home though not without late superb attacks from the Rovers United now move 8 points clear as the leaders and towards a Premiership hat-trick.
Sunday 22nd Febuary
Fulham 2-0 West Brom
Fulham proved why they were called the fourth best in defence after Manchester Utd, Liverpool and Chelsea. Yet another clean sheet but this time accompanied with 2 second half goals was an icing to the cake. The first half was dull with both sides making few inroads to the opposite area. Fulham were more aggressive as Johnson, Murphy, Zamora and Hangeland continuously bombarded in volleys and passes. The second half saw West Brom on a defensive note and they had to pay for this tactic. In the 61st minute Johnson guided a header towards Zamora who fired from point-blank range to give Fulham the lead. 11 minutes later the same pair combined but this time Zamora provided the pass and Johnson did the rest. Zamora broke his dull 30 hour goalless streak at EPL and Schwarzer saved an injury time penalty to inflict more humiliation.
Liverpool 1-1 Manchester City
City grabbed an unexpected away point at the Anfield as Liverpool salvaged a draw from a Kuyt goal in the later stages of the game. This has shattered their hopes to keep the pressure on Man Utd for the top spot. Former Liverpool striker Craig Bellamy hit a power-bomb that took a serious deflection off Arbeloa and landed in the Liverpool’s net. The first half did not feature much excitement as a wild run by Liverpool midfield was halted by a harsh challenge from Dunne who was deservingly given the Yellow card. In the 51st minute City got the lead through Arbeloa’s own goal but could not sustain the lead. El Zhar was introduced and immediately the Liverpool attacks became swift. Torres provided a wicked pass to Kuyt who levelled the scores in the 78th minute to end a frustrating evening at the home ground.
Newcastle Utd 0-0 Everton
Newcastle somehow battled its way to a draw against the powerful Everton. After a 43rd minute harsh and ugly challenge on Anichebe, Nolan was sent off immediately and the home team came on a complete defensive stance. 10 men Northern Rock saved numerous attacks from the Toffees’ midfield and strikers to earn a tough point at home. Lovenkrands and Guttierrez made efficient efforts in each half to score for Magpies. Mikel Arteta went down with a serious looking knee injury in the 6th minute of the game and had to be replaced with Castillo. Lescott was the pick from Everton who covered Martins and made serious attempts in the Magpies’ domain.
Hull City 1-2 Tottenham Hotspurs
Tigers suffered yet another defeat as they slump down more in the bottom 10. The grace and enthusiasm with which they started the season is gone now. Spurs dominated the proceedings after 10 minutes into the first half. Through a corner that resulted into 4 passes set by Modric, Spurs got the lead through Lennon. Tigers immediately set up the counter-attack after 10 minutes and equalized through Turner after a corner created a lot of confusion in the Spurs’ territory. The first half saw both teams grabbing equal number of attacking chances.The second half was very scrappy with rough challenges and bad passes from both sides. In the 85th minute, Woodgate made the best from Assou-Ekotto’s pass and blasted a power-bomb past Matt Duke to finish a very important away win for Tottenham.
Premiership Football Results Round-Up Week26
Posted on February 21, 2009
Filed Under Premiership 08/09 | 3 Comments
Saturday 14th Febuary 2009
Portsmouth 2-0 Man City
Manchester City’s poor form away from home continued as they were thrashed by Portsmouth in the second half of the game. Robinho’s nightmares were far from over and Bellamy’s fluctuating performance continued as City couldn’t capitalize on their chances. On loan midfielder, Pennant showed his Liverpool skills and gave pin-point passes to Nugent to begin the nightmare from the 2nd minute. Pompey players exposed the City defense more than 11 times unsuccessfully in the first half. James marked his 536th record Premier League appearance with a clean sheet. Given was tested time and again by Nugent until City got their first big chance in 22nd minute. Bellamy, Bridge and Robinho made an impressive move only to see the ball curl over the cross-bar. Crouch and Kranjcar immediately paired up on the other end to deceive Kompany and give City yet another scare. In the second half Pompey went to an all-attack stance and the move paid off with a charismatic solo goal from centre-back Johnson. He collected the rebound of his initial effort to scrape the ball in the top corner. Johnson’s partner Hreidarsson was charged up to see his partner’s efforts and headed a second for Pompey just 5 minutes later. Johnson was about to make it 3-0 for Portsmouth just 2 minutes before FT when his genius efforts were cleared off the line.
Wednesday 18th Febuary 2009
Man Utd 3-0 Fulham
Manchester United strengthened their chances of a hat-trick as they went 5 points clear as League leaders. Solid as ever, Man Utd defeated Fulham 3-0 at Old Trafford. The visitors could manage to avoid the red tribe’s attacks for 11 minutes only. Schwarzer who has been in an impressive form this season let Scholes pile driver squirm past him and Fulham’s defense midfield began to crumble. With the trio of Ronaldo, Berbatov and O’Shea continuously shelling all power-bombs from both sides, Schwarzer had lost his nerves due to the number of attacks and was making a mockery of simple saves. Scholes passes allowed Berbatov to launch 2 on-target shots in the first half again but Schwarzer made good saves only to see the net bulge again in the 29th minute. Berbatov struck with elegance and had a disallowed goal again. In the second half, Sir Ferguson injected fresh blood using all three substitutes in a matter of 8 minutes. Rooney finally came back from his hamstring injury in place of Berbatov and scored with his first touch. He capitalized on a Park’s pass and steered the ball in the far corner to complete a dominating victory. It is now 14 games in a row since Van Der Sar last conceded a goal.
-
Sponsors
