Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Internacional and Cruzeiro Win; Scorless Draw In Monterrey

Wednesday saw four more games played in the group stage of the Copa Libertadores.

Group Two:

At Monterrey, Mexico:

Sao Paulo held hosts Monterrey to a 0-0 stalemate

Group Five:

At Porto Alegre, Brazil:


Walter Ibanez (OG-58') and Alecsandro (71') provided the scoring as Internacional blanked visiting Cerro 2-0.


Group Six:


At Morelia, Mexico:

Monarcas Morelia were held to a 1-1 home stalemate by  Banfield.  Jared Francisco Echavarria Borgetti scored for the hosts at 77 minutes, but Maximiliano Laso equalized for the visiting Argentinian club during second-half stoppage time (90'+2).


Group Seven:


At Belo Horizonte, Brazil:


Kleber scored twice (48', 53') as Cruzeiro overpowered visiting Velez Sarsfield 3-0.

Pumas Capture Series Opener

At Mexico City:

In the opening contest of a two-match CONCACAF Champions League semifinal series, Pablo Barrera scored the only goal of the match at 23 minutes as UNAM Pumas defeated visiting Cruz Azul 1-0 in a battle of clubs from the Mexican capital.

Gunners Come Back From Two-Goal Deficit To Salvage Game-One Draw With Barca; Nerrazzurri Take Opener With Horses

Two more two-match series in the UEFA Champions League's quarterfinal round opened on Wednesday.

At London:

Goals from Theo Walcott (69') and Cesc Fabregas (PK-85', that's him pictured here) enabled Arsenal to come back from a 2-0 deficit to gain a 2-2 home draw in game one with Barcelona.  Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored both goals for the Catalans (46', 59').

At Milan, Italy:

Diego Milito scored the only goal of the match (65', pictured here) as Inter Milan downed visiting CSKA Moscow in game one 1-0.


Both photos © Getty Images

Not Just English Clubs

Here's an interesting article from the World Soccer web site that came out some two weeks ago concerning financial woes plaguing Norwegian clubs.

Wayne Rooney: Out Up To A Month With Sprained Ankle

I guess it looked worse than it actually was.  Anyway, he should be back before the Premiership season ends and likely won't derail his participation for England in the forthcoming World Cup.

AFC Champions League: Bluewings and Seongnam Advance

Eight games were played Wednesday in the group stage of the AFC Champions League.

Group A:

At Doha, Qatar:

Seyed Seyedsalehi's equalizer at 58 minutes enabled Esteghlal FC to gain a 1-1 road deadlock with Al-Gharafa, whose one goal came courtesy of Younis Khalef at 45 minutes.

At Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates:

Victor Simoes de Oliveira provided both goals (7', 50') as Al-Ahli eliminated Al-Jazira from the tournament with a 2-0 road win.


GROUP A STANDINGS:

1. Esteghlal FC (GP: 4; GD: +4; PTS: 8)
2. Al-Gharafa (GP: 4; GD: -1; PTS: 7)
3. Al-Ahli (GP: 4; GD: +4; PTS: 6)
4. Al-Jazira# (GP: 4; GD: -7; PTS: 1)


#Eliminated.



Group C:

At Isfahan, Iran:

Ibrahima Toure (74') and Moshen Benkar (76') each scored once in the second half as Sepahan FC defeated visiting Pakhtakor Tashkent 2-0.

At Riyadh, Saudi Arabia:

Al-Shabab defeated visiting Al-Ain 3-2. Amado Flavio scored twice (11', 66') for the hosts.



GROUP C STANDINGS:

1. Al-Shabab (GP: 4; GD: +2; PTS: 7)
2. Pakhtakor Tashkent (GP: 4; GD: -2; PTS: 6)
3. Sepahan FC (GP: 4; GD: +1; PTS: 5)
4. Al-Ain (GP: 4; GD: -1; PTS: 4)


Group E:


At Beijing, China:


Mauricio Molina scored the only goal of the match (73') as Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma locked up a berth in the knockout stage with a 1-0 road win over Beijing Guoan.


At Melbourne, Australia:


Kevin Muscat's successful penalty kicks at 60 minutes provided all the scoring as Melbourne Victory defeated visiting Kawasaki Frontale 1-0.


GROUP E STANDINGS:


1. Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma* (GP: 4; GD: +7; PTS: 12)
2. Beijing Guoan (GP: 4; GD: 0; PTS:6)
3. Kawasaki Frontale (GP: 4; GD: -1; PTS: 3)
4. Melbourne Victory (GP: 4; GD: -6; PTS: 3)

* Advanced to knockout stage.


Group G:

At Osaka, Japan:


Gamba Osaka eliminated Singapore Armed Forces FC 3-0 at home.  Michiyuro Yasuda (28'), Shoki Hirai (55'), and Juan Carlos Garcia Leal Ze Carlos (90') each scored once for the hosts.


At Suwon, South Korea:


Jose Mota (9') and Kim Dae-Eui (90') each tallied once as Suwon Samsung Bluewings clinched a berth in the knockout stage with a 2-0 home win over Henan Construction.


GROUP G STANDINGS:

1. Suwon Samsung Bluewings* (GP: 4; GD: +6; PTS: 10)
2. Gamba Osaka (GP: 4; GD: +5; PTS: 8)
3. Henan Construction (GP: 4; GD: -4; PTS: 2)
4. Singapore Armed Forces FC# (GP: 4; GD: -7; PTS: 1)

*Advanced to knockout stage.
#Eliminated. 

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Copa Libertadores: Estudiantes Get Road Win; 1-1 Draw In Asuncion

Two games were played on Tuesday in the group stage of the Copa Libertadores.

Group Three:

At Chiclayo, Peru:

Gaston Fernandez (51') and Rodrigo Brana (67') each delivered a goal in the second half as Estudiantes delivered a crippling blow to Juan Aurich's hopes of advancing to the knockout stage with a 2-0 win on the road.

Group Four:

At Asuncion, Paraguay:

Maximiliano Velazquez delivered the equalizer for Lanus at 83 minutes as the Argentinian club gained a 1-1 road stalemate with Club Libertad.  Adalberto Roman scored for the hosts at 3 minuts.

1-1 Draw In Toluca

At Toluca, Mexico:

Edgar Duenas scored the equalizer at 77 minutes, enable Toluca to gain a game-one 1-1 home draw with fellow Mexican club Pachuca in the opening match of a semifinal round two-game series in the CONCACAF Champions League.

The other series, also featuring two Mexican clubs, opens Wednesday night in Mexico City as UNAM Pumas will host the opening game of their two-match series with Cruz Azul.

MLS Cup Heading North

This year will mark the first time that Major League Soccer's championship match is taking place outside these United States as it will be played in Toronto on November 21.

Bayern And Lyon Take Quarterfinal Openers

The quarterfinal round of the UEFA Champions League commenced Tuesday as two of the two-game series got under way.

At Munich, Germany:

Ivica Olic scored the game winner in second-half stoppage time (90'+2, that's him pictured here, along with Franck Ribery, who had tied the game at 77 minutes) as Bayern Munich came from behind and took game one of their two-match set with Manchester United 2-1 at home.  Wayne Rooney scored an away goal at two minutes for the Red Devils, but came up injured toward the end of the match.

At Lyon, France:

Lisandro scored twice (10', PK-77', that's him celebrating his first tally) as Lyon defeated visiting Bordeaux 3-1 in the series opener.

Both photos © Getty Images

Saints Stun Gers

At Perth, Scotland:

Four goal scorers----Cillian Sheridan (7'), Chris Millar (12'), Liam Craig (36'), and Murray Davidson (79')----each scored once as St. Johnstone stunned visiting Rangers 4-1 Tuesday in Scottish Premier League play.

AFC Champions League: Second Half Of Group Stage Play Starts; Antlers and Jeonbuk Advance

The second half of play in the AFC Champions League's group stage commenced with eight games played on Tuesday.

Group B:

At Tashkent, Uzbekistan:

Mohamadreza Khalatbari scored the only goal of the match at 29 minutes as FC Zob Ahan knocked off FC Bunyodkor 1-0 on the road.

At Jeddah, Saudi Arabia:


Al-Ittihad blasted visiting Al-Wahda 4-0, eliminating the club from the UAE from the tournament.  Saud Ali Khariri scored twice (14', 19') in the first half for the hosts.

GROUP B STANDINGS:

1. FC Zob Ahan (GP: 4; GD: +5; PTS: 10)
2. Al-Ittihad (GP: 4; GD: +3; PTS: 7)
3. FC Bunyodkor (GP: 4; GD: 0; PTS: 6)
4. Al-Wahda# (GP: 4; GD: -8; PTS: 0)


#Eliminated



Group D:

At Kerman, Iran:

Luciano Edinho (36'), Ali Samereh (48'), and Paulo Zaltron (83') each scored once as Mes Kerman FC defeated visiting Al-Sadd 3-1.

At Dubai, United Arab Emirates:

Al-Hilal defeated Al-Ahli 3-2 on the road.  Yasser Al Qahtani (10'), Christian Wilhelmsson (16'), and Young-Pyo Lee (90') each tallied once for the visiting club from Saudi Arabia.


GROUP D STANDINGS:


1. Al-Hilal (GP: 4; GD: +6; PTS: 10)
2. Al-Sadd (GP: 4; GD: +3; PTS: 6)
3. Mes Kerman FC (GP: 4; GD: =1; PTS: 6)
4. Al-Ahli (GP: 4; GD: -8; PTS: 1)


Group F:

At Jakarta, Indonesia:

Yasushi Endo (1'), Shinzo Koroki (26'), and Atsuto Uchida (34') each scored once in the first half as Kashima Antlers clinched a berth in the Round of 16 with a 3-1 road win over Persipura Jayapura, eliminating the Indonesian club from the competition in the process.


At Jeonju, South Korea:


Dong-Gook Lee's goal at 55 minutes sent Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors into the knockout stage as the South Korean club defeated (and eliminated from the tournament) visiting Changchun Yatai 1-0.


GROUP F STANDINGS:


1. Kashima Antlers* (GP: 4; GD: +9; PTS: 12)
2. Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors* (GP: 4; GD: +4; PTS: 9)
3. Changchun Yatai# (GP: 4; GD: +6; PTS: 3)
4. Persipura Jayapura# (GP: 4; GD: -19; PTS: 0)


*Advanced to the knockout stage of the AFC Champions League


#Eliminated


Group H:


At Hiroshima, Japan:


Hisato Sato provided the only goal of the match at 45 minutes as Sanfrecce Hiroshima prevented visiting Adelaide United from locking up a knockout stage berth with a 1-0 win.


At Jinan, China:


Pohang Steelers moved within one point of claiming a Round of 16 berth with a 2-1 road win over Shandong Luneng.  Jae-Sung Kim (51') and Tae-Su Kim (85') provided the goalpower for the defending champs.


GROUP H STANDINGS:


1. Adelaide United (GP: 4; GD: +3; PTS: 9)
2. Pohang Steelers (GP: 4; GD: +2; PTS: 9)
3. Sanfrecce Hiroshima (GP: 4; GD: -2; PTS: 3)
4. Shandong Luneng (GP: 4; GD: -3; PTS: 3)




Monday, March 29, 2010

Scoreless In Monaco

At Fontvieille, Monaco:

In Monday Ligue 1 action, AJ Auxerre held hosts AS Monaco to a 0-0 stalemate.

Sunday, March 28, 2010

Rossoneri Held To Home Draw By Lazio

At Milan, Italy:

Stephan Lichtsteiner's equalizer at 32 minutes canceled out Marco Borriello's 18th-minute penalty kick as Lazio gained a 1-1 road draw Sunday with AC Milan in Serie A action.

Draw Good Enough For Waitakere United To Reach OFC Champions League Final

Group stage play in the OFC Champions League concluded Sunday with two games in Group A.

At Noumea, New Caledonia:

AS Magenta blasted visiting AS Manu-Ura 8-1.

At Auckland, New Zealand:

Benjamin Totori's  double (3', 58') enabled Waitakere United to gain a 2-2 road draw with Auckland City, which enabled the guests to win the Group A title, due to their superior goal differential.

FINAL GROUP A STANDINGS:

1. Waitakere United (GP: 6; GD: +9; PTS: 12)
2. Auckland City FC (GP: 6; GD: +8; PTS: 12)
3. AS Magenta (GP: 6; GD: +3; PTS: 6)
4. AS Manu-Ura (GP: 6; GD: -20; PTS: 1)

Scoreless In Barcelona

At Barcelona:

Espanyol were held to a 0-0 home stalemate by Sporting Gijon in Sunday Spanish Premiera Division action.

Jan Vertonghen Double Propels Ajax

At Amsterdam, Netherlands:

Jan Vertonghen scored twice (38', 81') as Ajax Amsterdam dominated visiting FC Groningen 3-0 Sunday in Dutch Eredivisie play.  The win placed Ajax in second place in the Eredivisie standings, four points in back of FC Twente.

Saturday, March 27, 2010

MLS: Red Bulls Win League Home Opener; Successful Start To Title Defense For RSL; Crew, Wizards, Galaxy Win Too; Texas Derby Deadlocked

The opening weekend of Major League Soccer's 2010 season came to a close with six games on Saturday.

At Columbus, Ohio:

Andy Iro (30') and Guillermo Barros Schelotto (87') provided the scoring as the Columbus Crew blanked visiting Toronto FC 2-0.

At Frisco, Texas:

In the opening weekend's only deadlock, the visiting Houston Dynamo and FC Dallas battled to a 1-1 Texas derby stalemate.  Mike Chabala put the Dynamo up 1-0 with his 36th-minute goal, only to see Atiba Harris tie it up for the Hoops at 38 minutes.

At Harrison, New Jersey:

In the first MLS match at Red Bull Arena, Joel Lindpere scored the only goal of the match at 40 minutes at the New York Red Bulls held off the visiting Chicago Fire 1-0.


At Kansas City, Kansas:


Kei Kamara (9'), Davy Arnaud (35'), Ryan Smith (55'), and Jack Jewsbury (PK-70') each scored once as the Kansas City Wizards brassknuckled visiting DC United, ruining the return of ex-Wizards (and new United) coach Curt Onalfo.


At Santa Clara, California:


Javier Morales scored twice (14', 54') as Real Salt Lake began their defense of their MLS championship with an impressive 3-0 road triumph over the San Jose Earthquakes.


At Carson, California:


Edson Buddle's goal at 6 minutes held up as the Los Angeles Galaxy defeated the visiting New England Revolution 1-0.


MLS STANDINGS:


Eastern Conference:

1. Kansas City (GP: 1; GD: +4; PTS: 3)
2. Columbus (GP: 1; GD: +2; PTS: 3)
3. New York (GP: 1; GD: +1; PTS: 3)
4. Chicago (GP: 1; GD: -1; PTS; 0)
5. New England (GP: 1; GD: -1; PTS: 0)
6. Philadelphia (GP: 1; GD: -2; PTS: 0)
7. Toronto FC (GP: 1; GD: -2; PTS 0)
8. DC United (GP: 1; GD: -4; PTS: 0)


Western Conference:


1. Real Salt Lake (GP: 1; PTS: +3; PTS: 3)
2. Seattle (GP: 1; GD: +2; PTS:3)
3. Los Angeles (GP: 1; GD: +1; PTS: 3)
4. Colorado (GP: 1; GD: +1; PTS: 3)
5. FC Dallas (GP: 1; GD: 0; PTS: 1)
6. Houston (GP: 1; GD: 0; PTS: 1)
7. Chivas USA (GP: 1; GD: -1; PTS: 0)
8. San Jose (GP: 1; GD: -3; PTS: 0)

Road Win Lifts PRK Hekari United Into OFC Champions League Final

Group B in the OFC Champions League was decided on Saturday.

At Honiara, Solomon Islands:

Alick Maemae scored twice (18', 29') during a first-half goal scoring blitz as PRK Hekari United locked up first place in Group B and a berth in the final with a 4-1 road beatdown of already-eliminated Marist FC.  The club from Papua New Guinea will take on a club from New Zealand (either Waitakere United or Auckland FC, who will face each other on Sunday at Auckland for the Group A title) in the two-match final beginning on April 17 in New Zealand with the return match on May 2 in Port Moresby.

At Port Vila, Vanuatu:

Samuela Vula (35'), Jone Vone (51'), and Sailesh Samy (86') each scored once as Lautoka FC defeated Tafea FC 3-1 on the road.  However, because of PRK Hekari United's road win in the Solomon Islands, the club from Fiji will have to settle for second place.

FINAL GROUP B STANDINGS:

1. PRK Hekari United (GP: 6; GD: +8; PTS: 13)
2. Lautoka FC (GP: 6; GD: +6; PTS: 12)
3. Tafea FC (GP: 6; GD: -3; PTS: 8)
4. Marist FC (GP: 6; GD: -11; PTS: 1)

Bayern Beaten At Home By Stuttgart

At Munich, Germany:

Goals from Christian Trasch (41') and Ciprian Marica (50') enabled VfB Stuttgart to hand Bayern Munich their second straight Bundesliga defeat on Satruday, 2-1 on the road.

Bhoys Smack Kilmarnock

At Glasgow, Scotland:

In a successful debut of Neil Lennon as their interim manager, Celtic, thanks in part to Robbie Keane's double (37', 62'), defeated visiting Kilmarnock 3-1 Saturday in Scottish Premier League action.

'Gers Draw Closer To Scottish Premiership Title With Road Win Over Hearts

At Edinburgh, Scotland:

Steven Naismith's second-half double (49', 77') helped sealed a 4-1 Saturday Scottish Premier League road win for Rangers over Heart of Midlothian.

Wolves Help Survival Cause With Scoreless Home Draw With Toffees

At Wolverhampton, England:

Wolverhampton took another step toward English Premier League survival Saturday with a 0-0 home deadlock with in-form Everton.

Friday, March 26, 2010

Omar Cummings Leads Rapids By Goats

At Carson, California:

Omar Cummings provided the game's lone goal (56') as the Colorado Rapids defeated Chivas USA 1-0 Friday night in the Major League Soccer regular-season opener for both clubs.

Lions Win Wild One Against Nacional

At Funchal, Madeira Islands, Portugal:

Florent Sinama-Pongolle scored the game winner (90') as visiting Sporting Club defeated CD Nacional 3-2 Friday in a wild Portuguese Liga contest.

Thursday, March 25, 2010

Racing Club de Montevideo, Deportivo Quito, and Velez Sarsfield Thursday Copa Winners

Three more games were played on Thursday in the group stage of the Copa Libertadores.

Group One:

At Montevideo, Uruguay:

Santiago Ostolaza's goal at 74 minutes turned out to be all the scoring as Racing Club de Montevideo defeated visiting Independiente Medellin 1-0.

Group Five:


At Quito, Ecuador:


Michael Arroyo scored the lone goal of the match at 64 minutes as Deportivo Quito defeated visiting Emelec 1-0 in a battle of Ecuadorian clubs.


GROUP FIVE STANDINGS:


1. Cerro (GP: 3; GD: +3; PTS: 7)
2. Internacional (GP: 3; GD: +1; PTS: 5)
3. Deportivo Quito (GP: 3 GD: -1; PTS: 4)
4. Club Sport Emelec (GP: 3; GD: -3; PTS: 0)


Group Seven:


At Buenos Aires:


Velez Sarsfield doubled up on visiting Colo-Colo 2-1.  Hernan Lopez (13') and Santiago Silva (29') each tallied once for the hosts.


GROUP SEVEN STANDINGS:


1. Velez Sarsfield (GP: 4; GD: +4; PTS: 10)
2. Cruzeiro (GP: 4; GD: +3; PTS: 7)
3. Colo-Colo (GP: 4; GD: -3; PTS: 4)
4. Deportivo Italia (GP: 4; GD: -4; PTS: 1)

Sounders Blank Philly In MLS Season Opener

At Seattle:

Goals from Brad Evans (12') and Fredy Montero (43') paced Seattle Sounders FC to a 2-0 home win over the Philadelphia Union, spoiling the expansion club's inaugural contest as the Major League Soccer season officially opened on Thursday night.

Tony Mowbray And Assistants Leave Bhoys

Well, when your team's chances of catching your archrivals for the top of the Scottish Premier League standings received a potentially fatal blow on the road at the hands of a struggling club like St. Mirren FC, well, perhaps the time has come to pack your bags.

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Three Copa Games On Wednesday

Three more games in the group stage of the Copa Libertadores were played on Wednesday.

Group Four:

At Lanus, Argentina:

Santiago Salcedo scored the only goal of the match on his successful penalty kick at 16 minutes as Lanus defeated visiting Club Blooming 1-0, eliminating the visiting Bolivian club from the tournament.

GROUP FOUR STANDINGS:

1. Club Libertad (GP: 4; GD: +6; PTS: 8)
2. Universitario de Deportes (GP: 4; GD: +3; PTS: 8)
3. Lanus (GP: 4; GD: 0; PTS: 6)
4. Club Blooming# (GP: 4; GD: -8; PTS: 0)


Group Seven:


At Belo Horizonte, Brazil:


Fabinho (5') and Pedro Ken (69') each tallied once as Cruzeiro blanked visiting Deportivo Italia 2-0.


GROUP SEVEN STANDINGS:


1. Velez Sarsfield (GP: 3; GD: +3; PTS: 7)
2. Cruzeiro (GP: 3; GD: +1; PTS: 4)
3. Colo-Colo (GP: 3; GD: -2; PTS: 4)
4. Deportivo Italia (GP: 3; GD: -2; PTS; 1)


Group Eight:


At Santiago, Chile:


Juan Morales notched the equalizer at 81 minutes, enabling Universidad Catolica to salvage a 1-1 home stalemate with Caracas FC.  Jaime Bustamante scored for the visiting Venezuelan club at 50 minutes.


GROUP EIGHT STANDINGS:


1. Universidad de Chile (GP: 3; GD: +2; PTS: 7)
2. Flamengo (GP: 3; GD: +3; PTS: 6)
3. Universidad Catolica (GP: 3; GD: -2; PTS: 2)
4. Caracas FC (GP: 3; GD: -3; PTS: 1)

 

Giolloblu Stun Rossoneri With Late Goal

At Parma, Italy:

In Wednesday Serie A action, Valeri Bojinov scored the only goal of the match at 90 minutes as Parma FC knocked off visiting AC Milan 1-0.  The Rossoneri slipped back to third place in the Serie A standings, four points behind front-running Inter Milan.

Scoreless In Valladolid

At Valladolid, Spain:

In a battle of struggling clubs, Espanyol held Real Valladolid to a 0-0 draw Wednesday in the Spanish Premiera Division.

St. Mirren: No Buddies To Bhoys

At Paisley, Scotland:

Andy Dorman (38', 84') and Steven Thomson (58', 87') each doubled as St. Mirren stunned and demolished visiting Celtic, all but ending the Bhoys dream of catching Rangers and regaining the Scottish Premier League crown on Wednesday.

FA Cup: Spurs Wembley-Bound

At London:

Goals from David Bentley (47'), Roman Pavlyuchenko (60'), and Eidur Gudjohnsen (66') enabled Tottenham Hotspur to come from behind to defeat visiting Everton 3-1 in a quarterfinal-round replay on Wednesday.  Spurs will take on manager Harry Redknapp's former club, Portsmouth in an April 11 semifinal match at Wembley Stadium in London.  Aston Villa will face Chelsea the day before in the other semifinal matchup.

AFC Champions League: Halfway Through Group Stage

Group stage play in the AFC Champions League reached the midway point with eight games on Wednesday.

Group B:

At Isfahan, Iran:

Seyed Mohammad Hosseini (38'), Mohammad Ghazi (54'), and Mohammad Reza Khalatbari (80') each tallied once as FC Zob Ahan delivered a 3-0 home beatdown on FC Bunyodkor.

At Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates:

Abdelmalek Ziaya (17') and Mohammed Noor (90')each delivered a goal as Al-Ittihad took out Al-Wahda 2-0 on the road.

GROUP B STANDINGS:

1. FC Zob Ahan (GP: 3; GD: +4; PTS; 7)
2. FC Bunyodkor (GP: 3; GD: +1; PTS: 6)
3. Al-Ittihad (GP: 3; GD: -1; PTS: 4)
3. Al-Wahda (GP: 3; GD: -4; PTS: 0)

Group D:

At Doha, Qatar:

Leandro scored twice (46', 49') to help Al-Sadd overcome a 1-0 halftime deficit to overpower visiting Mes Kerman FC.

At Riyadh, Saudi Arabia:

The Emirates' Al-Ahli held hosts Al-Hilal to a 1-1 stalemate.

GROUP D STANDINGS:

1. Al-Hilal (GP: 3; GD: +5; PTS: 7)
2. Al-Sadd (GP: 3; GD: +5; PTS: 6)
3. FC Mes Kerman (GP: 3; GD: -3; PTS: 3)
4. Al-Ahli (GP: 3; GD: -7; PTS: 1)

Group F:

At Changchun, China:

Hat tricks from Gao Jian (23', 34' , 57') and Johnny Lambert (42', 52', 59') helped Changchun Yatai destroy visiting Persipura Jayapura 9-0.

At Jeonju, South Korea:

Koji Nakata (70') and Yasushi Endo (90') scored late as Kashima Antlers came from behind to defeat Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors 2-1 on the road.

GROUP F STANDINGS:

1. Kashima Antlers (GP: 3; GD: +7; PTS: 9)
2. Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors (GP: 3; GD: +3; PTS: 6)
3. Changchun Yatai (GP: 3; GD: +7; PTS: 3)
4. Persipura Jayapura (GP: 3; GD: -17; PTS: 0)

Group H:

At Adelaide, Australia:

Adelaide United moved atop the Group H standings with their 3-2 home win over Sanfrecce Hiroshima.  Travis Dodd (12'), Robert Cornthwaite (79'), and Cassio (82') provided the goalpower for the Reds.

At Pohang, South Korea:

No Byung-Jun scored the only goal of the match at 7 minutes as Pohang Steelers defeated visiting Shandong Luneng 1-0.

GROUP H STANDINGS:

1. Adelaide United (GP: 3; GD: +4; PTS: 9)
2. Pohang Steelers (GP: 3; GD: +1; PTS: 6)
3. Shandong Luneng (GP: 3; GD: -2; PTS; 3)
4. Sanfrecce Hiroshima (GP: 3; GD: -3; PTS: 0)

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Estudiantes Get Home Win; Libertad and Universitario Draw

Two games were played Tuesday in the Copa Libertadores.

Group Three:

Jose Sosa (50') and Mauro Boselli (78') each scored a goal as Estudiantes defeated visiting Club Bolivar 2-0, eliminating the Bolivian club from the tournament.

GROUP THREE STANDINGS:

1. Alianza Lima (GP: 4; GD: +5; PTS: 9)
2. Estudiantes (GP: 4; GD: +3; PTS: 7)
3. Juan Aurich (GP: 4; GD: -2; PTS: 6)
4. Club Bolivar# (GP: 4; GD: -6; PTS: 1)

Group Four:

At Asuncion, Paraguay:

Luis Alberto Ramirez scored at 87 minutes to enable Universitario de Deportes to gain a 1-1 road draw with Club Libertad, whose goal came from Victor Ayala at 55 minutes.
#Eliminated

Important Road win For Wolves At Hammers Expense

At London:

Goals from Kevin Doyle (28'), Ronald Zubar (58'), and Matthew Jarvis (61') powered Wolverhampton to a 3-1 road win over West Ham United Tuesday in English Premier League action.  The win propelled Wolves into 15th place in the Premiership, seven points above the relegation zone.

AFC Champions League: MatchDay #3

Eight games were played Tuesday in the AFC Champions League as action in the group stage continued.

Group A:

At Tehran, Iran:

Farhad Majdi scored twice (13', 53') as Esteghlal FC defeated visiting Al-Gharafa 3-0.

At Jeddah, Saudi Arabia:

Al-Ahli smothered visiting Al-Jazira 5-1.  Marcinho (55', 78') and Abdul-Rahim Jaizawi (57', 90') each doubled in the second half for the hosts.


GROUP A STANDINGS:


1. Esteghlal FC (GP: 3; GD: +4; PTS: 7)
2. Al-Gharafa (GP: 3; GD: -1; PTS: 6)
3. Al-Ahli (GP: 3; GD: +2; PTS: 3)
4. Al-Jazira (GP: 3; GD: -5; PTS: 1)



Group C:

At Tashkent, Uzbekistan:

Artur Gevorkyan (39') and Aleksandr Geynrih (72') each tallied once as Pakhtakor Tashkent defeated visiting Sepahan FC 2-1.

At Al-Ain, United Arab Emirates:

Marcio Emerson Passos (15') and Jose Sand (24') each scored a first-half goal as Al-Ain FC held off visiting Al-Shabab 2-1.


GROUP C STANDINGS:


1. Pakhtakor Tashkent (GP: 3; GD: 0; PTS: 6)
2. Al-Ain FC (GP: 3; GD: 0; PTS: 4)
3. Al-Shabab (GP: 3; GD: +1; PTS: 4)
4. Sepahan FC (GP: 3; GD: -1; PTS: 2)

Group E:

At Seongnam, South Korea:

Song Ho-Young (80'), Dzenan Radoncic (87'), and Jo Jae-Cheol (90') provided the late scoring as Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma overtook visiting Beijing Guoan 3-1.

At Kawasaki, Japan:

Kawasaki Frontale demolished visiting Melbourne Victory 4-0.  Chong Tese (3'), Masaru Kurotsu (11'), Renatinho (22'), and Hiroyuki Taniguchi (90') each provided a goal for the hosts.


GROUP E STANDINGS:

1. Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma (GP: 3; GD: +6; PTS: 9)
2. Beijing Guoan (GP: 3; GD: +1; PTS: 6)
3. Kawasaki Frontale (GP: 3; GD: 0; PTS: 3)
4. Melbourne Victory (GP: 3; GD: -7; PTS: 0)

Group G:

At Singapore:

Shoki Hirai's hat trick (6', 46', 83) helped power Gamba Osaka to a 4-2 road doubling of Singapore Armed Forces FC.

At Zhengzhou, China:

Jose Roberto Rodrigues Mota scored both goals (47', 61') as Suwon Samsung Bluewings defeated Henan Construction on the road 2-0.

GROUP G STANDINGS:

1. Suwon Samsung Bluewings (GP: 3; GD: +4; PTS: 7)
2. Gamba Osaka (GP: 3; GD: +2; PTS: 5)
3. Henan Construction (GP: 3; GD: -2; PTS: 2)
4. Singapore Armed Forces FC (GP: 3; GD: -4; PTS: 1)