Wednesday, November 30, 2011

When Wolves Play Host To Sunderland This Sunday...

The Black Cats will have a new man in charge.

Early Goal Sinks Ajax Cape Town

At Johannesburg, South Africa:

Thulasizwe Mbuyane's goal in the 5th minute held up on Wednesday as Orlando Pirates held off visiting Ajax Cape Town 1-0 in South African Premier Soccer League action.

Europa League: Atletico, PAOK, Dragons Advance To Knockout Stage; Spurs, Bhoys On Brink of Elimination; Rennes, FC Copenhagen Eliminated

Match Day #5 in Europa League group-stage play commenced on Wednesday with 12 games.

Group A:

At Kazan, Russia:

Nelson Valdez scored twice (10', 51') as Rubin Kazan made short work of already-eliminated Shamrock Rovers 4-1 at home.


At London:

Goals from Dimitris Salpigidis (6') and Stefanos Athanasiadis (14') enabled PAOK FC to hold off Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 and clinch a berth in the knockout stage.

GROUP A STANDINGS:

1. x-PAOK FC (GP: 5; GD: +4; PTS: 11)
2. FC Rubin Kazan (GP: 5; GD: +6; PTS: 10)
3. Tottenham Hotspur (GP: 5; GD: +1; PTS: 7)
4. z-Shamrock Rovers (GP: 5; GD: -11; PTS: 0)

x-Clinched berth in the knockout stage
z-Eliminated from European competition

Group B:

At Liege, Belgium:

Mohammed Tchite (26') and Zoro Cyriac (59') each tallied once as Standard Liege defeated Hannover 96 2-0 at home with both clubs heading to the knockout stage.

At Poltava, Ukraine:

Dame N'Doye scored both goals as FC Copenhagen drew 1-1 on the road with FC Vorskla Poltava.  Unfortunately, he scored an own goal in the 31st goal, then scored for the visiting Lions six minutes later as the Danish champions were eliminated from European competition.

GROUP B STANDINGS:


1. x-Standard Liege (GP: 5; GD: +7; PTS: 11)
2. x-Hannover 96 (GP: 5; GD: 0; PTS: 8)
3. z-FC Copenhagen (GP: 5; GD: -3; PTS: 5)
4. z-FC Vorskla Poltava (GP: 5; GD: -4; PTS: 2)

x-Clinched berth in the knockout stage
z-Eliminated from European competition

Group C:

At Bucharest, Romania:



Nosa Igiebor (12'), Toto Tamuz (PK-39'), and Salim Tuama (45'+1) each scored once as Hapoel Tel Aviv defeated Rapid Bucharest 3-1 on the road.

At Warsaw, Poland:



With Dries Mertens (PK-59') and Zakaria Labyad (68') each scoring a second-half goal, PSV Eindhoven overpowered Legia Warsaw 3-0 on the road and won the Group C crown.  Both clubs will be playing in the Round of 32.

GROUP C STANDINGS:



1. xy-PSV Eindhoven (GP: 5; GD: +7; PTS: 13)
2. x-Legia Warsaw (GP: 5; GD: 0; PTS: 9)
3. z-Hapoel Tel Aviv (GP: 5; GD: -1; PTS: 4)
4. z-Rapid Bucharest (GP: 5; GD: -6; PTS: 3)


xy-Won Group C and clinched a berth in the knockout stage
x-Clinched berth in the knockout stage
z-Eliminated from European Competition

Group G:

At Malmo, Sweden:

The match between Malmo FF and visiting AZ Alkmaar ended in a 0-0 stalemate.

At Kharkiv, Ukraine:

Marko Devich (16'), Edmar Aparecida (40'), Papa Gueye (60'), and Jose Sosa (90') each scored a goal as FC Metalist Kharkiv dominated visiting Austria Vienna 4-1 and won Group G.

GROUP G STANDINGS:

1. xy-FC Metalist Kharkiv (GP: 5; GD: +9; PTS: 13)
2. AZ Alkmaar (GP: 5; GD: +3; PTS: 7)
3. Austria Vienna (GP: 5; GD: -3; PTS: 5)
4. z-Malmo FF (GP: 5; GD: -9; PTS: 1)

xy-Won Group G and advanced to the knockout stage
z-Eliminated from European competition

Group H:

At Maribor, Slovenia:

Nabil Dirar scored twice (74', 77') as Club Brugge defeated NK Maribor 4-3 on the road, bouncing back from a 3-0 deficit in the process.

At Braga, Portugal:

Hugo Viana scored the only goal of the match in the 51st minute as FC Porto locked up a berth in the knockout stage with their 1-0 home win over Birmingham City.

GROUP H STANDINGS:

1. Club Brugge (GP: 5; GD: +3; PTS: 10)
2. x-FC Braga (GP: 5; GD: +6; PTS: 10)
3. Birmingham City (GP: 5; GD: -1; PTS: 7)
4. z-NK Maribor (GP: 5; GD: -8; PTS: 1)

x-Clinched berth in the knockout stage
z-Eliminated from European competition

Group I:

At Rennes, France:

A 0-0 home draw with Udinese eliminated Rennes from the tournament.

At Glasgow, Scotland:

Adra Turan's 30th-minute tally carried Atletico Madrid to a 1-0 road win over Celtic and a berth in the knockout stage, placing the Bhoys on the cusp of elimination.

GROUP I STANDINGS:

1. x-Atletico Madrid (GP: 5; GD: +5; PTS: 10)
2. Udinese (GP: 5; GD: -1; PTS: 8)
3. Celtic FC (GP: 5; GD: -1; PTS: 5)
4. z-Stade Rennes (GP: 5; GD: -3; PTS: 3)

x-Clinched berth in the knockout stage
z-Eliminated from European competition

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

U's Held To 1-1 Home Deadlock

At Cambridge, England:


Lewis Hogg's equalizer in the 53rd minute lifted Bath City to a 1-1 Tuesday English National Conference road draw with Cambridge United.  Liam Hughes scored at 21 minutes for the U's.

Forest Scorched

At West Bridgford, England:


In Tuesday English League Championship action, Robert Snodgrass (20'), Jonathan Howson (45'), Luciano Becchio (49'), and Adam Clayton (66') each delivered a goal as Leeds United demolished Nottingham Forest 4-0 on the road.

Forest Scorched

At West Bridgford, England:


In Tuesday English League Championship action, Robert Snodgrass (20'), Jonathan Howson (45'), Luciano Becchio (49'), and Adam Clayton (66') each delivered a goal as Leeds United demolished Nottingham Forest 4-0 on the road.

Forest Scorched

At West Bridgford, England:


In Tuesday English League Championship action, Robert Snodgrass (20'), Jonathan Howson (45'), Luciano Becchio (49'), and Adam Clayton (66') each delivered a goal as Leeds United demolished Nottingham Forest 4-0 on the road.

Monday, November 28, 2011

Slavia Held To Scoreless Home Draw As First Half Of Czech Liga Season Concludes

At Prague, Czech Republic:


The lone Monday Czech Liga contest, between Slavia Prague and visiting relegation-threatened FC Banik Ostrava, ended in a 0-0 stalemate.  With the current league season at the halfway point, the Czech Liga will take a 2 1/2 month break before resuming in mid-February.  Slavia's next league match will be on the road against Pribram on February 17.

Sunday, November 27, 2011

Mexican Apertura Playoffs: Santos Laguna And Tigres Advance To Semifinals

The quarterfinal round of the Mexican Primera Division's Apertura Playoffs concluded with two games on Sunday.


At Torreon, Mexico:


Daniel Luduena scored the winning goal in the 73rd minute as Santos Laguna defeated visiting Jaguares 2-1 in game two of their two-game opening round playoff series and won the series 4-3 on aggregate.


At Mexico City:


Manuel Viniegra (11'), Lucas Lobos (26'), and Damian Alvarez (35') each delivered a first-half goal as Tigres dominated Pachuca 3-0 in game two and won their two-game series 4-0 on aggregate.


Santos Laguna will face Queretaro in one two-game semifinal series while Tigres will battle Morelia in the other.



Neymar Salvages Home Draw For Santos

At Santos, Brazil:


In Sunday Brazilian Serie A action, Neymar's equalizer in the 31st minute lifted Santos to a 1-1 home draw with Bahia.  Rodrigo de Souza Cardoso scored for the guests at 8 minutes.

Boca On Cusp Of Apertura Title

At Mendoza, Argentina:


Dario Cvitanich (10') and Rolando Schiavi (PK-37') provided the scoring punch in the first half as Boca Juniors held off hosts Godoy Cruz 2-1 in Sunday Argentinian Primera Division action.  The victory placed front-running Boca just one point away from winning the title for the Apertura portion of the league season.

PSG Dominated In Marseilles

At Marseilles, France:


Loic Remy (9'), Morgan Amalfitano (65'), and Andre Ayew (83') each delivered a goal as Marseille dominated visiting Paris Saint-Germain 3-0 in Sunday French Ligue 1 action.

Zlatan's Pair Helps Rossoneri Demolish Flying Donkeys

At Milan, Italy:


Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored twice in the first half (16', PK-44') as AC Milan gunned down visiting Chievo Verona 4-0 in Sunday Italian Serie A action.

Home Setback For Parakeets

At Barcelona:


Roland Lamah (44') and Javad Nekounam (50') each delivered a goal on Sunday as Osasuna picked up their first Spanish Primera Division road win of the season, 2-1 over Espanyol.

Road Win For Black Eagles

At Trabzon, Turkey:


Ricardo Quaresma's penalty kick in the 78th minute provided the only goal of the match as travelling Besiktas defeated Trobzonspor 1-0 in Sunday Turkish Super Lig action.

Comeback Win For Club Africain

At Tunis, Tunisia:


Mohamed Yacoubi scored the winning goal in the 90th minute as Club Africain came from behind to nip visiting Kairouan 2-1 in Sunday Tunisian Ligue 1 action.  

Road Win For Table-Topping Red Dogs

At Mioveni, Romania:


Lauentiu Rus scored the only goal of the match in the 29th minute on Sunday as league-leading Dinamo Bucharest defeated Mioveni 1-0 on the road in Romanian Liga I action.

Millonarios Held To Scoreless Home Draw

At Bogota, Colombia:


League-leading Junior held home standing Millonarios to a 0-0 Sunday Colombian Primera A stalemate.

Troll Kids Win Tight Finale With Viking; Lock Up Europa League Qualifying Berth

At Trondheim, Norway:


Mushaga Bakenga scored twice (35', 70') as Rosenborg defeated visiting Viking 3-2 in the Eliteserien season finale for both clubs on Sunday.  The win enabled the Troll Kids to leapfrog to a third place finish.  They and second-placed Tromso IL will play in the second qualifying round for the 2012-13 Europa League.  Aalesund, who won the 2011 Norwegian Football Cup, will play in the Europa League's opening qualifying round.  Molde FK, who won their first-ever league crown, will play in the second qualifying round for the 2012-13 UEFA Champions League.  The bottom two clubs, IK Start and Sarpsborg 08, were relegated to the Adeccoligaen, or, the Norwegian First Division.

Auckland City Make Young Heart Feel Old

At Auckland, New Zealand:


Auckland City had no trouble with Young Heart Manawatu on Sunday, demolishing their guests 5-0 in New Zealand Premiership action.

Panathinaikos Still On Top Of Greek Super League Standings

At Athens:


Zeca (14'), Cleyton (46'), and Sebastian Leto (PK-75') each delivered a goal as Panathinaikos stayed atop the Greek Super League standings following their 3-1 Sunday home triumph over OFI.

Lions Back On Winning Track

At Copenhagen, Denmark:


Late scoring from Cesar Santin (PK-73') and Morten Nordstrand (74') lifted league-leading FC Copenhagen to a 2-1 come-from-behind Danish Superliga Sunday home win over basement-residing HB Koge.

Dinamo Zagreb Settle For 0-0 Road Draw

At Zapresic, Croatia:


The lone Sunday 1.HNL contest, that between NK Inter Zapresic and visiting Dinamo Zagreb, ended in a 0-0 stalemate.

Lost Sunday For Sydney In New Zealand

At Wellington, New Zealand:


Paul Ifill (7') and Tim Brown (60') each tallied once on Sunday as the Wellington Phoenix held off visiting Sydney FC 2-1 in Hyundai A-League action.

Bayern Knocked Off At Mainz

At Mainz, Germany:


Andreas Ivanschitz (10'), Marco Caligiuri (65'), and Miko Bungert (74') each scored once on Sunday as Mainz 05 handed Bayern Munich their second straight German Bundelsiga defeat 3-2, preventing the guests from climbing back to the top spot in the league standings.

Lopsided Second Half Carries Ajax

At Nijmegen, Netherlands:


Miralem Sulejmani scored twice in the second half (53', 78') on Sunday as Ajax Amsterdam broke open a scoreless stalemate and overpowered struggling  NEC Nijmegen 3-0 on the road in Dutch Eredivisie action.

Rangers Knocked Off At Kilmarnock

At Kilmarnock, Scotland:


Manuel Pascali scored the lone goal of the match in the 80th minute on Sunday as Rangers saw their Scottish Premier League lead over Celtic reduced to four points after Kilmarnock ended 'Gers' 14-game league road winning streak 1-0.

Saturday, November 26, 2011

Mexican Apertura Playoffs: Lower-Seeded Queretaro And Morelia Advance To Semifinals

The second week of the quarterfinal round of the Mexican Primera Division Apertura Playoffs commence with the second game of each of two series on Saturday.


At Mexico City:


Miguel Sabah (17') and Gerardo Lugo (22') enabled Morelia to rack up a second 2-1 win over second-seeded Cruz Azul, this time on the road as they won their two-game series 4-2 on aggregate.


At Zapopan, Mexico:


A game-two 0-0 road draw with Chivas de Guadalajara proved to be enough for Queretaro as the visitors knocked out the top-seeded Goats 2-1 on aggregate.

Early Goals Carry River Plate (The One In Montevideo)

At Montevideo, Uruguay:


In another capital city derby, Nicolas Pereyra (7') and Sebastian Toborda (15') each scored a goal in the first quarter-hour as River Plate held off visiting Racing Club de Montevideo 2-1 in Saturday Uruguayan Primera Division action. 

Stoppage-Time Goal Sinks Roses

At Nova Gorica, Slovenia:


Mate Eterovic's stoppage-time tally (90'+2) lifted ND Mura 05 to a 2-1 come-from-behind Saturday Slovenian 1.SNL road win over ND Gorica.

Road Win For OFK Belgrade

At Lucani, Serbia:


Mladen Popovic scored the only goal of the match in the 66th minute on Saturday as OFK Belgrade registered a 1-0 Serbian Super Liga road victory over basement-occupying FK Metalac.

Javi Garcia's Goal Wins Lisbon Derby For Eagles

At Lisbon, Portugal:


Javi Garcia scored the only goal of the match in the 42nd minute as SL Benfica defeated visiting Sporting CP 1-0 in Saturday Portuguese Primeira Liga action.  The Eagles lead FC Porto by three points and the Lions by four atop the league standings.

Legia Warsaw Prevented From Moving To Top Of Ekstraklasa

At Kielce, Poland:


Maciej Korzym scored the only goal of the match in the 24th minute on Saturday as Korona Kielce defeated visiting Legia Warsaw 1-0 in the Polish Ekstraklasa..

Blues Bury Carrick Rangers On Road

At Carrickfergus, Northern Ireland:


Mark McAllister scored twice in the first half (12', 40') as IFA Premiership-leading Linfield demolished struggling Carrick Rangers 4-0 on the road on Saturday.

Home Win For Buducnost

At Podgorica, Montenegro:


Montenegrin First League-leading FK Buducnost Podgorica defeated visiting FK Berane 3-1 on Saturday.

Home Win For Metalurg

At Skopje, Macedonia:


FK Metalurg defeated visiting FK Napredok 2-0 in Saturday action from the First League of Macedonia.

Antlers Break Open Scoreless Stalemate With Three Second-Half Goals

At Kashima, Japan:


Fellype Gabriel (50'), Takuya Nozawa (70'), and Alex Santos (73') each delivered a goal as Kashima Antlers broke open what had been a scoreless deadlock with three goals in the second half and defeated visiting Shimizu S-Pulse 3-0 in Saturday J.League action.

Anorthosis Drop Larnaca Derby

At Larnaca, Cyprus:


Gonzalo Garcia scored the only goal of the match in the 51st minute on Saturday as AEK Larnaca knocked off Anorthosis Famagusta FC 1-0 on the road in Saturday Cypriot 1.Division action.

Road Defeat For Sarajevo

At Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina:


Borac Banja Luka blanked visiting FK Sarajevo 2-0 in Saturday Bosnian Premier Liga action.

Comeback Win On The Road For Anderlecht

At Waregem, Belgium:


Tom De Sutter scored twice (85', 87') within a space of two minutes as RSC Anderlecht scored three late goals in the span of four minutes (Marcin Wasilewski scoring at 83 minutes) as they came back from a two-goal deficit to defeat SV Zulte-Waregem 3-2 on the road in Saturday Belgian Juliper League action.  Anderlecht currently enjoy a six-point lead over KAA Gent atop the league standings.

Bulls Gore Visiting Kapfenberger SV

At Wals-Siezenheim, Germany:


Jakob Jantscher (5', 58') and Stefan Maierhofer (37', 72') each scored twice, once in each half, as FC Red Bull Salzburg gored visiting Kapfenberger SV 6-0 in Saturday Austrian Bundesliga action.

White And Blues Keep Things Miserable For Basement-Dwelling Dinamo In Tirane Derby

At Tirane, Albania:


Gilman Lika scored the only goal of the match in the 20th minute as Albanian Superliga-leading KF Tirana applied more misery on visiting Dinamo Tirana as the White and Blues defeated their basement-residing guests 1-0 on Saturday.

Home Win for 1860 Munich

At Munich, Germany:


In Saturday play from the German second division, Djordje Rakic (1') and Kevin Volland (67') provided the scoring as TSV 1860 Munich held off visiting Eintracht Frankfurt 2-1.

Home Win For The Bull

At Turin, Italy:


Alessandro Parisi scored the only goal of the match in the 81st minute as Torino defeated visiting Livorno 1-0 in Saturday Italian Serie B action.  The Bull currently sit atop the Serie B standings by six points.

Dark Blues Double Up Falkirk

At Dundee, Scotland:


Jack Hyde scored twice (11', 67') as Dundee doubled up visiting Falkirk 4-2 in Saturday Scottish First Division action.  The win placed the Dark Blues in their place, two points in back of their guests in the league standings.

Buddies No Match For Bhoys

At Glasgow, Scotland:


Gary Hooper's natural hat trick (8', 53', 57') helped carry Celtic to a 5-0 home demolition of St. Mirren in Saturday action from the Scottish Premier League.

Goose Eggs For Harriers And U's

At Kidderminster, England:


Saturday's English National Conference match between Kidderminster Harriers and visiting Cambridge United ended in a 0-0 stalemate.  The U's Ashley Carew failed on his penalty kick attempt in the 25th minute.

Smashing Win For Stanley

At Accrington, England:


Padraig Amond scored twice (83', 84') as Accrington Stanley, after a scoreless halftime stalemate, belted visiting Dagenham & Redbridge 3-0 in Saturday English League Two action.

Road Win At Chesterfield For Blades

At Chesterfield, England:


Ched Evans scored the game's lone goal in the 82nd minute as Sheffield United registered a 1-0 Saturday English League One road win over Chesterfield.

Joe Mason Goal Sends Bluebirds Past Forest

At Cardiff, Wales:


Joe Mason scored the only goal of the match in the 70th minute on Saturday as Cardiff City defeated visiting Nottingham Forest 1-0 in English League Championship action.

Do These Guys Want To Play In The League Championship? Another Wolves Defeat, This Time To Chelsea

At London:


John Terry (7'), Daniel Sturridge (29'), and Juan Mata (45') each delivered a goal as Chelsea dominated visiting Wolverhampton 3-0 in Saturday English Premier League action as the visitors have now won only once in their last ten league games.

Home Win For Colo Colo

At Santiago, Chile:


Jose Fuenzalida scored the winning goal in the 84th minute on Saturday as Colo Colo defeated visiting Nublense 2-1 in Chilean Primera Division action.

Friday, November 25, 2011

Three-Goal Second Half Good Enough For TNS

At Oswestry, England:


Alex Darlington (51'), Matty Williams (78'), and Christian Seargeant (85') each scored once on Friday as The New Saints overpowered visiting Airbus UK 3-1 in Welsh Premier League action as the hosts find themselves one point up on second-place Bangor City in the WPL standings.

More Misery For Monaco

At Nantes, France:


Florian Raspentino scored twice (32', 53') as Nantes dominated visiting basement-occupying AS Monaco 3-0 in Friday French Ligue 2 action.

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Millonarios Drop Bogota Derby On Road

At Bogota, Colombia:

Camilo Vargas scored the only goal of the match in the 90th minute on Wednesday as Independiente Santa Fe defeated visiting Millonarios in Colombian Primera A action.

Ultra-Late Goal Carries Club Africain To Victory On The Road

At Beni Khalled, Tunisia:


Youssef Mouihbi's stoppage time penalty kick (90'+7) delivered a 1-0 road win for Club Africain over Beni-Khalled in the lone Wednesday Tunisian Ligue 1 contest.

Comeback Win For Maribor At Roses' Expense

At Maribor, Slovenia:


Dalibor Volas (73') and Goran Cvijanovic (79') each delivered a goal on Wednesday as league-leading NK Maribor came from behind to upend visiting ND Gorica in 1.SNL action 2-1.

Easy Win For Legia Warsaw

At Warsaw, Poland:


Maciej Rybus (20'), Miroslav Radovic (60'), and Danijel Ljuboja (75') each scored once on Wednesday as Legia Warsaw dominated visiting Zaglebie Lubin 3-0 in Polish Ekstrklasa action.

Road Win In Skopje Derby For Metalurg

At Skopje, Macedonia:


FK Metalurg found themselves five points behind table-topping Vardar following their 1-0 road win over local rivals FK Rabotnicki in Wednesday Macedonian First League action.

Home Win For Bhoys

At Glasgow, Scotland:

In the lone Wednesday Scottish Premier League contest, Gary Hooper (6') and James Forrest (13') each scored an early first-half goal as Celtic defeated visiting Dunfermline Athletic 2-1.

MLS Expansion Draft: Brian Ching, Justin Mapp Among Players Plucked By Impact

The Major League Soccer Expansion Draft took place on Wednesday as the Montreal Impact selected ten players from other teams.

Here are the players selected with their former teams in parentheses.

1. Brian Ching (Houston Dynamo)

2. Zarek Valentin (Chivas USA)

3. Justin Mapp (Philadelphia Union)

4. Bobby Burling (San Jose Earthquakes)

5. Jeb Brovsky (Vancouver Whitecaps)

6. Collen Warner (Real Salt Lake)

7. Josh Gardner (Columbus Crew)

8. Sanna Nyassi (Colorado Rapids)

9. James Riley (Seattle Sounders; immediately traded to Chivas USA with allocation money in exchange for Justin Braun and Gerson Mayen)

10. Seth Sinovic (Sporting Kansas City)

UEFA Champions League Group H: Barca Win Group; Road Win For Viktoria Plzen

Two Wednesday matches were contested in Group H as UEFA Champions League action continued.

At Minsk, Belarus:


Plzen

Marek Bakos scored the lone goal of the match in the 42nd minute as FC Viktoria Plzen defeated FC BATE Borisov 1-0 on the road to get the inside jump on a berth in the Europa League's knockout stage.  Shown here are happy members of the visiting Czech club celebrating their victory.

At Milan, Italy:


Zlatan Ibrahimovic

Xavi scored the winning goal in the 63rd minute as Barcelona won Group H by beating fellow knockout-stage qualifiers AC Milan 3-2 on the road.  For the Rossoneri, here's Zlatan Ibrahimovic, pictured here, scoring in the 20th minute against his former team.


Getty Images photos

GROUP H STANDINGS:

1. xy-Barcelona (GP: 5; GD: +12; PTS: 13)
2. x-AC Milan (GP: 5; GD: +6; PTS: 8)
3. o-FC Viktoria Plzen (GP: 5; GD: -7; PTS: 4)
4. o-FC BATE Borisov (GP: 5; GD: -8; PTS: 2)

xy-Won Group H and advanced to the knockout stage
x-Clinched berth in the knockout stage
o-Eliminated from Champions League knockout-stage contention but still alive for berth in knockout stage of Europa League

UEFA Champions League Group G: APOEL Clinch Berth In Knockout Stage

UEFA Champions League group-stage action continued on Wednesday with two contests in Group G.

At Saint Petersburg, Russia:


Zenit St. Petersburg Apoel Nicosia Flares

By holding hosts Zenit Saint Petersburg to a 0-0 draw, APOEL FC locked up a berth in the knockout stage, becoming the first Cypriot club to do so.  Referee Felix Brych stopped the match twice after the pitch was enveloped by thick smoke from flares lit by Zenit supporters, as shown here.


EPA photo by Anatoly Maltsev

At Donetsk, Ukraine:


Hulk

Hulk (79', seen here celebrating) and Razvan Rat (OG-90'+2) provided the scoring that carried FC Porto to a 2-0 road win over Shakhtar Donestsk, keeping the Dragons alive for a berth in the knockout stage while eliminating the Ukrainian club from European competition.


Getty Images photo

GROUP G STANDINGS:

1.x-APOEL FC (GP: 5; GD: +2; PTS: 9)
2. Zenit Saint Petersburg (GP: 5;GD: +2; PTS: 8)
3. FC Porto (GP: 5; GD: 0; PTS: 7)
4. z-Shakhtar Donetsk (GP: 5; GD: -4; PTS: 2)

x-Clinched berth in the knockout stage
z-Eliminated from European competition

UEFA Champions League Group F: Gunners Win Group

Two games were played in Group F as UEFA Champions League group-stage action continued.

At Marseilles, France:


Ioannis Fetfatzidis

Ioannis Fetfatzidis (mobbed by teammates here) scored the only goal of the match in the 82nd minute as Olympiacos kept their hopes of advancing to the knockout stage alive with a 1-0 road win over Marseille, preventing the French club from advancing to the Round of 16.

At London:
Van Persie



Robin van Persie scored twice (49', 86', that's him using his noggin) as Arsenal held off visiting Borussia Dortmund 2-1 to win the Group F title and a berth in the knockout stage.


Getty Images photos

GROUP F STANDINGS:

1. xy-Arsenal (GP: 5; GD: +2; PTS: 11)
2. Marseille (GP: 5; GD: +2; PTS: 7)
3. Olympiacos (GP: 5; GD: 0; PTS: 6)
4. Borussia Dortmund (GP: 5; GD: -5; PTS: 4)

xy-Won Group F and advanced to the knockout stage

UEFA Champions League Group E: Leverkusen In Knockout Stage With Comeback Win Over Blues; Valencia Turn Genk Into Gunk

Group-stage play in the UEFA Champions League continued on Wednesday with eight games, two of them in Group E.

At Leverkusen, Germany:


Didier Drogba

Eren Derdiyok (73') and Manuel Friedrich (90') each scored a goal late in the second half as Bayer Leverkusen came from behind to upend visiting Chelsea 2-1 to lay claim to a berth in the Round of 16.  Here, we see Didier Drogba scoring the Blues' goal at 48 minutes.

At Valencia, Spain:


Roberto Soldado

Robert Soldado's first-half hat trick (13', 36', 39', that's him pictured here) was just part of a scoring blitzkrieg that carried Valencia to a 7-0 annihilation of visiting Genk, eliminating the Belgian club from European competition while keeping themselves alive for a Champions League knockout-stage berth.


Getty Images photos

GROUP E STANDINGS:

1. x-Bayer Leverkusen (GP: 5; GD: 0; PTS: 9)
2. Chelsea (GP: 5; GD: +6; PTS: 8)
3. Valencia (GP: 5; GD: +8; PTS: 8)
4. z-KRC Genk (GP: 5; GD: -14; PTS: 2)

x-Clinched berth in knockout stage
z-Eliminated from European competition

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

UEFA Champions League Group D: Galacticos Demolish Dinamo Zagreb; Scoreless Road Draw Keeps Ajax In Driver's Seat For Second Place

Two games were played on Tuesday as Group D action in the UEFA Champions League resumed.


At Madrid:


Karim Benzema


Karim Benzema (2', 66', he's pictured here celebrating with teammates after his first goal) and Jose Callejon (6', 49') each scored twice as Real Madrid delivered a brass knuckling to visiting Dinamo Zagreb, 6-2, eliminating the Croatian club from European competition.


At Lyon, France:


A 0-0 home deadlock with Ajax Amsterdam has placed Lyon on the brink of elimination from the tournament.  Goalkeepers Hugo Lloris of Lyon (pictured here) and Kenneth Vermeer of Ajax each recorded a shutout.


GROUP D STANDINGS:


1. xy-Real Madrid (GP: 5; GD: +14; PTS: 15)
2. Ajax Amsterdam (GP: 5; GD: +3; PTS: 8)
3. Lyon (GP: 5; GD: -4; PTS: 5)
4. z-Dinamo Zagreb (GP: 5; GD: -13; PTS: 0)


xy-Won Group D and advanced to the knockout stage
z-Eliminated from European competition

UEFA Champions League Group C: Road Draw At Old Trafford Clinches Sweet Sixteen Berth For Eagles; Road Win Keeps Basel In Contention

Tuesday saw the resumption of action in Group C of the UEFA Champions League with two games.


At Manchester, England:


Manchester United's Dimitar Berbatov scores his side's first goal of the game


Goals from Phil Jones (OG-3') and Pablo Aimar (61') enabled SL Benfica to gain a 2-2 road draw with Manchester United and clinch a berth in the knockout stage.  Dimitar Berbatov (30', shown here) and Darren Fletcher (59') each scored once for the Red Devils.


PA Photo


At Bucharest, Romania:


FC Basel midfielder Fabian Frei celebrates his goal Otelul Galati


Fabian Frei (10', shown here celebrating), Alexander Frei (14'), and Marco Streller (37') each delivered a goal as FC Basel kept their hopes of advancing to the Champions League's Round of 16 alive with a 3-2 road win over FC Otelul Galati.


Getty Images photo


GROUP C STANDINGS:


1. x-SL Benfica (GP: 5; GD: +3; PTS: 9)
2. Manchester United (GP: 5; GD: +4; PTS: 9)
3. FC Basel (GP: 5; GD: 0; PTS: 8)
4. z-FC Otelul Galati (GP: 5; GD: -7; PTS: 0)


x-Clinched berth in the knockout stage
z-Eliminated from European competition

UEFA Champions League Group B: Road Draw Good Enough For Inter To Win Group; Big Road Win For Mastiffs With Second Place Up For Grabs

Two games in Group B in the UEFA Champions League were contested on Tuesday.


At Moscow:


Evgeni Aldonin of CSKA Moscow vies with Lille's man of the match Eden Hazard


Moussa Sow scored in the 64th minute as Lille kept their homes of advancing to the knockout stage alive following their 2-0 home win over CSKA Moscow.  Pictured here is a battle for the ball between the Horses' Evgeni Aldonin and the Mastiffs' Eden Hazard.


At Trabzon, Turkey:


Julio Cesar: Inter contract expires in 2014


Halil Altintop's equalizer at 23 minutes kept Trabzonspor in second place in Group B following their 1-1 home draw with Inter Milan.  The Nerazzurri, whose goalkeeper Julio Cesar is pictured here, nevertheless, clinched top spot in the group, thanks to Ricardo Alvarez's goal in the 18th minute.


Getty Images photos


GROUP B STANDINGS:


1. xy-Inter Milan (GP: 5; GD: +2; PTS: 10)
2. Trabzonspor (GP: 5; GD: -2; PTS: 6)
3. LOSC Lille Metropole (GP: 5; GD: 0; PTS: 5)
4. CSKA Moscow (GP: 5; GD: 0; PTS: 5)

UEFA Champions League Group A: Bayern Clinches Group Title (Knocking Yellow Submarine Out Of European Competition) ; Napoli Put Citizens Knockout-Stage Hopes In Jeopardy

Eight games, two of them in Group A, were played on Tuesday as group-stage play in the UEFA Champions League resumed.


At Naples, Italy:


Napoli forward Edinson Cavani celebrates his second goal against Man City


Edinson Cavani scored twice (17', 49', that's him celebrating after his second tally) as Napoli bested visiting Manchester City 2-1, climbing past the Citizens into second place in Group A.


At Munich, Germany:


Mario Gomez celebrates his goal with Bayern Munich team-mate Franck Ribery


Franck Ribery scored twice (3', 69') as Bayern Munich clinched the Group A title with a 2-1 home win over Villarreal, eliminating the Yellow Submarine from European competition.  Seen here are Franck Ribery and Mario Gomez celebrating after Super Mario's tally in the 23rd minute.


Getty Image photos


GROUP A STANDINGS:


1. xy-Bayern Munich (GP: 5; GD: +7; PTS: 13)
2. Napoli (GP: 5; GD: +2; PTS: 8)
3. Manchester City (GP: 5; GD: +1; PTS: 7)
4. z-Villarreal (GP: 5; GD: -10; PTS: 0)


xy-Won Group A and advanced to the knockout stage
z-Eliminated from European competition

FA Cup: U's Eliminated

At Wrexham, England:


Goals from Matias Pogba (59') and Danny Wright (76') enabled Wrexham to hold off visiting, and fellow Conference National club Cambridge United 2-1 on Tuesday in an FA Cup first-round replay.  The Red Dragons will travel to London for a second-round match against Brentford from League One.

Sunday, November 20, 2011

LANDON DONOVAN GOAL CARRIES GALAXY TO FIRST MLS CROWN SINCE 2005

At Carson, California:

In front of a sellout crowd at the Home Depot Center, Landon Donovan, named the game's Most Valuable Player, took a pass from Robbie Keane (who in turn, had taken a pass form David Beckham) , then delivered the only goal of the match in the 72nd minute on Sunday night as the Los Angeles Galaxy won their third Major League Soccer Cup title, their first since 2005, 1-0 over the Houston Dynamo.  The Galaxy finished the MLS season undefeated at home.

Mexican Apertura Playoffs: Late Goals Salvage Series-Opening Home Draw For Jaguares; Road Win For Tigres

The opening weekend of the quarterfinal round of the Mexican Primera Division Apertura playoffs concluded with two games on Sunday.


At Tuxtla Gutierrez, Mexico:


Jackson Martinez (83') and Franco Arizala (90'+3) enabled Jaguares to come back from a two-goal deficit to salvage a 2-2 home draw in the opening contest of their two-game series with Santos Laguna. Felipe Baloy (4') and Oribe Peralta (33') each tallied once in the first half for the visitors.


At Pachuca de Soto, Mexico:


Hector Mancilla scored the only goal of the match in the 26th minute as Tigres took game one of their two-match opening-round series 1-0 on the road over Pachuca.

Scoreless Istanbul Derby

At Istanbul, Turkey:


Sunday's Turkish Super Lig contest between Besiktas and visiting local rivals Galatasaray ended in a 0-0 draw.

Ho-Hum: Another Defeat For Grasshoppers

At Lucerne, Switzerland:


Daniel Gygax (68') and Sally Sarr (80') each delivered a goal on Sunday as FC Lucerne defeated struggling Grasshoppers 2-1 at home in the Swiss Super League.

OFC Champions League: Solid Performance For Waitakere United

At Waitakere City, New Zealand:


In the lone Sunday OFC Champions League group-stage contest, Ross McKenzie (60'), Chris Bale (71'), and Sean Lovemore (90'+3) each tallied once during a second-half onslaught as Waitakere United busted open what was a scoreless standoff into a 4-0 home demolition of Ba FC in Group A play.


GROUP A STANDINGS:


1. Waitakere United (GP: 2; GD: +14; PTS: 6)
2. Ba (GP: 2; GD: -3; PTS: 3)
3. AS Mont-Dore (GP: 2; GD: -1; PTS: 1)
4. AS Tefana (GP: 2; GD: -10; PTS: 1)

Road Defeat Puts Troll Kids' Europa League Hopes In Jeopardy

At Tromso, Norway:


Sigurd Rushfeldt scored twice (8', 65') as Tromso IL defeated visiting Rosenborg 3-1 in Sunday Eliteserien action.  The win put the hosts in second place in the league standings with one game remaining while the Troll Kids find themselves in fifth place, two points out of a Europa League qualifying berth.

Santos Beaten On The Road

At Curitiba, Brazil:


Leonardo scored the only goal of the match in the 61st minute on Sunday as Coritiba defeated visiting Santos 1-0 in Brazilian Serie A action.

Boca Held To Scoreless Home Draw By Nine-Man Racing

At Buenos Aires:


Sunday's Argentinian Primera Division contest between Boca Juniors and visiting Racing Club (who ended the game with only nine men) ended in a 0-0 stalemate.

PSG Shocked At Home By Struggling Nancy

At Paris:


Jean Calve scored the only goal of the match in the 49th minute as AS Nancy climbed out of the French Ligue 1 relegation zone with their 1-0 road win over league-leading Paris Saint-Germain.

Road Win For Table-Topping Blue-Whites

At Golubovci, Montenegro:


A 2-0 road win over FK Zeta on Sunday kept FK Buducnost Podgorica atop the Montenegrin First League standings.

Dinamo Tbilisi Blank Torpedo To Move Up To Second Place In Umaglesi Liga

At Tbilisi, Georgia:


Dinamo Tbilisi blanked visiting Torpedo 2-0 on Sunday to move past the visitors back up to second place in the Umaglesi Liga standings.

Lions Knocked Off In Brondby

At Brondby, Denmark:


Thomas Rasmussen scored the winning goal in the 81st minute as Brondby eased their relegation fears with a 2-1 home win over league-leading FC Copenhagen in Sunday Danish SuperLiga action.

Point On The Road For Slavia Prague

At Hradec Krolove, Czech Republic:


Slavia Prague gained a 1-1 road draw with FC Hradeck Krolove in Sunday Czech Liga action.  Zbynek Pospech scored in the 44th minute for the visitors from the Czech capital, while Pavel Cerny, Jr. equalized at 48 minutes for the hosts.