Monday, April 30, 2012

Lions Still Have A Shot At Grabbing Champions League Qualifying Berth

At Lisbon, Portugual: 

Ricky van Wolfswinkel scored the winning goal in the 77th minute as Sporting CP defeated visiting (and relegation-threatened) Academica 2-1 in the lone Monday Portuguse Primeira Liga contest.  The win put the Lions three points behind Sporting Braga for the third and final UEFA Champions League berth with two games remaining.

Citizens Hold Off Red Devils In Manchester Derby And Take Over Top Spot In EPL

At Manchester, England:


Vincent Kompany scored the only goal of the match (45') as Manchester City knocked off visiting Manchester United 1-0 on Monday to take over first place (due to superior goal differential) in the English Premier League standings.

First-Half Scoring Barrage Sinks Slavia

At Plzen, Czech Republic:


Milan Petrzela scored twice (19', 44') during a three-goal first half for FC Viktoria Plzen as the hosts dominated visiting Slavia Prague 3-0 in the lone Monday Czech Liga contest.

Sunday, April 29, 2012

Rodrigo's First-Half Hat Trick Good Enough For Racing Club

At Montevideo, Uruguay:


Rodrigo Pastorini's first half hat trick (27', 30', 45') helped carry Racing Club de Montevideo to a 3-1 Sunday Uruguayan Primera Division home win over basement-residing Rentistas.

Black Eagles Blow Second-Half Lead And Lose

At Istanbul, Turkey:


Miroslav Stoch (57') and Egemen Korkmaz (OG-83') provided the scoring as Fenerbahce came from behind to upend visiting Besiktas 2-1 in Sunday Turkish Super League Championship Group action.

Deadlock In Stockholm

At Stockholm, Sweden:


Djurgarden and visiting Kalmar battled to a 1-1 Sunday Swedish Allsvenskan draw.  Kasper Hamalainen scored in the third minute for DIF, only to see the guests' Daniel Mendes equalize in the 22nd.

Koper Deliver Serious Blow To Roses' Europa League Chances

At Nova Gorica, Slovenia:


Ivan Brecevic scored the only goal of the match in the 21st minute as Koper knocked off home-standing ND Gorica 1-0 in Sunday 1.SNL action.  The loss left the Roses in fifth place, five points behind third-place Mura 05 for the second Europa League qualifying berth.

1-1 Stalemate In Kragujevac

At Kragujevac, Serbia:


Milan Rodic scored the equalizer in the 53rd minute on Sunday, lifting OFK Belgrade to a 1-1 road draw in Serbian Super League action with Europa League hopefuls Radnicki 1923 Kragujevac.  Darko Spalevic scored for the third-place hosts in the 37th minute.

Second-Half Goal Salvages Home Draw (And First Place) For Legia Warsaw

At Warsaw, Poland:


Danijel Ljuboja scored the equalizer in the 63rd minute to lift Legia Warsaw to a 1-1 Sunday Polish Ekstraklasa home draw with Jagiellonia Bialystok.  The visitors' goal came in the 61st minute from Tomasz Frankowski.  The draw left Legia in first place, though level on points with Slask Wroclaw, due to superior goal differential (+25 to +13).  Ruch Chorzow are one point in back, Lech Poznan and Korona Kielce two back with two games to play.

Easy Road Win For Metalurg

At Skopje, Macedonia:


FK Metalurg dominated Rabotnicki 3-0 on the road in Sunday action from Macedonia's First League.

Road Win for FC Seoul

At Gangneung, South Korea:


Dejan Damjanovic delivered the winning goal at the death (90'+4) as FC Seoul defeated Gangwon 2-1 on the road in Sunday K-League action.

Stoppage-Time Tally Sinks HJK

At Myllykoski, Finland:


Pekka Sihvola scored the only goal of match in second-half stoppage time (90'+2) as MYPA knocked off visiting HJK Helsinki 1-0 in Sunday Finnish Veikkausliiga action.

B36 Beaten At Home

At Torshavn, Faroe Islands:


B68 defeated B36 2-1 on the road in Sunday Faroese Meistaradeildin action.

Lions Blank Aalborg BK At Home

At Copenhagen, Denmark:


Cristian Bolanos scored twice (7', 58') as FC Copenhagen whitewashed visiting Aalborg BK 3-0 in Sunday Danish Super League action.  The Lions lead second-place Nordsjaelland by six points with the two clubs set to face each other on Wednesday on the Wild Tigers' home pitch at Farum.

CAF Champions League: Stade Malien Surprise Ah-Ahly At Home; Game One Win For TP Mazembe

The second round of the CAF Champions League continued on Sunday with four games.


At Omdurman, Sudan:


Karim Ali Hadji scored the equalizer in the 56th minute as ASO Chlef gained a 1-1 road draw with Al-Hilal in the opening game of their two-match series.  Mudather El Tahir scored for the Sudanese club in the 10th minute.


At Bamako, Mali:


Stade Malien, thanks to Lamine Diawara's goal in the 86th minute, took the opening match of their series with longtime Egyptian and continental powerhouse Al-Ahly 1-0 at home.


At Berekum, Ghana:


The opening match between Berekum Chelsea and visiting Coton Sport ended in a 0-0 stalemate.


At Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of the Congo:


TP Mazembe, thanks to goals courtesy of Mbwana Samata (22') and Tresor Mputu Mabi (70'),  took game one of their two-match series with Al-Merreikh 2-0 at home.

Colo Colo Smothered On The Road

At Santiago, Chile:


Matias Nicolas Rodriguez scored twice (47', 90') as Universidad de Chile demolished visiting Colo Colo 5-0 in Sunday Chilean Primera Division action.

Late Goals Sink PSG

At Villeneuve d'Ascq, France:


Eden Hazard (PK-71') and Nolan Roux (79') scored the goals that enabled third-place Lille to come from behind and overtake second-place Paris Saint-Germain 2-1 at home in Sunday French Ligue 1 action.  The defeat left PSG five points in back of league- leading Montpellier with four league games remaining and only two in front of Lille for the second automatic Champions League group-stage berth.

OFC Champions League Final: Auckland City Hold On For 2-1 Series-Opening Win

At Auckland, New Zealand:


David Mulligan (56') and Daniel Koprivcic (60') each scored a goal as Auckland City took the opening game of the OFC Champions League on Sunday, 2-1 at home over AS Tefana.  Axel Williams kept the Tahitian club alive in the series with an away goal in the 70th minute.  The two-match final is schedule to conclude on May 12 at Papeete, Tahiti, French Polynesia.

Goose Eggs In Grodno

At Grodno, Belarus:


The Sunday Belorussian Premier League contest between Neman Grodno and visiting Dinamo Minsk ended in a 0-0 stalemate.

Dinamo Tirana On Cusp Of Relegation

At Vlore, Albania:


Gerhard Progni (1', 59') and Pero Pejic (34', 43') each scored twice as Flamurtari Vlore annihilated relegation-threatened Dinamo Tirana 5-0 at home in Sunday Albanian Super League action.  The visitors from the capital are one dropped point away from clinching relegation from the top flight.

Road Win For 1860 Munich

At Frankfurt, Germany:


Kevin Volland (17') and Guillermo Juan Vallori (21') delivered the scoring as TSV 1860 Munich defeated Eintracht Frankfurt (who had already clinched promotion back to the top flight after a one-year absence) 2-0 on the road in German second division action.

Bhoys Dominate 'Gers In Old Firm Derby

At Glasgow, Scotland:


In action from the Scottish Premier League, Charlie Mulgrew (17'), Kris Commons (31'), and Gary Hooper (54') each scored once as Celtic dominated visiting administration-plagued Rangers 3-0 in Sunday's latest renewal of the Old Firm Derby.

Ajax One Point Away From Clinching Second Straight Eredivisie Title

At Enschede, Netherlands:


Theo Janssen (PK-30') and Gregory van der Wiel (78') each scored a goal on Sunday as Ajax Amsterdam defeated FC Twente 2-1 on the road.  The guests lead arch-rivals Feyenoord Rotterdam by six points atop the Dutch Eredivisie standings with two games remaining and need only one point from their final two games to lock up their second straight league crown (and a berth in the UEFA Champions League's group stage for next season).

Zlatan's Double Helps Rossoneri Flatten Siena

At Siena, Italy:


Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored twice (29', 90'+5) as AC Milan dominated AC Siena 4-1 on the road in Sunday Italian Serie B action.

Home Win For Boca

At Buenos Aires:


Santiago Silva scored the only goal of the match in the 35th minute on Saturday as Boca Juniors defeated visiting Colon de Santa Fe 1-0 in Argentinian Primera Division action.

Saturday, April 28, 2012

MLS: Impact, Red Bulls, RSL, Quakes, Whitecaps, DC United, Sounders, Rapids Win; Hoops and Galaxy Draw

Nine games populated Saturday's Major League Soccer schedule.


At Montreal:


Bernardo Corradi (PK-76') and Sinisa Ubiparipovic (84') each scored a goal as the Montreal Impact blanked the visiting Portland Timbers 2-0.


At Harrison, New Jersey:


Thierry Henry scored the only goal of the match in the 6th minute as the New York Red Bulls held off the visiting New England Revolution 1-0.


At Chester, Pennsylvania:


Steven Lenhart scored twice (75', 90'+3) as the San Jose Earthquakes edged the Philadelphia Union 2-1 on the road.


At Washington:


Maicon Santos scored twice (11', 70') as DC United defeated the visiting Houston Dynamo 3-2.


At Columbus, Ohio:


The Vancouver Whitecaps, thanks to a stingy defense and Lee Young-Pyo's goal in the 73rd minute, defeated the Columbus Crew 1-0 on the road.


At Bridgeview, Illinois:


David Estrada (39') and Eddie Johnson (67') each scored a goal as the visiting Seattle Sounders defeated the Chicago Fire 2-1.


At Sandy, Utah:


Jonny Steele scored the winning goal in second-half stoppage time (90'+3) as Real Salt Lake kept Toronto  FC winless and pointless with a 3-2 home win.


At Commerce City, Colorado:


Kamani Hill scored twice (82', 90'+3) as the Colorado Rapids dominated visiting Chivas USA 4-0.


At Carson, California:


The Los Angeles Galaxy and visiting FC Dallas battled to a 1-1 stalemate.  Brek Shea's successful penalty kick in the 61st minutes put the Hoops ahead, only to see Pat Noonan equalize for the Galaxy in second-half stoppage time (90'+2).


MLS STANDINGS:


EASTERN CONFERENCE:


1. Kansas City (GP: 8; GD: +9; PTS: 21)
2. DC United (GP: 9; GD: +5; PTS: 15)
3. New York (GP: 8; GD: +4; PTS: 13)
4. Houston (GP: 6; GD: -1; PTS: 8)
5. Chicago (GP: 6; GD: -1; PTS: 8)
6. Montreal (GP: 9; GD: -6; PTS: 8)
7. Philadelphia (GP: 7; GD: -3; PTS: 7)
8. Columbus (GP: 7; GD: -4; PTS; 7)
9. New England (GP: 7; GD: -4; PTS: 6)
10. Toronto FC (GP: 7; GD: -10; PTS: 0)


WESTERN CONFERENCE:


1. San Jose (GP: 8; GD: +9; PTS: 19)
2. Real Salt Lake (GP: 10; GD: +5; PTS: 19)
3. Vancouver (GP: 8; GD: +1; PTS: 14)
4. Seattle (GP: 6; GD: +5; PTS: 13)
5. Colorado (GP: 8; GD: +2; PTS: 12)
6. FC Dallas (GP: 9; GD: -2; PTS: 12)
7. Los Angeles (GP: 7; GD: 0; PTS: 10)
8. Chivas USA (GP: 8; GD: -5; PTS: 9)
9. Portland (GP: 8; GD: -4; PTS: 7)



THIRD STRAIGHT NEW ZEALAND PREMIERSHIP PLAYOFF CROWN FOR WAITAKERE UNITED

At Waitakere City, New Zealand:


Roy Krishna scored twice as Waitakere United locked up their third straight New Zealand Premiership playoff title on Saturday with a 4-1 home win over Team Wellington.

Lyon Hold Off Third Division Club For Coupe de France Title

At St. Denis, France:


Lisandro Lopez scored the only goal of the match in the 28th minute on Saturday as Lyon defeated US Quevilly from the third-tier Championnat National 1-0 to win their fifth Coupe de France final.

Home Win For Bayern As Super Mario Haunts Former Teammates

At Munich, Germany:


Mario Gomez (31') and Thomas Muller (90'+2) each delivered a goal as Bayern Munich defeated Super Mario's former team, VfB Stuttgart 2-0 at home in Saturday German Bundesliga action.

Sporting Delivering Damaging Blow To Parakeets' European Chances

At Barcelona:


Adrian Colunga (48'), Oscar Trejo (70'), and Mate Bilic (80') each tallied once as Sporting Gijon kept alive their hopes of escaping relegation from the Spanish Primera Division following their 3-0 road beatdown of Espanyol.

Comeback Win For The Honest Men

At Ayr, Scotland:


Keigan Parker scored twice in the second half (61', 84') and Ross Robertson scored the winning goal in the 89th minute as Ayr United came from behind to upend visiting Dundee 3-2 in Saturday Scottish First Division action.

Rovers Blast Visiting Stanley

Matt Harrold (11', PK-22') and Matthew Lund (58', 78') each scored twice as Bristol Rovers brassknuckled visiting Accrington Stanley 5-1 in Saturday English League Two action.

Home Draw Leaves Blades Still With Hope Of Automatic Promotion

At Sheffield, England:


Richard Cresswell (63') and Matthew Lowton (85') provided the scoring as Sheffield United came back from two goals down to salvage a 2-2 Saturday English League One home draw with Stevenage.  The visitors got goals from Joel Byrom (31') and Scott Laird (47').  The Blades trail Sheffield Wednesday by one point for the second and final automatic-promotion spot with one game remaining.  Stevenage find themselves in the final promotion-playoff berth.

Dexter's Laboratory: Forest Blank Relegated Pompey In Season Finale

At Nottingham, England:


Dexter Blackstock scored both goals (70', 89') as Nottingham Forest defeated visiting (and already-relegated) Portsmouth 2-0 on Saturday in the English League Championship season finale for both clubs.

No Quit In Wolves As Wolverhampton Come Back From Two Three-Goal Deficits To Gain Road Draw

At Swansea, Wales:


Matt Jarvis scored twice (33', 69') as Wolverhampton Wanderers, in their first match since clinching relegation, battled back from two three-goal deficits to gain a 4-4 Saturday English Premier League road draw with Swansea City.  Steven Fletcher (28') and David Edwards (54') also scored for Wolves.  The Swans' goals came courtesy of Andrea Orlandi (1'), Joe Allen (4'), Nathan Dyer (15'), and Danny Graham (31').  Despite blowing two three-goal advantages---and two points at home---the Swans assured themselves of playing again in the Premier League next season.

CAF Champions League: Zamalek, ES Sahel, Espernace ST Take Series Openers; Djoliba and Sunshine Stars Battle To 1-1 Game-One Draw

The second round of the CAF Champions League commenced on Saturday with four games.


At Fes, Morocco:


Ahmed Hassan (78') and Ahmed Gaafar (89') each scored a goal late in the second half as Zamalek defeated Maghreb de Fes 2-0 in game one of their two-match home-and-away series.


At Sousse, Tunisia:


Lamjed Chehoudi (28'), Lasaad Jaziri (PK-55'), Mosaab Sassi (85'), and Hatem Bejaoui (90') each tallied once as ES Sahel dominated visiting AFAD Djekanou 4-1 in their series opener.


At Bamako, Mali:


Mamadou Sidibe's 71st-minute equalizer enabled Djoliba to salvage a 1-1 game-one home draw with Sunshine Stars.  Izu Azuka scored what could be a very important away goal in the first minute.


At Rades, Tunisia:


Youssef Msakni scored twice (38', 90'+3) as Esperance ST virtually punched their tickets to the group stage following their 6-0 game-one home demolition of Dynamos of Zimbabwe.

2-2 Road Draw For U's In Season Finale

At Tamworth, England:


Jean Paul Marna scored twice (16', 54') for Tamworth as they gain a 2-2 Saturday home draw with Cambridge United as the English Conference National regular season came to a close.  Adam Marriott (31', 49) scored both goals for the U's.

Tigres Cough Up Three Points Late At Home

At San Nicolas de los Garza, Mexico:


Luis Garcia (84') and Aaron Padilla (87') scored in the waning minutes on Saturday night as Puebla came from behind to overcome home-standing Tigres 2-1 in Mexican Primera Division action.

Humberto's The Guy To Go To As Millonarios Bounce Back To Win

At Bogota, Colombia:


Humberto Osorio scored twice in the second half (57', 85') as Millonarios overcame an early deficit to upend visiting Medellin 2-1 in Saturday Colombian Primera A action.

Home Win For Sarajevo

At Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina:


FK Sarajevo downed visiting Rudar Prijedor 3-1 in Saturday Bosnian Premier League action.

Grasshoppers Erase Two-Goal Deficit To Gain Home Draw

At Zurich, Switzerland:


Steven Zuber scored twice in the second half (50', 76') as Grasshoppers came back from a two-goal halftime deficit to gain a 2-2 Saturday Swiss Super League home draw with FC Lucerne.  Jahmir Hyka (27') and Adrian Winter (29') provided the scoring for the visitors.

Blues Knocked Off At Home

At Belfast, Northern Ireland:


Calum Birney scored both goals (18', 53') as Glentoran knocked off Linfield 2-0 in the IFA Premiership Championship Group finale for both clubs on Saturday.

Another League Win For Buducnost

At Radanovici, Montenegro:


Montenegrin First League-leading FK Buducnost Podgorica hammered Grbalj 4-0 on the road in Saturday action.

Tough Defeat For Liepajas Metalurgs

At Riga, Latvia:


Yosuke Saito scored the only goal of the match in the 79th minute as Gulbene 2005 knocked off FK Liepajas Metalurgs 1-0 in Saturday Latvian Virsliga action.

Late Goal Sinks FC Tokyo

At Chofu, Japan:


Toshiyuki Takagi scored the only goal of the match in the 77th minute as Shimizu S-Pulse downed FC Tokyo on the road 1-0 in Saturday J.League action.

Home Win Keeps Torino On Top

At Turin, Italy:


Kamil Glik (3') and Alessandro Sgringa (39') each scored a goal on Saturday as Torino stayed atop the Italian Serie B standings with their 2-1 home win over Crotone.

Road Win For Dinamo Tbilisi

At Martvili, Georgia:


Mikel Alvaro (18'), Nika Kvekveskiri (75'), and Iraki Dzaria (88') each tallied once as Dinamo Tbilisi topped Merani Martvili 3-1 on the road in Saturday Georgian Umaglesi Liga action.

Road Win For The Cactus

At Narva, Estonia:


Zakaria Beglarishvili (24') and Gert Kams (87') each scored once as FC Flora held off basement-residing FC Trans Narva 2-1 on the road in Saturday Meistriliiga action.

Anorthosis Blown Out At Home

At Larnaca, Cyprus:


Andre Alves scored twice in the second half (66', 74') as Omonia Nicosia demolished home-standing Anorthosis 4-0 in Saturday Cypriot First Division Championship Group action, placing the hosts chances of any European action for next season in doubt.

Easy Win For Dinamo Zagreb

At Zagreb, Croatia:


Josip Pivaric scored twice (21', 60') scored twice as Dinamo Zagreb dominated visiting Istra 1961 4-1 in Saturday Croatian top flight action.

Road Win For League-Leading Bulls

At Mattersburg, Austria:


Jakob Jantscher scored the only goal of the match in the 28th minute as Austrian Bundesliga-leading FC Red Bull Salzburg defeated Mattersburg 1-0 on the road on Saturday.

Friday, April 27, 2012

Vinny's The Man Who Lifts Cork City To Road Victory

At Dublin, Ireland:

Vinny Sullivan scored twice (20', 83') as Cork City defeated fellow promoted club Shelbourne 2-1 on the road in Friday action from the Premier Division of the League of Ireland.

Fanny-Kickin' Road Win For Anderlecht

At Genk, Belgium:

Kanu scored twice (1', 52') as Belgian Pro League-leading RSC Anderlecht demolished KRC Genk 4-0 on the road in Friday Championship-Round action.

Late Goal Ends Monaco Winning Streak

At Clermont-Ferrand, France:

Romain Alessandrini scored the only goal of the match in the 78th minute as Clermont ended visiting AS Monaco's five-match French Ligue 1 winning streak 1-0 on Friday.

Ajax Cape Town Battle League Leaders To 1-1 Draw

At Cape Town, South Africa:

Lucky Lekgwathi's equalizer in the 26th minute lifted South African Premier Soccer League leading-Orlando Pirates to a 1-1 Friday road draw with Ajax Cape Town.  George Maluleka scored for the hosts in the 23rd minute.

Red Dogs Fall On The Road

At Brasov, Romania:

David Distefano (28') and Blaze Ilijoski (78') each scored a goal on Friday as Brasov gained a boost in their battle to avoid relegation from Romania's Liga I with a 2-0 home win over Dinamo Bucharest 2-0.  The Red Dogs entered Friday play atop the league standings.

Stoppage-Time Goal Gains Home Draw For Aalesund Against Trond Kids

At Alesund, Norway:

Jonatan Nation's stoppage-time equalizer (90'+1), along with Lars Fuhre's earlier tally (42'), enabler Aalesund to salvage a 2-2 Friday Norwegian Eliteserien home draw with league-leading Rosenborg.  Rade Prica (8') and Steffen Iversen (84') provided the Trond Kids' goals.

Thursday, April 26, 2012

Europa League: An All-Spanish Final In Bucharest

The semifinal round of the Europa League concluded on Thursday with the second game of each of the two two-match series.


At Bilbao, Spain:


Fernando llorente team celeb Athletic Bilbao v Sporting


Markel Susaeta (16'), Ibai Gomez (45'+1), and Fernando Llorente (87', that's him here celebrating) each scored a goal as Athletic Bilbao overturned their 2-1 defeat on the road from last week with a 3-1 home win over Sporting CP in game two and won their two-match series 4-3 on aggregate.


PA photo


At Valencia, Spain:


Atletico Madrid v Valencia celeb Adrian


Adrian's goal in the 59th minute (that's him celebrating afterward) was more than enough as Atletico Madrid won game two with Valencia 1-0 on the road and won their two-game series 5-2 on aggregate.


Getty Images photo


Athletic Bilbao will take on Atletico Madrid in the May 9 Europa League final, scheduled to be played at National Stadium in Bucharest, Romania.

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

LATE GOAL HANDS CONCACAF CHAMPIONS LEAGUE TITLE (SECOND IN A ROW) TO STRIPED GANG

At Torreon, Mexico:


Neri Cardozo scored the series-winning goal in the 82nd minute on Wednesday as Monterrey, despite dropping a 2-1 road decision in game two to Santos Laguna, won their second straight CONCACAF Champions League title 3-2 on aggregate for the two-match final.  The Striped Gang will once again represent CONCACAF in this coming December's FIFA Club World Cup, set to take place in Japan.

MLS: Hoops Held To 1-1 Home Draw By RSL

At Frisco, Texas:


Emiliano Bonfigli's 72nd-minute equalizer enabled Real Salt Lake to gain a 1-1 road draw with FC Dallas in the lone Wednesday Major League Soccer contest.  Brek Shea's penalty kick in the 45th minute accounted for the lone Hoops goal.

Copa Libertadores: Bolivar Top Santos In Series Opener; Goose Eggs In Porto Alegre

The knockout stage of the Copa Libertadores got underway on Wednesday with the opening contest of each of two two-game series.


At La Paz, Bolivia:


Jhasmany Campos scored the winning goal in the 74th minute as Club Bolivar defeated defending champions Santos 2-1 in the opening contest of their two-match series.


At Porto Alegre, Brazil:


In the opening match of an all-Brazilian Round of 16 two-game series, Fluminense held home-standing Internacional to a 0-0 stalemate.  The hosts' Jesus Datolo failed on his penalty kick attempt in the 57th minute.

UEFA Champions League: Bayern Knock Off Galacticos To Gain Home Final Against Chelsea

At Madrid:


Cristiano Ronaldo is thwarted by Manuel Neuer's outstretched hand in the shootout.


After Real Madrid lead Bayern Munich 2-1 at the end of regulation time of Wednesday's second match of their UEFA Champions League semifinal series (Cristiano Ronaldo scoring both of Los Blancos' goals [PK-6', 14'] while Arjen Robben scored for the visitors on a successful penalty kick in the 27th minute] the two-match set was deadlocked at 3-3 on aggregate.  After 30 scoreless overtime minutes, Bayern goalkeeper Manuel Nauer saved spot kicks from Cristiano Ronaldo and Kaka (shown here) while Sergio Ramos miserably missed his during the penalty-kick shootout while Bastien Schweinsteiger converted the decisive spot kick that enabled Bayern to win the shootout 3-1 and book their place in the May 19 final against Chelsea, a game in which they would get to play in their own stadium back home in Munich.

Late Goal Carries Rossoneri

At Milan, Italy:

Kevin-Prince Boateng scored the only goal of the match in the 86th minute on Wednesday as AC Milan defeated struggling 10-man Genoa 1-0 in Italian Serie A action.  The victory kept the Rossoneri three points behind front-running Juventus, who defeated Cesena 1-0 on the road (clinching relegation to Serie B for the beaten hosts).

Late Goals Costs OFK Two Points

At Belgrade:

Filip Kasalica's late equalizer (85') enabled to Red Star Belgrade to gain a 1-1 Wednesday Serbian Super League road draw with OFK Belgrade.  Augusto Batioja scored in the 23rd minute for the hosts.

Ulsan Erase Two-Goal Deficit For Home Draw

At Ulsan, South Korea:

Seul-Ki Go (55') and Maranhao (PK-77') provided the scoring as Ulsan came back from a two-goal second-half deficit to gain a 2-2 Wednesday K-League home draw with FC Seoul.  Dejan Damjanovic scored both of the visitors' goals (10', 52').

Come-From-Behind Win Keeps Dinamo Tirana's Hopes Of Avoiding The Drop Alive

At Tirane, Albania:

Andrea Kule scored twice in the second half (52', 90'+2) as relegation-threatened Dinamo Tirana came from behind to upend visiting KF Tirana 3-2 in Wednesday Albanian Super League action.  The win kept Dinamo's flickering hopes of avoiding automatic relegation alive while the visitors' hopes of winning the league crown took a blow.

Torino Hold On To Win Suspended Match

At Turin, Italy:

Kamil Glik scored the only goal of the match in the 16th minute as Italian Serie B-leading Torino defeated visiting Reggina 1-0 on Wednesday in a match that was originally started on April 6 but suspended at halftime due to bad weather.

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

UEFA Chanmpions League: No Repeat Crown For Barca: Ousted By Shorthanded Blues

At Barcelona:

Fernando Torres skips past Victor Valdes to score the final goal and ensure Chelsea's progress

Ramires (45'+1) and Fernando Torres (90'+1, shown here) ided the scoring as Chelsea, who were playing with ten men following the red-card ejection of John Terry in the 37th minute, gained a shock 2-2 road draw in game two of their UEFA Champions League semifinal series with Barcelona and dethroned the defending European (and world) club champs 3-2 on aggregate.  The Blues will take on the Real Madrid-Bayern Munich in the May 19 final in Munich.  This will be Chelsea's second apprearance in the final, having lost the title match with Manchester United in Moscow in 2008 following an extensive penalty-kick shootout.

Getty Images photo

Monday, April 23, 2012

Goose Eggs In Belfast

At Belfast, Northern Ireland:


The lone Monday IFA Premiership Championship-Round Contest, that between league champions Linfield and visiting Coleraine, ended in a 0-0 stalemate.

HJK Back On Winning Track

At Helsinki, Finland:

Mathias Lindstrom (17'), Askeli Pelvas (20'), Demba Savage (29'), and Mikko Sumusalo (50') each delivered a goal as HJK Helsinki defeated visiting Jaro 4-1 in the lone Monday Finnish Veikkausliiga contest.

Sunday, April 22, 2012

MLS: DC United Turn Red Bulls Into Hamburger

At Washington:


In the lone Sunday Major League Soccer contest, Chris Pontius delivered a hat trick (8', 32', 69') as DC United dominated the visiting New York Red Bulls 4-1.


MLS STANDINGS:


EASTERN CONFERENCE:


1. Kansas City (GP: 8; GD: +9; PTS: 21)
2. DC United (GP: 8; GD: +4; PTS: 12)
3. New York (GP: 7; GD: +3; PTS: 10)
4. Chicago (GP: 5; GD: 0; PTS: 8)
5. Houston (GP: 5; GD: 0; PTS: 8)
6. Philadelphia (GP: 6; GD: -2; PTS: 7)
7. Columbus (GP: 6; GD: -3; PTS: 7)
8. New England (GP: 6; GD: -3; PTS; 6)
9. Montreal (GP: 8; GD: -8; PTS: 5)
10. Toronto FC (GP: 6; GD: -9; PTS: 0)


WESTERN CONFERENCE:


1. San Jose (GP: 7; GD: +8; PTS: 16)
2. Real Salt Lake (GP: 8; GD: +4; PTS: 15)
3. Vancouver (GP: 7; GD: 0; PTS: 11)
4. Seattle (GP: 5; GD: +4; PTS: 10)
5. FC Dallas (GP: 7; GD: -2; PTS: 10)
6. Los Angeles (GP: 6; GD: 0; PTS: 9)
7. Chivas USA (GP: 7; GD: -1; PTS: 9)
8. Colorado (GP: 7; GD: -2; PTS: 9)
9. Portland (GP: 7; GD: -2; PTS: 7)

CFU Club Championship: Inter Moengotapoe and Victory Sportif Club Advance To Second Round

The first round of the CFU Club Championship concluded with three games played on Saturday.


Group Two (both games played at Providence, Guyana):


In the opening contest, Suriname's Inter Moengotapoe locked up the Group Two crown and a berth in the second round with a 3-2 win over Hubentut Fortuna, with Stefano Rijssel scoring the winning goal in the 70th minute.


In the nightcap, Alpha United finished second after blanking fellow Guyanan club Milerock 2-0.


FINAL GROUP TWO STANDINGS:


1. Inter Moengotapoe (GP: 3; +8; PTS: 9)
2. Alpha United (GP: 3; GD: +3; PTS: 6)
3. Hubentut Fortuna (GP: 3; GD: -2; PTS: 3)
4. Milerock FC (GP: 3; GD: -9; PTS: 0)


Group Three:


At Port-au-Prince, Haiti:


Victory locked up a berth in the second round with their 1-1 draw with Baltimore Sportif Club.


FINAL GROUP THREE STANDINGS:


1. Victory Sportif Club (GP: 2; GD: +3; PTS: 4)
2. Baltimore Sportif Club (GP: 2; GD: +2; PTS: 4)
3. Bayamon FC (GP: 2; GD: -5; PTS: 0)


During the period between May 1 and May 6, the second round will take place with two groups of four teams each, with the top two clubs from each group advancing to the final round.


Group Four:


Puerto Rico Islanders
Caledonia AIA (Trinidad and Tobago)
George Town SC (Cayman Islands)
Best Runner-Up


Group Five:


W Connection (Trinidad and Tobago)
Antigua Barracuda (Antigua and Barbuda)
Inter Moengotapoe (Suriname)
Victory Sportif Club (Haiti)

Geovanni's Stoppage-Time PK Sinks Millonarios

At Cucuta, Colombia:


Victor Uribe (54') and Geovanni Garcia (PK-90'+2) provided the second-half goal power as Cucuta Deportivo overcame an early deficit and upended visiting Millonarios 2-1 in Sunday Colombian Primera A action.

Goose Eggs In Celje

At Celje, Slovenia:


The Sunday Slovenian top-flight contest between Celje and visiting ND Gorica ended in a 0-0 stalemate.

Red Dogs Hold On For Home Win And Climb To Top Of Liga I Standings

At Bucharest, Romania:


Marius Alexe scored twice (50', 54') while Ionel Danciulescu scored what proved to be the winning goal in the 64th minute as Dinamo Bucharest held off a late Ceahlaul Piatra Neamt rally and topped the visitors 3-2 to climb back to the top of the Romanian Liga I standings on Sunday, due to superior goal differential vis-a-viv CFR Cluj (+22 to +21).

Ricky Pulls Through For Sporting CP. Lions' Flickering Champions League Hopes Still Alive

At Funchal, Portugal:


Ricky van Wolfswinkel penalty kick in the 76th minute proved to be the game winner as Sporting CP blew a two-goal lead, but then defeated CD Nacional 3-2 on the road in Sunday Portuguese Primeira Liga action.  The Lions (who have now assured themselves of at least a Europa League qualifying berth) trail Sporting Braga by six points with three games remaining for Portugal's third and final UEFA Champions League (third qualifying round) berth.

Say Hello To First-Place Rosenborg

At Trondheim, Norway:


Markus Henriksen (64'), Mikael Dorsin (72'), and Jonas Svensson (90'+3) each scored a goal in the final half-hour of the match as Rosenborg climbed to the top of the Eliteserien standings following their 3-0 Sunday domination of visiting Tromso----whom they displaced at the top.

New Zealand Premiership Playoffs: Auckland City Knocked Out By Team Wellington; Capital City Club To Host Waitakere United In Final

The semifinal round of the playoff in the New Zealand Premiership concluded on Sunday with two games.


At Auckland, New Zealand:


Dakota Lucas scored twice (82', 90') as Team Wellington defeated Auckland City 3-1 on the road in game two of their two-match semifinal series.  The Capital City club won the series 4-1 on aggregate.


At Christchurch, New Zealand:


Ryan De Vries (12', 87') and Roy Krishna (49', 63') each scored twice as Waitakere United dominated Canterbury United 5-2 on the road in game two and won their two-match series 5-3 on aggregate, overturning their 1-0 home defeat from last Sunday.


Waitakere United will host Team Wellington in next Sunday's championship final.

Easy Win For Metalurg

At Skopje, Macedonia:


In Sunday Macedonian First League action, FK Metalurg had no trouble as they spanked visiting 11 Oktomvri 4-0.

Goose Eggs In Daugavpils

At Daugavpils, Latvia:


The Sunday Latvian Virsliga match between Daugava Daugavpils and visiting FK Liepajas Metalurgs ended in a 0-0 deadlock.

Panathinaikos Wallop Panaitolikos In Regular-Season Finale; Losers Condemned To Second Division

At Athens:


Toche scored twice in the second half (52', 82') as Panathinaikos demolished visiting Panaitolikos in the Greek Super League regular-season finale for both clubs on Sunday.  The Shamrock will be joining PAOK FC, Atromitos, and AEK Athens in the playoffs for a spot in the third qualifying round for next season's UEFA Champions League (as well as Europa League qualifying spots) while the visitors are being relegated into the Greek Football League along with Ergotelis and Doxa Dramas.  Olympiacos, who won the regular-season title, will be in the Champions League's group stage next season.

Goose Eggs In Gori

At Gori, Georgia:


The Sunday Georgian Umaglesi Liga Championship Round match between Dila Gori and visiting Dinamo Tbilisi ended in a 0-0 stalemate.

Lions Top Horsens At Home

At Copenhagen, Denmark:


Bryan Oviedo scored the winning goal in the 71st minute as Danish SuperLiga-leading FC Copenhagen defeated visiting Horsens 2-1 on Sunday.

Slavia Fall At Home

At Prague, Czech Republic:


Michal Kordula scored the only goal of the match in the 38th minute as Slovacko handed hosts Slavia Prague their third Czech Liga defeat in their last four starts, 1-0 on Sunday.

Colo Colo Erase Two-Goal Deficit To Gain Road Draw With Rangers (NOT Those From Glasgow)

At Talca, Colombia:


Jose Fuenzalida (55') and Mauro Olivi (PK-83) each delivered a second-half goal as Colo Colo came back from a two-goal deficit to gain a 2-2 Sunday Chilean Primera Division road draw with Rangers.  Andres Oroz (45') and Felipe Reynero (49') each scored a goal for the hosts.

Road Win For Anderlecht Over Club Brugge In Battle Of Belgium's Top Two

At Brugge, Belgium:


Dieumerci Mbokani scored the only goal of the match in the 15th minute as Belgian Pro League-leading RSC Anderlecht defeated second-placed Club Brugge 1-0 on the road in Sunday Playoffs I action.

Road Draw For Boca

At Cordoba, Argentina:


Walter Erviti's equalizer in the 48th minute lifted Argentinian Primera Division-leading Boca Juniors to a 1-1 Sunday road draw with Belgrano.  The hosts got their score in the 22nd minute from Matias Gimenez.

Parakeets Fall At Atletico

At Madrid:


Arda Turan scored twice in the second half (59', 61') as Atletico Madrid defeated visiting Espanyol 3-1 in Sunday Spanish Primera Division action.

PSG Way Too Much For Sochaux

At Paris:


Nene scored twice (55', 60') as Paris Saint-Germain found themselves two points in back of front-running Montpellier with five games left in the French Ligue 1 season following their 6-1 demolition of visiting relegation-threatened FC Sochaux on Sunday.

SAINTS WIN WELSH PREMIER LEAGUE CROWN BY AVENGING LAST SEASON'S DEFEAT TO BANGOR CITY

At Oswestry, England:


Greg Draper delivered a hat trick on Saturday (4', 26', 81') as The New Saints won the Welsh Premier League championship (and a berth in the second qualifying round for next season's UEFA Champions League) by avenging their season-ending defeat from last year, crushing visiting Bangor City 5-0 in the season finale for both clubs.

LATE PENALTY KICK SENDS BRISBANE ROAR TO SECOND STRAIGHT A-LEAGUE CROWN

At Brisbane, Australia:


Besart Berisha scored twice late in the second half (84', 90'+7) as the Brisbane Roar defeated the visiting Perth Glory 2-1 on Sunday to capture their second successive Hyundai A-League Grand Final.

Another Day, Another League Win For Sizzling Hot Ajax

At Amsterdam, Netherlands:


Derk Boerrigter (45'+1) and Kolbeinn Sigthorsson (80') provided the goal power as Dutch Eredivisie-leading Ajax Amsterdam remained six points ahead of second-place AZ Alkmaar with three games remaining following their 2-0 home blanking of FC Groningen.

Zlatan's Late Equalizer Rescues Home Draw For Rossoneri

At Milan, Italy:


A late equalizer from Zlatan Irahimovic (90') enabled AC Milan to salvage a 1-1 Sunday Italian Serie A home draw with Bologna.  Gaston Ramirez scored at 26 minutes for the visitors.

Watt A Debut For Tony As Bhoys Dominate Steelmen On Road

At Motherwell, England:


Substitute Tony Watt scored twice within a three-minute span early in the final hour-hour of the match (63', 66') in his Celtic debut as the Bhoys broke open what had been a scoreless stalemate and dominated Motherwell 3-0 on the road in Sunday Scottish Premier League action.

WOLVES RELEGATED; CITIZENS' 2-0 WIN ON ROAD MOVES THEM WITHIN THREE POINTS OF LEAGUE LEAD

At Wolverhampton, England:


Goals from Sergio Aguero (27') and Samir Nasri (74') carried Manchester City to a 2-0 road win over Wolverhampton in Sunday English Premier League action.  The win, coupled with Manchester United being held to a 4-4 home draw by Everton, moved the Citizens to within three points of the league-leading Red Devils with their big derby contest next Monday at home on the horizon.  As for Wolves, their latest home defeat clinched relegation, thus ending their three-year stay in the Premiership as Wolverhampton will be playing in the League Championship next season.

Saturday, April 21, 2012

MLS: Fire Leaves TFC Still With Goose Egg Under "Points;" Galaxy, Quakes, Philly, Whitecaps Pick Up Wins; Timbers Hand SKC First Defeat

Seven games were played on Saturday in Major League Soccer.


At Toronto:


Patrick Nyarko scored the winning goal in the 58th minute as the Chicago Fire defeated still winless and pointless Toronto FC 3-2 on the road.


At Columbus, Ohio:


Will Bruin (59') and Brian Ching (81') each delivered a goal as the Houston Dynamo gained a 2-2 road draw with the Columbus Crew, both of whose goals came through the courtesy of Eddie Gaven (63', 74').


At Commerce City, Colorado:


Landon Donovan scored what proved to be the winning goal in the 39th minute as the Los Angeles Galaxy topped the home-standing Colorado Rapids 2-1.  Galaxy goalkeeper Josh Saunders stopped Omar Cummings' penalty kick in the first minute of second-half stoppage time to preserve the victory.


At Vancouver, British Columbia


Camilo Sanvezzo's goal in the 11th minute held up as the Vancouver Whitecaps knocked off FC Dallas 1-0 at home.


At Carson, California:


Freddy Adu scored the lone goal of the match in the 40th minute as the Philadelphia Union defeated Chivas USA 1-0 on the road despite ending the match with only nine men.


At Portland, Oregon:


Chance Myers' own goal in the 40th minute proved costly as the Portland Timbers ended four-game losing and five-game winless streaks by handing previously unbeaten and untied Sporting Kansas City their first defeat of the season, 1-0 at home.


At Santa Clara, California:


Khari Stephenson (47'), Simon Dawkins (90'+2) and Chris Wondolowski (90'+3) each scored a goal as the San Jose Earthquakes downed visiting Real Salt Lake 3-1.