Wednesday, October 31, 2012

MLS Cup Playoffs: Will Bruin Helps Ruin Fire

At Bridgeview, Illinois:

Will Bruin scored twice (13', 46') as the Houston Dynamo held off the home-standing Chicago Fire 2-1 on Wednesday night in the Eastern Conference knockout (or wild card) contest as the Major League Soccer playoffs commenced.

The Dynamo will host Sporting Kansas City in the opening match of a two-match Eastern Conference semifinal series on Sunday, with the return match set for next Wednesday at Kansas City, Kansas.

Late Equalizer Rescues Home Draw For DIF

At Stockholm, Sweden:

Sebastian Rajalakso's second-half stoppage-time equalizer (90'+4) lifted Djurgarden to a 1-1 Wednesday Swedish Allsvenskan home draw with Syrianska FC in the next-to-last contest of the league season for both clubs.  Sharbel Touma scored in first-half stoppage time (45'+1) for the visitors.

AFC Champions League: Ulsan Hyundai To Host Al-Ahli For All The Marbles

The semfinal round of the AFC Champions League concluded with the second game of each of the two two-match series.

At Ulsan, South Korea:

Shin-Wook Kim (53') and Keun-Ho Lee (75') each provided a goal for Ulsan Hyundai as the hosts blanked visiting FC Bunyodkor 2-0 in game two and won their two-match series 5-1 on aggregate---and the right to host the one-match final for the title.

At Jeddah, Saudi Arabia:

Motaz Al Muza (43') and Victor Simoes (83') each scored a goal as Al-Ahli overtuned their game-one defeat and blanked visiting Al-Ittihad 2-0 in game two and won their two-game series 2-1 on aggregate.

Ulsan Hyundai will host Al-Ahli in the one-match final at Ulsan, South Korea on November 10 for the right to play in December's FIFA Club World Cup in Japan.

Metalurg Held To Home Draw By Struggling Sileks

At Skopje, Macedonia:

FK Metalurg settled for a 1-1 Wednesday Macedonian First League home draw with next-to-last-place Sileks.

Easy Win For Dinamo Tbilisi

At Tbilisi, Georgia:

Dinamo Tbilisi now sport a four-point lead atop the Georgian Umaglesi Liga standings following their 3-0 Wednesday domination of visiting Metalurgi Rustavi.

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

New US TV Home For English Premier League

This new deal leaves Fox Soccer without any major European leagues (they already lost Italy's Serie A and France's Ligue 1).  They've already lost their piece of the Major League Soccer rights to the NBC Sports Group.

It also means no more EPL action on various ESPN networks.

This takes effect with the start of next season.

Road Draw In Sicily For Rossoneri

At Palermo, Italy:

Riccardo Montolivo (69') and Stephan El Shaarwy (80') each scored a goal in the second half as AC Milan came back from a two-goal deficit to gain a 2-2 road draw with Palermo in the lone Tuesday Italian Serie A contest.  Fabrizio Miccoli (PK-45'+1) and Franco Brienza (47') provided the scoring for the Eagles.

Blowout Win Puts Anderlecht Atop Belgian Pro League Standings

At Brussels, Belgium:

In the lone Tuesday Belgian Pro League contest, Tom De Sutter scored twice (19', 68') as RSC Anderlecht moved to the top of their standings following their 5-0 demolition of visiting KAA Gent.

Monday, October 29, 2012

Blades Top Pompey At Home

At Sheffield, England:

In the lone Monday English League One contest, Nick Blackman's 66th-minute penalty kick lifted Sheffield United to a 1-0 home win over Portsmouth, enabling the Blades to move level on points with league-leading Tranmere.

Scoreless Monday In Lisbon

At Lisbon, Portugal:

Sporting's home match with Academica de Coimbra, the lone Monday Portuguese Primeira Liga contest, ended in a 0-0 stalemate.

Lions Fall At Horsens

At Horsens, Denmark:

Steffen Kielstrup scored the only goal of the match in the 34th minute as AC Horsens knocked off league-leading FC Copenhagen 1-0 at home in the lone Monday Danish Super League contest.

Home Win For East Bengal

At Kolkata (Calcutta), India:

Chidi Edeh scored the only goal of the match in the 28th minute on  Monday as East Begal defeated visiting Pune 1-0 in I-League action.

Road Draw For Panathinaikos

At Heraklion, Greece:

Vassilios Koutsianikoulis (27') and Athanasios Papazoglou (72') each scored a goal as OFI gained a 2-2 Greek Super League Monday home draw with Panathinaikos.  Toche (8') and Charalampos Mavrias (29') provided the scoring for the visiting Shamrock.

MLS: Galaxy Top Sounders; Goats Erase Two-Goal Deficit To Gain Road Draw With Hoops; Crew Top TFC In Rainy Columbus

The Major League Soccer regular season concluded on Sunday with three games.

At Columbus, Ohio:

Federico Higuain scored twice (17', 62') as the Columbus Crew held off visiting Toronto FC in inclement conditions at Crew Stadium.

At Frisco, Texas:

In another season-ending battle of non-playoff clubs, Laurent Courtois (90') and Juan Agudelo (90'+4) each delivered a goal as Chivas USA came back from two goals down and gained a 2-2 road draw with FC Dallas.  Jackson (73') and Fabian Castillo (80') provided the scoring for the Hoops.

At Carson, California:

Mike Magee scored the only goal of the match as the Los Angeles Galaxy defeated the visiting Seattle Sounders 1-0, preventing the visitors from finishing in second place in the Western Conference standings.

FINAL MLS STANDINGS:

EASTERN CONFERENCE:

1. Kansas City (GP: 34; GF: 42; GD: +15; PTS: 63)
2. DC United (GP: 34; GF: 53; GD: +10; PTS: 58)
3. New York (GP: 34; GF: 57; GD: +11; PTS; 57)
4. Chicago (GP: 34; GF: 46; GD: +5; PTS: 57)
5. Houston (GP: 34; GF: 48; GD: +7; PTS: 53)
6. Columbus (GP: 34; GF: 44; GD: 0; PTS: 52)
7. Montreal (GP: 34; GF: 45; GD: -6; PTS: 42)
8. Philadelphia (GP: 34; GF: 37; GD: -8; PTS: 36)
9. New England (GP: 34; GF: 39; GD: -5; PTS: 35)
10. Toronto FC (GP: 34; GF: 36; GD: -26; PTS: 23)

WESTERN CONFERENCE:

1. San Jose (GP: 34; GF: 72; GD: +29; PTS: 66)
2. Real Salt Lake (GP: 34; GF: 46; GD: +11; PTS: 57)
3. Seattle (GP: 34; GF: 51; GD: +18; PTS: 56)
4. Los Angeles (GP: 34; GF: 59; GD: +12; PTS: 54)
5. Vancouver (GP: 34; GF: 35; GD: -6; PTS: 43)
6. FC Dallas (GP: 34; GF: 42; GD: -5; PTS: 39)
7. Colorado (GP: 34; GF: 44; GD: -6; PTS: 37)
8. Portland (GP: 34; GF: 34; GD: -22; PTS: 34)
9. Chivas USA (GP: 34; GF: 24; GD: -34; PTS: 30)

The 2012 MLS Cup playoffs get under way on Wednesday.  All times Pacific.

Eastern Conference:

Houston @ Chicago in one-match playoff starting at 6:00PM

Houston-Chicago winner will take on Sporting Kansas City in two-match conference semifinal series, with the first match at the Houston-Chicago winner on next Sunday (12:30 PM) and the return contest at Kansas City, Kansas on November 7 (6:00 PM)

The New York Red Bulls will host the opening contest of the conference semifinal series with DC United this coming Saturday at 5:00 PM, with the return match at Washington on November 7 at 5:00 PM.

Western Conference:

The Los Angeles Galaxy will host the Vancouver Whitecaps in the one-match knockout playoff this coming Thursday at 7:30 PM.

The Los Angeles-Vancouver winner will visit the San Jose Earthquakes for the opening game of their two-game conference semifinal series next Sunday at a time to be determined.  The return match will take place at the Los Angeles-Vancouver winner on November 7 at 8:00 PM.

The Seattle Sounders will host Real Salt Lake in the opening match of the other Western Conference semifinal series on Friday night at 7:30PM, with the return match at Sandy, Utah on November 8 at 6:30 PM.

Sunday, October 28, 2012

Home Win For Metalist

At Kharkiv, Ukraine:

Willian (47') and Edmar (86') delivered the goals in FC Metalist Kharkiv's 2-0 Sunday Ukrainian Premier League home win over Zorya.

Basement Residents Cool Off Hot Grasshoppers, End Visitors' Nine-Match Winning Streak

At Carouge, Switzerland:

Steven Lang (9') and Alexandre Pasche (87') provided the scoring touch as basement-occupying Servette stunned visiting Swiss Super League-Grasshoppers 2-0 on Sunday, ending the guests' nine-match winning and 12-game unbeaten streaks.

Scoreless Draw In Battle Of Slovakia's Top Two

At Zilina, Slovakia:

The Sunday Slovak First League contest between  MSK Zilina (now in second place) and visiting league-leading Slovan Bratislava ended in a 0-0 stalemate.

Maybe The Hosts Should Have Been Renamed Bonnie and Clyde FC

At Cumbernauld, Scotland:

Dean Shiels (17') and Lee McCulloch (80') provided the scoring as Rangers picked up their first Scottish Third Division road win of the season, 2-0 over Clyde.  The win placed 'Gers atop the league standings. 

Early Goal Holds Up For Doorjamers

At Dumfries, Scotland:

Derek Lyle scored the only goal of the match in the fourth minute as league-leading Queen of the South defeated visiting East Fife 1-0 in the lone Sunday Scottish Second Division contest.

Come-From-Behind Home Win For Legia Warsaw

At Warsaw, Poland:

Danijel Ljboja scored twice (44', 83') as Legia Warsaw erased a two-goal deficit and defeated visiting Piast Gliwice 3-2 in Sunday Polish Ekstraklasa action.  The win left Legia four points up on second-place Lech Poznan atop the league standings.

Trond Kids Fall At Molde, Fall Three Points Off League Lead

At Molde, Norway:

Pape Diouf (60') and Etzaz Hussain (90'+4) provided the goals as Molde FK opened up a three-point lead on Rosenborg for the Norwegian Eliteserien title with three games left in the league season after their 2-0 Sunday home blanking of the Trond Kids.

Home Win For Buducnost

At Podgorica, Montenegro:

FK Buducnost Podgorica blanked visiting Sutjeska 2-0 in Sunday Montenegrin First League action.

Metalurg Knocked Off At Home

At Skopje, Macedonia:

Drita defeated home-standing FK Metalurg 1-0 in Sunday Macedonian First League action.

Wiltz Wilt Before F91 Dudelange

At Dudelange, Luxembourg:

F91 Dudelange demolished visiting Wiltz 7-1 in Sunday Luxembourgian National Division action.

Road Win For The Warriors

At Strovolos, Cyprus:

Jan Rezek scored what proved to be the game-winning goal on Sunday in the 50th minute as Anorthosis defeated Olympiakos 3-1 on the road in Cypriot top-flight action.

Millonarios Fall On Road

At San Juan de Pasto, Colombia:

Thanks to goals courtesy of Wilson Galeano (16'), Gilberto Garcia (26'), and Edwards Jimenez (58'), Deportivo Pasto knocked off Colombian Primera A-leading Millonarios 3-1 at home on Sunday.

Bulls Fall In Vienna

At Vienna, Austria:

Steffan Hofmann (14') and Terrance Boyd (47') each tallied once as Rapid Vienna shut out visiting FC Red Bull Salzburg 2-0 in Sunday Austrian Bundesliga action.

Comeback Win For Sky Blues

At Sydney, Australia:

Alessandro Del Piero (PK-59') and Brett Emerton (70') provided the scoring as Sydney FC came from behind to down the visiting Perth Glory 2-1 in Sunday Hyundai A-League action.

Resumption Of Argentinian SuperClassico Ends In 2-2 Stalemate

At Buenos Aires:

Santiago Silva (PK-76') and Walter Erviti (90'+1) provided the goal power as Boca Juniors erased a two-goal deficit on the road and gained a 2-2 Sunday Argentinian Primera Division draw with promoted arch-rivals River Plate as the SuperClassico resumed after a one-year absence. Leonardo Ponzio (2') and Rodrigo Mora (70') each delivered a goal for the hosts.

Late Goal Gains 2-2 Home Draw For Feyenoord In Rivalry Match With Ajax

At Rotterdam, Netherlands:

Goals from Jean Paul Boetius (23') and Graziano Pelle (90') enabled Feyenoord Rotterdam to gain a 2-2 Sunday Dutch Eredivisie home draw with arch-rivals Ajax Amsterdam.  Christian Eriksen (12') and Siem de Jong (48') provided the scoring for the guests.

Bayern Munich----Unbeaten (And Untied) No More

At Munich, Germany:

Thanks to goals from Stefan Kiessling (42') and Sidney Sam (87'), Bayer Leverkusen handed Bayern Munich their first defeat of the German Bundesliga season, 2-1 on the road on Sunday.

Rockin' Robin and Chicharito Combine To Help Lead Red Devils Past Chelsea On Road

At London:

Goals from David Luiz (OG-4'), Robin Van Persie (12'), and Javier Hernandez (75') carried Manchester United to their first English Premier League road win against Chelsea in ten years with a controversial 3-2 Sunday triumph over the nine-man Blues.

Saturday, October 27, 2012

MLS: Wondo Ties Single-Season Goals Record While Timbers Battle Back For Home Draw; Red Bulls, Revs, Rapids Win

Six games were played on Saturday in Major League Soccer on the next-to-last day of the regular season.


At Chester, Pennsylvania:

Kenny Cooper scored twice (PK-13, 66') while Thierry Henry tallied once (35') as the New York Red Bulls locked up third place in the Eastern Conference with a 3-0 road pasting of the Philadelphia Union.

At Montreal:

A. J. Soares scored the only goal of the match as the New England Revolution defeated the Montreal Impact 1-0 on the road.

At Bridgeview, Illinois:

Lionard Pajoy's equalizer in the 50th minute carried DC United to a 1-1 road draw with the Chicago Fire---and a second-place finish in the Eastern Conference standings (and a conference semifinal two-match encounter with New York).  Patrick Nykaro scored in the 16th minute for the Fire, who will finish fourth in the East and will host Houston in a one-match, opening-round playoff on Wednesday.

At Portland, Oregon:

The Portland Timbers, with Bright Dike scoring in the 67th minute, concluded their second MLS campaign with a 1-1 home draw with the San Jose Earthquakes, who had already won the Supporters Shield.  The Quakes' Chris Wondolowski scored his single-season record-tying 27th goal (equaling the record set in 1996 by Roy Lassiter of the now-defunct Tampa Bay Mutiny) with his successful penalty kick in the 24th minute. 

At Commerce City, Colorado:

Kamani Hill (9') and Andre Akpan (76') provided the scoring as the Colorado Rapids knocked off the visiting Houston Dynamo 2-0.  The Dynamo, who already knew that due to earlier evens they were locked into the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs (they travel to Chicago for Wednesday's knockout match), used a reserve-laden squad.

At Sandy, Utah:

The match between two playoff-bound clubs----Real Salt Lake and the visiting Vancouver Whitecaps----concluded in a 0-0 stalemate.

Tigres Fall On Road

At Pachuca de Soto, Mexico:

Raul Meraz scored the only goal of the match in the 51st minute as Pachuca defeated visiting Tigres 1-0 in Saturday Mexican Liga MX action.

Zlatan Comes Through For PSG

At Tomblaine, France:

Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored the only goal of the match in the 74th minute as Paris Saint-Germain defeated AS Nancy 

Badly Needed Win For Rossoneri

At Milan, Italy:

Stephan El Shaarawy scored the only goal of the match in the 77th minute as AC Milan defeated visiting Genoa 1-0 in Saturday Italian Serie A action.

Racinguistas Revert To Losing Form

At Montevideo, Uruguay:

Juan Olivera (PK-40', PK-50') and Marcelo Zalayeta (48', 90') each scored twice on Saturday as Penarol found themselves atop the Uruguayan Primera Division standings following their 5-2 road win over Racing Club de Montevideo.

Home Win For Yellow Submarine

At Villarreal, Spain:

Ikechukwu Uche scored twice (12', 49') as Villarreal blanked visiting Mirandes 2-0 in Saturday Spanish Segunda Division action.

Scoreless Saturday In Cape Town

At Cape Town, South Africa:

The Saturday South African Premier Soccer League contest between two struggling clubs----Ajax Cape Town and visiting Mamelodi Sundowns----ended in a 0-0 stalemate.

Roses Shredded

At Koper, Slovenia:

Ivan Brecevic scored twice (57', 71') as FC Koper scored a pair of goals in each half as they demolished visiting ND Gorica 4-0 in Saturday 1.SNL action.

Dominating Home Win For OFK Belgrade

At Belgrade, Serbia:

Dragan Bogavac scored twice (8', 29') as OFK Belgrade manhandled visiting Radnicki Nis 5-1 in Saturday Serbian Super League action.

Snow Leopards Blow Second-Half Lead, Fall At Home To Zenit

At Vladikavkaz, Russia:

Alexander Kerzhakov scored twice (70', 89') as Zenit Saint Petersburg came from behind to upend FC Alania Vladikavkaz 3-2 in Saturday Russian Premier League action on the road.

Scoreless Saturday In Piatra Neamt

At Piatra Neamt, Romania:

The Saturday Romanian Liga I contest between Ceahlaul Piatra Neamt and visiting Dinamo Bucharest ended in a 0-0 stalemate.

Linfield Back On Winning Track

At Belfast, Northern Ireland:

Philip Lowry scored the only goal of the match in the 47th minute as Linfield defeated visiting Portadown 1-0 in Saturday IFA Premiership action.

Sheriff Handcuffed On Road

At Orhei, Moldova:

Valerian Garla (37'), Guilherme de Paula Lucrecio (57'), and Gheorghe Boghiu (81') provided the scoring on Saturday as Milsami-Ursidos belted Moldovan National Division-leading FC Sheriff 3-0 at home.

Easy Win For Sudovians

At Klaipeda, Lithuania:

Sergiy Loginov scored twice (49', 52') as FK Suduva demolished Atlantas 5-1 on the road in Saturday Lithuanian A-League action.

Road Win For Liepajas Metalurgs

At Gulbene, Latvia:

FK Liepajas Metalurgs defeated basement-occupying Gulbene 2005 3-1 in Saturday Latvian Virsliga action.  What hope the hosts had of catching Daugava Daugavpils for the league crown expired, however as the league-leaders blanked visiting FC Jurmala 2-0, placing Liepajas Metalurgs behind by seven points with only two league games remaining.

Battle Of Top Two In K-League Ends In 1-1 Draw

At Jeonju, South Korea:

The Saturday K-League Championship Round contest between the top two clubs in the league standings, second-place Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors, with Dong-Gook Lee scoring in the 58th minute, and visiting league-leading FC Seoul, with Dong-Woo Kim scoring in the 25th minute, concluded in a 1-1 stalemate.

FC Tokyo On Cusp Of Securing Another Season In Top Flight After Domolition Of Consadole Sapporo

At Chofu, Japan:

Naohiro Ishikawa scored twice in the second half (59', 64') as FC Tokyo are on the verge of securing another season in the top flight of Japanese soccer  following their 5-0 Saturday J.League demolition of visiting (and already-relegated) Consadole Sapporo.

Honved Held To Home Draw

At Budapest, Hungary:

Goals from Peter Kabat (45') and Yadin Zaris (73') lifted Ujpest to a 2-2 Saturday Hungarian NB I road deadlock with Budapest Honved FC.  Gergely Delczag (OG-8') and Abass Dieng (65') provided the scoring for the hosts.

Anderlecht Blanked On The Road

At Charleroi, Belgium:

Guiseppe Rossini (28') and Marcin Wasilewski (OG-47') provided the scoring as Sporting Charerloi blanked visiting RSC Anderlecht 2-0 in Saturday Belgian Pro League action.

Lions And The Ton Battle To 2-2 Draw

At Livingston, Scotland:

Iain Russell scored twice (8', 79') as Livingston gained a 2-2 Saturday Scottish First Division home draw with Greenock Morton.  Archie Campbell (NOT that one) scored both of The Ton's goals, in the 50th and 55th minutes.

Bhoys Shocked At Home By Killie; First Home Loss To Kilmarnock Since '55

At Glasgow, Scotland:

Cillian Sheridan (43') and Liam Kelly (PK-62') each scored a goal on Saturday as Kilmarnock knocked off Celtic 2-0 on the road in Scottish Premier League action.

It was Killie's first victory at Celtic Park against the Bhoys since 1955.

Tigers Take Bite Out Of U's At Cambridge

At Cambridge, England:

Ryan Crowther scored the only goal of the match in the 83rd minute as newly-promoted Hyde knocked off Cambridge United 1-0 on the road in Saturday English Conference National action.

You The Man, Paddy: Goal Carries Stanley To Home Win In Debut For New Interim Manager

At Accrington, Stanley:

Accrington Stanley, thanks to Padraig Amond's goal in the 79th minute, ended their four-match losing streak by topping visiting Bristol Rovers 1-0 in Saturday English League Two action.  The match was the first for Stanley's caretaker manager Liam Richardson, who replaced Paul Cook, who left for Chesterfield this past Thursday.

Another Home Draw For Wolves

At Wolverhampton, England:

Lawrie Wilson's equalizer in the 58th minute lifted Charlton Athletic to a 1-1 Saturday English League Championship road draw with Wolverhampton.  Bakary Sako scored in the 12th minute for Wolves.

Goose Eggs For Parakeets and Malaga

At Barcelona:

The Saturday Spanish Primera Division contest between Espanyol and visiting Malaga ended in a 0-0 deadlock.

Goose Eggs For Jablonec and Slavia Prague

At Jablonec nad Nisou, Czech Republic:

The Saturday Czech Liga contest between Jablonec (who find themselves atop the league standings after the game) and visiting Slavia Prague ended in a 0-0 stalemate.

Dinamo Tbilisi Still Atop The League Standings After Home Win

At Tbilisi, Georgia:

Dinamo Tbilisi remained atop the Georgian Umaglesi Liga standings following their 2-1 Saturday home win over Zestafoni.

Nantes Say Non To Monaco; Both Clubs Occupy Top Two Spots In Ligue 2

At Fontvieille, Monaco:

Filip Dordevic scored both goals (25', 35') as Nantes blanked AS Monaco 2-0 on the road in Saturday French Ligue 2 action.

The two clubs now hold the top two spots in the league standings, both level on points and goal differential (22 and +11 respectively), with the club from the principality having the advantage on goals scored (22-20).

HJK CLNICH VEIKKAUSLIIGA TITLE

At Jyvaskyla, Finland:

Joel Pohjanpalo (20', 74') and Berat Sakid (69', 90') each scored twice as HJK Helsinki repeated as Finnish Veikkausliiga champions with their 6-3 road win over JJK.

HJK Helsinki, by winning the league title, will take part in the second qualifying round for next season's UEFA Champions League, while FC Inter Turku and TPS, who finished second and third respectively, will take part in the first round of qualifying for next season's Europa League.  FC Honka, who won this year's Finnish Cup, will participate in the Europa League's second qualifying round.

FC Haka, who finished in the basement by one point, were relegated to the second division (the Ykkonen). They are being replaced by RoPS.

Cactus Knock Off Newly-Crowned League Champs At Home

At Tallinn, Estonia:

Albert Prosa scored the only goal of the match in the 53rd minute on Saturday as FC Flora Tallinn (now sitting in second place in the league standings) knocked off Kalju, who recently clinched the Estonian Meistriliiga title, 1-0 at home.

Road Win For League-Leading Dinamo Zagreb


At Vinkovci, Croatia:

Ivan Krstanovic scored the only goal of the match in the 76th minute on Saturday as 1.HNL-leading Dinamo Zagreb took out struggling Cibala 1-0 on the road.

You The Man, Georgi: Double Help Lovech Win On Road At Montana's Expense (NOT Joe or the State)

At Montana, Bulgaria:

Georgi Milanov scored twice (15', 59') as PFC Litex Lovech defeated Montana 3-1 on the road in Saturday Bulgarian A PFG action.

Road Draw For Sarajevo

At Gradacac, Bosnia and Herzegovina:

FK Sarajevo settled for a 2-2 Saturday Bosnian Premier League road draw with Zvijezda.

You The Man, Igor: Double Carries Dinamo Minsk To Home Win

At Zhdanovichi, Belarus:

Igor Stasevich scored twice (49', 80') as Dinamo Minsk defeated visiting Slavia 4-2 in Saturday action from the Premier League of Belarus.

KF Tirana Blanked On Road, Blow Chance To Move To Top Of League Standings

At Korce, Albania:

Pero Pejic scored both goals in the second half (50', 77') as Skenderbeu Korce found themselves atop the Albanian Super League standings following their 2-0 blanking of visiting KF Tirana, preventing the guests from moving to the top of the table.

Friday, October 26, 2012

Colo Colo Drop One At San Felipe

At San Felipe, Chile:

In Friday Chilean Primera Division action, Miguel Gonzalez (28') and Javier Grbec (61') provided the goalpower that enabled Union San Felipe to come from behind and upend visting Colo Colo 2-1.

Wingmakers Knock Off TNS, Move To Top Of WPL Standings

At Broughton, Wales:

Chris Burdys scored twice (30', 65') as Airbus UK defeated The New Saints 2-1 at home in Friday Welsh Premier League action.  The victory placed the Wingmakers in first place in the league standings.  While Airbus UK, Bangor City, and TNS are all level on points, the Wingmakers have superior goal differential (+20, compared to +16 for both the Citizens and Saints).

Road Win For Black Eagles

At Istanbul, Turkey:

Manuel Fernandes scored what proved to be the winning goal in the 26th minute as Besiktas picked a road win on Friday, 3-1 over local rivals Kasimpasa in Turkish Super League action.

Malmo On Top Of Allsvenskan Standings After Home Win Over DIF

At Malmo, Sweden:

Simon Thern (22'), Markus Halsti (53'), and Jiloan Hamad (55') provided the scoring that propelled Malmo to a 3-1 Friday Swedish Allsvenskan home win over Djurgarden and first place in the league standings with two games remaining.

Second-place Hacken (two points off the league lead) and third-place Elfsborg (three) both have a game in hand apiece, however.

Leesiders Beaten By St. Pat's

At Dublin, Ireland:

Chris Fagan scored the only goal of the match in the 56th minute on Friday as St. Patrick's Athletic downed visiting Cork City 1-0 in League of Ireland Premier Division action.

1860 Munich Fall On Road

At Cottbus, Germany:

Ivica Banovic scored the only goal of the match in the 12th minute as Energie Cottbus defeated visiting TSV 1860 Munich 1-0 in Friday German 2.Bundesliga action.

Thursday, October 25, 2012

CONCACAF: Despite Losing, Xelaju Advance To Knockoff Stage As Group-Stage Play Ends

Two games were played on Thursday as group-stage play in the CONCACAF Champions League came to a close.

Group Five:

At Metapan, El Salvador:

John McBean scored twice (38', 62') and Michael Stephens scored the winning goal in the 79th minute as the Los Angeles Galaxy won a see-saw battle with Isidro Metapan 3-2 on the road.

FINAL GROUP FIVE STANDINGS:

1. Los Angeles Galaxy (GP: 4; GD: +8; PTS: 10)
2. Puerto Rico Islanders (GP: 4; GD: -3; PTS: 4)
3. Isidro Metapan (GP: 4; GD: -5; PTS: 3)

The Los Angeles Galaxy won Group Five and advanced to the quarterfinal round



Group Eight:

At Zapopan, Mexico:

Jesus Sanchez (43') and Luis Morales (65') each scored a goal as Chivas de Guadalajara held off visiting Xelaju 2-1.  Since they did not lose by at least two goals or by a score of 1-0, the visiting Guatemalan club won Group Eight and advanced to the quarterfinal round.

FINAL GROUP EIGHT STANDINGS:

1. CSD Xelaju Mario Camposeco (GP: 4; GD: +1; PTS: 7)                                                                                                    
2. Chivas de Guadalajara (GP: 4; GD: +4; PTS; 7) 
3. W Connection (GP: 4; GD: -5; PTS: 2)

CSD Xelaju won Group Eight and advanced to the quarterfinal round

The knockout stage will start with the opening match of each of the four series in the quarterfinal round.

The opening matches will take place between March 5 and 7 with the return contests taking place the following week.

Here are the matchups with the host club of the opening contest listed first:

UANL Tigres vs. Seattle Sounders FC

Houston Dynamo vs. Santos Laguna

Herediano vs. Los Angeles Galaxy

CSD Xelaju vs. Monterrey

Here are the match-ups for the semifinal round (opening contests to take place from April 2 to 4 with the return matches the following week) with the home club for the opening game of each of the two two-match series listed first:

Herediano-Los Angeles winner vs. Xelaju-Monterrey winner

Tigres-Seattle winner vs. Houston-Santos Laguna winner

The two match final will open up on April 24 at the home of the Tigres-Sounders FC vs. Dynamo-Santos Laguna winner with game two to take place at the home of the Herediano-Galaxy vs. Xelaju-Monterrey winner.


Millonarios Hold Deportes Tolima To Scoreless Draw In Ibague

At Ibague, Colombia:

Deportes Tolima and visiting league-leading Millonarios battled to a 0-0 deadlock in the lone Thursday Colombian Primera A contest.

Goose Eggs For Santos and Nautico

At Santos, Brazil:

The Thursday Brazilian Serie A contest between Santos and visiting Nautico ended in a 0-0 stalemate.

Europa League: Home Wins For Liverpool and Newcastle United; Spurs Gain Road Draw In Slovenia

Group-stage action in the Europa League reached the midway point on Thursday as 24 matches were contested.

Group A:

At Liverpool, England:

Stewart Downing scored the only goal of the match in the 53rd minute as Liverpool moved to the top of Group A with their 1-0 home win over FC Anzhi Makhachkala.

At Bern, Switzerland:

Raul Bobadilla's hat trick (4', 71', PK-81') carried BSC Young Boys past visiting Udinese 3-1.

GROUP A STANDINGS:

1. Liverpool (GP: 3; GD: +2; PTS: 6)
2. FC Anzhi Makhachkala (GP: 3; GD: +1; PTS: 4)
3. Udinese (GP: 3; GD: -1; PTS: 4)
4. BSC Young Boys (GP: 3; GD: -2; PTS: 3)

Group B:

At Madrid:

Diego Costa (48') and Emre Belozoglu (67') provided the scoring for Atletico Madrid as the Mattress Makers defeated visiting Academica 2-1.

At Tel Aviv, Israel:

Pavel Horvath (45'+1) and Frantisek Rajtoral (55') each delivered a goal in FC Viktoria Plzen's 2-1 road win over Hapoel Tel Aviv.

GROUP B STANDINGS:

1. Atletico Madrid (GP:3; GD: +5; PTS: 9)
2. FC Viktoria Plzen (GP: 3; GD: +2; PTS: 6)
3. Hapoel Tel Aviv FC (GP: 3; GD: -4; PTS: 1)
4. Academica de Coimbra (GP: 3; GD: -3; PTS: 1)

Group C:

At Monchengladbach, Germany:

Filip Daems (PK-33') and Peniel Mlapa (67') each scored a goal as Borussia Monchengladbach blanked visiting Marseille 2-0.

At Nicosia, Cyprus:

Egemen Korkmaz scored the only goal of the match in the 72nd minute as Fenerbahce picked up a road win, 1-0 over AEL Limassol, spoiling ex-Sporting Braga and CFR Cluj boss Jorge Costa as the hosts' new manager.

GROUP C STANDINGS:

1. Fenerbahce (GP: 3; GD: +3; PTS: 7)
2. Borussia Monchengladbach (GP: 3; GD: 0; PTS: 4)
3. Marseille (GP: 3; GD: +2; PTS: 4)
4. AEL Limassol (GP: 3; GD: -5; PTS: 1)

Group D:

At Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England:

Gabriel Obertan scored the only goal of the match in the 48th minute as Newcastle United blanked visiting Club Brugge 1-0.

At Funchal, Portugal:

Valentin Roberge's equalizer in the 36th minute cancelled out Yoan Gouffran's tally at 30 minutes as CS Maritimo came from behind to gain a 1-1 home draw with Bordeaux.

GROUP D STANDINGS:

1. Newcastle United (GP: 3; GD: +4; PTS: 7)
2. Bordeaux (GP: 3; GD: +1; PTS: 4)
3. Club Brugge (GP: 3; GD: -3; PTS: 3)
4. CS Maritimo (GP: 3; GD: -2; PTS: 2)

Group E:

At Bucharest, Romania:

Vlad Chiriches (30') and Raul Rusescu (32') each scored a goal two minutes apart as Steaua Bucharest defeated visiting Molde FK 2-0.

At Stuttgart, Germany:

The match between VfB Stuttgart and visiting FC Copenhagen ended in a 0-0 stalemate.

GROUP E STANDINGS:

1. Steaua Bucharest (GP: 3; GD: +3; PTS: 7)
2. FC Copenhagen (GP: 3; GD: 0; PTS: 4)
3. Molde FK (GP: 3; GD: -1; PTS: 3)
4. VfB Stuttgart (GP: 3; GD: -2; PTS: 2)

Group F:

At Eindhoven, Netherlands:

Jeremain Lens' equalizer in the 80th minute lifted PSV Eindhoven to a 1-1 home draw with AIK Solna.  Kwame Karikari scored in the 61st minute for the visiting Swedish club.

At Dnipropetrovsk, Ukraine:

Artem Fedetsky (2'), Matheus Leite Nascimento (42'), and Giuliano Victor de Paula (64') provided the goal power as FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk dominated visiting Napoli 3-1.

GROUP F STANDINGS:

1. FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk (GP: 3; GD: +5; PTS: 9)
2. PSV Eindhoven (GP: 3; GD: +1; PTS: 4)
3. Napoli (GP: 3; GD: -1; PTS: 3)
4. AIK Solna (GP: 3; GD: -5; PTS: 1)

Group G:

At Szekesfehervar, Hungary:

Marco Caneira scored what proved to be the winning goal in the 32nd minute as Videoton held off visiting FC Basel 2-1.

At Genk, Belgium:

Benjamin De Ceulaer (25') and Ealyaniv Barda (88') provided the goals as KRC Genk came back from an early deficit to top visiting Sporting CP 2-1.

GROUP G STANDINGS:

1. KRC Genk (GP: 3; GD: +4; PTS: 7)
2. Videoton FC (GP: 3; GD: +1; PTS: 6)
3. FC Basel (GP: 3; GD: -1; PTS: 2)
4. Sporting CP (GP: 3; GD: -4; PTS: 1)

Group H:

At Kazan, Russia:

Alan Kasaev scored the lone goal of the match in the 16th minute in Rubin Kazan's 1-0 home win over Neftchi Baku.

At Milan, Italy:

Rodrigo Palacio scored the game's only goal in the 88th minute as Inter Milan defeated visiting Partizan Belgrade 1-0.

GROUP H STANDINGS:

1. FC Rubin Kazan (GP: 3; GD: +3; PTS: 7)
2. Inter Milan (GP: 3; GD: +4; PTS: 7)
3. Neftchi Baku PFC (GP: 3; GD: -3; PTS: 1)
4. Partizan Belgrade (GP: 3; GD: -3; PTS: 1)

Group I:

At Prague, Czech Republic:

Ladislav Krejci (7'), Vaclav Kadlec (10'), and Ondrej Svejdik (44') each scored a first-half goal as Sparta Prague coasted to a 3-1 home win over Ironi Kiryat Shmona. 

At Lyon, France:

Jimmy Briand scored the winning goal in the 86th minute as Lyon defeated visiting Athletic Bilbao 2-1.

GROUP I STANDINGS:

1. Lyon (GP: 3; GD: +3; PTS: 9)
2. Sparta Prague (GP: 3; GD: +3; PTS: 6)
3. Ironi Kiryat Shmona FC (GP: 3; GD: -1; PTS: 1)
4. Athletic Bilbao (GP: 3; GD: -3; PTS: 1)

Group J:

At Athens:

Toche's late equalizer (90'+1) carried Panathinaikos to a 1-1 home draw with Lazio.  Giourkas Seitaridis' own goal in the 25th minute netted the Young Eagles' lone score.

At Maribor, Slovenia:

Gylfi Sigurdsson's equalizer in the 58th minute lifted Tottenham Hotspur to a 1-1 road draw with NK Maribor.  Robert Beric scored for the hosts in the 42nd minute.

GROUP J STANDINGS:

1. Lazio (GP: 3; GD: +1; PTS: 5)
2. NK Maribor (GP: 3; GD: +2; PTS: 4)
3. Tottenham Hotspur (GP: 3; GD: 0; PTS: 3)
4. Panathinaikos (GP: 3; GD: -3; PTS: 2)

Group K:

At Trondheim, Norway:

Marlos (81') and Cleiton Xavier (89') Provided the scoring as FC Metalist Kharkiv came from behind in the waning minutes to upend hosts Rosenborg 2-1.

At Vienna, Austria:

Gonzalo Castro scored twice (56', 90'+2) as Bayer Leverkusen demolished Rapid Vienna 4-0 on the road.

GROUP K STANDINGS:

1. Bayer Leverkusen (GP: 3; GD: +5; PTS: 7)
2. FC Metalist Kharkiv (GP: 3; GD: +3; PTS: 7)
3. Rosenborg BK (GP: 3; GD: -1; PTS: 3)
4. Rapid Vienna (GP: 3; GD: -7; PTS: 0)

Group L:

At Helsingborg, Sweden:

Just two minutes after Alvaro Santos' equalizer for Helsingborg (90'+1), Didier Ya Konan scored the game winner (90'+3) for Hannover 96 as the visiting German club won the match 2-1.

At Valencia, Spain:

Pedro Rios scored twice (78', 88') as Levante dominated visiting FC Twente 3-0.

GROUP L STANDINGS:

1. Hannover 96 (GP: 3; GD: +2; PTS: 7)
2. Levante (GP: 3; GD: +3; PTS: 6)
3. FC Twente (GP: 3; GD: -3; PTS: 2)
4. Helsingborgs IF (GP: 3; GD: -2; PTS: 1)