Tuesday, March 29, 2016

World Cup Qualifying (CONCACAF): Team USA Shows Guatemala Who's Boss; El Tri Blank Canada, Advance To Hexagonal Round; Ticos Too Much For Reggae Boyz; Soca Warriors Eliminate SVG; Honduras and Panama Win Too

The fourth round of CONCACAF-regional qualifying for the 2018 FIFA World Cup continued on Tuesday with six games.

GROUP A:

At San Pedro Sula, Honduras:

Oscar Boniek Garcia (52') and Romell Ouioto (90'+4) each scored a goal as Honduras blanked visiting El Salvador 2-0.

At Mexico City:

Andres Guardado (PK-17') and Jesus Corona (45'+3) delivered the goals as Mexico clinched a berth in the Hexagonal Round with two games to play following their 2-0 home blanking of Canada.

Group A Standings:

1. x-Mexico (GP: 4; GD: +10; PTS: 12)
2.    Honduras (GP: 4; GD: -1; PTS: 4)
3.    Canada (GP: 4; GD: -4; PTS: 4)
4.    El Salvador (GP: 4; GD: -5; PTS: 2)

x-Clinched berth in Hexagonal Round



GROUP B:

At Panama City, Panama:

Felipe Baloy scored the only goal of the match in the 81st minute as Panama put visiting Haiti on the cusp of elimination 1-0.

At San Jose, Costa Rica:

Ceslo Borges (7'), Bryan Ruiz (37'), and Johan Venegas (76') produced the goals as Costa Rica put themselves one point away from a Hexagonal-Round berth with a 3-0 home domination of Jamaica.

Group B Standings:

1. Costa Rica (GP: 4; GD: +5; PTS: 10)
2. Panama (GP: 4; GD: +2; PTS: 7)
3. Jamaica (GP: 4; GD: -4; PTS: 4)
4. Haiti (GP: 4; GD: -3; PTS: 1)



GROUP C:

At Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago:

Trevin Caesar scored twice (86', 89') as Trinidad and Tobago eliminated Saint Vincent and the Grenadines with a 6-0 home annihilation.

At Columbus, Ohio:

Clint Dempsey (12'), Geoff Cameron (35'), Graham Zusi (46'), and Jozy Altidore (89') each scored once as the United States bounced back from Friday's road defeat with a 4-0 home demolition of Guatemala.

Group C Standings:

1.    Trinidad and Tobago (GP: 4; GD: +8; PTS: 10)
2.    United States (GP: 4; GD: +7; PTS: 7)
3.    Guatemala (GP: 4; GD: +1; PTS: 6)
4. z-Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (GP: 4; GD: -16; PTS: 0)

z-Eliminated


Sunday, March 27, 2016

MLS: Revs And Citizens Draw In The Bronx; Hoops, Caps Come Up Winners

Three games were contested in Major League Soccer on Saturday.

At New York City:

Chris Tierney's equalizer in the 38th minute lifted the ten-man New England Revolution to a 1-1 road draw with New York City.  Thomas McNamara scored in the 10th minute for the Citizens.

At Washington:

Michael Barrios scored twice (14', 28') and Maximiliano Urruti once (52') as FC Dallas dominated ten-man DC United 3-0 on the road.

At Vancouver, British Columbia:

Pedro Morales provided the game's lone goal with his successfully-executed penalty kick in the 23rd minute as the Vancouver Whitecaps defeated the visiting Houston Dynamo 1-0.



MLS STANDINGS:

EASTERN CONFERENCE:

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

NOTES: With Montreal and Philadelphia level on points (3), wins (2), and goal differential (+2), the Impact have scored goals (four) than the Union (three); with Orlando City and New York City level on points (five) and wins (one), the Lions have the superior goal differential (+1, to the Citizens' 0); with the New York Red Bulls and New England level on points (3), the Red Bulls have more wins (1, to the Revolution's 0); with Chicago and DC United level on points with two and wins with zero, the Fire have the superior (?) goal differential (-1, to DC's -6).



WESTERN CONFERENCE:

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

NOTES:  With Kansas City and Dallas level on points with nine and wins with three, Sporting KC have superior goal differential (+3, compared to the Hoops' +2); with Los Angeles, Vancouver, and San Jose level on points with points (6) and wins (2), the Galaxy have the best goal differential amongst the three clubs (+4, compared to 0 for both the Whitecaps and Earthquakes); Vancouver has scored more goals (6) than San Jose (4); with Houston, Portland, and Colorado level on points (4) and wins (one), the Dynamo have the superior goal differential of the three clubs (+3, compared to zero for both the Timbers and Rapids); Portland has scored more goals (5) than Colorado (2).  

Saturday, March 26, 2016

Johan Cruyff, Dutch Legend Who Helped Made Total Football A Reality, R.I.P.

Johan Cruyff, the Dutch soccer giant who was instrumental in the development of Total Football (or Total Soccer), passed away on Thursday at Barcelona, Spain at age 68.

The cause of Mr. Cruyff's passing was cancer.

Johan played much of his career with Ajax Amsterdam (1964-74, 1981-83) and FC Barcelona (1973-78).  He also played here in the States with the Los Angeles Aztecs (1979) and Washington Diplomats (with the original version in 1980 and the ex-Detroit Express franchise that moved to the nation's capital in 1981).

After his second stint with Ajax, Johan closed out his career with archrivals Feyenoord Rotterdam in the 1983-84 season.

In all, he scored 290 career goals.

Johan starred on three straight European Cup championship squads for Ajax (1971-73) and played on the Dutch national team's World Cup team that finished runners-up to hosts West Germany in 1974.

As a manager, he won four straight La Liga titles for Barcelona.

Friday, March 25, 2016

FIFA World Cup Qualifying (CONCACAF): Team USA Blanked In Guatemala; El Tri Dominate Canada; Soca Warriors Gain Road Win; Ticos Gain Road Draw With Reggae Boyz

The fourth round of CONCACAF-regional qualifying for the 2018 FIFA World Cup resumed with six games contested on Friday.

GROUP A:

At San Salvador, El Salvador:

Pablo Punyed (47') and Nelson Bonilla (88') each scored once as El Salvador battled back from two one-goal deficits to gain a 2-2 home draw with Honduras.  Alberth Elis (19') and Anthony Lozano (59') each scored a goal for the visitors.

At Vancouver, British Columbia:

Javier Chicharito Hernadez (32'), Hirving Lozano (40'), and Jesus Corona (72') each scored once as Mexico dominated Canada 3-0 on the road and placed themselves on the verge of advancing to the final qualifying (Hexagonal) round.

Group A Standings:

1. Mexico (GP: 3; GD: +8; PTS: 9)
2. Canada (GP: 3; GD: -2; PTS: 4)
3. El Salvador (GP: 3; GD: -3; PTS: 2)
4. Honduras (GP: 3; GD: -3; PTS: 1)



GROUP B:

At Kingston, Jamaica:

Johnny Acosta's 67th-minute equalizer lifted Costa Rica to a 1-1 road draw with Jamaica.  Je-Vaughn Watson scored for the Reggae Boyz in the 16th minute.

At Port-au-Prince, Haiti:

Panama and hosts Haiti battled to a 0-0 stalemate.

Group B Standings:

1. Costa Rica (GP: 3; GD: +2; PTS: 7)
2. Panama (GP: 3; GD: +1; PTS: 4)
3. Jamaica (GP: 3; GD: -1; PTS: 4)
4. Haiti (GP: 3; GD: -2; PTS: 1)



GROUP C:

At Kingstown, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines:

Levi Garcia scored twice (71', 82') as Trinidad and Tobago defeated Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 3-2 on the road.

At Guatemala City:

Rafael Morales (7') and Carlos Ruiz (15') each delivered a goal in the first quarter-hour as Guatemala blanked the United States 2-0 at home.

Group C Standing:

1. Trinidad and Tobago (GP: 3; GD: +2; PTS: 7)
2. Guatemala (GP: 3; GD: +5; PTS: 6)
3. United States (GP: 3; GD: +3; PTS: 4)
4. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (GP: 3; GD: -10; PTS: 0)

Monday, March 21, 2016

CAF Champions League: Second-Round Match-Ups

Here are the match-ups for the second round of the CAF Champions League, with the opening contests set to take place from April 8-10, with the return matches to be played April 19-20.

The game-one hosts are listed first.

AS Vita Club (DRC) vs. Mamelodi Sundowns (South Africa)

Al-Merrikh (Sudan) vs. ES Setif (Algeria)

Wydad Casablanca (Morocco) vs. TP Mazembe (DRC)

Enyimba International FC (Nigeria) vs. Etoile du Sahel (Tunisia)

Stade Malien (Mali) vs. ZESCO United (Zambia)

Young Africans (Tanzania) vs. Al-Ahly (Egypt)

ASEC Mimosas (Ivory Coast) vs. Al-Ahli Tripoli (Libya)

Zamalek (Egypt) vs. MO Bejaia (Algeria)

Sunday, March 20, 2016

MLS: Philly Smothers Reds; Late Equalizer Gain Home Draw For DCU With Rapids; Home Win For 10-Man SKC

Three contests took place in Major League Soccer on Sunday.

At Chester, Pennsylvania:

C.J. Sapong scored twice (18', 33') as the Philadelphia Union dominated the visiting ten-man New England Revolution 3-0 in their home opener (at newly-renamed Talen Energy Stadium).

At Washington:

Fabian Espindola's equalizer in the 80th minute lifted DC United to a 1-1 home draw with Colorado.  Dillon Powers scored for the Rapids in the 69th minute.

At Kansas City, Kansas:

Brad Davis scored his first goal for his new club in the 70th minute as Sporting Kansas City, despite finishing the game with ten men, defeated visiting Toronto FC 1-0.



MLS STANDINGS:

EASTERN CONFERENCE:


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

NOTES:  With Montreal and Philadelphia level on points (3), wins (2), and goal differential (+2), the Impact have scored more goals (6) than the Union (5); with Toronto FC and New York City level on points (4), the Reds have the superior goal differential (+1, to the Citizens' 0); with Chicago, New England, and DC United level on points (2) and wins (0), the Fire have the best goal differential of the three clubs (-1, compared to -3 each for the Revolution and DC); New England has scored more goals (3) than DC United (2).



WESTERN CONFERENCE:

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

NOTES:  With Los Angeles, San Jose, and FC Dallas level on points (6) and wins (2), the Galaxy have the best goal differential of the three clubs (+4, compared to the Earthquakes' 0 and Hoops' -1); with Houston, Portland, and Colorado level on points (4) and wins (1), the Dynamo have the best goal differential of the three clubs (+4, to the Timbers' and Rapids' 0 apiece); Portland has scored more goals than Colorado (5-2).

CAF Champions League: TP Mazembe, AS Vita Club, Al-Merrikh, ES Setif Advance To Second Round

The first round of the CAF Champions League concluded on Sunday with eight games.

At Maputo, Mozambique:

A 1-1 road draw in game two was good enough for AS Vita Club as the Congolese (as in the DRC, that is) club won their series with Ferroviario Maputo 2-1 on aggregate.

At Setif, Algeria:

Eudes Dagoulou delivered a hat trick (3', 49', 65') as ES Setif doubled up visiting Etoile du Congo 4-2 in game two and ousted the club from the Republic of the Congo 5-3 on aggregate.

At Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of the Congo:

A 1-0 game-two home win over Saint George SC enabled TP Mazembe to close out the Ethiopian club 3-2 on aggregate.

At Garoua, Cameroon:

Despite dropping a 1-0 game-two road decision to Coton Sport, Stade Malien from Mali won their two-game series 2-1 on aggregate.

At Conakry, Guinea:

Despite being blanked 2-0 on the road by Horoya AC in game two, Zambia's ZESCO United still won their two-game series 4-3 on aggregate.

At Abidjan, Ivory Coast:

Despite being held to a 0-0 game-two home stalemate, ASEC Mimomas still knocked out South Africa's Kaiser Chiefs 1-0 on aggregate.

At Omdurman, Sudan:

Despite dropping a 2-1 game-two road decision to Al-Hilal Omdurman, Libya's Al-Ahli Tripoli, with the aggregate score at 2-2, advanced to the second round on away goals.

At Bejaia, Algeria:

Mohamed Waliou Dnoye (PK-59') and Morgan Betorangal (64') delivered the goals as MO Bejaia blanked visiting Club Africain 2-0 in game two and eliminated the Tunisian club 2-0 on aggregate.

Saturday, March 19, 2016

MLS: Saturday wins For Red Bulls, Hoops, Caps, Galaxy; Goose Eggs For Fire and Crew; Timbers Erase Two-Goal Deficit To Earn Home Draw With 9-Man RSL

Six Major League Soccer contests were played on Saturday.

At Bridgeview, Illinois:

The Chicago Fire and visiting Columbus Crew battled to a 0-0 stalemate.

At Harrison, New Jersey:

Feliipe scored twice (77', 83') as the New York Red Bulls came from behind to upend the visiting Houston Dynamo.

At Frisco, Texas:

Late goals from Mauro Diaz (79') and Maximiliano Urruti (87') lifted FC Dallas to a 2-0 home triumph at the Montreal Impact's expense.

At Seattle:

In the first of this year's Cascadia Cup matches, contested in front of 40,012 fans in attendance, Pedro Morales converted two penalty kicks (10', 74') as the Vancouver Whitecaps defeated the home-standing Seattle Sounders 2-1.

At Portland, Oregon:

Fanendo Adi scored twice in the second half (79', PK-84') as the Portland Timbers battled back from two goals down to gain a 2-2 home draw with nine-man Real Salt Lake.  Joao Plata (16') and Yura Movsisyan (58') each tallied once for the guests.

At Carson, California:

Gyasi Zardes scored twice (56', 62') as the Los Angeles Galaxy downed the visiting San Jose Earthquakes 3-1.

CAF Champions League: Al-Ahly, Mamelodi Sundowns Advance To Second Round

The first round of the CAF Champions League resumed on Saturday with eight games.

At Dolisie, Republic of the Congo:

A 1-1 game-two draw on the road with AC Leopards was good enough for Mamelodi Sundowns as the South African club won their series 3-1 on aggregate.

At Omdurman, Sudan:

A second 1-0 victory, this time at home, lifted Al-Merrikh to a 2-0 series-aggregate victory over Nigeria's Warri Warriors.

At Mahajanga, Madagascar:

Despite a 2-1 game-two road setback, Wydad Casablanca from Morocco still ousted CNaPS Sport 6-3 on aggregate.

At Bujumbura, Burundi:

Despite dropping a 2-1 decision to Vital'O  on the road in game two Enyimba International from Nigeria still took their series 6-3 on aggregate.

At Sousse, Tunisia:

Etoile du Sahel defeated visiting Olympique Khouribga 2-0 in game two and polished off the Moroccan club 3-1 on aggregate.

At Dar es Salaam, Tanzania:

A 1-1 home draw in game two with APR was good enough for Young Africans, who eliminated the Rwandan club 3-2 on aggregate.

At Alexandria, Egypt:

At 2-0 home victory for Al-Ahly in game two propelled the Egyptian club to a 2-0 aggregate series victory over Angola's Recreativo do Lobolo.

At Cairo:

Kahraba (89') and Ahmed Tawfik (89') produced the goals as Zamalek blanked visiting Union Douala 2-0 in game two and took out the Cameroonian club 3-0 on aggregate.

Friday, March 18, 2016

MLS: Cyle Larin Leads Lions To Road Win In The Bronx

At New York City:

Cyle Larin scored the only goal of the lone Friday Major League Soccer match in the seventh minute as Orlando City defeated New York City 1-0 on the road.

Europa League Quarterfinal Draw: Reds To Take On Dortmund; Braga To Battle Shakhtar; Yellow Sub vs. Sparta Prague; Athletic Bilbao vs. Sevilla In All-Spanish Series

The draw for the quarterfinal round of the Europa League took place on Friday at Nyon, Switzerland.

Here are the match-ups with the game-one hosts listed first with the opening games to be played on April 7 and the return contests set for April 14:

SC Braga (Portugal) vs. Shakhtar Donetsk (Ukarine)

Villarreal (Spain) vs. Sparta Prague (Czech Republic)

Athletic Bilbao (Spain) vs. Sevilla (Spain)

Borussia Dortmund (Germany) vs. Liverpool (England)

UEFA Champions League Quarterfinal Draw: Bayern Get Eagles; Barca Get Mattress Makers; Wolfburg Draw Los Galacticos; PSG Will Battle Citizens

The draw for the UEFA Champions League's quarterfinal round took place on Friday at Nyon, Switzerland.

Here are the match-ups, with the game-one hosts listed first:

Bayern Munich (Germany) vs. SL Benfica (Portugal), starts April 5

Barcelona (Spain) vs. Atletico Madrid (Spain), starts April 5

The return matches for the two above series are set to take place on April 13.

VfL Wolfsburg (Germany) vs. Real Madrid (Spain), starts April 6

Paris Saint-Germain (France) vs. Manchester City (England), starts April 6

The return matches for the two above series are set to be contested on April 12.

Thursday, March 17, 2016

Copa Libertadores

Five games were played in Copa Libertadores group-stage action on Thursday.

GROUP TWO:

At Montevideo, Uruguay:

Jonas Aguirre scored the winning goal in the 50th minute as Rosario Central knocked off hosts River Plate (or Uruguay) 3-1.

At Montevideo, Uruguay:

Nicolas Lopez scored the only goal of the match in the 50th minute as Uruguay's Club Nacional defeated visiting Palmeiras 1-0.

Group Two Standings:

1. Club Nacional, Uruguay (GP: 4; GD: +2; PTS: 8)
2. Rosario Central (GP: 4; GD: +3; PTS: 7)
3. Palmeiras (GP: 4; GD: 0; PTS: 4)
4. River Plate, Uruguay (GP: 4; GD: -5; PTS: 2)



GROUP THREE:

At Palmira, Colombia:

Leandro Grimi (60') and Lisandro Lopez (71') each scored a second-half goal as Racing Club de Avellaneda came back from two goals down to gain a 2-2 road draw with Deportivo Cali.  Andres Felipe Roa (9') and Fabian Sambueza (33') each scored once for the hosts.

Group Three Standings:

1. Racing Club de Avellaneda (GP: 3; GD: +3; PTS: 5)
2. Club Bolivar (GP: 3; GD: +2; PTS: 4)
3. Boca Juniors (GP: 3; GD: 0; PTS: 3)
4. Deportivo Cali (GP: 3; GD: -5; PTS: 2)



GROUP SEVEN:

At Asuncion, Paraguay:

Freddy Bareiro scored the winning goal in the 72nd minute as Club Olimpia doubled up visiting Club Sport Emelec 4-2.

At Mexico City:

Victor Ismael Sosa scored twice (61'86') as UNAM Pumas dominated visiting Deportivo Tachira 4-1.

Group Seven Standings:

1. UNAM Pumas (GP: 4; GD: +5; PTS: 9)
2. Deportivo Tachira (GP: 4; GD: -2; PTS: 6)
3. Club Olimpia (GP: 4; GD: -1; PTS: 4)
4. Club Sport Emelec (GP: 4; GD: -2; PTS: 4)

Europa League: Reds, Sparta Prague, Yellow Submarine, Dortmund Advance To Quarterfinals

Eight games were contested on Thursday as Round-of-16 play in the Europa League concluded.

At Leverkusen, Germany:

A 0-0 game-two road draw against Bayer Leverkusen enabled Villarreal to win their two-match series with the German club 2-0 on aggregate.

At Valencia, Spain:

In this all-Spanish affair, Aritz Adruiz scored the series-winning goal in the 76th minute as Athletic Bilbao, despite dropping a 2-1 game-two road decision to Valencia, still won the series on away goals with the aggregate score at 2-2.

At Rome:

Borke Dockal (10'), Ladislav Krejci (12'), and Lukas Jilis (44') each scored a first-half goal as Sparta Prague dominated game two on the road 3-0 against Lazio and won their series 4-1 on aggregate.

At Brussels, Belgium:

Eduardo Da Silva scored the only goal of the match in the third minute of second-half stoppage time as Shakhtar Donetsk defeated RSC Anderlecht 1-0 on the road in game two and took the series 4-1 on aggregate.

At Seville, Spain:

At a scoreless series opener in Switzerland last week, Kevin Gameiro scored twice during a two-minute span late in the first half (44', 45') as Sevilla dominated visiting FC Basel 3-0 in game two and ousted the Swiss club by that same score on aggregate.

At Manchester, England:

Philippe Coutinho scored in the 45th minute as Liverpool gained a 1-1 game-two road draw with Manchester United, good enough for the Reds to eliminate the Red Devils 3-1 on aggregate.

At London:

Pierre -Emerick Aubameyang scored twice (24', 70') as Borussia Dortmund held off Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 on the road in game two and ousted Spurs 5-1 on aggregate.

At Braga, Portugal:

Ahmed Hassan Koka Mahgoub (11'), Josue Filipe Soares Pesqueira (PK-69'), Nikola Stojiljkovic (74'), and Rafa Silva (83') each scored a goal as SC Braga overcame their series-opening defeat in Turkey with a 4-1 game-two home domination of Fenerbahce and took their series 4-2 on aggregate.

Copa Libertadores

Four games were played in Copa Libertadores group-stage action on Wednesday.

GROUP ONE:

At La Paz, Bolivia:

Alejandro Chumacero's equalizer in the 89th minute carried The Strongest to a 1-1 home draw with River Plate of Argentina.  Rodrigo Mora scored for the defending South American club champs in the 17th minute.

At Valera, Venezuela:

Paulo Henrique Ganso's equalizer in the 37th minute lifted Sao Paulo to a 1-1 road draw with Trujillanos, whose goal came in the 35th minute from Ruben Rojas.

Group One Standings:

1. The Strongest (GP: 3; GD: +2; PTS: 7)
2. River Plate, Argentina (GP: 3; GD: +4; PTS: 5)
3. Sao Paulo FC (GP: 3; GD: -1; PTS: 2)
4. Trujillanos FC (GP: 3; GD: -5; PTS: 1)



GROUP FIVE:

At Belo Horizonte, Brazil:

Juan Cazares (1'), Patric Cabral Lalau (45'), and Hyuri (72') each scored a goal as Atletico Mineiro dominated visiting Colo-Colo 3-0.

Group Five Standings:

1.   Atletico Mineiro (GP: 4; GD: +5; PTS: 10)
2.   Independiente del Valle (GP: 4; GD: +2; PTS: 7)
3.   Colo-Colo (GP: 4; GD: -2; PTS: 5)
4. z-FBC Melgar (GP: 4; GD: -5; PTS: 0)

z-Eliminated from tournament



GROUP EIGHT:

At Sao Paulo, Brazil:

Lucca Borges de Brito (22') and Victor Hugo Mareco (OG-60') each scored once as Corinthians blanked visiting Cerro Porteno 2-0.

Group Eight Standings:

1.   Corinthians (GP: 4; GD: +3; PTS: 12)
2.   Independiente Santa Fe (GP: 4; GD: +3; PTS: 7)
3.   Cerro Porteno (GP: 4; GD: 0; PTS: 7)
4. z-Cobresal (GP: 4; GD: -6; PTS: 0)

z-Eliminated from tournament

CONCACAF Champions League: Series-Opening Goose Eggs For Santos Laguna and Club America

At Torreon, Mexico:

Wednesday series-opening CONCACAF Champions League semifinal match between Santos Laguna and visiting Club America ended in a 0-0 stalemate.

Wednesday, March 16, 2016

UEFA Champions League: Barca, Bayern Round Up Quarterfinal Field

The UEFA Champions League's Round of 16 concluded on Wednesday with two games.

At Barcelona, Spain:

Neymar (18'), Luis Suarez (65'), and Lionel Messi (88') each scored a goal as Barcelona downed visiting Arsenal 3-1 in game two and ousted the Gunners 5-1 on aggregate.  Here are the three goal scorers celebrating after Leo the Lion's tally.

AFP/Getty Images photo



At Munich, Germany:

With goals from Robert Lewandowski (73') and Thomas Muller (90'+1), Bayern Munich erased a two-goal deficit to gain a 2-2 game-two regulation draw with visiting Juventus, squaring the two-game series at 4-4 on aggregate, forcing 30 minutes of overtime.  During the second overtime period, Thiago Alcantara (108', that's him celebrating after scoring) and Kingsley Coman (110') each delivered a goal as Bayern Munich took out The Old Lady 6-4 on aggregate to advance to the quarterfinal round.

Getty Images photo

AFC Champions League

Eight games were contested on Wednesday as group-stage play in the AFC Champions League reached the midway point.

GROUP B:

At Tashkent, Uzbekistan:

Zob Ahan held hosts FC Bunyodkor to a 0-0 stalemate.

At Riyadh, Saudi Arabia:

Ibrahim Ghaleb's successful penalty kick in the 89th minute enabled Al-Nassr to salvage a 1-1 home draw with Lekhwiya.  Alain Kaluyituka Dioko tallied for the guests in the seventh minute.

Group B Standings:

1. Al-Nassr (GP: 3; GD: +1; PTS: 5)
2. Zob Ahan (GP: 3; GD: +1; PTS: 5)
3. FC Bunyuodkor (GP: 3; GD: -1; PTS: 2)
4. Lekhwiya SC (GP: 3; GD: -1; PTS: 2)

NOTES:  Al-Nassr have scored more total goals than Zob Ahan (5-1); FC Bunyodkor likewise vis a viv Lekhwiya SC (4-2)



GROUP D:

At Al Ain, United Arab Emirates:

Omar Abdulrahman scored the only goal of the match in the 71st minute as Al-Ain defeated visiting Al-Ahli from Saudi Arabia 1-0.

At Doha, Qatar:

Sardor Rashidov scored the only goal of the match in the 87th minute as El Jaish defeated visiting Nasaf Qarshi 1-0.

Group D Standings:

1. El Jaish (GP: 3; GD: +3; PTS: 9)
2. Al-Ain (GP: 3; GD: -1; PTS: 3)
3. Nasaf Qarshi (GP: 3; GD: -1; PTS: 3)
4. Al-Ahli (GP: 3; GD: -1; PTS: 3)



GROUP F:

At Jinan, China:

Carlos Adriano de Sousa Cruz scored twice (27', 71') as FC Seoul dominated Shandong Luneng 4-1 on the road.

At Hiroshima, Japan:

Tukama Asano scored twice (42', 55') as Sanfrecce Hiroshima dominated visiting Buriram United 3-0.

Group F Standings:

1. FC Seoul (GP: 3; GD; +12; PTS: 9)
2. Shandong Luneng (GP: 3; GD: +1; PTS; 6)
3. Sanfrecce Hiroshima (GP: 3; GD: -1; PTS: 3)
4. Buriram United (GP: 3; GD: -12; PTS: 0)



GROUP H:

At Pohang, South Korea:

Chris Naumoff scored the game's long goal in the 41st minute as Sydney FC knocked off Pohang Steelers 1-0 on the road.

At Guangzhou, China:

Yuko Moto (30') and Shinzo Koroki (89') each notched a goal as Urawa Red Diamonds battled back from an early two-goal deficit to gain a 2-2 road draw with Guangzhou Evergrande.  Ricardo Goulart scored both of the hosts' goals (PK-6', 14').

Group H Standings:

1. Sydney FC (GP: 3; GD: 0; PTS: 6)
2. Pohang Steelers (GP: 3; GD: 0; PTS: 4)
3. Urawa Red Diamonds (GP: 3; GD: +1; PTS: 4)
4. Guangzhou Evergrande Taobao FC (GP: 3; GD: -1; PTS: 2)

NOTE:  Pohang Steelers defeated visiting Urawa Red Diamonds 1-0 on March 2.

Tuesday, March 15, 2016

CONCACAF Champions League: Semifinal Series-Opening Goose Eggs For Queretaro And Tigres

At Queretaro, Mexico:

In the opening game of the semifinal round of the Mexican----I mean----CONCACAF Champions League, Tigres held hosts Queretaro to a series-opening 0-0 stalemate on Tuesday.

Copa Libertadores: Atletico Nacional Advance To Knockout Stage; Melgar, Cobresal Eliminated

Four games were contested in the group stage of the Copa Libertadores on Tuesday.

GROUP FOUR:

At Montevideo, Uruguay:

Jonathan Copete (8'), Daniel Bocanegra (45'+1), Orlando Berrio (82'), and Luis Ruiz (85') each scored a goal as Atletico Nacional demolished Penarol 4-0 on the road and became the first club to advance to the knockout stage.



GROUP FIVE:

At Sangolqui, Ecuador:

Junior Somoza (2') and Jose Enrique Angulo (48') each scored a goal as Independiente del Valle blanked visiting FBC Melgar 2-0, eliminating the Peruvian club  from the tournament.



GROUP SIX:

At Buenos Aires:

Lincoln Henrique Oliveira dos Santos' equalizer in the 90th minute lifted Gremio to a 1-1 road draw with San Lorenzo.  Nestor Ortigoza successfully converted a penalty kick for the hosts in the fourth minute.



GROUP EIGHT:

At Bogota, Colombia:

Jonathan David Gomez scored twice (7', 39') as Independiente Santa Fe eliminated Cobresal from the tournament after dominating the visiting Chilean club 3-0.