"Fan" Misbehavior, Spanish Style

Wednesday's second leg of a series between Sevilla and crosstown rivals Real Betis in Spain's Copa del Rey had to be abandoned after Sevilla head coach Juande Ramos (a former coach of Real Betis) was hit by an object from the crowd after his club had scored a goal during the second half. Yes, friends and neighbors, hooliganism has shown its ugly head again, this time in Spain, during domestic cup play.

Inter Winning Streak Snapped

Ten games were played Wednesday in Italy's Serie A:

At Milan:

Udinese ended Inter Milan's seventeen-game league winning streak by holding the hosts to a 1-1 draw. Christian Obodo scored at 47 minutes to give the visiting Bionconeri a 1-0 lead before Hernan Crespo equalized at 66 minutes for The Nerozzurri.

At Verona:

Francesco Totti's double (34', 48') enabled AS Roma to bounce back from a two-goal deficit to gain a 2-2 road deadlock with Chievo Verona:

At Ascoli:

In a battle of the bottom two teams in the Serie A standings, Parma and las-place Ascoli battled to a 0-0 stalemate.

At Palermo:

Sixth-place AC Milan and third-place Palermo battled to a 0-0 draw in Sicily.

At Turin:

In a battle of struggling clubs who hired new coaches this week, Torino won for new coach Gianni De Biasi 1-0 over guests Cagliari Calcio (and their new head coach Marco Giampaolo), thanks to Cesare Bovo's tally at 23 minutes.

At Reggio Calabria:

Adrian Mutu's successful penalty kick at 87 minutes lifted Fiorentina to a 1-1 road draw with struggling Reggina.

At Empoli:

Luca Saudati's double (14', 62') helped propel hosts Empoli to a 3-1 win over relegation-threatened (and 10-man) Messina 3-1. For The Azzurri, it was their fifth straight home victory.

At Genoa:

Thanks to goals from Fabio Bazzani (71') and Sergio Volpi (PK-83'), Sampdoria came from behind to defeat visiting Atalanta 2-1.

At Rome:

With goals from Goran Pandev (60'), Sebastiano Siviglia (88'), and Tommaso Rocchi (90'), Lazio stayed in fourth place in the Serie A standings following their 3-1 home win over Catania Calcio.

At Siena:

Livorno and Siena played to a 0-0 deadlock. For the hosts, it was their fifth straight league game without a win.

The Beautiful Game?

Here's an aritcle on the recent spate of soccer violence plaguing Europe and South America. I think the association with rioting, BOTH inside and outside the stadium, has been a major factor in the sport's long history of problems becoming this country's fifth major league professional sport.

Monday In Portugal: Three Games, Clean Sweep For Home Clubs

Three games populated the Portuguese BWIN Liga on Monday:

At Funchal:

Maritimo defeated guests Uniao Leiria 2-1. Collins Mbesuma scored the equalizer at 45 minutes for the hosts, then Leiria's Nuno Laranjeiro scored the game loser with his own goal at 79 minutes.

At Braga:

Sporting Braga pulled off a 2-1 home win late over Estrela Amadora as Paulo Jorge(PK-36) and Wender (90') scored to lead The Arsenalists to the comback win.

At Lisbon:

SL Benfica tightened their grip on second place following their 3-1 home win over Pacos de Ferreira, thanks in part to Simao Sambrosa's double (8', 65')

You Think People Would Learn...

You figure that in the aftermath of the deadly rioting three weeks ago in Sicily, people would learn a valuable lesson. Unfortunately, as Romney Wordsworth (portrayed by Burgess Meredith in a 1961 episode of The Twilight Zone titled "The Obsolete Man") , a librarian condemned to death by the state because he was judged obsolete, told the state Chancellor( played by Fritz Weaver), "You never learn , do you? History teaches you nothing." Case in point, what happened on Saturday in Belgrade.

Easy Win For The Dragons; CD Nacional and Vitoria Setubal Draw

Two games were played Sunday in the Portugese BWINLiga:

At Aveiro:

Five different goal scorers paced league-leading FC Porto to a 5-0 road brassknuckling of relegation-threatened Beira-Mar.

At Setubal:

Byung-suk Kim's equalizer at 83 minutes lifted Vitoria Setubal to a 1-1 home deadlock with CD Nacional.

Wins For Bordeaux and St. Ettiene (As PSG's Woes Continue); ASNL and Lens Draw

Three contests took place in France's Ligue 1 on Sunday:

At Bordeuax:

First-half goals from Fernando Menegazzo (PK-24') and Jussie (44') enabled Bordeaux to hold off visiting---and relegation-threatened---Valenciennes 2-1.

At Paris:

St. Etienne, thanks to goals from Damien Perquis (32') and Aruajo Ilan (45') blanked struggling hosts Paris Saint-Germain 2-0.

At Lens:

Youssouf Hadji's equalizer at 90 minutes lifted AS Nancy Lorraine to a 2-2 road draw with second-place Lens.

Barca Knock Athletic Into Drop Zone

Eight games were played Sunday in Spain's Premiera Division:

At Barcelona:

Xavi (30') and Samuel Eto'o (41') provided first-half tallies to propel Barcelona to a 3-0 face-slapping of struggling Athletic Bilbao (who now has fallen into the relegation zone). The win moved Barca to the top of the La Liga standings.

At Madrid:

Hosts Getafe held Sevilla to a 0-0 draw, which dropped the visitors down to second place in La Liga.

At Vigo:

With second-half goals from Pedro Munitis (55') and Christian Alvarez (PK-79'), Racing Santander bounced back from a two-goal halftime deficit to earn a 2-2 road draw with Celta Vigo, who, in turn, escaped from the relegation zone.

At Seville:

Visiting Recreativo Huelva blew a shot at moving into a UEFA Cup berth by being held to a 0-0 road stalemate by Real Betis.

At Villrreal:

With goals from Jon Dahl Tomasson (38') and Fabricio Fuentes (90'), Villarreal came back from a 1-0 deficit to defeat visiting Mallorca 2-1.

At Valencia:

Visiting Real Zaragoza and Levante battled to a 0-0 deadlock.

At Tarragona:

Ruben Castro's equalizer at 90 minutes enabled cellar-dwelling Gimnastic de Tarragona to gain a 1-1 home draw with Valencia.

At Pamplona:

Espanyol, on the strength of goals from Ferran Coro (13') and Raul Tamudo (65'), polished off hosts Osasuna 2-0 for their fifth straight win.

Busy Sunday In Serie A

Eight games were played Sunday in Italy's Serie A:

At Cesana:

Five different goal scorers paced Inter Milan to their 17th consecutive Serie A victory, a 5-2 triumph over Catania Calcio played behind closed doors at a neutral site.

At Milan:

Thanks to Massimo Ambrosini's goal at 90 minutes, AC Milan climbed up to fifth place in the Serie A standings with their 1-0 home win over Sampdoria.

At Cagliari:

Lazio climbed into fourth place in the Serie A standings thanks to their 2-0 road win over Cagliari Calcio. Sanchez Emilson Cribari (21') and Tommaso Rocchi (34') provided the scoring for the Eagles.

At Messina:

Edgar Alvarez was the hero of the day as his goal at 90 minutes lifted relegation-threatened Messina to a 1-0 home win over AC Siena.

At Rome:

Thanks to goals from Francesco Tavaro (55'), Philippe Mexes (65'), and Christian Panucci (90'), AS Roma tightened their hold on second place with their 3-0 whitewashing of struggling Reggina at home.

At Florence:

With goals from Adrian Mutu (27') and Luca Toni (75'), Fiorentina kept their hopes of playing in European competition alive with their 2-0 home win over Empoli, which knocked the guests out of a Champions League qualifying berth.

At Udine:

Relegation zone residents Parma and hosts Udinese battled to an entertaining 3-3 deadlock. The hosts' Antonio di Natale scored twice (42', PK-68') while the visitors' Giuseppe Rossi's succesful penalty kick at 86 minutes helped give Parma a share of the spoils.

At Leghorn:

Hosts Livorno and basment-residing Ascoli battled to a 0-0 stalemate.

Ajax and AZ, Feyenoord and ADO: Fit To Be Tied; Road Win For NAC; Home Win For RKC

Four Sunday matches in the Dutch Eredivisie were played:

At Waalwijk:

Jan Vertongen (36'), Hans van de Haar (74'), and Tim Janssen (85') provided the goals as RKC Waalwijk climbed further away from the Eredivisie basement with their 3-1 home victory over Vitesse Arnhem.

At Rotterdam:

NAC Breda, thanks to goals courtesy of Patrick Mtiliga (51') and Anouar Diba (74'), climbed up to sixth place in the Eredivisie standings after their 2-0 road blanking of second-from-the-bottom Excelsior.

At The Hague:

Homestanding ADO Den Haag and Feyenoord Rotterdam played to a 3-3 stalemate. The bottom-dwelling hosts' Rick Hoogendorp scored twice (40', PK-62'), Feyenoord's Angelos Charisteas had two of his own (55', 73'), including the equalizer that produced the final score.

At Alkmaar:

Maarten Martens' equalizer at 79 minutes enabled second-place AZ Almaar to gain a 1-1 home draw with third-place Ajax Amsterdam. Kenneth Perez had put The Sons of the Gods in front with his 65th-minute tally.

Late Goal Earns Point For The Fools; Leverkusen Shocks Leaders

Two Bundesliga matches were contested Sunady in Germany:

At Mochengladbach:

Nando Rafael's goal at 90 minutes enabled Borussia Mochengladbach, currently at the bottom of the Bundesliga standings, to gain a share of the spoils with their 1-1 home draw with Werder Bremen, thus ruining the guests' shot at moving into second place.

At Gelsenkirchen:

Stefan Kiessling's goal at 85 minutes lifted Bayer Leverkusen to a 1-0 road victory over league-leading FC Schalke 04. That's the Lions' goalkeeper, Rene Adler in action, stopping another Schalke shot.

Home Wins For Latics, Rovers, and Spurs

Three games were contested Sunday in the English Premier League:

At Wigan:

Ryan Taylor scored the game's only goal (40') as Wigan Athletic defeated visiting Newcastle United at home 1-0 to move six points clear of the relegation zone. The game was Paul Jewell's 250th league game as the Latics' head coach, making him the longest serving manager in the club's history. Pictured here is Latics goalkeeper John Filan, stopping a penalty kick from the Magpies' Norberto Solano (Tony Marshall photo/Empics).

At Blackburn:

Shabani Nonda's double (1', 25') helped propel Blackburn Rovers to a 3-0 thumping of visiting Portsmouth.

At London:

Two goals from Robbie Keane (11', 22') helped lead Tottenham Hotspur to a decisive 4-1 triumph over Bolton.

Road Triumphs For Boavista and Belenenses

Two games were contested Saturday in Portugal's BWINLiga:

At Coimbra:

Rafal Grzelak (23') and Przemyslaw Kazmierczak (43') provided the goals for Boavista as the guests stymied Academica de Coimbra 2-0.

At Figueira da Foz:

Jose Pedro Salazar provided the game winner at 70 minutes as Belenenses climbed to sixth place thanks to their 3-2 road win over Naval 1 de Maio

Two Scoreless Draws and Home Wins For PSV and Roda JC

Four games were played Saturday in the Dutch Eredivise:

At Eindhoven:

PSV Eindhoven, with Alex scoring the game's lone tally (85'), stretched their lead in the Eredivisie standings to eight points following their 1-0 home win over FC Groningen.

At Kerkrade:

With Andres Oper contributing the game's lone goal (43'), Roda JC Kerkrade picked up a 1-0 home triumph at SC Heerenveen's expense.

At Rotterdam:

SC Heracles Almelo and hosts Sparta Rotterdam battled to a 0-0 deadlock.

At Enschede:

Hosts Twente Enschede battled to a 0-0 stalemate with Willem II Tilburg.

Nice Win Over Lille; Toulouse Up To Third

Seven games were contested Saturday in France's Ligue 1:

At Nice:

Bakari Kone's double (43', 85') sparked Nice to a relegation-zone-escaping 2-1 home win over Lille.

At Toulouse:

Toulouse, thanks in large part to Johan Elmander's double (39', 48'), climed into third place (and posession of a Champions League qualifying berth) after their 3-0 home whitewashing of Marseille.

At Lyon:

Goals at the death from Sylvain Wiltord (90') and Juninho (PK-90') ignited league-leading Lyon's comback from a late 3-1 deficit to gain a 3-3 home deadlock with Sochaux.

At Nantes:

Claudiu Keseru's 75th-minute equalizer enabled relegation-threatened FC Nantes Atlantique to salvage a 1-1 home draw with AJ Auxerre.

At Rennes:

Goals from Gregory Pujol (14') and Mansour Boutabout (87') powered cellar-dwelling Sedan to a 2-0 road win over Rennes.

At Troyes:

Gael Danic scored twice (2', 71') to help lead Troyes to an important 3-0 home pasting of Lorient.

At Le Mans:

Frederic Piquionne (15') and Diego Perez (47') provided the scoring punch for AS Monaco as the guests moved further away from the drop zone with their 2-0 win over Le Mans.

Stalemated Madrid Derby; Real Sociedad Woes Continue

Two games were contested Saturday in Spain's La Liga:

At Madrid:

Gonzalo Higuain's 62nd-minute equalizer enabled Real Madrid to gain a share of the spoils in a 1-1 draw on the road at a local derby with Atletico Madrid.

At San Sebastian:

Javier Arizmendi scored the only goal of the match (29') as Deportivo La Coruna secured only their second road win of the season, 1-0 over relegation-threatened Real Sociedad.

Bayern Finding Winner Touch; Resurgent Hamburg Out Of Relegation Zone; Mainz Also Finding Their Grove

Six Saturday contests took place in the German Bundesliga:

At Munich:

Goals from Cool Hand Lukas Podolski (PK-26') and Mark van Bommel (55') powered Bayern Munich to a 2-1 home win over VfL Wolfsburg.

At Frankfurt:

Goals from Rafael van der Vaart (7'), Piotr Trochowski (77'), and Ivaca Olic (90') enabled Hamburg to defeat sagging Eintracht Frankfurt 3-1, thus allowing the hosts to climb out of the relegation zone, which is were the defeated guests have now fallen into.

At Mainz:

Mohamed Zidan's double (20', 27') proved to be more than sufficient for Mainz as the hosts added more breathing space between themselves and the relegation zone with their 2-0 home win over hot FC Nurnberg.

At Hannover:

Arnold Bruggink scored twice (76', 78') to help Hannover 96 hold off visiting Borussia Dortmund 4-2.

At Cottbus:

Goals from Mariusz Kukielka (62') and Sergiu Radu (66') enabled Energie Cottbus to trade places with Arminia Bielefeld, that is, climb out of the relegation zone with their 2-1 home victory, thus dropping the guests into the bottom three of the Bundesliga standings.

At Bochum:

In a battle to teams fighting to avoid relegation, Alemania Aachen and hosts VfL Bochum battled to a 2-2 stalemate. Matthias Lehmann's goal at 57 minutes secured a share of the spoils for Aachen.

Chievo Blank Torino; Palermo and Atalanta Draw

Saturday found two games played in Italy's Serie A:

At Verona:

Erjon Bogdani's double (2', 45') helped lead Chievo Verona to a 3-0 home whitewashing of Torino.

At Bergamo:

Aimo Diana's 58th-minute equalizer helped Palermo gain a 1-1 road draw with Atalanta. Riccardo Zampagna's 13th-minute tally gave The Nerozzuri a 1-0 lead.

Hammers Hammered; Red Devils Stretch Lead Atop Premiership Table

Five games were played Saturday in the English Premier League:

At London:

Jerome Thomas scored twice (34', 80') to help lead Charlton Athletic to a 4-0 home demolition of fellow relegation zone residents West Ham United. Pictured is Darren Bent, who scored for the Addicks in the 41st minute.

At London:

Manchester United, on the strength of goals from Ryan Giggs (29') and Cristiano Ronaldo (88') came from behind to defeat hosts Fulham 2-1 and stretch their lead in the Premiership standings to nine points.

At Watford:

Goals from Manuel Fernandes (23'), Andrew Johnson (PK-25'), and Leon Osman (90') powered visiting Everton to a 3-0 whitewashing of basement-residing Watford, keeping the Hornets from climbing out of last place in the EPL.

At Liverpool:

Robbie Fowler two successful penalty kicks (20', 25') helped Liverpool coast to an easy 4-0 fistbeating of visiting Sheffield United.

At Middlesbrough:

Mark Viduka (7') and Ayegbeni Yakubu (69') scored to help Middlesbrough cool off visiting Reading 2-1.

Goose Eggs For Sporting and Deportivo Aves

At Lisbon:

In the lone Friday match in Portugal's BWINLIGA, basement residents Deportivo Aves held hosts Sporting Club Portugal to a 0-0 stalemate.

Impressive Home Win For Fc Utrecht

At Ultrecht:

Goals from Hans Somers (45'), Guiseppe Rossini (48'), and Tom Caluwe (63') powered FC Ultrecht to an impressive 3-0 home win over 10-man NEC Nijmegen.

Hertha Berlin Ends Stuttgart Winning Streak Win Scoreless Draw

At Stuttgart:

In Friday's lone Bundesliga match, Hertha Berlin ended second-place VfB Stuttgart's four-game league winning streak by holding the hosts to a 0-0 stalemate.

UEFA Cup Round Of 32 Play Concludes

Fifteen games were played Thursday as the Round of 32 in the 2006-07 UEFA Cup tournament concluded:

At Blackburn, England:

Bayer Leverkusen advanced to the round of 16 following their 0-0 draw on the road against Blackburn, allowing the Bundesliga side to win their two-game set 3-2 on aggregate.

At Glasgow, Scotland:

After dropping the opener on the road, Rangers came storming back for a 4-0 home win in the return match with Hapoel Tel Aviv and won their two game set 5-2 on aggregate. Barry Ferguson scored twice (24', 73') in this game for the 'Jers.

At Barcelona:

Goals from Jesus Maria Lacruz (16') and Ferran Coro (49') paced RCD Espanyol to a 2-0 home shutout over Livorno and a series win at 4-1 on aggregate.

At Alkmaar, Netherlands:

Second-half tallies from Maarten Martens (63') and Barry Opdam (86') enabled AZ Alkmaar to gain a 2-2 home deadlock with Fenerbahce, thus allowing the Dutch club to advance to the Sweet 16 , 5-5, thanks to the fact that they scored more away goals (3-2) than the Yellow Canaries.

At Amsterdam:

Hugo Almeida's goal at 14 minutes was Werder Bremen's lone goal in their 3-1 road defeat versus Ajax Amsterdam. But it was good enough for the German club to advance 4-3 on aggregate to the Sweet 16.

At Tel-Aviv, Israel:

Roberto Colautti's tally at 14 minutes was not only the only goal of the match, but the only goal of the two-game set as Maccabi Haifa won their match and two-game set, both 1-0 over visiting CSKA Moscow.

At Paris:

Pierre-Alain Frau (42') and Bernard Mendy (PK-90'+3) scored to lead PSG to a second 2-0 win, this time at home over AEK Athens, to win their two-match set, 4-0 on aggregate.

At Bucharest:

Goals courtesy of Anderson (50') and Konstantinos Katsouranis (64') paced SL Benfica to a 2-1 road win over Radip Bucharest, allowing the Eagles to take the set 3-1 on aggregate.

At Nancy, France:

Fernandinho scored the game and series winning goal (70') to lead Shakhtar Donetsk to a 1-0 road win over AS Nancy to take the two game set on aggregate, 2-1.

At Pamplona, Spain:

After two scoreless matches, the series between Bordeaux and hosts Osasuna went into overtime, when Javad Nekunam scored the game winner at 120 minutes of the match, enabling the Spanish club to win the game and two-game set 1-0.

At Seville, Spain:

Sevilla FC continued their defense of their UEFA Cup crown as they finished off Steaua Bucharest 3-0 on aggregate after their 1-0 home win in game two. Aleksandr Kerzhakov scored the game's lone goal (45'+3) in the first half.

At Vigo, Spain:

Goals from Nene (19') and Aspas Jonathan (78') propelled Celta Vigo to a 2-1 win at home against Spartak Moscow, allowing the hosts to take the two game set on aggregate 3-2.

At Newcastle, England:

Obafemi Martins notched the lone goal (68') in Newcastle United's 1-0 home win over Zulte Waregem, allowing the Magpies to easily take the two game set, 4-1 on aggregate.

At Parma, Italy:

Diego's 89th-minute tally enabled Sporting Club Braga to bag a second 1-0 win over Parma, this time on the road. The Arsenalists won the two-game set, 2-0 on aggregate.

At Athens:

Lens finished off hosts Panathinaikos 3-1 on aggregate after the two clubs battled to a 0-0 stalemate in game two.

Spurs Top Toffees; Latics and Hornets Draw

Two Wednesday contests in the English Premier League:

At Liverpool:

Jermaine Jenas scored the late game winner (89') as Tottenham Hotspur picked up a 2-1 road win at Everton.

At Watford:

Caleb Folan's equalizer (40') enabled Wigan Athletic to gain a 1-1 road deadlock with bottom-dwelling Watford and allowed the Latics to move to six points clear of the relegation zone.

Reds Stun Barca; All Other Wednesday CL Matchups Stalemated

Opening leg action in Round of 16 UEFA Champions League play concluded Wednesday:

At Barcelona:

Goals from Craig Bellamy (43') and John Arne Riise, pictued here (© AFP) (74'), paced Liverpool to a come-from-behind 2-1 road victory over defending cupholders FC Barcelona in the opening game of the clubs' two-game home-and-away total-goals set.

At Rome:

The series opener between Lyon and hosts AS Roma wound up deadlocked at 0-0. Pictured here are Roma's Simone Perrotta tracking Lyon's Juninho Pernambucano (© AFP)

At Porto:

In the series opener for both clubs, guests Chelsea and FC Porto battled to a 1-1 draw. Raul Meireles scored in the 12th minute to give the hosts the lead, only to see Andriy Shevchnko deliver the equalizer (and a valuable road goal) for the Blues in the 16th minute. Pictured here, in a spirited battle for the ball, are the Blues' Michael Ballack and Porto's Paulo Assuncao (© Getty Images)

At Rome:

Two priceless away goals netted visiting Valencia a 2-2 series opening road draw against Inter Milan. David Silva (pictured here, © AFP) delivered the late equalizer (86') for the visitors.

Saints And Steelmen Draw

At St. Mirren:

In the lone Tuesday Scottish Premier League match, visiting Motherwell and St. Mirren wound up deadlocked at 0-0. The draw allowed the homestanding Saints to strecth their lead over Dunferline in the race to avoid relegation to nine points.

PSV, Red Devils, Galaticos Win; Bhoys and Rosseneri Draw

Four games were played Tuesday as the 2006-07 UEFA Champions League entered the knockout stage, beginning with the Round of 16.

At Eindhoven, Netherlands:

Edison Mendez (pictured here, celebrating with Carlos Calcido © AFP) knocked in the game's lone goal (61') as PSV Eindhoven took the opening game of their two-game, home-and-away, total-goals series with Arsenal at home 1-0.

At Lens, France:

Ryan Giggs (pictured here; © Getty Images) scored with a quick free kick at 83 minutes to lead Manchester United to a key 1-0 road win over Lille in the two clubs' series opener.




At Madrid:

Two first-half goals from Raul (10', 28', pictured here celebrating his first goal; © Getty Images) and one from Ruud van Nistelrooy (34') enabled Real Madrid to hold off visiting Bayern Munich 3-2 in the series opener for both clubs. The visitors' Mark van Bommel's tally at 88 minutes provided the Bundesliga champs with an important road goal to keep them alive in the series.

At Glasgow:

Homestanding Celtic and AC Milan battled to a 0-0 series-opening stalemate. Pictured here are the Bhoys' captain Neil Lennon, battling with Yoann Gourcuff of The Rosseneri (© Getty Images)

Road Win For Academica

At Lisbon:

In Monday's lone Portuguese Super Liga match, Lino's game winner at 86 minutes lifted Academica de Coimbra to a 2-1 road win over Belenenses.

Benfica Up To Second Place

Four games were played Sunday in Portugal's Super Liga:

At Madeira:

Fabrizio Miccoli's second-half double (61', 70') powered SL Benfica to a 2-0 road win over CD Nacional. The win boosted the Eagles into second place in the BWIN Liga standings, overtaking Sporting Club Portugal.

At Leiria:

Bartosz Slusarski scored the dramatic only goal (90') to lift Uniao Leiria to a 1-0 home win over Sporting Braga.

At Vila das Aves:

Cellar-dwelling Deportivo Aves and European hopeful guests Maritimo settled for a 1-1 stalemate.

At Amadora:

Late first-half goals from Antonin Alcaraz (40') and Edgar da Silva (45') propelled relegation-threatened Beira Mar to a 2-2 road draw with Estrela Amadora after falling behind 2-0.

Ajax and Excelsior Draw; Same With AZ and FC Groningen; Twente and Feyenoord Win

The Dutch Eredivisie saw four Sunday contests:

At Amsterdam:

Klaas-Jan Huntelaar's equalizer (38') enabled Ajax Amsterdam to salvage a 2-2 home draw with Excelsior. The tie ended the visitors' club-record 10-league-game losing streak.

At Groningen:

Eric Nevland's equalizer (56') enabled FC Groningen to gain a 1-1 home deadlock with AZ Alkmaar.

At Rotterdam:

Feyenoord Rotterdam snapped their two-game losing streak with a 2-0 shutout home triumph over FC Utrecht. Jonathan De Guzman (7') and Angelos Charisteas (19') provided the offensive spark for the hosts.

At Heerenveen:

First-half tallies courtesy of Blaise N'Kufo (14') and Kennedy Bakircioglu (33') enabled Champions League hopefuls Twente Enschede to hold off SC Heerenveen for a 2-1 road win.

Rangers Tighten Hold On Second Place; Goose Eggs For Hibs and Tangerines

Two games were contested in the Scottish Premier League on Sunday:

At Glasgow:

Kris Boyd (34') and Barry Ferguson (73') provided the scoring as Rangers tightened their hold on second place with their 2-1 home triumph over Falkirk.

At Dundee:

Dundee United and visiting Hibernian wound up stalemated at 0-0.

French Goose Eggs

Two games, both scoreless draws, were played Sunday in France's Ligue 1:

At Monte Carlo:

Second-place Lens and hosts AS Monaco battled to a 0-0 deadlock.

At Marseille:

Homestanding Marseille blew a shot at moving into a Champions League qualification berth by settling for a 0-0 stalemate with relegation-theatened Nantes.

Sunday Wins For Nurnberg and Bochum

Two games were played Sunday in the German Bundesliga:

At Nuremberg:

FC Nurnberg continued their steady climb up the Bundesliga standings following their 1-0 home win over Energie Cottbus (who, by losing, had now fallen into the relegation zone). Michael Beauchamp scored the games lone goal at 73 minutes.

At Bielefeld:

Theofanis Gekas tallied twice (2', 10') to lead VfL Bochum to defeat Arminia Bielefeld 2-1, allowing the guests to climb out of the dreaded drop zone.

Busy Sunday In Serie A

Seven games were played Sunday in Italy's Serie A:

At Rimini:

In a game that was moved to a neutral site from Catania (as will the rest of The Elephants' remaining scheduled home contests this season as Angelo Massimino Stadium is undergoing safety and security upgrades) and played behind closed doors, Luca Toni's late tally (87') lifted Fiorentina to a 1-0 road win over Catania Calcio.

At Ascoli:

Andrea Soncin's second-half double (58', 69') enabled basement residents Ascoli to bounce back from a two-goal halftime deficit to gain a 2-2 home draw with Udinese.

At Palermo:

Victor Obinna's goal at 45 minutes enabled Chievo Verona to gain a key 1-1 road stalemate with third-place Palermo which allowed them to stay above the relegation zone.

At Parma:

Fabio Quagliarella's goal (58') was the differnce as Sampdoria won at home, 1-0 over relegation-threatened Parma.

At Rome:

Goran Pandev scored both goals (11', 60') in Lazio's 2-0 home win over Torino.

At Reggio Calabria:

An own goal from Maurizio Lanzaro (74') enabled visiting Atalanta to gain a 1-1 road draw with Reggina.

At Livorno:

Goals from Stefano Fiore (26') and Cristiano Lucarelli (69') enabled hosts Livorno to hold off relegation-threatened Messina 2-1.

Barca Knocked Off On The Road

Eight games were contested Sunday in Spain's Premier Division:

At Valencia:

Miguel Angulo (52') and David Silva (55') contributed second-half goals to help Valencia hold-off league-leading FC Barcelona 2-1 at home.

At Seville:

Frederic Kanoute's double (15', 73') helped lead FC Sevilla to a 3-1 home win over Atletico Madrid.

At Bilbao:

Aritz Aduriz scored both goal's (30', 50') in Athletic Bilbao's 2-0 home win over Getafe as the Red-Whites continue their fight for top-flight survival.

At Santander:

Four different goal scorers propelled Racing Santander to a decisive 4-1 home win over basement-dwelling and hapless Gimnastic de Tarragona.

At La Coruna:

Visiting Lavante, which is fighting to stay above the drop zone, battled midtable Deportivo La Coruna to a 0-0 stalemate.

At Huelva:

European hopefuls Recreativo Huelva, thanks to Beto's 49th-minute tally, defeated relegation-threatened Real Sociedad 1-0 at home.

At Barcelona:

Luis Garcia tallied twice (29', 79') to help lead Espanyol to a 3-1 home triumph over Mallorca.

At Pamplona:

Fernando Baiano scored the lone goal (2') in Celta Vigo's 1-0 road win at Osasuna's expense.

Everything's Archie In Smashing Victory For Melbourne

At Melbourne, Australia:

Striker Archie Thompson (picture here; photo by Sebastian Costanzo, The Age)put on an incredible clinic on Sunday, scoring five goals (21', 29', 39', 56', 73') to lead the Melbourne Victory to a 6-0 anihilation of Adelaide United to win the Hyundai A-League Grand Final, the match that determined the professional soccer championship of Australia.

A Pair Of 1-1 Draws In Portugal

Two games were contested Saturday in Portugal's Super Liga:

At Porto:

Kwame Ayew's equalizer at 83 minutes enabled Vitoria Setubal to gain a 1-1 road draw with Boavista.

At Pacos de Ferreira:

Cristiano Moraes enabled Pacos Ferriera to gain a 1-1 home deadlock with second-place Sporting Club Portugal with his 70th-minute equalizer.

Crucial Win For PSV

Three Saturday matches took place in the Dutch Eredivisie:

At Almelo:

Jefferson Farfan (74') and Diego Tardelli (90') provided the scoring for PSV Eindhoven as the league-leading visitors stretched their lead atop the standings to six points following their 2-0 win over struggling SC Heracles Almelo.

At Nijmegen:

NEC Nijmegan, on Edgar Barreto's tally (60'), blanked visiting---and relegation threatened---RKC Waalwijk 1-0.

At Arnhem:

Roda JC Kerkrade and homestanding Vitesse Arnhem battled to a 0-0 draw.

Chalk Up Another WIn For The Bhoys

Four games took place Saturday in the Scottish Premier League:

At Aberdeen:

Celtic, thanks to first-half goals courtesy of Craig Beattie (9') and Shunsuke Nakamura (20'), blanked Aberdeen on the road, 2-0.

At Dunfermline:

Stevie Crawford's successful penalty-kick equalizer (45') enabled Dunfermline to wind up with a 1-1 home deadlock versus Kilmarnock. Steven Naismith tallied (10') for the guests.

At Edinburgh:

Laryea Kingston's equalizer at 71 minutes enabled Hearts to gain a 1-1 home stalemate with St. Mirren, spoiling the Buddies' hopes of being 10 points clear of the drop zone.

At Motherwell:

A Scott McDonald header at 45 minutes enabled Motherwell to rack up a 1-0 home win at the expense of Inverness Caledonian Thistle.

Busy Saturday In Ligue 1

Seven games were played Saturday in France's Ligue 1:

At Sochaux:

Alvaro Santos scored the game winner on a successful 14th-minute penalty kick as FC Sochaux climbed up to fourth place in the Ligue 1 with their 1-0 home win over Le Mans.

At Lorient:

Paulo Cesar's successful 55th-minute penalty kick was the only goal of the match as Toulouse went on to win , 1-0, at Lorient.

At St. Etienne:

John Utaka's double (15', 59') helped spark Rennes to a 3-1 road win over St. Etienne.

At Nancy:

Goals from Pauleta (71'), Pierre-Alain Frau (86'), and Marcelo Gallardo (89') enabled Paris Saint-Germain to break open a tight game and whitewash hosts AS Nancy Lorraine 3-0.

At Troyes:

Troyes, thanks to David Gigliotti's tally (67'), stayed above the relegation zone with their 1-0 home win over Bordeaux.

At Valenciennes:

Bakari Kone's tally (PK-31') provided visiting Nice with the margin of victory as the guests bested fellow strugglers Valenciennes 1-0.

At Sedan:

Daniel Niculae scored twice (15', 90') as AJ Auxerre battled back to draw hosts Sedan 2-2.

Bremen and Bayern Beaten Again

Six games were played Saturday in the Bundesliga in Germany:

At Aachen:

Alexander Klitzpera's 10th-minute goal provided all the scoring as Alemania Aachen knocked off slumping Bayern Munich 1-0 before the home fans.

At Bremen:

Hamburg SV picked up their second straight league win, 2-0 on the road over recently-sagging (and now third-place) Werder Bremen. Rafael van der Vaart provided both goals (PK-42', 87')

At Wolfsburg:

League leading FC Schalke 04's Kevin Kuranyi scored twice (10', 29') in the first half, then homestanding VfL Wolfsburg's Diego Klimowicz (56', 89') did the same in the second half as the two clubs finished deadlocked 2-2.

At Leverkusen:

Thanks to Jan Rosenthal's goal (7'), visiting Hannover 96 climbed up to seventh place in the Bundesliga standings following their 1-0 road win over Bayer Leverkusen.

At Berlin:

Mohamed Zidan (PK-54') and Leon Andreasen (64') sparked a comeback that enabled resurgent Mainz to knock off homestanding Hertha Berlin 2-1.

At Dortmund:

Alexander Frei scored the only goal (19') of Borussia Dortmund's 1-0 victory over relegation-threatened Borussia Mochengladbach.

David Beckham Red Carded In Scoreless Match

Two games were played Saturday in Spain's Premiera Liga:

At Madrid:

In Real Madrid's 0-0 home deadlock with Real Betis, the Galaticos' David Beckham was given a red-card ejection in the 90th minute.

At Zaragoza:

Diego Milito scored the only goal (32') in Real Zaragoza's 1-0 home triumph at the expense of Villarreal.

16 In A Row For Inter; AC Milan (With Ronaldo Scoring Twice In His First Start ) and Empoli Also Win

Three games were contested Saturday in Italy's Serie A:

At Milan:

Nicolas Burdisso's goal (11') was the only goal of Inter Milan's 16th consecutive league win, a 1-0 home decision over Cagliari.

At Siena:

Ronaldo, in his first start since coming over from Real Madrid, scored twice (16', 81') as AC Milan won a wild contest, 4-3, against hosts AC Siena.

At Empoli:

Nicola Pozzi's goal (5') held up as 10-man Empoli knocked off visiting AS Roma 1-0.

Easy Home Triumph For FC Porto

At Porto:

Lisandro Lopez tallied twice (20', 47') to help lift league-topping FC Porto to a 4-0 home fistbeating of Naval 1 de Maio in Friday's only Portuguese BWINLiga contest.

Home Wins For NAC Breda And The King's Army

Two games were played Friday in the Dutch Eredivisie:

At Breda:

Goals from Glen Salmon (31'), Edwin de Graaf (55') , and Maceo Rigters (78') powered NAC Breda to a 3-1 home win over Sparta Rotterdam.

At Tilburg:

Cristiano's double (32', 62') lifted Willem II Tilburg to an important 2-1 come-from-behind home win over basement-occupying ADO Den Haag in a match that saw the hosts climb five points out of the relegation playoff zone.

Comeback Win For Lyon Over Mastiffs

At Lille:

Late goals from Fred (83') and Sebastien Squillaci (89') powered a come-from-behind road win for league-leading Lyon, 2-1, over Lille in Friday's lone Ligue 1 match.

Stuttgart Smash Eintracht Frankfurt

At Frankfurt:

In Friday's only German Bundesliga contest, Roberto Hilbert(2'), Mario Gomez (16'), Ricardo Osorio (44'), and Thomas Hitzlsperger (78') all scored to pace VfB Stuttgart to a 4-0 road demolition of struggling Eintracht Frankfurt. The win placed Stuttgart in sole position, for the time being, of second place in the Bundesliga standings.

More Round Of 32 Action From UEFA Cup

Five games were played Thursday as UEFA Cup round of 32 play continued:

At Bucharest:

Goals from Christian Poulsen (41') and Frederic Kanoute (PK-77') powered reigning UEFA Cup-holders Sevilla to an impressive series-opening 2-0 road win over Steaua Bucharest.

At Moscow:

Maxym Kalynychenko's equalizer (64') enabled Spartak Moscow to salvage a 1-1 home draw with Celta Vigo. Antonio Nunez scored first with a precious road goal (41') for the visitors in game one between the two clubs.

At Gent, Belgium:

Important away goals from Obafemi Martins (PK-59') and Antoine Sibierski (76') helped lift Newcastle United to an impressive series-opening 3-1 victory on the road againt Zulte Waregem (whose home stadium did not meet UEFA requirements, thus the match being played at Gent).

At Braga, Portugal:

Ze Carlos scored the only goal (81') of Sporting Braga's series-opening 1-0 home win over Parma.

At Lens, France:

Issam Jemma's double (49', 70') helped spark Lens to a 3-1 series-opening home victory over Panathinaikos.

Opening Day Of Knockout Stage Matches In UEFA Cup

Wednesday marked the opening day of the round of 32 (or is it 31) of the 2006-07 UEFA Cup. Until the final this coming May in Glasgow, all rounds from here on our would feature two-game, total goal, home-and -away sets, with away goals counting double. Ten games were played Wednesday. Keep this in mind: Tottenham Hotspur, originally scheduled to play a two-game set against Feyenoord Rotterdam, has been advanced into the round of 16 because of the Dutch club's banishment from the tournament because of crowd trouble in a November contest versus AS Nancy Lorraine.

At Leverkusen, Germany:

Brend Scheider scored the game winner at 56 minutes as Bayer Leverkusen held off visiting Blackburn 3-2. The Rovers' chances of winning this series, though, got a lift when the visitors' Shabani Nonda scored at 86 minutes.

At Tel-Aviv, Israel:

Barukh Dego scored the game winner (76') to lift Hapoel Tel-Aviv to a 2-1 opening-match home win over Rangers, handing the Glasgow club their first defeat in European play this season.

At Leghorn (or is it Livorno), Italy:

Goals from Walter Pandiani (PK-28') and Mohamed El Yaagoubi (59') lifted Espanyol to an important 2-1 road win in their opener against Livorno.

At Istanbul, Turkey:

Goals from Tumer Metin (28', 75') and Tuncay Sanli (67') enabled Fenerbahce to come back from a 3-1 deficit to tie visiting AZ Alkmaar 3-3 in game one of the two clubs' two-game set.

At Donetsk, Ukraine:

Visiting AS Nancy Lorraine and FC Shakhtar Donetsk battled to a 1-1 draw in their series opener. Marc-Antoine Fortune scored (81') to give ASNL a late lead only to see the hosts Darijo Srna equalize(84') .

At Bordeaux, France:

Visiting Osasuna and Bordeaux battled to a 0-0 stalemate in game one of their two-game set.

At Bremen, Germany:

Thanks to goals from Per Mertesacker (48'), Nando (54'), and Torsten Frings (71'), Werder Bremen manhandled visiting Ajax Amsterdam in the two clubs' series opener 3-0.

At Vladikavkas, Russia:

In a match played some 1200 miles south of Moscow, CSKA Moscow had to settle for a 0-0 draw with guests Maccabi Haifa in game one of the clubs' two-game set.

At Lisbon:

Fabrizio Miccoli's game winner (90') lifted SL Benfica to a 1-0 series-opening home victory over Dinamo Bucharst.

At Athens:

Sammy Traore (45'+1)and Bernard Mendy (88') put Paris Saint-Germain in the driver's seat in their two-game set with AEK Athens after the French club's 2-0 road triumph in the opener.

Ajax Closer To Top Spot; PSV and Sparta Rotterdam Draw

Four games were played Sunday in the Dutch Eredivisie:

At The Hague:

Second-half goals from Johnny Heitinga (58') and Klaas-Jan Huntelaar (70') lifted Ajax Amsterdam to a come-from-behind 2-1 road win over basement occupants ADO Den Haag. The win moves Ajax into second place and to within three points of league-leading PSV Eindhoven.

At Rotterdam:

Haris Medunjanin's equalizer (76') lifted Sparta Rotterdam to a 1-1 home draw with league-leading PSV Eindhoven, whose lead over Ajax Amsterdam was sliced to three points.

At Enschede:

Kennedy Bakircioglu's double (57', 88') helped power Twente Enschede to their fourth consecutive league triumph, a 3-0 home whitewashing of Feyenoord Rotterdam.

At Utrecht:

Peter Kopteff's tally (76') lifted FC Utrecht to a 1-0 home victory over NAC Breda.

Ken Boyd Hat Trick Powers Rangers

At Kilmarnock:

Kris Boyd, by haunting his former team with his hat trick (PK-9', 30', PK-60'), powered Rangers to a 3-1 road win over Kilmarnock.

Lens and Bordeaux Win At Home

Two games were played Sunday in France's Ligue 1:

At Lens:

Vitorino Hilton (28'), Seydou Keita (30'), and Aruna Dindane (58') scored to lead Lens to a 3-1 home win over Sochaux.

At Bordeaux:

Julian Faubert's 75th-minute tally was the only score of the match that saw Bordeaux win one at home 1-0 over Marseille.

Beyern Back On Winning Track

Two games were played Sunday in the German Bundesliga:

At Munich:

Roy Makaay scored the only goal of the match (8') as Bayern Munich gave Ottmar Hitzfeld his first win since returning as Bayern's head coach, a 1-0 home win over Arminia Bielefeld, whose coach, Thomas von Heesen will step down on Monday.

At Bochum:

Ivan Saenko's really late double (88', 90') propelled FC Nurnberg into fifth place with a 2-0 road win over struggling VfL Bochum.

Ronaldinho Leads Barca Over Racing Santander

Eight Sunday matches were contested in the Spanish Premiera Liga:

At Barcelona:

Ronaldinho's double (51', 67') powered league-leading Barcelona to a 2-0 home win over Racing Santander.

At Vigo:

Goals from Luis Garcia (23') and Walter Pandiani (57') lifted Espanyol to a 2-0 home victory over struggling Celta Vigo.

At Palma de Mallorca:

Jose Carlos Nunes (57') and Bosko Jankovic (83') scored the goals that lifted Mallorca to a 2-1 come-from-behind home win over Real Zaragoza.

At Madrid:

Second-half goals from Mario Cotelo (46'), Daniel Guiza (58'), and Nacho Perez (79') enable Getafe to break open a closely fought game (scoreless at halftime) and pummel visiting visiting Valencia 3-0.

At Villarreal:

Joan Verdu's goal (79') sealed Deportivo La Coruna's first road win of the league season, 2-0 at Villarreal.

At Tarragona:

Roberto Soldado's double (71', 75') sparked Osasuna's come-from-behind 3-2 road win over basement occupants Gimanstic de Tarragona.

At Valencia:

Salvador Ballesta Vialcho's double (17', 42') lifted Levante to a 2-1 home win over Recreativo Huelva.

At Madrid:

Atletico Madrid continued their search for a Champions League berth, thanks to their 1-0 home win over struggling Athletic Bilbao. Sergio Aguero notched the game's only tally (64').

Comeback Win For Gunners; Bolton Winners Too

Two games were played Sunday in the English Premier League:

At London:

Tomas Rosicky's game winner (85') enabled Arsenal to come from a one-goal halftime deficit to defeat visiting Wigan Athletic 2-1.

At Bolton:

Goals from Gary Speed (PK-23') and Kevin Nolan (51') lifted Bolton to a 2-1 home win over Fulham.

Action Resumes In Italy

Action resumed in Italy on Sunday after last weekend's postponements in the wake of the deadly rioting that took place in Catania. Many stadiums were deemed by the Italian government as not up to new security standards, forcing several scheduled matches to be played behind closed doors.

Ten games were played Sunday afternoon in Serie A (no night games will be allowed for the time being, this being another safety and securtiy measure):

At Verona:

Goals from Adriano (1') and Hernan Crespo (51') lifted league-leading Inter Milan to a 2-0 road win over Chievo Verona for their 15th consecutive league victory.

At Milan:

AC Milan, thanks to goals from Gennaro Gattuso (29') and Marek Jankulovski (68'), defeated visiting Livorno 2-1 to move within two points of a Champions League berth.

At Florence:

Reginaldo (16') and Giampaolo Pazzini (44') provided the scoring to lead Fiorentina to a 2-0 home shutout against Udinese.

At Genoa:

Goals from Christian Maggio (48') and Daniele Franceschini (75') paced Sampdoria to a 2-0 home win over basement-hogging Ascoli.

At Bergamo:

At a contest played behind closed doors, Lazio and hosts Atalanta played to a 0-0 draw.

At Messina:

Giuseppe Mascara's equalizer (60') enabled Catania Calcio to gain a 1-1 road deadlock with Messina in a match played behind closed doors.

At Turin:

Rolando Bianchi's second-half double (48', 58') lifted Reggina to a 2-1 road win over Torino.

At Cagliari:

Paul Codrea's equalizer (83') lifted AC Siena to a 2-2 road stalemate with Cagliari Calcio.

At Palermo:

Sergio Almiron scored the lone goal (47') of a match won by guests Empoli 1-0 at the expense of Palermo.

At Rome:

Three different goal scorers, Francesco Totti (50'), Simone Perrotta (66'), and Rodrigo Taddei (90') powered AS Roma to a 3-0 win over vistiting Parma.

AZ Only Three Points Back Of PSV; RKC Out Of Basement

Four games populated the Saturday Dutch Eredivisie Schedule:

At Alkmaar:

Goals from Danny Koevermans (15') and Maarten Martens (71') powered AZ Alkmaar into second place in the Eredivisie standings, just three points behind frontrunning PSV Eindhoven, as the hosts blanked Willem II Tilburg 2-0.

At Waalwijk:

Thanks to goals from Jan Vertonghen (35') and Ricky van der Bergh (85'), RKC Waalwijk climbed out of the Eredivisie basement as they defeated visiting SC Heracles Almelo 2-0.

At Kerkrade:

Bas Sibum scored the only goal (32') of Roda JC Kerkrade's 1-0 home win over NEC Nijmegen, giving Raymond Atteveld his first win as head coach of The Pride of the South Koempels.

At Heerenveen:

Visiting Vitesse Arnhem and SC Heerenveen battled to a 0-0 stalemate.

Another Win For Celtic

Five games were contested Saturday in the Scottish Premier League:

At Glasgow:

Celtic stretched their lead atop the SPL to 22 points with their 1-0 home win over Hibernian. Craig Beattie's goal at 54 minutes was the game's only score.

At Aberdeen:

Three different goal scorers enabled Aberdeen to clean visiting---and cellar-dwelling---Dunfermline's clock 3-0. Darren Mackie (33'), Barry Nicholson (PK-58'), and Steve Lovell (83') provided the tallies for the hosts, who now move to within one point of second place.

At Edinburgh:

Sub Michal Pospisil scored the lone goal (82') in Heart of Midlothian's 1-0 home triumph over Inverness Caledonian Thistle.

At St. Mirren:

Barry Robson provided the lone tally (78') as Dundee United defeated hosts St. Mirren 1-0.

At Falkirk:

Second-half goals from Scott McDonald (66') and Darren Lee Smith (67') lifted visiting Motherwell to a 2-1 come-from-behind triumph over Falkirk.

Lyon Back On Winning Track

Eight games were played Saturday in France's Ligue 1:

At Lyon:

Fred scored the lone goal of the match (8') as Lyon snapped out of their 2007 funk with a 1-0 win over visiting Lorient.

At Paris:

Two goals during each half lifted Paris Saint Germain to a 4-2 home win over AS Monaco in their fight to avoid relegation.

At Nantes:

Steve Savidan's Hat Trick (18', 72', 88') helped power Valenciennes to a convincing 5-2 road triumph over Nantes.

At Auxerre:

Matt Moussilou's equalizer (75') lifted St. Etienne to a 1-1 road deadlock with AJ Auxerre.

At Nice:

In a battle between two clubs fighting to avoid relegation, Nice picked up a nice 3-0 home win over Troyes. Lilian Laslandes scored twice 45', 58') for the hosts.

At Le Mans:

Goals from Mamadou Samassa (14') , Romaric Koffi (67') , and Grafite (73') enabled homestanding Le Mans to hold off basement-occupying Sedan 3-2.

At Rennes:

John Utaka's 87th-minute equalizer enabled Rennes to gain a 1-1 home stalemate with AS Nancy Lorraine.

At Toulouse:

Thanks to an own goal in second-half stoppage time from Lille's Gregory Tafforeau, Toulouse picked up a 1-0 home win at the Mastiffs' expense.

Schalke 04 Tighten Grip On Top Of Standings

Six games were played Saturday in the German Bundesliga:

At Gelsenkirchen:

Second-half goals from Kevin Kuranyi (64') and Peter Lovenkrands (75') lifted FC Schalke 04 to a 2-0 home victory over Hertha Berlin, thus allowing the Royal Blues to stretch their Bundesliga lead over Werder Bremen (who lost to VfB Stuttgart) to six points.

At Stuttgart:

Four different goal scorers lifted third-place VfB Stuttgart to within one point of second place as the hosts smothered Werder Bremen 4-1.

At Leverkusen:

Bayer Leverkusen was able to salvage a 2-2 home draw with Eintracht Frankfurt, thanks to Stefan Kiessling's equalizer during second-half stoppage time.

At Mochengladbach:

In a battle that saw both teams now sitting in the drop zone, Alemania Aaachen and homestanding Borussia Mochengladbach battled to a 0-0 stalemate.

At Hamburg:

Basement-dwelling Hamburg SV picked up their first home league win of the season (and first league overall since late last October), whitewashing Borussia Dortmund 3-0. Rafael van der Vaart (PK-11'), Collin Benjamin (39'), and Mehdi Mahdavikia (90') provided the scoring for HSV.

At Mainz:

Mohamed Zidan's hat trick (22', PK-39', 60') helped lift Mainz to a decisive 4-1 win over visiting Energie Cottbus which lifted the hosts out of the relegation zone.

"Becks" and Ruud Spark Galaticos Comeback

Two games were played Saturday in Spain's Premiera Division:

At San Sebastian:

Goals from David Beckham (37') and Ruud van Nistelrooy (48') lifted Real Madrid to a come-from-behind 2-1 win on the road over relegation-threatened Real Sociedad.

At Seville:

The local derby between FC Sevilla and hosts Real Betis wound up as a 0-0 stalemate.

Wins For Red Devils and Blues

Eight matches were contested Saturday in the English Premier League:

At Manchester:

Thanks to goals from Ji-Sung Park (24') and Darren Fletcher (82'), Manchester United maintained their six-point lead over Chelsea in the EPL standings with a 2-0 home win over relegation zone residents Charlton Athletic.

At Chelsea:

Didier Drogra's double (45', 83) helped ignite Chelsea's 3-0 home whitewashing of Middlesbrough to stay six points back of Manchester United.

At Newcastle:

Obafemi Martins (26') and Nolberto Solano (PK-70') provided the goals that lifted Newcastle United to a 2-1 come-from-behind home win over Liverpool.

At Reading:

Steve Sidwell's double (16', 90') provided all the scoring for Reading as the Royals racked up their fourth straight league victory, 2-0 at home over Aston Villa.

At Sheffield:

Phil Jagielka's successful penalty kick (62') lifted Sheffield United to a 2-1 home win over Tottenham Hotspur.

At Liverpool:

Andrew Johnson's tally (10') was the only score of Everton's 1-0 home triumph at Blackburn's expense.

At London:

Darius Henderson's successful penalty kick (12') lifted bottom-occupying Watford to a 1-0 road win over underachieving---and fellow relegation zone residents---West Ham United.

At Portsmouth:

Nwankwo Kanu's game winner (81') lifted Portsmouth to a 2-1 home win over Manchester City.

More Problems For Excelsior

At Rotterdam:

Goals from Goran Lovre (23') and Luis Suarez (49') lifted FC Groningen to a 2-0 road win over relegation-threatened Excelsior in the lone Friday Dutch Eredivisie match.

Wolfsburg and Hannover Share Spoils In North German Derby

At Hannover:

In Friday's only German Bundesliga contest, Frank Fahrenhorst scored the equalizer (62') to lift Hannover 96 to a 2-2 home draw with VfL Wolfsburg.

Feyenoord Banishment From UEFA Cup Upheld

Lausanne, Switzerland:

The Court of Arbitration for Sport's decision, it was announced on Friday, upheld Feyenoord Rotterdam's banishment from the UEFA Cup competition. This banishment was the product of crowd trouble at November match on the road against AS Nancy Lorraine. UEFA had banished Feyenoord from the tournament and fined the Dutch club roughly $80,000 (US Money). Tottenham Hotspur, Feyenoord's scheduled round-of-32 knockout opponent, will receive a bye to the round of 16.

Another Team USA Home Win Over Mexico

At Glendale, Arizona:

Goals from Jimmy Conrad (52') and Landon Donovan (90'+1) lifted the United States to a 2-0 home win over archrival Mexico in an exhibition match. The Americans are 7-0-1 at home against the Mexicans since 2000. Bob Bradley became only the second Team USA head coach (out of 32) to begin his coaching stint with two wins in as many matches.

Ireland Pulls Out Win At San Marino In EURO 2008 Qualifyer

At Serravalle, San Marino:

Stephen Ireland lived up to his name as he scored the winning goal at 90 minutes to lift the Republic of Ireland to a 2-1 road win in Group D play over a very game San Marino squad.

Italian Calcio To Resume This Weekend

From Rome:

Italy's soccer federation announced on Wednesday that soccer matches will resume this coming weekend, after the government approved a tough set of measures to fight hooliganism, despite opposition to such measures by clubs. More details here.

Perhaps the English had the right idea about combating what has for far too long a major blight on "the beautiful game." After that disgracful episode last Friday at Catania, outside Angelo Massimino Stadium during the second half of , and following the Sicilian Derby with Palermo, which resulted in the death of a local policeman, leading to the postponement of the rest of last weekend's league matches....not to mention the cancellation of an originally scheduled exhibition match by the national team against Romania, there's NO question that tough measures had to place place, or there might have been no more league soccer played in Italy this season. There has been word that scheduled home matches in the round of 16 in this year's UEFA Champions League for the three Italian clubs still in the competition (AC Milan, Inter Milan, and AS Roma) may be moved to neutral sites. If these measures mean a great many Italian league matches may be played in empty stadia, so be it.