Thursday, February 28, 2019

CONCACAF Champions League: Five Stripes, SKC Advance To Quarterfinals

The opening round of the CONCACAF Champions League closed out on Thursday with two games.

At Kennesaw, Georgia:

Josef Martinez scored twice (1', 63') as Atlanta United scored twice in each half as they erased a two-goal aggregate deficit after their series-opening defeat in Costa Rica by demolishing visiting Herediano 4-0 in game two and won their series 5-3 on aggregate.

At Toluca, Mexico:

Gerso Fernandes (8') and Krisztian Nemeth (PK-62') each scored once as Sporting Kansas City blanked Toluca 2-0 on the road in game two and finished off the Mexican club 5-0 on aggregate.



Here are the matchups for the quarterfinal round with the schedule for individual two-game series and the game-one hosts listed first:

March 5 and 12:

New York Red Bulls (USA) vs. Santos Laguna (Mexico)

Houston Dynamo (USA) vs. Tigres (Mexico)



March 6 and 14:

Independiente (Panama) vs. Sporting Kansas City (USA)



March 6 and 13:

Monterrey (Mexico) vs. Atlanta United (USA)


Club Libertad Outlast Atletico Nacional In PK Thrill To Advance To Copa Libertadores Group Stage

At Medellin, Colombia:

In the final game of the third and final round of Copa Libertadores qualifying, after Atletico Nacional squared their series with visiting Club Libertad at 1-1 on aggregate after their 1-0 game-two regulation victory, and with overtime dispensed with, Jorge Recalde, Edgar Benitez, Ayrton Cougo, Adrian Martinez, and Sergio Aquino all converted their spot kicks as the Paraguayan club topped the hosts 5-4 in the penalty-kick shootout to advance to the group stage.

Group stage play opens next Tuesday.  

Are are the eight groups:

GROUP A:

River Plate (Argentina; defending champions)

Internacional (Brazil)

Allianza Lima (Peru)

Palestino (Chile)



GROUP B:

Cruzeiro (Brazil)

Club Sport Emelec (Ecuador)

Huracan (Argentina)

Deportivo Lara (Venezuela)



GROUP C:

Club Olimpia (Paraguay)

Sporting Cristal (Peru)

Godoy Cruz (Argentina)

Universidad de Concepcion (Chile)



GROUP D:

Penarol (Uruguay)


Flamengo (Brazil)

LDU Quito (Ecuador)

Club San Jose (Bolivia)



GROUP E:

Club Nacional (Uruguay)

Cerro Porteno (Paraguay)

Zamora FC (Venezuela)

Atletico Mineiro (Brazil)



GROUP F:

Palmeiras (Brazil)

San Lorenzo (Argentina)

Atletico Junior (Colombia)

FBC Melgar (Peru)



GROUP G:

Boca Juniors (Argentina)

Atletico Paranaense (Brazil)

Jorge Wilstermann (Bolivia)

Deportes Tolima (Colombia)



GROUP H:

Gremio (Brazil)

Universidad Catolica (Chile)

Rosario Central (Argentina)

Club Libertad (Paraguay)


Wednesday, February 27, 2019

CONCACAF Champions League: Santos, Red Bulls, Striped Gang Advance To Quarterfinals

Three games were contested as the opening round of the CONCACAF Champions League continued.

At Torreon, Mexico:

Marlos Moreno opened the scoring in the 19th minute as Santos Laguna destroyed visiting CD Marathon 5-0 in game two to finish their two-match fist-beating of the Honduran club 11-2 on aggregate.

At Harrison, New York:

Sean Davis (27'), Daniel Royer (PK-32'), and Andreas Ivan (75') each scored once as the New York Red Bulls dominated visiting Atletico Pantoja 3-0 in game two and finished off the club from the Dominican Republic 5-0 on aggregate.

At Guadalupe, Mexico:

Nicolas Sanchez scored the only goal of both the match and series with his successfully-converted penalty kick in the 86th minute as Monterrey defeated visiting Alianza 1-0 in game two and by that same score on aggregate to advance to the quarterfinals.

Copa Libertadores Qualifying: Atletico Mineiro, Palestino Advance To Group Stage

Two games were contested as the third and final round of Copa Libertadores qualifying continued.

At Belo Horizonte, Brazil:

A 0-0 game-two home stalemate with Defensor Sporting was good enough for Atletico Mineiro as the Brazilian club won their series with their neighbors from Uruguay 2-0 on aggregate.

At Santiago, Chile:

Luis Jimenez (70') and Cristobal Jorquera (90') each scored once in the final half hour as Palestino defeated visiting Talleres 2-1 in game two and won their series 4-3 on aggregate.

OFC Champions League: Auckland City On Cusp Of Advancing To Quarterfinals; Magenta Shock Warriors In Solomon Islands

Two games from Group D of the OFC Champions League (both contested at Lawson Tama Stadium in Honiara, Solomon Islands) were played on Wednesday.

In the opener, Maro Bonsu-Maro produced a second-half quadruple (65', 69', 74', 90'+2) while Omar Guardiola (20', 40', 57') and Fabrizio Tavano (28', 63', 85') each delivered a hat trick and David Browne (52', 82') Micah Lea'alafa (62', 84') each contributed a double as Auckland City slaughtered Tupapa Maraerenga 15-0.

In the nightcap, Richard Sele scored twice (32', PK-45'5) as AS Magenta dominated hosts Solomon Warriors 3-0.

Group D Standings:

1. Auckland City (GP: 2; GD: +16; PTS: 3)
2. Solomon Warriors (GP: 2; GD: +6; PTS: 3)
3. AS Magenta (GP: 2; GD: +2; PTS: 3)
4. Tupapa Maraerenga (GP: 2; GD: -24; PTS: 0) 

Tuesday, February 26, 2019

CONCACAF Champions League: Dynamo, Tigres, Independiente Advance To Quarterfinals; TFC Eliminated

Three games were on the Tuesday schedule as the opening round of the CONCACAF Champions League resumed.

At Toronto:

Omar Browne's goal in the 67th minute lifted Independiente to a 1-1 game-two road draw with Toronto FC as the Panamanian club ousted the Canadian MLS club 5-1 on aggregate.

At San Nicolas de los Garza, Mexico:

Enner Valencia produced a hat trick (PK-25', 27', 67') as Tigres demolished visiting Deportivo Saprissa 5-1 in game two and ousted the Costa Rican club 5-2 on aggregate.

At Houston:

Mauro Manotas scored twice (77', 85') as the Houston Dynamo defeated visiting Guastatoya 2-1 in game two to eliminated the Guatemalan club 3-1 on aggregate.

Copa Libertadores: Melgar Advance To Group Stage Despite Game-Two Road Defeat

At Caracas, Venezuela:

Bernardo Cuesta scored the series-winning goal in the 89th minute as FBC Melgar, despite dropping a 2-1 game-two road defeat on Tuesday won their series with Caracas FC 3-2 on aggregate to advance to the Copa Libertadores' group stage.

Wolves Fall At Huddersfield Town

At Huddersfield, England:

Steve Mounie scored the stoppage-time game winner (90'+1) on Tuesday as Huddersfield Town, currently sitting in the English Premier League basement (and now eleven points adrift from safety) upended visiting Wolverhampton Wanderers 1-0.

OFC Champions League: Team Wellington Make Mince Meat Of Kiwi, Advance to Quarterfinals; Erakor and Ba Battle To 1-1 Draw

Two games, both in Group C, were contested at Korman Stadium in Port Vila, Papua New Guinea as OFC Champions League group-stage play continued on Tuesday.

In the opener, Ross Allen scored six goals (26', 28', 59', 61', 63', 84') while Nathanael Hailemariam added a first-half hat trick (8', 12', 41') and Daniel Mulholland a second-half double (83', 90'+2) as Team Wellington nuked (and eliminated) Kiwi FC 13-0 to clinch a berth in the quarterfinal round.

In the nightcap, Erakor Golden Star hosted Ba FC in a match that ended in a 1-1 deadlock.

Group C Standings:

1. x-Team Wellington (GP: 2; GD: +15; PTS: 6)
2.     Erakor Golden Star (GP: 2; GD: +2; PTS: 4)
3.     Ba FC (GP: 2; GD: -2; PTS: 1)
4. z-Kiwi FC (GP: 2; GD: -15; PTS: 0)

x-Clinched berth in quarterfinal round

z-Eliminated

Monday, February 25, 2019

Lions Battle Maritimo To Goose-Egg Draw

At Funchal, Portugal:

In Monday Portuguese Liga action, the match between Maritimo and visiting Sporting CP ended in a 0-0 stalemate.

Monaco Stretch Unbeaten Run After Home Win

At Fontvieille, Monaco:

Gelson Martins (18') and Rony Lopes (27') each scored once on Sunday as AS Monaco stretched their French Ligue 1 unbeaten run to four games (three wins and a draw) by blanking visiting Lyon (currently second in the league standings) 2-0.

OFC Champions League: Solomon Warriors, Auckland City Gather Sunday Wins

Group-stage play in the OFC Champions League continued on Sunday with two Group D contests, both played at Lawson Tama Stadium in Honiara, Solomon Islands:

In the opener, Micah Lea'alafa scored the winning goal in the 30th minute as Auckland City defeated New Caledonia's AS Magenta 2-1.

In the nightcap, Kensi Tangis scored twice (18', 51') as the host country's Solomon Warriors made mince meat of the Cook Islands' Tupapa Maraerenga 10-1.

Group D Standings:

1. Solomon Warriors (GP: 1; GD: +9; PTS: 3)
2. Auckland City (GP: 1; GD: +1; PTS: 3)
3. AS Magenta (GP: 1; GD: -1; PTS: 3)
4. Tupapa Maraerenga (GP: 1; GD: -9; PTS: 0)

Saturday, February 23, 2019

OFC Champions League: Team Wellington, Erakor Golden Star Gain Saturday 2-0 Wins

OFC Champions League group-stage play resumed on Saturday with two games, both in Group C, and both contested at Korman Stadium, Port Vila, Papua New Guinea.

In the opener, Aaron Clapham (9') and Ross Allen (17') each scored once as Team Wellington opened their title defense with a 2-0 blanking of Fiji's Ba FC.

In the nightcap, Elias Silvar Junior (58') and Jacky Ruben (70') each produced a goal as hosts Erakor Golden Star blanked Samoa's Kiwi 2-0.

Group C Standings:

1. Team Wellington (GP: 1; GD: +2; PTS: 3)
    Erakor Golden Star (GP: 1; GD: +2; PTS: 3)
3. Ba FC (GP: 1; GD: -2; PTS: 0)
    Kiwi (GP: 1; GD: -2; PTS: 0)

Bayern Win Sends Munich Club Level On Points With Dortmund Atop Bundesliga Standings

At Munich:

Javi Martinez scored the only goal of the match in the 62nd minute on Saturday as Bayern Munich went level on points alongside Borussia Dortmund atop the German Bundesliga standings following their 1-0 home victory over Hertha Berlin.

Road Draw For Wolves

At Bounemouth, England:

Raul Jimenez delivered a game-tying goal in the 83rd minute with a successfully-converted penalty kick as Wolverhampton Wanderers gained a 1-1 Saturday English Premier League road draw with AFC Bournemouth.

Joshua King converted a penalty kick in the 14th minute for the hosts' tally.

CAF Champions League: CS Constantine and Ismaily Battle to Draw in Egypt

At Alexandria, Egypt:

The lone Saturday CAF Champions League contest, a Group C affair between newly-reinstated Ismaily and visiting CS Constantine, resulted in a 1-1 deadlock.

Benson Shilongo scored for the hosts in the 69th minute, only to see Emad Hamdy delivered a stoppage-time (90'+4) equalizer for the Algerian club.

GROUP C STANDINGS:

1. CS Constantine (GP: 3; GD: +4; PTS: 7)
2. TP Mazembe (GP: 4; GD: +7; PTS: 7)
3. Club Africain (GP: 4; GD: -6; PTS: 4)
4. Ismaily (GP: 3; GD: -5; PTS: 1)

NOTE:  CS Constantine defeated visiting TP Mazembe 3-0 on January 19.

Friday, February 22, 2019

Parakeets Have Friday Home Draw With Huesca

At Barcelona:

Xabier Etxeitia's equalizer in the 47th minute lifted Huesca to a 1-1 Friday Spanish Primera Division road draw with Espanyol.

Esteban Granero scored in the 20th minute for the Parakeets.

Rousing Home Win For Rossoneri

At Milan, Italy:

Krzysztof Piatek (49'), Franck Kessie (51'), and Samu Castillejo (67') each scored a second-half goal on Friday as AC Milan broke open what had been a scoreless stalemate at halftime and won going away from visiting Empoli 3-0 in Italian Serie A action.

Thursday, February 21, 2019

CONCACAF Champions League: SKC Red Hot In Series Opener; Five Stripes Not So Hot

The opening round of the CONCACAF Champions League is set to reach its' midway point on Thursday with two games.

At Kansas City, Kansas:

Krisztian Nemeth (35'), Gerso Fernandes (52'), and Ilie Sanchez (72') each scored once as Sporting Kansas City dominated visiting Toluca 3-0 in their series opener.

At Heredia, Costa Rica:

Randall Azofeifa scored the winning goal as Herediano knocked off visiting Atlanta United 3-1 in their series opener, spoiling the Five Stripes' Champions League debut contest.

Copa Libertadores Third Qualifying Round: Libertad Top Nacional In Series Opener

At Asuncion, Paraguay:

In Thursday series-opening contest in the Copa Libertadores' third and final qualifying round, Oscar Cardozo's goal in the 54th minute lifted Club Libertad to a 1-0 home win over Atletico Nacional.

Europa League: Dinamo Zagreb, Red Bull Salzburg, Inter, Chelsea, Zenit, Yellow Sub, Gunners Advance To Round of 16

Fifteen games were contested on Thursday as action in the Europa League's Round of 32 concluded.

At Zagreb, Croatia:

Mislav Orsic (15'), Emir Dilaver (34'), Bruno Petkovic (73') each scored once as Dinamo Zagreb overcame their series-opening road defeat by dominating visiting FC Viktoria Plzen 3-0 in game two and won their series 4-2 on aggregate.

At Salzburg, Austria:

Patson Daka scored twice (29', 43') as FC Red Bull Salzburg overcame their series-opening defeat by demolishing visiting Club Brugge 4-0 in game two and ousted the Belgian club 5-2 on aggregate.

At Milan, Italy:

Matias Vecino (11'), Andrea Ranocchia (18'), Ivan Perisic (80'), and Matteo Politano (87') each scored once as Inter Milan demolished visiting Rapid Vienna 4-0 in game two and eliminated the Austrian club 5-0 on aggregate.

At Genk, Belgium:

Milan Skoda scored twice (64', 69') as Slavia Prague overpowered KRC Genk 4-0 the road in game two and won their series by that same score on aggregate.

At Leverkusen, Germany:

Magomed-Shapi Suleymanov's goal in the 84th minute as FC Krasnodar gained a game-two 1-1 road draw with Bayer Leverkusen, which enabled the Russian club, with the aggregate score also at 1-1, to win their series on away goals.

At Naples, Italy:

Simone Verdi (43') and Adam Ounas (75') each scored once as Napoli blanked visiting FC Zurich 2-0 in game two and won their series 5-1 on aggregate.

At London:

Olivier Giroud (55'), Ross Barkley (74'), and Callum Hudson-Odoi (84') each scored once as Chelsea dominated visiting Malmo FF 3-0 in game two and took out the Swedish club 5-1 on aggregate.

At Frankfurt, Germany:

Sebastien Haller scored twice (PK-27', 80') as Eintracht Frankfurt defeated visiting Shakhtar Donetsk 4-1 in game two and eliminated the Ukrainian club 6-3 on aggregate.

At Valencia, Spain:

Kevin Gameiro scored the goal of the match in the 70th minute as Valencia defeated visiting Celtic 1-0 in game two and ousted the Bhoys 3-0 on aggregate.

At Seville, Spain:

Amir Bensebaini (32'), Adrien Hunou (30'), and Mbaye Niang (90'+4) each scored once as Rennes knocked off Real Betis 3-1 on the road in game two and won their series 6-4 on aggregate.

At Kiev, Ukraine:

Francisco Sol Ortiz scored the only goal of the match in the 32nd minute as Dynamo Kiev defeated visiting Olympiacos 1-0 in game two and won their series 3-2 on aggregate.

At Saint Petersburg, Russia:

Sardar Azmoun scored twice (37', 76') as Zenit Saint Petersburg downed visiting Fenerbahce 3-1 in game two and won their series 3-2 on aggregate.

At Villarreal, Spain:

Pablo Fornals scored the series-winning goal in the 80th minute as Villarreal gained a 1-1 game-two home draw with Sporting CP and won their series 2-1 on aggregate.

At London:

Zakhar Volkov (OG-4'), Shkodran Mustafi (39'), and Sokratis Papastathopoulos (80') each scored once as Arsenal dominated visiting FC BATE Borisov 3-0 in game two and knocked out the Belorussian club 3-1 on aggregate.

At Lisbon:

Despite being held to a 0-0 game-two home stalemate by Galatasaray, SL Benfica still won their series with the Turkish club 2-1 on aggregate.

Wednesday, February 20, 2019

Say Hello

To Nashville SC, Music City's new Major League Soccer club, set to commence play next year.


CONCACAF Champions League: Series-Opening Road Wins For Red Bulls, Santos Laguna; Goose Eggs For Alianza And Striped Gang

The first round of the CONCACAF Champions League  continued on Wednesday with three games.

At San Pedro Sula, Honduras:

Javier Correa delivered a hat trick (20', 32', 38') in the first half as Santos Laguna demolished Marathon 6-2 on the road in the opening match of their two-game series.

At Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic:

Jean Innocent (OG-39') and Daniel Royer (67') each scored once as the New York Red Bulls blanked Atletico Pantoja 2-0 on the road in their series opener.

At San Salvador, El Salvador:

Alianza FC and visiting Monterrey battled to a series-opening 0-0 stalemate.

Copa Libertadores

Two games were contested on Wednesday as the third round of Copa Libertadores qualifying continued.

At Montevideo, Uruguay:

Rever Humberto Alves Araujo (10') and Juan Cazares (77') each scored once as Atletico Mineiro blanked Defensor Sporting 2-0 in their series-opening match on the road.

At Cordoba, Argentina:

Casar Cortes (44') and Guillermo Soto (67') each scored a goal as Palestino erased a two-goal deficit to gain a series-opening 2-2 road draw with Talleres.

Dayro Moreno (2') and Juan Ramirez (PK-34') each tallied once for the hosts.

UEFA Champions League: Game-One Wins For Citizens, Mattress Makers

Round-of-16 action in the UEFA Champions League is set to continue on Wednesday with two games, both to kick off at 12:00 Noon Pacific Time.

At Gelsenkirchen, Germany:













Five minutes after Leroy Sene's 85th-minute equalizer (that's him celebrating afterward), Raheem Sterling scored the late game winner at 90 minutes as Manchester City, despite finishing the game with only ten men,  came from behind to upend Schalke 3-2 in the opening match of their two-game series.

At Madrid:














Jose Gimenez (78'; that's him celebrating after scoring) and Diego Godin (83') each scored late in the second half as Atletico Madrid blanked visiting Juventus 2-0.

Getty Images photos

Europa League: Sevilla Finish Off Young Eagles, Advance To Round of 16

At Seville, Spain:

In the lone Wednesday Europa League Round-of-32 contest, Wissam Ben Yedder (20') and Pablo Sarabia (78') each scored once as Sevilla blanked visiting Lazio 2-0 in game two and took out the Italian club 3-0 on aggregate.

Tuesday, February 19, 2019

AFC Champions League Qualifying Conclues

The third and final qualifying round for the AFC Champions League took place on Tuesday with eight games.

EAST REGION:

At Ulsan, South Korea:

Mix Diskerud scored twice (56', 58') during a two-minute stretch of the second half as Ulsan Hyundai demolished visiting Perak of Malaysia 5-1 to advance to the group stage.

At Jinan, China:

Graziano Pelle scored what proved to be the game winner in the 73rd minute as Shandong Luneng overcame a 1-0 halftime deficit with four unanswered goals as they manhandled visiting Hanoi FC of Vietnam 4-1.

At Hiroshima, Japan:

After 120 scoreless minutes, Anderson Patric, Yoshifumi Kashiwa, Yuki Nogami, and Taishi Matsumoto converted their spot kicks as Sanfrecce Hiroshima topped visiting Chiangrai United 4-3 in the penalty-kick shootout.

At Kashima, Japan:

Serginho scored twice (PK-67', 90'+1) as Kashima Antlers ousted visiting Newcastle Jets of Australia 4-1.



WEST REGION:

At Dubai, United Arab Emirates:

Marat Bikmaev scored the game winner at 50 minutes as Pakhtakor knocked off Al-Nasr 2-1 on the road.

At Riyadh, Saudi Arabia:

Giuliano Victor de Paula scored twice (80', 90'+3) as Al-Nassr demolished visiting AGMK 4-0.

At Al Rayyan, Qatar:

Mohammad Mehdi scored the winning goal in the 79th minute as Zob Ahan knocked off Al-Gharafa 3-2 on the road.

At Doha, Qatar:

Gelmin Rivas scored twice (27', 90') as Al Rayyan topped visiting Saipa 3-1.



Here are the participants for the Group Stage, which opens action on Monday, March 4:

GROUP A:

Al-Wasi (UAE)

Al-Zawraa (Iraq)

Zob Ahan (Iran)

Al-Nassr (Saudi Arabia)



GROUP B:

Al-Ittihad (Saudi Arabia)

Al-Wahda (UAE)

Lokomotiv Tashkent (Uzbekistan)

Al-Rayyan (Qatar)



GROUP C:

Al-Duhail (Qatar)

Al-Hilal (Saudi Arabia)

Al-Ain (UAE)

Esteghlal (Iran)



GROUP D:

Persepolis (Iran)

Al-Sadd (Qatar)

Al-Ahli (Saudi Arabia)

Pakhtakor (Uzbekistan)



GROUP E:

Gyeongnam FC (South Korea)

Jahor Darul Ta'zim (Malaysia)

Kashima Antlers (Japan)

Shandong Luneng (China)



GROUP F:

Guangzhou Evergrande (China)

Daegu FC (South Korea)

Melbourne Victory (Australia)

Sanfrecce Hiroshima (Japan)



GROUP G:

Urawa Red Diamonds (Japan)

Beijing Guoan (China)

Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors (South Korea)

Buriram United (Thailand)



GROUP H:

Sydney FC (Australia)

Kawasaki Frontale (Japan)

Shanghai SIPG (China)

Ulsan Hyundai (South Korea)


Copa Libertadores Qualifying

At Arequipa, Peru:

In Tuesday's opening match of the third and final round of Copa Libertadores qualifying, Angel Romero (35') and Hideyoshi Arakaki (51') each scored once as FBC Melgar blanked visiting Caracas FC 2-0 in the opening match of their two-game series.

CONCACAF Champions League: Saprissa, Dynamo, Independiente Grab Series Openers

Three games were played on Tuesday as the opening round of the CONCACAF Champions League commenced.

At Tibas, Costa Rica:

Johan Venegas scored the only goal of the match in the 73rd minute as Deportivo Saprissa topped visiting Tigres 1-0 in the opening match of their two-game series.

At Guatemala City:

The Ageless One, DeMarcus Beasley scored the game's lone goal in the 84th minute as the Houston Dynamo delivered a series-opening 1-0 road win over Guastatoya.

At La Chorrera, Panama:

Ivey Romeesh scored twice (52', 78') as Independiente all but locked up a berth in the quarterfinal round following their series-opening 4-0 home fist-beating of Toronto FC.

UEFA Champions League: Nothin' But Goose Egge

UEFA Champions League Round-of-16 play resumed on Tuesday with two games.

At Decines-Charpieu, France:














The opening match between Lyon (shown in the white jerseys) and visiting Barcelona was played out to a 0-0 stalemate.

Getty Images photo

At Liverpool, England:














Red-clad Liverpool (as shown here) and visiting Bayern Munich battled to a series-opening 0-0 deadlock.

Getty Images photo