Benfica Now In Second Place

Here's a rundown of the Saturday, Sunday, and Monday Portuguese BWINLIGA action:

Let's start with the two Saturday contests:

At Pacos de Ferreira:

Elias (18'), Joao Paulo (53'), and Antunes (58') provided the scoring for Pacos Ferreira as the hosts bested Sporting Braga 3-2.

At Lisbon:

Simao Sabrosa (14') and Anderson Luisao (36') provided the first-half tallies as SL Benfica held off Belenenses 2-1 to take over second place in the league standings.

Now a recap of the four Sunday games:

At Porto:

Ricardo Sousa's successful penalty kick (56') lifted Boavista to a 1-1 home draw with Sporting Club Portugal.

At Coimbra:

George Binho scored the lone goal (52') of Vitoria Setubal's 1-0 road win over Academia de Coimbra.

At Vila das Aves:

When you have the league's two bottom teams going at it, it seemed inevitable that visiting Beira Mar and CD Aves battled to a 0-0 stalemate.

At Amadora:

Hosts Estrela Amadora and Naval also battled to a 0-0 draw.

And, in the one Monday match, played at Madeira:

CD Madeira picked up a 3-2 home win over Maritimo. Marcelo Bruno scored the game winner at 69 minutes.

PSV Stunned---And Shut Out---By Roda JC Kerkrade

Here's a recap of the Saturday and Sunday Dutch Eredivisie contests, starting with the four Saturday matches:

At Tilburg:

With their 0-0 home draw with Vitesse Arnhem, Willem II Tilburg climbed out of the relegation-playoff zone.

At Alkmaar:

Shota Arveladze (22') and Maarten Martens (52') provided a goal apiece as AZ Almaar downed visiting Sparta Rotterdam 3-0.

At Utrecht:

Jan Somers sent visiting Excelsior into the relegation-playoff zone with his goal (42') as FC Utrecht beat the visitors 1-0

At Nijmegen:

NEC Nijmegen, powered by first-half goals courtesy of Brett Holman (22') and Romano Deeneboom (35'), held off visiting NAC Breda 2-1, snapping the visitors' three-game winning streak.

Four games dotted the Sunday schedule:

At Kerkrade:

Powered by tallies from Jan Paul Saeijs (22') and Andres Oper (86'), Roda JC Kerkrade stunned league-leading PSV Eindhoven at home, 2-0.

At Rotterdam:

Feyenoord Rotterdam snapped out of their (for the time being) post-UEFA Cup banishment funk with a 3-1 victory at home over cellar-dwelling RKC Waalwijk. Jonathan De Guzman (33'), Luis Andre Bahia (35'), and Angelo Charisteas (85') provided the hosts with the goals.

At Groningen:

After trailing 2-0 at halftime, Ajax Amsterdam staged a roaring comback to defeat hosts FC Groningen 3-2. Jaap Stam (52'), Johnny Heitinga (82'), and Leonardo Santiago (90') provided the goals for the visitors.

At Enschede:

With goals from Jeroen Heubach (15'), Sharbel Touma (57'), and Ismail Aissati (89'), Twente Enschede, in search of a shot at a UEFA Champions League berth, handled visting---and relegation-threatened---ADO Den Haag 3-1.

PSV Stunned---And Shut Out---By Roda JC Kerkrade

Here's a recap of the Saturday and Sunday Dutch Eredivisie contests, starting with the four Saturday matches:

At Tilburg:

With their 0-0 home draw with Vitesse Arnhem, Willem II Tilburg climbed out of the relegation-playoff zone.

At Alkmaar:

Shota Arveladze (22') and Maarten Martens (52') provided a goal apiece as AZ Almaar downed visiting Sparta Rotterdam 3-0.

At Utrecht:

Jan Somers sent visiting Excelsior into the relegation-playoff zone with his goal (42') as FC Utrecht beat the visitors 1-0

At Nijmegen:

NEC Nijmegen, powered by first-half goals courtesy of Brett Holman (22') and Romano Deeneboom (35'), held off visiting NAC Breda 2-1, snapping the visitors' three-game winning streak.

Four games dotted the Sunday schedule:

At Kerkrade:

Powered by tallies from Jan Paul Saeijs (22') and Andres Oper (86'), Roda JC Kerkrade stunned league-leading PSV Eindhoven at home, 2-0.

At Rotterdam:

Feyenoord Rotterdam snapped out of their (for the time being) post-UEFA Cup banishment funk with a 3-1 victory at home over cellar-dwelling RKC Waalwijk. Jonathan De Guzman (33'), Luis Andre Bahia (35'), and Angelo Charisteas (85') provided the hosts with the goals.

At Groningen:

After trailing 2-0 at halftime, Ajax Amsterdam staged a roaring comback to defeat hosts FC Groningen 3-2. Jaap Stam (52'), Johnny Heitinga (82'), and Leonardo Santiago (90') provided the goals for the visitors.

At Enschede:

With goals from Jeroen Heubach (15'), Sharbel Touma (57'), and Ismail Aissati (89'), Twente Enschede, in search of a shot at a UEFA Champions League berth, handled visting---and relegation-threatened---ADO Den Haag 3-1.

Let's Hear It For The Bhoys--Again

Here's a rundown of the weekend Scottish Premier League action, beginning with the five Saturday contests:

At Dundee:

Home club--and bottom club---Dunfermline's winless streak in SPL play stretched to 11 games after their 0-0 home draw with Dundee United.

At St. Mirren:

19-year old Andrew Considine's doubled (8', 36') lifted Aberdeen to a 2-0 road win over St. Mirren. The Buddies now lead Dunfermline by eight points in their battle to avoid relegation.

At Falkirk:

Goals from Colin Nish (22') and Steven Naismith (28') were more than enough for Kilmarnock as the vistiors blanked Falkirk 2-0.

At Edinburgh:

Thanks to goals from Scott Brown (66') and Abdessalam Benjelloun (90'), Hibernian defeated visiting Motherwell 2-0.

At Glasgow:

Visiting Hearts and Rangers had to settle for a 0-0 deadlock.

As for the one Sunday match:

Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink's game winner at 90 minutes pushed visiting Celtic to a 19-point bulge over second-place Rangers in the SPL standings as they defeated Inverness Caledonian Thistle 2-1.

Lyon Settles For Draw With Nice

Here's a rundown of the Saturday and Sunday action in France's Ligue 1, starting with the eight Saturday matches:

At Lyon:

Visiting Nice and league-leading Lyon battled to a 1-1 tie. Lyon's Fred missed a penalty kick in the 82nd minute that would have given the five-time defending champs the lead.

At LeMans:

LeMans, thanks to goals from James Fanchone (38') and Grafite (PK-83'), blanked visiting Marseille 2-0.

At Paris:

Sochaux and homestanding PSG battled to a 0-0 draw.

At Bordeaux:

Lille defeated Bordeuax 1-0 on the road thanks to the hosts' Maromane Chamakh's own goal at 70 minutes.

At Rennes:

20-year old Romain Danze scored his first Ligue 1 goal at six minutes, which held up as Rennes blanked visiting Valenciennes 1-0.

At Sedan:

Jan Koller's goal (2') held up as AS Monaco defeated cellar-dwelling hosts Sedan 1-0.

At Nantes:

Visiting Lorient, with goals from Andre`-Pierre Gignac (22') and Fabrice Abriel (54'), shut out struggling Nantes on the road 2-0.

At Toulouse:

Troyes and homestanding Toulouse battled to a 1-1 draw.

Two matches were contested on Sunday:

At Auxerre:

With first-half scores from Kanga Akale (35') and Thomas Kahlenberg (37'), AJ Auxerre picked up a 2-0 home victory at the expense of AS Nancy Lorraine.

At Lens:

Second-half goals from Seydou Keita (67', 90') and Adama Coulibaly (89') enabled Lens to storm back from a 3-0 halftime deficit to gain a 3-3 home deadlock with St. Etienne.

Weekend Action In Germany

Here now is a recap of the Saturday and Sunday German Bundesliga action starting with the six Saturday contests:

At Nuremberg:

Goals from Ivan Saenko (25') , Vrastislav Gresko (50') , and Markus Schroth (69') helped power FC Nurnberg to an impressive 4-1 home win over VfB Stuttgart.

At Frankfurt:

Kevin Kuranyi's double (70', 90') played a key rule in FC Schalke 04's 3-1 road win over Eintracht Frankfurt.

At Bielefeld:

Marcio Borges' equalizer at 89 minutes lifted Arminia Bielefeld to a 1-1 home draw with relegation-threatened Hamburg.

At Bochum:

Thanks to Marco Rose's goal (38'), basement occupants Mainz picked up a 1-0 road win at VfL Bochum's expense.

At Cottbus:

Sergiu Radu's double (33', 39') was a key ingredient of a 3-1 home win for Energie Cottbus over Borussia Mochengladbach.

At Berlin:

Marko Pantelic's successful penalty kick (86') was the game winner for Hertha Berlin as the hosts topped VfL Wolfsburg 2-1.

Two games were played on Sunday:

At Aachen:

Bernd Schnieder's twin killing (44', 57') helped enable Bayer Leverkusen to overcome a 2-0 deficit to defeat hosts Alemania Aachen 3-2. Andrej Voronin also scored (54') for The Lions.

At Bremen:

Tim Borowski (5'), Hugo Almeida (67'), and Per Mertesacker (74') provided the goals as Werder Bremen delivered a 3-0 fistbeating on guests Hannover 96 to move into first place in the Bundesliga standings.

Both Milan Clubs Win

Here's a rundown of the weekend action in Italy's Serie A, beginning with the two Saturday contests:

At Turin:

Christian Obodo (18') , Paulo Vito Baretto (33') , and Gyan Asamoah (61') provided the scoring for Udinese as the visitors held off Torino 3-2. Elvis Abburscatto (77', 90') provided both Torino goals.

At Palermo:

Tommaso Rocchi's double (45, PK-78') lifted Lazio into fourth place in the Serie A standings following the visitors' 3-0 whitewashing of third-place Palermo.

Eight games were played Sunday:

At Milan:

Filippo Inzaghi's 76th-minute tally was the only goal in AC Milan's 1-0 home win over struggling Parma.

At Genoa:

Thanks to goals from Zlatan Ibrahimovic (38') and Maicon (75'), Inter Milan, in defeating homestanding Sampdoria 2-0, racked up their 14th straight league win.

At Florence:

Second-half tallies from Luca Toni (68') and Martin Jorgensen (82') enabled Fiorentina to come from a one-goal halftime deficit and defeat visiting Livorno 2-1.

At Bergamo:

Takayuki Morimoto's equalizer (88') enabled Catania Calcio to gain a 1-1 road stalemate with Atalanta.

At Messina:

In a dramatic comeback win on the road, cellar-dwelling Ascoli picked up their first road win (and second overall) of the Serie A season 2-1 as Michele Paolucci scored twice (90', 90'+4) against fellow strugglers Messina.

At Cagliari:

Reggina climbed out of the Serie A relegation zone with their 2-0 road victory over Cagliari. Luca Vigiani scored both goals (47', 58') for the Dark Reds.

At Rome:

A goal at 62 minutes from Mirko Vucinic was all that AS Roma needed in their 1-0 home win oper AC Siena.

At Verona:

Visiting Empoli and Chievo Verona battled to a 0-0 stalemate.

Barca On Top Of Spanish Standings; Galaticos Sunked By Yellow Submarine

Here's a wrapup of the weekend action in Spain's Premiera Division, starting with the two games that took place on Saturday:

At Madrid:

Pablo Ibanez scored the equalizer at 76 minutes to enable Atletico Madrid to gain a 1-1 home draw with Racing Santander. Nikola Zigic had put Racing ahead at 74 minutes.

At Villarreal:

Marcos Garcia scored the only goal (68') of Villarreal's 1-0 home shocker over Real Madrid.

Eight games were contested on Sunday:

At Barcelona:

Thanks to goals from Javier Saviola (34'), Ronaldinho (PK-78'), and Ludovic Giuly (86') powered FC Barcelona to a 3-1 home triumph over Celta Vigo. The win placed Barca at the top of the Premiera Liga standings.

At Madrid:

Daniel Guiza's first-half double (28', 45') lifted Getafe to a 2-0 victory over visiting Osasuna.

At San Sebastian:

Andoni Iraola tallied twice (12', 69') to lead Athlic Bilbao to a 2-0 road triumph over relegation-threatened--and Basque rivals--Real Sociedad in the Basque derby.

At Tarragona:

Goals from Javier Portillo (9'), Alejandro Campano (PK-19'), Antonio Pinilla (26'), all in the first half lifted basement-occupying Gimnastic de Tarragona to a 4-0 fistbeating of visiting Espanyol, only their third win of the league season.

At Zaragoza:

Diego Milito's successful penalty kick at 79 minutes permitted Real Zaragoza to salvage a 1-1 home deadlock with Deportivo La Coruna.

At Valencia:

Frederic Kanoute (35') , Alexander Kerzhakov (55') , and Alfaro (76') powered FC Sevilla to a 4-2 doubling of hosts Levante.

At Palma:

First-half scores from Sergio Ballesteros (39') and Jose Carlos Nunes (45') enabled Mallorca to rack up a 2-1 home win over Recreativo Huelva.

At Seville:

Robert's double (15', PK-68') lifted Real Betis to a 2-1 come-from-behind home win over Valencia.

The Ones From The Lis River Snap FC Porto's Win Streak

At Leiria:

Damien Tixier's tally (70') was the only score of Uniao Leiria's 1-0 home win over FC Porto, snapping the league leaders' seven match league winning streak in Friday's only Portugese BWINLIGA match.

Heerenveen Put The Hurt On SC Heracles Almelo

At Heerenveen:

Afonso Alves scored twice (39', 43') to help SC Heerenveen rout visiting SC Heracles Almelo 5-1.

Comeback Win For Dortmund Over Bayern

At Dortmund:

The second half of Germany's Bundesliga season got off with a bang on Friday as Borussia Dortmund overcame a 2-1 halftime deficit to defeat visiting Bayern Munich 3-2. Alexander Frei scored twice (12', 57') and Tinga once (59') for the winning hosts.

Pair Ignites St. Etienne Over Nancy

At Nancy:

In Thursday's lone French Ligue 1 contests, Aruajo Ilan (56') and Bafetimbi Gomis (71') provided the scoring as St. Etienne racked up a 2-0 road win over AS Nancy Lorraine.

Lyon Stunned At Home By Bordueax

Nine games populated Wednesday's French Ligue 1 schedule:

At Lyon:

First-half goals courtesy of Pablo Francia (PK-3') and Johan Micoud (27') powered Bordeaux to a stunning 2-1 road victory over league-leading Lyon, who suffered their first home defeat of the league season.

At Marseille:

Franck Ribery's first-half double (8', 39') helped power Marseille to a 3-1 home triumph at AJ Auxerre's expense.

At Nice:

With Johan Elmander's goal at 24 minutes, Toulouse picked up a 1-0 road win over Nice.

At Lille:

Lille defeated visiting strugglers PSG 1-0 as Jean Makoun scored the game's lone goal at 75 minutes.

At Sochaux:

Homestanding Sochaux salvaged a 1-1 home draw with basement-occupying Sedan. Alvaro Santos scored the equalizer for the hosts at 63 minutes.

At Lorient:

Thanks to Rafik Saifi's goal (50'), the only one of the match, Lorient defeated visiting Lens 1-0.

At Troyes:

In a battle of clubs trying to avoid relegation, homestanding Troyes, with Gael Sanz scoring the game's lone tally (88'), defeated Nantes 1-0.

At Monte Carlo:

Jimmy Briand (50') and Etienne Didot (79') provided the scoring for Rennes in the visitors' 2-0 win over AS Monaco.

At Valenciennes:

Tulio De Melo's equalizer (89') enabled Le Mans to gain a 1-1 road draw with Valenciennes.

Mascara Goal Lifts Catania

At Catania:

Giuseppe Mascara's goal at 61 minutes lifted Catania Calcio to a 2-1 home win over Empoli to move into fourth place in the Italian Serie A standings in the lone Wednesday contest.

Barca and Real Betis Fit To Be Tied

At Seville:

In Wednesday's lone Spanish Premiera Liga contest, Rafael Marquez scored the equalizer (61') to enable FC Barcelona to gain a 1-1 road draw with struggling Real Betis.

Shocker: Hornets Sting Rovers

At Watford:

In the lone Tuesday Premiership match, Jay Demerit's goal at 70 minutes lifted Watford to only their second league win of the season, a 2-1 home triumph over Blackburn.


Pictured here: Jay Demerit celebrating his game-winning goal for Watford at Blackburn's expense (Photo: Phil Cole, Getty Images).

Back To First Place For Barca

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

At Barcelona:

Goals from Javier Saviola (18') , Ludovic (68') , and Andres Iniesta (81') lifted Barcelona to a 3-0 home whitewashing of bottom-occupying Gimnastic de Tarragona, placing the hosts back at the top of the league standings.

At Mallorca:

Thanks to Jose Antonio Reyes' 78th-minute tally, Real Madrid got back on the winning track leaguewise with their 1-0 road win over Mallorca.

At La Coruna:

Visiting Espanyol and Deportivo La Coruna battled to a 0-0 draw.

At San Sebastian:

David Villa scored the only goal of the match as Valencia racked up a 1-0 road victory at Real Sociedad's expense.

At Madrid:

Manu's tally in the first minute held up as Getafe held off visiting Celta Vigo 1-0.

At Zaragoza:

Recreativo Huelva and homestanding Real Zaragoza played to a 0-0 deadlock.

At Valencia:

Another 0-0 stalemate, this one involving visiting Athletic Bilbao and Levante, two teams fighting to stay out of the relegation zone.

At Seville:

Real Betis settled for a 1-1 home deadlock with Racing Santander. For the visitors, Ezequiel Garay put them ahead briefly on his successful penalty kick (85') only to see Los Beticos tie it up two minutes later on Xisco's equalizer.

13 In A Row For Inter

Eight games populated Sunday's Italian Serie A schedule:

At Milan:

With goals from Dejan Stankovic (19'), Adriano (24'), and Zlatan Ibrahimovic (71'), AC Milan, in beating visiting Fiorentina 3-1, came from behind to post their 13th consecutive league victory, extending the record they established last week.

At Catania:

Cagliari Calcio, thanks to Davide Suazo's successful penalty kick at 9 minutes, handed Catania Calcio their first home league loss of the season 1-0.

At Parma:

Guiseppe Rossi, on loan from Manchester United, scored the only goal (75') in Parma's 1-0 home win over Torino.

At Empoli:

Luca Saudati (PK-56') and Davide Matteini (87') provided the offensive punch for Empoli as the hosts topped Sampdoria 2-0.

At Siena:

Second-half tallies from Luca Antonini (62') and Daniele Portanova (67') enabled AC Siena to come from behind to defeat visiting Chievo Verona 2-1.

At Udine:

Vincenzo Iaquinta scored the lone goal of the match (76') as Udinese defeated Messina at home, 1-0.

At Leghorn:

Francesco Totti's equalizer (74') enabled AS Roma to gain a 1-1 road draw with Livorno.

At Rome:

Visiting AC Milan and Lazio battled to a 0-0 stalemate.

Home Wins For Ajax, NAC Breda, Sparta, and Vitesse Arnhem

Four games were contested Sunday in the Dutch Eredivisie:

At Amsterdam:

Johnny Heitinga (11') and Wesley Sneijder (21') contributed first-half goals as Ajax Amsterdam blanked visiting FC Utrecht 2-0.

At Breda:

Glen Salmon scored twice (60', 81') to help NAC Breda cap off a miserable week for UEFA Cup expellees Feyenoord Rotterdam 4-1 at home.

At Rotterdam:

At the local derby concerning Rotterdam's other two Eredivisie clubs, Sparta Rotterdam, thanks to first-half tallies from Danny Schenkel (19') and Haris Medunjanin (39'), defeated visiting Excelsior 2-1.

At Arnhem:

Onur Kaya (8'), Danko Lazovic (PK-49'), and Fred Benson (51') powered Vitesse Arnhem to a 3-2 home win over FC Groningen. Luis Suarez scored both of the visitors' goals (31', 63')

Sunday Wins For Rangers and Caley

Two games played Sunday in the Scottish Premier League:

At Dunfermline:

Charlie Adam provided the long goal (9') as Rangers defeated homestanding--and basement-occupying--Dunfermline 1-0.

At Inverness:

Goals from Craig Dargo (20'), Roy McBain (30'), and Barry Wilson (42') paced Inverness Caledonian Thistle to a dominating 3-0 fistbeating of visiting Hibernian.

Stunning Comback Win For Gunners Over Red Devils; More Woes For Wigan

Two games played Sunday in the English Premiership:

At London:

Goals from Robin Van Persie (83') and Thierry Henry (90'+4') enabled Arsenal to come from behind and defeat visiting Manchester United 2-1. Wayne Rooney scored the Red Devils' lone goal (53').

At Wigan:

Second-half goals from Mikel Arteta (PK-65', 90') lifted Everton to a 2-0 road win over Wigan Athletic, sending the sliding Latics to their club record-tying seventh straight league defeat.

Successful Debut For Bob Bradley As Team USA Beats Denmark

At Carson, California:

The United States men's soccer team posted a successful debut for new head coach Bob Bradley as the hosts defeated Denmark 3-1 in an exhibition match.

Another Win For PSV

Four games dotted the Saturday Dutch Eredivise schedule:

At Eindhoven:

Successful penalty kicks from Timmy Simons (14') and Jefferson Farfan (35') helped pace table-topping PSV Eindhoven to a 3-1 triumph over visiting SC Heerenveen. Arouna Kona (23') also scored for PSV.

At Kerkrade:

Kemy Agustien scored the game winner (55') as Roda JC Kerkrade doubled up struggling Willem II Tilburg 2-1 at home.

At Waalwijk:

Orlando Engelaar's game winner (85') lifted Twente Enschade to a 2-1 road win over basement-dwelling RKC Waalwijk.

At Almelo:

NEC Nijmegen and hosts SC Heracles Almelo battled to a 0-0 deadlock.

Bhoys, Hearts, Killie Win Home Tilts

Three contests took place Saturday in the Scottish Premier League:

At Glasgow:

Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink's hat trick (16', PK-61', 75') helped power runaway league leaders Celtic to a 5-1 home fistbeating of St. Mirren.

At Edinburgh:

Roman Bednar notched the lone tally (74') in Heart of Midlothian FC's 1-0 home win over Falkirk.

At Kilmarnock:

Peter Leven's score at 61 minutes provided Kilmarnock with lone goal in their 1-0 home triumph at Dundee United's expense.

Road Win For Atalanta; Palermo and Reggina Draw

Two games took place Saturday in Italy's Serie A:

At Ascoli:

Riccardo Zampagna (51') , Adriano Pereira (84') , and Cristiano Doni (86') provided the scoring as Atalanta climbed up to fourth place in the Serie A standings following their 3-1 road victory over basement-occupying Ascoli.

At Reggio Calabria:

Homestanding Reggina and third-place Palermo played to a 0-0 draw.

Atletico Madrid Wins Red-Card-Filled Match With 7-Man Osasuna

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

At Madrid:

Ze Castro scored the only goal of the match (83') as Atletico Madrid defeated a visiting Osasuna side that saw four of the visitors' players receive red card ejections. The final score was 1-0.

At Villarreal:

Homestanding Villarreal and league-leading Sevilla battled to a 0-0 stalemate.

Reds Blank Chelsea 2-0

Eight games were played Saturday in the English Premier League:

At Liverpool:

With goals from Dirk Kuyt (4') and Jermaine Pennant (pictured here, 18'; photo from Alex Livesey, Getty Images), Liverpool blanked visiting Chelsea 2-0.

At Newcastle:

Newcastle United, on goals from James Milner (45') and Nolberto Solano (PK-53') came back from a two-goal deficit to gain a 2-2 home draw with West Ham United.

At Birmingham:

Aston Villa picked up their first league win in their last 12 contests, 2-0 at home at the expense of woeful Watford. The Hornets' Gavin Mahon scored an own goal (86'), then Villa's own Gabriel Agbonlahor scored the insurance tally (90').

At Portsmouth:

Amady Faye scored his first goal for Charlton Athletic (79') as his new club stunned his former club (Portsmouth) 1-0 on the road.

At London:

Pascal Chimboda's equalizer (88') lifted Tottenham Hotspur to a 1-1 road deadlock with fellow London club Fulham.

At Reading:

Reading, thanks to goals from Shane Long (44'), Ulises De la Cruz (50'), and Stephen Hunt (70'), overpowered visiting Sheffield United 3-1.

At Middlesbrough:

Mark Viduka's double (23', 84') was part of an offensive display that saw Middlesbrough blow visiting Bolton away 5-1.

At Manchester:

With Morten Gamst Pedersen scoring twice (44', 62') and Matt Derbyshire contributing a tally of his own (90'), visiting Blackburn whitewashed Manchester City 3-0.

AZ Tops ADO

At The Hague:

In the lone Friday Dutch Eredivisie match, goals from David Mendes Da Silva (PK-45'), Danny Koevermans (57'), and Maarten Martens (84') propelled AZ Alkmaar to a 3-1 road win over ADO Den Haag.

Feyenoord Tossed Out Of UEFA Cup

Officials are still deciding whether to give Tottenham Hotspur a bye into the Sweet 16 of the UEFA Cup after their scheduled final-32 opponent Feyenoord Rotterdam was thrown out of the tournament because of crowd trouble at a match played earlier this season.

PSG and Toulouse Battle To Scoreless Draw

At Paris:

In their first match with former Rangers manager Paul Le Guen in charge, Paris Saint Germain was held to a 0-0 home stalemate by Toulouse in Wednesday's lone Ligue 1 contest.

Porto Closing In On SC Portugal

At Coimbra:

In Monday's only Portuguese BWINLIGA contest, Ricardo Rocha(2') and Leo (88') provided the scoring as SL Benfica racked up a 2-0 road win over Academica de Coimbra to move to within one point of second-place Sporting Club Portugal.

Hibs Blank Kilmarnock

At Kilmarnock:

In the lone Monday Scottish Premier League contest, Ivan Sproule (51') and Steven Fletcher (87') provided the scoring as Hibernian racked up a 2-0 road win over Kilmarnock.

Sunday Quartet In Portugal

Four games were contested Sunday in Portugal's BWINLIGA:

At Vila das Aves:

Lucho Gonzalez (9') and Ricardo Quaresma (90') provided the goals as league-leading FC Porto blanked homestanding Deportivo Aves 2-0.

At Pacos de Ferreira:

Luis Carlos provided the only goal (80') in the Pacos Ferreira 1-0 home win over cellar-dwelling Beira Mar.

At Leiria:

Visiting Estrela Amadora and Uniao Leiria battled to a 0-0 deadlock.

At Setubal:

Three different goal scorers paced Naval to a 3-0 road whitewashing of struggling Vitoria Setubal.

NAC Breda Tops Willem II Tilburg

At Tilburg:

In Sunday's only Dutch Eredivisie match, goals from Glen Salmon (84') and Mike Zonneveld (90') powered NAC Breda to a 2-0 road win over Willem II Tilburg.

Bhoys Break Hearts

At Edinburgh:

In Sunday's lone Scottish Premier League match, Celtic came from behind to defeat homestanding Hearts 2-1. Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink (59') Jiri Jarosik (81') provided the scoring punch for the Bhoys.

Monaca and Marseille Pick Up Road Wins

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

At St. Etienne:

Jan Koller's goal at 66 minutes lifted AS Monaco to a 1-0 road victory over St. Etienne.

At Rennes:

Marseille climbed up to third place in the Ligue 1 standings following their 2-0 road win at Rennes. Djibril Cisse (58') and Toifilou Maoulida (90') provided the scoring for the visitors.

Busy Sunday in Serie A

Eight games took place on Sunday in Italy's Serie A:

At Milan:

Andrea Pirlo (6') , Clarence Seedorf (35') , and Alberto Gilardino (78') provided the offensive punch as AC Milan bested visiting Reggina 3-1.

At Messina:

Alessandro Parisi's successful 90th-minute penalty kick lifted Messina to a 1-1 home draw with AS Roma.

At Bergamo:

Cristiano Doni's double (38', 45') was just part of an offensive barrage by Atalanta as the hosts routed Livorno 5-1.

At Palermo:

Goals from Andrea Caracciolo (32') and Cristian Zaccardo (75') lifted Palermo to a 2-0 home victory at the expense of Udinese.

At Cagliari:

Davide Suazo's successful penalty kick in the 16th minute was the only score of Cagliari Calcio's 1-0 home win over cellar-occupying Ascoli.

At Genoa:

Visiting Fiorentina and Sampdoria battled to a 0-0 draw.

At Verona:

Thanks to second-half tallies from Franco Semioli (58') and Sergio Pellissier (PK-64'), Chievo Verona came from behind to knock off visiting Catania Calcio 2-1.

At Rome:

Francesco Cozza's equalizer at 87 minutes enabled AC Siena to gain a 1-1 road deadlock versus Lazio.

Mallorca Stuns Sevilla; Ruud Rude Host For Zaragoza

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

At Valencia:

Second-half scores from Jose Carlos Nunes (48') and Gaston Maxi Lopez (62') guided struggling Mallorca to a come-from-behind 2-1 road win over league-leading Sevilla.

At Madrid:

Ruud van Nistelrooy provided the lone goal in Real Madrid's 1-0 home win over Real Zaragoza.

At Bilbao:

Diego Forlan scored the lone goal of the match (71') as Villarreal picked up a 1-0 road win over Athletic Bilbao. The hosts' Francisco Javier Yeste failed on his 90th-minute penalty kick attempt which would have tied the match.

At Santander:

Ezequiel Garay's successful 90th-minute penalty kick lifted Racing Santander to a 1-0 home triumph over struggling Real Sociedad.

At Huelva:

Two clubs that recently knocked off Real Madrid, Deportivo La Coruna and hosts Recreativo Huelva battled to a 1-1 stalemate.

At Tarragona:

Getafe picked up an easy 3-1 road win at the expense of bottom-feeding Gimnastic de Tarragona. Angel Vivar Dorado (13'), Daniel Guiza (43'), and Francisco Javier Casquero (76') provided the scoring for the Dark Blues.

At Vigo:

Fernando Torres scored twice (13', 21') to help lift visiting Atletico Madrid to a 3-1 road win over Celta Vigo.

At Pamplona:

Roberto Soldado scored twice (17', 59') to help pace Osasuna to a 5-1 home fistbeating of Real Betis.

Thrilling Comeback Win For Magpies

Two games were played Sunday in the English Premiership:

At London:

Second-half goals from Obafemi Martins (72') and Ricky Butt (73') sparked Newcastle United to a 3-2 come-from-behind road victory over Tottenham Hotspur.

At Liverpool:

Andrew Johsnon's 81st-minute equalizer enabled Everton to gain a 1-1 draw with visiting Reading.

Goose Egg Saturday In Portugal

Two games took place Saturday in Portugal's BWINLIGA:

At Funchal:

Visting Sporting Braga and CD Nacional battled to a 0-0 stalemate.

At Lisbon:

At the local derby, Sporting Club Portugal and homestanding Belenenses battled to a 0-0 deadlock.

Rangers Blow Out Tangerines

Three games dotted the Saturday Scottish Premier League schedule:

At Glasgow:

Kris Boyd scored twice (59', 68') to help lead Rangers to a 5-0 frontier-style fistbeating of visiting Dundee United in Walter Smith's first game back as the 'Jers' manager.

At Aberdeen:

Steve Lovell's goal at the 90th minute enabled Aberdeen to salvage a 1-1 home draw with Inverness Caledonian Thistle, this after Caley's John Rankin put the guests ahead with his 86th-minute tally.

At Falkirk:

Alan Gow scored the game winner in the 90th minute as Falkirk defeated visiting---and basement-dwelling---Dunfermline 1-0.

Toulouse Shock Lyon

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

At Toulouse:

Toulouse, thanks to second-half goals from Achille Emana (63') and Johan Elmander (84'), handed runaway league leaders Lyon only their second loss of the season, 2-0 at home.

At Paris:

Second-half goals from Steve Savidan (61') and Sebastien Roudet (88') lifted visiting Valenciennes to a 2-1 victory over struggling Paris Saint-Germain.

At Le Mans:

Diasuke Matsui provided both goals (7', 86') for Le Mans as the hosts blanked struggling Troyes 2-0.

At Lens:

Jussie's 84th-minute equalizer lifted Lens to a 1-1 home deadlock with Lille.

At Nantes:

Luigi Pieroni's goal during second-half stoppage time lifted Nantes to a 1-0 home triumph over Nice.

At Auxerre:

With Ireneusz Jelen providing the only goal of the match (86'), AJ Auxerre racked up a 1-0 home win over Sochaux.

At Sedan:

Goals from Mickael Cretien (45') and Sebastien Puygrenier (75') enabled AS Nancy Lorraine to bounce back from a two-goal deficit to gain a 2-2 stalemate on the road against cellar-dwelling Sedan.

At Bordeaux:

Bordeaux gained a 1-1 home draw with Lorient thanks to Maromane Chamakh's goal at 87 minutes.

Inter Wins Again

Two games Saturday in Italy's Serie A:

At Turin:

Goals from Adriano (24') , Zlatan Ibrahimovic (60') , and Marco Materazzi (PK-85') powered league-leading Inter Milan to a league-record 12th consecutive win, a 3-1 road triumph over Torino.

At Empoli:

Andrea Raggi (26') and Davide Matteini (77') provided the scoring as Empoli blanked struggling Parma at home 2-0.

Espanyol Stuns Barca; Easy Win For Valencia

Two games Saturday in the Spanish Premiera Liga:

At Barcelona:

Luis Garcia (31'), Raul Tamudo (65'), and Rufete (90') all tallied to lead Espanyol to a stunning 3-1 home win over crosstown rival Barcelona.

At Valencia:

With second-half goals from Miguel Hugo Viana (52'), Fernando Morientes (56'), and Roberto Ayala (79'), Valencia manhandled visiting Levante 3-0 in a local derby.

Red Devils, Blues, Post Easy Wins

Eight games were contested Saturday in the English Premier League:

At Manchester:

First-half goals from Ji-Sung Park (11') , Michael Carrick (13') , and Cristiano Ronaldo (35') spurred Manchester United to a convincing 3-1 home win over Aston Villa to maintain their six-point lead over Chelsea atop the EPL standings.

At London:

Goals from Frank Lampard (13') , Arjen Robben (63'), and Didier Drogba (90') helped lead Chelsea to a 4-0 home fistbeating of struggling Wigan Athletic to remain six points in back of Manchester United in the EPL standings.

At Blackburn:

Goals from Kolo Toure (37') and Thierry Henry (71') allowed Arsenal to pick up a 2-0 road win over Blackburn.

At London:

Philippe Christanval's equalizer (90') enabled Fulham to gain a 1-1 road draw with West Ham United. Yossi Benayoun scored twice (46', 64') for the struggling Hammers.

At Watford:

Peter Crouch tallied twice (40', 48') to help power Liverpool to a 3-0 road whitewashing of basement-occupying Watford.

At Bolton:

Visiting Manchester City and Bolton battled to a 0-0 deadlock.

At Sheffield:

Gary O'Neil knocked in the equalizer (81') to lift Portsmouth to a 1-1 road stalemate with Sheffield United.

At London:

Middlesbrough came from behind to pick up their first road win of the league season, 3-1 over struggling Charlton Athletic. Lee Cattermole (45') , Juilo Arca (63') , and Aiyegbeni Yakubu (68') scored for the Boro.

Maritimo and Boavista: Fit To Be Tied

At Porto:

In the lone Friday contest in the Portuguese BWINLiga, visiting Maritimo and Boavista battled to a 1-1 draw.

Toronto FC Selects Maryland Midfielder First In MLS Superdraft

At Indianapolis:

Midfielder Maurice Edu , who had elected to forego his final year of eligibility at the University of Maryland, was the first player selected Friday in the 2007 Major League Soccer SuperDraft.

David Beckham To Join LA Galaxy

Former England captain David Beckham will leave Real Madrid when his contract runs out in July and will begin playing for the Los Angeles Galaxy of Major League Soccer beginning in August. Details on David's five-year, $250 million deal here.

Galaticos Get Punked Again

Here's a rundown of this past weekend's play in the Spanish Premiera Liga.

Bhoys, Rangers, Hearts Win; Aberdeen and Hibs Draw

Four games were contested Tuesday in the Scottish Premier League:

At Glasgow:

Darren O'Dea (39') and Aiden McGeady (90') provided the scoring punch for Celtic as the Bhoys blanked visiting Kilmarnock 2-0 to stretch their EPL lead to 17 points.

At Motherwell:

Rangers took over second place in the EPL standings following their 1-0 road win at Motherwell. Kris Boyd's successful penalty kick at 70' was the only goal of a match which was marred by a brawl and two red cards.

At Edinburgh:

Visiting Aberdeen dropped to third place in the EPL standings following their 0-0 road stalemate with Hibernian.

At Dunfermline:

Michal Pospisal scored the lone tally of Hearts 1-0 road win over hapless Dunfermline.

Villans Hold Blues To Scoreless Draw; Gunners Crush Addicks

Two games were played Tuesday in the English Premiership:

At Birmingham:

Homestanding Aston Villa frustrated visiting Chelsea's hopes of gaining ground on Manchester United by holding the Blues to a 0-0 draw.

At London:

Robin Van Persie's double (PK-76', 90') helped Arsenal blast visiting Charlton Athletic 4-0. Pictured here is Gunners' Captain Thierry Henry celebrating his return to action by scoring a goal on a succesful penalty kick at 30 minutes.

Photo: Phil Cole/Getty Images

Falkirk and Caley Bag Wins

Two games were contested Monday in the Scottish Premier League:

At Dundee:

Andy Gow's hat trick (63', 76', 89') helped visiting Falkirk blow out Dundee United 5-1.

At Inverness:

First-half scores from Graham Bayne (5') and Dennis Wyness (22') lifted Inverness Caledonian Thistle to a 2-1 home win over struggling St. Mirren.

Magpies Come Back To Tie Red Devils 2-2

Eight games were contested Monday in the English Premiership:

At Newcastle:

David Edgar's equalizer at 74 minutes enabled Newcastle United to gain a 2-2 home draw with league-leading Manchester United. Paul Scholes scored both of the Red Devils' goals (40', 46').

At Liverpool:

Second-half tallies from Peter Crouch (61'), Steven Gerrard (63'), and Dirk Kuyt (83') powered Liverpool to a 3-0 home whitewashing of Bolton, lifting the Reds into third place in the EPL standings.

At Portsmouth:

Steed Malbranque's equalizer at 50 minutes lifted visiting Tottenham Hotspur to a 1-1 deadlock with Portsmouth.

At London:

Visting basement dwellers Watford and Fulham played to a 0-0 stalemate.

At Reading:

Kevin Doyle's double (36', 78') was just part of an offensive barrage that powered Reading to a good ol' fashioned 6-0 brassknuckling of struggling guests West Ham United.

At Manchester:

Georgios Samaras scored twice (50', PK-72') to power Manchester City to a 2-1 home victory over Everton.

At Wigan:

Goals from Matt Derbyshire and Benni McCarthy powered Blackburn to a 3-0 home victory over Wigan, who suffered their fifth straight league defeat.

At Middlesbrough:

Aiyegbeni Yakubu tallied twice (69', PK-76') to power Middlesbrough to a 3-1 home triumph over Sheffield United.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

All of us here at Soccer or Association Football wish each and every one of you out there in InternetLand a Happy and Prosperous 2007. Hope you don't find yourself relegated!

Two 2-2 Draws In Sunday Eredivisie Action

Two contests took place Sunday in the Dutch Eredivisie:

At Alkmaar:

Visiting Roda JC Kerkrade and AZ Alkmaar battled to a 2-2 draw. Andres Oper scored both goals (23', 67') for The Pride of the South Koempels, while Danny Koevermans scored the late equalizer (84') for AZ.

At Almelo:

Fred Benson's equalizer (71') allowed Vitesse Arnhem to gain a 2-2 road deadlock with SC Heracles Almelo.

PSV Doubles Up ADO

Five games were played Saturday in the Dutch Eredivisie:

At Eindhoven:

Thanks to goals from Patrick Kluivert (33') and Jefferson Farfan (48'), PSV Eindhoven held off struggling and visiting ADO Den Haag.

At Nijmegen:

Ajax Amsterdam and homestanding NEC Nijmegen battled to a 2-2 draw in which all four goals were scored in the final thirty minutes. Gabri (80') scored the equalizer for Ajax, roughly one minute after Peter Wisgerhof scored to give NEC the lead.

At Rotterdam:

Three different goal scorers powered Sparta Rotterdam to a 3-0 thumping of visiting Twente Enschede.

At Heerenveen:

Visiting FC Ultrecht and SC Heerenveen battled to a 0-0 deadlock.

At Waalwijk:

With Koen Van Der Laak (PK-26') and Erik Nevland (49') providing the tallies, FC Groningen finished 2006 with a 2-0 road win over struggling RKC Waalwijk.

Saturday Six-Pack In Scotland

Six games were played in the Scottish Premier League on Saturday:

At Motherwell:

Darren Lee Smith's equalizer in second-half stoppage time enabled homestanding Motherwell to gain a 1-1 home draw with runaway league-leading Celtic.

At Kilmarnock:

Visiting Hearts and Kilmarnock battled to a 0-0 deadlock.

At Dundee:

Collin Samuel scored twice (62', 90') and Barry Robson (PK-81')once as Dundee United came from behind to shock visiting Aberdeen 3-1.

At Glasgow:

Rangers and visiting St. Mirren settled for a 1-1 stalemate. Richard Brittain (14') scored first for the Buddies, while Kris Boyd equalized for the hosts (19').

At Falkirk:

Anthony Stokes' first-half hat trick (33', 37', 45')powered Falkirk to a 3-1 home triumph at the expense of Inverness Caledonian Thistle.

At Edinburgh:

Christopher Killen scored both goals (63', PK-72') as Hibernian blanked visiting (and basement-occupying) Dunfermline 2-0.

Red Devils Again Stretch Their EPL Lead Over Chelsea

Nine games were played Saturday in the English Premier League:

At Manchester:

Manchester United gave Sir Alex Ferguson a neat 65th-birthday present by defeating visiting Reading 3-2 to stretch their EPL standing lead over Chelsea to six points. Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice (59', 77') for the Red Devils.

At London:

Carlos Bocanegra's equalizer at 84 minutes enabled Fulham to gain a big 1-1 road draw with Chelsea to knock the two-time defending champs six points in back of Manchester United atop the EPL standings.

At London:

Bryan Hughes scored the game winner at 90 minutes to Charlton Athletic their first win for new head coach (manager) Alan Pardew, a 2-1 home come-from-behinder over slumping Aston Villa.

At Liverpool:

Victor Anichebe's double (9', 58') helped powered Everton to an impressive 3-0 whitewashing of visiting Newcastle United.

At Sheffield:

Christian Nada (pictured here, celebrating [Shaun Botterill/Getty Images]) scored the lone goal (41') as Sheffield United blanked visiting Arsenal 1-0.

At Blackburn:

Blackburn, thanks to Benni's McCarthy's game winner in the 74th minute, defeated Middlesbrough 2-1 at home.

At Bolton:

Powered by goals from Abdoulaye Faye (30'), Ivan Campo (40'), and Nicolas Anelka (62'), Bolton picked up their fifth straight EPL victory, 3-2 over visiting Portsmouth.

At London:

Luis Garcia scored the lone goal (45') as Liverpool defeated homestanding Tottenham Hotspur 1-0.

At London:

DaMarcus Beasley notched his first goal (83') for Manchester United as the visiting Citizens defeated West Ham United 1-0.

Feyenoord Wins Rotterdam Derby With Excelsior

At Rotterdam:

In the lone Friday Dutch Eredivisie contest, With Danny Buys (31') , Nicky Hofs (40'), and Stein Huysegems(50') providing the goals, Feyenoord took the local derby match with homestanding Excelsior 3-1.

Wednesday Dutch Six-Pack

Six games were contested Wednesday in the Dutch Eredivisie:

At Amsterdam:

Ajax Amsterdam climbed up to second place in the Eredivisie standings following their 2-0 home win over Roda JC Kerkrade. Wesley Sneijder (16') and Zdenek Grygera (42') provided the goals for the hosts.

At Enschede:

Goals from Blaise N'Kufo (30') , Kennedy Bakircioglu (43'), and Luke Wilkshire (59') sent Twente Enschede to a 3-0 home whoompin' of AZ Alkmaar.

At The Hague:

Santi Kolk's equalizer at 88 minutes enabled ADO Den Haag to gain a 1-1 home deadlock with fellow struggler RKC Waalwijk.

At Utrecht:

Visiting SC Heracles Almelo and FC Utrecht battled to a 0-0 stalemate.

At Breda:

Victor Sikora's goal at 89 minutes allowed homestanding NAC Breda to come from behind to knock off Vitesse Arnhem 2-1.

At Nijmegen:

SC Heerenveen, with goals from Afonso Alves (16') and Will Johnson (82'), blanked NEC Nijmegen on the road 2-0.

Caley Knock Off Rangers

At Inverness:

In Wednesday's lone Scottish Premier League contest, John Rankin's goal in second-half stoppage time enabled Inverness Caledonian Thistle to pick up their second victory this season over Rangers, this time coming from behind to beat the visitors 2-1.

Cottagers Spoil Alan Pardew's Debut As Addicks' Boss

At London:

A game-tying goal in second-half stoppage time by Franck Queudrue enabled Fulham to gain a 2-2 road draw and deny Charlton Athletic a home win in Alan Pardew's debut as Addicks' manager in Wednesday lone English Premiership match.

PSV and Feyenoord: Fit To Be Tied

Three games were contested Tuesday in the Dutch Eredivisie:

At Rotterdam:

Angelos Charisteas' 38th-minute equalizer enabled Feyenoord Rotterdam to earn a 1-1 deadlock with visiting PSV Eindhoven. The draw still stretched the guests unbeaten streak to 18 games.

At Tilburg:

Kristof Imschoot's double (82', 85') enabled struggling Willem II Tilburg to come from behind to down visiting Excelsior 2-1.

At Groningen:

Sparta Rotterdam racked up a 1-0 road win at FC Groningen's expense, thanks to Edwin Van Bueren's goal at 63 minutes.

Bhoys Bounce Back To Tie Dundee United

Five games Tuesday in the Scottish Premier League:

At Glasgow:

Darren O'Dea (78') and Shunsuke Nakamura (80') scored to allow Celtic to come back from a 2-0 deficit to gain a 2-2 home draw with Dundee United.

At Edinburgh:

In the local derby, after blowing a 2-0 lead, Hearts pulled out a 3-2 home win over Hibernian thanks to Saulius Mikoliunas' game winner (70').

At St. Mirren:

Simon Lappin was the hero as his game winner (67') lifted St. Mirren to their first SPL win since September, besting visiting Falkirk 1-0.

At Aberdeen:

Thanks to goals from 17-year old Chris Maguire (6'), Barry Nicholson (9'), and Steve Lovell (87'), Aberdeen picked up an easy 3-1 home victory over Kilmarnock.

At Dunferline:

Motherwell, powered by tallies from Marc Fitzpatrick (26') and Scott McDonald (79'), blanked basement-dwelling Dunfermline 2-0 on the road.

Red Devils Stretch EPL Lead

Here's a rundown of Tuesday play in the English Premier League:

At Manchester:

Cristiano Ronaldo popped in two goals (47', 51') and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer added another (59') as Manchester United overpowered visiting Wigan 3-1 to strecth their lead in the EPL standings to four points over Chelsea.

At London:

Didier Drogba's double (38', 72') powered Chelsea to a 2-1 home lead over Reading, only to see the Royals gain a 2-2 closing draw after the Blues' Micheal Essien scored an own goal at 85 minutes.

That is Didier Drogba scoring his first of two goals for Chelsea (Empics Photo).

At Bolton:

Nicolas Anelka scored the game winner at 57 minutes as Bolton came from behind to defeat visiting Newcastle United 2-1 for the second time this season, thus climbing to third place in the EPL standings in the process.

At London:

Jermain Defoe's double (58', 77') powered Tottenham Hotspur to a 2-1 home victory over Aston Villa.

At Watford:

Robin Van Persie's game winner (83') lifted Arsenal to a 2-1 road win over hapless Watford.

At Liverpool:

Middlesbrough and homestanding Everton battled to a 0-0 draw.

At London:

Portsmouth, thanks to Linvoy Primus' double (16', 38') held off homestanding West Ham United 2-1.

At Blackburn:

A 49th-minute goal from Benedict McCarthy powered Blackburn to a 1-0 home win over Liverpool.

At Sheffield:

With Stephen Ireland scoring his first goal for Manchester City (78') , the Citizens snapped a three-game losing streak, beating Sheffield United on the road 1-0.

Deposed Hammers Coach New Boss Man For Addicks

London:

Recently-deposed West Ham United coach Alan Pardew was named new head coach (manager) at Charlton Athletic, replacing Les Reed, who served for roughly a month after being promoted to replace the fired Iain Dowie.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!
From all of us at Soccer or Association Football!

Stunning Comeback Win For Vitesse Over Ajax

Four games Sunday in the Dutch Eredivisie:

At Arnhem:

Second half goals from Danko Jazovic (49'), Mads Junker (51'), Fred Benson (89'), and Youssouf Hersi (90') capped an incredible comeback as Vitesse Arnhem came back from a 2-0 halftime deficit to shock visiting Ajax Amsterdam 4-2.

At Alkmaar:

AZ Alkmaar settled for a 0-0 home draw versus NEC Nijmegen.

At Kerkrade:

Dieter Van Tornhout (2', 31') provided both goals as Roda JC Kerkrade blanked visiting Twente Enschede 2-0.

At Waalwijk:

RKC Waalwijk will spend Christmas Day in the Eredivisie basement after their 1-1 home draw with FC Utrecht. Robert Fuchs (7') gave RKC the early lead, but Tom Caluwe (25') equalized for the visitors.

Feyenoord Wins Rotterdam Derby With Sparta

Four Saturday matches took place in the Dutch Eredivisie:

At Rotterdam:

Tim Vincken's game winner in the 75th minute lifted Feyenoord to a 3-2 home win in the Rotterdam derby against Sparta.

At Heerenveen:

Afonso Alves (24') and Lasse Nilsson (42') provided the offense as SC Heerenveen blanked visiting Excelsior 2-0.

At Breda:

NAC Breda salvaged a 1-1 home draw with ADO Den Haag thanks to Leonardo's equalizer (81')

At Eindhoven:

PSV Eindhoven, thanks to four different goal scorers, pistolwhipped sliding Willem II Tilburg 4-0 at home for their 12th consecutive win.

Full Saturday In Scotland

Six games were played Saturday in the Scottish Premier League:

At Aberdeen:

Rangers moved into second place in the SPL by besting hosts Aberdeen 2-1. Nacho Novo (22') and Libor Sionko (24') scored for the guests.

At Edinburgh:

Five different goal scorers powered Hibernian to a 5-1 brassknuckling of visiting---and slumping---St. Mirren.

At Glasgow:

Thomas Gravesen (24') provided the only goal in Celtic's 1-0 home triumph over Falkirk to maintain their 16-point advantage at the top of the SPL standings.

At Kilmarnock:

Nine-man Motherwell suprised homestanding Kilmarnock 2-1. Richie Foran (15') and James Paterson (20') scored for The Steelmen.

At Dundee:

Paul Hartley's successful penalty kick (55') lifted Hearts to a 1-0 road win over Dundee United.

At Dunfermline:

Visiting Inverness Caledonian Thistle and basement-occupying Dunfermline played to a 0-0 stalemate.

Busy Saturday In Ligue 1

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

At Lyon:

Resurgent Monaco surprised league-leading Lyon by holding the hosts to a 0-0 stalemate.

At Montbeliard:

Karim Ziani's second-half double (62', PK-65') enabled homstanding Sochaux to come from behind to defeat AS Nancy Lorraine 2-1.

At Lille:

Kanga Akale's 55th-minute equalizer enabled AJ Auxerre to gain a 1-1 road deadlock with Lille.

At Valenciennes:

First-half goals from Steve Savidan (PK-13') and Rudy Mater (19') guided Valenciennes to a 2-1 home win over struggling Sedan.

At Troyes:

Georges Ba and his 74th-minute equalizer enable Troyes to gain a 1-1 home draw with Paris Saint-Germain.

At Lorient:

Visiting Rennes and Lorient battled to a 0-0 deadlock.

At Nice:

A nice come-from-behind 2-1 road win for Lens over Nice as Jussie (PK-74') and Aruna Dindane (78') scored second-half goals for the guests.

At Bordeaux:

Gerald Cid scored the lone goal (61') of Bordeaux's 1-0 home victory over Le Mans.

At Toulouse:

Four second-half goals---one from each of four different players---powered Nantes to a 4-0 road fistbeating of Toulouse.

MAMA MIA! Ascoli Wins! Inter Ties Serie A Win Record

Ten matches marked Saturday's Italian Serie A play:

At Ascoli:

Sasa Bjelanovic scored twice (14', 37') to help lead Ascoli to their first win of the Serie 1 season, a 3-0 home whitewashing of struggling Chievo Verona.

At Milan:

Inter Milan came from behind to defeat visiting Atalanta 2-1 to tie the Serie A record for consecutive wins at 11.

At Leghorn:

Christiano Lucarelli's 61st-minute equalizer enabled Livorno to gain a 1-1 home draw with Torino.

At Siena:

With each team scoring a goal a minute apart late in the first half, visiting Palermo and AC Siena battled to a 1-1 deadlock.

At Catania:

Gionatha Spinesi's hat trick (7', PK-45', 88')helped enable Catania Calcio to climb back up to fourth place in the Serie A standings as they defeated visiting Sampdoria 4-2.

At Parma:

After spotting Parma a 1-0 lead, visiting Lazio scored three unanswered goals as they defeated the hosts 3-1.

At Udine:

AC Milan, thanks to goals from Kaka (PK-31'), Alberto Gilardino(35'), and Ricardo Oliveira (76'), whitewashed hosts Udinese 3-0.

At Florence:

With four players scoring once apiece, Fiorentina belted visiting Messina 4-0.

At Reggio Calabria:

Nicola Amoruso's double (8', 27') helped spike Reggina to a 4-1 home victory over Empoli.

At Rome:

Powered by goals from Rodrigo Taddei (5') and Alessandro Mancini (56'), AS Roma blanked visiting Cagliari Calcio 2-0.

Red Devils and Blues Keep On Winning

Ten games were contested Saturday in the English Premier League as the first half of the regular season came to a close:

At Birmingham:

Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice (58', 85') to help spark Manchester United to an impressive 3-0 road plastering of Aston Villa to remain on top of the EPL standings.

At Wigan:

After blowing a two-goal lead (as Wigan Athletic's Emile Heskey scored twice [45', 75']), visiting Chelsea won the match Arjen Robben's goal at 90' to stay two points in back of Manchester United.

At London:

Robin Van Persie's double (85', 88') helped Arsenal spank visiting Blackburn 6-2.

At London:

In a local London derby, visiting West Ham United and Fulham battled to a 0-0 draw.

At Manchester:

Nicolas Anelka's double (8', 25') provided all the scoring in Bolton's 2-0 road blanking of slumping Manchester City.

At Reading:

Andrew Johnson (14') and James McFadden (47') each had a tally as Everton blanked homestanding Reading 2-0.

At Middlesbrough:

Goals from Aiyegbeni Yakubu (29') and Julio Arca (52') sparked Middlesbrough to a 2-0 triumph at home over sad-sack Charlton Athletic.

At Newcastle:

Three first-half goals, one from each of three different players, were more than enough as Newcastle United bested visiting Tottenham Hotspur 3-1.

At Liverpool:

Craig Bellamy (47') and Xabi Alonso (88') provided the scoring punch for Liverpool as the Reds downed visiting--and struggling--Watford 2-0.

At Portsmouth:

Second-half goals from Sol Campbell (54') and Noe Pamarot (68') helped spark a come-from-behind 3-1 home win for Portsmouth over Sheffield United.

A Friday Dutch Treat For The Pride Of The North

Al Almelo:

Goran Lovre's goal (62') was the only tally of FC Groningen's 1-0 road win at the expense of SC Heracles Almelo in the only Friday match in the Dutch Eredivisie.

Home Win For Marseille

At Marseille:

Goals from Djibril Cisse (9', in his first action since his pre-World Cup injury) and Mickael Pagis (64') lifted Marseille to a 2-1 home win over St. Eteinne in Friday's lone French Ligue 1 contest.

Benfica Delivers Fanny Kicking To Belenenses

At Lisbon:

In the only Thursday contest in the Portuguese BWINLIGA, four different goal scorers lifted SL Benfica to a homemade 4-0 frontier-style fistbeating of Belenenses.

Barca Held To Draw By Atletico

At Barcelona:

Sergio Aguero scored the tying goal in the 59th minute to lift Atletico Madrid to a 1-1 road draw with FC Barcelona in Thursday's lone Spanish Premiera Liga contest.

New Coach For DC United

Major League Soccer's DC United named assistant coach Tom Soehn as their new head coach on Thursday, replacing Peter Nowak (who is now an assistant to Bob Bradley on the full US National Team, as well as assistant coach of the under-23 squad).

In Italy, Everyone Plays!

On Wednesday, all 20 Serie A teams played. That means ten games were played in Italy's top division:

At Milan:

Kaka's double (4', 88') helped spark AC Milan to a 3-0 home whitewashing to Catania Calcio.

At Empoli:

Francesco Marianini provided the lone tally (47') as Empoli defeated visiting AC Siena 1-0 in a Tuscany derby.

At Genoa:

Sampdoria, after trailing 1-0, scored four unanswered goals as they hammered visiting Livorno 4-1 to climb into fourth place in the Serie A standings. Fabio Quagliarella scored twice (47', 57') for the hosts.

At Bergamo:

Second-half goals from Raffaele De Martino (52') and Antonio Di Natale (90') lifted Udinese to a come-from-behind 2-1 road win over Atalanta.

At Rome:

Inter Milan continued to top the Serie A standings by blanking Lazio on the road 2-0, despite playing the second half with ten men. Esteban Cambiasso (39') and Marco Materazzi (85') provided the scoring for the Nerozzurri.

At Turin:

Francesco Totti (37') and Alessandro Mancini (80') provided the goals for AS Roma as they defeated hosts Torino 2-1.

At Cagliari:

Luca Toni provided both goals (32', 75') in Fiorentina's 2-0 road win over Cagliari Calcio, spoiling Franco Columba's debut as the Islanders' manager.

At Messina:

Daniele Paponi's 77th-minute equalizer lifted Parma to a 1-1 road deadlock with Messina.

At Verona:

Simone Tiribocchi scored the game winner at 89 minutes as Chievo Verona won a thriller against visiting Reggina 3-2.

At Palermo:

Four differnet players each tallied a goal as Palermo kept hapless Ascoli the only winless team left in the four big European leagues by fistbeating the guests 4-0.