There is really only one result I care about this evening, and I reckon I’ll give it its own post in the morning – so you’ll have to excuse me if it seems like I’m phoning this one in.

Calcio:

Juventus 2-1 Inter (Derby D’Italia) – Perhaps the most important game either of these teams have played yet this season, the Derby D’Italia is always a heated and highly-anticipated match between two of the peninsula’s best-supported sides. This match in particular had the potential to have an immediate effect upon the scudetto race; either consolidating Inter’s position atop the table or reviving Juventus’ flagging title hopes. What resulted was an intense and exciting match by which Juventus managed to steal a crucial 3 points from i Nerazzurri; ensuring that this year’s scudetto race is well, a race. La Vecchia Signora opened the scoring in the 20th minute on a set piece when Felipe Melo inadvertently volleyed a Giorgio Chiellini header past the fingertips of a flailing Julio Cesar and across the line. Juventus went up 1-0 and to top it off Jose Mourinho got himself sent to the stands after this play for sarcastically applauding the referee for awarding the free kick. It didn’t take long for the visitors to equalize though, with Samuel Eto’o leaping onto the end of a Dejan Stankovic cross to head past Gigi Buffon and restore parity in Torino. The sides went into halftime level and would remain that way until the 58th minute, when Claudio Marchisio scored what I wouldn’t doubt is the greatest goal we have seen from Juventus yet this season. Momo Sissokho fired a speculative long-range effort at Julio Cesar, who parried but couldn’t hold on to it. Enter Marchisio, who dashed to the loose ball, turned Walter Samuel inside-out with some slick footwork and then buried the ball neatly overtop of Cesar and into the back of the net. In the remaining half-hour of play, tempers flared, with Mario Balotelli elbowing Felipe Melo and then going to ground when the Brazilian retaliated, drawing the midfielder the red card. Balotelli’s ugly side showed through with the constant jeering from the Juventini and perhaps the crowning moment of the match for the home crowd was the young striker lining up to take a free kick and falling firmly upon his behind. Even Gigi Buffon, normally the most level-headed man in the Bianconeri shirt, allowed his temper to get the best of him at the match’s end, nearly getting into a quite physical altercation with Thiago Motta. In the end, Juventus grabbed the 3 points, while Jose’s men merely grabbed some added incentive for these sides’ next meeting at the San Siro.

Gigi descends from the heavens as Juve celebrate their Derby D'Italia win.

AC Milan 3-0 Sampdoria – Speaking of the San Siro, the Rossonero half of Milan were able to reassert themselves among the top of the table by drubbing Antonio Cassano & co. at Milan’s famous stadium this weekend. Marco Borriello, Clarence Seedorf and Alexandre Pato each found the back of the net to pile misery upon i Blucerchiati, who began the season in red-hot form but have fallen upon hard times lately. By cruising to this easy victory, il Diavolo rise to second place in the Serie A table, and with the favour done to them yesterday by Juventus, they are only 4 points adrift of the league leaders. A far cry from the Milan squad who struggled so profoundly at the beginning of this season – Leonardo and his men have grown into themselves as a consistent and dangerous squad – and it’s all because they beat Roma 2-1 a couple of months ago. Froci.

Fiorentina 2-0 Atalanta – The funny thing about calcio is that due to the nature of the language and the culture, sometimes two different teams will share the same nickname. Therefore, while one Nerazzurri squad tops the table, the other Nerazzurri are the league’s veritable whipping boys. Last week Atalanta fell at home to Roma (woo!) and this week they provided an easy three points for La Viola in Firenze. Juan Manuel Vargas and Alberto Gilardino provided the pair of goals that separated i Gigliati from their visitors – the Tuscans now sit in a 4-way tie for 5th place with Roma, Genoa and Sampdoria. They trail Parma by a point.

Football:

Manchester City 2-1 Chelsea – All good things must come to an end. Carlo Ancelotti’s men had been flying high in the Premiership, having sealed victories over each of their fellow ‘Big Four’ teams with a 3-0 victory over Arsenal last weekend. Who would’ve thought that it’d be the Citizens, who had not been able to do better than a draw in their previous 7 league fixtures, that would finally burst the Blues’ bubble and bring them back down to earth. However, things initially started off pretty well for the visitors in the Eastlands. Only 8 minutes into the match Frank Lampard fired on Shay Given’s goal only for the Irish keeper to deny him and then Nicolas Anelka; on the third rebound, however, Given’s parried ball struck the back of Emmanuel Adebayor, defending on the touchline, and this time the keeper was helpless to keep the ball out. 1-0 Chelsea. The big striker got the chance to atone for his sin just under half an hour later, however, when Shaun Wright-Phillips’ shot took a deflection in Chelsea’s box and fell at the Togolese hitman’s feet – this time he directed the ball into the right goal to make it all square at the City of Manchester Stadium. Things really started to go south for the visitors when Carlos Tevez’s rather tame free kick was able to beat the wall and Petr Cech to give the home side the lead on 56′. But the disaster was not complete yet. On 81′ Didier Drogba was fouled within City’s area – as always, Frank Lampard stepped up to the spot. By this time, however, tempers were flaring and Lamps was visibly unsettled as he took the kick. His effort ultimately was poor, and Shay Given saved it quite easily. Manchester City went on to hold out for the remaining 10 or so minutes and Chelsea dropped three points that would have given them a commanding lead of the Premiership table. If there are two things that are costing Chelsea right now, they are: a) conceding on set pieces and b) failure to convert penalties. And believe it or not, those two factors are costing the team in a way that not even Roman Abramovich’s bottomless pockets can repair.

It was a battle of the big spenders, and who'd've thought that Chelsea would lose?

Manchester Utd 4-0 West Ham – With Chelsea stumbling it the front of the pack, it seemed almost as though United smelled blood; they were quick to capitalize on the league leaders’ mistakes by doing their very best to catch up with them. While the Blues were facing defeat at the City of Manchester Stadium, the Red Devils were completing a rout of Gianfranco Zola’s West Ham at Upton Park. Sir Alex Ferguson’s men knocked four goals past a sorry Hammers side, with Paul Scholes, Darron Gibson, Luis Antonio Valencia and Wayne Rooney each finding the back of the net to keep West Ham hovering just above the relegation zone and cut Chelsea’s lead to only 2 points.

Arsenal 2-0 Stoke City – Arsenal bounced back from last week’s defeat to Chelsea and a midweek loss to  Manchester City that saw them knocked out of the Carling Cup by defeating Stoke City 2-0 at the Emirates Stadium. The Gunners had a chance to take control of the match on 20′ when Andrei Arshavin was taken down in Stoke’s area, but Cesc Fábregas failed to convert the resulting penalty. Arshavin would nevertheless put his side ahead just a few minutes later, when on 26′ he completed an angled run into the box and slotted a low strike home to beat Thomas Sorensen. The home side nearly doubled their lead minutes later when a shot from Fábregas rattled off the post. It would be substitute Aaron Ramsey who would finally put Arsenal two up in the 79th minute, again with a run into the box followed by a low shot to beat Sorensen. This victory sees Arsenal retain their 3rd place spot above Tottenham Hotspur by a single point.

Liverpool 0-0 Blackburn – Liverpool failed once again to get themselves back into the Premiership race by drawing what is an admittedly difficult fixture away at Ewood Park. Sam Allardyce’s men were able to grab a valuable point off the visiting Merseysiders, with Paul Robinson playing the hero for the home side and rejecting the myriad chances that Liverpool were given to attack the Rovers’ goal. It’s difficult to say who provided the Reds’ best chance on the evening (though Daniel Agger’s late 30 yard screamer is a contender), but easy to say that England-hopeful Robinson was at the very top of his game and simply would not be beaten. Seriously, Rafa Benitez unemployment watch anyone?

Futbol:

Messi bagged a brace to secure victory for Barca

Barcelona 3-1 Deportivo – It was the Lionel Messi show as the Blaugrana dismantled Deportivo La Coruña away at the Estadio Riazor. The diminutive Argentine proved that they don’t hand out the Ballon D’Or for nothing by scoring twice and menacing the home side’s backline throughout the entirety of the match. Messi opened the scoring on 26′ with a supreme individual effort before Deportivo were able to equalize after defensive errors saw Adrián through on goal. The deadlock would last until the 79th minute, when again it was the Ballon D’Or winner, this time scoring from a strong header to restore his side’s lead. Zlatan Ibrahimovic would put the icing on the cake, blasting into the top corner of the net on 87′ to seal victory for Barcelona and secure their position atop the table.

Real Madrid 4-2 Almeria – Both Real Madrid and Cristiano Ronaldo had a bit of a rollercoaster night at the Bernabéu on Saturday. After Sergio Ramos opened the scoring for the home side on 30′, Almeria were able to respond with Soriano and Kalu Uche scoring twice in the span of 5 minutes to put their side ahead of Los Galacticos. Ten minutes later, a goal from Higuaín assured the home crowd that Manuel Pellegrini’s men were not finished yet. Near the 80th minute, Madrid were offered the chance to get ahead again when Cristiano Ronaldo was downed by keeper Diego Alves. CR9 stepped up to the spot, but failed to convert the penalty, and in a display of poor showmanship was seen to be sulking even after Karim Benzema tapped in the rebound to put his side ahead. Ronaldo would make up for his error on 85′ when a beautiful play from Higuaín gave him the perfect opportunity to put his side up 4-2. The game wouldn’t end on a high note for Ronnie, however, as he was sent off just minutes later for his second yellow of the match. As I always say, all’s well that ends badly for Cristiano Ronaldo!

Fußball:

Bayern München 2-1 Mönchengladbach – Mario Gomez and Holger Badstuber were able to provide the difference for Bayern as they worked back to their winning ways at the Allianz-Arena on Friday evening. Gomez gave his side the lead on 19′ with a well-executed turn and shot into the bottom corner of the visitors’ net. However, Roel Brouwer would equalize for die Fohlen less than 10 minutes later, when a bad defensive mistake allowed Michael Bradley’s pass to slip through the Bayern backline; Brouwer only had to slot home past Hans Jörg-Butt. Butt was Bayern’s best man on the pitch for large stretches of the evening, pulling off a string of incredible saves to stop the likes of Juan Arango and Jean-Sébastien Jaurès. Arjen Robben made a substitute appearance in the second half and was immediately effective; his daring runs won a free kick for the home side just outside the 18-yard box which Holger Badstuber duly launched into the back of the net on 75′. Friday’s victory sees Bayern at 4th in the Bundesliga standings and finally starting to gain ground on the leaders after Die Roten got off to a dismal start to the season.

]]> http://celebgossipandrumors.wordpress.com/2009/11/27/elisabetta-canalis-dinner-with-clarence-seedorf-no-more-george-clooney/ Fri, 27 Nov 2009 10:44:09 +0000 celebgossipandrumors http://celebgossipandrumors.wordpress.com/2009/11/27/elisabetta-canalis-dinner-with-clarence-seedorf-no-more-george-clooney/

Although she’s involved in a relationship with one of the most desired men in the world, Elisabetta Canalis can’t pull away from her football background. After being coupled with several of them, including Christian Vieri or Reginaldo, she was recently seen in the company of Clarence Seedorf.

George Clooney’s beautiful girlfriend and the AC Milan star have been surprised by “Novella 2000″ magazine’s paparazzi dinning in the five-star hotel restaurant “My Fair” in London. What where they both doing in England? Well, while the Italian is involved in a project with designer Roberto Cavalli, the Dutch footballer missed his team training motivated, to promote the campaign “Time for Climate Justice”.

The two seemed very close during the meal. They even hugged and kissed before separating, as old time friends.

Is this the beginning of a new friendship or the end of another Hollywood couple ?

Complete gallery

Why do I always type a little blurb here? It never really says anything; I just feel weird diving straight into the match results themselves without any preamble. It’s too… impersonal that way. So hello, hi, here we are, so let’s get down to it:

Calcio:

AS Roma Totti 3-1 Bari – Romanisti always repeat one thing when Er Pupone is sidelined: No Totti, no Party. But sometimes we get so caught up in our own negativity that we forget the flip-side of that equation: Totti = party. Er Capitano made his return today against Bari, back from over a month out after going into knee surgery earlier in the season. And just to remind us why we miss him when he’s gone, he scored a hattrick. In the first half hour. The first came on 7′ – a spot kick after Jean-François Gillet downed Mirko Vucinic in the area. Then, only 7 minutes later, Totti launched a searing free-kick into the back of the net to make it 2-0. On 28′, he scored a world-class – and seemingly impossible – goal, beating Bari’s defense, Gillet and firing an acute-angle shot into the far corner. Beauty. Roma did their usual thing in the second half, sitting comfortably back on their large lead and letting i Galletti tire themselves out. However, the visitors finally pulled one back when youngster Marco Andreolli nodded the ball into his own net on 73′. A bit of a blemish, but a pretty good party nonetheless. To Gillet’s credit, he was outstanding for most of the match (those stretches when Totti was not destroying his self esteem), as was Julio Sergio, who was very solid behind the Roman back four. Mirko Vucinic was phenomenal, back to his old self again, while the only real black spot for Roma was Nicolas Burdisso, who was an absolute horrorshow at right-back. Also, the own goal was unfortunate. But all in all, a very good party with Er Capitano back at the helm. I can’t wait until we get Danielino back – then we can really party.

Inter 3-1  Bologna – The Inter Offside webpage referred to this match as a ‘Mortadella Speedbump’ — that pretty much sums it up for me. The reigning champions probably felt as if they could simply stroll into the Stadio Dall’Ara and come back out with three easy points, and their hosts failed to prove them wrong. There was a bit of tension early in the match; Diego Milito put Inter ahead on 22′ off of a corner from Maicon, only for Marcelo Zalayeta to equalize within 60 seconds, smashing the ball past Julio Cesar and into the top corner. The next 20 minutes saw both teams get really into the game, but Mario Balotelli should have put his side ahead when he beat the Bologna backline and dummied ‘keeper Emiliano Viviano – only to waste enough time that Viviano was able to get up and rob him of his much belated shot. One could see Jose Mourinho rise from his bench, flailing in anger. However, Supermario was able to atone for his sins just before the half; another Maicon corner saw the young striker rise powerfully in the air and head home to make it 2-1 for the Nerazzurri. He picked up a knock in the process, however, and was subbed off for Samuel Eto’o, who made a rare start on the bench. The visitors would make their lead more comfortable midway through the second half, with Esteban Cambiasso, who was in excellent form, burying a left-foot strike on 72′. To be honest, the hosts never looked like they were going to get back into the game, and Inter cruised to a comfortable win over the Emiliani.

AC Milan 4-3 Cagliari – It was a bit of a rollercoaster ride in the San Siro this afternoon, but i Rossoneri came out on top. Clarence Seedorf gave the home side an early lead on 5′, but gli Isolani weren’t interested in falling behind and Alessandro Matri equalized just 3 minutes later. The visitors would take the lead on 30′ when Andrea Lazzari found himself completely unmarked at Milan’s back post and gave his side a 2-1 lead. This time though, it was Milan’s turn to come from behind, as Marco Borriello and Alexandre Pato bagged a pair of goals in quick succession to put their side up 3-2 by the 39th minute. Pato’s goal was particularly nice, a rocket-powered blast into the top shelf which sent the San Siro crowd into an uproar. Milan would further consolidate their lead after the break, with Ronaldinho stepping up to the spot after Borriello had been felled in the area and burying it, sending Federico Marchetti the wrong way. He seems to score all of his goals that way, doesn’t he? More on him later. Cagliari was able to reduce Milan’s lead to a single goal when Nenê beat Dida on 68′, but Milan would hold onto their rather precarious lead and edge their visitors 4-3 in what turned out to be an exciting goalfest. Now, Ronaldinho. He was quite possibly – I’d almost say easily – the man of the match; back to his Barcelona form and full of tricks and flicks. That he only got onto the scoresheet via PK is misleading, as he was the creative force behind Milan’s devastating offense all night. That being said, their defending was quite shoddy, and against a better team (no offense, Cagliari, I like you guys) they might have come away with a rather different result. That being said, an excellent high-scoring match to put il Diavolo into 3rd place. Who says Serie A is boring?

Juventus 1-0 Udinese – Oh that’s right, Juventini say Serie A is boring. Because Juve is boring. I Bianconeri edged, well, i Bianconeri in Turin to keep their Scudetto hopes alive tonight. After the kickoff, it was all Juventus; Diego and Mauro Camoranesi both came close in the first quarter of an hour. After that though, the game went into a bit of a lull, and neither side looked dangerous (or did anything important) before the halftime break – unless you count a Udinese goal rightly disallowed for offside. After the restart, it was once again Juventus who set the pace, and this time it paid off. Summer signing Martin Cácares set up summer signing Fabio Grosso, who beat Samir Handanovic with ease to put the home side up 1-0 on 51′. Udinese fought hard throughout the remainder of the half, and both Handanovic and Gigi Buffon were called upon to make class saves, but ultimately the most exciting thing to happen before the fulltime whistle was Alessandro Del Piero’s appearance as a substitute. Juventino or not, you gotta love that guy.

Football:

A hattrick? No, that was just a warm-up.

Tottenham Hotspur 9-1 Wigan Athletic – Stop the press! What in God’s name do they put in the water in Tottenham? The Spurs recorded the second-biggest Premiership blowout in history at White Hart Lane over a hapless Wigan Athletic, with Jermain Defoe grabbing 5 himself in the second half. Peter Crouch opened the scoring for the home side on 9′, and believe it or not, that was it for the first half. Defoe got started right away after the break though, netting on 51′ and 54′, before Paul Scharner (who may have also pulled a Thierry Henry) pulled one back for the Latics to make it 3-1 on 57′. Defoe wasn’t done yet though, and to complete his hattrick restored the Spurs 3-goal margin just seconds later. Aaron Lennon got in on the action with a goal of his own on 64′, and then Jermain Defoe topped off his hattrick with a brace on 69′ and 87′. Chris Kirkland put the ball into his own net on 88′ to make it 8-1, and then Niko Kranjcar scored in the 4th minute of stoppage time to make the scoreline a whopping 9-1. To put this into perspective, didn’t table-toppers Chelsea lose to Wigan this season? Holy shit, dude.

Chelsea 4-0 Wolverhampton – Speaking of Chelsea, Carlo Ancelotti’s men took part in a rout of their own this weekend, though it seems rather paltry in comparison with their London neighbours’ rather excessive beatdown. The Wolves simply had no chance at Stamford Bridge, and with Florent Malouda opening the scoring with a 25-yard strike on 5′, it seemed a cricket score was imminent. Michael Essien furthered that notion, bagging a brace within a 10 minute span by finding the back of the Wolves’ net on 12′ and 22′. The visitors simply had no response to the dominant Chelsea play, and their ill-advised 2-5-3 formation left plenty of gaps for the Blues to exploit. The teams went into the half with the score 3-0, but not before Sylvain Ebanks-Blake forced a class save from Petr Cech. As the game progressed, Wolverhampton reverted to a more solid 4-4-2, it was not enough to stop Joe Cole from scoring his first Premiership goal in over a year, making the score 4-0. Another quite impressive blowout/shutout from Ancelotti’s men, but until they score 9 goals I think they’ll feel that their crosstown rivals have the upper hand. Then again, they’re leading the league, so who cares about the Spurs?

Liverpool 2-2- Manchester City – Every time a Koppite cries, and angel get its wings. Or so I’ve been led to believe. Either way, both the Reds and the Blues (no, no, other Reds. Other Blues too.) dropped points and further away from the top 4 with a 4-goal draw at Anfield on Saturday. Martin Skrtel gave the home side the lead on 50′, only for Emmanuel Adebayor and Stephen Ireland to respond on 69′ and 76′ respectively to give the Citizens a 2-1 lead. A loss at this stage in the competition would have meant disaster for the Scousers, but luckily Yossi Benayoun cut any Mancunian celebrations short by responding with a goal of his own on 77′ to equalize and make it 2-2. And 2-2 the score would remain. This result is neither a complete disaster for Mark Hughes or Rafa Benitez, but you gotta think that the two of them, and their grossly underperforming squads, have gotta be feeling a little uncomfortable right now.

Manchester Utd 3-0 Everton – As for the other Reds and Blues of Manchester and Liverpool, a draw was not in the cards. The Red Devils trounced the Toffeemakers at Old Trafford to stay within five points of Chelsea in the table. Darren Fletcher opened the scoring for the homeside on 35′ with a beautiful goal that has been compared (somewhat hyperbolically) to the work of Zinedine Zidane. After the half Michael Carrick and Luis Antonio Valencia would add a goal each, while David Moyes’ men could do little but keep the scoreline respectable. I gotta say, the Merseyside derby is going to be downright depressing this year…

Pictured: Arsenal player not fit for today's match.

Sunderland 1-0 Arsenal – Oh, Arsenal. The Gooners had gone over a dozen games without a loss, but as usual Arsene Wenger’s men got a little too close to the sun and their wings simply burned up. Also, they had a lot of injuries. The Londoners put in an unfocused and ramshackle performance against a determined Sunderland side who clearly wanted the result more. And they got it. Sunderland simply rode out wave after wave of potent Arsenal attacking play, though admittedly, it didn’t seem like the Gunners wanted to do much other than controlling the ball in midfield. On 71′, the home side finally got their chance and Darren Bent buried it to make the score 1-0 for the Black Cats. Wenger’s men had simply no will to get back into the game (perhaps their minds were occupied with thoughts of next week’s clash against Chelsea) and ultimately fell to a steely Sunderland side. This is the second time this year that the Black Cats have beaten a top 4 side – and this time it can’t even be blamed on a beach ball.

Futbol:

Real Madrid 1-0 Racing Santander – Well, Los Galacticos are still without their biggest star – Cristiano Ronaldo – and they’re still not playing as ‘Galacticos’ perhaps should, but they’re finally where Galacticos should be: on top. Gonzalo Higuaín provided the difference that Manuel Pellegrini’s men needed to take down mid-table residents Racing Santander, with a strike from close range on 22′. Both sides had second-half goals disallowed for offsides, with both Karim Benzema and Sergio Canales putting the ball into the back of the net only to be notified by the referee that they need not celebrate. As has been the norm this year, Madrid did not completely convince, but their narrow victory was nevertheless enough to see them go top of the table for the first time this season after Barcelona picked up a similarly unconvincing result in Bilbao.

Because Bear Country is more frightening than Basque Country.

Barcelona 1-1 Athletic Bilbao – Treble Champions they may be, but at times this season Barcelona have failed to look the part. They faltered again in their title race during this weekend’s trip to Basque Country. Though many of their starting 11, including Zlatan Ibrahimovic, were out with knocks, one could still expect Barcelona to produce a result against midtable opponents such as Bilbao. Early in the match, Los Leones put pressure on their visitors, peppering them with corners and free kicks, while Barca looked simply content to play on the counter. Soon however, Barca wrested control of possession from their hosts, and began to look like the side to score, though when it came to finishing they came up empty – at least in the first half. However, after the restart the Blaugrana got off on the right foot, with Daniel Alves running on to the end of a perfect throughball from Xavi and finding the back of Bilbao’s net. Athletic immediately responded by bringing Toquero into the game; a move that would prove very effective as the substitute would equalize for the home side within 10 minutes of coming onto the pitch, running onto a long ball and smashing it home. All that was left to do for Bilbao was to park the bus and ride out the waves of Barcelona attacks – which they did – in order to gain a point and drop the reigning champions down to second place. What has happened to Pep Guardiola’s men?

Fußball:

Bayern München 1-1 Bayer Leverkusen – Well, Die Roten haven’t sunk any further into their slump, but they haven’t de-slumped either, achieving a draw against league-leading Bayer Leverkusen at the Allianz-Arena this weekend. Mario Gomez and Stephan Kießling each netted for their respective sides early on in the match; both goals came within the first 15 minutes of play. Bayern started off energetically, with their aggressive attack leading to Mario Gomez’s opener on 8′, which he sidefooted in on an advantage play after Miroslav Klose was fouled. However, their visitors soon caught up to them in pace and were able to exploit the home side’s defensive weaknesses; Kießling easily beat the offside trap and slotted the ball coolly past Hans-Jörg Butt to make it all square on 14′. Each team had spells of pacy and bright looking attack, but neither could capitalize during those stretches; Leverkusen keeper Rene Adler saved his side time and time again with world class saves to prevent Bayern from getting out in front. Even Thomas Müller, who has so often been Bayern’s ace-in-the-hole this season proved ineffectual, and was subbed in the second half for Ivica Olic, returning from a lengthy injury layoff. The chances petered out towards the end of the game, and a 1-1 draw it would remain – a result that sees Bayer reclaim 1st and Bayern languish in 7th.

Werder Bremen 6-0 SC Freiburg – Poor Freiburg. On more than a few occasions this season they have found themselvesin situations where they are simply out of their depth. The home side suffered a humbling defeat to Die Grün-Weißen in their own Badenova-Stadion, falling 6-0 in an all-out slaughter. Hugo Almeida opened the scoring for the visitors on 33′, Marko Marin added a second on 55′, Almeida doubled his money on 57′, Mesut Özil netted on 67′, Naldo on 73′ and substitute Markus Rosenberg made it 6-0 with 8 minutes left to play. Freiburg once again made a case for having the worst defense in the Bundesliga (they have the highest number of goals against; 30) and sit 13th in the league table, while this victory propels Werder Bremen to second, just a point behind leaders Bayer Leverkusen. I guess the English aren’t the only ones who know how to have a good blowout!

Click on the thumbnails to see full size (Bấm vào hình nhỏ để xem hình lớn):

Elke Spanjaard houdt van voetbal

Elke Catalaan houdt van voetbal

Dus: elke Catalaan is een Spanjaard

Uh, nee, ik geloof niet dat dit syllogisme het schoolvoorbeeld is van een logisch geldige redenering. Wat niet wegneemt dat het buiten kijf staat dat veel Spanjaarden en veel Catalanen van voetbal houden. Dat zij echter niet van hetzelfde voetbal houden, en dat niet elke Catalaan een Spanjaard wil zijn, ondervond ik op niet mis te verstane wijze niet lang nadat ik van Amsterdam naar Barcelona was verhuisd.

Het was de zomer van 1996, en er werd gestreden om het Europees Kampioenschap voetbal. Ter referentie, Nederland deed mee onder leiding van Guus Hiddink die tijdens het toernooi een lichte aanvaring had met Edgar Davids. Edje had in de Engelse pers verklaard dat Guus ‘should not stick his head in other people’s asses’, of iets dergelijks, waarop Edje door Guus naar huis werd gestuurd. Het Nederlands elftal ging roemloos ten onder in de kwartfinales. (Clarence Seedorf nam zijn verantwoordelijkheid en miste plichtsgetrouw zijn penalty.)

Spanje deed ook mee aan het toernooi. Op de dag dat Spanje in de kwartfinale moest aantreden tegen Engeland had ik aan het eind van de werkdag zakelijk afgesproken in Barcelona. De wedstrijd van Spanje was op dat uur reeds begonnen. Bij wijze van binnenkomer zei ik derhalve: ‘Het is duidelijk dat u niet van voetbal houdt.’ Waarop mijn Catalaanse contact antwoordde: ‘Hoezo? Ik ben dol op voetbal!’ Ik (veel gevoel voor nationalistische sentimenten in de regio had ik nog niet ontwikkeld): ‘Huh, maar Spanje speelt nu toch een belangrijke wedstrijd op het EK?’ Hij: ‘Oh? Ja, nou, Spanje, maar dat interesseert me dus helemaal niks. Ik ben namelijk voor Barça.’

Zo kreeg ik een lesje in Catalaans-Spaanse betrekkingen en begreep ik dat sport en politiek nauw verweven kunnen zijn. Overigens werd Spanje op het EK ‘96 uitgeschakeld in die kwartfinale tegen Engeland, zoals gebruikelijk. Na strafschoppen. Net als Nederland.

Dat sport ook kan verbroederen – nou ja, succes in de sport, tenminste – bleek jaren later toen Spanje in 2008 het EK won. Naarmate dat toernooi vorderde werd door veel Catalanen de opinie ‘Spanje, dat interesseert me dus helemaal niks’ overboord gegooid, om met hart en ziel mee te leven met de verrichtingen van ‘La Roja’. Dat ze het toernooi uiteindelijk wonnen was ook weer niet zo verwonderlijk. Hoeveel Catalanen zaten er wel niet in dat elftal?

Vorige week bespraken wij de Glanzleistung van Clarence Seedorf tegen Real Madrid. Ondanks zijn goede spel pleitten wij echter voor het niet opnemen van Seedorf in de WK-selectie. Nu de loting voor dit collectieve voetbalorgasme nakende is (11 november) en het mediageweld ongetwijfeld snel gaat beginnen, zullen wij de discussie over de happy 23 openen.

Neem Urby Emanuelson. Een tijdje terug nog vaste oranjeklant en gedoodverfd linksback. Beetje bij beetje sleet zijn reputatie door lafjes verdedigen en te vrijblijvend aanvalsspel. Verschillende malen belandde hij ook bij Ajax op de bank en twijfelden zijn trainers over Urby’s ideale positie. Dit laatste is nog steeds aan de orde van de dag, maar Jol lijkt wel besloten te hebben om Emanuelson altijd op te stellen. Zijn talent is onbediscussieerd, zijn rendement wat minder.

Maar, als Emanuelson zijn huidige vorm, doelpuntenstijl en resultaten doorzet, is hij een zeer serieuze kandidaat om als stand-in voor Van Bronckhorst mee te gaan naar Zuid-Afrika. Bovendien kan Emanuelson wel eens gaan profiteren van zijn multi-inzetbaarheid. Er zijn er namelijk maar weinig die op topniveau zowel op linksback, linksmid, linksbuiten én als nummer tien mee kunnen. En daarbij nog  is ie altijd fit en speelt ie veel. Dat kunnen we van zijn concurrenten Robben, Van Persie, Van der Vaart, Drenthe en Afellay niet zeggen. Voetblah voorspelt dan ook dat Urby, in tegenstelling tot Seedorf, erbij is deze zomer.

Ere wie ere toekomt. Woensdag in Estadio Bernabeu was Clarence Seedorf de allerbeste. Hij voetbalde eigenlijk zoals altijd, maar nu lukte het allemaal. Voorzetten met links bij de tweede paal, voorzetten met rechts bij de tweede paal. Crosspasses van linksback naar rechtsbuiten. Een kleine honderd saaie doch effectieve balletjes breed. Allemaal in karakteristiek Clarence tempo.

Het contrast met oerzwoeger Filippo Inzaghi kon niet groter zijn. Na ongeveer een uur spelen werd de Sandro Calabro van de Serie A uit zijn lijden verlost: 8 kilometer gedraafd, 9 ballen aangeraakt en 4 ook daadwerkelijk in de voeten van een medespeler geplaatst. Een maal produceerde hij een rollertje met links in de handen van Casillas. Aan de andere kant kwam Karim Benzema niet direct tot betere cijfers. Neen, Pato maakte weliswaar twee goals, maar strandde ook vaak in goede bedoelingen. Pirlo flenterde fantastisch raak, maar was voor het overige nog plichtmatiger dan een Seedorf in normale doen.

Seedorf speelde eindelijk zoals hij suggereert altijd te spelen. Een klasse apart dus. Maar toch gaan we er niet in trappen. We gaan niet roepen dat Clarence het Nederlands elftal in moet. Daarvoor is Clarence gewoon te goed. En dat WK winnen we juist omdat we net niet zo goed genoeg zijn. In dat geval heb je meer aan spelers die dat beseffen en het gebrek compenseren met geestdrift. En geestdriftig is Clarence nou eenmaal niet.

Photo courtesy ArchiM's Flickr account

Football fans are often questioned for their unstinting loyalty – The blind belief that, ‘on their day’, their team could beat Barcelona in the Camp Nou (even if they support Crewe Alexandra) and their sheep-like ability to keep going back even after 10 successive years of threatening not to renew their season ticket ‘to watch that shower’.

Wednesday night at the Santiago Bernabéu summed up why they bother.

In any normal year, an A.C. Milan victory against Real Madrid might have been rightly passed off as one European giant succumbing to another, but this has not been any old year at Via Turati. The Rossoneri have lost their star player – to Madrid – spent little of the proceeds, had their former World Player of the Year bouncing from nightclub to nightclub on multiple continents, been pilloried in the press and, worst of all, they have played like Ipswich Town on an off-day.

So, then, where on Earth did Milan’s 3-2 victory in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday over the Galacticos – a team worth a quarter of a billion Euros – come from?

Even Milan’s 2-1 home win over Roma on Sunday, which lifted the San Siro outfit into the top half of the Serie A table, came on the back of not only a very unconvincing display, but also a highly questionable refereeing decision. The victory hardly seemed a precursor to a major upset in Europe, but rather a way of papering over the considerable red-and-black cracks for a few days before a right royal tonking against world football’s biggest of big spenders.

What was predictable on Wednesday was Madrid’s first goal, and the manner in which it went in. (Note: You can watch the video of that goal here. -Ed.) Nelson Dida is no longer Milan’s first choice goalkeeper, and he’s lucky to be Milan’s third choice right now with Flavio Roma snapping at his heels in the absences of Christian Abbiati and Marco Storari.

One thread which has remained common in Dida’s Champions League career, though, has been the Brazilian’s ability to come up with the odd rick. Whether it be dropping a speculative Lee Bowyer shot in the back of the keeper’s own net in 2000, or falling to the ground long after a cheeky scamp had wagged his finger a bit too close to the Brazilian’s face at Celtic Park in 2007, the two-time competition winner has had the uncanny knack of occasionally bringing a smile to opposition fans’ faces. His inability on Wednesday to run a few yards and hold the ball at the same time after Esteban Granero’s weak 19th-minute shot came as a surprise to few, then – least of all Madrid striker Raúl González, who had been following up for just such an eventuality and thereby tapped in Wednesday’s opening goal.

What followed, though, was surely the story of this season’s Champions League so far. First, Madrid’s imperious first-choice goalkeeper Iker Casillas committed goalkeeping’s cardinal sin by allowing Andrea Pirlo’s dipping 30-yard strike on 62 minutes to squirm through a gap at his near post. Four minutes later, Casillas, the European Championship-winning skipper for Spain, raced out of his area to meet Massimo Ambrosini’s through-ball for Alexandre Pato, only to withdraw his hands when he realised a red card could be the result, allowing the young Milan striker to roll the ball into the empty net to give the Italians a shock 2-1 lead.

It appeared that normal service was about to resume when Madrid’s Royston Drenthe was left in space on the edge of the Milan area and was allowed to fire in a shot which Dida failed to get to in the 76th minute, but Leonardo’s side had still more fight in reserve, which was a quality rarely seen from them on the Italian peninsula this season.  Though Thiago Silva’s header was wrongly disallowed, the Rossoneri then finally clinched the full three points in the 88th minute when Clarence Seedorf’s chip found Pato in space, and the 20-year-old striker’s right-footed finish was his second winner in two games and put Milan top – yes, top! – of Group C.

The reaction in Italy’s papers on Thursday has been predictable to say the least, particularly from Milan-based La Gazzetta dello Sport, which proclaimed “The night of Pato” in Madrid and told of Adriano Galliani’s boast that “I was right about Leonardo” when deciding to stick with the Brazilian tactician during their recent travails back home in Italy.

Wednesday’s result for Milan helps to advance the thinking that Italian sides might well have something to say in this year’s Champions League after all, but with victories for Fiorentina and Juventus over the lowest-ranked opponents of their respective groups, it’s suddenly Inter who are under the spotlight for the wrong reasons. Tuesday’s 2-2 draw at home against Dynamo Kiev showed that even when coming off the back of one of their best performances under Jose Mourinho (a 5-0 win in Genoa on Saturday), the Nerazzurri still can’t seem to find the formula in Europe.

It is now a full year (plus another eight games) since Inter recorded a win in the Champions League, and their trip to Kiev in two weeks’ time has suddenly taken on a ‘do-or-die’ mantle, with anything less than a win likely to strike up links between Mourinho and Liverpool’s potential managerial vacancy. The self-ordained Special One has never looked entirely at ease in Italy, nor has club president and Italian oil tycoonMassimo Moratti looked entirely at ease with Mourinho, and should the Italian champions fall out of the tournament at the first hurdle, changes could well be afoot.

And so it is with football. Four days ago, Milan were under massive pressure, but now it’s their supporters who get to point and laugh at their rivals – If only for a couple of weeks.

Kris Voakes

After a horrific weekend it seems that the universe, or at least my universe, is back on track. Yesterday’s fixtures proved to be a series of pleasant surprises, as several of the Champions League’s underdogs secured impressive results – and today’s seem to be along the same lines. What a glorious year for the underdogs!

Pirlo's second-half screamer brought Milan right back into it.

AC Milan 3-2 Real Madrid – Let me get this out of the way: I have been predicting this for a very long time. Ever since Los Blancos kicked off the 2009/10 season, I have argued that they had yet to come up against any teams which were truly capable of testing their mettle, and that when faced with a real opponent, they would falter. They fell to Sevilla domestically in Week 6 of La Liga, and now they have fallen to AC Milan in European competition. Keeper errors were the fashion of the day, with both Dida and Iker Casillas giving up easy goals (to Raul and Alexandre Pato, respectively). Raul’s tap in would give his side the lead on 18′, an advantage which would see Los Galacticos comfortably into the half. However, Andrea Pirlo would send the message that Milan were not yet out of it with a spectacular strike that beat Casillas from range and levelled for i Rossoneri (63′). Alexandre Pato’s aforementioned goal would come just 2 minutes later as the latter half of the 1-2 punch that saw Milan take a 2-1 lead. Madrid weren’t out of it yet, and Royston Drenthe would equalize for his side (off of a short corner kick from Raul) with a low ball that somehow made it through the crowd in front of the Milan net. However, it would be Alexandre Pato who would have the final word (it would have been Thiago Silva, but his headed goal on 86′ was wrongfully disallowed), meeting a chip from Clarence Seedorf with a calm volley in the 88th minute. With today’s victory at the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu, AC Milan rest atop the Group C table and will be in high spirits when they entertain Los Blancos at the San Siro in two weeks time. Hate to say I told you so!

Chelsea 4-0 Atletico Madrid – After losing to Aston Villa in Premiership play this weekend, Chelsea needed a win badly. After the skid that has been Atleti’s season so far this year, Los Colchoneros needed it worse. Chelsea almost took an early lead on 12′, but hitman Salomon Kalou was ruled for offside. Ultimately, it took 41 minutes for the scoring to open up, but when it did it was the Spaniards who were on the business end; Kalou hammering a ball from Ashley Cole into the roof of the Atletico net. After the break Kalou was back for more, bagging a brace in the 52nd minute with a header that put Chelsea up 2-0. Frank Lampard would break a 10-match goalless drought on 69′ to put the match simply out of the other Madrid side’s reach. In fact, the only Atletico player who would make an impression upon the match would be Louis Amaranto Perea, whose own goal in stoppage time sealed an absolute rout for the London side. This match affirms Chelsea position atop Group D, and also begs the question: exactly how much longer can Abel Resino hang on to his job?

Dutra, the Butcher of Haifa.

Juventus 1-0 Maccabi Haifa - Juve finally, finally grab their first victory in Champions League play this year. Israeli side Maccabi Haifa provided more resistance than most would expect in tonight’s fixture in Torino, but it was i Bianconeri who would eventually come out on top. Big centre-back Giorgio Chiellini would nod in a goal for Juventus on 48′ and, alongside the usual spectacular work between the uprights from Gigi Buffon, it was enough to see the Italians to all three points. Juve controlled the pace for much of the game, though Haifa proved dangerous on multiple occasions and challenged Juventus’ back line. Not helping the Haifa cause was substitute Tiago Dutra, who promptly injured Felipe Melo, forcing the Brazilian out of the match with a horrific challenge that went unnoticed by referee Faustino Benquerenca. Soon after, Dutra’s luck ran out and the midfielder was shown straight red for a studs-up tackle on Chiellini which forced the big defender off the pitch for several minutes. As an aside, it was interesting to see the attacking potential of a Juve side which started Sebastian Giovinco, Diego and David Trezeguet up front – they were perhaps unlucky not to improve their advantage this evening and it will be an attack force to watch moving forward.

Once he figured out who he played for, Ciani scored a wicked backheel.

Bordeaux 2-1 Bayern Münich – A strange fixture in which Michael Ciani scored for both Bayern and Bordeaux, Hamit Altintop added his own own-goal to the tally, and Bordeaux should have easily been up 4-1 but for a man named Butt. A game that started off a French nightmare (with Ciani’s own goal on 5′) soon turned into a German one. Ciani more than made up for his earlier error with a brilliant back-heeled goal off a corner kick which drew the French side level on 28′. Bayern would sink further into despair just moments later, as youngster Thomas Müller received his second yellow for a brash tackle on Matthieu Chalmé and was shown his marching orders. For Die Roten, things would only go from bad to worse before the end of the half, as Hamit Altintop’s attempted clearance was interrupted by Marc Planus and the Turkish International would go on the scoresheet for an own goal. After the half, Bayern were unable to wrest control of the game from the French side, though perhaps their best chance fell to the much-maligned Luca Toni, who promptly hit the post. In the 66th minute, Bayern keeper Hans-Jörg Butt was caught out of his net and forced to down Marouane Chamakh – a spot kick was awarded and disaster seemed nigh for the Germans. However, Butt was able to keep out Yoann Gourcuff’s effort, and therefore atoned for his own mistake. Tonight was not to be Bayern’s night; as the game wound down Daniel van Buyten became the second Roten to see red for hauling down Chamakh (again? poor guy!) in the box. The ensuing spot kick was taken by substitute Jussiê, who became the second Bordeaux player to be foiled by Butt. All in all, tonight’s match was a disaster for the Bavarians, who now sit at 3rd in Group A – but when you think about it, it could have been a lot worse.

Manchester Utd 1-0 CSKA Moscow – The only thing surprising about United’s wholly unsurprising victory over CSKA Moscow is how long it took for Sir Alex Ferguson’s men to get ahead. The Muscovites were able to hold off the Mancunians for 86 minutes, until Luis Antonio Valencia finally found the back of the net. A result that leaves me a little bitter, as I was surrounded by Red Devils’ fanboys as I ate my lunch today and dearly hoped that CSKA would be able to silence the prattling gobshites. Ah well though – the Mancs can’t lose them all!

These are th- Well, you get the point.

2…

Ronaldouche 1.0

]]> http://apintofthebitter.wordpress.com/2009/09/30/and-continues/ Thu, 01 Oct 2009 00:18:25 +0000 Justin http://apintofthebitter.wordpress.com/2009/09/30/and-continues/

I feel this picture best captures Kakhader's performances of late.

Although this time I’m a little less pleased about it. At least Roma isn’t the only Italian team to have fallen before the …might… of a Swiss squad in this year’s European competitions. Oh wait wait wait – that’s not embarassing enough – Milan somehow managed to fall before the …might… of a squad that is facing relegation from the Swiss first division. The only aspect of the Rossoneri’s game more toothless than their offense was their defense – with Kakhader Kaladze and Marek Jankulovski looking more like they were auditioning for a role in a Three Stooges film than attempting to hold a backline for a football team. Not even Clarence Seedorf and Filippo Inzaghi could save Milan this time – despite the fact that the veteran pair had more than their fair share of opportunities to find the back of the net.

From the get-go it seemed that Leonardo’s side were in trouble. Milan stumbled from the starting blocks, and were barely getting into their stride before they were dealt a crushing blow – Zurich’s Finnish defender Hannu Timinen volleyed the ball past Marco Storari with a scissor kick in the 9th minute. Suffice it to say that the rush of that early goal was enough to take FC Zurich into the half looking comfortable (if a little surprised) with their 0ne-goal lead.

Not Pictured: Capable Defenders.

Leonardo made some changes at the half, bringing on Ronaldinho and Gianluca Zambrotta, and while it appeared that new life had been breathed into Milan, it would not be enough for i Rossoneri to save their first-half blushes and come up with an equalizer. While Pirlo, Pato and ‘Dinho all came into the second half looking energetic and spry, it would not be enough; their efforts failed to produce and the best chance that the Serie A Giants could come up with was a shot from Gianluca Zambrotta which crashed off the woodwork in second-half extra time. Making matters worse, Alessandro Nesta was forced from the pitch by injury in the second half to be replaced by Oguchi ‘Gooch’ Onyewu. Without Nesta’s guidance, Milan’s backline really did start to look like a Three Stooges act, and when Zurich was able to break on the counter attack it was with a certain air of panic that i Rossoneri dropped back to defend their goal.

In all honesty this is a game that Zurich should not have won – though they did, and I am not trying to take credit from them for that. But let me say this: This is a Milan side which all but gave up on themselves after the 9th minute, when they conceded a single goal to a team who in any other year they would have handily defeated. Leonardo, you need to make some changes and start getting results fast - your job depends on it. Your men have no self-confidence, no will to believe that they can defeat teams like the …mighty… Zurich handily, as the AC Milan of old would have. Milan’s problem is that with their piecemeal squad and their young and inexperienced coach, even they do not believe they have what it takes to compete in this competition.

When even Goliath does not believe that he can win the fight, how can David lose?

I’m just going to get right into it today:

Calcio:

Juventus 2-0 AS Livorno – Four in a row for Juve – Ciro Ferrara’s men just keep on rolling, and newly-promoted Livorno couldn’t do anything to stop it. That’s not to say that l’Amaranto were helpless in Saturday’s match in Torino, but two first-half goals and another superhuman performance from Gianluigi Buffon were enough to see Juventus take three points away from the fixture. Vincenzo Iaquinta and Claudio Marchisio both appeared on the scoresheet for i Bianconeri, who now sit tied atop the table and two points clear of bitter rivals Inter.

Inter 2-1 Cagliari – Speaking of Inter, the reigning scudetto champions came from behind to win away at Cagliari this evening, largely thanks to a certain Argentine. I Nerazzurri went behind early in the match after Maicon got a little rough in the box with Alessandro Matri and Jeda converted the ensuing spot kick on 16′. Gli Isolani managed to hold their lead for the better part of an hour, but in the 52nd minute a gross defensive error saw the tides turn as Diego Milito capitalized on Cagliari’s mistake. Just four minutes later, Cagliari’s luck would worsen as the Argentine took advantage of a long ball and beat Federico Marchetti once more to put his side ahead. The slim lead would prove to be enough for La Beneamata (and I use that nickname with all due sarcasm) who take three points home to Milan this evening. However, it was not all smooth sailing for Jose Mourinho’s side, as Cagliari regained their confidence midway through the second half and youngster Daniele Dessena should have equalized on two seperate occasions. Mourinho himself had a mixed bag of a night, celebrating wildly upon Milito’s second goal but being sent off the bench just minutes later for complaining about a decision regarding Mario Balotelli – he would watch the remainder of the game from the stands. All in all, not an overly convincing victory for Inter – but a victory nonetheless.

AC Milan 1-0 Bologna – It seems that all of Milano will be celebrating tonight, as the Rossoneri managed to grab a late win at home in the San Siro this evening. Despite starting the match positively enough and retaining possession for the majority of the play, it took Milan 75 minutes to finally break down Bologna and take a deserved lead. That lead came via Clarence Seedorf, who once again proved that old dogs don’t need to learn new tricks – just be really good at the ones they know. The (flying?) Dutchman came barrelling up the wing, and finding no one to pass to, instead turned defender Andrea Raggi inside out and fired home himself. Bologna looked close to a late equalizer on a 30-yard bullet from Nicola Mingazzini in the 87th minute, but a spectacular save from Marco Storari ensured that Milan got the three points they were due.

Udinese 0-0 Napoli – Another case of the scoreline not telling the full story as both sides created more than their fair share of chances in highly spirited match at the Stadio San Paolo. Perhaps the closest of all of these was Antonio Di Natales’s wrongly disallowed goal (he was definitely on-side), doubly notable because the striker showed his class by not celebrating (he didn’t realize it had been disallowed) out of respect to his Neapolitan heritage. In truth, Napoli looked the stronger side going forward, but were unable to beat Samir Handanovic, who worked miracles between the uprights for le Zebrette. All in all an entertaining draw – neither side should be overly disappointed with the result as both could have gone behind on innumerable spurned chances from the other.

AS Roma 3-1 Fiorentina – Oh no, no, no – this one gets its own article.

Football:

The next Maradona? Somehow, I doubt it.

Arsenal 4-0 Wigan Athletic – Arsenal have bounced back from last week’s loss away in Manchester to trounce Wigan in an impressive performance at the Emirates. The home side’s four goals came from Eduardo and Cesc Fabregas, who netted one apiece, and Thomas Vermaelen who bagged a brace and put in a man-of-the-match performance. However, none of these goals could compete with what was undoubtedly the most memorable event in the match – Emmanuel Eboue’s Diego Maradona impression. Eboue was booked for deliberately striking the ball with his hand in attempt to score a Maradona-esque goal for the home side – an attempt which has some outraged (though not the Gunner support, who applauded him off the pitch after he was substituted in the 73rd minute). It’s not the first time the Ivorian has been booked for actions of an unsportsmanlike manner, as he was booked earlier in the season for diving when Arsenal faced Manchester United. What the game means for Arsenal is clear – three points – but what it means for Eboue is a little less certain. Cheatin’ bastard.

Manchester Utd 4-3 Manchester City - This, friends, is what a derby should be. It was truly one for the ages; a goal-fest in which the two teams competed as equals for perhaps the first time, Carlos Tevez was roundly booed by the Old Trafford faithful, and United’s winning goal was scored by a former Liverpool legend. Wayne Rooney gave his side an early lead on 2′, Gareth Barry equalized on 16′, Darren Fletcher twice gave his side the lead only to have Craig Bellamy twice equalize minutes later (including a 90th minute equalizer), and Michael Owen played the unlikely role of hero for United with a goal that came in the 95th minute of play. Sir Alex Ferguson and Mark Hughes have been engaged in a sort of war of words lately, and while Fergie will no doubt be happy to rub the loss in his opposite’s face, Hughes shouldn’t be too displeased with his side, who proved to be more-than-worthy opponents for the reigning EPL champions even without the suspended Emmanuel Adebayor. A derby to remember, and (though City fans will beg to differ) a good day for United and City fans alike.

Chelsea 3-0 Tottenham Hotspur – Judgement day for the Spurs – it was a second chance after losing to United, an opportunity to test their mettle against Champions League-level competitors and see if they could beat Chelsea at home for the first time in 20 years (give or take). Spoiler alert: They couldn’t. Tottenham went on the attack early, with Wilson Palacios and Jermaine Jena attempting to test Petr Cech early from range, but their efforts proved fruitless. Chelsea’s retaliation was swift, as Jose Bosingwa and Nicolas Anelka poured on the pressure down the right flank – though the opening goal would eventually come from the left, as Didier Drogba’s cross found the head of Ashley Cole and beat Carlo Cudicini. Chelsea would go into the half up one goal – but they weren’t done yet. When the two teams returned, Michael Ballack and Didier Drogba would double and triple Chelsea’s lead, respectively, in a furious span of 5 minutes. The Spurs would be unable to fight their way back into it, and while Carlo Ancelotti will be pleased with his players’ performance, one can be sure that Harry Redknapp’s men will be getting an earful as they return to the Lilywhite half of London tonight.

Liverpool 3-2 West Ham – Liverpool came out on top of a hotly contested match that saw West Ham twice come from behind to equalize and Fernando Torres twice give his side the lead with a brace that would ultimately win the game for the Scousers. Dirk Kuyt also netted for the Reds, while Carlton Cole and new signing Alessandro Diamanti each netted for West Ham. The first half of the match was energetic and fast-paced, with West Ham’s Zavon Hines impressing – though he should have put his side ahead early after Jamie Carragher committed a calamitous error – essentially offering the ball up on the edge of the ‘Pool box. In the second half the tempo slowed inevitably, though it remained a closely-fought match and Liverpool will feel happy (and perhaps a bit fortunate) to have won it.

Fußball:

VfL Wolfsburg 2-1 Schalke 04 – A brace from Edin Dzeko saw the reigning Bundesliga champs rise above hopeful contenders Schalke and the manager who took them to the title – Felix Magath. Magath left Wolfsburg last year for greener pastures after the club was crowned German football champions for the first time in its history. The scoring didn’t open until the 55th minute, when and unmarked Dzeko headed a perfect cross from Sascha Riether into the net. Magath’s side thought they had equalized in the 80th minute thanks to a strike from Benedikt Höwedes – only for Dzeko to restore the lead less than a minute later, finishing superbly on another well-placed cross. Wolfsburg parked the bus for the last nine minutes of the game, ensuring that Schalke could not get back into it and grab a share of the points.

Choupo-Moting - sounds German, right?

Bayern Münich 2-1 Nürnberg – Die Roten continued their fiery run of form, although the first half that didn’t really get started until 20 minutes in and Bayern did not really hit their stride until the half-hour mark. However, the second half would produce more results, as Ivica Olic game the home side the lead on 55′ minutes. After scoring the opener just Bayern maintained control of possession, but did not apply overt amounts of pressure on the Nürnberg goal. After falling behind, the visitors introduced German U-21 star Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting to instant effect, as the youngster caused Bayern’s back line all sorts of trouble, and showed a knack for getting behind defenses – he would equalize for his side on 73′ after doing just that. However, Bayern weren’t going to settle for anything less than a win, and it would be Daniel van Buyten who would put his side ahead less than ten minutes later (with less than ten minutes left). His effort would be enough to see his side take full points at the Allianz-Arena and keep their winning streak – and their confidence in the title race – intact.

Futbol:

Barcelona 5-2 Atlético Madrid – Barcelona beat los Colchoneros by a wide margin despite strikes from the deadly duo of Diego Forlan and Sergio Aguero. Unfortunately for Atléti, the entirety of Barca’s squad seemed deadly last night, with Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Daniel Alves, Seydou Keita and Lionel Messi all appearing on the scoresheet. It was never an even match, as Barca went up 4-0 before Aguero and Forlan would pull two back for their side. Messi’s extra time goal in the 93rd minute would finish his brace and finish Atlético, who simply could not withstand the might of the Spanish champions.

Real Madrid 5-0 Xerez – Madrid’s other team fared much better this weekend, with Los Merengues stomping all over Andalucian squad Xerez – who are appearing in La Liga’s Primera division for the first time in their club’s history. Cristiano Ronaldo opened the scoring for his side in the first minute – though they would not improve upon their one-goal lead until the 74th minute, when CR9 would net again. This opened the floodgate for Los Blancos, with Guti, Karim Benzema and Ruud van Nistelrooy all joining Ronaldo on the scoresheet in the game’s final minutes. This was clearly a case of a little fish in a big pond – a pond called the Bernabéu in which little fish are caught, gutted, and fried.

Have you ever looked at the lyrics to that song? They’re mildly retarded:

Ce sont les meilleures équipes

(Those are the best teams)

Sie sind die allerbesten Mannschaften

(Those are the best teams)

The main event

Die Meister

(The Champions)

Die Besten

(The best)

Les Grandes Équipes

(The biggest teams)

The Champions

Une grande réunion

(A big gathering)

Eine große sportliche Veranstaltung

(A big sports event)

The main event

Ils sont les meilleurs

(They are the best)

Sie sind die Besten

(They are the best)

These are the champions

These are th- Well, you get the point.

Anyways – as promised, here’s what happened in this week’s Champions League group matches. All of them. Even the boring ones. Sorta. You’re welcome:

Juventus 1-1 Bordeaux – Where was the Juventus who has been playing well enough to top the Serie A tables these past few weeks? Where is the exciting football they have been peddling since August? I will tell you where – sitting on the bench with a knock to the thigh. Juventus badly missed their trequartista yesterday, and struggled to get into the game, drawing against a French club at home for only the second time in European Competition - their record against French sides now stands at 9-1-2 on Italian soil. Sebastian Giovinco, who replaced Diego in the lineup, was unable to replicate the attacking danger that the Brazilian affords to his side – not for any lack of skill, of course, but the small-statured Formica Atomica simply does not possess the power in his slight frame to muscle aside defenses as does the Brazilian. Juventus struggled to gain any ground against a Bordeaux side that looked determined to get ahead – they settled for making fast breaks between large intervals of Bordeaux possession for the first half an hour or so. It was only a precision strike from right boot of Vincenzo Iaquinta that finally separated the Bianconeri from the visitors on 62′. However, the Girondins would not say die, and not twelve minutes later equalized via a Jaroslav Plašil tap-in. Though Juve pressed for the win in the last quarter-hour (with Claudio Marchisio smashing the crossbar before Poulsen volleyed the rebound over), Plašil’s timely goal ensured that Bordeaux went home with a well-deserved point.

AC Milan 2-1 Marseilles – What is it about Champions League that can bring the best out in a team that has struggled so much lately? Perhaps SuperPippo knows, as it was the veteran striker’s brace, scoring on both sides of halftime, that lifted the Rossoneri clear of Didier Deschamps squad. Milan took the lead on 27 minutes, with Gabriel Heinze equalizing for the home side on 49′ – but Pippo was not done yet. Milan seemed artless at times, and for much of the game appeared to be simply content to weather the storms of Marseilles (figuratively and literally; both teams were battered by heavy rain). However, there were moments of true genius, especially from Clarence Seedorf, who twice supplied Filippo Inzaghi with picture-perfect crosses – which the experienced poacher unhesitatingly redirected into the back of the net. I find it very ironic that in a time when Milan is much maligned for their aged squad and lack of youth, they have managed to bounce back and win their first Champions League match – carried on the back of two old veterans who’ve still got what it takes.

For those of you who missed the joke.

Real Madrid 5-2 FC Zurich – The scoreline would suggest that Madrid strolled their way to a comfortable victory in Zurich – but numbers do not tell the whole story. In truth, Madrid’s defense is still closer in substance to the local cheese than a solid back line, and Los Merengues had to fight through a second half scare that saw Zurich score two goals in as many minutes and reduce the Men in White’s lead to a lonely goal. Madrid would have left the pitch after the first half very confident – and rightfully so. A laser beam free kick from Cristiano Ronaldo opened the scoring (thanks to a poor effort by Zurich keeper Johnny Leoni), with Higuan and Raul making it 3-0 before the half. The tide began to turn when Xabi Alonso limped off on 55′, and soon after Iker Casillas conceded a penalty on 63′, bringing down Alexandre Alphonse – Xavier Magairez stepped up to the spot and duly buried it. Not two minutes later, on a corner kick for the home side, Ronaldo failed to mark Sylan Aegerter, who saw his header into the goal and halved his side’s deficit. However, CR9 would have his revenge on 89 minutes, as Johnny Leoni again failed to stop his ferocious right boot, though this time the keeper truly should have caught it. Adding insult to injury was Guti, who scored three minutes into injury time to give his side a three-goal lead and bring the final tally up to a deceptively lopsided 5-2 win. Zurich put up a fight to be proud of, though the score doesn’t necessarily represent it. Real Madrid will be happy with their attack force, but as for the rest of the squad – Actually, who am I kidding, it’s all an attack force. Crazy Galacticos.

Chelsea 1-0 Porto – Injuries and Suspensions. If you asked Carlo Ancelotti why he chose the squad he did yesterday, you would get those two words as an answer. Three of his seven substitutes were players fresh from the academy – though oddly, Gael Kakuta didn’t make his UEFA debut. Too soon? I hope not. Other than that, there’s really not too much to say about this one, though let me say this: Chelsea were clearly superior. The Dragões fought with a lot of heart against the EPL-leading side, but a strike from Nicolas Anelka early in the second half and a late-game send off for Fernando saw the Blues take all three points from their visitors at Stamford Bridge. Anelka did well in scoring to for his side to fill the shoes of the on-fire Didier Drogba, who, missing the match through suspension, provided Chelsea with their biggest question mark. Who would score if not Didier? So quickly forgotten are Anelka’s 19 goals in 2008/09 – the highest tally in the EPL last year. Luckily for Blues fans, Anelka was quick to remind them, and Chelsea can look ahead with 3 points under their belt.

Manchester Utd 1-0 Besiktas JK – No team is a weak team with the full force of their home support behind them. That’s what the first 60 minutes of last night’s game in Istanbul taught Six Alex Ferguson & Co – though I’m sure it’s a tune they’ve heard before. The Red Devils squeaked by a lively Besiktas side on a one-goal margin, finding the Turks to be more than a handful in the process – it is notoriously difficult to win an away match in Turkey due to the fervour of their fan support. Granted, United had their fair share of botched chances, and were for all purposes in control for the majority of the game; their difficulty was in finding the extra push to put them ahead on the scoresheet as well. It took United 77 minutes to wear down the Kara Kartallar, and their chance came when a shot from Nani forced the Turkish side’s keeper to parry, though he was unable to hold on to the ball and Paul Scholes dutifully nodded in the rebound. It is a result that I think both sides can come away from relatively happy.

Eins, Zwei, Drei... Grafite learns German the only way he knows how.

VfL Wolfsburg 3-1 CSKA Moscow – A result the German Champions, and in particular star man Grafite, can be proud of. Their first Champions League match went off without a hitch, and though Juande Ramos’ Russian side was able to take control of possession for much of the game, they failed to capitalize on their efforts as Wolfsburg – er, Grafite – did. Netting twice in the first half before making it three on 87′ the Brazilian was all the difference for the German side, who now sit at the top of their group, above Manchester United on goal differential. Party while you can, Wolves – the Red Devils are next.

Bayern Münich 3-0 Maccabi Haifa – An unsurprising result. Bayern have gotten their easiest fixture out of the way, dismissing the Israeli side with, well, ease. Nevertheless, it is noteworthy that Bayern youngster Thomas Müller has grabbed his second brace in as many games – Daniel Van Buyten opened up the scoring with a goal of his own. Next up is what should be a far more challenging fixture against Juventus – like their counterparts Wolfsburg, Die Roten have their toughest challenges yet ahead of them.

Atletico Madrid 0-0 APOEL FC – Like Bayern, Atletico have their easiest match behind them. Unfortunately, unlike Bayern, Los Colchoneros failed to make the best out of said match and came away with a single point against Cyprus’ APOEL FC at home in the Estadio Vincente Calderón. It was a frustrating evening for the Spanish side, as their often-lethal strike team of Diego Forlan and Sergio ‘Kun’ Aguero failed to create goalscoring opportunities. However, Los Colchoneros can consider themselves somewhat lucky in that the visitors blew two clear-cut chances to take the lead. Silver lining, right? More like bronze, I suppose.

Inter 0-0 Barcelona – Here it is, the match we’ve all been waiting for, and – what? They drew? Bollocks! Inter and Barcelona played a well-matched game in which neither side looked dominant over the other, despite Barca’s inevitable control of possession. The chances went both ways, and Inter had as good and as many as the Catalans. The UEFA Champions did not look all that comfortable in the San Siro, although they could have gone ahead several times in the opening minutes at the Nerazzurri struggled to find their rhythm. Though Barca looked the aggressors in the first half (and should have gone ahead had Keita not missed an absolute sitter) their play had an edge of impatience in the second half, and their attacks, while often dangerous, could not crack Inter’s defense. Lionel Messi was well-covered by the Inter back line – it seemed as though every time he touched the ball he was instantly surrounded with a wall of black & blue. Ibrahimovic, roundly jeered by Inter fans, continued his practice of performing impressions of The Invisible Man during big matches, and failed to make an impact on the scoreline against his former side. Of course his counterpart Samuel Eto’o was also present – putting in a hardworking game against his former side but ultimately coming up empty-handed. However, Barca was not the only side to waste clear-cut chances. Diego Milito stumbling over his own feet alone in front of Victor Valdes and David Santon, who was brought on late to replace Wesley Sneijder, doing a fairly good job of covering the position – he nearly would have given his side the lead in a one-on-one on 82′ but for being brought down by Yaya Toure, who received a yellow card for his efforts. Inter were perhaps saved by some last-ditch defending, though given each team’s performance, a 0-0 draw is the most apt result.

Arsenal 3-2 Standard Liege – Hats off to the Gunners, who pulled off an impressive comeback to bring three points home from Belgium after going down 2-0 in the games first five minutes. Eliaquim Mangala netted on 2′ and Milan Jovanović, after being tackled clumsily by William Gallas in the box, converted a spot kick on 5′ to stun Arsenal with a devastating early lead. Arsenal would struggle throughout the next 45 minutes, to wake up just before the half as Nick Bendtner ran onto an Abou Diaby throughball in the corner of the box and slotted home to halve the Belgian’s lead. Standard Liege would fight hard throughout the second have, posing a constant danger up the flanks, though Arsenal would finally equalize in the 78th minute thanks to Thomas Vermaelen – only three minutes before Eduardo would score the goal that, ultimately, would be enough to win the game. The dramatic comeback of Arsene Wenger’s side made this probably the most exciting match played in this year’s competition thus far.

Liverpool 1-0 Debrecen – Liverpool, the fourth and final English team in European competition, was also the fourth English team to beat their opponents by a single-goal margin. The Merseyside squad hosted Hungarian Champions Debrecen at Anfield, and played a strong defensive game, content to absorb the pressure heaped on them and wait patiently for their chances. Despite missing key players Jozef Varga, Tibor Dombi, Gergely Rudolf through suspensions and injury, respectively, the Hungarians put up a good fight, gaining confidence throughout each half and forcing some last-ditch saves from Pepe Reina. However, it would be a Dirk Kuyt goal in first-half injury time that would be the final difference between the teams, as the Hungarians were unable to equalize in the second half – seeing the Scousers take three points from their first group match.

"I swear Ref, his face hit me!"

Olympique Lyonnais 1-0 Fiorentina – Lyon became the only French side to take three points away from their first game after beating 10-man Fiorentina by a one-goal margin at home in the Stade Gerland. The first half of the match was rather uneventful, and despite a few scattered chances, the game didn’t start in earnest until Alberto Gilardino was sent off in first half added time after Jérémy Toulalan had the nerve to hit Gila’s elbow with his face. After the half, the Viola decided the best course of action was to cut their losses and ‘park the bus,’ but their plan was foiled on 76′, when Miralam Pjanic found the back of the net on a strong rebounded shot. Cesare Prandelli hasalready spoken out against Gilardino being given his marching orders, calling the elbow to the face unintentional and claiming the judgement was harsh. However way you see it, the Viola will surely be frustrated as they return to Italy empty-handed, and Lyon will surely celebrate winning their first group stage match.

GIDCEATWO (Games I Don’t Care Enough About To Write On):

Olympiakos 1-0 AZ Alkmaar

Sevilla 2-0 Unirea Urziceni

Dynamo Kiev 3-1 Rubin

VfB Stuttgart 1-1 Rangers

Vitesse is in de ban van Edgar Davids. De man die zijn conditie op peil houdt bij CSV Apeldoorn zou weldra de geelzwarte gelederen van Theo Bos gaan versterken. Ondertussen lijkt RKC Waalwijk in de ban van Winston Bogarde. De man die zijn conditie op peil houdt bij Terneuzense Boys zou weldra de geelblauwe gelederen van Ruud Brood gaan versterken. Tot slot is FC Groningen in de ban van Patrick Kluivert. De man die zijn conditie op peil hield in een discotheek op Mallorca zou weldra de gelederen van Ron Jans  gaan versterken.

Neen Edgar (plus Winston en Patrick), dit worden kansloze missies.  Investeer in iets groters.  Investeer in een project dat al eens is aangezet door een grote vriend. Clarence Seedorf (de man die zijn conditie op peil houdt bij AC Milan, maar daar weldra buiten de boot zal vallen) is de naam. Clarence is na Milan klaar. Klaar om opnieuw te bekabelen!

Project Suriname dus. Met Gerard Spong op zoek naar mazen in de wet  voor een massahernaturalisatie. Trainen in het Seedorf Stadion; Stanley als trainer; Patrick in de spits. Vul het zwikkie aan met Jeremain Lens of Milano Koenders, maakt niet echt uit. Maar vergeet vooral niet het tripje naar Madrid.  De in Holland miskende real survivor Royston Drenthe zal zich met hart en ziel willen opwerpen als grote jonge leider van een nieuwe voetbalnatie. Na onder-21 en de vrouwen is het tijd voor editie 3 van de oranjegerelateerde voetbalhype!

Dopo la prima giornata di campionato aveva sorpreso tutti il nuovo Milano low cost targato Leonardo, espugnando Siena per la quarta volta nelle ultime cinque stagioni, e candidantosi prepotentemente come Out-Sider fra Inter e Juve. Tanto entusiasmo, troppo, che ha finito per ridimensionare clamorosamente il Milano dopo la pesante sconfitta nel Derby.
Il problema, sostiene la critica, non è solo tecnico, ma più che altro psicologico: tutte le certezze la squadra rossonera le aveva accumulate nell’ultimissima settimana di precampionato, dopo la vittoria nel trofeo Berlusconi; certezze, appunto, sgretolatesi rovinosamente dopo venti minuti al Meazza contro l’Inter.
In discussione è stato messo in primis l’allenatore, definito inesperto e incapace di gestire lo spogliatoio, vedi il mancato ingresso di Seedorf che è costata l’espulsione di Gattuso, e la sfuriata di quest’ultimo contro la panchina rossonera. Sabato dovrà dar prova di sagacia tattica e psicologica, trascinando il suo Milan nella difficile trasferta di Livorno, squadra parsa in buona forma nonostante la sconfitta a Napoli.
Bisognerà vedere cosa azzarderà Leo, che dovrà ripartire dalle certezze: Thiago Silva e Nesta coppia centrale intoccabile e Pato in forma strepitosa. Per il resto tutto in discussione, ma proviamo ad ipotizzare l’esordio da titolare di Huntelaar (pagato 15 milioni…) e Pirlo versione numero 10, che in nazionale ha regalato perle di saggezza.
In casa Milan pare esserci ottimismo, voglia di riscatto e soprattutto fiducia nell’allenatore, ribadita da Galliani in più di una conferenza stampa, ma in caso di doppio passo falso, in campionato e soprattutto in Champions (la trasferta a Marsiglia è un passo fondamentale per il passaggio del turno), sarà difficile rivedere il brasiliano ancora sulla panchina del Milan.
Come sostituti i soliti nomi: Zaccheroni, ma anche Tassotti; abbandonata (?) l’ipotesi Juande Ramos, dopo la sua firma con il CSKA di Mosca.

“(..) Leggerezza imperdonabile quella di Ringhio, ma nulla al confronto dell’improvvisazione con cui la panchina rossonera si era mossa per gestire la sua sostituzione. Pur in presenza di un giocatore menomato, Leonardo non aveva infatti ritenuto di preallertare le riserve per il riscaldamento di rito e quando si rendeva conto di doverlo fare (dopo le reiterate richieste di Gattuso) Clarence Seedorf, il prescelto, si alzava con comodo dalla sua postazione, a torso nudo e senza le scarpe, quasi un villeggiante reduce dalle vacanze: avesse avuto secchiello e paletta, sarebbe stato perfetto.”

Alberto Costa, Corriere della Sera, 30 agosto 2009.

Firstly let’s clear something up. If you got here by googling the phrase “5 year-old tackles” you’re going to be sorely disappointed. Get away from me.

For the rest of you: check the skills. Paolo Maldini’s 5 year-old son tackles Clarence Seedorf on the San Siro pitch, and makes it look easy. Got a feeling that number 3 shirt won’t be retired for too long.