Mais um vídeo do jornalista-torcedor do Milan Tiziano Crudeli. Para quem não o conhece, ele faz parte de um canal de televisão que não tem os direitos de transmissão da Liga dos Campeões, mas nem por isso eles deixam de transmitir o jogo.

Na verdade, não há imagens, mas sim todos reunidos no estúdio para acompanhar a partida. Coisa comum na Itália. Isso não foi diferente quando o Milan foi até Madrid para enfrentar o Real, pela Uefa Champions League.

Acompanhe o vídeo e veja que Tiziano Crudeli é mais que um torcedor fanático. Primeiro se desespera com o frango de Dida, o criticando e pedindo para ir embora do clube. Depois comemora o gol de Andrea Pirlo e vibra com o de Pato, dando beijo nos companheiros no estúdio.

Após a desilusão com o tento de Drenthe, Crudeli finalmente respira aliviado com o gol de Pato e desabafa no final, dizendo que este time do Milan não é velho. Vale a pena ver o vídeo, que é emocionante e engraçado.

Éder Fantoni

Galera querida do Cadê Meu Camisa 10?, nesse campeonato onde está cada vez mais difícil arriscar, palpitem pelo menos que não custa nada:

Vejam os vencedores da rodada, desta vez:
01º Stefano / Paloschi – 140 pts
02° André Tintim / Bülau – 110 pts
03° Gkeeper – 105 pts
04° Sidney / Pedro (News of SPFC) – 100 pts
05° Blogueiro – 95 pts
06° Futebol ao Cubo – 70 pts
07° Rodrigo – 65 pts
08° André Russo – 55 pts
09° Thiaguinho – 50 pts

No acumulado do Brasileirão, segue os três primeiros:
1° GKeeper – 4065 pts
2° Paloschi – 4025 pts
3° Blogueiro – 3905 pts

No mês de novembro Stefano passa a ser o líder, seguido de perto pelo André Tintim. Stefano tem 425 pontos.

Seguem os jogos a serem palpitados:
Quarta-feira, 25 de novembro de 2009
17h45 Bordeaux x Juventus – Champions League
17h45 Milan x Olympique – Champions League
21h50 LDU x Fluminense – Sulamericana (1º Jogo da Final)

Domingo, 29 de novembro de 2009
10h00 Internazionale x Fiorentina – Campeonato Italiano
12h00 Arsenal x Chelsea – Campeonato Inglês
14h00 Barcelona x Real Madrid – Campeonato Espanhol
17h00 Corinthians x Flamengo – Campeonato Brasileiro
17h00 Palmeiras x Atlético-MG – Campeonato Brasileiro
17h00 Santo André x Náutico – Campeonato Brasileiro
17h00 Atlético-PR x Botafogo – Campeonato Brasileiro
17h00 Grêmio x Grêmio Barueri – Campeonato Brasileiro
17h00 Fluminense x Vitória – Campeonato Brasileiro
17h00 Goiás x São Paulo – Campeonato Brasileiro
17h00 Sport x Internacional – Campeonato Brasileiro
17h00 Cruzeiro x Coritiba – Campeonato Brasileiro
17h00 Avaí x Santos – Campeonato Brasileiro

No Cartola FC, S. E. Bülau foi razoável enquanto CMC10 enconsta de vez, graças as boas pontuanções de Rafael Marquez, Fred e Hélio dos Anjos, e a decisão deste mês fica para a última rodada. Quem gostou e estiver afim de participar, procure no Cartola a Liga CMC10 e mostre que você é um bom técnico.

El domingo por la noche salí con mis amigos de la escuela a comer churros al callejón de San Ginés que por cierto en la churreria San Ginés tienen el peor servicio al cliente de Madrid las veces que he ido siempre he notado que tratan fatal a los clientes pero bueno de regreso decidimos volver caminando a casa para bajar un poco los churros que nos habíamos comido, una de mis amigas que también escribe en este blog se separó de nosotros a la altura del retiro y nosotros seguimos caminando por otra de las calles muy famosas de Madrid, mientras caminabamos defrente a nosotros venían tres personas, una chica, un señor grande y un chico cuando los pasamos una de mis amigas le dijo a su novio hey viste que era kaká? yo dentro de mi pensaba y ese quién es? (porque debo confesar mi ignorancia sobre fútbol) y el dijo no no, pues regresate y tomate una foto con el mientras lo pensaba, Kaká y las personas que estaban con el entraban al edificio donde al parecer vive que ahora los tres sabemos donde vive en Madrid por cierto un barrio bastante caro, mientras tanto mi amigo le dijo Kaká una foto!!!! y el contestó con la mano no no y se volteó. A mi me dio igual porque no tenía ni idea de quien era, pero mi amigo que si es realmente aficionado al Real Madrid se quedó con las ganas y mas porque tampoco es español, venir desde tan lejos ver a una de tus figuras favoritas y que rechace una foto no es nada agradable. Para que son figuras públicas si van a rechazar una foto, entiendo que a veces están cansados y no quieren convivir con la gente pero deberían pensar un poco más en sus admiradores. Y a la churrería San Ginés le quiero decir pésimo servicio al cliente y a Kaká que el se perdió estár en una foto de facebook……….. y ser más famoso.

Se trata de los dos mejores jugadores del mundo. Uno, el portugués Cristiano Ronaldo, figura del Real Madrid y ganador del Balón de Oro del año pasado. El otro, el argentino Lionel Messi, crack del Barcelona y casi seguro vencedor del mismo premio en esta temporada. La realidad indica que los dos arrastran lesiones y están en duda para el derby del próximo domingo en el Camp Nou.

Vayamos por partes. El sábado, Barcelona igualó con Bilbao como visitante y perdió la punta. Pero eso no fue lo peor. Messi le pidió el cambio al técnico Guardiola en el segundo tiempo y se encendieron las alarmas. Se temió lo peor. Pero los estudios médicos arrojados ayer a la mañana denunciaron cierto optimismo. Se determinó una leve lesión muscular y no se descartó la presencia del argentino en el choque de mañana ante el Inter por la Liga de Campeones. ¿Qué hará Guardiola? ¿Arriesgará a Messi de cara al derby?

Cruzando la vereda, la situación es similar. Mientras el Real Madrid disfruta el liderato, los hinchas aguardan por el regreso de Cristiano Ronaldo, quien lleva casi dos meses sin jugar por una lesión en su tobillo que se complicó mucho más de lo previsto. El futbolista se perdió los choques con su seleccionado por las Eliminatorias. Pero, dicen, no se quiere quedar afuera del clásico.

Así están las cosas a seis días de unos de los partidos más importantes del mundo. Con las dos estrellas en duda. Con los hinchas del Barcelona y del Real Madrid rezando. ¿Llegarán?

Cristiano saliendo de Valdebebas con su coche.

Este finde vimos otro partido PLANO. Empezó bien el Madrid, no obstante y tuvo varias oportunidades, la mejor, un disparo al palo de Xavi Alonso y a los 23 minutos llegó una buena jugada por banda derecha de Kaká, una jugada de extremo que una vez mas Higuain transforma colocado donde debe estar un delantero centro.

Pero ahí acabó todo, vimos un Racing completamente inofensivo, que apenas se acercó en todo el partido y si tuvo ocasiones fué mas por los despistes de costumbre del Madrid en defensa que por otra cosa.

Dos jugadas polémicas, un penalty clamoroso cometido sobre Benzema y un gol anulado al Racing que no hubiera hecho justicia pero que ERA LEGAL y sin embargo se anuló por fuera de juego y….y nada mas, del juego..eso, plano, lento, horizontal, a veces cansino, con imprecisiones, desorganizado y sin ninguna profundidad.

Eso si, ahora, tras el empate del Barça, resulta que el Madrid coge el primer puesto y con el se va a presentar en el Camp Nou, pero visto el juego de unos y otros está claro, por MAL QUE ME SIENTE EL DECIRLO que EL FAVORITO CLARO ES EL BARÇA y no seria de extrañar que ganara el partido por dos o mas goles de diferencia.

Eso si, de momento eso no va a suponer nada pues queda todo un mundo, la pila de puntos por jugar, pero está el tema psicológico que también cuenta.

Antes, de todas formas, habrá que pasar por la Champion’s League, buena semanita futbolera.

Real Madrid (1): Casillas; Arbeloa, Pepe, Garay, Marcelo; Granero (Diarra, m. 85), Xabi Alonso; Kaká (Van der Vaart, m. 81), Drenthe; Higuaín y Benzema (Raúl, m. 61).

Racing (0): Toño; Pinillos (Henrique, m. 60), Torrejón. Morris (Canales, m. 60), Christian; Colsa, Lacen; Luis García, Munitis, Serrano; y Tchité (Geijo, m. 68).

Goles: 1-0. M. 22. Kaká centra desde la derecha, Toño rechaza, toca de cabeza Garay e Higuaín remacha a placer.

Árbitro: Ramiréz. Amonestó a Xabi Alonso, Lacen, Morris y Garay. Santiago Bernabéu: 80.000 espectadores.

LA JORNADA AL COMPLETO:

Todo sobre el Osasuna 1-3 Valencia

Todo sobre el Villarreal 3-1 Valladolid

Todo sobre el Xerez 0-0 Sporting

Todo sobre el Espanyol 0-2 Getafe

Todo sobre el Mallorca 3-1 Almería

Todo sobre el Málaga 1-1 Zaragoza

Todo sobre el Athletic 1-1 Barcelona

Todo sobre el Real Madrid 1-0 Racing

Todo sobre el Deportivo 2-1 At. Madrid

Todo sobre el Tenerife 1-2 Sevilla

Queda solamente una semana para el gran cásico entre los 2 equipos más grandes de España. Esta es la buena noticia, porque la mala es que está dudosa la participación de los 2 mejores jugadores del mundo: Cristiano Ronaldo y Messi, Messi y Cristiano Ronaldo. No cabe duda de que sin estos 2 cracks mundiales, el juego de sus respectivos equipos se va a resentir pero… ¿qué baja es la más importante? ¿Creéis que disminuirá el espectáculo sin estos 2 jugadores? ¡Opinad, hijos míos!

Pero no era Pablo Prigioni un pasador espectacular. O, es que lo hizo queriendo. Sea lo que sea, el mangazo que se llevó Axel Hervelle era lo que le faltaba. Con el partido listo para sentencia, Ettore Messina le regaló unos minutos en la basura al alero desechado por el italiano. El belga salió como una moto y, en estas, a Prigioni se le va un balón con la suficiente fuerza para impactar como un misil en el cogote de Hervelle. Para más inri, la comedia se representó cuando varios equipos siguen uniéndose a la batería de pretendientes que han asomado la cabeza para pedirle al Madrid un poquito de por favor, mándame al alero belga. El Unicaja lo dejó apartado cuando lo tenía todo acordado porque cundió la lógica y fichó a un base, que era lo que se necesitaba y porque un contrato temporal no era suficiente para un jugador al que el Madrid renovó con fuerza (más de un millón de euros) hace un año y que no hace tanto fue tanteado para irse a la NBA (si no recuerdo mal los Spurs tienen sus derechos). El Cajasol fue el último que ha revitalizado sus deseos de fichar a este calvorota, porque Asselin parece que no va a ser español, porque podría sustituir al temporero Domien Lorbek y porque Joan Plaza lo conoce más que sobradamente. En Europa sonó en su momento para el Khimki, el CSKA Moscú, el Montepaschi o el Prokom. No creo que Hervelle termine en el Madrid (lleva seis partidos de nueve en ACB con una media de 13 minutos y no juega la Euroliga), porque no se lo merecería y porque es un pescadito libre en un mar donde no hay capturas de su calibre. Mientras, Pablo le da otro motivo para tener un dolor de cabeza. O es una fórmula para librarse del sobrante: dilapidarlo a balonazos. Qué bestias.

مباراة برشلونة v ريال مدريد الكلاسيكو بث مباشر

 Watch Match Real Madrid Vs Barcelona Live online

Former Glory...

Another Champions League matchday is upon us, the fifth of this year’s annual competition featuring some of the worlds greatest football clubs and players.  One of the greats who may likely miss the matchday is Barcelona striker Lionel Messi who recently sustained a thigh muscle injury on Saturday night during a 1-1 tie against Athletic Bilbao. Messi helped lead his club to a Champions League title in the 2008-2009 with a league-leading 9 goals.

Goal.com reports that he will more than likely be fit enough to play next Saturday in domestic play for Barcelona’s clash (“El Classico” for all you football snobs) against Real Madrid for tops in La Liga. His participation in Tuesday’s bout against division leading Inter Milan will be a game-time decision.  This is a critical match for Barcelona as they sit third in their group standings, and need the win to take control of the division, which will more than likely secure their spot in the Round of 16.

Barcelona is an ailing team with rumors of defender Rafael Márquez having recently presented symptoms of the H1N1 virus and teammates  Eric Abidal and Toure Yaya having already been diagnosed with the same illness. In other somewhat despairing news for the Catalan faithful,  Messi’s co-striker Zlatan Ibrahimovich did not practice with the club on Sunday as he is also recovering from a thigh strain. Both have combined for a modest 2 goals scored in four Champions League matches this season.  Notice matching stats to go with their matching injuries. Maybe they just want to be twins?

The team may look to them to play against Inter despite their less-than-perfect condition. Regardless, it might be hard to notice them on the pitch given their lack-luster performances so far.  Coach, Josep Guardiola has already stated:

“If players aren’t there… we’ll play with others. You don’t win titles with two or three players”

…Yes, but you can definitely lose titles without two or three players. To add insult to injury (pardon the pun),  Inter’s Jose Murinho announced the return of striker Samuel Eto’o. Save your tears Barca fans, it will definitely be an up-hill battle for the defending champs but they certainly have the depth and talent to pull off an epic win they so desperately need.

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 © Ernst Rose: Pixelio

Der Pressesprecher des FC Würzburger Kickers , Peter Neuberger, gab auf der Vereinsinternen Webseite unter anderen folgendes bekannt:

,,Nach Angaben der Staatsanwaltschaft Bochum besteht konkreter Verdacht, dass allein in Deutschland vier Spiele der 2. Bundesliga, drei Spiele der 3. Liga und 18 Partien der Regionalligen, fünf Spiele der Oberligen sowie zwei U19-Begegnungen manipuliert wurden. Der Bayerische Fußballverband geht derzeit nicht davon aus, dass bayerische Spiele betroffen sind.”

Ein Haftbefehl ist in der vergangenen Woche gegen einen Würzburger Spieler erlassen worden. 

,,Der umgehend suspendierte Spieler war bereits in einem früheren Wettskandal verwickelt. Der Spieler hatte damals auf Bitten eines asiatischen Wettbetrügers einen anderen Spieler gebeten, bewusst schlecht zu spielen, was dieser aber ablehnte und war dafür zu einer Geldstrafe von 8.400 EUR verurteilt worden. Dieser Teil seiner Vergangenheit wurde bei seiner Verpflichtung offen diskutiert, mit dem Ergebnis ihm als Fußballer eine zweite Chance zu geben.”

Wettskandal im Fußball. So richtig überraschend ist dies nicht. Nur naive Gemüter konnten nach dem Fall Robert Hoyzer von einem sauberen Sport in der Königsdisziplin ausgehen. Im Fußball ist sehr viel Geld im Spiel. Summen von 300.000 EURO pro Monat für etliche Spieler in der obersten deutschen Spielklasse oder ein Blick in den Fuhrpark der Spieler von Bayern München  beweisen es.

Im Fußball geht es um sehr viel Geld. Das zieht Interessierte aller Coleur an.  Als kürzlich das Länderspiel gegen Chile abgesagt wurde, war die Rede von 5 Millionen Euro entgangener Einnahmen für den DFB. Der Absteiger aus der 2. Bundesliga Vfl Osnabrück ging immerhin mit 6,7 Millionen Euro Etat in die Saison 2009/10 der 3. Liga. Autogrammstunden von ehemaligen Fußballnationalspielern liegen in einer Spannbreite von 2.500 – 10.000 Euro.

  © Gisela Peter: Pixelio

Kurz noch die Zahlen von Cristiano Ronaldo. Sein Jahressalär im Vertrag mit Real Madrid Club de Futbol beläuft sich auf 9,5 Millionen Euro.  Reals Präsident Florentino Perez erwirkte für seine atemberaubende Einkaufstour im Sommer bei zwei Großbanken Kredite von 153 Euro. Der Wettanbieter bwin verlängerte im September den Vertrag im Trikotsponsoring bis 2013 mit den Königlichen. Im Klartext heißt das: 92 Millionen Euro in vier Jahren für den Schriftzug des östereichischen Wettanbieters auf der Brust der Madrilenen.

Sportdirektor Martin Bader vom 1. FC Nürnberg äußerte sich im Zuge der schlechten Nachrichten der letzten Tage im Sonntagsblitz besorgt über die Zukunft des Fußballs.

,,Wenn sich die Vorwürfe erhärten, ist das für den Fußball eine Katastrophe. Es macht den Sport kaputt. Der Glaube muss aufrechterhalten werden, dass es auf dem Platz ehrlich zugeht und dass die Ergebnisse ehrlich erzielt werden, denn ansonsten versinkt dieser Sport irgendwann in der Bedeutungslosigkeit.”

Das Wettgeschäft ist natürlich ein riesiger Markt an Möglichkeiten viel Geld in extrem kurzer Zeit zu machen. Da kommen natürlich auch richtig gut organisierte Wettpaten ans Büffet der großen Geldscheine. Münzgeld oder kleine fünfstellige Summen sind dort nicht das Objekt der Begierde. Die Profis drehen am großen Rad.

Rückblick. Am 30. Januar 2005 führte Michael Ashelm in der FAZ im Zuge des damaligen Wettskandals ein Interview mit  dem Leiter der Anti-Korruptionsabteilung in der Frankfurter Staatsanwaltschaft, Wolfgang Schaupensteiner.

,,Als Leiter der Anti-Korruptions-Abteilung der Frankfurter Staatsanwaltschaft kennen Sie die dunkle Seite der menschlichen Natur. Den deutschen Fußball belastet gerade ein Skandal. Überraschen Sie die immer neuen Vermutungen in diesem Milliardenspiel?”

,,Nein. Ich sage immer leicht überspitzt: Der Mensch ist geldgierig und rachsüchtig. Wo investiert wird, wird geschmiert. Wo viel investiert wird, wird viel geschmiert.”

  © Andreas Morlok: Pixelio

Weiterführende Artikel zum Thema

1. Der Fußball und der böse Dämon

2. Auf eigene Faust verschoben

3. Rauball: “Haben keine Warnmeldung erhalten”

4. Mit diesen üblen Tricks arbeitet die Wettmafia

5. Haft für Hoyzer: Ein Urteil, auf das niemand gewettet hätte 

6. Das “goldene Dreieck”   

What you missed while scientists were finding a new type of predator coral that can eat jellyfish…

• David Beckham’s LA Galaxy lost the MLS Cup on penalties to Real Salt Lake last night, but Beckham is still planning on coming back after his AC Milan move, possibly with an eye towards one day owning an MLS franchise. Beckham Beckham Beckham Beckham.
• Jermain Defoe scored five goals in Tottenham’s 9-1 demolition of Wigan.
• Barcelona drew 1-1 with Athletic Bilbao Saturday, dropping them behind Real Madrid on the table; even worse, Lionel Messi went down with a thigh tear that will likely leave him out of the Super Classico on Saturday.
• Gaël Kakuta, the controversial Chelsea youth prospect, made his debut against Wolves.
• Liverpool will have to beat Debrecini VSC without Fernando Torres and Ryan Babel; the way things are going lately, look for a 2-2 draw in Hungary tomorrow.
• Carlos Vela’s potential has convinced Arsene Wenger to stop trying to sign Marouane Chamakh.
• Thierry Henry considered quitting after his controversial double dribble against Ireland.
• Philipp Lahm says that Bayern Munich is “sick” and “lame”. No word on whether they’re also “bogus” and “heinous”.
• Switzerland’s FC Gossau and FC Thun have each banned players over their roles in a match fixing scandal.
• Palermo have sacked Walter Zenga for extending the club’s winless run to four games, knocking all the pieces over.
• Rubin Kazan’s scoreless draw with Zenit St. Petersburg saw them clinch their second consecutive Russian Premier League title.
• Gary Neville has hit out against “mollycoddled” players who collect paychecks but never seem to actually play rely on their agents to do everything for them.

Hoteles Catalonia os recomiendo alojarse en uno de sus 21 hoteles en Barcelona para así poder asistir el ¨Clásico¨ del fútbol español entre el FC Barcelona y el Real Madrid. Por fin el duelo ya tiene horario oficial: el 29 de noviembre a las 19.00 hrs. El Camp Nou vivirá un partido apasionante correspondiente a la duodécima jornada del campeonato de Liga en un momento en el que tanto el equipo barcelonés como el madrileño llegarán muy emparejados en lo alto del ranking. No se lo pierden!

El jugador español de tan solo 24 años es una de las grandes promesas de nuestro fútbol pero, debido a un imprevisto y grave problema físico ajeno a la práctica del fútbol, está apartado temporalmente de los terrenos de juego.

 El joven futbolista  de Móstoles perteneció a la cantera del Real Madrid. Con 19 años debutó con el primer equipo pero no tuvo continuidad en el club blanco. En 2007 fue cedido al Getafe y tras una espectacular temporada fue repescado por el Real Madrid, además de conseguir la deseada llamada de la selección nacional, con la que disputó y ganó  la Eurocopa de Suiza y Austria. Pero tan solo un año más tarde del despegue como futbolista de este gran jugador, sufrió un desvanecimiento durante el enfrentamiento de copa del Rey contra El Real Unión de Irún. Lo que parecía solo un mareo o síncope provocado por la presión y el esfuerzo del futbolista, según los primeros informes médicos, se ha convertido en un infierno para el joven jugador. Tras las innumerables pruebas médicas a las que se ha sometido el medio-centro español, no se ha llegado a una conclusión final del porqué de su repentino desvanecimiento.

Su situación actual es la de pertenencia oficialmente a la primera plantilla del Real Madrid, si bien su situación real es que se encuentra apartado del equipo de forma indefinida. Como él mismo afirma en una entrevista publicada en su pagina web ” primero debo pensar en Rubén, la persona, y luego en De la Red, el futbolista” A la espera de nuevas pruebas que puedan determinar la enfermedad o dar un diagnóstico completo, el canterano del Real Madrid ha iniciado el curso de entrenador que imparte la federación española. A pesar de sentirse futbolista, es consciente de las pocas posibilidades que tiene de volver a enfundarse la camiseta blanca

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!