Matchday 3 in the Champions League was supposed to be arguably the battle of the top two. However, Atletico came into the match in bad form and were bottom of the group also containing Porto and APOEL Nicosia. Atletico needed a win here, while Chelsea needed to reverse their fortunes after a 2-1 defeat to Aston Villa at the weekend – two defensive mistakes from corners helping Villa to three points.

Bosingwa was injured two days before the match so Belletti took his place in the starting XI. Ivanovic came in for Carvalho after recent disappointing performances. Didier Drogba was serving the last of his three game suspension after his outburst at the end of the Barcelona game last season, so Salomon Kalou took his place. For Atletico, Maxi Rodriquez was left on the bench while Mariano Pernia was out injured.

Saloman Kalou was the major talking part in the first half. One on one with goalkeeper Asenjo with most of the goal to aim at, Kalou put the ball wide, much to the disappointment of the home fans. Kalou was then involved in another controversy after apparently straying offside when Lampard took a free kick. Lampard’s free-kick actually sailed over Asenjo and into the net, but Kalou was judged to have either touched the ball or was offside – both were errors from the German referee Florian Meyer.

Finally he scored though. Lampard put Ashley Cole through with a great pass and he then crossed it in to Kalou, who tapped the ball home. Atletico had a few chances in the first half but Forlan and Aguero were quite quiet – Cech denied them on a few occasions. Chelsea were getting caught offside a number of times, with Atletico pushing at the other end. Chelsea faced a corner with many eyes watching to see how they would do after the Aston Villa debacle, but they coped with it. Half-time soon came.

Anelka had a chance after the break but Asenjo saved well. Asenjo then sent a bouncing ball over a cross bar, and Kalou scored with a nice header to make it 2-0. After his astonishingly bad performance earlier, Kalou was now in his stride. Aguero had a chance to pull it back to 2-1 but Cech saved when on one-to-one. Cech’s lost his form has he?

Frank Lampard finally ended his scoring drought with a third goal. Taking the ball from outside the area, he sent a stinging shot into the bottom corner. Chelsea were now safe and Atletico were collapsing. Their fans went quiet and soon they faced more disappointment with Raul Garcia being booked for a tackle on Essien. That was the first yellow card all night – it seemed as if the referee forgot his yellow cards in Germany before.

Atletico Madrid’s night was finished when Perea put the ball past his own goalkeeper. Malouda, on as a substitute, sent the ball into the box from the free-kick and Perea diverted it past Asenjo. Atletico were done while qualification looks easy now for Chelsea.

Ancelotti should soon realise that Frank Lampard doesn’t belong on the right of midfield. He’s a great player but he can’t influence play as much on the right as he would do in the centre, and thus he isn’t the same player. Still, he did alright in the game but he should play as the attacking midfielder in the diamond instead of Deco. Chelsea also missed Drogba and Bosingwa – Chelsea could have won by more than four goals if Drogba was there instead of Kalou. Carletto seems to know what he’s doing though and Chelsea have nearly qualified. Blackburn are next in the league.

Chelsea (4-1-2-1-2): Cech; Belletti, Ivanovic, Terry (c), A Cole (Malouda 74); Essien; Ballack, Lampard; Deco; Kalou (Zhirkov 72), Anelka (Sturridge 77).
Scorers Kalou 40, 51, Lampard 68, Perea og 90.
Booked Belletti 85

Atlético (4-4-2): Sergio Asenjo; Ujfalusi, Perea, Alvaro Dominguez, Antonio Lopez (c); Cleber Santana (Maxi Rodriguez 65), Paulo Assuncao (Jurado 53), Raul Garcia, Simao (Reyes 76); Forlan, Aguero.
Booked Raul Garcia 73, Alvaro Dominguez 89.

 (Pictures from myself and chelseafc.com. Report by TC Admin of The Complex II.)

Kewell holds back Huntelaar

Match: Australia vs Netherlands, Internationl Friendly, Sydney Football Stadium

Reporter: hugh (Sydney, Australia)

With near full strength teams making the long journey for this international friendly, the match between Netherlands and Australia promised to be both exciting and enjoyable. With a near capacity crowd on hand at the Sydney Football Stadium, rain somewhat dampened the spirits of both sets of fans but nonetheless made international stars like Wesley Sneijder, Dirk Kuyt, Klaas Jan Hunterlaar and Tim Cahill feel right at home.

Australia was aiming to continue their unbeaten record against the Dutch yet unsurprisingly it was the visitors who came out on top. The Netherlands immediately set about controlling the ball and passing it patiently and pragmatically. The fickle Sydney crowd, clearly not accustomed to seeing such a dominant and foreign brand of football, was unimpressed.

Few chances were created, with the best coming in the tenth minute as Huntelaar headed over when he perhaps should have done better. Australia was failing to feed the ball to Australia’s attacking threats, like Cahill, Josh Kennedy and Harry Kewell, and thus could not muster any real chances or plays. Blackburn midfielder Vince Grella succumbed to injury on the 24th minute, yet that was probably the most notable incident of the first 45. Sneijer had been running the show with some slight cameos Eljero Elia, while former Chelsea defender Khalid Boulahrouz blasted a shot into the side netting to round out the first half.

Australia battled back into the game during the second half. Brett Emerton, returning from a long injury lay-off, was substituted on and he proved a constant menace down the right hand side. However, their impotency in attack was shown as Cahill and Kennedy were substituted off, leaving Brett Holman to play as a makeshift striker.

The raft of changes from both teams did not halt to flow of the match, as the Dutch continued to press without any success. Elia forced a low save off Mark Schwarzer, but again, the chances were few and far between. Australia’s lively young winger Dario Vidosic provided successive dead-ball opportunities but in the end, both deliveries were poor.

The final, and perhaps the best chance, went to Australia’s Holman in the 88th minute. Successive flick-on headers put Holman through on goal. Coming in at an angle, he had the option of cutting it back or shooting – he took the latter and blasted the chance high and wide. It was a disappointing effort that would have provided an unlikely win to Australia.

In the end, the Dutch had 20 shots to Australia’s four, and dominated most of the ball. The fact that they could not create any real chances, however, was testament to Australia’s solid and organised defence in which Lucas Neill played 90 minutes for the first time since signing for Everton. These things provided both positive and negatives for both sides, as they will look to build on their respective performances before next year’s World Cup in South Africa.

The first out of two title celebrations at Lerkendal was celebrated with tinge after the first defeat of the season, in one of the dramatic games of the year.

Record breakers from Trondheim

Having not beaten Rosenborg in Trondheim since 1993, IK Start faced quite a big challenge for their second last away game of the season. The recent promoted team should have beaten us earlier this season, but in spite of being down to ten men and 1-0 down, Rosenborg turned the match in the second half at Sør Arena, in one of those matches that symbols Rosenborg's 2009 season. There are quite a few examples of Rosenborg coming back and winning games in the second half and the match in Kristiansand was a mighty example where we scored two goals on two chances in the second half. As you might know, Rosenborg had not lost since the last round of 2008, a total amount of 26 games. That's not a record in the club, but it is a record if you only count games from the beginning of a season.

The outstanding season made a funny starting point for this match: Three points tonight would have given Rosenborg 20 points space to secondplaced Molde, who again has 20 points down to relegation! The second placed team is closer relegation than Rosenborg! It's also worth a mention that IK Start, who has had a good season, has the heaviest loss of the season: 1-8 in Molde!

IK Start manager Knut Tørum got a nice welcome message from our fans, the manager who has 16 months experience from Lerkendal. The man who started as an assistance in 2006 when Rosenborg was in the middle of the table and finished the season as the team's head coach - on top. Rosenborg won 10 out of 12 games with him in charge and stole the title in the final rounds. The turn-around made him to a fan favourite, even though the upcoming season was grey. 5th place was certainly not good enough for the pride of Scandinavia who gave him the sack with two rounds to go. His last match was the legendary 2-0 win against Valencia at home - a nice match to put on your CV!

In spite of all statistics facing Rosenborg's way, the fans were worried for one reason: Rosenborg won the league last weekend and everyone have been talking about RBK's celebration at the enemy Molde's homeground. Could Rosenborg perform well even as champions? Manager Erik Hamrèn promised so and he started with the best team he could even tho there are players waiting for enough matches to become champion of 2009.

Olsen in form

The last time Rosenborg lost a league game was in November 2008. Rosenborg fought for medals, but the surprise of the season FK Bodø/Glimt won 3-1 at Lerkendal and stole the 4th place in front of big brother Rosenborg. Bodø/Glimt were predicted last before the season, but they made a fool of all experts in Norway. Trond Olsen was a major reason for their good season and he crowned it with a hat-trick at Lerkendal in the last round. It didn't take us long to open our pocketbooks and secure Glimt's mighty winger.

That has certainly made an effect in Bodø/Glimt, who now seems to relegate again. Losing 3-0 against one of their rivals Strømsgodset was not good, in a match Bodø/Glimt won 2-1 last season. Matchwinner? Trond Olsen.

Olsen's season in Rosenborg has been up and down, though. It is different to play for a team who gets a lot of space to use and in Rosenborg, where every opponent defends well. In Bodø he had 13 assists in 2008 and he had to wait for August to get one in Trondheim. But after a few bad games, Olsen woke up and he also scored the final goal in Molde.

And Rosenborg's number 7 was ready for party tonight as well. 35 Minutes were gone and the match was at a boring point when a quick taken freekick suddenly put Olsen in a situation he loves: A situation where he can use his speed and sneak behind the defenders. The freekick reached Olsen, who easly took it past the keeper and scored his 7th of the season.

That seemed to give Rosenborg a lead to the half-time, but Start wanted to give their travelling fans a goal before half-time. One of the fresh talents in Norwegian football, Mads Stokkelien, scored a beauty of a goal straight before half-time. Not undeserved, cos the first half was close and not full of chances.

But Olsen's good night was not over. In front of all Norwegian TV watchers, he got his second eight minutes into the second half. A great turn-around and Olsen could yet again speed up against Stat's goal. Running to the left, he sent a rocket to the right and the ball hit the nets as a rocket by the far post. A beautiful goal by Olsen and Rosenborg 2-1 up!

A bit negativ focus on Olsen though: He should have scored a third later, but he couldn't handle the pressure when he was through and simply alone with the keeper and missed. He has done that loads of times this season so he is certainly not a striker! When Olsen walked off in the 71st minute he had reasons to smile though. Two goals at Lerkendal, for the first time since November 2008 where he scored three - for the wrong team.

Overtime penalty drama

Trond Olsen was off and Rosenborg pressured for a third that would secure another three points. Substitute Bakenga had chances to score his first for the club, but he just can't get the first! He is still one of our best talents and the goal is not far away. Skjelbred hit the post as well, hunting for his second goal of the season.

IK Start had a better substitute in hand, tho: With ten minutes to go Bernt Hulsker entered the pitch. Hulsker is one of the most hated players in Norway. He is a diver, using his elbow a lot and he scores a lot of goals. Kjernen wished him welcome with songs like "You are a whore and you know it", "Hulsker, houndre percent garbage" and boo-ing every time he was near the ball.

But Hulsker had a nice present for us too: In the 89th minute he sneaked into the box and scored easly when Stadsgaard lost a duel with Stokkelien. Lago was far away from Hulsker and the 2-2 goal was reality. Whatever, we thought. But Start's miracle night had just begun.

The overtime had just begun and Bakenga had to give Start a freekick from the corner just outside the penalty area. Bakenga was booked and Start got a golden chance to score the winner. Cristiano Bolaños sent the ball in, but Jarstein jumped up and held the ball. But there was a situation inside the area that everyone are talking about today:

Start's American Clarence Goodson ran into Rade Prica in a close duel after Jarstein had taken down the ball. Prica didn't like that and gave him a push. Not a hard one, but enough for him to dive and fall like a bag of potatoes. That was the beginning of a major fight inside the penalty area and the famous Norwegian referee Tom Henning Øvrebø, who is well known for his poor game between Chelsea and Barcelona, chose to give visitors a penalty. "A minute of hell", Øvrebø described it after the match. The bald referee needed police security after the match where angry fans waited by the main entrance. Kjernen covered the pitch with coins and mobiles as Bolaños steped up to be the first matchwinner against Rosenborg in 2009. 4th of October became the date: The Costa Rican international did everything right, kept his head cold and sent Start to heaven.

The situation took two minutes, but Øvrebø ended the game 20 seconds later. That made a new clash between him and the Rosenborg players. Mikael Dorsin should have been booked I guess, cos he "took a Ballack light" and followed him after the game.

I must say I'm strugglig to find the reason why that should qualify to a penalty. Vålerenga's Andreas Nordvik became the scapegoat in a simular situation in Molde a few weeks back, in the semifinal of the cup. Vålerenga's keeper had the ball and Nordvik walked to Diouf to give him a push. Red card and penalty. Both situations had nothing to do with the game, but apparently it needs to be a red card to give a penalty. However, Øvrebø DID NOT give Prica or Jarstein any reds. Should they have got a red? Was it even a penalty? Discuss it on The Complex and see videoes of the strange and dramatic situation.

Brendan Gan celebrates scoring Sydney's first

Match: Sydney FC v Wellington Phoenix, Hyundai A-League 2009/10, Round 4, Sydney Football Stadium

Reporter: hughgeta (Sydney, Australia)

Sydney FC and Gold Coast United entered Round 4 of the A-League as the only undefeated teams. New team Gold Coast had triumphantly proclaimed they would go through the seasn undefeated, yet Sydney were going about their business far more  discreetly. Under Czech coach Vitezslav Lavicka they were playing a far more European type of football, together with some smart overseas signings. And with the crowd informed before the match that Gold Coast had lost to Newcastle, this was a chance for Sydney to jump to the top of the table against Wellington.

The early stages of the match were somewhat slow. Both teams were happy to cancel out the other and the conservative tactics of Phoenix coach Ricki Herbert as he hauled off Brazilian playmaker Diego after just 30 minutes. Sydney meanwhile, were forced into a change as Terry McFlynn left the field injured, replaced by Brendan Gan.

The first real chance came when Phoenix debutant goalkeeper Reece Crowther hashed a clearance, rebounding off Mark Bridge just over the crossbar. Crowther made amends by pulling off a fine save from a Gan header soon after. Phoenix's Paul Ifill flashed a shot wide just before the break, but it was a lacklustre first half. Sydney were heavily pressing the left hand side where Alex Brosque and Sung-Hwan Byun had been impressive, but had otherwise failed to impress.

The second half was somewhat different for the home side. Running towards a typically vocal Cove home end, Sydney managed to control the ball far better and strung some far better play together. They controlled the possession immediately after the break, yet the Phoenix's Michael Ferrante had his long strike well saved by Clint Bolton. Aside from this, Sydney's central defence of Simon Colosimo and Stephan Keller were very impressive.

As the game went on, Gan became far more involved against the tired Wellington defence. Veteran Steve Corica came on as Gan shifted to the right side, causing headaches for the New Zealand side. As time went on, it would eventually be him that broke the deadlock.

On 77 minutes, Gan beat his marker off a corner and powered home a short-range header. The youngster ran towards the embracing crowd, as the match suddenly looked out of Wellington's reach.

Wellington attempted to push forward in search of an equaliser but were very disappointing in failing to create a chance. Just four minutes after the first goal, Wellington lost the ball deep inside the attacking half, giving Sydney a great opportunity to counter. Brosque dribbled forward, as four Sydney players lined up to the right with barely a Phoenix defender. Holding off the pass, Brosque eventually lofted the ball into the box and John Aloisi directed the header into the goal.

Aloisi, scoring his 3rd of the season, finished it excellently - and was finally beginning to regain the trust of the Sydney fans he lost with only 2 goals last season. In the end, Sydney ran out convincing winners, as it was they who controlled the ball and created the majority of the chances. Wellington's Leo Bertos was again their best, but he failed to capitalise on an excellent dribble inside the box, beating four players in the process.

Sydney, now leading the table on ten points, travel to second-placed Gold Coast next week, while Wellington return to New Zealand, where their form is much better, against Adelaide.

The UEFA Champions League is back, not long after the showpiece final in Rome only a few months ago. This was the 3^rd qualifying round though with a place up for grabs in the new play-off (after UEFA re-organised the qualifying routes).

The Norwegian and Danish champions faced each other in Copenhagen the week before, with FCK winning 3-1 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5q5G-ET5-c8&feature=related). Copenhagen took an early lead through Jesper Gronkjaer, before the impressive Cesar Santin doubled their lead. Stabaek were pressing and finally got a goal through Palmason. Copenhagen perhaps took the game away from the Norwegians with a penalty late on, which Santin converted. Stabaek had the crucial away goal, however, so they would feel the game wasn’t lost just yet.).

All eyes were on the Telenor Arena in Oslo for the return match. Jan Jonsson, manager for the hosts, named an expected line-up with Knudsen in goal, Berglund and Nannskog in attack and youngster Hedenstad featuring in defence. The team:

Knudsen, Segerstrom, Hauger, Kobayashi, Nannskog, Palmason, Skjoensberg, Farnerud, Rogne, Hedenstad, Berglund.

FC Copenhagen, led by Norwegian manager Stale Solbakken, named a strong team:

Christiansen, Pospech, Noerregaard, Ailton Almeida, Kvist, Gronkjaer, Santin, Hutchinson, Antonsson, Wendt, Jorgensen.

The players came out to a roar from the home fans, with the Champions League anthem playing loud in their ears. A few hundred Copenhagen fans also made the journey from Denmark. The action was soon underway with Stabaek taking the kick-off.

Looking for two goals to level the tie, Stabaek started well immediately. With 22 seconds gone, Nannskog forced a corner. Kobayashi took the corner but it was cleared away to Farnerud, who fired it onto the crossbar. Gronkjaer soon gave away a foul on Palmason, before Berglund was caught offside for the Norwegians. Berglund then had a chance immediately after, but his shot went wide of the goal. It was soon the turn of the Danes as FCK had two corners. Santin also had a chance but missed. Stabaek had a chance after Nannskog put Berglund through, but the pass was too strong for Berglund and Christiansen was there to pick it up.

Berglund was in the action again but was soon caught offside. Nannskog put him through and Berglund shot, with Christiansen saving, but it was offside anyway. Nannskog was then caught offside before Berglund missed another chance – Kobayashi crossed the ball into the penalty area, Nannskog headed it back towards goal with a clash of heads forcing it to Berglund, who then attempted an overhead kick but it went narrowly wide. Ailton Almeida then had a chance for FCK, but the attack failed.

On 25 minutes, Stabaek had another corner. Nannskog took it but it was cleared away to Hauger. His shot took a deflection off a defender and went high into the air before being safely caught by Christiansen. Another chance went missing for Stabaek as Berglund attempted a pass to Nannskog from the penalty area but he overhit the pass and the chance went begging.

Half time soon came with the match at 0-0. Stabaek were the better team in the first half and deserved a goal, so there would be 45 minutes left for them to find at least two goals.

FCK had a chance two minutes after the restart with Santin shooting wide, but it was Stabaek who had the greatest chance a few minutes later, with Christiansen’s fine save keeping them ahead in the tie. Nannskog was running down the wing and crossed it to Berglund in the centre of the penalty area. He rose up and met the ball and headed it to the corner, but Christiansen made a fine, diving save to deny him. A frantic FCK defence then cleared the ball to safety. The Stabaek fans were going wild now, and their team had another corner. Daigo Kobayashi played it short and then received the ball back, before crossing it into the area. Berglund headed it over. Stabaek continued to apply the pressure. Another Kobayashi corner went in with Christiansen punching it away, but Kobayashi soon got the ball on the wing again and tried again, but it was headed away. Farnerud then skipped past two defenders but shot into the defenders. Kobayashi got the ball and shot, forcing Christiansen into another diving save, with the attack eventually being cleared away.

Hoff replaced Palmason in Stabaek’s first change of the evening in the 52nd minute. Santin and Nannskog were both caught offside for their respective teams soon after. The teams traded fouls and free-kicks before Antonsson received a yellow card. Kobayashi took the resulting free-kick and had an effort on goal, but it was to no avail.

Farnerud picked up a yellow card before a couple of substitutions. FCK replaced  Almeida with Nordstrand and Kristensen came on for Gronkjaer.

Stabaek were running out of time quickly, but it wasn’t long before they had more chances. In the 78th minute came a decent chance, with Hoff crossing the ball in but no-one was in the penalty area to slot the ball home. Berglund had another chance a minute later but Antonsson was in the way to stop the attempt. Andersson was thrown on by Stabaek for Skjoensberg. ‘Mix’ Diskerud came on for Kobayashi while Ndoye replaced Santin.

Nannskog was caught offside before Nordstrand had a late effort. A throw in came to him and he turned and shot just over the bar. The final whistle blew, with Solbakken celebrating on the touchline. Stabaek were the better team and deserved to get the two goals they were looking for, and perhaps Solbakken knew that as he celebrated the 0-0 draw. But it’s the Danish side which go on to face the Cypriots APOEL FC, after they beat Serbian club Partizan Belgrade 2-1 on aggregate. Stabaek drop into the Europa League and will face the mighty Valencia in the battle to reach the Group Stage.

Highlights from YouTube can be seen here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?gl=GB&hl=en-GB&v=hhxEaADpwAM

 Reporter: Ligue1 (MLS)

At the beginning of the 2009 Major League Soccer season, not too many people had expected the Seattle Sounders to outplay MLS cup finalists Red Bull New York in the opening match of the season, but Sigi Schmidt's men showed that they were not to be underestimated as they handed New York a 3-0 loss in March. Fourteen games later and the Sounders, despite some not-so-encouraging results as of late, are doing alright in the Western Conference, sitting in third place on 21 points. They've only won once in their last 9 games though, so it's something the Red Bulls can look to for inspiration ahead of the match at Giants Stadium.

Speaking of New York, it has been a highly disappointing season from the Red Bulls, who are currently sitting last in the Eastern Conference with only 9 points, 7 points behind rivals New England Revolution. Having suffered the most losses in the league so far(10 out of 15 played), fans and bloggers alike are already calling for Juan Carlos Osorio's resignation, but as long as Jeff Agoos is Sporting Director, chances of an Osorio exit are rather slim at the moment. What ever the case is at the club, results need to start improving and fast for the Red Bull outfit if they want to keep any hopes of qualifying for the MLS Cup playoffs alive this summer. Here are the starting line-ups:

NEW YORK: Cepero - Hall, Goldthwaite(Borman 74'), Mendes, Pacheco - Zimmerman, Celades(Wolyniec 81'), Stammler, Rojas(Richards 58') - Angel, Kandji.

SEATTLE: Keller - Ianni, Marshall, Riley, Wahl - Zakuani, Alonso, Evans, Le Toux(Nyassi 69') - Montero, Jaqua(Levesque 74').

It was good to see that the Red Bulls were at a full strength to start the match after many of the players were listed as questionable due to a few minor injury problems. Of those players, Albert Celades, Kevin Goldthwaite, Macoumba Kandji, and Jorge Rojas all got the nod in the starting 11, while Dane Richards started out on the bench. Richards has seen his normal position on the right filled up by the young Nick Zimmerman, who didn't even start playing until recently. The 21-year-old has shown promise when given the chance and will most likely become an established regular in the squad as Juan Carlos Osorio continues in his search to find the right formula for New York.

The match itself started out rather quietly and despite a few "hopeful" chances, the game didn't really have any real opportunities for the first 20 or so minutes. Albert Celades got the first real chance for the Red Bulls in the 28th minute, when he received a pass just outside of the area, only to fire his shot inches above Kasey Keller's goal. Seattle would give the Red Bulls a scare just moments later when a Sebastien Le Toux corner found Fredy Montero, whose header found the woodwork.

Thankfully, Juan Pablo Angel would give the home crowd something to cheer about in the 40th minute, when an attempted clearance from Tyrone Marshall bounced off of fellow defender Patrick Ianni and into the path of Angel, who skipped past the on-rushing Kasey Keller to put the ball safety into the back of the net for the opener. 1-0 for the Red Bulls and it surely felt good, but would their lead last? Before the first half came to a close, Fredy Montero dispossessed Jeremy Hall (of all people!) near the area and fired the Sounders back into the match. 1-1 at half-time.

The second half started in a quicker fashion than the first with Fredy Montero forcing Danny Cepero into action twice in the first few minutes of the half. Juan Pablo Angel could've added a second for the Red Bulls in the 51st minute after receiving a nice pass from Nick Zimmerman, but his shot from just inside the area went wide.

From then on, it was all Seattle in terms of opportunities. Former Arsenal youth product Steve Zakuani saw his close-range effort saved in the 76th, while Fredy Montero caused havoc with his shot hitting the bar in the 84th minute. The Sounders would have one final go before full-time, but Roger Levesque's shot would be pushed away by Man of the Match, Danny Cepero.

Overall, it was an improvement from the 2-1 loss New York had suffered in Toronto last weekend. You can say that the team was probably encouraged by the second-half display at BMO Field and took that confidence in stride against Seattle. Now that we’ve managed to break the 5-game losing streak, hopefully the side can go one step further and get the points against Toronto at BMO Field this Wednesday.

- 06/20/2009

This was my first Hampshire game since last year due to University commitments. I was looking forward to it a lot, especially with Hampshire doing so well this season – in the Friends Provident Trophy semi-finals and doing well in the Twenty20 Cup for once – not to mention decent form in the County Championship before Durham thrashed the Hawks in their last match.

I was expecting the Rose Bowl to be different, but the only new things there were electronic turnstiles outside the ground. Having been watching cricket here for about seven years now, I’ve seen the changes over the years! Electronic turnstiles weren’t needed though, but now the Rose Bowl hosts international matches, it has to keep in line with ECB requirements. Still, it’s nothing bad. On the playing side, it was a bit different. Dominic Cork – 38 years old – was signed from Lancashire. A weird signing for the supporters – he was hated by some of the crowd during his Lancashire days, but he has turned out to be a great acquisition. Dimitri Mascarenhas, the captain after Warne left, was now being regularly called up by England and so wasn’t going to feature in this match. Imran Tahir, a Pakistani spinner, was an amazing signing last season and kept Hampshire from relegation. He was back again this season, but hasn’t performed as well as last season – yet.

Anyway, back to the game. This was day 3 of the 4-day match. In the previous two days, Nottinghamshire scored 326 all out, while Hampshire ended day 2 on 287-9. Adams top scored for Hampshire with 112 runs in their first innings, with Lumb scoring 43. Notts in their innings were saved by the young Fletcher. Apart from Patel scoring 41, no player really posted a decent total. Fletcher, in at number 9, scored 92, meaning Nottinghamshire’s innings was saved and Hants had much to do. James Vince, Hampshire’s new 18 year old player fresh from the academy, made 13 runs in the first innings and was looking to make more in the next.

Hampshire began the bright, summer’s day in bat. With one wicket left until Nottinghamshire were in bat, Hants were looking to get close to Notts’ 326. Cork and Tomlinson were the last batsmen, and Cork didn’t last long – caught LBWed off the bowling of Ealham for 26. Hampshire only added 8 runs to their total, finishing on 295 – 31 runs behind.

Nottinghamshire were back out to bat in their second innings. Wickets fell quickly and Hampshire looked to be in the game. Will Jefferson, Notts’ tall opening batsmen, fell for 2 runs after getting out to Tomlinson (and caught by wicket-keeper Pothas). His opening partner, Shafayat, fell to the same Tomlinson-Pothas combination, for 11 runs. At 16-2, Nottinghamshire needed someone to come in and stabilise their innings. Soon, Samit Patel, the rather large player shall we say, got out for a duck (0 runs). He skied the ball high in the air to point, with Vince taking the catch. Tomlinson picked up his third wicket of the morning session, leaving Notts on 26-3.

The crowd applauded Tomlinson when he came over to take his fielding position at the end of his over. He was the top wicket taker in England. Many players should have played, or play now, for England, but it normally takes the selectors a few years to agree with my opinion. Tomlinson should have been in the England squad last season, and after that devastating spell, I was wondering why he wasn’t being called up. Mascarenhas has been playing well for years and has only recently been called up. Pothas, the wicket-keeper who recently got British citizenship, should have been given a chance, while Michael Carberry was on fire last season (although he did play for the England Lions squad – the ‘A’ team if you will, so he’s on his way). Michael Lumb should be given a chance now. If they get called up soon – you heard it here first.

Anyway, back to the match. Hampshire’s morning got even better soon as Wagh was caught LBW by Imran Tahir for 20 runs. They were now 47-4 – Hampshire were doing great with the ball. That was the end though. Adam Voges (once of Hampshire in fact, played around 3 games for the Hawks during a Twenty20 Cup campaign a few years back) and ex-Surrey player Brown were next in – and stayed in. It wasn’t until near the end of the afternoon session when Voges got out – out for 49 after Griffiths caught him leg before wicket. Chris Read, regarded as England’s best wicket-keeper by some, was next in, and it got worse for Hampshire. The pair stayed in for most part of the day, until Brown was out for a great 148 – eventually caught by substitute fielder Dawson off Carberry’s bowling. Carberry is only a part-time bowler, so that was a great wicket for him! Still, Nottinghamshire were doing great now and were taking the game away from Hampshire.

That was the final wicket. Chris Read stayed in and got 116 not out, while Ealham finished on 10 not out, before they declared on 380 out. Hampshire would need 411 runs to win.

Hampshire were given a tricky 3 overs to get through before the end of the days play. The obvious happened. Hampshire lost a wicket – Adams out for 6 (c Read b Pattinson), leaving Hants on 9-1 at the end of the days play. Adams’ frustration could be seen and heard by all – he kicked a bag on the edge of the pitch while screaming at someone on his way to the Hampshire dressing room.

So after such a great opening morning session, Nottinghamshire held firm and steadied the ship, taking the game away from Hampshire. Hants did only have four bowlers though – Sean Ervine, the team’s all-rounder, injured his hamstring the day before as so couldn’t take part today.

 Eventually on Day 4, Hampshire did lose to Nottinghamshire. 18 year old Vince went on and made 75, but lost by 191 runs. Nottinghamshire are now top of the table.

An expectant crowd of just under 2,500 were at Turner’s Cross on Friday night to watch Cork City take on Sligo Rovers.

Sligo made a good start and Romauld Boco tested Dan Connor early on, forcing a good save out of the City keeper. It was then the home side’s turn to come forward and Danny Murphy fed Billy Dennehy but his low cross ran across the face of the goalmouth.

Murphy put in another great cross after 17 minutes but Kuduzovic headed over at the far post before Denis Behan toe-poked a half chance wide.

Disaster struck for Cork after 24 mins when flying winger Billy Dennehy was forced off with a suspected hamstring injury. He was replaced by Latvian striker Guntars Silagalis.

City’s best chance of the first half fell to Joe Gamble on 26 minutes, but his placed effort flew over crossbar. Sligo defender Jason Noctor was booked for a late tackle on Kuduzovic and, three minutes later, he was withdrawn to be replaced with Danny Keoghane.

The first corner of a tight match came after 44 minutes play, but Cretaro’s lofted ball into the box came to nothing and the teams left the park at half-time to a subdued applause.

Shane Duggan had an excellent opportunity to put the home side ahead after the restart. He raced onto a Denis Behan lay off, but couldn’t get the decisive touch on the ball and fluffed his shot.

 Colin Healy was next to have a go, but his low drive was deflected away for a corner by Sligo defender Gavin Peers.

 The noise level was lifted by the home fans as they sensed the breakthrough goal was on its way.

And that goal did come on 67 minutes. Colin Healy received the ball on the right by line and lofted a cross into a congested penalty area, where City’s Bosnian striker, Fahrudin Kuduzovic looped a header over Sligo 'keeper Richard Brush.

 The goal only served to inject another level of noise into the atmosphere, as City fans felt Sligo were there for the taking. The home side enjoyed an extended period of dominance, but couldn’t find that second goal to kill off the match.

 And as the board went up for 3 minutes of added time, it looked like that inability to finish off Sligo would come back to haunt Cork, as the away side were awarded a free kick on the edge of the penalty area. Rafael Cretaro dispatched the kick and it looked to be heading straight for the top corner, only for Dan Connor to palm the ball over the bar.

 The game petered out after that, and City finished the game in the Sligo half. The win cemented Cork’s position of second in the table behind Bohemians.

 WestCorkRebel

Easter holidays, kids off school, great weather, free entry to Turners Cross, surely we’re going to pack the stadium out?

Rain killed that idea. A constant downpour throughout Tuesday put the chances of the game going ahead in doubt. In truth, there was never any danger of it being called off, but people who were tempted by the prospect of free football, saw this as a reason to decide against attending. Instead they sit and home and watch Man Utd get embarrassed on telly, good for them.

I arrived early at the Cross. We were going selling fanzines pre match and there were important issues to be discussed, like who would get the job of being lumped up the other end of the pitch, to get soaked at the St Anne’s end entrance. Of course, I drew the short straw.

Making my way up, I met some City fans coming in the opposite direction, 1 of which being Kev, who refused to buy a fanzine….traitor.

After getting soaked, it was back into the relative warmth of the glorious Shed end. The pre match display went ok and there was actually a decent crowd in, but it was the football we were here for.

City started at a blistering pace and created chance after chance against what must be said, a very poor Drogheda side. They should have had the lead inside the opening few minutes. Davin O'Neill's cross was deflected into the path of Billy Dennehy at the back post, but his acrobatic effort was scrambled off the line by Drogs keeper Steve Williams.

O'Neill was again involved in the next chance, cutting in from the right after beating his man, but his goalward shot took a deflection and went out for a corner, much to William's relief. Joe Gamble was then put through by Guntars Silagalis, but his wayward shot found only the City fans behind the goal.

City kept up the relentless pressure, and the breakthrough finally came on 38 minutes.

Guntars Silagalis' curling effort was well saved by Steve Williams, but he could only palm the ball to Denis Behan and the big man jumped high into the air to steer the ball into an empty net for his first goal since September.

John Paul Kelly almost levelled matters just after the restart by bursting through on goal after a mistake by Greg O'Halloran, but luckily Dan Connor was on hand to gather the ball from his feet.

The game died down after that, with both sides limited to set pieces and half chances. Kelly again tested Connor from a tight angle, but the keeper was equal to the shot, whilst Silagalis saw his late effort from the corner of the box go the wrong side of the post.

And so ended a wet night at Turners Cross. It was by no means a classic, but 3 points is 3 points. City move up to 3^rd, fast closing in on Derry and Bohemians.

 WestCorkRebel

Before getting to the meat of this article, I would like to take you back to night of 21st October 2005, an occasion on which Derry City were beaten here at the Cross and we booked our place once more in another FAI Cup decider at Lansdowne Road. But so what? I hear you ask. What relevance does this memorable win have to the above title? Well, to help explain things it might help to look at the City squad that evening as listed in the Match day programme for the game. And a formidable squad it was!

Michael Devine, Danny Murphy, Alan Bennett, Greg O’Halloran, Derek Coughlan, Dan Murray, Colin O’Brien, Neale Fenn, John O’Flynn, George O’Callaghan, Billy Woods, Roy O’Donovan, Cillian Lordan, Willie Bruton, Mark McNulty, Admir Softic, Tony Tynan, Joe Gamble, Denis Behan, Neal Horgan, Phil Harrington, Kevin Murray and Liam Kearney.

So, where are they now?  Well, six remain with the club to this day, while one, Greg, has recently returned to Leeside following a countrywide tour! Five moved abroad. Four have retired from the game. Four signed to other LOI outfits, while two, Bruton and Tynan seemed to just fade off the radar. So then, from that original squad of 23 players, just six remain and in the defeat to St. Pats last month, four of those players appeared in the starting eleven. In the meantime, CCFC have had three different owners, three managers, at least a couple of pay-offs, and more backroom staff then poor old John O’Flynn has had injuries.

In a period of just four short years, no fewer than19 players have fallen by the wayside. Some of our best players have been pawned for petty cash, or in some cases nothing at all! Doyle, Long, Fenn, O’Flynn, O’Donovan and Kearney amongst others have been lost as a result of mismanagement and our ongoing financial problems. Problems you could say caused by people not putting their money where their mouth was. Then again, you could argue that teams change, and that this is all part of the progression of any club, but it seems to me that progress has very much been lost rather then gained, both on and off the field. After our great league triumph in 2005, we have found ourselves finishing 4th in 2006, and again in 2007 and a very disappointing 5th last season even allowing for that 10 point deduction. Thankfully we haven’t lost our club, but we have lost a lot of genuine­ City people along the way, and not just players.

Why did CCFC get rid of their voluntary staff and draft in professionals? Not only did this create unnecessary expense for the club, but also diminished in some way the passion and soul that made Cork City stand out from the backdrop of many a generic lifeless football corporation. Certain people, you know who you are, put much time and effort into our club, making it a club to be proud of, only to find themselves out in the cold. Now the club is having to go cap in hand again for help with the most basic tasks. The Cork City of just four years ago is unrecognisable from the club of today. Virtually a whole new squad, another new manager and yet another owner. A new clutch of backroom staff, a new crest, new branding, the list goes on and on. While I’m all for keeping the club up to date and ensuring it doesn’t go stale, I feel that our tradition and soul has been lost on people who have little or no understanding of what Cork City Football Club is really all about. The sooner we recover that soul, the sooner we’ll rediscover some stability, and at the end of the day, that’s all us supporters really want.

shefellover93

England v Slovakia at Wembley was to be an important friendly international in preparation for England’s 2010 World Cup qualifier against Ukraine. This match was to be the third friendly in a row after the Three Lions beat Germany 2-1 away in Berlin and lost to European Champions Spain 2-0 in Seville. England were back on home turf then, the first time since the Kazakhstan World Cup qualifier in October last year. England won that 5-1.

 (England after they beat Germany 2-1 in Berlin. (c) Daily Telegraph).

Fabio Capello didn’t surprise many with his squad for the two games, although he did include Leighton Baines (0 caps), Ledley King, whom I’ll mention shortly, and Ben Foster, who isn’t a regular at Manchester United but Capello picked him based on his Carling Cup Final performance against Tottenham, where United won on penalties. Normally Capello picks players who are playing regularly, but this was an exception. Ledley King was a strange choice. Although he has 19 caps and performs well with Tottenham, it emerged that he has a chronic knee problem and can only play once a week, with limited or no training at all before a game (apparently he trains individually and is only with the rest of the squad when going over formations and tactics). Harry Redknapp, the Spurs manager, wasn’t best pleased and the media had a field day. King was eventually sent back to his squad, with Capello arguing that he was within his right to pick the player. Michael Owen was again left out, as was Ashley Young. Shaun Wright-Phillips was included but didn’t train much before the game and wasn’t included.

The game was also significant for the fact that David Beckham would break Bobby Moore’s 108 cap record for an outfield player. He started on the bench though, so it was up to Capello to bring him on to make history. John Terry, the England captain, was also making his 50^th appearance. Also, England were unveiling their new kit in this match, which had been kept under wraps for a while.

The stadium was a sell-out for the friendly international (well, so they said. It looked sold out, but there were the odd empty seats around and the final attendance figure was around 85,000). The sky was cloudy and was about to pour down. Fabio named the following line-up:

David James; Glen Johnson, Matthew Upson, John Terry, Ashley Cole; Aaron Lennon, Gareth Barry, Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard; Wayne Rooney, Emile Heskey.

Slovakia, 42^nd in the FIFA World Rankings and currently top of their qualifying group ahead of the likes of Northern Ireland, the Czech Republic and Poland, named this team:

Senecky, Pekarik, Valachovic, Skrtel, Cech, Sestak, Zabavnik, Karhan, Kozak, Hamsik, Vittek.

As English fans may know, Skrtel plays for Liverpool while Cech plays for West Bromwich Albion. Hamsik is their star player, playing for Napoli in Serie A, while Sapara is a good talent from Rosenborg. Their squad play mostly in Germany and their home country, but are scattered around Europe. One of their clubs, Artmedia Bratislava, will live long in the memory of Scottish football fans after they beat Celtic 5-0 in a Champions League qualifier match a few years ago, so the Slovaks aren’t unknown by any stretch of the imagination.

It was soon game time. The rain started to fall and got heavier during the national anthems, which were a roar inside the stadium. There was some controversy though, as the England players unveiled their new kit in between the anthems as to advertise the kit while the players were on camera for Umbro, all according to the Daily Mail.

 (England unveil their new kit (c) BBC Sport)

The game began with Aaron Lennon making a run to the outside of the box, with Heskey being bundled down just as he was going to shoot. Another chance soon came as Steven Gerrard, on the left, crossed for Wayne Rooney who shot the ball at a defender. Gerrard and Rooney linked up well again as Rooney, on the left, played a clever ball to Gerrard who turned in the penalty area and passed to Heskey, who somehow turned the ball into the net. 1-0 it was in the 8^th minute.

Minutes later, Rooney sent in a cross for Heskey, who managed to head the ball over from six yards out. After less than fifteen minutes, Heskey went off injured with Carlton Cole, who made his debut against Spain, came on. Sestak had a chance as Slovakia made a run down the right and the ball came in to Sestak, who shot over the bar. Aaron Lennon made another run down the wing but his cross was intercepted by a defender, with Frank Lampard firing the rebound at the goalkeeper. That forced a corner, which was cleared away. Gerrard and Lennon linked up down the left this time, but Lennon, who tried to cross the ball, sent it behind the line and out for a goal kick.

Kozak forced a corner, which was played short, catching the English defenders unaware. Skrtel made a run into the box and smashed a shot towards the goal, but David James made a good save. Soon after, England were up the other end, with Wayne Rooney crossing to no-one. Carlton Cole, who came on for the injured Heskey, also became injured. He only had a few touches of the ball, but had to go off for Peter Crouch. He had a calf injury in the training sessions himself and only joined the squad the day before the match! Lennon made another run into the box and flew past the defenders, firing a shot at the goalkeeper which was saved, with Gerrard’s header being put out for a corner. The corner was soon cleared away.

Matthew Upson then made a calamitous error, letting the ball go past him from a throw-in. Vittek intercepted it and shot, but James was there to make a save. Soon, Lampard made a run into the box after being given loads of space. He passed to Lennon, who also had a lot of space, before giving it to Gerrard, who fired low at the ‘keeper. Rooney then shot over the bar.

Half-time came with the score at 1-0.

 (Beckham gets his 109th cap as a substitute; (c) BBC Sport)

The second half was to begin with the Club Wembley section of the crowd again missing. It makes the stadium look empty and needs to be sorted out. Anyway, Capello made some substitutions. It was a historic moment as Beckham came on for Lennon, making his 109^th cap – the most by an outfield player. Aaron Lennon performed well for England and should be one to watch in the future. James, who also did well, came off for Ben Foster while the impressive Steven Gerrard wasn’t given more time to link up with Rooney, as he was taken off for Stuart Downing.

Rooney had a shot after the break and kept it down, but it was wide of the mark. Slovakia had a chance after that with most of the England team at the other end of the pitch, but substitute Jendrisek hit the side netting in the Slovaks’ best chance so far.

England had a free-kick from the right. David Beckham took it and Peter Crouch connected, heading it to the line before John Terry tapped it over the line. The goal was ruled out for offside. The ball had already beaten the Senecky in goal, so Terry’s touch wasn’t needed at all.

Rooney sent in a cross to Crouch, but the Slovak defence sent it out for a corner. Beckham, taking the corner, received a standing ovation from the crowd in the corner. The corner wasn’t good, but Glen Johnson got it before a goal mouth scramble ended in Terry shooting just wide. Peter Crouch soon sent a volley just wide from 20 yards out.

(Rooney makes it 2-0; (c) BBC Sport)

After some good passing, England had a second goal. Downing sent it over to Beckham, who crossed it to Rooney who headed it past the goalkeeper superbly. Rooney totally deserved the goal and got it.

The game was starting to die out a bit, with the crowd starting Mexican waves. Peter Crouch, who came on for the injured Cole, got injured himself and Capello had to go to Michael Carrick. The formation turned to 4-5-1 for the remainder of the match. Marek Sapara, who just came on, took out John Terry and picked up a yellow card. He was lucky to stay on the pitch after that too, after making another rash tackle. Minutes later though, Frank Lampard added a third for England. He made a run into the box after being put through and placed it coolly past the ‘keeper.

The crowd started to empty but there was time for a fourth. Lampard was down the left and passed it into Rooney (who looked offside), and he took the ball down with a great touch and flicked it over the goalkeeper.

The game ended 4-0 and was a perfect warm-up for England ahead of the tie against Ukraine. England paid the price of playing though, with three strikers getting injured. Heskey was soon pulled out of the squad, with Spurs’ Darren Bent being called up. Capello refused to call up Michael Owen though, citing that he hasn’t played long enough.

The Man-of-the-Match award in the end went to Wayne Rooney, which was thoroughly deserved.

Major League Soccer 2009 - Round 2

Reporter: Ligue1 ; March 29th, 2009

Having started the Major League Soccer season off with an embarrassing 3-0 defeat at the hands of newcomers Seattle Sounders, Red Bull New York were looking to improve on that in their home opener against long-time rivals, New England Revolution. Coming into the match, New York had already had a number of absences with both injuries and the international break taking its toll on a side that is becoming well known for its diversity, having already 14 countries being represented (Andorra, Argentina, Bermuda, Bosnia, Cameroon, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ghana, Jamaica, New Zealand, Senegal, South Africa, Venezuela and of course the US), which was well noted in last night's program. Juan Carlos Osorio gave former Revolution midfielder Khano Smith his debut against his old side while Luke Sassano and Sinisa Ubiparipovic got surprising starts in the center: Cepero - Borman : Goldthwaite : Mendes : Hall - Smith : Sassano : Ubiparipovic : Richards - Angel : Kandji. Jeremy Hall definitely deserved his place at right back after being one of the few bright moments in the Seattle loss last week. Macoumba Kandji was picked as New York's man of the match in that game despite the attack having little effect; hopefully he would create the spark that they sorely missed against Drew Carey's boys.

The first half looked good for the Red Bulls, but they lacked early on, with New England taking advantage of their poor organization at the back. New York would soon respond with threats from Dane Richards and Macoumba Kandji, both causing a lot of problems down the flanks throughout the match. However, it would be Kandji who would play a part in their opening goal, bursting down the left and setting up Khano Smith, whose low cross was turned in by Jay Heaps for an own goal. What a way to make a debut for your former rivals! 1-0 in the 35th minute and the home crowd was certainly enjoying it. Hopefully the second half would be better in terms of defending, but that wasn't to be as New York would continue to deteriorate at the back, leaving space for the ever-dangerous Revolution. They nearly had a chance to add to their tally in the 75th minute through former Aston Villa striker, Juan Pablo Angel, but his close-range shot went agonizingly wide of Brad Knighton's post. About 15 minutes later, it would be New England's turn and they would not miss this time: Kenny Mansally found the breakthrough and left Danny Cepero screaming at his backline as the Revs equalized in the dying moments of the match. Luke Sassano would have one last chance at the final second, but his shot from outside of the area would hit the side netting. So, 1-1 was the end result in what should have been a win for the Red Bulls, tough luck.

 There were times when New York actually performed well as a team but, Osorio's men still have a lot of work to do if they want to reach the playoffs and maybe even the final once again like they managed to do last year. Had it not been for Man of the Match Danny Cepero, I don't think they would've even sealed a point because there were times where New England could have gone up by one or two goals and he managed to prevent that from happening. As for the attack, Angel was mostly a ghost despite having a few small chances, which was a plus because one of New York's weak points from last season was that they were too predictable in using Angel as their target man in every match. In last night's match, it was Macoumba Kandji who was the main threat, managing to set up the first goal and cause a lot of havoc for New England. It'll only be a matter of time before he gets his first goal of the season and, hopefully, many more to come. With Chicago up next for the Red Bulls, hopefully the team can get their first win in 2009, but it will be a tough task. Next match: @Chicago - April 5th.

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