World Cup Qualifiers

Austria vs France

France got thrashed 3-1 by Austria at the weekend's World Cup Qualifiers. France conceded two first half goals via set-pieces which they never recovered from. Both the goals scored by Austria in the first half looked almost identical - ball pumped into the penalty area from an indirect free-kick from the halfway line and somehow got deflected into the net. The France defense failed to deal with both the set pieces and conceded two soft goals. Sidney Govou pull one goal back for France in the 61st minute to make it 2-1 and stage a possible comeback. However, centre defender Mexes tackled Marc Janko rugby style in the penalty box which the referee spotted and gave a penalty to Austria. Ivanschitz duely converted the penalty to end any hopes of a comeback.

Mexes performed terribly in that match. Not only did he give away a penalty, he was also at fault for the first goal when he failed to mark Janko when the ball was floated into the penalty area. Mexes was hailed as a successor to Thuram, yet his performances looked amateur. Let's wait and see whether he will eventually live up to the billing of a great centre defender.


Cyprus vs Italy

World champions Italy needed a late goal to seal the win. The end score was 2-1 and Italy coach Marcello Lippi must thank striker Antonio Di Natale for scoring both goals to ensure his first competitive match in charge after returning ends in a win. The Italy coach blamed the intense heat for Italy's inability to score more goals for a comfortable victory. Italy will be playing at home the next game against Georgia, but they will be without injured Alessandro Gamberini, Fabio Grosso and Gattuso. If Italy failed to win convincingly at home, Marcello Lippi will not have the heat to blame anymore.


Argentina vs Paraguay

It is the 5th time in a row that Paraguay has hold Argentina to an away draw in a World Cup Qualifier. Paraguay had some help from two Argentina players to at least hold the South America powerhouse at their own turf. Gabriel Heinze put through his own goal after only 13 minutes, heading the ball past goalkeeper Roberto Abbondanzieri. He also collided with Abbondanzieri, who was taken off injured and replaced by Juan Pablo Carrizo. With a goal down and first choice goalkeeper injured, the situation is already ideal for Paraguay to snatch points from Argentina. However, Carlos Tevez decided to hand Paraguay more advantage as he got himself sent off the second time in three international games after two violent tackles.

Argentina now have a mountain to climb. They looked incapable of finding the equalizing goal. However, Argentina have a player blessed with talent and an eye for the killer ball - Lionel Messi. He slipped a perfect through pass to teammate Sergio Aguero who placed the ball into the far corner for an equalizer. Argentina can count themselves fortunate to at least salvage a point.


Chile vs Brazil

A 3-0 win over Chile lifted some pressure off Brazil coach Dunga. Luis Fabiano notched two goals for Brazil, who had not scored in their previous three games and Man City's record signing Robinho was also no target. Ronaldinho continued his poor display (or pure lousy luck) when his spot kick was saved superbly by goalkeeper Claudio Bravo.

The match itself was physical and rough. Brazil and Chile each had a player sent off in the second half. The end results did not reflect Chile's quality as they created as many chances as Brazil but failed to finish over the moves like Brazil did.

Chile lost their last five matches against Brazil while conceding 21 goals in the process. History did not favour them and history was proven correct as Chile once again lost to Brazil, shipping another 3 goals.

Obscene Amount of Money

Man City Want Buffon for €70m

That is an atrocious and obscene amount of money to buy a player. Even though Buffon may be the best goalkeeper in the world, there is no reason to bid for him. Buffon currently holds the record for being the most expensive goalkeeper in the world after Juve spent £32m in 2001 to sign him from Parma. If the €70m deal goes through, he will break his own transfer record by more than double the amount!

Manchester City's new owners, Abu Dhabi United Group (ADUG) have announced that they want to attract only the best players to Eastland and they are willing to spend like Roman Abramovich's buy-out of Chelsea did five years ago. ADUG have stated their intention for Manchester City to be fighting for trophies in every tournament and money to them is not a problem.

With such huge finanacial backing, eyes will be on manager Mark Hughes to see if he will be able to take the pressure and deliver the goods. It will be interesting to see if this new financial strength will tempt Juve to sell their experienced goalkeeper - Gianluigi Buffon.

UEFA Champions League - 2008/09

With the UEFA Champions League starting in a few weeks' time, let us see which is this season's Group of Death and which 2 teams from each group has the highest chance to progress past the group stages.


Group A
Bordeaux
CFR Cluj-Napoca
Chelsea
Roma

Group B
Anorthosis Famagusta
Inter Milan
Panathinaikos
Werder Bremen

Group C
Barcelona
FC Basel
Shakhtar Donetsk
Sporting Lisbon

Group D
Atletico Madrid
Liverpool
Marseille
PSV Eindhoven

Group E
AaB
Celtic
Man United
Villarreal

Group F
Bayern Munich
Fiorentina
Lyon
Steaua Bucuresti

Group G
Arsenal
Dynamo Kiev
FC Porto
Fenerbahce

Group H
BATE Borisov
Juventus
Real Madrid
Zenit St Petersburg

Above are the groups drawn out. In my humble opinion, this year's Champions League draw is more balanced. All groups look difficult to progress from (except probably Group A and Group B), however Group D, Group F and Group H looks particularly hard. However, experience and the manager's acute tactical awareness is the key to winning the Champions League.

Therefore, below are the 2 teams from each group whom i feel should progress due to their experience, players and manager.

Group A - Chelsea & Roma
This is probably the easiest group of all and both Chelsea and Roma boast undisputed talents, experience on the big stage and good managers.

Group B - Inter Milan & Werden Bremen
Inter, with Mourinho at the helm should have no problem progressing past the group stage. Werden Bremen face strong challenge from Panathinaikos. Panathinaikos is a Champions League regular and the players and manager know what is required to win on the big stage. However, Werden Bremen should overcome Panathinaikos and pip them to the second placed slot of the group.

Group C - Barcelona & Sporting Lisbon
All 4 teams are Champions League regular, so it boils down to the players and the manager. Barcelona has an unproven manager, but with so many quality players in their ranks like Lionel Messi, Thierry Henry, Samuel Eto'o and Xavi, just to name a few, progressing is a must. The second place slot is up for grabs and I personally feel the Sporting Lisbon will be the team to triump.

Group D - Atletico Madrid & Liverpool
This is the hardest group to predict. It will be a close fight all the way to the last match of the group stages. The reason i chose Atletico Madrid & Liverpool is because both have players proven on the stage and both have a healthy mix of young and experienced players.

Group E - Man United & Villarreal
Celtic seems to be past their best and AaB is a relatively unknown team. So count on Man United & Villarreal to progress.

Group F - Bayern Munich & Lyon
After missing out on Champions League football last season, Bayern Munich will want to showcase their talents once again and prove that they are still a force to be reckon with. The second slot is almost impossible to choose. Either Lyon or Fiorentina will occupy that slot. It will be close. Both teams have the quality but i picked Lyon because they have been playing on the big stage for a long long time whereas Fiorentina only appeared last season.

Group G - Arsenal & FC Porto
All 4 teams are strong. All 4 teams have Champions League experience. Arsenal should progress without much problem, their attacking talents and pacey players will be the key. The second berth will go either to FC Porto or Fenerbahce. FC Porto recently lost their most important player, Ricardo Quaresma to Inter and Feberbahce sold Kezman and lost Ghana captain Appiah who quit the club after a fall-out with the management. FC Porto should progress as they have a stronger team.

Group H - Juventus & Real Madrid
After 2 years away from the Champions League, Juventus is back. After being relegated to Serie B after corruption row, Juventus bounced back to Serie A immediately the next season and in their first season back in Serie A, they secure a Champions League berth. A remarkable achievement if you ask me. Their experienced players like Zanetti, Camoranesi, Nedved, Del Piero and Trezeguet together with young talents like Sissoko, Giovinco, Amauri and Iaquinta should ensure they progress past the group stage. Real Madrid should progress with so much talents in their ranks. However, both Juventus and Madrid should not take as season's UEFA Cup winner St Petersburg. St Petersburg sent out a warning early on by beating Manchester United 2-1 in the Super Cup.

Surprise Trans

Manchester City
OH MY GOD! Did Manchester City just pulled off the transfer of the season? Manchester City outbid Chelsea for the services of Brazilian winger Robinho. The deal which is said to be around £32.5m came as a big surprise to many as Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich seems to have a rather deep pocket and is willing to invest money to buy players.

However, Manchester City was recently bought over by Dubai's UAE who has an estimated fortune of $50 billion. There seems to be a new powerhouse in England and the Big 4 must be worried. Before successfully signing Robinho from Real Madrid, Manchester City manager Mark Hughes has also tried in vain to lure Valencia's David Villa, Stuttgart's Mario Gomez and even tried to hijack close city rival Manchester United's long time transfer target Dimitar Berbatov from Tottenham. All the luring failed but there's always light at the end of the tunnel as Manchester City sealed the fifth biggest transfer in the history of football to sign Robinho.

All in all, Manchester City is determined to put up a strong challenge to break into the Big 4 as they made several quality signings this summer, namely Shaun Wright-Phillips, Jo, Vincent Kompany, Pablo Zabaleta, Tal Ben Haim and Glauber Berti. Add in the Martin Petrov, Elano and Micah Richards who were originally in the team, Manchester City looks strong and set for honours with Mark Hughes at the helm.


Manchester United
A surprise signing of Robinho to city rivals Manchester City was unveiled earlier in the day. Manchester United was not to be outdone and signed Dimitar Berbatov from Tottenham for £30.75m. The long running saga finally comes to an end and Manchester United still got their player in the end. Berbatov will bring to Manchester United his silky skills and a big targetman in the box that they so sorely lack. A proven quality in the EPL, Berbatov will be a hit in with the Red Devils fans, that is if he can gel with his new teammates..... and stop sulking.


Newcastle
The Magpies bolster their striking options by signing Spain U-21 striker Xisco from Deportivo after Martins got injured in the game against Bolton. Xisco signed for Newcastle for an undisclosed fee and is set to join former teammate Fabricio Coloccini at St James Park.


Liverpool
Rafael Benitez completed the signing of Albert Riera from Espanyol but allowed Steve Finnan to go in the opposite direction to Espanyol. Andriy Voronin has also joined German side Hertha Berlin on a year-long loan after dropping down the pecking order.

Weekend - Saturday & Sunday's Match Reports

Hello fellow soccer fanatics out there, its time for updates on the weekend's soccer again. Gonna summarise the matches as Serie A and La Liga has already started and I intend to cover them as well. They are considered one the big leagues too you know. Oh well, let's start with EPL-

Bolton 0 - 0 West Brom

3 world-class saves, 2 goals ruled offside, 1 uncertainty of whether the ball crossed the goal line and 0 goals. That about summarises that whole match. In the first half, Bolton goalkeeper Jussi Jaaskelainen dived and saved at fingertip from a Morrison's curling shot from 25 yards while West Brom goalkeeper Scott Carson was not to be out done and produced a equally impressive save from a Riga freekick that was going into the top corner. Jaaskelainen again denied West Brom max points when a Do-Heon Kim 30 yard drive hit the cross bar and bounce down onto the line into the path of Miller but Jaaskelainen was on hand to parry the effort away from point blank range.

Nearing the end of the game, Davies looked to have secured the win for Bolton when his fierce shot flew into the roof of the net, however it was correctly ruled out for offside. In the last minute, Davies again had an effort ruled offside and the game ended in a goal-less draw.


Everton 0 - 3 Portsmouth

Jermaine Defoe was the star of the match. He netted a brace and added in an assist to round off an impressive performance for England boss Fabio Capello to seriously think about bringing back Owen. Defoe opened the scoring in the 12th minute with a typical predatory goal and assisted Glen Johnson 5 minutes later with a superb pass. In the 69th minute, Defoe showed his class when he chipped the ball into the net with deadly accuracy and brilliant technique. David James also laid strong claims to be back as England's number one when he saved Yakubu's penalty 2 minutes into the second half. Having lost their two opening matches, Pompey bounced back and sent Everton into a deeper crisis, having lost two home games in three weeks.


Hull 0 - 5 Wigan

Wigan thrashed newcomers Hull in a one way traffic game. Hull never seem to threaten Wigan too much but their defending was disastrous. As early as the 4th minute, Wigan took the lead in bizarre fashion as a mis-kicked corner from Kilbane dropped to the near post, Hull defender Ricketts, in a hurry to clear the ball, slipped and somehow sliced the ball into his own net. Wigan widened the gap 10 minutes later as a Hull corner was cleared to Zaki and he flicked the ball to Valencia on the half-way line, who burst clear through the wide gaps in the Hull defense and slot the ball under goalkeeper Myhill and into the net. A consistently impressive Zaki ended any hope of a Hull comeback as he scored the third goal from a Valencia pass, while strike partner Emile Heskey took advantage of a suicidal short backwards header to round Myhill and pass the ball into an empty net. Zaki compounded Hull's misery and added his third goal in three games for Wigan in the 80th minute when he smashed the ball off the crossbar which cannoned downwards and cross the line from a shot outside the penalty area. The rout is completed and the Tigers were made to look like tamed pussy cats.

Middlesbrough 2 - 1 Stoke

Boro won but they scarely deserve it. They were wasteful in front of goal and Downing even managed to miss a spot kick, shooting the ball against the crossbar. Stoke had defended resolutely for 35 minutes before midfielder Faye made a rash tackle on Boro's Shawky and was shown a straight red card by referee Mike Dean. Boro scored from the resulting free-kick, Alves curling the ball pass the goalkeeper and into the net. Aliadiere, Tuncay, Downing and Alves are all guilty of wasting goal scoring chances. If they had taken their chances, they would have killed off the game latest by 10 minutes into the second half. However, they were almost made to pay if not for Tuncay.

In the 71st minute, new signing Hoyte scored an own goal on his debut. He was under intense pressure from Kitson when a cross came in and he could only bundle the ball into his own net. With 5 minutes remaining, Tuncay controlled a mishit shot from Digard and fire pass goalkeeper Sorensen to snatch the win.

West Ham 4 - 1 Blackburn

Paul Ince suffered his first defeat as Blackburn manager and what a thrashing his team got. A Davenport header from a corner and a Samba own goal gave West game a 2-0 lead just 20 minutes into the game. Jason Roberts scored and pulled Blackburn back into the game and the score remain 2-1 till half-time. Roberts failed to take his chance shortly after the break as his penalty was saved by West Ham goalkeeper Robert Green. Green saved again from a Emerton close-range header to protect West Ham's slim lead. West Ham waited till late to seal the win as Bellamy latched onto a through-ball from Lucas Neill and shoot pass goalkeeper Robinson at the start of the 5 minutes stoppage time. Chalton Cole still had the time to blast a fourth goal with the last kick of the game. The game ended 4-1 and Blackburn's misery was compounded as their star striker Santa Cruz was injured.


Arsenal 3 - 0 Newcastle

The Gunners are back to their winning ways with a 3-0 hammering of The Magpies. Arsenal are a different team with Fabregas back and it showed as passes were flowing. However, the night belonged to Robin Van Persie as he netted a brace; one from the penalty spot and another from a superb backpass from Eboue inside the penalty box. Arsenal was awarded a penalty when Charles N'Zogbia handled after 18 minutes from a cross by Adebayor. Arsenal's third goal came from youngster Denilson as a flowing move starting with Nasri tapping the ball to Adebayor and he laid it sideways where Denilson shoot past a defender and a wrong footed Shay Given. Arsenal could have been further ahead but the bar had denied Van Persie as his shot from almost on the goal-line ricocheted off the underside of the bar at the near post.

Shay Given was at his best to prevent Newcastle from being beaten too badly as he produced an excellent reaction save at point-blank range to keep out Toure's header and diving at full stretch to keep out a Nasri curling free-kick. Given is an execllent goalkeeper and Newcastle would have conceded more goals if not for his heroics. The game ended 3-0 which reflected Arsenal's superiority.


Chelsea 1 - 1 Tottenham

Spurs got their first point of the season while ruining Chelsea's perfect start to the season by holding them to a draw at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea had dominated the start, peppering the Spur's goal with several long range shot, two in particular was on target and perfectly executed. The first was from Frank Lampard, who received a Joe Cole flick and upon sighting Spurs goalkeeper Gomes off his line, chipped the ball perfectly to dip under then crossbar but Gomes tracked back in time and tip the ball over. The second was a 25 yards piledriver from Essien which rattled the crossbar. The ball was cleared for a corner. From the resulting corner, Belletti diverted the ball into the net with his left thigh after Bent failed to connect with and clear the ball before it reach Belletti.

Chelsea looked good for their lead, however, on the stroke of half-time, Tottenham levelled through Bent. A challenge on Modric by Lampard caused the ball to roll into the path of Bent which left him on a 1 on 1 situation with Peter Cech. Bent duely slot the ball under a diving Cech and into the net. The game that followed after the break was a scrappy affair as both Tottenham start to find their rhythm and trouble Chelsea. However, Chelsea looked dangerous on the break and Tottenham had defended with seven or even eight men behind the ball. Chelsea was still dominating possession but failed to breakdown the Tottenham rearguard and the scoreline shows 1-1 at the end of 90 minutes.


Sunderland 0 - 3 Manchester City

Roy Keane's expensively assembled squad looked lost and devoid of ideas and creativity. They lack bite in attack and did not create any straight forward chances to trouble the Man City goalkeeper. Their defense looked to be in disarray as men were left unmarked and large gaps were left in the defense. The end state after 90 minutes? The Black Cats got a whipping by the boys from the blue side of Manchester. Manchester City opened the scoring through Ireland who stabbed the ball home after a Michael Johnson's cross was cleared into his path inside the penalty box just before the break.

Five minutes into the restart, Manchester City widened the gap when an unmarked Shaun Wright-Phillips, back for a second stint with a 9 million pounds price tag from Chelsea, tapped the ball into an empty net after Jo drilled the ball across the goal-mouth. Eight minutes later, Wright-Phillips again scored after Michael Ball had lifted the ball over the defense. Wright-Phillips first burst into the scenes with Manchester City before he was sold to Chelsea and he is back to relaunch his career. His 2 goal debut will no doubt do his confidence some good and he is fast becoming a Manchester City favorite if he keeps up his performances.


Aston Villa 0 - 0 Liverpool

A win was all Liverpool needed to go top of the table was Chelsea was held to a draw in the earlier game. However, Villa appear in no mood to roll over and let Liverpool win and both teams seem to cancel each other out. Villa's rearguard was marshaled by a solid Martin Laursen, Captain of The Villains. Villa looked a match for Liverpool in all departments and moments when they threatened to score. The most notable one was a pass from Ashley Young to John Carew who was only about eight yards out from goal and his placed shot was saved by Jose Reina. Liverpool themselves threatened constantly with Kuyt looking dangerous.

Liverpool suffered a setback after 27 minutes when their star striker, Fernando Torres was substituted after pulling a hamstring when chasing after a loose ball. With both team cancelling each other out, the match turned out to be rather boring and a big disappointment.

Champion League - Arsenal & Liverpool Through

Arsenal 4 - 0 FC Twente

Arsenal demolished FC Twente 4-0 with an overall score of 6-0 over two legs. This allow Arsenal to progress into the group stages of the Champions League for the consecutive 11th time. New signin Samir Nasri is starting to become a crowd favourite as he opened the scoring on the 27th minute. That is his second goal in three games for Arsenal. Captain Gallas scored the second goal shortly after the start of the second half, Theo Walcott scored the third after his wonderful display under the eyes of England coach and Nicklas Bendtner tapped in late to add more misery to FC Twente.

The return of playmaker Cesc Fabregas had calmed the midfield and allowed Arsenal to dominate and pass the ball smoothly. Fabregas is the creativity, the driving force behind the Arsenal attacks. Without him, Arsenal midfield looks lost which put the defense under pressure and the strikers starved of service to get the all important goals. All Arsenal fans out there, be glad Fabregas is back, cause now, the real Arsenal shall come arrive for every match.


Liverpool 1 - 0 Standard Liege

The recent performances of Liverpool left much to be desired and their fans must be worried. The game is played at Anfield in front of The Kop, yet they could not find a goal in regular 90 minutes and had to go into extra time before Dirk Kuyt struck the extra-time winner. Liverpool had stood on the brink of a shattering elimination from the competition, but Dirk Kuyt's goal is potentially worth millions as Liverpool qualifies for the Champions League group stage. Babel had crossed from the left with two minutes of extra time left and Kuyt was on hand to force the ball home.

Liverpool's recent performances have been awful but their luck is holding. Playing badly but still managing to win is a sure sign of luck, a luck which usually champions will have. Let's see how far Liverpool and go this season in terms of silverware won. EPL League Title? Champions League? FA Cup? or just Carling Cup? We'll just have to wait and see.

Sunday & Monday's Results Update

Let's continue on Sunday's matches -

Wigan 0 - 1 Chelsea
Unconvincing victory this time round for Chelsea. Deco again, is the star of the game. Deco scored a superbly taken free kick as early as the 3rd minute to give Chelsea the lead. However, Chelsea failed to stamp their authority on the game and did not add on to their lead for the full 90 minutes. Instead, it was Wigan who looked the better team throughout and would have equalized or even won the game if not for the heroics of Chelsea goalkeeper Peter Cech. He had made several quality saves from Palacios, Zaki and Oliver Kapo. The Oliver Kapo save was particularly impressive as Kapo had driven the ball hard and low towards the bottom left corner of the goal but Cech had dived at full stretch to divert it just wide of the post. If the EPL title proves to be a close race, Peter Cech might be the advantage Chelsea have against their title rivals.

Personal comments -
Wigan should have won it if not for the brilliance of Cech. Wigan always seem to be able to perform against the Top 4 but not against the lower to middle table teams. They have to start performing every match and they have every chance of pushing for a mid table finish.


Manchester City 3 - 0 West Ham
The Citizens recovered from their previous defeat to Aston Villa by winning in style by putting 3 goals past 10-men West Ham. Brazilian playmaker Elano scored a brace after youngster Daniel Sturridge opened the scoring in the 66th minute. However, this was helped by the fact that West Ham's Mark Noble was shown a second yellow card in the 39th minute. City's victory was marred by a serious injury to defender Micah Richards who collided with team-mate Tal Ben Haim a minute into the second half. The collision left him unconscious and he was treated on the field for 8 minutes before being stretched, still unconscious, to the dressing room. Richards woke up in the dressing room and was sent to the Manchester Royal Infirmary for further checks.

Personal comments -
City was not able to take make full use of their numerical advantage and could not find an opening till the 66th minute. They had dominated the proceedings from the beginning and their numerical advantage was the difference in the end. West Ham is not a lousy team and their search for the equalizer after a goal down and a man down, allowed City to score more goals, which made City look good. Don't bet on City repeating this feat.


Let's move on to Monday's single match:

Portsmouth 0 - 1 Manchester United
An undeserved and unconvincing win for the EPL title and Champion League holder. Man United had needed Darren Fletcher's strike which vaguely looks like a Sylvain Distin own goal to open the scoring. A cross from the left from Evra had hit Sol Campbell, bounced towards Fletcher and Distin, in his hurry to clear it, slice the ball into his own goal. The combination of Tevez and Rooney is not working out as both could not carve out decent scoring opportunities. Portsmouth was the more ambitious team, substituting more forwards out in the 65th minute to look for an equalizer while Man United is contented with keeping their one goal lead. At one time, Porthsmouth was effectively playing with four forwards but could not find a way through the Man United defense and ended up on the losing side, with zero points from two games.

Personal comments -
Man United are probably feeling the effects of life without Cristiano Ronaldo. We have seen from past seasons that EPL champions usually start with a bang and maintain that standard throughout the season. Dropping 2 points from the starting match against Newcastle is not a good sign. This season, Man United will face an uphill task in retaining their EPL title and I don't see Man United winning the league again this season.

A Saturday of Shocking Upsets

Blackburn 1 - 1 Hull City
Hull continue thier fight for survival at the top-flight with an impressive 1-1 away draw. Hull show great mental strength to equalize straight after conceding a goal. Jason Roberts opened the scoring from the edge of the penalty area after he was left unmarked. However, the lead lasted for only a minute when Craig Fagan race down the right and delievered a good cross for Richard Garcia to head home.

After the break, the attacking football continues with both sides creating decent chances, but failed to finish off the moves. Towards the last ten minutes of the game, both managers substituted their respective goalscorers to push for all three points where never came. The game ended 1-1 with both teams undefeated two games into the English Premier League.

Personal comments -
Santa Cruz forgot to wear his clinical scoring boots, if not Blackburn would have won. However, credit to Hull who performed superbly, taking the game to Blackburn. Hull never showed respect for their more talented opponents and they are always attacking when given the chance, looking to win the game. If this continues, Hull will be the surprise package of the season.


Liverpool 2 - 1 Middlesbrough
Reds needed a late winner from talisman/captain Steven Gerrard to seal all three points. Steven Gerrard had scored from the edge of the penalty area four minutes into extra time. It was the usual for Liverpool, as they dominated the game but could not find a way through the Boro defense which stood firm. Instead, it was Boro who scored first through substitute Mido. Mido struck a fierce thunderbolt from 30 yards out that beat Reina and flew into the bottom right hand corner.

With 5 minutes of normal time remaining, another Anfield academy product Jamie Carragher, sent a 20-yard cross-shot that looks to be going out of play but hit Emanuel Pogatetz and got deflected into the net. It was an own goal and the score is 1-1 at Anfield. A late Steven Gerrard strike helped Liverpool got all three points.

Personel comments -
Same old story for Liverpool. Dominated the game but still needed a bit of luck (the own goal) and the heroics of their captain Steven Gerrard to rescue them. What Liverpool has been lacking since Michael Owen left, is a natural finisher. Torres was seen as the successor as he scored many goals last season. We will access him again at the end of this season. Robbie Keane was bought to 'add another dimension' to the team but he has yet to score, 2 games into the season. Keane is a player who creates and Torres is a player who beats opponents to score. What Liverpool really need is another Michael Owen. Someone who stays in the box and put the ball into the net with the sniff of the slightest chance.


Newcastle 1 - 0 Bolton
Michael Owen once again displayed clinical finishing skills which England is sorely lacking in. Having just recovered from a bout of mumps and calf injury, he was substituted into the game when Obafemi Martins got hurt. In the 71st minute, a Geremi cross was turned into the net by Owen with a glacing header that beat goalkeeper Jaaskelainen. However, the man of the match for Newcastle was not to be Owen, but his teammate, Shay Given. Shay Given has made several outstanding saves from Bolton, most notably, Kevin Nolan's penalty 2 minutes before Owen scored. Kevin Nolan missed a free header 4 minutes into stoppage time with Bolton pouring foward and finishing the game strongly. However, it was not to be and Newcastle won, the difference being the clinical finishing between the strikers.

Personal comments -
Michael Owen, one of the most clinical striker in England history. Liverpool must be hoping they hadn't sell him. The ability of a striker to be clinical can't be taught nor train, it comes naturally. Owen is one with such unique ability. Give him a half chance and he will make the chance count. If he can avoid injuries for the rest of the season, Newcastle have a chance to fight for a Uefa spot.


Stoke City 3 - 2 Aston Villa
Absent from the top flight for 23 years, the Potters record their first home win of the season against top-flight regulars Aston Villa. It was an exciting match with lots of goal flowing. The Potters players playing at home, backed by their vociferous fans played their hearts out. Stoke player Lawrence was their main threat as he regularly deliver telling crosses into the heart of the Villa goal which Fuller was unable to finish off. In the 30th minute, a poor challenge from Laursen brought down Delap inside the penalty box. Lawrence duely dispatched the spot kick into the bottom left hand corner, beyond the spawling body of goalkeepr Friedel and into the net. Stoke demostrated their danger from long throws, as an unmarked Fuller headed wide from a Delap long throw into the penalty box just before half time.

After the break, John Crew equalized in the 62nd minute before Stoke went ahead again with 10 minutes of regular time left. Lawrence released Fuller with a perfect through ball which Fuller did well to squeeze a low shot past goalkeeper Freidel from a tight angle. Aston Villa looked to have secured a point when Laursen finished from close range in the 83rd minute. However, Aston Villa failed to find a solution to Stoke's dangerous long throws and a long throw from Delap in injury time was headed into the net by substitute Sidibe, giving Stoke the precious three points which will be telling come the end of the EPL.

Personal comments -
Disgraceful. The likes of Ashley Young, John Carew, Agbonlahor, Gareth Barry, Petrov and Nigel Reo-Coker could not out score newly promoted Stoke. If Villa could not out score them, at least not concede so many goals. I think that Villa had been too complacent. They had thought that after trashing Manchester City 4-2, they will be able to steamroll over small Stoke. Never had they thought that Stoke would not give up without a fight and fight they did. No one have thought that Stoke could win, but everyone was proved wrong as Stoke came out victorious.


Tottenham 1 - 2 Sunderland
What a dream debut for Sunderland's season-long loan striker Djibril Cisse from Marseille. He was substituted in to replace an injured Richardson who scored Sunderland's first goal - a 25 yards powerful half volley. Shortly after Cisse was substituted in, Tottenham equalized through a Jenas tap-in after a Luka Modric's shot was parried into his path. In the 82nd minute, Cisse was left unmarked when he headed home a Daryl Murphy's cross which proved to be the winner and sealed all three points for Roy Keane.

Personal comments -
It is still too early to say how significant Cisse's contribution to Sunderland will be. But scoring the winner against Tottenham is definately one of them. Sunderland players are drilled with the mentality of their manager, Roy Keane. They harrass the Spurs players, chase after every ball and inherited a never say die attitude. This attitude will be crucial to Sunderland's second season survival in the EPL. The same cannot be said of Tottenham. Two consecutive loses in the EPL has left them in deep trouble. Touted to challenge the Top 4, their challenge seems to have faded after just two games. If they do not improve soon, Spurs will have difficulty even qualifying for the Uefa Cup.


West Brom 1 - 2 Everton
In the opening 45 minutes, Everton performed badly and was pinned back in their own half with West Brom playing fluent football. The first half ended goal-less with West Brom obviously the stronger side. The opening of the second half was largely the same as the first as Everton was once again pinned back deep into their own half.

Against the run of play, Leon Osman scored the goal to put Everton in front. Arteta was once again, the creative force for Everton and he laid the ball into Osman's path for him to shoot across and into another corner of the net. West Brom was clearly stunned and with 14 minutes remaining, a mix-up between goalkeeper Carson and Meite allowed Yakubu to ghost in and head in the second goal. The only consolation for West Brom came in the 89th minute when Everton captain Phil Neville handled inside the penalty box and Bednar converted the penalty. Everton defended stouted and held on for all three points.

Personal comments -
What West Brom lacks is the killer touch, the clinical finishing of a striker to help them score goals in order to survive the drop. To dominate and not score, in the end losing the game, will be a bitter pill for the West Brom players to swallow. The Baggies need to bounce back from the two consecutive defeats to focus on beating the smaller teams, starting from Bolton away next weekend. Everton needs to sign some quality player to stand in for injured players. Everton is obviously missing the dynamics of Cahill in midfield and they would do well to bring in a good cover before the transfer window closes.


Fulham 1 - 0 Arsenal
Arsenal's quest for the EPL title has taken a dent. Defeat by Fulham at Craven Cottage so early in the season is damaging to any title chasers. Fulham's defender Hangeland scored the only goal of the game in the 19th minute when he toe poked home a corner from Jimmy Bullard. Arsenal dominated the game throughout but the lurking Bobby Zamora is always a worry as he waits to catch Arsenal on the break. Arsenal huffed and puffed but to no avail as Fulham held strong to withstand Arsenal's bombardment. Fulham survived the constant pressure from the Gunners and clinched an unlikely victory.

Personal comments -
This got to be the biggest upset in this Saturday's EPL. With so much attacking talent at their disposal, Arsenal failed to score even a goal against Fulham. Arsene Wenger's policy of signing youngsters instead of experienced players are starting to tell. Youngster Theo Walcott, heavy with expectations from inheriting King Henry's number 14 jersey, was largely anonymous on the right side of the field. Arsenal's season will once more, end up with no silverware should Arsene Wenger decide not to bring in any experienced player before the closing of the transfer window.

More transfers to come?

Sunderland signed Northern Ireland international, David Healy on a three year contract from Fulham for an undisclosed fee. The 29 year old is deem surplus to requirements at Fulham and thus, snapped up by the Black Cats as they look to bolster their firepower up front also also give some competition to the striker's berth. Having proved himself at international level with 34 goals in 63 appearances, all that's left for Healy to do now in order to make his mark, is to start scoring regularly for Roy Keane's Sunderland.


Djibril Cisse has also moved to Sunderland on a season long loan from Marseille, with an option of a permernant The striker had prevously cost Liverpool 14 million pounds and scored 24 times in 78 appearances. After he broke his leg, he was never the same again and was shipped off to Marseille. Quoted Cissie: "I'm really pleased to join a good club with good players. "Sunderland is a club I think is going to achieve things, they have big ambitions, that's why I chose to come here. I liked what the club had to say to me."


Personal comments - Various managers, including Sir Alex Ferguson (When Healy was a trainee and did not make the cut) haved failed to bring out the best Healy has shown himself to be at international level, can Roy Keane succeed where so many have failed? If Roy Keane succeeds, he would have got the bargain of the season. As for Cissie, what kind of comments is that? Its ok if his opinion of Sunderland is that they have big ambitions and will achieve them. But saying HE chose to go to Sunderland? Come on! Are there any other clubs chasing after his signature? Its not reported and I serious don't think so. Its more like Sunderland OFFERED him a way to come back to the EPL and revive his fading career. Wake up Cissie, you are not as good as before. Time to deflate your big head and get down to working harder for the Black Cats.


Let's continue with the transfer news..


Portsmouth sign Arsenal youngster Armand Traore on a season long deal. Traore plays as a left-back and is known for his blistering pace. He will be able to gain valuable first team experience and under the tutelage of Portsmouth manager Harry Redknapp, improve overall on his performance. Furthermore, Portsmouth is in the Uefa Cup competition this season and a few games in the Uefa Cup competition can only do Traore some good to help prepare him for life with Arsenal in the future.

Manchester City is on the verge of signing Vincent Kompany from Bundesliga side Hamburg. Vincent Kompany is one of the most talented young defensive player and was an Arsenal target last season. However at that time, Hamburg was reluctant to let him go and Kompany himself wanted to stay and help the team qualify for European football. A year later, he was probably allowed to go only after he disobeyed club orders and insisted in taking part in the Beijing 2008 Olympics. He will be a good signing for Mark Hughes if the deal goes through.

SHOCKING MOVE!

Arsenal has signed Man United's Mikael Silvestre!!! No player has moved directly between Man United and Arsenal since Sir Alex Ferguson made Viv Anderson his first signing in 1987.

Intense rivalry between the 2 clubs have made it such that players developed hatred or dislike for the rival club. This is precisely the reason why Silvestre's move from Man United to Arsenal is all the more shocking. It is not as if Silvestre has any lack of suitors but has no other choice but to move to London (must clarify this sentence - Arsenal is a big club who choses players, not the other way round). Big teams like Roma has come in for him and been rejected by Silvestre himself. Other interested clubs includes another established club in Manchester - Man City, Sunderland managed by former teammate Roy Keane and French club Bordeaux.

Perhaps its the French connection in Arsenal that made him sign for Arsenal. Manager Arsene Wenger, centre back captain William Gallas, right-back Bacary Sagna, left back Gael Clichy, midfielder Abou Diaby, Amaury Bischoff and Samir Nasri are all French players. Add in Silvestre and we have 8 French in Arsenal not including those in the youth teams. I wonder do they fine dine and drink wine every meal. :P

Anyway, rather disappointed that Arsene Wenger's promise of signing an experienced player is in fact Silvestre from Man United. Put everything aside, just the fact that he has been at Man United for the best of his 9 years, makes me loathe the transfer. No Arsenal fans like Man United players or anything that is related to Man United. However, I believe in Arsene Wenger and I am willing to open my mind, that is till Silvestre makes any costly mistakes. Not only will he let Arsene Wenger down, he will also give excuses for fans to haul insults at him and question Arsene Wenger's eye for a quality transfer. Arsene Wenger took a gamble and placed faith in him, he better repay that faith.

I hate to say this, but Silvestre is probabaly a good back up to the defensive 4 as he can play across the defense. In my knowledge, probably no other team has such experienced defender on the bench to act as a back up. I just hope Wenger does not make him a regular started in defense and ruin the progress of Clichy as left back or Djourou as centre back as Toure is now injured. True that he brings with him versatility, experience, understanding of the English game and knowledge of what needs to be done to win. However, the progress of the younger players, Arsenal's next generation of Invincibles should not be hampered.

Let's pray that Arsene Wenger made the correct decision and the contingent of French players at Arsenal will be able to communicate and understand each other better because of their nationality. Second game of the season coming up on Saturday, watch out for some tips on this page..

Total Defeat of the Samba Nation

How Brazil crashed and burned. Losing 3-0 to their arch-rivals is unacceptable for any hardcore Brazilian fans. Where was Ronaldinho? As the captain and playmaker of the Brazilian U23 team, he was suppose to lead the way, show fighting spirit, show hunger, ensure discipline and dictate play. However, he was the direct opposite of everything he should be. He was invisible throughout the game with the exception of a freekick which struck the post. He did not display any fighting spirit that will spur the team on and two of his teammates were shown the red card when frustration got the better of them. Where was the discipline? The defeat inflicted by arch-rivals Argentina was total. Defeated 3-0 in the semi-finals, losing their cool resulting in 2 red cards and finally, failing to deliver yet again the only Gold medal they do not have - Olympic Gold.

However, the positives to this particular match is that it announced the arrival of young striker, Sergio Aguero on the international stage. The star of the Argentina team was supposed to be Lionel Messi and the focus was all on stopping him on the pitch. A grave mistake as Argentina is a team good in every department. In a game where Lionel Messi is tamed, when more than 2 brazilian players tackle him whenever he touches the ball, Sergio Aguero took up the mantle to score and score he did to carry Argentina into the finals. He scored not only 1, but 2 goals and won a penalty to put the result beyond doubt.

All hail the arrival of Sergio Aguero!

Sunday's Match Report (17/08/08)

Hey people,

As promised, the reports for the 3 matches that was played on Sunday.

Chelsea 4 - 0 Portsmouth
The signs were there that Chelsea was out to attack and destroy when Joe Cole scored with just 12 minutes shown on the clock. A perfect through ball by Michael Ballack left Joe Cole in a one on one situation with goalkeeper David James. He proceed to calmly shoot just out of reach of David James' out-stretched arms and into the goal. Chelsea dominated the game and if not for the heroics of David James who saved 3 more goal bound attempts, Portsmouth would have lost by a much much larger margin and made to look like an amatuer club. However, on the 26th minute, when Deco headed the ball over David James after a cross from Bosingwa, Nicholas Anelka rose highest despite the attention from Sylvain Distin to head the ball into an empty goal.

Michael Ballack suffered an injury and had to be replaced by Florent Malouda. Portsmouth then had a short period of dominance, highlighted by Niko Kranjcar's fierce drive which goalkeeper Peter Cech parried away and striker Peter Crouch latched onto the rebound to steer the ball goal-wards, only for Peter Cech to once again prove that he is one of the best in the goalkeeping business by bravely using his body to block the shot. All hopes of any come back was smashed when Sylvain Distin handled Joe Cole's cross during first half's extra time and the referee wasted no time in awarding the penalty. David James was booked for showing his frustration by kicking the ball away and Frank Lampard tucked the spot kick away. It is only half time and Chelsea already lead by 3 goals.

The second half did not have much action as compared to the first though Chelsea continue to attack. The only goal in the second half came from Deco in the 89th minute, a powerful and swerving effort from 30 yards that James could only parry into the top corner. A fair reward for his all action display in midfield. Portsmouth looks lost, void of any ideas and belief shown clearly by their lack of ability to keep possession. Chelsea has 70% possession, which shows how dominating they were in the game. The game ended with Portsmouth needing to find the formula to gel together both as a defensive unit and as an attacking unit. The strike partnership of Peter Crouch and Jermain Defoe clearly needs time to gel. Let's hope Harry Redknapp solves all the problems soon if Portmouth is to return to their winning ways.


Aston Villa 4 - 2 Manchester City
Gabriel Agbonlahor, the hat-trick hero at Villa Park lead Aston Villa to winning their first game of the season. The first half of the match was full of misses but Aston Villa threatened more as City goalkeeper Joe Hart had to make several saves from John Carew. John Carew was a constant thorn in Man City's defense, using his height and physical nature to dominate the aerial battles.

The break through came 2 minutes into the second half when Ashley Young send in a pin-point cross which Carew delightfully headed a poweful effort past Joe Hart from six-yards out. Man City briefly equalized when Luke Young brought down Michael Johnson after much hesitation between Young and Nicky Shorey which allowed Johnson to run on the ball in thee penalty box. Elano took the spot kick and sent Brad Friedel the wrong way. 1-1 and the game is on! However, Agbonlahor soon regain Villa's lead with a right foot volley after a flick on from Curtis Davies from Ashley Young's corner. 5 minutes later, Agbonlahor doubled Villa's lead when he headed in a cross from Barry. Agbonlahor got his first ever senior hat-trick in the 76th minute after chipping the ball past Hart into goal after a through ball from Barry. Corluka scored an 89th minute consolation goal for City but they were well beaten by the final whistle.


Manchester United 1 - 1 Newcastle United
Last season's champion failed to break down a resilent Newcastle side at their home ground. Their lack of firepower up front was glaring and laid out for all to see. What better time to take points off Man United than now? That's exactly what Newcastle did. Lacking a proven senior goal scorer (Carlos Tevez had to fly home because of a family bereavement), Man United started with youngster Frazier Campbell partnering Wayne Ronney up front. Campbell was impressive as an individual and Man United dominated the proceedings early on.

New Newcastle signing, Argentinian Jonas Gutierrez posed Man United lots of problems and unsettled the whole of Man United's defense. Newcastle managed to break the dreadlock 22 minutes into the game when an unmarked Martins headed into goal from a pin-point Milner corner. However, the lead lasted for only two minutes as Darren Fletcher diverted a cross from Giggs past Shay Given and into goal. The first half ended with the two sides on level terms.

The second half is very much similar to the first as an open game ensure that Man United looks as capable of scoring a second goal as conceding a second one. Both Martins and Campbell tested the goalkeepers from long range. Had Martins been able to head on target after another Milner corner found him, Newcastle might even have won the game.

The game ended 1-1 with Newcastle happy to share the spoils and any neutral party will say that they deserve the point. Man United needs to address the serious injury issue that is robbing them of a fair number of senior players. They need to bring in new quality players before the rot sets in and title contenders become mere bystanders.

Great weekend!

What a great weekend for soccer fans. EPL finally started after many weeks of absence. Personally, its a good weekend for me because I won money by betting on soccer! Chelsea and Aston Villa didnt disappoint me as both duly delievered victories over their respective opponents. Newcastle added in more much needed cash into my wallet by holding last season's champion, Manchester United to a draw. My favourite team only manage to beat West Brom by a 1 goal margin, which is the only match i lost money on. Won 3 matches out of 4, not bad i would say.

Now, let us access Saturday's matches individually..


Arsenal 1 - 0 West Brom
Not really a surprise that my beloved Arsenal won (bias!) but was rather disappointed that they once again squander several chances to kill off the game. Arsenal had scored an early goal in the 4th minute. A debut goal from Samir Nasri mark the arrival of a potential youngster, under the guidiance of Arsene Wenger will become a great player and a possible lengend of Arsenal.

West Brom need better quality players up front to have any hope of retaining their Premiership status at the end of the season. They had threatened Arsenal on several occasions but lack the killer instinct to finish what they started.


Bolton 3 - 1 Stoke City
Three first half goals from Bolton condemned Stoke City's first match in the top flight to a embarrassing lost. Life went on for Bolton without Anelka (sold to Chelsea) and Diouf (sold to Sunderland). The fans were made to forget them when Steinsson hit a volley which could be the contender for 'Goal of the Season', 1-0 to Bolton. Bolton talisman Kevin Davies killed off the game by heading in the 2nd goal of the game with record signing Elmander heading in the 3rd just before the break to secure all three points.

Stoke City's defence was nowhere to be seen in the first half, though they went on to improve on their performance after the break. If they continue to have such woeful defending, I do not see how they are going to survive the drop. On the positive side, Stoke City manage to score a consolation goal during extra time, via another headed goal.


Everton 2 - 3 Blackburn
An extra time winner from Dutch international Ooijer gave new Blackburn manager a winning start to his first competitive match in charge. The match was a tight affair with David Dunn scoring the first goal in the 22nd minute. Arguably the most creative player in Everton, Mikel Arteta went on to equalise just before half time.

After the break, its Arteta once again who crosses perfectly for Yakubu to head past Robinson to open his own scoring account for the season on the 64th minute, giving Everton the lead. But their lead was to be short-lived as the brillant Santa Cruz equalised 2 minutes later, pouncing on a mistake by Lescott to. Just as it looks like the match was going to end in a stalemate, Ooijer pop up to stab the ball into the net after Ryan Nelsen's header had rebounded back off the post giving Blackburn all three points.


Hull 2 - 1 Fulham
Surprise surprise surprise. This further proves the chinese saying of 'the ball is round', meaning anything can happen in soccer. Hull, predicted by many to face an immediate return to the Championship, did not pay their detractors attention and went on to 'do the talking' on the pitch by claiming their debut win against Fulham.

Fulham had taken the lead as early as on the 8th minute when Jimmy Bullard picked out Seol Ki-Heon who finish beautifully. However, Fulham failed to add on to their tally after a sustained moment of pressure where Jimmy Bullard once again cross for Simon Davies who volleyed over, wasting another chance to at least test the keeper.

Hull's new signing Geovanni then scored on his debut, the equalising goal. He picked up the ball between Fulham's defense and midfield, dribble into space and let fly with a stunning left footed strike that flew into the back of Schwarzer's net. A superb strike if u ask me, and what a way for Geovanni to open his account with Hull.
After the equaliser, Fulham once again attack Hull in search of the winning goal while Hull soaked up the pressure. Fulham dominated in attack but to no avail as both teams went into the break on level terms.

After the break, Hull looked more lively and stepped up a gear to match Fulham but still, Fulham dominated the game with Jimmy Bullard and Gera looking dangerous. In the 81st minute, a massive error by Paul Konchesky gifted substitute Craig Fagan possession who duly square the ball to another substitute Caleb Forlan who has the easy job to tab the ball into the net. Hull has taken the lead and they looked to have secure all three points as Fulham looked void of ideas. A great way to mark a top flight debut!


West Ham United 2 - 1 Wigan Athletic
Early lead for West Ham when Ashton chests down a pass from Noble and smashes the ball past Wigan keeper Chris Kirkland. 1-0 to West Ham after just 3 minutes. 6 minutes later, it was 2-0 West Ham as Ashton helped himself to another goal following a corner, which he looked suspiciously offside.

Wigan is looking very dangerous on the break and has every chance of clawing their way back into the game. Wigan's highly rate Egypt striker Zaki, on a season long loan is giving West Ham alot of trouble. Zaki had an effort cleared off the line after Heskey had knock down the ball for him. However, Wigan's defence looks very shaky. If not for some woeful finishing from West Ham and wonderful goal-keeping of Chris Kirkland, West Ham would have gone into the break with a larger gap instead of just leading by 2 goals to nil.

Almost immediately after the break, a flick by Hesky finds Zaki and he proceeds to smash the ball into the net. With just one goal separating the side, the game became very open as both teams know the importance of the next goal. Wigan starts to dominate the game and West Ham pose almost no attacking threat. Towards the end of 90 minutes, Wigan begin to pile on the pressure in search of the equaliser but Zaki blasted the ball over from seven yards with arguably the best chance of the game. The chance was wasted and there was to be no late game surprises as the game ended 2-1 in favour of West Ham United.


Middlesbrough 2 - 1 Tottenham
Tottenham's aspiration to break into the top 4 was dealt a blow after defeat by Middlesbrough. All three goals were scored by Middlesbrough players demonstrated how ineffective and poor the attackers of Tottenham were. Middlesbrough central defender David Wheater pounced on a rebound for the first goal, following a cross from Downing that Afonso Alves got to which Gomes could only tip onto the underside of the bar. Mido made sure the game was out of reach of Tottenham when he diverted French debutant, Didier Digard's cross-shot past Gomes and into the goal. Tottenham's attackers were not able to finish off moves and with time running out, Tottenham had needed Middlesbrough's big defender Robert Huth to score an own goal after a David Bentley freekick in the 93rd minute. But it was too late to mount and comeback as Middlesbrough won 2-1.

After the various big money transfers by Tottenham in the transfer market, signing Croatia international Luka Modric, Brazilian keeper Gomes, winger David Bentley and midfielder Geovanni Dos Santos from Barcelona, fans and pundits alike expected better from them. Tottenham's strikers and attacking midfielders need to be more clinical and score goals before they can successful mount a challenge into the Big 4.


Sunderland 0 - 1 Liverpool
A moment of magic saw Fernando Torres strike the ball into the bottom right hand corner of the Sunderland's goal in the 82nd minute to seal all three points. The Sunderland players must be feeling really down after all their efforts, grit and determination came to nothing.

Sunderland would have gotten a share of spoils if not for Torres' wonder strike, which differentiates quality players from good players. Quality players like Torres are able to carry the team and in a moment of magic, score the critical goal. There is the difference between Sunderland and Liverpool, which saw Liverpool get all three points.

Liverpool manager will want to improve on this performance in their next match. He would do good to improve on communication and understanding between his strike partnership of Robbie Keane and Torres. The lack of understanding was highlighted in the game when Sunderland goalkeeper Craig Gordon spill Dirk Kuyt's shot into the path of Torres who looks certain to score, and Keane ran across the goal, which saw Torres' shot deflect off Keane into safety. If Benetiz can get his two strikers to work out clear understanding, Liverpool will have a fearsome strike force to be reckon with.


Sunday's matches will be posted later on, so watch out for this space!

Feel Free to Contact Me!

Hi people,

This is my first post and below is a template for you, soccer fanatics out there to write to me regarding anything and everything related to soccer. Those which are interesting, i will post it up for you on my blog to share with all the people out there. So come on now and write to me!

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