Road To World Cup

Steven Gerrard Is Journalists' Footballer of the Year

2009-05-13T10:03:00.000-07:00

Steven Gerrard has been voted Footballer of the Year by England's Football Writer's Association for his efforts in putting Liverpool in contention for a first Premier League title since 1990.
The 28-year-old Liverpool captain has scored 15 league goals from an attacking midfield role to make his team a genuine rival to defending champion Manchester United.

Congratulation

Manchester United Will Face Chinese Club Hangzhou Greentown

2009-04-27T22:52:00.000-07:00

Manchester United will face Chinese club Hangzhou Greentown on the final leg of its four-game tour of Asia in July.

That game will be July 26 against Greentown, which is a Chinese Super League team from the Zhejiang province.

Juergen Klinsmann Out From Bayern Munich

2009-04-27T07:42:00.000-07:00

Bayern Munich fired coach Juergen Klinsmann on Monday after just 10 months in one of the most closely scrutinized jobs in German football.
The defending German champions dismissed the 44-year-old Klinsmann two days after the club lost at home to Schalke 1-0 in the latest of a string of disappointing results. Bayern is now third in the Bundesliga.

Van Persie Will Miss Next Match Against Manchester United

2009-04-24T00:05:00.001-07:00

Arsenal and The Netherlands striker Robin van Persie will miss the first leg of the Champions League semifinals against Manchester United next week because of a groin injury.

Van Persie has been ruled out of Sunday's Premier League match against Middlesbrough as well as Wednesday's game at Old Trafford.

Roy Keane Has Taken Over Ipswich

2009-04-23T09:12:00.000-07:00

Roy Keane has taken over at English club Ipswich on a two-year contract.
The League Championship club announced on Thursday that the former Manchester United midfielder, who left as manager of Sunderland in December, was appointed to get the club back into the Premier League. Keane replaces Jim Magilton, who was fired on Wednesday.
Keane got Sunderland promoted in his first season in charge in 2007 but it failed to make a big impact in the top flight. Ninth-place Ipswich was last in the Premier League seven seasons ago but has missed out on promotion again.

Lazio Beats Juventus 4-2

2009-04-23T08:48:00.000-07:00

Lazio eliminated Juventus from the Italian Cup with a 2-1 victory, advancing to the final 4-2 on aggregate.

Mauro Zarate scored with a curving shot from beyond the area in the 38th minute and Aleksandar Kolarov doubled the lead in the 52nd with an even longer shot that was deflected past Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon.
Juventus captain Alessandro Del Piero came on in the 60th and scored four minutes later, stopping a cross from Mauro Camoranesi with his chest and finding the target from the center of the area.

Juventus played the final eight minutes with 10 men after Camoranesi was sent off.

Liverpool Will Play in South East Asia

2009-04-23T05:08:00.000-07:00

Liverpool will play two preseason games in Asia this summer.
The Reds will face Thailand's national team in Bangkok on July 22 and then play at Singapore against that country's national team on July 26.

Asian Championship League Results

2009-04-23T03:35:00.001-07:00

Al Ahli (United Arab Emirates) 1, Pakhtakor (Uzbekistan) 2 Wednesday, March 11
Al Hilal (Saudi Arabia) 1, Saba Battery (Iran) 1
Tuesday, March 17
Saba Battery (Iran) 0, Al Ahli (UAE) 0
Pakhtakor (Uzbekistan) 1, Al Hilal 1 (Saudi Arabia
Tuesday, April 7
Saba Battery (Iran) 0, Pakhtakor (Uzbekistan) 2
Al Hilal (Saudi Arabia) 2, Al Ahli (UAE) 1
Wednesday, April 22
Pakhtakor (Uzbekistan) vs. Saba Battery (Iran
Al Ahli (UAE) vs. Al Hilal (Saudi Arabia
Wednesday, May 6
Saba Battery (Iran) vs. Al Hilal (Saudi Arabia
Pakhtakor (Uzbekistan) vs. Al Ahli (UAE
Wednesday, May 20
Al Hilal (Saudi Arabia) vs. Pakhtakor (Uzbekistan
Al Ahli (UAE) vs. Saba Battery (Iran
GROUP B
Team GP W D L GF GA Pts Shabab 4 3 1 0 11 2 10 Piroozi Athletic 4 2 1 1 7 7 7 Al Gharafa 4 2 0 2 9 7 6 Sharjah 4 0 0 4 2 13 0
Tuesday, March 10
Piroozi Athletic (Iran) 3, Sharjah (United Arab Emirates) 1
Al Gharafa (Qatar) 1, Shabab (Saudi Arabia) 3
Tuesday, March 17
Sharjah (UAE) 0, Al Gharafa (Qatar) 2
Shabab (Saudi Arabia) 0, Piroozi Athletic (Iran) 0
Wednesday, April 8
Sharjah (UAE) 1, Shabab (Saudi Arabia) 3
Piroozi Athletic (Iran) 3, Al Gharafa (Qatar) 1
Tuesday, April 21
Shabab (Saudi Arabia) 5, Sharjah (UAE) 0
Al Gharafa (Qatar) 5, Piroozi Athletic (Iran) 1
Wednesday, May 6
Sharjah (UAE) vs. Piroozi Athletic (Iran
Shabab (Saudi Arabia) vs. Al Gharafa (Qatar
Wednesday, May 20
Piroozi Athletic (Iran) vs. Shabab (Saudi Arabia
Al Gharafa (Qatar) vs. Sharjah (UAE
GROUP C
Team GP W D L GF GA Pts Al Ittihad 3 2 1 0 5 2 7 Umm-Salal 3 2 0 1 3 3 6 Al Jazira 3 0 2 1 1 2 2 Esteghlal 3 0 1 2 2 4 1
Wednesday, March 11
Al Jazira (United Arab Emirates) 0, Umm-Salal (Qatar) 1
Al Ittihad (Saudi Arabia) 2, Esteghlal (Iran) 1
Wednesday, March 18
Umm-Salal (Qatar) 1, Al Ittihad 3 (Saudi Arabia
Esteghlal (Iran) 1, Al Jazira (UAE) 1
Tuesday, April 7
Umm-Salal (Qatar) 1, Esteghlal (Iran) 0
Al Jazira (UAE) 0, Al Ittihad (Saudi Arabia) 0
Wednesday, April 22
Esteghlal (Iran) vs. Umm-Salal (Qatar
Al Ittihad (Saudi Arabia) vs. Al Jazira (UAE
Tuesday, May 5
Umm-Salal (Qatar) vs. Al Jazira (UAE
Esteghlal (Iran) vs. Al Ittihad (Saudi Arabia
Tuesday, May 19
Al Jazira (UAE) vs. Esteghlal (Iran
Al Ittihad (Saudi Arabia) vs. Umm-Salal (Qatar
GROUP D
Team GP W D L GF GA Pts Ettifaq 4 3 0 1 11 5 9 Bunyodkor 4 2 1 1 5 5 7 Foolad Sepahan 4 1 1 2 5 5 4 Al Shabab Al Ahli 4 1 0 3 4 10 3
Wednesday, March 11
Bunyodkor (Uzbekistan) 2, Ettifaq (Saudi Arabia) 1
Foolad Sepahan (Iran) 2 Al Shabab Al Ahli (United Arab Emirates) 0
Wednesday, March 18
Ettifaq (Saudi Arabia) 2, Foolad Sepahan (Iran) 1
Al Shabab Al Ahli (UAE) 2, Bunyodkor (Uzbekistan) 0
Wednesday, April 8
Ettifaq (Saudi Arabia) 4, Al Shabab Al Ahli (UAE) 1
Bunyodkor (Uzbekistan) 2, Foolad Sepahan (Iran) 2
Tuesday, April 21
Al Shabab Al Ahli (UAE) 1, Ettifaq (Saudi Arabia) 4
Foolad Sepahan (Iran) 0, Bunyodkor (Uzbekistan) 1
Tuesday, May 5
Ettifaq (Saudi Arabia) vs. Bunyodkor (Uzbekistan
Al Shabab Al Ahli (UAE) vs. Foolad Sepahan (Iran
Tuesday, May 19
Bunyodkor (Uzbekistan) vs. Al Shabab Al Ahli (UAE
Foolad Sepahan (Iran) vs. Ettifaq (Saudi Arabia
Group E
Team GP W D L GF GA Pts Nagoya Grampus 4 2 2 0 5 2 8 Beijing Guoan 3 1 1 1 2 1 4 Newcastle Jets 4 1 1 2 3 4 4 Ulsan Hyundai 3 1 0 2 2 5 3
Tuesday, March 10
Ulsan Hyundai (South Korea) 1, Nagoya Grampus (Japan) 3
Beijing Guoan (China) 2, Newcastle Jets (Australia) 0
Tuesday, March 17
Nagoya Grampus (Japan) 0, Beijing Guoan (China) 0
Newcastle Jets (Australia) 2, Ulsan Hyundai (South Korea) 0
Tuesday, April 7
Nagoya Grampus (Japan) 1, Newcastle Jets (Australia) 1
Ulsan Hyundai (South Korea) 1, Beijing Guoan (China) 0
Wednesday, April 22
Newcastle Jets (Australia) 0, Nagoya Grampus (Japan) 1
Beijing Guoan (China) vs. Ulsan Hyundai (South Korea
Wednesday, May 6
Nagoya Grampus (Japan) vs. Ulsan Hyundai (South Korea
Newcastle Jets (Australia) vs. Beijing Guoan (China
Wednesday, May 20
Ulsan Hyundai (South Korea) vs. Newcastle Jets (Australia
Beijing Guoan (China) vs. Nagoya Grampus (Japan
GROUP F
Team GP W D L GF GA Pts Gamba Osaka 4 4 0 0 15 2 12 Shandong Luneng 4 2 1 1 8 4 7 FC Seoul 4 1 1 2 7 9 4 Sriwijaya FC 4 0 0 4 2 17 0
Tuesday, March 10
Gamba Osaka (Japan) 3, Shandong Luneng (China) 0
Sriwijaya FC (Indonesia) 2, FC Seoul (South Korea) 4
Tuesday, March 17
Shandong Luneng (China) 5, Sriwijaya FC (Indonesia) 0
FC Seoul (South Korea) 2, Gamba Osaka (Japan) 4
Wednesday, April 8

Shandong Luneng (China) 2, FC Seoul (South Korea) 0
Gamba Osaka (Japan) 5, Sriwijaya FC (Indonesia) 0
Tuesday, April 21
FC Seoul (South Korea) 1, Shandong Luneng (China) 1
Sriwijaya FC (Indonesia) 0, Gamba Osaka (Japan) 3
Tuesday, May 5
FC Seoul (South Korea) vs. Sriwijaya FC (Indonesia
Wednesday, May 6
Shandong Luneng (China) vs. Gamba Osaka (Japan
Wednesday, May 20
Sriwijaya FC (Indonesia) vs. Shandong Luneng (China
Gamba Osaka (Japan) vs. FC Seoul (South Korea
GROUP G
Team GP W D L GF GA Pts Kashima Antlers 4 3 0 1 12 5 9 Suwon Bluewings 4 3 0 1 9 4 9 Shanghai Shenhua 4 2 0 2 7 6 6 Armed Forces 4 0 0 4 2 15 0
Wednesday, March 11
Suwon Bluewings (South Korea) 4 Kashima Antlers (Japan) 1
Shanghai Shenhua (China) 4, Armed Forces (Singapore) 1
Wednesday, March 18
Armed Forces (Singapore) 0, Suwon Samsung Bluewings (South Korea) 2
Kashima Antlers (Japan) 2, Shanghai Shenhua (China) 0
Tuesday, April 7
Armed Forces (Singapore) 1, Kashima Antlers (Japan) 4
Shanghai Shenhua (China) 2, Suwon Samsung Bluewings (South Korea) 1
Wednesday, April 22
Kashima Antlers (Japan) 5, Armed Forces (Singapore) 0
Suwon Samsung Bluewings (South Korea) 2, Shanghai Shenhua (China) 1
Tuesday, May 5
Armed Forces (Singapore) vs. Shanghai Shenhua (China
Kashima Antlers (Japan) vs. Suwon Samsung Bluewings (South Korea
Tuesday, May 19
Shanghai Shenhua (China) vs. Kashima Antlers (Japan
Suwon Samsung Bluewings (South Korea) vs. Armed Forces (Singapore
GROUP H
Team GP W D L GF GA Pts Kawasaki Frontale 4 3 1 0 9 2 10 Pohang Steelers 4 1 3 0 2 1 6 Tianjin Teda 4 0 2 2 2 4 2 Central Coast Mariners 4 0 2 2 3 9 2
Wednesday, March 11
Central Coast Mariners (Australia) 0, Pohang Steelers (South Korea) 0
Kawasaki Frontale (Japan) 1, Tianjin Teda (China) 0
Wednesday, March 18
Pohang Steelers (South Korea) 1, Kawasaki Frontale (Japan) 1
Tianjin Teda (China) 2, Central Coast Mariners (Australia) 2
Wednesday, April 8
Pohang Steelers (South Korea) 1, Tianjin Teda (China) 0
Central Coast Mariners (Australia) 0, Kawasaki Frontale (Japan) 5
Tuesday, April 21
Tianjin Teda (China) 0, Pohang Steelers (South Korea) 0
Kawasaki Frontale (Japan) 2, Central Coast Mariners (Australia) 1
Tuesday, May 5
Pohang Steelers (South Korea) vs. Central Coast Mariners (Australia
Tianjin Teda (China) vs. Kawasaki Frontale (Japan
Tuesday, May 19
Central Coast Mariners (Australia) vs. Tianjin Teda (China
Kawasaki Frontale (Japan) vs. Pohang Steelers (South Korea

Inter Milan Ready To Sever Adriano's Contract

2009-04-23T00:23:00.000-07:00

Inter Milan appears ready to sever its contract with Adriano after the Brazil striker deserted the club earlier this month.
Inter has already reached an agreement with Adriano's agent, Gilmar Rinaldi, and needs only to register the move with the league office, the Gazzetta dello Sport reported Wednesday.

Adriano joined Inter in 2001. After loan spells with Fiorentina and Parma, he scored 29 goals in his first full two seasons with the Nerazzurri in 2004-05 and 2005-06, but has struggled with his form since. He moved to Sao Paulo on loan for the second half of last season and returned to Inter for the start of this campaign, but did not find his stride under new coach Jose Mourinho.
In all, Adriano scored 74 goals in 177 matches in all competitions with Inter.

Freestyle Battle 2008

2008-08-17T09:21:00.000-07:00

Watch Free Style Battle 2008, Cristiano Ronaldo, Robinho, Lionel Messi, and much more soccer's star around the world

Aston Villa Fly To The Top

2008-08-17T08:57:00.000-07:00

Aston Villa 4 - Manchester City 2

Gabriel Agbonlahor made his hatrick to the Manchester City goal. J. Carew's also made a goal, he scored on 47'.
Today EPL has made a lot of goal.

Chelsea Destroy Portsmouth

2008-08-17T08:46:00.000-07:00

Chelsea 4 - Portsmouth 0

Chelsea manager Luiz Felipe Scolari enjoyed a spectacular debut as his side turned on the style to rout Portsmouth 4-0 at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.

Goals from Joe Cole and Nicolas Anelka put Scolari's team in control before Frank Lampard's penalty capped the most impressive 45 minutes you will see this season. Deco added a final flourish with a stunning strike in the last minute.

With Didier Drogba injured, Scolari deployed Anelka as a lone striker and instructed his midfielders to flood forward in support.

Del Piero Hits Hat-Trick

2007-03-05T02:02:00.000-08:00

...Juventus go top of Serie B

Alessandro Del Piero scored three as Juventus beat Piacenza 4-0 to go back to the top of Italy's second division Serie B on Sunday.

The striker's hat-trick - his second in two weeks after scoring three times in a 5-0 victory over Crotone last month -- gave Juventus 49 points from 24 games, two points ahead of Napoli despite their nine point-penalty for match-fixing.

David Trezeguet got the opening goal in the first minute with a shot from the edge of the area, but Del Piero came alive early in the second half, firing home his first goal from the penalty spot after being brought down by goalkeeper Ferdinando Coppola.

He curled in his second with a free kick midway through the half then jinked round two defenders to complete his hat-trick in stoppage time.

Piacenza played the final 20 minutes of the match with 10 men after defender Hugo Campagnaro was sent off for a second bookable offence.
[Source]

Gary Lineker Writes About David Beckham

2007-03-05T01:54:00.000-08:00

Former England striker Gary Lineker has called for David Beckham to return to the international fold on a short-term basis ahead of the crunch Euro 2008 qualifier against Israel on March 24.

Lineker believes the Real Madrid midfielder's experience would be invaluable when the national team travel to Tel Aviv for the critical game with qualification for next year's tournament in Austria and Switzerland looking uncertain.

However, Lineker insists a recall for the former England captain should only be temporary with Beckham set for a summer move to Los Angeles Galaxy.

In his column in The Sunday Telegraph, Lineker wrote:

"David Beckham has made a powerful case for a return to the international fold.

"I think (manager Steve) McClaren would be wise to bring back Beckham as a short-term measure and he should be welcomed back with open arms.

"He has shown his usual determination by battling back into the Real Madrid team after being told that he would never play under (manager) Fabio Capello again.

"Now he is playing as well as anyone at the Bernabeu and, with England wobbling, he could provide invaluable experience in what is looking like a crucial match.

"Beckham is a proven international class player and, while he might have lost some of the sharpness in his legs, if you look at it objectively he remains one of the top 20 players available to McClaren.

"His passing remains first rate and his ability at set-pieces is still undiminished.

"Beckham knows how to play international football. Yes, he did not play well for England over the past couple of years, but I think he was more of a victim of the way the team played rather than a cause of it.

"Of course, bringing back Beckham, who has 94 caps, could only be considered a short-term fix because, when he moves to the United States in the summer, he is going into semi-retirement.

"That is what is happening. I know what it is like because I went through it when I moved into Japanese football.

"The standards will be lower and he will be a long way from home. That will definitely be the end for him."

Owen Hargreaves Won’t Be Joining Manchester United

2007-02-02T02:02:00.000-08:00

Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson said on Wednesday that Bayern Munich midfielder Owen Hargreaves would not be joining the club, just an hour before the end of the January transfer window.

The England international, who has just recovered from a broken leg sustained in September, is a long-time transfer target for United.

Bayern turned down a sizeable bid earlier this month and the sacking of coach Felix Magath on Wednesday changed nothing.

“There’s nothing happening in January. We will carry on with the players we have got,” Ferguson told Sky Sports News after United’s 4-0 win over Watford on Wednesday.
[Source]

Marco Materazzi Head-Butted Again

2007-01-30T01:43:00.000-08:00

Marco Materazzi has been engulfed in another head-butt row after an incident in Internazionale's 2-0 win at Sampdoria. Gennaro Del Vecchio was sent off after a butt on the veteran defender, but later claimed he had been provoked.

Juergen Klinsmann Won't Coach U.S Soccer Team

2006-12-07T18:04:00.000-08:00

Juergen Klinsmann withdrew Thursday from consideration as coach of the U.S. soccer team after several months of talks failed to lead to an agreement.

U.S. Soccer Federation president Sunil Gulati scheduled a telephone conference call with reporters Friday "to make an important announcement on the search for the next head coach of the U.S. men's national team," a USSF statement said.

Bob Bradley, the coach of Major League Soccer's Chivas USA team, was to be announced Friday as the interim coach of the national team, a soccer official with knowledge of the decision told the AP. He spoke on condition of anonymity because the announcement had not been made.

Klinsmann, who led Germany to the World Cup semifinals last summer, was the overwhelming favorite for the U.S. job.

Moratti Talks After Inter Vs Bayern Match

2006-09-28T02:21:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it. Inter Milan 2 - 0 defeat to Bayern Munich in their homebase, Giuseppe Meazza. Here's Massimo Moratti talk about Inter chance in Europe Championship

"We have made a very bad start in Europe, unlike in the championship. But we want to do well in the Champions League," Massimo Moratti told SkyItalia after Inter's 2-0 defeat to Bayern Munich at the Giuseppe Meazza. "The sendings-off? The second one was perhaps a bit harsh, but on the whole I don't think they were scandalous. I didn't see any wrongs on the part of the referee, who let play run up to then."

Moratti continued: "In the past we have always done well in the Champions League, the only thing missing has been the final victory. But this year we have made a bad start, contrarily to the championship. Perhaps it is due to the fact that there are a few new players...

"It is always difficult when you can't break a deadlock. But I think this match was singular. If it was repeated then it would be right to talk about difficulty... The referee? He let play run, and a few players exaggerated. These things happen. I'd say that Ibra's probably wasn't a red card, but I don't think the team was nervous. They had a rather prudent attitude this evening."

Inter.It

Fulham 0 Chelsea 2

2006-09-23T08:59:00.000-07:00

Chelsea win offer Fulham.
Frank Lampard is the star at that match, he's score two (70'(pen) and 76')
Here's another Premiership match result:
Liverpool 3 - 0 Tottenham H.

Arsenal 3 - 0 Sheffield U.

Aston Villa 2 - 0 Charlton Athletic

Fulham 0 - 2 Chelsea

Manchester C. 2 - 0 West Ham U.

Middlesbrough 0 - 1 Blackburn R.

Wigan Athletic 1 - 1 Watford

Liverpool 3 Totenham Hotspur 0

2006-09-23T07:00:00.000-07:00

Wonderful!!!
Liverpool beat Totenham Hotspur with 3 goals
The Reds have clearly got their season back on track with second-half goals from Mark Gonzalez, Dirk Kuyt and John Arne Riise, but after spending heavily in the summer, Spurs have now lost four of their first six league games.

They should have been ahead through Jermaine Jenas - who somehow missed from two yards - before Liverpool punished them with two strikes in 10 minutes and Riise finished the job in the final seconds. Source
64' [1 - 0] M.D. González [Liverpool]
73' [2 - 0] D. Kuijt [Liverpool]
90' [3 - 0] J.A. Riise [Liverpool]

David Beckham Will Renew His Contract In Real Madrid FC

2006-09-20T08:06:00.000-07:00

David Beckham is close to signing a new contract with Real Madrid, says the club's president Ramon Calderon.

"In the next 15 or 20 days Beckham's renewal will be solved because both (coach Fabio) Capello and the club are very happy with the player," Calderon told City FM radio on Tuesday.

Beckham's current four-year deal expires in June and if he hasn't renewed by January, he will be free to negotiate with other clubs.

Doubts about Beckham's future have increased following several postponements of negotiations earlier this year. Speculation grew further after he was dropped for last Sunday's league game with Real Sociedad.

While it appears Madrid wants to keep him for two more years, the 31-year-old midfielder's reported demand to raise his share of image rights from 50 per cent to 80 per cent is said to be a stumbling block.

Madrid hasn't won a major trophy since Beckham arrived from Manchester United in 2003.

Beckham, whose commercial value is perhaps even more important to Madrid than his playing ability, said in February he was almost certain to sign a new contract. But talks were shelved in the aftermath of the resignations of two club presidents _ Florentino Perez and Fernando Martin.

Beckham was dropped last month by England. He stepped down as captain following the team's World Cup elimination. Source

So Sad For Inter Milan

2006-09-13T02:50:00.000-07:00

A brilliant goal from midfielder Marco Caneira gave Sporting a 1-0 win over 10-man Inter Milan in their opening Champions League Group B match on Tuesday.

Caneira scored in the 64th minute, chesting down a high crossfield ball from defender Tonel, touching it past Maicon and unleashing a dipping volley from outside the box that went in off the underside of the bar.

Keeper Francesco Toldo leapt and managed to get a touch but failed to turn the ball over.

The Italian side were reduced to 10 men after 68 minutes when Patrick Vieira was sent off for head-butting Brazilian striker Liedson, the France midfielder's second bookable offence.

Sporting stepped up the pace after Vieira was sent off and had more scoring opportunities but Inter were poor and had only three good chances.

Dejan Stankovic and Adriano had shots in the first half saved by Ricardo and Zlatan Ibrahimovic was just wide with a late effort when Inter tried desperately to find an equaliser.

The Lisbon team had been hit by injuries to several players including Paraguayan international defender Carlos Paredes and Bento picked four young talents who impressed in a fine team performance.
Source

Chelsea 2 - Werder Bremen 0

2006-09-12T23:15:00.000-07:00

Chelsea, which has spent about $750 million in the last three years for players, beat Werder Bremen 2-0 on goals by Michael Essien and Michael Ballack. Ballack's penalty was his first goal for Chelsea since moving from Bayern Munich.

Ballack took the penalty instead of Frank Lampard, who has missed several key penalties in recent games.

Chelsea and Barcelona are both in Group A and will play in home-and-home games on Oct. 18 and 31.

Barcelona Five Stars

2006-09-12T22:05:00.000-07:00

Photo: AP
Favorites FC Barcelona and Chelsea picked up victories Tuesday on the opening day of the group stage in this season's Champions League.

Defending champion Barcelona routed Levski Sofia of Bulgaria 5-0 at home on first-half goals by Andres Iniesta and Ludovic Giuly, and three in the second half from Carles Puyol, Samuel Eto'o and Ronaldinho.

Everton 3 - Liverpool 0

2006-09-09T09:10:00.000-07:00

Andrew Johnson struck twice to send Liverpool crashing to their first defeat of the season as Everton claimed an emphatic 3-0 victory against their bitter rivals at Goodison Park.

Liverpool, tipped by many to emerge as Chelsea's strongest rivals for the Premiership title this season, produced one of their worst performances under manager Rafa Benitez as they were outfought by David Moyes' team.

Australian Tim Cahill's first-half opener, followed by Johnson's double, sealed a thoroughly deserved victory for the home side to leave their fans chanting 'easy, easy' at the final whistle.

Everton manager Moyes had urged his players to keep their cool and take the emotion out of the game in the build-up to the clash, but within seconds of the kick-off it was clear that his plea had gone unheard.

Benitez's team did send a couple of sighters on Tim Howard's goal in the early stages, but not enough to worry the American and when Cahill opened the scoring on 24 minutes, it was the least Everton deserved.

Four Everton players were involved in the move before Cahill stroked the ball past Jose Reina from 12 yards, but the crucial intervention came from Leon Osman, who held off the challenge of Steve Finnan inside the penalty area to tee up the Socceroos midfielder.

Liverpool players complained to Graham Poll about the challenge, but the referee ignored their appeals and rightly awarded the goal.

Luis Garcia came close to equalising seven minutes later when his left-footed curler from 20 yards was brilliantly saved by Howard, but Everton remained in control and they doubled their lead on 35 minutes when Johnson capitalised on slack defending.

Lee Carsley's pass picked out Johnson on the right flank and he brushed past the tame challenge of Sami Hyypia to break into the penalty area. Jamie Carragher had the chance to clear, but his mis-kick gifted Johnson a free strike on goal and the 8.6million pounds England forward slotted past Reina at the near post.

Liverpool had no answer to Everton's hunger and desire, but Benitez attempted to shake things up by throwing Dirk Kuyt, John-Arne Riise and Jermaine Pennant into the action in the second-half.

And the visitors upped their game as they went in search of a lifeline, but the home side stood firm and rode their luck, especially when Steven Gerrard rattled the post and referee Poll missed a clear handball in the penalty area by Everton full-back Tony Hibbert.

Riise then compounded Liverpool's misery when a late challenge on Mikel Arteta resulted in the Norwegian being stretchered off with a suspected ankle injury. To make matters worse, he was also booked for the foul.

Worse was to come for Liverpool, though, when Reina's failure to deal with an injury-time shot allowed Johnson to head home from close range to seal a 3-0 win.

The Last Result: European Championship Qualifying

2006-09-07T10:30:00.000-07:00

France gained some payback Wednesday for its loss in the World Cup final with a 3-1 victory over Italy in European Championship qualifying, while Germany routed San Marino by a championship record 13-0.

Northern Ireland came from behind to beat Spain 3-2 in the day's biggest upset with David Healy scoring all three. But England and the Netherlands moved smoothly toward Euro 2008 with their second shutout victories in group play.

Sidney Govou, chosen to start instead of Louis Saha, scored twice and Thierry Henry added the other at the Stade de France as Italy slumped to another defeat. Under coach Roberto Donadoni, who replaced Marcello Lippi after the World Cup, the Italians have lost twice and drew 1-1 with visiting Lithuania in Group B.

Govou put the French into the lead in the second minute and, after Henry added a second in the 17th, Alberto Gilardino replied for the Italians three minutes later. But Govou's long-range header in the 55th made it 3-1 to give France two victories from two games and a five-point advantage over the World Cup champions.

The result gave the French fans some compensation for Italy's penalty shootout victory in Berlin, where Zinedine Zidane was sent off for head-butting Italy defender Marco Materazzi and then went into retirement.

Germany, which lost 2-0 to the Italians in the World Cup semifinals, made up for a shaky 1-0 victory over Ireland by setting a European Championship record at San Marino.

Lukas Podolski scored four goals and Thomas Hitzlsperger, Miroslav Klose, Bastian Schweinsteiger had two each as the Germans bettered Spain's 12-1 victory over Malta in a 1983 qualifying game.

"We knew that this was the weakest team in our group and we wanted to score a lot of goals," Lukas Podolski said.

Libor Sionko scored twice in the first 21 minutes and Jan Koller added the third in the 57th as the Czech Republic won 3-0 at Slovakia. Both teams have six points.

The big upset was in Belfast, where Healy, who scored Northern Ireland's winner in a World Cup qualifying victory over England last October, hit three against the Spaniards. Xavi Hernandez and David Villa had put Spain ahead 2-1 at Windsor Park, but Healy struck in the 64th and 80th minutes.

Spain's surprise loss means Sweden took over first place and leads by three points after beating Belarus 2-0.

Two goals by Marcus Allback helped Sweden beat Liechtenstein 3-1, but only after Group F's weakest team threatened a shock. After Allback's second-minute strike in Goteborg, Mario Frick evened it in the 27th. Allback didn't restore the lead until the 69th and Markus Rosenberg added another in the 89th as Sweden made it six points from two games.

Dennis Rommedahl and Jon Dahl Tomasson scored first-half goals as Denmark opened Group F with a 2-0 victory at Iceland.

Of the other powerhouse teams in action, England went to the top of Group E with a 1-0 victory at Macedonia with Peter Crouch raising his tally to 11 goals in his last 10 appearances. The result puts England on top on goal difference ahead of Israel, which beat Andorra 4-1 and also has six points.

Guus Hiddink's first competitive game in charge of Russia ended in a 0-0 draw with Croatia in Moscow. Both teams are five points behind the leaders with a game in hand.

Helped by two goals from Robin van Persie, the Netherlands beat Belarus 3-0 and has two victories in Group G. The Dutch are two points ahead of Bulgaria, which beat Slovenia 3-0, and Romania, which won 2-0 at Albania.

Despite its second victory in Group B, France remains second on goal difference behind Scotland, which won 2-1 at Lithuania. Both have six points while Ukraine and Georgia have three.

Scotland followed up its 6-0 hammering of the Faeroe Islands with a 2-1 victory at Lithuania. Christian Dailly and Kenny Miller scored. Darius Miceika replied for the hosts with an acrobatic overhead shot.

Andriy Shevchenko led Ukraine to a 3-2 victory over Georgia with a goal in the 31st minute in Kiev. The visitors had led 2-1 through the 61st minuted on tallies by Shota Arveladze and Georgi Demetradze. Ruslan Rotan scored four minutes later and Andriy Rusol hit the winner 10 minutes from the end.

Portugal was held to a 1-1 draw by Finland in Group A.

After winning 3-1 at Poland, Finland went ahead when Jonatan Johansson scored 22 minutes in, but Nuno Gomes replied three minutes before halftime. Portugal played the last 37 minutes with 10 men after Ricardo Costa was sent off for a second yellow card.

Daniel Van Buyten's goal gave Belgium a 1-0 victory at Armenia. The Belgians are tied with Serbia and Finland on four points, with Portugal in fifth behind Kazakhstan.

Serbia drew 1-1 with Poland. Danko Lazovic neutralized Radoslaw Matusiak's strike.

In the other Group A game, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan drew 1-1.

Norway edged Moldova 2-1 in Oslo to post its second group victory. The visitors played almost the entire second half with 10 men after Victor Berco was sent off. After that, Fredrik Stromstad and Steffen Iversen scored.

Second-half goals by Nihat Kahveci and Tumer Metin gave Turkey a 2-0 victory over Malta in its first Group C game, while Hungary rebounded from Saturday's 4-1 loss to visiting Norway by winning 3-1 at Bosnia-Herzegovina.

The results mean the Norwegians are in first with six points with Turkey, Bosnia, Greece and Hungary all on three.
Source

Manchester United Still On Top Premiere League

2006-08-24T09:12:00.000-07:00

Mark Viduka scored in stoppage time to give Middlesbrough a 2-1 victory over defending English champion Chelsea, as Manchester United defeated Charlton 3-0 to top the Premiership standings.

Andrei Shevchenko's first league goal for Chelsea had given the Blues a first-half lead at the Riverside stadium. Emanuel Pogatetz tied the score with 10 minutes remaining before Australian striker Viduka claimed the winning goal. United has six points from two games compared with Chelsea's three.

Chelsea, bankrolled by Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich, is eyeing a third straight Premiership title after adding the likes of Shevchenko, Michael Ballack and Salomon Kalou to its all-star squad. Middlesbrough is being coached by Gareth Southgate after Steve McClaren left to become England manager.

In other matches, Martin O'Neill got his first win as Aston Villa coach in a 2-1 victory over newly-promoted Reading, Blackburn drew 1-1 with Everton, Fulham tied Bolton 1-1, while Manchester City and Portsmouth played out a goalless draw.

Shevchenko, a 30 million pounds ($56.8 million) signing from AC Milan, converted a 16th minute cross from England international Wayne Bridge to give Chelsea the lead. Pogatetz scored a close- range header and Viduka came off the bench to make it 2-1.

United, which defeated Fulham 5-1 in the season's opening weekend, went into the game without Wayne Rooney and Paul Scholes, who were suspended after dismissals in a pre-season exhibition match.

Park Ji Sung missed a chance inside the penalty area before Ryan Giggs rattled a post with a free kick. Charlton goalkeeper Scott Carson tipped a curling Giggs effort around the post and Cristiano Ronaldo struck the crossbar just before half-time.

Three minutes after the break, Darren Fletcher gave United the lead with a right-foot shot past Carson. Louis Saha scored from 20 yards to double the lead before substitute Ole Gunnar Solskjaer rounded off the win.

In Birmingham, Reading took the lead through a Kevin Doyle header after three minutes. Juan Pablo Angel leveled the score from the penalty spot after Luke Moore had been brought down by Ibrahima Sonko, who was dismissed for the foul. Gareth Barry scored the winner in the 61st minute.

At Ewood Park, Tim Cahill tied the scores in the 84th minute after Benni McCarthy had given Blackburn the lead on his home debut. El-Hadji Diouf put Bolton ahead at Fulham before Jimmy Bullard leveled from the penalty spot in stoppage time.

Owen Hargreaves Wants To Manchester United Quickly

2006-08-24T09:00:00.000-07:00

Calgary-raised midfielder Owen Hargreaves is continuing to press for a transfer from Bayern Munich to Manchester United.

But so far the German champion is resisting his attempts and has threatened to report United to FIFA if the English side doesn't back off. Hargreaves, 25, is under contract to Bayern through 2010. The Bild newspaper has reported that Hargreaves has been fined by Bayern general manager Uli Hoeness.

Hargreaves had been expected to talk to the media Wednesday but had little to say when he left Bayern's training facility.

"For the time being, I will not comment on this issue any more," said Hargreaves, according to sportinglife.com.

"I am still not 100 per cent and I am going home to get some rest."

Hargreaves was omitted from the Bayern squad for Sunday's 2-1 Bundesliga win over Bochum with the club saying the midfielder was suffering from flu. He also was missing from Bayern's 4-0 friendly loss to Barcelona on Tuesday.

AC Milan FC Wants Ronaldo

2006-08-23T10:59:00.000-07:00

Real Madrid's president will meet AC Milan representatives Wednesday to discuss their interest in signing Ronaldo.

Ramon Calderon said Tuesday he didn't plan to sell the Brazilian striker even though Milan already has approached Ronaldo, who's recovering from a knee injury.

"We have to listen to the player's opinion and that of our training staff," Calderon told Cadena SER radio station Tuesday.

Calderon hinted he would welcome an exchange for Milan forward Kaka, a player he promised fans while campaigning for his position in July.

"Swapping Ronaldo for Kaka wouldn't be bad," Calderon said.

Madrid's new coach Fabio Capello said the interest in Ronaldo showed "he was still an interesting player."

The addition of Ruud van Nistelrooy to Madrid's roster could affect the playing time of Ronaldo, who spent five years in Milan with rival Inter before joining Madrid in 2002. Ronaldo has two years left on his contract.

United States Vs Czech. Rep

2006-06-12T10:05:00.000-07:00

United States	0 - 3	Czech Republic
		J. Koller ('5), T. Rosicky ('36, '76)

Japan Vs Australia

2006-06-12T09:50:00.000-07:00

Japan Vs Australia final result
1 3
Japan: S. Nakamura ('26}
Australia: T. Cahill ('84, '89)
J. Aloisi ('90)

statistics :
shots on target : 9 - 2
shots off target : 10 - 5
possession : 56 - 44
corner kicks : 5 - 3
offsides : 4 - 3
fouls : 23 - 12
yellow cards : 4 - 3
red cards : 0 - 0

World Cup 2006 Groups

2006-06-12T02:57:00.000-07:00

Group A

1.	Germany
2.	Ecuador
3.	Costa Rica
4.	Poland

Group
B

1.	England
2.	Sweden
3.	Trinidad & T'go
4.	Paraguay

Group
C

1.	Argentina
2.	Holland
3.	Ivory Coast
4.	Serbia & M'gro

Group
D

1.	Mexico
2.	Portugal
3.	Angola
4.	Iran

Group
E

1.	Czech Republic
2.	Ghana
3.	Italy
4.	United States

Group
F

1.	Australia
2.	Brazil
3.	Croatia
4.	Japan

Group
G

1.	France
2.	Korea Republic
3.	Switzerland
4.	Togo

Group
H

1.	Saudi Arabia
2.	Spain
3.	Tunisia
4.	Ukraine

Rooney Starting to Training

2006-06-06T07:11:00.000-07:00

Striker Wayne Rooney gave England's World Cup hopes a boost on Tuesday when he began a training session with the rest of the squad.

Rooney, who broke his foot on April 29, took part in the first 20 minutes of the session at their training base near Baden Baden, to the delight of coach Sven-Goran Eriksson

The 20-year-old Manchester United forward then did a mixture of running, sprinting and ball work on his own with England fitness coach Ivan Carminati. Rooney will have a scan on his foot in Manchester on Wednesday.

"I think he looks very good," Eriksson told a news conference as his team prepare for Saturday's Group B opener against Paraguay. They also face Trinidad and Tobago and Sweden in the group.

Eriksson, who has until 24 hours before that game to keep Rooney or replace him with standby Jermain Defoe, said he expected the scan result by Thursday morning at the latest.

2006 FIFA World Cup Official Song

2006-06-05T05:40:00.000-07:00

Federation Internationale de Football Assn. (FIFA), world soccer's governing body. "Bamboo" has been selected as the official melody for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, the biggest soccer festival on Earth, which will kick off June 9 in Germany.

The melody will be sold as a ringtone, used in special FIFA-targeted remixes of hit songs and will feature prominently in advertising from such sponsors as Adidas, Budweiser, Coca-Cola, McDonald's and Phillips.

The sheer universality of soccer -- "football" to fans of the sport everywhere outside the United States -- has given it an unrivaled advantage over other spectator sports in luring the global music business to its commercial possibilities. Three million spectators are expected to attend games during the monthlong tournament. FIFA reckons a TV audience of 1 billion will watch the July 9 final in Berlin and expects some 30 billion views of the tournament in total, up from the 28.8 billion from the 2002 event.

The simple chant of the word, composed by the relatively unknown Nadir Khayat and Bilal Hajji, will almost certainly be heard by an accumulated audience of as many as 30 billion TV viewers in the space of about a month. Source

Champions League final classic

2006-05-17T09:52:00.000-07:00

Paris was awash with English and Spanish football fans all heading up to the Stade de France for the most eagerly-anticipated Champions League final in years.

The showdown between Thierry Henry's Arsenal and Ronaldinho's Barcelona will pack the 80,000-capacity ground, which hosted the 1998 World Cup final, and the match is also certain to attract a massive television audience around the globe.

The 50th anniversary of the first final won by the famous Real Madrid side of Alfredo di Stefano promises to produce a spectacle in line with the tournament's best traditions with two attack-minded sides.

It is not only because the final features a showdown between the world's best two players -- Barcelona's Brazilian playmaker Ronaldinho and Arsenal's French maestro Thierry Henry -- that purists are talking optimistically of a classic.

It is the fact that both the Spanish champions and their English opponents have had an attractive, attacking philosophy hardwired into them by their respective coaches, Frank Rijkaard and Arsene Wenger.

Rijkaard was an integral part of the magical, Dutch-inspired AC Milan team that won back-to-back European Cups in 1989 and 1990, and later helped Ajax to the 1995 title in a side that echoed their 'total football' forefathers.

Now Rijkaard has got Barcelona playing with the same sense of abandonment, according to Ronaldinho.

"We're playing football a la Rijkaard," said the two-time world footballer of the year. "It's a game based on open, attacking football. We're not copying anyone. You can't really compare us to any other team.

"It's a style of football that you dream about playing as a footballer, because we are given complete freedom to attack."

Joan Laporta, Barcelona's president, was even more effusive. "The secret of our success is Rijkaard," Laporta said. "He is the Ronaldinho of the bench."

Barcelona's former Arsenal fullback Giovanni Van Bronckhorst said the similar mentality of the two sides could make for an open contest.

"Both teams have played really well in the Champions League this year and the philosophy of the two sides is the same, as we want to play attractive football and I think both teams have done that," said Van Bronckhorst.

"So this final will be something of a one-off because normally you have teams that play a bit defensively, but now you will see two teams that like to attack and so it should be a very attractive final.

"A final, though, is only a good one if you win it and we know that we are playing difficult opponents. They now have the record for clean sheets in the Champions League so that is proof of how well they defend.

"We will have to play well to beat them but we will maintain our philosophy no matter what happens."

Arsenal's run to their first Champions League final has been down to a pragmatic streak that saw Wenger opt for an unfamiliar 4-1-4-1 formation.

A solid defence and a five-man midfield, with the likes of Cesc Fabregas, Alexander Hleb and Robert Pires streaming through in support of Henry, helped account for Real Madrid, Juventus and Villarreal in the knockout rounds.

Wenger believes that his team will be more relaxed now that they have secured their place in Europe's top competition next year, and is certain the Gunners can unlock the Barcelona back four if they play their natural game.

"If we do that, if we have a real go, I am convinced we can win," said Wenger, who nevertheless sounded a note of caution for the millions of fans anticipating a 'champagne' final.

Many previous finals had been stifled by the fear of failure, he warned.

"It's difficult to predict. Like many finals, as long as nobody scores it stays quite locked," Wenger said.

"But because of the importance of the competition, once one team scores it will certainly be an open and crazy game."

Despite Wenger's measured assessment, Ronaldinho said he doubted that the Arsenal manager would send Arsenal into battle with the gameplan of trying to frustrate the Spaniards.

"I like the way Wenger's teams play because it's attack," Ronaldinho said. "A strong defence with players in front of them who are technically very strong, and very quick -- players who know how to make a difference.

"It's a final where you can expect to see goals."

Portsmouth 1 - 1 Arsenal

2006-04-12T14:41:00.000-07:00

Sol Campbell left the Fratton Park pitch covered in blood as relegation-battlers Portsmouth inflicted what could prove a lethal wound to Arsenal's hopes of a top-four finish in the Premiership with the two sides sharing a 1-1 draw.
Arsenal now trail Tottenham by four points, but have the small matter of a Champions League semi-final with Villarreal to contest - a two-legged tie sandwiched by what is a crunch north-London derby at Highbury later this month.

Thierry Henry's sublime finish had given Arsenal a deserved half-time lead.

The Arsenal captain won the ball from Sean Davies in midfield, and played a quick one-two with Adebayor before dispatching a inch-perfect low, 18-yard strike off the inside of Dean Kiely's left-hand post.

It should have been 2-0 before the break.
free-kick on the right from Andres D'Alessandro was whipped into the penalty area, where LuaLua got up ahead of Abou Diaby to flash the ball past Lehmann and breathe new life back into the match.

And Pompey finished the stronger as their fight to beat the drop was boosted by what could prove to be a precious point. source

Barcelona Vs Real Madrid

2006-04-04T09:07:00.000-07:00

Barcelona Goal Video, Barcelona goal by Ronaldinho

Inter Milan Vs Villareal

2006-03-29T10:54:00.000-08:00

WTF... I can'y believe it...
Villareal make a quick goal in Champions League. Diego Forlan has made a goal for Villareal in Inter Milan in the first minute.
And thank's to God... Adriano, the Inter Milan forward player, has made a goal too for Inter Milan.
Now Inter Milan 1 and Villareal 1 (15')
Go Inter go...

Thierry Henry Wants £6 million-a-year

2006-03-23T12:49:00.000-08:00

Arsenal are set to outbid Barcelona to re-sign their captain Thierry Henry.
AS says the Gunners' mega offer is worth £6 million-a-year and is far greater than what Barca's wage structure can manage.

Gunners vice-chairman David Dein tabled the new offer to Henry on Monday - only days after AC Milan and Real Madrid had joined Barca in making enquiries about the Frenchman's availability. tribalfootball

Rio Ferdinand Wants The Best Finish

2006-03-23T12:32:00.000-08:00

Rio Ferdinand wants Manchester United Football Club to maintain their recent good form.
The Reds have an outside chance of catching Chelsea at the top of The Premiership, yet even the most die-hard fan would admit runners-up is the best they can hope for this season.

And the Old Trafford men are in pole position to clinch that second spot, although Ferdinand has warned they must maintain their recent good run of form.

"Our form at the minute at the club is very good but that's something we need to maintain," the England international told Sky Sports. "If we do it for a few weeks then stop then it's not worth it.

"We're just looking at our own game and keeping our own house in order and if we continue to do that we've got a good chance of finishing the season well."
fansfc

Manchester United Vs Benfica

2006-03-17T08:14:00.000-08:00

Cristiano Ronaldo is the Man Of The Match

Juventus put pressure on Man Utd's Ronaldo

2006-03-16T09:38:00.000-08:00

The agent of Manchester United winger Cristiano Ronaldo is flying to England for crunch talks with manager Sir Alex Ferguson.
Ferguson is frustrated by fresh reports suggesting Valencia and Juventus are preparing mega bids for Ronaldo and wants to get to the bottom of what is sparking the stories, says calciomercato.com.
Ronaldo signed a new contract with United through to 2010 earlier this season and his agent, Jorge Mendes, is expected at Old Trafford this week to discuss the Portuguese's situation.

Luis Garcia

2006-03-09T23:18:00.000-08:00

García goes for goal
Liverpool FC's UEFA Champions League title defence hangs in the balance. Trailing 1-0 from the first knockout round first leg in Lisbon, they must find the net in the return at Anfield and this season that has been a problem for the European champions.

Goal concern
Rafael Benítez's side have failed to score two goals in a game since January. Strikers Djibril Cissé, Fernando Morientes and Robbie Fowler have failed to register in 649, 956 and 358 minutes respectively, while Peter Crouch has netted just once in little less than 800 minutes. No wonder Liverpool fans are worried their chant of "In gay Paris we'll win it [the European Champion Clubs' Cup] six times" may get its final airing tonight.

Garcia return
However, Benítez has an ace in his pack as Liverpool seek to overturn that deficit. After being rested for Saturday's goalless draw against Charlton Athletic FC, Spanish international forward Luis García is set to return.

Knockout star
Garcia this week leapt to the defence of his striking colleagues, saying "I have faith because we have four of the best strikers in Europe", but it may well be the diminutive Catalan who is Liverpool's match-winner. Last season he hit five goals against Bayer 04 Leverkusen, Juventus and Chelsea FC in the knockout rounds of Liverpool's triumphant campaign. Those goals were a huge factor in the 27-year-old being selected in the uefa.com users' Team of 2005.

Fans honour
García told uefa.com what the award meant to him: "I received the news from a friend of mine - he called me and told me I had been named in the Team of the Year. The truth is, you don't get used to the idea until people call you and congratulate you. I think for a football player it is pretty nice and very important to be part of such a team, especially when it is voted for by the fans. This makes you feel happy with your work and appreciated."

Brilliant year
Not surprisingly, García rates 2005 as his best year. He said: "When I signed for Liverpool, my ambitions were to play as many minutes as possible and to adapt to the Premiership and a new country as soon as possible. In the end, we won the UEFA Champions League and I ended up playing a lot of matches and scoring many goals."

European success
He acknowledges that his best performances have come in European games, saying: "I felt very comfortable playing in the UEFA Champions League. It was more complicated in the Premiership. In the Champions League I was lucky and scored a lot of goals. These matches helped me become more and more confident. I am proud to have contributed to Liverpool's European success."

Benfica challenge
García has had a troubled 2006 so far, starting just two games as he recovers from a knee injury. However, his eye for goal remains in evidence and he has registered against Bolton Wanderers FC and Arsenal FC. Now the focus is Benfica. "We are optimistic because we have been working well," he said. "The team are more and more solid, but we know Benfica are a tough side to beat - they are technically very strong and have a coach who knows how to position his players. But we are in the Champions League and everything is possible at this level." After Istanbul, no one knows that better than Liverpool.
UEFA

David Beckham

2006-02-28T12:35:00.000-08:00

Real Madrid president Florentino Perez's surprise resignation was sad said England captain David Beckham.

Beckham, who was speaking ahead of England's friendly with Uruguay, did pledge his future to 'the meringues' but paid hommage to Perez, who was responsible for bringing players like himself Zinedine Zidane, Luis Figo and Ronaldo to the club.

"No not atall," Beckham said in response to a question about if it would affect his future at Madrid.

"It was a surprise, I only heard late last night.

"I would like to thank Florentino for having given me the chance to play for such a great club.

"He's very intelligent. I have only good memories. He has to be congratulated on bringing such great players to the club.

"Obviously I don't know what is going to happen.

"However the club has already said they want me to stay. I am happy there and would like to stay there," added Beckham, who has had an up and down career with Madrid since he left Manchester United.

Perez resigned after an extraordinary meeting of the board on Monday which confirmed Perez would go and that Fernando Martin, a club vice-president, would take over the hot seat.

"Real Madrid needs change and this is the right moment for me to leave the presidency," Perez said at a press conference. "I am convinced this is the boost the club needs."

His resignation comes after a poor week for the club in losing 2-1 at Real Mallorca on Sunday and then 1-0 at home to Arsenal in the Champions League the previous Tuesday.

He arrived at the helm of the club in July 2000 and heralded the "galactico" era.

Perez added: "There is no crisis at the club. The financial and sporting set-up at the club is good and we are happy at what we have done here in the last six years."

He added he had made his decision on Sunday following the Mallorca defeat saying he suddenly had the conviction that change was needed.

"It was a gesture of loyalty for the good of the club," Perez continued.

During Perez's reign, Madrid won the Spanish league and Spanish Super Cup double in both 2001 and 2003, with a superb 2002 sandwiched in between when Madrid won the Champions League, the European Super Cup and the Intercontinental Cup.

His successor Martin is like Perez 58-years-old and is one of the largest property developers in Spain.

He is one of Perez' closest friends and arrived with him at the club in 2000.

"I wish him all the luck in the world for this wonderful challenge," Perez said of Martin.
News.Yahoo

Real Madrid Becomes World's Richest

2006-02-20T13:20:00.000-08:00

Real Madrid has knocked off Manchester United as the world's richest soccer club. Madrid overtook the Red Devils for the first time at the top of the "Football Money League," an independent report released Thursday by the Deloitte accounting firm.

United had been ranked No. 1 since the report began nine seasons ago. Deloitte only uses revenue as its ranking and not the wealth of individual club owners.

Real Madrid increased its revenue by 17 percent to $328 million for the 2004-05 season despite going a second straight year without a major trophy. United earned $293 million in the same period.

AC Milan was third with $279 million, followed by Italian champion Juventus with $273 million and English champion Chelsea at $263 million.

"The mainstay of Real's revenue growth is not match-day revenues, as we have seen in many of the UK clubs, or broadcasting revenue, as we have seen — and continue to see — in Italy, but strong progress in realizing their commercial potential," the report said.

Madrid's revenue doubled in four years despite increasingly poor performances. It was second in last year's Spanish league and was eliminated from the Champions League at the first knockout stage.

Commercial revenue including sponsorship, merchandising and licensing contributed 45 percent of Madrid's total income. Madrid made $62 million more in commercial revenue than Manchester United and $74 million more than FC Barcelona.

Manchester United's revenue fell because of a reduction in broadcast income, partly because of its exit from the Champions League at the first knockout round. However, Deloitte said United was one of "the foremost brands in the industry and are still clearly the most profitable club in terms of day to day operations."

Three clubs dropped out of last year's top 20 — Marseille, Aston Villa and Rangers — and were replaced by Everton, Lyon and Valencia. Only 13 clubs have appeared in all nine editions of the report: Arsenal, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Inter, Juventus, Lazio, Liverpool, Real Madrid, Manchester United, AC Milan, AS Roma, Newcastle and Tottenham.

AS Roma Ties Record but Loses Captain

2006-02-20T13:19:00.000-08:00

AS Roma beat lowly Empoli 1-0 on a first-half goal by Simone Perrotta on Sunday, equaling a Serie A record of 10 straight wins in a match in which captain Francesco Totti injured his leg and was expected to miss 2-3 months.

The 29-year-old Roma playmaker should recover in time to play for Italy at the June 9-July 9 World Cup in Germany.

"He's a very important player for the national team," Italy coach Marcello Lippi said. "It would be a pity not to have him in the World Cup. We will be waiting for him and will do everything possible to recover him in time."

Totti twisted his left ankle following a rough tackle in the 12th minute and was carried from the field on a stretcher at Stadio Olimpico. Initial reports from club officials said he has a fractured fibula and strained ankle ligaments.

Roma equaled the record set by Juventus in 1932 — and later matched by AC Milan and Bologna — on Perotta's 16th-minute goal.

Fourth-place Roma trails league leader Juventus by 16 points but is within four points of third-place Inter Milan.

In Sunday's other games, Siena upset Udinese 2-1 on the road on two goals by 19-year-old striker Rey Volpato; Sampdoria stumbled 2-1 at home against Ascoli; Lecce and Reggina tied 0-0; Parma won 1-0 at Treviso to escape the relegation zone; and Chievo Verona held seventh place following a 0-0 tie with Palermo

The Latest Seria A Player Transfer

2006-02-03T12:53:00.000-08:00

Player From To Status
M. Lauro Reggina Ascoli Confirmed
I. Budan Atalanta Ascoli Confirmed
M. Gasparetto Empoli Mantova Confirmed
R. Bonetto Empoli Ascoli Confirmed
D. Florian Treviso Sanremese Confirmed
L. Choutos Inter Reggina Confirmed
L. Choutos Mallorca Inter Confirmed
R. Schiavi Lecce Brescia Confirmed
A. De Almeida Lecce Crotone Confirmed
K. Saidi Feyenoord Lecce Confirmed

Goal

Superb Premiership Match

2006-02-03T12:52:00.000-08:00

Blackburn Beats Manchester United 4-3
David Bentley scored three goals, helping Blackburn Rovers and American goalkeeper Brad Friedel defeat Manchester United 4-3 Wednesday in England's Premier League.

Inter Milan Win

2006-02-03T12:48:00.001-08:00

Inter Milan 1 Lazio 0
Inter Advances to Italian Cup Semifinals

Internazionale of Milan beat Lazio 1-0 Thursday night and became the only of Italy's three big clubs to reach the semifinals of the Italian Cup.

Ex-Lazio midfielder Dejan Stankovic scored in the 37th minute, and Inter won the home-and-home, total-goals series 2-1.

Inter advanced to a semifinal on March 22 and April 12 against Udinese, which eliminated Sampdoria on Wednesday. Palermo plays AS Roma in the other semifinal.

Palermo eliminated AC Milan, and Juventus was ousted by AS Roma.

Inter Milan Win

2006-02-03T12:48:00.000-08:00

Year of Soccer

2006-02-02T00:07:00.000-08:00

This year, 2006 is a soccer year. This year the greates football party will appear in Germany.
Many country and many players in the world join it.
Almost all people in the world will watching it.
Brazil is the champion in last World Cup, the question is who is the winner in Germany World CUP 2006 ?