March 30, 2011
“Sir Alex Ferguson should try telling Ghana fans that international friendlies are a “waste of time”. A day after the Manchester United boss also labelled the fixtures “worthless”, 21,000 ecstatic Black Stars supporters celebrated Asamoah Gyan’s last-gasp Wembley equaliser as though it had erased all the heartache of last summer’s World Cup quarter-final exit in an instant.” ESPN
England fans are given a glimpse of the future by Fabio Capello
“The pace of change is quickening in this England side, and though Andy Carroll may not be swift in his current half-fit state, the country’s most expensive home-born footballer led the way in an entertaining friendly with his first international goal. A B-team went home with an A for enterprise.” Guardian
England 1 Ghana 1: match report
“Fabio Capello may have 100 words to elucidate his tactical vision but Asamoah Gyan had the final word. Just when England looked to have secured a good victory through Andy Carroll, Gyan equalised brilliantly in the dying moments of one of the finest friendlies in living memory.” Telegraph – Henry Winter
England 1-1 Ghana – Video Highlights, Recap, and Match Stats – Friendly
The 90th Minute
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Posted by 1960s: Days of Rage
March 30, 2011
“Good technique, though while widely accepted as an essential weapon in the armoury of any professional footballer, is rarely cast as a game-changing element. Having good technique usually means simply being able to control the ball easily, weigh passes appropriately or maintain one’s balance when shooting. Occasionally, however, technique is the difference between winning and losing. More precisely, in the case of Ibrahim Afellay in the Netherlands’ 4-0 defeat of Hungary last Friday, it was the difference between scoring and not scoring.” Football Further
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Posted by 1960s: Days of Rage
March 30, 2011
“It’s still early, of course, but the chances are more likely that we’ll remember this week’s two U.S. national-team friendlies less for the results — a 1-1 tie against Argentina and Tuesday’s 1-0 loss to Paraguay — than for the initial impacts made by some young American players.” SI
United States (USA) 0-1 Paraguay – Video Highlights, Recap, and Match Stats – Friendly
The 90th Minute
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Posted by 1960s: Days of Rage
March 30, 2011
“Xavi and Juan Mata combined to make sure world and European champions Spain were not embarrassed by Lithuania on a difficult surface in Kaunas. Xavi, embarking on his second century of appearances for Spain after winning his 100th cap in their Euro 2012 qualifier against the Cech Republic on Friday, opened the scoring after 20 minutes.” ESPN
Lithuania 1-3 Spain – Video Highlights, Recap, and Match Stats – Euro 2012 Qualifying
The 90th Minute
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March 27, 2011
Juan Agudelo, 18
“At the final whistle, Juan Agudelo walked over to Lionel Messi. ‘I was like, “Yeah, I’m good friends with Thierry Henry,”‘ the 18-year-old American forward said. ‘I just wanted to introduce myself: Juan Agudelo.’ Agudelo’s 59th-minute goal gave the United States a surprising 1-1 tie against Argentina in a high-profile exhibition game on Saturday night before 78,936 at the New Meadowlands Stadium.” ESPN
Young Agudelo trends upward in U.S. draw against Argentina
“In the journalism world, one of the rules you often hear is this: Three examples qualifies as a trend. And we now have three examples that 18-year-old U.S. forward Juan Agudelo is a promising forward to watch at the international level.” SI
Three thoughts: U.S.-Argentina
“Three thoughts after the U.S.’s 1-1 tie against Argentina on Saturday night…” SI
United States (USA) 1-1 Argentina – Video Highlights, Recap, and Match Stats – Friendly
The 90th Minute
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March 26, 2011
Dance to the Music of Time, Nicolas Poussin
“Holland turned on the style as they cruised past Hungary at the Ferenc Puskas Stadium in Budapest. Tottenham playmaker Rafael van der Vaart gave the visitors an early lead and Ibrahim Afellay’s goal shortly before half-time ensured the scoreline reflected Holland’s dominance.” ESPN
Hungary 0 – 4 Holland: Dutch tiki taka football
“Holland beat Hungary in spectacular fashion to obtain Van Marwijk’s 13th consecutive qualification victory, combining both WC 2010 and Euro 2012 qualifiers. And in the process, national manager Bert van Marwijk extended his unbelievable 90 minutes record in competitive matches to 19-1-0, that one being the World Cup final against Spain.” 11 tegen 11
Wales 0 – 2 England
“Early Frank Lampard and Darren Bent goals turned the spotlight off Fabio Capello as England eased past Wales in the teams’ Euro 2012 qualifier in Cardiff. England manager Capello had endured a torrid week in the media over his handling of John Terry’s reinstatement as captain and defeat at the Millennium Stadium would have seen the pressure increase considerably.” ESPN
Wales 0-2 England: Lampard and Bent seal the victory early on
“England recorded a comfortable victory over Wales at the Millennium Stadium. Gary Speed sent Wales out in a broad 4-5-1 system. Craig Bellamy started on the right, with Andy King on the left. Aaron Ramsey, in his first game as captain, lined up behind Steve Morison. Fabio Capello named a surprising starting XI. Ashley Young was given a game on the wing, with Wayne Rooney also out wide, off Darren Bent. Michael Dawson partnered returning captain John Terry at the back.” Zonal Marking
Luxembourg 0 – 2 France
“The return of Patrice Evra and Franck Ribery failed to inspire France as, for the second time in their Euro 2012 qualifying campaign, they laboured to a 2-0 win over Luxembourg. Evra and Ribery were back in the team for the first time since their misdeeds at the World Cup contributed to their side’s humiliating first-round exit. But the result with the pair in the team was the same as the result without them as goals from Philippe Mexes and Yoann Gourcuff saw them to a 2-0 win, just as when the sides met in France in October.” ESPN
Spain 2 – 1 Czech Republic
“David Villa scored twice to bring Spain from behind to beat the Czech Republic, and eclipsed Raul as Spain’s all-time goalscorer in the process. Spain were trailing to a 29th-minute wondergoal from Jaroslav Plasil but Villa fired home from the edge of the area in the 69th minute, moving clear of Raul’s record of 44 goals and relieving the tension in Granada.” ESPN
Slovenia 0 – 1 Italy
“Thiago Motta’s second-half strike handed Italy a narrow win over Slovenia in Ljubljana in their Euro 2012 qualifier. The Brazilian-born midfielder, who made his debut with the Azzurri in last month’s friendly against Germany, struck in the 73rd minute to hand the Italians their first-ever win on Slovenian soil. The result has lifted Italy six points clear of second-place Slovenia at the top of Group C after five games, bringing them significantly closer towards qualifying.” ESPN
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Posted by 1960s: Days of Rage
March 25, 2011
“Well, I must say, I’m rather disappointed. We’ve come all this way to Barcelona to see a game at the Nou, and it’s not what I expected. OK, the little number 6 is controlling things from the centre of midfield, and the number 10 is a threat upfront, but it’s a tiny little ground and it’s not even full. Mes Que Un Club, seriously? Only joking! We are indeed in Barcelona for a football match, but this is not the Nou Camp, it’s the Nou Sardenya, home of CE Europa. Europa can’t make any claim to being ‘more than a club’ – they compete in the Tercera Division, the fourth level of the Spanish pyramid, in one of eighteen regional groups.” European Football Weekends
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Posted by 1960s: Days of Rage
March 23, 2011
“The Champions League is now to the quarterfinals which will begin on April 5-6 and conclude on April 12-13. There are two Spanish sides, three English sides, one Italian club, one German club, and one from Ukraine.” The 90th Minute
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Posted by 1960s: Days of Rage
March 23, 2011
“Leicester City’s home defeat against Portsmouth on Saturday might not have definitively ended their hopes of securing a Championship play-off place, but it has certainly put another nail in the coffin. The recruitment of Sven-Göran Eriksson initially looked like a masterstroke, as the Swede inspired a dramatic improvement in the team’s fortunes, including a run of seven wins and one draw after the turn of the year, but Leicester’s surge up the table has virtually ground to a halt in March. However, few leagues are more competitive than the Championship and while there’s life, there’s hope, particularly as the Foxes are still only five points away from featuring in the end-of-season play-offs.” The Swiss Ramble
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Posted by 1960s: Days of Rage
March 23, 2011
“France. Cultured, sophisticated, elegant. Fine wine, fine dining, beautiful people and beautiful clothes. It’s no wonder that many of the great restaurants and design houses are French, with Paris the symbolic home of the fashion industry. The embodiment of sophistication and beauty isn’t the primary reserve of the gastronomic or fashion universes either. Think great artists – Matisse, Monet, Rodin – and then think great footballers; Platini, Tigana, Giresse, Cantona, Henry. Artists themselves. If ever there was a footballing nation that deserved a stand out football shirt, it is France.” In Bed With Maradona
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Posted by 1960s: Days of Rage
March 21, 2011
“With the Eredivisie nearing its end ADO won three very important points in their battle for direct Eruopa League qualification. Ajax, meanwhile, lost three important points in the chase of Twente and league leaders PSV. Major defensive issues cost Ajax dearly as ADO managed to grab the lead three times in this match, with Ajax unable to make up for their defensive frailties.” 11 tegen 11
Excelsior 0 – 2 Twente: Decent victory for the champions
“Off the back of a demanding away trip to Zenit, Twente managed an important away win to keep the pace set by league leaders PSV, who Twente are trailing by just one point. While away at Excelsior, ten men Ajax drew 2-2 and PSV had the utmost difficulty in winning 3-2 in the final seconds, Twente put in a decent team effort to beat the relegation candidates.” 11 tegen 11
Ajax’s slim title aspirations have gone up in smoke
“Look at Christian Eriksen’s face an you know enough. In less than a week, Ajax’s hope for winning the Europa League and the league title is gone. A 3-2 loss in The Hague against ADO has killed Ajax’s chances for the league title. Even more painful is that Ajax actually were the better side but bad defending and 3rd keeper Jeroen Verhoeven being more a hindrance than a help have killed off the slim title aspirations.” World of Ajax
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March 21, 2011
“The Celtic fans showed their support to the team by a Green and White display before kick off, that spanned the whole East Stand of Hampden. There was banter aplenty also as legends from both sides took to the touchline with each group of fans booing the other side and vice versa.” Scotzine
Celtic 1-2 Rangers – Video Highlights, Recap, and Match Stats – Scottish League Cup
The 90th Minute
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Posted by 1960s: Days of Rage
March 20, 2011
Capriccio with Venetian Motifs, 1760, Francesco Guardi
“Dortmund dropped points for the second week i, n succession as a spirited performance from Mainz in the final quarter of the game and a last-gasp equalizer proved enough to hold the league leaders to a draw. Both sides came into this game on the back of disappointing 1-0 defeats – Dortmund to Hoffenheim, and Mainz to Leverkusen. They were the success stories of the first half of the campaign, but whereas Dortmund have stayed in good form after the winter break, Mainz have been up and down.” Defensive Midfielder
Freiburg 1-2 Bayern Munich
“A poor showing from Bayern Munich ultimately didn’t matter as they won their second consecutive game in the Bundesliga to keep the pressure on the sides above them in the Champions League places. Looking at the history of this fixture, the odds looked pretty stacked in Bayern’s favour – no defeats in the last 17 Bundesliga clashes between the sides, and a 4-2 win at the Allianz Arena in October.” Defensive Midfielder
Borussia Mönchengladbach 0-1 Kaiserslautern
“Kaiserslautern took a huge step to securing their Bundesliga place for next season at the expense of doomed-looking Borussia Mönchengladbach. Both sides came into this game in precarious Bundesliga positions – the hosts bottom, but knowing a win would lift them up to 17th, while the visitors, level on points with three other sides, were only out of the drop zone on goal difference.” Defensive Midfielder
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March 20, 2011
“Dirk Kuyt and Luis Suarez fired Liverpool to a 2-0 victory at Sunderland as the Reds made amends for their beachball disaster on Wearside last season. Kuyt set the visitors on their way with 33 minutes gone when he converted a hotly-disputed penalty, and Suarez completed the job with 13 minutes remaining.” ESPN
Luis Suárez gives Liverpool the edge over Sunderland
“Liverpool’s hopes of hosting Europa League football next season remain extremely slim but, as long as Luis Suarez continues playing as cleverly as this, Tottenham Hotspur will not be able to sit comfortably in fifth place.” Guardian
Sunderland 0-2 Liverpool – Video Highlights, Recap, and Match Stats – EPL
The 90th Minute
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Posted by 1960s: Days of Rage
March 20, 2011
“Below are MOTD video highlights for all the EPL matches on March 19, 2011. The full edition of MOTD can be viewed here.” The 90th Minute
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Posted by 1960s: Days of Rage
March 18, 2011
“Tactical observations from Champions League action this week…” SI
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Posted by 1960s: Days of Rage
March 18, 2011
Jean-Pierre Clatot
“The draw begins at 11am UK time. By which what we mean, of course, is that the video montages, unnecessary musical interludes, and same-old boring lecture we get every year about how wonderful the Champions League is begins at 11am. Then, all of a sudden, the draw will happen very quickly just when you’ve given up waiting and gone to make a cuppa instead. Fear not, though, I shall be here without to make sure you don’t miss a thing.” Guardian
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