Daily Archives: September 10, 2012

Beaten Uruguay have no time to sulk

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“In the context of a league campaign, a resounding win or a heavy defeat never ends at the final whistle. More important than the points won or lost can be the team’s reaction. Can it rally in the face of adversity, or guard against excessive euphoria? This is especially true in South America’s marathon 2014 Fifa World Cup qualifiers, when two rounds are played together, and a team can play at one end of the continent on Friday and the other the following Tuesday.” BBC – Tim Vickery

Ukraine’s young guns face England and life without Andriy Shevchenko

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“A star has gone out and a new age must begin. For a long time the question with Ukraine was whether Andriy Shevchenko was still worth his place in the side; now that he has retired, there is a realisation of what an almighty gap there is to fill. For 17 years, Shevchenko was an all but permanent feature of Ukraine’s national team, winning 111 caps, scoring a national record 48 goals and becoming a totemic presence.” Guardian – Jonathan Wilson

Hillsborough – Searching For The Truth; BBC TV Documentary

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” Last night, BBC North West and BBC Yorkshire aired a brand-new documentary entitled ‘Hillsborough – Searching For The Truth.’ If you missed it, here it is in its entirety. According to the synopsis from the BBC, the documentary filmmaker speaks to police officers, Hillsborough victims’ family members and the author of an infamous article in the Sun newspaper which blamed Liverpool fans for the disaster. The 30 minute documentary was released last night in the build-up to Wednesday’s much-awaited report from the Hillsborough Independent Panel, where the Panel had access to more than 400,000 previously unreleased documents.” EPL Tale (Video)

Dempsey, United States stunned by Jamaica in World Cup qualifier

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“Three thoughts on the United States’ 2-1 loss against Jamaica in a World Cup qualifier on Friday… • The U.S.’s lack of width and possession were killers. The Americans were always going to have to deal with the injury-related absences of Michael Bradley and Landon Donovan, but their inability to possess the ball meant that some degree of width in the attack was necessary, and that width wasn’t there.” SI

This Is A Red and Brack Nation

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“Over an hour before kick-off and the stadium was already awash with flags, banners and fireworks as it rocked to the drums and chants of the Torcidas. I was in Rio for the game known as the Fla-Flu, the derby between Flamengo and Fluminese. While not as big as Vasco vs Flamengo, the excellently named derby of the millions, the Fla-Flu is a game of historical significance. And the pre-match atmosphere was certainly living up to the hype as the two sets of fans took in turns to explode into action.” In Bed With Maradona

West Germany v Austria, 1978: Unravelling the “Shame of Córdoba”

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“Germany versus Austria, and a match that would find its place in history and footballing folklore. In Austria it would be known as Der Wunder von Córdoba or ‘the miracle of Córdoba’. In Germany meanwhile it would become known as Der Schmach von Córdoba, or ‘the disgrace of Córdoba’. While one could understand the reaction of the Austrians to what was ultimately a meaningless match – they had not defeated the Nationalmannschaft since 1931, after all – I have always wondered why it was seen as such a big deal in Germany. OK, Helmut Schön’s side had given their little Southern brothers a rare chance to engage in hysterical hyperbole, but in truth the 3-2 defeat didn’t really amount to much in the end.” Bundesliga Fanatic