“The ball rebounded to Thierry Henry’s hand, first once and then again. He scooped it gently, and let it fall to his feet. He made a controlled pass to his teammate William Gallas, who scored a much-needed goal against Ireland. The referee didn’t call the handballs (clearly visible in recordings of the match). Henry didn’t ask him to. And Ireland are out of the World Cup. The LA Times is running a poll, asking readers what they think FIFA should ‘do’ about Henry’s handball. It’s a somewhat typical response: there must be one agent responsible for evil, a clear solution to a problem.” (From A Left Wing)

Steve Bruce
“Like a lower league side strutting their stuff in the latter rounds of the FA Cup, Steve Bruce is transforming his Sunderland side into one of the biggest upset merchants in the Premiership. The Black Cats’ latest scalp was a 1-0 victory at home to Arsenal. Bruce’s side have now taken 7 points from a possible 12 this season against the big four. Sunderland sit in 8th at the moment, below Liverpool who have taken just 3 points from 9 against their rivals, and above Stoke in 9th who have come away empty handed in all of their three matches against the league’s elite this term.” (EPL Talk)

“The Primera División de Uruguay plays Apertura and Clausura competitions like many Latin American leagues, but the champion for the season is determined by a two-legged final between the Apertura and Clausura winners, played in June each year (but in 2009 played in August after fan violence had forced postponements). Reigning champions are Nacional. The Uruguayan football scene has been dominated for decades by two clubs…Peñarol and Nacional.” (billsportsmaps)

“After three wins in fourteen matches- culminating in a humiliating 3-0 loss to a ‘rec level’ Wales squad last weekend- George Burley is out as manager of Scotland. As the title of this piece suggests, you can’t place all the blame on the manager, but… It’s worth keeping in mind that it was Burley picked the players who are now being accused of ‘not playing for the manager.’ It’s also worth noting that Scotland scored only seven goals during his tenure as manager, and none in the final three matches he oversaw, essentially ensuring that Scotland would not qualify for the World Cup.” (Avoiding the Drop)

“Liverpool proved they are not ready to be replaced in the top flight elite by Manchester City just yet as Yossi Benayoun’s equaliser secured a draw at Anfield. Mark Hughes’ men from Eastlands arrived on Merseyside intent on proving they were top four material but they found a Liverpool side in defiant mood despite more injury problems.”
(ESPN)

Manchester City waste the chance to confirm their top-four ambitions
“Manchester City should seek a placenta cure for their lack of ambition when they next visit the besieged Belgrade home of Mariana Kovacevic. A point at Anfield is no disgrace, as Mark Hughes mentioned once or twice afterwards, and but for the deflection that aided Liverpool’s equaliser, his game-plan could have yielded a victory of renewed intent. Even with mitigation, however, this was a glorious opportunity wasted by City.” (Guardian)

Liverpool face a winter of discontent after one win in 10 games
“Their recent run now reads a solitary victory, albeit an epic one over Manchester United, in 10 outings and this week threatens more misery, more darkness. Liverpool are fighting two Champions League campaigns at once, battling to stay in this season’s competition and struggling to qualify for next year’s. Both dreams could effectively be terminated over the next eight days, filling the horizon with black clouds.” (Telegraph)

Liverpool draw little comfort
“A POINT at Anfield would normally be regarded as a fine result, but not now and not for Mark Hughes and Manchester City, who have had more draws than the national lottery in the past few weeks. Both managers had agreed beforehand that this was a “make or break” game, a match capable of propelling their teams into a sustained challenge for the top four in the Premier League. But a sixth successive league draw for City and two more points dropped at home by Liverpool did neither Hughes nor Rafa Benitez any favours.” (TimesOnline)

Tevez cameo ends Rafa’s chances of top billing
“Having untypically and unwisely agreed that this was a ‘make or break’ game, Liverpool’s manager Rafa Benitez was last night left facing the unpalatable fact that his team’s Premier League hopes are broken beyond repair for another season. Worse, one victory in 10 games has not only left them with too much ground to make up on stronger domestic contenders, but on Tuesday they go to Hungary in the Champions’ League knowing that even a win over Debrecen will be irrelevant if Fiorentina beat Lyon.” (Independent)

“For the third time in row Barca failed to win their La Liga match after an international break. They are known to carry their form in La Liga to the UEFA Champions League, and if that happen we will definitely see holders Barca getting knocked out of the Champions League in the group stage. In the preview of this match I have written about my concern about our away form. What irritates me most is Guardiola’s attitude after the match, he made a statement which is in line with his usual standing – that he is unconcerned with Barca’s dip in form.” (All About FC Barcelona)

Barcelona held at Bilbao
“Barcelona will head into El Clasico next weekend in second place in the Primera Division after being held to a 1-1 draw at Athletic Bilbao. Pep Guardiola’s side kicked off the clash at San Mames having relinquished top spot to Real Madrid, who beat Racing Santander 1-0 earlier on Saturday night. The Spanish and European champions looked on course to reclaim their place at the summit when Dani Alves opened the scoring in the 54th minute, but substitute Gaizka Toquero levelled matters nine minutes later and Athletic held on for a point.” (ESPN)

“The FIFA 100 is a list of the world-renowned Brazilian striker Pelé’s choice of the “greatest living footballers”. Unveiled on March 4, 2004 at a gala ceremony in London, the FIFA 100 marked part of the celebrations of the 100th anniversary of the foundation of the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), the international governing body of football.” (Wikipedia), (YouTube)

“James Richardson welcomes a bumper panel of Paul Doyle, Barry Glendenning, Sean Ingle and Jonathan Wilson to discuss the week’s dramatic World Cup play-offs. The pod start by discussing the reaction in Paris and Dublin to Thierry Henry’s double handball before William Gallas’s goal, before arguing about video technology, Henry’s reputation and what, if anything, Ireland can do now.” (Guardian – James Richardson)

“International relations continued to suffer on Friday from the reverberations over two soccer matches played on Wednesday.” (NYT)

“204 nations entered the running for a place at World Cup 2010. From Burundi to Guam to Tahiti, everybody wants to be involved in the planet’s most popular spectacle. ‘Around half the planet watched the 2006 World Cup final,’ writes David Goldblatt in his seminal masterpiece The Ball Is Round. ‘Three billion human beings have never done anything simultaneously before.’ But only 32 nations make the finals. The other 172 can only watch and dream.” (Just-Football)

“Again, my apologies for the lack of recent postage. In fairness, not a lot has happened. A drab international match between England and Brazil, which meant so much to all concerned that the majority of Fabio’s team got their mums to scribble some quick notes. I fell asleep during the second half, by which point a disinterested Brazilian team that was a little bit better than England Seconds had taken control and proved Wes Brown and Darren Bent aren’t international class, telling us nothing that we don’t already know. I’m writing this while listening to Ireland contest extra time against the French. This has heartbreak written all over it, the hapless Domenech’s team capable of shading it on quality, but I should very much like to see at least one Boro player go to South Africa in the summer.” (Smog-Blog)

“In the wake of Ireland’s heartbreaking aggregate defeat to France, where Thierry Henry’s handballed assist for William Gallas to score an equaliser in extra time denied a team who had performed magnificently to haul themselves level, we pay tribute to five of the greatest footballing heartbreakers in recent memory. We start off, perhaps predictably, with the greatest last-gasp turnaround of events in recent footballing history.” (SoccerLens)

“Liverpool hosted Manchester City in the English Premier League on Saturday, November 21, 2009. The match took place at Anfield as Steven Gerrard returned to the line-up for Liverpool but Fernando Torres was out with an injury. Were Liverpool able to get a much needed win or did Manchester City show they are ready to challenge for a top four finish? Here’s a recap of the match along with video highlights.” (The 90th Minute)

“As the Thierry Henry story rumbles on into its fourth day, a story is starting to break which might begin to put it into perspective. It is a story that is breaking from Germany and involves the arrest of seventeen people in connection with what would be the biggest, most systematic match-fixing ring that European football has ever seen. It concerns the fixing of over two hundred matches across nine countries in Europe for betting and the amount of money concerned is said to be over €10m. If true, it is a story that is going to break a lot of hearts and finish a lot of careers across the entire continent.” (twohundredpercent)

“UEFA has published the final national team coefficient ranking following the end of the FIFA World Cup qualifying group stage and completion of the play-offs which have decided the remaining European teams to take part in next summer’s final round. The coefficients are relevant for the pot allocation to be used during the UEFA EURO 2012 qualifying draw that will take place in Warsaw on 7 February 2010.” (UEFA)

The Angel of Death, Evelyn De Morgan
“James Richardson welcomes a bumper panel of Paul Doyle, Barry Glendenning, Sean Ingle and Jonathan Wilson to discuss the week’s dramatic World Cup play-offs. The pod start by discussing the reaction in Paris and Dublin to Thierry Henry’s double handball before William Gallas’s goal, before arguing about video technology, Henry’s reputation and what, if anything, Ireland can do now.” (Guardian – James Richardson)

Henry admits replay would be fair“Under-fire France striker Thierry Henry believes a replay of the World Cup play-off with the Republic of Ireland would “be the fairest solution”. The Republic appealed to have the match replayed after an Henry handball helped France to a 2-1 aggregate victory. But their plea was rejected by Fifa, while the French Football Federation (FFF) will not advocate a rematch.” (BBC)

Thierry Henry: Replay the “fairest solution” for Ireland
“Thierry Henry has conceded that Republic of Ireland “definitely deserve” to qualify for the World Cup finals and has backed calls for a replay, even though FIFA have already ruled out such a scenario.” (ESPN)

Quick Links from Usual Suspects
“I’m working around the clock on something that will change everything, alienate half of you, and blow the minds of the other half, so don’t think I’m neglecting this place, even if actual blocks of text with my name attached have been in short supply lately. I’m here behind the scenes, listening to Annette Hanshaw records in a posture of revolutionary toil.” (Guardian)

James Lawton: Henry has never been an angel. Now he is beyond redemption
“Irish football is entitled to believe it has never seen anything so cynical, so far removed from the spirit of sport, as the devilish hand played by Thierry Henry to deny Giovanni Trapattoni’s team a place in the World Cup finals that would have been so thoroughly deserved. But then how do you draw up a ranking table of deceit when you know how far, how sickeningly, the list of precedents for Henry’s action stretches back – and how feeble has been the reaction of the authorities?” (Independent)

FIFA: No Replay of World Cup Qualifier Between France, Ireland
“FIFA, the world governing body for soccer, said Friday that Wednesday’s World Cup qualifying match between France and Ireland can’t be replayed or the result changed.” (WSJ)

Xavi Hernandez
“Qualification is complete and now we can look forward to South Africa 2010, which kicks off on June 11. Ahead of the tournament, Football Editor Glenn Moore scouts the star players and hidden threats of all 32 teams at the 2010 World Cup.” (Independent)

“Here’s an astonishing Pathe lineup of – almost entirely – Victorian English streetscape. Because the bulk of this was shot in 1896-7, the camera was too bulky to manouvre but too new to be recognised for what it was, lending these scenes an intimacy, almost an anonymity, that Mitchell and Kenyon would neither seek nor enjoy four years later.” (James Hamilton), (1930s Film Rushes from British Pathe – James Hamilton)

“European enforcement officials said Friday that they had arrested the ring leaders of a far-reaching match-fixing cartel involving 200 soccer games in nine countries across the continent. The investigation, which was led by the German police, suggests that the sport is riddled with far more corruption at nearly all levels than fans or officials may have suspected. Announcing that 17 people had been arrested — 15 in Germany and 2 in Switzerland — prosecutors said they might have uncovered only the tip of the scandal.” (NYT)

“Riot police in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, quelled a violent demonstration near the Algerian embassy in the early hours of Friday. Egyptian protesters reportedly hurled firebombs at police protecting the embassy and overturned a police van. Egypt’s interior ministry said 35 people were injured. The clashes stem from Egypt’s defeat by Algeria in a World Cup qualifying match on Wednesday, securing Algeria the last African place for next year’s finals.” (BBC)

Match Of The Midweek: Algeria 1-0 Egypt
“It’s a rivalry that goes back decades. Some say that it’s political, whilst others point at matches from the past that have inflamed sensibilities in a world that seems to consider the art of taking offence to be the next step in the evolutionary chain. Both sides of the divide sees the other as being the absolute opposite without ever seeming to take the similarities between their two nations into account. Football is truly a global game in the twenty-first century, and Algeria versus Egypt has become one of the international games Battle Royales.” (twohundredpercent)

Antiquities of Provence, Hubert Robert
“Ireland appealed to both France and FIFA on Thursday to replay their World Cup playoff after an obvious handball by Thierry Henry set up the deciding goal. Ireland’s government and football association asked for Wednesday’s 1-1 draw in the second leg at Stade de France to be replayed. France advanced to next year’s World Cup in South Africa 2-1 on aggregate.” (SI)

FAI request France replay
“The Football Association of Ireland (FAI) have lodged a formal complaint with FIFA over the controversial World Cup play-off defeat to France and have urged world football’s governing body to replay the match. • Maher: Ireland hard done by • Keane blasts FIFA and UEFA • France 1-1 (2-1 agg) Ireland • Ireland fuming over handball • Henry admits handball” (ESPN)

Irish Demand Replay With France
“Ireland appealed to France and football authorities Thursday to replay their World Cup playoff in Paris after an obvious handball by Thierry Henry produced the winning goal. Ireland’s government and football association united in demands for Wednesday’s 1-1 draw in France to be replayed, but Irish coach Giovanni Trapattoni dismissed the prospect as ‘impossible.’ In extra time, Mr. Henry twice handled the ball to prevent it going out of play, then passed to William Gallas in the Irish box for the deciding goal.” (WSJ)

Irish ask Fifa for France replay
“The Football Association of Ireland has lodged a complaint with Fifa asking for their World Cup play-off against France to be replayed. Republic of Ireland were beaten 2-1 on aggregate after France won with goal scored when captain Thierry Henry handled the ball in the build-up. Fifa insisted its disciplinary code says referees’ decisions “are final”. And the situation took on a political aspect as the Irish and French prime ministers disagreed over the matter.” (BBC)

Irish ‘cheated’ by Henry handball
(BBC)

Don’t be so quick to judge Henry
(SI)

Hand Thierry Henry – Ireland / French 2010
(YouTube)

“Antar Yahia’s spectacular goal earned Algeria the final African qualifying spot in next summer’s World Cup finals in South Africa. The centre-half volleyed home five minutes before half-time and a solid rearguard effort in the second half kept out Egypt. Emad Meteab had the best chance for Egypt but was denied by impressive Algeria keeper Fawzi Chaouchi. A capacity crowd filled the Khartoum Stadium in Sudan – with 5,000 more fans locked outside the ground.” (ESPN)

Match Of The Midweek: Algeria 1-0 Egypt
“It’s a rivalry that goes back decades. Some say that it’s political, whilst others point at matches from the past that have inflamed sensibilities in a world that seems to consider the art of taking offence to be the next step in the evolutionary chain. Both sides of the divide sees the other as being the absolute opposite without ever seeming to take the similarities between their two nations into account. Football is truly a global game in the twenty-first century, and Algeria versus Egypt has become one of the international games Battle Royales.” (twohundredpercent)

Algeria celebrates victory over Egypt
“I have to admit that I was scared for ten or so minutes after the final whistle blew here in Oran, Algeria last night. I watched Les Verts’ World Cup play-off game with Egypt in a cafe in darkened streets of a city that I don’t know. Anthar Yahia’s 40th minute goal, a Van Basten-esque angled volley, unleashed the country’s wildest celebrations since July 1962 – the month Algeria secured its bloody independence from France. Chairs flew over the road, aerosal sprays flashed into the sky, cars vroomed down the streets backwards and sideways, kids slalomed between klaxoning motorbikes and I had to duck once or twice to avoid the fireworks thrown like confetti.” (WSC)

Algeria battle to victory
“Nicknamed the ‘mother of all matches’, the grudge match that was Algeria vs. Egypt did not contain the sparks of the thrilling final group game; but Algeria won’t care. Beating the back-to-back African champions 1-0 in Sudan, the unfancied Algerian side worked wonders to reach their first World Cup in 23 years and many will suggest that it was well-deserved.” (ESPN)

Yahia sends Algeria to World Cup
“Algeria booked a first trip to the World Cup in 24 years by beating Egypt 1-0 in a tense play-off in Sudan. Centre-back Antar Yahia settled the contest with a stunning first-half volley at an angle eight yards out from Karim Ziani’s punt into the box. Rookie goalkeeper Fawzi Chaouchi was the night’s other hero as he constantly denied the six-time African champions. The two were forced to go to the one-off play-off in Khartoum after finishing level in Group C.” (BBC)

Algeria beats Egypt in playoff to reach World Cup
“Algeria qualified for its first World Cup in 24 years with a 1-0 win over Egypt on Wednesday, triggering wild celebrations in Algiers. A stunning first-half strike by defender Antar Yahya gave Algeria victory in the playoff match. Yahya’s 39th minute winner came against the run of play when he took advantage of a lapse in concentration by Egypt’s defenders to hit a perfect volley in off the underside of the crossbar with his right foot from an acute angle. (SI)

Family of Country People, Le Nain brothers
“After an embarrassing string of results, George Burley’s reign as Scotland manager has come to an end, costing the SFA an estimated £300,000 after he recently signed a contract extension. The vast problems with Scottish football are not down to George Burley. Granted he hasn’t had the most fruitful of terms in charge, but give him some credit, he was better than Berti Vogts. The problems in Scotland are evident at all levels.” (SoccerLens)

“This is a guest post from Ben Woolhead, co-founder of the esteemed Newcastle United Blog, Black and White and Read All Over. Ben turns his attention to the ongoing furore surrounding the naming rights to St. James’ Park.” (thetwounfortunates)

“A step away from reaching the 2010 World Cup, two-time champion Uruguay has the opportunity to return to the elite of world soccer. After beating Costa Rica 1-0 in San José in the first leg of their playoff last Saturday, la Celeste knows it’s more than capable of getting the job done when the teams meet again in the return leg in Montevideo on Wednesday.” (SI)

ESPN – Nov 18

“As we reach the end of World Cup qualifying in Europe, Africa and the intercontinental play-offs, we look at each of the qualified teams and how they got there. France v Ireland | Ukraine v Greece | Bosnia v Portugal | Slovenia v Russia | Algeria v Egypt | Uruguay v Costa Rica” (ESPN)

“When the Swiss boys returned home from Africa on Tuesday as the champions of world youth soccer, they were met with civic pride and major questions about how many of them the nation can hold on to. It was the first time that Switzerland had qualified for the Under-17 World Cup. The boys won it. It was also the first time Switzerland had won a global trophy in its 104-year soccer history.” (NYT)

“Calm. Composed. Cool. Classy. It seems that every possible adjective for Frank Rijkaard begins with a hard consonant, fitting for a holding midfielder that turned a successful playing career into an equally trophy-laden managerial spell. But after running up the video-goal tab, the time has come for “Great And…Not Great” to focus on the ticking clock master in the midfield, the tireless worker, the precision-passer. Enjoy this photo-laden take on the Milan maestro.” (futfanatico)

“In Sudan, there is a love-hate relationship with Egypt, and there will be a huge number of Algerian supporters on hand Wednesday for the World Cup playoff game between the Pharaohs and the Desert Foxes. You have to wonder why Egypt chose this country to host the game, with a place in South Africa on the line.” (NYT)

“Like many, many fans, I suffer from a ridiculous superstitiousness on match days. Whether it’s which part of my wallet I keep my ticket in, or making sure that every last possession in my house is lined up at strict 90-degree angles, I’m on it. I’ve gone through several phases with pants, and this particular “irrational” fear has led to a quite farcical situation whereby I have to cover my eyes before choosing which pair to go for. The logic being that it’s preferable to leave it in the hands of the Gods than to sully another pair of perfectly serviceable boxers with the stigma of being loser’s pants. All of a sudden those bobbles become so much more noticeable.” (thetwounfortunates)

“Many of the regular readers of EPL Talk will know that I’m a massive fan of retro football computer games, so I was pleased to come across a video showing what the original Football Manager game, made in 1982, looked like when played on a Sinclair Spectrum computer. The video painstakingly goes through step-by-step of how to play Football Manager, which was the classic computer game that started the football management game craze. Designed and programmed by Kevin Toms, you can see how simplistic but addictive the game is. And, if you’re feeling up to it, you can play an online version of Football Manager thanks to an emulator from World of Spectrum.” (EPL Talk)

Casper’s 1930-era
“About a week or so ago, I wrote two articles on this site about the perilous state the Scottish game finds itself in. Back then, I bemoaned the fact that the game north of the border was being haunted by events on and off the field, from financial troubles to crowd troubles, from declining standards to declining credibility, and from a lack of competition to a lack of crowds.” (Inside Left)

“‘Any Scottish manager would see it as a wonderful challenge,’ former Aberdeen and Dunfermline boss Calderwood told BBC Radio Scotland. A star midfielder for Scotland in his day, Collins said: “I’d be interested in managing the national team. But it’s not for me to put my name forward. ‘But let’s make no mistake about it, it’s a very tough job.’ The 41-year-old played for his country at the 1998 World Cup and has been out of management since leaving Belgian side Charleroi at the end of last season.” (BBC)

“When it comes to pissing off FIFA, there’s no surer way to do it than to announce that there’s an outside influence on your country’s football association. FIFA may be behind on video replay, soaring transfer prices, and the expansion of the game into Africa, but they’re cutting edge when it comes to vigorously defending their statutes. Peru and Poland have previously run afoul of this particular rule, which basically states that the government can’t come in and run your football association; it has to be an independent organization.” (Avoiding the Drop)

Harry Redknapp
“For just £275+VAT you can spend the evening of November 17, courtesy of the League Managers Association (LMA), in the company of the 14 living managers who have totted up at least 1000 matches in England. For the majority a key characteristic is persistence.” (WSC)

“James Richardson is joined by Sean Ingle, Rob Smyth and Paul Doyle. On the pod this week: • The team are joined on the phone by Raphael Honigstein to reflect on the death of Robert Enke. • A full World Cup play-off preview. • Brian Oliver drops by to discuss the African World Cup qualifiers and reminisce about the infamous Egypt v Algeria game from 1989. • And Sid Lowe is on the line to preview Spain’s friendly against Argentina.” (Guardian)

“First up, Fernando Duarte reports from the mountains of Oman to look back on the clash between World Cup favourites Brazil and a depleted England. What lessons, if any, will Dunga and Fabio Capello have learnt from this encounter? We also look ahead to the second leg of Ireland’s World Cup play-off with France, and the other battles in the quest to get to South Africa – not all of them as dramatic as Algeria’s fiery tussle with Egypt.” (Guardian)

The U.S. men’s soccer team heads out onto the field.
“The penultimate lap of the marathon of World Cup qualifying left little decided with just three certainties: Cameroon, Nigeria and New Zealand advanced to the last 32 in South Africa. For 12 other nations, vying for six remaining places, it goes down to the wire across three continents on Wednesday. And of those, it will be a blessed relief when Egypt and Algeria settle their differences on neutral soil in Sudan because the encounter Saturday in Cairo fired nationalistic enmity that forced huge police mobilization, not just in their lands but also in Marseille. Soccer is more than just a game. Its contrasts were writ large on the Sunday morning front pages.” (NYT)

“The Legendino, Tim Vickery, and the Top Brass, Andy Brassell are joined by Mark Gleeson to discuss the rising stars of African football, amongst other things.” (BBC)

“My co-worker Doug has become Football-Curious. Between me talking about Liverpool every week (lately: moaning about Liverpool most every week) and an article he read about Clive Owen talking about being a Liverpool supporter, he has taken an interest in the Reds. He asks me tons of questions whenever we work together, everything from “What’s a Scouser?” to “What’s the offside trap?” He catches what matches and highlights he can on TV (limited to what’s on CSN since he doesn’t have Fox or Setanta). And he pores over every football book he can find at Barnes and Noble as well as FourFourTwo and the Premier League highlights in The Irish Emigrant.” (EPL Talk)

“Maradona, Pele, Cruyff… Celebrate the greatest moments and greatest players in World Cup history with our definitive list, complete with YouTube clips.” (Telegraph)

“A Fifa disciplinary committee has given the Argentina coach Diego Maradona a two-month ban “from all football related activity” and a 25,000 Swiss francs (£14,815) fine following his outburst at the end of his side’s World Cup qualifier against Uruguay last month.” (Guardian)

Spain’s Xabi Alonso has last word
“TWO penalties, seven yellow cards. This was a friendly with a bit of a grimace on its face at times, and for a capacity audience at the home of Atletico Madrid, it was all the more enjoyable for its hard edge. Diego Maradona’s Argentina finished second best to the champions of Europe, but made a game of it by making good on their best spell of football early in the second half, after Xabi Alonso had given Spain the lead. The same player won the match by converting a late penalty.” (TimesOnline)

“Egypt and Algeria will return to the pitch on Wednesday to settle the last of Africa’s qualifying berths for the 2010 World Cup after a dramatic late goal gave the home side a 2-0 win in their last group game on Saturday. Substitute Emad Moteab’s header five minutes into stoppage time gave Egypt the winning margin they needed over Algeria in a tense encounter in front of just over 74,000 fans in the capital and ensured they finished level at the top of Group C.” (ESPN)

Francois Boucher, Diana Leaving the Bath
“A header by Bruno Alves gave Portugal a valuable 1-0 win over Bosnia in their first-leg encounter but Carlos Queiroz’s side missed a host of chances to put the tie beyond doubt. Portugal dominated the first half-hour, with Nani exploiting space on the right wing to give Emir Spahic a torrid time. The hosts took a deserved lead after 31 minutes when Nani crossed for Alves to head in unchallenged at the far post.” (ESPN)

“Find out who will be playing alongside hosts South Africa at the 2010 World Cup with BBC Sport’s definitive guide to who has qualified and when they wrapped up their place at the finals…” (BBC)

“England’s stand-in captain Wayne Rooney conceded Brazil were the better team in their 1-0 friendly defeat in Qatar but admitted the defeat still hurt. The Manchester United striker was handed the armband in the absence of the injured John Terry but could not inspire Fabio Capello’s injury-hit side against the five-time World Cup winners.”
(ESPN)

Boys from Brazil prove Fabio’s understudies have lot to learn
“Unused to playing to a largely shirt-sleeved crowd on a mid-November night, a depleted England got what was coming and set off on the seven-hour flight home grateful the damage was no worse. It would have been, but for a shocking penalty miss by Luis Fabiano after Ben Foster, playing in goal in preference to Robert Green, should have been sent off. Brazil, joint favourites with Spain to win the World Cup, may claim to have gained a psychological advantage over a side the bookmakers rate not far behind them, but for all their fluid play it would be wrong to read too much into what was probably the most low-key of the 23 meetings between the countries.” (Independent)

The ten best England v Brazil matches
“England take on Brazil in Qatar this weekend in a mouth-watering fixture between two of the world’s most football crazy nations. Over the years there have been some classic matches between the sides and moments that have since become legend.” (Independent)

Captain Rooney unable to lift inexperienced, uninspired England
“Wayne Rooney seldom suffers from apathy on a football pitch. The opportunity to be captain in Doha seemed to make him particularly animated, although frustration then gripped him even more quickly than usual. He had a craving to leave his mark on a game where the play was sometimes perfunctory, but this was one of his weaker outings for England.” (Guardian)

“Nicolas Anelka fired France a step closer to next summer’s World Cup finals as the Republic of Ireland’s brave resistance finally wilted. Anelka’s 72nd-minute strike, which was deflected past Shay Given by the unwitting Sean St Ledger, was enough to condemn Giovanni Trapattoni’s side to their first defeat of the qualifying campaign and send the French into Wednesday night’s return with a lead and a precious away goal.” (ESPN)

Pluck of the Irish is deflated by Anelka
“What a pity. This was arguably Ireland’s best performance under Giovanni Trapattoni but it earned them absolutely nothing bar an incredibly steep hill to climb in Paris on Wednesday. Nicolas Anelka’s deflected goal on 72 minutes was the difference between the teams on the night and the result means that Ireland have to score once at the Stade de France to stay in the tie, or twice if they want to win it without recourse to a penalty shoot-out. Which is a shame because Ireland’s efforts last night were worthy of a 0-0 draw, or with some better finishing – particularly from Liam Lawrence in the first half – a single goal advantage.” (Independent)

Scott McDonald
“Phil Gartside’s plan to revolutionise the Premier League (any personal gain from which to him or his club Bolton Wanderers would, of course, be entirely coincidental) has failed, for now. The issue of relegation from Premier League Two can be stored away for another day (in December 2010, to be precise), and Bolton Wanderers can get on with the small matter of avoiding the relegation that Gartside is so scared of. It was not this aspect of his proposals, however, that attracted the most attention in the media. It was the proposal to invite Celtic and Rangers to join the league that invited the most comment from the fourth estate.” (twohundredpercent)

“Firstly there was the tragedy of German goalkeeper Robert Enke committing suicide under the strain of depression, then there has been Liverpool’s confusing struggle for a victory even against lowly opposition and once again the Old Firm duo of Rangers and Celtic being refused entry into a proposed British Premier League. While these stories have all contained elements of interest, tragedy and intrigue, there have been two other stories that have occupied my mind to a greater extent this week. They are Carlo Cudicini’s motorcycle accident, which has left him with two broken wrists and an injured pelvis and Aston Villa defender Like Young’s decision to retire from international football.” (Three Match Ban)

“This is it, it’s now or never, it’s all or nothing; after almost one year of fighting in the African jungles and North African deserts, the grudge match has come. The sleepless city of Cairo will witness a historical day when the Egyptian team, backed by 80 million fan hosts Algeria for the world cup qualification ticket. Stakes?….everything is at stake; we have went through many ups and downs in this world cup qualification campaign, emerging from a successful African cup of nations In 2008, expectations were high from us but we stumbled and we had to fight back for the ticket and had to live some nervous killing moments waiting for very crucial goals in order to reach this day.” (World Cup Blog)

Iran v Australia November 22nd and 29th
“As the eyes of the footballing world switch to the glittering international events, no not the friendlies, that are the World Cup Play-offs to see just who will take final spots in the world’s biggest football tournament, so we take a look back over some of the finest play-offs in World Cup history. (SoccerLens)

“With 23 nations already qualified for World Cup 2010, there are just nine places in South Africa still up for grabs. Three of those will be decided when African qualifying concludes tomorrow. But that’s a separate post. The six other qualifiers will be decided by playoffs, starting tomorrow. There are eight European teams competing for four places. They’ll play two legs over the next five days (Saturday, November 14th and Wednesday, November 18th) and the four winners go to South Africa. Second prize is watching World Cup 2010 on television.” (World Cup Blog)

“This year’s thrilling run-in to Brazil’s national championship has been punctuated by traditional gripes at referees like Carlos Eugenio Simon. He has officiated at a World Cup but has been asked to sit out the rest of the championship after making a major error last Sunday in disallowing an apparently legitimate goal for title contenders Palmeiras during their 1-0 defeat at Fluminense. Simon is threatening legal action against Palmeiras president Luiz Gonzaga Belluzzo who described the FIFA referee as “a conman who is in someone’s pocket”. In recent weeks, however, another complaint has emerged to accompany the endless quibbles over refs” (WSC)

ESPN – Nov 14
ESPN – Nov 18

“The bid to represent Africa at the continent’s first World Cup finals reaches its climax this weekend, with six teams harbouring hopes of taking the last three available places. Yet threats of violence in the Egyptian capital Cairo are overshadowing Africa’s final round of qualifiers as the Pharaohs host Algeria in an explosive encounter on Saturday. The bitter North African rivals are fighting for Group C’s World Cup ticket – while Group A’s will be decided by Cameroon or Gabon, and Group B’s by Tunisia or Nigeria.” (ESPN)

“This playoff matchup of World Cup finalist and one of Europe’s feisty minnows promises high tension, few goals, but an intriguing contest. It’s about the managers, mostly. With failure, one is on the brink of being the laughingstock of Europe, known for being charge of a team of talents he has led to disaster. The other is a winner no matter what happens.” (NYT)

Gourcuff and Benzema fear play-off date with Ireland
“France stars Yoann Gourcuff and Karim Benzema give off the impression that they have been pinned back on the ropes for a little too long as they prepare for Saturday’s World Cup play-off against the Republic of Ireland.” (ESPN)

“From Pitaco do Gringo’s Brazilian football blog, ‘São Paulo are the new leaders in the Brasileiro’, from 8 November, by Jon Cotteril {click here}. Campeonato Série A table {click here (SoccerStats.com)}. Although Palmeiras regained the lead Wednesday night, with a come-from-behind 2-2 draw with Sport Club do Recife, São Paulo FC look well positioned to grab their fourth consecutive Brazilian title. There are 4 four rounds to go, and all of São Paulo’s matches are against clubs lower than 9th place.” (billsportsmaps)

Jorge Luis Borges
“The USMNT has qualified for the World Cup, yet questions remain. Under the reign of Bob Bradley, the US has registered important and impressive away victories in both rounds of qualifying, and also made the finals of three tournaments. But two finalist appearances mask disappointing returns – a 5-0 drubbing on homesoil and a 3 goal second half collapse.” (futfanatico)

“There is a debate raging over at Football365 who is the best player of the Noughties? The answer is Zidane obviously. Henry and (Fat Ronaldo) 2nd and 3rd. Zidane still has it. He, like Cruijff, had a move named after him (The Zidane Roulette). (Left Back In the Changing Room)

“One of the best things about an obsession with international soccer is the window it opens to the world. After all, how many Americans even knew where Slovakia was located before the announcement of the friendly match against the United States, which will be played in Bratislava on Saturday (10 a.m., Eastern, live on Fox Soccer Channel)?” (NYT)