“Two goals from improbable angles from Juan Vargas and Simone Pepe meant these bitter rivals had to settle for a point apiece. Juventus continued to use Gigi Delneri’s favoured 4-4-2 system. Vincenzo Iaquinta was benched with Alessandro Del Piero and Fabio Quagliarella starting upfront. Elsewhere, the side was unchanged.” (Zonal Marking)
“Today’s football had been planned for week and was due to coincide with a nice family lunch as a starting point. CMF wanted to spend some of my money on Christmas presents and I had no intention of venturing into any of the 21st century cathedrals we have built in the South East of England. So I agreed to drop her off at Lakeside and pick her up afterwards, leaving me with a 3 1/2 hour window. I hate to say that I was turning my back on Lewes, who were playing at Ship Lane against Lakeside but there is only so many cars you can count on the M25 there. Instead I had two options. Billericay Town and Concord Rangers. So I went to the God of all decisions. Twitter. I asked which one I should go to, and within minutes I had my answer.” (The Ball Is Round)
“Groningen went into this away match at Roda knowing that a victory would take them to the second place in the Eredivisie. Roda, on the other hand, defended their unbeaten-at-home status. A match between two clubs with fairly different formations was certain to be among the more tactically interesting of the weekend. Roda’s 4-4-2 diamond is unique in the Eredivisie and even playing two strikers is unique in itself. Once completely neutralized by NEC’s three man defense, Roda may be happy that most Eredivisie managers do not show the flexibility to install this system for their Roda games.” (11 tegen 11)
“After winning just one of their first four games of the season, Massimiliano Allegri’s Milan side have won eight of the subsequent nine and now finds themselves top of Serie A by three points. What has changed? Here are five reasons Milan have turned their season around.” (ESPN)
“Many questions were raised when Jay Bothroyd received a call up to England’s National team for the friendly against France. Isn’t there someone else playing in the Premier League that would be more worthy of a call-up? Is a player playing in the second tier good enough for an International team as highly ranked as England? There are many blogs that have gone into the positives and negatives of Bothroyd’s call up, that is not the question I wanted to look at. Fabio Capello has himself questioned the number of English players playing at the highest level, limiting the pool of players he can pick his squad from. Does Capello have a point? If not who are the strikers playing in the Premier League that Capello could call on and are other countries suffering the same fate?” (gib football show)
“The big guns moved into position in Week 14, with no less than five teams leap-frogging former leaders Brest, while Marseille, Bordeaux and Lyon closed to within two points of top spot. Brest were beaten 2-1 at Rennes in the Brittany derby thanks to goals of real quality from Jires Kembo Ekoko and Jérôme Leroy, and it is difficult to envisage Alex Dupont’s men making a renewed assault on the upper echelons of the table now that their momentum has been checked.” (Football Further)
El Salvador defeats Honduras in Mexico City, 1969.
“Take yourself back to 1969. Richard Nixon is the new President of the United States, John Lennon is spending an increasing amount of time in bed, Thunderclap Newman are top of the charts and, in a far-flung corner of Central America, El Salvador and Honduras do battle in what has come to be known as the ‘Soccer War’. The cultural, political and historical narrative that lay behind the fleeting conflict was complex, but both countries had been locked into a series of economic and social disputes along their shared border for the best part of three decades.” (Equaliser Football)
“Tim Stannard (AKA The Spanish Thing) answers all your questions ahead of Monday’s El Clasico. So are Barca a one-man team? Will they still buy Cesc Fabregas? And who wants Llorente?” (Football 365)
“Liverpool’s future is a subject that has dominated debate over the course of two, traumatic years. Yet while optimism about the seasons to come has been restored now that New England Sports Ventures have replaced Tom Hicks and George Gillett as the owners, Jose Reina’s appraisal of events at Anfield included a few words of warning about the club’s prospects in the short term.” (ESPN)
“When I get depressed about the latest plans at the club I have supported since I was a child I think back to time gone by. I was lucky in that I was the youngest in a family of West Ham fans, meaning that I spent a lot of time following the club to strange places with my Dad and brother whilst they were in the old Second Division. In fact by the time I was 12 I had seen West Ham play in over 50 different grounds – I mean who would do that today (well apart from Lolly who had seen 64 by the time she was 10).” (The Ball Is Round)
“This week we start a new series for Video Of The week with the superb five-part 1986 BBC series, ‘Only A Game – The Story Of Scottish Football’. Originally shown as part of the build-up to the 1986 World Cup, this series, narrated by William McIlvanney, takes the standpoint of five different aspects of the game for its five episodes: The Player, The Club, The Manager, The Game and The Team. In this episode, the focus is on The Club, but its strength is in its depth – not only Celtic and Rangers are talked about, but also some of the smaller Scottish clubs.” (twohundredpercent)
“Using the data from the Transfer Price Index, Liverpool fan Andrew Fanko takes a look at the mid-range purchasing of the four most successful managers in Premier League history in terms of average points (minimum of two full seasons). Or, in other words, the managers of the ‘big four’ between 2004 and 2007.” (TomkinsTimes)
“Jurgen Klopp, sitting on the proverbial throne placed on the zenith of Die Südtribüne, has earned his position of Dortmund royalty this season. His tenderfoot squad has exceeded expectations, and after thirteen games lead the ‘World’s Best League’ by seven points. The path to seniority in the Bundesliga has not been through attritional, grinding football, but with an expansive and unrepressed style.” (Talking About Football)
“When this site and a number of other Liverpool FC fan sites ran a poll to find out the thoughts of fans about the future of Roy Hodgson it wasn’t a surprise to see the ‘winner’ of the poll was ‘sack Roy immediately’. What was surprising was how few supporters felt the club should at least wait. Reasons for waiting crop up from time to time in conversation and are often well argued. Yet just 3% of supporters in the poll said no to sacking Roy on the spot.” (Anfield Road)
“A penalty on the stroke of half-time kept Rubin’s Champions League hopes alive. Rubin made one change from their previous Champions League game – Carlos Eduardo was unavailable, so Gokdeniz Karadeniz played behind the lone striker, Sergei Kornilenko.” (Zonal Marking)
Louis van Gaal
“‘This is a defeat we can live with,’ Karl-Heinz Rummenigge told sponsors and reporters at the official post-match banquet in the team hotel. ‘We’d all be well advised to deal with it in a serene manner.’ The Bayern Munich CEO has been around long enough to know that this advice will probably go unheeded. Germany’s biggest, brashest football club doesn’t do serenity — even when results are going to plan.” (SI)
“A late Wayne Rooney penalty meant United eventually found a way past Rangers’ back five. Walter Smith’s tactics had worked well so far in the competition, but he was without two key members of his usual five – Madjid Bougherra and Sasa Papac. He was also dealt an injury blow when Kyle Lafferty broke a bone in his hand the day before the game, so Vladimir Weiss played on the left.” (Zonal Marking)
“If not for the UEFA millions of the Champions League, Ajax won’t have anything to look back on once these group stage games are done with. Their game against Real Madrid saw them outclassed in every department, highlighted to the extreme by the unique fact of two Madrid players purposefully upgrading their yellow cards to reds by delaying taking a free kick and a goal kick. The video of this sequence of events might serve to illustrate the gap between Europe’s top teams and a struggling Dutch top team at the moment. Tactics hardly played a role in the game, such was the difference in sheer player quality.” (11 tegen 11)
Italienische Szene, Nicolaes Pietersz Berchem
“Although this is the most open Premier League for many years, it is still somewhat of a surprise to see Bolton Wanderers sitting proudly in fifth place after just over a third of the season has been completed. Not only that, but they have achieved this with a brand of passing, attractive football that most fans thought beyond them. It’s a far cry from this time last year when Gary Megson’s team was being pilloried by Bolton’s own supporters for the awful combination of poor results and an ugly, negative playing style.” (The Swiss Ramble)
“Below are video highlights for all the UEFA Champions League matches on November 23, 2010.” (The 90th Minute)
“Defensively adept wide forwards such as Liverpool’s Dirk Kuyt and Manchester United’s Park Ji-Sung have evolved out of the need for attacking players to prevent opposition sides playing the ball out from the back when their teams’ own attacking moves have broken down. The pressing exerted by Thierry Henry and Lionel Messi in Barcelona’s 2008-09 quintuple success was seen as one of the key factors behind the team’s ability to keep their opponents penned inside their own half, while a robust and hard-working wide forward is a particularly useful weapon against marauding full-backs of the Maicon or Dani Alves variety.” (Football Further)
“Marseille were better all over the pitch here, and recorded an ultimately comfortable victory in Moscow. Spartak lined up with their usual 4-4-1-1, with Ari playing just off Welliton upfront, and Aleksandr Kombarov and Aiden McGeady either side. Yevgeni Makeev moved to the right, so Martin Stranzl started on the left.” (Zonal Marking)
“Michael Bradley; he’s a household name to the frequent visitors of this distinguished soccer blog. It is kind of weird to actually type out the full name that Bobbo saw fit to give him though. Junior, MB90, Coach’s Kid, whatever you want to call him, Bradley’s a top performer for a Yank in Europe, and at 23 years old, he’s just entering his prime. So where will the future take the young midfielder? And why must he get out of Borussia Mönchengladbach as soon as possible? Let’s kick the ballistics.” (Yanks are coming)
“A classic Arsenal defeat – dominance of possession followed by slack defending.
Braga played a shape that was 4-2-3-1 when they attacked and 4-1-4-1 when they were defending, with Vandinho playing the holding role in front of the defence. They were unchanged from their weekend defeat to Vitoria de Guimaraes.” (Zonal Marking)
“Claudio Ranieri tinkered at half-time, and the change meant Roma went from 2-0 down at the break, to 3-2 up by full time. From the start, Ranieri chose the 4-3-1-2 formation he’s favoured in recent weeks, with Jeremy Menez as the trequartista. Francesco Totti was on the bench with Mirko Vucinic and Marco Borriello upfront, and Matteo Brighi started in midfield alongside Leandro Greco.” (Zonal Marking)
Carlo Ancelotti
“So Carlo Ancelotti is staying at Chelsea, for now at least, and with the club sitting top of the Premier League talk of crisis at Stamford Bridge feels slightly hysterical. Even if there was no substance to the reports — strongly denied — that Ancelotti was ready to quit on Sunday evening, though, something is going on behind the scenes, a lead that stood at five points three weeks ago has disappeared and the weakness of the squad’s structure has been exposed.” (SI)
“A decent game where neither side truly hit top form. Leverkusen kept the broad 4-2-3-1 system they’ve favoured this season, making two changes – Sami Hyypia came in at the back for Stefan Reinartz, whilst Erin Derdiyok was back in place of Patrick Helmes.” (Zonal Marking)
“The big, bold notices splattered across the morning Marca in the run up to a meeting between Real Madrid and Barcelona usually either bring La Liga Loca to blubbering, shuddering tears of desperation or have it clapping like a sea-lion given the chance to puke fish guts over Justin Bieber. Monday was very much the former for a tired and distressed LLL. But Tuesday sees the blog in much finer fettle and able to embrace the madness.” (FourFourTwo)
“Zenit St Petersburg have emerged as one of Europe’s most recognisable clubs, but it has taking a while to get here. Domm Norris charts the rise of a Russian powerhouse.” (In Bed With Maradona)
Domingos Paciencia
“As far as Champions League baptisms go, they don’t come much tougher than Braga’s. The Portuguese league runners-up up were humbled 6-0 by Arsenal at the Emirates in their opening group game. Perhaps it shouldn’t have been a surprise in retrospect, with the Londoners perpetually in the competition’s final stages and the debutants’ squad assembled for less than €3 million. Yet Arsene Wenger’s men will face reinvigorated opposition when they arrive in the Minho this week looking for a point to seal qualification for the knockout rounds.” (ESPN)
“A topsy-turvy game that ended with a result that reflects the balance of play. Sunderland made two changes from last weekend’s shock win at Stamford Bridge: Darren Bent replaced Asamoah Gyan and Anton Ferdinand replaced Titus Bramble in straight swaps.” (Zonal Marking)
“Chelsea might be in ‘crisis’, but don’t let it fool you- the Premiership title race is as inferior as ever, when compared with its South American contemporary. Welcome to IBWM, Matthew Horton.” (In Bed With Maradona)
“Since 2008, Spain, first under Luis Aragonés and then Vicente Del Bosque, have thrilled the world with their wonderfully aesthetic ‘Tiki Taka’ style of football. Reaping the benefits of a remarkably gifted generation, the likes of Xavi Hernández, Andrés Iniesta, Iker Casillas, Carles Puyol and David Villa have driven La Furia Roja to both the European and World titles.” (Equaliser Football)
“A tragic, real-life soap opera unravelling in Brazilian football over recent months has been the story of Bruno, goalkeeper of Rio giants Flamengo, who is in prison accused of ordering the brutal murder of an ex-lover. Flamengo fans have found a way to extract some black humour from such horrific developments. Last year, Bruno captained the team to the Brazilian title. This season, they have struggled. And as they have slipped dangerously close to the relegation zone, the confidence of Bruno’s replacement, Marcelo Lomba, has seemed to suffer.” (BBC – Tim Vickery)
“To decide the national team roster for the Argentine national side is to paint a picture. The pigments are poignant, the easel world class, and the brush made of the finest hairs from a dark Arabian stallion. Yet, despite these brilliant starting points, an unskilled hand can still botch the promising masterpiece. Surround a wizard like Riquelme with bodyguards such as Cambiasso and Mascherano, and the setting trumps the figures. Field three genius-in-a-bottle strikers like Tevez, Higuaín, and Messi, and the characters fail to connect on canvas.” (Run of Play)
Leonidas
“The game is too far back to stand out in the memory of many football fans, but the 1938 World Cup clash between Poland and Brazil was a classic. What went before and after for Poland puts football in a little more context. Here’s Juliet Jacques.” (In Bed With Maradona)
“Boca Juniors recorded a much-needed win in their first match since Juan Román Riquelme’s latest injury, beating Arsenal de Sarandí 2-1 in La Bombonera thanks to goals from Martín Palermo and Sergio Araujo. Elsewhere on Sunday River Plate and San Lorenzo drew 0-0 in a dreadful match, Racing and Quilmes drew 1-1, and Gimnasia La Plata and Vélez also shared points to ensure Estudiantes will finish this round – which continues on Monday – at the top of the table. All the highlights are right here, and Martín Palermo’s goal, by the way, might just be the most Martín Palermo goal ever scored.” (Hasta El Gol Siempre)
“Manchester City’s decision to start the recent derby game with a midfield of Gareth Barry, Nigel de Jong and Yaya Touré was an extreme example of how much the ‘holding midfielder’ has become a part of the football scene. More than half of the teams in the World Cup used formations with two holding players, and it is just as common to see the same pattern in Leagues One and Two. Not bad for a position that Leeds United legend Johnny Giles describes as ‘a myth’.” (WSC)
“City’s superb first half display effectively won the game before half-time. Mark Hughes chose a 4-4-1-1 / 4-4-2 formation, with Clint Dempsey just behind Andy Johnson. Carlos Salcido returned so Damien Duff moved back into midfield, whilst Chris Baird replaced Stephen Kelly at right-back.” (Zonal Marking)
“Last week, we looked at how Birmingham’s pressing of Manchester City’s centre-backs at goal-kicks forced Joe Hart to kick the ball long, losing possession on every occasion. Against Fulham, the situation was changed with the introduction of Jô. He offered more of an aerial presence in the City attack, despite being positioned on the left wing. The majority of Hart’s kicks were sent towards the left-hand side, where six of the long balls were won by the Brazilian striker. This chalkboard compares Hart’s distribution in the Birmingham game to the Fulham game, showing how the presence of Jô helps City win possession high up the pitch.” (Guardian)
“It was hardly a proper test of being able to cope without Steven Gerrard but Liverpool did more than enough to dispose of a woeful West Ham at Anfield. With the captain out for a month with a hamstring tear manager Roy Hodgson called for his players to step up to fill the void and the Barclays Premier League’s bottom side provide the perfect opposition.” (ESPN)
Woeful Hammers provide no test
“Humour, cruelty and piercing honesty can go hand in hand on the terraces. The greater a club’s plight, the more illuminating the insights from the supporters can prove, and the more absurd their flights of fancy can become. If it tends to be worth watching the side at the top of the league, it’s instructive to listen to the fans at the foot of the division.” (ESPN)
Liverpool 3-0 West Ham United – Video Highlights, Recap, and Match Stats – EPL
(The 90th Minute)
“While most of the attention around the recent World Cup bidding scandal has rightfully gone to the layers of corruption embedded in FIFA’s current process, that has obscured another interesting angle to the story: the bid bribery was embedded in the nebulous way World Cup bids are supposed to serve development goals. The two officials at the center of the scandal—Nigeria’s Amos Adamu and Tahiti’s Reynald Temarii—were both ostensibly asking for funds to build fields and a ‘sports academy’ to develop the game in their home regions. The absolute certainty with which most of us dismissed those presumably worthwhile goals as a mere front for lining pockets is telling. Most of us want to believe the game can do some good in the world, but many tangible efforts towards that end are immediately treated with skepticism.” (Pitch Invasion)
“Below are Match Of The Day highlights for all the EPL matches on November 20, 2010. If there’s not a link available for a match, it will be updated shortly. The full edition of MOTD (which includes all matches) can be viewed here.” (The 90th Minute)
“I’m very jealous of the FA Cup in England. Not all of it – not the purely financial decision to play semi-finals at the National Stadium, not the ongoing domination of the trophy itself by a small number of teams. We have those bits already. It’s the early rounds, the qualifying rounds and preliminary rounds and the excitement it generates by the simple expedient of allowing pretty much anyone to enter.” (twohundredpercent)
Earlsmead
“For what I am about to write may the Lord forgive me. Every so often I make bold statements. ‘I will not use my Blackberry after 7pm at night’, ‘I wont use my laptop in bed’, ‘I will have a weekend without watching any football’. What, can you repeat that last one again? I WILL NOT WATCH ANY FOOTBALL FOR A WEEKEND. Yes, in a mad moment some months ago I agreed that I would not go to any games for one weekend in a year.” (The Ball Is Round)
“Lionel Messi struck a hat-trick and Bojan Krkic bagged a brace as Barcelona strolled to an incredible 8-0 victory at lowly Almeria in the Spanish Primera Division. Pep Guardiola’s side raced into a 5-0 lead before half-time in a hugely one-sided contest. Messi opened the scoring after 17 minutes and Andres Iniesta took advantage of poor defending to score the second just two minutes later.” (ESPN)
Almeria 0-8 FC Barcelona – Video Highlights, Recap, and Match Stats – La Liga
(The 90th Minute)
“Valencia had a specific plan to stifle Villarreal’s fluid 4-4-2 system – and it almost worked. The home side made one change from last week’s defeat to Barcelona. Mateo Musacchio was dropped in favour of the returning captain Gonzalo Rodriguez, so Carlos Marchena moved across to the left side of the centre-back pairing.’ (Zonal Marking)
“It’s a lunchtime kick-off for the North London derby, and there are still a few empty seats on display at The Emirates Stadium. A chance for that one last drink before kick-off. Supporters of both teams could well be forgiven for taking the opportunity to have that drink today. Arsenal will go top of the Premier League table if they win today, but they have been strangely limp at home against Newcastle United and West Bromwich Albion already this season. Spurs supporters, meanwhile, have been receiving mixed messages from their team so far this season. For every win against Internazionale, there has been a defeat at Bolton Wanderers. If their Champions League season isn’t to be a one-off, they need to improve their consistency. Which Spurs will we see this afternoon, though?” (twohundredpercent)
Arsenal 2-3 Tottenham: Redknapp proves he is a decent tactician, even if he doesn’t want to be
“An astonishing second half comeback gave Spurs their first win in this fixture since Arsene Wenger became Arsenal manager. Arsenal brought in Laurent Koscielny in place of Johan Djourou at the back, and Denilson came in with Jack Wilshere a slight injury doubt.” (Zonal Marking)
” Reports in the Italian media that Inter manager Rafa Benítez has three games to save his job should come as no surprise. With the shadow of José Mourinho still hanging over them Inter sit a modest fifth in Serie A, seven points off their tally at this stage last season. They are six points off top spot, with only two wins and five goals in eight games. To rub salt into the wound a derby defeat to AC Milan on Sunday ended an undefeated run of 46 games at home and saw Milan retain top spot.” (WSC)
“Roy of the Rovers was as bigger part of my childhood as football stickers and near constant rejection by women. I looked forward to Melchester Rovers weekly adventures more than ‘Arry Redknapp looks forward to a transfer window. I was an addict and mum was the dealer, scoring for me every Wednesday so I could consume the whole magazine as soon as I got home from school. I once had a letter printed asking what Roy thought his transfer value was in the light of Chris Waddle’s £4.5m transfer to Marseille, I’m not sure the birth of my first child will top the feeling.” (I Know Who Cyrille Makanaky Was)
“The Brazilian World Cup winner Mazinho, a member of the 1994 squad that was victorious in the United States, called him ‘complete.’ According to the former Vasco de Gama, Fiorentina, Valencia and Celta de Vigo player, ‘he can use both feet, takes people on, has vision, can join the attack, and can finish off chances, scoring goals.’ Then again, Mazinho would say that. After all, Mazinho is his dad.” (SI)
“Lionel Messi can chalk off another objective achieved in his young but already extraordinary career. His glorious goal in stoppage time Wednesday gave Argentina a 1-0 victory over Brazil in Doha, Qatar, his first win against the Seleção at the senior level.” (SI – Tim Vickery)
“As usual, though a bit late, here are three quick thoughts and player ratings from Wednesday’s 1-0 United States Men’s National Team victory over South Africa in the Nelson Mandela Cup. I promise to litter a bit of optimism in my piece without discounting Dr. Crowley’s egg-nog sized glass of pessimism. I found a few things in the Yanks Cape Town performance particularly worthy of optimism, and since we’re nearing the holidays and that’s the season of perpetual hope, I’ll begin there.” (Yanks are coming)
Rockville Maryland Soccer Club, 1928-29
“History, specifically American soccer history, is top of mind these days. I’m taking a few days away from the bill-paying job, and while I’m mostly serving as a toddler’s jungle gym at erratic intervals that are threatening the viability of my…male paraphernalia, I’m also doing my best to keep up with the goings-on in the soccer world (frankly, I need a 12-step program to break my addiction to my newsreader and Twitter), provide as much content here as vacation-affected motivation will allow, and visit family that deserve a modicum of my attention.” (Match Fit USA)
Sporting KC is nothing new as far as Europhilia goes in US Soccer
“Couple of items of business today. First, a hearty thank you for your responses yesterday; I’m glad to know you haven’t all signed up to some sort of football news reading technology that made you USSF D-2 geniuses in a matter of seconds. I’d be a little ticked if I’d missed out on that.” (A More Splendid Life)
History Incorporated, The Quest to Preserve America’s Soccer Heritage
“Americans are among the world’s greatest hoarders and collectors. Drive down any road in this country and it will not be long until you pass by an antique store or a collectibles shop. Go to a flea market and it is possible to find a wide array of items ranging from 19th Century artifacts to last year’s Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition. It is a cultural phenomenon that is both fascinating and profound. It is a reality most Americans take for granted. For in America, as the logic goes, if you hold on to anything long enough, eventually it will be worth something.” (Box Score News)
“Norway continued their fine recent form by beating Ireland on a rainy Wednesday night in Dublin. From the off, Ireland were moving well against a compact Norway side set out in three very flat banks – 4-5-1. But although Ireland retained possession, and had passing options, the ball was stuck in harmless areas. Despite the Irish being set out in a 4-4-2, you could argue that they had four banks – the widemen pushing up higher than the very deep centre-midfielders.” (Defensive Midfielder)
“The 1980s could not have been more miserable for Leeds United. Unfortunate to suffer an eight year sojourn outside Division 1 at a time when football reached its lowest ebb and beset by hooliganism and low gates, it was a decade of despair matched only by their recent, financially driven decline. Lowlights included Paul Petts’ hat-trick in a 5-1 defeat at Gay Meadow in 1983 and a 5-0 tonking by Chelsea that saw the whites’ hated rivals promoted on the last day of that same campaign.” (the two unfortunates)
“Great play has been made of the French top flight’s competitiveness since Lyon’s dominance came to an end in 2008, but that competitiveness reached slightly preposterous proportions in Week 13, with just four points now separating the top 12 clubs.” (Football Further)
“On the 29th November it will be 5 years since FC Utrecht and Dutch football lost one of their most promising players. A central defender who could play in the midfield, Frenchman David Di Tommaso, or DiTo as he was affectionately known to team-mates and fans, won the ‘FC Utrecht Supporters Player of the Season Award’ for his performances in his first season at the club, and quickly became a firm fans’ favorite in the Domstad.” (In Bed With Maradona)
Cornelis Van Poelenburgh – View of the Campo Vaccino
“Portugal gained a measure of revenge for their World Cup exit at the hands of Spain by inflicting a heavy defeat on their Iberian neighbours in tonight’s friendly in Lisbon. Goals from Jorge Carlos Martins, visiting defender Sergio Ramos, who put into his own net, Helder Postiga and Hugo Almeida sealed a deserved win for the Portuguese, who were knocked out at the last-16 stage in South Africa as Spain went onto win their maiden World Cup crown.” (ESPN)
Portugal 4-0 Spain – Video Highlights, Recap, and Match Stats – Friendly
(The 90th Minute)
“Fabio Capello opened a door on the future for England – and the fans did not like what they saw as the Three Lions were jeered off after defeat to France at Wembley. Aside from Andy Carroll, who did as well as he could with such little service, and the ever-dependable Steven Gerrard, there were few straws for England to grasp until substitute Peter Crouch did what he does best within seconds of his arrival.” (ESPN)
France offer brighter future after Wembley win
“It is a curiosity of modern British football that the concept of a ‘friendly’ international inspires such apathy and resentment among players, coaches, fans and media alike. England versus France would seemingly possess the standing of a game between rivals with shared history between them but such traditions are not respected by the managers of England’s elite football clubs. Unlike in rugby, where the international match is king, and the club game subjugated, and games between countries are regarded as ‘tests’, a weekend of Premier League action will remain the focus. It barely helped that these two nations had revolted – in both senses of the word – during the summer’s World Cup.” (ESPN)
England 1-2 France – Video Highlights, Recap, and Match Stats – Friendly
(The 90th Minute)
Scissors Kick 