Best wishes!

I just wanted to say thank you to all of the people who have been reading this blog since I started as well as those who have only recently started. I'll be taking a break until the New Year since most of the soccer is finished up for 2010, I'll recap the Club World Cup in my next post as well as going over the domestic leagues around the world. 2010 has been a fantastic year in football (soccer) and I hope you will join me next year as well as continuing to share with your family and friends this blog. I will hope to continue being as informative and expansive as possible and will look for suggestions from all of the readers
Thank you all,
Have a safe and joyous holidays and a happy New Year!
Bennet.

Some domestic results- 12/11/2010.

Beginning in the north and working down, in Scotland Rangers were only able to draw 1-1 with Inverness. The home side, Inverness, actually scored first, in the 31st minute thanks to Johnathan Hayes. The half time score was 1-0 in the host's favor and it went the same way for a part of the second half, before Kenny Miller scored in the 57th minute to draw the two sides level, which is how the match ended.  Celtic's match was postponed, however that still gives the b'hoys a chance to retake their biggest rivals in the league. Hearts v.s. Aberdeen is an immensely one-sided match, with the home side leading 5-0! It began in the 5th minute when David Templeton drew first blood and continued in the 9th following Rudolf Skacel's goal as well, which actually ended the first half 2-0. The second half began much the first half had, with goals for Hearts. Stephen Elliot scored in the 51st while Rudolf Skacel scored again seven minutes later. And then, in the 78th minute, Arvydas Novikovas scored Hearts' fifth goal. St. Mirren v.s. St. Johnstone actually has the same scoreline as Rangers v.s Inverness, 1-1 thanks to goals from Sam Parkin in the 53rd and Michael Higdon in the 62nd which has really put the match into deadlock. In the meantime in Germany, Bayern destroyed St. Pauli in Bavaria with a 3-0 scoreline. Hamit Altintop opened the scoring in the 16th minute while Philipp Lahm drove in a penalty in the 72nd minute. That was following the sending-off of Thomas Kessler in the 68th. Franck Ribery put in a final goal in the 79th minute. In the intense match between Hamburg and Bayer Leverkusen, Sidney Sam scored in the 30th minute to put the away side ahead, making the half time scoreline 1-0. There were a ton more goals in the second half, with Arturo Vidal scoring an own goal in the 48th minute, he then scored another goal in the 61st minute making the score 2-1. Renato Augusto put in a third for Leverkusen in the 66th before Frank Rost, the Hamburg goalie, made an own goal himself in the 78th minute. Eljero Elia scored a second for the home side to make the final score 2-4. A note, there were six yellow cards in the match. Hoffenheim and Nurnberg tied 1-1 thanks to the 55th minute goal from Marvin Compper putting the home side up 1-0. Christian Eigler drew the away side level in the 87th to end the game 1-1. The same circumstances occurred in Kasierslautern's 0-0 draw with Wolfsburg, a game I feel the Red Devils should have won. Koln defeated Eintracht Frankfurt 1-0 thanks to Christian Clemens' 56th minute.

Club World Cup update- 12/10/2010.

Well, I was wrong. Ten-man Mazembe were actually able to defeat Pachuca meaning TP Mazembe Englebert will be taking on Sport Club Internacional in the semi-finals of the UAE Club World Cup. The final score was 1-0 in a game which saw several injuries amidst the attempts by Pachuca's Alejandro Manso and the goal by Mbeza Bedi just past the 20th minute: Mulota Kabangu passed the ball beautifully, having the ball fall perfectly for Mbeza Bedi, who took it easily and fired the ball into the top of the goal. Interestingly, Bedi was responsible for Mazembe's only other goal in the 2009 Club World Cup. Pachuca just had no reply though, with Mazembe holding on and almost even scoring a second before the half! This was possible thanks to Dioko Kaluyituka's precise pass to Given Singuluma which led to a great attempt 8 minutes before the half. The representatives from Mexico started the second-half very well, straining the Mexican defenses. Raul Martinez had a nice chance at 60 minutes thanks to a shot from afar which missed out though. Indeed, Mazembe had to fend off many assaults by the Mexicans as the game winded down despite finishing the final nine minutes of the match at a numerical disadvantage following Sunza's collection of a second yellow card for crashing into Alejandro Manso. So, Mazembe were able to cling on to their lead to secure a historic result.

League action today- 12/10/2010

Hannover played Stuttgart in Germany today, in a relatively close match which saw Hannover edge their visitors 2-1. Didier Ya Konan scored the first goal, for Hannover, in the 35th minute. That was the only goal of the first half despite chances for both sides. Stuttgart replied in the 74th minute thanks to Georg Niedermeier's efforts to equalise. However, Didier Ya Konan scored once more, two minutes later, to put the hosts up as the game ended. Across the border in the Netherlands, Heracles defeated Venlo by the same margin. Everton opened the scoring in the 37th minute to put Heracles up 1-0. Samuel Armenteros added another before half-time, in the 42nd minute, to put the home side 2-0 up as the ref blew for the break. Ruud Boymans scored for Venlo in the 62nd minute to make the game a little less one-sided. Finally, in Turkey, Eskişehirspor defeated Beşiktaş JK in their match today, a game which opened with several cards including a sending-off in the 38th minute of Guti from the away side, Beşiktaş. Playing with a man down, it's still a bit of a surprise to see top-five positioned Beşiktaş lose to a side outside of the top-ten in the Turkish league. But lose they did. Veysel Sari opened the scoring in the 62nd minute for Eskişehirspor while another strike in the 75th minute by Sezer Öztürk put the game beyond Beşiktaş' reach.

Soccer for, and around, the weekend.

In England, on Saturday the 11th, Everton will be playing Wigan in a game which Everton will feel they should win. Fulham v.s. Sunderland is another match going on which Sunderland should win, despite the fact that Fulham will be at home. Aston Villa take on West Brom on Saturday as well, a match which the away-side, West Brom, should win. Stoke will take on Blackpool in another match which is a little hard to decide since Stoke are falling down the table. However, Blackpool isn't in good shape either, so I'd tip the home-side to win. The other matches on Saturday include West Ham v.s. Manchester City and Newcastle v.s. Liverpool. I have a feeling that Manchester City will triumph over the dismally performing West Ham side while Newcastle may be in too much of a shambles after the change in management to put up much resistance against Liverpool despite the home field advantage. Meanwhile, on Sunday, Wolverhampton Wanderers will be taking on Birmingham in Wolverhampton; a match which isn't a given for either side. I'd say Wolves have a better chance of possibly winning it than Birmingham as they will be having the home crowd on their side as well as the urge to get away from the relegation zone. The other Sunday matches include Bolton v.s. Blackburn and Tottenham v.s. Chelsea. Bolton should be confident at home as they are better off than their Blackburn opponents while Tottenham v.s. Chelsea may be a lot harder to call than you would think. While Chelsea do lead Spurs in the league table and have a more star-studded line-up, their luster hasn't quite been showing of late. Tottenham on the other hand have had a fantastic run of games both domestically and internationally and will also have a powerful fan base for the game; I'd like to see Tottenham win the game actually. Finally, Manchester United v.s. Arsenal occurs on Monday the 13th. I think this match may be the most fascinating of all as Arsenal will hope to give United their first defeat of the domestic season. Honestly though, I could see this match being a draw were it not for the poor defense of Arsenal. In Spain meanwhile, Atletico take on Deportivo on Saturday, in a clash between opposite circumstances: Atletico will hope to turn around their latest performance while Deportivo will hope to build on their own. I feel like Atletico Madrid will be the more successful of the two though. Also on Saturday, Sevilla will face Almeria in a match which the home side would be very disappointed not to win. While Sevilla will have the home field advantage, they also reside nine places above their opponents, a gulf in class as well as in points. The final Saturday match will be between Getafe and Villarreal. Villarreal currently hold third place and, as they will want to remain as close as possible to Bareclona and Real Madrid as possible, they would be surprised to lose to Getafe, even though they will be away from home. On Sunday, Barcelona face Real Sociedad in Barcelona while Real Madrid travel to Zaragoza. Those two matches probably hold no surprises as Barcelona should be able to defeat their guests, while Real Madrid  would be shattered by a defeat to bottom of the table Zaragoza no matter the venue. Hercules face Malaga while Mallorca welcome Racing to their stadium. Athletic Club will be playing Espanyol as Sporting Gijon take on Levante. The first two pairs (Hercules v.s. Malaga and Mallorca v.s. Racing)should see the home teams win while the second set will probably be victories for the respective away sides (Espanyol and Levante.) The last game, on Monday, will be between Valencia and Osasuna. I kind of have a hard time seeing Valencia losing at home and especially against Osasuna.  In Italy, there are only Saturday and Sunday matches with Palermo playing Parma in a game the Sicilians should win as Udinese's hotly contested match with Fiorentina is underway, a match which either team can win. Genoa v.s. Napoli is the final match for Saturday which should see the away side claiming victory. Sunday has its own choice games to offer as Bologna face table-topping AC Milan in a match which the home side will mostly be looking for a point. AC Milan should win the game. Cagliari play Catania in another close match which either side could win. Relegation threatened Lecce will face mid-table Chievo, a game the away side should be able to pull out of the hat. Even as Brescia take on Sampdoria, yet another match the away side should take the three points from. Roma v.s. Bari should be far more straight forward for the home side, as Bari languish in the bottom position of the table while  Juventus v.s. Lazio finish off the Italian fixtures in a match for second that could go either way. Finally, the German Bundesliga has a game tomorrow, Friday the 10th, when Hannover welcome Stuttgart: a match that Hannover should win. On Saturday, Bayern meet St. Pauli in Baveria as Kaiserslautern face Wolfsburg. Bayern will hope to win in their match, despite the terrible recent domestic form. The home side should be buoyed by their supporters at least. Kaiserslautern are in the same boat as their opponents are level on points with them so it's a do or die game. Koln v.s. Eintracht Frankfurt and Hoffenheim v.s. Nurnberg are games which are a little lop-sided: Eintracht should win while Hoffenheim should do the same in their match. Hamburg v.s. Leverkusen and Dortmund's match with Werder Bremen finish off the day, one game which the away side should win while the home side should win in the other: Leverkusen are in much better form than their hosts while Dortmund should be victorious against their challengers. Freiburg v.s. Monchengladbach and Mainz v.s. Schalke finish off the German league for the weekend on Sunday. Mainz will most likely defeat Schalke while Freiburg will be seen to be favorites against 'Gladbach.

Some suggestions by readers of the blog for the 2010 list.

Several readers responded to my request for suggestions and I am all too glad to address them. A few Canadians and United States readers asked me to add the rise of the New York Red Bulls in the MLS to the list and it is true, their lots have been rising as they were able to buy both Thierry Henry and Rafael Marquez in a clear challenge of the Galaxy's high paid players. Their performance this year wasn't as good though, failing to reach the MLS Cup Final. Several readers form England pushed for the addition of the episode surrounding Liverpool's break with the Americans Hicks and Gillett to the list. While that was a big story, I'd tend to focus more on the football on the pitch than what's going on behind the beautiful game. Nonetheless, the legal actions are a part of football so I suppose they belong. The same is true of the hysteria around Rooney's argument with Manchester United which some readers found important despite the fact that Rooney ended up staying in Manchester. Mourinho's work with Inter Milan has also been brought up, specifically by a bloc of the Singaporean readers, as he pushed the side to overcome not only Bayern in the Champions League Final, but also powerhouses Barcelona and Chelsea on the way. He also led the Italians on a treble run of trophies. There were actually people from several nations which felt the refereeing of the year should be highlighted as there were some serious blunders: The Mali referee in the U.S.'s match, the referee team which allowed Tevez's off-side goal against Mexico to stand, as well as even Lampard's goal that wasn't against Germany are just a few. Along with that, some of my U.S. readers wanted Donovan's goal against Algeria to be included which was a very heart-wrenching moment to be sure. Thank you for the suggestions, feel free to comment or request other pieces!

Results 12/8/2010 Champions League.

Bayern comfortably beat FC Basel 3-0 thanks to two first half goals by Franck Ribéry and Anatoliy Tymoshchuk, in the 35th and 37th minutes respectively. Ribéry added a third in the 50th to give the Bavarian giants a three goal margin of victory. Bayern had an immense number of chances compared to Basel's eight. Diego Contento gave Ribéry a fair oppurtunity in the 35th which he took advantage of, catching the Basel keeper, Franco Costanzo, out of position. Tymoshchuk on the other hand had a very easy goal as the corner was put in, Mario Gomez actually sent it towards the goal where Tymoshchuk just guided it between the posts to make it 2-0. Ribéry's second was also very nice as Thomas Müller's low centre from the right fell to him, Ribéry simply side-stroked it into the goal to win the game 3-0. There were other attempts, but Basel weren't going to win this one.
At the same time, Marseille welcomed Chelsea to France, winning 1-0 following Brandão's 81st minute goal. Taye Taiwo opened up the Chelsea backline from the left before putting it in Brandão's direction where the Marseille man guided it into the net. Chelsea actually had fewer chances than their French opposition and also had less possession of the ball, both of which may have been factors to their defeat.
In Cluj, the home fans helped CFR Cluj to a 1-1 draw with Italian side AS Roma despite the fact that probably could have won. Cluj held on, only allowing Marco Borriello to score in the 21st minute of the first half. Lacina Traoré then came to his club's rescue in the 88th minute, heading a fine shot from a cross by Culio to equalise.
Meanwhile in Madrid, Real did Auxerre no favors, destroying their guests 4-0. Benzema had a brilliant game, scoring a trio of goals in the 12th, 72nd, and 88th minutes to put Auxerre out of the competition. Cristiano Ronaldo added a fourth in the 49th minute to make things 2-0 before Karim Benzema went on his way late in the second half. Each of Benzema's goals was something special as his first in the 12th, a header thanks to a cross from Cristiano Ronaldo, put the home side ahead quite early in the match. Benzema's second, in the 72nd, was a nice play from Lassana Diarra which enabled him to strike his shot low into the bottom corner. His 88th minute shot was my personal favorite though, taking advantage of poor control by Auxerre's goalie Oliver Sorin to grab the ball and float a shot over the exposed goalie and into an open goal. Ronaldo's strike was smooth and swift, giving Sorin no chance from a Marcelo pass.
AC Milan on the other hand gave up the ghost, falling 2-0 to Ajax to see the Dutch side through to the Europa League. Demy De Zeeuw scored the Amsterdam side's first goal, into the second half, as he collected the rebound from a Siem de Jong shot and piled it into the net with a great finish. Alderweireld scored Ajax's second goal, recieving a ball from Luis Suárez and smashing it into the goal from outside of the box to seal the game's fate.
Arsenal were in fine form at home when they took on Partizan, winning 3-1 in the end. A penalty in the area by Marko Jovanović allowed Robin Van Persie to take, and convert, a penalty which was one way to start. That was his first goal of the season, beating Partizan keeper Vladimir Stojković nicely. Cléo's 52nd minute strike equalised things, but only for a time. Almami Moreira actually placed the shot outside of the area for Cléo, whose shot was deflected off of Sébastien Squillaci yet still found its way high into the net. That puts Arsenals prospects in jeopardy, before Theo Walcott and Samir Nasri each put in goals to make it a 3-1 game for Arsenal as the final whistle blows. Alex Song gave Nasri a nice ball in the 77th which was turned and shot without mercy while Walcott's volley was the one, in the 73rd, to break the deadlock.
Almost done now, Žilina lost at home to Spartak Moskva 2-1 to finalize their fall from the Champions League. Tomáš Majtán actually scored first for the home side, three minutes into the second half, to make things 1-0. Róbert Jež supplied the glorious oppurtunity from a free-kick. Alex equalised for Moskva in the 54th however, through a nice ball by Nikola Drinčić. The comeback is completed in the 61st minute when Ibson controls a ball wide from Alex and slots it in, making the game 2-1. Slovakia's Žilina appear without any reply as the game ends, leaving them with zero points in Group F; a disappointing, but maybe not surprising course of events.
Finally, Shakhtar Donetsk were helped by home support, Luiz Adriano, and Raţ to win the match against SC Braga 2-0 late in the second half. The first half had seen several chances but no goals and the second half was looking much the same before Raţ scored his first goal in UEFA competition in the 78th minute thanks to a Darijo Srna cross which was converted low into the bottom corner of the Braga net. Luiz Adriano was then helped by Raţ five minutes later when Adriano turned in his ball from the left to put the game out of the reach of the Portuguese.

Club World Cup news.

It happened in the Mohammad Bin Zayed Stadium in front of a rather sizeable crowd of over 20,000. Al-Wahda Sports Club ran off with the victory quite handily, buoyed by the Brazillians on their roster. Two first half goals from Hugo in the 40th minute and Fernando Baiano's 44th minute strike ended the first half nicely while Abdulraheem Jumaa stroked in a third in the 71st minute put the game well beyond Hekari United's grasp. Oceania's Champions lost 3-0,  an underwhelming performance to say the least. Hekari United FC actually had more shots than Al-Wahda and even had more possession as the game ended which may be a little surprising. Nonetheless, Al-Wahda's victory puts the U.A.E. team into the Quarter-finals match against Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma F.C. TP Mazembe Englebert play Pachuca on the 10th in the other Quarter-finals match.

The retirement of a good German.

Call me nostalgic, but the retirement of Oliver Neuville signals the nearing of the end for the German side that faced off against Brazil, Italy, Portugal, and Spanish sides. There are now younger generations hard at work as the world found in the 2010 World Cup. Now a former Germany striker following the termination of his contract by Arminia Bielefeld, Neuville was essentially forced into retirement at the age of 37. Scorer of 10 goals in 69 international matches, Neuville played across 3 nations in his time as a player including stints at Swiss club Servette FC, Spain's CD Tenerife who he helped to the UEFA Cup semi-finals; before moving to Germany and playing first at Hansa Rostock. While there he scored 22 goals while making 50 appearances between 1997 and 1999. Neuville then moved to Bayer Leverkusen where he scored 42 goals between 1999 and 2004. Neuville then moved to  Borussia Mönchengladbach and scored another 42 goals in the six years from 2004 to 2010. His lowest moment was a hand-ball goal against 1. FC Kaiserslautern in 2004 but nonetheless I really respect the man. True, he was one of the few known smokers on the German national team which included Bernd Schneider but that doesn't take away from the fact that he was a gift to almost any team he played for and his contributions will be missed: He won the Swiss league in 1993-94, was runners-up in the Bundeliga in the 1999/2000 season as well as the 2001/2002 season, a runner-up in the Champions League in 2001-2002 with Bayer Leverkusen, and won the Second Bundesliga title with Borussia Mönchengladbach in the 2007-08 year. Internationally Neuville was part of German teams which were runners-up in the 2002 World Cup, third place finishers in the 2005 Confederations Cup, third place finishers in the 2006 edition of the World Cup, and were runners-up in the European Championship of 2008. Thank you for all the years Oliver Neuville! Enjoy your retirement!

Requested center of attention: France.

The French association was founded in the year 1919. There has been one French winner of the UEFA Champions League thus far, and that was Marseille in the 1992/93 season. There has also been one French winner of the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, PSG in the 1995/96 season. On the other hand, French teams have won the UEFA Intertoto Cup a total of fourteen times, including consecutive years: Bordeaux won in '95, as did Strasbourg, Guingamp did in '96, Auxerre, Bastia, and Lyon followed in '97; Montpellier won in '99, PSG and Troyes did the same in '01, Lille accomplished it in '04, Lens and Marseille did it in '05 and Auxerre and Marseille won in '06. The French National Team has also won two editions of the European Football Championship, in 1984 and 2000, as well as the UEFA U-21 Championship once, in 1988, the U-17 Championship in 2004, and the French are two-time winners of the U-19 Women's Championship, in 2003 and 2010. They are also six time winners of the U-19 Championships in 1983, '96, '97, '00, '05, and '10. This season, the top ten teams in the French first division, Ligue 1, are only separated by a total of four points. LOSC Lille Métropole currently lead the pack with twenty-eight points while Paris Saint-Germain FC and Stade Rennais FC are tied in second with twenty-seven points apiece. Olympique de Marseille and Olympique Lyonnais both have twenty-six points, Stade Brestois 29 have twenty-five, and FC Sochaux-Montbéliard, FC Girondins de Bordeaux, Toulouse FC, Montpellier Hérault SC each have twenty-four points. Lyon and Marseille are currently in the Champions League while Auxerre will be joining PSG and possibly Lille in the Europa League. Finally, France have also won the World Cup, in 1998, as well as Championship titles in the Olympic Football Tournament Final in 1984, the FIFA Confederations Cup in 2001 and 2003, the FIFA U-17 World Cup Final in 2001, and the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup Final in 2005. An interesting piece of information: FC Sochaux-Montbéliard was one of the founding clubs of the first division of French football. They have played the most seasons in Ligue 1, a total of 63 seasons, winning two Ligue 1 titles in the process, however their last was in the 1937/38 season. The top-scorer of the French league this year thus far is Moussa Sow, a Frenchman who plays for LOSC Lille Métropole, with thirteen goals to his name. SM Caen's Youssef El Arabi is second place with ten goals while PSG's Spaniard Nene is in third place with nine goals. Marvin Martin of FC Sochaux Montbéliard has the most assists in the league this far with seven, one more than Anthony Mounier has for OGC Nice. Please feel free to request any more information or stats, I'll do my best to post it as soon and as in depth as possible. Thanks!

Club World Cup UAE 2010

Running from the 8th to the 18th of December, the United Arab Emirates' hosting of the Club World Cup is sure to be a spectacle. Al-Wahda Sports Club from the United Arab Emirates will be playing Hekari United FC of Papua New Guinea, the current holders of the Oceania Champions League, in a play-off for the final quarter-final position. The winner of that clash will then have to face Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma F.C., the Champions of Asia. In the other leg of matches, between TP Mazembe Englebert of the Congo DR, the Champions of Africa and Club de Futbol Pachuca of Mexico, the Champions of CONCACAF will be facing-off. The winner between TP Mazembe Englebert and Club de Futbol Pachuca will then be facing Sport Club Internacional, the Brazillian side who are the Champions of the Copa Libertadores tournament. On the other hand, the winner between Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma F.C. and either Al-Wahda or Hekari United FC will then face the European (UEFA Champions League) Champions F.C. Internazionale Milano in the other semi-final. The match for fifth place will then occur on the 15th of December, the same day as the Inter Milan semi-final. The Internacional semi-final will take place on the 14th of December. The Final and third-place matches will occur on the 18th of December. Predictions? Al-Wahda are probably the marginal favorites in the play-off against the Papua New Guinean side Hekari United FC since they will have the whole host nation behind them, any farther than the Quarter-finals would be a major success for both teams. Meanwhile TP Mazembe Englebert v.s. Club de Futbol Pachuca will be interesting, however I see Pachuca claiming victory in the end. I think the South Koreans of Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma F.C. will defeat either Al-Wahda Sports Club or Hekari United FC, probably Al-Wahda who will get through to them. Despite having the home crowd behind them, Al-Wahda will most likely fall, in that case Hekari United FC will certainly fall if  they somehow do get to challenge the South Koreans. As Pachuca should be getting through, their match against Sport Club Internacional will be even closer. Nonetheless, I wouldn't be surprised if Internacional win the match. Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma F.C. v.s. Inter Milan shouldn't be too much of a challenge for the Italians, however I think the South Koreans may be able to pull something out of their sleeves. So yes, I would like nothing more than to see Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma F.C. play Sport Club Internacional in the final of the Club World Cup despite the fact that I have a feeling Inter Milan will be there instead. No matter, I think Internacional may be able to manage their 2006 performance, in fact, I'd welcome it.
Enjoy the experience!

Looking ahead to tomorrow's Champions League matches.

Group E: FC Bayern München sit comfortably above all challengers with twelve points while second place AS Roma have nine points from five matches. FC Basel have six points and Cluj have three. Bayern face Basel, a game which Bayern might let loose in, meaning Roma would have to at least tie with Cluj. Cluj may go for it in their match at home against the Italians of Roma. All of this means that it should be an exciting day tomorrow!
Group F: Chelsea face second place Marseille in their final match, the two separated by six points meaning it will just be a match of position solidification. However, Marseille are only three points clear of third place Spartak Moskva. The chance that the goal difference between the two will be overcome is very slim but we'll see if these make the two final matches any more exciting. MŠK Žilina are simply out of the running, so I'd be very surprised if Moskva didn't at least get the three points there. 
Group G: In Group G meanwhile, Real Madrid are through as are AC Milan, while Ajax and Auxerre must battle for the Europa League position. It'll be interesting to see how that plays out as Auxerre face Real Madrid while Ajax have to go to Milan to fight AC Milan for their chance. It may just come down to a combination of who wants it more and which home team (Madrid or Milan) takes it more easy. One way or another, tomorrow will be a big day in Group G.
Group H: Shakhtar Donetsk have twelve points while both Arsenal and Braga have nine points. Partizan have zero points meaning Arsenal should be able to pick up qualification since Partizan are having to be visitors to Arsenal Stadium in London. The match between Shakhtar Donetsk may be quite a more spirited display, that's my forecast at least, as Braga need to win away in the Ukraine.
This is how qualification looks so far:
Group A: Tottenham Hotspur FC and FC Internazionale Milano are through while FC Twente go to the Europa League.
Group B: FC Schalke 04 and Olympique Lyonnais are also through while SL Benfica drop to the Europa League.
Group C: Manchester United FC and Valencia CF remain in the Champions League while Rangers FC fall to the Europa League.
Group D: FC Barcelona and FC København are the other teams through to the knock-out round while FC Rubin Kazan will be playing in the Europa League.
Group E: FC Bayern München are assured of their qualification to the knock-out round. I think Roma will qualify with them. Basel should be playing in the Europa League next year.
Group F: Chelsea FC are guarenteed a place in the Champions League next year. Marseille should join them while Spartak Moskva should be bumped to the Europa League.
Group G: Real Madrid and AC Milan have both qualified for the knock-out round. I'll go out on a limba and guess Ajax will take third place.
Finally, Group H: FC Shakhtar Donetsk essentially have the league wrapped up. They would have to lose by eight goals to SC Braga which I don't see happening. Arsenal should qualify as well, while SC Braga will be in the Europa League next year.

Champions League Second Halves 12/7/2010.

*Well somehow FC Twente and Tottenham have found their way into a 3-3 tie within the second half. Both sides have obviously had a ton of chances and no one will accuse this game of being short of goals. Jermain Defoe put Tottenham ahead two minutes into the second half and has continued to be important to the English side, scoring in the 59th minute to give Tottenham the lead once more. A lead they couldn't keep. Roberto Rosales scored in 56th minute to make the match 2-2 before Nacer Chadli equalised in the 64th to make things 3-3. Going into stoppage time, it doesn't look like there will be any kind of a breakthrough despite boths side's best efforts, but who knows? With four minutes of stoppage time, anything could happen. And the match ends 3-3.
*Bremen were much more successful with their three goals, winning against Inter Milan 3-0. Marko Arnautović made it 2-0 four minutes into the second half thanks to a fantastic cross from Hugo Almeida. And the old war-horse Claudio Pizzaro made things 3-0 with his own energy and skill, wrong-footing Esteban Cambiasso on his way to a bottom corner strike on goal.
*Things in Frace ended deadlocked in the second half as they had in the first half, however this time it was 2-2 instead of 0-0. Lyon scored in the 62nd minute through Lisandro who took advantage of an error by goalie Vincent Enyeama to put his side away before things were leveled in the next minute by Ben Sahar who sprinted behind Lyon's backline and struck home, deep, low and in the corner, to draw the two sides level. Eran Zahavi put the away side ahead for the first time, in the 69th minute, in the most brilliant goal of the game thus far, whipping a kick over his own head to get to the cross from Salim Toama. An amazing goal which makes it 2-1 for the Israeli side. Unfortunately for Hapoel Tel-Aviv, Alexandre Lacazette is put through the midfield following a nice set of passes and in the end strokes Lyon level 2-2. Tel-Aviv had to win to keep hands on third place and they have failed to do so.
*The Portuguese meanwhile fell to the Germans as Schalke had two goals before Benfica could score their first. Benedikt Höwedes put the away side two goals clear in the 81st after a nice cross from Peer Kluge fell to his head. Benfica's goalie Roberto never had much of a chance. Nonetheless, Luisão saved some dignity for the home side, scoring in the 87th from a header which re-ignites both the fans and the players to promise a frantic end to the match. And Schalke do hang on for the victory, 2-1, Benfica had several more chances but to no avail, they are only able to keep a Europa League birth.
*Manchester United were able to come back in the 62nd minute of the second half to draw 1-1 with Valencia thanks to a small effort by Anderson: Park Ji-Sung launched a rocket only for it to be denied by Valencia's goalkeeper Vicente Guaita, Anderson was then there for the rebound, slotting it home to keep United on the top of Group C.
*Turkish side Bursaspor were lucky enough to tie with Rangers 1-1 thanks to a relatively late equaliser by Sercan Yıldırım in the 79th minute. He picked up a ball from the left played by Ozan İpek to fire home. Bursaspor had more than two times as many attempts as Rangers as well as a large percent of possession which they were unable to convert to much success in front of goal.
*The Catalan club Barcelona can now celebrate victory over Rubin Kazan thanks to two second half strikes that put the game out of reach of the away side. Andreu Fontàs notched the first one, a debut goal which was a mix of luck and skill: Thiago Alcántara played him a nice ball which he did well to hold before a big deflection off the shot by Vitali Kaleshin stranded Rubin's goalie Sergei Ryzhikov. Víctor Vázquez bended in a second after Adriano set him up for the shot. The game was a very good performance from the youth of the Barca bench, ending in a 2-0 victory.
*Finally, ending the day, Kobenhavn had recorded three before Cedric Kante scored in stoppage time for the away side. Panathinaikos were torn apart for the most part, Jesper Grønkjær's 50th minute penalty giving the Danish side a comfort zone before Djibril Cissé made an own-goal, giving Kobenhavn a 3-0 lead as the game ended. 3-1 was the final score, a good victory for FCK and the end of a disappointing line for the hapless Greeks of Pana'.

Champions League action 12/7/2010. First Half.

*Well in Lisbon, struggling German side Schalke have had the best of the game into half time with a 1-0 lead courtesy of Jose Manuel Jurado. Both sides had tons of oppurtunities throughout the first half beginning in the very first minute when Ivan Rakitić had a go for Schalke 04. They had to wait until the 19th minute however, when Jurado was able to slice in a goal from a pass by Raul Gonzalez following a Rakitić cross.
*Meanwhile in the Netherlands Tottenham are dealing blows to FC Twente, or should I say that Twente is hurting themselves? Peter Wisgerhof opened the scoring for the wrong side when he put in an own goal in the 12th minute. Twente drew level in the 22nd thanks to a fine effort by Denny Landzaat at the penalty spot. The two sides go into half time with the scores level 1-1.
*On the other hand in Germany Bremen lead Inter Milan 1-0 into half time thanks to a beautiful cross by Torsten Frings and a beautiful headed goal by Sebastian Prödl in the 39th minute which put the home side ahead. Bremen have actually more of the attempts in the match as well as a bit more of the possession it would seem.
*In France there is deadlock as Lyon and Hapoel Tel-Aviv are without any goals as the first half ends. Their have been plenty of attempts by both sides and while Lyon does have more possession than their opponents, they aren't using it.
*In Manchester, England, United are falling to Valencia in the first half thanks to a 32nd minute strike by Pablo Hernandez with a fantastic assist by Alejandro Domínguez. Manchester United have actually had more chances and possession than their opponents, however they seem almost clueless in front of goal. Valencia lead 1-0 away from home.
*In Turkey, Bursaspor are being led by Rangers due to a powerful strike by Kenny Miller thanks to a Steven Whittaker cross in the 19th minute. The Turks have actually out-fired the Scotts but to no avail. It'll be interesting to see how Rangers can hold on or even extend this lead. 1-0 'Gers.
*Barcelona on the other hand are fielding a relaxed side as they take on Rubin Kazan. It kind of shows as we go to half time with the score 0-0. Barca have been content to keep the ball for much of the game and have had some chances, as have Rubin, but no breakthrough yet. I see Barca going ahead first though when the second half begins.
*Finally, Denmark plays host to the important game between Kobenhavn and Panathinaikos. FCK went ahead before half time, in the 26th minute, thanks to a Martin Vingaard strike that should see Kobenhavn through to the next round no matter how Rubin fare. 1-0 Kobenhavn.

Champions League matches 12/7/2010.

Concluding Group A action, Twente face Tottenham in the Netherlands which may be a good match as FC Twente's place in the Europa League is not assured and Tottenham will probably want the top spot of the Group. Twente won't be getting through to the next round of the Champions League though, with a five point margin between themselves and Tottenham and Inter who each have ten points. Bremen will be facing Inter in Germany which may inspire the under-performing side to some level of greatness, however the chance of that happening is marginal. The Germans could theoretically challenge for a place in the Europa League, if Twente lose and the goal difference drops below seven, however those chances aren't too great. In Group B meanwhile, Lyon will be taking on Hapoel Tel-Aviv in France while Benfica host Schalke in Portugal. Lyon shouldn't have too much trouble with the Israeli side however the match between Schalke and Benfica may be something interesting as Benfica could challenge for second place, but the more likely course of events will be that they will be playing next year in the Europa League, better than nothing! In Group C, Manchester United face-off against Valencia in Manchester in what could be an interesting but will probably be a disappointing game. The other Group C match-up is between Bursaspor from Turkey and Rangers of Scotland. As it will take place in Turkey, it could be said that Bursaspor will give it a go and try to salvage something from a dismal Champions League run. However, Rangers won't fall too easily so I could see this turning into an interesting match. Finally in Group D, Barcelona will be hosting Rubin while Kobenhavn welcome Panathinaikos. As Barca are untouchable, some would argue that they may let Rubin win, but in front of a home Catalan audience? And soil an undefeated Champions League run thus far? I don't see that happening. They'll give Rubin a fair match without a doubt. Kobenhavn may be counting on it. Sure, the Greeks of Panathinaikos haven't been performing too well, but they may go all out in their last match. I still think Kobenhavn can handle them, especially in Denmark. More matches tomorrow so keep an eye out! Match reports will come later.

The blogger on Russia and Qatar.

Dealing with the recent controversy surrounding the World Cup hosting rights of 2018 and 2022, here are some things to keep in mind: Russia may be a little too big, with nine time zones within one nation. Racism is also rampant in Russia, and domestically it has failed to be brought to justice. Also, Russia need a lot of infrastructure help not just stadium-wise but also transportation and administration-wise. The few positives of the Russian bid were that they have the largest energy reserves and are very wealthy. Qatar meanwhile is very hot no matter what technologies can be implemented. The nation is also a little too small to deal with the teams and fans of 32 other nations. Other issues include workers and women's rights that aren't very good at all. Nonetheless, Qatar have the third largest energy reserves, are very wealthy, and are also a big possible pool for soccer fans. This isn't to say that the two shouldn't have the right to host the World Cup, but that their are some aspects to each of these nations which should have been taken into account by FIFA more than others. I actually do think that a Middle Eastern/Gulf nation should host the World Cup however they do need to improve some things. Russia meanwhile should host a European Championship before getting this honor.

The leagues as the week begins- December 6th 2010.

Well in England, Arsenal FC start the week a point above Manchester United, who have 31 points. Chelsea sit a point behind United while Manchester City hold fourth position at 29 points. Arsenal won't actually have another match until they play Manchester United on the 13th of December at Manchester. United may have to re-play Blackpool before then as their match was postponed. Chelsea meanwhile will be facing Tottenham Hotspur in London, at Spurs meaning that match may be quite difficult. Finally, Manchester City play West Ham on the 12th in a match City should be able to win. In Spain, things look quite a bit different as Barcelona have a two point lead on second place Real Madrid and a 7 point lead on Villarreal CF, who have 30 points in third place. Villarreal will be having to travel to Madrid to face Getafe on the 11th while Barca and Real play on the 12th against Zaragoza and Real Sociedad respectively. Meanwhile over in Italy AC Milan lead the pack with a three point lead over S.S. Lazio who have a three point lead themselves over third place Juventus while Napoli hold fourth place with 24 points. Napoli will actually be facing Palermo, who hold fifth place, in their match today which is literally a do or die game for the Naples side. Hopefully the home fans of Naples will inspire them to victory. Napoli's next game will then be against Genoa on the 11th. AC Milan are away to Bologna on the 12th for their next match while Juventus and Lazio face off in Torino on the same day in what is sure to be a good match. Germany has a more pronounced league thus far this season, as Borussia Dortmund lead second place side 1. FSV Mainz 05 by 10 points while Bayer Leverkusen have 29 points, one point separating the second and third placed sides. Hannover 96 hold fourth position with 28 points meaning they could potentially leapfrog into second place given the right circumstances. Hannover actually face Stuttgart on the 10th so it will be interesting to see whether they can pull up the league table. Leverkusen will travel to Hamburg on the 11th in hopes of cementing their own position while Dortmund and Bremen face-off in Dortmund on the same day. Finally, Mainz face suffering Schalke on the 12th in Mainz which should give them some positive feed-back and possibly allow them to lessen their gap with Dortmund. France on the other hand has an even more volatile title race as four points separate the top ten sides! Lille currently hold the apex while PSG and Stade Rennais are in second with 27 points each. Marseille and Lyon both have 26 points putting them in joint third while Stade Brestois hold fourth, or sixth with goal difference taken into account, place. Finally, Sochaux, Bordeaux, Toulouse, and Montpellier each have 24 points with goal difference putting them at seventh, eighth, ninth, and tenth respectively. Romania is led by FC Oţelul Galaţi who have 39 points while FC Timişoara occupy second place with 34. Third place side FC Vaslui sit two points below them. Portugal is a little more spread out though, with five points separating each of the top three sides. Porto sit on top with 32 points with a game in hand and play Vitoria today while SL Benfica have 27 points from 13 matches and play Rio Ave next. Sporting hold third place and are tied at 22 points with Vitória SC. In the Netherlands, PSV Eindhoven are tied at the top with FC Twente at 37 points from 17 matches each while FC Groningen have 33 points and Ajax have 32 with AZ Alkmaar. PSV take on De Graafsschap on the 11th while Ajax should be able to beat Vitesse on the 12th Twente also face opposition on the 12th, in the form of Heerenveen. Groningen face AZ Alkmaar as well. Last but not least, Scotland is lead by Rangers with 37 points while Celtiv are two points behind at 35. Heart of Midlothian FC hold thrid position with 26 points while Inverness Caledonian Thistle FC are a point behind them. The fourth's matches were postponed however Rangers are scheduled to face Inverness away on the 11th while Celtic take on Kilmarnock in Glasgow on the same day.

Gulf Cup!

Yemen, the hosts, fell in the first round, but they let Kuwait make a fantastic first: the tiny Gulf nation have now won 10 Gulf Cup titles in the history of the tournament! Unbeaten throughout the whole adventure, Kuwait were victorious against Saudi Arabia 1-0 in Aden, Yemen to crown their tremendous achievement. This was another disappointment for the Saudi's as they fell to Oman in the last final. Despite neither side scoring in regulation time, Kuwait finally drew ahead in the 4th minute of stoppage time thanks to a fantastic effort from Walied Ali outside of the area. The Saudi's were hindered from doing much of anything thanks to the sending-off of Mohannad Asiri near the end of the match. Nonetheless, the game was very exciting and served as a perfect Final for a tournament that Yemen hosted very nicely. As I post this, there were no reports of terror strikes or anything as the Yemenese pulled off the hosting without a hitch, a fact which I applaud.

New College Funk v.s. Ringling.

We played our friendly rivals Ringling today in a brilliant match in the cool afternoon sun. Despitte vastly out-numbering the New College side, having at least 15 players on the field and the bench, Ringling wasn't able to convert anything meaningful. New College opened the scoring in the first half thanks to a nice strike by Zac Totta which disected Ringling's defence. The rest of the first half was full of action, but no goals as Ringling tried to equalise while the Funk attempted to extend the lead. No matter, the second half exploded into life as Keith Sommers slotted a beauty into the back of the net about mid-way into the half. Once more there was a lot of action, before Ringling's Dani and Jun played a nice one-two, edging around Michael Dexter to shoot into an open corner. New College's goalie, James Eveland, was a wall in the net and had a great game, but he was wrong-footed this time, leading to the goal. With the score at 2-1, Ringling actually showed some inspiration, passing nicely for a little bit before they lost possession. Once they lost the ball, New College sent waves down the field, ending in Zac Totta's second goal, the third for New College and the fourth of the game. Following the goal, Ringling were out of it, almost allowing another two goals before the match ended 3-1. There were congratulations as well as hand-shakes on both sides after the whistle blew. This was actually New College's first win of the year and it should be said that it was also their best performance. Congrats New College and good game Ringling!

Domestic league action review continued.

Germany: Schalke 04 bounced back from their crushing defeat to Kaiserslautern to upset Bayern 2-0. Both goals came in the second half after a first half that could have been Bayern's. However, things began to change in the 58th minute when Jose Jurado rolled the ball into the net after a nice contribution from Raul. Benedikt Howedes converted the team's second in the 67th which really just put Bayern out of the match. The Netherlands: Ajax were only able to tie with NEC at home despite opening the scoring late in the second half. Mido put the home side ahead in the 76th minute before Bram Nuytinck equalised only two minutes later to end the match 1-1. PSV on the otherhand couldn't be stopped, destroying a resistant Heracles 5-2. The away side, Heracles, actually opened the scoring, Everton netting one in the 27th. PSV quickly hit back though, hard: Balazs Dzsudzsak equalised in the 36th minute before Ola Toivonen knocked in another in the 41st minute making it 2-1 at half time. However, Everton came to Heracles' rescue again, equalising in the 62nd. Then, in the 70th, Peter Reekers was sent-off leaving Heracles down to ten men. Ola Toivonen quickly scored again, in the 74th, to put PSV ahead 3-2. Eindhoven were never going to be happy with just that though, putting in another two goals in the last two minutes of the game thanks to Ibrahim Affellay (88th) and Marcus Berg (90th) respectively. Finally, Twente defeated De Graafschap 2-0 thanks to two goals from Theo Janssen in the 8th and 69th minutes.
Spain: The two big guns both played today, Barca getting a 3-0 victory over Osasuna and Real gaining some confidence, beating Valencia 2-0. Barcelona were grateful of Pedro Rodriguez's 26th minute goal to start things off before Messi exploded, sinking one goal in the 65th and another, a penalty, in the 84th, to comfortably win the match. Osasuna just didn't have anything today, as most clubs don't against Barca. Real meanwhile can continue to praise Ronaldo as he scored both of their goals to win the match against Valencia. He waited late to do it though, scoring first in the 73rd before notching another to his tally in the 87th.
France: Sochaux edged Valenciennes 2-1 when the two sides met today. Carlao opened the scoring for the eventual winners in the 15th minute of play. The first half ended that way 1-0 to the home side. The second half continued in this vein, with Modibo Maiga putting one in at the 55th minute to make it 2-0. But Valenciennes didn't allow Pierrick Cros to keep a clean-sheet as Carlos Sanchez drew one back in the 65th minute. The game ended with a few more chances and several substitutions.
Italy: Roma started out very strong against their hosts Chievo thanks to two first half goals by Fabio Simplicio in the 26th and 44th minutes which were unanswered. Until the second half. Chievo then went on a rampage in the second half with Davide Moscardelli finishing one in the 61st before Pablo Granoche slotted one in the 83rd. Roma then lost Daniele De Rossi in the 85th due to a red card, but Chievo could only try to get a winning goal as the clock winded down, finishing the game 2-2. The other Italian match, between league leaders AC Milan and strugglers Brescia was far more straight forward as Kevin-Prince Boateng put in a goal in the 4th minute. Things only improved for the Milanese club as Robinho scored in the 28th and Ibrahimovic scored a rather pointless, but well-deserved third in the 30th minute to close the game early in the first half. Despite all of Brescia's attempts, and even some from AC Milan, the remainder of the first half and all of the second half remained goal-less.

Domestic league action in review.

Germany: Eintracht Frankfurt defeated Mainz 2-1 thanks to Theofanis Gekas' converted penalty in the 84th minute. Frankfurt had taken an early lead in the 35th minute thanks to a goal by Marco Russ. Andre Schurrle equalised before half time to give Mainz some hope. But nothing happened until Gekas' goal, which not only helps Frankfurt but also Dortmund, who with a win of their next game could go further ahead in the Bundesliga. Freiburg also won at home, defeating Hamburg 1-0 thanks to a Papiss Demba Cisse goal in the 3rd minute. Monchengladbach weren't so lucky however, going down 2-1 to Hannover. Michael Bradley put the home side ahead in the 17th minute. 'Gladbach were actually able to keep their lead through half time and even into the second half before Mike Hanke equalised for Hannover in the 73rd minute. Didier Ya Konan followed Hanke's goal with one of his own two minutes later which essentially put the game to bed. In Stuttgart's match with Hoffenheim, Sejad Salihovic put the away side in front in the 11th minute before Harnik scored in the 34th minute to leave the game level 1-1. Wolfsburg and Bremen also ended level, 0-0, despite several chances throughout the game.
England: Arsenal edged Fulham 2-1 thanks to two efforts from Samir Nasri on either side of Diomansy Kamara's 30th minute goal. Birmingham and Tottenham drew in their match 1-1 when Craig Gardner equalised in the 81st minute. Sebastien Bassong had put Tottenham ahead early, in the 19th minute. Blackburn v.s. Wolves ended in heartbreak for the Wolverhampton supporters as their side was punished 3-0 with goals from David Dunn in the 29th, Brett Emerton in the 43rd minute, and Ryan Nelson in the 55th. Wolves were just ineffective in front of goal as well as in protecting their own. Everton managed a tie against Chelsea, making the Blues blue for sure. Substitute Jermaine Beckford's equalising goal in the 86th minute provided for a very tense match. Didier Drogba's 42nd minute penalty was no way for the titans to save a point, Everton deserved the three. Manchester City meanwhile were successful at home, fending off Bolton's advances 1-0 thanks to Carlos Tevez's 4th minute strike. Finally, Wigan and Stoke tied 2-2 in their match thanks to an own goal by Danny Collins' 30th minute. Robert Huth had put the away side up in the 18th minute before the own goal. Matthew Etherington put Stoke back on top a minute after the own goal but that goal was equalised as well, by Tom Cleverley's 40th minute effort, to end a very exciting first half.
I'll report on the other matches of the day later. Have a great weekend!

Some big domestic league matches today.

First off, the joke of a game between FC St. Pauli and Kaiserslautern in Germany: St. Pauli won at home, which is respectable, but the margin was 1-0 and that only due to Christian Tiffert's 48th minute own goal! Kaiserslautern were just not able to perform, losing the form they had found against Schalke 04, very disappointing personally, St. Pauli just took advantage of this. In Italy today, Inter Milan lost once more, falling 3-1 to second place S.S. Lazio, a fourth loss for the defending Champions. Giuseppe Biava got things off well for Lazio, scoring in the 25th minute. Already 7 points behind their enemies AC Milan, Inter fell even further behind the leaders. Mauro Zárate put in a second not too long into the second half; but Goran Pandev brought the two sides closer in the 74th minute with his strike. But Hernanes put the game to bed in the 89th minute with a deflected free-kick. Inter now sit at sixth place, but they could drop further as other teams are playing on the weekend. Lazio and AC Milan are now tied at the top of the table. Meanwhile in the Iberian nation of Portugal, SL Benfica shrugged off their Champions League dismissal to draw within five points of leaders and rivals FC Porto as they defeated SC Olhanense 2-0 thanks to efforts from Oscar Cardozo in the 43rd minute and Javier Saviola's 81st minute strike. In Romania, Univ Craiova took a 66th minute lead through Dorel Stoica before falling to Lacina Traore's 69th minute strike and Dominique Kivuvu's converted shot in the 72nd which gave CFR Cluj a 2-1 victory today.  

TP Mazembe Englebert.

As a side with an excellent record in African football they became the first club to successfully defend their African Champions Cup title in the years 1967 and 1968, then still called Tout Puissant Englebert, they are also in a good position to advance to the semi-finals of this year's CAF Champions League. From the DR Congo, the side led by the Senegalese coach Lamine N’Diaye beat JS Kabylie 3-1 and then  drew in Algeria to go through to their fifth Champions League final. They then dealt with Tunisian side Esperance, winning 5-0 victory at home in Lubumbashi before drawing 1-1 in the away leg. TP Mazembe Englebert have been drawn to face Pachuca CF of Mexico in the first round of the Club World Cup hoping for a better time then The Crows (Les Corbeaux) had in the Abu Dhabi final last year, losing to then Asian Champions Pohang Steelers and again to Auckland City. TP Mazembe Englebert's rise is partially to do with the coaching the side have in addition to the team itself. Moise Katumbi is another central figure in the side's return to glory as the club chairman. A businessman as well, his cash injections have certainly helped to boost the club's standing. Many of the players on the side have a back story in this competition, goalkeeper Robert Muteba Kidiaba is one of these such players. Having been sent-off in Englebert's fifth-place match with Auckland for handling the ball outside of his area, he should be quite happy to have a second chance at the finals as he is 34 and births in the Club World Cup aren't always easy to obtain. Having won the African Champions League, he may well be on his way to rectifying his past mistakes.  Al Ahly's third-place finish in 2006 is Africa's best showing in the history of the Club World Cup, with only North African teams showing much success. It'll be interesting to see if Englebert can overturn this trend. Best of luck to all the teams representing their respective continents!

UEFA Europa League matches 12/2/2010. World Cup hosting news too!

Group F action was dominated by CSKA Moskva's demolition of Lausanne 5-1. Tomáš Necid scored the first and last goals for the home side as they ran to victory. Necid's 18th minute strike was a beauty while his 82nd shot was dirtier, but nonetheless deserved. CSKA went on to score in the 22nd minute as well, thanks to Sekou Oliseh's strike. Zoran Tošić gave the Moscow club a 3-0 lead before half-time, in the 40th minute when he slotted in his shot. Alan Dzagoev put the home side further ahead in the 71st minute with a beaming shot. When Abdul Carrupt's goal came in the 2nd minute of stoppage time of the second half, the away side were only slightly buoyed, knowing they couldn't recover from the 4 goal deficit. In the Group J match between Dortmund and Karpaty, in Germany, Dortmund were nearly unstoppable, converting 3 goals including one in only the fifth minute. Shinji Kagawa's 5th minute goal set the tone for the rest of the match essentially, as the first half ended with Dortmund up 1-0. The second half was even better for the home side as they converted two more goals to close the game. Mats Hummels' 49th minute goal was the start of this trend and then Robert Lewandowski's 89th minute shot finished the game 3-0. An interesting observation is that Karpaty only had three serious chances on goal, two in the first half and one in the second. Jurgen Klopp's side are looking quite formidable both domestically and abroad. in the other Group J match, PSG took on Sevilla in France and got the result, winning 4-2. The French side scored two goals first, thanks to Mathieu Bodmer and Guillaume Hoarau in the 17th and 20th minutes respectively, before Sevilla equalised before the end of the first half due to two wonderful strikes from Frédéric Kanouté within 5 minutes. However his efforts were to no avail as Nenê scored in the 45th minute to return the lead to PSG. Hoarau scored another goal in the 47th minute, sealing the game for the French as no other goals followed. In Utrecht's Group K game versus Napoli, neither team could get a winner despite 6 goals being scored. Edinson Cavani was absolutely brilliant for the side from Naples as he opened the scoring in the 5th minute with a perfect shot. Ricky van Wolfswinkel drew Utrecht level in the a minute later with a shot of his own. Van Wolfswinkel then put his side one up with another strike in the 28th minute from the penalty spot. Napoli were then driven into the ground when Frank Demouge converted in the 35th minute to put the home side up 3-1. However Cavani wasn't finished for Napoli. He exploded in the 42nd minute and converted a sweet shot before half time to bring the sides closer together. Cavani then stepped-up to the plate, or the spot more correctly, to convert a penalty in the 70th minute which drew the two sides level 3-3 to end the game despite many other efforts at goal from both sides. Liverpool meanwhile were held to a 1-1 draw against Steaua in Group K action. Milan Jovanović put the visitors ahead in the 19th minute before Éder Bonfim converted for Steaua in the 61st minute. In Group L, Beşiktaş defeated CSKA Sofia 2-1 thanks to to early second half goals that CSKA Sofia couldn't come back from. Tomáš Zápotočný scored the Turkish side's and the game's first in the 59th minute before Filip Hološko shot one in at the 64th minute. CSKA Sofia were only able to pull one back thanks to the efforts of Cillian Sheridan in the 79th minute. The other Group L match ended with the away team also winning, as FC Porto went to Austria to defeat SK Rapid Wien 3-1. Christopher Trimmel put the home side ahead first though, in the 39th minute. That wasn't enough though as Falcao went on a vicious scoring rampage beginning in the 42nd minute to get Porto the win. Falcao also scored in the 86th and 88th minutes to score a well-deserved hat-trick, giving his Portuguese the three points in the process. Sheriff and AZ finished tied in their Group E showdown with a goal from Brett Holman giving the away side from the Netherlands an early lead; before Florent Rouamba equalised for the Moldovan side in the 54th minute. Villarreal destroyed their guests Dinamo Zagreb 3-0 in their match thanks in large part due to Giuseppe Rossi's two goals in the 25th and 80th minutes. Marco Ruben added a third in the 62nd minute to insure the home side's success. PAOK tied Club Brugge 1-1 in their Group D match while Dynamo Kyiv were able to crush BATE in Group E 4-1. Finally, Palermo tied Sparta Praha 2-2 in the two sides' Group F meeting.
***And the host of the World Cup has also been announced: The 2018 edition of the FIFA World Cup will be hosted by Russia. The 2022 edition will be held in Qatar.***

Some things to know from 2010 in football.

On January 8th the Togo national football team was involved in an attack in Angola, which led them to withdraw from the African Cup of Nations.
Between the 10th and 31st of January, the African Cup of Nations was played out, Egypt winning over Ghana in the Final 1-0. Nigeria were able to finish third, beating Algeria.
On January 19th, Panajot Pano died, an Albanian footballer born on the 7th of March in 1939, he played keeper in the early part of his life with SK Tirana's youth academy before becoming the most famous striker of Partizani Tirana, biggest rivals of SK Tirana. He played just two years short of 20 years in which he played 24 games for the Albanian National Team. In 2004, on the 50th anniversary of UEFA, Pano accepted the UEFA Jubilee Award for Albania, the same award that Fritz Walter received for his performances for Germany. Alfredo di Stéfano, Henrik Larsson, Eusébio, George Best, Johan Cruyff, Dino Zoff, and George Best are other notable recipients of the award.
From June 11th to July 11th,  The 2010 FIFA World Cup was held in South Africa, the first time the World Cup had been held in Africa. Spain were the winners of the tournament for the first time in the nation's history. The Netherlands lost to them in the Final, the young, and talented Germans won the 3rd place match against onetime super-powers Uruguay.
Similarly, from July 13th to August 1st, Germany hosted, and won, the FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup. They defeated Nigeria in the final match while the Korea Republic (South Korea) finished 3rd over Colombia.

Meanwhile, on August 22nd, Stjepan Bobek, a Yugoslav footballer born on the 3rd of December 1923, died. He served as both a striker and as a manager. While he did play in Zagreb, his stint at Partizan Belgrade of Serbia is most well-known where he scored over 400 goals. Named the club's best player in history in 1995, he had won 2 league and 4 Cup titles in his time at the club. His international performances were also dazzling, he was Yugoslavia's all-time top-scorer scoring just shy of 40 goals in 63 matches with the team. He also helped to win 2 Olympic silver medals, playing in 2 World Cups as well. Bobek was also a successful manager, winning titles with both Partizan, 'his' team, and Panathinaikos of Greece.
In September, ranging from the 5th to the 25th, the 2010 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup was hosted by Trinidad and Tobago. The Korea Republic (South Korea) took top spot, defeating Japan in the final while the Spanish representatives were able to beat the DPR of Korea (North Korea) in their match. Interesting fact: there were over 120 goals scored in the tournament!
Some of the best women in the world include: Birgit Prinz of Germany, at 33, she has done just about everything there is to do in the span of her 16 years playing for the German national team. She is the most-capped and all-time leading goal-scorer in the German's womens game. She also converts normally for FCC Frankfurt, her club-side.  Midfielder Camille Abily is another fantastic player, from France, who has had alot of success of late both for club and country. She was integral in bringing France back to the Womens World Cup for only the second time as well. Fatmire Bajramaj, another German, has a brillaint work ethic and has a wonderful career ahead as she is only 22! Bajramaj was also a vital part of the Turbine Potsdam team which claimed a Bundesliga and UEFA Women’s Champions League double. So Yun-Ji of the Korea Republic has alot of skill and speed which makes her one of the younger stars in the women's game today. It can be argued that she got the U-20 South Korean side to 3rd place in the tournament this year. The Brazilian Marta meanwhile remains a superb player, and only 24 too! Lots of skill and lots of goals are a fantastic combination as her FC Gold Pride performances illustrate. She also recieved the league's top scorer and best player awards for the second time in a row, which is in itself impressive. Caroline Seger of Sweden is another midfielder who had a great year, coming very close to winning a second successive league title in two different nations. Seger also steered Sweden to the 2011 Finals in Germany. Christine Sinclair of Canada partnered with Marta for spectacular results at FC Gold Pride. She is one of the best scorers, also helping the Canadian women to qualify for the 2011 Germany tournament. Kelly Smith of England is another prolific striker, regularly being nominated as a FIFA Women's world player of the year. A goal every other game was her record for both club and country, helping the Boston Breakers and qualifying England for the Championships in Germany next year. In a different vein,  Hope Solo is possibly the best goalis in the women's game. She was named the Atlanta Beat's first Player of the Week. However, she was injured during  the U.S.'s qualification progress but should be back in form for the World Cup next year. Finally, another American, Abby Wambach,  serves as a brilliant striker who can really change a game. Having scored over 100 goals, she has also won several pieces of silverware, including the Gold Medal at the 2004 Olympics. She also serves her club, the Washington Freedom, well, scoring 13 goals and setting-up 8 others.

These are just a couple of the events that occured this year, please feel free to contact me if you  think other events should be recognized. Thanks, Bennet.

Copa Sudamericana

If an outside observer had to call the final between Goias of Brazil and Independiente of Argentina, you normally wouldn't be questioned if you put your money on Independiente. How is it then that Goias have a 2-0 lead going into the second leg? Rafael Moura and Otacilio Neto were the keys to the small team's success as they both scored goals in a match where the Argentines weren't allowed to get into any kind of a rhythem. Indeed, defenders Julian Velazquez and Leonel Galeano were both booked relatively early in the first half, just before the opening goal in the 15th minute in fact. Rafael Moura fired a beauty just beyond the reach of Independiente's goalkeeper Hilario Navarro. The goal gave Moura a better position as the tournament's top scorer with seven goals, very impressive. The second strike came just over five minutes later as Douglas crossed sweetly, once more out of the reach of Navarro's grasp, allowing the ball to drop to Neto who had a simple finish to make it 2-0. There were several other chances, however Moura's header with five minutes left was possibly the best chance to make it 3-0, but Navarro served Independiente well, saving it. Independiente's problems were also expounded when striker Nestor Andres Silvera was sent off by referee Carlos Torres after elbowing Goias defender Rafael Toloi. Goias has to keep their cool now though, as anything can happen in the next 90 minutes, especially as Independiente will have a vibrant home crowd behind them. I'm expecting another great game.

Round-up of the UEFA Europa League late games. 12/1/2010.

Lech's goal in the 12th minute made things pretty dire for the Italians of Juventus. For much of the game, Lech's one goal tormented the once powerful side. However, Iaquinta's strike in the 84th minute was enough to tie the match. It was still a fantastic result for Lech as they had led Group A. They now hold second place while Juventus sit in third. Manchester City lead the group, two points ahead of Lech. Salzburg ony have two points as they reside in the last position. Aris of Greece on the other hand couldn't be flying any higher as they defeated Atletico Madrid in Madrid! The final score was 3-2 in the Greek's favor and it all started when Koke put a shot away in the 2nd minute of play. Forlan and Aguero both scored to give the hosts the lead, scoring in the 11th and 16th minutes, to allow Atletico to go ahead at the half. This run was stopped though, as Koke converted a penalty in the 51st minute to draw the two sides level. Lazaridis then turned the game on its head, striking for victory in the  81st minute. A goal that the Spanish side couldn't handle. Leverkusen meanwhile dealt with Rosenborg, edging their opponents 1-0 despite Rosenborg having the home field advantage. Sam's 35th minute strike was the crowning moment of this match despite some other chances for both sides. Gent won by the same margin, against Levski, to earn the three points in their match. Wallace was the player who scored late in the second half (77th minute) to claim victory. In a real change of events, Manchester City took Salzburg apart 3-0 when the two sides clashed in England. Mario Balotelli had a very good game, scoring in the 18th and 65th minutes before Adam Johnson had a solo effort which put Man. City into the round of 32. Finally, Sporting were victorious for the 100th time in UEFA competition, in front of a home crowd in Lisbon, winning 1-0 over French side Lille thanks to the talents of Anderson Polga who scored in the 28th minute.

UEFA Europa League matches today 12/1/2010.

Following a couple of chances that were ruled offsides, Zenit open the scoring at home against Anderlecht in the 12th minute with a fair effort by Ionov, 1-0 for the Russians. Zenit then extend their lead against Anderlecht with Buhkarov's 65th minute goal, making this a 2-0 game in favor of the Russians. The home-field advantage is certainly a factor may I add. But Anderlecht are still in this! In the 87th minute, Kanu strikes one to make the score 2-1, this promises to be a very entertaining ending. And Huszti puts another away for Zenit, the game has to be over. Anderlecht can't come back now. 3-1, Zenit win. Getafe also get an early lead against OB thanks to a stunner in the snow by Rios in the 17th. 1-0 Getafe. But somehow, in the second minute of stoppage time in the second half, Andreasen draws the two sides level, and with a few more efforts, the game is over, OB have salvaged a point at the expense of Getafe, 1-1. And Sampdoria take a lead in their match with PSV: It's the 40th minute and Pazzini gets the goal done. Wasn't the most beautiful but they won't complain. But here is something for the Italians to complain about! PSV draws level in the 51st minute thanks to Toivonen's header. And then, in the dying moments of this game, Sampdoria have a player sent off in the 89th while Toivonen scores a second goal in the 90th to put the Dutch ahead of their hosts, what a game! 2-1, PSV win. Hajduk Split are down two goals in the meantime, thanks to two second half performances by Scocco in the 50th, a penalty, and Manolas' 61st minute goal which have put AEK in very good position for getting the three points here. Indeed, as if to rub it in, Blanco scores in the 84th minute to send Split on their way. Buljat isn't going down without a fight though, as he scores on the 90th minute to show some defiance to the Greeks. Just too late though, 3-1 for an AEK victory. Metalist are tied with Debrecen in their Group I match, thanks only to an own goal that comes in the 52nd minute from Bódi, that was unlucky for the visitors, their hosts wont complain though. Czvitkovics' goal in the 48th minute had given Debrecen the lead in the second half. And how unlucky for Debrecen: Metalist edge them out thanks to an 88th minute strike by Oliynyk that must crush the Debrecen fans. 2-1, another defeat for Debrecen. Finally, Young Boys have found it in themselves to put one past Stuttgart, in the 34th  minute from David Degen. But then Stuttgart draw level as the second half opens! The effort by Pogrebnyak was very nice in my opinion. 1-1 here in Berne. And just before a break in play due to the weather, Stuttgart goes ahead through Schipplock! The Germans have renewed confidence, hopefully the game can be finished though, the weather has been quite terrible here. And what a turn around! Sutter for the Swiss in the 78th minute to tie things up, before Mayuka enters into the fray and slams in two goals in two minutes just after the 80th minute to put Young Boys ahead 4-2! Stuttgart have just fallen apart! As I post this, Manchester City lead Salzburg 1-0 while Lech lead Juventus by the same margin. Similar stories as Leverkusen lead Rosenborg and Sporting are edging Lille. Atletico have a one goal lead as well, over Aris, however that match holds a 2-1 scoreline.

UEFA Europa League tables up to today.

Group A:
Lech Pozan 7 pts
Manchester City 7 pts
Juventus 4 pts
Salzburg 2 pts
Group B:
Bayer Leverkusen 8 pts
Atletico Madrid 7 pts
Aris 4 pts
Rosenborg 3 pts
Group C:
Sporting 9 pts
Lille 5 pts
AA Gent 4 pts
Levski Sofia 4 pts
Group D:
Dinamo Zagreb 7 pts
PAOK 7 pts
Villarreal 6 pts
Club Bruges 2 pts
Group E:
BATE 10 pts
Dynamo Kiev 7 pts
FC Sheriff Tiraspol 3 pts
AZ Alkmaar 3 pts
Group F:
CSKA Moscow12 pts
Sparta Prague 7 pts
Palermo 3 pts
Lausanne Sports 1 pt
Group G:
Zenit St. Petersburg 12 pts
Anderlecht 4 pts
AEK 4 pts
Hajduk Split 3 pts
Group H:
Stuttgart  12 pts
Young Boys 6 pts
Getafe 3 pts
Odense BK 3 pts
Group I:
PSV 10 pts
Metalist 7 pts
Sampdoria 5 pts
Debreceni 0 pts
Group J:
Sevilla 9 pts
PSG 8 pts
Dortmund 5 pts
Karpaty Lviv 0 pts
Group K:
Liverpool 8 pts
Steaua Bucureşti 5 pts
Napoli 3 pts
Utrecht 3 pts
Group L:
Porto 10 pts
Beşiktaş JK 7 pts
Rapid Wien 3 pts
CSKA Sofia 3 pts

UEFA Europa League 12/1/2010.

It's the first day of December and we have some exciting Europa League action! Zenit play Anderlecht in St. Petersburg, Russia in Group G, while in the other Group G match Hajduk Split take on AEK Athens in the Stadion Poljud in Split. Young Boys will be facing  Group H opposition Stuttgart in Berne at the same time as OB take on Getafe in Odense. Metalist v.s. Debrecen and Sampdoria v.s. PSV in Group I are the other early matches. Manchester City play Salzburg in Manchester later today while Lech will hope for something against Juventus rounding out Group A. Group B action will consist of Atletico taking on Aris of Greece which should, sadly, be an easy match for the Spanish side at home. Rosenborg take on Leverkusen in the other Group B fixture. Finally, in Group C, Sporting will welcome Lille to Lisbon as Gent will meet Levski. I'll do a report on each of these matches as they get under way.