What a day in the leagues of Europe! 10/29/11.

Well, in Scotland Aberdeen were edged 1-2 at home by visiting Rangers who just continue to extend their lead at the top of the Scottish table. Celtic meanwhile did not help their case as they finished a 0-0 draw with Hibernian. While the Glasgow side do have a game in hand over 2nd place Motherwell, even if they earn the maximum number of points, they will still just be even with them. Dunfermline were beaten 1-4 by Dundee United. Hearts were also beaten, but only 0-1 by Kilmarnock who scored through Dean Shiels in the 55th minute from the penalty spot. Hearts were brought down to 10 men after Ian Black was sent off in the 16th minute. Up in Inverness, Motherwell were able to earn another 3 points despite falling behind in the 4th minute. David Davis struck that goal for Inverness to get the game started in the best way. Shaun Hutchinson equalized for Motherwell in the 39th minute while Andrew Shinnie gave Inverness the lead again in the 76th minute. A minute later, Keith Lasley had brought Motherwell level once more! Chris Hogg's sending off for Inverness was good news for Motherwell who proceeded to regain the lead in the 87th minute through Tom Hateley. The last game in Scotland was between St. Johnstone and St. Mirren: the visitors ended up on top thanks to Kenny McLean's 81st minute goal making it 0-1.
On the other side of the Channel, in Germany, Wolfsburg were just barely beaten by Hertha Berlin 2-3. Stuttgart and Dortmund actually drew 1-1 with the home side actually scoring first through Serdar Tasci in the 22nd minute. Dortmund seemed up for the challenge though as they equalized through Lukasz Piszczek in the 1st minute of stoppage time of the 1st half. Schalke defeated visiting Hoffenheim 3-1 with Raul striking in the 28th minute and Klaas-Jan Huntelaar going on a scoring run between the 73rd and 76th minutes resulting in 2 more goals. Vedad Ibisevic had brought Hoffenheim level in the 63rd minute. Monchengladbach edged Hannover in their match scoring first and last, through Marco Reus both times. Reus' goals came on either side of Emanuel Pogatetz's 26th minute goal for Hannover. Mainz were routinely defeated by Bremen 1-3 despite breaking the deadlock first, in the 23rd minute (through Niko Bungert). Claudio Pizarro brought Werder Bremen level 6 minutes later while Aaron Hunt and Sebastian Prodl added on a goal each to make it a good day for Bremen. Bayern were the most successful side today though, crushing Nurnberg 4-0 thanks to an opener and closer from Mario Gomez and goals from both Bastian Schweinsteiger and Franck Ribery in the 19th and 39th minutes respectively. On to Holland now where Ajax thrashed Roda 0-4 with goals from Christian Eriksen, Theo Janssen, Jody Lukoki, and Lorenzo Ebicilio. The other matches of the day were in progress as I posted this.
Down in Spain Barcelona are currently cruising over Mallorca 3-0 thanks to a brilliant hat trick from Lionel Messi. Valencia beat Getafe 3-1 thanks to 2 goals from Sofiane Feghouli and one from Aritz Aduriz. Diego Castro was the man who scored for Getafe in the 23rd. Villarreal defeated Rayo nicely, winning 2-0 thanks to Bruno's 20th minute goal and Borja Valero's 67th minute one.
Back up north in England, Chelsea and Arsenal punched out a 3-5 scoreline with the Gunners actually winning! Frank Lampard got things off to the right start for Chelsea, scoring in the 14th minute. Robin Van Persie equalized for Arsenal in the 36th minute while John Terry gave the Blues the lead once more. Andre Santos equalized once more before Theo Walcott gave Arsenal the lead for the first time. Juan Mata was then the man to bring Chelsea level in the 80th. Van Persie then decided he wanted to register a hat trick so he scored his 2nd in the 85th and completed his tally in the 2nd minute of stoppage time for the 2nd half. Everton were edged 0-1 by Manchester United who scored through Javier Hernandez in the 19th minute. Manchester City were more convincing in their 3-1 defeat of Wolves while Norwich and Blackburn tied 3-3. Sunderland and Aston Villa finished level too, 2-2 in this case. Stilian Petrov gave Villa the lead in the 20th while Connor Wickham equalized matters in the 38th. Richard Dunne gave Villa the lead once more, in the 85th minute, before Stephane Sessegnon brought Sunderland level once more 4 minutes later. Swansea v.s. Bolton was a good game, the home side were able to win it all though. West Brom were beaten Liverpool while Wigan suffered the same fate from Fulham.
Last but not least, we have Italy. Roma were edged 2-3 by Milan who really were carried by Zlatan Ibrahimovic. He opened the scoring in the 17th and struck again in the 78th to ensure AC's victory. Nicolas Burdisso and Bojan were the scorers for Roma while Alessandro Nesta was the one to score AC Milan's 2nd in the 30th. Catania played hosts and edged Napoli 2-1 despite falling behind in the 1st minute from Edinson Cavani's strike. In the 25th minute, Giovanni Marchese brought Catania back into the game while Mario Santana's sending off in the 43rd did not bode well for the Naples side. Gonzalo Bergessio struck Catania's vital goal in the 48th unknowingly sealed the fate of the game. Finally, Inter are hosting Juventus as I post this and are currently losing 0-1! Mirko Vucinic has given the visitors the lead in the 12th minute. Enjoy!

Europa League talk. 10/27/11.

Well let's start in Group A where Tottenham Hotspur currently lead with an undefeated 2-1-0 record. PAOK FC are also undefeated in 2nd place, with a record of 1-2-0. Rubin Kazan have tallied one kind of every result while Ireland's Shamrock Rovers are without a point in 4th place. Next up is Group B where Standard de Liege and Hannover of Germany are at the top of the table. The former of these two sides leads on goal difference. Kobenhaven are in 3rd with a win, a draw, and a loss while Vorskla Poltava have taken just one point from their first three games. Over in Group C PSV Eindhoven hold sway with three straight wins while Legia Warszawa are 2nd after two wins  and a loss. Rapid Bucuresti have won once and lost their other two games while Hapoel Tel-Aviv bring up the rear with three losses from three matches played. Sporting of Portugal lead Group D while FC Vaslui, FC Zurich, and S.S. Lazio each have drawn twice and lost once meaning they must be separated by goal difference: Vaslui takes 2nd, Zurich are in 3rd, and Lazio are in 4th for some reason. Next up is Group E where surprise packages Stoke City lead the table with two wins and a draw. Dynamo Kyiv have a 1-2-0 record and a better goal difference than 3rd place competition Besiktas. Maccabi Tel-Aviv have yet to grab a win, but they have registered a point! That's all as they occupy 4th. In a relatively more star-studded group, Group F is held somewhat safely by Athletic Club of Spain who have won twice and drawn. PSG from France hold 2nd with a win, a draw, and a loss while FC Salzburg have a similar record but a less impressive goal difference. Last but not least comes SK Slovan Bratislava who have taken a point, but not much else. Metalist Kharkiv lead Group G with 7 points from their first 3 games while AZ Alkmaar have switched the results in that respect: 2 draws and a win. Austria Wien have amassed  4 points with a win, a draw, and a loss while Malmo FF of Sweden have yet to really make a result. Group H has another British team at the top with Birmingham City leading on goal difference over Club Brugge. SC Braga meanwhile holds 3rd with 4 points while NK Maribor have taken a point, but that's it as they are in 4th. Group I is yet another talent-filled group with Italian side Udinese Calcio leading after the first three games. Spain's Atletico Madrid are in 2nd with 4 points while Scotland's Celtic have gotten off to a slow start with two draws and a loss.They have fought for better results though which gives them an edge over Stade Rennais. Approaching Group J, is might seem heavily balanced in Germany's favor as Schalke 04  face the likes of Maccabi Haifa, Steaua Bucuresti, and AEK Larnaca FC. It hasn't been totally smooth sailing though as the Germans were held to a 0-0 draw in Romania when they visited Steaua Bucuresti. Maccabi Haifa have actually been quite successful at home, however they only have Schalke left visiting them so it might be expected that the Israelis will drop points if not places. Group K are led by the Dutch surprises FC Twente who are undefeated with 2 wins and a draw. Fulham of England have one of every kind of outcome while Odense and Wisla Krakow have each won one and lost two. Finally, in Group L Anderlecht are actually cruising with 3 wins out of their first 3 games. Lokomotiv Moskva have lost just once but won their other two matches. Sturm Graz meanwhile has lost two and won one while AEK Athens are in the doldrums with no wins in their first three matches. Hope you keep enjoying the Europa League!

League tables after the weekend.

Well it was a very exciting weekend of football that we have concluded and the Sunday matches were simply spectacular. In Sweden, Helsingborgs are at top and untouchable with 63 points from 30 games. With the title in the bag, celebrations were in order as AIK Solna were held to a 1-1 result by Malmo. That kept AIK Solna in 2nd with 58 points. IF Elfsborg finished in 3rd, a point behind Solna. After Elfsborg came Malmo FF who finished their 30 matches with 54 points. GAIS Goteborg rounded out the top five with 51 points. Interesting fact: Helsingborgs were unbeaten at home, winning 10 and drawing 5! Meanwhile, in Scotland, Rangers have gotten off to a fantastic start, a full 10 points separating them and their cross-town rivals Celtic. Having said that, Celtic have played one game less than 'Gers and currently lie beneath Motherwell who are a point above them with 23 points in 2nd. Celtic were lucky to edge Aberdeen earlier today thanks to a goal each from Ki Sung-Yong and Charlie Mulgrew putting them 2-1 above. Rangers won 0-2 at Hearts. Down south in England, today was full of surprises as Manchester United were hammered 1-6 by their cross-town rivals City. QPR were also upsetters, beating Chelsea thanks to 2 sending-offs for the Blues and a penalty in the 10th minute. Having said that, the league table looks like this: Manchester City have moved to the top with a 5 point lead over United who have 20 points in 2nd place. Chelsea are a point and a place behind Manchester United following their poor performance today. Newcastle are actually in 4th at the moment with 19 points from their first 9 games. Last but not least, Tottenham are the 5th position team, taking 16 points from the 8 games they have played. Expect them to move up the standings when they catch up with the rest of the pack. On the other side of the Channel in Germany, Bayern were edged by Hannover in their match today which halts what had been quite the run for the Bavarians. Still, with 22 points and 1st place, they are looking pretty good. Dortmund meanwhile are in 2nd with 19 points. Regional rivals Schalke are also looking good, playing today, they edged past Bayer Leverkusen 0-1 thanks to a goal from Jefferson Farfan in the 82nd minute. Hannover, having beaten Bayern Munich, grabbed 4th place, separating themselves from the 3-way tie that is beneath them. Of these 3 teams (Stuttgart, Bremen and Monchengladbach) Stuttgart have the best goal difference so they currently hold the honor of 5th position. Down in beautiful Portugal, Porto and Benfica are currently level at the top with 20 points each from their first 8 games. The Northern club, however, have the better goal difference having obliterated Nacional 5-0 today. Benfica meanwhile took the win 0-1 in their game this weekend against Beira-Mar on Saturday. Braga hold 3rd with 17 points following their 3-0 victory over Feirense today. Maritimo are also at 17 points but their goal difference puts them in 4th. Last but not least, Sporting Lisbon are in 5th with 14 points. The silver lining for them though is that they have a game in hand so they can theoretically earn themselves a better goal difference and leap-frog to 3rd themselves. Spain on the other hand is in shambles. Neither Barcelona nor Real Madrid lead the league following this weekend's round of matches: Levante are actually in 1st having beaten Villarreal 0-3! They have amassed 20 points from their first 8 games. Real Madrid are in 2nd with just a point less while Barcelona slipped over the weekend, falling to 3rd with "just" 18 points. Sevilla occupy 4th with 16 points while Valencia grab 5th with a point less. Fun fact: Levante and Sevilla are the only undefeated sides of Spain left! Last but not least, in Italy, Udinese actually lead the table after the first 7 matches with their 15 points. Lazio are in 2nd with a point less while Juventus are right behind them with 13 points. Cagliari are actually in 4th with 12 while Napoli, Roma, and AC Milan each have 11. The team from Naples has the best goal difference though so they take 5th! Hope you keep enjoying the league action!

Domestic Results 10/23/11.

I'd like to start in Germany with this post where Dortmund were very capable in their 5-0 steamrolling of Koln. Shinji Kagawa opened the scoring in the 7th minute with Marcel Schmelzer adding the 2nd in 25th. Just a minute before half time, Robert Lewandowski tacked on Dortmund's 3rd while he also scored their 4th in the 50th minute. The 5th, however, came from Sebastian Kehl in the 66th minute. Elsewhere, Hamburg and Wolfsburg tied 1-1 thanks to Mario Mandzukic's 2nd minute strike for the visitors and Mladen Petric's 56th minute equalizer for the hosts. Hertha Berlin and Mainz finished goalless in Berlin. An interesting match fact: there were 4 yellows handed out in the last 11 minutes of the game! 3 of these went to Mainz. Hoffenheim edged Monchengladbach in their match today thanks to a 56th minute strike from Vedad Ibisevic. Kasierslautern were also able to edge their guests, Freiburg, winning 1-0 thanks to a goal in the 75th minute from Itay Shechter. The last of the German games today was between Nurnberg and Stuttgart with the final score standing 2-2. Timmy Simons gave the hosts the lead in the 9th minute. This was not changed for the whole rest of the 1st half! However, in the 2nd half, things changed. Stuttgart were brought level through Zdravko Kuzmanovic's penalty in the 60th. Philipp Wollscheid gave Nurnberg the lead once more, in the 70th minute, but to no avail. Maza struck for Stuttgart in the 84th to split the points between the two sides. Down in Spain, Barcelona were denied anything by the superb goalkeeping of Sevilla's Javi Varas. Yes, the Catalan side allowed no goals into their own net, but that is just half the battle as the game finished 0-0! Real Madrid thus grabbed the top position of the table as they defeated their hosts Malaga 0-4. It was only done through Cristiano Ronaldo though. The Portuguese superstar struck in the 23rd, 28th, and 38th minutes to add on to Gonzalo Higuain's opener in the 11th minute. Racing were edged by their guests Espanyol who relied totally on Sergio Garcia's 59th minute shot. Finally, Sporting Gijon beat Granada 2-0 thanks to goals from David Barral (6th minute) and Andre Castro (42nd minute). Over in Portugal meanwhile, Beira-Mar were edged 0-1 by Benfica who scored through Oscar Cardozo in the 42nd. The second and final match in Portugal was between Olhanense and Vitoria. Here, the home side won thanks solely to a penalty in the 48th from Mateus. Onwards to England now where Aston Villa were edged by West Brom despite taking the lead through Darren Bent in the 23rd. Villa's loss of a player after Chris Herd was sent-off in the 35th may be blamed for their dismal conclusion though.Sunderland beat Bolton 0-2 while Liverpool and Norwich tied 1-1. Newcastle edged Wigan 1-0 while Wolves and Swansea  tied 2-2. Wolves were lucky not to lose 0-2 though! They only scored their first goal in the 84th. 2 minutes later they had made it 2-2. In Italy things carried a similar flavor as both Fiorentina v.s. Catania and Juventus v.s Genoa drew 2-2. Hope you enjoyed!

Men's World Rankings. 10/19/11.

Well, the top 4 remain the same with Spain holding on to the pinnacle, the Netherlands dropping some points but remain in 2nd while Germany have collected more points but not enough to move from 3rd. Uruguay have also earned more points to stay ahead of Brazil by a healthy margin. In 5th place, Brazil have slowly but surely risen while Italy haven't moved from 6th. England have risen one place to 7th while Greece now occupy the top 10 in 8th place thanks to jumping three places! Portugal dropped three places but remain in the top 10 as they are tied with Greece for 8th place. Finally, Argentina and Denmark are level for 10th place with the Danish side rising 7 places! Other big names and movers include Sweden's 11 place jump to 14th; France's drop to 15th; the Republic of Ireland's 4 position jump to 25th; Slovenia's 6 place move to 27th, and Egypt's rise to 29th.

Champions League update! 10/18/11.

Well, CSKA Moskva were quite successful in their Group B match against Trabzonspor thanks to 2 goals from Seydou Doumbia on either side of Aleksandrs Cauna's 76th minute strike. Meanwhile, in France Lille were just barely edged by Inter Milan who were saved by Giampaolo Pazzini's 21st minute strike. The French side tested their Italian visitors thoroughly, putting up more attempts and winning more corners by far than their guests. Nonetheless, experience won out as Inter move to the top of Group B. Meanwhile, in a far rougher match between Oţelul Galaţi and Manchester United, Wayne Rooney's 2 penalties in the 64th and 92nd minutes were all that separated the two sides. They each finished a man down as United lost Nemanja Vidic in the 66th while Milan Perendija received a 2nd yellow. There were a total of 5 other yellow cards shown with United taking just one of these. Benfica won by the same margin when they visited Basel to go to the top of Group C. Emerson's sending off in the 86th minute on Benfica's side gave Basel the opportunity to challenge for points, but Bruno Cesar's 20th minute goal and Oscar Cardozo's 75th were enough to undo the home side and put the Portuguese two points ahead of Manchester United in the table. Onwards now to Madrid where the Spanish giants Real dealt Lyon of France a hefty 4-0 defeat. Karim Benzema, Sami Khedira, and Sergio Ramos were the 3 Madrid players to score while Lyon's goalkeeper Hugo Lloris accidentally had the ball go into his own goal! With that result Real Madrid maintain their perfect record in the Group D standings. Ajax defeated their hosts Dinamo Zagreb by 2 unanswered goals as they have taken 2nd place in Group D by goal difference. Napoli v.s. Bayern was a very perplexing game on the other hand: Toni Kroos started things off very well for the visiting German side with a goal in the 2nd minute of play. Things began to fall apart though after Holger Badstuber put the ball into his own net in the 39th to the delight of the Naples crowd. Mario Gomez's missed penalty in the 49th was really the worst though, as he could have essentially won it all for the Bavarians but instead they are at 7 points in the Group A rankings. Still on top, but not as comfortably. Last but not least, Manchester City were able to edge Villarreal 2-1 to keep things close in Group A. True, Villarreal have yet to register a point, but City are now in 3rd place with 4 points while Napoli are 2nd with 5. The Spanish visitors actually looked very good throughout the game, scoring through Cani in just the 4th minute. However, Carlos Marchena's 43rd minute own goal gave City level terms just before the half. Admittedly, Gonzalo Rodriguez and Diego Lopez were the men who kept Villarreal in the game, but Sergio Aguero's 3rd minute of stoppage time goal in the 2nd half was simply lucky for the English side. Keep enjoying with more games tomorrow!

Domestic results 10/16/11.

How about we start in Sweden this time where 2nd-place side AIK edged 4th-place Hacken 2-1. Martin Kayongo Mutumba opened the scoring, putting AIK in the lead from the penalty spot in the 14th minute. Mohammed Ali Khan of Hacken was actually sent off so AIK might have been expected to win this one, but it was only in the 33rd minute when they scored their 2nd. Dioh Williams brought Hacken one back in the 1st minute of stoppage time of the 1st half. Norrkoping were also victorious hosts, against 3rd-place Elfsborg! Norrkoping were able to control the 1st half thanks to a goal from Christopher Telo in the 32nd and another from Gunnar Heidar Thorvaldsson 4 minutes later. Elfsborg were only able to bring themselves back by one, through Stefan Ishizaki in the 58th minute. Trelleborg on the other hand played the role of the unlucky hosts as they were edged by Mjallby 1-2 despite scoring the opening volley in the 3rd minute! Kristian Haynes was the man to strike in the 3rd but who knows what happened as David Loken Lofquist and Marcus Ekenberg each struck one for Mjallby to keep Trelleborg's season on the decline. Down in Germany meanwhile, Koln are actually leading Hannover thanks to a strike from Lukas Podolski in the 24th minute. Besides the one goal though, it's been a game of cards as Hannover have collected 3 while Podolski has been booked in the 65th minute. Still, 1-0 for Koln! Over in Freiburg, Hamburg were successful against their hosts: they scored first (through Heung-Min Son in the 12th) and last (a goal from Ivo Ilicevic in the 73rd minute) on either side of Papiss Demba Cisse's 47th minute goal for Freiburg. Yet more southerly though, in Spain, Levante persist in holding even with Barcelona at the top of the league table! They currently lead Malaga 3-0 thanks to goals from Barkero (14th), Juanlu (30th), and Arouna Kone (41st). It should be remembered that Malaga's Willy Caballero was sent off in the 27th minute though. It's still a great game for the surprise package of the Spanish league! In other news, Espanyol were successful when they visited Rayo thanks to a solitary goal from Romaric in the 56th minute. Despite the dirty conclusion of the game, it was a relatively uneventful game though enjoyable. Lastly in Spain, Zaragoza defeated Real Sociedad 2-0 thanks to the talents of Helder Postiga. He struck his 1st goal in the 11th minute while the 2nd came early in the 2nd half: in the 49th minute. Back north now, to England, Arsenal v.s. Sunderland was probably the biggest game of the day and the Gunners were kind of lucky to be able to edge their opponents 2-1. It was greatly due to Robin Van Persie's striking capabilities with the Dutchman scoring in the 1st minute of the game and the 82nd. Sebastian Larsson's 31st minute goal was problematic for Arsenal, but they persevered and won the 3 points. Newcastle v.s. Tottenham was a surprisingly good game as both sides struck twice and neither side could find the vital point. Things got off to a somewhat late start with Rafael Van Der Vaart only breaking the deadlock in the 40th minute. Demba Ba was the man for Newcastle who equalized in the 48th. 20 minutes later, Jermain Defoe gave Tottenham a potentially game winning lead. However, Spurs were unable to defend it and Newcastle leveled in the 86th minute through Shola Ameobi. Concluding England's day of matches, West Brom's 2-0 victory over Wolves was quite straightforward as Chris Brunt opened in the 8th and Peter Odemwingie closed in the 75th. Interestingly, despite the fact that the game wasn't going their way, Wolves still played respectfully - only receiving 1 yellow card. Last but not least, how about we visit Italy? Today was, well, very unexciting to be honest. Atalanta v.s. Udinese ended 0-0, so did Cagliari v.s. Siena, Cesena v.s. Fiorentina, Juventus' match with Chievo, and Genoa's game against Lecce. The only game to break deadlock was Bologna's visit to Novara. Here, Gaston Ramirez and Robert Acquafresca were the scorers. Cheers!

Domestic conclusion.

Well, in the south of the continent, Spain witnessed quite impressive results from powerhouses Barcelona and Real Madrid. Barca defeated Racing 3-0 thanks to an opener from Lionel Messi in the 11th minute. Xavi struck the 2nd in the 27th minute to put the 1st half, and the game, firmly in Barcelona's grasp. Messi struck a second in the 68th to conclude a rather one sided performance. Real meanwhile defeated Betis 4-1 thanks to a hat-trick from Gonzalo Higuain. Kaka also scored for the Madrid side while Jorge Molina did score for Betis in the 69th. Getafe and Villarreal finished as they started: 0-0. There were a lot of bookings though: a combined total of 9 with 4 yellows going to Getafe while the other 5 went to the Yellow Submarines of Villarreal. Mallorca and Valencia finished their match level as well, but with both sides scoring once. Adil Rami gave Valencia the lead in the 38th but Tomer Hemed converted  a penalty in the 3rd minute of stoppage time of the 2nd half to salvage a point for the Mallorcans. Granada v.s. Atletico are still level 0-0 with 5 yellows handed out by the 53rd minute. Over in Italy, Catania upset Inter Milan 2-1 despite the giants taking the lead through Esteban Cambiasso in the 6th minute. Catania fought back with goals in the 2nd half from Sergio Almiron (46th minute) and Francesco Lodi (50th minute). AC Milan on the other hand were much better against Palermo who they defeated 3-0. Antonio Nocerino opened the scoring in the 39th while Robinho added a 2nd in the 55th to leave Palermo between a rock and a hard place. Antonio Cassano slotted home the finishing blow in the 63rd to leave Palermo essentially no chance at saving the game. Napoli, however, weren't so lucky when they hosted Parma as they conceded first: in the 57th from a strike from Massimo Gobbi. They equalized though, scoring through Giuseppe Mascara in the 76th to make it 1-1. Francesco Modesto undid the home side's work though, with a goal in the 82nd minute that really sank the Naples side. Moving north to Germany, Bayern had a great game against Hertha Berlin who they thrashed 4-0 with 2 goals from Mario Gomez, and 1 each from Franck Ribery and Bastian Schweinsteiger. Keep in mind, it was 3-0 by the 13th minute so Bayern took their foot off the gas and Hertha tried to allow as few goals as possible. Augsburg were able to score late from the penalty spot against Mainz to edge their hosts 0-1. However, Monchengladbach dropped some points when they only were able to draw with Leverkusen 2-2. Leverkusen did well to score first (in the 20th through Stefan Reinartz) but 'Gladbach were capable enough of striking back and even taking the lead thanks to goals from Marco Reus in the 65th and Patrick Herrmann in the 72nd. Unfortunately for them, they could not defeat Leverkusen even though they were down to 10 men: Andre Schurrle equalized for the visitors in the 87th and thus the game ended 2-2. Schalke were upset at home by Kaiserslautern who struck first and last to edge their hosts 1-2. Yes, Schalke did have Ralf Fahrmann sent off in the 28th which led to the goal from Christian Tiffert in the 30th but Schalke still had quality on the pitch. The Red Devils had Rodnei sent off in the 61st which resulted in Klaas-Jan Huntelaar's 62nd minute penalty conversion. And so, with 10 men each, Schalke may have been expected to win. Well, you are wrong! Kaiserslautern struck through Dorge Kouemaha in the 72nd to win it all. Stuttgart defeated Hoffenheim 2-0 while Wolfsburg were able to edge Nurnberg 2-1. On the other side of the Channel, in England, we had several titans doing battle as Chelsea beat Everton 3-1, Liverpool and Manchester United tied 1-1, Manchester City took the league apex with a 4-1 victory over Aston Villa while Norwich won over Swansea 3-1. QPR and Blackburn could only tie 1-1 while Stoke defeated Fulham 2-0. Wigan were defeated at home by Bolton 1-3. Last but not least, up in Scotland, Aberdeen took the 3 points in their game against Dundee United who they defeated 3-1. Dunfermline on the other hand were beaten by visiting Hearts 0-2. Motherwell remain in 2nd after a 0-1 victory over Hibernian courtesy of Jamie Murphy's 8th minute goal. Rangers were actually held 1-1 by St. Mirren despite taking the lead in the 48th minute through Nikica Jelavic. Steve Thompson equalized for St Mirren in the 5th minute of stoppage time of the 2nd half to halt 'Gers' dreams of further extending their lead over Motherwell and rivals Celtic. St. Johnstone beat Inverness 2-0.

Early games of 10/15/11!

Well, it has already been quite an exciting day as Malmo were able to edge Djurgarden in Sweden thanks to a stoppage time goal from Wilton Figueiredo  in the 1st half for the home side. With the 3 points from this win, Malmo have now solidified their control of 5th place in the Swedish Allsvenskan League. Meanwhile, in Germany, Mainz were level 0-0 with Augsburg as I posted this. Back up north in Scotland, Kilmarnock v.s. Celtic was a surprisingly intense game! Kilmarnock were at home and they controlled the early part of the game with Dean Shiels opening the scoring account in the 26th. Paul Heffernan added a 2nd in the 40th to make it 2-0. Celtic were admittedly not looking very good. Things only got worse though as James Fowler struck Kilmarnock's 3rd in the 45th minute to end a half that gave the home side what would appear to be an impregnable lead. Well, never leave Celtic in that kind of a situation. Beginning in the 73rd minute of the 2nd half, Anthony Stokes and his Celtic teammates went on the warpath. Stokes struck twice, in the 73rd and 76th minutes to bring Celtic back to a 3-2 position. Charlie Mulgrew then scored a 3rd in the 80th to complete quite a comeback. While Celtic probably wanted a win from this game, they deserved the draw after Kilmarnock played a great game and the Glasgow side were good enough to equalize. Down in England, the big match between Liverpool and Manchester United was poised 1-1 after Steven Gerrard had given Liverpool the lead in the 68th minute. Javier Hernandez was on the scene to equalize for United though, in the 81st. United have definitely been getting the bigger share of the bookings though, registering 3 between the 43rd and the 65th minutes. Lucas Leiva was the only Liverpool player to be booked and that was in the 28th minute. Last but not least, in Russia, CSKA Moskva finished level with Terek after the home side gave up a 2-0 lead. Vagner Love and Seydou Doumbia were the men to give CSKA the lead with goals in the 39th and 47th minutes. The 2nd half was largely Terek's though, with Alexander Pavlenko striking in the 67th and Mauricio slotting home in the next minute to bring the away-side level. CSKA were left without a response as the 11th-placed side shared the points with the 2nd-placed one. Meanwhile, Krasnodar led Rostov 2-0 as I posted this with goals from Yevgeni Shipitsin in the 1st minute of extra time of the 1st half; and Joaozinho's 57th minute strike.

Domestic League updates!

Well, I'd like to start up in the North of Europe, in Scotland. Rangers are currently leading the table having played 10 games and earned 28 points from them. Motherwell is actually in 2nd place with 19 points from 10 games. Meanwhile, Celtic are in 3rd but have only played 8 games! Having said that, they have 18 points so even if they win their 2 games in hand, they will still be 4 points behind their rivals Rangers. Saint Johnstone have earned 15 points from 10 matches and reside in 4th while Heart of Mithlothian sit in 5th having only played 9 matches: earning 12 points from them. In the Netherlands, AZ Alkmaar are actually in control of the table after taking 21 points from their first 8 games. PSV Eindhoven occupy 2nd place with 17 points from 8 games. Twente have kept up their good form from last year and hold 3rd place with a 2 point lead over 4th place Ajax after earning 17 points from 8 games. Feyenoord are a point behind Ajax with 14 from their first 8 matches. In Germany, Bayern are back on top after winning 19 points from 8 games. While it isn't a perfect start by any stretch of the imagination, they do hold a 3 point lead over Werder Bremen who occupy 2nd place. Monchengladbach are surprise 3rd place holders with 16 points from 8 games as well. Schalke are a point behind them in 4th while Hannover are level with them in 5th due to goal difference. The national league of France is led by PSG who have collected 20 points from their first 9 matches. Montpellier Herault are the surprises off the mark with 17 points from 9 matches, equal with Lyon and Toulouse but with better results than either of their competitors. Lille Metropole are then in 5th with 16 points from their first 9. FC Lorient are tied with them but don't have as good a list of results. Russia meanwhile is 26 games into their season and Zenit St. Petersburg are looking strong up top with 53 points. However, CSKA Moskva are just 2 points behind them while Dinamo Moskva have 50 in 3rd. Two other Moscow teams, Spartak and Lokomotiv, make up 4th and 5th positions with 46 points each. In Italy, Juventus are joint leaders with 11 points from 5 games. They have been greatly helped by the addition of Andrea Pirlo into their midfield from AC Milan. Meanwhile, Udinese Calcio are the surprise package in Italy: they hold 2nd place with 11 points but not quite the same results, but they still sit above regular powerhouses Roma (6th), AC (15th) and Inter (17th) Milan. Napoli are in 3rd place with 10 points from 5; Palermo are in 4th with the same record but different results; and Cagliari Calcio also have 10 from 5 giving them 5th. Lazio are in 7th with 8 points taken from 5 games - similar to Roma. Over in Spain, Barcelona have 14 points from 6 matches while Levante are the early surprises with a similar record. Real Madrid have 13 from 6 giving them 3rd while Malaga and Valencia share the same record in 4th and 5th respectively. Sevilla are just a point behind this group in 6th with 12 from their first 6 games. In concluding this post, I'd like to visit England where two Manchester clubs: United and City share the apex of the league with 19 points from 7 games each. Chelsea are in 3rd with a 3 point gap between themselves and the top 2. Newcastle have actually done well for themselves grabbing 4th with 15 points from 7 games played. Liverpool are 2 points behind them in 5th. Last but not least, Tottenham have only played 6 games, but have earned themselves 12 points which gives them 6th place with a game in hand. Where is Arsenal? Just behind Wolves with 7 points from 7 games: Wolves actually have a better goal difference than the London side! Keep enjoying!

Euro 2012 Qualifying Playoff Draw.

Well, the draw for the first round of two-legged ties has been announced and the list of exciting ties includes Portugal v.s. Bosnia-Herzegovina, Ireland was drawn to play away first against Estonia who are hoping to make it to their first Finals Tournament. While Ireland returns to a major playoff two years after a controversial World Cup qualifying defeat to France, and drew the lowest-ranked unseeded opponent: Estonia. Having said that, while Estonia did fall 2-0 to the Faroe Islands, but they showed a great tenacity to make it this far so look out for this tough game. Meanwhile, debutantes Montenegro will host the second leg against the Czech Republic. Last but not least Turkey will face the fierce Croatians in Istanbul to get their qualification going. Enjoy!

Euro Qualifying. 10/12/11.

Well, we have teams that are in, teams that are out, and teams that still have to fight for their right to be at the European football party. Denmark, England, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Russia, Spain, and Sweden have all been assured of qualification with Germany and Spain the only teams to remain undefeated throughout qualifying (with 10 for 10 and 8 for 8 records respectively). Interestingly, it was the first time that Germany have gone through qualifying with a perfect record. Those that still have to go through the play-off round include the likes of Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Estonia, Montenegro, Portugal, Republic of Ireland, and Turkey. Make sure to watch for the draws of these matches and try to catch at least one!

Euro 2012 Enjoy!

Well, Group A has completed with Germany remaining perfect after a 3-1 victory over Belgium. 2nd place was captured by Turkey who defeated Kazakhstan 1-0 to get the vital 3 points and earn qualification. Belgium were held to 3rd place since they lost to Germany in their last game. Austria had a poor qualification attempt as they finished behind Belgium in 4th. They were, however, above Azerbaijan who amassed 7 points and Kazakhstan, a team that had 4 points in 6th place. In Group B, things have also concluded with the Russians taking the highest honors as the Republic of Ireland grabbed 2nd. They had 23 and 21 points respectively. Armenia were left in 3rd after a good run while Slovakia were left in 4th with 15 points: 2 beneath Armenia. Macedonia didn't do too badly, grabbing 8 points while Andorra had a quite dismal qualification attempt: 0 points leaving them 6th in the Group. Group C has also concluded with Italy remaining undefeated though they did draw twice. Estonia actually surprised Serbia and Slovenia by pipping them to take 2nd place. The Estonians were lucky to conclude their campaign against the likes of Northern Ireland as they defeated them home and away 4-1 and 1-2 respectively. They also edged the Slovenians in Slovenia 1-2 to cement their position. Serbia were left in 3rd place with 15 points while Slovenia were just a point and a place behind them. The hapless team from Northern Ireland finished in 5th with 9 points above the Faroe Islands who actually collected 4 points including 3 from a 2-0 win over Estonia at home. That was never going to be enough though as they remained in 6th. Group D ended today as well and France kept a point between themselves and Bosnia and Herzegovina ( who finished in 2nd place) to finish at the top of the group with 21 points. Romania were left in 3rd with 14 points while 4th place was occupied by Belarus who ended just a point behind the Romanians. Albania concluded their attempt at qualification with 9 points  in 5th place while Luxembourg were at the bottom of the table with 4 points. Group E was largely dominated by the Netherlands except for the fact that Sweden one-upped them in the last group game: 3-2 for Sweden! Nonetheless, Holland were good enough to remain at the top while Sweden reside in 2nd. Hungary gave it a good try, but they remain in 3rd with 19 points. Finland finished in 4th with a not-quite perfect 10 points from 10 games. Moldova finished a point behind in 5th while San Marino were left in the doldrums yet again: 10 loses, 0 goals scored, and 53 scored against. 6th place was really they best they could have done. In Group F Greece actually remained undefeated despite drawing 3 times. They finished with 24 points. Croatia completed their race for 2nd place with 22 points Israel gave it a nice effort but ended their campaign in 3rd with 16 points. Latvia finished with 11 in 4th while Georgia took 5th with a point less. Malta conclude the group with 1 point from 10 games. In Groups G, H, and I, only 8 games have been played. Group G is currently led by England while Montenegro are in 2nd. Respectively, the two sides have 18 and 12 points respectively. Switzerland are in 3rd with 11 while Wales had 9 and Bulgaria had 5. Group H is surprisingly led by Denmark with 19 points from a draw and a loss. Portugal have 16 in 2nd while Norway are in 3rd on goal difference. Iceland are in 4th with 4 while Cyprus bring up the rear. Last but not least, Spain remained undefeated in Group I while the Czech Republic have 2nd. Scotland continue to fight in 3rd, 2 points behind the Czech Republic while Lithuania and Liechtenstein make up 4th and 5th.

EURO 2012 Qualifying Results!

Well, it was a day packed full of action as Group A took one more step to a close with  Azerbaijan defeated 1-4 by Austria. Yes, neither of these teams can qualify any more, but it was still a great result for the Austrians who were coming off of a 3-game losing streak. It's true, Azerbaijan were brought down to 10 men in the 27th minute, but Marc Janko, Austria's captain, struck a brace while Andreas Ivanschitz opened the scoring and Zlatko Junuzovic closed it int the 1st minute of stoppage time of the 2nd half. Meanwhile, challengers for 2nd place Turkey were beaten 1-3 by an on-form and qualified Germany. Despite playing in Istanbul, Germany were already 2-0 up before Turkey scored their first goal. Mario Gomez struck first in the 35th while Thomas Muller added a second in the 66th. Turkey were brought a goal back through Hakan Balta while Bastian Schweinsteiger added Germany's third in the 86th minute. The last game in Group A was between Belgium and Kazakhstan which started totally in Belgium's favor and remained that way throughout. The home field advantage was a good start but the 4-0 lead was even better! Timmy Simons opened the game's goal account in the 40th from the penalty spot with Eden Hazard and Vincent Kompany striking once each in the 43rd and 49th minutes respectively. Marvin Ogunijimi scored late in the 84th to make it a show: 4-0! Kairat Nurdauletov converted his penalty in the 86th but that was honestly just a formality as Belgium are in a strong position to qualify while Kazakhstan are out and gone. The Group A table looks as follows: Germany are undefeated and perfect with 27 points from 9 games. Belgium are actually in 2nd with 15 points from 9 matches while Turkey are a point and a place behind them. Austria can no longer qualify with 11 points from 9 matches and holding 4th place. Azerbaijan are in 5th with 7 points from 9 games while Kazakhstan took 3 points from 9 games. So, Belgium v.s. Germany and Turkey v.s. Azerbaijan will be the deciding games of this group, and that's for 2nd place. Meanwhile, Group B Armenia beat Macedonia 4-1, Slovakia were edged 0-1 at home by a visiting Russia. Andorra were defeated by the Republic of Ireland 0-2. More updates coming! Stay tuned!

Euro 2012 qualifying. Are you ready?

Look forward to these important and sure to be close-fought matches coming up! Obviously, Greece's clash with Croatia will be hard-fought as the Greeks have only allowed 4 goals in their 8 group games. Yes, they have been a little less than impressive in front of goal, but the home field advantage may be enough for the Greeks to really turn it on. Croatia on the other hand lead Group F with 1 point more than their challengers. Yes, they lost 1-0 to Georgia a couple months ago, but they have been on form past that point. In Group A Germany's match with Turkey in Turkey obviously dominates the list as the Germans have a large amount of control over whether the Turks or the Belgians make it through. Since Germany is one of the teams that has qualified already, some might say they will take their foot off the accelerator, but where is the fun in that? Turkey aren't push overs though, and it'll be a tough game for a sides. Belgium face Kazakhstan in a game that should go in the Belgians' favor as they really need the 3 points while Kazakhstan are playing for pride. Azerbaijan's match with Austria could also prove to be a one-sided affair but be prepared for anything! In Group B, Slovakia's fight with Russia will be a good one as victory for the Slovakians means they would go level with the Russians. Russia needs the points to seal their qualification though. The Republic of Ireland's match with Andorra should enable them to register another 3 points which (depending on the Russia's result) may put them at the top of the table. Armenia v.s. Macedonia will also be an important fixture as the Armenians are arguably still in the race for a qualification birth. Armenia would be expected to win, but it is football so what adds up on paper may not add up on the pitch. Group C meanwhile has Northern Ireland's match with Estonia and the huge face-off between Serbia and Italy. Yes, Italy have already won the group, but they aren't known for packing it up early and letting the other teams walk all over them. Rather, the Serbians will have to fight for their 3 points as they seek to stay above their closest rivals Estonia (who are a point and a place behind them with 13 and 3rd respectively). In Northern Ireland's match, Estonia will have to be careful as the Irish are normally pretty strong at home. It won't be a cake walk to say the least. Group D is actually far from decided though. Bosnia and Herzegovina face Luxembourg in a game which the home side should win. If the depleted French side can only tie or even lose to Albania in their match, the Bosnians would take the pole position going into the meeting of the two sides next Tuesday. Romania v.s. Belarus rounds out the Group D fixture list with what should be an entertaining if not important game. Group E on the other hand is wrapping up. The Netherlands will probably want to keep their undefeated record against Moldova, but when Sweden visit Finland, a lot will be on the line. True, Finland are out of the qualification equation, but currently Sweden is level at 18 points with Hungary having played one less game. The fact is that the Swedes have a superior head-to-head record to the Hungarians and will clinch the play-off slot if they defeat their Nordic rivals. Having thrashed the Finns 5-0 when they visited Sweden, the Swedes have a right to be somewhat prepared for victory the second time around. Group F isn't quite so tantalizing, but Latvia and Malta play. In Group G Wales take on Switzerland while Montenegro play England. Yes, England are 6 points clear of the Montenegrins, but they need at least 1 more point to ensure their progression. Montenegro have to win this game to top the Group. Chances of that happening though? Slim. The Swiss should defeat the Welsh, but it won't be easy and then they will face the team from Montenegro in the last game. Group H holds some interesting games with the Cyprus national side facing Denmark while Portugal play Iceland. Admittedly, these may not seem terribly interesting, but 3 of these 4 teams: Portugal, Denmark, and Norway are tied at the top on 13 points! The Portuguese and the Danes are favored to win and if they do, that leaves Iceland out to dry in the run for 1st place. They could still challenge for 2nd though! Last but not least is the pair of games in Group I: the Czech Republic face Spain while Liechtenstein and Scotland play Saturday. True, the Czech's game with Spain (who are already through) will be difficult but they are currently 2 points above Scotland in 2nd so they are in a good position overall. Yes, Scotland should defeat Liechtenstein, but the Czechs are still likely to finish right behind the Spaniards. Enjoy the games!

Domestic action galore.

I'd like to start in Germany today where Schalke looked on form as they defeated Hamburg in Hamburg by the score line of 1-2. Klaas-Jan Huntelaar was on form once more as he struck the opening and closing goals in the 13th and 73rd minutes respectively. Mladen Petric did equalize for Hamburg in the 38th but to no avail. In the other German game today Hannover edged Bremen 3-2 in a closely fought game that began in the 2nd minute! Mohammed Abdellaoue converted his penalty opportunity in the 2nd. He then struck his 2nd in the 38th to give Hannover a 2-0 lead before Marko Arnautovic brought Bremen 1 back. Abdellaoue completed his hat trick in the 59th to give Hannover a 3-1 lead! Claudio Pizarro's 83rd minute did bring Bremen closer, but the home side held on for the win. Sweden had a full list of games today, with Elfsborg defeating Gefle 3-0, Hacken edging visiting Trelleborg 1-0, Helsingborg and Norrkoping finished level 1-1, Orebro beat out Halmstad 1-0, and Kalmar were defeated by visiting Malmo 1-2 after 3 goals after the hour mark provided a lively ending to what had otherwise been a boring game. Meanwhile, in Spain, Barcelona claimed the league apex with a 0-1 win over Sporting Gijon. Adriano was the man to put the Catalan side into the lead in the 12th minute with quite a strike. Athletic edged Real Sociedad 2-1 while Levante v.s. Betis ended the same way Barcelona's game did: 0-1 after a goal from Juanlu in the 33rd. Atletico and Sevilla played out a goalless draw while Real Madrid led in their match with Espanyol as I post this. Surprisingly, Barcelona and Levante are actually sharing the lead with 4-2-0 records for both of them. Over the border in Portugal, Porto have kept even with Benfica in the league after a 3-0 victory over Academica. Feirense and Maritimo drew 2-2 while Leiria and Braga's match ended 1-0 in favor of the home side. Nacional beat Olhanense by the same score line while Sporting Lisbon edged Vitoria 0-1 thanks to a goal from Diego Capel in the 7th. It was a very ill-tempered game to say the least: 8 cards between the 2 teams, a red for Fabian Rinaudo in the 22nd, and all around bad behavior in general. But now to England where Bolton were hammered 1-5 by Chelsea with Frank Lampard scoring a hat trick while Daniel Sturridge tacked on the other 2. Dedryck Boyata was the only one to bring Bolton back 1, but that was already when they were 4 down. Anyway, Fulham destroyed QPR 6-0 while Swansea beat Stoke 2-0. Tottenham were also very happy to deal Arsenal a 2-1 defeat! In Scotland, Celtic fell apart today (in the only match of the day) as they lost to Hearts 2-0 with 2 2nd half goals enough to sink any plans the Glasgow side had for domestic domination. In Italy, the bigger games today were when Lazio edged Fiorentina 2-1 while Juventus defeated AC Milan by the comfortable margin of 2-0. Hope everyone had a good weekend!