FIFA Club World Cup in Japan!

So, in the lead up to the tournament itself, Sanfrecce Hiroshima edged Auckland City 1-0 thanks to a goal from Toshihiro Aoyama in the 66th minute. Getting into the Quarter-Final stage of the Club World Cup, Ulsan Hynudai were hammered by CF Monterrey 1-3 with the Mexican side taking an early lead in the 9th minute through Jesus Corona. While the game was positioned 0-1 at the half, Cesar Delgado struck twice more before the Koreans could make one of their own. Lee Keunho was the man who scored for the Korean side in the 88th minute to make it 1-3 at the end. Unfortunately for Sanfrecce Hiroshima, they were then defeated by Al-Ahly SC 1-2 after a 1-1 tie at the half. Elsayed Hamdi struck in the 15th minute for the Egyptian side before Hisato Sato equalized for the Japanese side. Mohamed Aboutrika, that legend of the game both in Egypt specifically but Africa in general, slotted home in the 57th minute of the second half to bring victory to Al-Ahly. Look forward to the 5th Place match between Ulsan Hyundai and Sanfrecce Hiroshima coming tomorrow (the 12th). Also tomorrow, Al-Ahly SC and Corinthians face-off in what is sure to be a great game. Last but not least, as far as the set games are concerned, CF Monterrey and Chelsea FC look forward to their bout on the 13th. Make sure to watch!

And going into the last round of the group stages...

With just a game to go all around, I would like to take stock of Groups A to D of the Champions League (see my last post for the rest). I'll begin with Group A where it has already been decided which teams will go through and which teams will take an exit from this year's Champions League competition: Porto remain undefeated with four wins and a draw totaling to 13 points, one over an in-form PSG side who occupy 2nd place. Meanwhile, 3rd and 4th are held by Dynamo Kyiv and Dinamo Zagreb respectively with 4 points to the former and 0 to the latter. On to Group B now where Schalke remain in tip top form with a undefeated record and 11 points to their name. Arsenal occupy 2nd with 10 points while the losers of this group include Olympiacos who have earned 6 and Montpellier Herault who have 1. As for Group C, things were a whole lot closer but not enough as Malaga take top honors with 11 points - remaining undefeated - AC Milan occupy 2nd position with 8 points. While the chances of movement are low, they could theoretically still take the poll position but it would require a great deal of luck and effort. On the other hand, Zenit St. Petersburg and Anderlecht say good bye to a tournament in which they each earned 4 points so it'll come down to the goal difference and the next game with regards to who gets 3rd in the group. Last but certainly not least, Group D has similarly wrapped up with Dortmund controlling the party with 11 points in 1st as Real Madrid in 2nd earned 8 points to the good. Ajax surprised in showing for 3rd with 4 points as of now however I don't see Manchester City letting 3rd place slip away from them without a fight as they have 3 in 4th position. I'm sure you are looking forward to the conclusion of the group stage so check back here to hear what all happened!

How about the Champion's League?

Well, half of the Groups have now completed 5 games and the positions are really starting to matter now: in Group E, Shakhtar Donetsk have managed to hold onto their early form and secured 10 points to lead the group in a position that ensures their survival. Meanwhile, Juventus look as though they will be the team to progress with 9 points while Chelsea might well be left high and dry as they currently hold 7. Bottom position is occupied by Nordsjaelland who have actually managed a home draw earning them their first and most likely last point. This might all be too soon though, as the closing set of fixtures in what has surely been an exciting group have Chelsea face Nordsjaelland and Shakhtar taking on Juve. One possibility though, and correct me if I am wrong, is that Juve defeat Shaktar and Chelsea beat Nordsjaelland: so long as it isn't an absolute clobbering for the English side, they might actually lose on goal difference to Shakhtar! Moving on to Group F now, where rather than letting things go down to the wire, Bayern and Valencia have assured their move to the next round with 10 points each. Meanwhile, BATE Borisov earned 6 and Lille amassed 3. As for Group G, Barcelona have been almost perfect - taking 12 from their 5 games - while Benfica and Celtic are tied for the next round with 7 points each. The two remained tied on goal difference though I believe the Portuguese side has the better record thus far. Spartak Moskva are at the bottom with no hope of turning things around with 3 points to their name. Looking at the final fixtures now, I would give Celtic the nod as the team who will go on to win unless Barcelona decide to disappoint in front of a home crowd against Benfica. Otherwise, Celtic's home field advantage and Spartak's weak away record would lead me to conclude that the Scottish side will be making it to the next round of action! Wrapping up now in Group H, Manchester United have been assured of their success with 12 points while Galatasaray and Cluj are currently tied with 7 each. Braga have managed to slip to the bottom of the pile with 3. The culmination of all of this work then arrives in the following fixtures: Cluj will try to get something from their date in England with Manchester United while Braga greet Galatasary in what is sure to be a challenging fixture for the Turkish side. Everyone has something to play for! I hope you are looking forward to fixtures today as well!

Champions League 11/9/12

Now that we are past the half-way point of the group stage, let's take account of where we stand. Currently, Group A stands with Porto in the lead with 10 points while PSG grab second with 9. Dynamo Kyiv meanwhile are down to 3rd after amassing just 4 points from their first four games. Last but not least, Dinamo Zagreb are in 4th with 0. Elsewhere, in Group B, we have Schalke 04 up top with 8 while Arsenal have 7 and Olympiacos have 6. At the bottom are Montpellier Herault with a mere point to their name. Group C continues to be dominated by Malaga who have collected 10 - standing above AC Milan, Anderlecht, and Zenit St. Petersburg. The Italians have 5 in 2nd while the Belgian side have 4 and the Russians have 3 at the bottom of the pile. As for Group D, it is probably the closest running of all of the groups with Dortmund leading with 8, Real Madrid on their heels with 7, and the Dutch side Ajax still in the fight with 4. Last position Manchester City on the other hand are most likely down and out with just 2 points from 4 games. Another close group is Group E where Shakhtar Donetsk and Chelsea are level with 7 points apiece as Juventus fall to 3rd with 6 points. Nordsjaelland are in 4th with a point. On to Group F where any of three teams could really win it: Bayern and Valencia are tied with 9 points each while BATE Borisov have 6. Out of competition Lille are in 4th position with 0. Group G has seen some surprising action as Barca still lead with 9 though Celtic have jumped to 2nd after their great display earning themselves 7 points. Benfica meanwhile have 4 to their name while Spartak Moskva have 3 meaning this will be an exciting group in the last couple games. Finally, Manchester United lead Group H undefeated with 12 points to their name while Galatasary have jumped to 2nd with 4 points and a superior goal difference. Cluj also have 4 while Braga have just 3 in 4th position. Keep paying attention to what has been a fascinating tournament!

The Weekend's Action: October 28th.

So, how about a quick recap of the action that took place today? I will move from West to East beginning with Portugal: Here we had Estoril take on Porto and actually do themselves proud despite losing. Striking early in the game, the 10th minute to be precise, Estoril took the lead emphatically through Steven Victoria! Unfortunately for the underdogs, Porto dominated the 2nd half, scoring in the 57th and 60th minutes to put their rivals under. Silvestre Varela and Jackson Martinez were the two who respectively scored. Maritimo v.s. Braga concluded 0-2 with the team from Braga owning the second half through Eder who slotted home in the 55th and 86th minutes. Rio Ave on the other hand edged Nacional 2-1 despite the visitors taking the lead in the 37th minute. Diego Barcelos was the man who struck Nacional ahead at that point. Unfortunately for them, Joao Tomas and Tarantini struck for Rio Ave in the 61st and 89th minutes respectively. The former was struck from the penalty spot. On to Spain now, where Athletic were edged by Getafe 1-2 despite collecting a last minute goal through Mikel San Jose in the 4th minute of stoppage time of the 2nd half. Juan Rodriguez and Alvaro were on target for Getafe. Atletico were better at separating themselves from Osasuna after Miranda, Raul Garcia, and Falcao struck them to a 3-1 lead though Roland Lamah brought Atletico close to righting themselves in the 43rd. Nevertheless, they were undone in the end. Levante defeated Granada by the same scoreline thanks to Obafemi Martins' two goals in the 12th and 60th minutes. Pedro Rios made it three for the good before Granada's Youssef El-Arabi was able to add one to their tally in the 84th minute. Mallorca v.s. Real Madrid was a slaughter on the other hand: 0-2 at the half and 0-5 at the final whistle! Gonzalo Higuain and Cristiano Ronaldo struck twice each while Jose Callejon was successful in the 1st minute of stoppage of time of the 2nd half to make it 5. Last but not least, Zaragoza edged Sevilla 2-1 with Helder Postiga and Cristian Sapunaru scoring for the home side while Gary Medel brought the visitors close to leveling - beginning in the 70th minute of the 2nd half. On to France now where Bastia took on Bordeaux and won 3-1 thanks to Florian Thauvin's two goals in the 6th and 17th minutes while Yoan Gouffran brought Bordeaux one back in the 30th. Sadly for them, Bastia were pushed further ahead through Wahbi Khazri in the 56th minute. On the other hand, Lorient and Ajaccio finished 4-4 after intense contest: Ajaccio were 2 up in the 12th minute before Lorient brought themselves one back. Ajaccio then tacked on two more before Lorient struck three times between the 46th and 94th minutes to level the game and split the points between the two sides. Marseille and Lyon's match was actually postponed. Up in England, Chelsea were edged in an inappropriate manner by Manchester United. I say inappropriate due to the fact that 2 players from the London side were sent-off under questionable circumstances. Be that as it may, David Luiz accidentally scored to put the team from Manchester ahead as Robin Van Persie made it 0-2 for Manchester. However, in  the 44th and 53rd minutes the team from London brought themselves level. Javier Hernandez put Manchester United ahead in the 75th after Chelsea were depleted in number by their sending-offs. Next up is Everton v.s. Liverpool where the visitors got 0-2 ahead by the 20th minute after an own goal and a strike from Luis Suarez. However, Everton were able to bring themselves level by the 35th minute with goals from Leon Osman and Steven Naismith in the 22nd and 35th minutes respectively. Newcastle's match with West Brom ended 2-1 as Demba Ba and Papiss Demba Cisse struck for the home side on either side of Romelu Lukaku's 55th minute goal for the visitors of West Brom. Southampton and Tottenham ended in the opposite direction with Gareth Bale and Clint Dempsey scoring for the visitors before Jay Rodriguez gave Southampton their only goal of the game in the 66th. Now for Italy where Inter defeated Bologna 1-3 - striking twice before the home side could reply with their one and only through Nicolo Cherubin in the 58th. Esteban Cambiasso then struck Inter's 3rd and the games final goal in the 64th to wrap things up. Catania were then edged by Juventus after Arturo Vidal struck in the 57th minute to save the game. Fiorentina v.s. Lazio was a more one-sided game with Adem Ljajic scoring in the 1st minute of stoppage time of the 2nd half. Luca Toni then struck in the 90th minute to wrap things up for the home side. Napoli were then able to edge Chievo 1-0 thanks to Marek Hamsik's 58th minute goal. Pescara and Atalanta finished their 90 minutes 0-0 while Roma were edged 2-3 by a capable Udinese side. Erik Lamela scored twice for the home side while Antonio Di Natale made it twice for the away side as Maurizio Domizzi was the man to score first for Udinese in the 32nd. Sampdoria were edged 0-1 by Cagliari thanks to Daniele Dessena's 47th minute goal. Torino were defeated by Parma 1-3 with three strikes before Torino had even one goal. The Netherlands meanwhile saw Feyenoord tie Ajax 2-2 while Heracles slammed Heerenveen 6-3 in their match-up. RKC were edged 0-1 by Twente thanks to Dusan Tadic in the 40th minute. Vitesse were similarly edged by AZ 1-2 while Zwolle actually did well for themselves against PSV: losing by just a goal after slotting home the opening goal in the 54th minute through Joey Van Den Berg. Nevertheless, Timothy Derijck equalized for PSV in the 75th before Van Den Berg unfortunately put the ball into his own net! With that 79th minute own goal, PSV took the three points on the day. And now on to Germany! Bayern were surprisingly overturned by Bayer Leverkusen in the 87th minute after Sidney Sam struck. Stefan Kiessling had opened the scoring in the game in the 42nd minute. In response, Mario Mandzukic equalized in the 77th though Sam's previously mentioned goal undid his success. Hannover were edged by Monchengladbach despite the fact that Hannover had actually made themselves a 2-0 lead by the 53rd minute. Amazingly, Alvaro Dominguez, Roel Brouwers, and Juan Arango scored a goal each between the 70th and 79th minutes to win the day. Last but not least, Stuttgart edged Eintracht Frankfurt 2-1 after they scored on either side of Alexander Meier's 67th minute goal. Christian Gentner made the first goal of the game in the 6th minute for Stuttgart while Vedad Ibisevic won it all for the home side in the 84th minute. Last but certainly not least, Sweden had the luxury of seeing AIK draw with Syrianska while Atvidaberg finished a goalless draw with Mjallby. GAIS were defeated by Helsingborg 1-3 while Orebro were able to edge Goteborg 1-0 thanks to Shpetim Hasani's 14th minute strike. On the opposite end of the spectrum, Sundsvall were clobbered 0-4 by Norrkoping thanks to a huge showing by the talented Gunnar Heidar Thorvaldsson who secured a hat-trick while Lars Gerson added one of his own. Such is the way of the world! Hope you enjoy it.

Champions League: October 24th.

So each group has completed three games - how do they fare? Well, Group A has Porto on top undefeated with 9 points to their name while PSG sit in 2nd with 6 after their away loss to Porto. Dynamo Kyiv occupy 3rd with 3 points having defeated Dinamo Zagreb while the hapless Dinamo Zagreb side are at the bottom of the table with 0 points. Over in Group B Schalke are actually on top with 7 points despite a disappointing draw with Montpellier Herault. Speaking of the french side, they are nevertheless at the bottom of the table half-way through the group stage with just that point to their name. Arsenal hold 2nd with 6 points after losing to a visiting Schalke side. Olympiacos are the team in 3rd with 3 points to the good. Group C continues to be led by Spanish side Malaga who have amazingly amassed 9 points over 2nd place AC Milan who have 4, Zenit St. Petersburg who have 3 points in 3rd, and Anderlecht who have just a point after holding AC Milan to a draw in Milan! Moving on to Group D now, Dortmund are weakly in charge with 7 points while Real Madrid sits on their heels with 6. Ajax are the team in 3rd with 3 points while Manchester City has been completely listless getting just 1 point from 3 matches played. As for Group E, Shakhtar Donetsk are relatively surprising leaders with 7 points, Chelsea have 4, Juventus have 3, and Nordsjaelland have a mere 1 point to their name. Group F has an even more surprising leader with BATE Borisov having the better goal difference over Bayern and Valencia though each of them have 6 points. I wouldn't be surprised if Borisov go on to lose their grip but we'll just have to see! Last place with no points are French side Lille. Over to Group G where Barcelona have maintained their dominance with 9 points to their name after edging Celtic in Spain 2-1. Despite having just 10% possession in that game, Celtic are in 2nd with 4 points. Spartak Moskva took 3rd after defeating Benfica in Russia giving them their first 3 points of the campaign. The Portuguese side do have a point at least after drawing with Celtic... Last but certainly not least, Group H is dominated by Manchester United who have amassed 9 points while Cluj hold 2nd by their fingertips with 4 points as Braga have 3 and Galatasaray have 1. Hope you enjoyed the games and I am sure you are looking forward to the upcoming fixtures!

Champions League: October 23.

Well the Champions League matches of the day have taken place and they were all positively thrilling! First of all, there was Spartak Moskva's game against Benfica which was fascinating as the Portuguese side went down in the 3rd minute by a Rafael Carloca goal before equalizing in the 33rd minute of the game thanks to Lima's strike. That wasn't the end of the 1st half action though, as Spartak were able to find their way in front after Benfica's Jardel converted an own goal in the 43rd minute which really deflated the Portuguese side. Having said that, Spartak's 61% of possession was certainly an important aspect of their eventual victory. Despite intense pressure in the dying minutes of the game, Benfica couldn't make it pay as they left Russia with 0 points dropping them to the bottom of the table. Surprisingly, Nordsjaelland were able to keep level with the Italian champions Juventus thanks to Mikkel Beckmann's 50th minute goal. Luckily for the Old Ladies, Mirko Vucinic was able to equalize in the 81st to salvage what might have been a disastrous game. Nevertheless, it was disappointing for the Italians to be sure! I will post about the remaining games later, other matters must be attended to! Hope you enjoyed the games!

A Look Around the Leagues of Europe

Most leagues by this time have gotten past their 8th round of games now and things are starting to shape up quite nicely, or not, as the case may be. I would actually like to begin in the Turkish Super League where Galatasaray have gotten off to an uninspiring but good-enough start with 15 points in their first 8 games. Similarly, Antalyaspor have managed to keep up with the pace-setters making it 15 out of 8 as well. Meanwhile, Orduspor are somehow the team in 3rd despite having just 14 points from their first 8 games. Genclerbirligi, Kasimpasa, Fenerbahce, Eskisehirspor, and Trabzonspor each have 13 points to their name. Other big names? Well, Sivasspor, Bursaspor, and Besiktas occupy 9th - 11th places respectively. While Sivasspor have 12 points, Bursaspor and Besiktas have 10 and 9 points each. Thus, while things are still in the mix, the leaders thus far are rather surprising so we'll have to see how things shape up from here. Meanwhile, in Greece, Olympiacos have carved out 21 points for themselves from 7 games played to the 16 by 2nd position PAOK from the same number of games. Panionios are a surprise in 3rd position with 15 points as are Asteras Tripolis in 4th position with 13. Platanias are 5th with 11 points to their name from just 6 games. Where are Panathinaikos? They have dropped to 8th with 8 points after having 2 points deducted for some kind of infraction. Aris Thessaloniki are 12th with 6 points from 7 games while AEK Athens are bottom of the barrel 16th with a mere 2 points from 7! How are things in Russia you may ask? Well, Anji Makhachkala are the surprise leaders after 12 games with 29 points. 2nd position is held by a familiar face: CSKA Moskva who have amassed 27 points from 12 games. Terek Grozny are another new-comer to this side of the table, though they are relatively safe from falling out of the top five for at least a game if not more: they have 25 points in 3rd place. Zenit St. Petersburg are 4th with 24 points while Lokomotiv Moskva have a loose grip on 5th with 21. What of the big names of Spartak Moskva and fiery Rubin Kazan? Well, they sit 7th and 8th respectively with 19 points to the former and 18 to the latter. How about neighboring Ukraine now where we finally have a familiar face on the top of the table! Shakhtar Donetsk have captured 36 points to their name from 12 games played while virtually unknown Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk have managed to build a campaign of 24 points from 12 games just as Dynamo Kyiv! Meanwhile, Metalist Kharkiv hold 4th with 21 as Arsenal Kyiv have managed to snag a hold of 5th with 19 points to their name. Over to the west now, to the Netherlands where Twente continue their dominance, though not nearly as completely as they would like. With 22 points, they just barely edge PSV who have cobbled together 21 from 9 games. Vitesse are interestingly in 3rd, even in contention for 2nd as they lose out to PSV on goal difference alone. Meanwhile, Ajax have allowed Champions League glory to cloud their senses domestically, falling to 4th with just 17 points. Feyenoord round out the top five, losing to Ajax solely on goal difference. I will just briefly run through Portugal since their league is still really in its developmental stages: Porto are top with Benfica at 14 each though the northerners lead on goal difference. Braga have a hold on 3rd with 11 though Gil Vicente are surprisingly close with 9 from 6 games. Rio Ave currently a sizable pack with 8 points in 5th though I wouldn't be surprised in the least to see things change. Where are Sporting Lisbon I can hear you ask. Well, they are actually in 12th position with 6 from 6. Not nearly the bright start they were hoping for; but not deadly just yet! Meanwhile, in France, PSG have actually managed to turn around their less than impressive early performances to take the top of the French table with 19 points from 9 games. Equal with Marseille and a point over the team that were dominant a couple seasons ago: Olympique Lyon. Toulouse have 4th with 16, just over the likes of Valenciennes and Bordeaux. Worth mentioning: Ajaccio who would be in 10th at least have been dropped to 13th after getting 2 points deducted for some sort of infraction or another. Also, just a shout out to Sochaux-Montbeliard who find themselves in the fight to avoid relegation if their form continues in this manner! They currently sit at 18th position out of 20 with a mere 7 points from 9 games played. Moving on now, to Italy where the Old Ladies of Juventus have a decent hold on 1st with 22 points from 8 matches. Napoli are probably happy in 2nd with 19 points though will surely be hoping to increase their pillow between themselves and 3rd place Lazio who have 18 points to their name. Inter Milan also have 18 while 5th place Roma have managed 14 from 8. I would just like to say that AC Milan are presently wallowing in 15th position with a meager 7 points from 8 games. Onwards and upwards to Germany now where Bayern seem to have reclaimed their historic dominance with 24 points from 8 games. Eintracht Frankfurt are the surprise faces in 2nd with 18 points while Schalke hold 3rd with 17 points. Dortmund and Leverkusen are the disappointed parties in 4th and 5th with 12 points each. Quality teams need to be able to challenge internationally while not falling apart domestically and that is something that Dortmund don't appear to have mastered just yet. Hand it to the Bavarians though, they have! I would just like to drop back down to Spain now where Barcelona and Atletico Madrid hold 1st and 2nd with 22 points each from 8 games played. Malaga are actually in 3rd with 17 while Real Madrid look weak on their feet in 4th with 14 points to their name. Last but not least, Real Betis Balompie have made quite a run for themselves culminating in 13 points and a better goal difference than Levante who are thus bumped to 6th. Now for the island portions of Europe: I would like to begin with Scotland where Celtic have yet to be truly challenged with 20 points from 9 games while 2nd place Saint Johnstone have 17 from 10. Aberdeen have 15 from 10 in 3rd while Hibernian are in a similar position though with an inferior goal difference. Last but certainly not least, Inverness are 5th with 14 from 10. Only Motherwell have also not played a 10th game yet though they sit in 6th. Should they collect full points, they will look far better with 16 putting them into 3rd! A tie or a loss though, will drop them into the rat-pack. Over to England now where Chelsea have maintained themselves with 22 points to 2nd position Manchester United's 18. Manchester City have a similar set-up though an inferior goal difference to their arguably more successful counter-parts. Everton are adrift in 4th with 15 while Tottenham and several others hold 14. Currently, Spurs have the best goal difference. Liverpool's chances are looking up with a move to 12th while Newcastle appear to have lost their magic, falling to 11th. Arsenal are in 9th. Make sure to keep coming by! More coverage as always. Enjoy.

A Wrap-up of the U-17 Women's World Cup.

Well, before I say farewell to the U-17 Women's World Cup in Azerbaijan, I would just like to post about the Final and 3rd Place games that took place a couple days ago. First off, the 3rd Place match between Ghana and Germany! Despite falling a player down by the 32nd minute, Ghana ended up striking ahead in the 38th minute. Fatima Alhassan's sending-off was admittedly disappointing and certainly made the game no less easy for the Africans. Nevertheless, Priscilla Okyere struck the one and only goal of the game 6 minutes later to give the Africans a 1-0 victory over a rather hapless German side. Despite a total of 16 shots, 7 corner opportunities, and 57% of the possession, the German women could not get past Ghana's keeper Victoria Agyei who had yet another phenomenal game! Comparatively, Ghana had a total of 9 shots and 43% of the control of the ball. Last but certainly not least, the Final match between France and North Korea. Once more, it was a positively exhilarating experience with the French women striking in the 33rd minute of the 1st half through Lea Declercq. It took a while, but the North Koreans ended up drawing level in the 79th minute thanks to the perfect foot of Ri Un Sim! As the final whistle blew and the game proceeded to penalties, the French side could be said to have had the upper-hand with 11 shots to North Korea's 7; 5 to the 2 opportunities for the North Koreans; though "just" 48% possession compared to France's 52%. How did the penalties turn out? Well, despite not utilizing any of their subs, the French side managed to keep level with the North Koreans through the first 5 penalty shots for the respective sides. It ended even with just a miss from each of the sides - Kim Un Hwa had her shot saved by the French keeper while Marion Romanelli's shot for the French team was saved by North Korea's goalie. Going on to the sudden-death portion of the shoot-out, both sides were looking strong until the 3rd go-around: then, Ri Un Yong's shot was saved after Kadidiatou Diani struck home for the French national team. That makes France the first European side to lift the U-17 Women's World Cup! How so? Well, since the beginning of the competition in 2008, North Korea and South Korea had been the winners up to this point with the top-five most successful teams up to this point being: North Korea, France and South Korea (tied), Japan and the United States (tied), Germany, and Ghana and Spain (tied). What about the final statistics of the present tournament? Well, as far as goal averages, the top five broke-down as follows:
1) Japan scored about 4 goals a game;
2) Nigeria scored almost 4 goals per game;
3) North Korea scored 3 goals a game;
4) France scored about 2 goals a game;
5) Just as the United States did.
 As far as goal-scoring ability goes though, North Korea was actually the top-scoring team with 18 goals for the good compared to Japan's 17, Nigeria's 15, France's 14, and Germany's 11.
And what about by-the-player statistics? Well, Nigeria's Chinwendu Ihezuo was the best assist-maker with 4 while North Korea's Ri Hyang Sim's made 3. The rest really fell into a pack though these two were the trend-setters. On the goals side of things, Ri Un Sim struck 8 for North Korea while Chinwendu Ihezuo had 6 to the good for Nigeria. Once again, following these two the rest fell into a pack.
I hope you all enjoyed the competition and and please make sure to keep track of these truly talented footballers - I am sure that many of them have bright careers ahead of them!

Thrilling Women's World Cup Semi-Finals!

And the action has wrapped up today with France facing Ghana and North Korea taking on the Germans! In the first game, the defensive Ghanians were simply undone by the firepower of the French who were glorified through the brace from Kadidiatou Diani. Diani's goals in the 31st and 89th minutes were pure gold for the French as they dominated the goals and the possession with 61% of it and 15 shots to Ghana's 39% and 6 respectively. Some may complain that the Ghanians fell due to injury and suspension (Jane Ayieyam was sent-off with a second yellow in the 52nd and Ivy Kolli was still out due to injury) but really the French looked the better side on the day. Meanwhile, in the later game between the North Koreans and the Germans, it was once more a one-sided affair though the goal difference was less drastic: the Koreans ended up edging the Germans 2-1 after Kim So Hyang's 39th and 47th goals coming before Rebecca Knaak's 59th minute strike. The Koreans were then able to maintain the game with 64% of possession and tons of pressure with a total of 21 shots compared to Germany's 7! Once more then, the team that deserved to win ended up doing so in both games. Hope you enjoyed them and make sure to watch the Final and Third Place games!

Women's World Cup Semi-Final!

The action up to this point has been absolutely tremendous with the teams that have deserved the right to win more often than not going on to do so. On the 9th of October we will have another such instance when the Semi-Finals kick off with the most even of line-ups as possible: perennial title challengers Germany face ever-competitive North Korea while newcomers in the likes of France and Ghana face-off in the other leg. While France's accomplishments this year have certainly raised a few eye-brows (they had never previously made it out of the group stage let alone this far,) Ghana are the likely favorites to progress to the Final after they stopped the deadly Japanese strikers and scored a vital goal of their own in their Quarter-Final clash on the 5th of this month. But what about the other game? Between the two favorites of the remaining teams, this game could very well decide the conclusion of the tournament. How, then, do the two teams compare? Based on goal power alone, North Korea might be tipped to simply out-score the Germans however there is a word of caution in the statistics: the two teams who have scored more than the North Koreans, Japan and Nigeria, weren't able to make it this far. Thus, the ability to score is not the only thing that matters in football, and that is most explicitly illustrated in this campaign! Enjoy!

U-17 WWC: Round II in Azerbaijan.

Well today we had action just as thrilling as yesterday with Germany facing Brazil as Japan and Ghana battled it out later in the day. How about the European - South American clash first? Once again it was a very close match with the two sides level 1-1 at the half thanks to the efforts of Djenifer (for Brazil) in the 13th minute. Sara Daebritz proceeded to equalize for the Germans in the 31st minute to the chagrin of the Brazilian supporters. With the opportunities relatively equal for both sides, it was all too fair a game. Nevertheless, the Germans dominated the possession and it eventually told for them in the 2nd minute of stoppage time of the 2nd half when Rebecca Knaak slotted home convincingly! That was all she wrote as the Germans played out the rest of time without incident. Meanwhile, in the game between Japan and Ghana the tension of the 1st half can be contrasted with the bliss of the 53rd minute goal for Ghana through Sherifatu Sumaila. That's not to say there weren't opportunities, but despite 67% of possession, Japan had a mere 8 shots. It's very hard to explain how the favorites were sent crashing out, but the Africans performed brilliantly, well-deserving the right to represent their continent for the first time in the U-17 Semi-Finals. Returning to action from yesterday, I just wanted to highlight the end result of the Nigeria - France game: it went all the way to penalties! In the end though, France won out on penalties, 5-3.

The U-17 Women's World Cup Quarter-Finals: Round I

And the Quarter-Finals have arrived! After a great set of groups we are graced by the performances of the likes of North Korea v.s. Canada and Nigeria v.s. France! The first game today, between the North Koreans and the Canadians, was positively sensational as Ri Un Sim was positively phenomenal, striking twice in the 78th and 87th minutes to give the Koreans a wonderful position as the game drew to a close. Yes, Nichelle Prince brought the North Americans one back in the 1st minute of stoppage time of the 2nd half, but it was never going to be enough. The North Koreans were positively dominant in the game, taking at least 17 shots to Canada's 8 as well as maintaining 57% of possession! Not only did they dominate on the scoring and opportunity sheets, but the North Koreans also maintained a wonderful level of discipline throughout the match and as they celebrated knocking out the last representative from North America! Meanwhile, in Nigeria's match against France the two sides are deadlocked at 0-0 as I post this though I wouldn't be surprised if the French side go on to win it all! They have almost the exact same statistical dominance as we saw in the North Korea - Canada game but they have yet to score! The Nigerians might begin drawing strength from their hearty defense though so the ground-breaking goal better come soon! Enjoy the games and I'll try to post about tomorrow's games as well. Cheers!

World Rankings!

Well, there has been some movement in the rankings of world football, though neither of the top two of Spain and Germany have changed. Portugal have risen one place to 3rd while Argentina hopped three positions for 4th. Remember England? Well they dropped two to 5th as the Netherlands recouped in 6th, up two from the last ratings. Uruguay and Italy fell two places each to 7th and 8th respectively as Colombia cracked the top ten with their 13-position rise to 9th position! Greece rose 1 position to 10th from 11th last time around. Want to know more? Explore! There is a world of football just waiting for you. Enjoy it.

So the Champions League.

I know it has been a while since I posted about the Champions League - with so many other exciting events taking place I kind of lost it on my radar! However, here is a post to rectify the situation. The action thus far has been quite thrilling with Group A currently poised as follows: PSG of France currently leads with 3 points and a superior goal difference over 2nd place FC Porto of Portugal who also have 3 points to their name. Dinamo Zagreb take 3rd after losing their first game. Meanwhile, Dynamo Kyiv are in 4th. On to Group B where Schalke and Arsenal have 3 points each with the two sides unable to be separated by goal difference. Montpellier Herault and Olympiacos are in 3rd and 4th positions. Then we have Group C where Malaga of Spain are the surprise leaders early on while Anderlecht and AC Milan tied their game meaning they each have 1 point in 2nd and 3rd. Zenit St. Petersburg meanwhile occupy 4th after their defeat at the hands of Malaga. Looking at Group D we have an extremely thrilling state of affairs with Real Madrid leading with 3 points through goal difference as Borussia Dortmund are only 2nd on that goal difference. Manchester City and Ajax are thus in 3rd and 4th positions. How about Group E where there is another surprise contest for leadership? Yes, Chelsea have collected themselves and taken joint-1st alongside Shakhtar Donetsk. Juventus aren't looking too hot as they have only managed to draw their 2nd game leaving them with just 2 points and in 3rd position. The future does look a bit rosy though! Nordsjaelland have yet to even score a goal as they have lost both of their first two games meaning they are out of competition for progression and only hoping for a saving of their honor. Group F has has also played through their first two games and it has been absolutely thrilling! BATE Borisov have been absolutely phenomenal as they have gone to win their first two games while Valencia and Bayern Munich have both struggled, managing only two wins from four games between them! Luckily for them, Lille have essentially been neutralized in 4th as they have amassed 0 points and just 1 goal in their opening two games. Group G is a bit more clear-cut with Barcelona and Celtic holding 1st and 2nd with 6 and 4 points respectively. Benfica languish in 3rd with a single point while Spartak Moskva are down and out with 0 points to their name. Finally, Group H has a strong leader in Manchester United who hold 6 points to Cluj's and Braga's 3 points. Last but only kind of least, Galatasaray look like they will be consigned to playing in their domestic league after losing both of their first two games! More games tomorrow!

And the groups have concluded!

Well the intensity in Azerbaijan is only increasing as Group A concluded with the Canadians edging the hosts in what was a remarkably close game thanks in large part to the superior skills of the Azerbaijani keeper Aytaj Sharifova. Nevertheless, Valerie Sanderson eventually found the back of the net for the Canadians, early in the 2nd half. Meanwhile, Colombia were torn apart by the Nigerians with a 0-1 scoreline by the half and a 0-3 score at the end. Halimatu Ayinde struck in the 32nd and 75th minutes to give the Nigerians quite the lead. Diana Duarte's 80th minute own goal was just the last nail in the coffin as they go home with 3 points to their name. As for Group B, we were graced with quite the glorious exercise in how to play football (soccer): Gambia were routed 2-10 by the French in a game that stood 0-3 at the half. Pauline Cousin got things started for the French ladies in the 11th minute before Metta Sanneh struck an own goal against her team before Lea Declercq scored the first of her three goals in the 35th minute. Gambia actually showed well for themselves early on in the 2nd half, slotting home through Penda Bah in the 48th minute. Candice Gherbi put France back into a commanding position in the 53rd while Sainey Sissohore brought Gambia one back once more in just before the 70th minute. Thus it was 2-4 before Kadidiatou Diani and Griedge Mbock Bathy scored for France on either side of Lea Declercq's 2nd in the 78th. Pualine Cousin then struck her own 2nd, France's 8th, before Declercq completed her hat-trick in the 85th. Mariama Bojang's own goal at the last gasp was merely the icing on the cake for the French team, and the last point of a disappointing tournament for the Gambians. Meanwhile, in the other Group B game between the United States and North Korea little was resolved as they ended with their 1-1 1st half scoreline at full-time. Unfortunately for the Americans, Darian Jenkins' 2nd minute goal was all they had going for them as the North Koreans really captured the game after their 4th minute equalizer through the prolific Ri Un Sim. On to Group C now where Japan obliterated Mexico by a score of 9-0 with the game really decided at the half: 5-0 in favor of the Japanese. Risa Shimizu scored in the 8th while Yui Narumiya converted her 18th minute penalty. Akari Shiraki struck in the 22nd and 29th minutes while Ayaka Inoue scored in the 28th minute before half-time arrived. Inoue proceeded to tack on her 2nd, Japan's 6th, in the 56th. Hina Sugita struck in the 69th, Yuka Momiki added her own 10 minutes later while Mizuki Nakamura put the cherry on top with her 86th minute goal that sent Mexico home on a very very low. Meanwhile in New Zealand's match against Brazil we finally saw the real mettle of the South Americans: Emily Jensen gave the Kiwis the lead in the 4th minute. Byanca struck an equalizer in the 10th while Brena gave the Brazilians their first lead of the game in the 26th. Andressa slotted home her penalty in the 35th before New Zealand were able to draw one back in the 1st minute of stoppage time of the 1st half. This was through Ana Clara's own goal. Thus at the half the game was poised at a 2-3 scoreline. As the 2nd half began either side could have really drawn first blood however it was through Camila that the Brazilians finally broke the deadlock, extending their lead and forcing the women of New Zealand to get more and more offensive. Martine Puketapu was all to happy to accept the challenge, bringing the game to a 3-4 margin with her 77th minute goal for the Kiwis however it wasn't enough as the Brazilians held on for sweet victory! Last but not least we had Group D where Germany hammered Uruguay 5-2 despite the two sides being level 1-1 at the half! Sara Daebritz gave the Germans the lead in the 14th minute while Yamila Badell eventually equalized for the Uruguayans - in the 42nd minute. The 2nd half was when things got really interesting though as Rebecca Knaak, Ricarda Kiessling, and Sharon Beck struck in the 48th, 65th, and 80th minutes respectively to truly bury their South American competition. Yamila Badell's 87th minute goal for the Uruguayan women was a nice consolation however t really did nothing to affect their departure from the tournament. Last but certainly not least we had China v.s. Ghana. Both groups of women looked positively deadly in the lead-up to the game however Jane Ayieyam was the woman of the game with goals in the 18th and 88th minutes constituting the whole of the 0-2 affair as the team from Ghana progress to the next round. What of the next round? Well, with teams like Colombia, the United States, and the People's Republic of China falling out already, you might be wondering who actually did make it through. Well, Group A sees Nigeria and Canada go through with 7 points each. Over in Group B North Korea and France made it through on goal difference as both of them as well as the United States had 5 points to their names. As for Group C, the only group with a perfect winner, Japan and Brazil will move forward with 9 and 6 points respectively. Last but by no means least we have Group D where Germany and Ghana were the teams to qualify for the next round. Thus, Nigeria will take on France in the first Quarter-Final game. North Korea will then face the last remaining representative from North America in Canada as Japan and Ghana face off later that day. Germany's match with Brazil will most likely be very entertaining as well! Make sure to catch a couple of these games as they are sure to exhilarating!

Matches this weekend in the U-17 Women's World Cup in Azerbaijan

Alright, this weekend we have a ton of action in Azerbaijan as the groups come to their conclusions and we find out who will be going home early. In Group A, Canada will be taking on the hosts Azerbaijan with Canada looking for a place in the next round and the Azerbaijanis hoping to steal a shred of goodness from what has been a terrible tournament for them. Colombia's match against Nigeria will be played with higher stakes as the side who wins will progress to the next round. Also on the 29th, Group B will showcase the top two teams, North Korea and the United States, fighting it out as France v.s. Gambia is only meaningful for the Europeans: Gambia has no way of progressing while France is depending on either the U.S. or North Korea winning so they can pick up the 2nd progression spot. Otherwise, it's all down to goal difference and France has a lot of ground to make up! Meanwhile, on the 30th Group C kicks off with Japan for the most part untouchable facing Mexico who needs to win while Brazil will hope for victory over a hapless New Zealand who have yet to register a point in the competition. Last but by no means least, Group D will wrap-up with Germany expecting victory over Uruguay to progress as China and Ghana will battle it out for the other progression slot.  Predictions? As far as Group A is concerned, I think Nigeria will maintain their offensive and defensive supremacy to carry through as Canada has their way with the hosts. Group B will be more interesting as the United States has yet to allow a goal though the North Koreans have been positively deadly offensively. It will really all depend on who gets off to the best start and whether or not there are any slip ups in either defense because it could just end in a draw. That would be fine with France though! As they should have little to no difficulty with Gambia but they'll have to score an exorbitant amount to make it through to the next round. Moving on to Group C, Japan should manage the game against Mexico - even a draw would do - while Brazil should defeat the Kiwis though they have as of yet failed to impress. As for Group D, Germany should have little difficulty crushing the Uruguayans. On the other hand, China's match with Ghana is prime ground for an upset! China thus far have scored 5 conceding 1 while the Ghanians have struck 6 though allowing 2. Judging from their respective games against Germany, China might be tipped as favorites but it really could go either way. Enjoy the games and I'll update you all at the end of the weekend or the beginning of next week! Cheers.

U-17 Women's World Cup again!

Well, the second round of group games has been completed and what a tournament thus far! Hosts Azerbaijan were absolutely dismantled by Nigeria, losing 0-11 after a 0-7 scoreline by the half. Chinwendu Ihezuo struck 5 for the Nigerians, 3 coming in the first half while the last two came in the 56th and 70th minutes respectively. Halimatu Ayinde made 2 beginning in the 8th and adding a second in the 24th. Tessy Biahwo also grabbed two for herself in the 20th and 74th minutes as Aminat Yakubu and Joy Bokiri scored one for themselves each in the 22nd and 68th minutes respectively. Moving on, Colombia and Canada finished their match 0-1 with Summer Clarke scoring for the Canadians in the 51st minute. And that was Group A! As for Group B, France and North Korea tied 1-1 with Un Sim Ri giving the Koreans the lead for approximately 1 minute before Kadidiatou Diani leveling in the 60th! The game proceeded to end stalemated. In the other group game, the United States beat Gambia by a big 6-0 scoreline. It was actually a bit surprising as the Gambians actually kept it close up until the half with a 1-0 scoreline. Summer Green struck once from open play and again from the penalty spot as Amber Munerlyn, Morgan Stanton, and Toni Payne each grabbed goals of their own. Amie Jarju's own goal in the 46th minute was really the breaking point for the Gambians. On to Group C which remains in the running for the lowest scoring group in the tournament as Mexico were edged 0-1 by the Brazilians and New Zealand were bested by a superior Japanese side. Byanca was the player of the match as she struck Brazil's 82nd minute goal to win it all. As for the Japanese, Yui Hasegawa struck in the 60th and 78th minutes before Rin Sumida tacked on a third in the 3rd minute of stoppage time in the 2nd half from the penalty spot. New Zealand's keeper Ronisa Lipi was injured keeping her out of line-up contention this time around. Last but not least, Group D saw several surprises as Uruguay was ousted from tournament contention by the Ghanians. The score was 0-5 with 0-3 the score at the half. Then there was the China's drawing with Germany after getting the lead in fact! The Germans equalized though. Keep watching!

U-17 Women's World Cup! In Azerbaijan.

Well the tournament has kicked off and things are positively fascinating! How about beginning in Group A which consists of the hosts Azerbaijan, Canada, Colombia, and Nigeria? The hosts flopped against Colombia losing 0-4 with the half-time score of 0-3! Colombia's captain Dayana Castillo had a positively phenomenal game scoring in rapid succession in the 17th and 20th minutes. Gabriela Maldonado struck a minute from the half while Laura Aguirre added their 4th in the 73rd minute. As for the match between Nigeria and Canada, the two sides remained level 0-0 through the 1st half before each striking once in the 2nd to leave the two sides with a point a piece. Not to pick favorites, the Nigerians were probably expected to win this one though the Canadians actually struck first, in the 63rd minute to the chagrin of the Nigerian fans. Nevertheless, the ladies of Nigeria kept their wits about them and equalized in the 81st minute, saving themselves a bit of embarrassment. Moving on to Group B, France and the United States couldn't get by one another as they finished at a 0-0 draw. Having said that, the French probably should have won with 23 shots to America's 3. They also had 2 more corner kick opportunities and a slight edge as far as possession goes. Nevertheless, the United States will have to pick up their offensive output if they want to progress let alone win it all. That game was nothing compared to North Korea's absolute domination of Gambia with a 6-0 lead by the half and the final score sitting poised 11-0. Who were the trend-setters? Well, Ri Un Sim and Ri Kyong Hyang each bagged hat-tricks while Ri Hyang Sim slotted home twice in the last 4 minutes. Kim So Hyang, Kim Phyong Hwa, and Choe Yun Gyong each struck once as well! As for Group C, Mexico took on New Zealand, edging the Kiwis 1-0 with a 1st half goal coming in the 36th minute from Fernanda Perez and holding on for dear life. As for Brazil's match with Japan, the South Americans were utterly neutralized. Building a 0-2 lead in the 1st half, the Japanese went on to win 0-5! Rika Masuya struck in the 2nd and 17th minutes though was unable to complete her hat-trick. Yui Narumiya then proceeded to strike two goals, in the 49th and 67th minutes, that put the match completely out of Brazil's hands as Hina Sugita struck in the 63rd minute. And what about Group D? Well, it got off to a voracious start with Uruguay falling to China 0-4 after a first-half scoreline of 0-3! As both teams were debutant to the tournament (the only game in which that was the case) it should dispel any pre-tournament jitters for the Chinese as Tang Jiali scored in the 23rd minute while Zhang Chen made a double before the half. Lu Yueyun's 79th minute goal was just the icing on the top of the cake. Last but certainly not least, Ghana v.s. Germany was a thrilling encounter with the Germans leading 0-2 at the half. In the 2nd half though, Ghana fought back, almost equalizing after drawing one nearer. Keep watching and I am sure they will remain just as titillating throughout the remainder of the tournament!

Europe!

Unfortunately, the world of football moves on and so must we! Leaving the world of international football, I'd like to turn to the Champions League where we had quite the thrilling couple of days: on September 18th 2012 we saw Dinamo Zagreb lose to Porto 0-2, prolonging the Croatian champion's losing streak as Lucho Gonzalez and Steven Defour battled off the Croatian pressure to score in the dying minutes of the first and second half respectively. Paris St. Germain finally found their footing as they obliterated Dynamo Kyiv in France by a 4-1 scoreline! PSG got out of the gate early with Zlatan Ibrahimovic locking away a penalty kick in the 19th minute before Thiago Silva tacked on a second 10 minutes later. Alex's 32nd minute strike and Pastore's 1st minute of stoppage time strike in the second half were only interrupted by Miguel Veloso's 87th minute goal for the otherwise luckless visitors. Remaining in France, Montpellier were edged by Arsenal in their face-off despite getting off to an early lead through Younes Belhanda in the 9th minute from the penalty spot and having most of the 2nd half opportunities. However, Arsenal's quickfire double from Lukas Podolski and Gervinho in the 16th and 18th minutes were too much for the French side. Olympiacos were similarly edged by Schalke 1-2 although it could have been better for the Germans. Benedikt Howedes' 41st minute goal was canceled out by Djamel Abdoun's 58th minute strike. However, Klaas-Jan Huntelaar made an impact on the game with what would turn out to be a winner in the 59th minute. Sadly for the Dutchman, his penalty just moments later would not find its way to goal. Over in Spain, Malaga truly upset Zenit St. Petersburg with Isco striking in the 3rd and 76th minutes and Javier Saviola tallying one himself in the 13th to see off the Russians. The visitors really did look like fish out of water as their real opportunities were limited to the 1st half for the most part. As for AC Milan, they were held to a surprise 0-0 draw with Anderlecht at home in Italy despite the fact that the Italians had the lions share of the chances. Dortmund were more successful against Ajax as they went on to grab a goal in the 87th minute against the Dutch masters through the ever-talented Robert Leewandowski. Mats Hummels's penalty flub early-on in the 2nd half was forgotten as the German champions and their fans celebrated the vital three points. Last but certainly not least, Real Madrid were able to get the better of Manchester City in a high-scoring 3-2 extravaganza. with all of the goals coming in the 2nd half after a first half largely dominated by an ineffectual Madrid. Edin Dzeko eventually gave the struggling visitors the lead in the 68th minute though Madrid shortly equalized through Marcelo in the 76th. Aleksandar Kolarov made it 1-2 for the Manchester side before Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo slotted home in the 87th and 90th minutes respectively. Finally, yesterday, the 19th of September, we had Shakhtar Donetsk defeat Nordsjaelland 2-0 as Chelsea lost control of their match against Juventus to draw 2-2 in England. LOSC lost to BATE 1-3 in an enthralling fixture while Bayern edged Valencia 2-1; Barcelona one-upped Spartak Moskva 3-2, as Celtic and Benfica played out a goalless draw. Last but not least, Manchester United got one over Galatasaray - 1-0 was the final score - while Braga suffered a 0-2 defeat to CFR Cluj at home! Hope you enjoyed the games, don't forget the next legs or the Europa League action! Enjoy.

Wrapping up my report on the qualifiers!

Sorry about that everybody, where was I? Ah yes, Italy's 2-0 victory over Malta! Striking in the 5th minute, it appeared that the Italians were well on their way to a thorough trouncing of their opponents! Instead, they seemed to be out of gas for most of the game after Mattia Destro's opener. Andrew Cohen's own goal in the 2nd minute of stoppage time of the 2nd half was really a stroke of luck for the Italians as they really didn't deserve anything more than their one goal lead. Then there was the highly anticipated match-up between Austria and Germany! Leading 0-1 at the half, nobody could really fault the Germans after Marco Reus' 44th minute goal. While Germany's next goal came through Mesut Ozil, it wasn't anything spectacular as he made it from the penalty spot in the 52nd minute. Austria's return though, from Zlatko Junuzovic just 5 minutes later was well worth the wait. While the Austrians went on to lose 1-2 to their guests, there were positive signs. Serbia v.s. Wales wasn't nearly as close a contest with a 3-1 scoreline by the half and a 6-1 hammering the final tally as the Serbians ran away winners. Sweden's victory over Kazakhstan in Malmo wasn't quite as emphatic though it was comprehensive with the Swedes drawing ahead in the 1st half before locking the game away in the 2nd. Romania's match with Andorra was a return to the emphatic as the hosts utterly obliterated their guests: 2-0 at the half, the Romanians were ahead 4-0 by the time the referee blew the final whistle. Hungary's loss to the Netherlands was a rare loss for a home side in this round of games though it was to be expected: 1-4 by the end for the Dutch. Jeremain Lens had a great night for the Dutch national team, striking in the 2nd and 52nd minutes. Balazs Dzsudzsak was good for the Hungarians as he converted from the spot in the 6th minute to tie things up. Bruno Martens gave the Dutch the lead again in the 18th. Then came Lens' second while Klaas Jan Huntelaar put his name on the scoring sheet in the 73rd minute completing a rather remarkable night for a Dutch team stil rebuilding from their Euro Cup falling apart. And how about that Switzerland - Albania game? 1-0 at the half with a 2-0 scoreline by the end. Now for a change of perspective - the South American showdown between Peru and Argentina! After quite a disappointing opening couple of minutes, the Peruvians ended up being the side to take the lead first, through Carlos Zambrano in the 22nd minute. Unfortunately for them, the debilitated Argentinian side was able to fight back for a draw through Gonzalo Higuain in the 38th minute. And that was that! Despite efforts on both sides the scoreline was unchanged. The United States were able to edge Jamaica 1-0 in their match while Panama showed Canada the door with a 2-0 scoreline at home in Panama City. New Caledonia were able to upset their hosts Tahiti; by a remarkable scoreline too! 0-4 despite a 0-0 score at the halfway point. Cesar Lolohea, Bertrand Kai, and Georges Gope-Fenepej were the men of the hour with a goal, two goals, and a goal a piece respectively. Unfortunately, I have to leave in the middle of my post once more but I promise to complete my report in my next post! Apologies!

What was up with those Qualifiers?

So you might have heard of the World Cup Qualifiers taking place recently? Well, it isn't a myth! Let's start off nice and slow with Bulgaria's 1-0 edging of Armenia after a 1st half goal from Stanislav Manolev two minutes before the break. Then there was Turkey's 3-0 romp over Estonia which actually went into the half a 1-0 scoreline! Emre Belozoglu struck that 44th minute goal while Umut Bulut and Selcuk Inan added 2nd half goals in the 60th and 75th minutes respectively to take the game completely out of the visitors' hands. Belgium and Croatia finished level 1-1 after an exciting 1st half and a boring 2nd as Ivan Perisic's 6th minute goal was canceled out by Guillaume Gillet's 2nd minute of stoppage time goal. Unfortunately, I have to go to class now, however there is so much to look forward to! Italy v.s. Malta, Austria v.s. Germany, Mexico v.s. Cosat Rica... Look for it!

Women's U-20 World Cup Wrap-Up

The tournament in Japan has concluded and it was an explosive day like any other with the United States edging the Germans in the Final by a scoreline of 1-0 while Japan seized 3rd after a spirited 2-1 fight against the Nigerians. Kealia Ohai was the woman of the hour when she slotted home a minute before the half to give the U.S. a slender lead and the momentum going into the next half when they were defensive enough to keep that lead and win it all. As for the 3rd-place game, Yoko Tanaka provided the first goal, for the Japanese, in the 24th minute. Moving into the 2nd half Japan's second goal came five minutes in through the wonderful foot of Asuka Nishikawa. Not to be completely overwhelmed, Nigeria made it 2-1 in the 73rd after Desire Oparanozie struck a truly wonderful goal. It wasn't enough to equalize let alone win but it was enough to provide quite a scintillating performance! I hope you all enjoyed the tournament and applause to Japan for putting on such a wonderful spectacle!

On to the Semi-Finals!

The Women's U-20 World Cup continues at a blistering pace as Nigeria edged Mexico by a scoreline of 1-0 in their Quarter-Final showdown. On the same day, hosts Japan put a hurting on the visiting South Korean ladies as their game was 3-1 at the half with surprisingly no more goals in the 2nd half of the game. Onwards now to North Korea's face-off with the United States: After a high-tension but goalless 1st half the two sides were able to strike once each before the end of regulation time for a score of 1-1 before extra-time. That was after the U.S. had led for about 23 minutes after Vanessa Di Bernardo struck in the 52nd while Su Gyong Kim equalized in the 75th. The extra-time breakthrough came from Chioma Ubogagu who slotted home 8 minutes into the 1st half of extra-time. And that wasn't all as the game came to a close sensationally with the North Koreans looking for an equalizer while the U.S. defended while keeping their opponents on their toes. Last but certainly not least we had the Quarter-Final game between Germany and Norway which turned into a massive clobbering for the Germans as they sprinted to a 3-0 lead by the end of the 1st half. Their 4th goal, coming in the 85th minute of the 2nd half merely cemented what was already a foregone conclusion: the Germans are in the Semi-Finals. The journey isn't over yet though! As far as the Semi- Finals are concerned each continent besides South America and Oceania has a representative: Nigeria will be facing the United States, taking care of Africa and North America while Japan will take on Germany, the representatives from Asia and Europe respectively. Enjoy the matches as they are sure to be entertaining!

The Champion's League is in your future!

The draw has been made for the upcoming season's action in Europe's premier club tournament and it is sure to be fantastic: Group A has the likes of perennial Portuguese league winners Porto facing the likes of Dynamo Kiev, always a strong side at home; Paris St Germain who went on a buying binge over the summer before what has been an uninspired opening set of games in the French league. Last but not least we have Dinamo Zagreb who will play the part of the minnows in this group as they hope to partake in some giant-slaying. On to Group B now where Arsenal and Schalke (from England and Germany respectively) will be the favorites as Greek side Olympiacos will hope to work some magic as will in-form Montpellier of France. As for Group C there isn't too much to speak of as far as on-paper concerns go. However, once on the field we'll see how AC Milan, Zenit St. Petersburg, Anderlecht, and Malaga will face-off. And then there is Group D - arguably the most exciting group as four domestic defending champions challenge one another to make it to the next round: Real Madrid (Spain), Manchester City (England), Ajax (the Netherlands), and Dortmund (Germany). The rest of the groups aren't let-downs though! Chelsea will probably face pressure from Juventus and Shaktar Donetsk in Group E though Nordsjaelland shouldn't be under-estimated either although most paint them as the doormat the other clubs will brush their feet on as they move on. I for one hope the Danish side surprise us! Group F will most likely be dominated by Bayern Munich though if they fall apart once more the likes of Valencia, Lille, and BATE will jump on any chance to progress. Group G's match-ups should also be exciting as Barcelona look to reclaim both their domestic and international honor while their Portuguese neighbors Benfica will be similarly conflicted between managing domestic and international pressures. Spartak Moscow will be relying on a lot of home support as they have already set the pace for their domestic season. Last but certainly not least we have Celtic who are looking bright-eyed and bushy-tailed as they should not struggle domestically (following their rivals Rangers' demotion to the 3rd division) meaning (hopefully) for bhoys fans that the international stage beckons. We'll have to wait and see! And finally there is Group H! Manchester United are clear favorites to win while Braga, Galatasaray, and Cluj will mostly likely compete over the second progression slot. Hope you are looking forward to the action as much as I am!

Action from around Europe.

As it stands, Europe's leagues appear to have taken a familiar tone in most respects as Chelsea lead the English Premier League with a game over the competition and 9 points in the bag. Swansea City are actually the holders of 2nd place - winning 6 points from their first 2 games. Everton are tied with the Swansea side for second after their first two games. As for 3rd? Well, West Brom and Manchester City are the two sides sharing that position with two games played apiece. They both won 1 game and tied their a 2nd. 4th position is a 5-way tie with Fulham, Manchester United, Wigan, Newcastle, and West Ham each sharing the spoils with 1 win from each of their 2 games played thus far respectively. And as for 5th? Well Stoke and Arsenal currently sit their with 2 points to their respective names after 2 draws from their first 2 games. Sunderland are the only team who have yet to play their 2nd game which puts them at the top of the line for 6th position. Moving on now, to Spain's La Liga, Barcelona, Real Valladolid, and Rayo Vallecano all sit at the top of the table with 6 points each from their first 2 games. Then, we have quite a few teams with 4 points: Atletico de Madrid, Deportivo La Coruña, Mallorca, Sevilla, and Malaga. Now it'll be down to consolidation for these sides. However, several teams have 3 points - winning 1 though losing their other of their first 2 matches played - Real Betis, Getafe, Real Zaragoza, and Real Sociedad. Valencia have 2 points while one huge name is currently beneath them with just a point: Real Madrid! Granada and Levante also have 1 point to their name respectively. Moving on to France, the league has well-known names at its top though there have been some surprises: Marseille are full-time winners with 9 points from their first 3 games. Olympique Lyon, Valenciennes, Bordeaux, and Toulouse each have 7 points after 2 wins and a draw to their respective tallies. Bastia have been pretty solid with 6 points from their opening 3 games. Lorient and Lille have 5 points each while Nancy are just behind with 4. Disappointingly, PSG - big-signers over the summer - are stuck with a mere 3 points from their first 3 games, registering draws in each one of their games. Admittedly, they are undefeated but not really emphatically. Quickly before my laptop battery dies: the Netherlands' league is currently being lead by FC Twente with 9 points from 3 games. Ajax, Vitesse, Waalwijk, and Feyenoord each have 7 points while PSV have 6 from their first 3 matches played. Last but certainly not least, Scotland is being led by Celtic who hold 7 points after just 3 games while Hibernian also have 7 though from 4 games played. Dundee United are next up with 6 points from their first 3 matches played. Make sure to keep abreast with goings-on around Europe! The leagues are exciting as ever!

U-20 Women's World Cup: onto the Quarter-Finals!

And we have solidified the match-ups that will be taking place in the Quarter-Final round! The last games in each group have been played and the strongest survive: Mexico demolished New Zealand 4-0 despite a half-time score of 0-0 while Japan thrashed the Swiss at the same level in Tokyo. That was Group A, in Group B though, Italy were upset by a talented Nigerian side 0-4 while South Korea dented the Brazilians' confidence in a 2-0 clash which also took place in Tokyo. All of these games took place on the 26th of August. Today, however, we wrapped things up in Group C as Norway crushed Argentina 4-1 while the Canadians were edged 1-2 by the North Koreans. Last but certainly not least we had Group D's fighting between the likes of the United States and Germany which ended 0-3 in favor of the Germans! China's 1-0 edging of Ghana after an early goal may have been the most unexciting game though it was certainly not boring! With the Groups having thus concluded, here are the finishing positions: Group A was commanded by an undefeated Japan with 7 points while Mexico edged the New Zealanders out of 2nd with 2 points: 6 to their 4. Switzerland goes home with nothing in 4th position. What of Group B? Leaders Nigeria once more had 7 points while South Korea were down by just 1. Brazil fail to progress with 2 as do Italy who were able to manage just a solitary point. On to Group C where North Korea absolutely dominated - going unbeaten! Norway finished 2nd with 6 points while Canada go home early with 3 points. Finally, a full 0 points was achieved by the Argentines who seemed completely unable to attack or defend! And then we had Group D: Germany went on a winning streak while the USA and China tied 4-4 on points. They had to be separated on goal difference which the United States proceeded to win: +1 to -3! Unfortunately, Ghana was unable to register even a point as they go home. And where do we stand on the Quarter-Final front? Nigeria and Mexico will face off in Tokyo on the 30th while Japan and South Korea face one another later on the same day again in Tokyo. Then, on August 31st we have the last two games of the Quarter-Final stage, in Saitama. North Korea and the United States play in the first match there while Germany and Norway take one another on later that day. Make sure to watch!

2012 Futsal World Cup Thailand: The Draw.

It happened earlier today and the air of excitement was unmistakeable! Hosts Thailand will face Costa Rica, Paraguay and Ukraine in Group A while Group B is made up of the likes of Spain, Iran, Morocco, and Panama. Brazil, Japan, Libya, and Portugal make up an exciting Group C as Group D will be contested by the likes of Argentina, Mexico, Australia, and Italy. Group E could be anyone's with Egypt, the Czech Republic, Serbia, and Kuwait all in the running. Last but certainly not least, Group F has some of the largest and smallest teams: Russia, the Solomon Islands, Guatemala, and Colombia. Make sure you are ready for his sure-to-be-thrilling competition!

U-20 Women's World Cup

As has already been discussed, Switzerland's win-less tournament continues following their defeat at the hands of Mexico, 2-0. Japan and New Zealand meanwhile played out a 2-2 draw though the Lady Kiwis had actually been leading at the half. Also, Brazil and Nigeria finished even with a 1-1 scoreline despite the fact that the Nigerian's had the lead at the half. On the other hand, Italy were thrashed by the South Koreans by a 0-2 margin even though they had held on to a 0-0 scoreline through the first half. On now to Group C where the North Korean women absolutely obliterated their Argentine opposition 9-0. Astoundingly, it was already 7-0 at the half! However, in the other Group C match-up we had Norway upsetting and edging the Canadians despite the fact that the North Americans had led at the have by a 0-1 margin. Indeed, Norway's 2nd half rally was comparable to that of Germany who edged their Ghanaian opponents in Group D action by a 0-1 margin. Last but not least the United States and the Chinese tied after each side struck in the 1st half though neither could find a breakthrough in the 2nd. Hope you are enjoying the games and doubtless you should try to catch some of the upcoming games: on the 26th Group A's final round of games will commence with Mexico challenging New Zealand while hosts Japan take on the hapless Swiss side. Also on the 26th, Group B's last round plays out as bottom-dwellers Italy the Nigerian women challenging for a place in the next round as the undefeated Brazilians (who have also not actually won a game yet!) take on the likes of South Korea.

What you can expect tomorrow.

Besides some amazing contests between some of the best U-20 teams in the world, tomorrow will be another thrilling day in Japan as the second round of group play begins for the U-20 Women's World Cup! What can you expect? Well, the two losers of the opening day of Group A face-off when Mexico and Switzerland meet. Later, Japan and New Zealand fight it out to determine who will sit at the top of the group. The first game of the day though, between Brazil and Nigeria, will pair up the two trend-setters of Group B while Italy will be hoping for victory over a South Korean side who lost their opener. Then, on Thursday we will be treated to some feasts of football as the formidable North Koreans take on an Argentine side that was obliterated 6-0 by the Canadians who will be facing Norway. You wouldn't be faulted for saying that the group looks just about settled despite only the opening round having been played in Group C. Last but not least we'll have Ghana v.s. Germany and the United States playing China in what is sure to be an exciting Group D! Enjoy the show!

U-20 Women's World Cup update!!!!!

So all of the groups have played their opening games and things are looking quite explosive! Hosts Japan and New Zealand currently lead Group A with 3 points a piece while Switzerland and Mexico have yet to register a point. Japan's 4-1 demolition of Mexico will probably be one of the highest-scoring clashes of the tournament. Meanwhile, New Zealand's 2-1 edging of Switzerland bodes well for the lady kiwis! On now to Group B where Nigeria lead after a straightforward 2-0 victory over the South Koreans. Then, Italy and Brazil drew in their opening clash, a 1-1 spectacle that resolved just about nothing. The results, however, leaves everything to be decided in the 2nd and 3rd rounds of group play. As for Group C we saw only extreme scorelines as Canada obliterated Argentina by a scoreline of 6-0 and North Korean and the Norwegian women played out a high-scoring 4-2 affair. Last but certainly not least we have Group D where there were 4-0 games: Germany defeating China by that margin and the United States going on to do the same against Ghana. Make sure to catch some of the next games! They are sure to be exhilarating.

And the leagues are back!

Well, after all of this exciting summer action we are back and the same as always: Fulham, Swansea City, West Brom, Chelsea, Manchester City as well as Newcastle and West Ham all started off the English Premier League with wins while Reading, Stoke, Arsenal, and Sunderland drew their respective matches. However, both of these groups are better off than the likes of Southampton, Spurs, Aston Villa, Wigan, Liverpool, Norwich City and QPR who lost their opening matches. Last but not least Manchester United and Everton have not begun their league campaigns yet. On to the Spanish La Liga where Barcelona opened their league efforts with a 5-1 victory over Real Sociedad. Real Betis,  Deportivo la Coruna, Mallorca, Sevilla, and Malaga also got off to winning starts as Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid, Levante, and Valencia faced draws with one another. Granada, Rayo Vallecano de Madrid, Real Valladolid, and Real Zaragoza have yet to have the music while Espanyol, Getafe, Celta de Vigo, Athletic Club, Osasuna, and Real Sociedad failed to impress on their first showings. Enjoy!

U-20 Women's World Cup 2012 - Japan!

You can be sure that it will be a thrilling tournament as the hosts, Japan, face stiff competition from the likes of Mexico, New Zealand, and Switzerland in Group A. Meanwhile, always competitive Brazil will take on challenging Group B opposition in Italy, Nigeria, and South Korea! As for Group C, anyone really could win it as the likes of North Korea, Norway, Argentina, and Canada face-off in what each of them will hope will be their first round of games among many. Last but certainly not least we have Group D where Ghana and China will have the mountains of the United States and Germany to climb if they are to progress out of the group stages! Taking place between the 19th of August and the 8th of September, the games are sure to bring a lot of excitement and fierce competition so I certainly encourage you to watch a game or two. There will be no teams new to the scene however this is only Ghana's second appearance at a U-20 Women's World Cup so they will feel as though they still have a lot to prove to the world. I would expect, at the very least, the United States and one of the Asian representatives (maybe Japan for their first time?) to make it to the Semi-Finals. The reigning champion German women are also looking like strong contenders to make a title run while the Swiss may have a reason to look at this tournament with some apprehension: they haven't won a match in the U-20 World Cup competition in 6 matches! Enjoy!

The Women's Gold and Bronze Medal Games!

What a brilliant tournament it has been! Absolutely enchanting as the two best teams in the world, the United States and Japan faced off in an enthralling Gold Medal. Things got off to a flying start with Carli Lloyd striking in the 8th minute for the U.S. That was the first sign that this game might not be a repeat of the Women's World Cup Final between the two sides. However, the game proceeded after the first goal with much passion but little headway for either side. By the half, the Americans looked secure though underestimating the Japanese side would have been deadly. Instead, the U.S. secured their lead through Lloyd once more in the 54th minute! At 2-0  many seemed to think it was over for Japan. Instead of rolling over though, the Asians brought themselves one back through Yuki Ogimi in the 63rd minute. There was a renewed sense of expectancy after the goal, however no more came as the U.S. defense clamped down and they cemented their gold medal victory. Earlier in the day though, in the Bronze Medal match between Canada and France there was a nail-biting conclusion with neither side able to break the deadlock until the 2nd minute of stoppage time of the 2nd half! Diana Matheson was the one who put it away, making her name one that will go down in the Canadian sports history. They'll only wish she could have done the same thing in a Gold Medal game. Nevertheless, it was a sensational conclusion to a game that could have truly gone either way. I hope you enjoy the women's Olympic soccer and congratulations to all the teams for making it a memorable experience!

And now for the men's Semi-Finals!

And now for the men's competition! Winning the Semi-Final matches today puts two teams in the position to win the gold, a first time for each of them! And Mexico v.s. Japan was the first game of the day with the South Americans triumphing over the Asians by a tremendous margin of 3-1 despite the fact that the Japanese had opened the scoring in the 12th minute through the talented Yuki Otsu. Nevertheless, Mexico's rally took until the 2nd half to materialize with the 1st half ending at a 1-1 stand-still after Marco Fabian equalized for the Mexicans in the 31st minute. By the end of regulation time Mexico had displayed their dominance with goals in the 65th and 3rd minute of stoppage time - the latter coming from 90th minute substitute Javier Cortes! Meanwhile South Korea's match against Brazil was even more one-sided: Despite leading possession earlier in the game the Koreans proceeded to get hammered by a margin of 0-3 as the Brazilians ran away winners and will be facing Mexico in the Gold Medal Final! The South Koreans and the Japanese will then be playing in the Bronze Medal game to determine who is the better of the two sides. Make sure to watch!

Women's Semi-Finals!!!

What a thrilling day today! Canada v.s. the United States concluded regulation time with the sides level at 3-3 despite the fact that the Canadians continually put themselves into the lead through the phenomenal Christine Sinclair. The U.S. proceeded to get themselves back into the game each time though, showing a true spirit that drove them to find something deep within themselves. It finally materialized though: the U.S. finally captured a goal of their own to get into the lead for the first time in the game: in the 3rd minute of stoppage time of the 2nd period of extra time. It was a lead that they wouldn't surrender and a win that puts the United States into the gold medal performance. Meanwhile in the other leg France faced Japan in what was a thoroughly one-sided performance through the 75th minute. Up until that point, Japan was in the lead by an outstanding 0-2 margin. However, France did make the scoreline a bit more respectable as Eugenie le Sommer slotted home in the 76th minute to cement a 1-2 victory for the Japanese. Thus, they'll be facing the Americans in the Final! Make sure to watch!

Olympic Soccer: Men's Quarter-Finals.

Today was another day of goals with every game averaging more than two goals! (In fact, for the most part they well exceeded this average!) Japan's match with Egypt was probably the most one-sided of the contests as the game kicked off early in the morning and the Japanese went on a 3-0 trouncing of their African opponents. The last of the African delegation, Senegal, went on to the field a little later as they faced Mexico in a wonderful, free-flowing game that ended 2-4 in favor of the Mexicans. While Mexico probably should have wrapped things up after a half-time score of 0-2 in their advantage, the Senegalese fought their way back into the game making it 2-2 by the end of regulation time. As the game progressed into extra time the Mexicans were the side that took things into their own hands with one goal and then another making it 2-4 by the time the referee brought an end to the two periods of extra time. As for the noon-time game between Brazil and Honduras, it was a drawn-out affair despite the fact that the Hondurans went a man down around the half-hour mark following a defender's rash challenge. In fact, before the unfortunate incident where the Hondurans went a man down they were actually in the lead following an opener in the 12th minute. Nevertheless, following the sending off the Brazilians drew level through the man who would go on to score a total of two goals in the game: Leandro Damiao. However, not to get too far ahead of myself the first half ended 1-1. As for the second half it started much as the first one did: the Hondurans managed to get their noses in front before the Brazilians equalized three minutes later. Then, at the hour mark, Leandro Damiao gave his team a lead that they never relinquished: 3-2 the final score as the South American giants held on for a win. As for the last game of the day between Team Great Britain and South Korea,the Team GB men followed the way of the women as they couldn't pull ahead of the South Koreans after the Asians opened the account with a goal from Ji Dong-Won in the 29th minute. While they were able to equalize from the penalty spot through Aaron Ramsey a few minutes later they squandered any other chances through regulation and extra time before the teams arrived at penalties! As the teams lined up, either side could have won it with both going perfect through the 4th shots. Then, after Daniel Sturridge missed England's last effort, Ki Sungyueng struck Korea's 5th to leave the hosts out of the next round. What will the Semi-Finals look like though? Well, the South Koreans will face the Brazilians in what is sure to be a heavily contested game while the teams from Mexico and Japan face-off in the other Semi-Final leg! Make sure to watch both the men and the women's Semi-Finals!

Olympic Quarter-Finals Part I

It was a fascinating day with plenty of goals on this wonderful August 3rd as Sweden and France faced off in the early morning hours with the result a tight 1-2 thriller with the French women making it through to the Semi-Finals. The other morning game saw the United States take on New Zealand with the result in no doubt: with a goal in each half, the U.S. women were assured of their place in the next round. As for the noon-time game between the Brazilians and the Japanese things were surprisingly one-sided: Japan illustrated once more why thet are the greatest nation in the women's game at the moment with a comprehensive 0-2 victory over the South Americans. Last but certainly not least we had the afternoon game between Team Great Britain and Canada: let's just say that the commonwealth upset the Queen as the Canadians pushed for a 0-2 victory putting an end to a wonderful display from the hosts - in the women's competition at least. As for later today/tomorrow (August 4th) we have the men's competition returning in their rendition of the Quarter-Finals stage! Japan will open things against Egypt while Mexico and Senegal face-off a little later in the day. Then, at noon, it's two South American powers playing one another as Brazil and Honduras exchange blows with Team Great Britain wrapping things up against South Korea in the afternoon. Before I post this, here is the line-up for the women's Semi-Finals! France will face Japan at noon while the North American rivalry between Canada and the United States flares up in the afternoon leg. Make sure to watch and enjoy!

Last Days of Olympic Soccer Group Play!

Well there were two draws in the women's Group F yesterday as Japan and South Africa played out a 0-0 draw and Canada met Sweden in a 2-2 contest. With those results Sweden and Japan managed to progress to the next round at the expense of the Canadians who missed out of the top two by just a point as the table was completed thus: Sweden - 5, Japan - 5, Canada - 4, and South Africa - 1. On to Group G where the U.S. fended off the challenge of the North Koreans in a 1-0 encounter. At the same time, France defeated Colombia by the same scoreline. After this last round, the group wrapped-up with the table poised as follows: the United States - 9, France - 6, North Korea - 3, and the Colombians - 0. Completing the women's group games we had Group E in the afternoon of July 31st: New Zealand bested Cameroon by a scoreline of 3-1 while Great Britain upset the Brazilians by edging them 1-0. Despite the last game's respective results Great Britain and Brazil will be the teams qualifying with the group positioned in the following manner: Great Britain - 9, Brazil - 6, New Zealand - 3, and Cameroon - 0. And what of the Quarter-Finals? Great Britain will face Canada while the United States and New Zealand challenge one another in the next. Sweden and France are the next pairing while Brazil and Japan round-up the Quarter-Finals bracket. As for the men's teams matches taking place today (August 1st) Brazil trounced the New Zealanders 3-0 while Belarus were similarly abused by the Egyptians in their 1-3 contest. After the morning games though, the other games were far from high-scoring: Group D's last round ended entirely goalless with Japan and Honduras ending 0-0 as did Spain's match with Morocco. Mexico were able to undo the Swiss in a 1-0 encounter while South Korea v.s. Gabon reached the final whistle without a goal between them. As such, groups B, C, and D are arrayed as follows: Mexico and South Korea each have 4 points in Group B while Switzerland and Gabon have a point to their names respectively. In Group C Brazil conquered with a perfect 9 points from 3 games while Egypt finished in second with 4. Belarus managed 3 while the Kiwis were left with a mere point. Last but not least, Group D was resolved with an air of surprise as Japan triumphed with 7 points, Honduras fixed in second position with 5, Morocco managed 2 points while Spain left disappointed with merely a point to their name. As for Group A, the games are taking place as I post this with Great Britain leading Uruguay by a score of 1-0 at the end of the first half while the United Arab Emirates are in a similar position over the men of Senegal. Should the games resolve as they currently stand Great Britain and Senegal would take the top slots with 7 and 4 points respectively while Uruguay and the United Arab Emirates would be tied with 3 points a piece. We'll have to see how things actually end! Enjoy!

Soccer at the Olympics! (Olympic Football!)

Well the games that I looked forward to in my last post have taken place and there were some surprises and some great performances! Japan and Sweden opened things on the 28th with an inauspicious 0-0 draw. However, New Zealand v.s. Brazil was a close, tense battle that finished 0-1 to the South Americans. Then came the high-scoring parties: Canada hammered South Africa 3-0 before the United States defeated Colombia by the same score (though with a bit more controversy after Abby Wambach was punched by Lady Andrade and 29 other fouls were committed throughout the game). In a more tame game, Great Britain v.s. Cameroon similarly finished 3-0 in favor of the home side. The last game of the day took place between the French and the North Koreans. It seemed a completely different side of North Koreans from their opening 2-0 victory over Colombia but that is the nature of soccer! As it was, France ran out 5-0 winners. On to the men's action on the 29th of July which saw Egypt and New Zealand play out a 1-1 draw to start things off. Mexico was victorious over Gabon by a margin of 2-0 while Brazil defeated Belarus 3-1 to end the morning games. At noon Japan edged Morocco 1-0 while Senegal upset Uruguay in a 2-0 shocker! South Korea and Switzerland finished 2-1 before the afternoon games arrived: Great Britain faced the United Arab Emirates and sank 3 past them though admittedly allowing one into the back of their own net. As for the last game of the day, Spain were left with a bad taste in their mouth as Honduras managed to pull off a one-goal wonder: they denied Spain their chances and finished on top in the process after a goal in the 7th minute from Jerry Bengtson! However, if the score had been decided on by yellow cards the Spanish might just have won: 7 for them while Honduras had "just" 6! And what do you have to look forward to? Well, tomorrow (July 31st) the women return with an in-form Japan squaring off against a South Africa who have no hope of progressing to the next round. Then, Canada, who must win to have a hope at qualifying, face Sweden who are in a slightly better position tied at the top of the table with the Japanese. The U.S. then take on North Korea a little after noon with the North Koreans' only hope coming if they are victorious by a margin that the French cannot better against a Colombian side that have no hope of making it through. As far as the afternoon games are concerned, New Zealand's match with Cameroon is largely a battle over pride while Brazil's game with Great Britain will decide who faces who in the next round. And then on the 1st of August we have the men playing. Brazil v.s. New Zealand provides little hope for the Kiwis to advance while Egypt's match with Belarus may be a more tightly contested affair. Japan v.s. Honduras is the match-up of the first and second place teams in their table respectively while Morocco and Spain who play at the same time both have barely any chance at all to go on. Also at noon, Mexico face Switzerland in a game the Swiss must win to have any hope of surviving. The Mexicans must likewise win because their position in the next round is in no way assured. South Korea and Gabon are the last of the noon-time games with similar stakes as the previous match-up: technically, either side could still go through depending on the results. Last but certainly not least we have Senegal taking on the United Arab Emirates while Great Britain face a serious threat from the Uruguayans. Try to catch some of what I am sure is going to be an exciting couple of days!

The Olympics Soccer so far.

Well, I'd like to start with the women's soccer that took place on the 25th of July! Team Great Britain opened things with a 1-0 victory over New Zealand while just an hour later the Japanese women's team edged Canada in a 2-1 battle. At the same time, the United States defeated France in a 4-2 thriller! As for the afternoon games the Brazilian women's team obliterated Cameroon  5-0 with Sweden treating the South Africans much the same way in a 4-1 victory. The last match of the day was between Colombia and North Korea. Despite getting a late start after some stadium ineptitude, the North Korean women played a great game winning 0-2. Look for the continuation of the women's action on the 28th of July! On to the men's games now where Honduras and Morocco opened the day with an exciting 2-2 draw as Mexico and South Korea played out a goalless draw. Next up was the upset of the tournament thus far: Spain getting edged 0-1 by a wonderful Japan side. As for the noon-time games, the United Arab Emirates were barely beaten by Uruguay's Olympic side in a 1-2 spectacle. Gabon and Switzerland then tied with one another: 1-1. And then came the afternoon games with Belarus seeing New Zealand off with a 1-0 scoreline before Brazil took on Egypt. In a cataclysmic battle, Brazil out-scored the Egyptians in a 3-2 fiesta. Last but not least, Team Great Britain weren't able to hold onto their lead against Senegal who drew level at the death to make it 1-1 when the final whistle blew. And now for a look into the future with more women's action coming on the 28th. Japan and Sweden face-off to get things started early in the morning while New Zealand and Brazil kick-off next. Canada and South Africa will play at about the same time while at noon the United States meet Colombia. The other Group G match up will be between France and North Korea but that takes place after Great Britain's game with Cameroon's women's team. And ending this forward look how about the men's games that will be taking place on the 29th? Egypt and New Zealand open the day while Mexico and Gabon play a little later. A couple of hours before noon Brazil will meet the team from Belarus in what many predict will be a one-sided affair. Japan and Morocco take the pitch at 12:00 while Senegal and Uruguay meet at the same time in what is sure to be a fascinating fixture. South Korea and Switzerland then play a quarter after while later in the afternoon Great Britain face the United Arab Emirates and Spain meet Honduras. Keep enjoying!