Europa League Semi-Finals 4/24/2014

Exciting matches today as Benfica took on Juventus while in Spanish domestic opponents Sevilla and Valencia faced-off for the right to play in the Final on the 14th of May. In the first pairing, the action was intense, though tentative. Ezequiel Garay gave the Portuguese the lead in the 3rd minute after heading home. Slowly but surely, the Italians responded, commanding the match with little to show for it until Carlos Tevez found the net in the 73rd minute of the second half. The home fans never wavered, and they were rewarded for their faith as Benfica went on to strike a 2-1 advantage into the second leg as the 31 year old Lima scored. Between the two sides, I think that Juve will win at home in the return fixture. If Arturo Vidal can return to form following an absence due to knee injury, that will make the Italians' job that much easier. Prolonged losses on the Benfica bench may also negatively impact the Portuguese side's chances at winning through: Eduardo Salvio and Nicolas Gaitan alone would bring firepower and flair to the side that is desperately needed. Continuing to miss Silvio in defense and Ljubomir Fejsa in the midfield is also unfortunate, though the Eagles showed that they could perform with the players they have available. Either way, it is going to be a great game.

Turning now to the Sevilla-Valencia fixture, I would just like to point out that the visitors arguably dominated the match, particularly the first thirty minutes and the last fifteen. Nevertheless, Sevilla showed their salt. Through the amazing Ivan Rakitic, Stephane Mbia and Carlos Bacca were able to slot home in the 33rd and 36th minutes respectively, putting the game to bed despite Valencia's best efforts. Looking forward to the next fixture, the loss of Coke will be a hit to Sevilla, in addition to the continued injuries of Sebastian Cristoforo and Denis Cheryshev. On the other bench, Valencia will be hoping that Diego Alves recovers in time for the second leg if they are going to have any hope of progressing to the next round. Vicente Guaita has performed well enough, but with Victor Ruiz, Ricardo Costa, and possibly Philippe Senderos out, Valencia will need an experienced set of hands at the back. Enjoy the games next week!

Champions League and Europa League Update! 4/11/2014

One step closer to the Final now, with both the Champions League and the Europa League entering their Semi-Final stages. In the former, Atletico Madrid will face Chelsea while Real Madrid take on holders Bayern Munich for the right to compete in the showpiece event in Lisbon. In the face-off between England's remaining representative Chelsea and Atletico Madrid, the sheer depth of the Madrid bench may out-perform the London side. If the Blues can get the likes of Samuel Eto'o, Andre Schurrle, and Marco Van Ginkel back into the side, they will arguably look much the better team. Atletico meanwhile will be set on getting Diego Costa and Arda Turan back into their side ahead of their first leg encounter in Madrid. Much will depend on Atletico's home performance as Chelsea have consistently under-performed away from home. As far as the defenses are concerned, Chelsea's Peter Cech obviously has the most experience at this level of competition between the two - though I would conjecture that Thibaut Courtois may have the better put together defensive front. If Diego Costa isn't at 100% fitness, I would predict Chelsea getting through by the skin of their teeth. Turning now to the Real Madrid-Bayern Munich match-up, it is curious that the Germans have no back-ups for Manuel Neuer since Tom Starke and Lukas Raeder are both out through injury. All the same, the Germans would be my pick to go through if Cristiano Ronaldo is less than 100% fit and the likes of Sami Khedira, Alvaro Arbeloa, and Marcelo are out. Bayern will doubtless continue to miss the talents of Thiago Alcantara and Xherdan Shaqiri though I think Mario Mandzukic, Arjen Robben, and Thomas Muller alone could get the Germans past the Spaniards. Gareth Bale will remain a menacing option for Real; and Karim Benzema, Angel Di Maria, or Isco may have a burst of form. Having said that, the defensive stalwarts for Bayern such as Philipp Lahm, Rafinha, Jerome Boateng, and Dante should keep the heat off of Neuer. I'm actually not sure which way the opener in Madrid will go. Bayern have traveled well in the tournament thus far, though Real have been in terrifying home form so they may well earn themselves a hard-fought lead. That'll just mean the second leg will leave everything to play for!

As for the Europa League, we have a mix of Iberian and Southern European contestants this year with Benfica paired with Juventus and Sevilla poised to take on domestic opponents Valencia. I'll start with the all-Spanish bout with Sevilla the team that I am not-so-secretly rooting for. For one thing, they have the depth of bench to let them compete at this level despite injuries to (arguably nonessential) midfielders Denis Cheryshev and Sebastian Cristoforo. Otherwise, Javier Varas has been as fit as a fiddle with Beto a more than adequate stand-in if circumstances require. As for scoring talent, Kevin Gameiro is an obvious target man for the Valencia defense though Carlos Bacca and Vitolo have proved deadly. Unless Sevilla cement at least a two goal lead (for best results, without allowing any away goals) when they greet Valencia in the series opener, I think Valencia's Paco Alcacer and Fede Cartabia may be enough to push them through. Now for bad news on Valencia: Diego Alves, their top keeper, will likely be out due to injury for at least the first game in Sevilla. Vicente Guaita has been a decent stand-in, I do not expect he will have as easy a time as he did against Basel in the second leg. Rather, Sevilla should be disciplined and I wouldn't be surprised to see a scoreline similar to the one we saw in Basel: 3-0 for Sevilla? Let's see if it happens! Between Juve and Benfica, I have mixed emotions. These are two teams that I have greatly enjoyed watching. Defensively, the two sides have opposite problems. Whereas the Portuguese may be missing their goalkeeper Artur for the first leg, the Italians are without three - yes three! - significant defending talents: Andrea Barzagli, Federico Peluso, and Angelo Ogbonna. Having said that, Bonucci, Caceres, and Chiellini are in as is Gianluigi Buffon. Rubin Amorim is also doubtful for Benfica, though Rodrigo and Lima are the great attacking prongs of the Portuguese side. Oscar Cardozo is always a danger man, while Eduardo Salvio, Lazar Markovic, and Nicolas Gaitan may hit a run of form to propel their team into the Final. As well as being fabulous defenders, Luisao and Ezequiel Garay may surprise by adding to their respective goal tallies as well. Over on the Italian side, the incentive to perform is certainly evident as Juve would be playing at home in Turin if they get through the Portuguese. Pablo Osvaldo will probably be shut down by Benfica, though with names such as Sebastian Giovinco, Carlos Tevez, Fernando Llorente, Arturo Vidal, Andrea Pirlo, and even Paul Pogba on the roster, the Old Ladies can never be written off. With both sides having a phenomenal record thus far in the Europa League, it is honestly a crap-shoot. I might favor Juve to make some magic, but don't expect Benfica to take anything lying down. Jan Oblak has performed admirably in the Eagles' goal, and if he is called to represent the club again, I would expect a performance similar to Benfica's matches against Tottenham Hotspur. Enjoy the games!

And we're off to the Final! U-17 Women's World Cup: 4/1/2014.

Dominating performances in both fixtures of the Semi Final stage down in Costa Rica as Japan hammered Venezuela 4-1 with the Asian ladies making it 0-2 by the half. Fuka Nagano and Nana Ichise were the strikers on form early on, scoring in the 13th and 33rd minutes respectively. The South Americans, making it to this stage for the first time in their country's history, were simply outdone as the Japanese controlled possession with 59% of the ball and double the strikes as their opponents. Going into the second half, Rikako Kobayashi won through the defense in the 52nd minute, striking past the demoralized Franyely Rodriguez in the Venezuelan goal. Making it 0-3, Hina Sugita followed up by converting her penalty in the 63rd minute of the game. By way of consolation, Venezuela were able to make it 1-4 in the 2nd minute of stoppage time of the second half through Deyna Castellanos. The Latina Americans should be proud of what they accomplished in Costa Rica in this tournament, making it to the Semi Finals was much more than they would have ever believed possible. Japan were justifiable winners, and they will face Spain in the Final of the World Cup while Italy take on Venezuela for third.

In that other Semi Final fixture, the Italians were able to hold the Spaniards into the second half following a tense first half. While the Italians actually had ever so slender leads as far as shot opportunities and shots on target were concerned, the Spanish held a sliver more possession than their opponents: 51% to 49%. The Italian defense let their side down though, fouling twice in the goal box to provide Spain the two chances they needed to claim victory. The first came in the 48th minute off the foot of Sandra Hernandez while, with nine minutes to play, Nahikari Garcia made it 0-2 in the 81st minute. Francesca Durante was, as always, in terrific form, and the third place match should be just as brilliant as the Final.

Speaking of the final two matches of the U-17 tournament, Japan-Spain in the showpiece game will be an enthralling one. I would love to see the Asian's claim victory, as they should outscore the Spanish if it comes down to it. If the Spaniards begin getting flustered, I wouldn't be surprised if they begin breaking down - both in terms of discipline and defensively - while Japan have a solid head on their shoulders and a good set of feet at the ends of their legs. A great deal will depend on whether or not Spain goalkeeper Elena De Toro can hold up to the firepower of Japan (particularly Hina Sugita and Yui Hasegawa). At the same time, Spain's Nahikari Garcia is the main threat though Pilar Garrote has scored three times in this tournament, though she isn't the most consistent. If Mamiko Matsumoto can keep her amazing form in the Japanese goal, and players such as Shiho Matsubara and Nana Ichise perform at the level they have been, the Europeans may see all their hard work thus far go up in smoke. Between Venezuela and Italy, I would pick the South Americans to win. Essentially replaying their final group stage match-up, I don't think much has changed between then - when the Venezuelans edged their opponents 1-0 - and now. I just hope both sides have spirit remaining to make it as interesting a game as it could be. The Italian defense will give the Latin Americans a headache, but Deyna Castellanos and Gabriela Garcia should be able to get through at least once. It would be great to see Yuleisi Rivero get some pitch time, but I think she'll only come on if the Venezuelans cement a fantastic lead. Expect a post about the Champions League later this week as well!

Wrapping up the Futsal European Championship: 2/8/2014.

Scenes of jubilation were common throughout a tense Final match of the Futsal European Championship. But let's take a step back to the Semi-Finals where Portugal faced Italy and Russia took on Spain. In the first of the two, the Portuguese put up a good fight against the Italians. While Gabriel Lima put the Italians in the lead before the end of the first minute, Ricardinho and Arnaldo Pereira struck once each for the Iberians to make it 2-1. Romano equalized in the 22nd minute for the Italians before Gabriel Lima struck his second and Fortino made it 2-4 by the 34th minute. Despite the Portuguese getting the last goal in the 34th minute, making it 3-4, Joel Queiros' goal made for an exhilarating final few minutes but it was to no avail as the Italians booked their Final ticket leaving Portugal to contest the third place spot with the loser of the Russia-Spain match. Over to the other Semi-Final now, the Spaniards got off to a fine start with the opening goal in the 16th minute through Pola. However, Russia reacted powerfully with Sergeev and Lyskov making it 2-1 in the 22nd and 26th minutes respectively. Rafael Usin brought the Iberians level in the 26th minute though Fukin kept the eastern Europeans in the lead before the 26th minute had run out. Nevertheless, Miguelin brought the sides level 3-3 in the 37th minute. Keeping the sides level for the last three minutes of regulation time, one five minute period of extra time went by without a breakthrough. Finally, in the second period of extra time, Robinho struck the Russians ahead in the 48th minute meaning they just had to hold the line for two minutes. Despite intense pressure, they were able to do just that, pitting them against Italy in the Final while Spain and Portugal faced off in the 3rd Place match. As for that match for third, Portugal and Spain treated the world to a feast of football: Fernandao, Jose Ruiz, and Lozano struck for Spain three times before the 7th minute, making it 0-3 for the Spaniards. Ricardinho and Pedro Cary gave the Portuguese a chance with two goals before the twelfth minute though two more goals - from Miguelin and Rafael Usin - secured Spain's victory. 2-5, Raul Campos struck in the 19th minute for Spain before Pedro Costa and Joel Queiros made it 4-6. To add insult to injury, the defending futsal world champions struck twice more, through Fernandao and Pola, making the third-place match the highest-scoring in the competition's history! As for the Final, Italy and Russia gave us a tremendous contest with Gabriel Lima putting the southern Europeans in the lead for a little over three minutes until Eder Lima equalized in the ninth minute. The match could well have gone either way, but it was the Italians who pushed on to victory, striking twice between the 13th and 18th minutes through Murilo and Giasson to take a firm lead before the halftime break. Despite 42 efforts, 9 more than the Italians, the Russians were unable to crack Italy's defenses and in fact lost Cirilo to a second yellow card in the 33rd minute making the last seven minutes of the game a rubber stamp as the southern Europeans won their first title since 2003. Hope you enjoyed the matches!

U-17 European Championship

Well it has been a long and winding road but it looks as though we are approaching the end. Hosts Slovakia were lucky enough to make it to the Semi-Finals before being bested by the Italians in a 0-2 encounter. Mario Pugliese's 3rd minute opener probably left a bad taste in the host's mouth, however despite several opportunities the Slovakians could never get a hold of the game. Elio Capradossi's 64th minute goal put the last nail in the coffin as Italy progressed to their first ever Euro U-17 Final and the hosts were left wondering about what might have been. As for the other Semi-Final match-up, as I post this Russia and Sweden are presently tied goalless as they approach the end of the 1st half with equal efforts though the closest chance thus far came from Sweden's Erdal Rakip. Check back later for my post on the Final which will take place on May 17th. Enjoy the games!

Champions League Semi-Final Part I

Many things in life are fleeting. Happiness, success, life itself. Up until today, I would have thought success over Barcelona was one of those fleeting situations in life. I was wrong. While it is true that the referee of the show-down between Bayern Munich and Barcelona was garbage, Barca's defensive deficiencies were painstakingly obvious, and Bayern's home field advantage was tremendously helpful, a 4-0 result was beyond my expectations. Yes, I might have predicted Bayern to win at home, but the manner in which they put Barcelona out of the game was almost laughable. Despite the fact that the Catalan side had over 60% of possession, they only had 4 real chances. While it is true that the Spaniards suffered almost 20 fouls through-out the match (compared to 10 for the Germans) the Bavarians only collected 3 yellows to Barcelona's 4. The blame lies with the visitors though as it was obvious where Barcelona failed most defending corners of which they gave Bayern 11! Despite a rather spiteful dying minutes, Thomas Muller's 25th minute shot opening the scoring got the game off to an exciting pace. When Mario Gomez scored 4 minutes into the 2nd half, Barca's keeper Victor Valdes earned a healthy plate of criticism. It is true, he wasn't helped by his defenders (particularly Jordi Alba who looked out-classed for most of the game in comparison to Muller) but some of the goals he allowed were approaching comical. In the 73rd minute, Arjen Robben's strike was utterly farcical. Utilizing a hybrid basketball-American football move, Robben's marker Jordi Alba was left in the dust by a fellow Bavarian attacked granting the Dutch player a golden opportunity which he took with great relish. Last but certainly not least, Thomas Muller's goal in the 82nd minute was the last cry of a dying side as Barcelona's defense fell completely apart allowing the striker to punch in his second on the night. While Bayern deserve a lot of credit for the way that they conducted the match - specifically the 1st half - there were a number of calls that favored them shall we say. If Barca let this result get to their head, expect a replay of this match in the 2nd leg. While I don't think they will overturn the result, they will at least present more of a threat at home giving the aggregate score a somewhat decent image. That will only be possible, though, if their defensive players actually show up and Valdes actually makes some saves.

As for tomorrow's match between Dortmund and Real Madrid, I cannot see the German side dominate as their compatriots did today. While being at home will certainly help them and the addition to the side of Robert Lewandowski, Sebastian Kehl, and Sven Bender only bodes well for the Germans, not even their recent home record gives them enough of an edge against the giants of Madrid. Having said that, if Michael Essien, Fabio Coentrao, Alvaro Arbeloa, Luka Modric, Angel Di Maria, and Marcelo are all gone, Madrid may just be stretched too far. I think Madrid may have enough to edge the Germans but I could also see the match ending in a draw. If Dortmund are particularly on form on the night though, Madrid may not be able to keep up. Away goals, however, will spell doom for the German side in the end. Hope you are enjoying the matches!