EURO 2012 Qualifying Results!

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

Euro 2012 qualifying. Are you ready?

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

Domestic action galore.

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

Some more Champions League action! 9/28/11.

So, let's start with the game in Spain! Valencia were facing the fierce opposition of Chelsea and were very lucky to be able to tie it very late in the 2nd half. Frank Lampard struck in the 56th minute to give Chelsea the lead after an uneventful 1st half. Valencia's response was very late and very lucky in coming after Salomon Kalou blatantly handled the ball in the box from a cross. Roberto Solado gratefully converted from the spot to bring the Spanish side level and split the points. Zenit St. Petersburg ended up dominating their match despite going down early to Porto. James Rodriguez gave the visitors the lead in the 10th minute, but they proceeded to lose Jorge Fucile who was dismissed after he received a 2nd yellow. Roman Shirokov leveled for the Russian giants in the 20th before giving them the lead in the 63rd minute. Danny tacked on a 3rd in the 72nd to finish the 10-man Portuguese powerhouse. Meanwhile, in France Marseille were able to have their way with Dortmund, blowing them out of the water with a 3-0 scoreline. Andre Ayew struck the opening and closing shots in the 20th and 69th minutes while Loic Remy scored between these two - in the 62nd. AC Milan won comfortably at home against the visiting Plzen. Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Antonio Cassano struck once each without response to give the Milanese side their 1st win in Group H. Barcelona are now in a similar position as they obliterated BATE in Minsk thanks to an opening own goal from Aleksandr Volodko in the 19th, a clean strike from Pedro Rodriguez in the 22nd, a pair from Lionel Messi in the 36th and 56th minutes, and a closer from David Villa to totally tear apart BATE 5-0. One thing is certain: BATE have definitely gone through a learning experience today. Last but not least, Arsenal added more woes to the Greeks as they edged Olympiacos 2-1 thanks to early goals from Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (8th minute) and Andre Santos (20th minute). David Fuster brought the Greek side one back but to no avail as the English side held on for the 3 points. An interesting note: Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain had a fantastic game as an 18 year old! One negative? His name is too long! It does not bode well for his future! Haha, all the best for the young man, I hope he has a very successful career with the Gunners.

Champions League update. 9/27/11.

Well, I'd like to start with Bayern's 2-0 victory over Manchester City today. Mario Gomez was once more on fire as he struck in the 38th and 46th minutes of the 1st Half (the latter goal coming in stoppage time) to crush the positive start made by the visiting English side. Meanwhile, in Russia, Inter Milan were able to defeat CSKA Moskva in a close run game 3-2. It was largely due to 2 early goals from Lucio and Giampaolo Pazzini in the 6th and 23rd minutes respectively. Alan Dzagoev and Vagner Love equalized for Moskva by the 77th but to no avail as Mauro Zarate struck in the 79th to give the Italians a lead that they didn't give up. Back in Italy, Napoli were finally able to break the ice of their Champions League run against Villarreal and in what a fashion! Marek Hamsik and Edinson Cavani found the net once each between the 15th and 17th minutes to the great acclaim of the Naples crowd. In Group D Real Madrid hammered Ajax 3-0 thanks to a goal from each of the following: Cristiano Ronaldo (25th minute), Kaka (41st minute), and Karim Benzema (49th minute). In Hungary meanwhile, Otelul Galati lost their first home game of the Champions League when they were edged by Portugal's Benfica 0-1 after a superb strike from Bruno Cesar in the 40th minute. Manchester United were actually "held" to a 3-3 draw by Basel in England! Danny Welbeck was initially the only United player to have shown up as he struck their 16th and 17th minute goals while Fabian Frei brought Basel back 1 in the 58th. Alexander Frei then struck a brace in the 61st and 76th minutes to actually give the Swiss visitors the lead! Had Ashley Young not equalized for the stunned English side in the 90th minute, Basel would have deservedly won 3 points. As it stands, they take 1 from what could have been a harder fight.

Crazy Spanish League! 9/22/11.

Well, the Spanish Liga is currently turned on its head: Roque Santa Cruz's 2 strikes in Real Betis' 4-3 victory over Zaragoza have left them in an unfamiliar position: on the top of the Spanish League! Santa Cruz gave Betis the lead in the 7th minute before Salva Sevilla struck a penalty in the 12th minute for a 2-0 lead. Efrain Juarez brought Zaragoza one back in the 36th. The 2nd half was Betis' for sure though: Benat Etxebarria converted a penalty 2 minutes in while Santa Cruz added his 2nd, a 4th for Real Betis, in the 49th. Juan Carlos Perez proceeded to fight back for the visitors scoring in the 77th and 79th minutes but to no avail. It should be added that Betis' goalkeeper was sent-off in the 70th minute after a foul on Luis Garcia outside of the box. In other Spanish news, Espanyol edged Getafe 1-0 thanks to a goal from Walter Pandiani in stoppage time of the 2nd half. Defending champions Barcelona are currently in 3rd place with 8 points (2 wins and 2 draws), while Real
Madrid are actually 7th with 7 (2 wins, a draw and a loss).

Men's International Rankings Update! 9/21/11.

Well, there have been quite a lot of moves at the top of the football world with Spain regaining their place at the summit after a month in 2nd. The Netherlands return to 2nd place while Germany remain in 3rd. Uruguay, Portugal, and Italy make up 4th, 5th, and 6th while Brazil and England have been bumped to 7th and 8th respectively. Croatia moved past Argentina to take 9th with the South Americans rounding out the Top 10. Greece and France have actually moved up 3 places each putting them in 11th and 12th respectively.