This was a fine display by England, in the lead up to their World Cup qualifier against Ukraine, next Wednesday.
Rooney was seen as the man of the match, and there is no doubt that he scored two good goals. However, the first was the result of a pinpoint pass from none other than David Beckham, and the second from an equally good pass from Frank Lampard. The latter was equally impressive when he scored himself, and is always good value for money. So it is always difficult to decide who is the man of the match. If Rooney was a selfish player himself, and reluctant to pass the ball to give others a better chance of scoring, you might think of him as a skilful opportunist. But he is not, and does not, and will always release the ball if there are others with a much better scoring chance, and for that, as much as his own goal scoring ability he is to be applauded.
It was Emile Heskey who scored England's first after 7 minutes, and from there on the writing was on the wall. However, he was injured in the process and had to be replaced by Carlton Cole, who was subsequently replaced by Peter Crouch, and he too was limping around towards the end. So it was a relatively easy win for England, but at the expense of three of their centre forwards becoming unfit.
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Beckham came on to rapturous applause at the interval, and it is still a travesty that a manager of McClaren's ability was able to sack him. It is not just that he is very popular, so much as he is instinctively good at what he does, and that is to get the ball in the path of somebody who can put it into the net. Rooney managed that for his first and England's second goal. In football terms Becks is a bit of a national treasure and it was great to see him get his 109th cap for England after McClaren had wanted to see him stuck on 99. Capello is proving to be as good a manager as England have had for a while, although there will be some who might comment that is not saying much.
Slovakia tried hard and had their moments, but the England defence was up to anything thrown at them. James was tested on a couple of occasions, but confidently held the opposition at bay until replaced by Foster at half time.
This was a good display by England, but it will be harder when they meet Ukraine. It would seem that under Capello, they have every chance of competing in next years world cup. That would be good for England and good for international football. England's fans are fortunate enough to see the best international talent every week in the Premier League, but they will feel let down if they are ever again denied the opportunity of seeing the national team compete in a major competition.
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England 4-0 Slovakia
soccer and football
England 4-0 Slovakia
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Manchester United 1-4 Liverpool
It looked as though the writing was on the wall, when Ronaldo scored from the spot in the 23rd minute, after Reina fouled Ji-Sung Park in the box. But if anything it lit Liverpool's fuse, and from there on end they never looked back, and on this occasion were the much better team.
Just five minutes later, Torres stamped his authority on the game, and caught Nemanja Vidic unawares. The defender, inexplicably allowed the ball to fall behind him, believing that he had time to deal with it. Torres thought differently, and in a flash he beat Vidic and thrust the ball past Van der Sar, to equal the score.
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It was Liverpool who were awarded a penalty, when Evra brought down Gerrard, just before half time. The Liverpool captain made no mistake from the spot and shot his side into the lead, and the home fans were beginning to consider the unthinkable. A defeat, by their sometimes-bitter rivals on their own hallowed ground, seemed more than possible!
United were looking uncharacteristically edgy and perhaps a little desperate. So much so that Vidic was sent off for a blatant foul on Gerrard, and Aurelio brilliantly scored from the free kick in the 77th minute, to put his side further ahead.
The score line was looking good for the visitors and seemed almost unassailable. And so it proved to be, when in extra time, an opportunist Dossena, lobbed the ball over Van der Sar. There are no pundits who would have forecast such a result, and it may have been that United were having an off day. However, Liverpool were superb, and on this occasion outclassed the Premier League leaders.
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United were slightly more determined after the break, but when manager Ferguson made a triple substitution in the 73rd minute, it was too late to make any difference. Of course they are still clear at the top of the Premiership, but they will need to play better than this if they are not to surrender their crown to Liverpool or Chelsea!
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Manchester United 1-4 Liverpool
soccer and football
Manchester United 1-4 Liverpool
Just five minutes later, Torres stamped his authority on the game, and caught Nemanja Vidic unawares. The defender, inexplicably allowed the ball to fall behind him, believing that he had time to deal with it. Torres thought differently, and in a flash he beat Vidic and thrust the ball past Van der Sar, to equal the score.
Please Click Here to visit the Worldsoccer-Online Web Site
It was Liverpool who were awarded a penalty, when Evra brought down Gerrard, just before half time. The Liverpool captain made no mistake from the spot and shot his side into the lead, and the home fans were beginning to consider the unthinkable. A defeat, by their sometimes-bitter rivals on their own hallowed ground, seemed more than possible!
United were looking uncharacteristically edgy and perhaps a little desperate. So much so that Vidic was sent off for a blatant foul on Gerrard, and Aurelio brilliantly scored from the free kick in the 77th minute, to put his side further ahead.
The score line was looking good for the visitors and seemed almost unassailable. And so it proved to be, when in extra time, an opportunist Dossena, lobbed the ball over Van der Sar. There are no pundits who would have forecast such a result, and it may have been that United were having an off day. However, Liverpool were superb, and on this occasion outclassed the Premier League leaders.
Please Click Here to visit the Worldsoccer-Online Web Site
United were slightly more determined after the break, but when manager Ferguson made a triple substitution in the 73rd minute, it was too late to make any difference. Of course they are still clear at the top of the Premiership, but they will need to play better than this if they are not to surrender their crown to Liverpool or Chelsea!
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Manchester United 1-4 Liverpool
soccer and football
Manchester United 1-4 Liverpool
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Liverpool Humiliate Real Madrid
Liverpool 4-0 Real Madrid
Real Madrid are justifiably recognized as one of the best football clubs in the world, which makes their surrender to Liverpool almost inexplicable.
Madrid were thrashed by four goals to nil, (agg. 5-0), and if it had not been for their splendid goalkeeper Camillas, who was easily their best player, the score-line could have been doubled! Liverpool seem to come into their own when they play in the Champions League, but even so this was a remarkable performance. You would not have expected them to so readily outclass a team of Real Madrid's standing.
To rub it in, it was Spaniard Fernando Torres serving his Spanish Manager Raphael Benitez, who started the rot. Prior to the match he wasn't considered to be 100% fit, and required a pre-match injection. It must have been a syringe full of pure energy, considering the performance he delivered.
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Torres shot Liverpool ahead after 16 minutes, when he expertly slotted home a pass from Dirk Kuyt. Madrid would say he should have been penalised moments before, for a foul on Pepe, but it was a borderline thing, and would have been a harsh decision.
Twelve minutes later Liverpool were awarded a penalty, when Heinze was penalised, in the area, for handball. There was no intent on Heinze's part, when the ball struck him on the shoulder from short range. It wasn't a foul, and should never have been a penalty, but Liverpool were hardly going to say they didn't want it. Gerrard made no mistake when he drilled the ball home from the spot to put his side two up.
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Real Madrid had their chances, but one of the differences between the two sides was that Liverpool took theirs, and the visitors didn't. Reina had to make saves from Sneijder, and Higuain, but he wasn't seriously tested. Incidentally Reina had suggested that Casillas is the best goalkeeper in the world. You may wonder how that could be when he let in four goals. Well, as has already been mentioned, he made some fine saves otherwise it could have been eight, or even ten goals to Liverpool.
After the interval, it seemed reasonable to expect a more determined effort from Madrid. It didn't come, and they were past the point of no return, when Gerrard thumped in his second goal in the 47th minute. Just before the end, Dossena got in on the action, to score Liverpool's fourth goal. The fans were delighted, and roared their approval after a night to remember. The Liverpool fans that is!
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Liverpool Humiliate Real Madrid
soccer and football
Liverpool Humiliate Real Madrid
Real Madrid are justifiably recognized as one of the best football clubs in the world, which makes their surrender to Liverpool almost inexplicable.
Madrid were thrashed by four goals to nil, (agg. 5-0), and if it had not been for their splendid goalkeeper Camillas, who was easily their best player, the score-line could have been doubled! Liverpool seem to come into their own when they play in the Champions League, but even so this was a remarkable performance. You would not have expected them to so readily outclass a team of Real Madrid's standing.
To rub it in, it was Spaniard Fernando Torres serving his Spanish Manager Raphael Benitez, who started the rot. Prior to the match he wasn't considered to be 100% fit, and required a pre-match injection. It must have been a syringe full of pure energy, considering the performance he delivered.
Please Click Here to visit the Worldsoccer-Online Web Site
Torres shot Liverpool ahead after 16 minutes, when he expertly slotted home a pass from Dirk Kuyt. Madrid would say he should have been penalised moments before, for a foul on Pepe, but it was a borderline thing, and would have been a harsh decision.
Twelve minutes later Liverpool were awarded a penalty, when Heinze was penalised, in the area, for handball. There was no intent on Heinze's part, when the ball struck him on the shoulder from short range. It wasn't a foul, and should never have been a penalty, but Liverpool were hardly going to say they didn't want it. Gerrard made no mistake when he drilled the ball home from the spot to put his side two up.
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Real Madrid had their chances, but one of the differences between the two sides was that Liverpool took theirs, and the visitors didn't. Reina had to make saves from Sneijder, and Higuain, but he wasn't seriously tested. Incidentally Reina had suggested that Casillas is the best goalkeeper in the world. You may wonder how that could be when he let in four goals. Well, as has already been mentioned, he made some fine saves otherwise it could have been eight, or even ten goals to Liverpool.
After the interval, it seemed reasonable to expect a more determined effort from Madrid. It didn't come, and they were past the point of no return, when Gerrard thumped in his second goal in the 47th minute. Just before the end, Dossena got in on the action, to score Liverpool's fourth goal. The fans were delighted, and roared their approval after a night to remember. The Liverpool fans that is!
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Liverpool Humiliate Real Madrid
soccer and football
Liverpool Humiliate Real Madrid
Monday, March 02, 2009
Manchester United 4P-1P Tottenham
The score-line looks very impressive but this was a hard fought game that was still a goalless draw after extra time. So it was all down to penalties and that was when United showed their class.
Opportunist United goalkeeper Ben Foster was given a Wembley outing by Sir Alex and proved himself up to the task. When he brilliantly saved the first Tottenham penalty attempt from Jamie O'Hara the writing was on the wall. Their fate was sealed when David Bentley's attempt was skewed wide. Giggs, Tevez, Ronaldo, and Anderson made sure that a fifth attempt was not necessary, and another trophy was on its way to Old Trafford.
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As Premiership games go this was not a classic but there is always excitement at the end when penalties decide the outcome. It was a case of 'who dares wins', and United dared, not least because of their superior penalty taking firepower. Other than that a draw was a reasonable outcome. Both sides had their chances, with superstar Ronaldo being more or less contained. He was given a yellow card later on in the game for diving, but it was a highly controversial booking, and it perhaps should have been a penalty. Referees will have to watch these sorts of decisions, because although diving, and other professional fouls have become part of the game, it is grossly unfair to wrongly label players with this sort of misdemeanour.
United started well enough with Gibson, Tevez, and Nani all threatening without hitting the target. Spurs came back into it and forced Foster to make a great save from Lennon after 70 minutes. Ronaldo nearly secured it for United, just before the full time whistle, but his forceful shot ricocheted off the inside of an upright, and extra time needed to be played.
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Both sides had extra time chances, but Foster was having a great game and saved a good shot from Darren Bent with his legs. Evra went close to no avail at the other end before the final, final whistle, signalled a penalty shoot out. Giggs led for United, and his colleagues simply followed suit. Following the leader was something Tottenham didn't want to do after O'Hara's shot was saved, and when Bentley missed United had won with room to spare. Not a classic but over two hours good entertainment, with penalties to boot!
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Manchester United 4P-1P Tottenham
soccer and football
Manchester United 4P-1P Tottenham
Opportunist United goalkeeper Ben Foster was given a Wembley outing by Sir Alex and proved himself up to the task. When he brilliantly saved the first Tottenham penalty attempt from Jamie O'Hara the writing was on the wall. Their fate was sealed when David Bentley's attempt was skewed wide. Giggs, Tevez, Ronaldo, and Anderson made sure that a fifth attempt was not necessary, and another trophy was on its way to Old Trafford.
Please Click Here to visit the Worldsoccer-Online Web Site
As Premiership games go this was not a classic but there is always excitement at the end when penalties decide the outcome. It was a case of 'who dares wins', and United dared, not least because of their superior penalty taking firepower. Other than that a draw was a reasonable outcome. Both sides had their chances, with superstar Ronaldo being more or less contained. He was given a yellow card later on in the game for diving, but it was a highly controversial booking, and it perhaps should have been a penalty. Referees will have to watch these sorts of decisions, because although diving, and other professional fouls have become part of the game, it is grossly unfair to wrongly label players with this sort of misdemeanour.
United started well enough with Gibson, Tevez, and Nani all threatening without hitting the target. Spurs came back into it and forced Foster to make a great save from Lennon after 70 minutes. Ronaldo nearly secured it for United, just before the full time whistle, but his forceful shot ricocheted off the inside of an upright, and extra time needed to be played.
Please Click Here to visit the Worldsoccer-Online Web Site
Both sides had extra time chances, but Foster was having a great game and saved a good shot from Darren Bent with his legs. Evra went close to no avail at the other end before the final, final whistle, signalled a penalty shoot out. Giggs led for United, and his colleagues simply followed suit. Following the leader was something Tottenham didn't want to do after O'Hara's shot was saved, and when Bentley missed United had won with room to spare. Not a classic but over two hours good entertainment, with penalties to boot!
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Manchester United 4P-1P Tottenham
soccer and football
Manchester United 4P-1P Tottenham
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