Tag Archives: Soccer

12 Memorable Soccer Moments and Events In 2009

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We bid farewell to 2009 and welcome the new year 2010. Lets take a look at 12 interesting soccer events in 2009 in the order that they come up to mind – my mind of course.

1. Tottenham’s 9 – 1 mauling of Wigan Athletics

This is probably one of the best highlights of the year from my favorite Premier League team. An incredible Tottenham Hotspurs performance especially from both Aaron Lennon and Jermaine Defoe saw Spurs blasting 9 goals past Wigan Athletics. 8 of them were scored in the second half.  Defoe himself scored a personal best of 5 goals.

2. USA’s entry into the Confederation’s Cup Final

Nobody even thought that USA will feature in the Final. They lost their first two group matches to Italy and Brazil. However, as it turns out their final match 3-0 win over Egypt was good enough to see them through into the semi finals of the tournament.

They even surprised Europe’s champion Spain with a 2 – 0 victory in the semis. In the final against Brazil, they were 2 – 0 at half time. Brazil came back after the interval to score 3 goals and denied USA soccer an ultimate dream of winning the Confederation’s Cup.

3. Amri Yahya’s two goals against Manchester United

Manchester United came to Malaysia in their pre-season Asia Tour. On paper, Malaysia were truly a no match for United, even in pre-season form. However, the Malaysian spirit proved to be a surprise for the visiting team. We gave United a run for their money indeed. Selangor skipper Amri Yahya scored a memorable brace in the match.

The first, a truly mesmerizing looping ball that went over an off positioned Van der Saar straight into goal from 30 yards out. His second came in the second half when he pounced on a Ben Foster  error in front of the United goal.

4. Malaysia’s Gold medal in the SEA Games

Malaysia U23 Wins Gold in Sea Games 2009

Malaysia U23 Celebrates Gold in Sea Games 2009

After 20 years of waiting, the Malaysia soccer team finally made a historical gold medal win in the SEA Games. Malaysia went into the SEA Games final as an under dog facing a more fancied Vietnam. In their first encounter in the group matches, Malaysia went down 3 – 1 to Vietnam.

Malaysia, however won all their other group matches to secure the second spot in Group A. We even defeated our next door neighbor Thailand 2 – 1.  In the semis, Malaysia went up against the home team Laos and weathered the Laotian home crowd support to come out victorious with a 3 – 1 win.

In the final, Malaysia devised a solid backline to prevent Vietnam from creating chances at goal and relied on quick counter attacks. The tactic works like a charm and delivered Malaysia’s first gold medal in soccer after 20 years.

5. Selangor’s Treble

Selangor is known as a soccer power house in Malaysia. The Red Giants just have not been up to mark in recent years. However, in the last couple of years, Selangor have risen up from the shadows. The once mighty Giants are now once again a force to be reckoned with in the Malaysian Super League.

Selangor achieved another history in Malaysian soccer. They won a treble in the 2009 season. Winning the Charity Shield, FA Cup and also the Super League title. Too bad, they did not make the Malaysia Cup final. That would really have made it a superb season for Selangor fans.

6. Malaysia Cup Final Mayhem

The 2009 Malaysia Cup saw two teams who have long dream of reaching the Malaysia Cup Final. It’s been many moons since both Negri Sembilan and Kelantan saw action in a Malaysia Cup Final. It was Kelantan’s second final appearance in 2009 after their loss against Selangor in the FA Cup final.

Kelantan fans arrived in large numbers. They took almost 75% of the seats hoping to see their team create Malaysia Cup history. However, it was the fans that created history. As the Kelantan players wilted on the field, their fans anger rose to a high fever pitch level.

The Kelantan fans chose to vent out their frustration by burning the stadium seats and throwing water bottles on to the field. Fires broke out  at  a number of places as the Kelantan fans dispersed.

A Malaysia Cup final to be remembered indeed, but for the wrong reasons.

7. Thiery Henry’s hand in France’s ticket to World Cup 2010

Maradona did it once in a World Cup match between Argentina and England. Thiery Henry did this time in a match between France and Ireland. Henry admitted using his hands to control the ball before passing it to Gallas for the score.

The resulting goal allowed France to qualify for World Cup 2010. Ireland on the other hand had to rue their missed chances. The incident also added fuel to the issue of using video replays in soccer matches. Do you think that video replays should be used in soccer matches? To what extent? Leave me  your comments.

8. New Zealand’s entry into the World Cup 2010

In New Zealand, soccer is probably not in many people’s minds. People relate more to the All Blacks – their national rugby team.  However, the New Zealand soccer team – All Whites, have risen to the fore as they have qualified into World Cup 2010.

Only their second appearance at the World Cup. They qualified after beating Bahrain 1 – 0 at home.

Can the All Whites be as dominating as their All Blacks brethren?

9. Premier League’s Battle For Top Four

For years now, the top four premier league positions are locked between Chelsea, Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal. This season, however, the race for top four sees new faces. Tottenham, Manchester City and Aston Villa are among the other teams staking their claim at the top four spots.

At the moment, today, any of the following teams have very realistic shot at landing the top four spots – Chelsea, Manchester United, Arsenal, Tottenham, Manchester City, Aston Villa, Liverpool, and Birmingham.

The battle at the bottom is also still wide open. The three teams at the bottom – Portsmouth, Hull City, and Bolton can find some comfort in the sense that there are 6 teams on top of them which are separated only by 3 points.  None of the 6 on top of these three should remain comfortable. All it takes is just one loss and they could very well be one of the bottom three.

An interesting Premier League season, don’t you think?

10. Christiano Ronaldo’s Transfer to Real Madrid

He made headlines as he weaved his magic on the field with Manchester United. He made headlines as he made his way from Manchester United to Real Madrid. A record transfer it was indeed.

The recent Real Madrid purchases raised another old issue about the transfer market. With Ronaldo and Kaka’s transfer prices, many have raised the question once again. Should player’s transfer fees and salaries be capped?

Are teams paying too much for certain players? What do you think?

11. Barcelona’s Treble

Barcelona created history in 2009. They are the first Spanish side to win league, cup and UEFA Champions League in the same season. They also did it with a brand new coach – Josep Guardiola.

For Josep Guardiola, it certainly is an amazing feat. He also consequently became the sixth person to win the European Cup as a coach and a player.

What made it even more memorable? They denied Manchester United a back to back Champions League win. Sorry MU fans.

12.  Manchester United vs Manchester City

I have this match in mind because I think it was simply one of the best matches I’ve ever witnessed in the Premier League. Of course, that Tottenham 9 -1 win was better..

The game ended with a 4 – 3 win for United. However, City fought back to draw level three times before that final Owen strike. Every time United scored, City would draw level to make it 3 – 3. United needed a super effort from Michael Owen in a strangely very long extra time added on to win the match.

I especially like City’s third goal. Bellamy left Rio Ferdinand in a trail of smokes to round up Ben Foster and score.

What’s your best Premier League game for 2009?

Here’s wishing all a brighter Soccer future in 2010.

Tottenham Hotspurs Lose Yet Again To Manchester United – 7 Reasons Why

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Tottenham’s winning streak was cut short by Manchester United. United came back from a goal down to win 1 – 3 at White Hart Lane. The best thing Harry Redknapp can do after the loss should be to study and learn from the match. Go through the match video with the team and identify their areas of shortcomings in the match.
I’ve just watched the match again on ESPN. Following are my 7 reasons why Tottenham crashed against United.
1. 4-3-3 Formation
Why? Why? Why did Harry put up a 4-3-3 formation against the likes of Manchester United? Especially with Modric in the crock list. Palacios, Lennon and Huddlestone was clearly outmatched against the likes of Fletcher, Anderson, Scholes and Giggs in midfield.
MU had the numbers and the talents to take control of the midfield. As such, Tottenham spent a major part of the match defending. Lacking midfield coverage, defensive clearances go straight back to United players.
2. Aaron Lennon
Lennon is probably one of the most nimble players in the league. He has been running circles around defenders since the start of the season. However, Evra managed to keep him quiet for the most part of the game.
Against Evra, Lennon faced a left back who can match his speed and footwork. They both possesses similar playing traits which cancels out each other.
Harry should have noticed this. I suppose he did. If so, why didn’t he tell Lennon to switch to the left side more often? Maybe he did. Perhaps Lennon did not play to Harry’s instruction?
3. Possession
Through out the earlier 4 matches, Tottenham enjoyed most of the possession time. They had control of the ball. They passed the ball around, waited and created the openings for the strikers to score.
“We didn’t get our game going, we didn’t get our passing going and as a consequence they got back into the game. They are a top, top team and punished us.” – Spurs Assistant Boss, Kevin Bond -
In the match against United, Tottenham had little possession of the ball. Whenever they had possession, they would give it away cheaply at midfield. Many a times, Spurs relied on long passes from the defense. These deep passes often go wasted as Tottenham players were nowhere to be found in United’s half.
Had they been more patient with the ball and kept possession, they would’ve been able to frustrate United a little bit. However, it was Spurs who grew frustrated as they had little possession. When frustration creeps in, mistakes happen. Against a team like Manchester United, mistakes are certainly costly.
4. Substitution
Anyone have any idea to why Pavlyuchenko was left on the bench? Especially on a day when the strikers clearly failed to make full use of the chances presented? Did Corluka suffer an injury?
United was certainly not pressing forward a lot after Scholes’ sending off. Evra spent more time making sure Lennon was quiet. Rarely did he venture forward to trouble Corluka. Why was he substituted?
I feel sorry for Hutton. That’s twice now he has been involved in Tottenham’s moments of defensive confusion which lead to a goal. Last week, he was involved in the blunder in defense where Lee Bowyer scored the equalizer for Birmingham. This time around, he was again involved in the confusion which Rooney took full advantage of with his goal. Wrong place at the wrong time? Where was King anyway?
5. Midfield Creativity, The Missing Link
Spurs is certainly missing Modric’s creativity and defense splitting passes at midfield. The situation was made worse with Lennon being kept quiet by Evra. Keane, assigned to the Modric role, was clearly not up to it.
Palacios and Huddlestone are not known for their creativity. Jenas did bring back some punch into the Spurs engine room. However, his presence only spurred just a little creativity back into the team. It was not enough to break United’s wall of defense. Yes, United did go into defensive mode after Scholes saw red.
6. Two Steps Behind
Is it only me? Do any of you noticed that Spurs players seemed to be two steps behind United’s? Through out most of the match, United seemed to win tackles and getting to the ball ahead of Tottenham’s players. Were United simply faster and more alert?
“We didn’t seem to be able to get close to them. If you let them play they will always hurt you and that’s what happened.” – Tottenham striker, Peter Crouch -
Tottenham players, for the most part of the match seemed to be in a daze. On many occassions, they were ball watching. It’s among the reason why United enjoyed more possession time. They were winning the ball more often than Spurs.
7. United’s Winning Wherewithall
Time and time again, United showed they have the wherewithall of champions. This they showed so many times against Spurs. How many times have United comeback from behind to win against Spurs? Too many.
No matter how many goals Spurs are up in front, United have always shown that they can comeback and win the game. Tottenham should take to learning about the mindset of United’s players. If Spurs want to really challenge for the top 4 spot, then they will need to instill the top 4 mindset into the players.
Skills and talent wise, there is not much different between Manchester and Tottenham. Thus, the only differentiating factor is the players’ mindset. To become champions, they must have a champion’s mindset. At the moment, that’s probably the one thing lacking in Tottenham’s players.
I am pretty sure Harry has already identified the team’s shortcomings. They need to be worked on before Tottenham’s next match. Up next for Spurs is another top four opponent. Chelsea is Tottenham’s next opponent. Spurs will be traveling to Stamford Bridge to go against the current league leader.
Chelsea is one of the two remaining team with a 100% winning record so far in the league. This match will be another difficult test for Harry’s boys. Do you think Spurs will turn the table against Chelsea?

Tottenham Striker Defoe Overhead Kick GoalTottenham’s winning streak was cut short by Manchester United. United came back from a goal down to win 1 – 3 at White Hart Lane. The best thing Harry Redknapp can do after the loss should be to study and learn from the match. Go through the match video with the team and identify their areas of shortcomings in the match.

I’ve just watched the match again on ESPN. Following are my 7 reasons why Tottenham crashed against United.

1. 4-3-3 Formation Leaving Spurs Wide Open

Why? Why? Why did Harry put up a 4-3-3 formation against the likes of Manchester United? Especially with Modric in the crock list. Palacios, Lennon and Huddlestone were clearly outmatched against the likes of Fletcher, Anderson, Scholes and Giggs in midfield.

With only three Tottenham White Shirts manning the midfield, Tottenham looked and was indeed too open for Manchester United. MU had the numbers and the talents to take control of the midfield. As such, Tottenham spent a major part of the match defending. Lacking midfield coverage, defensive clearances go straight back to United players. As such, the ball keep on coming back to haunt Spurs defenders.

2. Aaron Lennon Kept On A Leash

Tottenham Lennon Against United EvraLennon is probably one of the most nimble players in the league. He has been running circles around defenders since the start of the season. However, Evra managed to keep him quiet for the most part of the game.

Against Evra, Lennon faced a left back who can match his speed and footwork. They both possesses similar playing traits which cancels out each other.

Harry should have noticed this. I suppose he did. If so, why didn’t he tell Lennon to switch to the left side more often? Maybe he did. Perhaps Lennon did not play to Harry’s instruction?

3. Minute Possession

Through out the earlier 4 matches, Tottenham enjoyed most of the possession time. They had control of the ball. They passed the ball around, waited and created the openings for the strikers to score.

“We didn’t get our game going, we didn’t get our passing going and as a consequence they got back into the game. They are a top, top team and punished us.”

- Spurs Assistant Boss, Kevin Bond -

In the match against United, Tottenham had little possession of the ball. Whenever they had possession, they would give it away cheaply at midfield. Many a times, Spurs relied on long passes from the defense. These deep passes often go wasted as Tottenham players were nowhere to be found in United’s half.

Had they been more patient with the ball and kept possession, they would’ve been able to frustrate United a little bit. However, it was Spurs who grew frustrated as they had little possession. When frustration creeps in, mistakes happen. Against a team like Manchester United, mistakes are certainly costly.

4. Substitution

Anyone have any idea to why Pavlyuchenko was left on the bench? Especially on a day when the strikers clearly failed to make full use of the chances presented? Did Corluka suffer an injury?

United was certainly not pressing forward a lot after Scholes’ sending off. Evra spent more time making sure Lennon was quiet. Rarely did he venture forward to trouble Corluka. Why was he substituted?

I feel sorry for Hutton. That’s twice now he has been involved in Tottenham’s moments of defensive confusion which lead to a goal. In last week’s match against Birmingham, he was involved in the blunder in defense where Lee Bowyer scored the equalizer for Birmingham. This time around, he was again involved in the confusion which Rooney took full advantage of with his goal.

Wrong place at the wrong time? Where was King anyway?

5. Midfield Creativity, The Missing Link

Tottenham Keane Against United O'SheaSpurs is certainly missing Modric’s creativity and defense splitting passes at midfield. The situation was made worse with Lennon being kept quiet by Evra. Keane, assigned to the Modric role, was clearly not up to it.

Palacios and Huddlestone are not known for their creativity. Jenas did bring back some punch into the Spurs engine room. However, his presence only spurred just a little creativity back into the team. It was not enough to break United’s wall of defense. Yes, United did go into defensive mode after Scholes saw red.

6. Two Steps Behind

Is it only me? Do any of you noticed that Spurs players seemed to be two steps behind United’s? Through out most of the match, United seemed to win tackles and getting to the ball ahead of Tottenham’s players. Were United simply faster and more alert?

“We didn’t seem to be able to get close to them. If you let them play they will always hurt you and that’s what happened.”

- Tottenham striker, Peter Crouch -

Tottenham players, for the most part of the match seemed to be in a daze. On many occassions, they were caught ball watching. It’s among the reason why United enjoyed more possession time. They were winning the ball more often than Spurs.

7. United’s Winning Wherewithall

Time and time again, United showed they have the wherewithall of champions. This they showed so many times against Spurs. How many times have United comeback from behind to win against Spurs? Too many.

No matter how many goals Spurs are up in front, United have always shown that they can comeback and win the game. Tottenham should take to learning about the mindset of United’s players. If Spurs want to really challenge for the top 4 spot, then they will need to instill the top 4 mindset into the players.

Buy Tottenham Hotspur Gears

Buy Tottenham Hotspur Gears

Skills and talent wise, there is not much different between Manchester and Tottenham. Thus, the only differentiating factor is the players’ mindset. To become champions, they must have a champion’s mindset. At the moment, that’s probably the one thing lacking in Tottenham’s players.

What Comes Next?

I am pretty sure Harry has already identified the team’s shortcomings. They need to be worked on before Tottenham’s next match. Up next for Spurs is another top four opponent. Chelsea is Tottenham’s next opponent. Spurs will be wearing the Tottenham Away Kit and travel to Stamford Bridge to go against the current league leader.

Chelsea is one of the two remaining teams with a 100% winning record so far in the league. This match will be another difficult test for Harry’s boys. Do you think Spurs will turn the table against Chelsea?

Go Spurs!

Tottenham Hotspurs Continue Their Winning Form To 4 – 0.

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Tottenham's Crouch Celebrates With Defoe

Tottenham's Crouch Celebrates With Defoe

Tottenham Hotspurs continue their winning ways in the Barclays Premier League 09/10. Thanks to a last minute goal in time added on from Tottenham’s speedy winger Aaron Lennon. Glory Glory Tottenham!

Wearing Tottenham’s white home kit, Spurs took control of the match from the get go. They were camped in Birmingham’s half of the field for the most part of the first half. Chance after chance was created. However, the two Spurs front men, Jermaine Defoe and Robbie Keane, failed to convert any of them.

Chances Were Plenty For Tottenham

The first half saw Spurs missing at least 5 – 6 clear cut chances to score. Even  Lennon too had his shot blocked off the line by Steve Carr, an ex Tottenham defender. Try as they might, they just could not find the net.

Defoe probably had the best chance to score. Huddlestone sent him a wonderful defense splitting pass deep from within Spur’s half. Defoe found himself in a one on one situation with Birmingham’s keeper. However, with only the keeper to beat, Defoe failed to get his name on the score sheet. His attempt went inches wide with the keeper well beaten.

Birmingham’s Defense Stood Their Ground

As Tottenham took control of ball possession, Birmingham resorted to a full team defensive mode. They had 10 men behind the ball at all time. Spurs had to resort to a more patient style of play. They passed the ball around midfield. Luka Modric, Tom Huddlestone, Aaron Lennon and Wilson Palacios had the midfield area totally under their control.

Birmingham seldom made advances towards the Spurs’ goal. They, however, did create a couple of scoring chances as well. Larsson missed his best chance of the half when his strike went inches wide of the post as he broke free into Spurs’ box.

Two Injuries For Tottenham Within Minutes.

The first half ended with no goals from either team. In the second half, both teams started where they left off. Spurs continued to control the midfield as their stout 4 man midfield roamed free.

Tottenham suffered two setbacks in a spate of a few minutes, as both Ledley King and Luka Modric had to be substituted in the early stages of the second half. With Modric and King out of the match, Birmingham started to gain control of midfield. Modric’s absence was certainly missed in midfield.

Tottenham ‘s Newly Signed Aerial Threat

Tottenham's Defoe Spectacular Kick

Tottenham's Defoe Spectacular Kick

Tottenham continued to pile in pressure on Birmingham’s defense. Spur’s new signing, Peter Crouch came in for L. Modric. Crouch added a new threat for Birmingham’s defenders. With Crouch now in play, Spurs took more to the air and took advantage of Crouch’s aerial prowess.

Crouch had three looks at goal from the air. Two of which was cleared off the line. Another header was sent crashing on the top bar. Peter Crouch proved his worth on his fourth attempt. Off a Huddlestone free kick, Crouch rose majestically at the far post to nod the ball into Birmingham’s goal. His first goal for Tottenham putting Spurs one up against Birmingham.

Birmingham’s Resolve Frustrates Tottenham

Th goal somehow raised Birmingham’s resolve to take at least a point back from White Hart Lane. They opened up their game and started pushing forward into Spurs territory. Their change in tactics caught the Spurs defense and midfield by surprise.

Tottenham defense was in disarray for a few minutes as they tried to adjust to Birmingham’s sudden change in tactics. Birmingham took full advantage of the Spurs disarray. In a confusion between Alan Hutton who came in for Ledley King and Carlo Cudicini, both players stumbled as they committed themselves for the ball in the penalty box.

As both Hutton and Cudicini stumbled to the ground, the ball fell directly at the feet of Birmingham’s Lee Bowyer. Bowyer had no problems, whatsoever, to guide the ball straight into Spur’s empty net.

At 1-1, Birmingham defense once again stood their ground. They mustered a solid defense which frustrated Tottenham’s strike force.

Tottenham’s Newly Found Winning Attitude

As the match began to reach full time, Tottenham’s players continued to pile in wave after wave of attacks. This is really a new attitude which can clearly be seen in the new Tottenham outfit under Harry Redknapp. The old Tottenham would have been totally demoralized after the mistake that gave Birmingham their equalizer.

This new Tottenham, however, didn’t seem fazed nor were they demoralized after Bowyer’s goal.  Instead, they kept their patience and continued pushing for that winning goal. Their patience and positive attitude paid off brilliantly for them.

Deep into time added on, with less than a minute to play, Birmingham’s S. Carr slipped with Huddlestone on his heels at midfield. Huddlestone then played the ball to Roman Pavlyuchenko who sprinted forward and squared the ball into the path of an on rushing Aaron Lennon.

Lennon then came face to face with two Birmingham defenders. He twisted and turned.  As he got in to the penalty box, Lennon managed turned inside and brought the ball on to his favorite right foot. He also found himself a small shooting lane and fired home a thunderous low shot that went past Hart’s outreached hands and straight into the bottom left corner for Tottenham’s winning goal.

Can Spurs Sustain This Winning Form?

Tottenham have collected full 12 points since the start of the season. Four wins out of four matches so far. This is certainly their best start since a long time. The question now – Does Tottenham have the wherewithal to continue this winning form?

Tottenham’s next match will be the first ultimate test for the team. They are up against Manchester United in White Hart Lane. The Birmingham match have cost them two influential players in the likes of Luka Modric and Ledley King.

Tottenham Gifts. Home Shirt 09/10

Tottenham Hotspurs Shop. Home Shirt 09/10

Both were sorely missed in the game against Birmingham in the second half. Defense was slightly in disarray. This led to the confusion in defence which ended with Birmingham’s equalizer. In the midfield, Modric’s creativity was lost when he was substituted. Birmingham managed to gain control of the midfield after Modric went off.

With Modric out for months after the Lee Bowyer incident with Birmingham, Spurs will be needing another creative midfielder to take his place. The current group of Tottenham players, certainly lacks Modric’s cutting edge creativity in creating and opening up chances for the team.

It’s not that they are not good. They certainly have proven their worth for the team. However, to really be in the race for the title, a player with the foresight and creativity like Modric is certainly required.

Redknapp have about two weeks to prepare for the match against United. I’m pretty sure he will have a few surprises up his sleeves. Let’s all just enjoy this excellent form the team is in at the moment.

Are you a true Spurs Fan? Get the authentic Tottenham Jerseys at the Tottenham Hotspurs Shop| .

Mesmerizing The Euro 2008 Opening Day – Portugal 2 vs 0 Turkey

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Euro 2008 Portugal vs TurkeyThey say this is the year that Portugal will claim the Euro 2008 championship. L.Figo and other former stars are no longer in the team. Portugal will be relying on their current young talents to bring them to the top of Euro2008. They say, it’s time for the young stars like C.Ronaldo and Nani to prove themselves.

Portugal came out with a 4-5-1 formation. N.Gomez acts as their lone striker upfront. C.Ronaldo, Deco and Simao acts as the attacking midfielder. Their attacking formation caused a whole lot of problems to the Turkish side.

C.Ronaldo, pretty much mesmerized the turkish defense with his fancy footworks. N.Gomez striked the goal framework twice. The Turkish defense was finally broken down in the 61st minute. Pepe, rushing forward from his central defensive role, played a one two with N.Gomez and slotted home from close range.

R.Meireles sealed victory for Portugal late in the second half. In another quick short and swift passes by the edge of the box, between three players (C.Ronaldo, J.Moutinho, R.Meireles) R.Meireles confirmed three points for Portugal.

Euro 2008 Portugal vs TurkeyTurkey, for the most part of the match never really threatened the Portugal side. For all the possesion they had, they lacked the tiny bit of brilliance in front of goal where it matters the most. The only player from the Turkish side worth mentioning is their goal keeper, V.Demirel. Turkey would probably have suffered a more hummiliating defeat if not for his excellent performance in front of the goal.

This game indeed showed the attacking prowess of the Portugal team. Their strike capability is not to be taken lightly. Though young at age, the team seems to gel together very well. Their midfield is perhaps the most potent midfield in the tournament.

The Sports Reviews And Updates predicts that Portugal will advance to the next round as champions in Group A. Followed closely by Czech Republic. Following is how the table will stand at the end of Round 1 for Group A:

Group A Teams Pld Pts
Portugal 3 9
Czech Republic 3 6
Switzerland 3 3
Turkey 3 0

MSL Review – FA Cup Perak vs Selangor

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No Malaysian Super League (MSL) matches were played this week. The first leg of the FA Cup Second Round matches were played instead. The top 5 teams in the MSL are scheduled to go up against each other – Perak FC (third) hosts Selangor FC (second) in Ipoh, while Terengganu FC (fourth) plays host to NS NAZA (fifth) in K.Terengganu.

Eight matches were played in this first leg FA Cup Second Round.  The results of those matches follows.

MSL Review FA Cup Second Round First Leg Results

Kedah had an easy night out as they basically stroll past Sarawak at home. They sent Sarawak packing with three unanswered goals. All three goals came late in the halfs – two in the first half, which included an own goal by Sarawak’s S.Mansa deep in time added on. The third goal was slotted in by the MSL leading scorer A.James in the 90th minute.

Selangor FC went on a trip up north in this first leg. Their host, Perak, fresh from their recent humbling crash in the AFC Cup. Selangor seemed destined to add further damage to the Perak’s morale. They took control of the match and went up ahead by 2 goals at the half. Strikes from S.Sali (16th) and E.Aiboy (32nd) seemed to signal that Selangor is taking full advantage of their opponent’s supposedly low morale after their AFC debacle.

A.Shahrul pulled one back for Perak in the 52nd to make it a 1-2 affair. However, further strikes from F.Seator (57th) and S.Sali (59th) made it 1-4 for Selangor. Selangor looked certain to carry a 3 goal advantage on the return leg. Then M.Razali weaved his magic spell.

As if spellbound, Perak’s M.Razali went on a shooting spree in a 6 minutes blitz. 6 minutes, that was how long it took for M.Razali to undo what Selangor had done in 60 minutes of the match. He pulled Perak level with strikes in the 60th, 63rd and the 66th minutes.

I’d consider Selangor very lucky to have at least walk away with a draw. It would seem that after taking the huge lead, the players, fell asleep in the field. How else would you explain letting in three goals in  a matter of 6 minutes and giving up a 3 goal advantage? Selangor’s head coach, D.Salleh, was fuming with disgust to the way his players performed on the field. I believe, the players are probably looking at some extra hours in training for what they displayed that night.

Selangor still has an advantage, though, because should they draw the return leg, they have 4 away goals on their side. Perak will need to come out winners to advance to the next round. Are we going to see another high scoring match in Shah Alam?

Go Selangor!!

MSL Review – Selangor vs Pahang

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The top three Malaysian Super League (MSL) teams continue their winning ways. Kedah, Selangor and Perak, secured their three points in week 20 of the 2007/2008 season of MSL. As usual, being a Selangor fan, today’s review is the Selangor vs Pahang match.

However, before I go into the details of the Selangor vs Pahang match, lets take a peek the other matches briefly. The six matches played this week:

  • UPB MyTeam vs Kedah
  • Selangor vs Pahang
  • Perak vs Penang
  • Brunei vs Perlis
  • Terengganu vs PDRM
  • NS Naza vs Sarawak

MSL Review March 15th Results

Selangor, currently in second, went up against Pahang in Shah Alam. It’s Dollah Salleh vs Zainal Abidin Hassan. Two prominent names in Malaysian soccer who are best friends. Both of them will have to use their knowledge of each other to outwit one another.

Pahang came visiting with intent to collect three points from Selangor. They almost did get the three points. At least, that’s what they thought, as they went into the dressing room at half time. Yes, at half time, thanks to goals from Hairuddin Omar and Rosdi Talib.  Both goals came very late in the first half. As both teams were almost content to end the half level, Selangor players and fans were given a shock as Pahang scored their first in the 43rd minute when Hairuddin Omar slotted in his first of the night. Rosdi Talib would add further injury to the scar when he scored Pahang’s second deep in time added on of the first half. Thus, Dollah Salleh had to really think fast and reorganize his players for the second half.

Whatever Dollah did during the half did wonders to the Selangor team. They came out with all intent and purpose to steal the three points aways from Pahang. Safiee Sali opened the gates for Selangor in the 52nd minute. Selangor’s top scorer, Frank Seator (11 goals in the MSL), equalized in the 69th. Frank Seator, later added his second, and Selangor’s go ahead goal in the 78th minute to make it 3 – 2 for Selangor.

Being only a goal down, Pahang strived hard to get an equalizer.  They pushed forward and pressured the Selangor backline. To add more sting into the Selangor attack, Dollah sent in Akmal Rizal and Amirul Hadi late in the game for Frank Seator and Elie Aiboy. The change proved successful as Akmal ensured Selangor’s three points when he turned in Amirul Hadi’s cross for Selangor’s fourth in the 90th minute. Thus, killing of Pahang’s hope for a draw in Shah Alam.

Pahang did, however, managed to get another goal deep in time added on. Hairuddin Omar drove his second goal in the 92nd minute. In the end, Selangor edged Pahang with a 4 – 3 scoreline. Another night of high scoring match in Shah Alam. The fans would certainly enjoy such a game.

Three more points for Selangor. A good result for Selangor as they keep their pressure on the current MSL leader – Kedah. Kedah now sits at the top with 41 points. Selangor is hot on their heels – just two points away with 39 points. Kedah, however, do have a one match advantage as they’ve only played 17 matches.

Selangor, will also have to be wary of Perak. Perak sits strong at third place with 37 points. That’s just two points away. Should Selangor falter in any of their future matches, Perak would gleefully take over the second spot. Perak’s next MSL match will be an away trip to current leader Kedah.Thus, they have a direct chance to cut Kedah’s lead in the table should they win in the trip to Kedah this coming 23rd. Selangor too would benefit should Perak win.

Here’s how the team stands in the MSL table currently.

MSL 07/08 Table March 15th

Go Selangor!!

EPL – Review of Tottenham vs West Ham

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EPL Review Tottenham vs West Ham Lead ImageIt was a match where everyone in the Tottenham Hotspurs jersey played brilliantly against an inspired West Ham United. White Hart Lane fans were sent home smiling from ear to ear yesterday as Tottenham secured three points in the English Premier League (EPL), or currently know as Barclay’s Premier League (BPL).  After two recent straight defeats, the fans were really hoping for something special from the Tottenham players. The players did not dissappoint, as they put up a highly memorable performance for the fans.

The Hammers started the match inspired. After two straight 0-4 loss in the EPL, they pushed hard into the Tottenham side and created early scoring chances. They almost went ahead early in the half, but was foiled twice by a determined P.Robinson. The Hammer’s inspired run dwindled down following Tottenham’s first goal, 8 minutes into the match.

Off a freekick from the right flank, T.Huddlestone sent in a powerful swerving freekick into the area. D.Berbetov, unmarked, raise up high to direct the ball into the Hammer’s net. Hammer’s R.Green could only watch as the ball sailed swiftly past him into the far corner of his goal. Barely three minutes later, the two Tottenham players connected once again for the second of the night. This time, from the left flank. T.Huddlestone let fly another swerving freekick into the penalty area. D.Berbatov was there once again rushing onto the ball and directing it past R.Green for his second of the night. From then on, it was all Tottenham.

The Hammer’s had to rely on a sporadic possession as Tottenham take control of the match. They passed the the ball all over the pitch and maintained possession to frustrate the Hammers. The Hammer’s faced another blow when L.Boa Morte was given the marching order just before half for a second bookable offence. Thus, at half time, West Ham was a man and two goals down.

Spurs brought in Gilberto and D.Bent in the middle of the second half. The two proved to be excellent substitutions as they both scored a goal each in the dying miutes of the second half.  Off a P.Chimbonda’s pass and a dummy by A.Lennon, Gilberto slotted in his EPL debut goal with a turning shot into the far corner of the Hammer’s goal, past the outstretched hands of R.Green. D.Bent scored his 100th goal with a header four minutes into stoppage time.

The win, however, did not change the table position of both teams.  They are both still sitting pretty at the 10th and 11th position in the EPL table, with 40 and 35 points each.

Tottenham has been very inconsistent this season. However, after a problematic early season, they seem to be heeading for a better future under J.Ramos.

For a more detailed coverage of the match, head on over to the official EPL match coverage of the game. Go Tottenham Hotspurs!!!

MSL 07/08 Feb 23 Review

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Another week of soccer matches in the MSL. This week’s MSL, perhaps now known as TM Super League, review features 6 more matches this week.

  • MSL 07/08 Feb 23rd ResultsSarawak vs Kedah
  • Brunei DPMM vs Selangor
  • Johor FC vs Perlis
  • Perak vs PDRM
  • N.Sembilan vs Pahang
  • UPB MyTeam vs Terengganu

No drastic changes in the table position as the top two teams continue their winning ways in the league.

Kedah continued their fine form as they secured their 3 points away in Sarawak. They secured their points in the first half . Their star import striker, Marlon James, slotted home in the 16th and 20th minute of the half. Sarawak’s Khaled Hamket reduced Kedah’s lead to 1 when he scored his goal in the 77th minute. Kedah held on till the end to bring home 3 more valuable away points with a 1-2 win over Sarawak in Kuching.

MSL 07/08 Feb 23 Review LeadPicOver in Bandar Seri Begawan, Selangor continued to follow Kedah’s winning ways. They too secured a precious 3 points away from home against Brunei. Indra Putra opened the accounts for the visiting team with a splendid goal off a free kick in the 2nd minute of the half. Brunei however came back from the 2nd minute shocker with an equalizer from Mohd Subhi Abdillah about 10 minutes later.

Disaster stroke a couple of minutes after the equalizer. Brunei had to play with 10 men as V.Jaganathan was sent off for dangerous play. Selangor, sensing the advantage, went into attack mode. The 10 men Brunei finally cracked in the 70th minute. Coming off the substitute bench, Razman Roslan got to be Selangor’s hero of the night when he reacted to slot in the ball home after Brunei’s keeper failed to cleanly collect Indra Putra’s free kick attempt.

A well deserved away 3 points for Selangor. The win allows them to keep pace with the current table leader, Kedah. Kedah, however, still have a game in hand.

After failing to register a win in their last two matches, Perak routed the Police with a 5-1 win at home in Ipoh. Police found the net first with a strike by their latest import – Budi Sudarsono, in the 31st minute. The goal seemed to have awakened Perak from their slumber. Ahmad Shahrul equalized within 2 minutes of Budi’s strike, and the flood gates fell open. Perak’s Caceres netted his first in the 38th to make it 2-1 for Perak at the half.

Khalid Jamlus got his brace in the second half as Perak continued to devour Police. Khalid’s goals came in the 64th and 87th minute. Caceres then added his second for the night with about a minute left in play.

Down south, Johor FC managed to defend their 1st minute leading goal to record a somewhat surprising win over Perlis. Their winning goal came from Gustavo Fuentes who spinned his magic from kick off to go past three defenders and curling home the winner.

In other matches, Pahang secured a 3-2 win over N.Sembilan Naza in Seremban. Terengganu, came back from a goal down to secure their 3 points over UPB MyTeam with a sound 1-3 win. Thanks to two vary late strikes by their foreign import, Gleisson de Souze.

MSL 07/08 Feb 23rd Table

This week’s result did not result in any drastic change in the table positions. Kedah still lead the table with 34 points. Selangor following very close with 32 points. Perak sits on the third spot with 28 points.

Kedah has a chance to spread their lead further this coming Tuesday when they meet Johor FC at home. Selangor will be not be playing any games this Tuesday. Thus, should Kedah win, they will have a 5 point lead at the top of the table. Selangor should be able to maintain their current position as they have a 4 point lead over Perak.

Selangor’s next match will be against Terengganu at home. It’s scheduled on March 1st. That’s all I have for this week’s MSL Review. Go Selangor!!!

Oh yes, I previously vented my frustration at FAM in this post. Looks like they’ve finally made some progress with their web site. At least now we get to see that the site is actually updated regularly. I am still a tad unsatisfied, though. It’s sad to see the amount of coverage each MSL match have in the media.

I’d think that as the governing body of the sport, FAM would certainly have more coverage of the matches played. Surely they have at least a couple of people covering each match for them. Can’t these same people provide some form of news coverage of the match? Some thing more than the scoreline and when the goals were scored. Look, there’s only 6 matches in one match day. Can’t FAM find 6 people willing to cover these matches and provide them with a match coverage writeup?

Something needs to be done about the lack of coverage of MSL matches in the media right now. One other thing – Is MSL (the company) still alive? Well, their web site is kind of dead. What’s their role right now in the scheme of things concerning the league? Anybody?

MSL 07/08 Feb 16 Review

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MSL 07/08 Feb 12 resultsSix midweek matches were played in the MSL this week. Following is my review of selected matches. No surprises were sprung by any of the bottom teams. Selangor produced a stellar performance up north in Ipoh. N.Sembilan and Terengganu shared the spoils in N.Sembilan. Perlis continue to put pressure on the leaders as they routed the Islanders.

Selangor turned up the juices in their explosive match against Perak in Ipoh. The visitors routed the home team to a sound 1-4 win. It was payback for their earlier defeat in Shah Alam.

MSL 07/08 Feb 16 ResultsOver the weekend, six more games were played. Kedah and Selangor continued where they left off.

Selangor downed the UPB MyTeam boys with a solid 2-1 result in Shah Alam. MyTeam scored first, though. They went one up in the 12th. Selangor’s Frank Seator later equalized in the 36th minute to end the half at 1-1. Selangor’s winner came very late. National striker Safiie Sali slotted in the winner late in injury time to claim the three points for Selangor.

Kedah routed the Islanders at home with a solid 4-1 win in Penang. They showed that they are really serious about winning the league title this season.

Here’s a review of how the MSL table stands right now:

MSL 07/08 Table

Go Selangor!!!

Liga Alumni: Alumni Cup 2007 Final

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Liga Alumni: Alumni Cup 2007 Final LeadPicAnsara K.Terengganu is back to back Alumni Cup Champion. It was a highly intense match that went into extra time after a 0 – 0 scoreline at the end of regular period.

Both teams started rather nervously. They failed to convert the chances that were presented to them throughout the regulation period. The intensity of the match almost went to the players heads. A scuffle almost erupted as players really got into the emotional side of the match, late in the second half. Match officials managed to control the match and prevented  any unwanted incidents from happening.

K.Terengganu bagged their first championship treble as they captured the season’s Alumni Cup, Ansara Cup and also Charity Shield. They also became the first team to capture the Alumni Cup back to back.

The Alumni Cup continues to elude STAROBA’s grasp. It is the sole championship STAROBA has never won ever.

To Ansara K. Terengganu, congratulations. To STAROBA, especially my friend, Zin the manager, maybe next year la brader… Good job, though..