Saturday, September 29, 2012
Terry banned for Ferdinand abuse
Chelsea captain John Terry was given a four-match ban by the Football Association (FA) after being found guilty of racially abusing Queens Park Rangers' Anton Ferdinand.
A statement by the FA said an independent regulatory commission had issued the suspension and a fine of 220,000 pounds ($342,000) pending appeal.
Terry has 14 days from receiving the written reasons for the decision to lodge an appeal against a decision relating to an incident that took place during Chelsea's match away to QPR on October 23 last year.
The ban will not come into force until the appeals procedure is complete.
In the short term, that means central defender Terry is available for Chelsea's Premier League match away to London rivals Arsenal on Saturday.
Terry's representatives said he was "disappointed" by the decision and would consider his position before deciding whether to appeal.
"Mr Terry is disappointed that the FA Regulatory Commission has reached a different conclusion to the clear not guilty verdict of a court of law," the statement said.
"He has asked for the detailed written reasons of the decision and will consider them carefully before deciding whether to lodge an appeal."
European champions Chelsea responded to the verdict by saying: "Chelsea Football Club notes and respects today's decision by the Football Association regarding John Terry.
"We also recognise that John has the right to appeal that decision. It is therefore inappropriate for us to comment further on the matter at this time."
Former England skipper Terry, 31, was cleared of racially abusing Ferdinand in a criminal case in July over allegations relating to the same incident.
Terry dramatically announced his retirement from international football on Sunday, the day before what turned out to be a four-day hearing started.
He had hoped his courtroom acquittal would be the end of the matter, as the FA's rule book states that the result of any previous legal action concerning the same matter will be "presumed to be correct".
He admitted in court he used racist language against Ferdinand but said he was merely repeating what he believed Ferdinand had accused him of saying.
But the panel who gave Liverpool striker Luis Suarez an eight-match ban for racially abusing Manchester United defender Patrice Evra last season, said just using racist language was enough to constitute a breach of FA rules.
AFP
Tags: english-premier, soccer, sport, discrimination, england, united-kingdom First posted September 28, 2012 06:00:44Friday, September 28, 2012
Wanderers sign Japanese star Ono
Western Sydney Wanderers have confirmed the signing of veteran Japanese midfielder Shinji Ono.
The 33-year-old will arrive in Australia from J-League side Shimizu S-Pulse on Monday and is a chance of playing in the Wanderers' inaugural A-League match against Central Coast on October 6.
The Wanderers' sixth foreign player signing puts to bed speculation former German international Michael Ballack could join the club.
As well as playing for J-League giants Urawa Red Diamonds and Dutch club Feyenoord during his 17-year career, Ono has made 56 appearances for Japan, including playing the 1998, 2002 and 2006 World Cups.
Ono's experience and attacking ability is a boon for the upstart A-League club on the eve of the season.
"We have been in talks with Shinji and his management for a long time now, we have gone through the process and believe he will add a large amount to our squad across all areas," Wanderers coach Tony Popovic said.
"He is an experienced player at all levels and has played on some of the biggest stages in the world, his professionalism at the top level will be good for all to see."
Tags: a-league, soccer, sport, parramatta-2150, nsw, australia First posted September 28, 2012 15:45:36Heskey jets into Australia
Newcastle striker Emile Heskey has arrived in Australia declaring himself ready to re-launch his career in the A-League.
The former England international's career has waned since leaving Liverpool eight years ago, scoring just 39 league goals in this time with Birmingham, Aston Villa and Wigan - the same he managed in four years with the Reds.
Now 34, Heskey failed to find a suitor in the Premier League but is delighted to be able to fulfill an ambition of playing abroad, though he admits Australia was not a destination he envisaged moving to.
Heskey arrived at Sydney Airport on Friday morning with his partner Chantelle Tagoe and their two children to a welcome from media and Newcastle Jets fans.
"It's a new country, a new beginning," he said.
"I told myself if I wasn't going to get a premier league start I'd try to play abroad - I've always wanted to play abroad.
"To be fair, Australia wasn't my first destination (choice) when I was younger, but it's a nice destination (and) an up-and-coming football nation."
Heskey will meet his new teammates this afternoon and have his first training session with them this evening, and said he's been keeping as fit as possible during the off-season.
"Training on your own is different to having match fitness. For match fitness, you need games and I think I've had 45 minutes in a training game," he said.
Heskey, though, didn't confirm whether he'd be playing in the Jets' first match against Adelaide United on Sunday.
"We'll see how training goes," he said.
"I've heard it's a bit hot out here - different to Manchester where it's raining every day, but I should be fine."
Heskey, who scored seven goals in 62 matches for England, said he liked how Newcastle regards itself as a family club, which he feels is similar to his hometown side Leicester City, where he began his career.
AAP/ABC
Tags: sport, soccer, a-league, newcastle-2300 First posted September 28, 2012 09:37:47Thursday, September 27, 2012
Sahin brace puts Liverpool through
Liverpool's Turkish midfielder Nuri Sahin scored twice to see off West Brom in the League Cup third round, while Manchester United beat Newcastle to setup a clash with Chelsea.
West Brom took the lead in the third minute through Gabriel Tamas but Sahin, on a season's loan from Real Madrid, equalised for last year's winner in the 17th minute before sealing victory eight minutes from time.
The Reds' reward for victory is the visit of manager Brendan Rodgers' former side Swansea.
Anderson and Tom Cleverley scored rare goals to ensure Manchester United beat Newcastle 2-1 in a match which saw the return of star striker Wayne Rooney.
Papiss Demba Cisse pulled one back with his first goal of the season, but Newcastle could not complete its fightback.
United will next travel to Stamford Bridge to face Chelsea in a fourth-round tie.
Olivier Giroud finally opened his Arsenal account as the Gunners demolished Coventry 6-1.
Giroud's first goal for the club, in his seventh game, was followed by strikes from Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Andrey Arshavin, Ignasi Miquel and Theo Walcott, who netted twice.
Arsenal will next travel to Reading, which beat Queens Park Rangers 3-2 at Loftus Road.
Norwich hosts Tottenham in another all-Premier League fourth-round clash after they beat Doncaster and Carlisle respectively.
Fourth-round draw
Sunderland v Middlesbrough
Swindon Town v Aston Villa
Wigan Athletic v Bradford City
Leeds United v Southampton
Norwich City v Tottenham Hotspur
Liverpool v Swansea City
Chelsea v Manchester United
Reading v Arsenal
ABC/AFP
Tags: sport, soccer, england First posted September 27, 2012 07:59:59Wednesday, September 26, 2012
City shocked by Villa, Terry plays in Chelsea romp
Manchester City suffered a surprise exit from the League Cup as Aston Villa clinched a 4-2 third round win at Eastlands, while Chelsea welcomed back controversial captain John Terry with a 6-0 rout of Wolves.
City manager Roberto Mancini made 11 changes from the side held to a 1-1 draw by Arsenal on Sunday and the Premier League champions were not able to win with their stand-ins.
Italian striker Mario Balotelli fired City ahead in the 27th minute, but Villa equalised in the 59th minute when their former midfielder Gareth Barry deflected the ball into his own net.
City regained the lead when Aleksandar Kolarov clipped a free-kick past Shay Given in the 64th minute, but Gabriel Agbonlahor restored parity six minutes later.
And in the sixth minute of extra-time, Agbonlahor fired in a shot that City goalkeeper Costel Pantilimon could not hold and Charles N'Zogbia was on hand to slot home before Agbonalahor completed the upset with seven minutes remaining.
Roberto Mancini's side have now won just two of its seven matches this season and conceded 14 goals in that run.
At Stamford Bridge, Terry skippered Chelsea just hours after appearing at the second day of the FA disciplinary hearing into charges he racially abused QPR defender Anton Ferdinand last October.
It took Chelsea just four minutes to welcome Terry back as his central defensive partner Gary Cahill headed home from Juan Mata's free-kick.
Ryan Bertrand doubled Chelsea's lead with a close-range finish four minutes later and Mata increased the hosts' advantage when he slotted home in the 17th minute.
Oriol Romeu bagged his first Chelsea goal with a penalty after Victor Moses was fouled by Wolves goalkeeper Dorus de Vries in the 53rd minute.
A Fernando Torres header five minutes later piled on the misery for Wolves, who conceded for the sixth time when Victor Moses, a signing from Wigan last month, claimed his first goal for Chelsea in the 71st minute.
"We wanted John to start," Chelsea assistant manager Eddie Newton said. "We had a phone call saying he was making his way back from the FA nice and early.
"We'd covered all the bases, all the scenarios, and the best one happened."
Leeds caused another upset as the Championship club defeated Everton 2-1 at Elland Road.
Toffees boss David Moyes made six changes to the side that beat Swansea 3-0, but his reserves were not up to the task.
Aidan White rocked Everton in the fourth minute as the Republic of Ireland under 21 international weaved his way past several challenges before curling a shot past Jan Mucha.
Everton squandered several chances to equalise before Rodolph Austin poked home Danny Pugh's pass in the 70th minute and Sylvain Distin's 81st minute goal was too late to spark a comeback.
"The atmosphere and the rain made it a real old fashioned cup tie," Leeds boss Neil Warnock said. "We deserved it and we should have scored two or three other goals."
Wigan recovered from a goal down to claim an impressive 4-1 win at West Ham.
Modibo Maiga's powerful strike put West Ham ahead in the seventh minute, but Wigan striker Mauro Boselli equalised from close-range in the 14th minute.
Ivan Ramis blasted his first goal for the Latics from long range in the 38th minute.
Boselli struck again four minutes before the break and Jordi Gomez added an 84th-minute penalty.
Southampton eased to a 2-0 victory over Championship strugglers Sheffield Wednesday at St Mary's thanks to two goals from striker Jay Rodriguez.
Sunderland saw off League One outfit Milton Keynes Dons 2-0 despite playing over half the match with 10 men following Lee Cattermole's red card.
Craig Gardner and James McClean got the goals for the Black Cats.
Swansea avoided an embarrassing exit at League One side Crawley as Michael Laudrup's team fought back to win 3-2.
AFP
Tags: sport, soccer, english-premier, england First posted September 26, 2012 08:23:09Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Del Piero's planned debut scrapped
Alessandro Del Piero could be denied a preseason hit-out for Sydney FC before his A-League debut after Central Coast pulled out of Wednesday's scheduled practice match.
The Juventus legend was due to play in his first match for the Sky Blues in a behind-closed-doors friendly at the Sydney Football Stadium.
But Mariners coach Graham Arnold on Tuesday announced he was pulling out of the match due to concerns over his players' welfare.
Arnold said his players' were tired and had picked up some injuries after a 1-0 win over Brisbane Roar in Maroochydore on Sunday.
An apologetic Arnold said he was disappointed to have to cancel the match.
"I spoke at length to (Sydney FC coach) Ian Crook who totally understands our situation as Sydney have had to call off games due to the same situation this pre-season," Arnold said.
"Originally the game was booked for Thursday but had to be moved to Wednesday due to the Del Piero factor.
"We played in Maroochydore on Sunday against Brisbane in very warm conditions and that has sapped the energy of our players.
"We also copped a few slight injuries and after travelling back yesterday we had a light training session this morning.
"The players have not recovered sufficiently for me to put them in a high-risk situation by playing again tomorrow.
"It was my decision to cancel the game as I don't want to jeopardise the welfare of any of our players."
The Mariners open their A-League season against Western Sydney at Parramatta Stadium on October 6 and Arnold said he was satisfied with where his team was at.
Sydney must now decide whether to schedule another practice game before its season opener against Wellington in New Zealand on October 6.
The Sky Blues' scheduled match against Newcastle last week was also cancelled and they last played a trial against Brisbane in Mackay on September 16.
Del Piero will make his A-League debut against the Phoenix and officials will be hoping he is ready to play a large part in Sydney's first home game of the year, against the Jets on October 13.
AAP
Tags: sport, soccer, a-league, sydney-2000 First posted September 25, 2012 15:28:12Monday, September 24, 2012
Emotional showdown: Liverpool v Manchester United
Look back at how Liverpool's tribute to the victims of the 1989 Hillsborough tragedy and its match against Manchester United unfolded on social media.
Tags: english-premier, soccer, sport, england First posted September 24, 2012 12:02:18Liverpool, Man Utd honour Hillsborough dead
Both players and fans of Liverpool and Manchester United have shown their respect for victims of the 1989 Hillsborough tragedy, despite fears of trouble at the match.
It was the first home match for Liverpool since the release of a report clearing its fans of blame 23 years after the FA Cup semi-final where 96 people died.
There were fears that the distasteful chants often accompanying the fixture, in reference to the Liverpool fans killed at Hillsborough and the 1958 Munich air crash that decimated United's team, would tarnish the occasion.
But the tone was set when Manchester United's players emerged on to the pitch at Anfield with "96" on the backs of their tracksuits, earning loud applause from the 44,000 crowd.
Manchester United legend Bobby Charlton presented former Liverpool striker Ian Rush with red roses, before Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard and his United counterpart Ryan Giggs released 96 red balloons, one for each of the dead.
The words "The Truth", "Justice" and "96" were spelled out by spectators holding red and white cards.
United won the Premier League match 2-1 after a typically contentious encounter between the two sides, but manager Sir Alex Ferguson said the afternoon had been about far more than football.
"Liverpool did a fantastic job today, the fans were terrific and I don't think there can be any complaint on that part," he said.
"It was a nice touch Bobby Charlton giving the bouquet to Ian Rush and it demonstrates these two clubs can do things with unity and then we got on with the game.
"There was ferocity and it was intense and it has been a good day for football."
Ferguson and Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers had appealed for calm ahead of the match amid fears the tensions which always accompany the meeting of England's two most successful teams would spill over.
The United manager had written to his club's fans urging them to show respect to the Hillsborough dead, saying the clubs' intense rivalry "should never be based on personal hatred".
The long-awaited independent probe into what happened at Sheffield Wednesday's Hillsborough stadium 23 years ago absolved Liverpool supporters of any responsibility for the disaster, and was heavily critical of the police.
It found that the accounts of some officers had been changed in an attempt to deflect blame on to the Liverpool fans, and that dozens of the dead might have survived if they had been treated quicker.
The report was the result of a long campaign for justice by relatives of the dead after the police at the time blamed drunken fans for causing the overcrowding which led to the disaster.
Gerrard's own cousin, 10-year-old Jon-Paul Gilhooley, was the youngest fan to die in the disaster at the 1989 FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest.
Outside Anfield, flowers were laid at a memorial to the dead and a Manchester United shirt was attached to the railings. On it was written: "For the Hillsborough families. Justice at last."
In the wake of the damning report, the British government is examining the possibility of holding new inquests into the deaths which could lead to prosecutions.
ABC/AFP
Tags: human-interest, soccer, sport, english-premier, united-kingdom, england First posted September 24, 2012 05:45:45Del Piero already lifting new team-mates
Alessandro Del Piero's presence has already had an inspirational effect on his Sydney FC team-mates according to emerging star Joel Chianese, who wants to form an attacking partnership with the Italian superstar.
It was the hands rather than the celebrated feet of Del Piero that were kept busy at a club fan day on Sunday.
The Italian great spent over an hour signing his name and posing for photos, where it seemed the majority of the crowd of around 2,000 took away some memento of the former Juventus striker.
He thanked them for a "perfect" first week in Sydney.
"It (the training) is hard with the jet lag but very good and I hope to get better day by day," said Del Piero, who may play a little in Wednesday's behind-closed-doors trial with Central Coast at the Sydney Football Stadium.
In one week, Del Piero's presence has already upped the ante for his new team-mates.
"The boys have just stepped up that extra level now that Alessandro is here," Chianese said.
"Everyone wants to impress him and get on his good side."
Chianese, who burst onto the A-League scene last season with six goals in nine games, could be one of the chief beneficiaries of Sydney's signing of Del Piero, a player he has previously admired from afar.
"He's one of the players I looked up to when I watched Serie A,," said Chianese, who has Italian bloodlines and sheepishly admitted he has supported Roma rather than Juventus.
"I want to cement a nice partnership with him."
Sydney coach Ian Crook is keeping his options open about playing Del Piero as a number nine or number 10.
Chianese suggested the Italian could line up in the latter role.
"I think he wants to get on the ball so maybe number 10 might suit him more, to be putting myself and Mitch (Mallia), or some of us quicker guys in," Chianese said.
"If I can play in front of a guy like Del Piero with all that experience and quality about him, I'm sure he's going to be feeding balls through for me and hopefully I put them away."
Chianese's on field-value to Sydney could be increased by his "almost fluent" Italian, though he has not been called upon to act as an interpreter for Del Piero too often.
"He speaks very good English," Chianese said.
Chianese recognises he won't have the same element of surprise that enabled him to take the A-League by storm last year.
"Everyone sort of knows what I'm about now," Chianese said.
"I've got a little bit of extra work that I need to do, I've tried to get a bit stronger in the preseason especially if I play that number nine role, where I'm sort of going to be on my own with a couple of defenders around me."
Sydney will wear the Sydney.com logo on the back of their shirt this season after clinching a sponsorship deal with Destination NSW.
AAP
Tags: sport, soccer, a-league, sydney-2000 First posted September 23, 2012 17:05:01Terry quits England on eve of 'racism' hearing
Former England captain John Terry dramatically quit international football on Sunday, fewer than 24 hours before a Football Association hearing into allegations he racially abused Queens Park Rangers' Anton Ferdinand.
Chelsea skipper Terry, 31, said the FA had made his position "untenable" after he had already been cleared of criminal charges emanating from the controversy which rocked the game last October.
"I am today announcing my retirement from international football," Terry said in a statement.
"I would like to thank the England managers who have selected me for my 78 caps. I have had great pleasure in sharing that honour with all the players that I've played with.
"I would like to thank them, the fans and my family for their support and encouragement during my international career.
"Representing and captaining my country is what I dreamed of as a boy and it has been a truly great honour.
"I have always given my all and it breaks my heart to make this decision," added Terry, who made his England debut in 2003.
"I want to wish Roy (Hodgson, the England manager) and the team every success for the future.
"I am making this statement today in advance of the hearing of the FA disciplinary charge because I feel the FA, in pursuing charges against me where I have already been cleared in a court of law, have made my position with the national team untenable.
"I now look forward to playing for Chelsea FC, and challenging for domestic and European honours, and I want to thank the fans and the club for their continued support."
Central defender Terry has always denied using a racist slur against Ferdinand during a Premier League match last October and was cleared of criminal charges relating to the incident by a London court in July.
The criminal action had to prove Terry's guilt beyond reasonable doubt but the judge ruled the prosecution had not proved their case to that standard.
An FA panel will consider the claims resulting from the match but has a lower burden of proof based on the balance of probabilities.
Terry was stripped of the England captaincy as a result of the allegations and there was further controversy when he was included in Hodgson's squad for this year's European Championships while long-term England central defensive colleague Rio Ferdinand, Anton's older brother, was left out.
AFP
Tags: sport, soccer, england, united-kingdom First posted September 24, 2012 08:02:22Van Persie sinks unlucky Liverpool, City held
A derby that began with an outpouring of goodwill ended in despair for Liverpool as Robin van Persie's penalty gave Manchester United a fortunate 2-1 win, before defending champions Manchester City drew 1-1 with Arsenal on Monday (AEST).
A poignant day at Anfield started with both sets of fans behaving impeccably during a tribute to the 96 supporters killed in the Hillsborough tragedy but Liverpool's gloomy season continued when Van Persie rammed home a late spot-kick after Glen Johnson had brought down Antonio Valencia.
Liverpool, reduced to 10 men in the first half when Jonjo Shelvey was red-carded, had led through Steven Gerrard's goal just after half-time but Rafael equalised for United who are second in the table with 12 points, one behind Chelsea.
There were grumbles of discontent at Eastlands as City drew for the third time in their opening five games, Laurent Koscielny smashing home a late equaliser for Arsenal after Joleon Lescott had headed the hosts into a half-time lead.
Both sides are unbeaten with nine points, although Mancini was clearly frustrated.
"This year we have one problem, we don't close the game and don't score more goals," he said.
"We had three or four chances in the second half and didn't score."
The most blatant fell to Sergio Aguero who missed an open goal after Vincent Kompany's bicycle kick had been saved.
"I am frustrated about the result. We need to work harder."
Tottenham Hotspur has eight points after Jermain Defoe sealed a 2-1 victory over Queens Park Rangers, Spurs' first home win under new manager Andre Villas-Boas.
Demba Ba's early goal earned Newcastle United a 1-0 win over its former manager Chris Hughton's Norwich City.
The first match at Anfield since the Hillsborough report revealed a police cover-up and cleared Liverpool's fans of blame for 96 of them being crushed to death at a 1989 FA Cup semi-final sparked into life after 39 minutes when Shelvey lunged in on Jonny Evans.
But Liverpool rallied strongly and deservedly went ahead through Gerrard's precise volley.
A lacklustre United responded with Rafael curling a shot beyond Pepe Reina and Liverpool was left to curse its luck when Van Persie kept his cool to beat the despairing dive of Reina for his fifth league goal of the season.
With just two points from five games under new manager Brendan Rodgers, Liverpool has suffered its worst start in the league for 100 years, although United manager Alex Ferguson admitted his side had been fortunate to win at Anfield for the first time since 2007.
"I thought we were poor to be honest with you," Ferguson told United's website.
"I think the last four years we've allowed the crowd to get to us a little bit - they give fantastic support to their team and they really dominated the first half. Second half they got a great start.
"In the last four years here we haven't played well," he added.
"Today at least we've got a result."
One of the fiercest rivalries in world football was briefly put to one side before kick-off with an emotional tribute to the victims of the Hillsborough disaster in the light of this month's independent report revealed an attempt to pin the blame on Liverpool's fans.
The crowd held up white and red cards spelling out "Truth" and "Justice" as the players walked out on to the pitch in tracksuits emblazoned on the back with "96".
Opposing captains Gerrard and Ryan Giggs released 96 balloons into the Merseyside sky and the anthem "You'll Never Walk Alone" reverberated around the stadium with added emotion.
Even the race row between Luis Suarez and Patrice Evra was finally put to bed as they shook hands before kick-off.
Shelvey raised the temperature with a high foot-first lunge in a 50-50 tackle with Evans. Referee Mark Halsey produced a straight red card and as Shelvey walked off he hurled abuse at Ferguson.
"He came and blamed me. Why look at himself in the mirror?," Ferguson said of Shelvey, who later apologised.
"Just blame someone else. I think the boy's young and when he looks at it again he'll realise the stupidity of it."
Apart from that, and a few mindless chants that did not befit the occasion, the match was played in a healthy spirit and Liverpool looked set for the perfect kick-start to its season when the tireless Gerrard fired them ahead.
However, it was to be another frustrating day for Rodgers whose side continue to lack a cutting edge.
After full-back Rafael's opportunist equaliser Liverpool looked the hungrier for victory but it was caught out by the speeding Valencia who was bundled over by a clumsy tackle from Johnson.
Van Persie was made to wait for four minutes to take the kick as Daniel Agger received treatment but slotted past the despairing dive of Reina to end a run of three missed penalties in a row for United.
"I'm bitterly disappointed with the result - I thought the best team lost," Rodgers told a news conference.
"What you can't control is decisions by the referee. If Jonjo Shelvey gets sent off, Jonny Evans has to get sent off."
Reuters
Tags: sport, soccer, english-premier, england, united-kingdom First posted September 24, 2012 07:45:54Sunday, September 23, 2012
Cole fuels Chelsea title push
Ashley Cole's first goal since May 2010 saw European champions Chelsea go three points clear at the top of the Premier League after they left it late to beat Stoke 1-0 at Stamford Bridge on Sunday (AEST).
The Blues, who had to endure a midweek training ground visit from unhappy Russian billionaire owner Roman Abramovich, were on course for a fourth straight game without a win in all competitions until England left-back Cole, following a flick-on from Juan Mata, struck from close range five minutes from time.
"I had a few shots in the first half and took too much time on the ball with them, but this time, the first thing that came into my brain was to dink it and I just did it," said Cole.
"It is mentally good to get a lead in the league table."
In the early kick-off, Everton moved up into second place with a commanding 3-0 win away to 10-man Swansea.
They surged into a two-goal lead at the Liberty Stadium thanks to first half strikes from Victor Anichebe and Kevin Mirallas.
Swansea's hopes of avoiding a second successive defeat were in tatters when substitute Nathan Dyer was sent off in the second half.
Marouane Fellaini put the result beyond doubt with a late goal.
"Both the result and performance were very good but the result is the most important thing," said Everton manager David Moyes.
Southampton climbed off the bottom of the table after coming from behind to beat Aston Villa 4-1 at St Mary's.
The Saints, who kicked off without a point after four straight defeats following promotion, must have feared the worst when England striker Darren Bent put Villa ahead in the 36th minute with his first Premier League goal since February.
But Southampton striker Rickie Lambert equalised in the 58th minute when, despite having three defenders around him, he scored with a well-struck shot.
And five minutes later full-back Nathaniel Clyne gave Saints the lead.
Southampton made it 3-1 with a 72nd minute own-goal when Ciaran Clark deflected midfielder Jason Puncheon's shot into the net before Lambert wrapped things up with a last-minute penalty to ease the pressure on manager Nigel Adkins.
"We've been desperate to get some points on the board," said Lambert.
"At half-time Nigel told us certain things were unacceptable but we still believed we could win the game."
Hugo Rodallega scored against his old club as Fulham won 2-1 away to Wigan.
The Colombian striker broke the deadlock when he headed in Dimitar Berbatov's 31st minute cross before Damian Duff's 68th minute goal doubled the lead.
Arouna Kone scored a late goal for Wigan.
Elsewhere, West Bromwich Albion's a 1-0 win away to Reading put them level on points with Everton and left the Royals propping up the Premier League.
The Baggies had to wait until the 71st minute for the decisive goal when a shot from Belgian striker Romelu Lukaku, on loan from Chelsea, found its way through a crowd of players.
"We just kept plugging away," said Baggies boss Steve Clarke. "It is pleasing to look at the stats at the moment but there is a long way to go."
An early goal from Sunderland's new 12 million pound ($18.62 million) striker Steven Fletcher gave them the lead away to West Ham before Kevin Nolan's 90th-minute equaliser rescued a point for the Hammers in a 1-1 draw.
Monday's (AEST) schedule sees Liverpool face arch-rivals Manchester United in the first match at Anfield since an independent report cleared the Merseysiders' fans of any responsibility for the deaths of 96 of their fellow supporters during the 1989 Hillsborough disaster.
Meanwhile, champions Manchester City, fresh from their last-minute defeat by Real Madrid, play a rejuvenated Arsenal at Eastlands as Norwich manager Chris Hughton returns to St James' Park for the first time since being sacked by Newcastle.
Tottenham Hotspur, following a goalless Europa League draw with Lazio, welcome London rivals Queens Park Rangers to White Hart Lane.
AFP
Tags: sport, soccer, english-premier, united-kingdom First posted September 23, 2012 06:33:40Shelvey double saves Liverpool's blushes
Liverpool nearly paid the price for fielding a second-string side for their Europa League Group A opener with Swiss side Young Boys in Bern, but held on to win a thrilling match 5-3.
Captain Steven Gerrard, goalkeeper Jose Reina, striker Luis Suarez, first-choice defenders Glen Johnson, Martin Skrtel, Daniel Agger and Welsh international midfield playmaker Joe Allen all remained behind on Merseyside.
And Brendan Rodgers' decision seemed it might backfire against a doughty Swiss side in a match with goal-scoring opportunities galore.
Liverpool, in their 100th UEFA Cup and Europa League match, went 1-0 up after just four minutes thanks to a most bizzare Juhani Ojala own goal.
A defensive header by Christoph Spycher rebounded off Ojala's own head into the net past hapless keeper Marco Wolfli.
But Raphael Nuzzolo pulled one back for Young Boys before Andre Wisdom made it 2-1 for Liverpool at the break.
The home side shot into the lead with goals from Ojala and, thanks to an excellent finish, Gonzalo Zarate in the 63rd minute.
But Sebastian Coates got one back to draw the Reds level, and impressive 20-year-old replacement Jonjo Shelvey bagged a brace to give the scoreline a slightly more healthy hue than it deserved.
Liverpool's Premier League rivals Newcastle had to be happy with a goalless draw with Maritimo Funchal, based on the Atlantic island of Madeira.
Newcastle had three decent efforts in front of goal, but all came back off the post, first from Dan Gosling and then two from captain Shola Ameobi.
They were then left to ride their luck as Maritimo's Valentin Roberge saw his own header come crashing back off the woodwork in the 80th minute.
Felllow EPL outfit Tottenham had a frustrated evening against Lazio, being held to a goal-less draw by the Serie A outfit.
Spurs had the ball in the net on three occasions, but Clint Dempsey and Gareth Bale's strikes were ruled out for offside and Steven Caulker's close-range effort after a corner was disallowed due to an infringement.
Reigning Europa League champions Atletico Madrid kicked off the defence of their title with a convincing 3-0 victory over Israeli club Hapoel Tel-Aviv.
Goals from Cristian Rodriguez and Diego Costa in the first half, allied by a third from Raul Garcia in the second period, saw the Spanish club stretch their European winning streak to 14 matches in the Group B clash.
In Turkey, controversial English midfielder Joey Barton - still ineligible for league action following a ban picked up last season, made his debut for Marseille, whom he has joined on loan from Queens Park Rangers.
And it turned out to be a memorable night as the southern French club snatched a dramatic 2-2 draw with Fenerbahce, although Barton was substituted in the 71st minute with the score at 2-0.
The Turkish giants scored through Caner Erkin and Alex, while Matthieu Valbuena claimed an 83rd minute goal to put all the pressure on the home side.
Ghana international Andre Ayew scored the equalising goal four minutes into injury time with a header from a Valbuena corner that should have been cleared off the line.
Elsewhere, there were 4-0 victories for Bordeaux and Napoli over Club Bruges and AIK Solna of Sweden respectively.
Borussia Moenchengladbach were held to a goalless draw by AEL Limassol, the Cypriots lucky to see Oscar Wendt miss a penalty for the visitors.
AFP
Tags: sport, soccer, switzerland, united-kingdom First posted September 21, 2012 07:45:36Fergie calls for calm ahead of Liverpool showdown
Sir Alex Ferguson has called for calm ahead of Manchester United's emotionally-charged clash against bitter rival Liverpool on Sunday.
United manager Ferguson is well aware that the eyes of the football world will be on Anfield this weekend for the 186th instalment of the English game's most volatile grudge match.
The fixture marks Liverpool's first home match since the publication of an explosive report into the Hillsborough disaster which saw 96 Reds fans killed due to crushing at an FA Cup semi-final in 1989.
Hillsborough remains a hugely sensitive issue for Liverpool fans and feelings are still running high after the report proved that the authorities engaged in a cover-up in a bid to blame the tragedy on drunken supporters.
But United fans, who have often taunted their rivals about Hillsborough in the past, engaged in anti-Liverpool chants during last weekend's win over Wigan, raising fears they could do the same at Anfield and potentially spark serious crowd disorder.
There is also the potential for another ugly meeting between Liverpool striker Luis Suarez and United defender Patrice Evra.
Suarez served an eight-match ban for racially abusing Evra during a Premier League match at Anfield last October and the pair clashed again when the sides met at Old Trafford later in the season.
With such a tense build-up to the game, Ferguson has written a letter that will be distributed to all United fans at Anfield in which he warned them not to drag the club's name through the mud.
"Our rivalry with Liverpool is based on a determination to come out on top - a wish to see us crowned the best against a team that held that honour for so long," Ferguson wrote.
"It cannot and should never be based on personal hatred. Just 10 days ago, we heard the terrible, damning truth about the deaths of 96 fans who went to watch their team try and reach the FA Cup final and never came back.
"What happened to them should wake the conscience of everyone connected with the game.
"Our great club stands with our great neighbours Liverpool today to remember that loss and pay tribute to their campaign for justice. I know I can count on you to stand with us in the best traditions of the best fans in the game."
Anfield struggles
While Ferguson is keen to show respect to Liverpool's cause, he has no intention of allowing the occasion to distract him from the task of ending United's poor run at Anfield.
United have not won at Liverpool since 2007 and picked up just a solitary point in their last four visits, as well as crashing out of the FA Cup there last season.
It is a record Ferguson is keen to improve so that his side can keep on the tails of early league leader Chelsea.
"It's similar to when I came down here and we couldn't win the league but could beat Liverpool," Ferguson said. "The motivation leans on the side of Liverpool, particularly at Anfield.
"The crowd get behind them. They make it a real competition in terms of challenges and tackles."
Ferguson, who will be without injured forwards Wayne Rooney and Ashley Young, also called for Liverpool to be patient with new boss Brendan Rodgers even though they could fall into the bottom three this weekend.
"He's a young manager, any young manager needs time. In the modern world you don't get all that time," Ferguson said.
"We're in an age where patience is not a realistic thing. It's just not there."
Rodgers is confident the game will pass off without incident.
"There is respect in terms of the traditions of both clubs," he said.
"I am sure once we pay the tributes to the families we can get on with the football. A lot of work has been done and hopefully Sunday will pass off peacefully and well and we can talk about the tributes and football."
Meanwhile, Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard urged his side to get up for its biggest game so far this season and get Rodgers' first league win.
"For me, it's the biggest game in the world because the Premier League is the biggest league in the world and these are the two most successful clubs," Gerrard said.
"I'm not being biased when I say that - I think Liverpool versus Man United is the biggest game. Maybe Barcelona and Madrid is up there close to that, but for me it's still this one.
"It's a massive game - we're looking for our first league win of the season and there would be no-one better for us to get a win against."
AFP
Tags: sport, soccer, english-premier, england First posted September 22, 2012 15:53:58Saturday, September 22, 2012
Ibrahimovic leads PSG to winning return
It was a good night for former Chelsea coach Carlo Ancelotti as his expensively-assembled French outfit Paris Saint Germain eased to a 4-1 home win over an unambitious Dynamo Kiev on what was the Parisian side's return to the competition after an eight year hiatus.
There was to be no fairytale debut, though, for the team that pipped PSG to the title last season, Montpellier, as despite taking an early 1-0 lead they lost 2-1 at home to Arsenal.
First-half goals from Lukas Podolski and Gervinho enabled Arsenal to fight back after Younes Belhanda gave Montpellier an early lead from the penalty spot at Stade de la Mosson, leaving the Gunners level on points with Schalke at the top of Group B.
Arsenal's assistant coach Steve Bould said his side's win represented a promising start to a daunting run of fixtures.
"We've had a decent start to the season. This keeps the run going, and not just for the Champions League. We've got some tough games coming up," Bould said.
"We've got great spirit and that was evident tonight. Everyone was digging in, and things are looking OK."
Paris Saint Germain had its game wrapped up by half-time with goals from Zlatan Ibrahimovic - making him the first player to score for six different sides in the competition - Alex and Thiago Silva on his debut for the club.
Although Miguel Veloso got a goal back in the second-half PSG's Argentinean marksman Javier Pastore restored the three goal lead shortly before the final whistle.
"It was good, not just because of the result, but for us to have a performance like tonight is good for our confidence and for the atmosphere in the squad," said Ancelotti, who like Real Madrid coach Mourinho has two Champions League titles to his credit as a coach.
"It was important to win this game, but we can say nothing more than that because we have to play Porto (which beat Dinamo Zagreb 2-0) next and that will not be easy."
Malaga - another side heavily bankrolled with Arab money though the funds have dried up and forced them to sell off several players - also had its three points in the bag by the break against Russian champions Zenit St Petersburg.
Goals by Alarcon Isco and veteran Argentinian Javier Saviola gave the Spaniards a 2-0 lead and Isco rounded it off with a stunning second in the second-half to make the final score 3-0 against a desperately disappointing Russian side who will hope for more from multi-million dollar signing Hulk in their remaining matches.
Both sides can take heart from their group's initial favourites Milan's form as it was unable to get a morale boosting result after a poor start to the Serie A campaign - drawing 0-0 at home to Anderlecht.
"The fact we've had a mediocre start to the season has perhaps affected our morale," said Milan's under pressure coach Massimiliano Allegri.
"But the simple fact is if you don't score, you don't win and that's something we have to improve on. We're lucky not to have conceded a goal."
The two German sides in action both enjoyed opening wins as Schalke defeated Olympiakos 2-1 away - Dutch star Klaas-Jan Huntelaar getting their winner though he later missed a penalty.
A missed penalty almost proved costly for Dortmund as Mats Hummels failed to break the deadlock in the second-half of its home game with Ajax but fortunately for him Polish striker Robert Lewandowski scored in the 87th minute to give the German champions the three points.
AFP
Tags: sport, soccer, champions-league, france First posted September 19, 2012 08:43:00Last-minute Ronaldo strike sinks City
Cristiano Ronaldo struck a last-minute winner as Real Madrid beat Manchester City 3-2 in a thrilling UEFA Champions League clash that saw all the goals come in a nerve-wracking final 22 minutes.
Real came back twice through Marcelo and Karim Benzema to level the game after substitutes Edin Dzeko and Alexsandar Kolarov had put City ahead.
And then up stepped Ronaldo to give the home side a deserved three points to kick start their Champions League Group D campaign.
"We were lacking in confidence and in the circumstances it was difficult to play any better than we did," Madrid coach Jose Mourinho said.
"We have won back our DNA, we've got three points, our last game in this phase is at home and we have a good chance of qualifying from a difficult group."
Asked about what he was thinking as he performed an enthusiastic celebration following Ronaldo's winner, the Portuguese coach was belligerent after recent press criticism of his team.
"I thought about all the match reports that the journalists would have to delete.
"My team has played completely the opposite to what we did in Seville on Saturday, we battled, we won balls and we played football, there are no problems within our camp and I have no problems with any of my players," he said after surprisingly leaving out Sergio Ramos and Mesut Ozil from the side that lost 1-0 in Seville.
City coach Roberto Mancini was pragmatic about the defeat.
"It is difficult to take, not the way we lost but because we went 2-1 up," Mancini said.
"I don't want to continue to defend like how we did in the last four minutes.
"We were too deep, it can happen that you can lose here, Madrid were better in the first half but to score 2 here and be 2-1 up, then go too deep is disappointing."
Mancini also announced a surprise in his line up, starting with 19 year-old Matija Nastastic at centre-half, making his debut after a summer move from Fiorentina.
Real took the initiative from the start as City took their time to adjust to their surroundings.
A blistering counter-attack by Real after eight minutes saw Gonzalo Higuain pick out Ronaldo who drew the first save of the evening from English international Joe Hart.
Four minutes later and Hart denied Higuain, this time with an acrobatic dive after the Argentine striker glanced a Ronaldo cross goalbound.
Yet the visitors gradually began to dispute more possession and but for a half chance for Higuain and an Angel Di Maria curled shot the interval arrived goalless.
City had yet to trouble the home defence and had also lost Sami Nasri who limped from the pitch on 35 minutes to be replaced by Kolarov.
A speculative shot from Yaya Toure earned City a corner on 53 minutes and the first action for their noisy travelling support to cheer, while Marcelo saw a thunderous drive go just at the other end.
On the hour the Spanish World Cup winner David Silva received a standing ovation from the home crowd on leaving the field as Mancini shuffled his pack and brought on Dzeko.
Mourinho immediately reacted bringing on Ozil to replace Essien and Marcelo saw another shot drift high.
It looked like the match would drift to a close with both teams happy with a point until Toure intercepted a short pass in his own half and made a wonderfully leggy sprint before playing in Dzeko who put City ahead.
Real levelled on 75 minutes when Marcelo, who had previously favoured his left, moved onto his right foot to curl a shot in from 25 yards.
City were now attacking at will and Kolarov took advantage to hit what looked like the winner on 84 minutes from a free-kick wide on the right that evaded Iker Casillas in the Madrid goal.
Their lead, however, was short lived during a crazy final five minutes.
It was another substitute in Benzema who turned well before shooting to level on 86 minutes.
And then Ronaldo, who had started the game on fire, finished it off with the last minute winner to break English hearts.
AFP
Tags: sport, soccer, champions-league, spain First posted September 19, 2012 07:17:20Reds blow lead to draw with Bunyodkor
Adelaide United was unhinged by Uzbekistan's Bunyodkor in a heated 2-2 draw in Wednesday's Asian Champions League quarter-final at Hindmarsh Stadium.
The Reds squandered a 2-0 lead in the first leg of the quarter-final on their home turf.
The hosts, with goals to Iain Ramsay and Evan Kostopoulos, dominated the Uzbeks early but the tide turned when Reds defender Nigel Boogaard was sent off just before half-time.
Bunyodkor scored from the resulting free kick and equalised against the flagging 10-man Reds in the second half to bank precious away goals before their return bout in Uzbekistan on October 3.
Ramsay and Kostopoulos scored in the initial 18 minutes, as the Reds took command against a seemingly brittle Bunyodkor.
Ramsay's opportunistic seventh-minute strike came after Dario Vidosic mis-timed a shot, with the ball rolling across the goal face allowing the Reds' winger to push a sliding left-footer into the net.
Kostopoulos logged his first goal for the Reds in an official match some 11 minutes later when a corner fell at his feet.
Kostopoulos' initial shot was blocked but the ball rebounded to gift him a second chance and he took it with a swift left boot.
But Bunyodkor's fortunes changed when Boogaard was marched in the 42nd minute.
Boogaard fell behind in a foot-race with forward Murzoev Kamoliddin as they chased a dangerous Bunyodkor long ball, which neared the Reds' defensive box.
The Reds defender pulled at Kamoliddin's right arm, causing the Bunyodkor attacker to fall.
And from the free kick, defender Anvar Gafurov expertly curled a 25-metre left-footer into the top right corner of the net.
A depleted Reds outfit lost their lead in the 75th minute when Shavkat Salomov scored when the ball inexplicably passed through Iain Fyfe's legs on the goal line, allowing the Bunyodkor substitute to goal from less than a metre out.
Reds assistant coach Michael Valkanis says Boogaard's sending off "changed the complexion of the game".
"We had played extremely good, attacking football and possibly could have had four or five goals," he said.
"It (Boogaard's red card) changed our whole game plan."
But Valkanis says the Reds will remain positive heading to the Tashkent for the October 3 second leg.
"It's still on for us going over there ... we have got to try and win the game," he said.
Bunyodkor coach Mirdjalal Kasimov agreed that Boogaard's red card changed the contest.
"The red card was a help for us," he said.
"Of course it is a plus that we scored two goals but it doesn't mean we can relax in Tashkent."
Adelaide United: 2 (I Ramsay 7', E Kostopoulos 18')
Bunyodkor: 2 (J Khasanov 44', S Salomov 75')
AAP
Tags: soccer, sport, a-league, adelaide-5000 First posted September 19, 2012 22:24:24Jets confirm Heskey signing
The Newcastle Jets have confirmed the signing of former England international and Premier League star Emile Heskey as the club's marquee player for the 2012-13 A-League season.
The FA Cup, Football League Cup and UEFA Cup winner joins the Jets after playing 28 matches for Aston Villa in the English Premier League last season.
"To secure the signature of Emile is a fantastic result for the Jets and for the A-League," Jets chief executive Robbie Middleby said on Friday.
"Emile has played our game at the highest level in England, both internationally and domestically, and he finished last season playing with Aston Villa in the English Premier League.
"We are aware that Emile had other offers but he is genuinely excited to be a part of what we want to achieve at the Jets.
"He was particularly interested in our Emerging Jets Program as this is what most Premier League clubs have already established.
"Emile's relationship with former English Premier League players Michael Bridges and Robbie Fowler assisted him in understanding what the A-League has to offer."
Jets coach Gary van Egmond shares the sentiments of Middleby.
"Emile is someone who has unbelievable experience, having played for England 62 times," van Egmond said.
"His effectiveness in being able to hold the ball up and invite other players to play off him is going to be a big benefit to us.
"He's someone who can really lead the line and is exactly what we've been missing."
In total, the striker has made 516 Premier League appearances during a stellar 17-year career in England's top flight, scoring 110 goals.
The 34-year-old is best known for his time at Liverpool FC, where he played 150 league matches and found the back of the net on 39 occasions for the Reds during five seasons at the famous club.
Heskey scored 22 goals in all competitions when Liverpool won the FA Cup, Football League Cup and UEFA Cup treble in 2000-01.
As well as Aston Villa and Liverpool, Heskey has played for top English Clubs Leicester City, Birmingham City and Wigan Athletic.
Heskey also brings valuable international experience to the Jets, having represented England on 62 occasions and scoring seven goals.
He has played in two World Cups for the Three Lions, and played in every match of England's 2010 World Cup campaign in South Africa.
"This is an exciting new period in my life and I am looking forward to making a special contribution to the A-League and most importantly, to the Jets," Heskey said.
"I hope I can help grow football at the grassroots level and also provide advice to young players at the Jets.
"The season isn't far away, so I will be in Newcastle soon, training with my new team-mates and be ready for kick off on October 7."
AAP
Tags: sport, soccer, a-league, newcastle-2300 First posted September 21, 2012 08:44:06Juventus denies Chelsea's Oscar winner
Brazilian Oscar scored twice on his competition debut but Chelsea had to settle for a point in its Group E opener as Juventus fought back to draw 2-2 at Stamford Bridge.
With Didier Drogba, the man whose penalty sealed glory for Chelsea in May, gone, Oscar began a new chapter for the Londoners, scoring with a deflected shot and a memorable curling effort.
But Arturo Vidal and Fabio Quagliarella hit back to give the Italians a deserved point in their return to the blue riband tournament after a two-season absence.
"We started well and it was great goal for Oscar. It was right to start him tonight, he played well tactically and the second goal was a wonderful goal," Chelsea coach Roberto Di Matteo told Sky Sports.
"But we feel disappointed and a little bit deflated. We were in a fantastic position to win the game and came away with only a draw. We should have closed the game and got the win.
"But Juventus are a first class side, they are very difficult to beat and they played very well tonight too."
The result in west London meant that Shakhtar Donetsk finished the evening top of Group E following a 2-0 win at home to Danish competition debutants Nordsjaelland.
Manchester United took a seventh-minute lead against Galatasaray at Old Trafford when Michael Carrick swapped passes with first Robin van Persie and then Shinji Kagawa before skipping past goalkeeper Fernando Muslera and sliding the ball home.
The English giants - eliminated at the group stage last season - almost paid the price for taking their foot off the pedal, however, with Nordin Amrabat hitting the bar and Hamit Altintop clipping the post for the visitors before half-time.
Nani squandered an opportunity to give United breathing space when his 53rd-minute penalty was saved by Muslera, while the home side were indebted to a fine double save from David de Gea that saw him deny Burak Yilmaz and Emre Colak.
"They were very confident in their possession, and missing the chances we did in the second half kept us on the edge," said United coach Sir Alex Ferguson.
"Three points in the opening game are very important, especially when you look at what happened to us last season."
In the other Group H game, United's next opponents, Romanians CFR Cluj, won 2-0 at Portuguese side Braga courtesy of a first-half brace from former Braga forward Rafael Bastos.
Lionel Mesi quickly hit his stride with two late goals for Barcelona, which flirted with a rare home defeat before beating Spartak Moscow 3-2 at the Nou Camp.
Barca suffered an early blow when Gerard Pique had to go off injured, but the Catalans - champions in 2006, 2009, and 2011 - went ahead when Cristian Tello curled a low shot home from the cusp of the 18-yard area.
A Dani Alves own goal gifted Spartak a 29th-minute equaliser and the Russians sensationally took the lead just before the hour when Romulo beat Victor Valdes from Aiden McGeady's pass.
The Russians stood on the verge of a famous upset, only for Messi to equalise from Tello's lay-off in the 71st minute before heading in Alexis Sanchez's cross 10 minutes from time to hand Tito Vilanova victory in his first Champions League game as coach.
"The match became complicated for us and it wasn't easy," Messi told Canal+.
"My goals aren't important. What's important is that the team keeps this dynamic."
In the night's other Group G fixture, Celtic was held to a 0-0 draw at home to Benfica on the Scottish side's return to the group phase after a four-year absence.
Bayern Munich assumed control of Group F, winning 2-1 at home to Valencia through goals from Bastian Schweinsteiger and Toni Kroos.
However, there was a disastrous start to the group phase for 2011 French champions Lille, beaten 3-1 at home to Belarusian outfit BATE Borisov, which had never previously won a game in the competition.
AFP/Reuters
Tags: sport, soccer, champions-league, italy, england First posted September 20, 2012 07:31:03Heskey to shock A-League: van Egmond
He is not exactly known as a prolific goal scorer but Newcastle Jets coach Gary van Egmond predicts his star recruit Emile Heskey will "shock a few people" in the A-League.
The Jets landed a major coup on Friday after completing the signing of the 34-year-old former England international, who only last season was still playing in the English Premier League with Aston Villa.
The striker is likely to arrive in the steel city early next week and is a decent chance of playing in the Jets' season opener against Adelaide on October 7.
Van Egmond said Heskey's crowd-pulling ability, experience, strength and ability to hold up the ball made him an ideal marquee signing.
And he also predicted he could be a menace in front of goal, despite a strike rate of one goal every 4.6 games in English football in his time with Leicester City, Liverpool, Birmingham, Wigan and Villa.
Heskey also managed only seven goals in 62 appearance for England but van Egmond - citing the example of Brisbane striker Besart Berisha - tipped Heskey would enjoy a better strike rate in Australia.
"I think we have to get things in perspective here," van Egmond said.
"We're talking from the EPL to the A-League and if you want to compare him not getting as many goals in the EPL to him not maybe getting as many goals in the A-League, I think that's a pretty tough comparison.
"You have a look (2011/12 top scorer) Berisha's stats prior to getting to the Brisbane Roar you definitely wouldn't have thought that he was setting the world alight in the second division in Germany.
"I think he (Heskey) is going to shock a few people with the technical ability he has ... I think some people may get surprised."
Van Egmond hoped Heskey's signing would help get more "bums on seats" in Newcastle, and around the league, and was confident he was in good condition, having spent time training with Wigan recently.
Heskey is best known for his time at Liverpool, where he played 150 league matches and scored 39 goals during five seasons at the famous club.
His best season came in 2000/01, when he scored 22 goals in all competitions as the Reds won the FA Cup, Football League Cup and UEFA Cup treble in 2000/01.
He has played in two World Cups for England, and played in every match of his country's 2010 World Cup campaign in South Africa.
"This is an exciting new period in my life and I am looking forward to making a special contribution to the A-League and most importantly, to the Jets," Heskey said in a statement.
"I hope I can help grow football at the grassroots level and also provide advice to young players at the Jets.
"The season isn't far away, so I will be in Newcastle soon, training with my new team-mates and be ready for kick-off on October 7."
AAP
Tags: a-league, soccer, sport, newcastle-2300, nsw, australia First posted September 21, 2012 18:35:31Lippi's ACL hopes derailed
Saudi international striker Naif Hazazi scored with a pair of second half headers to give Al Ittihad a 4-2 first leg advantage over Guangzhou Evergrande in the quarter-finals of the Asian Champions League.
The 23-year-old forward outjumped the defence of the Marcello Lippi-coached Chinese Super League champions in the 62nd and 89th minutes to give his side the chance to qualify for a fifth Asian Champions League semi-final in nine seasons as the club chase their third continental title.
The defeat left World Cup-winning coach Lippi - who joined the southern Chinese club in June - deflated but hopeful that his team can turn things around in the return leg on home soil on October 2.
"We made some errors which weren't supposed to happen and that's why we lost," said the former Juventus coach.
"But this game will be decided over 180 minutes and hopefully when we play at home all of our players will be back."
Guangzhou had taken the lead in the 27th minute having had the better of the opening exchanges, with Chinese international forward Gao Lin turning to shoot low into the corner after the Al Ittihad defence failed to clear Muriqui's cross from the left.
But less than a minute later the Saudi side had levelled, Diego De Souza capitalizing on some slack defending at the heart of the Guangzhou back line to send a shot past Yang Jun from the edge of the area.
Guangzhou, though, regained their composure and, with six minutes remaining in the half, Huang Bowen struck from the edge of the area to put Marcello Lippi's team back in command of the tie.
But a penalty from Mohammed Noor four minutes after the restart pulled Ittihad level again before Hazazi's double put the 2004 and 2005 winners in command of the tie.
Elsewhere, South Korean side Ulsan had Brazilian striker Rafinha's deflected shot to thank for their 1-0 first-leg victory over Al Hilal.
In Isfahan, Al Ahli, the third Saudi club still standing, were held to a 0-0 draw on their first appearance in the quarter-finals since 2005 by Iranian opponents Sepahan at the Foolad Shahr Stadium.
The second legs take place on October 2 and 3.
AFP
Tags: sport, soccer, saudi-arabia First posted September 20, 2012 08:41:09Ba double gives Newcastle controversial draw
Senegal striker Demba Ba rescued a 2-2 draw for Newcastle as his late equaliser left Everton to pay the price for a crucial blunder by the officials at Goodison Park on Tuesday morning (AEST).
Ba came off the bench at half-time with Newcastle trailing to Leighton Baines' first half goal and he made an immediate impact with the equaliser one minute into the second period.
But Everton was denied a clear goal when Victor Anichebe's header appeared to cross the line after being pushed onto the bar by Newcastle goalkeeper Steve Harper.
David Moyes' side, who had already had a Marouane Fellaini strike harshly ruled out for offside, were understandably furious with referee Mike Jones and his assistants, yet it seemed they would still take the points when Anichebe fired home with only two minutes remaining.
However, Ba had the last word when he bundled in his second equaliser of the night in the 90th minute.
There was more bad news for Everton as Croatia striker Nikica Jelavic hobbled off with a first half knee injury.
"We played well and we thought we had other goals in the game but for some reason or not they weren't given," Moyes said.
"For Anichebe's effort the linesman was looking right along the line, that's his job and he didn't see it.
"I thought we deserved the win, sometimes you need decisions to go your way but they didn't go for us tonight."
Magpies manager Alan Pardew added: "I was proud of the second half because we were terrific, but the first half we lacked belief and I was shocked at how we played.
"Not many teams would come back and respond in the way we did so all credit to the players."
While the post-match discussion was all about technology and officials' decisions, understandably the pre-match focus was on recognising Merseyside neighbours Liverpool's fight for justice after the publication of last week's independent report into the Hillsborough disaster.
The club's approach was pitched perfectly as, in addition to two mascots wearing an Everton number nine shirt and a Liverpool top with the number 6 and ball boys bearing the number 96, the names of all victims of the disaster scrolled across Goodison's television screen accompanied by the Hollies' 'He Ain't Heavy...He's My Brother'.
In an emotionally charged atmosphere, Everton made a strong start which must have made uncomfortable viewing for Pardew, watching from the stands as he served the first of a two-match touchline ban.
Jelavic had an early goal disallowed for offside but the hosts made a deserved breakthrough in the 15th minute when Baines raced onto a clever backheel from Steven Pienaar to fire past Harper.
Belgian striker Kevin Mirallas, Everton's transfer deadline day signing, was impressing on his first league start, while Phil Jagielka shaved the post with a volley from Jelavic's lay-off.
After Jelavic was forced off, Newcastle came into the match more and Ba equalised in the 46th minute with a low strike from Yohan Cabaye's pass.
Fellaini had a goal ruled out for offside, a decision which was marginal at best, middway through the second half.
Then Everton's protests reached fever pitch when Anichebe's 78th minute header was tipped onto the crossbar by Harper and appeared to bounce down over the line before Mike Williamson cleared.
Anichebe finally did get on the scoresheet as he turned in the penalty area to fire home in the 88th minute.
That looked to have won it for Everton, but moments later Ba latched on to Shola Ameobi's knockdown to roll a shot under Tim Howard and snatch a point.
AFP
Tags: sport, soccer, english-premier, england, united-kingdom First posted September 18, 2012 07:28:30Del Piero debut on hold
Prize recruit Alessandro Del Piero will not play his first match for Sydney FC for at least another week, coach Ian Crook confirmed - adding that the Italian will not captain the A-League side.
While the Italian superstar met his Sydney team-mates for the first time at training on Tuesday, Crook revealed the club's scheduled trial match against Newcastle in Budgewoi on Saturday has been cancelled.
Sydney is now likely to have its next hit-out against A-League rival Central Coast behind closed doors sometime next week, with the club expected to announce full details of its final preseason games later on Tuesday.
Crook said Del Piero would play in either the number nine or number 10 position.
And he said while midfielder Terry McFlynn would remain the captain, 37-year-old Del Piero would have a natural leadership role as a senior player.
"The captaincy will stay the same, he'll come into our leadership group ... but certainly things won't change with the actual armband," Crook said
Del Piero participated in a number of passing drills with team-mates at the Sydney Football Stadium in a session that lasted just under an hour.
His new team-mates appeared a little shy about approaching the $2 million a season man in the first few minutes, but Del Piero participated enthusiastically in a session watched by a large media contingent.
Crook was delighted with the effort of his import in the warm conditions.
"It was supposed to be a short and sharp one but everybody is trying to impress, I suppose," Crook told reporters after the session.
"He's obviously got some great touches. He's still struggling a bit with the jet lag but in a week to 10 days, he'll be over that.
"He's a fantastic fellow. Today, he wasn't going to do a lot but, as you saw, he stayed to the end of the session."
Del Piero played 91 internationals for Italy and over 500 Serie A games for Juventus.
AAP/Reuters
Tags: sport, soccer, a-league, sydney-2000, nsw, australia First posted September 18, 2012 13:19:40Beauchamp handed Wanderers armband
New A-League side Western Sydney Wanderers have named Michael Beauchamp as the club's inaugural captain.
The western Sydney-raised Beauchamp, whose career has taken him to Europe, has played 73 games in the A-League with Central Coast, Melbourne Heart and Sydney FC as well as winning 23 appearances for the Socceroos.
"It's a huge honour to be handed the armband to wear at any club but it is certainly that little bit more special to receive it for a club in its foundation year that represents everything about my boyhood days and dreams," Beauchamp said in a statement.
"I don't expect to change too much about the way I approach my preparation and play as I'd like to think that I put in 110 per cent into everything I do.
"I'm definitely a leader by my actions and I'm someone who will motivate on the pitch in the heat of the battle.
"I am a local boy and it goes to show that no matter what background you come from, the sacrifices you make as a youngster do pay off.
"I'm proud to have grown up in this community and to now represent it is something that I take great pride in."
The Wanderers start their A-League campaign against the Mariners at Parramatta Stadium on October 6.
Coach Tony Popovic said the 31-year-old Beauchamp defender was a great candidate.
"Michael is a leader, he is an experienced player who has played in many parts of the world and will lead our young squad with plenty of passion," Popovic said.
"Playing at the back of the field, Michael will control things from there and is a great organiser on the field."
Tags: a-league, soccer, sport, parramatta-2150, nsw, australia First posted September 21, 2012 17:01:47Boogard takes blame for Reds' collapse
Adelaide United defender Nigel Boogaard says he felt he let his team down by being sent off in the first leg of its Asian Champions League quarter-final on Wednesday night.
Uzbek club Bunyodkor came from two goals down to draw 2-2 with the Reds at Hindmarsh Stadium, after Boogaard received a straight red card just before half-time.
Boogaard pulled back forward Murzoev Kamoliddin as they chased a dangerous long ball, causing the Bunyodkor attacker to fall as he neared the box.
The visitors scored from the resulting free-kick and bundled home an equaliser with 15 minutes remaining.
Boogaard says he apologised to his team-mates after the match.
"Obviously I'm disappointed in myself. It was probably at a crucial stage of the game when we were dominating and probably looking quite comfortable to get a result out of the game," he said.
"It was a spur of the moment decision that I took and it's always easy to look back in hindsight and say you'd change your mind, but obviously it's a decision that I'll look back on have to learn from."
"Hopefully it wont affect us going forward and, hopefully we can go over there and get the result."
The return clash is in Tashkent on October 3.
Tags: a-league, soccer, sport, adelaide-5000, sa, australia First posted September 20, 2012 16:09:30Matildas downed in emotional match
Sarah Walsh scored in her final game for the Matildas but could not prevent a 6-2 defeat to Olympic gold medallists United States, who themselves farewelled coach Pia Sundhage.
Walsh's strike came after Lisa De Vanna levelled Servet Uzunlar's own goal on 25 minutes, but Alex Morgan equalised before the interval.
Then Morgan again, Abby Wambach, Shannon Boxx and Sidney Leroux went on to score to send their World Cup winning boss off in style.
The American side serenaded their coach with 'You Are My Sunshine' after Sundhage's final lap of honour
"Today is Pia's day," Wambach said. "We've been talking about it all day: What can we do to show her?
"She's a passionate woman about this game. We knew the best thing we could do was give her a win."
Matilda's coach Tom Sermanni, whose side also fell to defeat to the US, 2-1 on Tuesday (AEST), took positives from the display.
"It was another great 45 minutes, I think in the first half we weathered a bit of a storm early on, because the US came out fired up after the last game," Sermanni said.
"We got ourselves in front and were really, really pleased with how we played in the first 45.
"The second 45, again, you saw the difference between a team at its peak, very mature and battle hardened against our team, in the very early stages of its preparation."
Walsh, who has decided to end to her international career at the age of 29 due to a persistent knee injury, finishes with 32 goals from 71 appearances.
Tags: sport, soccer, australia First posted September 21, 2012 07:41:04Jets secure ex-England striker Heskey
Former England target man Emile Heskey is on his way to the A-League, with media reports suggesting the Newcastle Jets have signed the veteran striker.
The 34-year-old was out of contract after scoring just once in 29 games for Aston Villa last season and the Jets have reportedly signed him to a one-year deal worth $1.3 million.
The deal has an option for a further two years should Heskey fire for the Novocastrians, with the Nathan Tinkler-backed Jets signing Heskey as their marquee player.
Capped 62 times by his country, Heskey is reported to have knocked back a previous offer from the Jets but is said to have warmed to the idea of continuing his career in Australia.
The powerful attacker could make his A-League debut away at Alessandro Del Piero's Sydney FC in a blockbuster clash at the Sydney Football Stadium on October 13.
The 2007-08 A-League champions fought off competition from Spanish outfit Espanyol and English clubs Stoke, Norwich and former club Liverpool in the race for Heskey's signature.
Heskey started his career at Leicester before enjoying spells with Liverpool, Birmingham City, Wigan Athletic and most recently Aston Villa.
He dismissed plans of retirement after being released by Villa in May.
"I'm 34, I still feel I can play so I don't see why I need to retire just now," Heskey said.
"From when I started, I always said I wanted to play at the highest level wherever that might be. You always strive for that".
Tags: sport, soccer, a-league, newcastle-2300, nsw, australia First posted September 19, 2012 10:26:14Monday, September 17, 2012
Matildas push Olympic champions
A young Matildas side has suffered a narrow 2-1 loss to the Olympic gold medal winning United States women's football team in Los Angeles.
The visitors led the US 1-0 at half-time after Lisa De Vanna scored a brilliant individual goal for the Matildas in the 34th minute.
The Denmark-based 27-year-old ran half the field with the ball, bursting past Christie Rampone and beating Hope Solo with a left-foot shot to put the Australians ahead.
Ten minutes after half-time US striker Alex Morgan levelled the scores but it took a 63rd minute penalty from substitute Shannon Boxx to give the gold medallists victory.
A penalty was awarded when Morgan was clipped on the ankle in the penalty box.
The match was part of a celebratory tour by the US team which began with an 8-0 win over Costa Rica on September 1.
Australia fielded a team with five teenagers while the US played nine of its gold medal winning team.
Matildas coach Tom Sermani praised the character of his side, who did not qualify for the London Olympics, against the powerful US team.
"We had a 17-year-old goalkeeper (Brianna Davey) playing her second international and we had a significant road trip to get here against an extremely experienced and outstanding team," Sermani said.
"To come here and for the players to put on the performance that they did, doesn't just say anything about their ability, but it says a lot about their character as well."
The Matildas will play a second match against the US on Thursday in Denver (AEST).
Reuters
Tags: sport, soccer, united-states, australia First posted September 17, 2012 11:10:26Vidosic in doubt for ACL quarter-final
Adelaide United midfielder Dario Vidosic is in doubt for this week's Asian Champions League quarter-final against Bunyodkor.
Vidosic has a hamstring strain and is rated only a 50-50 chance of facing the Uzbek team at Hindmarsh Stadium on Wednesday night.
United coach John Kosmina says Vidosic suffered the injury during last week's trial match against Central Coast.
"He only had a small tear and it was longitudinal and not across the muscle, so that's a good thing," he said.
"So it was more a split I guess than a tear... the doctors tell me it's not too bad.
"So he had a bit of a trot yesterday, he'll have a bit more today and we'll see how it goes."
Tags: a-league, soccer, sport, adelaide-5000, sa, australia First posted September 17, 2012 16:25:43Defoe doubles up in first win for Villas-Boas
England striker Jermain Defoe scored twice as Tottenham registered its first victory under Andre Villas-Boas courtesy of a 3-1 Premier League win away to Reading overnight.
Spurs had drawn two and lost one of their three previous league matches this term under Villas-Boas.
And doubts were starting to surface at White Hart Lane as to whether the Portuguese coach, sacked by London rival Chelsea before it won the Champions League last season, was the right man to replace the popular Harry Redknapp.
However, an early goal from Defoe helped settle the nerves of the travelling fans although it was not until the 71st minute, when Gareth Bale made it 2-0, that Spurs could start to relax.
"It was a well-deserved win," Villas-Boas said after the match.
"Everyone performed to their top level and it is a win that will lift us up for the season. We created lots of chances and the second goal gave us the stability. It was a good solid performance from everybody.
"Jermain is showing his abilities, the amount of shots he has on target is amazing.
"Every player improves through time and as the lone striker up front, he is linking well with the colleagues."
Defoe gave Spurs an 18th minute lead at the Madejski Stadium when he stroked in a pull-back from Aaron Lennon after a burst down the right flank by the winger.
Spurs, who climbed several places to 10th spot in the table, nearly had a second goal when an error by novice keeper Alex McCarthy, dwelling on the ball in the box, saw him dispossessed by Defoe.
Defoe cut the ball back for Gylfi Sigurdsson but the Iceland international was denied on the line by Alex Pearce.
At half-time, Premier League newcomers Reading, which remains second bottom with just one point from three matches, could consider itself fortunate to be only 1-0 down.
But, with such a slender deficit, the Royals were still in the game.
And that remained the case until 19 minutes from time when Bale finally gave Spurs the second goal their dominance deserved.
Kyle Walker's cross found Bale and the Wales star's scuffed shot beat McCarthy, already committed to a dive.
Spurs added a third three minutes later when Defoe, on the break, beat McCarthy with a shot into the far corner.
"When you're playing with quality players it's not a problem (scoring)," Defoe said.
"Today we had a lot of a ball and I made sure my movement was good.
"We wanted the second goal to settle us down - when it's 1-0 you panic a bit.
"It could have been a lot more. When a new manager comes to the club it takes time (to get wins)."
Tottenham was denied a clean sheet when Hal Robson-Kanu pulled a goal back for Reading in the closing moments.
"I thought we were too submissive and didn't get on the ball enough or in their faces," Reading manager Brian McDermott said.
"We came up against a very good side today and they deserved the win.
"We've got to move on very, very quickly. Today was a learning curve for all of us.
"Spurs is a team full of world-class performers, but we didn't cause enough problems for them, especially in the first half."
AFP
Tags: sport, soccer, english-premier, england, united-kingdom First posted September 17, 2012 06:21:02Charming Del Piero in good shape
What started as a serious examination evolved into the warmest of welcomes as Alessandro Del Piero charmed the gathered media in his first press conference in Australia.
In front of a sizeable media contingent at Sydney's Star City Casino, Del Piero promptly won over journalists and a live television audience with his quick wit and some no-nonsense answers.
Introduced by Sydney FC chairman Scott Barlow as "the most important signing in the history of football in this country," Del Piero was quick to state he means business.
"First of all I'm here for Sydney FC. And I'm completely focused (on) Sydney FC," Del Piero said.
The 37-year-old also said he is in good physical shape after spending the past two months working out with his personal trainer.
And the former Juventus legend endeared himself when the questions took on a lighter tone.
Del Piero drew laughter when asked what his friends and Juventus fans made of his decision to move to Australia.
"Most of my friends said to me, 'okay, Ale, you want to change... but there's a lot of places closer than Australia!'"
The former Italian international also admitted he convinced his eldest son to move by promising to take him to the zoo.
"(For) my family the first priority is (to see) the kangaroos," he said.
His deft handling of questions about Italy's defeat of Australia at the 2006 World Cup proved he is as elusive off the pitch as on it.
Asked whether he thought Lucas Neill's tackle on Fabio Grosso was worthy of a penalty, Del Piero admitted the Italian defender may have had an ulterior motive for going down inside the penalty area.
"He told me, Alessandro ... 'I'm really tired!'"
The former international, capped 91 times by his country, was quick to add that Italy enjoyed a charmed run during the tournament.
"For us 2006 was the perfect World Cup," Del Piero said.
"Everything goes in the right place."
The man charged with the task of bringing a global focus to the A-League also paid tribute to the wave of European migrants who popularised the game in Australia.
"I know it's a young league but I think about the Australian people, about a lot of Italians (who) emigrated, a lot of English and Greek and Croatian and the Yugoslavian people.
"Everybody has soccer blood ... and we have to wake up that," he said.
And Del Piero made it clear he is capable of handling the pressure of being the A-League's most recognisable star.
"I know there's a lot of expectation ... I love that," he said.
"I play 19 years in Juventus and in Juventus you have to win every game, every match, every year."
Del Piero's first A-League game for Sydney FC is an away fixture at Wellington Phoenix on October 6.
Tags: sport, soccer, a-league, sydney-2000, nsw, australia First posted September 17, 2012 14:45:51Sunday, September 16, 2012
Del Piero targets titles with Sydney FC
Italian great Alessandro Del Piero arrived in Sydney on Sunday declaring he is here to start a new football career in the A-League not to finish his career.
A chanting, good-natured crowd of about 500 fans welcomed the 37-year-old Del Piero, the biggest signing in Australian football history, after he emerged from customs at Sydney airport about 11.20am.
The $2 million Sydney FC marquee player stopped for one minute to speak to gathered media, answering a few questions in both English and Italian, before police cleared a pathway through the crowd for him to a waiting car.
"I am here not for the end of my career but for the start of my new career," Del Piero said.
Asked if he wanted win titles with Sydney FC, Del Piero said "I want to win some. I play to win."
Many of the fans who greeted him wearing his number 10 on Juventus or Sydney FC shirts, while others waved large banners from the Serie A club that Del Piero played for over 19 seasons.
With Sydney FC playing a trial match against Brisbane in Mackay later on Sunday, chief executive Tony Pignata was one of the few senior club figures at the airport to meet the man he signed to a two-year deal.
Del Piero was taken with his family to a Sydney hotel to rest after his trip from Italy and he is to front a media conference at midday on Monday before training with his new team-mates for the first time on Tuesday.
Sydney has three training sessions before its final trial match against Newcastle at the weekend, and club officials suggested on Sunday they would leave it to Del Piero to see if he felt sufficiently recovered from jet lag to play in that game.
Del Piero scored 27 goals in 91 internationals for Italy between 1995 and 2008 and 208 goals in 513 games for Juventus.
Fans gathered at Sydney airport from around 5.30am (AEST), several hours before his Singapore Airlines flight arrived.
Initially they were dominated by members of the Sydney chapter of Juventus and, as the morning progressed, they were joined by hundreds of Sydney FC fans, many clad in the club's sky blue shirt.
Sydney FC fan Phil Hope, who has travelled to China, Japan and South Korea to watch the team, said Del Piero's signing meant everything to the supporters.
"The man is a genuine superstar, not just a football superstar he's a sporting superstar worldwide, it's put our club on the map," Hope said.
"He hasn't kicked a ball in anger yet, but already he's paid for himself.
"To put rugby league off the front and back page in the Murdoch press in the middle of the (NRL) finals series, how good is that?
"It's worth two million bucks by itself."
Hope predicted Del Piero's move to Sydney would prove to be a unifying force between the old and new parts of the footballing community.
"It will bring the Italian community up, which is one thing the A-League has lacked," Hope said.
"They've made it non-ethnic support, non-denominational, the reality is we still haven't unified all the old football communities.
"This is going to be a huge step in that direction.
"You will see all the APIA Leichhardt supporters come out and the Marconi supporters will come out, that's only good for the club, that's good for the league.
"The reality is if we treat the man right and we treat him with respect and he likes the league it's going to open the door for other players to come out here, which is only going to make our league a hell of a lot better than what it already is."
AAP
Tags: sport, soccer, australia, nsw, sydney-2000 First posted September 16, 2012 12:04:45