Socceroos to play friendly against Romania

Updated January 11, 2013 16:40:23

The Socceroos will play an international friendly against Romania in Spain next month.

It will be the final hit-out for the Socceroos before the 2014 World Cup qualifiers resume.

Australia's next qualification match is against Oman at the Sydney Olympic Stadium on March 26.

Socceroos coach Holger Osieck said the friendly against Romania to be played in Marbella, Spain on February 6 an opportunity to check the progress of many of his squad.

"This is a welcome opportunity to check on the performance of some of our players against Romania who are a very good team and will be a very challenging opponent," said Osieck.

"With the recent matches in the Korea Republic and Hong Kong we have seen some new players added to the group and as a result the competition for places in our group has increased.

"This match will not be just a friendly, but also a good test for the players ahead of our important qualifier against Oman."

The Socceroos are ranked 36 on the FIFA World rankings while Romania are 33rd.

Romania are currently in third position of Group D in their 2014 FIFA World Cup European qualifiers and will also face Poland on February 2 before the Socceroos clash.

Tags: socceroos, soccer, sport, australia, romania, spain

First posted January 11, 2013 15:08:34

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Roar take the points against Phoenix

Updated January 02, 2013 00:16:59

New Brisbane Roar coach Mike Mulvey unveiled more of his aggressive blueprint after his side showed flashes of their attacking brilliance with a 2-1 victory over Wellington at Lang Park.

Quicksilver attacker Ben Halloran nailed the winning goal, his third of the season, following some clever lead-up work by striker Besart Berisha and German gun Thomas Broich in the 59th minute.

It was not the performance Mulvey would have wanted but coming off the back of their 1-0 upset over Adelaide last weekend, it was enough to move the Roar from second bottom into sixth place.

There were moments when the Roar looked a little like the side which had won the past two championships.

The Phoenix battled hard but finished the clash with nine players after 18-year-old Tyler Boyd (two yellow cards) was dismissed by referee Tim McGilchrist in the 64th minute and Leo Bertos was forced from the field late in the match following a head clash.

The Roar also finished with 10 players after James Donachie shown a red card for a dangerous challenge on classy Phoenix striker Jeremy Brockie.

Pre-game talk Mulvey might use the A-League's January transfer window to recruit a back-up striker fired up Berisha, who opened the scoring in the 14th minute by beating defender Ben Sigmund before slotting the ball past goalkeeper Mark Paston.

It was Berisha's first open goal since November and the Albanian dropped to his knees and kissed the turf.

Brockie went to the top of the A-League scoring list with 10 goals when his stunning 37th-minute strike levelled scores at 1-1 before half-time as the Roar threatened to take control of the match.

The Phoenix struggled at times to cope with the midfield creativity of German ace Thomas Broich, the slickness of Mitch Nichols and the height of Erik Paartalu who played a more central role under Mulvey.

Their probing work repeatedly opened up the Phoenix defence as Berisha, Henrique and the ever-dangerous Halloran began running riot.

Brockie's blistering equaliser seemed to rock the Roar's confidence with skipper Matt Smith and Nichols exchanging strong words as they left the field.

"We need to get our emotions going," said Broich of the half-time exchange between his team-mates.

Broich says the Roar have made life difficult for themselves.

"We had so many chances," he said.

Roar: 2 (Berish 14', Halloran 59')

Phoenix: 1 (Brockie 37')

AAP

Tags: soccer, a-league, sport, brisbane-4000

First posted January 01, 2013 22:29:39

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Reds take points against Wanderers

Updated October 12, 2012 22:19:42

Adelaide United maintained its unbeaten start with a 1-0 victory over Western Sydney Wanderers at Hindmarsh Stadium.

The Reds made it two wins from as many starts with a second-half goal coming the way of Argentine off-season signing Jeronimo Neumann.

Neumann found the back of the net in the 69th minute to deliver the Reds the three competition points and consign the Wanderers to their maiden loss in the A-League.

The Wanderers drew 0-0 with Central Coast Mariners in their debut match last weekend at Parramatta Stadium.

The Reds' Iain Ramsay praised the cohesion of the Wanderers, having been brought together in such a short space of time.

"I think later on in the A-League campaign they will get better and better," he told Grandstand.

"You can see they are a tight-knit unit. Credit to the whole coaching staff of Western Sydney on how they have put together a team in such a short time."

Ramsay also feels the Reds will only improve on their undefeated start to the season.

"There is a lot of depth in our squad now, a lot of quality in our squad," he said.

"Everyone is fighting for their places, week in week out, and it is only going to benefit the squad."

Neumann missed a contentious penalty prior to making amends with deft finish to score the only goal of the match.

He was played into space by a shrewd Iain Ramsay pass and he closed on goal as Wanderers goalkeeper Ante Covic made a make-or-break dash towards him.

Neumann coolly placed a left-footer past the approaching Covic and it trickled into the net to delight the 8,950 spectators.

A minute earlier, Neumann failed to convert a penalty after Reds winger Fabian Ferreira went to ground, having jostled with Wanderers defender Nikolai Topor-Stanley.

While the penalty call appeared harsh, Neumann pushed his spot kick too close to Covic, who made a relatively comfortable save diving to his left.

The minute of action came after an opening half punctuated by skill errors and turnovers, with Poljak's near-miss in the 32nd minute a rare highlight.

Poljak launched a speculative 30-metre shot which caught Reds goalkeeper Eugene Galekovic off guard.

The Reds captain parried with one glove and the ball bounced into a side bar.

The Wanderers also had a late chance to equalise when Labinot Haliti found space in the box in the 88th minute, but his well-connected header was cut off by Galekovic.

Adelaide United: 1 (Neumann 69")

Western Sydney Wanderers: 0

AAP/ABC

Tags: a-league, soccer, sport, adelaide-5000

First posted October 12, 2012 21:29:50

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Liverpool hits back hard against Chelsea

Updated May 09, 2012 11:52:58

Liverpool scored three times in nine first-half minutes to gain a semblance of revenge for its FA Cup final defeat by Chelsea, beating the Champions League finalists 4-1 at Anfield on Wednesday morning (AEST).

Michael Essien's own-goal and goals from Jordan Henderson, Daniel Agger and Jonjo Shelvey ensured Fernando Torres endured a nightmare return to his former club since leaving in January 2011.

The defeat means Chelsea must beat Bayern Munich in the Champions League final on May 19 if it is to secure a place in the competition next season as it can now no longer finish fourth in the Premier League.

Chelsea caretaker manager Roberto di Matteo made wholesale changes to his side, but the Italian will be concerned the FA Cup winners have now won just one of their last five league games.

The Italian defended his decision to make eight changes from the team that ran out at Wembley.

"We've come so far because we've used the energy and players we have in the squad," di Matteo told Sky Sports.

"That is the only way to be in the race until now. I have no regrets.

"We've had very intense games and to get yourself up for all those has been a big demand. I thought tonight fresh legs would give us a better chance.

"We've got a game on Sunday and we want to finish our last game well to go into the Champions League final in a positive mood."

Rarely has Liverpool looked forward to the end of the season so much after enduring a campaign where a League Cup final win has failed to mask its mediocre league form.

Liverpool lost its last two games at Anfield while fans had been starved of a home league win since March 13 and even this victory left the Reds, managed by Anfield great Kenny Dalglish, in a relatively lowly eighth place.

"The players and everyone will be happy we ended on a high note," said Dalglish.

"That performance was on a par with many this season but we've not had the results those deserve.

"For us it is a satisfactory evening and I hope the supporters go away happy. I don't think there are many other places where supporters would turn up and be so supportive, especially after the Cup final."

Liverpool, without skipper Steven Gerrard, was clearly desperate to put right the wrongs from a disappointing performance at the weekend.

And the hosts never looked back after Essien turned the ball into his own net in the 19th minute while trying to clear from Luis Suarez.

Chelsea captain John Terry then slipped to pave the way for Henderson to double Liverpool's lead in the 25th minute, the former Sunderland player producing a delightful finish past keeper Ross Turnbull.

And Agger made it 3-0 in the 28th minute when the Dane nodded home after clever work by Andy Carroll.

Liverpool's Stewart Downing, yet to score a league goal since joining from Aston Villa in preseason, then twice hit the woodwork before the break.

Having struck the bar with a dipping 25-yard attempt, the winger then hit a post from the penalty spot after Ivanovic had fouled Carroll in the dying moments of a thrilling first half.

Chelsea did reduce the deficit in the 50th minute.

Ramires scored against the Reds at Wembley and the Brazilian was at it again as Florent Malouda's free-kick hit his midriff before trickling into the net.

But Chelsea's revival was short-lived thanks to Turnbull.

The keeper's attempted clearance landed at the feet of Shelvey, who rifled a first-time effort from 30-yards into the net in front of the Kop to make it 4-1 in the 61st minute.

AFP

Tags: english-premier, soccer, sport, england, united-kingdom

First posted May 09, 2012 08:00:09

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Broich roaring back against Sky Blues

Updated January 13, 2012 17:12:33

Brisbane Roar know it will be tough to reel in front-runners Central Coast but fit-again playmaker Thomas Broich has warned the A-League champions are back near their best heading towards the season's business end.

Set for his first match after missing eight with a complex heel injury, Broich denied he was under pressure to immediately show his class against Sydney FC on Saturday night.

The Roar have slipped eight points behind the dominant Mariners, who also have a game in hand, following a six-week struggle without the German linchpin and Brazilian striker Henrique.

They return together against Sydney, which coincidentally started Brisbane's fall by ending its record 36-match unbeaten streak.

With leading goal scorer Besart Berisha unlikely to play due to a calf injury, the indications are that Broich will start with Henrique (knee) to come off the bench at Lang Park.

The former Germany under-21 international cannot wait after being frustrated by his injury which was far worse than first assumed.

"Obviously I've missed playing and when you haven't played for a while you get so much joy out of it again," Broich said.

"When I first kicked the ball (in training) it was like being a little child again."

But he feels Brisbane has already turned the corner with a New Year's Eve 3-1 win over Melbourne Victory and a luckless 1-1 draw in Adelaide.

"To be honest personally I think the last few games have been pretty good," he said.

"The team is actually in a good shape again so the pressure on me is not too big."

Broich felt the Roar's confidence was back, with their current form close to their best of their 14-month-long record run.

"Football sometimes is a psychological game and it's more momentum but we fought hard to come back and from what I saw (last week) I'm pleased - the Adelaide game was brilliant at times," he said.

"We kept possession and we penetrated again and the only thing missing was scoring goals."

Since beating the Roar, its most recent victory, Sydney has endured its own worrying drought, including losses in its past three matches.

Goalkeeping coach Zeljko Kalac also believes the Roar are back to their best and feared the Sky Blues were meeting them at the worst possible time.

The timing would be worse if Berisha, who has struck a deadly combination with Broich, was fit but Ange Postecoglou is set to keep the Albanian international in cotton wool.

Defender Scott Jamieson is in line to return at left-back for Sydney while Mark Bridge could get his first start in two months, possibly replacing Bruno Cazarine.

AAP

Tags: sport, soccer, a-league, brisbane-4000, qld, australia

First posted January 13, 2012 17:04:14

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Suarez to appeal against racism ban

Updated December 22, 2011 10:12:48

Liverpool striker Luis Suarez is set to appeal against his eight-match suspension and fine for an alleged racist remark against Manchester United's Patrice Evra.

The FA suspended Suarez for eight matches and fined him 40,000 pounds for comments made to Evra during a Premier League match at Anfield in October, saying he used "insulting words" in a reference to the French international's colour.

The player's legal representative, Alejandro Balbi, told a news conference in Montevideo that Liverpool's lawyers side would appeal the sanction.

"The appeal is total, over and above there being a monetary aspect and another with a match suspension," Balbi said.

"He (Suarez) is firmly convinced that this hard sanction can be reversed.

"It's one of the hardest sanctions handed down in English football, so it seems to us absolutely out of proportion."

Suarez played on Thursday morning (AEDT) in Liverpool's goalless draw at Wigan and before the game his team-mates wore t-shirts supporting him after releasing a statement insisting the striker is not a racist.

"We totally support Luis and we want the world to know that. We know he is not racist," the statement read.

"We are a squad of many different nationalities and backgrounds. All of us support the Club's commitment to fighting racism. All of us accept there is no place in the game for any form of discrimination. As a group of players we totally support the Kick it Out Campaign.

"We have lived, trained and played with Luis for almost 12 months and we don't recognise the way he has been portrayed. We will continue to support Luis through this difficult period, and as a popular and respected friend of all his teammates, he will not walk alone."

Reuters

Tags: soccer, sport, england, united-kingdom

First posted December 22, 2011 09:57:48

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Socceroos to play friendly against Denmark

Updated December 19, 2011 20:00:49

Australia will warm up for its final round of FIFA World Cup qualifiers with an international friendly against Denmark in Copenhagen on June 2 next year.

The hosts will be in their final stages of planning for Euro 2012, while the match will serve as the Socceroos' final hit-out prior to the World Cup qualifiers.

Australia has already qualified for the fourth round of World Cup Asian qualification, with matches to start in mid-June next year.

The Asian Football Confederation will announce the draw for the fourth round in late March.

Denmark, currently ranked number 11 in the world, will play the Netherlands, Germany and Portugal in the Euro 2012 group stage.

Socceroos coach Holger Osieck expects the Danes will provide stiff opposition.

"Denmark is a highly regarded football team with a well-respected coach in Morten Olsen," he said.

"The Danes will be a week away from their opening match for Euro 2012 when we meet in June so we expect to face a full strength and motivated opponent."

AAP

Tags: socceroos, soccer, sport, denmark, australia

First posted December 19, 2011 19:58:33

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United bites back against Wolves

Updated December 11, 2011 06:49:22

Manchester United put the pain of its Champions League exit behind it with a 4-1 Premier League win at home to strugglers Wolverhampton Wanderers on Sunday morning.

Victory, secured by two goals apiece from Nani and Wayne Rooney, saw the champions close to within two points of leader Manchester City.

But City - also knocked out of the Champions League in midweek - will restore its five-point advantage at the top if it wins away to Chelsea on Tuesday morning (AEDT).

Nani gave United a 17th-minute lead at Old Trafford with a low shot from 20 yards out for his first goal in 18 games.

Ten minutes later, Rooney's shot through a crowd of players gave the England striker his first league goal in nine games.

Steven Fletcher pulled a goal back for Wolves early in the second half but United restored its two-goal lead after Nani turned in Antonio Valencia's cross.

Valencia was also the provider when Rooney made it 4-1.

"I always say December is an important month; if we get to the new year still in the frame we have a great chance," said United manager Sir Alex Ferguson.

Elsewhere, Arsenal marked its 125th anniversary with a 1-0 win at home to Everton thanks to a goal from in-form striker Robin van Persie.

The Dutch international broke the deadlock at the Emirates with a brilliant left foot volley 20 minutes from time.

"It's an art Robin has mastered well," said Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger.

"We are also grateful for three points against a good Everton side."

Liverpool beat QPR 1-0 at Anfield thanks to Luis Suarez's first goal in six games with the Uruguayan heading home two minutes after half-time.

Norwich held off 10-man Newcastle to win 4-2 at Carrow Road.

Newcastle fell behind when, from a 39th-minute corner, a goalmouth scramble ended with Wes Hoolahan putting the Canaries ahead.

But Newcastle was level before half-time when striker Demba Ba ran on to Yohan Cabaye's through ball for his 10th goal in as many league games.

Norwich, however, then scored two goals in four minutes with headers from Grant Holt and Steve Morison.

Newcastle, who had Dan Gosling red-carded, made it 3-2 when Ba scored his second but Holt calmed Norwich nerves when he headed in from 12 yards to make the score 4-2.

"You can't concede from three set-plays in the Premier League like we did, but any team would struggle with the injuries we've got in central defence," said Newcastle manager Alan Pardew.

"We're still aiming for a top seven or eight finish if we can."

Wigan climbed off the bottom with a come-from-behind 2-1 win over West Brom.

The Baggies went ahead at the Hawthorns when midfielder Steven Reid curled in a 22-yard free-kick.

But minutes later Victor Moses drew Wigan level with a curling strike from the edge of the box.

Wigan went ahead in the 57th minute when Jordi Gomez scored from the penalty spot after Reid fouled Moses.

"We showed great composure and I was extremely proud," said Wigan manager Roberto Martinez.

Aston Villa took the lead away to struggling Bolton when the unmarked Marc Albrighton turned in a cross from Gabriel Agbonlahor 12 minutes before half-time and more poor defending gave Stiliyan Petrov room for a long-range shot that went in via a deflection off Gary Cahill.

Bolton hit through Ivan Klasnic scored in the 55th minute but was unable to find another goal and Owen Coyle's men are now propping up the table.

"We are left to rue one sloppy 10 minute period," said Coyle.

Swansea defeated Fulham 2-0 with Scott Sinclair opening the scoring with a 56th-minute strike which was deflected into his own net by Clint Dempsey.

United States international Dempsey had the chance to equalise but his penalty was superbly saved by Michel Vorm.

Swansea substitute Danny Graham then sealed victory on the stroke of full-time.

Tottenham Hotspur, who started the weekend in third place, is away to Stoke on Monday morning when Sunderland, in Martin O'Neill's first game as manager, faces fellow drop candidates Blackburn Rovers.

AFP

Tags: english-premier, soccer, sport, england

First posted December 11, 2011 06:36:50

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Kewell a certain starter against Adelaide

Updated December 09, 2011 16:05:39

Harry Kewell is a certain starter for Melbourne Victory when they host Adelaide United in a must-win match at Docklands on Saturday night.

Victory assistant coach Kevin Muscat said Kewell was rested from Melbourne's mid-week friendly against LA Galaxy and was a definite starter against their arch-rivals.

He said they wanted to keep some players fresh for this match.

"Everyone wanted to play and Harry was no different, but there was three or four in a group that we decided it would be best if they don't play," Muscat said.

"Harry wasn't isolated, there were three or four others.

"It was great to have the Galaxy here, but tomorrow night is the most important game for us this week."

Marquee Adelaide striker Sergio van Dijk will also return from injury for the encounter.

Reds coach Rini Coolen says van Dijk has recovered from a calf strain.

Midfielders Dario Vidosic and Evgeniy Levchenko could also travel with the squad.

Defender Nigel Boogaard will also return after a one-game suspension.

United captain John McKain says the players are working hard after a poor start to the season.

"We want to turn it around, it's that simple," he said.

"There's been so much negativity and negative comments about how we've played and rightfully so.

"We've had a good week on the park with Rini and the boys coming back has freshened it up a bit.

"It's been crucial for that and hopefully the next few weeks we can build a bit of a platform."

AAP/ABC

Tags: a-league, soccer, sport, melbourne-3000, vic, australia, hobart-7000, tas

First posted December 09, 2011 16:05:39

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England tackles France as Euros pit Spain against Italy

Updated December 03, 2011 09:12:20

Defending champion Spain and 1968 winner Italy will clash in Group C of Euro 2012 after the draw for next year's finals in Poland and the Ukraine was made in Kiev on Saturday morning.

The Republic of Ireland and Croatia make up the pool, with the top two sides progressing to the quarter-finals.

England was drawn in Group D with co-hosts Ukraine, Sweden and two-time winners France.

In a mouth-watering Group B, the Netherlands, Denmark, Germany and Portugal were all drawn together, while co-hosts Poland will face Greece, Russia and the Czech Republic in Group A.

World and European champions Spain will tackle Italy in its opening group game in the Polish city of Gdansk on June 10.

Vicente del Bosque's side overcame the Italians on its way to victory at Euro 2008 in Austria and Switzerland, with Cesc Fabregas netting the winning penalty in a quarter-final shoot-out following a 0-0 draw.

Group B appears to be the most finely balanced on paper.

Portugal and the Netherlands famously shared an ill-tempered last-16 match at the 2006 World Cup in Germany, which Portugal won 1-0 in a game that featured a record 16 yellow cards and four dismissals.

"It's a difficult draw but a great draw," Netherlands playmaker Wesley Sneijder said.

"We know our three opponents very well. If we manage to beat them and get out of the group, we'll be well placed to win the tournament. I'm confident."

Denmark, champion in 1992, last crossed swords with Portugal in qualifying, with its 2-1 victory in Copenhagen in October obliging Cristiano Ronaldo and his team-mates to qualify through the play-offs.

The opening Group D clash between England and France at Donetsk's Donbass Arena on June 11 will probably go a long way towards determining which side finishes top of its pool.

The teams previously met in their opening group match at Euro 2004, when two late strikes from Zinedine Zidane gave France a 2-1 victory after Frank Lampard had headed England in front.

"England are one of the biggest nations in football," France goalkeeper Hugo Lloris said.

"They'll start as favourites in the group ... Behind England, the Ukraine, Sweden and France will fight for second place."

The tournament kicks off on June 8, when Poland will take on 2004 champions Greece at the National Stadium in Warsaw, with the final taking place at Kiev's Olympic Stadium on July 1.

Earlier in the day, organisers insisted the tournament would be a huge success despite concerns about a lack of hotel rooms and inadequate infrastructure.

"Euro 2012 will be a resounding success, a milestone in the history of European football," declared UEFA general secretary Gianni Infantino at a press conference at the Olympic Stadium.

"Airports, roads, train stations and hotels have been developed or built from scratch.

"Poland and the Ukraine are ready to cope with a massive influx of tourists next summer. Work that normally takes 20 years has been done in a few years."

After repeated delays and spiralling costs, the Ukraine has now opened the stadiums in its four host cities.

The Olympic Stadium is the most expensive jewel in the tournament's crown - at a cost of more than $US550 million - with completely new venues in Lviv and Donetsk to go with the refurbished stadium in Kharkiv.

AFP

Tags: euro, soccer, sport, ukraine, poland

First posted December 03, 2011 08:50:18

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Smeltz steals draw against Victory

Updated November 20, 2011 20:59:54

Perth Glory recovered from a debatable send-off and a horror penalty decision to erase a two-goal deficit and draw 2-2 with Melbourne Victory in Sunday night's A-League clash at Docklands.

The result helped the Glory to fourth on the table, while the Victory were left with just one win from seven games so far this season to remain outside the top six.

Ten-man Perth was down 2-0 until a magnificent free kick from Andrezinho in the 71st minute and a clinical Shane Smeltz header in the 87th delivered the visitors a point, which was the least they deserved.

Referee Chris Beath's first-half dismissal of midfielder Liam Miller, for bringing down in-form Victory striker Archie Thompson from behind as he was headed for the penalty area, was arguable.

But the 52nd-minute penalty against Bas Van den Brink, who clearly got the ball in a well-executed penalty area tackle on Thompson, was plain wrong.

Costa Rican international Carlos Hernandez converted from the spot.

Six minutes later Melbourne striker Danny Allsopp slotted home a simple goal-mouth finish after Rody Vargas had headed a corner kick to his feet, leaving the 10-man Glory seemingly with no hope.

But they showed enormous character.

Brazilian Andrezinho's 25m left-foot free kick, which rocketed into the top right corner of the net, sparked their comeback hopes.

They levelled when Todd Howarth delivered an excellent cross from the left flank to the far post, where New Zealander Smeltz coasted in to the far post and finished expertly.

Glory coach Ian Ferguson said the club might appeal the Miller send-off although it would need to take a closer look.

But he was in no doubt the penalty was incorrect and said Football Federation Australia should review that blunder by Beath.

"I'd like something done, to be honest with you," Ferguson said.

"Without jumping all over anybody, let's be calm about it and let FFA do what they've got to do and look at it.

"At the end of the day, it's our livelihoods.

"It could cost you games, it could cost you points, it could cost me my job, especially crazy decisions like we've seen today."

Victory coach Mehmet Durakovic struggled to explain another unconvincing performance from a side that started the season with huge expectations.

"Unfortunately things aren't going our way at the moment, that's the honest truth," he said.

"We're a big club and we need to be getting points at home.

"I'm disappointed, like the players and like the fans out there."

Perth had looked more dangerous from the start, the Victory's only truly threatening move in the first 35 minutes being a long-range Hernandez free kick in the seventh, which swerved sharply, but did not quite make it inside the right post.

The Glory troubled the Victory defence in the air and went close to scoring several times in the first 20 minutes, including an Adam Hughes header which bounced off the crossbar.

The game changed, though, in the 37th minute when Thompson weaved past Perth's Joshua Risdon and towards the open penalty area, with Van den Brink chasing desperately from his side and Miller from behind.

A lunging Miller tackle brought Thompson down just outside the area, resulting in a red card for the midfielder, who had been a key player to that point.

Melbourne Victory: 2 (C Hernandez 52', D Allsopp 57')

Perth Glory: 2 (Andrezinho 70', S Smeltz 86')

AAP

Tags: sport, a-league, soccer, melbourne-3000, vic, perth-6000, wa, australia

First posted November 20, 2011 19:10:28

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Heart coach warns against derby emotion

Updated October 21, 2011 16:30:56

Melbourne Heart coach John van 't Schip says his players can not afford to let lingering emotion from a bitter previous clash with Melbourne Victory influence Saturday night's re-match.

The simmering rivalry between the neighbouring clubs hit boiling point in their most recent meeting - late last season - when since-retired Victory captain Kevin Muscat was sent off for a brutal tackle on Heart youngster Adrian Zahra.

Zahra has still not returned from the resultant injury and players from both clubs have this week suggested Saturday night's Docklands encounter could again get fiery.

But van 't Schip, whose side sits bottom of the table after losing its first two matches, says the Heart have bigger concerns than settling old scores.

"You're not going to win games with bringing that into the game," he said.

"It's a new team, a new season and we just have to focus on the things that we have to do tomorrow.

"Hopefully we'll do that the right way and just be there and play football."

Van 't Schip, in the second season of his two-year contract, admits he and everyone else at the club are feeling pressure to produce a positive result.

"It's an important game. There's more pressure on the game than maybe we expected," he said.

"But it's the way it is and we have to deal with it. We have to focus on what we have to do, because it doesn't help to think of all other kinds of things."

Victory counterpart Mehmet Durakovic has his own concerns, with only one point and no goals from two matches guiding what looks on paper to be the competition's most potent attack.

Durakovic indicated he will this week drop Carlos Hernandez from the starting side and move Archie Thompson closer to goal as he tries to shuffle his glut of attacking options into a productive unit.

But he is confident they wil eventually form an attack as potent as the star power suggested it ought to be and says star recruit Harry Kewell is still finding his feet.

"He hasn't got the match fitness yet at the moment and it will take time," Durakovic said.

"So wherever we need Harry to play, he'll play.

"But it will take two or three weeks and once we get the structure right, we'll be OK."

Veteran goalkeeper Clint Bolton and experienced defender Simon Colosimo will return to shore up a struggling Heart defence - but captain Fred is out injured - while the Victory are without suspended skipper Adrian Leijer.

AAP

Tags: soccer, sport, melbourne-3000

First posted October 21, 2011 16:30:56

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FIFA launches investigation against Blatter

Published:Saturday, May 28, 2011 10:56 AESTExpires:Friday, August 26, 2011 10:56 AEST

The ABC's Philip Williams reports on FIFA's investigation into its own president Sepp Blatter as the corruption scandal grips the football world.

Tags: law-crime-and-justice, football, united-kingdom

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FIFA opens probe against Bin Hammam

Updated May 26, 2011 01:21:00

World football governing body FIFA has opened a corruption investigation into four officials including Qatar's Mohamed Bin Hammam and Trinidadian Jack Warner.

They are accused of possible fraud and ethics violations in connection with the forthcoming election for the FIFA presidency on June 1 when Bin Hammam will challenge former ally Joseph Blatter, who is seeking a fourth and final four-year term.

Bin Hammam, 61, is currently president of the Asian Football Confederation while Warner, 68, is FIFA vice-president and CONCACAF president.

The probe also concerns Caribbean Football Union (CFU) officials Debbie Minguell and Jason Sylvester.

The defence of the four will be heard on May 27 and they will appear before FIFA's ethics committee in Zurich on May 29.

The affair follows information concerning possible violations of the FIFA Code of Ethics brought to the attention of FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke by US executive committee member Chuck Blazer, who is also CONCACAF secretary general, on May 24.

"In particular, the report referred to a special meeting of the Caribbean Football Union (CFU), apparently organised jointly by FIFA Vice-President Jack A Warner and FIFA Executive Committee member Mohamed bin Hammam, which took place on 10 and 11 May 2011. This meeting was linked to the upcoming FIFA presidential election," FIFA said in a statement.

"In view of the facts alleged in this report, which include bribery allegations, FIFA Secretary General Jerome Valcke, in compliance with art. 16 of the FIFA Code of Ethics, yesterday requested the FIFA Ethics Committee to open ethics proceedings."

But Bin Hammam has denied any wrongdoing.

"This has been a difficult and painful day for me today," he said in a statement.

"But, if there is even the slightest justice in the world, these allegations will vanish in the wind. This move is little more than a tactic being used by those who have no confidence in their own ability to emerge successfully from the FIFA Presidential election."

Bin Hammam, who has made the fight against corruption the cornerstone of his bid to unseat Blatter, has also been forced to deny allegations aired in the British parliamentary inquiry that his native country Qatar paid large bribes to secure hosting rights for the 2022 World Cup.

This latest probe boosts 75-year-old Blatter's bid for a fourth term with South America, Ocenia and Europe already expressing their support for the Swiss incumbent.

- AFP

Tags: sport, football, qatar, switzerland

First posted May 25, 2011 23:23:00

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Tevez scores against Stoke

Published:Wednesday, May 18, 2011 8:46 AEST

Manchester City captain Carlos Tevez celebrates scoring against Stoke City during their English Premier League match in Manchester on May 17, 2011.

Tags: sport, football, english-premier-league, united-kingdom, england

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Carle battles for the ball against Kashima

Published:Tuesday, May 10, 2011 6:36 AEST

Nick Carle of Sydney FC and Takeshi Aoki of Kashima Antlers compete for the ball during the AFC Champions League Group H match at the National Stadium on May 10, 2011 in Tokyo, Japan. Kashima won the match 2-1.

Tags: sport, football, aleague, australia, nsw, sydney-2000, japan

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Kruse to start against Tianjin

Posted April 19, 2011 15:02:00

Star striker Robbie Kruse will return to the Melbourne Victory starting line-up, as they seek a much-needed Asian Champions League win over Tianjin Teda on Wednesday night.

The bottom-placed Victory earned their first point in three group matches with a 1-1 away draw against the Chinese side on April 5, when substitute Kruse played a key role in erasing an early deficit.

That performance has given the Victory confidence they can take all three points in the return match at Docklands.

"We'll be going out there for three points straight from the kick-off," Victory's caretaker coach Mehmet Durakovic said.

"We'll be trying to get as many players as we can forward and create as many chances as we can, as much as we get did against Tianjin the other week.

"Hopefully we'll do that and hopefully we get the three points."

Kruse, who did not start in the last match partly because of a heavy pre-match travel schedule, will be pivotal after troubling the Tianjin defence.

"He absolutely did quite well when he came on, and you've got to reward the players for what they've done," Durakovic said.

Durakovic says with Archie Thompson and Isaka Cernak also in the side, there will be an attacking focus.

"We want to push up as much as we can, we want to push Robbie as much as we can forward, we want to push Isaka as much as we can forward, help Archie up there," he said.

"We'll be going with an attacking line-up, hopefully with three up front, so we'll see how we go."

Tianjin will be without their Serbian captain Marko Zoric, who was sent off in the last match for a crude tackle.

- AAP

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Raul slots home against Inter

 Published:Thursday, April 14, 2011 7:41 AEST

Schalke forward Raul Gonzalez eludes Inter Milan goalkeeper Julio Cesar to score in their Champions League quarter-final second leg at Veltins Arena in Gelsenkirchen on April 13, 2011.

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Van der Sar punches clear against Chelsea

 Published:Wednesday, April 13, 2011 7:09 AEST

Manchester United goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar punches clear during the Champions League quarter-final second leg against Chelsea at Old Trafford on April 12, 2011.

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Carroll celebrates scoring against City

Published:Tuesday, April 12, 2011 7:04 AEST

Liverpool striker Andy Carroll celebrates his second goal against Mancester City in a 3-0 EPL win at Anfield on April 11, 2011.

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