Friday, May 2, 2014

Red Bufalloes 3-3 Green Bufaloes: Tunde Bello Led Oldies to hard earned draw

The Red Bufaloes looked to have secured a vital win but Tunde Bello's assist led to goal at the death to give the Green Bufalloes a much deserved equaliser with minutes to spare.

The Green Bufalloes twice came from behind to earn a dramatic 3-3 draw against the Red Bufalloed in a novelty match to mark the Fathers Day of the Brain Builders Montesorri. Both teams comprised of Teachers and Parents of the Citadel of Learning.

The Red Bufalloes took a shock lead when they opened the scoring with a sensational long range effort in the 13th minute and doubled their advantage 6 minutes later. The First half ended 2-0 in favor of Red Bufalloes.

Green Bufalloes suddenly woke up from their slumber after the half time as Midfield Maestro Tunde Bello began to dictate the pace in the middle of the pack. The ageless skipper of the Green Bufalloes came close to scoring when his long range short from just inside the center circle hit the upright with the keeper well beaten, it was a reminiscent of Thunder Balogun's shot.

Within 2 minutes of the first attempt, Green Bufalloes pulled one back as the defense of the Red Bufalloes went to sleep obviously suffering from fatigue.

Buoyed by the goal the Green Bufalloes surged forward seeking for the equalizer and they got their reward once again Tunde Bello the architect of the much needed equalizer as the veteran shot was saved by the keeper but was too hot to handle and the resultant rebound was tapped in by the sides Hit man.

With 20 minutes to go, the game slowed down as both sides with virtually almost all the players with their pot bellies drowned in their sweat and moving at a pedestrian pace looked to have settled for a draw and only waiting for the final whistle.

A momentary lose of concentration by the Green Bufalloes defense gave the Reds the lead once again and left the Greens to chase the game. Suddenly the game came alive again as both sides looking stronger but could not find the final touch.

With 10 minutes left of the clock, Tunde Bello once again inspired his team with a dribble run, his burst of pace was too much for the Reds to handle, one which Lionel Messi would be envious of and the veteran killer pass split the defense open for the hit man to finish off easily to give his side the leveller.

Both sides pushed on for the winner but it eventually ended 3-3 apiece. No doubt an entertaining game for most of whom have not played the game for nearly a decade.

Thursday, May 1, 2014

The underlying secret of Diego Simeone's success

Posted by Miguel Delaney

LONDON -- It finished with a round of applause that was completely befitting the final flourish.

As Diego Simeone's postmatch news conference came to an end, he demanded to put out a comment of his own.

"I want to congratulate the mothers of these players," the victorious Atletico Madrid manager said. "They gave them bighuevos to play the way they did tonight."

What they did, of course, was completely take Chelsea apart 3-1 in their own stadium. Amid the remarkable rise of Simeone's Atletico, it was easy to forget that Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho had lost a second successive game at Stamford Bridge for the first time ever.

The Argentine's quote, however, was so much more than a bon mot to sum up the admirably aggressive manner of his team. It was a statement to stand alongside any of Mourinho's quotes over the years and only deepened the apparent parallels between the two men.

There is the personality, the style and now, the scale of the achievement. To put Simeone's alchemic achievement into some kind of context, Atletico are the financially weakest team to reach the Champions League final since Mourinho's own FC Porto in 2004.

If that will bring obvious and understandable comparisons between the two coaches, however, it should really make Simeone stand out even more in his own right.

Here, he usurped Mourinho and took command of Stamford Bridge. That was the aspect most pleasing to the Argentine.

"We played so well in the second half, controlling the game against a world-class opponent," Simeone said. "That will be the lasting memory of this game."

Jean Catuffe/Getty ImagesDiego Simeone surpassed Jose Mourinho and made Stamford Bridge his own in Wednesday's second leg.

Even as Mourinho spoke in his own postmatch news conference, celebratory music from the visiting dressing room alongside reverberated through. There, in what was a plaintive and quite graceful appearance in front of the global media after defeat, the Portuguese also nodded his head at one question that was something of a challenge.

Mourinho agreed that Atletico perfectly mirrored the personality of their coach in the manner that used to be so evident with the Chelsea boss for so long.

"That's the difference between one year and three," Mourinho said. "A big difference. I think they're a very good side, very adapted to the ideas of this manager. It looks like every player fits his idea of their play."

On the night, Atletico simply looked a better and more sophisticated team, not so anchored to the counter-attacking approach so many had perceived beforehand.

They were also more intense in the challenge, more committed in attack.

That was the key difference between the teams and the ultimate reason Simeone is in the final and Mourinho is not.

Atletico displayed a deep connection with their coach and his ideas that the Portuguese used to have and now must develop again.

As regards how that translated to the actual pitch, both managers pointed to the 61st minute and Diego Costa's delayed, but ultimately emphatic, penalty.

"I think the difference was one minute in the second half, where Atletico's goalkeeper makes an impossible save fromJohn Terry's header, and, instead of 2-1 to Chelsea a few seconds later, [there was] a penalty, which I'm happy people tell me was a penalty," Mourinho admitted. "In one minute, two actions decided the game. After that, there was only one team on the pitch. My team played with pride, honour and professionalism, but after that moment, the game was controlled by Atletico -- very mature and professional in the way they controlled the game. Complete control."

Simeone proudly echoed those words.

"The 2-1 settled the game, and we controlled it from that moment on."

The Atletico coach also pointed to something even deeper: "The reaction to the first goal was crucial."

It also emphasised the current, more profound contrasts between the teams and the coaches.

AP Photo/Matt DunhamJose Mourinho made it difficult for his side to overcome errors.

The most galling part for Mourinho was that it seemed so perfect at that point, as if he had scripted it. For a start, there was the gambit of playing Fernando Torres paying off, as he scored against his old club. That ensured Chelsea could sit back against a notionally counter-attacking side.

Atletico, however, showed they were much more than that. Chelsea illustrated the danger of so completely depending on their defence. Because when you play that conservatively, you're always going to be less likely to be able to compensate for any errors. And, the longer you sit deep, the more likely it is those errors will eventually arrive.

Here, after defending so superbly in the 2-0 win at Liverpool, those mistakes came in abundance.

First, their back line switched off for Adrian Lopez to plunder the equaliser from the most basic of situations, a set piece. Then, on 59 minutes, Samuel Eto'o committed the clumsy challenge that finally afford Atletico full control. Then, Eden Hazard was caught lax, and Arda Turan got the goal he deserved.

It said so much about Chelsea that the only impact their most exciting player had on the game was important defensive mistakes. By contrast, Atletico again looked like the unit that had offered such a unique opening 20 minutes against Barcelona in the quarterfinals.

There is a true thrust about this team, a growing sense of inevitability, if even destiny.

Mourinho was denied destiny of a different sort. He will not get to lift a record-equalling third Champions League in his home city of Lisbon Portugal.

Instead, Simeone will try to prevent Carlo Ancelotti achieving that exact fact through Real Madrid's own 10th but all while aiming for Atletico's first.

The Argentine was dismissive of such questions or suggestions he is now a coach to rival Mourinho. Instead, he displayed the mentality that has really put him there.

"It's not the time to think about that," Simeone said. "We don't have time to relish the moment because we have to think about the next game against Levante."

That is the other aspect. He must now provide the true last word: victory in the Spanish league; victory in Europe.

At the very least, there can be no denying Atletico and their coach have the "huevos".

Tuesday, April 29, 2014

Guardiola and Bayern's ambitions crash after Madrid defeat

Posted by Stephan Uersfeld

MUNICH -- They promised them hell and landed in purgatory instead.

On a historic Champions League night, Bayern Munich were humiliated 4-0 by Real Madrid. A brace each by Sergio Ramosand Cristiano Ronaldo ended Bayern’s dreams of back-to-back success in Europe's biggest club competitions.

Twenty minutes into the second leg of the Champions League semifinal between Bayern Munich and Real Madrid, all hope had died. Two headers by Ramos set up by set-pieces fromLuka Modric and Angel di Maria killed FC Bayern.

It had all started so well, at least until the kickoff; as the players prepared to enter the Allianz Arena, FC Bayern fans displayed an impressively choreographed Champions League sign throughout the stadium. Organized by Bayern’s famous Club Nr. 12, it could have been the starting signal for what Bayern CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge called “hell” for Los Blancos.

But it turned out to be a nightmare instead. Something has gone very wrong for FC Bayern in recent weeks. “Bundesliga is over,” Pep Guardiola said after winning his first German title in March. No team had ever won it earlier. It went downhill from there. They have only won four of the next 10 games that followed. They scored 19 and conceded 17.

“If we had done it [beat Real Madrid] today, nobody would question if we have won the league too early. But we got punished 4-0,” said midfielder Arjen Robben, one of the few players to maintain his form since that title-winning day in Berlin.

Against Madrid, to keep their dream alive, Bayern needed to make up a 1-0 defeat from the first leg, and the club's intention was to make a statement. Instead, Die Roten looked nervous at the beginning.

Courtesy of Stephan UersfeldBayern Munich's fans at Allianz Arena tried to create an intimidating atmosphere for Real Madrid.

Just like the stadium was looking for a way to intimidate Real Madrid, the team, led by Bastian Schweinsteiger, tried to fight their way into the match. Franck Ribery got involved in some minor brawls with Pepe and Ramos close to the corner.

They had most of the possession, again, like most of their games. Guardiola has stressed that this is his philosophy, but his team looked out of shape defending. Seeing that advantage, Carlo Ancelotti had urged his team to press higher, before the box and midfielder Modric and Xabi Alonso followed suit.

“The key was the first leg where we controlled the match in a good way. We had more confidence. We defended better. We gave the rhythm,” Ancelotti commented in the postmatch conference tonight. The Italian was pointing to the fact that the confidence provided from the first leg allowed them to play more freely in the second. Conversely, on the other hand, Guardiola faces real pressure for the first time since joining Bayern.

While, in post-match interviews, the Bavarians bemoaned conceding from set pieces, the first goal came through a neat and cleverly played counter in reality. Real won the ball in their own half, Di Maria picked it up on the right at the halfway line and sent a long pass over to Karim Benzema, who could only be stopped for the cost over a corner. Real went up 1-0.

“We studied their zonal marking,” Ancelotti explained about their counter-attacking strategy.

John Macdougall/AFP/Getty ImagesPep Guardiola's Champions League dream was ended by Real Madrid.

Bayern were shocked again only a few minutes later. This time Ramos put the ball away from a Di Maria free kick. The title holders reacted with possession, and control, and passed the ball around the box. While they looked nervous in the first few minutes, they now looked frightened. Robben played a lovely pass into the box to David Alaba. Instead of shooting at the goal, the Austrian international sent the ball into the nowhere land between Real’s defending and the Bavarian’s attacking line.

But not only were Bayern frightened, and shocked, they were angry and not able keep their temper. After another counterattack, this time through the BBC -- Gareth Bale, Benzema and Ronaldo -- all but killed the match. Robben started complaining about time wasting, and, behind referee Paulo Soares' back, Ribery slapped Madrid right back Daniel Carvajal in the face. The France international, who had desperately hoped to win the Ballon d’Or, was not punished for the incident. In the light of an historic defeat, their beautiful football had finally turned.

Following a second half with some long distance shots from FC Bayern, and fans leaving the stadium early, Ronaldo, who had drawn a free kick outside the box and wrapped up an historic defeat with a stunning, precise finish from the set piece.

“It’s a tough night for us. I am very proud of my team,” Guardiola said in the post-match news conference. He knows that he will now have to take some blame for what sometimes feels like an obsession for ball possession.

On Tuesday, he took the blame, although don't expect him to change his philosophy anytime soon.

“It’s the coach’s mistake,” he ,pointing to his decision to only play Toni Kroos and Schweinsteiger in the heart of his midfield. "They did not have enough possession."

He then added, “I can’t change what I live, what I feel. I like to play with the ball. We’ve played liked that against Arsenal, Manchester and in the group stages. But, of course, we have to consider if that’s the best concept with our players.”

On May 17, Bayern Munich meet Borussia Dortmund in the German Cup final. Guardiola and his team will now need to regroup to avoid a tragic end to a season that had gone so well until late March.

Monday, April 28, 2014

Three things: Arsenal vs. Newcastle

Posted by Michael Cox

GettyImagesOlivier Giroud celebrates after scoring Arsenal's third against Newcastle.

LONDON -- Three observations from Arsenal's 3-0 thrashingof Newcastle at the Emirates Stadium.

1. Arsenal thrive with simple chips over the top

Tactically, this was an astonishingly simple contest.

Newcastle arrived with a clear defensive game plan -- they played a high defensive line against Olivier Giroud, in the belief that the Frenchman’s pace was unlikely to hurt them in behind. The rest of the Newcastle side concentrated on remaining extremely compact, attempting to deny Mesut Ozil, Santi Cazorla and Aaron Ramsey space between the lines. The problem, however, was that this prevented them pressing higher up.

From the opening stages, Arsenal’s task was plainly obvious.

They needed to get midfield runners darting in advance of Giroud, and combine this with simple chipped passes from defensive positions. It took Arsenal a while to realise this -- it often does -- but once they understood the situation, they repeatedly got through on goal.

The two most obvious examples created Arsenal’s best two first-half chances. There was Ramsey’s delicate chip over the top for Lukas Podolski at 1-0, encouraging the German to stereotypically dart in behind from the inside-left channel, forcing Tim Krul into a fine save.

The other example ended the game as a contest before half-time. Mikel Arteta dropped into a deep role between the centre-backs, and casually lofted a ball into the inside-right channel. Newcastle were so vulnerable to this tactic that even Giroud -- the man whose lack of pace is his major weakness, and dictated Newcastle’s strategy -- could profit. He forced two quick saves from the beleaguered Krul, and Ozil tucked in the rebound.

Overall, it simply showed the importance of Arsenal having midfield runners -- Ozil, Ramsey and Podolski. Too frequently this season they’ve been deprived of these players, instead using a set of pure passers behind Giroud. With this midfield combination, they offer penetration as well as possession.

2. Pardew out/Liverpool licking their lips

It’s difficult to remember a Premier League team playing with as little commitment as this Newcastle United side. It’s worth outlining, too, that Newcastle were a genuinely impressive outfit for the first half of the campaign, with Loic Remy on fire and Yohan Cabaye amongst the best midfielders in the division. Newcastle beat Chelsea, Tottenham and Manchester United.

The results since Christmas have been disastrous, the level of effort unacceptable. In a run taking into account their first encounter with Arsenal, a 1-0 defeat in the final game of 2013, they have lost 13 of their past 18 games, 12 of them without scoring. They might be ninth, but in terms of points, they’re as close to relegation as they are to seventh-place Manchester United.

Injuries have played a part, Cabaye’s departure to PSG was a significant blow, but this performance was so bad that you’d forgive the traveling support if they’d departed at the break, attempting to beat the London Underground strike that commenced midway through the second half. Remy had a one-on-one opportunity in the second half, but there was alarmingly little creativity from a very flat Newcastle midfield.

The chants from Newcastle’s fans were insistent. “It’s never your fault,” they sang -- accompanying a banner mocking Alan Pardew’s constant excuses. “It’s six in a row,” was another, as was “We want Pardew out” and “We’re gonna have a party, when Pardew gets the sack.” Get the picture? For the first time since his headbutt on David Meyler eight games ago, Pardew was on the touchline to face the music.

Newcastle might play a role in the title race, considering they travel to Liverpool on the final day of the season. If both Liverpool and Manchester City win all their remaining games, the title will come down to goal difference, and while Liverpool currently trail City by eight in that tally (and City have an extra game to build up a further advantage), facing Newcastle at home on the final day is perfect for Brendan Rodgers' side.

It might sound stupid, but a Liverpool side needing to rack up a hatful of goals to claim their first Premier League title could batter this Newcastle side by 10 goals.

Football sides rarely win matches by that margin, primarily because there are seldom circumstances which require it. They conserve energy and take pity on their opponents. But Newcastle are playing without courage or belief, and on the final day with nothing to play for, will almost certainly play at half-speed.

A rampant Liverpool, with Daniel Sturridge and Jordan Henderson back in the side, could attack relentlessly in front of a vociferous home support. Liverpool were 5-0 up against Arsenal (then top of the table) within 52 minutes. What damage could they inflict on a Newcastle side that, frankly, couldn’t care less?

Jamie McDonald/Getty ImagesAaron Ramsey underlined his importance to Arsenal in their 3-0 win over Newcastle.

3. Ramsey is Arsenal’s main man

Arsenal’s star performer in this comfortable victory was Aaron Ramsey, underlining his misfortune to finish behind Eden Hazard, Daniel Sturridge and Luke Shaw in the PFA Young Player of the Year voting.

So much of Ramsey’s quality this season has been about his energy -- his ability to get up and down the pitch, in the mould of an old-school, box-to-box midfielder, an increasingly difficult role to play in this era of extremely high-tempo football. There were a couple of glimpses of this -- he powered through the midfield to combine with Ozil midway through the first half, and later darted back powerfully to make a crucial challenge in the left-back zone, calling a halt to a rare Newcastle counter-attack.

But Ramsey’s main attraction here was his passing quality, which has taken a backseat while his other attributes have developed. He hit a fantastic cross-field ball to Ozil in the opening five minutes, then hit a neat pass over the top for Lukas Podolski to run onto, forcing Tim Krul into a fine save.

The best moment, though, was when he played two brilliant balls to Santi Cazorla in the space of 20 seconds toward the end of the first period.

He collected the ball close to the centre circle, checked inside and thumped a brilliant diagonal ball out to Cazorla on the right. The Spaniard drew Newcastle left-back Paul Dummett toward him, feinted to send him in the wrong direction, before sending the ball back to Ramsey. And as soon as Ramsey received the ball, he returned the pass to Cazorla -- this time an arrowed through-ball. One pass was lofted and spectacular, the other driven and incisive.

In the second half he stormed forward in possession, laying the ball off to Nacho Monreal for a driven low cross, winning a free kick on the left after drawing the attention of three Newcastle players, then slipping Giroud in behind, only for the Frenchman to be denied by a last-gasp Dummett tackle. He was finally involved in a goal when his clever reverse pass found Ozil, who crossed for Giroud to head in the third, on 67 minutes.

In terms of the PFA Young Player of the Year voting, it’s impossible to ignore the fact Ramsey missed a significant portion of the season through injury, which is why others were favoured. But that absence only underlined Ramsey’s importance to Arsenal, with their dip in form coinciding with his spell on the sidelines. On the basis of this season, Ramsey is Arsenal’s most important player.

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

AFF Suzuki Cup a smash with fans

From Presidents to pre-schoolers, football fans throughout the Asean region have been spellbound by the AFF Suzuki Cup over the last four weeks.

Indonesian president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and his family attended both semi-final matches against the Philippines at the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium and he is expected to watch the final on Wednesday.

Philippine President Benigno Simeon "Noynoy" Aquino III hailed the exploits of the Azkals in an official statement after their fairytale run to the last four.

"President Aquino conveys his congratulations to the Philippine team after their victory (over Vietnam) at the AFF Suzuki Cup in Vietnam," said presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda.

That win over the defending champions also caught the attention of Sports Illustrated, with the acclaimed weekly magazine listing the achievement as one of the "top 10 soccer stories of 2010".

"The Asean Football Federation's biennial Suzuki Cup might not be too high up on your list of priorities, but this year's tournament produced arguably the biggest upset in its history: Defending champion and federation powerhouse Vietnam lost 2-0 to the Philippines, ranked 151st in the world and without so much as a point off Vietnam in nearly 20 years," wrote Georgina Turner in her review of the leading football tales of 2010.

Fans flocked to the stadia for the group games in Hanoi and Jakarta and there were capacity crowds for the four semi-final ties and the first leg of the final.

More than 600,000 fans passed through the turnstiles for those matches and another full house is expected on Wednesday at the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium.

The AFF Suzuki Cup has also been a television smash with record ratings for individual matches in some countries.

All 17 matches so far have been shown live on Pan-Asian satellite broadcaster ESPN Star with local television stations clearing their normal schedules to show games after urgings from fans.

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

SPORTS TODAY

FOOTBALL:

2009/10 Nigeria

Nigeria line up Cyprus

After seeing proposed friendlies against North Korea and Ukraine fall through, the Nigeria Football Federation have claimed that a meet with Cyprus in May is in the offing. more