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Newsletter Football

Inter primed to profit from let off
FourTwoFour | Italy 22 03 2010

Independiente, Godoy Cruz keep pace in Argentina
Soccerway 22 03 2010

Benfica thrash Porto in League Cup final
Soccerway 22 03 2010

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Yahoo! Sports | World Soccer

Latest news and information about world soccer

Independiente stretch lead, Boca-River derby abandoned (Reuters)
22 03 2010 Independiente scoredtwice in the final 13 minutes to beat Rosario Central 2-0 on arain-drenched pitch on Sunday and retain their lead in theArgentine Clausura championship.

Bordeaux beats Lille 3-1 in the French league (AP)
22 03 2010 Defending champion Bordeaux moved back to the top of the French league standings on Sunday after coming from a goal down to beat Lille 3-1. Goals from Michael Ciani, Jussie and Yoann Gourcuff ended a winless run of three league matches for Laurent Blanc's team while second-placed Montpellier stayed level on 56 points with Bordeaux after a 2-1 win over Valenciennes.

Messi destroys Zaragoza with stunning hat-trick (Reuters)
22 03 2010 * Barcelona beat Zaragoza 4-2 with Messi hat-trick

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BBC Sport | Football | UK Edition

BBC Sport covers the major events and all the professional football clubs in the UK

Park heads Man Utd back to summit
22 03 2010 A Ji-Sung Park header earns Manchester United a 2-1 win against Liverpool and returns them to the Premier League summit.

Blackburn 1-1 Chelsea
21 03 2010 El-Hadji Diouf's header earns a point for Blackburn as Chelsea's title aspirations suffer a blow at Ewood Park.

Fulham 1-2 Man City
21 03 2010 Manchester City keep up their hopes of a top-four finish and bring Fulham back to earth after their Europa League heroics with victory at Craven Cottage.

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The Guardian | Football

Man Utd 2-1 Liverpool
21 03 2010

It is exacting to pursue a national prize in the midst of a domestic feud. Liverpool could scarcely have known whether they were attempting to land a blow in the fight for the last Champions League place or daze opponents aiming to retain the Premier League title. All Manchester United would have known is that they were taken to the limits while seeing out a win that puts them back at the top of the table. The stress and uncertainty was embodied in the 90th-minute incident when, after Fernando Torres had sliced his effort, the ball went to the Liverpool substitute Yossi Benayoun, who headed weakly into the hands of Edwin van der Sar. He should instead have deprived United of two of these three points. Sir Alex Ferguson's players felt the tension as they strove to call a halt to the sequences of three losses against Rafael Benítez's side. Judgments get delicate at this stage of the campaign. In the previous weekend, the United manager had extolled the impact of Dimitar Berbatov in the 3-0 win against Fulham. The compliments sounded even then as they would have to double as consolations for the Bulgarian, who was indeed left on the sidelines against Liverpool. Ferguson would not countenance an extra centre-forward beside Wayne Rooney when so much depends on midfield in these confrontations. That outlook, in turn, opened the way for Park Ji-sung to start. He has energy and adaptability to flesh out any plan. In the rout of Milan he had been in an advanced midfield post where he could try to hamper the work of the visitors' playmaker Andrea Pirlo. Here his presence in that part of the field led to defeat for Liverpool. Park got in front of the right-back Glen Johnson to head in an ideal Darren Fletcher delivery after 60 minutes. United's relief at the outcome will be complemented by satisfaction at the sight of Ryan Giggs making his return, after an arm fracture, as a substitute. The resource of the Welshman's experience is one United must plan to draw on heavily in the weeks ahead. Ferguson's team, deny it as they will, must have been trying to quell some unease about meeting these adversaries. There had been scepticism over the claim by the Old Trafford manager in his programme notes that he has "a twinge" of sympathy for Benítez. Considering recent results the feeling might just as easily have been a pang of indigestion he experienced at the recollection of three consecutive defeats by Liverpool. The United manager's stomach would have churned once again when the visitors took the lead in the fifth minute through a goal from a forward who keeps distressing his side. After Torres had dispossessed Michael Carrick, the visitors' striker backheeled the ball to Steven Gerrard. The captain, from his very advanced midfield position, then fed the ball to the right and Dirk Kuyt delivered a deep cross. The unmarked Torres, who had made up a great deal of ground to be in position, headed handsomely beyond Van der Sar. The occasion had galvanised visitors who had probably forgotten their Europa League fixture last Thursday evening and showed no signs of fatigue. All the same, United did equalise swiftly. Javier Mascherano persisted in fouling Antonio Valencia until both men were on the verge of the 18-yard line. The referee, Howard Webb, having initially played the advantage, awarded a penalty in the conviction that the visitors' midfielder had not released his opponent before reaching the box. Ferguson wanted a red card for the Liverpool midfielder. Mascherano may not have been the last man, but the United manager was indignant even in triumph and still argued that Jamie Carragher could not have made the ground to deny Valencia a shooting opportunity. It seemed a close call, however, and Webb was probably right not to dismiss a player when there was an element of doubt. The episode continued to be highly fraught in any case. Torres dragged his boot across the penalty spot in an attempt at distraction that did seem to have an effect. Pepe Reina was able to dive to his left and block Rooney's spot-kick but that parry directed the ball back into the middle of the goalmouth, where the United forward knocked in his 33rd goal of the campaign. His contribution has been indispensable and it has helped hugely in giving United their highest tally at this juncture in a league campaign since the prolific season of 2001-02. The scoring continued here yet it has to be agreed that this had been an extremely attritional fixture. Liverpool will be indignant over the officiating, but this occasion did at least show glimpses of their fortitude and talent. For their part, United's Nemanja Vidic completed the game without a red card, having been dismissed in each of the three previous encounters with Benítez's men. He epitomised the game in that regard. The victors had not come through the match unscarred, but the harm was at least superficial. This had been useful practice. There are draconian tests ahead. Chelsea are the next visitors to Old Trafford.

Kevin McCarra

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Blackburn Rovers 1-1 Chelsea
21 03 2010

Do Chelsea have the best players in the country, or merely the best paid? The question with which Roman Abramovich is said to have confronted his team after their elimination from the Champions League is manna from heaven for media studies classes and pub knowalls everywhere and their verdicts will be even more damning after this latest disappointment. Arsenal won on Saturday to take over pole position in the title race and Manchester United displaced them at lunchtime today, and it was up to Chelsea to respond. But for the second time in six days they were found wanting. They threw away a winning position at a rain-swept Ewood Park and are left third, four points adrift of United and two behind Arsène Wenger's resurgent Gunners. They should get back on track at Portsmouth on Wednesday, but their destiny is no longer in their own hands. Before this, they took comfort in the fact that if they won all their remaining games they would be champions, regardless of what the others could accomplish. That no longer applies, and Carlo Ancelotti's expression was more hangdog than ever tonight when, pointedly, the Italian did not gainsay the suggestion that United were now favourites to retain their Premier League crown. If the result against Internazionale was job-threatening, this one will not have improved the Chelsea manager's standing with Abramovich and company. The statistics are beginning to look ominous. Of their last 11 matches in all competitions, starting with an unimpressive 1-1 draw at Hull City, Chelsea have won five and lost four, and of their last eight away games in the Premier League they have won just two. By Ancelotti's own admission, they have lost their confidence. "It's not an easy moment for us and we have to maintain our confidence and our composure," he said. The Italian eschewed wholesale changes after Internazionale, dropping only his left‑back, Yury Zhirkov, in favour of Paolo Ferreira. If the Russian suspected he had been made a scapegoat, he did not have long to let the feeling fester. Branislav Ivanovic, injured in a collision with El‑Hadji Diouf, had to go off just before half-time and Zhirkov came on, with Ferreira switching to the right. The other absentee from last Tuesday, Michael Ballack, was said to be "not 100% fit" and gave way to Salomon Kalou. Neither Petr Cech nor Hilario were deemed ready to return, so Ross Turnbull, the third‑choice keeper, was in goal for his third game in succession. Blackburn were well below optimum strength, injuries depriving them of their England goalkeeper, Paul Robinson, the captain, Ryan Nelsen, and another centre-back, Gaël Givet, among others. There was a Premier League debut in central defence for the 18‑year‑old Phil Jones, who could be well satisfied with a steady, no-frills introduction to the big time which brought him the man of the match award and ridiculously premature comparisons with John Terry. Chelsea were glad to see the back of Robinson, whose shoot-out heroics put them out of the Carling Cup in the quarter-finals in December. His understudy, Jason Brown, was picking the ball out of the back of his net after only six minutes. Nicolas Anelka motored down the right before delivering a left-footed cutback which Didier Drogba coolly passed low inside the near post, also with his left foot, from 13 yards for his 28th goal of the season. Slicing through Rovers almost at will, Chelsea should have had the issue settled by half-time, but Kalou met Frank Lampard's right-wing cross with a feeble header and Florent Malouda shot straight at Brown when a yard to either side would surely have produced a goal. The possibility that Chelsea might rue such opportunities spurned was underlined at the start of the second half, when it took a goal-line clearance by Zhirkov to prevent Christopher Samba from equalising with a close-range header. It proved to be the case after 70 minutes, with another header. The finish was applied from six yards by Diouf, who climbed above Ferreira at the far post to nod home Michel Salgado's inviting cross from the right for only his third goal of the season. So comfortable and assured before the interval, Chelsea had lost their shape and composure. Drogba, attacking a Deco corner, brought a noteworthy save from Brown near the end, but Rovers had the better of the second half and deserved a result which keeps them ahead of the relegation pack.

Joe Lovejoy

guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

Fulham 1-2 Man City
21 03 2010

At first glance Manchester City's pursuit of the Champions League appears healthier than ever, though realism is tempering any giddy anticipation. Roberto Mancini puffed his cheeks and offered a shrug when asked if his side are now favourites in the aftermath of this victory to claim the coveted fourth place. "No, no," came his reply before he reverted to complimenting the quality of the other contenders. "It will be a fight until the end." Given his team's propensity to implode, that much seems inevitable. Liverpool were leapfrogged with this win, only City's second in seven matches, and fourth can be gained by defeating Everton at Eastlands on Wednesday, all of which suggests momentum is returning. This was an impressive success with only Aston Villa having prevailed here since September. Yet a contest that had been largely one‑sided ended with the visitors gasping for the final whistle. Mancini could be grateful the hosts were all out of comebacks. He was happier still that an assistant referee failed to acknowledge Vincent Kompany's hand knocking down Bjorn Helge Riise's cross in stoppage time. City should have been revelling in an authoritative lead by then. Instead, pushed to the limit by opponents who were apparently emotionally spent from their startling comeback against Juventus three days earlier, they just about clung on. "This could prove an important win, and it was deserved," said Mancini, even if it still felt unconvincing. There had been aspects to admire. Chances had been passed up but City's pace on the counter-attack was irrepressible, Craig Bellamy scuttling down the left flank as a striker-turned-winger and supplying Carlos Tevez, a constant blur of energy, while Adam Johnson cut inside at will on the other flank. The Englishman's emergence since his January move from Middlesbrough bodes well for England's future, even if he is surely staking his claim too late for the summer's World Cup. Yet there are just as many reasons to doubt City's challenge. Patrick Vieira will be in South Africa either with France – Raymond Domenech's assistant, Pierre Mankowski, was present– or as a television pundit, but he was lost here. The veteran's swansong as a Premier League player is proving painful to behold. Once an all-energy performer rampaging from box to box, he appeared to be slogging through treacle as this contest passed him by. The petty fouls he committed were drawn as much for a breather as to break up Fulham's approach play. Their defence, too, creaked alarmingly through those latter stages. Neither full-back who played is considered first-choice. Neither convinced. Fulham may have started leggy from their exertions on Thursday night, but they finished impressively while City retreated. Gareth Barry's handball on Chris Baird's centre allowed Danny Murphy to halve the deficit from the penalty spot. Thereafter, as they cursed previous profligacy, the visitors heaved to preserve their lead: Stefano Okaka battered into the side-netting when he should have scored before Kompany's handball was waved away. "That's how close we came, and City were much happier to hear the final whistle than we were despite the fact that we were the ones who'd played on Thursday," said Roy Hodgson, who has an FA Cup quarter-final replay against Tottenham Hotspur to come. "Even with that match coming up on Wednesday, we'd have taken another 15 minutes out there." City would surely have cracked in that time. Yet if Mancini's side, in keeping with their club's tradition, refuse to make life easy for themselves, the visitors still departed hugely encouraged by the manner in which they had established their lead. They had coped with the loss of Joleon Lescott in the warm-up – the England defender will require a scan on his hamstring tomorrow but will miss Wednesday's game against his former club – and Zoltan Gera's early opportunity, hacked from his goal-line by Kolo Touré. They tore upfield to open the scoring as Bellamy's shot flicked off Aaron Hughes and on to the post for Roque Santa Cruz to convert. That deflated the hosts and City were content to probe until Bellamy skipped down the left and, in the absence of Baird, enticed Hughes from his central role before releasing Tevez into the space to slip in his 22nd goal of a productive season. Johnson, Santa Cruz and Tevez might have added the third City long threatened before they wilted in the latter stages. This is a club who might prefer not being touted as favourites in their pursuit of fourth just yet.

Dominic Fifield

guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

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FIFA

Official site of the Fédération Internationale de Football Association with footballing news from across the world plus interviews and the chance to comment.

Hat-trick hero Messi stars again
22 03 2010 Lionel Messi continued his remarkable goalscoring form with a second successive La Liga hat-trick as Barcelona stormed to a 4-2 win at Real Zaragoza.

United top as Chelsea stutter again
22 03 2010 Manchester United returned to the Premier League summit with a 2-1 victory over Liverpool as Chelsea again failed to win with a 1-1 draw at Blackburn.

Nicol: Reds need major changes
21 03 2010 Former Liverpool defender Steve Nicol believes that the club need to make "drastic" changes if they are to challenge again for major silverware.

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UEFA

Union of European Football Associations

Clinical Croatia finish off Romania
22 03 2010 Romania 0-3 Croatia
Marko Livaja, Kruno Ivančić and Ivan Jakov Džoni struck before the break to leave Croatia within a point of the finals.

Park plants seal on United success
22 03 2010 Manchester United FC returned to the head of the Premier League with a 2-1 triumph over Liverpool FC, a victory which was made all the sweeter by Chelsea FC's failure to win at Blackburn Rovers FC.

Schalke fail to make Bayern pay
22 03 2010 FC Bayern München continue to hold sway after FC Schalke 04 failed to take top spot with a 2-2 draw at Hamburger SV, on a day when Fanis Gekas hit a hat-trick for Hertha BSC Berlin.

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World Soccer

World soccer news from World Soccer Magazine - The leading authority on international football

Defoe injury blow for Spurs
20 03 2010 Defoe injury blow for Spurs

Champions League draw
19 03 2010 Holders Barcelona will meet Arsenal in the quarter-finals in a repeat of the 2006 Champions League final. Last year's runners-up Manchester United face Germany's Bayern Munich in a repeat of the famous 1999 final.

Europa League draw
19 03 2010 Europa League draw

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Soccerway

Soccerway is an international soccer site, publishing worldwide soccer news 24 hours a day 7 days a week.

Independiente, Godoy Cruz keep pace in Argentina
22 03 2010 Independiente maintained their two-point lead over Godoy Cruz on Sunday in the Clausura after both sides claimed 2-0 wins over Rosario Central and Banfield, respectively.

Benfica thrash Porto in League Cup final
22 03 2010 Benfica romped to the 2009/10 Portuguese League Cup championship on Sunday with a 3-0 victory over rivals Porto in the final at Faro's Estádio do Algarve.

Door open in Turkey as Galatasaray fall
22 03 2010 Gustavo Colman's goal on the half-hour on Sunday gave Trabzonspor a 1-0 victory over second-placed Galatasaray, opening the door for Bursaspor to open the gap on Monday.

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FourTwoFour | Italy

Latest Italian football news

Inter primed to profit from let off
22 03 2010 Inter primed to profit from let off

Serie A summaries
22 03 2010 Serie A summaries

Serie A top scorers
22 03 2010 Serie A top scorers

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FourTwoFour | Spain

Latest Spanish football news

La Liga summaries
22 03 2010 La Liga summaries

La Liga top scorers
22 03 2010 La Liga top scorers

Mallorca crush Atletico to climb into top four
22 03 2010 Mallorca crush Atletico to climb into top four

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FourTwoFour | Latin America

Latest football news from Latin America

Argentine championship results and standings
22 03 2010 Argentine championship results and standings

Independiente stretch lead, Boca-River derby abandoned
22 03 2010 Independiente stretch lead, Boca-River derby abandoned

Monterrey topple Guadalajara to move top in Mexico
21 03 2010 Monterrey topple Guadalajara to move top in Mexico

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