soccer newzz

RSS Feed Homepage

Articles: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

RAUL EARNS REAL VICTORY
2008-03-09 08:21:00
Real Madrid bounced back from their midweek Champions League exit with a 2-1 comeback win over Espanyol on Saturday, although it was hardly convincing from the stuttering champions.Espanyol stunned Real by taking a first-half lead through Valdo, but the hosts hit back with goals from Gonzalo Higuain and captain Raul to extend their lead to eight points over second-placed Barcelona, who play on Sunday.The win should also allow Real coach Bernd Schuster to breath a little easier, with the German coming under the spotlight following a run of five defeats in seven matches, culminating in that costly European loss against Roma.Real were barely allowed out of their own half in the opening 10 minutes as Espanyol, whose victory over Valencia last week ended a run of six defeats in seven matches, started well.There were just 90 seconds on the clock when Iker Casillas was called into action, with Jonathan bringing a flying save out of the Spain number one with a 25-yard effort.Valdo then shou...
More About: Victory , Real

INTER RESTORE NINE-POINT GAP
2008-03-09 08:20:00
Internazionale restored their nine-point advantage over Roma at the top of Serie A thanks to an unconvincing 2-0 win over Reggina on Saturday evening.A penalty from Zlatan Ibrahimovic in the 14th minute and a Nicolas Burdisso header 20 minutes later earned Roberto Mancini's side all three points, although they were outplayed for much of the game by their struggling opponents.Inter goalkeeper Julio Cesar was the man of the match as he kept Reggina at bay with some fine saves.The hosts had Ibrahimovic back after injury and he partnered Hernan Crespo in attack on a day of festivities for the Nerazzurri.They were celebrating their 100th anniversary with former Inter legends Eusebio and Jurgen Klinsmann, among many others, present to see how the latest crop of Inter talent were representing the famous blue and black shirts.They may have been a touch disappointed with what they saw, despite the scoreline.Rather than the league leaders, it was their 19th-placed visitors and Franco Brienza...
More About: Inter , Point , Restore

PSG PLUNGED DEEPER INTO TROUBLE
2008-03-09 08:19:00
Paris St Germain were plunged deeper into the Ligue 1 relegation mire as Mamadou Sakho's own goal and an impish finish by Jimmy Briand earned Rennes a deserved 2-0 win at the Route de Lorient on Saturday.The goals came either side of the half-time interval, Sakho heading into his own net just before the break and Briand chipping home deftly four minutes into the second half.PSG sit just two points above the relegation places, however they could finish the day in the drop zone if either Toulouse or Sochaux manage victory in their match at the Stadium Municipal later on Saturday.Rennes, who have won two from their last three game in the league, climbed into mid-table and now appear safe.With so much riding on the game, it was no surprise the first half was a tight affair.PSG's only decent chance came via an Amara Diane header that the forward glanced just past the far post.There was little goalmouth action at the other end either, Olivier Thomert having a goalbound shot smothered an...

HODGSON FEELS HARD DONE BY
2008-03-08 20:28:00
Fulham boss Roy Hodgson felt his team were denied two crucial points in their relegation fight at Blackburn this afternoon.The struggling Cottagers kept alive their hopes of beating the Premier League drop by snatching a last-gasp 1-1 draw at Ewood Park with a Jimmy Bullard free-kick.But Hodgson felt his side should have had more after claiming Morten Gamst Pedersen fouled Paul Stalteri immediately prior to heading Rovers in front.Hodgson, who had been facing the club that sacked him 10 years ago, said: "When you look at the goal, we actually did win the game."The right-back was pulled to the ground to give the player who scored the goal a free header."I thought the players did extremely well because that was a savage blow. We didn't deserve to be a goal down at that time."When you are at the bottom and have missed a few chances, the players could be forgiven for dropping their heads and thinking this isn't our day again and once again we have been the subject of an injustice. But...
More About: Hard

DEPORTIVO HOPING FOR THIRD STRAIGHT WIN
2008-03-08 20:27:00
Deportivo La Coruna coach Miguel Angel Lotina hopes to make it three straight wins when his side travel to Valencia on Sunday.Having spent the last few months in the bottom three, the Galician side finally moved out of the drop zone following last weekend's impressive win over Sevilla.That success followed a 2-0 victory at home to Espanyol and Lotina is happy with the improvement shown this year."It would be the third win in a row if we win at Valencia," he said. "We still remember the thrashing they gave us here (when Deportivo lost 4-2 in October)."A victory would reaffirm what we are doing in the second half of the season and it would give us the feeling that we have improved a lot."It won't be easy, but if we achieve it then a lot of things will favour us (in the fight against relegation)."Lotina, whose job appeared under threat after a miserable run of results in December and January, said his team could not afford to be complacent and needed to be wary of Valencia's attacki...
More About: Deportivo , Straight

WE CAN WIN WITHOUT MESSI - RIJKAARD
2008-03-08 20:25:00
Barcelona coach Frank Rijkaard is confident his side can beat Villarreal in the Primera Liga on Sunday, despite the absence through injury of key forward Lionel Messi .Messi was forced off with a hamstring strain in Tuesday's Champions League win over Celtic and will be out for around six weeks.The Argentinian has been at the heart of most of Barcelona's best attacking play this season, but Rijkaard insists his team can cope without the 20-year-old."He is out and he will be missed, but we are capable of winning without him and we have shown that," said the 45-year-old.The Dutch coach also ruled out a change of formation for Sunday's game against third-placed Villarreal."We will keep playing in the same way, just with another player in his position," he said. "The team feels most comfortable with this way of playing, which we have used many times."Rijkaard believes Messi needs to "get to know his body better" to avoid picking up such injuries in future."He must learn the correct wa...

MIDO REVEALS MENTAL STRUGGLE
2008-03-08 10:56:00
Mido has revealed the emotional turmoil that compounded the physical pain of his three-month injury lay-off.The Middlesbrough striker, who returned from a troublesome groin injury just over a month ago, wants an FA Cup winner's medal to end his miserable season on a high.Mido, 25, has struggled to regain full match-fitness since returning to the first-team squad - there have even been suggestions he had been carrying excess weight.But ahead of Sunday's FA Cup quarter-final against Coca-Cola Championship side Cardiff, the Egypt international revealed the true extent of his injury woe."Some injuries are really more difficult because you don't know when you're going to be back," said the ?6million summer signing from Tottenham."It was very difficult emotionally and mentally for me."Now all I'm trying to do is to play well for the last 10 games of the season and have a good run in the FA Cup."If I can do that, I will be very happy."Mido came through the biggest test of his match fi...
More About: Mental , Mido

BENITEZ: OWEN WAS A TARGET
2008-03-08 10:55:00
Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez has revealed the club considered making a bid for former Kop hero Michael Owen last summer before instead opting to buy Fernando Torres.Owen was a fans' favourite having progressed through the ranks at Anfield but left to join Real Madrid in 2004.The England striker has since joined Newcastle, where injuries and form have limited his impact, while Spain forward Torres has flourished since joining Liverpool from Atletico Madrid for around ?26million last summer.And Benitez revealed: "We had a list of 10 strikers last summer."We decided two or three were the priority and the first option was Torres because he was young and could be a good player and it would also be good business for the club."Michael was one of the names we had."When he's fit he is one of the best finishers in the world."Close to the box he is really, really good. But Torres is a player with more pace and power. He can run behind the defenders and for me Michael must be close to the...
More About: Target

DORTMUND HELD BY HERTHA
2008-03-08 10:53:00
Marko Pantelic's second-half equaliser earned a point for Hertha Berlin on Friday night and prevented Borussia Dortmund from moving up to ninth in the Bundesliga standings.Sebastian Kehl had given the hosts the lead on the stroke of half-time before Pantelic levelled five minutes into the second period. He was then red-carded, only for the punishment to be rescinded soon after.Dortmund could have climbed four places with a win but a point keeps them 13th. Hertha move up a place to 10th courtesy of the away draw.Visiting goalkeeper Jaroslav Drobny had already parried a header wide from Christian Worns, while Pantelic had tested Marc Ziegler at the other end, before Dortmund seized the initiative just before the half-time whistle.Antonio Rukavina received the ball on the right just inside the opposition half and pinged it across the field to Delron Buckley, who was in acres of space.His cross into the box was met with a downward header from Kehl which bounced over Drobny for the open...
More About: Held

KEANE CAUTIOUS OVER BLATTER'S DEMAND
2008-03-07 15:39:00
Sunderland manager Roy Keane admits he would have gone to prison had Sepp Blatter's demand for some tackles to be made a criminal offence come into force while he was a player.FIFA president Blatter wants those who deliberately make dangerous challenges to face legal action.Keane was one of the finest midfield tacklers of his generation but there were occasions when the former Manchester United captain went over the top.Most infamous was a knee-high lunge on Alf Inge Haaland during the Manchester derby at Old Trafford in 2001, which Keane later revealed in his autobiography was a pre-meditated revenge attack for a spat that began four years earlier.Speaking ahead of his side's Barclays Premier League game against Everton on Sunday, Keane said: "I have to be careful with this subject. I would have been doing a bit of 'porridge' myself!"People in the media have been saying some of the tackles have been horrendous."I've heard before that if it happened in the street then you might...
More About: Demand

BECKS SEEKS LONG ENGLAND FUTURE
2008-03-07 15:38:00
David Beckham once again underlined his belief his international career is far from over as the midfielder looks set for an England recall.The 32-year-old's days seemed numbered when new manager Fabio Capello excluded him from his first squad against Switzerland last month due to fitness concerns.Doubts were also raised that playing an inferior standard of football in MLS for Los Angeles Galaxy and a potentially gruelling trans-Atlantic schedule would count against Beckham in the future.But Capello revealed on Wednesday that Beckham is in contention to win his 100th England cap in the friendly against France on March 26, although the Italian will assess the former Real Madrid midfielder again when Los Angeles Galaxy play FC Dallas on March 15.Beckham believes the Paris encounter will not prove to be his last England appearance."I believe I can play for my country for a good few more years yet, that's just me being honest," he said."I believe that I can still play at that level. Th...
More About: Future , Becks , Long

DIANE READY FOR RENNES TEST
2008-03-07 15:37:00
Paris St Germain forward Amara Diane is predicting an open game when his side take on Rennes in a crunch clash in the bottom half of the Ligue 1 table.PSG have slipped to fourth from bottom and are now just two points above the relegation zone, while Rennes are only three points further ahead in 14th.This weekend's match is vital to both teams, but Diane does not expect it to be tight."It is difficult to say but I don't think we will be seeing two negative teams, because both really need the points," he told the club's official website."Each match is different but one thing is for sure - we are going to Rennes to take all three points."PSG will be looking to bounce back from a disappointing performance in the 3-0 defeat at Bordeaux last weekend."Against Bordeaux, we have to say we didn't turn up. We just weren't there," added Diane, PSG's top scorer in the league with six goals.The capital club, winless in five in the league, will be without two key players this weekend.Strike...
More About: Test , Ready

Benfica 1 Getafe 2
2008-03-07 09:27:00
UEFA Cup debutants Getafe held on for a 2-1 win over 10-man Benfica in the Stadio da Luz and set themselves up well to progress into the quarter-finals.Oscar Cardozo was sent off early on before Getafe took a commanding lead through Ruben De La Red and Pablo Hernandez.Pedro Manuel Mantorras pulled one back for Benfica with 15 minutes to go, but the Portuguese side still have a big job to do in Spain.Before either team had settled into their stride Benfica found themselves reduced to 10 men when Cardozo appeared to try and land a punch on Getafe defender David Belenguer.Both players went for a 50-50 ball but Cardozo swung an arm in anger when he appeared to be losing out.Still Benfica were the first to threaten an opener when Rui Costa tested Oscar Ustari with curling free-kick from 18 yards.Getafe hit straight back when some good link-up play between Esteban Granero and Pablo allowed the latter space in the box to draw a great diving save out of Quim.A period of sustained pressure f...

MOURINHO FREE TO WORK WHERE HE LIKES
2008-03-07 09:26:00
Jose Mourinho insists there is nothing to stop him returning to the Barclays Premier League this summer.It had been rumoured the Portuguese coach had signed a severance deal when he left Chelsea in September which prevented him taking another job in the English top flight for two or more years.Speaking publicly for the first time since his sensational September departure from Stamford Bridge, Mourinho yesterday categorically denied any such agreement existed."People wrote that I couldn't work in England for the next two years or four years. That's not true," he said.The self-styled 'Special One', who rejected the chance to become England boss in November prior to Fabio Capello's appointment, revealed he planned to end his self-imposed exile from the game this summer.He reiterated that he did not want his next job to be in this country but promised to return.Speaking in Valencia at the official global launch of MiCoach, a real-time training system devised by adidas and mobile ph...
More About: Work , Free

MEGSON BULLISH AFTER FIRST LEG DRAW
2008-03-07 09:25:00
Bolton manager Gary Megson insists his Barclays Premier League strugglers can write another fairytale chapter into their UEFA Cup story when they travel to Sporting Lisbon next Thursday.Sporting have the edge after tonight's 1-1 draw at the Reebok Stadium but Megson warned it would be dangerous to write off his men given what they have already achieved in European combat this term.The Trotters are now unbeaten in nine games in this season's competition, a remarkable record which includes wins over Atletico Madrid and Red Star Belgrade, and a draw in Munich against Bayern.They were on course for another famous success when midfielder Gavin McCann scored his second UEFA Cup goal this season in the 25th minute.But Sporting hit back in style when Simon Vukcevic struck a brilliant equaliser with 21 minutes remaining to leave Bolton clear underdogs."Most of the teams that we have played this season have regarded us as underdogs and indeed, in the Premiership, most of the time we are see...
More About: Bullish , Draw

NO TALKS FOR SCHWARZER
2008-03-06 18:23:00
Mark Schwarzer has admitted he has not talked with Middlesbrough for "months" about a new contract.The Australian shot-stopper is out of contract in the summer and it looks more and more likely he is now in his last season at The Riverside.Schwarzer is the longest-serving foreign player in Premier League history after moving to Boro in 1997 and has gone on to make over 350 appearances for the club.But it appears likely the 35-year-old will be allowed to move in the summer.He said: "Anything's possible. Nothing's been spoken about for many months now."Everything's open, anything's possible. Nothing's been decided yet in any way, from the club's point of view and from my point of view."It's obviously a very important period now, the end of the season, there's a lot of important games coming up, I'm only thinking about playing well just want to play as well as I can and the rest will sort itself out."In an ideal world you would like your future sorted out but it's not always ...

CALDERON BACKS BERND DESPITE DEFEAT
2008-03-06 18:22:00
Real Madrid president Ramon Calderon has thrown his support behind coach Bernd Schuster in the wake of the team's Champions League exit to Roma.Real saw their dreams of being crowned European champions for the 10th time ended by a 4-2 aggregate defeat against the Italians, and Wednesday's 2-1 home loss to the Giallorossi was the team's fifth defeat in their last seven competitive matches.Having already been eliminated from the Copa del Rey, Real now only have the defence of their Primera Liga title to aim for, where they currently hold a five-point advantage over Barcelona having been nine points clear not so long ago.Despite all that, Calderon insists he is still has total faith in Schuster, who replaced title-winning coach Fabio Capello last summer."I say it from my position as a fan and now as president, we believed in him (Schuster) and we continue doing so," Calderon told Onda Madrid."What happened (on Wednesday) cannot be allowed to blind us or make us become pessimistic ab...

KEANE CONTENT WITH SPURS
2008-03-06 18:21:00
Tottenham striker Robbie Keane expects to stay at White Hart Lane for the rest of his career.The 27-year-old had four clubs in three years before settling at Spurs in 2002 - and he won his first trophy for the club this season when they defeated Chelsea in the Carling Cup final.Spurs agreed a contract last summer to keep Keane with them until 2012, and the Republic of Ireland captain sees his long-term future at the club.He told the London Evening Standard: "I can't see myself going anywhere or playing for anyone else now. That is why I signed a long-term contract."I am more than happy here and I want to stay here for as long as I can. If I keep doing well and the club want me, then I am happy to stay here for the rest of my career."Keane has formed an impressive partnership with Dimitar Berbatov, limiting the impact of Jermain Defoe and Darren Bent this season.Defoe has moved to Portsmouth, and Keane has backed Bent to eventually deliver for head coach Juande Ramos."People have to...
More About: Content

SCHUSTER PROUD OF OUSTED REAL
2008-03-06 07:14:00
Real Madrid coach Bernd Schuster insists he could not have asked for any more from his players after seeing their Champions League dreams sunk by Roma.Roma became the first team in over two years to win a European tie at the Bernabeu with a 2-1 defeat of 10-man Real on Wednesday to progress through to the quarter-finals of the Champions League 4-2 on aggregate.Real, who lost centre-back Pepe to a red card in the 71st minute, had high hopes of being crowned European champions for the 10th time this season, but in the aftermath of seeing that quest ended, Schuster had nothing but praise for his side."This has been a very similar story to one in the first leg - Madrid have made effort," Schuster said."We worked well and had chances against a very well-organised team."It cannot be denied that the team have looked for ways to score, but we had some moments in the game where the luck was not with us and we have not obtained the result we hoped for."The players have given everything, I can...
More About: Real , Proud

BLUES IN A CANTER TO QUARTER-FINALS
2008-03-06 07:14:00
Chelsea eased into the Champions League quarter-finals after a comfortable 3-0 win over Olympiacos at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday evening. The Blues were held to a goalless draw in the first leg in Greece but Avram Grant's men opened the scoring after just six minutes in the second leg when Frank Lampard collected a short throw and lofted a ball in from the left that Michael Ballack expertly headed home at the near post.The Blues could have been ahead even before that after Jole Cole hit the inside of the post after good work by Didier Drogba. But the offside flag was raised anyway - much to the relief of Drogba who ballooned the rebound high over the bar.And with 25 minutes on the clock Chelsea had doubled their lead after Ballack's shot on the angle was parried by the goalkeeper Antonios Nikopolidis and into the path of Lampard who made no mistake from close range.Grant's men made it 3-0 soon after the restart when Lampard's corner from the left was not dealt with and convert...
More About: Finals , Quarter

CHELSEA CHASE AMAURI
2008-03-06 07:12:00
Palermo striker Amauri claims Chelsea are interested in taking him to Stamford Bridge.The Brazilian is believed to have caught the eye of a number of clubs across Europe and Liverpool, Manchester United, Barcelona and Villarreal have also been linked with the 27-year-old.But Amauri, who joined Palermo in 2006, has now revealed his agent has already been contacted by Chelsea. "Chelsea spoke to my agent," Amauri told Rie Sport. "My season has gone very well so far and my main objective is to continue playing well for Palermo until the end of the season."However, if Chelsea are to make a bid for Amauri they will be forced to meet Palermo's £19million demands.Club president Maurizio Zamparini recently placed the price tag on the forward and he claims he has already turned down approaches from Barcelona and Villarreal because the Spanish clubs did not meet the valuation. "I received two offers of £17m from Villarreal and Barcelona, but turned them down, saying that the player will not g...
More About: Chase

BREMEN CHASING EURO GLORY
2008-03-05 19:03:00
Werder Bremen general manager Klaus Allofs believes Thomas Schaaf's side are serious contenders to win the UEFA Cup as they prepare to face Rangers.The Bundesliga side pose a severe threat to Rangers' hopes of reaching the quarter-finals, and Allofs insists Bremen's recent record gives the Germans good reason to believe they can go all the way.He claims Bremen should be seen as strong rivals to fellow Bundesliga outfit Bayern Munich, who knocked out Aberdeen in the last-32.Bremen beat Lazio and Real Madrid in the Champions League group stages earlier this season, and ahead of tomorrow night's last-16 clash with Rangers at Ibrox, Schaaf listed the team's impressive credentials.He told Sky Sports News: "We have a team with a lot of experience: we've played four times in a row in the Champions League; we went to the semi-finals last year in the UEFA Cup; we are second in the Bundesliga."So it's not only a dream to go to the final. If everybody's talking about the big favourites...
More About: Euro , Glory

CATANIA LOSE INTER APPEAL
2008-03-05 19:01:00
Catania have lost their appeal to have their 2-0 Serie A defeat against Inter nazionale overturned.The Sicilian club made an official complaint to the Lega Calcio about World Cup-winning defender Marco Materazzi playing in the fixture, when days earlier he had pulled out of Italy's friendly clash with Portugal because of injury.The sporting judge considered on Wednesday that Materazzi nor Inter breached league rules, as the player did join the national team before being allowed to return home because of a back injury.A statement said: "Materazzi answered the national team call-up, therefore his participation in the Catania game is considered legitimate."
More About: Catania , Appeal

DEFENSIVE DUO RETURN FOR SPURS
2008-03-05 19:01:00
Tottenham defenders Ledley King and Jonathan Woodgate are in the squad for the UEFA Cup last-16 clash against PSV Eindhoven at White Hart Lane.King's knee has been rested since the Carling Cup final win against Chelsea, while Woodgate suffered a sprained ankle in the Wembley victory.Alan Hutton is ineligible, Gilberto (calf) and Michael Dawson (hamstring) have been in full training but Benoit Assou-Ekotto (knee) and Gareth Bale (foot) are expected to miss the rest of the campaign.Teams:Tottenham (from): Robinson, Cerny, Chimbonda, Lee, Tainio, Gilberto, Dawson, King, Woodgate, Kaboul, Rocha, Huddlestone, O'Hara, Jenas, Malbranque, Lennon, Zokora, Boateng, Taarabt, Keane, Bent, Berbatov.
More About: Spurs , Return

Juve Declare Lampard Interest
2008-03-05 09:24:00
The Bianconeri have been monitoring the progress of Lampard for some time, with boss Claudio Ranieri keen to reunite with the player he signed for Chelsea from West Ham United in 2001.The England midfielder has previously expressed an interest in playing abroad, with Barcelona also a rumoured destination, and he is yet to put pen to paper on a new deal at Stamford Bridge.With 14 months left on his Chelsea contract, Lampard could move for as little as £6m this summer. ?He is an excellent player," commented Juve director Pessotto. "I feel we will be able to buy players of his class in the summer.?New ChallengeHaving won everything on offer in the English domestic game it is thought that Lampard now believes the time is right to try his luck elsewhere, with Juve's likely return to the Champions League a key factor.
More About: Interest

MESSI WORRY FOR RIJKAARD
2008-03-05 09:22:00
Barcelona coach Frank Rijkaard claimed he did not give 17-year-old substitute Bojan Krkic the chance to become the youngest player to score in the Champions League when striker Lionel Messi went off injured because he believed the tie was still alive.Despite his side being ahead through Xavi's goal, Rijkaard insisted that the game was too important to chase records when the Argentina striker was replaced by Thierry Henry after 38 minutes.He said: "I didn't put Bojan on because the game was not over yet."We could not take qualification for granted."The Messi injury affected us but it was an important game and we couldn't take any risks."We started the game very well and scored a goal which was important. It was a beautiful goal from Xavi and he is an important player for us."After that Celtic came back and played with confidence and gave us a difficult time."Rijkaard, however, was left with a bitter-sweet feeling after Messi went off in the first half with a thigh injury which cou...
More About: Worry

FABREGAS: GUNNERS CAN DO DREAM DOUBLE
2008-03-05 09:21:00
Cesc Fabregas sees no reason why Arsenal cannot now go on to complete a Champions League and Barclays Premier League double after knocking out European Cup holders AC Milan in the San Siro - although manager Arsene Wenger also wants to keep everyone focused and their feet firmly on the ground.The Gunners produced a near-perfect, battling display, as they closed down the Italians at every chance on Tuesday night en route to recording a 2-0 second leg victory following the goalless draw at The Emirates.Their patience and hard work was rewarded in the San Siro when Fabregas, who had earlier hit the crossbar, thundered in a 25-yard effort with just six minutes remaining.A second from Emmanuel Adebayor - his opening goal for Arsenal in the Champions League - sealed a famous win, as the Serie A giants were beaten for the first time by an English side.It was a performance which will have sent a stern message across Europe that the young Gunners are now without question a force to the recko...
More About: Double , Dream

CASSANO HIT WITH FIVE-MATCH BAN
2008-03-04 16:17:00
Sampdoria striker Antonio Cassano has been handed a five-match ban by the Lega Calcio's disciplinary committee after throwing his shirt at the referee following his sending-off in Sunday's match against Torino.Having been booked for over celebrating his 53rd-minute goal, Cassano was sent off late in the game for using foul and abusive language to referee Nicola Pierpaoli.The Bari-born striker then had to be restrained by team-mates from going after the official but managed to take off his shirt and hurl it at Pierpaoli.Cassano has also been fined 15,000 euros by the Lega Calcio.A statement issued by the disciplinary committee outlined the reasons for the lengthy suspension.The statement confirmed Cassano was found guilty of "unruly behaviour on the pitch; for having spoken to the referee with a furious reaction which gave way to his sending off and then his repeated insults; taking his shirt off and throwing it with contempt towards the match official; for remaining on the pitch d...
More About: Match

METZ SHOCK HIGH-FLYERS
2008-02-17 11:23:00
Basement side Metz picked up only their second win of the season by coming from behind to record a shock victory over high-flying Valenciennes.Djamel Belmadi put the visitors in front in the 41st minute but Babacar Gueye levelled in the 52nd minute and a Williams Martinez own goal handed Metz the points.Valenciennes' 3-0 thrashing of Lorient last time out sent them to sixth in the table and they were looking for a similar result at rock-bottom Metz to boost their hopes of a European spot.The visitors missed a golden opportunity to take the lead in the 12th minute.Geoffrey Doumeng released Sebastien Roudet who dribbled past Metz keeper Christophe Marichez but with the goal gaping he somehow managed to miss the target.Metz came close to taking a surprise lead on 24 minutes as an inswinging corner from Miralem Pjanic seemed to be heading for the back of the net but VA keeper Nicolas Penneteau reacted well to punch the ball away.Valenciennes went agonisingly close to going in front on ...
More About: Shock , High , Flyers

SOCHAUX SECURE A POINT
2008-02-17 11:20:00
Struggling Sochaux managed to hold a sliding Caen outfit to a 1-1 draw in their Ligue 1 encounter at Stade Auguste Bonal.Nicolas Maurice-Belay's 42nd-minute strike gave the home side the lead and after Stephane Dalmat failed to convert a 49th-minute penalty, Yoan Gouffran raced clear to steer home the leveller just after the break.Both sides had late chances but neither side could manage to find a decisive second goal.Sochaux could have opened the scoring in the 10th minute after a good spell of possession.Following some good build-up play, Maurice-Belay drifted in from the right before forcing a smart stop out of Caen keeper Vincent Plante with a left-footed drive.With just under half an hour gone Sochaux almost broke the deadlock when Fabrice Pancrate managed to send Maurice-Belay racing through.The 22-year-old midfielder managed to cross for Mickael Isabey who headed goalwards only to see his effort deflected on to the post by Plante.The home side did open the scoring in the 42n...
More About: Point , Secure