Yesterday saw the other four Champions League groups partake in their second round of games, which contained just as much entertainment as Tuesday did:
Group A: This group saw a hat ful of goals and a great start to European life at White Hart Lane as Tottenham beat FC Twente 4-1. Rafael Van Der Vaart had a particularly eventful night as he first missed a penalty, then scored the opener two minutes into the second half and then got himself sent off after 61 minutes. Roman Pavlyuchenko doubled the lead three minutes later from the penalty spot before substitute Nacer Chadli pulled one back six minutes after that. Pavlyuchenko then got his second after 64 minutes, again from the penalty spot. Gareth Bale rounded off the night with Tottenham's fourth five minutes from time. This leaves Harry Redknapp's side on four points from two games with Twente only on one point.
An Eto'o hat-trick helped Inter Milan see off Werder Bremen 4-0; he scored his first two within six minutes of each other after 21 and 27 minutes. Wesley Sneijder added a third after 34 minutes before Eto'o rounded off his first ever Inter hat-trick with nine minutes remaining. This also puts Inter on four points and Bremen on just one.
Group B: Israel witnessed two penalties of there own as Hapoel Tel-Aviv lost 3-1 to Lyon; Michel Bastos scored the opener after just seven minutes for the French side from the spot. He then doubled Lyon's advantage after 36 minutes. Nigerian goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama pulled one back for Hapoel from their penalty but substitute Miralem Pjanic put the game beyond all doubt in stoppage time. This gives Lyon six points out of six whereas Tel-Aviv are still searching for their first.
Former PSV Eindhoven teammates gave Shalke a 2-0 victory over Benfica; Jefferson Farfan opened the scoring after 73 minutes, Huntelaar then doubled Shalke's lead with only fives minutes to go. This result leaves both teams on three points from two games.
Group C: Manchester United escaped from the Mestalla, somehow, with all three points. Neither goalkeeper was especially busy but Valencia created all but a few of the chances in the game. Substitutes Macheda and Javier Hernandez combined to give the Mexican his first European goal and the win to United with five minutes left. United are now joint top of the group with four points and Valencia are currently on three.
Rangers also nicked a 1-0 win at home to Bursaspor; Steven Naismith settled the score after just 18 minutes as Ranger continued their defensive set-up. It leaves the Scottish side joint top with Manchester United but Bursaspor are yet to gain a point in the debut season in the Champions League.
Group D: The shock result of the night came from the early game in Russia as Rubin Kazan managed a 1-1 draw against Barcelona. Again two penalties were awarded in the game and both were converted; first Rubin took the lead on the half hour mark thanks to Christian Noboa, then David Villa equalised on the hour mark from the same twelve yard marker. Barca now are on four points whereas Rubin have gained their first point.
This leaves FC Copenhagen top of group D after beating Panathinaikos 2-0 to give themselves six points out of six. Dame Ndoye scored his second goal in as many European games after 28 minutes. Martin Vingaard doubled their lead nine minutes later before Gilberto Silva received a second yellow card four minutes into the second half. This now leaves Panathinaikos without a point after two games.
Thursday 30 September 2010
Wednesday 29 September 2010
Champions League Round-Up: 28/9/10
Yesterday saw the first half of the second round of group games take place in the Champions League. This time it was groups E-H to play their matches first and here's how they got on:
Group E: Last year's runners-up Bayern Munich continued their shows as a 89th winner from Bastian Schweinsteiger was required to see off FC Basle in Switzerland. Alexander Frei put the home side ahead just 17 minutes before Schweinsteiger equalised from the penalty spot after 53 minutes. The win means Munich have a 100% start whereas Basle have a 0% start after losing to Cluj in the last game.
Roma also managed to win at home to CFR Cluj, with the same score in Switzerland. Defender Phillipe Mexes put Roma ahead after 69 minutes, substitute Marco Borriello doubled their lead two minutes later. Cluj pulled one back thanks to Ionut Rada twelve minutes from time. This both team on three points from two games.
Group F: The night's early game in Russia saw Spartak Moscow win 3-0 against MSK Zilina; two goals from Ari after 34 and 61 minutes was rounded off by Baretto Ibson in the final minute. This leaves Moscow with a 100% record so far with Zilina yet to pick up a point.
Chelsea also maintained their 100% record with a win against French champions Marseille; captain Terry gave Chelsea an early lead after seven minutes before a cool penalty from Nicolas Anelka sealed the points after just 28 minutes.
Group G: A late goal, nine minutes from time by Angel Di Maria was all that Real Madrid could muster up against Auxerre in France. This still leaves Madrid on six points from a possible six but they're not exactly doing it in style. Auxerre are still without a point.
Ajax and AC Milan shared the spoils at the Amsterdam Arena; Mounir El Hamadoui put the hosts ahead after 23 minutes. Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored his third goal of the tournament fourteen minutes later to grab a point for Milan. This leaves Ajax with that solitary point whereas Milan are now on four.
Group H: Blunderous keeper Lukasz Fabianski actually had a superb game in Serbia which included saving a penalty, as Arsenal won 3-1. Andrei Arshavin put the Gunner after a quarter of an hour before Cleo did convert a penalty after 33 minutes. FK Partizan had Marko Jovanovic sent off four minutes before the hour and the extra man helped see Arsenal home. Marouane Chamakh made it 2-1 after 71 minutes before defender Squillaci sealed the win with eight minutes to play.
Group E: Last year's runners-up Bayern Munich continued their shows as a 89th winner from Bastian Schweinsteiger was required to see off FC Basle in Switzerland. Alexander Frei put the home side ahead just 17 minutes before Schweinsteiger equalised from the penalty spot after 53 minutes. The win means Munich have a 100% start whereas Basle have a 0% start after losing to Cluj in the last game.
Roma also managed to win at home to CFR Cluj, with the same score in Switzerland. Defender Phillipe Mexes put Roma ahead after 69 minutes, substitute Marco Borriello doubled their lead two minutes later. Cluj pulled one back thanks to Ionut Rada twelve minutes from time. This both team on three points from two games.
Group F: The night's early game in Russia saw Spartak Moscow win 3-0 against MSK Zilina; two goals from Ari after 34 and 61 minutes was rounded off by Baretto Ibson in the final minute. This leaves Moscow with a 100% record so far with Zilina yet to pick up a point.
Chelsea also maintained their 100% record with a win against French champions Marseille; captain Terry gave Chelsea an early lead after seven minutes before a cool penalty from Nicolas Anelka sealed the points after just 28 minutes.
Group G: A late goal, nine minutes from time by Angel Di Maria was all that Real Madrid could muster up against Auxerre in France. This still leaves Madrid on six points from a possible six but they're not exactly doing it in style. Auxerre are still without a point.
Ajax and AC Milan shared the spoils at the Amsterdam Arena; Mounir El Hamadoui put the hosts ahead after 23 minutes. Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored his third goal of the tournament fourteen minutes later to grab a point for Milan. This leaves Ajax with that solitary point whereas Milan are now on four.
Group H: Blunderous keeper Lukasz Fabianski actually had a superb game in Serbia which included saving a penalty, as Arsenal won 3-1. Andrei Arshavin put the Gunner after a quarter of an hour before Cleo did convert a penalty after 33 minutes. FK Partizan had Marko Jovanovic sent off four minutes before the hour and the extra man helped see Arsenal home. Marouane Chamakh made it 2-1 after 71 minutes before defender Squillaci sealed the win with eight minutes to play.
Monday 27 September 2010
Gollob Becomes Speedway World Champion
Saturday saw the penultimate Speedway Grand Prix and Gollob used it to become World Champion. He started the night in Terenzano, Italy on 141 points, with Crump on 122 and Hampel on 121. Gollob needed to lead by 25 points by the end of the meeting to guarantee his first Championship title.
Hampel was first out in heat 2 but could only manage second, taking his score up to 23. Crump had a miserable start in heat 3 finishing fourth in what was a interesting meeting for the Aussie. After his perfect ride in the last meeting, Gollob could manage third in heat 4 to take him to 142. Heat 6 saw the first drama of the night as Holta and Andersen collided, causing Andersen to be excluded and Hampel could only manage third in the restart, taking him to 124. Crump overtook Hampel in heat 7 as he won the heat to take him to 125. However Gollob followed up with a win of his own in heat 8 taking him to 145.
The three then clashed in heat 9 with Crump lucky not to be excluded after a jump start. However Crump's bike packed up in the restart so finished fourth anyway. Golllob beat Hampel to first meaning he stretched his lead to 22 on the night. Heat 10 saw Chris Holder suffer a nasty crash as he lost control of his bike and was swept into the air fence before landing on his fallen bike. Luckily he was okay to continue later on in the meeting.
Crump was involved in the drama again as a crash from Hancock in heat 14 caused him to lose his bike himself. However Hancock was excluded and Crump could only manage second in the restart, taking his points total to 127. Gollob extended his lead with another heat win in the following heat putting Crump all but out of the running. Hampel also lost ground in the 16th heat finishing third and levelling points with Crump. Gollob then won his final heat in the 18th and Hampel kept as much pressure on as he could by winning the 19th heat. Crump's fate was sealed when he finished second in the final heat and out of the semi-finals.
So it was down to two and Gollob stormed into the final with a win in his semi-final against Nicky Pedersen (who scored 11 points overall) in second, Rune Holta (who scored 9 points overall) in third and Andreas Jonsson (who scored 8 points overall. The second semi-final was won by Greg Hancock (who scored 14 points overall). However second was between Chris Harris and Hampel, it was so close it had to go to a video replay, which in itself looked inconclusive. The referee gave the place to Harris which meant Gollob was crowned World Champion there and then. Hans Andersen finished fourth in the second semi-final (scoring 8 points overall).
With Gollob crowned World Champion he deservedly went on to win the final in Terenzano to celebrate in style. Brit Chris Harris finished second, with Greg Hancock in third and Nicky Pedersen fourth. All eyes will now be on who can make the final eight to be guaranteed a place in next season's Grand Prix Championship as Speedway enters its final event of the season.
Hampel was first out in heat 2 but could only manage second, taking his score up to 23. Crump had a miserable start in heat 3 finishing fourth in what was a interesting meeting for the Aussie. After his perfect ride in the last meeting, Gollob could manage third in heat 4 to take him to 142. Heat 6 saw the first drama of the night as Holta and Andersen collided, causing Andersen to be excluded and Hampel could only manage third in the restart, taking him to 124. Crump overtook Hampel in heat 7 as he won the heat to take him to 125. However Gollob followed up with a win of his own in heat 8 taking him to 145.
The three then clashed in heat 9 with Crump lucky not to be excluded after a jump start. However Crump's bike packed up in the restart so finished fourth anyway. Golllob beat Hampel to first meaning he stretched his lead to 22 on the night. Heat 10 saw Chris Holder suffer a nasty crash as he lost control of his bike and was swept into the air fence before landing on his fallen bike. Luckily he was okay to continue later on in the meeting.
Crump was involved in the drama again as a crash from Hancock in heat 14 caused him to lose his bike himself. However Hancock was excluded and Crump could only manage second in the restart, taking his points total to 127. Gollob extended his lead with another heat win in the following heat putting Crump all but out of the running. Hampel also lost ground in the 16th heat finishing third and levelling points with Crump. Gollob then won his final heat in the 18th and Hampel kept as much pressure on as he could by winning the 19th heat. Crump's fate was sealed when he finished second in the final heat and out of the semi-finals.
So it was down to two and Gollob stormed into the final with a win in his semi-final against Nicky Pedersen (who scored 11 points overall) in second, Rune Holta (who scored 9 points overall) in third and Andreas Jonsson (who scored 8 points overall. The second semi-final was won by Greg Hancock (who scored 14 points overall). However second was between Chris Harris and Hampel, it was so close it had to go to a video replay, which in itself looked inconclusive. The referee gave the place to Harris which meant Gollob was crowned World Champion there and then. Hans Andersen finished fourth in the second semi-final (scoring 8 points overall).
With Gollob crowned World Champion he deservedly went on to win the final in Terenzano to celebrate in style. Brit Chris Harris finished second, with Greg Hancock in third and Nicky Pedersen fourth. All eyes will now be on who can make the final eight to be guaranteed a place in next season's Grand Prix Championship as Speedway enters its final event of the season.
Sunday 26 September 2010
Barclay's Premier League Round-Up
With Chelsea losing to Manchester City in the Saturday lunchtime kick-off, Arsenal had a great opportunity to seize ground by beating West Brom at the Emirates. However it wasn't to be as Peter Odemwingie continued his fine form, scoring five minutes into the second half. Gonzalo Jara doubled the lead just two minutes later to create the shock result of the day. It got even worse for Arsenal when Jerome Thomas made it 3-0 after 75 minutes. Samir Nasri got one back two minutes later before grabbing a second in stoppage time but West Brom still won 3-2.
St. Andrews and Craven Cottage both witnessed 0-0 draws as Birmingham had Craig Gardener sent off in the last minute in their draw against Wigan. Whereas Fulham drew with Everton, meaning Everton went bottom of the table with just three points to their name.
Blackpool's interesting season continued at home to Blackburn in a Lancashire derby. Captain Charlie Adam scored an own goal after twenty minutes to give Blackburn the lead. Ian Holloway's men thought they secured a point when substitute Matt Phillips equalised with five minutes to go. However Brett Emerton gave Blackburn the win with a goal in stoppage time.
Liverpool's poor form continued as they drew with Sunderland at Anfield. A shocking decision from referee Stuart Atwell lead to Dirk Kuyt giving Roy Hodgson's men the lead after just five minutes. Bent then equalised from the spot in another controversial incident after 25 minutes, Bent then went onto take the lead for Sunderland just three minutes into the second half. Captain Gerrard came to rescue with an equaliser for Liverpool after 64 minutes to give them a point in what has been a dreadful season so far.
The final Saturday game saw West Ham beat Tottenham 1-0 at Upton Park; Frederic Piqiuonne scored the solitary goal just under the half hour mark.
Sunday's second installment of the triple bill saw Wolves host Aston Villa in a Midlands derby. Stewart Downing gave Villa the lead after 25 minutes however a spirited second half saw Wolves dominate the game, they got their deserved equaliser after 61 minutes when a cross from Jarvis was met by no-one and fooled Friedel into letting the ball trickle into the net. The rejuvenated Heskey scored his second goal in as many games two minutes from time to give Gerrard Houllier his first League win under Villa in his first League game.
The final game of the weekend saw Newcastle host Stoke. Newcastle took the lead two minutes from half time when Huth stupidly brought down Carroll in the box, Nolan converted the spot kick. It was a tale of two halves again for Stoke as they were poor in the first but much better in the second. Kenwyne Jones found an equaliser for Tony Pulis after hitting the woodwork twice previously. Then an own goal from James Perch eighteen minutes later and five minutes before the end saw Stoke gain another three points. The bad news is that Ricardo Fuller looks to have dislocated his shoulder.
St. Andrews and Craven Cottage both witnessed 0-0 draws as Birmingham had Craig Gardener sent off in the last minute in their draw against Wigan. Whereas Fulham drew with Everton, meaning Everton went bottom of the table with just three points to their name.
Blackpool's interesting season continued at home to Blackburn in a Lancashire derby. Captain Charlie Adam scored an own goal after twenty minutes to give Blackburn the lead. Ian Holloway's men thought they secured a point when substitute Matt Phillips equalised with five minutes to go. However Brett Emerton gave Blackburn the win with a goal in stoppage time.
Liverpool's poor form continued as they drew with Sunderland at Anfield. A shocking decision from referee Stuart Atwell lead to Dirk Kuyt giving Roy Hodgson's men the lead after just five minutes. Bent then equalised from the spot in another controversial incident after 25 minutes, Bent then went onto take the lead for Sunderland just three minutes into the second half. Captain Gerrard came to rescue with an equaliser for Liverpool after 64 minutes to give them a point in what has been a dreadful season so far.
The final Saturday game saw West Ham beat Tottenham 1-0 at Upton Park; Frederic Piqiuonne scored the solitary goal just under the half hour mark.
Sunday's second installment of the triple bill saw Wolves host Aston Villa in a Midlands derby. Stewart Downing gave Villa the lead after 25 minutes however a spirited second half saw Wolves dominate the game, they got their deserved equaliser after 61 minutes when a cross from Jarvis was met by no-one and fooled Friedel into letting the ball trickle into the net. The rejuvenated Heskey scored his second goal in as many games two minutes from time to give Gerrard Houllier his first League win under Villa in his first League game.
The final game of the weekend saw Newcastle host Stoke. Newcastle took the lead two minutes from half time when Huth stupidly brought down Carroll in the box, Nolan converted the spot kick. It was a tale of two halves again for Stoke as they were poor in the first but much better in the second. Kenwyne Jones found an equaliser for Tony Pulis after hitting the woodwork twice previously. Then an own goal from James Perch eighteen minutes later and five minutes before the end saw Stoke gain another three points. The bad news is that Ricardo Fuller looks to have dislocated his shoulder.
Singapore Grand Prix Result
Due to the football, I was unable to watch the Formula One but here's the result:
1. Alonso (Ferrari), 2. Vettel (Red Bull), 3. Webber (Red Bull), 4. Button (McLaren), 5. Rosberg (Mercedes), 6. Barrichello (Williams), 7. Kubica (Renault), 8. Sutil (Force India), 9. Hulkenberg (Williams), 10. Massa (Ferrari), 11. Petrov (Renault), 12. Alguersuari (Toro Rosso), 13. Schumacher (Mercedes), 14. Buemi (Toro Rosso), 15. Di Grassi (Virgin) Retired: Kovalainen (Lotus), Glock (Virgin), Heidfeld (Sauber), Hamilton (McLaren), Klien (Hispania), Kobayashi (Sauber), Senna (Hispania), Trulli (Lotus), Liuzzi (Force India)
The second consecutive race win for Alonso puts him on 191 points, second just eleven points behind leader Webber. Hamilton drops to third with 182 after another DNF, Vettel has closed the gap on him to just one point with Button on 177 in fifth. Red Bull now extend their lead for the constructors championship to 24 with McLaren second on 359. Ferrari's latest win puts them on 316 clear out in third place.
1. Alonso (Ferrari), 2. Vettel (Red Bull), 3. Webber (Red Bull), 4. Button (McLaren), 5. Rosberg (Mercedes), 6. Barrichello (Williams), 7. Kubica (Renault), 8. Sutil (Force India), 9. Hulkenberg (Williams), 10. Massa (Ferrari), 11. Petrov (Renault), 12. Alguersuari (Toro Rosso), 13. Schumacher (Mercedes), 14. Buemi (Toro Rosso), 15. Di Grassi (Virgin) Retired: Kovalainen (Lotus), Glock (Virgin), Heidfeld (Sauber), Hamilton (McLaren), Klien (Hispania), Kobayashi (Sauber), Senna (Hispania), Trulli (Lotus), Liuzzi (Force India)
The second consecutive race win for Alonso puts him on 191 points, second just eleven points behind leader Webber. Hamilton drops to third with 182 after another DNF, Vettel has closed the gap on him to just one point with Button on 177 in fifth. Red Bull now extend their lead for the constructors championship to 24 with McLaren second on 359. Ferrari's latest win puts them on 316 clear out in third place.
United Round Off A Poor Weekend For The Big Three
Bolton line-up: Jaaskelainen, Steinsson, Robinson, Knight, Ricketts, Muamba (M.Davies, 63'), Holden, Petrov (Taylor, 92'), Lee (Blake, 93'), Elmander, K.Davies
Manchester United line-up: Van Der Sar, O'Shea, Vidic, Evans, Evra, Nani, Scholes, Fletcher (Owen, 71'),Giggs (Park, 53'), Berbatov, Rooney (Macheda, 61')
With both Chelsea and Arsenal losing yesterday, Manchester United had a great opportunity to gain some ground at the Reebok Stadium against Bolton. Which for the first three minutes they looked like they were going to take it. However Bolton got back into the game and Manchester United became sloppy in their possession and even sloppier in their defence, echoing their previous three Premier League outings. United have been giving away late goals so far this season, but toady they gave away an early goal; Zat Knight flicking the ball, unmarked, from a corner into the bottom corner where Evra should have been on the post. United were creating chances but again, as has been the case so far this season, the final ball just couldn't materialise or the set piece was wasted. Bolton themselves were looking good in possession and Elmander and Davies were both creating chances for themselves. United did equalise after 23 minutes thanks to a fantastic solo run by Nani, which started from inside his own half beating five players before slotting the ball into the bottom corner. Manchester United then started to dictate terms as Bolton looked to tire towards the end of the half.
The second half continued in the same vain as United were dominating in possession but not creating chances from the final ball. Corners were especially poor today with none of them reaching further than the near post. That would be crucial as Bolton again successfully cleared a corner to Petrov and a counter attack ensued, this lead to Petrov being given the ball on the edge of the box and thanks to a deflection off Fletcher, Bolton were back in the lead after 67 minutes. Worse news for United was that Giggs (hamstring) and Rooney (ankle) had been taken off beforehand and are doubts for Wednesday's Champions League tie at Valencia. With Park and Macheda on in replace of the injured duo, the last throw of the dice came in the form of Michael Owen, and boy did it pay dividends. Three minutes after coming on Nani whipped in a free-kick and Owen flicked the ball into the net with his first touch of the match, this brought United level and gave Owen his 200th career goal. The final score finished 2-2 putting United to within a point of Chelsea and remain unbeaten so far this season. Bolton are now twelfth in the table.
Saturday 25 September 2010
Alonso Keeps Ferrari Dream Alive
The glitz and the glamour of the Formula 1 met the even bigger glitz and glamour of the Singapore nightlife, Asia's equivalent to Monaco except with the race being held in the night. The big news before any racing had started was that Pedro De La Rosa of Sauber had been dropped and veteran Nick Heidfeld was in to replace him. Hispania's controversy continued as Yamamoto was apparently ill and unable to race so to replace him they didn't decide to choose Chandhok (the original Hispania driver), they called upon a Christian Klien who hadn't raced since 2006. Hulkenberg was also faced with a five place penalty for an engine change so needed to qualify high.
The shock of Q1 saw Felipe Massa witness a gearbox failure which meant he was out of the session and will start last on the grid tomorrow. The usual suspects then followed: Senna in 23rd won't be happy that new boy Klien finished ahead of him in 22nd. 21st was Trulli of Lotus followed by Di Grassi of Virgin. Trulli's teammate Kovalainen qualified 19th with Glock of Virgin winning the battle of the new constructors in 18th.
Q2 saw Hulkenberg qualify 12th which means he will start 17th on tomorrow's grid. Force India won't be happy with their qualifying as Liuzzi and Sutil finished 17th and 16th respectively but get pushed up a place thanks to Hulkenberg. Nick Heidfeld's return to racing saw him finish 15th but will start 14th and Toro Rosso's Buemi finished 14th, therefore starting 13th tomorrow. The other driver to be pushed up a place is Renault's Petrov who failed to finish the session but posted a time worthy of finishing 13th. Toro Rosso's Alguersuari was the other driver to fall from Q2 in eleventh.
The results in Q3 are as follows: 10. Kobayashi (Sauber), 9. Schumacher (Mercedes), 8. Kubica (Renault), 7. Rosberg (Mercedes), 6. Barrichello (Wiliams), 5. Webber (Red Bull), 4. Button (McLaren),3. Hamilton (McLaren), 2. Vettel (Red Bull), 1. Alonso (Ferrari). So Alonso keeps his championship dreams alive with pole position and current leader Webber has it all to do starting from fifth to keep his lead from Hamilton and the rest.
The shock of Q1 saw Felipe Massa witness a gearbox failure which meant he was out of the session and will start last on the grid tomorrow. The usual suspects then followed: Senna in 23rd won't be happy that new boy Klien finished ahead of him in 22nd. 21st was Trulli of Lotus followed by Di Grassi of Virgin. Trulli's teammate Kovalainen qualified 19th with Glock of Virgin winning the battle of the new constructors in 18th.
Q2 saw Hulkenberg qualify 12th which means he will start 17th on tomorrow's grid. Force India won't be happy with their qualifying as Liuzzi and Sutil finished 17th and 16th respectively but get pushed up a place thanks to Hulkenberg. Nick Heidfeld's return to racing saw him finish 15th but will start 14th and Toro Rosso's Buemi finished 14th, therefore starting 13th tomorrow. The other driver to be pushed up a place is Renault's Petrov who failed to finish the session but posted a time worthy of finishing 13th. Toro Rosso's Alguersuari was the other driver to fall from Q2 in eleventh.
The results in Q3 are as follows: 10. Kobayashi (Sauber), 9. Schumacher (Mercedes), 8. Kubica (Renault), 7. Rosberg (Mercedes), 6. Barrichello (Wiliams), 5. Webber (Red Bull), 4. Button (McLaren),3. Hamilton (McLaren), 2. Vettel (Red Bull), 1. Alonso (Ferrari). So Alonso keeps his championship dreams alive with pole position and current leader Webber has it all to do starting from fifth to keep his lead from Hamilton and the rest.
Chelsea's First Test Ends In Defeat
Manchester City line-up: Hart, Kompany, Zabaleta, K.Toure, Boyata (Boateng, 88'), Milner, Barry, Silva (A.Johnson, 77'), De Jong, Y.Toure, Tevez (Adebayor, 86')
Chelsea line-up: Cech, Ivanovic, Cole, Terry, Alex, Essien, Ramires (McEachran, 80'), Mikel (Zhirkov, 68'), Malouda, Drogba (Sturridge, 75'), Anelka
Today's lunch-time kick-off saw Chelsea face their first real test of the 2010/2011 Premier league season as they took a trip to the City of Manchester Stadium. With Managers Ancelotti and Mancini good friends from their Serie A and Italy days, no-one was sure how this game would play out. The first half was very much like a Serie A tie to start off with; both teams comfortable in possession but couldn't break down the opponent's defence. This went on for the first half hour of the game until Chelsea had a chance when Ivanovic headed against the crossbar from a corner, his second effort was then saved by Hart. This opened up the game which was also helped by the leniency of referee Andre Marriner; the game turned quite physical and a few skirmishes started to occur but Marriner decided not to pull up on any when another referee could have shown yellow cards. However the score remained 0-0 at half-time.
The second half continued where the first left off with both teams comfortable in possession but still unable to break either defence down. Chelsea relied on long range efforts from Essien whereas City were trying their luck with Tevez. The first time City opened Chelsea up was just before the hour mark when they broke three against three with Tevez in possession, he used his teammates as decoys allowing himself room to get into the box and put City ahead. With Chelsea behind for the first time in the Premiership all eyes were on Ancelotti and his tactics, which seemed a little bewildering. City continued to create chances and Chelsea were forcing more crossing opportunities. However Chelsea had started the game with a holding midfielder and despite being a goal down and needing to attack they kept that holding midfielder throughout their substitutes. But maybe the most bewildering thing about Ancelotti's decisions was to bring on Danny Sturridge in replace of Drogba, who is their undoubtedly their best striker and renowned for scoring late goals. This left the score to remain 1-0 to City and to now put question marks over Chelsea in the big tests.
Carling Cup 4th Round Draw
The big tie of round four of the Carling Cup was the first tie to be drawn out of the hat; Newcastle's campaign doesn't get any easier after Chelsea as they will face Arsenal at home. Birmingham get to to host another League 1 side after beating MK Dons, Brentford, who eliminated Everton, will be travelling to St.Andrews. After a late win against Preston, Wigan will host another Championship side in Swansea. Last year's runners-up Villa will host Burnley who took out Premier League opposition Bolton in the last round. Leicester will host Premier League West Brom the Walkers Stadium with holders Manchester United at home to Wolves. The third and final all Premier League tie will be at Upton Park as West Ham entertain Stoke and giant killers Northampton will travel to Roy Keane's Ipswich.
Thursday 23 September 2010
Carling Cup 3rd Round Round-Up, Part 2
If Tuesday's action didn't really provide you with enough mouth watering football, then yesterday's action most certainly would have done as there were shocks galore. The first of three all Premiership ties was held at Villa park as Gerrard Houllier took charge of Villa for the first game as they took on Blackburn. The visitors took the lead through Gael Givet eleven minutes before half-time. However Villa fought back and substitute Emile Heskey equalised just before the hour mark. Heskey then provided a couple of assists that were turned in by Ashley Young on 75 and 77 minutes to give Houllier a 3-1 win on his debut.
Wigan were nearly involved in a shock at home to Preston; former Blackburn player Keith Treacy put Darron Ferguson's side ahead. But two late goals, first from Jordi Gomez after 87 minutes and then in stoppage time from Charles N'Zogbia saw Roberto Martinez's side just scrape through into the draw on Saturday.
Holders Manchester United had a shock start against Championship side Scunthorpe at Glanford Park. The home side set out the better side and took a shock lead after a great strike from Josh Wright just under twenty minutes. United started getting back into the game but still had to rely on Kuszczak to make a few good saves. Scunthorpe's lead only lasted four minutes as Darron Gibson scored a perfectly weighted lob and from there there was only going to be one winner. Chris Smalling scored his first Manchester United goal after flicking a Park cross past keeper Murphy. Michael Owen finished the game off with his first goal just four minutes into the second half and Park made it four after 54 minutes. Park was then denied a second after his shot was parried but the rebound was scored by Owen to make it 5-1. Arguably Scunthorpe's best player of the night Martyn Woolford earned a consolation goal in stoppage time to make the final score 5-2 to the holders.
The other three ties all finished as cup shocks as Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester City all suffered defeats. Chelsea took an early lead against Newcastle at Stamford Bridge, young Patrick Van Aanholt scored his first senior goal after six minutes. However the visitors went 3-1 ahead through Ranger after 27 minutes, Ryan Taylor five minutes later and Ameobi four minutes into the second half. Two goals from Nicolas Anelka after 70 minutes and then a penalty three minutes from time put Chelsea level and it looked like extra time. However a late injury to Benayoun saw Chelsea having to play with ten men and Ameobi scored the winner with a header to knock Ancelotti's side out.
Manchester City surrendered a 1-0 lead away to West Brom to also be knocked out; Jo scored after just under twenty minutes. Gianni Zuiverloon equalised after 55 minutes after Given pulled off some good saves. But Simon Cox gave west Brom the lead and the win just two minutes later.
The biggest shock however did come at Anfield as the cloud over Merseyside gets even darker. League Two side Northampton won 4-2 on penalties after first going behind early thanks to a Jovanovic goal after 9 minutes. Billy Mackay equalised after 57 minutes and the tie went into extra time. Northampton then did the unthinkable and took the lead thanks to Michael Jacobs eight minutes into extra time. Liverpool were rocking but substitute David Ngog did equalise four before full time but Liverpool were lucky not to go 3-2 behind shortly after as they managed to scramble a shot off the line. Penalty misses from Ngog and young Nathan Eccleston saw that Northampton become the only League 2 side into the fourth round.
Wigan were nearly involved in a shock at home to Preston; former Blackburn player Keith Treacy put Darron Ferguson's side ahead. But two late goals, first from Jordi Gomez after 87 minutes and then in stoppage time from Charles N'Zogbia saw Roberto Martinez's side just scrape through into the draw on Saturday.
Holders Manchester United had a shock start against Championship side Scunthorpe at Glanford Park. The home side set out the better side and took a shock lead after a great strike from Josh Wright just under twenty minutes. United started getting back into the game but still had to rely on Kuszczak to make a few good saves. Scunthorpe's lead only lasted four minutes as Darron Gibson scored a perfectly weighted lob and from there there was only going to be one winner. Chris Smalling scored his first Manchester United goal after flicking a Park cross past keeper Murphy. Michael Owen finished the game off with his first goal just four minutes into the second half and Park made it four after 54 minutes. Park was then denied a second after his shot was parried but the rebound was scored by Owen to make it 5-1. Arguably Scunthorpe's best player of the night Martyn Woolford earned a consolation goal in stoppage time to make the final score 5-2 to the holders.
The other three ties all finished as cup shocks as Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester City all suffered defeats. Chelsea took an early lead against Newcastle at Stamford Bridge, young Patrick Van Aanholt scored his first senior goal after six minutes. However the visitors went 3-1 ahead through Ranger after 27 minutes, Ryan Taylor five minutes later and Ameobi four minutes into the second half. Two goals from Nicolas Anelka after 70 minutes and then a penalty three minutes from time put Chelsea level and it looked like extra time. However a late injury to Benayoun saw Chelsea having to play with ten men and Ameobi scored the winner with a header to knock Ancelotti's side out.
Manchester City surrendered a 1-0 lead away to West Brom to also be knocked out; Jo scored after just under twenty minutes. Gianni Zuiverloon equalised after 55 minutes after Given pulled off some good saves. But Simon Cox gave west Brom the lead and the win just two minutes later.
The biggest shock however did come at Anfield as the cloud over Merseyside gets even darker. League Two side Northampton won 4-2 on penalties after first going behind early thanks to a Jovanovic goal after 9 minutes. Billy Mackay equalised after 57 minutes and the tie went into extra time. Northampton then did the unthinkable and took the lead thanks to Michael Jacobs eight minutes into extra time. Liverpool were rocking but substitute David Ngog did equalise four before full time but Liverpool were lucky not to go 3-2 behind shortly after as they managed to scramble a shot off the line. Penalty misses from Ngog and young Nathan Eccleston saw that Northampton become the only League 2 side into the fourth round.
Wednesday 22 September 2010
Carling Cup 3rd Round Round-Up, Part 1
Tuesday saw the first half the Carling Cup 3rd Round draw compete for places in Saturday's fourth round draw. Interestingly enough the draw conjured up a lot of 'same division' pairings and the first all Championship affair came from Fratton Park as Portsmouth took on Leicester; the visitors got off to a great start when defender Michael Morison put Leicester ahead after three minutes. Lloyd Dyer doubled their lead two minutes from half-time to give Portsmouth an even harder task in the second half. A comeback looked very much in doubt when Richard Hughes was sent off after 66 minutes but the ten men of Pompey did score a consolation thanks to new signing Liam Lawrence eight minutes from the end.
Swansea also secured an away win to progress into the fourth round. They beat league one side Peterborough 3-1 at London Road. Ex-Chelsea youngster Scott Sinclair opened the scoring for Swansea after just five minutes. However their lead didn't last long as Craig Mackail-Smith equalised two minutes later for Posh. Sinclair grabbed his second to give Swansea a lead at half-time with four minutes left to play. Sinclair went on to get his hat-trick and to seal the victory for Swansea twelve minutes from time eliminating one of few League One clubs in the third round.
The other all Championship tie was a the New Den as Millwall entertained Roy Keane's Ipswich; the would be the visitors who again opened up the scoring, Tamas Priskin after 23 minutes. Gareth McAuley added a second in first half stoppage time to give Roy Keane an easy-ish half-time team talk. Steve Morison pulled one back for Millwall after 62 minutes but the score finished 2-1 to Ipswich.
There were three all Premiership ties on the night, the first was at the Britannia where Stoke hosted Fulham; A rare goal from defender Danny Higginbotham put the hosts in front after 23 minutes before Kenwyne Jones netted the 2-0 victory eleven minutes from time to see the Potters into the Fourth Round.
The Stadium of Light also saw an all Premiership tie as Sunderland played against West Ham in a game where the newbies shone. Frederic Piquionne put the Hammers ahead ten minutes from half-time but their lead only six minutes as Asamoah Gyan equalised for Sunderland. Victor Obinna provided the winner just before the hour mark to see Avram Grant's side into the Fourth Round.
Birmingham were dealt an easier tie at home to MK Dons, three goals in four minutes was enough to see off the challenge from the League 1 side. New signing Alexander Hleb scored after 24 minutes before in form Craig Gardener doubled Brum's lead, Nikola Zigic rounded off the four minute rout. MK Dons managed to get a consolation from substitute Aaron Wilbraham with ten minutes to go.
Owen Coyle was handed a return date with his former club Burnley at Turf Moor. However it would be the Clarets who got the last laugh after a first half stoppage time goal from Wade Elliot was enough to see off Coyle's Bolton.
Wolves were close to being on the end of a Cup shock when Notts County forced extra time. Lee Hughes actually gave the League One side the lead after 57 minutes and were eight minutes away from winning until Liam Chilvers conceded a penalty and was sent off; Nenad Milijas scored the resulting penalty. Wolves then took the lead just two minutes into extra time thanks to Steven Fletcher, substitute Kevin Doyle then doubled the lead in the first half stoppage time. Kevin Smith pulled one back with six minutes remaining but Doyle made it 4-2 in the final minute of the game.
The shock of the round came from Griffin Park as Brentford managed to beat struggling Everton. Seamus Coleman did give the Toffees an Early lead after six minutes but Gary Alexander equalised four minutes before half-time. Charlie MacDonald could have won it for Brentford before extra time after Coleman fouled Weston in the box, however Jan Mucha saved it. The game did eventually go into penalties and the League One side won 4-3.
The big game of the day came from White Hart Lane as Tottenham battled the old enemy Arsenal, both teams fielded a mixture of youth and experience to give the derby an edge. Defender Henri Lansbury gave the visitors the lead after fifteen minutes in front of the watching Arsene Wenger, who was given a touch-line ban for this game after his outburst on Saturday. Half-time substitute Robbie Keane equalised four minutes into the second half with a little help from the blunderous Fabianski. Extra-time ensued and the youth of Tottenham threw away the tie; Samir Nasri was brought down in the box just two minutes into extra time, the Frenchman then went onto convert the following penalty. Four minutes later Arsenal were awarded another penalty as Chamakh was tugged down by young Steven Caulker, Samir Nasri then stepped up to convert his second penalty to make it 3-1. David Bentley had a glorious chance just before half-time but he put his six yard header wide. With their tails down Tottenham conceded a free-kick twenty-five yards from goal and were caught unaware by a quick free-kick that put Arshavin through one-on-one with deputy goalkeeper on loan Stipe Pletikosa, the Russian made no mistake a rounded off a 4-1 victory for Arsenal.
Swansea also secured an away win to progress into the fourth round. They beat league one side Peterborough 3-1 at London Road. Ex-Chelsea youngster Scott Sinclair opened the scoring for Swansea after just five minutes. However their lead didn't last long as Craig Mackail-Smith equalised two minutes later for Posh. Sinclair grabbed his second to give Swansea a lead at half-time with four minutes left to play. Sinclair went on to get his hat-trick and to seal the victory for Swansea twelve minutes from time eliminating one of few League One clubs in the third round.
The other all Championship tie was a the New Den as Millwall entertained Roy Keane's Ipswich; the would be the visitors who again opened up the scoring, Tamas Priskin after 23 minutes. Gareth McAuley added a second in first half stoppage time to give Roy Keane an easy-ish half-time team talk. Steve Morison pulled one back for Millwall after 62 minutes but the score finished 2-1 to Ipswich.
There were three all Premiership ties on the night, the first was at the Britannia where Stoke hosted Fulham; A rare goal from defender Danny Higginbotham put the hosts in front after 23 minutes before Kenwyne Jones netted the 2-0 victory eleven minutes from time to see the Potters into the Fourth Round.
The Stadium of Light also saw an all Premiership tie as Sunderland played against West Ham in a game where the newbies shone. Frederic Piquionne put the Hammers ahead ten minutes from half-time but their lead only six minutes as Asamoah Gyan equalised for Sunderland. Victor Obinna provided the winner just before the hour mark to see Avram Grant's side into the Fourth Round.
Birmingham were dealt an easier tie at home to MK Dons, three goals in four minutes was enough to see off the challenge from the League 1 side. New signing Alexander Hleb scored after 24 minutes before in form Craig Gardener doubled Brum's lead, Nikola Zigic rounded off the four minute rout. MK Dons managed to get a consolation from substitute Aaron Wilbraham with ten minutes to go.
Owen Coyle was handed a return date with his former club Burnley at Turf Moor. However it would be the Clarets who got the last laugh after a first half stoppage time goal from Wade Elliot was enough to see off Coyle's Bolton.
Wolves were close to being on the end of a Cup shock when Notts County forced extra time. Lee Hughes actually gave the League One side the lead after 57 minutes and were eight minutes away from winning until Liam Chilvers conceded a penalty and was sent off; Nenad Milijas scored the resulting penalty. Wolves then took the lead just two minutes into extra time thanks to Steven Fletcher, substitute Kevin Doyle then doubled the lead in the first half stoppage time. Kevin Smith pulled one back with six minutes remaining but Doyle made it 4-2 in the final minute of the game.
The shock of the round came from Griffin Park as Brentford managed to beat struggling Everton. Seamus Coleman did give the Toffees an Early lead after six minutes but Gary Alexander equalised four minutes before half-time. Charlie MacDonald could have won it for Brentford before extra time after Coleman fouled Weston in the box, however Jan Mucha saved it. The game did eventually go into penalties and the League One side won 4-3.
The big game of the day came from White Hart Lane as Tottenham battled the old enemy Arsenal, both teams fielded a mixture of youth and experience to give the derby an edge. Defender Henri Lansbury gave the visitors the lead after fifteen minutes in front of the watching Arsene Wenger, who was given a touch-line ban for this game after his outburst on Saturday. Half-time substitute Robbie Keane equalised four minutes into the second half with a little help from the blunderous Fabianski. Extra-time ensued and the youth of Tottenham threw away the tie; Samir Nasri was brought down in the box just two minutes into extra time, the Frenchman then went onto convert the following penalty. Four minutes later Arsenal were awarded another penalty as Chamakh was tugged down by young Steven Caulker, Samir Nasri then stepped up to convert his second penalty to make it 3-1. David Bentley had a glorious chance just before half-time but he put his six yard header wide. With their tails down Tottenham conceded a free-kick twenty-five yards from goal and were caught unaware by a quick free-kick that put Arshavin through one-on-one with deputy goalkeeper on loan Stipe Pletikosa, the Russian made no mistake a rounded off a 4-1 victory for Arsenal.
Sunday 19 September 2010
Premiership Round-Up 19/9/10
The other 'Super Sunday' match saw the unstoppable Chelsea take on Blackpool at Stamford Bridge. The game was over before it had started when Kalou netted from a corner after just two minutes. Malouda continued his fine goalscoring form just ten minutes to put the game beyond all doubt already and making it look like a rout was on the cards. Drogba added a third thanks to a wicked deflection on the half hour mark and Malouda netted his second four minutes from time. Blackpool held on in the second half and could have netted a consolation but the the score remained 4-0 to Chelsea.
The only other match today took place at the DW Stadium where Wigan took on Manchester City. Carlos Tevez gave City the lead two minutes before half time and Yaya Toure sealed the victory twenty minutes from time.
The only other match today took place at the DW Stadium where Wigan took on Manchester City. Carlos Tevez gave City the lead two minutes before half time and Yaya Toure sealed the victory twenty minutes from time.
Berbatov Hat-Trick Stops United's Downfall
Manchester United line-up: Van Der Sar, O'Shea, Vidic (c), Evans, Evra, Nani (Gibson, 88'), Giggs (Macheda, 82'), Scholes, Fletcher, Berbatov (Anderson, 88'), Rooney
Liverpool line-up: Reina, Johnson, Konchesky (Agger,81'), Carragher, Skrtel, Meireles (Jovanovic, 79), Gerrard (c), Cole, Maxi (Ngog, 62'), Poulsen, Torres
Today's opening 'Super Sunday' game saw the big derby between Manchester United and Liverpool. However unlike recent years the first half was rather tentative with now real heat or fire between the two. United were on the front foot from the start but didn't create a lot to trouble Reina. The only real chance came in the eighteenth minute when Nani was through on goal put despite the tight angle still should've scored, he blazed it wide. From there Liverpool grew into the game and started to keep hold of possession but again with no creativity in front of goal. But as Liverpool gained confidence they found themselves a goal down three minutes from half-time; Giggs swung in a corner which was met by Berbatov due to some lazy marking from Torres.
The second-half begun largely the same as the first ended and United doubled their lead a minute before the hour mark; Nani crossed which was missed by Rooney, Berbatov took it down on his knee and, facing back to goal, scored a sublime acrobatic second and United looked home and hosed. However after Everton's comeback last week Liverpool were given hope when Jonny Evans hauled Torres down in the box and earned Liverpool a penalty. Gerrard stepped up and scored to echo Everton all over again. Twenty minutes to go and O'Shea brought Torres down, this time just outside of the box and could have been sent off but wasn't. Gerrard took it and Fletcher dispersed from the wall to create a gap, Van Der Sar was standing too far over to the post which meant Gerrard could guide his free-kick into the empty portion of the net and put Liverpool level. Neither team settled for a point and Liverpool brought on Ngog and Jovanovic whereas United brought on Macheda. Six minutes from time a winner was scored; John O'Shea crossed and Berbatov grabbed his hat-trick to ensure United didn't throw away another two points and the score finished 3-2.
Saturday 18 September 2010
Premiership Round-Up 18/9/10
Today's early game saw Stoke entertain West Ham, the Potters were coming in off the back of a late victory over Aston Villa on Monday whereas West Ham were still looking for their first point. Scott Parker put the visitors in front with a scrappy goal that came from an undealt with corner after 32 minute. Stoke had another second half revival and were denied by the woodwork on many occasions but Kenwyne Jones equalised from an inch perfect cross from Jermaine Pennant. The score finished 1-1.
Aston Villa could only muster up a draw at home to Bolton under the watching Gerrard Houllier, who will take charge of Villa's next game. Ashley Young put Villa ahead after just thirteen minutes but Kevin Davies equalised ten minutes before half-time and the score remained 1-1.
1-1 was the common result as Ewood Park also witnessed that scoreline; Samba put Blackburn ahead in somewhat controversial standards on the half hour mark. Justice was somewhat done when Clint Dempsey equalised eleven minutes into the second half.
Everton's poor run continued as they suffered a 1-0 defeat to Newcastle. New boy Hatem Ben Arfa provided a wonder strike just before half-time, but unlike last week Everton couldn't come back and looked in trouble.
Tottenham came back from 1-0 down to win 3-1 in a late show; Steven Fletcher put Wolves ahead just before half time. Rafael Van Der Vaart scored his first goal for Tottenham from the penalty spot after Hutton was fouled by Ward on 77 minutes. Roman Pavlyuchenko gave Spurs the lead with three minutes remaining and Hutton secured all three points inside stoppage time.
The final three o'clock kick-off saw a West Midlands derby between West Brom and Birmingham. Cameron Jerome gave Birmingham an early lead after fifteen minutes, but like Wolves they would lose 3-1. Scott Dann equalised for West Brom, his own goal came six minutes after half-time. Peter Odemwingie kept up his form, putting West Brom ahead after 59 minutes and Jonas Olsson secured all three points ten minutes later.
The 5:30 kick-off saw Sunderland host Arsenal; Cesc Fabregas scored one of the most fortuitous goals you will ever see, Ferdinand dallied with the ball 40 yards from goal, he tried clearing hit and it rebounded off Fabregas' raised boot and looped over the helpless Mignolet into the net after thirteen minutes. Darren Bent equalised in the fifth minute of added time to grab a point and bemuse a certain Mr. Arsene Wenger.
Aston Villa could only muster up a draw at home to Bolton under the watching Gerrard Houllier, who will take charge of Villa's next game. Ashley Young put Villa ahead after just thirteen minutes but Kevin Davies equalised ten minutes before half-time and the score remained 1-1.
1-1 was the common result as Ewood Park also witnessed that scoreline; Samba put Blackburn ahead in somewhat controversial standards on the half hour mark. Justice was somewhat done when Clint Dempsey equalised eleven minutes into the second half.
Everton's poor run continued as they suffered a 1-0 defeat to Newcastle. New boy Hatem Ben Arfa provided a wonder strike just before half-time, but unlike last week Everton couldn't come back and looked in trouble.
Tottenham came back from 1-0 down to win 3-1 in a late show; Steven Fletcher put Wolves ahead just before half time. Rafael Van Der Vaart scored his first goal for Tottenham from the penalty spot after Hutton was fouled by Ward on 77 minutes. Roman Pavlyuchenko gave Spurs the lead with three minutes remaining and Hutton secured all three points inside stoppage time.
The final three o'clock kick-off saw a West Midlands derby between West Brom and Birmingham. Cameron Jerome gave Birmingham an early lead after fifteen minutes, but like Wolves they would lose 3-1. Scott Dann equalised for West Brom, his own goal came six minutes after half-time. Peter Odemwingie kept up his form, putting West Brom ahead after 59 minutes and Jonas Olsson secured all three points ten minutes later.
The 5:30 kick-off saw Sunderland host Arsenal; Cesc Fabregas scored one of the most fortuitous goals you will ever see, Ferdinand dallied with the ball 40 yards from goal, he tried clearing hit and it rebounded off Fabregas' raised boot and looped over the helpless Mignolet into the net after thirteen minutes. Darren Bent equalised in the fifth minute of added time to grab a point and bemuse a certain Mr. Arsene Wenger.
Friday 17 September 2010
Premier League Snooker: Week 2
After a break last week due to the Shanghai Masters, the Premier League returned and visited Plymouth this week. Up first was a battle between the Marks: Williams against Selby. It would be the Jester From Leicester Mark Selby who got off to a flyer with a 101 break to win the first frame. That was followed up by a 85-0 frame victory in the second for Selby to immediately put the Welshman Williams under pressure. However he dealt with the pressure remarkably well and posted a 113 break to net a couple of thousand pounds and make the score 2-1. The fourth frame was the closest and most defensive but that always seems to work in Williams' favour and he took the frame 61-52 to level the match. That meant that the winner of the fifth frame would guarantee themselves a point and Williams secured the turn around with a break of 82. Selby didn't have much of a chance after winning the first two frames and he lost the final frame 73-3 to make the final score Mark Williams 4-2 Mark Selby.
The other match of the day saw Ding Junhui play against Ronnie O'Sullivan; Ding lost 5-1to Shaun Murphy in the first week while O'Sullivan drew 3-3 with Marco Fu. However it was Ding who came out all guns blazing netting a quick £2000 after taking out a 122 break in the first frame. O'Sullivan levelled in the second frame with a very defensive state of play the score finished 71-33. O'Sullivan then took the lead in the third with a 119 break to net himself another £2000. Ding levelled again in the fourth which made the result like it could go to a draw. He missed a pink to miss out on another century but just getting level I think would have been good enough. O'Sullivan then took the fifth to guarantee himself another point in another defensive frame, he came out 67-7. The last frame saw both players miss chances a getting level in Ding's case but O'Sullivan just needed to pot the pink for victory and by his standards it was a very easy pink, however he missed it and conceded at 53-44 in Ding's favour to finish the match as a draw. The second consecutive draw for Ronnie and the first point from two games for Ding.
The other match of the day saw Ding Junhui play against Ronnie O'Sullivan; Ding lost 5-1to Shaun Murphy in the first week while O'Sullivan drew 3-3 with Marco Fu. However it was Ding who came out all guns blazing netting a quick £2000 after taking out a 122 break in the first frame. O'Sullivan levelled in the second frame with a very defensive state of play the score finished 71-33. O'Sullivan then took the lead in the third with a 119 break to net himself another £2000. Ding levelled again in the fourth which made the result like it could go to a draw. He missed a pink to miss out on another century but just getting level I think would have been good enough. O'Sullivan then took the fifth to guarantee himself another point in another defensive frame, he came out 67-7. The last frame saw both players miss chances a getting level in Ding's case but O'Sullivan just needed to pot the pink for victory and by his standards it was a very easy pink, however he missed it and conceded at 53-44 in Ding's favour to finish the match as a draw. The second consecutive draw for Ronnie and the first point from two games for Ding.
Thursday 16 September 2010
Champions League Round-Up: 15/9/10
The second half of Europe's biggest competition started their campaigns yesterday with Arsenal and Chelsea faring better than Manchester United and Tottenham:
Group E: Last year's runners-up Bayern Munich required a late-ish showing to dispose of Claudio Ranieri's Roma; after a dismal first half Munich were booed off by fans but German starlet Thomas Muller opened the scoring twelve minutes before time. Miroslav Klose guaranteed all three points five minutes later.
Meanwhile Romanian outfit CFR Cluj Napoca surprisingly beat FC Basle at home; Ionut Rada after nine minutes and Lacinda Traore put them two ahead before Valentin Stocker put the Swiss team back in it. However it remained 2-1 and Cluj take all three points.
Group F: Another surprise result occurred in Marseille as the French giants lost 1-0 to Spartak Moscow, an own goal from Cesar Azpilicueta nine minutes from the end was all that could separate the two.
Chelsea started their campaign with a 4-1 victory over Slovakian minnows MSK Zilina; Essien opened the scoring with his third goal in two games after thirteen minutes. Anelka grabbed two more before half-time to really put the game to bed before Daniel Sturridge netted Chelsea's fourth three minutes after the restart. Tomas Oravec got the consolation for Zilina.
Group G: Real Madrid needed two goals from Gonzalo Higuain to beat Martin Jol's Ajax, the goals came on 31 and 73 minutes respectively.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic marked his European debut for AC Milan with two goals against French side Auxerre. They came within three minutes of each other on 66 and 69 minutes, he looked a lot better than he has done in recent seasons.
Group H: They say there are no easy games in football, well Arsenal proved that wrong by putting six past Portuguese side SC Braga. Fabregas got the ball rolling after nine minutes with a penalty then Arshavin and Chamakh made it 3-0 at half-time. Fabregas added his second in the second half with Mexican Carlos Vela also getting two late on to give Arsene Wenger the perfect start.
2008 Europa League winners Shakhtar Donetsk needed a 71st minute goal from Darijo Srna to see off Serbian debutantes FK Partizan Belgrade.
Group E: Last year's runners-up Bayern Munich required a late-ish showing to dispose of Claudio Ranieri's Roma; after a dismal first half Munich were booed off by fans but German starlet Thomas Muller opened the scoring twelve minutes before time. Miroslav Klose guaranteed all three points five minutes later.
Meanwhile Romanian outfit CFR Cluj Napoca surprisingly beat FC Basle at home; Ionut Rada after nine minutes and Lacinda Traore put them two ahead before Valentin Stocker put the Swiss team back in it. However it remained 2-1 and Cluj take all three points.
Group F: Another surprise result occurred in Marseille as the French giants lost 1-0 to Spartak Moscow, an own goal from Cesar Azpilicueta nine minutes from the end was all that could separate the two.
Chelsea started their campaign with a 4-1 victory over Slovakian minnows MSK Zilina; Essien opened the scoring with his third goal in two games after thirteen minutes. Anelka grabbed two more before half-time to really put the game to bed before Daniel Sturridge netted Chelsea's fourth three minutes after the restart. Tomas Oravec got the consolation for Zilina.
Group G: Real Madrid needed two goals from Gonzalo Higuain to beat Martin Jol's Ajax, the goals came on 31 and 73 minutes respectively.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic marked his European debut for AC Milan with two goals against French side Auxerre. They came within three minutes of each other on 66 and 69 minutes, he looked a lot better than he has done in recent seasons.
Group H: They say there are no easy games in football, well Arsenal proved that wrong by putting six past Portuguese side SC Braga. Fabregas got the ball rolling after nine minutes with a penalty then Arshavin and Chamakh made it 3-0 at half-time. Fabregas added his second in the second half with Mexican Carlos Vela also getting two late on to give Arsene Wenger the perfect start.
2008 Europa League winners Shakhtar Donetsk needed a 71st minute goal from Darijo Srna to see off Serbian debutantes FK Partizan Belgrade.
Wednesday 15 September 2010
Champions League Round-Up: 14/9/10
Yesterday saw the first four groups play their first group game, and there was a lot of action all around Europe:
Group A: Holland witnessed a action packed first half between FC Twente and defending champions Inter Milan. The Italians took the lead after 13 minutes thanks to Wesley Sneijder, however Twente fought back and turned it around with a goal from Janssen seven minutes later and a Diego Milito own goal on 31 minutes. Inter equalised through Eto'o four minutes before half-time and the score finished 2-2.
Tottenham threw a two goal lead away in Germany to also draw 2-2 with Werber Bremen; a own goal from Pasanen after twelve minutes gave Harry Redknapp's side the perfect start to European life. Crouch got their second six minutes later and were looking good to win the game. However Hugo Almeida scored two minutes before half-time and Marko Marin put the Germans level two minutes into the second half.
Group B: Lyon won a tight match at home to Schalke. Benedickt Howedes had the game to forget; he scored the only goal of the game in his own net after 21 minutes and then ended up getting sent off just seventeen minutes later.
Benfica started their campaign with a win at home against Israeli outfit Hapoel Tel-Aviv; Luisao opened the scoring after 21 minutes before Cardozo rounded off the 2-0 victory with twenty minutes to spare.
Group C: Old Trafford witnessed a game of attackers versus defenders with Manchester United constantly attacking a Rangers side who played a fantastic defensive game. United weren't creative enough and their completely changed team were held to a 0-0 draw. Worse news for United is that Valencia looks to be out for the season after suffering a freak ankle break.
Valencia won comfortably away to Champions League debutantes Bursaspor. Goals from Alberto Costa, Artiz Aduriz, Hernandez Pablo and substitute Roberto Soldado capped off a 4-0 victory over the Turkish champions.
Group D: Lionel Messi was back to his best to help Barcelona thrash Panathinaikos 5-1. The Greek side actually took the lead with their only shot of the match from Sidney Govou after twenty minutes. Their lead only lasted two minutes before Messi put his name on the score sheet. David Villa made it 2-1 after 33 minutes and Messi made it three before half-time. Pedro and Dani Alves rounded the scoring off to put Barcelona favourites to win the trophy this year.
A single goal from Dame Ndoye three minutes from time saw FC Copenhagen beat Russian side Rubin Kazan to round off a great night's football action.
Group A: Holland witnessed a action packed first half between FC Twente and defending champions Inter Milan. The Italians took the lead after 13 minutes thanks to Wesley Sneijder, however Twente fought back and turned it around with a goal from Janssen seven minutes later and a Diego Milito own goal on 31 minutes. Inter equalised through Eto'o four minutes before half-time and the score finished 2-2.
Tottenham threw a two goal lead away in Germany to also draw 2-2 with Werber Bremen; a own goal from Pasanen after twelve minutes gave Harry Redknapp's side the perfect start to European life. Crouch got their second six minutes later and were looking good to win the game. However Hugo Almeida scored two minutes before half-time and Marko Marin put the Germans level two minutes into the second half.
Group B: Lyon won a tight match at home to Schalke. Benedickt Howedes had the game to forget; he scored the only goal of the game in his own net after 21 minutes and then ended up getting sent off just seventeen minutes later.
Benfica started their campaign with a win at home against Israeli outfit Hapoel Tel-Aviv; Luisao opened the scoring after 21 minutes before Cardozo rounded off the 2-0 victory with twenty minutes to spare.
Group C: Old Trafford witnessed a game of attackers versus defenders with Manchester United constantly attacking a Rangers side who played a fantastic defensive game. United weren't creative enough and their completely changed team were held to a 0-0 draw. Worse news for United is that Valencia looks to be out for the season after suffering a freak ankle break.
Valencia won comfortably away to Champions League debutantes Bursaspor. Goals from Alberto Costa, Artiz Aduriz, Hernandez Pablo and substitute Roberto Soldado capped off a 4-0 victory over the Turkish champions.
Group D: Lionel Messi was back to his best to help Barcelona thrash Panathinaikos 5-1. The Greek side actually took the lead with their only shot of the match from Sidney Govou after twenty minutes. Their lead only lasted two minutes before Messi put his name on the score sheet. David Villa made it 2-1 after 33 minutes and Messi made it three before half-time. Pedro and Dani Alves rounded the scoring off to put Barcelona favourites to win the trophy this year.
A single goal from Dame Ndoye three minutes from time saw FC Copenhagen beat Russian side Rubin Kazan to round off a great night's football action.
Tuesday 14 September 2010
Brave Pulis Witnesses Stoke's Fightback: Stoke 2-1 Aston Villa
Stoke line-up: Sorensen, Huth, Collins, Shawcross, Faye, Wilson (Pennant, 65'), Whitehead, Delap (Whelan, 87'), Etherington, Jones, Walters (Fuller, 61')
Aston Villa line-up: Friedel, L.Young, Warnock, Dunne, Collins, Downing, A.Young, Albrighton, Petrov, Reo-Coker, Agbonlahor (Heskey, 86')
The start of this week's Monday Night Football fixture was slightly marred yesterday due to off the pitch incidents with both managers. Gerrard Houllier is still unable to take charge of Villa until he is fully released from his contract with the French Football Federation. Meanwhile Stoke's Tony Pulis was set to miss the game after the unfortunate death of his mother earlier in the day. That left both caretakers in charge and they did a good job of providing a decent game amidst the bad news and the bad weather.
Stoke started the game off as the better team but as the half wore Villa started getting their foot on the ball and gradually began to dominate the half. New signings Wilson and Jones were linking up well for the home side and Jones missed a couple of great chances. Before Villa got into the game Albrighton and Downing had 'sighters' that sailed harmlessly over the bar. Ten minutes before half-time the deadlock was broken in what became an open half; Reo-Coker linked up with his fellow midfielders before finding Agbonlahor out on the wing, he crossed the ball in and defender Huth somehow misjudged the flight and allowed Downing a free header at the back post. He dived in and somehow managed to curl the ball into the bottom corner past the outstretched Sorensen. Despite Villa now in full momentum they looked suspect defensively from set pieces and a corner from Stoke caused an interesting penalty claim; James Collins looked to have handled the ball from Jones' header however it looked like it could well have been a free-kick to Villa as Jones was holding him. Referee Lee Probert gave neither and play resumed when really one of the decisions should have been given either way. From that Villa should have been two ahead before half-time when Agbonlahor put in another brilliant cross which was met unmarked by Ashley Young, but he headed wide when he should be hitting the target. Villa also created some other great chances but couldn't score and they went in at half-time 1-0 ahead.
The second half saw Tony Pulis remarkably take his place in the dug-out and it did seem to inspire Stoke as they kick started back into life. Villa were still looking shaky at set pieces and they had a considerable height advantage all over the pitch. This paid off when an Etherington cross was met by Kenwyne Jones and the Trinidad & Tobago striker nodded Stoke level with ten minutes to go. Neither team wanted to settle with a point and both set out to score a second. Reo-Coker had a chance on the edge of the box which wasn't hit with any conviction and was blocked by Danny Collins. While substitute Fuller made Friedel work at the other end but it remained level. In the last minute of stoppage time second substitute Jermaine Pennant bought a free-kick out on the wing, which replays showed there wasn't any contact when he dived, Pennant swung the ball in and Etherington's shot was turned in by Robert Huth to give Stoke and more importantly Tony Pulis all three points with barely time left for the restart.
Sunday 12 September 2010
Barclay's Premier League Round-Up
With Manchester United slipping up in the day's early kick-off this allowed Arsenal to gain an advantage after beating Bolton 4-1; new signing Laurent Koscielny scored Arsenal's opener before Elmander equalised just before half-time. Fellow new signing Chamakh put Arsenal ahead again in the 58th minute before Gary Cahill got sent-off just six minutes later for a second bookable offence. With Bolton down to ten men Arsenal seized the initiative with Alex Song and Carlos Vela rounding off a comfortable day for Arsene Wenger's men.
Wolves looked to be heading for an away victory at Craven Cottage when new signing Jelle Van Damme put them ahead after ten minutes. However Fulham's new signing Dembele put the home side level again just four minutes into the second half. Cristophe Berra received two yellow cards and was sent off in second half injury time which resulted in Dembele striking a free-kick past Hahnemann to give Fulham the 2-1 victory. Bad news for Fulham is that Bobby Zamora broke his leg and will be out for quite a while.
A Joe Hart blunder gave Niko Kalinic the chance to give the Blackburn the lead at the City of Manchester Stadium, the Croat duly took it and City were looking on the rocks in a fairly end to end game. However veteran Patrick Vieira put the home side level ten minutes into the second half and the score finished 1-1.
Newcastle slumped to a home defeat to fellow promoted Blackpool; Ian Holloway's men took the lead when captain Charlie Adam dispatched a penalty in half time injury time. New signing DJ Campbell rounded off the match in second half injury time with a very cool finish to give the Tangerines a 2-0 win.
West Brom secured the shock result of the day after grabbing a point at home to Tottenham; Luka Modric put Spurs ahead after 27 minutes but was later stretchered off during the first half. Chris Brunt equalised for the Baggies four minutes before half-time and the score finished 1-1.
Chelsea continued their untouchable start with a victory over West Ham. Chelsea managed to take the lead in just two minutes with Essien heading home from a cross. From there it looked like it could be a rout and Rob Green echoed his World Cup blunder after spilling a 35 yard free-kick from Drogba, Upson attempted to clear but it bounced off Kalou and Chelsea doubled their lead in under twenty minutes. The rout didn't materialise but Chelsea went three ahead seven minutes from the end with Essien scoring a second headed goal. Scott Parker got a consolation two minutes later with a suave finish against his former club. Piquionne managed to acclaim miss of the season so far after heading the ball onto the crossbar from a yard!
The final game of the day saw inconsistent Wigan grad a point against Sunderland. Captain Lee Cattermole managed to pick up two stupid yellow cards in the space of a minute to receive his marching after 22 minutes. But it would be ten men Sunderland who took the lead thanks to new signing Asamoah Gyan who continued his impressive form from the World Cup, scoring after 66 minutes. However Wigan's new signing Paraguayan Antolin Alcaraz followed on from his goal against Spain to earn Wigan a point three minutes from the end.
Today's game saw Liverpool hold out to a 0-0 draw against Birmingham thanks to some heroic goalkeeping from Pepe Reina.
Wolves looked to be heading for an away victory at Craven Cottage when new signing Jelle Van Damme put them ahead after ten minutes. However Fulham's new signing Dembele put the home side level again just four minutes into the second half. Cristophe Berra received two yellow cards and was sent off in second half injury time which resulted in Dembele striking a free-kick past Hahnemann to give Fulham the 2-1 victory. Bad news for Fulham is that Bobby Zamora broke his leg and will be out for quite a while.
A Joe Hart blunder gave Niko Kalinic the chance to give the Blackburn the lead at the City of Manchester Stadium, the Croat duly took it and City were looking on the rocks in a fairly end to end game. However veteran Patrick Vieira put the home side level ten minutes into the second half and the score finished 1-1.
Newcastle slumped to a home defeat to fellow promoted Blackpool; Ian Holloway's men took the lead when captain Charlie Adam dispatched a penalty in half time injury time. New signing DJ Campbell rounded off the match in second half injury time with a very cool finish to give the Tangerines a 2-0 win.
West Brom secured the shock result of the day after grabbing a point at home to Tottenham; Luka Modric put Spurs ahead after 27 minutes but was later stretchered off during the first half. Chris Brunt equalised for the Baggies four minutes before half-time and the score finished 1-1.
Chelsea continued their untouchable start with a victory over West Ham. Chelsea managed to take the lead in just two minutes with Essien heading home from a cross. From there it looked like it could be a rout and Rob Green echoed his World Cup blunder after spilling a 35 yard free-kick from Drogba, Upson attempted to clear but it bounced off Kalou and Chelsea doubled their lead in under twenty minutes. The rout didn't materialise but Chelsea went three ahead seven minutes from the end with Essien scoring a second headed goal. Scott Parker got a consolation two minutes later with a suave finish against his former club. Piquionne managed to acclaim miss of the season so far after heading the ball onto the crossbar from a yard!
The final game of the day saw inconsistent Wigan grad a point against Sunderland. Captain Lee Cattermole managed to pick up two stupid yellow cards in the space of a minute to receive his marching after 22 minutes. But it would be ten men Sunderland who took the lead thanks to new signing Asamoah Gyan who continued his impressive form from the World Cup, scoring after 66 minutes. However Wigan's new signing Paraguayan Antolin Alcaraz followed on from his goal against Spain to earn Wigan a point three minutes from the end.
Today's game saw Liverpool hold out to a 0-0 draw against Birmingham thanks to some heroic goalkeeping from Pepe Reina.
Ferrari Earn Home Win In Monza
In a fairly straight forward Italian Grand Prix Ferrari managed to secure a home victory. Alonso was on pole but Button managed to overtake the Spaniard from the start giving McLaren a great chance of winning and Button a great chance of closing the gap on Hamilton. Webber dropped to ninth in the battle of the first corner with team mate Vettel in seventh.
However Championship leader Lewis Hamilton ended his race prematurely when he drove his front wheel into Massa's Ferrari and causing his McLaren to lose his sense of steering and therefore had to retire. Kobayashi's race started in the pits after gearbox failures but he too couldn't finish a single lap and had to retire. Lap thirteen saw Bruno Senna retire after a mechanical problem.
After Ferrari were cleared of any ill-doing when they told Massa to let Alonso past to win the German Grand Prix, Red Bull may have caused their on conspiracy theory; Webber had managed to gain himself eighth and become just behind Vettel. Vettel then sounded pretty desperate when saying his engine was 'dying' on him. This allowed Webber to overtake and after losing a couple of places Vettel suddenly seemed fine and was able to carry on with no bother. For me I don't think this was planned especially when hearing the radio message from Vettel, and to clear it up completely Vettel eventually finished ahead of Webber anyway.
Lap 37 saw leader Button pit which gave Alonso a chance to give himself some distance between himself and Button before he too would pit a lap later. Alonso had managed to do it well enough to retain the lead when he re-emerged onto the track and from there Alonso looked comfortable. The only other retirement came on lap 49 with Jarno Trulli not being able to finish the race. Here is the result in full:
1. Alonso (Ferrari), 2. Button (McLaren), 3. Massa (Ferrari), 4. Vettel (Red Bull), 5. Rosberg (Mercedes), 6. Webber (Red Bull), 7. Hulkenberg (Williams), 8. Kubica (Renault), 9. Schumacher (Mercedes), 10. Barrichello (Williams), 11. Buemi (Toro Rosso), 12. Liuzzi (Force India), 13. Petrov (Renault), 14. De La Rosa (Sauber), 15. Alguersuari (Toro Rosso), 16. Sutil (Force India), 17. Glock (Virgin), 18. Kovalainen (Lotus), 19. Yamamoto (Hispania), 20. Di Grassi (Virign) Out: Trulli (Lotus), Senna (Hispania), Hamilton (McLaren), Kobayashi (Sauber)
This leaves Webber now leading the Championship standings with 187 points, Hamilton is now second with 182. The win for Alonso means he currently stands on 166 points with Button one point behind on 165. Vettel drops to fifth on 163 points with Red Bull now extending their lead in the Constructor's Championship.
However Championship leader Lewis Hamilton ended his race prematurely when he drove his front wheel into Massa's Ferrari and causing his McLaren to lose his sense of steering and therefore had to retire. Kobayashi's race started in the pits after gearbox failures but he too couldn't finish a single lap and had to retire. Lap thirteen saw Bruno Senna retire after a mechanical problem.
After Ferrari were cleared of any ill-doing when they told Massa to let Alonso past to win the German Grand Prix, Red Bull may have caused their on conspiracy theory; Webber had managed to gain himself eighth and become just behind Vettel. Vettel then sounded pretty desperate when saying his engine was 'dying' on him. This allowed Webber to overtake and after losing a couple of places Vettel suddenly seemed fine and was able to carry on with no bother. For me I don't think this was planned especially when hearing the radio message from Vettel, and to clear it up completely Vettel eventually finished ahead of Webber anyway.
Lap 37 saw leader Button pit which gave Alonso a chance to give himself some distance between himself and Button before he too would pit a lap later. Alonso had managed to do it well enough to retain the lead when he re-emerged onto the track and from there Alonso looked comfortable. The only other retirement came on lap 49 with Jarno Trulli not being able to finish the race. Here is the result in full:
1. Alonso (Ferrari), 2. Button (McLaren), 3. Massa (Ferrari), 4. Vettel (Red Bull), 5. Rosberg (Mercedes), 6. Webber (Red Bull), 7. Hulkenberg (Williams), 8. Kubica (Renault), 9. Schumacher (Mercedes), 10. Barrichello (Williams), 11. Buemi (Toro Rosso), 12. Liuzzi (Force India), 13. Petrov (Renault), 14. De La Rosa (Sauber), 15. Alguersuari (Toro Rosso), 16. Sutil (Force India), 17. Glock (Virgin), 18. Kovalainen (Lotus), 19. Yamamoto (Hispania), 20. Di Grassi (Virign) Out: Trulli (Lotus), Senna (Hispania), Hamilton (McLaren), Kobayashi (Sauber)
This leaves Webber now leading the Championship standings with 187 points, Hamilton is now second with 182. The win for Alonso means he currently stands on 166 points with Button one point behind on 165. Vettel drops to fifth on 163 points with Red Bull now extending their lead in the Constructor's Championship.
Gollob Earns Perfect Night In Denmark
With the Speedway Grand Prix calender heading for a close we stopped off at Vojens in Denmark for round nine of eleven. Vojens was the host for the Speedway World Cup held last month and yesterday saw the three championship contenders make their ninth missionary statement in their overall bid to became World Champion. At the start of the night Gollob led the way on 117 points with fellow Pole Hampel on 110, defending champion Crump was still in the running on 107 points.
The heats kicked off with Hampel finishing second which was followed by Crump finishing third in the second heat. Gollob looked to take advantage immediately by comfortably winning his heat in the third heat but Lindgren crashed into Pedersen which nearly caused a race restart, however Gollob was already over the finish line before the accident occurred. The drama continued into the fourth heat when wild card entry Niels Kristian Iversen caused Rune Holta to crash and was excluded in the restart. which Rune Holta went onto win.
The first battle between the contenders occurred in the fifth heat when Gollob managed to beat Crump to the chequered flag. That was followed up two heats later when Hampel won his respective heat. Crump grabbed his first heat win in the tenth before the two Poles clashed in the following heat, Gollob again winning with Hampel second. Hampel and Crump met in the 15th heat which was won by Crump with Hamepl dropping to third. This was immediately followed up by Gollob winning his third heat out of three.
Gollob made it a clean sweep in the 18th heat with yet another impressive display. Hampel won the 19th heat after Woffinden and Watt were both excluded for a mechanical failure and crashing out. That left the restart between Hampel and Lindgren which the Pole won comfortably. The final heat was down to Crump but he could only finish second, which was still enough to grab a place into the semi-finals.
The first semi-final saw Gollob (who scored the maximum 15 points) win again with Dane Pedersen (who scored 10) follow Gollob into the final. Aussie Chris Holder (who scored 9) finished third with Magnus 'Zorro' Zetterstrom (who scored 8) finishing last. The second semi-final saw Crump and Hampel go head to head but it was another Dane, Kenneth Bjerre (who scored 10), who won the semi-final. Crump (who scored 11) just made the final with last season's Nordic Grand Prix winner Andreas Jonsson (who scored 8) finishing third. This meant Hampel finished last and couldn't add to his eleven points scored in the meeting.
Gollob rounded off a perfect night with the win in Denmark to give him the maximum 24 points on offer. Kenneth Bjerre finished second with Crump not being able to fully maximise his advantage over Hampel finishing in third, leaving Nicky Pedersen fourth. The Championship standings after nine rounds looks like this: Gollob 141 points, Crump 122 points, Hampel 121 points. Surely the 19 point gap will be enough for Gollob with just two meetings left but anything could happen.
The heats kicked off with Hampel finishing second which was followed by Crump finishing third in the second heat. Gollob looked to take advantage immediately by comfortably winning his heat in the third heat but Lindgren crashed into Pedersen which nearly caused a race restart, however Gollob was already over the finish line before the accident occurred. The drama continued into the fourth heat when wild card entry Niels Kristian Iversen caused Rune Holta to crash and was excluded in the restart. which Rune Holta went onto win.
The first battle between the contenders occurred in the fifth heat when Gollob managed to beat Crump to the chequered flag. That was followed up two heats later when Hampel won his respective heat. Crump grabbed his first heat win in the tenth before the two Poles clashed in the following heat, Gollob again winning with Hampel second. Hampel and Crump met in the 15th heat which was won by Crump with Hamepl dropping to third. This was immediately followed up by Gollob winning his third heat out of three.
Gollob made it a clean sweep in the 18th heat with yet another impressive display. Hampel won the 19th heat after Woffinden and Watt were both excluded for a mechanical failure and crashing out. That left the restart between Hampel and Lindgren which the Pole won comfortably. The final heat was down to Crump but he could only finish second, which was still enough to grab a place into the semi-finals.
The first semi-final saw Gollob (who scored the maximum 15 points) win again with Dane Pedersen (who scored 10) follow Gollob into the final. Aussie Chris Holder (who scored 9) finished third with Magnus 'Zorro' Zetterstrom (who scored 8) finishing last. The second semi-final saw Crump and Hampel go head to head but it was another Dane, Kenneth Bjerre (who scored 10), who won the semi-final. Crump (who scored 11) just made the final with last season's Nordic Grand Prix winner Andreas Jonsson (who scored 8) finishing third. This meant Hampel finished last and couldn't add to his eleven points scored in the meeting.
Gollob rounded off a perfect night with the win in Denmark to give him the maximum 24 points on offer. Kenneth Bjerre finished second with Crump not being able to fully maximise his advantage over Hampel finishing in third, leaving Nicky Pedersen fourth. The Championship standings after nine rounds looks like this: Gollob 141 points, Crump 122 points, Hampel 121 points. Surely the 19 point gap will be enough for Gollob with just two meetings left but anything could happen.
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