The first phase of the 2013 Darts Premier League nears the half way point and Phil Taylor, Michael Van Gerwen and Robert Thornton all remain unbeaten after four matches. Three wins out of four also sees Raymond Van Barneveld level on points with those unbeaten. Wes Newton finally got his first ever Premier League win which leaves Adrian Lewis still searching for his first point of the competition and Gary Anderson drops into the relegation zone.
Anderson was involved in the first match in Exeter in the battle of Scotland against Thornton. The Thorn was rampant and quickly stormed into a 4-0 lead. Anderson's first shot at the double came in the fifth leg where he posted a 124-checkout via the bull to finally get a leg on the board. This didn't do anything to change the momentum and Thornton had quickly guaranteed a point to make sure he would remain undefeated. Anderson's second dart at a double came in the eighth leg where he scored a 104-checkout but Thornton would win the match in style with a 118-checkout, making it 7-2. Thornton also posted an average of 109.33 which is the highest of the tournament so far.
Van Gerwen was in fresh form after winning yet another Pro Tour event in Crawley at the weekend. He faced Andy Hamilton who took advantage of a slow start by the Dutchman to take the opening leg. Van Gerwen finally managed to equalise in the second leg at the fifth time of asking and that allowed him to settle. Four crucial missed darts from Hamilton put Van Gerwen 4-1 ahead before a ton checkout pulled a leg back for The Hammer. Again this didn't swing the momentum as Van Gerwen continued his assault and took the following three legs to also win 7-2. This victory means the Dutchman has now 25 of his last 26 matches in all competitions.
In a repeat of the 2010 Premier League final, James Wade took on Phil Taylor. Taylor had decided to change his darts the day before this event and seemed to take a while to get used to the thinner physique. Wade took the opening leg but missed a dart to break the throw and double his advantage. Taylor did manage to find a break in the fifth leg and managed to hold at the fifth time of asking to go 4-2 ahead. That soon became 5-3 before Taylor missed two darts to break for a second time and guarantee himself a point. At 6-4, many may have been forgiven for thinking Taylor would once again beat Wade but The Machine battled back to force a deciding leg before breaking The Power to earn a well deserved point.
For some, Lewis is already out of the tournament after failing to pick up a point now after four games and losing 7-3 in three of the four matches. It was a darting 'six-pointer' as Lewis faced Newton in the penultimate game of the night. Lewis tried finding two double tops to win the opening leg but four missed darts from Newton allowed Lewis to take it on double ten. The second leg again saw Lewis try to find two doubles to win the leg but this time it didn't work and Newton levelled to break back and more importantly level the match. From there, Newton surged in to a 4-1 lead before Lewis found a rare piece of brilliance with a 117-checkout. This also did nothing to change the game and Newton continued to go 6-2 in front and guarantee his second point of the competition. Two legs later and Newton consolidated that in to his victory to leave the beleaguered Lewis trailing without a point.
There's a real worry over the fitness of Van Barneveld who revealed in his post match interview that he is suffering blurred vision, possibly due to his diabetes. He said he couldn't see the trebles clearly, but he was extremely lucky for his darts to still find the target and comfortably beat Simon Whitlock who hit six 180s in the match. Barney was 2-0 up in no time and that became 3-1 when Whitlock missed two huge darts to level the match. A magnificent 116-checkout from the Dutchman put him three legs clear before he ended up missing two darts to make it 5-2. A double ten and double five helped Whitlock make it 4-3 and again he would miss two crucial darts to tie the match up. A 104-checkout secured a point for Van Barneveld before he wrapped the match up in the next leg to go level on points with the unbeaten trio. Table after week four:
1. Phil Taylor 6 +9
2. Michael Van Gerwen 6 +9
3. Raymond Van Barneveld 6 +8
4. Robert Thornton 6 +7
5. James Wade 5 +3
6. Andy Hamilton 4 -2
7. Wes Newton 3 -4
8. Simon Whitlock 2 -7
9. Gary Anderson 2 -8
10. Adrian Lewis 0 -15
Thursday 28 February 2013
Monday 25 February 2013
City Keep Gap At 12, Sublime Cisse Helps Newcastle to Win
West Ham 2-3 Tottenham: Another game involving Spurs sees another Bale masterclass to put them third. The Welshman opened the scoring after just 13-minutes with a great finish into the bottom corner from outside the box. West Ham were level on 25-minutes when Scott Parker fouled Andy Carroll in the box, Carroll got up and took the penalty, slotting it home with ease. Both keepers had a fantastic game but West Ham turned it around to lead 13-minutes into the second half when Joe Cole controlled a Joey O'Brien cross before firing home. Hugo Lloris somehow prevented the Hammers from going 3-1 ahead and minutes later Gylfi Sigurdsson to finish off an undefended Bale free-kick. The winner came in injury time when Bale found himself in space 25-yards out and absolutely smashed it sublimely into the top corner. The defeat is probably harsh of West Ham who remain six points ahead of the relegation zone.
Manchester City 2-0 Chelsea: City remain 12-points behind Manchester United but, perhaps more importantly, move seven points ahead of Chelsea. Chelsea held off City during the first half and should have taken the lead when Demba Ba was brought down by Joe Hart. As the ball was going away from goal, Hart escaped getting a card and Frank Lampard stepped-up for his chance to score his 200th goal. But his fellow England team mate was up to the challenge and smartly saved it, five minutes into the second half. Chelsea were punished on 63-minutes when Yaya Toure was on hand to put City ahead. The points were wrapped up five minutes before half-time through Carlos Tevez. Chelsea now sit two points behind Tottenham in fourth place.
Newcastle 4-2 Southampton: Newcastle go three points ahead of Southampton and crucially six points clear of the relegation zone. The loss for Southampton means they still only sit three points above the bottom three. Every game that Morgan Schneiderlin has scored in this season, Southampton have lost, so when he put the Saints ahead after just three minutes there may have been a few nervous faces. The inevitable happened on 33-minutes when Moussa Sissoko levelled before Papiss Cisse produced a moment of magic to smash Newcastle in front three minutes from time. Southampton were level five minutes into the second half when Rickie Lambert netted 100th goal for Southampton. Danny Fox then conceded a penalty on 67-minutes for handling in the box. Yohan Cabaye stepped up and coolly converted to put Newcastle back in front. The win was secured 11-minutes before the end when Fox's clearance smashed into Jos Hooiveld and into the net, Hooiveld's third own goal of the season.
Arsenal 2-1 Aston Villa: Arsenal move to within two points of Chelsea in the battle for fourth. The defeat for Villa sees them slip back into the bottom three on goal difference. Arsenal took the lead after just six minutes when Santi Cazorla scored his tenth goal of the season. Arsenal's bad week looked like it was going to continue when Villa broke and Andreas Weimann's shot went through Wojiech Sczcesny on 68-minutes, his tenth of the season, but the keeper should have done better. But Szczesny's blushes were spared five minutes from time when Nacho Monreal's pull back was slotted home by Cazorla. Next week's North London derby may be one of the biggest between Arsenal and Spurs in recent history.
QPR 0-2 Manchester United: United remain 12-points clear whereas QPR remain seven points from safety. It took 23-minutes for United to take the lead; Robin Van Persie smashed a low cross that was parried by Julio Cesar for Rafael to smash a 25-yard effort right into the top corner, just his fifth goal in 121-appearances. The bad news for United was that Van Persie was later substituted in the first half after a collision with a cameraman in which he hurt his back. The points were sealed ten minutes from time when Ryan Giggs scored his second Premier League goal in a row after Nani played a neat ball to beat the offside trap.
Reading 0-3 Wigan: Wigan move out of the relegation zone on goal difference after this colossal victory over fellow relegation candidates. The defeat for Reading isn't catastrophic as they still only sit a point behind Villa and Wigan. The visitors crucially took the in the final minute of normal time in the first half when Maynor Figueroa's header from an undefended corner hit Arouna Kone which diverted it into the net. Kone then made it 2-0 in injury time when Jean Beausejour found an exquisite ball to break the offside trap and the Ivorian cheekily chipped the diving Adam Federici. It became 3-0 just three minutes into the second half when a neat one-two between Franco Di Santo and Figueroa saw the latter finish coolly between Federici's legs. The mountain became too high to climb for Reading as the half had only been going ten minutes before Pavel Pogrebnyak was shown a straight red for a striker's lunge into the ankle of Figueroa.
Norwich 2-1 Everton: Two late goals from Norwich sees them move eight points clear of the bottom three. The defeat for Everton means they slip to five points behind Arsenal in sixth place. Everton took the lead six minutes before half-time when Leighton Baines' cross was headed home by Leon Osman. Norwich equalised when Kei Kamara headed a corner home for his first ever goal in England. Grant Holt then won the game with virtually the last kick when Kamara's header down was prodded home by the Norwich captain, his fifth of the season.
West Brom 2-1 Sunderland: Sunderland sit just five points clear of the relegation zone after another defeat. It was another Romelu Lukaku show which began ten minutes before half time when Craig Gardner was adjudged to have handled in the box. The young Belgian stepped and dispatched it down the middle. Lukaku then made it 2-0 when a poor back pass from Titus Bramble allowed him to get the run of Simon Mignolet. Mignolet did actually get to the ball first but his clearance smacked Lukaku and went in to the net with 15-minutes to play. Sunderland managed to pull one back four minutes later when Stephane Sessegnon's curling effort deflected off Jonas Olsson before going in. But West Brom held on to move up to seventh.
Fulham 1-0 Stoke: Fulham move to within a point of Stoke and eight points clear of safety after this close fought victory. The only goal of the game came in first half injury time when Dimitar Berbatov smashed a wonderful effort past Asmir Begovic. Stoke's best chance to equalise came ten minutes into the second half when Ashkan Dejagah handled in the area. Jon Walters stepped up and it would have found the bottom except for Mark Schwarzer guessing right and stopping the placed effort.
Manchester City 2-0 Chelsea: City remain 12-points behind Manchester United but, perhaps more importantly, move seven points ahead of Chelsea. Chelsea held off City during the first half and should have taken the lead when Demba Ba was brought down by Joe Hart. As the ball was going away from goal, Hart escaped getting a card and Frank Lampard stepped-up for his chance to score his 200th goal. But his fellow England team mate was up to the challenge and smartly saved it, five minutes into the second half. Chelsea were punished on 63-minutes when Yaya Toure was on hand to put City ahead. The points were wrapped up five minutes before half-time through Carlos Tevez. Chelsea now sit two points behind Tottenham in fourth place.
Newcastle 4-2 Southampton: Newcastle go three points ahead of Southampton and crucially six points clear of the relegation zone. The loss for Southampton means they still only sit three points above the bottom three. Every game that Morgan Schneiderlin has scored in this season, Southampton have lost, so when he put the Saints ahead after just three minutes there may have been a few nervous faces. The inevitable happened on 33-minutes when Moussa Sissoko levelled before Papiss Cisse produced a moment of magic to smash Newcastle in front three minutes from time. Southampton were level five minutes into the second half when Rickie Lambert netted 100th goal for Southampton. Danny Fox then conceded a penalty on 67-minutes for handling in the box. Yohan Cabaye stepped up and coolly converted to put Newcastle back in front. The win was secured 11-minutes before the end when Fox's clearance smashed into Jos Hooiveld and into the net, Hooiveld's third own goal of the season.
Arsenal 2-1 Aston Villa: Arsenal move to within two points of Chelsea in the battle for fourth. The defeat for Villa sees them slip back into the bottom three on goal difference. Arsenal took the lead after just six minutes when Santi Cazorla scored his tenth goal of the season. Arsenal's bad week looked like it was going to continue when Villa broke and Andreas Weimann's shot went through Wojiech Sczcesny on 68-minutes, his tenth of the season, but the keeper should have done better. But Szczesny's blushes were spared five minutes from time when Nacho Monreal's pull back was slotted home by Cazorla. Next week's North London derby may be one of the biggest between Arsenal and Spurs in recent history.
QPR 0-2 Manchester United: United remain 12-points clear whereas QPR remain seven points from safety. It took 23-minutes for United to take the lead; Robin Van Persie smashed a low cross that was parried by Julio Cesar for Rafael to smash a 25-yard effort right into the top corner, just his fifth goal in 121-appearances. The bad news for United was that Van Persie was later substituted in the first half after a collision with a cameraman in which he hurt his back. The points were sealed ten minutes from time when Ryan Giggs scored his second Premier League goal in a row after Nani played a neat ball to beat the offside trap.
Reading 0-3 Wigan: Wigan move out of the relegation zone on goal difference after this colossal victory over fellow relegation candidates. The defeat for Reading isn't catastrophic as they still only sit a point behind Villa and Wigan. The visitors crucially took the in the final minute of normal time in the first half when Maynor Figueroa's header from an undefended corner hit Arouna Kone which diverted it into the net. Kone then made it 2-0 in injury time when Jean Beausejour found an exquisite ball to break the offside trap and the Ivorian cheekily chipped the diving Adam Federici. It became 3-0 just three minutes into the second half when a neat one-two between Franco Di Santo and Figueroa saw the latter finish coolly between Federici's legs. The mountain became too high to climb for Reading as the half had only been going ten minutes before Pavel Pogrebnyak was shown a straight red for a striker's lunge into the ankle of Figueroa.
Norwich 2-1 Everton: Two late goals from Norwich sees them move eight points clear of the bottom three. The defeat for Everton means they slip to five points behind Arsenal in sixth place. Everton took the lead six minutes before half-time when Leighton Baines' cross was headed home by Leon Osman. Norwich equalised when Kei Kamara headed a corner home for his first ever goal in England. Grant Holt then won the game with virtually the last kick when Kamara's header down was prodded home by the Norwich captain, his fifth of the season.
West Brom 2-1 Sunderland: Sunderland sit just five points clear of the relegation zone after another defeat. It was another Romelu Lukaku show which began ten minutes before half time when Craig Gardner was adjudged to have handled in the box. The young Belgian stepped and dispatched it down the middle. Lukaku then made it 2-0 when a poor back pass from Titus Bramble allowed him to get the run of Simon Mignolet. Mignolet did actually get to the ball first but his clearance smacked Lukaku and went in to the net with 15-minutes to play. Sunderland managed to pull one back four minutes later when Stephane Sessegnon's curling effort deflected off Jonas Olsson before going in. But West Brom held on to move up to seventh.
Fulham 1-0 Stoke: Fulham move to within a point of Stoke and eight points clear of safety after this close fought victory. The only goal of the game came in first half injury time when Dimitar Berbatov smashed a wonderful effort past Asmir Begovic. Stoke's best chance to equalise came ten minutes into the second half when Ashkan Dejagah handled in the area. Jon Walters stepped up and it would have found the bottom except for Mark Schwarzer guessing right and stopping the placed effort.
Sunday 24 February 2013
Five Star Swansea Win First Ever Trophy
In their centenary year, Swansea City have won their first ever piece of major silverware. They did it in a comprehensive style by ending the valiant dream of Bradford City. The first half saw Swansea keep 75% possession with Bradford only hitting one shot on target all match, which came far too late and after Matt Duke had been sent off for conceding a penalty.
Bradford, who beat Wigan, Arsenal and Aston Villa over two legs to get into the final, were finally over awed but managed to stand strong for the first quarter of an hour. A minute later though and the deadlock was broken; Michu finding a low curling shot that Duke could only parry a little wide of the goal. Nathan Dyer managed to get to the ball before the defender and stab the ball home.
Swansea hit a crucial second five minutes before half-time to completely change Bradford's outlook at half-time. Michu again took on a defender before this time finding another curling effort which Duke could do nothing about this time.
Bradford started the second half very attack minded and look to trouble the Swansea defence. But this only lasted two minutes as Swansea went up the other end and produced some great football to make it 3-0. Dyer began the move with a ball to Michu. The Spaniard let it run to Wayne Routledge who fed Dyer in the
box to score his second goal of the match.
The game was well and truly over just 11-minutes into the second half when one of the heroes of the tournament, Duke, brought substitute Jonathan De Guzman down in the box and unfortunately had to be sent off for denying a clear goalscoring opportunity. While Bradford were busy preparing the required substitute, there was an argument brewing in the box. Dyer wanted to take the penalty for the chance to score the first ever hat-trick in a League Cup final. But De Guzman was having none of it and held the ball firmly in his grasp. De Guzman eventually won the argument and stepped up to convert coolly into the bottom corner.
Dyer was later substituted so missed out on the opportunity to reach the history making milestone. The damage was finally over with in the second minute of injury time after Michu had an effort splendidly saved by Jon McLaughlin and Routledge followed that up with a fantastic shot that came off the bar and post before somehow staying out. But the goal when Roland Lamah's cross was slid home by De Guzman for his second of the night.
Bradford, who beat Wigan, Arsenal and Aston Villa over two legs to get into the final, were finally over awed but managed to stand strong for the first quarter of an hour. A minute later though and the deadlock was broken; Michu finding a low curling shot that Duke could only parry a little wide of the goal. Nathan Dyer managed to get to the ball before the defender and stab the ball home.
Swansea hit a crucial second five minutes before half-time to completely change Bradford's outlook at half-time. Michu again took on a defender before this time finding another curling effort which Duke could do nothing about this time.
Bradford started the second half very attack minded and look to trouble the Swansea defence. But this only lasted two minutes as Swansea went up the other end and produced some great football to make it 3-0. Dyer began the move with a ball to Michu. The Spaniard let it run to Wayne Routledge who fed Dyer in the
box to score his second goal of the match.
The game was well and truly over just 11-minutes into the second half when one of the heroes of the tournament, Duke, brought substitute Jonathan De Guzman down in the box and unfortunately had to be sent off for denying a clear goalscoring opportunity. While Bradford were busy preparing the required substitute, there was an argument brewing in the box. Dyer wanted to take the penalty for the chance to score the first ever hat-trick in a League Cup final. But De Guzman was having none of it and held the ball firmly in his grasp. De Guzman eventually won the argument and stepped up to convert coolly into the bottom corner.
Dyer was later substituted so missed out on the opportunity to reach the history making milestone. The damage was finally over with in the second minute of injury time after Michu had an effort splendidly saved by Jon McLaughlin and Routledge followed that up with a fantastic shot that came off the bar and post before somehow staying out. But the goal when Roland Lamah's cross was slid home by De Guzman for his second of the night.
Thursday 21 February 2013
Taylor Goes Top, First Win for MVG, First Point for Newton, Lewis Still Searching
The BIC, Bournemouth, witnessed the third staging of the 2013 Darts Premier League and there were changes to the table. After two convincing wins, Raymond Van Barneveld fell victim to playing Michael Van Gerwen rather than the board, although Van Gerwen played very well throughout, to give the younger Dutchman his first victory of the competition and remain unbeaten. Phil Taylor goes top after thrashing Simon Whitlock to also remain unbeaten while a second draw for Robert Thornton sees still to lose as Wes Newton threw away the opportunity for his first victory. But the draw for Newton means that Adrian Lewis is now the only player still searching for his first point of the competition.
It was Lewis who kicked the night off against his old enemy, James Wade. Thankfully there were no shenanigans like in their recent meetings as both players did their talking on the board. The start was rather cagey and it took Lewis six attempts to level the match at 1-1. He then crucially missed two darts to break the throw and Wade punished him by cruising into a 4-1 lead. Wade missed the double for a 124-checkout to guarantee himself a point, keeping Lewis in it at 5-3. The point was secured in the following leg before Wade then missed his favourite double ten to take out 140 and win the match 7-3, which would have been the third defeat by that scoreline for Lewis. But Wade remained unfazed and again took the following leg to win 7-4 for his second victory of the tournament. This leaves in turmoil and will feature in a must win 'six pointer' against Newton next week.
After a nervy opening couple of weeks in Newton's debut Premier League, he finally managed to bag himself a point to go above Lewis. Newton looked like his usual self at the start, quickly taking a 2-0 lead. Thornton pulled a leg back with the fourth attempt at the double before a 111-checkout regained Newton's two leg lead. Thornton wasn't to be outdone and responded with a classy 114-checkout only to watch Newton make it 4-2 with a fantastic 134-checkout. Thornton made it 4-3 before missing three darts to level the match and a Shanghai 120-checkout from Newton earned his first point and looked to be heading for his first win at 6-3. The Warrior then missed a dart at double to take the victory and a further two legs saw Thornton somehow manage to steal a draw and remain unbeaten.
The 16-time World Champion is back on familiar territory with another big victory over Whitlock, who didn't play as bad as the scoreline suggests. A magnificent 140-checkout from the Wizard levelled the match at 1-1. The first three legs all went against throw before Taylor found a 127-checkout to hold and go 3-1 in front. Taylor then missed two darts to make it 4-1 as Whitlock was able to pull one back. But that would be the last leg Whitlock won in the match as Taylor didn't give him a sniff. He reeled off the next three legs to guarantee the point before Whitlock missed three darts to pull a leg back, giving Taylor the 7-2 victory.
The battle of Dutchmen didn't quite live up to its billing as Barney seemed to play Van Gerwen rather the board for most of the match. But take nothing away from Van Gerwen as he produced some magnificent darts at times and well deserved his first win of the tournament. Van Gerwen missed three darts to go 2-0 up, allowing Van Barneveld to level with an 86-checkout on the bull. Barney returned the favour by missing a dart to break the throw and go ahead before missing the bull in the fifth leg to go 3-2 in front. It continued to happen for Van Barneveld as he went on to miss another two darts to level the match for the third time but Van Gerwen then gifted the seventh leg to his elder by missing three darts of his own, making it 4-3 to Van Gerwen. Then the young man suddenly flicked a switched and he had now taken a 6-3 lead using just 20-darts shared equally. Barney missed another three darts to keep himself in the game and Van Gerwen gleefully took the 7-3 victory.
It was another tale of disaster doubles for Gary Anderson against Andy Hamilton in the final match of the night. The Scot missed a total of 16-darts and blew the opportunity to earn a point. Prior to the match, Anderson looked relatively pleased as his doubles were going in on the practice board and he no trouble winning the opening leg. But he then missed two darts to make it 2-0 and this took a lot out Anderson and he didn't really recover. Hamilton smelt the blood and surged into a 4-1 lead before posting a 152-checkout, the highest so far in the league this year, to make it 5-2. Hamilton then missed three darts to gain a point and Anderson made it 5-5 with his seventh attempt at the double after Hamilton missed a further three chances. The Hammer finally gave himself a point with his third attempt in the 11th leg and it should have finished 6-6 but Anderson missed another three crucial attempts at the double to give Hamilton both of the points. Table after week three:
1. Phil Taylor 5 +9
2. Raymond Van Barneveld 4 +4
3. Michael Van Gerwen 4 +4
4. Andy Hamilton 4 +3
5. James Wade 4 +3
6. Robert Thornton 4 +2
7. Gary Anderson 2 -3
8. Simon Whitlock 2 -3
9. Wes Newton 1 -8
10. Adrian Lewis 0 -11
It was Lewis who kicked the night off against his old enemy, James Wade. Thankfully there were no shenanigans like in their recent meetings as both players did their talking on the board. The start was rather cagey and it took Lewis six attempts to level the match at 1-1. He then crucially missed two darts to break the throw and Wade punished him by cruising into a 4-1 lead. Wade missed the double for a 124-checkout to guarantee himself a point, keeping Lewis in it at 5-3. The point was secured in the following leg before Wade then missed his favourite double ten to take out 140 and win the match 7-3, which would have been the third defeat by that scoreline for Lewis. But Wade remained unfazed and again took the following leg to win 7-4 for his second victory of the tournament. This leaves in turmoil and will feature in a must win 'six pointer' against Newton next week.
After a nervy opening couple of weeks in Newton's debut Premier League, he finally managed to bag himself a point to go above Lewis. Newton looked like his usual self at the start, quickly taking a 2-0 lead. Thornton pulled a leg back with the fourth attempt at the double before a 111-checkout regained Newton's two leg lead. Thornton wasn't to be outdone and responded with a classy 114-checkout only to watch Newton make it 4-2 with a fantastic 134-checkout. Thornton made it 4-3 before missing three darts to level the match and a Shanghai 120-checkout from Newton earned his first point and looked to be heading for his first win at 6-3. The Warrior then missed a dart at double to take the victory and a further two legs saw Thornton somehow manage to steal a draw and remain unbeaten.
The 16-time World Champion is back on familiar territory with another big victory over Whitlock, who didn't play as bad as the scoreline suggests. A magnificent 140-checkout from the Wizard levelled the match at 1-1. The first three legs all went against throw before Taylor found a 127-checkout to hold and go 3-1 in front. Taylor then missed two darts to make it 4-1 as Whitlock was able to pull one back. But that would be the last leg Whitlock won in the match as Taylor didn't give him a sniff. He reeled off the next three legs to guarantee the point before Whitlock missed three darts to pull a leg back, giving Taylor the 7-2 victory.
The battle of Dutchmen didn't quite live up to its billing as Barney seemed to play Van Gerwen rather the board for most of the match. But take nothing away from Van Gerwen as he produced some magnificent darts at times and well deserved his first win of the tournament. Van Gerwen missed three darts to go 2-0 up, allowing Van Barneveld to level with an 86-checkout on the bull. Barney returned the favour by missing a dart to break the throw and go ahead before missing the bull in the fifth leg to go 3-2 in front. It continued to happen for Van Barneveld as he went on to miss another two darts to level the match for the third time but Van Gerwen then gifted the seventh leg to his elder by missing three darts of his own, making it 4-3 to Van Gerwen. Then the young man suddenly flicked a switched and he had now taken a 6-3 lead using just 20-darts shared equally. Barney missed another three darts to keep himself in the game and Van Gerwen gleefully took the 7-3 victory.
It was another tale of disaster doubles for Gary Anderson against Andy Hamilton in the final match of the night. The Scot missed a total of 16-darts and blew the opportunity to earn a point. Prior to the match, Anderson looked relatively pleased as his doubles were going in on the practice board and he no trouble winning the opening leg. But he then missed two darts to make it 2-0 and this took a lot out Anderson and he didn't really recover. Hamilton smelt the blood and surged into a 4-1 lead before posting a 152-checkout, the highest so far in the league this year, to make it 5-2. Hamilton then missed three darts to gain a point and Anderson made it 5-5 with his seventh attempt at the double after Hamilton missed a further three chances. The Hammer finally gave himself a point with his third attempt in the 11th leg and it should have finished 6-6 but Anderson missed another three crucial attempts at the double to give Hamilton both of the points. Table after week three:
1. Phil Taylor 5 +9
2. Raymond Van Barneveld 4 +4
3. Michael Van Gerwen 4 +4
4. Andy Hamilton 4 +3
5. James Wade 4 +3
6. Robert Thornton 4 +2
7. Gary Anderson 2 -3
8. Simon Whitlock 2 -3
9. Wes Newton 1 -8
10. Adrian Lewis 0 -11
Wednesday 20 February 2013
Milan Silence Barca With Help From Pompey, Schalke Hold Gala In Turkey
The first legs of the Champions League second round have now all been completed and strong favourites, Barcelona, have it all to do in Camp Nou. They travelled to Milan and the red and blacks produced a masterclass in how to keep Barcelona at bay. The Italian giants managed to take the opening leg 2-0 with a bit of help from Portsmouth, their first win over the Spaniards since 2004. Galatasaray hosted Schalke in the other leg on the night and it becomes another gripping tie that has it all to play for going back to Germany. Schalke managed to crucially score an away goal in their 1-1 draw.
It was very unsurprising to see Barcelona have 66% possession during the match but the first half saw Milan look the more threatening without either keeper being tested. Milan were extremely quick throughout the natch to close down the Barca attackers and leave as little space as possible. Unlike other teams, Milan managed to stick to this task for most of the game which left Lionel Messi and the like look rather average and somewhat ineffective.
The first half was a very chess like affair but the second half saw Milan become more attacking with Stephan El Shaarawy looking extremely dangerous and Kevin-Prince Boateng being a nuisance as usual. Massimo Ambrosini and Sulley Muntari provided the guard in the midfield battle as well as the creative flair to begin counter attacks.
The deadlock was finally broken 12-minutes into the second half when a blocked free-kick ended up bouncing off a Milan head, which did initially look like a hand much to Barcelona's claims, before former Portsmouth player Boateng smashed his half-volley magnificently into the bottom corner.
Many felt that this goal against Barcelona would give the Spaniards the impetus to begin to attack more and actually make Christian Abbiati work. But this didn't happen despite the game becoming a little more open. The leg was virtually sealed nine minutes from time when Milan scored a fantastic team effort. It began with Ambrosini feeding in 18-year old substitute M'Baye Niang, who looked extremely dangerous from the minute he came on. Niang managed to recover from a heavy touch and play the ball across to El Shaarawy. El Shaarawy then chipped the ball over a defender for the on-running Muntari, also formerly of Portsmouth, to beautifully volley home for a goal that Barcelona would be more than proud of, also Muntari's first Champions League goal.
The tie is definitely nowhere near over as Barcelona could easily score three or at home. But, based on tonight's performance, Milan will definitely have chances to score and find an away goal. If Milan do put in a similar performance to this, we could well see a shock exit for Barcelona.
Didier Drogba and Wesley Sneijder made their European débuts for Galatasaray who have strengthened in the January transfer window. But it wasn't either who grabbed the headlines for the Turkish side. So far this season, only the Yilmaz brothers have scored in the Champions League. This pattern continued after 12-minutes when Selcuk Inan played the ball through for Burak to slot home his seventh goal of the competition, the first Turkish player in history to record such a feat in the Champions League.
The first half remained very open with Drogba and Yilmaz looking dangerous for Galatasaray and Jefferson Farfan providing the threat for Schalke. The Germans then hit the sucker punch at possibly the best time in the match for them, just before half-time. Farfan took advantage of a mistake and played the ball through for Jermaine Jones to slot home into the empty net.
Sneijder was taken off at half-time after failing to make any real impact on the game and the second half began a lot more cagier than the first. Neither could force an opening and the game remained at 1-1 which just about gives Schalke the advantage going into the second leg.
It was very unsurprising to see Barcelona have 66% possession during the match but the first half saw Milan look the more threatening without either keeper being tested. Milan were extremely quick throughout the natch to close down the Barca attackers and leave as little space as possible. Unlike other teams, Milan managed to stick to this task for most of the game which left Lionel Messi and the like look rather average and somewhat ineffective.
The first half was a very chess like affair but the second half saw Milan become more attacking with Stephan El Shaarawy looking extremely dangerous and Kevin-Prince Boateng being a nuisance as usual. Massimo Ambrosini and Sulley Muntari provided the guard in the midfield battle as well as the creative flair to begin counter attacks.
The deadlock was finally broken 12-minutes into the second half when a blocked free-kick ended up bouncing off a Milan head, which did initially look like a hand much to Barcelona's claims, before former Portsmouth player Boateng smashed his half-volley magnificently into the bottom corner.
Many felt that this goal against Barcelona would give the Spaniards the impetus to begin to attack more and actually make Christian Abbiati work. But this didn't happen despite the game becoming a little more open. The leg was virtually sealed nine minutes from time when Milan scored a fantastic team effort. It began with Ambrosini feeding in 18-year old substitute M'Baye Niang, who looked extremely dangerous from the minute he came on. Niang managed to recover from a heavy touch and play the ball across to El Shaarawy. El Shaarawy then chipped the ball over a defender for the on-running Muntari, also formerly of Portsmouth, to beautifully volley home for a goal that Barcelona would be more than proud of, also Muntari's first Champions League goal.
The tie is definitely nowhere near over as Barcelona could easily score three or at home. But, based on tonight's performance, Milan will definitely have chances to score and find an away goal. If Milan do put in a similar performance to this, we could well see a shock exit for Barcelona.
Didier Drogba and Wesley Sneijder made their European débuts for Galatasaray who have strengthened in the January transfer window. But it wasn't either who grabbed the headlines for the Turkish side. So far this season, only the Yilmaz brothers have scored in the Champions League. This pattern continued after 12-minutes when Selcuk Inan played the ball through for Burak to slot home his seventh goal of the competition, the first Turkish player in history to record such a feat in the Champions League.
The first half remained very open with Drogba and Yilmaz looking dangerous for Galatasaray and Jefferson Farfan providing the threat for Schalke. The Germans then hit the sucker punch at possibly the best time in the match for them, just before half-time. Farfan took advantage of a mistake and played the ball through for Jermaine Jones to slot home into the empty net.
Sneijder was taken off at half-time after failing to make any real impact on the game and the second half began a lot more cagier than the first. Neither could force an opening and the game remained at 1-1 which just about gives Schalke the advantage going into the second leg.
Tuesday 19 February 2013
Defiant Wenger Soundly Beaten, Porto Take Slender Lead To Spain
After Arsene Wenger's defiant speech in the press room on Monday, his team failed to prove him right and lost 3-1 to Bayern Munich in the Emirates. Meanwhile in Portugal, Porto prevented Malaga from scoring a pivotal away goal and will go to Spain with a 1-0 lead.
Arsenal were very slow in the first half and found themselves behind after just seven minutes. Bayern broke down the wing and Thomas Muller found a pull back which was slightly mis-hit. This proved to be an advantage as none of the defenders could get to it and Toni Kroos smashed the ball off the ground and past Wojiech Szczesny from the edge of the box.
Despite being slow, Arsenal didn't look over-awed prior to the goal but it broke their spirit. Bayern smelt blood and poor defending allowed the Germans to grab a second away goal just after twenty minutes. Arsenal decided to mark zonally from a corner which allowed Daniel Van Buyten a free header at the near post. Szczesny managed to prevent it from going in but his block barely moved two yards and Muller was on hand to poke the ball home.
Arsenal were much improved in the second half and Arsenal had pulled a goal back ten minutes after the restart. Another corner proved to be the downfall as Manuel Neuer half came and then stopped dead when he knew he couldn't get to it. This allowed Lukas Podolski to head home from the far post into the empty net, scoring against his former employers and Bayern's first concession of 2013.
From that, Arsenal had the momentum and Jack Wilshere looked to be running the creative show in midfield. Wenger also responded by bringing off Podolski and Aaron Ramsey who both had yellow cards for Tomas Rosicky and Olivier Giroud, forcing Theo Walcott on to the wing. This almost paid instant dividends as Rosicky found a delightful lofted ball out wide to Walcott who then pulled it back for Giroud to smash straight at Neuer, anywhere else and he would have scored.
But Arsenal would be made to rue that guilt edged opportunity as Munich restored their two goal lead 13-minutes from the end. Substitute Arjen Robben fed the overlapping Philipp Lahm who played the ball across and a mixture of Bacary Sagna and Mario Mandzukic sent the ball into the air before dipping into the net. With a two goal advantage and three away goals, it's not impossible for Arsenal to turn this tie around but rather improbable. One positive is that Bastian Schweinsteiger will be suspended for the second leg in the Allianz Arena.
The other tie will be much more open in Spain between Malaga and Porto. It may be a case of missed opportunity for Porto as they dominated in front of their supporters but only have one goal to show for it. That goal came 11-minutes into the second half when Sandro played Joao Moutinho in with a great through ball for the striker to stab home.
Malaga may be disappointed with their underwhelming performance in this first leg but should be rather confident of now winning this match in their own back yard despite failing to score an away goal.
Arsenal were very slow in the first half and found themselves behind after just seven minutes. Bayern broke down the wing and Thomas Muller found a pull back which was slightly mis-hit. This proved to be an advantage as none of the defenders could get to it and Toni Kroos smashed the ball off the ground and past Wojiech Szczesny from the edge of the box.
Despite being slow, Arsenal didn't look over-awed prior to the goal but it broke their spirit. Bayern smelt blood and poor defending allowed the Germans to grab a second away goal just after twenty minutes. Arsenal decided to mark zonally from a corner which allowed Daniel Van Buyten a free header at the near post. Szczesny managed to prevent it from going in but his block barely moved two yards and Muller was on hand to poke the ball home.
Arsenal were much improved in the second half and Arsenal had pulled a goal back ten minutes after the restart. Another corner proved to be the downfall as Manuel Neuer half came and then stopped dead when he knew he couldn't get to it. This allowed Lukas Podolski to head home from the far post into the empty net, scoring against his former employers and Bayern's first concession of 2013.
From that, Arsenal had the momentum and Jack Wilshere looked to be running the creative show in midfield. Wenger also responded by bringing off Podolski and Aaron Ramsey who both had yellow cards for Tomas Rosicky and Olivier Giroud, forcing Theo Walcott on to the wing. This almost paid instant dividends as Rosicky found a delightful lofted ball out wide to Walcott who then pulled it back for Giroud to smash straight at Neuer, anywhere else and he would have scored.
But Arsenal would be made to rue that guilt edged opportunity as Munich restored their two goal lead 13-minutes from the end. Substitute Arjen Robben fed the overlapping Philipp Lahm who played the ball across and a mixture of Bacary Sagna and Mario Mandzukic sent the ball into the air before dipping into the net. With a two goal advantage and three away goals, it's not impossible for Arsenal to turn this tie around but rather improbable. One positive is that Bastian Schweinsteiger will be suspended for the second leg in the Allianz Arena.
The other tie will be much more open in Spain between Malaga and Porto. It may be a case of missed opportunity for Porto as they dominated in front of their supporters but only have one goal to show for it. That goal came 11-minutes into the second half when Sandro played Joao Moutinho in with a great through ball for the striker to stab home.
Malaga may be disappointed with their underwhelming performance in this first leg but should be rather confident of now winning this match in their own back yard despite failing to score an away goal.
Monday 18 February 2013
FA Cup Fifth (& Fourth) Round Results (Liverpool Thrash Swansea)
Manchester United 2-1 Reading: Two goals in three minutes help United progress to the quarter finals. Tumultuous second half pressure finally paid off on 69-minutes when first half substitute Nani fired home. United made it 2-0 three minutes later when Javier Hernandez managed to head home from a Tom Cleverley cross. United were made to sweat in the final ten minutes when sleepy defending saw Jobi McAnuff pull one back with nine minutes to play. But United held on to dump their third fellow Premier League side out of the tournament.
(Premiership) Liverpool 5-0 Swansea: Liverpool move ahead of Swansea after thrashing an under strength side. Only four players who beat QPR last week started at Anfield with Michael Laudrup setting his sights on the Capital One Cup final next week. The deadlock was broken nine minutes before half-time when Kemy Agustien tripped Luis Suarez from a corner. Steven Gerrard stepped up and converted despite Michel Vorm guessing right. Philippe Coutinho marked his debut with Liverpool's second just 16-minutes into the second half. A great piece of team play saw Jose Enrique play a one-two with Daniel Sturridge before the defender slotted home Liverpool's third on 50-minutes. The game was well and truly over six minutes later when Suarez finished off a pass from Stewart Downing. The rout was completed on 71-minutes when Wayne Routledge handled in the box and Sturridge this time stepped and converted with Vorm again guessing the right way. Liverpool are now nine points away from Tottenham in fourth place although everyone has a game in hand over them.
(Fourth Round) Chelsea 4-0 Brentford: Chelsea will now face Middlesbrough at the Riverside a week Wednesday after seeing off Brentford at the second attempt. It took nine minutes into the second half for Chelsea to take the lead through Juan Mata. Oscar finished off a lovely move to make it 2-0 on 68-minutes before Frank Lampard became Chelsea's highest goalscorer in the FA Cup with their third on 71-minutes. The rout was completed nine minutes from time when John Terry added his name to the scoresheet.
Huddersfield Town 1-4 Wigan Athletic: Wigan become the third Premiership side definitely in the quarter finals after avoiding an upset against Huddersfield. Callum McManaman put Wigan ahead just after the half hour mark before Arouna Kone doubled their lead five minutes before half time. James McArthur made it three 11-minutes into the second half before Lee Novak pulled one back on 62-minutes. Kone added the fourth in the final minute of normal time.
Manchester City 4-0 Leeds United: The 2011 winners ease themselves into the quarter finals after a much better display than that against Southampton last week. City took the lead after just five minutes when Yaya Toure scored after a couple of cutting one-twos. Sergio Aguero slightly refereed the game on the quarter of an hour mark when he stopped playing after believing to have been pulled back. Referee Mark Clattenburg agreed with him and pointed to the spot for the Argentine to slot home. Carlos Tevez made it 3-0 seven minutes into the second half before Aguero rounded it off with his second on 74-minutes.
Oldham Athletic 2-2 Everton: Oldham are at it again after dumping Liverpool out in the last round. Matt Smith scored two against the reds and scored the vital equaliser in the 94th minute to force a replay at Goodison. The dream was well and truly on when Jordan Obita put the League One side ahead after 13-minutes. The lead only lasted for 11-minutes when Victor Anichebe levelled. Everton looked to have it firmly in their grasp when Phil Jagielka headed Everton ahead three minutes into the second half. But Oldham came on strong in the last ten minutes and finally kept the dream alive with Smith's header in the depths of injury time.
Arsenal 0-1 Blackburn Rovers: After being knocked out by Bradford in the Capital One Cup this season, Arsenal have now been knocked out by Blackburn to become the eighth Premiership side to be ousted from the competition by a lower league opposition this season. Arsenal's biggest names were all on the bench and would watch Blackburn's only shot on target find the net courtesy of Colin Kazim-Richards on 72-minutes against the club he was briefly at as a boy. The cavalry did quickly emerge from the bench but couldn't prevent the Championship side from gaining this scalp.
Milton Keynes Dons 1-3 Barnsley: The 2007/08 semi-finalists are one game away from repeating that feat after overcoming their League One opposition. The Championship side took the lead after just three minutes through Chris Dagnall before Marlon Harewood made it 2-0 on 19-minutes. Dean Bowditch pulled a goal just after the hour mark and the prospect of 12-added minutes because of an injury looked to set up a tantalising finish. But Barnsley could breath after just a minute of the added time when Dagnall got his second to make it 3-1. Alan Smith was shown a red card in the 95th minute for a late attempted header which was perceived as a head-butt.
Luton Town 0-3 Millwall: Luton's magical run is over after succumbing to the Championship outfit. The 2004 runners-up have been in the news for the wrong reasons this week but this result gives them the headlines for the right reasons. James Henry took full advantage of a bad defensive error to give Millwall the lead on 12-minutes. On-loan Rob Hulse scored his first goal for the visitors nine minutes before half-time and Dany N'Guessan rounded the day off with the third four minutes from the end.
(Premiership) Liverpool 5-0 Swansea: Liverpool move ahead of Swansea after thrashing an under strength side. Only four players who beat QPR last week started at Anfield with Michael Laudrup setting his sights on the Capital One Cup final next week. The deadlock was broken nine minutes before half-time when Kemy Agustien tripped Luis Suarez from a corner. Steven Gerrard stepped up and converted despite Michel Vorm guessing right. Philippe Coutinho marked his debut with Liverpool's second just 16-minutes into the second half. A great piece of team play saw Jose Enrique play a one-two with Daniel Sturridge before the defender slotted home Liverpool's third on 50-minutes. The game was well and truly over six minutes later when Suarez finished off a pass from Stewart Downing. The rout was completed on 71-minutes when Wayne Routledge handled in the box and Sturridge this time stepped and converted with Vorm again guessing the right way. Liverpool are now nine points away from Tottenham in fourth place although everyone has a game in hand over them.
(Fourth Round) Chelsea 4-0 Brentford: Chelsea will now face Middlesbrough at the Riverside a week Wednesday after seeing off Brentford at the second attempt. It took nine minutes into the second half for Chelsea to take the lead through Juan Mata. Oscar finished off a lovely move to make it 2-0 on 68-minutes before Frank Lampard became Chelsea's highest goalscorer in the FA Cup with their third on 71-minutes. The rout was completed nine minutes from time when John Terry added his name to the scoresheet.
Huddersfield Town 1-4 Wigan Athletic: Wigan become the third Premiership side definitely in the quarter finals after avoiding an upset against Huddersfield. Callum McManaman put Wigan ahead just after the half hour mark before Arouna Kone doubled their lead five minutes before half time. James McArthur made it three 11-minutes into the second half before Lee Novak pulled one back on 62-minutes. Kone added the fourth in the final minute of normal time.
Manchester City 4-0 Leeds United: The 2011 winners ease themselves into the quarter finals after a much better display than that against Southampton last week. City took the lead after just five minutes when Yaya Toure scored after a couple of cutting one-twos. Sergio Aguero slightly refereed the game on the quarter of an hour mark when he stopped playing after believing to have been pulled back. Referee Mark Clattenburg agreed with him and pointed to the spot for the Argentine to slot home. Carlos Tevez made it 3-0 seven minutes into the second half before Aguero rounded it off with his second on 74-minutes.
Oldham Athletic 2-2 Everton: Oldham are at it again after dumping Liverpool out in the last round. Matt Smith scored two against the reds and scored the vital equaliser in the 94th minute to force a replay at Goodison. The dream was well and truly on when Jordan Obita put the League One side ahead after 13-minutes. The lead only lasted for 11-minutes when Victor Anichebe levelled. Everton looked to have it firmly in their grasp when Phil Jagielka headed Everton ahead three minutes into the second half. But Oldham came on strong in the last ten minutes and finally kept the dream alive with Smith's header in the depths of injury time.
Arsenal 0-1 Blackburn Rovers: After being knocked out by Bradford in the Capital One Cup this season, Arsenal have now been knocked out by Blackburn to become the eighth Premiership side to be ousted from the competition by a lower league opposition this season. Arsenal's biggest names were all on the bench and would watch Blackburn's only shot on target find the net courtesy of Colin Kazim-Richards on 72-minutes against the club he was briefly at as a boy. The cavalry did quickly emerge from the bench but couldn't prevent the Championship side from gaining this scalp.
Milton Keynes Dons 1-3 Barnsley: The 2007/08 semi-finalists are one game away from repeating that feat after overcoming their League One opposition. The Championship side took the lead after just three minutes through Chris Dagnall before Marlon Harewood made it 2-0 on 19-minutes. Dean Bowditch pulled a goal just after the hour mark and the prospect of 12-added minutes because of an injury looked to set up a tantalising finish. But Barnsley could breath after just a minute of the added time when Dagnall got his second to make it 3-1. Alan Smith was shown a red card in the 95th minute for a late attempted header which was perceived as a head-butt.
Luton Town 0-3 Millwall: Luton's magical run is over after succumbing to the Championship outfit. The 2004 runners-up have been in the news for the wrong reasons this week but this result gives them the headlines for the right reasons. James Henry took full advantage of a bad defensive error to give Millwall the lead on 12-minutes. On-loan Rob Hulse scored his first goal for the visitors nine minutes before half-time and Dany N'Guessan rounded the day off with the third four minutes from the end.
Sunday 17 February 2013
FA Cup Quarter Final Draw
Oldham Athletic/Everton v Wigan Athletic
Manchester City v Barnsley
Manchester United v Middlesbrough/Chelsea
Millwall v Blackburn Rovers
Manchester City v Barnsley
Manchester United v Middlesbrough/Chelsea
Millwall v Blackburn Rovers
Thursday 14 February 2013
Scots Do Aberdeen Proud, Barney Invincible, Lewis Thrashed Again
The second week of the 2013 Premier League Darts headed to Aberdeen where Scots, Gary Anderson and Robert Thornton, graced their homeland. Anderson was inspired for the latter part of his match against Simon Whitlock in which to comeback and win. Thornton concluded the night against Michael Van Gerwen in an enthralling match that saw all 12-legs go with throw, ensuring that both débutantes remain undefeated.
The other debutante, Wes Newton, is still to pick up a point after running into a bombarding Raymond Van Barneveld who is the only player to win his first two games. Phil Taylor is also still undefeated after thrashing a sorry Adrian Lewis who also remains without a point despite his new darts and ever present confidence. Andy Hamilton also managed to get his first points of the competition after staving off a late James Wade comeback.
The night began with Newton against Van Barneveld and the Dutchman immediately set out his stall with a 116-checkout to take a 2-0 lead. Newton would miss the double for a potential 108-checkout which would have made it 3-2, Barney responded with a second 116-checkout to lead 4-1. That became five when the Dutchman made it three magical ton plus checkouts, this time a 117. Newton did find a 46-checkout despite hitting the double-14 first to make it 6-2 before missing two darts to stay further in the game. Barney wasn't going to hang around and gladly took the 7-2 victory which now gives him a +8 legs difference already.
Wade looked really out of it against Hamilton in the second game of the night. After missing a dart to take the opening leg, Wade wasn't really anywhere near for a large majority of the match. Hamilton posted a Shanghai 120-checkout to make it 2-0 before extending that to 5-0 and a leg away from his first point of the tournament. The point was assured a 6-1 and the win looked more than inevitable. But Wade began to start playing and managed off to reel three legs on the spin to reduce the arrears to 6-4 and make it a little nervy for the Hammer. But Hamilton responded with a flawless leg and took out-32 to win it 7-4 and post his first victory of the competition.
For a time in the third match, it looked like Anderson had once again allowed his home crowd to overwhelm him against Whitlock. The Aussie took a quick 2-0 lead before Anderson missed four darts in the the third leg but was able to recover to make it 2-1. Anderson out-scored Whitlock for most of the match but a further three missed doubles allowed Whitlock to take 74-out on the bull to lead 3-1. Anderson was at it again in the crucial sixth leg, he missed three darts to leave the door open for Whitlock. But Whitlock also missed three darts to give a opportunity back, the Scot then missed his next two before managing to find double-18 with the sixth attempt to level the match at 3-3. This gave Anderson the momentum and he had soon won five legs in a row to guarantee himself a point at 6-3. The Scot's doubles again left him as he missed five match darts to allow Whitlock to close the gap to 6-5 and force a final leg. The Aussie agonisingly missed the double for a 157-checkout and Anderson managed to take-24 to squeeze over the line despite dominating in the scoring department.
Lewis was quite outspoken behind the scenes before his match against Taylor. Jackpot has got new darts and he felt like he had returned to true form. Unfortunately this didn't happen as neither player really turned up despite Lewis ultimately getting another 7-3 hiding. A 72-checkout on the bull allowed Lewis to break back and level the match at 1-1. Taylor then missed the double for a 110-checkout which meant Lewis broke the throw for the fourth time in the match at 3-3. Taylor recovered with a 103-checkout to make it five breaks of throw in the match before Taylor made it six in the ninth leg to guarantee himself a point. The tenth leg actually went with throw as Taylor secured his first victory of the tournament.
It's unusual to see a game where every single leg goes with the throw, even rarer to find such a game that remains entertaining and dramatic, but that's what Thornton and Van Gerwen managed to produce. A nervy opening leg saw both players miss two darts to win it before Thornton managed to hold. The sixth leg saw Van Gerwen just hold with a 104-checkout to level up the match for the third time. The Dutchman then had two legs to break in the next leg with Thornton missing a dart of his own to break in the eighth leg as the score went to 4-4. Thornton obviously got to the point first and then missed the double to win the game with a 140-checkout. Van Gerwen returned to clear-25 and grab a deserved point. Second week table:
1. Raymond Van Barneveld 4 +8
2. Phil Taylor 3 +4
3. Robert Thornton 3 +2
4. Simon Whitlock 2 +2
5. Andy Hamilton 2 +1
6. Michael Van Gerwen 2 0
7. James Wade 2 0
8. Gary Anderson 2 -1
9. Adrian Lewis 0 -8
10. Wes Newton 0 -8
The other debutante, Wes Newton, is still to pick up a point after running into a bombarding Raymond Van Barneveld who is the only player to win his first two games. Phil Taylor is also still undefeated after thrashing a sorry Adrian Lewis who also remains without a point despite his new darts and ever present confidence. Andy Hamilton also managed to get his first points of the competition after staving off a late James Wade comeback.
The night began with Newton against Van Barneveld and the Dutchman immediately set out his stall with a 116-checkout to take a 2-0 lead. Newton would miss the double for a potential 108-checkout which would have made it 3-2, Barney responded with a second 116-checkout to lead 4-1. That became five when the Dutchman made it three magical ton plus checkouts, this time a 117. Newton did find a 46-checkout despite hitting the double-14 first to make it 6-2 before missing two darts to stay further in the game. Barney wasn't going to hang around and gladly took the 7-2 victory which now gives him a +8 legs difference already.
Wade looked really out of it against Hamilton in the second game of the night. After missing a dart to take the opening leg, Wade wasn't really anywhere near for a large majority of the match. Hamilton posted a Shanghai 120-checkout to make it 2-0 before extending that to 5-0 and a leg away from his first point of the tournament. The point was assured a 6-1 and the win looked more than inevitable. But Wade began to start playing and managed off to reel three legs on the spin to reduce the arrears to 6-4 and make it a little nervy for the Hammer. But Hamilton responded with a flawless leg and took out-32 to win it 7-4 and post his first victory of the competition.
For a time in the third match, it looked like Anderson had once again allowed his home crowd to overwhelm him against Whitlock. The Aussie took a quick 2-0 lead before Anderson missed four darts in the the third leg but was able to recover to make it 2-1. Anderson out-scored Whitlock for most of the match but a further three missed doubles allowed Whitlock to take 74-out on the bull to lead 3-1. Anderson was at it again in the crucial sixth leg, he missed three darts to leave the door open for Whitlock. But Whitlock also missed three darts to give a opportunity back, the Scot then missed his next two before managing to find double-18 with the sixth attempt to level the match at 3-3. This gave Anderson the momentum and he had soon won five legs in a row to guarantee himself a point at 6-3. The Scot's doubles again left him as he missed five match darts to allow Whitlock to close the gap to 6-5 and force a final leg. The Aussie agonisingly missed the double for a 157-checkout and Anderson managed to take-24 to squeeze over the line despite dominating in the scoring department.
Lewis was quite outspoken behind the scenes before his match against Taylor. Jackpot has got new darts and he felt like he had returned to true form. Unfortunately this didn't happen as neither player really turned up despite Lewis ultimately getting another 7-3 hiding. A 72-checkout on the bull allowed Lewis to break back and level the match at 1-1. Taylor then missed the double for a 110-checkout which meant Lewis broke the throw for the fourth time in the match at 3-3. Taylor recovered with a 103-checkout to make it five breaks of throw in the match before Taylor made it six in the ninth leg to guarantee himself a point. The tenth leg actually went with throw as Taylor secured his first victory of the tournament.
It's unusual to see a game where every single leg goes with the throw, even rarer to find such a game that remains entertaining and dramatic, but that's what Thornton and Van Gerwen managed to produce. A nervy opening leg saw both players miss two darts to win it before Thornton managed to hold. The sixth leg saw Van Gerwen just hold with a 104-checkout to level up the match for the third time. The Dutchman then had two legs to break in the next leg with Thornton missing a dart of his own to break in the eighth leg as the score went to 4-4. Thornton obviously got to the point first and then missed the double to win the game with a 140-checkout. Van Gerwen returned to clear-25 and grab a deserved point. Second week table:
1. Raymond Van Barneveld 4 +8
2. Phil Taylor 3 +4
3. Robert Thornton 3 +2
4. Simon Whitlock 2 +2
5. Andy Hamilton 2 +1
6. Michael Van Gerwen 2 0
7. James Wade 2 0
8. Gary Anderson 2 -1
9. Adrian Lewis 0 -8
10. Wes Newton 0 -8
Wednesday 13 February 2013
Away Draws For United & Dortmund
Both Manchester United and Borussia Dortmund have come away from home in their first leg matches with away score draws. It's only the one away goal for United who travelled to the Bernabeu while Dortmund managed to get in the Ukraine against Shakhtar.
After David De Gea pulled off a couple of great saves, United took the lead after 20-minutes when a corner was smartly headed in by Danny Welbeck. But United knew that wouldn't keep a clean sheet against Real Madrid and their lead lasted for ten minutes. Angel Di Maria managing to beat Rafael before floating the ball in the air for, who else, Cristiano Ronaldo to brilliantly head home against his former team. The Portuguese was very respectful and refused to celebrate the equaliser and his seventh goal of the tournament.
United were more attacking in the second half but needed De Gea to continue to be at his brilliant best. Ronaldo almost brought the Bernabeu to life with an outrageous free-kick that just dipped on to the roof of the net. United's best chances to win the match fell to Robin Van Persie, but the Dutchman fluffed one attempted volley and Diego Lopez saved the others.
There was slightly more action in the other match in the Ukraine. The hosts took the lead just after the hour mark when Dario Srna's free-kick found the back of the net. But, just like United, Shakhtar's lead lasted for only ten minutes when Mario Gotze's ball found Robert Lewandowski who had no problem finishing from close range, his fifth goal of the tournament.
Shakhtar retook the lead on 68-minutes when poor defending allowed Douglas Costa to shoulder the ball before finishing well with a scissor's kick. But Dortmund managed to equalise once again, this time Mats Hummels escaped unmarked to head home a corner three minutes from time.
With both United and Dortmund getting away goals, it'd be easy to say that they now have the advantage. For Dortmund this may well be the case as Shakhtar are much better at home than they are away. But United's away goal will surely be cancelled out by Madrid at Old Trafford, leaving this tie tantalisingly open.
After David De Gea pulled off a couple of great saves, United took the lead after 20-minutes when a corner was smartly headed in by Danny Welbeck. But United knew that wouldn't keep a clean sheet against Real Madrid and their lead lasted for ten minutes. Angel Di Maria managing to beat Rafael before floating the ball in the air for, who else, Cristiano Ronaldo to brilliantly head home against his former team. The Portuguese was very respectful and refused to celebrate the equaliser and his seventh goal of the tournament.
United were more attacking in the second half but needed De Gea to continue to be at his brilliant best. Ronaldo almost brought the Bernabeu to life with an outrageous free-kick that just dipped on to the roof of the net. United's best chances to win the match fell to Robin Van Persie, but the Dutchman fluffed one attempted volley and Diego Lopez saved the others.
There was slightly more action in the other match in the Ukraine. The hosts took the lead just after the hour mark when Dario Srna's free-kick found the back of the net. But, just like United, Shakhtar's lead lasted for only ten minutes when Mario Gotze's ball found Robert Lewandowski who had no problem finishing from close range, his fifth goal of the tournament.
Shakhtar retook the lead on 68-minutes when poor defending allowed Douglas Costa to shoulder the ball before finishing well with a scissor's kick. But Dortmund managed to equalise once again, this time Mats Hummels escaped unmarked to head home a corner three minutes from time.
With both United and Dortmund getting away goals, it'd be easy to say that they now have the advantage. For Dortmund this may well be the case as Shakhtar are much better at home than they are away. But United's away goal will surely be cancelled out by Madrid at Old Trafford, leaving this tie tantalisingly open.
Celtic Suffer as PSG Grab Away Goals
The Champions League returned for the first legs of the second round. The first two ties saw Celtic suffer at home to Juventus despite playing very well whilst late drama in Valencia saw the Spaniards pull a goal back against PSG who have claimed two away goals.
The problems for Celtic began after just three minutes when a seemingly jet-lagged Efe Ambrose was shrugged off the ball by Alessandro Matri. Mikael Lustig looked like he had cleared the ball from off the line before Claudio Marchisio scored the rebound. But the ball had already crossed the line before Lustig cleared it and Matri as awarded his first goal of the competition.
Celtic's hopes of levelling the match were dashed when Juventus doubled their lead on 77-minutes. Andrea Pirlo played the ball into the Marchisio who cut inside and finished well past Fraser Forster, his second goal of the competition.
Ambrose's poor night continued as he was guilty of conceding possession as Marchisio nicked the ball off of him. Marchisio then played the ball to Mirko Vucinic who gladly took his second goal of the tournament. With three away goals in the bag, it's extremely hard to see a way back for Celtic when they travel to Italy for the second leg.
PSG also thought that they would have away goals without conceding to take back to France with them. The Frenchmen took the lead after just ten minutes when Javier Pastore fed Ezequiel Lavezzi. Lavezzi then swerved a challenge before smashing a powerful through the hands of the keeper for his fourth goal of the tournament.
It was 2-0 two minutes before half-time when January signing, Lucas, made a fantastic run down the wing. He cut inside and played the ball across for Pastore to slot home between the keeper's legs, his second of the tournament.
PSG looked home and hosed with two away goals but Valencia managed to get themselves back into the tie when Tino Costa's free-kick was headed home by Adil Rami in injury time. The tie may have been opened further as Zlatan Ibrahimovic will be missing the second leg after receiving a red card a minute later for an over the top challenge. It's advantage PSG but Valencia aren't out of it.
The problems for Celtic began after just three minutes when a seemingly jet-lagged Efe Ambrose was shrugged off the ball by Alessandro Matri. Mikael Lustig looked like he had cleared the ball from off the line before Claudio Marchisio scored the rebound. But the ball had already crossed the line before Lustig cleared it and Matri as awarded his first goal of the competition.
Celtic's hopes of levelling the match were dashed when Juventus doubled their lead on 77-minutes. Andrea Pirlo played the ball into the Marchisio who cut inside and finished well past Fraser Forster, his second goal of the competition.
Ambrose's poor night continued as he was guilty of conceding possession as Marchisio nicked the ball off of him. Marchisio then played the ball to Mirko Vucinic who gladly took his second goal of the tournament. With three away goals in the bag, it's extremely hard to see a way back for Celtic when they travel to Italy for the second leg.
PSG also thought that they would have away goals without conceding to take back to France with them. The Frenchmen took the lead after just ten minutes when Javier Pastore fed Ezequiel Lavezzi. Lavezzi then swerved a challenge before smashing a powerful through the hands of the keeper for his fourth goal of the tournament.
It was 2-0 two minutes before half-time when January signing, Lucas, made a fantastic run down the wing. He cut inside and played the ball across for Pastore to slot home between the keeper's legs, his second of the tournament.
PSG looked home and hosed with two away goals but Valencia managed to get themselves back into the tie when Tino Costa's free-kick was headed home by Adil Rami in injury time. The tie may have been opened further as Zlatan Ibrahimovic will be missing the second leg after receiving a red card a minute later for an over the top challenge. It's advantage PSG but Valencia aren't out of it.
Monday 11 February 2013
West Brom's Double, Gap Open to 12 as Villa Climb Out of Relegation
Liverpool 0-2 West Brom: West Brom move above Liverpool after doing their first double over them in 46-years. Steven Gerrard should have put Liverpool ahead with a 76th minute penalty after Luis Suarez was felled in the box. But Gerrard's effort was magnificently saved by Ben Foster. Gareth McAuley headed West Brom level nine minutes from time from a corner that was a result of their first real attack. The points were then wrapped up in injury time when Romelu Lukaku finished powerfully past Pepe Reina.
Aston Villa 2-1 West Ham: Villa climb out of the relegation zone after a great weekend all round for them. Charles N'Zogbia was fouled in the box 16-minutes from time and Christian Benteke scored the penalty to give them the lead. Villa went 2-0 ahead four minutes later when N'Zogbia scored a great free-kick. An Ashley Westwood own goal three minutes from time gave West Ham a goal back, but Villa held on to move a point clear of relegation. West Ham are 11th but sit seven points from safety.
Manchester United 2-0 Everton: United move 12-points clear at the top after beating Everton. Ryan Giggs continued to make history and his goal after 13-minutes meant that he has still scored in every single Premier League season. The points were wrapped up in first half injury time when Robin Van Persie rounded Tim Howard and squeezed the ball into the net despite Phil Jagielka's best efforts to stop it. Everton now fall to sixth and six points behind Tottenham.
Southampton 3-1 Manchester City: Mauricio Pochettino's first win in charge of Southampton comes at a great cost to Manchester City's title hopes. City's woes began after just seven minutes when Rickie Lambert's scuffed shot was parried for Jason Puncheon to smash home. It was 2-0 on 22-minutes when Joe Hart had an absolute howler, dropping a shot through his legs before Steven Davis scrambled it home, his first goal since against City in the first game of the season. City pulled one back five minutes before half-time when a counter attack from a corner was sliced home by Edin Dzeko. But City's hopes of a comeback were ended three minutes into the second half when an unchallenged Gareth Barry superbly placed the ball into his own bottom corner from around the penalty spot. The huge win for Southampton moves them four points ahead of the relegation zone while City remain nine points behind Manchester United who play Everton tomorrow.
Swansea 4-1 QPR: QPR remain rock bottom after losing 9-1 on aggregate to Swansea over the two games. The deadlock was broken after eight minutes was a parried shot came out to Michu who managed to flick the ball over Julio Cesar and into the net. Angel Rangel made it 2-0 on 18-minutes before a poor parry from Michel Vorm allowed substitute Bobby Zamora to pull a goal back three minutes into the second half. Swansea's two goal cushion was restored just three minutes later when Pablo Hernandez worked a way through and smartly scoring from a very acute angle. The points were well and truly wrapped up on 67-minutes when Michu scored his second. QPR remain seven points from safety while Swansea sit seventh and possibly eyeing a European place.
Chelsea 4-1 Wigan: Chelsea move to four points behind Manchester City while Wigan are now three points from safety. Chelsea took the lead on 23-minutes when Ramires scored after being put through by Fernando Torres. It was 2-0 11-minutes into the second half when a pull back was coolly slotted home by Eden Hazard. Wigan managed to pull a goal back just two minutes later when Shaun Maloney beat the offside and pulled Petr Cech miles from his goal before slotting around him. Frank Lampard was once again on the scoresheet with his 198th goal for Chelsea four minutes from time, now four away from the all-time record. Substitute Marko Marin headed home a parried Cesar Azpilicueta cross-come-shot for his first Chelsea goal in injury time, Chelsea's 100th goal in all competitions this season.
Tottenham 2-1 Newcastle: The scoreline could perhaps read Gareth Bale 2-1 France. The win for Spurs sees them move four points clear of Arsenal in fourth place. The defeat for Newcastle sees them remain four points ahead of the relegation zone. A quick start for Spurs saw them take the lead after just five minutes when a free-kick was beautifully placed into the bottom corner by Bale. Newcastle levelled on 24-minutes when Moussa Sissoko's pull back was controlled and fired home by Yoann Gouffran for his first goal in English football. The winner came 12-minutes from the end when Bale managed to beat Fabricio Coloccini to the ball before beating Tim Krul in the one-on-one, his 13th goal of the season.
Sunderland 0-1 Arsenal: Arsenal managed to hold on to the three points despite having ten men for the last half an hour. The win does mean Arsenal remain four points behind Tottenham in the race for fourth, the defeat for Sunderland keeps them just six points clear of the relegation zone. The only goal of the game came ten minutes before half-time when Theo Walcott laid the ball off for Santi Cazorla to fire home juat inside the box albeit with a slight deflection. A worrying sign for Arsenal saw Jack Wilshere forced off early in the second half with another injury. Carl Jenkinson was sent off for his second bookable offence on 62-minutes, a day after his 21st birthday. But Sunderland couldn't take advantage and Arsenal held on to the three points.
Stoke 2-1 Reading: There was no famous Reading comeback this time which leaves them back in the relegation zone, a point from safety. The win for Stoke puts them ten points clear now and only seven points from the famous 40-point mark. It was a rather late showing with the opening goal coming on 67-minutes with Robert Huth heading home a corner for his first goal since Easter Monday. Cameron Jerome made it 2-0 nine minutes from time with a fantastic turn and volley. Reading did threaten another comeback when Adrian Mariappa made it 2-1 two minutes later with a header from a corner. But Reading couldn't get the job done and Stoke managed to keep the three points.
Norwich 0-0 Fulham: A rather lacklustre draw at Carrow Road sees both teams go six points clear of the relegation zone. But neither are safe by any means.
Aston Villa 2-1 West Ham: Villa climb out of the relegation zone after a great weekend all round for them. Charles N'Zogbia was fouled in the box 16-minutes from time and Christian Benteke scored the penalty to give them the lead. Villa went 2-0 ahead four minutes later when N'Zogbia scored a great free-kick. An Ashley Westwood own goal three minutes from time gave West Ham a goal back, but Villa held on to move a point clear of relegation. West Ham are 11th but sit seven points from safety.
Manchester United 2-0 Everton: United move 12-points clear at the top after beating Everton. Ryan Giggs continued to make history and his goal after 13-minutes meant that he has still scored in every single Premier League season. The points were wrapped up in first half injury time when Robin Van Persie rounded Tim Howard and squeezed the ball into the net despite Phil Jagielka's best efforts to stop it. Everton now fall to sixth and six points behind Tottenham.
Southampton 3-1 Manchester City: Mauricio Pochettino's first win in charge of Southampton comes at a great cost to Manchester City's title hopes. City's woes began after just seven minutes when Rickie Lambert's scuffed shot was parried for Jason Puncheon to smash home. It was 2-0 on 22-minutes when Joe Hart had an absolute howler, dropping a shot through his legs before Steven Davis scrambled it home, his first goal since against City in the first game of the season. City pulled one back five minutes before half-time when a counter attack from a corner was sliced home by Edin Dzeko. But City's hopes of a comeback were ended three minutes into the second half when an unchallenged Gareth Barry superbly placed the ball into his own bottom corner from around the penalty spot. The huge win for Southampton moves them four points ahead of the relegation zone while City remain nine points behind Manchester United who play Everton tomorrow.
Swansea 4-1 QPR: QPR remain rock bottom after losing 9-1 on aggregate to Swansea over the two games. The deadlock was broken after eight minutes was a parried shot came out to Michu who managed to flick the ball over Julio Cesar and into the net. Angel Rangel made it 2-0 on 18-minutes before a poor parry from Michel Vorm allowed substitute Bobby Zamora to pull a goal back three minutes into the second half. Swansea's two goal cushion was restored just three minutes later when Pablo Hernandez worked a way through and smartly scoring from a very acute angle. The points were well and truly wrapped up on 67-minutes when Michu scored his second. QPR remain seven points from safety while Swansea sit seventh and possibly eyeing a European place.
Chelsea 4-1 Wigan: Chelsea move to four points behind Manchester City while Wigan are now three points from safety. Chelsea took the lead on 23-minutes when Ramires scored after being put through by Fernando Torres. It was 2-0 11-minutes into the second half when a pull back was coolly slotted home by Eden Hazard. Wigan managed to pull a goal back just two minutes later when Shaun Maloney beat the offside and pulled Petr Cech miles from his goal before slotting around him. Frank Lampard was once again on the scoresheet with his 198th goal for Chelsea four minutes from time, now four away from the all-time record. Substitute Marko Marin headed home a parried Cesar Azpilicueta cross-come-shot for his first Chelsea goal in injury time, Chelsea's 100th goal in all competitions this season.
Tottenham 2-1 Newcastle: The scoreline could perhaps read Gareth Bale 2-1 France. The win for Spurs sees them move four points clear of Arsenal in fourth place. The defeat for Newcastle sees them remain four points ahead of the relegation zone. A quick start for Spurs saw them take the lead after just five minutes when a free-kick was beautifully placed into the bottom corner by Bale. Newcastle levelled on 24-minutes when Moussa Sissoko's pull back was controlled and fired home by Yoann Gouffran for his first goal in English football. The winner came 12-minutes from the end when Bale managed to beat Fabricio Coloccini to the ball before beating Tim Krul in the one-on-one, his 13th goal of the season.
Sunderland 0-1 Arsenal: Arsenal managed to hold on to the three points despite having ten men for the last half an hour. The win does mean Arsenal remain four points behind Tottenham in the race for fourth, the defeat for Sunderland keeps them just six points clear of the relegation zone. The only goal of the game came ten minutes before half-time when Theo Walcott laid the ball off for Santi Cazorla to fire home juat inside the box albeit with a slight deflection. A worrying sign for Arsenal saw Jack Wilshere forced off early in the second half with another injury. Carl Jenkinson was sent off for his second bookable offence on 62-minutes, a day after his 21st birthday. But Sunderland couldn't take advantage and Arsenal held on to the three points.
Stoke 2-1 Reading: There was no famous Reading comeback this time which leaves them back in the relegation zone, a point from safety. The win for Stoke puts them ten points clear now and only seven points from the famous 40-point mark. It was a rather late showing with the opening goal coming on 67-minutes with Robert Huth heading home a corner for his first goal since Easter Monday. Cameron Jerome made it 2-0 nine minutes from time with a fantastic turn and volley. Reading did threaten another comeback when Adrian Mariappa made it 2-1 two minutes later with a header from a corner. But Reading couldn't get the job done and Stoke managed to keep the three points.
Norwich 0-0 Fulham: A rather lacklustre draw at Carrow Road sees both teams go six points clear of the relegation zone. But neither are safe by any means.
Nigeria Get Triple Crowning
Nigeria have won their third African Cup of Nations after seeing off Burkina Faso in a tight fought final in South Africa. The result was perhaps not a surprising one, but the fact Burkina Faso only conceded the one goal just shows how well they've performed this year.
The Nigerians were in charge during the first half without really threatening the Burkinabe defence. Brown Ideye was almost gifted the opening chance when Daouda Diakite dropped the ball but Ideye fired over. Burkina Faso couldn't muster a lot up front and chances were very few and far between. Aristide Bance was probably their most dangerous player from both open play and set pieces.
Ideye was Nigeria's best player during the first half hour but all of their attacking intent was lacking a final ball. The game finally sprung into life when the deadlock was broken five minutes before half-time. The only real highlight of the match saw Sunday Mba chip the ball over Mohamed Koffi before smashing the ball home.
Burkina Faso did try to find an equaliser immediately after with Bance again looking dangerous, although not managing to keep his shot on target. The half time whistle may have come at the wrong time for the underdogs as Nigeria began the second half in control of the ball but without creating anything once again.
Ideye should have made 2-0 but somehow missed his shot from pretty much on the goal-line with no-one their to turn the ball home. Victor Moses was once again Nigeria's most creative player but even he struggled to perform in the front of goal.
Burkina Faso came back into it during the final 15-minutes after Ahmed Musa fell over in their box when Efe Ambrose looked to have set him up. Wilfried Sanou thought he had equalised but Vincent Enyeama somehow produced a wondrous save to stop the effort finding the top corner.
Ideye was again guilty of missing a chance to put the game beyond all doubt towards the end of the game. But Nigeria managed to hold on to prevent Burkina Faso from doing a Zambia and the Super Eagles can now celebrate their third victory before trying to defend it in two years' time.
The Nigerians were in charge during the first half without really threatening the Burkinabe defence. Brown Ideye was almost gifted the opening chance when Daouda Diakite dropped the ball but Ideye fired over. Burkina Faso couldn't muster a lot up front and chances were very few and far between. Aristide Bance was probably their most dangerous player from both open play and set pieces.
Ideye was Nigeria's best player during the first half hour but all of their attacking intent was lacking a final ball. The game finally sprung into life when the deadlock was broken five minutes before half-time. The only real highlight of the match saw Sunday Mba chip the ball over Mohamed Koffi before smashing the ball home.
Burkina Faso did try to find an equaliser immediately after with Bance again looking dangerous, although not managing to keep his shot on target. The half time whistle may have come at the wrong time for the underdogs as Nigeria began the second half in control of the ball but without creating anything once again.
Ideye should have made 2-0 but somehow missed his shot from pretty much on the goal-line with no-one their to turn the ball home. Victor Moses was once again Nigeria's most creative player but even he struggled to perform in the front of goal.
Burkina Faso came back into it during the final 15-minutes after Ahmed Musa fell over in their box when Efe Ambrose looked to have set him up. Wilfried Sanou thought he had equalised but Vincent Enyeama somehow produced a wondrous save to stop the effort finding the top corner.
Ideye was again guilty of missing a chance to put the game beyond all doubt towards the end of the game. But Nigeria managed to hold on to prevent Burkina Faso from doing a Zambia and the Super Eagles can now celebrate their third victory before trying to defend it in two years' time.
Saturday 9 February 2013
Bronze For Mali Again
For the second year running, Mali have beaten Ghana in the African Cup of Nations' third/fourth place play-off. Last year's tie saw Mali win 2-0 and this year had Mali again record a two goal victory over their opponents.
Ghana had started the match with attacking intent but Asamoah Gyan was once again extremely underwhelming in his shooting. Mali did begin to grow in to the game after the opening ten minutes but Christian Atsu should have put Ghana ahead on the quarter hour mark, however his shot was straight at the keeper. Perhaps against the run of play, Mali went and took the lead on 21-minutes when Adama Tamboura's cross was headed home by Mahamadou Samassa.
Ghana continued to be the more attacking despite not really causing too much of a threat. But Mali came closest to going 2-0 ahead before half-time rather than being level again. Samassa found himself through on goal but at an acute angle and his effort agonisingly hit the post.
Ghana were caught cold in the second half and Mali would have their second three minutes into the period when Adama Coulibaly played brilliantly down the wing. He squeezed into the box before rolling a teasing ball across the box. None of the defenders could get a touch of it and Seydou Keita was able to run in a tap home.
The Ghanaians again began to attack and were given a fantastic opportunity to pull a goal back on 57-minutes. Coulibaly was adjudged to have handled the ball despite having his hands behind his back and a penalty was wrongly given. Mubarak Wakaso stepped up with the opportunity to take the lead in the golden boot competition, but his effort was awful and smashed miles over the bar.
Ghana finally pulled one back to set up a tense final eight minutes. Kwadwo Asamoah tried his luck from 25-yards in what looked like a hopeful effort. Somehow, Soumaila Diakite completely mis-judged the flight of ball and ended up diving away from it to let it in.
As the game fell into injury time, Ghana were beginning to run out of ideas and their last ditch corner was easily held. Mali then broke on the counter attack and Sigamary Diarra took advantage of the bounce to slot home and grant Mali the third place.
Ghana had started the match with attacking intent but Asamoah Gyan was once again extremely underwhelming in his shooting. Mali did begin to grow in to the game after the opening ten minutes but Christian Atsu should have put Ghana ahead on the quarter hour mark, however his shot was straight at the keeper. Perhaps against the run of play, Mali went and took the lead on 21-minutes when Adama Tamboura's cross was headed home by Mahamadou Samassa.
Ghana continued to be the more attacking despite not really causing too much of a threat. But Mali came closest to going 2-0 ahead before half-time rather than being level again. Samassa found himself through on goal but at an acute angle and his effort agonisingly hit the post.
Ghana were caught cold in the second half and Mali would have their second three minutes into the period when Adama Coulibaly played brilliantly down the wing. He squeezed into the box before rolling a teasing ball across the box. None of the defenders could get a touch of it and Seydou Keita was able to run in a tap home.
The Ghanaians again began to attack and were given a fantastic opportunity to pull a goal back on 57-minutes. Coulibaly was adjudged to have handled the ball despite having his hands behind his back and a penalty was wrongly given. Mubarak Wakaso stepped up with the opportunity to take the lead in the golden boot competition, but his effort was awful and smashed miles over the bar.
Ghana finally pulled one back to set up a tense final eight minutes. Kwadwo Asamoah tried his luck from 25-yards in what looked like a hopeful effort. Somehow, Soumaila Diakite completely mis-judged the flight of ball and ended up diving away from it to let it in.
As the game fell into injury time, Ghana were beginning to run out of ideas and their last ditch corner was easily held. Mali then broke on the counter attack and Sigamary Diarra took advantage of the bounce to slot home and grant Mali the third place.
Thursday 7 February 2013
Boisterous Belfast Kicks Off the Colossal 2013 Premier League Darts
The Darts Premier League is back and better than ever. The competition has be vamped up to ten top dartists and every single one of them lit up the Odyssey Arena in the first week of what should be the fiercest darting competition ever.
There was rematch of the World Championship final and Phil Taylor was perhaps lucky to earn the first 6-6 draw in the Premier League against the rampant Michael Van Gerwen. The rejuvenated Raymond Van Barneveld started the campaign with a convincing win over Gary Anderson, as did Simon Whitlock over the flailing former World Champion, Adrian Lewis. There was also a debut win for Robert Thornton over Andy Hamilton but Wes Newton's debut didn't quite go to plan, losing to James Wade.
The match of the night was the one the crowd had been waiting for all night, Taylor versus Van Gerwen. Nine darters are almost becoming a commodity and the Belfast crowd were almost treated to one in the opening leg when Taylor fired six perfect darts. Unfortunately, he missed the treble-20 with his seventh but was able to return to take the first leg. It wasn't vintage Taylor and six missed darts at the double allowed Van Gerwen to storm to a 3-1 lead.
The Dutchman returned the favour as he missed three darts to take a 4-2 lead and Taylor punished him with an 89-checkout on the bull to level the match. It didn't deter Van Gerwen and he soon regained his momentum to take the next two legs to go 5-3 in front. That soon became 6-4 as Van Gerwen had guaranteed himself at least a point on his Premier League debut. It should have been both points after the Dutchman fired six perfect darts of his own before also missing treble-20 with his seventh. But Van Gerwen would then miss five darts to win the game and Taylor forced a deciding leg. With 16-World Championships now under his belt, Taylor never knows when he his beaten and he rescued a point with a classy 104-checkout, ending the night in style.
Van Barneveld posted a 102-average in his opening statement against Anderson. It began looking like it could have been one of those nights for the Dutchman as he outscored Anderson but missed four darts in the opening leg before finding himself 2-0 behind. Anderson went 3-1 ahead with a 106-checkout, making it three out of three on the double.
But the Anderson doubling woes returned as he missed seven darts in legs six and seven, giving Barney a 4-3 lead. With flawless scoring, Van Barneveld soon moved to within a leg of victory at 6-3. The Dutchman then missed a dart to win it in the following as Anderson just kept the tie alive. But it didn't cause any nerves in Van Barneveld who quickly took the next leg to win the match 7-4 and start the tournament in the best possible way.
Whitlock will sit on top of the table after the first week with a 7-3 demolition of Lewis. A 108-checkout was necessary for Whitlock to hold his throw and go 2-1 ahead. The first five darts all went with throw before a monumental 121-checkout from the Aussie broke the pattern to go 4-2 ahead.
Lewis was able to break back in the next leg but then crucially missed two darts at the double to hold again, allowing Whitlock to make it three breaks on the trot and to go 5-3 ahead. Lewis' inconsistency continued and he missed five darts to keep himself in the game at 6-4, giving Whitlock the four leg victory which could be vital come what may at the end of the first phase.
Many had already written Thornton out of the tournament before he had even thrown a dart in his debut Premier League year. But the Scot proved why he has been selected with checkouts of 104 and 117 to take a 4-1 lead after losing the opening leg, without missing a dart at the double. Thornton did then miss four darts in the sixth leg but Hamilton couldn't find double-16 for a 99-checkout and the Scot returned to take out three and go 5-1 in front.
But Hamilton showed why he is renowned for his tenacity and why he had got to at least the quarter final stage in all the major tournaments last year, except the UK Open which Thornton won. The Hammer reeled off the three legs on the spin the close the gap. Hamilton then missed a dart to level the match but Thornton couldn't capitalise, missing two darts at double top and Hamilton did come back to make it 5-5. Thornton managed to recover and fired in a magical 120-Shanghai finish to give himself a point before managing the win the match in the final leg, making it a fantastic debut for the Scotsman.
The same couldn't be said for Newton who was easily the most nervous player on the night. Newton missed three darts at the double in the second leg. Fortunately, Wade wasn't on a finish so Newton could return to level the match. He wasn't so lucky in the next leg when he missed three great chances to break the Wade throw. But Wade wasn't immune to missing doubles either, missing three to allow Newton to level the game once more.
Another five missed doubles from Newton again allowed Wade to somehow hold his throw before the Machine managed to break and go 5-2 in front. Newton was able to find a break of his own in the ninth leg to reduce the arrears to 5-4. The tenth leg was an extremely tense with Newton needing to hold to level the match. Both players agonisingly missed three darts to win it before Wade finally took it on double five which then propelled him to take the next leg to win the match 7-4.
The oche moves from Northern Ireland to Scotland for week two as Aberdeen is set to give a hero's welcome to both Anderson and Thornton. Thornton faces Van Gerwen and Anderson faces Whitlock. The big game sees Lewis once again face his mentor, Taylor. Newton's start to life in the Premier League doesn't get any better as he faces Van Barneveld. Wade versus Hamilton completes next week's line-up.
There was rematch of the World Championship final and Phil Taylor was perhaps lucky to earn the first 6-6 draw in the Premier League against the rampant Michael Van Gerwen. The rejuvenated Raymond Van Barneveld started the campaign with a convincing win over Gary Anderson, as did Simon Whitlock over the flailing former World Champion, Adrian Lewis. There was also a debut win for Robert Thornton over Andy Hamilton but Wes Newton's debut didn't quite go to plan, losing to James Wade.
The match of the night was the one the crowd had been waiting for all night, Taylor versus Van Gerwen. Nine darters are almost becoming a commodity and the Belfast crowd were almost treated to one in the opening leg when Taylor fired six perfect darts. Unfortunately, he missed the treble-20 with his seventh but was able to return to take the first leg. It wasn't vintage Taylor and six missed darts at the double allowed Van Gerwen to storm to a 3-1 lead.
The Dutchman returned the favour as he missed three darts to take a 4-2 lead and Taylor punished him with an 89-checkout on the bull to level the match. It didn't deter Van Gerwen and he soon regained his momentum to take the next two legs to go 5-3 in front. That soon became 6-4 as Van Gerwen had guaranteed himself at least a point on his Premier League debut. It should have been both points after the Dutchman fired six perfect darts of his own before also missing treble-20 with his seventh. But Van Gerwen would then miss five darts to win the game and Taylor forced a deciding leg. With 16-World Championships now under his belt, Taylor never knows when he his beaten and he rescued a point with a classy 104-checkout, ending the night in style.
Van Barneveld posted a 102-average in his opening statement against Anderson. It began looking like it could have been one of those nights for the Dutchman as he outscored Anderson but missed four darts in the opening leg before finding himself 2-0 behind. Anderson went 3-1 ahead with a 106-checkout, making it three out of three on the double.
But the Anderson doubling woes returned as he missed seven darts in legs six and seven, giving Barney a 4-3 lead. With flawless scoring, Van Barneveld soon moved to within a leg of victory at 6-3. The Dutchman then missed a dart to win it in the following as Anderson just kept the tie alive. But it didn't cause any nerves in Van Barneveld who quickly took the next leg to win the match 7-4 and start the tournament in the best possible way.
Whitlock will sit on top of the table after the first week with a 7-3 demolition of Lewis. A 108-checkout was necessary for Whitlock to hold his throw and go 2-1 ahead. The first five darts all went with throw before a monumental 121-checkout from the Aussie broke the pattern to go 4-2 ahead.
Lewis was able to break back in the next leg but then crucially missed two darts at the double to hold again, allowing Whitlock to make it three breaks on the trot and to go 5-3 ahead. Lewis' inconsistency continued and he missed five darts to keep himself in the game at 6-4, giving Whitlock the four leg victory which could be vital come what may at the end of the first phase.
Many had already written Thornton out of the tournament before he had even thrown a dart in his debut Premier League year. But the Scot proved why he has been selected with checkouts of 104 and 117 to take a 4-1 lead after losing the opening leg, without missing a dart at the double. Thornton did then miss four darts in the sixth leg but Hamilton couldn't find double-16 for a 99-checkout and the Scot returned to take out three and go 5-1 in front.
But Hamilton showed why he is renowned for his tenacity and why he had got to at least the quarter final stage in all the major tournaments last year, except the UK Open which Thornton won. The Hammer reeled off the three legs on the spin the close the gap. Hamilton then missed a dart to level the match but Thornton couldn't capitalise, missing two darts at double top and Hamilton did come back to make it 5-5. Thornton managed to recover and fired in a magical 120-Shanghai finish to give himself a point before managing the win the match in the final leg, making it a fantastic debut for the Scotsman.
The same couldn't be said for Newton who was easily the most nervous player on the night. Newton missed three darts at the double in the second leg. Fortunately, Wade wasn't on a finish so Newton could return to level the match. He wasn't so lucky in the next leg when he missed three great chances to break the Wade throw. But Wade wasn't immune to missing doubles either, missing three to allow Newton to level the game once more.
Another five missed doubles from Newton again allowed Wade to somehow hold his throw before the Machine managed to break and go 5-2 in front. Newton was able to find a break of his own in the ninth leg to reduce the arrears to 5-4. The tenth leg was an extremely tense with Newton needing to hold to level the match. Both players agonisingly missed three darts to win it before Wade finally took it on double five which then propelled him to take the next leg to win the match 7-4.
The oche moves from Northern Ireland to Scotland for week two as Aberdeen is set to give a hero's welcome to both Anderson and Thornton. Thornton faces Van Gerwen and Anderson faces Whitlock. The big game sees Lewis once again face his mentor, Taylor. Newton's start to life in the Premier League doesn't get any better as he faces Van Barneveld. Wade versus Hamilton completes next week's line-up.
Wednesday 6 February 2013
Nigeria and Burkina Faso Will Meet Again
After their 1-1 draw in the group stage, Nigeria and Burkina Faso will be in Johannesburg to determine the winner of the 2013 African Cup of Nations. Nigeria will be the big favourites after thier demolition of Mali but Burkina have still only conceded just three goals in the whole tournament and will stake their claim after beating Ghana on penalties. This also sets up a rematch of last year's 3rd/4th place play-off between Ghana and Mali.
Nigeria have hit form at the best possible time and Mali were just no match for them. The game was over after the first half and way before Mali managed to get a consolation. For the first quarter of an hour, Mali were actually the more attacking side and Mohamed Sissoko did manage to skim the bar with a shot.
From there, Nigeria grew into the game and Mali struggled to get any meaningful possession. 25-minutes in and Nigeria took the lead when Elderson Echiejile of SC Braga headed home from a Victor Moses cross. Moses was constantly causing trouble for Mali and it would be 2-0 on the half hour mark; Brown Ideye scoring via a deflection.
The two quick goals sunk Mali but the worst was yet to come as Nigeria would go in at half-time 3-0 ahead. Sissoko conceded a free-kick on the edge of the box in the final minute of the half. The wall wasn't well manned and Emmanuel Emenike's free-kick took a massive deflection off of Sissoko to completely wrong foot the keeper and roll into the net.
Mali did try to attack more in the second half in search of a miracle comeback and this again bit them on the hour mark. A counter attack from Nigeria saw 20-year old Ahmed Musa put through on goal and the CSKA Moscow striker coolly finished underneath the keeper, sending the two times African Cup of Nations Champions through.
Credit did have to go to Mali though as they never stopped playing and were finally rewarded on 75-minutes. Cheick Diabate forced a way through before playing the ball to Cheick Diarra to tap home for their consolation goal.
Burkina Faso will record their best result in an African Cup of Nations tournament regardless of the result on Sunday. Their previous record was a fourth place in the 1998 tournament but they will be playing Nigeria without, arguably, their two best players. Alain Traore was already ruled out through injury, but now Jonathan Pitroipa will join him after getting sent off in extra time.
The problem between Ghana and Burkina Faso was not just the fact that they had to play on that beachy Nelspruit pitch, but the referee made and missed a few really bad calls. Burkina thought they should have had a penalty in the opening minutes but would then concede one on 13-minutes when Christian Atsu was adjudged to have been pulled in the box, contact was minimal and the decision looked harsh. Wakaso Mubarak stepped up and coolly converted into the bottom corner.
Any thoughts that this would give Ghana the impetus to run away with the game were wrong as Burkina looked to be the more attacking side but couldn't find an equaliser as the teams went in at half-time. Ghana perhaps should have doubled their lead in the early going of the second half as Atsu looked dangerous. Asamoah Gyan did hit the post as Burkina held on.
Burkina then caught Ghana on the counter attack on the hour mark and Florent Rouamba played the ball across for Aristide Bance to slot home in the virtually unguarded net. Again Burkina Faso were, perhaps surprisingly, the more attacking side in the remainder of the second half but they couldn't find a second despite being able to pick holes in the Ghanaian defence.
The game fell into extra time and again Burkina were the more offensive side, forcing saves from Abdul Dauda. Burkina did think that they had moved 2-1 ahead just before half-time when Prejuce Nakoluma put the ball into the net. But the goal was disallowed as the referee had deemed Nakoluma's boot to be too high after challenging Dauda.
Atsu was the most dangerous player in the second period of extra time but the only real piece of drama came three minutes from the end when Pitroipa was sent off. The Rennes player went down under a John Boye challenge. The referee brandished Pitroipa with his second yellow and Burkina would face the penalty shoot-out with ten men.
Ghana stepped up first in the shoot-out but Isaac Vorsah smashed his spot-kick disastrously wide. The next four penalties were flawless but Dauda would keep the score at 2-2 by saving Pan Pierre Coulibaly's penalty. Ghana's chance to go ahead saw Emmanuel Clottey step up but he also missed. Bance put Burkina 3-2 ahead and their victory was assured when Abdoulaye Soulama saved Emmanuel Agyemang Badu's effort.
Nigeria have hit form at the best possible time and Mali were just no match for them. The game was over after the first half and way before Mali managed to get a consolation. For the first quarter of an hour, Mali were actually the more attacking side and Mohamed Sissoko did manage to skim the bar with a shot.
From there, Nigeria grew into the game and Mali struggled to get any meaningful possession. 25-minutes in and Nigeria took the lead when Elderson Echiejile of SC Braga headed home from a Victor Moses cross. Moses was constantly causing trouble for Mali and it would be 2-0 on the half hour mark; Brown Ideye scoring via a deflection.
The two quick goals sunk Mali but the worst was yet to come as Nigeria would go in at half-time 3-0 ahead. Sissoko conceded a free-kick on the edge of the box in the final minute of the half. The wall wasn't well manned and Emmanuel Emenike's free-kick took a massive deflection off of Sissoko to completely wrong foot the keeper and roll into the net.
Mali did try to attack more in the second half in search of a miracle comeback and this again bit them on the hour mark. A counter attack from Nigeria saw 20-year old Ahmed Musa put through on goal and the CSKA Moscow striker coolly finished underneath the keeper, sending the two times African Cup of Nations Champions through.
Credit did have to go to Mali though as they never stopped playing and were finally rewarded on 75-minutes. Cheick Diabate forced a way through before playing the ball to Cheick Diarra to tap home for their consolation goal.
Burkina Faso will record their best result in an African Cup of Nations tournament regardless of the result on Sunday. Their previous record was a fourth place in the 1998 tournament but they will be playing Nigeria without, arguably, their two best players. Alain Traore was already ruled out through injury, but now Jonathan Pitroipa will join him after getting sent off in extra time.
The problem between Ghana and Burkina Faso was not just the fact that they had to play on that beachy Nelspruit pitch, but the referee made and missed a few really bad calls. Burkina thought they should have had a penalty in the opening minutes but would then concede one on 13-minutes when Christian Atsu was adjudged to have been pulled in the box, contact was minimal and the decision looked harsh. Wakaso Mubarak stepped up and coolly converted into the bottom corner.
Any thoughts that this would give Ghana the impetus to run away with the game were wrong as Burkina looked to be the more attacking side but couldn't find an equaliser as the teams went in at half-time. Ghana perhaps should have doubled their lead in the early going of the second half as Atsu looked dangerous. Asamoah Gyan did hit the post as Burkina held on.
Burkina then caught Ghana on the counter attack on the hour mark and Florent Rouamba played the ball across for Aristide Bance to slot home in the virtually unguarded net. Again Burkina Faso were, perhaps surprisingly, the more attacking side in the remainder of the second half but they couldn't find a second despite being able to pick holes in the Ghanaian defence.
The game fell into extra time and again Burkina were the more offensive side, forcing saves from Abdul Dauda. Burkina did think that they had moved 2-1 ahead just before half-time when Prejuce Nakoluma put the ball into the net. But the goal was disallowed as the referee had deemed Nakoluma's boot to be too high after challenging Dauda.
Atsu was the most dangerous player in the second period of extra time but the only real piece of drama came three minutes from the end when Pitroipa was sent off. The Rennes player went down under a John Boye challenge. The referee brandished Pitroipa with his second yellow and Burkina would face the penalty shoot-out with ten men.
Ghana stepped up first in the shoot-out but Isaac Vorsah smashed his spot-kick disastrously wide. The next four penalties were flawless but Dauda would keep the score at 2-2 by saving Pan Pierre Coulibaly's penalty. Ghana's chance to go ahead saw Emmanuel Clottey step up but he also missed. Bance put Burkina 3-2 ahead and their victory was assured when Abdoulaye Soulama saved Emmanuel Agyemang Badu's effort.
Sunday 3 February 2013
Gap Opened to Nine While Spurs Edge Ahead in Fourth
Manchester City 2-2 Liverpool: City fall to nine points behind Manchester United with their second draw on the bounce. City actually went ahead when Edin Dzeko once again scored on 23-minutes. But their lead lasted for just six minutes when Daniel Sturridge equalised with a long range to silence his former employers, although City felt they should have had a free-kick in the build up when Daniel Agger seemingly fouled Dzeko. Steven Gerrard then put Liverpool ahead on 73-minutes with a fantastic strike from outside the box that Joe Hart had no chance of saving. This time, Liverpool's lead lasted for only five minutes as Pepe Reina stupidly chased substitute Sergio Aguero to the ball which was going away from goal. Aguero got to the ball first and somehow curled the ball into the net from a ridiculously tight angle, saving City from defeat. Liverpool now sit six points behind Everton in the hunt for European football.
West Brom 0-1 Tottenham: Tottenham go three points clear of Everton to remain fourth and actually move to within a point of Chelsea. The game was perhaps decided three minutes from time when Goran Popov was sent off for spitting at Kyle Walker. It took until the 67th minute for Spurs to take full advantage with a great strike from Gareth Bale settling the match.
QPR
0-0 Norwich: The
point for QPR sees them remain six points from safety at the bottom of the
table. Norwich are only seven points clear themselves after this goalless draw
at Loftus Road
West Brom 0-1 Tottenham: Tottenham go three points clear of Everton to remain fourth and actually move to within a point of Chelsea. The game was perhaps decided three minutes from time when Goran Popov was sent off for spitting at Kyle Walker. It took until the 67th minute for Spurs to take full advantage with a great strike from Gareth Bale settling the match.
Newcastle 3-2
Chelsea: Newcastle move six points clear of the relegation with this
fantastic win over Chelsea. Chelsea slump to 16-points behind Manchester United
and may have to focus on remaining in the Champions League places. Newcastle
took the lead four minutes before half-time when Jonas Gutierrez flicked a
Davide Santon cross into the bottom corner. Demba Ba’s return to St. James Park
only lasted 45-minutes as he had to be substituted after being caught in the
face by Fabricio Coloccini’s boot. Frank Lampard was once again on the score
sheet with a screamer from outside the box to equalise ten minutes into the
second half. Juan Mata then curled a beauty into the top corner to make it 2-1
just after the hour mark. Moussa Sissoko marked his debut with a goal, scoring
after Yoan Gouffran’s shot was parried on 68-minutes to make it 2-2. Sissoko
then won the match with a low driven goal from outside the box in injury time,
already possibly the best signing in the January transfer window.
Everton 3-3 Aston
Villa: Villa threw away a 3-1 lead to now end up being two points from
safety. At the start of play Villa may well have a taken a point at Goodison
but they will unhappy that it is just a point. Villa broke the deadlock after
just two minutes when Christian Benteke overpowered Jonny Heitinga and fired
into the bottom corner. Everton’s equaliser was in a similar vein on 21-minutes
when Victor Anichebe managed to hold off Ciaran Clark before unleashing a shot
into the bottom corner. Villa retook the lead three minutes later when Gabriel
Agbonlahor headed home a Matthew Lowton cross. Benteke scored his second with a
terrific header from another Lowton cross to make it 3-1 just after the hour
mark. Marouane Fellaini pulled one back after a neat one-two with Anichebe
eight minutes later. The equaliser came in the depths of injury time when
Villa’s Achilles heel once again came back to haunt them, Fellaini grabbing his
second with a header from a corner. Everton sit three points Tottenham in the
race for fourth and now only four points behind Chelsea who are in third.
Reading 2-1
Sunderland: Another late win for Reading sees them move two points clear of
the relegation zone with Sunderland safe by eight points. Reading took the lead
after seven minutes when Jimmy Kebe rounded John O’Shea from a cross before
smashing high into the top corner. Sunderland had a penalty just before the
half hour mark when Pavel Pogrebnyak slid into O’Shea whilst failing to deal
with a corner. Craig Gardner stepped up and placed it into the bottom corner. The
winner came five minutes from time with Kebe scoring his second courtesy of a
header from an Ian Harte free-kick.
Wigan 2-2
Southampton: In what was probably a six-pointer, the point for Wigan sees
them sit two points from safety while Southampton sit three points above the
bottom three. Wigan took the lead on 25-minutes when Gary Caldwell headed home
from a corner. Rickie Lambert headed Southampton level on 64-minutes. The
Saints may have thought they had won the match when Morgan Schneiderlin made it
2-1 five minutes from time after tapping home a ball that came from a great
Gaston Ramirez run. But Wigan would find an equaliser in injury time when Shaun
Maloney was on hand to roll in a headed on corner and break Southampton hearts.
Fulham 0-1 Manchester
United: United go nine points clear at the top with their second victory
over Fulham in the space of seven days. United had hit the woodwork three times
and Fulham once before the floodlights failed three minutes before half-time.
Play resumed ten minutes later but the winner didn’t arrive until 11-minutes
from the end when Wayne Rooney coolly ran in and slotted into the bottom
corner. Fulham now sit seven points above the relegation zone.
Arsenal 1-0 Stoke: Arsenal
move to within a point of Everton and more importantly four of Tottenham in the race
for Champions League football. Stoke do sit tenth but may have a little eye on
the bottom three as they are only nine points ahead of it. The only goal of the
game came 12-minutes from time when Lukas Podolski’s free-kick found the net as
was awarded the goal after the linesman had initially flagged for offside.
West Ham 1-0 Swansea:
West Ham join Stoke on 30-points after this victory over eighth place
Swansea. Andy Carroll started for the first time since his lengthy injury and
marked it with the only goal of the game on 77-minutes. The goal came via a
header from a Mark Noble corner.
Burkina Shock Togo, Nigeria Shock Ivory Coast
The heavily betted favourites for this year's African Cup of Nations have been knocked out by Nigeria in quarter finals. The two time African champions have booked place alongside Mali in the semi-finals. Ghana will be the favourites in the other semi-final as they will meet Burkina Faso, who managed to see off Togo in extra time.
Nigeria and Ivory Coast were content with trying long range efforts in the beginning, with Victor Moses probably being the most dangerous, stinging Boubacar Barry's hands a couple of times. Emmanuel Emenike had the first real chance after being put through by Brown Ideye, but the Spartak Moscow striker fired hopelessly wide.
The first half was really rather bogged down by numerous free-kicks, not unsurprisingly considering the rest of the tournament. But it was one of these free-kicks that led to the opening goal two minutes before half-time. John Obi Mikel laid his free-kick off to Emenike and his blast from 30-yards was flapped at by Barry and somehow beat him, giving Nigeria the lead with Emenike's third goal of the tournament.
Ivory Coast began the second half much better and were level five minutes into the half. It came from another free-kick as Drogba whipped the ball in for Cheick Tiote to head home with nobody anywhere near him to challenge the Newcastle man. It took a while for Nigeria to get going in the second period and Vincent Enyeama was needed to stop Yaya Toure from making it 2-1.
Anything in the opposition third for Nigeria was being created by Moses but he was nowhere to be seen when Nigeria re-took the lead with 12-minutes remaining. Sunday Mba picked the ball up an ran some 60-yards with it before his deflected shot fired over Barry and into the net. Efe Ambrose prevented Yaya Toure from scoring from a second glorious chance as Nigeria held off Ivory Coast to go through to the final four.
There were slight worries for how much football would actually be played between Burkina Faso and Togo. The pair were playing on the beachy Nelspruit pitch, despite the Togolese claiming it was still better than any pitch in Lomé. As for Burkina Faso, the question was posed as for who could score for them with top striker Alain Traore out of the tournament.
It took until nearly 20-minutes before there was a shot on target, this came from Jonathan Pitroipa but his effort was blocked. Floyd Ayite then had a glorious to score at the other end when Serge Gakpe pulled the ball back for him, only for Ayite to harmlessly scuff his shot. The remainder of the first half was largely covered by decent crosses that wasn't met by the strikers.
Togo came close to scoring in the early minutes of the second half but were denied by Saidou Panandetiguiri goal line clearance. Pitroipa and Emmanuel Adebayor both looked a little dangerous in another half that was filled with set pieces and wasted service.
The game fell into extra time and Burkina Faso seemed to grow and Abdul Razak was denied by a smart save. But the game was won in the depths of the first half when a set piece was finally taken advantage of; Charles Kabore's corner was headed home via the underside of the crossbar by Pitroipa. Togo didn't really make an effort to equalise and it perhaps surprising to note that Burkina Faso have only conceded one goal in the tournament as they now prepare for the semi-finals.
Nigeria and Ivory Coast were content with trying long range efforts in the beginning, with Victor Moses probably being the most dangerous, stinging Boubacar Barry's hands a couple of times. Emmanuel Emenike had the first real chance after being put through by Brown Ideye, but the Spartak Moscow striker fired hopelessly wide.
The first half was really rather bogged down by numerous free-kicks, not unsurprisingly considering the rest of the tournament. But it was one of these free-kicks that led to the opening goal two minutes before half-time. John Obi Mikel laid his free-kick off to Emenike and his blast from 30-yards was flapped at by Barry and somehow beat him, giving Nigeria the lead with Emenike's third goal of the tournament.
Ivory Coast began the second half much better and were level five minutes into the half. It came from another free-kick as Drogba whipped the ball in for Cheick Tiote to head home with nobody anywhere near him to challenge the Newcastle man. It took a while for Nigeria to get going in the second period and Vincent Enyeama was needed to stop Yaya Toure from making it 2-1.
Anything in the opposition third for Nigeria was being created by Moses but he was nowhere to be seen when Nigeria re-took the lead with 12-minutes remaining. Sunday Mba picked the ball up an ran some 60-yards with it before his deflected shot fired over Barry and into the net. Efe Ambrose prevented Yaya Toure from scoring from a second glorious chance as Nigeria held off Ivory Coast to go through to the final four.
There were slight worries for how much football would actually be played between Burkina Faso and Togo. The pair were playing on the beachy Nelspruit pitch, despite the Togolese claiming it was still better than any pitch in Lomé. As for Burkina Faso, the question was posed as for who could score for them with top striker Alain Traore out of the tournament.
It took until nearly 20-minutes before there was a shot on target, this came from Jonathan Pitroipa but his effort was blocked. Floyd Ayite then had a glorious to score at the other end when Serge Gakpe pulled the ball back for him, only for Ayite to harmlessly scuff his shot. The remainder of the first half was largely covered by decent crosses that wasn't met by the strikers.
Togo came close to scoring in the early minutes of the second half but were denied by Saidou Panandetiguiri goal line clearance. Pitroipa and Emmanuel Adebayor both looked a little dangerous in another half that was filled with set pieces and wasted service.
The game fell into extra time and Burkina Faso seemed to grow and Abdul Razak was denied by a smart save. But the game was won in the depths of the first half when a set piece was finally taken advantage of; Charles Kabore's corner was headed home via the underside of the crossbar by Pitroipa. Togo didn't really make an effort to equalise and it perhaps surprising to note that Burkina Faso have only conceded one goal in the tournament as they now prepare for the semi-finals.
England Retain World Cup
England have retained the World Cup for the second consecutive year, beating Belgium 3-1 in the final. Adrian Lewis finally came good as Phil Taylor continued to show why he is the best in the world. The England pairing came back from a dart from defeat against Wales to make it into the final and eventually overpower the Belgians.
Belgium were banking on Lewis continuing to below par to ultimately set up a deciding doubles match where the Huybrechts brothers have been the strongest pairing in the tournament. The final began with Taylor facing Ronny Huybrechts with perhaps Belgium getting the 'guaranteed' defeat out of the way. Taylor wasted no time in dismantling the older yet inexperienced Huybrechts with four quick fire legs.
The ploy looked like it could work when Kim Huybrechts came out and finished his game against Lewis within eight minutes. Lewis had looked better against Wales but returned to his former tournament self and missed two darts in the fourth leg to avoid the whitewash.
The third game was perhaps the deciding one in the match. If Ronny beat Lewis, Belgium would probably have the edge and win it in the doubles match. If Lewis beat Ronny, it would be a tall order for Kim to topple Taylor. Lewis was much improved but still missed three darts to go 2-0 ahead. Ronny then took a 2-1 lead before Lewis finally kicked into gear with eight perfect darts. He returned to seal a ten dart leg and level the match before motoring to a 4-2 victory.
This left Kim having to beat Taylor and with The Power in top form, it was always going to be a tough order, especially with Taylor having the throw. The first three legs were both held before Taylor broke the Belgian hearts with a majestic 110-checkout. Taylor easily held his throw once more to win the game 4-1 and retain the world cup for England.
Taylor also averaged 103 in his semi-finals singles game against Mark Webster. Webster, like Kim, was able to remain level with Taylor after two legs. But that would be the only leg Webster won as Taylor took the game 4-1.
Lewis knew that if he beat Richie Burnett, England would sail into the final. But the 1995 world champion just proved too much for the underwhelming double world champion. Burnett was never behind in the rubber before finalising the result in the seventh and defining leg.
This lead to the deciding doubles match and Wales looked to be in complete control. Taylor missed three darts to take a 2-1 lead and Webster fired a tremendous 124-checkout to put Wales in front. Webster again found the double to put Wales a leg away from victory. Taylor found an incredible 95-checkout on the bull to make it 3-2 before England managed to force a deciding leg. Wales did have a dart at double ten to win the game, but England managed to win the three legs on the bounce to complete the turnaround, 4-3, and progress.
Belgium's semi-finals saw the brothers post the highest doubles average in the three year history of the tournament. Before that, Kim was unplayable in the opening game against Jani Haavisto. A 106-checkout followed by a Shanghai 120-checkout put Huybrechts 2-0 ahead. The Belgian then posted eight perfect darts in the fourth leg but would miss five darts at the double to secure the whitewash. But Kim's demise only lasted one leg as he won the match 4-1.
Ronny went close to beating Jarkko Komula in the second singles match but was unable to prevent the doubles match. After going a leg behind, Ronny had gone 2-1 in front. But Komula regained control and actually missed two darts to win the game 4-2. But his blushes were spared as Komula won the deciding leg to take it to the doubles.
But with a 105 average, there wasn't a lot the Finnish pair could do. All four legs went to the brothers who have really done their dad proud after he sadly passed away in December. With Ronny gaining a tour card for this year, the Huybrechts brothers could well make names for themselves in the next 12-months.
Belgium were banking on Lewis continuing to below par to ultimately set up a deciding doubles match where the Huybrechts brothers have been the strongest pairing in the tournament. The final began with Taylor facing Ronny Huybrechts with perhaps Belgium getting the 'guaranteed' defeat out of the way. Taylor wasted no time in dismantling the older yet inexperienced Huybrechts with four quick fire legs.
The ploy looked like it could work when Kim Huybrechts came out and finished his game against Lewis within eight minutes. Lewis had looked better against Wales but returned to his former tournament self and missed two darts in the fourth leg to avoid the whitewash.
The third game was perhaps the deciding one in the match. If Ronny beat Lewis, Belgium would probably have the edge and win it in the doubles match. If Lewis beat Ronny, it would be a tall order for Kim to topple Taylor. Lewis was much improved but still missed three darts to go 2-0 ahead. Ronny then took a 2-1 lead before Lewis finally kicked into gear with eight perfect darts. He returned to seal a ten dart leg and level the match before motoring to a 4-2 victory.
This left Kim having to beat Taylor and with The Power in top form, it was always going to be a tough order, especially with Taylor having the throw. The first three legs were both held before Taylor broke the Belgian hearts with a majestic 110-checkout. Taylor easily held his throw once more to win the game 4-1 and retain the world cup for England.
Taylor also averaged 103 in his semi-finals singles game against Mark Webster. Webster, like Kim, was able to remain level with Taylor after two legs. But that would be the only leg Webster won as Taylor took the game 4-1.
Lewis knew that if he beat Richie Burnett, England would sail into the final. But the 1995 world champion just proved too much for the underwhelming double world champion. Burnett was never behind in the rubber before finalising the result in the seventh and defining leg.
This lead to the deciding doubles match and Wales looked to be in complete control. Taylor missed three darts to take a 2-1 lead and Webster fired a tremendous 124-checkout to put Wales in front. Webster again found the double to put Wales a leg away from victory. Taylor found an incredible 95-checkout on the bull to make it 3-2 before England managed to force a deciding leg. Wales did have a dart at double ten to win the game, but England managed to win the three legs on the bounce to complete the turnaround, 4-3, and progress.
Belgium's semi-finals saw the brothers post the highest doubles average in the three year history of the tournament. Before that, Kim was unplayable in the opening game against Jani Haavisto. A 106-checkout followed by a Shanghai 120-checkout put Huybrechts 2-0 ahead. The Belgian then posted eight perfect darts in the fourth leg but would miss five darts at the double to secure the whitewash. But Kim's demise only lasted one leg as he won the match 4-1.
Ronny went close to beating Jarkko Komula in the second singles match but was unable to prevent the doubles match. After going a leg behind, Ronny had gone 2-1 in front. But Komula regained control and actually missed two darts to win the game 4-2. But his blushes were spared as Komula won the deciding leg to take it to the doubles.
But with a 105 average, there wasn't a lot the Finnish pair could do. All four legs went to the brothers who have really done their dad proud after he sadly passed away in December. With Ronny gaining a tour card for this year, the Huybrechts brothers could well make names for themselves in the next 12-months.
2013 World Cup of Darts: Quarter Finals
England remain the sure fire favourites after coming through a tough quarter-final against Japan. They will face an even tougher semi-final after Wales also managed to overcome a battle against Spain. The hosts are out of the tournament after Finland exacted revenge for their defeat in the group stages. Finland will meet Belgium in the other semi-final after the brothers once again put up another good performance against Croatia.
The opening quarter final between Belgium and Croatia was the only match that didn't require the deciding doubles match. Kim Huybrechts faced Tonci Restovic and the Croatian started better than in previous matches with a 97-checkout to take the opening leg. But Huybrechts quickly took the next three legs before Restovic made it 3-2 with a 104-checkout. Huybrechts completed the job in the next leg to win the game 4-2 and put Belgium 1-0 ahead.
This meant that if Ronny Huybrechts could beat Robert Marijanovic, the Belgians would be safely through. Unfortunately for Croatia, Marijanovic failed to perform quite like he has done in the tournament. The Croatian did level the match at 1-1 before missing three darts to level the game again. Marijanovic would then miss a further four darts to take the fifth, allowing Huybrechts to win the game 4-1 and place Belgium into the final four.
Antonio Alcinas faced Mark Webster in the first game between Spain and Wales. Webster took the opening leg before both players darts at the double until Alcinas took out five to level the score. Alcinas then made it 2-1 with a classy 25-bull finish to check-out 80. Webster responded with a 102-checkout and then had to force a final leg at 3-3. Alcinas was first to the double and it looked like the shock was on, but he missed four darts to win it and Webster apologetically took the leg to win the game, giving Wales the lead.
Carlos Rodriguez needed to beat Richie Burnett to force the deciding doubles match. Burnett would miss three darts to go 2-1 ahead after initially losing the opener. Burnett wasn't really on his game but a magnificent 156-checkout came out of the blue to force a deciding leg. But Rodriguez held on and found a 40-checkout to level the match.
Spain would take the first leg in the doubles match and Alcinas found the double to make it 2-1. Wales again equalised before Spain missed three darts at the double to allow Wales to take the lead for the first time. That gave the Welsh the momentum and they managed to win the sixth leg to win the game 4-2 and progress into the semi-finals.
After England's 5-0 romp over Japan in the group phase, many would have been forgiven for thinking that this would have been a similar result. Indeed it began to look that way when Phil Taylor took on Haruki Muramatsu. Muramatsu did win the first leg but didn't get a look in for the rest of the game. Taylor won it 4-1 with a sublime 167-checkout to finish off.
Adrian Lewis has been nowhere near his best this tournament and has largely been a passenger. He had his work cut out against Sho Katsumi but managed to take the lead for the first time at 3-2. But the Japanese showed his defiance to take the next two legs to win the game 4-3 and force that deciding doubles match.
This was also by no means a walk over. Taylor missed three darts to win the opening leg and before they knew it, England were 2-0 down. Japan then looked favourites to go 3-1 in front but Taylor broke their hearts with a colossal 160-checkout to level the game. The Japanese couldn't recover from that and Taylor found two more doubles to drag Lewis into the semi-finals with him.
The eagerly anticipated rematch between Finland and Germany wasn't quite as spicy as their group match, but still full of drama and intrigue. Jani Haavisto faced Jyhan Artut in the opener and the German possibly played his best darts on television. Artut found a 106-checkout to put himself 3-0 ahead and just one leg from victory. Haavisto was able to prolong the agony for another before a 102-checkout put Germany ahead in the tie.
This left Jarkko Komula with it all to do for Finland against Andree Welge. Welge did take a 2-1 lead before missing the chance to go 3-2 ahead. It was instead Komula who put himself a leg from levelling the match and he made no mistake by taking the sixth leg to again force the deciding doubles match.
Despite having the partisan crowd against them, Finland looked the more composed and quickly took a 2-0 lead. The Finns would then miss seven darts to make it 3-0 and allowed Germany back in the match. The doubling got worse for Finland as they missed nine darts to win the game 4-1 and then six more darts to win it 4-2. These 15-missed darts allowed Germany to force a dramatic deciding leg but Finland managed to regain their composure to take it with the first real dart at the double to go through.
Saturday 2 February 2013
Shocks in the Last-16
The last-16 of the 2013 World Cup of Darts produced some of the biggest shocks in recent dartistry. With all eight seeds easily winning their groups, it was perhaps hard to envision five of them failing to make it into the quarter finals. This included the favourites Netherlands as England look extremely odds on to win the World Cup for the second consecutive time.
But England, like last year, were almost ousted as South Africa missed two darts to win it. A 121-checkout from Charl Pietersen gave South Africa a 2-1 lead before the sides were level on 3-3. England finally took the lead for the first time in the match in the seventh leg but a 66-checkout on the bull from Pietersen forced a deciding leg. But Pietersen was guilty of missing those two doubles as Adrian Lewis hit double tops to put the champions through.
Netherlands haven't really produced anything like many were hoping and expecting and this continued against Finland. The Dutch did begin pretty good as they took a 2-0 lead after Finland missed three darts to take the second leg. But this didn't affect the Finns and they responded with seven perfect darts. They couldn't find the nine-darter but Jarkko Komula was able to hit a 52-checkout to pull a leg back. Finland then stunned Netherlands by taking the next three legs to go 4-2 ahead. Raymond Van Barneveld did pull a leg back but they couldn't muster a comeback as Komula found a round 50-checkout to provide the shock of the tournament so far.
One of the best players of the tournament has been Croatia's Robert Marijanovic. He again performed magically to help Croatia dump Northern Ireland out in the opening match of the night. A 124-checkout from Marijanovic in the second leg levelled the match before taking a 2-1 lead. Mickey Mansell has also been one of the most consistent players of the tournament and a 121-checkout levelled the match at 3-3. The Northern Irish missed five darts in the seventh leg before Marijanovic smashed a 120-checkout to go 4-3 ahead. Mansell forced a decider and the Northern Irish missed another three darts to win it and Marijanovic happily took the leg to win the match.
This was followed by the Republic of Ireland losing to Japan to set up a rematch against England. Japan found themselves 3-1 ahead before the Irish managed to level the match. But the Japanese remained unperturbed and regained momentum to take the following two legs to win the match 5-3.
The first seeds to go through to the quarter finals were Wales who produced a flawless performance against Canada. John Part won the opening leg before Mark Webster retaliated with a classy 120-checkout. Part again gave Canada the lead before Webster and Richie Burnett shared the next four legs to win the match 5-2. The most impressive statistic from the Welsh was that they didn't miss a dart at the double.
This good performance was followed a great doubles performance from the Belgians. The Huybrechts brothers were able to knock last year's runners-up out with a 5-1 victory and an impressive 101.08 average. Paul Nicholson managed to level the match at 1-1 before the Belgian brothers romped to victory to face Croatia in the next round.
Scotland were the other big team to lose in the second round in a repeat of the 2010 World Cup against Spain. Scotland looked in control for most of the match as they took a 3-1 lead. But Spain did respond to level the match before Scotland put themselves a leg away from victory. Robert Thornton missed a dart to put them through as Spain forced a decider before winning the final leg to force a rematch against Wales.
The hosts are also through to the quarter finals to play a rather tempestuous rematch against Finland. Poland posted their first leg of the match in the third before Andree Welge found a 122-checkout on the bull to put Germany 3-1 ahead. That soon became 4-1 and Germany had a glorious chance to win the game in the next but they missed nine darts to do so. But Germany recovered to take the seventh leg and cruise into the last eight.
But England, like last year, were almost ousted as South Africa missed two darts to win it. A 121-checkout from Charl Pietersen gave South Africa a 2-1 lead before the sides were level on 3-3. England finally took the lead for the first time in the match in the seventh leg but a 66-checkout on the bull from Pietersen forced a deciding leg. But Pietersen was guilty of missing those two doubles as Adrian Lewis hit double tops to put the champions through.
Netherlands haven't really produced anything like many were hoping and expecting and this continued against Finland. The Dutch did begin pretty good as they took a 2-0 lead after Finland missed three darts to take the second leg. But this didn't affect the Finns and they responded with seven perfect darts. They couldn't find the nine-darter but Jarkko Komula was able to hit a 52-checkout to pull a leg back. Finland then stunned Netherlands by taking the next three legs to go 4-2 ahead. Raymond Van Barneveld did pull a leg back but they couldn't muster a comeback as Komula found a round 50-checkout to provide the shock of the tournament so far.
One of the best players of the tournament has been Croatia's Robert Marijanovic. He again performed magically to help Croatia dump Northern Ireland out in the opening match of the night. A 124-checkout from Marijanovic in the second leg levelled the match before taking a 2-1 lead. Mickey Mansell has also been one of the most consistent players of the tournament and a 121-checkout levelled the match at 3-3. The Northern Irish missed five darts in the seventh leg before Marijanovic smashed a 120-checkout to go 4-3 ahead. Mansell forced a decider and the Northern Irish missed another three darts to win it and Marijanovic happily took the leg to win the match.
This was followed by the Republic of Ireland losing to Japan to set up a rematch against England. Japan found themselves 3-1 ahead before the Irish managed to level the match. But the Japanese remained unperturbed and regained momentum to take the following two legs to win the match 5-3.
The first seeds to go through to the quarter finals were Wales who produced a flawless performance against Canada. John Part won the opening leg before Mark Webster retaliated with a classy 120-checkout. Part again gave Canada the lead before Webster and Richie Burnett shared the next four legs to win the match 5-2. The most impressive statistic from the Welsh was that they didn't miss a dart at the double.
This good performance was followed a great doubles performance from the Belgians. The Huybrechts brothers were able to knock last year's runners-up out with a 5-1 victory and an impressive 101.08 average. Paul Nicholson managed to level the match at 1-1 before the Belgian brothers romped to victory to face Croatia in the next round.
Scotland were the other big team to lose in the second round in a repeat of the 2010 World Cup against Spain. Scotland looked in control for most of the match as they took a 3-1 lead. But Spain did respond to level the match before Scotland put themselves a leg away from victory. Robert Thornton missed a dart to put them through as Spain forced a decider before winning the final leg to force a rematch against Wales.
The hosts are also through to the quarter finals to play a rather tempestuous rematch against Finland. Poland posted their first leg of the match in the third before Andree Welge found a 122-checkout on the bull to put Germany 3-1 ahead. That soon became 4-1 and Germany had a glorious chance to win the game in the next but they missed nine darts to do so. But Germany recovered to take the seventh leg and cruise into the last eight.
Clock Strikes Twelve For Cape Verde as the Hosts Pay Penalty
Cape Verde's fairytale has finally come to an end as Ghana became the first team through to the semi-finals. The hosts, South Africa, were also dumped out of the tournament after losing to Mali on penalties. Mali will now meet the winners of Nigeria and Ivory Coast while Ghana have the rather easier challenge of playing the winners of Burkina Faso and Togo.
The start of the match between Ghana and Cape Verde was very much in the same vain of the rest of the tournament so far. The teams were happy enough with the ball in midfield but were then extremely wasteful in the final third, again leaving much to be desired. It was perhaps no surprise to see Ghana look to attack more but neither keeper needed a drink at half-time.
The game changer came on half-time when Wakaso Mubarak came back from suspension on replaced Albert Adomah. Ghana were given a great opportunity to break the deadlock when Asamoah Gyan was shoved over by Carlitos in the box nine minutes into the half. The referee pointed to the spot and it was Mubarak who stepped up and planted his penalty straight down the middle to put Ghana ahead.
Substitute Platini did look lively again for Cape Verde and managed to force a great save from Fatawu Dauda. Dauda was the main reason for Cape Verde not conceding with fantastic saves from Babanco and Djaniny. Wakaso almost ended up putting Ghana 2-0 ahead but his great chance was wasted, firing his shot miles over.
Ghana looked to be the more attacking in the final minutes but Dauda once again had to perform a great save to keep Cape Verde at bay in the fourth minute of injury time. Cape Verde's hearts were finally broken when the keeper had come up for a corner and Ghana were able to break away. Wakaso easily placed the ball into the empty net to book their place into the last four once again.
The second quarter-final had to separated on penalties before Mali once again joined Ghana in the final four.
Mali had much of the ball in the opening but Bernard Parker actually had the first shot for South Africa. South Africa gained momentum from that and provided some excellent service down both wings, but the strikers couldn't find a shot.
The hosts finally managed to find a breakthrough when Thuso Phala mis-hit a May Mahlangu pass and the ball fell kindly to Tokelo Rantie. Rantie easily placed the ball into net to make it 1-0 just after the half hour mark. South Africa continued to be the better team and may have been slightly upset not to have gone into the tunnel at more than 1-0.
South Africa came began the second half as they finished the first but Lehlohonolo Majoro was quickly closed down by the keeper and unable to try and make it 2-0. Mali then hit the hosts with a sucker punch as they went straight up the other end and Mahamadou Samassa's cross was headed home by Seydou Keita, 13-minutes into the half. South Africa continued to be the more attacking side, but without really troubling the keeper and the game fell into extra time.
Itumeleng Khune managed to pull off a great save in the early part of extra time but Mali couldn't threaten during the first half while South Africa couldn't get in behind the 11-Mali players. The second half of extra time was mainly filled with unadventurous corners and the game unsurprisingly went into penalties.
South Africa went first and Siphiwe Tshabalala slotted home before Cheick Diabate levelled. Mali gained the upper hand when Dean Furman's effort was saved. Adama Tamboura easily made it 2-1 and Mahamane Traore made it 3-1 after Mahlangu's penalty was also saved. Majoro stepped up needing to score but his effort sailed miles wide and Mali were assured of their place in the semi-finals.
The start of the match between Ghana and Cape Verde was very much in the same vain of the rest of the tournament so far. The teams were happy enough with the ball in midfield but were then extremely wasteful in the final third, again leaving much to be desired. It was perhaps no surprise to see Ghana look to attack more but neither keeper needed a drink at half-time.
The game changer came on half-time when Wakaso Mubarak came back from suspension on replaced Albert Adomah. Ghana were given a great opportunity to break the deadlock when Asamoah Gyan was shoved over by Carlitos in the box nine minutes into the half. The referee pointed to the spot and it was Mubarak who stepped up and planted his penalty straight down the middle to put Ghana ahead.
Substitute Platini did look lively again for Cape Verde and managed to force a great save from Fatawu Dauda. Dauda was the main reason for Cape Verde not conceding with fantastic saves from Babanco and Djaniny. Wakaso almost ended up putting Ghana 2-0 ahead but his great chance was wasted, firing his shot miles over.
Ghana looked to be the more attacking in the final minutes but Dauda once again had to perform a great save to keep Cape Verde at bay in the fourth minute of injury time. Cape Verde's hearts were finally broken when the keeper had come up for a corner and Ghana were able to break away. Wakaso easily placed the ball into the empty net to book their place into the last four once again.
The second quarter-final had to separated on penalties before Mali once again joined Ghana in the final four.
Mali had much of the ball in the opening but Bernard Parker actually had the first shot for South Africa. South Africa gained momentum from that and provided some excellent service down both wings, but the strikers couldn't find a shot.
The hosts finally managed to find a breakthrough when Thuso Phala mis-hit a May Mahlangu pass and the ball fell kindly to Tokelo Rantie. Rantie easily placed the ball into net to make it 1-0 just after the half hour mark. South Africa continued to be the better team and may have been slightly upset not to have gone into the tunnel at more than 1-0.
South Africa came began the second half as they finished the first but Lehlohonolo Majoro was quickly closed down by the keeper and unable to try and make it 2-0. Mali then hit the hosts with a sucker punch as they went straight up the other end and Mahamadou Samassa's cross was headed home by Seydou Keita, 13-minutes into the half. South Africa continued to be the more attacking side, but without really troubling the keeper and the game fell into extra time.
Itumeleng Khune managed to pull off a great save in the early part of extra time but Mali couldn't threaten during the first half while South Africa couldn't get in behind the 11-Mali players. The second half of extra time was mainly filled with unadventurous corners and the game unsurprisingly went into penalties.
South Africa went first and Siphiwe Tshabalala slotted home before Cheick Diabate levelled. Mali gained the upper hand when Dean Furman's effort was saved. Adama Tamboura easily made it 2-1 and Mahamane Traore made it 3-1 after Mahlangu's penalty was also saved. Majoro stepped up needing to score but his effort sailed miles wide and Mali were assured of their place in the semi-finals.
2013 World Cup of Darts: Second Group Matches
The seeded teams all began their campaigns in the second group matches of the tournament. The afternoon winners took to the stage again for their second and final match in the group phase and five places in the next round have already been confirmed.
Group A: England began their defence of the title by already placing themselves into the second round. They faced Japan and the Japanese could have got off to a great start. But they missed three darts at the double, granting England the opening leg. From there, England never looked back as Haruki Muramatsu and Sho Katsumi were nowhere near the levels of performance they produced earlier. England easily cruised to a 5-0 victory. Table:
1. (Q) England 2 +5
2. Japan 2 -4
3. Austria 0 -1
Group B: The Republic of Ireland are also through to the second after whitewashing Denmark. The first three legs saw William O'Connor and Connie Finnan finish flawlessly. The other two legs were also easily won as Per Laursen and Jann Hoffmann failed to turn up. Table:
1. (Q) Republic of Ireland 2 +5
2. Denmark 2 -4
3. South Africa 0 -1
Group C: Scotland almost threw it away against Canada, but managed to hold to win their opening game of the tournament. Robert Thornton and Gary Anderson started majestically and quickly raced into a 4-0 lead. John Part managed to break the 0 before Thornton missed three darts to give Scotland a 5-1 lead. Jeff Smith won a second leg on the bounce to make it 4-3 before Thornton finally held his nerve to win the match. Table:
1. Scotland 2 +2
2. Canada 2 -1
3. Sweden 0 -1
Group D: Wales began their tournament with a comfortable victory over Wales. Mark Webster and Richie Burnett took a leg each to give Wales a 2-0 lead. Wales then missed five darts to go 3-1 in front and Antonio Alcinas managed to level the scores. But Wales regained their two leg advantage before Spain missed five darts to allow Burnett to win the match 5-2. Table:
1. Wales 2 +3
2. Spain 2 -1
3. Italy 0 -2
Group E: Poland are also definitely through on at least difference despite losing to the Netherlands. Raymond Van Barneveld started the match off with an impressive 126-checkout. Two doubles from Michael Van Gerwen made it 3-1 despite the Dutch not being at their best. A superb 121-checkout from Krzystof Ratajski ensured Poland's progression as it made the score 4-3 before Van Gerwen gave the Netherlands a rather unconvincing victory. Table:
1. Netherlands 2 +2
2. Poland 2 +1
3. Gibraltar 0 -3
Group F: The hosts also managed to pull off an opening win, with a little help from the partisan crowd. Jarkko Komula and Jani Haavisto were just as good as they were against USA earlier but would miss three darts at the double to allow Jyhan Artut to level the score at 2-2 with his second winning double. Artut then gave Germany the lead with an impressive 121-checkout but Komula responded with a 98-finish to keep the sides level. Finland had the edge in the seventh leg but they would miss five darts at the double. Komula missed three as the crowd began to get on his back and this angered the Finn as Germany stole the leg to go within one of victory. Finland couldn't recover from that and Artut posted his fifth winning double to win the match 5-3. Table:
1. Germany 2 +2
2. Finland 2 -1
3. USA 0 -1
Group G: Australia are also through to the second round after a very convincing victory over Croatia. Tonci Restovic put Croatia ahead after Robert Marijanovic again looked very good. But Croatia would never get another look in as Simon Whitlock and Paul Nicholson took the next five legs to easily win 5-1. Table:
1. Australia 2 +4
2. Croatia 2 -2
3. New Zealand 0 -2
Group H: Belgium have made it through despite losing to Northern Ireland. After their impressive whitewash against Hungary, the Belgians only needed one leg to progress. Mickey Mansell had a great showing and took the second leg to give Northern Ireland a 2-0 lead. Ronny Huybrechts secured that leg before Kim Huybrechts found a great 136-checkout to level the scores. The Huybrechts brothers weren't as impressive as against Hungary and they missed two darts to take a 3-2 lead. This may have decided the game as Northern Ireland took the match 5-2 after Belgium missed four darts to win the seventh leg. Table:
1. Northern Ireland 2 +3
2. Belgium 2 +2
3. Hungary 0 -5
Group A: England began their defence of the title by already placing themselves into the second round. They faced Japan and the Japanese could have got off to a great start. But they missed three darts at the double, granting England the opening leg. From there, England never looked back as Haruki Muramatsu and Sho Katsumi were nowhere near the levels of performance they produced earlier. England easily cruised to a 5-0 victory. Table:
1. (Q) England 2 +5
2. Japan 2 -4
3. Austria 0 -1
Group B: The Republic of Ireland are also through to the second after whitewashing Denmark. The first three legs saw William O'Connor and Connie Finnan finish flawlessly. The other two legs were also easily won as Per Laursen and Jann Hoffmann failed to turn up. Table:
1. (Q) Republic of Ireland 2 +5
2. Denmark 2 -4
3. South Africa 0 -1
Group C: Scotland almost threw it away against Canada, but managed to hold to win their opening game of the tournament. Robert Thornton and Gary Anderson started majestically and quickly raced into a 4-0 lead. John Part managed to break the 0 before Thornton missed three darts to give Scotland a 5-1 lead. Jeff Smith won a second leg on the bounce to make it 4-3 before Thornton finally held his nerve to win the match. Table:
1. Scotland 2 +2
2. Canada 2 -1
3. Sweden 0 -1
Group D: Wales began their tournament with a comfortable victory over Wales. Mark Webster and Richie Burnett took a leg each to give Wales a 2-0 lead. Wales then missed five darts to go 3-1 in front and Antonio Alcinas managed to level the scores. But Wales regained their two leg advantage before Spain missed five darts to allow Burnett to win the match 5-2. Table:
1. Wales 2 +3
2. Spain 2 -1
3. Italy 0 -2
Group E: Poland are also definitely through on at least difference despite losing to the Netherlands. Raymond Van Barneveld started the match off with an impressive 126-checkout. Two doubles from Michael Van Gerwen made it 3-1 despite the Dutch not being at their best. A superb 121-checkout from Krzystof Ratajski ensured Poland's progression as it made the score 4-3 before Van Gerwen gave the Netherlands a rather unconvincing victory. Table:
1. Netherlands 2 +2
2. Poland 2 +1
3. Gibraltar 0 -3
Group F: The hosts also managed to pull off an opening win, with a little help from the partisan crowd. Jarkko Komula and Jani Haavisto were just as good as they were against USA earlier but would miss three darts at the double to allow Jyhan Artut to level the score at 2-2 with his second winning double. Artut then gave Germany the lead with an impressive 121-checkout but Komula responded with a 98-finish to keep the sides level. Finland had the edge in the seventh leg but they would miss five darts at the double. Komula missed three as the crowd began to get on his back and this angered the Finn as Germany stole the leg to go within one of victory. Finland couldn't recover from that and Artut posted his fifth winning double to win the match 5-3. Table:
1. Germany 2 +2
2. Finland 2 -1
3. USA 0 -1
Group G: Australia are also through to the second round after a very convincing victory over Croatia. Tonci Restovic put Croatia ahead after Robert Marijanovic again looked very good. But Croatia would never get another look in as Simon Whitlock and Paul Nicholson took the next five legs to easily win 5-1. Table:
1. Australia 2 +4
2. Croatia 2 -2
3. New Zealand 0 -2
Group H: Belgium have made it through despite losing to Northern Ireland. After their impressive whitewash against Hungary, the Belgians only needed one leg to progress. Mickey Mansell had a great showing and took the second leg to give Northern Ireland a 2-0 lead. Ronny Huybrechts secured that leg before Kim Huybrechts found a great 136-checkout to level the scores. The Huybrechts brothers weren't as impressive as against Hungary and they missed two darts to take a 3-2 lead. This may have decided the game as Northern Ireland took the match 5-2 after Belgium missed four darts to win the seventh leg. Table:
1. Northern Ireland 2 +3
2. Belgium 2 +2
3. Hungary 0 -5
2013 World Cup of Darts: Final Group Matches
The remaining places in the last-16 were confirmed this afternoon with the final group games. Perhaps unsurprisingly, all of the seeded teams made it through and won their groups to avoid each other in the second round. Round-up:
Group A: England were comfortably through after posting a 93 average in their second game against Austria. Two doubles from Phil Taylor put England 2-0 ahead before Maik Langendorf won the first leg against England in this tournament. England comfortably went 4-1 ahead as Langendorf would again prevent the inevitable for one more leg. Adrian Lewis found the winning double in the seventh to cruise through. The second defeat for Austria sealed Japan's passage into the second round. Final table:
1. England 4 +8
2. Japan 2 -4
3. Austria 0 -4
Group B: The Republic of Ireland did win the group, but lost to South Africa which meant the group was decided on leg difference. South Africa, needing the victory, quickly put themselves 2-0 ahead. Charl Pietersen then made it 3-1 before two Irish doubles levelled the score. Pietersen again found a double but Connie Finnan forced a deciding leg. The South Africans performed solidly in the final leg and Pietersen again found the double to put South Africa through. Final table:
1. Republic Ireland 2 +4
2. South Africa 2 0
3. Denmark 2 -4
Group C: Scotland helped Canada progress by beating Sweden in a rather comfortable victory. Scotland took a 3-1 lead before Magnus Caris fired a fantastic 147-checkout to pull a leg back. But Robert Thornton instantly replied with a 119-checkout and then found the double in the seventh leg to win 5-2. Final table:
1. Scotland 4 +5
2. Canada 2 -1
3. Sweden 0 -4
Group D: Wales posted the fourth whitewash of the tournament against Italy. Richie Burnett found four of the five doubles as they coast into the second round. The second defeat for Italy means that Spain also progress into the next round. Final table:
1. Wales 4 +8
2. Spain 2 -1
3. Italy 0 -7
Group E: Netherlands proved why they were the team to beat by whitewashing Gibraltar, the fifth of the tournament. Raymond Van Barneveld posted three doubles on the trot to put the Dutch 3-0 ahead. Gibraltar had a chance to win the fourth leg but Michael Van Gerwen managed to win it on double one before Van Barneveld sealed the game. Gibraltar's second loss sees Poland go through. Final table:
1. Netherlands 4 +7
2. Poland 2 -4
3. Gibraltar 0 -8
Group F: Germany avenge their defeat to USA in last year's competition by dumping them out of this tournament. Two doubles from Larry Butler had put the USA 2-0 ahead but Germany responded to level the scores. Darin Young made it 3-2 before USA missed four darts to go 4-3 ahead. Germany took full advantage by taking the eighth leg via a 101-checkout from Jyhan Artut. Finland are the beneficiaries as they join Germany in the nest round. Final table:
1. Germany 4 +4
2. Finland 2 -1
3. USA 0 -3
Group G: Australia won the battle of Oceania and with it take Croatia through to the second round with them. Australia led 2-0 and 3-1 before Simon Whitlock posted a superb 121-checkout on the bull to make it 4-2. Paul Nicholson then completed the game with a 106-checkout. Final table:
1. Australia 4 +7
2. Croatia 2 -2
3. New Zealand 0 -5
Group H: Northern Ireland dismantled Hungary, who won only one leg over their two games, to ease into the second round with Belgium. Two doubles from Brendan Dolan made it 2-0 before Nandor Bezzeg posted Hungary's one and only leg of the entire tournament. Mickey Mansell proved to be just as good as yesterday with the next three doubles to win the match. Final table:
1. Northern Ireland 4 +7
2. Belgium 2 +2
3. Hungary 0 -9
Group A: England were comfortably through after posting a 93 average in their second game against Austria. Two doubles from Phil Taylor put England 2-0 ahead before Maik Langendorf won the first leg against England in this tournament. England comfortably went 4-1 ahead as Langendorf would again prevent the inevitable for one more leg. Adrian Lewis found the winning double in the seventh to cruise through. The second defeat for Austria sealed Japan's passage into the second round. Final table:
1. England 4 +8
2. Japan 2 -4
3. Austria 0 -4
Group B: The Republic of Ireland did win the group, but lost to South Africa which meant the group was decided on leg difference. South Africa, needing the victory, quickly put themselves 2-0 ahead. Charl Pietersen then made it 3-1 before two Irish doubles levelled the score. Pietersen again found a double but Connie Finnan forced a deciding leg. The South Africans performed solidly in the final leg and Pietersen again found the double to put South Africa through. Final table:
1. Republic Ireland 2 +4
2. South Africa 2 0
3. Denmark 2 -4
Group C: Scotland helped Canada progress by beating Sweden in a rather comfortable victory. Scotland took a 3-1 lead before Magnus Caris fired a fantastic 147-checkout to pull a leg back. But Robert Thornton instantly replied with a 119-checkout and then found the double in the seventh leg to win 5-2. Final table:
1. Scotland 4 +5
2. Canada 2 -1
3. Sweden 0 -4
Group D: Wales posted the fourth whitewash of the tournament against Italy. Richie Burnett found four of the five doubles as they coast into the second round. The second defeat for Italy means that Spain also progress into the next round. Final table:
1. Wales 4 +8
2. Spain 2 -1
3. Italy 0 -7
Group E: Netherlands proved why they were the team to beat by whitewashing Gibraltar, the fifth of the tournament. Raymond Van Barneveld posted three doubles on the trot to put the Dutch 3-0 ahead. Gibraltar had a chance to win the fourth leg but Michael Van Gerwen managed to win it on double one before Van Barneveld sealed the game. Gibraltar's second loss sees Poland go through. Final table:
1. Netherlands 4 +7
2. Poland 2 -4
3. Gibraltar 0 -8
Group F: Germany avenge their defeat to USA in last year's competition by dumping them out of this tournament. Two doubles from Larry Butler had put the USA 2-0 ahead but Germany responded to level the scores. Darin Young made it 3-2 before USA missed four darts to go 4-3 ahead. Germany took full advantage by taking the eighth leg via a 101-checkout from Jyhan Artut. Finland are the beneficiaries as they join Germany in the nest round. Final table:
1. Germany 4 +4
2. Finland 2 -1
3. USA 0 -3
Group G: Australia won the battle of Oceania and with it take Croatia through to the second round with them. Australia led 2-0 and 3-1 before Simon Whitlock posted a superb 121-checkout on the bull to make it 4-2. Paul Nicholson then completed the game with a 106-checkout. Final table:
1. Australia 4 +7
2. Croatia 2 -2
3. New Zealand 0 -5
Group H: Northern Ireland dismantled Hungary, who won only one leg over their two games, to ease into the second round with Belgium. Two doubles from Brendan Dolan made it 2-0 before Nandor Bezzeg posted Hungary's one and only leg of the entire tournament. Mickey Mansell proved to be just as good as yesterday with the next three doubles to win the match. Final table:
1. Northern Ireland 4 +7
2. Belgium 2 +2
3. Hungary 0 -9
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)