Group E: Chelsea go joint top of the group after an extremely late winner against Shakhtar Donetsk. Fernando Torres was on hand to open the scoring after just six minutes before Willian cancelled it out three minutes later. Oscar made it 2-1 with his fourth goal of the tournament five minutes before half-time. This was again cancelled out by Willian two minutes after the restart. Victor Moses scored in the fourth minute of injury time to seal the victory and stay ahead of Juventus.
Juventus make it three from two to progress as they sit a point behind Chelsea and Shakhtar with a comfortable victory over Nordsjaelland. Claudio Marchisio broke the deadlock after just six minutes. Arturo Vidal doubled their advantage with his second goal of the tournament on 23-minutes. Sebastian Giovinco added a third eight minutes before half-time with Fabio Quagliarella ending the scoring with his second goal of the tournament 15-minutes from time. Nordsjaelland remain without victory and cannot qualify. Table:
1. Shakhtar 7
2. Chelsea 7
3. Juventus 6
4. Nordsjaelland 1
Group F: It's also two from three to progress in this group as Lille are now confirmed as out. They are still without a point after a real drubbing in Germany. The deadlock was broken after just five minutes when Bastian Schweinsteiger scored his second goal of the tournament. Claudio Pizarro made it 2-0 on 18-minutes before Arjen Robben made it three five minutes later. Pizarro would then bag a first half hat-trick with Bayern's fourth on 28-minutes and their fifth five minutes later. Salomon Kalou scored a consolation 12-minutes into the second half but Toni Kroos would make it 6-1 with his second of the tournament on 66-minutes.
Valencia are joint top with Bayern after victory over Bate, leaving the Belarussian side three points behind. Jonas scored his third goal of the tournament to open the scoring on 26-minutes before Roberto Soldado made it 2-0 with his fourth goal of the competition from the penalty spot three minutes later. Sofiane Feghouli made it 3-0 six minutes into the second half. Renan Bressan pulled one back three minutes later with his second goal of the tournament before Dmitri Mozolevski made it 3-2 seven minutes from the end. The hopes of a comeback were ended three minutes when Feghouli netted his second of the game. Table:
1. Bayern 9
2. Valencia 9
3. Bate 6
4. Lille 0
Group G: Celtic pull off a famous victory over Barcelona in Celtic Park to end the Spanish giants' 100% record and move three points ahead of Benfica. Victor Wanyama put Celtic ahead on 21-minutes before Tony Watt pretty much secured victory seven minutes from the end. Even a Lionel Messi goal, his third of the tournament, in injury time couldn't prevent Glasgow from celebrating long into the night. Barcelona do still only need a point to guarantee qualification.
Benfica are three points behind Celtic with Spartak Moscow four behind after the Portuguese side pulled off a home win. Oscar Cardozo gave Benfica the lead ten minutes into the second half before making it 2-0 on 69-minutes. Any chances of a comeback were ended when Nicolas Pareja was sent off on 76-minutes. Table:
1. Barcelona 9
2. Celtic 7
3. Benfica 4
4. Spartak 3
Group H: Manchester United become the first English side to guarantee their place in the next round as they become the only team to still have a 100% record. The victory didn't look likely as it wasn't a convincing display from United and they found themselves 1-0 down four minutes into the second half when Alan converted from the penalty spot, scoring his fourth in the tournament and his third against United. The game had to be stopped just before the hour mark due to a power outage. Ten minutes later, play resumed and United levelled ten minutes from time when substitute Robin Van Persie took full advantage of the marauding Beto for his third goal of the tournament. United were then awarded a soft penalty five minutes later which Wayne Rooney converted. Javier Hernandez then sealed the victory in injury time with his third of the competition, with all three coming against Braga.
Galatasaray now sit second in the group after an away win against Cluj. Burak Yilmaz put the Turks ahead after 18-minutes before Modou Sougou equalised eight minutes into the second half. Yilmaz then made it 2-1 just after the hour mark before sealing the victory with his hat-trick on 74-minutes, pushing his tally up to four for the tournament. Table:
1.United 12
2. Galatasaray 4
3. Cluj 4
4. Braga 3
Wednesday, 7 November 2012
Tuesday, 6 November 2012
Arsenal Pegged Back In Germany, City Holding On After Controversial Draw
Group A: Dynamo Kyiv and Porto played out a goalless draw in the Ukraine. This means Porto's 100% record has gone despite remaining unbeaten and are still top of the group. A point probably wasn't enough for Kyiv as they a now five points behind PSG and six behind Porto, meaning Porto are all but guaranteed their place in the knock-out phase.
Paris St.Germain are almost there with a point against Kyiv when they meet being enough to seal their place in the next round. Dinamo Zagreb remain pointless after being thumped in France. Ex-Chelsea defender, Alex, opened the scoring after 16-minutes for his second goal of the competition. Blaise Matuidi doubled their lead just after the hour mark. Jeremy Menez then scored his second goal of the tournament on 65-minutes before Guillaume Hoarau completed the rout ten minutes from time. Table:
1. Porto 10 Q
2. PSG 9
3. Kyiv 4
4. Zagreb 0
Group B: Arsenal let a 2-0 lead slip as they and Schalke remain the top two in Group B. Theo Walcott produced some good skill to take the ball away from the keeper before rolling the ball into the empty net on 18-minutes. A bullet header from Olivier Giroud then made it 2-0 on 26-minutes. Schalke pulled one back in first half injury time courtesy of Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, his fourth for the tournament after scoring against Arsenal at the Emirates. Schalke then equalised through a deflected shot from Jefferson Farfan on 67-minutes.
Olympiacos are now just a point behind Arsenal and two behind Schalke after beating Montpellier, leaving the French side unable to progress and unlikely to get a Europa League spot. Paulo Mochado broke the Montpellier trend by opening the scoring for the Greeks after just four minutes. Younes Belhanda scored his second goal of the tournament from the penalty spot to equalise on 67-minutes, meaning both goals by the Algerian have come from the spot. Leandro Greco then made it 2-1 ten minutes from time with Konstantinos Mitroglu securing the points two minutes later. This is Mitroglu's third of the competition, his second against Montpellier. Table:
1.Schalke 8
2. Arsenal 7
3. Olympiacos 6
4. Montpellier 1
Group C: Malaga confirm their place in the next phase despite losing their 100% record and conceding for the first time. Milan hold second spot but the group has now considerably tightened up. Eliseu scored his third goal of the tournament to give Malaga the lead in the San Siro five minutes before half-time. Alexandre Pato was on hand to rescue a point for Milan 17-minutes from the end.
Anderlecht move ahead of Zenit after securing their first win of the competition in Belgium. A goal from Dieudonne Mbokani on 17-minutes was enough to seal the victory. Table:
1.Malaga 10 Q
2. Milan 5
3. Anderlecht 4
4. Zenit 3
Group D: Manchester City came from 2-0 down and could have had a last minute penalty to win the game against Ajax, keeping their slim qualifying hopes alive. After his goal against City in Amsterdam, Siem De Jong was on top form, stabbing the game's opener from a poorly defended corner after just ten minutes. City hadn't learnt their lesson and De Jong made it 2-0 with a near post header from another corner on 17-minutes, making it three in two. City finally got a hold in the match and pulled one back with a piece of brilliance from Yaya Toure on 22-minutes. Sergio Aguero then equalised 16-minutes from time. Mario Balotelli thought he had won a last gasp penalty after his shirt was being pulled in the box, but instead of blowing for a penalty, the referee blew for the end of the game, much to the annoyance of City.
The top two from the group also played out a 2-2 draw at the Bernabeu. Marco Reus spectacularly fired Dortmund ahead on 28-minutes, his second of the tournament. Pepe then headed Madrid level nine minutes before half-time before a good bit of football ended up being credited with an Alvaro Arbeloa own goal in injury time to reinstate Dortmund's lead. A Mesut Ozil free-kick in the last minute of normal time sealed the point. Table:
1.Dortmund 8
2. Madrid 7
3. Ajax 4
4. City 2
Paris St.Germain are almost there with a point against Kyiv when they meet being enough to seal their place in the next round. Dinamo Zagreb remain pointless after being thumped in France. Ex-Chelsea defender, Alex, opened the scoring after 16-minutes for his second goal of the competition. Blaise Matuidi doubled their lead just after the hour mark. Jeremy Menez then scored his second goal of the tournament on 65-minutes before Guillaume Hoarau completed the rout ten minutes from time. Table:
1. Porto 10 Q
2. PSG 9
3. Kyiv 4
4. Zagreb 0
Group B: Arsenal let a 2-0 lead slip as they and Schalke remain the top two in Group B. Theo Walcott produced some good skill to take the ball away from the keeper before rolling the ball into the empty net on 18-minutes. A bullet header from Olivier Giroud then made it 2-0 on 26-minutes. Schalke pulled one back in first half injury time courtesy of Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, his fourth for the tournament after scoring against Arsenal at the Emirates. Schalke then equalised through a deflected shot from Jefferson Farfan on 67-minutes.
Olympiacos are now just a point behind Arsenal and two behind Schalke after beating Montpellier, leaving the French side unable to progress and unlikely to get a Europa League spot. Paulo Mochado broke the Montpellier trend by opening the scoring for the Greeks after just four minutes. Younes Belhanda scored his second goal of the tournament from the penalty spot to equalise on 67-minutes, meaning both goals by the Algerian have come from the spot. Leandro Greco then made it 2-1 ten minutes from time with Konstantinos Mitroglu securing the points two minutes later. This is Mitroglu's third of the competition, his second against Montpellier. Table:
1.Schalke 8
2. Arsenal 7
3. Olympiacos 6
4. Montpellier 1
Group C: Malaga confirm their place in the next phase despite losing their 100% record and conceding for the first time. Milan hold second spot but the group has now considerably tightened up. Eliseu scored his third goal of the tournament to give Malaga the lead in the San Siro five minutes before half-time. Alexandre Pato was on hand to rescue a point for Milan 17-minutes from the end.
Anderlecht move ahead of Zenit after securing their first win of the competition in Belgium. A goal from Dieudonne Mbokani on 17-minutes was enough to seal the victory. Table:
1.Malaga 10 Q
2. Milan 5
3. Anderlecht 4
4. Zenit 3
Group D: Manchester City came from 2-0 down and could have had a last minute penalty to win the game against Ajax, keeping their slim qualifying hopes alive. After his goal against City in Amsterdam, Siem De Jong was on top form, stabbing the game's opener from a poorly defended corner after just ten minutes. City hadn't learnt their lesson and De Jong made it 2-0 with a near post header from another corner on 17-minutes, making it three in two. City finally got a hold in the match and pulled one back with a piece of brilliance from Yaya Toure on 22-minutes. Sergio Aguero then equalised 16-minutes from time. Mario Balotelli thought he had won a last gasp penalty after his shirt was being pulled in the box, but instead of blowing for a penalty, the referee blew for the end of the game, much to the annoyance of City.
The top two from the group also played out a 2-2 draw at the Bernabeu. Marco Reus spectacularly fired Dortmund ahead on 28-minutes, his second of the tournament. Pepe then headed Madrid level nine minutes before half-time before a good bit of football ended up being credited with an Alvaro Arbeloa own goal in injury time to reinstate Dortmund's lead. A Mesut Ozil free-kick in the last minute of normal time sealed the point. Table:
1.Dortmund 8
2. Madrid 7
3. Ajax 4
4. City 2
Monday, 5 November 2012
FA Cup 2nd Round Draw
Salisbury v Grimsby
Stourbridge v Stevenage
Sheffield United v Torquay United
Colchester United v Swindon Town
Chelmsford City v Macclesfield Town
Leyton Orient v Gillingham
Crawley Town v Redbridge
Luton Town v Cheltenham Town
Fleetwood Town v Yeovil Town
Brentford v Wrexham
Bradford City v AFC Wimbledon
Shrewsbury Town v Rotherham United
Dagenham & Redbridge v Walsall
Barnet v Milton Keynes Dons
Gateshead v Tamworth
Sheffield Wednesday v Aldershot Town
Sutton United v Notts County
Southend United v Oldham Athletic
AFC Totton v Bristol Rovers
Charlton Athletic v Carlisle United
United Go Top As Chelsea & City Both Draw. Saints, QPR & Reading Remain Winless
West Brom 2-0 Southampton: Southampton remain rooted to the bottom of the league and still searching for their first win. Steve Clarke's fantastic first ten games in charge sees the Baggies sit fifth in the table, level on points with Everton and Spurs. West Brom had Peter Odemwingie to thank for their latest victory although there was a slight suspicion of handball during the build up to his opening goal nine minutes before half-time. The Nigerian then sealed the victory with his second on the hour mark and it was unknown to him he was about to substituted before he made it 2-0.
QPR 1-1 Reading: The spoils are shared in arguably the season's first six-pointer. With both teams yet to win a game in the league this season, three points here could have proved pivotal. It was Reading who tasted a glimpse of victory when Kaspars Gorkss put the visitors ahead against his old club on 16-minutes. After great saves from Alex McCarthy, Reading were finally broken when a scramble saw Djibril Cisse fire QPR level on 66-minutes. Cisse almost made it 2-1 with a snap shot in the final moments but it just fizzed wide.
Liverpool 1-1 Newcastle: Another Liverpool game, another bunch of headlines for Luis Suarez. There was yet another Suarez penalty appeal turned down in the first half which saw Newcastle take the lead two minutes before the break via a fantastic goal from Yoann Cabaye. A long ball found Suarez who managed to beat off a defender and round Tim Krul before equalising on 67-minutes. Newcastle went down to ten men six minutes from the end when Fabricio Coloccini was shown a straight red for a late challenge on Suarez. The Argentine didn't particularly make much contact with the Uruguayan but the force and intent of the challenge was enough to show red.
West Ham 0-0 Manchester City: City still remain unbeaten but sit third in the table and two points behind their neighbours. It probably should have been City's first defeat of the season as Kevin Nolan had a first half goal ruled out for offside when replays showed that Nolan was actually onside.
Fulham 2-2 Everton: Fulham needed a late goal to rescue a point that they possibly didn't deserve against Everton. A Tim Howard own goal did initially give Fulham the lead after just seven minutes. The visitors were level ten minutes into the second half through Marouane Fellaini. The Belgian then made it 2-1 with his fifth goal of the season on 72-minutes. But Steve Sidwell would steal a point in injury time to see them stand eighth in the table.
Norwich 1-0 Stoke: Norwich move ahead of Stoke by a point in this tight fought contest at Carrow Road. Bradley Johnson scored his first goal in over a year a minute before half-time to give all three points to Norwich.
Sunderland 0-1 Aston Villa: Sunderland's lack of goals continues to haunt them as Martin O'Neill suffers defeat against his former team. Despite their decent attacking options, it is still only Steven Fletcher who has scored in the league for Sunderland and even he couldn't get on the scoresheet. The only goal of the game came 12-minutes into the second half through Gabby Agbonlahor. It could be a crucial three points as it signifies Villa's second win of the season but their next three games are against Manchester United, Manchester City and Arsenal.
Swansea 1-1 Chelsea: Chelsea continue to suffer the curse of Hernandez as their grip at the top of the league relinquishes. Victor Moses continued his great form following their Carling Cup victory in mid-week by putting Chelsea ahead just after the hour mark. But Swansea deserved a point from this game and it would be Pablo Hernandez to steal a draw with Swansea's equaliser two minutes from time.
Tottenham 0-1 Wigan: The shock of the weekend sees Andre Villas-Boas come under yet more pressure and scrutiny after defeat against Wigan. Ben Watson scored the only goal of the game 11-minutes into the second half to move Wigan up to 13th in the league. Villas-Boas needs to try and get the fans back behind him as the boos were there to hear, especially when Jermain Defoe was substituted.
Manchester United 2-1 Arsenal: United go top with an extremely comfortable victory. Robin Van Persie took just three minutes to score against his former club. A mistake from Thomas Vermaelen allowed Van Persie in and the Dutchman scored with his first touch. It should have been 2-0 before half-time when Santi Cazorla conceded a penalty for handball, Wayne Rooney stepped up but scuffed his attempt wide. Patrice Evra then headed home from a short corner on 67-minutes and it got even worse for Arsenal two minutes later when Jack Wilshere was sent off for his second bookable offence. Arsenal did get the last hurrah though when Cazorla scored a sublime curler with the last kick of the game.
QPR 1-1 Reading: The spoils are shared in arguably the season's first six-pointer. With both teams yet to win a game in the league this season, three points here could have proved pivotal. It was Reading who tasted a glimpse of victory when Kaspars Gorkss put the visitors ahead against his old club on 16-minutes. After great saves from Alex McCarthy, Reading were finally broken when a scramble saw Djibril Cisse fire QPR level on 66-minutes. Cisse almost made it 2-1 with a snap shot in the final moments but it just fizzed wide.
Liverpool 1-1 Newcastle: Another Liverpool game, another bunch of headlines for Luis Suarez. There was yet another Suarez penalty appeal turned down in the first half which saw Newcastle take the lead two minutes before the break via a fantastic goal from Yoann Cabaye. A long ball found Suarez who managed to beat off a defender and round Tim Krul before equalising on 67-minutes. Newcastle went down to ten men six minutes from the end when Fabricio Coloccini was shown a straight red for a late challenge on Suarez. The Argentine didn't particularly make much contact with the Uruguayan but the force and intent of the challenge was enough to show red.
West Ham 0-0 Manchester City: City still remain unbeaten but sit third in the table and two points behind their neighbours. It probably should have been City's first defeat of the season as Kevin Nolan had a first half goal ruled out for offside when replays showed that Nolan was actually onside.
Fulham 2-2 Everton: Fulham needed a late goal to rescue a point that they possibly didn't deserve against Everton. A Tim Howard own goal did initially give Fulham the lead after just seven minutes. The visitors were level ten minutes into the second half through Marouane Fellaini. The Belgian then made it 2-1 with his fifth goal of the season on 72-minutes. But Steve Sidwell would steal a point in injury time to see them stand eighth in the table.
Norwich 1-0 Stoke: Norwich move ahead of Stoke by a point in this tight fought contest at Carrow Road. Bradley Johnson scored his first goal in over a year a minute before half-time to give all three points to Norwich.
Sunderland 0-1 Aston Villa: Sunderland's lack of goals continues to haunt them as Martin O'Neill suffers defeat against his former team. Despite their decent attacking options, it is still only Steven Fletcher who has scored in the league for Sunderland and even he couldn't get on the scoresheet. The only goal of the game came 12-minutes into the second half through Gabby Agbonlahor. It could be a crucial three points as it signifies Villa's second win of the season but their next three games are against Manchester United, Manchester City and Arsenal.
Swansea 1-1 Chelsea: Chelsea continue to suffer the curse of Hernandez as their grip at the top of the league relinquishes. Victor Moses continued his great form following their Carling Cup victory in mid-week by putting Chelsea ahead just after the hour mark. But Swansea deserved a point from this game and it would be Pablo Hernandez to steal a draw with Swansea's equaliser two minutes from time.
Tottenham 0-1 Wigan: The shock of the weekend sees Andre Villas-Boas come under yet more pressure and scrutiny after defeat against Wigan. Ben Watson scored the only goal of the game 11-minutes into the second half to move Wigan up to 13th in the league. Villas-Boas needs to try and get the fans back behind him as the boos were there to hear, especially when Jermain Defoe was substituted.
Manchester United 2-1 Arsenal: United go top with an extremely comfortable victory. Robin Van Persie took just three minutes to score against his former club. A mistake from Thomas Vermaelen allowed Van Persie in and the Dutchman scored with his first touch. It should have been 2-0 before half-time when Santi Cazorla conceded a penalty for handball, Wayne Rooney stepped up but scuffed his attempt wide. Patrice Evra then headed home from a short corner on 67-minutes and it got even worse for Arsenal two minutes later when Jack Wilshere was sent off for his second bookable offence. Arsenal did get the last hurrah though when Cazorla scored a sublime curler with the last kick of the game.
Sunday, 4 November 2012
Raikkonen Wins Abu Dhabi Ding Dong
Kimi Raikkonen becomes the eighth different winner of the season to round off a fantastic return to Formula One. But his first victory in two years doesn't even begin to summarise what happened in an incident filled Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Lewis Hamilton had been in a class of his own all weekend but he'll be further counting the days until he leaves McLaren after his car lost all power on lap-20. The McLaren was comfortably leading and a shoe-in for victory until that moment which signified his fifth retirement of the season.
The amount of incidents, which included two Safety Cars, meant Sebastian Vettel could pull off a real heist. His result from qualifying was excluded after he was unable to supply a fuel sample. This meant he had to start the race at the back from the pit lane. But he managed to finish the race in third and he too wasn't invincible from the drama.
Fernando Alonso managed second but it still gives Vettel a ten point advantage going into the final two races of the season. Red Bull could have sealed the Constructors Championship this weekend but with Alonso finishing ahead of Vettel and Mark Webber crashing out, the inevitable has been delayed.
The race was dramatic before it had even started. After Vettel had been hit with that exclusion, the formation lap saw Pedro De La Rosa unable to get off the grid because a tyre blanket chord was stuck in the rear wheel. This meant the HRT had to join Vettel to start from the pit lane.
Mark Webber's race began poorly as he was caught sleeping on the start. He had fallen to fourth with Alonso managing to overtake Button to take fifth before soon moving past Webber to gain a further place. The usual incident from the start of the race saw Bruno Senna and Nico Hulkenberg contact after Hulkenberg had tried to overtake Paul Di Resta. From that, Romain Grosjean and Di Resta received punctures with Nico Rosberg requiring a new nose. Hulkenberg was the only casualty and couldn't continue.
Vettel's initial attempt at climbing through the grid looked to have been hampered when an over zealous overtake saw him suffer front wing damage from Bruno Senna. He decided not to pit and by lap six, the Red Bull had already got up to 14th.
The first Safety Car had to be deployed on lap nine. Narain Karthikeyan looked to be suffering as smoke was coming out of the back of the HRT. This caused him to slow down and an unaware Rosberg ended up going into the back of him before launching over the top and crashing into the barrier. Fortunately neither driver was hurt in the incident but obviously neither car could continue.
During the Safety Car period, Vettel was once again in the wars. In an attempt to warm the tyres, Daniel Ricciardo had slowed right down. This caused Vettel to swerve out of the way to avoid hitting the Toro Rosso and the Red Bull smashed through a polystyrene DRS block. This caused further front wing damage and had to pit a lap later to get it changed. Lap-14 was also the same lap the Safety Car came back in and Vettel came out in 21st.
It was only six laps where the comfortable Hamilton suffered his power loss which forced him to retire. This handed Raikkonen the lead and Alonso had immediately passed Pastor Maldonado to go second. By this stage Vettel had already climbed to 11th.
Mark Webber lived a relatively charmed life in his over zealous attempts at over taking. On lap-23 Maldonado was struggling and Webber looked the easy favourite to overtake the Williams. But during the overtake, Webber didn't leave Maldonado enough room on the corner and the Venezuelan had no option but to hit the Red Bull, wheel to wheel, and Webber span to fall to seventh.
A lap later and Button was able to successfully overtake Maldonado to gain that third place with Sergio Perez taking Felipe Massa to secure fifth. Unbelievably, Vettel wasn't too far away from this piece of action as he was only sitting in eighth place.
Webber hadn't learnt from his previous exploits and on lap-26 he had a similar incident with Massa. Massa again had no option but to contact the Rub Bull. This time Webber didn't spin but was forced off track which ended up allowing him to overtake the Ferrari. Webber was about to give the place back but the panicked Massa ended up spinning and having to go into the pits before continuing.
By Lap-38, Vettel had managed to put himself ahead of Alonso due to the fact he had pitted during the Safety Car. But his soft tyres were unlikely to last the remainder of the race and Red Bull decided he needed to pit which he came back out in fourth place.
A lap later and there was carnage; Perez and Di Resta were battling for position. This caused Di Resta to go onto the grass before Perez also went off track. As Perez rejoined the track, he had left no room for Grosjean and the Lotus crashed into the side of the Sauber. Perez span but was able to continue, but Grosjean suffered too much damage and it didn't help when an unfortunate Webber crashed into the back of him, causing them both to retire and the Safety Car to redeploy. Perez and Daniel Ricciardo subsequently pitted before continuing.
By lap-42 Marussia had decided that Charles Pic could no longer continue and was forced to retire. The Safety Car came in a lap later and Perez was handed a stop/go penalty for forcing another driver, Di Resta, off the track.
Alonso tried his hardest to hunt down Raikkonen but he wasn't to be denied his victory. It was a better hunt for Vettel who managed to overtake Button on lap-52 to secure a remarkable podium position to keep his lead somewhat in tact over Alonso. Race result:
1.Raikkonen (Lotus), 2.Alonso (Ferrari), 3.Vettel (Red Bull), 4.Button (McLaren), 5.Maldonado (Williams), 6.Kobayashi (Sauber), 7.Massa (Ferrari), 8.Senna (Williams), 9.Di Resta (Force India), 10.Ricciardo (Toro Rosso), 11.Schumacher (Mercedes), 12.Vergne (Toro Rosso), 13.Kovalainen (Caterham), 14.Glock (Marussia), 15.Perez (Sauber), 16.Petrov (Caterham), 17.De La Rosa (HRT) DNF: Hulkenberg (Force India), Hamilton (McLaren), Rosberg (Mercedes), Karthikeyan (HRT), Webber (Red Bull), Grosjean (Lotus), Pic (Marussia)
Lewis Hamilton had been in a class of his own all weekend but he'll be further counting the days until he leaves McLaren after his car lost all power on lap-20. The McLaren was comfortably leading and a shoe-in for victory until that moment which signified his fifth retirement of the season.
The amount of incidents, which included two Safety Cars, meant Sebastian Vettel could pull off a real heist. His result from qualifying was excluded after he was unable to supply a fuel sample. This meant he had to start the race at the back from the pit lane. But he managed to finish the race in third and he too wasn't invincible from the drama.
Fernando Alonso managed second but it still gives Vettel a ten point advantage going into the final two races of the season. Red Bull could have sealed the Constructors Championship this weekend but with Alonso finishing ahead of Vettel and Mark Webber crashing out, the inevitable has been delayed.
The race was dramatic before it had even started. After Vettel had been hit with that exclusion, the formation lap saw Pedro De La Rosa unable to get off the grid because a tyre blanket chord was stuck in the rear wheel. This meant the HRT had to join Vettel to start from the pit lane.
Mark Webber's race began poorly as he was caught sleeping on the start. He had fallen to fourth with Alonso managing to overtake Button to take fifth before soon moving past Webber to gain a further place. The usual incident from the start of the race saw Bruno Senna and Nico Hulkenberg contact after Hulkenberg had tried to overtake Paul Di Resta. From that, Romain Grosjean and Di Resta received punctures with Nico Rosberg requiring a new nose. Hulkenberg was the only casualty and couldn't continue.
Vettel's initial attempt at climbing through the grid looked to have been hampered when an over zealous overtake saw him suffer front wing damage from Bruno Senna. He decided not to pit and by lap six, the Red Bull had already got up to 14th.
The first Safety Car had to be deployed on lap nine. Narain Karthikeyan looked to be suffering as smoke was coming out of the back of the HRT. This caused him to slow down and an unaware Rosberg ended up going into the back of him before launching over the top and crashing into the barrier. Fortunately neither driver was hurt in the incident but obviously neither car could continue.
During the Safety Car period, Vettel was once again in the wars. In an attempt to warm the tyres, Daniel Ricciardo had slowed right down. This caused Vettel to swerve out of the way to avoid hitting the Toro Rosso and the Red Bull smashed through a polystyrene DRS block. This caused further front wing damage and had to pit a lap later to get it changed. Lap-14 was also the same lap the Safety Car came back in and Vettel came out in 21st.
It was only six laps where the comfortable Hamilton suffered his power loss which forced him to retire. This handed Raikkonen the lead and Alonso had immediately passed Pastor Maldonado to go second. By this stage Vettel had already climbed to 11th.
Mark Webber lived a relatively charmed life in his over zealous attempts at over taking. On lap-23 Maldonado was struggling and Webber looked the easy favourite to overtake the Williams. But during the overtake, Webber didn't leave Maldonado enough room on the corner and the Venezuelan had no option but to hit the Red Bull, wheel to wheel, and Webber span to fall to seventh.
A lap later and Button was able to successfully overtake Maldonado to gain that third place with Sergio Perez taking Felipe Massa to secure fifth. Unbelievably, Vettel wasn't too far away from this piece of action as he was only sitting in eighth place.
Webber hadn't learnt from his previous exploits and on lap-26 he had a similar incident with Massa. Massa again had no option but to contact the Rub Bull. This time Webber didn't spin but was forced off track which ended up allowing him to overtake the Ferrari. Webber was about to give the place back but the panicked Massa ended up spinning and having to go into the pits before continuing.
By Lap-38, Vettel had managed to put himself ahead of Alonso due to the fact he had pitted during the Safety Car. But his soft tyres were unlikely to last the remainder of the race and Red Bull decided he needed to pit which he came back out in fourth place.
A lap later and there was carnage; Perez and Di Resta were battling for position. This caused Di Resta to go onto the grass before Perez also went off track. As Perez rejoined the track, he had left no room for Grosjean and the Lotus crashed into the side of the Sauber. Perez span but was able to continue, but Grosjean suffered too much damage and it didn't help when an unfortunate Webber crashed into the back of him, causing them both to retire and the Safety Car to redeploy. Perez and Daniel Ricciardo subsequently pitted before continuing.
By lap-42 Marussia had decided that Charles Pic could no longer continue and was forced to retire. The Safety Car came in a lap later and Perez was handed a stop/go penalty for forcing another driver, Di Resta, off the track.
Alonso tried his hardest to hunt down Raikkonen but he wasn't to be denied his victory. It was a better hunt for Vettel who managed to overtake Button on lap-52 to secure a remarkable podium position to keep his lead somewhat in tact over Alonso. Race result:
1.Raikkonen (Lotus), 2.Alonso (Ferrari), 3.Vettel (Red Bull), 4.Button (McLaren), 5.Maldonado (Williams), 6.Kobayashi (Sauber), 7.Massa (Ferrari), 8.Senna (Williams), 9.Di Resta (Force India), 10.Ricciardo (Toro Rosso), 11.Schumacher (Mercedes), 12.Vergne (Toro Rosso), 13.Kovalainen (Caterham), 14.Glock (Marussia), 15.Perez (Sauber), 16.Petrov (Caterham), 17.De La Rosa (HRT) DNF: Hulkenberg (Force India), Hamilton (McLaren), Rosberg (Mercedes), Karthikeyan (HRT), Webber (Red Bull), Grosjean (Lotus), Pic (Marussia)
Saturday, 3 November 2012
FA Cup 1st Round Results
Dorchester Town 1-0 Plymouth Argyle: Jake Gosling 49 - Conor Hourihane (s/o) 9
Burton Albion 3-3 Altrincham: Zander Diamond 53, Jacques Maghoma 77, Calvin Zola 90 - Carl Rodgers 29, Nathan Stanton 34 (og), Damien McCrory 85 (og)
Cambridge City 0-0 Milton Keynes Dons
Hereford United 3-1 Shrewsbury Town: Will Evans 3, Ryan Bowman 12 & 73 (pen) - Luke Summerfield 30
Boreham Wood 0-2 Brentford: Clayton Donaldson 16, Harry Forrester 44
AFC Fylde 1-4 Accrington Stanley: Adam Farrell 90 - Will Hatfield 32, 45, 77 & 86
Aldershot Town 2-1 Hendon: Danny Hylton 57 & 85 - Dean Cracknell 28
Barnet 0-2 Oxford United: James Constable 56, Sean Rigg 80
Bishops Stortford 1-2 Hastings United: Matt Johnson 7 - Sean Ray 70, Zac Attwood 88
AFC Bournemouth 4-0 Dagenham & Redbridge: Josh McQuoid 30 & 79, Marc Pugh 59, Wes Fogden 90
Bristol Rovers 1-2 Sheffield United: David Clarkson 5 - Nick Blackman 53, Chris Porter 62
Bury 1-0 Exeter City: Efe Sodje 35, Sodje (s/o) 60
Carlisle United 4-2 Ebbsfleet United: David Symington 45, Liam Noble 61, James Berrett 81, Joe Garner 87 - Nathan Elder 58, Joe Howe 90
Chelmsford City 3-1 Colchester United: Donovan Simmonds 23 & 63, Jamie Slabber 89 - Michael Rose 70
Cheltenham Town 3-0 Yate Town: Scott Thomas 3 (og), Kaid Mohamed 65, Chris Zebroski 90
Chesterfield 6-1 Hartlepool United: Scott Boden 16, Mark Randall 29, Craig Clay 42, Terrell Forbes 54, Jack Lester 79, Craig Westcarr 90 - Antony Sweeney 78
Coventry City 3-0 Arlesey Town: Callum Ball 28, Cyrus Christie 63, Steve Jennings 89
Crewe Alexandra 4-1 Wycombe Wanderers: Mathias Pogba 19, Mark Ellis 40, Chuks Aneke 62, Luke Murphy 77 - Matt Spring 13
Doncaster Rovers 3-1 Bradford Park Avenue: Michael Woods 27, Iain Hume 36, Chris Brown 76 - Richard Marshall 56
Fleetwood Town 3-0 Bromley: David Ball 11, Jon Parkin 17 (pen) & 34 (pen)
Forest Green Rovers 2-3 Port Vale: James Norwood 34, Eddie Oshodi 49 - Ashley Vincent 7, Clayton McDonald 12, Ben Williamson 80
Gillingham 4-0 Scunthorpe United: Matt Fish 59, Deon Burton 65, Danny Kedwell 76 (pen), Adam Birchall 90
Guiseley AFC 2-2 Barrow AFC: Wayne Brooksby 14, Danny Boshell 35 - Adam Boyes 44, Garry Hunter 48
Kidderminster Harriers 0-2 Oldham Athletic: Cristian Montano 52, Jose Baxter 65
Lincoln City 1-1 Walsall: Jamie Taylor 45 - George Bowerman 87
Luton Town 1-1 Nuneaton Town: Scott Rendell 84 - Tyrell Waite 20
Mansfield Town 0-0 Slough Town
Metropolitan Police 1-2 Crawley Town: Alan Tait 83 - Josh Simpson 36, Billy Clarke 69
Morecambe 1-1 Rochdale AFC: Andrew Fleming 12 - Jason Kennedy 72
Northampton Town 1-1 Bradford City: Louis Moult 61 - Will Atkinson 32
Portsmouth 0-2 Notts County: Scott Allan (s/o) 74 - Francois Zoko 45, Yoann Arquin 56
Preston North End 3-0 Yeovil Town: Joel Byrom 38, David Amoo 41, Chris Robertson 70 - Ed Upson (s/o) 63
Rotherham United 3-2 Stevenage Borough: Mark Bradley 30, Lee Frecklington 53 & 56 - James Dunne 58, Felipe Morais 72
Southend United 3-0 Stockport County: Barry Corr 33, Marc Laird 85, Freddy Eastwood 88
Swindon Town 0-2 Macclesfield Town: Aden Flint (s/o) 65 - Tony Diagne 63, Louis Thompson 90 (og)
Torquay United 0-1 Harrogate Town: Chibuzor Chilaka 20
Wrexham 2-4 Alfreton Town: Neil Ashton 2 (pen), Danny Wright 85, Joslain Mayebi (s/o) 58 - Paul Clayton 27, Daniel Bradley 60 (pen), Ben Tomlinson 79 & 90, Bradley (s/o) 62, Tomlinson (s/o) 90
York City 1-1 AFC Wimbledon: Jamie Reed 62 - Charlie Strutton 80
Burton Albion 3-3 Altrincham: Zander Diamond 53, Jacques Maghoma 77, Calvin Zola 90 - Carl Rodgers 29, Nathan Stanton 34 (og), Damien McCrory 85 (og)
Cambridge City 0-0 Milton Keynes Dons
Hereford United 3-1 Shrewsbury Town: Will Evans 3, Ryan Bowman 12 & 73 (pen) - Luke Summerfield 30
Boreham Wood 0-2 Brentford: Clayton Donaldson 16, Harry Forrester 44
AFC Fylde 1-4 Accrington Stanley: Adam Farrell 90 - Will Hatfield 32, 45, 77 & 86
Aldershot Town 2-1 Hendon: Danny Hylton 57 & 85 - Dean Cracknell 28
Barnet 0-2 Oxford United: James Constable 56, Sean Rigg 80
Bishops Stortford 1-2 Hastings United: Matt Johnson 7 - Sean Ray 70, Zac Attwood 88
AFC Bournemouth 4-0 Dagenham & Redbridge: Josh McQuoid 30 & 79, Marc Pugh 59, Wes Fogden 90
Bristol Rovers 1-2 Sheffield United: David Clarkson 5 - Nick Blackman 53, Chris Porter 62
Bury 1-0 Exeter City: Efe Sodje 35, Sodje (s/o) 60
Carlisle United 4-2 Ebbsfleet United: David Symington 45, Liam Noble 61, James Berrett 81, Joe Garner 87 - Nathan Elder 58, Joe Howe 90
Chelmsford City 3-1 Colchester United: Donovan Simmonds 23 & 63, Jamie Slabber 89 - Michael Rose 70
Cheltenham Town 3-0 Yate Town: Scott Thomas 3 (og), Kaid Mohamed 65, Chris Zebroski 90
Chesterfield 6-1 Hartlepool United: Scott Boden 16, Mark Randall 29, Craig Clay 42, Terrell Forbes 54, Jack Lester 79, Craig Westcarr 90 - Antony Sweeney 78
Coventry City 3-0 Arlesey Town: Callum Ball 28, Cyrus Christie 63, Steve Jennings 89
Crewe Alexandra 4-1 Wycombe Wanderers: Mathias Pogba 19, Mark Ellis 40, Chuks Aneke 62, Luke Murphy 77 - Matt Spring 13
Doncaster Rovers 3-1 Bradford Park Avenue: Michael Woods 27, Iain Hume 36, Chris Brown 76 - Richard Marshall 56
Fleetwood Town 3-0 Bromley: David Ball 11, Jon Parkin 17 (pen) & 34 (pen)
Forest Green Rovers 2-3 Port Vale: James Norwood 34, Eddie Oshodi 49 - Ashley Vincent 7, Clayton McDonald 12, Ben Williamson 80
Gillingham 4-0 Scunthorpe United: Matt Fish 59, Deon Burton 65, Danny Kedwell 76 (pen), Adam Birchall 90
Guiseley AFC 2-2 Barrow AFC: Wayne Brooksby 14, Danny Boshell 35 - Adam Boyes 44, Garry Hunter 48
Kidderminster Harriers 0-2 Oldham Athletic: Cristian Montano 52, Jose Baxter 65
Lincoln City 1-1 Walsall: Jamie Taylor 45 - George Bowerman 87
Luton Town 1-1 Nuneaton Town: Scott Rendell 84 - Tyrell Waite 20
Mansfield Town 0-0 Slough Town
Metropolitan Police 1-2 Crawley Town: Alan Tait 83 - Josh Simpson 36, Billy Clarke 69
Morecambe 1-1 Rochdale AFC: Andrew Fleming 12 - Jason Kennedy 72
Northampton Town 1-1 Bradford City: Louis Moult 61 - Will Atkinson 32
Portsmouth 0-2 Notts County: Scott Allan (s/o) 74 - Francois Zoko 45, Yoann Arquin 56
Preston North End 3-0 Yeovil Town: Joel Byrom 38, David Amoo 41, Chris Robertson 70 - Ed Upson (s/o) 63
Rotherham United 3-2 Stevenage Borough: Mark Bradley 30, Lee Frecklington 53 & 56 - James Dunne 58, Felipe Morais 72
Southend United 3-0 Stockport County: Barry Corr 33, Marc Laird 85, Freddy Eastwood 88
Swindon Town 0-2 Macclesfield Town: Aden Flint (s/o) 65 - Tony Diagne 63, Louis Thompson 90 (og)
Torquay United 0-1 Harrogate Town: Chibuzor Chilaka 20
Wrexham 2-4 Alfreton Town: Neil Ashton 2 (pen), Danny Wright 85, Joslain Mayebi (s/o) 58 - Paul Clayton 27, Daniel Bradley 60 (pen), Ben Tomlinson 79 & 90, Bradley (s/o) 62, Tomlinson (s/o) 90
York City 1-1 AFC Wimbledon: Jamie Reed 62 - Charlie Strutton 80
Hamilton A Class Apart In Abu Dhabi
Lewis Hamilton was in a class of his own as he continues to search for a swansong result before he leaves McLaren. Hamilton was quickest throughout qualifying and ended up half a second ahead of Mark Webber to take Pole in majestic fashion.
Championship leader, Sebastian Vettel will start third as he looks to put a hand on the trophy and secure Red Bull's Constructors Championship tomorrow. Pastor Maldonado returned to some sort of top form to park his Williams fourth on the grid with Kimi Raikkonen fifth. Jenson Button could only manage sixth and Fernando Alonso will have to perform another one of his trademark starts to move from his starting position in seventh. Nico Rosberg splits the two Ferraris in eighth with Romain Grosjean completing the top ten.
The man to miss out on Q3 was Nico Hulkenberg with Sergio Perez splitting the two Force India cars in 12th. Michael Schumacher continues his failure in getting out of Q2 and could only qualify in a lowly 14th. Bruno Senna will start 15th with Kamui Kobayashi 16th and Daniel Ricciardo just about making it out of Q1.
It's beginning to be a familiar storyline as Jean Eric-Vergne joins the usual six to fall from Q1. Kovalainen once again was the best of the six but Charles Pic managed to split the two Caterham cars. Timo Glock starts 22nd with Pedro De La Rosa and Narain Karthikeyan bringing up the rear.
Championship leader, Sebastian Vettel will start third as he looks to put a hand on the trophy and secure Red Bull's Constructors Championship tomorrow. Pastor Maldonado returned to some sort of top form to park his Williams fourth on the grid with Kimi Raikkonen fifth. Jenson Button could only manage sixth and Fernando Alonso will have to perform another one of his trademark starts to move from his starting position in seventh. Nico Rosberg splits the two Ferraris in eighth with Romain Grosjean completing the top ten.
The man to miss out on Q3 was Nico Hulkenberg with Sergio Perez splitting the two Force India cars in 12th. Michael Schumacher continues his failure in getting out of Q2 and could only qualify in a lowly 14th. Bruno Senna will start 15th with Kamui Kobayashi 16th and Daniel Ricciardo just about making it out of Q1.
It's beginning to be a familiar storyline as Jean Eric-Vergne joins the usual six to fall from Q1. Kovalainen once again was the best of the six but Charles Pic managed to split the two Caterham cars. Timo Glock starts 22nd with Pedro De La Rosa and Narain Karthikeyan bringing up the rear.
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