As the groups stages come to end we now know the sixteen teams who have progressed into the knockout rounds, with the draw next Friday (17th December). We also know the other four teams who will be entering the Europa League.
Group E: With Bayern Munich already through, their opponents Basle knew they had to win in Germany to give themselves any hope of qualifying for the knockout phase. Munich stuck to their task and took the lead ten minutes before half-time through Ribery. Tymoshchuk made it 2-0 two minutes later to destroy Basle's hopes of qualifying. Ribery added a second and Munich's third just four minutes into the second half to round it all off.
Roma just did enough to progress by drawing with Cluj. The visitors only needed that point to be guaranteed qualification and Marco Borriello gave the Italians the lead after 21 minutes. Cluj equalised two minutes from time through Lacina Traore. Final Table:
1.Bayern Munich 16
2.AS Roma 10
3.FC Basel 6
4. CFR Cluj-Napoca 2
Group F: Chelsea's poor league form seeped into Europe as they lost 1-0 in France to Marseille. Chelsea still win the group despite Brandao's 81st minute winner.
Zilina failed to earn a single point in the competition after going 1-0 ahead to lose 2-1 to Spartak Moscow. Tomas Majtan gave Zilina the lead three minutes into the second half but Alex equalised six minutes later. Ibson scored the winner for Moscow after 61 minutes but then got sent off seventeen minutes later. Final Table:
1.Chelsea 15
2.Olympique Marseille 12
3.Spartak Moscow 9
4.MSK Zilina 0
Group G: Real Madrid finished off their group campaign emphatically with a 4-0 victory over Auxerre. Karim Benzema was the star of the show and opened the scoring after eleven minutes. Ronaldo doubled the lead four minutes into the second half before Benzema scored his second on 72 minutes. Benzema then completed his hat-trick two minutes from time for Madrid to win the group in some style.
Ajax secured Europa League football ahead of Auxerre by beating AC Milan 2-0 in the San Siro. Demy De Zeeuw opened the scoring twelve minutes into the second half before Toby Alderweireld won the game nine minutes later. Final Table:
1.Real Madrid 16
2.AC Milan 8
3.Ajax 7
4.Auxerre 3
Group H: Arsenal played poorly but still managed to beat Partizan 3-1 at The Emirates. Van Persie gave Arsenal the lead from the penalty spot after half an hour before Cleo equalised seven minutes into the second half. Walcott made it 2-1 after 73 minutes with the in form Nasri adding the third four minutes later. Bacary Sagna also got sent off for Arsenal four minutes from time and will therefore miss their second round fixture.
Arsenal failed to make it all four English clubs winning their groups as Shakhtar beat Braga 2-0. Razvan Rat opened the scoring after 78 minutes before Adriano made it 2-0 five minutes later. Final Table:
1.Shakhtar Donetsk 15
2.Arsenal 12
3. SC Braga 9
4.FK Partizan Belgrade 0
Thursday, 9 December 2010
Wednesday, 8 December 2010
Champions League Round-Up 7/12/10
The first four groups have all completed their matches and we now know at least eight teams who will be in the knock-out rounds with another four who finished third in their group, therefore qualifying for the Europa League.
Group A: With Tottenham already guaranteed progression they were battling it our for top spot. Whereas their opponents Twente were near enough guaranteed Europa League and just needed a point to be sure of it. Spurs were ahead after twelve minutes when Wisgerhof passed the ball back to debutant 40-year old keeper Boschker, the ball took a devious bobble over Boschker and went into the net. Dutchman Demy Landzaat equalised for Twente ten minutes later from the spot. Two minutes into the second half Spurs were ahead again thanks to Defoe before Twente equalised again, this time via Roberto Rosales after 56 minutes. Defoe made it 3-2 four minutes later but Twente weren't to be denied and equalised for a third time after 64 minutes through Nacer Chadli.
Inter Milan travelled to Bremen to try and win Group A, but a surprise was on the cards. Sebastian Prodl put the Germans ahead after 39 minutes. Bremen went 2-0 ahead four minutes into the second half through Marko Arnautovic before Bremen rounded the game off with a third two minutes from time via former Chelsea player Claudio Pizarro. Final Table:
1.Tottenham 11
2.Inter Milan 10
3.FC Twente 6
4.Werder Bremen 5
Group B: Four goals in the second half saw Lyon draw 2-2 with Hapoel Tel-Aviv. Three goals came within seven of each other with Lisandro Lopez opening the scoring for Lyon after 61 minutes. Former Chelsea youngster Ben Sahar equalised a minute later before Eran Zahavi gave Hapoel the lead after 68 minutes. Substitute Alexandre Lacazette equalised for Lyon with tree minutes left to play.
Shalke shock group B by winning it after beating Benfica 2-1. Jose Manuel Jurado put the Germans ahead after nineteen minutes. Benedikt Howedes made it 2-0 with nine minutes to play with Luisao pulling a goal back six minutes later. Final Table:
1.Shalke 04 13
2.Lyon 10
3.Benfica 6
4.Hapoel Tel-Aviv 5
Group C: Manchester United won the group after somehow only managing a 1-1 draw with Valencia. United dominated most of the game but found themselves behind after 32 minutes with a goal from Pablo Hernandez after a Carrick mistake. United got their equaliser from a very unlikely source in the hard working Anderson after Park's initial shot was parried on 62 minutes.
Bursaspor managed to secure their first and only point of the competition with a 1-1 draw against Rangers. Kenny Miller had given Rangers the lead after 16 minutes but Bursaspor equalised eleven minutes from time via Sercan Yildirim. Final Table:
1.Manchester United 14
2.Valencia 11
3.Rangers 6
4.Bursaspor 1
Group D: With the group settled, Barcelona put out a very second string side against Rubin. Andreu Fontas put Barcelona ahead six minutes into the second half with Victor Vazquez finishing the game off with eight minutes remaining.
Copenhagen will be the first Danish side to progress into the knock-out rounds of the Champions League and finished the group phase off with a 3-1 win over Panathinaikos. Martin Vingaard put the Danes ahead after 26 minutes. Former Chelsea star Jepser Gronkjaer doubled their lead five minutes into the second half via the penalty spot, with former Liverpool star Djibril Cisse scoring an own goal after 73 minutes to make it 3-0. The Greek side scored an injury time consolation through Cedric Kante. Final Table:
1.Barcelona 14
2.FC Copenhagen 10
3.Rubin Kazan 6
4.Panathinaikos 2
Group A: With Tottenham already guaranteed progression they were battling it our for top spot. Whereas their opponents Twente were near enough guaranteed Europa League and just needed a point to be sure of it. Spurs were ahead after twelve minutes when Wisgerhof passed the ball back to debutant 40-year old keeper Boschker, the ball took a devious bobble over Boschker and went into the net. Dutchman Demy Landzaat equalised for Twente ten minutes later from the spot. Two minutes into the second half Spurs were ahead again thanks to Defoe before Twente equalised again, this time via Roberto Rosales after 56 minutes. Defoe made it 3-2 four minutes later but Twente weren't to be denied and equalised for a third time after 64 minutes through Nacer Chadli.
Inter Milan travelled to Bremen to try and win Group A, but a surprise was on the cards. Sebastian Prodl put the Germans ahead after 39 minutes. Bremen went 2-0 ahead four minutes into the second half through Marko Arnautovic before Bremen rounded the game off with a third two minutes from time via former Chelsea player Claudio Pizarro. Final Table:
1.Tottenham 11
2.Inter Milan 10
3.FC Twente 6
4.Werder Bremen 5
Group B: Four goals in the second half saw Lyon draw 2-2 with Hapoel Tel-Aviv. Three goals came within seven of each other with Lisandro Lopez opening the scoring for Lyon after 61 minutes. Former Chelsea youngster Ben Sahar equalised a minute later before Eran Zahavi gave Hapoel the lead after 68 minutes. Substitute Alexandre Lacazette equalised for Lyon with tree minutes left to play.
Shalke shock group B by winning it after beating Benfica 2-1. Jose Manuel Jurado put the Germans ahead after nineteen minutes. Benedikt Howedes made it 2-0 with nine minutes to play with Luisao pulling a goal back six minutes later. Final Table:
1.Shalke 04 13
2.Lyon 10
3.Benfica 6
4.Hapoel Tel-Aviv 5
Group C: Manchester United won the group after somehow only managing a 1-1 draw with Valencia. United dominated most of the game but found themselves behind after 32 minutes with a goal from Pablo Hernandez after a Carrick mistake. United got their equaliser from a very unlikely source in the hard working Anderson after Park's initial shot was parried on 62 minutes.
Bursaspor managed to secure their first and only point of the competition with a 1-1 draw against Rangers. Kenny Miller had given Rangers the lead after 16 minutes but Bursaspor equalised eleven minutes from time via Sercan Yildirim. Final Table:
1.Manchester United 14
2.Valencia 11
3.Rangers 6
4.Bursaspor 1
Group D: With the group settled, Barcelona put out a very second string side against Rubin. Andreu Fontas put Barcelona ahead six minutes into the second half with Victor Vazquez finishing the game off with eight minutes remaining.
Copenhagen will be the first Danish side to progress into the knock-out rounds of the Champions League and finished the group phase off with a 3-1 win over Panathinaikos. Martin Vingaard put the Danes ahead after 26 minutes. Former Chelsea star Jepser Gronkjaer doubled their lead five minutes into the second half via the penalty spot, with former Liverpool star Djibril Cisse scoring an own goal after 73 minutes to make it 3-0. The Greek side scored an injury time consolation through Cedric Kante. Final Table:
1.Barcelona 14
2.FC Copenhagen 10
3.Rubin Kazan 6
4.Panathinaikos 2
Tuesday, 7 December 2010
Hou Are Ya?: Liverpool 3-0 Aston Villa 6/12/10
Liverpool line-up: Reina (c), Johnson, Konchesky, Kyrgiakos (Kelly, 83), Skrtel, Meireles, Rodriguez (Aurelio, 76), Lucas, Kuyt (Cole, 80), Babel, Ngog
Aston Villa line-up: Friedel, L.Young, Warnock, Dunne (c), Clark (Delfouneso, HT), Collins, Downing, Ireland, Albrighton (Pires, 65), Hogg, Agbonlahor (Carew, 66)
This week's Monday Night Football was at Anfield as Liverpool welcomed back former manager Gerard Houllier. Good news for Villa was that Gerrard and Carragher were both injured with Torres away on paternity leave. Also Marc Albrighton had come back from appendicitis quicker than expected to replace the suspended Ashley Young. The problem for Villa all game though was their fragile looking defence. Straight from the off Liverpool's makeshift strike partnership of Babel and Ngog were finding spaces between Villa's defenders and causing a lot of trouble. It didn't help that Villa's defence tried playing out of trouble all the time instead hoofing it to safety. It took fourteen minutes for Liverpool to take full advantage of Villa's poor defending when Babel was played through, but just marginally offside, and after already getting goal side of Warnock he was one-on-one with Friedel and the Dutchman wasn't going to miss. Villa didn't learn from their mistakes as Warnock again tried to play himself out of trouble before ending up conceding a corner. Liverpool were first to every aerial ball and Skrtel headed the corner towards the six yard box where Ngog was unmarked as he headed past Friedel to make it 2-0 within two minutes of breaking the deadlock. From there the first half petered out with neither team looking terribly confident on the ball and failing to find that killer pass.
Villa came out in the second half a lot more positive and began to dominate possession, although it was only mainly in there half and around the halfway line. Any time they did venture forward the final cross was always too close to Reina, who had a good bout of catching practice. The only killer cross came early in the second half but Agbonlahor failed to make the most meaningful of contacts and Reina was able parry clear. With Villa pressing they were always vulnerable to a counter-attack and that was what ultimately caused there downfall. Another poor cross from Downing went straight into Reina's arms, he expertly distributed the ball quickly to the mid-field. Ngog played a great through ball into the path of Maxi Rodriguez and the Argentine put the score beyond all doubt.
Monday, 6 December 2010
World Cup of Darts: Final
Netherlands took on Wales in the first ever World Cup of Darts final. The format was the same as the semi-finals except the length was increased to best of fifteen. Up first was Van Barneveld against Bates. Barney took a 5-1 lead before eventually winning 8-4 to give Netherlands the first point in the finals. Webster's impressive form in this tournament continued as he levelled the match by beating Stompe 8-6. Webby then went one further to give Wales the lead by beating Barney by the same scoreline. However Stompe beat Bates 8-5 to make the score 2-2, meaning that whoever won the doubles would win the tournament. Netherlands took a 3-1 lead before Webster battled back to equalise for Wales, the score then went to 5-5 with all four players winning a leg. Stompe made the crucial breakthrough to take a 7-5 lead and Barney hit double four to win the match 8-5 and to take the crown of World Champions home.
Barclay's Premier League Round-Up 4/12/10-5/12/10
With Monday Night Football returning, there were only nine Premiership games scheduled for the weekend with no Saturday lunch-time kick-off. Unfortunately the schedule became eight as Saturday's tea-time kick-off between Blackpool and Manchester United was postponed due to the terrible weather. That left just six three o'clock kick-offs on Saturday with the usual installment of Super Sunday taking place.
Manchester City's troubles continued off the pitch with more in team fighting in training. But it looked to disappeared on the pitch when Tevez scored the only goal after four minutes against Bolton. However Kolarov received a second yellow card eleven minutes from time and Tevez visibly showed his disgust in being substituted to Mancini, making sure City's off-field problems continued despite their win.
Arsenal took advantage of Manchester United's postponement with a 2-1 win over Fulham. The man in form Samir Nasri opened the scoring after fourteen minutes. Diomansy Kamara equalised on the half hour mark on a rare Premiership appearance but Nasri secured the victory fifteen minutes from time.
Blackburn were the biggest winners of the day with a 3-0 win over Wolves. David Dunn scored a rare goal just before the half hour and Brett Emerton doubled their lead two minutes before half-time. Captain Ryan Nelsen rounded off the scoring just ten minutes into the second half.
Surprisingly the game with the most goals came at the DW Stadium as Wigan drew with Stoke, all four goals were scored in an eventful first half. Robert Huth gave the visitors the lead after eighteen minutes before James Collins equalised for Wigan on the half hour mark with an own goal. Matthew Etherington regained the lead for Stoke a minute later but Cleverley equalised again five minutes before half-time.
Arsenal went top of the Premiership after Chelsea failed to win again, meaning they have only won won of their last six. Didier Drogba gave Chelsea the lead at home to Everton with a penalty three minutes before half-time. Jermaine Beckford rescued a point for Everton four minutes from the end.
The same scoreline was produced at St.Andrews as Birmingham drew with Tottenham. After Kaboul's recent couple of goals, Sebastien Bassong decided to join in with a goal after nineteen minutes. Craig Gardener scored Birmingham's equaliser nine minutes from the end.
Sunday's first game saw West Brom beat Newcastle which resulted in Chris Hughton's shock departure from the Toon. Somen Tchoyi opened the scoring after 32 minutes with Peter Odemwingie doubling the score after 71. The Nigerian added West Brom's third with a minute of regular time left before Peter Lovenkrands scored a consolation in injury time.
A lone goal from Jordan Henderson after 34 minutes was enough to see Sunderland beat West Ham in Sunday's four o'clock kick-off.
Manchester City's troubles continued off the pitch with more in team fighting in training. But it looked to disappeared on the pitch when Tevez scored the only goal after four minutes against Bolton. However Kolarov received a second yellow card eleven minutes from time and Tevez visibly showed his disgust in being substituted to Mancini, making sure City's off-field problems continued despite their win.
Arsenal took advantage of Manchester United's postponement with a 2-1 win over Fulham. The man in form Samir Nasri opened the scoring after fourteen minutes. Diomansy Kamara equalised on the half hour mark on a rare Premiership appearance but Nasri secured the victory fifteen minutes from time.
Blackburn were the biggest winners of the day with a 3-0 win over Wolves. David Dunn scored a rare goal just before the half hour and Brett Emerton doubled their lead two minutes before half-time. Captain Ryan Nelsen rounded off the scoring just ten minutes into the second half.
Surprisingly the game with the most goals came at the DW Stadium as Wigan drew with Stoke, all four goals were scored in an eventful first half. Robert Huth gave the visitors the lead after eighteen minutes before James Collins equalised for Wigan on the half hour mark with an own goal. Matthew Etherington regained the lead for Stoke a minute later but Cleverley equalised again five minutes before half-time.
Arsenal went top of the Premiership after Chelsea failed to win again, meaning they have only won won of their last six. Didier Drogba gave Chelsea the lead at home to Everton with a penalty three minutes before half-time. Jermaine Beckford rescued a point for Everton four minutes from the end.
The same scoreline was produced at St.Andrews as Birmingham drew with Tottenham. After Kaboul's recent couple of goals, Sebastien Bassong decided to join in with a goal after nineteen minutes. Craig Gardener scored Birmingham's equaliser nine minutes from the end.
Sunday's first game saw West Brom beat Newcastle which resulted in Chris Hughton's shock departure from the Toon. Somen Tchoyi opened the scoring after 32 minutes with Peter Odemwingie doubling the score after 71. The Nigerian added West Brom's third with a minute of regular time left before Peter Lovenkrands scored a consolation in injury time.
A lone goal from Jordan Henderson after 34 minutes was enough to see Sunderland beat West Ham in Sunday's four o'clock kick-off.
World Cup of Darts: Semi-Finals
The final day of the inaugural World Cup of Darts saw the two semi-finals take place in the afternoon, with the two winners going onto play the final in the evening. The format of the semi-finals saw four best of eleven singles (so each player played against his two opponents), each win would give the team a point. If the score wasn't conclusive (it wasn't 4-0) then there would be a best of eleven doubles match which earned two points. If the score was 3-3 after the doubles then there would be a shoot-out leg where the team throwing first would be decided by a closest to the bull.
The first semi-final saw Netherlands take on the dark horses Spain. Up first was Van Barneveld against Alcinas. Barney stormed to a 2-0 lead before Alcinas pulled one back, the Dutchman then continued to extend his lead by winning legs four and five before Alcinas won the sixth. Barney then won the seventh to make it 5-1 before taking an impressive bull, bull, double sixteen checkout of 132 to win the match. The pattern followed in the second game between Stompe and Rodriguez, Stompe won the first two legs before Rodriguez pulled one back. Instead of going 4-1, Rodriguez won the fifth leg to make it 3-2. But Stompe won legs six and eight to put him within one of winning. Rodriguez earned a third leg in the eighth before Stompe completed the victory in the following leg. Barney's impressive finishing continued in his second match against Rodriguez, again the Dutchman took the first two legs with a check-out of 112 in the second. Again Rodriguez won the third leg before Barney secured a 106 check-out in the fourth. From there the legs were won in turn, eventually giving Barneveld the 6-4 win. Stompe secured Netherlands' final place with a close win against Alcinas that went to the final leg. Stompe took the opener before Alcinas won the following two to take the lead. Stompe regained it by winning legs four and five but Alcinas regained the lead by winning the following two legs. Stompe levelled at 4-4 before Alcinas took out 120 to get within one of winning a point for Spain. However Stompe took the final two legs to secure the win and give Netherlands the 4-0 victory over the surprise package.
The second semi-final between Australia and Wales went all the way. Up first was Whitlock against Bates and Whitlock battered Bates but the plucky Welshman was somehow able to keep up. Whitlock won the opener before Bates equalised then Whitlock took out the impressive 170 before Bates equalised again. Whitlock won the fifth with another impressive check-out of 124 but Bates retaliated to equalise yet again. Whitlock found the breakthrough and won legs seven and eight before Bates pulled another leg back, but Whitlock won the tenth leg to win 6-4. The second game went all the way as Nicholson took on Webster. Nicholson won the opening two legs before Webster pulled one back. Nicholson then made it 3-1 before Webster hit back to win the fifth and sixth frame to equalise. Webster then equalised again in the tenth to make it 5-5 and went onto take the final leg to level the score for Wales with a 6-5 win. Whitlock's superb finishing continued as he locked horns with Webster in game three. The Welshman took the first before Whitlock won legs two and three with a check-out of 164 in the third. Webster took a 3-2 lead by winning the following two legs before Whitlock equalised in the sixth. Webster re-took the lead in the seventh before Whitlock went on to win the following three legs and won the game with a 130 check-out in the tenth. Nicholson put Australia 3-1 ahead with a win against Bates in the final singles game. Bates equalised in the second but Nicholson went onto win five of the next seven to win 6-3, sending the match into the doubles. Wales needed to win the doubles to force that leg shoot-out and started the better as they took the opening two legs, with both players winning one each. Whitlock pulled one back in the third but Bates restored Wales two leg lead. Australia equalised by winning the following tow legs with both Aussies winning a leg but Bates hit back in the seventh to re-take the lead. From there, the legs were won in turn with a nail biter of a final leg that Wales just managed to win. This meant the score was 3-3 and therefore the leg shoot-out came into play, Whitlock crucially won the throw with a precision dart into the bull and followed it with a 180. Webster retaliated with a 140 before Nicholson failed to score a ton, Bates took advantage by scoring a 140 of his own as the score decreased. Nicholson had the first check-out opportunity but he missed a 156 which allowed Bates the chance at 116 and the little Welshman took it to put Wales into the final.
The first semi-final saw Netherlands take on the dark horses Spain. Up first was Van Barneveld against Alcinas. Barney stormed to a 2-0 lead before Alcinas pulled one back, the Dutchman then continued to extend his lead by winning legs four and five before Alcinas won the sixth. Barney then won the seventh to make it 5-1 before taking an impressive bull, bull, double sixteen checkout of 132 to win the match. The pattern followed in the second game between Stompe and Rodriguez, Stompe won the first two legs before Rodriguez pulled one back. Instead of going 4-1, Rodriguez won the fifth leg to make it 3-2. But Stompe won legs six and eight to put him within one of winning. Rodriguez earned a third leg in the eighth before Stompe completed the victory in the following leg. Barney's impressive finishing continued in his second match against Rodriguez, again the Dutchman took the first two legs with a check-out of 112 in the second. Again Rodriguez won the third leg before Barney secured a 106 check-out in the fourth. From there the legs were won in turn, eventually giving Barneveld the 6-4 win. Stompe secured Netherlands' final place with a close win against Alcinas that went to the final leg. Stompe took the opener before Alcinas won the following two to take the lead. Stompe regained it by winning legs four and five but Alcinas regained the lead by winning the following two legs. Stompe levelled at 4-4 before Alcinas took out 120 to get within one of winning a point for Spain. However Stompe took the final two legs to secure the win and give Netherlands the 4-0 victory over the surprise package.
The second semi-final between Australia and Wales went all the way. Up first was Whitlock against Bates and Whitlock battered Bates but the plucky Welshman was somehow able to keep up. Whitlock won the opener before Bates equalised then Whitlock took out the impressive 170 before Bates equalised again. Whitlock won the fifth with another impressive check-out of 124 but Bates retaliated to equalise yet again. Whitlock found the breakthrough and won legs seven and eight before Bates pulled another leg back, but Whitlock won the tenth leg to win 6-4. The second game went all the way as Nicholson took on Webster. Nicholson won the opening two legs before Webster pulled one back. Nicholson then made it 3-1 before Webster hit back to win the fifth and sixth frame to equalise. Webster then equalised again in the tenth to make it 5-5 and went onto take the final leg to level the score for Wales with a 6-5 win. Whitlock's superb finishing continued as he locked horns with Webster in game three. The Welshman took the first before Whitlock won legs two and three with a check-out of 164 in the third. Webster took a 3-2 lead by winning the following two legs before Whitlock equalised in the sixth. Webster re-took the lead in the seventh before Whitlock went on to win the following three legs and won the game with a 130 check-out in the tenth. Nicholson put Australia 3-1 ahead with a win against Bates in the final singles game. Bates equalised in the second but Nicholson went onto win five of the next seven to win 6-3, sending the match into the doubles. Wales needed to win the doubles to force that leg shoot-out and started the better as they took the opening two legs, with both players winning one each. Whitlock pulled one back in the third but Bates restored Wales two leg lead. Australia equalised by winning the following tow legs with both Aussies winning a leg but Bates hit back in the seventh to re-take the lead. From there, the legs were won in turn with a nail biter of a final leg that Wales just managed to win. This meant the score was 3-3 and therefore the leg shoot-out came into play, Whitlock crucially won the throw with a precision dart into the bull and followed it with a 180. Webster retaliated with a 140 before Nicholson failed to score a ton, Bates took advantage by scoring a 140 of his own as the score decreased. Nicholson had the first check-out opportunity but he missed a 156 which allowed Bates the chance at 116 and the little Welshman took it to put Wales into the final.
Sunday, 5 December 2010
World Cup of Darts: Group B
With Netherlands awaiting the runners-up and Australia awaiting the winners, Group B played out their games in the evening session. The shock team so far, Spain opened the group stage against USA. Rodriguez got Spain off to a fantastic start with a 3-2 win over Davis, Young levelled for USA with a 3-1 win over Alcinas. But Spain went onto win the doubles 3-1 to continue their unbelievable campaign with an overall 3-1 win.
The two favourites for the group went head to head as Wales took on Scotland. Webster whitewashed Thornton 3-0 before Anderson levelled with a 3-2 win over Bates. The Welsh pair just managed to beat the Scottish pair in the doubles, taking the game 3-2 and winning the match 3-1.
Wales repeated their success as Spain were brought back down to earth. It wasn't looking that way when Rodriguez beat Bates 3-1 but Webster levelled by beating Alcinas by the same score. The Welsh pair then dominated the doubles with a 3-0 whitewash to win the match 3-1.
Scotland put USA out with a 4-0 win in their second match. Thornton beat Young 3-2 before Anderson administered a 3-0 whitewash against Davis. The Scots then won the doubles 3-2 to set up an all or nothing final match against Spain.
It was looking good for Scotland as Thornton whitewashed Rodriguez 3-0. But the beleaguered Spain battled back to see Alcinas surprisingly beat Anderson 3-2. With the winner of the doubles going through and losers probably going out, it was all down to five final legs. Although it only took four as Spain continued to shock the darting world to win 3-1 and put themselves into the semi-finals.
Wales only needed a point to secure their place alongside Spain. Young took the opening two legs before Bates battled back to equalise, but Young won the decider to give Wales a bit of a sweat. Webster earned that elusive point with a 3-1 win over Davis but USA went onto win the doubles 3-1 to earn their pride. Here's the final Group B table:
1.Wales 7 +5
2.Spain 7 -2
3.Scotland 6
4.USA 4
That means that Netherlands will meet the dark horses Spain and Australia will meet Wales in the semi-finals.
The two favourites for the group went head to head as Wales took on Scotland. Webster whitewashed Thornton 3-0 before Anderson levelled with a 3-2 win over Bates. The Welsh pair just managed to beat the Scottish pair in the doubles, taking the game 3-2 and winning the match 3-1.
Wales repeated their success as Spain were brought back down to earth. It wasn't looking that way when Rodriguez beat Bates 3-1 but Webster levelled by beating Alcinas by the same score. The Welsh pair then dominated the doubles with a 3-0 whitewash to win the match 3-1.
Scotland put USA out with a 4-0 win in their second match. Thornton beat Young 3-2 before Anderson administered a 3-0 whitewash against Davis. The Scots then won the doubles 3-2 to set up an all or nothing final match against Spain.
It was looking good for Scotland as Thornton whitewashed Rodriguez 3-0. But the beleaguered Spain battled back to see Alcinas surprisingly beat Anderson 3-2. With the winner of the doubles going through and losers probably going out, it was all down to five final legs. Although it only took four as Spain continued to shock the darting world to win 3-1 and put themselves into the semi-finals.
Wales only needed a point to secure their place alongside Spain. Young took the opening two legs before Bates battled back to equalise, but Young won the decider to give Wales a bit of a sweat. Webster earned that elusive point with a 3-1 win over Davis but USA went onto win the doubles 3-1 to earn their pride. Here's the final Group B table:
1.Wales 7 +5
2.Spain 7 -2
3.Scotland 6
4.USA 4
That means that Netherlands will meet the dark horses Spain and Australia will meet Wales in the semi-finals.
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