The race in Interlagos, Brazil didn't give us the Drivers Champion for the first time in six seasons but it did today crown Red Bull as Constructors Champions after Red Bull secured a one-two finish. With Hulkenberg sitting on pole with a slower car it his job to stall the contenders in their quest. However the Red Bull drivers both escaped from Hulkenberg with Vettel now leading team mate Webber. The second lap saw Alonso pass Hamilton into fourth as Hamilton's Championship hopes slowly faded. But it took another five laps before Hulkenberg's resistance was broken and Alonso then moved up to third. Hamilton manage to pass Hulkenberg into fourth due to the pit window and the places remained that way until the end. Barrichello managed to finish the race but his Brazil hoodoo continued as he suffered a tyre puncture on lap 35. The only incident of the race was Liuzzi crashing on lap 51 to bring out a safety car. The race result in full:
1. Vettel (Red Bull), 2. Webber (Red Bull), 3. Alonso (Ferrari), 4. Hamilton (McLaren), 5. Button (McLaren), 6. Rosberg (Mercedes), 7. Schumacher (Mercedes), 8. Hulkenberg (Williams), 9. Kubica (Renault), 10. Kobayashi (Sauber), 11. Alguersuari (Toro Rosso), 12. Sutil (Force India), 13. Beumi (Toro Rosso), 14. Barrichello (Williams), 15. Massa (Ferrari), 16. Petrov (Renault), 17. Heidfeld (Sauber), 18. Kovalainen (Lotus), 19. Trulli (Lotus), 20. Glock (Virgin), 21. Senna (Hispania), 22. Klien (Hispania), 23. Di Grassi Retired: Liuzzi (Force India).
This means that mathematically there are still four possible contenders for the Driver's Championship which will be decided next week in Abu Dhabi. Hamilton currently sits in fourth and must win and hope the other three fail to pick up any points if he's to be champion. Vettel is currently third in the standings and if he wins the race next week he will be tied with Webber if he finishes second and also tied with Alonso if he finishes fifth. If Alonso finishes higher he will be crowned champion. The only way Webber would lose the Championship if he wins the race next week is if Alonso finishes second. There are many other permutations but these are the simplest.
Sunday, 7 November 2010
Barclay's Premier League Round-Up 6/11/10
Despite European competition mid-week, there were still seven Premier League games yesterday. All with their usual controversy, surprise and entertainment. Wednesday saw Tottenham beat Inter Milan but the lunch-time kick-off saw Tottenham lose to Bolton at the Reebok. The game took a while to get going with the only goal in the first half coming from poor defending from Tottenham before Kevin Davies netted from an offside position after 31 minutes. Tottenham were still lagging in the second half and found themselves 2-0 down eleven minutes into the half when Gretar Steinsson neatly found the bottom corner. Another defensive mistake, this time by Gallas, allowed Taylor to find Lee who was then brought down in the box for a penalty. Kevin Davies stepped up and scored a very nice penalty in front of the onlooking Fabio Capello after 76 minutes. That was when Tottenham finally decided to start playing football and a wonderful solo goal from Alan Hutton pulled a goal back for Spurs with eleven minutes to play. Tottenham scored a second thanks to a spectacular volley from substitute Pavlyuchenko to make the score 3-2 and an unlikely comeback was now on the cards, with three minutes to play. However as Tottenham pressed for a third, they were caught on the break and substitute Martin Petrov secured all three points for Bolton.
Manchester United required a late goal to avoid dropping another two points at home to Wolves. Ji-Sung Park put United ahead just before half-time before former United player Sylvan Ebanks-Blake equalised after 66 minutes. A fine solo goal this time from Park again ensured United had all three points in the depths of second half injury time.
After a poor first half Brimingham and West Ham managed a 2-2 draw, there was already bad blood before the game as Birmingham had banned former owner David Gould from the game against his newly owned team. Three minutes into the second half the deadlock was broken and Frederic Piqiuonne gave West Ham the lead. They then doubled their lead ten minutes later thanks to Valon Behrami. Cameron Jerome put Birminhgam back in the game after 64 minutes before captain Ridgewell equalised after 73 minutes.
Sunderland beat Stoke in controversial circumstances at the Stadium of Light. Record signing Asamoah Gyan gave Sunderland the lead after just nine minutes. Lee Cattermole was lucky not to have been sent off after he stopped Stoke scoring with his hand, to take it off the line. It got worse for Stoke when captain Shawcross did get sent off seven minutes from for two deserved yellow cards. Sunderland took full advantage as Gyan scored his second goal four minutes from the end to ensure the win.
There were another four goals at Bloomfield Road as Blackpool entertained Everton. A tenth minute free-kick from Eardley was cancelled out three minutes later by another Tim Cahill header. David Vaughan put Blackpool back in front three minutes into the second half but again that was cancelled out just two minutes by former Blackpool loan star Seamus Coleman. Blackpool had a third goal ruled out for a push from Marlon Harewood that was arguable.
Despite Villa's lack of fit strikers they were seconds away from beating Fulham at Craven Cottage. Marc Albrighton put Villa ahead four minutes before half-time, Fulham equalised in the very last minute thanks to Brede Hangeland.
The final game of the day took place a Ewood Park as Blackburn hosted Wigan, again after a poor first half the second half saw three goals. The first was scored via free-kick from Morten Gamst Pedersen after 58 minutes. Blackburn then doubled their lead thanks to former Wigan striker Jason Roberts nine minutes later, he showed great respect for Wigan by not celebrating the goal. Wigan managed to pull one back when in form Charles N'Zogbia netted after 74 minutes.
Manchester United required a late goal to avoid dropping another two points at home to Wolves. Ji-Sung Park put United ahead just before half-time before former United player Sylvan Ebanks-Blake equalised after 66 minutes. A fine solo goal this time from Park again ensured United had all three points in the depths of second half injury time.
After a poor first half Brimingham and West Ham managed a 2-2 draw, there was already bad blood before the game as Birmingham had banned former owner David Gould from the game against his newly owned team. Three minutes into the second half the deadlock was broken and Frederic Piqiuonne gave West Ham the lead. They then doubled their lead ten minutes later thanks to Valon Behrami. Cameron Jerome put Birminhgam back in the game after 64 minutes before captain Ridgewell equalised after 73 minutes.
Sunderland beat Stoke in controversial circumstances at the Stadium of Light. Record signing Asamoah Gyan gave Sunderland the lead after just nine minutes. Lee Cattermole was lucky not to have been sent off after he stopped Stoke scoring with his hand, to take it off the line. It got worse for Stoke when captain Shawcross did get sent off seven minutes from for two deserved yellow cards. Sunderland took full advantage as Gyan scored his second goal four minutes from the end to ensure the win.
There were another four goals at Bloomfield Road as Blackpool entertained Everton. A tenth minute free-kick from Eardley was cancelled out three minutes later by another Tim Cahill header. David Vaughan put Blackpool back in front three minutes into the second half but again that was cancelled out just two minutes by former Blackpool loan star Seamus Coleman. Blackpool had a third goal ruled out for a push from Marlon Harewood that was arguable.
Despite Villa's lack of fit strikers they were seconds away from beating Fulham at Craven Cottage. Marc Albrighton put Villa ahead four minutes before half-time, Fulham equalised in the very last minute thanks to Brede Hangeland.
The final game of the day took place a Ewood Park as Blackburn hosted Wigan, again after a poor first half the second half saw three goals. The first was scored via free-kick from Morten Gamst Pedersen after 58 minutes. Blackburn then doubled their lead thanks to former Wigan striker Jason Roberts nine minutes later, he showed great respect for Wigan by not celebrating the goal. Wigan managed to pull one back when in form Charles N'Zogbia netted after 74 minutes.
Saturday, 6 November 2010
Shock Pole For Brazilian Grand Prix
The penultimate qualifying session in Formula 1 took place in Interlagos, Brazil. To make it even more interesting, the weather decided to throw up some rain to cause a lot of cars to lose control. But fortunately there were no major crashes just a few spins so that everyone could complete qualifying. Q1 saw Senna finish 24th and Force India's Adrian Sutil finished 18th but will start 23rd tomorrow due a five grid place penalty. This meant that Senna's Hispania partner Chris Klien will start 22nd tomorrow and Lucas Di Grassi of Virgin 21st.. The two Lotus cars again finished consecutively with Trulli beating Kovalainen to 19th spot. The final driver to exit at Q1 was unsurprisingly Di Grassi's Virgin team mate Timo Glock. Current Championship leader Alonso was fastest in Q1 as he set the mind games off and running.
Q2 saw Buemi finish 15th but he also suffers a five place grid penalty and therefore starts 18th tomorrow, pushing Glock up. Force India's qualifying didn't improve as Liuzzi will start 16th behind Sauber's Heidfeld. Beumi's Toro Rosso team mate Alguersuari finished 14th as the shock eliminations will start in front of him. First was Mercedes' Rosberg in 13th then in form Sauber driver Kobayashi. However the big name to fall was Jenson Button as his title hopes are now certainly over, especially with a 11th place start. Webber overtook Alonso as being the fastest for Q2.
All four contenders for the Championship were in contention for pole position, with all four even leading qualifying at some point in Q3. Renault enjoyed both their drivers being in Q3 and Petrov finished 10th. Alonso's team mate Massa would have been needed as Alonso's rear-gunner in tomorrow's race to keep him ahead of the Championship, but Massa could only qualify ninth. Michale Schumacher returns to Interlagos with an eighth place start behind the Renault driver Robert Kubica, Rubens Barrichello finished just behind the contenders in sixth. Leader Alonso finished behind his Championship rivals and starts fifth tomorrow where he'll see Hamilton and Webber on the grid in front of him, in fourth and third respectively. The final contender Vettel is on the front grid but Red Bull failed to get pole. That accolade was surprisingly won by Williams' Nico Hulkenberg, Brazil was where Williams last won a Grand Prix in the form of Juan Pablo Montoya and it'd be nice to Hulkenberg possibly get a podium finish.
Q2 saw Buemi finish 15th but he also suffers a five place grid penalty and therefore starts 18th tomorrow, pushing Glock up. Force India's qualifying didn't improve as Liuzzi will start 16th behind Sauber's Heidfeld. Beumi's Toro Rosso team mate Alguersuari finished 14th as the shock eliminations will start in front of him. First was Mercedes' Rosberg in 13th then in form Sauber driver Kobayashi. However the big name to fall was Jenson Button as his title hopes are now certainly over, especially with a 11th place start. Webber overtook Alonso as being the fastest for Q2.
All four contenders for the Championship were in contention for pole position, with all four even leading qualifying at some point in Q3. Renault enjoyed both their drivers being in Q3 and Petrov finished 10th. Alonso's team mate Massa would have been needed as Alonso's rear-gunner in tomorrow's race to keep him ahead of the Championship, but Massa could only qualify ninth. Michale Schumacher returns to Interlagos with an eighth place start behind the Renault driver Robert Kubica, Rubens Barrichello finished just behind the contenders in sixth. Leader Alonso finished behind his Championship rivals and starts fifth tomorrow where he'll see Hamilton and Webber on the grid in front of him, in fourth and third respectively. The final contender Vettel is on the front grid but Red Bull failed to get pole. That accolade was surprisingly won by Williams' Nico Hulkenberg, Brazil was where Williams last won a Grand Prix in the form of Juan Pablo Montoya and it'd be nice to Hulkenberg possibly get a podium finish.
Friday, 5 November 2010
Premier League Snooker Week Eight
The table this week arrived in my local leisure centre, Hutton Moor in Weston-Super-Mare. So I couldn't pass up the opportunity to do some live note-taking while watching the action. There were fireworks going on over the road but unfortunately there weren't any fireworks in the first match between Marco Fu and Neil Robertson. Willie Thorne got it spot on when he predicted this match to be very cagey as Robertson needs at least two wins from his remaining three whereas Fu just needed a point from his last game yesterday to be assured of qualification to Finals Night.
Both players were looking nervous and missing some rather easy shots. Robertson took a 77 break before stalling, but as able to win the frame 82-44. Unusually for Robertson his overall long pot success was a miserable 10% which is normally the opposite. Fu took advantage of a missed long shot and levelled the match after winning the second frame 77-12. Robertson should have won the third frame when he took a 57-25 lead but missed a miscalculated black that allowed Fu to take the frame 58-57. Fu did it again in the third frame with help from snookers as Robertson threw away another lead to lose 83-82, meaning Fu had got the point to guarantee qualification. But Fu wasn't content with just a point and after another missed long shot he went on to win the fifth frame 74-39. Fortunately for Robertson he managed to round off a poor night for him with a nice 90 break to take the final frame 90-28. With Fu now qualified Robertson only has three points from four games and knows he must win his final two to have any chance of making it to Finals Night.
Willie Thorne also predicted the second match right as he said Selby and Murphy would come out all guns blazing. Murphy flew through the first frame with an unanswered break of 80. Selby turned the tables, excuse the pun, in the second frame as he got the only century break of dead on 100 to equalise. Murphy then re-took the lead, requiring two visits to win 114-3 to make it 2-1. Again Selby retaliated with a break of 60 to Murphy's 19 to set up a great final two frames. Selby then took the lead in the match with another unanswered break of 91 to assure himself of a point. But the final frame of the night was the longest of the night altogether. After a few defensive shots both players decided on a re-rack, the first of the Premier League this season. Murphy struck first with a long red but couldn't add to that one. This lead to Selby getting a break of 56 before Murphy then pulled it back to 56-25. Murphy played a great snooker that Selby failed to get of, this lead to mass confusion as the referee and players all found it difficult to replace the balls so Selby could have another attempt, as forced by Murphy. Selby managed to get out of it and went onto 64 before Murphy started playing a cat and mouse game. With Selby having used all his time-outs Murphy kept playing snookers to try to catch Selby out. It worked as it took Selby five attempts to get out of one snooker and others meant that Murphy had equalised the score at 64 apiece. With both players without any time-outs the next was pot crucial and Murphy managed to get it and went onto win the frame 96-64 to earn a deserved draw. The point apiece moves Selby up to five points with one game remaining and Murphy up to four with two games left.
Both players were looking nervous and missing some rather easy shots. Robertson took a 77 break before stalling, but as able to win the frame 82-44. Unusually for Robertson his overall long pot success was a miserable 10% which is normally the opposite. Fu took advantage of a missed long shot and levelled the match after winning the second frame 77-12. Robertson should have won the third frame when he took a 57-25 lead but missed a miscalculated black that allowed Fu to take the frame 58-57. Fu did it again in the third frame with help from snookers as Robertson threw away another lead to lose 83-82, meaning Fu had got the point to guarantee qualification. But Fu wasn't content with just a point and after another missed long shot he went on to win the fifth frame 74-39. Fortunately for Robertson he managed to round off a poor night for him with a nice 90 break to take the final frame 90-28. With Fu now qualified Robertson only has three points from four games and knows he must win his final two to have any chance of making it to Finals Night.
Willie Thorne also predicted the second match right as he said Selby and Murphy would come out all guns blazing. Murphy flew through the first frame with an unanswered break of 80. Selby turned the tables, excuse the pun, in the second frame as he got the only century break of dead on 100 to equalise. Murphy then re-took the lead, requiring two visits to win 114-3 to make it 2-1. Again Selby retaliated with a break of 60 to Murphy's 19 to set up a great final two frames. Selby then took the lead in the match with another unanswered break of 91 to assure himself of a point. But the final frame of the night was the longest of the night altogether. After a few defensive shots both players decided on a re-rack, the first of the Premier League this season. Murphy struck first with a long red but couldn't add to that one. This lead to Selby getting a break of 56 before Murphy then pulled it back to 56-25. Murphy played a great snooker that Selby failed to get of, this lead to mass confusion as the referee and players all found it difficult to replace the balls so Selby could have another attempt, as forced by Murphy. Selby managed to get out of it and went onto 64 before Murphy started playing a cat and mouse game. With Selby having used all his time-outs Murphy kept playing snookers to try to catch Selby out. It worked as it took Selby five attempts to get out of one snooker and others meant that Murphy had equalised the score at 64 apiece. With both players without any time-outs the next was pot crucial and Murphy managed to get it and went onto win the frame 96-64 to earn a deserved draw. The point apiece moves Selby up to five points with one game remaining and Murphy up to four with two games left.
Thursday, 4 November 2010
Champions League Round-Up 3/11/10
More teams were guaranteed or virtually through or eliminated from the Champions League last night as the groups get down to the tail end of them.
Group E: Roma gained an edge over their closest rivals with a 3-2 win over Basle in Switzerland. Jeremy Menez gave Roma the lead after 19 minutes before veteran Totti doubled their lead from the spot ten minutes later. Alexander Frei pulled one back for Basle after 63 minutes but substitute Leandro Greco restored Roma's two goal lead thirteen minutes later. Xherdan Shaqiri set up a tense final seven minutes by making it 3-2 but Valentin Stocker received a second yellow card in injury time to prevent the equaliser. Roma now move onto six points whereas Basle are on three.
Bayern Munich have sealed their progression as they comfortably beat CFR Cluj. A hat-trick form Mario Gomez (on 12, 24 and 70 minutes) was rounded off by substitute Thomas Muller in second half injury time. Bayern still have maximum points from four games while Cluj will have to battle it out with Basle and Roma as they are also on three points.
Group F: Chelsea also secured their second round place with another comfortable victory over Spartak Moscow. After a goalless first half Anelka broke the deadlock four minutes after the restart with Drogba doubling the score from the spot after 62 minutes. In form defender Ivanovic the made it 3-0 seven minutes later. Substitute Nikita Bazhenov scored a consolation four minutes from the end before Ivanovic added his second in injury time. Chelsea still have maximum points with Moscow on six.
MSK Zilina were battered 7-0 at home to Marseille as their elimination was guaranteed. Gignac opened the scoring after twelve minutes before adding a second nine minutes later. Defender Gabriel Heinze made it three after 24 minutes and Loic Remy made it four nine minutes before half-time. Lucho Gonzalez made it five six minutes after the restart with Gignac getting his hat-trick three minutes. Gonzalez then rounded it off with his second after 63 minutes. Zilina are still yet to score a point whereas Marseille are stuck in a battle with Spartak as both are on six points.
Group G: Auxerre caused a stir in the group of death after beating Ajax in France. Frederic Sammaritano put the hosts ahead after nine minutes. Toby Alderweireld equalised with ten minutes to go but substitute Steeven Langil assured Auxerre of all three points four minutes later. This leaves Ajax on four points with Auxerre just a point behind and will be unable to win the group.
Real Madrid are virtually through after a 2-2 with AC Milan, although the game may be remembered for more Cristiano Ronaldo play acting. Gonzalo Higauin put the Spanish giants ahead right on the half-time whistle but veteran substitute Filippo Inzaghi equalised after 68 minutes. Inzaghi then gave Milan the lead ten minutes later before substitute Pedro Leon rescued a point in injury time for Madrid. This leaves Madrid on ten points with Milan currently second on five.
Group H: A solitary goal from Moises after 35 minutes was enough for Braga to beat Partizan Belgrade. Braga now move up to six points and must win at least one of their remaining games and hope one of the other teams loses their two. Partizan are eliminated as they are still yet to score a point.
Arsenal and Shakhtar Donestk are almost through as they both have nine points. Arsenal took the lead in Ukraine after ten minutes thanks to Walcott. Shakhtar Donetsk equalised through a Craig Eastmond own goal after 28 minutes. Shakhtar then secured all three points just before half time with another goal from Eduardo against his former club.
Group E: Roma gained an edge over their closest rivals with a 3-2 win over Basle in Switzerland. Jeremy Menez gave Roma the lead after 19 minutes before veteran Totti doubled their lead from the spot ten minutes later. Alexander Frei pulled one back for Basle after 63 minutes but substitute Leandro Greco restored Roma's two goal lead thirteen minutes later. Xherdan Shaqiri set up a tense final seven minutes by making it 3-2 but Valentin Stocker received a second yellow card in injury time to prevent the equaliser. Roma now move onto six points whereas Basle are on three.
Bayern Munich have sealed their progression as they comfortably beat CFR Cluj. A hat-trick form Mario Gomez (on 12, 24 and 70 minutes) was rounded off by substitute Thomas Muller in second half injury time. Bayern still have maximum points from four games while Cluj will have to battle it out with Basle and Roma as they are also on three points.
Group F: Chelsea also secured their second round place with another comfortable victory over Spartak Moscow. After a goalless first half Anelka broke the deadlock four minutes after the restart with Drogba doubling the score from the spot after 62 minutes. In form defender Ivanovic the made it 3-0 seven minutes later. Substitute Nikita Bazhenov scored a consolation four minutes from the end before Ivanovic added his second in injury time. Chelsea still have maximum points with Moscow on six.
MSK Zilina were battered 7-0 at home to Marseille as their elimination was guaranteed. Gignac opened the scoring after twelve minutes before adding a second nine minutes later. Defender Gabriel Heinze made it three after 24 minutes and Loic Remy made it four nine minutes before half-time. Lucho Gonzalez made it five six minutes after the restart with Gignac getting his hat-trick three minutes. Gonzalez then rounded it off with his second after 63 minutes. Zilina are still yet to score a point whereas Marseille are stuck in a battle with Spartak as both are on six points.
Group G: Auxerre caused a stir in the group of death after beating Ajax in France. Frederic Sammaritano put the hosts ahead after nine minutes. Toby Alderweireld equalised with ten minutes to go but substitute Steeven Langil assured Auxerre of all three points four minutes later. This leaves Ajax on four points with Auxerre just a point behind and will be unable to win the group.
Real Madrid are virtually through after a 2-2 with AC Milan, although the game may be remembered for more Cristiano Ronaldo play acting. Gonzalo Higauin put the Spanish giants ahead right on the half-time whistle but veteran substitute Filippo Inzaghi equalised after 68 minutes. Inzaghi then gave Milan the lead ten minutes later before substitute Pedro Leon rescued a point in injury time for Madrid. This leaves Madrid on ten points with Milan currently second on five.
Group H: A solitary goal from Moises after 35 minutes was enough for Braga to beat Partizan Belgrade. Braga now move up to six points and must win at least one of their remaining games and hope one of the other teams loses their two. Partizan are eliminated as they are still yet to score a point.
Arsenal and Shakhtar Donestk are almost through as they both have nine points. Arsenal took the lead in Ukraine after ten minutes thanks to Walcott. Shakhtar Donetsk equalised through a Craig Eastmond own goal after 28 minutes. Shakhtar then secured all three points just before half time with another goal from Eduardo against his former club.
Wednesday, 3 November 2010
Champions League Round-Up 2/11/10
The fourth match day is the earliest stage where a team can be guaranteed progression into the second round or be eliminated from the competition:
Group A: After a great second half display last time, Gareth Bale was instrumental again for Tottenham as they managed to beat Champions Inter Milan. Rafael Van Der Vaart continued to impress as he opened the scoring after 18 minutes. Peter Crouch then doubled their lead just after the hour mark. Eto'o pulled one back with ten minutes to go but substitute Roman Pavlyuchenko made the score 3-1 in the final minute of normal time. This leaves both teams on seven points at the top of the group.
Werder Bremen's hopes of progression are almost shattered after losing 2-0 at home to FC Twente. Bremen were down to men with fourteen minutes left when Torsten Frings was sent off. Twente made the advantage count as Nacer Chadli scored in the 81st minute before Luuk De Jong doubled the score three minutes later. This leaves Bremen on just two points, meaning they have to win their final two games or they will face elimination. Twente are on five points, just two behind the leaders.
Group B: Hapoel Tel-Aviv earned their first point of the group but look almost certain to be eliminated after a 0-0 draw with FC Shalke. Shalke now have seven points and currently sit in second place.
Benfica hosted Lyon in the most entertaining match of the night. The Portuguese giants went 3-0 ahead at half-time; Alan Kardec opened the scoring after 20 minutes, Fabio Coentrao doubled their lead eleven minutes later then Javi Garcia scored the third two minutes before the break. Coentrao then made it 4-0 after 67 minutes before Lyon fought back in a frantic fifteen minutes. Gourcuff pulled the first one back before Bafetimbi Gomis scored a second with five minutes remaining. Lyon made it 4-3 in injury time with a goal from defender Dejan Lovren as Lyon drop their first points of the campaign, staying on nine. Benfica now move to within a point of Shalke on six.
Group C: Valencia virtually stopped Rangers' chances of winning the group after beating 3-0 in the Mestalla. Soldado opened the scoring after 34 minutes before then doubling the lead after 71 minutes. Ricardo Costa added the third in second half injury time. The win gives Valencia seven points with Rangers on five.
That result meant that Manchester United were virtually through with a 3-0 win over Bursapor who became the first team to be eliminated from the competition. They are still the only team yet to score with United still yet to concede, only Real Madrid share that accolade. Darren Fletcher opened the scoring three minutes into the second half. Gabriel Obertan scored his first Manchester United goal after 73 minutes with substitute Bebe scoring his second in as many games four minutes later. United are now on ten points with Bursapor yet to score.
Group D: The early kick-off saw a 0-0 draw between Rubin Kazan and Panathinaikos. This leaves Rubin with virtually no chance, mathematically, to win group on three points. Panathinaikos are virtually eliminated with only tow points, meaning they have to beat Copenhagen and Barcelona to progress.
Barcelona are almost guaranteed progression with a 1-1 draw against Copenhagen. Lionel Messi put Barcelona ahead after 31 minutes only for it to be cancelled out by Domingues De Souza two minutes later. This leaves Barcelona on ten points with Copenhagen on seven.
Group A: After a great second half display last time, Gareth Bale was instrumental again for Tottenham as they managed to beat Champions Inter Milan. Rafael Van Der Vaart continued to impress as he opened the scoring after 18 minutes. Peter Crouch then doubled their lead just after the hour mark. Eto'o pulled one back with ten minutes to go but substitute Roman Pavlyuchenko made the score 3-1 in the final minute of normal time. This leaves both teams on seven points at the top of the group.
Werder Bremen's hopes of progression are almost shattered after losing 2-0 at home to FC Twente. Bremen were down to men with fourteen minutes left when Torsten Frings was sent off. Twente made the advantage count as Nacer Chadli scored in the 81st minute before Luuk De Jong doubled the score three minutes later. This leaves Bremen on just two points, meaning they have to win their final two games or they will face elimination. Twente are on five points, just two behind the leaders.
Group B: Hapoel Tel-Aviv earned their first point of the group but look almost certain to be eliminated after a 0-0 draw with FC Shalke. Shalke now have seven points and currently sit in second place.
Benfica hosted Lyon in the most entertaining match of the night. The Portuguese giants went 3-0 ahead at half-time; Alan Kardec opened the scoring after 20 minutes, Fabio Coentrao doubled their lead eleven minutes later then Javi Garcia scored the third two minutes before the break. Coentrao then made it 4-0 after 67 minutes before Lyon fought back in a frantic fifteen minutes. Gourcuff pulled the first one back before Bafetimbi Gomis scored a second with five minutes remaining. Lyon made it 4-3 in injury time with a goal from defender Dejan Lovren as Lyon drop their first points of the campaign, staying on nine. Benfica now move to within a point of Shalke on six.
Group C: Valencia virtually stopped Rangers' chances of winning the group after beating 3-0 in the Mestalla. Soldado opened the scoring after 34 minutes before then doubling the lead after 71 minutes. Ricardo Costa added the third in second half injury time. The win gives Valencia seven points with Rangers on five.
That result meant that Manchester United were virtually through with a 3-0 win over Bursapor who became the first team to be eliminated from the competition. They are still the only team yet to score with United still yet to concede, only Real Madrid share that accolade. Darren Fletcher opened the scoring three minutes into the second half. Gabriel Obertan scored his first Manchester United goal after 73 minutes with substitute Bebe scoring his second in as many games four minutes later. United are now on ten points with Bursapor yet to score.
Group D: The early kick-off saw a 0-0 draw between Rubin Kazan and Panathinaikos. This leaves Rubin with virtually no chance, mathematically, to win group on three points. Panathinaikos are virtually eliminated with only tow points, meaning they have to beat Copenhagen and Barcelona to progress.
Barcelona are almost guaranteed progression with a 1-1 draw against Copenhagen. Lionel Messi put Barcelona ahead after 31 minutes only for it to be cancelled out by Domingues De Souza two minutes later. This leaves Barcelona on ten points with Copenhagen on seven.
Tuesday, 2 November 2010
Tricks and Treats On Hallowe'en's Super Sunday
Sunday saw three games take place in the Barclay's Premier League, with one on yesterday. To join in with the festive spirit, football threw up two big local derbies and other tricks and treats on the pitch. Super Sunday kicked-off with the most dirty derby (allegedly) between Newcastle and Sunderland. Unfortunately the Tyne-Wear derby wasn't available last season due to Newcastle being in the Championship, but this one more than made up for it. St. James' Park witnessed one of the best derbies in a long time (unless you're a Sunderland fan) and saw the first hat-trick in this tie since Peter Beardsley. Newcastle were on top straight from the start and went ahead thanks to Kevin Nolan after 26 minutes. Nolan doubled his tally eight minutes later with a great piece of improvisation with a crouching bicycle kick. It got worse for Sunderland as Newcastle were to go into half-time 3-0 ahead after Shola Ameobi dispatched a penalty. If you thought it couldn't get even worse, it did when Titus Bramble received a straight red card in the 53rd minute. Newcastle took full advantage with Ameobi getting his second with twenty minutes to go and Nolan got his hat-trick and Newcastle's fifth five minutes later. Darren Bent got a consolation in injury time but the score still finished 5-1.
The other two Sunday games weren't of the same quality with the untelevised three o'clock kick-off being the Midlands derby between Aston Villa and Birmingham. It ended goalless. The four o'clock kick-off saw Bolton entertain Liverpool at the Reebok Stadium. It was a fairly tight affair that both Bolton and Liverpool were holding to in periods. Liverpool's period of sustained pressure came late on and a cheeky flick from Torres allowed Maxi Rodriguez through one-on-one with Jaaskelainen, which the Argentine scored with only three minutes remaining.
Monday Night Football saw Blackpool host West Brom in a game that was made to be over before it started, although it nearly wasn't the case. West Brom were down to ten men after just eleven minutes when Pablo Ibanez was judged to have been last man and therefore harshly sent off. Captain Charlie Adam took the resulting penalty for Blackpool and tucked the ball away to give the Tangerine Army the lead. West Brom were then down to nine men just before the half hour mark when Gonzalo Jara went in two footed and was lucky not to harm his opponent. Blackpool didn't take great advantage of this and missed a host of chances but Luke Varney doubled their lead after 62 minutes. West Brom did set up a nervy final five minutes when Mulumbu capped off a good move on the 85th minute. But Blackpool held on to claim their first home win of the season.
The other two Sunday games weren't of the same quality with the untelevised three o'clock kick-off being the Midlands derby between Aston Villa and Birmingham. It ended goalless. The four o'clock kick-off saw Bolton entertain Liverpool at the Reebok Stadium. It was a fairly tight affair that both Bolton and Liverpool were holding to in periods. Liverpool's period of sustained pressure came late on and a cheeky flick from Torres allowed Maxi Rodriguez through one-on-one with Jaaskelainen, which the Argentine scored with only three minutes remaining.
Monday Night Football saw Blackpool host West Brom in a game that was made to be over before it started, although it nearly wasn't the case. West Brom were down to ten men after just eleven minutes when Pablo Ibanez was judged to have been last man and therefore harshly sent off. Captain Charlie Adam took the resulting penalty for Blackpool and tucked the ball away to give the Tangerine Army the lead. West Brom were then down to nine men just before the half hour mark when Gonzalo Jara went in two footed and was lucky not to harm his opponent. Blackpool didn't take great advantage of this and missed a host of chances but Luke Varney doubled their lead after 62 minutes. West Brom did set up a nervy final five minutes when Mulumbu capped off a good move on the 85th minute. But Blackpool held on to claim their first home win of the season.
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