Snak

Colombia Primera A Wrap: Once Caldas stage remarkable fightback

Once Caldas completed a miraculous comeback to draw 2-2 with La Equidad in the Colombia Primera A on Thursday.

Miguel Borja scored a brace with goals in the sixth and 58th minutes as it seemed like La Equidad would cruise to victory over Santiago Escobar´s men.

But a red card to Equidad defender Daniel Briceno on 71 minutes threw the game wide open.

In the 91st minute, substitute Martin Minadevino got one back for Caldas before Equidad´s Geisson Perea scored an own goal with the last kick of the game in a thrilling finale.

http://www.youtube.com/w…3bovVdtcC5M

Junior climbed to third on the standings after a 5-1 thrashing of Cucuta Deportivo.

Despite going behind to Cucuta after 17 minutes through Luis Payares, Junior led four minutes later after quick-fire strikes from Luis Ruiz and Edwin Cardona.

Cardona grabbed his second in the 37st minute as Junior started dominating the contest.

Michael Ortega and Jherson Cordoba both struck in the second half to complete the rout before Cucuta substitute Geovanni Garcia was given two yellow cards in four minutes.


http://www.youtube.com/w…UlOJIZGRBVQ

Two goals in each half saw Medellin claim a well-earned 4-0 win at Envigado.

Goals to German Cano and Marcos Perez got Medellin off to a quality start in the first half, silencing the home fans.

Cano added another early in the second half before Dairo Mosquera rounded off a superb victory.


http://www.youtube.com/w…UlOJIZGRBVQ

In other matches, Atletico Huila overcame Deportivo Cali 1-0 and Silvio Gonzalez´s double fired Santa Fe to a 2-1 triumph over Patriotas Boyaca.
http://www.youtube.com/w…QJV_CnMaQ6o

http://www.youtube.com/w…UlOJIZGRBVQ

Higuain keen to replicate Maradona, not Cavani

Gonzalo Higuain wants to mirror the achievements of Diego Maradona during his time at Napoli.

The former Real Madrid forward moved to the Stadio San Paolo in July for a fee believed to be in the region of €40million, with the 25-year-old intent on playing regular football.

His arrival in Naples came after the departure of Edinson Cavani to Paris Saint-Germain, although Higuain is not focused on filling the void left by the Uruguayan.

Instead, he is more interested in replicating the feats of his compatriot Maradona, who helped Napoli to two Serie A titles in his seven years with the club from 1984-1991.

"He (Cavani) has gone away and will be remembered for a lot of goals scored," Higuain told La Gazzetta dello Sport.

"I am here and I want to get into the history of the club as Maradona, because my only goal is to win."

Higuain also feels Napoli can rival current champions Juventus and challenge for the Serie A title this season.

"We must believe in the Scudetto, we are competitive and we can dream despite the league (being) very difficult," he added.

"Juve has made clear their intentions largely by winning the Super Cup. Milan is also in good shape.

"Overall, though, I am convinced that if we do things right, we can win."

Rafael Benitez´s men get their Serie A campaign under way on Sunday when they host Bologna.

Counting the cost of a dream ticket to Brazil

Sales of 2014 World Cup tickets got off to a brisk start Tuesday. According to FIFA, the 1 million applications received in seven hours included plenty from host nation Brazil, from neighbours Chile and Argentina, and also from the USA and England -- a testimony to the strength of Anglo-Saxon fan culture, especially as there is no guarantee that Roy Hodgson’s men will even qualify for the competition.

For non-Brazilians the cheapest tickets start at $90. A number of tickets are available to locals at knockdown prices -- part of a PR offensive to win Brazilian hearts and minds in the run-up to a tournament that may be a focal point for vociferous protests.

For visiting fans, though, the price of the tickets will probably be one of the more minor concerns when the time comes to sit down and draw up a budget for the trip. This is likely to be a very expensive World Cup.

The first cost, of course, is that of getting to Brazil. For Europeans, especially, this is likely to leave a considerable hole in the wallet, accustomed as they have become to cheap travel around their own continent. But once they touch down in Brazil their financial problems have only just begun.

Here I can throw in my own costs during the Confederations Cup by way of example. I managed to find hotels -- by no means top of the range but adequate enough for my needs -- for around $80 a night. I took three internal flights -- from my home city of Rio de Janeiro to Recife, the short hop from there to Salvador, and from there back to Rio. Cost: Approximately $560. Not excessive, perhaps, but not cheap either.

And here it has to be remembered that these prices are market driven. The Confederations Cup attracted hardly any foreign fans -- little more than 2% of ticket sales were to non-Brazilians. The World Cup is on a completely different scale. Hundreds of thousands of foreigners will be chasing hotels and internal flights, and prices will certainly reflect this.

I suffered from this phenomenon during the Confederations Cup when I tried to book a flight to Belo Horizonte for the semifinal -- which turned out to be Brazil against Uruguay. Prices from either Salvador or Rio were prohibitively expensive -- and this was before the tournament had begun, long before it had been confirmed that the hosts would be playing in this match. But the mere prospect of Brazil taking part had created extra demand and pushed the price sky high. I ended up taking the overnight bus from Rio, and then going back the same way a few hours after the match had finished. It was a good cheaper option -- but one that is not viable for most World Cup journeys. Both Rio and Belo Horizonte are in the South East region, and so close enough to each other to go by road. But in a country the size of a continent, that simply is not true about many of the 2014 venues. They are so far apart that there will be no real alternative to air travel.

This brings hidden costs into the equation. Many of Brazil’s airports are deficient in mass transport options to deliver the new arrival to the city centre. Taxi drivers will hope to make a fortune. In some of the cities -- Salvador, for example -- the journey from airport to hotel is a long one that can eat up at least $40. Over the course of a World Cup campaign, these kinds of costs all add up.

The exchange rate is easing for foreign visitors -- the dollar has just hit a five-year high against the real, Brazil’s currency. Even so, prices of things such as restaurants could well come as a nasty shock. Indeed, the rising cost of living was surely a factor in the background of the protest movement that suddenly flared up all over Brazil in June.

There could well be moments next year when fans from all over the world will feel like staging their own personal protest at the amount of hard-earned cash they are handing over. To ensure that you enjoy the experience of the 2014 World Cup, then, the best advice is to start saving yesterday.

Argentina call up Messi despite thigh problem

Lionel Messi has been named in Argentina´s squad for their clash with Paraguay despite suffering with a bruised thigh.

The Argentina captain will join up with the rest of Alejandro Sabella´s squad for the FIFA World Cup qualifying fixture in September 10, despite Barcelona confirming that he had "bruised the femoral biceps tendon in his left thigh".

Messi suffered the injury during Barcelona´s 1-1 draw with Atletico Madrid in the Supercopa de Espana first leg on Wednesday.

Barcelona also revealed that Messi will be monitored before a decision is made on whether he features against Malaga in La Liga on Sunday.

Despite those fitness concerns, he has been called upon to help his country continue their impressive qualification campaign as they aim to book their place for the World Cup in Brazil next year.

Argentina currently top South American qualification, leading Colombia by three points having played a game more than Jose Pekerman´s side.

Javier Mascherano, Gonzalo Higuain, Ezequiel Garay and Federico Fernandez are all absent from the squad due to suspension.

However, Sergio Aguero returns after he missed his country´s 2-1 friendly win over Italy.

Jeg havde nok heller ikke forventet at Herediano kunne vinde mod Cruz Azul, så var ikke så overrasket over nederlaget. Nu er jeg begyndt at arbejde fra alt for tidligt om morgenen, så det er ikke meget fodbold jeg kommer til at se fra Latinamerika de næste mange måneder desværre :(

Hvad kalder vi en "udskifter" på spansk? Jeg har en veninde, der underviser i spansk, men hun er ikke så fodboldinteresseret, så hun vil gerne have det korrekte ord. Er det en suplente? Sustituto? Eller et tredje ord?

Jeg vil nok bruge ordet SUPLENTE....om selve udskiftning SUSTITUCIÓN eller CAMBIO

Jeg havde nok heller ikke forventet at Herediano kunne vinde mod Cruz Azul, så var ikke så overrasket over nederlaget. Nu er jeg begyndt at arbejde fra alt for tidligt om morgenen, så det er ikke meget fodbold jeg kommer til at se fra Latinamerika de næste mange måneder desværre :(

Det er jo alt for antilatino det der unge mand ;-)

Deportivo FAS,

Nu har jeg flere gange lagt mærke til, at du har haft kaffen galt i halsen. Om det så enten var bl.a. David Luiz, Flamengo´s ledelse, Fede Santos, eller São Paulo klubberne arrogante holdninger. Er der en kaffe, du vil anbefale til de lange nætter med Sydamerikansk bold?

Det ser ud til at KayOkay´s mandskab i Rio bliver svækket.. Jeg synes, det er lidt naivt

Real Madrid set to sign Henrique on loan - report

Real Madrid have made a bid to sign Botafogo striker Henrique on a one-year loan deal according to reports in Brazil.

Los Blancos contacted Botafogo last week with a proposal to bring the 22-year-old to the Bernabeu before the end of the month, according to UOL.

Real will initially take the Brazilian on loan, paying his full wages, before possibly taking the striker on a permanent basis.

The arrangement would be similar to the one agreed by Henrique´s compatriot Casemiro last year.

The midfielder joined Real Madrid on a 12-month loan from Sao Paulo and impressed enough to be given a permanent contract in June.

Henrique has represented Brazil at both under 19 and under 20 level. He was named the best player at the 2011 under 20 World Cup in Colombia.