Snak

Peru Primera Division Wrap: Ovelar winner shocks Universitario


A 90th-minute goal from Roberto Ovelar has seen Juan Aurich stun Universitario 1-0 in Peru´s Primera Division.

Both second phase group leaders in the Primera Division dropped points as Group A´s top team Real Garcilaso were held to a 1-1 draw away to Union Comercio and Group B´s Universitario suffered their first defeat in nine games.

But Universitario´s loss did not hurt the capital club too much as the next four clubs in Group B all failed to win.

Universitario had to play about an hour with 10 players after Nestor Duarte was shown a red card in the 32nd minute for a raised arm to Ovelar´s face.

Despite having one more player for most of the match, Juan Aurich rode their luck at times on Thursday with Universitario wasting a number of counter-attack opportunities after half-time.

But in the final minute of regular time, Juan Aurich finally made their extra man count when Ovelar did well to control Jeikson Reyes´ cross from the left wing on his chest and then side-footed the ball into the net.

The loss left Universitario on 57 points but with second-placed Inti Gas also losing 3-1 away to Universidad San Martin, the Group B leaders remain eight points clear at the top of the table.

UTC Cajamarca, Leon de Huanuco and Cienciano also failed to make significant inroads into Universitario´s leading margin.

Cajamarca and Cienciano drew 2-2, while Leon lost 1-0 to Jose Galvez.

In Group A, bottom-placed club Union Comercio shared the points with Real Garcilaso.

Roberto Jimenez produced a smart finish to give Union Comercio the lead in the 13th minute and although Mauricio Montes equalised for the visitors six minutes before half-time, the home side held on for a draw.

Second-placed Sporting Cristal, who have a game in hand on Real Garcilaso, could move within a point of the Group A-leaders if they knock them off on Sunday.

In the other midweek game, Sport Huancayo defeated Pacifico 2-1.

Mål

http://www.youtube.com/w…LZBjKLkIl2U

Paraguay - 9 Runde.

General Diaz henter ind på førerholdet Cerro Porteño, efter 1-0 sejr ude over Olimpia, Diego Doldán blev matchvinder kort efter pausen.

Cerro POrteño var selv i aktion og hentede 0-0 i Clasico´en mod Libertad.

Ellers en runde blottet for overraskelser - det skulle da lige være Deportivo Capiatá som sikrede sig en 1-0 sejr over Guaraní med Gustavo Romero som målscorer.

Nacional hentede tre point hos Cerro Porteño PF - en doblete af Nicolás Martinez gav en 2-1 sejr.

og endelig lukkede Sportivo Luqueño runden af med en 4-0 sejr hjemme i Luque over Sol de América.


Honduras - 7 runde

Clasico´en mellem Motagua og Real España endte 2-1 til los azules I Tegucigalpa, Juan Montes og uruguayanske José Varela fik vendt 0-1 til sejr.

http://www.youtube.com/w…DhhB9EQqNgc


Panama - 9 Runde.

Udsat kamp fra 9 runde mellem Plaza Amador og San Francisco blev afviklet, førstenævnte vandt 1-0 på mål af Alfredo Stephens - et resultat som betyder at de 2 hold topper rækken med 19 point.

Rodrigues Filho: Neymar’s father forced deal

The father of Neymar put a deadline on the forwards sale to ensure a deal was secured this summer, according to Santos’ interim president Odilio Rodrigues Filho.

Neymar da Silva Snr insisted that his son would leave the Brazilian side as a free agent if his departure was not secured ahead of the Confederations Cup.

"We had a deadline to sell him, set by his father, that was the beginning of the Confederations Cup June 15," Rodrigues Filho told Folha de S.Paulo.

"If he wasn´t sold, he would have stayed and then signed a pre-contract with another club in January. Santos would have got nothing.”

Neymar was unveiled by Barcelona on June 3 after agreeing a contract until June 2018. The Spanish side paid Santos €57 million - a record fee for a Brazilian player.

He opened his account for Barça in the first leg of the Supercopa de España victory against Atlético de Madrid, but is yet to net in La Liga.

Caruso confía levantar ante Boca

BUENOS AIRES -- En declaraciones al sitio oficial de Argentinos, Ricardo Caruso Lombardi reconoció que Boca, que suma 12 puntos en el torneo Inicial, es "un buen equipo", pero remarcó que depende de sus dirigidos para obtener un resultado favorable.

"Si jugamos como el último fin de semana (derrota 4-0 ante Lanús), no le podemos ganar a nadie, es normal, pero hay jugadores que están haciendo un esfuerzo muy grande para sacar esto adelante", agregó el ex DT de Tigre, Racing, Quilmes, Newell`s y San Lorenzo.

Argentinos Juniors, uno de los escoltas del líder Newell`s Old Boys (14), acumula 13 puntos en el torneo Inicial y viene de perder 4-0 ante Lanús: "Quedamos en deuda el fin de semana pasado, pero nos pasó con Godoy Cruz (caída 3-1 en Mendoza por la primera fecha) y nos recuperamos. Ojalá esta vez nos pase lo mismo".

El plantel de Argentinos Juniors se entrenó en la tarde del jueves en el estadio Diego Maradona, a puertas cerradas, con vistas al cotejo del domingo ante Boca, donde Caruso Lombardi llevó a cabo una práctica de fútbol.

El equipo que paró en cancha Caruso Lombardi fue el siguiente: Pablo Migliore; Julio Barraza, Diego Barisone, Nicolás Freire y Lucas Rodríguez; Rodrigo Gómez, Nicolás Olmedo, Sergio Vittor y Matías Mirabaje; Enrique Triverio y Hernán Boyero.

De confirmarse esta formación, Argentinos jugaría ante Boca con cuatro cambios: Vittor por Santiago Nagüel, Mirabaje por José Luis Palomino, Triverio por Osvaldo Miranda y Boyero por Walter Serrano.

El plantel del conjunto del barrio de La Paternal volverá el viernes a los entrenamientos, desde las 10, en el predio de la UTA, en Moreno, y tras la actividad, el entrenador confirmará la lista de concentrados.

Argentinos Juniors recibirá el domingo a Boca Juniors, en el estadio Diego Maradona, a partir de las 18.15, en el partido válido por la 8va. fecha del torneo Inicial y que será arbitrado por Luis Álvarez.

Russo: "No me gusta que subestimen"

ROSARIO -- El director técnico de Rosario Central, Miguel Angel Russo, aseguró el jueves que no le gusta que los "subestimen" por el complicado momento futbolístico que vive el equipo, en el que acumula tres derrotas en forma consecutiva y seis puntos en las siete fechas que jugó del Torneo Inicial.

"Soy el primero al que no le gusta lo que está pasando y estamos abocados a tratar de corregirlo. Tampoco me gusta que nos subestimen, estará en nosotros darlo vuelta y demostrarlo. Ni en una época fuimos los mejores, ni ahora somos los peores. Pero no subestimen a este grupo de jugadores, a este club, porque hemos dado muestras más de una vez de muchas cosas, aseguró el entrenador en conferencia de prensa.

En relación a las pintadas contra los jugadores, Russo fue muy tajante y dijo: "Yo digo que en un país donde estamos en democracia, darle autoridad a lo anónimo no tiene sentido, entonces cada uno tiene que hacerse responsable. Ustedes (por el periodismo) le dan una notoriedad que no debe tener. Nosotros seguimos trabajando con la misma tranquilidad como corresponde".

"No nos detenemos en esas cosas, todos conocemos al club. La idea sería que lo anónimo no lo hagan público. Está mal darle notoriedad a alguien que no da la cara", remarcó.

El probable equipo para recibir este sábado a las 20.10 a Arsenal, por la octava fecha, sería con Mauricio Caranta; Paulo Ferrari, Lisandro Magallán, Alejandro Donatti, Rafael Delgado; Guillermo Fernández, Nery Domínguez, Matías Ballini, Diego Lagos; Franco Niell y Carlos Luna.

Jurgen Klinsmann aiming high

United States coach Jurgen Klinsmann believes anything is possible for his side in next year’s World Cup, while insisting that the minimum requirement is to get out of the group stages.

Klinsmann’s men booked their place in Brazil with a 2-0 victory over rivals Mexico in Columbus, Ohio earlier this month.

And the German has high hopes for a nation who will be playing in their sixth straight World Cup.

“We want to make it out of the group in Brazil,” he told FAZ. “Everything else would be a disappointment. And then it will be down to how big our belief to beat the big nations is. This belief and our confidence is growing. That is also expected of me.”

Klinsmann, who led United States to Gold Cup glory this summer, said that his team needed to have a thirst for success and must strive to develop further.

“Sometimes you have to do without certain players,” he said. “I have got a few players on my team, I can’t really do without because they have so much quality. But I have told them: ‘Stay at home’, and they replied: ‘What’s happening here? I am such-and-such and play here and there’, and I just told them: ‘And? I want to get further at the World Cup than last time. And if you don’t get that, then just go on holiday’.”

The 1990 World Cup winner added that with all of today’s modern media and hype that surrounds young players, it is not easy for them to keep their focus on the pitch.

“It’s very difficult for the young lads to stay focused and down to earth,” he said. “And at the same time have the same hunger that [Lionel] Messi and [Cristiano] Ronaldo have shown for years.”

Klinsmann went on to praise the recent developments in United States football.

“The sport is on an upswing, football is inexorable in America. The pillars might still be american football and basketball, but football is attacking ice hockey and baseball with a strong force,” Klinsmann said.

He explained that the quality in the youth academies has got better and better in recent years, just like it has in the MLS.

“The fresh talents, not only from the U.S. but also players with dual citizenships from abroad, have put pressure on the established U.S. internationals,” he said. “That’s some competition for them -- and that is nice.”

Higuain excited by Napoli potential

Gonzalo Higuain feels Wednesday night’s Champions League victory over Borussia Dortmund is just the beginning for a Napoli side who can go on to “do great things”.

Higuain, 25, was on target in a thrilling game in front of a packed Stadio San Paolo, with the Argentina international feeling all of the fans’ affections after putting the home team ahead in a 2-1 win.

His focus, however, has already turned to Sunday’s trip to the San Siro, where Napoli face AC Milan in what promises to be another spectacular evening on a path which could end in glory.

“When you win, the next day’s always more relaxed and you work better,” he told Sky Italia. “It’s no surprise that Napoli are so ready -- we have a strong team and a lot of work has been done in recent years, and with a coach like [Rafa] Benitez, I think we’ll do great things.

“It’s still early to say how far we can go; there are lots of months to come. We’ve overcome a big rival in Borussia, but now we’ve got Milan and we’ll do all we can to climb the table. It’s hard to say whether we’re favourites or not, what matters is taking the three points.

“Milan have been one of Europe’s biggest clubs for many years and they have won the second-highest number of Champions Leagues [European Cups], but Napoli are doing well so we’re going to try to win at the San Siro.”

Higuain’s goal on Wednesday night not only soothed the fans’ pain following the departure of Edinson Cavani to Paris Saint-Germain this summer, but it also strengthened his case for becoming the next Argentine legend in Naples.

Matching the achievements of Diego Maradona in an Azzurri shirt will take some doing, but Higuain has the backing of El Pibe de Oro himself.

“I spoke to Maradona before coming here and he’s delighted that I’ve come,” Higuain said. “I’m glad he feels this way too. [Ezequiel] Lavezzi also told me that you don’t experience what you experience in Naples anywhere else. It’s true and I’m happy here.”

Vela is not the solution to the problem

The fire of hope continues to burn. It is burning more than ever. But we cannot mistake its heat, light and direction.

Mexican fans urgently need something to believe in, a hope to cling onto, a reason to dream. It seems that they have just found it.

The face, the smile and the expressions in the statements made by Carlos Vela have changed radically. The player from Real Sociedad opened the door. He left it more open than shut when discussing a possible immediate return to the Mexican national team, making it clear that his past unwillingness to play with El Tri was based on a personal difference with the prior coach or with the de la Torre family. Speaking from Spain, Vela basically asked that the national team call him, or that he would even call them.

Nevertheless, there is a risk. In these difficult and trying times for Mexican soccer, bringing on Vela could produce inflated expectations to the point that they become unrealistic. Vela is currently the best Mexican soccer player playing outside the country, and therefore the best Mexican player. But he is not the solution to the deep problems the national team is suffering. Vela could contribute, provided he works together with El Tri, which also might have its reservations when taking him on.

This is clearly a delicate situation to which new national coach Victor Manuel Vucetich must pay special attention. There are certainly some players who do not agree with the position Vela took after the incident in Monterrey, when he decided to stop playing with the national team and repeatedly did not heed the call.

If the moment has arrived to call Carlos Vela, then it must be done. However, we should not expect him to fix all of the shortcomings the Mexican national team has shown, both physically and mentally. Vela is a good player, playing at a high level, showing notable maturity who has his place on the field. But he is not a Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo, and will not be able to bring about radical changes to El Tri.

Vucetich makes strides with El Tri squad

As a player, Victor Manuel Vucetich took on the responsibility of a defensive midfielder, the man tasked with breaking up opponent attacks, and thus, at times saving his own team from disaster. No salvage task he ever performed as a player, however, compares to the one facing him now as the coach of Mexico. There are only two qualifying games left for El Tri, currently placed fifth in the Hexagonal standings, to grab a CONCACAF qualifying spot.

Vucetich, known as a master strategist, has taken some time to assess his player arsenal, getting permission from the national federation to call in a preliminary roster of Liga MX players for evaluation. Though he has begun his tenure looking first at domestic players for a training camp, Vucetich has also fired off some warning shots across the bow of the current player establishment and the easy assumption that a spot on a European roster equals a spot in the starting lineup.

In his press comments before releasing the roster, Vucetich made it clear that players in game form, who perform regularly and consistently, are the ones he is looking towards as the base of his salvation squad.

"For me, what does it matter if they play in Europe, if they´re out of game rhythm?" Vucetich declared.

Ok, so Vucetich didn´t come right out and say, "Carlos Vela can give more to this team than Javier Hernandez, because Vela is getting it done with his club team week in and week out," but let´s be honest, he could have. For that matter, Vucetich may have reassured Liga MX stars like Oribe Peralta that they can earn starting spots instead of automatically being shunted aside for the big names.

So after the drama of Vucetich declaring that every player has to prove himself to the new coach, the actual names called have been put on notice. Desperate times call for desperate measures, and it´s an indicator of the extremity that Mexico finds itself in that Vucetich calling in three naturalized players, all with Argentine roots, barely caused a ripple.

No one might have been more surprised by that non-fuss than Lucas Lobos himself, who only months earlier downplayed his new status as a Mexican citizen. Now he, Damian Alvarez and Christian Gimenez are all part of the latest crop of players under consideration.

Vucetich has also climbed into the way-back machine, bringing in former captain Rafael Marquez for a look. Granted, the defender is enjoying a resurgent season with Leon at present, but it´s likely that Marquez has been brought in to see if he can provide the spark that Mexico has lacked.

Part of the problem for El Tri in both their games versus Honduras was how the defense crumbled late. A lack of stamina plays a part in such circumstances, but veteran experience and mental toughness are often effective antidotes.

The door is open not only to Mexico´s past, but to its future. Vucetich has brought in young players like Marco Fabian, Miguel Layun, Hugo Ayala, Carlos Pena, Angel Reyna, Hiram Mier, Isaac Brizuela and Raul Jimenez.

Truth be told, Mexico´s ill-fated Gold Cup campaign notwithstanding, there hasn´t been that much variation in El Tri´s top roster for a while. A new look and a fresh perspective might be exactly what´s needed.

So far, Vucetich is talking the talk and walking the walk of change. Now the question remains of how he will bring all the elements together. Can he bring back the top European players like Vela and Guillermo Ochoa into the fold, truly ready and willing to work? Will he able to energize domestic talent without alienating the players struggling for playing time in Europe?

The upcoming, pressure-filled games will be the ultimate judge and jury. Yet any journey of many miles begins with a single step. Vucetich´s first step is a confident one.

Leon clashes crucial for Chivas

Two wins in the next two games against Leon will breathe new life into Guadalajara´s season. On the other hand, two losses could end all realistic chances of salvaging anything from the Apertura with two months still to go. It´s reached the tipping point of the Apertura for Chivas.

First up is the Liga MX game in the Estadio Leon on Saturday against the league´s third-placed team which boasts the best defense in Mexico´s top division and has lost only once in 10 games so far this season.

A victory will give Chivas -- who have a game in hand on most of those above them -- an outside chance of a playoff run, even if they are seven points off eighth-placed Toluca, with 24 points still to play for.

The first game of the three between the two sides on Wednesday ended 1-1 and set up the Copa MX series nicely for next Wednesday´s finale in Guadalajara, which will likely decide which of the two goes through to the knockout rounds -- although there is a small chance that both could advance depending on other results.

Chivas were bright in attack and solid in midfield, having the majority of possession and showing further improvement. Despite it being the cup, manager Juan Carlos Ortega named a team that was close to being the strongest the Rebano Sagrado has right now, with only Aldo de Nigris, Hector Reynoso and the injured Rafa Marquez Lugo missing out.

Nestor Vidrio scored Guadalajara´s goal with a clinical back post finish in the 77th minute after Jorge Enriquez had been sent off for a late challenge in the 29th. Chivas showed fight with 10 players and were only five minutes from what would´ve been a morale-boosting victory when Mauricio Castaneda struck for Leon.

It was a good warm-up, but Leon´s team was made up of youngsters and reserves and Saturday´s match will be entirely different against a side led by a rejuvenated Rafa Marquez.

The difference between the clubs is obvious, with Leon gunning for the league and Chivas seeing the cup -- which has additional value this season with a spot in the Copa Libertadores handed to the winner -- as a means of rescuing their season. Reaching the South American club competition is a major incentive, as coach Ortega has hinted.

"We see the cup as an opportunity to (reach) an objective, which is to qualify and move step by step to the Libertadores," said Ortega in a press conference Thursday. "Obviously in the league we have to grow soccer-wise so this little run of ties comes to an end."

There is still a long way to go, but the next week is key in whether the Apertura goes down as another mediocre season for Chivas, or if there is still some hope.

Notes

- Marquez Lugo is major doubt for Saturday´s league game, although he will probably be back for next Wednesday´s cup match.

- There will be a strong security presence at both games, with the rivalry between Chivas and Leon bubbling over into violence outside the stadia in recent meetings between the two sides.