Snak

Okay jeg brækker mig seriøst over de amerikanere. Mexico kan takke USA for at de stadigvæk har en chance for at komme med til VM. Amerikanerne udlignede da lige i overtiden og derved skal Mexico i play-off.

Fuck nu af USA. Scorer i 90+3 og 90+4. Så synd så synd for Panama. Godnat herfra.

For satan faldt i søvn her - den var lige ved at gå hjem med Panama + og Mexico - først fredag og i så nu..- heldigvis reddede Honduras point i Kingston.

FIFA World Cup Qualifying: Paraguay 1 Colombia 2

http://www.youtube.com/w…XOCb6aTyV6k

Colombia have come from behind to defeat Paraguay 2-1 in World Cup qualifying, despite playing almost an hour with 10 men.

Central defender Mario Yepes scored both goals for Colombia, who lost Fredy Guarin to a second yellow card in the 32nd minute with Paraguay leading 1-0.

A terrible error from Colombia goalkeeper David Ospina allowed Jorge Rojas to give the home side the lead after just six minutes but Yepes´ goals either side of half-time, both set-up by free-kicks from James Rodriguez, ensured the visitors took all three points in the CONMEBOL dead rubber.

Although the victory ensured Colombia finished second in South America´s qualifying group for next year´s World Cup finals, the match in Asuncion meant little, as Jose Pekerman´s side had already secured qualification, while Paraguay were out of contention.

Paraguay started the game 10 points behind fifth-placed Uruguay, who occupied the play-off berth in CONMEBOL´s standings.

But the hosts began promisingly with Rojas shooting just wide from long range in the fifth minute.

Colombia did not heed the warning from Rojas and two minutes later the Benfica B winger skipped past one opponent and then unleashed another rocket, which was deflected and then wriggled under Ospina, who should have held onto the save.

After going behind, Colombia took around 10 minutes to recover, before first Rodriguez and then Jackson Martinez went close to scoring.

Colombia´s hopes of a comeback were dealt a blow in the 32nd minute as Guarin received his second yellow card for tripping Sergio Aquino in the centre circle as Paraguay attempted to break.

But with seven minutes remaining in the first half, the visitors equalised with Rodriguez´s in-swinging free-kick from the right picking out Yepes, who headed home unmarked.

Paraguay had the first chance after the break with Roque Santa Cruz´s rasping shot pushed away by Ospina at the near post and in the 57th minute, Colombia took the lead thanks to Yepes.

Rodriguez´s free-kick was initially headed away by the Paraguayan defence but Carlos Bacca collected the loose ball and his shot was well saved by Justo Villar, only for Yepes to tap home the rebound.

While Martinez missed two one-on-one opportunities for Colombia late in the match, the visitors held on to complete their first successful World Cup qualifying campaign in 16 years in style.

FIFA World Cup Qualifying: Uruguay 3 Argentina 2

http://www.youtube.com/w…ORFsBCBggAY


Uruguay will need a play-off to reach the 2014 FIFA World Cup despite an enthralling 3-2 win over Argentina in Montevideo on Tuesday.

Oscar Tabarez´s men were unable to secure a big enough victory against an under-strength Argentina, finishing fifth in the CONMEBOL qualifying group.

They will need to overcome Jordan in a two-legged play-off in November to reach Brazil 2014.

Maxi Rodriguez cancelled out two Uruguay leads in the first half after Cristian Rodriguez and Luis Suarez had put the hosts ahead.

Edinson Cavani´s effort early in the second half gave Uruguay hope of overhauling Ecuador on goal difference, but they failed to find another goal.

Uruguay made the livelier start in front of their home fans at the Estadio Centenario and it was no surprise when they took a sixth-minute lead.

Suarez´s flat set-piece from the right caused problems in the area and eventually fell to Cristian Rodriguez at the back post.

The Atletico Madrid attacker´s first touch set up his chance before he fired past Sergio Romero and into the top corner.

But the hosts were only ahead for nine minutes as Maxi Rodriguez levelled for Argentina.

Rodrigo Palacio did the hard work down the left and crossed for Augusto Fernandez, who cushioned down the pass for Maxi Rodriguez to find the bottom corner.

Romero got down well to keep out Cavani before Uruguay were awarded a controversial penalty on 33 minutes.

Suarez went down under the softest of contact from Sebastian Dominguez before converting the penalty, despite Romero diving to his right and almost keeping it out.

But Argentina again took no time in cancelling out the effort as Maxi Rodriguez cut in from the right before firing a powerful finish into the bottom corner.

Suarez´s set-pieces caused the visitors problems throughout and Uruguay were unlucky not to go into the break ahead when Cavani headed a free-kick inches wide.

The chances continued to flow to start the second half as Cavani failed to get enough power on his header from a Suarez corner and Palacio struck an effort straight at Fernando Muslera.

The combination between Suarez and Cavani helped Uruguay take a 3-2 lead in the 49th minute.

Suarez was released into space down the left and squared a pass for Cavani, who took a touch before smashing a powerful finish past Romero.

Uruguay were somehow denied a two-goal lead in the 67th minute as they struck the woodwork twice.

Christian Stuani headed a Suarez corner against the crossbar before Cristian Rodriguez cut in from the right just minutes later to drill a left-footed strike into the post.

The hosts had other chances - Cristian Rodriguez hit the side-netting, Suarez was denied and they had a penalty shout for handball turned down - but missed opportunities will see them needing a play-off to qualify.

FIFA World Cup Qualifying: Chile 2 Ecuador 1

http://www.youtube.com/w…M1_golorURo

Chile have confirmed their attendance at Brazil 2014 with a 2-1 win over Ecuador, who also held on to qualify despite the loss.

Goals to Alexis Sanchez and Gary Medel saw Chile lead 2-0 at half-time in front of their home crowd and the hosts looked set to destroy Ecuador´s World Cup qualifying hopes as they dominated the early stages of the second half.

But a goal on the break from Felipe Caicedo saw Ecuador reduce the margin after the hour-mark and ensured qualification for the Ecuadorians, as they claimed a berth at next year´s tournament in Brazil thanks to a superior goal difference to Uruguay.

Having just missed out on securing a spot at Brazil 2014 on Friday when they gave up a three-goal lead to draw with Colombia, Chile seemed inspired and started the strongest at the Estadio Nacional Julio Martinez Pradanos in Santiago.

In just the fourth minute, a neat one-two between Sanchez and Arturo Vidal saw the former´s shot deflected out for a corner and from the resultant set-piece, Marcos Gonzalez got free but headed over the bar.

Ecuador´s first shot on goal came in the 10th minute with Christian Noboa´s free-kick was palmed away by Chile´s goalkeeper Claudio Bravo and that seemed to spark the visitors, who looked dangerous on the counter-attack for the rest of the opening half.

Jorge Valdivia twice went close to opening the scoring for the hosts in the opening half-hour, with a last-ditch tackle denying the Palmeiras midfielder on the quarter-hour mark, before he curled another shot just wide of the top corner.

Chile broke through soon after, however, when Sanchez headed home at the near post from Eugenio Mena´s driven cross in the 35th minute.

Ecuador barely had time to react before it was 2-0 with Sanchez seeing his free-kick tipped over by Alexander Dominguez but the Barcelona attacker had the last laugh, flicking on the resultant 38th-minute corner for Medel to tap the ball into the net from close range.

With goal difference critical to which team out of Ecuador and Uruguay claimed the fourth automatic qualification berth, Reinaldo Rueda´s Ecuadorians would have been relieved to see Chile spurn two glorious scoring opportunities early in the second half.

In the 52nd minute, Vidal´s header from a corner cannoned off the post and landed in the arms of a flat-footed Dominguez, while on the hour-mark, Eduardo Vargas shot over the bar when clear through on goal.

Ecuador took advantage of those misses six minutes later on yet another rapid counter-attack with captain Antonio Valencia releasing Caicedo, who placed his shot through Bravo´s legs to make it 2-1, and from then on, both teams seemed fairly happy with the result.

Chile secured third spot in CONMEBOL´s standings with 28 points, while Ecuador claimed the fourth automatic qualifying berth with 25 points and a goal-difference of plus four.

Uruguay, who defeated top team Argentina 3-2, finished with 25 points and a neutral goal difference, and face one more hurdle to qualify for Brazil 2014 – a two-legged intercontinental play-off against Jordan.

FIFA World Cup Qualifying: Peru 1 Bolivia 1


http://www.youtube.com/w…ossXp1AcoLw

Peru and Bolivia have played out a 1-1 draw in the final CONMEBOL World Cup qualifier for Brazil 2014.

With neither team at the Estadio Nacional de Lima still in contention for World Cup qualification heading into Tuesday´s match, the game generally lacked intensity with both goals scored in the first half.

Vasco da Gama winger Victor Yotun put Peru ahead in the 19th minute with a strong run down the left before he shot across Bolivia goalkeeper Romel Quinonez to see the ball settle inside the far post.

But in first-half stoppage time, Diego Bejarano equalised for the visitors, smashing a loose ball in off the post after Marcelo Martins Moreno´s shot was pushed away by Diego Alonso Penny.

Bolivia had started the qualifier in Peru at the bottom of South America´s World Cup qualifying standings, while the hosts sat seventh, too far back to catch fifth-placed Uruguay, who will play a two-legged intercontinental play-off against Jordan for a spot at Brazil 2014.

The lack of meaning to the match and an empty stadium in Lima, due to previous crowd trouble, ensured a lacklustre second half, although Yordy Reyna almost scored the winner for Peru when he hit the bar in the 86th minute after a through ball from Claudio Pizarro.

The draw saw Peru end a three-game losing streak, while Bolivia picked up their second consecutive stalemate after a 1-1 result at home against Ecuador last month.

FIFA World Cup Qualifying: Panama 2 United States 3

http://www.youtube.com/w…nPM_J6uRxqM


http://www.youtube.com/w…pdslZeCPm9w


Panama have missed out on a FIFA World Cup play-off spot after a heartbreaking 3-2 loss to the United States on Tuesday.

Needing a win and for Mexico to lose in Costa Rica, Panama looked to have got both results and appeared to be on the verge of snatching the play-off spot in CONCACAF qualifying.

Luis Tejada´s 83rd-minute goal looked to have been enough before the USA equalised in the 92nd minute through Graham Zusi.

And Aron Johannsson ensured there would be no chance of Panama reaching their first ever World Cup when he struck a minute later.

Michael Orozco had cancelled out Gabriel Torres´ opener earlier on, with Mexico fortuitously falling into the play-off and a tie against New Zealand.

Wet conditions made maintaining possession difficult for both sides early on at the Estadio Rommel Fernandez Gutierrez.

Panama were ahead on 18 minutes courtesy of a fine strike from Torres.

A fast counter-attack led to Marcos Sanchez playing the ball into the path of the Colorado Rapids forward, who side-footed a superb finish into the bottom corner.

A minute later and Panama could have doubled their lead in almost identical fashion.

This time it was Blas Perez on the end of the chance, but the FC Dallas striker´s effort was too narrow and kept out by Brad Guzan.

Panama went close to doubling their advantage two minutes before half-time, but Perez was stretching and acrobatically volleyed Torres´ cross over.

Julio Dely Valdes´ men had a glorious chance to make it 2-0 just nine minutes into the second half.

Alberto Quintero´s run down the left led to him cutting inside and setting up Perez, whose low side-footed shot was somehow kept out and scrambled away by the USA.

And Panama were made to pay for their wastefulness in the 64th minute as the USA equalised through Orozco.

Brad Davis´ in-swinging corner bounced off Orozco and into the bottom corner to put Jurgen Klinsmann´s men on level terms.

Soon after, Torres was denied after a lovely through ball by Quintero, with Guzan standing up to make a good save.

It was Guzan who was partly at fault for Panama´s goal in the 83rd minute.

Substitute Roberto Chen was released down the right and composed himself and waited for runners before crossing.

Guzan parried the cross, but straight into the path of substitute Luis Tejada to tap in and send the home fans wild.

But Zusi headed in a Davis cross to break Panamanian hearts before Johannsson gave Klinsmann´s men victory and left the hosts´ players in despair after the final whistle.

Meanwhile, Honduras confirmed their place at Brazil 2014 despite playing out a disappointing 2-2 draw at last-placed and winless Jamaica.

FIFA World Cup Qualifying: Costa Rica 2 Mexico 1

http://www.youtube.com/w…qfKcRib3am0

Mexico have escaped with a spot in a two-legged play-off to qualify for Brazil 2014, despite losing 2-1 to Costa Rica on Tuesday.

Manuel Vucetich´s Mexico side looked set to miss their first World Cup finals in 24 years as Panama, their rivals for the intercontinental play-off berth against New Zealand, took a crucial lead over the United States.

But Mexico´s arch-rivals, the USA, did them a favour, scoring twice in second-half injury-time to stun Panama 3-2 and ensure the loss in Costa Rica did not matter for Vucetich´s team.

The results on the final matchday of CONCACAF´s fourth round of World Cup qualifying saw Mexico finish with 11 points in fourth position, three clear of Panama, who would have earned the play-off berth on goals scored if they had defeated the USA.

The match at the Estadio Nacional de Costa Rica began in scrappy fashion with neither team fashioning a genuine chance on goal in the opening quarter of an hour.

But Mexico were in danger of missing out on the World Cup for the first time since 1990 and that knowledge seemed to spark the visitors, who were denied a goal in unusual circumstances after 17 minutes.

A great move through midfield saw Carlos Pena slide a pass to Oribe Peralta on the right side of the box and the striker squared the ball to Javier Hernandez, who scuffed his shot towards goal.

With Costa Rica´s goalkeeper Keilor Navas stranded, Hernandez´s effort rolled slowly towards the goal-line but Peralta, who was offside, looked set to slam the ball into the net before thinking better of it, letting it through his legs to nestle in the corner of the net.

Despite Peralta having not touched the ball, the referee whistled for offside.

The visitors were denied again soon after with Pena´s shot blocked by a diving Costa Rica defender, before the hosts dealt Mexico a blow in the 25th minute when Bryan Ruiz slammed home the opening goal after spinning away from two defenders.

With Panama taking the lead over the USA in the other crucial CONCACAF qualifier, Mexico were in trouble but equalised quickly when Peralta thumped a loose ball into the net off the underside of the crossbar after Navas had denied Hernandez.

Mexico dominated the rest of the half but failed to convert and that lack of cutting edge came back to haunt them in the 65th minute when Cristian Gamboa´s cross found Alvaro Saborio unmarked in the penalty area and the Real Salt Lake striker made no mistake with his header.

Almost immediately, Costa Rica goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa palmed away Raul Jimenez´s header as Mexico searched for another equaliser, although they seemed safe as the USA equalised in Panama.

Costa Rica then hit the post as Cristian Bolanos played a one-two with Saborio but could only dink his shot onto the woodwork and the ball bounced out.

With around seven minutes remaining, Panama moved 2-1 ahead of USA but Mexico failed to respond and were on the verge of elimination until two late goals by the Americans ensured Vucetich´s team will play New Zealand in a two-legged play-off in November.

Meanwhile, Honduras confirmed their place at Brazil 2014 despite playing out a disappointing 2-2 draw at last-placed and winless Jamaica.

apropos New Zealand....

International Friendly: Trinidad and Tobago 0 New Zealand 0

New Zealand and Trinidad and Tobago played out a scoreless draw in their international friendly at Hasely Crawford Stadium in Port of Spain.

The game was New Zealand´s last ahead of their FIFA World Cup play-off matches against Mexico, who finished fourth in CONCACAF qualifying.

For Trinidad and Tobago, the game was the first home match under new coach Stephen Hart who took over the side in June while New Zealand were without several of their stars.

Aaron Clapham and Kosta Barbarouses went close with chances for the All Whites, but they were unable to finish them off.

Of more significance was the confirmation that, as expected, New Zealand´s play-off will be against Mexico.

New Zealand will travel to Mexico on November 14 for the first game and return to play the second in Wellington six days later.

The fourth CONCACAF berth was only decided after games between Mexico and Costa Rica and the United States and Panama.

By beating Panama 3-2, the United States allowed Mexico to claim fourth place although they lost 2-1 to Costa Rica.

Det har holdt hårdt, hvis Ecuador går videre kun på målforskellen.

Men vi tager selvfølgelig alt med!

Det har holdt hårdt, hvis Ecuador går videre kun på målforskellen.

Men vi tager selvfølgelig alt med!

Den sydamerikanske VM-Kval har været meget jævnbyrdig - Ecuador har et ganske solidt hold - en fantastisk hjemmebane 7 sejre og en enkelt uafgjort (Argentina) - derudover har man hentet point i Montevideo, Venezuela og La Paz så det er fortjent nok.

De havde en downperiode før Uruguaykampen efter "Chucho" Benitez døde, med ham på holdet havde de sandsynligvis været kvalificeret for længst. Iøvrigt interessant at se den udvikling Ecuador har været igen efter de har "tappet" ind i den sorte befolknings fodboldmæssige kvaliteter...det er næsten fransk standard...

Ecuador´s national team transforms through inclusion in face of racism

Christian "Chucho" Benitez, the forward from Ecuador, finished Liga MX as the top goal-scorer and picked up the Clausura tournament trophy with current club America this season. Earlier in the month he had been featured prominently in the media for quite different reasons. It was during a match against Pumas when the Ecuadorian was subjected to monkey chants every time he touched the ball.

What might have been written off as an isolated incident, or a Mexican issue, was picked up by media further afield, perhaps because it coincided with an incident the previous week in Italy´s Serie A when Mario Balotelli was the target of racial abuse.

In Mexico, journalist Martin Alves published a summary of the most high-profile incidents of racism in recent years. In Ecuador, the sports pages reprinted and aired in outrage.

On the pitch, Chucho embodies Ecuador´s hope of reaching the World Cup. His prowess in Liga MX is followed with devotion, although many feel he has yet to show what he can do when wearing the national strip. The national squad meets Argentina in a qualifying match Tuesday.

This is Benitez´s third tournament in a row as the top goal-scorer in Mexico, where he has tallied more than 100 goals. The 27-year-old, who won the 2010 league title with Santos Laguna, is the only America player to be both top goal-scorer and trichampion since 1973. He is currently the second highest-paid player in Mexico.

So it stands to reason that the spectacle of crowds hoarding monkey chants at him should both shock and repel. In Ecuador, where soccer -- or futbol -- is much loved with a history and tradition that has yet to yield rewards in the international arena, Benitez and his teammates are heroes in waiting.

The country reached a long-awaited dream of qualifying for the World Cup for the first time in 2001, under venerated Colombian manager Francisco Maturana. But it is widely acknowledged that this step was the result of the work carried out by a previous national manager, a man from Montenegro who revolutionized Ecuador´s approach to the national squad.

Dusan Draskovic was known to highlight the fact that 19 of Ecuador´s 22 players in the 2002 World Cup emerged from his youth training program. "I spent six years driving around the 22 provinces of Ecuador in a small battered car I drove myself, with the aim of discovering new talents in every corner of the country; kids without clubs, playing on the streets, who had never stepped on a proper pitch with goalposts and referees," Draskovik said.

Over time, he organized matches among the best from each province, "and from those trials around 25 high-performing professional players emerged" he added.

That first generation of international-calibre players included Ivan Hurtado, Agustin Delgado and Ulises De La Cruz, "youngsters eager to learn and for the most part motivated by the need to leave behind their conditions of extreme poverty. They understood football was an opportunity and knew how to make the most of it."

Specifically, Draskovic´s revolution opened the gates to players from more remote provinces. Until his time, players tended to be recruited from the main cities, whether the hills or the coast (the country´s "serranos versus costenos" rivalry runs deep, and football is no exception), but the Montenegran coach laughed off this regional distinction, claiming he came from a land where true regionalism is deeply rooted (he was a Yugoslavian at the time) and thus managed to groom a generation of players who excelled, including several from the predominantly African Valle del Chota.

For some years, the presence of these Afro-Ecuadorians, as they´re referred to locally, made it´s impact on the national squad -- although often discussed in terms of their physical attributes in ways that perhaps modern Europe or North America might deem politically incorrect.

It is a matter of record that the work Draskovic conducted with the youth divisions between 1988 and 1993 is his biggest pride.

The Valle del Chota inclusion was a phenomenon. "It is a handful of villages which one can only call villages at a stretch" a local explained to me. "They are mainly groups of houses, often lacking infrastructure which we consider basic."

Not many generations ago, people who grew up nearby recall learning African words before Spanish, and as Ecuador´s football united the nation in joy, the players who succeeded abroad took every opportunity to bring back the rewards they reaped and make sure their communities benefited.

Veronica Ortiz Villalba from Simon Bolivar University observed in her thesis on social inclusion and the Valle del Chota: "Football has been bestowed with various social values and senses: game, sport, ritual, opium, show, business, etc. (...) In this sense we can say football also means socioeconomic mobility, real and symbolic inclusion, recognition and visibility, at least for the Valle del Chota. Known as the seeding source of the best footballers in the country, it is an afroecuadorian population who has invested all expectations in football. For this region, historically underserved by the State and with scarce social mobility, football is projected as the best, or even the only, real possibility of protagonic insertion in the social process. Football, one of the greatest cultural industries circulating in the market, has managed to integrate the best exponents of ecuatorian football, the ´afrochoteno´ players, into the social system. These footballers are proposed as a new social model (...) exemplary during the 2006 World Cup in Germany. This fact permitted other factors to come into play, such as identity, discourse and representation. In each of these areas the afrochoteño players and the Valle del Chota were placed, transitorily, at the centre of the nation and our society."

The international press took an interest in Chota generally, and some of the characters specifically. Delgado is a case in point. Having successfully collected wages in Europe´s high-paying leagues, he returned to Chota to invest in the infrastructure of the place, creating first a little football school, and now directing a fully fledged club. He is so revered in his local community that when he was suspended some years ago for spitting at someone during a match, pickets closed off the main access on the motorways blocking trade trasnport as a protest until "Tin" was reinstated.

Although Delgado has acquired a prominence which turns him into a controversial character locally (recently the club of Chota which he presides has received a five-year ban, and many believe this is especially harsh because of who he is), he embodies a transformation in the fabric of Ecuador´s football elite, which has not gone unnoticed.

Football writer Esteban Michelena, author of the book "Pase al Vacio," wrote for Reuters in 2006: "When the international press asks why Ecuador is present in two consecutive World Cups it is just and necessary to acknowledge the merit is due to the systematic and heroic growth of the hundreds of afroecuatorians who -- since the mid 80s -- overcame the recent history of failures in order to consolidate themselves as professionals able of great performances in changing, extreme, and hostile environments".

Michelena referes to the notion of a "tropical black power," erected on top of the madness and the pain of the pioneers.

It is not only Chota that has provided the national squad with athletes of African descent. Esmeralda, a province with the highest concentration of black people in Ecuador, also played it´s part. Whatever the past circumstances of how these Africans came to settle in the region, the reality today is that the 10 percent or so of Ecuador´s population of African origin reflects the hardships of blacks in many places around the world.

Some years after completing an acclaimed documentary looking at Delgado and race issues in the Valle del Chota, "Red Card," filmmaker Rodolfo Munoz, who had concluded that in Ecuador "there remain racist practices in spite of the contribution afroecuatorians have made to the national identity," gave a lecture in which he highlighted with anecdotal evidence aberrations such as the black player who was arrested when entering an elegant restaurant, as the other diners feared he might be a thief.

Munoz had set out to see whether "Ecuador having qualified for two World Cups with a majority participation of black players, we believed these performances might have helped towards this ethnic minority being better valued by society at large," but alas, he concluded "the euphoria produced by football, we all vibrated joyful for what was going on, we thought there would fewer chances of rejection. We discovered it was merely a short-lived honeymoon."

Today, the make-up of Ecuador´s national team spans the width an breadth of the entire country, as the linked map published when they clashed with Paraguay illustrates.

Ecuador hopes to retain its undefeated run on home ground against visiting Argentina in the 2014 qualifying rounds. The home team have a distinct advantage playing in Quito, at over 2,800 metres above sea level, but although their away track record recently has not been so good -- they lost 1-0 to Peru and did poorly in a friendly against Germany last week, losing 4-2 -- they can and often do impress. As BBC South America football correspondent Tim Vickery pointed out recently: "It is much more than an altitude specialist. The team has now started picking up points on its travels, and last month it even won away to Portugal -- Cristiano Ronaldo and all."

Benitez will be sorely missed, as he has to sit the game because of suspension. But Ecuador has plenty of talent to plough away at the chance of a place in the 2014 World Cup, and should they achieve this, it will no doubt be in spite of the "heavy heritage of racism that in Ecuador, as in all the Americas, continues mutilating reality and memory," as Eduardo Galeano stated: "They belong to the whole country, and the entire world, these voices from the past that help us guess another possible future."