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CONCACAF Champions League Preview: America, Cruz Azul progression pending

Cruz Azul and America face group-stage exits from the CONCACAF Champions League ahead of crucial matches.

In Group 3, Cruz Azul - five-time winners of the competition - only need an honourable loss at home to Herediano at the Estadio Alejandro Morera Soto on Tuesday.

The visitors must win 3-0 or better to progress into the knockout stages.

The Mexicans are top of the table by three points and won the previous meeting between the teams in Mexico City 3-0.

In Cameroonian attacker Achille Emana (three goals), Cruz Azul have one of the competition´s top-scorers this season.

Coming into the clash after a crucial Liga MX meeting with leaders America on Saturday, coach Guillermo Vazquez may have big selection decisions to make.

Herediano will need goals in front of their home fans and have had no problems scoring in the league this season.

On the final matchday of the group stages, all bar two places remain up for grabs.

America, also five-time champions, are going to need a win to advance from Group 4.

They host Costa Rican group leaders Alajuelense at the Estadio Azteca and a 1-0 victory will be enough because of their superior goal difference.

There are three MLS sides also chasing a place in the quarter-finals.

The Houston Dynamo only need a draw at Panama´s Arabe Unido to progress to the last eight from Group 1.

Sporting Kansas City are in a similar situation in Group 2 as they prepare to host Honduras´ Olimpia, with a point all they need.

But the San Jose Earthquakes need a victory at home to Guatemala´s Heredia to finish top of Group 5.

Toluca are in prime position to advance from Group 6 ahead of their meeting at home to Comunicaciones of Guatemala.

Tijuana and the Los Angeles Galaxy are the only two teams already through, with the latter visiting Isidro Metapan in Group 8.

Victoria and Luis Angel Firpo do battle in Group 7, which will be topped by Tijuana regardless of the result.

Friday: Queretaro take big step towards Liguilla and Santos edge thriller

Queretaro looked to have made a significant move into the playoffs as they moved to seventh in the table with last night’s 2-0 victory over Leon. Colombian, Wilberto Cosme put the Gallos Blancos in front on the half hour mark and within moments of the restart Esteban Paredes’ neat turn and finish doubled the lead. The results puts Queretaro in the driving seat and is bad news for Los Xolos, Puebla and Tigres.

Later, Santos Laguna managed to hold on and see off a spirited Monterrey comeback to win 3-2. Mexican striker, Oribe Peralta fired Santos in front from 25 yards and two quick-fire strikes from Alonso Escoboza and Mauro Cejas put them comfortably in front. However, Chilean, Humberto Suazo fired in from distance in the 83rd minute and his wonderful 90th minute free kick set up a tense few minutes for the home side.


QUERETARO 2 – 0 LEON

http://www.youtube.com/w…JWWeFQBGBJ4

SANTOS LAGUNA 3 – 2 MONTERREY

http://www.youtube.com/w…odx8WgQ4ZNU

@ GOI m.fl.

Racing In Peril (Karma’s A Bitch, Baby)

So I have this friend. A River Plate fan, but he’s a nice guy so I don’t try to judge him too harshly. But recently he has picked up a rather annoying habit; signing off on Facebook chats with the : punctuation symbol. It is not a subtle way of calling me an asshole, that would be far less cruel. It is his way of reminding me that after ten games of the current season, my beloved Racing club have picked up a grand total of two points (two points, dos puntos, geddit? Whatever.)

Are poor coaches to blame? We have already given two of them the boot. Troubles in the boardroom? The president and vice have quit, leaving the owner of the Savoy Hotel in charge. Not that then. A playing staff that seems to have forgotten overnight which way the opposition goal is? Sounds unlikely.

No, the real reason for Racing’s lamentable form is obvious. We are cursed, and it is all our own fault.

The Avellaneda side celebrated the relegation of bitter enemies Independiente with rather too much gusto last season. You all remember those ghost videos that your Argentine friends showed you, and you fake-laughed at without really understanding right?

“Haha he’s wearing a sheet and on a motorbike, classic!” Yes, those. Here are a few of the best in case you’ve been living under a rock and missed them:


http://www.youtube.com/w…OIE0X1laKbo

The gran finale came at the end of the season, when the club’s hinchada (the most organized, drug-addled and violent supporters) staged an elaborate funeral in the last match, ‘burying’ Independiente in the stadium with the full backing of directors. I mean come on, they shut off the lights and played the funeral march! Well, it was fun at the time.

http://www.youtube.com/w…EDzDyY#t=50

It’s clear what has happened since then. Karma and a spiritual haunting working together to give us a well-deserved kicking. The ghost of our dearly departed rivals stayed around to screw with us, starting with a two-match stadium suspension for those shenanigans. An exorcism is clearly needed if Racing are going to avoid the same fate, although thanks to the vagaries of the Argentine relegation system it could be a lot worse (look it up elsewhere, we do it on average points).

It wouldn’t be the first time. In 1998 the club sought to banish evil spirits in an elaborate ceremony that involved a priest, president Daniel Lalín and 500 ‘penitent’ fans in procession. The following year, Racing went bankrupt. Points for effort.

Or fans could try digging up evil spirits. In one of Racing’s few golden ages, Independiente fans buried seven dead cats in the club’s stadium in order to curse them. It worked; following the curse laid down by the red devils in 1967, six of the skeletons were unearthed but La Academia went 44 years without winning another trophy. In desperation, members of the hinchada broke in to the ground in 2001, with Racing perilously close to lifting the title of that year. Broke in, you say? Read back above, the directors don’t really give a shit what these guys do.

They could not find the remaining feline, but the side overcame that disadvantage to triumph and break the curse. Who says that history cannot repeat itself, and a simple dig will end this cold streak?

Screw it, I’m grabbing a shovel and going after that malevolent moggy right now.

Saturday: Lanus and San Lorenzo enjoy big wins

After the midweek catastrophe in the Copa Argentina Final, San Lorenzo responded superbly last night in the Nuevo Gasómetro with a win over All Boys and in doing so, maintained some pressure on Newell’s Old Boys at the top of the table. Angel Correa fired El Ciclon in front just before half time and he added a superb second with 15 minutes remaining. With the clock running down, Hector Villalba sprang the offside trap and finished with ease to complete the win.

Earlier, Lanus returned to winning ways after a 4 game winless streak by easing past Colon by 3 goals to nil. Colon are now in the midst of a torrid winless streak and their task was not made any easier when Jacobo Mansilla was sent off before half time. Lanus quickly capitalised through Diego Gonzalez’s close range finish and in the second half, Victor Ayala added a wonderful second with a fierce 25 yard drive. Lucas Melano completed the rout when he skipped around German Montoya and found the net from an acute angle.

Also, in the Nacional B, Independiente returned to winning ways with a 2-1 win over Crucero Del Norte.


LANUS 3 – 0 COLON

http://www.youtube.com/w…lS5alGg8J6Y

SAN LORENZO 3 – 0 ALL BOYS

http://www.youtube.com/w…fww0qwvc0c8

INDEPENDIENTE 2 – 1 CRUCERO DEL NORTE


http://www.youtube.com/w…UScOkIG_elk

Falcioni: "Yo sigo"

BUENOS AIRES -- El entrenador de All Boys, Julio César Falcioni, sostuvo esta noche que seguirá en su cargo, tras la derrota (3-0), de visitante, frente a San Lorenzo, por la duodécima fecha del Torneo Inicial de fútbol.
"Yo sigo", fueron las dos primeras palabras que pronunció Falcioni en el Nuevo Gasómetro ante la consulta de los periodistas sobre su continuidad.

Sin embargo, trascendió que el técnico pondría a disposición de los dirigentes su renuncia mañana al mediodía.

Falcioni luego habló sobre el partido. "El triunfo de San Lorenzo es discutible", puntualizó.

"El primer tiempo fue parejo, le jugamos de igual a igual, pero nos convirtieron al final. En el segundo salimos bien, tuvimos alguna que otra chance de empatar, pero nos mató anímicamente el segundo gol", sentenció Falcioni.

Pizzi: "El balance es positivo"

BUENOS AIRES -- El DT de San Lorenzo, Juan Antonio Pizzi, sostuvo tras la victoria ante All Boys que desde que llegó hace poco más de un año al club de Boedo padeció "sufrimiento", pero aclaró que el balance que hace de su ciclo es "positivo".

"Hoy disfrutamos de haber ganado", consideró
"Se cumplió poco más de un año desde que llegué al club y durante ese tiempo padecimos dolores y sufrimientos, aunque la valoración que hacemos es positiva", afirmó Pizzi.

"La rotación de los jugadores nos permitió ganarle a River (1-0), Central (2-0) y Colón (2-0); llegar a la final de la Copa Argentina (cayó ante Arsenal por 3-0) y estar en una posición importante en el torneo (está segundo a tres puntos de Newell´s)", agregó el DT santafesino de 45 años.

Pizzi, por último, se refirió a la carencia de delanteros desde las lesiones de Martín Cauteruccio y Gonzalo Verón.

"Buscamos jugadores con cierto grado de experiencia, pero es difícil convencer tanto a esos futbolistas como a los clubes dueños de su pase", sintetizó.

"Hoy disfrutamos de haber ganado un partido importante, de haber dejado en claro que estamos enteros y que vamos a pelear el título hasta el final", concluyó.

Uruguay steal late point off Ivorians

Uruguay looked dead and buried at the Emirates Stadium in Ras Al Khaimah, only to rescue a point against Côte d´Ivoire with a 1-1 draw thanks to a last-gasp equaliser from Franco Acosta with the final kick of the game.

The draw was hard luck on the Ivorians, who were the better of the two teams throughout and will be disappointed by the defensive sloppiness of the late leveler.

The Ivorians came out in a more positive fashion than their opening-day loss to Italy, pushing forward in an attempt to thwart the talented South American attackers who put seven past New Zealand in their first game. And it took the Africans only 17 minutes to score the game’s opener.

Kouame N’Guessan played the ball through for Aboubakar Keita, who fired in a shot from well outside the box. Uruguay defender Joel Bregonis took a wild swing at the ball that sent it spinning up and over the head of Thiago Cardozo and into the back of the net.

Three minutes after the opener, Côte d´Ivoire nearly doubled their lead. Captain Franck Kessie rose high in the area, but he could only guide his header against the crossbar. Meite Yakou followed up on the rebound, but he couldn’t put his shot on target either.

Marksman Acosta had the best chance for Uruguay at the end of the first-half, but his shot after a good turn could only hit the woodwork. The South Americans were back on the defensive again at the start of the second period. Keita’s lovely side-footed shot from distance was denied only by the upright to a sigh of relief from the Uruguayan defence after 56 minutes.

Côte d´Ivoire kept up the pressure for the remainder of the contest. But Uruguay, who really looked out of the game for most of the second-half, had a bit of good fortune in the final seconds to rescue a point. There was panic in the Ivorian back-line in the third and final minute of stoppage time, with the Africans unable to clear their lines properly. The ball fell to Acosta, who swiveled inside the area and hit a deflected shot into the back of the net.
The west Africans, who were slumped on the field in disbelief after the final whistle, next face New Zealand on 23 October in Group B play. Uruguay will take on Italy that same day to round out the South Americans´ group stage competition.

Honduras late-show splits spoils with Slovaks

Honduras, who beat hosts UAE in their opener, kept up the form in their second match with a 2-2 draw against Slovakia. The result, which came by way of a late stoppage-time equaliser at the Mohammad Bin Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi, sees the Central Americans still undefeated and on four points from two matches in Group A of the FIFA U-17 World Cup in UAE.

Slovakia were the sharper side in the first quarter-hour, but the Hondurans were dangerous in bursts. On the 15-minute mark, Rembrandt Flores was given too much time and space at the edge of the penalty area, but he could only manage to pump his shot up and over the bar. Just a few minutes later, up at the other end, the Slovaks had a decent chance when Nikolas Spalek’s speculative effort from a tight angle was tipped over the bar by Cristian Hernandez.

The Hondurans took the lead after 20 minutes. Brayan Velasquez provided some good approach work on the right side before passing in for Alberth Elis, whose shot was pushed away by Martin Junas. But it only went as far as Flores, who tapped the ball home from close-range. The Central Americans had another chance on the half-hour mark, Velasquez cutting in dangerously and firing an effort that was kept out by a combination of Tunas’ glove and the upright.

The second-half offered a frenzy of attacking action. In the 48th minute, Nikolas Spalek raced forward and delivered a pass for Tomas Vestenicky, who drew level for the Slovaks with a perfect curling shot. Ten minutes later, he was on the scoresheet again. Vestenicky collected a long ball from the back, turned quickly and powered a shot home from just inside the penalty area. He nearly completed his hat-trick ten minutes after that, too, only to be denied by Hernandez in the Honduran goal.

Honduras, however, were not dead and buried. They conjured a late leveler two minutes into stoppage time when Jorge Bodden popped up in the area, taking advantage of some defensive chaos, to slam home a crucial goal for the Central Americans. Los Catrachos continue their Group A campaign on 23 October against Brazil, while Slovakia meet hosts UAE that same day.

GRE-NAL 398 er igang.. Føj for satan, Inter er foran 1-0

Ja jeg så det lige havde ellers fokus på den her ...


Job one done as Brazil humble hosts

Brazil had another easy day at the office, winning their second straight Group A game by a huge scoreline as they routed FIFA U-17 World Cup hosts UAE 6-1 in Abu Dhabi. Boschilia scored twice in the contest, which brings Brazil’s goal tally after two games to twelve and puts them through to the Round of 16 with a game still to play.

The first-half began as predicted, with Brazil racing forward into attack and making the hosts nervous. The first goal came after just nine minutes when Mosquito slipped a nice pass to his right for Nathan, who continued the pattern by picking out Boschilia, who made no mistake with his finish past Al Shamsi Mohamed in the UAE goal.

It took the South Americans – three-time FIFA U-17 World Cup champions – until the 33rd minute to get their second goal. Again, it was the clever Boschilia who sneaked into the penalty area before bending the ball home from an acute angle into the side-netting. Boschilia then turned provider in the 41st minute, guiding a nice pass into Nathan, who ghosted past his marker rounded the UAE keeper to touch home clinically.

On the hour-mark, Mosquito forced the UAE net-minder into an uncomfortable save with his header from 12 yards out. But the South Americans seemed to have taken their foot off the accelerator a bit. Nathan had a chance four minutes later when he chased down an incisive through ball. His finish lacked direction and conviction as the keeper saved well.

Nathan made no such mistake in the 66th minute. Another through ball was laid in for the young No10, who made it look easy by chipping over the outstretched arm of a despairing UAE keeper to make it 4-0. Substitute Joanderson added another in the 73rd minute, swiveling brilliantly to strike home with his left foot after a cross from the left side. The sixth goal came in the 84th minute and was put away by substitute Gabriel, who finished from close-range after a brilliant leading pass from Boschilia.

To their credit, UAE managed a consolation goal in the dying moments. Alameri Zayed ran on to a long through ball from deep in midfield and went around Brazilian keeper Marcos before popping into the back of the net. Rampaging favourites Brazil now meet Honduras in their final Group A match in Ras Al Khaimah on 23 October, while UAE will hope to finish their section games with at least a point when they take on Slovakia.