Snak

Newell´s: Casco mejora y volvería Trezeguet

BUENOS AIRES -- En busca de cortar la racha de 11 partidos sin victorias y en medio de los rumores que ponen en duda la continuidad de Alfredo Berti, el plantel de Newell´s se entrenó este martes por la mañana pensando en el choque de este jueves ante Belgrano de Córdoba, a las 17.00, en el Estadio Mario Alberto Kempes.

La duda más importante en cuanto al equipo gira en torno a la presencia de Milton Casco, quien arrastra un esguince de tobillo tras recibir un golpe en la derrota por 3 a 0 ante Gimnasia. No obstante, el lateral izquierdo participó de la práctica junto al resto de sus compañeros y quedó concentrado para el choque ante el equipo de Ricardo Zielinzky.

Cabe recordar que Diego Mateo y Alexis Castro recibieron la quinta amarilla el domingo pasado en La Plata y, por lo tanto, no formarán parte de la delegación que viajará el miércoles a Córdoba. Si bien no confirmó el equipo, tanto Hernán Villaba como David Trezeguet podrían ir desde el arranque.

Una probable alineación sería con: Nahuel Guzmán; Marcos Cáceres, Guillermo Ortíz, Gabriel Heinze, Casco; Ever Banega, Villalba, Lucas Bernardi; Víctor Figueroa, Trezeguet y Maxi Rodríguez. En definitiva, serían 5 cinco las modificaciones con respecto a la derrota del domingo pasado.

A pesar del momento adverso que vive Newell´s, la última vez que cayó ante Belgrano en Córdoba fue hace 14 años, cuando el Pirata goleó 5 a 1, por el Apertura 2000. Desde entonces, cosechó 3 victorias y un empate en condición de visitante, teniendo en cuenta los dos períodos de cuatro años cada uno (2002-2006 y 2007-2011) en los cuales el conjunto cordobés no jugó en Primera División.

Rolfi Montenegro advierte que "ahora se viene la ansiedad" en la PBN

BUENOS AIRES -- El capitán de Independiente, Daniel Montenegro, advirtió el martes que en la recta final del torneo de la B Nacional "se viene la ansiedad" y deberán estar preparados porque en el duro camino del regreso a Primera cada partido que jueguen "va a ser más pesado" que el anterior.
"Ahora se viene la ansiedad. Tenemos que saber que cada partido que se venga va a ser más pesado. En el final de la primera rueda lo hicimos bien, pero ahora lo tenemos que mantener. Hay que llegar al final de la mejor manera", dijo Montenegro en una entrevista con radio La Red.

El experimentado mediocampista sostuvo que deben "manejar la ansiedad, no solo nosotros sino también la gente", y remarcó que "ahora hay que mantenerse, que siempre es lo más difícil".

La derrota de Crucero del Norte a manos de Banfield le permitió a Independiente sacarle un punto más de ventaja al conjunto misionero, pero a que el Rojo apenas empató como local frente a Boca Unidos de Corrientes.

"Recién empieza la segunda parte y hay que ver cómo se da todo. Es bueno y sirve (la derrota de Crucero del Norte) para enfocarnos sólo entre los que estamos ahí y pensar en estar más arriba", precisó Montenegro.

Independiente es el último de los equipos que en este momento conseguiría el ascenso a Primera División y se encuentra cinco puntos por delante de Crucero del Norte, en tanto que cuenta con tres unidades menos que Defensa y Justicia y ocho que el líder Banfield.

Flamengo Beat Vasco 2×1 in Clássico: Daily

Flamengo edge clássico 2-1 but Vasco left furious by a goal that was not granted.

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Flamengo beat Vasco 2-1 with a late goal at the Maracanã Stadium yesterday afternoon in the eighth round of the Campeonato Carioca. However, the game was shrouded in controversy after the game’s officials failed to award Vasco a clear goal in the first half.

Douglas’ curling free-kick cleared the goal line by 33cm and was visible to the naked eye. Amazingly, the referee and linesman contrived to miss the fact and failed to rule a Vasco goal, leading to fury and revulsion amongst the players.

At the half-time whistle, with the score at 1-1, the entire Vasco team attempted to surround the referee to make their views heard. Security was forced to form a barrier in front of the officials as anger threatened to spill over.

“This [Flamengo v Vasco] is such a great game to play in, then the referee comes and does something like that. The referee apologized. How exactly?” said Vasco striker Edmílson at the final whistle. Victory for Flamengo took them level with Fluminense at the top of the Carioca table. Both sides have nineteen points from eight games.

It was Vasco who went in front yesterday through Fellipe Bastos on 36 minutes. However, it took Flamengo just three minutes to restore parity in another hotly contested move.

Elano curled a free-kick over the wall and towards the top left-hand corner. Vasco keeper Martin Silva clawed the ball away but the official by the goal ruled the ball had crossed the line.

TV replays showed he had made the right call, yet that did little to quell Vasco’s anger. Perhaps distracted after the events of the first half, Vasco did not manage to play with the same intensity during the second half.

Douglas, who had an excellent game, gave way for Bernardo but Vasco still could not get a stranglehold on the game. They were punished in the cruelest of ways on 89 minutes. Gabriel’s shot from the edge of the area took a slight deflection off Guiñazu and ended up in the back of the net.

Campeonato Carioca Round Eight Results in Full:

Macaé 0-0 Nova Iguaçu
Friburguense 3-0 Audax
Volta Redonda 1-0 Madureira
Fluminense 4-1 Boavista
Cabofriense 1-0 Resende
Vasco 1-2 Flamengo
Bonsucesso 0-1 Bangu
Duque de Caxias 1-2 Botafogo


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Liga MX Preview: Cruz Azul eye winning return

Liga MX frontrunners Cruz Azul will be looking to continue their winning run on Friday, while America need a response.

Luis Tena´s league-leading Cruz Azul outfit have been unstoppable since opening the campaign with a 0-0 draw at Monterrey.

They go into their clash at Queretaro on the back of six straight wins that have put them three points clear at the top.

Marco Fabian´s four league goals this campaign have been a key, including a stunning chipped winner late on against Puebla.

A tight defence which has conceded just twice in seven games also deserves praise.

Fausto Pinto, Julio Dominguez, Luis Amaranto Perea and Rogelio Chavez have been regular starters in the back four.

Queretaro are unpredictable and inconsistent, sitting eighth after winning just one of their past five league matches.

America need to bounce back from consecutive league losses, but could find it tough against fifth-placed Pumas UNAM.

Back-to-back 1-0 losses have seen America drop seven points behind Cruz Azul and they need a win against fifth-placed Pumas UNAM at the Estadio Azteca on Saturday.

Elsewhere, two of the league´s top four do battle as Toluca, who are second to Cruz Azul, host fourth-placed Guadalajara at the Estadio Nemesio Diez.

Santos Laguna travel to Leon, Pachuca welcome Morelia to the Estadio Miguel and Tijuana take on Chiapas.

Winless Tigres UANL have their biggest chance yet to breakthrough for a win when they host second bottom Veracruz.

But with only two league goals this season, the bottom side need to start finding the net more often to have any chance.

The two teams just above the bottom duo also clash as Atlas host Monterrey.

Copa Libertadores Wrap: Santos Laguna strike it hot at Penarol

Santos Laguna continued their perfect start in the Copa Libertadores with a 2-0 win at Penarol on Tuesday.

http://www.youtube.com/w…xdg0JdZq944

Second-half goals from Jonathan Lacerda and Jose Abella made it back-to-back victories for the Liga MX side in Group 8.

Pedro Caixinha´s men, sixth in their domestic league, are top of the group, five points clear of Deportivo Anzoategui, who have a game in hand.

After an even first half against Penarol, Lacerda gave the visitors the lead in the 54th minute at the Estadio Centenario in Montevideo.

Lacerda beat his marker to Carlos Quintero´s cross from the right and tucked an easy first-time finish past goalkeeper Juan Castillo.

The visitors sealed the win in the first minute of additional time on the back of a fast counter-attack.

Andres Renteria found space down the left before delivering a well-weighted outside-of-the-boot pass to Abella, whose first touch was heavy but he still managed to finish.

Chilean outfit Union Espanola twice fought back from a goal down to earn a 2-2 draw at Independiente del Valle in Sangolqui.

http://www.youtube.com/w…6RimHy6p0wM

Junior Sornoza put the Ecuadorian hosts ahead on 31 minutes, placing his penalty into the bottom corner after Jonathan Gonzalez had been brought down.

Cristian Chavez set up the equaliser in the 54th minute, releasing Sebastian Jaime down the right and the attacker smashed an effort across the goalkeeper and into the top corner.

Just four minutes later and the hosts regained the lead as Fernando Guerrero finished off after a scramble.

Chavez had an even quicker response for the visitors just a minute later, as the sides shared the spoils in their first game respectively in Group 2.

Et par kampe fra Argentina i nat.

Olimpo - Arsenal de Sarandí 0-2

Velez Sarsfield - All Boys 3-0

Racing club - Tigre 0-1

Mål
http://www.youtube.com/w…TyZeq5iF5R0

Fabián Alegre: "Necesitábamos ganar para no complicarnos en el futuro"

BUENOS AIRES -- El entrenador de Tigre, Fabián Alegre, se mostró satisfecho por la victoria de su equipo ante Racing Club por 1 a 0 como visitante y afirmó que "necesitábamos ganar para no complicarnos".

"Necesitábanos ganar, porque merecimos ganar en el primer partido ante Vélez y el sábado en nuestra cancha frente a Olimpo y no pudimos hacerlo. Si no ganábamos, se iba hacer cuesta arriba de cara al futuro", aseguró Alegre al término del encuentro por la tercera fecha del torneo Final.

El DT del ´matador´ añadió que "lo bueno es que ganamos en una cancha difícil, donde era prioritario defender bien. Pudimos mantener al rival en su campo para después tratar de controlar nosotros el juego, cosa que sucedió".

"Nosotros tratamos de ser agresivos pero sin mala intención, tanto es así que tenemos pocos defensores amonestados, ya que jugamos fuerte pero sin cometer infracciones", completó el técnico.

A su tiempo, el autor del tanto Ignacio Canuto manifestó que "estoy contento por el gol, ya que no estoy acostumbrado a marcar. El triunfo es importante porque ellos tuvieron muchas llegadas, pero no pudieron convertir, ya que los controlamos bien".

Por último, el atacante Ariel Nahuelpán puntualizó que "estuvimos ordenados en la tres líneas, cuando había que atacar lo hicimos y nos defendimnos cuando era necesario. Jugamos bien como el otro día ante Olimpo, pero hoy pudimos ganar".

"En tres partidos no nos convertieron porque estamos ordenados abajo, igualmente hoy hubo errores a pesar de la victoria, los que hay que corregir para no sufrir en el futuro", concluyó Nahuelpán.

Merlo: "Lo importante es que se crearon opciones, pero faltó el gol"

BUENOS AIRES -- El entrenador de Racing Club, Reinaldo Merlo, consideró que se debió a la "falta de gol" la caída ante Tigre por 1-0 en el Cilindro de Avellaneda.

"Nos faltó el gol", sintetizó Mostaza Merlo en su contacto con los periodistas tras el segundo traspié consecutivo en esta competencia doméstica, a la que Racing llegó como uno de los candidatos al título y en la que inclusive había empezado con una contundente y amplísima victoria ante Colón de Santa Fe.

"Lo importante es que se crearon las opciones, pero nos faltó el gol", argumentó Merlo en defensa de su equipo, el que prácticamente encerró en los alrededores del área durante todo el segundo tiempo al Matador, pero sin conseguir subsanar en la red la diferencia que sacó Ignacio Canuto en los primeros minutos del escuentro correspondiente a la tercera fecha, cuando capitalizó una acción originada con el balón detenido.

Si bien las oportunidades a las que hace alusión el director técnico de la Academia no fueron tan claras, es indiscutible que el dominio de la pelota y el terreno se tornó una constante en la totalidad del segundo segmento del compromiso, a tal punto que la parcialidad albiceleste les reconoció a sus futbolistas el esfuerzo realizado.

Ante la consulta de los periodistas, Merlo amagó con evitar hablar del arbitraje de Mauro Vigliano, pero en la medida que le insistieron remarcó que a Racing lo perjudicaron al no otorgarle dos penales, uno de ellos sobre el desenlace del juego.

"No hubo un penal, hubo dos, uno a (Valentín) Viola y la mano (de Guillermo Cosaro)", sostuvo Mostaza.

Could overweight Walter become Brazil´s next cult striker?

In the end, EC Goias ran out of steam and missed out on their second Copa Libertadores appearance in 70 years of existence. It is quite ironic, however, that the minnows only got that close to South America´s Champions league thanks to the goals from a striker whose physique did (and still does) look out of place in professional football.

A few months on, Walter is still fighting his private battle with the scales, but his recent move to Rio de Janeiro and a promising start with Fluminense have rekindled interest in the striker some sectors of the Brazilian tabloid media nicknamed "Bolotelli" -- a play on the word "bolo," which means cake in Portuguese.

This time, though, it is not purely a cult following: pundits and fans in Brazil have even started asking themselves if tubby Walter deserves a shot at the Selecao.

Born in July 1989 in Recife, Walter Henrique da Silva became a compulsory subject in football conversations in Brazil even before the worrying news about another knock for Fred, the grand poacher so instrumental in the Selecao´s revival last year -- and whose struggles with injuries led to Fluminense´s signing Walter as cover.

After leading the Campeonato Brasileiro scoring charts for some of last season, the striker attracted attention thanks to the fact he managed to net with his feet while keeping his mouth quite busy: At 5-foot-10 and 202 pounds, Walter is borderline obese, according to the Body Mass Index (BMI). While the BMI is also criticized as misleading by certain medical sources, a good look at even low-resolution pictures of the striker suggests he is carrying extra luggage for a footballer.

That is also an explanation from coaches and doctors. "He is getting away with it now because he is still 24 and can compensate with his youth. The problem is that the excess of weight will have an impact on his health on a long-term basis, especially in what concerns the impacts on his joints," says Alexandre Mendes, Fluminense´s fitness coach.

By "getting away with it," Mendes means the 13 Brasileiro goals Walter scored in 2013 and his Rio derby performance a fortnight ago, in which he led his side to a 3-0 victory over city rivals Flamengo. It immediately endeared the striker to Fluminense fans, even the ones skeptical about his loan-signing from Porto.

Yes, Walter has been on the Portuguese giants´ books since 2010, when they reportedly paid Brazilian Southern club Internacional 5.3 million pounds for the striker’s services. Prior to that, he had played an important part in Inter´s Libertadores campaign until getting rather childishly sent off by making obscene gestures to Estudiantes´ fans after a tough away game in the quarterfinals.

In Portugal, 16 goals in 33 games in two seasons did not compensate for the striker´s expanding waistline, and he was back in Brazil, loaned to Cruzeiro.

It is important to note that Walter´s time at the Dragao was hampered by a personal drama: His daughter Catarina was born prematurely, weighing just 1.6 pounds, and stayed three months in hospital fighting for her life. Walter would later say that teammate and fellow Brazilian Hulk assumed an older brother role while baby and mother were in hospital.

After failing to make an impact at Cruzeiro, Walter was shipped to Goias, then playing in the wild lands of the Brazilian Second Division. He probably would have struggled to settle in there, too, if not for Enderson Moreira, the first-team coach, who immediately saw beyond the potbelly.

"Football is a democratic sport and you have all kinds of players around, including the ones who are above the ideal weight. When Ronaldo came back to Brazil a few years ago he managed to fit because of his technique. Sure, Walter needs to drop some weight, but it is important to understand how he ticks," Moreira said.

Moreira then submitted him to a diet where the control of food intake was just part of the equation. He tried as much as he could to spare Walter from the boredom of the gym while trying to tame the player´s love for cookies and soft drinks -- legend in Brazil says Walter can drink a 2-litre bottle of soda as if chugging a complimentary mini-can from an airplane trolley. Indulgences were conditioned to his performance on the pitch: He would get treats in exchange for goals and team victories.

While his BMI is still a sign that work needs to be done, Walter at least looks happy, regardless of all of the stick he still receives thanks to his unconventional physique. Opposing fans resorted to cyberbullying last year, and even Fluminense manager Renato Gaucho joked openly about the striker´s weight last week. "Walter scored against Flamengo and ran towards me. I feared he could try to jump on me," Gaúcho said.

Walter is far from comfortable discussing his plight. He has abandoned interviews after disliking the tone of the questioning about his weight. "Even my son had to hear jokes at school about his father being fat. This is bullying. Everybody who tries to lose weight and enjoys eating knows how difficult it is. I am trying hard to get in shape because my career will only benefit from that," says Walter.

After all, it´s easy to accuse the striker of lacking willpower and professionally. Harder to understand is that Walter found another way to cope with grief and above all, the change of pace football brought to his life. Despite the amazing coastline and premium tourist spots, Recife couldn´t be a better example of the disparities concerning Brazil. It is one of the poorest and most violent cities in Brazil, and its outskirts are no land for old men. At 6 years old, Walter saw one of his brothers fatally gunned down in a gang fight.

Growing up in Recife, he would talk his way onto his boyhood team Sport Recife´s ground by convincing adults to pretend he was related to them. Privation would soon be replaced by the comforts of the life of a professional athlete when Walter finally started making a living with football.

"Imagine a kid who didn´t have enough to eat when he was growing up and all of a sudden he can chew as much as he wants. That´s Walter," explains Robson Gomes, Goias´ fitness trainer. And he does love chewing: Internacional teammates remember him leaving training and immediately hitting the nearby burger and hot dog stands around the ground.

Between the end of the Brazilian season in early December and his unveiling by Fluminense a month later, Walter put on 24 pounds. The interesting point, though, is that even without topping the scoring charts of the last Brasileiro, he still outscored Fred and Jo, the strikers Big Phil has put his faith on since taking over the Selecao.

The likelihood of a call-up by Luiz Felipe Scolari is slim (pun totally intended), even though the Selecao manager has yet to release the names of the domestic-based players who will complete the 16-men squad announced last week for the March 5 match against South Africa in Johannesburg, Brazil´s final friendly before the World Cup squad is confirmed in May.

At a time when Fred´s fitness is a huge question mark, and none of the other solutions tested by Scolari as replacement No. 9s has been a resounding success, calls for a proper look at Walter have been popping up -- and the fact that Big Phil has already announced he intends to name two strikers for the game at Soccer City -- are enough to keep speculation in overdrive.

All of a sudden, "fat chance" gets a new meaning.

Dibbens drenge holder skansen i Costa Rica..

Ja følger lidt med fra sidelinjen og det går endnu engang ganske fint for Herediano i grundspillet. Det største problem er når vi når til finalen. Den er vi god til at tabe.