European Football

[taz]

FT: Hoffenheim 0-0 Bayern Munich

Bayern Munich's winning streak came to a halt when Hoffenheim held them to a draw at Rhein Neckar Arena. 20 minutes in, Manuel Neuer had to tip away Marvin Compper's header. Bayern's first proper chance came 5 minutes into the 2nd half when Mario Gomez set up Toni Kroos but he took too long to get his shot away and Isaac Vorsah was able to dispossess him. With 20 minutes to go, Daniel van Buyten's header was fumbled by Tom Starke and Bastian Schweinsteiger put the ball into the net but he was rightly ruled offside. The draw in the end was a fair result in my opinion.

[taz]

FT: Hertha Berlin 3-0 Cologne

Hertha Berlin earned an emphatic win over Cologne at the Olympiastadion. 10 minutes in, Hertha had the ball in the net when Raffael slotted the ball home but it was ruled out when it was deemed that Levan Kobaishvili had took the ball out when he pulled it back. However, 2 minutes later, Hertha did have the ball in the net and it counted. Anis Ben Hatira advanced down the left and squared the ball for Pierre-Michel Lasogga to slot the ball home. On 25 minutes, it was 2-0. Ben Hatira whipped in a cross which Lasogga powerfully headed home. With 10 minutes to go in the first half, Christoph Janker lofted a freekick forward which Raffael emphatically volleyed into the net to make it 3-0. A couple of minutes later, Ben Hatira thought he had made it 4-0 when he lobbed Michael Rensing but it was ruled out due to a foul. Not much to report from the 2nd half, With a couple of minutes to go, Raffael found himself in a promising position but he spurned his shot over.

[taz]

FT: Bordeaux 2-2 Montpellier

Montpellier scored two goals in the final minutes to salvage a draw at Bordeaux and move to joint top. Bordeaux took the lead 20 minutes in. Jaroslav Plasil's freekick was blocked by Geoffrey Jourdren but Landry N'Guem followed up to cross the ball for Cheick Diabate to volley the ball home. On 25 minutes, things turned sour for Bordeaux when Marc Planus was shown a straight red card for a bad challenge on John Utaka. Bordeaux doubled the advantage however 5 minutes into the 2nd half. Plasil whipped in a cross which Michael Ciani was able to nod home at the near post. With 10 minutes to go, it was 10 v 10 when Mapou Yanga Mbiwa was sent off but this sparked off a comeback. With 2 minutes to go, Ciana handled Olivier Giorud's freekick. Younes Belhanda coolly converted the resulting penalty. Then in stoppage time, Marco Estrada whipped in a freekick which was flicked on by Giroud and poked home at the far post by Hilton. The Bordeaux fans were not happy and attempted to get on the pitch to show their frustrations.

[taz]

FT: Inter 0-3 Napoli

Napoli pulled off a stunning win at the San Siro to go top of the table. The firrst chance of the game came 10 minutes in when Diego Forlan's long range effort went narrowly wide. On 25 minutes, Giampaolo Pazzini thought he gave Inter the lead but he was correctly ruled offside. Then there was a moment of controversy 2 minutes before half time. Joel Obi brought down Christian Maggio which seemed to be outside the box but the referee awarded a penalty to Napoli. Joel Obi as a consequence was shown a second yellow and sent off reducing Inter to 10 men. Marek Hamsik took the resulting penalty which Julio Cesar saved but Hugo Campagnaro pounced on the loose ball and slotted it in at the near post. Inter let the referee know what they thought of the whole situation which resulted in bookings and Claudio Ranieri being sent to the stands. Christian Maggio made it 2-0 10 minutes int othe 2nd half when miscommunication between Julio Cesar and Yuto Nagatomo allowed Maggio to steal in and loft the ball over Julio Cesar. With 25 minutes to go, Juan Zuniga explicably fired over from 6 yards with an open goal in front. With 15 minutes to go, it was 3-0 when Ezequiel Lavezzi played Marek Hamsik through who made no mistake to beat Julio Cesar.

[taz]

FT: Valencia 1-0 Granada

Valencia were only able to win 1-0 against Granada in a game where Valencia wasted many chances to extend their lead. 4 minutes in and it was 1-0. Pablo Piatti set up Sergio Canales to drive the ball home from 25 yards. On the stroke of half time, Roberto made a good save to deny Ever Banega. In the final minute, Jonas was set up by Roberto Soldado but he spurned his shot wide from a promising position. Jonas and Soldado had numerous opportunities to score.

[taz]

FT: Malaga 3-2 Getafe

Two late goals from Malaga saw them score a dramatic victory over Getafe putting them top of the table. 20 minutes in, Joaquin had the first chance of the game but he show wide from 12 yards. On 25 minutes, Ruud van Nistelrooy had an effort saved. 10 minutes into the 2nd half, Getafe took the lead. Pedro Leon teed the ball up and volleyed the ball past Willy Caballero into the top corner. Stunning strike. With 25 minutes to go, Malaga were level. Joaquin's freekick was not cleared which allowed van Nistelrooy to head home the equaliser. With 20 minutes to go, Eliseu went close to putting Malaga in front but with 15 minutes to go, Getafe retook the lead when Miku converted Juan Valera's cross. Malaga were appealing for handball. Some may say they did have a case. Getafe were reduced to 10 men when Medhi Lacen was sent off with 10 minutes to go. With 2 minutes to go, Isco's shot was not held by Jordi Codina and this allowed Enzo Maresca to slot home the equaliser. In stoppage time, Julio Baptista smashed in a superb overhead kick to give Malaga the dramatic win.

[DavidP]

remembering torino days, eh baps?

[taz]

FT: Spartak Moscow 2-2 Zenit St Petersburg

The big match between Spartak and Zenit ended all square. Alexandr Anyukov scored an own goal 20 mintues in to give Spartak the lead. However, 5 mintues before the break, Danny equalised. Spartak were reduced to 10 on the stroke of half time when Nicolas Pareja was shown a straight red. 2 minutes into the 2nd half, Alexandr Kerzhakov gave Zenit the lead but with 10 minutes to go, Welliton equalised for Spartak. Zenit still top the table with 53 points 3 clear of Dinamo Moscow who won 2-1 against Krasnodar yesterday. CSKA have the chance to go level at the top with Zenit but they are currently drawing 0-0 with Kuban.

[taz]

FT: Groningen 1-0 Ajax

Ajax suffered their first Eredivisie defeat since March when they lost at Groningen. Ajax are now 6 points behind top team AZ Alkmaar. Groningen almost took the lead 5 minutes in. Virgil van Dijk heading Dusan Tadic's corner narrowly wide. On the half hour mark, Jan Vertonghen's fizzing drive was parried away by Brian van Loo. On the stroke of half time, Kenneth Vermeer had to be alert to deny a Maikel Kaiftenbeld blast. On the hour mark, Dmitry Bulykin brought out a good save from van Loo. However, minutes later, Gregory Van der Wiel was shown a red card for handling in the penalty area and Leandro Bacuna converted the resulting penalty to break the deadlock. With 15 minutes to go, Siem de Jong haad the chance to equalise but his header was superbly kept out by van Loo. 5 minutes to go, David Teixeira had the chance to extend the lead but he narrowly failed to connect to Dusan Tadic's cross.

[taz]

FT: Hannover 3-2 Werder Bremen

Werder Bremen's impressive run of form came to a halt at Hannover. Hannover took the lead 2 minutes in. Lars Stindl was fouled in the box and Mohammed Abdellaoue swept the penalty home. Abdellaoue got his 2nd of the game 5 minutes before the break but Marko Arnautovic pulled a goal back on the stroke of half time with a cool finish into the bottom corner. Abdellaoue completed his hat trick early in the 2nd half to make it 3-1. Arnautovic was sent off with 15 to go for a stamp but Claudio Pizarro pulled another goal back with 10 minutes to go. Werder went lookign for the equaliser but were unable to find it. Hannover now move level with Werder Bremen 3 points away from Bayern.

[taz]

FT: Anzhi Makhachkala 0-1 Lokomotiv Moscow

Robert Carlos' first game in caretaker charge of Anzhi resulted in defeat against Lokomotiv. Felipe Caicedo heading home the winner 5 minutes in. Lokomotiv have moved upto 5th level on points with 4th placed Spartak. Anzhi remain 8th.

[taz]

FT: NEC Nijmegen 0-2 PSV Eindhoven

PSV Eindhoven netted two late goals to condemn NEC to their 4th straight defeat. PSV remain 4 points behind AZ ALkmaar while NEC are two points above the relegation places. 15 minutes in, PSV had their first chance when Georginio Wijnaldum latched onto Kevin Strootman's through ball but Wijnaldum's shot rebounded off the post. Nick Van der Velden almost put NEC in front on the half horu mark but his header skimmed the bar. Minutes later, Gabor Babos made a good save to deny Wijnaldum. Lasse Schone and Ryan Koowijk also had chances before half time for NEC. On the hour mark, Andreas Isaksson made a fingertip save to deny Van der Velden. With 5 minutes to go, PSV broke the deadlock. Leroy George was dispossessed by Wijnaldum who then fed through Zakaria Labyad who then fired a low strike into the bottom corner. It was 2-0 minutes later after a quick counter led to Tim Matavz firing the ball in from the edge of the box.

[taz]

FT: Sporting Gijon 0-1 Barcelona

Barcelona picked up their first away win of the season albeit in scrappy fashion to move to the top of the table. Sporting remain bottom with their 5th defeat in 6. It took 12 minutes for Barca to score. Xavi's 25 yard drive rebounded off the post but Adriano was on hand to slot home the rebound. With 15 minutes to go, Lionel Messi brought out a good save from Juan Pablo. With 10 minutes to go, Juan Pablo had to be alert to deny Messi's 25 yard powerful drive. Barce thought they had made it 2-0 when Seydou Keita slotted the ball into the net but it was called for offside. Lionel Messi's shot rebounded back to Dani Alves who was offside.

[taz]

FT: Fiorentina 1-2 Lazio

Lazio scored an impressive victory at the Artemio Franchi. Fiorentina deservedly took the lead in just under 10 minutes. Stevan Jovetic fed the ball to Alessio Cerci who drove the ball past Federico Marchetti. Lazio equalised on the half hour mark. Miroslav Klose fed the ball to Hernanes who struck a low shot past Artur Boruc. Minutes later, Hernanes headed Klose's cross goalwards but he was denied by Boruc. On the hour mark, Marchetti had to act quickly to clear Cerci's cross with Santiago Silva lurking. Lazio then got their 2nd win of the season with 10 minutes to go. A long crossfield pass was headed across the box by Giuseppe Sculli and Klose was on hand to nod home the ball past Boruc.

[taz]

FT: Hamburg 1-2 Schalke

Huub Stevens' first game back in charge of Schalke resulted in a victory at Hamburg. Schalke move upto 4th with this result. Hamburg remain bottom with 4 points. Schalke took the lead 15 minutes in. Marco Hoger's cross was headed towards the far post by Klaas Jan Huntelaar. Minutes later, Hamburg went on the counter but Ralf Fahrmann denied Mladen Petric. On the half hour mark, Petric had a freekick deflect over the bar. 10 minutes before the break, Hamburg equalised. A lapse in concentration by Benedkit Howedes resulted in Zhi-Gin Lam playing through Petric who beat Fahrmann at his near post. Raul nearly put Schalke back in front 10 minutes into the 2nd half but his header bounced off the top of the crossbar. Petric nearly scored for Hamburg with 20 to go but his drive fizzed past the post with Fahrmann stranded. A mintue later, Jaroslav Drobny made a good save to deny Raul but Huntelaar scored the winner moments later. Christian Fuchs cross was diverted home by Huntelaar.

Matchday 8 of 34

Friday 30 September

Kaiserslautern 0-2 Stuttgart

Saturday 1 October

Borussia Dortmund 4-0 Augsburg
Bayer Leverkusen 3-1 Wolfsburg
Nuremberg 3-3 Mainz
Freiburg 1-0 Borussia Monchengladbach
Hoffenheim 0-0 Bayern Munich
Hertha Berlin 3-0 Cologne

Sunday 2 October

Hannover 3-2 Werder Bremen
Hamburg 1-2 Schalke

[taz]

FT: Juventus 2-0 Milan

Two late goals handed Juventus victory over Milan and in the process moving Juve to the top of the table with Udinese. Milan have just 5 points from 5 games. Juve almost took the lead 10 minutes before the break. Mirko Vucinic's shot from the edge of the box rebounding off the bar with Christian Abbiati rooted. Vucinic also had a powerful drive before the break go narrowly wide. On the hour mark, Clarence Seedorf fed the ball through to Zlatan Ibrahimovic but he was not able to control the ball and the chance was gone. Juventus broke the deadlock 3 minutes from time when Daniele Bonera's attempted clearance fortuitously rebounded off Claudio Marchisio past Abbiati. Moments later, Kevin Prince Boateng was sent off when he caught Giorgio Chiellini in the face and in stoppage time, Marchisio's volley from distance squirmed through the legs of Abbiati to double the lead.

Matchday 6 of 38

Saturday 1 October

Roma 3-1 Atalanta
Inter 0-3 Napoli

Sunday 2 October

Novara 3-3 Catania
Fiorentina 1-2 Lazio
Lecce 0-2 Cagliari
Palermo 2-0 Siena
Parma 3-1 Genoa
Udinese 2-0 Bologna
Cesena 0-0 Chievo
Juventus 2-0 Milan

[taz]

FT: Paris St Germain 2-0 Lyon

PSG moved to the top of the table with victory over rivals Lyon at Parc des Princes. PSG are three points clear of Lyon, Montpellier and Toulouse. 5 minutes in and Jeremy Menez fed through Kevin Gameiro who brought out a save from Hugo Lloris. On 20 minutes, Javier Pastore picked up Gameiro's pass and shot at goal but Kim Kallstrom deflected the ball onto the post. With 25 minutes to go, Jeremy Menez provided the ball for Pastore to beat Hugo Lloris at his near post to break the deadlock. In stoppage time, Christophe Jallet powered home Nene's freekick to double the lead.

Matchday 9 of 38

Saturday 1 October

Caen 1-1 Nice
Dijon 1-1 Ajaccio
Lorient 2-0 Valenciennes
Nancy 1-1 Evian
St Etienne 1-1 Auxerre
Sochaux 3-0 Toulouse
Bordeaux 2-2 Montpellier

Sunday 2 October

Lille 2-0 Rennes
Marseille 1-1 Brest
Paris St Germain 2-0 Lyon

[taz]

FT: Espanyol 0-4 Real Madrid

Real Madrid moved upto 3rd with their 4th win of the season after an emphatic win at Espanyol. 15 minutes in, Romaric saw that Iker Casillas was off his line and tried an ambitious shot from the halfway line which went yards wide. Moments later, Real broke the deadlock. Cristiano Ronaldo touched the ball on for Gonzalo Higuain to slot the ball home. Minutes later, a Xabi Alonso freekick caused havoc in the box but Cristian Alvarez was able to clear. 5 minutes before the break, Sergio Garcia low drive broguht out a fingertip save from Casillas. On the hour mark, Joan Verdu teste Casillas but minutes later, it was 2-0. Alvaro Arbeloa played a delightful ball over the top for Higuain to first time lash the ball home on the bounce. It was 3-0 10 minuts from time when Ronaldo made his way int othe box and squared the ball for Jose Callejon to slot the ball home and Higuain completed his hat trick in the final minute with a calm finish.

Matchday 7 of 38

Saturday 1 October

Osasuna 2-2 Real Mallorca
Villarreal 2-2 Real Zaragoza
Racing Santander 1-1 Rayo Vallecano
Valencia 1-0 Granada
Malaga 3-2 Getafe

Sunday 2 October

Real Sociedad 1-2 Athletic Bilbao
Real Betis 0-1 Levante
Atletico Madrid 0-0 Sevilla
Sporting Gijon 0-1 Barcelona
Espanyol 0-4 Real Madrid

[RomaShield27]

- Last Updated: Tuesday, October 11, 2011, 22:41

Soccer: There was a sense of poetic justice about Samir Nasri’s late penalty for France against Bosnia tonight, with the strike not only ensuring France qualify automatically for the Euro 2012 finals but also helping the Republic of Ireland out in the process.

Leading 1-0 at the time, Bosnia had threatened to throw the cat amongst the pigeons with regards Ireland’s place in terms of the play-off draw. A win for the visitors would not only have relegated the French to second place in Group D but also denied the Republic of Ireland a place among the seeded teams when they go into the hat on Thursday afternoon.

Nasri’s late intervention changed all that, with Ireland now certain to be seeded - the final Uefa rankings which determine the seeds will be published tomorrow morning - among the top four nations when the draw is made shortly after 12 noon at the Sheraton Hotel in Krakow.

That means avoiding the likes of Portugal, Croatia and the Czech Republic with Ireland now likely to be pitted against either Bosnia, Turkey, Estonia or Montenegro for a place in Poland and Ukraine next summer.

There had been some confusion as to whether the seeded team will have a home tie for the second leg, but that will also be decided at tomorrow’s draw. The draw will not only define the four pairings, but also the order of the home and away ties according to Uefa.

The first legs will be played over the nights of Friday November 11th and Saturday November 12th will all return legs taking place the following Tuesday. The draw for the finals itself will take place in Kiev on December 2nd.

Given the sense of injustice that still lingers after events in Paris and a certain French striker’s handball two years ago, there was a sense that France owed us one with at least a draw at the Stade de France crucial to our hopes of being seeded.

Edin Dzeko’s first half strike looked to have done enough to send Bosnia through, until Nasri picked himself up after being brought down inside the box to earn a draw that will have been cheered almost as loudly in the hostelries around the Aviva Stadium.

Portugal’s shootout with Denmark for top-spot in Group H saw Paulo Bento’s side come off second best, their makeshift defence unable to cope as Michael Krohn-Dehli and Nicklas Bendtner did enough to send the Danes through.

Ronaldo did manage a consolation for Portugal but they will have to make do with a place in the play-offs. So too Croatia, who’s hopes of a best runners-up spot were dashed by Sweden’s win at home over the Netherlands despite their 2-0 win over Latvia.

Serbia were the big losers on the night, their defeat in Slovenia seeing them miss out as Estonia took their place in the play-offs and move the side to within touching distance of qualifying for the finals of a major tournament for the first time.

Automatic qualifiers

Hosts: Poland, Ukraine
Group A: Germany
Group B: Russia
Group C: Italy
Group D: France
Group E: Netherlands, Sweden*
Group F: Greece
Group G: England
Group H: Denmark
Group I: Spain

* Best runners-up

Play-offs

Portugal *
Croatia *
Czech Republic *
Republic of Ireland *
Turkey
Estonia
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Montenegro

* Four seeded teams based on Uefa coefficient yet to be confirmed

[taz]

FT: Werder Bremen 0-2 Borussia Dortmund

Borussia Dortmund moved upto 2nd with victory at Werder Bremen. 25 minutes in, Mario Gotze went close to scoring when he fed Robert Lewandowski down the right and Lewandowski's cross was diverted narrowly wide by Gotze. A couple of mintues before half time, Dortmund broke the deadlock. Sven Bender played the ball to Ivan Perisic who took a touch and unleashed a shot that fired into the roof of the net. Perisic turned villain 2 minutes into the 2nd half when he went in too strong on Sokratis Papastathopulous and was shown a second yellow card. With 25 minutes to go, Werder nearly equalised. A Lukas Schmitz freekick took a deflection off Patrick Owomoyela and came off the bar. With 20 minutes to go, Werder Bremen failed to clear a corner which allowed Patrick Owomoyela to pounce and divert the looseball into the net.