Dec/100
Lyon Nips Real Madrid In Champions League Play
Jean Makoun scored early in the second half to give Lyon a hard fought 1-0 victory in the first leg of their round of 16 Champions League matchup against Real Madrid. The Spanish champions lost for the third straight time on Lyon's Stade Gerland home field and will now have an uphill battle when the teams meet at Bernabeu to advance to the next round. With the Champions League final slated to be held in their stadium, an exit this early in the competition would be nothing short of an embarrassment for Real Madrid. They'll need a multigoal victory to assure themselves of advancing to the next round.
Lyon controlled the play in the first half and held a decisive possession advantage. Unfortunately, they didn't get many accurate scoring chances with a number of them going wide or high of the net. Despite Lyon's time of possession advantage in the first half, Madrid actually got the best scoring chances in the first half. Following Makoun's goal just 2 minutes from the start of the second half, Madrid controlled play but could not score the equalizer. For the game, Madrid held a 66% to 34% time of possession advantage.
Real Madrid has won the Champions League title 10 times, but now must rally from this 1-0 deficit when play resumes on their home field in May. Despite their tradition of success, Madrid hasn't made it past the round of 16 for six straight years. Cristiano Ronaldo isn't particularly worried heading into the home half of the matchup:
"In football anything is possible. We've lost here but we have a game at home in which we can repeat what they did here. I'm calm. In this competition you have to suffer. I'm sure that we will give a good answer in the return game and that we will win. The Bernabeu will help us. We will have to give to give it everything from the first minute until the last. The tie is not lost."
Madrid General Director Jorge Valdano added:
"It's been a bad night in general, especially the result. We had ups and downs during the match, but at no moment were we ourselves. The result means we have to really concentrate at the Bernabeu. Lyon barely stepped out of their half in the final minutes, but they made things very difficult for us for a long time, especially in midfield."
Real Madrid will have to do without a couple of starters in the rematch. Marcelo and Xabi Alonso are suspending for the May contest due to bookings in previous contests.
Ross Everett is a widely published freelance writer and highly respected authority on football betting. His writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sports news and sportsbook directory sites. He lives in Northern Nevada with three Jack Russell Terriers and an emu. He is currently working on an autobiography of former energy secretary Donald Hodell.
Aug/100
Mexico Wins A Crucial World Cup Qualifying Game Against The United States
An early goal gave the United States soccer team hope, but in the end the result of their World Cup Qualifier against Mexico at Azteca Stadium was a familiar loss. Mexico rallied for a 2-1 triumph in front of their home fans, sending the US to defeat for the 23rd time in 24 games at the venue.
The United States quickly silenced the raucous crowd of 100,000+ with a goal by Charlie Davies just eight minutes into the game. It was the first time in history that the US soccer team led a match at Azteca Stadium.
Mexico would pull even just ten minutes later when Cuauhtemoc Blanco set up Israel Castro, who beat US goaltender Tim Howard to tie the game at 1-1. That set the stage for Miguel Sabah's goal in the 82nd minute which gave Mexico the come-from-behind victory. Mexico coach Javier Aguirre sounded elated and relived with his post match comments:
"Today is a day to celebrate, drink a few tequilas, and then get back to work. Everybody will go to bed tonight a bit more relaxed."
US Coach Bob Bradley was philosophical about the loss:
"I think it's a tight game and a fair score. It's tough loss to have so many guys work so hard and then give up a late goal. The feeling inside is one of great disappointment."
US forward Landon Donovan spoke of the difficulty in playing at the high altitude:
"We did a good job starting the game well and scoring. They made one play at the end that made the difference. It's hard to play here, man. It wears you out. It's just exhausting."
The Americans finish up qualifying on Oct 10 at Honduras and at home against Costa Rica on Oct. 14. Mexico will play at Costa Rica on Sept. 5 and host Honduras on Sept. 9. Mexico will wrap up qualifying on Oct. 10 at home with El Salvador and at Trinidad and Tobago on Oct. 14.
Ross Everett is a widely published freelance sports writer and noted authority on football betting. His writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sports news and sportsbook directory sites. He lives in Las Vegas with three Jack Russell Terriers and an emu. He is currently working on an autobiography of former interior secretary James Watt.
Jan/100
Start Your Hunt For World Cup 2010 Packages Now
You should start looking for decent World Cup 2010 packages right now because there is hardly even six months to go before the tournament gets under way. From finding out where the different stadia are located to learning how to get to South Africa there is much that you will need to learn and the sooner you get started the better. The simple truth is that tickets for the 2010 World Cup have gone on sale and are being taken at lightning fast speeds ' and the process of buying tickets is also quite complicated.
For those people that wish to purchase the most attractive World Cup 2010 packages there is need to first look at which airlines are serving South Africa from their city and country. For example, if you are planning to arrive from America then you should check both South African Airways and also Delta. If you are flying from England then the airlines worth checking out include Virgin Atlantic and British Airways and if you are flying from Holland then check out KLM. For those who are departing from Germany Lufthansa is the airline worth checking out while Air France will suit those who are emplaning from France.
If you are going to fly out from the Middle East you can choose Emirates; and if you are emplaning out of Hong Kong then you can fly Cathay Pacific while Varig will serve those who are flying from Brazil. Qantas will provide good service to those who are flying out from Australia.
Even if you are not successful in flying into South Africa in time for World Cup 2010 you need not lose heart because you can fly to Windhoek in Namibia or to Gaborone in Botswana from where you can travel aboard buses to South Africa.
However, the best way to find good World Cup 2010 packages is to deal with those tour operators that are deemed as 2010 FIFA World Cup preferred tour operators because only they will offer the most attractive deals. Included in the package will be cost of international air travel and also tickets to the matches and also cost of accommodation plus transport (road and air) to the stadia.
What's more, these packages are available in numerous varieties and you can choose to pay for group 1, 2, 3 matches or combine the early groups with the later ones. Obviously the best deal would be a package that gives you access to all matches starting from group 1 and which end with the finals.
These World Cup 2010 packages are based on the principle called base camps which means that you have to pick 3 cities in South Africa that you want to make your base cities for the world cup and which include Cape Town, Durban or Johannesburg.
On the day of the match, your package deal will include transportation (by air or road) to the stadium where the match is to be played. And, when there is no match being played you are free do to as you please. Now that you know what to expect it is up to you to ensure that package deals are available and then you can purchase one that suits your budget and your needs.
If you are attending the World Cup, then the World Cup 2010 packages can help organize your trip with virtually no hassle. Don't miss out on this momentous occasion! Also, it is never too late to consider the upcoming 2010 winter games packages either.
Aug/090
Who Has Scored The Most Goals In World Cup Soccer History?
Almost every culture around the world has some type of connection to the history of football/soccer. Such cultures as the Ancient Greeks, Persians, Vikings, The Chinese, Japanese, and much more, played a game that is much like todays football/soccer. For instance, The Chinese played "footballer" games dating as far back as about 3000 years ago. However, it was in England that soccer / football really began to grow in popularity. After becoming popular in England, soccer became a widely loved sport throughout the world. The celebrated FIFA World cup led the way to the rise of soccer stars, and conferred world soccer records holders such as the player who has scored the most goals in world cup soccer history.
Brazilian professional footballer Ronaldo Nazario de Lima has scored the most goals in Fifa World Cup history. Ronaldo Lus Nazario de Lima, more generally known as Ronaldo, was born in September 18, 1976. In 1993, Ronaldo began his professional soccer/footballer career playing for Cruzeiro. In his single year with Cruzeiro, he accumulated 12 goals in 14 games and led the team to win their first Copa do Brasil championship. After playing with Cruzeiro, in 1994, he joined with the Dutch football team PSV. In 1996, in his final year with PSV, Ronaldo aided the team to win the Dutch Cup.
Ronaldo is also an established national footballer for Brazil. He has played in 97 international games, accumulating 62 goals and standing 15 goals away from the Brazilian national scoring record. He was a member of the Brazilian team that won the 1994 and 2002 World Cups. During the 2006 World Cup soccer game, Ronaldo became the highest goal scorer in the history of the World Cup with his fifteenth goal. "The Phenomenon" in English, Ronaldo made the number 9 famous and made it tantamount with the position of center forward. During his footballer career in Europe, Ronaldo became one of the most celebrated strikers throughout the world after he won his first Ballon d'Or as the European Footballer of the Year in 1997, and then once more in 2002. He is also one of only two players to have won the FIFA Player of the Year award three times. In 2007, he was named as one of the best starting eleven of all-time by France Football and was named to the FIFA 100, a list of the greatest footballers compiled by his fellow Brazilian soccer star, Pel.
To many contemporary footballers, Ronaldo is a living icon who has been credited with encouraging a stronger marketing interest in soccer throughout the world, particularly because of his relationship with Nike who had in the past spent their marketing resources and time primarily on Basketball.
The soccer that we know today was shaped during the 1960s. Increased media coverage and TV broadcasts has made the game more popular than ever. With soccer stars such as David Beckham in the spotlight, the popularity of soccer will continue to grow.