A Not So Free Trophy For Etiwanda!

#CIF #Vlog #PrepSoccer 

2022 AFF Women's Championship Final: Philippines vs. Thailand

#ASEAN #AbanteBabae

China: 2022 AFC Women's Asian Cup Champions

Navi Mumbai: China PR came from two goals down to defeat Korea Republic 3-2 in a pulsating AFC Women's Asian Cup India 2022™ final at the D.Y. Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai on Sunday.

Korea Republic looked to be cruising to their first crown after taking a 2-0 lead at half-time but China PR fought back after the break through goals from Tang Jiali, Zhang Linyan and Xiao Yuyi - who netted the winner deep into added time to seal her side a record-extending ninth title. 

China PR head coach Shui Qingxia hailed her players’ performance in capturing their historic ninth title.

“This is the most critical moment for China PR women’s football,” said Shui. “Despite trailing 2-0 my players showed determination to fight back. I like to thank all the players for winning the title but they also won it for themselves.”

Korea Republic head coach Colin Bell was proud of his players despite missing out on their first title.

"I'm proud of the players, I told them that after the match," said Bell. "We need to keep improving and not let this defeat diminish our spirit. We're bitterly disappointed. We need to be stronger mentally. The penalty against us, took our concentration away."

China PR entered the final chasing their first title since 2006 against a Korea Republic side who had never laid their hands on the coveted trophy.

China PR, unbeaten in seven previous meetings with Korea Republic, started the game brightly and had the first look at goal within seconds when Wu Chengshu played the ball to Tang Jiali just above the area, but the midfielder’s effort was easily dealt with by Korea Republic goalkeeper Kim Jung-mi.

China PR continued to press with Zhang Xin trying from 35 yards out while Wang Shuang saw her effort in the 10th minute saved by Kim.

Korea Republic began to see more of the ball as the half progressed and were rewarded with their first look at goal in the 27th minute, with Lee Geum-min breaking into the box before sending a cross to Choe Yu-Ri to score the 100th goal of the tournament.

With Korea Republic in the ascendancy, China PR survived a scare at the half-hour mark, goalkeeper Zhou Yu pulling off a point-blank save to deny Lim Seon-Joo’s header off a free-kick.

China PR, however, suffered more woe in the closing stages of the first half when a VAR review saw Korea Republic awarded a penalty for Yao Lingwei’s handball, with Ji So-yun converting from the spot. 

China PR head coach Shui sent on Xiao Yuyi and Zhang Rui at the start of the second half to force their way back into the game but Korea Republic gave them little room to operate in the early stages.

China PR, however, received a lifeline when they were awarded a penalty for Lee Young-ju’s handball, with Tang Jiali netting from the spot in the 68th minute.

Boosted by the goal, China PR began to dictate play and drew level four minutes later thanks to some poor defending by Korea Republic. 

Goalscorer Tang did well to beat two Korea Republic defenders before sending a delightful cross into the six-yard-box for an unmarked Zhang Linyan to nod home the equaliser. 

Korea Republic could have then won it at the death with Zhou Yu pulling off a one handed save before defender Wang Xiaoxue blocked Son Hwa-Yeon’s effort.

Having escaped, China PR broke Korea Republic's hearts in added time with Xiao Yuyi stunningly finishing off Wang Shanshan’s pass as a record-extending ninth title was sealed. 

Senegal: 2022 Africa Cup Of Nations Champions

After having waited a long time in its history, Senegal also spent a lot of time on the lawn of the Olembé stadium in Yaoundé (Cameroon) to win its first continental title (4-2)

Senegal dominated without scoring a goal with a penalty missed by Sadio Mané in the 4th minute of play, Saliou Ciss having been brought down in the penalty area of ​​Egypt.

Sadio Mané shoots in force on the Egyptian goalkeeper Gabaski.

Despite this missed penalty, Senegal continues its pressure and Ismaila Sarr after getting rid of the left back, center for anyone in the axis of the goal. Three times, in the 12th, 18th and 23rd minute.

The only Egyptian opportunity is the work of Mohamed Salah who, after having a cold in the Senegalese defense, takes a shot angle. It's deflected by Edouard Mendy for a corner.

Senegal continued to dominate but remain powerless when it comes to making the final move.

As in the first period, the Pharaohs had their chance with Marwan Mehany alone in the Senegalese penalty area, headed over the crossbar in the 73rd minute.

At 0-0 after the end of regulation time, the South African referee, Victor Gomes sent the players back to overtime.

During the first period of extra time, two Senegalese chances, Bamba Dieng put a header deflected for a corner by the Egyptian goalkeeper in the 110th minute.

On the corner, Abdou Diallo alone sees his ball from the head fly in the sky of Yaoundé.

Bamba Dieng lights up again, the Egyptian goalkeeper for a corner.

On an Egyptian collective movement, Mahmoud Aladin returns the favor, Edouard Mendy works to deflect for a corner.

After 120 minutes of play, it will be the penalty shootout, an exercise which the Pharaohs succeeded twice against Côte d'Ivoire (eighth final) and Cameroon (semi-final) were won by the Pharaohs.

Finally, it is Senegal who wins 4-2, Bouna Sarr being the only one to miss his exercise with the Lions. Sadio Mané, who missed his penalty for a corner, is one of those who scored. 

On the side of the Pharaohs Mohamed Abdel Meneam and Mohanad Ahmed Abdelmoneim missed theirs.

Romain Molina's Massive Bombshell

The following is a non-exhaustive list of some of the claims made by investigative journalist Romain Molina (published in The Guardian, New York Times) in his most recent Twitter Space. It is important to note that while Molina's word is not to be taken lightly, as his work has influenced multiple FAs and officials in the past, this is not an official release on his part.

Elye Wahi (Montpellier striker) wasn't fired from SM Caen's youth setup for physically assaulting a supervisor at the academy. Instead, after physical threats, he brought over some secondary school friends in the washrooms to undress and masturbate in front of him.

400+ players currently playing in the Premier League, Championship, Ligue 1, and Ligue 2 have been raped multiple times in their youth. Some of them have contracted anal injuries and/or diseases, and have gone to specialized clinics as a result. This is a two-decade-old issue, the first story will come out in December.

Megan Rapinoe wasn't bothered by Haitian girls getting raped. She prefers 'earning money' over 'defending these young girls'.

A Ligue 1 team covered up a pedophilia scandal in their youth academy by brainwashing the player by the time law enforcement was involved. Then, they sent the young player in question back to his country (he was a foreigner).

One of the largest academies in DR Congo is currently managed by a pedophilia ring.

An international coach was 'caught red-handed' after raping two 13 year-old girls in the middle of a tournament. His employer, a large media, fired him under other pre-tenses in 2017. This issue is especially concerning for 'us, as French people'. A famous, very well-liked personality participated in covering up this story as well.

Ferland Mendy hit a woman, knocked her to the ground, kicked her in the head, before showing her his genitals. She was taken to the emergency room after suffering head trauma. He also assaulted another woman. The player's club covered up the story in order to sell him the following year.

Some international games in Asia are fixed. Many players have stopped joining their national teams because of this.

Paris Saint-Germain has been conceding burn-out after burn-out. Over 100 employees have left the club in the last year alone. Leonardo is hated because of his behaviour/attitude.

The 'boss of Colombia's refereeing' is a pedophile. Molina has a complaint from a 12 year-old, which he can barely read in its entirety because it's 'gut-wrenching'.

Alexandre Benalla (French 'personality') has been trying to get involved in PSG for years. He fought with some of Nasser's entourage.

A consultant from L'Équipe has been involved in 'some shady stuff' in the transfer market.

Some very important people bend over backwards to get in touch with people close to Nasser Al Khelaïfi.

Most African FA presidents get paid prostitutes, or have their daughters' studies covered in other countries.

At Arsenal, all the players inhale nitrous oxide. A player came back to celebrate his birthday in Paris under the theme "nitrous oxide balloons".

A French international organized parties where he would defecate in women's mouths and film himself while doing it. He forced a girl, who later on sought to issue a formal complaint, to participate. Someone offered Molina a video, which he declined to see.

A Saudi consortium was never involved in the takeover of Olympique de Marseille.

The French FA pushes some of its people to coach national teams in Africa. They already did it with Didier Six, for example, and Guinea (note: he also coached Togo and Mauritius in the past).

Leonardo is hated in PSG. His signing of Icardi was not well-received by the coach at the time.

The massive media outrage surrounding the Qatar World Cup is political and financed by people/organizations who wish harm upon the country.

The son of Congo-Brazzaville's president is involved in the national team. In the Central African Republic, Kondogbia is friends with the president.

80% of players smoke shisha. At one point in time, PSG players used to bring their shisha/hookah with them on away games. Blaise Matuidi regularly smoked shisha, but things still worked out for him.

The leagues in most Southeast Asian, Eastern European, and Latin American countries are fixed. Ireland, Malta, and Gibraltar also have 'lots' of matchfixing.

A former French international was involved in a 'go-fast' (smuggling drugs and/or other products in another country). His club's president 'saved his ass'.

FIFA claims to push for women's football, but does very little to protect the girls/women from abuse. It's rampant everywhere, on a global scale.

Morocco can 'shit on the ground' if they want, they have a large influence at CAF. They can 'do whatever they want'.

In the long-term, Tony Parker should take over the OL Group.

Kenya's FA has 16 bank accounts, including some 'hidden' accounts, when most FAs have one or two.

Amiens (Ligue 2) is [a circus]. On the way back from their away game at Ajaccio, everybody smelled like alcohol. The players love booze, shisha, drunken nights.

After Senegal complained against an overaged player in a U17 African team they faced, the national team declared the player as 'deceased'. He is currently continuing his career in the U21 national team of the same country.

A minor was raped and forced into an abortion at an "international center of FIFA".

East Timor eliminated Mongolia by paying Brazilian players to play for its national team.

Friends of the former Algerian FA president are waging war against the current leadership.

The Sierra Leone FA faked COVID tests throughout the entirety of the pandemic, most notably in its qualifier against Benin. Other nations and/or clubs are suspected to have forged documents as well, but this is not confirmed.

Mario Lemina received a handsome sum of money for representing Gabon. Other African players are also in similar positions.

EDIT: A player from Spezia has disappeared. The affair is linked with human trafficking issues and an academy founded in Nigeria by the club's president. Molina didn't have much time to expand on this one.

EDIT: Sexual abuse is rampant in the Mongolian FA, including players from the U15 girls' team. A coach even asked to sleep with a player's grandmother in exchange for a starting spot for the player.

Sources used for collecting the claims above: Twitter Space, transcripts from Instant Foot, Actu Foot, Footballogue.

COMMENTARY: Amid the Gold Cup final festival: Mexico's fans celebrate, cope and hope

COMMENTARY

Amid the Gold Cup final festival: Mexico's fans celebrate, cope and hope

by Andrea Canales  Twitter: @soccercanales

While visiting Spain for a summer years ago, I attended a bullfight. Beyond having read Ernest Hemingway, I didn’t know much about bullfighting. I watched and listened as the crowd cheered the matadors and the event finally closed with the defeated bulls being dragged out of the arena. Between the swords, horses and the elaborate costumes, the bullfight felt like an ancient art. That spell was broken somewhat when the woman sitting next to me pulled out her cell phone to update her husband. “Torearon bien, pero mataron muy mal,” she reported.

They fought well, but they killed very poorly. That’s the basic translation. All the excellent capework and the elegant stances even as the bull’s horns passed by with mere inches to spare didn’t matter in the end if the climax of the event was sloppy and prolonged because of hesitation or lack of strength or discipline to hold the sword steady and accurate for a clean, killing blow.

Watching Mexico vs. the USA in the Gold Cup final in Las Vegas' sold-out (61,514) Allegiant Stadium on Sunday night, I was reminded of that description. Time and again, El Tri, which controled the majority of the run of play, would build up nicely for a shot, but either the U.S. defense and goalkeeper Matt Turner would come up big or the final Mexico shot would be off target.

“Faltaron contundencia.” Another phrase that came to mind was one that has cropped up in the past with Mexico before. This one translates generally to lack of forcefulness, or concluding energy and finishing strength. Indeed, even when the USA had passes going awry in the final and was off target in their few counterattacking chances, they seemed energetic against Mexico all game long, though that often involved rather frantically defending much of the time.

It’s not necessarily a fair assessment of Mexico to consider it an aged team when their best young players are contending for an Olympic medal in Tokyo and therefore not at the Gold Cup. It’s also interesting to note that the star player many El Tri fans longed for Mexico coach Tata Martino to bring into this roster, Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez, wouldn’t have, at age 33, turned the dial more to youth and the team’s future.

COMMENTARY

Amid the Gold Cup final festival: Mexico's fans celebrate, cope and hopeby Andrea Canales  @soccercanales, Yesterday

While visiting Spain for a summer years ago, I attended a bullfight. Beyond having read Ernest Hemingway, I didn’t know much about bullfighting. I watched and listened as the crowd cheered the matadors and the event finally closed with the defeated bulls being dragged out of the arena. Between the swords, horses and the elaborate costumes, the bullfight felt like an ancient art. That spell was broken somewhat when the woman sitting next to me pulled out her cell phone to update her husband. “Torearon bien, pero mataron muy mal,” she reported.

They fought well, but they killed very poorly. That’s the basic translation. All the excellent capework and the elegant stances even as the bull’s horns passed by with mere inches to spare didn’t matter in the end if the climax of the event was sloppy and prolonged because of hesitation or lack of strength or discipline to hold the sword steady and accurate for a clean, killing blow.

Watching Mexico vs. the USA in the Gold Cup final in Las Vegas' sold-out (61,514) Allegiant Stadium on Sunday night, I was reminded of that description. Time and again, El Tri, which controled the majority of the run of play, would build up nicely for a shot, but either the U.S. defense and goalkeeper Matt Turner would come up big or the final Mexico shot would be off target.

“Faltaron contundencia.” Another phrase that came to mind was one that has cropped up in the past with Mexico before. This one translates generally to lack of forcefulness, or concluding energy and finishing strength. Indeed, even when the USA had passes going awry in the final and was off target in their few counterattacking chances, they seemed energetic against Mexico all game long, though that often involved rather frantically defending much of the time.

It’s not necessarily a fair assessment of Mexico to consider it an aged team when their best young players are contending for an Olympic medal in Tokyo and therefore not at the Gold Cup. It’s also interesting to note that the star player many El Tri fans longed for Mexico coach Tata Martino to bring into this roster, Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez, wouldn’t have, at age 33, turned the dial more to youth and the team’s future.

The passion of Mexico fans is evident hours before a match actually begins. For many El Tri supporters, game day is an all-day event of costuming, food and mutual celebration of family, friends and fans. The fact that a global pandemic is still ongoing puts a dent in even the most fervent festival of futbol. There were other negative elements factoring in as well for Mexico.

Though he hasn’t been called into the team in over a year, Hernandez, Mexico’s top all-time goalscorer, was by far the most popular jersey name on the many Mexico shirts being worn in Vegas. Hernandez’s absence, beloved player that he is, cast a bit of a pall on the Gold Cup squad partly because his lack of selection hasn’t really been explained by Martino, other than to say, “Javier Hernandez wasn’t in this roster because I picked other players.” Hernandez, in the midst of a stellar season with his club team, the Los Angeles Galaxy, suffered a calf injury early in July, which alleviated some of the pressure on Martino’s decision to not call him.

El Tri players also had to deal with the pressure of their own fans becoming a liability during the Gold Cup, when the recurrence of the homophobic chant by some in the crowds during the group stage and other matches, including very briefly in the final, threatened the squad with FIFA sanctions that could affect whether fan crowds are present at upcoming World Cup qualifying games.

There was also a sorrowful burden placed on the Mexican team both early and late in the Gold Cup tournament. In the debut match for Mexico, plucky Hirving “Chucky” Lozano suffered head and neck injuries in a collision with Trinidad & Tobago goalkeeper Marvin Phillip, required facial surgery, and was obviously ruled out of the tournament. Another blow hit the team last week when Zizinho, the father of midfielder Jonathan Dos Santos, died at age 59, reportedly of Covid-19 complications.

Mexico soldiered on after a dour draw in the opening game of the tournament, but never seemed to be firing on all cylinders as a team, even as it advanced. It took a moment of individual magic against Canada by Hector Herrera late in injury time for El Tri to escape that game with a victory.

Until last night, U.S. men’s national team coach Gregg Berhalter had never won against El Tri in a Gold Cup final, either as an unused player in 1998 or as coach in 2019. Both those games, the USA lost 1-0. With the youngest roster in the tournament and some questioning his tactical nous all during the tournament, Berhalter and his players finally silenced many doubters. The fact that the victory came on his 48th birthday made the triumph extra sweet.

The USA displayed an odd consistency in all their games, winning each one, 1-0, except for their game against Martinique, where they surrendered their only goal of the tournament in a 6-1 victory. Most U.S. players improved not only as the tournament went on, but in the final against Mexico, it was interesting to see some of them adjusting in real time to the skill and ability of their opponents. Though at times the U.S. players looked overwhelmed, they did just enough to prevent goals, and eventually worked well enough together to create chances. It’s likely that the American team, with less expectation to win than Mexico, played with more freedom as a result.

Walking out of the stadium almost an hour after the match concluded, I wasn’t surprised to see that the throngs of people still mingling in the parking lots were exclusively Mexico fans. Some were coordinating rides or plans, but most were sharing their own somber debriefs of the game with each other, many hands still clutching Tricolor flags.

“I’ve never seen the team play so tired.”

“We played well, though. We were really aggressive early on, weren’t we? I kept thinking the next chance was going to score.”

“Matt Turner was the difference. How does the U.S. always produce such good keepers? Maybe it’s because they play basketball.”

“We need our killer instinct back. We need Chicharito to return.”

“Don’t worry. We’ll get the USA in qualifying. Tata’s going to regroup, the best players will be back together, and El Tri will come back stronger than ever.”

I couldn’t help but smile, picking up these bits of conversation. Even in the disappointment over a close loss, the passion of the Mexico supporters was always at the forefront. Long live the rivalry.

2010 FIFA World Cup Draw

GROUP A

A 1: South Africa

A 2: Mexico

A 3: Uruguay

A 4: France

11 June 2010
SOUTH AFRICA v MEXICO Soccer City, Johannesburg
URUGUAY v FRANCE Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town
16 June 2010
SOUTH AFRICA v URUGUAY Loftus Versfeld Stadium, Pretoria
17 June 2010
FRANCE v MEXICO Peter Mokaba Stadium, Polokwane
22 June 2010
MEXICO v URUGUAY Royal Bafokeng Stadium, Rustenburg
FRANCE v SOUTH AFRICA Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein

GROUP B

B 1: Argentina

B 2: Nigeria

B 3: Korea Republic

B 4: Greece

12 June 2010
ARGENTINA v NIGERIA Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg
KOREA REPUBLIC v GREECE Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Port Elizabeth
17 June 2010
ARGENTINA v KOREA REPUBLIC Soccer City, Johannesburg
GREECE v NIGERIA Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein
22 June 2010
GREECE v ARGENTINA Peter Mokaba Stadium, Polokwane
NIGERIA v KOREA REPUBLIC Moses Mabhida Stadium, Durban

GROUP C

C 1: England

C 2: USA

C 3: Algeria

C 4: Slovenia

12 June 2010
ENGLAND v USA Royal Bafokeng Stadium, Rustenburg
13 June 2010
ALGERIA v SLOVENIA Peter Mokaba Stadium, Polokwane
18 June 2010
ENGLAND v ALGERIA Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town
SLOVENIA v USA Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg
23 June 2010
USA v ALGERIA Loftus Versfeld Stadium, Pretoria
SLOVENIA v ENGLAND Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Port Elizabeth

GROUP D

D 1: Germany

D 2: Australia

D 3: Serbia

D 4: Ghana

GERMANY v AUSTRALIA Moses Mabhida Stadium, Durban

SERBIA v GHANA Loftus Versfeld Stadium, Pretoria

18 June 2010

GERMANY v SERBIA Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Port Elizabeth

19 June 2010

GHANA v AUSTRALIA Royal Bafokeng Stadium, Rustenburg

23 June 2010

AUSTRALIA v SERBIA Mbombela Stadium, Nelspruit

GHANA v GERMANY Soccer City, Johannesburg

GROUP E

E 1: Netherlands

E 2: Denmark

E 3: Japan

E 4: Cameroon

NETHERLANDS v DENMARK Soccer City, Johannesburg

JAPAN v CAMEROON Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein

19 June 2010

NETHERLANDS v JAPAN Moses Mabhida Stadium, Durban

CAMEROON v DENMARK Loftus Versfeld Stadium, Pretoria

24 June 2010

DENMARK v JAPAN Royal Bafokeng Stadium, Rustenburg

CAMEROON v NETHERLANDS Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town

GROUP F

F 1: Italy

F 2: Paraguay

F 3: New Zealand

F 4: Slovakia

14 June 2010

ITALY v PARAGUAY Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town

15 June 2010

NEW ZEALAND v SLOVAKIA Royal Bafokeng Stadium, Rustenburg

20 June 2010

ITALY v NEW ZEALAND Mbombela Stadium, Nelspruit

SLOVAKIA v PARAGUAY Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein

24 June 2010

PARAGUAY v NEW ZEALAND Peter Mokaba Stadium, Polokwane

SLOVAKIA v ITALY Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg

GROUP G

G 1: Brazil

G 2: Korea DPR

G 3: Cote d’Ivoire

G 4: Portugal

15 June 2010

BRAZIL v KOREA DPR Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg

COTE D’IVOIRE v PORTUGAL Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Port Elizabeth

20 June 2010

BRAZIL v COTE D’IVOIRE Soccer City, Johannesburg

21 June 2010

PORTUGAL v KOREA DPR Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town

25 June 2010

KOREA DPR v COTE D’IVOIRE Mbombela Stadium, Nelspruit

PORTUGAL v BRAZIL Moses Mabhida Stadium, Durban

GROUP H

H 1: Spain

H 2: Switzerland

H 3: Honduras

H 4: Chile

16 June 2010

SPAIN v SWITZERLAND Moses Mabhida Stadium, Durban

HONDURAS v CHILE Mbombela Stadium, Nelspruit

21 June 2010

SPAIN v HONDURAS Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Port Elizabeth

CHILE v SWITZERLAND Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg

25 June 2010

SWITZERLAND v HONDURAS Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein

CHILE v SPAIN Loftus Versfeld Stadium, Pretoria

14 June 201013 June 2010

Ah, the power of autonuke

A Trojan horse attack on my computer turned out to be a blessing.

There's this program called DBAN - Darik's Boot and Nuke. It's a program that allows you to clean your hard drive thanks to an autonuke feature, and get rid of any other lingering programs that might harm your computer. It's awesome stuff. I was able to get my machine back to normal after the Trojan attack. And it's all thanks to BongaDad.

He may have a foot lagging from a bout of gout, but when it comes to figuring out what the fuss with my computer is all about, without a doubt, he packs a clout.

---

How about that Melbourne Victory side. They are a football team from Melbourne, Australia, and they won the A-League Preseason Cup. Even though the USA Women stunk like Limburger against Norway the same day, keeper Michael Theoklitos is clutch.

From the Sydney Morning Herald:

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Victory win A-League pre-season cup

August 6, 2008 - 9:33PM


Melbourne Victory have claimed the first silverware of the A-League season, defeating Wellington Phoenix 8-7 in a marathon penalty shootout in the final of the pre-season cup at Westpac Stadium in Wellington.

Reigning A-League goalkeeper of the year Michael Theoklitos proved the difference between the two sides, making two spectacular stops during the second half and then saving Karl Dodd's penalty to win the shootout after 18 kicks.

Phoenix striker Shane Smeltz and Victory's Nick Ward had earlier blazed their spot kicks over the crossbar.

The match had finished 0-0 at fulltime, the Phoenix having slightly the better of proceedings before falling just short of becoming the first New Zealand club to claim a trophy in an Australian competition.

The home side fielded close to their best line-up with the only notable absentees being skipper Andrew Durante who sat out the match through suspension, while defender Tony Lochhead remained unavailable after recent trials with Middlesbrough.

Conversely ,Victory went into the match without a number of key squad members including regular captain Kevin Muscat, experienced midfielder Grant Brebner, plus Olyroos trio Archie Thompson, Leigh Broxham and Billy Celeski.

Goalscoring opportunities were rare with the match commencing in scrappy fashion on a greasy surface in front of over 9,000 fans who braved the chilly conditions.

Chances in the first half were largely a result of defensive errors with Phoenix goalkeeper Glen Moss misjudging a regulation Matthew Kemp cross and catching the ball at the second attempt as match officials ignored Victory appeals that the ball had crossed the line.

At the other end of the field Adam Kwasnik should have done better but headed over the crossbar after the Victory had left the striker unmarked from a free kick.

It was a match in which defence dominated with both sets of defenders solid throughout and former Socceroos Jon McKain for the Phoenix and Michael Thwaite for Victory particularly prominent.

The match sprang to life mid-way through the second stanza with Richard Johnson's stunning long range effort requiring an equally spectacular save from Victory goalkeeper Theoklitos.

Carlos Hernandez warmed the palms of Moss soon after with his own powerful strike from distance in what was a relatively quiet night for the Costa Rican international.

The best chance of the match came ten minutes from time with Phoenix's prolific striker Smeltz producing a diving header that saw Theoklitos at full stretch to tip the ball around the post.

"It was a tough one, but we did the job," said Victory coach Ernie Merrick.

"Right from the kick-off they pressured us and made sure we couldn't get our passing game going.

"When your goalkeeper is one of your best players and your other two are probably (defenders) Michael Thwaite and Roddy Vargas, you know that you haven't played your best football.

"But sometimes you play a game like that when you're not at your best and you come away with a win, and you think 'not a bad team to get that sort of result with not the best performance'.

"It has been the perfect preparation for the A-league season, and to get to the final, which the boys set themselves the challenge of winning, it sets us up really well for the A-league season."

Phoenix captain Jon McKain said he was impressed with his team's effort as they build towards just their second season in the competition.

"Penalties are always a lottery, and we didn't seem to get that bit of luck tonight," McKain said.

© 2008 AAP
Brought to you by aap

-----

Onward!

A great day to be young and Australoia

I think today is a great day to be young, Australia, and rich in faith. It's World Youth Day down in Sydney, Australia, and it's a great day to be a young Australia boy or girl. And it's not just because of His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI presiding over the pilgrims who descend on the largest city in OZ. A young group of footballers brought home what the Bedlam reckons as the first piece of hardware for the country as a member of the Asian Football Confederation.

First, a little take on World Youth Day 2008 from Sydney.

World Youth Day 2008

Pope Benedict XVI will meet thousands of young Catholics from all over the world in Sydney

Faith Central: Gangster who found God to speak at WYD

Billed as the largest youth event in the world, World Youth Day’08 is a five-day long international Catholic youth rally, where young people gather to meet Pope Benedict XVI. It begins in Sydney, Australia on Tuesday July 15 and ends with a Mass said by Benedict XVI on Sunday July 20. The Pope arrived on Sunday, July 13.

Around half a million young people are expected to attend the closing Mass, while around half that number are expected in the days before the Mass.

To date, there have been ten World Youth Days since the initiative was begun in 1986 by Pope John Paul II. He invited young Catholics to meet with him on a regular basis, approximately once every two years, for a gathering of worship, prayer, talks, Mass and teaching. Each WYD is centred on a Bible passage. The passage for WYD 2008 is "You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses" (Acts 1, 8).

Related Links

• World Youth Day diary: opening mass

• WYD briefing

• Anti-pope activists can 'annoy' Catholic pilgrims

The largest WYD to date took place in Manila, the Philippines, in 1995 and was attended by 4 million young people. Nearly half a million are expected to attend the closing Mass at WYD08 on July 20, 2008. Approximately 2,000 have come from the United Kingdom, including Rick Brewin and Rebecca Coyne, who are providing an online diary of WYD08 for Faith Online.

WYD08 has attracted criticism over the cost of the event, paid out of the public purse although the major expenses will be paid by the Catholic Church, and also from protesters who plan to highlight their opposition to Roman Catholic teaching on sex, and contraception by handing out condoms to pilgrims. They also object to a new law introduced in New South Wales, banning protesters from “annoying” World Youth Day pilgrims.

Articles from Google

And some of the football:

BULUT GIVES AUSTRALIA WIN IN GRAND FINAL

JAKARTA (19 July 2008) – Kerem Bulut made all the difference when his sudden death penalty conversion gave Australia the crown in the AFF Under-16 Youth Championships here this evening at the Stadion Lebak Bulus. The score at the end of regulation and ensuing extra time was 1-1 with Ali Muneer Redha scoring first for Bahrain the 44th minute before Marc Warren headed in the equaliser three minutes to the end. “We started pretty slowly all week and we were a little nervous but these boys are still growing up and they have to learn the need to settle early,” said Martyn Crook, the head coach for Australia. “But we settled down a bit and I believe that the team will just have to grow with this tournament.” Bahrain came out with all guns blazing and dictated the early rhythm as Australia do much of the defending in the opening quarter. In the 13th minute, Bahrain created a double chance off Ali Habib Haji and Ahmed Isa Ali but Australian keeper Lawrance Andrew Thomas was up to the task. Five minutes later, Australia came back with a one-timer from Nikola Stanojevic which narrowly missed the top right hand corner as the game then fell to a midfield battle. In the 30th minute, a bad pass from Australian captain Brendan Michael Hamill almost gifted Bahrain the goal while a minute later, a header from lanky defender Sayed Hashem Adnan Mahfood went well over the crossbar. But there was no denying Bahrain the lead when off a quick counter-attack a cross from Ahmed playing the ball to Ali Habib before Ali Muneer came in from the blind side to slam the ball home. The break brought a change to the Australian game where they pressed Bahrain much to their own half. And they created several chances with Kerem Bulut going wide on 53rd minute while in the 70th minute; Million Mwenge Busthire had his attempt saved by Naser Mahboob. With Bahrain defender Sayed Hashem doing a great job to shut own Bulut, the goal came late in the game off a defender. Three minutes to the end, a corner from Kamal Ibrahim saw Marc Warren jumping high for a looping header which went into goal to force the game into extra-time. After yet another half hour of deadlock, the penalty kicks saw both captains – Australia’s Brendan Michael Hamill and Bahrain’s Salman Ahmed Aldakheel missing their kicks. With the penalty level at four apiece, the miss by Bahrain Abdulla Khalifa Mohamed allowed Bulut to place the ball to the left of Bahraini keeper Naser for the win. TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE and RESULTS 09/07/08 AUSTRALIA 2 BAHRAIN 1 SINGAPORE 0 MALAYSIA 2 11/07/08 BAHRAIN 1 SINGAPORE 0 INDONESIA 0 AUSTRALIA 6 13/07/08 AUSTRALIA 4 MALAYSIA 1 BAHRAIN 2 INDONESIA 0 15/07/08 MALAYSIA 2 INDONESIA 0 SINGAPORE 1 AUSTRALIA 1 17/07/08 INDONESIA 1 SINGAPORE 1 MALAYSIA 1 BAHRAIN 1 19/07/08 (Third/Fourth Placing) MALAYSIA 3 SINGAPORE 0 (Grand Final) AUSTRALIA 5 BAHRAIN 4 Score at end of extra-time 1-1

ASEAN Football Federation

One More Moment for the Master

If Alan Knipe is not on the hot seat yet next year, he should be on it right now. I will put him among coaches who do not know how to win big games. I believe that a coach who doesn’t know how to win big games is just as good as a coach who just doesn’t know how to win, PERIOD.

Turkey def. United States 25-21, 28-26, 39-37.

I expect those fucking Italians to run it up our posteriors. This has been a long, long, LOOOONG campaign for us. Take us out of our misery, Azzurri!

Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, a man by the name of David Beckham scored his first goal with the Los Angeles Galaxy. It was a mere demonstration of the bending shot. One More Moment for the Master was the name of the set piece. The student, goalkeeper Troy Perkins of DC United, wasn’t keen on letting the Master beat him twice, but DC United lost anyway, 2-0.

Speaking of being beat twice…they say that it is difficult for a team to beat a good team twice. If we finish the deal off against Pachuca, we will have done that. Prepare yourselves, Tuzos!

USA, Italy, Brazil, and…Iraq!?

It was only fitting that captain Younes Mahmoud of the Iraq national football team send his countrymen to the FIFA Confederations Cup. The sons of a land torn by bloodshed and war, the Lions of the Two Rivers defeated Saudi Arabia’s Sons of the Desert, 1-0, and Mahmoud’s goal off an assist by Hawar Mullah Mohammed sent eruptions of joy, and bullets pumped into the air, from Baghdad to Basra, from Fallujah to Sadr City, and from Karbala to Najaf.

Iraq’s victory over Saudi Arabia was one of the few events that brought happiness. In a country where suicide bombers and car bombers make living or dying a lottery of fate, and where the United States has failed to stabilize tensions to the fact that billions of dollars are wasted on a meaningless cause, its football team was its angels, and its salvation.

With Iraq qualifying for the Confederations Cup in 2009, one wonder if they will be in the same pool as the USA. As if our ill-fated campaign wasn’t bad enough…

Let me go ahead and change the pace, and talk a little bit of Little League. First off, there are brackets where there is only one team qualifying, and one team only. You gotta give credit to Dhahran’s Arabia-American Little League because every year since the Transatlantic bracket was made, this group of expatriate children win this tournament every year. It’s not even a contest. It’s like the Golden Bears of California and the national collegiate rugby tournament: only one team has dominated the entire tournament, though there have been a few breaks.

Maybe the people should change the Transatlantic tournament to the “Dhahran Invitational at Kutno,” because patsies like Dubai (stick to your horse racing), Stuttgart (a football city), London (who even plays baseball there? Did you mean “rounders” or “cricket”!?), and Naples (the home of Italian-American cuisine may be best to stick to watching the Azzuri kick butt at Euro 2008, or seeing the next Serie A scandal unfold) can’t lift a tip of a finger to these regulars. Just bloody forfeit; the worst team in my high school baseball league can rough you guys up! Oy!

This year, the boys from Tokyo Kitasuna return to Williamsport, in hopes of bowing to the Lamade bust when they win it all (no hara-kiri, please). For these guys, this is their only chance, because it’s off to the high school ranks, where Koshien is their goal, and everything must be sacrificed in the name of aspiring to be in the ranks of kokoyakyu immortality. That explains why they do not have a Junior, Senior, of Big League entry: the road to Koshien is already keeping them busy.

That, and the examination exams, the cram sessions, and perhaps, the manga and anime that inspires them to visualize where they will be when the former two result in futulity. Make note of it, Hikkikomori nation.

Oh Lord, not another weekend from hell...

I am steaming.

Man, I hope this isn’t the start of a weekend from hell. The USA lost to Cuba, 3-1, in the gold medal game at the Rio 2007 Pan-American Games. We can’t even win at our own national pastime. I wonder if Mike Weathers was coaching that team. That might explain it, as well as the fact that Oregon State’s 2007 squad could smash the bombs out of this team early. What a half-assed effort.

Speaking of Pan-Am, why the hell are we bringing incompetent footballers in group play? Our USA women lost to Mexico today. Usually, we own these guys, but not today, it seems. What a bloody shocker. I so hope Canada crushes them for not getting the job done.

The Saskatchewan vs. Edmonton game confirmed that things are not looking up for my teams so far (the Eskimos won, 21-20). Those damn Roughriders let Edmonton back into the game to rally. Come on Kent Austin, BC was last week. Wake your guys up! Are you gonna be giving more of the same, chokers?

Oh, and those Angels. Again, they fail to impress, this time against the Twins. They lose 5-7. And I think I’m seeing some more futility from the Galaxy, even with Beckham, because if they can’t lift a finger to Tigres, not even God can save them from Chelsea. The world will turn upside down if we defeat Mourinho’s boys. Galaxy defeating Chelsea? Fuhgeddaboutit!

Tim Donaghy, you oughta be shot for your actions outside of officiating in the NBA. Gambling, and keeping books while officiating? Boy, you are as bad as they come in a league already seeing its ratings sink. Watch yourself.

If I were to write a Haruhi Suzumiya fanfic, one of the chapters would have a section like this.

The SOS Brigade jumped up and let out a huge roar. Everyone patted each other on the back, hugging, partying like the New Year had started. Meanwhile, Yuki Nagato was still in her corner, reading the last Harry Potter novel.

Kyon went over to her as the group continued their reveling in the distance. “Hey Nagato, Japan won.”

She looked up, adjusted her reading classes and nodded.

“Was this…you prediction?”

He remembered a few hours ago her saying, “I am going to predict that the winner of the match to be the one who wins the penalty shootout.”

“And who might that be?” Haruhi asked with a smug look on her face.

“As Mikuru-san likes to allude, it’s classified information.”

She snuck a dirty look, then said, “Well, we all are calling for Japan to win. The game’s live. Are you gonna watch?”

“I will watch with me ears,” she said silently.

Kyon asked Yuki again. “Did you predict Japan to win the penalty shootout?”

She said in her trademark monotone voice, “They won, did they not?” He continued to stare at Yuki, who later gave a smile as she adjusted her glasses again, the lenses glinting in the light.

“So you did.” She nodded, the smile a bit wider.

“Hey Yuki, we’re going to get some food to celebrate,” said Haruhi. “And Kyon’s paying. You coming?”

“Haruhi! When did anyone say I was gonna pay for the food?”

“You’re one to talk, Kyon. So,” she said, turning back to the gray-hair girl reading in her corner, “are you going with us?”

Putting down the book, she paused, and said, “Relatively.” She rose from her chair and followed the congregation down the hall, who were still in cheers from Team Japan getting their hard-earned payback. And as Haruhi and Kyon debated the issue, the favorite won, but it took a penalty lottery to do it.

Thanks a lot, Mom. You just had to open your big complaining mouth, and indirectly change the outcome considerably. Well, I know who my personal scapegoat will be.