AFC Champions League wrap: South Korean duo clinch wins

Jeju United and FC Seoul made it a good night for South Korean teams when both picked up wins in the AFC Champions League on Tuesday.

Jeju returned from Australia with a 2-1 victory at Melbourne Victory at Etihad Stadium, continuing the A-League club’s tumultuous week in which they sacked inaugural manager Ernie Merrick.

Both sides were desperate for wins after first-up losses in Group E, and it looked like Melbourne – playing their first game under caretaker coach Mehmet Durakovic – would get what they wanted when striker Danny Allsopp scored in the 37th minute.

But Park Hyun-Bem’s 41st-minute effort put last season’s K-League runners-up back in the contest and they completed a memorable victory when Lee Hyun Ho scored the winner against the run of play with just six minutes remaining.

They are now back in the running to progress from the group with three points from two matches.

FC Seoul eased past Chinese opponents Hangzhou Lucheng 3-0 at the Seoul World Cup Stadium.

Montenegro striker Dejan Damjanovic opened the scoring in the 17th minute, before late goals to Kyoung-Jun Ou (71st minute) and Mauricio Molina (80th minute) sealed a rampant win for the hosts.

Seoul moved to top spot in Group F with the victory, with two wins from two games.

Chinese Super League outfit Tianjin Teda made it two wins from as many starts in their Champions League campaign, with a 2-1 win over J-League giants Gamba Osaka.

The hosts in Tianjin led after 26 minutes when Chen Tao found the back of the net, but Gamba were level five minutes later through Keun-Ho Lee.

Cao Yang scored the winner for Teda from the penalty spot seven minutes after the half-time break, sending the Chinese club to first place in Group E.

Tue 15 March, 2011

AFC Champions League wrap: South Korean duo clinch wins

Jeju United and FC Seoul made it a good night for South Korean teams when both picked up wins in the AFC Champions League on Tuesday.

Jeju returned from Australia with a 2-1 victory at Melbourne Victory at Etihad Stadium, continuing the A-League club’s tumultuous week in which they sacked inaugural manager Ernie Merrick.

Both sides were desperate for wins after first-up losses in Group E, and it looked like Melbourne – playing their first game under caretaker coach Mehmet Durakovic – would get what they wanted when striker Danny Allsopp scored in the 37th minute.

But Park Hyun-Bem’s 41st-minute effort put last season’s K-League runners-up back in the contest and they completed a memorable victory when Lee Hyun Ho scored the winner against the run of play with just six minutes remaining.

They are now back in the running to progress from the group with three points from two matches.

FC Seoul eased past Chinese opponents Hangzhou Lucheng 3-0 at the Seoul World Cup Stadium.

Montenegro striker Dejan Damjanovic opened the scoring in the 17th minute, before late goals to Kyoung-Jun Ou (71st minute) and Mauricio Molina (80th minute) sealed a rampant win for the hosts.

Seoul moved to top spot in Group F with the victory, with two wins from two games.

Chinese Super League outfit Tianjin Teda made it two wins from as many starts in their Champions League campaign, with a 2-1 win over J-League giants Gamba Osaka.

The hosts in Tianjin led after 26 minutes when Chen Tao found the back of the net, but Gamba were level five minutes later through Keun-Ho Lee.

Cao Yang scored the winner for Teda from the penalty spot seven minutes after the half-time break, sending the Chinese club to first place in Group E.

Tue 15 March, 2011

Ten games left for Wolves to clinch survival

By: DJ | February 28th, 2011
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The win against Blackpool has brought Wolves into line with the point a game minimum target for the season but whether a point a game will be enough from the last ten games is questionable, and the reality is they probably need to find four more wins to save their skins. But it’s been 19 points from the last 14 games so Wolves don’t need to improve on what they are currently doing to meet their target.

The remaining games sees 5 homes games against Spurs, Everton, Fulham, Albion and Blackburn, and 5 away games at Villa, Newcastle, Stoke, Birmingham and Sunderland. It’s not the worst of run ins and maintaining the current level of form would likely be good enough.

With Wolves going into March in 18th and Stoke in 10th just 6 points above them then all the teams is the bottom half of the table are under threat. After West Ham’s win over Liverpool on Sunday Avram Grant was claiming his side could finish in the top half. I can’t see them being good enough for that but with only 8 points to catch up it’s not totally impossible. In reality I don’t see Everton or Villa  going down so the battle is likely to see three from Wolves, Wigan, West Ham, Albion, Birmingham, Fulham, Blackburn. Stoke and Blackpool go down.

I think many people would end up with a smaller list of real relegation contenders. But it doesn’t always go as reputations suggest. Stoke, for instance, still have to play Arsenal, Chelsea, Man City and Spurs. But I am convinced that Wigan and Blackpool will be two of the teams to go down despite the Seasiders excellent early season. Whereas Wolves are improving and now averaging more than a point a game, Blackpool have got just 7 points from their last 11 games.

With the FA Cup 6th Round coming up and an International break there are only two full weekends of Premier League football in March.  Wolves will have to face Spurs at Molineux next weekend without loanee O’Hara and then face Villa away. 2 or 3 points from those two games has to be the target.

The defensive record of Wolves since they turned to the current team of Hennessey, Zubar, Stearman, Berra and Elokobi continues to impress. They have conceded 9 goals in 9 games together and thats a record that compares well with the defensive record of the best teams in the country and it includes games against most of those best teams. And on Saturday Wolves showed that they can find goals with only one striker. No question how important O’Hara is for that. He never stops moving and prompting and always wants to be positive and keep the pace of the game high. I read that he was on the ball more often than any player in the Premier League this weekend with 110 touches. No better measure of his non stop contribution.

So there will be time to take stock and rest some limbs in March before the crucial final two months of the season. No way now that the relegation fight will be decided until May.  But its got to be reassuring that Wolves have been producing good enough form for a third of a season now and with only a quarter of the season to go, its not miracles we are looking for, its just more of the same.

Category: Team News Tags: Team News
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A-League wrap: Wellington wait, Mariners clinch second

Wellington’s bid for a second consecutive finals berth may go down to the wire after losing 2-0 to Sydney FC on Wednesday.

Elsewhere, the Central Coast Mariners clinched second place on the table and a double chance, ending Gold Coast United’s faint hopes of doing the same with a 3-1 win at Skilled Park.

New Zealand outfit Wellington could head into their final-round clash with bottom-placed North Queensland on Sunday needing at least a point to fend off Newcastle for the final spot in the top six.

The Phoenix arrived for the Sky Blues’ final home game with a patched-up side and it showed.

Their leaky defence rode its luck in the first half and had goalkeeper Danny Vukovic to thank for keeping things even at the break.

But a comical penalty that eventually found the back of the net on the third attempt via an own-goal early in the second half was followed by a strike to replacement Brendan Gan sealed their fate.

Sydney midfielder Nick Carle was awarded a penalty in the 54th minute after being brought down by James Musa but hit his spot kick straight at Vukovic.

The ball came straight back to Carle, who hit his second attempt again at Vukovic.

It rebounded off the keeper then ricocheted off Nick Ward’s head and into the back of the net.

Attacker Gan put the game out of Wellington’s reach with an assured finish on 69 minutes after Shannon Cole broke through the defence before pulling his pass back into the box.

On the Gold Coast, all three of the Mariners’ goals came through debut senior strikes from National Youth League starlets Bernie Ibini-Isei, Mustafa Amini and Mitchell Duke, who all stepped into the squad to fill the shoes of a host of injured players.

The trio never looked out of place, capping a dominant performance from Graham Arnold’s men.

The hosts nabbed a consolation goal six minutes from time after Andrew Barisic flicked the ball into the path of fellow striker Shane Smeltz and, though the Kiwi made no mistake from close range, there was no danger of a late surge from United.

The win ensures that the Mariners will meet premiers Brisbane Roar in the major-semi final, with the first leg likely to be played on Saturday, February 19 at Bluetongue Stadium in Gosford.

United must now end Brisbane’s 24-match unbeaten run in Saturday’s M1 derby at Suncorp Stadium to have any chance of finishing third.

Wed 9 February, 2011

A-League wrap: Wellington wait, Mariners clinch second

Wellington’s bid for a second consecutive finals berth may go down to the wire after losing 2-0 to Sydney FC on Wednesday.

Elsewhere, the Central Coast Mariners clinched second place on the table and a double chance, ending Gold Coast United’s faint hopes of doing the same with a 3-1 win at Skilled Park.

New Zealand outfit Wellington could head into their final-round clash with bottom-placed North Queensland on Sunday needing at least a point to fend off Newcastle for the final spot in the top six.

The Phoenix arrived for the Sky Blues’ final home game with a patched-up side and it showed.

Their leaky defence rode its luck in the first half and had goalkeeper Danny Vukovic to thank for keeping things even at the break.

But a comical penalty that eventually found the back of the net on the third attempt via an own-goal early in the second half was followed by a strike to replacement Brendan Gan sealed their fate.

Sydney midfielder Nick Carle was awarded a penalty in the 54th minute after being brought down by James Musa but hit his spot kick straight at Vukovic.

The ball came straight back to Carle, who hit his second attempt again at Vukovic.

It rebounded off the keeper then ricocheted off Nick Ward’s head and into the back of the net.

Attacker Gan put the game out of Wellington’s reach with an assured finish on 69 minutes after Shannon Cole broke through the defence before pulling his pass back into the box.

On the Gold Coast, all three of the Mariners’ goals came through debut senior strikes from National Youth League starlets Bernie Ibini-Isei, Mustafa Amini and Mitchell Duke, who all stepped into the squad to fill the shoes of a host of injured players.

The trio never looked out of place, capping a dominant performance from Graham Arnold’s men.

The hosts nabbed a consolation goal six minutes from time after Andrew Barisic flicked the ball into the path of fellow striker Shane Smeltz and, though the Kiwi made no mistake from close range, there was no danger of a late surge from United.

The win ensures that the Mariners will meet premiers Brisbane Roar in the major-semi final, with the first leg likely to be played on Saturday, February 19 at Bluetongue Stadium in Gosford.

United must now end Brisbane’s 24-match unbeaten run in Saturday’s M1 derby at Suncorp Stadium to have any chance of finishing third.

Wed 9 February, 2011

Arsenal Set to Clinch Crucial £20m Signing

"Arsenal v Shakhtar Donetsk , Champions League Group H 19/10/2010 Jack Wilshere of Arsenal picks himself up after a heavy challenge Photo Marc Atkins Fotosports International Photo via Newscom" /