Tag Futebol

Wellington Phoenix are through to the A-League finals series after beating North Queensland Fury 3-1 on Sunday.

Needing just a point from the last match of the regular season to secure the sixth and final play-offs spot ahead of Newcastle Jets, the Phoenix did it with relative ease against a team that has not won a match since mid-December.

They will now travel to South Australia to play Adelaide United onFriday.

Chris Greenacre got the opener in the seventh minute and Dylan Macallister doubled the lead four minutes later.

But it was the penalty by goalkeeper Danny Vukovic – in his final home game for the Phoenix – that got the biggest cheer from the 12,718 crowd in the 93rd minute to seal the win in dramatic fashion.

Brett Studman’s goal in the 66th minute had given the Fury some hope of a comeback.

But when he pulled back substitute Mirjan Pavlovic in the box in the dying stages of the match he went from hero to villain as referee Peter O’Leary had no hesitation in pointing to the spot and showing Studman a straight red card.

Vukovic also left no one in doubt he wanted to take the spot kick.

“I went straight over to (coach) Ricki (Herbert). I’m not sure what he said but I didn’t really care what he was going to say to be fair,” said the keeper with a grin.

“I knew it was the last kick of the game and there’s probably no more perfect way for a goalkeeper to score a goal than with the last kick of the game.”

“There were probably four or five boys putting their hand up. But once they saw me up there they were happy to give it to me.”

Meanwhile, a last-gasp goal from attacking midfielder Patricio Perez gave the Central Coast Mariners a 1-0 win over Newcastle.

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Perez was in the right spot to tap home from close range for his sixth goal of the season after a great run and cross from defender Josh Rose in the 90th minute.

In the first half Perez had a host of great chances to open the scoring but failed to hit the target.

The Mariners now take on Brisbane in the first leg of the major semi-final at Gosford on Saturday, but will have to be more decisive in front of goal to challenge the premiership favourites.

Team GB have recorded a 3-1 victory over the United Arab Emirates on Sunday night.

Captain Ryan Giggs had given the hosts the lead in the first half, but the Asian nation pulled together to get an equaliser through Rashed Eisa on the hour mark.

However, Stuart Pearce rang the changes and subs Scott Sinclair and Daniel Sturridge got the goals to ensure three points for Team GB.

Stuart Pearce felt that his side were good value for their win, which brings them back into qualification contention.

“The result was the most important thing this evening. We needed to win this game to give us a lift and enhance the belief in the group.” he told the BBC.

“Some good parts of our play I thought and some things that we’ve still got to work on; we won’t go away from this thinking ‘it was a bed of roses totally’ but some real solid performances

“Certainly [Craig] Bellamy and [Ryan] Giggs, Joe Allen, [Tom] Cleverley, some real solid performances within the group. We have to build once again for the last game,” he concluded.

Meanwhile, Honduras beat heavily-fancied Spain 1-0 also to send the Iberian nation crashing out of the competition.

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By Gareth McKnight

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The higher they climb, the harder they fall. Sadly, with football being as brutal as it is these days, there is simply no time for sentiment. One day you can be flying high with your club, the next you’re old news, and you’re out on your own.

Through a combination of poor performances, long injury lay-offs or simply because they just weren’t as good as everyone thought they were, the following 10 payers have plummeted down through the football leagues, in this country and around the world.

And while some might seem harsh inclusions, it is important think about where they were, how much promise they had and how badly they have failed to achieve that, through their own fault or otherwise.

Football is now a cruel and uncaring game. Let’s exploit that. Have a cheap laugh at the expense of others. Go on…

Click on Alan Smith to unveil the top 10 fall from graces

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List compiled by Tom Close

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Socceroo star Tim Cahill remains in some doubt for the Asian Cup quarter-final with the striker missing training due to a corked thigh.

Cahill injured himself late in the 1-0 win over Bahrain on Tuesday and Australian medical staff have opted to take cautious approach ahead of Sunday’s knockout clash with Iraq.

The Everton man will be given every chance to prove himself while David Carney and Luke Wilkshire, who have overcome shoulder and groin injuries respectively, should play at least some role in the game. Brett Emerton will sit out the match through suspension.

Meanwhile, midfield pair Mile Jedinak and Brett Holman have denied there is any sense of revenge against the Iraqis for Australia’s loss to the Lions of Mesopotamia in the 2007 Asian Cup group stages.

“I don’t think revenge is the word,” said Holman. “But it would be nice to get a win as they’ve won the last couple of games against us and had the upper hand.”

Jedinak said: “Personally, not being there last time, I’m not thinking about that, though I’m not sure about the rest of the boys and this is a different game.”

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“But let’s not kid ourselves – they are the defending champions for a reason. They are a good side and we are expecting a tough game.”

Having been touted as one of the most exciting prospects in English football, and having been watched by scouts from Arsenal, Manchester City, Barcelona and Real Madrid, to end up playing for Wigan, and to have your style of play defined by inconsistency, must be somewhat disappointing for Victor Moses.

The logic of signing for Wigan was that he would have the opportunity to play regular first team football in order to prove himself before a bigger club came along. A rational stance to take, but it hasn’t all gone as planned. Apart from anything else, Moses has been relatively disappointing since his move to the Premier League.

As a club that plays attacking, fast paced football Wigan should have been the perfect club, with the perfect manager, to develop Moses into a quality player. And, although he showed signs of that last season, Moses is far from a proven commodity.

It’s true that there were some stand out performances at the end of last season, particularly in games such as the 2-1 victory over Arsenal at The Emirates but if he wants to make it at a top club then more than the occasional stellar performance is necessary.

So, with that in mind, it seems a little strange that Chelsea are reported to be closing in on a £10m deal for Moses. In the past twelve months Chelsea have signed Romelu Lukaku, Kevin De Bruyne, Marko Marin and Eden Hazard. On top of that they also have Yossi Benayoun, who had a brilliant season for Arsenal, returning to the club.

Moses likes to play on the left side of an attacking three, but despite the loss of Kalou, competition couldn’t really be higher. At the moment they have Marin, De Bruyne, Malouda, Benayoun, Sturridge, Mata and Hazard who can all play there. It might not be many of those players preferred position yet that is where new boy Hazard played much of last season for Lille.

Alright, you might think, so Moses is being signed as a replacement winger – but the options already available make it a strange choice nonetheless. With Drogba having left, Torres and Sturridge’s form remaining inconsistent, and Lukaku having barely played last year it is possible that Chelsea and Di Matteo intend to use Moses as an alternative option up front; this would be understandable if Moses played there for Wigan.

The true reasons for Chelsea’s interest are surely part of a longer-term plan by the club’s hierarchy to reduce the age of the squad and buy young talented players before financial fair play comes in to effect. After wasting vast sums of money on ageing players like Shevchenko a few years ago, Chelsea now have an increasingly large group of younger players. As I mentioned before players like Lukaku, De Bruyne, Marin have been added to Sturridge, Courtois and now Hazard. Moses could be the next on the list.

Chelsea know they have an old squad, but where Andre Villas Boas failed in his attempt to rebuild the team Abramovich, Bruce Buck and Ron Gourlay will not.

Both Di Matteo and Villas-Boas admitted to moves for players being made without their involvement and it appears that trend will continue.

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One further point that could be mentioned, which I admit is nothing but lateral speculation, is that players like Marin, De Bruyne and Moses are all promising yet far from world class; they’re also relatively cheap. Having been burned with high transfer fees for players like Shevchenko and Torres perhaps Chelsea feel they would rather buy lots of promising, cheap youngsters in the hope that just one or two of them turn out well than risk huge transfer fees. After all, for the price of Torres, Chelsea could buy five or six such players and one or two of them may turn out to be as good or better than the Spaniard.

Follow me on twitter @H_Mackay

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Manchester United chiefs are mulling over the sale of some shares that will go some way in the club alleviating some of the debt they currently find themselves in. Some financial analysts have suggested that this is all a part of the Glazers eventual get out strategy at Old Trafford; something that will prove welcome by the majority of the Old Trafford faithful.

Elsewhere in the papers Chelsea look to offer duo as bait for Modric; Nasri slams fake facebook claims, while West Ham retain an interest in Joey Barton.

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Wenger’s instructions may lead to more trouble with Uefa – Guardian

Glazers mull plan to raise $1bn in float – Guardian

Chelsea could offer pair as Modric bait – Guardian

Man City defend £350m Etihad Stadium deal as UEFA plot investigation – Daily Mail

Nasri slams ‘fake’ Facebook claims – Sun

Wesley Sneijder tells Man Utd: I’ll take pay cut – Sun

West Ham back in for Barton – Mirror

Kop kids get first taste of Euro nights as NextGen Series launches at Anfield – Daily Mail

Target Dann has Scott to go – Sun

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Everton plan swoop for Man City defender – Mirror

Tottenham set to take Adebayor on loan – Daily Mail

Fernandes to give Warnock ‘what he wants’ at QPR – Independent

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Avram Grant is on the defensive as he prepares West Ham for the first leg of the Carling Cup semi final. The Israeli boss doesn’t think he has been given enough respect for the Hammers’ progress in the competition this season that also included the 4-0 scalp of Manchester United.

In the news and papers this morning there have been a mixed bag of stories that include Babel being charge for his twitter image of Webb; Maradona claims that a Premier League club wants him and Damien Comolli claims that Dalglish certainly fits the bill at Anfield.

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Comolli – Dalglish fits the bill – Sky Sports

Lionel Messi wins Ballon d’Or – Daily Telegraph

Maradona: Prem club wants me – Sun

Babel charged for Twitter image of Webb – Guardian

Upson puts future on hold – Sky Sports

Beckham plans to take wage cut at Spurs – Guardian

Owen: Liverpool too reliant on ‘couple of stars’ – Daily Telegraph

Villa to launch new £3.5m Adam bid – Sun

Napoli dismiss Tottenham link with Edinson Cavani – IMScouting

West Ham set to seal loan deal for Bridge – Daily Mail

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Arsenal are reportedly weighing up a bid for Russia star Alan Dzagoev, according to The Daily Mail.

The CSKA Moscow attacking midfielder has impressed at Euro 2012, scoring a brace in his side’s 4-1 win over Czech Republic and again in their 1-1 draw with Poland.

Dzagoev is out of contract in Russian capital in December, and after a strong Euro 2012 campaign this summer the 21-year-old is expected to be the subject of a transfer chase from some of Europe’s leading teams.

Arsene Wenger is eager to add to his options going forward, with a deal to bring Lukas Podolski to the club already completed and the north London outfit in talks with Montpellier over France forward Olivier Giroud.

However, Dzagoev may also be on the Emirates club’s wishlist, with the eastern European playmaker valued at around £13 million.

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By Gareth McKnight

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The hunger for young players to succeed at the top level is becoming an obsession for both managers and fans. Seeing a young signing or academy product mixing it with the elite and coming out on top is something that everyone loves.

Jack Wilshere’s rise in the last few years has seen him go from youth team to untouchable in both Arsenal and England’s midfield. Everyone will remember the Champions League game against Barcelona at the Emirates as the night Wilshere dominated Xavi, Iniesta and Busquets. The 2010/11 season was his first full season as a first teamer although you’d think he was an experienced campaigner judging by his ‘mature for his age’ performances.

With the 2011/12 season looming ever closer there are a hoard of young players hoping to make a similar impact and be talked about in the same breadth as Wilshere who is already docked firmly in the world class genre. Who will be the next young prodigy to get fans out of their seats and the pundits purring at their every movement?

Click on Tom Cleverley to unveil the top 10 looking to make the breakthrough

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Yes, I’m as amazed as anybody else that Manchester City were willing to shell out £26 million for James Milner’s services. What I find even more amazing is the way that City have acted since completing the purchase. If you’re going to spend that kind of cash, you should at least attempt to get value for money. Milner was a star for Aston Villa because he was given the confidence of his boss and the time and space to showcase his talents. He can’t really count on either at the moment.

Milner finds himself in a crowded team where competition for places is so strong that he’s hardly getting a look in at the moment.

It’s my opinion that if City are to get the best out of Milner, he should be brought in off the wings. Give him some freedom in the centre of midfield to roam and pick out his passes and City could really find themselves opening up teams. Unfortunately for Milner, there are too many players ahead of him in the line-up that would start before him in the centre of the midfield (De Jong, Yaya, Barry, Silva, etc).

The competition for places means that when Milner does get an opportunity to play he finds himself out on the wings. It’s not a perfect situation for either the club, or the player. Playing down the left, Milner can sometimes look slow and lethargic, and his final ball often leaves something to be desired. It’s a far cry from the man we saw playing for Aston Villa last season.

Still, there is evidence that Mancini holds Milner in some regard: With City leading Bolton by only 1 goal to nil, it was Milner that Mancini sent on in an attempt to revitalise their fatigued midfield and put a stop to any potential Bolton comeback. City do have a reputation for conceding during injury time after all.

It seems to me that beyond the goalkeeping position and possibly Carlos Tevez, there are no nailed on ‘starters’ present at the club. Players can’t rely on a couple of good performances to keep them in contention for a starting position. Such is the strength of competition that you can perform well one day and find yourself on the bench the next. This makes it even more difficult to impress when you’re just coming on for a couple of minutes towards the end of the game.

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I genuinely hope that Milner comes good at City. At the moment he just has to bide his time and grab any opportunity that he can. If that doesn’t work and he isn’t getting regular first team football by the end of the season, then perhaps it’ll be time to move on.

Do you want to see more of Milner, or is he very much a City squad player? Feel free to leave a comment, or follow me on Twitter: @ThePerfectPass

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