The Big Football

Time for big changes in top football?

thebigfootball@gmail.com (The Big Football) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 20:00:00 +0000

I know we are still in the first part of the football season but it seems to me that some changes might occur at the top of the football chain. Some teams that always have made a good impression are getting worse.

Some examples are Bayern Munchen and AC Milan. Both teams played in the UEFA Cup in recent years and this year they are having weak runs in the domestic leagues with Bayern in 6th position and Milan in 8th. The Germans are also having trouble in the Champions League with 3 points in 3 matches, a competition where Milan shoved they are still breathing after beating the high investors from Real Madrid at Santiago Bernabeu.

Another team that has problems and all the football blogs around the world are talking about is FC Liverpool. Rafa Benitez is a great manager, winning the UEFA Champions League in 2005 and reaching the final again in 2007, but now everyone is talking about him being sacked. I would not do it, maybe because I'm a fan of continuity. I know he bought most of the players the club has and who else could then know them better and get them out of the mess sooner than him?

Valencia, another team that always was between the big shoot is nowhere in sight now, and the money problems they have are still hurting them.

I guess the teams that will replace them are the ones bought by big investors like Manchester City, Chealsea and teams from the Eastern block like Shaktar and Dynamo Kiev from Ukraine and the Russian teams, who make transfer that could be envied by anyone.

Tevez goes to Manchester City

thebigfootball@gmail.com (The Big Football) — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 11:06:00 +0000

This is a pretty funny picture, and no, it is not fake, found via Just-Football.com . The Manchester City officials have bought advertisement around the city to ~~make fun~~ brag about the signing of one of the most important players Manchester United had last season.

The 25 year old striker, bought for 29 million euros, might make a big difference at the City of Manchester Stadium, and after the signing of Robinho last season from Real Madrid, Manchester City, probably the richest club in the world after they were bought by Abu Dhabi United Group 12 months ago, will be a threat for United from the ongoing season.

Football Legends. France - Portugal 1984

thebigfootball@gmail.com (The Big Football) — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 09:38:00 +0000

Remember Michel Platini? Here he is at his prime. EURO 1984 in France.

via Box Office Football

Platini scored 9 goals in 5 matches in this tournament. I guess counting him as one of the best players in the history of football should be pretty obvious. I really see something similar in the way Frank Ribery plays today and Michel Platini played back in the '80. First international title for France and the next one to come was in 1998 when they also were hosts and they had another incredible playmaker: Zinedine Zidane.

5 Tips on How to Buy the Best Player in the World

thebigfootball@gmail.com (The Big Football) — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 20:28:00 +0000

Here is a short guide to help you buy the best and most expensive player in the world. I know some of the steps here will be a little hard to achieve for smaller clubs but hey, let's keep it on the funny side.

1. Be a big football club. I'm sure Manchester City or that club from Uzbekistan that wanted Eto'o and also have Rivaldo would have paid even more to have C. Ronaldo but the fame and the history also help. Maybe the player is a fan of your club, that would also greatly help.

2. Have Florentino Perez in your board. He made the most expensive transfer in the world back in the beginning of the decade, buying Figo and Zidane, and now he has done the same with Kaka and Ronaldo. I really can't think of another player he could spend more on at this time.

3. You should have major plans for the future. And Real Madrid really has, building a new Galacticos team, playing the best football around and winning everything there is to win, but most importantly the UEFA Champions League.

4. Pay the release clause for Ronaldo. I guess this is the first step and the sum is not really that big if you consider how many shirt you will sell with his name. Only £170.

5. Buy him from a club at which he lost his interest. I guess Madrid is more appealing to the Portuguese player than Manchester. Maybe he wants a new challenge, or just more sun.

Michael Owen transfers to Manchester United

thebigfootball@gmail.com (The Big Football) — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 09:00:00 +0000

I guess this could be a new chance for the former Liverpool star, and a good businness deal for Manchester United because they got him on a free transfer from Newcastle, and with a pretty small contract, based more on his performance if he wants more money.

A win win situation for Sir Alex Ferguson and maybe the last train for Michael Owen.

Here are some of the reactions from the football blog world after the transfer, mostly positive by the Man Utd blogs and angry by the Liverpool fans.

Photo evidence Michael Owen is infact Judas nice title.

The transfer in The Guardian

Desperation or a good move?

Owen will outscore Tevez at United completely

Perez Did It

thebigfootball@gmail.com (The Big Football) — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 17:06:00 +0000

Well it seems that Kaka joined Real Madrid in the first day of the transfer window and this is probably the first big transfer that I have seen that has gone through smoothly in years.

No big rumors, no promise to the fans that he will never leave AC Milan, just a very smooth transfer made by Florentino Perez who seems very keen to do what he has promised and he really has a great start.

27 years old and worth just under 70 euros here is the official presentation made by Real earlier today at Santiago Bernabeu.

Also on the official Real Madrid website you can already pre-order the new Kaka number 8 shirt. I'm sure there are many fans out there who want it and I'm also one of them, because I expect Real to again play the best football in the world next year as it did in the years of Zidane and his colleagues.

FC Barcelona against Manchester United in the Final

thebigfootball@gmail.com (The Big Football) — Thu, 07 May 2009 10:23:00 +0000

I must first say that I am more of a tactical football fan than anythings else. The type of play Chelsea showed in the two legs against Barcelona, under Hiddink, was something I enjoyed. Knowing how to stop maybe the most spectacular team in the world is something that requires much planning and talent from the manager, and he managed to do it.

What made the difference in this game? Who knows, maybe the talent, maybe the referee, maybe luck. The most important reason is that Chelsea did not score when Barcelona had only 10 players and pushed forward, that is the difference between Manchester United, that had a killer counter-attack against Arsenal, and Chelsea. One in the final and one out from the semis.

We have now seen for sure that Barcelona are not the invincible armada everyone thought they were, with only one shoot on target in 90 minutes they must really fix what is wrong before the final and Pep Guardiola's lack of experience at top level might be decisive in a final against Sir Alex Ferguson, a living legend in modern football.

Oh yeah, I almost forgat, Man Utd also have Cristiano Ronaldo...

A Great Goal from Thierry Henry

thebigfootball@gmail.com (The Big Football) — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 12:01:00 +0000

Just one of my favorite players in action, he makes football look so easy.

Speedlinking number 1

thebigfootball@gmail.com (The Big Football) — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 12:03:00 +0000

Just to fire you up for tonight's most interesting game here are the highlights from the first leg, Manchester United - FC Porto. Let us see how this turns out.

And some other news:

Find out about what will surely be a great transfer this summer on The Soccer Blog. It is argentinian midfielder Lucas Biglia.
An interesting analysis of what drives us to play and watch football on The Run of Play. The Mystic Ball
Remember Steve McLaren? Sure you do.
Andrei Arshavin talking about his life, from Dirty Tackle.
Marouanne Fellaini haircut? Studs up by Chris Toy.

5 Reasons predicting the Uefa Champions League Winner is still impossible

thebigfootball@gmail.com (The Big Football) — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 17:48:00 +0000

After some impressive displays from Barcelona and Chelsea this week predicting the Winner of the UEFA Champions League is not getting any easier.

Here are the results I am commenting on:

Villarreal - Arsenal 1-1
Manchester United - FC Porto 2-2
FC Barcelona - Bayern Munich 4-0
FC Liverpool - Chelsea 1-3

1. Manchester United seemed to have the easiest job so far as they have a good road through to the final, but it wasn't nearly as easy as it seemed as they only managed a 2-2 at home against FC Porto.

After the draw of the quarter finals everyone saw Manchester already in the final, going past Porto and the winner from Villarreal and Arsenal should have been just a walk in the park for the Champions of Europe.

2. The best play was offered by Barcelona and Chelsea but they will meet in the semifinal.

It is clear that Barcelona played the best football in this week fixtures from the UEFA Chapions League when they crushed Bayern Munich 4-0 (and that at half time), the trick is they will have to play the team that showed no mercy in front of the goal and that was Chelsea. Liverpool was really expected to do a good performance, because they always manage that in Europe, but it seems that this year is not for them.

3. One of the small teams might win it, and the best example here is FC Porto, the club no one expected would be able to win in 2004, and now they had a great game against Manchaster in an away game, Villarreal is also a team that no one is watching and talking about and that is always an advantage

4. Playing very well in one round does not guarantee anything, ant that is what Liverpool have showed us after beating Real Madrid in such an impressive way last round, also Bayern scored 12 goals against Sporting Lisbon but that did not help them against Barcelona.

5. And the most important argument: it's Football, the ball is round and anyone can win.

How Big is a Football?

thebigfootball@gmail.com (The Big Football) — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 19:52:00 +0000

Not many know details about the center of the game, the ball. Here are some details:

A little background:
- the ball used to be inflated pigs bladder but Columbus discovered the rubber ball in his explorations of America
- some pictures with a lot of antique balls http://www.asdiansi.com/anball.htm

Shape, size, weight, pressure, material:
- sphere
- circumference of 68–70 cm (or 27–28 inches)
- 410–450 (or 14–16 ounces)
- 8–12 psi
- leather (not really used anymore), other new materials.

Here is the official ball for the EURO 2008 from last year. As you can see the 32 patches in black and white that were the symbol of football are gone.

The future will bring us microchips in balls so that we will know when the ball has passed a line in the game and the referee doesn't really stand a chance in being accurate.

A major problem today is the exploitation of children in some poor countries for ball production but let's hope that will soon disappear.

Here are the official rules from FIFA regarding the ball:

Decisions of the International F.A. Board

Decision 1
In addition to the requirements of Law 2, acceptance of a ball for
use in matches played in an official competition organized under the
auspices of FIFA or the confederations is conditional upon the ball
bearing one of the following:
• the official “FIFA APPROVED” logo
• the official “FIFA INSPECTED” logo
• the “INTERNATIONAL MATCHBALL STANDARD” logo
Such a logo on a ball indicates that it has been tested officially and
found to be in compliance with specific technical requirements,
different for each logo and additional to the minimum specifications
stipulated in Law 2. The list of the additional requirements specific to
each of the respective logos must be approved by the International
F.A. Board. The institutes conducting the tests are subject to the
approval of FIFA.
Member association competitions may also require the use of balls
bearing any one of these three logos.

Decision 2
In matches played in an official competition organized under the
auspices of FIFA, the confederations or the member associations,
no form of commercial advertising on the ball is permitted, except
for the emblem of the competition, the competition organizer and
the authorized trademark of the manufacturer. The competition
regulations may restrict the size and number of such markings.

thebigfootball@gmail.com (The Big Football) — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 19:18:00 +0000

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Top 10 Football Derbies in Europe

thebigfootball@gmail.com (The Big Football) — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 10:14:00 +0000

This is a list with the top 10 football derbies in Europe, each with a little history and some graphical information. To make it clear a derby is a match between teams from the same city, so no, Barcelona - Real and such other very important and fascinating games will not be on the list. I will focus more on the rivalry and not really on international results.

1. Fenerbahce - Galatasaray, the derby of Istanbul, a city split up in two sides, one in Europe and one in Asia.

Always a very spectacular match as these two teams always go for the title, and if the game might get boring at times, the atmosphere in the stadium will not fail to impress you, so the clip will say more than I can say in words.

2. AS Roma - Lazio Roma Il derby Capitolino, from the city of Rome is probably the most political derby on the list, left vs right.

Two teams that aren't really full of trophies but in a city as big as Rome there sure will be adrenaline and lots of chaos before the start of the game. The political factor plays an important part in this one and that is maybe what makes this derby so intense.

3. Celtic FC - Rangers FC also named The Old Firm derby, from the city of Glasgow, one of the oldest in the world and all about religion, Catholics - Protestants.

A game full of hate mainly because of the religious history of the match, Celtic having Irish roots (hence the colors) and thus being Catholic and the conservative Rangers see themselves as more Scottish and protestant. I'm sure you know about all the religious problems in Ireland, well it seems that Glasgow has also been influenced, and strong.

4. Olympiakos Piraeus - Panathinaikos Athens The Eternal Enemies, probably one of the most intense matches in the stands.

If you want great atmosphere and great football then this is a game that you should not miss. With a lot of investments made in football in recent history, Greek football is sure to catch up with the western part of Europe.

5. Red Star Belgrade - Partizan Belgrade the Veciti Derbi, always a very violent match in which wounded from the police side is not something really rare.

As I already mentioned this is probably the most violent match from this list, arrests, injured and even casualties every time the match is played.

6. Arsenal FC - Tottenham Hotspur the North London derby, probably the most important rivalry in England a country full of local derbies.

First match in 1887, I don't really have a reason why I consider this match the most important in English football but I love it, so much passion.

7. AC Milan - Internazionale Milano Derby Della Madonnina, the match in which the best teams from Milan fight for glory and prestige.

Maybe the most followed derby from the list around the world, 2 teams with great history and even greater prestige. It might not appeal to everyone because of all the tactics that Italian football teaches but nonetheless a match that I hope to see live in this lifetime.

8. Benfica - Sporting Lisbon the O Clássico, the derby of the capital city between teams with a lot of trophies.

Huge trophy rooms and huge support for the two teams from the capital city of Portugal. The stadiums surely will always be full when these two teams go head to head and as EURO 2004 was held in Portugal they both have new and beautiful stadiums. Estadio da Luz for Benfica and Jose de Alvalade for Sporting.

9. Spartak Moscow - CSKA Moscow teams with a lot of support in Russia not only the capital.

Spartak has won about everything in Russia in the ninetees but recently CSKA has made up ground by winning the League in 2002 and 2006. There are a lot of money invested in Russian football and that is making them go further in Europe, like Zenit winning the UEFA Cup and the national side doing an impressive job at EURO 2008. Be sure to watch this one.

10. Dinamo Bucharest - Steaua Bucharest the Great Derby, a rivarly that started in the communist era and was basically the Police vs Army.

With both teams founded in the communist regime they always had the support of politicians and generals, basically all the good players were playing for them and the national side was a mix. This has made the derby quaite decesive for winning the League and most people from Romania picking one of them to support with two romanian teams in the UEFA Champions League this year (CFR Cluj and Steaua) it seems that the quality of the football is on the rise and you also should follow the explosive fans in the stands.

2 things you need to know before the last match in the UEFA Champions League Group Stage

thebigfootball@gmail.com (The Big Football) — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 17:01:00 +0000

1. All the favorites from the groups that play today are already qualified.

That means: Manchester United and Villareal from group E, Lyon and Bayern from group F, Arsenal and Porto from group G and Juventus and Real Madrid from group H. are already through so they might not want to push the note anymore tonight.

2. There isn't much to play for anymore (a place in the UEFA Cup and some money)

If you are one of the teams in 3rd or 4th place then tonight the most you can get out of the game is a place in the UEFA Cup and the money for winning the game, other than that, if you failed to impress until now then it is a little to late anyway, because not everyone will really be as excited about this game as they were at the start of the season. (Remember Shakhtar beating Barcelona yesterday? Yeah, no one does anymore.)

We might really see some dull games tonight so you might go on and bet on Celtic tonight as I really see them winning.

thebigfootball@gmail.com (The Big Football) — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 16:24:00 +0000

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Goalkeeper equipment rule 1972

thebigfootball@gmail.com (The Big Football) — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 19:27:00 +0000

Did you know that from 1972 the goalkeeper had to wear equipment different than the ones players and referees had?

Man City 0-1 Man United

thebigfootball@gmail.com (The Big Football) — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 17:54:00 +0000

The match between Manchester City and Manchester United just finished with a victory for the Red Devils against the Citizens with Rooney's 100th goal in club football.

After watching the game I have to wonder about the importance of the new Golden Ball which is Cristiano Ronaldo. Plenty of goals and an excellent season last year have made him the player of the year but it seems that Manchester United are a really big team, and I say that because he got a red card today in the Manchester derby but that didn't affect the play of the team.

I'm sure that a single match can't really tell something about a player, that is why big teams scout player for 6 or more months, but I am sure that Ferguson has made a back up plan after all the talks and rumors from last summer about the transfer of Ronaldo to Real Madrid.

Everyone knows that the style of play last year for Man Utd was all around him but know it seems that things are switching and he is not indispensable.

On the other hand, Manchester City have a lot of money but the results are really not here, maybe catch a European Cup this season (pretty hard anyway) and make some important transfers in the winter and next summer, following and learning from the mistakes of Chelsea!

Return to Big Football for Juventus Torino

thebigfootball@gmail.com (The Big Football) — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 09:42:00 +0000

After winning 2-0 against Real Madrid at Santiago Bernabeu and qualifying to the next round of the Champions League this could be the return to the Big Football in Europe for Juventus Torino!

Only four poinst behind AC Milan in the Serie A and now through to the last 16 in the Champions League this is the return of a giant that was forgotten in the recent past. Although Real Madrid dominated the game with 13 corners against only 1 for Juve and with a ball possession of 60% they could not score against the heavy resistance put up by the Italians, instead Del Piero (33 years) managed to bag it in twice having now 4 goals in 4 matches in Europe.

This goes to prove football really is the only game in which you can win by defending!

Del Piero '17 [0-1]

Del Piero '67 [0-2]

Adidas Real Madrid Essential Hoody

thebigfootball@gmail.com (The Big Football) — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 10:44:00 +0000

Well well! Before we start take a good look at the picture on the left.

It looks good right? Of course it does, it is an official Adidas Real Madrid hoody. And if you don't know what this blog is about yet then here is a hint: The Big Football is all about the important things in football and Real Madrid happens to be the most important club in the world.

I just got this yesterday and because I really like it and feel very comfortable in it I just wanted to share it with you. I am a real football fanatic so having a lot of clothes and other stuff related to it seems normal.

If you want stuff that revolves around football then have a look at SoccerPro.com. There you can find things that range from balls to referee gear and all kinds of t-shirts and jerseys, football boots and even posters or bags.

Why I wanted this one and not something else? It is white with black stripes on the exterior of your arms, which is always a very elegant choice of colors and even though this is a hoody it gives it a really tasteful lock. Why Real Madrid? Spanish champions of the last 2 years and the team with the most trophies in Europe!

If you feel this is not something for you then check out the other jackets and sweatshirts and maybe you can find something more appealing to you, and whatever you choose I can guarantee for good quality and fast delivery from SoccerPro.com, a place where you should do your football shopping!

Bayern München humiliated by Werder Bremen

thebigfootball@gmail.com (The Big Football) — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 21:09:00 +0000

I bet this guy isn't sleeping to good tonight. What was he thinking before the game? They won in the Champions League in the first game, in an away match, they won the last 2 games in the league at 3 goals difference and now Werder Bremen is coming in town, I'm sure he did not predict this:

30′ [0 - 1] M. Rosenberg
45′ [0 - 2] Naldo
54′ [0 - 3] M. Ozil
59′ [0 - 4] C. Pizarro
67′ [0 - 5] M. Rosenberg
71′ [1 - 5] T. Borowski
85′ [2 - 5] T. Borowski

I guess the football wasn't as bad as the score shows, having more shots on target then Werder, but still, being 5 behind on home ground, we will have to check and see if that ever happened before to Bayern before! The problem here is communication with your players. If your defenders are so lost on the field then I'm sure Klinsmann should really do more talking before the game with them.

Oh well, I guess the lucky bastards just went to the Oktoberfest after the game to cheer themselves up.

Cheers!

4 Goals in 6 minutes or Portugal - Denmark

thebigfootball@gmail.com (The Big Football) — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 06:29:00 +0000

How often do you see 4 goals in 6 minutes at this level? Well It happened tonight in Portugal. I hate to say it but I told you a big game was waiting for us there. I won't tell you the result, watch the video!

1-0 Nani 42′
1-1 Bendtner 84′
2-1 Deco (pen) 86′
2-2 Poulsen 89′
2-3 Jensen 90′

Thanks to my mate from Soccer Like for the video link.

Croatia - England, and more

thebigfootball@gmail.com (The Big Football) — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 14:21:00 +0000

Everybody knows this guy. Well he will be probably the man to watch tonight. If he beats England again then there will be no doubt left that he is one of the best managers from the young generation. If not, then well, he will have to work more to make a himself a big name in this sport (although many could already consider him one).

And who could this be? Fabio Capelo smiling? That is not really something you see everyday is it? We might see it tonight though. So a well established manager against a manager coming from behind with fresh ideas.

Everybody sees this going either way, then let me predict a draw. I won't say anything more because all is said already.

Some other important games:

France - Serbia

If France lose this one too then they are in big trouble after the defeat in Austria on Saturday.

Portugal - Denmark

This is the kind of game you often see at a final tournament, two teams that do good but never really win it (except for Denmark in 1992 of course)

Of lets not forget, if you haven't already subscribed to my blog, then please do it now by clicking here: RSS.

World Cup 2010 Qualification First Match Day!

thebigfootball@gmail.com (The Big Football) — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 09:35:00 +0000

Oh the World Cup, the number 1 competition in the sport world, an event that moves thousands of fans to watch the national side. It started earlier when the qualification groups were drawn out of the box and today we will see the ball roll for the first time, it will end 2 years from now in Johannesburg.

Well, the stadium is not finished yet but let's hope everything will be done by then and those Italians won't win it again...

Now onto the important things, first match day is today, and here are some of The Big Football you will see tonight!

Group 1

Albania - Sweden
Hungary - Denmark

No really big match here, Albania and Hungary might upset the northern team but no one will be surprised if they suffer heavy defeats at home either.

Malta - Portugal

Portugal should have no problem against Malta, and they will try to forget the match against Germany from the Euro Cup I'm sure!

Group 2

Moldova - Latvia
Israel - Switzerland
Luxembourg - Greece

Some close encounters in group 2 where the only unbalanced match seems to be Luxembourg - Greece where the 2004 Euro Champions will try to win and hope for a place in the World Cup as they failed to maintain a position in the top national sides in Europe and now, 4 years after the surprise win, are back in the middle of the platoon.

Group 3

Slovakia - Northern Ireland

We might see a great game in Slovakia today as these two teams don't really have something to lose and if they want to qualify they have to play all the games in the group at full risk.

Poland - Slovenia

Poland on the other hand might take some precautions as loosing today might hurt them.

Group 4

Wales - Azerbaijan

A match with teams from the extremes of the continent, we could expect a win by Wales bu the football from Azerbaijan is not something known so surprises might be in the sack for Wales.

Liechtenstein - Germany

Practically a home game for Germany with nothing else to expect but a win for the Manschaft.

Group 5

Armenia - Turkey
Spain - Bosnia-Herzegovina

Turkey and Spain coming after a great tournament in Austria and Switzerland will try to keep the momentum going and score as much as possible.

Belgium - Estonia

This is the kind of match that always make teams like Belgium lose the qualification, a match with a smaller team that doesn't look dangerous but will put you a lot of traps in your way to South Africa. If they want to have a chance against Spain and Turkey they should win this game.

Group 6

Ukraine - Belarus

A game in which the fans might start some trouble, Ukraine should win to hope for a place in the group in front of Croatia and England!

Andorra - England
Croatia - Kazakhstan

Results seem pretty clear to me, England want to wash away the humiliation of not going to Euro while the Croatians will have a great homecoming after a great tournament but will hope for more in the future!

Group 7

Romania - Lithuania
Serbia - Faroe Islands
Austria - France

Romania and Serbia will have to win as they seem to be the teams that will fight for second place in this group but as it was in recent years, France always made some bad games in the qualification groups and this will surely be exploited by Romania and Serbia if it happens again. No easy game for them in Austria!

Group 8

Georgia - Ireland

Taking place in Mainz, Germany because the situation in Georgia is not clear yet, we might see a match with lots of goals.

Montenegro - Bulgaria
Cyprus - Italy

Montenegro might take a big win tonight and Italy are clear favorites, nothing more to add.

Group 9

Macedonia - Scotland

This is the kind of game that might show how you will go for the rest of the competition, win and you could really be in the battle for qualification.

Norway - Iceland

As we know the style of play of Norway with balls thrown in the oppositions box and we also know they have some really tall players, we might see some head banging in this one!

As a conclusion I might add that the big teams are probably happy that the really big games aren't really here yet and the new players coming up to the national side have time to really get in the team. Most favorites will win, let's see wo will make a wrong step from the first day!

European Resume!

thebigfootball@gmail.com (The Big Football) — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 21:18:00 +0000

England and France had the start today and here are the big matches:

In the Premier League Arsenal won against Wes Bromwich at home with the new kid in the team Nasri scoring the winning goal early on. Also Liverpool won away at Sunderland with Torres scoring for them, let us see if he can have a better season than the last one in which he crowned himself European Champion along the Spanish national squad, he had a good start with a late winning goal in the 83rd minute in this match.

The team that wants to break the dominance of the Big Four teams by singning top players and not really by results (Tottenham) lost at Boro 2-1 so it seems like another year of frustration could be in line for them. To bad!

In the Ligue I two of the better known teams Nantes and Monaco had a draw that ended 1-1. PSG won against Bordeaux, Hoarau with the winning goal and maybe PSG will have a better season this time around.

Also lets mention the results from the Olympics Quarter Final:

Brazil 2-0 Cameroon
Italy 2-3 Belgium in a great game, Belgium coming from behind with 10 players on the field
Argentina 2-1 Holland in a clash between 2 favorites to win the medal
Nigeria 2-0 Ivory Coast.

Rangers out of Europe!

thebigfootball@gmail.com (The Big Football) — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 20:07:00 +0000

First shock of the season, Rangers lost 1-2 at FC Kaunas from Lituania when there were only 4 minutes left on the clock.

0-1 33min Kevin Thomson
1-1 43min Nerijus Radzius
2-1 86min Pilibaitis

...and Rangers stay home this season while FC Kaunas go on the third qualifying round to play either Modrica or Aalborg. In the other game of the day the Norwegian champions SK Brann past Latvian champions Ventpils 2-2 with an away goal, and will play Olympique Marseilles in the next round.

Here is the winning goal: