Sports Dietary

noreply@blogger.com (Prijent Shrestha) — Wed, 18 May 2011 00:27:01 PDT

On Wednesday May 11, 2011, FC Barcelona drew with Levante and clinched the Spanish Primera Division of La Liga. They celebrated on Levante's home field after the game. It was their third straight Spanish league title. They finished just ahead of rival Real Madrid, who finished in second place for the third year in a row. Barcelona won the title this season in dominating fashion.

After winning the season opener at Racing Santander 3 '" 0, Barcelona was shocked by Hercules at home 0 '" 2. Hercules was promoted to the Primera Division just this season. They will finish near the bottom of the La Liga standings. But this was a memorable win for the newly promoted club. Barcelona fans left the game early. Those who remained expressed their displeasure at the end of the match.
Barcelona have won La Liga, again.

But Barcelona rebounded. They went on a tear, going undefeated in the next 31 games. This included a stretch of 16 straight wins. One of those wins was in Barcelona against powerhouse Real Madrid. In front of 98,000, Barcelona defeated Real 5-0 in a rout. Real entered that match undefeated. There were plenty of highlights in the game, but most of them were for Barcelona. The game turned ugly in the 30th minute when Real forward Cristiano Ronaldo shoved Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola. Ronaldo was shown the yellow card for his actions. The win put Barcelona on top of the standings. They never relinquished the top spot after that.

This is Barcelona's fifth title in the last seven seasons. They have a current record of 29 wins, 5 draws and 2 losses. Winning their last two games will give them 98 points in the standings. Barcelona set a record last season with 99 points. No team has ever earned 100 points in a season. This is their 21st title overall. Barcelona have the second most titles next to Real who have 31 titles.

Barcelona now have their eyes on the UEFA Champions League title. They will play Manchester United in the finals on May 28, 2011 at Wembley Stadium in London, England.

Manchester United wins its 19th English Championship

noreply@blogger.com (Prijent Shrestha) — Wed, 18 May 2011 00:22:05 PDT

Manchester United rallied to tie Blackburn 1-1 and claimed its record 19th English championship on Saturday, May 14, 2011. Wayne Rooney scored the title-clinching goal on a penalty kick in the 73rd minute.

The title victory surpassed arch rival Liverpool's 18 championships, and it fulfilled Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson's 1986 vow to knock Liverpool.

In the title-clinching match, they fell behind 1-0, but kept up the pressure on Blackburn and finally broke through for the goal in the 73rd minute by keeping pressure on the Rovers and causing the foul. That's what separated Manchester United from the rest of the Premier League this year. Chelsea, Arsenal, and maybe even Manchester City, were more talented, but United never gave up. That's why the Red Devils won their 19th title; they never quit.

Enlarge your house with glue

noreply@blogger.com (Prijent Shrestha) — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 04:50:38 PDT

Enlarge your house with glue.

Bathrooms in today’s commercial market participants

noreply@blogger.com (Prijent Shrestha) — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 22:27:16 PDT

One of the most important rooms in our house is bathroom. So to make the better bathrooms in today’s time is more considerable. In bathroom remodeling richness is out but cool, functionality and simplicity is in. The key catchphrases in remodeling today are value and style on a budget. Suites for bathroom recommend as bathroom tiles, bathroom furniture, bathroom mirrors and lighting, radiators and heated towel racks and other bathroom accessories likely. But not all shops available all the bathroom features in one existing markets.

Since it probably doesn't make economic sense to invest big bucks in any bathrooms suites, www.betterbathrooms.com makes you feel easy. This site offers the best Bad rooms.com different types of bathroom suites at the best, showers, doors and shower systems, etc. This is the best online shop to buy our good quality product pools and their offer to the bathroom of quality things for our dream homes is registered. Now bathroom suites are simply better to buy direct bathrooms. But not all malls available, the cheapest bathroom features in the existing markets. Now the entire above bathroom suites can be found in one store shopping site on the Internet under the present conditions with better quality.

David Beckham plans to play out the final year

noreply@blogger.com (Prijent Shrestha) — Tue, 26 Oct 2010 01:54:30 PDT

David Beckham plans to play out the final year of his contract with the Los Angeles Galaxy in 2011 while continuing to hope he’ll play for England again. Beckham said in an interview with The Associated Press on Monday that he doesn’t know what will happen after his contract expires next year.

Beckham has a five-year contract with Major League Soccer worth $32.5 million. He could buy out the final year and leave next month when the playoffs end.

The former England captain would hurry home, though, if England coach Fabio Capello called on him to play for his country again. Beckham is England’s most experienced active player with 115 international appearances. Beckham won’t go on loan to a European team like he did with AC Milan the last two years to keep fit during the MLS offseason, which could dash his hopes of playing for England again.

The Galaxy won’t allow another loan after his Achilles’ tendon injury kept him out of most of this season. The 35-year-old superstar says he is “80 to 85 percent” fit after tearing his left Achilles’ tendon while on loan in March. He was sidelined for six months and missed the World Cup in South Africa.

Beckham will join the Galaxy for its friendly in Newcastle, Australia, next month. His latest injury is one of many that have knocked Beckham out since he arrived to unbelievable hype four years ago, stating his goal was to raise soccer’s profile in the United States.

Manchester United fears Rooney to land with bitter rival Man City

noreply@blogger.com (Prijent Shrestha) — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 02:18:18 PDT

Manchester United fears it will be left with little choice but to sell Wayne Rooney to its big-spending crosstown rival, Manchester City, according to two sources close to the club. United, which defeated Turkish club Bursaspor 1-0 in Champions League play on Wednesday, was rocked to the core by a pre-match statement from Rooney that confirmed that the England forward wants to quit the club.

That leaves Manchester City as the most likely destination, as it is bankrolled by Arabian billionaire Sheikh Mansour and has more readily available cash than any other team in the world. And while other clubs such as English Premier League champion Chelsea and Spanish giants Real Madrid and Barcelona also would be interested, there is a growing belief that Rooney’s preferred option would be a move just down the road.

Rooney also could dramatically increase his salary at City, which last summer made Yaya Toure the highest-paid player in the EPL, enjoying a weekly wage of around $306,903.17 (USD). Rooney was offered $285,915.35 per week to stay at United before contract talks broke down, according to Sky Sports News.

Yet the 24-year-old, who established himself as one of the world’s top players last season before a drastic dip in form, insists that his reasons for moving on are not motivated by money.

Barcelona takes control over their Group

noreply@blogger.com (Prijent Shrestha) — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 03:38:35 PDT

Lionel Messi’s double gave Barcelona a 2-0 win over FC Copenhagen on Wednesday in the Champions League despite the hosts’ poor finishing in front of goal. Messi found space outside the area to launch a shot past goalkeeper Johan Wiland into the top corner in the 19th minute. He added the second in injury time after a nervous second half for Barcelona.

Wiland had saved from Messi, David Villa and Daniel Alves to keep the Danish champions in the match at the Camp Nou stadium. But Copenhagen striker Cesar Martin wasted several chances and Dame N’Doye rattled a shot off the crossbar.

Barcelona’s usual precise passing game saw it dominate the first half, but the Danes did not surrender despite going behind early and looked close to equalizing on several occasions before Messi’s fourth goal of the competition.

Messi’s first goal was a spectacular shot high into the net from Andres Iniesta’s pass, while his second was more simple, the Argentina striker controlling Eric Abidal’s errant volley as it came down before poking into goal.

Even with Xavi Hernandez starting on the bench, Barcelona looked ready to roll over Copenhagen as Villa hit the crossbar after five minutes before Wiland stopped Maxwell and then snatched away a hard Messi header inside 17 minutes.

N’Doye missed a header from a well-placed cross in the 48th and then fired a shot past goalkeeper Jose Manuel Pinto—who was filling in for Victor Valdes— in the 67th but found the crossbar. With Pinto out of position and an open net beckoning, Cesar Martin somehow managed to head the rebound wide.

Cesar Martin had already provoked the ire of coach Stale Solbakken in the 26th when the Brazilian striker surprisingly pulled up from a run thinking he was offside, even though no referee’s whistle was forthcoming.

Only Daniel Alves kept Christian Bolanos from getting Copenhagen on the board in the 74th with a last-ditch sliding tackle. Daniel Alves, one of Barcelona’s standouts, sliced a shot off the far post in the 87th as Barcelona looked to close out and avoid dropping points at home, as it had in the group stage last season in a 1-0 defeat to Rubin Kazan.

The house edge on blackjack worsens

noreply@blogger.com (Prijent Shrestha) — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 05:22:55 PDT

Well, the inevitable has begun to happen. When the recession first hit and credit dried up, everyone predicted the casinos would lose out. If the banks squeeze credit, people cannot maintain their levels of discretionary spending and, sadly, gambling is always going to be one of the choices made less often. The prediction then ran on: if fewer people go into casinos and those that do go spend less, the casinos will find their profits under pressure. At this point, the forecasters would take a deep breath. This will not be a problem so long as the casinos hold their nerve. The economy will slowly pick up. Confidence will return as consumers save less and spend more. In three to five years time, casino revenues will be back to their normal levels. But, and this is where the forecasters would look grim, if the casinos try to suck extra dollars of profit out of fewer players, they risk killing the golden goose. So which way have casinos played their hands?

In most states, blackjack has always been the biggest table game. But in 2009, casinos across the US lost an average 20% of their annual revenue from the tables. When you lose such a big slice of your revenue from just one game, this puts pressure on the casino operators. Unfortunately, they have tended to move in the wrong direction. Most states regulate on the basis of a 3:2 payout on blackjack (i.e. if you bet $10 and win, the casino pays $15). In Colorado, operators have applied for an increase in table odds to 6:5 (i.e. a winning $10 bet pays out only $12). For those of you who like the math, this lifts the house edge from 1.5% to 2.9%. In Nevada, the table odds moved to 6:5 months ago, closely followed by a general raise in the table minimums. This drove away the casual players and, not surprisingly, the high rollers followed. The casinos shot themselves in the foot by both tightening the rules and reducing the payouts.

Where has the business gone? Well, the hard core gamblers have decided they don't like the deck being so obviously stacked against them. There's no reason why should they tolerate low payouts when online casinos have kept their table odds at a fair level and not changed their table minimums. Online, you can still play at $1 or $5 tables if that's all you want to risk. The higher table minimums are there if you want them but there's no pressure. In the real world, slightly stressed staff are trying to encourage you to spend more. Sitting in the peace of your own home, you can pull a beer out of the fridge and take life easy. There are so many good online casinos where you can play blackjack with many different styles of online blackjack to choose from. If the mood takes you, there are tournaments to play. If the money runs out, you can always play for free. This is one time when the greed of the real world operators has worked against them. In the good old days before the internet, it was a real world casino or nothing. Now that the internet has come of age and the quality of the casino software has improved, the real world casinos have a real fight on their hands if they want to remain relevant.

New in the casino world

noreply@blogger.com (Prijent Shrestha) — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 05:21:29 PDT

The world never stands still too long. If it does, this may mean it's dying and has nowhere else to go. The eternal question for every business lucky enough to hit a winning formula is whether to change it and, if so, by how much and how quickly. In one shape or form, casinos have been around for centuries. They were gambling in Ancient China and Rome long before anyone thought of building in the Nevada desert. Yet, the basic idea has remained the same. If your luck is in, a small bet will win you a fortune. It's a remarkably seductive temptation. Just think. All you need is for the dice to fall just so, or the next card to be the 8. The games may change their appearance, but the principle of betting on the outcome of random events remains the same. To that extent, gambling never changes and probably never will change significantly. If there is change, it's superficial. Say, from the one-armed bandit invented by Charles Fey to the video slots version you start by the press of a button. This makes the arrival of online casinos the first real revolution for at least a century. People have always gathered together to gamble. It could be in a friend's home, a private club or a place with public access (often condemned as a "den"). The internet does away with the requirement for a "place". Now people can stay home and still enjoy the pure experience of gambling. It avoids the inconvenience and expense of travel, buying food and drinks in more impressive surroundings and, in many cases, finding somewhere to stay overnight. All you have to tolerate is the quality of the animation and the annoying soundtrack of "live" players and the games. Over the last decade, real world casinos have come under real competitive pressure. They are not doing too well. But, before you all celebrate, this means the states take less in revenue and, as their deficits rise, tax hikes may have to fill in the gap.

This article brings two "back-to-basics" gambits by the competing forms. Let's start in Atlantic City. There has been a significant drop in the number of players in all venues and for all games. The recession is biting hard. So, albeit only on a trial basis, the management has gone back to the $2 game at two blackjack tables. The thinking is easy to explain. High table minimums frighten away the learners and the more conservative gamblers. People want the maximum gambling experience for the least possible outlay. The casino assures us that, if the trial is a success, more tables will go back to the $2 minimum. Except there's a twist. If you only bet in the range $2 to $5, you pay a fee of 25 cents per hand as a "contribution toward the operating costs". It seems casino managements cannot resist biting gamblers in the ass.

Going to blackjack online, Microgaming is introducing a live dealer version. You will be able to interact with the no doubt sexy dealer through the wonder of streamed video. Better still, it makes the online experience more obviously "fair". Although we have all come to trust the RNG, it's always more reassuring to see someone deal real cards. Others can also Bet Behind on the seated players and you can book a seat with your favorite dealer. It will be interesting to see whether live dealers represent a new nail in the real world casinos' coffin.

What makes games popular?

noreply@blogger.com (Prijent Shrestha) — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 05:49:32 PDT

Given the history of some games starting in China around 2000 B.C., the question naturally arises as to what makes any game popular. The first games to achieve success were based on dice. It probably all started around the fire in the cave when, having stuffed themselves with dinosaur rib at the bar-b-q, they moved on to a little action with a few carved bones. But, as time progressed and money was developed, the idea of money changing hands based on a throw of the dice caught on. In this, you see all the key elements making any game popular. The concept of gambling is seductive. You place a small wager on the outcome of an event outside your ability to control. If you win, there's a big profit and this is a compelling reason to carry on playing because you believe you will win again. The second feature is the sociable nature of the playing environment. There's a crowd watching. Sometimes it's only other players but, more often, gambling is a spectator sport. This creates a community and it supports and encourages the players. Rich backers appear and bankroll the best players for a share of the expected profits. Add in good customer service from whoever provides the playing environment, and the honey pot nature of the exercise is complete. As to the game itself, it must be fun to play. It must be easy to understand the rules. Everyone must be able to see the skill or luck of the winners. And, the organizers must make realistic attempts to prevent or control cheating.

So where does this leave us? In the modern casino, both online and real world, the most popular games are probably blackjack and poker on the card tables, craps and roulette on the other tables. All four are simple to understand. The cards must add up to 21 or a limited number of card combinations makes you the winner. Or you bet on the throw of dice or the spin of wheel. It takes only a few minutes to explain. You watch for a while and then you feel confident enough to play. It's almost immediately exciting. You handle the dice and throw. You finger the chips and play the cards. All with money riding on the outcome. If your luck is in, you end up a winner and most are hooked. The problem with more complicated games is people do not want to put in the effort to learn. They must see it, see others win and feel confident they can start winning immediately. Any game where it looks easy to win big money is popular.

Now when you transfer the experience on to the small screen of a computer and strip away everything about the experience of being in a casino, the true popularity of casino games is revealed. Slots are slots. You click on "play", the animated reels spin, and you win or lose. It has a hypnotic quality. Click, spin, win. It's the same with blackjack, craps and roulette where you are betting on the results produced by the random number generator. Poker remains interactive where you bet on the cards and your skill in playing them. In all, it's the belief you will win big that makes casino games popular.

Lets play for free

noreply@blogger.com (Prijent Shrestha) — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 05:47:03 PDT

Walk through the doors into any real world casino and you hit the slot machines. There's a slight difference of opinion between the casino operators. Some believe the machines are the most popular form of gambling and make everyone walk into the floor area where the machines are sited before they get to the table games. Others have a floor plan called the premium strategy that pitches their operations at the non-slot players who spend more per head on the table games. The machines are still featured as you walk into the casino, but the view of the tables is more obvious. Interestingly, there seems to be very little difference in the spend-per-machine in both layouts. The people who favor slot machines will play them no matter where they are sited in the casino. It's also a fact that, except for the contributions made by individual whales, casinos make more money from slot machines than from the table games, the balance shifting depending on whether the premium strategy is in operation. Online, there are sites that are exclusively based on slot machines. Other sites operate the full spread of casino games. This leaves the operators to compete on the bonuses (welcome and otherwise), comps and the quality of the service. In real world casinos, the operators can comp you on the machines but it's technically difficult to enable free play. Online, all that changes.

Every site allows all users the opportunity to play some of their games for free. Why should anyone want to play for free and give up the chance of winning some real money? The answers are both simple and complicated. The spinning reels are essentially the same in both real world and online casinos with the games easy to understand and so quick to learn. Once the reels are set in motion, all you can do is wait for them to stop moving. This means no particular skill is required to play. As a bald description, this misses out two key factors. The spinning reels are quite hypnotic. You almost feel you can reach out and stop each reel in just the right position to score a big win. Secondly, it's fun to play. This fun element is what sells free play. Yes, you lack the extra excitement by giving up the chance of winning. But it really is still fun to play. More importantly, with more and more new games coming online every month, it's very useful to be able to study them without risking your money. Although the basic concepts are the same, the individual variations still have to be learned. In the real world, you can stand and watch others play, learning from their mistakes. Online, you are denied this opportunity. That makes free play a fair offer from the casino operators.

There is one final reason and this may be a little complicated depending on your view of luck. Many people who play slots believe in flows of good and bad luck. If your luck is out, it's good to be able to keep on playing for free. No-one wants to keep feeding money into a machine when you know you are not going to win. Slots and Lady Luck do go together so mix and match free and paying play as you come into and fall out of her favor.

New rules to play blackjack

noreply@blogger.com (Prijent Shrestha) — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 04:59:24 PST

Blackjack being the most widely played table game in casinos all over the world has the lowest house edge that can be taken down even lower if employing card counting techniques. But if blackjack was a new game trying to make it to the casino tables in our days it would be very unlikely to get there. Blackjack players that use the basic strategy usually reduce the house advantage to 1,5%, which is two times less that is usually accepted in the casinos these days.

Back in 1963 Edward O Thorp, the author of Beat The Dealer, highlighted the fact that blackjack in essence could be easily beaten when using card counting and made even if the player used the basic strategy. Such revelations made a stir in the gambling world as many players jumped behind the tables with the hope to beat the game. The response of casino officials was very simple - they added more decks to the game, making car counting harder to use and apply. However, the basic strategy still gives the player a house edge of less than 1% even with more decks in the game.

But the reality is far less optimistic than most players think, as a little number of those who play blackjack devote much time to learning card counting to the extent that would allow them using the technique in a real life setting. And the number of those who actually manage to master the basic technique is even smaller. Of course, the calculated house advantage can be less than 1% but the vast majority of those who play blackjack have to deal with 2%.

Seeing how much people choose blackjack to play at both brick-and-mortar and online casinos, you may believe that the casino owners are happy with their incomes. However, the owners themselves have a different opinion. The last couple of years seem some changes introduced with the scope of maximizing the profits casinos gain from blackjack players. Some houses installed automatic shuffling machines for making the game even faster paced. Others changed the rules, increasing the house edge in general. However, some casinos on the Las Vegas Strip have introduced a change to the rules that delivered a very strong impact on the game in general.

Now, instead of 3 to 2 paid for natural blackjacks these houses require 6 to 5. This means that if with previous rules you would get $15 dollars when betting $10 a hand, now you will only get $12 for a natural blackjack. And this leads to the house edge raised by 1.4%, leaving the player who's using the basic strategy with a 2% disadvantage.

To make things even worse, these casinos are advertising these new rules as an advantage to the player. And inexperienced players fall for such ads, not realizing that they get ripped off in comparison with typical blackjack. The best way to win at such games is to avoid them at all, as it's not the blackjack most people can win these days. Find a casino with a 3 to 3 blackjack payout and feel the difference.

Money transfers and online casinos

noreply@blogger.com (Prijent Shrestha) — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 04:57:25 PST

More or less any place you go on the internet, you can see goods or services you want and pay for them. Most sites accept credit cards. Those that do not, deal with the other players in the banking world to make sure the funds get where they are supposed to go. This works whether you are buying clothes for your newborn baby or hard core pornography. E-commerce is the new life blood of trade. Yet, when it comes to online gambling, something dramatic happened in the US. If you are resident anywhere else in the world, all the standard methods for transferring money work with online casinos. You can open an account using a credit card and your winnings can be transferred to any bank account you nominate. But, if you are resident in the US, the world was turned on its head by the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 (UIGEA). The history of this is revealing.

A bill dealing with security in our ports was working its way through the legislative process and, at the last moment, the internet restrictions were added. They had nothing to do with the security of ports. It was a device to slip the law through without real debate. As a result, it suddenly became illegal for any financial institution to transfer funds to an internet gambling operation except for horse racing, online lotteries and fantasy sports. So states protected their revenue streams with lotteries and the racing industry gained an edge over all their competitors. This law is probably unconstitutional but, so far, the courts have been reluctant to give clear rulings. This leave US players with real problems. No matter where the online casino is based, it's still difficult to open an account and recover winnings. So how do you get round the law?

The first option is to use eChecks. This produces an immediate electronic funds transfer between your bank account and the payee casino. They work in exactly the same way as paper checks. But a word of caution - one company providing this service was recently shut down by the Attorney General of New York. Although other companies continue to offer eChecks, this method is risky with winnings being seized in the New York court action. The alternatives are the following. A limited number of casinos including Rushmore accept American Express, bank drafts, wire transfers and checks for opening an account and making deposits. But these methods cannot be used for withdrawals. This brings us down to Central Coin, Citadel, Click2Pay, CLICKANDBUY, NETeller and others. Online casinos pick and choose which methods they accept. Alternatively, you have to set up a third party account outside the US and transfer the funds into and out of that account instead of directly to the casino.

It should not be this difficult to play your favorite casino games and there are various moves in the pipeline to encourage the lawmakers to repeal this oppressive law. While there's no constitutional right to gamble as such, this law chills the banks and achieves prohibition by the backdoor. While we wait for either a definitive court ruling or Washington to act, find the online casino with the payment methods you can access and set to enjoying your favorite online casino games.

Goal machine Ronaldo seals another Real victory

noreply@blogger.com (Prijent Shrestha) — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 02:54:15 PDT

Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo made it nine goals in seven games by bagging a brace as Real Madrid's 'Galacticos' defeated 10-man Marseille 3-0 on Tuesday in their first Champions League match in front of their Santiago Bernabeu crowd. It means Real have now won all seven of their matches this season, two in the Champions League and five in the league, and sit top of Group C with a maximum six points.

Real blitzed Marseille with three goals in six minutes; Ronaldo, who now has four Champions League goals in two games, scored two and won the penalty that led to the other. "Cristiano is a player that can make a difference at any moment and is always capable of scoring a goal," said stand-in captain Guti. "We want to try and get through this group as soon as possible by winning it. For now we have a big league game on Sunday against Sevilla who are on a roll but then so are we."

Marquee summer signing Ronaldo opened the scoring on 58 minutes and then won a spot-kick three minutes later which saw Marseille centre-back Souleymane Diawara dismissed for a second yellow card. Kaka converted the penalty kick and Ronaldo struck again in the 64th minute to show why Real paid a world record 94 million euros for his services.

Ronaldo went off shortly after his second goal with a knock to his right ankle which makes him a doubt for Sunday's match with Sevilla. AC Milan's shock 1-0 defeat at home to FC Zurich gives Real a three-point lead in the group and Madrid now have a double-header against Milan starting at home on October 21.

"We are scoring goals and not conceding them, which is always good," said Xabi Alonso. "We have two games against Milan now which will test us. The first game is at home so we have to make that advantage count." Captain Raul, the all-time top-scorer in the Champions League, had to be content with a place on the substitutes' bench as new French star Karim Benzema started against his compatriots.

Ronaldo and Kaka joined Benzema in an attacking trident with Xabi Alonso and Fernando Gago employed in defensive midfield. There were familiar faces to the Real fans in the Marseille line-up as Argentine defender Gabriel Heinze and veteran striker Fernando Morientes returned to their old stomping ground.

Heinze spent two seasons at the club before being let go by incoming coach Manuel Pellegrini in the summer while Morientes won three Champions League titles with Real and was given a warm welcome from the home fans. Off the pitch there was a beefed-up police presence, after Marseille's last visit to Madrid saw them clash with baton-wielding riot police at the Vicente Calderon during a group match with Atletico Madrid.

There was no repeat of those ugly scenes, though, and the match took centre stage although it was a low-key opening from Real, who only had a half-chance from Sergio Ramos to show from the first 20 minutes. Marseille, fourth in their domestic league, had a chance of their own on the quarter-hour mark but Iker Casillas was on his toes and raced out to swipe the ball from visiting captain Mamadou Niang.

On 26 minutes the Senegalese star skipped past Pepe but had to shoot from an acute angle and Casillas was on hand again to save with his chest. It was a warning that appeared to spur Real into action and Benzema went agonisingly close twice. First of all the ex-Lyon striker saw a brilliant overhead kick go just over and was then thwarted in a one-on-one by goalkeeper Steve Mandanda.

In the second half Real found their stride and took the lead through a route-one goal, with Pepe's long ball finding Ronaldo who carefully placed a low shot beneath the advancing Mandanda. The former Manchester United man then drew a foul from Diawara which earned the defender a second yellow card and allowed Kaka to put Real 2-0 up with a confidently taken penalty. Ronaldo continued his rich vein of form in front of goal with an easy tap-in to wrap up the game after slick inter-play between Benzema and Kaka.

Ronaldo, Kaka give Real 2-0 win at Villarrea

noreply@blogger.com (Prijent Shrestha) — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 05:51:31 PDT

A superb early goal from Cristiano Ronaldo and a second-half Kaka penalty gave Real Madrid a 2-0 win at 10-man Villarreal in La Liga on Wednesday. Real paid around 160 million euros ($236 million) for the Portuguese winger and Brazilian playmaker in the close season, including a world record 94 million euros for Ronaldo, and the gulf in class was evident from the start.

The home side were rocked back in the second minute when Ronaldo sped down the left wing, cut inside and struck with a low shot from just outside the penalty area for his fifth league goal in four matches. Villarreal defender Gonzalo Rodriguez was sent off 10 minutes before the break, earning a second yellow card for catching Kaka in the chest with a reckless flying kick.

Kaka stepped up to double Real's lead in the 73rd minute when the referee ruled Angel Lopez had handled Marcelo's cross and Gonzalo Higuain and Ronaldo both went close as Real pressed for a third. Their fourth win out of four put them level on 12 points with champions Barcelona, who thrashed Racing Santander 4-1 on Tuesday thanks to two goals from Lionel Messi and one apiece from Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Gerard Pique.

Ronaldo scored inside the first minute in Sunday's 5-0 rout of promoted Xerez and he said his early goal on Wednesday had thrown Villarreal off their stride. "They are difficult to beat at home but we managed it and after Kaka's goal we were more in control," he told reporters. At the Calderon, Atletico Madrid conceded an equaliser in the 89th minute to draw 2-2 with Almeria, increasing the pressure on coach Abel Resino with his side on just two points from four matches.

Athletic Bilbao missed their chance to make it four wins out of four when they lost 1-0 at promoted Tenerife and Manu del Moral scored twice and Pedro Leon curled in a stunning freekick as Getafe came from a goal down to beat visiting Valencia 3-1. Uruguayan striker Diego Forlan missed a first-half penalty for Atletico before Almeria took the lead in the 26th minute when Albert Crusat found space on the left and crossed for Pablo Piatti to finish past Roberto.

Cleber Santana equalised and a defensive error let Forlan to give Atletico the lead 10 minutes into the second half. Piatti then grabbed his second to secure a point for Hugo Sanchez's side and Atletico's players and staff were whistled from the pitch by their disgruntled fans.

Messi pushes formidable Barca to the summit

noreply@blogger.com (Prijent Shrestha) — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 22:11:53 PDT

Champions Barcelona moved back to the top of the Spanish table with a thumping 4-1 win at Racing Santander on Tuesday to maintain their perfect start to the season. Argentine Lionel Messi scored a brace, including a brilliant solo goal, making him the league's top-scorer with five goals while Zlatan Ibrahimovic continued his record of scoring in every game and now has four to his name.

It is a maximum 12 points from four games for Barcelona representing their best start since the 1997/98 season. Real Madrid can move level on points with Barca if they can win at Villarreal on Wednesday. Barca blitzed Atletico Madrid at the weekend with four goals inside the first 41 minutes and did the trick again in Santander establishing a three-goal lead by the 26th minute.

A destructive six-minute spell saw Ibrahimovic open the scoring in the 20th minute to maintain his goal a game record. Three minutes later Messi exchanged passes with Xavi before curling into the corner for his fourth goal of the season. Gerard Pique, getting a reputation for a goalscoring defender, netted the third on 26 minutes after a great touch from Ibrahimovic.

It could have been more in a one-sided first-half with Ibrahimovic hitting the post and Messi having a goal ruled out for offside. Ibrahimovic had to go off in the second half because of a twisted ankle with Pedro coming on in in his place. Messi then wriggled past three defenders to score his second goal of the game before Oscar Serrano netted a consolation goal.

Sevilla notched a third successive win to join Real Madrid and Athletic Bilbao on nine points after defeating Real Mallorca 2-0 at home on Tuesday. Mallorca could have gone top of the table with a victory but Sevilla were a cut above and took the spoils thanks to first-half goals from Sebastian Squillaci and Argentine Diego Perotti.

Sevilla welcomed back Brazilian international Luis Fabiano but it was French centre-back Squillaci who surprisingly opened the scoring after 17 minutes. It was a goal made in France with Julien Escude heading the ball across goal for compatriot Squillaci to head in off the underside of the crossbar. The second goal was created brilliantly by Fabiano and Jesus Navas who crossed for Perotti to head home from close range.

Mallorca had a golden chance to make it 2-1 close to half-time but Fernando Varela was foiled by Andres Palop. Brazilian Adriano almost made it 3-0 minutes after the interval but a last-ditch block denied him a brilliant solo goal. Sevilla climb to third with their third consecutive victory while Mallorca lie sixth after their first defeat of the campaign.

"We were 2-0 up and could have scored two more but then we relaxed," said Sevilla coach Manolo Jimenez. "We can't afford to do that because games can last 90 or sometimes 95 minutes and you have to play right until the end."

Real Madrid's expensive 'Galacticos' face their hardest test so far with a trip to Villarreal on Wednesday as coach Manuel Pellegrini goes back to his old club. "It is a joy to go back to Villarreal," said Pellegrini. "There were five years at a great club and I met some fantastic people. The fans always treated me well during my time there and I hope I get a good reception."

Pellegrini has guided Real to three straight victories while his successor at Villarreal Ernesto Valverde has yet to win a game. Atletico Madrid, another team looking for a top four spot, have also had a nervy start with just one point from nine ahead of Wednesday's home match against Almeria. Coach Abel Resino got the dreaded vote of confidence from Atletico president Enrique Cerezo this week following the 5-2 humiliation by Barcelona over the weekend.

Rampant Chelsea make it six in a row

noreply@blogger.com (Prijent Shrestha) — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 21:51:59 PDT

Chelsea extended their 100 percent record under Carlo Ancelotti as goals from Ashley Cole, Michael Ballack and Didier Drogba gave them a comfortable 3-0 victory over London rivals Tottenham at Stamford Bridge on Sunday. The win was enough to lift them back above Manchester United to the summit of the Premier League, three points ahead of their rivals, who had briefly gone top with a 4-3 win over Manchester City earlier in the day.

Tottenham were second best but left having lost more than three points as defenders Ledley King and Sebastien Bassong both suffered serious-looking injuries. Drogba, along with Jose Bosingwa, had returned to the home line-up following midweek Champions League suspension, with Branislav Ivanovic and Salomon Kalou making way.

Chelsea almost opened the scoring in the eighth minute when right-back Bosingwa latched on to Ballack's header and fired in a shot from the edge of the area. Tottenham goalkeeper Carlo Cudicini, the ex-Chelsea man, was relieved to see the ball rebound back into play off top of his near post. Jermain Defoe should have given Tottenham the lead three minutes later though when he was played through by Wilson Palacios's fine ball.

The England marksman already has five Premier League goals to his name this season but this time was denied by the boot of Petr Cech, the Chelsea goalkeeper. Cech was needed again to deflect away Tom Huddlestone's long-ranger, which caught him by surprise, and Jermaine Jenas fired wide by the most slender of margins from the next attack. Chelsea's reply was a header from Frank Lampard that wasn't far away either and an effort from Nicolas Anelka that fizzed into the side-netting.

The home side's appeals for a penalty when Vedran Corluka and Ballack collided in the box were ignored by referee Howard Webb but the reprieve was short-lived for the Croatia defender as Chelsea scored seconds later. Drogba fired in a cross from the right that was met by Cole's diving header, with the left-back having stolen in ahead of Corluka.

The second half began with Lampard scuffing a good chance wide but there was trouble for Tottenham when centre-back King's already-damaged knee failed him and he was replaced by Alan Hutton. Webb had another decision to make when Ricardo Carvalho challenged Robbie Keane in the Chelsea box. Again he ruled no penalty should be awarded although the defender appeared to clip Keane.

Chelsea doubled their lead through Ballack straight afterwards. Anelka's cross was chested down by Drogba and Cudicini could not hold on to the low shot that followed. Lampard was first to the loose ball and set up the German for a tap-in. Further disaster for Corluka and Cudicini followed when Cole's long ball over the top sent Drogba clear of the Croatian, who had switched to centre-back in King's absence.

Out came Cudicini only for Corluka to divert the ball past him and Drogba collect it for another tap-in. Cudicini almost cost Tottenham another when he let slip a shot from John Obi Mikel, who had come on for Ballack, but the Italian just managed to claw it away before it trundled over the line. Yet there was further misery for Spurs when Bassong fell heavily and had to be stretchered off, a fate that then befell Drogba five minutes before the end.

Arsenal thrash Wigan 4-0, Liverpool win at West Ham

noreply@blogger.com (Prijent Shrestha) — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 22:53:46 PDT

Arsenal bounced back from two successive Premier League defeats in emphatic style by thrashing Wigan Athletic 4-0 at the Emirates on Saturday while Liverpool triumphed 3-2 at West Ham United. Belgian centre back Thomas Vermaelen got two for Arsenal in a one-sided affair while Fernando Torres grabbed a double as Liverpool overcame a West Ham side who twice came from behind.

Aston Villa also gained ground on the leaders with a 2-0 home win over Portsmouth, who are still without a point after six games. Promoted Burnley's good start continued when they beat Sunderland 3-1 with two goals on debut from on-loan striker David Nugent, Birmingham City beat Hull City 1-0 away while Bolton Wanderers and Stoke City drew 1-1.

Liverpool and Villa move on to 12 points -- joining Manchester United, Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur --while Chelsea lead the way with a maximum 15 points. There are four games on Sunday, including the Manchester derby and Chelsea versus Spurs at Stamford Bridge. Arsenal began the day nine points behind Chelsea having lost to Manchester United and City in their last two games but were back to their imperious best on home soil.

Their early control was rewarded after 25 minutes when Vermaelen headed in a corner. Vermaelen, already looking an astute summer signing after joining from Ajax Amsterdam for a reported 10 million pounds ($16.35 million), doubled the lead with a superbly taken left footed curler four minutes into the second half.

Emmanuel Eboue got the third on the hour when he diverted an Eduardo Da Silva shot after the Croatian's initial effort came back from a post. Cesc Fabregas, limping heavily, backheeled the fourth in the last minute to take Arsenal's goal tally to 17 in five league games - only three of them wins. "We scored four today and we could have scored more. That shows we have potential," manager Arsene Wenger told reporters.

"It is good for the confidence of the team that we didn't concede and I think we will be more solid as we get used to the way we want to play. "I believe we have produced quality performances since the start of the season but weren't rewarded twice. "Today we have shown attitude quality, fluency and I'm very optimistic there is something special in this team."

Liverpool went ahead after 20 minutes when Fernando Torres burst through in the area but West Ham, with only one win over the visitors in nine years, equalised with an Alessandro Diamanti penalty after Zavon Hines, who hit a post early on, was brought down by Jamie Carragher.

Dirk Kuyt restored their lead after 41 minutes when he diverted a Steven Gerrard header into the net only for Carlton Cole to level again at the end of the half with a sharp glancing header. Liverpool gradually exerted more and more pressure in the second half and took the points when Torres nodded in Ryan Babel's cross after 75 minutes.

Lionel Messi sparks five-goal Barcelona to victory

noreply@blogger.com (Prijent Shrestha) — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 22:50:11 PDT

Argentine star Lionel Messi celebrated his new deal with Barcelona by scoring twice in the European champions' 5-2 win over floundering Atletico Madrid on Saturday. Messi signed a two-year contract extension on Friday which will keep him at the club until 2016, with a buy-out clause rising from 150 million to an even more staggering 250 million euros.

He showed his value to the defending champions on Saturday as Barcelona made it three wins in three games to stay top of the table. Having failed to record a win so far this season the signs were ominous for Atletico ahead of their visit to the Nou Camp, and with memories of their 5-1 defeat by Barca in their last visit to Catalonia still fresh, they quickly went behind after a good finish from Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

In an open game, Messi then scored the first of a brace, rounding the keeper after being put clear by Xavi Hernandez. Atletico too had their chances though with Dmytro Chygrynskiy having a rocky home debut at centre half. Maxi Rodriguez and Jose Jurado had chances to pull a goal back before a Dani Alves free-kick and a Seydou Keita tap-in gave Barca a 4-0 advantage.

A poor header from Sergio Busquets set up Sergio Aguero who pulled a goal back before half-time. Barcelona took their foot off the pedal after the break but continued to control the game except for rare counter-attacks from Atletico, one of which, leading to a Diego Forlan goals six minutes from time.

Messi though completed the scoring during injury time. New signing Alvaro Negredo scored his first goal for Sevilla, who gave further evidence that they will be a force to reckon with this season as they beat Osasuna 2-0. It was over 15 years since Sevilla last won in Pamplona but the Osasuna defence struggled with the power and strength of Negredo and Frederic Kanoute from the start - the Malian hitting the crossbar mid-way through the first half.

Osasuna did enjoy some possession if few chances and it was Negredo, supplied by Adriano Correia, who put the visitors ahead after 36 minutes. In the second half Walter Pandiani missed a glorious chance to equalise before Kanoute doubled Sevilla's advantage and secured the victory. Late on Sergio Fernandez was dismissed for a strong challenge on Diego Perotti to add to Osasuna's woes.

Racing Santander came out on top with their clash with Malaga who will rue missed chances. The match finished 2-1 with Sergio Duda equalising a first half goal from Manuel Arana but Nasief Morris headed home the winner eleven minutes from time. The home forward line, and especially Edinho and Nabil Baha, will look back with regret though on their poor finishing.

Earlier Real Mallorca equalled their best ever start to a season with a convincing 4-0 win over newly promoted Tenerife. The Balearic Island side took the game to Tenerife from the start, going ahead after 16 minutes through Mario Suarez. With the ball loose in the penalty area following a corner, the midfielder was quickest to react and slotted home.

Tenerife fought back and had the chances to equalise before half-time notably for Richi Perez, who failed one-on-one with the keeper but in the second half Mallorca finished off the match. Artiz Aduriz completed a good move after 50 minutes and then eight minutes later Julio Alvarez was put through by Borja Valero and he beat the keeper clinically. Then two minutes before time a Pierre Webo penalty completed the rout.

After the match coach Gregorio Manzano claimed that his side were technically superior."We should not get carried away as in the first half Tenerife had a reasonable amount of possession. We changed our system in the second half and that was when Tenerife really struggled," he said.

Bottom side Espanyol managed their first win of the season, and their first goals, with a 3-2 away win at Deportivo la Coruna. Real Madrid spent heavily over the summer looking to bring an end to Barca's dominance.

While it had been said that Cristiano Ronaldo was feeling the pressure of expectancy after his high-profile move from Manchester United his two goals for Real in their midweek Champions League victory over FC Zurich will have worked well to take the pressure off his shoulders. As the team prepare to face Xerez on Sunday the bad news is that they will be without Xabi Alonso for up to ten days with a calf injury.

Barcelona held to 0-0 draw at Inter Milan

noreply@blogger.com (Prijent Shrestha) — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 05:01:31 PDT

Defending champion Barcelona was held to a 0-0 draw by Inter Milan to start their Champions League campaign Wednesday, as the matchup between Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Samuel Eto'o against their former teams fizzled out to a rain-soaked stalemate. Ibrahimovic and Lionel Messi had good chances to break the deadlock in the first half, but the rugged Inter defense stopped the Spaniards from building any attacking momentum in the second.

Inter came close twice in the second half, with Wesley Sneijder and substitute Dejan Stankovic narrowly missing the target with their efforts. Barcelona started the Group F match the brighter of the two teams. He went on a dribbling run in the second minute past Lucio and Javier Zanetti, but goalkeeper Julio Cesar saved the shot.

In his first match back at the San Siro, Ibrahimovic's first touch of the ball was greeted with a chorus of whistles from Inter's fans but they dissipated as the match went on. The Sweden forward had a great scoring chance in the seventh minute. Daniel Alves chipped over the defense to him, but Ibrahimovic hit his volley high and wide with only Cesar to beat.

A minute later, Messi's header forcing Cesar to react quickly to the danger after Alves had crossed to the Argentine at the far post. Neither team was able to take control of the match, with a number of promising moves breaking down as players drifted offside and passes failed to reach their intended target.

Diego Milito had Inter's best chance in the 28th. Cesar punted down field and Barcelona's defense failed to react, allowing the former Genoa striker to cut inside Gerard Pique to shoot, but goalkeeper Victor Valdes dived low to save the shot. Barcelona came close to scoring twice more before halftime. In the 41st, Xavi chipped the ball to Alves in the area. The Brazilian pulled it back to Seydou Keita, but the Malian hit a weak shot and Cesar scrambled to make the save.

Then, with one minute remaining in the half, Messi produced a typical run off the right wing, hit a powerful drive but again Cesar came to Inter's rescue, acrobatically pushing the ball away for a corner. Inter went close in the 47th when Eto'o rolled the ball across the edge of the area to Sneijder, whose shot went just wide of the post.

Barcelona continued to play its short passing game but was often crowded out by Inter's defense. Inter's Thiago Motta put Xavi under pressure in central midfield, with fullbacks Cristian Chivu and Maicon limiting Messi's and Thierry Henry's runs. Even the introduction of Andres Iniesta failed to spark Barcelona, while neither Messi and Xavi managed to exert a telling influence toward the end of the match.

Ronaldo, Kaka eye new golden Real Euro era

noreply@blogger.com (Prijent Shrestha) — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 02:48:55 PDT

Cristiano Ronaldo and Kaka, who cost Real Madrid over 150 million euros, aim to lead the Spanish giants to a 10th European title this Ronaldo, Kaka season, with their campaign starting in the humble surroundings of FC Zurich on Tuesday. Ronaldo, the world's most expensive player, insists the historic winning mentality at the club will be key to driving them to a place in the Champions League final which will be staged at their Santiago Bernabeu home in May next year.

"This is a club used to winning, a lot of the players here are winners, but now it's about a new team and a new squad," said Ronaldo, keen to dismiss comparisons with the Galactico era. "That's why we have to create the right mentality for us to win the league, the Champions League and the cups. This is a club obsessed with winning and now the players here have to think the same way."

Real's last Champions League triumph came in 2002 and with bitter rivals Barcelona taking the title last season, the club's ambition has been sharpened further.Last season Real Madrid were beaten 5-0 on aggregate by Liverpool in the first knockout round. It was the fifth successive season they had lost out in the last 16.

"The ambition is to win the Champions League," said Kaka. "On top of that, you have the possibility of us being at home (in the final) and it would be fantastic to play the final at the Bernabeu." Real and FC Zurich have met once before in the competition but that was 45 years ago with the Spaniards winning 8-1 over two legs in the semi-final before losing to Inter Milan 3-1 in the final.

Defender Raul Albiol is a doubt for Real having twisted his ankle against Espanyol at the weekend while Pepe could make his first appearance this season. The Portuguese centre-back is suspended for two more games in the Spanish league - as part of a 10-match ban imposed last season for violent conduct - but is eligible to play in Europe.

Zurich reached this stage with a play-off defeat of FK Ventspils with Johan Vonlanthen, Silvan Aegerter and Dusan Djuric securing a 3-0 win in Latvia before second-leg strikes from Vonlanthen and Almen Abdi completed a 5-1 aggregate victory.

Williams sisters reach US Open doubles final

noreply@blogger.com (Prijent Shrestha) — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 09:54:49 PDT

Serena and Venus Williams are back in the US Open women's doubles final for the first time in a decade. The fourth-seeded Americans beat No. 13-seeded Alisa Kleybanova and Ekaterina Makarova of Russia 7-6 (4), 3-6, 6-2 in the semi-finals Thursday.

The Williams sisters are aiming for their 10th career Grand Slam doubles title as a pair and third this season. Their only US Open doubles championship came in 1999.

They are 9-0 in major doubles finals. The other semi-final, scheduled for Friday, pits the defending champions and top-seeded pair of Cara Black and Liezel Huber against the third-seeded team of Samantha Stosur and Rennae Stubbs.

Federer reaches US Open semi-finals

noreply@blogger.com (Prijent Shrestha) — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 09:55:43 PDT

Top seed and defending champion Roger Federer reached the US Open semi-finals on Wednesday by defeating Robin Soderling 6-0, 6-3, 6-7 (6/8), 7-6 (8/6), but the Swede made him scrap for it after a dismal start. It will be a record 22nd consecutive appearance in a Grand Slam semi-final for the Swiss star who is also bidding to win a record-equalling sixth straight US Open title.

Federer will play Serbian fourth seed Novak Djokovic for a place in Sunday's final and the chance to win a 16th Grand Slam title, two more than all-time second best Pete Sampras. "It was so close towards the end and it's a great relief to come through because he played better and better as the game went on," he said.

"It was too easy at the start, but he battled his way back into it and showed what a great player he is. "It was cool when it started and being from Switzerland that was OK with me, but then it got cooler and him being from Sweden that was in his favour."

Soderling had two break points on Federer's opening serve but after failing to convert either of those, he was simply blown away by the artistry and power of the Swiss star's game. The first set was wrapped up in just 26 minutes with Soderling left shaking his head at his own inability to do anything about stopping the onslaught.

Soderling, who lost to Federer in the French Open final after pulling off the upset of the year by ending Rafael Nadal's reign at Roland Garros, finally opened his account by holding serve to draw level 1-1 in the second set. The big Swede stayed with Federer until 2-2, but then dropped serve for a fourth time and Federer raced away to take the set 6-3 after a bout of racquet-smashing from his frustrated opponent.

The third set saw Soderling steady the sinking ship and he even had two break points to lead 4-2, but they both were rubbed out by big serves from Federer. He did succeed in dragging Federer into a tie-break but fell quickly behind 4-0. It looked all over, but with nothing to lose, and finally unleashing his big serves and forehands, Soderling clawed his way back into it from 2-5 down to force a fourth set by taking the tie-break 8-6.

It was just the second set Soderling had taken off Federer in 12 matches dating back to 2004. There was just a hint of frustration from Federer over his inability to put Soderling away as the Swede stubbornly hung on to his serve in the fourth set to force a second tie-break. Both men sent down some big serves and Soderling had a set point at 6-5 to force a fifth set, but hit a forehand long and wide.

Federer then took the final two points of the match to chalk up his 40th straight win at Flushing Meadows, including one walkover. Turning to his semi-final against Djikovic, Federer said: "I've played him here the last couple of years, a final and a semi. "It will be a tough match and I am looking forward to it."

World Cup in sight for England, Serbia, Spain

noreply@blogger.com (Prijent Shrestha) — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 05:24:27 PDT

England, Serbia, Spain and Slovakia can all book their places at next summer's World Cup in South Africa when European qualifying Spain players continues on Wednesday. England and Serbia have the most straightforward tasks, with both sides needing just a victory to secure top spot in their respective groups and subsequently progress to the finals.

Fabio Capello's England take on Croatia at Wembley, while Serbia welcome Raymond Domenech's under-achieving France to Belgrade.European champions Spain, meanwhile, can guarantee their passage only if they beat Estonia in Merida and second-placed Bosnia-Herzegovina fail to win at home to Turkey.Slovakia will qualify if they win in Northern Ireland and the match between Slovenia and Poland in Maribor ends in a draw.

A place in a fourth consecutive World Cup awaits England if they beat Croatia, but revenge is also likely to be a motivating factor for the home side.The Croats prevented England from qualifying for Euro 2008 by beating them 3-2 on a sodden November night at Wembley in 2007 and England midfielder Gareth Barry says the players will draw inspiration from that dispiriting defeat.

"There's a lot of players in that dressing room who won't forget that night at Wembley and we're back here again," said the Manchester City man."There'll be a few memories but it's a different manager and a different team and although it will be in the back of our minds, we'll be confident."

England's failure two years ago set in motion a chain of events that saw Capello replace Steve McClaren at the helm and the Italian has since overseen a run of seven straight competitive wins.Croatia, though, arrive desperate for points in their bid to finish ahead of third-placed Ukraine and coach Slaven Bilic has upped the ante by claiming that England have lost vital qualities under Capello.

"They are a very different team," said Bilic."They have some advantages but they are also missing something from their game. They are missing some Englishness, some of the things that have always made England teams difficult to defend against and play against," added Bilic, who spent four years in England playing for West Ham and Everton.

Croatia's Balkan neighbours Serbia go into their crunch clash with France in a far healthier position, four points clear of Domenech's men and with South Africa in sight.Radomir Antic's side will be just three points away from qualifying even if they only manage a draw on Wednesday, but Antic says they will not be playing it safe.

"We're not interested in any calculations, we got the result we wanted from the France v Romania match [1-1] and it's now our turn to prove our worth," said the former Atletico Madrid handler."We know who we're up against but we're improving all the time and we want to make an impact on the world soccer map, not just qualify for the World Cup."

France are not the only major nation in danger of missing out on qualification, as Portugal currently trail Group One leaders Denmark by seven points.The play-offs already look Portugal's most likely route to South Africa, but defeat to second-placed Hungary in Budapest on Wednesday would leave Cristiano Ronaldo
and co with only a mathematical chance of finishing second.

"We have to raise our heads and keep believing," said Portugal coach Carlos Queiroz. "The game is not over and while it lasts, we have to believe."Denmark can move to within three points of qualification if they win in Albania, while Group Two leaders Switzerland will also be within touching distance of the finals if they win in Latvia and Greece fail to beat Moldova.Elsewhere, Scotland can secure second place in Group Nine with a draw at home to Bert van Marwijk's already-qualified Netherlands.

Spain crush Belgium to near World Cup

noreply@blogger.com (Prijent Shrestha) — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 05:16:25 PDT

European champions Spain moved to within touching distance of the World Cup finals after coasting to a 5-0 win over Belgium in La Coruna Spain on Saturday.Valencia duo David Silva and David Villa both scored twice with Barcelona defender Gerard Pique also on target in the five-goal romp and the scoreline should have been more emphatic.

The double from Villa, who also missed a penalty, raises his international goals tally to 33 in just 51 games as he closes in on the national record of 44 held by Real Madrid striker Raul. Spain have a flawless seven wins at the top of Group 5, six points ahead of second-placed Bosnia Herzegovina who won 2-0 at Armenia.

If Spain beat Estonia in Merida on Wednesday and Bosnia fail to beat Turkey they will qualify for the World Cup finals with two games to spare. "It was nice to win and get back scoring again (after three games without a goal)," said Villa.

"We started so well and should have been more than 1-0 up at the break. I missed my penalty although it was a bit unfortunate although I will be ready to take the next one that comes up." Silva added: "It was an important game to win and we did it well. I am coming back following injury and just hope I can continue injury-free for the rest of the season."

Villarreal midfielder Marcos Senna failed to recover from a knock sustained at the weekend so emerging Barcelona star Sergi Busquets, 21, won his seventh cap starting alongside Xabi Alonso in central midfield. Alonso's Real Madrid team-mate Alvaro Arbeloa was also handed a chance to impress at right-back with Sergio Ramos still injured.

Injuries meant Belgium had to hand a tough debut to goalkeeper Jean Francois Gillet. Gillet had a busy game throughout and Villa went close twice in the opening ten minutes. Villa zipped a low shot just wide of post in the eighth minute and then spurned a golden chance two minutes later with the debutant goalkeeper blocking his effort with his legs.

Belgium were struggling and Arsenal defender Thomas Vermaelen collected the first yellow card of the match for hacking down Fernando Torres. In the 21st minute Villa won a soft penalty by wrongfooting Anthony Vanden Borre and picked himself up for the spot-kick. The Valencia striker opted to strike his penalty down the middle and Gillet saved with his trailing foot.

Villa then hit the post before setting up Silva for the goal on 41 minutes with a delightful pass and Silva made no mistake with a clinical finish for only his fourth international goal. After a frustrating first half Villa got his goal four minutes after the break with a trademark right-footed finish.

Sixty seconds later centre-half Pique showed a striker's composure in the penalty area to make it 3-0 before Silva smashed in a terrific second goal. Villa grabbed the final goal of the game on 85 minutes as Spain tore the visitors apart on the counter attack. Belgium have just seven points so can forget the World Cup in South Africa while Spain are on the brink of qualifying and would go to the tournament as one of the favourites.