Red Sox fans will have been singing this for quite a while now. 8.5 games ahead of Tampa on September 1st. 6-19 since then, including a 3-0 series loss at Tampa and a 2-1 series loss at Fenway Park to Tampa, is really not good enough. Now with just 2 regular season games left, against Baltimore away, they have to make them count. Surely against the team with the 4th worst record in the whole league (68-92), and the 2nd worst home record in the AL (38-41), Boston can do the business. Last night seemed to suggest they cannot.
A 6-3 loss summed up BoSox's September really. It was a nervy start, but they did settle down. Even so, it was slowly going downhill for Boston, but they were holding on. Just. Until the 6th innings. Baltimore had 1 out left, when Andino went for it. It looked for all the world like Ellsbury had made the catch, but as he caught the ball he flew straight into the wall and it jumped out. This gave Andino and inside-the-park 3-run homer and gave Orioles the game.
Tampa meanwhile, have gone 15-10 in September and done extraordinarily well to claw back the 8.5 game deficit to be level with 2 games left. Now they face their 2nd biggest challenge of the season; to beat New York Yankees and win the AL Wild Card slot. Even at home where they have a solid record (45-34), Tampa may struggle. Yankees have the best away record (45-34) in the American League, and the 2nd best overall. But once again, last night was key.
The Rays went down 2-0 early on in the game, but they showed why they're joint-leaders on the Wild Card race as they rallied back to take the game 5-2. In the bottom of the 3rd, Upton doubled to bring Brignac and Jennings through to tie the game, and then Damon secured his 2,721st career hit (which lifted him above Lou Gehrig to 57th in the list of All-Time Career Hits) hit to bring Upton in for the lead. Another run in the 4th and another in the 7th gave Tampa victory, and the joint-lead in the Wild Card standings.
As for what I think will happen. Sox will win tonight and lose tomorrow, whereas Tampa will lose tonight and win tomorrow. If this happens, or another scenario of the like, a playoff game will take place at the home of Tampa, Tropicana Field, on Thursday. In that game, anything could happen. I reckon Sox will win if it gets to that stage, but it'll be close.
As for the National League, 2 teams also remain. Atlanta Braves are 1 game up on Pujols and St. Louis Cardinals. Braves face Phillies at home, who have the best league-wide record (100-60), whilst Cards face Houston away, who have the worst league-wide record (56-104). Cards had the chance to go level at the top last night when Atlanta lost 4-2, but they also lost, their score being 5-4, with the killer blow coming in the 10th innnings.
I'm going to opt for Cardinals winning their remaining games, and Braves winning 1. Ordinarily I would say that Cards would win it outright, but Phillies have been struggling recently, so I think they will only win 1. If there was to be a playoff game, as my prediction suggests, it will be held at the home of the Cardinals, Busch Stadium.
Tuesday, 27 September 2011
Sunday, 18 September 2011
NFL Week 1
It's that time of year again. The time when 32 teams all have hope that they can become World Champions. It's NFL time! After the anxiousness of the lockout, which seems like an eternity ago, we're back! And, as is tradition for the NFL opening fixture, we start on a Thursday with the reigning Super Bowl champions, Green Bay Packers. They were matched up against 2010 champions New Orleans Saints, who were not given the opportunity to defend their title when they lost at the hands of the first ever team to qualify for the postseason with a losing record, Seattle Seahawks, in an NFC Wild Card playoff game. A high-scoring affair started with Packers asserting their dominance in the opening quarter when they scored 3 touchdowns, compared to Saints single TD. The 2nd and 3rd quarters were both won by Saints 10-7, but that still meant they trailed 35-27 going into the 4th quarter. They traded TDs in the 4th quarter, but this left Saints 8 behind in their final drive. The final play looked to have failed when Sproles couldn't hold on to Brees' pass in the end zone, but Hawk was called for pass interference and Saints lined up the final play of the game on the Green Bay 1-yard line. Brees handed the ball off to rookie Mark Ingram, but it wasn't to be as he was held up just short of the line, meaning Packers won 42-34.
There were some shock results on Sunday's games, with Colts, Steelers and Falcons all losing to opposition they probably should have beaten. Manning-less Colts were destroyed away to Houston Texans, losing 34-7, with Houston scoring all their points in the first half. This result shows just how much Colts rely on Manning, because Kerry Collins was pretty useless. He threw 197 yards from just over 50% completion rate, and was sacked 3 times. To be fair to Collins, Colts probably wouldn't have won even with Manning because Texans were proverbially on fire, but they would have made it a more respectable scoreline.
Steelers were also massacred away from home at the hands of Baltimore Ravens, as they went down 34-7. The quarterbacks were the key men, with Big Ben Roethlisberger throwing for 280 yards from 22/41 completions, but was intercepted 3 times and was sacked 3 times. Flacco on the other hand, threw for 224 yards from 17/29 completions, and threw 3 TDs. He was only sacked once and didn't get intercepted. Ray Rice was also a key man, as he totaled 107 rushing yards, which included 1 TD, and he also totaled 42 receiving yards and 1 receiving TD.. Ravens scored 2 touchdowns in the first period and were 21-7 up at half time. The 3rd quarter was the killer blow for Pittsburgh. An Ed Dickson TD was followed up with a 2-point conversion, and then a 29-yard Field Goal later on the period all but condemned Pittsburgh to their first loss of the season. Ravens added to their lead with another FG in the 4th quarter, but the game was long over when that happened.
Falcons also suffered a surprise 30-12 loss away to Jay Cutler's Chicago. Falcons were were never really in it, losing the 1st quarter 10-3 and being 16-3 down at half time. They then went on to lose the 3rd quarter 14-3, which meant it was 30-6 going into the 4th. An unconverted pick-six gave Atlanta a bit of hope as there was still 10:35 left on the clock, but it wasn't to be and Bears romped to victory.
Bengals beat a poor-looking Browns side in the Ohio derby, with a pair of late TDs leading them to a 27-17 victory. Bengals took a 10-0 lead, but Browns came back to lead 14-13 at HT. Only 3 points were scored in the 3rd quarter, with said points coming from a 20 yard FG from Browns kicker Dawson. Then with 4:31 left in 4th quarter, Bengals retook the lead thanks to rookie AJ Green and his 1st career TD. Then another touchdown 2 and 1/2 minutes later secured victory for Cincinnati.
Tennessee Titans almost claimed victory against Jacksonville, coming back from 13-0 down to lose narrowly 16-14. Jaguars went 10-0 up at HT, then late on in the 3rd quarter scored another FG to go up 13-0. Then just 4 seconds later, Tennessee scored their 1st points with a touchdown. An early field goal in the 4th quarter put Jaguars 16-7 up, and then a TD with 3:40 made the score 16-14. This created a nervous ending to the match, but Jaguars held on to win.
Buffalo Bills stormed to a 41-7 victory over Kansas City Chiefs with an outstanding performance. Fitzpatrick threw 4 TDs for Buffalo, who took a 14-0 lead in the 1st quarter. Another touchdown halfway through the 2nd quarter pretty much secured the game, but a touchdown for Chiefs just before half time brought them back into it a little bit. Two more touchdowns in the 3rd quarter emphasized Bills' victory, and then another at the start of the 4th quarter put the icing on the cake.
Mike Vick powered Eagles to an impressive 31-13 victory over St. Louis with 2 touchdowns and 98 rushing yards. He also threw for 187 yards from 14/32 completions. Rams opened up the scoring 4 minutes in, but 2 touchdowns gave Philadelphia a 14-7 lead going into the 2nd quarter. They then exchanged field goals in the 2nd quarter, and Eagles took a 24-13 lead into the final quarter. Another touchdown in quarter 4 topped it off for Eagles, who could be real contenders for the Super Bowl.
Matt Stafford threw for 305 yards to lead Detroit to victory over Tampa Bay, and also threw 3 touchdowns. Buccaneers were winning after the first quarter, but then collapsed and Lions took over. A pair of 2nd quarter touchdowns gave Detroit a healthy lead, but the quarter ended with a Tampa Bay field goal 4 seconds from the end. Another touchdown gave Lions a 27-13 lead, and they held on for the rest of the game, until Bucs scored a TD with 1:40 left. This didn't really affect the game, as they still needed another to tie the game. Lions held out to give a final result of 27-20
What a debut Cam Newton had. He set the record for the most yards on a QB's debut game, throwing 422 yards and also threw 2 touchdowns. But it still wasn't enough as Carolina fell to Arizona 28-21. They traded TDs for most of the game, but Panthers couldn't get one in the final quarter and Cards got an extra one to make up for their bagel in the 2nd. But it was all about Cam Newton. He was outstanding. Maybe not MVP this year, but very soon, based on this performance.
San Diego Chargers were on the back foot for a lot of their game against Minnesota Vikings, but that didn't matter as they still ran out eventual winners, 24-17. Down 17-7 at half time, Philip Rivers took over and Chargers scored 17 2nd half points to claim victory. He threw an impressive 335 yards, which completely outclassed Donovan McNabb, who gave the ball to Adrian Peterson to rush 16 times. McNabb threw for just 39 yards, but also rushed for 32 form just 3 carries.
Seattle Seahawks fell to a spirited 49ers side, who claimed a 33-17 victory over last season NFC West champions. After a scoreless 1st quarter, San Francisco ran riot in the second quarter to take 16-0 half time lead. The 3rd quarter was won by Seattle 7-0, which set up an exciting 4th quarter. Seattle opened the scoring right away, with a 39 yard FG sailing through the upright. David Akers then matched that with an 18 yard attempt of his own, with 5:54 left. Seattle then scored their 2nd TD of the game to cut the deficit to just 2 points at 19-17. But a 102 yard kickoff return by Ginn gave the 49ers a 2 possession advantage, and then the same player carried a punt return to end zone 1 minute later to all but give San Francisco victory.
Washington Redskins claimed a surprise 28-14 victory over New York Giants, in which Rex Grossman showed why he's a suitable replacement for McNabb. He threw 305 yards and 2 touchdowns in a 2nd half destruction of New York. The teams traded touchdowns twice in the first half to go into the break level at 14, but then Washington took over. Kerrigan scored a 9-yard pick-six which was duly converted, and then late on in the 4th, a 4-yard pass secured victory for the Redskins
In the late game, New York Jets secured victory over Dallas with a late comeback to stun the Cowboys. Cowboys looked like going into half time 10-7 up courtesy of a Bryant TD and a Bailey field goal, but a late TD in the 2nd by the Jets meant they were still in it. Another Cowboys TD put them 17-7 ahead, but a field goal pegged them back to 17-10. An early 4th quarter TD stretched Cowboys advantage to 14, but then Jets took over. A touchdown cut Dallas' lead to 1 possession, then a blocked Cowboys punt was picked up by Trufant who then ran in another TD to level things up. They then took the lead for the first time in the game with a late field goal and held on for a 27-24 win.
Tom Brady was unstoppable against Miami. He threw for 517 yards, and threw 4 touchdowns. he did throw his first interception since October last season, but I'm sure Pats fans will forgive him for that. It was a topsy-turvy game, but Pats made their plays count more to win 38-24. Dolphins just couldn't work the ball properly, despite scoring 3 TDs. The pivotal play came when Dolphins were stopped just 1 yard from the end zone, and Tom Brady took over. With the score 31-17, a Miami TD would have made for a nervy end. Instead, the opposite happened. Brady threw the ball to Welker on their own 30-yard line, who then sprinted almost unopposed to the Miami line for a 99-yard play.
In the final game of Week 1, Oakland Raiders beat Denver Broncos 23-20. Raiders were trailing 3-0 after quarter 1, but scored 16 points in the next to take a 16-3 lead into HT. Broncos then scored 10 points to Raiders' 0 in the 3rd, but an early 4th quarter TD for Oakland made it a 2-possession game. A Broncos TD set up a nervy ending, but Oakland held on.
Predicitons
My List of Week 2 winners:
Saints
Falcons
Packers
Texans
Patriots
Giants
Bills
Lions
Browns
Buccaneers
Jets
Steelers
Ravens
Cardinals
49ers
Bengals
Thanks for reading. I promise Week 2 will be out sooner
There were some shock results on Sunday's games, with Colts, Steelers and Falcons all losing to opposition they probably should have beaten. Manning-less Colts were destroyed away to Houston Texans, losing 34-7, with Houston scoring all their points in the first half. This result shows just how much Colts rely on Manning, because Kerry Collins was pretty useless. He threw 197 yards from just over 50% completion rate, and was sacked 3 times. To be fair to Collins, Colts probably wouldn't have won even with Manning because Texans were proverbially on fire, but they would have made it a more respectable scoreline.
Steelers were also massacred away from home at the hands of Baltimore Ravens, as they went down 34-7. The quarterbacks were the key men, with Big Ben Roethlisberger throwing for 280 yards from 22/41 completions, but was intercepted 3 times and was sacked 3 times. Flacco on the other hand, threw for 224 yards from 17/29 completions, and threw 3 TDs. He was only sacked once and didn't get intercepted. Ray Rice was also a key man, as he totaled 107 rushing yards, which included 1 TD, and he also totaled 42 receiving yards and 1 receiving TD.. Ravens scored 2 touchdowns in the first period and were 21-7 up at half time. The 3rd quarter was the killer blow for Pittsburgh. An Ed Dickson TD was followed up with a 2-point conversion, and then a 29-yard Field Goal later on the period all but condemned Pittsburgh to their first loss of the season. Ravens added to their lead with another FG in the 4th quarter, but the game was long over when that happened.
Falcons also suffered a surprise 30-12 loss away to Jay Cutler's Chicago. Falcons were were never really in it, losing the 1st quarter 10-3 and being 16-3 down at half time. They then went on to lose the 3rd quarter 14-3, which meant it was 30-6 going into the 4th. An unconverted pick-six gave Atlanta a bit of hope as there was still 10:35 left on the clock, but it wasn't to be and Bears romped to victory.
Bengals beat a poor-looking Browns side in the Ohio derby, with a pair of late TDs leading them to a 27-17 victory. Bengals took a 10-0 lead, but Browns came back to lead 14-13 at HT. Only 3 points were scored in the 3rd quarter, with said points coming from a 20 yard FG from Browns kicker Dawson. Then with 4:31 left in 4th quarter, Bengals retook the lead thanks to rookie AJ Green and his 1st career TD. Then another touchdown 2 and 1/2 minutes later secured victory for Cincinnati.
Tennessee Titans almost claimed victory against Jacksonville, coming back from 13-0 down to lose narrowly 16-14. Jaguars went 10-0 up at HT, then late on in the 3rd quarter scored another FG to go up 13-0. Then just 4 seconds later, Tennessee scored their 1st points with a touchdown. An early field goal in the 4th quarter put Jaguars 16-7 up, and then a TD with 3:40 made the score 16-14. This created a nervous ending to the match, but Jaguars held on to win.
Buffalo Bills stormed to a 41-7 victory over Kansas City Chiefs with an outstanding performance. Fitzpatrick threw 4 TDs for Buffalo, who took a 14-0 lead in the 1st quarter. Another touchdown halfway through the 2nd quarter pretty much secured the game, but a touchdown for Chiefs just before half time brought them back into it a little bit. Two more touchdowns in the 3rd quarter emphasized Bills' victory, and then another at the start of the 4th quarter put the icing on the cake.
Mike Vick powered Eagles to an impressive 31-13 victory over St. Louis with 2 touchdowns and 98 rushing yards. He also threw for 187 yards from 14/32 completions. Rams opened up the scoring 4 minutes in, but 2 touchdowns gave Philadelphia a 14-7 lead going into the 2nd quarter. They then exchanged field goals in the 2nd quarter, and Eagles took a 24-13 lead into the final quarter. Another touchdown in quarter 4 topped it off for Eagles, who could be real contenders for the Super Bowl.
Matt Stafford threw for 305 yards to lead Detroit to victory over Tampa Bay, and also threw 3 touchdowns. Buccaneers were winning after the first quarter, but then collapsed and Lions took over. A pair of 2nd quarter touchdowns gave Detroit a healthy lead, but the quarter ended with a Tampa Bay field goal 4 seconds from the end. Another touchdown gave Lions a 27-13 lead, and they held on for the rest of the game, until Bucs scored a TD with 1:40 left. This didn't really affect the game, as they still needed another to tie the game. Lions held out to give a final result of 27-20
What a debut Cam Newton had. He set the record for the most yards on a QB's debut game, throwing 422 yards and also threw 2 touchdowns. But it still wasn't enough as Carolina fell to Arizona 28-21. They traded TDs for most of the game, but Panthers couldn't get one in the final quarter and Cards got an extra one to make up for their bagel in the 2nd. But it was all about Cam Newton. He was outstanding. Maybe not MVP this year, but very soon, based on this performance.
San Diego Chargers were on the back foot for a lot of their game against Minnesota Vikings, but that didn't matter as they still ran out eventual winners, 24-17. Down 17-7 at half time, Philip Rivers took over and Chargers scored 17 2nd half points to claim victory. He threw an impressive 335 yards, which completely outclassed Donovan McNabb, who gave the ball to Adrian Peterson to rush 16 times. McNabb threw for just 39 yards, but also rushed for 32 form just 3 carries.
Seattle Seahawks fell to a spirited 49ers side, who claimed a 33-17 victory over last season NFC West champions. After a scoreless 1st quarter, San Francisco ran riot in the second quarter to take 16-0 half time lead. The 3rd quarter was won by Seattle 7-0, which set up an exciting 4th quarter. Seattle opened the scoring right away, with a 39 yard FG sailing through the upright. David Akers then matched that with an 18 yard attempt of his own, with 5:54 left. Seattle then scored their 2nd TD of the game to cut the deficit to just 2 points at 19-17. But a 102 yard kickoff return by Ginn gave the 49ers a 2 possession advantage, and then the same player carried a punt return to end zone 1 minute later to all but give San Francisco victory.
Washington Redskins claimed a surprise 28-14 victory over New York Giants, in which Rex Grossman showed why he's a suitable replacement for McNabb. He threw 305 yards and 2 touchdowns in a 2nd half destruction of New York. The teams traded touchdowns twice in the first half to go into the break level at 14, but then Washington took over. Kerrigan scored a 9-yard pick-six which was duly converted, and then late on in the 4th, a 4-yard pass secured victory for the Redskins
In the late game, New York Jets secured victory over Dallas with a late comeback to stun the Cowboys. Cowboys looked like going into half time 10-7 up courtesy of a Bryant TD and a Bailey field goal, but a late TD in the 2nd by the Jets meant they were still in it. Another Cowboys TD put them 17-7 ahead, but a field goal pegged them back to 17-10. An early 4th quarter TD stretched Cowboys advantage to 14, but then Jets took over. A touchdown cut Dallas' lead to 1 possession, then a blocked Cowboys punt was picked up by Trufant who then ran in another TD to level things up. They then took the lead for the first time in the game with a late field goal and held on for a 27-24 win.
Tom Brady was unstoppable against Miami. He threw for 517 yards, and threw 4 touchdowns. he did throw his first interception since October last season, but I'm sure Pats fans will forgive him for that. It was a topsy-turvy game, but Pats made their plays count more to win 38-24. Dolphins just couldn't work the ball properly, despite scoring 3 TDs. The pivotal play came when Dolphins were stopped just 1 yard from the end zone, and Tom Brady took over. With the score 31-17, a Miami TD would have made for a nervy end. Instead, the opposite happened. Brady threw the ball to Welker on their own 30-yard line, who then sprinted almost unopposed to the Miami line for a 99-yard play.
In the final game of Week 1, Oakland Raiders beat Denver Broncos 23-20. Raiders were trailing 3-0 after quarter 1, but scored 16 points in the next to take a 16-3 lead into HT. Broncos then scored 10 points to Raiders' 0 in the 3rd, but an early 4th quarter TD for Oakland made it a 2-possession game. A Broncos TD set up a nervy ending, but Oakland held on.
Predicitons
My List of Week 2 winners:
Saints
Falcons
Packers
Texans
Patriots
Giants
Bills
Lions
Browns
Buccaneers
Jets
Steelers
Ravens
Cardinals
49ers
Bengals
Thanks for reading. I promise Week 2 will be out sooner
Saturday, 10 September 2011
Premier League in August
Ahh. It's nice to get back to blogging after my 3 month or so hiatus, which was completely my fault, if I'm being honest. I was going to do posts about NHL and NBA finals after they were finished, but I forgot and then by the time I remembered it was far too late to upload them. As you may have gathered, this post will be about the opening month of the Premier League season.
The opening weekend was a bit poor, to be honest. Liverpool only drew at home, there were 3 0-0 draws, and Gervinho was sent off on his debut. So not great. It was nice to see Bolton thrash newly promoted QPR 4-0, but except that, it was a pretty dull weekend. Obviously Man City winning by the same margin as Bolton was fun to watch, but let's face it; Tonga have more chance of winning the upcoming Rugby World Cup (which I may or may not post about) than Swansea did of winning that match. It was pretty routine for City, with debutante Sergio 'Kun' Aguero putting the icing on the cake with a 30-yard screamer, after he had already opened his Man City account 15 minutes earlier when he tapped in a the back post. Only Bolton, Wolves, Man Utd and Man City won, so they went in the top 4, whilst QPR, Swansea City, West Brom and Blackburn occupied the bottom 4 spots. The remaining 12 teams loitered around mid-table after gaining 1 point in their opening game.
Week 2 was considerably better than week 1, as the matches being far more entertaining. The Tyne-Wear derby between Newcastle and Sunderland was a relatively good game, despite the scoreline suggesting opposite. A Ryan Taylor speciality free kick was enough to give Newcastle bragging rights, at least until the next derby. Liverpool's game at the Emirates Stadium was pretty feisty game. Liverpool were on top for a lot of the game, though Arsenal were still in the game. That all changed when Arsenal received their second sending off of the season after Frimpong was sent off for a horrible challenge on Lucas. Some, including myself, would debate that he should have been sent off much earlier on in the game, when he first got booked. Suarez and Meireles were promptly brought on and then Liverpool took the lead when Ramsey forgot which way he was supposed to be heading after good work by Suarez. To be fair, it was unlucky, but they all count. A great passing move involving Lucas, Meireles and Suarez confirmed Liverpool's victory in the 90th minute when Suarez tapped in. In the other games, Swansea and Wigan drew 0-0, with Ben Watson missing a penalty for Wigan. QPR bounced back after their hammering last week to impressively beat Everton 1-0 at Goodison Park. Cech-less Chelsea secured their first win of the season, beating West Brom 2-1 at home. Despite WBA dominating, especially in the 1st half, they could only score once, with Shane Long scoring after 4 minutes. That was never going to be enough, because even on a bad day, Chelsea are still fantastic at home and it takes a special performance to beat them there. Villa eased past Blackburn in their first home game of the season, winning 3-1. Even Emile Heskey scored. Wolves kept up their 100% record, beating Fulham 2-0 at home. Stoke denied Norwich a first victory of the campaign when Kenwyne Jones equalised for them in the 94th minute. Bolton and Man City played out an entertaining game at the Reebok Stadium, with City triumphing 3-2. City scored in the 26th and 37th minutes, but Klasnic scored for the home team just 2 minutes after City went 2-0 up. Edin Dzeko scored early on in the 2nd half to restore Man City's 2-goal lead. Bolton legend Kevin Davies scored with 25 minutes left, but City held on to claim their 2nd victory of the season. Manchester United also kept their 100% start by beating Spurs 3-0, with Welbeck, Anderson and Rooney all scoring in the space of 26 second-half minutes.
Week 3 saw 31 goals go in, making it the highest-scoring weekend to date this season. There was only two 0-0 draws, which came in Wales and Birmingham. Swansea drew with Sunderland whilst Aston Villa drew with Wolves. QPR couldn't build upon last weeks impressive victory at Everton as they lost 2-0 at the hands of (or rather feet) Franco Di Santo and Wigan Athletic. A fantastic volley then a deflected drive by the former Chelsea striker secured 3 points for the Lactics. Jordan Henderson and Charlie Adam both scored their first goals, with their respective weaker foot, for Liverpool as they overcame Bolton at home 3-1. Martin Skrtel scored the Red's other goal, and Ivan Klasnic scored a consolation for Bolton in the 92nd minute. Chelsea also won 3-1 at home, as they edged past a stern Norwich challenge. Bosingwa's scorcher from 25 yards gave Chelsea an early lead, but an awful error by Hilario meant Grant Holt could hook the ball into the open Chelsea net to draw the teams level. 'Keeper Ruddy was then unluckily sent off for Norwich when he brought down Ramires, who went down rather easily. Lampard hammered the ball home for Chelsea, and then in the 101st minute, Chelsea new-boy Juan Mata curled home from 12 yards out to secure victory for the home team. There was so much extra time because Didier Drogba suffered a nasty head injury soon after Norwich equalised, so he had to be treated on the pitch. It was later confirmed he had been out cold on the pitch and was also suffering from concussion. Blackburn quite literally paid the penalty in their 1-0 home defeat to Everton - both Junior Hoilett and Mauro Formica had missed penalties for Blackburn, before Mikel Arteta showed them how it's done by tucking away his controversially awarded spot-kick in the 92nd minute. The 4 matches on Sunday produced 20 goals between them, with half of them coming at Old Trafford. But we'll leave that 'til last. In the other games, West Brom were unluckily beaten by Stoke 1-0 at home, with Shotton scoring the winner in the 89th minute. Newcastle kept their unbeaten run going with a 2-1 home victory against Fulham. Leon Best, signed from Coventry last year, scored both of Newcastle's goals, whilst Clint Dempsey grabbed a late consolation for Fulham 2 minutes before the end. Now to the higher scoring games. Edin Dzeko silenced his doubters when he scored 4 goals in Man City's 5-1 destruction of Spurs at White Hart Lane. Sergio Aguero bagged City's other goal and Younes Kaboul scored for Spurs. Arsenal were well and truly massacred by an impressive Man Utd side, who ran in 8 goals compared to Arsenal's 2. Wayne Rooney scored a hat trick for the champions, including 2 beautifully curled free kicks, and new signing Ashley Young bagged a brace. Danny Welbeck opened the scoring and looked in fine form until he was forced out of the game due to injury in the 35th minute, and Nani and Park also got on the scoresheet for United. Walcott scored on the stroke of half time after another error by new United 'keeper De Gea to give Arsenal hope at 3-1, but United ran riot and it was 6-1 before Van Persie scored in the 74th minute, having had his penalty saved in the 1st half. Jenkinson was sent off for Arsenal in the 77th minute, to make sure that they still haven't finished a Premier League game this season with 11 men on the pitch.
So that concludes the Premier League in August. to see the complete table, click here. I hope you enjoyed it, and there will (hopefully) be monthly installments right through until the end of the season. NFL and MLB posts coming soon, and NBA if the lockout ends.
The opening weekend was a bit poor, to be honest. Liverpool only drew at home, there were 3 0-0 draws, and Gervinho was sent off on his debut. So not great. It was nice to see Bolton thrash newly promoted QPR 4-0, but except that, it was a pretty dull weekend. Obviously Man City winning by the same margin as Bolton was fun to watch, but let's face it; Tonga have more chance of winning the upcoming Rugby World Cup (which I may or may not post about) than Swansea did of winning that match. It was pretty routine for City, with debutante Sergio 'Kun' Aguero putting the icing on the cake with a 30-yard screamer, after he had already opened his Man City account 15 minutes earlier when he tapped in a the back post. Only Bolton, Wolves, Man Utd and Man City won, so they went in the top 4, whilst QPR, Swansea City, West Brom and Blackburn occupied the bottom 4 spots. The remaining 12 teams loitered around mid-table after gaining 1 point in their opening game.
Week 2 was considerably better than week 1, as the matches being far more entertaining. The Tyne-Wear derby between Newcastle and Sunderland was a relatively good game, despite the scoreline suggesting opposite. A Ryan Taylor speciality free kick was enough to give Newcastle bragging rights, at least until the next derby. Liverpool's game at the Emirates Stadium was pretty feisty game. Liverpool were on top for a lot of the game, though Arsenal were still in the game. That all changed when Arsenal received their second sending off of the season after Frimpong was sent off for a horrible challenge on Lucas. Some, including myself, would debate that he should have been sent off much earlier on in the game, when he first got booked. Suarez and Meireles were promptly brought on and then Liverpool took the lead when Ramsey forgot which way he was supposed to be heading after good work by Suarez. To be fair, it was unlucky, but they all count. A great passing move involving Lucas, Meireles and Suarez confirmed Liverpool's victory in the 90th minute when Suarez tapped in. In the other games, Swansea and Wigan drew 0-0, with Ben Watson missing a penalty for Wigan. QPR bounced back after their hammering last week to impressively beat Everton 1-0 at Goodison Park. Cech-less Chelsea secured their first win of the season, beating West Brom 2-1 at home. Despite WBA dominating, especially in the 1st half, they could only score once, with Shane Long scoring after 4 minutes. That was never going to be enough, because even on a bad day, Chelsea are still fantastic at home and it takes a special performance to beat them there. Villa eased past Blackburn in their first home game of the season, winning 3-1. Even Emile Heskey scored. Wolves kept up their 100% record, beating Fulham 2-0 at home. Stoke denied Norwich a first victory of the campaign when Kenwyne Jones equalised for them in the 94th minute. Bolton and Man City played out an entertaining game at the Reebok Stadium, with City triumphing 3-2. City scored in the 26th and 37th minutes, but Klasnic scored for the home team just 2 minutes after City went 2-0 up. Edin Dzeko scored early on in the 2nd half to restore Man City's 2-goal lead. Bolton legend Kevin Davies scored with 25 minutes left, but City held on to claim their 2nd victory of the season. Manchester United also kept their 100% start by beating Spurs 3-0, with Welbeck, Anderson and Rooney all scoring in the space of 26 second-half minutes.
Week 3 saw 31 goals go in, making it the highest-scoring weekend to date this season. There was only two 0-0 draws, which came in Wales and Birmingham. Swansea drew with Sunderland whilst Aston Villa drew with Wolves. QPR couldn't build upon last weeks impressive victory at Everton as they lost 2-0 at the hands of (or rather feet) Franco Di Santo and Wigan Athletic. A fantastic volley then a deflected drive by the former Chelsea striker secured 3 points for the Lactics. Jordan Henderson and Charlie Adam both scored their first goals, with their respective weaker foot, for Liverpool as they overcame Bolton at home 3-1. Martin Skrtel scored the Red's other goal, and Ivan Klasnic scored a consolation for Bolton in the 92nd minute. Chelsea also won 3-1 at home, as they edged past a stern Norwich challenge. Bosingwa's scorcher from 25 yards gave Chelsea an early lead, but an awful error by Hilario meant Grant Holt could hook the ball into the open Chelsea net to draw the teams level. 'Keeper Ruddy was then unluckily sent off for Norwich when he brought down Ramires, who went down rather easily. Lampard hammered the ball home for Chelsea, and then in the 101st minute, Chelsea new-boy Juan Mata curled home from 12 yards out to secure victory for the home team. There was so much extra time because Didier Drogba suffered a nasty head injury soon after Norwich equalised, so he had to be treated on the pitch. It was later confirmed he had been out cold on the pitch and was also suffering from concussion. Blackburn quite literally paid the penalty in their 1-0 home defeat to Everton - both Junior Hoilett and Mauro Formica had missed penalties for Blackburn, before Mikel Arteta showed them how it's done by tucking away his controversially awarded spot-kick in the 92nd minute. The 4 matches on Sunday produced 20 goals between them, with half of them coming at Old Trafford. But we'll leave that 'til last. In the other games, West Brom were unluckily beaten by Stoke 1-0 at home, with Shotton scoring the winner in the 89th minute. Newcastle kept their unbeaten run going with a 2-1 home victory against Fulham. Leon Best, signed from Coventry last year, scored both of Newcastle's goals, whilst Clint Dempsey grabbed a late consolation for Fulham 2 minutes before the end. Now to the higher scoring games. Edin Dzeko silenced his doubters when he scored 4 goals in Man City's 5-1 destruction of Spurs at White Hart Lane. Sergio Aguero bagged City's other goal and Younes Kaboul scored for Spurs. Arsenal were well and truly massacred by an impressive Man Utd side, who ran in 8 goals compared to Arsenal's 2. Wayne Rooney scored a hat trick for the champions, including 2 beautifully curled free kicks, and new signing Ashley Young bagged a brace. Danny Welbeck opened the scoring and looked in fine form until he was forced out of the game due to injury in the 35th minute, and Nani and Park also got on the scoresheet for United. Walcott scored on the stroke of half time after another error by new United 'keeper De Gea to give Arsenal hope at 3-1, but United ran riot and it was 6-1 before Van Persie scored in the 74th minute, having had his penalty saved in the 1st half. Jenkinson was sent off for Arsenal in the 77th minute, to make sure that they still haven't finished a Premier League game this season with 11 men on the pitch.
So that concludes the Premier League in August. to see the complete table, click here. I hope you enjoyed it, and there will (hopefully) be monthly installments right through until the end of the season. NFL and MLB posts coming soon, and NBA if the lockout ends.
Wednesday, 1 June 2011
NBA Finals
It's that time of year again: The Finals. And it's Lakers vs Heat. No wait, that's not right. Force of habit, sorry. It's MAVERICKS vs Heat. LeBron and co. are clear favourites, but no team in the Finals can be written off. Mavericks have shown they are worthy opponents after their 4-1 demolition of Oklahoma City, with the wins mainly centred around German powerhouse Dirk Nowitzki. A 48 point game, where he scored 24-of-24 from the free throw line, and a 40 point game from the big German in games 1 and 4 respectively, were the key to Dallas' success. Stellar performances from Jason Kidd in each game helped them to win as he recorded 17 steals in the series (3.4 per game). He also topped the stats for most assists in every game except game 4, and collected a good amount of rebounds for a guard. The only thing that was left to be desired was his scoring. He only started to pick it up in game 4 where he scored 17 points, after he recorded a grand total of 16 points in games 1 and 2 combined. He then was back to his early series performance in Game 5, where he made just 1-of-7 field goals to score 2 points. He did make up for it by bagging 7 rebounds (4 of which were offensive) and 10 assists. So for Dallas to win, they need Dirk to continue what he is doing and players like Kidd and Shawn 'Flatshot' Marion to be on their game.
As I said in my Conference Finals Post, Chris Bosh is once again key for Miami. He played extraordinarily well in the Conference Final series steamrollering of Chicago, and must carry on his form for the majority of the series. He played pretty well in Game 1, but must play better as Dallas aren't going to just let Heat win. Miami need more support outside the Big 3 as well. Obviously this is their major source of points, but of the 92 they scored in Game 1, 65 were scored by Bosh, James and Wade. Outside of them, only Chalmers hit double figures, scoring 12, and the other 2 starters, Bibby and Anthony, didn't score a single point between them. In 32 combined minutes, Bibby and Anthony grabbed 3 rebounds (all Anthony's) and dished 3 assists (all Bibby's). Not a strong enough performance really, but it was enough as Dallas' players didn't score all-too well, with a lack of bench points essentially giving Heat victory. So for Miami to win, Bosh needs to perform like he did vs Chicago, and they need more support from other players outside the Big 3.
I want Dallas to win for obvious reasons (LeBron), but it could be an uphill battle, especially after losing Game 1. I feel it's all about game 3, and whether Mavericks can win at home or not. Whatever happens in game 2, Game 3 is the important one. Game 4 is obviously important as well as it is also in Texas, but whoever wins Game 3 will win the series. I'm not going to make a prediction for this, so we'll just sit back, relax, and see what happens.
As I said in my Conference Finals Post, Chris Bosh is once again key for Miami. He played extraordinarily well in the Conference Final series steamrollering of Chicago, and must carry on his form for the majority of the series. He played pretty well in Game 1, but must play better as Dallas aren't going to just let Heat win. Miami need more support outside the Big 3 as well. Obviously this is their major source of points, but of the 92 they scored in Game 1, 65 were scored by Bosh, James and Wade. Outside of them, only Chalmers hit double figures, scoring 12, and the other 2 starters, Bibby and Anthony, didn't score a single point between them. In 32 combined minutes, Bibby and Anthony grabbed 3 rebounds (all Anthony's) and dished 3 assists (all Bibby's). Not a strong enough performance really, but it was enough as Dallas' players didn't score all-too well, with a lack of bench points essentially giving Heat victory. So for Miami to win, Bosh needs to perform like he did vs Chicago, and they need more support from other players outside the Big 3.
I want Dallas to win for obvious reasons (LeBron), but it could be an uphill battle, especially after losing Game 1. I feel it's all about game 3, and whether Mavericks can win at home or not. Whatever happens in game 2, Game 3 is the important one. Game 4 is obviously important as well as it is also in Texas, but whoever wins Game 3 will win the series. I'm not going to make a prediction for this, so we'll just sit back, relax, and see what happens.
Tuesday, 24 May 2011
Survival Sunday
Well then. Once again, the Premier League season came down to the final day. 5 teams wanted to stay up. Only 3 could. Who would avoid the Premier League trapdoor, and who would be joining West Ham in The Championship? Blackburn Rovers, Blackpool, Wigan Athletic, Wolves and Birmingham City were the teams fighting for survival. I personally wanted Blackpool to go down, and so long as they went down I didn't care who else did.
Blackpool faced a massive task, playing champions Man Utd at Old Trafford, as did Birmingham, who were away at Spurs. Wolves were at home to Blackburn, and Wigan faced Stoke away. Based on the fixtures, Blackpool were clear favourites to go down, as were Birmingham City.
This is the table before 4pm:
Blackpool faced a massive task, playing champions Man Utd at Old Trafford, as did Birmingham, who were away at Spurs. Wolves were at home to Blackburn, and Wigan faced Stoke away. Based on the fixtures, Blackpool were clear favourites to go down, as were Birmingham City.
This is the table before 4pm:
Pos. Team GD Points
15 Blackburn -14 40
16 Wolves -19 40
17 Birmingham -20 39
18 Blackpool -21 39
19 Wigan -22 39
(R) West Ham -24 33
If any team won, then chances are they would stay up. So on to the action. I personally was in between a rock and a hard place, with Man Utd playing Blackpool. Much as I wanted Blackpool to go down, I wanted to see United lose. I think I wanted United to win, but it wasn't a good feeling. Anyway. After some general play with nothing real going on in any of the games, Man Utd took an unsurprising lead vs Blackpool, and then 2 minutes later dominant Blackburn took the lead at Wolves. Blackburn scored again 15 minutes later to take a 2-0 lead, and then a fantastic free kick from Charlie Adam at Old Trafford drew Blackpool level. Blackburn then essentially secured their survival when David Hoilett waltzed through the Wolves defence and scored to make it 3-0 on the stroke of half time.
Half-Time scores:
Wolves 0-3 Blackburn
Tottenham 0-0 Birmingham
Man Utd 1-1 Blackpool
Stoke 0-0 Wigan
Half-Time table:
Pos. Team GD Points
15 Blackburn -11 43
16 Birmingham -20 40
17 Blackpool -21 40
18 Wolves -22 40
19 Wigan -22 40
(R) West Ham -24 33
So at half-time, the 3 Ws were in the relegation zone, and the 3 Bs were safe - for the moment. But just 4 minutes into the 2nd half, Pavlyuchenko scored for Spurs to push Birmingham into the bottom 3. 8 minutes later, Blackpool incredibly took the lead at Old Trafford to take them further away from the drop. That lead lasted for 6 minutes though, when Anderson scored to tie it up. This still left Blackpool above the drop zone with Wigan and Birmingham still in it. O'Hara then scored for Wolves in the 73rd minute to improve their goal difference to -21, and keep them slightly above Wigan and Birmingham (Man this is difficult to write. I can't visualise the table haha). 2 minutes later, Man United took the lead against The Seasiders to drop them down to the 19th and budge B'ham up to 18th and Wigan up to 17th.
(So with 15 minutes left, Blackburn were 15th, Wolves were 16th, Wigan were 17th, Birmingham were 18th and Blackpool were 19th)
It all went down in the 79th minute when Rodallega scored for Wigan to move them to 16th, and then Gardner scored a shock equaliser for Birmingham to move them up to 17th and put Wolves in the relegation zone. Michael "Who-shall-not-be-named" scored for United to pretty much condemn Blackpool to The Championship on 39 points. Gardner nearly gives Birmingham the lead when he hit the crossbar with 7 minutes left to play. Stephen Hunt scored a potentially priceless goal for Wolves to bring it back to 2-3, and more importantly, bring them out of the drop zone on Goals Scored. Just as it looked as if Wolves were going to be joining Blackpool in the 2nd tier of English Football, Roman Pavlyuchenko smashed in his second goal of the game 93 minutes in to put Spurs 2-1 up and send Birmingham down.
So that's how it went down. A topsy-turvy day ended up with Blackpool and Birmingham City going down and Blackburn, Wigan and Wolves staying up.
Final Table:
Pos. Team GD Points
15 Blackburn -13 43
16 Wigan -21 42
17 Wolves -20 40
18 Birmingham -21 40
19 Blackpool -23 39
(R) West Ham -27 33
Final Results:
Wolves 2-3 Blackburn
Tottenham 2-1 Birmingham
Man Utd 4-2 Blackpool
Stoke 0-1 Wigan
So I was pretty pleased Blackpool went down, and not displeased that Birmingham went down. I'll miss Ian Holloway's post-match interviews, but at least we get Mick McCarthy's crazy interviews where he barely talks about the match.
At the top, all that was left to fight for was the Europa League place, which was essentially Spurs', and 3rd and 4th position. For the Europa League place, Spurs were trying to hold off Liverpool, who faced Aston Villa away. Downing scored for Villa after 33 minutes to give them the lead going into half time, and Spurs were still drawing 0-0. Liverpool had to win and Spurs had to not win for Liverpool to get it, and this wasn't looking likely. Liverpool never looked like winning, and when Pavlyuchenko scored the goal that sent Birmingham down, Spurs had secured 5th. As a side note, I preferred that Liverpool didn't win, rather than looking like we were going to qualify for Europe until the 93rd minute.
In the fight for 3rd and 4th, the difference between having to qualify for the Champions League and going in automatically, Arsenal were fighting against FA Cup winners Man City. Arsenal were away to Fulham and Man City were at Bolton. City were 1 point ahead of Arsenal at the start of the day. At half time, City were up 1-0 and Arsenal were drawing 1-1. City held on and Dzeko scored in the 62nd minute to secure 4th, whilst Arsenal could only muster a draw at Craven Cottage thanks to an 89th minute Theo Walcott goal. This left Arsenal in 4th on 68 points and City in 3rd on 71. City actually finished level with Chelsea, who suffered a shock defeat at the hands of Everton. But for City to claim second, they needed a 12 goal turnaround.
For the final table, go to:
Champions League:
Man Utd
Chelsea
Man City
Arsenal
Europa League:
Spurs
Birmingham City (League Cup winners)
Stoke City (FA Cup final runners-up)
Relegated:
Birmingham City
Blackpool
West Ham United
So that's the Premier League done for another season. I hope the off-season brings up some good transfers, which I will blog about at indeterminate point in the future. So, yeah. Stay tuned for a Champions League Final Blog. Also I will do an NHL and NBA post soon.
Monday, 16 May 2011
Champions League Final Preview
There is no better stadium to host the final of Europe's biggest club competition than Wembley Stadium. And there are no better teams to contest the final than Barcelona and (much as it pains me to say it) Manchester United. Messi vs Ferdinand. Iniesta vs Scholes. Rooney vs Puyol. It's all set up to be the greatest final since, well, 2 years ago when they last met at this stage. But you get the point, because this has the makings of a greater one than last time around. But before I look ahead to the final, I'm going to look at how they got to this stage.
Barcelona looked to have a simple ride from the word go, after being drawn against Copenhagen, Panathinaikos and Rubin Kazan in Group D. They showed good form in the opening match, beating Panathinaikos 5-1 at home. They slipped up against old bogey team Rubin Kazan, drawing 1-1 in Russia (The same team who beat them at the Nou Camp 2-1 in 2009), but 4 points in their next 2 matches against Copenhagen took them on to 8 points and pretty much saw them through. They eased past Panathinaikos and Rubin in their next matches to top the group with 14 points from a possible 18.
However in the round of 16 they faced a tough test at the hands of Arsenal, with the first leg in London. David Villa scored after 26 minutes to give Barca the lead they thoroughly deserved. Arsenal never got going until the 2nd half, but when they got going, they got going. A fantastic goal from an impossible angle from Van Perise drew Arsenal level, and then 5 minutes later, Arshavin scored on the break to give Arsenal a lead to defend in Spain. Unfortunately for them, beating Barcelona at home is almost impossible this season. Messi gave Barca the lead on the stroke of half time to give them the lead on away goals, but a Busquets Own Goal gave Arsenal the lead again on aggregate on 53 minutes. Van Persie was then controversially sent off for kicking the ball away after being called offside. He claimed not to have heard the whistle, which is fair enough considering there was a crowd of over 95,000 people all blowing whistles and making noise. Xavi scored on 69 minutes to bring the tie level, and Messi scored a penalty 2 minutes later to all but settle the tie.
Their next match was against Shakhtar Donetsk, which they dominated from the first minute. They were leading 2-0 at half time, and then Pique scored soon after half time. A Rakitskiy goal gave Shakhtar some hope, but a Keita goal seconds afterwards and then a Xavi goal on 86 minutes pretty much put Barca through to the next round. The second leg was pretty standard for Barca; a few good early chances for Shakhtar could have brought them back in to the tie, but Valdes was in top form to make the saves. Messi scored just before half time, and that was that. Barcelona had qualified to the semi-finals, where they would face Real Madrid for a place in the final.
The first 'El Clasico' was a pretty drab affair for a lot of the match. It didn't get going until a dubious red card for Pepé resulted in Barca being a man up, a chance they firmly took. A good run from Afellay on the right resulted in a low cross which Messi tucked away with his right foot. Then came goal of the tournament (In my opinion). Busquets picked up the ball on the halfway line and unleashed a 45-Yard shot past a stunned Casillas. (Only kidding). But seriously, Busquets gave Messi the ball just inside Real's half. Messi then proceeded to ghost past 4 Madrid defenders and, with his right foot again, slotted the ball past a helpless Casillas. The second leg, at the Nou Camp, started with Barcelona attacking, as you might expect them to do at home. Casillas was at the top of his game to keep the score at 0-0 going into half time. It took a glorious pass from Iniesta into Pedro to break the deadlock. This got Madrid going, and a rare misplaced pass from Barcelona gave Dí Maria the ball who smashed a shot against Valdes' post, before squaring it to Marcelo from the rebound, who subsequently scored. Real rallied for the remainder of the match, but could not break down Barca's defence. So it was Barcelona who would triumph and be going to Wembley on 28th May.
Manchester Utd had a very similar route to the final. Like Barcelona, they also claimed 14 points from a possible 18. Man Utd however, were wholly less convincing. They drew their opening game against Scottish champions Rangers, and a late Hernández goal gave them victory in Spain against Valencia. In back-to-back games against Turkish opponents Bursaspor, they claimed hard-fought 1-0 and 3-0 victories. Their next game was in Glasgow against Rangers, where an 87th Minute penalty from Rooney gave them a 1-0 victory. Knowing a draw would see them top the group, they played out a 1-1 draw at Old Trafford against Valencia. Pablo's goal in the 32nd minute in that match was the only goal they conceded in the group stage.
The next round saw them drawn against French opponents Marseille. A 0-0 draw in France set the tie up nicely for the 2nd game in Manchester. Hernández scored inside 5 minutes to give United the lead. But United looked nervous, at least until the 75th Minute when the little Mexican scored again. Wes Brown scored a trademark own goal to bring Marseille back into the tie, but United held out to secure victory. That victory set up a mouth-watering clash against title-rivals Chelsea.
Rooney scored in the 24th Minute at Stamford Bridge to give United that all-important away goal and a 1-0 victory. Another goal from new fan-favourite Hernández just before half time increased United's lead and they looked to be headed to the semis. But a Drogba goal in the 77th minute gave Chelsea a bit of hope, before a Park goal just 50 seconds later secured the win for Man Utd.
The semi-final was essentially a walkover for the Red Devils. Drawn against a Schalke side that had done extremely well to reach this stage of the competition, United were favourites. Schalke were boasting the likes of former Real Madrid legend Raúl and Germany 1st-choice 'keeper Manuel Neuer, and despite having already beaten Inter and Valencia, they didn't live up to expectations. A nervy start from both sides meant the game never got going. United were the stronger of the two teams for most of the match, and the pressure finally paid off twice in a matter of minutes. First Giggs scored a 1-on-1 to give United the lead, then just 2 minutes later Rooney doubled the advantage with a cool finish. United could have scored so many more but for a brilliant performance from Neuer in the Schalke goal. The second leg was more of the same. Relentless United pressure paid off in the 26th minute when a mix-up at the back put Valencia through to make it 1-0. 5 minutes later, Gibson all-but settled the tie with a deflected shot past Neuer that he really should have saved. Jurado replied for the German outfit in the 35th minute, but Schalke couldn't build on it. Two Anderson goals on 72 and 76 minutes for Man Utd took them into the final.
So the final has the makings of something brilliant. I not only want Barcelona to win, but I also think they will. I don't think Man Utd will be able to stop Xavi, Iniesta and Busquets passing it about in the middle, and I don't think they wil stop Lionel Messi up front. This will be by no means an easy game for Barca, but I think they will prevail 3-1.
This will be my last post until Sunday afternoon/Monday afternoon, which will be about the final round of Premier League fixtures.
Barcelona looked to have a simple ride from the word go, after being drawn against Copenhagen, Panathinaikos and Rubin Kazan in Group D. They showed good form in the opening match, beating Panathinaikos 5-1 at home. They slipped up against old bogey team Rubin Kazan, drawing 1-1 in Russia (The same team who beat them at the Nou Camp 2-1 in 2009), but 4 points in their next 2 matches against Copenhagen took them on to 8 points and pretty much saw them through. They eased past Panathinaikos and Rubin in their next matches to top the group with 14 points from a possible 18.
However in the round of 16 they faced a tough test at the hands of Arsenal, with the first leg in London. David Villa scored after 26 minutes to give Barca the lead they thoroughly deserved. Arsenal never got going until the 2nd half, but when they got going, they got going. A fantastic goal from an impossible angle from Van Perise drew Arsenal level, and then 5 minutes later, Arshavin scored on the break to give Arsenal a lead to defend in Spain. Unfortunately for them, beating Barcelona at home is almost impossible this season. Messi gave Barca the lead on the stroke of half time to give them the lead on away goals, but a Busquets Own Goal gave Arsenal the lead again on aggregate on 53 minutes. Van Persie was then controversially sent off for kicking the ball away after being called offside. He claimed not to have heard the whistle, which is fair enough considering there was a crowd of over 95,000 people all blowing whistles and making noise. Xavi scored on 69 minutes to bring the tie level, and Messi scored a penalty 2 minutes later to all but settle the tie.
Their next match was against Shakhtar Donetsk, which they dominated from the first minute. They were leading 2-0 at half time, and then Pique scored soon after half time. A Rakitskiy goal gave Shakhtar some hope, but a Keita goal seconds afterwards and then a Xavi goal on 86 minutes pretty much put Barca through to the next round. The second leg was pretty standard for Barca; a few good early chances for Shakhtar could have brought them back in to the tie, but Valdes was in top form to make the saves. Messi scored just before half time, and that was that. Barcelona had qualified to the semi-finals, where they would face Real Madrid for a place in the final.
The first 'El Clasico' was a pretty drab affair for a lot of the match. It didn't get going until a dubious red card for Pepé resulted in Barca being a man up, a chance they firmly took. A good run from Afellay on the right resulted in a low cross which Messi tucked away with his right foot. Then came goal of the tournament (In my opinion). Busquets picked up the ball on the halfway line and unleashed a 45-Yard shot past a stunned Casillas. (Only kidding). But seriously, Busquets gave Messi the ball just inside Real's half. Messi then proceeded to ghost past 4 Madrid defenders and, with his right foot again, slotted the ball past a helpless Casillas. The second leg, at the Nou Camp, started with Barcelona attacking, as you might expect them to do at home. Casillas was at the top of his game to keep the score at 0-0 going into half time. It took a glorious pass from Iniesta into Pedro to break the deadlock. This got Madrid going, and a rare misplaced pass from Barcelona gave Dí Maria the ball who smashed a shot against Valdes' post, before squaring it to Marcelo from the rebound, who subsequently scored. Real rallied for the remainder of the match, but could not break down Barca's defence. So it was Barcelona who would triumph and be going to Wembley on 28th May.
Manchester Utd had a very similar route to the final. Like Barcelona, they also claimed 14 points from a possible 18. Man Utd however, were wholly less convincing. They drew their opening game against Scottish champions Rangers, and a late Hernández goal gave them victory in Spain against Valencia. In back-to-back games against Turkish opponents Bursaspor, they claimed hard-fought 1-0 and 3-0 victories. Their next game was in Glasgow against Rangers, where an 87th Minute penalty from Rooney gave them a 1-0 victory. Knowing a draw would see them top the group, they played out a 1-1 draw at Old Trafford against Valencia. Pablo's goal in the 32nd minute in that match was the only goal they conceded in the group stage.
The next round saw them drawn against French opponents Marseille. A 0-0 draw in France set the tie up nicely for the 2nd game in Manchester. Hernández scored inside 5 minutes to give United the lead. But United looked nervous, at least until the 75th Minute when the little Mexican scored again. Wes Brown scored a trademark own goal to bring Marseille back into the tie, but United held out to secure victory. That victory set up a mouth-watering clash against title-rivals Chelsea.
Rooney scored in the 24th Minute at Stamford Bridge to give United that all-important away goal and a 1-0 victory. Another goal from new fan-favourite Hernández just before half time increased United's lead and they looked to be headed to the semis. But a Drogba goal in the 77th minute gave Chelsea a bit of hope, before a Park goal just 50 seconds later secured the win for Man Utd.
The semi-final was essentially a walkover for the Red Devils. Drawn against a Schalke side that had done extremely well to reach this stage of the competition, United were favourites. Schalke were boasting the likes of former Real Madrid legend Raúl and Germany 1st-choice 'keeper Manuel Neuer, and despite having already beaten Inter and Valencia, they didn't live up to expectations. A nervy start from both sides meant the game never got going. United were the stronger of the two teams for most of the match, and the pressure finally paid off twice in a matter of minutes. First Giggs scored a 1-on-1 to give United the lead, then just 2 minutes later Rooney doubled the advantage with a cool finish. United could have scored so many more but for a brilliant performance from Neuer in the Schalke goal. The second leg was more of the same. Relentless United pressure paid off in the 26th minute when a mix-up at the back put Valencia through to make it 1-0. 5 minutes later, Gibson all-but settled the tie with a deflected shot past Neuer that he really should have saved. Jurado replied for the German outfit in the 35th minute, but Schalke couldn't build on it. Two Anderson goals on 72 and 76 minutes for Man Utd took them into the final.
So the final has the makings of something brilliant. I not only want Barcelona to win, but I also think they will. I don't think Man Utd will be able to stop Xavi, Iniesta and Busquets passing it about in the middle, and I don't think they wil stop Lionel Messi up front. This will be by no means an easy game for Barca, but I think they will prevail 3-1.
This will be my last post until Sunday afternoon/Monday afternoon, which will be about the final round of Premier League fixtures.
Saturday, 14 May 2011
NHL Conference Finals
Another post today! I'm like a blogging machine. Anyway, on to the Stanley Cup.
If you have read my first post, you will know that I support Tampa Bay Lightning. Because Steve Stamkos is a beast. Anyway, the Eastern Conference has pitted them against Boston Bruins (who have the best jerseys in the NHL), who have the same Play-Off results as Lightning - a 4-3 win in the opening series and then a sweep in the semis. With both teams having the same records, you might be thinking this series is going to go to the wire. And you might be right. But I think you would be wrong. Against Pittsburgh Penguins in the opening round, Lightning fell behind 3-1 after losing their first two home games. Going in to game 5 needing a win, they did so much more than that; blowing out Pittsburgh 8-2 in front of the Penguins' home fans. This gave them the momentum they needed to carry on and win the series in 7 and qualify to the next round where they would face 1st-seed Washington Capitals. Boston on the other hand had a fairly routine series win. I know that sounds like an odd thing to write when the series went to 7, but they never seemed in trouble. They won all their home games and lost all their away games, which booked them their place in the semis vs Philidelphia Flyers. Both teams. of course, swept their respective opponents, and never really looked in any doubt of doing so. However I think it is far more impressive of 5th-seed Lightning to beat 4th-seed Penguins and 1st-seed Capitals, than 3rd-seed Bruins beating 6th-seed Canadiens and 2nd-seed Flyers. For this reason, I'm predicting a 4-1 series victory in favour of Lightning. (I'm completely aware this seems biased, which it kind of is haha, but that's not the point. Also I'm aware I've only included recent form and not players' ability etc.).
On to the West, which has been far more exciting in my opinion. Both teams in the Conference Final have nearly thrown it away once this post-season. Vancouver Canucks almost did in the opening round when they were 3-0 up against Chicago Blackhawks and seemed to be cruising. But Blackhawks rallied back to force game 7, which Canucks scraped through in OT. Canucks then went on to routinely beat Nashville Predators in 6, winning 3 of their games at Nashville. San Jose Sharks meanwhile had a routine series in the opening series, beating Los Angeles Kings 4-, and like Canucks, struggled to win at home and won 3 games on the road. In the next round against Detroit Red Wings, 2 OT victories helped them take a 3-0 series lead. They subsequently lost the next 3 games but they could and maybe should have won games 4 and 5. They lost game 4 after a Darren Helm goal for Red Wings with 1:27 left in the game put Detriot up 4-3, and they lost game 5 after blowing a 2 goal lead. So it came to game 7. Could Detroit do the impossible and win 4 games in a row? No. They could not. But they came close,narrowly losing 3-2. So Sharks vs Canucks in the Western Final. Despite home games seeming not to favour either side, I'm going to go with a 4-2 Canucks victory.
As for the Stanley Cup Final, well I'll wait and see who gets there, and do another post then.
If you have read my first post, you will know that I support Tampa Bay Lightning. Because Steve Stamkos is a beast. Anyway, the Eastern Conference has pitted them against Boston Bruins (who have the best jerseys in the NHL), who have the same Play-Off results as Lightning - a 4-3 win in the opening series and then a sweep in the semis. With both teams having the same records, you might be thinking this series is going to go to the wire. And you might be right. But I think you would be wrong. Against Pittsburgh Penguins in the opening round, Lightning fell behind 3-1 after losing their first two home games. Going in to game 5 needing a win, they did so much more than that; blowing out Pittsburgh 8-2 in front of the Penguins' home fans. This gave them the momentum they needed to carry on and win the series in 7 and qualify to the next round where they would face 1st-seed Washington Capitals. Boston on the other hand had a fairly routine series win. I know that sounds like an odd thing to write when the series went to 7, but they never seemed in trouble. They won all their home games and lost all their away games, which booked them their place in the semis vs Philidelphia Flyers. Both teams. of course, swept their respective opponents, and never really looked in any doubt of doing so. However I think it is far more impressive of 5th-seed Lightning to beat 4th-seed Penguins and 1st-seed Capitals, than 3rd-seed Bruins beating 6th-seed Canadiens and 2nd-seed Flyers. For this reason, I'm predicting a 4-1 series victory in favour of Lightning. (I'm completely aware this seems biased, which it kind of is haha, but that's not the point. Also I'm aware I've only included recent form and not players' ability etc.).
On to the West, which has been far more exciting in my opinion. Both teams in the Conference Final have nearly thrown it away once this post-season. Vancouver Canucks almost did in the opening round when they were 3-0 up against Chicago Blackhawks and seemed to be cruising. But Blackhawks rallied back to force game 7, which Canucks scraped through in OT. Canucks then went on to routinely beat Nashville Predators in 6, winning 3 of their games at Nashville. San Jose Sharks meanwhile had a routine series in the opening series, beating Los Angeles Kings 4-, and like Canucks, struggled to win at home and won 3 games on the road. In the next round against Detroit Red Wings, 2 OT victories helped them take a 3-0 series lead. They subsequently lost the next 3 games but they could and maybe should have won games 4 and 5. They lost game 4 after a Darren Helm goal for Red Wings with 1:27 left in the game put Detriot up 4-3, and they lost game 5 after blowing a 2 goal lead. So it came to game 7. Could Detroit do the impossible and win 4 games in a row? No. They could not. But they came close,narrowly losing 3-2. So Sharks vs Canucks in the Western Final. Despite home games seeming not to favour either side, I'm going to go with a 4-2 Canucks victory.
As for the Stanley Cup Final, well I'll wait and see who gets there, and do another post then.
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