Sunday November 29
JEF United Chiba 0 Oita Trinita 2
Yokohama F Marinos 2 Shimizu S-Pulse 0
Saturday November 28
FC Tokyo 1 Vissel Kobe 0
Jubilo Iwata 0 Sanfrecce Hiroshima 1
Kashima Antlers 5 Gamba Osaka 1
Kawasaki Frontale 1 Albirex Niigata 0
Nagoya Grampus 2 Montedio Yamagata 0
Kyoto Sanga 1 Urawa Reds 0
Omiya Ardija 1 Kashiwa Reysol 1
Kashima Antlers are in pole position two points ahead of Kawasaki Frontale. Both teams won so the J-League is now a two-horse race. Urawa Reds lost away in Kyoto, while there were wins for Nagoya Grampus, Sanfrecce Hiroshima, FC Tokyo, Oita Trinita and Yokohama F Marinos.
Leading Positions
Kashima Antlers P33 Pts 63
Kawasaki Frontale P33 Pts 61
Gamba Osaka P33 Pts 57
Sanfrecce Hiroshima P33 Pts 53
FC Tokyo P33 52
Urawa Reds P33 52
Shimizu S-Pulse P33 50
Albirex Niigata P33 Pts 49
Leading scorers
Jubilo Iwata's Ryoichi Maeda has 20 goals so far this season after FC Tokyo's Naohiro Ishikawa has 15.
Ryoichi Maeda, Jubilo Iwata 20
Edmilson, Urawa Reds 17
Juninho, Kawasaki Frontale 16
Naohiro Ishikawa, FC Tokyo 15
Shinji Okazaki, Shimizu S-Pulse 14
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Senin, 30 November 2009
Minggu, 29 November 2009
FA Cup 3rd Round Draw 2009
Accrington Stanley or Barnet v Gillingham
Aston Villa v Blackburn Rovers
Blackpool v Ipswich Town
Bolton Wanderers v Lincoln City
Brentford v Doncaster Rovers
Bristol City v Cardiff City
Chelsea v Watford
Everton v Carlisle United
Fulham v Swindon Town
Huddersfield Town v West Bromwich Albion
Leicester City v Swansea City
Manchester United v Kettering Town or Leeds United
Middlesbrough v Manchester City
MK Dons v Burnley
Notts County v Forest Green Rovers
Nottingham Forest v Birmingham City
Plymouth Argyle v Newcastle United
Portsmouth v Coventry City
Preston North End v Colchester United
Reading v Liverpool
Scunthorpe United v Barnsley
Sheffield United v QPR
Sheffield Wednesday v Crystal Palace
Southampton v Rotherham United or Luton Town
Staines Town or Millwall v Derby County
Stockport County or Torquay v Brighton
Stoke City v York City
Sunderland v Oxford United or Barrow
Tottenham v Peterborough United
Tranmere Rovers or Aldershot Town v Wolves
West Ham United v Arsenal
Wigan Athletic v Hull City
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Aston Villa v Blackburn Rovers
Blackpool v Ipswich Town
Bolton Wanderers v Lincoln City
Brentford v Doncaster Rovers
Bristol City v Cardiff City
Chelsea v Watford
Everton v Carlisle United
Fulham v Swindon Town
Huddersfield Town v West Bromwich Albion
Leicester City v Swansea City
Manchester United v Kettering Town or Leeds United
Middlesbrough v Manchester City
MK Dons v Burnley
Notts County v Forest Green Rovers
Nottingham Forest v Birmingham City
Plymouth Argyle v Newcastle United
Portsmouth v Coventry City
Preston North End v Colchester United
Reading v Liverpool
Scunthorpe United v Barnsley
Sheffield United v QPR
Sheffield Wednesday v Crystal Palace
Southampton v Rotherham United or Luton Town
Staines Town or Millwall v Derby County
Stockport County or Torquay v Brighton
Stoke City v York City
Sunderland v Oxford United or Barrow
Tottenham v Peterborough United
Tranmere Rovers or Aldershot Town v Wolves
West Ham United v Arsenal
Wigan Athletic v Hull City
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Jumat, 27 November 2009
Day of reckoning on blockbuster J. League weekend
Don't bother heading out to Omiya Park or Todoroki Stadium with no ticket this weekend - J. League games there are already sold-out.
A ticketless trip to Kyoto's Nishikyogoku Stadium is similarly inadvisable, as is venturing out to Yamaha Stadium in Iwata.
And there will be plenty of fans at Kashima Stadium, where big guns Kashima Antlers go head-to-head with fellow title-chasers Gamba Osaka in a clash of the titans.
Welcome to the penultimate round of the J. League - a day of reckoning for several of Japan's biggest clubs.
The match of the round undoubtedly takes place at Kashima Stadium, where defending champions Kashima meet Gamba Osaka.
An unprecedented five-game losing streak midway through the campaign threatened to derail Kashima's season, however Oswaldo de Oliveira's team have fought back venomously to regain control at the top of the standings.
They have third-placed Gamba Osaka standing in their way in this round, with mercurial Gamba playmaker Yasuhito Endo named the AFC Player Of The Year at an awards ceremony in Kuala Lumpur in midweek.
All tickets have been sold for Kawasaki's vital Todoroki Stadium showdown against Albirex Niigata, with Kawasaki desperate to beat the dour northern side and hope that Gamba do them a favour in Kashima.
At the other end of the table, Omiya Ardija's 'Noda Line' classic with regional rivals Kashiwa Reysol will go a long way to sorting out the final relegation candidate for 2009.
Omiya must avoid defeat to guarantee their top flight survival, however Kashiwa are currently in form, as the Chiba side chase their third straight victory in this game.
The Sun Kings must win both of their remaining two league games if they are to avoid making the drop into J2 alongside local rivals JEF United and the hapless Oita Trinita.
A big crowd is likely to descend upon Nishikyogoku Stadium in Kyoto for Sanga's final home game of the season against Urawa Reds, with Volker Finke's star-studded Reds enjoying somewhat of a resurgence, as they look to sneak into the top three at the last possible moment.
Another packed house should turn out at Yamaha Stadium in Iwata to witness 42-year-old one-club man Masashi 'Gon' Nakayama play his final game for his beloved Jubilo, as they welcome Sanfrecce Hiroshima to the compact venue.
Sunday's games see Yokohama F. Marinos take on Shimizu S-Pulse, while relegated pair JEF United and Oita Trinita meet in Chiba.
However, it's the Saturday schedule that looks set to enthrall, and it sets up another fascinating round on the final day of the season.
More than 60,000 fans will turn out at Saitama Stadium next weekend to see if Urawa Reds can end the championship hopes of bitter rivals Kashima Antlers, as Kawasaki Frontale and Gamba Osaka both wait to pounce in another thrilling climax to a J. League campaign.
Copyright © Michael Tuckerman & Soccerphile.com
J.League News
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A ticketless trip to Kyoto's Nishikyogoku Stadium is similarly inadvisable, as is venturing out to Yamaha Stadium in Iwata.
And there will be plenty of fans at Kashima Stadium, where big guns Kashima Antlers go head-to-head with fellow title-chasers Gamba Osaka in a clash of the titans.
Welcome to the penultimate round of the J. League - a day of reckoning for several of Japan's biggest clubs.
The match of the round undoubtedly takes place at Kashima Stadium, where defending champions Kashima meet Gamba Osaka.
An unprecedented five-game losing streak midway through the campaign threatened to derail Kashima's season, however Oswaldo de Oliveira's team have fought back venomously to regain control at the top of the standings.
They have third-placed Gamba Osaka standing in their way in this round, with mercurial Gamba playmaker Yasuhito Endo named the AFC Player Of The Year at an awards ceremony in Kuala Lumpur in midweek.
All tickets have been sold for Kawasaki's vital Todoroki Stadium showdown against Albirex Niigata, with Kawasaki desperate to beat the dour northern side and hope that Gamba do them a favour in Kashima.
At the other end of the table, Omiya Ardija's 'Noda Line' classic with regional rivals Kashiwa Reysol will go a long way to sorting out the final relegation candidate for 2009.
Omiya must avoid defeat to guarantee their top flight survival, however Kashiwa are currently in form, as the Chiba side chase their third straight victory in this game.
The Sun Kings must win both of their remaining two league games if they are to avoid making the drop into J2 alongside local rivals JEF United and the hapless Oita Trinita.
A big crowd is likely to descend upon Nishikyogoku Stadium in Kyoto for Sanga's final home game of the season against Urawa Reds, with Volker Finke's star-studded Reds enjoying somewhat of a resurgence, as they look to sneak into the top three at the last possible moment.
Another packed house should turn out at Yamaha Stadium in Iwata to witness 42-year-old one-club man Masashi 'Gon' Nakayama play his final game for his beloved Jubilo, as they welcome Sanfrecce Hiroshima to the compact venue.
Sunday's games see Yokohama F. Marinos take on Shimizu S-Pulse, while relegated pair JEF United and Oita Trinita meet in Chiba.
However, it's the Saturday schedule that looks set to enthrall, and it sets up another fascinating round on the final day of the season.
More than 60,000 fans will turn out at Saitama Stadium next weekend to see if Urawa Reds can end the championship hopes of bitter rivals Kashima Antlers, as Kawasaki Frontale and Gamba Osaka both wait to pounce in another thrilling climax to a J. League campaign.
Copyright © Michael Tuckerman & Soccerphile.com
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Rabu, 25 November 2009
FC Seoul Are Out And Senol Gunes Is Off
With the benefit of hindsight it was written in the stars that FC Seoul’s season would end last Saturday after losing to Chunnam Dragons in the first round of the K-league’s championship play-offs.
Seoul thought they shouldn’t have needed to play the match at all. The capital club spent the whole season slugging it out with Jeonbuk Motors at the top of the K-League and expected to go straight to the final, or at least, the semi-final.
That all changed on the last day of the season as Seoul conceded a last-minute goal at home to Chunnam Dragons. That 1-1 tie saw Seoul slip into third. That finish meant Seoul had to negotiate the entire play-off series.
As luck would have it, the first play-off opponent was Chunnam. And Chunnam was the last. For Seoul, it is very much a case of what might have been. For much of the season, the red-and-blacks looked the likeliest champion but when the push came to the shove, the team didn’t quite have the indefinable quality that champions need – the ability to dig in and fight for everything.
The game again finished 1-1 after 90 minutes. Seoul’s penalty area was the least crowded place in the whole city after 12 minutes and Chunnam striker Lee Gyu-ro took advantage to fire a fierce shot low into the home net. Three minutes later however, Seoul drew level. A delightfully measured slide-rule pass from Ki Sung-yong gave Jung Jo-gook an easy chance from close range.
The excitement didn’t last and the game drifted towards penalties. Two Seoul players missed the target completely – Kim Sung-yung and, dismally, Lee Jong-min. Ki Sung-yong saw his kick well-saved. It was the last action for Ki in the Seoul shirt. He has already signed for Scottish giants Celtic in a $4 million deal and heads to Glasgow at the end of the year.
Kwak Tae-whi scored the winning penalty. The international defender has spent much of the season battling injury but was fresh as a daisy as he shot home emphatically against his old club.
"The players were confident about defeating FC Seoul before the game,'' Chunnam coach Park Hang-seo said."They figured out their opponents and were more confident. We will focus on regaining our fitness level for the second round match on Wednesday.”
The match was the last in the three season tenure of Senol Gunes. It was a widely expected that the man who took Turkey to the semi-finals of the 2002 World Cup would be off home at the end of the season.
Hometown club Trabzonspor had come knocking earlier in the year but now the Korean contract has ended, Gunes is free to head home back to the Black Sea and that is where he will probably be seen very soon.
“I am leaving but I will never forget the fans in Seoul and my time here,” Gunes told Seoul's official site.
“We have come a long way together and I am sure that next year the club will keep improving and Seoul will become champions.”
That didn't happen under FIFA's coach of 2002 and the team also exited this year's Asian Champions League at the quarter-final stage.
“Though I had a very happy three years here, I am sorry and frustrated that we didn’t win. This year was especially disappointing and I am sad as anyone.”
While Seoul missed out on a first title, Gunes did enough to give the capital club a reputation for playing decent football and giving young footballers a chance. The likes of Park Chu-young, Lee Chung-yong and Ki Sung-yong become well-respected players around Asia and have all earned big money deals in Europe.
The challenge for the new coach is to help the many young players at the club reach the same level.
Gunes will not be in the Land of the Morning Calm to see which of the three teams remaining lift the K-League trophy. Seongnam conquered Incheon United after a penalty shootout despite having two defenders and their coach sent off. A subsequent and narrow win over Chunnam Dragons has earned a semi-final match against Asian champions Pohang Steelers.
The rested Steelers are strong favourites against a weakened and tired Seongnam side and should win through to the final where Jeonbuk Motors are waiting.
Copyright: John Duerden & Soccerphile.com
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Soccer News football
Seoul thought they shouldn’t have needed to play the match at all. The capital club spent the whole season slugging it out with Jeonbuk Motors at the top of the K-League and expected to go straight to the final, or at least, the semi-final.
That all changed on the last day of the season as Seoul conceded a last-minute goal at home to Chunnam Dragons. That 1-1 tie saw Seoul slip into third. That finish meant Seoul had to negotiate the entire play-off series.
As luck would have it, the first play-off opponent was Chunnam. And Chunnam was the last. For Seoul, it is very much a case of what might have been. For much of the season, the red-and-blacks looked the likeliest champion but when the push came to the shove, the team didn’t quite have the indefinable quality that champions need – the ability to dig in and fight for everything.
The game again finished 1-1 after 90 minutes. Seoul’s penalty area was the least crowded place in the whole city after 12 minutes and Chunnam striker Lee Gyu-ro took advantage to fire a fierce shot low into the home net. Three minutes later however, Seoul drew level. A delightfully measured slide-rule pass from Ki Sung-yong gave Jung Jo-gook an easy chance from close range.
The excitement didn’t last and the game drifted towards penalties. Two Seoul players missed the target completely – Kim Sung-yung and, dismally, Lee Jong-min. Ki Sung-yong saw his kick well-saved. It was the last action for Ki in the Seoul shirt. He has already signed for Scottish giants Celtic in a $4 million deal and heads to Glasgow at the end of the year.
Kwak Tae-whi scored the winning penalty. The international defender has spent much of the season battling injury but was fresh as a daisy as he shot home emphatically against his old club.
"The players were confident about defeating FC Seoul before the game,'' Chunnam coach Park Hang-seo said."They figured out their opponents and were more confident. We will focus on regaining our fitness level for the second round match on Wednesday.”
The match was the last in the three season tenure of Senol Gunes. It was a widely expected that the man who took Turkey to the semi-finals of the 2002 World Cup would be off home at the end of the season.
Hometown club Trabzonspor had come knocking earlier in the year but now the Korean contract has ended, Gunes is free to head home back to the Black Sea and that is where he will probably be seen very soon.
“I am leaving but I will never forget the fans in Seoul and my time here,” Gunes told Seoul's official site.
“We have come a long way together and I am sure that next year the club will keep improving and Seoul will become champions.”
That didn't happen under FIFA's coach of 2002 and the team also exited this year's Asian Champions League at the quarter-final stage.
“Though I had a very happy three years here, I am sorry and frustrated that we didn’t win. This year was especially disappointing and I am sad as anyone.”
While Seoul missed out on a first title, Gunes did enough to give the capital club a reputation for playing decent football and giving young footballers a chance. The likes of Park Chu-young, Lee Chung-yong and Ki Sung-yong become well-respected players around Asia and have all earned big money deals in Europe.
The challenge for the new coach is to help the many young players at the club reach the same level.
Gunes will not be in the Land of the Morning Calm to see which of the three teams remaining lift the K-League trophy. Seongnam conquered Incheon United after a penalty shootout despite having two defenders and their coach sent off. A subsequent and narrow win over Chunnam Dragons has earned a semi-final match against Asian champions Pohang Steelers.
The rested Steelers are strong favourites against a weakened and tired Seongnam side and should win through to the final where Jeonbuk Motors are waiting.
Copyright: John Duerden & Soccerphile.com
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Soccer News football
Debreceni Vasutas Sport Club V Liverpool FC Dr. Joel Rookwood
There was something vaguely recognisable about Ferihegy Airport as I left the terminal building yesterday morning en route to central Budapest. The last time we had visited the Hungarian capital was during a painfully long European trip, the type only the UEFA Cup can serve up. It was an era that predated the continent’s current accessible, extensive and affordable budget airline network, and we inextricably chose Budapest as a suitable city from which to embark upon an overland journey to Sofia for the UEFA Cup tie against Levski in 2003. We seemed to overlook the fact that an entire country lay in between Hungary and Bulgaria. It proved to be an adventure of bribing corrupt officials, crashing into trams, sleep deprivation, uninsured driving and eating horse burgers for tea, a journey which also involved driving the length of the country formerly known as Serbia and Montenegro. The flashback inspired by the familiar landscape of greater Budapest was a reminder of a journey that seemed to epitomise the UEFA Cup experience, as a collection of epic expeditions into the unknown.
Since those mediocre (albeit memorable) days when the UEFA Cup represented the sum total of our realistic European ambition, Liverpool have been spoiled with success. In a re-evaluation of contemporary club status, failure to reach the final of the Champions League has been re-conceptualised as just that, failure. And yet, as a consequence of an uncharacteristically poor start to this season’s continental campaign, demotion into Europe’s secondary competition looked likely, after results in the opening four games of the group stage of the European Cup had not gone Liverpool’s way. The harsh reality is that Benitez’s side have been victim of their own inadequacies in failing to finish in the top half of a group which on paper did not present a serious challenge to post-Christmas qualification. The re-establishment of Liverpool under Benitez as regular participants in the latter stages of Europe’s premier competition renders the slide into the farcical experiment that is the Europa League particularly notable.
Liverpool went into the crucial match in Hungary against definitive minnows Debrecen knowing that victory in match day five would be rendered largely meaningless, if group leaders Lyon succumbed to defeat away to second-place Fiorentina. Liverpool’s latest European adventure commenced according to plan, as the visitors immediately took control of the Pest contest. A fourth-minute goal from Parisian striker David Ngog was all the five-time European champions required in order to secure victory in the game. Despite having another twenty shots in the match, Liverpool failed to add to their lead. In truth however it was a professional and economic performance from a Liverpool team who were without the attacking prowess of Fernando Torres, with Yossi Benayoun and Alberto Aquilani only granted a late slice of the action. As for other attacking members of the squad, I heard unconfirmed reports that Ryan Babbel was busy giving an interview to another ‘news’ paper, whilst Andriy Voronin was out spending last week’s wages on a new plough.
On a freezing Hungarian night the stewards, who all resembled body doubles for Nikolay Valuev, and the police, who came complete with a full military armour (including gas masks), seemed better prepared for action than most of the players. Liverpool’s goal seemed to foster a collective acceptance that it was to be the only significant act of the contest, which subsequently became something of a non-event, both on the pitch and in the stands. The hushed atmosphere was dictated largely by the Debrecen supporters, who despite filling most of the ground seemed ill at ease with their surroundings. Being forced to play their Champions League games in the national stadium (231km west of the second city) is never conducive to a colourful atmosphere, as supporters of Arsenal and Galatasaray will testify. With a Liverpool win considered inevitable, all eyes and ears were focused on the events unfolding simultaneously in Florence. However, with Lyon’s failure to find an equalising goal, following the conversion of an ultimately decisive Juan Vargas penalty, it was the Italians who celebrated qualification for the knock-out stages of the competition, temporarily appropriating top spot from Lyon in the process. It must be noted that Lyon and Fiorentina deserve to be in the knock out stages of the competition, and we wish them well for their remaining round of the Champions League.
Meanwhile Liverpool have been consigned to the UEFA Cup and cocky claims from some unnamed journalists that a final appearance in Madrid would prove a likely end to the season proved unfounded. As the mist descended on the Hungarian Stadium, named after footballing legend Ferenc Puskas, I looked up in a quiet moment and noticed a banner which read: ‘Reds go Hungary, Blues go thirsty’. And with that I was reminded not only of the forthcoming visit to Goodison Park on Sunday, and the necessity of improving our league form and position starting with the inevitable victory over little Everton, but also that our continental plight has moved the reality of a first ever European trip across Stanley Park a step closer. Every cloud has a silver lining.
I fully expect to return to the Isle of media sensationalism later today to hear extensive national criticism of Liverpool’s manager. Yet whilst the response of popular consciousness might be informed relative to Liverpool’s impressive tradition and existing resources, importantly it is also a reflection of the recent form in European competition. For that Liverpool only really have one man to thank. In his six seasons as Liverpool manager, his team’s performances in the Champions League have been consistently positive, albeit inconsistent in the degree of achievement. The performance indicators span the spectrum of outcomes, from winning the competition, to getting knocked out in the final, semi-final, quarterfinal, super sixteen and group stages. The fact our least impressive performance is our most recent will no doubt contribute to the panicked reaction, but as is often the case with the British press, this will not be proportionate to the issue at hand, and will not be reflective of the local media analysis. Importantly, on Merseyside the collective belief remains that this sorry experience is the exception and not the rule. And with that, I’m off to purchase the latest Hamburg guidebook.
Senin, 23 November 2009
British Foreign and Commonwealth Office Advice
If you are planning to travel to South Africa for the World Cup next year, make sure you follow some basic tips for a safe and enjoyable stay.
The British Foreign and Commonwealth Office is kicking off its ‘Be on the Ball’ campaign, aimed at helping England fans heading to South Africa, with a press conference tomorrow. Gary Mabbutt, ex-England player, and one of the ambassadors for South Africa’s World Cup bid, will join the FCO in urging fans to take a few simple precautions before they travel. You can watch the press conference live on this page www.fco.gov.uk/worldcup tomorrow at 1030 GMT.
Working with the South African authorities and travel industry partners, the FCO has produced a dedicated world cup advice page on its website (www.fco.gov.uk/worldcup ) with information from rules of the road to accommodation issues and transport advice. This will be updated regularly as the World Cup approaches.
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The British Foreign and Commonwealth Office is kicking off its ‘Be on the Ball’ campaign, aimed at helping England fans heading to South Africa, with a press conference tomorrow. Gary Mabbutt, ex-England player, and one of the ambassadors for South Africa’s World Cup bid, will join the FCO in urging fans to take a few simple precautions before they travel. You can watch the press conference live on this page www.fco.gov.uk/worldcup tomorrow at 1030 GMT.
Working with the South African authorities and travel industry partners, the FCO has produced a dedicated world cup advice page on its website (www.fco.gov.uk/worldcup ) with information from rules of the road to accommodation issues and transport advice. This will be updated regularly as the World Cup approaches.
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Soccer News football
Sabtu, 21 November 2009
FIFA World Rankings November 2009
Spain regain top slot in this month's Fifa world rankings. Brazil are second followed by the Netherlands, Italy and Portugal. England are in 9th place. Argentina are 8th.
France are in 7th after Thierry Henry handed them victory in their World Cup play off encounter with Ireland in Paris. Cameroon are the highest African team in 11th. Russia are 13th, with the USA one back in 14th.
1 Spain
2 Brazil
3 Netherlands
4 Italy
5 Portugal
6 Germany
7 France
8 Argentina
9 England
10 Croatia
11 Cameroon
12 Greece
13 Russia
14 USA
15 Mexico
16 Côte d'Ivoire
17 Chile
18 Switzerland
19 Uruguay
20 Serbia
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France are in 7th after Thierry Henry handed them victory in their World Cup play off encounter with Ireland in Paris. Cameroon are the highest African team in 11th. Russia are 13th, with the USA one back in 14th.
1 Spain
2 Brazil
3 Netherlands
4 Italy
5 Portugal
6 Germany
7 France
8 Argentina
9 England
10 Croatia
11 Cameroon
12 Greece
13 Russia
14 USA
15 Mexico
16 Côte d'Ivoire
17 Chile
18 Switzerland
19 Uruguay
20 Serbia
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Last month's Fifa World Rankings
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Kamis, 19 November 2009
Thierry Henry Hands France Qualification
Thierry Henry's blatent handball has caused a wave of consternation in the blogosphere and further calls for the introduction of video technology.
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Thierry Henry World Cup
32 Teams For World Cup 2010
All 32 teams for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa are now known.
The complete line up is:
Europe
Denmark, England, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland
Africa
Algeria, Cameroon, Cote D'Ivoire (Ivory Coast), Ghana, Nigeria, South Africa (hosts)
Asia
Australia, Japan, North Korea, South Korea
South America
Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, Uruguay
North & Central America, Caribbean
Honduras, Mexico, USA
Oceania
New Zealand
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World Cup South Africa
The complete line up is:
Europe
Denmark, England, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland
Africa
Algeria, Cameroon, Cote D'Ivoire (Ivory Coast), Ghana, Nigeria, South Africa (hosts)
Asia
Australia, Japan, North Korea, South Korea
South America
Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, Uruguay
North & Central America, Caribbean
Honduras, Mexico, USA
Oceania
New Zealand
Tags
World Cup South Africa
Korea Gears Up For Play-Offs
With most attention on the exploits of Pohang Steelers in the Asian Champions League and the national team’s friendly matches in Europe against Denmark and Serbia, the fact that the K-League is about to embark upon its championship play-off series has almost gone unnoticed.
Six teams are still in with a chance of the domestic title. One is Jeonbuk Motors. The team that finished first in the regular season gets the reward of being able to lie in wait in the final match in December and see which of the other five teams will be left standing.
Four are in action this weekend – though only two will survive to go to the next stage. The first play-off takes place on Saturday in the capital as FC Seoul meets Chunnam Dragons and the following day, Incheon United travel to Seongnam Chunma. The two teams that emerge from the quarrelling quartet will meet each other next Wednesday. The winner of that will take on Pohang, second placed in the league, in the semi-final.
Seoul finished the regular season in third place and out of all the four teams that are in action this weekend, the capital club is the one that really doesn’t want to be in this situation. Senol Gunes’s men spent most of the season in the top two spots and didn’t expect to be fighting it out with four others just to reach the semi-final.
It all happened on the last day of the regular season, ironically against Chunnam at Seoul World Cup Stadium. The host needed to win to confirm second place and if Jeonbuk lost, it would go top.
Thirteen minutes from the end, Seoul striker Dejan Damjanovic, who had earlier missed a penalty, fired a fierce shot into the top corner of the Dragons’ Den from a distance of 25 meters. It was a great strike but the way in which he celebrated was less impressive. Running towards the Chunnam bench, the Montenegrin shouted at the visiting staff and threw his shirt on the grass in front of them.
The referee threw the excitable European out of the game though he had to be restrained from confronting Chunnam coach Park Hang-seo on his way off the field. The Dragons took advantage of their one-man advantage to equalize in the final minute to drag Seoul down from second to third.
Another consequence of Damjanovic’s dismissal is the fact that he will not be able to play on Saturday. Even without their star striker however, Seoul will be confident of progressing to the next stage in front of its own fans.
Chunnam finished in sixth place, eleven points behind Seoul. The team from South Jeolla Province has a star foreign striker of its own, Brazilian Adrian Chuva. The South American scored 13 goals this season and with Korean international defender Kwak Tae-hwi returning to fitness, the Dragons have a chance to recreate Pohang’s march to the 2007 title.
Two years ago, after an unspectacular season in which the team finished fifth, the Steelers suddenly slipped into top gear in the play-offs and defeated Gyeongnam, Ulsan, Suwon and then Seongnam (twice) to lift the golden K-League trophy.
Incheon finished fifth this time round but don't really look like a team ready to put Korea’s best teams to the sword. The West Coasters are just happy to be in the play-offs for the first time since 2005 after coming close on a number of occasions in recent years.
The team, built on a strong defence line, has trundled along in the top six all season. Coach Ilja Petkovic took his team to the south coast on a final day of the regular season needing to defeat Busan I’Park to confirm a top six finish. A desperate mistake from Busan goalkeeper gave Incheon an unlikely goal and a vital win.
The trip to Seongnam is much shorter for Incheon but the hosts are much stronger. Seongnam have a good record against Incheon over the years and over the last few weeks, the Gyeonngi giant has been in excellent form, winning seven out of its final ten games of the regular season. Sadly for the Yellows however, they lost out in the FA Cup final last weekend to Suwon Bluewings after a penalty shootout.
All these play-off games are individual cup finals and anything could happen.
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Six teams are still in with a chance of the domestic title. One is Jeonbuk Motors. The team that finished first in the regular season gets the reward of being able to lie in wait in the final match in December and see which of the other five teams will be left standing.
Four are in action this weekend – though only two will survive to go to the next stage. The first play-off takes place on Saturday in the capital as FC Seoul meets Chunnam Dragons and the following day, Incheon United travel to Seongnam Chunma. The two teams that emerge from the quarrelling quartet will meet each other next Wednesday. The winner of that will take on Pohang, second placed in the league, in the semi-final.
Seoul finished the regular season in third place and out of all the four teams that are in action this weekend, the capital club is the one that really doesn’t want to be in this situation. Senol Gunes’s men spent most of the season in the top two spots and didn’t expect to be fighting it out with four others just to reach the semi-final.
It all happened on the last day of the regular season, ironically against Chunnam at Seoul World Cup Stadium. The host needed to win to confirm second place and if Jeonbuk lost, it would go top.
Thirteen minutes from the end, Seoul striker Dejan Damjanovic, who had earlier missed a penalty, fired a fierce shot into the top corner of the Dragons’ Den from a distance of 25 meters. It was a great strike but the way in which he celebrated was less impressive. Running towards the Chunnam bench, the Montenegrin shouted at the visiting staff and threw his shirt on the grass in front of them.
The referee threw the excitable European out of the game though he had to be restrained from confronting Chunnam coach Park Hang-seo on his way off the field. The Dragons took advantage of their one-man advantage to equalize in the final minute to drag Seoul down from second to third.
Another consequence of Damjanovic’s dismissal is the fact that he will not be able to play on Saturday. Even without their star striker however, Seoul will be confident of progressing to the next stage in front of its own fans.
Chunnam finished in sixth place, eleven points behind Seoul. The team from South Jeolla Province has a star foreign striker of its own, Brazilian Adrian Chuva. The South American scored 13 goals this season and with Korean international defender Kwak Tae-hwi returning to fitness, the Dragons have a chance to recreate Pohang’s march to the 2007 title.
Two years ago, after an unspectacular season in which the team finished fifth, the Steelers suddenly slipped into top gear in the play-offs and defeated Gyeongnam, Ulsan, Suwon and then Seongnam (twice) to lift the golden K-League trophy.
Incheon finished fifth this time round but don't really look like a team ready to put Korea’s best teams to the sword. The West Coasters are just happy to be in the play-offs for the first time since 2005 after coming close on a number of occasions in recent years.
The team, built on a strong defence line, has trundled along in the top six all season. Coach Ilja Petkovic took his team to the south coast on a final day of the regular season needing to defeat Busan I’Park to confirm a top six finish. A desperate mistake from Busan goalkeeper gave Incheon an unlikely goal and a vital win.
The trip to Seongnam is much shorter for Incheon but the hosts are much stronger. Seongnam have a good record against Incheon over the years and over the last few weeks, the Gyeonngi giant has been in excellent form, winning seven out of its final ten games of the regular season. Sadly for the Yellows however, they lost out in the FA Cup final last weekend to Suwon Bluewings after a penalty shootout.
All these play-off games are individual cup finals and anything could happen.
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