Arsenal Defeated Olympiacos 2-0 in Champions League 2009-10

Arsenal clinched a 2-0 dominating victory over Olympiacos at home in a Champions League group stage match. Goals from Robin van Persie and Andrei Arshavin in the second half ensured three points for the Gunners. With this victory, Arsenal is currently leading the Group H point table with 6 points from 2 games.

Arsenal dominated throughout the match, but still Gunners needed 78 minutes to score their first goal. Wenger boys attacked one after another, but Olympiacos goalkeeper Antonis Nikopolidis denied Gunners a number of goals. Arsenal got their first goal from an organized attack. After receiving a pass from Carlos Vela, Eduardo sent a cross in the box which found unmarked Robin van Persie who did not have any problem to slot it into the open post. Arsenal doubled the lead in the 86 minute when Arshavin flicked a pass home without giving much time to the Olympiacos goalkeeper to understand the ball.

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BBC

Graeme Smith to Miss Champions League Twenty20 to Recover Elbow Injury before the England Series

South Africa captain Graeme Smith has withdrawn himself from the Champions League Twenty20 inaugural event starting from 8 October 2009 after being advised by the medical committee of Cricket South Africa. The batsman suffered an elbow injury during Champions Trophy 2009 and is all set to start his rehabilitation phase in his attempt to be fit by the time South Africa takes on England in November this year.

Brandon Jackson, physiotherapist of South African team, has said that Smith needs to strengthen his shoulder muscles. He has also said that Smith would be able to get over the injury before the England series.

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New York Times

Andrew Symonds to Set out for India to Participate in Champions League Twenty20 2009

Champions League Twenty20 2009 kicks off from 8 October and this is the inaugural edition of the tournament. Australian all rounder Andrew Symonds will arrive India next week in order to represent IPL 2009 champion Deccan Chargers in the competition. 12 teams from several cricket playing countries including South Africa, England, India, Sri Lanka, New Zealand, West Indies and Australia will take part in the tournament.

Andrew Symonds has not played competitive cricket for the last four months as he is recovering from quadriceps strain. Naturally, his fitness will be a big cause of concern for Deccan who would also have to deal with his alcohol and disciplinary problems. Symonds was sent home after breaching team discipline following an incident related to alcohol and he was stripped off his Cricket Australia (CA) contract. Now, let us see if Deccan Chargers can handle all these problems of Symonds and bring the best out of him during the tournament.

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centralchronicle

Champions Trophy 2009 Live on BBC Radio

BBC will air the live commentary of the two semi finals and final match of the ongoing ICC Champions Trophy 2009 from South Africa. BBC has got the radio commentary right of the two games. So, English cricket fans would now be able to know what is happening in South Africa even when they are in work. Sky Sports has been covering the tournament live for the England cricket fans, but there has been no radio commentary or highlights on Channel Five that generally shows the highlights of England’s home series.

The decision to cover the semi finals and final came in the wake of England’s surprising performance in Champions Trophy 2009 so far. England defeated Sri Lanka and South Africa to ensure their place in the semi finals. Though England suffered a crushing defeat in the third group game against New Zealand, cricket fans in England are still eagerly waiting to know if England can make it to the final and win the title for the first time in the history of Champions Trophy. BBC Radio’s test match special will cover the three matches.

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Guardian

Franco Di Santo Revealing Himself at Blackburn Rovers

Chelsea striker Franco Di Santo has started revealing his skill and talent at Blackburn Rovers where he is now spending a loan spell. His effervescent performance in Blackburn’s 2-1 win over Aston Villa last weekend was reminiscent enough to understand that Chelsea would recall his service in the Winter transfer window. In fact, that is what Blackburn Rovers manager Sam Allardyce believes at this moment.

Since his move to Chelsea from Audax Italiano in 2008, Franco Di Santo failed to win a place in Chelsea’s regular line up. However, the way the striker is going at this moment seems that he may give some tough competition to the regular Chelsea strikers like Drogba and Anelka.

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Daily Mail

Chelsea captain John Terry Angry at Teammates over 3-1 Defeat to Wigan Athletic

John Terry is very much furious at the performance of his teammates during the 3-1 humiliating defeat at the hands of Wigan Athletic. Chelsea went into the game undefeated and was looking for ninth straight win in all competitions at Wigan, but suffered a shocking defeat. Terry believes that the Chelsea players did not work hard and try their best to control the game.

Well, I think that this kind of comment in front of media may cause create some fraction in Chelsea squad. As a captain and senior player, I think, Terry should keep refrain himself from making such comments in public. I just hope that Chelsea would not suffer the same fate that they did last season under the guidance of Luiz Felipe Scolari. They started off very well, but just after few months, there was a fraction in the squad and some senior players went against Scolari which eventually resulted into the sacking of the Brazilian coach. After that Chelsea failed to win the premier league and Champions league.

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AFP

Aaron Redmond Waiting for ODI Debut

You already know that New Zealand has lost their regular opener Jesse Ryder through a groin injury that he picked up during Kiwis’ 38-run win over Sri Lanka in a do-or-die group stage match of ICC Champions Trophy 2009. Aaron Redmond has now been called up to replace Ryder and the Otago opener has already reached South Africa for the rest of the tournament.

New Zealand has a crunch game against England tomorrow that they have to win in order to ensure their semi final progress. A defeat would eliminate New Zealand from the group stage of Champions league.

So, it seems that Aaron Redmond may get his ODI debut in a very important game and if so, he will feel some pressure of replacing an inform batsman like Ryder. He has already played 7 tests and 3 T20 matches for New Zealand and is now waiting for his ODI debut.

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Otago Daily Times

Ireland No More in English Country Cricket

Cricket Ireland has declined an ECB offer to continue its participation in County cricket, citing that Ireland now wants to focus more on international cricket. Ireland coach Phil Simmons believes that his side plays the game all-year round, and therefore, facing a timing problem. Warren Deutrom, chief executive of Cricket Ireland, has revealed his gratitude to ECB for its support to cricket in Ireland.

It has been reported that Netherlands would now fill up the gap of Ireland in county cricket and it would be interesting to see if the Dutch side can also become a dominating force like Ireland among the ICC associate members.

There is no doubt, Ireland has been more active in international cricket over the last few years and have achieved a number of successes at international level. Ireland reached the Super Six round of last World Cup in 2007 defeating Pakistan and then they defeated Bangladesh in the Super Six. This year, Ireland defeated Bangladesh in World Twenty20 in South Africa. Ireland will take part in the qualifying competition of ICC World Twenty20 2010 next February in order to clinch a spot of the final tournament.

Well, I do not think that Cricket Ireland has taken the right decision by outing out of County competition. Ireland has improved a lot by taking part in the county cricket and a number of players have played so well that they got call up from England national team. Naturally, county cricket was the breeding ground of Ireland over the years. It is true that Ireland can now play more international cricket, but international stage is not the ideal place where players can develop their game and improve skill and talent. It is true that Ireland from now would not have to allow their best players to play for England, but they have also lost the potential source of getting quality players who can lead Ireland in international circuit.

Anyway, it is now a big chance for Netherlands to improve their cricket. The Dutch side has a number of potential talents who can flourish their potential by playing in English country cricket.

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BBC

Daniel Vettori: New Zealand Can Become a Top Side

New Zealand is currently playing against Sri Lanka in a crunch game of Champions Trophy 2009. After losing the first game to South Africa, New Zealand now must win the next two including the current one if they are to make it to the semi final.

New Zealand’s recent form is not good enough to bet on them, but Captain Daniel Vettori is confident of reaching the last four. He has also said that New Zealand people has all the rights to question on their performance if they fail to reach the semi final in the tournament.

Nzherald reported:

"If we don't win one, then questions have to be asked," Vettori said forthrightly from Johannesburg.

"The team here is good enough to win. It's a strong side and a very balanced one and we have got to get past that potential tag and get results on the board.

"There's no reason why we can't be one of the best sides in the world. We have got a long way to go in test cricket, but in Twenty20 and one-dayers, this is a very good side."

Can you sound the determination in New Zealand captain’s voice? Well, I do it for sure. I also think that New Zealand has the ability to progress to the semi final, if their players can play at their best. I agree with Vettori on the fact that New Zealand has every reason to become one of the best sides in the world.

India Lost to Pakistan in Champions Trophy 2009 Opener

India suffered a 54-run defeat to Pakistan in their ICC Champions Trophy 2009 opener. Poor bowling performance was responsible for India’s defeat. Batting first Pakistan scored 302 runs in their allotted 50 overs losing 9 wickets. Pakistan lost 3 wickets at 65, but a third wicket contribution of 206 runs from Shoaib Malik and Mohammad Yousuf set up a huge target for India. Malik played an excellent innings of 128, while Yousuf scored 87 runs. Ashish Nehra picked up 4 wickets, while Indian spinners failed to live up to the expectation.

Chasing a huge target, India was well on course until Raful Dravid was at the wicket. Tendulkar failed to score big, but his opening partner Gautam Gambhir scored an excellent half century, while Raina’s 41-ball 46 kept India’s hope alight until late in the game. Gambhir scored 57 off 46, but India’s highest score came from Dravid’s bat as he scored 76 runs off 103. Pakistan bowlers bowled very well, except Gul. Aamer, Rana Naved, Ajmal and Afridi all picked up 2 wickets each. Malik was awarded the man of the match award for his excellent half century.

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The Canadian Press

Arsenal and Liverpool Facing Each Other in Carling Cup 2009-10

Arsenal and Liverpool are going to face each other at the Emirates Stadium in the fourth round of Carling Cup 2009-10 next month. No doubt, neither side relished such a fixture at this stage of the tournament, but the recent draw suggests an affair between these two ‘Big Four’ teams. Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger generally features his young generation players in the league cup and FA Cup in order to give them much-needed exposure to top level football. I do not think that Wenger would come out of his principle because Liverpool is the opponent.

Manchester United will visit to Barnsley, while Chelsea faces Bolton Wanderers at the same stage of the league cup. Aston Villa takes on Sunderland away from home, Tottenham Hotspur hosts Everton, Portsmouth faces Stoke City, and Manchester City hosts Scunthorpe in the fourth round of League Cup 2009-10. Another premier league outfit Blackburn Rovers faces Peterborough at home.

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AFP

Chelsea Lost to Wigan Athletic 3-1 in Premier League 2009-10

Who would believe that this Wigan lost 4-0 to Arsenal last weekend? The same Wigan Athletic pulled off a memorable 3-1 victory over Chelsea today. The dramatic Wigan victory also saw Chelsea goalkeeper Peter Cech sent off for pulling down Hugo Rodallega in the box.

Chelsea started off pretty well in the game and threatened Wigan half on a number of times. However, the visitors were left stunned when Titus Bramble put the home side ahead in the match against the run of the game. Didier Drogba brought Chelsea back into the game with an equalizer just two minutes into the second half. No doubt, Wigan goalkeeper Kirkland must take the responsibility of the game as he failed to control Drogba’s not-harmful shot.

Then came the Cech red card drama that also awarded a penalty to Wigan and striker Hugo Rodallega did not make any mistake to bring another lead to Wigan. Henrique Hilario came to keep the post as Malouda went off the pitch. Chelsea tried hard to get another equalizer, but they suffered another goal in the injury time as Scharner ensured three points for Wigan from the game.

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The Sun

Carlo Ancelotti Plans to Retire at Chelsea in 2015

New Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti has revealed that he plans to end his coaching career at Stamford Bridge within next 6 years. After three months in the job, Ancelotti now looks for a long stint at Chelsea. In fact, the Italian manager has already decided that 2015 will be his last year in football coaching.

AFP reported:

"I started to train in 1995 and, after two years of this job, I thought that, for me, I would end my career in 2000," said Ancelotti.

"When I got to 2000, I said, 'now it's better to continue because I like this.'

"I thought I'd close my career in 2005 but after (AC Milan's) Champions League final defeat against Liverpool, I thought it was better to continue. Now, my stop is 2015.

"I hope to stay here. It depends not only on me. But I can say that, after three months here, I hope to stay a long time."

Well, it seems that Carlo Ancelotti has already changed his retirement decision three times. So, there is no certainty that he would surely get into retirement in 2015. May be considering the situation, he would continue his coaching career after 2015 as well. Though it is his personal decision and all should have respect to whatever he decides regarding his career, but my opinion is that he can continue the job as long as he enjoys it. He does not need to make any deadline for his retirement. He celebrated his 50^th birthday last June and I think he can continue the job for 10 or 15 more years.

Diego Maradona: Do or Die Now

Perhaps it is the last chance for Diego Maradona. He is considered to be the greatest footballer of all time along with Pele and when he became the coach of Argentine national football team there was a lot of expectation among the supporters that under his influence some magic will happen. Now, they are thinking that the opposite has happened and Argentina is now facing the danger of getting eliminated from world cup 2010 in South Africa.

Diego Maradona has now come back to his country after taking a break in Italy. He stayed in Italy for two weeks and he lost some weights. So, now he is a better shape physically and let us see if he can inspire his players. Argentina is going to play against Peru next match at home. They are expected to win the match easily because Peru is the weakest team. Here I like to remind you that not only they have to win the match but they have to win the match with a huge margin to keep any hope of qualifying in the final of 2010 world cup football. 

Chelsea Facing Wigan Athletic in Premier League

Chelsea Facing Wigan Athletic in Premier League tomorrow away from home at the DW Stadium. Wigan go into the game on the back of a thrashing 4-0 defeat at the hands of Arsenal last weekend, while Chelsea is looking to hold on to its unbeaten record so far this season. The blues have been in excellent form so far as they have been clinching all the points coming their way.

However, Chelsea will miss the service of Deco, but Didier Drogba is ready to feature against Wigan, even though the striker was limped off during last weekend’s victory Tottenham Hotspur. Joe Cole and Yuri Zhirkov are also available for the game.

Wigan is looking for a strong come back against Chelsea following their recent poor show against Arsenal. However, they will miss Scott Sinclair’s service as the winger is playing on loan at Chelsea from Wigan Athletic.

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BBC

Cristiano Ronaldo Now Showing his Class at Real Madrid

Real Madrid’s record-breaking Summer signing Cristiano Ronaldo has not taken much time to get his rhythm back at Madrid. The winger has already scored 5 league goals, scoring in all the four games Real Madrid played so far in the league this season. With 5 goals, Ronaldo is now jointly topping the highest scorers’ list alongside Lionel Messi and David Villa. Moreover, the Portugal international also scored two goals in Real Madrid Champions League opener against Zurich, and thus, taking is Real Madrid goal tally to 7 from 5 games in all competitions. Ronaldo is also very much delighted with his scoring form at his new club.

New York Times reported:

“Things are turning out well for me, especially in the opening minutes,” he was quoted as saying by sports daily Marca on Thursday. “I’m happy and I feel good but what’s most important is to help and keep winning.”

Ronaldo and Kaka scored in Real’s recent 2-0 win over Villarreal last Wednesday. Real fans are also very happy that another big money signing Kaka has also opening his scoring book in the match after joining Bernabue from AC Milan in Summer 2009 transfer window.

Can Arsenal Get their Revenge Against Fulham?

Last season, Arsenal lost very few matches at away and one of the losses came at Fulham. That defeat perhaps damaged the morale of the players and supporters. Tomorrow, Arsenal is again going to Fulham and this time revenge is in their mind. It is still early in the season but Arsenal has already lost two matches. So, tomorrow they have to win at any cost. Their current form is not bad and on the other hand, the form of Fulham is not good at this moment.

ESPN reported:

Last season's reverse at Craven Cottage pre-empted their drift away from Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United at the top of the table. The ghosts of that performance need to be dispelled on Saturday. A defeat would be their third in a row on the road; they only lost three away from home all last season.

I am hopeful with the current Arsenal squad. The only problem is that a good number of them are suffering from injuries. If they can remain fit and if Wenger gets some support from God then this time his young players can achieve something. 

India vs Pakistan CT 2009: Who are the players to watch?

This is the biggest cricket match in 2009. As far I know, India and Pakistan did not play in any international cricket match in 2009. So, this is indeed the biggest match for these two countries and millions of cricket fans. It is like Argentina vs Brazil in football. So, naturally the supporters are eagerly waiting for their favorite players to perform. I was thinking about the top players of both teams. I feel that for India, it will be Sachin Tendulkar and for Pakistan it will be Shahid Afridi who would be the main players that can decide the outcome of the match. Of course, cricket is a match in which eleven players play but I think that these two players are more important than the other twentieth players in that day. Undoubtedly, Sachin Tendulkar is the greatest cricket batsman of our time. However, he has become old and he is now 36-year-old and he can not run first like the past. There is no doubt that he is not in the prime of his form. But yet he is doing well. For example, a few days ago he scored a century in Sri Lanka. In 2009, Tendulkar is in good form and it is clear that he can play another two or three years and there is no one in Indian cricket team to replace him at this moment. So, in that match I think that the role of Tendulkar will be very important for Indian cricket team.

On the other hand, Shahid Afridi is now 29 years old and he has become matured. He is gradually emerging as a very influential all rounder in world cricket. He was mainly famous as a hard hitting batsman and he has now become some com and he has got some consistency in his batting at last. On the other hand, his bowling is very good and he has become a very important bowler for the Pakistan cricket team. So, the role of Shahid Afridi will be crucial if Pakistan wants to win the match.

Except these two players, I would like to take the name of MS Dhoni who is the captain of Indian cricket team. Dhoni is famous for his hard hitting style. Suresh Raina is also a gifted player and in bowling, Harbhajan Singh can be a real threat with his spin.

For Pakistan, there is no shortage of talent. In bowling, they have some quality bowlers like Mohammad Asif and in batting they have also some good batsmen. I think that fielding will be an important part and both Pakistan and India are not good when it comes to fielding.

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Cricket Updates

The significance of India vs Pakistan Champions Trophy match

India vs Pakistan Champions Trophy match is going to entertain millions of viewers around the world. It is a very significant match because first of all the two countries did not play with each other in any ODI match in 2009. Secondly, because of Mumbai terror attack in the end of 2008, India cancelled their tour of Pakistan that was scheduled to take place in early 2009. Since then the relationship between the two countries is very bad and it seems that the two countries are not going to travel to each others country in near future. The security condition in Pakistan is not so good and no foreign country is now at this moment interested to go there. On the other hand, it is not clear when Pakistan will travel to India. So, for the cricket fans this is like a special bonus and they will surely enjoy every ball.

Pakistan defeated West Indies yesterday but not so convincingly.

It is also significant for the TV channel STAR CRICKET. STAR CRICKET has the TV rights of Champions Trophy and I think that they can earn the maximum amount of money from India-Pakistan match. They can earn most amount of money because it is clear that maximum number of people will watch this match in this tournament.

It is also a big opportunity for sponsor companies like Hero Honda or RELIANCE to reach millions of people in India.

So, you can see that there is something for everyone in this match and we hope that it will be a very competitive one. 

Arsenal Defeated West Bromwich Albion 2-0 in League Cup

A second string Arsenal side pulled off a 2-0 victory over West Bromwich Albion in the third round of League Cup 2009-10. Arsene Wenger featured 8 teenagers in the game resting more than half of the regular players for the game. Well, if you are an Arsenal fan, I believe you don’t need to be surprised by this move of Wenger because the Gunner boss always feature young players in the league cup and FA cup matches.

Arsenal had to wait 68 minutes for the opening goal which came through Sanchez Watt. West Brom keeper blocked the Carlos Vela’s shot and it fell to Watt and the young striker did not make any mistake to slot it into the post. Vela doubled the Arsenal lead when he got the ball after Mark Randall’s shot made the wookwork.

Arsenal’s performance was really very impressive and it is an evident of the progress of Wenger’s young boys.

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BBC

Mohammad Asif to Return to International Circuit against West Indies

Star Pakistani pacer Mohammad Asif is all set to return to international circuit after serving one year doping ban. Pakistan will face West Indies in their first match of Champions Trophy 2009 today and it is expected that the pacer will make his international come back through this game.

Mohammad Asif was banned from international cricket for a year as he was tested positive in a drug test during inaugural Indian Premier League (IPL). Following that incident, Asif was caught at the Dubai airport with illegal drug opium and was kept in custody for 19 days in Dubai.

Mohammad Asif broke into international circuit with Pakistan’s home test series against South Africa in January 2005. He did not take time to prove his talent and skill as a pacer. Because of his excellent line and length, and ability to swing the ball on both ways, he was soon compared with former Australian great Glenn McGrath. Now, let us see if Asif can make a strong come back against West Indies if he is given a chance. However, coach Younis Khan and Intikhab Alam have said that they are now expecting anything special from Mohammad Asif as it is his come back match.

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Cricket Next

Manchester United and Stoppage Time Controversy

Those of you have watched the Manchester derby of last Sunday might have been surprised to see 7 minutes of extra time played after 90 minutes. No doubt, the match was really enjoyable as both teams were dominating at some points of time during the game. However, I was just astonished to see Martin Atkinson taking 7 minutes to blew the final whistle. City manager Mark Hughes said that he just did not know where those 7 minutes came from. The same question has arisen in my mind too.

Well, there are many among the City fans who are claiming that the referee showed favoritism towards United that day. The match was 2-2 tied after 90 minutes, but United won the game thanks to an injury time goal from Michael Owen. I got two well-analyzed articles published in Telegraph and Guardian on this issue.

After studying all the premier league games of Manchester Untied from 2006-07 to today, Guardian found out that the amount of stoppage time when United was drawing or losing was considerably more than what the stoppage time when United was ahead of their opposition after 90 minutes.

Well, this information might lead you to think that there was something controversial in Sunday’s Manchester derby. To be honest, I do not want to make any statement on this regard, but I believe that it is a big mistake by the referee Martin Atkinson to sanction 7 minutes of stoppage time during that game.

Park Ji-Sung Signed New Contract with Manchester United

South Korean midfielder Park Ji-Sung has extended his current contract with Manchester United by signing a new two-year deal. By this new contract, the midfielder would stay at the club until 2011-12 season.

The player was in talks with the club over a contract extension throughout the Summer and now both the player and the club have agreed on a two-year contract extension. After joining the Red Devils camp from a PSV Eindhoven in 2005, the South Korean international has already proven his skill and talent at the club.

Park Ji-Sung is now considered to be one of the reliable midfielders at Manchester United and one of the favorites of manager Sir Alex Ferguson. Park is now delighted to have signed the new deal and has said that he is enjoying his time at the club. Ferguson is also happy to secure his service for two more years. Now, let us see if Park Ji-Sung can live up to the expectation of the United fans in the years to come.

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