Vidic Kecewa United Akhirnya Kebobolan

Manchester United akhirnya kebobolan di babak penyisihan grup Liga Champions. Padahal, United mencatat rekor sebagai satu-satunya tim yang tidak pernah kebobolan. Namun pada laga terakhir melawan Valencia di Old Trafford, Rabu (8/12) dinihari WIB, gawang United yang kali ini dikawal kiper kedua Ben Amos akhirnya kemasukan.

Bek Nemanja Vidic tampak kecewa karena gagal mempertahankan gawang United tetap bersih selama penyisihan grup. Namun, ia tetap puas karena United menjadi juara grup. 

Meski demikian, kapten United tak mempersoalkan siapa yang akan menjadi lawan di babak knockout. Menurutnya, United bakal menghadapi ujian berat karena bertemu lawan tangguh.

Fergie: Seharusnya Kami Bisa Cetak Banyak Gol

Manajer Manchester United Sir Alex Ferguson mengatakan timnya sudah seharusnya mampu memenangi pertandingan dengan mencetak lebih banyak gol, saat bermain imbang 1-1 dengan Valencia dalam putaran terakhir grup C Liga Champions, Rabu (8/12) dinihari WIB.

Meski bermain imbang, The Red Devils berhak menyandang status sebagai juara grup. Status ini sangat penting untuk menghindari dari pertemuan terlalu dini dengan sesama tim kuat Eropa lainnya di babak gugur atau 16 besar.

Fergie tetap puas dengan penampilan anak asuhnya, terutama permainan di babak kedua. Meski sempat tertinggal lewat gol Pablo Hernandez di babak pertama, United akhirnya mampu bangkit di babak kedua, terbukti dengan terciptanya gol penyama kedudukan yang dicetak Anderson pada menit ke-62.

Striker United Dimitar Berbatov sebenarnya memiliki sejumlah peluang bagus, tapi sayang hanya terbuang percuma karena penyelesaian akhir yang kurang maksimal.

Gol yang dicetak Hernandez akhirnya memutus rekor tak terkalahkan United selama fase grup. Itu berarti raksasa Inggris itu gagal mencetak sejarah sebagai klub pertama yang tidak kebobolan selama fase grup Liga Champions.

Barcelona Sudah Punya Skuad Masa Depan

Barcelona dinilai Kurban Berdyev sebagai tim terbaik dunia saat ini, dengan materi pemain mana pun yang diturunkan pelatih mereka.

Pelatih Rubin Kazan itu berpendapat demikian setelah timnya ditaklukkan pemain muda Barcelona dinihari tadi. Menurutnya, Barcelona sudah memiliki tim untuk di masa mendatang.

Mancini Tak Risaukan Ketegangan Dengan Tevez

Manajer Manchester City Roberto Mancini tak terlalu merisaukan insiden ketegangan dengan striker Carlos Tevez dalam pertandingan melawan Bolton Wanderers di Liga Primer Inggris, Sabtu lalu. Tevez mencetak gol di menit-menit awal yang mengantarkan City menang 1-0.

Hanya, Mancini kemudian menarik Tevez. Keputusan Mancini ternyata membuat striker Argentina ini marah-marah. Ia tak menyembunyikan kekecewaannya kepada Mancini saat meninggalkan lapangan.

Namun, Mancini tak mempersoalkan reaksi Tevez. Menurutnya, mantan striker Manchester United ini justru memperlihatkan semangat dan gairah yang tinggi demi mengantarkan timnya meraih kemenangan.

AFF WATCH: Calisto Kecam Taktik Negatif Filipina

Pelatih Vietnam Henrique Calisto mengecam permainan negatif yang diperagakan Filipina, sehingga tim besutannya menelan kekalahan 2-0 dalam laga kedua mereka di Grup B Piala AFF 2010 di Stadion National My Dinh, Minggu [5/12] malam WIB.

Kekalahan tersebut membuat Vietnam harus menjalani laga hidup-mati melawan Singapura di pertandingan terakhir. Kendati menelan kekalahan, Calisto tetap memberikan pujian kepada anak asuhnya, dan mengecam taktik bertahan yang diperagakan Filipina.

Calisto lalu membandingkan pertandingan melawan Myanmar, dimana mereka menang 7-1. Menurut Calisto, laga menghadapi Myanmar lebih fair dibandingkan duel melawan Filipina.

Beli Pemain Baru, Liverpool Tunggu Isyarat Hodgson

Liverpool dikabarkan akan mendatangkan sejumlah pemain baru di bursa transfer Januari. Shaun Wright Phillips dan beberapa pemain lain dilaporkan akan hijrah ke Anfield.

Namun pihak Liverpool sendiri tak tergesa-gesa terkait aktifitas di bursa transfer. direktur sepakbola baru Liverpool Damien Comolli menegaskan hanya akan melakukan aktifitas transfer setelah mendapat isyarat dari manajer Roy Hodgson.

Comolli menambahkan jika membeli pemain yang tidak diinginkan manajer sama saja dengan membuang uang tersebut ke tempat sampah.

Chelsea Terpuruk, Ancelotti Tak Bisa Tidur

Manajer Carlo Ancelotti mengaku tak bisa tidur gara-gara Chelsea ditahan Everton 1-1, Sabtu lalu. Jangankan mengambil alih posisi puncak klasemen Liga Primer Inggris, posisi Chelsea justru makin melorot.

Kini, mereka turun ke posisi tiga karena Arsenal berhasil menggeser Manchester United. Padahal, sebelumnya saat menduduki puncak klasemen Chelsea unggul lima poin dari rival terdekat.

Hasil imbang melawan Everton menjadikan Chelsea hanya mampu meraih lima poin dari enam pertandingan terakhir. Sama dengan rekor buruk the Blues, sepuluh tahun lampau. Saat itu terpuruknya Chelsea berbuntut dipecatnya manajer Gianluca Vialli yang telah memberikan banyak gelar.

"Terus terang, saya tak bisa tidur. Saya tidak bisa tenang. Kami bermain buruk dan tak lagi di puncak. Ini tentu membuat saya cemas," kata Ancelotti.

Hanya, Ancelotti tak merasa cemas dengan posisinya. Termasuk ancaman pemecatan dari pemilik klub Roman Abramovich. 

Hanya, Ancelotti bakal menghadapi ujian berat. Pasalnya, ia harus mengembalikan Chelsea ke posisi puncak dan Abramovich tak ingin menyaksikan kekalahan pada tiga laga berikutnya.

Persoalannya, Liga Primer bakal memasuki pekan-pekan yang berat menjelang Natal dan Tahun Baru. Bahkan Chelsea akan bertemu tiga tim tangguh, Tottenham Hotspur, United dan Arsenal.

Montpellier 1-2 Olympique Lyonnais: Lisandro Snatches Victory For OL At The Death

Olympique Lyonnais struck a cruel blow to Montpellier in the fourth minute of stoppage time to pick up three important points via a 2-1 victory at the Stade de la Mosson.

The match was only five minutes old when the visitors took the lead. Michel Bastos would be a constant menace down the right and started the game in excellent fashion when he was allowed time to deliver an angled cross into the box that was converted at the back post by Lisandro Lopez, who had been allowed to wander away from marker Garry Bocaly.

After the interval Montpellier launched a charge at les Gones but were denied by some excellent goalkeeping by Hugo Lloris until Emir Spahic stooped to head home a corner kick from close range with little over 10 minutes to play.

La Paillade were the better side for much of the second half, but OL struck deep in stoppage time when Lisandro Lopez slammed home Timothee Kolodziejczak’s cross.

Lyon were dominant in the early stages, with the hosts looking distinctly nervous for the opening 20 minutes. Geoffrey Dernis did dribble a shot just past Lloris’ post and the midfielder wasted an opportunity on his weaker left foot when presented with a difficult chance due to the tenacity of Olivier Giroud in the box.

A series of half chances would be passed up by the hosts, who would suffer a couple of scares in the closing stages of period as Bafetimbi Gomis headed tamely at Geoffrey Jourdren, who would cradle a well struck Bastos free kick.

La Paillade would be the more confident side after the break, roared on by a passionate home support. Dernis had a free kick vigilantly blocked by Lloris, who would be stretched further when Karim Ait Fana’s curling shot from inside the box seemed likely to defeat the France international.

Seventy minutes were on the clock when Giroud got his first real sight of the OL goal. The former Tours man showcased his magnificent left foot when he snapped a shot viciously at goal from inside the box, though Lloris’ reactions from close range were impeccable.

Having drawn level, Montpellier certainly didn’t settle for one point and threw players forward in the closing stages of the game. Gregory Lacombe shot over from distance and Souleymane Camara had a close range effort cleared, while OL only threatened on the counter yet somehow snatched a dramatic late victory.

Three points will ease the pressure on general manager Claude Puel and promote Lyon into third in the Championnat standings. Les Gones might not be playing pretty football, but they’re starting to play effective football. 

Osasuna 0-3 Barcelona: Unstoppable Lionel Messi Destroys Los Rojillos

Barcelona survived a nervous opening spell to overcome Osasuna 3-0 in Pamplona this evening, and once again the star was the wonderful Lionel Messi.

The Argentine's through pass set up Pedro to score the opening goal then in the second half controlled the encounter, scoring a breakaway goal for the second, before sealing the win with a late penalty, as the Catalan giants suffer no hangover from their Clasico victory.

With the farcical scenes before the match, with confusion over whether the fixture would even take place, Barcelona started in a manner in keeping with their travel arrangements - disorganised.

Osasuna, buoyed by a fantastic home support, made things uncomfortable for the Blaugrana back-four from the off, with Juanfran troubling Eric Abidal on the left.

Indeed Los Rojillos’ wide man should have been awarded a penalty following a coming together with Pedro, but the referee waved play on, and that incident sparked Pep Guardiola’s side into action.

Messi begun to take control, and produce the kind of slick passing and penetrating runs that has typified his performances this season. Before the half hour mark, his deft pass had set up the opening goal.

A through ball similar to the one provided to David Villa in El Clasico sent Pedro free, and the winger held his nerve to slam past Ricardo into the net.

At that point the goal was slightly against the run of play, but the match soon descended into another Messi procession. Minutes after the opener, his low shot cannoned off of the knee of Ricardo and smashed off the post.

However, he was not to be denied. On 66 minutes David Villa sent the Argentina acce clear on goal, his first touch perfectly set up the chance, and his low drive was clinically despatched.

Osasuna, to their credit, continued to attack and attempt to create chances, but their early exuberance had long since waned, and after David Villa should have added a third, Messi added a full stop to the result.

He was brought down unceremoniously inside the area by Sergio, and he ruthlessly slotted home the spotkick, sending Ricardo the wrong way.

The win edges Barcelona five points clear at the top of the Primera Division table, while Osasuna may reflect on a missed opportunity to cause problems to the unprepared champions.

Milan 3-0 Brescia: Rampant Rossoneri Brush Aside Overmatched Visitors

Milan moved three points ahead of Lazio at the top of the Serie A standings after a convincing 3-0 victory over Brescia at San Siro. Kevin-Prince Boateng opened the scoring before the home side doubled their advantage through Robinho. Zlatan Ibrahimovic made it three with a terrific goal to hand the league leaders a comfortable win.
The Rossoneri were big favourites heading into the match and they wasted no time in asserted their dominance over the Serie A new boys.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic nutmegged Jonathan Zebina and then blew by Adam Vass before cutting the ball back to Kevin-Prince Boateng who opened the scoring from close range in the third minute.
It was just the kind of start that Brescia coach Giuseppe Iachini was dreading and he was soon haranguing referee Andrea Gervasoni for a penalty after Alessandro Nesta’s follow through caught Andrea Caracciolo in the mid-section.
The visitors carved out their first chance of the evening as Perparim Hetemaj’s tantalising cross found Caracciolo whose acrobatic volley was expertly batted away by Christian Abbiati.
Robinho extended the home side’s lead in the 27th minute when he pounced on Hetemaj’s horrific back pass and coolly slid the ball past the advancing Matteo Sereni.
Ibrahimovic made it three on the half hour as he controlled the ball on the edge of the area, composed himself and then smashed a ferocious shot past Sereni.
Brescia was on the verge of falling apart as another terrible backpass gifted Boateng a one-one-one opportunity but Sereni made a great save before denying Robinho’s follow up effort.
Sereni was single-handedly keeping the scoreline respectable as he pushed away Andrea Pirlo’s low free kick.
The half-time whistle couldn’t have come sooner for the Rondinelle whose mistakes at the back were punished with ruthless efficiency by the hosts.
Massimiliano Allegri made a change to start the second half, bringing on Mario Yepes for Alessandro Nesta. Robinho spurned an excellent chance to extend the Rossoneri’s lead in the 60th minute after Boateng’s pass eluded three defenders and fell to the Brazilian but he launched his shot over the bar.
Gennaro Gattuso had a rare chance to add his name to the scoresheet but his shot from 12 yards was blocked by Martinez.
Ronaldinho replaced Ibrahimovic in the 70th minute and almost scored with his first touch as he rifled his effort into the stands.
Milan then took their foot off the pedal for the final 15 minutes and were content to play some possession football as Brescia never looked like scoring.
With the win, Milan moved a whopping ten points ahead of city-rivals and defending champions Inter.

Real Madrid 2-0 Valencia: Cristiano Ronaldo Guides Los Blancos To Victory As David Albelda Sees Red

Jose Mourinho's men managed to bounce back in style from their loss in El Clasico as they managed to overcome a spirited Valencia side 2-0 at the Bernabeu.

Los Blancos dominated the game for large parts against Los Che, who had David Albelda's sent off in the second half, and ultimately claimed the victory courtesy of two second half strikes by Cristiano Ronaldo.

Neither team dominated the match in the first minutes with most of the action commencing in midfield. Valencia were the first to seriously threaten to open the scoring in the 12th minute and it was ex-Real Madrid player Juan Mata who saw a dangerous shot parried by Iker Casillas, and moments later another ex-Blanco Roberto Soldado failed to power a volley past the goalkeeper under no pressure at all.

Mourinho's side slowly started to settle into the game and were beginning to grow in confidence. Sami Khedira was at the centre of the action in the 33rd minute as he burst into the penalty area, but was denied by Vicente Guaita in a one-on-one situation.

Just before half-time Ronaldo saw a clever backheel flick rebound off the left post, following a wonderful cross by Mesut Oezil, for what proved to be the last moment of interest for the first period.

Real Madrid went all guns blazing in the second half and were granted with two wonderful chances in the space of two minutes. First Ronaldo was denied by Guaita in the 47th minute and moments later substitute Angel Di Maria failed to lob the goalkeeper in a one-on-one situation.

Substitute Karim Benzema missed a glorious chance to break the deadlock around the hour mark after being released by Ronaldo as time was ticking away for Los Blancos. David Albelda was controversially sent off for a second yellow card after he allegedly handled the ball in the centre of the pitch, putting Los Che in a very difficult position.

Real Madrid eventually got the goal they deserved in the 73rd minute and it was Ronaldo who delivered the blow as the Portuguese ace finished coolly from the left side of the box, following a through pass by Oezil.

Five minutes later, however, Soldado could have drawn the game level, but saw his los whot tipped around the post by Casillas. Los Blancos were defending valiantly, but were always waiting to hit the outnumbered Valencia on the break and so it happened. Ronaldo delivered the killer blow with a wonderful individual goal to ease the pressure on Madrid.

Mourinho's men managed to hold on to their lead and deservedly recorded a 2-0 win.

Following tonight's result Real Madrid are second in the standing with 35 points, two behind Barcelona, while Valencia are fifth with 25. Los Blancos' next league game is a visit to Real Zaragoza on December 12, while Los Che host Osasuna on the same day.

Mark Hughes Pleased With Fulham's Battling Performance Despite Arsenal Defeat

Mark Hughes insists he is happy with Fulham's display against Arsenal and the Welshman feels Samir Nasri was the difference between the two sides.

The French playmayker bagged a brace to sink Hughes' men 2-1 at the Emirates on Saturday, but the Fulham boss believes his team has the opportunity to escape with at least a point.

Fulham improved after a nervous opening and the visitors even enjoyed long spells of possession after the interval.

He also reserved special praise for his midfielders, who worked hard to keep Arsenal at bay.