RSSPeñarol vs Caracas Report
Five-time Copa Libertadores champions Penarol take a giant step towards the group stage of the competition after hitting four past a miserable Caracas on Thursday.
Uruguayan giants Penarol practically assured themselves of a spot in the group stage of the Copa Libertadores after demolishing Caracas 4-0 in the first leg of the qualification play-off in front of 50,000 fans at the Centenario stadium in Montevideo on Thursday.Penarol, losing finalists of the 2011 competition, completely ripped apart the Venezuelans thanks to goals from Nicolas Freitas, Marcelo Zalayeta, Joao Pedro and Fabian Estoyanoff.
Caracas, who finished the match with ten-men after the late dismissal of Fidel Perez, couldn't find their feet through the length of the encounter, and failed to take advantage of a penalty kick when the match was goalless.
Racing Santander vs Valencia Preview
Valencia will lock horns with Racing Santander at El Sardinero in the penultimate game of Matchday 20. Kick-off time for Racing Santander vs Valencia is at 5:00pm GMT and 12:00pm EST on Sunday.
Los Che are yet to record a league win in 2012. After ending 2011 with a comprehensive 2-0 defeat of Malaga, they opened this year with a 2-2 draw away to Villarreal. This is a game they could have won but a bad start to it saw them conceded 2 goals during the first 20 minutes. It took a late strike from Aduriz to snatch a point for the visitors.
Valencia then hosted Real Sociedad with the task of bouncing back from their draw against the Yellow Submarines. Unfortunately for Los Che, Sociedad’s underdog spirit was too strong to overcome. Despite gathering as much as 61% of ball possession, Valencia lost 1-0 at the end of the day only to lift some pressure off the shoulders of second-placed Barcelona.
Milan vs Lazio Report
AC Milan come from behind to defeat a spirited Lazio to set-up a mouthwatering Coppa Italia semi-final showdown with fierce rivals Juventus.
Italian champions AC Milan came from behind to defeat Lazio 3-1 at the San Siro stadium on Thursday to advance to the semi-finals of the Coppa Italia where they will meet fierce rivals Juventus.Milan bounced back from an early goal from Djibril Cisse, with first half strikes from Robinho and Clarence Seedorf as well as a late strike from substitute Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
The Rossoneri came into the clash having lost only one of their last 11 fixtures, but were in for a major shock when French striker Cisse put the visitors ahead in the 6th minute with a sweetly struck volley past Milan goalkeeper Marco Amelia.
Real Madrid vs Real Zaragoza Preview
Can we bet on a total demolition of Real Zaragoza by Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday, January 28?
Real Madrid usually put on a great attacking show when they come up against Real Zaragoza. In addition, they are unbeatable at the Santiago Bernabeu. Well, almost unbeatable; Barcelona forced them to a defeat on home soil back in December.The Spanish giants are poised to destroy Zaragoza on Saturday. Cristiano Ronaldo will be fired up to continue his proof case against his critics. With his goals against Athletic Bilbao last weekend, Cristiano Ronaldo matched his personal best and the record set by Barcelona’s Cesar (22 goals in 19 games).
Current top scorer Ronaldo (with 23 goals) will feature against Zaragoza as La Liga’s all-time top scorer in the first phase of the championship. The Portuguese superstar scored in both legs of El Clasico in the Copa del Rey quarterfinals. Unfortunately for him and for his team mates, these two goals weren’t enough to push Spanish cup titleholders Real Madrid into the semifinals.
Copa Libertadores Report: Jan 25
Internacional of Porto Alegre draw first blood with a narrow victory over Once Caldas in the qualification stage of the Copa Libertadores.
As is generally the case in the Copa Libertadores, all of Wednesday's first round qualification matches were won by the hosts. However, the victories came at a cost, as they were by the slightest of margins, leaving all three ties completely wide open ahead of the return legs next week.In the battle between two former Libertadores champions, Brazil's Internacional did just enough to dispatch of Once Caldas of Colombia with a well-deserved 1-0 victory in Porto Alegre.
Flamengo, Brazil's most popular club, understandably couldn't cope with the effects of the 4,000 metre altitude in their 2-1 defeat to Real Potosi in Bolivia.
While, Chilean outfit Union Espanola enjoyed a hard-worked 1-0 win over Mexican champions Tigres in Santa Laura, Santiago.
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Chaco BoCA Juniors vs River Plate Report
Nicolas Blandi scores twice to lead Boca Juniors to a comfortable victory over arch-rivals River Plate in the Argentine superclasico on Wednesday.
Boca Juniors defeated eternal rivals River Plate 2-0 in the latest edition of the Argentine superclasico at the Centenario stadium in Chaco on Wednesday night.The historic derby, because it was the first since the relegation of River Plate to the Argentine second division, was decided by a goal in each half by talented Boca Juniors striker Nicolas Blandi.
River pushed to the attack straight from the kick-off and although they looked extremely dangerous, their approach appeared to backfire as from the run of play Blandi fired Boca ahead in the 6th minute when he connected to a precise right-wing cross from Pablo Mouche with a bullet header.
Napoli vs Internazionale Report
Uruguayan striker Edinson Cavani scores a superb brace to help Napoli reach the semi-finals of the Coppa Italia at the expense of reigning champions Inter Milan.
Napoli put an end to Inter Milan's Coppa Italia reign after beating them 2-0 at the San Paolo stadium on Wednesday courtesy of two second half goals from brilliant Uruguayan striker Edinson Cavani.Inter entered the game with an eight-game winning streak under their belt in all competitions, but the Nerazzurri could barely find their feet in the first half, as they were completely outplayed by a much more efficient Napoli side.
Napoli dominated proceedings and almost went ahead when Slovak midfielder Marek Hamsik sent a wonderful high ball into the path of Christian Maggio, who brought the ball down with class but had his subsequent shot deflected over the bar by Inter goalkeeper Luca Castellazzi.
Milan vs Lazio Preview
A depleted AC Milan will strive for glory when they invite Lazio to the San Siro for the Coppa Italia quarter-finals on Thursday.
AC Milan will be hoping to advance to the semi-finals of the Coppa Italia when they battle with the always difficult Lazio at the San Siro stadium on Thursday.The Rossoneri may come into the clash as the favourites, but they will need to be at their best in order to not receive any unexpected surprises from the visitors.
With just one win from their past five Serie A games, the Romans don't find themselves in ideal conditions to confront such an important encounter, but they do count with a very solid squad that have the capabilities to cause an upset.
Caracas vs Peñarol Preview
Five-time Copa Libertadores champions Penarol will be hoping to steer closer towards the group stage of the competition whey they face Caracas in Montevideo on Thursday.
Uruguayan giants Penarol clash with Caracas of Venezuela in the first leg of the Copa Libertadores preliminary qualification play-off at the Centenario stadium of Montevideo on Thursday.Penarol, losing finalists of the 2011 edition of the tournament, are the overwhelming favourites coming into the tie, but would be naive to underestimate the hard-working Venezuelans.
Venezuelan soccer has grown immensely over the last decade, but although they have no silverware to show for their improvement, both the Venezuela national team and their clubs can now match it with South America's very best.
Barcelona vs Real Madrid Report
Copa del Rey champions Real Madrid are out of the competition. They lost 4-3 to Barcelona in the quarterfinals over the two legs.
A couple of glorious opportunities fell to Higuain but the Argentine failed to take them. Barcelona finally punished Pipita and team mates through late first-half goals from Pedro and Dani Alves. At the break, it seemed like Real Madrid had suddenly lost all hopes of reaching the Copa del Rey semifinals.However, their approach in the second period showed the brave side of Los Blancos. Kaka and Higuain went off for Callejon and Benzema before Cristiano Ronaldo pulled a goal back in the 68th minute. Substitute Benzema did what Higuain couldn’t do as he leveled the match at 2-2.
FOX Soccer carries Everton-Fulham FA Cup match Friday
FOX Soccer carries Everton-Fulham FA Cup match Friday
FOX Soccer is pleased to announce that soccer fans in the U.S are now able to view the highly anticipated match between Americans Landon Donovan, Tim Howard and Clint Dempsey, when Everton and Fulham meet Friday in FA Cup fourth-round action, live at 3 p.m. ET. As such a crucial match for American players and fans, FOX Soccer worked with Everton and the FA this week to ensure that this match was brought to viewers live, and in high-definition.
Keeping momentum with the American storyline, FOX Soccer personalities JP Dellacamera and Eric Wynalda will serve as play-by-play and analyst, marking the first time Americans have called an FA Cup match on FOX Soccer.
Barcelona vs Real Madrid & 8 hot quotes that could put Messi & co on fire
Barcelona have a great advantage ahead of the second leg of their Copa del Rey tie with Real Madrid. They’ll have home crowd support but could these hot quotes impact their chances negatively?
Three-time footballer of the year Lionel Messi is being targeted in a way or another ahead of Wednesday’s huge Clasico a the Camp Nou. What effect will these pre-match quotes have on Messi and the rest of Barcelona’s invincible squad?
1) Karim Benzema to AS
According to Benzema, the mighty Catalans of Barcelona have a weakness. What is it?
“We have to be much more efficient when trying to score goals from set pieces because I think that is one of the parts of their game which is more fragile. In dog fights, they are not strong, we must seize the opportunity.”
Copa Libertadores Preview: Jan 25
Ronaldinho will aim to inspire Flamengo to victory when they travel to Bolivia to take on Real Potosi in search of passage into the group stage of the Copa Libertadores.
Flamengo, Brazil's most popular club with an estimated fan base of over 36 million, will be hoping to move closer towards gaining entry into the group stage of the 2012 Copa Libertadores when they clash with Real Potosi of Bolivia on Wednesday.The Brazilians face a tricky task, as while on paper they appear to be much stronger than the locals, what could make things all that more difficult is playing at almost 4,000 metre above sea level, a climate which Brazilian teams have struggled to deal with in the past.
In Wednesday's other two Copa Libertadores first round fixtures, Union Espanola of Chile take on Tigres UANL of Mexico and Internacional of Brazil face Once Caldas of Colombia in a tie that could go either way.
Former winners Inter and Once Caldas have found wide success in the competition in recent years, but unfortunately one of the two sides will have to bow out at the first hurdle.
In this preview:
Will Liverpool be able to banish City from the Carling Cup?
In the Premier League, these two teams are worlds apart; however, in the Carling Cup, it is the underdog who holds the advantage.
Liverpool is a team of multiple facades. On one hand, the top sides don’t fancy facing them as Arsenal, Manchester United and Chelsea would testify. On the other hand, the smaller sides always fancy their chances against them as Bolton proved against them. Liverpool can play wonderful fast-paced football as they showed last season in their thrashings of Fulham and City. Liverpool can also defend doggedly as they showed in the first leg of the Carling Cup. They kept a potent City attack out for the entire ninety minutes while bagging one at the other end themselves.
Chaco BoCA Juniors vs River Plate Preview
Boca Juniors will aim to reconfirm their supremacy when they clash with arch-rivals River Plate in the Argentine superclasico on Wednesday.
Fierce rivals Boca Juniors and River Plate clash in the latest edition of the always eagerly-awaited Argentine superclasico at the Centenario stadium in Chaco on Wednesday.For the first time in the entire history of the Buenos Aires derby, the rivals will face each other coming from different divisions, as while Boca are the reigning Argentine champions, River ended 2011 in second place of the second division, after having been relegated from the top-flight midway through last year.
Nevertheless, the superclasico is always a special occasion, and this time won't be the exception, as both teams are eager to inflict defeat upon each other regardless of whether it is a pre-season friendly or a top-of-the-table league clash.
Copa Libertadores Report: Jan 24
Arsenal de Sarandi take a giant step towards the group stage of the Copa Libertadores after thumping Sport Huancayo on Tuesday.
Arsenal de Sarandi of Argentina practically assured themselves of a place in the group stage of the Copa Libertadores after crushing Sport Huancayo of Peru 3-0 in the first leg of the preliminary round of South America's biggest club competition on Tuesday.The Argentine club proved far too strong for their opponents, after claiming a comprehensive victory at the Julio H. Grondona stadium in Avellaneda, despite playing with a man less for the last 25 minutes of the game.
Meanwhile, in Tuesday's other game El Nacional of Ecuador edged closer towards the group stage of the competition, after claiming a tight 1-0 victory over Paraguay's Libertad in Quito. Despite the advantage, the tie is still up for the taking for either of the two sides.
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Napoli vs Internazionale Preview
Inter Milan will aim to defend their title when they lock horns with Napoli in what is expected to be a thrilling Coppa Italia quarter-final in Naples on Wednesday.
Inter Milan travel to the Stadio San Paolo to take on Napoli in what is expected to be a hotly contested Coppa Italia quarter-final on Wednesday.The defending champions come into the game in unstoppable form, with eight consecutive victories under their belt in all competitions, including crucial triumphs over direct Serie A rivals AC Milan and SS Lazio in recent weeks.
But the Nerazzurri will have to be cautious of the Napoli threat, particularly because the Neapolitans thrashed them 3-0 at the San Siro stadium the last time the two teams met last October.
2012 Africa Cup of Nations: Watch out for more live action on Matchday 2
You won’t get enough of the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations until it ends on February 12. In the meantime, get ready for more action as Matchday 2 begins on Thursday, January 25, 2012.
Followers of the competition got served with 8 great matches on Matchday 1. Equatorial Guinea opened the show in great fashion. They recorded a vital 1-0 victory against Libya thanks to a late goal from Balboa.
Zambia sealed the wonderful night with a 2-1 triumph over Senegal. The Chipolopolo will have the chance to step closer to qualification at the Estadio de Bata.
Libya vs Zambia will open Matchday 2 of the 2012 AFCON. Equatorial Guinea vs Senegal will provide thrills as the co-hosts would want to test their power against the Teranga Lions. If the Senegalese don’t improve from their poor form against the Zambians, Equatorial Guinea may clinch their second victory on the trot.
Where to watch Barcelona vs Real Madrid on TV - Copa del Rey - January 25, 2012
The second leg of the Copa del Rey Quarter-Final between Spain's top two clubs takes place January 25th in Barcelona. After losing at home in the first leg by a score of 1-2, Jose Mourinho's men will need to pull off a miracle to overcome Messi and company at the dreaded Camp Nou.
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The footballing world will again be treated to another high-octane play-off between Leo Messi's FC Barcelona and Cristiano Ronaldo's Real Madrid.
The first of the two quarter-final legs took place in Estadio Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday, January 18, 2012 where FC Barcelona...
Barcelona vs Real Madrid Preview
So much is at stake for both Barcelona and Real Madrid ahead of the second leg of the Copa del Rey quarterfinals. Who will win this version of El Clasico?
What the public must remember is that a 1-0 victory won’t be enough for Real Madrid to progress into the semifinals of the Spanish cup. The competition’s titleholders have to turn the tables around as they carry the wounds of a 2-1 deficit.Barcelona are favorites to finish off Real Madrid. The Camp Nou stadium is where they lifted the 2011 Spanish Supercopa trophy last summer. It is also where they recorded a historic and humiliating 5-0 triumph over Real Madrid en route to the 2010/11 Spanish La Liga title.
The Catalans virtually have one foot in the semifinals of the Copa del Rey. Many even think that Barca are already through to the next stage; they view the second leg on Wednesday night as nothing but a 90-minute period for Barcelona to make their semifinal qualification official.