March 2010
97 posts
11 tags
The Legend Returns, But All Eyes Are On La Pulga!
By Andy Jones
Tonight we see two giants of the beautiful game clash and by bea-u-ti-ful I mean the two teams who play the most easy on the eye football, they set the standard for which other teams should aspire to play like so it’s no surprise that fans and neutrals alike are looking forward to this match in apprehension. Arsenal has asked it’s fan to wear all the red and white they can and to...
7 tags
Champions League Wednesday: Football's Finest
By Dominic Vieira
Arsenal hosts the almighty Barcelona, CSKA Moscow play at the legendary San Siro. Embrace yourselves for Champions League Wednesday and football will be played at its best!
Arsenal vs Barcelona, 19:45 GMT, Emirates Stadium
This match is a clash of titans against two clubs which play in a league of their own; no team plays at their level. Tonight we can expect attacking,...
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Germans take advantage of lackluster United and...
The pride and joy of England this year, Wayne Rooney, hobbled off with an ankle injury to top off a horrible day in Deutschland for Manchester United, who lost to Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena 2-1. Rooney actually started the game perfectly for United, punishing Martin Demichelis, his Zorro mask, and his atrocious attempt defending with a close-range volley off of Nani’s freekick 66...
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AFR Prediction Contest: Top of the League Tourney!...
Simply put, this year has been amazing for football all over Europe. Arsenal, Manchester United, and Chelsea are fighting for the Premiership trophy, Barcelona & Real Madrid are battling atop La Liga, and Inter Milan, AS Roma, and AC Milan are all trying to snatch the Scudetto in Italy’s Serie A. The Premier League, La Liga, and Serie A have all been tighter than ever, so we thought we...
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Champions League Tuesday: An Unforgettable Night
Dominic Vieira
Tonight we are blessed with a classic Bayern Munich vs Manchester United and the French crunch Lyon vs Bordeuax. Get ready for another exhilarating Champions League Tuesday!
Bayern Munich vs Manchester United, 19:45 GMT, Allianz Arena
Looking at this fixture reminds me of the breathtaking 1999 final, where United beat Bayern 2-1, scoring two last minute goals. The...
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Football Rivalries in Brazil
By Fernando Sell
Brazil is a nation with a fierce and historic rivalry between clubs. However, the characteristics of the rivalries are different in comparison to European ones.
As Brazil is a huge country that is composed of many states, it is rare to see a heated rivalry between two teams from different states.
The most intense rivalries are those between clubs of the same state; this...
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Linking Up: Brilliant football marketing, Arsenal...
Probably the best bit of football marketing you’ll ever see. I’m not exaggerating at all, this is brilliant stuff. Organizing a fake classical music concert at the same time as the AC Milan v. Real Madrid match? This is what dreams are made of.
Something on your footy-filled mind? Go on and ask us a question! We’re happy to give our thoughts on yours! And while...
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FIFA and the ability to redefine your "home"...
By Keith Hickey
The World Cup gives players a chance to represent their country, but not everyone represents the country they were born in. Sometimes through parentage, other times through naturalization, there are plenty of players who don’t play for their birth nation. Here are some of the players who might play in the World Cup for their adopted nations, and the three general categories...
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Welcome our new writers: Oliver Sparrow (World Cup...
It has been a long time coming, and we are proud to have finally added the superb La Liga & Spanish fútbol expert, Mr. Dylan Lebecki, to join the team here at AFR to share his valuable insight on arguably the best league in the world. Although of American descent, Dylan was born in Ecuador and lived there for the first 10 years of his life, gaining true expertise on the South American style of...
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Where was the weekend's best goal? Not in England,...
Chances are, you probably don’t know who Javier Morales is. Well, he’s an Argentine footballer plying his trade in the United States’ for Major League Soccer’s Champions Real Salt Lake. He is also going down in my book as a Lupe Fiasco certified “superstar” for the moment. Morales gave himself the right to walk with high swank for the next few weeks...
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All races are still up in the air in Serie A
By Mirko Corli
Serie A is coming to an end, we have only 8 games left and all the races are still open. Inter, Roma, and Milan are still fighting for the Scudetto, while Palermo, Napoli, Juventus and Sampdoria are the main players fighting for the last Champions League spot.
As far as relegation is concerned, Atalanta, Siena and Livorno are struggling to close the gap between them and Udinese,...
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Malicious Monday: A challenge that sets the...
Not much to analyze about this one. No thought present as the lad lunges in at full speed. I think this Arctic Monkeys classic goes along quite well with the clip, thank you very much!
-From the Ritz to the Rumble
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Zlatan brings back the Ronaldinho-esque "back"...
While Zlatan Ibrahimovic is no Ronaldinho, the two world-class talents do have a few similarities. They both look extremely goofy, they both carry themselves with an impressive/obnoxious high level of swagger and entitlement, and now the two both can pull off the ridiculous, not very useful “back” pass. Ronaldinho tried this particular skill first a few years back at Camp Nou,...
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From Notts County to the Ivory Coast: Can...
After failing to secure the services of Guus Hiddink, who was already under contract with the Turkish football federation, the Ivory Coast announced that Swedish manager Sven-Goran Eriksson (previously employed by English League Two side Notts County) will be the head coach for the African nation. Sven took England to the quarterfinals of the tournament in 2006, before losing to Portugal in...
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Saturday La Liga Round-Up
By Dylan Lebecki
Last night 3 La Liga matches were played which were highlighted with Barcelona’s win over Mallorca and Valencia’s 3-0 loss to Zaragoza
Tenerife 1 - 1 Malaga:
When they lined up at La Rosaleda, both Tenerife and Malaga were in desperate need of points to bolster their battle for survival. Malaga were 17th in the standings just one place above relegation zone...
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17 Years Later...
By Dominic Vieira
Marseille beat Bordeaux in the League Cup Final 3-1. Goals from Diawara, Valbuena and Chalmé (own goal) ensured that Marseille won their first trophy since 1993
The 44th Coupe de la Ligue final saw two of France’s biggest teams take on each other, Marseille vs Bordeuax at the Stade de France, Paris. Marseille had never won this trophy before, whereas the cup holders,...
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Premier League player to watch: Tottenham's Sandro
By Dominic Vieira
After months of intense pursuit, Tottenham finally sign Internacional’s talent
Since last summer, Tottenham Hotspur has been desperately trying to sign Internacional’s star midfielder, Sandro Ranieri Guimarães Cordeiro. On the 23rd March, both clubs agreed on a transfer fee and the midfielder will join Spurs in the summer after his club’s Copa Libertadores campaign. The...
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The End of an Era at Anfield?
By Christian McKinlay
It has been 4 years since Liverpool football club have won a trophy and 19 years since the club has won their domestic league title, which they were reminded of last weekend at their defeat to Manchester United at Old Trafford. Rafael Benitez has been under fire during a frustrating season for Liverpool Football Club and another loss to their closest rivals has brought...
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Friday Flashback: When Roberto Mancini's style...
Lazio vs. Parma - January 1999, Serie A
Unfortunately the Italian can only now show off his swag on the sidelines in Manchester, but here’s to a former player who used to play with a proper bit of flair!
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Fear and Football: Eduardo courageously returns to...
Arsenal have perhaps their most important of the remaining Premier League fixtures as they travel to St. Andrew’s to take on Birmingham City. Arsenal have nothing to fear as they travel, but a certain Gunner will have quite the fear to overcome. Highlighting the Gunners’ trip is the trepidation-filled memory of Eduardo’s horrific injury back in 2008. Arsene Wenger and the rest...
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AFR Scouting: Dinamo Zagreb's Milan Badelj
By Dominic Vieira
In 2008, Croatian superstar Luka Modric joined Tottenahm Hotspur for approximately 18 million euros. This may have left the Dinamo Zagreb bank account full of cash, but on the other hand, there were some big boots in the centre of the field that needed to be filled.
A new playmaker was needed and that position was appointed to the young and inexperienced, but highly talented,...
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It's now Inter vs Roma fighting for the Serie A...
By Mirko Corli
The unusual midweek matchday in Serie A brings some fresh news on the table.
Inter stayed in first place in the league by defeating 3-0 at home struggling side Livorno with a double from Samuel Eto’o (beautiful overhead kick for his second goal) and a third goal by brazilian full-back Maicon.
Livorno has never been an issue for the champions as Inter claimed a comfortable...
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The Fight for 4th is Heating Up
By Dominic Vieira
The top three positions of the Premier League table have been taken by Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United. But who cares? What is really interesting to watch is the intensive battle for fourth place!
Tottenham are currently resting in 4th place but Manchester City, Aston Villa and Liverpool are breathing right down their necks. Everton may be further away but they are still...
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Is Jesualdo Ferreira in the Firing Line?
Is it the end of the line for the FC Porto Manager?
By Dominic Vieira
It’s been a tough season for the FC Porto, they are currently in unknown territory, 3rd place; it’s been a long time since they found themselves sitting in that position. Their season has not been highly successful and the big question is: will Jesualdo Ferreira continue as the manager?
The hopes of FC Porto winning their...
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El Messias: A God Amongst Men
By Dylan Lebecki
Over the last century, football has been blessed with certain moments in history where the whole world stops. These moments occur when one man reaches to the heavens and produces a moment of magic that will last in most football fans minds forever. In 1986 Diego Maradona made the English national team look like children when he gracefully wove through the entire team. Or when...
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Linking Up: Introducing Fernando Sell (AFR's Samba...
Aganju (Latin Project Remix) - Bebel Gilberto
We are oh so happy to announce that Fernando Sell, a Brazilian student who is currently completing his final year at a Secondary School in Juiz de Fora, Brazil, will be writing for us from the land of samba. Fernando is an eternal sports lover and football is his favourite sport. Fernando follows Brazilian, Italian, and English football, and he...
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Millions Can’t Buy The Champions League
Dominic Vieira
Benzema: 42 million euros. Kaká: 65 million euros. Cristiano Ronaldo: 94 million euros. Winning the Champions League at the Bernabeu? PRICELESS. There are some things that money can’t buy. For everything else, there is Mastercard.
The dream is over. Real Madrid was knocked out of the Champions League by Lyon and their fantasy of winning their 10th Champions League on home soil was...
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A Red Celebration: Benfica win Portugal's...
By Dominic Vieira
Benfica sink 3 goals past a weak FC Porto and retain the Carlsberg Cup
Benfica 3 – 0 FC Porto, Estádio Algarve, Carlsberg Cup Final, Sunday 21st March 1-0 Rúben Amorim (9’); 2-0 Carlos Martins (44’); 3-0 Cardozo (90+1’)
Benfica (4-5-1): Quim; Maxi Pereira, Luisão (c), David Luiz, Fábio Coentrão; Airton, Rúben Amorim, Carlos Martins (Ramires 66’), Aimar (Saviola 61’), Di Maria;...
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Malicious Monday: David Beckham's class (sadly)...
If you haven’t heard yet, a strike in the United States’ Major League Soccer was avoided over the weekend, and a new five-year collective bargaining agreement was agreed upon between the players’ union and the MLS’ administration. Apparently there will be guaranteed contracts (details to come on how many), improved freedom of movement by players out of contract (not quite...
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Is FC Internazionale's real Scudetto challenger AS...
By Mirko Corli
This is the question that the past weekend in Serie A puts on the table.
AS Roma defeated struggling side Udinese 4-2 at home with a hat-trick by Mirko Vucinic and a superb game by young French talent Jeremy Menez. Thanks to this win AS Roma is now only 4 point below Inter and next saturday the Nerazzurri will travel to Rome in a clash that smells of Scudetto.
In the meantime,...
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Arsenal Wins, United Down Liverpool, Blackburn...
By Dominic Vieira
It’s been another great weekend of Premier League football and the race for the title continues to heat up and intensify
The battle for 1st place continued on Saturday afternoon where Arsenal took on London rivals West Ham at the Emirates. It was a relatively easy win for Wenger’s side, which won the encounter 2-0. Denilson scored the opening goal with a cracking shot in the...
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Injury Update: Portuguese/Porto Winger Silvestre...
By Dominic Vieira
FC Porto’s talented winger Silvestre Varela has been forced to miss the rest of the season after breaking his left fibula in training yesterday, one day before the League Cup Final against rivals Benfica. It is almost certain that he will not feature at the World Cup as he won’t have enough time to recover fully.
Varela, 25 years old, has been enjoying a very successful...
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Stylish Sunday: African Skills & Modish Music
So I know I’ve recently been posting quite a bit about South Africa/the World Cup/African football lately, but it’s only because we’re working on a very special page dedicated to AFR’s World Cup Coverage. The page should be up by the end of the month. Anyway, I thought we could roll back time a little bit and enjoy the best skills on show during the African Cup of...
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Derby Day: Liverpool Need Points to Stay in the...
By Dominic Vieira
Liverpool are out of the title race and will want to dent United’s title campaign this Sunday at Old Trafford
Manchester United vs Liverpool, 1:30PM (GMT) Sunday 21st March, Old Trafford
Probably the biggest derby in England; a battle between the two most successful teams in the country. Manchester United vs Liverpool promises to be a tough, intense, and aggressive match. There...
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K'naan Releases a Politically Correct Version of...
[video found via The Beautiful Game Blog]
K’naan most popular song, Wavin’ Flag, has been chosen to be a theme song for this summer’s World Cup, which is great for K’naan. The thing is, the meaningful and perfectly raw lyrics of the original Wavin’ Flag have been replaced with more cheerful words to make the song something to dance to.
For example, he...
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Africa looks more than ready for a month-long...
Well there are about 80 days until South Africa kicks off against Mexico, and by the looks of this aesthetically pleasing Puma advert, people all over Africa are getting ready to behold the beautiful game at its biggest stage. From the Ivory Coast to Ghana to Cameroon, I personally cannot wait to see how the continent (hopefully) unites and embraces its world-class teams.
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A Week of European Delights
By Andy Jones
In a week where domestic football didn’t contain any real surprises, all eyes have been on the European competitions with some wonderful football on display by a top London team and no, I don’t mean Arsenal or even Chelsea (I would never give them that credit!) all jokes aside, I mean Fulham who took Juventus to pieces and have well and truly earned they’re way through to the next...
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Friday Flashback: Alessandro Del Piero in his...
Alessandro Del Piero is sheer class. While his career may be in a twilight stage, Il Pinturicchio has rightfully earned his spot among the legends of Italian calcio. At 35 years old, the little magician has scored 270 for Juventus and 27 goals for Italia. Del Piero has won it all, from a World Cup in 2006 to seven Serie A championships (1995, 1997, 1998, 2002, 2003, 2005 and 2006) to a Champions...
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Congrats to our 5 "Good Causes Giveaway" Winners!...
The response from our “Good Causes Giveaway” has been fantastic. You guys have been telling your friends and followers on Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr about the (Red) initiative meant to help fight AIDS in Africa, and we cannot thank you enough for that as we announced our “Good Causes” Page. As promised, we have five pairs of Nike’s (Red) Laces, which are courtesy...
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Benfica are the pride of Portugal as they defeat...
By Dominic Vieira
Marseille 1 -2 Benfica (2-3 Aggregate), Vélodrome Stadium 1-0 Niang (70’), 1-1 Maxi Pereira (74’); 2-1 Kardec (90’)
Marseille (4-3-3): Mandanda (c); Bonnart, Diawarra, M´Bia e Taiwo; Cissé, Lucho, Cheyrou (Kaboré 75’); Abriel (Koné 44’, Ben Arfa, 90+2’), Niang, Brandão Subs: Elinton Andrade, Hilton, Kaboré, Ben Arfa, Valbuena, Morientes, Koné Manager: Didier Deschamps
Benfica...
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The Greatest Night in Fulham's History: Clint...
Facing one of Europe’s most illustrious clubs, Fulham managed to pull off the unimaginable by claiming a comprehensive 4-1 victory over one of Italy’s best teams. Going into the match already 3-1 down on aggregate from the first leg in Torino, the Cottagers returned to Craven Cottage with spirit and belief instilled in them by their classy gaffer, Mr. Roy Hodgson.
Despite a...
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Yoann Gourcuff is a perfect free-kick machine....
In Bordeaux’s 2-1 victory over Olympiakos last night, the young Frenchman Yoann Gourcuff revealed a bit of superhuman precision by scoring an upper-90 goal, and then nearly thrashing that same spot of perfection from an extra 10 yards out within the span of just a few minutes. Because Raymond Domenech is such a good manager (cough cough), he probably has a great reason why Gourcuff...
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Words of the Messiah: Immaculate Swag Edition
Ciao bromistas! It has been quite the week for your boy, just as it is every week. People were starting to hate on yours truly, so Pep finally let me loose to go to work to shut up every single one of the doubters. But I think I took things into my own hands a little too far, and I really should apologize for that. You see, scoring a triple threat of swag-filled goals against Valencia...
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Anticipating the Champions League's Quarterfinals...
By Dominic Vieira
The Champions League Final: Saturday the 22nd of May 2010 at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium
Manchester United, Arsenal, Barcelona, Inter Milan, Lyon, Bordeaux, Bayern Munich and CSKA Moscow have all qualified for the quarterfinals. The draw is tomorrow at mid-day (GMT), don’t miss it!
At this stage of the competition, all teams can win the trophy, who do you think will win?
Here...
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Linking Up: Ashley Cole thinks 50 Cent can sort...
Tottenham secure £9 million Brazilian defensive midfielder Sandro from Internacional [Caught Offside]
Ashley Cole is keen to launch rapping career and to challenge Cheryl in the charts, with help from 50 Cent [The Spoiler]
Steven Gerrard, you are no role model [In the Stands]
John Terry, another England international with questionable morals, runs over a security guard after Champions League...
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The Internazionale: Jose Mourinho's side strikes...
A late Samuel Eto’o goal was all that was needed to secure victory at Stamford Bridge and to send Chelsea tumbling out of the Champions League. Throughout the match, Chelsea found little freedom as Inter came out with a well organized defencive approach. Inter managed to suppress numerous Chelsea attacks, usually stemming from Frank Lampard or Florent Malouda combining with either Nicolas...
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Demolition Site set at the Camp Nou on Champions...
By Dominic Vieira
Barcelona vs VFB Stuttgart (1-1 Aggregate) 19:45 GMT
Barcelona only need to a 0-0 result to pass to the quarter finals of the Champions League. Do you think that will be the final score?
Barcelona played poorly in Germany; in fact, they are not playing like champions in the competition. It is time to take is to another level and show the world their real quality and world...
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La Liga, the Premier League, and Serie A all...
From Cristiano Ronaldo in Spain to Clarence Seedorf in Italy to Didier Drogba in England, the top players in the top European leagues were all smashing Nike’s special “(Red)” ball in the back of net this past weekend in an effort to raise awareness for the (Red) campaign for stopping AIDS in Africa.
Susan Smith Ellis, CEO of (RED) says: “Having three of the world’s Premier...
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Mourinho Returns to "The Bridge"
By Dominic Vieira
The Legend Returns Home…
The final four matches of the Champions League last 16 are played this week. Tonight all eyes will be on the Chelsea vs Inter Milan match, as it will be the first time Mourinho returns to Stamford Bridge. But that is not the only match on tonight’s agenda, Sevilla vs CSKA Moscow also promises a game full of excitement with tension and goals. Both...
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Samba Spotlight: The Best of Brazil, Home of Ginga
Here at A Football Report, we love Brazil. From Kaka to Roberto Carlos to João Gilberto & Stan Getz to Samba to (the up and comer) Neymar, we worship that Ginga in the Brazilian blood. Come on now, how can you not be enamoured by the superior swag and Samba-like style? Enjoy the best from that beautiful Brazilian bulge in South America.
“Só danço samba” - João Gilberto...