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Wednesday Football
03 October 2007
by Jerrad Peters

FOR the second time in less than a month, a Scottish football team raided France and came away with the spoils. Rangers shocked Olypique Lyonnais at the Stade Gerland, yesterday. Lee McCulloch, Daniel Cousin, and DaMarcus Beasley each scored a goal and Allan McGregor stood stall between his posts as Lyon fell 3-0 to marauding Rangers. The historic result comes on the heels of Scotland's memorable win over France at the Stade de France in EURO 2008 qualifying on 09 September. Rangers are now joint leaders of Champions' League Group C -- level on six points with Barcelona. Try as they might, Lyon could not hit the target. In total, the hosts fired 32-shots at McGregor's goal; but only a handful tested the 25-year-old keeper. Juninho came closest to finding the back of the net when he hit the wood-work shortly after McCulloch had opened the scoring in the 23rd-minute. Cousin's goal, however, broke Lyon's back. The former Lens striker, playing as the lone forward in Walter Smith's 4-5-1 formation, doubled the scoreline just three minutes after the interval and produced DaMarcus Beasley's strike just five minutes later.

Arsene Wenger has, once again, come out in favor of goal-line technology. The Frenchman's Arsenal squad defeated Steaua Bucharest 1-0 in Romania, yesterday, but were denied a second tally when Gael Clichy's deflected cross was ruled a non-goal. Despite referee Terje Hauge's judgement to the contrary, video replays clearly showed the ball crossing the line before Steaua goalkeeper Robinson Zapata pulled it back. Fortunately for Arsenal, the botched call did not figure in the outcome of the match. Instead, Wenger used the opportunity to vocalize his support for goal-line technology. His post-match comments came just one day after FA chief Briam Barwick made similar comments in an interview with the BBC. But as both UEFA and FIFA appear reluctant to take the necessary steps to implement such technology, it onus may be on English football to pioneer the controversial measure.

Michael Owen resumed training, yesterday. The Newcastle and England striker had been sidelined since Magpies loss to Derby in late-September with agitated stomach muscles. But just days after undergoing a procedure in Germany to repair the problem, the 27-year-old participated in light jogging and drills alongside one of Newcastle's other long-term casualties, Damien Duff. Owen's quick recovery looks to have him in the mix for England's upcoming EURO 2008 qualifiers. Estonia are due to visit Wembley a week Saturday before England's crucial journey to Moscow the following mid-week.

Pictures of an only partially-sober Michael Ballack could not have surfaced at a worse time. The Chelsea and Germany midfielder, holidaying in Bavaria while he recovers from injury, was photographed in a Munich pub, pint in hand, apparently taking-in the pleasures of the Munich Beer Festival. The images are being portrayed in stark contrast to those of John Terry -- volunteering to wear a mask so as to be able to face Valencia in the Champions' League with a fractured cheekbone. Already unpopular with his teammates and among the supporters, Ballack is sure to be isolated further upon his return to Stamford Bridge later this month.

Manchester City may have got off to a flying start in the Premier League, but manager Sven-Goran Eriksson is already instituting a new policy which he believes will translate into better, smoother play on the field. Effective immediately, each of City's players will be required to learn English. Currently, the squad is comprised of individuals representing fifteen nations. And, according to Eriksson, the Brazilians, in particualar, are in need of some language lessons. This is hardly welcome news to the other nineteen Premier League managers. City have looked nothing if not smooth and communicative so far this season.

Hull City are mulling a shock swoop for Christian Vieri. According to manager Phil Brown, the former Italy striker and current Fiorentina player nearly came to KC Stadium in the summer before agreeing a one-year deal with Fiorentina. In a career spanning eighteen years of top-flight football, the Premier League is one of the only circuits which Vieri has yet to visit. And if he decided to make the move to England, the Tigers would be his 15th club. Vieri is most widely known for scoring 123-goals in 190 domestic matches with Juventus. He also was top-scorer in La Liga after notching 24-goals for Atletico Madrid in 1997-1998. Many observers, however -- and the paparazzi in particular -- will be eagerly awaiting the arrival of Vieri's supermodel girlfriend, Mellissa Matto in Yorkshire.