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Tuesday Football
08 April 2008
by Jerrad Peters

Most compelling viewing
Atletico Madrid 6-3 Almeria

Ashley Young delivered the outstanding performance of the weekend.
Simao Simbrosa and Sergio Aguero notched a brace apiece as Atletico Madrid doubled nine-man Almeria 6-3 at the Vicente Calderon Stadium, Sunday. Already trailing by a goal when Ruben Pulido was dismissed for bringing Aguero to ground in front of goalkeeper Diego Alves, the visitors were dealt another blow when Juanito received his second booking for a harsh tackle on Maxi Rodriguez.

Almeria, surprisingly, had managed to score three times over a half-hour period with ten men. Felipe Melo’s header from Bruno Saltor’s cross after 11-minutes pulled one back for the guests after earlier strikes from Antonio Lopez and Diego Forlan. Just six minutes later, Juan Manuel Ortiz fired a stunning equalizer from 20-yards that left Christian Abiatti helpless between the sticks. And while Simao restored the lead for Atletico in the 34th-minute, Negredo notched the Andalusians’ third when he connected with Ortiz’ cross just three minutes later. Simao ensured that Los Rojiblancos took to the tunnel with the lead, however, after running onto a superb Raul Garcia pass.

Finally making full use of their manpower advantage, Atletico went from strength to strength in the second half. After Forlan’s blast had produced a corner-kick, Aguero rose to meet the ball with his head for the hosts’ fifth goal on the night. El Kun was johnny-on-the-spot in the 70th-minute as well – converting Jose Antonio Reyes’ cross past Alves to complete the scoring.

With the win, Atletico are fourth in La Liga with 53-points – three-points ahead of Racing Santander and six adrift of third-place Barcelona. Almeria, meanwhile, are ninth in the standings with 42-points from 31-rounds and just six-points short of a UEFA Cup placing.

Notable results
Middlesbrough 2-2 Manchester United

The Premier League title race was rejuvenated, Sunday, when Middlesbrough limited leaders Manchester United to a single point at The Riverside. Gareth Southgate’s men played attacking, endeavoring football throughout the 90-minutes; and 12.7M-pound signing Alfonso Alves scored on either side of the interval to earn the hosts a well-deserved draw.

Indeed, until Wayne Rooney’s equalizer with just over a quarter-hour remaining, it appeared as though United’s lead over Chelsea atop the table would be slashed to a mere two-points. The 22-year-old ensured that the visitors left with something, however, when he scored his 17th-goal of the season in the 74th-minute.

The goal capped a furious spell for the guests which mirrored the opening 25-minutes of the match. As it happened, Boro were lucky to escape the period with just one goal conceded. Cristiano directed Michael Carrick’s pass beyond Mark Schwartzer after the 26-year-old laced a delicious pass through the box from the right of the Australian goalkeeper.

And while United dominated possession throughout the opening stages, they could not capitalize on their opportunities and were punished by a crisp Alves finish in the 35th-minute. The 27-year-old Brazilian repeated the act just short of the hour-mark to put the hosts ahead.

The draw leaves Middlesbrough 14th in the Premier League – nine points above the drop and within a pair of Wigan and Reading below and Sunderland above. United, meanwhile, pace the league with 77-points from 33-matches. Chelsea are second with 74-points and Arsenal are third with 71.

Marseille 3-1 Lyon

Mamadou Niang scored twice as Marseille did the double over champions-elect Olympique Lyonnais at the weekend. The 28-year-old Senegal forward struck just shy of the half-hour after Djibril Cisse’s effort was blocked by Sebastien Squillaci. The former Liverpool striker reloaded and set up Niang as the hosts went two goals ahead. Just two minutes earlier, Cisse had opened the scoring after running onto a Samir Nasri pass.

Trailing by a pair to their archrivals, Lyon went into overdrive for the final quarter-hour of the first half. And they were rewarded just ahead of the break when Juninho’s free kick was nodded into the Marseille goal by Albanian international defender Lorik Cana.

The visitors were hardly as forceful after the restart. Niang completed his brace in the 54th-minute after heading Benoit Cheyrou’s corner past Gregory Coupet to restore the two-goal lead. The win sees Marseille rise to fourth-place in Ligue 1—three-points shy of Nancy and a place in the Champions’ League. Lyon, with the loss, are six-points ahead of Bordeaux in the title race after the Girondins won 2-0 at Rennes.

Bayern Munich 3-1 Bochum

Bundesliga pace-setters Bayern Munich shrugged off a disappointing UEFA Cup outing by delivering one of their most resilient performances of the season, Sunday. A goal down to VfL Bochum after just four minutes and reduced to ten men after less than half-an-hour, it looked as though Thursday’s draw at home to Getafe was merely a forerunner of difficult things to come.

Lucio’s header in the 31st-minute could not have come for a better time for player and club. With Mark Van Bommel having been dismissed just four minutes prior, the Brazilian defender had his side on level terms at the break. And given that his long-term future at Allianz Arena is in doubt after publicly requesting a transfer in March, the goal will have gone a long way in appeasing his teammates and supporters.

The match looked destined to finish 1-1 until Marc Pfertzel was judged to have handled the ball in front of Jan Lastuvka. And while the Czech goalkeeper guessed correctly in diving to his right on the resulting penalty, Franck Ribery’s effort was just out of reach; and Bayern took the lead for the first time on the night.

With two minutes remaining in normal time, Christian Lell beat Lastuvka after stroking Miroslav Klose’s pass into the net. The win leaves Bayern atop the ledger with 57-points from 27-rounds. Hamburg, having come into the weekend in the runners-up position, were reduced to fourth-place after losing 1-0 at Stuttgart. Schalke 04 are now the second-place side – nine points adrift of Bayern and one-point ahead of Werder Bremen after beating Hansa Rostock 1-0. Bremen, meanwhile, won 2-1 at Hertha Berlin.

AS Roma 3-2 Genoa

A second-half fight-back from Genoa jolted AS Roma after the Giallorossi took their foot off the gas after the restart. Marco Rossi and Julio Leon scored within a two-minute period to cancel the hosts’ 2-0 lead. Rossi’s tap-in past Doni after the goalkeeper had saved Maro Borriello from in close cut the gap to one. And Leon, having replaced injured Brazilian midfielder Danilo at the break, beat Doni again just moments later with a right-footed strike from 20-yards.

The goals annulled early tallies from Rodrigo Taddei and Mirko Vucinic. Taddei, running onto Max Tonetto’s cross, beat Rubinho from in close and Vucinic, just three minutes later, unleashed a spectacular effort with his left foot which curled over Genoa goalkeeper Rubinho for Roma’s second. The goal brought the on-looking Franceso Totti to his feet in applause. The 31-year-old forward, along with Alberto Aquilani and Matteo Ferrari, were absent from the match through injury.

Roma recharged, however, and claimed the three points when Daniele De Rossi converted a controversial penalty in the 80th-minute. With 68-points from 32-matches, they are four points adrift of leaders Inter Milan and a full ten-points ahead of third-place Juventus. Genoa, meanwhile, are eighth in the table with 42-points – ten back of Sampdoria and a place in the UEFA Cup.

Celtic 0-1 Motherwell

Celtic’s fleeting title aspirations were dealt a further blow, Saturday, when the reigning two-time Scottish Premier League Champions were dealt a 1-0 loss at home to Motherwell. With the pitch seemingly tilted in Celtic’s favor, the hosts were held from the scoresheet by a combination of superb goalkeeping and poor finishing. Indeed, both Scott Brown and Shinsuke Nakamura missed clear opportunities within the opening ten minutes while Aiden McGeady and Andreas Hinkel were dangerous as well.

It was Motherwell which drew first blood, however, when Simon Lappin latched onto an Artur Boruc save after the Polish goalkeeper had blocked a Marc Fitzpatrick shot following some good work by Ross McCormack. Celtic were thrown a lifeline, however, after Robert Malcolm was sent off for a beastly tackle on Massimo Donati.

Still, the hosts could not take their chances. McGeady and Hinkel came close in the furious, dying moments; but Celtic’s inability to convert may well have cost them the championship.

With 68-points from 31-matches, they are seven-points back of Rangers – who have a game in hand. Motherwell, meanwhile, are in sole possession of third-place with the win. Their 52-points have them in a UEFA Cup position – two-points ahead of both Dundee United and Hibernian.

DC United 4-1 Toronto FC

Laurent Robert made his debut for Toronto FC at RFK Memorial Stadium, Saturday. And while the former, PSG, Newcastle, and Benfica midfielder looked completely within his depth throughout his first appearance in Major League Soccer, his side were shellacked 4-1 by MLS Cup favorites DC United.

It was a dream start for the hosts. Luciano Emilio, last season’s Golden Boot winner, won the ball just outside the 18-yard-box in the second-minute before unleashing a corker which Toronto goalkeeper Greg Sutton could only get a piece of. More shoddy defending cost the Reds again just four-minutes later when Santino Quaranta knocked Emilio’s rebound past Sutton for an early 2-0 lead.

The visitors seemed to settle after going down a pair. But the bad dream became a nightmare when defensive midfielder Kevin Harmse was dismissed for tackling Gonzalo Peralta in the 22nd-minute. Not only were the visitors reduced to ten-men, but Harmse had been tasked with marking United playmaker Marcelo Gallardo; and his sending-off released the Argentine.

Gallardo’s first, notable contribution came seven-minutes after the restart. With Devon McTavish’s shot veering wide of goal, the 32-year-old former River Plate and Monaco midfielder redirected the effort beyond the reach of Sutton. The Toronto goalkeeper, despite making a host of brilliant saves, was beaten a fourth time when Jaime Moreno completed some nice interplay between Fred and Franco Niell in the 78th-minute.

With less than a minute of normal time remaining, Toronto managed to pull one out of the fire when Jim Brennan’s pass was met by the head of Maurice Edu from 17-yards. The goal was Toronto’s first of the season following a 2-0 defeat in Columbus. DC United, meanwhile, earned their first win of the campaign after losing 2-0 at Kansas City Wizards the week before.

Key contributors

Ashkan Dejagah

VfL Wolfsburg are within two-points of a UEFA Cup berth after beating Hannover 96 at Volkswagen Arena, Sunday. With 43-points from 27-rounds, Die Wolfe are in a dogfight with Stuttgart, Bayer Leverkusen, and Eintracht Frankfurt for fifth-place in the Bundesliga.

Ashkan Dejagah opened the scoring for the hosts after 20-minutes. The 21-year-old Tehran-born Germany international ran onto Edin Dzeko’s pass before stroking the ball past Robert Enke. He completed the brace midway through the second half when, with Wolfsburg leading 2-1, he completed some excellent work from Dzeko and Makoto Hasebe by heading Dzeko’s cross past the Hannover goalkeeper for a two-goal cushion. Jiri Stajner pulled one back for the visitors with 11-minutes remaining.

Hannover, with 35-points, are solidly mid-table. In tenth-place, they are 10-points back of a European place and 11-points above the drop.

Amauri

Alessandro Del Piero’s second-half brace momentarily leveled matters at Renzo Barbera on Sunday. By that point, however, Palermo already led Juventus by a pair – courtesy of Amauri Carvalho de Oliveira.

The Rosanero began brightly at home to the third-place team in Serie A. Amauri’s first of two goals came after 11-minutes when he beat Nicola Legrottaglie before roofing the ball past Gianluigi Buffon. It was the 27-year-old’s third effort at goal. Juventus are expected to come in for the Brazilian during the summer; and the former Chievo Verona forward did nothing to dissuade the Bianconeri’s interest.

He had his second on the stroke of half-time. After Fabio Caserta’s run into the area, the 29-year-old placed the ball squarely on Amauri’s head for Palermo’s second. Del Piero made a game of it with goals on 52 and 71-minutes. But Mattia Cassani’s last-gasp winner claimed all three points for the hosts.

Palermo, with 39-points from 32-rounds, are 12th in Serie A. Juventus, meanwhile, have 58-points – good for third-spot in the league and two-points ahead of Fiorentina.

Filippo Inzaghi

AC Milan remain in the hunt for Champions’ League football – thanks, in no small measure, to one of the club’s elder statesman. Filippo Inzaghi’s good form, however spectacular for a 34-year-old, remains as much an indictment of Alberto Gilardino’s incompetence as anything else. That Milan manager Carlo Ancelotti is required to rely upon Inzaghi for timely goals speaks volumes as to the lack of quality goalscoring at the San Siro.

Nevertheless, Inzaghi’s pair of goals against Cagliari kept his side within four points of Fiorentina and a place in next season’s Champions’ League. He nodded in his first just after the half-hour when he ran onto a lovely cross from Andrea Pirlo to make the score 2-0. And 20-minutes after Daniele Conti brought the visitors to within one just after the break, Inzaghi took matters into his own hands. Bursting past a trio of defenders, the veteran tripped, slightly, before scoring a beautiful goal and guaranteeing the points for the hosts.

With 52-points, Milan are fifth in Serie A with six matches to play. They are four points adrift of Fiorentina and are level with Sampdoria. Cagliari, meanwhile, are part of a three-way tie for 17th-place. By virtue of goal-difference, however, the Sardinia side are second from bottom and a favorite to go down.

Mark Gonzalez

In 36-appearances for Liverpool last season, Mark Gonzalez scored three goals. He scored nearly that many at Estadio La Romareda at the weekend. His pair of tallies in an eight-minute span earned Real Betis an impressive 3-0 win over relegation-threatened Real Zaragoza.

Given Liverpool’s dearth of quality wingers, Rafael Benitez may already rue the transaction which saw him ship the Chile international to Betis for 4.5M-pounds last June. Just 12-months prior, the 23-year-old had arrived on Merseyside with grand expectations. He was never going to meet them. Having said that, his departure was nothing if not premature – as he proved on Saturday.

It took just eight minutes for Gonzalez to open the scoring. Speeding through the box, the former Albacete winger headed past Cesar Sanchez for his fourth goal of the campaign. He had his second just after the quarter-hour when he smashed a powerful shot past Sanchez with his left foot. Mariano Pavone’s eighth goal of the season rounded-out the scoring in the 63rd minute.

With 41-points, Betis are 10th in La Liga – seven -points back of Sevilla and a UEFA Cup spot and eight above Zaragoza and relegation. Zaragoza, as it happens, are in a tailspin at the moment. With 33-points, they are three-points back of Recreativo Huelva and safety.

Man of the weekend
Ashley Young

He didn’t score a goal on Saturday, but Ashley Young’s contribution to Aston Villa’s 4-0 defeat of Bolton Wanderers was the outstanding performance of the weekend. Not only did the 22-year-old create three of his side’s goals, but he absolutely ran Gretar Steinsson into the ground and had each of Gary Cahill, Andrew O’Brien, and Matthew Taylor breathless by the final whistle.

It took less than 10-minutes for Young to make an impression at Villa Park. After bursting past Kevin Davies and running into the box, the England international released a cultured cross which Gareth Barry converted to put the home side ahead. The two joined forces again on the hour after Young’s initial drive was stopped by Ali Al Habsi before the captain drilled home the rebound. Four minutes earlier, a spell of interplay between Young and Barry and put Agbonlahor through – the 21-year-old making no mistake in notching his eighth goal of the campaign.

And while Martin O’Neill will, no doubt, be chuffed at Young’s exploits, he will be relieved to have seen an enterprising performance from both Barry and Agbonlahor as well. The trio tormented the Premier League for half a season before going silent after Christmas.

The win also lifts Villa to 52-points from 33-matches. They are eight-points adrift of Everton and a UEFA Cup place and nurse one and three-point leads over Blackburn Rovers and Manchester City, respectively.

Have a question about football? Email your query to jerradpeters@gmail.com.

Jerrad Peters is a football journalist based in Winnipeg, Canada. His weekly column for the Winnipeg Free Press is the largest of its kind in the country. A regular contributor to ESPN Soccernet, his work has also appeared on TheMirror.co.uk, Canadian-soccer.com, Footy247.co.uk, Foot2ball.com, and Squadinfo.com.