2012 FIFA Club World Cup: Hiroshima kick Auckland out

Press Release

TOKYO, Japan (TheSportsNEXT) December 6, 2012: J League champions Sanfrecce Hiroshima sent New Zealand’s Auckland City home early, beating the spirited part-timers 1-0 in the FIFA Club World Cup Japan 2012 opener on Thursday.

The purple-clad side from Hiroshima dominated the contest, played at the Yokohama-International Stadium – site of the 2002 FIFA World Cup™ final, and set up a date with African champions Al-Ahly in three days’ time.

Sanfrecce were in no mood for caution, or to respectfully feel their opponents out in the early stages. They pushed up the field, brazenly applying heavy pressure from the opening whistle.

It took only two minutes for the hosts to carve out a shooting chance, and six minutes after that, they nearly opened the scoring. A clever back-heel out of midfield fell to 2012 J.League top-scorer Hisato Sato, who flicked on for Toshihiro Aoyama. The midfielder then forced Auckland keeper Tamati Williams into a fine diving save.

Roared on by their throngs of singing fans and noisy drummers, Sanfrecce kept pressing in search of an opener, totally dominating possession and making inroads up the right through speedy winger Mihael Mikic, a former youth international with Croatia. After 20 minutes, Yojiro Takahagi’s corner-kick careened back off the outside of the post. A follow-up shot from Koji Morisaki was dived to safety by the busy Williams.

Auckland’s game-plan was clear: keep men behind the ball, break on the occasional counter-attack, and try to use their strength and size on set-pieces. Their first shot on goal came after 25 minutes, and caused Shusaku Nishikawa little trouble.

Sanfrecce took control of the second half straight away, with Takahagi slamming a shot from distance off the post just minutes into the period. Seconds after that, Morisaki rose well at the back post to head a cross from the lively Mikic that was batted away by Williams.

The home side finally got the goal their dominance deserved, when after a stretch of heavy pressure, Aoyama collected the ball 25 yards from goal and unleashed a devilish, swirling shot with his right-foot that swung over the Auckland City keeper and into the top corner of the net – the 200th goal in FIFA Club World Cup history. It proved enough to win the day for the Japanese side, who were well deserving of the victory with a cohesive and professional display.

Hiroshima now move on to play Al-Ahly in Toyota City on 9 December, the same day that Asian champions Ulsan Hyundai of Korea Republic open their Club World Cup account against CONCACAF toppers Monterrey of Mexico.

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2012 FIFA Club World Cup starts today

By Liu Shiwen

YOKOHAMA, Japan (TheSportsNEXT) December 6, 2012: The 2012 FIFA Club World Cup will kick off in Japan today with seven champion soccer clubs in the world vying for the top honors in the tournament which will conclude on December 16.

A total of seven teams from six confederations including Brazilian club Corinthians for being champions of the 2012 Copa Libertadores (CONMEBOL); the English club Chelsea for being UEFA Champions; Ulsan Hyundai, the AFC Champions; Al-Ahly, the CAF Champions; Monterrey, the CONCACAF Champions; and Auckland City, the OFC Champions are taking part in the tournament while Sanfrecce Hiroshima are part of the event as hosts.

Two Japanese cities Toyota and Yokohama will host the ninth edition of the FIFA Club World Cup with its final on December 16^th. Toyota Stadium has the capacity of 45,000 while International Stadium Yokohama can cater to 72,327 fans.

This is the first time that the goal-line technology will be used in a FIFA tournament after the International Football Association Board (IFAB) approved its inclusion in July 2012.

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Pakistan beat Bangladesh 1-0 in Mahinda Rajapaksa International Football

By AM Khan

LAHORE, Pakistan (TheSportsNEXT) December 3, 2012: Pakistan defeated Bangladesh by one goal to nil in their first match of the H.E. Mahinda Rajapaksa International Football Tournament which swung into action at Jayathilaka Stadium in Nawalapitiya in Sri Lanka on Monday.

The match which got underway at 1600 Hours Sri Lanka time (1530 Hours Pakistan Time) couldn’t witness lots of goals as the decisive goal was scored by Pakistani forward Saeed Ahmed in the 80^th minute of the proceedings, as per the information provided by the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF).

On an excellent pass of striker Kaleem Ullah, Saeed Ahmed made a full use of it by putting the ball in the net.

President PFF, Makhdoom Syed Faisal Saleh Hayat in his message has congratulated the Pakistani team for securing the first lead in its match being played in H.E. Mahinda Rajapaka International Football Tournament.

General Secretary PFF, Lt. Col. (Retd) Ahmed Yar Khan Lodhi was jubilant on the success of his team and hoped that the national soccer team would continue to display this ability in the coming matches.

The first half was pressure building on both the teams who failed to score any goal. Pakistani striker made many attempts to break the defense line of Bangladesh but without any success. Similarly Bangladesh team defended very well in the first half.

However, in the second half the Pakistani team broke the defense line of Bangladesh by securing the lone winning goal for the Pakistan.

Pakistan will take on Maldives in their next match of the H.E. Mahinda Rajapaksa International Football Tournament on 5th December, 2012.

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David Beckham ends LA Galaxy stint with MLS Cup title

By Luther Jefferson

WASHINGTON, United States (TheSportsNEXT) December 2, 2012: Former England soccer captain and the most-loved soccer player in the world David Beckham ended his stint with Los Angeles Galaxy on Saturday on a high note.

The Los Angeles Galaxy defeated Houston Dynamo by three goals to one to retain the MLS Cup title on Saturday and David Beckham who had already announced cutting his ties with the LA Galaxy ended the five and a half years stay at the American soccer club in a remarkable fashion.

Houston Dynamo took the lead in 44^th minute with Calen Carr providing the goods with a fierce strike.

However, the Los Angeles Galaxy came into second half with all guns blazing and Omar Gonzalez equalized the affair in the 60^th minute before Landon Donovan and Robbie Keane converted the penalties in 65^th minute and 93^rd minute respectively.

As soon as the referee blew the final whistle, the crowd stood on their feet to give the 37-year-old soccer star David Beckham a standing ovation.

This is the second time during his over five years stay at the LA Galaxy that he has won the MLS Cup. Interestingly, the LA Galaxy had defeated the same opposition last year by 1-0 to clinch the title.

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Manchester United take seven-goal thriller to top EPL table

By Ashley Williams

LONDON, England (TheSportsNEXT) December 2, 2012: Manchester United expanded their lead to three points on top of the table in the Barclays English Premier League 2012-13 on Saturday after winning a seven-goal nail-biting thriller at struggling Reading who put everything on the line.

With all the goal-scoring action confining to first half, the Manchester United showed experience and ability to cope up with the pressure as it was only the fourth match in the history of English Premier League in which the lead changed hands thrice and first time since February 12, 2000.

Reading took the lead through Hal Robson-Kanu and enjoyed the advantage again with Sean Morrison’s header at 3-2 but the Red Devils kept coming at them all the time and not only killed the advantage on both occasions but also took the match winning lead which they defended all second half.

Anderson hit one goal, Wayne Rooney scored a brace while Robin van Persie also chipped in with a goal as Manchester United achieved a classic victory at the Madejski Stadium.

The match saw two contrasting halves as seven goals were scored in the first half but the second part failed to produce even a single one which largely suited Manchester United who have started feeling the confidence on top of the EPL table with three points lead after their rivals Manchester City were held for a 1-1 draw at home to Everton.

The English Premier League 2012-13 title race has become an interesting one because only the top two teams are looking well enough to fight for the honors as Manchester United have 36 points from 15 matches while Manchester City have 33 points. The next three teams are Chelsea FC, Tottenham Hotspur, and West Bromwich Albion all having 26 points each.

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9th FIFA Confederations Cup draw held

By Raleigh McPherson

SAO PAOLO, Brazil (TheSportsNEXT) December 1, 2012: Draw for the ninth edition of the FIFA Confderations Cup was held Saturday at the Anhembi Convention in Brazilian city of Sao Paolo.

Presented by FIFA Secretary General Jerome Valcke, the Draw ceremony revealed who will face who in the group phase of the Festival of Champions, which takes place in Brazil on 15-30 June 2013.

Group A: Brazil, Japan, Mexico, Italy.

Group B: Spain, Uruguay, Tahiti, the next African champions

The national team coaches in the audience looked on intently as Luiz Felipe Scolari’s Brazil learned they will face Japan in the opening match of the competition, to be played on 15 June at Brasilia’s Estadio Nacional.

That game is not the only group-phase encounter we will be waiting for expectantly in the coming months. Brazil and Italy will clash in a re-run of their epic encounters in 1970 and 1982, while Spain and Uruguay, who both reached the sem-finals at South Africa 2010, will lock horns.

Meanwhile, the identity of Africa’s representatives will be revealed at the final of the CAF Africa Cup of Nations, to be played on 10 February in South Africa.

The draw also revealed the close ties that bind Brazilian culture and the sport of football. World-famous supermodel Adriana Lima and the celebrated chef Alex Atala both lent a helping hand on the stage, where they were in very good company. Stars of the calibre of Bebeto, Ronaldo, Cafu, who presented the official tournament matchball, and Marta rubbed shoulders with local personalities from the worlds of politics and entertainment. Helping the show go with a swing were musical acts Arlindo Cruz, Maria Gadu and Meninos do Morumbi, who kept the guests very well entertained.

“In this FIFA Confederations Cup, we have no less than 12 FIFA World Cup stars, so it is not a rehearsal competition, only to look at the possibilities of Brazil," said FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter. "It’s an authentic Festival of Champions. I am sure Brazil will deliver a wonderful competition and will follow it up with a great FIFA World Cup.”

Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff added: “Today we start the countdown for the FIFA Confederations Cup and we’re all aware that Brazil has a double responsibility in this tournament: to show off a beautiful brand of football that honours the Brazilian traditions and to accomplish another mission off the pitch, that is, to organise a tournament that’s unforgettable because of our organisation and the way we will welcome the seven national teams and their fans. Our six host cities will be ready and will show that Brazil gathers all the conditions to host the World Cup in 2014.”

The event, which ran for a little over an hour, set the perfect tone for the 2013 Festival of Champions, a tournament that will give the world’s best the chance to exhibit their skills on the very same stage that will host the FIFA World Cup™, the greatest footballing show on Earth, one year later.

The public ticket sale will start on Monday, 3 December at 12:00 CET (09:00 Brasilia Time) on FIFA.com.

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Bayer Leverkusen keep pressure on Bayern Munich in Bundesliga

Monitoring Desk

MOSCOW, Russia (TheSportsNEXT) December 2, 2012: Second-placed Bayer Leverkusen did just enough to beat Nurnberg 1-0 today and apply pressure on Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich ahead of their showdown against Borussia Dortmund.

Stefan Kiessling scored Leverkusen's winner in the 37th minute for the team's fourth straight victory, pushing his side to 30 points - seven behind Bayern prior to their late kick-off with the champions.

"We have to remain calm and happy that we have a little streak," said Kiessling, who has scored nine goals this season. "It's a nice moment but we have a lot of important games ahead of us and we don't want to think about Bayern. We have to worry about ourselves, and that's it."

Schalke continued their struggles with a 1-1 at home against Borussia Monchengladbach. Timo Hildebrand replaced Lars Unnerstall as Schalke's keeper and looked less than impressive on Igor de Camargo's goal for Gladbach in the 62nd minute. Julian Draxler spared the stopper's blushes however, equalising for Schalke in the 85th minute.

Schalke, however, have not won in four games and improved to just 25 points while Gladbach have 21 points. "We were relieved to have at least picked up the point. If we had lost things would have been bad here," said Draxler.

We have a lot of important games ahead of us and we don't want to think about Bayern. We have to worry about ourselves, and that's it.

Gladbach coach Lucien Lavre said: "The point was deserved. Schalke played well. But to get a point at Schalke is not too bad."

Adam Szalai's goal in the 89th minute gave ten-man Mainz a 2-1 victory at home over Hannover in a battle of teams fighting for European spots. Nicolai Mueller scored on a loose ball after Shawn Parker's shot hit the left post after ten minutes for Mainz but was equalised by Christian Schulz for Hannover.

Mainz lost their keeper four minutes after the break as Christian Wetklo was red-carded but Szalai provided the heroics.

Stuttgart picked up their third victory in the last four games by fending off Greuther Fuerth on the road 1-0 on Shinji Okazaki's goal in the 45th minute. Stuttgart played the final 37 minutes a man down after Serdar Tasci was shown a red card. Fuerth dropped to last place with eight points.

Eintracht Frankfurt missed a chance to keep track with the top challengers by losing 4-0 at Fortuna Duesseldorf on yesterday. Promoted side Augsburg picked up a point in a 1-1 draw at home over Freiburg with Tobias Werner's goal for Augsburg being equalised by Jonathan Schmid.

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Premier League: Arsenal slip to 10th, Manchester City held

Monitoring Desk

LONDON, England (TheSportsNEXT) December 2, 2012: There was concern for Arsenal fans at the Emirates Stadium as Arsene Wenger's side were outplayed by Swansea and lost 2-0 thanks to a late Michu brace.

The Gunners had been lucky to hold on with Wojciech Szczesny pulling off a superb double save to deny Angel Rangel, then a crucial interception from Thomas Vermaelen denied a certain goal for Nathan Dyer. Szczesny also saved well to deny Swansea debutant Dwight Tiendalli late on before Michu slid home the opener two minutes from time, and struck again in injury time as Arsenal left the field to a chorus of boos.

Jack Wilshere

Manchester City leapfrogged Manchester United back to the top of the table but only on goal difference after they were forced to settle for a 1-1 draw against impressive Everton at the Etihad Stadium.

Marouane Fellaini's eighth goal of the season had put David Moyes' men in front in the first half before Carlos Tevez equalised from the penalty spot two minutes before the break after Fellaini was adjudged to have felled Edin Dzeko in the box.

Harry Redknapp's home debut in charge of Queens Park Rangers ended in a 1-1 draw against Aston Villa at Loftus Road, in a game from which both sides will be frustrated not to have claimed all three points.

Brett Holman rammed the visitors in front with just eight minutes on the clock before Jamie Mackie equalised with an 18th minute header. Shaun Wright-Phillips hit the post for Rangers before Stephane Mbia was stretchered off in first-half injury time after an off-the-ball collision with Gabriel Agbonlahor.

The home side largely controlled the second period but were almost made to pay for their missed chances when Villa substitute Karim El Ahmadi fired just wide with two minutes to go.

Jermain Defoe scored twice as a superb second half show from Tottenham saw the visitors canter to a 3-0 win over Fulham at Craven Cottage. Sandro put Spurs ahead when he caught out Fulham keeper Mark Schwarzer from long range in the 55th minute, before Defoe took over, sliding home from a set-up by Gylfi Sigurdsson on 72, and completing his side's win five minutes later.

Daniel Agger's 43rd minute header proved enough as Liverpool chiselled out a 1-0 win over struggling Southampton at Anfield. The home side largely dominated with Jonjo Shelvey hitting the post in the 36th minute, then a Luis Suarez free-kick rebounded off the bar and fell to Glen Johnson, whose cross back into the box set up the winner for Agger.

Substitute Dean Whitehead snatched a 75th minute winner for Stoke at The Hawthorns as West Brom fell to their second successive defeat. A dismal game sprang to life in the final quarter hour after Whitehead - a 54th minute replacement for Charlie Adam, poked home from a ball into the box by Michael Kightly to give the Potters a 1-0 win .

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Theo Walcott to miss UEFA Champions League tie vs Montpellier

By Ashley Williams

LONDON, England (TheSportsNEXT) November 20, 2012: Theo Walcott has been ruled out of the Arsenal FC’s UEFA Champions League encounter against Montpellier on home soil on Wednesday as the winger is yet to recover from a shoulder problem.

Theo Walcott, who also represents England as striker, is an integral part of the Arsenal FC but he sustained the injury during this weekend’s 5-2 victory over Tottenham Hotspur in the English Premier League. Walcott had carried on during the match despite of the injury and scored the fifth and final goal for The Gunners in the stoppage time.

Arsenal FC are due to host Montpellier at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday and manager Arsene Wenger said that Theo Walcott has not trained with the team but will have a scan to determine the damage caused by the injury to the striker.

Gervinho has been put on standby to replace the injured Walcott if he failed to make it.

Talking to media here in the pre-match press conference, Arsene Wenger said, “The injury he got during the game with his shoulder, we have to scan that today and see if there is no damage. He will be out for tomorrow. It should be short-term. We will miss [Andre] Santos as well, who has a muscle strain in his abdomen. The two players coming in the squad are Gervinho and [Kieran] Gibbs."

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UEFA Champions League last-16 race enters decisive phase

Ashley Williams

LONDON, England (TheSportsNEXT) November 19, 2012: With 15 out of 16 qualification spots available, the top European soccer clubs will give it a full go on Tuesday and Wednesday night across the continent as fans lick their lips for a mouthwatering soccer gala.

Manchester United have already booked their last-16 spot in the UEFA Champions League 2012 while FC Porto and Malaga also did enough to get close to qualification on Matchday 4 but Group H still has a massive fight going on for the qualification as Galatasaray, Cluj, and Braga all three have a valid chance of joining Manchester United in the final 16.

Another big match on Matchday 6 is between defending champions Chelsea FC and Juventus in Group E as the English soccer giants will travel to Juventus Stadium in Turin with their last-16 qualification on the line.

The Group E is also presenting a very confused picture as only point separates the top three teams and any of them can qualify for the knock-out stage on the Matchday 6 but as happens in all the major tournaments in the world one of these two European soccer giants will be knocked out this week.

Chelsea FC are relatively better placed than Juventus but they seem to have lost their galore they exhibited early in the season as they have managed only two points in their last four games in the Barclays English Premier League.

Juventus on the other hand will have to defeat the reigning UEFA Champions after they recorded a 2-2 draw in London. If Juventus beat Chelsea FC then they will have to secure a draw in their final fixture to make sure they book their ticket to Shakhtar Donetsk. However, the Italian soccer giants have also struggled for goals dearly this season as the Serie A leaders were held for a goalless draw with Lazio this weekend.

Both the teams will have to find a way of scoring goals as this is where they will have to rise to the occasion. Chelsea FC have a good news as they will have Juan Mata and Oscar both back in the squad after Roberto Di Matteo rested the duo on Saturday’s EPL action while Belgian striker Eden Hazard has found some form as he struck a brilliant goal against West Bromwich Albion.

The other top game in the Group E on November 20, 2012 (Tuesday) is between Shakhtar Donetsk and Nordsjaelland where the Ukranian side has recently tasted defeat in their local championship after registering 15 victories on the trot. Shakhtar Donetsk are clear favorites against Nordsjaelland who are still looking for their first victory in the UEFA Champions League.

Interestingly enough, Nordsjaelland could still qualify into the last-16 stage if they record their first victory at the UEFA Champions League and then Chelsea FC defeat Juventus.

Group F will have two matches to be played on Tuesday where BATE Borisov will be up against Lille and the tough Valencia will take on the mighty Bayern Munich.

Valencia need a victory over Bayern Munich to book them a place in the last-16 round and even a draw would be enough if BATE Borisov are held by Lille to a draw.

On the other hand, Bayern Munich are in dire need of a victory in Spain and with BATE Borisov becoming the Belarusian soccer champions for seventh straight season on November 11 things are looking positive for the German giants.

Group G is another complicated group where Benfica are pitted against Celtic and Spartak Moscow will be up against FC Barcelona on Tuesday night.

FC Barcelona probably are the best-placed team in the Group G as all they require is a draw to qualify into the next stage of the UEFA Champions League 2012. Even a loss can’t hurt their chances but in that case they will have to rely on the result in the other match. Celtic, who defeated FC Barcelona in their last outing, also are in good position to qualify as a draw would suffice for them to join Barca in the last-16 stage if they score at least a goal and Barca don’t get defeated.

As far as Benfica are concerned, they are trailing the Celtic by three points and they must record a victory to stay in the hunt before their final round-robin clash against FC Barcelona.

Group H has one spot to be filled as Manchester United have already secured their berth in the final-16. The Red Devils will take on Galatasaray while Cluj will take on Braga on Tuesday night with all the three teams staying in the race to the knockouts.

Wednesday’s UEFA Champions League action also promises great thrill and euphoria for the soccer fans across the globe where FC Porto will take on Dinamo Zagreb and Dynamo Kiev will be up against Paris Saint-Germain in the Group A.

In Group B, Arsenal FC will be playing against Montpellier while Schalke 04 and Olympiakos will battle it out in the second game on Wednesday night.

Arsenal FC will have to defeat Montpellier to keep their chances alive in the competition while Schalke 04 are the best-placed side at the moment as they need only a draw to proceed.

The two matches in the Group C are Zenit Saint Petersburg vs Malaga and Anderlecht vs AC Milan where Malaga are almost certain to finish on top of the table but the rest of the three sides will still battle it out to stay in the hunt.

The Group D matches include Ajax vs Borussia Dortmund and Manchester City vs Real Madrid where Borussia Dortmund, who are leading the group, need only a draw to qualify while Real Madrid will join them if they beat Manchester City and Ajax don’t triumph.

It is important to mention here that the Manchester City have won the last three home matches against Real Madrid and it will be a tough task for Cristiano Ronaldo and company to achieve a victory there.

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Singapore beat Pakistan 4-0 in second soccer friendly

By Ubaid Awan

KARACHI, Pakistan (TheSportsNEXT) November 19, 2012: Singapore defeated Pakistan by four goals to nil in the second international friendly soccer match at the Jurong West Stadium in Singapore on Monday to win the two-match series 2-0.

The hosts were leading the match 2-0 at halfway stage but added another two goals in the second half.

Pakistan, who lost the first match 1-0 in a hard-fought fashion, looked completely out of sorts as they succumbed to second straight loss on the tour.

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Real Madrid to establish sports schools for underserved in Pakistan

By Shehzad Owaisi

KARACHI, Pakistan (TheSportsNEXT) November 15, 2012: The Spanish soccer giants Real Madrid will set up sports schools in Pakistan as it has joined hands with Aman Foundation for the cause of sports in the terrorism-hit South Asian country.

The Real Madrid Foundation (FRM) inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Aman Foundation at Santiago Bernabeu in Madrid on Thursday, according to which, the FRM will provide expertise for the Aman Foundation’s sports initiative named AMAN SPORTS.

As per the agreement, the Aman Foundation will serve as the local implementation partner to establish their social sports school model in Pakistan.

Together the organizations are piloting the establishment of two schools aiming at impacting 400 boys and girls from ages 6 to 17.

The model promotes integrated development of children through sport and offers social activities to complement sporting activities thereby inculcating in the children a sense of belonging and security.

The objectives of setting up such schools is to foster sports, sports education, sports professional training while removing social barriers and driving social integration.

The agreement provides a framework of cooperation and collaboration between the Real Madrid Foundation and Aman Foundation in their efforts to establish social sports schools in Pakistan targeting the underprivileged.

The agreement was signed by Ahsan Jamil, CEO Aman Foundation and Miguel Pardeza, Sporting Director Real Madrid.

The Aman Foundation CEO told TheSportsNEXT.com, “With the support of Real Madrid AMANSPORTS will be enabled to sustainably reach, impact and empower countless children in Pakistan through sport.”

Miguel Pardeza said on the occasion, “We are excited to collaborate with Aman Foundation to implement our FRM model in Pakistan for the betterment of children through the power of sport.”

The Real Madrid Foundation was established in 1997 as an NGO by Real Madrid F.C., which is the largest football club in the world, to service the disadvantaged through the power of sport.

The Aman Foundation is in the business of transforming the lives of the underserved in Pakistan.

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Pakistan to train for Singapore soccer match on Saturday

Press Release

LAHORE, Pakistan (TheSportsNEXT) November 8, 2012: Training camp for FIFA Day International Friendly Matches between Pakistan and Singapore is starting from 10th November in Lahore, the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) announced in a press release issued Thursday.

Top 26 football players of Pakistan are starting their national training camp for FIFA Day international friendly matches between Pakistan and Singapore at Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) House, Lahore from 10th November to 14th November, 2012.

According to the press release, the probables of the training camp include Jaffar Khan of Army, Saqib Hanif, Samar Ishaq, Ahsan Ullah, Saddam Hussain, Muhammad Adil, Kaleem Ullah, Kamran Khan and Zia-us-Salam of Khan Research Laboratory (KRL), Muhammad Ahmed of Water & Power Development Authority (WAPDA), Jahangir and Muhammad Rasool of Karachi Electric Supply Company (KESC), Faisal Iqbal of National Bank of Pakistan (NBP), Muhammad Mujahid of Pakistan Air Force (PAF), Jadeed Khan Pathan of Afghan FC, Naveed Ahmed of Navy, Muhammad Hameed and Saeed Ahmed of Muslim FC Chaman, Yousaf Ejaz Butt, Hassan Bashir and Muhammad Ali from Copenhagen (Denmark), Zeeshan Rehman from Hong Kong, Atif Bashir Qureshi from Cardiff (England), Adnan Farooq Ahmed from Manchester (England), Shabbir Khan from Birmingham (England) and Omar Malik from Oslo (Norway).

The officials announced by the Pakistan Football Federation for the training camp are Milosavljevic Zavisa (Head Coach/Team Manager), Shahzad Anwar (Assistant Coach), Aslam Khan (Goal Keeper Coach), Kamran Mehdi (Physio/Assistant Manager), Arif Siddiqui (Camp Coordinator), Shams Pervaiz (Ground Coordinator) and Maqbool (Kitman).

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Manchester United enter UEFA Champions League last-16 stage

Monitoring Desk

LONDON, England (TheSportsNEXT) November 8, 2012: Manchester United became the first British side through to this season's UEFA Champions League knockout stage after coming from behind to beat rivals Braga 3-1, the official FIFA website reported.

Needing just a point to assure their qualification to the last 16, United fell behind to a penalty from Alan just after half-time, but strikes from Robin van Persie, Wayne Rooney and Javier Hernandez ensured the Red Devils maintained their perfect record in this year's competition.

United lead the group on 12 points after four matches, while defeat for Braga leaves them bottom on three points, one behind both Galatasaray and Cluj following the Turkish champions 3-1 win in Romania.

"I think we were all disappointed (we didn't progress from the group stage last year)," said Manchester United veteran Ryan Giggs. "It was not good enough and we knew we had to do something about it and we have. Long may it continue."

Alex Ferguson elected to make six changes to the side that defeated Arsenal at the weekend, with Chris Smalling making his first start of the campaign after recovering from a metatarsal injury suffered during pre-season, while Robin van Persie was only named among the substitutes.

Jonny Evans was one of five holdovers from Saturday's victory over the Gunners, but his misjudgement of Douglao's over-hit pass allowed Eder an early chance, the striker sneaking in behind the defence only to see his low effort flash across the face of goal.

More hesitant defending, this time from Smalling, then enabled Ruben Micael to run at United's backline and fire just wide from the edge of the box. With the English giants very much on the back foot, Braga were unfortunate not to take the lead midway through the first half as Eder's diving header cannoned back off the foot of the post.

Alan, who scored twice against United in a 3-2 defeat at Old Trafford a fortnight ago, then forced a smart low save from David de Gea. However, United's resistance was broken four minutes after half-time as Braga were awarded a penalty after Evans blocked off Custodio just inside the box.

Alan stepped up and duly converted for his fourth goal of the group phase. But the game was interrupted only a few minutes later as a generator broke down, leaving the stadium shrouded in darkness and the players ordered back to the changing rooms.

With power restored roughly ten minutes later, play resumed and only a sprawling save from De Gea kept out Nuno Andre Coelho's free-kick.

Braga, winners of their past four ties against English opposition on home soil without conceding a goal in that time, had been relatively untroubled for most of the evening but the introduction of Van Persie for Danny Welbeck proved to be a tactical masterstroke by Ferguson.

The Dutchman capitalised on a rash decision from Beto as he rushed off his line only to be left stranded as Van Persie clipped the ball over the Braga goalkeeper to draw United level with ten minutes remaining.

The visitors then went ahead after Rooney slotted home from the spot after the England striker was felled by Coelho. A late third from Hernandez completed United's turnaround, extending their unbeaten run in Portugal to five matches, leaving Braga to rue their late collapse.

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UEFA Champions League: Valencia hammer BATE 4-2 to stay top

Monitoring Desk

LONDON, England (TheSportsNEXT) November 8, 2012: Valencia completed the double in UEFA Champions League Group F with a 4-2 win over Belarus outfit BATE Borisov to stay level on points with pacesetters Bayern Munich, who crushed Lille 6-1, the official FIFA website reported.

BATE had made a bright start to the campaign, stunning group favourites Bayern on their way to winning their opening two fixtures. But they then came unstuck at home to Valencia and the Spaniards once again outfoxed them, taking the lead in the 26th minute at the Mestalla Stadium.

Brazilian striker Jonas Goncalves broke the deadlock, firing home on a turn high into the net after controlling a cross from a Tino Costa. Almost straight from the restart, it was 2-0, Roberto Soldado - who scored a hat-trick in the away match - converting from the spot after Denis Polyakov fouled Andres Guardado as the latter burst into the box.

Coach Mauricio Pellegrino has been struggling to conjure coherent league form from his Valencia side this season - they sit mid-table with only four wins from ten games - but this success, following their win in Belarus, should propel them towards the last 16 in Europe.

Former Barcelona midfielder Aleksandr Hleb tried gamely to spark a riposte, but was unable to call on support from the suspended Alexander Pavlov as Valencia tightened their grip on proceedings.

Vitali Rodionov had an early effort wide for Viktor Goncharenko's BATE, but the two goals took the wind out of the visitors' sails as Valencia, finalists in 2000 and 2001, made it 3-0 six minutes after the restart.

Algerian Sofiane Feghouli slammed home after Fernando Gago cut through a tiring defence to find his teammate unmarked. BATE did knuckle down to make a game of it as Renan Bressan converted for 3-1 just two minutes after Feghouli's effort.

And suddenly the Spaniards were sweating when Dmitri Mozolevski, on for Hleb, made it 3-2 in the 83rd minute with a tap-in from Rodianov's pass as Valencia looked to be counting down the clock and cruising.

However, the hosts quickly snapped out of their complacency as Feghouli bagged his second goal of the night with four minutes remaining, cracking home a fierce drive after substitute Ever Banega had found him.

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