F.C. Basel Beat Chelsea Again in Champions League

 1-0 

Earlier in September the Swiss club F.C. Basel beat Chelsea 2-1 at Stamford Bridge.  In that match Oscar gave Chelsea the lead in the first-half, but conceded goals to Mohamed Salah and Marco Streller in the second-half.  Today in Switzerland, Oscar was a ghost for Chelsea and Samuel Eto'o was not playing well before coming out with an apparent groin injury.

Salah was the best player in the first-half for F.C. Basel and had two close chances saved by Petr Cech in goal.  Chelsea did not get much better in the second-half with Torres stepping in for Eto'o.  Torres was more involved in the attack, but could not find the space to test the keeper.

Late in the game F.C. Basel caught Chelsea napping following a substitution by the visitors.  Chelsea manager José Mourinho used his final substitution to bring on Kevin De Bruyne for Willian in a last-ditch effort to score the winner.  Instead the ensuing free-kick from F.C. Basel was played right behind the Chelsea defense.  Fabian Schär delivered the free-kick from behind midfield to put Mohamed Salah in-on-goal.  Chelsea defender Ivanović did not see Salah coming behind him and the Egyptian international had a free run at goal before scoring the game-winner (87').

Chelsea remain at the top of the Champions League group, while F.C. Basel now move ahead of German club Schalke 04.  After tomorrow's matches there will only be one more round of group play to sort out who advances to the knock-out round.  Chelsea are still in a good position to win the group, but that second spot will come down to the match between Basel and Schalke next month.

West Bromwich Draw Aston Villa, Level in Points

 2-2

Two mid-table teams met for the Monday night Premier League match with West Bromwich Albion hosting Aston Villa.  Coming into the match both clubs were even with fifteen points for the season and the goal differential slightly in West Bromwich's favor.

The home side were the better team in the first-half and grabbed a very early lead.  A deep pass from behind midfield by Chris Brunt found Shane Long in the box.  Long brought the ball down perfectly with his first touch before cutting to his left foot for the clean strike (3').  Minutes later Long got another clean shot when Villa defender Leandro Bacuna turned the ball over with a bad pass.  Long read the play and intercepted the pass to score his second early goal (11').

After half-time it was obvious Aston Villa manager Paul Lambert was not satisfied with his offense and made all three substitutions at once before the hour mark.  Agbonlahor, Weimann, and Delph all came into the match and the effect was positive.  Weimann got an assist when he flicked a cross from Bacuna on to Karim El Ahmadi in the box.  El Ahmadi got the final touch to beat the West Brom keeper and give new life to Aston Villa (67').

West Bromwich then conceded the equalizer when defender Goran Popov made a poor clearance out of the box.  His header was short and fell right to Ashley Westwood who stepped into the shot from distance and found the net (76').  West Brom chased the winning goal and took out Popov for striker Anichebe, but the match ended in a draw.

The two clubs share one point and neither make ground on the other.  Next weekend West Bromwich travel to Newcastle and Aston Villa will host Sunderland.

Cardiff City Comeback to Hold Manchester United

 2-2 

Manchester United travelled to Wales for a Premier League match against Cardiff City today.  The Bluebirds of Cardiff City have held their own under manager Malky Mackay since coming into the league while United have somewhat under-performed coming off a championship season.

Van Persie was unavailable for United today so Javier Hernández  started with Rooney in the attack.  Rooney was a central figure throughout the match, drawing attention early following an incident with Jordan Mutch.  In the opening minutes Rooney was caught pulling the jersey of Mutch, but he also took a swing at his legs and was lucky to only see a yellow card.

Moments later Rooney put United in front scoring the first goal of the match.  Cardiff City defender Ben Turner played a poor pass that winger Valencia intercepted and sent into the box.  Hernández was in the box and flicked the ball on to Rooney coming in behind him.  Rooney did well to turn on the ball to find space before scoring a partially deflected goal (15').

Playing from behind did not seem to bother Cardiff City and the home side showed the ability to expose United's defense on the left side.  Mutch played a well timed through-ball behind defender Jonny Evans that gave Fraizer Campbell a clean shot on goal that beat the keeper (33').

Manchester United then managed to retake the lead right before half-time on a set-piece.  Rooney delivered the corner-kick that found Evra at the near-post.  Evra was unmarked and got a free header to put United back in front (45').

Playing from behind again, Cardiff were persistent in the second-half and made positive changes with their substitutions.  Mutch was replaced by Korean international Kim Bo-Kyung who made an big impact late in the game.  Following a United foul, a free-kick found Bo-Kyung at the near-post for a header finish and the final equalizer (90 +1').

Manchester United continue to search for the form that led them to a title last season.  Van Persie's absence was felt today, but the depth of United, which is usually what helps make them great, has been lacking.  Cardiff passed a tough test today and should be happy with a come-from-behind win over a top tier club.  So far Cardiff have proved they belong in the same league and that they can compete with some of the football giants.

Arsenal Keep Winning, Beat Southampton

 2-0 

The English Premier League returned this weekend after a week off for World Cup Qualifiers.  League leader Arsenal hosted a surprising third-place Southampton at the Emirates Stadium in London.  Earlier Liverpool and Everton ended the Merseyside Derby in a 3-3 draw giving Southampton a chance to take second place with a win.  However it was Arsenal that would take three points and stretch their lead in the table.

Southampton were pressing high up the pitch to pressure Arsenal's defense with their keeper often coming out to play sweeper.  On one occasion in the first-half keeper Artur Boruc was caught trying to do too much and had the ball stolen off him by Olivier Giroud.  Boruc had two chances to clear the ball, but instead he twice cut the ball back to his other foot and the Arsenal striker picked his pocket and scored easily (22').

Arsenal created more chances overall, but offsides were a problem for Giroud and Mesut Özil throughout the match.  Southampton struggled to create chances but saw good things from Jay Rodriguez and substitute Osvaldo, though the two could not find the equalizer.

Late in the match another mistake by the Southampton defense ensured Arsenal's victory.  José Fonte was caught pulling the jersey of Per Mertesacker during an Arsenal corner-kick.  Fonte was given a yellow card for the offense and a Penalty was awarded.  Giroud scored from the spot for his second goal of the match (86').

Arsenal remain the team to beat in the Premier League who sit on a four point cushion over Liverpool.  Up next the Gunners host Marseille in a Champions League matchup before playing Cardiff next weekend in Wales.  Southampton have another tough test ahead as they travel to Stanford Bridge to play Chelsea.

France Mount Come-Back for World Cup Finals

 3-0 

(3-2) Aggregate               

France came into today's World Cup qualifier down two goal to the Ukraine after a scoreless effort in Kiev on Friday.  Each team had a player sent off in the first meeting, Koscielny for France and Kucher for Ukraine, and France especially felt the need to make other changes to the line-up.  Benzema and Valbuena started over Giroud and Nasri which gave the offense much more energy.  The most important changes proved to be in the defense though, with Sakho and Varane replacing Abidal and Koscienly.

Playing in front of their home fans France were much more lively than the first meeting and created all the early chances.  Centerback Sakho benefited from a shot by Ribèry that was saved by the Ukraine keeper.  Pyatov did well to stop the initial shot, but the rebound fell right for Sakho who was waiting in the right place (22').

France kept the pressure on the Ukraine and racked up more shots.  Benzema had one goal denied by an offsides call that was shown to be an error on replay.  The missed call didn't make much difference however, and Benzema scored a clean goal moments later.  Cabaye sent a skipping shot towards goal that was deflected right into the path of Benzema for the finish (34').

The second goal leveled the aggregate score, but the Ukaine could still put the pressure back on France with one crucial away-goal.  Neither side made any changes at half-time as both mangers felt their squads were sound.  Unfortunately for the Ukraine a costly mistake by centerback Khacheridi left them short-handed for the remainder of the match.  Khacheridi had seen a yellow card in the first-half and saw a second following a foul on Ribèry just minutes after the break.

With an extra man to their advantage France were able to keep the pressure on the Ukraine and score the deciding goal.  Sakho took credit for the goal, though it was tough to see if the goal was not an own-goal scored by Rakitskiy.  Sakho was right behind the defender as the cross came in, and the ball ended up in the net which is all France truly cared about (72').

The Ukraine could not grind out a goal and will go home with heavy hearts coming just short of a World Cup appearance.  France were not the only nation to secure a spot in Brazil today as Portugal, Greece, and Croatia all won their playoff matches.  

Ukraine Shutout France in World Cup Qualifier

 2-0 

Several nations in the UEFA groups have already qualified for the 2014 World Cup including Germany, Spain, England, Italy, Russia, and the Netherlands.  Others like Portugal, Greece, Croatia, and Sweden still have a chance to qualify through a playoff round.  France and the Ukraine are among the nations paired up in the playoff round for a spot in Brazil next summer.

Niether side settled into the match during the second-half with France playing decently well in midfield, but poor in the attacking third.  The Ukraine on the other hand were stout in defense and pushing forward almost exclusively on counter-attacks.  France had the star power in the likes of Ribèry, Nasri, Evra, and Giroud, but the Ukraine had better chemistry and used that familiarity to break the French defense.

In the second-half Roman Zozulya scored the first goal of the match for the Ukraine.  Edmar Aparesida played the forward behind the French defense with a first-touch pass and Zozulya scored from close range (61').

France used all three substitutions hoping give life to their offense with Benzema, Sissoko, and Valbuena entering the match.  Unfortunatley, nobody on the French side could beat the sturdy Ukraine defense and the lead stretched further when Kocienly was called for a Penalty.  The centerback knocked down Zozulya in the box to conceded the Penalty and saw a yellow card for his offense.  Yarmolenko scored from the spot and the Ukraine were rather comfortable from then on (82').

Koscielny made his day worse when he got into a scrap with Olexandr Kucher.  Koscielny hit the Ukraine captain and saw a red card for his senseless action, leaving him inelligable for the upcoming rematch.  Olexandr Kucher returned the favor though, as he saw a second yellow card in stoppage-time making him also inelligable for the rematch.

France are in a tight hole behind two goal to a very strong defensive team.  France should play better in front of their home fans, but the Ukraine are certainly in the favorable position.

Aaron Ramsey and Arsenal Top Borussia Dortmund

 0-1 

Premier League leader Arsenal F.C. travelled to Germany for a Champions League match against Borussia Dortmund this evening.  The two clubs were at the top of their table, each with six points, heading into the match.  Dortmund won the previous meeting in London giving Arsenal the motivation for payback.

Through the first-half Dortmund were more threatening than the visitors with Neven Subotić and Henrikh Mkhitaryan coming the closest to scoring.  After half-time Dortmund turned up the pressure and had Arsenal scrambling to stop the constant attacks.

But just when it looked like Dortmund would score at any moment, Arsenal stole all the momentum with an unexpected goal.  Mesut Özil played a chipped cross to Olivier Giroud at the back-post and he kept the play alive by heading the ball back in front of goal.  Aaron Ramsey was in place and finished with a header to give Arsenal the lead (62').

Borussia Dortmund were stunned by the goal conceded and were less threatening as the match played out.  A number of costly offsides against Dortmund killed promising attacks and the substitutes brought into the match were ineffective.

Arsenal are now at the top their Champions League group as well as the Premier League table.  Two more matches remain in group play and Arsenal should be able to reach the knockout stage.  Borussia Dortmund have some catching up to do in the remaining group matches if they wish to return to the final for a second year in a row.

Arsenal Stretch League Lead, Beat Liverpool

 2-0 

First place Arsenal hosted second place Liverpool today with the latter looking to take over the top spot.  Liverpool came into the match two points behind Arsenal with a chance to overtake the Gunner if they could come away with a win.  It was not to be for the Reds, however, as the league leaders proved they deserve to be in first.

Santi Cazorla got Arsenal started with a header that came off the post.  The rebound fell right for him though, to give him a second chance.  Liverpool keeper Mignolet laid out trying to stop the initial header and when the follow-up volley from Cazorla again came his way, he could do nothing from the ground to stop the goal (19').

Following the goal, Arsenal had all the momentum and put pressure on the Liverpool back three.  Liverpool were not completely out of it, but Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge were slow to really get into the match.  After half-time Liverpool abandoned the 3-5-2 for the more common 4-4-2, and brought Philippe Coutinho into the match, but the changes did not slow down Arsenal.

Aaron Ramsey scored a second goal for Arsenal with a well struck half-volley.  Using one touch to settle the ball, Ramsey set himself up for a clean shot outside the 18 yard box (59').  Coutinho and Suarez came alive late in the match, but could not create the spark to get Liverpool back in the game.  Instead Arsenal, for the most part, continued to control possession and forced keeper Mignolet to stay active.

With the win Arsenal extend their lead in first place.  Chelsea also lost today 2-0 against Newcastle giving Arsenal a solid five point buffer over the Blues and the Reds in the Premier League standings.  Next weekend Arsenal will travel to Manchester for a game against United while Liverpool host Fulham.