France Mount Come-Back for World Cup Finals

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(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.  

Crystal Palace Lose with Four Goals to Fulham

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Crystal Palace have not been particularly good since returning to the Premier League with only one win on the season coming into the Monday night match against Fulham.  Like Crystal Palace, Fulham have not gotten off to a good start and have only two wins out of seven matches played. Crystal Palace were poised to take away three points at home when an early goal put them in front.  Defender Adrian Mariappa pushed forward into the box and scored with a free header right in front of goal (7').

Fulham were being outplayed in the early moments of the match, but the momentum shifted in their favor when Pajtim Kasami scored a brilliant goal.  Kasami made a diagonal run into the box and a well delivered pass helped set him up.  Bringing the pass down with a chest-trap, Kasami then hit the shot on the volley to score from a very tough angle (19').  Near the end of the first-half Fulham took the lead when Steve Sidwell scored with another well struck volley.  Bryan Ruiz hit a free-kick that was blocked by the wall.  The rebound though fell right in front of Sidwell who blasted the volley to the upper-ninety (45').

Crystal Palace were not given much of a chance in the second-half as Dimitar Berbatov and Philippe Senderos each scored shortly after half-time.  First Berbatov scored off a corner-kick with a glancing header to the far-post (50').  Moments later on another corner-kick Senderos was able to win the ball at the far-post and slip the shot under the keeper (55').

Now behind three goals after giving up an early lead, Crystal Palace could not manage to get back into the match.  A few saves were required from Fulham keeper Maarten Stekelenburg, but in the end it was a comfortable road win for Fulham.  Crystal Palace have another tough assignment with Arsenal on the weekend, while Fulham travel to Southampton.

Southampton Stun Manchester United

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Southampton have started the season on the right foot and came into today's match in the top four of the Premier League table.  Manchester United are always tough to beat at home, though their season has not started they way they expected.

Wayne Rooney helped create the goal that put United ahead in the first-half.  Rooney managed to get behind the Southampton defenders and get a shot away.  Keeper Boruc made a good save to deny Rooney, but the rebound went right to Van Persie who finished on an empty net (26').

Aside from the first-half goal, Southampton's defense was stout and kept United from scoring further.  Keeping the score low was crucial for Southampton as a goal late in the match spoiled United's chance for the win.  During a corner-kick, centerback Lovren got just enough on his shot to send the ball towards goal.  Southampton captain Lallana was tangled up with keeper De Gea preventing him from making the save.  After a closer look it was revealed that Lovren's shot came off Lallana before finding the net (89').

The late equalizer ensured the draw and Southampton escape Old Trafford with one point.  Manchester United seem to be missing Sir Alex Ferguson as their season has been less than impressive.  Next week United host Stoke City while Southampton face Fulham.

Liverpool Coast Over Crystal Palace

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Crystal Palace have scraped their way back into the Premier League and have struggled to compete with the top flight talent.  Crystal Palace have just one win this season over the last-place Sunderland.  Liverpool on the other hand have gotten off to a great start and came away today's match with a comfortable win.

Liverpool again played with only three defenders, but the combination of Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge in the attack made up for the absence in the back.  Getting things going Suarez passed to Enrique making an overlap run inside the Crystal Palace box who quickly played the ball back to Suarez.  Before he could shoot though Suarez slipped, but from the ground he managed to get enough on the ball to beat the keeper (13').  Moments later Daniel Sturridge added a second goal when he carved up defender Delaney to work a shot.  Sturridge hit the shot hard with his left foot giving keeper Speroni no chance (17').

Later a penalty was called for Liverpool when Raheem Sterling was pulled back making a run into the box by Dean Moxey.  Sterling was right on the edge of the box when the foul occurred and may have been just outside, but the call was made by the sideline official and the referee complied.  Steven Gerrard scored the penalty to give Liverpool a 3-0 lead going into half-time (38').

Crystal Palace made two substitutes at the start of the second-half that gave the club a positive charge.  José Campaña and Dwight Gayle came on and helped Crystal Palace get on the scoreboard.  A freekick near the Liverpool end-line gave Crystal Palace the chance to attack like a corner-kick.  Gayle won a glancing header flicked to far-post that found the net (77').  The visitors could not create any other goals and Liverpool take three points.

For the time Liverpool are on top of the League table, one game ahead of Arsenal who play West Bromwich Albion tomorrow.  Next week the Premier League will not have games with another round of important World Cup qualifiers coming.

Bayern Munich Road to Repeat, Crush ManCity

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In Champions League play, defending title winner Bayern Munich travelled to England to face the toughest Group D opponent Manchester City.  Last season Bayern Munich soundly won the Bundesliga before winning the all-German Champions League final.  Today they proved they are again serious contenders in the tournament with a decisive win over Manchester City.

Franck Ribéry got the German club started early when he was able to cut the ball inside to his right foot and beat keeper Joe Hart to the near-post (7').  Bayern Munich were around Manchester City's goal often which prevented City from building much on offense.

After half-time Manchester City had too many breakdowns that lead to more scoring for the visitors.  Thomas Müller made a well timed run behind defender Gaël Clichy who missed his clearance on long ball into the box.  Müller was able to take touch around the keeper before finishing the goal (56').  Moments later Müller created a turnover in Manchester City's defense and played Arjen Robben forward into space.  Robben beat defender Nastasić to work the shot for a third Bayern goal (59').

Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini used all three substitutes in the second-half and the changes worked in his favor.  Álvaro Negredo replaced Edin Džeko and scored a late goal for the home club.  Negredo made a nice turn to get space for a shot on his left foot and he curled the shot just enough to get the deflection off the post and into the net (79').  

City then had a great chance to score another late goal when Yaya Touré was tackled from behind just outside the penalty area.  Defender Boateng was the last defender and missed his tackle earning him a red card.  David Silva hit the ensuing freekick well but off the crossbar.  Fortunately for Munich the ejection came with only a few minutes left and they were able to hold on with ten men.

Manchester City will get a chance to return the favor of a home defeat later in December when the two replay in Germany.  City need to see a lot of improvement though, if they wish to challenge the German giant.  

Arsenal Two-Nil Over Napoli, Top Group

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Arsenal had a convincing win against Swansea City over the weekend and the Gunners took that momentum into the Champions League match against Napoli.  The Italian club finished second in Serie A last season with Juventus winning the league.  Today Napoli travelled to London and were sporting interesting black and gray camouflage uniforms.

Arsenal got off to a hot start and scored twice in the first fifteen minutes.  Olivier Giroud helped Aaron Ramsey get forward with an overlap pass on the right side.  Ramsey then found Mesut Özil making a trailing run into the box.  Özil hit the shot first-time running on to the ball for the first early goal (8).

Özil then got behind the Napoli defense and setup Giroud in the box.  The pass came back across the goal from the end-line for Giroud who finished easily from close range (15').

Napoli prevented Arsenal from scoring further, but never found the quality on the attacking side.  Possession was heavily in Arsenal's favor and keeper Szczesny was only forced to make one save.  Arsenal's attack wasn't as threatening in the second-half either, but the two goal lead was more than enough for the home side.

Arsenal are on top of the Premier League and following today's win sit on top of their Champions League group.  It has been a great start for the Gunners, but there can be no slowing down if they hope to win either competition.

Lukaku Lifts Everton Over Newcastle United

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Everton hosted Newcastle United today in the Monday night game of the Premier League.  Everton lost midfielder Marouane Fellaini to Manchester United earlier this month, but loaned Gareth Barry from Manchester City and Romelu Lukaku from Chelsea.  Newcastle thought they were losing Yohan Cabaye, but the French international is still with the club and started today's match on the bench.

Everton were the better team at the start and scored on their first chance early in the match.  Kevin Mirallas drove down the right flank and picked out Lukaku in front of goal.  Lukaku hit the shot first-touch to beat the keeper, putting the home side ahead (5').

Lukaku then had the assist in the goal scored by Ross Barkley.  Playing a perfect through-ball to split the Newcastle centerbacks, Lukaku setup Barkley who finished well to put Everton up by two (25').  Keeper Tim Howard then setup another goal for Lukaku with a long ball out of the back.  Newcastle defender Colocchini and keeper Krul both miss-played the long ball giving Lukaku a tap-in finish (37').

At the start of the second-half Newcastle made two substitutions; one in defense with Williamson replacing Yanga-Mbiwa and one in the attack with Cabaye replacing Ben Arfa.  Both changes were effective and Newcastle turned the game in their favor.  The defense kept Everton from scoring again and Cabaye scored a quick goal for Newcastle to give them life.  Cabaye hit a well struck ball from distance that curled into the far corner to beat keeper Howard (51').

Newcastle worked a number of shots in the second-half that tested the keeper and scored a second goal near the end of the match.  Striker Loïc Rémy muscled out defender Jagielka for position and scored to close the gap to only one goal (89').  Newcastle ran out of time though and Everton held on through stoppage-time.

Arsenal Ahead in EPL, Beat Swansea

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Arsenal travelled to Wales for a Premier League game against Swansea City today.  Swansea came out playing possession heavy football and made Arsenal play defense early.  The crowd was also involved and Swansea fed off their energy.  Arsenal settled in and created their own chances late in the first-half.  Neither side scored by half-time and staying on-sides was a problem for both clubs all day.

In the second-half the visitors turned up their game and Arsenal scored two goals less than five minutes apart.  First Arsenal's other new German signing Serge Gnabry was played in-on-goal by Ramsey following good combination play in the box (58').  Moments later Ramsey scored when Arsenal perfectly worked a counter-attack.  Giroud played the final pass for Ramsey who had his shot partially deflected, but not enough to keep it out of the net (62').

Swansea never gave up though, and made a positive change when Wilfred Bony was introduced.  The big striker was a lot for the Arsenal defense to handle and he helped setup a goal late for Swansea.  Leftback Davies made a driving run into Arsenal's box and Bony played a chipped ball over the top for him.  Defender Mertesacker managed to get just a piece of the ball on its way toward Davies, but he could not quite get enough.  Davies was able to get a touch off his thigh to direct the ball into the net, giving Swansea life late in the match (82').

Swansea could not work another goal following the late score and Arsenal held on for the road win.  Arsenal are now on top of the table in the Premier League after six rounds.  More clubs will play Sunday and Monday, but none can earn enough points to overtake the Gunners.

Ronaldo Nets Champions League Hat-Trick

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The first round of group-play in the Champions League began today with Turkish league champions Galatasaray hosting Spanish giant Real Madrid.  The big news for Madrid this offseason was the major transfer of Gareth Bale from Tottenham as well as the resigning of Christiano Ronaldo.  Bale was not in the starting line-up, but Los Blancos were perfectly capable of handling Galatasaray without him.

Galatasaray started the match with all the momentum, playing in front of their home fans.  Didier Drogba, Wesley Sneijder, and Felipe Melo all looked threatening to the Madrid defense.  To further put off Madrid, keeper Casillas had a collision with teammate Ramos and came out injured before fifteen minutes had been played.

Madrid held strong though and started to take over the match.  A long ball by Di Maria from midfield to the box set up Isco for Madrid's first goal.  Isco did well to trap the long pass before finishing the shot off the post (33').  Galatasaray kept the ball out of the net for the rest of the first-half, but lost their crucial striker Drogba who injured his shoulder moments before half-time and could not continue.

Galatasaray started the second-half in a reasonable position to rally back, but Madrid had other thoughts.  Ronaldo and Benzema combined for five goals in the second-half to put the home team well out of contention.  First Benzema capitalized on a free run at goal after two Galatasaray players collided giving him an easy one-on-one with the keeper (54').

Ronaldo then scored two goals, both coming after Madrid were able to create all kinds of confusion in the Galatasaray penalty area (63', 66').  Benzema got his second when Ronaldo picked him out with a cross for an easy tap in finish (81').

Galatasaray got a small consolation goal by substitute Bulut when Amrabat played a perfect ball into the box for him, but there was not nearly time enough left to matter (84').  Ronaldo scored the final goal in stoppage-time to complete his hat-trick.  With the defense exhausted, Ronaldo easy shredded defender Chedjou before blasting his shot past the keeper (90 +1').

Real Madrid face F.C. Copenhagen then Juventus next month as the other members of Group D.  The two tied 1-1 today in their first match-up leaving Madrid alone at the top of the group.

Swansea's Shelvey Stands Out Against Liverpool

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Former Liverpool player Jonjo Shelvey moved to the Welsh club Swansea City in the offseason and faced his old club today with the Reds coming to town.  Shelvey was a central figure throughout the first-half, initially giving his team a very early lead.  He first missed a half-volley shot, but the ball stayed at his feet and he was able to drive inside the box.  Then his next shot was blocked by Liverpool defender Skrtel, but again the ball stayed at his feet for a third crack at goal that did get past the keeper (2').

Immediately after the goal, Shelvey was responsible for giving away the lead when a poor back-pass to his keeper was intercepted by Sturridge.  The back-pass set up Sturridge in a perfect spot to take a quick first-touch shot for the equalizer (4').  Later in the first-half Shelvey was again responsible for a bad pass that resulted in another goal for Liverpool.  This time the pass was intercepted by Victor Moses (making his first start with the club) who streaked up the field and scored to put the Reds in front (36').  

Shelvey was able to redeem his two previous bad passes with one very good pass later in the second-half.  Shelvey put his teammate Michu in on goal with a well place glancing header.  Michu had a number of shots blocked and saved over the course of the match, but this one beat the Liverpool keeper for the final goal (64').  

Moses and defender Sakho both made their first starts today for Liverpool and both were quite good.  Liverpool have been forced to deal with several injuries to their defensive players and Coutinho may also be sidelined for a while, exiting today's match with an apparent shoulder injury.

Arsenal's Ramsey Nets Two in Win Over Sunderland

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The Premier League returns after taking a week off to fit in all the World Cup Qualifiers around the globe.  Arsenal travelled to Sunderland today and were able to debut their latest signing.  German International and former Real Madrid midfielder, Mesut Özil started for the Gunners and seemed to mesh perfectly with his new club.

In the early moments of the match, Özil set up Giroud in the box for a goal.  Defender Gibbs played a long ball out of the back that Özil trapped well before laying across the face of goal.  Giroud made a good near-post run and scored with his first touch, sliding the shot past the keeper (11').

Jozy Altidore played less than twenty minutes for the United Stated in their qualifying matches, but was in the starting line-up today for Sunderland.  His chances were limited as Arsenal controlled a vast majority of possession, but he looked fit and had one good shot from distance that was saved by keeper Szczesny.

Sunderland made a change at half-time taking Vaughan out for Craig Gardner who proved to be an improvement.  A penalty was awarded to Sunderland when defender Koscielny missed his tackle in the box, and Gardner scored from the spot to tie the game (48').  Arsenal took the lead back though when Aaron Ramsey scored with a very well struck volley.  Rightback Jenkinson picked him out in the box with a cross and Ramsey blasted his volley past keeper Westwood (67').

Moments later Sunderland had a chance to again equalize when Jozy Altidore got tangled up with Bacary Sagna.  Altidore broke away from Sagna, who was holding him back, and put the ball in the Arsenal net.  However, the referee called the foul on Sagna before the goal was scored and Sunderland only got a free-kick instead of a goal.

Aaron Ramsey then scored a third goal for Arsenal to seal the deal when Giroud slotted a through-ball for his run into the box.  Ramsey did well to slip through defenders and score his second goal of the match (76').

Though it is still early in the season, Arsenal may have found the perfect player to put them back at the top of the Premier League in Mesut Özil.  One the other side, American Jozy Altidore is making his second run in the Premier League and has a chance to help a good club as well as take the next step as an elite striker.

USA Punch Ticket to Brazil, Beat Mexico

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Tonight's World Cup Qualifier against Mexico has been anticipated for several weeks now.  Playing in Columbus, Ohio the United States were again without Michael Bradley in midfield and Jozy Altidore up front.  Eddie Johnson and Kyle Beckerman replaced the two crucial players in this crucial match.  Mexico of course were facing a different form of adversary with a change in head coach coming just days ago.

Mexico got off to a decent start and were close to winning a penalty in the first minute of the game.  Keeper Tim Howard was spared by the referee and the match remained scoreless for the first-half.

The second-half was all USA as the men's national team scored twice, and nearly a third time, while shutting out Mexico.  Earlier in the match Eddie Johnson won a clean header during a corner-kick, but Mexican keeper Corona denied the forward.  Johnson got another chance in the second-half and scored with another clean header from a corner-kick (49').  

Mexico did all they could to get the goal back including using all three substitutes.  However a second goal late in the game by the US ensured the outcome.  Substitute Diskerud was able to fire a cross from the end-line that reached Donovan at the far-post for the final goal of the match (78').  USA had a chance to score one more when a penalty was awarded in stoppage-time, but Dempsey missed from the spot to end the game 2-0 for the US.

The US still have to play Jamaica and Panama to finish off the qualifying stage, but they now have enough points to ensure their place in the 2014 World Cup.

Costa Rica Snaps U.S. Win Streak

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The U.S. Men's National Team went south to Costa Rica for a World Cup Qualifier rematch.  Costa Rica have been vocal about their protest of the first meeting in March that featured a snow storm in Colorado.

Clint Dempsey and Landon Donovan started for the U.S. while Michael Bradley and Jozy Altidore were out with injuries.

Costa Rica got off to a perfect start and scored two goals in the first ten minutes of the match.  Defender Acosta got forward on a corner and scored a near-post header (2)'.  Shortly after Bolaños delivered a cross that setup Borges in the box for another header finish (10').

Late in the first-half the U.S. got one back when a penalty was given following a foul by keeper Navas.  Fabian Johnson was tripped by Navas trying to reach a loose ball in the box and saw a yellow card for the infraction.  Dempsey stepped up to take the penalty and he was successful from the spot (43').  His shot was practically right down the middle and Navas got behind the ball, but he could not turn the shot away from his goal.

The second-half started to look better for the United States as Costa Rica played more defensive to protect their lead.  This allowed the U.S. to possess more and press forward.  However one big play by Costa Rican forward Campbell took all the wind out the sails for the U.S.  A long pass out of the back released Campbell who beat defender Besler in a foot race to the ball.  Campbell finished confidently, going through the legs keeper Howard coming off his line (75').

This loss snaps a twelve game winning streak for the United States, but more importantly it keeps the race to the 2014 World Cup much tighter.  The United States will host Mexico on Tuesday in another important World Cup qualifier.

Tottenham Edge Swansea with Penalty

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Tottenham has had to make several changes over the offseason with Dempsey, Bale, and Parker all leaving the club.  The Spurs signed some quality players to fill those gaps including Spanish striker Soldado and Brazilian midfielder Paulinho who contributed to today's win over Swansea City.

Playing at White Hart Lane, Tottenham were the more dominant team from the start especially Paulinho who was able to find space all over the pitch and forced several saves from the Swansea keeper.

Late in the first-half Swansea were lucky to avoid conceding a penalty when Tottenham's Townsend was fouled by Shelvey in the box.  The foul was given, but the referee thought the foul occurred just outside the box when in fact it was in the penalty area.  Then in the second-half Shelvey was again called for a foul on Townsend.  This time the foul was clearly inside the box, however it seemed rather obvious that Townsend took a dive to draw the foul.  (Quid Pro Quo I guess.)  Soldado took the penalty and scored from the spot for the only goal of the match (58').

Perhaps the more interesting match of the day was between Manchester City and the newly promoted Cardiff City.  Manchester City were first on the scoreboard, but three second-half goals for Cardiff City put them out of reach to give them their first Premier League win.

Aston Villa Own-Goal the Difference for Chelsea

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Playing the midweek match at Stamford Bridge, Aston Villa caught a bad break early in the match, conceding an own-goal.  Chelsea's Hazard fired a shot from the left side that keeper Guzan had covered.  Guzan parried the shot away from his goal, but right at his teammate Luna who inadvertently sent the ball back into his own net (6').

Chelsea were well in control for the first-half with 70% of possession while holding Aston Villa to only one shot.  On top of that Aston Villa had to make a change to their back line when Clark received a gash on his forehead that required stitches.  However in the first-half stoppage time, Villa finally managed to get a shot on target.  Winger Agbonlahor made a strong run up the left side that forced Cahill out wide to defend.  With Cahill out of place Agbonlahor picked out Benteke in the box who found just enough space to slip his shot inside the near-post (45 +3').

Chelsea continued to maintain about 70% of possession in the second-half, and retook the lead from a set-piece.  Lampard delivered the free-kick into the box that landed perfectly for Ivanovic right in front of goal.  Ivanovic finished with a clean header, struck down to give the keeper no chance (73').

Aston Villa had a couple good chances to score themselves in the second-half, but twice Weimann was denied by keeper Cech who made two great saves.

Though the season just started Chelsea are off to a perfect start under manager José Mourinho.  Next will be a big test for Chelsea as they travel to Old Trafford to take on the defending league champions Manchester United.

EPL Back, Liverpool Start with Win

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The English Premier League is back and to kick off the season Liverpool hosted Stoke City.  Liverpool featured several of their new players including Spanish forward Iago Aspas, defender Kolo Touré, and keeper Simon Mignolet.  Still no Suarez for the Reds though as his suspension continues.

Early in the match Robert Huth nearly put Stoke ahead, but his shot was denied by the crossbar.  Similarly Kolo Touré hit the crossbar with his header at the other end moments later.  Liverpool created more chances in the first-half and it was Daniel Sturridge who finally beat the keeper.  From just outside the box, Sturridge blasted his shot through the legs of defender Huth and out of the reach of keeper Begović to score (37').

The goal from Sturridge was the only score of the match, though Stoke had a golden opportunity to equalize.  Defender Agger was called for a handball inside the Liverpool box to concede a penalty.  Walters took the penalty shot for Stoke but keeper Mignolet came up big and denied the goal.

While Begović was the loosing keeper today, he actually had a very good game as well.  The Stoke keeper made 10 saves over the course of the match and kept his team in contention.  He did not get any help at the other end however, and Liverpool win their opening day match.

Altidore Scores Hat-Trick in US Friendly

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The US Men's National Team travelled to Sarajevo to play an friendly against Bosnia and Herzegovina today.  Team USA had a number of changes to their line-up from their previous match, the Gold Cup final, and got off to a slow start.

Manchester City's Edin Dzeko put Bosnia and Herzegovina in front early in the match when he found space behind the US defense.  His initial shot was saved by keeper Tim Howard, but the rebound came right back to Dzeko and he finished with his second chance (8').  Later in the first-half Ibišević also scored for Bosnia on a second effort corner by winning a header (30').  The replay showed that Ibišević was slightly offsides, but since the game was a friendly, the US did not protest much.

After half-time Bosnia and Herzegovina made four substitutions while the US only made one.  The changes to the Bosnian team opened the door for the United States, especially Jozy Altidore.  First Altidore setup Eddie Johnson with a goal by trapping and laying off a well played ball over the top (55').  Soon after Fabian Johnson was able to play Altidore in-on-goal for his first score of the match (59').

Following the equalizer, the US and Bosnia made more substitutions including Aron Johannsson making his debut for the United States.  Johannsson made a positive impact on the game, creating two good shots on goal.  However it was Altidore who made all the plays for the US.  From a free-kick, Altidore scored his second of the match with a perfectly struck shot, curled into the upper-ninety (84').  Moments later Altidore completed the hat-trick when he scored after being played in behind the defense by Bradley (86').

Dzeko also had one more goal late in the game, finishing with a glancing header to the far-post (90').  The game ended with a final score of 4-3 in favor of the United States.  Bosnia and Herzegovina are not really known as a football powerhouse, but right now they are leading their World Cup Qualifying group and are ranked 13th in the FIFA world rankings.  Although it was just a friendly match, this is a good win for the US as coach Jurgen Klinsmann has shown he can win with a number of different lineups.

Brazil Win 2013 Confederations Cup

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Host nation Brazil won the 2013 Confederations Cup by beating Spain 3-0 in the final.  Although Spain is the top ranked team in the world, under the circumstances of tonight's match, they never had a chance.

Just to reach the final Spain had to endure a grueling overtime match against Italy that was eventually decided in a shoot-out.  Brazil had an extra day of rest before the final and of course had the enormous support of the fans as the host nation.

And that support was directly translated onto the field.  Especially in the first-half, all the calls by the referee went in Brazil's favor.  Two yellow cards were issued to Spanish players, Arbeloa and Sergio Ramos, while Brazil got away with a number of fouls that went unbooked.  Later in the second-half Pique was sent off with a straight red card after a foul on Neymar, who was running away from goal.

Brazil were the better team today though, and understandably so with their motivation to win.  The citizens of Brazil have been quite unhappy about the recent build up to next year's World Cup, protesting for the last two weeks.  The players knew that the protests were towards the government, not the teams, and by winning the tournament they would at least give the people something to celebrate.

There is still a lot of work ahead for Brazil, both for the team and the nation as a whole.  Winning today is certainly a step in the right direction and hopefully it will give the people something to believe in.

Spain vs. Brazil in Confederations Cup Final

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Spain and Italy met today in the second semifinal of the 2013 Confederations Cup.  Spain defeated Italy last summer to clench their second consecutive European title in a 4-0 victory.  Today the score-line was much tighter as neither side managed to score after a full two-hour match.

Over the first ninety minutes Italy were the better team and kept Spain from playing their usual high-possession football.  Italy's Maggio and Giaccherini were making plays all over the field, while Spain's Xavi and Iniesta were unable to string together passes like we are accustomed to seeing.

After regulation the momentum changed, however, as Spain began to put the pressure on Italy and create almost all the scoring chances.  The weather seemed to be the real deciding factor though.  The heat and humidity took its toll on the players from both sides and the quality of play was visibly diminished.

With neither team scoring after the two-hours of play, a penalty shootout would determine the winner.  The first six shooters for both Spain and Italy finished from the spot, and it came down to a miss over the crossbar by Bonucci that gave Spain the final advantage.  Navas was the last shooter for Spain giving them a final 7-6 score in the shootout.

Spain will face host nation Brazil in the final on Sunday and it will be interesting to see if the number one team in the world will have anything left in the tank for this battle of football titans.

Brazil Head to Confederations Cup Final

2-1

South American neighbors Brazil and Uruguay met in the semifinals of the 2013 Confederations Cup.  Brazil were perfect in the group stage of the tournament, beating Japan, Mexico, and Italy.  Today Uruguay gave them a tough test and Brazil were lucky not to fall behind early in the match.

Defender David Luiz conceded a penalty after he was caught pulling down Uruguay's Lugano during a corner-kick.  Diego Forlan elected to take the penalty shot, but Brazilian keeper Julio Cesar blocked the shot and kept the game scoreless.

Near the end of the first-half the deadlock was broken when striker Fred put Brazil in front.  Neymar first poked a shot at goal and, coming off his line, Uruguay keeper Muslera parried it away.  The block did not clear the box though and Fred was able to finish the loose ball on an empty net (41').  

Uruguay were quick to equalize after the half-time break thanks to a poor decision by Luiz Gustavo.  Rather than just sending his clearance far down field, he tried to pass out of the back.  Unfortunately his pass went right to Cavani who seized the opportunity and leveled the score (48').  

The goal energized Uruguay and the match looked like it could go either way.  In the last moments of the game though, Brazil pulled back in front.  From a corner-kick, Paulinho won the header at the back-post and scored the deciding goal (86').

Brazil will face the winner of the other semifinal of Spain against Italy on Sunday.  A lot of pressure is on Brazil as the host nation to win, and the final promises to be an exciting match whoever they may face.