Olympic Times - Sports Daily

Ronaldinho picked the ideal time to open his AC Milan account as his first-half goal gave it a 1-0 win over city rivals Internazionale on Sunday.

The Brazilian powerfully headed home a cross from compatriot Kaka in the 36th minute as Jose Mourinho tasted his first defeat as Inter boss.

The Nerazzurri finished the game with 10 men after Nicolas Burdisso was sent off in the 77th minute, while Marco Materazzi was also sent to the stands from the Inter bench for protesting too strongly in a fiery end to the derby.

Carlo Ancelotti’s side look to have banished their woeful early-season form though after their third straight win lifted them up to sixth in the Serie A table.

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Argentina defeated Nigeria, 1-0, at the Bird’s Nest stadium, to win the gold, and continue a run of success by Argentine youth teams that may herald a resurgence of the South American power at the senior level.
Leading that resurgence will be Lionel Messi, the Argentine forward who garnered the loudest applause every time he touched the ball. Messi, known for his dazzling dribbling skills, attacked the Nigerian back line, trying to force mistakes by defenders Dele Adeleye and Onyekachi Apam, who have been solid this tournament, but far from flawless.

Between Messi’s darting runs and Juan Roman Riquelme’s long, low passes to Sergio Aguero, meeting the forward in stride as he ran at goal, Argentina controlled most of the first half.

Although Argentina and Nigeria also played for the gold medal in 1996 in Atlanta — with Nigeria winning, 3-2, for the country’s only gold medal in soccer — a more recent game between the countries is more indicative of their rivalry. Messi and Aguerowere also key players on the 2005 FIFA Youth World Cup final. In that game, Argentina beat Nigeria, 2-1. Fourteen players from that 2005 match were featured in Saturday’s game here, including Messi, the difference-maker both times.

In Saturday’s game, Messi dictated the play and set up the game’s only goal by Angel Di Maria.

In the 58th minute, Messi quickly dribbled the ball out of his own half, and sent a perfectly timed through ball to Di Maria, who was not well marked, streaking down the left side. Di Maria ran in on goal alone, expertly chipping from 18 yards over the advancing goalkeeper, Ambruse Vanzekin.

Before the goal, both teams had controlled stretches of the game, with Argentina maintaining possession but Nigeria winning a number of dangerous chances on goal.

For Argentina, it was the second consecutive gold medal. The same core group of players also won the under-20 World Cup titles in 2005 and 2007, and many of them already star for the senior national team.

Nigeria tried early in the first half to involve the tall and dynamic forward Solomon Okoronkwo in the attack. But he was castigated to the right flank and the Argentinians did a good job of controlling the ball in the center and switching fields.

Nigeria enjoyed far less possession, but each early foray into attack was direct and threatening, causing Argentina keeper Sergio Romero to come out recklessly for the ball, looking shaky more than a few times. After the 26th minute, Nigeria gained more and more advantages as the midfielder Promise Isaac exerted his influence.

Isaac broke down the left side in the 34th minute and ran right at the Argentina goal, forcing Romero, who had been quick and careless off his line, to commit early. Sani Kaita was too far outside the back post to do much with the low cross and his angled shot was cleared away. It was one of five Nigerian chances in 15 minutes as the attacking opportunities fell more and more to the Africans.

Argentina reasserted itself in the second half. Messi’s first run of the second period ended with a hard shot on goal. Javier Mascherano, who was content to defend in the first half, played more advanced, making a long run from the back to the edge of the Nigeria box. Isaac, Kaita and Victor Obinna found little time or space to handle the ball in midfield.

When Di Maria put Argentina ahead, Nigeria felt the pressure and responded urgently. The defense executed harder slide tackles and Isaac forced the ball into attack. Nigeria had two good shots on goal in two minutes, but the team’s failure to get the talented Okoronkwo involved made him increasingly frustrated. Victor Anichebe replaced him, energizing Nigeria.

Isaac, who played well, was replaced in the 69th minute because of fatigue. Once during each half, the referee stopped the game for a water break, urging players to the sideline for a drink to ease the midday heat. After some hydration, Emanuel Ekpo came on and was immediately effective. His passes forced miscues by Argentina’s Ezequiel Garay and Nicolas Pareja, and earned Nigeria several corner kicks.

Argentina, tired and trying to protect its lead, was content to let Messi and Aguero run free in counter attack until a series of defensive substitutions saw each player walk slowly off the field. Twice in a minute Argentina was penalized for wasting time. Luciano Monzon was cautioned for taking extra seconds on a throw in and Riquelme was similarly penalized for stalling on a free kick in the 81st minute.

Late chances by Nigeria were off target and, when the final whistle blew, the men in green shirts fell to the field, exhausted. The Argentina players bounced and danced in a circle at the center of the field where they would later stand on the top platform to accept their medals.

source: nytimes.com

Italy suffered a stunning 3-2 quarter-final defeat against 10-man Belgium in the Olympic soccer on Saturday while Brazil and titleholders Argentina both won in extra-time to set up a semi-final meeting.
Lionel Messi set up one goal and scored the other in Argentina’s 2-1 win over the Netherlands and Brazil beat Cameroon 2-0 to avenge their traumatic quarter-final defeat against the Africans in Sydney eight years ago.
Belgium, who will face Nigeria in the semi-finals, found themselves trailing 1-0 and down to 10 men after 18 minutes when Thomas Vermaelen was sent off for dragging down Giuseppe Rossi, who scored from the spot.
Moussa Dembele equalized with a 24th minute header which was deemed to have crossed the line despite Luca Cigarina’s block and Kevin Miralles fired Belgian ahead in first half injury-time.
Rossi equalized with another penalty in the 74th minute before Dembele struck the winner in the 80th minute as Italy uncharacteristically lost their defensive cool.
“Everybody is very important in my team but you need players who can make the difference and today Moussa Dembele made the difference,” Belgium coach Jean Francois De Sart said.
Argentina went ahead with Messi’s second goal of the Games but Otman Bakkal equalized before halftime.
Messi set up the winner in the first half of extra-time when he sliced open the Dutch defense and found Angel Di Maria, who side-footed home to make up for his double penalty-miss against Serbia.

NO FUN
Brazil and Cameroon produced one of the tournament’s low points as they shared 12 yellow cards and 56 fouls in a cynical game which also saw Cameroon’s Albert Baning dismissed in the 52nd minute for a second bookable offence.
Rafael Sobis and Marcelo scored in a four-minute spell in extra-time to keep Brazil — jeered by the crowd — on course for a first Olympic gold.
“It’s not even fun to talk about the referees any more,” said Brazil coach Dunga. “When you have players of this level and officials who make the sort of decisions we saw today … that says it all.”
The match was watched by FIFA president Sepp Blatter who spoke too soon when he praised the controversial tournament, which is restricted to under-23 teams with three over-age players allowed per side.
“The standard of football at the Olympics has never been higher,” he told reporters before kick off.
Nigeria, publicly criticized by coach Samson Siasia for ball-hogging in their last match, beat Ivory Coast 2-0.
In a match played to the backing of the off-key trumpets of the Nigerian supporters’ club, Peter Odemwingie swept home Victor Obinna’s pass in the 44th minute and Obinna converted an 82nd minute penalty.

from: reuters.com

Nigeria on Wednesday beat a ten-man US team 2-1 in a Group B match at the men’s football tournament at the Beijing Olympics, to advance to the quarter-finals with the Netherlands, who beat Japan 1-0.

A near capacity crowd in the 64,000-seater Beijing Workers Stadium saw the Americans, who were topping the group going into the last game, reduced to ten men after just three minutes.

German referee Wolfgang Stark sent off Michael Orozco for elbowing Nigerian forward Solomon Okoronkwo. Although virtually no contact was made the Bundesliga-based forward went down theatrically, leaving Stark few options.

The red card in effect killed off US coach Peter Nowak’s game plan and forced him to push players back in an attempt to keep the Nigerian forwards at bay.

The 1996 champions could have opened the scoring in the 17th minute when Chinedu Obasi had a free header, but keeper Brad Guzan did well to go down and save.

On the half hour Guzan again pulled off a great stop when he palmed away a powerful Obasi drive.

Against the run of play the US had a chance to open the scoring in the 35th minute after defender Marvell Wynne ran virtually the entire length of the field, only for his cross to be cleared.

Nigeria finally broke the deadlock seven minutes from the end through Promise Isaac, who was set up in the area by Obasi.

The Americans had two opportunities to come back early in the second half, but Stuart Holden first missed from close range and then none of the forwards were on hand to push in a ball Danny Szetela had lobbed over goalkeeper Ambrose Vanzekin.

In the 79th minute Nigeria scored their second through Victor Obinna who beat Guzan from close range.

America were handed a lifeline three minutes from the end when Vanzekin had a rush of blood and lunged with two legs at Maurice Edu. Stark pointed to the spot and Sacha Kljestan made no mistake in converting.

Two minutes later substitute Charlie Davies saw his header from a Dax McCarthy freekick hit the crossbar.

The result sees Nigeria top the group with seven points from the Netherlands, who finished on five after beating Japan with a 73rd minute penalty from Gerald Sibon.

In Group D, Italy and Cameroon played to a goalless draw - a result that sees Italy go through first with seven points, while Cameroon advance on five.

South Korea’s 1-0 victory through a goal in the 23rd minute by Kim Dong Jin was not enough to see them advance.

from: bangkokpost.com

Promise Isaac and Victor Obinna scored Wednesday to lead Nigeria over 10-man United States 2-1, earning a place in the quarterfinals of the Olympic soccer tournament and eliminating the Americans.

Isaac scored in the 39th minute with an easy tap-in off Chinedu Ogbuke Obasi’s centering pass, and Obinna curled a right-footed shot into the top of goal in the 80th.

Sacha Kljestan converted an 88th-minute penalty for the Americans and substitute Benny Feilhaber headed onto the post in the 90th, as the United States was eliminated from Group B after the Netherlands beat Japan.

The Americans played with 10 men from the third minute when defender Michael Orozco was ejected.

source: ap.google.com

When the Olympic Women’s Football tournament resumes on August 12, the fight for a berth in the quarterfinals will become more intense since it is the last round of the group stage.

The two must-watch matches will be the ones between Germany and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) in group F, and between Sweden and Canada in group E.

Medal favorites Germany and Brazil top group F with four points after Saturday’s victories. While Brazil will face Nigeria in the last pool match, Germany will have to fight for survival with the DPRK, who earned three points after defeating Nigeria in its first match. The math of the situation is very simple: only the winner can control its own fate.

The last time Germany and the DPRK played each other was in the Women’s World Cup last year in China. Germany saw off the DPRK 3-0 in the quarterfinal and ultimately won the tournament.

In group E, host China and Canada lead the group with four points. China will meet underdog Argentina in the next match and will probably win and advance to the quarterfinals.

Canada will have a tough match against Sweden, the silver medalist at the 2003 World Cup. Sweden has three points after its emphatic win over Argentina on Saturday.

History is in favor of Sweden, who has won seven out of the eleven international A-level matches between the two teams. The two also met each other in the semifinal of the 2003 World Cup, with Sweden posting a 2-1 victory.

Norway, the leader in group G, is the only team that can relax. Victories in the first two games have ensured that Norway advances to the quarterfinals. In its next match against Japan, Norway can afford to rest its starting line-up, which is a luxury no other team can enjoy.

The United States, another team in group G and the gold medalist at Atlanta 1996 and Athens 2004, has to defeat New Zealand by a large margin to ensure it has a greater goal difference than Japan. The United States and New Zealand have met six times in international A-level matches. The United States has won five of them, scoring 27 goals while conceding only 2, so it should be able to soundly beat the Football Ferns.

Even if a team fails to be placed in the top two of its group, it can still make it to the quarterfinals. Unlike the Men’s Football tournament where only the top two in each group can advance, the two best third-placed women’s teams can also compete in the quarterfinals because the Olympic Women’s Football tournament only has 12 teams instead of the 16 in the men’s equivalent.

source: beijing2008.cn

hree seasons ago, nobody would question Ronaldinho’s unparalleled status in the football world.

In his 145 appearances for Barcelona, the Brazilian striker scored 70 goals, helping the club win the Spanish championship in 2005, and then again in 2006, earning back-to-back victories of both the Spanish and UEFA Champions League titles.

Based on his brilliant performance, he was twice awarded FIFA World Player of the Year in 2004 and 2005.

But all that is in the past. Since 2006, the Brazilian has been slipping in form.

He failed to make an impression in the 2006 FIFA World Cup, scoring no goals until Brazil was eliminated by France in the quarterfinal.

At the club level, his performance was inconsistent, due to injury and fitness problems. The last two seasons were trophyless for Barcelona, and in the meantime, Ronaldinho was reportedly enganged in continuous arguments with former coach Rijkaard.

Recently, the athlete was also constantly accused of staying longer in nightclubs than on training fields. Some of his current photographs, showing an unbecoming ring of fat around his waist, were particularly unflattering.

Though he was included in Spain’s football squad earlier, Ronaldinho’s Olympic participation was like a day-by-day TV show with ups and downs, since Barcelona was reluctant to grant the lease with the UEFA Champions League preliminary round coming up.

Finally, his contract with AC Milan on July 18 put an end to an unhappy season with the Spanish giant. He was finally given a “go ahead” answer to Beijing 2008 by his new host.

The 28-year-old is now one of the over-age players on Brazil’s football squad. Dunga, the Olympic coach, who is also coach of the national team, was very happy with Ronaldinho’s inclusion. “Ronaldinho is a very important member of our squad and he is recovering from his problems,” Dunga said in Beijing while the Brazilians are training ahead of the Olympic tournament.

When Brazilian athlete arrived earlier in Milan, he was welcomed by thousands of fans in San Siro Stadium. Now the big question that remains for fans and the great football player himself is: Will he be able to regain his pre-2006 electric form? Whatever the answer is, Beijing 2008 may be a platform for him to start proving himself.

source: beijing2008.cn

The US Soccer Federation announced on July 17 the country’s 18-man squad for the Olympic men’s football tournament at Beijing 2008.

Coach Peter Nowak has chosen three over-age players, including three-time World Cup veteran Brian McBride, goalkeeper Brad Guzan and defender Michael Parkhurst.

Nowak’s team will participate in a football tournament in Hong Kong, playing Olympic warm-ups against fellow Olympic participants Ivory Coast on July 30 and Cameroon on August 2.

At Beijing 2008, the United States will face Japan, the Netherlands and Nigeria in Group B, with its first group game scheduled for August 7.

Roster:

GOALKEEPERS (2): Brad Guzan (Chivas USA), Chris Seitz (Real Salt Lake)

DEFENDERS (5): Patrick Ianni (Houston Dynamo), Michael Orozco (San Luis), Michael Parkhurst (New England Revolution), Nathan Sturgis (Real Salt Lake), Marvell Wynne (Toronto FC)

MIDFIELDERS (7): Freddy Adu (SL Benfica), Michael Bradley (SC Heerenveen), Maurice Edu (Toronto FC), Benny Feilhaber (Derby County), Stuart Holden (Houston Dynamo), Sacha Kljestan (Chivas USA), Danny Szetela (Brescia Calcio)

FORWARDS (4): Jozy Altidore (Villarreal), Charlie Davies (Hammarby IF), Brian McBride (out of contract), Robbie Rogers (Columbus Crew)

RESERVES: Goalkeeper Dominic Cervi (out of contract), defender Frankie Hejduk (Columbus Crew), midfielder Dax McCarty (FC Dallas) and forward Robbie Findley (Real Salt Lake)

from: beijing2008.cn

AC Milan will allow its newly-acquired player Ronaldinho to play for Brazil at Beijing 2008.

Despite being selected as an over-age player in Brazil’s squad, Ronaldinho’s former club Barcelona did not want him to play at Beijing 2008. Ronaldinho’s transfer to AC Milan has given him a pass to Beijing.

“We respect the commitment he took before coming to Milan,” said AC Milan chief executive Adriano Galliani at a press conference. “If he had already been a Rossoneri he would not have gone but he will become ours during the week so we will let him go to the Olympics.”

Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti thinks the Olympics will benefit the 28-year-old Ronaldinho, who has been out of form. The Italian league season starts one week after the Olympics on August 30, so Ancelotti hopes the Brazilian striker can be ready for the new season and adjust to his new club.

Brazil’s first Olympic game is scheduled against Belgium on August 7.

source: beijing2008.cn

AC Milan reiterated their refusal to let Kaká take part in the Olympics with an official note on their website.

With a note on their official website, AC Milan wanted to silence the rumours going around in Brazil concerning Kaká’s possible participation to the Beijing Olympics with the Brazilian national team.

“Following the news stories which appeared in Brazil today concerning Kaká’s possible participation to the Beijing Olympics,” it says on the note, “A.C. Milan reiterate the position already expressed earlier, not allowing the player to join the Brazilian Olympic team.”

Kaká’s Milan team mate Pato probably will be a part of the Brazilian squad, and there were even rumours that Andrea Pirlo and Filippo Inzaghi would join the Italian squad in Beijing.

from: goal.com

Barcelona on Tuesday refused to allow forward Ronaldinho to take his place in the Brazil squad for next month’s Olympic Games.
The out-of-form 28 year-old, who has been told he is surplus to requirements at the Spanish club, was named in Brazil coach Dunga’s squad for Beijing on Monday as one of the overage players.

“Ronaldinho has to report for training next Monday for the first work session of the 2008-9 season,” the Primera Liga club said in a statement on their Web site (www.fcbarcelona.com).

“The Olympics do not feature in the FIFA calendar and there are no special rulings on the issue, so the club is not obliged to release its players.

“In recent weeks, sports director Txiki Begiristain has consistently stated that Barcelona’s objective is to have the maximum number of players available for the Champions League qualifier.”

The Olympic football tournament runs from Aug 6-24 and Barca, who finished third in the league last season, have a Champions League third qualifying round tie on Aug 12 and 27.

Ronaldinho, who shone for Barcelona when they won back-to-back league titles and the European Cup in 2006, suffered a string of injury and fitness problems last season, and only started 13 of 38 league matches.

New coach Pep Guardiola, who was brought in to the Nou Camp in place of Frank Rijkaard, has said the talented playmaker does not feature in his plans, but off-loading him has not proved easy.

AC Milan and Manchester City have expressed interest in him, but a deal has yet to be reached that satisfies all parties.

from: chinadaily.com.cn

Ronaldinho could have a great Olympics if he plays for the national side, says the president of the Brazilian Football Confederation.

The former world footballer of the year, recovering from injury, said this week he expects to be in Beijing with Brazil.

Confederation president Ricardo Teixeira hopes so.

“He’s a player who has the possibility of having a great Olympics,” Teixeira told Globo television station on Thursday. “I ask the fans to support Ronaldinho, who is very important to the team.”

Ronaldinho attended Brazil’s scoreless draw with Argentina on Wednesday and said the Olympics were on his mind.

“I’m sure I’ll be in Beijing,” he told SporTV. “God willing I’ll return. I’m recovering from my injury and I want to return healthy as soon as possible to the national team.”

Ronaldinho lost his status as the world’s best player during a poor season with FC Barcelona beset by injuries _ he missed the last six weeks of the Spanish season with torn adductor muscles and wasn’t available when Barcelona reached the Champions League semifinals. Even when fit he was benched, and the Spanish media repeatedly questioned his attitude and social habits.

Barcelona is trying to offload Ronaldinho with two years left on his contract, and Manchester City is one option.

from: chinadaily.com.cn

As AC Milan finished fifth in the just-concluded Serie A season, thus losing the chance for Champions League, the Italian soccer giant is expected to free Brazilian star Kaka for the Beijing Olympics.
Local media reported Sunday that Dunga, the head coach of the Brazilian national team, paid close attention to Sunday’s Serie A game of Milan against Udinese. Although two Brazilians scored in the game (Alexandre Pato and Cafu), the Italian club was left out of the Champions League despite a 4-1 win.
As a result, Kaka is one step closer to being allowed by the Italian team to represent his home country in this year’s Olympic Games.
The Champions League is scheduled to kick off in August, just as the Olympics are to begin. However, since Milan will not be participating and has no official games throughout the month of August, Dunga is counting on Kaka’s presence on his Olympic roster.
Sunday’s game also marked the last game of two Brazilians with Milan . Both Cafu and Serginho were honored in their last game in a Milan uniform. Cafu is looking into his options of continuing the sport in Brazil. Serginho has not made any statements regarding his future in Brazil.

from: xinhuanet.com

Good things never come easy and Chinese playmaker Zheng Zhi’s return to the national team is a good example of that.
Due to his commitment to English Championship club Charlton Athletic, Zheng, known as ZZ to fans, has not appeared in a single international match since the Asian Cup in July.
Zheng finally joined the team after a long flight from London to Dubai, home base of the tough Iraqi side China will play against for the nation’s first World Cup Asian Zone qualifier tomorrow. China’s coach Vladimir Petrovic, who took over in September after Zhu Guanghu was sacked following China’s elimination from the Asian Cup, has been hoping Charlton would release Zheng for some of the team’s international warm-ups so the team could get to known to each other better.
But Charlton manager Alan Pardew rejected Petrovic’s request due to Zheng’s pivotal role in his club’s quest to return to the English Premiership.
Now Chinese fans, many of whom will have their eyes on the team’s first fixture instead of China’s Lunar New Year festivities, pin their hopes on Zheng, hoping he’ll duplicate his outstanding performance at Charlton and lead the team to a win or a draw against Iraq.
Zheng expressed his confidence in winning the match or even finally advancing to the World Cup finals since it might be his last chance.
“For me, this might be the last chance to compete in a World Cup. I will not give up until the last minute,” said Zheng, who will be 34 for the 2014 World Cup.
“All the national team players about my age will treasure this opportunity. We will try to beat Iraq and set up a beautiful start for future matches.”
China’s soccer team has been rife with pessimism since China was drawn into the “group of death” for its third-round World Cup qualifier. The difficult group also includes former Oceania champion Australia, Asian Cup champion Iraq and Asian Games champion Qatar.
But both Zheng and coach Petrovic are upbeat about their opening clash.
“We are coming here to win. I did a lot of work to know our opponent. I do not see any place that we can not match them,” said Petrovic. “And I also know that day is Chinese New Year’s Eve. I will give the best gift to Chinese people and make sure everyone has a happy new year.”
Zheng echoed the coach’s remarks, saying history favors China. “Iraq is the Asian Cup champion but it does not mean it’s the No 1 in Asia,” he said.
“In the 2004 Asian Cup, we beat them 3-0 on home soil. In the 2006 Asian Cup qualifier, we drew 1-1 but we controlled the match. They did not change too much and some of the best players are still on the team. There is no reason to be afraid of them.”
An in-form Zheng has scored an impressive nine goals for Charlton this season and has become a popular figure at the south London club.
His attacking and creativity will be the lynchpin of the midfield, as China plans to play more aggressive soccer. “We will play more aggressively and forwardly,” Petrovic said. “If we choose to play a conservative match, it’s more likely we’ll lose.
“I know how much this match means to our fans. We have to play a beautiful match even if the result is a draw. We will attack and attack. If we win, we will come back home and play our second match against Australia with our morale high.”
Apart from Zheng, another two players based in Europe - Premier League club Manchester City right back Sun Jihai and Manchester United teenage striker Dong Fangzhuo - have also joined the team, but their form is still in doubt due to the long flight and the time change. But Zheng dismissed the concerns.
“It does not make any difference to me. It’s just like two matches a week in the league,” Zheng said. “It’s still in the middle of the season so the physical stamina is not the problem. There is the time difference but it’s also not a big deal.”
Petrovic’s fellow coach Ratomir Dujkovic, who is also in charge of the national team, said Zheng will be in the starting lineup but the other two remain questionable.
“Zheng is very important to the team. The national team is short of a player like Zheng,” said Dujkovic. “Sun and Dong are not at their best. We will wait and see if they are able to play.”

from: chinadaily.com.cn 

World player of the year Kaka said Thursday he hopes to play for Brazil in Beijing Olympic Games in August.
AC Milan’s striker Kaka has won almost every club and individual honor there is in football except one title, that of Olympic champion.
Indeed, it is the only title Brazil have yet to win despite being crowned world champions a record five times.
Speaking at a World Food Program ‘Fill the Cup’ campaign, Kaka admitted he would like to be selected as one of the three players over 23 years of age permitted in each squad in China.
“I would like to (play) but I will leave it up to the CBF (Brazilian Football Confederation) and Milan to decide,” he said.

from: xinhuanet.com