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[Rutashubanyuma]

Manchester United send 10-man Chelsea out of Champions League

• Guardian report
• Min-by-min
• Match facts
• Ratings

Champions Lge Q/F, Second Leg

Manchester United 2

• Hernandez 43,
• Park 77

Chelsea 1

• Drogba 77

• Kevin McCarra at Old Trafford
• The Guardian, Wednesday 13 April 2011 <li class="history">Article history
  
  Javier Hernández celebrates scoring Manchester United's first goal against Chelsea in their Champions League quarter-final. Photograph: John Peters/Man Utd via Getty
  
  Manchester United have been as relentless over the course of the years as they were in the three hours of this Champions League quarter-final. It is Chelsea, winners of the Double last season, who allowed themselves to grind to a halt following that glory.
  Chelsea have now been beaten home and away by opponents who will be confident about an encounter in the last four that will almost certainly see them face the German side Schalke.
  Last season, Chelsea won each Premier League encounter with United, but they have since become diminished and, in practice, have no hope of a trophy this year. They are reduced in stature and also saw their numbers cut here when the midfielder Ramires, already booked, was sent off with a second yellow card after he had fouled Nani 20 minutes from the end.
  As that episode showed, Chelsea have been stripped of their judiciousness. The manager, Carlo Ancelotti, should be appreciated for what he did 12 months ago, but is at least as likely now to get the sack.
  None of that will have weighed on the minds of an Old Trafford crowd that has witnessed Sir Alex Ferguson reassert his command so swiftly. He has been astute as ever, introducing new faces while still tapping the talent of some senior footballers. There is, of course, no sentiment and Paul Scholes, for example, remained on the bench here, just as he had at Stamford Bridge.
  Ancelotti has not had the means to dictate events and some issues still gnaw at Chelsea. The Italian took off Fernando Torres at the interval after a first goal for the team had again eluded the Spaniard. It was his replacement, the 33-year-old Didier Drogba, who scored to tie this match at 1-1.
  Drogba did so within moments of Ramires's dismissal by advancing on to a Michael Essien pass and finishing with force and technique. All the same, nothing could suppress Manchester United for long. Almost immediately, Park Ji-sung was in an abundance of space to restore his side's lead in the game. The South Korean had been picked out by the outstanding figure in this contest.
  Ryan Giggs dominated by showing not only the know-how of a 37-year-old but also the sort of zest that ought by rights to be the exclusive property of colts just making their entry into the sport. It is very hard to think that limited time remains for the Welshman in football, even though the plain facts of physiology mean that, before too long, time will run out even on him.
  An evening such as this will, all the same, keep him safe from melancholy. Gloom, on the other hand, may well be engulfing Torres, since he seemed to have lost even the hope that something must come his way in the goalmouth. He is far from being above criticism but the reshaping of Chelsea will demand more invention – no matter who happens to be in the thick of the attacks.
  The verve was largely United's. Indeed Chelsea were very nearly behind after 19 minutes. Wayne Rooney was ruled offside by a fraction as headed in a splendid cross by Javier Hernández when the Englishman, in effect, was barely leaning beyond his marker. The disquiet of Chelsea was apparent in three bookings while United started to take a hold of events.
  Ferguson's team recorded the opener in the 43rd minute to establish a 2-0 lead on aggregate. Giggs linked with John O'Shea and took the Irishman's sharp pass to angle the ball towards the far post where Hernández waited to score. The attacker is the embodiment of the perceptiveness with which Ferguson has reinforced his squad.
  There was no scope left for etiquette on Ancelotti's part and Torres was withdrawn. The Spaniard, as usual, suffered to some degree because creativity has been leaking out of the Chelsea line-up and the sheer force of Drogba did indeed make more of a dent, but the verdict of the manager also confirmed that it is difficult these days to strike the right balance.
  As a veteran, the Ivorian, after all, ought not to be viewed as a key performer. United, in any case, were intent on discouraging any notion of a revival by these opponents. With 57 minutes gone, the Chelsea substitute did put a low drive wide from distance as if to confirm to Ferguson's men that they could not pause in their efforts to deter the Stamford Bridge side.
  With an hour gone, Edwin van der Sar had to be alert as he moved to his right and turned away Drogba's attempt from a set piece. All the same, it was Chelsea who needed to achieve something spectacular. Ancelotti could not be passive either and Salomon Kalou took over from Nicolas Anelka after an hour.
  Chelsea sought to push downfield but the kind of episode that saw Alex head wide from a corner did not unnerve the opposition greatly and Petr Cech was still the more heavily involved of the goalkeepers. The desperation was shown most vividly in the red card that ended Ramires's night and Chelsea's already dwindling hopes.

 

[Rutashubanyuma]

Manchester United dream of treble after sweeping aside Chelsea

Carlo Ancelotti's team were given a lesson in self-renewal in the Champions League by a team aspiring to the heights of 1999

• Comments (149)

• 
• • Paul Hayward at Old Trafford
  • The Guardian, Wednesday 13 April 2011 <li class="history">Article history
  
  Javier Hernández of Manchester United gets away from the Chelsea defence. Photograph: Dave Thompson/PA
  
  For Manchester United to be hunting another treble 11 months after the Carling Cup was the only trophy to make its way to Old Trafford is a lesson in self-renewal, and one Chelsea may care to study. The unprecedented trio of League, Champions League and FA Cup triumphs 12 years ago was so freakish that few in these parts expected to ever have a sniff of it again.
  The miraculous one-off is encased in the club museum. But may it have a brother soon? After their 3-1 aggregate victory over a fading Chelsea side all the songs were of trips to Wembley, the stage for this year's Champions League finale (28 May) and Saturday's FA Cup semi-final against Manchester City.
  This side may lack the glamour of the 1999 vintage or the star quality of 2008, when Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez lined up alongside Wayne Rooney. But it could hardly be more committed, more sure of itself. Its strength was expressed by the relentless foraging of Park Ji-sung, the Zen wisdom of Ryan Giggs, the eagerness of Javier Hernández and the restored vigour of Rooney, who has been reborn in the withdrawn striker role behind Chicharito.
  "He's enjoying the position he's playing in at the moment because he has a lot of freedom to use his energy," Sir Alex Ferguson said of Rooney. It was astounding that United were able to consign Chelsea to shadow without needing to summon Dimitar Berbatov, a forward of sublime skill. Chelsea went into battle with Fernando Torres, who cost £50m and was hooked at half-time. United struck the first blow with Hernández, a £6m buy who makes Torres look geriatric.
  The 1999 tale was meant to be unrepeatable. It still has that feel, given that Barcelona look unbeatable in Europe. People always said it could not be done again. Competition would be too intense. The calendar would grow too demanding for any side to prosper on three fronts again. Now a double treble beckons.
  Seven points clear of Arsenal in the Premier League, United face a City team who lost 3-0 at Liverpool on Monday night and will be without Tevez when a whole metropolis decamps to London to help the Football Association pay for their monument to hubris.
  Clearly this is no time to be jumping to conclusions about City's prospects in that derby or even the threat still posed by Arsenal in the league. But for United to be in this position at all affirms their talent for reinvention. The 1999 campaign remains the zenith but 2007-08 ran it close. In that honeyed season United defended their league title before defeating Chelsea in a penalty shoot-out in Moscow.
  In these spring days they have found a new strike combination to build a new age around. The leggy, high-stepping Hernández stretches the play with his sprints and Rooney links front and middle from the No10 position.
  We are now on volume eight of the tactical study of Rooney's best role but maybe we can slam the book. With the fast-maturing Mexican to do most of his running England's No1 striker can see more of the attacking areas in front of him and make more creative use of space. He can veer left or right to work as an auxiliary winger.
  The Rooney-Hernández duo is currently so vibrant that Berbatov can be left on the bench without it seeming wasteful. Chicharito's movement inflicted so much stress on Chelsea's defenders that John Terry decided an elbow was the only way to stop him. The England captain took him out with a jab of the arm in the 42nd minute, so Hernández responded by turning in an arcing Giggs ball 60 seconds later.
  Chelsea had been forced by United's 1-0 away win at Stamford Bridge (and the £50m spent on Torres) to load the forward areas but there is no disguising the lethargy, the lack of conviction in Carlo Ancelotti's team.
  As one good judge remarked the other day, Chelsea used to come over opponents in relentless blue waves. Not any more. An hour into this match, they were still groping for accuracy, for rhythm, as Ancelotti's reign approached the point of no return.
  In a normal industry, scoring a League and FA Cup Double 11 months ago would keep you safe in your job, but this is football, this is Roman Abramovich, and all across this pitch there was evidence of Chelsea's staleness, their failure to renew and evolve. When a red card was shown for a foul on Nani it was one of the few fresh Chelsea talents who left the field: Ramires, the kind of bright young star Abramovich's lieutenants have been too slow to invest in.
  This was a night of lunging tackles and desperate blocking by a side who just cannot cross the Rubicon of a first European title. Impeding their path, now, as in Moscow, are opponents who have mastered the skill of thinking two and three years ahead. Ferguson said: "I think we've hit form: the second half at West Ham, the performance at Chelsea, the performance here. It's a great boost." They all contribute at this restless, relentless club. Twelve years on, the treble is creeping out of its museum.
  
  

 

[Rutashubanyuma]

Champions League quarter-final second leg

Manchester United 2-1 Chelsea: Five things we learned

Nemanja Vidic has no inferiority complex against Fernando Torres and Didier Drogba has every right to feel aggrieved

• Comments (456)

• 
• • Daniel Taylor
  • guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 12 April 2011 22.17 BST <li class="history">Article history
  
  Manchester United's Nemanja Vidic, right, tangles with Chelsea's Didier Drogba, after forcing the substitution of Fernando Torres at half-time. Photograph: Jon Super/AP
  
  1 Vidic does not have an inferiority complex against Torres
  
  Perhaps it is time to consign this fallacy to the dustbin of history. Fernando Torres can certainly lay claim to having subjected Nemanja Vidic to one of the more harrowing ordeals of his time as a United player, but that 4-1 defeat at home to Liverpool was over two years ago now. It was only once, and yet the sense has developed that Vidic is almost frightened of the Spaniard. In truth, it is as much a myth as saying that Frank Lampard is fat. Torres has now gone 11 hours and 33 minutes without scoring for Chelsea since joining for £50m and, even though he lasted only the first half, he gave the impression in that time that he would not score in a month of Sundays. It is not just goals that are missing &#8211; it is the dangerous sharpness of old, the sureness of touch where it matters in the penalty area. The only thing that was missing was for Vidic to take his opponent's jersey as a souvenir, perhaps to mount on his wall like the head of some felled big game.
  2 Drogba has every right to feel aggrieved
  
  Didier Drogba's form has hardly been exhilarating this season, and nobody can say for certain that the outcome would have been different if the Ivorian striker had been chosen instead of Torres. Yet what we can be sure about is that his presence in the second half gave Chelsea a more penetrative edge and immediately posed new questions of the United defence. Carlo Ancelotti got this one badly wrong and, for the Chelsea manager, there could be serious ramifications.
  3 Ferdinand &#8211; tremendous defender, average actor
  
  For a while it looked as though Rio Ferdinand would be back in the dressing room before he had barely a scuff of mud on his shorts. He started grimacing after nine minutes and it was clear that he was struggling to continue. In the circumstances, Ferdinand did well to last the 90 minutes. He gritted his teeth, avoided eye contact with the United dugout and put on the pretence that all was OK. Afterwards Sir Alex Ferguson reported that Ferdinand had taken a bang rather than suffering a recurrence of his calf injury but here is the issue for United: can they get him fit for a decent run of games? He is a brilliantly accomplished defender but has played only 29 of their past 79 Premier League games.
  4 Lampard is suffering from a severe case of sixes and sevens
  
  He never stops, his attitude is impeccable, he always wants the ball. Yet Frank Lampard looks like a man who is discovering, a couple of months short of his 33rd birthday, that he no longer quite has the legs to be the driving, box&#8209;to-box player of old. This is not to say he played badly. Yet the man Ferguson once described as "a freak" because of the way he never misses games has lost four months of this season to a recurring groin injury and these things can take their toll for a footballer of his years. Lampard, for now at least, has gone from being a player who was routinely marked at eight or nine out of 10 to one who has dropped to the sixes and sevens.
  5 Little Pea, little fee
  
  Javier Hernández cost United £6m when he signed from Chivas de Guadalajara. Chicharito has now scored 18 goals in 20 starts with a further 17 substitute appearances and is endearing himself to Old Trafford in a way that means Dimitar Berbatov, the Premier League's leading scorer, is left out of United's European matches as a matter of routine. In terms of value for money, Hernández already looks assured of joining Peter Schmeichel, Eric Cantona, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer et al as one of the best signings Ferguson has ever made.
  
  

 

[Rutashubanyuma]

Champions League quarter-final second leg

Manchester United 2-1 Chelsea: Five things we learned

Nemanja Vidic has no inferiority complex against Fernando Torres and Didier Drogba has every right to feel aggrieved

• Comments (456)

• 
• • Daniel Taylor
  • guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 12 April 2011 22.17 BST <li class="history">Article history
  
  Manchester United's Nemanja Vidic, right, tangles with Chelsea's Didier Drogba, after forcing the substitution of Fernando Torres at half-time. Photograph: Jon Super/AP
  
  1 Vidic does not have an inferiority complex against Torres
  
  Perhaps it is time to consign this fallacy to the dustbin of history. Fernando Torres can certainly lay claim to having subjected Nemanja Vidic to one of the more harrowing ordeals of his time as a United player, but that 4-1 defeat at home to Liverpool was over two years ago now. It was only once, and yet the sense has developed that Vidic is almost frightened of the Spaniard. In truth, it is as much a myth as saying that Frank Lampard is fat. Torres has now gone 11 hours and 33 minutes without scoring for Chelsea since joining for £50m and, even though he lasted only the first half, he gave the impression in that time that he would not score in a month of Sundays. It is not just goals that are missing – it is the dangerous sharpness of old, the sureness of touch where it matters in the penalty area. The only thing that was missing was for Vidic to take his opponent's jersey as a souvenir, perhaps to mount on his wall like the head of some felled big game.
  2 Drogba has every right to feel aggrieved
  
  Didier Drogba's form has hardly been exhilarating this season, and nobody can say for certain that the outcome would have been different if the Ivorian striker had been chosen instead of Torres. Yet what we can be sure about is that his presence in the second half gave Chelsea a more penetrative edge and immediately posed new questions of the United defence. Carlo Ancelotti got this one badly wrong and, for the Chelsea manager, there could be serious ramifications.
  3 Ferdinand – tremendous defender, average actor
  
  For a while it looked as though Rio Ferdinand would be back in the dressing room before he had barely a scuff of mud on his shorts. He started grimacing after nine minutes and it was clear that he was struggling to continue. In the circumstances, Ferdinand did well to last the 90 minutes. He gritted his teeth, avoided eye contact with the United dugout and put on the pretence that all was OK. Afterwards Sir Alex Ferguson reported that Ferdinand had taken a bang rather than suffering a recurrence of his calf injury but here is the issue for United: can they get him fit for a decent run of games? He is a brilliantly accomplished defender but has played only 29 of their past 79 Premier League games.
  4 Lampard is suffering from a severe case of sixes and sevens
  
  He never stops, his attitude is impeccable, he always wants the ball. Yet Frank Lampard looks like a man who is discovering, a couple of months short of his 33rd birthday, that he no longer quite has the legs to be the driving, box&#8209;to-box player of old. This is not to say he played badly. Yet the man Ferguson once described as "a freak" because of the way he never misses games has lost four months of this season to a recurring groin injury and these things can take their toll for a footballer of his years. Lampard, for now at least, has gone from being a player who was routinely marked at eight or nine out of 10 to one who has dropped to the sixes and sevens.
  5 Little Pea, little fee
  
  Javier Hernández cost United £6m when he signed from Chivas de Guadalajara. Chicharito has now scored 18 goals in 20 starts with a further 17 substitute appearances and is endearing himself to Old Trafford in a way that means Dimitar Berbatov, the Premier League's leading scorer, is left out of United's European matches as a matter of routine. In terms of value for money, Hernández already looks assured of joining Peter Schmeichel, Eric Cantona, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer et al as one of the best signings Ferguson has ever made.
  
  

 

[Rutashubanyuma]

Man United beat Chelsea 2-1 to progress to CL semifinals

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Updated Apr 12, 2011 10:52 PM ET
Manchester United advanced to the Champions League semifinals on Tuesday by ousting English rival Chelsea with a 2-1 victory that extended its first-leg advantage.

After Wayne Rooney's goal secured at 1-0 win last week, Javier Hernandez put United further ahead with his 17th goal for the club at the end of the first half.
Chelsea's hopes of a comeback appeared to have been thwarted when Ramires was sent off with 20 minutes to go after a second foul on Nani earned another yellow card.


And although Chelsea's substitute striker Didier Drogba pulled one back in the 77th minute, Park Ji-sung immediately scored for United from the restart. The loss effectively ends Chelsea's hopes of a trophy this season, with the team 11 points behind United in the Premier League.

 

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• Report Abuse rollaroundinagony
  
  • 4/13/2011 1:18:29 AM
  DIdnt see Nanis run up but it was a silly fould by Rameris. It looked from replay that Rameris got all of Nani with no intention of playing the ball, is that how it went down folks? Hard to tell from yourube replay.
  
• Report Abuse rollaroundinagony
  
  • 4/13/2011 12:45:58 AM
  Area code - Barcelona.
  
• Report Abuse rotwiessessen222
  
  • 4/13/2011 12:23:06 AM
  for some reason i feel that you are hoping for a prayer to be answered !
  
• Report Abuse milanfan21
  
  • 4/12/2011 10:41:12 PM
  for some reason i feel inter pulling magic tomorrow
  
• Report Abuse dutchboy88
  
  • 4/12/2011 9:51:41 PM
  40 pages? I log on and see 40 pages of what? lol Im not going to read them all. Not sure what can be talked about so much.. The better team won.. Simple. and Bambi Torres didnt show up again. whats new?
  
• Report Abuse larryjacobs
  
  • 4/12/2011 9:34:55 PM
  If we reach the final either Madrid or Barca will be equipotent opponent; so it's hard to choose.
  
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• Report Abuse AREACODE876
  
  • 4/12/2011 9:30:24 PM
  United fans looking at the other side of the semis with team would u like to play if and i say IF you reach the finals.
  
• Report Abuse AREACODE876
  
  • 4/12/2011 9:28:15 PM
  Chelsea is easy to beat they play a narrow game and lamp isn't doing well that leave in the hole.
  
• Report Abuse naveedavee1
  
  • 4/12/2011 9:26:07 PM
  Midfielder Lampard, who will not have happy memories of what was his 500th appearance for the club, does not want his team-mates to feel sorry for themselves in the build-up to Tuesday's second leg at Old Trafford.
  
  "We can't really think like that too much because it's negative thoughts," he said.
  
  "We just use it to motivate us, really."
  
  nice pep talk lampard, you did as good at motivating as john terry did at penalty kicks a few years ago
  

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[Rutashubanyuma]

Barcelona beat Shakhtar 1-0 to seal CL semifinal berth

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Updated Apr 13, 2011 2:16 AM ET
Lionel Messi scored his club-record 48th goal of the season Tuesday as Barcelona advanced to the Champions League semifinals with a clinical 1-0 win at Shakhtar Donetsk, easily protecting its 5-1 advantage from the first leg.


Messi struck in the 43rd minute to send the Spanish champion through to a probable semifinal against archrival Real Madrid. Barcelona outclassed its Ukrainian opponent with its superior passing to hand the Ukrainian side its first home defeat in European competition in more than two years.



Shakhtar played its typical attacking football and had plenty of chances, calling Barcelona goalkeeper Victor Valdes into action several times. But Barcelona never looked likely to give up its massive advantage from the first leg and always looked threatening on the counterattack.



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Mourinho: Madrid will go for more goals at Spurs

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Updated Apr 12, 2011 8:49 PM ET
For a coach with a reputation built upon pragmatism, Real Madrid's Jose Mourinho does not sound too cautious ahead of Wednesday's Champions League quarterfinal match against Tottenham.
Madrid won last week's first leg 4-0 in Spain but Mourinho says his team is not coming to London to defend its lead - even with two matches against fierce rival Barcelona on the horizon.

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''We have to respect Tottenham and we have to respect football, because football sometimes can betray you and you cannot give it the chance to do that,'' Mourinho said Tuesday. ''I don't think five goals is enough for Tottenham to beat us because we are coming here to score goals.''
Despite Saturday's Spanish league match against Barcelona - and the Copa del Rey final four days later against the same opponent - Mourinho said he will recall the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Mesut Oezil and Xabi Alonso after resting them for a 3-0 win over Athletic Bilbao at the weekend.
''Without giving away my team, if you take one look at the bench in Bilbao, it will give you a good clue,'' Mourinho said.
No team has ever advanced in the Champions League after a 4-0 first-leg defeat and, ominously for Tottenham, Ronaldo appears to have overcome recent injuries. The Madrid winger took his season tally to 39 goals by scoring as a substitute against Bilbao.
France striker Karim Benzema has returned to training and traveled in a 21-man squad after missing three games to a leg injury, while midfielder Esteban Granero should play since he is suspended for Saturday's game at the Santiago Bernabeu - the first of four in 18 days against Barcelona if both Spanish sides advance in the Champions League.
But Mourinho insisted that he is not thinking about El Clasico.
''For me it means nothing because I do not think about it,'' Mourinho said. ''The most important match right now is tomorrow against Tottenham. I do not know how many years it is since Madrid played a Champions League semifinal.''
Mourinho has advanced from all four of his previous Champions League quarterfinals and won three of his four visits to White Hart Lane while manager of Chelsea.
Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp said he has not been discussing history with his players, especially the failure of any team to overturn a four-goal deficit in the tournament.

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''I've not told them that,'' Redknapp said Tuesday. ''They might say, 'What's the point in coming? Can I go shopping?'''
Redknapp wants his team to replicate the attacking verve that brought home wins over Inter Milan, FC Twente and Young Boys in what has been an eventful debut season in the Champions League. The veteran coach said Tottenham's strong home form means that a historic comeback is not impossible.
''I'd take penalties,'' Redknapp joked. ''We've been practicing.''
And while Madrid has won 21 of 27 quarterfinals including the Champions League's previous incarnation as the European Cup, Spurs' 100 percent record at the same stage is down to them only having entered the tournament once before - after winning their last English league title in 1961.
Redknapp is also trying to maintain a challenge for fourth place in the Premier League, but playmaker Luka Modric said he and other players will stay at the club even if it fails to qualify for next season's tournament.
''We can learn a lot from this season in the Champions League,'' Modric said. ''There is a bright future for us to become one of the best teams if we stay together for a long time.''
Midfielder Tom Huddlestone made his comeback from a five-month absence with an ankle injury against Stoke and could play, while Peter Crouch's suspension for his red card in the first leg means Roman Pavlyuchenko could lead the home attack at White Hart Lane.
''I was sorry for him but pleased for us,'' Alonso said of Crouch, his former Liverpool teammate. ''From the point of view of the team, the game did change and we controlled the play much better.
''He won't be on the pitch and he's always a dangerous player because of his qualities.''
With Alan Hutton out for the rest of the season and Vedran Corluka struggling with an ankle injury, central defender William Gallas could play at right back - with Aaron Lennon ahead of him on the wing.

 

[Rutashubanyuma]

Jose not Prem-bound in summer


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Updated Apr 12, 2011 8:58 PM ET
12/04/2011 20:09 +0100

Despite leading Real to the quarter-finals of the Champions League, Mourinho is under pressure at the Santiago Bernabeu after his side fell eight points behind bitter rivals Barcelona in La Liga. The Portuguese also suffered the humiliation of seeing his team go down 5-0 to bitter rivals Barcelona in 'El Clasico' in November.
Mourinho enjoyed a successful three-year spell with Chelsea, and has never hidden his desire to return to England. He has been linked with the managerial post at Manchester City and is viewed by some as the natural successor to Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United.
The 48-year-old is in London with Real as they look to go through to the Champions League semi-finals after last week's first leg hammering of Tottenham at the Bernabeu. He admits that he will return to England one day, but appears intent on seeing out the rest of his contract with Real Madrid.
"My future is Real Madrid because I have a contract and because it looks like the club is happy with my work," said Mourinho, who won two league titles with Chelsea. "My future will be in England, for sure, but my future is after Real Madrid.
"I have a contract for three more seasons and I hope I will do well enough to deserve to continue here."
The task that awaits the Portuguese at White Hart Lane on Wednesday is hardly one of the biggest of his career. Emmanuel Adebayor scored twice and Cristiano Ronaldo and Angel Di Maria were both on target as Real took advantage of Peter Crouch's early dismissal to hammer Harry Redknapp's team 4-0 in Spain last Tuesday.
Redknapp has admitted that his side need a "miracle" to knock their Spanish opponents out of the competition, but Mourinho has warned his men that they must not be complacent.
"Miracles do happen in football," Mourinho said. "That's why I say we have to respect Tottenham and we have to respect football because football sometimes can betray you and you cannot give them the chance of doing that.
"We are coming here to play seriously. People like Xabi (Alonso), and I know the mentality of English stadiums, their supporters and their teams. They will give everything.
"If I put myself in Harry's position, I wouldn't throw in the towel.
"I would do everything I could with my players to try to get the miracle."
To further prove that he and his side will not treat the game as a dead-rubber, Mourinho said he was not planning to rest any of the five players who are carrying yellow cards in the game.
"I am going to pick the best team possible that I think is going to get the best result against Tottenham tomorrow night," he said, meaning that Ronaldo, Di Maria and Sergio Ramos are likely to start despite being one card away from missing the first leg of a probable semi-final against Barcelona.
Spurs star Gareth Bale warned Real after last week's defeat that his team would not "take another beating", but Real are big favourites to qualify after last week's result.
Madrid have scored 23 goals in this year's competition - more than any other team - and Mourinho sounded an ominous warning to Spurs that his team are more than capable of scoring the one goal that would effectively kill off the tie.
"I don't think five goals will be enough for Tottenham to beat us because we have come here to score goals," he said.
Karim Benzema missed the first leg of the tie with a hamstring injury but has travelled with the squad and could play some part. Defender Pepe is suspended for the match and former Chelsea midfielder Lassana Diarra will is unavailable because of a hip problem.

 

[Rutashubanyuma]

Schmeichel clarifies Roo comments


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6

Updated Apr 12, 2011 9:33 AM ET
Peter Schmeichel has sought to clarify comments he made regarding Wayne Rooney's future at Manchester United.
The Old Trafford legend was reported to have told press in Denmark over the weekend that 'a change of scenery' would do Rooney good.


Following a difficult season for the United striker, which has seen him become embroiled in an unsettling contract saga and banned for two matches for swearing into a television camera, Schmeichel said a fresh start would be beneficial for the England international.
He told Ekstra Bladet: "It would be good for him to play for another club. Real Madrid, under Mourinho, is someone that could handle him and get the best out of him.
"It is painful to say that that the best player you have, which he is at United, he is better off trying something new.
"United will probably not sell him to another English club, but a change of scenery would help."
Schmeichel has now insisted he was only hinting at possibilities for Rooney, not suggesting he should move on.
He wrote on his personal Twitter account: "Was asked what would make Rooney happy. Only suggested a new challenge would make him happy. Never said he SHOULD move."
The former United goalkeeper added later on: "I don't want anyone, especially Rooney, leaving United but he doesn't look happy at the place."

 

[Rutashubanyuma]

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• Report Abuse Chitown_Gunner
  
  • 4/12/2011 6:07:43 PM
  Sorry, but getting caught on camera and swearing directly into it are two different things. Chalk the 2 match ban up to a stupidity tax and get on with it.
  
• Report Abuse OscarMadison1000
  
  • 4/12/2011 12:04:39 PM
  "Mourinho is someone that could handle him and get the best out of him..." Like Ferguson can't? No matter, Mourniho will probably be at OT in a couple of years anyway.
  
  Still waiting for the 2 games suspensions for Barton, Etherington, Crouch, Ranger, Beckford and Charlie Adam, all caught swearing on camera this past weekend. I think I'll be waiting a while...
  
• Report Abuse rkujay
  
  • 4/12/2011 11:52:52 AM
  Each and every time a closeup of a player is shown, they are mouthing the words "F OFF". I've seen when they show the kids in the stands, they are doing the same thing. You really cannot legislate morality.
  
• Report Abuse rkujay
  
  • 4/12/2011 11:31:57 AM
  So you got a call from the boss, did you Peter?
  
• Report Abuse marcbarca
  
  • 4/12/2011 10:59:42 AM
  Watching someone backpeddling is always funny.
  
• Report Abuse ManUFan66
  
  • 4/12/2011 10:11:32 AM
  He looked plenty happy after completing a hat-trick, but when he gets punished for loosing his composure for an instance by dropping a f-bomb into a camera and quickly apologizes. He gets punished. I think the FA is ludicrous. I was watching one of the relagation battles. I counted five different players that I could plainly see mouthing the f-bomb, most of the time at the center referee. He has been singled out and he should sue the FA for unfair treatment, if English law allows.
  

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[Rutashubanyuma]

Schalke hoping to cruise into CL semifinals

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9

Updated Apr 13, 2011 2:16 AM ET
After a stunning 5-2 win over Inter Milan at the San Siro, Schalke will be the heavy favorite to reach the Champions League semifinals when the two sides meet Wednesday in the second leg.
Inter, however, hasn't given up hope of pulling off the improbable, despite needing to win by four goals to advance.

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''I continue to be optimistic. Our goals haven't changed,'' Inter coach Leonardo said. ''Anything is possible.
''That's what I think and the players as well, starting with (Samuel) Eto'o, who knows a thing or two about comebacks, having experienced them first hand. He told us about them and it was really emotional.''
Eto'o was with Barcelona when it overcame a 5-1 deficit against Spanish rival Getafe with a 4-0 win.
''It's fairly difficult to believe in this comeback, but anything is possible in football, even dreams are possible,'' the striker said. ''Inter is a squad made to play a great match and advance. And in the league also, since there are still two months to go.''
Inter president Massimo Moratti has stood by Leonardo, providing encouragement for the coach into the early hours of the morning following the opening leg.
Inter rallied from a home loss to a German rival to reach the quarterfinals. Inter lost 1-0 at home to Bayern Munich but advanced by winning 3-2 in Munich.
Inter's defense fell apart completely in the opening leg and Leonardo will be happy to have center back Lucio back from suspension.
Another key center back, Walter Samuel, has been included in the squad for the first time since surgery to repair torn ligaments in his right knee in November.
''I don't think he'll play, although it's good that he's on the team,'' Moratti said.

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Cristian Chivu is suspended after getting sent off in the opening leg, but Inter has regained some confidence following a 2-0 win over Chievo Verona on Saturday, bouncing back not only from the opening leg loss to Schalke, but also a 3-0 derby defeat to AC Milan.
Schalke will be missing forward Jefferson Farfan, one of its best players in recent matches, who is also suspended. But the German side still boasts Raul Gonzalez, the striker with 70 goals in the Champions League.
Schalke seems to have blossomed under coach Ralf Rangnick, who replaced Felix Magath less than a month ago. It had a 2-0 win over Magath's new team, Wolfsburg, on Saturday in the Bundesliga.
''I will be calm only if we are still three, or even better four goals ahead with five minutes to play,'' Rangnick said.
Central defender Benedikt Hoewedes said Schalke had to be cautious, especially in defense, not always the team's best department.
''We were underdogs in Milan but we dominated the game. Now, we have to be careful,'' Hoewedes said. ''Inter will surely do all it can and will throw everything into attack. It's no secret that they have excellent strikers and outstanding attacking qualities. We have to be very alert.''

 

[Rutashubanyuma]

Manchester United v Chelsea - in pictures

Our photographer Tom Jenkins brings you all the action from Old Trafford with a place in the semi-finals of the Champions League at stake

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• guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 12 April 2011 20.55 BST
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Chelsea have made the journey up the M6 for the biggest match of their season so far. Despite being 1-0 down after the first leg, they're not out of the tie yet Photograph: Tom Jenkins for the Guardian


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• Report Abuse rotwiessessen222
  
  • 4/13/2011 12:20:44 AM
  I hope that Rangnick and 04 don't let us Bundesliga fans down tomorrow, come out and fight with the same desire and determination that you showed in the San Siro and this tie will be over by the half time whistle.
  
  The royal blues will miss Farfan and I don't know who will take his spot, but whoever it is they need to bring it and Raul and Jurado need to get some good looks at goal.
  
• Report Abuse Fsuperzero
  
  • 4/12/2011 8:40:18 PM
  The key for Schalke will be to start strong and play offensively from the start to the finish of the game. If they back down and play defensively Inter will score on us. Our defense is no the strongest but with their new lineup they should do fine. They need to go out there and win the game by one or two goals or more so they can show everyone that they deserve to be there.
  
• Report Abuse turiddhu
  
  • 4/12/2011 6:19:38 PM
  not with that kind of lame duck defense we saw in that first game! inter qualifies just in the dreams of a few including leonardo.
  
• Report Abuse Dex
  
  • 4/12/2011 5:00:35 PM
  If Schalke doesnt finish this one I will hate Schalke forever and never let any Schalke supporters forget it. In fact every time I log into Fox website I will create a signature that will remind Schalke supporters of the HUMILITY!!!!
  That said, you blue f%&kers better win!
  
• Report Abuse Mudig
  
  • 4/12/2011 12:29:58 PM
  Inter is going to concede a lot more than one, lol.
  
• Report Abuse chircoma
  
  • 4/12/2011 12:01:18 PM
  This would be tough to do...i could see Inter scoring 4...but they would concede at least one. Who knows...FORZA INTER@
  
• Report Abuse ronaldinho_freak
  
  • 4/12/2011 11:00:03 AM
  even tho the cl is over for me since we got our **** kicked by inter but if any team to win the cl i would want schalke to win it...
  
• Report Abuse marcbarca
  
  • 4/12/2011 10:56:05 AM
  Leonardo does need to take notes. Well said USA.
  
  Punters were given 50 to 1 odds that Inter could qualify and had to halt the betting when many people took them up on it yesterday. Maybe that's a sign of things to come??
  
• Report Abuse Schalke_USA
  
  • 4/12/2011 9:40:17 AM
  Hopefully FC Schalke 04 plays well tomorrow and advance past Inter into the semi-finals of the Champions League, setting up my all-time dream match-up of Schalke v Manchester United. That's providing Man Utd beats Chelsea later today, of course. Neither scenario of Schalke advancing past Inter and Man Utd advancing past Chelsea will be easy, and numerous pitfalls would not be unexpected. That said, I do have a good feeling on both counts and am hoping for the best. Ralf Rangnick has worked wonders with Schalke yet again and I place a lot of faith in his strategic skills and inspirational abilities as a masterful head coach. Leonardo needs to take notes.
  

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[Rutashubanyuma]

Tottenham Hotspur v Real Madrid, quarter-final second leg

Tottenham will need to score six to beat Madrid, warns José Mourinho

&#8226; Harry Redknapp's team 'have to try for the miracle'
&#8226; Real Madrid have come to Spurs to 'score goals'

• Jamie Jackson
• guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 12 April 2011 20.21 BST <li class="history">Article history
  
  'We are very proud of our unbeaten record in the Champions League,' says Real Madrid's José Mourinho. Photograph: Tom Hevezi/AP
  
  José Mourinho has warned Tottenham Hotspur that they will need to score at least six goals against his Real Madrid team on Wednesday evening at White Hart Lane if they are to have any hope of progressing to the Champions League semi-finals.
  Tottenham go into the second leg of the quarter-final trailing 4-0, leaving Harry Redknapp's side facing what appears an impossible task. To score five unanswered goals against a Mourinho team is unlikely and the Portuguese coach believes his side will score at least once.
  "Football can betray you [and I] know the mentality of English stadiums, English supporters and English teams," Mourinho said. "If I put myself in Harry's position I would do everything with my players to try the miracle. We have to respect opponents, we have to play seriously. But at the same time I don't think five goals is enough for Tottenham to beat us because I think we come here to score goals."
  Madrid have five players one booking away from a suspension and there is the prospect of a semi-final against their closest domestic rivals, Barcelona, who won 1-0 in Ukraine last night to complete a 6-1 aggregate success against Shakhtar Donetsk. Mourinho was asked, then, if Wednesday evening's match was about not taking risks and whether defeat by a small margin would be acceptable. He said: "The objective in any knockout competition is to go through &#8211; once you get through to the knockout stages of the Champions League the aim is to get through. So if we were to lose 5-2 or 4-1 [overall], that objective would be achieved and we would be in the semi&#8209;final, which would be great.
  "But we don't go into football matches for that reason at Real Madrid. We are very proud of our unbeaten record in the Champions League: so far we've played nine games, we've won seven and drawn two. We are better to maintain that unbeaten record so that this carries on for next season as the better results we get can guarantee, if we [qualify] for the Champions League, that we are seeded."
  Mourinho, who coached Chelsea from 2004 to 2007, has said he will return to England to manage. With Redknapp favourite to take over from Fabio Capello as England coach after Euro 2012, the Real coach was asked whether Spurs are a club he would be interested in taking charge of. "I don't think it is an answer for today," he said. "Everybody knows I'm Harry's friend, so everything good that happens to him I'm pleased about. If he goes to manage England, I am a proud friend.
  "In relation to my future I think my future is at Real Madrid because I have a contract for three more seasons and I hope to do well enough to deserve to continue."
  
  

 

[Rutashubanyuma]

Tottenham Hotspur v Real Madrid, quarter-final second leg

Tottenham will need to score six to beat Madrid, warns José Mourinho

• Harry Redknapp's team 'have to try for the miracle'
• Real Madrid have come to Spurs to 'score goals'

• Jamie Jackson
• guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 12 April 2011 20.21 BST <li class="history">Article history
  
  'We are very proud of our unbeaten record in the Champions League,' says Real Madrid's José Mourinho. Photograph: Tom Hevezi/AP
  
  José Mourinho has warned Tottenham Hotspur that they will need to score at least six goals against his Real Madrid team on Wednesday evening at White Hart Lane if they are to have any hope of progressing to the Champions League semi-finals.
  Tottenham go into the second leg of the quarter-final trailing 4-0, leaving Harry Redknapp's side facing what appears an impossible task. To score five unanswered goals against a Mourinho team is unlikely and the Portuguese coach believes his side will score at least once.
  "Football can betray you [and I] know the mentality of English stadiums, English supporters and English teams," Mourinho said. "If I put myself in Harry's position I would do everything with my players to try the miracle. We have to respect opponents, we have to play seriously. But at the same time I don't think five goals is enough for Tottenham to beat us because I think we come here to score goals."
  Madrid have five players one booking away from a suspension and there is the prospect of a semi-final against their closest domestic rivals, Barcelona, who won 1-0 in Ukraine last night to complete a 6-1 aggregate success against Shakhtar Donetsk. Mourinho was asked, then, if Wednesday evening's match was about not taking risks and whether defeat by a small margin would be acceptable. He said: "The objective in any knockout competition is to go through – once you get through to the knockout stages of the Champions League the aim is to get through. So if we were to lose 5-2 or 4-1 [overall], that objective would be achieved and we would be in the semi&#8209;final, which would be great.
  "But we don't go into football matches for that reason at Real Madrid. We are very proud of our unbeaten record in the Champions League: so far we've played nine games, we've won seven and drawn two. We are better to maintain that unbeaten record so that this carries on for next season as the better results we get can guarantee, if we [qualify] for the Champions League, that we are seeded."
  Mourinho, who coached Chelsea from 2004 to 2007, has said he will return to England to manage. With Redknapp favourite to take over from Fabio Capello as England coach after Euro 2012, the Real coach was asked whether Spurs are a club he would be interested in taking charge of. "I don't think it is an answer for today," he said. "Everybody knows I'm Harry's friend, so everything good that happens to him I'm pleased about. If he goes to manage England, I am a proud friend.
  "In relation to my future I think my future is at Real Madrid because I have a contract for three more seasons and I hope to do well enough to deserve to continue."

 

[Rutashubanyuma]

Massive semi excites City pair


RivalsDM



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11

Updated Mar 13, 2011 6:44 PM ET
Manchester City's Micah Richards and Vincent Kompany are relishing facing neighbours United in the FA Cup semi-finals after beating Reading.
Richards netted the second-half header which separated the sides at Eastlands on Sunday and set up a semi-final with United at Wembley on the weekend of April 16-17.


Richards said: "We're looking forward to it, it's going to be a great game."
Belgian defender Kompany said: "I will let you guess how much the next opponent will mean to us.
"There's no easy way to the final. We're looking forward to it."
Kompany also paid tribute to Championship side Reading.
"Credit to them. They gave us a hard time. We had a lot of chances so I think it's fair," he added.
Richards added: "It was very difficult. As the game went on it got harder and harder. Reading defended very well."
Reading manager Brian McDermott was disappointed his side had lost to a set-piece goal after Richards headed in from a corner.
He said: "You look at all the talent they've got, all the brilliant players they've got and we get done at a set-piece.
"This is where you want to come and play every week."
Reading chairman Sir John Madejski backed his players to build on their cup run and make the Championship play-offs.
"I think a draw would have been a much fairer result," he said.
"It puts them (the Reading players) very well placed in the Championship to move on to the Premier League.
"Reading should be proud, they should hold their heads up high and be proud of what they've achieved this afternoon."

 

[Rutashubanyuma]

Tottenham Hotspur v Real Madrid, quarter-final second leg

Harry Redknapp believes Tottenham can perform miracles against Madrid

&#8226; 'We want to have a real go. Who knows what can happen'
&#8226; Real Madrid lead 4-0 from first leg in Spain

• David Hytner
• guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 12 April 2011 20.17 BST <li class="history">Article history
  
  Harry Redknapp promises Tottenham will 'have a real go' against Real Madrid in the Champions League quarter-final second leg. Photograph: Sean Dempsey/PA
  
  You half expected the Hot Chocolate tune to crank up in the background. Harry Redknapp believes in miracles and so does Luka Modric. We know this because they told us so again and again.
  Tottenham Hotspur may start the Champions League quarter-final second leg against Real Madrid 4-0 down from the first leg but football's a funny old game, you never know, you never say never and so on.
  It will be difficult, of course, to borrow a phrase from Redknapp, but no one at Tottenham intends to allow the visit of Europe's most decorated club to fall flat.
  And even if the feeling persists that Tottenham's biggest battles lie ahead, in the shape of their remaining seven Premier League fixtures, which will determine whether they qualify for next season's Champions League, Redknapp and his players are determined to make this a night to go down with the best.
  They like their history at White Hart Lane, and such teams as Gornik Zabrze and Benfica will always stir special memories for their supporters. In the years to come, Redknapp believes that Young Boys and the Milan clubs can do likewise. Why not Madrid, as well?
  No team in Champions League history has overturned a four-goal first-leg deficit and only three teams in Uefa competitions have managed the feat &#8211; Madrid themselves, the Portuguese side Leixões and Partizan Belgrade. Redknapp will prioritise balance and control, and he hopes that his side can win the game on the night. If they can score the first goal, though, the dreamer inside him will leap to the fore.
  "We are looking to win the game and see where it takes us," Redknapp said. "You can't be too open otherwise you can get smashed to pieces. Madrid have got amazing players on the break, with pace. But we want to have a real go and see what comes. Who knows what can happen?"
  Modric articulated the belief that has built inside the Tottenham dressing room over the course of a thrilling campaign, that has been marked by exuberance and strength of character. The Croat, who is a target for several leading clubs, insisted that he and his team-mates would remain together for next season, regardless of whether Champions League football remained on offer at White Hart Lane.
  "We are coming as a force and we have a great future," he said. "We can become one of the best teams if we all stay together for a long time. We all have long contracts and it doesn't matter if we qualify or don't qualify for the Champions League ... the team will stay together. We are all thinking positively that we will qualify but even if not, it's possible [that we'll stay together]. No one is thinking of leaving."
  Redknapp will pick his strongest team. He is helped, perhaps, by Tottenham having no game at the weekend. They had been scheduled to play at Manchester City but the match has been set back due to City's FA Cup semi-final date with their neighbours United.
  Tottenham's victory at Eastlands last season sent them on their Champions League adventure and there is the feeling that the fixture could prove decisive once again. Redknapp, though, wants his players to play without pressure and he is keen to paint them as the underdogs.
  "When you have spent that sort of money, from their [City's] point of view, if you don't get a top-four finish, well ... it's not going to be good for them," he said. "They are definitely stronger so if we can finish in the top four again, it would be a bigger achievement than last year. But we're still in the race. It's wide open."
  Redknapp does not want his team merely to flicker on Europe's grandest stage. "Tony Parks [the goalkeeping coach] told me that Tottenham have one year and then it's another 12 years before you see them again," Redknapp said. "We want to be in there scrapping every year. You have to keep doing it."
  Redknapp's next trick, though, is to mastermind a 5-0 drubbing of the nine-times European champions. No problem.ends
  
  

 

[Rutashubanyuma]

Tanzania yapewa kigongo kingine Send to a friend Wednesday, 13 April 2011 21:18

Kocha wa timu ya taifa ya vijana chini ya miaka 23 Jamhuri Kihwelo 'Julio'.

Jessca Nangawe na Mashirika
TIMU ya taifa ya vijana chini ya miaka 23, itavaana na Nigeria 'Flying Eagles' katika mechi ya kuwania kufuzu Michezo ya Olimpiki itakayofanyika kwenye jiji la London, Agosti mwakani, mechi itakayopigwa kati ya Juni 3 na 5.

Kwa mujibu wa droo iliyofanyika jana Makao Makuu ya Shirikisho la Soka Afrika, CAF, mjini Cairo, Misri, iliendesha na Katibu Mkuu wa CAF, Hicham El Amrani, na kuhudhuriw ana wawakilishi wa mataifa yote yaliyopata nafasi. Pia Mkuu wa Idara ya Mashindano FIFA, Gordon Savic alihudhuria.

Droo hiyo inaonyesha kuwa Tanzania ambayo iliitoa Cameroon kwa mikwaju ya penalti 4-3, itaanzia nyumbani kwenye Uwanja wa Taifa na kumalizia ugenini.

Kwa mujibu wa droo hiyo, Algeria itacheza na Zambia wakati Congo itakuwa nyumbani kuikaribisha mojawapo kati ya Cote d'Ivoire au Liberia. Timu hizi hazijacheza na mechi yao imepangwa kufanyika Aprili 20.

Timu ya Cote d'Ivoire ilishindwa kuondoka nchini mwao kutokana na kuwepo kwa mapigano ya wenyewe kwa wenyewe yaliyosababisha timu hiyo kukosa ndege ya kuwapeleka Liberia. CAF imepanga mchezo huo kufanyika katika tarehe hiyo.

Mechi nyingine itazikutanisha Gabon dhidi ya Mali wakati mahasimu wa jadi, Sudan na Misri zitaonyeshana kazi. Benin itakuwa mwenyeji wa Afrika Kusini wakati Tunisia itaikaribisha Senegal. Mechi za marudiano zimepangwa kuchezwa kati ya Juni 17 na 19.

Taarifa ya CAF ilisema kuwa baada ya kukamilika mechi hizo, timu zitakazofanya vizuri zitaandaliwa utaratibu wa kushindana ili kupatikane timu tatu zitakazowakilisha Afrika katika Michezo ya Olimpiki itakayofanyika London.

Akizungumza baada ya ratiba hiyo, Kocha wa timu ya U-23, Jamhuri Kihwelo 'Julio' alisema anafahamu uchezaji wa timu hiyo ambao wamekuwa wakizuia zaidi na kujihami na yeye atatumia vema nafasi hiyo katika kujipanga na kushinda.

"Siwahofii, Nigeria ni timu nzuri, wanacheza kandanda la kuvutia na anaamini inafungika tu endepo tutaweka mbele uzalendo na kubwa kwa sasa ni kuwajenga vema vijana kuanza maandalizi mapema ninaamini mazoezi ndio kila kitu.

"Hakuna kuhofia timu yoyote mfano mzuri ni kwa Simba kila mtu alitegemea Mazembe wangeifunga Simba magoli mengi lakini tumeona walivyojitahidi, hata sisi tuna kila sababu yakuwadhihirishia Watanzania kwamba tunaweza.

"Nigeria ni timu ya kawaida sana kwetu..mara baada ya mchezo wetu na Uganda tutaanza maandalizi mapema ili kuweka mikakati ya kuitoa...," alisema Julio.

Naye Kalunde Jamal anaripoti kuwa timu ya soka ya vijana chini ya miaka 23 imekabidhiwa kitita cha shilingi milioni 22 ilizoahidiwa awali endapo ingeshinda mechi yao dhidi ya Cameroon.

Zawadi hizo zilikabidhiwa katika hafla fupi liyofanyika katika hoteli ya New Afrika na Mkurugenzi wa Mfuko wa Hifadhi ya Jamii (NSSF) Ramadhani Dau aliyetoa shilingi milioni 10 na aliyewahi kuwa mdhamini wa Simba, Azim Dewji ambae alitoa milioni 12.

Fedha hizo ambazo ziligawanywa katika makundi matatu ambapo golikipa Shabani Kado alijipatia sh 1mill na wachezaji watano waliopiga penati zilizoangamiza Cameroon waliondoka sh200,000 kila mmoja. Katika zawadi hizo milioni kumi nyingine ziligawiwa kwa wachezaji wote.

 

[Rutashubanyuma]

Tanzania yapanda viwango FIFA


GENEVA, Uswiss

TANZANIA imepanda kwa ubora wa soka duniani baada ya kuchupa kutoka nafasi ya 121 iliyokuwepo hadi nafasi ya 112.Kwa mujibu wa taarifa za
viwango vya soka vinavyolewa na Shirikisho la Soka Ulimwenguni FIFA, Tanzania itakuwa imechupa kwa nafasi 9 kutoka mahali ilipokuwa baada ya kujikusanyia pointi 267.

Kwa upande wa Afrika Ghana imeendelea kuongoza ikiwa inashika nafasi ya 15 ikifuatiwa na Ivory Coast ambayo inashika nafasi ya 21 wakati Misri ipo nafasi ya 36 baada ya kiporomoka kutoka nafasi ya 35 iliyokuwa ikiishikilia kwa mwezi Machi mwaka huu.

Nigeria wao wanashikia nafasi ya 38 wakiwa wamepiga hatua moja kutoka nafasi ya 39 waliyokuwepo mwezi Machi wakifuatiwa na nchi za Afrika Kusini, Algeria na Burkina Faso ambazo zinashika nafasi ya 39, 40 na 42 huku Cameroon ikiwa imerudi nyuma kwa nafasi 6 ikiwa katika nafasi ya 48.

Kwa upande wa Afrika Mashariki,Uganda ndiyo inashikilia usukani wa ukanda huo ikiwa nafasi ya 84 ikifuatiwa na Tanzania(112),Rwanda(123), Kenya(124) na Burundi(148).

Kwa Ulaya Hispania bado imeendelea kuongoza ukanda huo ikiwa nafasiya kwanza ikifuatiwa na Uholanzi na Brazil ambazo zinashika nafasi ya pili ya tatu Ujerumani na Argentina zikiwa zimerudi nyuma nyuma nafasi moja.

Zinazofuatia katika msimao huo ni England (5),Uruguy(7),Ureno(8),Italia (9) na Croatia ambayo inashika nafasi 10.