Discuss Sports http://www.dreamteammoney.com/index.php Mon, 15 Mar 2010 06:47:06 -0400 1440 http://www.dreamteammoney.com/index.php?showtopic=94174

Real Madrid's dreams of a Champions League final at their Bernabeu home were crushed by Lyon tonight as the Spanish giants were knocked out at the last-16 stage for the sixth successive season.

Cristiano Ronaldo's seventh Champions League goal of the season gave Madrid the perfect early start as he netted after just six minutes to level up the aggregate scores at 1-1.

However, Madrid failed to make the most of a host of first-half chances and they paid the cost as Miralem Pjanic smashed home a 75th-minute equaliser for Lyon to send Manuel Pellegrini's men crashing out.

With this year's final being staged at the Bernabeu, Madrid had high hopes of reaching that final showpiece and the postmortem in the Spanish capital will almost certainly leave Pellegrini under more pressure.

It would have been a different story though if Madrid had not been so profligate in the opening period, with Gonzalo Higuain the chief culprit.

Madrid could not have asked for a better start as they came out flying.

There were just 16 seconds on the clock when Lyon goalkeeper Hugo Lloris was called into action first, coming out to deny Kaka, and within five minutes Madrid were ahead.

Guti's ball over the top from inside his own half put Ronaldo in on the left and his low left-footed drive fizzed under Lloris, who might have felt he should have done better.

After that Lyon had to withstand a Madrid onslaught.

Kaka, Ronado and Higuain all went close before the latter missed an incredible opportunity to put Madrid 2-0 up in the 25th minute.

Some home fans must already have been celebrating as Higuain broke in behind the Lyon defence and skipped past Lloris, but with an open goal to aim for the Argentina international's shot from the edge of the box hit the near post.

Higuain then spurned another great opening two minutes later, although this time he was denied by a fine one-handed stop by Lloris.

It was all Madrid in the opening 34 minutes, but Lyon warned the Spanish giants how precarious their situation still was as they fashioned a decent opening of their own.

A deflected cross reached Jean Makoun eight yards out, but the midfielder whose stunning 25-yard strike gave Lyon their first leg lead, mis-kicked and let Madrid off the hook.

Makoun's involvement in the game would not be much longer as he was one of two men replaced at half-time by Lyon coach Claude Puel, Jean-Alain Boumsong also making way with Kim Kallstrom and Maxime Gonalons the players on. And that move turned out to be key as Lyon looked a totally different side after the break.

The first promising sign for the visitors came immediately after the restart when Gonalons won a header at the far post, but his effort cleared the crossbar.

Sidney Govou then blazed another good opening over in the 52nd minute before Lisandro tested Iker Casillas from 25 yards as Lyon started the second period on fire.

Madrid tried to stem the tide with efforts from Kaka and Esteban Granero but neither hit the target and it was Lyon who continued to look the more threatening.

And the French outfit would end up putting paid to Madrid's dreams as Pjanic picked up a lay-off from Lisandro inside the area before thumping a half-volley past Casillas.

There was no way back for Madrid after that and Lyon could have added to the home side's agony as Lisandro and Cesar Delgado both missed chances when clean through at the end.]]> Thu, 11 Mar 2010 00:59:36 -0500 94174 http://www.dreamteammoney.com/index.php?showtopic=94173

There was no fairytale Old Trafford return for David Beckham as Wayne Rooney led a Manchester United cruise into the Champions League quarter-finals after a 4-0 win over AC Milan.
• Richard Jolly at Old Trafford
• Beckham hails Rooney impact

Rooney scored a goal in each half to take his tally for the season to 30 and snuff out any chance Milan had of crowning Beckham's appearance against his former club in glory.

Instead, the joy was all the hosts' as Park Ji-Sung ran onto Paul Scholes' pass to widen the gap before Darren Fletcher headed a fourth near the end.

Always one to embrace a sense of occasion, Beckham was among the last Milan players to leave the dressing room, making his entrance to a standing ovation from supporters who never fell out of love with him the way Ferguson did.

Predictably, though, Beckham had been left on the bench - just as he was on his last European appearance for United, against Real Madrid seven years ago, when he eventually scored twice to prove a point without being able to save the Red Devils from elimination.

That night, Ronaldo - the Brazilian one - scored a hat-trick for Real. Now United have their own hero, and Ferguson has a world-class striker.

It seems to have been a quiet period for Rooney. That was just because he did not play at Wolves on Saturday.

As Ferguson has been known to engage in the odd bout of kidology, the extent of the knee injury that kept England's star striker out of the Molineux encounter will never be known. He was never likely to miss out here, though.

His two goals in the San Siro three weeks ago turned a tie on its head that appeared to be floating out of United's reach. His latest effort merely rammed another nail in Milan's coffin.

Gary Neville was the provider for the first, curling over a right-wing cross his old friend Beckham would have been proud of.

Rooney soared between defenders and neatly glided the ball into the far corner.

It was his seventh header on the trot in a growing tally of goals that threatens the 42 which helped get Cristiano Ronaldo crowned as the world's best player two years ago.

The same accolades could easily be being bestowed on Rooney next winter.

Much will depend on the respective success enjoyed by United and England of course. But their talisman could not be doing any more and his second arrived 54 seconds after the restart.

An outstanding pass, delivered from the left-wing with the outside of his right-foot by Nani, provided the opportunity.

Christian Abbiati gave the game away by dashing out. Rooney merely prodded it past him.

Having already become only the second player - after Walter Pandiani - to score home and away against Milan in a European tie, Rooney was presumably creating some kind of history by doing it twice.

It was the end of Rooney's contribution, although not United's scoring.

After hinting at retirement a few weeks ago, Paul Scholes appears to be enjoying something of a renaissance and it was his brilliantly disguised pass that was clinically finished by Park as the gap between these two European heavyweights widened to a gulf.

As there was little else to do, Leonardo introduced Beckham.

His arrival for Ignazio Abate triggered a standing ovation. Had the midfielder's volley flashed past Edwin van der Sar instead of being beaten away by the veteran Dutchman, it would probably have brought the biggest cheer of the night.

For all the adulation, though, Beckham represents Manchester United's past.

Rooney is the future, which on the pitch - where Fletcher nodded home a fourth near the end - looks rosy, despite the continued vocal and visual protests against the Glazer family, whose willingness to plunge United into such massive debt has vexed so many.

In the stands, the members of the Glazer family who had made the trip from Tampa would need pretty thick skins to remain unaffected by all the vicious taunts.

With Beckham opting to put a green-and-gold scarf round his neck as he made his way down the tunnel, the abuse is not going to be silenced any time soon.]]> Thu, 11 Mar 2010 00:57:28 -0500 94173 http://www.dreamteammoney.com/index.php?showtopic=93500
The Thunder made a similar push to put themselves in the top six in the West. At 9-2, Oklahoma City had the league's best record in February. Meanwhile, the Jazz (10-3) and Bucks (10-4) had the most wins.

Miami was both the best defensive team (allowing just 97.4 points per 100 possessions) and worst offensive team (scoring just 98.4) of the month. The best offensive team was Cleveland (113.6).

The Magic ranked fifth both offensively and defensively, but they were the best team overall, with a differential of +9.5 points per 100 possessions. The worst team overall? No, it wasn't New Jersey.

The Clippers picked up as many wins (four) as the Nets (two) and Knicks (two) combined, but they were outscored by 8.2 points per 100 possessions over the course of the month.

The Cavs take back the top spot in the rankings this week, but they have bigger issues to deal with. Shaquille O'Neal will have surgery on his right thumb on Monday and will likely miss the rest of the regular season. And they will have to play at least another nine games without Zydrunas Ilgauskas.

That stretch could be critical as they try to hold off the Lakers for the best record in the league and home-court advantage in a potential Finals matchup. Remember that the team that starts the Finals at home has won 19 of the 25 series since the league went to the 2-3-2 format.

Cleveland currently has a one-game lead over L.A. and holds the tiebreaker. And while the Cavs have to go center-less for at least another 2 1/2 weeks, the Lakers have their own challenge: 11 of their 15 games in March are on the road.]]> Tue, 02 Mar 2010 03:10:58 -0500 93500 http://www.dreamteammoney.com/index.php?showtopic=91655


Didier Drogba celebrated his return to Premier League duty with a first half equaliser at the KC Stadium to cancel out Stephen Mouyokolo’s earlier effort on a frustrating night for Carlo Ancelotti’s Chelsea.

Drogba struck his 20th goal of the season on 43 minutes to haul the Premier League leaders level after Hull defender Mouyokolo had headed Phil Brown’s Hull City side into a surprise lead with his first ever goal for the top flight strugglers.

But despite Drogba coming to the rescue it wasn’t enough to help Chelsea secure the win they so badly needed to restore their four point advantage over Manchester United at the top of the table.

The London club now have a lead of just two points and United manager Sir Alex Ferguson will be thankful to Hull for holding his great rivals to a draw to blow the title race wide open.

Ancelotti had the luxury of recalling Drogba for the first time since he departed for the African Cup of Nations over four weeks ago, while England internationals Joe Cole and Ashley Cole had to be content with a place on the bench.

John Terry also maintained his place in the side despite the on-going pressure on him to resign as England captain following his off-field problems while Deco was recalled to the starting line-up.

Brown, meanwhile, made just one change to the side which was held to a disappointing draw with Wolves last weekend, recalling Craig Fagan on the right wing in place of Bernard Mendy. The Hull manager resisted the temptation to hand a full debut to new loan signing Amr Zaki.

Hull had gone nine games without a victory and found themselves entrenched in the relegation zone. Considering Manchester City were the next visitors to the KC Stadium then the immediate future looked bleak.

But Chelsea struggled to find their rhythm from the start and seemed to make Hull’s evening easier than expected.

Frank Lampard worried Boaz Myhill with a swerving drive inside nine minutes which the Hull goalkeeper could only palm straight to Nicolas Anelka but the French striker stubbed his shot badly wide with the goal at his mercy.

It wasn’t until the 24th minute that Chelsea threatened again when Branislav Ivanovic sent over an inch-perfect cross for the waiting Michael Ballack but all the German midfielder could do was power his diving header straight at Myhill from close range.

The longer the game went on the more Hull seemed to grow in confidence but it still came a surprise when they took the lead with their first real attack of the game.

Terry was nowhere to be seen as Stephen Hunt swung over a corner and Mouyokolo rose the highest to head past the helpless Petr Cech.

But Hull’s lead always looked fragile and it lasted just 13 minutes before Drogba levelled the scores with a powerful free kick into the bottom corner of Myhill’s goal.

Hull could have restored their lead on the stroke of half time when Tom Cairney’s free kick found the head of the unmarked Anthony Gardner, but the defender could only direct his effort over the crossbar.

Yet Chelsea always carried a threat and Myhill had to be at his best to keep the scores level with a fine double save just before the hour mark.

First he got down sharply to tip wide a skidding drive from Florent Malouda before producing an even better stop to keep out Drogba’s downward header from Malouda’s cross as Brown’s men hung on for a point that is of much more use to them than Chelsea.]]> Wed, 03 Feb 2010 00:27:21 -0500 91655 http://www.dreamteammoney.com/index.php?showtopic=90812
Which brand is the best ?
How much should I eat per day ?

Anyone playing fitness here. Please help me ]]> Fri, 22 Jan 2010 05:24:03 -0500 90812 http://www.dreamteammoney.com/index.php?showtopic=89701

Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti has risked a war of words with Arsene Wenger by sarcastically describing the Arsenal boss as "a good magician".

Ancelotti was responding to Wenger's recent claims that he had identified Chelsea's weaknesses some time ago and has known all season that the leader would drop sufficient points to allow Arsenal back into the Barclays Premier League title race.

Ancelotti conceded Chelsea were far from unbeatable, but made little attempt to disguise his scorn for Wenger's claims.

The Italian has previously steered clear of the managerial mind games that are a staple of life in the Premier League, and his impatience towards Wenger could be a sign he is feeling the pressure after Chelsea won only two of their past eight games.

"He is a good magician if he said that after that game (Chelsea won 3-0 at the Emirates Stadium in November)," Ancelotti said.

The manager claimed Chelsea's problems were behind them, but stopped short of endorsing Sir Alex Ferguson's prediction the Premier League would become a two-horse race between his side and Manchester United.

Ancelotti believes Arsenal and Manchester City will have their say, a view that is similar to Wenger's. "We had some problems in December and didn't win important games, drawing against Everton, Birmingham and West Ham, but it's normal to have these moments," Ancelotti said.

"There is not an unbeatable team. Some teams had bad moments before, and we had that period that wasn't so good.

"But we stayed at the top of the list so we've done better than the other teams over the first six months. I don't know what happens in the future, but until now Chelsea are in first place in the Premiership and we deserve to have stayed at the top of the list.

"I don't want to forget Arsenal, I don't want to forget Manchester City or any other teams. I don't know if Arsenal, Villa, Tottenham or Liverpool can fight for the title, but it's a very competitive championship.

"We did a good job in these six months."]]> Thu, 07 Jan 2010 02:15:15 -0500 89701 http://www.dreamteammoney.com/index.php?showtopic=89224 Tiger Woods scandal cost shareholders up to $12 billion



shareholders of companies endorsed by the world's No. 1 golfer up to $12 billion in losses, according to a study by two economics professors from the University of California, Davis.

The study, released on Monday by researchers Victor Stango and Christopher Knittel, gave an estimate for damage to the market value of Woods' main sponsors caused by revelations of alleged extramarital affairs that surfaced after he was involved in a minor car accident outside his Florida home on November 27.

"We estimate that shareholders of Tiger Woods' sponsors lost $5-12 billion after his car accident, relative to shareholders of firms that Mr. Woods does not endorse," the researchers wrote, adding that millions of shareholders were affected.

"Our analysis makes clear that while having a celebrity of Tiger Woods' stature as an endorser has undeniable upside, the downside risk is substantial, too," Stango, a professor at the UC Davis Graduate School of Management, said in a statement released along with the study.

Woods, believed to be the world's wealthiest athlete who was estimated to earn about $100 million a year in endorsement deals before his troubles, confessed on December 11 to "infidelity" to his Swedish wife Elin Nordegren. He announced he would take an indefinite break from golf to save his marriage.

Some of the star golfer's main commercial sponsors have backed away from him as a result of the scandal. Others, while standing by him, have said they are evaluating their future relationship.

STOCK MARKET RETURNS

In their study, the two professors said they looked at stock market returns for the 13 trading days after November 27, the date of the car incident that ignited the Woods scandal.

They compared returns for Woods' sponsors during this period to those of both the total stock market and of each sponsor's closest competitor. They also reviewed returns for four years before the car accident to build up a comparative picture of the sponsors' market performance.

The study looked at sponsors of Tiger Woods for which stock prices were available, in several cases through quoted prices for the parent companies. Sponsors included: Accenture; AT&T; Tiger Woods PGA Tour Golf ; TLC Laser Eye Centers.

The report carried a caution that this kind of statistical study might have a "particularly large" margin of error because many sponsors were subsidiaries of larger quoted companies.

Overall, Knittel and Stango concluded that the scandal reduced shareholder value in the sponsor companies by 2.3 percent, or about $12 billion.

They called the results statistically significant and said the overall pattern of losses at the parent companies was unlikely to stem from ordinary day-to-day variation in their stock prices."

"Our findings speak to a larger question of general interest in the business and academic communities: Does celebrity sponsorship have any impact on a firm's bottom line?" Stango and Knittel said in presenting the report.

The scandal saw a parade of more than a dozen women -- from cocktail waitresses to porn stars -- come forward to say they had affairs with the married father of two. Since the start of the scandal, Woods has kept out of sight of the media.]]> Wed, 30 Dec 2009 04:21:55 -0500 89224 http://www.dreamteammoney.com/index.php?showtopic=89223



Fernando Torres goal gives Liverpool 1-0 win over Aston Villa

December 30, 2009
Fernando Torres wrote his name into the Liverpool history books with a crucial goal deep into stoppage-time that secured a 1-0 win away to Aston Villa.

The Spanish forward's late strike suggested that the words of his compatriot and Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez, that the team would finish in the top four of the English Premier League and secure Champions League football at Anfield next season were more than mere bravado.

This result was all the more of a morale-boost for Liverpool as it saw Villa, one of their rivals for a top four spot, lose for the second time in as many matches following a 3-0 defeat by Arsenal.

For so long Torres has been the one man - along with Steven Gerrard - who has saved Benitez when he needs it most and the Spain star did it once again on Tuesday - three minutes into stoppage time to record his 50th league goal in only 72 league games for Liverpool.

Former Liverpool player Stephen Warnock's error was punished in emphatic fashion after conceding possession as Torres lifted his team into seventh place in the Premier League and just two points adrift of Villa - who appear to be wobbling after successive defeats in three days.

England World Cup-winning striker Roger Hunt was the previous fastest to 50 league goals for Liverpool, in 78 games, - but Torres got there with six games to spare after Richard Dunne slipped trying to collect Warnock's errant pass.

That triggered a sequence of events that eventually led to Yossi Benayoun's tackle with Steve Sidwell squirting the ball into the path of Torres who finished brilliantly across Brad Friedel and inside the far post.

That was enough to sentence Villa to their first home defeat since the opening day of the season and manager Martin O'Neill will have a major repair job on his hands to avoid the kind of collapse upon which their Champions League hopes foundered last season.

The inspirational partnership of Gerrard and Torres has been denied to Benitez for large chunks of the current campaign, the key factor in why Liverpool have virtually conceded any title ambitions for another season.

Benitez does little to inspire affection from the rest of the nation, but it was not hard to have some sympathy with the Spaniard for the neglectful way referee Lee Probert waived away penalty claims eight minutes before half-time. Dirk Kuyt may well have overrun the ball but Richard Dunne's thunderous challenge on the Dutch international involved no part of the ball and both of Kuyt's legs.

After their chastening experience at the Emirates on Sunday - their first defeat in eight league games and only 48 hours to try to rebuild damaged confidence, Villa seemed uncertain.

But they did have moments of inspiration, such as James Milner's corner that was met by Stewart Downing's volley at the far post.

Fortunately for Liverpool, keeper Pepe Reina had positioned himself perfectly and a strong right wrist enabled him to push the shot to safety.

But the Spanish shot-stopper should have been left helpless after Villa's Gabriel Agbonlahor outpaced Jamie Carragher only to shoot tentatively at Reina.

And the result could have been so different if Villa striker John Carew had guided his header from Milner's corner inside the far post, rather than fractionally wide.

But Torres was the difference, much to the relief of Benitez.



Luka Modric marks Tottenham return with goal in 2-0 defeat of West Ham
From correspondents in London, England
December 29, 2009
Luka Modric marked his first start since August by scoring the opener as Tottenham Hotspur beat West Ham United 2-0 at White Hart Lane to go fourth in the Barclays Premier League.

Croatia midfielder Modric, out for several months with a broken leg, started and finished a length-of-the-field move in the 11th minute to put Spurs ahead.

England striker Jermain Defoe sealed victory against his old club with a fierce shot nine minutes from time.

But Spurs will drop back down to fifth place if Aston Villa win at home to Liverpool.

There was agony for relegation-threatened West Ham as Scott Parker and Herita Ilunga both then had to be substituted within the first 19 minutes, allowing the home side to dominate this London derby.

But Tottenham took until the 81st minute to wrap up all three points when Defoe struck a ferocious drive beyond Hammers goalkeeper Robert Green.

It was the England striker's 14th league goal of the season and left him out in front as the EPL's top scorer.

West Ham, who moved out of the relegation zone with a victory over basement club Portsmouth on Boxing Day, experienced a wretched start.

After Parker dragged an eighth-minute shot wide, he suffered what appeared to be a recurrence of a hamstring injury and was replaced by Luiz Jimenez.

To make matters worse, Spurs took the lead while he was limping around.

Modric initiated the move from just outside the Spurs area before Defoe fed Aaron Lennon.

The in-form England international raced down the right side, away from Matthew Upson, and then dragged a cross along the edge of the six-yard box.

West Ham's James Tomkins failed to block the ball and Modric stubbed a shot that bounced high into Green's net.

To rub salt into West Ham wounds, their Italian manager Gianfranco Zola was then forced another substitution as Ilunga exited and Jonathan Spector came on.

eTottenham went on to dominate the rest of the half but Tom Huddlestone missed an opportunity to double the score before Peter Crouch had an effort diverted wide and Defoe fired a fantastic free-kick just over the crossbar.

West Ham's only real chance fell to midfield player Jack Collison, but his long-range effort was easily kept out by goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes.

The Hammers had not won at White Hart Lane for 10 years, and there was no sign of that statistic getting any better for them after half-time.

They were on the back foot from the restart, as Huddlestone and Lennon both fired early shots off target and Wilson Palacios had a goal-bound drive deflected wide off Upson.

At times it looked as though Tottenham were playing against 10 men as they moved the ball around with such ease, and they came agonisingly close to a second goal in the 55th minute when Huddlestone hit the post from inside the area following a Vedran Corluka pass.

Corluka himself could have scored in the 66th minute when, after Green lost his bearings, he looped a header onto the roof of the net.

At only 1-0 up, nervous Tottenham fans feared their side might be made to pay for not making the most of their opportunities.

But Defoe eased the tension among the home supporters at White Hart Lane nine minutes from time.

Lennon fed the forward, and Defoe ran across edge of the box before smashing an effort at Green. The ball bounced back off the keeper's chest and Defoe rammed home the rebound.

]]> Wed, 30 Dec 2009 04:13:02 -0500 89223 http://www.dreamteammoney.com/index.php?showtopic=89064 http://foot-ballhighlights.blogspot.com/20...-27dec2009.html

]]> Sun, 27 Dec 2009 13:16:06 -0500 89064 http://www.dreamteammoney.com/index.php?showtopic=88599 The 107th classic derby will oppose Sunday teams of Wydad and Raja Casablanca, which is determined to prevail in order to consolidate its leading position at the 12th day of the Moroccan championship.

More than 60,000 people are expected to attend the planned meeting at Mohammed V Stadium in Casablanca, according to the press.






To view the match :

Channel : Arriadia

Hotbird 6 (13.0E) - 10873.00 V
DVB-S (QPSK) - 27500 3/4

Sunday at 14:30 h (GMT)

Thanks
]]> Fri, 18 Dec 2009 10:28:10 -0500 88599