Harry At The Double For Gala

as seen on au.fourfourtwo.com

Socceroo Harry Kewell was at his menacing best firing in two goals as Galatasaray came from behind to defeat Denizlispor 4-1 in the Turkish Super Lig overnight.

The Australian scored twice from the penalty spot but looked dangerous around the ground with some of his inswinging corners a real feature of the match.

But Galatasaray were made to work for their victory, after Bulgarian Emil Angelov gave Denizlispor the lead on 39 minutes with a close-range header.

Just moments before the break, the hosts won a slightly controversial penalty after a handball offence inside the box and Kewell stepped up to fire a low shot under Ozden Ongun.

Early in the second-half, one of Kewell's precise corners found Arda Turan in the box and the Turkish international coolly headed home from close-range to give Cimbom the lead.

On 67 minutes, Abdul Kader Keita won another slightly precarious penalty after a foul seemed to occur outside the box. But there was no doubt about Kewell's finish when the shot to Ozden Ongun's right to ram home Galatasaray's advantage.

Barely ten minutes later, Kewell's through-ball played in Keita and his cutback was cruelly deflected into the Denizlispor goal by defender Ahmet Burak.

In the Scottish Premier League, Scott McDonald maintained his good start to the season as Celtic enjoyed a solid 3-1 triumph at Aberdeen on the opening day of the campaign today.

After missing a rather simple early chance, McDonald was on hand to punish a poor Aberdeen clearance just before the break to give the Hoops a 3-0 lead at half-time.

McDonald's goal came after Aiden McGeady's double had raced the Buoys ahead. The Australian would be substituted by new boss Tony Mowbray on 60 minutes.

Elsewhere in the SPL, James Wesolowski played almost 90 minutes for Hamilton Accies as they crashed to a 3-0 loss at Kilmarnock. Neither Kilmarnock's Danny Invincibile or Hamilton's Trent McClenahan were involved for either side.

In Germany's Bundesliga, FC Nurnberg got their points tally of the mark with a 1-1 draw at Eintracht Frankfurt although Aussie pair Matt Spiranovic and Dario Vidosic weren't involved.

In the Dutch Eredivisie, Nikita Rukavytsya was another Socceroo not in his side's squad after the midweek Australia match as FC Twente won 1-0 at ADO Den Haag.

Elsewhere, Brett Holman started and played almost an hour as AZ Alkmaar cruised to a 6-0 win at RKC Waalwijk. James Holland wasn't in the AZ squad.

In the Coppa Italia, Mark Bresciano played a full game for Palermo on the right-side of midfield as they came from a goal behind to defeat SPAL 1907 4-2.

In the Swedish Allsvenskan, Ante Covic put in a full shift as IF Elfsborg beat his old club Hammarby 3-2 to stay in touch in the title race.

In the Croatian HNL Ozujsko, Josip Skoko played a full game as Hajduk Split came from two down to draw 2-2 with Inter Zapresic.

In the Danish Superliga, Michael Beauchamp - tipped for a move to Gold Coast United to replace Adam Griffiths - wasn't involved as Aalborg BK beat SonderjyskE 1-0 at home.

English Premier League Preview pt.3

as seen on Sports Pundit

Another term of English Premier League football kicks off over the weekend, so the final installment of Sports Pundit's season preview is perfectly timed.

We'll go through the final 6 EPL clubs alphabetically from Stoke through to Wolves, so you can get an insight into the new campaign and hopefully pick up a few tips for the new Sports Pundit Pan-European fantasy league.

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English Premier League Preview pt.2

as seen on Sports Pundit

The days until the start of the new English Premier League are rapidly ticking down, so here’s Sports Pundit’s second part of the season preview starting with Everton and going through alphabetically via title candidates Liverpool, Manchester City and Manchester United all the way onto Portsmouth.

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English Premier League Preview pt.1

as seen on Sports Pundit

As the new English Premier League season fast approaches, with the opening day fixtures on August 14, the time is right to preview the new campaign.

The title race seems wide open this year following some big-name departures at Manchester United, the improvement of Liverpool last season and the arrival of another new high-profile manager at Chelsea.

But for now, this preview is the first in a series of three, as we go through and address the chances of every Premier League club and also try to drop in some hints for your benefit with Sports Pundit’s Pan-European Fantasy League.

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Scott The Winner In Roo vs Roo

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Socceroo Scott McDonald scored as Celtic recorded a memorable 2-0 away victory over Luke Wilkshire's Dinamo Moscow to qualify for the UEFA Champions League group stage.

Goals late in both halves from McDonald and Australian-Greek striker Georgios Samaras got the job done for Celtic, who had lost the first-leg in Glasgow 1-0 to the Russian club.

The result is a bitter blow for Wilkshire, who failed at this stage of the Champions League last season with Dutch club FC Twente.

The opener came with barely a minute of normal time left before half-time, when McDonald got free at the back post to neatly head in Andreas Hinkel's cross.

Still there was time in the half for the Russians to go close, with Celtic having to scramble a Dinamo effort off the line before the break.

McDonald, who still hasn't broken his international duck, made way for Samaras on 79 minutes and the Greek international made the most of his time on the pitch.

Into injury-time with the match seemingly heading for extra-time, Samaras collected a hopeful long ball before working space for himself inside the box and then bobbling a shot past Dinamo stopper Vladimir Gabulov for the late winner.

Celtic become only the second Scottish club in history to overturn a first-leg home defeat in European competition. The result also marked Celtic's first ever away win in the UEFA Champions League.

Australian A-League 2009-2010 Season Preview

as seen on insidefutbol.com

Australia's Hyundai A-League is getting underway soon, with plenty of fans Down Under eagerly anticipating the kick-off after arguably the biggest off-season ever.

The arrival of a host of big names like ex-Liverpool 'God' Robbie Fowler, along with a long list of current Socceroos who've returned back to Australia including Jason Culina, boosts the fledgling competition and makes the league a little bit more attractive to an international audience.
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Is Making The AFL Finals Really A Success?

as seen on The Roar

The see-sawing battle between Port Adelaide, Essendon and Hawthorn for the final spot in the AFL's top eight is an intriguing one for the fans. But really is the prize at stake worth fans getting exciting for?

Port currently occupy the last finals spot on the AFL ladder with 36 points, whilst Essendon and the Hawks are behind them both with 32 points but the Bombers have the strongest percentage of the lot.

It is always a joy and a good experience to be part of the finals for clubs, but the reality is none of these clubs are realistic contenders for the AFL premiership. Plus, coming from 8th spot is nigh on impossible with the current AFL finals format.

So despite all the attention the race for the lower rungs of the top 8 always gets, is it really that interesting if those sides are just going to bow out of the finals? Shouldn’t our attention be transfixed on the important race for the premiership, or at least the race for the top 4 and second-chance finals?

But the current AFL format (with half the league reaching the finals) is created just for this purpose, to keep the fans interested up until Round 22. And the media builds up all these fixtures accordingly to ensure good crowds and TV audiences.

Indeed it seems to work, as making the finals is generally considered by many clubs and fans as an achievement and thus a good season. Just ask Power, Bombers or Hawks fans how they’ll judge their season should they miss the finals. I guarantee it would be drastically different to their judgement if they made the top eight.

But should finishing one spot above another midtable side really matter? Is an unrealistic shot at the finals really good enough?

The perfect example of a club who are switched onto this is the West Coast Eagles who after three 8th place finishes in John Worsfold’s initial years at the helm, have gone onto either challenge for the premiership or challenge for the number one draft pick down the bottom.

Worsfold regularly speaks about West Coast being on track to challenge for a premiership soon. He always uses that word, ‘premiership’, not finals. And he says it without a moment’s hesitation and such comments must perplex many pundits who see the Eagles getting thrashed on their travels every second week.

It is bizarre to think the Eagles, who won the AFL premiership only three years ago, are currently an ordinary bottom four side.

But it seems Worsfold treats the AFL season like many of his colleagues treat the NAB Cup where results don’t really matter. It seems Worsfold sees it as a chance to experiment with his side and try to make them learn a system and gel as a team.

Perhaps he likes the old saying of ‘one step backwards to take two steps forward’.

Indeed, West Coast’s basketball-style handballing game often frustrates the Subiaco Oval public, but Worsfold is adamant when his young side comes to grips with it, they’ll be more than just a top 8 contender, they’ll be a premiership contender.

And perhaps Worsfold is onto something other clubs and coaches aren’t. Shouldn’t every club be aiming to be the best, not be amongst the best?

In saying that, of the eighth spot contenders in 2009, Essendon are perhaps an example of a side developing and building something for the future and maybe a top 4 finish and a premiership challenge is in sight for them in the near future.

But will coming eighth in 2009, have much of an influence on their premiership challenge in 2011 or 2012. I think it would be naïve to think so.

So is the race for eighth spot on the AFL ladder in 2009 really worth getting exciting about?

Penalty Miss For Joel At Guoan

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Joel Griffiths missed a crucial penalty but Beijing Guoan held onto top spot in the Chinese Super League despite losing 3-2 to bottom club Chongqing Lifan.

The Australian striker, who is on loan at Beijing from A-League club Newcastle Jets, missed a penalty won by his brother Ryan late in the contest with the score at 3-1.

But with their nearest rivals, Shandong Luneng and Henan Construction, both failing to win today, Guoan live to fight another day at the top of the table.

Early in the contest at Chongqing, it looked like the league leaders would continue on their merry way when Tao Wei fired in a stunning long-range free-kick on 7 minutes.

But the hosts, buoyed by the presence of new signing Ailton, an ex-German Bundesliga superstar, equalised through Costa Rican Johnny Lambert on 33 minutes with a cool finish before Huang Xiyang gave them lead just before the break.

The Chinese midfielder produced a stunning volley which left the Guoan stopper with no chance, putting Chongqing ahead on 45 minutes.

Huang Xiyang was at it again on 72 minutes when he stretched Chongqing's lead with a nice goal from the edge of the box, before Joel Griffiths drove forward and passed for his brother, Ryan, who was tripped in the box and won a penalty for the visitors.

But after Joel stepped up to take the kick he could only to fire his shot high, wide and handsome.

Guoan did grab a late lifeline through Zhou Ting on 86 minutes, but it was too little, too late, leaving them to rue their missed penalty.

Elsewhere in the CSL, Mark Milligan played a full game as ten-man Shanghai Shenhua drew 2-2 at Jiangsu Sainty. Meanwhile, Brendon Santalab made his full debut for Chengdu Blades as they beat Shaanxi 2-0.

In Korea's K-League, ex-Adelaide United defender Sasa Ognenovski had to be subbed at half-time as Seongnam Ilhwa stunned impressive Jeonbuk Motors 3-1, while Jade North wasn't in the Incheon United squad which lost 3-2 at Gangwon FC.

Three In Three For Josh

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Josh Kennedy made it three goals from three J League matches on Saturday night but his club Nagoya Grampus crashed to a 2-1 loss at bottom club Oita Trinita.

The Australian international, who has proved a big hit in Nagoya since signing with the club in early July, opened the scoring on 26 minutes before Oita produced a stunning finish with two goals late in the game.

Kennedy was in the right place at the right time for the opener, after Naoshi Nakamura's shot was blocked by an Oita defender into the Australian's path with the goal at his mercy and the Socceroo made the most of the chance.

After a season in the German Bundesliga where he scored just 2 goals all campaign, Kennedy's latest strike made it an incredible three in three J.League outings for his new club.

Magnum had a chance to seal the points for midtable Nagoya before the J.League strugglers struck late with half-time substitute Daiki Takamatsu diving to head home the equaliser.

Then two minutes into injury-time Nagoya conceded again with Oita defender Keigo Higashi grabbing the winner with a looped shot over Japanese international stopper Seigo Narazaki.

The result drops Nagoya down to 10th, whilst giving Oita a welcome boost as they move to within six points of their nearest rivals at the bottom, Kashiwa Reysol.

Elsewhere, Eddy Bosnar wasn't in the JEF United Chiba side which lost 3-2 at Jubilo Iwata. United recently sacked their Scottish coach Alex Miller and this was their first match under new boss Atsuhiko Ejiri.

JEF United are in deep relegation trouble as they currently occupy 16th spot, which is in the drop zone.

FFA's War On Divers Is Spot On

as seen on The Roar

Football Federation Australia’s decision this week to use video evidence to punish players guilty of diving for the upcoming A-League season should be hugely commended.

The FFA announced on Friday that the A-League’s match review panel would be allowed to investigate incidents of simulation not spotted by the referee during a match and duly suspend players for such offences.

FFA chief executive officer Ben Buckley said, “I think everyone - fans, players and media - believe that simulation is unacceptable, and I am sure this change will be appreciated by the whole football community.”

Indeed, in a nation where the public enjoy extremely physical sports like AFL or Rugby, the antics of diving football players is met with disbelief by many new to the game.

And in the context of Australia, where football is fighting for attention amongst a number of sports, trying to eradicate one of the biggest blights on the game is a great move by the FFA.

Often you hear non-footballing types speaking about the problem of diving in the round ball game. And incidents like Rivaldo’s infamous play-acting at the 2002 World Cup or the antics of Chinese club Tianjin Teda against Central Coast in the AFC Champions League recently are cases which turn potential converts off the game.

Of course, it happens amongst A-League players too, and nobody can forget Cristiano’s penalty-winning simulation for Adelaide United against Melbourne Victory last season.

And that incident brought with it calls from A-League coaches, led by Melbourne’s Ernie Merrick, for the match review panel to review such offences.

Indeed, it has been argued for years that the best way to remove diving from the game is to analyse matches on video replays and suspend players found guilty of such offences.

It simply means players will think twice before taking a dive (because they probably won’t get away with it), thus being less inclined to ‘cheat’, as some would call it.

But the stumbling block for all this to go ahead has been the international body FIFA’s stance on using technology.

For years FIFA have stated in their disciplinary code that ‘the disciplinary decisions taken by the referee on the field of play during a match are final.’

It means if a referee misses an incident during a match, there is no way to retrospectively punish that player.

But Buckley has ignored FIFA’s hesitancy on the issue and got proactive by introducing new powers for the match review panel.

The FFA CEO added, “It is important to us that the Hyundai A-League’s disciplinary provisions are not only consistent with those of the sport internationally, but also with community expectations within Australia.”

Indeed, in the context of sport in Australia with several codes battling for attention and credibility, the FFA’s watershed decision is refreshingly proactive and should be acknowledged.

Chinese Super League Set For Exciting Finale

as seen on www.insidefutbol.com

The second-half of the Chinese Super League is almost about to re-commence after the summer break and following a curious opening 15 games where it seemed nobody wanted to top the table, one wonders who will go on and take out the title?

The Chinese Super League (CSL) will get back underway on Sunday August 2 after the month-long break during the hot season in the East. And with fifteen games down and fifteen games to go, Beijing Guoan lead the way ahead of a list of clubs.

But nobody is seriously putting their hand up to suggest they’re on their way to the title, which makes for an interesting finish to the CSL season. It’s a situation which you don’t see often in club football these days, which makes it all the more interesting.

Throw in the fact, all CSL clubs have been knocked out of the AFC Champions League already and that there’ll be no Chinese FA Cup again this season and it suggests the title race will surely heat up as there will be no distractions at the back-end of the campaign.

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Number Challenge For Aussie Wezza

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Leicester City boss Nigel Pearson has challenged James Wesolowski to prove his worth at the club after not allocating the young Australian a shirt number for this season.

The 21-year-old, who has spent most of Pearson's reign at Leicester either out on loan or on the sidelines injured, is out of favour with the Foxes boss despite having a contract at Walkers Stadium until 2011.

Wesolowski is not alone though, with fellow Foxes Levi Porter, DJ Campbell and Astrit Ajdarevic all overlooked for shirt numbers and on the fringes of the squad.

Pearson said, "The onus is on the players not in the list. If they progress and make it into the first-team, they will get a squad number."

It is believed Wesolowski, who had a successful loan stint at Dundee United in the Scottish Premier League last season, may look for a chance elsewhere.

Rhys Happy To Be Mr Versatile

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Australian international Rhys Williams believes the last 12 months has made him a stronger and better player as he looks to continue his adventure for club and country.

The 21-year-old Australian international, who is yet to break through for regular games at the Riverside, has scored three goals in three appearances for Boro in pre-season.

Williams had a successful loan spell at promoted Burnley in the Championship last season but told BBC Sport he now wants to play regular football at Boro, who were relegated to the second tier for this campaign.

"The main goal for me this season is to get in the team and keep my spot, and all the lads are saying we want to get back where we belong - in the Premier League," Williams said.

He added, "I'll continue to train hard, play well and keep scoring you never know what the gaffer is thinking.

"He (manager Gareth Southgate) might put me in centre midfield, right-back, centre-back - as long as I play I'm not bothered."

And having made his senior Socceroos debut against Japan in June, Williams believes his career is on the up.

"I've had my Australia call-up, been on loan and had competitive football and I feel a stronger and better player - it's been exciting in the last 12 months.

"I've got a long injury list and have been out for a while. Touch wood I can now keep going, keep fit and pressing for a spot."

Brett Aims For A Beauty Season

as seen on au.fourfourtwo.com

Socceroo Brett Holman hopes he can push on from a bright start to the new Dutch season and cement a spot with Eredivisie champions AZ Alkmaar.

The 25-year-old Australian international scored the opener in AZ's 5-1 Dutch Super Cup victory over Heerenveen last weekend and admits he hopes it's a sign of things to come.

Holman said on Dutch football website fcupdate.nl, "This is a good start. I hope this is the precursor to a beautiful season."

The Sydney-born forward was a victim of his club's success last season, as Alkmaar comfortably cruised to the Dutch title, relegating the Australian to irregular appearances mostly off the bench.

But with the club about to embark on a new adventure into Europe's top tier, Holman is desperate to stake his case to be amongst it all.

"I certainly hope to play more. It would be marvellous because we are also in the Champions League," Holman added.

And following a change of manager at the DSB Stadion, with Ronald Koeman replacing Bayern-bound Louis van Gaal, Holman feels he may be set for more opportunities.

"I feel good. Koeman speaks alot with me and I get on well with him. With van Gaal it was much less," Holman said.

Alkmaar begin their Dutch Eredivisie title defence this Saturday away to Heracles Almelo.

Kennedy Hailed For J-League Impact

as seen on au.fourfourtwo.com

Japanese international Keiji Tamada has praised his new Australian teammate Joshua Kennedy for the impact he's made at J-League club Nagoya Grampus.

Kennedy, who joined Nagoya in early July, scored two goals in his first two outings for the J.League club and has settled into the side smoothly.

Tamada, who played up front for the Blue Samurai in their 2-1 loss to Australia in Melbourne in June, sung Kennedy's praises in the Daily Yomiuri.

"He just plays a nice, simple game. If you're free, he has the vision to pick you out and he's so tall that he can win everything in the air," Tamada said.

"He's your classic target man. He's pretty good technically, and he can hold up the ball if we need him to. We didn't have a player quite like him before, and I personally wanted someone like him."

Since Kennedy's debut against Kyoto Sanga, midtable Nagoya's fortunes have improved, winning twice and drawing once.

The Australian has replaced Nagoya's Brazilian frontman Davi, who despite scoring 10 goals in the J.League season already, had been criticised for not linking up well with the team.

Tamada added, "Trust is crucial in football. You have to be able to trust the rest of the team, and they have to be able to trust you.

"If you can build a bond like that, then you're going to play good football. And Kennedy is the one who is making that possible for us."

Nagoya go to bottom club Oita Trinita this Saturday in the J.League.