Eastern delight for old rivals

Continuing their preparations for the final phase of qualifying for South Africa 2010, the various teams in friendly action on Wednesday evening made light of the summer heat to produce some spectacular football. The high points were provided by Argentina and Russia, who served up five goals in an entertaining duel, while the Netherlands and England shared four in Amsterdam.

The big game
Russia 2-3 Argentina

Goals: Igor Semshov 18, Roman Pavlyuchenko 79 (Russia); Sergio Aguero 45, Lisandro Lopez 46, Jesus Datolo 59 (Argentina)


Shrugging off the absence of Lionel Messi, the South Americans recorded an impressive win in Russia, the perfect tonic for their vital qualifier against Brazil in three weeks time. After making a fast start the Russians struggled to combat the high-tempo pressing of Argentina's forwards. Albiceleste coach Diego Maradona will also have drawn satisfaction from Sergio Aguero's classy performance and the goalscoring contributions of substitutes Lisandro Lopez and Jesus Datolo.

Elsewhere

Netherlands 2-2 England

Goals: Dirk Kuyt 10, Rafael van der Vaart 38 (Netherlands); Jermain Defoe 49, 76 (England)

Fabio Capello had the hard task of lifting his side when they went in at the break 2-0 down after Dirk Kuyt and Rafael van der Vaart had seized on respective mistakes by Rio Ferdinand and Gareth Barry. Whatever the Italian coach said in the England dressing room, it did the trick. Hemming the Dutch back in their own half, the visitors were rewarded for their enterprise when Jermain Defoe rounded off a fine counter-attack before sliding home the equaliser from close range.

FYR Macedonia 2-3 Spain

Goals: Goran Pandev 8, 33 (FYR Macedonia); Fernando Torres 51, Gerard Pique 54, Albert Riera 56 (Spain)

Goran Pandev rocked the strangely sluggish European champions with a first-half brace. It was merely the prelude to a stunning Spanish comeback, however, as Vicente del Bosque's men fired in three goals in five memorable minutes before almost allowing the hosts to grab a late equaliser.

Switzerland 0-0 Italy

Try as they might, the reigning FIFA World Cup™ holders failed to get back to winning ways, though coach Marcelo Lippi was no doubt pleased to be able to assess the form of a few more candidates for a place in his long-term plans.

Estonia 0-1 Brazil

Goal: Luis Fabiano 45

The five-time world champions did the bare minimum against a very combative Estonia side. Sevilla striker Luis Fabiano scored the only goal of a match in which Kaka appeared just as lost as he had been in the streets of Tallinn on Tuesday.

South Africa 1-3 Serbia

Goals: Katlego Abel Mphela 89 (South Africa); Dusko Tosic 57, 78, Danko Lazovic 69

The Serbs comfortably lead the way in Group 7 in the European Zone and warmed up for a possible FIFA World Cup finals appearance next summer by easing to victory over the FIFA Confederations Cup semi-finalists.

Goal of the day

Czech Republic 3-1 Belgium
Jan Vertonghen (12)

Despite going down to a heavy defeat, the Belgians at least had the consolation of scoring the goal of the night, a 30-yard piledriver from Ajax midfielder Vertonghen that gave Petr Cech no chance.

Player of the day
Switzerland's highly-rated 25-year-old goalkeeper Diego Benaglio raised his profile even higher with an outstanding display in the goalless draw with Italy. The Wolfsburg shot-stopper made at least half a dozen world-class saves to keep his goal intact and received the congratulations of the peerless Gianluigi Buffon at the final whistle.

Result of the day
Though there was nothing surprising about Albania getting the better of Cyprus, few people would have expected the normally goal-shy Balkan side to run out emphatic 6-1 winners. The last time the Albanians were in such deadly form was in 2003, when they put five past Vietnam without reply.

The stat
127 - The number of appearances that Fabio Cannavaro has now made for Italy, making him the country's most capped player of all time. The Azzurri captain, who turns 36 on 13 September, made his international debut against Northern Ireland on 22 January 1997, coming on for Alessandro Costacurta. Cannavaro took the national record from Paolo Maldini, who racked up 126 appearances between March 1988 and June 2002.

What they said
"I was standing on the pitch and he was so happy and running so fast that he knocked me over. But you know what? I hope he knocks me over every 20 minutes in every match he plays because that will mean everything's going just fine," Argentina coach Diego Maradona takes Jesus Datolo's exuberant celebrations in his stride.

Have your say
Can England overcome their defensive shortcomings and become world champions? Click on 'Add your comment' to share your views with fans from across the world.

Big guns deliver as Norway dazzle

The runners-up from the most recent UEFA European Championships and FIFA World Cup ™ in action on Wednesday and if not to shine, every three precious points in the bag area classification for the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa. France and Germany each squeezed past outsiders to record away win and remain on course for qualification.

Norway, on the other hand, registered its first win of the campaign, managing four goals in the process to the delight of their fans. Croatia, meanwhile, recorded a price of cement to win second place in England a group that seems to dominate from start to finish.

Belarus 1-3 Croatia

Goals: Ivica Olic (22, 83), Eduardo da Silva (69); Dimitriy Verkhovtsov (81)

Croatia went to Minsk and showed why they are favourites for second place in Group 6 behind runaway leaders England. Slaven Bilic's men gave the home team very little chance, with Olic, who opened the scoring then put the result beyond doubt at 3-1, in unstoppable form. The win in Belarus puts Croatia three points ahead of Ukraine, their main rivals for a play-off spot and who still have to play in Minsk themselves. Advantage Croatia therefore, and on this kind of form, they look more than a match for anyone.

Elsewhere
Germany ground out a workmanlike 2-0 win over a disciplined Azerbaijan outfit which bore all the hallmarks of coach Berti Vogts, who 13 years previously had steered his native Germany to their most recent major title at EURO 96 . Bastian Schweinsteiger (12) and Miroslav Klose (54) grabbed the goals which put Joachim Low's charges four points clear at the top of Group 4, though they have played a game more than Russia. Vogts' team are still without a goal in this campaign but, after holding Russia to the same 2-0 scoreline, are proving that they can cause the big guns a few anxious moments.

Franck Ribery and friends had even more of a struggle on their hands, and it took an Andre-Pierre Gignac goal in the 39th minute to see France past the Faroe Islands by the tightest of margins. Raymond Domenech's Bleus are now back to within five points of Serbia at the top of Group 7 with a game in hand, and as the two still have to play each other, France still harbour hope of direct qualification for South Africa. The Faroese, who sit 163rd in the FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking, are still waiting for their first win but have consolidated their reputation as being a tough nut to crack.

One team with real cause to celebrate were Norway. After an awful start to their campaign, the Scandinavians finally recorded their first win with more than a degree of panache. Under the aegis of journeyman coach Egil Olsen, they beat Scotland 4-0 and put themselves right back in the running for a play-off spot in Group 9, in which leaders the Netherlands have already qualified for South Africa 2010. John Arne Riise (36), Morten Gamst Pedersen with a brace (45 and 92) and Erik Huseklepp (60) were all on the score-sheet, and though Norway only climbed one place to fourth in the group, they are now only a point adrift of FYR Macedonia and the demoralised Scots. George Burley's men slipped from second to third spot on goal difference, and the remaining qualifiers in autumn promise to be dramatic in the extreme for the hopeful trio.

The stat
Miroslav Klose, who won the adidas Golden Shoe at the 2006 FIFA World Cup Germany, continues to write his name in the annals of German football. His goal against Azerbaijan which sealed Germany's 2-0 win was his 45th strike in 89 matches for the three-time world champions. That puts the Bayern Munich striker level with Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, currently president of the board of Klose's employers, in fifth place in the all time scoring list for Die Mannschaft.

Goal of the day
Norway 4-0 Scotland, Morten Gamst Pedersen (92)

An evening to remember in Oslo was capped by a goal of genuine class. The Blackburn Rovers winger, already with one expertly-executed goal to his name, applied the icing to Norway's cake with a perfectly weighted free-kick that sailed over the wall and into David Marshall's top corner from 25 yards.

What they said
"Whatever could have gone wrong tonight went wrong. It's been a disastrous result but circumstances have dictated that. We can look for excuses, we can look for circumstances, but it's gone - we didn't get any points tonight. If we can't win our two games, we don't deserve to get in the play-offs."
George Burley, Scotland manager

Have your say
Can Norway make a late run and bag a FIFA World Cup spot? Does the current new generation of Croatian players have what it takes to hold their own on the biggest of stages? Do France and German now have one foot on the plane to South Africa? Click on 'Add your comment' and let us know. We look forward to hearing from you...[source]

Capello excuses generous England

Fabio Capello is happy to excuse his players handing out a few gifts in Amsterdam - he does not expect to witness the same generosity in South Africa next year.

Getting a decent performance out of his England team in the Netherlands on Wednesday was always going to be a stiff task, so Capello was probably reasonably satisfied as he flew back home. Obvious mistakes from Rio Ferdinand and Gareth Barry apart, Capello could pick out half a dozen reasons for optimism which, given the unpromising circumstances of the situation, was more than enough to be thankful for.

"We have not practiced," complained Capello. "Never. On Monday we had ten players at training. On Tuesday we had all the players but we could not practice anything.

"Three times in the game we fell asleep; both goals and once where we gave the ball to Robben. We don't want to it again but this is still pre-season. The World Cup is not in pre-season."...[source]

Maradona: It's a dream come true

FiFA.COM : Diego, you have been in the Argentina job for nine months now. Has it been a bit like becoming a father?

Diego Maradona: A bit, yes. I've only had the boys together for a month and a half in all that time, so I really don't get much chance to work and spend time with them. It was great when I came into the job but now I have to start getting some things through to those 25 little heads, such as what they need to do on and off the pitch. I've been through all that and that's why I'm giving the squad the benefit of my experience.

Are you enjoying it?
It's hard. I enjoyed things more when I was playing but I'm making sure I fulfil my responsibilities. Everybody knows I've been through some difficult times but I managed to pull myself together, and here I am in charge of the Argentina team. It's a dream come true.

Is it tougher than you expected?
It's tough for the reasons I've just mentioned. You're always on the phone, trying to find out how the players are. Every day I meet with the coaching staff to find out how (Lionel) Messi, (Sergio) Aguero, Maxi Rodriguez and everyone have been doing in training, to see if Jonas Gutierrez has been playing. It's more about logistics than actually watching them, but that's just the way things are. I know for sure that the Brazil game will be the key to qualification. Then we're off to Paraguay, where we've also got a great chance of winning. God willing, I'll have them all together for 20 days before the World Cup and that's when we'll lay the ground work to give ourselves the best possible chance of becoming world champions.

Let's look back at your time in charge. How many interviews have you given since taking over?
A lot. But I try not to go on too many programmes. A coach has to know when to be seen. Just because I'm Maradona and the national coach doesn't mean I have to be everywhere and please everyone. The players are the real stars. They're the ones who should come out and do the talking.

Are there any particular questions you get tired of hearing?
When are we going to see Maradona's influence on the team? It's totally unfair to expect to see the Maradona style when I only get the guys together two days before each game. You have to make the most of what you have, and do and undo things in three days flat. The players travel a long way and they need time to relax and stretch their legs. You can't do much work with them before a game and I can't give them double training sessions. They'd be destroyed if I did that. I just try to get things through to them bit by bit and I see myself as more of a coach than a technical director.

What about the things you have not been asked but which are important to you?
The togetherness of the team. We had a terrible result in Bolivia and they stuck together. Whenever you lose like that there are always a few players who blame each other, but the opposite happened here. We got even stronger as a team, we had a meeting on the plane and took heart from that. We played a great game in Ecuador and should have been two goals up in the first half. We let that chance slip and I hope we don't do the same against Brazil.

Is it true you wake up at night with ideas in your head and have to write them down?
Yes, it is. Free-kicks, corner kicks, etc. For example, I want the team to press a lot more up front, to compress the space between defence, midfield and attack. And when we lose the ball we need to be on top of the other team straightaway. There's one thing Argentina need to make the most of and that's the fact we're much better in possession than anyone. Maybe Brazil have got what we have, but Italy and Germany don't. Perhaps Spain have had it lately too, especially with Xavi, who can lose a couple of guys and put (David) Villa or (Fernando) Torres though. There aren't many more though. If we press hard, there's no escape for opposing sides.

Have you been watching a lot of football?
All the time.

Who have you seen recently? Has anyone surprised you?
No one's surprised me really. Teams are the way they are. Milan are struggling, Inter have kept it together, Madrid are going to change a lot with Kaka. He's going to give them an extra dimension, though I don't understand why (Fernando) Gago's not been playing. They should play him but he's still one of my first-choice players all the same. I've also seen my friend Ciro Ferrara's Juventus side. They're doing well, playing a typically Italian game: really tight catenaccio at the back, then they give it to (Alessandro) Del Piero and he spreads it about. As for our guys, (Diego) Milito looks to me to be in great form and El Kun (Sergio Aguero) too.

And Messi?
I haven't seen him lately. I tried to call him but it's easier talking to Obama than Lio (laughs). I've heard he's having a good pre-season and that's great to know.

Are there any players who have surprised you recently?
Felipe Melo has been a great find for Brazil and Hulk of Porto has also made a big impact. I'm intrigued by Ronaldinho too. He's looking fit again but he's lost that explosive power he had. I'd love to see him do his feints again and get away from people. I hope he gets that back, but only after he plays us of course.

Let's talk about Maradona the man now. What is the worst thing that has ever happened to you?
The worst has already happened (pauses). I was at the bottom of the sea and my daughters pulled me out. I can get up every day now and that's an achievement when you consider that I used to go three whole days either awake or asleep. Seeing my grandson is like touching the sky. Everything else pales in comparison. It's like a penalty, a free-kick. Nothing compares to that.

And the best?
The best was reacting to it, drawing on adversity to reinvent myself as a person. I'm not saying I want to defeat adversity but when I come up against a situation, I fight as hard as I can to overcome it. I'm still in one piece today and I'm ready for whatever life has to throw at me.

You must have some amazing stories to tell. What is the most incredible situation you have found yourself in?
The craziest thing was showing Fidel Castro how I took penalties. I said to him, ‘I look at the goalkeeper. If I commit before the keeper, he saves it. If the keeper commits before me, I'll just put it on the other side.' Fidel was moving all the chairs around and he said, ‘Come on, take a penalty against me. Show me.' They brought a ball and I said, ‘This is the goal, right? You stand there, in the middle.' Just imagine. Me taking a penalty against Fidel Castro? It's crazy!

He just stood there and I scored. He kept on asking me questions after that; where I put my foot and things like that. ‘It just happens, maestro,' I told him. He came back and said it was easy, that it was just a matter of watching the keeper and that one day we'd practise penalties on a proper pitch. There he was, the guy, a real baseball fan and he picked it up straightaway. Just like that. After that we just sat there for hours talking about politics. Six or seven hours easily. I killed myself laughing with him. He's a living legend and there's no one in the world with his charisma. No one, not even the Pope!

The World Cup must be a dream for you.
Yes, and meeting Mandela too. I saw the other day that he's turned 91. I always wanted to meet him but never could because something always came up here. I hope I can some time.

Maybe at the draw in December?
Possibly, but maybe we'll go earlier to see where we'll be staying. I'd love to.

Is the FIFA World Cup™ an obsession?
The World Cup wouldn't be the same without Argentina. It would be colourless.

You sound very sure about qualifying.
I'm absolutely sure. If I weren't, I wouldn't be talking to you now.

Do you remember the first time you saw the Trophy?
Of course. I saw it in some photos. When we beat Germany I was able to touch it and kiss it (pauses). We'd waited all those days at the training camp, thought about it so much, and there I was with my hands on it. It makes you so proud. It's the most beautiful thing. I tell the players that 30 days of sacrifice just to kiss that cup is nothing in a man's life. It's like touching the sky.

You have already said you know what it takes to win it.
I won it once and finished runner-up too. I was a runner-up in Rome against all expectations. Everyone said Brazil would beat us and we knocked them out. Everyone said Italy would beat us and we knocked them out too and got to the final. I always say you need luck in the World Cup, but you need to give luck a helping hand too. We had a lot of injuries in 1990 but my players know very well how to look after themselves.

It's 30 intense days. You're fully focused, thinking about nothing but the World Cup. And that's what I'm aiming for. I've been at World Cups, I've played in two finals and I know how to get there, how to handle the group, how to coach them. I know what to say to them. I know what I'm talking about. I didn't come eighth or ninth and it didn't happen to me just like that. I know something about all this.

According to your team-mates in 1986 you would not let go of the trophy after the Final.
That's right. I didn't let go of it much. We couldn't do a lap of honour at the Azteca. We tried but we couldn't. When we got back to America's training centre, where we were staying, I took the cup down to the ground and we did the lap of honour there, just on our own with our families by the side of the pitch.

You will be holding on to it if you win in 2010 as well I suppose?
No. Masche (Javier Mascherano) will have that honour. And he won't want to let go either. Mark my words. He'll be doing the same thing....[source]

Ask Diego Simeone

Diego Simeone was a leader and a winner. The combative midfielder made a mark with both Argentina and the many clubs he played during a distinguished career. And since embarking on a new role as coach, Simeone has continued to demonstrate the same attributes that made him a respected figure in his playing days.

The road to greatness
Nicknamed El Cholo, Simeone was born in Buenos Aires in 1970 and made his debut in first division Velez Sarsfield of Argentina for 17 years. The boy showed a lot of character and commitment as he served notice of his ball-winning skills, quickly establishing itself as a key member of the midfield...[source]

Gone but not forgotten

Some players become an integral part of the football scene that seem almost irreplaceable when announcing his retirement from the game. With a new season in the league about to start, FIFA.com looks at the big names will not be honored on this stage next year, leaving a big hole, and some wonderful memories behind them.

Italian Paolo Maldini institution has been around so long that the young people to take in the FIFA U-20 World Cup 2009 in Egypt only a few weeks ago were not even born when he made his debut in Serie A. That was in 1984-85 and 24 in subsequent seasons was AC Milan youth product remained firmly loyal to the Rossoneri, throwing in one another shirt this time around, the blue of his beloved Italy...[source]

FIXTURES AND RESULTS



From 01.07.2009 To 30.09.2009

Russia		-	Argentina
12/08/2009	Moscow		Friendly
Argentina		-	Brazil
05/09/2009	TBA		FIFA World Cup™ Qualifier
Paraguay		-	Argentina
08/09/2009	TBA		FIFA World Cup™ Qualifie