football travels worldwide

Spain February 2012

2012-02-15T02:46:00.002-08:00

A three game long-weekend visit to Spain including seeing Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Santander.

Though not a personal preference eating late sometimes works.
Arriving on an evening Ryanair flight from Stansted into Santander and settling into a hotel by 9.30pm might mean most restaurants are winding down, but not in Spain.

Where the action is just getting started.
So I enjoyed a typical local dinner of fish soup and steak washed down with the obligatory red wine.
Outside it is cold but dry.

11th February Racing Santander 0 Atletico Madrid 0

Earlier I had found an Irish pub to watch some of Man Utd v Liverpool before getting the bus to the El Sardinero.
The stadium is small but neat and reasonably cosy on cold night in northern Spain.

Atletico brought a few groups of fans and they were distributed near to the corners, as were the home ultras.

Atletico dominated the match but either failed with the final ball or the ultimate shot, a couple of times hitting the post.
When they did break through the home goalie, Tono, stopped everything.

How coach Diego Simeone might wish he had a Forlan or Aguero to convert the chances.
The result left Racing in the bottom three and Atletico in sixth.

I got the bus back to the centre and saw Barcelona lose to Osasuna on the hotel TV.

Madrid.

I took the early morning train from Santander to Madrid. Slow at first it got up to 250 km/hour on the stretch between Valladolid and Madrid.

12th February Rayo Vallecano 2 Getafe 0

A touch of Argentina ?
A 3 sided ground with apartment blocks behind advertising hoardings at one end and a decent group of flag waving ultras (for Spain) behind the other goal.

Rayo’s shirts could even be reminiscent of River Plate.

But I don’t remember anywhere in Buenos Aires having such a bitter wind blowing across the ground.

Getafe never really threatened not helped by having a man sent off in the second half.

Rayo scored one in each period and were convincing winners.

Real Madrid 4 Levante 2

My second visit to the Santiago Bernabeu and, from my seat in the central region, it looks as awesome as ever.
Somehow the five main levels and the steep sides and the colour perhaps make it more magnificent than (say) Wembley or indeed the Camp Nou.

But how they could benefit from magically transferring the ‘Imperial Guard’ or for that matter most other ultra groups from Argentina to make some serious noise.

Like at many European top clubs the fans wait to be entertained before warming up.

And we needed warming up - the roof heaters only barely doing their job.

In the end the game was another Cristiano Ronaldo masterclass.
But not before Levante had taken an early lead from a free kick.

Somehow you knew the relentless Real attacking would prevail, aided by the effortless passing of Alonso and the midfield skills of Ozil and Granero.

A CR7 penalty, header and a superb right foot strike did the business.
Although Arouna Kone of the Ivory Coast did head in a second consolation for the visitors.

Benzema curled in a fine fourth and after that Real contained any fightback from by now ten-man Levante.

Outside I found a metro station and was back at the hotel by 00.15.

Despite not having the strength in depth of the Premier League when you see either Real Madrid or Barcelona in the Spanish League it feels like a privilege to watch exceptional teams.
And exceptional goalscorers - Cristiano has scored 27 goals in 22 league games and Real themselves 75 goals in total.

more pictures at http://www.photobox.co.uk/album/1138978862

Africa Cup of Nations 2012

2012-02-10T02:22:00.000-08:00

Africa Cup of Nations 2012 in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea.

Keep Calm.

Most visits to West Africa are best done in a state of calm.

Even before getting to Gabon and Equatorial Guinea patience and persistence are needed to get a visa.
In the end for your correspondent a Gabon visa proved fairly straightforward as long as you were willing to pay up front for a high-end hotel.
For Equatorial Guinea, despite promises of a joint visa being available in London, it never happened.

But on arrival in Libreville, following a delayed flight via Nairobi (caused by an overloaded plane), I was fortunate to get the combined 45-day ‘tournament’ visa fairly quickly with help from one of the organisers.

Arriving a couple of days before the start of the Africa Cup of Nations I got settled in Le Meridien hotel in Libreville.
Located near the sea with good facilities (but no beach to speak of) and prices to match the hotel hosted many CAF visitors and media personnel.
It also had an ATM that was usually functional, an essential feature in countries that mostly deal in cash only.

After travelling for about 24 hours I needed an early night so after one beer I went to a nearby Chinese restaurant for a decent sweet and sour plus a small pichet of red wine.

The next morning I took a shared taxi, joined by a guy from Niger who was going to the airport, to the stadium.

Some of the Stade de Angondje looked far from finished with the surroundings and access roads being worked on plus the interior of the stadium still needed substantial finishing.
With three days to there was plenty to do.

But I guess with some strategic blocking-off of certain areas and lots of work it was just about ready for the first Gabon game.

The stadium is in a modern Chinese built style with two large sides, curved roofs and two much smaller open ends. Not my favourite style of football stadium.
It is maybe 15 minutes or so from the airport which was as much as an hour from my hotel depending on the traffic.

Libreville.

23rd January 5pm Gabon 2 Niger 0

The first game of the tournament for me and the opening game in the new stadium.
Many fans had begun walking from near the centre at around 11am, for the late afternoon kick-off.

It was hot and humid and the traffic was typically dire.

Newcomers Niger had a couple of small groups of fans behind the right hand goal but as you would expect most were supporting the Panthers.

And it was the locals who went home happy as their team scored twice, both involving star man Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
He headed in the first at the far post and Nguema scored the second from close range after a Aubameyang header was parried.
Niger were limited, only having a few chances and some below standard players.

So it was a fairly easy start for the co-hosts.

8pm Morocco 1 Tunisia 2

The stadium was now about one quarter full for the 2nd game to see the Tunisians win this North African derby.
They had much less possession as Morocco attacked but failed to take their chances,Tunisia proving more clinical.

The game did have a hectic finish with Morocco getting one back and imposing late pressure.
But Tunisia held on having played a smart game in a watchable match.

Most of the traffic had dispersed & I walked up to the first roundabout, picked up a minibus to the airport and then a taxi to my hotel.

There was plenty of time for a beer before getting another taxi to the airport for the red eye, 3.50am, flight to Malabo in Equatorial Guinea.

Equatorial Guinea.

I arrived at about 5am and experienced the expected delay in getting into the country.
But with my passport stamped I got a ride into town to try to find a hotel.

‘Luckily’ I could get into the Tropicana, albeit for a price (£100 per night)

Malabo does have some pleasant colonial style buildings near to the port and a comfortable Sofitel hotel next to an attractive cathedral.
As you stroll around you can see the tropical forest in the distance.

Unusually, and uniquely for Africa, the first language is Spanish although many people also speak French and some English.

In the evening many visitors and football fans adjourned to the downtown Candy restaurant - I joined them.

Next morning another early 5am start to get the CEIBA flight from Malabo to Bata.

This time in the front seat of the taxi was a lady of the night having just finished her work.
We drove off down a bumpy, narrow track to her ‘house’ and (it did cross my mind about the possible danger) thankfully back again towards the airport.

This being Equatorial Guinea we had to go through visa checks, picture taking and fingerprinting even though we’re not leaving the country. For many, even the locals, moving around the country can be difficult.

Bata is the major mainland city and it certainly had many more police around as you pass from the airport through to the centre.

Having tried some hotel options along the way I settled for the ´Mister Bed´lookalike Federacione Hotel next to the stadium, paying the usual c.£100 a night.

At least Bata and Malabo were cooler than humid Libreville.

Bata.

My pre-game meal was an expensive salad followed by a stroll to the stadium.

I was inside when a torrential tropical downpour meant we had over an hour delay as they attempted to remove the water from the pitch.
For a while it seemed that a cancellation was possible.

25th January 6.15pm Libya 2 Zambia 2

Considering the difficult conditions - there were large patches of standing water - this was a very entertaining game.

Libya scored early in each half and each time the Zambians replied.
The North Africans, with less possession, did well to convert their fewer chances and showed spirit to get their first point.

9.15pm Equatorial Guinea 2 Senegal 1

By now the pitch though not really great, had got back to a decent state.

And what a night we had as the crowd rushed in (free entry for many I think) to pack the stands in what is a better, symmetric and atmospheric football stadium.

This was quite an upset as the lowly ranked co-hosts beat one of the favourites with a very late winner rifled in by defender Kily Alvarez.

Before that the Nzalang Nacional had generally restricted the much vaunted Senegal forward line.
Ba missed a very good chance but the unusual conditions did make it a more even contest.

Equatorial Guinea took the lead when Randy headed in a cross but Moussa Sow forced in a late equaliser and it looked like a still very creditable draw was on the cards.

Until the fourth minute of added time when Kily struck to send the crowd into raptures.
There were a few friendly incursions on the pitch but nothing serious.

Amazingly Senegal were out and Equatorial Guinea were assured of a place in the quarter finals.

No doubt all of the country was celebrating a great, unexpected victory.

I sampled too many beers with friends as the fans walked away, down the only exit from the stadium, many dancing as they went.

What started as a possible postponement finished with a exceptional night to remember in Bata.

Malabo.

Another fairly early morning CEIBA flight from Bata over to Bioko Island and a return to Malabo.
This time the experience was more chaotic due to the poor organisation (we were not given any boarding passes) and a crowded plane.
In the end I think everyone made it.

Back in the Tropicana Hotel I rested, had a sandwich for lunch and had a chat with an ex-pat. oil worker.

26th January 5pm Sudan 2 Angola 2

The Malabo stadium is by far the smallest of the venues and only a few thousand witnessed this entertaining encounter between the favoured Angolans and a decent Sudanese team.

Ex-Manchester Utd forward Manucho scored twice, the second a penalty, but each time Mohamed Bashir equalised for a side that comprised only locally based players.

It was a good effort by Sudan and the result would help their unexpected progress to the quarter finals.

8pm Ivory Coast 2 Burkina Faso 0

The crowd had built to around 5,000 to see the Nations Cup favourites, Ivory Coast, beat the Burkinabe with a strike from Salomon Kalou and an own goal.

The Elephants, with Didier Drogba winning headers, did enough and they moved efficiently into the last eight.
I managed to sample the hospitality which included chicken and, a first for me, antelope.

The Ivorians had a reasonable number of fans and I strolled back with them towards the centre.
As usual it was hot but downhill to the hotel - a small bottle of red meant a better night’s sleep.

Gabon.

A less chaotic flight back to Libreville this time and a return to my hotel in the Glass quarter of the city, near to the Le Meridien but a lot less pricey.

27th January 5pm Niger 1 Tunisia 2

A low key start to a magical night in Libreville.

The Tunisian goalie gifted the lowly rated Niger team an equaliser after Msakni had waltzed through for the opener.
But the Carthage Eagles secured the victory with a late goal.

8pm Gabon 3 Morocco 2

By kick-off the crowd had grown to near capacity for the second Gabon match.

Nobody who was there will forget the drama that was to follow.

Gabon started fairly cautiously going behind when Hossine Kharja was given too much space.

Then we had a long period of relative calm before the last fifteen minutes when the mayhem unfolded.
Firstly star striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang headed in at the far post then a couple of minutes later the experienced Daniel Cousin turned and shot in for 2-1.
The noise went from loud to deafening.

The announcer pleaded with the fans to 'keep calm'.

Some fans ran onto the pitch.

But as if a switch had been turned silence ensued when Morocco were given and scored a penalty in added time.
Even then the Gabonese were not to be denied when, in the seventh minute of injury time, Bruno Zito Mbanangoye of Dinamo Minsk executed a Beckham-like free-kick to send everyone back into ecstasy.

I left soon after and joined the large numbers of locals, shouting and celebrating as they went, in the chaos outside.
Amongst the many minibuses I managed to share a seat for an uncomfortable but thrilling ride back to the centre of town.
Along the way the locals, including the many police, came out to enjoy a special victory.

Back at my hotel I calmed down with some wine while trying to converse in schoolboy french, outside the noise continued.

Franceville.

Fortunately my flight was not until 12.30 so I could enjoy a good nights sleep, helped by the earplugs.
This was a charter trip organised by COCAN with Lithuanian staff.
And everything went to schedule.

I had made a reservation for the Mbaya hotel and after some tribulations got there, via the stadium, in good time.
The hotel was a new complex (including a training pitch) designed originally for one of the teams and although not everything worked 100% it was quiet and comfortable.

28th January 5pm Guinea 6 Botswana 1

The stadium is a mix of central VIP and media areas with larger partly covered ends.
A large part of the local population could fit into the c. 25,000 capacity and it was never full.

This match was a bad day at the office for Botswana playing in their first Cup of Nations finals.

It didn’t help that they had a man sent off just before half time.
But by then they were already well beaten with just a twice taken penalty as compensation.

Two late goals sealed their fate.
Guinea had a lively group of fans with the requisite drums behind one of the goals.

8pm Ghana 2 Mali 0

The crowd did increase, to around 7,000, to see the well established Ghana team score two fine goals.
Asamoah Gyan from a free-kick and Andre Ayew with a dribble and left foot shot did the business for the Black Stars.

The next day I arranged a driver and English speaking help to see some of the tourist sites in the nearby area.
We visited the rope bridge and the, inevitably, Chinese hydro project at Poubara.
Plus we saw some of the traditional pygmy houses along the way.

The countryside was undulating and somewhat like Europe except for the dwellings and the people.
I did notice that some of the pygmy are getting bigger especially the one who chased us when I took a picture when I shouldn’t have done.

We were also able to visit Bongoville and the Bongoville Hotel, the base for the Gabon players.
We had a tour around the impressive but well guarded facilities.

On the way back we stopped at the train station where the car gave out giving me time to check the Franceville - Libreville timetable.
I’d been given various, differing information as to the schedule and was none the wiser as the only timetable posted was from 2011. I would have taken a day train, to see more of the country, but had to conclude that they had only night trains.

Eventually the car relented and we made it back to the hotel

Franceville is certainly well spread out with a centre comprising the usual market and a statue of ex-president Bongo.
As with most of Gabon it is the scenery and wildlife that entices the visitor, apart from the odd football tournament of course.

That and the friendliness of the locals, one of whom gave me lift in his 4 x 4 as I was going into town.
He asked if we could stop as he wanted to greet his uncle. No problem and after a short interval I was invited in to share some lunch with his uncle, his wife and other cousins.

Home grown food from his farm, wine and brandy - some hospitality from someone who turned out to be a local notable.

31st January 7pm Gabon 1 Tunisia 0

The biggest ever night for football in Franceville with the president attending as he had done for all the Gabon fixtures.
And as always it was a holiday whenever Gabon played.

Franceville is an even poorer region than Libreville so many would struggle to afford the 5,000 cfa or 10,000 cfa (£6 - £12) prices for tickets.

So I thought the 22,000 who attended on a cool night was a decent effort. The noise was nothing like that in Libreville but they did enjoy themselves.

Again it was the Cousin and Aubameyang combination that decided the result.
Tunisia, with many players rested, battled away near the end but Gabon held on to take first place in the group.

I took the minibus, in convoy, to the airport for the charter flight back to Libreville.
Some others where seeing off the Gabon players for their flight to the capital.

There was a typical scramble to get on the plane but again I think everyone managed to do so.

Fortunately they had kept my room available in my Libreville hotel so I could relax and chat to some Algerian reporters until about 1am.

Libreville.

1st February 7pm Mali 2 Botswana 1

After a stormy night of wind and rain the day dawned hot and humid for my final game.

At least there was a good few thousand Mali fans to give the match a decent atmosphere.

Those fans would eventually celebrate qualification for the next phase despite going a goal down when a Botswana counter attack saw Ngele convert a cross.

Barcelona midfielder Seydou Keita scored the classy winner with about fifteen minutes remaining.

I was back near the hotel in time for a final Chinese meal and some wine.

The next day my trip home was again via Nairobi this time accompanied by the Botswana players as they belatedly joined the flight.
Their fans, many female, were also on the flight and you could imagine many of them in the Botswana No.1 Detective Agency.

We arrived late into Nairobi (far from the most comfortable airport terminal) not that it mattered as I had about a four hour transit before the flight to London.
Eventually arriving into Heathrow at 7am I had adjust to a 30 degree difference in temperature.

Postscript.

Gabon and Equatorial Guinea are countries few people visit unless you are in the oil business and so the opportunity to go there, albeit at a price, to see some football was a rare experience.

Both countries can offer exceptional scenery and wildlife that I saw only briefly.

But to be present at two particularly dramatic matches involving the host countries in Bata and Libreville made this tournament special.
As usual there were mistakes and some wild shooting but every game had at least one goal and nearly all were closely fought.

The logistics were a mix of some chaos and serenity but there were always a plethora of volunteers, many able to speak English, to help you along the way.

And as ever at these tournaments you meet people from all over Africa, all passionate about football.

So to conclude not many people stayed calm in Bata and Libreville on those special nights and not many will ever forget the joy they experienced.

more pictures can be viewed at http://www.photobox.co.uk/album/1125916419

Spain December 2011

2011-12-08T04:48:00.000-08:00

A three game visit to southern Spain including seeing Granada defeat Real Zaragoza in La Liga.

Elche 3 Barcelona II 0 9,487

Elche have a good sized two-tier stadium decked out in the club colours of green and white.
For this match against Barca ‘reserves’ there was a reasonable turnout to fill most of the lower tiers.

Actually it was more Barcelona lite than regular Barcelona as they struggled to create chances despite the inevitable well honed passing game that no doubt pervades every level of the Catalan club.

Two strikes from Danish forward Bille Nielsen and a neat left footed free kick from full back Edu Albacar and Elche had it done by half time.
The home side were ultimately stronger and more direct than the visitors.

The result meant Elche moved up to second in the Segunda league.

I strolled back to my hotel and chose a substantial Asian buffet whilst watching Spain play Argentina in the Davis Cup.

Ejido 0 Melilla 2 300

Ejido are rock bottom of their group in Segunba B (3rd level) and they had a hard time making progress against a solid Melilla defence.
The away team had scored early after a defensive error and they added a header just before the break - both scored by the useful striker no.9, Chota.

This early kickoff was played in bright sunny conditions though it did get cooler later as I watched from the main stand (with views to the mountains)

The ground has open seating opposite and at one end, where there were a couple of small local ultra groups.
The ‘African’ visitors did have some support and Ejido were particularly egged-on by an elderly cheerleader who constantly berated the officials, all to no avail.

So I drove on towards Granada.

Granada 1 Real Zaragoza 0 22,000

I had planned to see three games on this Sunday but due to some rental car trouble going over the Sierra Nevadas I never made it to my planned second game, at Jaen.
Instead I settled for a double with the late game in Granada.

Where the home side secured an important win against one of their fellow strugglers.

Nigerian Ighalo scored the winner from close range just before the break after a period of home dominance.
The visitors did sustain some late pressure giving the home side, and their fans, some concerns but Granada held on for the three points.

It left Zaragoza bottom of La Liga but judging by this game both teams may well struggle during the rest of the season.

The home supporters, in what seemed like a sellout crowd, provided decent noise led by a couple of ultras groups.

The ground itself does somewhat resemble a real life subbuteo stadium with its three smallish tiers plus the addition of temporary looking filled-in corners.
However it is fairly cosy, at least in the ‘main stand’ which helped on a cold December night in Granada.

Tired after a late finish I had an early night.

more pictures at http://pod46.photobox.com/album/1023703422

Brazil October/November 2011

2011-11-11T10:10:00.000-08:00

Seven games in Brazil including the Recife derby, a great game in Bahia and a Serie D match in Juiz de Fora.

Hot & steamy Recife.

Nautico 2 Sport Recife 0 17,164

A typically breathless local derby played in the Aflitos stadium.

The match not only satisfied local pride for the ecstatic home fans, it also helped to move Nautico towards Serie A and dented the hopes of Sport doing the same.

Two first half goals, the second an excellent solo run and shot, did it assisted by a red card for a Sport defender in the second half.
The game was always frenetic despite the hot weather.

Another feature was some long range shooting some by the dangerous Sport no.10.

The compact stadium is surrounded by apartment blocks from which numbers of fans watched the game.
Most of the home ultras were at the right hand end with around 800 or so away fans in a section to the left.

According to the local paper there were over 900 police keeping order - which went off OK as far as I could tell bar the chanting and fireworks.
So the red and whites beat the red and blacks - N A U T I C O.

I took a taxi back to my hotel in Boa Viagem and enjoyed some beer and steak near the beach.

Cool and rainy Curitiba.

Coritiba 3 America (MG) 1 10,962

My third visit to a stadium in Curitiba and each of the three is worth seeing.

Atletico´s being a rareish example of a European style ground in Brazil and a location for 2014 World Cup games.
Parana´s home, near the old railway station, was a location for 1950 World Cup games.
And the Couto Periera with its mix of three tiers and a smaller side suitably decked out in dark green is another worth visiting.

The match started well enough for bottom of the table America, backed by a handful of fans, as the speedy Kempes shot home left footed.
But soon after Coritiba equalised and they went ahead with an excellent move finished by Davi and involving the useful Marcos Aurelio.

It was a particularly torrid evening for the away defenders as they tried to control the tricky home winger Rafinha who had scored the first and was a constant threat.
He effectively caused the sending off of defender Gilson later in the 2nd half.

A header from a corner sealed a comfortable win for the home side and left America further adrift as the Serie A lanterna.

The match was played in cool rainy conditions in quite a contrast to Recife.

Via Florianopolis to Criciuma.

Tigrish.

Criciuma 1 Portuguesa 1 9,535

Portuguesa would have a little longer before being crowned Serie B champions after being held to a draw by Criciuma.
They brought 50 or so fans from Sao Paulo who made the longish journey south (not quite comparable with the 30,000+ Corinthians fans expected to make a similar length of trip to watch their team play America (MG) in Uberlandia the next weekend)

The visitors started slowly giving possession to the home side straight from the kick-off.
Soon after Criciuma scored from a corner and their speedy forwards went hard at the league leaders.

It took Portuguesa about 20 minutes to begin to take control going very close near the end of the first period.
About half way through the second 45 minutes they equalised, sub.Cleiton poking home a left wing cross.

Then we had a pulsating finish as the Criciuma Tigers poured forward in the last few minutes playing with maybe five strikers and a ´rush goalie´.

They had missed a number of chances to win and despite the late scrambles just failed to get the decider.
The atmosphere was also excellent, reminiscent of Argentina, in a European style, rectangular, covered stadium.

I walked back to my hotel and enjoyed a bottle of vinho tinto whilst watching some Copa Sudamericana on TV.

Late.

Vitoria 5 Salgueiro 1 26,216

From Coritiba back to Florianopolis then a flight, via Sao Paulo, to Salvador.

Where I revisited the Barradao to see Vitoria move up into the Serie B top four.

They never had much trouble with about to be relegated Salgueiro who only had a near post header just before half time as consolation.

The stadium is certainly one of the harder places to get to particularly on a busy Friday night.

I started out allowing plenty of time but the combination of the first taxi driver taking me in the wrong direction and the second being stuck in horrendous traffic pretty much the whole way made it a frustrating evening.
As you near the stadium the roads become increasingly potholed, narrower and jammed with cars.

I finally made to the stadium by about 8.35 (for a 8.30 kick-off) but with hundreds outside I didn´t make inside until about ten minutes later, by then Vitoria were two up.

However once there the stadium, being a natural amphitheatre, together with their excellent ultras makes it a superb atmosphere.

I did see Vitoria score their third and two more in the second half against a well beaten visiting side.
The crowd, a season record for Vitoria, were allowed into the away section as Salgueiro (a very small club) only seemed to have a few directors as supporters.

At the end I managed to work my way out the ground and after a struggle got a taxi back to Rio Vermelho were some beer and chicken and chips helped me to relax.

Fantastic.

Bahia 4 Sao Paulo 3 31,230

In this one Bahia, the other main team in Salvador, came back from 3-1 down for a famous victory against one of the big teams in the Brazilian league.

And how the fans enjoyed the experience.

Sao Paulo scored two picture book goals, first Wellington lobs it over a defender and volleys in for 1-0. Then the excellent Lucas slams in a 25 yarder.

But in the second half, with sub Junior making a difference, a spirited Bahia team came back to deny the big names.
Coach Joel Santana whose other substitutions were criticised by the fans was completely vindicated.
The result may have been different without some great saves by the home goalie particularly from a Luis Fabiano effort.

Bahia scored from left wing moves to get them back to 3-3 and an own goal by an Sao Paulo defender deflecting in another cross with ten minutes left took most of the crowd into delirium.

This time my travels went well albeit on a quieter Saturday in Salvador as I arrrived about two hours before the 7pm kick off.
So I was able to sample the atmosphere outside and when seated amongst the socios watched the fans arrive.
The ground is three sided, horseshoe shaped, with views to the Pitaucu wilderness beyond the right hand goal (with its elevated scoreboard)

The rest of the ground is mostly open terracing with the well supported away contingent in part of the side opposite.
Though the atmosphere was dampened by the visitors scoring first it had become ecstatic by the end.

I negotiated a quick exit and got a taxi back to the hotel for some red wine and an early night.

As I had a 4am start to get my flight to Rio.

Easy.

Tupi (MG) 3 Oeste (SP) 1 7,416

This was a Serie D semi-final 2nd leg with Tupi 3-0 up from the first encounter.

And the home side went further in front on a very bumpy pitch after about 14 minutes as they cut through the Oeste defence with ease.
A similar strike folllowed on the half hour and that was pretty much it.

A third involving a nice move and cross from the right - put home by the no.9 had the outcome decided by half time.
A very limited and demoralised Oeste just had a header from a corner as consolation.

I´d arrived early enough to sample some local wine in a pleasant restaurant close to the stadium overlooking the valley below.
The ground, in a wooded area, is substantial and again 3-sided with massive curved terracing.

So plenty of room for the best crowd of the year with no away fans visible.

Many of the home fans were listening to Serie A games on their radios - highlighted by the cheers as the Flamengo goals went in.
The city clearly has many Rio club fans judging by the number of Flamengo/Fluminense and Vasco shirts being worn and there is also a Fla fan shop.

So a lower key game especially given the score but it was another large Brazilian stadium to admire.

Back in the centre of Juiz de Fora I had a couple of beers, a salad and a churro.
The locals mingled amongst the street vendors.

Juiz de Fora is a 3 hour bus ride from Rio through some stunning scenery with superb views of the wooded mountains and valleys.
The central area of the city feels friendly and vibrant (though not so much on a Sunday evening)

As always outside of the centre there are the ever present favelas dotted around the valley and you see the odd person sleeping on the street.

During a free day I visited the small but well laid out railway museum connected to the impressive old station noting that they had more passenger trains through here in the 19th century than in the 21st (none so far)

Deserted.

Duque de Caxias (RJ) 1 Vila Nova (GO) 1 72

This match was played in Volta Redonda - a city that probably doesn’t see many tourists having a massive industrial complex right in the centre of town.

And it doesn’t attract many spectators for lodgers Duque de Caxias’ games either.

The medium sized ground, with Volta Redondo picked out in black along the side, is fairly modern with a covered main stand and partial cover opposite.

The visitors did bring a small group of fans and they cheered as their team went ahead early in the second half via a far post header.
With the home side getting a man sent off it looked like an away win but Duque fought back and eventually equalised from a penalty with about fifteen minutes left.
They had by far the best player on show - the speedy right wing back (no.2)

Despite having Ben Hur and John Lennon in their lineup Vila Nova had to settle for a draw and relegation to Serie C.
Duque de Caxias had long since been confirmed as demoted.

So a surreal ending to my trip

I took the bus, a two hour ride again through impressive scenery, to Rio and eventually the flight home to London.

Overall I enjoyed some exciting games in mostly great atmospheres played out in some interesting stadiums.
As long as you can cope with the transport infrastructure, the crowded cities and few people speaking English compensated by the hot weather (I guess) Brazil delivers.

more pictures at http://www.photobox.co.uk/album/979299244

Rubin Kazan v Spartak Moscow October 2011

2011-10-19T07:35:00.000-07:00

Rubin Kazan 3 Spartak Moscow 0.

16th October 2011 23,650. Russian Premier.

Red buses, pubs and the Premier League on TV - it could be London but it is really the Republic of Tatarstan.

Kazan is 700km east from Moscow, an hour or so by plane, but its just up the road in this massive country.
And many fans from Moscow made the journey, lots seemingly for the first time.
Like me they spent time photographing the very impressive Kremlin with its mosques, towers and walls.

The Spartak red scarves thronged the main pedestrianised street with its mixture of part-demolished and newer buildings.

A fifteen minute stroll up the road was the Central stadium where the 4,000 or so away fans filled a large part of the left hand end of the ground.
They produced plenty of noise but their team failed to deliver much in return.

After a fairly cagey first half of few chances Rubin came out with more purpose in the second period and scored early through the excellent Ecuadorean Christian Noboa.
Ryazantsev added another soon after and Spartak got into more trouble when Nigerian striker Emenike was given a second yellow.

The Moscow side never looked like getting back into it and a deflected shot cum cross by Bibras Natcho in added time sealed their fate, much to the locals delight.

Rubin were in good form based on a solid defence and strong midfield but whether they will do as well against the likes of Tottenham in the Champions League only time will tell.

For Spartak the likes of Aiden McGeady and the Brazilian Welliton couldn’t produce much to endanger the home goal.

The atmosphere was enhanced by flares and smoke from both sets of ultras and in the city centre the fans seemed to get along OK, watched by the local police.

Afterwards I settled for a kebab served, in an overstaffed restaurant, by girls who would not have been out of place on a catwalk.

Most of the Spartak fans drank their beer and hung around McDonalds.
Some were still enjoying Grolsch in the airport prior to the 9.55 flight back to the capital.

As you would expect in Russia at this time of year the weather was not warm, especially when facing the wind, but Kazan is definitely worth a visit.

Back In Moscow, amongst the huddled masses, I travelled the metro to Arbat, visited Red Square and the impressive National Historical Museum (everything from mention of Bronze Age communes through relics from Napoleon’s 1812 visit to pictures of Brezhnev and Stalin)

Maybe Russia itself is becoming more inviting (once you have a visa and can afford the hotel prices) for visitors as the younger generation takes over more of the customer service - more inviting but not necessarily better or more informed.
However the security stays in evidence though perhaps more relaxed than previously.

Quite what it’ll be like in (say) 2018 is open to question with still few concessions to signage in English or indeed not that many people speaking any language other than Russian.

But the fascination remains with this visitor, of being in a vast, powerful and hedonistic country.

More pictures at http://www.photobox.co.uk/album/942755232

Montenegro, Germany and Croatia October 2011

2011-10-10T04:03:00.000-07:00

Three games starting in Germany, from there to Montenegro and ending in Croatia.

Early Worms late Kickers.

Stuttgarter Kickers 1 Wormatia Worms 1 2,360.

Limited options on the way to Montenegro for the England game so I chose this Regionalliga (4th level) game in Stuttgart.

As it happened I had seen the Kickers play at the Neckar stadium some years ago when they were, briefly, in the Bundesliga

Their regular home is in the south of the city, easily accessible by U-bahn, and comprises medium sized terracing with one stand of seating.

The visitors brought about 50 fans and they were placed at the right hand end.

The weather was warm and dry and the pitch looked good.

Worms started well and scored after five minutes when Toch shot in from a corner routine.
As time went on the very young home side (oldest player - 24) passed the ball reasonably well and edged the possession without making many chances.

The best hope for the Kickers always seemed to be from a set play and so it proved when they equalised, via a header from a corner, in added time.

By then it was nine men versus ten as three had been sent off, two for a scuffle in the second period. That was when Worms had begun to frustrate with their apparent ‘injuries’.

I then travelled via Cologne/Bonn to Dubrovnik and on by car to Podgorica.

Rooney sees red.

Montenegro 2 England 2 15,000

And so we qualified for the Euros, as did Montenegro after Switzerland lost to Wales.

But the Montenegrins certainly enjoyed it more than we did with a pitch invasion and a celebration with some of their own players.

We came away looking somewhat ill prepared to go far in next years finals after losing a two goal lead and having our best attacker, Rooney, sent off.

It had seemed like a routine win after a promising start with an Ashley Young far post header and
a tap-in for Darren Bent.
But a response by Montenegro just before half time and a generally moderate second period performance by England allowed the home side to equalise in the last few minutes.

The rain increased as the match wore on and after the final whistle became torrential.
So this was one time when it was no bad thing to be kept in as the downpour had eased when we were finally let out.

I managed to negotiate my way back to my hotel through the flooded roads to contemplate where we had gone wrong.

As to Podgorica, well the city itself is not blessed with many impressive sites however the surrounding mountain scenery does tend to compensate.

No.21 scores.

Konavljanin 1 Jadran LP 0 c.70

On the Saturday, after the international, I chose a Croatian 3rd level match played in Gruda close to the Montenegrin border.

The basic ground (a few rows of seats and a small covered area for the cameras) is in a picturesque valley within an attractive mountain backdrop.
Unfortunately the valley does get rather windy so it was a cool watch.

The winner was scored by the best player on the pitch, the home sides no.21, a nominal left back who played more as a winger.

Konavljanin had more of the ball although the visitors had some decent chances, one blocked by their own player.
On a very poor pitch it was unlikely to be a classic.

more pictures at http://www.photobox.co.uk/album/929235190

USA & Canada September 2011

2011-09-30T03:59:00.000-07:00

A ten day trip to the USA and Canada to see three football matches, one NFL game in Miami and five baseball games.

Fort Lauderdale Strikers 1 Atlanta Silverbacks 1.

The last home game for the Strikers in the regular season.

On a warm but breezy Florida evening a decent crowd, given as 4,688, assembled at the Lockhart stadium to see the Strikers confirm their place in the NASL (2nd level) play-offs.

The Silverbacks had long since given up any hope of making them being rock bottom for a while.

Although they did look in better shape than when I watched them back in June.
Particularly Nicholas Colaluca who scored their goal with a great run and shot in off the post.

That was in the last minute and it gave the Silverbacks the lead but straight afterwards sub. Garrado crossed for Shriver to slide in the equaliser.

Before all that the Strikers had passed the ball better and created chances - all missed.
In the second half it had been a more even contest culminating in the action in the last few minutes.

The attendance was boosted by a large number of kids who also spent time in the fan park across the road from the ground.

The stadium itself, also home to the old version of the Strikers, comprises lots of open seating of a semi-permanent style.
For this game only one side and one end was open for the fans.

Miami Dolphins 13 Houston Texans 23.

My first ever live NFL game, at the Sun Life stadium in Miami.

I sat next to Bill - I knew his name because the lady who I bought the ticket off (outside the stadium - $50 for a $87 ticket) had told me I would sitting next to him.
Bill helped with some of the nuances and I felt able to appreciate the importance of ‘defense’.

As it turned out the Texans were better at that, and also in attack.

But for a while the home team, under pressure having lost their first game, kept the score fairly close.
They were helped by over 100yds rushing by Daniel Thomas (you could see why these running backs only last about 5 years in the sport)

Then in the final quarter the Texans ran down the clock and easily held on for the win.

By then most of the crowd had left - to negotiate their way past the hundreds of tailgaters.

Overall the experience was certainly noisier than a typical baseball game, with a far larger crowd (51,000) and more razzmatazz.

However the sport itself doesn’t flow as well due to the frequent stoppages.
And sometimes its not easy to see the play partly due to the mass of forwards and also due to the large numbers of people along the sidelines.

Though I might plan to see a few more games it didn’t make me want to watch much live NFL.
Although the college games, also given plenty of prominence on TV, probably offer a better experience, atmosphere and larger crowds.

I’d managed to find somewhere to park outside of the expensive regulated places and fortunately my car hadn’t been towed away when I returned over 3 hours later.
I then found my way back up the I-95 to Fort Lauderdale for some fish & chips plus a frozen margarita in Champps.

In a parallel universe you could see yourself enjoying a Fort Lauderdale lifestyle... the yachts, the
surroundings and the sunshine.

The weather, despite the usual slight possibility of thunderstorms had stayed warm and dry.

Florida Marlins 6 Atlanta Braves 5.

Back to the Sun Life for some baseball and there was quite a transformation as the stadium was
orientated for another sport and there is far less people around.

The official attendance of over 20,000 meant there must been about 10,000 hiding somewhere nearby.

The good news for the fans is that the Marlins will have a new state-of-the-art baseball specific stadium ready for next season.
And it will have a retractable roof - which would have been handy on this evening when the rain started to fall later in the game.
However they played on, perhaps this being Florida they knew it wouldn’t last long (it didn’t)

Though there weren’t many fans to see the actual game it had a dramatic conclusion and
a good number of home runs including two by Stanton of the Marlins.

The Braves had overtaken the Marlins lead when scoring 4 runs in the seventh and it looked like they would prevail.

But with two men out in the bottom of the ninth the home side were about to lose when a Braves fielder failed to hold a drive allowing a runner to get to first base.

Then Omar Infante smashed a two run walk-off homer for the 6-5 win.

The result dented the Braves chances of making a Wild Card spot despite being very well positioned.

At least this time there was not much traffic to negotiate as I drove back to my hotel near to Miami airport.

From Miami via Charlotte to Toronto.

Toronto 1 Tauro (Panama) 0.

Just one goal - a brave header from Dutch striker Danny Koevermans - decided the outcome of this Concacaf Champions League group game.

Toronto had Torsten Frings as sweeper and they edged the first half although the smaller visitors showed better passing skills in the second period, without creating too much.

The BMO field is part of the Toronto exhibition complex and the stadium, open medium sized seating, offers excellent views of the city skyline.

The home ultras amongst the 10,000 mainly congregated at the right hand end whilst there was a handful of away fans including a bull mascot.

I took the streetcar back to my hotel in the Spadina area.

Toronto Blue Jays 2 LA Angels 7.

Back to baseball and a visit to the Toronto Skydome (or Rogers Centre)

The roof was closed to keep out the rain from the 15,000 fans inside.
By chance I sat in the non-drinking section (preferable to the all-you-can-eat area) up on the cheaper 5th level.

The Angels went ahead and added runs at regular intervals with only a single HR and a late run as replies.
The visiting pitcher, Haren, threw for 8 innings before getting hit by a drive.
He had done enough to secure the win.

Subway back to my hotel via 7-Eleven for some beer and nuts.

I would definitely look back on Toronto as a place to re-visit with its vibrant city centre, vast range of restaurants and impressive Royal Ontario Museum, in which I spent about 3 hours prior to the ballgame.

Cleveland Indians 11 Chicago White Sox 2.

Not too far away across the Great Lakes is Cleveland.

Where in the afternoon I visited the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

Like many people I was dismayed that some of my musical favourites (e.g Capt Beefheart and Arthur Lee of Love) hadn’t made it onto the list of inductees.
But you can’t deny the experience provoked spine tingling memories of music from the last 50 years for this visitor.

Meanwhile in the evening I watched the ‘Tribe’ hit two quick home runs only to be pegged back by the White Sox in the fifth.
But after that they dominated with Cabrera scoring a three-run homer and Travis Hafner making his 1,000 hit.

The Indians inner-city stadium is in the newer style with dark green seats and great views of downtown Cleveland. Nearby is the Browns NFL stadium.

Pittsburgh Pirates 4 Cincinnati Reds 3.

I took the Greyhound to Pittsburgh passing through some fairly depressed areas (e.g Youngstown) during the three and a half hour journey.

This time it proved difficult to get a reasonably priced downtown hotel so I ended up at the airport and commuted to the ballgame from there.
At least they have an impressive dedicated bus lane for most of the route.

Despite a morning of persistent rain the weather relented for an enjoyable evening of baseball in the PNC Park, another centrally located stadium.

Prior to the game I indulged in scallops wrapped in bacon washed down with a couple of pints in a bar near the ground.

In the game the Pirates went ahead but the Reds (who had a decent number of fans) fought back and it stayed close.

The drama came in the ninth when, with the bases loaded the Pirates pitcher hit the batter and the Reds got the tieing run.

But with the tension being cranked up by the playing of Keira Knightley’s speech from one of the ‘Pirates’ films the fans waved their (free) t-shirts and raised the black Pirate flags.

And as it should be in American sport pinch hitter Ryan Ludwick hit the walk-off single and we had the textbook rousing finish.

Via Charlotte to Tampa.

Tampa Bay 2 Fort Lauderdale Strikers 0.

The last match in the regular NASL season for these two teams.

It was mostly a case of positioning for the play-offs (6 of the 8 teams made it so getting through was hardly too onerous) and some Florida pride.

Tampa Bay FC play at the Al Lang stadium (or Progress Energy Park), a small baseball stadium in St Petersburg.
Don’t expect a great view as the only stand is wrapped around one end and part of a side.

The crowd was typically well filled with kids and a small group of ‘ultras’ from either side.

They saw the home side take charge following the sending off Puerto Rican Arrieta after an over-the-top tackle.
Two second half goals sealed the victory.

Fort Lauderdale at times showed good passing but they were generally second best.

Tampa Bay Rays 5 Toronto Blue Jays 2.

Also in St Petersburg Tropicana Field (another enclosed dome) hosted the Rays in their quest to qualify for a Wild Card place in the American League.

The Rays had at one time been nine games behind Boston in that race but now they were closing in on an unlikely qualification.

And it was a great start for the home side with two quick home runs including one inside the ballpark after a Jays fielder collided with the backboards.

Although the visitors got two runs back Tampa went further in front with another homer and as Boston were losing the home fans had plenty to celebrate.

And it subsequently transpired that Tampa would make it to the Wild Card place with a late win against the Yankees (after being 7-0 down), as the Rod Sox went down to the Orioles on the night of the 162nd games.

Afterwards I headed back to my hotel, had a couple of beers and some food in a Hooters-like restaurant whilst watching some NFL, before having a welcome early night.

more pictures at http://www.photobox.co.uk/album/913458241

Ukraine September 2011

2011-09-14T03:28:00.000-07:00

This was a long weekend trip to the Ukraine to see two games including a visit to Dynamo Kiev for their league game against Illychivets.

Vorskla Poltava 3 Chornomorets 1.

The Vorskla stadium is in the older style with a track, curved ends and an array of open seating.

The turnout on this Saturday afternoon was moderate, 4000, on a cool but thankfully dry day.

They saw the home side take their time to get going.
But when the away goalie was sent off for bringing down a home player it became easier.

Albanian Januzi headed in from a corner and Vorskla added two more in the second half including a nice left shot from Rebenok.
The team from Odessa just had a late consolation.

Overall the local team, who have progressed to the group stage of the Europa League this season, had a comfortable win.
Their strength seemed to be more as a counter attacking team.

Poltava itself, a four hour train ride east from Kiev, probably doesn’t detain tourists for too long although the vodka at around 40p a shot is great value.
And there is an excellent hotel (the Palazzo) to take care of visitors, who included the Chornomorets players.

Dynamo Kiev 3 Illychivets 1.

Local hero Andrei Shevchenko came on for the last half hour of this one and soon got the crowd chanting ‘Sheva’ ‘Sheva’.
He looked in good shape and showed some of those skills from the past, especially when dribbling past a couple of defenders to set up a cross that just eluded an incoming forward.

Not that Dynamo really needed much help as they had scored early on, added a second, and got the benefit of a bizarre own goal by Butko.
The Dynamo goalie even gifted the visitors their consolation when he contrived to miss a long shot from Kozhanov.

The home side, backed by three groups of ultras, were easy on the eye showing attractive passing skills and a sharpness and quality that always looked too much for Illychivets.
Even so the away side, backed by about 50 fans, did have a good chance near the end of the first period, with the score at 1-0, but this time Shovkovskiy’s legs saved the shot.

The Valery Lobanovsky is another uncovered stadium but in a location both centrally located and neatly surrounded by trees making it feel cosier than many.
There is also a nice gateway entrance and a statue of the great coach on the way to the stadium itself.

On this Sunday evening walking back through the main Kreshchatyk street the area was mostly sealed off from traffic leaving space for the strolling public to enjoy the street entertainment and the colourful lights of this historic city.

This being Ukraine further down the street were the political protestors.

Incidentally the next day I walked over to see the construction going on at the Kiev Olympic stadium which is scheduled to host the final of the 2012 Euros.
And it certainly looks like being an impressive stadium although to this layman they will need a few more months to complete the development.

More pictures at http://www.photobox.co.uk/album/893727545

Romania & Ukraine August 2011

2011-08-26T03:53:00.000-07:00

Romania & Ukraine August 2011.

Not quite the original plan in a number of ways.

The Romania v Argentina game, that was to open the redeveloped National stadium, was cancelled when the South Americans pulled out.

Dinamo Bucharest were playing behind closed doors, Steaua were playing in different locations and my planned game at Targu Mures game was re-scheduled to an inconvenient time.

So I was left with 4 league games and one Europa League fixture plus a trip to Odessa.

Starting with CS Mioveni 0 Astra Ploiesti 1.

Mioveni is about 130 km from Bucharest and close to Pitesti where I stopped for a look around.

The central pedestrianised area was pleasant enough in the sunshine and many people were out enjoying the weather.

Meanwhile in Mioveni there was a small carnival going on.

Near to which was the central, green and yellow, Dacia stadium.

Appropriately named, not only because of my rental car but also because their main factory is in Mioveni.

Like my car the Mioveni team lacked some acceleration and perhaps a little quality.
Astra always looked in control especially after a controversial headed winner on 20 minutes.

The linesman, given plenty of grief afterwards, signalled that the ball had crossed the line - it was hard to tell from my seat.

The game had plenty of robust tackles and rather too many stoppages.

The men who stood out tended to be in the away side - Argentinian striker Miranda and the Senegalese N’Doye.
Certainly the home side’s Brazilian Roberto Ayza was not the best player from that country,.

So Mioveni, only formed in 2000, struggled to score despite having more possession and just to compound the frustration had a man sent off near the end.
By then the home crowd (a decent 4500) were reconciled to their fate.

I negotiated my way along some bumpy roads and then the motorway back to Bucharest.

With Dinamo Bucharest playing without spectators I next opted for the Concordia game.

Concordia Chiajna 0 Vaslui 3.

Despite being close to Bucharest I didn’t find it easy to locate Chiajna ending up going virtually off-road to the stadium.

Once there it was played in a neat, small and somewhat stylish ground decked out in yellow & green.

The game started fairly even but once Vaslui scored (a Wesley header on 33 minutes) they tended to be in control.
Concordia lacked ideas and were caught on the break a couple of times as the visitors wrapped up the win late on.

The excellent away ultras - some 50 or 60 who had made the very long journey from the east of the country - went home happy.

Steaua Bucharest 2 Univ Cluj 1 played at Astra Ploiesti.

Steaua were playing this game in Ploiesti because of a dispute over them using their own stadium.

The ground is of an inner city type with houses almost attached to the stands.
There is a mix of covered and open seating and the fans are typically close to the action.

A number of the Cluj players, presumably being ex-Dinamo, received plenty of grief.

The away team started well with striker Anthony Nwakaeme (Nigeria) a definite threat.
But as has become a trend the game changed when Steaua scored after Costea had his first effort saved.

That gave Steaua the confidence and they consolidated the lead when sub Rusescu rifled in a 25 yarder.
Although Cluj replied immediately it made no difference to the result.

Surprisingly for me I made it back to the centre of Bucharest in an hour without getting lost.

Vointa Sibiu 1 Targu Mures 1.

My fourth game in the Romanian Liga 1 was played in the very attractive city of Sibiu in Translyvania.

In a way it was a relief to get away from Bucharest and the traffic, lack of good signs and the, at times, manic drivers.
Not that the driving standard was much better anywhere else.

Vointa have made a very quick rise up the Romanian leagues and they are now in the top level for the first time (in this incarnation)

There side comprised only Romanian players unlike the opposition who had a Brazilian and Ba from Senegal.

The municipal ground, a fifteen minute stroll from the historic centre, has a track, covered main stand and curved open seating around the rest of the stadium.
From the main stand there are views of the surrounding mountains.

On another warm evening (they even stopped for drinks after half an hour) the two sides probed until Ba brought down a home forward and Vointa had a penalty.
Unfortunately Antohi’s shot went wide.

The next significant action was the red card for Claudio Bunea of the home side after a reckless tackle.
On 75 minutes Astafei converted when put through but the home side, encouraged by the local fans, forced an equaliser with about five minutes left when defender Forika, up for a corner headed in.

The home fans cheered their team and though they didn’t scored again it was a well deserved draw for the ten men.

I’d missed the Tarja Turunen and Lacuna Coil concerts taking place over the weekend in Sibiu.
but had seen a decent game & afterwards I was back in the centre to sample the local wine.

Steaua Bucharest 2 CSKA Sofia 0 in the Europa League.

Played in Cluj as Steaua continue their tour of ‘home’ games around Romania.

Probably not too many made it from the capital but plenty did turn out (20,000) from the nearby regions on a warm evening.
They stamped their feet to create quite a racket in an atmospheric stadium, albeit with three sides.

The Sofia fans also played their part including unveiling a banner criticising the Steaua president - which went down particularly well.

With the final in Bucharest the Europa League represents a unique opportunity for the five Romanian teams to play a final in their own country.
Being the best supported local club Steaua obviously would like a piece of this action.

And they are likely to progress further after this match although probably not to the final.

The goals came from defender Galamaz and Brazilian Tatu.

Steaua survived some near things but merited the win.

At one time it looked like we might have a ‘Malmo’ situation with the Sofia fans letting off fireworks but after some stern warnings (‘the Bulgarian fans will go out of the stadium’) it settled down.

With a hotel about 200m from the ground I could dispense with the car and stroll to and from the stadium.

Chornomorets Odessa 0 Volyn Lutsk 0.

A diversion to the seaport of Odessa, via Timisoara in Romania, to watch the home side play at the Spartak stadium before they move into their redeveloped central stadium.

The Spartak comprises just two sides of mostly opening seating with a small, raised, covered VIP area.

The game itself was watchable with the very tall Lutsk team looking especially dangerous on crosses but neither side could create much from open play.

The ‘woodwork’ was hit 3 or 4 times but it ended goalless and brought to end my personal scoring run of over 70 matches.

Odessa provided plenty of attractions including some quality beer from a micro brewery and a pre-game meal of caviar and irish coffee - not my usual refreshment.

In port was an italian training ship, some of its occupants would no doubt be searching out the local entertainment.

more pictures at http://www.photobox.co.uk/album/868595969

Sweden July 2011 #2

2011-08-02T03:17:00.000-07:00

A weekend visit to Sweden for two Premier League games including the abandoned game at Malmo.

Malmo 1 Djurgarden 0.

This match was suspended after about 12 minutes due to crowd disturbances amongst the away fans.

Which was a shame because the atmosphere had been vibrant and noisy but ultimately spoilt by the Djurgarden ultras continuing to let off their fireworks.

In some countries it might not have been an issue but in Sweden it quickly caused the referee to take the players away and after about a thirty minute delay the game was abandoned.

As it was not the first time a recent Swedish game has been affected by crowd trouble the local FA are likely to consider more serious sanctions.

The new Swedbank Arena has the trappings of a modern stadium (the old ground remains nearby) with in-built bar & restaurant.
I sampled the beer whilst watching a Arsenal v Chelsea re-run.

In the action we did see Dardan Rexhepi smashed in a shot from close range, giving the giant Pa Touray no chance.

Then the off field action began.

Helsingborg 2 IFK 1.

More away ultras arrived for this one but they were very controlled by the accompanying Gothenburg police and presumably well searched before being allowed into the stadium.

The ancient Olympia, used in the 1958 World Cup, was well filled with the locals (still plenty with Henrik Larsson shirts) used to seeing a good performance from the home team with only one league defeat all season.

The IFK fans, packed into a section of the away terrace, maintained their support but their team were generally second best although they, arguably, had the best chance in the first half.

Helsingborg passed the ball well with midfielders Gashi and Mahlangu especially effective.

The impressive Rasmus Jonsson, a shorter version of Peter Crouch, set up the first for Andersson and Mahlangu scored a terrific solo second.

IFK’s top scorer Tobias Hysen did get a very late consolation but they were well beaten by then.

I strolled back to the station were there was still plenty of police presence and took the, incident-free, train on to Gothenburg.

more pictures at http://www.photobox.co.uk/album/843334203

Sweden July 2011

2011-07-21T09:45:00.000-07:00

A long weekend in Sweden to see two top level games and one from the second division.

I started somewhere near Stockholm.

On the bus ride from the airport to the centre of Stockholm I had chatted to an art student.

During the conversation we discussed, amongst other things, why Picasso was recognised as such a great artist.
Apart from his innovations ‘form’ (shapes) played a large part.

As if to illustrate the point the student mentioned that she had spent a year studying the ‘rectangle’ (though she had later moved on to polygons)

This, I think, gave me some insight into the mind of an artist.

Neither Djurgarden or Mjallby were in great form.

Djurgarden 1 Mjallby 0

Played in the historic 1912 Olympic stadium in central Stockholm.

Wooden bench seating, numerous posts, attractive details and the iconic canopy over the VIP area help to make this a unique venue for top level football (and athletics)

But the quality of the match didn’t match the surroundings & won’t live long in the memory.

It was settled by one goal scored late on after a break down the left and a cross converted by substitute Oremo.
Nigerian Kennedy Ogboananike had been a livewire up front for the home side though he did lack a good touch.
The home goalie, Pa Dembo Touray, all 105 kilos presented an imposing figure but was rarely tested.
Mjallby concentrated on defence and their central pairing did frustrate most of Djurgardens’ efforts - until those last 10 minutes.

GAIS 4 Orebro 1

Wandering around Gothenburg were many younger football players taking part in the Gothia Cup, described as the largest such tournament in the world with over 1000 teams from 70 countries.

Meanwhile GAIS met Orebro in the ‘new’ Gamla Ullevi.
The stadium is neat, compact and no doubt atmospheric when full.

It wasn’t for this one and the 4,000 attendance looked generous though the GAIS ultras did provide some noise from the upper tier.

The victory took the home side up to 4th in the Swedish Premier.

In the end it was comfortable despite the visitors taking the lead.

Striker Alvaro Santos played his part setting up one and scoring a penalty.
Benin substitute Otomoyossi sealed the victory.

The weather had not been kind with heavy, wind-blown rain making it an uncomfortable walk from the centre.
Thankfully it did ease later for the trip back to the hotel and an evening watching most of the Women’s World Cup final.

Brommapojkarna 2 Atvidebergs 2

Back in Stockholm for this second level encounter between two teams towards the top of the league.

The Grimsta stadium is in an area of Stockholm well away from the relative splendour of the centre of the city.
But at least the wine is a lot cheaper to sample as I waited for the rain to to ease.

The ground mostly comprises one main stand with various semi-temporary stands around the periphery.
The crowd was swelled by a good number of away fans who didn’t get too wet as the clouds eventually went away.

This was the best game of the three with the high scoring visitors taking a two goal lead including one from their striker Oscar Moller.
His sending off, for arguing, in the second period would help to change the game.

As Brommapojkarna, always committed to attack, fought back with two strikes from substitute Mauricio Albornoz.

I took the T-bahn back to my hotel and thought a little more about the ‘rectangle’.

more pictures at http://www.photobox.co.uk/album/832641996

Santos v Penarol June 2011

2011-07-04T09:26:00.000-07:00

Santos v Penarol 22nd June 2011

The final of the Copa Libertadores 2nd leg.

Following an overnight flight from Dallas I was in Sao Paulo the day before the final and it is winter.
Hollister shirts and bare midriffs are in fashion.

The Pacaembu stadium is a twenty minute walk from the end of Avenida Paulista and inside is a modern football museum where you can relive moments connected with the stars of Brazilian football and even their less memorable moments including the famous defeat in the 1950 World Cup.

Most of all it provided a reminder of the genius of their greatest player, Pele, with some rare footage of him scoring great goals from the past.

Pele was prominent in helping Santos win their last Copa Libertadores title back in 1963.

Could the latest superstar, Neymar, emulate his illustrious predecessor with the Santos team of 2011 ?

Santos 2 Penarol 1 (Santos won 2-1 on aggregate)
played at the Pacaembu stadium in Sao Paulo.

The local sportspaper, Lance, had left space on their front page for a picture of the 2011 Santos team to add to those of the previous winners in 1962 and 1963.

The day after they could celebrate and look forward to them vying against Barcelona in the Club World Cup.

As always the final of the Copa Libertadores is a noisy, vibrant and visceral experience.

Fireworks and flares went off pretty much throughout and the supporters’ sections displayed their flags.

Presumably Santos chose the Pacaembu partly because their own stadium is too small but also because the Morumbi, the largest ground in Sao Paulo, was too big.
The choice restricted the away fans to a corner section holding about 2,500 amongst the 38,000 capacity.

That was a shame as Penarol, one of the big two in Montevideo, probably could have sold over 10,000 tickets.
The Uruguyans themselves had not won this prestigious club competition since 1987.

It was Santos who deserved the victory.

Neymar scored the crucial opening goal after a great run by Arouca, though his shot at the near post could have been stopped by the Penarol goalkeeper.

Danilo sealed it after the break coming in from the right to score left footed.

Penarol, who had struggled for most of the game, did get a lifeline via an own goal near the end.
That gave us a tense last few minutes but Santos held on and the fans could celebrate.

The visitors didn’t take it well and we had a mass brawl on the pitch including players and staff.

That eventually settled down and at around 00.30 they made the presentations.
By then I was back at my hotel to calm down with a couple of beers.

So what about Neymar ?

Certainly no Pele, but a comparison with Cristiano Ronaldo might be made in a few years time.
He has pace, plenty of tricks and is two footed.

Time will tell if he develops into a global superstar.
But his value would certainly have been enhanced by scoring in this final.

The following day, Thursday, was a holiday in Brazil and time for me to relax at the Modern Art Museum and a stroll along a quiet Avenida Paulista.
Time enough to reflect on another unforgettable night in South America.

more pics at http://www.photobox.co.uk/album/813730968

USA & Canada June 2011

2011-07-04T07:13:00.000-07:00

A visit to the US and Canada principally for the Gold Cup but also including MLS, NASL and USL Pro football fixtures and some baseball.

The trip also included a visit to Sao Paulo for the Copa Libertadores final - see separate blog entry.

Starting in Dallas.

FC Dallas 1 New England Revolution 0

This Major League Soccer game was played in their relatively new soccer-specific stadium in Frisco some 30 miles north of Dallas.

Although the official attendance was given as over 10,000 the actual turnout looked considerably less.
Dallas had their ‘ultras’ in the right hand corner of a mostly open ground with a typical bar/cafe area at one end.
The atmosphere was a bit surreal with a constant flow of people moving around to get refreshments. Many came in late.

As you would expect in Texas it was hot.

Dallas dominated the game with their two Hispanic forwards Castillo and Chavez looking lively up front.
Chavez got the only goal.

Steve Nichol’s New England only applied some pressure towards the end.

The Gold Cup begins.

Costa Rica 5 Cuba 0

The Concacaf Gold Cup began in the massive Cowboys stadium in Arlington.

Outside in the sunshine was a busy fan park.

Inside, aside from the size of the air conditioned enclosed arena, what stood out was the impressive central scoreboard.

For this first of the double headers Cuba did look useful in possession but they lacked a threat up front and eventually were shown to be very naive in defence.

The Costa Ricans exploited their weaknesses and run out easy winners.

Substitute Joe Campbell sealed the win with a fine left foot finish.

Gradually the Mexican fans arrived.
They filled up the stadium on this Sunday night making the attendance over 80,000.

Mexico 5 El Salvador 0

Again the score was somewhat harsh.

Man Utd’s Chicarito, after a quiet first half, scored three in the second including a chipped penalty.

Mexico stepped up after the break and looked favourites for the Cup.

The day finished with a stroll back the hotel and some wine outside on the ‘porch’ on a still warm night.

(Baseball) Chicago White Sox 3 Seattle Mariners 1

Not as stimulating as my last visit to Chicago for baseball (at the Cubs)

But Chicago is always a worthwhile diversion, this time on the way to Detroit.
And it was pleasant enough at what was Comiskey Park to the south of downtown.

Designated hitter Paul Konerko hit a home run for the Sox and they got other runners home with just one reply from the Mariners.

I took the subway back to the hotel for a relatively early night.

Amtrak to Detroit.

Which was tolerable if you allow for about an hour delay because of the almost inevitable freight traffic clogging up the line.

Also Detroit does not have the most efficient public transport system.
So waiting for a bus can be tiresome, not least in the very hot weather.

Panama 3 Guadeloupe 2

Anyway back to the Gold Cup and Ford Field in central Detroit.
Which tends to ‘close’ early except for the area around the stadiums.

Ford Field is home to the Detroit Lions NFL team and is another enclosed arena capable of seating 70,000 though only 28,000 were, eventually, present on this particular night.

And many less than that for the opening encounter.

Which Panama won after going 3-0 ahead against ten man Guadeloupe.
The overseas French region, a non-FIFA member, was playing in its third Gold Cup having reached the semis in 2007.

Guadeloupe managed two responses later in the second period in a spirited comeback but Panama held on for the win.

USA 2 Canada 0

The USA ‘ultras’ arrived behind the goal to watch their team show a strong defence against a watchable Canadian side that lacked a cutting edge.

The Americans went in front after a shot from Altidore eluded the Canadian goalie and they sealed the win when Dempsey converted at the far post.

Plenty of effort from Canada in an entertaining match but the US, helped by some great saves by Howard, did enough.

Afterwards some beers and a chat with the locals.

Via Charlotte to Atlanta.

Atlanta Silverbacks 2 Montreal Impact 1

Prior to the game a tasty meal of fish in a Mexican restaurant in the Chamblee area of Atlanta where we were the only England supporters amongst the relaxing Mariachi band and others.

This was a match in the new version of the NASL, designated as the second level of US football.

The Silverbacks Park comprises two open stands with multi-colour seats, trees around, a walkway at one end and a cafe area at the other. A band was playing near the cafe before the match.

There was a small crowd, of which many arrived late, that seemed to be around 800 but was listed as over 2,800.

This was the first time I can remember experiencing a delay at a game due to the presence of lightning in the area. The caution was excessive as there was only a brief flash some distance away.

Bottom of the table Silverbacks took a two goal lead before Montreal (destined for the MLS - with this team they’ll struggle) got one back.

It was a match of very moderate standard played on a ‘3G’ pitch.

Charlotte.

A visit to the Modern Art Museum beforehand followed by some refreshment then :

El Salvador 1 Costa Rica 1

This turned out to be a long night as the first match was delayed by 30 minutes due to the threat of a storm.

The games were played in the, mostly open, Bank of America stadium in central Charlotte, home of the NFL team.

El Salvador led against the run of play, played better in the second half but succumbed to late Costa Rica pressure and conceded an equaliser.

Mexico 5 Cuba 0

Two from Dos Santos and two more from Chicarito Hernandez and the Mexicans ended up comfortable winners.

Although Cuba did stay close for the first 30 minutes Mexico ran away with it in the second half.
That was despite Mexico having five players suspended for possible drug abuse.

Incidentally it was later reported that one of the Cuban players had defected (by jumping out of a window)

In the end 46,000 fans attended with the Mexico fans being good value as usual.

Some wine in a sports bar to finish.

Florida.

Via Charlotte to Tampa, via car to Orlando.

Past the various Disney attractions and sundry ‘Worlds’.

My companion read the latest issue of ‘Slammers’ - containing mug shots of the most recent prison inmates or fugitives, some of whom I’m sure we noticed on the bus to Charlotte airport.

After an early look at the outside of the historic Citrus Bowl we partook of some food in central Orlando before returning to :

Orlando City 1 Antigua Barracuda 2

A venue for the 1994 World Cup the Citrus Bowl, with its two massive sides, is some venue for the third-tier Orlando City but they pulled in an enthusiastic following on this Friday evening.

We had a band, the ruckus ultras and a ruckus in the game with 3 (or 4 if you count a coach) sent off including an unused substitute.

The next fight I would see was at the end of the Copa Libertadores final in Sao Paulo.

Adrian Heath’s Orlando, with ambitions to eventually move into the MLS, passed it around neatly but couldn’t create much as the Barracudas took a two goal lead.

Eventually the home side got one back but not a second.
Though they did stay top of the ‘American’ division of the USL Pro.

A drive back to our Tampa hotel for wine and trail mix on the ‘porch’ in the Florida heat.

Canada 1 Guadeloupe 0

In the morning a drive to St Petersburg where we enjoyed a pleasant stroll around the pier area plus a look at the baseball stadium, home to Tampa Bay FC of the NASL.

Then back across the impressive bridges to Tampa.

The Raymond James stadium is another large NFL venue with 3 tier sides and smaller ends.
One of which has a replica ship, after all this is the home of the Buccaneers.

Again Guadeloupe had a man sent off, this time for a reckless tackle in the first few minutes.

De Rosario scored the only goal from the penalty spot in the second period.
That was the only way Canada looked liked scoring.

USA 1 Panama 2

Watched by a crowd of 28,000, who produced a lively atmosphere, this was a famous result for Panama who beat the US for the first time.
It was also the only time the Americans have lost a Gold Cup group match.

Panama deserved it after outplaying the US in the first half .
They did have some fortune with the goals, the first coming from an uncharacteristic Tim Howard error and the second from a penalty after a rash tackle by Ream.

Clarence Goodson headed in from a corner and the US applied the pressure but they couldn’t get the equaliser.

Post match wine enjoyed by the pool.

Tampa to Newark.

On the flight I chatted to an elderly couple from North Carolina (‘are you going on the boat trip ? ‘ ‘No I’m staying in New York to see some soccer’. ‘Uh ?’)

They were going on a cruise to the Bahamas (‘they don’t accept dollars you know’)

During the course of the conversation the lady mentioned that she had been a telephone receptionist in DC at the same time as Edward 8th and Mrs Simpson had visited, although she had seen them she was too shy to meet them.

Less historic Newark was hot and humid.

FC New York 0 Richmond Kickers 2

Over to Manhattan for some excellent, spicy, Korean food before getting the subway to near St Johns University for this USL Pro encounter.

New York, with Sam Stockley ex- Barnet and Colchester Utd at right back, had limited chances and lost to two quick goals late on in the first half.

Interestingly the scoreboard at the Belson stadium (comprising a couple of small open stands) kept note of the shots, corners and saves.

It was a pleasant enough evening in Queens with some away fans boosting the (small) attendance

Guatemala 4 Grenada 0

Another visit to Manhattan and a journey over to Staten Island on the ferry followed by some shepherds pie and Belgian beer.

Then a return to Newark and a stroll to Harrison and the Red Bull Arena.

Though he immediate surroundings are not great the visiting fans produced plenty of atmosphere both outside and inside the stadium.

For this visitor the ground felt like an excellent medium-sized European stadium with its compact, symmetric covered two tiers.

Guatemala mostly controlled the first game against a Grenada team containing a number of English lower and non-league players.

Honduras 0 Jamaica 1

In a superb atmosphere generated by the large number of Hondurans Jamaica were very well organised by coach Theodore Whitmore and merited the victory.

They got it from a cracking left footer (albeit off the goalies’ back) by striker Ryan Johnson of San Jose.

Jamaica also missed a dubiously awarded penalty but Honduras played their part in a fast paced, enjoyable match.

To Kansas.

I get re-routed via Baltimore after my original South West flight is cancelled.
Though I get there at around 3pm, in time to easily make the evening game, it meant waiting 4 hours at Newark airport - not the best experience of the trip.

Canada 1 Panama 1

The 2nd ever game at the Livestrong Sporting Park stadium (Sporting Kansas City, the MLS club based here, have a partnership with Lance Armstrong’s Livestrong charity)

This one wasn’t too memorable as Canada again struggled to convert .
De Rosario did eventually - from another penalty after a push in the area.

But already qualified Panama stepped it up in the second half and they scored in added time following a scramble in the goalmouth.

The draw would mean Canada failed to qualify for the quarter finals.

USA 1 Guadeloupe 0

This time Guadeloupe kept eleven men on the pitch and they restricted the USA to one goal - an excellent strike from Altidore in the first period.

Clint Dempsey managed to miss various chances though it matter little in the end as Guadeloupe struggled to get close.

The US ultras helped to fill the stadium which with the standing spectators reached 20,000.
It is a part-covered ground with one typically smaller end above which is a walkway.

(baseball) LA Dodgers 2 Cincinnati Reds 7

An early flight from Kansas got me to my Los Angeles airport hotel by about 10.30am.

I decided not to take up the car-hire option, instead going by cab to the Dodgers for the 12.10 start.

Although I did ‘compensate’ by getting the free shuttle, bus ($1) and walking back to Century Boulevard.
This took much longer but did allow me to ‘admire’ downtown LA and in particular its decaying art-deco architecture.

Meanwhile back at the Dodgers stadium - one of the largest in Major League Baseball - I could enjoy the weather and the setting of this iconic stadium positioned on a hill above the surrounding area.

Inside I was fortunate to be able to see memorabilia from the history of the Dodgers including pennants from their World Series wins and scorecards from the nineteenth century.
Evocative enough as, no doubt, is their famous move from Brooklyn to the LA sunshine.

And as it happened it was ‘retro day’ with the players in old style uniforms and the refreshments at half price.

The crowd stayed quiet as the Reds got in front and stayed there.

I needed an early night so opted for an omelette, some wine and apple crumble at Dennys .

Phoenix.

(baseball) Arizona Diamondbacks 3 San Francisco Giants 2

It was up to 106 degrees (41 centigrade) in Phoenix.

Not a day for walking too far but at least it was a very dry, desert, heat.

I strolled around the centre (slowly) and took in a couple of happy-hour margaritas. before the ball game.
The roof was partially closed on Chase Field and they turned up the air con.

In the game the Dbacks scored a home run double early on, got pegged back then won it with a Justin Upton homer.
That woke up the crowd.

It was still 95 degrees as I meandered back to my hotel by 10.15pm.

Seattle.

Where it was close to 40 degrees (f) cooler than the Phoenix high.

More like Europe

But very pleasant to join the crowds on this Friday afternoon checking out the shops along the harbour area of downtown.

Prior to the game I sampled the king prawns and chips.

Then walked past the impressive Qwest Field (where teenagers were queuing to see the latest rapper) to Safeco Field.

(baseball) Seattle Mariners 4 Philadelphia Phillies 2

Inter-league baseball brings out the fans even including some away supporters.
It was the first time the Phillies had visited for about six years and they were also the leading team in the Major League.

But they were second best on this evening as the Mariners, led by the speedy Ichiro Suzuki ,ran in some early runs.
The Phillies got some back later on and they did get close in the ninth with men on bases but the Mariners got it done.

The walk back to the centre, looking back at the stadiums and downtown skyscrapers was impressive.
This was just a short visit but Seattle clearly merits a longer look.

Vancouver Canada.

More European style rain and cooler conditions.

But I perked up after some breakfast eggs and bacon on 2nd avenue prior to getting the bus to the Amtrak station.

More rain on the way to Vancouver on the bus (replacement for the train & probably more reliable) and through the border reasonably smoothly.
Going in the other direction looked a lot slower.

My hotel was near the Chinatown area (East Hastings) and though they never looked like a threat some of the locals did resemble the ‘living dead’ or stars of ‘Slammers’.

I adjourned to a local British pub for some hummus, a couple of pints and to watch R McIlroy in the US Open golf.

Then a bus to the stadium.

Vancouver Whitecaps 1 Philadelphia Union 0

A return to the MLS and to the Empire Field, which in a previous incarnation as the Empire Stadium, had hosted a famous race between Roger Bannister and John Landy in 1954.

This temporary stadium is reminiscent of the one built for Fortuna Dusseldorf being constructed in 111 days to hold around 25,000 (20,000 on this night)
It will host the Whitecaps until they move to the much larger and more central BC Place Stadium later in the year.

Despite being last in the Western Conference Vancouver clearly have a good following and a strong rivalry with their rivals to the south - Seattle and Portland.

The Whitecaps played well scoring through Swiss Alain Rochat in the first half.and containing the much higher ranked Union to few opportunities.

Shuttle bus back and a relatively early night.

Portland.

A flight via Seattle to Portland and the use of another efficient light rail system to get to downtown.

Where I catch up on the internet in the main library which is helpfully open on Sundays.

Outside there is quite a buzz about the city with music and lots of locals enjoying the ambience.

I enhance the experience by having a couple of ‘ Walking Man homo erectus imperial IPAs’
in a micro-brewery whilst watching more of Rory McIlroy in the golf.

Suitably enhanced I was in the mood to sample some more MLS.

Portland Timbers 3 New York Red Bulls 3

This was one of the best games and atmospheres I had experienced at a US league game.

In fact it was near enough to watching a game in Europe with a sellout crowd including a large, vibrant ‘ultras’ end.
We had songs and chants plus a lumberjack to saw the log every time the Timbers scored (admittedly not something you see in Europe)

Thierry Henry strolled around for the Bulls, showed some classy touches, scored a fine goal and then got sent off.

Portland had gone ahead 3-1 after New York had looked superior in the first half.

But the visitors, helped by the Henry magic and a missed home penalty, got back into it.
They finally equalised from the ever reliable Canadian De Rosario via the spot.

Excellent entertainment in a great city.

7-Eleven and bed.

From Portland , via Dallas to Sao Paulo (see the separate blog)

Philadelphia.

Return to the US via Miami and New York then Amtrak to Phillie.

Philadelphia Union 3 Chivas USA 2

PPL park is in Chester, a suburban train ride and shuttle bus from downtown Philadelphia.
The train takes you past a rusting industrial landscape to the new stadium beside the Delaware river and an impressive bridge.

Around the stadium a band played and a good crowd came to watch the top ranked Union overcame their visitors from the west coast in a very watchable game.

The home side have the Sons of Ben and the River End ultras.

We all saw a fast, attacking match with Chivas getting it back to 2-2 after Justin Braun beat goalie Mondragon to a long ball.
But DR Congo substitute Danny Mwanga had the last word with a well struck winner for the Union.

It was a long trip back to downtown, via the shuttle, a bus to the 69th street terminal (where there was plenty of activity including fans leaving after watching the US lose to Mexico in the Gold Cup) then the subway to the centre by about midnight.

New York again.

Amtrak to New York.

Actually I went to Newark initially to check-in at my hotel.

New York Yankees 6 Colorado Rockies 4

Then it was a fraught trip across to Brooklyn using the PATH train (poor weekend service),
battling through the Gay Pride Parade (don’t ask) and onto the subway to Yankee stadium.
Not what I needed after at the end of a long trip.

I arrived at about 2.20pm when the game was scheduled to start at 2.05pm, checked the situation & found the only available tickets were priced at $250 (!)

However my luck changed firstly to quickly get a $125 ticket from scalper for $50 then to find that there had been an old-timers game before the start of the main event which now began at 2.30pm.

So I calmed down with a large, frozen margarita (I was asked to show ID - I was tempted to show my bus pass)
And as it turned out the seat was excellent - row 1 of the second tier, close to the batter.

In warm, sunny weather I could enjoy the Yankees swotting some home runs in front of a packed crowd (47,894)

A tedious journey back to Newark but the compensation of a quality rib-eye steak as my last meal in the USA on this visit.

By the time I got home, and including the Sao Paulo trip ,the estimated miles covered was 29,000 (46,600 km) and, not surprisingly, I was tired by the end.

more pics at http://www.photobox.co.uk/album/813189540

UEFA Europa Cup Final 2011

2011-05-21T01:32:00.000-07:00

Europa League Final 2011 in Dublin.

Sporting Braga 0 Porto 1.

Played at the redeveloped Lansdowne Road stadium the second Europa League final was contested by two Portuguese teams.

Not the two most people had hoped for as Benfica v Porto would probably been a better encounter and definitely a superior atmosphere.

And not only that as the city was also hosting the first visit of the queen to Ireland it meant getting around the central area was a trial due to the extensive security.

Personally it meant considerable extra walking as the operation of the luas (tram) was suspended on two occasions when I was on it.

Around the ground there were plenty of opportunities to buy tickets and numerous spare seats inside the stadium.
Which looked impressive enough in green except for the very small area behind one of the goals.

The Porto fans outnumbered their fellow countrymen and their team were favourites to win the trophy.

In the end they did with a header from leading scorer Falcao just before half time.

Braga’s best chance, just after the break, fell to substitute Mossoro whose shot was well saved by Helton.

As might have been predicted it was a game of few chances very occasionally enhanced by threats from the talented Hulk.

Despite some late Braga pressure Porto (and especially their young coach) had done enough to secure the win

The event, played in breezy cool conditions, could only really be described as 'OK' and the overall Dublin experience was overshadowed by the monarch’s visit.

France May 2011

2011-05-21T01:29:00.000-07:00

Two games in France - the highlight being the visit of Marseille to Lorient.

Pretty good in pink.

Evian Thonon Gaillard 3 Troyes 0.

ETG looked like a more than a decent side as they maintained their leadership of the second division in France.

Their current base in Annecy, in the Rhone-Alps region, is one of the more attractive football locations.
In bright sunny weather the old town, the lake and the mountain backdrop provided a most conducive atmosphere.

The ground itself is an athletics venue with a track, curved terracing at the ends and two similar stands.

With ETG going well there was a large turnout of over 8,000 with many entering late plus a handful from Troyes.

ETG looked dangerous throughout this game, scoring first via the head of the impressive Angoula.
He would cause the Troyes goalie to fumble and allow an easy second.

The visitors also had a bad second period with two red cards, the second for a tackle from behind in the closing minutes.
Prior to that full back Djadjedje had driven in a great 30 yarder.

Late on Lorient.

Lorient 2 Olympique Marseille 2.

This was destined to be an attractive encounter with OM still going for the title, Lorient being strong at home and some excellent striking talent on show.

The town centre ground hosted one of the best attendances of the season, nearly 17,000, to witness a compelling match played a consistently fast pace on the ‘3G’ pitch.

Marseille as usual had good support with around 500 fans in a corner wedge and others dotted around the stadium.

The local manic ‘compere’ had stoked up the atmosphere beforehand and both teams kept the show going.
Loic Remy gave OM the lead on 14 minutes after going past a defender and slotting home right footed.

As the first half wore on the visitors had more possession but couldn’t extend their lead.

After the break Lorient came out with a purpose and equalised early on through Kone’s header.
They pushed hard at OM and got much more play as the match progressed.

Into the final ten minutes and we saw why Kevin Gameiro is causing such interest as he quickly latched onto a right wing cross. He always looked very sharp.

As OM’s championship chances drifted away sub. Gignac did get one back with a nicely taken goal.
And in the final minutes Marseille’s Benoit Cheyrou somehow contrived to miss a short range header from a setup by Abriel.

Perhaps it wouldn’t make any difference as Lille were long odds-on to complete the double but Cheyrou probably won’t forget that miss for a while.

more pictures at http://www.photobox.co.uk/album/773090298

Italy May 2011

2011-05-12T03:55:00.000-07:00

A three game trip to Italy including watching the visit of Napoli to Lecce.

Agony in Abruzzo.

Pescara 0 Livorno 1.

All caused by a goalie error in the 14th minute as the Pescara custodian fumbled a shot by the Livorno captain, Danilevicius.

A large crowd of over 18,000 came to see if the local team could get close to the Serie B play-offs, they went home encouraged by their players efforts but dismayed by the outcome.

Livorno wasted time, looked dangerous on the break and tended to stifle Pescara’s play.
They now have more of a chance to make the top six.

Despite it being a fairly cool night near the Adriatic many fans couldn’t resist stopping for an ice cream on the way home. I resisted.

Moderate in Modena.

Modena 1 Grosseto 1.

A stop in Modena on a roundabout route from Pescara to Brindisi.

The stadium is handily close to the railway and bus station.
It comprises a, neat, mostly covered single tier with the away fans (about 50) to the left and the home ultras to the right.

The main interest following Greco’s cross conversion was the annoyance caused by Sforzini the Grosseto top scorer and an ex-Modena player. He had headed the equaliser and generally antagonised the crowd, many of which hurled abuse at him throughout most of the match.

Apart from that the game settled into a stalemate even though there was 6 minutes of added time at the end.

Time enough to make the Bologna airport bus and flight to Brindisi.

Sensation in Salento.

Lecce 2 Napoli 1.

A famous win for Lecce after Uruguayan substitute Chevanton had struck a dramatic winner sparking much local celebration.
His shot, following a terrific move thumped against the bar and came down just about over the line.
For a moment there was some doubt and despite the Napoli protests the goal was given.

Most of the action in this game was in the second half including two red cards, the first seemed a little unlucky for the initial goalscorer, Corvia.
But the other for Napoli top scorer Cavani was clear - a second yellow for a silly tackle.

One of the Napoli substitutes, Mascara, had glanced in an equaliser and it looked like the visitors, well backed by their travelling fans, would at least go home with a point.
That was until the intervention of the popular Chevanton.

The result moved Lecce out of the bottom three and dented Napoli’s chances of finishing as runners-up to newly crowned champions, Milan.

After the match I took the long stroll back, in pleasant sunny weather, to the centre and onto the convenient 6.05 train back to Brindisi.

more pictures at http://www.photobox.co.uk/album/767565362

Germany, Luxembourg & Holland April 2011

2011-04-28T03:01:00.000-07:00

This was a six game trip that took in a visit to Germany including seeing the temporary stadium in Dusseldorf as well as games in Luxembourg and the Netherlands.

Unhappy Aue.

Erzgebirge Aue 1 Energie Cottbus 2.

If you look on the map Aue is a small place going towards the Czech border in eastern Germany.
You might suppose not many fans would turn out to see their games but judging by traffic going into the town I soon realised that was certainly not the case.

They are after all doing well in the 2.Bundesliga and obviously draw in fans from the surrounding area (14,000 in this case)

It was a pleasant evening in Saxony but it was the visitors who had the upper hand scoring, ironically following an Erzgebirge corner, from a breakaway in the first half.

The home team brought on two subs at the break and eventually they did get a penalty but Glasner’s shot was saved.
Then on 65 minutes we had a ten minute interlude as the Cottbus ultras set off flares, the situation subsequently being calmed with the help of some of the away players.

The break didn’t help Aue who went further behind late on as top scorer Petersen converted a rebound.
A late header was only a consolation.

I strolled down the hill, past the small station and drove back to Erfurt.

Late drama.

F91 Dudelange 2 Swift Hesperange 1.

Not many options for games on this Easter Friday so I ventured into Luxembourg for this Cup encounter between the league champions and their visitors from Hesperange.

The ground is basically two sides with a refreshments area at one end. I’d had a weiss beer sharpener beforehand and topped that up with a glass of red wine in the ground.

About 300 watched what felt like a English non-league game in low-key, friendly, surroundings with the local kids having a kick around at half-time.

Although Swift did try to pass it F91 always looked more likely.
They led after 70 minutes, got pegged back after a goalie error and just as we thought extra time was certain they were awarded a disputed penalty and the centre forward converted.

Hot Rot.

Wehen Wiesbaden 0 Rot Weiss Erfurt 1.

Both these teams are well placed in the 3.Liga although it was Erfurt who generally held the edge.
The winner, via a longish throw, came in the 10th minute.

Wehen struggled to create for much of the match.

The newish stadium is a typical setup of medium sized stands and end terracing where at the left hand end Erfurt had brought a good sized support.

Easy Roda.

Roda 5 NAC Breda 1.

I drove the two and a quarter hours from Wiesbaden to Kerkrade for this Dutch top level game.

Having previously had trouble finding this stadium (at night) this time it was far easier on a warm, dry Spring evening.
It remains an unusual development with the in-built hotel and shopping areas.

Fortified by some nuggets and chips (no mayonnaise) I watched Roda demolish NAC starting with three goals in 26 minutes.
NAC got their consolation late in the first half but mostly all they could do was admire the home team’s play.

Further goals from a penalty and another after a defensive mistake sealed the win.

Matthew Amoah had no luck up front for NAC despite making many runs and hitting the post near the end.

Air Berlin World.

Fortuna Dusseldorf 2 Arminia Bielefeld 0.

This was the second of three games being played by Fortuna at a temporary stadium as their next door main Arena is being prepared for the Eurovision Song Contest.

Its hard to see why this would happen, there being no shortage of stadiums in the region, but Air Berlin World/Park worked well enough to accommodate over 18,000 fans in the usual mix of standing and seating.

You have to assume Fortuna are not losing money so perhaps this will be a future trend ?

In a decent atmosphere in warm, dry conditions Fortuna did enough to defeat a Bielefeld side lacking confidence and already relegated.

One goal in each half decided the match.

I took the U-bahn back to the centre and onward to my hotel in Bonn.

Fortuna Koln 3 Germania Windeck 1.

Again limited realistic options for Easter Monday so I chose an easy train ride to Cologne for this Oberliga match between the teams in second and third.

Fortuna have a old style ground of covered stand and curved terracing.

Around 1,000 turned out on another very pleasant day to see the home side earn a solid win going 2-0 ahead, conceding one before the excellent Fabian Montabell header the clincher.

The locals included some lively ultras noisly enhanced by a couple of guys with megaphones.

I strolled back to the South station, past the swingers club and second on the left.

more pictures at http://www.photobox.co.uk/album/754365289.

France April 2011

2011-04-13T01:39:00.000-07:00

This was a Eurostar and train trip to Northern France taking in the Brittany derby between Brest and Rennes.

Vannes in front.

Boulogne 0 Vannes 1.

After a Grimbergen I strolled around the ramparts before joining the 9,000+ fans (though it looked a few thousand less than that figure)

The stadium is a patchwork of temporary looking and more permanent stands with the local ultras in the left hand end.

The winner was headed in by Diguiny half way through the first half.

Though the home side made some second period changes it didn’t make much difference as Vannes general looked in control and continued to be dangerous from breakaways.

Brittany spheres.

Palbennec 0 Bastia 3.

This was a 3rd level match between league leaders Bastia and Plabennec.

Plabennec is a small town close to Brest and I got to the game about fifteen minutes before the start after a long train ride from Boulogne via Paris.

The ground has one elevated stand which was well populated on a sunny Saturday afternoon.
There is a bar behind one goal and a semi-temporary stand for the away fans to the left hand end in which Bastia had about 40 supporters.

Though both teams hit the woodwork early on the result was never in doubt as Bastia were a class above their opponents.
They stay on track for promotion.

I took the bus back to Brest and had a kebab panini in the logically named ‘Brest Food’ takeaway.

Brest 2 Rennes 0.

This derby was a local triumph for the home side who were well up for this match against their 3rd placed Ligue 1 rivals.

Everyone waved their flags (I gave mine away) to create a decent atmosphere in the 15,000 crowd.

Rennes brought their ultras, many of whom I saw before the game around the Place de Strasbourg.
But they would go home disappointed as Brest were the better team, especially in midfield, allowing the visitors few opportunities.

Nathan Roux fired in an inspiring 30 yarder for the first and the excellent Grougi got the second to seal the win.

At the end the home side, and their fans, could enjoy a well earned win.

I had a brisk walk back to the centre as the car horns sounded.

more pictures at http://www.photobox.co.uk/album/738523004

France & Belgium April 2011

2011-04-06T05:25:00.000-07:00

A three game long weekend Eurostar and train trip to France and Belgium.

Le Havre 1 Istres 2 in French Ligue 2

This 1938 World Cup ground will soon be replaced by a new stadium going up the other side of the railway lines.

For this Friday evening encounter over 8000 turned out to see second placed Le Havre beaten by the visitors from the south.

After a regulation goalless first half of few chances we had more action in the second.

Istres took the lead early on and, as Le Havre pushed forward, they extended their advantage with a breakaway second goal.

The young home side converted a late penalty but Istres held on for the victory.

The league is amazingly close with just twelve points separating the top sixteen teams.

OH Leuven 3 Tournai 0.

Via Paris and Brussels to Leuven for this Belgian 2nd level match.

On a warm and at times humid Saturday evening in the very amenable town of Leuven I watched the league leaders have a reasonably comfortable win over the bottom team.

Tournai had about 40 fans (in the left hand end) plus the 3500 home fans.

Leuven won by being strong at set pieces and exploiting the pacy Tunisian Harbaoui up front.

I strolled afterwards to the attractive central area - thronged with beer drinkers.

Vise 1 Roeselare 3.

I took the train from Leuven via Liege to the small town of Vise for another 2nd league fixture.

Though it rained early on the weather brightened up by the 3pm start.

Vise have a smaller ground comprising two sides with a typical bar area at one end.
I partook of some wine and watched the cycling on the TV, along with quite a few others.

As is often the case team sheets were freely available.

Roeselare always looked in control after scoring early, soon adding a second and getting a third after 55 minutes.
Despite one reply from the home side they struggled to create much and the visitors ran out winners.

Back in Leuven the impressive Scala/Kolacny Brothers rock choir were performing outside the large central church to finish off my evening.

more pictures at http://www.photobox.co.uk/album/730567836.

Paraguay & Uruguay March 2011

2011-03-22T05:02:00.000-07:00

The other part of my trip to South America included visits to Paraguay and Uruguay.

Libertad 5 Universidad San Martin 1.

I followed Shakira to Asuncion and actually stayed near her Sheraton Hotel.
(or did she follow me ?)
I, obviously, chose not to go to her concert and instead watched Libertad easily beat their visitors from Peru.

Libertad thus went to the top of their group and they looked like a decent outfit.

This was the first time Libertad had played a Copa match at their own updated smallish stadium.
And some 8,000 turned out on a steamy evening in Asuncion.

Those fans enjoyed themselves with plenty of streamers, fireworks and smoke.
Certainly their team didn’t let them down coming back from an early away goal to out-pass and decisively beat San Martin.

Rubio Nu 1 3 de Febrero 0.

The stadium La Arboleda housed about 250 fans for this 5pm Wednesday afternoon top level encounter in the Santisima Trinidad barrio of Asuncion.

The home side needed just one goal to beat their visitors and they spent most of the second half content to absorb the pressure.

Guarani 1 Estudiantes 2 in the Copa Libertadores.

This match was played in the large Defensores del Chaco (national) stadium in Asuncion.

Though it could have been played in a much smaller ground as only about 1200 fans were there on a late Wednesday evening.

There was a lively group from La Plata to cheer on their team.

Guarani needed the points as they are last in the group but they looked second best against an Estudiantes side minus Juan Veron.

The home side did go in front after a defender’s push resulted in a converted penalty.
But soon after the break the Argentinians scored two quick goals including an excellent strike from Gonzalez.

Estudiantes negotiated the remainder of the game and their goalie dodged the flying bottles aimed at him.

Cerro Porteno 1 Deportivo Tachira (Venezuela) 1.

The third Copa Libertadores fixture in Asuncion played at Cerro´s home in a well filled stadium.

On another steamy night I joined some radio commentators in watching this one.

The ground has a 32,000 capacity being mostly open with the main ultras at the left hand end.

Cerro are one of the two biggest clubs in Asuncion and they expect success.
But on this night despite taking the lead they were pegged back by the visitors from Venezuela who played well, especially in the second half.

Liverpool 0 Nacional 2.

I took the fast ferry and bus to Montevideo hoping for some milder weather after the heat of Asuncion and Buenos Aires.
What I got was torrential rain one day and high winds and cooler conditions on the second day.

This first game was played at the famous Centenario stadium.

As expected the Nacional fans came in their thousands with a much smaller number supporting the green and black of Liverpool.
After ten minutes the heavens opened and the Nacional hinchas cranked up the noise.

Their team had the edge scoring fairly early on and staying in control most of time.

The Centenario has that feeling of history being the stadium that staged the very first World Cup and its iconic structure - the tower - presents a memorable image as a backdrop to watching a match.

El Tanque Sisley 1 Central Espanol 0.

I´m not sure the significance of the Sisley tank however this top division game was more like a non league encounter judging by the surroundings of Carrasco Norte at 10.15am on a Sunday morning.

There was about equal numbers of home and away fans totally around 300.
Many sat on basic bench seats.

El T scored in the first half through their Cameroonian centre forward and then were content to mostly defend in the 2nd period.

I took a taxi to central Montevideo to relax before setting out for Cerro.

Cerro 0 Penarol 2.

A few kilometres to north of the centre the area of Cerro brought out the locals to watch the most successful team in Uruguay come into town.

This was a time to arrive early as the good seats in the platea were soon taken up about an hour before the 4.30pm start.

The fans Penarol came in large numbers and packing the opposite terrace. Whilst the home ultras were behind the right hand goal (the other end being unused)

After a fairly even first period when both sides hit the woodwork Penarol took the lead with a great left foot strike by Pacheco.
Soon after they added to the advantage and generally held out for the expected victory.

At the end the home fans sent a cascade of debris at the Penarol players and the away fans proceeded to break down some of the fences, by then I had made my exit via one of the taxis waiting outside.

(part 2) more pictures at http://www.photobox.co.uk/album/715016177

Argentina February/March 2011

2011-03-22T04:42:00.000-07:00

This trip to South America included games in Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay.

Estudiantes La Plata 1 Deportivo Tolima 0.

The trip began with a Copa Libertadores game between the Argentinian Apertura champions and their visitors from Colombia.

The match was played in the revamped La Plata city stadium before a typically passionate 36,000 with only a hundred or so away fans.

The stadium has the addition of a partial roof, improved seating and some European style updating including a central scoreboard that those that operate it still had to get used to.

The changes did enhance the typically passionate atmosphere, the noise being so loud some of the children had to cover their ears.

Tolima showed some useful skills and Estudiantes had some dodgy moments in defence but eventually, prompted by Juan Veron, the home side got on top and sealed victory via a familiar left footed free kick from the right.

The fans were able to leave quickly and I got the bus back to Buenos Aires.

Atletico Rafaela 4 San Martin (San Juan) 1 in Nacional B (second level)

Following an interminable, ten hour, bus journey from Buenos Aires through flat countryside of fields and not much else I arrived at Rafaela.

The town has the feel of a slightly more affluent location with a pleasant centre, convenient hotels and a nearby stadium.

The home side are challenging at the top of the league and they won this convincingly.
Starting with a penalty and followed by two more goals in the first half.

San Martin did get a late consolation but they were well beaten.

The ground has a two tier end for the ultras plus some Boca-like boxes opposite.

I could stroll back to my hotel after the match and have a couple of Caipirinhas before midnight.

Colon Santa Fe 1 Gimnasia La Plata 3.

This time the bus trip, from Rafaela to Santa Fe, was only 2 hours or so.

Colon are doing some development on their ground, as its another being used for the Copa America. They’re adding a second tier to one end and boxes above the main stand area.

20,000 hinchas turned out (including a good number from La Plata) on a warm evening to watch the home team fairly well beaten by Gimnasia who had the outstanding player in the no.10, Juan Neira.
He scored twice including a clever free kick.

Colon did reply to the first strike straightaway but generally struggled to get their game going.
Gimnasia finished them off near the end.

Racing Cordoba 0 Deportivo Maipu 0.

Another longish, 5 hour, bus journey however this time it ran pretty much to time.

Racing are one of a number of clubs in Cordoba and they have a decent stadium although only 3,000 fans were there on this Saturday evening for an Argentino A, 3rd level, fixture with just a handful of non ultras from Mendoza.

No goals and not many goalmouth incidents.
But there were plenty of other incidents as two home players got sent off, the (local) stretcher bearers tussled with the away coach, the referee got plenty of abuse and Maipu, bottom of the league, wasted time mercilessly.

I left quickly as the mayhem mounted at the end of the game.

Independiente Rivadavia 1 Union Santa Fe 2.

A Nacional B encounter in front of 8,000 fans at this Mendoza based club.

The ground is not too far from the larger Estadio Malvinas in a large park to the east of the city.
It has an older style main stand, a largish end for the ultras and some development going on at the other end.

The local hinchas brought their fireworks and flares and that enhanced the atmosphere though in the end their team were well beaten by Union with Quiroga heading the winner.

Afterwards I had an idyllic walk back to my central hotel through the park, in very pleasant weather, and past the wine festival joining the locals taking their glasses around each stall.

In a way Mendoza was a little piece of heaven - not only the football but as a world renowned wine centre.

Instituto 0 Atletico Tucuman 1.

Back to Cordoba to see two teams challenging at the top of Nacional B.

This was the first match at which i´d seen a programme during this trip.
And for one teenager near me it was not for reading (or collecting) as he tore it up and threw it into the air as the players emerged.
Not something you often see in England.

There was a superb atmosphere created by the 15,000 locals but this was not reflected in their teams display as Atletico had the match winner (he got a 10 in the sports paper) - the no.8 Chavez.
Always lively and with non stop running up front he scored a Messi-like winner with a dribble and chip.

It was well deserved, and a shame they had no fans to witness it, since Atletico were always on top getting numerous corners and better, sharper possession.

The ground (visible from the air on the way in) is painted red & white and capable of holding 25,000.

Godoy Cruz 1 Penarol 3.

And a return to Mendoza for this Copa Libertadores 2nd phase game.

It was played in the spacious Estadio Malvinas - another Copa America venue.

I´d seen some fans from Uruguay earlier in the day in the centre of the city.
The had an armed escort accompanying their buses to the stadium.

Certainly the 700 visiting fans had plenty to shout about as Penarol scored in the first minute when Olivera was left unmarked to head in.
Despite Godoy Cruz getting back on terms this always looked fairly comfortable for Penarol after Olivera scored another header before half time.

The home side found it difficult to set up their chances except near the end.

We had a ten minute break for a partial floodlight failure but it didn’t stop the visitors from sealing the win.

As away wins tend to be fairly unusual in the Copa Lib. this looked a vital victory.
It was only the second Copa home game for Godoy Cruz..

This time it was a longer walk back to the centre, through more of the park, alongside the downcast locals.

Velez Sarsfield 3 Universidad Catolica 4.

A terrific Copa Libertadores encounter watched by 20,000 including about 800 from Chile, who provided good support for their team.

Again we had an early goal when the home goalie failed to stop a shot from Pratto. Velez fought back and by half time were 3.-1 up though that score was somewhat flattering.

The Chileans came out for the second and attacked scoring first from an inspirational shot from Costa.
Then Pratto would get his second with another excellent strike and in the final minutes Catolica broke away in another well worked move to finish off Velez.

Barracas Central 2 Comunicaciones 0.

The first of two Primera B (third level) games in different parts of Buenos Aires.

The area around the Barracas ground has a reputation but on this hot and sunny Friday afternoon it was calm enough.

Before a small crowd the home side were mostly in control led by their excellent centre forward who headed them into the lead. Comu (with no fans) looked limited.

Deportivo Moron 1 San Carlos 1. in the 9pm game.

It was a comfortabe enough double if not a comfortable train ride (crowded .- locals jumping through the windows to get a seat)

Moron have a good sized stadium with a large side and right hand end (for the ultras)
The other end had a few fans presumably from San Carlos.

The away side scored first , a header from a corner against the run of play. Moron got the equaliser after a good move, cross, and conversion by their striker.

Later in the second period it settled into a stalemate. I went back to central Buenos Aires via Once station.

Atlanta 1 Defensores de Cambeceres 2.

Atlanta, based near Chacarita station are top of Primera C (fourth level) and plenty of their fans watched this one in very hot conditions.

Though the home side began well and took the lead Defensores, in fifth place, equalised against the run of play in the first half.
Despite having a man sent off the away team went ahead and they were able to hold on well enough helped by Atlanta also having a men getting a red card.

The locals, 9000 of them, provided good support.

Racing 4 Olimpo 3.

I took the train back to Retiro, subte across to Constitution and then another train to Avellaneda in good time for the late kick off on this Saturday night.

35,000 fans in total and loads packed into the Ímperial Guard´section behind the goal. The ultras produced a typically large flag and kept up the noise throughout.

They had a lot to cheer about in the first half as Racing cut thru the Olimpo defence three times adding a fourth early in the second period.
But Olimpo are challenging at the top of the league and they fought back with three quick efforts making it a nervy finish for home side. But they held on and you could hear them singing some way up the street.

Tiro Federal 0 Instituto 0.

The second goalless draw of the trip and a very low key affair in Rosario.
It was totally in contrast to watching Central or Newell’s as Tiro are a small team with a ground for which only one side was being used (there is redevelopment at one end and ´boxes´opposite)

The game had few moments of interest, both teams hit the woodwork but the rest was effort but little result.

Tigre 1 Banfield 2.

Back to Buenos Aires for the late Friday night game in Victoria, north of the centre.

Where the 17,000 fans included a lively group from Banfield who are doing well in the Clausura.

The visitors went ahead when Garcia was there to convert a cross and although Tigre fought back Banfield had the last word with a late goal following a route one goalie clearance.

Huracan 2 Quilmes 1.

This was a relegation battle in the Argentinian Clausura.

And you had to feel for Quilmes whose fans provided good support as they gifted Huracan two goals with defensive errors.
The visitors did score with ten minutes remaining, again helped by an error, but despite late pressure Huracan and their fans could celebrate their first win of the season.

This was my second visit to Huracan´s stadium and at least this time the match was played in dry, pleasantly cool weather (last time it rain hard)

The ground has had some updating with improved seating, the iconic tower still stands out (just like at the Centenario) although the scoreboard has gone and it remains virtually entirely open.
The architectural detail does add to the stadiums’ style.

Argentinos Juniors 0 Nacional (Uruguay) 1.

Finally - a visit to the Diego Armando Maradona stadium to see Nacional beat Argentinos in the Libertadores.

Nacional brought plenty of fans from Montevideo to fill the terrace section opposite the main stand.

Their team generally had the upper hand against a stuttering home side who failed to perform.

One goal was enough but with some prompting from the Argentinian Gallardo the away team might have some more goals in the second period.

more pictures at http://www.photobox.co.uk/album/714930808

Denmark & France February 2011

2011-02-16T03:40:00.000-08:00

Denmark 1 England 2
at the Parken stadium in Copenhagen.

This friendly often seemed like a high level kick around with very few tackles until the final few minutes as the home side realised they were going to lose.

But both teams can say they passed the ball around well although Denmark had the standout player in Christian Eriksen.

For England Wilshere looked at home in midfield as did Scott Parker when he came on in the second half.
But neither defence looked fully secure.

It is hard to tell how significant this win will be with much more serious competitive tests to come but at least it’s an away victory.

Watching the game it was almost too hot under the closed roof and then too cold outside in the wind.

Nimes 0 Dijon 2 in the French Ligue 2.

I’d seen the small group of away fans close to the famous, well preserved, Roman amphitheatre in the centre of town.
Later they had no trouble finding space behind the goal to watch their team beat the hosts at the pleasant Stade des Costieres in bright and mild conditions.

Both teams are in mid-table but it was Dijon who passed better and after a moderate first period they went ahead when Caceres controlled and shot in.

Uruguayan Sebastian Ribas sealed the win in the closing minutes.

For the home side Steve Haguy did some good work down the right, a Gigliotti free kick glanced the post and Niflore also hit the post but they were greeted with boos at the final whistle.

Arles Avignon 0 Montpellier 0 in Ligue 1.

I was able to get a convenient train after the Nimes game back to Avignon followed by a taxi to the Parc des Sports.

Where the highlight was the performance of the Montpellier fans who produced an impressive display of flares, flags and fence rattling.

The ground has temporary style seats at either end and low level seating opposite the main stand. The attendance was given as 8500 and there were around 400 away fans.

But the game itself had little goalmouth action with one of the best chances being badly fluffed by Geoffrey Dernis.

So Arles gained a point but they stay well adrift at the bottom of the league.

Rennes 2 Nice 0.

Another top level encounter that saw Rennes move up to second, five points behind Lille.

Their stadium is an impressive, covered, 30,000 seater in which there was just a handful of fans from Nice.

The conditions on this Sunday afternoon felt like a February in England - cold and wet.

After an opening period of few chances Rennes stepped up the play to score through Victor Hugo Montano and then via a penalty from Boukari.
The home forwards, with some prompting by the skillful Yann M’Vila, had done enough to consolidate the win.

Nice, with few away goals all season, never really looked like getting back into it despite a David Bellion header.

more pictures at http://www.photobox.co.uk/album/680928457