Solorzano strike sinks Adelaide

Only a monumental collapse will stop Brisbane Roar from finishing top of the A-League ladder after it extended its lead to 11 points with a 1-0 away win over second-placed Adelaide United on Sunday night.

Costa Rican striker Jean Carlos Solorzano pounced in the 69th minute to give the Roar three points at a packed Hindmarsh Stadium and keep it unbeaten in 19 matches.

The goal set up a gripping last 20 minutes and United - backed noisily by the vast majority of the 14,000 fans at its home ground - threw the lot at the competition's yardstick to no avail.

Roar goalkeeper Michael Theoklitos was the second half hero, making an important late save to keep the Reds at bay.

His airborne one-handed save off the head of Adelaide's Nigel Boogaard denied the Reds in the 79th minute when a goal looked certain.

Reds defender Iain Fyfe, who was excellent throughout, also went close late in the match with a cheeky long-range chip which bounced off the crossbar.

With six matches remaining, Brisbane - which has not been beaten since mid-September - should seal the Premiers' Plate within its next two games.

It could also seal the double chance and a top two spot in its next match against Perth Glory at Suncorp Stadium on Friday.

Brisbane is now 15 points clear of third-placed Central Coast Mariners.

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Solorzano strike sinks Adelaide

Only a monumental collapse will stop Brisbane Roar from finishing top of the A-League ladder after it extended its lead to 11 points with a 1-0 away win over second-placed Adelaide United on Sunday night.

Costa Rican striker Jean Carlos Solorzano pounced in the 69th minute to give the Roar three points at a packed Hindmarsh Stadium and keep it unbeaten in 19 matches.

The goal set up a gripping last 20 minutes and United - backed noisily by the vast majority of the 14,000 fans at its home ground - threw the lot at the competition's yardstick to no avail.

Roar goalkeeper Michael Theoklitos was the second half hero, making an important late save to keep the Reds at bay.

His airborne one-handed save off the head of Adelaide's Nigel Boogaard denied the Reds in the 79th minute when a goal looked certain.

Reds defender Iain Fyfe, who was excellent throughout, also went close late in the match with a cheeky long-range chip which bounced off the crossbar.

With six matches remaining, Brisbane - which has not been beaten since mid-September - should seal the Premiers' Plate within its next two games.

It could also seal the double chance and a top two spot in its next match against Perth Glory at Suncorp Stadium on Friday.

Brisbane is now 15 points clear of third-placed Central Coast Mariners.

www.soccers-league.blogspot.com

Freddie Ljungberg looks forward to Celtic fans' passion

Freddie Ljungberg has identified the passion of the Celtic supporters as one of his reasons for signing for the club from Chicago Fire.

 "In America the league is much better than it gets credit for but Celtic are a massive club and what I missed was the passion for the sport," he said."If you're looking for passion then it's here. There is great support. The fans and the passion are very good."The former Arsenal midfielder, 33, has joined Neil Lennon's side until May.

The Celtic manager admits to being "hugely tempted" to start the Swede in the Old Firm derby against Rangers at Ibrox on Sunday, but is concerned about Ljungberg's lack of first-team football.

Lennon said: "It's a tough question because he hasn't played much football since October but obviously he's still in great condition and he's come through the medical, which is quite stringent here, with no problems at all.

"He is in contention."

At a media conference on Friday, Ljungberg described Celtic as "a very big club with great management staff too" and has pledged to wear with pride the club's number seven shirt, that worn by his countryman Henrik Larsson in his days at Celtic.

"When I was at Arsenal I had Ian Wright's number and he was a legend there," he said.

"I'll try to do the same here with the number seven shirt - to wear it with pride and do my best."

Ljungberg left Major League Soccer after an 18-month spell in the United States, his first port of call being on the west coast at Seattle Sounders, the team he joined some months after leaving West Ham in 2008.

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Manchester City set to sign Wolfsburg's Edin Dzeko, according to reports,transfer news

Manchester City are set to bolster their hopes of winning the Premier League by signing the Wolfsburg striker Edin Dzeko for a fee in the region of €40m, according to reports in Germany.

The Wolfsburger Allgemeine reports that City will pay an initial fee of €30m, followed by a further €5m should they qualify for the Champions League this season. An extra €5m would be required to for a signing-on fee and to pay agents. Bild reports that Dzeko could be in place in time for City's visit to Arsenal next Wednesday.Roberto Mancini has made no secret of his admiration for the Bosnian striker. "We have the chance to win the league this year and the decisive factor could be Edin Dzeko," he said yesterday. "This player can decide titles and that is why we want him."The Bosnian striker has long been eager to leave the German side for a bigger club. He has been linked with a move to Milan as well as City, but Antonio Cassano's arrival from Sampdoria reduces the chances of Dzeko joining the Italian club.Dzeko was the top scorer in the Bundesliga last season, having finished runner-up to his team-mate, Grafite, when Wolfsburg won the league title in the 2008-09 season. He has already scored 10 times this season, taking his overall tally to 66 in 111 games for the club.

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Watch Manchester City v Aston Villa Live Stream | 28 December 2010 Online

Watch Manchester City v Aston Villa Live Stream giveaway TV Streaming Coverage Online!. Chevatona weblog gives we a event to watch Manchester City v Aston Villa live streaminginterjection to post links to diversion time, for a Barclays Premier League Day 20th. The compare Man City v Aston Villa online will be played upon Tuesday Dec 28, 2010 (Kick off: 15:00) during The City of Manchester Stadium.




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Inter appoint Leonardo as boss

nter Milan have confirmed Leonardo as Rafael Benitez's replacement, giving the Brazilian a one-and-a-half-year contract as their new manager.Speculation had linked the former AC Milan coach with the position even before Benitez officially parted company with the European champions on Thursday, and the Nerazzurri have now officially confirmed his appointment.The 41-year-old, who had one season in charge of Milan during the 2009/10 campaign, will officially start work with the Serie A champions on Wednesday.A statement on the club's official website read: "Welcome to Leonardo. It will be the Brazilian coach to lead the team from December 29."Leonardo has a contract that will bind him to Inter until 30 June 2012."For Leonardo, the most sincere and good luck, we believe that he has the class and experience of a champion and his mentality will get the team together to get results."Club president Massimo Moratti had insisted earlier that he would not be naming Benitez's successor until after Christmas, but has now reneged on that to appoint the former World Cup winner.Leonardo takes over a side that are in seventh place in Serie A, 13 points behind leaders Milan.Apart from attempting to bridge that gap, one of his primary tasks will be attempting to retain the Champions League when the competition resumes in FebruaryInter must overcome Bayern Munich over two legs if they are to stand a chance of keeping the trophy they won when Jose Mourinho's side beat the Germans in May.Benitez's six-month stay at the San Siro was officially ended on Thursday.Despite lifting the Italian Super Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup during that time, the Spaniard had struggled to adapt to life as the popular Mourinho's successor, and seemed to issue Moratti with an ultimatum over transfer funds earlier this week.That led to the breakdown of his relationship with Moratti, who, after Benitez left the club, was quoted as saying: "I'm sorry the relationship with Benitez is over, but the split had now become inevitable."Leonardo's first meeting with his former employers is scheduled to take place on April 3.On Thursday, Milan's vice president, Adriano Galliani, admitted it would be strange to see Leonardo in blue and black."I do not know what my reaction would be," he said."He certainly has an important history with Milan. He made a career with AC Milan; first as a player, then as a coach and a manager."

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What’s gotten into Carlo lately?

Is the pressure finally getting to King Carlo?

Mad as hell? Of course not. But our usually calm, understated leader has this week been in a verytalkative mood. Even more unexpected? He’s chosen the media as his outlet.

I. First there was the public rebuttal of England’s Brave John Terry. Our captain admitted this week what many of us had lamented since the summer: that a lack of squad depth has, and will continue to be, a significant worry.

Terry said: “We’ve missed some key players at key times and it is a case of keeping everyone fit now over the Christmas period, where we have two games in three days. In the past

, we had a big squad and could rotate and put other players in. We don’t have that now we have quite a young squad and it’s a time for everyone to stay together like we always will. Once we’ve turned that corner, we can move on from there and wait for other teams to slip up, which they will do.”

No argument from me there. Ancelotti, however, disagrees.

“I think we had a problem because we had a lot of players injured all at the same time. For this reason, we had a bad moment. When you are not in a good moment, it’s very difficult to put in the young players because you don’t want to put responsibility on their shoulders. But now it’s different. The squad is good, the players are in good condition, without injury, and we can play this game well. At our best.”

This is hardly a big deal; it’s not as if Carlo is lambasting Terry for making such a statement. Nevertheless, it is a public riposte. You have to admit, this is not something we’ve come to expect from Carlo.

II. Next on the menu, Carlo’s feelings on Premier League scheduling.

The Italian has, at least until now, never been one to upset the establishment. You know, he’s usually full of praise for the Premier League. Not exactly this time around.

Carlo took soft aim at the league for scheduling our match against Bolton only two days after the trip to the Arsenal. The man appears to be learning form the best in this regard – Sir Alex Ferguson.

Anceotti bemoaned: “I want to say something about the Bolton game because we won’t have the possibility to recover. We’ll have two days, compared to Bolton who, unfortunately, play on the 26th. We play on the 27th. That’s not a good thing, to have one day less to recover.”

Is Ancelotti angry? ”Yes. I’m not happy about that.”

Whoa. Well done, Carlo.

Thoughts: Me, I’m pleased to see the Italian showing a little emotion. Of course we don’t know what goes on behind the scenes – hell, Carlo might throw chairs and shit – but it’s safe to say the club is lacking fire right now. Yes, Spurs was a step in the right direction, but more is required. A rebirth – of sorts – starts at the top.

Ancelotti’s demeanor, I think we can agree, can work against him from time to time. The composed, cool temperament is wholly admirable, and has been effective, but there are times when the management position at Chelsea Football Club calls for some real passion. This club, particularly its core, is used to that approach (see Mourinho).

I think Ancelotti is beginning to realize that, here at the Bridge, the use of the vintage hair dryer treatment is needed every now and then – even if he’s hardly reached Ferguson-level rants (yet). Good on him.

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