International Break and Euro 2012 Qualifying

I wasn't able to post in the last week (internet was down at home), but I will attempt to cover the international games from Friday/Saturday and Tuesday.  Anyway, this time I'm going to focus on teams in general, rather than games and give some words on their performances.  I'll be speaking about the following teams:

Ireland
England
Spain
Italy
Netherlands
Germany
USA

Also, I'm sorry but I won't be able to link to any videos at the moment because I can't find any for some games.  But, I'll edit later with links to videos when I get them.

Ireland

An own goal from Armenia send Ireland to the finals

Let's begin with Ireland (the country of my heritage).  Ireland have found their way into the second position in the table for Group B.  They pulled two victories this past weekend despite the absence of captain Robbie Keane.  On Friday, Ireland faced Andorra and produced a 2-0 victory.  Kevin Doyle was a hero again as his goal in the 7th minute put Ireland ahead, and Aiden McGeady solidified the lead in the 20th minute.  Then on Tuesday, Ireland and Armenia played to determine second spot in the group behind Russia.  Ireland managed a lucky, but hard fought 2-1 against Armenia.  Ireland's first point came from an own goal which was equalised by Armenia later.  Then Richard Dunne struck to give Ireland the lead before being sent off himself. This puts Ireland through to the Euro play offs (meaning they'll be playing against Portugal, Croatia, and Czech Republic to find one of two spots in the finals).

England
Well, England played only one game on Friday against Montenegro, and it was an interesting one.  Ashley Young and Darren Bent put England ahead 2-0 in the first half, but Montenegro fought back.  They put one away just before the half to end the first half at 2-1.  Then in the 73rd minute, Rooney was sent off for a pointless tackle (that honestly was not much of a tackle) and England were on the back foot after that.  All looked fine until Adrija Delibasic gave Montenegro the equaliser in the 90th minute to tie the game.  England remains in the top spot for Group G and they haven't lost a game yet, but playing without Rooney might be a bit tough for the goal scoring aspect.

Silva gives Spain the lead against Scotland

Spain
It was a routine weekend for the world champions as they recorded two more wins against the Czech Republic and Scotland.  On Friday, Juan Mata and Xabi Alonso put Spain ahead early with two great goals that were enough to hold for an easy win against the Czech Republic.  Tuesday, it was the game of the dual Davids as David Silva struck a brace and David Villa finished off the scoring against Scotland to give Spain a 3-1 win.  Spain maintains their perfect 8-win-record in Group I, absolutely guaranteeing them a spot in the finals.

Italy
It was a good but mixed weekend for the Italy that began with a Friday 1-1 tie with Serbia.  Marchisio struck early in the first minute to put Italy ahead, but Ivanovic equalised in the second half and neither team could find the net afterward.  Then on Tuesday, Italy found a comfortable 3-0 win against struggling Northern Ireland.  Cassano struck a brace and a humiliating own goal finished off the game.  Italy has also yet to lose a game in Group C with a 8-2-0 record.

Netherlands
The Netherlands proved they are a definite threat for the Euro 2012 this weekend but also dropped their first game in the group stages.  Friday they faced Moldova where a single goal from Klaas-Jan Huntelaar was enough to give the world cup runner-ups a 1-0 win.  But, Tuesday they were humbled by Sweden in a 2-3 loss.  Goals from Huntelaar and Kuyt were not enough this time and Netherlands lost their perfect record in qualifying.

Özil performed fantastically against Belgium

Germany
Germany finished Euro Cup qualifying with a spectacular perfect 10-0-0 record.  Friday they defeated Turkey 3-1 with goals from Gomez, Müller, and Schweinsteiger outweighing the consolation goal from Turkey.  Then on Tuesday, they beat Belgium 3-1 with more goals from Gomez, Özil, and Schurrle.  This technically gives them the best record (only because Spain have only played 8 games) as their 30 points stands monstrous in qualifying.

USA
The USA may not have a Euro Cup to qualify for, but they played games against Honduras and Ecuador this weekend.  Saturday, the USA got their first victory under new coach Jurgen Klinsmann as they defeated Honduras 1-0 thanks to a fabulous goal from Clint Dempsey assisted by Brek Shea.  Their Tuesday game against Ecuador just finished (like as am typing this) and the result is a 0-1 loss to Ecuador.  The USMNT definitely showed some fatigue and a lack of goalscorers as a singular goal from Corozo sunk the USA.  Klinsmann's record stands at 1 win 4 losses with the national team, but I honestly don't think it properly represents the progress they've made.  Hopefully a great goal scoring outlet or some chemistry with all the new players can bring better results (but I honestly think the red jerseys are bad luck).

So, league football resumes this weekend and I'll be back to summarise all the action on Saturday.

Reality Check

Sorry about the late post, but I've had a bit of a busy weekend with school and what not.  Anyways, below is a list of games that happened this past weekend that I'll be covering:

Blackburn Rovers 0-4 Manchester City
Manchester United 2-0 Norwich City
Valencia 1-0 Granada
Internazionale 0-3 Napoli
TSG Hoffenheim 0-0 Bayern München
Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 Arsenal
Bolton Wanderers 1-5 Chelsea
Sporting Gijon 0-1 Barcelona
RCD Espanyol 0-4 Real Madrid
Juventus 2-0 AC Milan

As you can see there are tons of games, so let's get started!

Adam Johson breaches the Rovers to put City ahead

Blackburn Rovers 0-4 Manchester City

City returned to stellar form with goals from Adam Johnson, Mario Balotelli, Samir Nasri, and Stefan Savic to destroy Blackburn Rovers.  The goals started at 56 minutes and continued through the 87th as City romped their opponents.  I do have to say that Johnson's goal was brilliant and I hope to see more like that.

Manchester United 2-0 Norwich City

Manchester United struggled against Norwich City's tough defence and pulled a 2-0 win thanks to goals from Anderson and Danny Welbeck.  Nani, Rooney, and Chicharito couldn't find ways through and it took a bit of skill from the others to pull a win this time.  But still, you know a team is doing well when the critics say they performed poorly after winning 2-0.

Valencia 1-0 Granada

Valencia battled for a tough win against Granada even though the game winning goal came in the 4th minute.  Sergio Canales Madrazo put Valencia ahead with a splendid goal, but Soldado and other threw away a ton of chances to finish the game off.  Valencia dominated the game, but couldn't put it away.  Either way, they are now in a three way tie for third in the league.

Another impressive performance as Maggio gets his goal

Internazionale 0-3 Napoli

Inter failed again in a difficult game against recently successful Napoli.  There was some controversy over the first goal which resulted from a penalty given after Obi's challenge on Maggio right outside of the goal box.  This technically shouldn't have been a penalty, but it was nonetheless given and Obi was sent off for a red card, as well.  Hamsik missed the shot, but it was picked up by Campagnaro.  Later Maggio made it two with a slip up from Inter's defence and Hamsik made up for his missed penalty to bury Milan.  I have no doubt that Napoli would have won even without Obi's red card and penalty.

TSG Hoffenheim 0-0 Bayern München

Bayern München failed to find a real goal in their draw to TSG Hoffenheim.  This ended their 10-game winning streak, but they still sit at the top of the Bundesliga table, leading by 3 points.  Also, this continues goalkeeper Manuel Neuer's clean sheet streak, as Bayern have not conceded a goal since August 15.

Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 Arsenal

Tottenham got a well-deserved and hard fought win over Arsenal.  Van der Vaart put Tottenham ahead just before the end of the first half and had Arsenal clawing back afterwards.  Aaron Ramsey equalised for Arsenal in the 51st minute and the Spurs dreams were crushed.  Then in the 73rd minute, Kyle Walker got his first goal at Tottenham and put Arsenal to bed.

Lampard proved his worth and definitely earned his place

Bolton Wanderers 1-5 Chelsea

Daniel Sturridge and Frank Lampard both proved their worth as Chelsea won 5-1 against Bolton Wanderers.  This was one of Chelsea's best performances this season.  Lampard was insatiable and Sturridge's second goal was brilliant and accentuated opposing keeper Adam Bogdan's poor performance.  Bolton did get a consolation goal courtesy of Dedryck Boyata that mimicked Sturridge's first.  Lampard's hat trick buried any speculation that his time at Chelsea was near its end.

Sporting Gijon 0-1 Barcelona

Barcelona found trouble getting a goal against Sporting Gjion, with the only one coming from Adriano in the 12th minute.  After this, the game was actually a bit boring.  There wasn't a remarkable amount of real chances for either side, and honestly Barcelona's consistency is beginning to worry me.  They may win by 5 or 6 goals one weekend, but the next one they pull a tie or barely edge by.  We'll have to see how this side perform later to decide whether they are really in for a tough time.

RCD Espanyol 0-4 Real Madrid

Real Madrid thrashed Espanyol with a hat trick from Higuain and a great goal from Callejon.  Kaka and Cristiano came up short, but the Argentine striker was there to put the team's unrest at ease.  This comes at a good time for Higuain as his place at Madrid has come under question following his recent string of performances.  But, even after this game his potential move been discussed.

Marchisio was the hero as Juventus stomped Milan

Juventus 2-0 AC Milan

It was a great night for the Bianconeri as Claudio Marchisio pulled a very late brace to give them victory over last year's champions.  Juventus dominated the game, but poor crossing and a lack of precise finishing left them still scrambling by the 87th minute.  Then Marchisio put it away to effectively bury Milan, who had been quiet for the majority of the evening.  Play continued until unexpectedly, Marchisio struck again in the 90th minute to definitively bury Milan.  This put Juventus in joint 1st place in the league (tied with Udinese) and serves as continued proof that the most successful team in Italy is coming back.

For the rest of this week, there won't be any matches, so unless big news hits I'll be out until Friday's Euro Cup games.  Cheers until then!