Omonia Nicosia 1-2 Manchester City - UEFA Cup Highlights
Omonia Nicosia 1-2 Manchester City - UEFA Cup
The Brazilian missed an open goal from six yards and hit the post as City wasted several first-half chances.
Stephen Ireland also hit the woodwork before Klodian Duro smashed Omonia ahead with a free-kick after half-time.
Jo fired against the bar before tapping in Shaun Wright-Phillips' pass to level, then met Pablo Zabaleta's cross soon after to slot home City's winner.
City scraped past Danish side FC Midtjylland on penalties in the previous round and they again made heavy weather against supposedly inferior opposition here.
Omonia Nicosia 1-2 Manchester City - UEFA Cup
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Spain in Euro Cup Semifanal Beat Italy
Spain Makes Euro Soccer Semifinal With Win Over Italy
Iker Casillas saved two penalties to help Spain beat Italy in a major tournament for the first time in 88 years and propel his country into the semifinals of soccer's European Championship for the first time since 1984.
Spain won the shootout 4-2 against the world champion after neither team could score in 120 minutes of play at Vienna's Ernst Happel stadium last night.
``This time we were lucky against Italy,'' Spain coach Luis Aragones told reporters. ``We deserved to win on penalty kicks but we didn't play great football and neither did Italy.''
The victory means Spain will play Russia for the second time in the tournament for a place in the June 29 final. Aragones's players thrashed Guus Hiddink's team 4-1 in the opening match of the tournament. Germany and Turkey meet in the other semifinal a day earlier, on June 25.
Spain is now two wins from adding to its 1964 European Championship success, its sole international title. The last time the country reached the final four at a major tournament was at Euro 84.
Cesc Fabregas got the winning penalty after David Villa, Santi Cazorla and Marcos Senna scored their spot kicks. Casillas saved from Daniele De Rossi and Antonio Di Natale, while Italian goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon kept out Daniel Guiza's effort.
``It was a very difficult game; it took a lot out of us because it was so hot,'' Casillas said. ``To go out would have been harsh.''
Hoodoo
It's the first time in four attempts the Spaniards have won a quarterfinal shootout on June 22 at a major tournament. Spain exited the World Cup in 1986 and 2002 on penalties on that date and suffered the same fate at Euro 96.
``The group is convinced it's going to get to the final,'' Aragones said. ``Then we'll see what will happen.''
While Spain won all three first-phase games, Italy lost its opener to the Netherlands 3-0, drew with Romania and had to beat France in its final group match and rely on the Netherlands winning against Romania to advance.
Few chances were created in the first half as four-time world champion Italy sought to stifle Spain by packing its defense.
The first clear opportunity for Spain -- which had 60 percent of possession in the opening 45 minutes -- didn't come until more than half an hour had been played, when Valencia's David Silva beat Fabio Grosso and unleashed a 20-meter (66-foot) shot that fizzed past Buffon's far post.
The Italians continued to frustrate Spanish strikers Fernando Torres and Villa after the interval and Aragones replaced Torres with Guiza with six minutes remaining in a futile bid to find a goal.
Italy coach Roberto Donadoni said he ``couldn't care less'' when a reporter said the team's performance wasn't worthy of a world champion.
``I'm proud of what they've done,'' Donadoni said. ``It's up to you to assess our performance.''
N.Korean Demands Leave Football Match in Limbo
Labels: 2010 football world cup south africa, bekham, champion, footbal, football world cup, korea, korea football, national flag, ranaldino, ronaldo, soccer
It has become uncertain if South and North Korea will face off in a soccer match in Pyongyang as planned. The North Korean capital is scheduled to host on March 26 a third regional preliminary between the two Koreas for the 2010 Football World Cup in South Africa.
But the North says it will not allow the visit of a South Korean cheerleader team, the public display of South Korea’s national flag and the playing of the South Korean national anthem. The North claims the South Korean national flag has never been flown in its skies and the South Korean national anthem has never been heard.
The national flags of South and North Korea are seen at an inter-Korean soccer match as part of the East Asian Football Championship at Jeonju World Cup Stadium in August 2005.
A South Korean delegation headed by Korea Football Association vice president Cho Joong-yon visited Kaesong on Feb. 5 for talks on the preliminary with North Korean leaders including the vice chairman of the Physical Culture and Sports Guidance Commission. The KFA had last December notified the North of its plan to survey the pitch and discuss issues of the players, a press corps and a cheerleader squad at the Feb. 5 meeting.
There however, North Korean delegates repeated the demand that the South replace its national anthem and flag with the traditional folk song “Arirang” and a flag representing the Korean Peninsula “for the sake of unity and harmony”; the meeting ran from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The North even insisted South Korean players wear uniforms embroidered with the Korean Peninsula flag instead of the South Korean flag. North Korea said the use of the South Korean anthem and flag would “promote inter-Korean conflict.”
It also rejected South Korea’s request to bring a 1,000-strong cheerleader team, saying that a South Korean squad would not be necessary since North Koreans already warmly welcome and passionately root for South Korean players. The South planned to bring 50-85 reporters to cover the match, but the North wanted the number cut to single digits. The Korea Football Association says it will not accept the demand on the anthem and flag.
The association plans to ask the international governing body FIFA to serve as a go-between if the North doesn’t climb down by late this month. Vice chairman Cho said the North’s decision is crucial, and the preliminary could be held in a third country if the two Koreas fail to reach agreement.
Twenty countries divided into five groups participate in regional preliminaries. The top two teams from each group will advance to the final preliminary. Both South and North Korea are in Group 3 and recorded one win each. The South defeated Turkmenistan 4-0 while the North beat Jordan 1-0.
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