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For the majority of his career, he has been a wanted man.
When PSV Eindhoven paid 6.3 million euros for his services, it was a Dutch-league record for a transfer fee. Then came his move to Manchester United in 2001, where he broke several records and was named the 2002 PFA Players’ Player of the Year. In 2006, 24 million euros later, he was suiting up in Bernabeu for Real Madrid.
No matter where Ruud van Nistelrooy went the goals and the success followed. Continue reading The Dutch: Too Nice, Not Ruud Enough
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Word out of Ecuador is that Valencia CF (Spain) has made an offer to Rubin Kazan for the services of midfielder Christian Noboa.
Noboa has become a key to Rubin Kazan’s side, but his profile has increased dramatically over the last year as he has also become a regular for the Ecuadorian national team.
Becoming a true “box-to-box” force in midfield, Noboa would fit perfectly into a Valencia side that not only recently acquired former Rubin teammate Alejandro Domínguez but is also could use an option at the midfield level in front of the defensive midfield while young Argentine Éver Banega continues developing.
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Over the last few days word has leaked of the Army’s pursuit of Sergei Semak.
Apparently, this is something that Semak wants, telling Sovetski Sport, “CSKA is a team very close to my heart.”
Acknowledging he still has a very on his deal with Rubin, the former national team captain appears to be will to acquiesce to his current club, saying “I still have a year on my contract with Rubin, and (Rubin) turned them down.
“It would have been very symbolic for me to return to CSKA. But I don’t see anything bad about staying with Rubin.”
Symbolic indeed. Semak spend his best days with CSKA, ending a team year with the club in 2004. For any player to return to a club from whom he’s given so much service would be symbolic.
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Though they made life difficult for themselves, Cameroon is through Group D at the African Cup of Nations after their 2-2 draw with Tunisia, a result that eliminated the Eagles of Carthage from the tournament.
The difficulties started in the first minute for the Indomitable Lions when Amine Chermiti headed home a Khaled Souissi ball to give Tunisia an almost-immediate lead.
Tunisia continued to press early, forcing Carlos Kameni into another early save, before Cameroon found the measure of the match and start maintaining most of the possession.
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Zambia climbed from fourth place to first in Group D after their 2-1 win over Gabon at the African Cup of Nations. The win puts them through to the quarterfinals and a match-up with Nigeria.
Gabon, who entered the match alone atop Group D, finishes tied on points with Zambia and Cameroon but miss out on the quarterfinals on the goals scored tiebreaker. Where each team in the group finished with even goal differences, Gabon finishes third having only scored two goals. Zambia and Cameroon each scored five.
Continued here, Set Piece Analysts.
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The Pharaohs continue making their case as favorites for a three-peat at the Cup of Nations, getting two first half goals against Benin, closing Group C with a perfact nine points after their 2-0 win Wednesday.
Both goals were remarkable, with Egypt going up in the eighth minute through Ahmed El Modamady.
The Egypt right back chipped a ball towards goal from along the right flank, 35-meters out. Catching Yaonn Djidonou off his line, the ball was perfectly played in the goal’s upper-right hand corner for the opening score.
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Nigeria’s big names finally shined on Wednesday.
A brace from Lokomotiv Moscow forward Peter Odemwingie and a insurance tally from late substitute Obafemi Martins led Nigeria into the African Cup of Nations quarterfinals with a 3-0 win over Mozambique.
With the three points, Nigeria finishes second in Group C, behind Egypt, and will face Group D’s winner in the quarterfinals.
The opening half was played evenly, with Nigeria generating the slightly better of the opportunities against an organized Mozambique defense.
It was not the organization that failed the Mambas on Odemwingie’s opener, a shot toward the near post that got under goalkeeper Kapango, sending the Super Eagles into half up 1-0.
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The Black Stars use of Cup of Nations as a trial for South Africa aspirants did not stop them from getting to the competition’s quarterfinals, advancing out of Group B with a 1-0 win over Burkina Faso, earning the group’s second place.
Burkina Faso was eliminated from the tournament.
Again Ghana started with some of its best players on the bench. Defender Eric Addo – a linchpin in qualifying – started on the bench, as midfielder Anthony Anna. Agyemand Opoku was rewarded for his tormenting Cote d’Ivoire with a spot on the bench, while U-20 World Cup star Dominic Adiyiah remained out of the team.
Adiyiah and Opoku would see time in the second half.
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The African Cup of Nations came to a close for both Mali and Malawi after the Malians’ 3-1 win Monday.
A first minute goal from Frederic Kanouté was augmented two minutes later by Seydou Keita. Russel Mwafulirwa pulled Malawi within one early in the second, but a late goal from Mamadou Bagayoko gave Mali their ultimate margin of victory.
The result put the Malians in position to qualify for the quarterfinals, should Angola beat Algeria. The Foxes and Antelopes eventually acquiesced to a draw, leaving Mali out of the knock-out stage.
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In a match that played out as an indictment of the tournament’s format, Angola and Algeria secured passage into the African Cup of Nations quarterfinals with a nil-nil draw, neither team showing any ambition towards un-evening the score.
The result played out undoubted thanks to news from Cabinda that Mali was ahead of Malawi, meaning a draw in Luanda would see the Antelopes and Foxes through.
Consequently, much of the match’s second half was a cynical display of unambitious passing around the opposition’s defense. At the final whistle, smiling players congratulated their opposition, knowing each had qualified for the quarters.
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About Richard Farley Richard (me) is a writer and broadcaster in San Diego, California who spends most of his time analyzing The Beautiful Game. This site, his "personal" blog, serves as a scratch pad and content aggregator for the other places he publishes:
You can also follow Richard through his iTunes stream or via Twitter.
His (my) email address is richardfarley aht gmail doht com.
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