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Triumphant United face Premier League reality

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BARCELONA, Spain (AFP) – Ten-man Barcelona came from behind to beat Villarreal 2-1 on Sunday and go into the Christmas break with a commanding lead at the top of the table.

After a tight first half, the game came to life following a fine goal for Villarreal set-up by a delightful through ball from Giuseppe Rossi and despatched coolly by Ruben Cani from a tight angle.

Barca were forced to raise their game and showed their championship credentials with first Seydou Keita equalising from a near post header and then Thierry Henry slotting home a cross from Xavi Hernandez.

The visitors had to play the final 17 minutes with a man down after Gerard Pique received his second yellow card.

Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola said he was taking nothing for granted pointing out that there was still a long way to go in the championship race although they lead by 10 points.

“It is comforting to see the way the players are performing but nothing has been decided yet,” said Guardiola after Barca’s victory. “The game was difficult as we expected but we had luck on our side.

“I think that even with 10 men we were too impetuous and there were moments when Xavi (Hernandez) and (Dani) Alves were too far forward and we were caught out. We have to know how to manage these types of matches even though it is difficult for a coach to get players to stay back.”

Earlier, second-placed Sevilla failed to put pressure on leaders Barcelona after they could only manage a 0-0 draw against relegation-threatened Real Mallorca.

The expected onslaught never materialised for Sevilla who faced a Mallorca team with coach Gregorio Manzano hanging on to his job.

Diego Capel hit the post after 17 minutes but Mallorca held their own with Juan Arango causing plenty of pressure at the other end along with Fernando Varela who scraped a post himself before half-time.

It was a game though of few clear chances and on the hour mark Frederic Kanoute, returning from injury, was brought on for Sevilla but he too was unable to break the deadlock.

Deportivo La Coruna maintained their push for a place in Europe with a convincing 4-1 win over Recreativo Huelva.

The Galicians went ahead after ten minutes when Albert Lopo prodded a shot by Jose Ze Castro over the line and then a penalty conceded by Nasief Morris was converted by Sergio Gonzalez.

Adrian Colunga did pull a goal back for the visitors from the penalty spot after a foul by Daniel Aranzubia but it was only a momentary respite for Recre.

A header from Rodolfo Bodipo extended Depor’s lead before the break and in the final minute of the game Felipe Luis completed the scoring.

Bottom-placed Osasuna produced the biggest surprise as they fired five goals past a Getafe side who had come to Pamplona in a rich vein of form to win 5-2.

Osasuna though ripped Getafe apart scoring four goals in the first half through Jaroslav Plasil, Juanfran Torres, Walter Pandiani and Javad Nekounam.

After the break substitute Roberto Soldado scored twice for Getafe but in between Hector Font added another for Osasuna. Numancia looked down and out having gone 3-1 down to Valladolid but managed an inspiring comeback to win 3-4.

Jose Barkero scored the opening goal for Numancia before Valladolid responded through a Henok Goitom brace and another from Vivar Dorado.

Numancia did not give up though scoring late goals from Javier Del Pino, Carlos Aranda and Gorka Brit.

Racing drew 1-1 with Mallorca with Juan Valera equalising in the second half after Nabil Baha had put the visitors ahead, while Sporting Gijon beat Almeria through a Francisco Maldonado strike.

In the final match of the weekend, Javi Martinez’s 43rd minute goal meant Athletic Bilbao had a 1-0 away victory against Real Betis in a mid-table battle.

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Barcelona beat Villarreal to go ten points clear

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LONDON (AFP) – Arsene Wenger insists Arsenal can still win the Premier League title despite his side’s failure to close the gap on leaders Liverpool.

The Gunners remain eight points behind Liverpool after Sunday’s 1-1 draw against Rafa Benitez‘s team at the Emirates Stadium.

It is a substantial deficit, especially considering Arsenal still have daunting trips to Anfield, Old Trafford and Villa Park to come, but Wenger is adamant Liverpool will slip up and he expects his team to take advantage.

“We are not out of the race because the title is won in May and we are in December,” Wenger said. “Mathamatically we will fight until the end. I believe Liverpool will drop many points. I am convinced of that.

“They had four draws at home. That means they dropped eight points, why shouldn’t they drop eight more in the second half of the season?”

Wenger took heart from the way Arsenal dug in to take a point after Emmanuel Adebayor‘s second-half dismissal for two bookings.

But the French coach felt Howard Webb’s decision to send off Adebayor, who had already been shown a yellow card in the first half, for barging into Alvaro Arbeloa, stopped his team taking three points.

“Overall I believe we have shown great spirit and quality for a team down to 10 men but we are disappointed because we wanted two more points,” he said.

“But even with 10 men we were quite solid and I think we have improved on our defending in the last month.”

Adebayor was furious with the red card. He claimed Arbeloa was guilty of exaggerating the contact and insisted Webb should admit he made a mistake.

“I hope when the referee goes home and watches it on the television, he will see it was a foul but I didn’t deserve a card. It was a mistake from him,” Adebayor said.

“He said it was for the leg but if I don’t put my body in there I would never score a goal in this league. We have to protect the ball, which is normal and that’s what I tried to do.

“The defender threw himself on the floor as if I put a knife in him. Of course I’m annoyed. We are all here to play and if you win or lose you have to do it with 11.

“I cannot say he cheated but what he did wasn’t fair play at all.”

Liverpool assistant manager Sammy Lee, who took charge of the team while Rafa Benitez recovered from an operation to remove kidney stones, agreed that Arsenal’s battling display showed they are still a title contender.

“I have far too much respect for Arsenal. I don’t know anything that has been won or lost in December,” Lee said. “They are such a terrific side, we saw that here. They have quality throughout and there is no way they are out of the title race.”

If Liverpool are to end their 18-year wait to be crowned kings of English football, they need Keane to reproduce the superb finish that cancelled out van Persie‘s opener on a more regular basis.

Keane has cut a forlorn figure for most of the season after scoring just twice in the league since his 20 million-pound move from Tottenham.

Perhaps the Ireland forward was inspired by the jeers from the Arsenal fans who still remember his time down the road at White Hart Lane, but he finally looked a more dangerous proposition.

Lee insisted Keane had never lacked confidence and claimed his recent spell on the bench were just to save him for the rest of the season rather than a reflection of his form.

“If you ask anybody goals always give you confidence but I’ve got to be honest Robbie hasn’t been lacking confidence,” Lee said.

“We are fully aware of the programme we have ahead of us. If some players don’t get picked people take something out of it but it is a long, arduous campaign we have ahead of us. We have to use all the players.”

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Arsenal can still win the title insists defiant Wenger

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Osorio, 46, returns to New York, where he served as an assistant coach/conditioning coach for two seasons from 2000-01, after guiding Chicago to a 6-3-6 record in 15 Major League Soccer matches and an appearance in the Eastern Conference Final in 2007. Osorio joined the Fire as head coach on July 9, taking over for Dave Sarachan after serving as manager for Club Deportivo Millonarios in Colombia. He led the Bogota-based club to an 11-6-7 record during the 2007 season and a fourth place finish out of 18 teams in the Mustang Cup. The club also qualified for the 2006 Copa Sudamericana under Osorio.

“It is an honor and privilege to return to New York and lead the Red Bulls,” Osorio said. “Red Bull is an organization committed to sporting excellence. They are committed to making this franchise successful and I am looking forward to contributing to that success.”

Prior to his time in Colombia, Osorio spent five years (2001-06) in the English Premier League with Manchester City, starting as conditioning coach before being promoted to assistant coach.

Red Bull New York received permission to speak with Osorio, who was under contract with the Fire, in exchange for the Red Bulls’ first round selection in the 2008 MLS SuperDraft, a third round selection in the 2011 MLS SuperDraft and cash considerations.

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Osorio named new head coach of Red Bulls

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He delivered the biggest one of his career there Sunday, scoring the eventual game-winner to lift Wake Forest to a 2-1 victory over Ohio State in the NCAA College Cup championship.

“It’s unbelievable,” said Schilawski, who graduated from Cary High School. “Growing up here, I’ve seen a lot of great games on that field. It’s a thrill just to be a part of a game like that, much less to win it. It was perfect.”

Schilawski snapped a 1-1 tie with a goal in the 77th minute to help his team win the first NCAA men’s soccer title in school history. The second-seeded Demon Deacons (22-2-2), who had been 0-2-1 when trailing at halftime this season, rallied from a 1-0 deficit.

No. 5 seed Ohio State (17-4-5), which was playing in the College Cup for the first time in school history, entered the contest undefeated when scoring first and unbeaten when leading at halftime. But the Buckeyes couldn’t hold on after Roger Espinoza gave them a lead with a goal in the 13th minute, and their school-record 15-game unbeaten streak came to an end.
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Ohio State owned a 12-3 advantage in shots during the first half, but the Demon Deacons dominated play in the second period while outshooting the Buckeyes 9-0.

“There was no reason to attack if we were already winning,” Espinoza said. “We thought we already had the game won. Well, not won, but we didn’t need a second goal.

“We were just going to play and whatever happened, we were going to go with that. We just made a couple of mistakes, and that’s what happened.”

Schilawski, who assisted on a goal by Marcus Tracy in Wake Forest’s 2-0 victory over Virginia Tech in the semifinals Friday night, scored against the Buckeyes on a feed from Tracy.

Tracy powered his way through two defenders on the right flank, then juked past Doug Verhoff before crossing a pass to the middle of the field. Schilawski beat Ohio State goalkeeper Casey Latchem with a one-hop shot just inside the right post.

Latchem sprinted over to an official to argue that Tracy had touched the ball with his hand early in the sequence, and Latchem received a yellow card.

“In watching the television replay following that goal, I thought it was pretty apparent that there was a handball on the play,” said Ohio State coach John Bluem, whose team allowed more than one goal for only the second time since Sept. 23. “That’s what Casey was upset about.”

Tracy, who tied the game in the 66th minute with a goal on a feed from Cody Arnoux, disagreed with the Buckeyes’ assessment.

“I’ve played in a lot of games, and controversial calls have gone both ways,” said Tracy, who was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Offensive Player after tallying three goals and an assist in the College Cup. “I don’t think it was a handball personally, and they didn’t call it. So that’s just the way it goes.”

Goalkeeper Brian Edwards was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Defensive Player after making four saves for Wake Forest, which scored both of its goals after attacking runs down the right side of the field. The Buckeyes were vulnerable because they lost their starting left back, junior Tim Gabel, to injury early in the game.

“I think that hurt us,” Bluem said.

Wake Forest had a key defensive injury of its own. Senior Julian Valentin was kicked in the head late in the second half, and blood poured out of his face while he received medical attention on the sideline.

Valentin took 30 stitches after the game to close cuts to the bridge of his nose, cheek and brow, but he had no complaints.

That’s because the Demon Deacons, who were eliminated by UC Santa Barbara on penalty kicks in the national semifinals last season, had accomplished their goal of returning to the College Cup and winning it.

“To come so close last year was tough for everyone,” Schilawski said. “Now it just makes it that much sweeter.”

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Schilawski goal leads Wake Forest to NCAA men’s soccer title

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