Welcome back to Euro Football Weekend Rundown. It was certainly an interesting weekend of football, as most usually are, with some fantastic strikes, world-class long-balls, devastating injuries and some breakout performances. Each week we attempt to sift through dozens of stories from around Europe, and give you what we feel are the most important few noteworthy events. Here are our five key moments from this past weekend’s Euro football action…
5) PSG draws 3rd consecutive match
O mon Dieu! Three matches, three straight ties in Ligue 1 for Paris Saint-Germain, and the second consecutive 0-0 result, this time occurring at the hands of Bordeaux.
Despite all of the major signings this summer, Carlo Ancelotti’s side has struggled to show its potential and only has two goals to show for the millions spent in attack dating back to the first game of the season. This is not impressive at all and the home fans made sure their unhappiness of the result was heard. Just because your team is stacked with players, does not necessarily mean you will win the championship or be a powerhouse – immediately anyway. You may become a top team, but on the other hand, you might not.
Looking back, Real Madrid boosted their line-up with the Brazilian Ronaldo, Roberto Carlos, Luis Figo, Raul, David Beckham and still had difficulty winning La Liga, and especially the Champions League. So PSG, the lesson here is to give the team time to develop chemistry and allow the tactician time to try various tactics and formations in order to find the right balance. PSG currently holds three points and is placed 12th. Bonne chance Monsieur Ancelotti!
4) Van Persie’s first goal, Man U’s first victory, Rooney out for a month
Robin Van Persie scores, Manchester United wins. RVP opened up the scoring in a thrilling 3-2 victory over Fulham. It is his first goal in a Man United jersey – much to the displeasure of Gooners around the world. The Red Devils notched up three points with the Dutchman, along with fellow new-comer, Japanese striker Shinji Kagawa, who also bagged a goal.
To give playing time, Wayne Rooney was therefore benched for this match, but did make an appearance in the second half. It was not a pleasant game for the Englishman as he sustained a cut to the thigh and is expected to be sidelined for the next four weeks. He will be dearly missed, but Sir Alex Ferguson can feel some relief seeing that the World Cup 2014 qualifiers are set to begin in two weeks time. Will Rooney be missed? Well, of course. He adds fire and aggressiveness to the Red Devils’ attack. But on the bright side, it will give Van Persie and Kagawa time to develop a good strike partnership.
3) Fernando Torres dive aids Chelsea to 3rd straight win
I know for a fact that I was not watching the Serie A because at the top left corner of the screen the scoreboard said Chelsea-Newcastle United. The Blues won the match 2-0 thanks to Eden Hazard converting a penalty, as well one from Fernanado Torres. But looking at the replays, and I know for sure that Premier League junkies will not agree, it seems as if Torres could have won a gold medal in the 3m Olympic dive event. It was astonishing: Torres dribbles into the box, leaps with toes pointed, then finally belly-flops in the penalty area. It was really quite intriguing and I know not one Chelsea supporter, nor a Premier League faithful, will admit to it either – although, I must admit that it does not regularly happen in the English League when compared to other leagues. I suppose there’s a “first” time for everything!
2) Controversy strikes Serie A…again! Surprised? Really?
Saturday marked the opening round of the Serie A and it did not fail to deliver the goods. Juventus took on Parma at the Juventus Stadium and defeated the Ducali 2-0.
Parma put in a good effort in the first half, pressing forward and neutralizing the Bianconeri attack to a minimum. The Serie A is the first league to deploy goal-line referees and they were quickly influential. The Old Lady was awarded a spot kick in the first half for a trip on Swiss winger Stephan Lichtsteiner. Looking at the replays, it was clearly a foul as Mirante, the Parma ‘keeper, makes contact with the Juve wingman. But hold up! Rewind the play back to the build-up of the foul and you’ll find Lichtsteiner offside by at least a yard. What is the linesman watching?
Justice was served as Arturo Vidal’s terrible kick was saved. In the second half, Juve turned on the jets and poured forward pinning Parma back. On 54 minutes, Kwadwo Asamoah broke forward on the left and put in a low cross for Lichtsteiner to tap in from close range, 1-0. Four minutes later though, Vidal was elbowed in the face and fell at the edge of the box. Andrea Pirlo stepped up to take the freekick which went low, under the wall, forcing Mirante to make a stop on the goal line. Wait a minute – on the line? According to the goal judge, the ball crossed the line and it was declared 2-0 for the reigning champions. Again looking back at the replay, it really does seem that Mirante made a goal-line save – and yes, I am a Juventus supporter and am admitting that it was not a goal. Regardless, Juventus still dominated the encounter and will be a force this year in the Serie A.
Other controversy: Pescara forward Vladimir Weiss was booked for simulation as he fell in the box after contact from Javier Zanetti. Replays show that the defender certainly makes contact with Weiss. Inter dominated, 3-0.
AS Roma took on Catania Calcio at the Stadio Olimpico in a game which ended in a 2-2 tie. The first Catania goal was given in controversial style as replays show a deflection from a Roma player before the ball landed to Giovanni Marchese who was offside. The new rules state that the opponent would have to make a deliberate back pass for this to count.
1) AC Milan loses first of season
Much to the delight of Juventini, Interisti and now Antonio Cassano, AC Milan fell to their first defeat of the season against newly-promoted Sampdoria 1-0 at the San Siro. The Rossoneri, although well-covered in defence and in midfield, seem to be missing a piece of the puzzle in attack as the side seems to be lacking ideas in the final third. Cassano was their specialist in this area last year, but the man from Bari opted to switch to childhood favourite team, Inter, in a swap deal that saw Gianpaolo Pazzini become a Rossonero. Adriano Galliani is hoping to land the return of Kaka before the transfer window closes. The Brazilian would certainly be helpful to the cause as he would occupy central midfield, pushing up Montolivo to sit in behind the two forwards. We will see what unfolds and if this cures the Rossonero attack.
Meet me back here bright and early next Tuesday for our Euro Football Weekend Rundown.
