How well Arsenal has been helped by Togo’s inability to qualify for the African Cup of Nations currently being held at Ghana.

Already devoid of Kolo Toure, Emmanuel Eboue and Alex Song, Emmanuel Adebayor’s participation in the African Championships for Togo could have been a telling loss for Arsene Wenger in his pursuit of the Premiership. As it stands, the tall Togolese was again instrumental in sealing a stylish Arsenal victory which broke Manchester City’s unbeaten home record since the start of the Premiership season.

The 3-1 win takes the North London side above Manchester United in the Premiership table for a few hours only. United pay a visit to Arsenal’s bitter rivals Tottenham Hotspur and for once the Gunners would be looking forward to Juande Ramos’ men to take something out of the game.

Sven Goran Ericsson started with a not too positive approach with a 4-4-1-1 formation with Brazilian Elano just operating behind Daniel Sturridge. As expected with two deadly strikers upfront in the form of Adebayor and Eduardo, Arsenal immediately took control of the match.

The Gunners had all the possession, yet they could have easily fallen behind as Stephen Ireland sneaked behind the Arsenal defence after being put through by a clever Elano cross but the young midfielder somehow hesitated in connecting the ball past Jens Lehmann, who was deputising for the injured Manuel Almunia in the Arsenal goal. Immediately afterwards, Arsenal punished City with some trademark free-flowing football. Bacary Sagna was a nightmare for City on the right hand side and the French wing-back gave Martin Petrov a hard time all day long. In the tenth minute the former Auxerre player was set up on the right side by his Arsenal teammates after a quick short-passing attack and he fed the devastatingly in-form Adebayor who bundled the ball in for Arsenal’s 50th goal of the league this season despite some desperate efforts by England defender Micah Richards to stop Arsenal from taking the lead.

It was all Arsenal at that moment and City had no answer against Arsenal’s quality in passing the ball all round the park. The Eastlands crowd had no cause to raise their voices and the men in light blue found themselves 2-0 down courtesy of a classic finish from Eduardo in the 26th minute. He may be a Croatian international but his finishing justifies his Brazilian roots. Gael Clichy’s perfectly measured cross from the left found Adebayor who headed the ball into Eduardo’s path with a massive leap and the Brazilian-born Croatian then produced a skill of true ingenuity. Having controlled the ball in his chest, Eduardo volleyed a left-footed shot over his shoulder past goalkeeper Joe Hart with his back to the goal. Truly stunning and the young English goalie was left stranded.

There was no way back for Sven’s faltering side but a moment of childish defending turned Gael Clichy from a hero to a villain a couple of minutes later. Instead of clearing an inocuous looking ball away, the French defender tried to run it out of play and was robbed by Croat Vedran Corluka on the right side who passed it to Gelson Fernandes and the midfielder neatly side-footed the ball past a helpless Jens Lehmann.

Eastlands suddenly came alive and City had come back into the match from nowhere. But Arsenal kept plugging away and Hart smartly saved an Adebayor header and Cesc Fabregas nearly latched on to a William Gallas pass from the corner. As the first period came to a close Manchester City finished the stronger side with a somewhat dominant display but it was probably a bit too late in the half. Clichy’s mistake could have cost Arsenal in the second half but City hardly troubled the men in red and white and the away team looked the more positive as usual. Lehmann, who had a rare start, was hardly called into making a genuine save as Arsenal pushed on to secure the game.

Phillipe Senderos looked more composed and assured partnering the excellent William Gallas at the back and the Swiss looked to have shaken off his lack of confidence that had crept into his game as a result of limited first team appearances. Indeed he was a threat as well for the City defence upfront from setpieces due to his huge frame. Arsenal had numerous chances to kill the game for good with Fabregas going close twice with long range efforts and Adebayor’s purposeful run was somehow blocked by the joint efforts of Micah Richards and Richard Dunne.

But the inevitable was just round the corner when with two minutes from normal time a quick counter-attack saw Adebayor get tripped by Elano but the referee played a perfect advantage that helped Alex Hleb and Cesc Fabregas set up the Togolese typhoon to fire in Arsenal’s third and increase his personal league goals tally to 18, just one behind Manchester United’s Christiano Ronaldo.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

Argentinian great Diego Maradona has apologised to English fans for his infamous ‘Hand of God’ goal during the 1986 World Cup quarter-finals. In an interview to the The Sun newspaper, the football legend was quoted as saying:

If I could apologise and go back and change history I would.

But many doubt the need for such an apology after a gap of 22 years. The English fans would never forget Maradona’s public hatred of the fans of the ‘Three Lions’ and how he brought in professional hooligans from Argentina to Mexico in his own chartered flight to violently subdue the noisy fans of England. Maybe the diminutive magician from the back streets of Buenos Aires finally realises that his talent has not been truly recognised by a sport-loving country like England which takes nationalistic pride very seriously.

Apart from the Italia 90 squad, England had probably the best means to shine at the World Cup four years earlier, which came to a premature end due to Maradona’s antics and heroics. The controversy that still surrounds the all important Argentinian first goal which came at a delicate time for England has largely overshadowed Maradona’s famous second goal in which he dribbled past five English players before shooting past Peter Shilton in a moment of sheer greatness. But unfortunately, the goal has not received the same recognition in England that it got around the world and put Maradona right up at the pinnacle of world football.

So why a sudden change of heart for a man who in the same interview with The Sun had not stopped in criticising one of England’s popular sons David Beckham, whom he termed just a ‘good player, nothing more…..’? Maybe he is true but the fact is the same Mr. Beckham was instrumental in knocking Argentina out of the 2002 world cup and has tremendous worldwide recognition both on and off the field. It seems the former Boca Juniors, Barcelona and Napoli stalwart has realised finally the need to be a good boy off the field amidst all the demands of international football.

A lot of debate still takes place regarding the respective greatness of Maradona and Pele. It’s a close call yet the latter’s charity work and his devotion to the game of football post-retirement have put the Brazilian maestro yards ahead of his South American adversary both as a player and a human being. Maradona’s indulgence of cocaine has never helped his cause and to justify his greatness to the world, he has occasionally launched scathing attacks towards Pele and other contemporary players who are regarded greats even with inferior skills compared to the Argentinian sorcerer.

Coming back to his apology towards the English fans, Maradona might make some friends there and if he is lucky enough some unfortunate clubs would come and knock at his door for his untested coaching services. Yet, the bad blood created after the 86 quarter-final clash, which was taking place in the shadow of the bloody Falklands War between the United Kingdom and Argentina would not be healed easily despite the unexpected apology from the man himself who regarded that encounter at that very moment as a revenge against British victory in the Falklands.

English fans, except a few, would never give a damn about what Maradona has to say about his ‘Hand of God’ incident twenty-two years ago on a balmy afternoon in Mexico City.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

Emmanuel Adebayor scored his 19th goal of the season and three in a matter of four days against Kevin Keegan’s disappointing Newcastle side at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday. The win takes the North London side top of the Premiership table for atleast twenty-four hours as Manchester United could regain the spot with a home win against Portsmouth on Wednesday.

The side from the Northeast was more impressive with the display against the same opponents during the FA Cup fourth round clash on Saturday. Unfortunately for the Newcastle fans Arsenal played the match with immense superiority and for the large part of the match with utmost ease. Honestly, it was a surprise Arsene Wenger’s men went into the break just a goal ahead when it could easily have been more but for Newcastle’s Irish goalkeeper Shay Given.

It was a typical team effort from Arsene Wenger’s boys but the most impressive individual that stood out was the ever improving French midfielder Mathieu Flamini. His high class cross was headed home by the in-form Adebayor to put Arsenal in the lead going into the break. Flamini then put the game further away from Newcastle’s reach as he unleashed a 25-yard stunning shot that flew into the top corner of Shay Given’s net for Arsenal’s second goal of the match. Spanish sensation Cesc Fabregas then put the last nail in Newcastle’s coffin when he put the game into bed by latching onto a superb Niclas Bendtner skillful control.

This is Newcastle’s third match under ‘King Kev’ and the Magpies have failed to score in all these games despite the former England manager promising attacking football on his arrival. Newcastle have appointed former Leeds manager Denis Wise as the club’s Executive Director but honestly he would not have been too impressed with way the club performed yesterday night. The problem is Newcastle do not have enough quality in that side apart from Michael Owen and some others. There should be an immediate postmortem of the composition of the squad for given the celebrated impatience of the Newcastle fans, even a Northeast legend like Kevin Keegan could be in danger of losing his job at the end of the season if results do not go in his way.

Arsenal have found their devastating form big time after the heavy defeat it suffered at the hands of Tottenham in the Carling Cup semi final second leg. The two home wins against Newcastle show that this team has the potential to face all the odds successfully. Yes, Emmanuel Adebayor is the man that is driving the Gunners forward but as always it’s the whole team that is showing the tenacity to go all the way and challenge Manchester United to the coveted Premiership title come May.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

It might have been just the Carling Cup where Arsene Wenger tests out his future stars. Yet the midweek loss to great rivals Tottenham at their own backyard by an unthinkable margin did hurt the Emirates faithful, no matter how loyal one could be towards the Gunners.

It doesn’t matter that Spurs have broken the North London hoodoo in such devastating style against one of the Premiership contenders. Well, it had to happen someday. What has shaken the belief at Ashburton Grove is the very sight that two Arsenal teammates going against each other to make fools of themselves in front of the laughing White Hart Lane fans.

Emmanuel Adebayor and Niclas Bendtner are young and must have got a mouthful from their manager after the game who prides himself in managing a tremendously disciplined team. To be fair, as an Arsenal fan I have never seen or heard of such ridiculous on-field incidents and the club’s history under Wenger reveals impeccable team bonding under difficult circumstances. Maybe this bunch of talented youngsters needs to be and surely would be taught the very essence of on-pitch harmony within the team.

FA Cup fourth round clash against Kevin Keegan’s Newcastle side (who themselves had fair share of on-field team indiscipline over the years) at home on Saturday was Arsenal’s chance to answer the critics who have doubted the club’s title charge after Tuesday’s thrashing. Arsene Wenger made several changes from the side that went down at White Hart Lane with Emmanuel Adebayor starting to redeem himself and how well the tall Togolese responded.

Two high-class finishes after a vulnerable first period gave Arsene Wenger’s men a hugely moral boosting 3-0 win over the Geordies. Some say the scoreline is flattering and they have points to back themselves. But the bottomline is that the Gunners needed the win for the club and the fans and let us accept, it had come the hard way.

Kevin Keegan is a brave manager and he tried to unleash an entertaining attacking football that his illustrious French rival is famously known for. That’s understandable. The highly revered former England manager knew that Newcastle’s chance in this fixture laid in attack and he took the gamble. The side from the North East did worry the Gunners on several occasions and the defense looked understandably fragile.

The immaculate William Gallas and the versatile Gael Clichy prevented Arsenal from falling behind while Phillipe Senderos and Justin Hoyte showed why Kolo Toure is such a prized asset for the club. Both Senderos and Hoyte are emerging players and fantastic professionals but class does matter. Their lack of confidence at the back meant full-back Clichy and captain Gallas had to come up with some match-saving tackles and interceptions. Clichy made a tremendous goal line clearance to deny Alan Smith from giving Newcastle a deserved lead and the pacy French full-back underlined his importance at the club when he made Shay Given pull off a smart save moments later.

The North London side did not have an ideal start with Tomas Rosicky making an untimely exit after just nine minutes, which saw Eduardo come in his place. Newcastle looked a different side from the one that drew with Bolton last weekend during ‘King Kev’s’ first game in charge and the men in black and white displayed an attacking mentality that made Arsenal work hard through the first-half. Having said that the Gunners were no less threatening and displayed the usual creativity only to be thwarted by some organized defending and the excellent Shay Given.

The second half saw Arsenal’s leading scorer take the match away from Kevin Keegan’s men with two sumptuous finishes. Five minutes into the second period the deadlock was broken. Brazilian-born Croatian Eduardo saw his effort hit the post but the rebound fell to Adebayor who showed fantastic skill to get past Claudio Cacapa before smashing the ball into the net. Keegan’s dream(his team’s first half display made it a genuine reality) of taking the tie back to St.James’ Park suddenly looked far away as the Arsenal midfield, led by Fabregas and the impressive Abou Diaby, called all the shots after being lifted by the goal.

The match was put beyond the reach of Tyneside when Adebayor made a purposeful run before firing past Given giving a desperate Steven Taylor no time to put the ball out of safety. An unfortunate Nicky Butt own goal made sure that the scoreline looked terribly undeserved on Newcastle’s part. But that tells you Arsenal’s permanent class. Flattering it may be but credit to a young team’s resilience in picking themselves up from a midweek mauling. Champions are made of such steel and they do script fantastic comebacks.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

Senegal’s opening Group D clash against Tunisia was built up as a grudge match after the Teranga Lions’ controversial exit from 2004 African Cup of Nations by the same opponents. The revenge was seven minutes away until Mejdi Traoui had other ideas. Traoui sweetly connected a 25-yard long ranger that flew into the top left corner of the Senegalese net to earn the Carthage Eagles a valuable 2-2 draw.

Roger Lemerre’s side hardly played to win but achieved the result of their choice against their biggest group rival. The match started in Tamale under hot conditions and the heat took a toll on the players as the game wore on. Although Senegal had most of the play in the opening few minutes, it was the Tunisians that took the lead in the 9th minute with a well taken goal.

France-based striker Issam Jomaa, who plays for Caen, coordinated well with Wissem El Bekri on the left flank before firing in a low tight angle shot that took Senegal goalie Tony Silva by surprise. Senegal tried to respond quickly but their opponents’ tight defensive play restricted the West Africans to long range shootings with star strikers Mamadou Niang and El Hadji Diouf looking largely ineffective. What looked like a job well done half for the North Africans turned into frustration when influential defender Radhi Jaidi made a horrible clearing mistake that saw the ball fall to Moustapha Sall who ran goalwards and levelled things up by firing in a 15-yard strike.

After the break, Henri Kasperczak’s men showed more purpose and pinned down the Tunisian defence as Mamadou Niang and El Hadji Diouf came close to giving Senegal the lead on more than one occasions, with the Marseille striker particularly wasteful. Fulham forward Diomansy Kamara missed a clear-cut chance when he failed to hit the target from a perfectly measured cross from captain El Hadji Diouf inside the penalty box.

Senegal’s positive attacking intent was finally rewarded when in the 66th minute Kamara stabbed the ball home from close range after some initial panic in the Tunisian defence following a corner from the left.

Senegal seemed to be heading for the win when Mejdi Traoui came up with a special equalising goal in the 83rd minute. Given Tunisia’s second-half performance, the equaliser is hardly deserved but as in every football match missed opportunities do come back to haunt and the Teranga Lions would certainly rue the opportunities that fell to Niang and Kamara.

All four teams in Group D have a point each after Tamale’s late game saw Angola share the spoils against South Africa. Substitute Club Brugge midfielder Elrio Van Heerden’s stunning late strike earned Carlos Alberto Perreira’s men a point after Manchester United prospect Manucho Goncalves superbly headed the Angolans into a first-half lead in his African Cup of Nations debut in an entertaining clash. Van Heerden’s spectacular 30-yard curler at the death is the latest in a series of long range sparklers that have lit up the tournament so far.

Certainly the African players are showing their prowess in their long range shooting although many have blamed the teams on show of failing to close down their opponents which is giving ample opportunities for piledrivers. Who cares? Goals afterall make games entertaining these days.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

Egypt started the defence of the title they won two years ago at home in some style by cruising to a comfortable 4-2 victory over four-time winners and favourites Cameroon in Kumasi.

The result has come as a surprise to many given Egypt’s lacklustre qualifying campaign where they have struggled to score goals, particularly away from home. The North African country is going through a transition period to bring in new talents and the absence of star man Mido due to injury had somewhat dampened Egyptian hopes of a successful defence of the title in unfamiliar West African climatic conditions.

The match was effectively over though in the first 45 minutes as the Indomitable Lions could not match the sharpness of their opponents. The Samuel Eto’o factor did not work either although the Barcelona sharpshooter scored Cameroon’s consolation goals.

It was Egypt’s Germany-based player Mohamed Zidan who put in a sterling performance. The Hamburg striker virtually single-handedly took the match out of Cameroon’s reach with two clinical fist-half goals. Zidan should have given the defending champions an early lead when he squandered an opportunity just two minutes into the start of the match after finding himself through but a moment of delay prevented him from scoring and a minute later Mohammed Shawky tested Cameroon keeper Idriss Kameni with a long-ranger. This might have been an early escape for the Cameroonians but the inevitable was about to happen as the Pharaohs showed the tempo and the intention to defend their hard-earned African Cup of Nations title.

The deadlock was broken in the 14th minute when Andre Bikey handled the ball in the box and the Gambian referee directed towards the spot. Hosni Abd Rabou scored from the resulting penalty in his second attempt after being asked to retake following hesitation in his first run-up. It was 2-0 three minutes later after Egypt hit their opponents in a deadly counter-attack that saw Mohamed Zidan receive the ball in his own half and after playing a wonderful one-two with Emad Motaeb slotted a low shot home past Kameni.

The Indomitable Lions did not know what had hit them and there was a sense of panic in the camp when coach Otto Pfister, desperate to change the course of the match, replaced Jean Makoun with Augustin Binya inside the first half but even then could not prevent Zidan and Egypt scoring the third goal. In first-half stoppage time the impressive Hamburg striker unleashed a powerful shot outside the box having expertly chested the ball down for his second goal of the night.

3-0 down and with a full half to be played, Cameroon went all out and it paid off when six minutes into the second half Geremi sent in a perfect left foot cross from the right side for Eto’o to head in from close range. The early goal gave the Lions some hope and now they showed great flair in their attacking display and should have further reduced the deficit when an Eto’o's shot from the edge of the area went agonisingly close to the Egyptian goal.

But Cameroon’s momentum got reduced as Hassan Shehata’s men tried to slow down the proceedings by closing down their opponents’ surge upfront.

The Pharaohs then finished off the contest for good when nine minutes from time Abd Rabou scored his brace for the night with a stunning 25-yard strike after being allowed enough space by the Cameroonians to pull the trigger.

Samuel Eto’o did find a second goal for his side but that was too little too late when he scored his 13th African Cup of Nations goal from the spot kick to make it a hattrick of players getting two goals on the night after Egyptian Mahmoud Fathallah was adjudged to have committed the foul.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

The 2008 African Cup of Nations is truly underway and one team has already made their intentions clear at such an early stage. 2006 runners-up Ivory Coast(Cote D’Voire) are desperate to go one step further this time around. The Elephants took a firm lead in a tough Group B when a Salomon Kalou stunner left fellow West African favourites Nigeria in a spot of bother after the opening match at Sekondi in a repeat of the 2006 African Cup of Nations semi-final.

Expectations are very high, as always, for the Nigerian team as well. Given the extravagant riches of talent, it’s absolutely baffling to believe that the Super Eagles have failed to live up to the expectations of a demanding, yet passionate, support base since France 98. The current Nigerian coach Berti Vogts, winner of international silverwares for Germany(both as a player and coach), has lamented the very fact that football in the oil-rich country is as disorganised as the variety of world-class talents on offer across the country. This year’s tournament in familiar regional conditions have been built up as the chance for Nigeria’s under-achieving stars to come good at last.

The start has not been ideal for the Super Eagles as yesterday’s match against another richly talented side in the form of Ivory Coast brought to light same old story for the men in green. The likes of Kanu, Yakubu, Utaka and Martins have problems in scoring goals in big international matches. Isn’t it absolutely fascinating that the mentioned players score week and week out for their respective Premier League clubs cannot find the net playing together? That ‘together’ word has many footballing meanings which I would explain in some other articles later in the course of the African competition given Nigeria’s progress.

Well, the match did not produce enough goals, infact just one as mentioned earlier but the matchwinner proved to be a classic example of how these high-profile encounters get decided often. The first-half was a cagey affair with both the heavyweights testing each other out in short bursts but none could dictate the terms comprehensively. It was Nigeria that was intent to show some purpose in the early periods. Everton’s Ayegbeni Yakubu picked out captain Kanu with a delightful pass but the Portsmouth attacker dragged his shot well wide. The Super Eagles could have taken the lead when in the 17th minute Taye Taiwo sent a powerful free-kick that crashed against the Ivorian crossbar. Backed by armies of noisy and passionate Ivorian and Nigerian supporters, both the sides were trading punches in what was gradually turning into a ring-side tactical duel. A perfect game that pits two titans who have immense mutual respect for each other but could not land that initial blow.

Talisman Didier Drogba looked a bit rusty coming back from a long injury that had seen him miss much for club side Chelsea but still a mighty force to reckon and nearly landed that blow when he tested Nigerian goalie Austin Ejide from a direct free-kick. Newcastle’s fleet-footed Obafemi Martins was Nigeria’s biggest threat but was not doing enough to trouble the Ivorian defense masterly patrolled by the rock-like Kolo Toure.

Just after the half-hour mark Nigeria felt they should have had a penalty when Borussia Monchengladbach’s Steven Gohouri apparently tripped Martins but the man with the whistle, Algerian M.Benouzza showed the yellow card to the forward instead for diving. Gohouri was being given a torrid time by Martins. The defender was replaced by Kader Keita after the break as the Ivorian coach Gerard Gili felt that the Monchengladbach man was proving to be a weak link against the likes of Yakubu and Martins. The match remained goalless in the first half and credit must go to Nigeria’s Joseph Yobo and Cote D’Voire’s Kolo Toure for keeping it organised at the back.

The story was similar in the second-half too with both the sides exchanging good moves. One such good move saw Aruna Dindane flashed an effort narrowly wide for the Elephants after some initial good work just three minutes into the second-half. That could have proved costly had Nigeria’s Danny Shittu put away his header from 10 yards moments later. The big defender instead put it over. The Super Eagles got a blow injury-wise when influential leader Nwankwo Kanu was stretchered off following a clumsy challenge.

The chess match continued until the 66th minute when Chelsea man Salomon Kolou produced the moment of the match which deservedly turned out to be the winner in such a gruellingly close contest. The striker picked up the ball from the left-wing before taking out three Nigerian defenders and then firing a venomous 15-yard shot that gave Nigerian shotstopper Ejide no chance. A flash of brilliance from the man from Stamford Bridge.

Berti Vogts tried to bring in the changes as Nigeria threw everything for an equaliser but never troubled Ivorian keeper Boubacar Barry and had to settle for a repeat of the 2006 semi-final scoreline.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

Just a single win in the last six Premier League games for politician-turned business tycoon Thakshin Sinawatra’s Manchester City and already there are talks that Sven Goran Ericsson would be provided a look at the transfer market at the fag end of January to bring in extra recruits, possibly a high-profile striker, to restore an increasingly frustrating Champions League qualification march. City controversially earned a point against an energetic West Ham side to keep the unbeaten home run going at the City of Manchester Stadium which saw them go fifth in the Premiership table.

The point here is, can Sven Goran Ericsson keep up his promise to the Eastlands fans of qualifying for the UEFA Cup next season?

Well, the home form is impeccable and qualification for Europe’s second-tier competition is looking good still, yet a run of three draws out of three at the fortress is considered as unwanted valuable points dropped by fans of perceived European quality sides. Still one must admire Mr.Ericsson’s man management skills in putting up an exciting cosmopolitan modern day football side that for years has lived in the shadow of a devastatingly illustrious neighbour.

Coming back to last night’s match against Alan Curbishly’s youthful West Ham United side, a third meeting(two FA Cup ties) between the two sides in 15 days and second in four days, City had to dig deep and to be fair it was the young English goalie Joe Hart who prevented the Hammers from being the first side to taste victory at Eastlands with some high-class saves late in the game.

It was the side from Upton Park that showed all the initial intentions and got duly credited with a goal as early as the eighth minute courtesy of a delightful Carlton Cole overhead volley although the goal was due to an unusual mistake by the talismanic City skipper Richard Dunne. The towering Irish defender lost possession inside his box when he dreadfully passed the ball to impressive Hammer Mark Noble who in turn fed to Fredrick Ljungberg on the right hand side. The former Arsenal midfielder then produced a dangerous cross that found Cole who showed immense strength and skill to hold off Croat Vedran Corluka before unleashing a memorable finish.

City responded well though and were soon leveled, although television replays showed a hint of offside in the equalizer. Bulgarian Martin Petrov underlined his reputation as a quality crosser when on a second attempt found Darius Vassel inside the box and the former English marksman rifled home the equalizer although looked suspiciously offside when Petrov provided the ball.

The match then unusually turned a bit scrappy with some unnecessary fouls earning Lucas Neill and Richard Dunne cautions as the break approached although the London side could have gone ahead had Carlton Cole reacted to a teasing Lucas Neill low cross that young Hart dived full length to collect.

The second half, honestly, belonged to the visitors with England U-21 midfield star Mark Noble testing the City defense on a number of occasions. It was Hart who virtually stood between a West Ham win and City’s extension of unbeaten home run when he produced some classy saves in the course of the second-half with two of the best coming in the closing minutes of the match. With 13 minutes remaining on the clock Julian Faubert and Carlton Cole combined to setup Noble whose 12-yard shot was impressively saved by the big England prospect with his outstretched leg.

Before this Hart saved a curling Hayden Mullins shot which was equally impressive having been unsighted. West Ham looked to have scored the winner with seconds remaining till the end of the match but for the umpteenth time Joe Hart tipped Cole’s headed effort over the bar.

Hart’s heroics earned great praise from his manager who clearly hinted new England coach Fabio Capello to have a look at the great goalkeeping potential and with Paul Robinson uncertain to keep his place in the side, Ericsson has a valid point but it is too early to provide such a raw talent with a far tougher test when he is looking to make his club’s no.1 goalkeeping position permanent given the presence of experienced Swedish no.1 Andreas Isaksson in the side.

Isaksson’s exclusion has raised eyebrows among many Swedish media personnel and there was a heated post-match exchange between Sven Goran Ericsson and a Swedish journalist over the issue. The former England manager lost his cool when asked by the journalist why Isaksson is not being considered at the City goalkeeping helm.

The charismatic manager made it clear that the decision to make Hart the number one is done on the basis of his impressive performances, which he vindicated with a classic Sunday performance, and that the hard fact is accepted by the Swedish goalkeeper also. Mr.Ericsson even rubbished claims made by his country’s media that he had a fight with Isacsson regarding the issue. How ludicrous to think of a fight between two of the world’s most mild-mannered professionals.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

The 26th edition of the African Cup of Nations is underway in Ghana with the hosts kicking off the colourful tournament with a tense 2-1 win against Guinea in Accra. The build-up to the match saw an unusual incident with the two teams’ officials clashing over training pitches due to an apparent lack of communications on the part of the local organising committee.

As far as the tournament is concerned, there are high hopes across Ghana for a strong showing by the home team and many consider anything less than a victory in the final on the 10th of February would be a failure. A colourful opening ceremony preceded the highly eventful match at the Ohene Djan Stadium in the presence of some leading figures, notably Ghanaian President John Kufuor, CAF chief Issa Hayatou, FIFA President Sepp Blatter and UEFA President Michel Platini.

The match started in lightning fashion with chances galore in the opening ten minutes. Ghana hit the post three times in the first half and the home fans must have been thinking of the worst. Guinea’s occasional attack was giving Claude Le Roy’s Black Stars much to think about.

But the 40,000 odd fans breathed a sigh of relief when the referee Eddy Maillet awarded a spot kick to the home fans after Junior Agogo was taken down by Guinea’s Oumar Kalabane nine minutes into the second half. Asamoah Gyan stepped up to take the kick and made no mistake to give the men in white the lead. Credit goes to Guinea as Robert Nouzaret’s boys kept on the pressure and got their reward in the 63rd minute when Kalabane turned a hero from a villain when he rose to meet captain Pascal Feindouno’s corner to level things up.

The equaliser set up a tense finale with both sides going for long range efforts but Portsmouth’s Sulley Ali Muntari had the last laugh when his deadly 90th minute 20 yard long range shot gave the home side all three points and send the home fans into crazy celebrations.

Monday is a busy day in the Cup of Nations with Morocco and Namibia completing Group A fixtures in the day’s early kick off. Later in the day attentions would turn to a tough Group B with Mali taking on Benin and Nigeria clash against Ivory Coast in the most high-profile match of the day.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News