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Arsenal v Leeds 1972 – Centenary FA Cup Final

January 8, 2011 — by Suman

The two historied English clubs played earlier today, in a 3rd Round FA Cup matchup at the Emirates. While today’s was an interesting match, their most famous FA Cup clash was on May 6, 1972 at Wembley–in the centenary FA Cup Final. Leeds won 1-0 to win their 1st and only FA Cup.

Unlike today, when it would have been a major upset for Leeds to hang on for a victory against Arsenal, in 1972 they were perhaps the two strongest sides in English football. Arsenal had pulled off the double the previous season, winning both the league and the FA Cup, with Leeds finishing 2nd in the 1970-71 First Division table–just a single point behind the Gunners.

It’s a game that’s well-documented online, by and for Leeds supporters; e.g., a Yorkshire Evening Post photo gallery which includes the front pages from the programmes of the match (left) and the May 8, 1972 special edition of the Evening Post (which includes pics of Leeds captain Billy Bremner receiving the Cup from Queen Elizabeth II and lifting the Cup above the squad):

Commentary Video

Merry Christmas to All!

December 25, 2010 — by Sean

Santa has reverse-burgled us again and we’re about to settle into another day of family and feasting, but before we do let’s look at the happenings in global football… Well what do you know, not a definitive thing going on anywhere.

Yes there are transfer rumors swirling around every club, but nothing is certain and managers are mostly talking loans rather than long-term contracts. We’ll see a few people shuffle of course: Edin Dzeko could leave Wolfburg for a top tier team, Adebayor, Santa Cruz and Robbie Keane are likely to shift squads, Ganso may set off from Brazil for foreign shores, maybe Kaka moves back to Italy where he could face Shay Given between the sticks in Rome, Manuel Neuer could find his way to Munich from Schalke—the list is nearly endless. Rather than continue on in this haphazard vein, let’s all agree to check back in when the transfer window is just about shut, and in the meantime say a little prayer that the snow lets up long enough for us to enjoy some holiday matches from merry ol’ England.

As our gift to you, please enjoy this 1971 animated version of A Christmas Carol.

Commentary Video

Borussia Dortmund, Eintract Frankfurt and Ricardo Clark

December 19, 2010 — by Sean

Thanks to Jet Blue’s DirectTV feed I was able to catch Borussia Dortmund’s second only loss of the Bundesliga season, to Eintract Frankfurt. We in the CultFootball bullpen have been meaning to spend more time with the German league, but with our attention split between england, spain, italy and all the cups, sacrifices had to be made. Amazing how a cross-country flight can provide such needed pockets of time.

Dortmund have an interesting history, having had some significant successes in the 90s with consecutive league titles followed the next year with a Champions League win over Zidane’s Juventus, and a subsequent Intercontinental Cup win over Brazilian side Cruzeiro. Going into the Christmas break they’re 10 points above their closest rival in the league though they were unceremoniously dumped from the Europa Cup by Sevilla.

Commentary History They Reminisce Video

La Magica Roma: 1982-1984

December 17, 2010 — by Simeone — 1

I am an hardcore fan of the “magica” Roma…I fell in love with the “giallorossi” (“red-yellow”) when I was a kid, 10 years old (1980), Roma-Udinese 0-0, at the old Olimpic Stadium with my mum and dad. We got there at the last minute and we could only find standing “seats”, at the bottom of the Curva Nord (the other curve, Curva Sud, is the home of Roma’s fans). Tw years later Italy won the World Cup, defeating Argentina with Passarella and an already famous Maradona. (Gentile, the rough italian defender, still has a piece of his jersey!) Then Italy-Brazil, 3-2, an amazing game, with three goals by Rossi (and a great counterattack goal by Antognoni disallowed)….I am talking about the great Brazil of Zico, Falcao (a Roma’s player by then), Socrates, Junior, Eder….I think one of the best games ever by the Azzurri, second only to the 1970 semifinal victory against Germany (4-3 in overtime). Poland of Lato in the semifinal was a joke and then the usual win against Germany…we rarely (never?) lost against Germany in the World Cup.

There was always a party in the streets during that summer of 1982 in Rome, Italian flags everywhere, people crazy rallying for hours after each game…and remember that we barely made it through the first round, with a tie against Cameroon.

Well, a few months later, in the ’82-83 Serie A season, Liedholm (Swedish coach), Falcao (5), Conti (7), Di Bartolomei (10), and Tancredi (goalie) lead the Roma squad to the second scudetto after 40 years!! Nobody removed their flags from the windows and balconies, they just added the Roma flag!!! I remember those days with a lot of joy. I was 12….still a kid. Me and my dad going to the stadium by subway, then bus, sometimes walking for a couple of miles just for the heck of it (waiting for the bus was boring and we were usually early for the game, since the sooner we got there, the better seats we could get). Bringing paninis with us, spending hours in the stadium, cutting newspapers to use when the teams stepped into the field, singing the Roma anthem by Venditti (see below). Many times my cousins came along, as well as some friends from school, but it was mainly me and my dad…always there.

Video

FIFA Club World Cup 2009: FC Barcelona 2 – 1 Estudiantes (ARG)

December 17, 2010 — by Suman

As part of the run up to tomorrow’s FIFA Club World Cup 2010 championship game (between 2009-10 UEFA Champions League winner Inter Milan and 2010 AFC Champions League winner TP Mazembe), we take a look back at the finale of last year’s tournament, between FC Barcelona (who qualified by winning the 2008-09 UEFA Champions League) and Estudiantes de la Plata (also known, apparently, as Los Pincharratas–The Rat Stabbers, and who had won the 2009 Copa Libertadores).

(Fox Deportes is actually going to rebroadcast the Barcelona-Estudiantes game this afternoon at 5pmET–ahead of their broadcast of Inter-TP Mazembe tomorrow at 12pmET. But if you don’t get to watch the rebroadcast, see below for a 6min highlight clip.)

It was a rather exciting game, as Estudiantes took the lead in the 37th minute off a fantastic header by Mauro Boselli. But Pedro pulled Barcelona even in the 89th minute–Pique had moved up into attack, and won a head ball that Pedro nicely finished, also with his head. And then Messi, as he tends to do, scored with spectacular fashion and timing–somehow getting behind Estudiantes’ defenders and headed in the winning goal with 10 minutes remaining in extra time.

Barcelona became the first Spanish club to win the FIFA Club World Cup, and it also completed Barcelona’s remarkable and unprecedented 2009 sextuple: 2008–09 La Liga, 2008–09 Copa del Rey, 2009 Supercopa de España, 2008–09 UEFA Champions League, 2009 UEFA Super Cup, and the 2009 FIFA Club World Cup.

Here’s the video:

Africa Commentary News Video

FIFA Club World Cup Finalist: TP Mazembe Out of Lubumbashi (DR Congo)

December 16, 2010 — by Suman — 2

How did Tout Puissant Mazembe–based in Lubumbashi, the 2nd largest city in the Democratic Republic of Congo–become the first club from outside of Europe and South America to reach the finals of a Club World Cup?

Most immediately, by upsetting the Brazilian side Internacionale 2-0 earlier this week in the semis. (And thus preventing an Inter v Inter final. Inter Milan defeated South Korean club Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma 3-0 in the other semifinal; Internazionale will play Mazembe in the finals this Saturday).

The highlights show a couple nice finishes by the Congolese (and some relatively lax defending by the Brazilians):

For a more detailed account of how TP Mazembe reached the final, see this Guardian blog entry: “TP Mazembe continue journey from karate kids to the top of the world“; the “karate kids” reference alludes to a shameful showing in a club tournament in Kigali in May, against Rwandan army club APR FC:

Opponents of APR complain that the army club benefits from generous refereeing when playing at home and Mazembe felt they were being kicked with impunity. When the referee denied the visitors a penalty, the perceived injustice got a bit too much for some Mazembe players. Their captain and prolific striker, Trésor Mputu, protested so furiously that he was sent off and he did not, alas, go quietly.

Instead he and several team-mates chased the referee around the pitch; the midfielder Guy Lusadisu was the first to catch up with the official … and laid him out with a flying karate kick. Oh dear. The match and then the whole tournament were abandoned and Fifa banned Mputu and Lusadisu for a year. Mazembe’s hopes of retaining the African Champions League seemed doomed. The loss of Mputu, who last year was voted the best player playing his club football in Africa, was considered especially debilitating.

Here is the video of the flying karate kick in Kigali:

History Video

Battles at Old Trafford: A Bit of Man U vs Arsenal History

December 13, 2010 — by Suman

Keown-vanNistelrooy — Cole, Keown, van Nistelrooy - The Battle of Old Trafford, Sept 2003

A very highly anticipated Premier League matchup today, with Man U vs Arsenal kicking off in a matter of minutes at Old Trafford. Certainly it’s a significant match for this edition of the Premier League race, with Arsenal one point ahead of Manchester United at the top of the table (Man U do have a game in hand, and in fact are undefeated so far in the Premier League–but they definitely haven’t looked invincible). Beyond just the current standings, however, Man U and Arsenal have developed quite the heated rivalry over the past couple decades–not as historically/geographically rooted as some other English football rivalries perhaps, but given the clashing personalities of their famous managers and especially the strength of their sides, it’s become one of the mostly highly anticipated fixtures in the Premier League. Two clashes in particular stand out–as evidenced by the fact that they have their own Wikipedia entries: The Battle of Old Trafford (a 0-0 draw in Sept 2003) and The Battle of the Buffet (a 2-0 victory for Man U the following season, in Oct 2004).

The events of the Battle of Old Trafford feature heavily in the videos below: van Nistelrooy drawing a second yellow for Patrick Vieira, with Vieira subsequently going buckwild after the Dutchman; and then van Nistelrooy missing a PK in extra time to preserve the draw–with Arsenal defender then getting in van Nistelrooy’s face. It was a miss that became especially significant in Premier League history, as that was the year of the Invincibles–the only side to go undefeated thru an entire season.

News Video

Stuart Holden Shines in Bolton Win

December 13, 2010 — by Sean — 1

US national team midfielder Stuart Holden (who currently holds first position for tackles won in the EPL) scored a dramatic late winner for Bolton Wanderers on Sunday upon his return from a thigh injury. The prolific twitterer (@stuholden) has become a fixture in Owen Coyle’s side, and though Bolton had gone down to ten men Holden continued to attack, turning a chested trap into a powerful one-time volley that slid in at the near post.

Fat Sam, having seen his team level with two minutes left and up a man, was more than displeased after the match, calling his squad a bunch of old women. Asked if he was sick from the result, he responded:

“Sick is an understatement. We defended like a bunch of old women. I’m sick they went down to 10 men, because, with 11, I thought we were going to go on and win it.”

Bolton have surpassed all expectations this season both in style and points earned. They’ve played a pleasing brand of football, and now sit six in the table with a +6 goal difference.

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