AZKALS SPOTLIGHT: ANGEL ALDEGUER GUIRADO

He is big and built like Didier Drogba, the Ivory Coast striker of Chelsea FC. They also play the same position up front. Meet Angel Aldeguer Guirado of the Philippine Azkals national football team. The Fil-Spanish Guirado, whose mother hails from Ilagan, Isabela, was born in Malaga, Spain and has played football in various youth levels before seeing action in the Spanish Division II in 2004 with Cordoba. In 129 club appearances with Cordoba, Atletico Madrid-B, Deportivo La Coruna-B, Vecindario, Lugo, Levante-B, Santa Eulalia, Union Estepona, and Ronda, Guirado had scored a total of eight goals. In five matches so far with the Azkals, the 27 year-old, 6-3 forward, has tallied three goals including one in the 2^nd leg of their World Cup qualifier against Sri-Lanka, which the Nationals won 5-1 (aggregate score). During his early days with the Azkals, Guirado said team play is crucial towards the Azkals success and playing with co-strikers Phil Younghusband and Ian Araneta spells trouble for the opposition, according to Azkals-Philippine Football site.

“I hope to be able to contribute so we can be a better team. It will take a lot of effort, hard work and patience. Fan support is critical. We must concentrate on playing as a team, offensively and defensively. If I play with Phil (Younghusband) or Ian (Araneta) or another striker, we could give each other opportunities. I could draw the defense towards me and give others the space to attack or they could do the same for me. We can’t be effective if we do things alone.”

UP NEXT: MISSION IMPOSSIBLE

The Philippine Azkals national team will embark on a bigger task ahead following their 5-1 (aggregate score) win over Sri Lanka in the first round of the 2014 World Cup qualifiers. The 152^nd ranked Azkals will now face the 101^st ranked Kuwait squad on July 23 and 28. Aside from their higher rankings, the Kuwaitis will be tagged as the heavy favorites against the Azkals. Kuwait is a middle-east football hotbed and among their accomplishment includes a 1-0 victory over World Cup qualifier Australia in 2009. In one of their recent international matches, they nearly pulled off a shocker against Asian powerhouse Japan, losing 1-0. Kuwait was once ranked by FIFA as the number 24 team in the world (December 1998). The first leg of the Azkals-Kuwait tie will be played in the latter’s hometurf on July 23, with the second leg scheduled at the Rizal Memorial Football Stadium on July 28. Truly, this is one mission impossible for the never-say-die Azkals squad.

MABUHAY PILIPINAS AZKALS!

What a big turn around for the Philippine Azkals national team in a span of five days. After playing their worst form in recent months during the first leg of their World Cup qualifiers against Sri Lanka in Colombo last Wednesday, the Nationals finally displayed their full potential and their very best game since surprising Vietnam in the AFF Suzuki Cup last December as they blasted the Sri Lankans, 4-0, before a sell-out crowd of 15,000 at the fabled Rizal Memorial Football Stadium. Not even a heavy downpour of afternoon rains can stop the Azkals in completing a 5-1 aggregate score in their 2-leg series. Chieffy Caligdong, the proud son of Barotac Nuevo, opened up the scoring for the Azkals with an amazing goal in the 19^th minute. This was followed up by a controversial goal by striker Phil Younghusband in the 42^nd minute that gave the Nationals a 2-0 lead at halftime. Another Azkals frontliner, striker Angel Guirado scored on a beautiful breakaway goal in the 50^th minute to put the Nationals into a insurmountable 3-0 advantage and finally, Younghusband made it 4-0 on a penalty shot, brought about by a Sri Lanka dangerous tackle on midfielder Stephan Schrock, in the 56^th minute. The Azkals totally dominated the ball possession throughout the match with precise attacking game, which was sorely missing in the first leg. With the win, the Azkals now advanced to the next round against powerful Kuwait on July 23 and 28.

AZKALS LUCKY ENOUGH TO SALVAGE 1-1 DRAW

The Philippine Azkals national football squad displayed one of their worst showings in recent months, but still fortunate enough to score a 1-all draw against upstarts Sri Lanka in the first leg of their 2014 World Cup qualifiers in Colombo. Fil-American striker Nate Burkey, who substituted for the injured Phil Younghusband late in the first half, scored the tying goal in the 49^th minute courtesy of a good pass from Chieffy Caligdong. The Sri Lankans scored the opening goal on an amazing free kick by Gunarathne in the 41^st minute. So poor were the Azkals on both offense and defense. The Nationals were very tentative in their offensive attacks and struggled mightily with their ball control. Their backline defense was almost non-existent as the Brave Reds launched several attacks throughout the match. Adding woes to the Filipinos was the ejection of defender Aly Borromeo, who took his second yellow card in the match in the 63^rd minute, thus reducing the Azkals down to ten men the rest of the match. Striker Angel Aldeguer Guirado and hardworking wingman James Younghusband hobbled in most part of the match due to minor injuries. The only consolation the Azkals had in the game was the all-important away-goal, which could win them the tie if the second leg match in Manila ends in a scoreless draw. They have to look forward for a better showing on Sunday to advance further in the qualifiers, which will be played before an expected sell-out crowd at the Rizal Memorial Football Stadium.

TOP EPL CLUBS TO INVADE ASIA ANEW

Asian football fans will be in for a big treat as Malaysia and Hong Kong will host the EPL Asian Tour 2011, respectively. First stop will be Kuala Lumpur. EPL powerhouse clubs Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea will play the Malaysian national squad on July 13, 16 and 21, respectively. All games will be played at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium. The tour shifts to Hong Kong as top flight teams Chelsea, Aston Villa and Blackburn Rovers along with Hong Kong First Division winners Kitchee will dispute the 2011 Barclay Asia Trophy on July 27 and 30. All matches will be played at the Hong Kong Stadium. Chelsea is gunning for its second Asia Trophy following its victory in the inaugural tourney in 2003. Bolton won it all in 2005, while Portsmouth took the title in 2007. In 2009, the finals was played in Beijing, China. The Tottenham Hotspur defeated Hull City, 3-0 in the title match. Liverpool star Steven Gerrard says he is always excited to play before all the fanatical fans in Asia, according to Malaysia-Kini.

“Whenever we go to Asia, the fans are always amazing. The supporters over there are fanatical about Liverpool and it’s great that we can give so many of them a chance to come and watch the team play.”

BIG DAY FOR PHILIPPINE FOOTBALL

It is all systems go for the Philippine Azkals national football squad (FIFA rank # 156) as they play the first leg of their 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifiers tie with Sri Lanka (FIFA rank # 169) tonight in the latter’s home turf. Fresh from a two-week rigid training in Germany, coach Michael Weiss’ charges are slightly favored to whip the Sri Lankans, who reportedly trained for only two weeks according to their Korean coach Jang Jung. Since creating a stir in the AFF Suzuki Cup last year, the Azkals are 2-2-1 (win-draw-loss) in official matches played this year. They defeated Mongolia, 2-0 in the first leg of the AFC Challenge Cup last February before bowing to the Mongolians, 2-1 in the second leg last March. However, the Azkals won the tie on an aggregate score of 3-2. In late March, the Azkals participated in the AFC Challenge Cup group qualifying stage in Myanmar. The Nationals drew with the hosts (1-1) and Palestine (0-0) before blasting Bangladesh, 3-0, with Filipino-Spanish striker Angel Aldeguer Guirado accounting for two goals in the second half. From then on, the Azkals have a bumpy ride as they prepare for the Sri Lanka tier. Before leaving for Germany, the Azkals lost a 4-3 friendly game against the local UFL selection. In Germany, they won their first two tune-up games against youthful sides, Archen-Duren and SC Bonner (U19), both by identical scores of 4-1. However, they tasted stingy defeats in their last two matches versus German pro clubs FC Ingolstadt (Division II), 4-0 and SV Darmstadt98 (Division III), 5-0. Azkals team manager Dan Palami says he believe in the talent of the team and feels confident of beating the Sri Lankans, according to The Philippine Star.

“Everybody’s prepped up. We’re looking at the game with cautious optimism. We have the talent, the materials. It’s just a matter of putting everything together for the game. As long as we’re able to play the game we’re supposed to play, I don’t see any reason we won’t win.”

WILL TORRES FIND HIS MARK WITH CHELSEA?

His £40 million transfer last January 27 was the biggest transaction in the English Premier League this past season. Too much hype clouded the transfer of Spanish striker Fernando Torres from his original EPL club Liverpool to the Roman Abramovich-owned Chelsea FC. But not a few were disappointed on Torres initial campaign with the Blues as he finished the season with only a goal to show in 14 games with the Stamford Bridge outfit. His lone goal was scored during Chelsea’s 3-0 annihilation of West Ham United last April 23. He ended the season with a total of ten goals as the other nine were scored during his stint with Liverpool for the first 23 outings. Torres has career club total of 173 goals in 409 appearances with Atletico Madrid, Liverpool and Chelsea. In international play, Torres accounted for 26 goals in 29 total appearances with the powerful Spanish national team. Torres, 27, needs to assert himself in the Chelsea rotation and his teammates and coaching staff can help him or else, he will go down in Chelsea’s history as the biggest bust ever, according to Chelsea Daft.

“Chelsea need to wake up to Torres, Carlo Ancelotti needs to wake up to him and the players need to start playing to Torres's strengths because if we don't it the biggest waste of a player and of a talent at our club ever.”

BARCA-MANCHESTER UNITED REMATCH SET

The much-awaited rematch of UEFA Champions League winners FC Barcelona and losing finalists Manchester United will take place 3,663 miles away from the Wembley Stadium as both clubs meet in Landover, Maryland, during the World Football Challenge 2011 on July 30. Barca, featuring the sensational Lionel Messi, demolished Sir Alex Ferguson’s boys, 3-1 in the Champions League finals at Wembley last May 28. Messi, David Villa and Pedro accounted for Barca’s three winning goals against the lone goal of Red Devils striker Wayne Rooney. This is the second edition of the World Football Challenge following the inaugurals in 2009 where Chelsea, AC Milan and Inter Milan participated. Selected MLS clubs led by the New England Revolution are also expected to join this year’s competitions.

FC BARCELONA: MOST DOMINANT EURO CLUB IN 2011

FC Barcelona’s masterpiece of a win over Manchester United, 3-1, in the recently-concluded UEFA Champions League at Wembley Stadium in London, capped a brilliant 2010-11 season for the Catalans. Josep (Pep) Guardiola has done a wonderful job as manager/coach of the Barcelona squad, whose all-time leading scorer in team history is a Filipino named Paulino Alacantra, after winning a triple crown in 2011. Aside from the Champions League diadem, Barcelona had also won this year’s Spanish League title (their 21^st league championship) and the club’s ninth Spanish Super Cup title, respectively. The Camp Nou outfit is expected to continue their reign next season with regulars Lionel Messi, Andres Iniesta and David Villa leading the charge. Guardiola says it will be another challenge next season for FC Barcelona, according to Football Fan Talk.

“The challenge is still on me. I will continue my career with Barcelona next year, and lets see what will happen later.”

CHELSEA GO FOR DOUBLE KILL

The Stamford Bridge fans are all smiles nowadays and there is a big reason behind those big smiles. Chelsea FC is gunning for a rare double-kill of the two most prestigious English football titles at stake.

The Blues are set to play Premier League’s top relegation candidate Portsmouth on May 15 in the FA Cup finals. Chelsea blasted Aston Villa, 3-0 and Portsmouth scored a surprising 2-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur in the semis to book a winner-take-all showdown at the famed Wembley Stadium.

Most importantly, Chelsea is currently leading the pack in the Barclays Premier League. With four games before the completion of the BPL season, Chelsea has 77 points and is four points ahead of arch-rivals Manchester United and six up on Arsenal.

Chelsea coach Carlo Ancelotti believes they can win Barclays Premier League title. "Now the Premier League is in our hands and we have to stay focused and calm," said Ancelotti. "We have to play game by game, and we are not interested in the results of the other teams." The Stamford Bridge outfit is set to visit Tottenham on April 17, plays Stoke City at home on April 25, will be at Liverpool on May 1 and hosts Wigan on May 9 to close out the season.

Sir Alex Ferguson’s wards will have Manchester City (April 17), Tottenham (April 25), Sunderland (May 1) and Stoke City (May 9) for its last four opponents while Arsenal will go up against Wigan Athletic (April 18), Manchester City (April 24), Blackburn Rovers (May 1) and Fulham (May 9) for its last matches.

However, Ancelotti is still cautious but likewise is oozing with confidence of their title chances that he thinks there is little pressure in warding off threats coming from the Red Devils and Arsene Wenger’s charges. The Italian coach further exclaimed, "Now we have more possibility to win the title than, with respect, Manchester United and Arsenal, but we are not sure yet. We have to play four tough games and we know that we have to fight again. But we're ready to fight."

Chelsea’s captain John Terry is looking forward of making history with the golden chance of winning both the BPL and the FA Cup. Winning both titles will make Chelsea the seventh team to achieve the feat. "There's a real togetherness in the squad. We now have the chance to make some history this season and we are all determined to achieve it”, Terry said. "In my lifetime only Liverpool, Manchester United and Arsenal have, so when the opportunity arises you have to seize it. When you seize it, you can make history."

From all indications, it looks like Chelsea will not let this historical moment slip through their hands. 2010 may really be Chelsea’s year.

WILD, WILD WEEKEND

As everybody were beginning to concede the 2008-09 Barclays Premier League title to the defending champions Manchester United, suddenly a big turn around took place during the weekend as Chelsea and Liverpool moved closer to the Red Devils making it a close fight among the three clubs with about ten games to go in the season.

The Merseysiders crushed Manchester United, 4-1 last Saturday in an awesome display of firepower. It was the worst defeat for Sir Alex Ferguson and his boys at Old Trafford in recent years.

Man-U actually started strong taking an early 1-0 lead on a Cristiano Ronaldo penalty conversion in the 23rd minute courtesy of a Pepe Reina tackle on Park Ji-Sung. But Liverpool immediately went back to work as they leveled the count five minutes later on a Fernando Torres breakaway from Nemanja Vidic. The Reds finally took the lead on a Steven Gerrard penalty shot off a Patrice Evra foul a minute to go before halftime. Fabio Aurelio gave the Merseysiders a commanding 3-1 lead on a free kick in the 73rd minute after Vidic was given a straight red card on a hard foul on Gerrard. Andrea Dossena closed out the scoring for Liverpool with a last-minute goal to make it 4-1.

It was really a crushing defeat for Man-U as their home fans were completely stunned by the unexpected Liverpool romp. With the win, Liverpool now shares the second spot over-all in a tie with Chelsea with 61 points, which is now a manageable four points away from Man-U.

*****

Over in Stamford Bridge, legendary mentor Guus Hiddink remains unbeaten with four straight victories for Chelsea as the Blues nosed out Manchester City, 1-0 last Sunday.

Michael Essien scored the only goal of the match in the 17th minute. Actually, Chelsea could have gone ahead as early as the first minute but the referee ruled Frank Lampard’s conversion an offside. Essien’s performance was seen as an encore of his heroics against Juventus during their Champion’s League match last week.

The pressure now is on Manchester United as both Chelsea and Liverpool closes in. Pundits are now expecting a one heck on a season finish with the title race now widely opened among the three clubs.

IS IT REALLY THE GAFFER OR THE SWELLHEADS?

Many were wondering why top-caliber mentor Luiz Felipe Scolari was fired by Chelsea despite leading the blues to the final 16 of the UEFA Champions League and is currently behind by seven points to Premier League pacesetters and arch rivals Manchester United, which is still manageable with 13 games left in their 2008-09 season.

Scolari’s replacement is current Russian National coach Guus Hiddink. Hiddink will be the third highly-profiled guru to handle the Stamford Bridge outfit in three years (after Jose Mourinho and Scolari). It seems that every coach, no matter how good and successful he is, will find himself in a very precarious situation at Chelsea. Mourinho, who piloted Chelsea to back-to-back EPL crowns, thought he had a steady job with the team, but alas, he was dismissed by team owner billionaire Roman Abramovich during the early part of last season. Next came Avram Grant, who temporarily took the cudgels from the fired Mourinho and led the club to a runner-up finish in last year’s UEFA Champions League. But like Mourinho, Grant was given his pink slip shortly after the 2008 campaign. The highly respected Scolari lasted only 25 matches with Chelsea and not even his successful international success can save him at Stamford Bridge. There were talks that some of the Chelsea stars resented the hard training regimen being imposed by Scolari and did not give their all-out performances resulting into Chelsea’s poor showing lately and Scolari’s head in return.

Maybe it is high time that Abramovich should take a close look into his spoiled brat stars like John Terry, Frank Lampard and Joe Cole. Their collective influence to the team’s other players are very strong. Hiddink, before he formally takes over the club, must sit down with Abramovich and the so-called “swellheads” and lay all his cards out on the table. He should make it clear who is in total control of Chelsea and Abramovich must likewise give his vote of confidence to Hiddink. If not, do not expect Hiddink to last that long with the once-proud London club.

UEFA CL PHOTO TRIBUTE: FINAL SIXTEEN

SCOLARI CLEARS THE AIR

Chelsea mentor Luiz Felipe Scolari did not expect that his first season at Stamford Bridge would be stormy. Losing the leadership board in the Premier league, talks of player revolt and a poor showing lately had made the Brazilian maestro the favorite target of the hard-hitting British media.

After dominating early in the EPL, the blues suddenly found themselves running second to Liverpool with 42 points and three points behind the reds in the over-all standings no thanks to an on-and-off form in their last six outings which saw them win twice, drew thrice and lost once. The speculation that everything is not good at the Chelsea camp even grew wilder with the news that the veterans of the squad led by John Terry, Frank Lampard and Joe Cole are not happy with the way Scolari is running the club. Then came the 1-all standoff with non-league club Southend in the FA Cup. But despite the seemingly never-ending woes that had hit Chelsea lately, Scolari had remain unfazed by all the bizarre happenings.

In an interview with renown football writer Henry Winter, Scolari finally opened up and bare his soul on the current issues with Chelsea:

"The players love me because I never, never say: 'You are wrong'. It is our mistake. The players love me because I defend them every day and I give my best for them every day. My players don't come into my office and say: 'I love you'.

But I feel my relationship with my players. Every day, in your house, your son does not come and say: 'I love you'. Every day, your wife does not come and say: 'I love you'.

No. You know she loves you. You know your son loves you. I know the players love me because we've had situations where it is possible to help them. In the training in the last three or four days there was a fantastic team spirit. Very, very good training -- different than before.

This season we have made mistakes at corner kicks three or four times. I accept one or two. Four? No. We need training so we don't make more mistakes. All the coaches in the world do this but at Chelsea, if you have one meeting, it's a terrible situation. I'm not here to fight against Jose. Why think about records? I think about winning the Champions League, Premier League or FA Cup."

So there goes Scolari, still in high spirits and full of fight in his battle for survival with the proud Chelsea Football Club.

AFF SUZUKI CUP SEMIS ON

All roads lead to Gelora Bung Karno Stadium, Jakarta, Indonesia tonight as the first leg of the Asean Football Federation (AFF) Suzuki Cup between Group B topnotcher Thailand and Group A second placer Indonesia unfolds. kickoff time is 8 pm (Manila time).

The Thais are coming into the game heavily favored after sweeping the group stages and having the biggest goal difference in the tourney so far with a total goals for of 11 against nil for goals against. The Indons on the other hand, finished the group stages with a record of two-wins, no-draw and a loss with a goal difference of 7-2. Expect a lot of fireworks as a very physical match in the offing between the two of the most popular squads in the Southeast Asian region.

Thai coach Peter Reid is not discounting of an Indon upset and is wary of the capablities of the hosts to turn the tables around. “Indonesia have the quality and very good pace upfront. They were quick during attacks and their striker, Bambang, is dangerous”, Reid said. At the same time he believes the homecrowd will play a vital factor in the opener, “The Indonesian crowd have been fantastic. It will be a big game atmosphere. As a player I used to enjoy the big games and I am sure my players will too. That’s football is all about. But in these games, it’s important not to panic.”

Indonesian coach Benny Dolo thinks that his team needs to improve their offensive attack and ability to score goals to secure an upset. “It’s our problem. In previous matches we wasted many chances in front of goal. The strikers have to improve and be sharper or it will be very difficult against Thailand,” Benny said.

The second leg of the Thailand-Indonesia series is scheduled on Saturday in Bangkok, Thailand. The other semis pairing will pit Group A winner Singapore against Group B runner-ups Vietnam with the first leg up for grabs tomorrow night in Vietnam. All the games can be seen live over Starsports on cable tv.

AT THE CROSSROAD

After 17 games, Chelsea had finally surrendered the over-all leadership in the Barclay's Premier League Sunday night (Manila time).

The Blues were held to a shocking 1-1 draw by lowly West Ham United at Stamford Bridge. It could had been more tragic for Luis Felipe Scolari's wards if not for the second half goal of Nicolas Anelka, which save the day for the Stamford Bridge outfit. West Ham United veteran Craig Bellamy opened up the scoring with a short stab in the 33rd minute. Anelka's 50th minute goal is his 16th for the current season and his 100th over-all in the Premier League.

Former Chelsea star Giofranco Zola, now the boss of the Hammers, outwitted Chelsea counterpart Scolari, who out of desperation made a crucial substitution at the start of the second half as he sent in Didier Drogba to replace defender Michael Ballack. But the move hardly made any difference as West Ham dictated the tempo throughout the match.

In a post-match statement, a dejected Scolari said it all, "Our home is Stamford Bridge, not away, and we need to be scoring more goals here. We are not shooting from outside the area enough and I need to work more with the players. Didier Drogba is in good condition and may play more in the next game, but the other players must cooperate because when he came on we lost the midfield." Clearly, he was referring to Chelsea deadshots Frank Lampard, Joe Cole and Deco, all of whom were not playing above par in the last few matches.

The disappointing draw elevated Liverpool to the top of the standings with 38 points while Chelsea fell to second spot with 37 points. The Blues had garnered only 11 points in their last 6 matches. Zola cited team play as the vital point in their 1-1 draw with Chelsea, "The performance is outstanding and the point was totally deserved. We are improving but we do not play with the same freedom at home as we do away from home and we will fix that". When pressed about the coming January transfer window, Zola further quipped "We will not be selling our best players, but who are not playing in the first team may go".

The Blues diehards are expecting a lot this season from Scolari, the well-respected and highly regarded football guru, after the team's failure to bag the BPL and UEFA Champions League titles last year and Scolari better explore changes come January 2009 or else he may follow the footsteps of the team's former gaffer, Jose Mourinho.

HOUDINI ACT

Mexican side Pachuca made a virtuoso display of rising from the grave as they dealt African titlists Al Ahly of Egypt a 4-2 extension time defeat to barge into the semis of the FIFA Club World Cup 2008 in Japan Saturday.

The death defying act pulled off by Pachuca saw them trailed 2-0 at halftime.

But timely adjustments in both offense and defense turned the tables in favor of the Central Americans in the second half. Luis Montes put the Mexicans in the scoring ladder in the 47th minutes before Christian Gimenez equalized it for Pachuca in the 73rd minute to send the game into a 30 minute extension period. From thereon, there is no stopping the Pachuca juggernaut in the extra period as they blasted in two more goals courtesy of Damian Alvarez in the 98th minute and Gimenez again in the 110th minute to make it 4-2. It was a sorry defeat for Manuel Jose's wards as they failed to stop the momentum of Pachuca in the second half as well as in the extension time.

With the win, Pachuca will now play Ecuadorian powerhouse Liga De Quito in the semi finals Wednesday evening.

*****

Adelaide United will be in for a rough night as they play homeside Gamba Osaka of Japan tonight for the right to meet Manchester United in the semi finals. The Aussies earlier defeated Waitakere United of New Zealand, 2-1.

It will be a grudge rematch between Adelaide and Gamba as both squads battled it out last month for the two-legged AFC Champions League finals. The Japanese side won by an aggregate score of 5-0. Now, the Aussies are looking for payback time but it will be very difficult considering the home advatage of Gamba. But in football anything can happen and that is the beauty in "The Beautiful Game".

FINALLY, A FIRST FOR ENGLAND?

The entire football galaxy of Great Britain are pinning its hope on Manchester United to finally win a first-ever FIFA World Club championship for England.

Teams from South America had dominated the tournament since its inception in 2000. Last year, Italian powerhouse AC Milan finally put a halt to the latinos domination as they whipped Boca Juniors of Argentina in the finals.

This year, seven clubs representing their respective continents will battle it out for supremacy from December 11-21, 2008, in Japan. Aside from the Red Devils, the other contenders are Al Ahly (Africa), Adelaide United (Asia), Gamba Osaka (Asia), Pachuca (North and Central America), Waitakere United (Oceania) and Liga De Quito (South America).

Actually, the tourney had already started yesterday with Adelaide United drawing first blood with an opening-day win over Waitakere United, 2-1. Manchester United and Liga De Quito are already seeded in the semis leaving the five other squads to battle it out in the knockout quarter-final matches. The championship match will be played on December 21.

Expect no less than a battle royale among the continental champions and the bragging rights for the best football club in the World.

PIZZARO MASTERPIECE

German side Werder Bremen slew a big fish in their final game in the group stages of the UEFA Champions League as they downed Italian powerhouse Internazionale Milano, 2-1, Tuesday night (Wednesday morning, Manila time) at home. The victory earned Bremen a place in the UEFA Cup (soon to be renamed as UEFA Europa Cup) next year.

So dominant were Bremen as they displayed an awesome offensive game and kept Jose Mourinho's boys at bay with their relentless defense throughout the match. But the man of the hour for Bremen is Claudio Pizzaro. The 30 year old Peruvian National played aggressively in the box and had several attacks that almost netted goals for Bremen in the first half. Pizzaro finally broke the ice in the 63rd minute with an amazing goal and capped his performance in the 72nd minute with a great cross pass which find teammate Rosenberg, who easily connected to make it 2-0 for Bremen. Inter Milan's ace forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic close out the scoring with a late goal for the final tally.

*****

But who is Claudio Pizzaro? The Peruvian striker is currently being loaned by English giant Chelsea to Werder Bremen at the start of the 2008-09 campaign. He currently leads the team in goal scoring in the Bundsliga with 10 goals in 13 outings so far.

Pizzaro started out his career in 1996 with Deportivo Pesquero in the Peruvian Division One, wherein he finished the season with 11 goals in 42 games. He transferred to Alianza Lima the following campaign, where he pumped in 22 goals in 44 outings. He made his European debut in 2001 with Werder Bremen and spent 3 seasons in his first stop with the green outfit. He moved to Bayern Munich in 2001 and played 6 seasons thereat. Last year, Pizzaro played 21 matches for Chelsea and scored 2 goals for the Blues.

Pizzaro had seen action in 56 games for the Peruvian National team and so far has scored 13 goals in international matches. It will not be too long before Chelsea takes him back to Stamford Bridge to help the Blues in their campaign in the Premier League.

*****

After suffering a serious injury in the 2006 World Cup in Germany, super striker Michael Owen is back in his old-scoring way for Newcastle United in the Barclay's Premier League. Owen's remarkable recovery is the only bright spot for the magpies, who are mired in the lower half of the table with only 16 points in 16 matches so far.

Owen had scored a total of eight goals in nine games so far for Newcastle United in League play (8 matches) and League Cup (1 game) so far. Owen likewise is back in harness with the Three Lions National squad, in which he had tallied 40 goals to date.

With their current precarious league standing, the diehards in St. James Park are hoping that Owen can help turn around the fortunes of Newcastle United later in the season and avoid possible relegation play next campaign.

*****

Thailand displayed a powerful attacking game in dimantling Malaysia, 3-0, last night and swept Group B competition in the on-going AFF Suzuki Cup before an over-flowing homecrowd in Phuket.

The Thais under new coach, the former Sunderland and Manchester City top guru Peter Reid, dominated the very physical game, which was marred by a near free for all brought about by a Malaysian punch in the 2nd half. With the win, Thailand qualified for the four team semi finals and will play Group B second placer Indonesia in a home-and-away semis series. Group A topnotcher Singapore meets Group B runner-ups Vietnam in the other semis series.

Thailand capped their group stage play with an incredible 11 total goals and did not allow any goals from the opposition in 3 outings. They blanked Vietnam, 2-0, massacred Laos, 6-0 and finally Malaysia, 3-0.

Both semi-final pairings for sure will be one heckuva of a series and is really worth watching for. Are we in for a titanic finale between Thailand and Singapore? Let us just wait and see.

COSTLY WIN FOR ENGLAND

After more than a month of inactivity, it really feels good to be back! During my absence, I devoted too much time on my other blogsite which is exclusively NBA basketball. Anyway, I promise myself to make up for the lost time and hope that my return to share my views about the beautiful game, which is very close to my heart, will be on a regular basis. So my apology to all.

*****

England scored a 2-1 victory last Wednesday in a friendly match against Germany in the latter's home turf. West Ham United defender Matthew Upson and Chelsea skipper John Terry scored for the Three Lions squad while the lone goal scorer for the Germans is Patrick Helmes. But the win proved costly for manager Fabio Capello and England as it lost Arsenal wonder boy Theo Walcott to injury. Walcott suffered a shoulder dislocation during the practice of the Nationals before the Germany match. Walcott will definitely miss Arsenal's encounter against Manchester City on Saturday.

*****

Chelsea and Liverpool continues to lead the Premier League standings with identical 32 points apiece but defending champions Manchester United is slowly catching fire as the red devils now occupies the third spot with 24 points after a poor start early in the season. League sensation Hull City is at sixth place with 21 points. Threading the dangerous line for relegation are Blackburn (13 points), Tottenham (12 points) and West Brom Athletic (11 points).

Easy matches await the co-leaders this weekend as Chelsea plays Newcastle United and Liverpool goes up against Fulham.

*****

Group stage matches in the UEFA Champions League resumes on November 25 with eight matches on top. Chelsea travels to play Bordeaux, CFR Cluj plays host to Roma, Panathinaikos will be at Internazionale, Bremen visits Anorthosis, Basel will be at Shakhtar, Barcelona pays a visit to Sporting, PSV goes to Atletico and Marseille will journey to Anfield to meet Liverpool.

*****

Diego Maradona's first ever game as National coach was a huge success as Argentina walloped Scotland, 1-0 in a friendly game last Wednesday at Hampden Park. Midfielder Maxi Rodriguez scored the winning goal early in the match at sixth minute. It can be recalled that Maradona's first ever international goal as a National player also came against the Scots in 1979 in Glasgow, Scotland.