Fenerbahce storm into Champions League last 16

Fenerbahce 3- 1 CSKA Moscow


Fenerbahce advanced to the last 16 for the first time with a 3-1 defeat of CSKA Moscow on Wednesday.

Fenerbahce downed CSKA Moscow 3-1 with a double from Ugur Boral to go through from Group G. Group leaders Inter Milan were 1-0 winners at PSV Eindhoven, who had needed a win plus a Fenerbahce defeat to qualify.

Fenerbahce found themselves behind against CSKA Moscow after Edu Dracenu put the ball into his own net on the half hour.

Just two minutes later, Brazilian Alex levelled for the Turkish side with a 25-metre drop-shot, Ugur Boral hit a second in first-half injury time and notched his second and his side's third with a header in the last minute.

Eindhoven's hopes were meanwhile dashed when Edison Mendez was sent off for a professional foul in the first half against Inter Milan. The Dutch, playing for an hour with 10 men, could do nothing to stop David Suazo setting up Julio Cruz to net from close range in the 64th.

The results leave Inter Milan top of Group G on 15 points, with Fenerbahce on 11, PSV on seven and CSKA on one. The draw for the Round of 16 will be made in Nyon, Switzerland on Friday December 21.
Here are the top sixteen teams in the Tournament: Liverpool, Real Madrid, Porto, Schalke 04 and Olympiakos,AC Milan, Celtic, Barcelona, Manchester United, AS Roma, Inter Milan, Sevilla and Arsenal and Fenerbahce .

BESIKTAS AND ERTUGRUL SAGLAM WERE NOT FOCUSED!..

Before the do or die match against FC Porto , the Rookie Coach Ertugrul Saglam said to us that his boys and him self were focused for winning the match in Porto?.

Here is what he said before the match:``Our total focus is now on the Porto game, which is important both for us and Turkish football(soccer). Our aim is to write a new page in the club's history.''

Well, he did not write a new page in the club's history...He became the worst Turkish coach to take Besiktas to that 8-0 disaster against Liverpool!.

Coming back to the match against Fc Porto, Why would you have Baki Mercimek on your line-up , it is mine boggling to me!...

First goal was a huge mistake by Rustu Recber than second goal was a huge mistake by Baki Mercimek!... What really made me mad is the man who said he was focused to win this match did not do anything from the side line after the second goal. He just stood there...I made up my mine, Saglam is not ready to coach in big leagues!.
You had almost 30 minutes to get back in to match but, there were no actions from sideline and the players on the filed had no soul to fight....
They look like a bunch of losers in the second half....
They could not run and they could not pass...
You use 7 corner kicks against FC Porto and can't score?... come on give me brake!
It was a disaster second half for Besiktas last night...After the match Saglam said :"Porto Deserved To Beat Us" ..are you out of your mine... You were the week side..you did not do your job along with your players...and you have a guts to say" We have taken a lot of important lessons for the future. We're sad, but we've played some good football and haven't disappointed in Europe."
Are you out of your mine?...You were bad last night , Mr.Saglam!...get that through your young head!...and like you said, learn from your mistakes!...
AHMET TURGUT
WWWW.TURKISHSOCCER.COM, Editor

Here is the recap of the match:
Lucho Gonzalez and Ricardo Quaresma got on the scoresheet as Porto booked their place in the knockout stages of the Champions League with a convincing win over Besiktas on Tuesday.

Gonzalez got the ball rolling with a simple finish after some poor decision-making by goalkeeper Rustu Recber left the Besiktas goal wide open, and Quaresma made the points safe in the 62nd minute.

In between, Besiktas created some promising attacks, but ultimately they never looked like clawing themselves off the bottom of Group A.

Porto, meanwhile, go into the next round as group winners having collected three wins from their six games.

Despite the significance of the tie, the opening was tame.

Quaresma delivered the first of several unthreatening shots in the second minute when he chipped into Recber's arms, before using a 25-yard freekick to force a punched save a minute later.

Tarik Sektioui then drilled straight at the keeper with an ambitious drive from 30 yards, but the effort, like those from Besiktas duo Matias Delgado and Ibrahim Toraman in the next five minutes, barely warranted attention.

Irrespective of their profligacy, it was clear Porto, and in particular their midfield, were dominating the clash.

Their main problem, however, came from Recber.

The keeper looked to be in formidable form when he got down low to his left to tip Jose Bosingwa's near post drive around the post, and he was equally impressive in putting Lucho Gonzalez's effort wide for a corner.

Thereafter, the away side self-destructed.

From the resulting 44th minute set-piece, the ball bounced loosely to the edge of the area where Jose Raul Meireles mishit a shot tamely into the air.

It should have been an easy and uncontested catch for Recber, but instead the keeper stood motionless protesting - incorrectly - for an offside decision that did not come.

The ball was allowed to drop to Tarik Sektioui, who teed up Gonzalez to volley into the open net.

It was a gift of an opener, but prompted a spirited Besiktas response after the break.

First, Serdar Ozcan forced Helton to tip his low 46th minute effort around the post from close range and then Edouard Cisse volleyed Rodrigo Tello's inswinging corner wide a minute later.

Porto's Silva Paulo Assuncao and Besiktas' Burak Yilmaz then took turns to mishit shots as the second period wore on, but at no point did the Portuguese side look like conceding.

In fact, before they finally did make it 2-0, they forced another superb save from Recber.

Sektioui created the opening with a skilful run, and Quaresma came agonisingly close with a header which Recber more than matched with a fantastic reflex save.

It was a moment of retribution for the keeper, but he could so nothing to stop his side conceding in the 62nd minute.

Lisandro Lopez was the architect, bursting through the middle before passing to Quaresma, who held off a challenge and rolled a low shot into Recber's bottom left corner from the edge of the area.

Half-chances came and went as the game neared its conclusion, but the efforts, like most in this game, were weak.


Teams:


FC Porto Helton, Bosingwa, Pedro Emanuel, Bruno Alves, Fucile (Cech 75), Lucho Gonzalez (Bolatti 80), Paulo Assuncao, Raul Meireles, Sektioui (Postiga 73), Lopez, Quaresma.


Subs Not Used: Nuno, Joao Paulo, Mariano Gonzalez, Adriano.


Booked: Quaresma.


Goals: Lucho Gonzalez 44, Quaresma 62.


Besiktas Rustu, Tandogan, Toraman, Mercimek, Uzulmez, Ozcan, Yilmaz (Akin 46), Cisse, Delgado, Tello (Higuain 83), Bobo.


Subs Not Used: Arikan, Kas, Kurtulus, Sedef, Avci.


Booked: Rustu, Akin.


Att: 40,000


Ref: Peter Frojdfeldt (Sweden).

Turkey ( Turkiye) Under-17 Men's National Team '92s beat US Team

Photos courtesy of ussoccer.com

It has been more than twenty four hours that US 17'92s National team played against young Turks(92s) , and still there isn't one line a news on www.ttf.org(Turkish Football Federation site).....How do you like that....
After they lost their two matches , they figured they gave up on these youngsters playing in Florida.. Let's face it in their first match they lost to Brazil 7-2 and than lost to Russia 4-3 ....in their last game on Sunday,Young Turks beat US reserved team 2-0...a win is a win.....and this match was broadcast in North America by Fox soccer channel on tape , in prime time at 8:00 pm,ET.

American newspaper even talked and wrote about our young Turks but, not our own Federation and our own soccer media..Shame on you guys!....
Here are the articles that publish in US......




YOUNG TURKS RULE
U.S. U-17 team falls to Turkey, 2-0
http://www.bigapplesoccer.com/article.php?article_id=12494

Bradenton, Fla. -- Nothing lasts forever and that includes winning streaks.

After his team recorded a pair of 2-0 wins in his first two games as U.S. Under-17 national coach, Wilmer Cabrera watched his side go down to Turkey by the same exact score at IMG Academy Sunday.

Cabrera, who coached at B.W. Gottschee (Cosmopolitan Junior Soccer League) and was a staff coach with Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association ODP, has a 2-1 record after three games. The Americans defeated Russia Thursday and Brazil Saturday.

Two first-half goals from Ali Cukadar was the difference for the young Turks.



Turkey put the U.S. under pressure right from the start. Cukadar eluded his defender and got on the end of an Omer Karanci cross, snapping his header to the far post and beating goalkeeper Samir Badr in the 11th minute.

Two minutes before halftime, Kamil Tevfik played a long ball upfield for Berkin Aslan, who took a perfect first touch with the outside of his foot toward goal. Aslan saw Cukadar alongside him in the box and played a square ball into his path, and Cukadar put it in the net from two yards out.

“I think we had trouble finding a rhythm today,” second-half substitute Carlos Martinez said. “They took advantage of the scoring opportunities they created, and we didn’t put ours away. That’s how soccer goes sometimes, but we’ll be able to learn from this game and take the lessons back to practice.”

************************************************************



U-17 soccer team falls in finale
http://www.bradenton.com/sports/story/262059.html
U-17 soccer team falls in finale

BRIAN BLANCO
U.S. Under 17's #8 Edson Lemus tangles with Turkey's #6 Baris Yardimci during Sunday's game at IMG Academies in Bradenton. BRIAN BLANCO/bblanco@bradenton.com
By RYAN T. BOYD
rboyd@bradenton.com


BRADENTON --The bench was an unfamiliar place for Carlos Martinez. He never occupies it with his club team in Las Vegas, and in the past month as a member of the U.S. Under-17 national soccer team, Martinez never rode the pine.

He played prominent roles in the Americans' wins over Russia and Brazil in the 2007 Developmental Academy Nike Friendlies this weekend on the campus of IMG Academies.

But for Martinez, Sunday was different in more than one way.

When the U.S. faced Turkey in the final game of the four-day tournament, Martinez, a forward, was on the bench, along with eight other first-teamers.

From there they saw the Americans give up a goal for the first time in international play, losing 2-0 to Turkey in front of an overflow crowd in the third international match of the youngsters' careers.

"They punished us, because they finished their chances, and we didn't," said Martinez, 15. "I didn't come in until the second half. It's kind of hard to pick up the tempo of the game and finish our chances. It was pretty hard."

Coming off consecutive 2-0 victories over Russia and Brazil, arguably the world's top soccer power, the U-17s found themselves in a hole early.

In the 11th minute, a shot by Turkey's Ali Cukadar floated past U.S. reserve goalie Samir Badr, giving the Middle Eastern country a one-goal lead. The Americans had trouble pushing the ball and registered five shots on goal to Turkey's nine.

In the 43rd minute, Cukadar scored again, and Turkey coasted the rest of the way.

U-17 coach Wilmer Cabrera refuted thoughts of a team letdown or fatigue. The Americans played three tough matches in four days and captured two huge wins over stiff competition.

Cabrera said he wanted to test his reserve players.

"We want to play tough in a game against family," Cabrera said. "We need to know everybody on the field. We've been practicing with them, but the first two games, we've played with stronger players, but you don't know how good the other ones are if you don't play them.

"We needed to know that, and we need to correct some things."

Martinez scored a goal in both of the Americans' wins, but for a large portion of Sunday's match, all he could do was watch.

Watch the U.S. get pushed around by Turkey. Watch the American reserves struggle in a starting role, and watch their opponents snap celebratory pictures after the match.

Martinez's view from the bench was disappointing. He prefers not to leave the field.

"This was a learning experience," Martinez said. "We beat Brazil, and we were like, 'we are the best now, lets relax a little bit,' and we can't do that. No matter who the opponent is, we can't let down. Concentration-wise, we weren't there

Ertugrul Saglam focused on victory!..FC Porto v Besiktas: Preview

Porto welcome Besiktas on Tuesday night knowing that a point will be enough to see them through to the knockout stage of the Champions League.

Just two points separate the Portuguese side, who top Group A, and Besiktas at the foot of the table, with one round of matches remaining.

The Turkish side must win to progress, and coach Ertugrul Saglam knows that his troops will carry the expectations of a nation on their shoulders when they turn out at the Estadio do Dragao.

Saglam said: ``Our total focus is now on the Porto game, which is important both for us and Turkish football. Our aim is to write a new page in the club's history.''

For both clubs the permutations are relatively straightforward despite the fact that any of the four teams in Group A could still qualify.

If Porto lose, they cannot qualify for the knockout phase, while Besiktas will not qualify should they fail to win.

However, Porto could still qualify for the UEFA Cup if they lose and the other Group A game between Marseille and Liverpool produces a winner.

A draw in France combined with a defeat for Porto would send the Dragons out of Europe, while Besiktas cannot finish third due to inferior head-to-head records with Liverpool and Marseille and therefore must take all three points to continue their European campaign.

``We cannot think about enjoying this victory. We want to beat Porto in Portugal and advance to the next round,'' said Saglam after watching his side win 1-0 at Bursaspor at the weekend. ``My players can do it,'' he added.

Gokhan Zan, Lamine Diatta (both foot), Serdar Kurtulus (hamstring), Mehmet Yozgatly (hip), Ibrahim Kap (calf) and Ricardinho (broken wrist) all missed the Bursaspor victory through injury and are unlikely to be fit for Tuesday's game.

Porto, who opened up a seven-point gap at the top of the Portuguese league with a 1-0 win against Benfica last week, will fancy their chances as they have not been beaten at home in the Champions League since a 3-2 defeat to Artmedia over two years ago.

Coach Jesualdo Ferreira said: ``I'm confident Porto will complete the job to finish in first place in the group and proceed in the Champions League.''

A win will ensure Porto progress as group winners, while a point will be enough to see them top the standings if Marseille and Liverpool draw.

Defender Milan Stepanov and midfielder Ernesto Farias are both injured for Porto.

Ferreira was able to rest most of his first team for the recent 2-0 win over third division side Chaves in the Portuguese Cup.

Fringe players Helder Postiga and Adriano scored the goals but neither striker is likely to feature in the starting XI against the Istanbul-based side.
Source:PA

I AM NOT KAZIM..... I AM STILL COLIN!.....

ACCORDING TO RECENT INTERVIEW DONE BY Nick Szczepanik , TIMES ONLINE, FENERBAHCE'S AND TURKISH NATIONAL TEAM PLAYER COLIN RICHARDS SAID HE IS STILL COLIN ALTHOUGH TURKS GAVE HIM "KAZIM" NAME!....
HERE IS THE ARTICLE......


From Bury to Brazil, the rise of a boy called Colin Kazim-Richards

Tuncay and Boro Team end Arsenal's unbeaten run!

Middlesbrough inflicted Premier League Arsenal's first league defeat of the season with a 2-1 win at the Riverside on Sunday.

Defeat left Arsenal just a point ahead of second-placed Manchester United.

Stewart Downing, with a fourth-minute penalty, and Tuncay Sanli, with a close-range strike 16 minutes from time, scored for Boro.

Tomas Rosicky pulled a goal back for Arsenal in the fifth minute of stoppage time but there was barely time left for the ensuing kick-off before the final whistle blew.

The result meant Boro, who started Sunday in the relegation zone, had won only their third league game of the season.

WATCH FENERBAHCE V GALATASARAY DERBY HIGHLIGHTS

FENERBAHCE 1- GALATASARAY 0 (GOAL BY SEMIH SENTURK )



FENERBAHCE 2 GALATASARAY 0(GOAL BY BRAZILIAN DEIVID )AND BRAZILIAN DANCE SHOW BY ROBERTO CARLOS, DEIVID AND WEDERSON!.....