K-League clubs face tough tests

Korea famously had four teams in the last eight of the Asian Champions League in 2010 but that is not going to happen in 2011. Already, Jeju United has fallen by the wayside. Three other K-League clubs survived the group stage and have their round of 16 games this week. It is not a foregone conclusion that Jeonbuk Motors, FC Seoul and Suwon Bluewings will make the quarterfinal as they all have dif

May 23, 2011

Blackpool relegated after 4-2 loss at Man United

Blackpool's Jason Puncheon, left, vies for the ball with Manchester United's Ji-Sung Park, right, during their English Premier League soccer match at Old Trafford, Manchester, England, Sunday, May 22, 2011. (AP-Yonhap News)MANCHESTER, England (AP) _ Blackpool's adventure in the Premier League came to a heartbreaking end on Sunday as Ian Holloway's side was relegated after a 4-2 loss at champion Ma

May 23, 2011

Ronaldo sets Spain goal mark

Ki Sung-yueng finds net as Celtic capture cupBARCELONA (AP) ― Cristiano Ronaldo broke the 60-year-old Spanish league scoring record, getting his 39th and 40th goals of the season in Real Madrid’s season-ending 8-1 rout of Almeria.In the fourth minute, Ronaldo beat goalkeeper Esteban Suarez in the 77th. The previous record of 38 league goals was set by Athletic Bilbao’s Telmo Zarra in 1950-51 and m

May 22, 2011

City sink Stoke 3-0

MANCHESTER, England (AP) ― Manchester City is on the verge of qualifying automatically for the Champions League after beating Stoke 3-0 on Tuesday, three days after defeating the same opponent in the FA Cup final to end a 35-year title drought.Carlos Tevez scored twice to take his league tally to 21 goals this season ― equal top with Manchester United striker Dimitar Berbatov ― as Man City moved p

May 18, 2011

Red Devils get the point they need to win 19th league title

Red Devils get the point they need to win 19th league titleLONDON (AP) ― Wayne Rooney secured Manchester United’s record 19th English Premier League title on Saturday, scoring on a penalty kick to salvage a 1-1 draw at Blackburn and overshadow rival Manchester City’s first major trophy in 35 years.Yaya Toure scored at Wembley to give Manchester City’s expensively assembled side a 1-0 win over Stok

May 15, 2011

Barcelona clinch Spanish league title

Club rolls to third-straight championshipBARCELONA (AP) ― Barcelona players sprayed each other with bubbly and fans celebrated by lighting flares.A title that had appeared inevitable for weeks finally was clinched with two games to spare when Barcelona tied 1-1 at Levante on Wednesday night to win Spain’s La Liga for the third straight season.“We have been very united this year. That has been very

May 12, 2011

Jeju facing must-win situation

Club looks to join other K-League teams in next roundThe Asian Champions League has been going well for South Korean teams again this year. In 2010, all four of the nation’s representatives reached the last eight. That is unlikely this time, but there is nothing wrong with that ― such an achievement is unprecedented in Asia.Still, as the group stage of the 32 team competition, made up eight groups

May 10, 2011

Cho to call up young guns in June

South Korean national team manager Cho Kwang-rae has announced that he will call up his best players, including some of the country’s rising young stars, for two friendly games in June, much to the dismay of U23 team manager Hong Myong-bo.Cho said earlier that he would take the strongest available squad for the home friendly against Serbia on June 3 and also Ghana on June 7 in preparation for 2014

May 3, 2011

Park Ji-sung sets sights on final

It is becoming almost commonplace but fans in South Korea shouldn’t take it for granted. Park Ji-sung is currently playing in his fourth set of UEFA Champions League semifinals. His two successes should become three with Wednesday’s second leg (3:45 a.m. Thursday Korean time) between Manchester United and Schalke 04 of Germany.The English Premier League team won the first leg 2-0 in Gelsenkirchen

May 3, 2011

Jung nets French debut goal

Auxerre’s forward Jung Jo-gook scored his debut goal in the French top-division league just six minutes after coming on as a late substitute as the team drew 1-1 on Sunday with Marseille.Jung, who joined the French side earlier this year, had started only one game this season, and failed to score a goal in his 10 appearances.Jung Jo-gook celebrates his goal. (AP-Yonhap News)But on Sunday, the Kore

May 2, 2011

One-year football genius joins pro club

A Dutch pro-football club has hired a 1-year-old prodigy whose kicking skill is fascinating more than one million viewers on YouTube. (YouTube)A video clip showing the boy, Baerke van der Meij, shooting three balls into a toy box has attracted over 1.24 million viewers since it was posted on April 18.He has signed a 10-year contract with VVV-Venlo club where his grandfather was once a player. “The

April 29, 2011

Schalke seek Man U upset

Manager Ralf Rangnick expects a close matchGELSENKIRCHEN, Germany (AP) ― Two weeks after knocking out title holder Inter Milan, an unheralded Schalke side is looking to cause another major upset in the Champions League when it plays Manchester United in the first leg of the semifinals on Tuesday.Schalke considers itself a total underdog against the three-time champion. But the Bundesliga team was

April 26, 2011

Arsenal’s title hopes fade with 2-1 defeat

Monaco’s Park Chu-young (center) vies with Rennes’ goalkeeper Nicolas Douchez. Monaco won 1-0. AFP-(Yonhap News)Celtic, Rangers battle to scoreless drawLONDON (AP) ― Arsenal’s slim hopes of winning the Premier League were virtually extinguished Sunday on a last-minute goal by Bolton substitute Tamir Cohen in a 2-1 loss.The Israel midfielder, who came on in the 85th minute, glanced in a near-post h

April 25, 2011

Jeonbuk sink Cerezo Osaka

Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors were the only team among four South Korean K-League representatives to earn a victory this week at an ongoing continental club competition, while two Korean teams suffered defeats and another was held to a draw.At home in Jeonju, 243 kilometers south of Seoul, on Wednesday, Jeonbuk beat Cerezo Osaka 1-0 to move into first place in Group G of the Asian Football Confederation

April 21, 2011

Ronaldo seals dramatic cup win

VALENCIA, Spain (AP) ― Cristiano Ronaldo headed home the winner in extra time as Real Madrid ended an 18-year Copa del Rey trophy drought with a 1-0 victory over biggest rival Barcelona on Wednesday.Ronaldo guided Angel Di Maria’s 103rd-minute pass back across goal and past the outstretched hand of goalkeeper Jose Manuel Pinto into the top corner as Madrid won silverware for the first time since a

April 21, 2011

Seoul, Seongnam look for spark

The 2011 K-League season is proving to be nothing if not unpredictable. Usual minnows such as Daejeon Citizen, Daegu FC and Sangju Sangmu are enjoying the rarified air near the top of the standings while there are some prestigious names floundering in the depths of the 16-team league. Just take a look at FC Seoul and Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma. Seoul lifted the domestic title in December just a month a

April 20, 2011

Lee, Bolton stumble out of FA Cup

Stoke City bag 5-0 win at Wembley StadiumIt was a match he had dreamed of playing. Lee Chung-yong of Bolton Wanderers tried to reach the English FA Cup final, but his dream ended bitterly on Sunday as the team lost to Stoke City 5-0 in the semifinals at Wembley Stadium.The Korean midfielder revealed he was hugely disappointed to be knocked out of the FA Cup, admitting that his team had played its

April 18, 2011