BERLIN (AP) ― Borussia Dortmund’s 31-match unbeaten run in the Bundesliga ended on Saturday in a 3-2 loss to Hamburger SV.Son Heung-min scored twice and Rafael van der Vaart provided two assists to deal Dortmund its first league loss in over a year and preserve Hamburg’s record of 36 games unbeaten set in January 1983.“Not a lot pleased me today,” said Dortmund coach Juergen Klopp.Bayern Munich maintained its winning roll with Thomas Muller scoring and setting up Toni Kroos for a 2-0 win at Scha

Sept. 23, 2012

The summer of 2012 marked the beginning of a new era for South Korean soccer and not just because of a bronze medal at the Olympic Games. It saw a number of interesting transfers involving star players already in Europe that reflected how attitudes to European transfers are changing. Park Ji-sung, the biggest star in the first serious wave of Korean players to move to Europe, is now in the twilight of his European career. Time has passed, and Kim Bo-kyung’s move to Cardiff City in the English Ch

Sept. 21, 2012

ULSAN (Yonhap News) ― Ulsan Hyundai Tigers of South Korea’s K-League defeated Saudi Arabian rival Al Hilal 1-0 Wednesday in quarterfinal action of the ongoing continental club championship.At Ulsan Munsu Stadium, about 410 kilometers south of Seoul, Brazilian forward Rafinha scored in the ninth minute and the victorious home side held on for dear life in the Asian Football Confederation Champions League action.The win gave Ulsan an upper hand in the two-leg quarterfinal showdown. The second leg

Sept. 20, 2012

Ulsan Hyundai Tigers of South Korea's K-League defeated Saudi Arabian rival Al Hilal 1-0 Wednesday in the quarterfinal action of the ongoing continental club championship.At Ulsan Munsu Stadium, about 410 kilometers south of Seoul, Brazilian forward Rafinha scored in the ninth minute and the victorious home side held on for dear life in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League actio

Sept. 19, 2012

South Korean international midfielder Kim Bo-kyung of Cardiff City made his English soccer debut Tuesday. The 23-year-old came on as a substitute for Craig Noone on the 90th minute with his side leading Millwall 2-0 in the second-tier Championship league. It was his first appearance on an English pitch since joining Cardiff City on July 27 on a three-year contract from J-League Division 1 side Cerezo Osaka in Japan. He returned to Cardiff City after playing for the Korean national side against U

Sept. 19, 2012

Paris Saint-Germain earns soccer roundup win over Dynamo KievMADRID (AP) ― Real Madrid scored twice late in an electrifying finish Tuesday to beat Manchester City 3-2 to open the Champions League group stage, while Paris Saint-Germain marked its new big-spending era with an emphatic 4-1 win over Dynamo Kiev.Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo beat goalkeeper Joe Hart in the 90th minute to cap a dramatic comeback as the nine-time Champions League winners twice came from behind for a morale-boosting

Sept. 19, 2012

LIVERPOOL, England (AP) ― Everton was held to a 2-2 draw by Newcastle in the Premier League on Monday after having a goal disallowed despite the ball appearing to cross the line before being cleared.The score was 1-1 when Everton forward Victor Anichebe’s header hit the underside of the crossbar and the ball seemingly dropped over the line before defender Mike Williamson kicked it away in the 78th minute.“It’s a difficult call, but if you’re a linesman on the goal line you would hope you would s

Sept. 18, 2012

LIVERPOOL, England (AP) ― Everton was held to a 2-2 draw by Newcastle in the Premier League on Monday after having a goal disallowed despite the ball appearing to cross the line before being cleared.The score was 1-1 when Everton forward Victor Anichebe’s header hit the underside of the crossbar and the ball seemingly dropped over the line before defender Mike Williamson kicked it away in the 78th minute.“It’s a difficult call, but if you’re a linesman on the goal line you would hope you would s

Sept. 18, 2012

Ulsan Hyundai Tigers, the only South Korean club left standing at an ongoing continental club competition, will try to do the country proud in the upcoming quarterfinals, the team’s head coach said Monday.The K-League club will host Al Hilal of Saudi Arabia at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at home in the Asian Football Confederation Champions League quarterfinals. It will be the opening game of the two-leg series, with the second match scheduled at Riyadh on Oct. 3. The aggregate score after the two games

Sept. 17, 2012

With the stretch drive in the nation’s top-division soccer league around the corner, head coaches of the top-ranked clubs said Thursday they are bracing themselves for heated competition for the championship.The 16-team K-League has been divided into two groups of eight clubs in the first year of the “split” system. Teams were then placed in the top and the bottom tiers based on their records after 30 games. FC Seoul topped the standing with 64 points, five clear of the second-place Jeonbuk Hyun

Sept. 13, 2012

Sangju Sangmu Phoenix, the military soccer team in the K-League recently ordered down to the second division competition for 2013, will boycott its remaining matches this season, an official said Wednesday.Lee Jae-cheol, the team‘s general manager, said the North Gyeongsang Province team will not play its final 14 games in the K-League, as the first-division competition prepares to begin the second phase of its new “split” system.“The Armed Forces Athletic Corps and the Defense Ministry held tal

Sept. 12, 2012

South Korean star midfielder Ki Sung-yueng reflected on the ball he headed into his own net in a World Cup qualifier against Uzbekistan on Tuesday. “I should have concentrated more,” the 23-year-old, who plays for Swansea City in the English Premier League, told reporters after the game. “I think my own goal turned the tide of the game.”After 13 minutes, he jumped to deflect a corner with a header, but the ball went into the net. He made amends for the error later by floating a brilliant cross i

Sept. 12, 2012