Two Korean football clubs are eying to take back the Asian Football Confederation Champions League title as they advance to the final 16.Seongnam Ilhwa and Ulsan Hyundai topped their groups to take No. 1 seeds and a home field advantage.Seongnam is one of Korea’s most successful football clubs with seven K-League titles, two FA cup titles and two AFC titles. And true to their reputation, Seongnam beat China’s Tianjin Teda 3-0 on Tuesday. Despite ending the majority of its matches in draws, Seong

May 17, 2012

SAO PAULO (AFP) ― Football’s world governing body FIFA believes that six of 12 Brazilian stadiums that are to host the 2014 World Cup may not be ready in time, the daily Folha de Sao Paulo reported Tuesday.The paper cited a study by a FIFA consultant on the stadium construction or renovation program pointing to various degrees “of risk” for arenas in Manaus, Cuiaba, Porto Alegre, Curitiba and Sao Paulo.But the biggest concern is for the stadium in the northeastern city of Natal because of a “tig

May 16, 2012

South Korean football chiefs said Tuesday they had renewed an attempt to have Brazilian midfielder Eninho of Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors granted South Korean citizenship as part of World Cup preparations.The Korea Football Association (KFA) said it sent a formal request to the Korea Olympic Committee (KOC) which rules on major decisions concerning sport.Last week the KOC rejected a request for the play

May 15, 2012

MANCHESTER, England (AP) ― In a city more accustomed to a sea of red during title celebrations, blue confetti fell over the streets.Manchester City paraded the Premier League trophy before about 100,000 fans Monday in celebration of its first English title in 44 years. Blue and white ticker-tape and streamers rained down on the team bus as City players displayed the trophy they had wrested from crosstown rival Manchester United a day earlier.Fans climbed lampposts and jostled for position on roo

May 15, 2012

MANCHESTER, England (AP) ― In the closing moments of the Premier League’s most dramatic season, Manchester City had just enough time for one final, breathtaking twist.With the club’s title hopes fading by the second, its anguished fans in disbelief in the stands, relegation-threatened Queens Park Rangers clung to a one-goal lead after 90 minutes. City then threw all its attacking might forward to produce one of English soccer’s greatest comebacks.Edin Dzeko and Sergio Aguero scored during injury

May 14, 2012

LIVERPOOL, England (AP) ― Liverpool defeated Chelsea 4-1 Tuesday, gaining a small measure of revenge for its FA Cup final loss and eliminating the Blues from the race for fourth place in the Premier League.Three days after Chelsea beat Liverpool 2-1 at Wembley, the Reds dominated from the start at Anfield and were up 3-0 after 30 minutes.Stewart Downing of Liverpool missed a penalty kick just before halftime and Ramires pulled a goal back for Chelsea after the break. Jonjo Shelvey took advantage

May 9, 2012

Two South Korean players were sentenced to prison by a Singaporean court on Friday for attempting to rig a professional soccer match in the country.Kim Jae-hong and Jeon Byung-euk, who played for Singapore’s Geylang United in the 2011 season, were given prison sentences in Singapore for attempting to bribe a midfielder and a goalkeeper to throw the game.Match-rigging has been a major issue in almost all sports in Korea, but this is the first time Korean soccer players have been involved in a sca

May 8, 2012

BLACKBURN, England (AP) ― Blackburn was related from the Premier League, with Wigan ensuring its survival in a 1-0 victory Monday night on Antolin Alcaraz’s goal in the 87th minute.Blackburn, the 1995 champion, is 19th at 8-22-7 and will go down to next season’s League Championship along with last-place Wolverhampton (5-22-10). The third team relegated will be determined Sunday.Wigan (10-17-10) won for the sixth time in eight games and improved to 15th place.There were ugly scenes at the final w

May 8, 2012

LONDON (AP) ― Manchester City put itself on course to win its first English championship since 1968 by beating host Newcastle 2-0 Sunday behind two goals by Yaya Toure.Manchester United defeated Swansea 2-0 on first-half goals by Paul Scholes and Ashley Young. The win pulled the defending champions even on points with Manchester City, but with a significantly inferior goal difference.City almost certainly will win the Premier League if it defeats struggling Queens Park Rangers in its final match

May 7, 2012

LONDON (AP) ― Wayne Rooney’s spectacular overhead kick against Manchester City has been voted the greatest goal in English Premier League history.The sensational goal by the Manchester United striker sealed a 2-1 victory for United at Old Trafford in February 2011. It was on a short list of 10 goals in a poll organized by the Premier League to celebrate its 20th anniversary. Other goals listed were David Beckham’s score from midfield for United against Wimbledon in 1996, and Thierry Henry’s flic

May 4, 2012

MADRID (AP) ― Real Madrid clinched its 32nd Spanish league title and first in four years with a 3-0 win at Athletic Bilbao on Wednesday night, when Barcelona’s Lionel Messi broke the European club scoring record with a hat trick that raised his season total to 68 goals.Gonzalo Higuain scored for Real in the 16th minute and Mesut Oezil doubled the lead four minutes later. Cristiano Ronaldo added his 58th goal of the season in the 50th, making up for a penalty kick in the 12th that was saved by go

May 3, 2012

WEMBLEY, England (AP) ― England’s national team is back in the hands of an Englishman ― although one who spent the biggest part of his coaching career abroad.Roy Hodgson was hired Tuesday to coach England and end its 46-year title drought, with the Football Association hoping his international experience and home-grown heritage will be a perfect mix.Hodgson is one of the best-traveled coaches England has produced, having spent the bulk of his career in obscurity honing the technical expertise th

May 2, 2012

LONDON (AP) ― Liverpool’s hopes of taking a morale-boosting victory into the FA Cup final were dashed thanks to a 1-0 home loss to Fulham on Tuesday, improving Everton’s chances of finishing above its Merseyside rival in the Premier League for the first time since 2005.Everton drew 1-1 with Stoke in the night’s other match, putting David Moyes’ team three points above Liverpool with two rounds remaining.Martin Skrtel’s own goal in the fifth minute means Liverpool has won only five of 18 league m

May 2, 2012