Real Madrid 0-2 Barcelona: Match report

It was both Messi and messy at the Bernabeu on Tuesday night as brilliance from Lionel ensured Barcelona would take a 2-0 lead into this Champions League semi-final second leg in what was otherwise an ugly encounter.

Messi converted with a close range effort and a superb solo goal, both in the second half, after Pepe had been sent off for the home side, and Jose Mourinho sent to the stands. This leaves a repeat of the 2009 final between Barca and Manchester United very much on the cards.

So often a game where the football does the talking there had been a viscous war of words leading up to part III of this Clasico series, but finally we were back on the pitch for the first leg in the Champions League semi-final – a trophy neither side wants to drop from a double-decker bus.

There were three sendings off – one on the pitch, countless complaints and a bad tempered atmosphere. Messi’s goals, especially the second which was pure class, managed to ensure Barcelona fans at least had some good memories to take from Madrid.

First he made a surging run forward in the centre while Afellay beat Sergio Ramos to smash the ball across goal only for Messi to slot it home on 77 minutes. Nine minutes later, he dribbled past the Madrid defence with the ball glued to his feet before he trickled the ball in.

Carlos Puyol started at left back for Barcelona with Javier Mascherano at centre back. Predominantly a centre-half, this meant Barca played their famous possession football through the middle, with Xavi, Messi and Pedro supporting David Villa, who frequently dropped wide for the flair players to run through. They boasted 70 per cent of the possession in the first half.

Real meanwhile had Ramos and Marcelo on the flanks with Ronaldo just as big a threat in the air as on the ground and had Lassana Diarra and Pepe to counter the Barca threat. When Pepe departed, they simply did not have the man power to sustain it.

Mourinho was making notes early on, either thinking of more insults for Guardiola who rose to the bait before the game, or thinking of how to make sure he stopped Barcelona finding the crucial pass to split their defence, which was missing Ricardo Carvalho through suspension. But Barca were missing Iniesta.

After a first half that was all Barca with only one half chance from Xavi after some Messi magic, it was Madrid and Mesut Ozil that had the best chance of the first half. Twice he fired at goal from close range seconds before half time but twice Victor Valdes, anonymous until then, stopped a goal.

The players went down the tunnel with emotions running high and there were handbags as they came off the pitch. Substitute keeper Pinto displayed behaviour as outrageous as his braided hair and got sent off in a melee of players and coaches on the touchline. Pinto lashed out at a UEFA representative and referee Wolfgang Stark had a no nonsense response.

The second half started more evenly matched until Real Madrid went down to ten men against Barcelona for the fourth time this year. Everyone could sense the game would not finish with 22 on the pitch and it came true when Pepe was sent off on the hour. He came in high against Dani Alves and, under pressure from the entire Barca team who told him what to do, he met the requests of the pleading Barca team and produced the red card. There was a sarcastic “well done” from Mourinho and he was sent to the stands as a result.

Sixteen minutes later Messi stole the show. Substitute Afellay ran down the right wing and flashed the ball across goal, only for the Argentinian to tap in past Casillas and grab his 51^st of the season.

He grabbed his 52^nd when he skipped past all the white shirts in his path and slotted home.

There were no handshakes at the end and Madrid will have it all to do in the final chapter of the Clasico series, two away goals down and no Pepe or Ramos, who added one to his yellow card tally.

Surely we should have the best GB team? Wilshere's Olympic dream

Gold medalist? Wilshere wants to represent GB in 2012

Last week PFA Young Player of the Year Jack Wilshere said that “it would be a dream” to represent Great Britain in the 2012 London Olympics.

After Arsenal’s title challenge imploded with defeat at Bolton yesterday, maybe the 19-year-old midfielder thinks this is his only chance of getting any sort of medal in the near future. But Wilshere raises an interesting debate.


An England triumph aside, England’s Euro 2012 campaign in Poland and Ukraine will play second fiddle to the Olympics next summer and for two weeks football is not likely to be the British sports fans' number one focus.

That is for two reasons: firstly that the Olympics is mainly an under 23 tournament so a large group of the players competing have not yet made a name for themselves on the big stage. Having said that both Lionel Messi and Carlos Tevez have gold medals from winning with Argentina in 2004 and 2008 respectively, but a big portion of the athletes are unknowns.

Secondly, and probably more importantly, there has been no GB team since 1972. In Britain we don’t take such an active interest in the football competition because we have nobody to support in it. It looks likely to happen this year after the home nations agreed to the idea, and both Wilshere and Welsh PFA Player of the Year Gareth Bale could play alongside each other which would encourage us all to watch.

Football is the country’s national sport so with the Olympics in this country, surely we must have the best team possible?

The argument against Wilshere’s pleas is a practical one: burnout. Club manager Arsene Wenger has already said that for Wilshere playing in the 2011 Under 21 European Championships in Denmark in June will tire him out for a long hard season. So what about Euro 2012 in June and the Olympics in July and August next summer?

The FA have a rule that players cannot play in two summer tournaments between domestic seasons, so they are not tired. It could be argued that these are special circumstances as is it is not likely to see an Olympics in this country for years and years, so we should let Jack Wilshere go. But then he could make the same argument every four years – provided England keep qualifying for the Euros.

The FA, responsible for the Olympic Team, said that he would have a conversation with Wilshere and Arsene Wenger to see if it was feasible to play Wilshere in 2012. His inclusion could have a huge bearing on how many people want to watch the football tournament next summer, but the deadline for ticket applications is tomorrow, so it looks like that could be too late.

Kenny and Rooney are totally different situations

Heated exchange: Dalglish and Wenger at the end of Sunday's 1-1 draw

In the week Wayne Rooney ended his two-game ban for swearing into a video camera the football viewing public heard another four-letter exchange on the Sky Sports cameras.

But Kenny Dalglish telling Arsene Wenger to “piss off” was taken in a very different way to Rooney’s rant at Upton Park.

I for one laughed and cheered when I heard the Liverpool manager respond so bluntly to Wenger’s all too familiar complaints at refereeing decisions.

So was Dalglish’s episode different from Rooney’s? The FA certainly think so. They have decided he will not be charged, with a spokesman saying: “There is a clear distinction between the Wayne Rooney incident and others as seen,” said an FA spokesman. “Rooney’s outburst was directed quite pointedly at a television camera.”

This is the right decision not just for the fact that Rooney spoke straight into the camera but also for other reasons. Exhibit A: The expletive used. Dalglish told Wenger to “piss off,” a word often heard on television and in the wider world and one not regarded as an awful one to use. Rooney used the F-word, one that I have decided not to repeat on this blog and one generally considered to be one of the worst in the English language.

Exhibit B: The situation. When Rooney swore he had just scored, the most joyous moment on any football pitch and United had taken a firm hold on the game and with that a step closer to the title. Dalglish was going towards Wenger to make the sporting gesture of “good game,” despite the controversy of two penalties at the end. When Wenger responded with a whinge he was declining Dalglish’s hand and his reaction was a spare of the moment response that happened to be caught on camera.

Exhibit C: The reaction. When asked about what happened in his post-match interview, Dalglish calmly responded that by saying: “I don’t know why a conversation on the bench between two managers is relevant when you have just had a game like that.” He held his dignity. Rooney apologised, through a statement, but then moaned when he got his ban saying he is not the first to swear on camera. No Wayne, nor is Kenny, but you are the first in recent memory to actually go into the camera and swear.

There are reasons for the Rooney argument. After Wayne’s episode, the issue of swearing on a football pitch had been highlighted so surely Dalglish should know better. A stalwart of the game, he should know that a camera would be on him at the end of the match. Secondly, it could be argued that Dalglish was insulting Wenger, something else that needs to be stamped out so not to influence younger players. If you look past all the side plots, then both were caught by the viewing public swearing on camera then what is the difference?

The difference was the intent so it is fair to say that the FA got this one right. I’ll leave it to Sir Trevor Brooking to explain why: “The reaction straight into the camera was the difference.
"I can understand why the incident at the West Ham match led to action being taken, but in this one unless it was exactly like that, which I gather it wasn't, I don't think there is any comparison.”

Why there is nothing like the London Marathon

Hard yards. Runners clamber to the finish today with a mile to go while one man gets treated for cramp

Today I walked across a Westminster Bridge free from cars to join thousands of other people cheering and waving while watching men and women in intense pain run, walk and limp their way towards the London Marathon finish.

At the risk of stating the obvious, there is something very special about the London Marathon. Elite runners aside, it is one of the few sporting events which people from all walks of life can have a go and a very high percentage manage it. But when they do eventually complete the 26.2 miles after hours of blisters, chafing and cramp, I can't imagine the achievement is like anything else.

The marathon is not like Iron Man competitions or triathlons where very dedicated and extremely fit men and women are the ones to take on the challenge. Indeed they do run marathons, but they often aim to do it in a ridiculous time. It is also about Joe Public proving to themselves that they can do it.

Watching today there were hundreds of people who may have never put on running shoes in their life but after watching last year and being inspired by an 80-year-old doing it for Save The Children or and terminally ill cancer patient soldiering on, felt they could manage it too. After New Year they ditch the booze and instead of spending their evenings in the pub, they go out for a jog.

There are many events where people do train to test themselves and raise money for charity, for example a Snowdonia climb or a sponsored bike ride. But whether easier or harder physically, the London Marathon is held in a special high regard and I join the millions more who say hats off to those who have completed it.

Maybe it is because thousands do it at once. Maybe it is because it is on TV. Or maybe it is because of the historic sites of London because experts say that no other marathon compares. It doesn't really matter why. It is just special.

I have never run a marathon. If you know me that won’t surprise you. But have been to watch on a few occasions to cheer on friends and family. This time I did not know anyone personally and went along for the occasion.

It was different because instead of planning the next spot where I could see how my dad or my mate was getting on, I just stood smiling watching the Smurfs, fairies, Spiderman and even a man with prosthetic legs get ever closer to the finish.

Not for the first time, I now feel like I want to apply to do it next year. But not for the first time, I’ll feel relieved if I get a rejection. If I get an acceptance well then I’ll start panicking.

Norwich 2 - 1 Notts Forest: Match report

Goal scorer. Grant Holt bagged his 20th goal of the season in the 2-1 win

Norwich clawed back into the automatic promotion places, albeit temporarily, after returning to winning ways with a 2-1 victory at home to Nottingham Forest tonight.

Having now gone ten games at Carrow Road without defeat, the Canaries will be hoping that Portsmouth put an end to Cardiff’s unbeaten run when they visit Wales tomorrow afternoon.

First half goals from Grant Holt and Andrew Surman were enough to secure the three points after Nathan Tyson had given Forest the lead early on.

The defeat means that Forest remain outside the playoff places with four games to go, with Leeds having the chance to extend the gap between sixth and seventh when they host Watford tomorrow afternoon.

For the opening 45 minutes, the game was intense and entertaining but Norwich got a grip on the match and held on tight to see out the result in the second period.

Forest got off to the dream start three minutes in when a clearance from Norwich keeper John Ruddy smashed the ball straight into Nathan Tyson, who was chasing a hopeful pass. It drifted in silencing the Carrow Road crowd and giving Billy Davies’ men the lucky break they felt they deserved after some misfortune in recent weeks.

In an explosive start to the match, Norwich immediately upped the tempo and got the response they wanted. Former Forest man and Norwich captain Grant Holt, fresh from passing a late fitness test, leapt high to head home a David Fox free kick to grab his 20th league goal of the season and restore the balance just seven minutes after conceding.

Both teams had chances to go ahead, Lewis McGugan was denied a Forest goal by Zak Whitbread on the goal line and Guy Moussi’s effort from 12 yards hit the post. At the other end, Forest keeper Lee Camp thwarted a golden chance for Norwich, closing down Simeon Jackson in a one-on-one. Jackson later had the ball in the net only to be caught mildly offside.

Slightly against the run of play in an entertaining first half, Norwich took the lead on 38 minutes when Andrew Surman beat the offside trap to slot the ball past Camp. Clapping in the stands, Canaries director Delia Smith would have been proud of Surman’s tasty finish to a delicious move.

Surman and Jackson both had good efforts for Norwich shortly after the restart, but Paul Lambert’s side seemed happy to keep Forest at arm’s length and hold on to their lead.

The away team could not create the clear cut chances or make the luck they had during the first 45 minutes. McGugan’s shot from range, which sailed over, proved their best effort of the second period.

Man-of-the-match Jackson came close twice towards the end, heading narrowly wide and hitting the post with a left-footed effort.

It got worse for Forest in stoppage time when on-loan Liverpool left back Paul Konchesky was sent off. Having mouthed off to the referee in the first half, a needless challenge confirmed an early bath for Konchesky.

It could be a fairytale career ending for van der Sar

Legend. Van der Sar living up to film star billing given the performances he has put in for United in the last few years

Manchester United may be on course for a second treble-winning season but one man that has helped them get to this position has eye on bowing out in a real blaze of glory.

At the ripe old age of 40, the evergreen goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar will retire at the end of the season. Forget a testimonial, the way his team are playing, his swansong could be a Champions League final at Wembley. What he would give for a European-cup winning save in the same way he denied Nicolas Anelka in the penalty shootout in Moscow in 2008.

Along with Ryan Giggs, van der Sar in as an old stager who unlike many United players, is actually well-liked at grounds around the country. And like Giggs, he is playing some of his best football in the twilight of his career.

Only two years ago van der Sar passed the record for the longest period without conceding a league goal, going 14 games and 1,311 minutes without picking the ball out of the net. He remains just a reliable an asset for Sir Alex Ferguson and an imposing figure for opposition forwards today.

I have watched van der Sar in the flesh on one occasion, in goal for Fulham in a league match against Chelsea in 2004. At that time I was not the only person who felt that he had had his day and was in the middle of seeing out a successful career in a nice part of London with a mid-range Premiership side, playing for a few more years without too many expectations before putting his feet up and looking back at a successful career.

Indeed it had indeed been a successful career, with over 200 appearances for Ajax, including a goal but more importantly four Eredivisie titles and a Champions League in 1995, before going to Italy with Juventus.

How wrong was I? In 2005 he moved up north and became one of Sir Alex’s best ever bargains at just £2m. In that time he became the Netherlands most capped player with 130 appearances, a three-time Premier League champion and a member of an exclusive club to win the Champions League with two clubs, as well as a string of individual awards – all in his late thirties. Like so many great Dutchmen, a World Cup or a Euro trophy is what is missing.


Evergreen. Van der Sar leaps in the search for his third Champions League winners medal

Instead of fizzling out at Fulham, he has rivalled Peter Schmeichel as of Manchester United’s, and indeed the Premier League’s best ever keepers.

The trouble for Sir Alex is that this has made him almost irreplaceable. Left-back Patrice Evra told an
Italian newspaper: “We hope that Van der Sar will remain with us for another year. “I say that to him every day."

Evra was talking amid rumours that Gianluigi Buffon, another proven veteran keeper, could be his replacement next season. Buffon is 33, so by van der Sar’s standards even with a World Cup winner’s medal he still has room to improve, but maybe United could make an even more long term decision and signer a younger name. Ben Foster showed promise, but he wanted first team football which prompted a move to Birmingham City and now van der Sar’s understudy Thomasz Kuszczak is making similar noises. The favourite at the moment is 20-year-old Spaniard David de Gea, currently at Atletico Madrid, but experts have said he lacks the experience to handle the expectation at Old Trafford.


Whether they opt for youth or experience between the sticks. Van der Sar’s presence may hang around a little longer, especially if yet another Champions League title is on the list.

Yorkshire pride . . . and a bit of South African

This week Yorkshire staked an early claim for success in this year’s County Championship with a resounding nine-wicket win against Worcestershire.

It’s early days but if the Tykes can sustain this form it will not only bring glory to Headingly, but a statement for true Yorkshire pride, because technically they would have done it without an overseas player.

As in the past, when true Yorkshiremen would make up the whole first 11, the White Rose has gone back to its roots and decided not to look abroad for this coming county season in the hope of a 32nd County Championship - and have got off to the best possible start in doing so.

While the romanticist would say it is a throwback to the good old days and a strong statement for English cricket if Yorkshire do perform well this year, the cynic would say it is down to finance. With no Test match at Leeds this year the club are looking at losses of £200,000, familiar with the general tone of county cricket at the moment. After losing the Kolpak services of South African Jacques Rudolph in the winter, they simply cannot afford an overseas player.


There is no shortage of cricket enthusiasm in Yorkshire, personified by the likes of Adil Rashid and Ajmal Shahzad. They are from a catchment area of cricket mad Yorkshiremen with Asian roots who will do nothing but help their county’s cause – unless they play more regularly for England.

Leg-spinner Rashid was indeed one of the heroes in the New Road victory after 11 wickets in the match and Shahzad, along with fellow Yorkshireman Tim Bresnan, had represented England in the World Cup.

But the other hero of their win was South African-born Gerard Brophy, who scored 177 in Yorkshire’s first innings. How can the former Proteas under 17s skipper be in a team full of Englishmen?

True Yorkshireman? South African-born Brophy scored 177 against the win over Worcestershire

Brophy, who has also represented Ireland, holds a British passport, meaning he is not considered an overseas player. He therefore fits a stereotype alongside the likes of Kevin Pietersen, Jonathan Trott and new England recruit Jade Dernbach as a South African who can play for England. This group that has divided cricket supporters the world over.

On one hand you have a player who has embraced the nation they have lived in for a long time and made the most of their new opportunities. But on the other you have someone who has betrayed the country of their birth to manipulate the rules and sold their national pride.

Wicket-keeper Brophy may have served the residential requirements to become an Englishman, but he is now also carrying the stigma of being a proud Yorkshireman, something regularly not taught in the East Transvaal, or when turning out for Northants earlier in his career in England.

No doubt that if Yorkshire are to claim success in the Championship, they would want to send a message to teams who have recruited overseas players on short term deals that in can be done with local talent. But remember that Brophy shows they have made the most of the rules as any other county and one expects that if they had the money they would recruit abroad as well.