Author: Jane

National Football League
Tyrone survived a second-half comeback from Dublin, while Galway, Cavan, Mayo, Kerry and Armagh enjoyed comfortable wins in their league encounters.

Division 1A Tyrone 0-18 Dublin 2-10
Tommy Lyons travelled to Dungannon with his squad of Dublin players high with confidence after his debut victory over Donegal but was quickly brought down to earth. Tyrone established an early lead and held a clear 0-9 to 0-5 at the break. But after the restart, Dublin came back to life and reduced the deficit to three points, 0-9 to 0-12, before Ray Cosgrove scored their first goal to level the scores. Tyrone had shown remarkable accuracy from play, and by the end of the match had scored 0-16 of their total from play. They didn’t lose their composure and four points in quick succession put them back in front. However, Dublin had cut the deficit to three points once more before Peader Andrews has a chance to sew the match up with a goal three minutes before the end, but his effort was straight at the goalkeeper. At the other end, veteran attacker Peter Canavan finally broke the deadlock in injury time, and when Gerard Cavlan hit a further injury-time point victory for Tyrone was safe.

Offaly 0-13 Donegal 0-16
Donegal finally got their first win of the campaign and after the disappointment of defeat to Dublin a week ago, it is no surprise that the Ulster county was only too happy to work hard to get it. In Tullamore, it looked as thought he home side would cruise to victory after establishing an early lead and, at the break, Offaly held a 0-10 to 0-8. With much work to do, Donegal emerged from the dressing rooms focused and set about taking the lead. That they achieved, outscoring their hosts 0-8 to 0-3 in the second half, with three of those points coming in the final minutes.

Cork 0-10 Roscommon 1-9
Roscommon were not considered likely victors when they arrived at Pairc Ui Chaoimh, but by the final whistle they had impressed enough – albeit against a off-colour Cork side – enough to claim both league points. The Connacht side led at the break 1-2 to 0-4, with John Hanley’s 15th minute goal the opening score of the afternoon. Brendan Ger O’Sullivan and Fionan Murray did their bit to try and bring Cork back into the game in the second half, but a strong display from Roscommon’s forwards saw them add seven more points to their tally while a Cork could only manage six more points.

Galway 3-12 Westmeath 0-13
Galway made league football look like a doddle when they took on Westmeath at home. The All-Ireland champions were 2-7 to 0-5 in front by half time, with Tommy Joyce and Matthew Clancy the goal scorers. Westmeath simply couldn’t compete and in the second half, although their tally rose considerably, they couldn’t halt Galway’s scoring machine. Paul Clancy lobbed the Westmeath goalkeeper to add the third goal. Jarlath Fallon was the real hero however, scoring six points from play in a Man of the Match performance.

Division 1B Kildare 1-15 Derry 1-11
Then scoreline suggest that Kildare had a good win over Derry at Newbridge, but the game was a tight affair which either could have claimed. At the break, Kildare held a 1-5 to 0-4 lead with John Doyle’s goal giving the home side the boost they needed to hold onto the lead. Despite some good scored from the Derry players, including Paddy O’Neill’s goal, Kildare had enough composure to hold Derry off and secure a hard-earned win.

Clare 1-6 Mayo 2-19
The defending league champions showed they can be a scoring force when they put 2-19 past a pedestrian Clare side in Ennis. However, Mayo only led by 0-7 to 0-5 at the half time, and it wasn’t until the second half that Clare’s challenge collapsed. Marty McNichols got both of Mayo’s goals early in the second period to bring the scores to 2-9 to 0-5. The game looked to be over by then, but Mayo continued on their scoring spree. Cathal Mortimer ended the day with six points to his credit.

Sligo 0-11 Down 0-10
Sligo secure both league points on offer when they hosts Down, but they can count themselves lucky that the referee was in such a generous mood – generous with red cards that is. The Connacht side offered Down a stern test, but when Sean Ward was sent off near the end of the first half, it put Down at a distinct disadvantage for the second period. Sligo only led by two points at the break, 0-6 to 0-4, so the visitors felt sure they might still get something out of the fixture. However, when Gregory McCartan was dismissed nine minutes after the restart – followed quickly by Sligo’s Gerry McGowan – there seemed little chance of their sneaking a win. That proved not to be the case, however, and Down fought their way back to level the game at 0-9 to 0-9 with seven minutes remaining. It was only when Ronan Murtagh was sent off, reducing Down’s number to 12, that the challenge eventually ended.

Cavan 0-16 Fermanagh 0-14
Cavan had to fight their way back from six points down at half time to record their second victory of the NFL. The Breffni men produced a first-half performance they are proud to forget to be 0-9 to 0-3 down at the break. Both teams had been reduced to 14 men by that stage, with Paul Brewster sent off for elbowing a Cavan player midway through the half, while Larry Reilly was given a second yellow card. Cavan were a much different side in the second half however, and began to play the style of football that has proven effective in recent championship campaigns. They clawed their way back into contention and with three minutes remaining just one points separated the side, 0-14 to 0-13, but thee points in the final minutes secure victory over the Breffni men.

Division 2A Results
Kerry 0-14 0-7 Antrim Armagh 3-16 0-9 Leitrim Louth 2-18 0-12 Wicklow London 0-10 3-22 Limerick

Division 2B Results
Laois 2-16 1-11 Carlow Monaghan 1-6 1-8 Wexford Waterford 1-12 4-13 Longford Meath 0-14 1-7 Tipperary

National Football League
Tyrone, Dublin and Cavan were the big winners in Division 1 of the NFL.
Match reports are here.

Division 1A
Dublin 2-10 Donegal 0-14
All-new Dublin have got the Tommy Lyons era off to a winning start at Parnell Park, playing well on their way to a two point win over Donegal. The Ulster side looked the more settled team on paper, but Dublin’s rookies set about their task with relish and held a 0-5 to 0-4 lead at the break. Paul Casey opened the scoring for the home side inside a minute, and another newcomer, Alan Brogan, got on the scoresheet as well. At the other end, Brendan Devenney was proving a slippery customer in the damp conditions, the Eunan’s man firing all his side’s first half scores. In the second half, Brogan nipped in for a goal after a great move, as Dublin, playing mostly positive, direct football with a notable absence of hand-passing, got on top of Donegal. Ray Cosgrove tacked on another point soon after to leave it 1-8 to 0-6, suddenly putting the first real daylight between the sides. In the 55th minute, Johnny Magee nipped in for another goal to delight the large attendance, who had anxiously watched Donegal score 0-4 and close to within two points. Pick of these was a superb effort from Brendan Devenney. However, Dublin fought back with the goal, followed by a great score of their own from Coman Goggins. Alan Brogan had the last say to seal a deserved two-point win and finish with 1-3 to his credit.

Galway 0-9 Tyrone 1-8
The Ulster champions have come to the home of the Sam Maguire holders and sneaked off with a brace of league points, after an entertaining game in difficult conditions. It was nip and tuck most of the way through, despite Stephen O’Neill giving the Ulstermen a clear advantage with an early goal. Kieran Comer and Gerard Cavlan swapped scores as a low-scoring half wore on, with Galway having a good goal effort from Derek Savage saved by Peter Ward, who blocked the rebound that fell to Tommy Joyce as well. Galway made a good start to the second half, levelling from a Comer free before the same player registered from play to secure a one-point lead. Stephen O’Neill pointed at the other end to level the scores, though and Brian Dooher scored a good point as time ticked away. Stephen O’Neill had another goal effort touched onto the crossbar, and although Galway piled on the pressure in the closing stages, they couldn’t find the scores to force at least a draw. Kevin Walsh was introduced and played well, providing a good platform.

Division 1B
Kildare 0-12 Sligo 0-12
Kildare failed to gain a measure of revenge for last year’s qualifier defeat at Croke Park when they were nabbed by a late equaliser at Newbridge. In an open, sporting encounter, Tadhg Fennin, as scorer and creator, and Gerry McGowan were the most impressive attackers. Kildare were 0-6 to 0-2 up at one stage, and Sligo looked in real bother, but McGowan rifled over three points in seven minutes to bring the Yeats men back into it. Sligo actually moved one ahead 26 minutes into the second half, but then they didn’t score for another 13 minutes allowing Colm O’Reilly and Derek McCormack to put Kildare 0-12 to 0-11 up. Three good chances were spurned in this period, but finally, Gerry McGowan slotted over a free three minutes into injury time. He then missed a chance to nick a winner.

Derry 1-10 Cavan 1-15
Cavan have finally laid their Derry bogey to rest, getting a monkey of their backs, that was rapidly growing into a gorilla, by securing their first victory over the Oak Leafers since 1997. The Breffnimen were 1-6 to 1-3 up at half-time, a statistic made all the more impressive as the blues were playing against the breeze. David O’Neill had sneaked in for the Derry goal after Barry McCrudden had given the visitors the lead, but Jason Reilly proved to be the Cavan talisman once again when he immediately sent to the net at the other end after a pass from Paul Galligan. Mickey Graham pulled a good save out of the Derry goalie, as Cavan continued to play the better football in their first competitive game under Mattie Kerrigan. Debutantes, Eamon Reilly and Colm Hannon were playing soundly in defence while the blues were on top at midfield also. In the second half, Cavan made good use of the breeze and supplied a lot of ball to their forwards. Mickey Graham finished with 0-3 to his credit in what was a very encouraging performance for the blues overall. Anthony Forde gave a man-of-the-match performance at centre-back, while Pearse McKenna and Cathal Collins controlled midfield.

Mayo 0-10 Down 0-5
Down failed to add to last weekend’s win over Fermanagh when they ran aground against the league champions, Mayo. A grim first half was followed by a much brighter second, and many more quality scores. Down were well in the game until Kevin McGrath was sent off, but seemed to lack penetration up front after his departure. Shane King, star of last week, was kept very quiet by the Mayo defence. At the other end of the field, Conor Mortimer impressed with some long range points, as did Marty McNicholas and James Gill. Mayo were full value for their win after a dominant second half-display allowed them to pull clear from their previously dogged opponents.

Fermanagh 1-14 Clare 1-8
Clare battled well and briefly threatened an upset in this game, but the introduction of hot-shot forward, Raymond Gallagher, proved too much for the Bannermen to handle. Clare were two points up when Dominic Corrigan introduced a raft of second-half subs, Gallagher among them. His influence on the game was dramatic as he fired over four superb points from distance and a variety of angles. The ace attacker missed last season with injury and was sorely missed, and this game underlined why. The Brewster brothers also chipped in with good performances in what was a slightly nervy display overall at a boggy Enniskillen venue. First league points will be welcomed, whatever the performance, however.

Division 2 round-up
Elsewhere in the league, Louth strolled to a 2-19 to 0-1 win over London at Castlebellingham in a one-sided affair. A Mark Stanfield penalty and another JP Rooney goal inside the first ten minutes set Louth on their way.

Meanwhile, Tipp’s hurling goalie, Brendan Cummins, showed his prowess with the big ball by shooting 0-9, 0-3 from play, in the 1-17 to 1-10 win over Waterford. The Deise were winning by a point at half-time.

At Dr. Cullen Park, a late Carlow rally just fell short of reward when they went down by a point to Monaghan, 1-7 to 0-11. A goal from sub Gavin Walker with ten minutes left sparked the home challenge.

In nearby Wexford, John Hegarty broke Longford hearts with a goal three minutes from time to set up a 2-10 to 2-9 win. Paul Barden and Liam Keenan were sent off for Longford, while Pat Forde was dismissed for Wexford.

Elsewhere, Armagh and Kerry kept their promotion hopes on track with wins in Leitrim and Wicklow. Kerry had just a one point lead at half-time against the Ridge county, but pulled away to win 2-12 to 0-9 by the finish. Armagh were 2-7 to 0-5 up at the break in Wicklow, but were reeled in during the second half and it finished 0-13 to 2-10. Finally, Meath were beaten 0-12 to 0-9 at home to Laois.

Full results:
Division 1A Cork v Offaly postponed Dublin 2-10 Donegal 0-14 2.00 Galway 0-9 Tyrone 1-8 Roscommon v Westmeath postponed

Division 1B Derry 1-10 Cavan 1-15 1.00 Fermanagh 1-14 Clare 1-8 Mayo 0-10 Down 0-5 Kildare 0-12 Sligo 0-12

Division 2A Louth 2-19 London 0-1 Antrim 1-11 Limerick 2-11 Leitrim 0-9 Kerry 2-12 Wicklow 0-13 Armagh 2-10

Division 2B Tipperary 1-17 Waterford 1-10 Wexford 2-10 Longford 2-9 Carlow 1-7 Monaghan 0-11 Meath 0-9 Laois 0-12

Mayo Senior Football Match Report
So January Football has begun with the commencement of the FBD Connaght League and Mayo had a bumper weekend. By meeting Sligo in Kent Park on Saturday and Roscommon on the Sunday at Ballyhaunis.

Sligo 1-14 Mayo 2-10
Mayo got off to a flying start in the opening seconds when full-back Neil Carew stepped over his own goal with the ball under pressure from the Mayo forwards following a cross from Michael Mullins. But for the following 30 minutes they were forced to concentrate on defensive measures in an attempt to stem the flow of score from Sligo’s eager forwards.
With the help of a biting wind the home side built up a tally of eight points without response until Conor Mortimer had Mayo’s first point in the 31st minute. The wind was certainly a help to Sligo, but they were also well organised and patient, and while they used the wings to the benefit of the speed Gerry McGowan and Mark Breheny with some degree of success, a lot of danger came also from their urges through the centre of the Mayo defence. When the Mayo defence did actually close down Sligo’s main access route, their scoring became more intermittent and Mayo were only four points behind at the interval (0-10 to 1-3) even though Sligo had much more of the play. Noel Connelly was the outstanding back in that half. His experience stood out, his intervention and attacking instincts drew positive responses from the rest of the defence, especially Pat Coyne, having a fine game at left corner back and to some degree Tom Nallen and Kenneth Mortimer making a return to the side a little slower yet, but steady and Gary Ruane anxious as ever.
At midfield Shane Fitzmaurice was given a deserved trial alongside Michael Moyles. What the Crossmolina man did, he did well, and Fitzmaurice showed especially in the final ten minutes when his punching of the ball pressurised the Sligo defence that he has the potential to win his place in the central area. Moyles injured an ankle in the second half and was taken off by stretcher, but the injury is not as bad as first thought he ought to be back in action in a few weeks.
The Mayo defence came under renewed pressure in the opening minutes of the second half when Sligo scored 1-1 in five minutes. Their goal came from corner forward Mark Breheny. Their goal came from corner forward Mark Breheny after linking up with John Partland and Gerry McGowan. It put Sligo eight points ahead and they were to reach a lead of nine before Mayo embarked on Recovery. Noel Connelly was the driving force of their come-back, and Conor Mortimer, Stephen Carolan and David Nestor the gleanors of some fine points. But it was Mortimer’s opportunism that set the final minutes alight. Another player might have been content to offer no challenge for a ball that seemed to be going wide from Noel Connelly’s centre after Fitzmaurice was fouled. The Shrule man contested it with a couple of backs. His fisted effort shot across the face of the goal deceiving everyone, and the ball glanced off the far upright of the net. Fortuitous maybe, but full marks to Mortimer for his zeal. That score left just three points between them. Stephen Carolan cut that to two. Dara McGinty increased it by one again and Micheal Mullins and David McDonagh reduced it to a single point in the dying seconds.
Both sides were of course experimenting, and the outcome served only to confirm the thin line dividing all teams in the province with the exception of perhaps of Leitrim.
Scorers for Mayo: C. Mortimer(1-4); S. Carolan(0-2); N. Connelly, D McDonagh, M. Mullins and D. Nester(0-1). Mayo: D. Clarke; K. Mortimer, T Nallen, P. Coyne, G. Ruane, J. Nallen, N. Connelly,S. Fitzmaurice, M. Moyles, J. Gill, D. McDonagh, M. Mullins, C. Mortimer, D. Nester, S. Carolan. Subs David Heaney for Moyles. M. McNicholas for Gill.

Other results and news
In the Mayo-Roscommon game the Result was: Mayo 1-15 Roscommon 1-11 Scorers for Mayo: D. Higgins (0-1), J. Gill(0-2), S. Carolan (0-1), D. Nestor(0-1), J. Horan(1-2), C. Mortimer(0-8).

Mulvey Park Mayo have commenced training on their new grounds adjacent to the Castlebar Mitchels Complex. Named Mulvey Park after former Secretary Johnny Mulvey, who is still thankfully a prominent member of the county board, the pitch will be used for preparation of all county teams. In other years Mayo depended on the generosity of the Parkes and the Tourmakeadys to prepare their teams for the various competitions, and owe a deep debt of gratitude to the clubs for obliging them. Now they have there own ground, provided at a cost in excess of £200,000. It will be the home of their teams from now, where plans will be formulated for the various competitions and, perhaps, a winning strategy for the long awaited Senior All- Ireland.

Kieran McDonald
Kieran McDonald is unable to give his Commitment to the Mayo Panel for the time being. Kieran is working in Galway at the moment and is hoping that he will be able to give a commitment soon in the New Year maybe in time for the Championship.

David McDonagh
I was speaking to David McDonagh(scored a point for Mayo at the weekend) recently and he suggested to me that following last years Interview that he would bare all for Charity on currane.net.

2002 Mayo GAA Preview
So here it is. I am going to give you my opinion of what Mayo GAA fans can expect in 2002. Well, last year, on the football side of things was probably an O.K year. To start off, Crossmolina won the club championships, a big boost for the County, and then, Pat Holmes brought home the NFL championship, our first major trophy in over 30 years. We did see disappointments in the championship when a side with a lot of expectation flopped!! Losing the Connaght championship by a late goal and then being out-played by West Meath in the quarter finals. Back to the drawing board for Mr Holmes.
The U21&Mac226;s did very well winning the Hastings Cup and reaching the All Ireland Final only to be outclassed by Tyrone – although it was a very poor performance by Mayo. In my Opinion Mayo are the biggest underachievers in Gaelic Football. The talent is in the County for everyone to see. Mayo Minors have been reaching All Ireland Finals continually for the last 5-10 years. In the Club Championships Mayo Club teams have been reaching All Ireland Finals year after year. Yes, so have other Counties, but out of Ulster, only one team made an impact over the last few years, Crossmaglen. From Munster it was Nemo Rangers and from Leinster it was Eire Og and now Na Fianna. But in Mayo there have been a number of teams; Crossmolina, Ballina Stephenites, Knockmore, Castlebar Mitchels and Garrymore have all reached the final. I believe a decent Manager and Mayo could do the business and I believe they only have to win it once and then the Sleeping Giant will be no-more.
I believe however, that Mayo this year will reach the quarter finals of the NFL And, depending on their form they may reach the semi finals. I do not think they will win it but I hope Mr Holmes has learned his lesson from last year. Too much emphasis on the League led to a severe slump in the Championship. With the FBD Connaght League starting this weekend; Sligo on Saturday and Roscommon on Sunday, Mayo will have chance to test out new players. I wont even predict how Mayo will do in that, with that competition anyone can win it maybe even New York. With the Return of James Horan and Kenneth Mortimer to the side and the departure of Kevin Cahill, Mayo are a different team this year and I’ll stick my nose out and say they will win the Connaght Championship by side stepping Roscommon/Sligo/Leitrim and edging past Galway. And after that anything can happen – I wont go as far as saying they’ll win the All- Ireland because they wont. Kerry Will. I believe Kerry will beat before them and after them this year after last years humiliation. I can also see Dublin having a slight impact in there somewhere.
As for the club championships all I can say is, all the best to Charlestown who are in the semi finals. I don’t know how they’ll do to be honest – I hope they will make the final.
In the Mayo club scene, I believe Garrymore will win the Senior Title. They reached the league final and were beaten by Hollymount. In the Championship they were edged out in the semi final by the eventual winners Charlestown so I can see them being under Dogs for the title.
As for Achill, well, I would like to see a good year from them this year, and hopefully we will after a very poor year last year.
So that’s my round up for 2002. Hopefully, I won’t be too far out.

Rejuvenated Dublin
It may be early January when no major prizes are being handed out, but hope springs eternal for the Dublin football team.
After a few lean seasons, the weekend charity game against a ‘Blue Stars’ selection showed that some of the young talent waiting in the wings is ready to make an impact. After Lyons men engineered an impressive 2-16 to 1-14 win, the name on everyone’s lips was that of Eoin Bennis, after his scoring contribution of 2-1. Not that Lyons is getting carried away, however.
Lyons said in a recent interview “We’ll be bringing him along nice and steady to see how he improves over the league, He does things naturally, but he’s light and he’s small and needs to do a lot of work on his body. But you never know, he might be there in June.”
After a championship season when the failings of the Dublin forwards were well talked about, most of the attention is focusing on whether or not Lyons can unearth some scoring gems to bring in the league. At the Thomas Davis venue in Tallaght, Dublin certainly shot some impressive scores, although the manager is keen to stress that success-hungry fans shouldn’t read too much into it.
“Sure it’s early January,” he remarked. “It’s nice to get out and play football because that’s what it’s all about. But kicking the ball over the bar at this time of year is a different thing from doing it in the championship.
“Still, it was nice to see the players kicking a little bit better and believing they could score. We were after having three defeats and were almost on the crest of a slump.”
Ray Cosgrove and James O’Connor were other players who impressed in the scoring stakes, while established faces, Ciaran Whelan and Colin Moran, also turned in effective displays.

Champions League Round Up – Arsenal
Henry the hero for Arsenal
A last-gasp strike from Thierry Henry ensured Arsenal FC advanced into the second phase of the UEFA Champions League Group C along with Panathinaikos FC after the London club beat RCD Mallorca 3-1 at Highbury.

Automatic qualification
Arsenal, having been beaten by Mallorca 1-0 in the opening group game, needed to beat the Spanish side by two clear goals to guarantee automatic qualification. Manager Arsène Wenger’s side, after dominating the opening period, looked to have grabbed that two-goal advantage just past the hour through efforts from Robert Pires and Dennis Bergkamp, their goals coming in the space of two minutes.

Quick thinking
But Mallorca, who had adopted a more ambitious approach after the restart, refused to buckle. And on 74 minutes Álvaro Novo, released by Alejandro Campano’s intelligent pass, rounded goalkeeper Richard Wright to pull the score back to 2-1.

Calm finish
In response, Arsenal threw everything forward and Pires had a goal ruled out for offside, just before Henry’s late intervention. Henry’s goal owed everything to the quick thinking of Giovanni van Bronckhorst. With seconds of the game remaining the Dutch international took a quick free-kick and delivered the ball to Henry. The Frenchman, who had been struggling with a groin injury in the game’s latter stages, calmly stroked the ball past Leo Franco to send Highbury stadium delirious.

Perfect crosses
In the opening period Arsenal had attempted to go through the middle of the Mallorca defence with some intricate passing. When those first two Arsenal goals finally arrived, however, the Spanish side’s defence were breached by crosses from Fredrik Ljungberg and Van Bronckhorst. First, on 61 minutes, the Swedish midfielder crossed from the right and Pires sidefooted the ball home from a difficult angle. Then two minutes later, from the other side of the pitch, Van Bronckhorst got to the by-line and delivered a perfect cross for his countryman to head the ball past Franco.

Relentless pressure
The first half had been so different as Arsenal huffed and puffed. With Mallorca content to sit back and soak up Arsenal’s pressure, Wenger’s side searched relentlessly for the opening goal. Henry, who has scored in four of Arsenal’s five games in this first group stage, frequently drifted out wide to the flanks, trying to make space for Bergkamp, who was playing just behind the French striker.

Cerebral strike
Henry and Bergkamp had Arsenal’s two best chances just before the interval. First Henry reacted the quickest to Ljungberg’s cross from the right, but the Frenchman’s shot went fizzing past the post. Bergkamp’s effort was more cerebral. The Dutchman flicked the ball past Nadal and spotting Franco off his line, chipped the Mallorca goalkeeper, but his shot went narrowly past the post.

Lone striker Luque
Mallorca looked to Alberto Luque to snatch a goal. The young striker was nearly released by Fatih Akyel’s long pass, but Sol Campbell made an important tackle to clear the danger. Luque’s other effort – a long-range shot from the halfway line – was easily gathered by Wright.

Champions League Round Up – Liverpool
Liverpool given a fright in Portugal
Liverpool FC’s passage into the next stage of the UEFA Champions League will have to wait at least a week after they were held to a 1-1 draw by Boavista FC at the Bessa stadium.

Liverpool still top
The English side remain top of Group B on nine points, but Boavista and BV Borussia Dortmund are now only a point behind on eight. Next week’s final group matches (FC Dynamo Kyiv v Boavista and Liverpool v Dortmund) will decide which two of the three teams make it through.

Early chance
Liverpool started by far the stronger of the two sides, forcing Boavista back from the off, closing them down fast in midfield and almost going ahead as early as the second minute when a Gary McAllister strike was tipped over the bar for a corner by goalkeeper Ricardo Soares.

Wrong-footed keeper
Even the loss of defender Sami Hyypiä with a hamstring injury on six minutes failed to quell their forward momentum, and in the 17th minute they went ahead. Robbie Fowler was dragged down by Paulo Turra on the edge of the penalty area, leaving Danny Murphy to float his free-kick expertly over the Boavista wall and into the net past a wrong-footed Soares.

Completely different team
Whatever coach Jaime Pacheco said to his players at half-time it certainly did the trick as Boavista were a completely different team after the break, holding possession for long periods and clinically probing the Liverpool defence while they searched for an opening.

Missed crucial chance
Liverpool’s sorties upfield were few and far between but they could have put the game beyond Boavista’s reach after 53 minutes when Emile Heskey’s instinctive right-foot shot was superbly saved by Soares. The miss proved significant as eight minutes later the Portuguese league leaders were level.

Headed equaliser
Erwin Sánchez’s corner from the right found Elpídio Pereira. He was able to outjump McAllister and send his powerful header past Danny Murphy on the goal-line and into the net.

Dominated possession
Although Boavista continued to dominate possession after the equaliser, they could not land the knockout punch on a Liverpool side that had looked solid throughout and proved itself expert at soaking up pressure.

Ireland Soccer News
McCarthy has a lot to learn in Tehran
Mick McCarthy will be starting from scratch when he sits down to size up the Republic of Ireland’s potential World Cup play-off opponents when he takes his seat at the Azadi stadium in Tehran (kick-off 3.0 Irish time) this afternoon. But the Ireland boss insisted yesterday that today’s game between Iran and the United Arab Emirates as well as next week’s return leg in Abu Dhabi affords him an unprecedented opportunity to assess in advance the challenge his side will face.
“I know absolutely nothing about them,” he told RTÉ television as he prepared to fly to Iran yesterday, “but I’m getting something that I never get. I’m getting the opportunity to watch our opponents both home and away which never happens so I’m not complaining.” Neither, as it happens is the UAE’s Dutch coach Tini Ruijs who feels that his side may be in a position to capitalise on the disquiet in the Iranian camp following last weekend’s surprise defeat by Bahrain.
Since the 3-1 loss which cost Iran automatic qualification for next summer’s World Cup finals there have been rumours of match rigging, riots in the country’s three largest cities and questions asked about manager Miroslav Blazevic’s position. Despite having been reported to say that he would sack Blazevic if the Bahrain game ended badly, though, Irianian Football Federation president, Mohsen Safai Farahani, who is also a member of the Iranian cabinet, sidestepped questions about the manager this week and blamed Sunday’s defeat on a string of poor performances by the country’s players.
IFF offical Abass Toraian added that the players were “crying and ashamed”, after the game and we’re determined to make amends today but the home side’s chances of placating their supporters this afternoon are not helped by the fact that three of their regular starters are suspended in the wake of the stormy Bahrain encounter. Another couple of Blazevic’s original squad have been sent back to their club’s after apparently making clear their displeasure at finding themselves on the bench for recent games.
Likely to be missed most are Hertha Berlin’s Ali Daei and his strike partner Alireza Vahedi Nikbakht both of whom are amongst the players serving one match bans. “Our defence will be relieved of some of the danger, particularly from corners,” said Ruijs, who went on to claim that his less fancied side might just be in a position to pull off a shock.
Kevin Kilbane’s chances of playing in Ireland’s World Cup play-off games in the middle of next month were described as “hit and miss” by a senior Sunderland official last night.
He injured his ankle in the recent defeat by Manchester United and the problem has since turned out to be more serious than initially expected. Reports that he is currently in plaster have been denied and it is still hoped that if he can get back into training next week then he will be fit enough to join up with McCarthy’s squad for the build up to the November 10th game in Lansdowne Road.