Maradona’s Al Wasl fall in GCC Champions League final

Diego Maradona’s first season at Al Wasl went from bad to worse on Sunday.

Desperate for some silverware to offset an otherwise disappointing season, Maradona was counting on his team beating Bahrain’s Al Muharraq to win the GCC Champions League crown. After all, his Dubai side was up 3-1 after the first leg and playing at home in front of a packed stadium in the second leg Sunday.

But Al Muharraq had other ideas.

Jamal Abraro closed the gap in the ninth minute with a header that got past Al Wasl keeper Majed Naser. Naser, who earlier this year was given a lengthy ban for hitting an opposition coach, responded to the goal by head-butting an Al Muharraq player, which got him sent off.

Yasser Salim drew Al Wasl level in the game for a 4-2 aggregate lead with a long strike in the 45th. But Al Muharraq answered with two second-half goals to take a 3-1 lead on the night and crucially to draw even at 4-4 on aggregate.

Al Wasl’s Essa Ali was later involved in another head-butting incident in the 78th and was also sent off.

Al Muharraq tried to press its numerical advantage in the final 12 minutes, but couldn’t convert any of several good chances.

The match went to penalties and Al Muharraq sealed the win when keeper Abdullah al-Kaby blocked a shot by Mubarak Hassan. Argentina international Juan Ignacio Mercier also missed for Al Wasl.

“We achieved an important win today,” said Al Muharraq Coach Eisa Sadoon, whose team has links to the country’s royal family. “It’s not only for Al Muharraq but for all of the kingdom of Bahrain. We have been waiting 27 years to win this and we were able to achieve this.

“It was a tough match especially after a 3-1 loss at home. We managed to take control of the game and contain Al Wasl’s foreign players. The sending off of Nasser gave us a boost.”

A dejected Maradona praised Al Muharraq and said his game plan was thrown into disarray when Nasser was sent off.

“The opponent deserved the win today no doubt about it,” Maradona said. “They took the match out of our hands and took total control of the midfield. They were more focused and more organized and may have won it on their own before penalties. This is the truth. Of course, it’s very different playing 11 on 11 rather than 11 on 9.”

The defeat caps a disappointing season for the man who led Argentina to the 1986 World Cup and is regarded among the greatest ever players. He signed a two-year deal in May with promises of returning Al Wasl to glory but the team finished the season in eight place in the 12-team league and without any trophies.

“The circumstances tonight didn’t help and I couldn’t have done any better,” Maradona said. “I don’t regret anything I did this season. We did all we can and I will continue. I have a commitment with Al Wasl and preparations are already under way for next season.”

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Peliculas Online

Spain, Croatia downplay collusion allegations with final Group C spot on the line

Spain and Croatia have both made it clear that they won’t play for a 2-2 draw on Monday. If both teams just happen to score two goals, however, neither may try very hard for a winner.

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With a European Championship quarter-final spot on the line, both teams deny they will willfully play for a scoreline that would eliminate Italy regardless of its result against Ireland in the other Group C match.

The topic of the possible collusion has been raised numerous times in the last few days, mainly by Italian media who speculate that a preconceived result would benefit both conspirators by taking away Italy’s chances altogether.

“There’s no point in even talking about it,” Spain striker Fernando Torres said Sunday. “It’s all speculation. Speaking about it puts the very reason for why we are here in doubt. That’s not what football is about.”

That hasn’t stopped the questions from coming, and coming, and coming. To Spain, and to Croatia, and, of course, to Italy.

“We are sportsmen. We are parents. We are normal people. But we don’t even think about this kind of fixing the draw,” Croatia coach Slaven Bilic said. “The whole of Italy and the whole of Europe can be calm, they don’t have to think about it.

“I just say to [the] Italian team and Italian people, trust in us and trust in what I said.”

Although it’s unlikely that any team will purposely concede two goals at such a major tournament, Spain coach Vicente del Bosque did allow for a reluctance to press for a winner if the score just so happens to reach 2-2.

On its way to winning the 2010 World Cup, Spain beat Chile in the group stage, a result that eliminated Switzerland. Chile, coached by the attack-minded Marcelo Bielsa, suddenly sat back as neither team pushed hard for more goals.

“Chile gave up on attacking, on achieving a draw, and that surprised me a lot. Those are situations that happen in a game, it worked for them,” said Del Bosque, whose team hasn’t given away two goals in a match in 15 games — including title-winning runs at Euro 2008 and the 2010 World Cup. “But for something like that to happen again does no service to football.”

Although it would be tough to agree on a 2-2 draw before the match even starts, it’s not all that surprising that the Italians are worried. Eight years ago, Italy beat Bulgaria in its final group match at Euro 2004 but was eliminated when Sweden and Denmark drew 2-2.

But perhaps the most notorious example of teams settling for a result came at the 1982 World Cup. West Germany scored early against Austria and the teams played out a mundane 1-0 match that eliminated Algeria, which had beaten Chile the previous day. FIFA changed its regulations after that match to ensure decisive games were played simultaneously to avoid such a situation again.

Talk of silent pacts, however, is largely confined to matches that end with big victories rather than high-scoring draws.

Argentina has long been accused of conspiring to beat Peru 6-0 at the 1978 World Cup, where a victory by at least four goals eliminated archrival Brazil.

Spain has also been questioned in the past. The Spanish qualified for Euro 1984 with a 12-1 victory over Malta. The Spanish — who eventually lost to France in the final — needed to win by 11 goals and managed the result despite holding only a 3-1 lead at halftime.

On Monday, Spain is guaranteed of a spot in the quarter-finals with any draw, while Croatia could still be eliminated with a 0-0 or 1-1 result.

But whatever happens in that match won’t affect the way Italy coach Cesare Prandelli approaches his game against Ireland.

“If we start thinking about a fix,” Prandelli said, “we’ve got problems.”

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Peliculas Online

USA Vs. Guatemala Final Score, 2014 World Cup Qualifying: Marco Pappa Steals 1-1 Draw

The United States is in pole position to make the hexagonal from their World Cup qualifying third-round group, but they will still be disappointed to walk away from Guatemala with just a draw. The USMNT held a lead for the majority of the second half, but had to settle for a 1-1 draw thanks to a brilliant free kick equalizer from Marco Pappa.

Clint Dempsey scored the United States' goal in the 40th minute, putting the finishing touch on the team's only truly great attacking move in the first half. Fabian Johnson was the architect, providing the assist with a great run up the left flank, then a pass to the feet of Dempsey. He stepped past a defender and placed a low shot into the back of the net at the far post, giving the United States a lead at the end of a poorly played first half.

The United States didn't play much better in the second half, though they did have one good goal disallowed. In the 76th minute, Maurice Edu was hacked down on the edge of the penalty area, but the ball fell to substitute Jozy Altidore, who scored. Unfortunately for him and the USMNT, the goal was called back on a whistle. Inexplicably, the referee failed to play advantage and wiped out the goal.

That would prove to be a key decision seven minutes later, when Pappa netted the equalizer. His free kick came from 25 yards out and completely fooled Tim Howard, who was left standing still as the shot hit the underside of the crossbar and bounced into the goal.

Howard was tested much more than anyone could have expected, and even though the United States had a goal wiped out by a bad call, Guatemala should have scored two or three times before Altidore's disallowed goal. Howard made a number of excellent saves, with his biggest moment coming in the 72nd minute. He made a great save on a set piece, and Carlos Ruiz sent a rebound attempt miles over the crossbar when it would have been easier to hit the target.

Jurgen Klinsmann and the USMNT won't be very pleased with their play, and there will be plenty for the team to work on when they get back together at the end of the summer, but a draw in Guatemala isn't an awful result, and they're still heavy favorites to win the group and comfortably advance to the hexagonal round of qualifying.

Check out our Guatemala vs. USA StoryStream for all of your preview, live and post-match coverage. For more on this match and the entire world of soccer, follow @SBNationSoccer on Twitter.

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Mexico Vs. Guyana, 2014 World Cup Qualifying: Final Score, El Tri Unimpressive In Win

Fans of the United States probably aren't too pleased with their team's performance, but they can take some comfort in the fact that their biggest rivals did essentially the same thing. Against a Guyana team that they were supposed to crush, Mexico scored an early goal, fell asleep a bit, allowed a goal on a miscue and eventually coasted to a two-goal win against a team they should have defeated by six or seven goals.

Ultimately, they all count the same, and El Tri will be happy to take three points from their 3-1 win on Friday. Carlos Salcido scored the opener in the 11th minute and that was quickly followed by a Giovani dos Santos goal in the 15th minute, assisted by Aldo de Nigris. Just after halftime, 'Chicharito' Javier Hernandez flicked in a third for Mexico.

Guyana's goal was the last of the match, in the 62nd minute, and they didn't even get the pleasure of scoring it. Hector Moreno did the honors, deflecting a cross into his own net.

'Chepo' Jose Manuel de la Torre decided to show Guyana very little respect in this match, starting with one midfielder and two strikers in a 4-1-3-2. He'll play a different team against El Salvador on Tuesday. Most likely, de Nigris will move to the bench while Salcido moves to midfield and Jorge Torres Nilo comes in at left back.

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