Soccer: Lee savors winning strike against Socceroos


DOHA (Kyodo) -- Another game, another hero for Alberto Zaccheroni's side. This time, it was Tadanari Lee.
Eleven minutes after he had come on, Lee ended a protracted stalemate of 109 minutes with a stunning left-footed volley for the lone goal of Saturday's Asian Cup final against Australia. It was the first strike of Lee's brief, two-match international career and it secured for Japan a record fourth continental championship.
"I don't think I'll ever score a more beautiful goal in my career," said Lee, who only made his Japan debut in the first-round draw with Jordan. "That I did it on this stage, in the final, makes it all the more special."
The 25-year-old Sanfrecce Hiroshima striker was completely unmarked when he hit a left-wing cross from Yuto Nagatomo past Mark Schwarzer. The shot was so well struck that even Schwarzer, widely regarded as Asia's best goalkeeper, couldn't react.
Socceroos coach Holger Osieck said his defense made a mistake, plain and simple.
"There was fatigue," said the former Urawa Reds manager, who conquered Asia at club level in 2007, when he won the Asian Champions League with the Saitama Club.
"It was the only positional mistake in the match and it was costly. It was not our regular positioning in the match."
Regardless of the defense lapse, Lee's finish was arguably the best of the competition, which will be hosted Down Under in 2015. Lee cannot remember what Zaccheroni told him when he took the pitch for Ryoichi Maeda.
"I made my move for the near post and they took the bait," Lee said. "It was a great ball from Yuto. I thought about trapping it at first, but my gut instincts told me to just go for it."
"I don't remember what he said to me," he said of the Italian coach, who remains unbeaten as Japan manager through eight games. "All I knew is that I wasn't going to mess around when I got in, and I think that mindset led to the goal.
"If I missed, I knew you would be all over me. That served as extra incentive."
The supporting actors delivered for Japan at this Asian Cup, starting with central defender Maya Yoshida in their first match against Jordan. Yoshida, who equalized in the dying minutes of that game with his maiden international goal, had all of one cap before coming to Qatar.
Yoshida was followed by Masahiko Inoha in the quarterfinals, a replacement for suspended right-back Atsuto Uchida who sent the team into the last four with his first strike for Japan in the 90th minute against the hosts.
In the semifinals, it was Hajime Hosogai and Yasuyuki Konno's turn. Neither had previously scored for the national team, but Hosogai scored Japan's second during extra time in a 2-2 draw with South Korea before Konno converted the winning penalty in the shootout.
On Saturday, opportunity knocked for Lee, and he made sure not to miss.
"I wanted to prove that this team isn't just about the first-XI players," said Lee, a South Korean descendant who was naturalized in 2007. "I haven't started yet for Japan and it's my goal from here on to become a starter for this team.
"There are a lot of people involved with this team who aren't in the spotlight and they helped me stay motivated. I had an opportunity to play with a great group of players, and we produced a great result in the end.
"(Zaccheroni) told me I was playing well and asked me to be ready at all times. I always believed I would get another chance before the tournament finished."
It was Lee's dream to play against Korea for Japan, but he saw the chance fly by him, remaining on the bench in the semis. Yet if Lee continues to perform the way he did in the final, he should have plenty of opportunities to face Korea in the not too distant future.
"Japan-Korea is a special game for me, but the final is pretty special, too," Lee said. "I was born in Japan and raised in Japan. The Korean culture is a part of me, too, but I grew up like everyone else in Japan.
"To win the Asian Cup with the Japan national team, there is no greater joy."
(Mainichi Japan) January 30, 2011

Socceroos show ruthless streak

Socceroos show ruthless streak

By Gerard Whateley in Doha
Updated January 26, 2011 11:54:00
Rout: Sasa Ognenovski puts Australia two goals to the good in a six-goal humbling of Uzbekistan.
Rout: Sasa Ognenovski puts Australia two goals to the good in a six-goal humbling of Uzbekistan. (Getty Images: Robert Cianflone)
For those who've had their nerves thoroughly tested and, at times, shot by the Socceroos through the decades this was the pay-off.
As recently as its last match the Australian football team put its followers and themselves through the wringer.
Why score the winner in the third minute when you can wait until the 117th? You'd miss all the agony and anxiety if it were so simple.
Not today. In its first semi-final appearance at an Asian Cup the Socceroos made a mockery of the past and turned in a rout the likes of which hasn't been seen since the days of Samoa and Fiji.
It was ruthless and unmerciful. It was joyful. And by the end measured by half a dozen goals past the best team in Central Asia.
Some will say it was embarrassing or gruesome. The narks can please themselves.
Holger Osieck's Australia plays football to score. And it is formidable.
Now Australia has a Saturday night date with Japan for the title of the Kings of Asia.
The magnitude of what was achieved was measurable in the assessment of Harry Kewell.
"For me it's a highlight. It's fantastic," he said.
"I've been in big games before where certain things have happened to me and you feel not part of the team success even though you are. This is the highlight.
"It's fantastic to be part of something that you've worked incredibly hard for."
Lucas Neill spoke of getting Australia Day off on the right note.
"Those that stayed up and watched it are going to celebrate in style and those that wake up to it will be in good moods. We certainly are," Neill said.
"I think it's just reward for a lot of good work so far in the tournament and now we're one win away."
The signs were immediately good. After the anthems Uzbekistan had the ball for two minutes but once the Australians got a look in they were on.
In the third minute Tim Cahill found Brett Holman unmarked at the far post and he was denied a goal only by a fine save from the Uzbeki 'keeper Temur Juraev.
But within 90 seconds the lead was Australia's and it was the combination that had finished the job against Iraq.
Matt McKay played a lovely ball through to Harry Kewell on the left and the striker didn't waste it. He cracked the shot across the keeper and into the net.
Holger Osieck reaped immediate dividends from his gamble to leave McKay on the park and start Brett Emerton on the bench in his return from suspension.
In the 34th minute the lead doubled. McKay won a free kick in a promising position and David Carney placed it threateningly inside the penalty area.
Cahill got his head to the ball and it fell for Sasa Ognenovski.
While the defender might have been denied his first international goal from an audacious bicycle kick in the quarter final, he was in this time off the left boot.
While Uzbekistan had the majority of possession that was a lie if you watched the game. Australia was boss and picked up after the break.
Kewell was given the luxury of an early shower after 53 minutes and his replacement Melbourne Victory striker Robbie Kruse was immediately into the action.
He started a sublime passing move through the middle of the pitch that set up Carney and the match was over as a contest.
Sensing this the Uzbek players lost their minds. They hacked at their opponents and soon enough Ulugbek Bakaev saw a second yellow card and was marched.
Flood gates: open.
Kruse layed off unselfishly to Emerton who scored. McKay, who was instrumental again, did the same for Carl Valeri to open his goal scoring account in his 35th cap.
And Kruse got one for himself, from his least promising build up. The keeper fumbled the shot.
By this time the hit out was of little worth other than making everyone feel good. What a marvellous novelty that is in international sport.
What a contrast it was to the events earlier in the evening at Al Gharafa Stadium where three-time champion Japan survived one of the greatest Asian Cup matches ever.
South Korea opened the scoring in the 23rd minute when Park Ji Sung was awarded a touch-and-go penalty that Ki Sung Yong duly converted.
That was cancelled out in the 36th minute when Ryoichi Maeda got on the end of some fine attacking play from Yuto Nagatomo to slot home the equaliser.
And enthralling second half didn't add to the score but in the seventh minute of extra time Japan was awarded a penalty for a clear foul. However it happened half a step short of the box.
Keisuke Honda stepped to the spot but had his kick saved by Korean keeper Sung-Ryong Jung. Hajime Hosogai pounced on the ricochet and slammed his country into the lead.
It was an advantage the Japanese protected into the very last seconds when South Korea took a free kick, a goal-mouth melee ensued and somehow Hwang Jae Won was able to take a full swing with the boot and hit it home.
But that joy turned sour in the immediate penalty shoot-out.
Japan nailed three of its first four kicks while South Korea missed the lot. Keeper Eiji Kawashima made to brilliant saves leaving Yasuyuko Konno to finish the shoot-out.
So onto the final and the next chapter in an unfolding sporting rivalry as the Socceroos duel with the Blue Samurai for supremacy and the Asian Cup.
First posted January 26, 2011 11:34:00

ISML 2011: Voter Survey Results

1
Ika-Musume
(Shinryaku! Ika-Musume)
2054
Yui
(Angel Beats!)
Index Prohibitorum
(To Aru Majutsu no Index)
2210
Hirasawa Yui
(K-ON!)
Vote distribution by country

2
Gokō "Kuroneko" Ruri
(Ore no Imōto)
1876
Kiriya Nozomi
(Mayoi Neko Overrun!)
Sengoku Nadeko
(Bakemonogatari)
2299
Holo
(Spice and Wolf)
Vote distribution by country
3
Kōsaka Kirino
(Ore no Imōto)
2290
Yamada Aoi
(WORKING!!)
Hiiragi Kagami
(Lucky ☆ Star)
1925
Shiina Minatsu
(Seitokai no Ichizon)
Vote distribution by country

4
Tachibana Kanade
(Angel Beats!)
2816
Elsea de Lute Irma
(Kami nomi zo Shiru Sekai)
Sakagami Tomoyo
(CLANNAD)
1431
Illyasviel von Einzbern
(Fate/stay night)





2010 BCS National Championship: Auburn 22, Oregon 19

al.com

It's a final: Auburn wins national championship on Wes Byrum's kick as time expires

Published: Monday, January 10, 2011, 11:14 PM     Updated: Monday, January 10, 2011, 11:14 PM
Charles Goldberg/Auburn Bureau, The Birmingham News, Press-Register, and The Huntsville Times By Charles Goldberg/Auburn Bureau, The Birmingham News, Press-Register, and The Huntsville Times 
KodiBurnsBCS1ToddVan.JPGKodi Burns finished his Auburn career on a high note with a national championship and this 35-yard touchdown catch (Todd Van Emst photo)
GLENDALE, Ariz. - A quarterback with skills like none other this season, the school's all-time leading scorer and a defense that had just enough presented Auburn the ultimate prize in college football Monday night in the Arizona desert.

Wes Byrum kicked at the game-winning field goal as time expired to give Auburn a 22-19 victory in the BCS national championship game.

Thiller.

Cam Newton threw two touchdown passes and the Tigers' defense came up with big plays to lead Auburn to titl over Oregon in University of Phoenix Stadium in the thriller.

Oregon tied Auburn 19-19 late on a touchdown and 2-point conversion, but big runs from Mike Dyer put Auburn in a position to win it all.

Dyer rolled over a would-be tackler, got up and ran away from Oregon to the Ducks' 23-yard line to set up the winning score.

Neither snow nor rain in the South could prevent a stadium-record crowd of 78,603 from watching Auburn's win.

The Tigers finished their historic season at 14-0, the most wins in school history. It's Auburn's first national title since 1957, and helped ease the pain from the 2004 team that went 13-0 but just missed playing in the BCS title game.

The 2010 team was deserving of the BCS, leaving the game just as it entered it as the No. 1 team in the nation.

Newton threw touchdown passes to Kodi Burns and Emory Blake. Auburn also got a field goal from Wes Byrum. And the Tigers' sometimes-maligned defense stepped up and to stop Oregon's big-play, fast-paced offense. Auburn defensive tackle Mike Blanc dropped the nation's leading rusher, LaMichael James, for a safety late in the second quarter to jump start the Tigers and speed them to victory.

The Tigers quickly followed up the safety with the go-ahead touchdown pass from Newton to Blake.

Leading 19-11 late in the third quarter, Auburn turned back Oregon with a goal line stand. The Ducks had a first down at the Auburn 3. They were turned away when Auburn stopped them on fourth-and-1 from the 1.
 Sure-first-round pick Nick Fairley disrupted Oregon's offense throughout.

The Tigers started slowly, but Auburn ran 36 plays in the second quarter, and helped carry the Tigers to a 16-11  halftime lead.



© 2011 al.com. All rights reserved.

2011 Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl: Nevada 20, Boston College 13

www.rgj.com

January 9, 2011
Kraft Bowl: Nevada beats Boston College, 20-13

Associated Press

SAN FRANCISCO — Rishard Matthews caught a touchdown pass and returned a punt for another score, and No. 13/15 Nevada used a strong defensive effort to cap its most successful season ever at college football’s highest level by beating Boston College, 20-13, in the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl on Sunday night.

Colin Kaepernick threw for 192 yards and a touchdown for the Wolf Pack (13-1), which snapped a four-game bowl losing streak by tying a school record for wins in a season set when it played in what used to be Division I-AA.

This game matched BC’s top-ranked rushing defense against Nevada’s high-powered Pistol attack that was third in the nation in rushing. The Eagles (7-6) did a good job controlling the Wolf Pack on the ground, holding them to a season-low 114 yards — more than 190 below their season average.

Kaepernick was held to 22 yards on nine carries, but managed to top 3,000 yards passing for the season. That allowed him to join Brad Smith and Vince Young as the only FBS quarterbacks to rush for at least 1,000 yards and throw for 3,000 in the same season.

With an efficient passing day by Kaepernick, the big plays from Matthews and a stout defense, the Wolf Pack was able to snap Boston College’s five-game winning streak. The Eagles were held to 185 yards.

Freshman Chase Rettig completed 14-of-34 passes for 121 yards with two interceptions. Boston College played without leading rusher Montel Harris, who was listed as the starter but did not play after undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery in late November.

The teams traded field goals in the third quarter, giving Nevada a 20-10 lead heading into the fourth. Boston College was unable to capitalize on an interception that Luke Kuechly returned to the Wolf Pack 6. But two runs netted just a yard and Rettig threw an incompletion on third down, forcing the kick.

After Nevada’s field goal late in the third, Rettig was intercepted by Marlon Johnson on a deflected ball that gave Nevada the ball at the BC 41. Vai Taua fumbled the ball right back but once again the Eagles were unable to take advantage.

Helped by a pair of pass interference penalties, BC got a 32-yard field goal from Nate Freese with 3:52 to play to make it 20-13. The Eagles got the ball back at their 10 with 3:06 to go and got a 32-yard pass from Rettig to Chris Pantale on their first play.

Two plays later, Khalid Wooten intercepted a pass to seal the win and send the some 38,000 Nevada fans who drove a about 2.5 hours from Reno home happy.

The Wolf Pack sold about 15,500 tickets, surpassing California and Navy for the most sold in the nine-year history of this game. The attendance of 41,063 was the second-largest for the bowl. It included one streaker, who ran on the field in the fourth quarter, causing a brief delay.

After an early fumble by Kaepernick led to a 30-yard touchdown run by Andre Williams, Matthews provided the Nevada fans plenty to cheer about in the first half.

First, Matthews got behind the defense as Kaepernick scrambled to his left. Kaepernick then flicked a pass toward the end zone for an easy 27-yard score that tied the game for Nevada.

The Wolf Pack then held the Eagles to a three-and-out on the next possession and Matthews returned the punt 72 yards to make it 14-7. That was Nevada’s first punt return for a score since Oct. 13, 2001. Nevada added a late 32-yard field goal by Anthony Martinez to take a 10-point lead at the half.

The game was sponsored by Kraft, which is using the bowl to promote its efforts to fight hunger in the United States. Instead of a coin for the opening toss, officials tossed an Oreo cookie that was chocolate on one side and vanilla on the other.
First quarter
After winning the coin toss and electing to receive, the Wolf Pack quickly moved into BC territory before a Kaleb Ramsey sack of Colin Kaepernick killed the drive and forced a punt. On the Pack’s next possession, Kaepernick fumbled on a third-down play and it was recovered by BC’s Donnie Fletcher. Eagles running back Andre Williams scampered 30 yard around the left end on the next play to put BC up 7-0. Nevada answered on its next possession after Kaepernick extended the drive with two completions on third downs and then hit Rishard Matthews on a 27-yard touchdown pass to make it 7-7. After a BC three-and-out, Matthews returned the ensuing punt 72 yards for a touchdown to put Nevada up 14-7.
Second quarter
Nevada was forced to punt shortly after the quarter began. BC’s next drive was extended when Kaelin Burnett was whistled for a personal foul for roughing the quarterback on an incomplete pass on third down, but the Pack held strong after that and forced another punt. Taking over at its own 20, Nevada drove into the redzone but was forced to settle for a 32-yard field goal by Anthony Martinez that put the Pack up 17-7. Nevada forced another three-and-out – its fourth of the first half – the Pack offense crossed midfield before its drive stalled and punted. Deep in its own territory, BC melted the clock and Nevada led 17-7 at halftime.
Third quarter
After forcing a quick BC punt, the Pack took over at its own 25. Luke Kuechly then picked off Kaepernick two plays later and the BC linebacker returned the ball to the Nevada 6. The Pack defense held firm from there, forcing the Eagles to settle for a 22-yard field goal by Nate Freese that pulled BC within 17-10. After a pair of punts, a 25-yard pass from Kaepernick to Virgil Green on a big third down set up a 27-yard field goal by Martinez to make it 20-10. On BC’s next play from scrimmage, Marlon Johnson picked off a Chase Rettig pass to give Nevada good field position heading into the fourth quarter.
Fourth quarter
The Pack drove into BC territory before Vai Taua fumbled and Steele Divitto pounced on the ball for the Eagles. BC took possession on the Pack 25, but couldn’t muster much and was forced into its eighth punt of the night. After three more consecutive punts, BC drove into Nevada territory thanks to a couple of nice plays by Rettig and pass interference calls on Duke Williams and Doyle Miller. Freese nailed a 32-yard field goal to pull BC within 20-13 with 3:52 remaining. The Eagles opted for an onside kick, which was snared by the Pack’s Brandon Wimberly. After Nevada went three-and-out, BC had one finally shot to drive the length of the field and tie the game but Khalid Wooten picked off Rettig with 2:07 remaining to seal the win.