VIDEO: Isaksson's brilliant bicycle save against Messi

Here the footage from an amazing overhead bicycle goalline clearance from Swedish goalkeeper Andreas Isaksson after Argentina's Lionel Messi had lobbed the ball over him goal wards. The clearance didn't help as in the end Argentina won 3-2.

VIDEO: Amazing Ariel Rojas double kick bicycle goal

Here the video of River Plate Buenos Aires' Ariel Rojas brilliant double kick bicycle goal against Racing Club. Not only a great goal, but also listen to the lively commentary and the long goooaaal scream.

Germany suffer 1-3 friendly loss against Argentina

Germany hosted Argentina in a high profile friendly last evening in Frankfurt/Main and suffered a rather unlucky 1-3 defeat against the South Americans which could have ended differently.

On a hot-and-humid evening both teams made a quick start into the game as die Mannschaft and the Albiceleste showed their attacking intent, but both set of defences stood their ground with Mesut Özil having the only real look at goal early on.

Germany had to make an early change after defender Mats Hummel and striker Gonzalo Higuain banged their heads with the German having to go off while Higuain got a turban-like bandage. The match got more intense and then on the half hour mark goalkeeper Ron Robert Zieler brought down Jose Ernesto Sosa, which resulted in a penalty and a red card, the first-ever red card for a German goalkeeper in the 864th match. In came another young keeper in Marc-Andre ter Stegen, whose first act was to easily collect Lionel Messi's terribly taken penalty. But Argentina went into the break with a lead as Ángel Di Maria's corner was put into the German goal by his Ream Madrid team mate Sami Khedira a minute into injury time.

Germany had the better start into the second session, but Marco Reus' long distance shot only hit the right post while at the other end Lionel Messi scored Argentina's second in the 52nd minute off a Higuain pass. Now Argentina looked in control, but Germany fought back into the match though the goal for them remained elusive while Argentina scored their third off a thundering shot from Ángel Di Maria in the 73rd minute.

Down three goals the young German side, whose oldest player by now was only 24 year old in Benedikt Höwedes still continued to attack and got their goal of the night when Höwedes headed in a Mario Götze shot in the 81st minute though more was possible even with 10 men for over an hour of play.


MATCH STATS

Germany 1-3 Argentina - Goals: 0-1 Sami Khedira (45+1', own goal), 0-2 Lionel Messi (52'), 0-3 Angel di Maria (73'), 1-3 Benedikt Höwedes (81')

Germany
Ron Robert Zieler - Jerome Boateng, Mats Hummels (25' Benedikt Höwedes), Holger Badstuber, Marcel Schmelzer - Lars Bender (69' Mario Götze), Sami Khedira (69' Ilkay Gündogan) - Thomas Müller (32' Marc-Andre ter Stegen), Mesut Özil (69' Toni Kroos), Marco Reus - Miroslav Klose [C] (62' Andre Schürrle)

Argentina
Sergio Romero - Pablo Zabaleta (65' Hugo Armando Campagnaro), Federico Fernandez, Ezequiel Garay, Marcos Rojo - Fernando Gago, Javier Mascherano (79' Rodrigo Brana) - Ángel Di Maria (73' Pablo Guinazu), Jose Ernesto Sosa (46' Sergei Aguero) - Lionel Messi [C], Gonzalo Higuain

Referee
Jonas Eriksson (Sweden)

VIDEO - Friendly match: Germany U-21 6-1 Argentina U-21

The German Under-21s took on Argentina Under-21s yesterday in Offenbach and trashed the South Americans 6-1 in a friendly. Maximilian Beister, Lewis Holtby and Kevin Volland all scored a brace for Germany.

Some great goals to watch!

Löw names Germany squad for Argentina friendly

Germany coach Joachim Löw has named his 19 players squad for the first friendly of the season after Euro2012, a prestige friendly against Argentina next Wednesday, August 15 in Frankfurt/Main ahead of the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.

Löw has named 17 players who were part of the Euro2012 squad with Sven Bender and teenager Julian Draxler getting a call-up after being axed at the last hurdle before the tournament. Also there has been a change in the no.2 position amongst the goalkeepers behidn Manuel Neuer with the younger Ron-Robert Zieler being preferred to the older Tim Wiese.

Missing will be captain Philipp Lahm due to the imminent birth of his child, while Bayern Munich team mates Bastian Schweinsteiger and Mario Gomez miss the friendly due to injuries. Also missing are Arsenal duo of Per Mertesacker and Lukas Podolski, where coach Löw wants the duo to concentrate on their clubs English Premier League campaign.


GERMANY

Goalkeepers
Manuel Neuer (FC Bayern München), Ron-Robert Zieler (Hannover 96)

Defenders
Holger Badstuber (FC Bayern München), Lars Bender (Bayer 04 Leverkusen), Jérôme Boateng (FC Bayern München), Benedikt Höwedes (FC Schalke 04), Mats Hummels (Borussia Dortmund), Marcel Schmelzer (Borussia Dortmund)

Midfielders
Sven Bender (Borussia Dortmund), Julian Draxler (Schalke 04), Mario Götze (Borussia Dortmund), Ilkay Gündogan (Borussia Dortmund), Sami Khedira (Real Madrid), Toni Kroos (FC Bayern München), Thomas Müller (FC Bayern München), Mesut Özil (Real Madrid), Marco Reus (Borussia Dortmund), André Schürrle (Bayer 04 Leverkusen)

Forwards
Miroslav Klose (Lazio Roma)

Pele critical of Messi's achievements so far

Brazilian legend Pele is one of the greatest footballers to have played the game, some regard him as the best of all time. And the now 71 year old is open and direct with his opinions when asked by the media.

The French newspaper Le Monde has recently interviewed Pele and when asked about 24 year old Argentinian Lionel Messi being compared to him Pele simply said, "When Messi's scored 1,283 goals like me, when he's won three World Cups, we'll talk about it."

Now that is Pele at his best and he has a point here which he reiterated by adding, "I like Messi a lot, he's a great player! Technically, we're practically at the same level. He's a great player for (FC) Barcelona, but when he plays for Argentina he doesn't have the same success."

Messi's club coach Pep Guardiola was critical of Pele's assessment of his star player, but Messi has often not been able to recreate that magic for Argentina which he shows when he wears a Barca jersey.

Many say Messi is only as good as he is at FC Barcelona due to the blind understanding he has with long-time team mates like Andres Iniesta, Xavi Hernandez, Carlos Puyol and the others; which is simply not there in the Argentinian team.

Three UEFA Champions League titles with Barca are good to have, but the legends of the game are matched by at least one FIFA World Cup triumph. Argentina and Messi have not been close to such a feat since Diego Maradona in 1990, when Argentina lost out to West Germany in the finals.

Here Lionel Messi has to prove his international class in the years to come...

VIDEO: Messi aims to kick-off Indian love affair with football

Even Qatari international news channel Al Jazeera has done a news story on Messi's (or rather Argentina's) visit to Kolkata titled 'Messi aims to kick-off Indian love affair with football'. It will be interesting to see if there is any lasting effect from this visit and friendly international.

Here the link to the video

Have such high profile matches any value for Indian football?

It is a hard hitting question and I differ from views expressed by numerous people in the media over the last few days. Surely there are some positives, but not really big one's which will take Indian football forward.



One is surely that 10,000s of fans were able to see a player of the calibre of Lionel Messi live at the Saltlake Stadium for a full international friendly along with other international stars whom they normally see on television or read about in newspapers.



Another positive is the money and effort spend on the Saltlake Stadium to improve facilities at the ground. I know through my past involvement that only due to such high profile matches the stadium has been getting a facelift and repairs over the last few years. Be it ahead of the 2006 FIFA World Cup qualifying match India vs Japan in September 2004 or the Oliver Kahn farewell match between FC Bayern Munich and Mohun Bagan in May 2008. Our own Indian boys will benefit from the better dressing rooms, a proper dugout and the improved players tunnel.



If such games do happen in the future, then such visiting sides should play our own boys; even if we get beaten heavily, it is great exposure which will help our football in the long-term.



But is it worth spending such money on an international friendly which does not even include Team India? Certainly not, then none of the people who follow such a game or rather in this case Lionel Messi will convert and become Indian football fans. One might actually alienate fans even more from Indian football due to given ground realities.



Surely football got more then the usual coverage in the Indian media, but once Messi is gone, all things will go back to normal with little to no coverage of Indian football with especially the I-League suffering.



In the end I have to say that except the money spend on the infrastructure there is no real value for Indian football. The overall budget of such a game would keep most of the I-League teams running over a 12 month period, to put things into perspective. But on the other side I doubt this money would have come into football without a star like Messi playing in such a high profile friendly.



Maybe some food for thought...

VIDEO: Argentina's goal last night against Venezuela

Here a clip from the local Bengali channel 'Channel 10' with the lead-up to the goal and the goal headed in by Otamendi off a Messi corner in the 67th minute.

Argentina scrape to lone goal win against Venezuela

Argentina won their international friendly 1-0 against South American rivals Venezuela in Kolkata. A lot had been expected from the Argentina vs Venezuela game at the Saltlake Stadium, but the match never rose to any great heights with Venezuela giving their more famed rivals a tough time.



Actually today wasn't about the game but mainly about 'World Player of the year' Lionel Messi and his visit to Kolkata to play infront of his legion of fans. Every touch, move of the little maestro was cheered by the crowds but the stadium was far from capacity which will come as a surprise if one looks at the media coverage the game has received in the last few days.



It was an even first session with numerous half chances on both sides as it was a slow paced match were Venezuela looked threatening on the counter while Argentina had some nice build-ups, but finishing wasn't up to the mark on both sides.



Things remained the same after the break with Argentina's attacks having more purpose, but the same can be said about Venezuela's counters which continued to worry Sergio Romero in the Argentina goal. The winner for Argentina came in the 67th minute when centre-back Nicolás Otamendi headed in a Messi corner. That was the best phase of the match for Argentina but they couldn't take advantage of the situation.



Towards the end of the game it was even again with Argentina having throughout more of the ball, while Venezuela looked for the direct approach towards goal especially over the flanks. It remained 1-0 for Argentina at the final whistle.



Messi played a solid game, but not really spectacular which his fans would have liked, but many can now at least say, we have seen Messi live in action and that in Kolkata.





MATCH STATS



Venezuela 0-1 Argentina - Goals: 0-1 Nicolás Otamendi (67')



Argentina

Sergio Romero; Pablo Zabaleta (79' Federico Fernandez), Martin Demichelis, Nicolás Otamendi, Marcos Rojo; Lucho Gonzalez (68' Jose Ernesto Sosa), Javier Mascherano, Ricky Alvarez (61' Javier Pastore); Lionel Messi [C], Gonzalo Higuain (74' Sergei Aguero), Ángel Di Maria



Venezuela

Rafael Romo, Fernando Amorebieta, Oswaldo Vizcarrondo, Angel Flores, Gabriel Cichero, Nicolas Fedor, Tomas Rincon [C], Frank Feltscher (68' Yohandry Orozco), Csar Gonzlez, Roberto Rosales, Jose Salomon Rondon



Referee

Dinesh Nair (Gujarat, India)



Yellow Cards

Fernando Amorebieta (Venezuela); Javier Mascherano (Argentina)

VIDEO: Magical Messi ready to dazzle

A report by news channel Times Now on the Venezuela vs Argentina match with the focus on Lionel Messi, who is to captain Argentina tonight.

Kolkata awaits on-field Messi magic

The hype surrounding Barca maestro Lionel Messi will reach its climax today when Argentina take on Venezuela in a friendly at the Saltlake Stadium in Kolkata. Messi is considered the best football player of his generation and this is what his fans will want to see live in Kolkata tonight.



For many Indian fans it is about seeing Lionel Messi in action, but the match holds major importance for new Argentina coach Alejandro Sabella as it is his first match in charge. Sabella is sending out a team with five changes from the starting line-up in the 2011 Copa America quarterfinals against Uruguay. It is clear that Sabella wants to try out something against Venezuela ahead of the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifiers which start next month for the Albiceleste (The White and Sky blue).



But Venezuela are no longer the South American push overs. Sure they are the only South American side never to have played in a World Cup, but in the recently held Copa America in Argentina they finished fourth, ahead of their opponents and their best-ever finish in the tournament which highlights their progress.



This is something which coach César Farías is banking on, but their record against Argentina is terrible to say the least. The two sides have met 17 times over the years and all matches have been won by the Argentinians. If this 100% record will be broken tonight will have to be seen.



Kolkata is ready for a magical night of football and though ticket sales have been weak to the run-up of the game, one will hope for a sellout crowd as a fitting stage for Lionel Messi and his men. But it isn't just a game of football as more then simply pride are at stake when two South American sides face each other.





Argentina Starting XI



Sergio Romero; Pablo Zabaleta, Martin Demichelis, Nicolás Otamendi, Marcos Rojo; Lucho Gonzalez, Javier Mascherano, Ricky Alvarez; Lionel Messi [C], Gonzalo Higuain, Ángel Di Maria

VIDEO: Messi mesmerizes one and all in Kolkata

Messi-mania has hit Kolkata and here the latest from CNN-IBN on the craze in and around the City of Joy.

VIDEO: Messi arrives in Kolkata

Here a news item by news channel Times Now on the arrival of Lionel Messi in Kolkata. Interesting here too, no footage of Messi's arrival but only still pictures.

VIDEO: Messi arrives in Kolkata, but no show to fans & media

Here a report filed by NDTV from the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Airport in Kolkata on the arrival of Lionel Messi in the City of Joy or rather the anticipation from fans of his arrival.

Messi-Mania in Kolkata as the superstar arrives

The little Argentinian maestro Lionel Messi landed in Kolkata in the early hours of the day to end speculations if he would be coming for an international friendly to be played against Venezuela on Friday evening at the Saltlake Stadium.



And as one would expect there were a few thousand fans with the entire local and national media present to get a glimpse of Messi, but as one would expect he got his immigration and customs work done and was whisked away through a separate entrance.



"I can only say that Messi is in town," said Bhaswar Goswami, executive director of Celebrity Management Group.



The hype around Messi's visit to the City of Joy has been building for weeks and it was geared up towards the arrival of one of the world's best current footballers. Sometimes one feels that Lionel Messi could have come on his own, shown some of his tricks and that might have been enough rather then a full international friendly between Argentina and Venezuela.



However Messi and his Argentina team mates are now in Kolkata with a likely visit to Mothers Teresa's on the cards besides some pre-match training, but the media shy Messi might not give Kolkata what they would expect from such a superstar. So hopefully for the fans they will get to see on the field, live in their own backyard what Lionel Messi is all about - class football...

Indicast Podcast: Argentina Friendly, Lionel Messi in India!

The Sportsbench & Hand of Pod producers, Sam Kelly and Daniel Colasimone, got together ahead of the Argentina vs Venezuela international friendly to give you an idea of what can be expected from Argentines in the upcoming game on Sept 2 as well as over the medium term. Arunava Chaudhuri is conspicuous by his absence on this episode, as he is travelling with the Indian national team in the Caribbean.



We talk about Carlos Tevez & Fernando Gago - both of whom have failed to find a place on new coach Alejandro Sabella's squad. While it will be difficult to take eyes off Lionel Messi, Sam & Dan tell Indian football fans that Javier Pastore, Ricardo Alvarez & Eduardo Salvio are others that should be watched.



South American teams - especially Argentina & Brazil - have a massive massive fan base in India (& especially in Kolkata) having made inroads into the hearts of football fans long before the marketing blitzkrieg of certain European leagues. While Pele, Maradona, Diego Forlan have played/made an appearance in this City of Joy, a FIFA-ratified international friendly is a biggie.







Listen Online (64 kbps) : ~ 26 mins











Here the direct link to the Indicast Podcast page: Sportsbench Podcast

VIDEO: Argentinian Referee has to flee

Being a referee is a tough job. If you do your job properly you get no credit, if you do mistakes people point at you.



Here is now something unbelievable which I have seen happening in Argentina where a referee in an amateur game is charged, hit and chased by a team and their officials.



Here is the link to the video

No 38 team league in Argentina

The controversial 38 team top tier Argentinian Football League idea has been dropped by Argentinian Football Association president Julio Grondona after a lot of criticism about the plans which some called a crazy idea.

The AFA had received support from 15 of the 20 premier division clubs in last weeks Executive Committee meeting; but the media, politicians and fans heavily criticized the idea.

Many saw this step as a way of Julio Grondona trying to garner support amongst the clubs to ensure he gets re-elected as AFA president in October, others thought the idea was to try and generate more TV revenues but the question remained if all clubs would have profited, while some even said this was a way to try and ensure River Plate would have been back in the top division by the 2012/13 season and bad club management wouldn't be punished.

Julio Grondona had no other option but to drop the idea and said, "The tournament won't change. The idea is suspended."

"I won't call to any assembly in October, November or December. I have no interest in any change. It will be the clubs who should take now any further step for making any change to the tournament - changes that they had been claiming for a long time," Grondona added.


Here the original article about the expanded league: Argentina: New top division with 38 clubs

Argentina: New top division with 38 clubs

The organisation of South American club football often seems complex to people in other parts of the world, but now the Argentinian Football Association has announced plans to overhaul their domestic football leagues which will create one top division of 38 (!) clubs. The AFA plans are set to be implemented from the 2012/13 season onwards.

The AFA has decided to merge the two top divisions of the country into a 38 team league which will be split into two zones of 19 teams each in which bitter local rivals like River Plate and Boca Juniors from Buenos Aires will be kept apart. In a second stage 10 of these clubs will move into a Championship Round, while the rest of the teams will play to avoid relegation from the expanded top tier.

Currently the Argentinian club football year is divided into two halves - Apertura and Clausura in which two champions per season are crowned. Now the AFA wants to streamline the system, but also ensure TV rights income for the clubs.

The decision also means that River Plate Buenos Aires, who where relegated last month ( http://arunfoot.blogspot.com/2011/06/argentinas-river-plate-are-relegated.html Argentina's River Plate are relegated) for the first time from the top tier in their 110 year history, will be back amongst the best after a season in Nacional B.