The 48 nations participating are

Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Cambodia, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Czech Republic, Denmark, England, Finland, France, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, India , Ireland, Italy, Ivory Coast, Japan, Kazakhstan, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malawi, Mexico, Namibia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Scotland, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Timor-Leste, Ukraine, USA, Wales.

TEAM INDIA

In 2001 Krida Vikas Sanstha Nagpur set up a street soccer programme to provide sports facilities and competitions to encourage young people who are homeless or living in slums away from drugs. Nearly 10,000 youths have been involved in sports competitions with them since. Team India made their debut in Copenhagen 2007 and are ambitious to see the whole of India playing football for a brighter future. India World Ranking : Melbourne 2008 - 39th India World Ranking : Copenhagen 2007 - 45th

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Cristiano Ronaldo signed as Global Ambassador of CASTROL

17.04.2009 ::( Press Release - Business Wire India) :: International football star, Cristiano Ronaldo, has today signed as Global Ambassador for the leading lubricants company, Castrol. The dynamic partnership between the world’s leading footballer and the market-leading brand will run until 2011. In his new global role with FIFA World Cup™ sponsors, Castrol, Ronaldo will be the face of Castrol football initiatives that will show the energy, motivation and determination that goes into delivering winning performances on the pitch. Cristiano will lead new Castrol Edge and Castrol Power 1 brand communication campaigns as well as supporting the full Castrol product range, including the exclusive workshop range of Castrol Professional products. As part of the deal, fans from across the globe will be given the chance to come face to face with their hero in a unique initiative that will allow them to experience the level of skill and dedication that led to him being named FIFA World Player of the Year in 2008. His drive for winning and for being the best matches Castrol’s passion to make the world’s best oils, using the technical expertise they have built up over the last 100 years. Ronaldo commenting on the partnership, said: “I admire Castrol as they have the same commitment to success and winning performances as I do on the field. I’m honoured to be working with them and am excited to see how Castrol analyse my own performances!” Mike Johnson, Castrol Senior Vice President, said: “This is a fantastic opportunity where two world class performers are joining forces. Castrol, as the world’s greatest lubricant brand, and Cristiano, as the world’s best performing player. We are really looking forward to building on our success through this new partnership.” For more information, and to find out more about Castrol and football, please go to www.castrolfootball.com Source: Castrol (500870.BO)

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Lajong, Pune F.C,Salgaocar and Viva Kerala qualify in I-League 1st Divn.

TEAMS	P	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	PTS
Salgaocar S.C (Promoted)	5	3	1	1	06	03	+ 3	10
Lajong S.C (Promoted)	5	3	0	2	07	04	+3	09
Viva Kerala (Promoted)	5	3	0	2	11	07	+4	09
Pune FC (Promoted)	5	3	0	2	07	06	+1	09
ONGC	5	2	1	2	04	05	-1	07
Sesa Goa F.A	5	0	0	5	02	12	- 12	00

18.04.2009 ::Pune FC, Salgaocar and Viva Kerala and Lajong F.C have qualified for the I-League 2009-2010 .

Pune FC defeated Sesa Football Academy 3 - 0 at the Ambedkar Stadium in Delhi. Scorers of Pune FC : Jeje Lalpekhuala 22' ,J Prasad 44', Godson Odinaka 89'.

Viva Kerala too qualified for the I-League 2009-2010. They were confronting Mumbai-based ONGC at Gurgaon and thrashed them 4 - 1. Scorers of VIVA KERALA: : Badmus Babatunde 15' ,20' & 52' , Sabeeth CS 56' ONGC : Tarif Ahmed 35' Lajong F.C lost their last match to Goan outfit Salgaocar.The only goal scored by Liberian Striker of Salgaocar Frank Seator in 26th minutes of the match.But Lajong F.C of Meghalaya already qualified for 2009-2010 1st Division ONGC I-League with 9 Points while they beat Pune F.C 2 - 0 in 4th Round Match. Now the full 14 Teams for 2009-2010 ONGC I- League is given below : 1.Churchill Brothers - Goa 2.M.Mohun Bagan - Bengal 3.Sporting Goa - Goa 4.Dempo S.C - Goa 5.Mahindra United - Maharashtra 6. KF East Bengal - Bengal 7.Mumbai F.C - Maharashtra 8. Chirag United - Bengal 9.Air India - Maharashtra 10.JCT - Punjab 11.Viva Kerala - Kerala 12.Salgaocar S.C - Goa 13.Lajong F.C - Maghalaya 14. Pune F.C - Maharashtra So, there will be 4 teams each from GOA and MAHARASHTRA, 3 teams from BENGAL, 1 team for PUNJAB, 1 team from KERALA, 1 team from Meghalaya. Nehru Cup may start from August 19th 17.04.2009 ::The Nehru Cup International Football Tournament may be held from August 19 to 31.Indian National Football Team Coach Bob Houghton told it in Delhi during a meeting to discuss AIFF "Goal 2011" Project for the preparation of the National team for the AFC Asian Cup 2011. The meeting was held at AIFF Football House in New Delhitoday. The meeting was attended by representatives of the I League clubs like,Allan Durante (Mahindra United ),Kalyan Majumdar ( Kingfisher East Bengal),Anjan Mitra (Mcdowell Mohun Bagan),Siddarth Bhattcharya (Chirag United) ,Bimal Ghosh (Air India ),Armando Colaco(Dempo SC Goa),Victor Fernandes (Sporting clube de Goa) & Henry Menezes (Mumbai FC) and the members of the AIFF Technical Committee , Chief National Coach Bob Houghton and representatives of Zee Sports. AIFF General Seceratary Praful Patel presented an overview of the plan A and B of "Goal 2011" to the members of the Club representatives. As per Plan B , 25 selected players, will form the core of the National football team and will be with the AIFF from June 1, 2010 to January 31, 2011 as the project pertains to the preparation of the Indian team for AFC Asian Cup. They will play 25 practice, friendly and competition matches in India and abroad. Pro-rata basis payment will be made to the 25 selected players by the AIFF and I-League will be interrupted during the period when the players are in the national camp. The I-League will then resume from February 1, 2011.Players who are not in the national team will play in the local league and other tournaments so that they play sufficient number of matches. As per Plan A , the camp period is from July 1, 2009 to January 31, 2011, with the 25 selected players being paid by the AIFF for the period in which they are to be in the National team. Most importantly, the I-League will continue without these players. The AIFF Executive Committee discussed about the plans, listened the views expressed by the club representatives and take a final decision last week of April (May be 24th April). National Coach Bob Houghton also told that,the venue of the Nehru Gold cup International Football Tournament is yet to be decided,but Ambedkar Stadium of New Delhi is ahead in this regards. He also told that, for preparation of Nehru cup conditioning camp will start on June 22 and the venue will be declared by AIFF timely.The India Team may tour either Portugal or Spain from July 7 to August 7.Last year India won Nehru Cup after returning from a exposure tour held in Portugal supported by AIFf and Football & Friends Portugal. CONGRATULATIONS! CHURCHILL BROTHERS Champion OF ONGC I-League 2008-2009 16th April : Three Times Runners up Goa Giant Churchill Brothers won 2nd edition of ONGC I-League football Tournament conducted by All India Football Federation after defeating Mohammedan Sporting 6-2 in their last league match at the Nehru Stadium Thursday. Nigerian Striker as well as Captain of Churchill Brothers Odafa Okolie scored 26 Goals in this Tournament and declared Top Scorer like last year. Churchill Brothers at a Glance :::: I League 2008/2009 Rank - 1 Wins - 13 Draws - 7 Losses - 2 Goals - 53 ( Og -2) Avg. goals per match - 2.41 Avg. goals conceded per match - 1.05 Biggest victory - Church… vs. Vasco SC 9-1 Biggest defeat - Mohun … vs. Church… 1-0 Average age squad - 22.64 Home Wins - 7 Draws - 4 Losses - 0 Away Wins - 6 Draws - 3 Losses - 2 Scorers: Odafa - 26, Felix - 12, Ogba Kalu - 6, Vasum - 2 , Naoba - 2, Robert - 2 ,Paite-1 Mohun Bagan finished second after going down 1 - 2 to Mahindra United at Ambedkar Stadium in New Delhi . Sporting Clube De Goa who beat Air India 3 - 1 in Gurgaon placed 3rd spot . Churchill Bros. 6 - 2  Mohammedan S.C CB: Wasim 5' og ,Odafa 8', 81',Felix 63',Paite 65',Naoba 88' MSC Okoro 52',Jyoti Kumar 90' :: M.O.M : Odafa Okoli(CB) (CB):Lalit,Robert,Rowilson,Gourmangi,Naoba,Odafa,Chandam,Kalu, Vasum,Felix. (MSC):Manas,Bijoy,Firoz,Azim,Rajib,Faroq,Adebayor,Suraj, Satyajit,Ujene,Okoro 16th April (FT) : Gurgaon :: Air India   1 - 3   Sporting Goa SCG: Elija Jr.29',Bibiano 78', Biseswar Singh 92' :: AI:Michael Tayo 47' M.O.M :: Luciano Sabrosa (SCG) 16th April (FT) : Barasat :: East Bengal   2 - 2   Dempo (KEB): Yakubu 12',Addo 60'::DEM: Antao 21',Beto 22' M.O.M :: Yakubu (KEB) (EB):Abhra,Nirmal,Jayanta,Yakubu,Mehtaab,Addo,Nabi,Sanju, Mehraj,Surkumar,Alvito. (DEM):Abijit,Dias,Antao,Carvalho,Climax,Ranty,Beto,Joaquim, Borges,Norhonha,Sansang.. 16th April (FT) : Delhi :: Mahindra United   2 - 1   M.Mohun Bagan MU: Chidi Edeh 41',59', :: MMB:Branco 88' :: M.O.M : Chidi Edeh(MU) (MMB):Sangram,Habibur,Odafe,Deepak,Rahul,Anandvasan,James, Isfaq,Tulunga,Baichung,Barreto.. (MU): Subhasish,Ajayan,Tamba,Susant,Chidi,Rafi,Ravnan,Sunil, Sukwinder,Debabrata,Douhou 16th April (FT) : Ludhiana :: JCT   1 - 0   Mumbai F.C JCT : Jagpreet Singh 7' :: M.O.M :: Jagpreet Singh(JCT) 16th April (FT): Goa :: Vasco   1 - 4   Chirag United CU: Muritala Ali 21',50', Sankar Oraw 48',Denson 75' VAS: Donald Rocha 75':: M.O.M :: Muritala Ali(CU) (CU):Gopal,Subhasish,Louis,Daniel,Dhanrajan,Gouranga (Soumik 30'),Hardeep,denson,snehasish,sankar,Muritala. (VAS): Medeira,Ferrao,Joel,Elvino,Minini,Fulcanco,Lalnun, Pires,S.Nazarov,Y.Nazarov,Prajot,Lester, YELLOW SUBMARINE GUNNED DOWN. . . 15.04.2009: SAURAV SUREKA :: Villareal travelled to the Emirates Stadium in London knowing they needed a goal at minimum to progress to the semi-finals of the Champions League at the expense of Arsenal. As both the teams lined up against each other, it was pretty evident that even though both teams shared the same position in their respective leagues, their form guide was radically different. And even though Arsenal sent out a makeshift defence, the gulf in class between the teams came to the fore as Arsenal progressed with ease in the end. Villareal on the other hand suffered as many setbacks before the match as they suffered in it. They stepped on to the field knowing two of their biggest names would be missing – skipper Marcos Senna and influential winger Santi Cazorla, although in the end, it was Arsenal sizzling display which proved to be their undoing. As the game started, the Arsenal brigade came racing out of the blocks and got their reward when they went ahead inside 10 minutes. Skipper Fabregas provided Theo Walcott with an audacious back-heel that caught Villareal full back Joan Capdevilla off guard. Walcott latched on to the ball and scored with an even more audacious lob over the hapless Villareal keeper. With that stunning lob, Theo Walcott once again reminded the world as to why he is hailed as one of the hottest young prospects with a lob that even his idol Thierry Henry would have been proud of. It was damage control for Villareal as the Spanish side did everything they could to stop a dominant Arsenal side from running away with the tie. Near the half hour mark, Dutchman van Persie unleashed a scorcher from a dead ball situtation which was somehow stopped in its route to the goal by Diego Lopez. In the follow up, Emmanuel Adebayor headed the ball towards the open goal, only for Gonzalo Rodriguez to scramble it away with a goal line clearance. As the referee blew the half time whistle, Arsenal knew the tie was still wide open with their semi-final ambitions still hanging in the balance. As the second half began, Villareal slowly but surely began to the get into their stride as they looked to fight their way back into the game against an Arsenal side looked increasingly hesitant. However Arsenal provided a sucker punch to the Yellow Submarine as the strike force of the Gunners teamed up for a crack at the Villareal goal. Robin van Persie set up Adebayor for a goal penetrating the Villareal defence with a killer pass. Arsenal regained control of the match as Eboue nearly set up Walcott for another shot at goal. However before the young Englishman could do anything, he was brought down in the box by Gonzalo Rodriguez. Even though the tackle seemed harmless, it was too careless to be overlooked. The Villareal players were furious with the decision as midfielder Eguren even laid hands on the referee. That gave the ref no other option as he booked Eguren with his second yellow card of the game followed by the impending red card. Robin van Persie stepped up for the spot kick and with one kick of the ball, ended Villareal’s Champions League hopes as he blasted the ball into the back of the net. Thereafter, it was the final whistle that bought an end to Villareal’s misery. Arsenal now march on to only their 3rd ever semi finals setting up an all English clash against the defending champions Manchester United. Scoreline : Arsenal (Walcott 10’, Adebayor 60’, van Persie 69’pen) 3 - 0 Villareal ( Walcott 10, Adebayor 60, Van Persie 69 pen.) Arsenal : Fabianski, Eboue, Toure, Silvestre, Gibbs, Walcott (Denilson 77), Song Billong, Fabregas, Nasri, Adebayor (Bendtner 83), Van Persie (Diaby 77). Villarreal : Diego Lopez, Angel, Rodriguez, Godin, Capdevila, Cani (Pablo 70), Eguren, Bruno (Nihat 64), Fernandez (Ibagaza 64), Pires, Rossi. Yellow Card:: Silvestre, Gibbs. Red Card:: Eguren (68' Villarreal). Yello Card:: Eguren, Cani, Godin. Agg (Arsenal 4 - 1 Villarreal) Manchester are through to the Semifinal 15.04.2009::: Defending European champions Manchester United are through to the semi finals of this year’s Champions League by beating FC Porto 1 - 0 . A stunning goal of Cristiano Ronaldo, Manchester United beat Porto in the 2nd leg of this year's Qr. Final tie.In 1st leg the match ended 2 - 2.With this winning Manchester United became the first English club to win at Porto in European competition. It was also the day of Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson,who was presiding over his 150th Champions League game. Wayne Rooney started on the right with Ryan Giggs on the left and Ronaldo supporting Berbatov up front. In the sixth-minute's spectacular opener for Manchester,it was Ronaldo's 20th goal of the season and only his 2nd in the Champions League since completing that astonishing haul of 42 in last year's final in Moscow. Portuguese forward launched a powerful strike from more than 30 meters and Porto keeper Helton never stood a chance as the ball slammed into the upper left corner( 1 - 0). FC Porto : Helton, Sapunaru (Costa 80), Rolando, Bruno Alves, Cissokho, Lucho Gonzalez (Mariano Gonzalez 31), Fernando, Raul Meireles, Lopez, Hulk, Rodriguez (Farias 64). Manchester United: Van der Sar, O'Shea, Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra, Giggs, Carrick, Anderson (Scholes 78), Rooney, Berbatov (Nani 68), Ronaldo. Yellow Card:: Vidic, Evra. (Manchester United Ref : Massimo Busacca (Switzerland). Agg : Man U 3 - 2 Porto BAYERN HOLDS BARCA FOR A HUMBLE DRAW.… 14.04.2009: Rahul Sengupta :: Bayern Munich played their last match of the UEFA Champions League this season by holding probably one of the best attacking side in Europe Barcelona to 1-1 draw at the Allianz Arena. Bayern Munich Stalwart Frank Ribery put the hosts ahead by netting a brilliant through ball by Brazilian playmaker Ze Roberto. As promised by Bayern Coach Jurgen Klinsman the German side did play well as it was an antidote to a 4-0 drubbing at the hands of the same team last week. Luca Toni and Frank Riberry created many chances to take Bayern to the second half but lack of support from the rest of the teammates subdued their chances. Bayern defense led by Demechelis and Philip Lahm did the best job by restricting the likes of Daniel Alves, Lionel Messi and Samuel Etoo. Addition of defenders Lucio and Philip Lahm to the Bayern Line up showed the differnce between the two encounters. Bayern’s hope of aking it through to the econd round came crashing after Barcelona Midfilder Keita equalized for the visitors just 17 minutes before time thus making the aggregate 5-1 in the favour of the visitors. Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola had to watch his side in this dull encounter from the stands. With this drawn result the Bayern Munich team now makes their exit from the competition with some pride restored. Meanwhile Barcelona will now gear up to face English club Chelsea in the Semi finals after they edge past Liverpool in a thrilling encounter at Stamford bridge. Score Line:: Bayern Munich (Ribery 47’) 1 - 1 Barcelona (Keita 73’) Yellow Cards : Daniel Alves, Puyol (Barcelona) Yellow Cards : Lucio, Demechelis ( Bayern Munich) Referee: Roberto Rossetti (Italy) Bayern Munich :22-Hans Joerg Butt, 30-Christian Lell, 6-Martin Demichelis , 3-Lucio, 21-Philipp Lahm; 17-Mark van Bommel; 20-Jose Ernesto Sosa(Antiltop 78'), 16-Andreas Ottl, 15-Ze Roberto (Borowski 78'), 7-Franck Ribery, 9-Luca Toni. Barcelona : 1-Victor Valdes; 20-Daniel Alves, 3-Gerard Pique, 5-Carles Puyol, 22-Eric Abidal; 6-Xavi, 24-Yaya Toure, 15-Seydou Keita; 10-Lionel Messi, 9-Samuel Eto'o, 8-Andres Iniesta(Helb 78'). O NEAR…YET SO FAR… 14.04.2009: Saurav Sureka :: On a night which would have had even the calmest of fans biting their nails off, Chelsea and Liverpool played out a game of unbelievable proportions. Even the word “epic” would probably fall short of describing this. On a night when Liverpool nearly justified themselves as the Masters of the Impossible, it was Chelsea who made a statement to the rest of Europe signaling their status as the Never Say Die team. Liverpool went to Stamford Bridge knowing they needed 3 goals, and they did more than that by pumping 4 past Petr Cech, who had the worst game of his life. However, unfortunately for Liverpool, they forgot the other part, the part where they had to stop Chelsea. The Blues returned the favor by shooting 4 past Pepe Reina on a night when the world for once forgot about the tactical geniuses on the sidelines. If the first leg was a cracker, then this leg will probably go down as a nuclear bomb. Both the teams did everything not expected of them, playing free flow attacking football and scoring for fun. All in all 8 goals were scored on a night of surprises at Stamford Bridge. The biggest surprise of the night came early on when it was revealed that Liverpool’s midfield genius would take no part in the game. The first half started perfectly for Liverpool, as they seemed to be the only team on the pitch. Left Back Fabio Aurelio caught out Cech on the 20th min mark when he curled the ball into net from a dead ball situation leaving Cech dumbfounded. Slowly Liverpool got into their groove with Chelsea seemingly looking lost. In a moment of pure madness, Branislav Ivanovic, Chelsea 1st leg hero tugged at Xabi Alonso on a set piece, leaving the referee no other option other than handing Liverpool a penalty. Alonso calmly slotted home the spot kick, thus putting Liverpool on course for one of the greatest comebacks in European history. Chelsea were unbelievably sloppy without their skipper John Terry, who was out suspended, while Liverpool looked completely at ease without their skipper. Fortunately for Chelsea, the half time whistle came just at the right time with Liverpool once again making Cech look like an amateur. The 2nd half however was a different story altogether with Chelsea racing out of the blocks and playing as if they were doing all the chasing. Then out of nowhere Anelka slid in a cross for Drogba who barely got a nick on the ball to get in the back of the net. However, it was Pepe Reina who was at fault making a horrendous mistake, that would have even made Cech look like a pro. Chelsea pressed forward and a free kick, from which Chelsea’s Brazilian centre back Alex blasted a scorcher. Liverpool tried fighting back, but everything seemed to go Chelsea’s way. Didier Drogba once again came alive setting up stand in skipper Frank Lampard for a beautifully worked goal. It seemed as if it would prove to be too much for Liverpool, even by their high standards to mount a comeback. However Liverpool fought back and found a goal with the help a Michael Essien deflection. Soon afterwards once again breached the Chelsea defence when Dirk Kuyt scored with sublime header to again turn the game on its head. As Liverpool pushed forward knowing another goal would send them through, it was Chelsea who once again rose from the dead with a second from midfield talisman Frank Lampard. That proved to be the final nail in the coffin as Liverpool were left with much to do with little time on their hands. Finally the referee blew his whistle to bring an end to the most pulsating game of the season. Liverpool may have bowed out, but they bowed out in style scoring 4 at the Bridge without their skipper. Chelsea on the other hand once again sent out a message to the whole of Europe that they surely are the hungriest team in the Champions League. This victory not only sets them up for a 4th semi final in 6 year, but it also sets up the whole of Europe for a rivalry that can even surpass even a Chelsea – Liverpool rivalry, a rivalry of two of the most different teams in the world, a rivalry that can generate as much football as much as it can generate controversy, a Chelsea- Barcelona rivalry… Scoreline : Chelsea 4 - 4 Liverpool Chelsea :(Drogba 51’, Alex 57’,Lampard 76’, 89’) Liverpool :(Aurelio 19’, Alonso 28’, Lucas 81’, Kuyt 83') (Chelsea 7 - 5 Liverpool) on aggregate. TEAM Chelsea: 1- Petr Cech,2- Branislav Ivanovic ,3-Ashley Cole,5 - Michael Essien,6- Ricardo Carvalho,8-Frank Lampard,11-Didier Drogba(Franco Di Santo), 13- Michael Ballack,15-Florent Malouda,21- Salomon Kalou (Nicolas Anelka), 33-Alex. Liverpool :25- Pepe Reina,9- Fernando Torres(David N'Gog ),12- Fabio Aurelio,14 -Xabi Alonso ,15- Yossi Benayoun,17-Alvaro Arbeloa(Ryan Babel), 18 - Dirk Kuyt, 20- Javier Mascherano (Albert Riera),21- Lucas , 23 -Jamie Carragher, 37- Martin Skrtel Yellow Cards :Ivanovic 28’, Carvalho 58’, A.Cole 65’(Missed next match) (Chelsea) Yellow Cards : Benayoun 41’, Arbeloa 74’(Lierpool) Match Referee : Luis Medina Cantalejo (Spain) Climax in the 2008-2009 ONGC I-League 13.04.2009 :: RANA BOSE ::As dusk sets in on the 16th April, 2009, the curtain will drop on the ONGC I-League 2008-09. There could be jubilation and despondency at Delhi, Kolkata or at Panaji. Jubilation at Delhi and Kolkata will signify that India’s National Club McDowell Mohun Bagan have tipped Churchill Brothers to annex the coveted trophy and Mohammedan Sporting escaping relegation. Conversely, rejoicing in Panaji would mean that Churchill Brothers have reposed faith in their supporters and arithmetic and have won against Kolkata’s third force Mohammedan Sporting Club and consigned them to being relegated to the NFL-2 for next year. This year’s ONGC I-League has perhaps been the most competitive since its inception. There is competition amongst the top three teams, Churchill Brothers, McDowell Mohun Bagan and Sporting Clube de Goa to decide the winner and the runners-up as also amongst the bottom rung teams, Air India, Chirag United, JCT and Mohammedan Sporting to decide on which of the team would accompany Vasco Sports Club to getting relegated. Title aspirants, Churchill Brothers, Goa and McDowell Mohun Bagan of Kolkata both have 43 points from 21 matches but the Goan side has a superior goal difference of 26 as against 11 of Mohun Bagan. Churchill Brothers have a “soft” match in hand and play at home against Kolkata’s Mohammedan Sporting who are fighting off the relegation woes. McDowell Mohun Bagan play an away match against Mumbai’s Mahindra United at a neutral venue in Delhi. Bagan’s problems have been further compounded with the non-availability of four pivotal players, N. S. Manju, Rakesh Masih, Lalkamal Bhowmick and Marcos Periera consequent to yellow card bookings. Mohun Bagan’s Moroccan coach, Karim Bencherifa will have to rake his brains to formulate a playing XI that will see the side through. Churchill’s Serbian coach will have more or less the same side to play with, with only Ogba Kalu Nahne, their midfielder sitting out for similar reason. For both Bagan and Churchill, a win is a must. Any slippage by either team will give a distinct advantage to the other. Both sides have players in their armoury to see them through. Churchill have their goal-machine Odafa Okolie and a few others, Mohun Bagan have the evergreen Jose Ramirez Barreto and Bhaichung Bhutia to do the needful. Mohammedan’s coach Shabbir Ali is also a worried man. His side has 22 points from 21 matches. A defeat in the hands of Churchill will be curtains for him and his side. A draw might serve his cause provided JCT who also have 22 points from 21 matches lose out to Mumbai FC at home. Subrata Bhattacharjee of Chirag United is comparatively safe with 23 points from 21 points with an away match against the sure-shot relegated side Vasco Sports Club, Goa who will be just going through the motions playing for pride rather than purpose. Air India has 24 points from 21 matches and is comparatively safe. They play Sporting Clube de Goa at Delhi and just need to draw the match to make their cause still safer for this year. A loss could generate hiccups at the last moment. Clifford Chukuwama, the Sporting coach is a master tactician like Bimal Ghosh of Air India and this match will be a battle of tactics rather than flair. All matches are scheduled for a 3:45 PM start and the football lovers around the country will watch with bated breath, the outcome that is as uncertain as an Alfred Hitchcock movie. Come on...Watch www.kolkatafootball.com - 16th April - every match result on your Computer .... RETURN OF THE REDS. . . 13.04.2009 : SAURAV SUREKA : Chelsea will welcome Liverpool to Stamford Bridge with one foot surely in the semis thanks to their stunning display at Anfield. It was a rare European night when Chelsea arguably provided the shock of the round when they outplayed, outsmarted and outclassed the Reds on their own turf. The Serbian Ivanovic grabbed the limelight by heading his way into the hearts of all Chelsea fans with two unstoppable headers past the hapless Reina. Benitez's men in all probability would have wanted the earth to open up and swallow them in when the man for big games, Didier Drogba killed off the game and also probably the tie itself with Chelsea's 3rd. Benitez surely realized that he may have plotted the downfall of great men like Capello,Mourinho, Ancelloti, Rijkaard, Mancini, Wenger at Anfield in previous years, but in Hiddink he finally met his match, someone gave him a taste of old school reminding the world that when he won the European Cup, Rafa was just a beginner. Whatever Rafa did, Hiddink did better. However as both the teams head into the second leg of this matchup, it will be Liverpool who will be doing all the chasing knowing they have to score atleast 3 goals against the Premiership’s best defence, while Chelsea do everything to guard against complacency. Chelsea head into the game full of optimism knowing that the place in the semis is barely 90 minutes away. After a breathtaking display at Anfield, the Chelsea players will be looking to repeat their heroics at the Bridge where they haven’t lost a European game in over 3 years. Hiddink certainly knows that the tie is theirs to lose. Chelsea will once again look towards their big names to put them through to their 4th semis in 6 years. However in the only downside from the previous leg, charismatic skipper John Terry will miss this game through suspension, courtesy of a yellow card from the game at Anfield. Jose Bosingwa and Joe Cole will be out injured while Ricardo Quaresma will be cup tied. However the Blues will be boosted by the return of another top player in Ricardo Carvalho, who managed the full 90 minutes in their victory at the weekend. The key men for Hiddink will be Michael Essien, who marked dangerman Steven Gerrard out of the first leg and Didier Drogba, the Ivorian who has built up a reputation of coming good on European nights. Liverpool head into this game on the backfoot knowing that they will have to go on the offensive from the word go. However they are known as the “Comeback Kings“ and Benitez will make sure that his team does everything to justify this tag. Liverpool and miracles often go together in the same sentence as the players will try to evoke memories of Istanbul 2005 when they managed 3 goals in 6 minutes against Milan. Benitez also shrugged any claims of the Champions League not being a priority by resting skipper Steven Gerrard at the weekend, just to get him fit for this game. Liverpool will nearly have a full strength squad at their disposal with Argentine skipper Javier Mascherano returning from a suspension in place of the rather wasteful Lucas, who came under heavy criticism for his performance in the first leg. Benitez’s key men will arguably be Javier Mascherano and Fernando Torres. Mascherano work would be to make sure that Liverpool’s midfield do not succumb to the power of the Chelsea midfield, while Torres will be counted upon for doing what he does best – score goals. The game is expected to be open considering last week’s humdinger. Liverpool will do everything in their power to take full advantage of John Terry’s absence while Chelsea will be expected to just kill the tie off. All in all, the game will be decisive, not only for the Champions League, but also for the Premier League. However, one thing is for certain-this tie is still far for over… Probable Team: Chelsea : 1-Petr Cech; 2-Branislav Ivanovic, 33-Alex, 6-Ricardo Carvalho, 3-Ashley Cole, 13-Michael Ballack, 5-Michael Essien, 8-Frank Lampard, 21-Salomon Kalou, 11-Didier Drogba, 15-Florent Malouda. Liverpool: 25-Pepe Reina; 17-Alvaro Arbeloa,37-Martin Skrtel,23-Jamie Carragher,12-Fabio Aurelio,14-Xabi Alonso, 20-Javier Mascherano,18-Dirk Kuyt,8-Steven Gerrard, 11-Albert Riera; 9-Fernando Torres. Some Past Head to Head Between two Teams Champions League QF   ::   2009-04-08   ::   Liverpool - Chelsea   ::  1-3 Premier League   ::   2009-02-01   ::  Liverpool - Chelsea   ::   2-0 Premier League   ::   2008-10-26   ::  Chelsea - Liverpool   ::   0-1 Champions League SF   ::   2008-04-30   ::  Chelsea - Liverpool   ::   3-2 Champions League SF   ::  2008-04-22   ::  Liverpool - Chelsea   ::  1-1 Premier League   ::   2008-02-10   ::   Chelsea - Liverpool   ::  0-0 Premier League   ::   2007-08-19   ::   Liverpool - Chelsea   ::   1-1 Champions League SF   ::  2007-05-01   ::   Liverpool - Chelsea   ::  1-0 Champions League SF   ::   2007-04-25   ::  Chelsea - Liverpool  ::  1-0 Premier League   ::   2007-01-20   ::  Liverpool- Chelsea   ::  2-0 Premier League   ::   2006-09-17   ::  Chelsea - Liverpool   ::   1-0 Premier League   ::   2006-02-05   ::  Chelsea - Liverpool   ::   2-0 Champions League Gr.  ::  2005-12-06   ::   Chelsea - Liverpool   ::  0-0 Premier League   ::  2005-10-02   ::  Liverpool - Chelsea   ::   1-4 Champions League Gr.   ::  2005-09-28   ::  Liverpool- Chelsea  ::  0-0 Premier League   ::   2005-01-01   ::  Liverpool- Chelsea   ::   0-1 Premier League   ::  2004-10-03   ::  Chelsea - Liverpool   ::  1-0 Premier League   ::  2004-01-07   ::  Chelsea - Liverpool   ::  0-1 Premier League   ::   2003-08-17   ::  Liverpool- Chelsea   ::  1-2 Premier League   ::  2003-05-11   ::  Chelsea- Liverpool   ::  2-1 Premier League   ::  2002-10-06   ::  Liverpool- Chelsea   ::  1-0 Premier League   ::  2002-03-26   ::  Liverpool- Chelsea   ::  1-0 Premier League   ::  2001-12-16   ::  Chelsea- Liverpool   ::  4-0 Home team : Chelsea : Five last matches : 8/4   ::  Liverpool (A)   ::   3 - 1 10/3   ::  Juventus (A)   ::   2 - 2 25/2   ::  Juventus (H)   ::   1 - 0 9/12   ::  CFR Cluj (H)   ::   2 - 1 26/11  ::  Bordeaux (A)   ::   1 - 1 Current streaks : Undefeated : 5 matches Away team :Liverpool :: Five last matches: 8/4   ::   Chelsea (H)  ::   1 - 3 10/3   ::   Real Madrid (H)  ::   4 - 0 25/2   ::   Real Madrid (A)  ::   1 - 0 9/12   ::   PSV Eindhoven (A)  ::   3 - 1 26/11  ::   Marseille (H)  ::   1 - 0 BAYERN LOOK TO DEFEND PRIDE AT HOME. 13.04.2009 : Rahul Sengupta :Fresh from their 4-0 drubbing at NouCamp at the hands of Barcelona, Bayern Munich’ German Coach made it clear that all that Bayern Munich has to left to play for is pride. Bayern Munich had pulled of a stunning 4-0 win against Frankfurt this weekend to silence the critics. Barcelona on the other hand are confident of making it to the next stage of the competition and the refuse to believe that they will have a 4-0 advantage when they face resurgent Bayern at their den named Allianz Arena. For this very reason Barca coach had rested Etoo and Xavi from their Spanish league tie this weekend. Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola will however have to watch the match from the stands today after UEFA rejected his clain to call off his suspension after he was found misbehaving with English referee Howard Webb over a Penalty decision. Barcelona however will be missing defender Marquez who had picked up a yellow card in the previous leg of the encounter. Meanwhile Bayern back four have a tough job at their hands after their inexperience at top level football was heavly exposed by the likes of Messi and Samuel etoo. Probable Team Bayern Munich: 22-Hans Joerg Butt; 23-Massimo Oddo, 6-Martin Demichelis, 3-Lucio, 21-Philipp Lahm; 8-Hamit Altintop,31-Bastian Schweinsteiger, 17-Mark van Bommel, 15-Ze Roberto, 7-Franck Ribery; 9-Luca Toni. Barcelona: 1-Victor Valdes; 20-Daniel Alves, 3-Gerard Pique, 5-Carles Puyol, 16-Silvinho; 6-Xavi, 24-Yaya Toure,8-Andres Iniesta; 10-Lionel Messi, 9-Samuel Eto'o, 14-Thierry Henry. Home team : Bayern Munich :: Five last matches : 8/4   ::   Barcelona (A)   ::   0 - 4 10/3   ::   Sporting (H)   ::   7 - 1 25/2   ::   Sporting (A)   ::   5 - 0 10/12   ::   Lyon (A)   ::   3 - 2 25/11   ::   Steaua (H)   ::   3 - 0 Away team : Barcelona :: Five last matches: 8/4   ::   Bayern Munchen (H)   ::   4 - 0 11/3   ::   Lyon (H)   ::   5 - 2 24/2   ::   Lyon (A)   ::   1 - 1 9/12   ::   Shakhtar (H)   ::   2 - 3 26/11  ::   Sporting (A)   ::   5 - 2 Current streaks : Undefeated: 3 matches Wins : 2 matches Previous matches : Champions League QF   ::   2009-04-08   ::  Barcelona - Bayern München   ::  4-0 Mohun Bagan U-14 Team Win in the final 13.04.2009 ::The U-14 (Sub Jr.) Football Team of Mohun Bagan Athletic Club has won the Knockout Football Tournament organized by Belghoria Santos Club at its club ground in Belghoria. The tournament was participated by 12 teams from different parts of West Bengal. It was an 11-a-side match each. The Results : Date Stage Opponent Score 08.04.2009 Quarter Final Sodepur S.C 4 - 1 10.04.2009 Semi Final Aryan Club 0-0 (Regulation time) ----- ------ ----- 3-3 (Tie breaker) ----- ------ ----- 2-1 (Sudden Death) 12.04.2009 Final Chirag United 2-0 Shantanu Das and Bikash Halder scored a goal apiece in each half to win the tournament. Stopper Somnath Mondal (captain of the Team) was adjudged Best player of the final match while the Most Valuable Player of the Tournament was Shouvik Ghosh (left half). The Hony. General Secretary of the Club, Mr. Anjan Kumar Mitra was very happy with this win and he wished the boys more success in the future. PIFA Summer Football Camp in South Mumbai 13.04.2009 ::Premier India Football Academy (PIFA) have announced 2 more football training camps. The camps will be held from 4 May to 8 May and from 11 May to 15 May 2009 at the Priyadarshini Park and Sports Complex football ground at Napean Sea Road in South Mumbai. Children of all abilities between 10-18 years, boys & girls can participate in these camps. The cost of the camp is Rs 1,250/- for 5 days with 2 hours training from 9am to 11 am. Children will get an opportunity to improve their football skills and game sense. The PIFA training program guarantees improvement. Each child will be awarded a PIFA Certificate. Talented players will be invited to play for PIFA teams. Registration for the camp can be done at the PDP office between 8am-11am & 5pm-7pm or call on 022- 2363 7186 Mohun Bagan pulls off a Remarkable win over Dempo 12.04.2009 : S.Mitra ::Mohun Bagan beat Dempo 2-1 today in an I league match held in Barasat Stadium. Barreto and Manju scored the goals for Mohun Bagan where as Ranty Martins netted one for Dempo. With this win, both Churchill and Mohun Bagan now has 43 points from 21 matches but Churchill Brothers has a much superior goal average. In the last round match, Mohun Bagan will face Mahindra United in Ambedkar Stadium, New Delhi while Churchill Brothers will host Mohammedan Sporting in Goa. Mohun Bagan will have to win the last match and hope that Mohammedan manage to hold Churchill, in that case Mohun Bagan will become champions, but if Churchill gets 3 points from the last match, they will get the title for the first time irrespective of result of Mohun Bagan match. All the final round matches will be played on April 16th from 3.45 PM IST . Today five players of Mohun Bagan was shown yellow card due to which four of them will miss the last match against Mahindra United, the players being Manju, Lalkamal, Marcos and Masih. Coach Karim will indeed have a problem to set his midfield with 3 key players missing. Mohun Bagan had a great game today and dominated the match. Barreto scored the first goal in 28th minute. James Sing gave a forward pass to Marcos who found Barreto free on the right side, Barreto unleashed a right foot shot that beat Abhijit Mandal and went into goal ( 1 - 0 ). In 32nd minute, Baichung scored another goal but referee canceled the goal. 1 minute before lemon break, Bhaichung gave a pass to Ishfaq who missed a very easy chance to score. In 2nd half, Dempo tried to create some pressure and scored the equalizer in 55th minute, Beto makes a run and released the ball for Anthony in right side whose center found Ranty unmarked in the box and Ranty headed the ball which went inside goal striking off the crossbar ( 1 - 1 ). In 51st minute, Mahesh Gawli of Dempo fouled Bhaichung, referee first took out the red card but Dempo players created pressure and then referee changed his decision and did not show him any card. Mohun Bagan scored the winning goal in 94th minute. Rakesh gave a good pass to Barreto who got the ball in the left side of the box, he went past one player and gave a brilliant cross towards Manju who nodded the ball inside goal ( 2 - 1 ). Barreto was adjudged Man of the Match for his brilliant performance. After match, Dempo coach Armando Colaco said, "Firstly, I want to protest against the Z sports commentry team. They said that Dempo was not coming out to play in 2nd half and they suspected some foul play. I want to say that we never do these kind of things. Actually because of security reasons, we were not coming out to play after half time. I want to congratulate Mohun Bagan for this brilliant win." About referee, he said, "Referee today made some mistakes, but I would not like to comment on that." When asked who he is predicting to be this year's I league winner, he said, "Churchill has slight advantage as they will will play against a weak team in their home turf." Mohun Bagan Coach Kareem was very unhappy with many decision's of referee. He said, "We were the better team today but there were far too many bad decisions from referee that not only affected us in this match but also in our next match we will miss 4 players. I have full faith in All India Football Federation. I sincerely hope they put observer in all the matches to be held on 16th." He also thanked the crowd and added, "Crowd support is a very important factor in our win. I hope many people attend our next match in New Delhi. Today in the injury time, I urged the supporters to cheer more and I said to them that I needed your help now. They really cheered a lot in last 4 minutes." He also said, "I hope we win the I league. We deserve to win this league." M.Mohun Bagan:: Sangram Mukherjee ,Deepak Mondol, N.S.Manju, Peter Odafe,Habibur Rahaman,Marcos Pereira ,Isfaq Ahmed,Lalkamal Bhowmick ( Rakesh Masih 71'), James Singh Sr. (Branco Cordozo 68'),Baichung Bhutia, Jose Barreto.. Dempo S.C::Abhijit Modol,Valeriano Ribellow ,Nacimento Celveria (63' Joaquim Abranches ),Mahesh Gawli, Samir Naik ,Anthony pereira, Dominik Noronha, Climax Lawrence ,Beto, Clifford Miranda , Ranty Martins. Mohun Bagan won the battle against Dempo 12.04.2009 : :: FT:: Match End.. Mohun Bagan won the thrilling Match by 2 - 1.. Hero of the Day Barreto has been delcared Man of the Match.. 90'+3':: GOAALLLLLLLLL :....MMB Scored... Manju's header directly went to the net off barreto's cross. Mohun Bagan is leading by 2-1.. 90'+1':: MMB puts more pressure last moment into the Dempo Box..corner..but cleared by keeper..counter attack by beto.. well stopped by Deepak.. 90':Again missed by Barreto..corner for MMB..direct to Dempo Keeper Avijit.. 88':Last chance for MMB? corner taken by Marcos..But Cleared by Gawli..no damage done.. 85':Do or die for MMB.. only 5 minutes is hand..They are putting pressure all out.. Habibur's attack from right side well stopped by Samir Naik.. 81': Dempo is attacking from left.. Ranty Martin's left footer went out wide..Counter attack.. Barreto's punch just went out off a Habibur pass.. 77': Rakesh Masih to Branco ..Ball went to Barreto.. Barreto tried to push into Dempo goal..but Keeper Avijit well saved.. 73': Dempo is putting pressure into the MMB Box through Ranty-Beto duo.. 70':Another Change of MMB...Lalkamal out of the field and Rakash Masih comes in. 68':Change of MMB.Sr. James out and Branco comes in to play for MMB.. 67': Counter Attack.. Danger situation in MMB Box..Ranty's shot well saved by Sangram..Lalkamal fouled Beto and Referee shown Yello card to him.. 65': Barreto Missed a golden opportunity off a pass from Lalkamal in the Dempo penalty Box..It was one to one situation but Barreto's push saved by Keeper of Dempo. 61': Nicemento Silveria of Dempo is out of the field for his slight injury..he is under treatment..match is going on.. 54': GOAALLL : Anthony Pereira cressed from right side into the MMB Box..Ranty's header hitted the cross bar and went into the goal.. Now Mohun Bagan 1 - 1 Dempo.. 50':Rough and tough playing by Dempo.. Mahesh Gawli Fouled Baichung..Free kick out side the Dempo Box..Marcos taken the shot..cleared by Dempo Defense.. 48':Samir Nayk fould moving Barreto justoutside their Penalty Box..Free Kick..Taken by Marcos.. cleared by dempo defense 47':Match started after lemon break.. Dempo is trying to equalise and Mohun bagan is trying to increase their margin in a packed up Barasat Stadium.. HT: Now it's HALF TIME.. Mohun Bagan is leading 1 - 0 by Barreto's Goal.. 45':Samir Naik Fouled Barreto.. Free kick taken by marcos.. no damage done.. 44':Well attack by Lalkamal..passed to Barreto .. Barreto shoot but missed the target.. 43': Danger in dempo Box.. but missed passed by Isfaq.. Cleared by Dempo Defence... 41': Mohun Bagan is still leading 1 - 0.. 38': Mohun Bagan again returns to attack.. Habibur Overlaping .. long cross.. Cleared by Keeper of Dempo.. Sangram well saved a Move of Climax Lawrance of Dempo.. 35':Mohun Bagan has got a corner.. Odafe taken.. Lalkamal punched.. too long from the target..no damage done.. 33': Goall...... Baichung's header from Marcos Free kick.. No No.. it's offside.. Counter attack by Dempo.. Berreto's header just went out the cross Bar.. 31': Mohun Bagan is leading by 1 - 0 .. scored by Barreto.. Wonderful punch direct to goal.. 28': GOAALLL. Marcos to Barreto....Scored By Barreto with his powerful right footer. 26': Referee shown yellow card to Isfaq Ahmed who tripped Nacimento of Dempo.. 24':Dempo is playing small ground passed among themselves..Counter attack by James from right side..but fouled him..free kick taken by lalkamal..well centered ..just target missed by Barreto... 20': Marcos long ball on to Dempo Box .. Keeper tried to grip but Fouled by MMB players.. 17':Free kick taken by Dempo's Beto.. Ball direct to Sangram's hand... 15'':Lalkamal passed for Barreto but too long.. ball went to Dempo Keeper.. 13'':Corner taken by Miranda..well saved by Markos ...again corner..cleared by Sangram but Debpo striker fouled him.. 11'':Mohun Bagan is attacking from the right side..Well stopped by Dempo Defense..Counter attack..Miranda's head just went out the cross bar.. 5':Dempo is attacking from the right flank but well stopped by odafe.. 2': Corner taken by Ranty..Ball went to Sangram Directly. M.Mohun Bagan:: Sangram Mukherjee ,Deepak Mondol, N.S.Manju, Peter Odafe,Habibur Rahaman,Marcos Pereira ,Isfaq Ahmed,Lalkamal Bhowmick ( Rakesh Masih 71'), James Singh Sr. (Branco Cordozo 68'),Baichung Bhutia, Jose Barreto.. Dempo S.C::Abhijit Modol,Valeriano Ribellow ,Nacimento Celveria (63' Joaquim Abranches ),Mahesh Gawli, Samir Naik ,Anthony pereira, Dominik Noronha, Climax Lawrence ,Beto, Clifford Miranda , Ranty Martins. POWERLEAGUE PARTNERS HOMELESS WORLD CUP FOUNDATION 11.04.2009 : :: Scotland’s Homeless World Cup Foundation and Powerleague have today announced a community partnership that will take the power of football to thousands of people who are homeless across the UK and the rest of the world. Powerleague is the market-leader of 5-a-side football centres in the UK. The community partnership will make Powerleague centres available to run football coaching and leagues for people who are homeless in Scotland, England and Wales and for fundraising activities. 130,000 players at Powerleague centres will be invited get involved, raise funds and create change. The Homeless World Cup Foundation uses football to energise people who are homeless to change their own lives. It was established to develop grassroots football projects in over 75 nations triggered by the world-class international football tournament, the Homeless World Cup, with the ambition to reach one million people who are homeless with the benefits of football. Mel Young, Co-Founder and President, Homeless World Cup, said: “The Homeless World Cup Foundation has a huge ambition to reach one million players with the benefits of football. We cannot do this alone. Partnerships are key. If we all do something we can create powerful change in the world. We are very happy to be uniting with Powerleague to take football to the most marginalized group in society, to change lives and would like to invite more partners to get involved.” Sean Tracey, Powerleague Chief Executive said: “We are delighted to be an official partner of the Homeless World Cup Foundation and lend our support to such a positive and life changing organisation. It represents the perfect fit for Powerleague as the UK’s number 1 5-a-side football operator.” The Homeless World Cup has demonstrated that football has the power to change lives, to change the world. The impact is radical and profound with over 70% of players significantly changing their lives coming off drugs and alcohol, moving into homes, jobs, education, training, repairing relationships and becoming coaches or players with semi-pro teams. 94% claim to have a renewed motivation for life. The first Homeless World Cup took place in Graz 2003 uniting 18 nations. Players represented their country and changed their lives forever. Over 70% of participants come off drugs and alcohol, move in to jobs, homes, education and even become coaches and football players. At the 6th Melbourne 2008 Homeless World Cup 56 nations were united with the first Women’s Cup and a legacy of 30 football programmes across Australia. The 7th Milan 2009 Homeless World Cup takes place from 6-13 September 2009. I-League Match Preview : Mohun Bagan Vs Dempo 11.04.2009 : Kolkata :Kolkata Giant M.Mohun Bagan will face their home match against Goa Giant Dempo S.C tomorrow,which will be held in Barasat stadium from 6.30 pm. This is a must win match for Mohun Bagan to get the title of ONGC I-League this season. Mohun Bagan now has 40 points from 20 matches and currenly in 2nd position in league table. Churchill Brothers will have to play their last home match against relatively easier opponents in the form of Mohammedan Sporting, who are facing relegation alongwith JCT. Both JCT and Mohammedan Sporting are on 22 points from 21 matches. As per current record Mohun Bagan had so far played 2 matches against Dempo this year,I-league and Federation Cup final, both times Mohun Bagan won 1-0, Barreto scored in both matches. Barreto who played last match of AFC cup against Al Kuwait on 7th April is expected to play Dempo match and another defender of Mohun Bagan who was also unfit in the last AFC match might also play the Dempo Match tomorrow.Mohun Bagan will play their final round match (22nd Round ) of I league in Ambedkar Stadium, New Delhi against Mahindra United on April 16th. On the other hand Goan giant Dempo S.C, who have already ensured a berth in the second round of the AFC Cup 2009 with 7 points in their bag will face Mohun Bagan in their 21st game of the league. Defending Champion Dempo are now at the 4th place with 30 points and have lost the race to retain the I-League. But they have the potential to put Mohun Bagan out of the race, as their striker Beto said. Dempo lost their first leg home match due a goal from Bagan and also lost the Federation Cup final to Mohun Bagan and now the Goan side has a last chance to make a revenge for their last double defeats. Expected Line up: Mohun Bagan :: Sangram,Deepak,Manju,Odafe,Habibur,Marcos,Isfaq, Masih,James,Baichung Barreto.. Dempo S.C :: Abhijit,Valeriano,Dias,Gawli,Samir,Anthony,Antao,Climax,Beto,Clifford,Ranty. Last 10 H2H Matches : Mohun Bagan vs Dempo 21-12-2008   ::Fed Cup    :: Dempo 0 - 1 Mohun Bagan 31-10-2008   ::I League   :: Dempo 0 - 1 Mohun Bagan 09-02-2008   ::I League   :: Mohun Bagan 0 - 0 Dempo 12-12-2007   ::I League   :: Dempo 2 - 0 Mohun Bagan 18-05-2007   ::ONGC NFL   :: Dempo 1 - 0 Mohun Bagan 18-02-2007   ::ONGC NFL   :: Mohun Bagan 1 - 2 Dempo 21-04-2006   ::ONGC NFL   :: Mohun Bagan 0 - 0 Dempo 29-01-2006   ::ONGC NFL   :: Dempo 1 - 1 Mohun Bagan 27-03-2005   ::ONGC NFL   :: Mohun Bagan 0 - 0 Dempo 01-02-2005   ::ONGC NFL   :: Dempo 0 - 0 Mohun Bagan Some previous Result of Dempo S.C 07-04-2009   :: AFC Cup   :: Muharraq 1 - 1 Dempo 02-04-2009   :: ONGC I-League   :: Dempo 4 - 1 Mohammedan SC 28-03-2009   :: ONGC I-League   :: Chirag United 0 - 0 Dempo 23-03-2009   :: ONGC I-League   :: Dempo 3 - 2 Mahindra United 17-03-2009   :: AFC Cup   :: Al-Faysali 3 - 4 Dempo EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED. .... 9.04.2009 :SAURAV SUREKA :The 8th night of April 09' will surely go down in history as the night when Hiddink's Chelsea shook the whole of Europe with a stunning display which silenced Anfield. The game, supposed to be dull and tight going by previous encounters, proved to be anything but that. In a matchup boasting of some of the world's top players going head on, it was the relatively unknown Serbian Branislav Ivanovic who turned the game on its head helping Chelsea come out on top in arguably the most entertaining game of the season. The other teams in Europe must have been biting off their fingernails while watching both teams have a go at each other in the 1st half with the sheer hunger and determination of both sides coming to the fore. However the Reds gradually disappeared into oblivion in the second half when Chelsea ke eping Hiddink's word, "took the game to them". Star striker Fernando Torres set the tone for the game early on in the 6th minute when he blasted the ball past Cech to hand Liverpool a dream start. It looked as if it was again going to be a memorable night at Anfield with Torres slotting home Arbeloa's cross. Liverpool looked merciless as their players poured forward in numbers looking to repeat their earlier heroics against Real Madrid. However, they soon realized that Chelsea are no Madrid as the Blues came right back at them with Ivorian Didier Drogba squandering a couple of straightforward chances. It was end-to-end stuff in the first as the both sets of defenders were made to look like schoolboys by the midfields with both keepers being regularly called into action. Torres and Kuyt gave the Chelsea defense a hard time constantly causing panic among the back four. However it seemed as if it was only matter of time before ball would be seen in the back of the net. Seven minutes before the break Chelsea earned a corner in which the Reds made sure they paid enough attention to the bigger men like Ballack, Drogba and Alex. However they unfortunately missed Ivanovic, a makeshift rightback for the evening, who headed the ball powerfully into the net. However keeping in tone with the game , barely 30 seconds after the equalizer Kuyt forced an excellent save from an one-on-one situation. The second half however was a different story all together with the Chelsea big boys gradually getting into their stride. If Chelsea had managed to match Liverpool step for step in the 1st half, they made it quite evident that they were the hungrier team in the 2nd. On the hour mark, Chelsea skipper John Terry collided with Liverpool keeper Pepe Reina earning him a yellow card which would effectively rule him out for the second leg. However that proved to be the only blip for Chelsea as moments later, Branislav Ivanovic once again exposed Liverp ool's incompetence at set pieces as he headed in another corner past the bewildered Reina. Barely 5 minutes later, Chelsea once again ripped apart Liverpool's defence as Ballack and Malouda teamed up to setup Drogba for Chelsea's 3rd of the night sending shockwaves not only around Anfield but the whole of Europe. Benitez tried to work his magic but his team looked pretty lacklustre even with the changes. They could not even test Cech up until the 93rd minute when Xabi Alonso was denied an opprtunity to get his name on the scoresheet. The 2nd half seemingly saw a role reversal between the teams with Liverpool looking more like Scolari's Chelsea which had visited Anfield two months ealier, seemingly out of ideas, while Chelsea looked the recent Liverpool, playing every game as if it were their last. Liverpool now have it all to do in the return leg at Stamford Bridge knowing Chelsea have come away with victory at one of the most intimidating grounds in Europe. Scoreline : Liverpool (Torres 6') 1 - 3 Chelsea (Ivanovic 39',62', Drogba 67') Liverpool : Reina, Arbeloa, Carragher, Skrtel, Aurelio (Dossena 75), Kuyt, Lucas (Babel 79), Alonso, Riera (Benayoun 67), Gerrard, Torres. Chelsea : P.Cech, Ivanovic, J.Terry, Alex, A.Cole, Kalou, Ballack, Essien, Lampard, Malouda, Drogba (Anelka 79). Yellow Cards : Liverpool - Aurelio (74') :::: Chelsea - Kalou (31'), Terry(61') Match Referee : Claus Bo Larsen (Denmark) BARCELONA DRUBS FOUR PAST HELPLESS BAYERN 9.04.2009 : RAHUL SENGUPTA :Four first half strikes from the probably the best footballers on earth sunk Bayern Munich’s hopes of winning the UEFA Champions league. The match held at Nou Camp saw Bayern Munich embarrassed after conceding four goals and not even created a single good opportunity to score. In one work Bayern were simply “outplayed”. The match started with Bayern Munich missing key defender Lucio and thus it took only 9 minutes for Barcelona to open the scoring through a brilliant goal by Lionel Messi. The Bayern defense was heavily inexperienced and there were many questions raised on fielding young defenders like Martin Lell and Breno against such a formidable attacking force. By the time it was 12 minutes the score line read 2-0 for Barcelona this time Samuel Etoo putting his name in the score sheet. The first half ended with the score line 4-0 goals coming in the 38th minute through Lionel Messi and in the 43rd Minute through Thierry Henry. 38 year old Bayern Goalkeeper had a terrible day in office he was totally exposed of his communication lapse with his team mates. Helpless Bayern did fight back. The second half saw Jurgen Klinsmann’s Side re organize their defense and restricting Barcelona to add another to their misery. The eventful first half saw Barcelona being denied a penalty thus Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola was forced to watch the entire match from the stands after reacting violently against the decision. Bayern Munich did come close to scoring through Luca Toni and Frank Riberry but the Barca defense was rock solid as ever. With this embarrassing result German coach Jurgen Klinsman has a task cut out but the question is can they do it? For the answer we have to wait till the next leg is played in Allianz Arena. As of Barcelona they can boast of having 4-0 aggregate lead. Score: Barcelona (Messi 9’, Etoo 12’, Messi 38’, Henry 43’) 4 - 0 Bayern Munich Barcelona : Valdes, Dani Alves, Marquez, Pique, Puyol, Xavi, Toure Yaya (Busquets 81), Iniesta, Messi, Eto'o (Bojan 89), Henry (Keita 74). Bayern Munich : Butt, Oddo, Demichelis, Breno, Lell, Altintop (Ottl 46), Schweinsteiger, Van Bommel, Ze Roberto (Sosa 76), Ribery, Toni. Yellow Cards: Messi, Marquez (Both Barcelona) Yellow Cards: Lell, Demechelis (Both Bayern Munich) Referee: Howrad Webb (England) Gunning for the Semis... ! 8.04.2009 : Saurav Sureka :In a rematch of the semi-final of 2005/2006, Villarreal welcomed Arsenal to the El Madrigal with revenge on their minds. The two teams ended the night as they had started it, level pegging. However, Arsenal would the happier of the two teams as they came away with the all important away goal. The game saw two stunning strikes from either team which gave neither keeper any chance of keeping a clean sheet. It was a game of two halves as Villareal created more chances in the 1st half while Arsenal dictated the play in the 2nd. The first half however was anything but perfect for the Gunners as the Villarreal midfielders Senna and Ibagaza looked impossible to dispossess. The Arsenal keeper , Manuel Almunia hurt his right ankle after barely 5 minutes and looked uneasy afterwards. However he was at fault for being unable to stop Marcos Senna's long range stunner. Villareal kept up the heat on substitute keeper Lukas Fabianski, constantly testing him from long range shots.Then things got worse for Arsenal as Frenchman William Gallas too picked up an injury after colliding with Giuseppe Rossi. And to add insult to injury, skipper Fabregas was booked after taking a quick free kick. After the break, Adebayor got Arsenal off to a flying start finding space for balls from Song and Clichy. Then Walcott provided a brilliant cross for Adebayor who headed it just wide. Villareal were completely helpless against Adebayor who was single handedly turning the game around. Then on 66 minutes Fabregas beautifully lifted the ball up for Adebayor who then acrobatically scissor kicked it past the keeper. It was as if the duo had picked from where they had left off the previous weekend having teamed up for their 3rd goal in 2 games. However Villarreal too forced Toure to make to heroic clearances and tried to seize the initiative but where simply unable to get a victory against Arsenal's young brigade. Scoreline :Villareal (Senna 10') 1-1 Arsenal (Adebayor 66') (Yellow cards): Arsenal - Alexandre Song (39'),Emmanuel Adebayor(45'),Cesc Fabregas (45+1'),Samir Nasri (87') Match Referee - Tom Henning Øvrebø (NOR) ANOTHER JOLT AT HOME FOR THE RED DEVILS! 8.04.2009 : Rahul Sengupta :: Manchester United faced FC Porto in the first leg of the Quarter Finals of the UEFA Champions league with a vision to boost their defending champions status. But Porto had some other plans. Taking an early lead FC Porto gained momentum in the match, but it was FC Porto in action again when a bizarre defensive lapse led to an equalizer from Wayne Rooney. The match ended 2-2 with lots of work to be done for Sir Alex Ferguson, as it will be an uphill task for the red devils in the next week’s encounter at Estadio Bragao. History was against United when the match started as the experts still believed that there could be a repeat of history of the similar encounter in the year 2004 when Manchester United were humiliated at home by Jose Mourinho’s boys. The match had an absorbing start with the home side looking to consolidate on their recent home form but it took only four minutes for Porto to open the scoring with Midfielder Rodriguez who consolidated on Johny Evans’ mistake by unleashing a left footed low drive which went past skipper Van Der Sar. It was FC Porto who created more openings in the half and Wayne Rooney scored the equalizing goal in the 15th Minute thanks to another defensive blooper this by FC Porto’s experienced campaigner Bruno Alves, whose back pass was well intercepted by English hero Wayne Rooney. So the score line at the half time read 1-1. The second half saw a much-improved Manchester United and especially after addition of Ryan Giggs in the midfield and Argentine International Carlos Tevez upfront partnering Wayne Rooney. The move by Sir Alex did make his mark when Tevez finally put the host ahead thanks to a brilliant back heel by Wayne Rooney this time Porto goalkeeper Helton could not show his magic. FC Porto’s Brazilian striker Hulk along with Sissoko kept on building pressure in the Manchester United half and ultimately their efforts were rewarded in the 89th minute when Porto midfielder Mariano headed home a deflected cross from Raul Mareiles. This result exposes the recent poor run of form of the Red Devils and they have much work to do, as FC Porto will have an advantage of having scored as many as two away goals. Score: Manchester United 2 (Wayne Rooney 15’, Carlos Tevez 85’) FC Porto 2 (Rodriguez 4’, Mariano 89’) Yellow Cards: Bruno Alves and Helton (Both FC Porto) Referee: Konrad Plautz (Austria) BAYERN AND BARCA READY TO LOCK HORNS. 7.04.2009 : Rahul Sengupta :: 8th April 2009 Nou Camp stadium in Barcelona shall witness the clash of two former champions of the UEFA Champions League. With both the teams coached by two famous footballers of the past the event is now becoming more interesting. Barcelona being the home side will be looking to utilize the advantage and thus coach Pep Guardiola has instructed his boys to attack from the very first minute. Barcelona though has the record of conceding the maximum number of goals in the tournament so far as compared to the other teams in the quarterfinals of the tournament. Barcelona will be missing their center back Gabriel Millito. Pep Guardiola will be infact feel boosted by the fact that Alexander Hleb and Yaya Toure have fully recovered from their injuries thus making themselves available for the team selection on Wednesday. Bayern Munich on the other hand has its own problems. Fresh from the 5-1 shocking defeat in the hand of Bundesliga club Wolsburg, Coach Jurgen Klisman will be missing his key striker Miroslav Klose and Brazilian Defender Lucio. Jurgen Klisman also told the mediamen that he still remembers his playing career and disclosed that it is very difficult to play in the Nou Camp at such an important stage of the tournament. Bayern Munich team will be boosted by the presence of Hamit Altintop and Van Buyten. With both the teams keeping up to the momentum of thematch we expect a very close encounter with Bayern Munich being favorites for putting your bet on. THE CURSE OF THE DRAW :Liverpool vs Chelsea 7.04.2009 : Saurav Sureka :: It is said that lightning never strikes twice. However in the case of this matchup, not only has it struck twice, but an unbelievable 5 times. Defying all odds Liverpool and Chelsea were once again drawn together in the Champions League for the 5th year running. This matchup not only pits two English powerhouses, but it also pits two of the most consistent teams in the competition in recent years, together again. In one corner we have Liverpool, who in the past 4 years have shaped as a semifinalist, finalist and winner. In the other corner we have Chelsea, the perennial Champions League underachievers who in the last 5 years have racked up 3 semifinals and a final, with a trophy eluding them last season thanks to a missed penalty. Its seems now that both teams are destined to slog it out forever in the most elite club football competition. Liverpool undoubtedly start this match as hot favourites thanks to the Champions League being their manager, Rafael Benitez's forte. The key men for him will undoubtedly be Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard along with the KOP who have made Anfield the most intimidating stadium in recent memory. Another encouraging fact for the Kop would be that Liverpool have turned it on this season in the big games having done the double over Chelsea and Man. United and handing Real Madrid the walloping of their lives. Chelsea rarely start their games as underdogs but in this case they do. Having experienced something of a renaissance under Dutchman Guus Hiddink, Chelsea have still somewhat failed to win their matches convincingly having barely scraped through against Juventus in the previous round. However the wounds of Liverpool being the 1st to do the double over them in 4 years earlier in the season might not have healed as of yet. The Blues go into the game knowing the League is something of a lost cause for them and realizing the Champions League is the only trophy missing from their cabinet. Guus' main men will unarguably be Didier Drogba and Michael Essien, both of them having being reborn under the Dutchman. As ever the game is expected to be really tight with a closely contested midfield battle in the centre of the park. Barring last year's 2nd leg, the preceding 9 games have yielded a meagre 5 goals. Liverpool will start as strong favourites having the whole of Anfield behind their back. And Chelsea will know that if they are to emerge victorious over the 2 legs, they will have to get something from Anfield, whether it be a victory, an away goal or even a clean sheet. However going by previous years , the deciding factor will probably be luck. Whether it be Luis Garcia's ghost goal in 04-05, the lottery of the shootout in 06-07 or Riise's own goal last year, it has always been luck that h as proved to be the decisive factor in the meeting between these two English giants in a battle for supremacy. Injured and suspended players :: Liverpool - Hyypia, Mascherano Injured and suspended players :: Chelsea - Joe Cole Probable line-ups of Two Teams Liverpool - Reina - Arbeloa, Carragher, Skrtel, Aurelio - Alonso, Lucas - Kuyt, Gerrard, Riera - Torres Chelsea - Cech - A. Cole, Terry, Alex, Bosingwa - Mikel - Essien, Lampard, Ballack - Drogba, Anelka Mohun Bagan lost to Kuwait S.C in AFC Cup 07.04.2009 : FT :Match end..Mohun Bagan lost their third match to Kuwait S.C 0 - 1.. 90' : Match is going to end.. 2 - 3 minutes left..Kuwait S.C is leading 1 - 0..they are attacking from the left and playing two - three passes among themselves to waste the time... 86' :Mohun Bagan is trying to equalise.. Now Kuwait is attacking from right side.. they are westing time.. 82' : Change in Mohun Bagan..Branco in and Barreto out.. 77' : Well movement ..Isfaq's center from left..Deepak shoot.. but went wide.. 75' :Mohun Bagan is putting more pressure to the Kuwait Box.. Isfaq's good effort saved by Kuwait Keeper. 65' : Kuwait is leading by 1 - 0..Now they are attacking both left and right wing..MMB is now playing small passes among themselves.. a Barreto movement well stopped by Kuwait Defense. 58' : Danger in MMB Box.. Kuwait's Header just went away MMB post.. 62' : Gooaalll ...Scored by Kuwait..From A free Kick..Kuwait's Samer scored the goal by back heel.. Kuwait is leading 1 - 0.. 56' : James Singh out..Tulunga in for Mohun Bagan... 52' : Deepak to marcos..Marcos passed the ball to Habibur who cross the ball..but weak header of Baichung direct goes to the Kuwait Keeper's hand. 48' : Well attack by MMB..James's Shot save by Kuwait Keeper.. 48' : 2nd half starts.. Free kick taken by Kuwait ..Direct to Sangram's hand..Still the result is goalless. 45' : Fantastic side volly by Isfaq off Odafe Throw in... Ball just went away.. End of First Half..It's now Lemon Break. 44' : Mohun Bagan is attacking from left .. Isfaq to James.. James tries to enter in the Kuwait Box..Marcos got the ball.. he shoot..but his shot rebounds from the cross bar.. now Kuwait defense cleared the ball. 42' : Barreto is to isfaq to barreto.. he wants to enter in the Kuwait Box.. Dribbled two players.. But they fouled him.. Free kick just out side the Box..Marcos kicked.. no damage done 39' : Kuwait is attacking now.. 34' : Well attack by MMB but Kuwait defense cleared the ball..still the result is 0 - 0. 30' : A james singhs's shot went wide from a pass from Marcos.. 29' : Attacking and counter attacking done by both team.. Habibur again went to an overlap but failed to cross.. 20' : Kuwait is playing long ball now.. trying to break the MMB defense..Odafe of Mohun Bagan cleared a good attack of Kuwait side.. 16' :Kuwait is attacking from right side now.. trying to enter in the box.. stopped and cleared by MMB defense.. 12' :One to one situation Baichung entered in the Kuwait Box getting a ball from habibur..Kuwait defender was trying to stop him .. Baichung shoot..just went away..missed a chance. 7' :Kuwait is attacking from right side..crossed the ball but cleared by MMB defense... 4' :Habibur overlaping from right.. centered but direct to opponent Goalie.. 2' : Match starts.. Kuwait got a free kick.. MMB defense cleared.. M.Mohun Bagan: Sangram,Deepak,Habibur,Barreto(Branco),Isfaq (Lalkamal), Odafe,Baichung,James (Tulunga),Masih,Marcos,Anandvasan Kuwait S.C:Musab,Yousef,Ebrahim,Abdullah,Jarah,Farag,Samer,Albuti, Ahmed,Abdulhadi,Fahad. I - league 22nd round schedule by AIFF 07.04.2009 :After considering the opinion received from participating clubs and State Associations ,the ONGC I League Committee decided to shift the matches between Mahindra United & Mcdowell Mohun Bagan and Air India & Sporting clube de Goa to Delhi and Gurgaon. All the matches will be played on Thursday ,16th April as follows: Match No 127: Churchill Brothers Vs Mohammedan Sporting at PJN, Goa. Match No 128: Air India Vs Sporting clube de Goa at Gurgaon Match No 129: Kingfisher East Bengal Vs Dempo SC at Barasat ,Kolkata Match No 130: Mahindra United Vs M. Mohun Bagan at Ambedkar Stadium Delhi. Match No 131: JCT Vs Mumbai FC at GND Stadium Ludhiana. Match No 132: Vasco SC Goa Vs Chirag United at Tilak Maidan ,Goa. Courtesy:www.the-aiff.com Pre Match Press Meet : Mohun Bagan Vs Kuwait S.C 06.04.2009 :Today in a pre match press meet which held at the Howrah Municipal Corporation Stadium at 4.00 pm, M.Mohun Bagan coach Mr. Karim Benchirifa told that,the team will give it's 100% effort and the theam have the potential to perform well. Manju and Sangram are ruled out due to sickness but the coach imposed his faith in the rest of the Squad. He pointed out to the media that,Mohun Bagan had won the Federation Cup this year without Manju and Odafe's service. Speaking on the occasion the Al Kuwait S.C Coach frenchman Mr. Laurent Banide said thatm the he is very much pleased about the Ground condition,his team would adjust to the weather condition.The manager of the team informed later that, his team was leading in the league table in the National Football League but the position at the top was very tight.So the team was giving priority to the NFL. Hence, ho foreignes were in this team. In AFC cup Al Kuwait S.C are on four points with one win and one draw from their 2 matches while Mohun Bagan are yet to open their account in this tournament. INTERNATIONAL FLAVOUR SET TO ROCK I-LEAGUE!         johnny-menyongar        jeremy-christie 06.04.2009 : Rahul Sengupta :The I league season 2 is yet to come an end but it seems that more and more internationally acclaimed footballers are showing their willingness to join the top notch South Asian football league. Liberian born American Midfielder Johnny Menyongar was the first player to show his interest in playing top division club football in India and very soon Kiwi International footballer Jeremy Christie too lined up for the same. Johnny Menyongar is born in Liberia and has been playing his club football mostly in the American Major Soccer League. Currently he is playing for US first Division side Rochester Rhinos where he is assigned the jersey number 10 and has already scored more than 15 goals this season. He is also known to have played for A-league club Minesota Thunders for 5 years in a row and have scored more than 50 goals! He was also the captain of Liberian National team during their 2006 world Cup qualifier Campaign. Jeremy White is 25 years old Midfielder from New Zealand and have played Club football in Australian Club Perth Glory, British Club Barnsley and currently playing for New Zealand top Division club Wellington Phoenix. His contract with Phoenix is all set to expire in the month of June and thus he wants to accept new challenges while playing soccer in India. He has been playing for the New Zealand National age group teams since 1999 and made his senior national team debut in 2005. Since then he has 16 appearances and 1 international goal in his name to cherish. As a matter of fact both the players are the clients of Chicago based Sports Management firm and official content Partner of www. kolkatafootball.com Libero Sports LLC. Libero Sports representative Mr. Arvind Narayan however commented that they are still trying their best to strike the best deal possible. Certainly with the presence of so many footballers from higher ranked nations will boost the level of competition for the upcoming seasons of the I League. Preview :Man U - F.C Porto and Arsenal - Villarreal 06.04.2009 : Abhishek Bhattacharyya: UEFA Champions League strikes back this week with Quarter final clashes.Wednesday’s action will pitt Villarreal against Arsenal and Man Utd against FC Porto. Villarreal ousted the Greek heavyweights Panathinaikos to reach the last eight.The first leg ended at 1-1 but Manuel Pellegrini’s Yellow Submarine did their job in the second phase courtesy Ariel Ibagaza and Llorente’powerful strike.Their counterparts Arsenal dashed Roma’s hopes of playing the finale in their own den as the English team won via penalties 7-6. Villarreal will be playing the first leg in Estadio El Madrigal and Arsenal needs to play a cautious game in order to survive in this elite competition.Arsene Wenger’s side didn’t had the best of the season.Arsenal will be without striker Robin van Persie with a groin injury.Van Persie missed Saturday's 2-0 home win over Manchester City and was ruled out of the game by manager Arsene Wenger, the club's website reported on Monday. Eduardo Da Silva is also out of the squad due to his groin strain,yet the Gunners will be a strong force upfront with the likes of the Adebayor,midfielder Andrei Arshavin,Cesc Fabregas and not to forget Theo Walcott.In the back the quick legs of Gael Clichy and his over-lapping runs will cause a lot of problems for the Yellow Submarines. Samir Nasri will play a pivotal role in the midfield and lastly William Gallas and Kolo Toure have to play the role of shock absorbers as Villareal’s Turkish tornado Nihat poses a big threat to Arsenal’s defence.Guiseppe Rossi will be looking forward to give the home fans some magical finishes.Marcos Senna and Joan Capdevilla must provide their magic so that the home team can have an upperhand in the first-leg but the Spanish club will be missing the services of Santi Cazorla. Probable Line up of Two Teams : Villarreal : 13-Diego Lopez; 18-Angel Lopez, 4-Diego Godin, 2-Gonzalo Rodriguez, 5-Joan Capdevila; 10-Cani, 19-Marcos Senna, 6-Sebastian Eguren, 7-Robert Pires; 15-Nihat Kahveci, 22-Giuseppe Rossi Arsenal : 1-Manuel Almunia; 3-Bacary Sagna, 5-Kolo Toure, 10-William Gallas, 22-Gael Clichy; 27-Emmanuel Eboue, 17-Alex Song, 15-Denilson, 4-Cesc Fabregas , 14-Theo Walcott, 25-Emmanuel Adebayor. Wednesday’s second match will see Holders Manchester United taking on former Champions Porto.Porto advanced into the last 8 courtesy a better goal difference than their opponents Atletico Madrid.But the last 8 draw seems to be pretty tough for them as Manchester United is the hot favourite and only few will bet against Alex’s Babes. With a brilliant win in their Premiership clash against Aston Villa yesterday their confidence is soaring high and Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney will be like two demolisher in “The Theatre of Dreams” this Wednesday.The only man who can be Porto’s messiah is striker Lisandro Lopez. Federico Macheda, will keep his place in Manchester United's squad for their Champions League quarter-final against FC Porto tomorrow.The 17-year-old scored in the dying minutes against Aston Villa on his debut will get his name in the sub bench or not. Alex Ferguson does not intend to dump the Italian even though he has three senior players returning.Wayne Rooney, Paul Scholes and Nemanja Vidic are all back from suspension, although Rio Ferdinand is unlikely to figure as he is still troubled by a groin injury.Well,only time can answer that question. Probable Line up of Two Teams : Manchester United : 1-Edwin van der Sar; 22-John O'Shea, 5-Rio Ferdinand, 15-Nemanja Vidic, 3-Patrice Evra; 7-Cristiano Ronaldo, 16-Michael Carrick, 18-Paul Scholes, 11-Ryan Giggs; 32-Carlos Tevez, 10-Wayne Rooney F.C Porto : 1-Helton; 2-Bruno Alves, 14-Rolando, 21-Sapunaru, 28-Cissokho; 8-Lucho, 16-Raul Meireles, 25-Fernando; 9-Lisandro Lopez, 10-Cristian Rodriguez, 12-Hulk. PIFA Summer Football Camp in Mumbai 06.04.2009 : Premier India Football Academy (PIFA) have announced their annual football training camp. The camp will be held from 11 May to 15 May 2009 at the Bombay Scout & Guide ground in Juhu. Children between 10-18 years, boys & girls of all abilities can particiapte in this camp. The cost of the camp is Rs 1,250/- for 5 days with 2 hours training from 8am to 10 am. Children will get an opportunity to improve their football skills and game sense. The PIFA training program gaurantees improvement. Each child will be awarded a PIFA Certificate. MDFA under-15 Summer Vacation coaching camps 06.04.2009 : The Mumbai District Football Association will be conducting its Summer Vacation Coaching Camps for boys u-15 at 11 different venues spread across Mumbai city and its suburbs from April 19-May 8, 2009. Fifty boys at each centre, born between 01-01-1995 to 31-12-1997 will be imparted training by experienced coaches of our Association as well as free kit and refreshments. An inter-camp tournament will be conducted at the conclusion of the camps and the winner, runner up and third place team will be awarded cash prizes. The venues and venues-in-charge along with their telephone Nos are as follows: > Venue Venue in Charge Telephone No 1) Colaba, Back Garden Mr Sudhakar Rane 9322823035 2) Karnataka Ground Mr Prakash Shetty 9820004127 3) YMCA, Madanpura Mr Ayub Ansari 9833081853 4) St Xavier’s, Parel Mr Souter Vaz 9869021649 5) RCF, Chembur Mr Austin Coutinho 9322270637 6) Bandra, Supari Talao Mr Hugh Fernandes 9820012602 7) Andheri East Mr Everest Gonsalves 9820168091 8) Borivali West Mr Xavier Faria 9833793322 9) Navi Mumbai, Fr Agnel Mr Ranvir Singh 9820323098 10) Vasai, St Agustine Mr John Almeida 9322409500 11) Santa Cruz East Mr A P Rodrigues 9820850127 Al Kuwait S.C reach Kolkata to play against Bagan 05.04.2009 : Al kuwait S.C of Kuwait will play against Mohun Bagan on 7th April at Howrah Municipal Stadium from 3.30 PM IST.In this regards they will practice in the venue tomorrow from 3.00 pm for an hour before 1 hour practice of host team Mohun bagan. Afte that a joint prematch press conference will be held with head coach and one player of both teams at 4. PM. Al Kuwait Sports Club is a Kuwaiti professional football (soccer) club. They have won the Kuwaiti Premier League 10 times, with the most recent one coming in 2008.Al Kuwait Sport Club Kuwait Founded in the year 1960. 18000 capasity Stadium Al Kuwait Sports Club Stadium is situated in the City Kaifan of Kuwait. Achievements Kuwaiti Premier League: 1965, 1968, 1972, 1974, 1977, 1979, 2001, 2006, 2007, 2008 Kuwait Emir Cup : 1976, 1977, 1978, 1980, 1985, 1987, 1988, 2002 Kuwait Crown Prince Cup: 1994, 2003, 2008 Al Kurafi Cup: 2005 Performance in AFC Competitions AFC Champions League: 2002-03: Qualifying West - 2nd Round AFC Champions League: 2005: Group Stage AFC Champions League: 2007: Group Stage AFC Champions League: 2008: Group Stage AFC Cup: 2 appearance :: 2009: Asian Club Championship: 1 appearance : 2002 : Group Stage Courtesy:www.goalzz.com THE SQUAD Name Position Number Laurent Banide Coach - mohammad Abdullah Asst. Coach - Khaled Al-fadhli Goalkeeper 23 mosab Al-kandery Goalkeeper 1 Abdullah almarzouqi Defense 33 Ahmed Al-Sebeeh Defense 25 Fahad Awadh Defense 3 Hussain Hakem Defense 20 Khalid Abdullah Defense 14 Mubarak Abdulaziz Defense 5 Nawaf osama Defense 27 Samer Al-Marta Defense 21 Abdulrazaq Albuti Midfield 36 Andre Macanga (Foreigner -Angola) Midfield 8 Ebraheem shehab Midfield 6 Jarah Al Ataiqi Midfield 17 Jehad Al-Houssain Midfield 6 Meshal hameed Midfield 7 Waleed Ali Jumaha Midfield 15 Abdullah Alsallal Forward 37 Abdullah Nahar (Foreigner- Bahrin) Forward 9 Abdulrahman AlAwadi Forward 17 Faraj Laheeb Forward 19 Ismael Sulaiman Al Ajmi Forward 13 Khaled Ajab Forward 11 Naser Alqahtani Forward 10 Rogerio de Assis Silva (Foreigner - Brazil) Forward - Current Performances Mohun Bagan 21 May 08   :: AFC Champions League   :: Al Kuwait 1 -2 Al Qowa 07 May 08   :: AFC Champions League   :: Saipa Karaj 1 - 0 Al Kuwait 23 April 08   :: AFC Champions League   :: Al Kuwait 2 - 1 Al Wasl Dubai 17 Marc 09   :: AFC Cup   :: Al Kuwait 2 - 1 Al Karama 10 Marc 09   :: AFC Cup   :: Al Wahdat 1 - 1 Al Kuwait Manoj Mishra is going to make another World Record 04.04.2009 : Manoj Mishra, a 26 years old, ball juggler from Panskura, Midnapore, left home 6 years ago for football. He made it into the "Limca Book of World Records" in 2005 by juggling a football non-stop 20,000 times using his feet, thighs, head and chest and did not allow the ball to touch the ground. The event was held at Shivaji Park ,Mumbai in presence of a large crowd on April 6, 2005. In 2006, he bettered the 2-hour Guinness record of Mexico’s Adalberto Sanchez by balancing a football on his head, he beat the record four times over.On January 6, 2008, he set another record for balancing the ball on his head for 12 hours without a break. Manoj developed his juggling technique while working in Gujarat. He said, “I was living on my own and there was no one to play with. But I did not want to stop playing. So I used to practice juggling and balancing the ball,” says Mishra, who shifted to Mumbai about three years ago and started working as a caretaker of a Dadar based Bengal Club. on 8th March 2009, at Andul Primary School Field, Howrah assisted by a local club Tarun Sangha, where he made an another world record for balancing a football on his head for 14 hours. During his balancing act, he performed various styles of "RAMDEV PRANAYAM" and "YOGA". :: CLICK HERE Now Manoj is going to make an another World Record tomorrow at Howrah, Santragachi BNR Ground,Assist by Local Club ADIDAS A.C, from 5 PM - 6 PM, where he will be bouncing a football 380 times nonstop in 60 seconds on his forehead. He wants to break previous World Record of Gaochong of Beijing,China who bounced the same 341 times within a minute on 3rd November 2007 . "I can do a lot for Indian Football" Vikash Dhorasoo 04.04.2009 : For kids like Ram Kewal, Raju, Anis, who have grown up living on the streets of Delhi, it was a special Saturday morning. Playing along side French World Cup footballer Vikash Dhorasso was something they never dreamt of, but it came true. For the 35-year-old Dhorasoo, who has his roots in Andhra Pradesh, it was like a home coming though he is on his first trip to India. Dhorasoo, whose parents migrated to Mauritius from Andhra Pradesh before settling in France, said it was a wonderful experience to stand up for a social cause, which he has done throughout his career. He led Dhorasoo XI to a 5-0 win against Renedy Singh (India vice-captain) XI in an exhibition match at the St. Columba’s School to kick off a talent hunt programme among street children. The Frenchman is the brand ambassador of the event - DSC Soccer Balak Ki Khoj - that is being organised by London-based Consortium For Street Children. “I am not here to find the next Zidane. I am here to help and hope to see an Indian playing in some top league abroad. But it won’t happen tomorrow. It will take time,” Dhorasoo said. Dhorasoo could connect to the kids as he also comes from a poor background. He grew up in the tough suburbs of Le Havre in France, fighting racism. He hung up his boots after the 2006 World Cup after earning 18 caps for the Les Blues and successful stints with Olympic Lyon, AC Milan and Paris Saint-Germain. Before the 2006 World Cup, he was tipped to take the place of retired Zidane, who came out of retirement to lead France to the final. Dhorasoo represented France in the World Cup coming on as substitute in two matches. “World Cup was a great experience. It was a great moment for me. I didn’t play; it was the choice of the coach. Zidane’s comeback was unfortunately not good for me,” he said. Warming the bench, Dhorasoo utilised the time in preparing a secret documentary “Substitute” that showed the life of a footballer on the reserve bench. The film was screened at the IDFA Documentary Festival in Amsterdam in November. Though he isn’t making any more films but he is hooked to Bollywood movies. Humming lines like Jimmy, Jimmy, Jimmy (from “Disco Dancer”) and My Name is Anthony Gonsalves (from “Amar Akbar Anthony”), Dhorasoo said that this is not going to be his last trip to India as he wants to work for more such social causes. “I am working with the Mayor of Paris for the development of underprivileged children. Here (India) it is a wonderful opportunity for me and I didn’t think twice after I was offered this role. Here I feel like an average Indian,” he said.Dhorasoo said that he can offer a lot to Indian football and met officials of All India Football Federation (AIFF). “I can do a lot for Indian football. India is a virgin territory for football It is a big business and I am hopeful that the situation in India can change,” he said. Source:IANS www.theindian.com Teekecee Football Club of Kerala East Bengal defeat JCT 2 - 1 03.04.2009 : 90'+3':Match End..East Bengal won the match by 2 - 1..East Bengal point tally = 27 after 21 matches while JCT = 22 points after same outings. 90':East Bengal is still leading 2 - 1..two or three minutes left..JCT is trying to Equalise.. 89':East Bengal again in the Box of JCT..Malswamma missed the target off a Sanju pradhan pass.. 87':It could be dangerious ..Alvito shoot a left footer off a pass from Yakubu.. his shot hitted just out side the net.. 85':Sanju pradhan's long shot from right side went away.. goal kick for JCT. 83':Now east Bengal is attacking from left side..cleared by JCT defence..Edu's header went away.. 80':Baljit Sing Saini out and Shakatar Singh in for JCT.. 75':Gooalll.....JCT scored..Eduardo punched the ball ..abhra stopped and fallen ..Eduardo scored the rebound ball 72':Alvito in the box ..try to cross the ball but cleared by JCT defence.. 69': Gooalll.....Again by Yakubu..Alvito to Jayanta..to Nirmal to Yakubu..East Bengal is leading by 2 - 0.. 65':Bad tackle by Mehraj just out side the penalty Box..Free kick..Escober took shot.. deflected in the KEB wall.. 63':JCT is putting more peressure in the 2nd half after Escober's joing in the team..Renedy out and Alvito into the field of East Bengal 60':Danger in East bengal Box..Golden missed by Balwant Singh from a pass of Amandeep Sing...Alvito is warming up in the side line.. 57':Nabi to Renedy to Yakubu.. Aimless punch of Yakubu.. 55':Change for East Bengal.. Sanju Pradhan in and Mehtaab Hossain out..JCT attack..Balwant poor cross ..well saved by Abhra.. 53':Danger in the East bengal Box..Well saved by Abhra off a Jaspal's sudden shot.. 53':JCT changing players..Shivraj Sing out and Randeep Singh in.. 51': Corner for East Bengal..Renedy's cross.. Musah's header went away.. 49':Well attck by East Bengal.. Nabi crossed but no man in the box.. 47':2nd half started..Baljeet fouled Nirmal Chhetri .. Soumik passed the ball to Nabi.. but offside.. Half TIme: Now it's half Time..East Bengal 1 - 0 JCT.. 45':Lemon break is coming.. East bengal is leading 1 - 0 by a goal of Yakuby in the 34th minutes..Jct is attacking from the right side.. Nirmal cleared it.. corner for JCT..no damage done in the corner.. 43':Paul mcjames slightly injured.. he is lying on the ground..Now he is taken out side the ground..match stopped for a while..Match resume.. Baldeep's cross from right side..Balwant's header just went away.. 40':Well saved by Karanjeet of JCT.. Renedy to Mehtaab..Mehtaab passed it to Yakubu..Yakubu shoot the ball directly which well gripped by Karanjeet.. 39':JCT increasing pressure to KEB defence.. Baldeep Singh jr. well header missed the target ... 37':Hand ball of Renedy just out side the box..free kick..jagpree's header just went away the cross bar..East Bengal is leading 1 - 0.. 34': Gooalll... by yakubu..30 yard punch.. after receving a ball from Addo by his chest..beat a defender of JCT and punch by his right footer.. 33':Musah cleared a ball of JCT's jagpreet's attack.. throw in..counter attack by KEB..Jayanta missed his left footer safter getting a pass from Mehtaab .. 31':Sanju pradhan is warming up in the side line..probabley he will enter.. 30':East bengal attack from right side..poor center of nabi..no damage done. 28':It could be danger.. Mehrajuddin's back pass to Abhra.. 25':East Bengal is attacking from left.. missed pass by mehtab..now JCT is attacking.. 22':Musah fouled Amandeep of JCt.. free kick ..no damage done.. 20':20 minutes gone.. no score.. 17':East Bengal is playing well measured ground pass among them....Counter attck by JCT from right flank..well cross but no one JCT player in the box.. 14': KEB got a free kick..poor shot by Renedy.. cleared by JCT defence.. 11': Golden oppertunity.. Musah's header goes out.. 7':Counter attack by Balbant of Jct.. his shot well cleard by KEB defence..no damage done.. 5':East Bengal is putting pressure by using both of their wings.. JCT attck.. ball went to Abhra's hand. 3': Nabi missed a chance.. Addo to Soumik..from left soumik's well cross ..but Nabi unable to head terget 1':Good attack by KEB..Addo try to enter in the box but offside.. KF East Bengal:Abhra Mondol,Nirmal Chhetri ,Suleh Musah,Jayanta Sen, Renedy Singh (Alvito d Counha ),Yusif Yakubu,Mehtab Hossain (Sanju Pradhan), Ismile Addo,Rahim Nabi,Mehrajuddin ,Soumik Dey(Malswamma). JCT:Karanjit Singh,Jaspal Singh,Anwar Ali,Baljit Singh Saini (Shaktar Singh),Jagprit Singh,Balwant Singh,Paul Mcjames (Eduardo Escober),Shivraj Singh (Randeep Singh),Amandeep Singh,Baldeep Singh Jr.,Sarbjeet Singh. Bagan beat Vasco 3 - 0 02.04.2009 :Kolkata giants Mohun Bagan beat Vasco SC in ONGC I-League encounter at the Vidyasagar Krirangan,Barasat. Today in the 4th minute of the match, Vasco's Sherzod Nazarov lobbed the ball over Mohun Bagan goalkeeper Sangram Mukherjee, but unfortunately ball hitted the cross bar.But,Vasco were the better played in the first half and in the 18th minutes a free kick from Yorkin Nazarov just beat Mohun Bagan keeper and went away the near post. Vasco goalkeeper Milagrio Madeira, made a brilliant save from a Mohun Bagan counter attack. Vasco had another chance in the 31st minute but Nazarov was again unlucky as his header missed the target. Manju's header from a Marcos Pereira cross was saved brilliantly by Milagrio who dived full length on to his right to keep the ball away. Mohun Bagan also missed a couple of chances. In the 11th minute Ishfaq missed inside the box from a Baretto cross. But Isfaq, however gave his side the lead in the 42nd minutes when Baichung got a loose ball in midfield, ran a few paces, saw unmarked Barreto and gave a well measured pass towards right flank. Barreto then brilliantly chipped the ball that curled and went straight to Ishfaq. Ishfaq timed the header to perfection that went to far corner of the net, thus Mohun Bagan went 1-0 up. The scored remained same in halftime. Barreto was at his best in the 62nd minute when the Brazilian beat the Vasco goalkeeper in an one to one situation .Baichung gave a brilliant through pass to Barreto who was equally efficient in his task and went past Vasco goalkeeper and cool headedly finished by taking a right footed shot and making it 2-0 in favor of Bagan. An air-borne Manju banged in the 3rd goal in 80th minutes when Bagan got a corner kick, Lalkamal took a short corner and Marcos curled the ball in for Manju who nicely connected the ball via his right foot to push it inside goal making the scoreline 3-0. M.Mohun Bagan: 1-Sangram Mukherjee, 3-N.S.Manju, 4-Deepak Mondal, 5-Habibur Rehmanl, 14-Peter Odafe, 16-James Singh Sr., 20-Rakesh Masih (37-Lal Kamal Bhowmick), 30-Marcos Pereira, 10-Barreto (12-Branco Cardozo), 11-Ishfaq Ahmed (9-Lalam Puia), 15-Baichung Bhutia. Vasco S.C 1-Milagrio Madeira, 18-Elvino Fernandes,34-Prajot Naik, 5-Covan Lawrence , 24-Fulganco Cardozo; 29-Ravshan, 31-Y.Nazarov (16-Jose Colaco), 19-Menino Fernandes (11-Donald Rocha), 32-S. Nazarov (15-Agnelo Colaco),28-Lalnun Puia, 35-Lester Fernandez, Dempo beat Mohammedan Sporting 4 -1 in I-League 02.04.2009 : Ten-men Dempo in the second half thumped Mohammedan Sporting 4 -1 to figure fourth in points table of the ONGC I-League football at Nehru Stadium on Thursday. Dempo, who was leading 3-0 during the half time, scored through Ranty Martins (8th, 22nd), Roberto Mendes D'Silva (34th) and Joaquim Abranches (88th). Dempo dominated the entire first half and ahead in the 8th minute when Ranty Martins got a ball off a throw in from the right side and after dribbling two Mohammedan defenders pushed an angular shot towards the goal (1 - 0 ) . Dempo extended the lead in 22nd minute when Anthony Fernandes forwarded a pass to Ranty Martins who beat a defender before sending the ball into the net (2 - 0). Dempo Midfielder Brazilian Beto, who missed two easy chances earlier scored with his low right footer from inside the box in 34th minute to secure a 3-0 lead. In the second half Dempo Defender John Dias was shown the red card as he intentionally handled a goal-bound shot off Mike Okoro inside the box. Referee awarded a penalty in favour of Mohammedan and Mike Okoro scored the only goal for his side in 68th minute. (3 - 1 ) Joaquim Abranches rounded off the tally with a firm right footer off a Climax Lawrence pass in 88th minute. (4 - 1 ). With this win Dempo increased their points tally to 30 from 20 outings while Mohammaden Sporting threatened by relegation remained on same 22 points from 21 outings and will play their last round match against title Churchill Brothers. Bagan to meet Vasco tomorrow 01.04.2009 :Kolkata: After drew the last encounter against JCT in their away match at Ludhiana Mohun Bagan now will take on bottom-rung Vasco SC in their ONGC I-League encounter at Barasat Stadium tomorrow.The match will be started from 6.30 PM IST. Mohun Bagan which needs 3 points in their title quest will have to win all their remaining 3 matches.If they will win all the remaining matches then their points will be 45. After East Bengal halted Mohun Bagan's dream run in Round 16 by 3 - 0, Karim Bencherifa's boys lost to Churchill and later had a bad result in the AFC Cup. Mohun Bagan resumed their I-League campaign and struggled to win against qualifiers Chirag United SC, while in their previous encounter JCT bounced back to hold the Kolkata outfit 1 - 1. good luck for Mohun Bagan as Churchill drew against Air India 1 - 1 in the same round encounter, leaving the chance still open for Mohun Bagan,otherwise Churchill would be the winner of League if they won the match on that day. Mohammedan Sporting, also facing relegation with 22 points from 20 games, as many as JCT and Chirag United, were playing good football in second leg with no defeat in last five games, including two wins, might pose a danger to Churchill Brothers on April 17. Probable Team of Bagan Sangram,Deepak,Manju,Odafe,Rahul,Masih,Marcos,Tulunga,Isfaq,Baichung ,Barreto CHIRAG GETS VALUABLE POINT FROM MUMBAI FC 01.04.2009 : S.Mitra :Chirag United manage to draw today's away match against Mumbai FC 0-0 and got 1 point which helped them to move a little away from the relegation zone. In first leg Chirag - Mumbai F.C match was ended 1 - 1. In 10th minute, from Felix's pass, Anees' shot was blocked by Chirag goalkeeper. In 27th minute, Subhasish was shown yellow card for blocking the free kick by standing close to the ball. Mumbai FC seemed to dominate proceedings in first half but Chirag defence stood firm and Daniel played well in defence. Chirag played a defensive 3-5-2 in first half but after lemon break seemed to come out of shell and attack more. In 50th minute, Hardip got the ball in Mumbai FC box but he hesitated and ball was cleared by defence, there was an appeal for penalty which referee disallowed. Within 2 minutes, Felix missed an easy chance when he could not convert off a cross from Abel. In 58th minute, Kuluthungan was shown yellow card. In 68th minute, Kulu took a wide ranger shot that went straight to goalkeeper. In 75th minute, Chirag missed the easiest chance to score when Hmar delivered the ball from right towards Sankar, who as usual missed from very close range. Within 2 minutes, Mumbai FC went one man down after Kuluthungan was shown yellow card for the second time and thus got marching orders. Chirag then pressed for goal but could not score though they came very close couple of times, Shankar's shot from edge of box went wide and from an inswinging corner by Snehasish, Subhasish could not convert from very close range. The match ended 0-0. Anas Edathodika of Mumbai FC was declared Man of Match. Mumbai F.C : 30-Lihaz Koya, 2-Anes Edathodika, 28-Kamaljeet Kumar, 19-Sanjay Parte, 5-Selwyn Fernandes, 17-Kalia Kulothungan,20-Riston Rodrigues, 27-Anees. K (29-Subash Chakraborty),11-Abel Hammond, 9-Abhishek Yadav (12-Alex Ambrose),10- Felix (7- Kattimani), Chirag United: 21-Robikanta,17-Bidemi Daniel, 2-Louis Ebami ,15-Dulal Biswas ( 7-Hardip Saini), 5-Subhashish Roy Chowdhury, 6-R Dhanarajan, 30-Gouranga Datta (27- Hmar, 14-Basudeb Mondal),11-Snehasish Chakraborty, 25-Shankar Oraon, 37-Denson Devadas, 9- Muritala Ali RETURN TO HOME