Portugal March 2013

Two games in the Portuguese top division.

16th March  Olhanense 1 Pacos Ferreira 2  1,184 (20 away)

To the Algarve, where even if it is cloudy, you can appreciate the attraction to visitors from further north.

Friendly locals, not too crowded and good value Faro is a pleasant location for a brief visit and Olha is just a ten minute drive along the coast.

The local team has a small ground overlooked by some apartments.

Just the two sides were in use with a small group of visiting fans in the corner of one side and some lively local ultras in the other corner.

Most fans were in the ‘main stand’ and they saw two goals from Manuel Jose settle the issue.

Both times he shot in right footed after being left too much space by the home defence.

Cape Verdean Babanco setup the consolation goal with an excellent free kick that was eventually converted at the far post by Djaniny.

But Olhanense could not get a second equaliser and hence suffered a damaging defeat to leave them in the bottom two.

For Pacos Ferreira it was a win that reinforced their hold on fourth position.

With the match finishing at around 7pm there was time enough to enjoy some wine and local food back in Faro.

17th March  Estoril 2 Academica 0  1,512 (200 away)

I drove from Faro to Lisbon through showery weather that improved nearer the capital.

Estoril play in Amoreira, a built up area inland from the coast.

If you arrive early, as I did, there a selection of local cafes (and an old cinema to photograph) in which to while away the time.

Again the ground was two sided and fairly small with a decent sized away section, more than enough to hold the 200 or so visitors from Coimbra.

Next door is an all-weather pitch that was in use for a ladies match.

This was a comfortable victory for the home team who scored twice in the first period with Luis Leal featuring in both goals.

First his shot was parried by the Academica goalie for Lica to convert and then he hit the bar, after which Carlos Eduardo followed up to score.

Apart from some ‘Ronaldo’ style free-kicks from Edinho the away team offered little threat as the Estoril defence remained solid.

Despite some disagreements near the end that resulted in yellow cards the outcome seem decided well before the final whistle.

Back over the bridge, past the statue of Christ and a drive back down south for me.

To stay in Castro Verde, about an hour from Faro airport, from where  I returned to Stansted on the Monday morning.

more pictures  http://www.photobox.co.uk/album/1807866155

Italy February 2013

This trip comprised six games in Italy including a visit to Palermo, Cagliari and Lazio.

22nd February Juve Stabia 2 Grosseto 1  Serie B   1,865 (one or two away fans)

On a very wet Friday night in Al Capone’s home town Juve Stabia went back into the play-off positions with this win.

In the first period they took their best chance and Grosseto squandered theirs.
Specifically Zito, a threat down the left, took his opportunity coming inside to shoot home right footed.
Whereas Piovaccari for the visitors missed his when through on goal.

Mancino was to score a quality free kick early in the second for the equaliser but the home hero was striker Bruno who converted a left wing cross for the winner on 76 minutes.

That was it apart from a very long fracas at the end when Grosseto were awarded a free kick near to the place where Mancino scored earlier.
After 5 minutes of pushing and shoving, with three men booked, the same man eventually took the kick but shot over.

Castellammare di Stabia is about an hour on a slow train from Napoli past the Bay of Naples with possible views of Vesuvius, if the weather was better.
The rundown industry that you see and the general feel of the area is reminiscent of parts of Argentina.

After the match there was a convenient 9.15pm return train to Napoli - with just myself and one other on it.

23rd February Palermo 0 Genoa 0 Serie A  18,995 (c. 30 away)

Arriving at about 7pm after a long train and ferry ride from Napoli meant I had just enough time to register at my hotel and get the bus to the stadium.

Which was used during the 1990 World Cup and it is probably little changed with an atmospheric two tiers, all open apart from the ‘main stand’.
The home ultras provided the noise and smoke with a small group from Genoa ensconced  in the right corner.

This game was goalless mainly because of strong performances by both goalies which culminated in a fantastic block by Genoan keeper Sebastien Frey with about fifteen minutes left.

The rain increased and neither team could get any closer.

A helpful local gave me a ride back to the main Liberta avenue where I eventually was able to get a bus back to my hotel.

24th February  Cagliari 4 Torino 3   Serie A  212 (12 away)

Being near the station in Palermo helped even though I still had to get up at 4.30am to catch the 5am bus to the fairly distant airport.
An Alitalia flight to Rome, then the same airline on to Cagliari enabled me to be in Sardinia by 10.30am.
At least it was milder on the island and you certainly warm up climbing the steep roads towards the Castello area of the city.

Cagliari now play at the new Is Arenas stadium in the Quartu Sant’Elena area - a 30 minute bus ride from the centre.
This being Italy there has been a saga connected with the use of the new ground resulting in the club President being jailed for the apparent misuse of funds (I think)
As always it seems the matter is ‘complicated’.

But the stadium looks fine with a solid, comfortable main stand and three other sizeable semi-temporary open seating areas.
Because of ongoing issues apparently regarding security and possibly road closures they had to play this match ‘behind closed doors’.
Which in effect meant a limit of around 200 people were allowed in, including a small group from Turin.
Fortunately I had a contact who was able to arrange my entry.

Those who were there still generated some atmosphere (‘forza ragazzi’) and they played Pink Floyd’s ‘wish you were here’ for the absent President.

And we had a seven goal thriller with three penalties, all converted with shots high into the net,
two sendings off and two goals in added time including a last minute winner.

It didn’t look like a goalfest in the first half with just the one penalty by the home side.
But Torino scored twice early in the second period and then the action increased.

Cagliari captain Daniele Conti glanced in a header, Ogbonna got sent off (two yellows) as did Diop (in less than a minute for raising his hand to an opponent)
Torino scored their penalty but Conti’s deflected effort sealed the win much to the delight of all around me.

So an action packed game but sadly just a few fans to see it.

Incidentally the last time I watched Cagliari (at West Brom) was in 1971 when the famous Luigi Riva was in their team.

An evening in Cagliari followed though I did struggle to find a suitable restaurant as many were closed.

25th February Lazio 2 Pescara 0 Serie A   26,613  (70 away)

A mid-morning flight to Fiumicino where some hours later a certain Diego Armando Maradona was to arrive to somewhat more hullabaloo.

Yes it was all happening in Italy - an election, Il Papa resigning and Maradona back in Italy !

Meanwhile in the Stadio Olimpico Lazio won and moved up to third in Serie A thanks to two ‘missiles’ firstly from a Radu left footer then a Lulic run and shot into the top of the net.

Pescara found it hard to break down the solid Lazio defence and never really got close.

Their small group of fans appeared just after the start a la the Argentinian barra brava waving flags and rushing down the front of the curva sud.
The remainder of that end was empty.

It seems that Lazio do not have that many stars, although Hernanes, complete with head guard, looked a presence in midfield, and surely they can’t keep scoring those kind of goals every week.

Striker Floracci missed his chances and as for the visitors, Elvis (Abbruscato) was in the building for a while but generally ineffective.

So a regulation win for Lazio on a cold night in the eternal city.

It needed a brisk walk back to my hotel in Vatican City and a glass of vino rosso before I properly warmed up.

26th February  Ternana 1 Novara 1  Serie B  5,257 (20 away)

Terni is about an hour on the train north east from Rome.

Ternana have an interesting stadium on the edge of this small city comprising mostly open triple tiers of wide curving stands in a style unlikely to be repeated any time soon.

Both these teams are in mid-table with an outside chance of making the top six.

For most of game it was Novara who looked more likely with better passing than the home side.
But Ternana did present a threat from set pieces.

The visitors took the lead following good work down the left by Seferovic who crossed for Bruno Fernandes to convert.
Then Ternana stepped up the pressure and they eventually got a penalty from which sub. Maneiro scored, shooting into the corner.
As time went on it seemed both sides settled for the single point.

Afterwards a walk back to my central hotel and an early night was in order.

27th February  Bari 0 Hellas Verona 2  Serie B  6,376 (100 away)

To Ancona past some snow-capped mountains then along the coast to Bari.

Bari play in the large Stadio San Nicola, another 1990 World Cup venue.
The stadium looks spectacular from outside but is far from cosy on a cold February night with a sparse attendance.

The home ultras did their best and there was a decent turnout of away fans but Bari look to be in free fall.

Hellas sealed the victory with two goals from the excellent Brazilian Martinho, the first after a defender error and the second from a breakaway in added time.
Both were expertedly taken.

Bari failed to get their passing going and to add to their misery they also had two men dismissed, including Bellomo for protesting when it did look like the home side should have had a penalty.

The stadium is some distance from the centre and although on a bus route the service had terminated by the time the match had finished.
So after some abortive attempts to get a lift I was eventually taken back to the centre by some ‘ladies-of-the-night’ for a fare of 10 euros.

Apart for the lift home I didn’t indulge any further.

My route home was via Naples where I had time to walk around the atmospheric old central streets and admire the occasional Maradona shrine.

More pictures at http://www.photobox.co.uk/album/1787855203

Spain February 2013

A three game weekend in Spain travelling from Madrid to Valencia and returning to the capital for two Sunday fixtures.

Isco kid double.

9th February 2013   Levante 1 Malaga 2  Primera Liga  14,684 (c.100 away)

I arrived after a flight from London and a, at times, 300km/hour train ride from Madrid to Valencia.

Where there was a feeling of the end of winter as the daylight stretched to nearly 7pm.
The locals strolled around the centre, in particular the impressive cathedral area and the protestors reminded everyone of the current political situation.

The stadium is a forty minute walk from the centre of the city and as is typical it reflects the club (red/blue) colours.

Looking at the teams Malaga had the ‘names’ e.g. Isco, Baptista, Toulalan, Saviola and Demichelis.
And it was the first mentioned who would make the difference, scoring from a (dubious) penalty and again from the edge of the area when given too much space.

Levante had taken the lead from Barkero’s penalty on 25 minutes after the lively Obafemi Martins had been knocked down. But they were second best for most of the match.

It needed a brisk walk back to warm-up, helped by some vino whilst watching the later games on TV.

Goalless in Fuenlabrada.

10th February  Fuenlabrada 0 Alcala 0  Segunda B  c.300

Having taken the morning train from Valencia to Madrid I had just enough time to get to Fuenlabrada, via the metro, for this midday kick-off.

In difficult windy conditions on a lively pitch the most notable events in this game were the sending off of an Alcala player after about 17 minutes and two late chances for each side.

The visitors played well with ten men and should have scored when their no.10 was clear from a breakaway in the second period but he delayed too long.
And in added time the Fuenlabrada striker badly mishit a cross when near goal.

So it stayed goalless.

Juli and Camille are hot but Andy Pando doesn’t appear.

10th February  Alcorcon 3 Las Palmas 1  Segunda Liga   2,000 (c.100 away)

A bitterly cold ‘3-dog night’ (for me a five-layer night including two woolly hats, two pairs of socks and thermals) enlivened by a dynamic performance from the home side and an outstanding ‘gangnam style’ dance by a ballboy at half-time.

Alcorcon look a force, certainly at home, as they went hard at the visitors, who for the most part couldn’t handle the pace of the attacks.

Initially Las Palmas had more play and the lightning quick Thievy was a constant threat.
But the match turned on 26 minutes as the excellent Juli finished off a move down the right and that was followed by Oriol scoring when given far too much time just before half time.

A third converted from the near post by Fernando Sales sealed the victory.

The visitors did get a late consolation from sub. Chrisantus after good work by Thievy but this win moved Alcorcon up to third in the second division.

The stadium, in a unspectacular southern suburb of Madrid, is compact with mostly open seating (not so good on a rainy night) painted in the club’s yellow colours.
Some 100 or so supported Las Palmas though I guess most would be Madrid based.

Particularly for older viewers the endearingly named Andy Pando sadly didn’t make an appearance.

more pictures at  http://www.photobox.co.uk/album/1763511888

Portugal February 2013

A short visit to northern Portugal for two top level matches.

From Stansted to Porto on a cool, breezy early February day.
The Ryanair flight was full but left on time and arrived, helpfully, 30 minutes ahead of schedule.

Then a ride on the modern metro to downtown, followed by a return trip towards Varzim, getting off at Vila do Conde for :-

2nd February  Rio Ave 2 Sporting 1  2,356 (c. 500 away)  Primeira Liga

Not only a football ground but the impressive remains of an eighteenth century viaduct greet you as you disembark from the metro.

I wonder if Ricky van Wolfswinkel will have his historical monument ?
On this evidence it is unlikely.

He spent most of the game isolated up front as the other Sporting players tried to develop attacks down the flanks. Rarely did he get involved, apart from a few slim half chances.
But for a ‘penalty-box striker’ I suppose that can happen, especially away from home.

It had all started so comfortably for Sporting when Diego Capel crossed for Jeffren to score in the sixth minute.
Jeffren had another good opportunity later in the first half but the home goalie saved his effort.

And so Rio Ave would equalise just before half time as Tarantini’s shot was deflected past Rui Patricio and the momentum switched towards the home team.
Culminating in Bebe delivering to Ukra who forced in the winner, again via a deflection.

Sporting thus languish well down the league table and Rio Ave, in fifth, have a shot at the top three.
The visiting fans brought along plenty of banners which mostly seemed to criticise the League management.

As the match went on it had got significantly cooler so I was glad there was a convenient 8pm metro train back to the centre.
There I chose a local ‘6 euro meal’ (lamb and red wine) whilst watching the evening match on TV.

3rd February  Gil Vicente 4 Maritimo 2    2,289  Primeira Liga

Barcelos is about an hour by train from Porto and the newish Gil Vicente stadium is a steady 30 minute walk from the station.

Before that I had arrived early and enjoyed sitting outside a central cafe to watch the world go by in bright sunny conditions. The ‘world’ included a loudspeaker van that, I think, was promoting that afternoon’s game.

Which was not a bad shout as the home side were good value for their win.
The victory began with a Joao Vilela penalty after Hugo Vieira had been brought down in the area.

A second was added on thirty seven minutes and although Maritimo replied with their own penalty the home side stretched their lead with two Vieira goals. The final goal being at the end of a superb passing move (accompanied by Ole’s from the crowd)

Vilela did get a red card for a bad tackle but that didn’t really hamper Gil Vicente.
.
Maritimo kept going and they got a second consolation in the final minute of added time although I don’t think there were any away fans there to celebrate.

The stadium is impressive for a less heralded club with two tiers behind one goal and cover all around.

One or two themes stick in the mind after these two games (apart from the enigma that is Ricky van Wolfswinkel) - the continuing inability of most local players to take throw-ins correctly and the tactic that ‘if you scream’ during a tackle the opposing player will get booked.

And when you contemplate the history of the Portuguese top flight the continued dominance of the same few teams - since 1935 ,apart from a single title for Belenenses and Boavista, every championship has been won by either Benfica, Porto or Sporting (and that situation is unlikely to change anytime soon)

I travelled back via another very busy flight to Stansted - this time it just made it on time.

more pictures at   http://www.photobox.co.uk/album/1752370537

Gulf Cup January 2013 Bahrain

A trip to Bahrain to see eight games in the 2013 Gulf Cup.

This was the 21st edition of the Cup, a competition between the eight nations adjacent to the Arabian Gulf (excluding Iran)
HIstorically Kuwait, the holders, are by far the most successful country having won the title ten times followed by the ostensible regional powerhouses Saudi Arabia and Iraq with three wins apiece.

Bahrain hosted the first event in 1970 and they, together with lowly ranked Yemen, are the only countries never to have lifted the trophy..

8th January   Oman 1 Qatar 2  c.10,000 National Stadium

My first game and the second group match for these teams.

Free entry for the fans ensured a noisy, lively atmosphere especially for the second match of this double-header.
There was always a constant backdrop of Arabian rhythms.

The stadium comprises a large main stand with a curving roof and red/white seats.
Opposite is a much smaller section of open seating. The ends, apart from a scoreboard, are empty.
Omanis and Qataris were next to each other.

The result was somewhat of a travesty as Oman dominated the first half and it was hard to see Qatar offering much except for long balls up to Sebastian Soria.
But they scored from a dubious penalty and though this was deservedly equalised via another debatable spot-kick (the Yemeni referee had a mixed game) Qatar had the last word when a free kick found sub. Mohammed Jeddo unmarked and he shot home at the far post.

The Omani coach, Paul Le Guen, was described afterwards as speechless and that was understandable.

During the latter stages the main stand filled up with a large UAE contingent plus the locals for the second game.

Bahrain 1 UAE 2  35,000   National Stadium

This loss for the home side means they needed to beat Qatar to have any chance of progressing whilst UAE moved through to the semis after their two wins.

At least Bahrain scored and that ensured plenty of noise for a period during the second half.

UAE looked to have a talented midfielder in Omar Abdulrahman and he, like most of these players, currently plays in his own country.
Abdulrahman, with a clever run, set up the winner with five minutes remaining.

Before that mistakes had lead to both goals, the Bahraini equaliser coming from Al Malood after a defender error.
Another sub. Jaycee John (ex-Nigerian) had a few chances for glory but he was unable to deliver and the useful looking UAE team moved on.

Following these matches, and after considering other options, I settled for the relative tranquillity of the Regency Intercontinental with League Cup on the TV and some reasonable (European-style) musical entertainment.
The alternative local bars, though much cheaper, were either very noisy or seedy or both.

9th January  Iraq 1 Kuwait 0  12.000   Khalifa Stadium, Isa

Another double header in the smaller Khalifa stadium, not too far from the main stadium to the south of Manama centre.

Both these teams had their noisy groups of fans and they filled up most of the ground.

Tall powerful striker Younes Mahmoud, as in previous years and not least in the Asian Cup win of 2007, was the focal point for the Iraqis.
His control of a cross and shot that went in off the Kuwaiti goalie decided the outcome.

The Kuwaitis, the holders of the Cup, never lived up to that reputation with just a couple of decent shots to show for their efforts.
Iraq were better in possession and generally looked more likely to score.

At the end the winners celebrated wildly with their fans since their two wins meant they were through to the semi-finals.

Saudi Arabia 2 Yemen 0  15,000   Khalifa Stadium

And so the Iraqi and Kuwaiti fans departed and they were replaced by a largish group from nearby Saudi and some enthusiastic Yemenis.

In this game Saudi had the edge throughout with Yemen mostly relying on breakaways and efforts by their captain Akram Al Worafi.
Despite looking reminiscent of Egypt in their red and white kit Yemen didn’t have a Mohamed Aboutrika to work any magic.

A header from a left wing cross and a shot near the end sealed the win for the men in green.

The Saudis, coached by a Denzel Washington-like (greyer and heavier) Frank Rijkaard, thus secured their first win.

After this one I struggled to find any taxis for the trip home (public transport was either nonexistent or very hard to locate) eventually getting a ride to near the centre of Manama from where I had to get another taxi to my hotel.

As per usual the Regency offered some relative peace to enjoy a beer and the resident group.

11th January  Bahrain 1 Qatar 0  30,000   National Stadium

Bahrain needed to win their final group game to progress to the semi-finals.

Although they benefited from a penalty awarded very severely when a defender with his back to the ball handled a header they did deserve the victory.

Qatar as in the previous game tended towards limited ambition.
Sebastian Soria up-front looked too static and he only offered one turn and shot that clipped the bar. Otherwise Qatar never really looked like equalising and if anything Bahrain were more likely to add to their opener.

So the home team, coached by Argentinian Calderon, could celebrate alongside their fans who had turned out in good numbers despite the (relative) cold.

Afterwards there was another struggle to find a taxi and I eventually got back to the Manama Suq area by 8.30pm. This time I settled for a chicken Shawarma (kebab) before having an early night.

15th January  UAE 1 Kuwait 0  20,000   National Stadium   

And so on to the two semi-finals.
The first one was settled by a late goal put in at the far post by Ahmed Khalil, converting a cross from the left.

In a game of few chances both sides had their moments but the Emirates team had the edge in possession and they had the best player on show in Omar Abdulrahman..
Looking like a smaller version of Marouane Fellaini he would not look out of place in a top Spanish (or maybe Premiership ?) team with his fine left foot and excellent control.
His prompting and threaded passes often caused Kuwait problems.

Kuwait did remain in what was a very watchable encounter until those last few minutes but they would go out to the eventual winners.

Much celebration at the end amongst the large numbers of UAE fans (apparently 28 planes made the journey from Abu Dhabi and Dubai) and a quick exit for the Kuwaitis many of whom had driven the four hours or so through Saudi Arabia to get to Manama.

Bahrain 1 Iraq 1 (Iraq won 4-2 on penalties)  35,000 National Stadium

The home fans packed into the National Stadium hoping to see their team make it through to the final and possibly win their first Gulf Cup.

It was not to be but they came very close.

Iraq had taken the lead in the first half through their captain Younes Mahmoud who showed good strength to out-muscle a defender and shoot home right footed.

The home side struggled to maintain a rhythm in a generally staccato match with far too many stoppages.
But they were always pressing the Iraqis and their spirit paid off when Husain Ali Baba scored from a free kick on the hour.
That was the first goal Iraq had conceded in the competition.

And they probably should have let in another during extra time when Bahrain sub. Abdulla Yusuf had his chance for glory - but he shot over.

Iraq seemed content with penalties and their experience told eventually, with a Mahmoud ‘Panenka’ chip and, after a delay and some confusion, a shot into the corner from their goalie Noor Sabri.
Sabri then led the players on a celebratory run around the stadium.

So no delight for the locals but it had been a vibrant atmosphere throughout on a fairly cold night.

Iraq would go on to the final but lose out to the UAE.

I made a brisk exit and was thankful that there were taxis waiting for my trip to the airport and the return to the UK.

To further reflect on the visit..

Bahrain like other countries in the region has used the US template with large skyscrapers, coffee outlets and shopping malls. Which certainly present an impressive backdrop and some conducive surroundings but the downside is that all this is built around the car.

Using public transport can be a trial with limited information, infrequent buses and poor coverage.

Taxis (formal or informal) often become the realistic transport of choice and where buses can be used any additional walking can be problematic with patchy pedestrianised areas.
However in January, aside from the wind and dust, the temperatures are reasonably mild although the English language paper described 15 degrees as ‘cold’.

Again, as in Qatar, the populace is comprised of large numbers of workers from the sub-continent and the Philippines.
Due to the relative cool the fashion accessory of choice was ear muffs.

Near my hotel, close to the Ministry of Ministerial Affairs (or similar) was a cluster of small shops and some downmarket hotels with bars blaring out Bengali music or other disco varieties.
What you can get is good value (i.e. 300 fils or 50 pence) kebabs and some very tasty Asian food.

On one bus trip to Isa Town I noticed vast swathes of partly removed graffiti, that and the occasional tyre-burning provided a reminder of the political unrest about a year previously.

As for other interesting sights the Bahrain Fort and Museum illustrate and describe the previous civilisations with some well presented displays and English text.
The Bahrain National Museum, though a tricky location to get to on foot, also provides excellent descriptions of local life through the ages.

more pictures at   http://www.photobox.co.uk/album/1725877774

Ballinamallard v Cliftonville December 2012

A day trip to Fermanagh in Northern Ireland to see the league leaders Cliftonville pay a rare visit to Ballinamallard.

15th December 2012  Ballinamallard Utd 1 Cliftonville 3  Irish Premier   c. 600 (150 away)

I was up early to get the Easyjet flight from Luton to Belfast International.
From there I drove, slowly, towards the west stopping in Dungannon and then on to Enniskillen for a ‘late breakfast’.

Ballinamallard is a village about 6 miles from Enniskillen and their team is making its debut in the top level of football in Northern Ireland.
Roy Carroll, now at Olympiakos (and see previous blog), is their most famous ex-player.

The ground has been enhanced to include a small stand and two neat areas of terrace with one allocated to the away fans.
The visitors brought a lively group who certainly added to the clubhouse coffers with their alcohol consumption.

On a mostly cloudy day Cliftonville were two up inside 22 minutes with a double from Marc Smyth, the second a header into the top corner.
They looked considerably sharper than the home side in the first half.

But the Mallards made some changes after the break and had much more of the play culminating in a free-kick goal by David Kee.
For a while it looked like they might get level but Garrett scored the third for the Reds and that sealed the win, leaving Cliftonville seven points clear at the top of the league.

It takes around 1.5 hours to get back to the International airport and I had time enough to drop off the rental car and make the return flight to Luton.

More pictures at   http://photobox.com/album/1654993608