France February 2016

Three games in France including a visit to the new stadium in Lyon.

I flew to Lyon, got the pricey tram to Part Dieu then on by train north to Bourg-en-Bresse.

Arriving on the Thursday night I had time to enjoy some fine food.

Just about resisting the ‘menu gourmand’ I settled for the pate, steak and fromage together with a few glasses of vin rouge.

As we know in France food is taken seriously and so it was on this rainy night in a conducive atmosphere in one of the local brasseries.

After that I slept well.

The next day I tried to dodge the rain and had a coffee in the rather incongruous Rodeo Coffee place in the centre of town - featuring cacti, cowboy music and a picture of the Magnificent Seven on the wall.

Very French.

Anyway back to the plot…

12th February 2016  Bourg en Bresse 0 Laval 0  Ligue 2    2,595

Near to the centre is the Stade Marcel Verchere, a facility shared with the local Rugby team.

It is basically three sides of covered, not especially cosy, semi-temporary stands with one end comprising food and souvenir outlets.

At one of these I enjoyed a hot vin rouge which went down well in the inclement conditions.

Despite the persistent rain the surface, being artificial, wasn’t really affected.

Of more import was the lack of quality of the players.

And so we had an outcome not unknown in the French 2nd division - a goalless draw.

However it was not quite as bad as it sounds as there were some moments, particularly in the first period when the goal was threatened.

A Boussaha free kick was well saved by the Laval goalie and striker Sane should have done better when put through - his left foot effort being far too weak.

Laval had their best chance when a corner routine ended with a close range header - well blocked by Fabri in the Bourg goal.    

Into the second half, and despite some substitutions, we had limited goalmouth action.

Bourg did most of the pressing culminating in a flurry of activity near the finish but all to no avail.

So these two mid-table sides gained a point each.

Hopefully the large number of kids present enjoyed their evening out.

And I gained a soaking during the fairly short walk back to my hotel.

13th February Grenoble Foot ‘38  2 Sarre-Union 0  CFA Group B   c. 1,200

Travelling south to Grenoble the weather was milder and considerably drier.

I had chosen a rare dip into the lower levels of French football partly because a visit to Grenoble, a very pleasant city, fitted my schedule and it also meant I could checkout their relatively new stadium.

Which for a sizeable new build was nicely close to the city centre - somewhat of a rarity these days.

The home team have a decent group of ultras and they did their thing along the one side.

Perhaps their team could be on their way back up from this fourth level as the win helped consolidate their top position.

But they will need some more players if they are to progress.

At times the passing was woeful on both sides and the quality very moderate.

Another feature was the diminutive size of one or two participants, for instance the away goalie.

He was eventually left helpless when Grenoble scored their two second half goals.

First was a free kick headed in by Cianci on 56 minutes and the second an easy finish for David when in acres of space soon after.

More goals might have followed but the visitors, who rarely threatened kept it down to two.

Certainly Grenoble have the infrastructure and reasonable support to move back up the divisions and maybe they will, eventually.

I walked back towards the centre and settled for a pizza plus more, hard to resist, vin rouge.

14th February  Ol. Lyon 4 Caen 1  Ligue 1  38,624 (c. 80 away)

Back to Lyon by train and a stay at one of the Ibis hotels near Part Dieu.

Unlike the expensive airport tram the local one, along a similar line from the main station, to Decines Grand Large costs only 1.80 euros and takes around 30 minutes.

And you see an impressive Parc OL.

What you also notice is a multitude of stewards and security staff.

OL must have spent millions on those high visibility jackets.

It felt like you were already at the Euros judging by the queues and security.

And in the substantial retail store.

Once inside you are presented with a three tier stadium in red/white and blue with the Virage Nord and the, smaller, Virage South fans arranged at either end.

Up above, out-of-the-way behind the mesh, was a small group of away fans.

The only way to obtain any refreshment was via the dreaded ‘fan card’.

I passed on that.

But the locals produced plenty of noise typified by the ‘OL’ chant and you could imagine the ground would be very atmospheric when full.

The game certainly turned to be watchable with OL getting off to a fast start after a Valbuena (always a joy to see) corner was nodded back by Tolisso for Ntiti to head in from close range.

Caen protested for a push but the goal was allowed.

A second came on 16 with Ferri setting up Lacazette to run through and shoot home.

The striker delivered then but he did miss a couple of other chances.

But he does looks the part with that predatory sharpness all finishers need.

Caen had opportunities of their own including a free kick and chances for Ntibazonkiza and Rodelin.

But the home side completed an excellent first period by scoring just before the break when Cornet was set free on the right to slot home.

Into the second and Caen got their consolation on 58 when a right wing cross found the energetic Delort and he scored at the far post.

For a while they might have got another as the game became more open.

Then near the end Tolisso had space on the edge of the area to clinch the win with a fine right foot effort.

Overall it had been a solid performance by OL aided by the quick start and they should be in the top four soon.

Exiting the stadium you have a choice of trams, either right outside with a longish queue, or further on, with a more comfortable queue at the Grand Large stop.

Anyway back near Part Dieu station I subsequently stopped for some sushi and some football on tv from ‘another planet’ (i.e. Barcelona)

Portugal February 2016

Two games in Portugal including a visit to Coimbra to see Academica.

6th February Tondela 1 Vitoria Guimaraes 1  Primeira Liga  1,432 (c. 300 away)

I made the trip via Porto and Coimbra to the small, quiet, town of Tondela overlooked by the Serra do Caramulo.

CD Tondela are new to the top flight and they are generally finding it tough.

But on this very wet Saturday night they were perhaps a little unlucky not to get a valuable victory.

The underfoot conditions, with plenty of surface water on the artificial pitch, often served to thwart their chances.

It all began very well for the higher ranked visitors who went ahead after a couple of minutes after a left wing cross was diverted in by Luis Lica.

For a while it seemed Vitoria would score again but Tondela forced themselves into the match and eventually levelled when a shot from Nathan Junior went through the hands of Miguel in the away goal.

The half finished even though the home side might have been ahead if a couple of penalty area scrambles had fallen their way.

As the night turned chillier the rain continued and we witnessed a more fragmented second half of too many yellow cards and a few annoying, often spurious, injuries.

Vitoria threatened from some set plays and Tondela again lucked out.

So the largish number from Guimaraes, including the noisy (and soaked) ‘White Angels’ could travel home with a decent point in their quest for European football.

While Tondela itself would no doubt liven up considerably when the imminent ‘Carnaval’ comes to town.

7th February  Academica 2 Nacional 2  Primeira LIga   2,879 (c. 20 away)

Combra is an hour or so from Tondela and I made the bus ride on the Sunday morning before this afternoon game.

My last visit to this Euro 2004 stadium was when England beat Switzerland before around 28,000 ; considerably less watched this league game.

But nevertheless we saw some late drama.

Played in much better,dry,conditions than the previous evening the teams could develop passing moves in normal fashion.

It began with Academica doing most of the pressing and they tested Gottardi in the Nacional goal.

With the first half about to end the home side scored a fine goal.

A long crossfield pass was controlled by Plange and he drove in a great shot for the opener.

However the effective lead was only about a minute as right after the interval Nacional equalised.

The first of two own goals - this one diverted in via a right wing cross.

The second came a couple of minutes later following a great run by Bonilha.

That prompted much grumbling from the home crowd.

Nacional, like Academica badly in need of the points, should have wrapped things up but they probably thought they would get home anyway as the time moved towards to the final minute.

But a free kick was not properly cleared and home defender Joao Real prodded home the equaliser for 2-2.

Despair for the Nacional players.

Then they must score - Pedro Trigueira lost the ball - but the chance slipped agonisingly wide.

More Nacional guys slumped to the ground.

So plenty of final drama for this neutral but probably not too comfortable for the two coaches.

Afterwards I walked, mostly downhill, back to my central hotel.

The evenings entertainment being some bacalhau (cod), wine and Real Madrid on TV.

Italy January 2016

Three games in Italy including a Serie A game at Frosinone.

22nd January 2016  Salernitana 3 Brescia 0  Serie B  9,715  (c. 100 away)

I travelled to Napoli then took the train onto Salerno from where I took a bus from the seafront, south to my hotel near the Stadio Arechi.

Which is a sizeable two-tier ground, in contrast to the old Stadio Donato Vestuti that still remains, crumbling, close to the centre.

Salernitana get good support highlighted by their ultras who provided strong encouragement for their heroes.

The home side were under threat early on but they had a stroke of luck on 23 minutes when a cross was mishandled by the Brescia goalie and went in off defender Racine Coly for an o.g.

Much higher ranked Brescia then a had great chance to level when Andrea Caracciolo was put through but his effort was blocked by Terracciano.

That turned out to be a turning point as the home side went in one up and in confident mood.

Two more goals were added soon after the break, from striker Massimo Coda and a close range conversion by Michele Franco, that sealed the win.

It had been a bad night for Brescia who also had a strong shout for handball in the area turned down later on.

For Salernitana it was a welcome three points in their battle to remain in Serie B.

23rd January  Frosinone 0 Atalanta 0  Serie A   7,564 (c. 200 away)

The next day I took the metro back to the central station and went via Rome onto the town of Frosinone, some 75 km from the capital.

Frosinone didn’t seem like a town in which you might linger too long compared to so many others in Italy.

However I did stop at a pleasant cafe/bar on the way to the stadium where you could watch the excellent live Serie B show on Sky Calcio.

Up the road the small Stadio Matusa staged this goalless draw - a game that will not live long in the memory of those that witnessed it.

We saw an overhead kick go wide and two big chances, one for each side.

Dionisi spurned the one for Frosinone by screwing his effort wide and the tricky Argentinian Alejandro Gomez clipped the side netting when in a good position for the visitors.

Experienced striker German Denis appeared later for Atalanta but he failed to influence the outcome which looked likely some time before the final whistle.

Overall it was a useful point for relegation threatened Frosinone but probably an opportunity missed for Atalanta.

Afterwards your correspondent applied the ‘when in (near) Rome’ principle and settled for an excellent pizza and some vino rosso.

24th January  Perugia 0 Pescara 4  Serie B  9,373 (c. 500 away)

Up early I took the train back to Rome then onto Foligno.

Where I had plenty of time to stroll around the historic centre with its narrow streets, palazzo and cathedral.

Some coffee and pastry later I was on the train, through Assisi to Perugia.

The Stadio Renato Curi sees good crowds and on this very chilly evening in Umbria there was enthusiastic support from the home ultras and also from the large group from Pescara.

But only one set of fans could enjoy the result as the young visiting side eventually dominated the game.

Led by the excellent Ahmad Benali, who was well supported in mdfield by Lucas Torreira and Valerio Verre, Pescara controlled possession.

On 26 minutes they took the lead when a left wing cross caused panic in the home defence and the ball just went over the line off Marco Rossi for an own goal.

With Rodrigo Taddei and co. struggling to get to grips with the Pescara passing regime the visitors went in one up at the break.

Although Perugia started the second half by looking sharper they would eventually be well beaten.

Two easy finishes, both involving striker Gianluca Lapadula, came on 66 and 70 minutes to put the outcome beyond the home side.

Benali was able to enjoy scoring the third and he was also part of the move that capped off a superb night for Pescara.

That clincher was an excellently worked breakaway goal that culminated in Gianluca Caprari scoring right footed to seal the victory.

Despite all this the home ultras maintained their support although there were rumblings from the main stand.

While for the Pescara fans it would be a celebratory trip home and surely the strong possibility, on this evidence, of a return to Serie A.

I rushed to a nearby restaurant to warm up and enjoy some tempura and more vino.

The next day I returned to the UK via Rome Fiumicino.

Spain January 2016

 Two matches in the Canary Islands, one on Gran Canaria and one on Tenerife.

Wacky Wakaso.

13th January 2016  Las Palmas 3 Eibar 2  Copa del Rey   13,588

Gran Canaria is the largest of the Canary Islands and it plays host to Spanish top level team Las Palmas.

One might wonder how things could have developed here in the Atlantic some 100 km off the coast of Africa.

Perhaps if the Mauritanians had still been in control would these ‘Fortunate’ islands, be the attraction they have become ?

But the Portuguese, Christopher Columbus and later the Spanish made their mark and they are now a popular winter holiday destination.

Some of the populace made their way, on a cool evening, to the spacious Estadio Gran Canaria to see LP complete a 6-4 aggregate Cup win against tiny Eibar.

The first leg had seen two Eibar players dismissed and Las Palmas come back to win and have the advantage for this second edition.

The match began slowly before sparking into life when Brazilian Willian produced two great strikes, the second hitting the bar.

Then we had a moment of farce as Eibar goalie Irureta became stranded outside his area and when you have multi-ball employed he was clearly in trouble after Wakaso gathered a ball and took a quick throw-in.

That resulted in a melee near goal and defender Junca, under pressure, diverted the ball into his own net.

So Las Palmas, who had pressed for most of the half, went in a goal up.

Eibar had offered little in attack but that soon changed after the interval.

Firstly a free kick was glanced in by Ekiza (although he could have been offside ?) before Sergi Enrich had space and time to prod in a second straight after.

Within eight minutes of the restart the visitors were ahead on the night and level on aggregate.

But it didn’t stay that way for long.

Wakaso Mubarak is a local hero and he provided the cross for Momo to make it 2-2 and restore the home teams’ overall advantage.

The Ghanaian is clearly admired for his infectious enthusiasm and relentless effort despite the odd misstep. Chants went up whenever he excelled.

We then had a lull and period of consolidation by LP before they secured the win when a long high left wing cross was mishandled by the hapless Irureta allowing captain David Garcia any easy finish.

So the Islanders progressed to the last eight of the Spanish Cup where they will meet Gary Neville’s Valencia.

Post game I strolled round to get the local bus back to my hotel near the port area.

Nearby you could sit outside and enjoy a nightcap which you could do back home but frostbite might ensue.

The next day I was up early to get the ferry, taking some 2.5 hours,  across to another of the islands - Tenerife.

Where the locals were joined by a few thousands day trippers from the cruise liners docked in the harbour.

They soon made their way up past the Plaza Espana to the Calle del Castillo, as did your correspondent.

Further on is the Rambla de Santa Cruz and the very pleasant Parque Garcia Sanabria.

The cafe next the park makes a fine location for ‘chilling’ and admiring the plants and trees.

Later on a visit to the Casa de Colon might be in order.

It was once occupied by Christopher Columbus who stopped off (for a Macdonalds’ ?)

during one his voyages.

The house is now a fine museum that highlights the strategic position of these islands and their interesting place in history.

Athletic woe.

16th January  Tenerife 2 Bilbao Athletic 0  Segunda   8,333

Back to the football..

Walk along the tree-lined Rambla and you get to the Estadio Heliodoro Rodriguez Lopez, the two-tier home of the local side.

Tenerife are just below halfway in the second division whilst the Bilbao ‘B’ team are bottom and without an away victory.

The initial stages were all about Honduran striker Anthony Lozano and in particular his heading ability.

With Tenerife doing most of the pressing he was given a great chance to score but fluffed the first opportunity.

However he redeemed himself on 25 minutes, rising highest to nod over the poorly positioned away goalie.

The clincher came just before the break when left back Saul delivered a driven cross that was diverted into his own net by Yeray Alvarez.

Athletic themselves had shown limited threats although a couple of corners did cause the home side some concern.

In the second half the visitors had much more play as the home side relied on breakaways but the result never really looked in doubt.

And the Athletic cause was certainly not helped when defender Gil was dismissed for holding back sub. Nano as he broke away.

That meant some more visitors’ heads dropped.

Overall you might assess this ‘B’ team, maybe like many others, as having the method and many of the skills but lacking that concentration and consistency of top squads.

Anyway the local fans strolled home happy and I enjoyed a fine meal of hake followed by pork, washed down with some vino tinto in a nice taberna on the Rambla.

The next day I took the bus, about an hour down the coast, to the South airport for the four hour flight home to Gatwick.

Spain November 2015

England’s friendly in Alicante plus a couple of Spanish second division matches.

I flew from Stansted to Alicante on the Thursday evening, the day before this England match.

13th November 2015  Spain 2 England 0 Alicante     Friendly international   c. 5,000 away

Why go to Benidorm when Alicante offers a conducive environment of bars and restaurants albeit without Watney’s Red Barrel (or the equivalent) and fish & chips ?

Its a pleasant, medium-sized city with a stadium that is walkable from the centre.

On a reasonably mild evening the ground was well-filled.

England have arranged a series of challenging friendlies, ahead of Euro 2016, to test themselves following a facile qualification group.

This first test was failed - fairly comprehensively.

Spain soon established a familiar rhythm that seem to bemuse the English stars.

Ross Barkley, amongst others, would come to realise the reality of top level international football.

But for all their dominance the Spanish side ultimately lacked a cutting edge.

That was until a sublime finish from Mario Gaspar on 72 minutes, acrobatically volleying in from a Fabregas pass, gave the home team the lead.

Sub Santi Cazorla added a second 12 minutes later to complete a deserved 2-0 win.

Yes England did clip the bar and Harry Kane missed a good chance but overall you felt Spain had won, although against an under-strength opposition, without getting into top gear.

Sterling was one who did offer some hope for the ‘Three Lions’ , and Kane a solid perseverance,  but it leaves plenty for Roy Hodgson to contemplate.

Looking ahead many would predict the ‘usual’ tournament outcome for England - quarter final exit.

While Spain, for whom Gerard Pique was consistently whistled by the home fans, would expect at least a semi-final appearance.

14th November  Leganes 3 Alcorcon 0  Segunda Division     5,538  c. 400 away

I travelled on the train to the capital to see this local derby.

Not that it has any of the visceral atmosphere of a clasico in South America.

The visiting fans could easily mix in with the locals on a cooling evening.

After a slow start the match was brightened by two great home goals.

Firstly striker Guillermo converted from close in for the first then soon after Szymanowski drove in a great right footer from 25 yards.

Guillermo would seal the win with a feint and an excellent left foot finish in the second period.

Alcorcon repeatedly failed to make anything of their free kicks and also missed a couple of decent chances.

It was a bad day at the office for the visitors and the result allowed Leganes to match the Alcorcon points total

I took the metro to my hotel in Getafe and settled for a chicken asado.

15th November  Cordoba 1 Huesca 1  Segunda Division   14,500

From Madrid south to Cordoba and another very pleasant mid-sized historic Spanish City.

My hotel was in the old Roman area with its temple and burial areas.

Nearby were typical bars and restaurants.

Again the local stadium is walkable (25 minutes) from the centre.

Its a good sized, two-tiered, all covered, ground kitted out in green and white.

Beforehand we had the club song and some sombre music to commemorate the atrocities in Paris.

When the match began Cordoba, the league leaders, soon showed a confident attacking approach and they pressed back the much lower placed visitors.

Victor Perez tested the Huesca goalie with some fine long range shots while ex-Arsenal player Fran Merida provided the odd threat for the visitors.

Though the first half ended goalless it seemed only a matter of time before Cordoba would go ahead.

It happened after Fidel got booked for ‘simulation’.

Afterwards he immediately went on a Messi like run along the right wing, all left foot, before delivering past sub goalie Whalley on 53 minutes.

But eventually the momentum altered, a combination of more Huesca aggression and Cordoba consolidation.

And so late on Machis (again from the right wing) drove in a great left foot effort for the equaliser.

That rather stunned the home crowd who would have expected another three points.

Back in the centre I enjoyed a ‘menu’ meal plus some vino tinto.

Overall it had been a pleasant visit to Spain with some decent football, pleasant ambience and excellent logistics.