International Friendlies (1 Viewer)

[kaizer]

++ [ originally posted by sallyinzaghi ] ++
I was frustrated he wasn't in the WC.

oh wait, you asked mikhail

it's okay, anyone will do.....

 

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[Lawnchair Bes]

how about this

++ [ originally posted by UEFA.COM ] ++

Albania 2-1 Sweden
Second-half goals from Ervin Skela and Ardian Aliaj earned Albania an impressive victory over Sweden in Tirana tonight as the home side battled back to cancel out Stefan Selakovic's opener for the UEFA EURO 2004™ hopefuls.

Brave fight back
Aliaj curled in a free-kick on 75 minutes to cap a brave fightback by Albania and inflict a third straight friendly defeat on a Swedish side weakened by injuries and illness.

Brimming with confidence
Despite their failure to reach EURO 2004™, the home side had impressed during qualifying, notably with their 3-1 win over Russia, and they were brimming with confidence again here. Edvin Murati, Alban Bushi and Klodian Duro in particular ensured Sweden's new-look defence, in which SC Heerenveen defender Petter Hansson was winning just his second cap two years after making his debut, were given little time to settle.

Strakosha stops
It was Sweden, however, who created the first real chance, and the Albania goalkeeper Fotaq Strakosha did well to beat out Kim Källström's close-range header on 19 minutes. Just as Sweden appeared to be assuming control, Albania came close on 27 minutes. Bushi's clever touch on the edge of the area put Atlin Rraklli through, but the striker hurried his shot which bounced across goal and then away to safety.

Selakovic strikes
The game was beginning to open up and on 38 minutes Selakovic's shot was turned away by Strakosha who was soon back in the action early in the second half to block from Mikael Nilsson. Strakosha was beaten moments later, however, when he failed to hold Teddy Lucic's powerful shot, allowing Selakovic to turn in the rebound and put Sweden ahead on 49 minutes.

Costly miss
Igli Tare brought the home crowd back into the match on 56 minutes when he rose to flash a header narrowly wide, but soon after Sweden should have made sure of the victory. Johan Elmander's low shot was spilled by Strakosha and from the rebound Selakovic hit the post. The ball then fell to Källström who shot over from eight metres – a miss that would prove costly.

Albania turn game
Andreas Isaksson kept Sweden's lead intact with an acrobatic save from Skela on 64 minutes, but the midfield player was not to be denied three minutes later when he connected with Florian Myrtaj's cross from the right. And the game was turned on its head seven minutes later when Aliaj curled a free-kick four metres outside the area over the Sweden wall and in.

Penalty save
Sweden's resistance crumbled and the home side should have won by more, Tare missing a golden chance in the closing stages before Isaksson dived to save a penalty from Skela in added time.

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[mikhail]

++ [ originally posted by kaizer ] ++
ireland played well :thumb: during the 1st 30mins or so.....the irish were the ones who did the attacking.

btw, i heard that roy keane is interested in making a comeback to the squad. how's that sound mikhail...?

It's a thorny issue here. A lot of people hate his guts for walking out on the team at the World Cup, and he's not got a great relationship with some of the older squad members. He is a bit of a bully in the dressing room, has a big mouth, and is now aging and injury-prone.

Others see him as a hero, who stood up to our incompetant FA, and stood over his principles. I do respect that, but I don't agree with his methods. He's one of our greatest midfielders ever, up there with Giles, McGrath (who Italy fans of '94 might remember for his one-man demolition of their team) and Brady (who any Juve fan worth his salt will have heard of), and he (Keane) can still do a fine job for us.

Is the trade-off worth it? The disruptive presence in the dressing room is countered by the enormous leadership on the pitch - Keane has the ability to raise a whole team's game, a quality which is rare indeed. I'd love to see him play again, but I can't see it happen.

 

[gray]

excellent summary john

 

[sallyinzaghi]

Too bad if that is so. I'd love to see him too :down: