BPL : ARSENAL 2-0 Stoke City {bbc sport football}

Arsenal recorded their first home win of the season as goals from Theo Walcott and Olivier Giroud beat Stoke.

Walcott opened the scoring in the first half when he chased a long ball over the defence from Mesut Ozil before firing low beyond Jack Butland.

Substitute Giroud sealed victory late on with a header.

Stoke, who have not won at Arsenal since 1981, rarely looked like scoring, Joselu going closest with a shot at Petr Cech.

Arsenal's attacking strength, or perhaps lack of, has come under scrutiny during the early stages of the season, with Arsene Wenger's side having managed just three goals in their four league games prior to the visit of Stoke.

It has been at Emirates Stadium in particular where they have struggled, failing to score in a 2-0 defeat by West Ham and a goalless draw with Liverpool.

Wenger is keeping his faith in Walcott and Giroud to score the goals this season but, despite both netting, there were still some areas of concern as the pair spurned good opportunities to seal a victory by a bigger margin.

Walcott shot wide early on when he should have scored, and later directed a weak effort straight at Butland. Giroud, meanwhile, missed a near open goal before heading in the decisive second.

In the end, Arsenal had 29 shots on goal, 12 of those on target, and their general wastefulness in the final third could be of greater concern against more attack-minded sides.

'I still have doubts over Walcott up front'

Former England midfielder Jermaine Jenas on Final Score: "It was a good finish from Theo Walcott for the goal but I still have doubts about him playing as a striker.

"He missed two big opportunities before that. For one of them, from six yards out he couldn't get his feet right and smashed the ball over the bar.

"I just think he'd get just as many goals as he does playing on the right wing."

Man of the match - Jack Butland

Jack Butland made 10 saves to frustrate Arsenal for large periods of the match

What the managers said

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger: "In the first half our movement was outstanding and we created a lot. In the second half our pace dropped maybe a little bit in our passing, but we continuously created chances and overall it was a strong performance.

"My only regret is that there is too big a difference between the number of chances we made and the number of goals we scored but that will come."

Stoke manager Mark Hughes: "We wanted to make it difficult for Arsenal and get good numbers of bodies around the ball and try to condense play because we know they are very good in wide areas where they look to overload you and look for one-twos around your box.

"Unfortunately our defensive play was a bit too passive in terms of getting out to affect what Arsenal were trying to do, especially in the first half."

The stats you need to know

• Theo Walcott scored for a ninth successive Premier League season.
• Olivier Giroud scored only his second goal in his last 12 Premier League appearances.
• Mesut Ozil has created 76 goalscoring chances in the Premier League in 2015, more than any other player.
• Stoke's total of two points from five games is their worst ever start in the Premier League.

Who's up next?

Arsenal's attention switches to the Champions League as they travel to Croatia to play Dinamo Zagreb on Wednesday. Stoke, meanwhile, host Leicester in the Premier League next Saturday.

BPL Results

• West Brom 0-0 Southampton
• Watford 1-0 Swansea
• Norwich 3-1 Bournemouth
• Crystal Palace 0-1 Man City
• Arsenal 2-0 Stoke City

Pardew and Pellegrini go to-to-toe...again 

Iheanacho's winner took City 11 points clear of Chelsea

Naismith tambah derita Chelsea

LIVERPOOL – Jaringan hattrick pemain gantian Steven Naismith membantu Everton menewaskan Chelsea 3-1 sekali gus menambah sengsara juara Liga Perdana Inggeris itu yang kini telah kalah tiga perlawanan musim ini.

Naismith, yang masuk pada awal perlawanan, menjaringkan dua gol pada babak pertama dan menutup aksi hebatnya dengan mempamerkan kelicikan individu untuk menjaringkan gol ketiga.

Nemanja Matic menjaringkan gol sagu hati Chelsea menerusi percubaan cantik dari jarak jauh, tetapi pastinya tidak cukup untuk meredakan kegusaran Jose Mou­rinho kerana pasukannya kini hanya mengutip empat mata daripada lima perlawanan pertama mereka.

Pertahanan Chelsea, walaupun diperkuatkan dengan kembalinya John Terry daripada penggantungan, nampak goyah dan tidak teratur sepanjang perlawanan dan mereka sebenarnya boleh dibolosi lebih banyak.

Everton mengalami kejutan awal apabila Muhamed Besic digantikan pada minit ke­sembilan selepas berlaga dengan Kurt Zouma, yang memaksa Naismith dima­sukkan awal ke dalam padang.

Keadaan itu rupanya anugerah untuk Toffees, apabila bintang antarabangsa Scotland, Naismith segera memberikan impak dan meletakkan skuad Roberto Martinez di hadapan enam minit kemudian setelah dia menewaskan begitu ramai pemain Chelsea untuk menanduk masuk melepasi penjaga gol Asmir Begovic.

Everton hampir menambah gol dua kali dalam masa dua minit tetapi Begovic, yang menggantikan Thibaut Courtois yang cedera, pantas menyelamatkan gawang­nya.

Namun, Everton yang terus menguasai padang akhirnya menambah gol kedua apabila Naismith sekali lagi menemui sasaran setelah bergan­ding dengan Ross Barkley dan Romelu Lukaku.

Kelalaian tuan rumah bagaimanapun membenarkan Chelsea merapatkan jurang gol apabila Matic melepaskan rembatan dari jarak 30 meter melepasi Tim Howard yang melayangkan badan.

Bagaimanapun, Everton kembali mendapat momentum selepas rehat dan Lukaku menyaksikan percubaannya ditepis oleh Begovic berhampiran tiang.

Penyerang Belgium itu, yang menyertai Everton daripada Chelsea secara tetap pada Julai 2014, turut bertindak bagus dengan membantu tuan rumah membuat serangan balas.

Mourinho kemudian cuba menyemarakkan bahagian serangan pasukannya dengan memasukkan Radamel Falcao menggantikan Pedro Rodriguez.

Tetapi mereka tidak mampu menghalang Naismith apabila pemain berusia 28 tahun itu mengejar umpanan Barkley sebelum me­lakukan penyudah dari sudut kecil melepasi kawalan Begovic. – AFP

Pahang dipaksa kerja keras, Selangor tumbang

SHAH ALAM – Juara bertahan Pahang dipaksa bekerja keras sebelum mengutip tiga mata penuh melalui kemenangan tipis menewaskan PDRM 4-3 dalam saingan pembukaan Piala Malaysia manakala misi Selangor untuk muncul juara buat kali ke-33 terencat apabila kalah kepada Kelantan semalam.

Azamuddin Akil mencipta hattrick pertamanya musim ini pada minit kedua, 34 dan 64 ketika Pahang berhempas pulas mencari kemenangan di Stadium Darul Makmur dan memerlukan jaringan penyerang berbisa Dickson Nwakaeme pada minit ke-79 untuk meraih kemenangan dalam Kumpulan D.

PDRM pula menjadikan penyokong tuan rumah resah setelah mengikat kedudukan 3-3 pada minit ke-74 menerusi Ali Ashfaq setelah Dramane Traore dan Jaime Celestino Braganca menjaringkan gol pada minit ke-11 dan 70.

Di Stadium Shah Alam, Selangor gagal memanfaatkan peluang beraksi di depan penyokong sendiri apabila tewas 0-3 kepada Kelantan dalam perlawanan pertama Kumpulan C.

 Pemain Kelantan, Iwuji Agustine meraikan jaringan kedua buat skuad The Red Warriors pada aksi Piala Malaysia di Stadium Shah Alam, malam tadi.Kelantan berjaya menumpaskan Selangor dengan keputusan 3-0.

Gilmar Jose Da Silva muncul wira skuad The Red Warriors selepas berjaya menghasilkan dua gol masing-masing pada minit ke-27 dan ke-53 manakala satu lagi jari­ngan dihasilkan oleh Austin Amutu (minit ke-49) bagi membolehkan Kelantan membawa pulang tiga mata penuh.

Gol pertama Da Silva berjaya dihasilkan selepas dia menanduk ma­suk hantaran kapten Mohd. Badhri Radzi yang berpunca daripada sepakan penjuru Mohd. Fitri Omar manakala jaringan keduanya dija­ringkan selepas berlaku situasi kelam-kabut dalam kotak penalti Selangor.

Jaringan Amutu dilakukan selepas menerima hantaran daripada Badhri yang melakukan gerakan solo dari tengah padang sebelum menewaskan penjaga gol Selangor, Norazlan Razali.

Sementara itu, juara Piala FA, Lions XII sekadar memungut satu mata apabila terikat 1-1 dengan juara Liga Perdana, Kedah dalam aksi Kumpulan A yang berlangsung di Stadium Jalan Besar.

Pasukan pelawat terlebih dahulu membuka jaringan pada minit ke-17 menerusi pemain dari Brazil, Sandro De Silva sebelum wakil Singapura itu menyamakan kedudukan hasil ledakan Shahdan Sulaiman, seminit selepas itu.

Di Stadium Majlis Perbandaran Selayang, Felda United membelasah T-Team 3-0 hasil dua gol Makeche Ndumba pada minit ke-35 dan ke-70 dan penalti Indra Putra Mahayuddin pada minit ke-38.

Terengganu juga gagal mengutip mata penuh walaupun menentang pasukan Liga Perdana Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) II di di laman sendiri apabila seri tanpa jaringan di Stadium Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin.

Pulau Pinang muncul pasukan kedua yang dibelasah dalam aksi pembukaan Piala Malaysia apabila PKNS mengamuk di Stadium Bandaraya untuk menang 3-0 menerusi jaringan Mohd. Nazrin Shamsulbahri pada minit ke-16, Gabriel Miguel Guerra (minit ke-18) dan Nizam Abu Bakar (minit ke-56) dalam perlawanan antara dua pasukan dari Liga Perdana.

Di Stadium Negeri, semangat juang Sarawak akhirnya membuahkan hasil pada masa kecederaan babak kedua apabila tandukan pemain sayap Joseph Kalang Tie memastikan tuan rumah mengutip tiga mata penuh apabila menum­paskan Angkatan Tentera Malaysia (ATM) 1-0.

 Penyerang pasukan Sarawak,Joseph Kalang Tie dikawal rapi oleh pemain ATM,Mohd Fazly Alias pada aksi Piala Malaysia 2015 di Stadium Negeri Petrajaya Kuching.

Sarawak menang dengan jaringan 1 - 0 , hasil gol cantik Joseph kalang Tie pada minit ke 87 perlawanan.

pic : dunia sukan fb 

Arab Saudi kecewakan Harimau Malaya [kosmo]

DISANGKA panas hingga ke petang, rupanya hujan di tengah hari. Itu situasi yang berlaku di Stadium Shah Alam malam tadi yang menyaksikan skuad Harimau Malaya gagal bertahan walaupun mendahului pasukan yang menduduki ranking ke-93 dunia, Arab Saudi 1-0 pada minit ke-70 menerusi jaringan kapten Safiq Rahim pada aksi keempat peringkat Kumpulan A kempen kelayakan Piala Dunia 2018 dan Piala Asia 2019.

Jaringan tersebut pantas dipadam oleh Taiseer Al Jassam pada minit ke-73 dan Al Sahlawi (m-76).

Pada awal perlawanan, rentak kedua-dua pasukan nampak seimbang, namun ia berubah pada separuh masa kedua selepas Harimau Malaya yang menduduki ranking ke-169 dunia berjaya menjaringkan gol pendahuluan pada minit ke-70.

Smoke billows from flares on the pitch during the 2018 World Cup qualifying match between Malaysia and Saudi Arabia in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, September 8, 2015. — Reuters pic  

Gol tersebut telah mengubah rentak permainan Arab Saudi yang tampil lebih pantas melancarkan serangan dan dalam masa tiga minit mereka berjaya menghasilkan dua gol, sekali gus memadam kelebihan yang dimiliki skuad kendalian Datuk Ong Kim Swee itu.

Berbanding aksi menentang Emiriyah Arab Bersatu (UAE) di Abu Dhabi Khamis lalu, aksi skuad negara pada perlawanan menentang Arab Saudi dilihat lebih teratur dan corak pertahanan juga nampak mantap.

Namun, kesilapan kecil pada hujung perlawanan telah membawa padah sehingga menyaksikan mereka bolos dua kali.

Begitupun, perlawanan tersebut terpaksa dihentikan pada minit ke-88 ekoran tindakan tidak bertanggungjawab segelintir penyokong Malaysia yang mula membaling suar serta membakar mercun di dalam stadium.

Pemain kedua-dua pasukan telah diarah oleh jurulatih masing-masing untuk masuk ke bilik persalinan bagi menyelamatkan diri daripada terkena mercun.

Menteri Belia dan Sukan, Khairy Jamaluddin Abu Bakar yang berada di stadium menyaksikan perlawanan tersebut menjelaskan bahawa kawalan keselamatan sangat mengecewakan dan suar terlalu mudah dibawa masuk oleh segelintir penyokong.

KJ kesal penyokong baling suar (BHarian)

SELASA, 8 SEPTEMBER 2015 @ 10:58 PM

KJ kesal penyokong baling suar



KUALA LUMPUR: Menteri Belia dan Sukan, Khairy Jamaluddin Abu Bakar kesal dengan perbuatan penyokong yang membaling suar ketika aksi Malaysia-Arab Saudi di Stadium Shah Alam, sebentar tadi. 

Beliau yang berada di stadium, menyifatkan ia sebagai perbuatan yang memalukan negara dan mengkritik pihak stadium kerana gagal mengawal keadaan. Perlawanan antara Malaysia dan Arab Saudi sebelum itu dihentikan pada minit ke-88. Menerusi Twitternya, Khairy berkata: "Saya ada di Stadium SA malam ini. Melihat sendiri insiden yang memalukan. Baling suar salah. Kawalan stadium gagal,".

Gibraltar 0 - 4 Republic of Ireland

Robbie Keane brace boosts Rep. of Ireland Euro 2016 qualifying chances

Cyrus Christie 26' Robbie Keane 49' • Robbie Keane 51' PEN Shane Long 79

Robbie Keane took his international goals tally to 67 with a double to kill off battling Gibraltar on a night when the Republic of Ireland's hopes of Euro 2016 qualification received a significant boost.

The 35-year-old struck twice inside three second-half minutes to extended the first-half lead Derby full-back Cyrus Christie had given his side with his first goal for his country on his competitive debut and in the process, to kill off any hope of a shock.

Keane, who plundered a 13-minute hat trick against the same opposition in October's 7-0 win in Dublin, did not get the opportunity to repeat the feat when he was withdrawn with 20 minutes remaining as O'Neill cast an eye towards Monday night's clash with Georgia at the Aviva Stadium, and it was his replacement Shane Long who completed a 4-0 win in Faro.

The victory, coupled with Scotland's 1-0 defeat by the Georgians in Tbilisi earlier in the day, saw Ireland leapfrog Gordon Strachan's side in the table and rekindled their hopes of clinching a playoff spot for next summer's finals in France.

It was Gibraltar's seventh successive defeat in the group and they have now conceded 38 goals in total.

Despite the manager spending much of the week insisting there was no room for complacency, most who turned up at the Estadio Algarve were expecting, if not a repeat of the 7-0 drubbing his side handed out to the Gibraltarians in Dublin last October, then at least a comfortable victory.

In the event, his assertion that the group's whipping boys had improved considerably in the meantime proved correct as they provided stubborn resistance, aided by some good fortune and a lack of suitable service to Keane with both Wes Hoolahan and Jeff Hendrick misplacing a series of passes, to frustrate the Republic during the early stages.

Robbie Keane took his international goals total to 67 with a double on Friday.

Indeed, they came within two minutes of their longest competitive shut-out, the 28 minutes they managed against Germany in June, before Ireland finally broke the deadlock.

Keeper Jordan Perez had already clawed a sixth-minute Robbie Brady free-kick out of his top corner when central defender Ciaran Clark headed against the crossbar with the Gibraltarians very much on the back foot.

But after Jon Walters had seen a 12th-minute diving header correctly ruled out for offside, Jeff Wood's men grew in confidence and with strikers Lee Casciaro, the scorer of the nation's only competitive goal to date, and John Paul Duarte pressing the ball, there were several uncomfortable, if not critical, moments for the Irish defence.

However, Christie came to the rescue when he drilled a low shot across Perez with the outside of his right-foot and saw the ball squeeze inside the far post, and it would have been 2-0 with 28 minutes gone had the keeper not acrobatically turned Walters' dipping effort from distance over the bar.

But far from wilting, Gibraltar came back at the Republic and keeper Shay Given, winning his 131st senior cap, had to produce two diving saves to keep out long-range efforts from midfielder Liam Walker as the half drew to a close.

Ireland returned knowing there was work still to be done, but they turned the screw in devastating fashion inside the opening six minutes of the half as Keane ensured there would be no shock on the Algarve.

He was on hand to tap gleefully into an empty net when defender Jean Carlos Garcia could only turn Walters' driven 49th-minute cross against his own post and Perez was unable to prevent the ball squirming underneath him and into the arch predator's path.

Keane was taxed little further two minutes later when, after Hoolahan had been tripped by Walker as he stepped inside him, Croatian referee Marijo Strahonja pointed to the spot and the striker converted with customary aplomb.

The game was won, but there was still time for Long to help himself to a goal when he powered home a header from Jeff Hendrick's inviting cross to wrap up the win with 10 minutes remaining.