FemaleFootballFans.com

4 goals in 4 games for club and country - Frank Lampard is BACK!

Don’t know who put this little video together but here are 10 cracking goals from Frank Lampard - AWESOME OR WHAT!

Frank Lampard scored a magnificant goal against Germany in England’s friendly last night and won me £9.60 on Betfair in the process - NICE ONE FRANK!

Here’s Frank’s Goal:

Here’s the match report from www.bbc.co.uk:

England suffered a first loss at the new Wembley as Germany took advantage of a mistake by keeper Paul Robinson. The hosts took an early lead when Micah Richards’ run ended with Frank Lampard beating Jens Lehmann at his near post. But Robinson made a hash of a Bernd Schneider cross to allow Kevin Kuranyi to tap home before Christian Pander drilled an unstoppable shot past him. England had the chances to level but Michael Owen, Kieron Dyer and Frank Lampard all failed to capitalise.

England suffered defeat at the hands of Germany in their last game at the old Wembley and their old rivals made it a notable double in front of a sell-out at the new £800m national stadium. With two crucial Euro 2008 qualifiers just around the corner the friendly gave coach Steve McClaren more problems than answers.

It had all started so promising with McClaren’s decision to give a fifth start to 19-year-old defender Richards at right-back paying instant dividends. The Manchester City player has been tipped to eventually settle as a central defender but he gave a decent impression of a right winger as he created the opener. He showed some neat footwork as he cut inside Pander and slipped a pass through for the advancing Lampard, with the Chelsea midfielder ending an 12-month international goal drought by driving a shot past Lehmann. The Arsenal keeper has had a dreadful start to the season but fortunately for him his opposite number relieved some of the pressure on him with a howler 15 minutes later.

Robinson had kept out a shot from Thomas Hitzlsperger in the lead-up to the goal. But when Nick Shorey’s clearance fell at the feet of Schneider his cross caught out the Tottenham keeper, who could only push the ball into the path of a grateful Kuranyi. The setback seemed to knock the wind out of England after what had been a reasonable start to the game, with Richards and Joe Cole offering plenty of width.

England could have restored their lead when a David Beckham free-kick was flicked on by Alan Smith but was just out of John Terry’s reach. Lampard could have got a second when he was put through by Beckham but Lehmann saved with his legs. Instead it was Germany who went in front - and this time there was nothing Robinson could have done. Robinson did not have the best of evenings at Wembley.

Pander, who had been caught out for England’s goal, made amends on his international debut when he ventured forward and cracked home an unstoppable left-foot strike.

Michael Owen wasted two chances to level things up before the interval, when Lehmann showed his Jekyll and Hyde characteristics. First of all he denied an Owen header with a brilliant reflex stop, but then he gifted the England striker the easiest of opportunities only for him to fire over an unguarded net.

Robinson’s misery was cut short when he made way at half-time for the recalled David James. It was the start of the usual raft of substitutions which only seems to disrupt England’s far-from-free-flowing game. Kieron Dyer almost made his mark when he was set-up by Beckham only to sidefoot past the upright.

Shaun Wright-Phillips - another second-half arrival - crossed for Lampard only for him to volley off target and sum up another dreary evening for England fans. McClaren has talked about making their new home their fortress, but England will go into their next game, the Euro 2008 qualifier against Israel on 8 September, still looking for a first win there.

——————————————————————————–

England: Robinson, Richards, Ferdinand, Terry, Shorey, Beckham, Carrick, Lampard, Joe Cole, Smith, Owen.
Subs: James, Brown, Taylor, Barry, Neville, Dyer, Wright-Phillips, Downing, Defoe, Crouch, Carson.

Germany: Lehmann, Friedrich, Mertesacker, Metzelder, Lahm, Odonkor, Schneider, Hitzlsperger, Pander, Trochowski, Kuranyi. Subs: Hildebrand, Kiessling, Hilbert, Helmes, Rolfes, Tasci, Castro.

Referee: Massimo Puscaba (Switzerland)

England play Germany in a friendly tomorrow night (Wednesday 22nd August) and rumour has it that David Beckham has flown in to support the team, whether he will play or not is a different matter!

Becks has proved time again why he is a vital part of the England team - not only can he cross balls and produce free kicks like no other, he also helps the team to gel together and is an inspiration to players around him.

My money’s on England 2-1!

Frank Lampard’s penalty saved Chelsea’s graces as they managed a 1-1 draw against Liverpool at Anfield.

Frank Lampard salvaged a point for Chelsea after Fernando Torres scored his first goal for Liverpool in a tempestuous battle at Anfield. Torres opened the scoring in the first half when he was fed in by Steven Gerrard before slotting past Petr Cech.

Lampard equalised for Chelsea with a penalty won by Florent Malouda who was fouled by Daniel Agger. That decision was contested by the Reds in a pulsating, yet niggly, match that saw eight yellow cards handed out.

The talking point in Monday’s press will be the performance of referee Rob Styles, although there will undoubtedly be column inches reserved for a fine performance by Liverpool striker Torres. Both the Spaniard and his partner in attack Dirk Kuyt were a credit to the Reds with their tremendous industry that gave a Chelsea defence, led by John Terry, little respite. One of the pair deserved some reward for their hardwork and it came the way of Torres.

Gerrard, playing despite having pain-killing injections on his fractured foot, threaded a peach of a ball for the 23-year-old who cruised round the outside of Ben Haim before slotting the ball past Cech and into the keeper’s bottom left. Apart from the front pair, Liverpool looked particularly effective on the left with John Arne Riise and Alvaro Arbeloa preventing Michael Essien from getting forward from his right-back position. In fact, it was Riise who was giving Essien a headache, and early in the game got away from the Ghanaian before firing a 20-yard low shot that was well held by Cech.

Chelsea were largely kept quiet by the Liverpool defence, who limited their potent striker Didier Drogba to half chances - the first, a tame free-kick that was deflected wide, and the second, a header that climbed high over the bar. Blues boss Jose Mourinho, like many watching, must have realised that Shaun Wright-Phillips was wasted in a central position, so come the second half, the England midfielder was moved out to wide right. The tactical swap almost paid off immediately after the restart when Wright-Phillips swung in a wicked cross for substitute Claudio Pizarro. The Peruvian met the ball with his head but sent his effort wide of the far post.

Despite that effort, it was Liverpool who once again took a firm grip of the game and, as cliched as it sounds, only a moment of magic or defensive error seemed the only way Chelsea could get back into the game. As it happened, it was neither, but a contentious refereeing decision. Rob Styles, who booked eight players in the match, awarded a penalty to Chelsea after he adjudged defender Agger to have fouled Malouda, even though it seemed the Frenchman jumped beforte contact with the Dane.

Nevertheless, there was a job still to be done and up stepped the largely reliable Lampard to slot the ball past Pepe Reina. And following the goal, Styles almost created another talking point when he appeared to show a yellow card to Terry and Essien, with Essien having already been booked earlier in the match. But the referee later clarified that he only booked Terry.

Liverpool substitute Ryan Babel came close to grabbing a deserved winner for the Rafa Benitez’s side but his fizzing shot from 20 yards flashed inches wide on Cech right-hand post.

——————————————————————————–

Liverpool: Reina, Finnan, Carragher, Agger, Arbeloa, Pennant (Babel 68), Gerrard, Alonso, Riise (Crouch 83), Torres, Kuyt.
Subs Not Used: Itandje, Hyypia, Mascherano.

Booked: Kuyt, Pennant, Gerrard, Carragher.

Goals: Torres 16.

Chelsea: Cech, Essien, Ben-Haim, Terry, Ashley Cole, Kalou (Pizarro 46), Wright-Phillips (Joe Cole 77), Obi, Lampard, Malouda (Alex 85), Drogba.
Subs Not Used: Cudicini, Makelele.

Booked: Essien, Ashley Cole, Ben-Haim, Lampard, Terry.

Goals: Lampard 62 pen.

Att: 43,924

Ref: Robert Styles (Hampshire).

News from www.bbc.co.uk

Man City caused uproar in the Man United Camp after winning the match 1-0 today!

Match Report from www.bbc.co.uk:

Manchester City made it three Premier League wins out of three this season with a shock win over rivals United.

United dominated the derby from the off and Nani forced Kasper Schmeichel into two good saves as City hung on. The home side had created nothing until they took the lead when Geovanni’s shot deflected home off Nemanja Vidic. Vidic hit the bar and Carlos Tevez saw a late header fly wide but City, led by the impressive Micah Richards, held out and United are still winless this term.

Sir Alex Ferguson’s side have now made their worst ever Premier League start in taking only two points from their first three games. The champions lie seven points behind City, who are at the summit of the table.

It has been a perfect start for the Blues and their new boss Sven-Goran Eriksson, who is yet to see his hastily-assembled side concede a goal. That statistic seemed unlikely early on as United started like a train and, with City struggling to keep the ball let alone create anything with it, it seemed only a matter of time before they took the lead.

Inside the first five minutes Nani forced an instinctive block out of Schmeichel and the young keeper did well to hold a firm shot from the same player soon afterwards. United had set up camp inside City’s half by now and another neat move set Patrice Evra running clear - only for him to slice his shot horribly wide. City, who had lost Valeri Bojinov to injury early on too, were simply hanging on and if it had not been for the brilliant Richards they would surely have collapsed.

England coach Steve McClaren is short of centre-backs for Wednesday’s friendly with Germany and he will surely be glad he can call on the 19-year-old City defender to play there, if needed. Richards was again in imperious form at the back for City. Richards, nominally a right-back, began the season in the centre under Eriksson and has emerged as a real star of the new City regime. He made one brilliant tackle to deny Tevez as the Argentine closed in on goal and then made a timely clearance after Schmeichel had dropped a Ryan Giggs cross.

But at the other end, City were still creating absolutely nothing and it was a total shock when they took the lead in the 31st minute. With United’s defence backing off, Elano fed Geovanni, who let fly with a 25-yard shot that spun off Vidic’s back and swerved into the corner of the net.

If anything, City controlled the remainder of the half but United were soon threatening again after the break. Vidic beat Richard Dunne to Giggs’ corner but saw his header cannon off the crossbar before another dangerous Giggs cross was somehow cleared from danger by Richards.

Yet more United possession followed and Tevez went close to levelling when he flicked another Giggs ball agonisingly wide. But the goal would just not come for Ferguson’s men and their frustrating afternoon was summed up in injury time. Another Giggs corner found its way to Tevez at the far post but the striker could not react quickly enough to find the target with his header and City survived again.

David Robert Joseph Beckham, OBE

Born: 2 May 1975

Current Position: Midfielder for Major League Soccer’s Los Angeles Galaxy. Also member of the England national team.

Accolades: He was twice chosen runner-up for FIFA World Player of the Year.

Popularity: He was Google’s most searched of all sports topics in both 2003 and 2004. Such global recognition has made him an elite advertising brand and a top fashion icon.

England Career: Beckham was captain of England from 15 November 2000 to 2 July 2006. He made 58 appearances as captain, and ended his tenure in that role after the 2006 FIFA World Cup finals. He continued to make contributions for the England national team in 2007 competitions.

Career Overview: Beckham’s career began when he signed a professional contract with Manchester United, making his first-team debut in 1992 aged 17. During his time there, United won the Premiership title six times, the FA Cup twice, and the UEFA Champions League in 1999. He left Manchester United to sign for Real Madrid in 2003, where he remained for four seasons.

In January 2007, it was announced that Beckham would leave Real Madrid and sign a five-year contract with the Los Angeles Galaxy. He played his final match with Real on 17 June, after which the team was awarded the 2006-07 La Liga championship.
Beckham’s new contract with the Galaxy, effective 1 July 2007, gives him the highest salary of any MLS player in history. He debuted for the team on 21 July in a friendly versus Chelsea FC at the Home Depot Center.

Information gathered from: www.wikipedia.org

All about David Beckham – Part 1

Childhood and early career

Beckham was born in Leytonstone, London, England; the son of David Edward Alan “Ted” Beckham, a kitchen fitter and Manchester United fan, and Sandra Georgina West, a hairdresser. He regularly played football in Ridgeway Park, Chingford as a child. His mother’s family is Jewish, and Beckham has referred to himself as “half Jewish” and spoken of the influence the religion has had on him, although he is not known to practice Judaism or any other faith. In his book Both Feet on the Ground, he stated that growing up he always attended church with his parents and sisters.

His parents were fanatical Manchester United supporters who would frequently travel to Old Trafford from London to attend Manchester United’s home matches. David inherited his parents’ love of Manchester United and his main sporting passion was football. He attended one of Bobby Charlton’s football schools in Manchester and won the chance to take part in a training session at FC Barcelona, as part of a talent competition. As a child he played for a local youth team called the Ridgeway Rovers - coached by his father, Stuart Underwood and Steve Kirby.

He was Manchester United’s mascot for a match against West Ham United in 1986. Young Beckham had trials with his local club, Leyton Orient, and attended Tottenham Hotspur’s, which was the first club he played for, school of excellence. During a two-year period in which he played for Brimsdown Rovers’ youth team, he was named Under-15 Player of the Year in 1990. He also attended Bradenton Preparatory Academy, but signed schoolboy forms at Manchester United on his fourteenth birthday, and subsequently signed a Youth Training Scheme contract on 8 July 1991.

He was part of a group of young players at the club who guided the club to win the FA Youth Cup in May 1992, with Beckham scoring in the second leg of the final against Crystal Palace. He made his first appearance for United’s first-team that year, as a substitute in a League Cup match against Brighton & Hove Albion, and signed his first professional contract shortly afterwards. United reached the final of the Youth Cup again the following year, with Beckham playing in their defeat by Leeds United, and he won another medal in 1994 when the club’s reserve team won their league.

He went to Preston North End on loan in the 1994–95 season to get some first team experience, then made his first Premier League appearance for Manchester United on 2 April 1995, in a goalless draw against Leeds United.

Part 2 coming soon: Manchester United Era

Birmingham suffered at 2 shocking penalty decisions by the referee, one given against them and 1 not given to them. They lost 1-0 to West Ham - read match report

Middlesborough beat Fulham 1-2 at Craven Cottage - read match report

The ‘Draw Specialists’ as they are now know - Villa, managed at 0-0 drawer against Newcastle at Home - read match report

Portsmouth beat Bolton 3-1 at home, giving Bolton a terrible start to the new season - read match report

Reading shocked everyone with 1-0 win over Everton, who recently beat Tottenham 3-1 - read match report

Martin Jol stuck the V’s up to his critics as Tottenham got off the mark this season beating Derby 4-0 - read match report

Wigan beat Sunderland 3-0, which probably shocked Roy Keane the most seeing as he recently tipped his team to make the top 4 this season! - read match report