| Ipswich Town 2-1 Leeds Tommy Smith turned from villain to hero as Ipswich proved too strong for 10-man Leeds at Portman Road. After Jason Scotland had given Ipswich a first-half lead, an error from Smith allowed Leeds to poach an equaliser through Robert Snodgrass. But, after former Ipswich defender Alex Bruce was sent off for a second yellow card, Smith was afforded the freedom of the Leeds penalty area and headed home the winner.Smith had not looked like starting the game, but was one of four changes made by the Ipswich manager, Roy Keane, when he had to replace Darren O'Dea, who was injured in the warm-up.Having seen a 4-1 lead turn into a 6-4 defeat against Preston on Tuesday, the Leeds manager, Simon Grayson, also made four changes to his side.Smith proved his worth early on when he blocked Richard Naylor's goalbound header. Neil Kilkenny then failed to get a good connection to a Snodgrass cross, and Davide Somma narrowly failed to nip in to capitalise on a scramble as Leeds applied some early pressure.But the home side took the lead after 19 minutes. Jake Livermore collected the ball in midfield and, after running at the Leeds defence, slotted a perfect pass through to Scotland, who rounded Shane Higgs to score.The former Wigan striker looked to add a quick second but dragged a low drive wide, but, although Somma fizzed a 30-yard effort off target, Scotland's goal gave Ipswich a half-time lead for the first time this season. That lead was nearly wiped out after the restart as Bruce whipped a dangerous ball across Marton Fulop's goal, with three United players narrowly failing to connect. Scotland should have added a second but sliced over from six yards, while Bradley Johnson wasted a chance for Leeds when he curled a free-kick wildly over from just outside the area.Higgs then left the field with a hamstring injury, forcing Leeds to bring on Blackburn loanee Jason Brown, who was quickly in the action as he turned behind a Scotland effort. Scotland was made to pay for his missed chances when Leeds equalised 13 minutes from time. Smith and Gareth McAuley jumped for the same ball and, after they failed to clear, Somma played in substitute Sanchez Watt, who squared for the waiting Snodgrass.Leeds had the initiative but they were quickly robbed of it as Bruce was dismissed for a second yellow after one foul too many on Andros Townsend.And Bruce was made to pay for his indiscretion when, with eight minutes remaining, Smith was left unmarked by the Leeds defence and got on the end of Carlos Edwards' free-kick. ChampionshipIpswich TownLeeds Unitedguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Tottenham Hotspur's Dutch master Rafael van der Vaart gives Harry Redknapp headache After Rafael van der Vaart's match-winning display against Aston Villa, Harry Redknapp would be loath to leave him out. telegraph.co.uk |
Spartak Moscow braced for tough examination of their improving form | Jonathan Wilson Valery Karpin's men are within sight of reaching the knockout stage of the Champions League, something achieved by only one Russian side in the last eight seasonsFor Valery Karpin, the storm has passed. Back at the beginning of August, when Spartak Moscow lost at home to CSKA, his side had won just five of 14 league matches this season, and the positive signs of the end of last season seemed illusory. Karpin, the sporting director, admitted he was considering whether he might have to replace himself as coach. Karpin the coach, meanwhile, expressed bewilderment as to what was going wrong.That derby defeat was typical. Spartak played reasonably well, or at least as well as a disappointing CSKA, took the lead through a freakish own goal, and then capitulated in the face of the mildest of rallies from CSKA, conceding twice in the last eight minutes to win 2-1. They seemed insipid, lacking drive and self-belief, and it was hard to imagine how they could make any sort of impression in the Champions League.Since then, though, Spartak have lost just once, with first Welliton and then, after he damaged a hamstring, Ari hitting rich veins of goal-scoring form and Aiden McGeady settling in as well as could realistically have been hoped. Spartak are up to fourth (although with CSKA also seemingly galvanised by that derby, they'll find it tough to climb any higher), while a slightly fortuitous win away to Marseille and an emphatic dismissal of MSKA Zilina have left them within sight of reaching the knockout stage of the Champions League, something achieved by only one Russian side in the last eight seasons.The visit of Chelsea today, of course, represents a stiffer challenge than either they've faced so far, but Karpin is sanguine. "The most important thing about playing in Champions League is psychology," he said. "Most of our players never performed at this level so we have to boost up their morale. Believe me, it's practically the same to manage the team in Champions League compared to the Russian championship – all you have to do is kick the ball properly – but the concentration has to be much, much higher."He accepts, though, that his side will have to modify their approach. "I'd like my team to play with a high percentage of ball possession, just like Barcelona," he said. "I'd like them to occupy the opponents' half of a pitch. I'm not a big fan of the permanent pressing and counter-attacks. But sometimes you just have to give the ball away and wait for your chance to score, just like we did in Marseille. And I think that we should try it with Chelsea as well. It would be very strange to play like Barcelona against Chelsea, and strange is really a polite word for it."There is a disarming candour about Karpin, a charm and a sense of purpose that perhaps explains why Spartak allowed him to take on the roles of both sporting director and coach. His set-up may change for Chelsea but even in Marseille Spartak operated with their familiar 4-2-3-1. With Welliton managing 63 minutes in the 3-0 win over Alania on Friday, Karpin has a wealth of attacking options. Although both started in a 4-3-1-2 in that game, presumably one will step down on Tuesday, although with Alex injured, one could perhaps play off the other. Assuming Aiden McGeady recovers from a leg injury, he will presumably be on the right, with Dmitri Kombarov left and Ibson creating from deep. And that's without even mentioning the brilliant 18-year-old Georgian Zhano Ananidze, who is likely to start on the bench; Karpin's idea of caution still shimmers with attacking potential. "I remember from my playing career that everything is possible," Karpin said. "If you keep your head free of all that stuff about who-ought-to-win-tonight, you could beat any team, even Chelsea. Though I'm thinking about wearing that same suit with a tie again, as it worked against Marseille."Spartak's is a young squad, and it's entirely possible that they could start against Chelsea with no players over the age of 25 which is, of course, why there was such a sense of excitement and expectation about them as they swept to second last season. Sergei Parshivlyuk, the 21-year-old right-back, admits that he struggles to comprehend how far he has come so quickly."When I first heard the Champions League anthem," he said, "I got goosebumps. I stood there thinking 'Now that's the real football!' And then I thought, 'Boy, you still have to play Chelsea.' Wow. You don't have to think about chances to win, you'll just have to play. I know that in the Chelsea game I would possibly be up against Florent Malouda – and he's one of the best players in the world – but I'm going to do what I always do: play football. Besides, when I was with the national team, Yuri Zhirkov told me not to be afraid of Malouda."Quite what that means is far from obvious, but Parshivlyuk is clear about Spartak's aims. "We want to reach the Champions League knock-outs. I mean, why are we here, if not to? The Russian newspapers were doubtful about Spartak's defence, but we've proved that our defence is not weak. And neither is our team."It remains, though, a side of potential; for a group of players this young even to be contemplating the last 16 of the Champions League is a remarkable achievement.Spartak MoscowChelseaChampions LeagueJonathan Wilsonguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Roma v Basle: match preview Read a full match preview of the Champions League Group E match between Roma and Basle at the Olympic Stadium on Tuesday Oct 19 2010, kick-off 19.45 BST. telegraph.co.uk |
FIFA Suspends Senior Officials Over Bribery Probe FIFA provisionally suspended two executive committee members and four lower-ranked officials on Wednesday in a World Cup vote-selling scandal. feeds.nytimes.com |