TOP 100 SOCCER SITES
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| You are the Ref Click to enlarge, and debate the strip below the line. Keith Hackett's official answers appear in Sunday's Observer and here from Monday.A very happy new year to everyone from Paul and Keith - many thanks for all the comments and questions.Competition: win an official club shirt of your choiceFor a chance to win a club shirt from the range at Kitbag.com send us your questions for You are the Ref to you.are.the.ref@observer.co.uk. The best scenario used in the new Observer YATR strip each Sunday wins a shirt of your choice from Kitbag. Terms & conditions apply.For more on the fifty year history of You Are The Ref, click here.guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Chivu injury sours Inter's battling win • Inter maintain lead with battling 1-0 victory at Chievo• Juve beat Parma as Lazio come back to thrash LivornoMario Balotelli's goal gave the league leaders, Internazionale, a winning start to 2010 but the fractured skull suffered by the defender Cristian Chivu soured their 1-0 victory at Chievo.Balotelli scored the game's only goal in the 12th minute to settle the contest before a clash of heads between Chievo's captain, Sergio Pellissier, and Chivu in the opening moments of the second half led to the Inter defender being taken to hospital.The victory moved Inter nine points clear of Juventus, who won 2-1 at Parma, and 11 clear of Milan, who were still to face Genoa this evening.An own goal in the 39th minute from Paolo Castellini helped Juventus, who were reduced to 10 men for the remaining 17 minutes of the second half, claim just their second win in seven games at the Stadio Ennio Tardini. The defender headed into his own goal after the hosts had failed to clear a corner.Hasan Salihamidzic had headed Juve into an early lead before the veteran forward Nicola Amoruso grabbed an equaliser for Parma, but they were unable to find another even after MartĂn Cáceres was sent off in the 73rd minute and slipped to sixth in the table.Cagliari scored in the 90th minute and again in stoppage time to earn a 2-2 draw and deny Roma the chance of moving up to third. A David Pizarro penalty and a Simone Perrotta effort had put the Giallorossi on course for all three points in the second half, but, not long after Luca Toni came on to make his Roma debut, Diego LĂłpez pulled one back for the Sardinians and Daniele Conti then equalised.Napoli continued their push for European football next season by moving up to fourth with a 2-0 victory at Atalanta. Fabio Quagliarella scored the opening goal after seven minutes and Michele Pazienza made the points safe 13 minutes into the second half, as Atalanta dropped to 19th.Fiorentina won the Tuscan derby in style with a 5-1 hammering of bottom-placed Siena. Per Kroldrup, Mario Alberto Santana and Alberto Gilardino put the visitors in the driving seat in the first half before the returning Adrian Mutu and a second for Gilardino completed the rout. Massimo Maccarone's late penalty was barely any consolation for Siena.Bari won 2-0 at home to Udinese thanks to a goal in each half from Riccardo Meggiorini and Vitor Barreto. Simone Pepe came closest to levelling for the visitors when he hit the crossbar just before the break. Sergio Floccari made an impressive debut for Lazio by scoring twice in their 4-1 victory over Livorno.Martin Bergvold put Livorno in front in the seventh minute before Floccari, signed on a six-month loan deal from Genoa this week, stole the show. The 28-year-old levelled shortly after the restart and put his new team ahead in the 54th minute. The substitute Tommaso Rocchi and Aleksandar Kolarov with a penalty added further goals to make it a convincing win for Lazio. Livorno had Romano Perticone sent off in the 90th minute.Sampdoria came from behind to rescue a 1-1 draw at home to Palermo. Sampdoria had won just once in their last eight fixtures coming into this game and found themselves trailing to Edison Cavani's strike five minutes before the interval. Palermo's lead was short-lived, though, with Antonio Cassano providing the perfect response a minute later.Sinisa Mihajlovic saw his Catania side move up to third from bottom with a 1-0 victory over his former club Bologna. Nicolas Spolli scored the only goal of the game nine minutes from time.Serie AInternazionaleChievoJuventusParmaCagliariRomaLivornoLazioSienaNapoliAtalantaSampdoriaPalermoBariUdineseFiorentinaCataniaBolognaEuropean footballguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Last line of defence: Tim Howard Tim Howard has had to bide his time, as the likes of Tony Meola, Brad Friedel and Kasey Keller have tended goal for the U.S. Howard's turn will finally come in South Africa. cbc.ca |
Fyfe red card overturned Adelaide United defender Iain Fyfe has escaped suspension after the A-League's match review panel found he was incorrectly shown a red card in the loss to Perth. foxsports.com.au |
Paraguay's Cabanas shot in head Salvador Cabanas, a star player for Paraguay's World Cup team, was shot in the head Monday in the bathroom of a Mexico City bar. cbc.ca |