Herbert wearing too many hats Capt. in charge of the phoenix, All Whites seniors, juniors and every other aspect. I've told him as such. too many pokers in the fire. He should be soley concentrating on one. Sadly, the guy I'd like at the Nix, signed for the Victory as their coach. I like Ricki but too much on his plate.
Not a World Cup Qualifier, but Messi Hatrick for Argentina vs Brazil
"They were careless people...they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back to their money or their vast carelessness, or whatever it was that kept them together, and let other people clean up the mess they had made."
"They were careless people...they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back to their money or their vast carelessness, or whatever it was that kept them together, and let other people clean up the mess they had made."
News Videos | Photos Qantas Socceroos secure heroic draw Tuesday, 12 June 2012 9:48 PM A Luke Wilkshire penalty in the 70th minute saw a 10-man Australia salvage a 1-1 draw with Japan in their AFC World Cup qualifier at Suncorp Stadium on Tuesday night.
Japan looked certain to go three from three and were well on their way when Yuzo Kurihara netted from close range five minutes after Saudi referee Khalil Al Ghamdi awarded Mark Milligan his second yellow card.
But Al Ghamdi intervened again five minutes later, awarding a penalty against Atsuto Uchida for holding striker Alex Brosque as the Socceroos threatened from a corner.
Wilkshire stepped up and buried the penalty hard and straight to rescue a result that seemed so unlikely minutes earlier.
In stoppage time Wilkshire almost stole victory with a long-range free-kick with only the desperate fingertips of Japan keeper Eiji Kawashima ensuring the stalemate.
Japan also had a man sent off in the encounter, with goalscorer Kurihara committing a second bookable offence to be given his marching orders in the 89th minute.
The Blue Samurai dazzled the Socceroos for much of the match and finally found the net in the 65th minute when Keisuke Honda danced along the by-line and passed across goal for Kurihara who made no mistake and sent the Japanese players and fans into raptures.
Japan had one last chance to steal victory when Honda lined up a free-kick but referee Al Ghamdi halted proceedings, blowing the full-time whistle as Honda prepared to strike.
Tim Cahill was recalled to the starting side at the expense of Harry Kewell and made a marked difference early as the Socceroos delivered on their promise to attack from the outset.
There was plenty of intent and physicality from the home side early but the Blue Samurai were unfazed and continued to go about their business in classy fashion.
Mark Bresciano was instrumental in getting the Socceroos on the attack and helped get David Carney and Carl Valeri good looks at goal from the top of the box, but both missed the target.
The Socceroos’ initial onslaught was interrupted when Bresciano came from the field in the 13th minute with an apparent groin injury – replaced by Milligan.
Japan held their nerve and slowly but surely gained the ascendancy in what turned out to be a high-class, fast-paced international.
The deft midfield work of Honda and Sir Alex Ferguson's latest acquisition Shinji Kagawa was breathtaking at times and deserved to be rewarded – and almost was when the pair combined only for Honda to fire straight into the waiting arms of Mark Schwarzer.
In the 19th minute only a remarkable clearance from Kurihara stopped the Socceroos from grabbing a decisive goal.
Cahill, Lucas Neill and Brosque all had a chance to bury the opportunity in a goalmouth scramble before Kurihara, laying on his back, miraculously cleared over the crossbar.
As the half wore on the momentum clearly moved in favour of the visitors, but their execution in front of goal let them down.
Kagawa, with Honda as his offsider, was running riot for Japan but couldn't find the back of the net and at half-time Australia had five shots on target to Japan's one.
The game turned with Milligan's red card, which was controversial after the midfielder attempted a volley and accidentally made contact with his Japanese marker.
Japan found the opener soon after through Kurihara, and they looked comfortable with their numerical advantage intact.
Wilkshire cancelled out Kurihara's effort with his penalty five minutes later, and the Socceroos settled for a point despite piling on the pressure late on.
Australia 1 (Wilkshire 70'pen) Japan 1 (Kurihara 65') @ Suncorp Stadium Crowd: 40,189
Ledge picks up historic point Posted on: Wed 13 Jun 2012
Mikele Leigertwood helped Antigua and Barbuda to pick up their first ever point at the third round of World Cup qualification, following a goalless draw with Jamaica on Tuesday evening.
The Royals midfielder played 90 minutes at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in St. John's, the capital of Antigua - and in the end his side were unfortunate not to come away with three points.
The result leaves the wonderfully named Benna Boys still bottom of their group on goal difference, but only three points off leaders USA.
Each team in the group will play each other twice, after which the top two teams from each of the three divisions in Round 3 of qualifying from the North, Central American and Caribbean Zone will meet in the region's traditional 'hexagonal' stage.
These six teams will meet in a home-and-away format between 6 February and 15 October 2013 with the top three sides qualifying directly for the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil
The fourth-placed team will face a home-and-away intercontinental play-off for a potential fourth CONCACAF spot at Brazil 2014.
Antigua and Barbuda's next fixture is against Guatemala in September.
"They were careless people...they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back to their money or their vast carelessness, or whatever it was that kept them together, and let other people clean up the mess they had made."
Tahiti had appeared in three previous finals - 1973, 1980 and 1996 – but finally took top spot with their opponents featuring in a maiden OFC Nations Cup decider, having been affiliated to FIFA only in 2004. The victory concluded a five-match winning run in the eight-nation competition, with Tahiti now set to become the first nation other than Australia or New Zealand to represent Oceania at the global tournament.
New Zealand claimed third place with a 4-3 win in the earlier match against hometown favourites Solomon Islands. All four semi-finalists will feature in the third and final stage of Oceania 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil™ qualifying which is due to commence later this year.
Decisive opening The pivotal moment of the final came after just ten minutes as Jonathan Tehau flicked on younger brother Lorenzo Tehau's cross to Steevy Chong Hue, who had time to chest the ball down and drill his shot into the bottom corner.
New Caledonia took time to adjust to the early set-back but slowly forced their way back into contention as the match wore on. However, the best chance of the opening half arrived just before the interval as Tahiti’s Alvin Tehau's shot was well saved by Rocky Nyikeine, who then thwarted a follow-up effort, before defender Emile Bearune saved the day for New Caledonia with another crucial block.
Lorenzo Tehau had the ball in the net soon after the break, only to be denied by the offside flag, before New Caledonia ramped up their fightback. Les Cagous did everything but score against their French-speaking rivals during an intense spell midway through the second half.
Bertrand Kai started the momentum, creating a good opening only to slip at the crucial moment, before setting up Jacques Haeko, who fired over a few minutes later. George Gope-Fenepej shot fiercely into the side netting and then spurned a gilt-edged opening at the far post following Haeko’s cross.
However, it was be Tahiti that prevailed in a match of missed opportunities to claim their maiden Oceania crown, following eight previous attempts over the 39-year history of the tournament.
Kiwi consolation New Zealand secured a measure of solace by seeing off local heroes Solomon Islands with a thrilling 4-3 win. The All Whites fell to a surprise 2-0 defeat against New Caledonia on Friday but immediately sought to overcome that disappointment with a storming opening.
New Zealand’s Chris Wood bagged a hat-trick inside the opening half-hour, only for Solomon Islands to stage a remarkable comeback as the midday heat took its toll. To the delight of a typically animated Lawson Tama Stadium crowd, the Solomons drew level with three minutes remaining as Bonitos talisman Benjamin Totori found the net with three minutes remaining, adding to Himson Teleda’s strike. However, New Zealand’s prolific striker Shane Smeltz found space in the penalty area two minutes into injury time to deny the Solomons.
