By Chris Wright

Here's a little firecracker to start the morning off. Last night's last-16 tie in the KNVB Cup between Ajax and AZ Alkmaar had to be abandoned after just 38 minutes (with Ajax leading 1-0) after an incident involving a pitch invader caused the away side to leave the field in protest.

A drunk fan decided that the best way to utilize his buzz during the Dutch Cup clash between AZ and Ajax was to attack AZ's keeper Esteban Alvarado because...well, he was drunk. So the keeper defended himself, then attacked the intruder with his boots and boiling anger. Understandably. However, the referee decided he should then send off Alvarado, which then prompted AZ to walk off the pitch.

A drunk fan decided that the best way to utilize his buzz during the Dutch Cup clash between AZ and Ajax was to attack AZ's keeper Esteban Alvarado because...well, he was drunk. So the keeper defended himself, then attacked the intruder with his boots and boiling anger. Understandably. However, the referee decided he should then send off Alvarado, which then prompted AZ to walk off the pitch.

foto Vanguardia

La violencia nunca es buena, violencia genera violencia y aqui una muestra de lo anterior.
Un fanatico con pinta de skinhead invadió el terreno de juego para intentar agredir al portero del AZ el guardameta tico Esteban Alvarado, quien repelió la agresión pateando al espontáneo, primero al recibirlo y después dos veces cuando el fanatico se encontraba en el suelo.

On another night of drama in the Champions League Lyon, Basel and Napoli all moved onto the round of 16, while last season's beaten finalist Manchester United was sent to the Europa League.

The most unlikely team to progress to the knock stages was Lyon, who needed Ajax to lose at home to Real Madrid while they beat Dinamo Zagreb and overturned a seven-goal deficit.

Jim(my Briand)'ll fix it Lyon progressed in the Champions League after a remarkable 1-7 win at Dinamo Zagreb last night. The six-goal margin built up over a period of 30 minutes was just what the French side needed to overhaul Ajax and pip them to qualification on goal difference. Needless to say, Lyon's [.

photo by Bill Barrett/ISIphotos.com

The 2011 Generation adidas team began its three-game tour of the Netherlands on Thursday morning, but not in the fashion that it would have liked.

Ajax's reserve team defeated Generation adidas, 4-2, in a friendly in Amsterdam, according to MLS's twitter.

n this week's review of the footballing action, we take a look back at the first El Clásico of the season, wonder what has happened to Bolton and hear about a clash in the Ajax boardroom.

n this week's review of the footballing action, we take a look back at the first El Clásico of the season, wonder what has happened to Bolton and hear about a clash in the Ajax boardroom.

Repercussions of Luis Suárez case could be far-reaching for Liverpool

• Ruling will hit Liverpool's tilt for Champions League spot • Luther Blissett raises prospect of legal action Kenny Dalglish said recently that he did not measure Luis Suárez's value to Liverpool in terms of goals and you could not dispute his argument.

So Luis Suarez is working himself into a nice little pattern of nabbing ginormous suspensions in the meaty part of the domestic season. Before his move to Liverpool last year, he picked up seven games for his primal attempts at a mid-game snack while playing for Ajax. This year, it's eight games to sit in the corner and think about what he did.

The latest defender Newcastle are said to be interested in is Ajax' 6'3″ center-back Jan Vertonghen. Jan Vertonghen Newcastle interested? Earlier this week there were reports in the Dutch press that Newcastle could be interested in the Belgium International. Several Dutch sources have been reporting that Newcastle may attempt to buy the 24 year-old [.

AZ Alkmaar goalkeeper Esteban Alvarado was sent-off for kicking a fan during a feisty Dutch Cup tie against Ajax with AZ boss Gertjan Verbeek also ordering his men to abandon the match! 'Simply shocking' ran the backpage headlines across the Dutch peninsula and for good reason. In what can only be described as an explosive [.

In this week's review of the footballing action, we congratulate Manchester United, wonder about Luis Suarez and look on in shock at the Dutch Cup.

Valencia set to win race for Ajax defender

Gregory van der Wiel was wanted by Chelsea but it now looks like he is on his way to Spain

View the full story here: Talksport

A news article on 2011-12-01 12:13:49 from: Talksport

This news item has been reproduced from today's media.

Xabi Alonso has revealed that Real Madrid team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo has still not returned to training ahead of Saturday's crucial La Liga clash with Sporting Gijon.

Ronaldo picked up an ankle injury following a strong challenge by Luis Perea during last weekend's ill-tempered derby win over city rivals Atletico Madrid.

AEK Athens vs Anderlecht 1-2 Highlights Video 2011 Europa League Goals Sialmas Gillet is a post from Soccer Blogger. Follow Soccer Blogger on Twitter

AEK Athens vs Anderlecht 1-2 Highlights Video 2011 Europa League Goals Sialmas Gillet is a post from Soccer Blogger. Follow Soccer Blogger on Twitter AEK vs Anderlecht 2011 ( AEK Athens Anderlecht Video below) Score and result:- AEK vs Anderlecht 1-2 ( Sialmas/ Gillet*2) Athens, Greece- 1st December, 2011- Europa League Guillaume Gillet scores a [.

The name of Jan Vertonghen was mentioned on here a few weeks ago but it seemed at the time that Spurs' real target was Bolton's Gary Cahill. However, stories emerging from Holland are adamant that Tottenham have agreed a £10m fee for the Belgian international and that the deal will be rubber stamped when the transfer window opens next month.

Liverpool striker Luis Suarez has voiced his 'huge pride' at emulating former club legends by wearing the number seven jersey at Anfield.
The Uruguay international has followed in the footsteps of Reds heroes such as manager Kenny Dalglish and ex-frontman Kevin Keegan by donning the revered shirt.

4 months. 4 months since we couldn't count on a full squad. And boy, was it felt. But could our initial fortunes be coming back to us? All of a sudden, no more injured (except Tafer and substitute keepers Vercoutre and Lopes), no more suspended (Dabo has served his three matches after being sent off against Saint-Etienne).

Man City & Chelsea's Champions League hopes hang in the balance, as Ajax faces Real Madrid juggernaut - originally posted on Soccerlens.com

The last round of the Champions League group stages sees a number of mouthwatering and do-or-die ties. If you're going to be betting on football, you should be very careful where you put your money.

Kenny Dalglish believes it is time Luis Suarez was afforded some protection after describing chants of 'cheat' during Liverpool's defeat at Fulham as 'scandalous'.
Uruguay international Suarez has seen his reputation come under attack this season amid accusations that the striker is a diver.
During Monday night's 1-0 loss at Craven Cottage, Suarez saw a goal disallowed for offside and he also had a couple of penalty shouts.

Sorry for the delay in the rankings, but we are on vacation. Technically, we are not in Chile any more, we're in Mendoza, Argentina, but we don't have any photos downloaded from Mendoza yet, so this still is the Santiago Edition.
Being on vacation, this is going to be a very truncated ranking this week, with only the teams, results and schedules.

The 2011 Generation adidas tour team will be special guests at the key Ajax v Real Madrid Champions League Matchday 6 tilt tomorrow night. I will be talking to a couple of those MLS rising stars before they head down to the game, and then more throughout their stay in the Netherlands.And just to tantalize you a little further, tomorrow's Postcard From Europe subject is none other than white-hot

Champions League on Fox Soccer: Basel - Manchester United at 2:30pm, Ajax - Real Madrid at 5pm, and Manchester City - Bayern Munich at 7pm (2:30pm on Fox Soccer Plus). All Times Eastern

Dinamo Zagreb vs. Olympique Lyonnais

Matchday 6, UEFA Champions League Group Stages 2011/12.

The equation is simple really. Make mincemeat out of Dinamo Zagreb in Zagreb, and bribe Madrid to make fruit punch out of Ajax in Amsterdam. Seven strikers, one defender (Lovren, of course) and three goalkeepers ought to be enough, one would think?

Dinamo Zagreb vs. Olympique Lyonnais

Matchday 6, UEFA Champions League Group Stages 2011/12.

The equation is simple really. Make mincemeat out of Dinamo Zagreb in Zagreb, and bribe Madrid to make fruit punch out of Ajax in Amsterdam. Seven strikers, one defender (Lovren, of course) and three goalkeepers ought to be enough, one would think?

Cruyff sues Davids as Ajax rift deepens

Boardroom war over van Gaal spills into court

View the full story here: The Mirror

A news article on 2011-12-07 15:57:17 from: The Mirror

This news item has been reproduced from today's media.

2011–12 UEFA Champions League group stage third-placed teams Group Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts A Manchester City 6 3 1 2 9 6 +3 10 C Manchester United 6 2 3 1 11 8 +3 9 F Olympiacos 6 3 0 3 8 6 +2 9 E Valencia 6 2 2 2 12 7 +5 8 G Porto 6 2 2 2 7 7 0 8 D Ajax 6 2 2 2 6 6 0 8 B Trabzonspor 6 1 4 1 3 5 −2 7 H Viktoria Plzeň 6 1 2 3 4 11 −7 5

Ajax vs Real Madrid 0-3 Highlights Video Champions League 2011 Jose Callejon Higuain is a post from Soccer Blogger. Follow Soccer Blogger on Twitter

Ajax vs Real Madrid 0-3 Highlights Video Champions League 2011 Jose Callejon Higuain is a post from Soccer Blogger. Follow Soccer Blogger on Twitter Ajax vs Real Madrid 2011 ( Ajax Amsterdam Real video below) Final score and result:- Ajax vs Real Madrid 0-3 ( Jose Callejon*2, Gonzalo Higuain) Amsterdam Arena, Amsterdam, Netherlands- Champions League- [.

Dinamo Zagreb vs Lyon 1-7 Highlights Video Champions League OL Goals Gomis is a post from Soccer Blogger. Follow Soccer Blogger on Twitter

Dinamo Zagreb vs Lyon 1-7 Highlights Video Champions League OL Goals Gomis is a post from Soccer Blogger. Follow Soccer Blogger on Twitter Dinamo Zagreb vs Lyon 2011 ( Zagreb OL Video below) Final score and result:- Dinamo Zagreb vs Lyon 1-7 (Mateo Kovacic/ Bafetimbi Gomis*4, Maxime Gonalons, Lisandro Lopez, Jimmy Briand) Stadion Makismir, Zagreb- [.

After the dust settled from Wednesday's shocking UEFA Champions League group results, the final 16 teams have emerged to make it to the knockout stage.

The draw is set for Dec. 16, and teams from the same group or same league cannot meet in the first knockout round. The teams in each pot are:

GROUP WINNERS - Bayern Munich, Inter Milan, Benfica, Real Madrid, Chelsea, Arsenal, APOEL Nicosia, Barcelona

RUNNERS-UP - Napoli, CSKA Moscow, FC Basel, Lyon, Bayer Leverkusen, Marseille, Zenit-St.

A miracle. That's exactly what Lyon needed to go through to the knockout stages of the Champions League after disappointing in the five first games and scoring only on two occasions. To qualify, Les Gones not only needed Ajax to lose, but also had seven goals to catch up on the Dutch side.

A miracle. That's exactly what Lyon needed to go through to the knockout stages of the Champions League after disappointing in the five first games and scoring only on two occasions. To qualify, Les Gones not only needed Ajax to lose, but also had seven goals to catch up on the Dutch side.

After so many years in the European doldrums, Ajax finally had another chance of surviving the group stages and hope for a miracle in the draw. They did have to get something of a result against Real while Lyon was supposed to be tamed by Zagreb.

Ajax could lose and would [read more]

So after an exciting first round in the Champions League, there are a few shocks and surprises as the competition takes a 2 month break. Of course the major shocks are the exiting of Man United, Ajax and Valencia.

Joining that clubs that had already qualified to the knock out stages are: Lyon, Basel, CSKA Moscow and Napoli.

Dinamo Zagreb Lyon match fixed? Domagoj Vida wink Video Gomis 2011 Champions League 1-7 is a post from Soccer Blogger. Follow Soccer Blogger on Twitter

Dinamo Zagreb Lyon match fixed? Domagoj Vida wink Video Gomis 2011 Champions League 1-7 is a post from Soccer Blogger. Follow Soccer Blogger on Twitter Olympique Lyon produced one of the greatest Champions League comebacks of all time, thrashing Dinamo Zagreb 7-1 last night ( December 7, 2011) with Bafetimbi Gomis scoring four goals.

Dinamo Zagreb Lyon match fixed? Domagoj Vida wink Video Gomis 2011 Champions League 1-7 is a post from Soccer Blogger. Follow Soccer Blogger on Twitter

Dinamo Zagreb Lyon match fixed? Domagoj Vida wink Video Gomis 2011 Champions League 1-7 is a post from Soccer Blogger. Follow Soccer Blogger on Twitter Olympique Lyon produced one of the greatest Champions League comebacks of all time, thrashing Dinamo Zagreb 7-1 last night ( December 7, 2011) with Bafetimbi Gomis scoring four goals.

Sorry guys, I was out last night & could not post the Ajax 0 - Real Madrid 3 + Villareal 0 - Napoles 2 Champions League summary. However found these diagrams of all the Champions League Clubs that go onto the next phase, with the two SPANISH FOOTBALL representatives FC BARCELONA & REAL MADRID. Below are the Clubs that finished first of their Group with those in second place.

By Alan Duffy

Lyon players celebrate qualification for the last 16

It looked like game over for Lyon in this year's Champions League, after the French giants left themselves with an enormous task ahead of the final Group D matchday.