The Korea Herald

Wigan reaches FA Cup final as Millwall fans brawl

Apr 14, 2013

LONDON (AP) ― Millwall fans fought among themselves at Wembley Stadium on Saturday, overshadowing Wigan’s 2-0 victory that advanced the club to the first FA Cup final in its 81-year history.Police and security officers appeared slow to react as disorder built throughout the second half. Groups of Millwall supporters brawled with each other and security personnel.Ten people were arrested following “sporadic disorder” among Millwall fans, police said. The investigation was ongoing.On the field, Sh
Premier League to use Hawk-Eye goal-line tech

Apr 12, 2013

LONDON (AP) ― The English Premier League has become the first leading domestic competition to approve a goal-line technology system, with Hawk-Eye selected for use from next season. The camera-based ball-tracking system, which has been successfully deployed in tennis and cricket, has been chosen ahead of three rival FIFA-sanctioned products. Hawk-Eye, which is owned by Sony, sends a signal within a second of the ball crossing the line to the referee, who has the power to make the final call on
Russia aims laws at fan problem before 2018 World Cup

Apr 12, 2013

MANCHESTER, England (AP) ― Russia’s World Cup organizers are hoping that new laws will help to prevent disorderly fans from marring the tournament in 2018. World Cup director Alexander Djordjadze told the SoccerEx conference in Manchester on Thursday that with “extreme ultra behavior in the stands” remaining a “big concern for the entire football family in Russia,” the tough new sanctions should act as a deterrent for troublemakers. A “Fans’ Law,” which started progressing through the Russian
Chelsea leads quartet into Europa League semis

Apr 12, 2013

MANCHESTER, England (AP) ― Chelsea stumbled into the semifinals of the Europa League despite losing to Rubin Kazan on Thursday, while Basel beat Tottenham in a penalty shootout to also reach the last four. Fenerbahce and Benfica were the other teams to advance in Europe’s second-tier competition after holding on for 1-1 draws at Lazio and Newcastle, respectively, in their quarterfinal second legs. Chelsea lost 3-2 in Moscow’s Luzhniki Stadium ― the scene of its defeat to Manchester United in t
Korean clubs go winless against rivals

Apr 11, 2013

Four South Korean soccer teams went winless against their Japanese rivals this week at the continent’s top club competition.FC Seoul, Pohang Steelers, Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors and Suwon Bluewings of the K League Classic combined for one loss and three draws against J. League opponents in the group stage at the AFC Champions League.In Group E action Wednesday, FC Seoul lost to Vegalta Sendai 1-0 on the road. In Group G play, Pohang played Sanfrecce Hiroshima to a 1-1 draw at home.Earlier on Tuesday
Messi returns to lift Barca

Apr 11, 2013

Lionel Messi has never been short on late-game heroics.Not even a sore hamstring stopped him from helping Barcelona rally Wednesday for a 1-1 draw with Paris Saint-Germain and a place in the Champions League semifinals.Barcelona advanced on away rule after its 2-2 draw in Paris last week meant the quarterfinal finished 3-3 on aggregate. But Barca showed just how much it depends on Messi against major opponents.Messi, who injured his right leg after scoring in their first match, was only cleared
Suwon boasts largest payroll in top soccer league

Apr 11, 2013

Suwon Bluewings boast the largest payroll among the 14 clubs in South Korea’s first division professional soccer league, the league office said Thursday.According to the K League Classic, Suwon is paying its 31 players a total of 9.1 billion won ($7.9 million) this season, for an average of 292.5 million won per player. Both are the highest totals in the league.Based in one of the country’s most passionate football cities, Suwon has been one of the league’s most popular clubs since its foundatio
Dortmund, Real advance

Apr 10, 2013

DORTMUND, Germany (AP) ― Needing two goals in second-half stoppage time, Borussia Dortmund’s Champions League hopes appeared bleak.What followed was one of the most dramatic late comebacks in the tournament’s history.Marco Reus and Felipe Santana scored injury time, and Dortmund advanced to the semifinals for the first time in 15 years by beating Malaga 3-2 Wednesday night following a scoreless first leg last week.“I just can’t really believe it,” said Neven Subotic, the Dortmund defender who gr
Aguero helps City cool off United

Apr 9, 2013

LONDON (AP) ― Manchester City’s second straight league win at Old Trafford likely won’t be enough to make a difference in the Premier League title race.Substitute Sergio Aguero slalomed through the defense to score the go-ahead goal in the 78th minute, giving City a 2-1 derby win at United on Monday night that cut the defending champion’s deficit to 12 points with seven games left.“We showed we deserved to stay closer to the title but it is finished,” City manager Roberto Mancini said, maintaini
Chelsea wins, regains 3rd place in EPL

Apr 8, 2013

LONDON (AP) ― Paolo Di Canio, whose past fascist allegiances have become a flash point in English soccer, lost his first game as Sunderland’s manager Sunday ― a 2-1 defeat to Chelsea, which regained third place in the Premier League.Chelsea was playing its fourth game in nine days but had enough energy to rally. Branislav Ivanovic netted the winner after both sides scored an own goal.Tottenham is two points ahead of fifth-place Arsenal, having played an extra game. Everton is a further four poin
Bayern wins Bundesliga title

Apr 7, 2013

BERLIN (AP) ― Bayern Munich clinched the Bundesliga title with a record six games to spare, winning 1-0 at Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday as Bastian Schweinsteiger scored in the 52nd minute.Bayern Munich (24-1-3), the first team to clinch this season in a major European league, maintained a 20-point lead over second-place Borussia Dortmund (16-5-7), which rallied from a two-goal deficit to beat visiting Augsburg 4-2 as former American U20 team defender Neven Subotic scored the go-ahead goal. Do
Chelsea, Benfica, Fenerbahce win in Europa League

Apr 5, 2013

Chelsea, Benfica and Fenerbahce closed in on the Europa League semifinals with victories on Thursday.Basel scored two crucial away goals in a draw at Tottenham.Fernando Torres scored twice in a game for the first time in four months as European champion Chelsea won 3-1 over Rubin Kazan at home in the first leg of their quarterfinal.Benfica came from behind to beat Newcastle 3-1 at home, while Fenerbahce scored two late goals to claim a 2-0 victory over short-handed Lazio.Tottenham fought back fr
Ronaldo, Real trounce Galatasaray

Apr 4, 2013

MADRID (AP) ― With a dominant display, Real Madrid put itself in prime position to reach the Champions League semifinals.Cristiano Ronaldo scored nine minutes in, and Karim Benzema and Gonzalo Higuain added goals in a 3-0 win over Galatasaray on Wednesday night in the first leg of their quarterfinal.Ronaldo put the nine-time champions ahead with when he split defenders Emmanuel Eboue and Semih Kaya, ran onto a perfectly weighted through-pass from Mesut Oezil and chipped goalkeeper Fernando Musle
Korean wins overshadowed by one humiliating loss

Apr 4, 2013

Three South Korean football clubs notched victories in their AFC Champions League group stage matches this week, but their success was mostly overshadowed by one other South Korean team’s humiliating loss.All four K League Classic teams took on Japanese opponents this week in the continent’s premier club competition. On Wednesday, Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors poured in three second-half goals to defeat Urawa Red Diamonds 3-1 in Group F. The victory followed two wins from Tuesday, when FC Seoul beat Ve
PSG jolts Barca with late goal

Apr 3, 2013

PARIS (AP) ― Lionel Messi helped Barcelona gain a slight edge in its Champions League quarterfinal with Paris Saint-Germain, then limped off after injuring a hamstring.Blaise Matuidi scored on the last kick of the game, giving PSG a 2-2 tie Tuesday night in the first leg of the total-goals series.Messi, the four-time FIFA Player of the Year, scored his 57th goal of the season in the 38th minute, then favored his right leg in the final minutes of the first half and was replaced by Cesc Fabregas a