The Korea Herald

Advocaat to quit Russia after Euro

May 1, 2012

MOSCOW (AP) ― Russia coach Dick Advocaat reportedly will not extend his contract and will quit after the European Championship.“After the European Championship, I’ll go,” Advocaat was quoted as saying in the Sprot-Express newspaper on Monday. “I can’t tell you the reason yet, but knowing about all the speculation, I’ll say right now, it’s not about the money.”Advocaat signed a two-year contract in April 2010 with an option for two more years and the primary goal of qualifying for Euro 2012, whic
Kompany’s header the difference as City beats United

May 1, 2012

MANCHESTER, England (AP) ― The Manchester derby went to City. Next, it hopes, is the Premier League crown.Manchester City finished a sweep of its local rival Monday when Vincent Kompany’s powerful header lifted it past Manchester United 1-0 to take the Premier League lead with two games remaining.In what had been billed as the biggest Manchester derby ever, Kompany connected off David Silva’s corner kick for the only goal in first-half stoppage time at the Etihad Stadium. City then held on for a
Torres gets Chelsea hat trick

Apr 30, 2012

LONDON (AP) ― Fernando Torres got his first hat trick in more than 2 1/2 years on Sunday to lead Chelsea to a 6-1 English Premier League win over Queens Park Rangers.Tottenham returned to fourth place with a 2-0 win over Blackburn, moving ahead of Newcastle on goal difference and pulling three points back of third-place Arsenal. Chelsea trails the Spurs by a point with three games remaining.Defending champion Manchester United holds a three-point lead over second-place Manchester City heading in
EPL relegation fight heats up

Apr 29, 2012

LONDON (AP) ― Wigan routed Newcastle 4-0 Saturday for another remarkable win in its attempt to avoid relegation from the Premier League and severely dent its opponent’s chances of qualifying for next season’s Champions League.With the fight for the title not resuming until leader Manchester United makes the short trip to second-place Manchester City on Monday, much of Saturday’s play centered on the teams fighting to stay in the lucrative Premier League.Newcastle had won six straight to move int
Bayern beats Madrid, to play Chelsea in final

Apr 26, 2012

MADRID (AP) ― Bastian Schweinsteiger sent his penalty kick slicing straight down the middle, and then ripped off his shirt with a roar of triumph.No way Bayern Munich was going to miss the big party at its own house.Bayern Munich became the first team to advance to a Champions League final it is hosting Wednesday night, beating Real Madrid 3-1 on penalty kicks when Schweinsteiger converted the final shot after Sergio Ramos skied his over the crossbar.“When I think about the fact that we can play
Korea soccer team to face Mexico, Switzerland and Gabon in London

Apr 25, 2012

South Korean Olympic soccer team has good chances in London this summer as it has been grouped with relatively weak teams, local officials said Wednesday.In a draw held in London on Tuesday, Korea was placed in Group B along with the top-seed Mexico, Switzerland and Gabon.The draw seems to be the best possible scenario for manager Hong Myung-bo’s side as they have now avoided facing the three other top seeds ― Great Britain, Brazil and Spain ― in the group stage.After attending the draw on Tuesd
Chelsea tops Barcelona, makes final

Apr 25, 2012

BARCELONA (AP) ― Lionel Messi walked off the Camp Nou pitch in tears, as one of the most dominant eras in European club soccer came to a crashing halt.He wasn’t the only one shaking his head in disbelief.Despite going a man and two goals down in the first half, Chelsea pulled off one of the unlikeliest comebacks in Champions League history Tuesday, earning a 2-2 draw against Barcelona. That sent the London club into the final 3-2 on aggregate and eliminated the defending champion.For the second
Rangers owner banned for life

Apr 24, 2012

GLASGOW (AP) ― Glasgow Rangers were barred from signing players for a year and their owner banned for life from any involvement in Scottish soccer as part of a series of punishments imposed Monday on the financially troubled club.The record 54-time Scottish champions went into administration ― a form of bankruptcy protection ― in February with tax debts of $14 million accrued following Craig Whyte’s takeover last May.A disciplinary tribunal found Whyte in breach of two disciplinary rules between
Celtic handle Motherwell

Apr 23, 2012

GLASGOW (AFP) ― Teenager Tony Watt made a sensational debut for Scottish Premier League champions Celtic as he scored twice in his side’s 3-0 defeat of Motherwell at Fir Park on Sunday.The 18-year-old, signed from Airdrie last year, replaced Pawel Brozek in the 59th minute and scored his first just over three minutes later when he volleyed in Victor Wanyama’s cross.Watt grabbed his second in the 66th minute, sending a low, angled drive into the bottom-left corner to mark a memorable start to his
United draws, City wins as title race blown open

Apr 23, 2012

LONDON (AP) ― The Premier League title race took an unexpected twist Sunday when Manchester City beat Wolverhampton 2-0 to move within three points of leader Manchester United, which blew a two-goal lead in a 4-4 tie with Everton.With the two rivals meeting at Etihad Stadium in the next round and City having a much better goal difference than United, the destiny of the title is back in both teams’ hands in what is proving a thrilling climax to the season.“It’s a derby of amazing proportions ― pr
Real flawless

Apr 22, 2012

Madrid beats Barcelona 2-1; Dortmund retains titleBARCELONA (AP) ― Cristiano Ronaldo scored in the 73rd minute to send Barcelona to its first loss in 55 home games and put Real Madrid on the cusp of breaking the Catalan giants’ three-year hold on the Spanish league crown with a 2-1 win Saturday.Sami Khedira opened the scoring in the 17th minute with Madrid’s league-record 108th goal of the season. Ronaldo sealed the victory with his league-record 42nd goal moments after Alexis Sanchez tied it fo
Chelsea gets past Barca

Apr 19, 2012

LONDON (AP) ― Didier Drogba scored in the second minute of first-half stoppage time, and Chelsea held on to beat defending champion Barcelona 1-0 Wednesday night in the first leg of the Champions League semifinals.Lionel Messi lost possession of the ball in midfield, and Frank Lampard passed to Ramires for a counterattack. Ramires’ cross was swept into the goal by Drogba, who scuffed his shot but still beat goalkeeper Victor Valdes. Barcelona had 72 percent possession, with Alexis Sanchez hittin
Jeonbuk, FC Tokyo nab wins

Apr 18, 2012

DUBAI (AP) ― FC Tokyo is on the verge of reaching the last 16 of the Asian Champions League after beating Beijing Guoan 3-0, and South Korean champion Jeonbuk Motors kept its hopes alive with a 3-2 comeback win over Buriram United of Thailand.FC Tokyo’s Kazuma Watanabe opened the scoring in the seventh minute and Yohei Otake and Tatsuya Yazawa added second-half goals.Ulsan Hyundai beat Australian winner Brisbane Roar 2-1 to join FC Tokyo as the only unbeaten teams in Group F.In Korea, Cameroon s
Gomez’s late goal leads Bayern past Real

Apr 18, 2012

MUNICH (AP) ― Mario Gomez scored in the 90th minute Tuesday to give Bayern Munich a 2-1 win over Real Madrid in the first leg of their Champions League semifinal.Gomez’s 12th goal of this year’s competition boosted Bayern’s hopes of becoming the first team to play the Champions League final at its own stadium, and earn its fifth title.Franck Ribery opened the scoring in the 17th minute for Bayern Munich and Mesut Oezil equalized in the 53rd.The second leg is next week in Madrid.The other semifin
Chelsea rumbles into FA Cup final

Apr 16, 2012

LONDON (AP) ― Chelsea sealed a meeting with Liverpool in the FA Cup final after thrashing London rival Tottenham 5-1 at Wembley Stadium on Sunday thanks to some ruthless finishing and a controversial goal that will reignite the debate over goal-line technology.The decision to award a 49th-minute goal to Juan Mata, putting Chelsea ahead 2-0, appeared to be wrong after video replays suggested the ball hadn’t crossed the line when it was cleared away by Tottenham defender Benoit Assou-Ekotto.In the