On a noisy night at Tynecastle in Edinburgh, Liverpool got back to its winning ways in a hard fought contest by both sides, thanks to an Andy Webster own goal.

After a disappointing 3-0 loss to West Brom over the weekend, this was the perfect chance for Liverpool to gain a much needed confidence boost. It was the same situation for the Hearts, who squandered a 2-0 lead against Inverness Caledonian Thistle, but ended up drawing 2-2. Both sides were looking for a boost going into their respective games this weekend.

While the Liverpool manager decided to rest the likes of Steven Gerrard and Luis Suarez, he still fielded a side which consisted of seven internationals. But early on, with loud support from the Hearts, fans striker John Sutton nearly got in; Liverpool goalkeeper Pepe Reina was alert to clear the ball.

Slowly but surely, Liverpool got back into the game and started to create chances. The best chance was a Jordan Henderson through ball narrowly missed by Fabio Borini, who tried to volley the ball past Hearts goalkeeper Jamie MacDonald. But some Hearts will feel their side should have been awarded a penalty when Jamie Carragher handled the ball, though it did look accidental.

Late on in the first half, Raheem Sterling produced a great interception and was through on goal. Instead of being selfish, with only the keeper to beat, he produced a pass to Borini but somehow hit bar with seconds to go until the half-time whistle.

Both teams struggled to really get going in the second half. Even though only a few half chances being created by both sides, Hearts fans kept singing throughout the whole match. Liverpool kept playing it from the back and passed throughout the whole game, keeping up with Rodgers philosophy.

Finally, the deadlock was broken in the 77th minute when Liverpool got around the tiring Hearts defence. A good cross by Martin Kelly caused chaos in the Hearts penalty area, and although Borini nearly put the ball in the net, it was an own goal by Andy Webster as he tried in vain not to make contact with the ball.

Although late on Andy Driver had a great chance to equalize, his shot lacked pace. The Hearts had to settle with a 1-0 home defeat.

While Liverpool will take this victory away from home, and look forward to the home leg, for Hearts it was an encouraging display by such a youthful squad.

The second leg will take place August 30 at Anfield. Before that game, Liverpool will host Premier League champions Manchester City, while the Hearts are away at Pittodrie against Aberdeen.

Image Courtesy of  Jaggat / Shutterstock.com

The article Europa League Qualification First Leg: Liverpool Victory appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

If England needed any more motivation for their quarter-final against Italy, the knowledge that a victory would set up a semi-final with arch-rivals Germany certainly would.

Italy came close to taking the lead early on when Daniele De Rossi hit a curling volley from outside the penalty box, which had goalkeeper Joe Hart beaten. Fortunately for England, the shot cannoned back off the post before being cleared from the danger zone.

Another golden opportunity presented itself just a minute later; this time it was England’s turn to come close, with a low cross falling to Glen Johnson in the penalty area. The England defenders’ shot was saved expertly by Gianluigi Buffon to keep the scores level.

Although the game quieted down from its frenetic opening minutes, both teams were still playing a brand of attacking football unexpected by most coming into the game. Many pundits had predicted a cagey, defensively dominated affair between the two teams, but with twenty minutes played, the game seemed anything but that.

With half an hour gone the Italians seemed to be gaining the upper hand, controlling the pace of the game and shading the possession battle. This spell of dominance presented two clear chances for controversial striker Mario Balotelli, but the Italian was denied firstly by a last ditch John Terry tackle and secondly by a good low save from Hart.

Despite their dominance, and further chances for both Balotelli and Antonio Cassano, Italy was unable to take a lead before the interval, although there were no doubts that Cesare Prandelli was the happier of the two managers as both teams left the field for half-time.

If De Rossi was cursing his luck following his shot which hit the post in the first half, his self-berating was a little early. In the second half, after England cleared their lines from a corner, the ball was knocked back into the penalty area and reached De Rossi who scuffed his shot when one on one with Hart.

Things went from bad to worse for England as Italy enjoyed a succession of chances from Balotelli and Ricardo Montolivo. They seemed to beat England’s offside trap time after time, only to be denied by a combination of poor finishing and the goalkeeping heroics of Hart.

The double substitution of Andy Carroll and Theo Walcott on for Danny Welbeck and James Milner respectively seemed to breathe some life into England, who began to show signs of the attacking intent with which they started the game. England nearly capitalized on this pressure when Steven Gerrard’s free kick was agonizingly close to Wayne Rooney’s attempted header, when any kind of contact would likely have taken the ball beyond the reaches of Buffon.

An attempted overhead kick from Rooney almost gave England their fairytale ending, but the Manchester United striker could not keep his shot down, sending the game into extra time.

The first half of extra time from England was much more encouraging than much of their play in the opening 90 minutes; it still failed to yield a break in the deadlock for either side, setting up a very tense final 15 minutes.

The second half played out in similar fashion and brought the conclusion to the game that all England fans were dreading, the penalty shootout.

Opening penalties were slotted home by Balotelli and Gerrard respectively, only for England to then gain the advantage after Rooney scored, following a miss from Montolivo. England’s advantage was short lived however as Ashley Young’s missed penalty – after Pirlo’s successful spot kick – leveled the scores at 2-2. Another miss from England, this time from Ashley Cole, proved to be England’s final undoing. Alessandro Diamanti stepped up to convert and sent Italy through to face the Germans in the semi-finals.

Image Courtesy of  Julian Finney

The article Euro 2012: England Fall To Penalty Drama Once Again appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

While England knew that a draw in their game against Ukraine at Donbass Arena in Donetsk, Ukraine, would be enough to achieve qualification from Group D, the return of Wayne Rooney from suspension and the resulting confidence from the victory over Sweden will have the England team eager to try and secure the top spot with a win.

Although they entered the game as favorites, England had to be alert defensively early on with the Ukraine seemingly intent on putting them on the back foot from the start, dominating both possession and territory in the first 15 minutes.

Despite enjoying the lion’s share of possession, Ukraine was unable convert this into meaningful attempts on goal, and most of their chances failed to test Joe Hart in the England goal. The best chance of the first half hour actually went against the run of play and fell to England, with Wayne Rooney, evidently rusty from his lack of game time, headed wide just yards out from goal.

The rest of the first half played out fairly unspectacularly and although Rooney’s solitary chance for England proved to be the best opportunity to break the deadlock, there was no doubting that Ukraine was in control of the game and Roy Hodgson had quite a task on his hands if he was to reverse England’s fortunes and push for the top spot in the group.

Hodgson’s team talk seemed to work instantly, with England taking the lead just two minutes into the second half. Steven Gerrard, who had already supplied two assists so far in this tournament, whipped in a dangerous cross, which Ukrainian goalkeeper Andriy Pyatov could not deal with and the ball fell for Rooney to head into an empty net.

With Ukraine looking desperate to equalize and hopefully take a much needed lead, much-maligned centre back, John Terry, came to England’s rescue, acrobatically clearing a ball off of the line after it had beaten Hart. Instant replays seemed to show that the ball had actually completely crossed the line and the Ukrainian team and fans will feel very aggrieved that the scores were not leveled.

The goal certainly seemed to spur on England and Gerrard’s passing began to open up the Ukrainian defense, releasing the likes of Rooney and Ashley Young into space as England looked to double their lead and confirm their position at the top of the group.

The best efforts of the Ukrainians in the dying minutes were unfortunately not enough to bring their team back into the game and they will have to settle for watching the rest of the tournament in their home nation. England, meanwhile, will be thrilled to have topped the group and, as a result, will face Italy in the quarter-finals rather than the more daunting prospect of Spain, who will be the prize for Group D runner-up, France.

Image Courtesy of  radiokafka / Shutterstock.com

The article Euro 2012: England Overcomes Stubborn Ukraine appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

Liverpool, England – Football brand stamps its mark with cutting edge kit that redefines high performance Warrior  has officially unveiled its highly anticipated 2012/13 Liverpool FC home kit. Combining revolutionary design and technology, the new kit is a celebration of the Club’s renowned heritage with inspiration drawn from Liverpool FC legends of old.

Developed out of the brand’s global football headquarters in Wilmslow, England, the new Liverpool FC kit has been constructed by a hand-picked team of design and development experts.

Head of Warrior Football Richard Wright believes the new LFC kit will smash expectations.

“By partnering our knowledge of making high performance sports apparel with Liverpool FC’s rich history, Warrior has successfully created a kit that will empower players with the means to dominate. Our goal is to breathe new life and energy into the game of football, to make people sit up and take notice by redefining expectations,” said Wright.

Warrior has stamped its mark on the Liverpool FC home kit by introducing a number of signature features.

Inspiration behind the kit was drawn from the 1964/65 version, worn under Club legend, Bill Shankly. The cult manager believed the high-risk red gave players a physical and psychological edge over their opponents.

The iconic amber yellow Liver Bird emblem has been re-introduced to the new kit, taking centre stage on the shirt as the Club’s crest. Reminiscent of the strip worn between 1976 and 1985 – a time recognised as one of Liverpool FC’s golden eras – the crest has been fully embroidered on to the shirt for only the second time in the Club’s history.

Marking a world-first in football, the kit has been designed using War-Tech, a revolutionary apparel system engineered by Warrior. At the heart of War-Tech lies Scafe, an innovative, antimicrobial fabric made with coffee grounds. As well as being environmentally friendly, Scafe is fast drying, assists with odor control and provides UV protection.

To further ensure the highest level of performance, the main body of the Liverpool FC shirt is designed with durable water resistant technology, a hydro-phobic development that rejects external moisture and helps maintain dryness. Under-arm four-way stretch mesh fabric also allows for full-range movement, functionality and air flow to help regulate temperature in key heat areas during games.

LFC captain Steven Gerrard, who was recently given the England captain’s arm band for the European Championships, believes the new Warrior kit is one of the best in the Club’s history.

“Warrior has designed a kit that embodies everything that is great about Liverpool Football Club,” said Gerrard. “I’m extremely happy with the reintroduction of the amber yellow Liver Bird crest and the stitching gives it that extra touch of quality. For fit, comfort and functionality, it’s one of the best kits I’ve worn – the fans will love it.”

Liverpool FC will wear the groundbreaking new-look home kit for the first time against Toronto FC on 21 July, during the Club’s summer tour of North America. The kit will be available to purchase from http://www.liverpoolfc.tv.

With a number of exciting club and player signings on the horizon, it is clear Warrior remains true to its brand philosophy of, we come not to play.

Image Courtesy of  Jaggat / Shutterstock.com

The article Warrior Designs the New Uniform of Liverpool FC appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.