Tag: Subbuteo

League Cup Quarter-Final Results Are In

The 2nd Legs of the League Cup Quarter-Finals got underway this week as teams looked to obtain a place in the semi-finals.

The first game was Leicester City of Division 3 against previous winners Liverpool. Leicester were 3-1 down from the 1st leg so it was imperative that they scored first. They went close when they hit the crossbar, but it was Liverpool who then found a way through. With a 3 goal advantage, Liverpool sat back to see out the match. Leicester managed to find an equaliser but Liverpool stood tough to make their fourth semi-final in a row.

The second game saw West Ham host Aston Villa after all was equal after the first leg. The game was very close but current Cup holders West Ham took the lead with a tight shot just outside the 6-yard box which surprised the Villa keeper. Villa pushed to make it level but West Ham were up to the job and kept them at bay, even though Villa hit the crossbar. In injury time Villa through all their players forward and the intense pressure paid off as they found a way through from a corner.

In extra time West Ham once again had Villa on the ropes but they could not score, despite a few good shots. In injury time, the momentum was with Villa once more. Despite West Ham thinking they had enough defenders, the Villa player tried a cheeky chip and it paid off as it fell into the goal. Aston Villa go through to their first semi-final.

The third match was an all-London tie between Chelsea and Arsenal. Defending league Champions Chelsea got off to a flying start and were only denied thanks to the Arsenal keeper. Arsenal then turned on the gas and forced a number of good saves from the Chelsea keeper. A Chelsea defender then gave away a free kick and Arsenal found the back of the net.

Chelsea had to score to remain in the tie and it did not take long before they got a free kick of their own. They duly put the ball in the net to make it all even once more. The final stage of the match was close, but Arsenal continued to press and a lucky pass found a striker free. Despite two Chelsea defenders rushing in to try and block the shot, it was not enough and the Arsenal player took full advantage. With only seconds left, Chelsea had one last corner, but Arsenal were able to clear the ball and the game was all over. Arsenal move into their first League Cup semi-final.

The Arsenal player scores the winning goal

The final match of the round saw Manchester City host Tottenham. Spurs were previous Cup holders but they were already 1-0 down to their Division 2 opponents. Spurs got off to a flying start and it was only the goal post that stopped them from getting the equalising goal early in the game.

City were not flustered and began to press on with their attacking. It was near the end of the first half that City got a clear chance. It was not an easy shot but the City player got just enough curve to slot the ball into the net.

The City player scores their first with a left-footed shot

Spurs had to push forward now they were two goals down, but they were caught out when a free kick on the edge of City’s area went straight through to a player. They did not need to take a second touch, as they hammered the ball home. With a 3 goal advantage, Spurs looked for a consolation goal but it was not to be as City go on to the semi-finals.

Semi-Final Draw

Following the last quarter-final match, the draw for the League Cup semi-finals has just been made. The two Division Two teams have been drawn together which ensures that at least one team from Division 2 will reach the final, as Aston Villa face Manchester City. In the other tie, the two big teams from Division 1 meet each other, as Arsenal take on rivals Liverpool.

Aston Villa vs Manchester City

Arsenal vs Liverpool

Inter Milan Win Year 5 European Cup

After a fantastic tournament, the Final of the Year 5 European Cup has arrived. The two finalists are Inter Milan from Italy and Dinamo Bucharest from Romania. Dinamo were the surprise team after beating both Rangers and Celtic from Scotland as well as an unbelievable victory over Bayern Munich. Inter Milan’s journey was almost more difficult as they beat of beating Chelsea, then reigning Champions Liverpool before overcoming Atletico Madrid.

Straight from kick-off Dinamo pressed for an early goal as Milan were content to take their time and absorb the pressure. They did this well and then moved forward to begin their offense. Dinamo panicked and gave away a free kick on the edge of the goalkeepers area. Milan duly stepped up and hammered home the first goal to make it 1-0.

Milan take the lead from a free kick

The spectators were ready for Milan to hold tight but Dinamo found back as they looked for the equaliser. The fans did not have to wait long as a cutting pass caught out Inters defence as they too gave away a free kick. Despite the wall shielding the keeper, it was not enough and Dinamo made it 1-1.

Free kick for Dinamo to equalise

The early pressure from Dinamo was beginning to show, as the players in red began to tire. Milan took full advantage of this as their sticker was soon through with a great chance in front of the goal. He hit the ball cleanly to find the corner of the net.

Inter regain the lead after a shot from outside the area

Things began to fall apart for Dinamo at this point as the players could not keep up with Inters dominance. Inter almost got a third goal from kick off and it was only down to goal line technology that proved that the ball did not cross the line.

Inter’s shot did not cross the line

The disallowed goal did not stop Inter and they continued pushing forward to increase the margin. Once again, the ball was passed forward and a fabulous strike from wide left caught the Dinamo keeper out. The score was 3-1 to Inter and Dinamo were falling apart.

In the dying minutes of the game, Inter continued passing the ball around. It was only a matter of time that they found a way through the dejected defenders and soon enough they made sure of the result with a fourth goal. Dinamo did try and get a second to make the score line a little better but Milan stood strong.

A great strike makes it 3-1 to Inter Milan

The final whistle blew and Inter Milan from Italy take the victory and the European Cup for the first time.

Week 2 Conference Results Are In

The battle to claim a place in the league is hotting up as the Conference teams completed their Week 2 games.

In Conference 4a, there were wins for Bournemouth and West Bromwich Albion. After the four teams drew their Week 1 matches, it leagues Bournemouth and WBA top, whilst Portsmouth and Birmingham sit at the bottom of the table on 1 point each. There is everything to play for in the final fixtures, with all four teams capable to grabbing one of the vital top two positions.

In Conference 4b, the teams are in a similar position to 4a, with two teams level on 4 points. In the East Lancashire derby, Burnley took on Blackburn in a vital match after both teams lost their first game. Whoever lost the derby would be in big trouble.

Despite Burnley having home advantage, it was Blackburn who got off to a surprising lead. Burnley were able to even the score, before Blackburn took a surprise lead after their sticker scored a tap in from an unbelievable angle. The the dying minutes Burnley found the equaliser to leave the score at 2-2. Although neither team lost, it gives each team only a single point from two games and a struggle to finish in the top 2.

The second game involved league leaders Brighton & Hove against Fulham. After both teams won their opening game, a win would guarantee a team a top 2 position and a place in the promotion finals.

Brighton got off to the stronger start and they managed to hit the crossbar in the first half, as Fulham found it hard to find traction on the soggy pitch.

In the second half, Fulham pushed forward and it was their turn to come close as they hit the post. Despite good chances at either end, the score finished 0-0, leaving both teams on 4 points.

There will be everything to play for in Week 3 as the final league positions will be decided and the places in the promotion finals completed.

Crystal Palace Retain Top Place In Div3 -Week 4

With the Division 3 – Week 4 results now finalised, it is becoming a very interesting year for the competing teams.

Conference Champions Wolves managed to get their season back on track as they beat Coventry 2-0. The win pushes Wolves back up to joint second in the table as they look for promotion. Coventry are really struggling this year, as they drop to last place in the table. Coventry have some tough fixtures to come, so it is not looking good for them.

Crystal Palace managed a goalless draw with surprise team Hull City. The point was enough to keep Palace in first place, two points clear of the chasing pack. Palace are desperate for promotion after narrowly missing out last year. Hull’s season is going from strength to strength as they keep adding the points to stay in joint second place.

Leicester City suffered a shock defeat against Oxford United, which has really hit their promotion chances. Despite everyone thinking the previous League Champions would be candidates for relegation, the team from Oxford won 2-1, as the 3 points puts them into joint second position in the league. Leicester now sit in 5th place and they will need a good run from now on to stand any chance of a top 2 finish.

In the final match of the week, Millwall played Derby County in a relegation 6-pointer. Relegated Derby started the season in great form, but this has slipped in recent weeks as they tumbled down the table. Millwall are perennial strugglers but a win would really boost their chances. Derby took a 2-0 lead, partly thanks to Millwall’s sloppy defending. Millwall managed to get a goal back and continued to push hard. Derby had a chance to win the game but did not take advantage and then Millwall struck back to equalise. the 2-2 score line means the teams share the points, but it does not really help either side in their bid to retain Division 3 status next year.

Man City Beat Sheff Wed To Go Top Of Div 2

It was the mid-season for Division 2 as the teams took part in the Week 4 fixtures. The first match was a battle between the teams sitting in second and third places.

Sheffield Wednesday has surprised many as they rocketed off to the lead of the Division, only to suffer a shock defeat against QPR last week. Manchester City had been expected to win the Division easily, but a slow start with a few draws had left them chasing. So there was everything to play for in the big game.

In a close game, City took the lead with Wednesday scoring themselves to make it 1-1. City continued to push for a winner and were rewarded with a 2-1 victory. It leads Sheff Wed freefalling down the table whilst Man City hit the top spot for the first time.

The second game was an incredible match between Charlton and QPR. The sides were evenly matched and looked like they would score every time they attacked. Charlton took the lead twice, only to be pegged back by QPR. In the final few minutes, QPR scored a third goal to take all three points, leaving Charlton in the relegation places. QPR have turned a few heads as they are only 1 point off the top in 3rd place.

The next game was a thrilling encounter between Wimbledon and Aston Villa. Villa were the current league leaders and Wimbledon were bottom, so Villa should have been the easy winners. Wimbledon decided they did not want that to happen and took the game to their opponents. Villa were strong enough to score on the counter to deny the Wombles in a 2-2 draw. A point for each side does not really help either team.

The final match of the week was between a struggling Leeds United and Luton who are looking for promotion back to Division 1. It was a very close game, but one where the keepers were supreme. Both goalies made excellent saves, with one by the Luton keeper (in the photo) being the save of the day. With neither side able to find the goal, the 0-0 gives a point to each team. Leeds manage to climb up to 6th but it leaves Luton 2 points off the top in 4th.

Man Utd Take Revenge On Chelsea

In the big Division 1 game of week 5, Manchester United took on rivals Chelsea. It had been the London team that snatched the league title away from Manchester last season, after a last minute goal against them. United went into this home game seeking to get revenge, especially as Chelsea have not had the best of starts to this years campaign.

It was honours even in the first half. with both teams kicking chunks out of each other but not really troubling the goalkeepers. It was Chelsea who made the first mistake in the second half, as they gave away a needless free kick on the edge of the area. United made full use of it as they scored. Although Chelsea fought back, United pressed for more and found a striker on the edge of the six-yard box. Despite no-one thinking he could score, the forward hammered the ball into the far top corner to make it 2-0.

In injury time, Chelsea let their frustrations get the better of them and have away another free kick. United stepped up and hammered it home to leave the result at a resounding 3-0.

The weeks other big game was between Liverpool and Arsenal. Liverpool had a solid defence but up front they were all over the place, with long balls going too far or missed shots. It was quite a drab game, with Arsenal looking to get back on the counter attack. It was not far from the end when Liverpool’s defence ended up out of position and clipped an Arsenal player on their way back. Arsenal were awarded a penalty which they duly converted. Although Liverpool searched for an equaliser, they ran out of time, leaving Arsenal as 1-0 winners. Liverpool have now lost 3 of their opening 5 games, whilst Arsenal have won 4 from 5 and are pushing for the top spot.

In the relegation 6-point game, Norwich City finally found their scoring boots. West Ham looked a tired side after their midweek League Cup match and Norwich made full use of their rest period. They put two goals past the Hammers, as they finally get their points tally underway. West Ham are now in big trouble, as they only have the same points as Norwich City.

There was nothing to separate rivals Southampton and Newcastle as they played out a 1-1 draw. Surprisingly, Southampton had the better of the play and went 1-0 up. Southampton looked good to go 2-0 ahead but Newcastle found a way to equalise against the run of play. Neither side could score after that, but a point does little favour for either side.

League leaders Everton took on a struggling Nottingham Forest at the City ground. The home team were first to score and they thought they may be able to take all 3 points. Everton were aiming to set a new record of 5 wins in a row from the start of the season but this looked a long way off as they fought back. With minutes remaining Everton found a way through to break Forest hearts. Everton could not find a winning goal so it was one point to each side, as Everton drop to second place in the league.

The final match of the week was between this years surprise team Watford, against London rivals Spurs. In an even contest, both teams wanted the win. Tottenham took the lead and nearly had a second but it flew over the crossbar. The match went into injury time and Spurs were nearly home but Watford had a late attack into the Spurs area. It looked like Watford had a perfect shooting position and a rash Spurs defensive manoeuvre caught the attacker. Watford were awarded a penalty and scored with the last kick of the match. Watford remain in 4th place with Spurs now in trouble with only 4 points from 5 games.

Top Teams Clash In Division 1 – Week 5 Fixtures

Week 5 is offering some mouth-watering fixtures for the top Division 1 sides at SubbuteoCLUB.

In a repeat of the match from Year 5, Manchester United host Champions Chelsea. Last season the home team were minutes away from a first ever Division 1 title, until Chelsea scored to snatch the points. It was enough for Chelsea to take the title and leaving Manchester United wishing what could have been. Man Utd have started Year 6 in much better form than Chelsea, although they are still 4 points behind leaders Everton. Chelsea have drawn a lot of games this year and are already 6 points off the top, so they cannot afford a defeat or their title defence will look to be over. Man Utd did not play in the League Cup this week so their squad will be more rested, and will be seeking revenge from last year.

The second clash of week 5 involves Liverpool playing Arsenal. It is a tie of two of English footballs great teams and could shape the league for the rest of the season. Arsenal are chasing their first title and are doing well, whilst Liverpool have some catching up to do.

Top of the table Everton will be looking to set a new record of 5 wins in a row, as they take on struggling Nottingham Forest. No top team has ever won the first 5 games, but Everton have a good chance as Forest are yet to record a win this year.

There is a 6 point relegation match with Norwich City taking on West Ham. Norwich have taken some big defeats this year and need to begin taking points or they will be doomed to relegation. West Ham have struggled this year, after performing so well in Year 5. West Ham always do well in the League Cup, but will the additional Cup fixture work against the Hammers?

Southampton take on rivals Newcastle as they look to continue their winning run after their surprising victory against Liverpool last week. These two teams were both promoted last year and are looking to kick start their season, after finding the going tough so far.

Struggling Tottenham play in a London derby as they face Watford. Spurs should be much higher in the table but have found it hard to score. They also lost to Man City in the League Cup. Watford are the surprise team this year, standing in an excellent 4th place after promotion from Division 2. Can Watford clinch another win to push them even higher up the table?

Close Action In League Cup Quarter-Final 1st Legs

As the first round of League Cup quarter-final matches got underway, it was Liverpool hosting Division 3 Leicester City in the opening match. Newly promoted Leicester had been the surprise team from he previous round, after they knocked out Watford, so Liverpool were very wary of their opponents.

Leicester got off to a fantastic start and went 1-0 up early, after being given a direct free kick. They could have made it 2-0 after Liverpool gave away another free kick, but the Liverpool keeper parried the ball away. It was the Liverpool keeper who came to his sides rescue once more as Leicester kept the pressure on.

After a slow start, Liverpool finally found their boots and began to fight back. It was not long until they equalised, much to their relief. With Leicester starting to run out of steam, Liverpool applied further pressure and managed to find the net twice more. Liverpool take a 3-1 lead into the second leg, where they will be feeling confident of going through to the semi-finals.

The second match was between Division 2 Aston Villa and current Cup holders West Ham United. West Ham got off to good start with an early goal after a howler from the Villa keeper. This was despite Villa attacking directly from the off. The match turned into a bit of a scrappy affair, with neither side performing well in front of goal. West Ham dug in to secure the win, but Villa got lucky with a late corner, which they managed to squeeze in through a crowded box. The score is all level as the teams head towards the 2nd leg at West Ham.

The match between Arsenal and Chelsea was a classic from two English heavyweight teams. Chelsea set off on a flier and took their opportunity to open the scoring (which is shown in the featured photograph). Chelsea’s defence looked awesome as Arsenal struggled, but the Gunners eventually found a way through. Chelsea came back on the counter and scored a superb goal from a long way out, to take the score to 2-1. Arsenal are never a team to under estimate and they equalised for 2-2 to leave everything even ahead of the second leg.

The final match of the quarter-finals was between Spurs and Manchester City. It was a close game with City starting the better. They managed to hit the post and had the ball saved off the line as Spurs rode their luck. But luck was eventually to run out as City took the lead. Spurs were kept in the game by their goalkeeper as City continued the attack. It was only near the final whistle that Spurs pushed forward and they were rewarded with a late corner. It was a good save from the City keeper, who allowed his side to take a 1-0 advantage into the second leg.

Euro Cup Semi-Final Keeps Fans Guessing Until The Last Whistle

The second European Cup semi-final has taken place between Inter Milan and Atletico Madrid. When the teams were drawn for the semi-final, many fans were upset when these two powerhouses were drawn together, rather than a possible meeting in the Final.

Instead, it gave everyone an incredible semi-final match where there was everything to play for, but only one team could progress. Inter were slight favourites for the match, partly due to having home advantage.

As the match kicked off, Atletico went for an early first goal but were unable to find a break through. The tide soon turned and Inter became the dominant team. Despite some early saves from Atletico’s keeper, Inter soon found the back of the net.

Inter followed it it with another goal soon afterwards and then shocked the away side with a third. The goal was a fantastic chip above two defenders and then it hit the goal post and went in, after putting the keeper was going in the other direction.

Atletico looked out of the match, until an Inter defender gave away a free kick. Atletico were quick to take the shot and scored. Only a few minutes later and Inter were guilty of another foul, as they appeared to think the game was all over. Atletico duly converted the second free kick to make the score 3-2.

The team from Spain now had the momentum to go for an equaliser and Inter woke up and defended for their lives. It was a tense end to a great match, with the possibility of one more goal changing the outcome.

Thankfully for the Italians, Inter managed to hold on and were relieved when the final whistle was blown. Inter go into their first European Cup final, whilst the Spanish will be left wondering how they managed to give away a 3-0 lead in the first place.

Celtic’s European Run Comes To Dramatic End

The European Cup has reached the semi-finals and Celtic made their first appearance at this stage of the competition. They were drawn away at Romanian side Dinamo Bucharest in what would be a difficult single-leg tie, at an intimidating stadium.

Dinamo had already knocked out Celtic’s Scottish rivals Glasgow Rangers in the 1st Round, before causing a huge upset when they defeated Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals.

The match began with both sides looking nervous, neither wanting to give away an early goal. Dinamo took the initiative and pressed forward, leaving themselves exposed in defence. The Celtic goalkeeper made some incredible saves to keep them in the tie.

Celtic began to fight back on the counter and once again it was the goalkeepers who were keeping their sides in the game as the Dinamo keeper matched the performance of his rival. Despite some good chances, after fulltime the score remained 0-0.

In extra time, Celtic were first to find a way through, as they took a 1-0 lead after a lazy Dinamo defender gave away a free kick.

Dinamo pressed forward to find an equaliser, but Celtic put 11 men behind the ball and defended for their lives. With extra time expired, the referee was allowing a few seconds of injury time when Dinamo won a corner. This would be their final chance of the match.

The corner found a Dinamo forward and the nearest Celtic defender, in their haste, missed the vital interception. The Dinamo player took their shot and incredibly he got it on target and it went into the corner. Celtic’s hearts sunk as the whistle blew immediately, with the score 1-1. They were seconds away from an historic win, but now it would go to a penalty shoot-out.

Dinamo went first and scored, followed by Celtic. The score was 3-2 when Celtic stepped up to take their third penalty and missed. Dinamo scored again to make it 4-3 and Celtic now had to score to stay in the competition. Sadly, the player missed giving the result to an ecstatic Dinamo side, who had been close to going out themselves.

Dinamo Bucharest will appear in their first European Cup Final and will play the winners of either Inter Milan or Atletico Madrid.

Meanwhile, Celtic have a long journey back to Scotland to think about how close they came to a first European Cup Final.