Tenerife 1 Atlético de Madrid 1, Heliodoro Rodríguez, La Liga, 20/Dec/09

Atlético de Madrid took one point away from the Heliodoro Rodríguez in a game that became an uphill battle early on for Quique Sánchez Flores’ lads, who gave up a goal just three minutes in. A goal from Jurado and great saves from Asenjo keep the ‘rojiblanco’ squad alive as they say farewell to a forgettable year.The final week of the year pitted Tenerife against Atlético de Madrid in an encounter which would allow the winner some breathing room during the Christmas break. The threat of relegation spots has kept the visitors on tenterhooks until the final days of 2009. With both Sergio Agüero and José Antonio Reyes out, the side from Madrid was facing a direct rival in the table.In spite of the necessity and the desire to definitively take off by Quique Sánchez Flores’ men, things started very poorly for Atlético de Madrid, as they conceded a goal in the 3rd minute when Nino tapped in from inside the six-yard box after a set piece.After recovering from this early blow, Atlético tried over and over again from the ten minute mark, as they got attacks led by Maxi, Jurado and Forlán. The Uruguayan sent a distant shot just wide of the right post, and nobody was there to finish off the play. A great chance was thus wasted for the ‘rojiblanco’ squad, which stayed strong after the poor initial outlook.Their intentions took effect. In minute 22, the Tenerife defense lost a ball that ended up at Forlán’s feet, and the striker connected perfectly with Jurado, who opened the scoring for the ‘rojiblancos’. It was the fourth goal of the season for the midfielder, laying claim as a good substitution for the injured Agüero.Nino again gave warning at the half-hour mark, with a good play after a through ball from Mikel Alonso, but luckily the final shot went wide. Tenerife continued to insist, this time after an elaborate play which ended with former Sevilla player Alfaro’s off-target header.And then came a play which could have changed the game when Pérez Burrull deemed that Álvaro Domínguez had touched the ball with an arm inside the area. Nino took the ensuing spot kick, but Asenjo stretched out to save Atlético de Madrid.After the re-start, Atlético came out with the strength demanded by the ‘rojiblanco’ manager. A quick counter-attack several minutes in after Simão had stolen the ball could have been lethal, but Jurado lost the ball when the Portuguese winger was making a run all alone directly at the Tenerife goal.Shortly after that, Perea was fast to make a saving slide-tackle on a shot from point blank range after a nice play from the home side. The role of the Atleti netminder was also worth highlighting, as he was secure and made several brilliant saves which changed the course of the game. Another chance got away from Atlético with Forlán as the focus of attention, but the Tenerife defense shut him down in time. And then Sergio Asenjo was once again in fine form after a direct kick. Neither team was content to settle for the draw, as both created constant chances and the match became a back-and-forth battle.The ‘roijblanco’ squad almost came away with the three points in stoppage time when Sinama-Pongolle controlled a cross with his chest, and then sent in a low pass for Forlán that he was unable to get to by centimeters. But the danger then changed sides on a similar play, with another great stop from Asenjo off an overhead bicycle kick which saved a point for the visitors.
Atlético de Madrid: Asenjo; Ujfalusi, Juanito, Perea (Pablo, 86’), Domínguez; Assunçao, Cléber, Maxi Rodríguez (Raúl García, 71’), Simão; Jurado (Sinama-Pongolle, 80’) and Forlán.
Ref: Pérez Burrull.

Atletico Madrid 1 Villarreal 2, Vicente Calderon, La Liga, 13/Dec/09

Atletico Madrid were brought back down to earth with a bump as they succumbed to a fightback from Villarreal at the Vicente Calderon. Simao found his opener cancelled out by David Fuster before Joseba Llorente buried the winner in the very last minute.That Atleti had that first goal in the first place was largely down tot he form of Sergio Asenjo, who was the key player on the pitch during the first half hour.Atletico's trademark suicidal defending saw the likes of Giuseppe Rossi gifted several opportunities due to the inept display from Juanito. Ruben Cani, too, came close, but was denied by the narrowest of margins.But after 36 minutes the hosts took the lead. It was a defence-splitting through ball of the best kind from Jose Antonio Reyes that caught the Yellow Submarine wanting as Simao cut in from the left and slipped it past Diego Lopez with his second touch.Following the break, though, Villarreal's pressure told. Joan Capdevila's deep cross from the left foxed Juanito; with Sergio Asenjo hesitating over whether or not to come out, David Fuster was left with an easy finish.Then followed a balanced period of play, but one in which a bit of quality told for the Yellow Submarine. Or, to put it another way, awful defending from Perea and Juanito allowed substitute Joseba Llorente in for an opportunistic finish right at the death as the long-suffering Atleti crowd saw the recent renaissance end in disaster.The Rojiblancos are, amazingly, just one point away from the relegation zone. Villarreal jump to 10th on 18 points.

Wycombe Wanderers 2 Oldham Ath 2, Adams Park, League One, 19/Dec/09

Matt Harrold converted an 88th-minute penalty to earn 10-man Wycombe a point after an action-packed 2-2 draw at home to 10-man Oldham. Oldham had the perfect chance to take the lead after just six minutes when Dale Stephens was fouled in the box but Paul Heffernan's penalty was saved by goalkeeper Scott Shearer. The Latics were reeling three minutes later when John Akinde pounced on a loose ball after Darryl Flahavan saved from Kevin Betsy. But Akinde turned villain after 22 minutes when he was sent off following a raised arm against Oldham captain Sean Gregan. Oldham took advantage of Akinde's stupidity on the stroke of half-time when Danny Whitaker's 30-yard scorcher flew into the bottom corner. Reuben Hazell headed home Stephens' corner six minutes after the restart to put Oldham in front, but Wycombe were level when Scott Davies was brought down by Whitaker and Harrold held his nerve.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/o/oldham_athletic/default.stm

Oldham Ath 2 Exeter 0, Boundary Park, League One, 12/Dec/09

Oldham picked up their first win in seven league games to leapfrog Exeter near the bottom of the table following a 2-0 win. Strike pairing Deane Smalley and Paul Heffernan bagged a second-half goal apiece as the Latics shrugged off their dismal run with a comfortable victory. Exeter could have taken an early lead when midfield man Bertie Cozic clipped the bar from fully 30 yards. Adam Stansfield was denied by home keeper Darryl Flahavan but Oldham took charge and Danny Whitaker went close on three occasions. The breakthrough came on 51 minutes as Dean Furman found Smalley who produced a crisp 12-yard finish inside the far post. And Oldham, who went into the game as the division's lowest scorers, made it two goals in seven minutes when Heffernan's deflected shot looped over keeper Andy Marriott. The on-loan Doncaster Rovers forward then teed up Whitaker for a drive which flew off target. Exeter had a good chance to pull one back just after the hour but Stansfield blazed wide from 14 yards, meaning the Grecians have now suffered three straight defeats without scoring.

Keep The Faith

I know Latics are struggling just now, time will tell if Manager Dave Penney survives. One thing for sure it's a must win game v Exeter on Saturday....

Atletico Madrid 0 Porto 3, Vicente Calderon, Champions League, 08/Dec/09

It was the away side who got off to the perfect start as a goal from Bruno Alves in the opening minutes of the game put them ahead. Alves rose from the second Porto corner of the match and headed the ball over Sergio Asenjo as Atletico were rocked in the opening stages. Porto then countered some Atletico pressure before Falcao put them 2-0 up inside the first 15 minutes as Sergio Asenjo failed to hold a long range shot. Diego Forlan and Simao had chances before the second goal went in, to put the home side back into some form of control but Helton made a couple of good saves to keep any pressure away from his side. Atletico came back with good spells of pressure as Simao and Sergio Aguero both went close. However, there was a clear lack of quality in the Madrid side and the organisation of Porto prevented any real threats from emerging within the first half an hour of the match. Forlan should have clawed a goal back for the home side as the half-time break approached but Helton pulled off another magnificent save as he looked to have rubbished the days when many were calling him hopeless in matches against a variety of English teams. He then put another wide as the only thing seemingly holding Atletico back from scoring was a poor standard of finishing. The second half started in much the same way as the first. Atletico had all of the running and two substitutions injected fresh energy into the side. However, Porto displayed their organisation and soaked up all of the pressure in dangerous areas of the field. Rodriguez missed a great chance to put his side 3-0 up just before the hour mark but could only watch tensely as his effort went marginally wide of the Atletico goal. It seemed that nothing the home side could do would break through the Porto defence and the away team were always a threat on the break. Juanito strained inside the Porto area as he missed a difficult header to put his side back in the match but Porto always looked comfortable and just waited for the break in order to try and extend their healthy advantage. Falcao should have put the match beyond all doubt as the game entered the last 20 minutes but Asenjo made up for his earlier error and got down well to keep out the shot that was going right into the bottom corner. Atletico substitute, Antonio Lopez, probably had the home side's best chance of the second half but he could not get his effort past Helton in the Porto goal who was probably having one of the best games of his life. However, all efforts were fruitless as Hulk scored Porto's third of the night and put the match to bed. The front man danced around the Madrid defence before unleashing a thunder bolt that rattled the bar and bounced into the net below. Porto saw out the match and capped off a brilliant group stage of the Champions League. They will be a team to keep an eye on when the draw for the next round is made.
Atletico Madrid go into the Europa League at the last 32 stage, I think they are very lucky to do so. Lets hope it's better performances than this.

http://www.uefa.com/competitions/ucl/fixturesresults/round=2000028/match=2000459/report=rp.html?vid=930948&autoplay=true

Xerez 0 Atletico Madrid 2, La Liga, 05/Dec/09

Having given Barcelona plenty of trouble at Chapin on Wednesday, Xerez were looking to cause Atletico Madrid similar problems. But the capital side took just five minutes to carve open the Azulinos backline when Sergio Aguero drilled in a cross from the left for Diego Forlan, but the Uruguayan couldn’t finish with just Renan to beat. Five minutes later, the hosts’ rearguard was breached again, this time from the right as Jose Antonio Reyes’ deep cross bobbled towards the backpost but Aguero and Jurado got their signals crossed as they both went for the ball, only to end up leaving it for the other. ‘El Kun’ would not spurn a shooting chance moments later but his low drive from angle was saved by an alert Renan. Los Colchoneros continued to pile on incessant pressure and Reyes really should have given his team the lead on 17 minutes. Aguero, who had already been involved in almost every single attacking move, lofted in a perfectly weighted cross for Reyes to rifle in a low volley from 12 yards out, but Renan somehow miraculously turned it around the post with a reflex block. Xerez, who had their president, Carlos de Osma resign from his position on Thursday due to death threats, created plenty of openings against Barca in midweek, but they never had any answers against Atleti, who deservedly took the lead on 28 minutes. Reyes launched a lightning counter attack with a 40 yard through ball to Forlan, who pulled away from his marker and easily slotted past Renan.
Cuco Ziganda’s side had to wait until the 40th minute before even attempting a shot at Sergio Asenjo’s goal but Mario Bermejo’s left foot strike on the edge of the box flew over. Xerez did, however, end the half positively when Carlos Calvo curled in a gorgeous freekick from 25 yards out, but it was well saved by Asenjo. The Andalucian minnows picked up the second half where they had left off with Bermejo testing Asenjo with a cross-shot, before Sidi Keita headed over from a corner. Atletico, however, really should have buried the game in the 56th minute but Renan again pulled off an unbelievable point-blank save to deny Jurado’s close range header from Forlan’s cross. But Atletico ended all hopes of a brave Xerez fightback when they made it 2-0 on 65 minutes. Paulo Assuncao looped a beautiful long ball from inside his own half to Aguero, who brought it down and finished coolly with a clever chip over an advancing Renan.
With the insurance goal in the bag, Quique Sanchez Flores’ troops decided to take their foot off the pedal in the closing stages as Los Azulinos pressed forward and piled on the pressure. They were presented with a glimmer of hope in the 82nd minute when Atletico’s often wobbly backfour was reduced to three after Alvaro Dominguez was sent off. But it mattered little as Atletico held firm to claim a comfortable 2-0 victory to move up to mid-table.

http://www.footytube.com/video/deportivo-xerez-atletico-madrid-dec05-28895

Atletico Madrid 4 Espanyol 0, Vicente Calderon, La Liga, 29/Nov/09

Atletico Madrid secured their first Primera Liga win under Quique Flores and just their second league victory of the season with a facile four goal victory over Espanyol at the Vicente Calderon in Madrid.Jose Antonio Reyes, who is enjoying a new lease of life under Flores, was in fine form early on as Atletico started with real intent and twice tested Carlos Kameni in the visiting goal inside the first quarter of the game.A goal seemed imminent as the excellent Reyes released Sergio Aguero on a couple of occasions but fortunately for the Blanc I Blau the young Argentinian was flagged offside.Los Colchoneros were completely dominant and looked like a different team entirely and the breakthrough finally came after 27 minutes with Uruguayan striker Diego Forlan firing home past Kameni from inside the box to give the home side a well deserved lead.Espanyol had little to offer in response and Reyes almost doubled the lead moments before half time but his right footed drive missed the target, although the angle was against him.Mauricio Pochettino made a double substitution at the break with Coro forward replacing Jose Callejon and Ivan Pillud coming in for David Garcia but the change made little difference as his side put up a poor resistance to a rampant Atletico. The hosts continued to dominate and 20 minutes after the interval they were two in front when Aguero fired a free-kick to the bottom right hand corner to virtually assure the three points for Atleti.Raul Tamudo and Moises Hurtado had rare sights on goal for an out of sorts Espanyol side but Atletico maintained the upper hand and continued to press for a third goal.Aguero had a couple of decent chances to grab a second late on but managed to head wide from Maxi Rodriguez's cross and moments later hit the post from close range when a goal seemed certain. Facundo Roncaglia saw red after picking up his second yellow card and then the third goal finally came with five minutes remaining as the lively Aguero finally grabbed his second of the game firing home from close range after good work from Juanito.Maxi grabbed the fourth in the dying minutes as Aguero turned provider finding his fellow Argentinian in the box for a simple finish.The win lifts Los Colchoneros out of the relegation places and if they continue to play like this it's only a matter of time before Atleti put their poor start behind them and climb the league table.

http://www.footytube.com/video/atletico-madrid-espanyol-nov29-28517

Norwich City 2 Oldham Ath 0, Carrow Road, League One, 05/Dec/09

Oldham Athletic made two changes to the side that lost 2-0 at home to Leeds in midweek, with first starts for two players. Joe Jacobson began a game for the first time alongside Sean Gregan at centre-half in place of the suspended Alex Marrow and a composed-looking Dale Stephens stiffened the midfield at the expense of Parker in a 4-5-1 formation, with Paul Heffernan ploughing a lone furrow up front. Norwich began at a furious pace, going close in the first minute when prolific Holt couldn’t quite get to a cross from marauding left-back Adam Drury. A quick free-kick caught Athletic napping after five minutes, Chris Martin only managing to hit his shot low and at Darryl Flahavan, before holding midfielder Darel Russell stung the visiting ‘keeper’s palm’s with a 30-yarder. Gregan put his body on the line to stop a fierce Drury drive and Hoolahan fired five yards over as the assault continued, with Dean Furman’s hurried shot — sliced wide enough to go out for a throw – Athletic’s only attempt in the opening stages. The opening goal after 21 minutes came from a free-kick awarded for offside against Deane Smalley. Russell Martin slid the ball down the right touchline and namesake Chris Martin’s whipped cross curled across to the far post, where Holt was able to stoop and head into the roof of the net, his 19th goal of a highly productive season. Hoolahan then had a header deflected no more than a foot wide but was bang on target with his next attempt. One of a series of raking cross-field passes from centre-back Gary Doherty found Holt in space on the left and he laid it back to Drury, whose deep cross was retrieved by Hoolahan. The Dublin-born midfielder cut inside Joe Colbeck on to his favoured left foot and smashed a superb shot into the top right-hand corner of Flahavan’s goal from the edge of the penalty area. Gregan got a head on the ball as it travelled goalwards but unable to stop its inevitable trajectory. A reshuffle saw Colbeck brought infield to try to stem the tide, the ineffective Danny Whitaker going out wide to the left, and the visitors — chasing shadows at times — managed to hold on grimly until half-time. Parker replaced dead leg victim Paul Heffernan early in the second half with Smalley pushed further upfield. Athletic improved. The substitute had a half-shout for a penalty as he turned and was seemingly felled in the corner of the area, but the better football still ca,e from Norwich and Holt may have done better than rolling the ball into Flahavan’s arms when offered a shooting chance. A retreating Parker seemed to strike Drury with a flailing elbow as the left-back ran towards the Athletic box but it was unseen by referee David Phillips. Then came the best chance for the visitors. Whitaker sent Parker away with a lobbed ball over the top and the Scot surged into the area before firing in a shot which hit Forster on the inner arm and trickled just wide of the near post. Arriving in the 71st minute, it was Athletic’s first goal-bound attempt in two matches. It was followed by another as the visitors relaxed and started to knock the ball around as the game closed out. Substitute Ryan Brooke headed down Kelvin Lomax’s right-wing cross right into the path of the arriving Whitaker, who flicked a shot with the outside of his right foot which produced an excellent instinctive save from the Norwich ’keeper.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_div_2/8398401.stm

Oldham Ath 0 Leeds Und 2, Boundary Park, League One, 01/Dec/09

Leeds continued their march towards promotion with a well-deserved 2-0 victory over Oldham. Simon Grayson's side chalked up their fifth straight League One win, all without conceding a goal, thanks to strikes from Neil Kilkenny and substitute Luciano Becchio. Ex-Oldham favourite Kilkenny burst into the six-yard box to bundle in Max Gradel's cross from the left on 37 minutes. Leeds wasted several chances to increase their lead as Oldham keeper Darryl Flahavan had a fine game but Becchio sealed it eight minutes from time with his first goal since returning from injury. Oldham could have made an early breakthrough when Dean Furman headed wide and they were a match for the table-topping visitors until Kilkenny tipped the balance. Leeds, who left top scorer Jermaine Beckford on the bench, then made a string of openings only to be denied by Flahavan and poor finishing. On-loan Sam Vokes could have bagged a hat-trick and the lively Gradel was denied after going clean through. Oldham almost equalised midway through the second half when Paul Heffernan shot just off target but Leeds had their second when Gradel played an astute pass to Becchio, who finished neatly from 10 yards.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_div_2/8377323.stm