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Latest PMF Match Headlines
International Friendlies - 24th August
2002 Tunisia
1 (Ali Zitouni '3) Robert Waseige's Red Devils were too strong for their hosts in this match, overpowering the struggling Tunisians in an at times rough encounter. Although Tunisia took an early lead through Ali Zitouni, Belgium's passing game soon saw them get back into the game through Nico van Kerckhoven. Branko Strupar nodded in a cross just before half time to give the Belgians the lead, and although they completely controlled the second half, they had to wait until 10 minutes from time, when midfielder Kurt Van De Paar bent in a free kick to end the game.
Croatia
2 (Mihael Mikic '79, Tomislav Sokota '90)
Sweden
0
Norway 1 (Ole Gunnar Solskjaer '73) England 3 (Michael Owen '8, Joe Cole '41, Matt Etherington '78) from Ulleval Stadion, Oslo England confidently strode to a victory over the average Norwegians in this friendly match. They were never unduly troubled, taking the lead in the 8th minute when a David Beckham cross found Michael Owen on the penalty spot to dispatch a stinging volley past Espen Baardsen. Beckham then missed a penalty on 27 minutes after he was tripped in the box, before £25m-man Joe Cole made it 2-0 on 41 minutes with a good low drive from the edge of the area. Some substitutions saw Norway get back into the game when Ole Gunnar Solskjaer scored a typical poachers goal, but England debutant Matt Etherington put the result beyond doubt when his swirling cross beat everyone in the box and landed over the line before being cleared. A well-deserved win for the Englishmen under caretaker manager Stuart Pearce.
Slovenia 1 (Zlatko Zahovic '57) Germany 0 from Bezigrad, Ljubljana The Slovenians pulled out a shock to deliver another sickening blow to German football when they defeated them 1-0 at home. Germany were wasteful for the entire game, especially new Liverpool signing Miroslav Klose, who was substituted at half time after missing at least 5 good chances. They were made to pay on a Slovenian counter-attack when recalled star Zlatko Zahovic shot from 35 yards out over a poorly-placed Oliver Kahn. Waves of German attacks couldn't change the result as the plucky Slovenians held on for a famous victory.
Greece 1 (Nikos Dabizas '45) Italy 1 (Francesco Totti '22 pen) from OAKA Spiros Louis, Athens Italy continued their World Cup woes in this friendly in Greece, lucky to escape with a draw from Athens. They took the lead on 22 mins when awarded a debatable penalty, which Francesco Totti thumped away with some grandeur, but Greece pulled level in the 3rd minutes of injury time when Nikos Dabizas hit a low drive through a crowd of legs. The second half was a bland affair, although both sides hit the bar - through Pantelis Kafes for Greece, and Alessandro Nesta for Italy.
Slovakia 0 Turkey 2 (Hasan Sas '37, Muzzy Izzet '73) from Tehelne Pole, Bratislav This was a no-contest for the world's third-best footballing country, Slovakia providing little competition for the Turks. The hosts were very lucky not to have a cricket score racked up against them, but Turkey took their foot off the pedal after scoring their first goal, a cracking free kick from Hasan Sas. They wasted some good chances, with Hakan Sukur having a goal disallowed for offside, before they killed the game off on 73 minutes when substitute Muzzy Izzet headed in a Sas corner.
Japan 2 (Hidetoshi Nakata '50, Akinori Nishizawa '90) Australia 2 (Scott Chipperfield '8, John Aloisi '13) from National Stadium, Tokyo Australia took away from Tokyo a 2-2 draw, but some alarming showings of weakness in defence. They controlled the entire first half, storming to a 2-0 lead inside 13 minutes, before surrendering the lead through Japan's only two genuine attacks of the game. Scott Chipperfield gave the Socceroos the lead on 8 minutes when his long shot somehow deceived the Japan goalkeeper, before a stinging John Aloisi drive made it 2-0 moments later. Hidetoshi Nakata pulled one back from a weakly-conceded free kick on 50 minutes though, and at the start of injury time sub Akinori Nishizawa buried a loose ball inside the box to give Japan an undeserved draw.
Northern Ireland 0 Spain 3 (Raul '9, Gaizka Mendieta '33, Joseba Etxeberria '64) from Windsor Park, Belfast Northern Ireland crumbled under some Spanish pressure in this match, giving a 3-0 victory to their Iberian visitors. Raul and Gaizka Mendieta scored from some defensive uncertainties in the first half, before Derby target Joseba Etxeberria headed in a good Mendieta cross to seal the victory.
Wales
1 (John Hartson '33) The Welsh pulled off somewhat of a surprise result here by drawing with the mighty Dutch. John van Hoodvuunk's men were far from convincing in this match, despite going into the lead in the 12th minute when Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink produced a fine 20 yard run before belting a low shot past Paul Jones. Wales tried hard though, and equalised on 33 minutes when big John Hartson volleyed in a fine Ryan Giggs cross. Both sides missed good second half chances, but in the end, a draw was a fair result.
USA
2 (DaMarcus Beasley '55, Landon Donovan '81)
Chile 0 Brazil
3 (Ronaldo '9, Anderson Polga '47, Juninho Paulista '84)
Venezuela
0 A very competent display today from South American minnows Venezuela, but it wasn't to be as their lack of attacking edge proved their downfall. The Venezuelans wasted a host of good chances in front of Jose Luis Chilavert's goal, although midfielder Cristian Casseres did manage to hit the post with a header. They were made to pay for a lapse in concentration though, the same player bringing down Roque Santa Cruz on a quick breakaway, and penalty expert Chilavert buried away the spot kick. 1-0 the final score for the undeserving Paraguayans.
South Korea 6 (Jung-Hwan Ahn '7 '19 '44 '86, Ahn Hyo-Yun '33, Hong Myung-Bo '90) China 2 (Li Tie '61, Zhang Yuning '65) from Seoul A true goalfest for Asian fans, but it was all fairly one-sided as the South Koreans ran out rampant winners. China started brightly, but were hit on the break when Jung-Hwan Ahn scored from 20 yards out. He made it 2-0 ten minutes later when he headed in a corner, before Ahn Hyo-Yun made it 3-0. Jung-Hwan Ahn completed his hat-trick on 44 minutes with an athletic bicycle kick, before China finally got on the board with two quick goals in the second half. It was never going to be enough though, and in the last five minutes the Koreans added two more goals of their own to make the final score 6-2.
Thailand 1 (Surachai Jaturapattarapong '18) Saudi Arabia 2 (Sami Al-Jaber '39, Muhaisan Jam'an '88) from Supachalasai, Bangkok This was a lucky escape for World Cup flops Saudi Arabia, as they struggled to overcome a reserve Thailand side. The Thais, missing a number of bigger names, surprisingly took the lead on 18 minutes when Surachai Jaturapattarapong headed home a free kick, but reliable Saudi attacker Sami Al-Jaber pulled them level on 39 minutes with a solid volley. The Saudis struggled to take control of the match until the final stages, and they just did enough to snatch the win right before the end, young forward Muhaisan Jam'an getting behind the defence to slot home.
Indonesia 1 (Kurniawan '74) New Zealand 0 from Senayan, Jakarta Indonesia today stunned Cori Taylor's New Zealand side, snatching a 1-0 victory from the jaws of defeat. The All Whites controlled the entire game, but could simply not finish their chances. Chris Killen was industrious up front, and was unlucky not to get a hat-trick, thanks to goalkeeper Hendro Kartiko. The Indonesians snatched the only goal of the game in the 74th minute, Wolves forward Kurniawan hitting a low shot past Jason Batty from outside the area to send the capacity Jakarta crowd wild.
Russia
0 from Luzhniki, Moscow A rather strange-looking Russian outfit was lucky to escape with a home draw from the modest Estonians in this friendly match. They had goalkeeper Ruslan Nigmatullin to thank for that, as he denied wave after wave of Estonian attacks. The Russians could muster only one shot on Mart Poom's goal, which flew well over the bar from Yegor Titov.
Iceland 2 (Eidur Gudjohnsen '3, Hermann Hreidarsson '25) Kazakhstan 1 (Rafael Urazbakhtin '54) from Laugardalsvollur, Reykjavik Kazakhstan were welcomed to the European football community with a competent showing against the tricky Icelanders. A poor first half meant they were never in the hunt for the game, when they conceded a foolish 3rd minute goal to Eidur Gudjohnsen, who stole the ball off a defender in the 6 yard area before firing home, while Hermann Hreidarsson was too strong for his marker in the 25th minute as he nodded home a corner. Rafael Urazbakhtin pulled one back in the 54th minute, when his attempted cross from the right skipped off the turf and somehow beat Wimbledon goalkeeper Fjalar Thorgeirsson at the near post. 2-1 was a fair result as UEFA welcomed their newest member.
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