The Official Football Thread
 

The Official Football Thread
Thread Merged with an older thread on request; see the information below

Manchester United v Millwall.
Millennium Stadium - Cardiff, Wales U.K.

For those football fans out there who are interested about this game and cannot catch it; I'll provide a bit of live commentary. ;)

Man Utd: Howard, Gary Neville, Brown, Silvestre, O'Shea, Ronaldo, Fletcher, Keane, Giggs, Scholes, van Nistelrooy.
Subs: Phil Neville, Butt, Carroll, Djemba-Djemba, Solskjaer.

Millwall: Marshall, Ryan, Ward, Lawrence, Elliott, Sweeney, Livermore, Wise, Ifill, Cahill, Harris.
Subs: Weston, Gueret, McCammon, Dunne, Cogan.

Referee: J Winter (Cleveland)

Saturday, 22nd May 2004
Kickoff - 15.00

First-half
 

'Minute-by-minute' play - scroll down to bottom.

45 mins +1: Dennis Wise and Paul Scholes tangle continuously in the penalty area as United prepare to take a free-kick on the stroke of half-time. A sign of things to come after the break perhaps...

44 mins: GOAL Man Utd 1-0 Millwall
United patiently work the ball to the right, and Gary Neville crosses to the far post for Ronaldo to head home. The Portuguese teenager deserves the goal for an impressive first-half performance.

41 mins: Suddenly the ball breaks to Ronaldo and he wriggles free to shoot, only to be denied by Andy Marshall and Darren Ward scrambling across the goalline.

37 mins: United are less dominant as the half progresses, with their passing less crisp than earlier. That, in part, is due to Millwall's determined display.

33 mins: A fan runs onto the pitch and has to be escorted away while play continues.

29 mins: Millwall fail to clear a Ryan Giggs cross but Ronaldo drags his shot wide.

25 mins: At last some pressure from Millwall as the Lions force a couple of corners, and spread momentary panic in the Man Utd backline.

21 mins: Roy Keane flicks the ball up and hits a superb long-range right-foot volley which Millwall keeper Andy Marshall brilliantly tips over the bar.

17 mins: More great skill from Ronaldo as he dances through the Millwall midfield. He is eventually brought down, and Dennis Wise appears to push him to the ground. Other players get involved, including United's Darren Fletcher, but referee Jeff Winter steps in to calm the situation. From the resulting free-kick, Ronaldo rifles the ball just wide.

13 mins: Ryan Giggs runs onto a long ball from Roy Keane, but Millwall keeper Andy Marshall comes out to challenge him and the ball runs out for a goal kick. United are controlling the match so far though.

8 mins: Cristiano Ronaldo, wearing golden boots for the final, crosses from the right but Paul Scholes fails to connect.

4 mins: The first real chance of the match, and it goes to Man Utd, with Ruud van Nistelrooy heading a Paul Scholes cross narrowly wide.

1 min: Millwall have settled well enough in the early skirmishes.

Half-time: Man Utd lead 1-0, and on balance, deservedly so, thanks to Ronaldo's 44th-minute header.

At any stage in this thread; feel free to post any thoughts/comments/opinions about the match. Love to hear your say about it; despite what result it'll be. :)

Grargh, watching it on live television and I don't like where this is going. ManUre can't be allowed to win, it would be PERFECT if Millwal went 1-2 up in the last two minutes or so.

Second-half
 

'Minute-by-minute' play - scroll down to bottom.

90 mins +2: Roy Keane tracks back to block Paul Ifill in the box as United look to preserve their clean sheet.

88 mins: Curtis Weston sets a new record for the youngest player to play in a FA Cup final at 17 years, 119 days, beating the previous mark set by Paul Allen for West Ham in 1980. The man he replaces is his veteran boss Dennis Wise.

86 mins: Ruud van Nistelrooy is named man of the match.

84 mins: With victory assured, Sir Alex Ferguson makes a triple substitution, bringing on Roy Carroll, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and also Nicky Butt, for what could be Butt's last appearance in a United shirt? Ronaldo, arguably man-of-the-match, is one of those to come off.

79 mins: GOAL Man Utd 3-0 Millwall
Ryan Giggs bursts free down the left and rifles the ball across the box for Ruud van Nistelrooy to slide home his second, and United's third. There's more than a hint of offside about the goal, but it stands, and surely kills off any lingering hope of a Millwall comeback.

74 mins: A double change for Millwall, as they bring on forwards Cogan and McCammon in the hope of getting back into the match.

68 mins: That goal looks to be the decisive blow, as United start stroking the ball around, probing for more goals.

64 mins: GOAL Man Utd 2-0 Millwall
It's a penalty as a jinking Ryan Giggs run is abruptly halted by David Livermore. Ruud van Nistelrooy steps up, and smashes the ball into the top left-hand corner of the net.

60 mins: Mikael Silvestre jumps highest to head a corner towards goal. Dennis Wise heads it off the line and Wes Brown, following up, is marginally too late but does manage to connect with a flying Millwall boot and gets a cut head for his troubles.

52 mins: Andy Marshall dives to his left to keep out a Paul Scholes shot.

48 mins: Dennis Wise, whose aggression now seems to be getting the better of him, gets a yellow card for following through on Ryan Giggs.

46 mins: No substitutions yet as the match restarts. And Darren Fletcher almost scores straight away, after weaving through the Millwall defence.

Full-time: The final whistle blows, and Man Utd are the 2004 FA Cup winners after a 3-0 victory over Millwall.

End of match. Please feel free to post any thoughts/comments/opinions about the match. Love to hear your say about it; was Millwall pathetic? or was ManU too good? Spill the beans. :P

FA Cup final pictures
 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/media/images/4...3_giggs300.jpg
Ryan Giggs fails to connect with a long ball as Manchester United go on the attack straight from the kick-off.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/media/images/4...ronaldo300.jpg
Cristiano Ronaldo is the best player on the pitch in the first-half as Man Utd look to breakdown Millwall's resolute defence.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/media/images/4...es_wise300.jpg
Paul Scholes and Dennis Wise fight a running battle as Millwall look to stifle their illustrious opponents.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/media/images/4...do_goal300.jpg
Man Utd's patience pays off on the stroke of half-time as Ronaldo heads home Gary Neville's cross.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/media/images/4...do_cele300.jpg
Wes Brown rushes to congratulate Ronaldo after the young Portuguese puts his side ahead just before half-time.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/media/images/4...penalty300.jpg
Ruud van Nistelrooy effectively ends the contest when he scores from the penalty spot after Giggs had been fouled.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/media/images/4...27_ruud300.jpg
Van Nistelrooy adds a third goal on 81 minutes to put the seal on a professional performance from Manchester United.

More to come soon.

Goddamn ManUre...

Ah well, Arsenal went undefeated in the league, so I'm still happy :D

Yea the result never looked surprising though. Man U was just far too superior against a working-class football club like Millwall. However Millwall can take alot of positives from this match against the Goliaths; hold their heads up high, and move on.

United take the glory.
 

By Jamie Bradbury. Saturday, 22 May 2004.

The FA Cup is on its way back to Old Trafford after a five-year absence, as goals from Ronaldo and Ruud van Nistelrooy gave Manchester United a three-nil win over Millwall.

The result never looked in doubt when United took the lead in the closing moments of the first half and a commanding second half display put the game even further from the first division side’s reach.

It was a warm afternoon in Cardiff, but the underdogs seemed to freeze allowing a United team, well accustomed to the big occasion, time, space and, ultimately, goals so it was no shock when Ronaldo finally gave the Premiership big-boys the lead.

What was surprising, however, was that it took Sir Alex Ferguson’s side so long to find the back of the net and that, when it did arrive, it came from the head, and not the twinkling toes, of the Portuguese star.

But it was well worth waiting for. Ronaldo’s corner on the left was played short to Darren Fletcher. Ryan Giggs then took over and switched play, carrying the ball across the pitch to Roy Keane.

He quickly sprayed wide to Gary Neville on the other side with acres of space to exploit. The England full-back clipped in a dangerous ball to the edge of the six-yard box where Ronaldo arrived in front of Dennis Wise to power beyond Andy Marshall.

The goal was well-deserved, Ronaldo had been a thorn in Millwall’s right hand side for much of the first half and the spectacle that is The FA Cup Final provided a perfect stage for the young man to showcase his magic tricks.

After only four minutes he’d swung in a teasing ball to van Nistelrooy, and the Dutchman’s flying header drifted just wide.

Moments later it was even better. Having lost Robbie Ryan with a dummy on the bye line, his cheeky cross just needed Paul Scholes to connect, but instead the midfielder’s air-shot let Millwall off the hook.

The United fans were delighted to see his silky step-overs, so too, it looked, was Millwall player-manager Dennis Wise. When Ronaldo spun on the halfway line to lose the three-time Cup winner, Wise pulled the number seven to the ground and gave him a friendly hug.

United were confident enjoying the Lions’ share of possession and it was obvious that they wanted to end the season on a high. Perhaps more was expected of Millwall, too, but the south London side never threatened, save Paul Ifil’s 37th minute blocked shot, and the 27 league places between the two sides was all too evident.

While United were cool, calm and collected on the ball, Millwall never found a rhythm and looked nervous. Wise, the man who’s been there and done it in The Cup, didn’t provide the inspiration that they so desperately needed for an upset and he knew it. It was only a matter of time, therefore, before his frustration landed him in the book. After minor altercations with Scholes and Keane, his late boot on Ryan Giggs early in the second-half had Jeff Winter reaching for his pocket.

After the turn-around, with United leading, a positive response was required from the Lions, but United remained in charge, playing possession football in Millwall territory.

http://www.thefa.com/NR/rdonlyres/A5...teamcele_l.JPG
Manchester United beat Millwall 3-0 in The FA Cup Final in Cardiff.

Darren Fletcher’s mazy run from deep that ended on the six yard box should have had a better result, but it set the tone for what was to come.

The Scot was again involved in United’s next opportunity. Linking up with Keane on the edge of the area, the ball ended up at the feet of Scholes who drove powerfully toward the corner of Marshall’s goal, but his one-handed save kept it out.

Wise then cleared Mikael Silvestre’s towering header from under the bar before van Nistelrooy doubled the lead three minutes later.

Reminiscent of his run against Arsenal in 1999, Giggs weaved past three blue shirts before bearing down on Marshall’s goal. With his boots primed to shoot, a lazy challenge from David Livermore toppled the Welshman. Winter pointed toward the penalty spot and van Nistelrooy dispatched emphatically into the top left corner.

That goal resigned Millwall to defeat, and van Nistelrooy’s second, tucking away Giggs’ cross from an offside position, merely added a more realistic slant on the score line and turned the game into a keep-ball training session for Sir Alex’s men.

Wise, who went off to a standing ovation with five minutes left, and the Millwall fans, can be proud of their team’s efforts this season, but overcoming Manchester United was just too much to ask for. For United on the other hand, it was another day at the office. But on this particular day they lifted their eleventh FA Cup.

I'm American. So Football makes zero sense to me. I want to learn the sport, but hey, MLS is boring like hell.

Do the English Premier, German League, Spanish Premier, and Italian Series A Face each other ever? Like in the Champion of all Champions match?

I'm not sure, It looks like they're four different conferences yet not...

I'm confused.

And the only players I know are:

Luies Ronaldo
David Beckham
Zinedine Zidane
Pele (Yes I know he's retired)

Awsome list huh?

And how are Soccer Riots? Ever participate in one?

All the top europeans clubs compete in the UEFA Champions League or UEFA Cup.


It's Luis Figo (midfielder) and Ronaldo (forward).

How do they determine who joins the UEFA league?
I don't understand the point system. wins? 2 points? lose? 0 points? tie 1 point?

a Win gives 3 points, draw a 1 point and a loss means no points

I'm pretty sure most Americans could come by the sport of Association Football with a fair amount of knowledge by now. Plus I think Major League Soccer isn't too bad. They have done alot of good things for football in the United States.

Like ElvenPath mentioned; all of the major teams from their respective European football leagues have to qualify first for a spot (Usually a team ranked from 1-5th in the league standings by the end of the season), and then gain that qualification to play in the UEFA Champions League.

And no; football riots generally occur in the more hostile crowds such as the Italians, the Greeks, and the Turks. The rest of us are sensible football fans.

What we know.

1. No hands except for the Goalie
2. 2 yellows your ejected, 1 red your ejected
3. there's a lot of passing
4. the clock doesn't stop
5. theres something called stoppage time that makes no sense at all.

What we know about FOOTBALL

1. 11 men on the field at one time per team
2. There's a defensive squad and an offensive squad
3. you have 4 downs to make 10 yards and recieve another down
4. the field is 100 yards
5. they play on sundays and eveyrone skips church that day
6. 6 points for a touchdown 3 for a fieldgoal.
7. after scoring a touch down, you can make a field goal for 1 point or a 2 point conversion
8. we play in rain, snow, shine, wind, fake grass, hail
9. the coach gets the gatorade dunk after the end of a big game
10. the league is split into 2 confrences NFC and AFC
11. each confrence is split into 4 divisions.
12. The superbowl is the game where if any man goes out on that day, he's a fag

Anything else I missed?

here you go:

http://www.corefm.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=259


scrumhalf, you forgot to mention about the english hooligans...they're a famous bunch.

to be honest millwall never had a chance of winning. manyoo are too good for them. <_< i was hoping though...

The Official Football Thread
 

Cheerio everyone :)

I have created a football-talk thread (much like the hockey one) for those that are avid football fans out there. The reason that I'm doing this is that we really need to beef up sports conversations in general; to see if there really is a chance that the community of Animesuki is not only limited to talking anime. In my case, its the love of both sports and anime. A sports forum might be even considered in Animesuki if this was a success. :D

Throughout this year and next season; I will provide football news, drafts, highlights of any major matches, and upcoming scheduled matches.

I'll provide live commentary of most the upcoming games for the Euro 2004 Championships thats shown on my Cable telly live. ;)

I've requested older football-related threads to be merged into this one thread to make it more convienent.

- Scrum

Finnaly! I was waiting for some football thread to show up, and here it is!

Before we begin, lets make one thing clear--This thread is about soccer (football) and not american football. So I hope no one gets confused.

Back to topic:

I'm saying it now, and I'm saying it proud-- BRAZIL IS TAKING THE WORLD CUP!!

They already took the cup in Korea/Japan 2002.. :P
Lets hope they will not make a 6th in Germany 2006. :heh: