El Clasico
Published January 26, 2012 | 
El Clasico. Barcelona v Real Madrid. One of the great match ups of the modern age. Supreme talent on both sides. 2 of the worlds top managers. 22 dedicated players. 1 questionable referee. 4 goals.
It had everything.
Barcelona were pounded from the outset, Pique’s mistake giving Higuain an early chance. Ronaldo battered on the door in the first half. Barcelona couldn’t get as much possession as they liked.
They say that a great team wins when it plays badly. Barcelona were hounded. Madrid were on top but spurned chances. Pedro popped up out of nowhere and suddenly Madrid were one down despite a solid first 40 minutes.
Barcelona could smell victory, already 2-1 up from the first leg, they knew they had a great advantage. Madrid were reeling from the surprise goal and WHAM. Dani Alves scored. Oh what a goal. The ball bobbled out towards him from a corner and he spanked it into the back of the net.
The second half saw Madrid’s come back. Who else but Ronaldo. He rounded Pinto with hilarious ease and slotted it to make it 2-1.
Barcelona concentrated. Well 10 of them did. Puyol was casual and slipped. Benzema was cheeky and finished with aplomb. With a blink of an eye. It was 2-2. This was game on.
The end of the game got scrappy. As it was destined to do. Yellow cards were handed out like sweets. The referee proved himself to be hilariously foolhardy with some decision. Sergio Ramos got a second yellow for, what replays showed to be, jumping in the air. The referee gave some other cards, fouls etc that made Mourinho want to pull his hair out, made the likes of Pepe apoplectic with rage and left the Barcelona fans smirking.
Overall it was great. The ref was poor. The game was scrappy. The goals weren’t all special. The match, however, was brilliant. If Spanish football could clean up its act, the Premiership would be in trouble.
Posted in Everything betinternet, Sports | 
Barcelona, Mourinho, Pepe, Real Madrid, Ronaldo, Sergio Ramos | 
Leave a commentSuper Bowl XLVI
Published January 24, 2012 | After the New York Giants overcame the San Francisco 49ers in a hugely tense overtime win they will represent the NFL in the Super Bowl on the 5th February. The New England Patriots will step up to represent the AFC and as as an even numbered Super Bowl the AFC team will have the honour of being the “home team”.
The match, which is being played at the Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, has had most details confirmed already. The Super Bowl is much more than a standard game of football, is almost more famous for the entertainment and advertising that surrounds it. Madonna has been confirmed as headlining the half time show, with rumours that Nicki Manaj will join her.
The commercials, which interject the game at virtually every stoppage, are a huge part of the Superbowl and are often specifically made for the match and are worth millions of Dollars. An average of $3.7 million will be paid for every 30 seconds, a figure which breaks all previous records.
Overall, the two teams should play a tight game, Eli Manning has carried the Giants this far in a great post season performance but he will come up against Tom Brady, an elite quarterback who has been running the AFL for 12 years.
Return on the 5th of February for a more in-depth look at the two teams.
African Cup of Nations
Published January 22, 2012 | As the African Cup of Nations gets into its stride, betinternet.com takes a brief look at the tournament, hosted in Equatorial Guinea and Gabon jointly.
The tournament is lacking some of Africa’s more well known teams, such as Nigeria, Egypt and Cameroon, but the likes of the Ivory Coast mean that the Premiership is by no means underrepresented.
With Day 2 in progress, the only confirmed results were in group A. The opening game saw hosts Equatorial Guinea beat Libya by a goal with a 1-0 victory. This was then followed by an upset as Senegal lost to Zambia, the minnows were greeted with scenes of jubilation at the final whistle. The teams then get a 4 day break between each fixture.
Group B is host to one of the best known sides in the competition. Ivory Coast will expect to top the group but it won’t all be plain sailing as they must finish above Sudan, Burkina Faso and Angola. Although these sides may not be littering the English leagues with players, it does by no means mean that they are not a skilful much of players.
Two of the better known teams are in group C, Morocco and Tunisia. They will fight it out for the top spot but will have to watch behind them as both Gabon and minnows Niger will be hoping to do their countries proud and cause an upset.
The 24th is when the last group begins, with Ghana and Botswana kicking off proceedings. Ghana’s Michael Essien is a big name and will be a talisman in their midfield. Mali and Guinea are the other sides that will hope to get through to the Quarter finals.
The tournament is structured so that the top two teams qualify and go straight into the Quarter Finals. The final will be played on the 12th of February and betinternet.com will be sure to keep you updated as the tournament progresses.
England Cricketers Fightback
Published January 18, 2012 | Pakistan were rattled by late resilience by England, restricting them to a lead of just 96 with 3 wickets still in hand.
The match, which is being playing in Dubai, has been interesting as England adjust to differing conditions. Things could have been different however, if Swann and Broad had not picked up a wicket a piece in the last two overs of the day, including the dismissal of Pakistani captain Misbah-ul-Haq.
England had a disappointing first innings display, something any team would struggle to overturn. Only once, in fact, in the last 20 years, has the England team managed to win a test with a first innings score of less than 200. Wickets however, came from all over the place today from an England team that worked hard. And with the momentum the boys will go into tomorrow brimming with confidence.
Jonathan Trott was the most surprising entry in the wickets category, his short spell ended up with Younis being trapped LBW and the England teams delight that a part-time bowler had struck was evident.
Betinternet will continue to follow the England team as they tour so keep returning to find out how they’re doing.
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