This year's tennis French Open will be held in Paris May 24-June 7. This will be the second Grand Slam event of the year., Although it is still called Roland Garros, the tournament's name could be changed to "Who will beat Rafa Nadal?"
Nadal has won the French Open in four consecutive years. He seems to be unbeatable on clay. He's winning almost every tournaments on clay, beating constantly the world's top players. Federer, Djokovic, Davydenko, Murray: four of the Top 6 players; still, they can't do anythin against Nadal. In last year's Roland Garros final, Nadal beat Federer 6–1, 6–3, 6–0. Pretty impressive against a former world Nr.1.
This year, contenders will try again. Many think that Federer still has the best chance to dethrone the champion. However, he suffered some losses on clay this year, and does not seem to be on the top of his game. Djokovic and Murray, two young guns also have high hope this year, although none of them could beat Rafa so far. In the end, I think Rafa will continue his dominance in Paris. Maybe not in straight sets, but he will win the championship.
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Champions League Preview, Part 2
Second semifinal: Chelsea vs. Barcelona
First match: 28 April, Barcelona-Chelsea 0-0
A typical away game from Chelsea. They didn't want to lose the first game, and they sacrificed the opportunity to score the very important away goal. One shot on tartget during a game is very unimpressive.
Second match: The mindset of the two teams will be very different. Chelsea, especially at home, will probabyl play for a low-scoring win to advance. If they allow a goal, they can be in a difficult position. On the other hand, Barcelona obliterated Real Madrid on last Saturday at the El Classico. They scored alomost anytime they wanted.
Key matchup: Ivanovic, Terry, Bosingwha (Chelsea) vs. Messi, Eto'o, Henry(Barcelona)
The trio from Barcelona scored four goals altogether against Real Madrid, and had some more opportunities. If they can do something similar, Chelsea defenders will have a long night.
X-factor: Frank Lampard (Chelsea)
He is the playmaker of the team. He can both score or assist on a goal, which Chelsea will probably need.
Prediction: Barcelona will advance
Although Henry's play is questionable because of injury, Barcelona will still provide some heavy offense. It is hard to imagine another scoreless, defensive-minded game. An early goal could spice up the teams.
First match: 28 April, Barcelona-Chelsea 0-0
A typical away game from Chelsea. They didn't want to lose the first game, and they sacrificed the opportunity to score the very important away goal. One shot on tartget during a game is very unimpressive.
Second match: The mindset of the two teams will be very different. Chelsea, especially at home, will probabyl play for a low-scoring win to advance. If they allow a goal, they can be in a difficult position. On the other hand, Barcelona obliterated Real Madrid on last Saturday at the El Classico. They scored alomost anytime they wanted.
Key matchup: Ivanovic, Terry, Bosingwha (Chelsea) vs. Messi, Eto'o, Henry(Barcelona)
The trio from Barcelona scored four goals altogether against Real Madrid, and had some more opportunities. If they can do something similar, Chelsea defenders will have a long night.
X-factor: Frank Lampard (Chelsea)
He is the playmaker of the team. He can both score or assist on a goal, which Chelsea will probably need.
Prediction: Barcelona will advance
Although Henry's play is questionable because of injury, Barcelona will still provide some heavy offense. It is hard to imagine another scoreless, defensive-minded game. An early goal could spice up the teams.
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Champions League Preview, Part 1
UEFA Champions League is down to four teams: Arsenal, Manchester United, Chelsea, and Barcelona. The participants of the final in Rome will be decided today and tomorrow during the second matches of the quarterfinals. Let's take a look at the first pair, Arsenal vs. Manchester United.
First Match: 29 April, Manchester United-Arsenal 1-0 (O'Shea 22')
The game was controlled by ManU, Arsenal couldn't play its quick, short-passing game. Still, a one-goal deficit was considered as a satisfactory result from Arsenal.
Today: At home, Arsenal has to be more agressive. Because they're only down by one in aggregation, they don't have to rush from the first minute. Also, if they open up the field too much, Manchester can easily score from quick counterattacks. As for Manchester, they have to remain patient as the game goes on. They have more freedom to adapt to Arsenal's game. ManU will come out with a rather defensive set, but players like Rooney or C. Ronaldo can always create havoc in opposing defenses.
Key Matchup: van Persie and Adebayor vs. Ferdinand and Vidic
Van Persie was inactive last week, and without him Adebayor was a bit lost among ManU defenders. With van Persie, however, they can play their two-man game, and with hep from the wingers, Arsenal will have five offensive-minded players on the field.
X-factor: Theo Walcott
The lightning-quick Arsenal winger has to be at the top of his game. He has to get behind the defenders and make good centering passes if Arsenal wants to be more dangerous.
Prediction: Manchester will advance
It is hard to bet against the defending champion. Manchester has showed in the past that they can protect a lead, no matter how small it is, and score goals if needed. Still, if Arsenal manages to score a goal, it can be an interesting game.
First Match: 29 April, Manchester United-Arsenal 1-0 (O'Shea 22')
The game was controlled by ManU, Arsenal couldn't play its quick, short-passing game. Still, a one-goal deficit was considered as a satisfactory result from Arsenal.
Today: At home, Arsenal has to be more agressive. Because they're only down by one in aggregation, they don't have to rush from the first minute. Also, if they open up the field too much, Manchester can easily score from quick counterattacks. As for Manchester, they have to remain patient as the game goes on. They have more freedom to adapt to Arsenal's game. ManU will come out with a rather defensive set, but players like Rooney or C. Ronaldo can always create havoc in opposing defenses.
Key Matchup: van Persie and Adebayor vs. Ferdinand and Vidic
Van Persie was inactive last week, and without him Adebayor was a bit lost among ManU defenders. With van Persie, however, they can play their two-man game, and with hep from the wingers, Arsenal will have five offensive-minded players on the field.
X-factor: Theo Walcott
The lightning-quick Arsenal winger has to be at the top of his game. He has to get behind the defenders and make good centering passes if Arsenal wants to be more dangerous.
Prediction: Manchester will advance
It is hard to bet against the defending champion. Manchester has showed in the past that they can protect a lead, no matter how small it is, and score goals if needed. Still, if Arsenal manages to score a goal, it can be an interesting game.
Higgins Wins Snooker World Championship
John Higgins was crowned as Snooker world champion Monday night. The prestigous event is held every year in Sheffield, England, at the Crucible Theatre.
Snooker is very different from the better-known pool. Snooker is played on a larger table, with more balls. Each ball worths a certain amount of points, and the aim is to outscore the opponent in a particular "frame"(the name of a round). The starting table consists of 15 red balls(each worth one point) , six "colored" balls(2-7 points), and, of course, a white ball to play with. But there are rules how to pot the balls(put them into the holes). The main rule is that you have to first pot a red ball, then a colored ball(any of the six). Then another red, another colored, and it goes on and on. Once you pot a red ball, you start a "break," which keeps on as long as you hit the right balls. Potted red balls stay in the holes while the colored ones are put back by the referee. When all the red balls are gone, players have to pot the colored balls in a particular order.
However, snooker is far from being only a simple game of hitting balls in a certain order. Strategy and technique also play a huge role in the game. Players have to see the whole table and think in advance, just like in chess. It is not enough to pot a red ball, you have to get a good position with the white ball in order to also pot a colored ball with your next shot and continue your break. If they cannot continue their breaks, players must be able to hit a safety shot that prevents opponents from starting their own breaks.
The maximum break is 147 points. That means you have to always sink red-black combos as long as there are red balls on the table. It is quite a feat to achieve one: the top 25 players have a combined nine maximum breaks at the world championships. This year Stephen Hendry got one, last year Ronnie O'Sullivan and Ali Carter both had one. The prize money for a maximum break is £147,000, which is split if there are multiple occurrences. Shaun Murphy, the runner-up, won £125,000, Higgins won £250,000.
Snooker is very different from the better-known pool. Snooker is played on a larger table, with more balls. Each ball worths a certain amount of points, and the aim is to outscore the opponent in a particular "frame"(the name of a round). The starting table consists of 15 red balls(each worth one point) , six "colored" balls(2-7 points), and, of course, a white ball to play with. But there are rules how to pot the balls(put them into the holes). The main rule is that you have to first pot a red ball, then a colored ball(any of the six). Then another red, another colored, and it goes on and on. Once you pot a red ball, you start a "break," which keeps on as long as you hit the right balls. Potted red balls stay in the holes while the colored ones are put back by the referee. When all the red balls are gone, players have to pot the colored balls in a particular order.
However, snooker is far from being only a simple game of hitting balls in a certain order. Strategy and technique also play a huge role in the game. Players have to see the whole table and think in advance, just like in chess. It is not enough to pot a red ball, you have to get a good position with the white ball in order to also pot a colored ball with your next shot and continue your break. If they cannot continue their breaks, players must be able to hit a safety shot that prevents opponents from starting their own breaks.
The maximum break is 147 points. That means you have to always sink red-black combos as long as there are red balls on the table. It is quite a feat to achieve one: the top 25 players have a combined nine maximum breaks at the world championships. This year Stephen Hendry got one, last year Ronnie O'Sullivan and Ali Carter both had one. The prize money for a maximum break is £147,000, which is split if there are multiple occurrences. Shaun Murphy, the runner-up, won £125,000, Higgins won £250,000.
Who will win the Ice Hockey World Championships?
Only eight teams are left in Bern at the World Championships. Russia, Belarus, Finnland, the United States, Canada, Latvia, Sweden, and the Czech Republic still have a chance to take home the cup. Of course, not all of them has the same odds at the bookies.
From the four quarterfinals, three seems to be rather one-sided. Russia, Canada, and Sweden are likely to move on without big problems. The fourth one, the United States vs. Finnland, will be an interesting match. Based on the group stages, Finnland has more chance, but it is hard to count out the Americans.
Unfortunately for the advancing team, they will play against Russia in the semifinals. It is hard to see that either Finnland or the US would beat Russia. Even without some real stars, like Ovechkin or Malkin, who play in the NHL playoffs, they are undisputedly one of the two best teams. As for the other semifinal, probably Canada against Sweden, it could be a real nail-biter. Canada was almost flawless in the first two group stages, but the Swedish team played an incredible game against Russia, although in the end they lost 6-5 in overtime. Still, I expect Canada to move on.
So, we reach the imaginary championship game: Russia vs. Canada. It is the rematch of last year's final, where Russia beat Canada in overtime. It is almost impossible to predict the winner, as the aforementioned Top Two's other member is Canada. As for me, I think Canad will win this time. Well, to be more correct, I will root for them, if this will be the final. However, as I've mentioned, (almost) everything is possible.
From the four quarterfinals, three seems to be rather one-sided. Russia, Canada, and Sweden are likely to move on without big problems. The fourth one, the United States vs. Finnland, will be an interesting match. Based on the group stages, Finnland has more chance, but it is hard to count out the Americans.
Unfortunately for the advancing team, they will play against Russia in the semifinals. It is hard to see that either Finnland or the US would beat Russia. Even without some real stars, like Ovechkin or Malkin, who play in the NHL playoffs, they are undisputedly one of the two best teams. As for the other semifinal, probably Canada against Sweden, it could be a real nail-biter. Canada was almost flawless in the first two group stages, but the Swedish team played an incredible game against Russia, although in the end they lost 6-5 in overtime. Still, I expect Canada to move on.
So, we reach the imaginary championship game: Russia vs. Canada. It is the rematch of last year's final, where Russia beat Canada in overtime. It is almost impossible to predict the winner, as the aforementioned Top Two's other member is Canada. As for me, I think Canad will win this time. Well, to be more correct, I will root for them, if this will be the final. However, as I've mentioned, (almost) everything is possible.
The journey has come to an end
The Hungarian ice hockey team finished its participation at the World Championships. After 70 years of waiting, this team has tasted what is it like to play at the highest level. Unfortunately, all six matches were lost, and the team dropped out to the Division-1. Nevertheless, it was a fun ride. Ad the players deserve nothing but recognition.
The championship started out almost like a dream. We played a thrilling match against Slovakia, which is eighth team in the world ranking. Hungary was 13 seconds short of a minor miracle. Slovakia scored the go-ahead goal 13 seconds before the final horn. Now it is obvious that this was our best game, and best opportunity to get a point. Canada ran over us with a 9-0 victory, and The Belarus team also beat us 3-1(however, it was 1-1 five minutes before the end) at the final game of stage one.
After that, Hungary got to the second stage with Germany, Denmark, and Austria. Only one team could stay at this level from the Hungary-Denmark-Austria trio because Germany will host next year's championship, therefore they must stay in the top division. Again, we lost all three matches, and aside the last game against Germany, they were not even close games.
So, Hungary will continue in the Division 1 next year. But the team did not disappoint us. They fought hard against the faster, stronger, and overall better opponents. Also, the Hungarian crowd was amazing. They cheered for the team at an amazing voulme no matter what the scoreboard showed. After the game against Canada, Jason Spezza, an NHL veteran, asked a Hungarian player whether they could take home with them the Hungarian fans.
Viktor Tokaji, a Hungarian defenseman, said probably the best summary of the whole championship: "They(the other teams) now know where Hungary is."
The championship started out almost like a dream. We played a thrilling match against Slovakia, which is eighth team in the world ranking. Hungary was 13 seconds short of a minor miracle. Slovakia scored the go-ahead goal 13 seconds before the final horn. Now it is obvious that this was our best game, and best opportunity to get a point. Canada ran over us with a 9-0 victory, and The Belarus team also beat us 3-1(however, it was 1-1 five minutes before the end) at the final game of stage one.
After that, Hungary got to the second stage with Germany, Denmark, and Austria. Only one team could stay at this level from the Hungary-Denmark-Austria trio because Germany will host next year's championship, therefore they must stay in the top division. Again, we lost all three matches, and aside the last game against Germany, they were not even close games.
So, Hungary will continue in the Division 1 next year. But the team did not disappoint us. They fought hard against the faster, stronger, and overall better opponents. Also, the Hungarian crowd was amazing. They cheered for the team at an amazing voulme no matter what the scoreboard showed. After the game against Canada, Jason Spezza, an NHL veteran, asked a Hungarian player whether they could take home with them the Hungarian fans.
Viktor Tokaji, a Hungarian defenseman, said probably the best summary of the whole championship: "They(the other teams) now know where Hungary is."
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
The Quest for World Cup 2010
Hungarian soccer is creating some sort of buzz again. After failing (sometimes miserably) to qualify for a Euro Cup or World Cup in the last few decades, we have some chance in the current qualifying tournament. Hungary in in second place in Group 1 behind Denmark and ahead of Portugal and Sweden. But how did we get here?
After the draw of the groups, we didn't consider ourselves lucky. Portugal and Sweden were clearly considered stronger, and even Denmark had been in 7 Euro Cups, most recently in 2004, compared to our 2 appearances. We started the series with a new head coach, a foreign manager again after the unsuccessful attempt with Lothar Matthaus a few years ago. Our first two games were not very productive, or maybe it was exactly what we expected: a draw with Denmark at home(although we played better...) and a loss in Sweden. But after that came three victories with a 4-0 goal difference. Of course, I haven't mentioned the opponents yet...
Vs. Albania, at Malta, at Albania is our unbeaten streak. No doubt, not the most impressive. But if you consider that both Portugal and Sweden had played 0:0 against Albania in their first matches, the picture is a little brighter. All right, it's still not a guarantee of qualification, but you have to start somewhere. The team's MVP is probably the striker Sándor Torghelle. He had scored in three consecutive qualification matches, and all of those were game-winners.
The next game is at home versus Malta in front of a full house. In recent years, this mainly occurred against teams like Argentina or Brazil, not against Malta. Although considering the current situation, it is not surprising. People start to like this team again. All 35,000 tickets were sold in advance, and those who have one feel lucky about that. I hate to use the word "guarantee," but this is a match we should absolutely win, especially in front of this eager crowd.
After the draw of the groups, we didn't consider ourselves lucky. Portugal and Sweden were clearly considered stronger, and even Denmark had been in 7 Euro Cups, most recently in 2004, compared to our 2 appearances. We started the series with a new head coach, a foreign manager again after the unsuccessful attempt with Lothar Matthaus a few years ago. Our first two games were not very productive, or maybe it was exactly what we expected: a draw with Denmark at home(although we played better...) and a loss in Sweden. But after that came three victories with a 4-0 goal difference. Of course, I haven't mentioned the opponents yet...
Vs. Albania, at Malta, at Albania is our unbeaten streak. No doubt, not the most impressive. But if you consider that both Portugal and Sweden had played 0:0 against Albania in their first matches, the picture is a little brighter. All right, it's still not a guarantee of qualification, but you have to start somewhere. The team's MVP is probably the striker Sándor Torghelle. He had scored in three consecutive qualification matches, and all of those were game-winners.
The next game is at home versus Malta in front of a full house. In recent years, this mainly occurred against teams like Argentina or Brazil, not against Malta. Although considering the current situation, it is not surprising. People start to like this team again. All 35,000 tickets were sold in advance, and those who have one feel lucky about that. I hate to use the word "guarantee," but this is a match we should absolutely win, especially in front of this eager crowd.
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