5/28/2007
the-afc.com

TEHRAN: Iran coach Amir Ghalenoiee will be without five key players for the June 2 friendly against Mexico in St Louis which is part of Team Melli’s preparations for the July 7-29 AFC Asian Cup™.

Out of Ghalenoiee’s plans for the friendly are Vahid Hashemian, Ali Karimi and Rahman Rezaei and Andranik Teymourian due to their club commitments. Mehdi Mahdavikia has been left out to give him some rest.
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5/28/2007
Afshin Afshar, lastkick.com

One of Iran’s, and arguably Asia’s, most renowned footballers officially called it quits after collecting yet another feather for his distinguished cap.

Ali Daei, who took over Saipa’s coaching job earlier this season after German coach Werner Lorant unexpectedly resigned, announced his retirement as a player after leading his unfashionable Saipa side to its first ever IPL title.

Daei started his football career nearly twenty six years ago playing for his hometown club in the north-western town of Ardabil. As a tall and lanky kid he may have looked more suited for volleyball, but football was his true passion, and he played it with uncanny vigor.
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5/28/2007
Afshin Afshar, lastkick.com

Sixth Iranian Professional League went down to the wire before Saipa of Karaj would be crowned the new champions.

On the very last day of the matches three teams had a legitimate shot at the prize.

Facing Mes of Kerman, Saipa were the only side that had their destiny in their own hands. A victory would secure their first IPL crown.
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5/28/2007
Kaveh Mahjoob, lastkick.com

For the entire season, Perspolis’s financial and managerial turmoil have represented the true conditions of Iranian football. The REDs, carry a long tradition of winning championships in Iran’s football. However, since the introduction of Iranian Premier League, now called Persian Gulf League (PGL), Perspolis has seen one championship.

Perspolis won its last championship five years ago in a most probable. The REDs had to win at home and their archrivals, Esteghlal, had to lose. The improbable happened.
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5/27/2007
sportinglife.com

Osasuna secured their Primera Liga status on Sunday while leaving opponents Real Sociedad on the verge of relegation after a 2-0 home win at the Reyno de Navarra.

David Lopez and Javad Nekounam struck Osasuna's goals in the first half as the UEFA Cup semi-finalists made it two wins out of two, having previously failed to win in seven outings in La Liga.
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Chris Wright
May 26, 2007

MADRID (AFP) – The Spanish title chase reached boiling point Saturday as both Real Madrid and Barcelona scored key home wins to stay level on points with just two games to go.

David Beckham inspiring Real to a 3-1 win over Deportivo La Coruna at the Bernabeu to take the capital club onto 72 points from 36 games and Barca promptly drew level with a nervy 1-0 win at the Nou Camp over Getafe.

That win at least avenged the Catalan club's humiliating Spanish Cup exit to Bernd Schuster's side from the Madrid suburbs, but it came at a cost as Ronaldinho, who scored the only goal in the second minute, was sent off five minutes before half-time for aiming a kick at an opponent.
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5/25/2007
Hugh MacDonald, Chief Sportswriter The Herald

Filippo Inzaghi has rewritten the football cliche.

He is the forward who is the wrong place at the right times. In fairness, he is sometimes in the wrong place at the wrong times.

The latter occurrence happens when he is offside. Filippo goes offside the way Tunbridge Wells goes Tory. With depressing regularity.
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AFP
May 25, 2007

BERLIN (AFP) – French midfielder Franck Ribery will join Bayern Munich this summer, a source close to the club revealed on Friday, in a deal believed to be worth 15 millions euros (20 million US dollars).

The attacking midfielder, 24, will switch from Olympique Marseille to the German giants and the holder of 16 caps earned his reputation as one of the star performers at last year's World Cup, when the French made the final.
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Stefano Blin
May 23, 2007

ATHENS (AFP) – AC Milan were crowned European champions for the seventh time after they edged Liverpool 2-1 in the Champions League final here on Wednesday, taking their revenge for their heartbreaking defeat to the Merseysiders in the 2005 final.

Filippo Inzaghi scored both Milan goals – the first coming off his shoulder after he was struck by Andrea Pirlo's free-kick just before half time – before he netted a second in the 82nd minute after being put through superbly by Kaka.
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5/23/2007
PA Sport

ESFAHAN – Sepahan booked their place in the last eight of the AFC Champions League after the Iranians won their crunch Group D game with Al Shabab 1-0 in front of a capacity crowd at Foolad Shahr Stadium on Wednesday.

Al Shabab defender Hassan Maaz put through his own net after 33 minutes to hand the home side the points and completed a miserable night by getting himself sent off six minutes from time.
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