CONCACAF got the better of the Asian Football Federation in Hannover as Mexico topped Japan 2-1 despite falling behind to a goal from Atsushi Yanagisawa.

The Japanese were on a high having become the Satta King Chart first nation to have qualified for Germany 2006 barely a week ago and they included their three Italian-based players in their starting line-up: Shunsuke Nakamura, Yanagisawa and talisman Hidetoshi Nakata.

Mexico, coached by Argentinian Ricardo La Volpe and missing a number of key players, took the game to their opponents from the whistle with Jaime Lozano crossing for Jose Fonseca to nod narrowly over the bar.

Both teams soon settled into a relaxed-tempo chess game in midfield so it was a surprise when the Japanese grabbed a twelfth-minute lead thanks to Akira Kaji’s speedy break down the right wing. His whipped cross found an onrushing Atsushi Yanagisawa muscling between the two Mexican centre-backs before deftly sending the ball spinning past Oswaldo Sanchez into the corner of the net.

The Japanese were looking the more adventurous during the first half-hour with Nakata’s spectacualr attempt at a bicycle kick after twenty-four minutes a sign of their growing confidence.

Three minutes later however Mexico hit back when a Pavel Pardo free kick deep on the right found an unmarked Jared Borgetti whose point-blank header was saved by an alert Yoshikatsu Kawagushi. On the half hour mark Ricardo Osorio advanced and and let rip from twenty yards to remind Japan they were still in the game with an hour left to play.

Mitsuo Osagawara barked instructions at goalscorer Yanagisawa as Japan’s coach Zico pounded animatedly around the technical area, while La Volpe remained seated, wrapped in his thoughts.

The Argentine’s decorum was shattered however after thirty-nine minutes when his number seven Zinha conjured up a goal of sublime quality.

Receiving the ball in space twenty-five yards out, the Toluca midfielder looked up before launching a missile that rose into the net via the postage stamp leaving Kawaguchi helpless and the stadium in awe.

Akira Kaji tried to copy him at the other end three minutes later but his shot flew over the bar.

In the closing minutes of the first half Zinha turned up the pressure, sending in two dangerous crosses, the first mis-hit by Lozano and the second fired wide by Salvador Carmona.

Picking up where they had left off at the break, Mexico forced a corner straight after the restart but when Pardo’s kick arrived at Carmona’s feet he blazed over the bar.

Two further Mexican chances followed, Luis Perez shooting wide after good work from Pardo and Borgetti seeing one of his trademark towering headers strike an upright from a Zinha cross.

In response Zico pulled off Nakamura for Junichi Inamoto but the Mexicans deservedly stole the lead after sixty-four minutes.

Borgetti picked up the ball on the left and fed the lively Perez who teased Makoto Tanaka before crossing deep for Juan Franciso Fonseca to to rise between the twin towers of Alex and Takayuki Chano to force a header past Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi to make it 2-1.

Zico then gambled by throwing on two more attackers in Masashi Oguro and Keiji Tamada but to little avail. Borgetti had the ball in the net after seventy minutes but a late flag disallowed the goal.

Japan’s best remaining chance came with ten minutes remaining. Kaji again raided up the right flank and crossed into the box. Yanagisawa cleverly lost his marker but his flicked header sailed too high to give him his second goal.

With Nakata dropping further back and Inamoto relieving him of his midfield duties it seemed the wind had gone out of the blue shirts’ sails, Kaji’s booking for restraining Borgetti at the end of the match a symptom of their frustration.

Having begun encouragingly, Japan surrendered their lead and allowed Mexico and particularly their man of the match Zinha to haul themselves back into a game they were losing.

After the game Zico accepted the loss: “We did not expect a defeat today but Mexico played well”, he told reporters. “We had chances but we did not convert them but that happens in football and I am calm about this”.

Pinning down his side’s weakness in the air he commented: “We are going to have to work hard to correct that. Mexico played in a way we were unable to neutralise. The balls in the air we simply could not control and it was difficult for our goalkeeper.”

“We let them score that second goal and it gave them a second wind but the result could have been very different when it was 1-0”, he said.

With Greece up next the Japanese will be eager to win and cancel the order for wooden spoons to Tokyo.

Even though I was brought up as a Catholic, I have never followed a spiritual path. I blame an over-zealous Priest for my descent into heresy; he was constantly on my back when I was young.

If my memory serves me correctly, Easter is a time to reflect upon the resurrection of Christ. It’s believed that after three days, He rose again. I don’t want to diminish the significance, but I’d fancy Pele to beat that. The Geordies believe that King Keegan is the one Satta King Result true Messiah; it would be sacrilegious not to back Newcastle at 10/11 against Fulham.

Jesus may have forgiven Robbie Keane for his petulant reaction to being substituted last weekend, but Juande Ramos was apoplectic. I have a lot of sympathy for Keane in this case; it’s an emotional time when you’re being pulled off. I’ll happily play with the even money for a Tottenham win over Portsmouth.

John Carew may not be scoring regularly on the pitch, but if press reports are to be believed, he’s managed to bag ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ star Alesha Dixon. I’ve seen pictures of Alesha, and one bag may not be enough. I’ll need a large container to carry home my winnings after Aston Villa see off Sunderland at 3/5.

It’s rare that I shower praise upon Steve Bruce, but his decision to drop Titus Bramble was outstanding. Bruce knows what it takes to become a top class defender; he played alongside Gary Pallister. 4/5 had been placed alongside a Blackburn win over Wigan. I’m on.

Thaksin Shinawatra is not a happy man. The Thai ‘businessman’ has reportedly claimed that City are losing too many games in his absence, and he may have to tighten the bolt on his return. If I was Sven, I’d be worried. I’d be ringing up Ulrika, but I’d certainly be worried. Bolton can ensure the bolt is tightened with a win at 6/4.

Middlesbrough will be without Mido after he saw red for kicking Gael Clichy in the head. The Egyptian should be ashamed of his actions, as should the players who gave him the lift up. Let’s all rise to celebrate the 1/2 for a Middlesbrough win over Derby.

I’m quite ashamed to admit that I have something in common with the impious Martin Taylor. We’re both often referred to as ‘tiny’, although for Martin, it’s an ironic reference. The 23/20 for a Reading win over Birmingham is healthily proportioned.

It’s great to see the West Ham production line coming up trumps once again. Freddie Sears looks a great prospect, but I’m not overly impressed with the ‘Alan Shearer’ goal celebration; it takes too long to kick Neil Lennon, creosote a fence and unsettle the Newcastle management. Everton are going for a treble over the Hammers this season, I have to play at 3/4.

Steven Gerrard was upset when Rio Ferdinand claimed that Liverpool were not among the best teams in Europe. To be fair to Rio, he was misquoted – he meant to say that Liverpool were not among the best teams in England. Liverpool have lost their last four league meetings with their bitter rivals, and have failed to score in their last six. United can extend that run at 11/10.

Chelsea meet Arsenal in the 2nd part of Grand Slam Super Mega Awesome Sunday, in a dress rehearsal for the Champions League semi-final. I’ve studied Chelsea’s win ratio in the big games under Avram Grant, it didn’t take long. Arsenal are turning into draw specialists, I’ll happily take the 9/4 for a tie.

Jesus would not be happy with the vitriolic abuse aimed at Heather Mills after her divorce from Paul McCartney. I look at it as a value gamble on Heather’s part, she risked negative press and the occasional slap for a healthy financial settlement.

I was quite surprised that she received as much as £24m; I think she must have shown the judge a little leg. Blackburn, Middlesbrough, Everton and a Chelsea draw form a 13/1 accer that will hopefully lead to an equally impressive return.

The doyen of English-language J. League websites, The Rising Sun news has documented the ups and downs of the Japanese game for more than eight years.

Rising Sun News

Reputedly now on strike (according to the author himself), the Rising Sun News is the definitive voice on Japanese football and, like the satta king chart sadly dormant Football (Japan)

Lost In Translation blog remains an excellent online record of Japanese football – with a lively and active message board to boot.

Go! Go! Omiya Ardija

An excellent site that has documented the fortunes of Omiya Ardija since early 2005, Go! Go! Omiya Ardija is run and administered by a group of Omiya fans including Furtho, who also runs the outstanding Japanese Non-League Football News Site (furtho2.blog32.fc2.com).

Tricolore Pride

Started in response to the lack of English-language information coming out of Yokohama F. Marinos, Tricolore Pride is an eye-catching new site that details the daily happenings of the club. The site also complements the hilarious M.O.I.S.T. – sadly no longer updated due to the author’s departure to Singapore, although it nevertheless remains one of the funniest and most insightful of the personally-maintained blogs.

Soilent Green

A devastatingly funny account of the fortunes of Tokyo Verdy, the URL provides a glimpse into the confused allegiances of its author. A highlight of last season was an emotional confession from the author himself that he would rather watch Omiya Ardija play then follow the the hapless team in green!

Oretachi No Kyoto

Loosely translated as “Our Kyoto,” Oretachi No Kyoto begun in early 2007 following Kyoto Sanga’s relegation from the top flight a season earlier.

Kawasaki Frontale Supporters

Slightly off the radar is this well-written account of one Japan’s most exciting teams. While Kawasaki Frontale do at least acknowledge the presence of English-speaking fans through a rudimentary English page on their website, this Kawasaki supporters blog provides an in-depth match-by-match analysis of the Kanagawa side – although full match reports can be be somewhat sporadic.

Mito-Hollyhock.com

Heavy on text but with plenty of insight into life at the wrong end of Japanese professional football, author Vendo’s site acts as a de facto English-language partner to the Ibaraki outfit’s Japanese site.

Forza FC Gifu

Having been around for a while – despite the fact that FC Gifu were only promoted to J2 at the start of this season, Forza FC Gifu has proved particularly useful for those seeking English-language information on one of Japan’ newest professional teams.

Cerezo Osaka Fansite

An excellent site that belies its title, the Cerezo Osaka fansite may be authored by a pink-hued Norwegian, but it actually contains fairly comprehensive match reports from all games played in J2.

Super Avispa!

An interesting and at one-time bilingual blog, Super Avispa! holds plenty of interest for both German and Australian fans of the J. League, as well those interested in the general fortunes of Avispa Fukuoka.

Plenty of new sites continue to pop up on a regular basis, including the likes of an FC Tokyo fansite Aishiteru Tokyo (www.aishiteru-tokyo.com), the ever-expanding S-Pulse UK Ultras blog (s-pulseukultras.blogspot.com) and Consadole Ole! (www.consadole.net/carlossb) – an account of Consadole Sapporo’s fortunes as viewed by an English-speaking Spaniard, as well as old favourites like Alan’s Jsoccer (www.jsoccer.com).

Further proof – if it was needed, that the world game truly does command a global audience.

26 on Monday. Defenders Hwang Jae-won and Kang Min-soo didn’t make the cut while midfielders Kim Chi-woo and, a little surprisingly, Cho Won-hee fell by the wayside.

These drip-drip tactics are not the norm and can be cruel for the players. Three more will have their dreams dashed right at the end when Huh names his final 23 on May 31 but for now, all are happy as they head to Japan for a final warm-up before leaving Asia.

Next Monday’s match in Saitama is a big one for both teams. Talking to Park Ji-sung just before training, satta king chart he admitted that there was no such thing as a ‘friendly’ match between the two nations. The game has been criticized by sections of the Japanese and Korea press. This thinking goes that two big rivals meeting just before the World Cup is a recipe for injuries. The Manchester United man however said that it was the best chance for the team to sample competitive football before the big event starts.

This time however, it is the Japanese who are more desperate to win than its long-time rival. 2010 has seen a number of poor results at home for the Samurai Blue not least a 3-1 defeat at the hands of South Korea in Tokyo in February. I was present in Osaka in April as a reserve Serbia team won 3-0 to cause a crescendo of jeers to be heard around the Nagai Stadium.

The earlier Korea defeat was when both teams were shorn of their European-based stars. This time will be very different. Japan really will not want to suffer another setback just before it leaves. A third consecutive defeat at home would be tough to take and with the team preparing for a tough World Cup group against the Netherlands, Denmark and Cameroon, confidence would be rocked.

Korea always love to win these games but a defeat wouldn’t be a disaster in terms of the bigger picture however much it may rankle in Seoul. Three comfortable wins – over Japan, Ivory Coast and Ecuador – have the players feeling good.

England’s Premier League kicked off again on Saturday and another long and gruelling season beckons.

Manchester United, the team most likely to win it, have most of their first-choice defence injured already. While other nations take a breather over Christmas and New Year, England keeps its players charging over hard pitches in freezing weather, increasing the likelihood of burnout and injury. The national team should qualify for Euro 2012, but don’t expect England’s players to be any less sluggish than they were in South Africa in 2010.

United looked slick and composed however, and Ashley Young on his debut played like a regular with assured interplay, creativity and danger. Phil Jones is another satta king chart shrewd acquisition, more useful than Tom Cleverley and Daniel Welbeck.

At the other end though David De Gea, who won Euro u21 with Spain in the summer, had a nervous exodus in English football, flapping at crosses and allowing a shot to go under his body. Shades of Massimo Taibi perhaps, but beware a bad start in goal. Tim Howard excelled in his opening year at Old Trafford before losing his touch badly before being transferred.

Man U’s early promise however should not obscure the fact that England’s best team were outclassed in last year’s Champions League final by Barcelona. The closing stages of that competition are a long way off, but the grand imperative for Premier League teams must be to learn from the blaugrana masterclass if we are to avoid another sobering evening. There is only so much credit to be gained in winning the Premier League but falling woefully short in Europe.

Many eyes will be trained on Arsenal, and more particularly Arsene Wenger, whose excuses for a lack of trophies are beginning to run out. Having lost Cesc Fabregas ovenight to Barcelona and with Samir Nasri’s move to Manchester City imminent, the heat will be on the Gunners to perform. Should they miss out on the Champions League places this year, the board may have to contemplate the unthinkable.

2006 saw Lee Chun-soo impress at the World Cup and almost everywhere else he played while national team-mate Lee Dong-gook was left satta king chart nursing a torn cruciate ligament and shattered dreams of missing out on a second World Cup.

Things change in football and January saw the Lion King, recovered from his injury, join Middlesbrough. There are few in South Korea who wouldn’t wish the striker the best of luck on Teesside after the misery of last summer. He could make his debut for ‘Boro on February 3 against Arsenal, followed by a fixture with Chelsea.

Lee Chun-soo was equally keen to head west but despite concrete interest from Wigan, the winger is condemned to spending a few more months in the K-League with Ulsan Hyundai Horang-i.

Like Middlesbrough the previous week, Wigan found that dealing with K-League clubs can be a frusatrating experience. Ulsan wanted to sell their star outright but Paul Jewell preferred a loan period for the 25 year-old. The talented attacker, just wanting to go, accepted such terms and his club reluctanctly follwed suit.

The problem came when negotiating what would happen at the end of the loan period. With the transfer window getting ready to shut, Wigan lost patience with the 2005 K-League champions and withdrew their offer.

It could be a blessing in disguise for Lee. Wigan have the look of a team destined for relegation and the Millenium Kid may have more options in the less frantic trading period of the summer.

Seongnam Get Busy

Amid the storm of transfer activity in Korea over the past month, there had been an oasis of calm.

Never shy of flashing the cash, 2006 champions Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma were conspicuous in their absence from the market with most of the deals, rumors and gossip focusing elsewhere in this corner of northeast Asia.

There were a few whispers in the wind regarding the fate of Ahn Jung-hwan. The striker chose Suwon Samsung Bluewings as his first K-League club in seven years, but for a while, Seongnam looked to be the most likely destination for the 2002 World Cup hero.

The money was there to bring the “Lord of the Ring” to the Seoul satellite city, but coach Kim Hak-bom shook his head and kept his hands in the pockets of his bright yellow club jacket.

A look at the club’s forward line revealed why the heavy-smoking coach allowed Ahn to ignore the Seongnam exit on the Gyeonbu expressway and continue driving south for just a few more miles.

2006 K-League top scorer Woo Sung-yong may have departed but the deadly Mota remains. Also vying for a starting place were $1 million former Romanian international Adrian Naega, Ahn Hyo-yeon and the tricky Brazilian Itamar.

Suddenly, however, the seven-time champions sprung into action like the mythical animal that appears on the club logo – Pegasus.

First to arrive was Choi Sung-kuk – $2 million was enough to persuade 2005 champions Ulsan Hyundai Horang-I to wave goodbye to their diminutive attacker.

The year 2006 was a strange season for “Little Maradona.” Like the rest of Ulsan’s strikers, his appearances on the score sheet were all too rare but despite his lack of goals, he was widely held to have enjoyed an impressive season, as a recall to the national team demonstrated.

Equally out of the blue was the $2.4 million that the club splashed on Kim Dong-hyun.

Still only 22, the striker has already played in four different countries, almost as many as the well-traveled Ahn Jung-hwan. His career started in Japan with Oita Trinita before he moved to the K-League and Suwon Samsung Bluewings in 2004.

First team opportunities were limited at the club and a year later, he was off to Braga in Portugal. The pattern continued in 2006 and the new year saw a new club in the shape of Russian outfit Rubin Kazan.

The big attacker made it back onto the national team for the experimental friendly against Ghana in October, in which he scored the Taeguk Warriors’ only goal in a 3-1 defeat.

With other players like Han Dong-won signing on the dotted line, Seongnam look well-equipped for the new season’s two-pronged campaign. Not only will the coach be looking for an eighth title, the club has some unfinished business in the Asian Champions League after being defeated in the finals in 2004.

Domestic matters come first, however, and there will be some fierce competition at the top.

Ulsan may have lost Choi to Seongnam but 2006 top scorer Woo Sung-young came the other way. The 33 year-old is one of a number of new arrivals at the south-eastern club.

Around $2 million was needed to bring Oh Jang-eun to Munsu Stadium.The midfielder starred in the second half of last season with Daegu FC and was rewarded with a place on the national team. He will be joined in the southeast by Hyun Young-min, who has returned to his homeland after a year in Russia with Zenit St. Petersburg.

In the southwest corner of the country, Chunnam Dragons have been shoring up its defense in preparation for a Champions League challenge. The Gwangyang club somehow persuaded Incheon United to part with defender Kim Chi-woo.

The 23-year-old made his international debut last year and will line up alongside national teammate Kim Jin-kyu, who brings his fierce shooting capabilities back to Jeolla Province from J-League club Jubilo Iwata.

It’s all shaping up nicely.

Beckham.David Beckham looks set to miss out on the 2010 World Cup after tearing his Achilles tendon playing in A.C. Milan’s 1-0 win over Chievo in Serie A today.

The England international pulled up in the 87th minute at San Siro today and hobbled off, claiming he heard his tendon snap and felt his calf muscles spasm. He was carried off on a stretcher, with the nightmare of missing the World Cup unfolding before his eyes.

Recovery from an Achilles rupture to being able to run is from 6-8 weeks following the operation Beckham will have tomorrow, but the proximity of the finals in under three months means a call-up of an unfit Beckham for the World Cup is now satta matka extremely unlikely. The most probable scenario is of Beckham missing the World Cup but making a return to MLS later this season.

The will-he, won’t-he saga of Beckham’s once unlikely journey to a fourth finals had looked set to end happily with a place in Fabio Capello’s final squad, but his road to South Africa now seems to have finally run out of gas. His attempt to break Peter Shilton’s England appearances record also looks to have bitten the dust, ten games short. Perhaps the most celebrity of England footballers has even played his last game for the Three Lions.

Becks’ World Cup debut age 23 in France ’98 was a colourful one – after initially having been dropped in favour of Teddy Sheringham, the young Manchester United star played a leading role in England’s campaign, supplying the pass for Michael Owen’s wonder goal against Argentina before getting himself sent off for retaliating against Diego Simeone. Beckham’s expulsion forced England into a rearguard action for the rest of the second-round clash, lost eventually on penalties and coach Glenn Hoddle blamed him afterwards for the defeat.

Four years later and Beckham, recovered from the tsunami of tabloid opprobrium following France ’98, arrived in Japan a soccer idol, especially in the Far East. But a broken metatarsal shortly before the finals meant the England captain was not in peak condition. He got his revenge on Argentina with a winning penalty, but Brazil’s silky skills got the better of a prosaic and unimaginative England in the quarter-finals.

Beckham scored the winner in the second round of Germany 2006, a set piece against Ecuador, but his third World Cup finals ended again at the last eight stage, as Portugal beat another solid but uninspiring Three Lions team forged by Sven-Goran Eriksson, this time on spot-kicks. Tearfully resigning as captain, it looked like the World Cup had seen the last of Becks as he jetted off for the sunny climbs of Los Angeles and Major League Soccer.

Steve McClaren’s first act as England manager was to telephone him to say farewell but before long McClaren’s obvious frailty in the job saw Beckham back from the dead in the national team fold. Now shorn of what little speed he once had, Beckham concentrated on his dead ball delivery and arching crosses, providing a unique attacking option from the right wing.

Becks’ prowess as an impact substitute with his penetrative deliveries ensured continuous call-ups under Capello, his former coach at Real Madrid and at the age of 34 looked set to have a final World Cup swansong, if not a starting role.

His tears as he left the San Siro field today were as intense as when he left the field against Portugal, both times believing he had played his last World Cup game. This time, it looks like he has.

It had all the hallmarks of a classic – a local derby, a big crowd – and all that Saturday’s clash between Yokohama F. Marinos and Shonan Bellmare lacked was a dominant display from Shunsuke Nakamura.

The returning hero was cheered on by 32,228 fans who turned out to witness his Nissan Stadium homecoming, but the Japan international looked off the pace as Marinos swept aside promoted Shonan Bellmare 3-0.

Nakamura received a predictably warm welcome from the Tricolore faithful, and the prodigal son laid on the first goal as his corner was headed home by powerful defender Yuzo Kurihara.

The visitor’s overworked goalkeeper Yosuke satta matka Nozawa was then forced to turn away an accurate free-kick from the former Reggina, Celtic and Espanyol midfielder, but it wasn’t until the hour mark that Marinos doubled their lead through highly-rated young striker Kazuma Watanabe.

A tiring Nakamura made way for substitute Kenta Kano with six minutes remaining, and the diminutive Kano added a late third for the hosts as he drilled home from distance in the final minute of play.

But the match was all about Shunsuke Nakamura, and his return overshadowed a first ever win as coach for former Marinos attacking midfielder Kazushi Kimura.

Nakamura is just one of a number of high-profile stars to have returned from Europe, but with Junichi Inamoto and Shinji Ono having already made their debuts for Kawasaki Frontale and Shimizu S-Pulse respectively, all eyes were on the Marinos talisman as he made his first appearance in the J. League since 2002.

Referee faces suspension following spot-kick blunder

Referee Takuto Okabe faces a two-match suspension after he allowed Sanfrecce Hiroshima’s disputed third-minute penalty against Shimizu S-Pulse to stand.

The hosts were awarded the penalty in the Round 1 clash after visiting goalkeeper Yohei Nishibe hauled down Yojiro Takahagi inside the area.

Defender Tomoaki Makino placed the ball on the spot and shaped up to take the kick, only for captain Hisato Sato to race out out of a line of players and surprise Nishibe by stroking the ball home from twelve yards.

The Japan Football Association has admitted that the rehearsed move was illegal, with Makino originally identifing himself as the designated spot-kick taker.

The match finished in a 1-1 draw, and Makino and Sato are expected to escape punishment for their unsportsmanlike conduct.

Referee Okabe may not be so fortunate, with the hapless match official now expected to miss two games for his blunder.

So Far, So SattamatkaGood

So far, so good. The 2008 K-League is only two games old but it has already hinted at a fascinating season to come. The weather is warming, attendances are healthy, stars new and old are shining and the best part of all is that there are still another eight months to go.

It is unlikely that Incheon United will still be top of the table in November but the west coast club is the only one of the 14 that boasts a 100% record. Incheon won 2-0 at Jeju United on the opening weekend and then managed to beat Chunnam Dragons 1-0 on Sunday with a goal after just 41 seconds. Over the next 89 minutes or so, the Dragons, defeated 2-0 by Melbourne Victory in midweek in the Asian Champions League and then 4-3 by Gamba Osaka, managed to miss a whole host of chances. It just wasn’t their day.

With the league taking a break due to the small matter of a March 26 World Cup qualifier against North Korea in Shanghai, Incheon can enjoy the rest of the month safely perched on the top rung of the ladder. The club is the only one in Korea that Sattamatkaconsistently makes a profit and it is a friendly one. Selling stars such as Dejan Damjanovic help the books balance but even the new FC Seoul striker was in the club’s office after the game on Sunday, smiling and joking with staff.

The Serbian had plenty to smile about. He had opened his account for his new club the previous day at the Jeonju home of Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors. Also scoring a first for a new club was South Korean international Cho Jae-jin. The impressive Cho equalized for Jeonbuk only to see his rival for the national team striking spot Park Chu-young net a late winner to give Seoul the three points.

The Motors, tipped by many, including this writer, to be in for a good season, have stalled at the start line and are looking for a first point, just like Jeolla Province rivals Chunnam. Unlike the Dragons, Jeonbuk doesn’t have injuries and Asian travels to use as excuses. The team in green has the talent to move up a gear and up the table but two games and two defeats against Busan and Seoul, not the league’s toughest opponents, is a worry.

Champions Pohang Steelers are discovering that defending the title brings different kinds of pressures. Satta Matka The south-easterners were, like Chunnam, defeated by Australian opposition in the Asian Champions League last week. That loss at home to Adelaide was followed by an equally painful 3-0 lesson doled out by Ulsan Hyundai Horang-I on Saturday.

What of the two title favorites? Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma and Suwon Samsung Bluewings met in round two, the first big game of the season. The result was an exciting 2-2 draw and a confirmation that both teams will again be setting the standard over the next few months. The draw was Seongnam’s second this season. Suwon, inspired by the talented Lee Kwan-woo who scored two stunning goals, perhaps have a little more reason to be looking forward to the months ahead with confidence.

Perennial wooden-spoon winner Gwangju Sangmu is in nose-bleed territory with four points from two games. The first was a creditable 1-1 draw with Seongnam and the second a nice 2-0 win over a Gyeongnam club still struggling to come to terms with the pre-season loss of coach, top scorer and playmaker. The Ahn Jung-hwan effect hasn’t yet kicked in at Busan I’Park but the south coast club has started reasonably well.

There is still a long way to go but things are shaping up nicely.

Statistics are normally my trusted ally, but even close friends can occasionally fall out. Research claims to prove that men are over 50% more likely to be involved in a road accident than women, but that’s probably because they’ve all been run over by dippy bints.

Only last weekend, the wife’s vertiginous Madhur matka nature led to a particularly bad smash. Betty was seriously shaken up, but luckily, a Scientologist was quickly on the scene.

The incident would never have occurred if we lived in Saudi Arabia, as women are forbidden from driving by law. They must really respect their women to go to such lengths to keep them safe.

The Saudi ladies have many other social advantages. When Manchester United played their controversial testimonial in Riyadh, the women were all banned from the stadium; presumably to protect them from the shock of viewing Rooney and Tevez. I can’t take my eyes off the 7/1 for a Tottenham win over a jetlagged United side.

While the Saudi women lead a life of luxury, the men are treated incredibly shabbily. Islamic law allows the males to marry up to four wives: so you can understand why a minority go apocalyptic. I’d consider destroying the West if I had to watch Eastenders four times a week.

It’s not all doom and gloom for the men, as multiple weddings equate to multiple stag nights. It’s a little bit different over there though: it takes the stripper 25 minutes to whip out her elbows. There won’t be a Stag party when Mansfield face Middlesbrough, Southgate’s men will knock them out at a fundamentally sound 4/9.

Amy Winehouse can only look on in jealousy at the freedoms offered to the women of the Middle East. Amy can’t even water her plants without being harassed by the man, although she has been overdoing it with the hosepipe lately. I’ll be having the craic with the 5/6 for a Derby win over Preston.

The footballing world has changed dramatically since Kevin Keegan last flexed his managerial muscle. The game is now awash with American cowboys, and in a sign of solidarity with our friendly-firing brothers, Joey Barton now walks like John Wayne. I won’t be backing Arsenal at 2/5 against Newcastle. The hell I won’t.

Liverpool v Havant & Waterlooville is what the FA Cup is all about: it’s a bunch of nobodies getting spanked by a decent team. Bookies are as short as 1/100 about a Liverpool win, I’ll play on the Reds -2.5 goals at a more punter friendly 1/2.

Wigan looked to have completed a canny piece of business with the signing of Wilson Palacios. The Honduran is nicknamed ‘Harry Potter’, a moniker earned when his brother disappeared. 8/15 for a Chelsea win over Wigan will be vanishing soon.

Mark Hughes is definitely a kind-hearted soul. He went face to face with Gareth Southgate last week, and he resisted the urge to laugh. I’ll be smiling like a trout enthusiast around Leslie Ash when Aston Villa see off Blackburn at even money in the only Premier League fixture of the weekend.

Frankly, I was quite disturbed by the news that Leslie Ash pocketed £5m after contracting a bug while in hospital. It’s not like Lee Chapman needs the money, he already owns a mobile exercise unit.

The controversial payout has led me to consider moving to the utopia that is Saudi Arabia. Naturally, this would lead to a conversion to Islam, which will conflict with my liberal beliefs. The wife would have to wear a veil though, so it’s swings and roundabouts. Aston Villa, Arsenal, Portsmouth, Southampton and Watford form a 10/1 weekend accer that will pay for the necessary amount of tarpaulin.