Germany Drops Euro Qualifier To Ireland

Germany had scoring opportunities but failed to capitalize on them in what appeared to be a lackluster performance today. Ireland scored the lone winning goal on a long forward pass that was rocketed in the net by Shane Long.
 Even with Irelands starting goalie going out with a bad knee, they failed net a single goal. It's a shocking defeat for "Die Mannschaft"; however, they will move through the qualifying stage and have a final match against Georgia.
 Ireland controls their own destiny. A win against Poland puts them through the qualifying stage, but if it comes down to a tie Ireland must score 2 goals or face elimination by goal differential.

~ The Bartender

Bayern Munich Makes A Statement In Match Against Borussia Dortmund

 There's likely no more guessing as to whom the top team is in the Bundesliga after todays "Der Klassiker" which ended in a 5 - 1 victory for the home team Bayern. As the league table sits now, Bayern have a comfortable 7-point lead over Borussia Dortmund (BVD) although it's still early in the season. More impressive than the score is the fact Bayern were without two of their key players, Frank Ribery and Arjen Robben. 

 The game was much tighter than the score would suggest as at halftime it was 2 - 1 in favor of Bayern with Thomas Muller scoring both goals for Bayern and the speedy Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang the lone goal of the day for BVD. The second half was the downfall for the visiting BVD team, as they could not contain the swift passing attack of Bayern’s midfielders. Lewandowski scored the first of his two goals just 22 seconds into the second half and his second just 15 minutes later. The final goal was a nice shot into the low left corner by Mario Gotze. 

 Many, including me, thought this would be a much tighter contest, but as it turns out Bayern is in championship form even at this early stage of the season.

 Most would concede after this rout that Bayern are a lock league Champions, but there’s a long way to go and UEFA Championship matches to play as well. Injuries haven’t been friendly to this team and can happen at any time. For BVD, it’s time to regroup and focus on their next match. Defensive miscues seem to be the heart of their problems and by the next “Der Klassiker” they may have them ironed out and provide a more formidable match.

~ The Bartender

The Bartender

 I enjoy sports period; however, I’m a football guy, American and European. I enjoy baseball and hockey; more-so during the playoffs, even a bit of cricket and Australian rules rugby. College football, European soccer, and college baseball are my central interests. Yes, soccer, the “other” football. It’s an acquired taste I admit, but if you have played it, you will understand. 

 This blog is just an open forum for all things football (soccer,) American, European, UEFA, World Cup and everything in between. I'll post my musings on the football news of the week and feel free to leave yours.