Asian Cup 3/4 Play-Off Preview: Japan - South Korea

What: Asian Cup 3/4/place play-off
Who: South Korea, Japan
When: Saturday, July 28, (12:35 GMT)
Where: Jaka Baring Stadium, Palembang, Sumatra

It is the game that no team wants to play, the dreaded third and fourth place play-off.

This game however, has something at stake. The winner will not have to qualify for the 2011 Asian Cup, though it is debatable if that is a good thing or not.

South Korea:

“The most terrible game in football,” said coach Pim Verbeek. The team always said it would return to Indonesia after the group stage but the expectation was that the capital Jakarta would be the venue, not the Sumatran city of Palembang.

The Taeguk Warriors must be tired. Two 120 minute-games in the past six days in gruelling conditions and heavy pitches have taken their toll and there are sure to be some new faces for the clash with the old enemy.

Korea failed to score in the knockout stage and found the target just three times in the competition as a whole. Japan’s defence is more generous than most – seven goals conceded so far.

Japan

The champions are also less than overjoyed about the clash.

Japan have been one of the most impressive teams of the tournament and have hit the back of the net 11 times so far. It won’t be easy to do so against a Korean defence that has only conceded three.

The 3-2 defeat in the semi-final against Saudi Arabia was the best game of the competition.

Osim has promised changes to the tired team that lost to Saudi Arabia.

Recent History

The two last met during the 2005 East Asian Cup when a Yuji Nakazawa goal gave Japan a 1-0 win in the Korean city of Daegu.

Need for Speed: ProStreet

Release Date:11/15/2007
ESRB Rating: Rating Pending
Genre: Racing
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Developer: Black Box

The limp charm of The Fast and the Furious has mercifully died, which is why the makers of Need for Speed are focusing their next game, ProStreet, on where they think racing will end up 10 years from now.

For starters, the game spotlights a car's ability to perform instead of its showiness (goodbye cheesy neon!), and that means you'll have to stack aftermarket parts onto your car to make it a winner. But you better take care of your ride -- instead of a magical autofix after each race, now your car will sop up damage until it can't go anymore. If you win a rough race, you'll earn money. But the question is: Will you spend it on improving the engine, or fixing the busted bumper that's barely attached?

In real street racing, zip-ties will hold a bumper steady, and that sort of money-saving shortcut is available in ProStreet. The realistic crashes add consequences to your actions -- the equivalent of Carbon's police, if you will. But with your car's health at stake, the game adds lots of tension and excitement: Are you going to risk a ruined fender -- and the cost to fix it -- for first place? Or is playing it safe, and finishing second, good enough?

The customizations aren't just eye-candy, either. Tweak your spoiler, and it'll affect the performance. Want more speed, more drag? Up to you. Think your car's perfect? Then upload the blueprint online, and some newbie sap can use your design -- but don't sweat him getting all the credit: Once you create a blueprint, your name stays with it.

So what's the point? You'll race on tracks, in iconic locations, in five different race types -- speed challenge (where you'll drive at hyper speed, and have to keep your car under control), drag, drift, and grip (circuit) racing. Once you beat the master at each of the disciplines, you'll be crowned Street King.

This is tip of the iceberg stuff, and if you want more, you're going to get it. Next week, we'll feature a full week of ProStreet content in an exclusive cover story, which will tell you just about everything you want to know about the game.

Beratnya menjadi GIGOLO... (True story..)

Teman-teman, Bacalah kisah di bawah
ini:
(Cobalah ambil hikmahnya.. jangan
terburu-buru silau oleh harta)

Seorang pemuda frustasi mencoba-coba
jadi gigolo.
Pengalaman pertamanya bertemu seorang
ibu muda perlente dengan mobil mewah.
Pemuda itu dibawa dengan mobil mewah
menuju ke sebuah rumah besar milik
wanita itu.

Sesampainya dirumah, Dia dimasukkan kea
dalam sebuah kamar. Si pemuda itu
merasa nevous karena ini adalah pertama
kalinya masuk ke kamar wanita lain.

Pikirannya sudah macam-macam, bingung
dan juga kikuk. Semakin berpikir
seperti itu, birahinya juga makin
muncul.

Sebelum melakukan apa-apa, wanita itu
berkata, "Kamu lepas dulu baju kamu dan
tunggu disini dulu ya, jangan ke mana-
mana," ujar wanita itu kemudian keluar
dari kamar. Pemuda itu makin bingung
karena ditinggal sendirian.

Sebetulnya dia malu untuk telanjang
karena tubuhnya kurus. Akhirnya dia
melepas semua bajunya,dan menunggu di
kamar. "Ah sudah kepalang tanggung,"
pikirnya.

Tak lama kemudian, ibu itu masuk ke
dalam kamar. Kali ini diikuti oleh dua
orang anak kecil.

Ibu itu berkata kepada kedua anak kecil
itu, "Nah, Wati dan Budi, harus banyak
makan. Kalau tidak, nanti badannya
kurus seperti Om ini"

Huahaha..ha. .ha..
Serius Amat Bacanya... Ayo kerja..
kerja ...

Iraq Boss Overjoyed With Final Place

Iraq coach Jorvan Vieira was delighted with his team as they downed South Korea on penalties to book a place in the Asian Cup final for the first time.

After 120 minutes of goalless football, Iraq took the shootout 4-3.

“Everyone is happy and we have reason to be happy because this victory brings us to the final and we deserved that,” said Vieira after the game according to the AFC official site.

“Korea is a very strong team, with very fast players and we had to take care,” said Vieira.

“We were able to neutralise Korea well and we missed some opportunities. We missed more opportunities than Korea, especially in the second half and in extra time. The Koreans were down on fitness. We were tired too but we were better on the fitness side and it’s a game that will never be forgotten, especially by us.”

Iraq face Saudi Arabia in the final in Jakarta on Sunday.

“We are in the final now, we are still here and you have to support us for one more game,” said Vieira. “I’m very happy.

Saudi Coach Hails Deserved Final Place

After watching his team defeat Japan 3-2 in the semi-final of the Asian Cup Saudi Arabian coach Helio Anjos declared that the result demonstrated that his team deserved to be in the final

Two goals from Malek Maaz and a strike from Yasser Al-Qahtani sent the Saudis into a Sunday final date with Iraq in Jakarta

"One thing that I have heard throughout this tournament is that we have been lucky," Helio Dos Anjos was quoted as saying by the AFC official site.

"Luck might happen in one game but not in every game and tonight we have answered the people that have said we have been lucky."

"Tonight we saw a very tough game and one of the best in the tournament so far," added dos Anjos. "I am very happy with the victory because it was over one of the best teams in the continent, especially when they have possession of the ball."

Dos Anjos has been in charge for four months and is looking forward to the west Asian final.

"Today was a victory for Arabian football, especially for Iraq because everyone knows what is happening there. These victories will bring happiness to the people of Iraq and of Saudi Arabia.

"It is nice also that while the two finalists are from the Arab school they are both being coached by Brazilians."

AFC Schedule

FINAL :

SUNDAY 29/07/2007 : ARAB VS IRAQ at Gelora Bung Karno, Jakarta


PLACE 3rd & 4th:

SATURDAY 28/07/2007 : SOUTH KOREA VS JAPAN at Sriwijaya, Palembang

Saudis Down Japan To Reach Final

In the best game of the tournament so far, Saudi Arabia defeated defending champions Japan 3-2 in Hanoi on Wednesday to book a final date with Iraq in Jakarta on Sunday.

Three times the Saudis took the lead, with Malek Maaz grabbing two, twice Japan equalized but a third leveler proved to be just out of their reach.

The result means that the final will be an all West Asian affair after Iraq defeated South Korea on penalties earlier in the evening.

Japan dominated the early exchanges and had the Saudis chasing blue shadows without troubling the goalkeeper too much. One of the few times the west Asians crossed the halfway line, Yasser Al-Qahtani saw his shot from outside the box deflected over the bar by Yuki Nakazawa with goalkeeper Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi stranded.

Al-Qahtani showed why he has been one of the tournament’s stars with the opening goal after 35 minutes. A free-kick was headed down in the area and ‘The Sniper’ reacted first to half-volley the ball into the net from near the penalty spot.

Just like their quarter-final fixture against Australia, Japan hit back immediately. A minute later Nakazawa headed home a Yasuhito Endo corner to level proceedings.

Two minutes after the restart, the Saudis were back in front. Ahmed Al Bahri crossed neatly from the right for the incoming Malek Maaz, one of the smallest players on the pitch, to head powerfully into the net.

Again, Japan hit back – this time from their other central defender Yuki Abe and this time the champions needed five minutes. An Endo corner was headed back into the danger zone by Shunsuke Nakamura and Abe showed fine technique to volley home from inside a crowded penalty area.

Three minutes later Saudi Arabia were back in front in style. Malek Maaz burst into the left side of the box, twisted past two defenders and blasted the ball home.

With nine minutes remaining, Japan were a whisker away from a third equalizer. Substitute Naotake Hanyu let fly from 30 yards but his strike cannoned off the crossbar and the Saudis were soon celebrating.