FRANCE. Rennes, with Carlos Bocanegra starting on the backline as usual, lost for the first time since August as it fell, 1-0, to Lille on an own goal by Swedish defender Petter Hansson. Rennes' second loss of the season ended a 18-game unbeaten streak and dropped it to fourth place, four points behind leader Lyon, the seven-time defending champ. Freddy Adu did not see action for Monaco, which gave up a two-goal lead in a 2-2 tie with Caen. Monaco is in 14th place.
ENGLAND. Goalkeeper Brad Friedel, who made a foot save off a solid Dean Whitehead chance in the 26th minute, helped Aston Villa to its fifth straight road win as it defeated Sunderland, 2-1, despite playing a man down for the final 18 minutes. Aston Villa remains in fourth place, behind Chelsea, Liverpool and leader Manchester United. Clint Dempsey went the full 90 for Fulham, which ended its nine-game unbeaten run with a 3-1 loss at West Ham. Tim Howard and Everton face Liverpool on Monday (2 pm ET live on Setanta Sports USA).
GERMANY. Landon Donovan played in his third friendly game since joining Bayern Munich on a short-term loan. The 26-year-old played the final 45 minutes of a 3-0 win over German fourth division squad Eintracht Bamberg. Bayern got its goals through Tim Borowski, Philipp Lahm and Miroslav Klose on a snow-covered field. "Playing in the snow was particularly a challenge for Landon Donovan and Luca Toni," said Bayern coach Juergen Klinsmann.
BELGIUM. Oguchi Onyewu scored an own goal but Standard Liege bounced back to defeat FCV Dender, 3-2, and move within a point of league leader Anderlecht, which lost to Cercle Brugge on Friday.
SPAIN. Jozy Altidore did not suit up for Villarreal, which defeated Mallorca, 2-0. New Jersey product Giuseppe Rossi scored Villarreal's second goal from the penalty spot.
SCOTLAND. Neither DaMarcus Beasley nor Maurice Edu saw action for Rangers in a 3-1 win over Falkirk. The win, combined with leader Celtic's 4-2 loss at Aberdeen, put Rangers two points from the top.
No comments yet.
