Football Matters with Cyclops

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Seniors

The 2026 season kicks off this weekend. The Division 1 and Division 2 Funkies teams play Estates at home on the Friday night at 6.30 and 8.30 and the Ladies are away to MA Olympic at 6.30. On the Sunday, the Premiers and Reserves are away to Rebels at 5.00 and 3.00 pm. The Premiers first home game of the season is against Estates on Saturday 28 March. Senior Registrations are open and players should register now. Men’s training is on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6 .15 and the Ladies are in action on Mondays and Wednesdays from 6.00.

Junior

Training for both Boys and Girls starts this week Girls from Under 5 to Under 11 play on Tuesdays at 5.00 and Boys aged 6-9 play on Wednesdays. Boys Under 7 and  Under 12 years will train on Thursdays. Pre-season games will Kick Off on Saturday 21^st March.

Masters

The Masters had to be cancelled again last Monday as the pitches were too wet. The season should now start next Monday Night. The  Magic (or Mayhem) should now kick off on 23rd March. All are welcome, male, and female, useful and hopeless, halt and lame. Be there, International Park for 6.30 Kick off.

National and International

The Matildas played their second match in the  AFC Women’s Asian Cup and defeated Iran 4-0, they then played South Korea and in the last minute managed an equaliser to draw 3-3. The Matildas finished runners up, on goal difference and qualified for the Quarter Finals where they played North Korea on Friday in Perth and won 2-1 with goals from Alanna Kennedy and Sam Kerr. Having qualified for the semi-finals the Matildas now play China on Tuesday in Perth. In the other semi-final Japan will play South Korea on Wednesday.

The Socceroos are warming up for the 2026 World Cup with three friendlies, the first of them next Friday when they play Cameroon. Then on 31 March they meet Curacao. The Socceroos then travel to the USA to play against Mexico on 31 May at the Rosebowl in Pasadena. In the FIFA World Cup, the Socceroos will know their first opponents in Group D by 1^st April after the Play Offs between  Türkiye, Romania, Slovakia and  Kosovo. The play offs start on 27 March and finish four days later.

In the  A League, after twenty one rounds  Newcastle are still the League leaders despite losing 1-2 at home to Auckland. They are now just one point clear of the NZers. Adelaide could only draw at Central Coast and Melbourne Victory move up to fourth place with a 4-1 defeat of Macarthur. Brisbane is still in eighth place after drawing 2-2 with Western Sydney and Perth and Western Sydney now hold up the league.

The A League Women resumed this week, and Melbourne City is  top of the ladder  by three points with a 1-0 win against second placed Canberra. Adelaide stay in third place with a win against Perth and Wellington is fourth a further point behind after a 3-0 defeat of Brisbane. The Roar is now in eighth place. Sydney FC and Western Sydney are still holding up the table.

Europe

In the EPL with eight Rounds left Arsenal is now eleven points clear of Manchester City. The Gunners beat Everton 2-0 and City could only draw 1-1 away to West Ham. ManU beat Aston Villa 3-1 to stay in third place seven points clear of fourth placed Villa who are two points clear of Liverpool. With nine rounds left Wolves and Burnley look Championship bound but only four points now separate West Ham, Notts Forest, Spurs and Leeds for the other Championship spot.

In Germany’s Bundesliga only two of the top six teams won. Bayern drew 1-1 away to Leverkusen but is still nine points clear of Dortmund who beat Augsburg. Hoffenheim and Stuttgart are a further eight points behind with Hoffenheim third on goal difference.

At the bottom of the league Heidenheim and Wolfsburg are definitely in trouble, and  St Pauli and Werder Bremen and Cologne are all struggling.

In Italy’s Serie A, three of the top six teams won and Inter who could only draw is now eight points clear of AC Milan who lost 1-0 away to Lazio. Napoli stays in third place one point behind AC and Como moves up to fourth place another five points adrift. Juventus won at Udinese and moves up to fifth place. Only Pisa, of the bottom six teams, won, and it still looks all up with Pisa and Verona.

In Spain’s, La Liga with ten Rounds left to play, the three top teams all won. Barcelona  leads Real Madrid by four points and Atletico stays in third place a further nine points away. Villarreal drew but holds on to fourth place two points adrift. At the bottom of the league, only Oviedo won but together with Levante are still in deep trouble.

In France’s Ligue 1, both  PSG and Lens lost and PSG is now only one point ahead of second placed Lens. Marseille won but is still seven points behind, two points clear of fourth placed Lyon. Nice was the  only one of the bottom seven teams to win, and Metz, Auxerre and Nantes all look bound for Ligue Deux.

The Soccer Quote of the Week

is from ex- Liverpool Manager Bob Paisley “Mind you, I've been here during the bad times too - one year we came second.”

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