Malouda's Scoring Streak Continues Bosnia-Herzegovina 0 France 2

Florent Malouda's scintillating start to the season continued tonight as France overcome a plucky Bosnia in their Group D clash in Sarajevo.


After losing their opening match of the qualifying campaign at home to Belarus at the weekend the French knew tonights win was a must win game but it took Les Bleus until the 72nd minute to crack open a resolute Bosnian defense which was carved open by Real Madrid's Karim Benzema.


The goal must have knocked the wind out of Bosnia as 5 minutes later Malouda scored his fifth goal of the season and the second for France to make sure the 3 points were heading off to Paris.


Like Salomon Kalou at the weekend Malouda was the only scorer for the Unofficial Premier League Champions Chelsea.


All Chelsea's international stars can now head back to London and prepare for a London derby against bottom club West Ham United at Upton Park on Saturday.

Chelsea Have Six Appeal...AGAIN Wigan Athletic 0 Chelsea 6 (Malouda 34, Anelka 48,52, Kalou 78,90, Benayoun 90+3)

Nicolas Anelka scored twice as Chelsea continued their wonderful start to the season despite an improved display from Wigan.

The hosts had the better of the first half hour but trailed to Florent Malouda's effort at the interval.
And after Anelka's quick-fire double at the start of the second half, Salomon Kalou added a fourth.
Despite an even more comprehensive defeat, the performance of the Latics in the opening period was in stark contrast to their humbling 4-0 defeat to Blackpool seven days earlier.
They were first to every ball in midfield but could not turn that superiority into clear-cut chances.  Maynor Figureoa had a long-range drive palmed away by Petr Cech, who also did well to block a couple of strikes from Hugo Rodallega.
But the Czech goalkeeper was not required to do anything beyond what should be expected of him and Chelsea made them pay the price just after the half-hour mark.
Wigan claimed that Ashley Cole had fouled Charles N'Zogbia to give himself a free run on to Didier Drogba's pass. Cole's cross from the left found Frank Lampard, whose low drive was palmed away by Chris Kirkland, but only as far as Malouda, who rolled into an empty net.Ronnie Stam had another strike saved by Cech as Wigan looked for a way back before the interval. But the contest was finished within a few minutes of the restart.John Obi Mikel's long diagonal ball picked out Anelka and the Frenchman managed to find an angle inside the far post despite being forced wide.
And four minutes later, he grabbed a second when he helped Drogba's prod into the back of the net after Malouda had scampered on to Cech's huge clearance.Mauro Boselli had one effort ruled out for offside and also had a header saved.
Kalou made it four after Drogba burst through and squared for his fellow Ivorian to seal an easy win.
Kalou added a fifth in the final minute to underline Chelsea's power before Yossi Benayoun scored his first for the club to make it six.

Lineups:

Wigan Athletic: 01-Kirkland, 02-Gohouri, 03-Alcaraz, 04-McCarthy, 06-Thomas, 09-Boselli, 10-N'Zogbia, 20-Rodallega, 21-Diame, 23-Stam, 31-Figueroa.  Subs Used: 08-Watson, 16-McArthur, 17-Boyce

Chelsea: 01-Cech, 02-Ivanovic 03-Cole, 05-Essien, 08- Lampard, 11-Drogba, 12-Mikel, 15-Malouda, 26-Terry, 33-Alex, 39-Anelka.  Subs Used: 10-Benayoun, 19-Ferreira, 21-Kalou

Todays Other Scores:

Arsenal 6-0 Blackpool - AR- Walcott (3), Arshavin, Diaby, Chamakh

Birmingham City 2-1 Blackburn - BC- Gardner (2) - BR - Nzonzi

Everton 1-1 Wolves - EV- Cahill - WW- Ebanks-Blake

Stoke City 1-2 Tottenham Hotspur - SC- Fuller - TH- Bale (2)

West Brom 1-0 Sunderland - WBA- Odemwingie

West Ham 1-3 Bolton Wanderers - WH- Noble (pen) - BW- Upson o.g, Elmander (2)

Chelsea Have Six Appeal Chelsea 6 (Malouda 6, 90 Drogba 45, 55, 68 Lampard 63) West Brom 0

Chelsea hold on to the "Unofficial Premier League" title belt today and showed the rest of the Premiership they are not hanging around in their bid to keep the official title by beating a lackluster West Brom at Stamford Bridge today.


It took Chelsea 6 minutes to get the ball rolling.  A freekick from just outside the area by Didier Drogba was to hot to handle for keeper Scott Carson who spilled the ball into the path of John Obi Mikel who struck straight at the West Brom keeper but the rebound fell to Malouda who rammed the ball home for to make it 1-0.


Chelsea had chances to make it 2-0 but it took until stoppage time for them to make their possession count.  Another freekick from Chelsea and again the wall broke as if I had built it and Drogba's shot went straight through the wall into the bottom corner.  Now the scoreline relflected matchplay.  Chelsea had yet to get out of second gear.


The second half started in much the same way, Chelsea with all the possession, intricate passing and pace down both flanks but West Brom striker had a 20 yard effort ruled out for off-side and in the 55th minute a Chelsea corner was headed goalwards by skipper John Terry, his effort was cleared off the line but only as far as Drogba who from 6 yards out grabbed his second of the match, just under 10 minutes later and it was Frank Lampards turn to get his name on the score sheet as he begins another season where he will probably get 20 goals.


3 minutes later Drogba might have completed his hat-trick.  For now he has the match ball but the dubious goal's committee might take it off him as his shot deflected of Gabriel Tamas and past Carson, I for one hope they give the Ivory Coast hitman his goal, his performance deserved it.


The Chelsea fans were in full voice, absolutely loving what they were seeing.  They evenstarted chanting the name of ex-Chelsea midfielder and current West Brom manager Roberto Di Matteo who must've been shell shocked at what he was seeing and just when he thought the game was over and he could get out of London Florent Malouda, who began the rout got a second after his shot went in off the post.


Chelsea were in awesome form and already after one goal I have seen enough to say whoever finished above Chelsea this season will win the Premier League, they were simply amazing.


Lineups:


Chelsea: 01-Cech, 03-Cole, 05-Essien, 08-Lampard, 11-Drogba, 12-Mikel, 15-Malouda, 19-Ferreira, 26-Terry, 33-Alex, 39-Anelka.  Subs: 02-Ivanovic, 10-Benayoun, 21- Kalou


West Bromwich Albion: 01-Carson, 04-Cech, 06-Pablo, 07-Morrison, 09-Bednar, 11-Brunt, 14-Thomas, 17-Dorrans, 21-Mulumbu, 30-Tamas, 36-Jara. Subs: 08-Barnes, 10- Miller, 31-Cox


Todays Other Scores:


Aston Villa 3-0 West Ham - AV- Downing, Petrov, Milner
Blackburn Rovers 1-0 Everton - BR-Kalinic
Bolton Wanderers 0-0 Fulham
Sunderland 2-2 Birmingham - SU- Bent (pen), Carr (og) - BC- Dann, Ridgewell
Tottenham Hotspur 0-0 Manchester City
Wigan Athletic 0-4 Blackpool - BP- Harewood (2), Taylor-Fletcher, Baptiste
Wolves 2-1 Stoke City - WW- Jones, Fletcher - SC- Faye

France 1 South Africa 2

Scorers: Malouda (Fra), Khumalo (SA), Mphela (SA)

Attendance: 39415

South Africa beat France 2-1 for only their second FIFA World Cup™ victory, but both teams ultimately emerged losers in Bloemfontein. Carlos Alberto Parreira's team became the first host nation to fail to qualify for the tournament's second round while a miserable campaign from the French came to a predictable conclusion as they also bowed out of South Africa 2010.

The African side's story was ultimately one of disappointment as they exited their own tournament on goal difference with Mexico taking the second qualifying place in Group A behind Uruguay. For France there was further ignominy as a second defeat in three games provided a fitting epitaph to the sense of disharmony which had infected Raymond Domenech's squad virtually since the opening game.

The beleaguered coach, who now leaves his post, made six changes to the team that had gone down to Mexico in their previous game – with captain Patrice Evra one of those dropped. However, initially France promised to lift the gloom for their followers with some attacking thrusts. One should have seen Andre-Pierre Gignac fire them into an early lead but he could only direct his attempt straight at Moneeb Josephs who was deputising in the South African goal for the suspended Itumeleng Khune. Djibril Cisse then flicked on Abou Diaby's floated pass but again the goalkeeper was behind it all the way.

Bafana Bafana were not short of voluble support and the stadium erupted with joy in the 20th minute when they took the lead. It followed a right-sided corner which precipitated a mistake by Hugo Lloris who was unable to put a glove on the ball, allowing Bongani Khumalo to profit from his towering leap at the far post and a downward header gave the host nation the lead.

Their hopes raised, South Africa kept pouring forward in search of further goals which would be crucial if it came down to goal difference. At the other end of the field came a decision that would help their cause as Yoann Gourcuff duelled for an aerial ball with MacBeth Sibaya and was shown the red card as the home midfielder lay on the ground requiring treatment.

Parreira's side sensed their chance as 12 minutes later Katlego Mphela bundled the ball in at the far post after Tsepo Masilela's ball across had caught the French defence in confusion. News that Uruguay had taken the lead against Mexico only added to the sense of euphoria around the stadium and not even a chance for France, which William Gallas failed to seize as a free-kick found him unmarked in the area, could dampen it down.

Mphela drew a fingertipped save from Lloris and it was he who led the charge for second-half goals, striking the crossbar, demanding another fine stop from the keeper, and then burrowing his way through only to find the side-netting. In the final reckoning those misses were to prove crucial. In the 70th minute France took a lot of sting out of South Africa's attacks as Florent Malouda, who had just appeared off the substitute's bench, was on hand to roll the ball home after Franck Ribery had unselfishly squared the ball into his path.