Belgium coach Rene Vandereycken picked two uncapped players in his 24-man squad for the Group A Euro 2008 qualifiers at home to Portugal on June 2 and away to Finland, four days later.
Winger Faris Haroun received his first call-up to the senior squad after helping Racing Genk book their place in next season′s Champions League, while defender Jan Vertonghen of Dutch side RKC Waalwijk was also included for the first time.
Portugal and Finland are both on 11 points after six matches, alongside Serbia. Leaders Poland have 16 points but have played one game more. Belgium have seven points from six outings. Group A also includes Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and Armenia.
Squad:
Goalkeepers: Stijn Stijnen (Club Bruges), Brian Vandenbussche (Heerenveen), Geert De Vlieger (Zulte Waregem)
Defenders: Carl Hoefkens (Stoke City), Daniel Van Buyten (Bayern Munich), Jelle Van Damme (Anderlecht), Peter Van der Heyden (Wolfsburg), Philip Clement (Club Brugge), Thomas Vermaelen (Ajax), Jan Vertonghen (RKC Waalwijk)
Midfielders: Mark De Man (Anderlecht), Karel Geraerts (Standard Liege), Timmy Simons (PSV Eindhoven), Gaby Mudingayi (Lazio), Steven Dufour (Standard Liege), Marouane Fellaini (Standard Liege), Tom De Mul (Ajax), Gaetan Englebert (Club Bruges), Faris Haroun (Racing Genk), Maarten Martens (AZ Alkmaar)
Forwards: Emile Mpenza (Manchester City), Francois Sterchele (Germinal Beerschot), Moussa Dembele (AZ Alkmaar), Kevin Vandenbergh (Racing Genk).
17 May 2007
Under-21 internationals Faris Haroun and Jan Vertonghen have been called up by Belgium for the first time ahead of the two UEFA EURO 2008 qualifiers next month.
The Red Devils welcome Portugal to Brussels on 2 June before heading to Helsinki four days later to take on Finland.
Belgium are fifth in Group A, with seven points from six matches, and are in a precarious qualification position.
René Vandereycken′s hopes of turning things around could rest on 21-year-old midfielder Haroun and 20-year-old defender Vertonghen.
Captain Timmy Simons returns to the international fold after being suspended for the 4-0 defeat in Portugal on 24 March.
Belgium squad
Goalkeepers: Geert De Vlieger (SV Zulte Waregem), Stijn Stijnen (Club Brugge KV), Brian Vandenbussche (SC Heerenveen).
Defenders: Philippe Clement (Club Brugge KV), Carl Hoefkens (Stoke City FC), Daniel Van Buyten (FC Bayern München), Jelle Van Damme (RSC Anderlecht), Peter Van der Heyden (VfL Wolfsburg), Thomas Vermaelen (AFC Ajax), Jan Vertonghen (RKC Waalwijk).
Midfielders: Steven Defour (R. Standard de Liège), Mark De Man (RSC Anderlecht), Tom De Mul (AFC Ajax), Gaëtan Englebert (Club Brugge KV), Marouane Fellaini (R. Standard de Liège), Karel Geraerts (R. Standard de Liège), Faris Haroun (KRC Genk), Maarten Martens (AZ Alkmaar), Gaby Mudingayi (S.S. Lazio), Timmy Simons (PSV Eindhoven).
Forwards: Moussa Dembélé (AZ Alkmaar), Emile Mpenza (Manchester City FC), François Sterchele (KFC Germinal Beerschot Antwerpen), Kevin Vandenbergh (KRC Genk).
12 March 2007
Genk remained top of the Belgian top flight with a 1-1 draw at home to second-placed Anderlecht on Sunday.
Nicolas Frutos put the champions ahead on the half-hour mark, but Goran Ljubojevic replied for Genk in the 72nd minute.
Genk have 57 points from 25 games, while Anderlecht are on 55. Standard Liege, who lost 1-0 at home to Ghent on Saturday, stayed third on 49 points.
Bottom team Lierse recorded a 3-1 victory at home to SV Roeselare, while second from bottom Beveren went down 2-1 at Zulte Waregem.
23 February 2007
Newcastle boss Glenn Roeder is convinced he got a bargain when he paid £10million for striker Obafemi Martins.
The 22-year-old Nigerian international took on the task of providing the bulk of the club's goals when he agreed to swap Inter Milan for Tyneside last summer.
But perhaps more significantly, he accepted the challenge of filling the number nine shirt only just vacated by Alan Shearer, the Magpies' most prolific scorer of all time.
On Thursday night, Martins claimed his 14th goal for Toon, equalling Shearer's tally during his final season, with a UEFA Cup winner against Zulte Waregem to book a last-16 clash with AZ Alkmaar.
In his first campaign at St James' Park, Shearer hit 14 before the end of December and went on to claim 27 for the season, but the quality of Martins' 68th-minute finish left Roeder promising there is more to come.
He said: "That was sheer quality. That's what Oba Martins is all about, that's why Oba Martins cost £10million, that's why Oba Martins' value now is a lot, lot more than that. He has been a terrific buy. I feel whatever he achieves this year will be a bonus. Next year after he has had a full season with us and we have Michael Owen fit again and Shola Ameobi fit and new signings for the start of next season, Oba Martins will take off in a big, big way."
The prospect of seeing his big-money signing line up alongside the club's record £17million acquisition Owen is one which understandably excites Roeder.
Both the England striker and Ameobi could be available for the final few games of the campaign as the Tynesiders continue their respective recoveries from knee and hip surgery.
However, the thought of being able to field two such predatory hitmen in the same team is one Roeder is relishing.
He said: "Week by week, Oba is building a big reputation as a striker to fear. Against Liverpool, I thought he was terrific. It was probably the best game he has had for the club. Last night, he had a quiet game, but he had one sniff of an opportunity to score and it was in the back of the net and it won us the game. Michael Owen is very much like that. Michael is a player who is not always in the game for 90 minutes, but give him two chances and he takes both and you win the game. Oba Martins has got the same sort of traits in his make-up."
23 February 2007
Belgian goalkeeper Bjorn Sengier has signed a one-year deal with Eredivisie side Willem II.
The 27-year-old joined on loan from Belgian outfit Zulte Waregem in the summer, with Dennis van Wijk's team having the option to extend his stay for another year.
Sengier spent the opening half of the season as the Tilburg side's first-choice keeper but has been replaced in recent weeks by Maikel Aerts, a loan arrival from Feyenoord.
21 February 2007
Newcastle boss Glenn Roeder will make a late check on skipper Scott Parker ahead of tomorrow night's UEFA Cup cash with Zulte Waregem.
Parker missed the 3-1 first leg victory in Belgium last week with a tight hamstring and is unlikely to be risked, although Nolberto Solano, who was sent home today after reporting with a sore throat, is expected to be fit.
American defender Oguchi Onyewu is ineligible, and while Shay Given (groin), Craig Moore (hamstring), Charles N'Zogbia (knee) and Emre (calf) have returned to training, they are not yet ready to return.
Stephen Carr (thigh), Peter Ramage (hamstring), Michael Owen (knee) and Shola Ameobi (hip) are still out.
Newcastle boss Glenn Roeder has revealed he used a scouting mission to derby rivals Middlesbrough to run the rule over one of his potential summer transfer targets.
Roeder was in the crowd at the Riverside Stadium on Saturday as he prepared for the Teessiders' short trip to St James' Park on March 3.
However, Boro's FA Cup fifth round clash with Coca-Cola Championship promotion chasers West Brom also gave him a chance to have a close look at central defender Curtis Davies.
The Magpies boss and number two Nigel Pearson, who knows 21-year-old Davies well from his own time at the Hawthorns, were at Molineux last month to see the Baggies dump Wolves out of the same competition, and Roeder kept an eye on him once again.
It proved an eventful afternoon for the England Under-21 international, who was booked after conceding a first-half penalty for a tug on Ayegbeni Yakubu and was then dismissed a minute from time for wrestling Mark Viduka to the ground, although his side managed to hang on for a creditable 2-2 draw.
Roeder's policy is not to identify specific targets, although he admitted Boro were not his only focus.
He said: 'I was at The Riverside on Saturday. We play Middlesbrough at St James' Park a week on Saturday and it was a good opportunity for me to have a look at them. In addition, it also gave me the chance to run the rule over a couple of players at West Brom we have shown an interest in in the past.'
Roeder suffered a frustrating January transfer window during which, despite casting his net far and wide, he managed to land only loan signing Oguchhi Onyewu.
Davies, Peter Crouch, Anton Ferdinand and Dean Ashton are names which are thought to appear high on his summer wish-list, when he hopes chairman Freddy Shepherd will release the purse strings.
Roeder was allowed to invest £15million in striker Obafemi Martins and winger Damien Duff last summer and bring Antoine Sibierski in on a free transfer but, with predecessor Graeme Souness having got through £50million during his ill-fated reign, there was little left in the coffers when the window re-opened.
Roeder has been delighted with his signings to date - he believes Sibierski, who scored his eighth goal of the season in the 3-1 UEFA Cup win over Zulte Waregem last week, could be one of the bargains of the season - but has very definite ideas about his recruitment plans.
He said: 'We will be looking at a lot of players between now and the start of next season, and they will be young players aged 25 and under. I do not want to bring in big names who are past their shelf-life, but players who have their best days in front of them.'
In the meantime, Newcastle will set about the task of cementing their place in the last 16 of the UEFA Cup when Belgian side Zulte head for Tyneside on Thursday night.
Last week's victory at the Jules Otten Stadium all but booked them a meeting with either Fenerbahce or AZ Alkmaar - who drew 3-3 in Istanbul 24 hours earlier - in the next round.
However, there is still work to be done and, while Roeder could be tempted to rest key players ahead of Sunday's Barclays Premiership trip to struggling Wigan, he knows he will have to find the right balance to prosper on both fronts.
16 February 2007
Sevilla striker Frederic Kanoute continued his prolific season with another goal as the UEFA Cup holders underlined their class with a 2-0 victory over Steau Bucharest in Romania on Thursday.
Mali international Kanoute, whose 16 goals make him the top scorer in Spain and have fired Sevilla's challenge for the domestic title, came off the bench to net a 77th minute penalty.
Newcastle United and Racing Lens also secured first leg wins in their UEFA Cup first knockout round ties while Claudio Ranieri made a losing start as Parma coach with a 1-0 defeat at Braga.
Sevilla's well-organised defence was in resolute form against a Steaua side without leading scorer Nicolae Dica for the rest of the season and rusty after a two-month break in their domestic championship which resumes later this month.
Denmark midfielder Christian Poulsen had swept the ball home after 41 minutes before Kanoute gave the Spaniards a two-goal cushion for the return when fired home a spot kick after Dorin Goian's foul on Russian striker Alexander Kerzhakov.
"Our defence was perfect this evening," Sevilla coach Juande Ramos said.
Steaua will not need motivating for the second leg at the Sanchez Pizjuan stadium, the scene of their greatest triumph in 1986 when they beat Barcelona on penalties to win the European Cup.
Newcastle, who have not won a major trophy since lifting the Fairs Cup - the forerunner to the UEFA Cup - in 1969, secured a 3-1 victory at Belgian Cup winners Zulte Waregem.
All the goals came in the second half at the Jules Otten Stadion in Gent, Zulte defender Frederic Dindeleux gifting the Premier League side the lead when he turned in Kieron Dyer's cross 90 seconds after the break.
Nigerian striker Obafemi Martins stroked in a penalty to make it 2-0 just before the hour and although Karel D'Haene's glancing header gave the Belgians hope, Antoine Sibierski jinked his way into the area and rounded keeper Pieter Merlier to score Newcastle's third.
"Overall, it was a relatively comfortable win," Newcastle manager Glenn Roeder told Channel Five television.
"It's nice to be going back to St James' Park 3-1 in front but we have to be thoroughly professional next Thursday and put on a good performance in front of our own fans."
Claudio Ranieri's first game in charge of Serie A strugglers Parma ended in a 1-0 defeat by Braga in Portugal, the twice UEFA Cup winners holding out until the 81st minute when Brazilian forward Ze Carlos scored with a powerful shot.
Parma will host the return leg next week at their Tardini stadium after the Italian government gave the green light on Thursday for the ground to reopen for Sunday's Serie A match against Sampdoria.
The Tardini is the fifth Serie A stadium to come into line with new security regulations imposed after a policeman was killed during rioting at a match between Catania and Palermo.
Tunisia forward Issam Jemaa scored twice in the second half and Ivorian Aruna Dindane added a last minute penalty for Racing Lens in a 3-1 home win over Greece's Panathinaikos.
Ukraine midfielder Maxim Kalinichenko's deflected freekick midway through the second half earned Spartak Moscow a 1-1 draw at home to Celta Vigo.
The Spaniards led at a freezing Luzhniki stadium when Antonio Nunez controlled a low cross from Gustavo Lopez to fire home four minutes before halftime.
14 February 2007
Nicky Butt will complete his Newcastle rehabilitation on Thursday night when he will be captain for the UEFA Cup clash with Zulte Waregem.
The 32-year-old appeared to be on his way out of St James' Park two seasons ago when he went out on loan to Birmingham after a disappointing first campaign on Tyneside.
However, the star of England's 2002 World Cup finals campaign has rediscovered his best form under Glenn Roeder and with Scott Parker having withdrawn from the squad for the trip to Belgium with a tight hamstring, the manager had no qualms about asking the midfielder to lead the team out at the Jules Otten Stadium.
Roeder said: "Nicky Butt will be captain tomorrow night. He has vast experience with Manchester United in Europe and he is having a wonderful season for us. He is a leader. He is out of the Manchester United school, that group of players - the (Gary and Phil) Nevilles, (David) Beckham, (Paul) Scholes - players like that who have all captained teams during their careers. Nicky will do a fine job for us tomorrow. When I asked him at lunchtime, he was delighted."
Roeder's decision to bring Butt back into the fold has paid off handsomely during a season in danger of being wrecked by injuries, and his consistency has been a major factor in the Magpies' recent recovery, which continued on Saturday with a 2-1 Premiership win over high-flying Liverpool.
He said: "What had happened in the past to Nicky here was no concern to me whatsoever because I am not a person who looks backwards, I only look forwards. He has been a vital member, not just of the squad, but of the team this year. He carries massive respect in the dressing room. He is not a person of many words, but when Nicky speaks, it makes absolute sense. He is a football person through and through and I am very pleased we have got him tomorrow night to captain the side."
Newcastle will head into the game, which is being played at KAA Gent's stadium as Zulte's Regenboogstadion home does not meet UEFA requirements, without Parker and United States defender Oguchi Onyewu, who is ineligible.
Onyewu, on loan from Belgian side Standard Liege who lost 3-1 to Zulte in the Juliper League at the weekend, has provided Roeder with useful information on their opponents, who are themselves struggling badly through injuries and suspension.
However, Roeder has dismissed coach Francky Dury's comment that he expects his side to bow out of their first European campaign against the Premiership side.
Drury, a Gent detective who will become full-time boss next month, claims to have only 15 fit players, some of them like him part-timers, at his disposal.
But Roeder said: "I am certainly not going to fall for that one. I was quite surprised to hear their coach say he thought these would be their last two games in Europe. If he really believes that, perhaps he should not be managing the team because I do not believe that to be the truth. I have not taken any notice of it, the players have disregarded it. We are only concentrating on our own performance tomorrow and getting out with a good result. What their coach says is up to him, but it will have no effect on myself or my team."
14 February 2007
Glenn Roeder will field his strongest side in the Magpies clash against Zulte Waregem in the UEFA Cup on Thursday.
The Toon flew out from Tyneside this morning for their clash with Belgian cup holders Zulte Waregem with injuries still limiting the manager's choices.
However, with no fixture this weekend because of their early exit from the FA Cup, Roeder will look to take a foothold in the tie ahead of the return game at St James' Park next Thursday evening.
He said: "Nobody will be rested tomorrow night. I will be fielding the strongest line-up available to me and with no Premiership game to think about at the weekend, we can fully concentrate on the two legs of this UEFA Cup tie. It would be nice to leave Belgium with a positive result that will give us the platform to progress in the competition."
There will be at least two changes with United States defender Oguchi Onyewu - who is on loan at Newcastle from Belgian side Standard Liege - ineligible after already appearing in Europe for them this season, while Scott Parker has a hamstring problem.
Onyewu, who travelled as a non-playing member of the squad, turned in an impressive display in Saturday's 2-1 Premiership victory over Liverpool which sent the Magpies off into Europe on a new high.
That could allow Steven Taylor to return to his preferred central role after starting at right-back on Saturday, while winger Damien Duff, who was used only as a late substitute against Rafael Benitez's men, may also get the nod.
However, midfielder Kieron Dyer is one of those on whom Roeder will make a late check after his international return for England meant he played three games in a week, while Nicky Butt has also been feeling the after-effects of the Liverpool game.
Roeder said: "Nicky got injured in training on Friday, which we kept quiet. He badly bruised his big toe and I said to him, 'Nicky, we badly need you in this game. Remember what your name is, it's Nicky Butt and Nicky Butt does not miss games'."
Also on the plane which left Newcastle International Airport this morning was Nigeria full-back Celestine Babayaro, who showed immense character to play at the weekend just hours after learning of the death of his younger brother Kennedy.
Zulte, who are playing the game at the Jules Otten Stadium home of KAA Gent because their Regenboogstadion home has no floodlights, lie 10th in the Jupiler League table after beating Standard 3-1 at the weekend.
However, Roeder and his players will be taking nothing for granted as they attempt to prolong a European campaign which began in the Intertoto Cup back in July, with either AZ Alkmaar or Fenerbahce awaiting the winners.
Roeder said: "We cannot and will not underestimate them whatsoever. It would be an unprofessional thing to do. We have done the same type of research on Zulte as we would if we were playing Chelsea or Arsenal. They have been watched on three occasions by David Mills our chief scout, and we have DVD evidence of what they can do. Do not forget, this is cup football and anything can happen. They have already shocked Sparta Prague and Austria Vienna, so we cannot take anything for granted."
