It's official: We're better than the French champions!

[SpaceCruiser]

Official site's match report:

http://www.readingfc.premiumtv.co.uk/pa ... 87,00.html

And Setanta's own report:

http://gb.setanta.com/portal/article/fo ... 54&ref=rss

Cox strike pips Lyon

Reading claimed a notable scalp in the Peace Cup in South Korea with Simon Cox grabbing the only goal of the game against outstanding French champions Lyon.

Cox broke the deadlock after 63 minutes when he lashed past Remy Vercoutre from close range after an impressive burst down the right by Shane Long. The cut-back to Cox was perfect and the versatile 20-year-old made no mistake with his left foot.

Steve Coppell's side performed well and could even afford a missed penalty after only six minutes. Anthony Reveillere's clumsy foul on Kevin Doyle produced a yellow card and allowed the Irishman the opportunity to score from the spot. However, his shot from 12 yards lacked conviction and Vercoutre dived to his right to save with Long unable to convert the rebound.

Kader Keita posed a threat for Reading's defenders with his pace and trickery but Graham Stack was equal to his best efforts while Doyle was a menace at the other end, firing wide from a tight angle and forcing a last-ditch block from Lyon skipper Cris.

Reveillere was perhaps fortunate to escape a second yellow card for a crude trip on Long just before half time, moments before eye-catching Royals new boy Kalifa Cisse was harshly cautioned for a high tackle.

Cox measured a shot just wide at the start of the second half after more good work from Doyle before his decisive strike arrived just past the hour mark.

Andre Bikey and Stack's mix-up almost gifted Lyon a route back into the game but Stack was at his best when producing a spectacular full-length save to frustrate Nadir Belhadj's blistering 35-yard drive. Stack also made an important double stop in injury time to deny Hatem Ben Arfa.

Reading can still reach the final if they defeat Shimizu in their final group game, with the match live on Setanta Sports 1 on Thursday. However, River only need a point from their clash with Lyon to progress. The Argentine side beat Shimizu S-Pulse by a single goal to nil in the group's other game of the day.

Any other match reports to add to this?

[Royalwaster]

Remember spacey though that this was 'just' a friendly and results in friendlies don't really matter. Would you have said we're worse than the French if we'd lost?

[SpaceCruiser]

Yes, I said just as much on the prediction thread.

Still nice to beat them though.

[brendywendy]

river only beat shmizu s pulse 1-0?

uh oh

[readingfc_4_life_and_beyo]

river only beat shmizu s pulse 1-0?

uh oh

Gosh, we're going to get relegated.

[bracknell loyal royal!]

They didn't have Juninho, Fred or Wiltord though..

[brendywendy]

river only beat shmizu s pulse 1-0?

uh oh

Gosh, we're going to get relegated.

no

i had just been stupidly taking three points for granted in the next match

[SpaceCruiser]

They didn't have Juninho, Fred or Wiltord though..

I don't care for the French excuses.

[LUX]

my first wife came from Lyon.

Take that you slag.

[wolsey]

They didn't have Juninho, Fred or Wiltord though..

I smell a fishing trip here. What the hell... we didn't have Hahnemann, Shorey, Sonko, Sidwell (or has he left?), Convey, Lita, Seol, Friday, Gilkes or Ronnie Blackman.

HTH

[Forbury Lion]

They didn't have Juninho, Fred or Wiltord though..

Neither did we.

[79Royal]

Says a thing or two about the current squad, even if Lyon were missing their stars.

I didn't think that it was strong enough to compete with a team that regularly makes the knockout stages of the Champions League, but once again, they all rose to the challenge.

[Frustrated_Royal]

Clearly we should relocate the club to Brittany and win the French League or as they say in France 'Le French League. Rodney.'

[SpaceCruiser]

http://home.skysports.com/list.aspx?hli ... ball+Home&

Cox seals Reading triumph

A Simon Cox goal handed Reading a famous 1-0 victory over French champions Lyon in a competitive game at the Seoul World Cup Stadium.

After starting their 2007 Peace Cup tournament with a 1-0 defeat to South American giants River Plate, the victory now sees The Royals third in Group B.

Lyon had decent possession but the French side really struggled to deal with Reading's direct play into the channels, with the Premier League side deserving their win after creating the better of the chances.

The first real chance of the match came after just four minutes, as a superb interchange which involved a slick back-heel, fell to Nadir Belhadj but the shot flashed wide of Graham Stack's left post.

Reading went straight on the attack and were awarded a penalty after Kevin Doyle was carelessly brought down by Anthony Reveillere. Doyle stepped up but his softly placed spot-kick was easily parried by Lyon goalkeeper Remy Vercoutre.

Despite a poor penalty Doyle might feel aggrieved after replays revealed that Vercoutre was a good two yards off his line when the ball was struck.

Steve Coppell's solitary summer signing Kalifa Cisse began to really impose himself on the match with some genuine glimpses of quality including a beautiful turn away from his man and a ball down the left channel with the outside of the boot.

The majority of Lyon's attacks came through the pacey Abdul Kader Keita. On the 14th minute Keita bent a wonderful cross into the box, Anthony Mounier arrived at the far post but Stack made himself big to save.

Two minutes later Graeme Murty dinked a ball over the top of the Lyon defence, yet bizarrely Vercoutre stayed on his line as Doyle closed in. The striker though dallied on the ball and Cris recovered to clear for a corner.

Despite several chances for both sides the teams somehow went in at half-time tied at nil-nil.

Reading began the second half with the same high tempo as Doyle's pulled cross landed to Shane Long whose shot flashed just wide of the far post. Ex-Aston Villa striker Milan Baros then fired a skidding shot from 20 yards but Stack saved well to his right.

Coppell's men finally broke the deadlock on the 63rd minute as Long hit the by-line and cut-back to Cox who buried coolly.

Reading began to sit deeper which gave Lyon more possession, however the French side failed to create many decent opportunities. A brilliant 30-yard hit from Belhadj almost levelled it but the shot was tipped over the bar by Stack.

In the 93rd minute Reading suffered a scare when Lyon found themselves clean through but Stack made a splendid double save to keep them in the tournament.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/ ... 085271.ece

Reading grab vital win over Lyon
Reading 1 Lyon 0 Times Online and Agencies
Simon Cox scored the only goal as Reading recovered from missing an early penalty to claim their first victory of the Peace Cup in Seoul.

A Royals' win was vital if they were to progress in Korea after they lost their first game to River Plate and the Berkshire club held on after Cox's sidefooted goal with goalkeeper Graham Stack making a vital interception in injury time.

However, Reading wasted the chance to make an early breakthrough when Republic of Ireland striker Kevin Doyle missed a penalty after just five minutes.

Last season's top scorer scuffed his spot-kick after he was wrestled to the ground with Shane Long tripping up and missing his kick when following up.

Both sides had chances in an open game but it was Cox who made the breakthrough in the 62nd minute.

Long made progress down the right before pulling the ball back where it was met by Cox who had sprinted into the box and the 20-year-old sidefooted the ball into the net.

Lyon created a number of chances and the Royals were indebted to keeper Stack who dived at the feet of Karim Benzema to prevent an injury-time equaliser.

[Barry the bird boggler]

so if thursday's scores are .....

river plate 0 - 1 Lyon
reading 2 - 0 shimizu s-pulse

then the final group would be :

reading 3 2 0 1 3 1 6
lyon 3 2 0 1 3 1 6
river plate 3 2 0 1 2 1 6
shimizu 3 0 0 3 0 5 0

but presumably we'd qualify cos we beat lyon in our game with them and we both have a better gd than river plate

unlikely though it maybe what about a a reading v bolton final?

that'd pull the crowds in

[brendywendy]

and a repeat of our famous
premiere-league-reserve-league-championship-play-off
title decider

[79Royal]

After reading those articles, it sounds like we played really well. However, I'd like to see us try not to sit back so much and invite pressure at the end of a game.

[1960]

Both long reports talk about Cisse in glowing terms. I can't wait to see him back in England.

[blue_army]

http://www.goal.com/en/Articolo.aspx?ContenutoId=354752

Cox Clinches Peace Cup Win For Reading Over Lyon

Simon Cox scored the decisive goal as Reading achieved a confidence-boosting 1-0 victory over serial French champions Lyon in the Peace Cup.

The Royals had lost their first game in the competition 1-0 to Argentine powerhouses River Plate, but in the Seoul World Cup Stadium they secured a win over Lyon that takes them third in Group B.

Despite enjoying good possession, Lyon - who have won the French Ligue 1 in each of the last six seasons - found it difficult to counter Reading's attacking play, and it was the Premiership side who created the best chances.

After Nadir Belhadj had shot narrowly wide, Reading launched an attack and won a penalty when Kevin Doyle was brought down by Anthony Reveillere in the area. But Reading failed to exploit the award as Doyle's tame shot was easily dealt with by Remy Vercoutre - though the Lyon keeper was well off his line when the Irishman struck his shot.

New Reading signing Kalifa Cisse - Coppell's only summer recruit to date - was making an impression, showing class with an adroit turn that away from his marker and some deft passes.

Abdul Kader Keita was Lyon's main dangerman, and after 14 minutes he delivered a stuinning cross which Anthony Mounier met at the far post, only for Graham Stack to produce a fine save.

Shortly afterwards, Doyle squandered a chance created by Graeme Murty's chip over the Lyon defence, Cris clearing at the expense of a corner.

It remained goalless until half-time but Reading maintaind their first-hal momentum after the break, Doyle crossing for Shane Long to shoot just wide.

Milan Baros forced Stack to save from 20 yards before Reading made the breakthrough just after the hour-mark.

Long got to the Lyon by-line and pulled the ball back for Cox to apply a composed finish and put the Royals ahead.

As Coppell's side defended their lead, Lyon saw more of the ball without conjuring any clear-cut openings.

However, Belhadj fired in a screamer from 30 yards that had Stack leaping to push it over.

The Reading keeper ensured victory - and their continued involvement in the tournament - when, in stoppage-time, he produced a great double-save as Lyon burst clear through on goal.

[Rev Algenon Stickleback H]

from Lyon's official site, via a fantastic babelfish translation

That becomes complicated! From the countable point of view, the business is one cannot worse: the Olympic Lyonese lost 1 goal with 0 against the English of Reading. In same time, in Busan, River Punt dominated the Japanese of Shimizu (1 - 0). To hope to dispute the final, the Lyoneses will have to assert themselves against the Argentinian ones To rivet Punt, Thursday, while preserving an attentive?il on the confrontation between the two other formations of the group B *. Nothing is not thus finished, far is necessary themselves some, but force is to note that the Olympian ones singularly became complicated the task. Vis-a-vis with English without brilliance but animated of a formidable motivation, symbolized by everlasting Hunt, the men of Alain Perrin only in too rare moments did not foresee the light, and especially never seemed in measurement to react after the opening of the score of Cox. Then certainly, the Lyons group is still in phase of tactical and, more handicapping, physical preparation; admittedly considerable Olympian discover their partners; the Lyons trainer will certainly draw from invaluable lessons of this failure, of the lesson of his diagram of initial play. After the 4 - 4 - 2 of the first match, Perrin had decided to test the 4 - 3 - 3 "with Lyons". After 57 minutes of play, the entry of Sidney Govou, in the place of Matthieu Bodmer, reversed the tendency. Inherent moment of devolution in any tactical reorganization or coincidence: it is precisely the moment that the English chose to open the score and to be propped up on their goal (62e). The players of Steve Coppell thus offered the right to dream with a final victory in the tournament without to have truly given before the means of their ambitions. Perhaps eager to leave précocément the Korean climate, at the very least wet and rainy, they had then appeared dangerous only on too rare occasions. Mainly on their first incursion into the Lyons camp. After a fault of Anthony Réveillère on Kevin Doyle, Rémy Vercoutre stopped the penalty of the Irishman (6th). The blow had passed near. The end of the first period was easier to control for new Lyons central defense made up of Cries, which will leave its place with the pause with Sandy Paillot because of a small pain to the thigh, and Patrick Müller. Cox struck with the top (22e) then at side (46e) and Doyle imitated it (23e). But, at this beginning of season, the Rhone-native formation does not have the essential automatisms yet to destabilize a perfectly gathered formation. And that was seen! Anthony Mounier and Kader Keita celebrated their very first establishment under the Olympian shirt; first appearance even for the Man from the Ivory Coast. In first period, the young Rhone-native left-handed person was the assailing Lyonese more in sight. He did not manage to catch the framework (3e and 27e) and lost its face to face with Stack (14e). The attempt at Nadir Belhadj will effleura the post (5e). Hardly more success for Kim Källström (27e and 45e) and Kader Keita (20th, 40e and 43e). At any beginning of second period, Baros found the gloves of the gatekeeper (46e). Its fellow-members only showed themselves too little undertaking after the opening of the score to return to the mark. Kim Källström (69e) did not tally and Belhadj forced the guard with a clapper (70e). At the end of additional time, Ben Arfa and Benzema were very close to allowing theirs to tear off the null match (93e). Without success. In lack of reference mark and collective inspiration, Thursday, the Lyoneses will have to be based on their mental resources and to exceed themselves. A challenge largely with their range. The qualification would be only more beautiful! * The teams with equality are decided between with the general difference in goal.