..::Football III::..

[Wolverine GTR]

UEFA Champions League 2014.11.05 Group Stage Fixtures

UEFA Champions League 2014.11.05 Group Stage Fixtures

Manchester City Vs CSKA

Sporting Vs Schalke

Bayern Vs Roma

PSG Vs APOEL

Ajax Vs Barcelona

Maribor Vs Chelsea

Athletic Bilbao Vs Porto

Shakhtar Vs BATE

​

 

[Banks PLK]

UEFA Champions League 2014.11.05 Group Stage Fixtures

Manchester City Vs CSKA

Sporting Vs Schalke

Bayern Vs Roma

PSG Vs APOEL

Ajax Vs Barcelona

Maribor Vs Chelsea

Athletic Bilbao Vs Porto

Shakhtar Vs BATE

​

Come on City !!! cant understand the way we play cl everytime

hope we win this since its not away

 

[rcccc]

Aparade Arsenal win karanna thibba hoda chance 1kak miss wela thiyenne.​

 

[rcccc]

Borussia Dortmund 4-1 Galatasaray: Reus helps fire Klopp's men into knockout rounds

BVB CL wala hodata play karanawa Bundesliga wala kanawa

 

[rcccc]

M City kala ne

 

[unicornx]

Man City 9 men :O Meanwhile Roma fapped again

 

[Banks PLK]

M City kala ne

Pattama dukai eeye nam
yaya toure illan kewa
ea madiwata penalty eka denne nethuwa aguero ta yellow card ekak dunna
cska player kenekge 2nd yellow card eka deela sent off karanne nethuwa wena ekek ta yellow card eka dunna

city just have no luck in champions league

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Manchester City 1-2 CSKA Moscow: Toure & Fernandinho see red on dismal night for hosts

Seydou Doumbia did the damage as CSKA Moscow claimed a shock win at the Etihad Stadium to send nine-man Manchester City to the bottom of Group E and leave them on the brink of another humiliating Champions League exit.

Doumbia silenced the home crowd two minutes in, escaping the attentions of Yaya Toure to head Natcho's free-kick past a helpless Joe Hart, only for a superb Toure free-kick to haul City level six minutes later.

But a poor clearance from Gael Clichy allowed Natcho to supply Doumbia for a clinical second on 34 minutes, and City's lacklustre attempts to fight back in the second half resulted in red cards for Fernandinho and Toure.

The Brazilian was sent off for two bookable offences after coming on at half-time and then Toure was shown a straight red card for inexplicably shoving over Roman Eremenko as the Premier League champions lost the plot.

City were furious that Pontus Wernbloom was not shown a second yellow card in the second half, with Sergei Ignashevich instead booked in what appeared to be a case of mistaken identity.

Doumbia has proved to be City's nemesis, having now scored five goals in his last three games against them and his brace on Wednesday leaves Manuel Pellegrini's side's chances of progressing from Group E looking bleak.

Victory for the Russian champions was their first in England and moved them above City, level on four points with Roma, with two games remaining.

City slump to the bottom with only two points and with Bayern Munich, who qualified on Wednesday, and Roma to play in the final two games they have it all to do, while CSKA will now be eyeing a place in the last 16.

Pellegrini named the same side that started Sunday's derby victory over Manchester United, while Wernbloom and Alan Dzagoev returned to the CSKA starting line-up after serving three-match bans.

The home fans would have been expecting a positive start from City with so much at stake, but they were stunned into silence when CSKA took the lead after only two minutes.Gael Clichy was harshly penalised for handball and an unmarked Doumbia got on the end of the resulting free-kick from Bibras Natcho with a powerful header as Martin Demichelis and Toure stood and watched.

Toure made amends for that slack defending just six minutes later, when he curled a measured free-kick over the wall and into the net after Stevan Jovetic had been upended just outside the penalty area.The Russian champions took that setback in their stride and should have been back in front when Dzagoev's incisive pass with the outside of his foot sent Doumbia clear, but the striker fired just wide of the far post from the edge of the area.

Sergio Aguero forced a save from Igor Akinfeev at his near post, but City were vulnerable at the back and they were punished again 34 minutes in when Doumbia struck again.Clichy's dreadful attempted clearance went straight to Natcho, who picked out Doumbia and he picked his spot to beat Joe Hart with a clinical right-foot finish.Pellegrini responded to his side's poor first-half display by replacing Jesus Navas and Jovetic with Samir Nasri and Fernandinho.

Akinfeev denied James Milner with his feet just after the hour-mark after Toure had played the England midfielder in, but there remained a lack of urgency from a disjointed City side.And City's hopes of mounting a fightback looked even more remote when Fernandinho was shown a second yellow card after 69 minutes for blocking Ahmed Musa.

Georgi Milanov almost added a third goal when he curled the resulting free-kick just wide, then Akinfeev raced off his line to thwart Edin Dzeko when the big striker raced clear.City were baffled when referee Tasos Sidiropoulos failed to show Wernbloom a second yellow card 13 minutes from time pulled back Aguero, but Ignashevich was cautioned.

Toure then let his frustration get the better of him as he pushed Eremenko over nine minutes from time to add insult to injury before Aguero was booked for diving when City wanted a penalty right at the death.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Maribor 1-1 Chelsea: Hazard misses penalty as Mourinho's men slump to draw

Eden Hazard's missed penalty means Chelsea will have to wait to secure their place in the Champions League knockout stage after a pulsating Champions League draw with Maribor.

The confident Slovenians took a deserved lead five minutes into the second half when Agim Ibraimi curled superbly past Petr Cech, and Luka Zahovic missed a gilt-edged opportunity to double their advantage soon afterward.

Chelsea rallied and Nemanja Matic poked in the equaliser on 73 minutes before Hazard won himself the chance to complete the comeback from the penalty spot, only for Jasmin Handanovic to parry away his tame effort.

The Blues headed into the encounter knowing victory could secure their place in the last 16 should Sporting fail to beat Schalke.

However, the Portuguese side had few difficulties brushing aside Roberto Di Matteo's men 4-2 in Lisbon as Chelsea toiled - although the Premier League leaders remain three points clear at the summit of Group G with two games remaining.

Chelsea began strongly and almost took the lead in the eighth minute, Kurt Zouma heading narrowly wide after being picked out by Cesc Fabregas' clever cross.

Didier Drogba, selected in order to give the injury-plagued Diego Costa a rest, was next to threaten when he saw his deflected effort force a good reaction save from Handanovic.

Yet Chelsea were thankful just to be on level terms soon after, Zouma denying Sintayehu Sallallich with a goal-line clearance after Marcos Tavares' superb surging run had opened up their defence.

That prompted a much better spell for the hosts, who were suddenly showing more intent.

Sallalich was looking the most likely to score, forcing a solid save from Petr Cech - in for Thibaut Courtois - with an effort from range.The visitors came back into the game as the half wore on, the ever-dangerous Hazard forcing Handanovic into a smart stop.

Chelsea would lose momentum after half-time, however, as Maribor took a surprise lead.

Ibraimi grabbed the goal, superbly side-footing beyond a helpless Cech from just outside the area after Zouma's clearing header had inadvertently picked out the winger.Mourinho had introduced Costa at the interval in an attempt to kick-start his team's performance.

However, the Spain striker struck his first chance wildly over the crossbar as Chelsea failed to find an immediate response.

Chelsea were almost two behind in the 59th minute, Luka Zahovic hitting over with the goal gaping after being picked out by Mitja Viler's excellent cross.Perhaps awoken by that scare, they roared back impressively with Oscar curling an effort narrowly wide.

And Chelsea got back on level terms in the 73rd minute when Matic tapped in on the line after John Terry had flicked on Oscar's corner.The London club should have gone ahead not long after, with Hazard denied by Handanovic when one-on-one with the goalkeeper.

And further frustration was to come for Mourinho, as Hazard spurned a golden opportunity from 12 yards after being brought down in the area by Viler.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Ajax 0-2 Barcelona: Messi equals Raul's Champions League record

Lionel Messi scored twice to equal Raul's Champions League goals record and send Barcelona through to the knockout stages as they overcame Ajax 2-0 at the Amsterdam Arena.

Having been penned back for large spells by an impressive Ajax early on, Barca took the lead through Messi's clever first-half header.

He took full advantage of sloppy play from goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen to close in on the record and, with Paris Saint-Germain playing their part by earning 1-0 win over APOEL, Messi wrapped up the points and a top-two spot in Group F with a second - his 71st in the competition.

His close-range finish after 76 minutes was enough to end any comeback hopes for Ajax - who had Joel Veltman dismissed five minutes earlier - and draw him level with former Spain international Raul.

Frank de Boer's side will now need to tie up third spot and Europa League participation if their continental journey is to continue into 2015, with all eyes now turning to when Messi will break the record, having also overtaken Cristiano Ronaldo in the process.Barca thought they had taken the lead after three minutes, but saw Neymar's effort disallowed for offside.

Ajax looked lively on the break and threatened an opener when Lucas Andersen fired wide following a poor clearance from Dani Alves.

The hosts' wingers - Anwar El Ghazi and Lasse Schone – in particular posed problems early on, while Davy Klaassen forced recalled goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen into a smart stop with his left-footed volley after 26 minutes.

Barca's Jordi Alba was perhaps fortunate to escape punishment when appearing to block El Ghazi's effort with his arm, and the full-back had his side's first shot on target shortly after, but Cillessen was equal to it.

However, Barca took the lead when Cillessen, having kept out Messi's free-kick, raced to the left edge of his area to gather a bouncing ball, only to be beaten to it by the alert Marc Barta.The Spaniard picked out Messi and the striker climbed well to head an effort past Ricardo van Rhijn on the line.

Luis Enrique's side looked sharper after the interval and Luis Suarez should have doubled the advantage when one-on-one with Cillessen after a clever pass from Messi.However, the Uruguayan was superbly denied a first Barca goal against the club he made 159 appearances for during three-and-a-half seasons.

Arkadiusz Milik saw his diving header rebound off Ter Stegen's right-hand post shortly after the hour, but Ajax's comeback hopes were dented when Veltman was shown a second yellow card for bringing Messi down, having previously been booked for a foul on Neymar.

The visitors capitalised on their extra man when Messi moved closer to another piece of history, getting on the end of Pedro's cross from the right as Barca provided the perfect answer to back-to-back La Liga defeats.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Congratzzzzzzz Messi!​

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Sporting 4-2 Schalke: Nani on target as Portuguese side earn revenge

A goal from Manchester United loanee Nani was enough for Sporting to edge another thrilling encounter against Schalke on Wednesday, as they won 4-2.

Controversy surrounded the previous meeting between the sides a fortnight ago as Roberto Di Matteo's men won by the odd goal in seven, with a hotly disputed late penalty settling matters.

But, having had an appeal to replay that match rejected, Marco Silva's side channelled their frustrations into an energetic performance.

The victory lifted them off the bottom of Group G, above Maribor and to within a point of second-placed Schalke with two games to play.

The German side took the lead through an Islam Slimani own goal, but Naby Sarr equalised and Jefferson's sensational strike put the hosts in front early in the second half before Nani tapped in to open a two-goal cushion.

Dennis Aogo reduced the deficit late on, but there was still time for Slimani to atone for his error with one at the right end in stoppage time to blow the group wide open.

Fuelled by the perceived injustice in Gelsenkirchen, Sporting started with the greater intensity without creating anything of note.

Schalke, on the other hand, struggled to get a foothold in the game without injured talisman Julian Draxler.

A jinking run from Carlos Mane in the 15th minute typified the hosts' early efforts, exciting the crowd without unduly testing Ralf Fahrmann.

But Schalke stole the lead against the run of play in the 17th minute.

Sarr conceded a needless free kick 40 yards from goal, and from Aogo's dangerous delivery a combination of Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting and Sporting's Slimani diverted the ball past Rui Patricio.

But it did not take long for Sarr to redeem himself.

The defender showed more desire than any other player in the box to meet Jefferson's 26th-minute free kick, heading in from six yards to level the scores.

The Bundesliga side remained a threat on the break and almost reclaimed the lead 10 minutes later with what would have been a wonderful team goal, but Max Meyer failed to keep his shot down after being teed up 15 yards from goal.

The game was opening up and Sporting wasted two good chances to take the lead before the break. First, Joao Mario was denied by the feet of Fahrmann, then Mane could not make meaningful contact with his header from six yards after Nani's chipped cross.

Luckily for Sporting, Jefferson's contact could not have been sweeter when he put this hosts in front in the 52nd minute.

Nani drew two defenders to the left-hand side of the box before rolling the ball back for the Brazilian to fire low across the goalkeeper from 20 yards on his left foot.

For all their dominance Sporting were indebted to great play from Patricio for preserving their lead in the 66th minute, as he dived at the feet of Chinedu Obasi to prevent a certain goal.

But, just as Schalke seemed to be turning up the pressure, substitute Andre Carrillo demonstrated the effectiveness of fresh legs, racing down the right to tee up Nani for the simplest of tap-ins in the 72nd minute.

Aogo pulled one back for Schalke in the 88th minute, blasting past the goalkeeper after a well-timed run into the box. That set up a tense finale, but the pressure was lifted in stoppage time as Slimani made amends for his earlier own goal.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Shakhtar Donetsk 5-0 BATE: Luiz Adriano stars again in comfortable triumph

Luiz Adriano was once again the scourge of BATE as his hat-trick led Shakhtar Donetsk to a 5-0 win on Wednesday.

The result left Mircea Lucescu's side five points clear of their visitors, who are now the only team who can deny them Group H's final ticket to the knockout phase after Porto qualified with a 2-0 win over Athletic Bilbao.

Luiz Adriano, whose record-equalling five-goal haul inspired Shakhtar to a 7-0 victory in Borisov in the sides' meeting two weeks ago, celebrated his maiden Brazil call-up with a hand in all five goals.

Darijo Srna's deflected strike gave the Ukrainians the lead and, after BATE defender Anri Khagush was sent off en route to the dressing room at half-time, Alex Teixera's dink made it 2-0.

Having played provider, Luiz Adriano then won and converted a penalty, stabbed home from close range and completed his hat-trick with a close-range finish to take himself to nine goals for the season in the competition - four clear of Real Madrid's Karim Benzema at the head of the scoring chart.

The clean sheet was Shakhtar's first in five games at their temporary Lviv home in all competitions, while they have now scored 27 times in their last five wins.

BATE have conceded 19 times in their four group games this term – just three shy of the group-stage record shared by Dinamo Zagreb (2011-12) and Nodsjaelland (2012-13).

Oleksandr Kucher and Serhiy Kryvtsov failed to recover from injury, prompting Mircea Lucescu to hand a Champions League debut to 22-year-old centre-back Ivan Ordets, while the heart of BATE's backline was shy of imposing Egor Filipenko.

Shakhtar monopolised early possession with just Teixeira's free kick testing Syarhey Chernik, until a slice of fortune helped them break the deadlock after 19 minutes.

Vyacheslav Shevchuk crossed into the BATE box and Luiz Adriano, despite being surrounded by opponents, managed to cushion the ball into the path of Srna, whose first-time strike cannoned off Mikhail Gordeychuk and flew into the roof of the net.

As Shakhtar threatened to double their lead, a sumptuous Douglas Costa flick then teed up Teixeira, whose effort went narrowly wide, before Taras Stepanenko sliced the ball off target from inside the box.

Chernik made two superb saves on the stroke of half-time to keep BATE in the game.

First the Belarus keeper repelled Teixeira's close-range drive, before blocking Luiz Adriano's shot and pouncing on the loose ball just ahead of the sliding striker.

The Brazilian's challenge infuriated the BATE players and a fracas broke out in the goalmouth with Khagush subsequently sent off for his continued protests.

Luiz Adriano broke several scoring records with a five-goal haul in the teams' previous meeting, but his creation of yet another chance led to Shakhtar's second goal just minutes after the restart.

Srna played the ball into the feet of the 27-year-old, who craftily let the ball run through his legs on the edge of the box, conning two defenders and allowing Texiera to latch on to it and dink the ball over Chernik.

Luiz Adriano made it 3-0 just before the hour, winning a penalty from Yevgeniy Yablonski which he fired into the bottom corner.

It was all Shakhtar thereafter, and Luiz Adriano was the man to capitalise, first getting in front of his marker to divert a Bernard cross into the net before slotting home from a late corner.

It capped another superb performance from Shakhtar's all-time leading marksman, and left his side all but through.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Bayern Munich 2-0 Roma: Ribery and Gotze seal Group E progress

Goals from Franck Ribery and Mario Gotze sealed Bayern Munich's progress to the last-16 of the Champions League with a 2-0 win over Roma.

The German champions made it four wins from as many matches in Europe's premier club competition this season with a convincing performance in the Group E clash at the Allianz Arena.

And while it was a far cry from their 7-1 drubbing of the same opponents in the Italian capital last month, Bayern were rarely troubled.In the absence of the ill Arjen Robben, Ribery took centre stage and set the early tone when he coolly steered in a 38th-minute opener.

The home side then sealed victory as Gotze converted Robert Lewandowski's smart cross in the 64th minute.

Pep Guardiola's side are guaranteed to finish top of the group, with Roma's progression very much in the balance after CSKA Moscow's surprise 2-1 win at a nine-man Manchester City.

Robben was a late withdrawal due to a stomach bug that left Bayern with just six substitutes, while Francesco Totti and goalkeeper Morgan De Sanctis dropped to the bench for the visitors.

De Sanctis was replaced by Poland's Lukasz Skorupski, who made just his seventh appearance for the club, but he had little to do in the early stages as Bayern were restricted to a series of strikes from distance despite dominating possession.

Juan Bernat had a promising effort well blocked by Vasilis Torosidis from inside the penalty area, but Roma, wary of a repeat of last month's thrashing, packed bodies behind the ball and were well organised.David Alaba's 33rd-minute effort, which bounced just wide, was a warning for Roma, though, and their resistance was finally broken by Ribery soon after.

The winger fed Alaba, who surged down the left, and his well-placed cut-back meant Ribery did not have to break stride before side-footing the opener, via the inside of the right post.

Ashley Cole was introduced at half-time for Roma, but he did little to stem the flow of Bayern attacks, as first Alaba headed onto the roof of the net before Lewandowski nodded at Skorupski.

Alessandro Florenzi, who appeared to injure his ankle in the first half, was eventually replaced by Miralem Pjanic but Roma's hopes of a comeback were dashed when Gotze doubled Bayern's lead.

Lewandowski ran down the left and bent an excellent cross into the path of Gotze, who showed impressive agility to loop an effort over Skorupski and into the right corner.Ribery went close to scoring a second, shooting over to end a great move that involved Rafinha and Alaba, and the Austrian just missed the target with a 25-yard free-kick 13 minutes from time.

Bayern goalkeeper Manuel Neuer was called on late to keep out efforts from Gervinho and Radja Nainggolan - the latter denied by a superb save - but two goals were more than enough for a dominant Bayern, who reached the knock-out stages with two group matches to play.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Athletic Bilbao 0-2 Porto: Martinez and Brahimi send Dragoes into knockout stages

Porto are through to the knockout stages of the Champions League with two games to spare after seeing off Athletic Bilbao 2-0 in Spain.

Julen Lopetegui's men produced a fine display at San Mames and, despite missing a penalty and several other opportunities, sealed an impressive Group H triumph.

Jackson Martinez was guilty of wasting numerous chances, missing the target with two excellent opportunities in the first half before striking the bar with a spot-kick three minutes before the interval.

Athletic were seemingly lifted by Martinez's penalty miss as they started the second period with renewed determination, but the Colombian made amends in the 55th minute, netting from close range.

A Guillermo Fernandez header nearly gave the home side an equaliser as the forward's effort hit the post after 69 minutes.

And the visitors capitalised on that near miss shortly after, as Yacine Brahimi pounced on a goalkeeping error by Gorka Iraizoz to net his fourth Champions League goal of the season.Porto's victory means they stay top of the pool - with Shakhtar two points adrift following their win over BATE - but Athletic's miserable Champions League campaign is now officially over, as they are rooted to the bottom with just one point from four fixtures.

The absence of Athletic's regular frontman Aritz Aduriz with a hamstring injury left a void in their attack, with Porto looking far more comfortable as they deployed a recognised target man in the form of Martinez, who kept the hosts’ defence occupied from the start.

The 28-year-old should have done better in the 13th minute, though, as he pounced on Danilo's wonderful right-wing cross and poked just wide from eight yards after squeezing ahead of Aymeric Laporte.

Athletic had little luck in crafting chances for Aduriz's deputy Guillermo, with Mikel Rico having the home side's best opportunity as he headed way off target 21 minutes in.By contrast, Martinez continued to cause havoc in the Athletic area and he went agonisingly close shortly after, heading a corner just past the post.

Porto's sustained period of dominance looked set to be rewarded just before the break as Danilo controversially earned a penalty following an apparent trip by Mikel Balenziaga.

But Martinez fired his spot-kick against the crossbar as justice seemingly prevailed.
Ernesto Valverde responded to Athletic's underwhelming first-half display by introducing right-back Andoni Iraola and moving Oscar de Marcos further up the field.

And that tactical tweak almost bore fruit two minutes into the second half, as De Marcos turned inside the area and shot right across goal, narrowly missing the target.

But Porto made the most of that let-off when they finally took a deserved lead.
The lively Brahimi surged past a couple of challenges down the left flank and, after Iraizoz failed to stop the Algerian's low delivery, Martinez was on hand to bundle home.

Guillermo almost pulled Athletic level with 21 minutes left as his looping header came back off the post - and Porto duly doubled their advantage with 17 minutes remaining.

Iraizoz let Laporte's 72nd-minute back-pass slip under his foot and Brahimi pounced, slotting into an empty net to secure the visitors all three points and a place in the knockout phase.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Paris Saint-Germain 1-0 APOEL: Cavani again the difference as French champions go through

Edinson Cavani was once again the difference for Paris Saint-Germain against APOEL as his first-minute goal secure a 1-0 win.

The Ligue 1 champions were missing striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic because of a heel injury, but still had too much for their Cypriot opponents at the Parc des Princes.

This was underlined as early as the first minute when Edinson Cavani collected a Gregory van der Wiel cross in the box before firing in a shot on the turn.

Cavani also planted a header against the base of the post as the home side wasted a host of good chances, but, in the end, one goal was all they required.

The win extends PSG's unbeaten record in all competitions this season and takes them to 10 points from their four Champions League matches in Group F – a total that can only be overtaken by second-placed Barcelona, who beat Ajax 2-0 on Wednesday and host Laurent Blanc's men in the final round of group games on 10 December.

PSG are also now unbeaten in 31 home European matches – a run that dates back to November 2006 and includes 12 successive victories, of which Wednesday's win was the latest.

In contrast, APOEL are still seeking a first away victory in the Champions League proper, with this their fifth defeat in 10 matches.

This second successive loss to PSG leaves them bottom of the group with just a single point to their name and braced for a battle with Dutch side Ajax for a consolation place in this season's Europa League.

The Cypriot side faced a major uphill battle from the moment goalkeeper Urko Pardo allowed Cavani's shot on the turn to beat him and find the corner of the net after just 54 seconds.

That said, APOEL should have been level 10 minutes later when Nuno Morais somehow contrived to fire over from point-blank range after Salvatore Sirigu had pushed out an initial header from a corner.

From then on it was largely one-way traffic, albeit with no end product.

A mixture of the woodwork, Pardo and PSG's profligacy prevented the scoreline being bigger at the break.

Cavani hit the post with a diving header inside the box – which Ezequiel Lavezzi and Javier Pastore made a mess of following up – before the keeper produced a superb save to tip Lucas' goal-bound shot just past the upright.

In the second half, Pardo was alert again to block a chipped effort from Pastore from an angle and Cavani curled a brace of efforts wide of the post as PSG tried for a game-killing second goal that was ultimately unnecessary.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Van Persie reveals crisis talks with Netherlands boss Hiddink

Manchester United striker Robin van Persie has revealed that Netherlands boss Guus Hiddink held a "critical talk" with him over the Oranje's inauspicious form.

The 31-year-old national team captain has led the team out in all three of their Euro 2016 qualifiers, where losses away at Iceland and Czech Republic have plunged the World Cup finalists into a mini-crisis.

And Van Persie says Hiddink, who visited the striker in Manchester, was frank and honest about what was required to turn around their slump in form.

He told Algemeen Dagblad: "It was a good, open and honest conversation. It was a critical talk, but it had to be. I understood that Hiddink will talk with other guys too.

"Everyone [from the national squad] is convinced it has to be different and better.

"The coach showed me what he want to see different and better. He showed a huge drive. He was sharp, hard sometimes, also to me. But it should be like that.

"I have a good feeling about the conversation. Although it was very serious, I felt a lot of trust."

Van Persie has registered one goal in qualifying thus far, adding the gloss to a 3-1 come-from-behind win over Kazakhstan, during which he was involved in an altercation with team-mate Klaas-Jan Huntelaar.

However, the United frontman says the argument is in the past, adding: "Klaas and I spoke widely about it. We're both winners and have a lot of respect for each other as football players.

"I do understand that a moment like that drives the whole discussion. It is showed widely to the audience and people have a opinion about it. Maybe we had to deal with something like that a bit smarter. But it happened in the heat of the moment."

The Netherlands host Mexico in a friendly on November 12 before welcoming Latvia to the Amsterdam Arena four days later as they resume their quest to qualify for the European Championships and Van Persie believes his talk with Hiddink will provoke a positive reaction.

"The players must do it," he said. "That's really how I feel about it. The coach tells us things, but we've lost from Iceland.

"I had a lot of contact with the boys over the last weeks, we all have the same feeling. Everyone is convinced that it has to be different and better."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Koke: Malmo made life difficult for Atletico

Atletico Madrid midfielder Koke has admitted that Malmo made life difficult for the Spanish champions in Tuesday's 2-0 Champions League win but feels their finishing made the difference.

Diego Simeone's men recorded a comfortable 5-0 win over the Swedish side two weeks ago, but things were far more complicated in the return fixture, even if goals from Koke and Raul Garcia eventually helped Atleti to all full three points."It was a very different game [from two weeks ago]," Koke told the official Uefa website.

"We knew that at home they would press us a lot more, that it would be a difficult game swinging from end to end where they would use long balls to hit their strong forwards.

"Our team worked hard offensively and we managed to make the most of our chances."Koke played a key role in Atletico's win, but he was quick to stress Juanfran deserved half of the credit for his opening goal.

"[My goal] was a beautiful move. We broke away on the counterattack. We know that Juanfran likes to bomb forward, he's nearly a winger although his position is full-back."I know that well, and I know where to position myself and just had to put my foot in the right position to score."

Atletico top Group A with nine points from four games, holding a three-point lead over Olympiakos and Juventus.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Manchester United youngster McNair thrilled by international call-up

Manchester United teenager Paddy McNair says that receiving his first call-up to the Northern Ireland squad is a lifetime ambition fulfilled.

The 19-year-old defender has enjoyed a rapid rise to prominence at Old Trafford after Louis van Gaal saw his options limited by a catalogue of injuries and suspensions.

McNair made his Premier League debut against West Ham in September and also started the following weekend's victory over Everton before being pressed into action again in Sunday's Manchester derby following Chris Smalling's dismissal and an injury to Marcos Rojo.

On Tuesday, there was another notable milestone for McNair as he was named in a Northern Ireland squad for the first time, having been unavailable through injury when his country were last in action, and the youngster will now hope to make his debut for Michael O'Neill's men in their Euro 2016 Group F qualifier against Romania in Bucharest.

"When I was growing up, I always aimed to play for my country," the centre-back told United's official website.

"Obviously, as I've been playing for United, one of the biggest clubs in the world, I did hope I would receive the call.

"I'm really happy to get called up. I could have been involved last month for the Faroe Islands and Greece games so it's great I've been recalled to join the squad for Romania.

"I want to keep working hard and try to play as many games as I can for United.

"Hopefully, I can break into the Northern Ireland team when I go. I do know a few of the lads - Corry Evans and Luke McCullough from United, of course. I know some others from the Under-21s so I am looking forward to it."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Ronaldo: I want to be the best of all time

Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo says he wants to become the greatest player football has ever seen.

The 29-year-old double Ballon d'Or winner has once again been nominated for the prize for 2014 after firing Real Madrid to the Champions League and Copa del Rey last season.

Ronaldo has begun the current campaign in exceptional form and has even been compared to Madrid great Alfredo Di Stefano by president Florentino Perez, most recently when he collected the Golden Shoe prize for last season on Wednesday.
And while he is adamant that winning the Ballon d'Or again is not an obsession, the former Manchester United star admits he wants to create his own legacy as football's greatest ever by the time he retires.

"I see in myself what people saw in Di Stefano and for me it is an honour because Alfredo is one of the best of all time and to be mentioned alongside him is a privilege," he told reporters.

"Obviously everybody has their own opinion but I want to be the best of all time and I will try and make that happen. Everybody has their opinion but in my head I want to be the best and I'll get there. I'm writing my own history step by step. When I retire I want to see if I'm among the best of all time and I'm certain I will be."

I am very happy that my team-mates were here with me today," he added. "It's a nice feeling that they took time out to come to a presentation of mine. I like it that the players I've played alongside like [Gareth] Bale, Sergio [Ramos] and Iker [Casillas] are here and the others would be too. If I invited them they'd come but I don't want to bother them.

"For me it's important because as I said before you can only win this trophy with a good team and players that play for each other. I am very happy to be in this team."

Ronaldo also refuted suggestions he has to do more to win individual prizes than his contemporaries following the controversy surrounding Sepp Blatter's comments on the Ballon d'Or last year.

"I don't want to get into that because the Ballon d'Or will be awarded in January and everything is going well and I'm scoring a few goals. The best place to answer is on the pitch: to those who make opinions about football and those in charge," said the Portugal forward.

"Would it surprise me not to win it? Nothing surprises me. Over the last six, seven or eight years nothing has surprised me. You have to be ready for any scenario. I am very happy and so I'm not going to a hypocrite: I'd like to win a third Ballon d'Or but I'm not obsessed with it. There is plenty of time left and I'm doing things well."

Ronaldo also says Madrid are determined to win an impressive treble this season but insists they cannot be considered the greatest team in the club's history if they fail to win trophies.

"Everybody is saying that this could be the best Real Madrid side in history but we will only be able to say at the end of the season," he said. "If we don't win anything we won't be the best side but I am hopeful that we will win things this season."We are happy, things are going well, the manager knows the players better and I am on a good run. I don't want to think about individual awards because that is not what I base my football on, but I want to keep enjoying the good moment.

"We are used to the two systems. Maybe [with 4-4-2] we have more of the ball and that is a good thing. The more you have the ball the more chances you can create, and we have more opportunities to score.

"This team can go far and the goal is to improve game by game and win all three trophies: the league, the Champions League and the cup."