..::Football III::..

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Messi would be a top full-back - Luis Enrique

Barcelona coach Luis Enrique has joked Lionel Messi would be "unstoppable" even if he played him as a full-back.The 27-year-old has been in stunning form in recent weeks and has already netted 18 goals since the turn of the year.

Luis Enrique feels there's much more to the Argentine's game than just goals and has insisted he would do well if he was deployed in another position, too.

"Messi will be great regardless of the position where he plays," Luis Enrique said at a press conference. "Leo would also be unstoppable if I played him at full-back. Messi is simply the best there is."

The Barca coach also had his say on the future of Dani Alves, whose contract expires in the summer, and insists he hopes the Brazil international will stay put, but admitted the decision is out of his hands.

He added: "Would I like Alves to sign a new deal? Just look at my line-ups and you have your answer..."Dani Alves is a special player in my opinion. But it is up to the club and the player in the end."

Xavi, 35, is in line to make his 750th appearance for Barcelona when the Liga leaders face Eibar this weekend and Luis Enrique believes he can significantly add to that tally despite his advancing years."Xavi playing 750 games for Barcelona is a lot...

"I hope he stays at Barcelona for many more years. He adds a lot to this team, both on and off the pitch."

 

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Kane equals Ronaldo's player of the month feat

Tottenham striker Harry Kane has been named the Premier League's player of the month for February, while West Brom boss Tony Pulis has picked up the manager of the month award.

The 21-year-old, who is expected to be named in Roy Hodgson's upcoming England squad, scored four goals in three games in February, including a double in the 2-1 win over Arsenal at White Hart Lane.

Kane is also the first player to win the award in consecutive months since Cristiano Ronaldo for Manchester United in 2006 - a feat also achieved by Dennis Bergkamp and Robbie Fowler.

"I'm very happy," Kane told the Premier League's official website.

"To win it once a year is great, let alone twice in two months. For me, the Arsenal game was the highlight of February. To score twice and to get that late winner was incredible.

"This season has happened so fast but I've always believed in myself. I just had to take my chance and thankfully I've done that."

With two goals as many Premier League games in March, Kane could also become the first ever player in the Premier League to win the award three months in a row.

"To make history would be special. I've scored a couple of goals this month and there are still a few more games to go so hopefully I will be able to get a few more goals and we will see what happens. I am looking forward to the games ahead," the Tottenham striker added.

Meanwhile, Pulis picks up his award after guiding West Brom to two wins and two draws February, and the club now sit eight points above the relegation zone.

"I'm very happy and honoured," the Baggies boss said. "Since I came to the club everyone has made me feel welcome: that's the players, the training ground staff and, most importantly, the fans.

"What we need to do now is make sure we finish the season on a high."

 

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Barclays Premier League 2015.03.14 Fixtures

Barclays Premier League 2015.03.14 Fixtures

Crystal Palace Vs QPR

Arsenal Vs West Ham

Leicester City Vs Hull

Sunderland Vs Aston Villa

WBA Vs Stoke City

Burnely Vs Manchester City

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La Liga 2015.03.14 Fixtures

La Liga 2015.03.14 Fixtures

Espanyol Vs Atletico Madrid

Eibar Vs Barcelona

Rayo Vallecano Vs Granada

Celta Vigo Vs Athletic Bilbao​

 

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Serie A 2015.03.14 Fixtures

Serie A 2015.03.14 Fixtures

Palermo Vs Juventus

Cagliari Vs Empoli​

 

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Borussia Dortmund 0-0 Koln: Horn holds firm as BVB stumble

Borussia Dortmund's Bundesliga resurgence was kept in check as they were held to a 0-0 draw at home by Koln on Saturday.

Jurgen Klopp's side could have climbed to within a point of ninth-placed Werder Bremen, and the top half, with victory but they failed to break down Peter Stoger's well-drilled visitors.

It is Dortmund's second consecutive draw in the league, following four straight wins, and it could have been worse as the visitors fashioned the better chances.

Koln's deep defensive line succeeded in stifling the hosts' creative talents, as Stoger's men followed up their first victory since January with a hard-earned point that moves them six points clear of the bottom three.

Attention now turns to the Champions League for Klopp's side, as they host Juventus in the second leg of their last-16 tie on Wednesday, seeking to overturn a 2-1 deficit.

The match began in breathless fashion, as Deyverson got in behind the Dortmund defence inside two minutes, only to panic and waste his moment, before Neven Subotic headed just over from Shinji Kagawa's in-swinging corner at the other end.

Anthony Ujah was next to exploit the early space behind Subotic and Mats Hummels, but once again Dortmund goalkeeper Roman Weidenfeller rushed off his line and did enough to put the forward off.

Unfortunately, that frantic five-minute spell was not a sign of things to come, as the contest soon settled into its expected pattern, with Dortmund probing as Koln set out a deep defensive line.

Klopp's side struggled to inject any tempo into their play and spent too much time in front of their opponents, while the pace of Stoger's frontline made Koln a real threat on the break.

The second half started much like the first, with a great opening for Deyverson. This time it was the enthusiastic running of Ujah that created the opportunity, but the result was the same.

The Brazilian lacked the composure to break the deadlock, blasting over from 12 yards following a smart cut-back, as Dortmund scrambled to get men back behind the ball.

The hosts' faltering quest for creativity was not helped by a painful-looking injury suffered by Henrikh Mkhitaryan. He connected with Mergim Mavraj when attempting to volley a clipped ball over the top late in the first half and battled on until the 60th minute, when he was finally replaced by Jakub Blaszczykowski.

Koln's Timo Horn was forced into a rare save in the 66th minute, as Marco Reus volleyed at goal from a long throw, but the goalkeeper got down well to turn the ball behind.

Dortmund's frustration was demonstrated by Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's pathetic attempt to reach Kevin Kampl's 72nd-minute cross with his arm.

That earned him a booking and he was soon substituted, as Dortmund failed to find any late spark.

 

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Burnley 1-0 Manchester City: Boyd thunderbolt derails champions' title bid

A blunder from Vincent Kompany cost Manchester City dearly as lowly Burnley beat them 1-0 at Turf Moor.

The reigning Premier League champions lost another chance to catch up on leaders Chelsea, while Sean Dyche's side moved to within one point of safety after a shock victory.

Kompany's wayward defensive header just after the hour proved the key moment, unwittingly playing in George Boyd, who hit a thunderous first-time volley past Joe Hart to send the home crowd wild.

The visitors, though, were enraged when a stoppage-time penalty call went against them, Ben Mee appearing to catch Pablo Zabaleta rather than the ball, but the Argentine was instead punished for simulation.

The defeat leaves City five points behind leaders Chelsea but having played two games more, with Jose Mourinho's side playing one of their two matches in hand at home against Southampton on Sunday.
The champions also opened the door to those behind them chasing Champions League qualification, with Arsenal now just a point adrift in third while Manchester United, Liverpool and Tottenham will all look to take advantage of Manuel Pellegrini's side's stuttering form.

Pellegrini recalled captain Kompany, who partnered Martin Demichelis in central defence in place of Eliaquim Mangala.

Fernandinho, who reportedly had a bust-up with Kompany following the defeat to Liverpool, also started and he had City's first chance when he powered through midfield but his shot was blocked and the ball hit Edin Dzeko before going out for a goal kick.

Burnley manager Dyche opted for leading scorer Danny Ings and Sam Vokes to lead the line but it was Boyd who threatened early on - forcing Kompany to get down well to head out his cross for a corner.

The home side saw Vokes head wide as they matched their high-flying visitors, before Dzeko fired off target at the other end.

Dzeko also had a close-range effort stopped by Tom Heaton with his foot and Sergio Aguero shot on the follow-up at the Burnley goalkeeper. Jason Shackell then blocked from Dzeko and Aguero fired wide again, as City came more into the game.

Zabaleta typified their growing pressure when he cut the ball back early in the second period but Aguero steered his shot past the post.

Burnley grabbed the lead against the run of play just past the hour mark when Kieran Trippier floated in a free kick and Kompany's headed clearance landed perfectly for Boyd on the edge of the area. The midfielder caught the ball with a perfect left-footed half-volley, which flew past Joe Hart low into the opposite bottom corner of the goal.

A few minutes later, Michael Duff was penalised for a foul on Aguero but, when the free kick came in, City substitute Wilfried Bony’s header was easy for Heaton to deal with.

The visitors pressed for an equaliser and Fernandinho volleyed well over from another move before, with 10 minutes to go, Yaya Toure floated the ball into the Burnley area, where an unmarked Aguero headed over the crossbar.

City were upping the tempo, and in injury time they had a strong penalty claim when Ben Mee challenged Zabaleta as he ran with the ball into a crowded area.

But referee Andre Mariner waved away the appeals, as City saw the Premier League title slip further from their grasp.

 

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Palermo 0-1 Juventus: Super-sub Morata sends Bianconeri 14 points clear

Alvaro Morata stepped off the bench to secure an off-form Juventus side a hard-earned 1-0 Serie A victory at Palermo.The league leaders were far from their fluent best in Saturday's encounter at the Stadio Renzo Barbera, where Palermo have excelled this term.

But Morata struck in the 70th minute to hand Massimiliano Allegri's men all three points - stretching the champions' lead at the top of Serie A to 14 points over Roma, who play Sampdoria on Monday.

Juve lacked their usual attacking fluency in a first half devoid of chances, with the suspended Paul Pogba a sore loss in their midfield.

However, the visitors showed more attacking verve in the second half, Carlos Tevez seeing a well taken free-kick saved before Morata's seventh Serie A goal of the season won it.

Juve will now head to Borussia Dortmund seeking to make the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals for the second time in three seasons, with the Turin club protecting a 2-1 lead from the first leg.

They can likely ill-afford as slow a start in Germany as they had in Sicily though, Stephan Lichtsteiner firing the first shot in anger wide of the post in the 13th minute.
Tevez then tried his luck from range and Palermo goalkeeper Stefano Sorrentino was left thankful that no Juve player followed in as he spilled the Argentine's effort.
Stefano Sturaro was handed a debut in the absence of Pogba and the 22-year-old was next to go close as he showed good feet to burst into the penalty area before his left-foot shot went wide.

A muted atmosphere reflected the flat nature of the match, although the home fans screamed for a penalty when Luca Rigoni ran into Giorgio Chiellini as the Italy man shepherded the ball out.

Allegri introduced Arturo Vidal for Sturaro at half-time in a bid to inject life into the midfield.

Tevez almost provided the spark in the 52nd minute with a superb 25-yard free-kick that drew a fine stop to his right from Sorrentino.

At the other end, Andrea Barzagli struggled to cope with the pace of Palermo danger man Paulo Dybala on his first start of the season- the Juve centre-back deservedly earning a yellow card with a cynical foul to stop the striker breaking free.Morata was brought on the replace the disappointing Fernando Llorente on the hour mark.

And the former Real Madrid man made the telling contribution 10 minutes later, toying with the Palermo defence before bending his shot into the corner from the edge of the penalty area.

Palermo pushed forward in search of an equaliser, but were consigned to a first defeat in 11 league home matches as Juve displayed typical title-winning grit.
Alvaro Morata stepped off the bench to secure an off-form Juventus side a hard-earned 1-0 Serie A victory at Palermo.The league leaders were far from their fluent best in Saturday's encounter at the Stadio Renzo Barbera, where Palermo have excelled this term.

But Morata struck in the 70th minute to hand Massimiliano Allegri's men all three points - stretching the champions' lead at the top of Serie A to 14 points over Roma, who play Sampdoria on Monday.Juve lacked their usual attacking fluency in a first half devoid of chances, with the suspended Paul Pogba a sore loss in their midfield.

However, the visitors showed more attacking verve in the second half, Carlos Tevez seeing a well taken free-kick saved before Morata's seventh Serie A goal of the season won it.

Juve will now head to Borussia Dortmund seeking to make the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals for the second time in three seasons, with the Turin club protecting a 2-1 lead from the first leg.

They can likely ill-afford as slow a start in Germany as they had in Sicily though, Stephan Lichtsteiner firing the first shot in anger wide of the post in the 13th minute.

Tevez then tried his luck from range and Palermo goalkeeper Stefano Sorrentino was left thankful that no Juve player followed in as he spilled the Argentine's effort.
Stefano Sturaro was handed a debut in the absence of Pogba and the 22-year-old was next to go close as he showed good feet to burst into the penalty area before his left-foot shot went wide.

A muted atmosphere reflected the flat nature of the match, although the home fans screamed for a penalty when Luca Rigoni ran into Giorgio Chiellini as the Italy man shepherded the ball out.Allegri introduced Arturo Vidal for Sturaro at half-time in a bid to inject life into the midfield.Tevez almost provided the spark in the 52nd minute with a superb 25-yard free-kick that drew a fine stop to his right from Sorrentino.

At the other end, Andrea Barzagli struggled to cope with the pace of Palermo danger man Paulo Dybala on his first start of the season- the Juve centre-back deservedly earning a yellow card with a cynical foul to stop the striker breaking free.Morata was brought on the replace the disappointing Fernando Llorente on the hour mark.

And the former Real Madrid man made the telling contribution 10 minutes later, toying with the Palermo defence before bending his shot into the corner from the edge of the penalty area.

Palermo pushed forward in search of an equaliser, but were consigned to a first defeat in 11 league home matches as Juve displayed typical title-winning grit.

 

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Eibar 0-2 Barcelona: Messi moves clear of Ronaldo with double in Basque Country​

Lionel Messi overtook Cristiano Ronaldo in the race for this season's European Golden shoe by netting both goals in a 2-0 win at Eibar that moved Barcelona four points clear of Real Madrid at the top of La Liga.

The incredible Messi now has 43 goals in all competitions in another astonishing season after opening the scoring with a first-half penalty and heading home a second goal after the break in the Catalan giants' first trip to Estadio Municipal de Ipurua on Saturday.

Barca had the opportunity to increase their lead at the summit with Real Madrid not in action until they face struggling Levante on Sunday and, despite not being at their fluent best, did enough to pick up all three points thanks to the irrepressible Messi.

The leaders can now turn their attention to a key week in which they face Manchester City in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday, before locking horns with second-placed Real in a top-of-the table El Clasico at Camp Nou next Sunday.

While Barca appear to have hit form at the right time, Eibar have now lost their last eight games and Gaizka Garitano's side look set for a battle to avoid relegation.
Barca star Neymar returned after serving a ban, but Barca full-backs Dani Alves and Jordi Alba were unavailable due to suspension as Luis Enrique rung the changes with City and Real no doubt in mind.

Ivan Rakitic was one recalled to the visitors' starting line-up, and the midfielder came close with a header in their first attack.

Eibar were clearly not overawed by the challenge of facing in-form Barca despite being on a dreadful run, and the Catalan giants found it difficult to break the home side down until they were awarded a penalty just after the half-hour mark.

Borja Ekiza was the guilty party as he handled Messi's strike and although Jaime went the right way, he was unable to keep out the resulting spot-kick from the Argentina captain.

Ekiza made a timely intervention to clear the danger after Messi raced into the penalty area and cut the ball back from the byline, and Luis Suarez slid in and fired a shot off target just before the break as Barca finished the first half strongly.

Neymar could have doubled Barca's lead seven minutes into the second period, but Jaime did well to come off his line to deny the Brazil forward after Messi had played him in with a lovely pass.

Barca did not have long to wait for a second goal, though, and yet again it was Messi on target as he met Rakitic's corner with a stooping header that bounced up off the slick turf and found the back of the net 10 minutes into the second half.
Xavi came on to replace Rakitic to make his 750th competitive appearance for Barca midway through the second half with the points seemingly secured.

Eibar showed plenty of fight but lacked the class to break down Barca - although Federico Piovaccari hit the bar in the 89th minute - and Luis Enrique can now turn his attention to two huge home matches against City and Real.

 

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West Brom 1-0 Stoke City: Brown Ideye sends Baggies closer to safety

Brown Ideye was the hero once again as West Brom edged out Stoke City to move 11 points of the Premier League relegation zone at the Hawthorns.

Ideye headed the only goal of the game in the first half to end a three-match winning run in the league for Mark Hughes' men, who were second best before the break, but improved after half-time.

A flurry of injuries - to Ben Foster, Victor Moses and Jonathan Walters - disrupted the second half and Pulis' old club failed to sufficiently trouble replacement West Brom goalkeeper Boaz Myhill.

The hosts could have extended the margin of victory, but wasted countless chances before hanging on to recover from two defeats in the space of four days to Midlands rivals Aston Villa.

Pulis made one change to the West Brom side beaten at Villa in their previous league match, as Stephane Sessegnon replaced Claudio Yacob.Hughes also made a solitary switch, restoring captain Ryan Shawcross to his defence in place of Philipp Wollscheid.

That backline was soon threatened by Saido Berahino, who fired in two early shots from the edge of the box, which both forced good saves from Asmir Begovic.The visitors responded with better possession, but no real penetration, and West Brom took a deserved lead in the 20th minute.

Craig Gardner was given space to cross from the right and took full advantage, before Ideye evaded the marking of Phil Bardsley to steer a stooping header into the far corner.Berahino should have doubled the hosts' tally 10 minutes later.

The striker latched onto a wonderful throughball from Craig Dawson to get in behind Marc Wilson, but snatched at the opportunity, and lashed across goal from a tight angle.

Hughes recognised his side's defensive struggles in the first half and introduced Geoff Cameron at half-time in place of Erik Pieters, moving Wilson to left-back.
That sparked a positive start to the second half, but Stoke's momentum was punctured temporarily as first Foster, and then Moses, required lengthy treatment before having to be withdrawn.

Foster's replacement, Myhill, was thrust straight into the action as he had to backpedal and turn Walters' flicked header over the bar in the 62nd minute - the visitors' first shot on target.And Begovic was called upon moments later to parry Ideye's low shot at the end of a flowing counter-attack.

Walters was soon added to the injury list, replaced by Mame Biram Diouf in the 68th minute, having taken a heavy blow to the face in an aerial challenge with Dawson.James Morrison almost added a second for West Brom 10 minutes from time, but Begovic was equal to his powerful effort from 20 yards.

Stoke threw everything forward in the closing stages, and there was a nervous moment for Myhill as he felled Peter Crouch on the edge of the box, but it was not enough and West Brom clung on to beat Stoke for just the second time in their 12 Premier League meetings.

 

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Espanyol 0-0 Atletico Madrid: Ten-man Rojiblancos fail to reclaim third spot

Miranda's red card proved costly as Atletico Madrid's faltering title defence suffered yet another blow with a 0-0 draw at Espanyol.

The champions, looking to bounce back from consecutive league draws with Sevilla and Valencia, produced a toothless performance at Cornella-El Prat that leaves them fourth in La Liga.

Although Diego Simeone's men created the better chances before the break, their struggles were evident throughout.

The physical Felipe Caicedo proved a nuisance and the hosts' resolute backline kept Fernando Torres quiet until his withdrawal following Miranda's sending-off.
Torres and Antoine Griezmann did both spurn good chances, while Raul Garcia saw a couple of late efforts denied.

But Sergio's side were more prominent after the break and only a fine defensive performance kept them at bay.

Despite Tuesday's crucial Champions League last-16 second leg against Bayer Leverkusen on the horizon, Simeone refused to rest key men for Saturday's trip.
The hosts looked capable of causing problems for Atletico during the early exchanges, with Caicedo and Sergio Garcia particularly lively.

But Atletico's set-piece prowess soon caused panic in the Espanyol defence, as Torres headed on Koke’s 11th-minute free-kick delivery to force Kiko Casilla into an acrobatic save.Koke then went close himself from the resulting corner, lashing a half-volley agonisingly wide of the bottom-left corner.

Espanyol's willingness to throw men forward left them exposed in the 22nd minute, though they escaped unpunished when Griezmann dragged an effort off target at the end of a swift Atletico breakaway.

That scare saw the home side begin to take fewer risks, but they received a significant boost to their chances just before the interval, as Miranda was shown a straight red card for clattering into Abraham with a raised elbow.Torres was replaced by centre-back Jose Maria Gimenez as a result of Miranda's indiscretion and with that change, Atletico's attacking threat effectively vanished.

The numerical advantage allowed Espanyol to exert more control, though Diego Godin and Gimenez proved an able shield to keep them at arm's length.

Atletico sat back for a great deal of the second half, but they finally crafted another chance with 13 minutes to go when Raul Garcia saw Casilla parry his effort away after he had latched on to Griezmann's clever flick.

The midfielder was denied by Casilla again a few moments later, the goalkeeper blocking a shot from point-blank range, as both sides failed to find a late breakthrough.

 

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Arsenal 3-0 West Ham: Giroud stars in Gunners stroll

Olivier Giroud scored his fourth goal in as many Premier League games as Arsenal held off a spirited West Ham to keep their top-four charge on track at the Emirates Stadium.

West Ham battled valiantly despite being under the cosh for much of the first half, before Giroud justified his inclusion ahead of Monday’s FA Cup hero Danny Welbeck when he finished off a well-worked move shortly before the interval.

The visitors gave Arsenal some awkward moments in the second half too, but Giroud then combined with Aaron Ramsey for the Welshman to double the advantage nine minutes from time and then played in Santi Cazorla, who in turn laid on the third for Mathieu Flamini.In the end, Arsenal eased to a 10th consecutive victory over West Ham in all competitions while it also built further confidence as they seek to overturn their 3-1 first-leg deficit in the Champions League against Monaco on Tuesday.

West Ham boss Sam Allardyce was forced into naming a makeshift centre-back pairing of Cheikhou Kouyate and James Collins due to injuries.

Theo Walcott, meanwhile, was one five Arsenal changes from that cup win over Manchester United, and he should have opened the scoring following Giroud's neat backheel early on.

Walcott hesitated, allowing Collins to snuff out the danger, before former Arsenal man Alex Song denied Alexis Sanchez a shot on goal with a well-timed challenge.
The hosts' early onslaught continued, as Alexis' header was saved by Adrian before Kevin Nolan had West Ham's first effort on target - volleying at David Ospina following positive play down the left from Matt Jarvis.

That sparked a good spell for Allardyce's side, although Ramsey - another to come into Wenger’s XI - almost beat Adrian with an improvised effort off his knee as Arsenal started to regain the upper hand.

After several wasted Arsenal chances, Giroud finally rewarded his side’s persistence in first-half stoppage time when he capped off wonderful interplay with a fierce left-footed strike.Despite that blow, West Ham started the second half strongly, as Diafra Sakho almost connected with a teasing delivery from the left before Jarvis fired a loose ball over the crossbar.

At the other end, the resistance of Collins and Kouyate gradually began to fade, and late on that man Giroud provided the inspiration again to make the result more comfortable.First, he was on hand to play in Ramsey, who produced a smart finish inside the area for the second goal.

The Frenchman then clipped the ball in for Cazorla this time to find substitute Flamini for a close-range finish six minutes from time, ensuring Arsenal's 10th consecutive home win in domestic competition.

 

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Arsenal meh play karana widiyata EPL 2nd place unath enna bari kamak naha​

 

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Leicester City 0-0 Hull City: Huddlestone sent off in stalemate

Leicester City missed a golden opportunity to close the gap on their Premier League relegation rivals after playing out a 0-0 draw against 10-man Hull City on Saturday.

Heavy defeats for fellow strugglers QPR and Sunderland meant Nigel Pearson's rock-bottom side could have moved within four points of safety with a win at the King Power Stadium.

However, Pearson - a former Hull boss - witnessed his side fail to break down the visitors, who played the last 18 minutes a man light after Tom Huddlestone was sent off for a second bookable offence.

Hull manager Steve Bruce, who this week signed a new three-year contract at the KC Stadium, saw Nikica Jelavic miss a gilt-edged chance from close range in the first half - the striker failing to sort his feet with the goal gaping.

Huddlestone's dismissal ensured a nervy ending for the visitors but a draw means they stay 15th, having moved six points above the bottom three.

There were few chances of note in a tepid opening, but the visitors should have broken the deadlock in the 20th minute with Jelavic guilty of one the misses of the season.

Huddlestone's superb dinked pass to Ahmed Elmohamady was unselfishly played into the path of the Croatian striker, who got the ball caught under his feet eight yards from goal and he bundled his shot into the hands of a relieved Mark Schwarzer.

Jelavic did have the ball in the back of the net soon after when Schwarzer spilled a high cross, but the whistle had already gone as the veteran goalkeeper was clattered by Dame N'Doye.

The hosts grew into the first half and Riyad Mahrez - who scored Leicester's winner in a 1-0 victory in December's corresponding fixture – played a wonderful teasing cross into the area that Andrej Kramaric should have been braver with, but Alex Bruce's presence put him off.

Michael Dawson made an important block on Esteban Cambiasso as Leicester sought a quick start to the second half and, at the other end, Jelavic saw another good chance go begging from a corner.

At the other end McGregor had to be wise to palm away a mis-hit Vardy cross that was heading for the top right-hand corner.

Leicester hopes were raised in the 72nd minute when Huddlestone was given his marching orders by referee Jon Moss for bundling Vardy to ground just outside the penalty area - the midfielder having already been booked in the first half.

The hosts poured forward and substitute David Nugent flicked wide at the near post, though Abel Hernandez should have stolen the points late on, only to shoot tamely at Schwarzer and deny his manager Bruce a fine end to a good week.

 

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Sunderland 0-4 Aston Villa: Benteke & Agbonlahor hit doubles to hammer Black Cats

Christian Benteke and Gabriel Agbonlahor scored twice in an incredible first half as Aston Villa consigned fellow Premier League strugglers Sunderland to a humiliating 4-0 defeat at the Stadium of Light.

Villa had lost six consecutive away games and scored just four times on their travels in the top flight ahead of their trip to Wearside, but they ran riot against sorry Sunderland on Saturday.

Strike duo Benteke and Agbonlahor helped themselves to two goals apiece in the first half as Tim Sherwood masterminded a third straight victory.

Three points for Villa moved them two points above Sunderland in the table - and, on the evidence of this display, the FA Cup semi-finalists should stay out of trouble.

Sunderland, on the other hand, will be looking anxiously over their shoulders after an alarming display that prompted many fans to flock out of the ground before half-time.

Poyet's side have scored only one goal in their last five games and some supporters approached the dugout to vent their fury at the under-pressure head coach after they were swept aside in the first half.

After being devoid of an attacking threat for much of the season under Paul Lambert, Villa looked lively going forward from the off and they were two goals up after only 18 minutes.

First the lively Charles N'Zogbia set Leandro Bacuna away down the right with a clever first-time flick and he kept his composure to pick out the returning Benteke, who drifted away from his marker and side-footed calmly past Costel Pantilimon from just inside the penalty area.

Villa sensed Sunderland were there for the taking and took advantage of some poor defending from John O'Shea to double their lead less than two minutes later.

Ciaran Clark's ball down the line should have been dealt with by O'Shea, but he hesitated and Agbonlahor pounced to slide the ball under a stranded Pantilimon and inside the near post.

Scott Sinclair ought to have made furious Sunderland fans even more disgruntled when he somehow fired over the crossbar from five yards out after Bacuna had again got away down the right.

It came as no surprise when the third goal came eight minutes before half-time, though, and again it was all too easy for Agbonlahor.

The forward was allowed to cut in from the right and dribble inside the penalty area unchallenged before guiding a left-foot finish inside the far post to spark a mass exodus from the home supporters.

Angry fans were led away as they left Poyet in no uncertain terms about their feelings, and worse was to come when Benteke rose to head home Bacuna's cross and give Villa a four-goal just before the break.

Sunderland played for over three minutes with 10 men at the start of the second half before Sebastian Larsson eventually emerged from the tunnel and returned to the fray limping, during which time Pantilimon palmed over N'Zogbia's measured strike.

Steven Fletcher, making his first Premier League start since January, hit the post with just under 10 minutes left in a rare Sunderland attack, but picked up an injury in the process.

Sherwood then gave a debut to 16-year-old striker Rushian Hepburn-Murphy eight minutes from time as Villa coasted to victory and Sunderland were left shell-shocked.

 

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Werder Bremen 0-4 Bayern Munich: Bundesliga leaders storm 14 points clear

A depleted Bayern Munich overcame a travel mishap to continue their dominant form in the Bundesliga with a 4-0 win at Werder Bremen on Saturday.
The league leaders saw their team bus run out of fuel on the way to the Weserstadion, but had no issues hitting top gear themselves in a comfortable victory.

Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery joined the suspended Xabi Alonso on the sidelines after picking up knocks in the 7-0 UEFA Champions League thrashing of Shakhtar in midweek, while Pepe Reina made his full Bayern debut in goal in place of the rested Manuel Neuer.

Despite those absentees Reina had very little to do in his bow for the Bavarians, who took the lead in the 24th minute through Thomas Muller's curling strike.
David Alaba netted Bayern's 100th goal in all competitions this season in the final minute of the first half with a superb set-piece.

That allowed Bayern to hit cruise control in the second half, with Robert Lewandowski rounding routine success with a late double.Following their transport issues, Bayern were then forced to wait for kick-off as ground staff attended to a hole in one of the nets.

Once action did begin Pep Guardiola's side struggled to get going in the early stages.

But the visitors would have taken the lead in the 15th minute had Raphael Wolf not sprung brilliantly to his left to turn Lewandowksi's close-range header over the crossbar.The deadlock was broken nine minutes later, though, Muller giving Bayern the lead with a piece of precise finishing.

Muller had been denied by a fine one-on-one save from Wolf after Werder had lost the ball in midfield, but the hosts failed to clear their lines, allowing him to curl the ball beyond the helpless goalkeeper from the edge of the area.Bayern laboured in their search for a second, but it finally arrived on the stroke of half-time as Alaba bent his expertly placed free-kick into the top corner after Mario Gotze had been fouled by Sebastian Prodl.

Werder found it difficult to break down the Bayern defence, yet they almost pulled one back in spectacular fashion, with Reina forced to tip over from Fin Bartels' long-range effort with the outside of his boot.Bartels then had the ball in the net moments later, only to see his effort chalked off for an alleged handball by Prodl.

Werder's sense of misfortune will have doubled when Lewandowski nodded home from Muller's cross after the Germany forward had beaten Wolf to a wonderful ball over the top from Boateng in the 76th minute.Germany's World Cup-winning captain Philipp Lahm came on for his first appearance since November in the 82nd minute.

And Bayern were given further cause for celebration when Lewandowski tapped into an empty net following a neat some neat inter-play with Muller.

 

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Crystal Palace 3-1 QPR: Bolasie & Zaha revel in Rangers romp

Yannick Bolasie made the difference as Crystal Palace swept aside QPR to move 11 points clear of the relegation zone at Selhurst Park.

A seventh win under Alan Pardew takes Palace to the safe haven of mid-table, but QPR's record of having lost all but one of their league games on the road remains after a sloppy defensive performance.

Chris Ramsey brought Shaun Wright-Phillips and Adel Taarabt in from the cold as he sought a spark to ignite QPR's flagging efforts away from Loftus Road – winger Wright-Phillips making his first league start since September 2013.

But the changes failed to have a positive impact as Wilfried Zaha bravely put the hosts ahead in the 21st minute with his first goal since his second Palace debut in August.

Taarabt looked QPR's best bet of finding an equaliser, but two goals in as many minutes from James McArthur and Joel Ward effectively ended the contest.

Having scored three times in the opening half of a Premier League match for the first time, Palace took their foot off the gas after the interval – with Matt Phillips netting a phenomenal 40-yard strike.

It was little more than an impressive consolation goal, though, as Palace moved 11 points above Ramsey's men, who endured a miserable opening 45 minutes in particular at Selhurst Park.

Palace took a deserved lead midway through the first half as Yannick Bolasie sped up the left flank and sent an inviting ball across the face of goal for Zaha to convert, taking a heavy blow to the hip in colliding with the post for his trouble.

Damien Delaney lashed wide and the returning Glenn Murray headed off target as QPR struggled to stem the tide of home pressure, though Taarabt lashed over on a rare foray forward.

For all the Moroccan's attempts in attack, the visiting defence had no answer for Bolasie, who again left teenage right-back Darnell Furlong standing before McArthur slid in to convert another left-wing cross.

Not to be outdone by his fellow winger, Zaha turned provider for Palace's third before the break, tormenting three QPR defenders and feeding Ward to curl home from the edge of the penalty area.

Ramsey may have taken some heart from the performance of Taarabt, who remained willing throughout and almost presented Charlie Austin with his 16th goal of the season, but QPR's top scorer could only head straight at Julian Speroni in an otherwise sleepy second half.

Speroni was powerless to stop Phillips' wonder goal in the final 10 minutes, but Palace look safe in the top flight for another season after Pardew's impressive return to the club.

 

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We can get €80m for Pogba, say Juventus

Juventus CEO Giuseppe Marotta claims that several top European clubs are willing to pay €80 million for Paul Pogba.

The 21-year-old midfielder has been repeatedly linked with a move away from the Italian champions, despite the fact that he is under contract until 2019.

Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Barcelona, Chelsea and Manchester City are all said to be ready to launch record transfer raids for the France international, and Marotta has admitted that the Turin giants could cash in on him tomorrow if they so wished.

"There are so many buyers for Pogba,” Marotta told Radio Deejay. “There are teams ready to spend 70-80 million euro for him, but we don't want to open negotiations because we want keep him to continue to develop here.”

Pogba’s agent, Mino Raiola, claimed this week that while he could 2sell Pogba to PSG or Man City in a heartbeat", his client is currently settled and happy to stay in Turin.

Meanwhile, Marotta also revealed that Juve were interested in Italy international Marco Verratti prior to the 22-year-old’s €12 million move to Paris Saint-Germain in 2012.

"We had contacts in that summer he went to PSG, but we had just taken Pogba [from Manchester United]," he explained.“Then came the offer of [PSG director] Leonardo and we could not match it."

 

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Pepe Reina the first goalkeeper to play in Europe's big four leagues

Bayern Munich goalkeeper Pepe Reina became the first goalkeeper in history on Saturday to play in Europe's biggest four leagues of Spain, England, Italy and Germany.

The 32-year-old was named in the Bayern starting XI for their clash against Werder Bremen at Weserstadion, his first Bundesliga appearance since joining the Bavarians in the summer.

Reina made over 100 appearances in La Liga at the start of his career with his first two clubs Barcelona and Villarreal.

He moved to Liverpool in 2005, and featured in 284 Premier League games over the course of eight seasons at Anfield.

A successful loan spell at Napoli followed last season where Reina played 29 times in Serie A, although the Azzurri could not afford to make the deal permanent.

Reina thus moved to Bayern on a free transfer last summer, but he has been understudy to first choice goalkeeper Manuel Neuer.

The Spaniard was finally handed a chance to shine by coach Pep Guardiola against Bremen - allowing him to set a unique record of playing in La Liga, the Premier League, Serie A and the Bundesliga.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Navas: I’ll fight to be Madrid No.1

Keylor Navas says he will not give up on his quest to dislodge Iker Casillas as Real Madrid’s first-choice goalkeeper.

The Costa Rica international joined the European champions following after starring for his country at last year’s World Cup, but has made just two Liga appearances for the club this season - despite the indifferent form of Casillas.

And the 28-year-old Navas admits it’s been difficult to adjust to playing second fiddle to the Blancos captain, but says he will continue the fight to prove his worth to coach Carlo Ancelotti.

“I want to be here, where I’m going to fighting to be [no.1] for many years,” he told AS.

“Though it is true that my situation has been tough, I don’t regret anything. I’m going to keep working like I always have. “I like a challenge. I’m under contract. I have another five years after this one and I’m going to be as professional as possible.

“When I get the chance to play and I’ll take maximum advantage.”Casillas drew boos from the fans this past week as Madrid suffered a Champions League scare at theSantiago Bernabeu, going down to 4-3 at home to Schalke but prevailing 5-4 on aggregate.

The 33-year-old Spain international also endured a testing World Cup campaign, notably drawing criticism for his role in la Roja’s 5-1 demolition at the hands of the Netherlands.

Ancelotti pledged his support to Casillas this week by insisting he will start the Clasico against Barcelona next weekend.