..::Football III::..

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Low: Germany pleased with World Cup draw


Germany coach Joachim Low has expressed his satisfaction with the draw for the qualifying stage of the 2018 World Cup, admitting that his side will be favourites to top Group C.

The reigning champions will face Czech Republic, Northern Ireland, Norway, Azerbaijan and San Marino in Group C.

With both Italy and France included in the second group of seeds, the draw could certainly have been far tougher for the holders.However, while expressing his pleasure with the hand his side was dealt, the 55-year-old was quick to guard against complacency.

"We have an interesting group against good opponents," he said."And we are of course pleased with the draw. It's clear that we want to be, as a world champion, group winners and we are the favourites.

"The Czech Republic, Norway and Northern Ireland are very ambitious and have always had very good results in recent years. "Group A, with France, Sweden and the Netherlands and Group G, with Italy and Spain, are interesting and extremely exciting.

"However, we will now focus on the European Championship qualifiers and after the tournament and only then, comes the World Cup qualifiers for Russia."National team manager Oliver Bierhoff, one of the assistants during the draw in St Petersburg, was also pleased with the outcome.

"I am delighted that we will not play against Italy and France," he said."So that we can be satisfied with. For Spain, for example, it is a very hard draw."

 

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Morata: Juventus haven't lost will to win

Alvaro Morata has dismissed the notion that Juventus no longer have the quality or the hunger to continue winning trophies.

The Bianconeri claimed their fourth consecutive Serie A title last season, while they also lifted the Coppa Italia and reached the final of the Champions League.

However, they have since lost star striker Carlos Tevez to Boca Juniors and playmaker Andrea Pirlo to New York City, while midfield dynamo Arturo Vidal is set to join Bayern Munich.

The Bianconeri looked nothing like their usual selves in Saturday's 2-0 friendly defeat to Borussia Dortmund, but Morata denied that Massimiliano Allegri's men have lost their will to win and defended the quality of the replacements that the Old Lady have brought in this summer.

"The many departures? They were important players for Juventus but a lot of champions have arrived," the Spanish striker told Sky Sport Italia."This squad has personality. We have everything needed to win again.

"The group is good. We still have the hunger to win games."We've only been training for a week. The legs are still heavy.

"We played against a great team today who have already been training for a month."It's not an excuse but this year we have to work so much. It's not easy to continue winning."

Juve have already signed Paulo Dybala, Simone Zaza, Mario Mandzukic and Sami Khedira, while Julian Draxler is on the verge of joining from Schalke.

 

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Van Gaal could lead Manchester United to treble - Luis Enrique

Barcelona coach Luis Enrique believes that Manchester United counterpart Louis van Gaal can inspire the Premier League outfit to a treble this season.

The 45-year-old has first-hand experience of the methods of the Dutchman from his time as a player at Camp and says that the former Blaugrana boss is capable of leading the Old Trafford side to glory.

“With a coach like Van Gaal and the kind of players they have, it is a team that are going for everything,” Luis Enrique told the media.“In a year a lot of things can happen. We came off the back of a season without a trophy and we won the treble. United could do the same, it’s a great club.”

He was speaking after a 3-1 defeat to the Red Devils in Santa Clara and admitted he was disappointed with the conditions at Levi’s Stadium.“It was a shame that that the pitch was so dry. It hurt both teams,” he said.

Barcelona hit the frame of the goal on three occasions during the match, with Luis Suarez and Munir the men denied by the woodwork, but the coach was in no mood to bemoan his side’s luck.

“Hitting the post is part of the game. Today we have not been as clinical as usual. Aside from hitting the post, we created plenty of chances,” he stated.The Catalans’ next pre-season encounter arrives against Fiorentina on Sunday.

 

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Ayew off the mark for Swansea in Forest draw

Andre Ayew scored his first Swansea City goal as the Welsh club were held to a 1-1 draw at Nottingham Forest on Saturday.

The Ghana international - signed from Marseille last month - found the target 14 minutes into the second half, before Robert Tesche restored parity.

Striker Bafetimbi Gomis sat out the fixture with a reported hamstring injury amid mounting speculation linking him with a move to Al Ahli in the United Arab Emirates.Former Swansea goalkeeper Dorus de Vries was on hand to keep out good chances for both Kyle Naughton and Ayew in a first half that ended goalless, while Jamie Ward drew a save from Lukasz Fabianski with a low drive at the other end.

It was the visitors who took the lead just short of the hour mark, though - Ayew firing home from close range after receiving the ball from Naughton.That lead lasted just nine minutes as an off-balance Fabianski failed to keep out a Tesche header.

Eder had the ball in the back of the net with a volley in the 73rd minute but the effort was chalked off for handball.The Portuguese then tested De Vries with a dipping effort four minutes from time and Forest held on for a hard-earned draw.

 

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'We fancy ourselves against anyone' - Coleman pleased with World Cup draw

Chris Coleman fancies Wales' chances of qualifying for the 2018 World Cup in Russia, but says securing a place in Euro 2016 remains the priority.

Having been handed a spot in pot one of the draw in St Petersburg, as well as a place in the top 10 of the Fifa world rankings for the first time, Wales will take their place in World Cup qualifying Group D alongside Austria, Serbia, Republic of Ireland, Moldova and Georgia.

While satisfied with a draw which saw Wales avoid the likes of France and Italy, Coleman insists his team will not be taking anything for granted.He told BBC Radio Five: "It's never easy going to places like Moldova and Georgia and we know about the quality of Austria, Republic of Ireland and Serbia.

"But we've really improved in the last three years. We fancy ourselves against anyone. You look at other groups - it could have been easier or tougher. There's a lot of football to go in the Euro 2016 qualifiers before this."Wales currently sit top of Euro 2016 qualifying Group B and Coleman is determined to finish off the job rather than ponder his next move.

"This has been the biggest honour of my career. My sole focus is on leading my country to France. After that I'll look at what's next," he added.

 

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Di Maria set for PSG as Van Gaal reveals winger missed planned Man Utd flight

Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal has confirmed Angel Di Maria missed a flight to join up with the club's pre-season tour of the US, amid reports he is set to join Paris Saint-Germain.

Goal revealed earlier in July that Di Maria's agent Jorge Mendes had been in talks with the French champions regarding a move, while PSG boss Laurent Blanc later admitted his club's interest.

The Argentine was due to meet the United squad in San Jose after a delayed summer break due to his participation in the Copa America with his national side.

But Van Gaal admitted in a press conference following Saturday's 3-1 win over Barcelona in Santa Clara that Di Maria had failed to board the plane and had provided no reason for his absence.

"I have heard he was not on the plane. I cannot say anything," he told reporters after his side's 3-1 win over Barcelona. "Marcos Rojo was not on the plane. Di Maria I don't know why."

While Rojo was said to have missed his flight due to passport problems, Di Maria's no-show could speed up his likely departure to PSG.

And the latest developments could well force United's hand as their record £59.7 million signing looks set to seal his exit following a difficult first season with the club in which he started only 20 league games, scoring three goals.

 

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Di Maria ta PSG join wenna dena 1ka aparadeLast season 1ka fail unata Di Maria patta.Aduma tharame thawa 1 season 1kak denna thibbe

Aparade​

 

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Barcelona 1-3 Manchester United: Rooney, Lingard & Januzaj strike to see off Champions League holders

Manchester United made it three wins from three in the International Champions Cup by beating European champions Barcelona 3-1 in California on Saturday.

Wayne Rooney, Jesse Lingard and Adnan Januzaj struck the decisive goals for Louis van Gaal's side in the Santa Clara heat, putting them top of the table in the friendly competition.

Rooney's well-placed header after eight minutes put United in front, and only the right arm of Marc-Andre ter Stegen stopped Ashley Young doubling their advantage.

Luis Suarez was denied an equaliser on the hour by the offside flag, and United rubbed salt in the Spanish champions' wounds when substitute Lingard doubled United's lead two minutes after coming on.

Rafinha was able to pull one back for the Catalan giants late on, but the Premier League side had the last word when Januzaj quickly added a third before the final whistle.

Barca could have twice been ahead inside the opening five minutes as Suarez saw a free-kick thud against the post, and reported Real Madrid target David de Gea - starting his first game in pre-season - denied Sergi Roberto.

Despite their tentative start, United found themselves ahead when England captain Rooney headed home Young's corner after shrugging off the attentions of Adriano.

Young went close to doubling United's lead after 28 minutes, but his effort from the edge of the penalty area was superbly kept out by extended arm of Ter Stegen.

Moments later the Barca goal was under siege again, but resolute defending ensured Young, Rooney and Juan Mata were all kept at bay.

Having led a charmed life at the start of the half, United's goal was again under threat as half-time approached, with Suarez seeing an effort clip the post with De Gea beaten.

The Catalan giants continued to press after the break, and they thought they were level on the hour through dangerman Suarez.

A neat one-two with substitute Pedro, who has been linked with United, left the Uruguayan one-on-one with De Gea, he slid his shot beyond the goalkeeper but was denied an equaliser by the assistant referee's flag.

Barca's disappointment was amplified further four minutes later as Lingard – one of 11 United substitutes introduced after 63 minutes – converted a low Tyler Blackett cross from the left.

There was still time for Luis Enrique's treble winners to be frustrated by the woodwork one last time as substitute Munir El Haddadi saw a late head crash against the United post.

Rafinha finally breached the United defence in the closing minutes with a crisp left-foot volley, before Januzaj restored United's two-goal advantage by turning and finishing clinically in stoppage time as Barca were caught out at the back.

United have one match remaining in their participation in the International Champions Cup – against Paris Saint-Germain – while Barca face Chelsea and Fiorentina.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Congratulations Manchester United!​

 

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PSG 1-1 Chelsea (5-6 pens): Courtois the hero as Falcao makes Blues debut

Chelsea bounced back from their shock loss to New York Red Bulls to overcome Paris Saint-Germain on penalties in the International Champions Cup on Saturday.

The Red Bulls stunned Chelsea 4-2 in the tournament on Wednesday but the Premier League champions recovered to register their first win of the new campaign in Charlotte, with goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois the hero.

After Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Victor Moses scored either side of half-time, Courtois made two saves and struck the winning penalty as Chelsea triumphed 6-5.

With these two clubs having clashed in the latter stages of the Champions League over the past two seasons, there was some residual feeling in the match at Bank of America Stadium.

Diego Costa left his mark on PSG defender Serge Aurier in just the first minute, while Ibrahimovic appeared to strike John Terry in the head a couple of minutes before scoring, but lenient refereeing saw neither player carded.

After Chelsea started brighter, PSG began to take control from around the quarter-hour mark and hit the front in the 25th minute with Ibrahimovic reacting well to stab the ball into the net.

Costa hit the post soon after before Lucas Moura, who was lively throughout the first half, forced new Chelsea goalkeeper Asmir Begović into a fine stop.

Marco Verratti should have doubled the France league champions' lead in the 36th minute but was unable to get his chip over Begović to dip under the bar, with PSG finishing the half on top - Begović denying Lucas with another finger-tip save just before the break.

Courtois replaced Begović at the break as both teams made a swathe of substitutions and the Belgian was lucky to avoid conceding in the 50th minute as he spilled a drive from Thiago Motta but was able to regain control of the ball.

As the second half wore on, Chelsea regained the ascendency.

Just after the hour mark, Fabregas took too long with a one-on-one opportunity, allowing Adrien Rabiot to block, while Moses dragged his rebound effort wide.

Lucas then shot just wide of the post before Moses combined with Fabregas to level the match.

With 19 minutes left, Loic Remy forced Salvatore Sirigu into a low save but that was one of the last scoring opportunities of the game as it petered out.

Chelsea went behind in the shootout when Sirigu saved Juan Cuadrado's spot-kick but Courtois responded immediately to deny Jean-Christophe Bahebeck.

After Chelsea forced sudden-death penalties, Courtois denied Thiago Silva on the second round and then blasted his own spot-kick past Sirigu.

 

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Barcelona Vs Manchester United in Pictures

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Arsenal Vs LYON in Pictures

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PSG Vs Chelsea in Pictures

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Arsenal 6-0 Lyon: Ozil & Ramsey star for impressive Gunners

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Alex Iwobi, Chuba Akpom patta.me season eke chance ekak dunnoth hodai

 

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Wenger: Arsenal director overstated club's spending power

"Lord Harris has gone a bit overboard because that is not true," he told reporters at a press conference ahead of the Emirates Cup, which begins on Saturday.

"We are in a situation where we are working hard where if an opportunity comes up we can do something but we are not in the need.

"We are in a strong position with a strong squad I am happy with.

"We are open-minded everywhere. We work very hard to find the players we can. We spent a lot of money in the last two seasons and bought Gabriel in the middle of the season to be ready for this season.

"We are not reluctant to spend the money. Now we have the money, if we can find the players we will spend the money."

'Arsenal have £200m & Wenger can buy any player he wants'

"If he wanted the man, he could have him. Apart from [Lionel] Messi and [Cristiano] Ronaldo, he could have any player. We will probably have to break the club record to get the man he wants."

Wenger 1k kiyanawa Arsenal director thwa 1k kiyanawa
kohomahari ST+DM ganna one

 

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Di Maria ta PSG join wenna dena 1ka aparadeLast season 1ka fail unata Di Maria patta.Aduma tharame thawa 1 season 1kak denna thibbe

Aparade​

Di Maria PSG giyoth aparadeDepay gaththa nisada Di Maria sell karanna yanne
RVP th me season 1ka thiyaganna thibba machan..

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Blanc: Good possibility Di Maria will join PSG after Man Utd no-show

Paris Saint-Germain coach Laurent Blanc insists no deal has yet been completed for Manchester United's Angel Di Maria, but says he hopes the Argentine elects to move to the French capital.

Goal reported in June that Di Maria has decided to leave United this summer, and with speculation mounting that a move to PSG is on the cards, he failed to join up with his current team-mates on their US pre-season tour as scheduled on Saturday.

United manager Louis van Gaal said he "did not know why" Di Maria missed his flight - whereas compatriot Marcos Rojo had passport complications - and Blanc admits a move is on the cards, even if it is not yet complete.

"There is a good possibility he could sign but there's no official news at this time," he said after his team's International Champions Cup (ICC) penalty defeat to Chelsea in Charlotte, North Carolina.

"Of course, there is lots of talk and commentary out there. Paris Saint-Germain are out looking in terms of recruiting an attacking player, whether it be him or someone else."

United defeated Barcelona 3-1 in their ICC match in Santa Clara, California on Saturday, thanks to goals from Wayne Rooney, Jesse Lingard and Adnan Januzaj.

Van Gaal revealed afterwards that Di Maria, unlike Javier Hernandez, had not joined up with the squad ahead of Wednesday night's clash with PSG, and while he is expected to fly to the States at some point, it is unclear with which club he will depart.

"The anticipation is he's going to come to the United States, as to which jersey he will wear, we do not know yet," Blanc added.

"Of course if he does make a change, we hope it's for Paris Saint-Germain.

"There are still two big clubs out there in discussion. Right now we just need to wait."

 

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Van Gaal: Barcelona win showed world what Man United can do

Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal feels that his side "showed the world" what they can do with a 3-1 victory against Barcelona in the International Champions Cup.

Wayne Rooney, Jesse Lingard and Adnan Januzaj scored for the Red Devils as they beat the Champions League holders in Santa Clara, continuing a fine pre-season habit with the club for Van Gaal after his 100 per cent record last summer.

Though the United boss is keen to avoid taking such results too seriously, with his focus on performance in the Premier League, he is pleased to have reminded their rivals of their quality.

"You know what happened last year? We also beat the European champions in Real Madrid, also 3-1, now we do the same against Barcelona... so preparation matches don't tell anything," Van Gaal told MUTV.

"You have to deliver at the right moment and that is against Tottenham Hotspur but I am happy because we have showed to the world that we can do something.

"We created a lot of chances, more than Barcelona, so there I was pleased, and then the second half was with all the youngsters and we can maintain the same rhythm so I was happy.

"We were also a little bit lucky. Three times they hit the post, so you always need luck. I still remember the game against Chelsea when we played a very good match but we didn't have the luck and lost. Now, we have the luck maybe because we are in the USA, you never know!"

Van Gaal also offered particular praise to Januzaj, who came on as the spearhead at centre-forward for the last half-hour against Barca and scored the final goal in stoppage time.

"I think Barcelona could not cope with the threat of Depay and Rooney but I have to say that Adnan Januzaj was also a big threat for them in the 30 minutes that he played as a striker," the Dutchman said to reporters. "That is good to see.

"I think that Adnan Januzaj was very good because he always gives an option for his midfielders and defenders. He scored a wonderful goal and I think that is always important. He had to fight with two defenders and he did well but it was more easy for him against the defence without Gerard Pique."

 

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AC Milan are much stronger this year - Mexes

Philippe Mexes believes AC Milan's win over Inter on Saturday is proof that they have improved significantly over the summer.The French defender gave his side the win in the friendly in China with a wondergoal from the edge of the area as they beat their rivals 1-0.

Mexes was happy with his goal and is confident the team are developing well as they look to improve on last season's 10th-placed finish. "It takes some luck to score a goal like that," he said. "In general I have seen a growth in Milan.

"Wearing this shirt is always an honour, a pride that cannot be matched.
"We beat Inter, the president was very keen to win this game.

"Now we must build on this, united and following the directions of new coach Sinisa Mihajlovic."We have a stronger team than last year."

 

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Juventus' new strikeforce will improve - Morata

Alvaro Morata believes Juventus' new-look strike force will only get better with time, after being paired with Mario Mandzukic and Paulo Dybala for the first time in the friendly loss to Borussia Dortmund.

The Spaniard played as part of a front three for the Serie A champions as they kicked off their pre-season campaign with a 2-0 defeat in Switzerland on Saturday.

Juve coach Massimiliano Allegri gave first outings to new signings Mandzukic and Dybala, while goalkeeper Neto also made his debut from the bench following his move from Fiorentina on a free transfer.

With Dortmund already well into their pre-season schedule, they looked sharper than the Italians and goals from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Marco Reus either side of the break sealed the win.But for Morata, the opportunity to begin forging an understanding with his new team-mates was more important than the result.

"We haven’t been working together for long but Mandzukic and Dybala are two top players," he told Juve's official website. "The more we play and train together, the better we'll become as a unit."Playing from the left worked well for me - there was plenty of space for me to run into.

"We've got so many options in the final third and that will make us a dangerous side this season."