..::Football III::..

[Wolverine GTR]

Cyprus 0-1 Wales: Bale puts Coleman's side on brink of Euro 2016 qualification

Gareth Bale took Wales to within one win of European Championship qualification with a superb headed goal in a 1-0 win over Cyprus in Nicosia.

On a night when the Real Madrid man was frustrated for 80 minutes by a resolute Cyprus defence, he made the difference with a thunderous header that sparked wild celebrations among the travelling Welsh supporters.

Bale's sixth goal in seven qualifying matches and his 12th in his last 15 internationals decided an end-to-end contest, in which Wales had the better of the chances but struggled to find a cutting edge.

But Bale's winner ended Wales' run of two consecutive defeats in Cyprus and left Chris Coleman's men needing just a win over Israel to clinch their passage to France 2016 - their first major tournament since 1958.

Coleman made three changes to the team that beat Belgium in June, bringing Andy King, David Edwards and Ben Davies in the absence of Joe Allen, Joe Ledley and James Chester, who were all ruled out by injuries.

The game's first chance came after six minutes when Bale burst over the halfway line and surged towards the box, skipping over a challenge before squaring to Aaron Ramsay, who hooked a shot just too high to test Cyprus goalkeeper Antonis Georgallides.

Cyprus had a chance of their own when Nestoras Mitidis broke into the box after Bale's stray pass gave the hosts possession, with only a last-ditch Ashley Williams block stopping Mitidis from creating a superb scoring chance from close range.

Just as Cyprus began to get into their stride, Bale picked out Edwards with a cross and the Wolves midfielder thought he had put Wales ahead with a headed goal, but the referee ruled it out for a push by Hal Robson-Kanu as the cross came in.

Cyprus had Konstantinos Laifis to thank for their clean sheet at the break, after the midfielder stopped Bale from going through on goal with a terrific challenge.

Marios Nicolaou gave Wayne Hennessey his first real test of the game early in the second half with a dipping 25-yard drive and the Wales goalkeeper could only parry it out for a corner.

The hard, uneven pitch in Nicosia made it difficult for Bale to run with the ball, and on the occasions he broke away, Cyprus ensured he was faced with a queue of defenders blocking his route to goal.

The attention on Bale allowed Robson-Kanu to lose his marker after 51 minutes, but he lost on in a one-on-one with Georgallides, who cleverly touched the ball out of the Reading striker's stride without conceding a foul.

Giorgos Economides gave Wales their biggest scare of the evening after an hour, lashing a shot just over the crossbar, and Wales introduced Sam Vokes for Robson-Kanu as Coleman sought to rediscover some of his side's early momentum, which seemed to be petering out.

But Wales showed their stamina and determination with a late surge of attacks, and Bale connected with Jazz Richards' superb cross to ensure all three points went to the visitors.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Bale thamai Wales godak matches goda ganne​

 

[Wolverine GTR]

England Under-21s 1-0 USA Under-23s: Man Utd starlet Wilson strikes on debut

James Wilson marked his England Under-21 debut with the winning goal from the bench to help his side to a 1-0 victory against USA Under-23s at Deepdale.

While Gareth Southgate is preparing his side for the U21 European Championships qualifier against Norway, USA have CONCACAF Olympic qualifying on their agenda at the start of October.

A resilient USA defence held up strong against a dominant England side in the first half, with Nathan Redmond impressing, before Manchester United youngster Wilson scored 10 minutes into his debut.

Southampton midfielder James Ward-Prowse captained a new-look side for the Young Lions, as Southgate offered debuts to Jordan Pickford, Joe Gomez, Jordon Ibe and Deli Alli from the start.

USA coach Andi Herzog had a few familiar faces to England in his squad, with former Liverpool man Marc Pelosi and Arsenal's Gedion Zelalem on the bench, and MK Dons goalkeeper Cody Cropper starting.

Redmond proved England's brightest spark in the first half and created their opening chance after 15 minutes, driving at the USA defence to tee up Alli inside the area for an acrobatic effort that looped over the bar.

It was Herzog's side who nearly opened the scoring through Joaquin Hernandez minutes later. He was afforded too much space on the edge of the box, forcing Pickford into a fingertip save to tip the effort around his post.

Cauley Woodrow spurned a couple of chances as the half progressed, first after a fine save from Cropper at his near post, before he was beaten to an Ibe cross by USA captain Shane O'Neill at the near post.

USA midfielder Jerome Kiesewetter might have punished Gomez as the Liverpool man played a poor back-pass towards goal. However, after the 22-year-old had intercepted the angle was a little too tight for a shot.

Ward-Prowse forced Cropper into a fine save from a free-kick in the final kick of the half, but was replaced in the second period as Southgate made nine changes, with only Calum Chambers and Ruben Loftus-Cheek remaining.

Herzog also rung the changes, but they made little impact as the Three Lions continued their dominance, finally opening the scoring through Wilson, who tapped home Duncan Watmore's pass across goal.

Brighton winger Solly March came close to a debut goal a minute later but saw his audacious chip from outside the area clip the foot of the post, as England - on Southgate's 45th birthday - ran out 1-0 winners.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Italy 1-0 Malta: Pelle to the rescue as Conte's side struggle

Graziano Pelle spared Italy's blushes as the Southampton striker earned an unconvincing 1-0 Euro 2016 qualifying win over Malta on Thursday to take full advantage of Croatia's slip-up.

Azerbaijan held Group H leaders Croatia to a 0-0 draw earlier on Thursday and, although for a while Malta looked destined to pull off a similar shock in Florence, Pelle bundled the ball home in the second half to see Italy go level at the top of the table.

Despite dominating from start to finish, Italy were forced to endure a great deal of frustration, with several first-half chances coming to nothing in a wasteful display.

Seemingly urged on by some choice half-time words courtesy of manager Antonio Conte, Italy's link-up play in the final third improved, though their luck did not and they looked on as Manolo Gabbiadini struck the crossbar from distance just before the hour mark.

Italy's persistence did pay off eventually, though, as Pelle managed to get himself on the end of Antonio Candreva's cross with just over 20 minutes to go, effectively dashing the hopes of the visitors.

The home side could have added to the score during the final stages, but ultimately their missed chances did not matter as Malta failed to produce much of a response, allowing Italy to end a run of three consecutive qualifying draws.

Italy were on the front foot right from the start and went close to breaking the deadlock after just three minutes, as Andrea Pirlo saw his free-kick fly just over.
But for all their domination and monopolisation of the ball, Italy found great difficulty breaking down Malta's packed defence, with errant crosses and forward passes regularly drawing groans of frustration from the crowd.

When Italy did eventually create their next chance in the 25th minute, it somewhat unsurprisingly came courtesy of a Pirlo set-piece, as the New York City midfielder's corner was nodded over by Graziano Pelle.

Malta almost capitalised on that let-off just a few moments later, but Alfred Effiong's agonisingly missed the bottom-right corner with caressed effort, after skilfully evading Leonardo Bonucci.

Malta's defensive concentration began to waiver in the final 10 minutes of the half, but Italy failed to take advantage, as Eder dragged a 20-yard effort just past the post with 39 minutes on the clock, before Pelle suffered the same fate from close range soon after.

Proceedings followed a familiar pattern at the start of the second half and a crucial Andrei Agius block denied Matteo Darmian, after the right-back was fed by Pirlo's disguised free-kick.Gabbiadini went close for Italy with 59 minutes played as the Napoli forward's ferocious left-footed effort crashed against the crossbar and bounced down kindly for Malta.

But finally, with 21 minutes to go, Malta's resistance broke, as goalkeeper Andrew Hogg failed to deal with Candreva's cross and Pelle was able to find the net from close range.

Eder should have put the result beyond all doubt when firing into the side-netting from close range with eight minutes left, but it mattered not and Italy clinched victory to leave them on the brink of qualification.

 

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Arsenal striker Welbeck undergoes knee surgery

Arsenal have confirmed that Danny Welbeck has undergone knee surgery after failing to sufficiently overcome an injury picked up in April.

The north London club had hoped they would not need to resort to surgery and the injury would heal over time, but the England international has finally gone under the knife and will be out of action for several months.

"Danny Welbeck has undergone surgery on his left knee after being unable to sufficiently step up his rehabilitation work," a club statement read.

"The striker has been working throughout the summer to recover from the injury sustained at the end of April.

"It had been hoped he would avoid surgery but after increasing his training workload, the injury to his cartilage did not respond as well as hoped and the decision was taken last week for him to undergo surgery by a leading specialist in the field.

"Danny is now expected to be out for a period of months and everyone at Arsenal wishes him well."

Arsene Wenger had previously expressed his hope that Welbeck would return after the international break, but his lay-off has now been extended.

The forward last featured for the club on April 26, when the Gunners drew 0-0 with Chelsea.

Welbeck Christmas wenakam out lu..
wenger injury 1ka gana danagena edala thienawa eth kawuruth gaththe nae

http://www.elakiri.com//www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Netherlands 0-1 Iceland: Robben injured & Martins Indi off as Blind era begins with defeat

Danny Blind endured a difficult first game as Netherlands coach, seeing Arjen Robben limp off and Bruno Martins Indi sent off as Iceland claimed a 1-0 victory at the Amsterdam ArenA to severely dent his side's automatic Euro 2016 qualification hopes.

Having been handed the Netherlands job following Guus Hiddink's resignation, Blind had to contend with the two key exits before Gylfi Sigurdsson's second-half penalty took Group A leaders Iceland a step closer to their maiden European Championships.

Netherlands grew into the game, having withstood early Iceland pressure, but were hampered by the setback to Robben midway through the first half.

An innocuous injury saw the winger replaced as captain by Wesley Sneijder, but things worsened for Blind's men as Martins Indi was punished for reacting to a tussle with Kolbeinn Sigthorsson.

After former Ajax man Sigthorsson hauled down his opponent, Martins Indi's frustrations got the better of him, as he was shown a straight red for striking the forward.

Having regrouped at the break, Blind's side were behind early in the second half as Gregory van der Wiel's careless challenge on Birkir Bjarnason allowed Sigurdsson to score from the spot.

The midfielder's fifth goal of qualification ensured Iceland did the double over their opponents, as the Dutch stayed third by virtue of Turkey conceding late on to draw 1-1 with Latvia.

The boisterous home crowd were almost silenced six minutes in as Jon Bodvarsson failed to make contact with Johann Gudmundsson's delivery across goal.

Iceland continued to enjoy the better of the opening exchanges, despite Robben seeing an effort kept out by Hannes Halldorsson.

Cutting in from the right onto his left foot, the new Netherlands skipper continued to threaten, going close again with a free-kick from the edge of the area after 22 minutes.

However, Robben's evening was cut short when he was forced off. Having kicked the ball out of play, the Bayern Munich winger took himself down the tunnel four minutes before the half-hour mark following consultations with medical staff.

In his absence, Memphis Depay produced a teasing cross that just eluded Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, before Martins Indi was sent off for his off-the-ball incident with Sigthorsson.

The Porto man seemed to strike his opponent following a tussle for the ball, with Milorad Mazic duly showing the red card, forcing Blind into further tactical reshuffles.

Blind's half-time team talk went out of the window inside five minutes of the second half as Van der Wiel felled Bjarnason, allowing Sigurdsson to tuck the ball past an unfortunate Jasper Cillessen, who managed to make contact with the spot-kick.

Gudmundsson came within a post's width of doubling the advantage soon after as 10-man Netherlands struggled to forge clear-cut chances without their best player.

Instead, Cillessen was required to keep the deficit to one, saving from Gudmundsson and Sigurdsson in quick succession after the hour.

With Blind's men unable to take their late chances, Netherlands face an uphill task to qualify with three games remaining.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Netherlands lata mokada meh wela thiyennemehema giyoth nam Euro16 qualify wennath bari weiover 70% ball possession thibila thiyenneth Icelands lata​

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Belgium 3-1 Bosnia-Herzegovina: Fellaini, De Bruyne & Hazard get the job done

Belgium came from behind to defeat Bosnia-Herzegovina 3-1 in their Euro 2016 Group B qualifier at the King Baudouin Stadium and edge closer to booking their place in next year's showpiece in France.

First-half goals from Marouane Fellaini and Kevin De Bruyne – fresh from his big-money move to Manchester City – cancelled out Edin Dzeko's earlier opener, with Eden Hazard adding a third from the penalty spot late on.

After providing the assist for Fellaini's leveller, De Bruyne ensured Belgium took a half-time lead with a dipping long-range strike.

Dzeko's superb header – his sixth goal in five games for Mehmed Bazdarevic's side – gave Bosnia-Herzegovina the lead after 15 minutes, but that was all that the visitors could create in the first half as they were stifled by Belgium.

Haris Medunjanin and Dzeko both went close to finding an equaliser after the restart, while Asmir Begovic had to be on top form at the other end to deny Romelu Lukaku.

But the victory was sealed for Belgium when Hazard was brought down in the area by Ognjen Vranjes, and the winger converted coolly past his Chelsea team-mate Begovic – keeping the pressure on group leaders Wales, who beat Cyprus 1-0.

Belgium, who remain three points behind Wales in second, were sluggish in possession early on, and were punished when the impressive Muhamed Besic stole in ahead of Fellaini and picked out Mensur Mujdza, the full-back's dinked cross finding Dzeko, who headed into the top-right corner.

The hosts did not have to wait long to equalise, however, as Fellaini shirked off his marker to nod home powerfully from De Bruyne's pin-point corner.

Marc Wilmots' men had found their rhythm, and would have gone ahead had Lukaku directed his near-post header on target, but the Everton forward could only find the side-netting.

And Belgium edged ahead on the stroke of half-time when De Bruyne showed his quality – collecting the ball on the edge of the area before unleashing a low shot that nestled into the right-corner.

Bosnia finally forced Thibaut Courtois into action just prior to the hour mark, the Chelsea stopper doing well to parry away Medunjanin's rasping volley.

Medunjanin was at the heart of his side's next attack – robbing Vincent Kompany of possession in midfield and playing in Dzeko – but the forward's goal-bound strike was deflected wide.

Belgium almost extended their lead with just under 20 minutes remaining, Begovic doing well to save from Lukaku, who had been played in by De Bruyne.

However, the result was put beyond all doubt in the 77th minute, Hazard dispatching his penalty calmly into the bottom-left corner after he had been fouled by Vranjes.

Courtois pulled off another instinctive save to prevent Dzeko late on, but Belgium held firm to move onto 14 points and one step closer to automatic qualification.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Belgium patta nehEuro16 wala hoda place 1kakata awi​

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Bale glad Wales were able to 'knick a goal' against Cyprus

Wales winger Gareth Bale spoke of his relief that the side managed to 'knick a goal' and secure a 1-0 victory over Cyprus , putting the Dragons just one win away from Euro 2016.

On Thursday, Chris Coleman's side climbed ahead of England in the Fifa World Rankings for the first time in their history and, with victory over Israel in Cardiff on Sunday will qualify for their first major tournament since 1958.

But Bale, who secured Thursday's three points with a thumping header after 82 minutes, suggested that the match against Cyprus was testing, made more difficult by the humid weather conditions.

"It [the match against Cyprus] was a bit more than tough", the Real Madrid winger told Sky Sports .

"We knew coming over here, and previous experiences we haven't done well mainly because of the humidity, but we had a game plan, we kept it tight and luckily enough we were able to knick a goal and it puts us in a great position.

"I don't think I've had the best of games tonight but when there's a chance hopefully I can tuck it away and luckily enough I did tonight to give us an important three points."

The 26-year-old Champions League winner has now turned his attention to Sunday's match against Israel, indicating that the Wales squad is together and ready for the challenge ahead.

"We knew the task coming in. There's been a lot of media about it. We know what we have to do," Bale added.

"We're a strong team, we're together. We know what our capabilities are. We're one unit and we know what we have to do now."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Blow for Robben as Bayern star suffers groin injury on Netherlands duty

Bayern Munich winger Arjen Robben limped out of Netherlands' 1-0 Euro 2016 qualifying defeat to Iceland with a groin injury.

Robben, named captain in Danny Blind's first competitive match as Netherlands' manager, appeared to break down without contact from the opposition, before being withdrawn clutching his groin after 32 minutes

The former Chelsea and Real Madrid winger has a chequered history with injuries and will now miss the Netherlands' crucial qualifying match against Turkey on Sunday, with Luciano Narsingh the most likely to deputise.

Speaking to Dutch television station NOS, Robben revealed an initial back problem developed into a groin injury that forced him off the pitch.

"I was super fit, but after a few knocks I felt it in my back. That went on to my groin and I couldn't go on with the match," the winger told NOS.

the 31-year-old confirmed that he will sit out the match against Turkey and return to Munich, but depending on the severity of the injury, his absence could also be felt by Pep Guardiola's Bayern Munich side, adding to the German champions' fitness worries, with France winger Frank Ribery already sidelined.

"Now I will go back to Munich and I will not be playing against Turkey," Robben added.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Robben blasts 'very stupid' Martins Indi after red card costs Netherlands

Netherlands captain Arjen Robben has slammed defender Bruno Martins Indi for being 'very stupid' and getting himself sent off in defeat to Iceland.

The Porto man saw red after lashing out at striker Kolbeinn Sighthorsson in the first half before Gylfi Sigurdsson's penalty saw the visitors run out 1-0 winners.

And Robben, who limped off with a groin injury moments before Martins Indi was given his marching orders, believes the 23-year-old let his team-mates down.

"As captain I will always stand by my players, but I can't say anything else then that this is very stupid," he told NOS.

"He really lets his team-mates down and I think that's a big shame."

Manager Danny Blind shared his skipper's thoughts on the incident, and chastised the player for not being more aware of the match situation.

"It went wrong with the red card of Martins Indi," he said. "We knew this was going to be a though match. They play with a lot of discipline and don't give away many chances.

"We had some trouble with finding Robben, but after while we succeeded more and more.

"And then came the moment that we give it away ourselves. I really blame Martins Indi for that, you know what the stakes are. I haven't seen it, but I heard it was a deserved red card.

"It's part of football, that you control yourself. There was no reason to do that and we paid a big price for this."

The defeat leaves Netherlands third in Group A and six points adrift of an automatic qualifying berth for Euro 2016.

Bur Robben is confident his side can bounce back in their final three matches, starting with Sunday's clash with Turkey.

"The beautiful thing about football is that you always get another chance. This is a huge dissapointment, but we have to take our final chance."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

'Arsenal should've bid £75m for Benzema'

Former Arsenal midfielder Paul Merson says the club are cheating their fans after a lack of activity in the transfer window, insisting that they should have made a big bid for Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema.

As revealed by Goal, Arsene Wenger's side had been willing to wait until the last moments of the transfer window with the belief that they could lure the France international to the Emirates Stadium.

But the Gunners ultimately failed to convince Benzema to leave Real Madrid, much to the frustration of Merson, who believes that the lack of ambition shown in the market is not acceptable.

"If you're an Arsenal season ticket holder, you're paying top dollar," Merson told Sky Sports.

"It's their money. It's the fans' money. It's not Arsene Wenger's money. It's not the club's money. It's the fans' money that they've paid to buy players.

"The whole idea of going to this big stadium that holds 60,000 people was to bring in top quality players. I don't know [why Arsenal aren't spending the money].

"Just put in a bid for Benzema. £75 million. If Real Madrid turn around and say: 'We're not selling him,' you can't argue with that. You've put in a bid and if they turn it down or the lad doesn't want to come, that's the way it goes. But show something.

"It cheats the fans. The fans think 'what are we coming for? We turn up every week, we pay the highest prices and what for? Top four? We might get a day out at Wembley again in the FA Cup. Wow-wee."

And Merson poured scorn on the belief that Arsenal will improve on last season's finish and mount a title challenge.

"There's a saying in life: Keep on doing the things you do and you'll get the same results," he added.

"How different is this season going to be for Arsenal? It's the same team that finished 12 points behind Chelsea last year. Why, this year, will the team finish above Chelsea?

"I can tell you now, there will be a phase this season when they'll be unbelievable, win seven on the trot and play the best football you've ever seen. But at the end of the season, with this team and no signings, I'd be absolutely shocked if they won the Premier League."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Wenger kalin kiyala thibba widiyata Benzema ta mega bid 1kak dunna gannam ganna puluwan chance 1kakuth thibba​

 

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Netherlands lata mokada meh wela thiyennemehema giyoth nam Euro16 qualify wennath bari weiover 70% ball possession thibila thiyenneth Icelands lata​

hiddink thamai team eka kawe
http://www.elakiri.com//www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Azpilicueta on De Gea: Man Utd fans love him… they'll welcome him back

Chelsea defender Cesar Azpilicueta says that Spanish national team-mate goalkeeper David de Gea is loved by Manchester United fans, and will be welcomed back by them.

De Gea was all set to move to Spanish giants Real Madrid until a problem with paperwork halted the move, with both clubs laying the blame at each other's door.

But despite the goalkeeper's attempted move away from Old Trafford, Azpilicueta says that De Gea will have no problem with the United fans upon his return to Manchester.

"As a rival, I've experienced the affection the United fans have for De Gea," Azpilicueta told reporters. "They always respect him and they will continue to do so.

"He is very loved there, and the United fans will welcome him with respect."

De Gea has one year left on his current contract at Old Trafford, but is said to have been in contact with his agent, Jorge Mendes, to discuss the possibility of signing a new long-term deal with the club, such is his dismay at the collapse of his proposed move to Madrid.

But De Gea has yet to feature for United this season, with manager Louis van Gaal insisting that he was not focused with on-pitch matters.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

hiddink thamai team eka kawe

Aniwa bro...meeta kalin Netherlands la hodata play kalaHiddink awath hari team 1ke peformance hodatama adu una​

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Valdes responds to Man Utd Champions League snub

Victor Valdes insists that he will continue to give his all at Manchester United, despite being snubbed yet again by Louis van Gaal.

The Spaniard, who joined the club on a free transfer earlier this year, was not named in United’s squad for the Champions League group stages on Wednesday, and has previously clashed with Van Gaal.

Valdes, who is yet to feature for the club in the 2015-16 campaign, was previously criticised by the Dutchman for refusing to play for the club’s Under-21 team, which led to a stinging response from the former Barcelona shot-stopper.

Despite his latest snub, Valdes has vowed to keep working hard to try and force his way into the reckoning at Old Trafford, and has thanked United’s fans for their support.

“No matter what happens. The only way I know is to work hard every day,” he wrote on Facebook.

“Thank you all for your support!”

Valdes was expected to leave United in the summer, but remained at the club despite links with Besiktas and Valencia.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Van Gaal absent from Hernandez's farewell letter to Man Utd

Javier Hernandez has posted a farewell letter to Manchester United following his move to Bayer Leverkusen... but with one notable exclusion.

The striker ended a four-year spell at Old Trafford with an €11 million (£8m) move earlier this week and has thanked former United manager Sir Alex Ferguson and the club's chief scout Jim Lawlor before giving a special mention to the supporters.

However, Louis van Gaal, along with Sir Alex's immediate successor, David Moyes, were both glaring omissions.

Hernandez played just twice under the Dutchman last season - being hooked at half-time in the season-opening 2-1 loss to Swansea City before a full run out in the shock 4-0 loss to MK Dons in the League Cup.

The Mexico international was given few opportunities this term also, with three substitute appearances, which included missing a penalty in the recent 4-0 away win over Club Brugge in the Champions League play-off round.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

LVG wa miss out karana 1ka sadaranayi karapu wade hatiyata​