..::Football II::..

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Rodgers not ruling out Liverpool move for Owen

Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers has refused to rule out the Anfield club making a shock bid to bring Michael Owen back to the club.The former England striker is a free-agent after being released by Manchester United after three-years with the Old Trafford club but is yet to sign up with another club.

He has been heavily linked with Stoke City throughout the summer, and in more recent times with Martin O’Neill’s Sunderland however he is yet to announce where his future lies.

And following Andy Carroll’s loan move to West Ham United, there has been speculation that Liverpool could make a move for Owen to help boost their attacking options.

And when quizzed by reporters following his side’s 2-0 home loss to Arsenal on Sunday, Rodgers refused to deny he is interested in the 32-year-old.

He also admitted that if he realized the club would not be adding to its attacking options, he would not have allowed former Newcastle front man Carroll to leave the club.
Rodgers said: "Any player that I believe can improve the squad I will look at. We have got a very, very small squad with some very young players in it. So I can't say no."

 

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Low: Germany has a great motivation to succeed in World Cup qualifiers

Germany coach Joachim Low has revealed that the national team has a greater motivation to succeed in the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifiers that commence next week.

The Mannschaft trainer will preside over the first two qualifiers against Faroe Islands and Austria later this month, but insists that the objective will always remain to succeed playing an attacking brand of football.

"The players and coaches feel we have a great motivation to take on a project as large as the World Cup in Brazil." the 52-year-old told German news agency DAPD.

"There's been a lot of talk [of our last two defeats to Italy and Argentina]. Now we have to take the next step. The goal to entertain the fans with good, attractive, inspiring and offensive football we will maintain.

"Of course we want to be successful in both matches [this month] and make good progress for the matches in October against Ireland and Sweden."

Germany takes on Faroe Islands in its first game in Group C. Kick-off at the AWD Arena in Hannover on September 7 is at 2:45 p.m. ET.

 

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Juventus is as good as Barcelona, insists former midfielder Alessio Tacchinardi

Former Juventus hero Alessio Tacchinardi has insisted that his old club is just as good as Barcelona, whilst also praising their current crop of midfielders.

The 37-year-old, who won five Serie A titles and a Champions League triumph amongst other trophies in a stellar 13 years at the club between 1994 and 2007, claims that the Bianconeri's midfield rivals that of their European competitiors.

"[Andrea] Pirlo, [Arturo] Vidal and [Claudio] Marchisio are the best in Europe together with those of Barcelona," the former defensive midfielder was quoted as saying by Tuttosport. "Pirlo has no equal in Europe, Vidal is a champion. And Marchisio, though little noticed, when he is one hundred per cent [he too] is a champion. The midfield of Juventus is complete.

"Thanks to [Kwadwo] Asamoah and [Mauricio] Isla, [director Giuseppe] Marotta has the right players. The department has everything to drag the team in the Champions League: quality, dynamism, goals."

Tacchinardi subsequently preceded to analyse the Old Lady's European rivals, insisting that Juventus is on a par with Tito Vilanova's men, and well ahead of Premier League sides.

"Behind Barca and Juve, which I would give a nice 9.5 [out of ten]. [I would] put Bayern and Real Madrid on nine, the Germans with Javi Martinez have captured a big signing and [Jose] Mourinho has added the talent of [Luka] Modric in his system.

"No, the British have more quality in attack, but in midfield [they do] not make me crazy. If Chelsea is an eight, Manchester City and United are 7.5 and seven. Even PSG convince me too. A large enough [squad], but not more [quality].

Defending champion Juventus takes on Udinese at Friuli at 2:00 p.m. ET on Sunday.

 

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Lloris deserves a club of 'higher standing' than Tottenham, claims Lizarazu

Hugo Lloris has expressed his excitement after moving to Tottenham, but Bixente Lizarazu has believes the goalkeeper should have moved to a club of "higher standing".

The 25-year-old finalised his 12 million pound switch on Friday, signing a four-year deal, but
the former France defender has claimed that Lloris should have moved to a bigger club as Spurs are “not a top European club”.

"I imagined a club of a higher standing for Hugo Lloris,” Lizarazu told RTL. “For me, Tottenham is not more powerful than Lyon. The experience in England is necessary, but I thought he would go to a top European club. For me, Tottenham is not a top European club."

However, Lloris spoke his eagerness to get the “great personal challenge” that awaits him at White Hart Lane underway, before admitting that leaving Lyon was a tough decision to make.
He told Le Progres: “This is a new step, a great personal challenge for my sporting and human development. I will fully realise when I start training in London.

"I’m proud and also sad to leave my team-mates, [and] the fans that have greatly welcomed me, because it wasn’t easy to take the mantle of [former Lyon goalkeeper] Gregory Coupet.
"I’ll keep only the good things and the great memories of this great club and great city that allowed me to blossom and to reach my personal objectives in the national team."

 

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Jürgen Klopp shows dismay at refereeing performance in Nürnberg tie

Jürgen Klopp has expressed his dismay at Tobias Welz’s refereeing performance in Borussia Dortmund’s 1-1 draw with Nürnberg on Saturday.

“What was unacceptable was the refereeing performance," he told Spox. "It is so hard to play football when that happens. We have been the fairest team for three consecutive years and today we got more yellow cards than Nürnberg. Nobody wanted to play unfairly today, but there were free kicks for no reason.”



Having fallen behind to a Tomas Pekhart header on 31 minutes, Dortmund did well to respond when Jakub Blasczczykowski equalized five minutes before half time.The game became increasingly combative and Klopp blames the officials for the sporadic nature of the play and indeed the stagnated outcome, though he does lend some credit to Nürnberg’s tactics.

“The opposition made it very hard for us, playing in many one-on-one duels, man marking in order to take Mats (Hummels) and Marco (Reus) out of the game,” the German reported in the post-match press conference.

BVB now sits in fourth in the German top flight after two games, and while Klopp illustrated that a draw was not the exact outcome he had hoped for, he will take positives from the fact that his side remains unbeaten.

 

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Guti slams Jose Mourinho over Granero and Essien deals

Former Real Madrid star and Spanish international, Guti, has slammed Jose Mourinho’s judgment with regards to the sale of fellow Spaniard, Esteban Granero, and the signing of Chelsea’s Michael Essien on loan.

Guti, who played over 350 La Liga games for Real Madrid between 1995 and 2010, is seemingly outraged that Mourinho would replace a young Spanish player with a foreign player like Essien, who is in the autumn of his career.


“There are some things I can’t understand in football and one of those is that Granero is leaving so that Essien can arrive. Granero is a much better player and he is Spanish,” Guti told Marca.
"Right now the best players are Spanish, and what happens is that you spend a lot more money if you buy foreigners, which annoys me greatly," he added.

Esteban Granero has signed for Premier League side Queens Park Rangers, and made his debut on Saturday against English champions Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium.Guti tried to remain respectful, commenting that Real Madrid did need either Essien or Lassana Diarra alongside Sami Khedira, Xabi Alonso and new signing Luka Modric in the midfield, and admitted some may disagree with his views. “It is my opinion," the 35-year-old said. "That does not mean I am right.”

 

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Hodgson: I'll have a very competitive squad in Brazil if we qualify

Roy Hodgson believes his England team is in with a chance of becoming the first European side to win a World Cup in South Americahttp://www.goal.com/en-us/teams/brazil/209/brazil.

The Three Lions begin their quest to reach Brazil 2014 next Friday when they take on Moldova in Chisinau.

They are in a qualifying group which they are widely expected to ease through, with pundits identifying the main threats as likely to come from Euro 2012 co-hosts Poland and Montenegro. Assuming England can overcome those challenges, it can contemplate a trip to
South America for the finals.

If it gets there, Hodgson is aware of the difficulties his players could face in terms of the geographical scale of Brazil and the unfamiliar conditions they might encounter. He is also mindful that of the four previous World Cup tournaments staged in South America, the winners have been Uruguay (twice), Brazil and Argentina; a European team is yet to triumph on that continent.

"There's no doubt playing on your own continent is a major advantage," Hodgson told the Daily Mail. "But if you watch the last two victories by Spain, most people would agree the quality of their football would compare with the Brazil teams of the past so maybe the gap is getting smaller."People are entitled to an opinion but it doesn't interest me. I don't think they actually said we had much chance of winning the World Cup in 1966."

Hodgson has admitted if England was to qualify for Brazil 2014, it wouldn't bother him if it wasn't one of the favorites to win the trophy.

"We won't be favorites if we qualify but I am not unhappy about that," he said. "I'd much rather someone else bears the burden of being favorite to win a World Cup. But if we get there I am pretty certain I will have a very competitive group of players."As far as motivation is concerned, the former West Brom manager is sure he won't need to tell his players what a great opportunity this will be to play in a World Cup in football's most glamorous nation, where the hosts and five-times champions bound to be one of the favorites in two years' time.

"I would be a bit disappointed if one of my team talks needs to be 'Listen lads, this is the chance to qualify for a World Cup in Brazil, give it your best shot'."I like to concentrate on the basics. At the moment it's Moldova and then Ukraine.

"It's important we play well in every game because these days all groups are much closer than many believe them to be and it's by no means certain the favorite will win it."

 

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Bayern Munich 6-1 Stuttgart: Muller double highlight of convincing victory

Bayern was in imperious form as it continued its 100 percent Bundesliga record by trouncing Stuttgart 6-1 at the Allianz Arena.

The visitors began the game well and took the lead through Martin Harnik but die Roten were indomitable in their response as goals from Thomas Muller, Toni Kroos and Luiz Gustavo ensured they entered the break with a two-goal advantage.

Another three strikes in the space of six second-half minutes completed the rout, with Muller in fine form. The 22-year-old scored his second of the night between goals for both Mario Mandzukic and Bastian Schweinsteiger and the visitors' misery was compounded when Vedad Ibisevic was dismissed in the 74th minute.

With just four minutes on the clock Harnik span his defender and dribbled across the box from the right before sending an effort for the far corner. It looked certain to find the net but the slightest of touches from Manuel Neuer diverted the ball onto the bar and Shinji Okazaki was unable to turn in the rebound.

After that early wobble Bayern stamped its authority on the game with a high level of ball retention. The visitors were penned back in their own half but a Luiz Gustavo shot that scraped the outside of the post was the best thing they could create.

They were punished for their lack of ingenuity as Stuttgart took the lead in the 25th minute. Arthur Boka's free kick from deep found Harnik at the back post and the Austrian lifted a cushioned volley over Neuer and into the back of the net.

Bayern continued to dominate the game though and it finally found its clinical boots in attack as it struck twice in the space of two minutes. Firstly, Muller beat the static Stuttgart defenders to the rebound of his initial shot to tap in and then Kroos drilled in a missile of a shot from 20 yards after the visitors were caught in possession in its own final third.

Two minutes before the break Bruno Labbadia's side was left shell-shocked when Luiz Gustavo drilled in a fantastic 35-yard effort that swerved away from Sven Ulreich and crashed in off the post.

The break did little to stem the flow for Stuttgart however, and trio of goals followed for the hosts within a blistering six minutes of the second half.

Mandzukic netted his second of the season with a simple tap in after Muller's shot was saved and moments later the hosts countered in style and, in a reversal of roles, Muller headed in after Ulreich had partially blocked the Croatian's shot.

The 22-year-old was involved once again as he supplied a pinpoint cross in the 51st minute for Schweinsteiger to nod past the dumbfounded keeper.

With the game seemingly won Bayern took its foot off the gas but Stuttgart failed to make it any easier for themselves as Vedad Ibisevic was shown a red card for barging into Jerome Boateng after a contentious tackle.

The damage was already done though and Jupp Heynckes' side cruised to the end of the game, ensuring it ends the second round of Bundesliga fixtures on the top of the pile.

 

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'I don't know what I was thinking' - Van Persie angry at penalty miss against Southampton

Robin van Persie was angry with himself for missing a penalty, despite his hat trick leading Manchester United to a 3-2 over Southampton.

The Dutchman's superb treble was the difference between the two sides, but he was left fuming after attempting to chip a second-half spot-kick that Kelvin Davis palmed away.

He told Sky Sports: "It means a head-ache, I don't know what I was doing with the penalty.

"I wanted to hit it hard, like I always do, at the last second I just changed, somehow. Maybe it was my brother or something, I don't know! But it wasn't good enough, so it was a bit of a downer. Afterwards, we got a bit lucky for 2-2 and at the end it was dramatic for 3-2.

"I'm quite disappointed about this, to be fair. I ask a certain standard of my game and when that happens, you're 2-1 down, you can't take a penalty like that so it's me to blame. I don't know what went wrong, something went wrong big time so I need to work hard."

United was shook by another superb Saints display against a title contender, after its similar opening-day defeat to Manchester City, and while Van Persie hit the goals to seal victory, he was insistent that his side's comeback from 2-1 down was a team effort.

The 29-year-old also reserved special praise for Paul Scholes, who was introduced to the game as a second-half substitute.

He added: "Everyone has to work hard. I need to say a big thank you to Paul Scholes, because when he came on everything was ticking and every single pass he hit was the right one.

"Everyone felt that, I certainly did. With him you're always on your toes because anything can happen with him. For me, he's the man of the match today."

The Dutchman once again hailed everyone involved with the club for making him feel welcome, after his move from Arsenal this summer.

"I have to thank everyone, it's a great club," Van Persie said. "Everyone's been very helpful. I've been here only for two weeks now but I feel very welcome. Everyone that's involved, the players and the staff makes me feel welcome, everyone wants to help and I appreciate that they are trying to help."

 

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Half Time

Real Madrid 1 Vs 0 Granada

 

[achalar]

Good come back by Manchester united!!!!!!!

 

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Lille 1-2 Paris Saint-Germain: Ibrahimovic double earns first win of season for Ancelotti

Paris Saint-Germain picked up its first Ligue 1 victory of the season, emerging from Lille with a 2-1 win.

Summer signing Zlatan Ibrahimovic was the inspiration for the visitor, scoring after just 26 seconds and then striking what proved to be the decisive goal midway through a first period that was played at a breakneck speed. The Swede’s two efforts sandwiched a header from Aurelien Chedjou that briefly brought the scores level.

There had been some doubts over the fitness of the former AC Milan forward coming into this match, but any questions over his ability to perform were cast aside with the quickest goal in France’s top flight this season. Maxwell and Jeremy Menez were heavily involved in a swift move down the left, with the latter releasing Ibrahimovic, whose clipped finish from an awkward angle was befitting his 20 million euro price tag.

Lille, though, replied with the kind of slick offensive soccer it has gained a reputation from, and they unsettled the PSG rearguard on several occasions before drawing level. Nolan Roux had the best of these efforts, but his bicycle kick was pushed clear by Salvatore Sirigu.

The Italian could do nothing to prevent Chedjou’s header from a wonderful Marvin Martin corner flying beyond him only a couple of minutes later, though.

At this point the hosts had a good grip of the game, but another fine movement from les Parisiens would see the guests move clear once more. Javier Pastore offered a through pass to Ibrahimovic, who once more displayed a cool head to finish.

On a couple of occasions the striker nearly completed a first-half hat trick, but his header from a Christophe Jallet free kick went too high, and a free kick was deflected narrowly wide.

After the restart, Lille pushed hard for an equalizing goal, dominating possession and territory, and regularly threatening the home regard down the flanks. Salomon Kalou was introduced at the break and offered a direct threat when running at the defense, but even when Lille was able to get a shot away Sirigu was inevitably behind it. On several occasions the home side was able to strike at goal, but the international goalkeeper was never truly stretched.

Although PSG was not controlling matters, it was steady defensively and had the quality to trouble Lille when it did attack. Indeed, Mickael Landreu was forced into the outstanding save of the second period as he touched over a late Ibrahimovic header.

Tulio de Melo did muster a powerful header on goal from a Lucas Digne long throw, but it typified the host's night that it flew straight at Sirigu.

PSG therefore emerged from its toughest fixture of the season to date with maximum points, and has answered some of its critics in the meantime. The challenge really facing Ancelotti, however, is to attain this level of performance from his side on a weekly basis, as it remains six points behind Ligue 1 pacesetter and bitter rival Olympique de Marseille.

 

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Inter 1-3 Roma: Totti inspires San Siro triumph

Roma announced itself as possible title contenders with an impressive 3-1 victory over Inter at the Giuseppe Meazza on Sunday evening.

Francesco Totti was the star of the show at San Siro, setting up Alessandro Florenzi for the opener before creating a second for Pablo Osvaldo - who was sent off late on for a second bookable offence - after Inter had drawn level with a deflected effort from new boy Antonio Cassano.

The Giallorossi then put the seal on a fine win when substitute Marquinho, who had come on during the first half for the injured Daniele De Rossi, fired home with just under 10 minutes remaining.

Inter, high on confidence after last week's encouraging win at Pescara, handed a first Serie A appearance to Alvaro Pareira and the former Porto man was one of the key protagonists of an absorbing first half, offering the host tremendous width on the left hand side - even if his crossing was erratic.

However, it was Florenzi - also making his first start in Italy’s top flight - who opened the scoring at the Giuseppe Meazza. The 21-year-old midfielder made a splendidly timed run into the area to meet Totti’s inviting cross from the left wing, with an perfectly-placed header that gave Nerazzurri goalkeeper Luca Castellazzi no chance.

With Zdenek Zeman’s side holding a predictably high line, Diego Milito repeatedly threatened to break the offside trap, but the Argentine’s most clear cut goalscoring opportunity came courtesy of a delightful outside of the foot ball into the area from Wesley Sneijder. The Argentine managed to get ahead of Federico Balzaretti and connect with the cross, but his header flashed wide.

However, Inter did eventually draw level courtesy of another measured pass from Sneijder. The Dutch playmaker released Cassano in first-half stoppage time and the former AC Milan man cut inside Leandro Castan before unleashing a shot that took a wicked deflection off Nicolas Burdisso, the ball clipping the Argentine’s heel before looping over a helpless Maarten Stekelenburg and into the Roma goal – via the right post.

The host, though, failed to build on that strike after the interval and Osvaldo had already flashed two shots wide before he deservedly put Roma back in front with a deft chip over the advancing Castellazzi, with Totti the supplier again.

Inter tried to rally but Marquinho effectively ended the game as a meaningful contest after he fired home from an acute angle following Osvaldo's measured pass.

Even though Osvaldo saw red for a needless handball late on, Roma saw the game out with relative ease in a performance that suggests Giallorossi look better equipped to challenge for the Scudetto this season than Andrea Stramaccioni's Nerazzurri.

 

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Udinese 1-4 Juventus: Giovinco double helps sink 10-man hosts

Juventus maintained their winning start to the new Serie A season by cruising to a 4-1 victory over Udinese at the Stadio Friuli on Sunday evening.

Arturo Vidal opened the scoring from the penalty spot 14 minutes after Zebrette goalkeeper Zeljko Brkic had been shown a straight red card for taking out Sebastian Giovinco.

Mirko Vucinic doubled the Bianconeri’s advantage just before the interval with a sublime finish before strike partner Giovinco tapped in to make it 3-0 early in the second half. The latter struck again on 71 minutes, rendering Andrea Lazzari's late strike purely academic.

Juventus looked somewhat sluggish in last weekend's win over Parma but they could have been ahead inside four minutes in Udine, with Andrea Pirlo prising open the home side’s defence with a predictably precise pass only for Stephan Lichsteiner to lob his team-mate’s sublime through-ball over the bar.

However, the Bianconeri would not have to wait much longer to break the deadlock. Again, Pirlo was involved, the playmaker picking out Giovinco with another exquisite ball over the top. The diminutive attacker nodded the bouncing ball past the onrushing Brkic, whose momentum carried him into the former Parma man.

Referee Paolo Valeri quite correctly pointed to the spot but his decision to dismiss Brkic was harsh in the extreme given there was nothing malicious about his challenge, while there were also two covering Udinese defenders in attendance.

The injustice of the straight red was of little concern to Vidal, though, and the Chilean confidently dispatched the ball past Brkic’s replacement, Daniele Padelli, to put the visitors a goal to the good.

Unsurprisingly, Juve dominated possession thereafter, but without doing very much. Indeed, a well-struck drive from Vucinic, which Padelli tipped around the posts, was the sum total of their efforts before the Bianconeri’s Montenegro international put daylight between the two sides on the stroke of half-time.

Former Udinese man Kwadwo Asamoah advanced down the left-hand side before pulling the ball across the face of the box. Pablo Armero really should have cut out the cross; he did not, and Vucinic pounced, controlling the ball before almost calmly bending it past a stationary Padelli.

Giovinco almost bettered that strike after jinking his way past a couple of players shortly after the restart but the Italy international fired over the bar. However, he made amends just moments later, slotting home the rebound after Padelli had spilled Claudio Marchisio’s strike from distance.

The 'Atomic Ant' then doubled his tally in emphatic style, firing home from just inside the area after being slipped in on goal by Pirlo. Udinese, who saw their hopes of Champions League football dashed by Braga in week, did manage a late consolation through Lazzari after he punished some sloppy defending from Andrea Barzagli but the spoils went to Juventus, who look set to go into the international break at the summit of the standings.

 

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Real Madrid 3-0 Granada: Ronaldo at the double in comfortable win​

Cristiano Ronaldo scored his 149th and 150th goals for Real Madrid, which dispatched Granada 3-0 at Santiago Bernabeu on Sunday to pick up its first La Liga win of the season.

The Portuguese's milestone was the highlight of a lackluster performance from Los Blancos, who never seemed to click into top gear.

Ronaldo opened the scoring in the 26th minute in somewhat fortuitous manner and he doubled his side's advantage eight minutes into the second half with a close-range finish, before limping off with a suspected knee injury.

Granada's hopes were put to rest just before the hour mark as Borja Gomez was shown a red card, and Gonzalo Higuain wrapped up matters with a tap in 14 minutes before the end.

Luka Modric was handed his league debut in an advanced midfield role, lining up behind Karim Benzema, who was chosen ahead of Higuain to lead the line.

Granada meanwhile fielded an offensive-minded XI, with Youssef El-Arabi, Juanma Ortiz, Fabian Orellana and Natonio Floro Flores all playing from the start.Madrid threatened to break through early on, when Jose Callejon was released by Modric on goal, only to see Tono rush off his line to block convincingly in the fourth minute.

The host was bossing the midfield and saw plenty of the ball to keep Granada pegged back in their half. However, the positive start did not result in many clear openings, as Madrid struggled to find many gaps in the opposition back four.

Callejon again provided the danger in the 16th minute, whipping in a dangerous cross that Tono claimed bravely just ahead of the onrushing Sami Khedira. But the Granada stopper was far less convincing 10 minutes later, as an unimpressive piece of goalkeeping handed Madrid the lead.

A silky build up saw Callejon collect at the edge of the area, before slipping in the overlapping Ronaldo, who drilled a shot towards the near post that squeezed past the body of Tono.The host had the advantage, but it was far from business as usual with a stubborn test posed by the determined visitor. Chances remained at a premium as Granada, buoyed by its defensive resilience, began to cause a few problems of its own with its speed in transition.

Madrid managed to threaten twice just before the end of the half. First, Benzema volleyed into the side netting after latching onto a Marcelo cross and then a sublime piece of control in the area by Ronaldo saw him manufacture an inch of space, but his shot was smothered easily by Tono.

The home side’s lethargy seemed set to continue into the second half, but it still managed to grab a second goal eight minutes after the restart. Half-time substitute Angel Di Maria was the architect, feeding Ronaldo with a well-weighted through ball, and the Portuguese made no mistake once in range for his 150th Madrid goal.

Granada’s chances were virtually extinguished just before the hour mark, as Borja Gomez was shown a second yellow card for cynically taking down Madrid's milestone man, making the visitor's task that much harder. Xabi Alonso went close from the resulting free kick, but Tono got down in time to make the save.

There was cause for some concern for the home side shortly after though, as a hobbling Ronaldo was summoned to the sidelines and replaced by Higuain. And the substitute would make his presence felt in the 76th minute, tapping in a cut back from Benzema to put matters beyond any doubt.Higuain would come close again in the 83rd minute after racing clear, but his lofted finish over the keeper bounced the wrong side of the post.

By that point, the game had long ceased to be a contest and Madrid played out the remaining minutes to pick up its first victory of the new season.

 

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Barcelona 1-0 Valencia: Adriano stunner maintains perfect start to season

Barcelona kept up its perfect start to the 2012-13 Primera Division with a narrow 1-0 triumph over Valencia, making it nine points from nine so far for the Catalan giant. Adriano's goal decided matters early in the first half, the Brazilian finding the net with a glorious long-range effort that proved to be the only goal of the evening in Camp Nou.

Seeking a third straight Liga victory after convincing wins over Real Sociedad and Osasuna, Barcelona started brightly and soon settled into its characteristic possession game, constantly probing around the Valencia box. Pedro was one of the first to threaten Diego Alves in the away goal, expertly turning Victor Ruiz before forcing a decent save out of the goalkeeper.

Despite seeing little of the ball during the first half, it was Los Che who almost opened the scoring in the opening minutes. Roberto Soldado took advantage of slack marking from Gerard Pique to release a shot from distance, but the striker saw his effort curl just wide of the post. At the other end Alves was at full stretch to deny Messi a headed strike, but the Brazilian was powerless to stop the Blaugrana hitting home with 23 minutes on the clock.

Vindicating Tito Vilanova's decision to put him ahead of Jordi Alba against the youngster's old club, Adriano smashed home a glorious effort that left Alves with no chance. The fullback was given room after picking the ball up from a short corner, and with his right foot released a bomb that settled in the left-hand corner of the net. Cesc Fabregas should have doubled the advantage seconds later when he was left clear thanks to unselfish play from Lionel Messi, but his chipped effort brushed the post and went wide.

Valencia saw itselfs pegged further and further back in its own half, at times defending with seven as the Liga runner-up dominated possession around the Che penalty area. There were isolated moments in attack; Soldado was livid with teammate Sofian Feghouli when the Algerian, with players in the area, decided to take the shot on himself from out wide and blazed harmlessly over the bar. Having held Real Madrid to a draw in the Primera Division opener, however, the visitors went into half time needing to raise their game if they wanted to take anything away from Camp Nou.

The return of both teams to the pitch after the interval did indeed coincide with a more proactive, attacking Valencia, which looked more willing to take the initiative and not simply wait for a mistake from its rival. But despite enjoying a little more of the ball, clear cut chances were lacking for the visitors, who could not find a way past Pique and Javier Mascherano - the best opportunities continued to come for the Blaugrana. Fabregas had another chance to hit home; taking the ball from Alexis Sanchez, who did brilliantly in holding off two challenges on his way to goal, the ex-Arsenal man hit over with the goal at his mercy.

Mauricio Pellegrino's men thought they had restored parity on the hour, when Victor Ruiz headed home a corner at the far post taking advantage of careless home defending. Ruiz's joy soon turned to despair though, when his effort was ruled out for a narrow offside.

The introduction of Andres Iniesta provoked a rousing ovation from the Camp Nou faithful as they saluted the newly-crowned Best Player in Europe, and his entry seemed also to lift his teammates as they resumed control of the game with some outrageous skills on display. There would be no way through a dogged defensive effort from the away team, however, and the Catalans were ultimately happy to play out the last minutes and stroll to a 1-0 victory.

The win means Barca conserves its 100 percent start to La Liga in 2012, as well as its place at the top of the table. The club lies two points clear of nearest rivals Mallorca, Rayo Vallecano and Malaga, while winless Valencia sits a lowly 17th after the first three games.

 

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Newcastle 1-1 Aston Villa: Stunning Ben Arfa strike saves hosts from defeat

Ciaran Clark's first half goal gave Aston Villa the edge at the end of 45 minutes, before Hatem Ben Arfa's wonderstrike in the 60th minute put the two teams level again.

Alan Pardew made no changes to the side which lost 2-0 to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in their last Premier League game whereas Paul Lambert changed five of his starting eleven. Brad Guzan, Eric Lichaj, Brett Holman, Stephen Ireland and Andreas Weimann were all brought into the side following last week's 3-1 home defeat to Everton.

Newcastle started the game on the attack with a Coloccini header being struck wide, following Cabaye's delivery from a free kick.

Ten minutes into the game, Villa started to attack more with Andreas Weimann passing the ball to Darren Bent as he waited in the penalty box, before Tim Krul saved the home side forcing the ball off for a corner after hitting the captain Coloccini in the rebound.

Lambert's side then continued to press with Darren Bent forcing another save from Kurl, resulting in another corner for Aston Villa. Although the ball was headed clear by Newcastle's defense, Barry Bannan was waiting at the edge of the box where he crossed in the ball for the waiting Ciaran Clark, who stood unmarked in the opposition's six yard box.

After Karim El Ahmadi was booked for a challenge on Danny Simpson, Newcastle started to test Brad Guzan in Villa's goal where Papiss Cisse's shot resulted in the ball bouncing back to Vurnon Anita, before the new signing hit the ball wide of the target.

Ten minutes before half time Simpson was forced off the pitch with a hamstring injury, which resulted in Anita dropping into defense. Gael Bigirimana was then brought onto the pitch as Pardew's first substitute, where he took up Anita's position.

Newcastle finished the first half the stronger side after Cisse missed a golden opportunity to put his side level. The ball came to his feet in the six-yard box before Guzan made an impressive save to stop the striker netting his first goal of the season.

The second half began with Villa continuing its form, forcing Newcastle into giving away two corners within the first three minutes of the second half but without causing any pressure for Krul.

Newcastle slowly came into the second half but rapidly picked up the pace around the hour mark, where the ball fell to Hatem Ben Arfa and after dribbling past Holman, the Frenchman launched the ball into the top right corner of Guzan's net leaving the keeper without a chance.

Aston Villa tried to respond immediately with Weimann hitting the ball wide from close range, followed by the Austrian being taken off the field to make way for Gabriel Agbonlahor.

Both teams continued to press with 20 minutes to go with Newcastle working deep into Aston Villa's half, resulting in the visitors conceding numerous corners, but without any trouble for Guzan.

Charles N'Zogbia was then brought on for El Ahmadi who was the second player of the game to go off the field injured but was received with a few boos.

With 13 minutes to go, a quick run from Demba Ba led to a nasty collision between Guzan and the striker, with the Villa keeper taking a knee to the side of his head.

In the final ten minutes, Villa continued to play attacking football but Pardew's men did not allow any real chances for the away side, aside from a misdirected volley from Stephen Ireland just outside the Newcastle penalty box, after substitute Agbonlahor laid the ball off for him.

Bigirimana made a heroic tackle on Darren Bent to prevent the Englishman from potentially scoring the winner, after another great ball by Agbonlahor after the striker raced past Coloccini.

With five minutes to go, Pardew brought off Gutierrez due to his reckless challenges giving needless free kicks away to Villa as well as earning himself a yellow card, and replaced Jonas with Sylvian Marveaux. Moments later Newcastle's final substitute was made as Demba Ba was replaced with Gabriel Obertan.

The game became more open in the final stages of the match, which resulted in Eric Lichaj picking up a yellow card after holding back Obertan a few yards away from the center circle.

With almost the no time to spare, Yohan Cabaye missed the opportunity to put his side on front and secure them the win after his free kick was saved by another brilliant stop from Guzan, who looks set to challenge Shay Given for the starting position.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Cristiano Ronaldo scores 150th Real Madrid goal against Granada

Cristiano Ronaldo reached another milestone on Sunday. The Portuguese's second strike at home to Granada in La Liga was his 150th for the capital club in just over three seasons in Spain.

Ronaldo came into this match without a league goal this term but had hit two in the Spanish Supercopa series against Barcelona and opened his Primera Division account as he netted after 26 minutes from a tight angle.

And he made it 2-0 early in the second half after his initial attempt was saved by Granada goalkeeper Tono, to take his tally to 150 since signing for the club in the summer of 2009.

The former Manchester United winger is 10th in the club's all-time scoring charts, having netted 33 in 2009-10, 53 in 2010-11 and another 60 last season. He now has four in all competitions this term.

Ronaldo went off with a thigh injury after 63 minutes.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Congratulations C.Ronaldo!

 

[Wolverine GTR]

'We can still improve' - Zeman sends out bold statement after Roma win

Zdenek Zeman has sent an ominous warning to the rest of Serie A by claiming that there is still much more to come from his Roma side after its impressive 3-1 win over Inter on Sunday.

Goals from Alessadro Florenzo, Pablo Osvaldo and Marquinho earned his side the spoils and despite securing his first win with the club, the Czech remained modest.

"We played a good match. The team definitely wanted to counter Inter and at times we did that well," Zeman told reporters in the mixed zone after the game. "This result should give us belief, even if we still have room for improvement."

On bitter rivals Lazio's perfect start, he replied "I have to think of Rome. Next we play against Bologna, not Lazio."