..::Football II::..

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Rooney still confident of comfortable England qualification

Manchester United and England striker Wayne Rooney is remaining calm after his national team's poor showing in Poland on Wednesday.

The Three Lions labored to a 1-1 draw in Warsaw on a sodden pitch after the waterlogged surface the previous evening caused the match to be delayed for almost 24 hours.

Rooney scored his 32nd goal for England with a first-half header from Steven Gerrard's corner, before Kamil Glik equalized in the second have to earn the hosts a deserved point. Despite surrendering the lead, Rooney was not too downhearted with a draw, which leaves England at the top of its qualification group after four games.

"It was a difficult game, a difficult pitch," the 26-year-old told reporters. "We weren’t at our best but we dug in and got a draw. We know we can play better, but this is a difficult place to come, so it is a decent point."

Roy Hodgson is yet to lose during a 90-minute contest in his tenure as the national team boss, and after wins away in Moldova and at home to San Marino along with a draw with Ukraine, the Three Lions are still in control of their qualification from Group H. That position has reassured Rooney over the chances of Hodgson’s men reaching the World Cup finals in Brazil in two years time.

"We knew it was a tough group, but we’re still confident," Rooney said. "We believe in ourselves, and we believe we are the best team in the group, so we are confident of qualifying. Hopefully we will win the rest of our home games and have a great chance."

 

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Sevilla's Medel cleared after assault claim

Chilean police have rejected an assault complaint by journalist Natalia Marambio against Sevilla and Chile player Gary Medel.

The 25-year-old Medel had reportedly pushed Marambio out of the way after refusing to answer questions about his behavior off the field, prompting the journalist to file a complaint against the midfielder. Nevertheless, the authorities have deemed the journalist's complaint invalid as she did not suffer any form of injury, and Medel will not be charged.

"Medel remains free after an investigator ascertained that journalist Natalia Marambio, of a showbiz television program, did not suffer any form of injury, as she had claimed," a Chilean police spokesperson told Spanish news agency EFE.

Medel has made six La Liga appearances for Sevilla this season, and he was recently dismissed in his side's loss against Barcelona.

 

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Chelsea defender John Terry opts against appeal over four-game ban

John Terry has announced he will not be contesting the Football Association's decision to ban him for four matches and fine him 220,000 pounds after he insulted Anton Ferdinand in Chelsea's clash with QPR at Loftus Road last season.

Last month, an independent panel ruled that Terry had directed racist language at Ferdinand in the Premier League match, and the Chelsea captain was given two weeks to issue a response to the verdict."I want to take this opportunity to apologize to everyone for the language I used in the game," Terry said in a statement. "Although I'm disappointed with the FA judgment, I accept that the language I used, regardless of the context, is not acceptable on the football field or indeed in any walk of life.

"As I stated in the criminal case, with the benefit of hindsight my language was clearly not an appropriate reaction to the situation for someone in my position. My response was below the level expected by Chelsea Football Club, and by me, and it will not happen again.

"I will continue to do my part in assisting the club to remove all types of discriminatory behavior from football. I am extremely grateful for the consistent support of Chelsea FC, the fans and my family."

The three-man panel judging Terry's case concluded that he was not a racist but was not satisfied by his defense, describing it as "improbable, implausible and contrived." Earlier in the year, the Chelsea defender was cleared by Westminster Magistrates' Court of racially abusing Ferdinand.

Terry, who was first stripped of the England captaincy and then retired from the national set-up over the incident, will now miss the club's Premier League and League Cup matches with Manchester United, as well as Saturday's clash with Tottenham and a game with Swansea City.

Chelsea released a statement in which the club claimed it agreed with Terry's decision to not appeal the FA ruling, while adding that the club would further discipline Terry in a confidential manner.

"Chelsea Football Club believes John Terry has made the correct decision by not appealing against the FA judgment relating to language he used at the QPR match last October. Chelsea also appreciates, and supports, John's full apology for the language he used. The club firmly believes such language is not acceptable and fell below the standards expected of John as a Chelsea player.

"The Board has conducted its own investigation into the matter, and considered the various issues involved. The Board has taken further disciplinary action in addition to the four-match suspension and 220,000 pound fine imposed by the FA. In accordance with our long-standing policy, that disciplinary action will remain confidential."

 

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Sir Alex Ferguson unsupportive of Roberts' stance against 'Kick It Out'

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has spoken out against Jason Roberts after the Reading striker confirmed he would not be wearing a 'Kick It Out' shirt this weekend due to a supposed lack of action from the organization.


Following incidents involving John Terry and Luis Suarez over the past 12 months, the Reading striker feels the anti-discrimination campaign group hasn't been tough enough in preventing racism in football.

But Sir Alex does not agree with Roberts' protests, believing there are more pro-active ways to send his message to ‘Kick It Out’.


"I have to disagree with Jason Roberts. I think he is making the wrong point," The 70-year-old told reporters. "Everyone should be united, with all the players in the country wearing the Kick it Out warm-up tops.

"I don't know what point he is trying to make. I don't know if he is trying to put himself on a different pedestal from everyone. But he really should be supporting all the rest of the players who are doing it."

It has been rumored that Roberts isn't the only player contemplating individual protests, with the Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand a prime candidate, following his brother Anton's involvement in the John Terry case.

But Sir Alex stressed the need for a united front against racism and further denounced Roberts' sentiments.

"When you do something, and everyone believes in it, you should all do it together. There shouldn't be sheep wandering off," the Scot continued. "I think he is making the wrong message.

"All the players are wearing it. I have only heard that Jason Roberts is different - but he is very different. He plays a game and is in the studio 20 minutes after it. That is a great privilege."

 

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O'Shea relishing the chance to captain Sunderland in Tyne-Wear derby

John O’Shea insists he is relishing the opportunity to captain Sunderland in his first home Tyne-Wear derby when the Black Cats take on Newcastle this Sunday.

The former Manchester United man was sidelined for last season’s clash at the Stadium of Light but played a part in the 1-1 draw on Tyneside back in March. O'Shea is likely to skipper the Black Cats in place of the suspended Lee Cattermole, and hopes the game will live up to the hype.

“These are the big games you want to play in,” O'Shea told the club's official website. “I was involved last year at St. James’ Park, and it was an amazing game where we should really have held on. The atmosphere was fantastic and fingers crossed my first home derby will be special too.”

The encounter will be the 146th meeting between the two teams in all competitions, and O'Shea has praised the pre-match atmosphere in the North East.

“I’ve met fans around the place and they are buzzing for the game. You can see how passionate people are," he said. "I’ve played in a lot of derby games, and I wouldn’t say you ever get used to it, because they are all one-off matches. You really feel you have to give everything you’ve got.”

There are just two points between the two sides ahead of this weekend's game, although Sunderland has a game in hand. O’Shea feels that recent results will be insignificant going into the match, though, and remains focused on stopping Newcastle's attacking threat.

“Form, along with everything else, goes out the window. There’s two evenly matched teams," O'Shea said. “Hopefully we can come out with a win and go ahead of them with a game in hand, but we know they have some very dangerous players so we will have to be on our guard.”

 

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Manchester City star David Silva ruled out of Champions League clash with Ajax

Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini has confirmed that influential midfielder David Silva will miss the club's next two matches with a hamstring injury.

Silva was carried off after 12 minutes of Spain's World Cup qualification draw with France on Tuesday and there were initial fears that he could be set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines.

Mancini has revealed, however, that although Silva will miss the Premier League fixture with West Brom on Saturday, as well as Wednesday's Champions League clash with Ajax, he should be fit in time to face Swansea on October 27."We have a lot of injury problems after the international break," Mancini told reporters. "David has a hamstring problem and is not ready for tomorrow."

He added, "We hope that he will be ready for the next Premier League game against Swansea."

The City manager also confirmed that Javi Garcia and Jack Rodwell would be missing for his side's trip to the Hawthorns.

"Javi I think will be out for another week maybe, Jack is out too," he said.

 

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Ashley Young is fit again, says Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson said that Ashley Young is fit again, while another ailing Red Devil, Chris Smalling, is still in the process of making his comeback.
Young has been out of action with a knee injury that he suffered in September but is now ready to be considered for a first team place against Stoke City, a selection problem that Ferguson is more than happy to have. He has played just 80 minutes all season across all competitions.

"Very few players can cross as well as he can, and his goalscoring ratio is very good," Ferguson told reporters.The 70-year-old will also be happy with Smalling's progress as he recovers from a broken metatarsal he suffered in the summer. The England defender will bring greatly needed numbers into a thin Manchester United defense that has had to call upon the young and untested Scott Wootton at times during the opening months of the campaign.

More good news that the United manager revealed is that all players came back from international duty unscathed, as it is "always a time when you're a bit concerned, but we've been lucky this time," according to the long-time manager.

 

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Barclays Premier League 2012.10.20 Fixtures

Barclays Premier League 2012.10.20 Fixtures

Fulham Vs Aston Villa

Liverpool Vs Reading

Manchester United Vs Stroke City

Swansea Vs Wigan

West Ham United Vs Southampton

WBA Vs Manchester City

Norwich City Vs Arsenal

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La Liga 2012.10.20 Fixtures

La Liga 2012.10.20 Fixtures

Malaga Vs Valladoid

Real Madrid Vs Celta Vigo

Valencia Vs Athletic Bilbao

Deportivo Vs Barcelona​

 

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Serie A 2012.10.20 Fixtures

Serie A 2012.10.20 Fixtures

Juventus Vs Napoli

Lazio Vs AC Milan​

 

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Live Now................

After 63rd Minute

Tottenham 2 Vs 1 Chelsea

 

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Mata Scores For Chelsea!

 

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Borussia Dortmund 1-2 Schalke: Afellay and Holger take derby spoils for visitors

Borussia Dortmund suffered another telling blow to its ambitions for a third consecutive Bundesliga title, as the Bundesliga club fell 2-1 to Schalke in the Ruhr derby at Signal-Iduna Park on Saturday.

A sublime strike from Ibrahim Afellay opened the scoring for the visitors with 14 minutes gone, and Marco Hoger made it 2-0 three minutes into the second half.

Robert Lewandowski responded eight minutes later with a header, but that was about the best that a below-par Dortmund side could offer, as it now faces a daunting 12-point gap to leader Bayern Munich with only eight games played, while Schalke now sits seven points off the pace in third place.

A rash of injuries left Jurgen Klopp without a host of first-team players for his team selection, meaning that the likes of Moritz Leitner and Ivan Perisic were handed a chance to impress in the starting XI.

However, the changes seemed to affect Dortmund’s poise in the opening exchanges, and Schalke duly took advantage when it broke the deadlock after 14 minutes.

A cross into the area was not properly dealt with by the Dortmund defense, and Afellay pounced at the far post to direct an inch-perfect volley into the bottom corner.

The expected response from the visitors never materialized, and in fact, it was Schalke which nearly scored again. Jefferson Farfan’s pinpoint delivery found Klass-Jan Huntelaar unmarked, but the Dutch forward could only plant his header over the bar.

The match unfolded at a slow tempo, with Die Knappen happy to sit deep and soak up the Dortmund pressure in their half. However, with halftime approaching, a few cracks finally began to appear in their rearguard.

First, Lewandowski released Marco Reus through on goal, but the Germany international saw his strong effort smothered by Lars Unnerstall. Moments later, Lewandowski was nearly put completely in the clear by Leitner, but his poor control destroyed what looked like a golden opening.

However, hopes of a BVB renaissance in the second half were put in serious jeopardy three minutes after the restart, as Schalke pounced on another shoddy defensive sequence to race into a two goal lead.

A loose ball from Reus was claimed by Holtby, and with Dortmund’s defense pushed high up the field, he picked out Hoger on the run, who had nearly half the pitch to himself before calmly slotting past Weidenfeller.

It could have been game over in the 53rd minute, after more poor defending on a corner saw Joel Matip poke over the bar from point blank range, after Schalke had won the initial flick on.
But just when the home side looked at its most dangerous, Dortmund, finally, decided to wake up. A free kick from Reus was hit towards the centre of the goal, where Lewandowski was waiting to flick a clever header past Unnerstall with the back of his head.

However, there was still not a lot to suggest that BVB would find a way back into the game, and Schalke nearly re-established its two-goal advantage with 19 minutes remaining. Huntelaar did well to find the diagonal run of Afellay, who advanced on goal but saw his finish parried by the onrushing Weidenfeller.

Huntelaar had two chances to put matters beyond any doubt late on, first with a drive from outside the box that flew into the side netting, then with a one-on-one that was blocked by Weidenfeller.

It mattered little in the end, as Dortmund simply cound not move out of its rut, and failed to stake a serious claim for an equalizer as Schalke was able to finish with all three points in the Ruhr derby.

 

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Tottenham 2-4 Chelsea: Marvellous Mata inspires Chelsea comeback

LONDON -- Juan Mata ensured that there was no revenge for Andre Villas-Boas as Chelsea continued their unbeaten start to the season at White Hart Lane with 4-2 victory.


The Spanish midfielder dominated Spurs in the second half with two goals and an assist while Gary Cahill and Daniel Sturridge also added a goal a piece for the Blues. William Gallas and Jermain Defoe scored for the losing.


Chelsea's performance full of the attacking verve its former coach was hired to implement.

This was the best of football, a pulsating, ever-changing derby encounter decided by two goals in as many second-half minutes by the quite brilliant Mata, who shone brightest of all in Chelsea’s sparkling midfield and set up Sturridge in injury time for the Blues’ fourth goal.


Against the club that sacked him earlier this year, Villas-Boas restored goalkeeper Brad Friedel to the starting lineup ahead of Hugo Lloris, while Mousa Dembele missed out through a hip injury and Gareth Bale dropped out late after his partner went into labor.


Chelsea captain John Terry served the first game of a four-match ban for using racist language, but the Blues barely noticed his absence in the first half as it controlled the early stages and took advantage of Spurs’ missing men.


Chelsea had initially taken the lead through Gary Cahill’s brilliant volley in the 18th minute before Spurs rallied in the second-half to turn the game on its head through goals from Gallas and Defoe.


Within a minute of the restart, Spurs leveled as it took advantage of Chelsea's defense. Tom Huddlestone’s free kick appeared to be drifting off the pitch but Jan Vertonghen superbly kept the ball alive, allowing Gallas to head home his first Spurs goal virtually from the goal line.


Five minutes later, Tottenham took the lead as Defoe scored the 200th goal of his career with a true poacher’ finish. Aaron Lennon appeared to be attempting to shoot from the right but Defoe reacted more quickly than anyone to expertly turn the ball in.


White Hart Lane was rocking but this was a topsy-turvy, helter-skelter game and it once again turned on its head in the space of a crazy two minutes, as Mata scored twice with more than a helping hand from Gallas.


On 65 minutes, the Spaniard picked up Gallas’ woeful clearance and drilled a perfect, clean finish into the bottom corner with his left foot.


Mata has been in wonderful form so far this season and it was little surprise that he was the man to score Chelsea’s third goal of the afternoon. First he evaded Gallas’ attention, and as the Frenchman watched Eden Hazard’s wonderful pass slide past him, Mata raced through and converted one-on-one past Friedel.


Torres latched on to another Mata pass but shot wide before the victory was sealed in added time, Sturridge turning in to an empty net after more brilliant work from the diminutive Spaniard.

Chelsea has its best start to a season since 2006 and leaves it on top of the league with 22 points from its first eight matches, while Spurs remain outside the top four.

 

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Congratulations Manchester United!!!

Manchester United 4-2 Stoke City: Rooney recovers from own goal to fire hosts to victory

Wayne Rooney made up for an own goal with a double as Manchester United bounced back after going behind early to register a 4-2 victory over Stoke City at Old Trafford. Striker partners Robin Van Persie and Danny Welbeck add a goal each in the Red Devils victory while Michael Kightly scored for the Potters

Sir Alex Ferguson made two changes to the side that beat Newcastle with Antonio Valencia and Paul Scholes coming into the side for Shinji Kagawa and Tom Cleverley. Tony Pulis made just one change from his Potters team that drew with Liverpool with Dean Whitehead replacing Glenn Whelan.

Stoke took the lead when Rooney nodded the ball into his own net from a Charlie Adam free kick. United rallied and Rooney was on hand to get it back into the game with a thumping header.

Every time Stoke pushed forward it threatened and De Gea had to make two good saves to stop first Adam and then Walters doubling the visitors after Kightly and Peter Crouch had combined to set the striker one-on-one with the Spaniard.

The Potters were made to rue these missed opportunities as United equalized through Rooney as he rose highest in the penalty area to head Van Persie’s cross into the right net this time for his first league goal of the season.

United upped the ante before the break as Scholes and Welbeck went close before it took the lead through Van Persie as he turned Valencia’s pinpoint cross past Begovic at the near post with a lovely finish taking the ball first time with his left-foot.

Immediately after halftime the Red Devils made it three as Welbeck headed sublimely past Begovic with a diving effort, as he latched onto Rooney’s cross getting in between two defenders to nod into the bottom corner.

The Potters had shown earlier they weren’t going to be pushovers and they regained that attitude as they equalised through Kightly with a great individual effort as he ran through the United defense and shot past De Gea with the aid of the post.

Stoke’s hopes of getting back into the game further was dented in the when Rooney struck again from close range as he reacted first to a scramble in the penalty area from a Van Persie corner and side-footed into the net at the back-post.

The Potters tried desperately to fight their way back into the game again while United had chances of their own to extend their lead but neither could find a way through again as Ferguson’s side sealed the three points.

 

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Congratulations Manchester United!!!

Congratulations Manchester United!!!​

Congratulations Rooney!!!

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Manchester United striker Rooney scores 200th club goal

Wayne Rooney scored his 200th goal in club soccer following his 65th-minute strike for Manchester United in a 4-2 win over Stoke City.

The 26-year-old, who had earlier diverted the ball into his own net to give the away side the lead, capitalized on confusion in City's defense and fired home at the back post following Robin Van Persie's corner for the Red Devils' final goal.

The England striker exploded onto the Premier League scene when he was just 16, scoring the winner for Everton in a 2-1 win over Arsenal, a game that occurred 10 years ago this week.

He went on to score 17 times for the Toffees in 77 appearances before Sir Alex Ferguson lured him to Old Trafford for 30 million euros following a successful Euro 2004 with England in a move which angered many Evertonians.

The former PFA Player's Player of the Year and twice crowned PFA Young Player of the Year went on to score a hat trick in his first game for United in the UEFA Champions League against Fenerbache and has been a mainstay in the United lineup ever since.

Since the move to Manchester in 2004, Rooney has won the Premier League four times, the Champions League once, the League Cup twice and FIFA Club World Cup but so far has failed to add an FA Cup medal to his blooming trophy cabinet.

Rooney was not the only England striker to have reached the milestone at the weekend as Tottenham striker Jermain Defoe also claimed his 200th club goal in his side's defeat at home to Chelsea.

 

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Real Madrid 2-0 Celta Vigo: Higuain & Ronaldo clinch straightforward win

A goal each from Gonzalo Higuain and Cristiano Ronaldo gave Real Madrid a relatively comfortable 2-0 victory over Celta Vigo in the Spanish Primera Division on Saturday evening.

It was by no means a vintage performance from Los Blancos, but a dominance of the ball throughout the match enabled the Argentine and Portuguese attackers to net in what was a largely forgettable encounter at Santiago Bernabeu.

Jose Mourinho’s men controlled the play in the opening stages of the match, but although plenty of possession was held in the midfield area, there was a lack of goalmouth action to get the Santiago Bernabeu faithful off their seats.

However, Madrid's dominance of the ball paid off in the 11th minute in fortuitous circumstances. Higuain found space on the left-hand side and attempted to get the ball into the box, but his attempted cross floated over the head of Celta goalkeeper Javi Varas, who appeared to be fooled by the flight of the ball.

The host side continued its patient buildup play for the first quarter of the match, and should have doubled the advantage when Higuain found himself on the wing again to dink a cross into the center for Ronaldo, but the Portuguese powered his header over the bar from just outside the six yard box.

Celta began to grow more into the match as the second half went on, and Iago Aspas looked the most likely to grab a goal back for the visitors. The 25-year old had a couple of decent strikes at goal from the edge of the box, with one attempt forcing Iker Casillas into a smart save in 26th minute

Madrid’s play in the first 20 minutes of the second period was lackluster to say the least, with passes going astray too often and Ronaldo in particular guilty of languishing in possession too often when the ball was in the final third.

Despite playing within itself, the home side was gifted an opportunity to double its lead in the 67th minute when Gustavo Cabral got the wrong side of Mesut Ozil inside the area and brought the German to the floor with a push to the back. A penalty kick was awarded and Ronaldo stepped up confidently to dispatch into the bottom left corner.

Having withdrawn Kaka at halftime for Angel Di Mara, Jose Mourinho flexed his squad muscles further with just under 20 minutes to go when he introduced Jose Callejon in place of Ozil, and the substitute almost made an immediate impact when he latched on to a Higuain pass down the inside right channel only to see his shot flash by the left-hand post.

The 25-year old was impressive after coming on, and had another opportunity to get his name on the scoresheet in the 78th minute when he drifted beyond the Celta defense and took down Sergio Ramos’ pass over the top before turning swiftly and lashing a strike at goal, but his attempt was stopped by the legs of Javi Varas.

Real Madrid now moves within five points of league leader Barcelona, with the Catalan side facing Deportivo on Saturday evening. Celta Vigo remains in the bottom half of the table with nine points taken from eight matches.

 

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Juventus 2-0 Napoli: Caceres & Pogba send champion clear at Serie A summit

Juventus moved three points clear of Napoli at the top of Serie A by striking late to claim a vital 2-0 victory over its Scudetto rival.

The Bianconeri had the better of a disappointing encounter in terms of possession and territory, but they struggled to create any clear-cut chances and it was Napoli which came closest to opening the scoring during the first half, with forward Edinson Cavani hitting the crossbar with a free kick.

However, the host eventually made the breakthrough with 10 minutes to go when Martin Caceres headed home an Andrea Pirlo corner just moments after being sprung from the bench. Fellow substitute Paul Pogba repeated the feat just moments later with a terrific volley to ensure that Napoli would leave Turin empty handed and give the Bianconeri the initiative in this season's title race.

Juventus had begun the game like it meant business, with Sebastian Giovinco testing Morgan De Sanctis with a low strike inside the opening 60 seconds.

However, the visitor was in no mood to be bullied. On the contrary, Napoli seemed intent on roughing the Bianconeri up in the early stages, a tactic which resulted in the concession of a succession of free kicks, as well as several theatrical falls from the clearly ruffled Juve players.

Indeed, after weathering what was a very early storm, Napoli settled and came agonizingly close to taking the lead midway through the first half when Cavani struck the top of the crossbar with a curling free kick from a ridiculously acute angle wide on the left.

As it was, the two sides were still deadlocked at the interval, a well-struck drive from Claudio Marchisio right on halftime the only other effort of note an ill-tempered, underwhelming and largely incident-free opening 45 minutes.

Juve continued to dominate possession in the second half, but to little effect. However, Giovinco really should have ended the stalemate 10 minutes into the second half when the ball dropped invitingly for him in the area after he himself had miscued a low cross from Kwadwo Asamoah. However, after shifting it onto his right foot, the former Parma man fired wide.

For the most part, Juventus was still struggling to pry open the Napoli defense, but Pirlo did just that midway through the second half with a sublime pass over the top. However, Alessandro Matri, just on as a replacement for the ineffective Fabio Quagliarella, failed dismally to control the ball and it bounced harmlessly into the grateful arms of De Sanctis.

Caceres, though, would not be so profligate when he was presented with the chance to be the hero, the versatile defender timing his arrival into the six-yard box to perfection before burying Pirlo's corner past a helpless De Sanctis.

Not to be outdone, Pogba, who had taken over in midfield from the subdued Arturo Vidal, made the points safe when he demonstrated wonderful technique in finding the bottom corner with a controlled volley from the edge of the area just three minutes later.

 

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West Ham 4-1 Southampton: Noble's double continues Saints EPL struggles

LONDON -- Southampton's poor start to the season continued as it was thrashed 4-1 at West Ham thanks to a double by Mark Noble.

Kevin Nolan and Modibo Maiga both contributed to the win with a goal each while Adam Lallana scored for the Saints.

After a tense and goalless first half, Mark Noble's free kick drifted all the way in to give the Hammers the lead just a minute after the break, with Kevin Nolan pouncing on Artur Boruc's parry two minutes later.

Adam Lallana gave the Saints a glimmer of hope after the hour but Noble's penalty and Maiga's first Premier League goal sealed a fine win for Sam Allardyce's men.

Boruc came into the side for his Southampton debut, while Mayo Yoshida got a start alongside Jos Hooiveld in central defense.

Andy Carroll continued in attack for the Hammers and Yossi Benayoun was introduced to add creativity to the midfield.

James Tomkins came closest to breaking the deadlock in the first half but his towering header was scrambled off the line.

Southampton had shipped 20 goals in seven games before this game and its defense was breached less than a minute into the second half as Noble drifted a free kick into the area that snuck past everyone and went in at the far post.

Things went from bad to worse just two minutes later as Boruc spilled Benayoun's effort straight to Nolan who tapped in his fourth of the season.

The away side rallied and created good opportunities before Lallana burst clear and smashed past Jaaskelainen.

However, the Hammers regained their two-goal cushion, Noble slamming home from the penalty spot after Carroll had been fouled in the area.

Maiga then put the icing on the cake in the closing stages, netting his first Premier League goal since moving to the Hammers in the summer.