..::Football II::..

[Wolverine GTR]

Borussia Dortmund 2-1 Real Madrid: Schmelzer the hero as Los Blancos' miserable record in Germany continues

Borussia Dortmund secured a fantastic 2-1 win over Real Madrid with an energetic display in their Champions League clash at the Signal Iduna Park.

In an evenly contested fixture it was the reigning Bundesliga champions who struck first through Robert Lewandowski but just two minutes later Cristiano Ronaldo equalized with a stunning strike.

Although being the away side, Jose Mourinho's men had a far greater ball retention but that counted for nothing come the final whistle as Marcel Schmelzer's second-half strike ensured BVB took all three points.

The attacking nature of both sides was displayed from the off as neither side sat back in a very open and stretched start.

With five minutes played, a loose pass from Marco Reus offered Real Madrid its first chance to work the keeper. Ronaldo charged down the left flank but Mesut Ozil was unable to connect with his cutback and steer the ball on target.

But this was by no means the start of an early Blancos onslaught as BVB proved itself capable of linking a number of passes together in the opposing half.

One such move in the 13th minute created space for Sebastian Kehl to try his luck with a shot from distance but a scrambling Iker Casillas managed to get across and parry the ball aside.

Sami Khedira was replaced by Luka Modric due to injury after 20 minutes and although Mourinho's side enjoyed the lion's share of possession, the hosts were relatively comfortable.

After seeing another impressive effort saved by Casillas, Kehl continued to be Dortmund's driving force and that his involvement was key when his side moved ahead.

Having read the play to pounce on a loose pass from Pepe, he slid a first-time pass straight into Lewandowski. The striker raced through a gap in the defense and fired a low effort past the keeper with 36 minutes played.

Madrid responded to going behind magnificently and managed to restore parity just two minutes later. A long ball forward from Ozil found Ronaldo in space on the left and with Sven Bender unable to make up the ground he lifted the ball over Roman Weidenfeller for a superb finish.

The second half began in a similarly electric fashion to that of the first as Casillas was called into action within five minutes. Mario Gotze sent Lukasz Piszczek's cut back straight down the middle and, although unsighted, the keeper parried it aside.

Five minutes later Schmelzer put enough pressure on Angel Di Maria to stop the Argentine from finding the bottom corner and the BVB left back then displayed his ability at the other end of the field.

Casillas could only punch a cross from the left and it fell to Schmelzer 20 yards from goal and the Germany international showed fantastic technique to rifle a volley into the bottom corner in the 64th minute.

Dortmund managed to contain the Liga champions from then on, dispelling the accusations of naivety that were hanging over them following last season's premature exit.

The three points see Jurgen Klopp's men take charge of Group D as they move one point abovethe Spanish side and into pole position ahead of the return fixture at the Santiago Bernabeu in a fortnight.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Dinamo Zagreb 0-2 Paris Saint-Germain: Ibrahimovic and Menez secure Croatian cruise

Paris Saint-Germain was given few problems in dispatching Dinamo Zagreb and taking a big step to qualifying from Group A of the UEFA Champions League, recording a 2-0 victory in the Croatian capital. Zlatan Ibahimovic opened the scoring with a neat close-range finish, before Jeremy Menez blasted home to leave Les Parisiens in the driving seat just before halftime.

Needing a win to strengthen its chances of making the Champions League knockout stages after suffering defeat against Porto, PSG wasted no time in giving a strong sign of its intentions. With just three minutes on the clock Ibrahimovic expertly broke the Dinamo offside trap, but could not put the ball past Ivan Kelava who reacted quickly to keep out the Sweden international.

Playing as a sole forward, Zlatan had several chances to open the scoring early on but was indecisive in front of goal, squandering several decent opportunities. Kelava was also called into action to deny Jeremy Menez, who saw his powerful effort palmed away by the young goalkeeper. Zagreb's few opportunities to get men forward invariably came from set-pieces, but an accomplished defensive display from the visitors meant Salvatore Sirigu was rarely troubled between the posts.

The breakthrough for PSG came 10 minutes before the break. Menez did fantastically to beat Ante Puljic wide on the left, and his low cross met Ibrahimovic's outstretched boot and was diverted into the net, just out of Kelava's reach. The goal was a turning point, and ushered in a strong spell of domination for Carlo Ancelotti's charges.

Dinamo was rapidly losing their grip on proceedings, and stared a third consecutive Champions League reverse in the face when Les Parisiens added a second. Christophe Jallet initiated a rapid counter from deep in his own half that went through Javier Pastore; the Argentine then released Menez on the left who burst into the area and smashed his effort through the legs of Kelava.

Pastore threatened to further extend the lead just after the restart, hitting into the side netting as the away team looked to pick up where it left off after its impressive end to the first period. Dinamo was also probing early on in its attempt to find a way back into proceedings, but both Thiago Silva and Jallet put themselves in the way of danger to thwart the hosts.

The second half developed without too much goalmouth action, PSG seemingly content with the advantage and Dinamo short of ideas on how to penetrate its opponent's stout defensive line. Zlatan, however, was handed another excellent chance to add a third. The former Milan man was put clean through once more, but tried to be too cute in lobbing the ball over Kelava and drifted his effort wide with the goal at his mercy. The away team then did its best to submit its entry for goal of the season, slick passing between Menez and Jallet playing in Sissokho whose ripping volley flew just wide.

There were to be no more goals for PSG, but the French team was left to celebrate as its recorded a comfortable victory in a potentially tricky encounter. The club stay in second place with six points from their opening three Champions League encounters, trailing Porto by three but enjoying the same margin over Dynamo Kiev at Group A's halfway point. Dinamo, meanwhile, stays at the foot of the table having failed to hit the net in any of its matches so far.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Malaga 1-0 AC Milan: Three wins from three for Spanish side as Allegri moves closer to exit

Malaga's perfect start to its maiden Champions League campaign continued with a 1-0 victory over AC Milan at La Rosaleda on Wednesday.

The Andalusian outfit has three wins out of three, and remains the only side in this seeason's competition yet to concede a goal after a comfortable victory over the beleaguered Italians, who see more pressure heaped on coach Massimiliano Allegri after another disappointing result.

The scoreline could have been greater had Joaquin not missed a first-half penalty, but the Spanish winger made amends just past the hour mark as he scored the only goal of the game with a cool finish.

Malaga now has nine points from its opening three games in Group C, and holds a five point lead over Milan, which is now looking over its shoulders at Zenit St Petersburg, only a point behind.

With Nigel De Jong sidelined through injury, Massimo Ambrosini was handed his first Champions League appearance of the season, while Alexandre Pato continued his return from a long injury layoff with a place on the bench.Malaga, facing an Italian side for the first time in its history, carried the momentum of the first half as the play of Joaquin and Manuel Iturra in particular kept Milan perpetually on the back foot.


Milan would slowly grow into the game though, and it managed to fashion the first real chance of the match on the half hour mark, as Urby Emanualson broke free down the right and teed up Stephan El Shaarawy inside the area, who fired over from a great position.


Malaga would hit back soon after, as a slick combination between Joaquin and Isco resulted in the latter bending a shot inches over the bar from the edge of the box.With two minutes to go until halftime, the home side was presented with a golden opportunity to take the lead, after Kevin Constant tugged down Jesus Gamez just inside the area to concede a penalty.Joaquin took responsibility from 12 yards out, but over-hit the spot-kick, which clipped the
crossbar on its way out of play.


The match remained finely poised as the second half unfolded, but Malaga continued to shade matters, and Saviola nearly had a one-on-one after latching onto Isco’s brilliant cutback, but a superb tackle by Daniele Bonera halted him at the last.With 64 minutes gone, however, Malaga would finally find a way through. Iturra was the architect, clipping a perfectly-weighted pass over Francesco Acerbi, from which Joaquin needed no second invitation to slot into the corner.


Eliseu nearly added a second moments after the restart when he lashed towards goal from 20 yards out, but the fingertips of Amelia denied him a great goal.Milan launched a late and desperate charge during the final minutes. El Shaarawy saw a close range shot pushed away by Caballero, and Mexes fired wide after attacking in a good position from the resulting corner.


But there was nothing more to come from the Italians, as Malaga held on for a deserved victory, and now sits within touching distance of the knockout stages, while Allegri faces fresh speculation over his future.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Porto 3-2 Dynamo Kiev: Jackson Martinez double maintains 100 percent Group A record

Porto produced a 3-2 victory over Dynamo Kiev to maintain its perfect record in Champions League Group A.

Silvestre Varela’s blockbusting opener provided the first goal in a terrific match, which saw the Ukrainians respond when Oleh Gusyev glanced home a corner kick. Jackson Martinez put the Portuguese side back into the lead before the break, but Brown Ideye’s effort seemed that it may have decisive for the visitors. Nevertheless, Martinez popped up again to score the fifth goal of an enthralling encounter.

Coming into the match having already seen off Dinamo Zagreb and Paris Saint-Germain, the home side showed plenty of confidence in the early stages , yet it had offered only a limited threat in the early stages of the clash. That changed spectacularly when Varela picked up a seemingly innocuous ball on the edge of the box and rifled home an unstoppable shot.

The Ukrainians had offered little threat to this point, aside from dangerous crosses from Miguel Veloso. From one such chance they drew level as a wicked in-swinging delivery was knocked home by Gusyev.

Although Porto struggled to puncture holes in its opponent, Martinez had already threatened with a shot off the crossbar, and it would be the attacker who broke the deadlock for them 10 minutes before the interval. James Rodriguez was the architect, sliding a neat ball through for the striker to knock home in a composed manner.

After the interval it was the erratic goalkeeping of Helton that offered Dynamo its greatest hope of a point, with the shot-stopper frequently showing nerves with slack punches from the crosses that were coming into his area. Nevertheless, Helton’s most painful moment came as he conceded to Ideye, whose thumping effort cracked into the net off his face.

Porto had created only a couple of chances to secure the points before that moment, so there was not great hope of finding a winning goal, yet it arrived shortly after the leveller. Martinez was the hero with a simple finish, tapping home after Lucho Gonzalez beat a ragged offside trap and squared the ball to his colleague.

Victory was expected for Porto, but the drama surrounding this success was not. Nevertheless, head coach Vítor Pereira can be delighted with the progress of his side, which looks all-but certain to progress to the knockout stages once more.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Ajax 3-1 Manchester City: Mancini's men on brink of Champions League exit

Manchester City's chances of Champions League progression suffered a huge blow on Wednesday night after it was defeated 3-1 by Ajax in a crucial Group D clash.

The visitors took their time to grow into the tie but made no mistake with their first opportunity - Samir Nasri slotting home. However, Siem de Jong netted a superb equalizer on the stroke of halftime to send Roberto Mancini's men into the break with a bitter taste in their mouths.

After a cautious start to the second 45, the Dutch side took the lead through Niklas Moisander before Christian Eriksen inflicted further pain with a deflected shot to bag the third, condemning City to a disappointing blow.

The result gives the Dutch giants their first victory in this year's group stage, while City has just one point from three matches and faces a mountain to climb to escape this season's 'Group of Death.'

Eden Dzeko was handed a start after his last minute winner against West Brom at the weekend, with Sergio Aguero partnering him in attack. Elsewhere, James Milner kept his place in the side despite being sent off against the Baggies.

The hosts made the brighter start, keeping the ball with ease and working the first chance of the game just before the 10 minute mark, but Eriksen fired narrowly wide of Joe Hart's post.

The dangerous Eriksen then flattened Yaya Toure with a hefty challenge, leaving the Ivorian down but not out, before the Dane made his mark in a different way, once more going close with a long-range effort after producing a delightful touch to set himself up.

However, somewhat against the run of play, Mancini's men took the lead in the 23rd minute. Micah Richards fed Milner with a beautifully weighted ball, with the midfielder passing it on to Nasri who opened his body to curl a shot past Kenneth Vermeer.

Aguero then twice found himself with space in the box, and may well have doubled the lead if it wasn't for two last-ditch tackles, before, five minutes later, Vermeer made a fine save from Richards as the Premier League champions settled.

With halftime approaching City was made to pay for failing to press on. Ricardo van Rhijn delivered with a low cross from the right, picking out De Jong's run and allowing the midfielder to smash a first-time effort into the corner, giving Hart absolutely no chance and sending the teams into the break on level terms.

The visitors almost made the perfect start to the second period. Aguero broke into the Ajax box and, as Vermeer rushed out, tried to find a teammate in the area but saw his chipped cross cleared.

However, after a quiet 15 minutes or so, the exact opposite happened. Eriksen whipped in a fantastic corner from the right-hand side, with Moisander beating Joleon Lescott in the air to nod it past a helpless Hart.

Things went from bad to worse for Mancini, minutes after replacing Lescott with Aleksandar Kolarov and switching to a back three. The Dutch outfit's man of the match, Eriksen, embarked on a twisting run before unleashing a left-footed effort. The ball struck Gael Clichy on its way into the goal, once again giving Hart no chance.

Tobia Sana then had a golden chance to put his side further ahead, Hart rushing off his line very quickly to smother the one-on-one. Then, as City rushed forward, Dzeko squandered two opportunities to give the visitors a lifeline - the Bosnian hesitating slightly on both occasions which allowed Vermeer to make the blocks.

For the final 15 minutes or so Mancini's side seemed to be playing with just two men at the back and two in midfield, with Mario Balotelli and Carlos Tevez both thrown into the fray.

Nasri had a weak penalty appeal turned down and Aguero shot narrowly over, but ultimately there was no breakthrough and Ajax held firm to secure its first win of the tournament, leaving City in big trouble.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Zenit 1-0 Anderlecht: Kerzhakov penalty rescues unconvincing hosts

Zenit St Petersburg claimed the first points of its Champions League campaign after a narrow 1-0 win over Anderlecht at the Petrovsky Stadium on Wednesday.

With both sides needing a win to resurrect their failing European challenges, a penalty from Aleksandr Kerzhakov in the second half, given after a foul by Milan Jovanovic, was enough to send the Russian outfit to a victory that it barely deserved.

Anderlecht will rightfully be disappointed with the result, as it fashioned the best chances throughout the match, and fell victim to a momentary lapse at the back to leave it with one point from its opening three games.

Zenit now moves off the foot of the table with the win and sit three points behind Group C leaders Malaga, which squares off with AC Milan later on Wednesday.

With so much at stake, it was perhaps no surprise to see the match take a while to get off the ground, as both sides seemed determined to prevent a goal rather than score themselves.

The first opening went Anderlecht’s way after 12 minutes, as a delightful one-two between Tom de Sutter and Jovanovic saw the latter drag wide of the far post after going one-on-one with Vyacheslav Malafeev.That chance seemed to spark Zenit forward, and a stinging free-kick from Hulk was whipped inches wide of the far post, with two of his teammates close to getting a touch.

The best chance of the first-half fell to Anderlecht after 26 minutes, when Guillaume Gillet turned Domenico Criscito inside out to find himself in point blank range, only to slide the ball across goal when it was begging to be hit.

That was about as close the match got to a goal before the break, as both teams were extremely labored in their play, despite the 0-0 scoreline doing more harm than good to their chances of making the knockout stages.

Anderlecht came close four minutes after the restart, after good work from De Sutter out wide saw him tee up Jovanovic inside the area, but the Serbian, instead of attacking the cross, elected to go to ground in futile hopes for a penalty.But the second half followed the pattern of the first, with both teams lacking any sort of initiative in attack, as goalmouth action remained elusive.

There was finally some action of note just past the hour mark, as a testing free-kick from Lucas Biglia was punched clear by Malafeev moments before Kanu was able to connect.Not long after, substitute Vladimir Bystrov cut into space just inside the area, but his shot was fired disappointingly over the bar.

Bu Zenit was handed a huge stroke of luck with 18 minutes remaining, after Anyukov was hauled down by Jovanovic while attacking a free-kick, leaving the referee with little choice but to award a penalty.Most of the players were unaware that the infraction had been called, but after matters had settled, Kerzhakov stepped up to send Proto the wrong way and give the home side a lead it scarcely deserved.

Anderlecht pressed forward in the time that remained, but despite a few spells of pressure, it could not strike a telling blow as Zenit ran off with the points, though with Malaga and AC Milan set to square off later in the day, its task in Group C remains monumental.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Pellegrini: Malaga dominated AC Milan

Manuel Pelegrini believes Malaga's performance merited a bigger victory than the 1-0 scoreline recorded in the defeat of AC Milan in the Champions League on Wednesday evening.


The win ensured a five-point gap opened up between the sides in Group C of the Champions League.

Malaga tops the table with maximum points from three games and their Chilean coach believes a gulf in class was evident when the two sides met at La Rosaleda.

"The score did not reflect the [pattern of the] match," Pellegrini told reporters after the game. "Milan played with eight defensive players, big players against our small players."

"The way we played is the way I prefer to win."

The two teams meet again at San Siro on Tuesday, November 6, with Malaga just requiring a point to secure qualification to the Champions League round of 16.

 

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Cameroon striker Samuel Eto'o has lashed out at compatriot Alexandre Song by claiming that he is not a worldwide star.


The 31-year-old forward, who now plies his trade in Russia for Anzhi Makhachkala, has endured an uneasy relationship with the Barcelona midfielder ever since Song refused to shake his hand in an African Cup of Nations qualifier against Senegal last year.

In an interview with Canal+, Eto'o insists that their rivalry is still as fierce as ever and laid down the gauntlet to Song.

When asked whether there was a dispute "between the two stars", the former Inter attacker responded by saying: "There is no conflict between two stars. Because I am one of the best players in the world, and Song is not even among the best players in Cameroon."

The players appeared to have made peace before the African Cup of Nations qualifier against Cape Verde but Eto'o is adamant that there has been no major reconciliation.

Reports suggest that Song had tried to steal the national captaincy from the striker, who was exiled for eight months after sparking a player's strike over wage demands.

Eto'o, the four-time African Player of the Year, is the all-time leading goalscorer in the Africa Cup of Nations with 18 goals.

 

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De Boer: Manchester City had no answers for Ajax's play

Ajax manager Frank De Boer has praised his side following its 3-1 Champions League win over Manchester City on Wednesday evening.

The Amsterdam outfit found itself one down thanks to Samir Nasri's first half strike but turned things round as Siem De Jong, Niklas Moisander and Christian Eriksen got on the scoresheet.

And after the game De Boer expressed his belief that the Dutch champion was just too strong for its Premier League counterpart.

He told reporters: "I know what we are capable of. I think we saw a good Ajax today that wanted to show something good. We played quite good sometimes.

"City didn't have an answer to our play. There was a difficult time for us, but we after that, we picked it up again and deserved the 2-1."

Goalscorer De Jong was similarly pleased with the performance but remained keen to stress that his side still has work to do to seal qualification for the knockout stages.

"We expected a lot of danger from them, because they have so much quality in front. They scored on their first chance, while we were the better team.

"I'm glad we scored the equalizer before half time. We had a lot of space in the second half, so we could play our game. Now we should get a result in Manchester, or else this result isn't much worth."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Mourinho: Madrid loss to Borussia Dortmund is not dramatic

Jose Mourinho does not believe that Real Madrid's loss at the hands of Borussia Dortmund impacts his team's chances of progressing to the Champions League round of 16.

Goals from Robert Lewandowski condemned Los Blancos to a 2-1 defeat and saw them replaced by the Bundesliga champions at the top of Group D, however the 49-year-old was adamant that it is not a huge blow to their ambitions.

"We lost the game, but it is not dramatic. We are in a serious group, it's no joke. It is not satisfying, but we are second," Mourinho said in his post-match press conference.

"We now have six points. We have two games at home and it is within our reach to get the points needed to make the round of 16.

"I told my players that they were going to score their goals on the counterattack, and so it happened. I knew they would only have spaces in the transition game.

"There was a lot of pressure and it was difficult to get a balance. There were few opportunities and little creation."

Ajax's triumph over Manchester City leaves the group wide open and so the visit of BVB to the Santiago Bernabeu in a fortnight could prove potentially decisive for Madrid.

 

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M'Vila could face season-long suspension

Stade Rennais coach Frederic Antonetti has claimed that French pair Yann M'Vila and Chris Mavinga could face a season-long suspension after violating the club's policy on international duty.

The Rennes pair were sent home after breaking a curfew and their trainer insists that he cannot trust them after a lack of respect and commitment to the club.

Speaking about the former Under-19 France captain, Antonetti stated: "He will never have my confidence as a man again," and suggested that the pair could be banned until "May 30".

For now, M'Vila and Mavinga have been made to train with the youth team whilst Rennes decides what action to take against the pair.

M'Vila drew interest from several of Europe's top clubs in the summer and was reportedly on his way out of the Route de Lorient before a disappointing Euro 2012 campaign with France, which saw the 22-year-old face a disciplinary hearing with the French Football Association for his behavior.

 

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Manchester City boss Mancini admits Ajax defeat was his fault

Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini has insisted his side's 3-1 loss to Ajax in the Champions League on Wednesday night was his fault.

The English champions took the lead against the run of play in the first half through Samir Nasri, but were pegged back on the stroke of halftime by Siem de Jong.

Mancini decided to switch to a 3-5-2 formation early in the second half following Niklas Moisander's headed goal, but City conceded again 11 minutes later through Christian Eriksen's deflected shot.

"I think that [Ajax] played better than us," Mancini told Sky Sports. "They played better football. Probably it's my fault. I didn't prepare the players well for this game. I take the fault for this defeat.

"I [prepared] one way, it was different. For this reason [we lost]. [We didn't underestimate Ajax], but when you prepare a game, you think it could be one way, but it's a different game.

"I think that we had more chances to score, and in Champions League you need to score, when you don't play well. After Dortmund, I said [I knew what was wrong], but also we had a lot of players injured, but it's my fault and I take all this."

However, Mancini refuted the suggestion that his tactical approach was to blame for the defeat, stating that his only ploy is to "run and score".

He added: "We changed for five minutes when we wanted to have one player in the hole. We changed only for five minutes, but on the pitch we are always 11 players.

"Before we conceded two goals. I don't think this is important. Three, four, five, six, seven. If someone wants to make this excuse, OK, but this is not important. When you play you should be strong: the tactic is one - run and score."

The 47-year-old went on to concede that City now faceS an uphill battle to qualify for the competition's knockout stages.

He continued: "I think that it is difficult [to qualify], very difficult. There are one team with seven [points], one with six, one with three. It should be a marathon like last year.

"I don't think [it will be difficult to recover]. We play football, we can play bad game like tonight, we can lose the game, but the season is long."

 

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Manchester City defender Richards blasts Mancini's 3-5-2 system after Ajax defeat

Micah Richards has criticized Roberto Mancini's decision to switch to a three-man defense in Manchester City's 3-1 defeat to Ajax in the Champions League on Wednesday.

Mancini made the switch, with scores level, in the second half but promptly saw his side concede twice in 10 minutes and now sees his team rooted to the bottom of Group D.

City has switched to a 3-5-2 system on numerous occasions this season, but Richards revealed that the players are not comfortable playing in the formation, due to a lack of practice in training.

"It is something that we've not worked on a lot," he told Sky Sports. "We're used to a straight four and it's twice we've gone to a back five and conceded, but the manager likes it and if we want to do well we're going to have to work on it a little bit more.

"The players just want to play. It's a hard system because we're not used to it but I think the players prefer a 4-4-2 but he's the manager and we do what he says."

Richards praised Ajax's performance but admitted that City was expecting to win in the Dutch capital.

Defeat leaves City able to reach a maximum of 10 points, the same total that it finished on last season when the English club was eliminated from the competition at the group stage.

"I think we got beat by a very good Ajax side tonight. First half, when we went 1-0 up, they were probably the better team," Richards said. "But in the second half we just crumbled. Very disappointed with the lads' performance tonight."

 

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Robben: I considered retiring

Bayern Munich attacker Arjen Robben has admitted that he has had moments where he considered hanging up his boots due to his ongoing injury problems.

The Netherlands international has endured a number of serious injuries throughout his career, and the 28-year-old seriously thought about quitting the game just to put his physical issues behind him.

"I have had so many injuries throughout my career. It occasionally makes me a bit sad," Robben was quoted as saying by NOS.

"To be honest, I have thought about hanging up my boots more than once. It's a rather rigorous thought, but it's a consideration I've had, and not only at this point."

Netherlands coach Louis van Gaal recently stressed that Robben is a regular for Oranje if he is fit, and the Bayern star is pleased with the faith shown in him.

"That really was a boost for me. Those are the kind of things that really help you when you're going through a difficult period.

"I personally thanked the coach for the faith shown in me. It feels really well."

Robben has made six official appearances for Bayern this term, but is yet to find the net.

 

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Congratulations Manchester United!

Another Comeback!

Chicharito Patta!

patta game ekak gihin thyenne nedha bro

 

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Arsenal 0-2 Schalke: Huntelaar & Afellay gun down sloppy hosts

Schalke became the first foreign side to win at Arsenal in nine years as it took advantage of a pitiful display by Arsene Wenger’s side to take top spot in Champions League Group B.

Late goals from Klaas-Jan Huntelaar and Ibrahim Afellay settled a game that the German visitors dominated throughout, tearing Arsenal’s insipid defense to pieces, with left back Andre Santos particularly guilty of complacency as he was torn to shreds by Schalke winger Jefferson Farfan.

As Stan Kroenke and Arsene Wenger watched from the stands and boos rung out from the few fans who stayed in the ground until full time, you got the sense that Arsenal’s AGM on Thursday night became even more interesting with a result that leaves the Gunners second in the group with three matches to play. They remain one point behind Schalke and three above third placed Montpellier.

It was the manner of the display that will really grate with supporters who made little attempt to hide their frustration as Arsenal fell to its second home defeat in 28 European matches at the Emirates Stadium.

The Gunners had just three attempts on target in the entire match, and neither of those were noteworthy. While no one could be said to have played well, Santos was particularly dreadful at the back while Gervinho’s decision making highlighted the lack of confidence in their attacking play.

Schalke - who have lost just once this season - took control of the game from the very start, with winger Farfan constantly exposing Santos.

In the 14th minute, the German side had a legitimate claim for a penalty when Afellay was released by Farfan and went down under a challenge from Vito Mannone, only to be shown a yellow card for simulation. Replays suggested the Arsenal goalkeeper did make contact with the Dutchman’s foot.

Schalke began to believe in their chances of becoming only the second side to win a Champions League game at the Emirates Stadium.

Just before halftime, Huntelaar struck wide of the near post from six yards after meeting Christian Fuchs’ cross when he should have scored.

The second period started in the same manner, Farfan again breezing past Santos and squaring for Schalke captain Benedikt Howedes, who made a mess of his attempted shot and blazed over the crossbar.

As the frustration of the Arsenal fans grew, so did the desperation of the players, with Gervinho booked for an outrageous dive as he tangled with substitute Jermaine Jones.

In the 76th minute, Schalke finally scored the goal it deserved and Arsenal was punished for its carelessness.

It was far too easy for the visitors. Afellay was allowed to head unchallenged 25 yards from goal to Huntelaar, who was played onside by Santos and smashed the ball low past Mannone.

Four minutes before full-time, Schalke again struck on the break and Santos was again left chasing Farfan’s shadow before the Peruvian crossed for Afellay to slot home from inside the six-yard box. Too easy, too good.

 

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Borussia Dortmund 2-1 Real Madrid: Schmelzer the hero as Los Blancos' miserable record in Germany continues



Borussia Dortmund secured a fantastic 2-1 win over Real Madrid with an energetic display in their Champions League clash at the Signal Iduna Park.

In an evenly contested fixture it was the reigning Bundesliga champions who struck first through Robert Lewandowski but just two minutes later Cristiano Ronaldo equalized with a stunning strike.

Although being the away side, Jose Mourinho's men had a far greater ball retention but that counted for nothing come the final whistle as Marcel Schmelzer's second-half strike ensured BVB took all three points.

The attacking nature of both sides was displayed from the off as neither side sat back in a very open and stretched start.

With five minutes played, a loose pass from Marco Reus offered Real Madrid its first chance to work the keeper. Ronaldo charged down the left flank but Mesut Ozil was unable to connect with his cutback and steer the ball on target.

But this was by no means the start of an early Blancos onslaught as BVB proved itself capable of linking a number of passes together in the opposing half.

One such move in the 13th minute created space for Sebastian Kehl to try his luck with a shot from distance but a scrambling Iker Casillas managed to get across and parry the ball aside.

Sami Khedira was replaced by Luka Modric due to injury after 20 minutes and although Mourinho's side enjoyed the lion's share of possession, the hosts were relatively comfortable.

After seeing another impressive effort saved by Casillas, Kehl continued to be Dortmund's driving force and that his involvement was key when his side moved ahead.

Having read the play to pounce on a loose pass from Pepe, he slid a first-time pass straight into Lewandowski. The striker raced through a gap in the defense and fired a low effort past the keeper with 36 minutes played.

Madrid responded to going behind magnificently and managed to restore parity just two minutes later. A long ball forward from Ozil found Ronaldo in space on the left and with Sven Bender unable to make up the ground he lifted the ball over Roman Weidenfeller for a superb finish.

The second half began in a similarly electric fashion to that of the first as Casillas was called into action within five minutes. Mario Gotze sent Lukasz Piszczek's cut back straight down the middle and, although unsighted, the keeper parried it aside.

Five minutes later Schmelzer put enough pressure on Angel Di Maria to stop the Argentine from finding the bottom corner and the BVB left back then displayed his ability at the other end of the field.

Casillas could only punch a cross from the left and it fell to Schmelzer 20 yards from goal and the Germany international showed fantastic technique to rifle a volley into the bottom corner in the 64th minute.

Dortmund managed to contain the Liga champions from then on, dispelling the accusations of naivety that were hanging over them following last season's premature exit.

The three points see Jurgen Klopp's men take charge of Group D as they move one point abovethe Spanish side and into pole position ahead of the return fixture at the Santiago Bernabeu in a fortnight.

 

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Ajax 3-1 Manchester City: Mancini's men on brink of Champions League exit

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[Wolverine GTR]

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