..::Football II::..

[Wolverine GTR]

Mbia: I thought QPR played in Scotland

QPR midfielder Stephane Mbia has admitted that he thought his new club played in Scotland before he completed his 6.2 million euro move from Marseille.

"I thought they were a Scottish club. Marseille needed the money. So I thought why not if it is for their good and mine, but I would never have thought of coming here," Mbia told L'Equipe.

Mbia left Ligue 1 for the Premier League to join fellow the likes of Ryan Nelsen, Jose Bosingwa and Julio Cesar at Loftus Road as manager Mark Hughes reshaped the London club. Mbia has revealed, however, that he knew little about the Hoops and that Hughes had only limited knowledge of what he could bring to the table.

"The manager knew my name and had seen me in the Champions League, but did not really know whether I was good or not," Mbia said.

Mbia, who can also play in defense, also elaborated on the differences in preparation at QPR compared to his experiences in France.

"There is only ­playing and very little tactics," he said. "We don’t ­really train in the week, we have rest days, but we haven't the right to mess up on match days."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

El Shaarawy: I have benefited from Ibrahimovic's exit

Speaking after AC Milan's narrow 1-0 victory over Genoa on Saturday, striker Stephan El Shaarawy conceded that he has greatly benefited from Zlatan Ibrahimovic's exit from the club.

The Italian popped up with the winner for the Rossoneri in the second half of their clash with the Grifoni on his 20th birthday, as the win temporarily relieved the pressure on Massimiliano Allegri's side, who have suffered an underwhelming start to the season - this only its third victory in nine games in Serie A.

El Shaarawy has led by example with seven goals in the last five weeks and believes that his super start to the season is because he is no longer standing in the shadow of Ibrahimovic.

"I think that Ibra leaving has been to my benefit, I have more space to play and to show my worth," the striker told AC Milan's official website. "But the team is made of other players who are champions. We don’t think about players who have left, we think of ourselves.

"I dedicate this goal [against Genoa] to president [Silvio] Berlusconi. It was an important goal and an important match. It’s a tough moment. It was an unforgettable birthday, the stuff of dreams."

Coach Massimiliano Allegri echoed El Shaarawy's sentiments, and expressed his support for club president Silvio Berlusconi, who has been sentenced to one year in prison for tax evasion.

"I'm happy with the win, for the players and for the president who's not going through a good period and has always been kind with us, splendid and always close to us," Allegri said. "In this difficult moment for the Italian economy, the president has always kept the squad at high levels and so we have to continue this climb for him and for the club."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Catania 0-1 Juventus: Vidal clinches controversial win for the Bianconeri

Arturo Vidal tapped home the only goal of the game at Stadio Angelo Massimino to hand Juventus a closely-fought and equally controversial 1-0 victory against Catania, which had a man sent off and an effort wrongly ruled out for offside in the first half.

Gonzalo Bergessio had poked the home side into the lead, only for an erroneous linesman's flag to cut their celebrations short. To make matters worse, Nicklas Bendtner was stationed in an offside position in the build-up to Juve's winner, while Giovanni Marchese was dismissed for two bookable offenses.

Bergessio looked to have given the hosts the lead when he tapped into an open net after Nicolas Spolli's glancing header had come back off the post. But the Sicilians' joy quickly turned to fury when the linesman raised his flag for offside, despite the fact that Bergessio, nor any of his teammates, appeared close to being beyond the last defender.

The only goal of the game arrived in typically controversial circumstances 11 minutes into the second half. Mirko Vucinic picked out Bendtner with a clinical pass from the edge of the area, only for the Danish striker to shoot tamely at Mariano Andujar. But the impressive Argentine shot-stopper could only push the ball into the path of Vidal, who tapped into the unguarded net. Replays showed that Bendtner was in an offside position, which did nothing to placate the fired up home support.

The game lost any impetus following the red card to Marchese, but Sebastian Giovinco's arrival went some way to adding a new dimension, and the diminutive Italian saw a sweetly-struck effort well saved by Andujar seconds after coming on.

Vidal again stung the palms of Andujar with three minutes on the clock, and Giovinco tore through the home defense before blazing over. It was another significant victory for Antonio Conte's champions, who again showed they have the stomach for a fight as they have done against Chievo and Napoli already this season.

Catania, who have not beaten the Turin side in Serie A since 1964, will be furious that it was robbed of the opportunity to snap that extended period of futility against the Old Lady.

 

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Nancy 0-1 Paris Saint-Germain: Ibrahimovic snatches victory in lackluster showing

Paris Saint-Germainla lead eka thyganyi wage

 

[rcccc]

Chelsea 2-3 Manchester United: Van Persie, Hernandez and card-happy Clattenburg end Blues' unbeaten run

LONDON - On an afternoon strewn with goals, red cards, drama and controversy, Manchester United climbed to within one point of the league summit with a 3-2 victory over nine-man Chelsea.

Roberto Di Matteo’s team recovered from 2-0 down to make it 2-2 early in the second half but had Branislav Ivanovic and Fernando Torres sent off before substitute Javier Hernandez scored a 75th minute winner from what appeared to be an offside position.

A David Luiz own goal and Robin van Persie’s ninth goal of the season had put United in command after 12 minutes but Chelsea responded in style, with Juan Mata’s free kick and Ramires’ header either side of the break.

Just as the visiting gained control, Ivanovic and Torres were sent off within five minutes of one another midway through the second period, ensuring the home side played the last 22 minutes with only nine men.

United took full advantage, but it needed a controversial goal from Hernandez to give Sir Alex Ferguson’s team their first win at Stamford Bridge in a decade.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Mallorca 0-5 Real Madrid: Higuain & Ronaldo fire Los Blancos to easy win

Real Madrid got back to winning ways with a comfortable 5-0 victory over Mallorca in their La Liga clash at the Iberostar Stadium on Sunday.

After a disappointing 2-1 loss at Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League midweek, Los Blancos put in a professional performance from start to finish, and sailed to all three points.

Gonzalo Higuain opened the scoring with a classy finish after eight minutes, before Cristiano Ronaldo added a second goal in the 22nd minute.

The pair would come to the fore again in the second half, as Higuain slotted home the third with 20 minutes remaining, with Ronaldo drilling home the visitors' fourth goal three minutes later.

Substitute Jose Callejon made it 5-0 with virtually the last kick of the game, as Madrid cruised to victory and moved up to fourth place in the standings, though it still trails leader Barcelona by eight points.

With Marcelo, Fabio Coentrao and Alvaro Arbeloa all sidelined through injury, Michael Essien was chosen to start at left back in a depleted defence for Jose Mourinho’s team.

Joaquin Capparos had no such dilemma, naming an unchanged XI from the side that went down 3-2 away to Sevilla last week.

Madrid needed only eight minutes to take the lead. Angel Di Maria’s pass seemed routine for Anderson Conceicao, but the Brazilian allowed the ball to deflect into the box, where Higuain pounced on the loose ball and blasted into the back of the net with the outside of his boot.Ronaldo also seemed eager to get in on the action early on when he went close with a pair of long-range efforts, the first smothered by Dudu Aouate, while the second flew just over the bar.

Mallorca though, was not content to lay down and submit to Madrid, and managed to hold a few spells of pressure in the opposition half. Emilio Nsue came closest for the home side, after he evaded Sergio Ramos on the left and clipped towards the far post, but Iker Casillas was alert to tip over.Nsue would be made to rue that miss in the 22nd minute, as a breathtaking move saw Madrid race into a two goal lead. Di Maria worked the ball towards Higuain at the top of the box, and the Argentine squared to Ronaldo, who turned swiftly past his marker and drilled into the bottom corner.

Though Mallorca threatened intermittently and created a few half-chances of their own, Madrid was simply flowing on the counterattack, with Mesut Ozil and Luka Modric in fine form.

The home side’s tendency to push numbers forward made it especially vulnerable on the break, and Madrid could have probably had a third goal before halftime had it been more ruthless when in sight of Aouate’s goal.Madrid though took the foot off the gas pedal in the second half, and seemed content to hold possession and extinguish any momentum that Mallorca could muster, rather than press forward for a third goal.

There was a little more purpose and intent surrounding Caparros’ men when they advanced forward, but chances remained elusive as Madrid’s defense was able to hold firm.

And with the clock closing in on 70 minutes, Higuain put the result beyond any doubt, latching on to Ronaldo’s through ball and slotting past Aouate to put the finishing touches on another superb Madrid break.

The visitors would strike a deadly blow on the counter four minutes later, and Higuain would turn provider once more, slipping in Ronaldo with a superb pass, from which the Portuguese drilled straight home.

With only seconds remaining, Callejon rounded off matters with a simple tap-in from Ozil's cutback, as Madrid finished in style to continue its push up the Liga table.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Heynckes: Bayern Munich's stride will not be broken

Jupp Heynckes has insisted Bayern Munich will not waver in its pursuit of the Bundesliga title, after the club's 100 percent start to the campaign was brought to an end.


The record-breaking run of eight straight victories was halted as Bayer Leverkusen struck late on to steal all three points on Sunday.

“We won’t be thrown out of our stride by the defeat, and we’ll learn lessons from it. We still have a comfortable lead in the table," Heynckes told the club's official website. “Against a Leverkusen team with excellent counterattacking ability, you have to keep the pace high for 90 minutes, but we didn’t do that.”

Goalkeeper Manuel Neuer's reaction to the defeat was more damning, however, with the 26-year-old disappointed with the cheap manner in which his side conceded the two goals.
“We practically scored the goals against ourselves. They were unfortunate situations compounded by a great deal of bad luck," he added.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Chelsea lodges complaint over alleged Clattenburg comments

Chelsea have lodged an official complaint to the Premier League over alleged comments from referee Mark Clattenburg during the team's 3-2 defeat to Manchester United on Sunday.

The Blues are accusing the 37-year-old of using "inappropriate language" towards two of their players.

"We have lodged a complaint to the Premier League match delegate with regards to inappropriate language used by the referee and directed at two of our players in two separate incidents in today's match," a club spokesman announced after the game. "The match delegate will pass the complaint to the Football Association.

"We will make no further comment at this time."

Clattenburg sent off two Chelsea players, Branislav Ivanovic and Fernando Torres, during the match at Stamford Bridge, with home manager Roberto Di Matteo laying the blame for their loss at his feet.

The Serbian defender was dismissed for a professional foul on Ashley Young before the striker received a second yellow card for what the official interpreted as a dive under the challenge of Jonny Evans.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Villas-Boas hails 'massive win' as Tottenham clings on at Southampton to move up to fourth

Andre Villas-Boas praised Tottenham's determination as they held on to claim a "massive" 2-1 win at Southampton on Sunday evening.

The win, which the manager dedicated to Alex Carroll, one of the club's football administrators whose mother passed away in the days leading up to the match, moves Spurs up to fourth in the Premier League.

"We wish him the best to recover for his great loss," Villas-Boas told reporters of the Spurs employee before going on to speak glowingly of a performance that he compared to the 3-2 win at Manchester United in September. "It was a good first half, we kept the ball well and managed to create lots of opportunities. We always looked in control of the game.

"Only 3-0 would put the game to bed because Southampton had nothing to lose, so they came out very very strong. We could have held onto the lead at 2-0 but as soon as they scored, the nature of the game changes. It was very similar to Old Trafford, where we had an extremely good first half but in the second half we showed that desire to defend and hold onto the result."

The Saints, buoyed by Jay Rodriguez's goal, pressured heavily in the second period and, questioned whether he was pleased with the number of blocks his defense put in, Villas-Boas noted: "When the nature of the game changes, it is that kind of effort you want from your players.

Villas-Boas also reserved praise for Gareth Bale, who scored Tottenham's opener in what was the first game he had played against the club with which he began his career.

"I am extremely happy for him," the Spurs boss enthused. "He's a massive player for the team, someone who in the small opportunities can make the difference. He defended well, scored, and it was good for him to get back on the score sheet and certainly someone we rate very very highly."

 

[Banks PLK]

Hi bro kalekata passe dakke

wadiya awe neha site ekata

giya para season eke wagema me parath full fun ne

 

[Banks PLK]

Mbia: I thought QPR played in Scotland

QPR midfielder Stephane Mbia has admitted that he thought his new club played in Scotland before he completed his 6.2 million euro move from Marseille.

"I thought they were a Scottish club. Marseille needed the money. So I thought why not if it is for their good and mine, but I would never have thought of coming here," Mbia told L'Equipe.

Mbia left Ligue 1 for the Premier League to join fellow the likes of Ryan Nelsen, Jose Bosingwa and Julio Cesar at Loftus Road as manager Mark Hughes reshaped the London club. Mbia has revealed, however, that he knew little about the Hoops and that Hughes had only limited knowledge of what he could bring to the table.

"The manager knew my name and had seen me in the Champions League, but did not really know whether I was good or not," Mbia said.

Mbia, who can also play in defense, also elaborated on the differences in preparation at QPR compared to his experiences in France.

"There is only ­playing and very little tactics," he said. "We don’t ­really train in the week, we have rest days, but we haven't the right to mess up on match days."

PISSU PORAK HAHA

NEAR RELEGATION

 

[zome]

eeye chelsea - united match eka patta cha neda? refa patta pissuwak keliye

 

[charitha chandi]

Chelsea 2-3 Manchester United: Van Persie, Hernandez and card-happy Clattenburg end Blues' unbeaten run

eeye chelsea - united match eka patta cha neda? refa patta pissuwak keliye

Meka maha jara match ekaka...!
refa melo rakahak na...! anthima goal eka offside ..! I'm gonna be a man utd hater cuz of this kind of matches..! it wasn't a fair match...!

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Adebayor frustrated with fitness, claims Freund

Tottenham assistant head coach Steffen Freund says that Emmanuel Adebayor is exasperated with his fitness struggles since the beginning of the season, with the striker's latest upset being an onset of illness rendering him unlikely to take part in his team's Capital One Cup clash with Norwich.

A string of back and hamstring injuries, as well as the fine form of Jermain Defoe in the lone striker's role, has meant Adebayor's opportunities have been limited since joining Spurs permanently from Manchester City in the summer.

The 28-year-old would have been likely to be given his first start of the season at Carrow Road, but Freund stated that the striker may not recover in time to play a part.

"Adebayor came in, he's really sick, let’s have a look tomorrow," Freund told reporters. "If you're not playing and you're injured then of course you are not happy."

Freund, though, did make sure to reiterate the long term importance of Adebayor to Spurs and their head coach Andre Villas-Boas, labeling the Togolese international as one of the division's finest forwards.

"He's a big player. Hopefully he will be back in time. He is one of the best strikers in the Premier League," Freund added. "We are happy to have him back here. We need every Tottenham Hotspur player. If Andre wants to rotate or change the position up front, it's good to have every player fit."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Gerrard: Sterling will be a Premier League star

Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard says he has no doubts about Raheem Sterling's future as one of the Premier League's finest talents, following his display in the 2-2 draw with Everton at Goodison Park.


Gerrard applauded the attitude as much as as the ability of the 17-year-old, who was appearing in the fixture for the first time, and indeed only making his 11th league appearance as a senior player.

"He will be one of the top players in the league, there's no doubt about it. The way he stands up and wants the ball, he doesn't hide," Gerrard told reporters. "He's a credit to himself. He's got some bottle. That's what you look for in young lads."

Sterling was unable to take a good opportunity to put his side in front just after halftime, but his captain insists that the winger should not be losing any sleep over the miss, and that it did not detract from a fine all-round performance.

"There was the chance early in the second half when he was through on goal, when he matures a little bit and gets that bit of composure into his game that will come. We have all been there," Gerrard added. "I thought Sterling was fantastic. At 17 years of age, playing away in a derby, in a cauldron and an atmosphere like that, he was outstanding. You wonder whether they have got the bottle to play away from home against top teams in tough situations. He handled it superbly and he has been a revelation for us.

"I don't think the Everton players would have known much about Raheem Sterling before Sunday. But I think they will be seeing an awful lot of him in the future. He will be playing in many Merseyside derbies and he will have a major impact on them."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Sterling nam Patta Hoda Future 1kak thiyanawa

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Matri turns down Dynamo Kiev

Alessandro Matri has rejected the chance to join Dynamo Kiev as he has no intention of moving to Ukraine, Goal.com can reveal.

The Ukrainian powerhouse was ready to pay 12 million euros for the 28-year-old as it is looking to strengthen their attack.

Nevertheless, the club will have to turn its attention elsewhere as the former Cagliari star has made it clear that he wants to stay in Serie A.

Matri is no longer needed at Juventus, as he finds players such as Fabio Quagliarella, Mirko Vucinic and Nicklas Bendtner ahead of him in the pecking order, and the Bianconeri are keen to cash in on the striker in the January transfer window.

The former Milan youngster joined Juve from Cagliari on a six-month loan deal in January 2011 and impressed enough to convince the Turin giants to make his stay at the club permanent.

He has since lost his starting berth, though, and his time at Juventus could come to an end in the not too distant future.

Meanwhile, the Serie A leaders remain keen to add a high-profile attacker to its squad, and continue to monitor the situation of Roma striker Pablo Osvaldo and Athletic Bilbao star Fernando Llorente.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Messi: I will not leave Barcelona for Paris Saint-Germain

Lionel Messi has made it clear that he is not interested in joining Paris Saint-Germain and says he is happy with life at Barcelona.

The Argentina international stated on Monday that he dreams of staying at the Blaugrana until the end of his career, and not even a lucrative offer from the Ligue 1 giants would tempt him to move on.

"Paris Saint-Germain's project tempting? No, no! I have the best teammates in the world at Barcelona. We fight for trophies every season," Messi was quoted as saying by France Football.

"Barcelona is a beautiful city and Barca are the club where I was raised. I can honestly not even imagine leaving Barcelona."

PSG lured players such as Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Thiago Silva, Ezequiel Lavezzi and Gregory van der Wiel to the French capital in the summer transfer window, but Messi is unsure whether the team can compete with the big teams in Europe this term.

"I don't know whether PSG already have the means to challenge the big teams in the Champions League this season," he explained."I think that they can win the Ligue 1 title with all the players who can be decisive. But it takes time to build a team.

He added, "Their situation reminds me a bit of Manchester City. It's not easy to build a team when you have players coming from all corners of the world."

Les Parisiens currently sit atop of the Ligue 1 table and second in their Champions League group.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Sergio Ramos: Barcelona chase motivates Real Madrid

Sergio Ramos insists Real Madrid has not given up on the Liga title just yet, and has made it clear that the club is determined to catch Barcelona.

Los Blancos currently sit fourth in the league table, trailing joint leaders Barcelona and Atletico Madrid by eight points, but Ramos has insisted that the title race is by no means over yet.

"We are motivated by the challenge to catch up with Barcelona. We’re going to fight for the league title right to the end and we expect to be in with a shout," Ramos was quoted as saying by Marca.

He added, "Right now there are two teams on top of their game, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid, but if we keep winning our games we'll put them under a lot of pressure.

"The win against Mallorca was important. It's a tough place for us to go and get a result. We’re up there and will keep on fighting."

Madrid is currently preparing for Wednesday's Copa del Rey match against Alcoyano.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Bendtner pleased to assist Juventus winner against Catania

Nicklas Bendtner has revealed his joy at making his first meaningful contribution to the Juventus cause in the 1-0 Serie A victory over Catania at the weekend.

The Denmark striker arrived in Turin on a season-long loan from Arsenal on transfer deadline day in August but had only managed two substitute appearances for the Scudetto holders prior to Sunday, leading to suggestions that he could be seeking a winter exit.

However, he did his claims for a place in the first team no harm after firing in a shot that ultimately led to Arturo Vidal scoring on the rebound at the Angelo Massimino, and, a missed chance aside, he was pleased with his performance against the Sicilians.

"I started my first match for a long time and I'm happy with my display," Bendtner told Tuttosport.

"I sent a good pass to [Mirko] Vucinic, but he didn't score. Then I missed a decent chance but [Arturo] Vidal scored. Usually I don't miss easy opportunities."