..::Football II::..

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Chicharito stays red hot to lead Manchester United to comeback win

Aston Villa got off to a great start, but then Javier Hernandez finished things.

Only brought on as a halftime substitute, the Mexican striker scored twice in the second half, and had a key assist on an own goal as he inspired Manchester United to a 3-2 win.

Down 2-0 in the 58th minute, Chicharito showed excellent control to take down a Paul Scholes pass, then slipped the ball under Brad Guzan to open the scoring for United. He was hardly finished.


It took just five minuted for Hernandez to strike again. His volley off Rafael's cross deflected off Villa defender Ron Vlaar and in for an own goal. It seemed a second goal for Chicharito on first glance, but replays show the Dutch defender guided the ball home. Still, the striker got the key touch.

It seemed inevitable that Chicharito would strike again, and he did in the 88th minute, stooping low to head home a Robin van Persie free kick and giving his side a dramatic victory.

The virtuoso performance continues a run of excellent form for the striker, as he has now scored seven goals in his last five games in all competitions.

 

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Barclays Premier League 2012.11.11 Fixtures

Barclays Premier League 2012.11.11 Fixtures

Manchester City Vs Tottenham

Newcastle United Vs West Ham United

Chelsea Vs Liverpool

​

 

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La Liga 2012.11.11 Fixtures

La Liga 2012.11.11 Fixtures​

Valladoid Vs Valencia​

Athletic Bilbao Vs Sevilla​

Mallorca Vs Barcelona​

Atletico Madrid Vs Getafe​

Levante Vs Real Madrid​

 

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Serie 2012.11.11 Fixtures

Serie 2012.11.11 Fixtures


Palermo Vs Sampdoria

AC Milan Vs Fiorentina

Chievo Vs Udinese

Lazio Vs Roma

Parma Vs Siena

Torino Vs Bologna

Atalanta Vs Inter​

 

[panchaz]

Hi Pancha aiya......Kalekin dakke

hey kohomada machan ?

 

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Levante 1-2 Real Madrid: Morata to the rescue for Mourinho's men

Real Madrid trudged to a hard-fought 2-1 win over Levante in appalling conditions at the Ciudad de Valencia stadium.

Cristiano Ronaldo gave the reigning Liga champions a first-half lead but Angel popped up with an equalizer midway through the second half.

It looked like Los Merengues were going to fail to pick up all three points away to Levante once more when Xabi Alonso missed from the spot but Alvaro Morata netted his first goal for the club when he headed in a late winner for the visiting side.

A waterlogged pitch made for a difficult start to the game and after one early shot, Ronaldo was forced to leave the pitch for treatment following a blow to the eye.

Levante pushed forward, eager to capitalize on the temporary numerical advantage but Juanlu was unable to convert the team's best opportunity as he blazed over from 10 yards out.

Given the dreadful nature of the pitch, both teams resorted to playing the long ball and it was perhaps predictable that the first goal would only come as a result of a set piece.

Sergio Ballesteros failed to deal with Alonso's dead-ball delivery and his header fell to Ronaldo who controlled with his thigh before lashing a volley into the roof of the net with 21 minutes played.

The weather continued to hinder the flow of the game and clearly content with the one-goal advantage, Jose Mourinho withdrew Ronaldo at the break and replaced him with Raul Albiol.

However, the change almost backfired immediately. Within two minutes of the restart the former Valencia man failed to close down Juanlu quick enough and his blushes were only spared by a magnificent stop from Iker Casillas.

Los Blancos soon settled again and started to threaten the Levante goal, hitting the crossbar twice before the hour mark.

Firstly, Pepe was afforded too much space from a corner but his header came crashing back off the woodwork. Then, as Munua failed to claim a corner from the right, Sergio Ramos' back heel was deflected onto the bar by Pape Diop before being sent behind for a corner.

But the profligacy of Mourinho's side came back to bite it as Jose Barkero's pass was flicked over the defense by Obafemi Martins. Substitute Angel got on the end of it, held off the challenge of Pepe, and lifted the ball over Casillas and into the net.

Madrid was offered a golden opportunity to take the lead in the 73rd minute as Ballesteros brought down Jose Callejon on the edge of the box and a debatable penalty was awarded. Alonso took on the responsibility of the spot kick but Munua guessed right and parried the shot aside.

Unperturbed, the home side continued to press and an error from Albiol was pounced upon by Juanlu. He picked up the loose ball and charged into the area but failed to pick out the far corner.

Yet there was to be one more twist in the tale in the 84th minute. Another quality free kick from Alonso found the head of Morata who nodded in the winner.

Despite taking the victory, Madrid remains eight points adrift of league leader Barcelona in third position.

 

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Montpellier 1-1 Paris Saint-Germain: Cabella cancels out Maxwell magic

Paris Saint-Germain had returned to the summit of Ligue 1 following a dramatic 1-1 draw against Montpellier, which saw both sides finish with 10 men.

Despite Mamadou Sakho being dismissed with barely 10 minutes played, PSG opened the scoring in glorious fashion thanks to Maxwell's deft chip.

After a bright start, Montpellier struggled to find its rhythm, though Remy Cabella drove the team level with a fizzing shot. Younes Belhanda was then shown a second yellow card shortly afterwards for deliberate handball.

Without Zlatan Ibrahimovic due to suspension, this encounter promised to be a real examination of Carlo Ancelotti’s side, though the club made life difficult for itself when Sakho was sent off following a foul on Gaetan Charbonnier, having been played into trouble by Marco Verratti.

Although the home side boasted a numerical advantage, much of the play was labored, and on the counterattack the capital side manage to grab the lead with a rare meaningful attack. It was a move built from the back, fashioned by Jeremy Menez and then finished in the cutest of styles as Maxwell lifted a cheeky shot into the net.

Before the break les Parisiens might even have added a second, but Menez’s shot from a tight angle was well blocked by Geoffrey Jourdren.

In the second half Montpellier became more positive in its play, as Cabella started to gain a stranglehold on the game and the attacking midfielder leveled with a fine low shot into the corner after Blaise Matuidi had surrendered possession.

For a brief period it seemed that the home side had come alive, as Anthony Mounier went close, but when Belhanda departed following a needless handball the game was suddenly back in the balance.

PSG immediately became more active as an attacking force, and Menez was at the forefront of the efforts once again, as he was denied by Jourdren.

The team certainly did not have the closing stages all its own way as it took a heroic block from Alex to deny Cabella what appeared set to be a second goal, while a stoppage-time shot from Emmanuel Herrara drew a good save from Salvatore Sirigu.

Although the capital side failed to win the match, the team will regard this result as a positive one given it played the vast majority of the fixture with 10 men. The club regains top spot in Le Championnat on goal difference, a position that Montpellier can only reminisce about in what has been a shambolic defense of the title.

 

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Atalanta 3-2 Inter: Denis at the double

German Denis struck twice to hand Atalanta a 3-2 win as Inter's seven-match winning run in Serie A was brought to an abrupt end in northern Italy, despite Rodrigo Palacio's late consolation strike.

Giacomo Bonaventura headed his side into a surprise lead early on, and it held out until after the break, when Fredy Guarin smashed in a free kick from the egde of the area.

But Andrea Stramaccioni's side, which was poor at the back and sluggish throughout, was caught out by Denis' double and can have no complaints at having lost, even though Palacio offered the club fleeting hope late on.

The away side had started well, in fact, but it was Atalanta which took the lead on nine minutes when Bonaventura headed Federico Peluso's whipped cross across Samir Handanovic and into the far corner.

Just moments later Stefano Colantuono's charges were almost in again when Peluso sent another dangerous cross across the face of goal, while Denis fired a volley straight at Handanovic after the ball was worked back into the danger area.

Antonio Cassano stole in on Cristian Raimondi's misjudgement, but the Italy striker was denied by the rushing Andrea Consigli.

A frenetic 15-minute period followed, in which both sides exchanged speculative efforts. Luca Cigarini and Ezequiel Schelotto fired long-range shots over the bar for the home side, while Guarin responded with a couple of his own.

Consigli made another smart stop to turn away Palacio's point-blank header on the line, while at the other end Denis ballooned a shot over the bar from six yards out following Schelotto's low cross from the right. It was a gilt-edged chance for the home side to double the lead, and it deserved better than Denis' wasteful effort. The impressive Maxi Moralez, as ever, had been at the heart of the move.

After the break, Raimondi went unpunished for catching Palacio with a stray arm, before Walter Gargano was booked for a similar offense committed against Moralez.

The bookings began to pile up and Peluso soon went into the book for a trip on Guarin on the edge of the area. And the Colombian made the left back pay when he lashed home the dead ball from 20 yards out, through the hands of Consigli.

But the home side was not to be denied and Denis atoned for his earlier error by stroking his side into the lead once again. Moralez was heavily involved once more, as he found space behind Yuto Nagatomo and squared for the former Udinese and Napoli man to tap home from close range.

Moralez was integral to the home side's third as well. The Argentine won a penalty after being brought down by the lunging Matias Silvestre. Denis made no mistake by sending Handanovic the wrong way.

Things almost got worse for Stramaccioni with eight minutes on the clock, but Handanovic got down well to deny Facundo Parra, who should have done better from 14 yards out.

But just as it looked a lost cause, the away side was back in it when Palacio crashed in a low shot after being played in by Walter Gargano.

Parra was appealing for a penalty almost immediately down the other end, but the referee was not interested. Then, in injury time, the Argentine was sent off for an off-the-ball incident with Guarin.

Stramaccioni's men poured forward at the death and forced a number of corners, but could not find a morale-boosting equalizer that would have kept the club on the heels of league leader Juventus.

 

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Mallorca 2-4 Barcelona: History-maker Messi steadies brittle Blaugran

Despite taking a three-goal lead into half time, Barcelona survived a second-half scare from Mallorca to win 4-2 at Iberostar Stadium.

Xavi put the Blaugrana on the path to recovering from their shock midweek UEFA Champions League defeat to Celtic with a sumptuous free kick, and goals from Lionel Messi and Christian Tello ensured a comfortable lead at the break.

The hosts came back out fighting, though, and pulled two back through Michael Pereira and Victor Casadesus. However, Messi once more saved the day as he ensured that Barca's blushes were spared when he slammed in his 76th goal of 2012, breaking Pele's mark for strikes in a calender year in the process. Messi trails just German great Gerd Muller, who scored 85 goals in 1972.

Mallorca set out to stifle the Catalan giants, dropping midfielders back when out of possession to create a wall of bodies in front of their own goal. In time, Joaquin Caparros' team grew in confidence but was unable to take the chances that came its way. After blazing over from Ximo's cross moments before, Tomer Hemed saw his header turned around the post by a scrambling Victor Valdes in the 22nd minute.

But it proved only to be a brief scare for the Blaugrana, as a moment of pure quality saw them break the deadlock. From a central free kick 25 yards from goal, Xavi curled a majestic, pinpoint shot over the wall and into the top-left corner with 28 minutes on the clock.

Tito Vilanova's men had enjoyed more than 70 percent of the possession throughout the first half, and they finally put a worthy distance between them and the opposition with two goals in quick succession before the break.

First, Messi was afforded too much space for his low shot that left Dudu Aouate red-faced as the keeper allowed it to slip through his grasp in the 44th minute. Then, one minute later, Tello received the ball on the left and after cutting in-field onto his weaker foot, swept a powerful effort past the keeper and into the bottom corner.

Mallorca began its comeback in the 55th minute, as Javier Mascherano was caught in possession by Victor, who then lofted the ball to the far post where Pereira remained composed to fire over Valdes and in. Three minutes later, the deficit was halved as Victor sent a penalty straight down the middle following a handball from Sergio Busquets in the area.

But Barca used all of its experience to take the sting out of the game by holding the ball. They then extinguished any hope of a comeback as Messi rifled in an emphatic second following a brilliant knockdown from Alexis Sanchez.

Messi missed a fantastic chance to complete his hat-trick in the 88th minute, but the win means the Catalan side remains unbeaten this season and temporarily opens up a six-point gap over Atletico Madrid at the top of the Liga table.

 

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Newcastle 0-1 West Ham: Nolan comes back to haunt his old club and send Hammers up to sixth place

Sam Allardyce and Kevin Nolan showed Newcastle that revenge is a dish best served cold as West Ham left St. James’ Park with a narrow 1-0 victory.

Nolan grabbed a first-half winner against his and Allardyce's former side to settle an otherwise uneventful contest, while Jussi Jaaskelainen produced a fine display to show why Allardyce was so keen to bring him to Upton Park this summer.

A slow first half was kicked into gear by Nolan’s strike on 37 minutes, and the home side was unable to offer a substantial response for the rest of the encounter. Nolan and Allardyce were not the only familiar faces at St. James Park, as Andy Carroll returned to his former hunting ground as well.

But if anyone had expected an on-song Carroll to remind the Magpies what they were missing, his first action of the game – a foul on Jonas Gutierez – would not exactly have filled them with hope.

Gutierez, a stand-in captain for Fabricio Coloccini, was forced off after 24 minutes and was taken straight to hospital, though while West Ham’s Matt Jarvis suffered a similar fate, ending his already limited contribution soon after.

Four minutes later, the visitors shook the game into action as Nolan rocked the home support with the deadlock-breaking goal, latching onto Joey O’Brien’s loose shot to tap in from close range. The 30-year-old did not celebrate his goal out of respect for his former side and almost doubled his tally shortly after, firing just over after being put through on goal by Mohamed Diame.

Newcastle pushed for an equalizer before the break, but could not muster one - even though their fans thought they had when Hatem Ben Arfa’s shot struck the side-netting and Jaaskelainen saved another long-range Cabaye strike.

On 70 minutes, the shot stopper got his hands to another Ben Arfa shot, prompting a counter-attack that ended with Carroll being clean through on goal, but Tim Krul made his best Jaaskelainen impression to race off the line and deny the England striker.

Alan Pardew sent Gabriel Obertan on after 78 minutes, but the move was a rare glimpse of positivity on an afternoon when the Magpies did not display enough attacking intent and ultimately paid the price.

 

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AC Milan 1-3 Fiorentina: Aquilani comes back to haunt Rossoneri as Viola silence San Siro

Fiorentina’s pair of first-half goals and a magnificent late third secured a 3-1 win over AC Milan that maintained the club's stranglehold on fourth place in Serie A and put the hosts under even more pressure.

Midfielder Alberto Aquilani stroked in the opening goal on his return to San Siro, the ground which the Italian midfielder had spent last season on loan from Liverpool. Borja Valero extended the Viola lead seven minutes from halftime a few minutes after Alexandre Pato skied a penalty over the crossbar.

Substitute Giampaolo Pazzini restored hope among the home fans with a tap-in after Philippe Mexes' skilful shot rebounded off the post, but Mounir El Hamdaoui's beautiful finish with less than three minutes left ensured that Fiorentina collected all three points.

Napoli’s win over Genoa on Sunday means the Florence-based club stays fourth in the table, while Milan is guaranteed to end the weekend outside of the top 10 with the fourth San Siro defeat in seven league matches this season.

Fiorentina grabbed the game by the scruff of the neck with 10 minutes gone, with Adem Ljajic teeing up Aquilani 12 yards from goal, allowing the midfielder to curl it past an outstretched Christian Abbiati with his first touch.

The next 15 minutes were characterized by a sparsely-filled San Siro groaning in unison as Rossoneri players continuously failed to time their runs with precision and were regularly called offside. An opportunity for Milan to equalize presented itself after Facundo Roncaglia was yellow carded for clattering into Pato inside the 18-yard box on 33 minutes, but the Brazilian attacker missed the penalty, sending his effort high over the crossbar in embarrassing fashion.

Valero capitalized on the distracted Milan side, burrowing a hole through the defense from the left edge of the box, wiggling past a flailing Mexes and striking low into the far corner of the net.

It was Pazzini who pulled a goal back for the home side, pouncing on a loose ball five yards from goal after Mexes hit the post from 15 yards with an outrageous backheel. The goal upped the game’s tempo significantly, as the visitors pressed to extend their lead while the hosts fought to score an equalizer, causing an extraordinarily open encounter.

San Siro season ticket holders might have expected an equalizer, but it was Fiorentina who had the better chances as the game came to a close. Mattia Cassani hit the post in the last five minutes before El Hamdaoui chipped over Abbiati from 25 yards to emphatically end the contest in the Viola’s favor.

 

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Lazio 3-2 Roma: Biancocelesti defeat city rival in dramatic derby

Lazio ended a run of three Serie A matches without a win as the club came from behind to beat Roma in a Derby Della Capitale that ended with both sides down to 10 men.

Goals from Antonio Candreva, Miroslav Klose and Stefano Mauri were enough for the home team at Stadio Olimpico despite efforts from Erik Lamela and Miralem Pjanic narrowing the deficit

Daniele De Rossi's straight red card on the stroke of halftime didn't aid Roma's cause as the club suffered defeat for the third time in its last four matches, while Mauri was sent off late on for a second bookable offence.

After a floodlight failure halted the match for around five minutes, Roma took an early lead as Lamela headed in Franceso Totti's corner for his seventh goal in his last six matches for Zdenek Zeman's side.

The Biancocelesti were slightly aggrieved that they were not awarded a free kick in the build-up to the goal, but they almost pulled level almost immediately as Hernanes tested Mauro Goicoechea from distance.

Totti was at the heart of everything Roma was producing, and he forced Federico Marchetti into a smart save as his low shot from the corner of the box was well parried by the goalkeeper.

Klose was back from suspension for the home team, and he posed his first threat as his header was turned away well by Goicoechea, though the referee had already blown for a foul earlier in the move.

Persistent heavy rain was making the playing conditions increasingly difficult and meant the number of chances were much fewer, though Abdoulay Konko went close as his flicked header from Hernanes' free kick went just over the bar.

Lazio was then gifted an equalizer as Candreva'spowerful free kick was straight at Goicoechea, but the young Uruguayan could only parry the ball into his own net, though the slippery conditions may have played a part.

Vladimir Petkovic's players had their tails up, and they almost hit Roma on the counterattack as Candreva broke away down the right before finding Klose on the edge of the area, but the Germany international could only fire over.

With three minutes remaining of the first half Lazio did take the lead as Klose turned in Hernanes' low cross-shot for his seventh Serie A strike of the campaign.

Roma's first half went from bad to worse in stoppage time as De Rossi received his marching orders for a slap on Mauri when awaiting a free kick on the edge of the area.

It took Lazio just 90 seconds of the second period to extend the lead as Ivan Piris' weak defensive header fell at the feet of Mauri on the edge of the area and he made no mistake in slotting it past Goicoechea.

Petkovic's team was relentless in its attacking and Goicoechea had to pull of an acrobatic save as Hernanes' shot was heavily deflected to leave the goalkeeper slightly wrong footed.

Roma pushed for an opportunity to get back into the game, but almost fell further behind when Candreva fired a low shot across goal that Goicoechea held onto well.

The Giallorossi should have pulled one back when Pablo Osvaldo found himself free in the box from Totti's corner but he couldn't control his header and saw the ball disappear over the bar.

Hernanes continued to pose a threat from midfield and he almost got himself on the score sheet but his low curling effort from 20 yards was turned around the post by Goicoechea at full stretch.

Zeman's team continued to press and substitute Marquinho threatened with a shot from just outside the box that went narrowly over Marchetti's crossbar.

Mauri received his second yellow card after he was adjudged to have handled on the halfway line, though replays suggested it may have hit his shoulder.

Roma capitalized on the decision as Pjanic scored directly from the free kick as Marchetti was caught off his line and couldn't keep out the speculative effort from all of 50 yards.

The 2001 Serie A winner pushed for a late equalizer and Osvaldo should have provided it as his reached Michael Bradley's searching pass but could only volley wide when clean through on goal.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Manchester City 2-1 Tottenham: Super sub Dzeko and Aguero seal gritty comeback

MANCHESTER -- Manchester City moved within two points of league leader Manchester United after securing a dramatic late 2-1 victory over Tottenham.

Edin Dzeko enhanced his reputation as the super-sub-in-chief with a well-taken winner in the 86th minute, adding to Sergio Aguero's equalizer that had pulled the home side back following Steven Caulker's headed opener.

Roberto Mancini welcomed David Silva back to the side after he sustained a hamstring strain on international duty in September, while Sandro returned for the visiting team and Emmanuel Adebayor replaced Jermain Defoe despite the Englishman's hat trick against Maribor on Thursday.

City started in impressive fashion, with Spurs unable to break out of their own half under a blanket of pressure in the opening quarter of an hour. Sloppy passes from Silva and Gareth Barry and a fine tackle from Kyle Walker on Aguero left City frustrated, unable to capitalise on the early endeavour.

The club's profligacy was to be punished shortly after, as the home side's alarming inability to defend set pieces was aired yet again. Caulker nodded past Joe Hart after having found himself free in the area to connect with Huddlestone's superb whipped free kick from the right flank.

Mancini's side gave a response of sorts, and should have arguably had a penalty as William Gallas blocked Aguero's turn in the area with his arm, but referee Michael Oliver waved away the Argentine's desperate protests on the 25th minute.

Further controversy was to come for Oliver, as Huddlestone body-checked Pablo Zabaleta's run in the area as the Argentine chased down Silva's neat through ball. The referee remained unmoved again, and as Carlos Tevez's scuffed effort rolled into the arms of Brad Friedel shortly before halftime, Mancini and his side exuded frustration.

It was to linger into the second half, as an offside flag halted Tevez when he looked to latch on to Gael Clichy's lofted ball over the top of an increasingly shaky Spurs defense.

But as the hour mark passed and City continued to probe, the Tottenham retreated, allowed the home side possession and was duly punished. Caulker knocked the ball into Aguero's path and the Argentine calmly slotted past Friedel for his third Premier League goal this season.

The goal reignited Tottenham, and Gareth Bale's 73rd minute strike forced Joe Hart into a sublime reaction save to keep the scores level as the play stretched with nether side settling for a point.

It was Mancini's side, however, that looked the more likely as Edin Dzeko replaced Tevez for the final quarter of an hour and City pressed for a winner.

Redemption was to come from the likeliest of sources, as Dzeko latched on to Silva's brilliant ball to smash home on the 86th minute and move City within two points of its neighbor, to end a day that had for so long delivered immense frustration, ultimately, with sheer relief.

 

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Glen Johnson: 'Fantastic' Suarez scoring goals for fun

Liverpool defender Glen Johnson has hailed the continuing goalscoring exploits of his teammate Luis Suarez.

Suarez bagged the equalizer against Chelsea on Sunday to earn the Reds a point and take his Premier League tally for the season to eight goals in 11 matches.

The Uruguayan is now the joint-top scorer in the division along with Manchester United star Robin van Persie.

"Luis is a great player and he doing a fantastic job for us," Johnson told Liverpool's official website. "He's scoring goals for fun at the moment and the longer he does that the happier we will be."

Johnson was satisfied to earn a draw from the match at Stamford Bridge and credited Liverpool for continuing to fight for a result after they had fallen behind.

The England full back was left wondering, however, if the Reds should have won the game after they finished the contest strongly following Suarez's equalizer.

"If we had been offered a point before the game, we probably would have taken it," the ex-Blues player admitted.

He added, "Playing away at Stamford Bridge, it was always going to be difficult. Chelsea are very strong at home and we were expecting a tough game.

"We didn't start well, they got the goal and usually when Chelsea go in front here they win. A lot of teams would have rolled over and ended up getting destroyed by four or five.

"But we have a great spirit in the dressing room and a lot of heart. We always fight to the death. We did that and got our reward."

 

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Mancini: Manchester City not strong enough to man-mark

Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini believes that his team are not strong enough to man-mark during set pieces.

Steven Caulker gave Tottenham the lead by heading home a free kick in the defending champions' 2-1 victory at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

Poor defending in dead-ball situations has plagued Mancini's side this season, but despite criticism for their zonal setup the Italian coach thinks the team would fare even worse if it changed systems.

"We are not strong enough to mark man-to-man, and every time we do there is a risk of conceding a penalty," Mancini told reporters.

"If we work, we can improve the system. We have let in goals because of it, but we can change that. We are working on it, but we need to work more."

Despite its fairly mixed performances so far in 2011-12, City remains unbeaten in the Premier League and trail league leaders Manchester United by just two points.

Mancini admitted that he did not understand the concerns about his side's form so far this season, claiming that the club's poor results was often a consequence of bad luck or its own mistakes.

"We have made some bad mistakes in the Champions League, have had some bad luck, and have sometimes played a bad game," he said. "But we don't have a bad problem as some people like to say."

 

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Mourinho content with Real Madrid display

Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho paid tribute to Levante's battling qualities but said his side deserved its 2-1 win on Sunday evening.

In appalling weather conditions, Los Blancos snatched a 2-1 win at Ciudat de Valencia, thanks to a Cristiano Ronaldo goal and a late Alvaro Morata header, and the 49-year-old was happy with a hard-fought three points.

"We deserved to win but Levante made it very difficult, like they always do," he told reporters after the game.

"Both teams had to adapt to play in these difficult conditions, but playing in the rain is part of football. Levante reacted well. We had to give everything we had to win the game."

Mourinho was also quick to praise his match-winner Morata, but stressed the need for him to keep his feet on the ground.

"[Angel] Di Maria and Callejon were both fantastic. Morata is doing well but what is important is that he continues growing as a player and also as a person," he added.

The victory keeps Madrid in third position, five points behind Atletico Madrid and eight points adrift of leader Barcelona.

 

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Villas-Boas: Manchester City made it difficult for Tottenham to play

Tottenham manager Andre Villas-Boas praised Manchester City's work rate after the defending champion's 2-1 victory at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday, admitting that his team struggled to find its rhythm.

Things weren't looking good for City when Steven Caulker gave Spurs the lead in the first half, but the home side improved after the break and was rewarded when Edin Dzeko scored a late winner after Sergio Aguero had equalized.

Villas-Boas explained his game plan after the match but conceded that Spurs had found it difficult to get to grips with their opponent's high defensive line and heavy pressing.

"The plan before the game was to try and hold on to the ball a bit more, to have possession and try to connect up and link the wingers," he told Sky Sports. "It was difficult because Manchester City's line was very high and they pushed us very well, so it was difficult to make that second pass in the link up play."

Villas-Boas controversially left Jermain Defoe on the bench despite his hat-trick in midweek against Maribor in the Europa League, but defended his decision to select Emmanuel Adebayor in attack for the fixture.

"In the end, he [Adebayor] had a positive impact regarding the structure we put together," he insisted. "It's a pity we didn't get a result in the end."

 

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Allegri: AC Milan gave victory to Fiorentina

AC Milan coach Massimiliano Allegri believes that his side only has itself to blame for a 3-1 defeat to Fiorentina at San Siro on Sunday.


Goals from Alberto Aquilani, Borja Valero and Mounir El Hamdaoui allowed the visiting side to run out an easy victor, but the former Cagliari trainer feels his side was far too sloppy.

"Fiorentina played well and kept possession, but we gifted them two goals from throw-ins. We did not react well and that is unacceptable," the 45-year-old told reporters. "The Viola ran hard and pressed us around the field, but we were too deep and feel regret because they didn't really have many chances aside from the ones we gave them.

"It was a fairly balanced encounter. Fiorentina kept possession, but it is chances that count in football.”

Allegri then defended his decision to grant Alexandre Pato, who missed a crucial penalty during the encounter, a place in the starting XI.

"Pato did well on Tuesday, so I thought he would grow and improve by playing more," he said. "The problem is that our style of football needs us to run at full speed, and playing every three days, we cannot do that. Sometimes we have to play badly and try to get a result anyway. We ought to avoid the slips in concentration. It’s a shame about the results, as we could have gone up to sixth place today and did not manage it."

Milan currently sits 13th in Serie A, only five points clear of the drop zone.

 

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Messi passes Pele's mark for goals in a calendar year, trails only Muller

Barcelona star Lionel Messi has broken former Brazil international Pele's scoring mark of 75 goals during one calendar year.

The Brazilian icon, who accomplished his feat in 1958, was in second place behind Gerd Muller, who scored a total of 85 goals for Bayern Munich and West Germany in just 60 games in 1972. The 25-year-old Argentine is now only chasing down the legendary forward thanks to a double against Mallorca on Sunday that gives him 76 goals in 59 appearances.

His first came on the stroke of halftime in fortuitous style, squeezing a shot under Dudu Aouate to make it 2-0 to the Blaugrana. After the break, Barca faced a comeback effort from Mallorca, but Messi was there to make it 4-2 in fantastic fashion, combining well with Alexis, before scoring a stunning goal.

Barcelona has nine more appearances in 2012 during which Messi can catch or pass Muller's record. The three-time Ballon d'Or winner is in the running to land the prestigious award for a fourth consecutive year in Janaury.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Schweinsteiger, Kroos and Boateng to miss Netherlands clash

Bayern Munich trio Bastian Schweinsteiger, Toni Kroos and Jerome Boateng and Borussia Dortmund's Marcel Schmelzer are set to miss Germany's encounter against the Netherlands next week due to injuries.


Die Roten have announced that both the experienced midfielder and the young playmaker are suffering from infections, which will keep them from taking part in the friendly match in Amsterdam. The German FA (DFB)'s official website, meanwhile, has confirmed that Boateng picked up a hamstring injury against Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday, while Schmelzer has a bruised ankle.

Elsewhere, Schalke defensive midfielder Roman Neustadter has expressed his delight at being called up by national team coach Joachim Low for the first time.

"At first I was shocked, because I didn't expect it," the 24-year-old explained to Bundesliga.de. "Of course I was extremely delighted and could not find words for the joy I felt. "[Low] said that I deserve it due to my performance, he now would like to get to know me and that he is looking forward to Monday."

Germany and Netherlands face off in Amsterdam on Wednesday in a high-profile friendly and a rematch of their meeting in the Euro 2012 group stage.