..::Football II::..

[Wolverine GTR]

Messi: 'I care about Barcelona, not personal records'

ZURICH -- Barcelona attacker Lionel Messi claims he does not care about his personal records and would rather focus on the team's development.

The Blaugrana star had an outstanding 2012, scoring 91 goals and eclipsing Germany legend Gerd Muller's record of 85 strikes during one calendar year. However, he was quick to play down his personal success.

"I'm not sure if this has been my best year so far. To be honest, I'm not that interested in my personal records, but in the team's success," he told reporters at the Fifa Ballon d'Or ceremony.

"My objective is to improve with the team, which of course is easier when you win."

Regarding the rivalry with Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo, the 25-year-old insisted that both men are focused on their own goals rather than worrying about competition.

"We are not competing against each other," Messi said. "We just play and want to win titles with our teams. I want to play as good as possible for my team, keep on growing with them, and that's it."

The Barcelona striker then discussed Argentina's preparation for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, adding: "We are not even qualified yet and we still have a long stretch to go to achieve that. We've had some good results in the last matches and have been playing very well recently.

"However, we still have to grow as a team and the competition is still quite far away. We want to qualify as quickly as possible to get ready for the World Cup."

The 25-year-old also reflected on his childhood, and concluded that being a footballer is all that ever interested him.

"[As a kid], I wasn't really wondering whether I was the best, I'm not even wondering about that now. All I was interested in was playing football. As a kid you want to play, learn and improve," he said.

"The most important thing, however, is to have fun playing football."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Mepara Ballon d'Or 1ka kata yaida danne nahaMessi,CR9 & Iniesta

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Ronaldo denies Messi rivalry and questions FIFA’s stance on racism

ZURICH -- Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo has questioned how effective FIFA and UEFA's campaign against racism is, and insisted that he does not consider Lionel Messi a rival.



The duo are up for the Ballon d'Or award on Monday night, though FIFA has been in the news this week after president Sepp Blatter criticized AC Milan's decision to walk off after racial abuse against Pro Patria.Ronaldo, speaking at the pre-award press conference in Zurich, insisted that racism must be stamped out in football but believes the decision to leave the field of play is an entirely subjective one.

“In my honest opinion, I think this [racism] cannot happen at this moment in football,” he told reporters.

“All the time, FIFA and UEFA speak about fair play and against racism, so why does it still happen? It’s incredible, this cannot exist; it’s just a football match.
“It’s not good for the fans or anybody. We should live in peace, all of us.”Ronaldo, when asked about Boateng’s decision to walk off, added: “It was a very personal decision by him. If he was angry or sad, that’s his decision.

He explained, “I can give you lots of examples happening in stadia today when you cannot simply walk off the pitch.“You have to cope with these kind of fans and perhaps a few people have a few screws loose. I couldn’t give you a precise answer, whether you walk off the pitch depends on the person.”

Barcelona forward Messi is the bookies’ favorite to win the award for the fourth time in a row, with Ronaldo only getting his hands on the accolade once (in 2008), but the Blancos star insisted that he won't lose any sleep if he fails to win.“I have a clear conscience; I must say this award is not the end of life,” he said.

“Life goes on and we have to learn from our lessons - if others win then that’s fine.“With regards to what I have done in the last year, I think things went well, we won the league. Regardless of what happens today, I’m going to be the same man that I’ve been so far.”

This award is the sixth year in a row that Ronaldo and Messi have both been included in the final trio of nominees, but the former Manchester United attacker insists that there is no real rivalry between the pair.

“I don’t feel that I’m frustrated by Messi. He does his work for his team and so do I for mine," Ronaldo said.“As far as I’m concerned, I don’t feel much rivalry, at least not personally. We’re here to win, we’re part of football and that’s what counts.”

When asked why he did not select Messi in the voting process, Ronaldo denied having actually cast his vote."I didn’t have a chance to vote myself this year as I got injured during training with the team that day,” he said.

The Portuguese star was even asked where Madrid's head coach Jose Mourinho was and why he had chosen not to come to Zurich for the award ceremony, but Ronaldo replied with a smile: “It’s a secret!”

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Guardiola: I will return to coaching next season

Zurich -- Former Barcelona boss Pep Guardiola has revealed his intention to return to coaching next season.

The tactician has been absent from the game since his departure from the club after the 2011-12 campaign and has now shared that he intends to take over a coaching role again at some point.


"Yes, I would like to come back to coaching," he stated during the press conference ahead of the Ballon d'Or ceremony, however, he did not share any details on where he plans to continue his career.

"I don’t have a team, I don’t know, but I would like to go back to coaching. My decision has been taken to coach, but beyond that there is no decision taken."

Premier League clubs Chelsea, Manchester United, Manchester City and Arsenal have all been linked with Guardiola while Bayern Munich is also understood to be interested in making the 41-year-old its coach next season.

But Guardiola, who is taking a year sabbatical in New York, refused to be drawn on whether he had spoken to any clubs.

“It would be a lack of respect to other coaches to speak about any team that is being run by a coach anywhere in the world,” he said.

The former midfielder handed over the reins at Barcelona to Tito Vilanova at the end of last season after guiding Barcelona to 14 trophies in four years at the Camp Nou.

He continues to follow the team from afar and - with Barcelona 11 points clear at the top of La Liga - is proud of the club's progress since his departure.

“I keep watching Barcelona on TV and it’s great to watch the team,” Guardiola continued. “I was a lucky man to spend a few years with this fantastic team and it’s a source of pride to know they continue to play just as well or even better than when I was there.

“It was a gift to have that team and it’s more of a gift to know it’s still going on. It didn’t start with me, it started a long, long time ago and I was just one part of that.”

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Fabregas: No end to what Barcelona can do

Cesc Fabregas is confident that Barcelona can be successful this season as long as it manages to maintain its current form.

The Catalans recorded a 4-0 win over Espanyol on Sunday to extend their La Liga lead over Atletico Madrid to 11 points, and Fabregas is hugely optimistic about his side's chances at silverware.

"Breaks tend to affect the rhythm of a team, but we seem to have come back in the same shape we finished in December. If the team keeps on like this, with the motivation we’ve got, there is no end to what we can do," Fabregas told Barca TV.

"The team have many tactical variations all over the pitch and that is very positive, because it confuses the other team. Then we have the individual skill to finish off the moves."

The former Arsenal midfielder also briefly discussed Monday's 2012 FIFA Ballon d'Or awards, and he is confident that one of his team-mates will come out victorious.

"[Lionel] Messi or [Andres] Iniesta will win it. Whatever happens we’ll be happy with it – for me, they are two born winners," he stated.

The winner of the 2012 FIFA Ballon d'Or will be announced at a gala in Zurich later on Monday.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Henriquez hoping to emulate Cleverley success at Wigan

Wigan striker Angelo Henriquez hopes to emulate Manchester United team-mate Tom Cleverley by enjoying a successful spell on loan at the DW Stadium.

Henriquez joined United from Universidad de Chile in the summer before agreeing to link up with the Latics on a temporary basis at the beginning of January.

The 18-year-old Chile international will spend the rest of the season with Roberto Martinez's team and made his debut as a substitute in Saturday's FA Cup third round tie against Bournemouth, which ended in a 1-1 draw.

"I'm looking forward to my time here and hopefully I can be good for the team like Tom Cleverley was when he came here on loan," Henriquez told reporters.

He added, "My job is to score goals for the team and hopefully I can give Wigan fans some good memories while I'm here.

"I'm hoping to get first-team appearances in the Premier League and coming to Wigan will be a very good way to do that, particularly with the style that the gaffer has got the team playing."

Henriquez will play alongside fellow Chilean Jean Beausejour at Wigan and hopes that having a compatriot at the club can help him quickly adjust to the Premier League.

"It's great to team up with Jean because he is from Chile like me and him being here will help me to settle in, as will all of the players in the squad, Spanish speaking or not," he stated.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Joe Cole: Van Persie is the best player in the world after Messi and Ronaldo

West Ham attacker Joe Cole has described Manchester United striker Robin van Persie as the third-best player in the world.

The Dutchman denied the Hammers a famous FA Cup victory over Sir Alex Ferguson's side by forcing a replay with a 90th-minute equaliser at Upton Park on Saturday.

And Cole, who grabbed two assists during that game as he marked his first appearance since returning to his boyhood club from Liverpool, has hailed Van Persie's quality.

"You take away [Lionel] Messi and [Cristiano] Ronaldo and Van Persie is probably the best player in the world,” he told the Guardian.

"He was playing wide for Arsenal for many years and getting a few injury problems but moving central means there is a bit less running and he can use his technique and finishing, which is just incredible.

"He is a joy to watch and a pain to play against."

Van Persie has scored 20 goals in 26 appearances since his summer move to Old Trafford from Arsenal.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Cristiano Ronaldo: Not even God can please everyone

Real Madrid attacker Cristiano Ronaldo has stressed that he does his utmost to please as many people as possible, but feels it is impossible to keep everyone satisfied.

The 27-year-old has divided the opinions of fans all over the world, and often receives hostile receptions from opponents' supporters.

"Not even God can please everyone. I always try to be a good person who the majority of people like. But showing too much humility is a flaw. People either hate me or love me," the attacker told Globo.

"I always try and work hard in order to be the best at what I do. In my opinion, everybody should have the objective to be the best at what they do, regardless of his or her profession."

Meanwhile, former Portugal coach Luiz Felipe Scolari has nothing but praise for the player, and feels that he deserved to have been recognized as the world's best on more than one occasion.

"He's a player who always wants to win. He never wants to come second, but always wants to be the best. He's a very complete player and always professional," Scolari said. "For me, he should have won the FIFA Player of the Year award at least three times."

The Portugal international is one of three players still in the running for the 2012 FIFA Ballon d'Or alongside Andres Iniesta and Lionel Messi.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Tevez: I try to help Balotelli

Carlos Tevez has claimed that he has made several personal efforts to help his troubled Manchester City strike partner Mario Balotelli.

The Italian has been a figure of controversy both on and off the pitch since his arrival at the Etihad Stadium in 2010, epitomized by the physical confrontation this week between himself and manager Roberto Mancini in a training session.

However, according to Tevez, who himself fell out with the manager last season in a dispute that saw him sit out six months of competition, the incidents involving Balotelli are no different to those involving players at other teams.

"These kind of incidents have happened at all the clubs I’ve been," the former Manchester United man told reporters.

"But here at City the spotlight is always on us, always on Roberto and Mario. So it always comes out, but this kind of thing happens ­everywhere. Mario has been doing okay. He has been working and trying to improve.

"That’s what he did coming back from illness and injury, and it’s what he’s been trying to do.

"I try to help Mario. I talk to him on and off the pitch. I talked to him just before a free kick we were about to take, and I let him take it so he could improve his confidence, so things can get better for him.

"I’ve been in that moment like him, so I’m always keen to help him and keep him going so he doesn’t make the same mistakes."

Tevez scored, while Balotelli appeared from the bench as City comfortably saw off Watford 3-0 to progress into the fourth round of the FA Cup on Saturday.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Lampard will leave Chelsea in the summer, agent confirms

Frank Lampard will not be offered a new contract at Chelsea, his agent has confirmed.

The 34-year-old, who moved to within 10 goals of becoming the Blues record goalscorer at the weekend, has seen his future thrown into doubt this month, with LA Galaxy, Lazio and Manchester United thought to be keen on acquiring his services.

However, Lampard's agent Steve Kutner has revealed that the England international was told during December's Club World Cup that he will definitely be leaving the European Champions in the summer.

"Chelsea executives told Frank in Japan during the Club World Cup then again reconfirmed with me after the Everton victory that in no circumstances will he be offered a new contract to stay at the club after the end of this season," Kutner told The Daily Mirror.

"Nothing since has changed in any respect.

"Frank has had to accept that and just wants to carry on playing football for Chelsea so as to finish the season as successfully as possible for the club that he loves."

Lampard has been reduced to a bit-part role this season due to injuries but his penalty scored in Chelsea's 5-1 FA Cup third round victory at Southampton on Saturday was his seventh goal from 17 appearances, leaving him behind only Fernando Torres and Juan Mata in the Blues' goalscoring charts.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

'Cavani was stunning' - Napoli boss Mazzarri hails hat trick hero

Napoli coach Walter Mazzarri hailed “stunning” Edinson Cavani after his goalscoring exploits in the team's 4-1 win against Roma on Sunday night.



The Uruguay international scored a hat trick against the Giallorossi to put his tally up to 16 in the league this season, propelling him over AC Milan’s Stephan El Shaarawy in the Serie A goalscoring chart.

The Partenopei coach praised his star striker for stealing the show, but admitted that there is still room for improvement despite being pleased with the comfortable victory.

“Cavani was stunning. He became a top player at Napoli,” Mazzarri told reporters after the game. “Roma is on a par with Juventus, so we put in a great performance tonight.

“It was a real achievement to score four goals. Of course, some will say we were just lucky, or other such rubbish I’ve heard recently.Speaking after the win, Cavani was delighted that Napoli began 2013 with a win, having stumbled a bit lately, and hopes that the club can return to the Champions League with a top-three finish.

He said: “I think the win is more important for us than the table. People thought we were done for after a couple of bad results, as if we had somehow collapsed, but this was a show of professionalism and this squad deserves to go forward.

“The Champions League could be our target, but there is the entire second half of the season to go and we must try to keep calm, keep our heads down and keep going.”

The forward added: “My objective this season is to take Napoli as far as possible and achieve the targets this club has set.”

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Pedro dedicates Barcelona triumph to Vilanova

Barcelona attacker Pedro has dedicated the club’s 4-0 victory over Espanyol to boss Tito Vilanova, who is continuing his recovery after undergoing surgery for a cancer relapse.



Xavi opened the scoring after 10 minutes, before Pedro scored twice and Lionel Messi grabbed a goal - all before a third of the Catalunya derby had been played.The 25-year-old hopes that the Blaugrana's excellent performances can be maintained throughout the 2012-13 season, and he is glad to have Vilanova back on the Camp Nou sidelines too, having been absent since mid-December.

"We wanted to dedicate the victory to Tito and we could do it," the Spain international told reporters."He has had a very complicated few days, but the important thing is that it is good and we are happy to have him back with us.

"We have to continue with this mentality. Step by step, game by game. The mentality should be kept up so as not to lose points.

"He [Vilanova] has told us to be calm, we played as usual, we did our game and we were aware of what some of the Espanyol players could do."

Barcelona sits top of La Liga on 52 points, 16 points ahead of last year's winnersReal Madrid, while second-placed Atletico Madrid lost ground on the Catalans after it was held to a 1-1 draw by Mallorca on Sunday.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Napoli 4-1 Roma: Cavani hat trick sinks sorry Giallorossi

Napoli took full advantage of its rivals' slip-ups in Serie A this weekend after it thrashed Roma 4-1 on Sunday to climb back into the Champions League places.

Edinson Cavani was not in a forgiving mood as he scored a hat trick to inspire his side to a significant victory over Zdenek Zeman's capital outfit, and despite Pablo Osvaldo's consolation, Christian Maggio secured the result in stoppage time.

The Partenopei got going inside four minutes, however, through Cavani. The Roman defense was all at sea as Goran Pandev was afforded the time and space to pick his spot and slip through the Uruguayan, who tucked the ball home.

Roma was not prepared to back down and they proceeded to rain shots at Morgan De Sanctis' goal. Firstly, another pinpoint pass was latched onto by Mattia Destro, but the young forward could only manage a toe-poke's worth of contact.

Soon after, it was Erik Lamela's turn to test the shot-stopper from distance, but the Argentine's drive from distance was tipped over the bar by the veteran. Further snapshots followed, but the hosts hung on to their advantage at halftime.

Yet Napoli doubled its tally - again only four minutes after the break. This time, a low ball was pulled across goal, and Roma's failure to deal with the situation allowed Pandev to squeeze a layoff in the box for Cavani to gently lift over Mauro Goicoechea.

The Giallorossi stayed loyal to their crisp passing game and pressurized approach but lacked the final pass on frequent occasions, and it presented Napoli the chance to hit its opponent on the counterattack, which almost proved fatal.

The visitors' backline was caught unaware by the rapid movement of Napoli's front players, and Marek Hamsik was left kicking himself when his touch to take the ball past Goicoechea was too strong, while Cavani also came close.

However, they nonetheless made it 3-0 on 70 minutes when Pandev's telepathic understanding with Cavani was demonstrated yet again - the FYROM international's corner was headed down and over the line by the hat-trick hero.

Roma did conjure up a late consolation, though, just two minutes later, as substitute Osvaldo made an instant impact, reading Miralem Pjanic's inch-perfect through ball to slot the ball past De Sanctis, but it was too little, too late.

Still, there was time for a moment of madness from Pjanic, who was given his marching orders after his lunge into the back of a Biancazzurri jersey was deemed a second bookable offence.

Michael Bradley was then guilty of ballooning a pair of headers in quick succession, while Osvaldo saw a free attempt loop over the bar, and predictably a Napoli counter would round off the rout on 90 minutes when Maggio buried his rebound.

Roma has now lost two of its past three league matches but stay sixth, while Napoli is now just seven points shy of leader Juventus.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Rodgers blames officials for failing to spot Suarez handball

Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers believes the officials should be blamed, not Luis Suarez, after the Uruguay international used his hand to score the match-winning goal against Mansfield Town in the FA Cup.

The Reds had taken an early league against their non-league opponents through Daniel Sturridge, only for Suarez to use his arm to take the ball past the opposition goalkeeper before sliding the ball into the net to double his side's advantage.

However, Rodgers refused to condemn his star striker, who would draw further ire from the home fans by pointing to his hand in celebrating his strike.

"I have just seen it again and there is no doubt it was handball," Rodgers told ESPN. "I think what the referee and the officials were looking was that it wasn't deliberate, which it clearly wasn't.

"I spoke to the fourth official after the goal was given and asked him if it was handball, because I couldn't see, and he said it was. So obviously it is unfortunate for Mansfield and lucky for us that we got the goal.

"It doesn't really happen in football, to be honest.

"You don't see it [happen] and it's not Luis' job to do that. He's gone in there, it hasn't been a deliberate handball - [the ball] pitched up and hit his hand.

"That's up to the officials to deem. That's why they get paid and that's why they are professional officials.

"Andre Marriner, I thought, was excellent today along with his officials. It's one of those things that was unfortunate."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Barcelona 4-0 Espanyol: Derby delight for brilliant Blaugrana
Barcelona picked up its 17th win of the season with an emphatic 4-0 victory over Catalan neighbor Espanyol at Camp Nou.

A sublime opening half hour from Barca proved to do all the damage, with Xavi opening the scoring after just 10 minutes. Pedro soon netted a double before Lionel Messi slid home from the spot after Cesc Fabregas was brought down in the area.

The winter break proved not to have hindered the Blaugrana's typically flowing football, as they took command of the game from the first second, seemingly buoyed by the return of Tito Vilanova to the bench after surgery for a tumor relapse in his throat.

Operating from the left, Andres Iniesta was dancing past the Espanyol defense with ease, and it only took 10 minutes for him to create the opening goal. Having been picked out in space by Messi, Iniesta drilled a low cross into the area where Xavi arrived to slot home unmarked.

The hosts were unrelenting, and after Kiko Casilla made a great save to keep out Iniesta in the 13th minute, it took just another two minutes for the second to come.

Fabregas displayed great balance as he dribbled past Javi Lopez before cutting the ball back to Messi. The Argentine flicked it into the path of Pedro, who managed to make enough of a connection to send the ball into the far corner.

Midway through the half Sergio Garcia blazed a golden chance to cut the deficit in half over the bar, and it proved costly as Pedro added Barcelona's third in the 27th minute. Busquets' perfectly-weighted through-ball was tucked away by the winger with a delightful first-time dink over the keeper.

It went from bad to worse for Javier Aguirre's men as Casilla was judged to have illegaly brought down Fabregas inside the area just two minutes later. Messi was given the responsibility of the spot-kick and he nonchalantly slotted in his 27th Liga goal of the season.

The rampant Catalan giants soon stepped off the gas though and cruised into the break with the game seemingly already won, but the second half did not bring about a change in the pattern of the game as Barca continued to retain the ball, forcing the Periquitos to chase the ball.

The cutting, clinical nature of the hosts had ebbed in the second half, and Pedro can count himself unlucky not to have bagged his hat trick as he twice had the ball in the net again, only to see the goals chalked off for debateable offside decisions.

Espanyol almost grabbed a consolation goal as Juan Angel Albin pounced on a short pass back to Victor Valdes by Gerard Pique, but the Uruguayan could not find a way past the goalkeeper.

The humiliation was almost compounded in the 82nd minute as Messi struck a fantastic 30-yard free kick at goal but the crossbar saved the flailing Casilla.

The victory moves Barcelona 12 points clear at the top of the table, though that could move back to nine should Atletico Madrid defeat Mallorca later on Sunday.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Messi wins fourth straight Ballon d'Or

Barcelona forward Lionel Messi has claimed the 2012 FIFA Ballon d'Or award after he netted 91 goals to break the record for goals scored in a calendar year.Messi, 25, beat team-mate Andres Iniesta and Real Madrid rival Cristiano Ronaldo to the prize.

It was a record fourth successive trophy for the Argentina star, who won both the FIFA World Player of the Year and the Ballon d'Or in 2009 before then claiming the FIFA Ballon d'Or in 2010 and 2011 when the two prizes were merged.

Iniesta, 28, was a runner-up in 2010 and won UEFA's Best Player in Europe award in August, but failed to become the first Spanish winner of the award since Luis Suarez in 1960. Ronaldo, the 2008 Ballon d'Or winner, has continued to impress with Madrid and netted 71 goals in 64 games throughout 2011-12 while bagging 16 in 18 in La Liga so far this season.

Spain coach Vicente Del Bosque claimed the FIFA Coach of the Year award.
Del Bosque said he was proud to represent all of Spanish football after seeing off competition from ex-Barcelona boss Pep Guardiola and Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho to claim the award for the first time.

The Euro 2012-winning coach showed characteristic modesty in claiming that the award was recognition for everyone who had helped Spain to claim a record third major championship in a row last summer.

"First of all, I want to congratulate the other nominees," Del Bosque said. "It is a great privilege and honour for me to be involved with the Spanish Football Federation, the technical staff and the coaches and to represent the Spanish team and Spanish football."

Former Real Madrid boss Del Bosque, who also led Spain to the 2010 World Cup, took the opportunity to thank those who had helped him reach this point in his career, and to call on all involved in football to set an example in their personal behaviour.

"In this moment I want to remember my family and all the coaches I had in my career, who helped me to become a coach," he said. "I would also like to say that all of us in football, we all want to win, but we are also obliged to defend football and look after it, by setting an example by our behaviour and personal conduct."

Mourinho chose not to attend the ceremony, claiming last week that he had to remain in Madrid to prepare for his side's Copa del Rey last-16 second round tie against Celta Vigo at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday.

The FIFPRO XI award also proved a major success for the Spanish game, with the entire selection coming from La Liga, with all but one of the players selected coming from Barcelona or Real Madrid.

FIFPRO XI

Iker Casillas (Real Madrid and Spain)
Dani Alves (Barcelona and Brazil)
Gerard Pique (Barcelona and Spain)
Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid and Spain)
Marcelo (Real Madrid and Brazil)
Xabi Alonso (Real Madrid and Spain)
Xavi Hernandez (Barcelona and Spain)
Andres Iniesta (Barcelona and Spain)
Lionel Messi (Barcelona and Argentina)
Radamel Falcao (Atletico Madrid and Colombia)
Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid and Portugal)

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Congratulations Messi!!!

Congratulations Messi!!!

Best Player of The Planet!

 

[Banks PLK]

Napoli 4-1 Roma: Cavani hat trick sinks sorry Giallorossi

Napoli took full advantage of its rivals' slip-ups in Serie A this weekend after it thrashed Roma 4-1 on Sunday to climb back into the Champions League places.

Edinson Cavani was not in a forgiving mood as he scored a hat trick to inspire his side to a significant victory over Zdenek Zeman's capital outfit, and despite Pablo Osvaldo's consolation, Christian Maggio secured the result in stoppage time.

The Partenopei got going inside four minutes, however, through Cavani. The Roman defense was all at sea as Goran Pandev was afforded the time and space to pick his spot and slip through the Uruguayan, who tucked the ball home.

Roma was not prepared to back down and they proceeded to rain shots at Morgan De Sanctis' goal. Firstly, another pinpoint pass was latched onto by Mattia Destro, but the young forward could only manage a toe-poke's worth of contact.

Soon after, it was Erik Lamela's turn to test the shot-stopper from distance, but the Argentine's drive from distance was tipped over the bar by the veteran. Further snapshots followed, but the hosts hung on to their advantage at halftime.

Yet Napoli doubled its tally - again only four minutes after the break. This time, a low ball was pulled across goal, and Roma's failure to deal with the situation allowed Pandev to squeeze a layoff in the box for Cavani to gently lift over Mauro Goicoechea.

The Giallorossi stayed loyal to their crisp passing game and pressurized approach but lacked the final pass on frequent occasions, and it presented Napoli the chance to hit its opponent on the counterattack, which almost proved fatal.

The visitors' backline was caught unaware by the rapid movement of Napoli's front players, and Marek Hamsik was left kicking himself when his touch to take the ball past Goicoechea was too strong, while Cavani also came close.

However, they nonetheless made it 3-0 on 70 minutes when Pandev's telepathic understanding with Cavani was demonstrated yet again - the FYROM international's corner was headed down and over the line by the hat-trick hero.

Roma did conjure up a late consolation, though, just two minutes later, as substitute Osvaldo made an instant impact, reading Miralem Pjanic's inch-perfect through ball to slot the ball past De Sanctis, but it was too little, too late.

Still, there was time for a moment of madness from Pjanic, who was given his marching orders after his lunge into the back of a Biancazzurri jersey was deemed a second bookable offence.

Michael Bradley was then guilty of ballooning a pair of headers in quick succession, while Osvaldo saw a free attempt loop over the bar, and predictably a Napoli counter would round off the rout on 90 minutes when Maggio buried his rebound.

Roma has now lost two of its past three league matches but stay sixth, while Napoli is now just seven points shy of leader Juventus.

Oh Cavani

 

[Banks PLK]

Messi wins fourth straight Ballon d'Or

/QUOTE]

CONGRATS MESSI !

 

[rcccc]

Chelsea 0-1 QPR: Wright-Phillips strikes against former club to earn famous victory

Queens Park Rangers stole a shocking win against Chelsea as former Blue Shaun Wright-Phillips scored the only goal of a game dominated by the home side.

The away team barely troubled all night but Benitez's men were unable to capitalize on their possession as, without Eden Hazard and Juan Mata, they struggled to create against a stout QPR defense all game long.

The relegation strugglers managed to make Chelsea pay for its profligacy as, after a corner broke to Wright-Phillips on the edge of the area, the winger made no mistake and fired an effort into the bottom corner.

Rafa Benitez's penchant for squad rotation continued as the manager made five changes from the team that beat Everton 2-1. Marko Marin replaced Ramires to make his first Premier League start of the season, while Ross Turnbull, Ryan Bertrand, Victor Moses and Oscar all also started in place of Petr Cech, Ashley Cole, Eden Hazard and Juan Mata.

Meanwhile, the visitors also made four changes from the side that succumbed to a disappointing 3-0 defeat at home to Liverpool, as Fabio, Shaun Derry, Esteban Granero and Junior Hoilett replaced Armand Traore, Djibril Cisse, Samba Diakite and Wright-Phillips.

Just three minutes in, Chelsea could count itself lucky to still have 11 players on the pitch after Marin, clearly eager to impress after being awarded a rare start, put in a dangerous challenge on Stephane Mbia. But fortunately for the German, Lee Mason deemed it worthy of just a booking.

The intensity of that opening incident was, however, not often replicated in the remainder of the first half as, with the away side sitting deep and Chelsea without Mata and Hazard, chances were few and far between for either side.The only real chance of the first half came just two minutes before the break as an Oscar shot deflected on its way by Lampard required a smart save from Julio Cesar to keep the first half goalless.

After that fairly tepid start to the game, the opening of the second half brought a welcome increase in tempo as Chelsea began to create clear-cut chances. First, Moses was unable to meet a delightful Marin cross and then minutes later an Ivanovic header from a Marin corner clipped the bar on its way over.

The early second-half onslaught reached its peak with an excellent chance for Fernando Torres. A deflected David Luiz effort fell to the striker ten yards out but the Spaniard could only fire straight at Cesar.

The home side's pressure almost told after 65 minutes as the ball fell to Lampard, who after duly firing into the bottom corner was deemed just offside by the linesman.

As Chelsea was unable to capitalize on its pressure, the second half wore on and, with 10 minutes remaining a rare corner led to a shock opener for the away side. After the corner was cleared at the near post, Taarabt deftly laid the ball into Wright-Phillips' path and the former Chelsea player found the corner of the goal from 25 yards out.

Chelsea's response was frenetic but chances remained hard to come by, the best chance falling to Ivanovic as he headed a Mata cross just over the bar.

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