..::Football II::..

[Wolverine GTR]

Stoke 1-3 Aston Villa: Potters scrapping for survival after Lowton stunner

Stoke City succumbed to a 3-1 defeat at home to Aston Villa during a feisty encounter at the bottom of the Premier League.

Aston Villa took an early lead through Gabriel Agbonlahor who opened the scoring to equal Dwight Yorke’s record of 60 goals for the club in the Premier League.

Michael Kightley looked set to give Tony Pulis' side a valuable point with his equalizer with 10 minutes remaining, but a quickfire double from Matthew Lowton and Christian Benteke gave the visitors a priceless victory to drag Stoke into the relegation mix.

The Villans, who entered the crucial fixture having never claimed victory at the Britannia Stadium in the Premier League, started the game on the back-foot when an apparent handball from Nathan Baker inside the opening minutes was turned down by referee Mark Clattenburg.

Yet despite a positive start for the Potters it was Aston Villa which opened the scoring on nine minutes with its first attempt on goal, when Agbonlahor calmly slotted the ball past Asmir Begovic inside the six yard box at the second time of asking.

The early goal saw the control of possession switch into the hands of the visitors who soon settled into a flow of confidence and Andreas Weimann came closest to doubling the lead on the half hour mark – his shot tipped onto the post after a fine fingertip save from Begovic.

The home side – which was booed off the pitch at halftime – made a second-half change with Kightly coming on for Etherington, yet Pulis’ side started the second period in much of the same vain when Bowery easily rolled the Stoke defense only to see his shot saved by the Potters keeper.

Second-half substitute Cameron Jerome provided a much-needed injection of enthusiasm in attack but the side with the lowest goal tally in the division failed to draw a meaningful save from Brad Guzan in the away goal.

Yet with 10 minutes remaining Stoke's fortunes seemed to turn, when Kightly scored the equalizer inside the penalty area after a strong period of possession for the home side.

Stoke looked set to hold on for a vital point in its bid for Premier League survival but a stunning long-range goal from Lowton and a fourth goal in as many games for Benteke pushed Lambert's side out of the relegation zone.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Reading 0-2 Southampton: Saints boost survival hopes at expense of old boss Adkins

Reading remain anchored to the foot of the Premier League table after being defeated 2-0 at the Madejski Stadium by Southampton.

Jay Rodriguez’s opportunistic strike gave the Saints a first-half lead and Adam Lallana struck after the interval to condemn a dejected-looking Royals side to a home loss.

After a cagey start punctuated solely by Sean Morrison’s powerful header over Artur Boruc’s bar, the Saints gradually began to exert influence, with Ramirez firing over from 20 yards before nearly prising open the home side’s back four with a cute back-heeled pass.

However, a moment of comedy Southampton defending presented Adam Le Fondre with a golden opportunity to put Reading one up. However, after the ball dropped to him just outside the six yard box, he could only fire wastefully over with his left foot.The home side was made to rue its inability to capitalize though, as a rogue Saints foray forward ended with Rodriguez chasing down Rickie Lambert’s through-ball and bundling past Federici’s soft challenge to put the visitors ahead.

Southampton periodically threatened to extend the lead after the break yet Steven Davis spurned a fine opportunity after he was unable to match the quality of Lambert’s exquisite through-ball, firing straight at Federici.

As the match seemed destined to run away from Reading, Rodriguez fizzed a ball across the box that narrowly evaded Lambert’s late run into the six-yard area, while Morgan Schneiderlin miscued from a similar scenario from the opposite side.
A crucial Morrison interception thwarted Rodriguez’s attempts to bare down on goal, though the Reading center half was unable to prevent Lallana doubling Southampton's lead in the 72nd minute, as the substitute strode on to Rodriguez's chipped pass to coolly slot past Federici.

An unlikely response from the home side was quick to materialize, with the Majedski faithful incredulous that the referee's assistant failed to award Reading a goal after Boruc appeared to cross his own goal-line after collecting Le Fondre's flicked header.

Davis was again denied by Morrison and Guly do Prado missed a prime chance to make it 3-0 in injury time as the home side's status as a Premier League outfit took another step toward extinction.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Chelsea striker Torres: This has been a disappointing season

The Spanish forward says that upheaval in the squad has been difficult to adjust to, but is pleased to be back among the goals after his double in the Europa League.
Chelsea striker Fernando Torres has admitted it has been a "disappointing" season for him with the upheaval at the club.

The 29-year-old has had a much-covered rollercoaster ride since joining Chelsea for 50 million pounds and despite improving recently, he has just 19 goals in all competitions this season.

However, Torres believes that they have a squad strong enough to compete again, and says there will not be as many changes to the team this summer.

"Last year we finished sixth and it was not enjoyable," Torres told AS. "Luckily we won the Champions League and we're able to qualify for it. The team underwent some big changes in the summer and I don't think the change will be so drastic next summer. The club went out to buy a lot of talent and now we are constructing a team from that."

He added, "This has been a disappointing season because it's never easy when so many players leave and new players arrive, and you try to change your style of football but we have enough talent to build a team from what we have at the moment."

Torres has found his opportunities slightly diminished since the arrival of Demba Ba in the January transfer window, but the Spanish striker insists that the addition is good for competition after scoring twice against Rubin Kazan in the Europa League.

I'm very happy with the goals and because they have helped the team put one foot in the semi-finals. I'm also happy to have started a match once again," Torres stated. "I haven't had a solid run in the team for a while and in the games I have played the team haven't played well and neither have I."

He added, "But fortunately finishing in fourth is in our own hands. That wasn't our objective at the beginning of the season but that's what we have to aim for now. We have been playing well in the Europa League and [the game against Kazan] was no exception."

"The arrival of Ba has been very good for everyone because he brings a lot to the team. There will always be competition between teammates but at the end of the day he is a teammate, not a rival."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Mata: Chelsea must qualify for the Champions League next season

The Blues' midfielder stressed the importance of finishing in the Premier League's top four, as well as his desire to go all the way in the FA Cup and Europa League this term Juan Mata insists Chelsea must finish in the top four this season, as the midfielder aims to land the Blues' back in the Champions League, the competition which they won last season.

The Spain international reiterated the importance of Champions League qualification, as well as urging his teammates to push for the FA Cup and Europa League trophies this season.

"If we can finish in the top four, after ending sixth last year, that would mean we have more consistency and is a step forward," he told the Guardian."We've learned from what happened last year and won't make the same mistakes again. We know we have to be playing in next season's Champions League.

"But if we can win, say, the Europa League, it would have been another great season for the club. They have never won that trophy before. Neither have I and there are so many things I still want to win: the Premier League is one.
This club, and this team, has a bright future and, next season, one of the most important aims will be to win the title again. I want to do that here.

"I look back on these two years happily. I know I said the first 12 months I had here were the best of my career but, since then, I have won the European Championship with Spain so it's not been too bad. Everything has gone right so far: trophies, my life here in London, growing as a person. But this is only the start."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Fernando Torres rules out Atletico Madrid return

The striker is not interested in a return to the Vicente Calderon yet, and is determined to play for Spain again Fernando Torres has made it clear that he has no intention to leave Chelsea for Atletico Madrid any time soon as he wants to respect his current contract with last year's Champions League winners.

Atletico coach Diego Simeone recently hinted at a move for the Spain international at the end of this season, but Torres, who scored twice in his side's 3-1 win over Rubin Kazan this week, is keen to stay at his current club for now.

"There are still many things for me to achieve at Chelsea before I return home. Right now returning to Atletico is not realistic," the striker told AS. "I've never hidden the fact that I am very grateful for everything Atletico gave me but the reality is that I'm in another team and I have three years left on my contract."

Torres then went on to stress that he has not given up hopes of returning to the national team again after missing out on its previous fixtures.

"My objective is to play well for Chelsea so I can get back into the Spain team," he continued. "If everything goes well the doors of the national team could open for me again. I still want to play for Spain as much as I did when I first started out, I don't want to think that I've played my final game for Spain.

He added, "I think that I've still got a lot of games left to play for Spain. I'm still hoping I will be able to be with my Spain teammates again, play in the Confederations Cup this summer and the following year in the World Cup."

 

[මුගටියා]

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pissu kora

 

[මුගටියා]

dan nam qualify weyi kiyala sure ekak thiyanna puluwan bale th nae sathi 2kata

 

[asanka99]

dan nam qualify weyi kiyala sure ekak thiyanna puluwan bale th nae sathi 2kata

 

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Eintracht Frankfurt 0-1 Bayern Munich: Sublime Schweinsteiger seals 23rd title with six rounds to spare

 

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West Brom 1-2 Arsenal: Rosicky double just enough for 10-man Gunners

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Barcelona 5-0 Mallorca: Masterclass from Fabregas as Blaugrana blow Manzano’s men away

Barcelona was in indomitable form as it brushed aside a lacklustre Mallorca side to earn a resounding 5-0 win at Camp Nou.

The Catalan giants were irrepressible with both Cesc Fabregas and Alexis Sanchez putting in first-rate performances. The pair combined magnificently to end the first half with two goals and two assists each, before the former Arsenal man, operating as a false nine in the absence of Lionel Messi, completed his hat trick soon after the restart.

Barca's superiority was clear from the off as it dominated possession with Iniesta performing brilliantly in midfield, seemingly able to cut apart the Mallorca defense with a scything pass or a searing dribble.

It took 20 minutes for Tito Vilanova's men to break the Islanders' resistance and it was Fabregas who, sliding the ball past Dudu Aouate after a magnificent one-two with Alexis, ended a run of nine Liga outings without a goal and opened the scoring.

Two minutes later the advantage was doubled by Alexis as he followed up from Fabregas' initial effort with a simple finishing giving him his third Liga goal of the season.

The Blaugrana were relentless in attack and after Aouate had kept out Iniesta, Alexis missed a golden opportunity to grab the third as Alexis failed to divert the ball on goal from inside the six-yard box.

Alfaro then failed to halve the deficit with a header in the 35th minute and it proved to be extremely costly as another two goals for the hosts came in the following three minutes.

Fabregas bagged his second of the night after dropping deep and playing another give and go with Alexis, bursting into the area to receive the pass and place it into the bottom corner.

The former Arsenal man then returned the favor, clipping a beautiful ball over the top to Alexis who used the space between the centre-backs to take and double his tally for the night.

There was no let up after halftime and with just 50 minutes of the second half played Fabregas became the first Spaniard to score a hat trick for the club since Luis Enrique in 2001, latching onto Iniesta's pass and checking back inside of Kevin before rolling the ball into the bottom corner.

Mallorca thought they had pulled one back four minutes later when Alfaro stabbed the ball in at the back post, only to see the referee's assistant raise his flag for a dubious offside decision.

Cristian Tello and Gerard Pique both came close to finding the Blaugrana's sixth of the night, though any applause that would have been received may not have matched the rapturous reception for Eric Abidal as he marked his return following a liver transplant in the 70th minute.

In the end there turned out not to be another goal for Barcelona but the comfortable win restores its 13-point advantage at the top of La Liga following Real Madrid's win earlier on Saturday. Mallorca, meanwhile, falls to the foot of the table after Deportivo managed to pick up a win against Real Zaragoza.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Abidal makes Barcelona return during Mallorca win

The Frenchman made a triumphant comeback at Camp Nou after missing 14 months following a liver transplant on a night Cesc Fabregas struck a superb hat trick.

Barcelona defender Eric Abidal made a long-awaited return to action after recovering from a liver transplant and added more cheer to the party atmosphere following the Catalunya club's 5-0 victory over Mallorca on Saturday.

The 33-year-old came on as a 70th minute substitute for Gerard Pique to rapturous applause - not just from the Camp Nou faithful but also the traveling Mallorca support.

He pulled off his jersey after the match to reveal a shirt reading 'merci' in a tribute to his cousin who had donated part of his own liver and, after the match, the Frenchman thanked Gerard again as well as targeting a super 2013 with Barca.

"This is special for me after a year out," Abidal told Canal +. "Thanks to my cousin and all the people I met in the hospital. They were all important.

"I can fight, I will always fight - and I'll try to do my best. Let's hope it's a great year. Without my cousin I wouldn't be here. My advice to people with in the same situation is to fight hard, to be grateful to God and to pray a lot."

Abidal's return for Barca after 402 days out marked the first time he has appeared for the Blaugrana since last featuring for them in February 2012, after which he was forced into a hiatus owing to the operation conducted in April.

His appearance against the Vermilions is his first appearance of 2013 as well as his first game under Tito Vilanova's reign.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Pogba aims to emulate Pirlo's career

The Bianconeri midfielder has listed his senior teammate as a personal figure of reference and expressed his confidence of progressing in the Champions League.
Juventus starlet Paul Pogba has cited teammate Andrea Pirlo as his daily inspiration and wants to emulate the iconic midfielder's career.

After putting in another composed performance in place of the veteran Italian during the Bianconeri's 2-1 victory against Pescara on Saturday, the 20-year-old stepped out to praise the legend's glittering career.

"I enjoyed it [being deployed in Pirlo's customary playmaker role]. He’s a fantastic player," Pogba told reporters after the match. "I’ve admired him ever since I was a kid and I still watch him closely when he plays. I would like to have a similar career to his."

Owing to the suspension of Arturo Vidal, the stage is set for the newly-capped France international to shine against Bayern Munich in the return leg of the Champions League quarterfinals next Wednesday and Pogba is confident that his club can overturn the first-leg deficit.

"We need to think positive. We’ll be ready for Wednesday’s clash with Bayern and definitely believe we can pull off the comeback," he concluded.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Barclays Premier League 2013.04.07 Fixtures

Barclays Premier League 2013.04.07 Fixtures

Liverpool Vs West Ham United

Tottenham Vs Everton

Newcastle United Vs Fulham

Chelsea Vs Sunderland

QPR Vs Wigan

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[Wolverine GTR]

La Liga 2013.04.07 Fixtures

La Liga 2013.04.07 Fixtures


Celta Vigo Vs Rayo Vallecano

Osasuna Vs Espanyol

Getafe Vs Atletico Madrid

Valencia Vs Real Valladoid​

 

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Serie A 2013.04.07 Fixtures

Serie A 2013.04.07 Fixtures


Fiorentina Vs AC Milan

Catania Vs Cagliari

Sampdoria Vs Palermo

Siena Vs Parma

Udinese Vs Chievo

Inter Vs Atalanta

Napoli Vs Genoa
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