..::Football III::..

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Official: Soldado joins Villarreal from Tottenham

Tottenham have confirmed that they have agreed a deal with Villarreal for striker Roberto Soldado, who leaves the north London club after two seasons.

The Spanish forward struggled to live up to his £26 million price tag during his time at White Hart Lane, scoring just seven Premier League goals in 52 appearances.

"We have reached agreement with La Liga side Villarreal for the transfer of Roberto Soldado," the club Tweeted on Friday afternoon. "We wish Roberto all the best."

Soldado's place in Mauricio Pochettino's squad is set to be filled by Lyon forward Clinton N'Jie, with the French club's president confirming that a deal is close.

Goal understands that Spurs are also keen on Manchester United's Javier Hernandez and Saido Berahino of West Brom.

Soldado's failure at White Hart Lane was compounded last season by the emergence of Harry Kane, whose 31 goals in 51 games across all competitions saw him shoot to international recognition.

 

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Raiola rules out Ibrahimovic move: He's too important to PSG owners

Mino Raiola has ruled out the possibility of Zlatan Ibrahimovic leaving Paris Saint-Germain this summer.
The striker, who has one year left on his contract, has been linked with the likes of AC Milan and Galatasaray in recent weeks, despite affirming that he is happy in the French capital.

And his agent has now poured cold water on any further rumours, insisting the former Barcelona forward is too crucial a figure in the eyes of PSG's wealthy owners.

"A transfer is ruled out," he said to NOS. "Zlatan is way too important for the club owners from Qatar."

Raiola also clarified the future of his client Gregory van der Wiel, who has been linked with Roma and Chelsea since the permanent signing of Serge Aurier placed his first-team hopes under threat at Parc des Princes.

"Nonsense. The club want to renew his contract," he said of reports that the full-back will be sold. "Van der Wiel doesn't have to worry."

Raiola also commented on the future of Urby Emanuelson, who is currently training with Ajax.

"There's a lot of interest in Urby. Two Russian clubs for example, but those aren't interesting. I'm sure he'll have a new club very soon."

 

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Half Time

Aston Villa 0 Vs 1 Manchester United

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Januzaj!

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Full Time

Aston Villa 0 Vs 1 Manchester United

Manchester United Goal(s)

Januzaj 29'
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Congratulations Manchester United!

But team performance gana nam sathutu wenne baha echcharaAttacking hodatama madiDepay & Mata witharai deyak karanna try kale.Rooney forward play karalath 1ka effort 1kakwath nahaIthin kohomada LVG kiyanawa wage Rooney gen depend wenne

Meetawada godak squad 1ka improve karaganna wenawa.Specially attacking nam hodatoma madi & defence.
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Mikel San Jose Goal - Athletic Bilbao vs FC Barcelona 1-0 (Spain Supercup 2015)

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Half Time

Athletic Bilbao 1 Vs 0 Barcelona

 

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Full Time

Athletic Bilbao 4 Vs 0 Barcelona

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OFFICIAL: Lyon sign Yanga-Mbiwa from Roma

Lyon have announced the signing of Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa from Roma for a fee that could rise to €10 million.

The France international, who only joined the Giallorossi from Newcastle last summer, has penned a five-year contract with the Ligue 1 outfit.

Lyon will pay an initial €8m for the centre-back but Roma could be entitled to an additional €2m depending on bonuses.

The Serie A side signed Yanga-Mbiwa on loan from Newcastle 12 months ago but the deal was made permanent during the January transfer window.

However, despite making 28 appearances across the 2014-15 Serie A campaign, the 26-year-old was set to lose his place alongside Kostas Manolas at the heart of the Roma defence to the returning Leandro Castan, who has been cleared to feature after recovering from brain surgery.

Despite his short stay at the Stadio Olimpico, Yanga-Mbiwa will be fondly remembered by Giallorossi fans for his one and only league goal for the club: the winner in May's derby clash with Lazio, which proved crucial in the battle for second place in Serie A - and automatic qualification for this season's Champions League.

Roma will now be expected to strengthen in defence, given the capital club also allowed another centre-back, Alessio Romagnoli, to join AC Milan earlier this week.

 

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Tottenham facing rival interest in N'Jie - Aulas

Tottenham’s move for Clinton N’Jie is not yet complete, with Spurs now facing rival interest in the Lyon forward, according to the club’s president Jean-Michel Aulas.

Spurs had hoped to secure the £10.6 million signing of the 21-year-old prior to the end of the transfer window, with several reports claiming that a deal could be finalised this week.

However, the club’s move for N’Jie has now been thrown into doubt, with Aulas revealing that another English team have made an offer for the Cameroon international.

“The deal for Clinton N'Jie [with Spurs] isn't completed. A proposition from another fashionable English club has complicated things,” Aulas is quoted as saying by RTL.

Spurs are also in talks with West Brom and Manchester United over the potential summer acquisitions of Saido Berahino and Javier Hernandez.

 

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Bayern Munich 5-0 Hamburg: Bavarians begin Bundesliga campaign in ominous fashion

Bayern Munich began their bid for a fourth successive Bundesliga title with a resounding 5-0 win over Hamburg at the Allianz Arena on Friday.

Medhi Benatia opened the scoring when he headed home Xabi Alonso's free-kick during a first half that the home side completely controlled.

Robert Lewandowski, who scored in the 8-0 battering in last season's corresponding fixture, then got off the mark for the season with a well-taken goal in the 53rd minute.

Thomas Muller, who netted twice in that one-sided success last term, deservedly put the game beyond reach with a quickfire brace, before Douglas Costa – signed from Shakhtar Donetsk in July – completed the rout three minutes from time.

Bayern, who also handed a league debut to Arturo Vidal, spent the majority of the opening stages camped in Hamburg's half, but a stubborn visiting defence initially proved difficult to penetrate.

Arjen Robben went close with a glancing header from David Alaba's excellent cross from deep, while a neat move ended with Lewandowski nodding just over the crossbar from Philipp Lahm's delivery.

Hamburg's resistance was broken in the 27th minute, though, as Alonso's whipped free-kick from the left was diverted home by the head of Benatia and the flag stayed down despite suspicions of offside.

Muller then flashed an effort wide of the left-hand post, before Jerome Boateng's long-range effort stung the palms of Rene Adler as Bayern pushed for a second.

Unsurprisingly, Bayern doubled the lead seven minutes after the restart.

Matthias Ostrzolek's header from Alonso's long ball into the penalty area fell to Lewandowski and the striker coolly slotted his shot into the bottom right-hand corner from eight yards.

Adler made a smart stop from substitute Rafinha, but there was worse to come for Hamburg in the 69th minute. Costa hung up a perfect cross to the back post from the right and Muller ghosted in unmarked to nod home.

Muller was celebrating again four minutes later, with the Germany international calmly rounding Adler to place into the unguarded net.

There was no respite for Hamburg and Costa marked a lively performance by cutting onto his left-foot on the right edge of the penalty area before drilling into the far corner to wrap up a convincing win.

 

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Aston Villa 0-1 Manchester United: Januzaj strikes for unconvincing Red Devils

Adnan Januzaj showed why Louis van Gaal insisted he is not for sale by scoring on his first start since February as Manchester United beat Aston Villa 1-0 in the Premier League.
United manager Van Gaal this week ruled allowing Januzaj to leave Old Trafford amid reported interest from Sunderland and the Belgium international repaid the Dutchman for putting his faith in him at Villa Park.

Januzaj showed great skill and composure to score his first Premier League goal since April 2014 and ensure United made it two wins out of two in the league on Friday.

United goalkeeper Sergio Romero was rarely troubled as he kept a second consecutive clean sheet, as David de Gea was once again not involved as speculation over a move to Real Madrid continues.

In a game brought forward at the request of West Midlands Police, with a march in Walsall on Saturday, Villa lacked a cutting edge as their wait for a first home league win over United since 1995 goes on.

Villa manager Tim Sherwood named an unchanged starting line-up, meaning Rudy Gestede had to settle for a place on the bench despite scoring the winner at Bournemouth last Saturday.

Januzaj was recalled at the expense of former Villa winger Ashley Young in the only change to the United team following the victory over Tottenham.

Two of United's new signings combined for their first goalscoring opportunity of the night, with Memphis Depay whipping in a free-kick that Morgan Schneiderlin could only head wide.

Depay was then denied by Brad Guzan when the alert Villa goalkeeper raced out to avert the danger with a sliding tackle as the Netherlands international raced clear.

United were in front 29 minutes in, though, as Januzaj latched onto a brilliant pass from Juan Mata and cut inside Micah Richards before finding the far corner of the net with a shot that deflected off Ciaran Clark.

It was no more than United deserved, with Villa showing plenty of endeavour without looking threatening in the first half.

Jordan Ayew had half a chance to equalise just after half-time but fired high over the crossbar, before Jordan Amavi surged down the left and drilled over a cross that evaded everyone as Villa raised the tempo.

Gestede replaced Scott Sinclair before the hour mark, while Van Gaal sent on Bastian Schweinsteiger and Ander Herrera in place of Michael Carrick and Januzaj.

Depay should have opened his league account 18 minutes from time when Mata once again opened up the Villa defence with a fine pass, but the Netherlands international shot wide with only Guzan to beat.

Villa's latest signing Adama Traore - recruited from Barcelona earlier in the day - watched on from the stands as his new team-mates ran out of ideas and United made it back-to-back 1-0 victories.

 

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Athletic Bilbao 4-0 Barcelona: Aduriz hits hat-trick in Supercopa shocker

Barcelona's defensive frailties were once again evident as the treble winners were humiliatingly thrashed 4-0 by Athletic Bilbao in the first leg of the Supercopa de Espana on Friday, Aritz Aduriz netting a hat-trick.

Luis Enrique's men surrendered a three-goal lead against Sevilla in the Uefa Super Cup earlier this week before eventually winning 5-4 in extra-time, but the European champions were not afforded such a dramatic escape this time around as their Basque hosts took them apart.

Seemingly sensing Barca's jadedness from Tuesday's 120-minute ordeal, Athletic were sharp in the tackle and far quicker to the ball and, although the nature of the opening goal was by no means expected, the home side deserved to open the scoring 13 minutes in.

Mikel San Jose made the most of Marc-Andre ter Stegen's reckless dart out of his area to head clear, finding the net from 45 yards to leave the German looking stunned.

Barca appeared to produce as improvement at the start of the second half, with Tuesday's match-winner Pedro striking the crossbar, but Athletic doubled their tally almost straightaway – Aduriz heading past Ter Stegen.

Aduriz slammed home his second just after the hour mark and then rounded off a fine individual display 22 minutes from the end, sliding home a penalty to embarrass Barca and take a huge advantage into next Monday's second leg.

Despite what ultimately proved to be a disastrous day in Bilbao, Barca began the contest in typical fashion, dominating possession and getting the ball forward quickly as the visitors probed for an early breakthrough.

But, with Thomas Vermaelen starting in place of the rested Gerard Pique, Barca looked frail at the back and Ter Stegen was forced into an important stop to deny Aduriz at the near post in the 11th minute.

And just two minutes later Athletic were in front, as Ter Stegen's headed clearance from outside the area was pounced upon by San Jose just inside the Barca half and the defender smashed a flawless half-volley over the stranded goalkeeper from the centre circle.

There was no sign of that freak opener jolting Barca into life, though.

In fact, the hosts looked more likely to double their advantage and a crucial Marc Bartra tackle halted Javier Eraso nine minutes before the break, with the midfielder all set to pull the trigger in the area.

Athletic had Gorka Iraizoz to thank for ensuring their lead remained intact at the break, however, as the goalkeeper produced a wonderful flying save to tip Lionel Messi's goal-bound free-kick over.

Seemingly following a half-time dressing down from coach Luis Enrique, Barca came back out after the break with a renewed sense of urgency and should have equalised four minutes in, but Pedro's fierce drive came back off the frame of the goal.

Athletic's response was swift and devastating. Just three minutes later, Sabin seized on a Sergi Roberto error and delivered a fine cross from the left, with Aduriz rising above Javier Mascherano to net with a trademark towering header.

Aduriz was again in the right place at the right time in the 62nd minute, as he collected Eraso's squared pass and found the bottom-left corner.

A moment of rashness from Dani Alves saw the Brazilian concede a penalty six minutes later as he bundled into his man at the back post, and Aduriz took full advantage from the spot-kick, coolly stroking past Ter Stegen.

Barca looked incapable of mounting much of a response to the onslaught and Athletic cruised to memorable victory, going some way to erasing the pain of May's 3-1 Copa del Rey final defeat to Luis Enrique's men.

 

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Depay & Rooney falter but Man Utd get the job done... just

Six months after he last started for Manchester United, Adnan Januzaj was the hero against Aston Villa on Friday night as a second consecutive 1-0 win took them momentarily to top of the Premier League.

But the nature of United’s football at the moment is nowhere near as convincing as their place at the summit might suggest. A return of just three shots on target in 180 minutes of football will rarely earn a side six points as it has United so far in 2015-16.

Besides Januzaj’s neatly-taken finish from an excellent Juan Mata through-ball there was little else to write home about when it came to United’s play in the final third. While they enjoyed plenty of possession, it rarely looked likely to provide a springboard to a huge win.

Louis van Gaal admitted afterwards that he wasn’t entirely happy, and it is clear to see why.

"When you score more than your opponent, it’s enough. But I think we had too many unnecessary ball losses. That wasn’t just Januzaj but also Depay and Rooney, so we have to improve that," admitted the manager.

There is a clear need for something different in the final third from what United have so far been able to provide in their two 1-0 successes.

Memphis Depay was switched to his more natural left side at Villa Park, with Januzaj getting the nod in the centre as a result. But the Dutchman had a forgettable night, with a kamikaze free-kick attempt and a failure from a one-on-one after a wonderful Mata pass summing up his performance.

Wayne Rooney looked no more potent either. Despite starting as the lone striker, it was his work dropping behind the three attacking midfielders which did him most credit. At no point did he really turn around the Villa defenders and appear ready to cause them serious trouble.

To United’s credit they have so far belied the pre-season talk that they would struggle defensively. Two clean sheets have been fair reward for their work at the back, with Sergio Romero having the most comfortable of times so far in goal after being brought in to replace the unsettled David de Gea.

Daley Blind also excelled against what was expected to be a lively and troubling Villa attack. For a player supposedly playing out of position, he has looked right at home.

Yet the small successes at the back can only cover the attacking issues so much, and the arrival of Pedro Rodriguez can barely come soon enough. There should be pace, flair and guile in this United attack but little of any of those qualities have so far been on display. The Barcelona man should add a different dimension, while Van Gaal would do well to reassess the need for a traditional target man as well.

A win is a win though, and it is far less daunting to be looking to make such changes with six points on the board than with none. United have grown a knack for chiselling out victories despite not playing with the pace and energy that has become their way over a period of many decades.

It is not ‘The United Way’ but it is so far proving to be a winning way nonetheless.

 

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Januzaj: I want to stay at Man Utd & fight for my place

Manchester United winger Adnan Januzaj insists he wants to stay at Old Trafford and fight for his place in Loius van Gaal's side, despite reports linking him with a move away.

The 20-year-old repaid Van Gaal's faith in selecting him ahead of Ashley Young for their visit to Aston Villa on Friday, scoring the only goal of the game to continue their winning start to the season.

Van Gaal dismissed speculation the player is for sale in his pre-match press conference ahead of the visit to Villa Park, and Januzaj himself has now distanced himself from a move away.

He told Sky Sports News: "I hope to have more games in my legs and hopefully score more goals.

"It was only rumours [linking with a move away]. I'm happy here. I'm going to fight for my place."

Januzaj made only his first start for the club since February at Villa Park as he scored his first Premier League goal since April 2014.

 

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Van Gaal: Januzaj gave the ball away unnecessarily… he needs to do more!

Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal warned Adnan Januzaj he must offer more despite his match-winning contribution at Aston Villa on Friday.

Van Gaal this week stressed that Januzaj will not leave Old Trafford amid reported interest from Sunderland, before selecting him for his first start since February for the trip to Villa Park.

Januzaj insisted he wants to stay at the club after scoring his first league goal since April 2014, yet his manager says he will only feature for the first team on a regular basis if he contributes more.

"He scored a wonderful goal, but all the other aspects of football you have to show. I'm pleased because with this goal we have won, but there is more than scoring a goal," the former Netherlands coach told Sky Sports.

"There were a lot of unnecessary ball losses [from Januzaj]. Also from Memphis (Depay), a lot of ball losses and that's why there were not a lot of chances."

Van Gaal was delighted to follow up the win over Tottenham on the opening day by securing another three points, but knows his new-look United side are far from being the finished article.

He added: "The start to the season is better than last year, but that is not so difficult. We had one point at this stage and now we have six, so I am very happy.

"There is still a long way to go. You cannot expect it with only four weeks' preparation. You need more matches to come in the form I think we can show."

 

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Van Gaal: Januzaj gave the ball away unnecessarily… he needs to do more!

LVG ta penne Januzaj ge mistakes witharai neh​

 

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Roma 6-4 Sevilla: Dzeko at the double in 10-goal thriller

Edin Dzeko marked his first appearance for Roma with a double in an enthralling 6-4 friendly victory over Sevilla on Friday.

Bosnia-Herzegovina striker Dzeko, who joined the Serie A club from Manchester City earlier this week, netted twice in the first half at Stadio Olimpico.

His goals helped Roma on their way to a 6-0 lead, but Sevilla once again showed their fighting qualities to threaten what would have been a remarkable comeback.

Unai Emery's men trailed Barcelona 4-1 in Tuesday's Uefa Super Cup before pulling it back to 4-4 and eventually losing in extra-time.

The Liga side were up against it again, Dzeko opening the scoring with a thumping near-post shot in the fourth minute and the striker rounding off a wonderful team move to make it 3-0 shortly before the break, after Vasilis Torosidis had also scored.

Dzeko turned provider for Radja Nainggolan to make it 4-0 on the stroke of half-time. Mohamed Salah got in on the act in the second half, while veteran captain Francesco Totti added a sixth from the penalty spot in the 63rd minute.

Denis Suarez completed a fine solo effort for what appeared a scant consolation with 20 minutes remaining, but Jose Antonio Reyes further reduced the deficit when he side-footed in Kevin Gameiro's assist.

Suarez was proving a menace and he set up Coke for Sevilla's third, before scoring his second four minutes from time.

The comeback proved too little too late, though, as Roma held on for the win anead of next week's Serie A opener against Verona.