..::Football III::..

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Ronaldo didn't fail, the ball just wouldn't go in - Marcelo


Marcelo has defended Real Madrid team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo after he failed to score in Saturday's 0-0 draw with Malaga.

Ronaldo has eight goals so far this season and is three strikes away from overtaking Raul as the Spanish club's all-time top goalscorer.

However, for the fifth time in six La Liga fixtures the former Manchester United forward failed to get on the scoresheet, with Rafa Benitez's men falling behind Villarreal and Barcelona in the league table as a result of the stalemate.Marcelo, who had already insisted that Ronaldo is not hell-bent on breaking records, thinks the Portuguese forward does not deserve to be criticised for his 14 failed shots in the draw against the 10 men of Malaga.

"I see no reason for concern," the Brazilian left-back told reporters. "It's not a problem that Ronaldo didn't score, he scores all the time."It wasn't just him that missed, we all had opportunities to score but the ball didn't want to go in."

Next up for Madrid is a visit to Malmo on Wednesday in their second Champions League group stage game of the campaign.

 

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Messi injury is rotten luck for Barcelona - Busquets

Sergio Busquets was left ruing Barcelona's "rotten luck" after Lionel Messi sustained a knee injury against Las Palmas.Messi was withdrawn in the 10th minute with the club later revealing he has a tear in his internal collateral ligament.

The Argentine superstar is set to be sidelined for up to two months, which represents a significant blow to a Barca side who are second in the Liga table behind Villarreal.Busquets told Canal Plus: "You know that if Messi complains, then something's wrong.

"He's the best player in the world, our best player. We're having some rotten luck with injuries, and not being able to register new players makes things worse."Barcelona went on to win the game 2-1 in Messi's absence, with Luis Suarez's double securing the points.

 

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Schneiderlin: Van Gaal is very strict

Manchester United midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin says he is having to adapt to the "very strict" coaching style of Louis van Gaal.

Schneiderlin moved to Old Trafford this summer after seven years at Southampton, in which time he worked under eight different managers, including Nigel Adkins, Nigel Pearson, Alan Pardew, Mauricio Pochettino and Ronald Koeman.

But he says he has never worked under a coach like Van Gaal, who has already otracised several players in his time in charge of United already, including Angel Di Maria, Radamel Falcao and Victor Valdes.

"Van Gaal is a very strict coach," he told Telefoot. "It's a new management approach, one I haven't experienced before. You have to adapt because a lot of things have changed."

The 25-year-old is enjoying his time at the club, however: "Manchester United are the greatest club in the world. You can see it in the enthusiasm among fans when we play a game."

Schneiderlin's compatriot Anthony Martial, meanwhile, has promised to try to repay the huge transfer fee United splashed out to sign him on transfer deadline day.

The 19-year-old Frenchmen arrived in a deal worth over £50m barrier should he be a success, and he has grabbed the headlines already having started his time in England with four goals in five matches.

"I know the fans expect a lot from me because of my price tag," he said. "But I'll do everything so they can be proud of me."

 

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Genoa 1-0 AC Milan: Dzemaili strike defeats 10-man Rossoneri

Ten-man AC Milan suffered their third defeat of the Serie A season as Genoa secured a 1-0 win at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris on Sunday.

Blerim Dzemaili's deflected free kick put Genoa in front and Alessio Romagnoli's red card late in the first half gave Milan a mountain to climb.

Milan improved markedly in the second half, with Mario Balotelli looking especially dangerous in attack as he cleverly set up Luiz Adriano before going close with a shot of his own.

Balotelli - under the watching eyes of Italy head coach Antonio Conte - continued to threaten but Milan's push for a comeback ran out of steam as Genoa closed out the game.

The defeat leaves Sinisa Mihajlovic's men with nine points from their opening six matches, while Genoa claim just their second victory of the season.

Diego Capel's rasping drive from 25 yards had Diego Lopez scrambling early on as Milan struggled to retain possession against Genoa's high-energy 3-4-2-1 system.

And the home side took the lead with just 10 minutes on the clock, Dzemaili's fierce free kick from distance clipping the top of the wall and flying beyond the helpless Lopez into the far corner.

Balotelli - awarded another start following his excellent display against Udinese - cut a frustrated figure early on, clipping a simple pass well into the stands before seeing a promising run halted by a petty foul.

Giacomo Bonaventura fired narrowly over from the edge of the area and Balotelli glanced a header just past the far post from the playmaker’s corner as Sinisa Mihajlovic’s side began to improve, but Milan's task was made all the more difficult just before the break when Romagnoli stuck an arm out to block Capel's run forward, earning himself a second yellow card.
Milan started the second half well, Luiz Adriano forcing a good low stop from Eugenio Lamanna after a clever run and pass from Balotelli, before Andrea Bertolacci tested the keeper following the Liverpool loanee's lay-off.

The Rossoneri were much improved despite the loss of a man and Balotelli forced another good stop from Lamanna when played in by Bertolacci, who then saw another effort blocked.

Genoa had threatened little in the second period but Olivier Ntcham wasted a good chance on the break, blasting the ball wide after Dzemaili's cut-back, before Capel cut inside and curled a left-footed drive just over.

Milan threw on Carlos Bacca as they continued to search for a late leveller and Juraj Kucka blazed over when set up by Luiz Adriano, but Gian Piero Gasperini's side saw out a much-needed victory against the tiring visitors.

 

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Hamsik criticises Benitez's Napoli tactics

Marek Hamsik claims Napoli play a far better brand of football this season than they did under former coach Rafael Benitez.

Maurizio Sarri replaced Benitez at the San Paolo after the latter moved to Real Madrid and has come in for criticism from some this season, with club icon Diego Maradona claiming Sarri was "not worthy" of the position.

Napoli have recovered their form following an inconsistent start to the season, however, with an impressive 2-1 win over Serie A champions Juventus on Saturday following two 5-0 wins earlier in September.

And Hamsik has now taken a swipe at Benitez, insisting the current side play with a far more enjoyable style.

"We did what the coach asked of us on the pitch," he told Rai Sport after the match with Juve. "I'm happy to be right in the middle of the action compared to last year. I really like this style of football.

"We're a much more dynamic and compact side. We play with the ball much more compared to last year, when we focused on long balls."

Hamsik went on to pledge his immediate future to the club after admitting Juventus had enquired about his signature during the transfer window.

"It's true that they wanted me but I never thought about it. It's a closed book now," added the 28-year-old. "I'm focused on doing well in this shirt, which I've worn for many years now."

 

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Manchester City will win Champions League - Pellegrini

Manuel Pellegrini insists Manchester City are destined to win the Champions League despite their recent struggles in Europe.

City have been eliminated at the last 16 stage in the past two seasons, while they were sent packing in the group stages in 2011-12 and 2012-13.

But Pellegrini, who guided Villarreal to the semi-finals and Malaga to the last eight prior to taking over at the Etihad, insists he is confident City will eventually become European powerhouses.

"We have played Barcelona in the last two years and if we had played Barcelona at Villarreal or Malaga then maybe we wouldn't have gone so far," he said.

"This is a very young team compared with Barcelona, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich or Juventus. We are younger than the teams who normally win the Champions League over the last 10 years.

"Our team has only arrived in the last few years and we are improving every season.

"That will continue and I am absolutely sure that we will arrive to be an important team that wins the Champions League."

City, who were thrashed 4-1 by Tottenham on Saturday as they gave up top spot to rivals Manchester United in the Premier League, visit Borussia Monchengladbach in the Champions League on Wednesday, but Pellegrini maintains that his side will not lose focus on their domestic ambitions as they bid to achieve European success.

"Being a strong team in Europe must be our target but not at the expense of the Premier League," he said.

"One fake game in the Champions League and you can be out, while the Premier League is all about the work you do over the entire year.

"We must not concentrate on the one thing. It must be a target - but not an obsession. One day, though, we are going to be a strong team like Barcelona are today."

City opened their 2015-16 Champions League campaign with a 2-1 loss to Juventus.

 

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'Super' Mario Balotelli in line for Italy return - Galliani

"Super" Mario Balotelli is being considered for an Italy call-up following an upturn in form and attitude, AC Milan CEO Adriano Galliani has confirmed.Azzurri head coach Antonio Conte was in the stands as Genoa defeated Milan 1-0 at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris on Sunday.

Balotelli delivered another encouraging display in the second half - having starred in their 3-2 win over Udinese on Tuesday - despite Milan being down to 10 men and Galliani lauded the 25-year-old for his improvements on and off the pitch.

"People should let Conte do his work and wait for the call-ups to be announced," Galliani told Premium Sport ."Conte did speak to Mihajlovic, so we'll see what happens.

"Balotelli is behaving wonderfully and over the last month has been beyond reproach both on and off the pitch. It's true a month isn't enough to judge things, but Mario is being super in every way."

Milan coach Sinisa Mihajlovic has called on his players to show more passion to match their talents after Blerim Dzemaili's deflected free kick was enough for the home side to claim maximum points.

"The reality is that we do well for a time and unfortunately it's not enough," he told Sky ."We made too many mistakes and lost too many individual battles, but we almost never gave up clear opportunities. Their goal came from a dead ball but we didn't suffer from then on.

"We have to understand that, in these games, it's not enough for Milan to have better quality players. We have to have more heart than our opponents in order to bring out that quality.

"We'll analyse the defeat to find out what went well and then prepare ourselves for the match against Napoli, a strong team with many great forwards."

 

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Watford 0-1 Crystal Palace: Cabaye penalty seals all three points for Eagles

Yohan Cabaye's second-half penalty gave Crystal Palace a hard-fought 1-0 win over Watford at Vicarage Road on Sunday.

Substitute Wilfried Zaha was crucial in earning the decisive foul from Allan Nyom, allowing Cabaye to convert and settle a largely uneventful contest as Palace got back to winning ways in the Premier League following narrow defeats to Manchester City and Tottenham.

Having made a solid start to life in the Premier League, Watford were targeting a third straight top-flight win for the first time since April 1987 against their Championship play-off final foes of two years ago.

Following a dour first-half in which both teams appeared wary of being caught on the counter-attack, Jose Manuel Jurado and Dwight Gayle each saw efforts strike the crossbar in a more entertaining second period.

But the game turned on Nyom's clumsy challenge 71 minutes in, the Watford full-back unable to deal with Zaha's pace and trickery before Cabaye duly kept his cool to seal victory and send Alan Pardew's team sixth in the table.

Buoyed by recent victories over Swansea City and Newcastle United, unchanged Watford started strongly against a Palace side showing a host of changes from their narrow defeat at Tottenham last weekend.

Wayne Hennessey, Joe Ledley and the fit-again Scott Dann all returned, while Gayle was handed a first league start of the season as Brede Hangeland had the first effort on target with a header kept out by Heurelho Gomes.

That proved to be a rare foray forward for Palace however, as Watford enjoyed the better of the play before the half-hour mark - Troy Deeney going close with a glancing header.

Palace almost capitalised on a series of Watford fouls around the edge of the area but Cabaye's delivery just evaded Gayle, before the Frenchman lost possession and allowed Watford to break, with Hangeland required to clear and deny the in-form Odion Ighalo a sight of goal.

After both sides stuttered somewhat in front of goal prior to the break, Jurado struck the Palace crossbar inside three minutes of the restart with an impressive free-kick.

Both Flores and Pardew kept faith with their XIs at the interval but it was Watford who remained the more threatening, Almen Abdi testing Hennessey down to his right after smart play between Deeney and Ighalo.

Bakary Sako's deflected free-kick caused problems for Gomes before the hour before the winger found Gayle inside the area, only for Palace this time to be thwarted by the crossbar.

While Yannick Bolasie's new contract will have had the visiting fans in high spirits ahead of Sunday's clash, it was the introduction of fellow winger Zaha that ultimately proved crucial for Pardew as the substitute bamboozled Nyom down the left-hand side of the area.

Referee Anthony Taylor deliberated briefly but, having pointed to the spot, Cabaye tucked home the penalty to claim the points with the visitors' first league goal since their shock win at Chelsea last month.

 

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Borussia Dortmund 2-2 Darmstadt: Aubameyang double not enough for BVB

Borussia Dortmund failed to keep pace with Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich as a last-gasp goal saw them held 2-2 by Darmstadt at Signal Iduna Park.

Thomas Tuchel's men went into the game five points behind Bayern, whom they travel to face next weekend, and were searching for a win after their midweek draw with Hoffenheim had ended their perfect start to the campaign.

However, Dirk Schuster's men had already taken four points from trips to Schalke and Bayer Leverkusen this season and looked ready to cause another upset when Marcel Heller opened the scoring with a sublime volley.

But the in-form Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang looked to have turned the game on its head and secured the win for Dortmund, becoming the first player in Bundesliga history to net in each of the first seven games of a new season with a pair of goals putting his side ahead with less than 20 minutes remaining.

Aubameyang's goalscoring run in the league now stretches back nine games into 2014-15, a sequence which has seen him net 11 times.

However, Darmstadt spoiled the Gabon international's party as Aytac Sulu fired in an equaliser as Dortmund failed to clear a set-piece in the final minute of normal time.

Tuchel came in for criticism for leaving Henrikh Mkhitaryan out of the starting line-up against Hoffenheim, and, on his return, the Armenian quickly displayed his qualities by firing narrowly wide from 20 yards inside eight minutes.

Dortmund controlled possession but were struggling to carve open Darmstadt, and the visitors punished them with a swift counter-attacking move in the 17th minute.

Konstantin Rausch slid a pass down the left for Jerome Gondorf, and he picked out Heller who fired an exquisite first-time volley into the bottom-left corner.

The hosts should have pulled level three minutes later, but Aubameyang failed to put Marco Reus' cross into the back of the gaping net from inside the six-yard box.

With Darmstadt defending deep and in numbers, Dortmund were forced to look wide or shoot from distance – Julian Weigl's tame 25-yard strike was the best they could muster before the interval.

It was a theme that continued in the second period, with the visitors remaining narrow and finding it difficult to get out of their own half.

With an hour on the clock, Mkhitaryan wriggled away from Heller but saw his shot batted away by Christian Mathenia.

Three minutes later, though, the equaliser finally came as Aubameyang peeled of his marker to supply the finish from Matthias Ginter's cross.

The talismanic Aubameyang was at it again with 19 minutes left on the clock, latching onto substitute Adnan Januzaj's deflected pass to get on the scoresheet yet again.

However, the headlines were stolen by Darmstadt centre-back Sulu, who picked out the bottom-left corner when a long free-kick fell to him on the edge of the area in the 90th minute.

Dortmund are subsequently four points adrift of league leaders Bayern ahead of next Sunday's crunch clash at the Allianz Arena.

 

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Auba pattama form 1kaka inne​

 

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Man Utd want to win the quadruple - Young

Ashley Young insists Manchester United are determined to challenge for every trophy this season after they moved top of the Premier League.

Louis van Gaal's side dispatched Sunderland 3-0 on Saturday to move above Manchester City in the table, following their 4-1 defeat to Tottenham at White Hart Lane.

With United back in the Champions League this season and having seen off Ipswich Town to progress in the League Cup, Young says silverware is firmly within their sights in 2015-16.

"We came into the season saying we wanted to fight for the title," Young told MUTV. "A club like United wants to fight for everything we're involved in – the league, the Champions League and both the cup competitions. We want to get ourselves back to winning silverware.

"We're doing well in the league but there is a long way to go, so we just take each game as it comes."

Young came off the bench to set up Juan Mata's goal in the win over Sunderland but he started the victory over Ipswich at left-back, in place of the injured Luke Shaw.

And the former Aston Villa man says he is perfectly happy to replace Shaw in a more defensive role while the 20-year-old recovers from a double leg fracture.

"I'm a versatile player who can play there as well as on the wing," he said. "I played there during the week in the cup and if the manager calls upon me to play there again I'll go out there and give 110 per cent as I always do.

"I feel comfortable at left-back and playing wing-back. It's a different role for me compared to left wing or left midfield, there's more of the defensive side to think about but I'm capable of doing that."

Shaw posted a photograph on his official Instagram page showing him back on his feet with the aid of crutches after surgery on his injury, and Young says the ex-Southampton star is positive about his recovery.

"Everyone has been in touch with him. I have personally spoken to him quite a bit," added the 30-year-old.

"As the manager said he's very positive. He's got to stay that way because obviously it's a long road to recovery. But he'll have the medical department looking after him and knowing exactly what he needs to do to come back.

"Even the day after it happened he was positive and upbeat which I think for a lot of the players and staff was surprising after such a horrific injury, and when he returns to the training ground everyone will be there for him."

 

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Lewandowski is a machine - Hummels

Mats Hummels has lauded his former team-mate Robert Lewandowski ahead of Borussia Dortmund's table-topping clash with Bayern Munich .

The Poland international followed up his record-breaking five-goal haul against Wolfsburg in midweek with a double against Mainz, taking his Bundesliga tally to 101 goals in 168 appearances.

Lewandowski netted 74 of those while playing alongside Hummels at Signal Iduna Park, winning back-to-back Bundesliga titles under Jurgen Klopp before making the switch to Munich.

And the World Cup-winning centre-back admitted he can still enjoy the displays of his former team-mate, insisting there are no hard feelings despite his switch to their rivals.

"I had an incredulous smile on my face when Lewy [Lewandowski] scored his five goals, since I don't see the shirt or the club for which he plays, just an exceptional striker," Hummels told Bild am Sonntag .

"You can enjoy his goals, even as part of BVB. He is a complete machine.

"No matter what he does, he doesn't have to answer to anyone. He did something unpredictable and extraordinary at BVB."

After a dismal 2014-15 campaign which culminated in Klopp leaving the club, Thomas Tuchel took the helm at Dortmund and has quickly led them back towards the upper reaches of the Bundesliga table.

They take on leaders Bayern in their biggest game of the season so far next Sunday, and, while Hummels insists Dortmund's aim is not to challenge for the title, he is adamant they have been restored to their confident best.

"I do not feel that we are wasting our talent and our quality. With the team that we have, we need to at least take third place - probably even better. Our goal must be to be merciless," he added.

"Our confidence is back. We are very aware of our qualities again."

 

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Lewandowski is a machine - Hummels

Lewa & Auba​

 

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Needless turnovers cost Dortmund - Tuchel

Thomas Tuchel believes that unnecessary turnovers cost Borussia Dortmund two points as Darmstadt struck late to earn a 2-2 draw at Signal Iduna Park.

A second-half double from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang looked to have secured the win for Dortmund, who fell behind to Marcel Heller's first-half volley, but Aytac Sulu earned the visitors a point with a tidy finish in the final minute of normal time.

Tuchel felt his team were robbed by the late goal, but also admitted that they did not show the requisite composure to see out the game.

"We deserved to win this game. In the final minutes we had unnecessary turnovers," Tuchel said in his post-match press conference.

"Our two goals were outstanding. I was impressed with the tempo in the second half.

"The fact we have been punished in this way leaves a bitter taste. We are very disappointed. It feels like we lost two points."

Dortmund were frustrated for long period by Darmstadt's resilient, deep defending and the coach refuted suggestions that they were unable to find a solution.

"We have played against lesser opponents several times and scored 21 goals, so we find solutions," Tuchel added.

The result leaves Tuchel's men four points adrift of Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich, who they visit next Sunday.

 

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Shaw upbeat as recovery from broken leg continues

Manchester United defender Luke Shaw has admitted he upbeat about his recovery after revealing he is able to put weight on his broken leg again.

The 20-year-old England full-back suffered a double fracture following a robust challenge from Hector Moreno during United's 2-1 loss to PSV in the Champions League.

Louis van Gaal later confirmed that, following two emergency operations, Shaw is expected to be out for at least six months.

But despite the prognosis, Shaw is upbeat about his progress, and he provided United supporters with an update on Sunday.

Along with a picture of Shaw using crutches, a post on his official Instagram read: "Long road ahead but so happy to be able to put weight on my leg again!"

 

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"Long road ahead but so happy to be able to put weight on my leg again!"

Get well soon Shaw!

​

 

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Inter 1-4 Fiorentina: Kalinic nets hat-trick to end Nerazzurri's perfect start

Nikola Kalinic grabbed a hat-trick as Fiorentina secured a stunning 4-1 win over 10-man Inter at San Siro, replacing the hosts at the top of Serie A in the process.

Josip Ilicic also found the net for the visitors, while Inter lost Miranda to a red card in a disastrous opening half-hour.

The former Atletico Madrid defender was shown a straight red card for pulling down Kalinic with the striker clean through, with Fiorentina having already raced into a 3-0 lead.

Roberto Mancini's side had gone into the game boasting a 100 per cent record this term, but were torn apart by their opponents and could easily have lost by an even more emphatic scoreline.

Prior to Miranda's dismissal, Ilicic's penalty and a quick-fire double from Kalinic had put Fioreninta in total control and although Mauro Icardi pulled one back on the hour, it was left to Kalinic to complete his treble with 14 minutes left.

Fiorentina now leap to the summit, ahead of Inter on goal difference on the back of their third win in succession.

Inter suffered a major blow before kick-off as in-form striker Stevan Jovetic picked up a thigh injury in the warm-up and was denied the chance to face one of his former clubs.

And there was worse to come for the hosts just four minutes into the game when they conceded only their second goal of the season.

Goalkeeper Samir Handanovic took a heavy touch in trying to control a routine back pass, allowing Kalinic to nip in and draw the foul.

Handanovic escaped with a yellow card, but there was no let-off from the spot as Ilicic rifled home.

The luckless Handanovic was involved again for Fiorentina's second, this time doing superbly well to parry a thumping 25-yard drive from Ilicic, only to see the ball loop up and fall kindly for Kalinic who had the simple task of tapping in from almost on the line.

Fiorentina were rampant at this stage and five minutes later they left Mancini with his head in his hands as Marcos Alonso raced away down the left and swept the ball across the face of goal, with Kalinic perfectly placed to slide home his second of the night.

Inter simply could not cope with the visitors' pace and movement in the final third and they found themselves reduced to 10 men on the half-hour mark.

Kalinic exploited another yawning gap at the back to bear down on goal and the hopelessly out-paced Miranda hauled him to the ground, leaving referee Antonio Damato with little choice but to brandish the red card.

Inter improved slightly after the break and were rewarded as Icardi reacted quickest to a rebound from close range.

That was about as good as it got for Inter, however, as Ilicic teed up Kalinic to add his third to make the game safe and compound Mancini's misery.

 

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Hummels: Dortmund gave 'dead' Darmstadt a point

Mats Hummels admitted to his huge disappointed as Borussia Dortmund were held to a 2-2 draw against newly-promoted Darmstadt .

Aytac Sulu's 90th-minute equaliser secured the visitors a point after a double from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang had overhauled Marcel Heller's opener.

Successive draws against Hoffenheim and Darmstadt leave Dortmund four points adrift of Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich, ahead of a trip to the Allianz Arena next weekend.

And Hummels insisted that the visitors were fortunate to leave Signal Iduna Park with a point, though felt mistakes from his side allowed their "dead" opponents to get back into the match.

"It was a game that you normally win. Darmstadt had an awful lot of luck and earned a point with two shots at goal," Hummels told reporters.

"It happens. It must be very clearly said that they relied on pure luck, but we must deal with it.

"We have recently suffered two extremely unnecessary point losses - especially today. I cannot put it into words.

"Darmstadt were dead, they no longer believed in themselves and we gave them a chance to score."

The centre-back was critical of his side's defending as Darmstadt opened the scoring with with a counter-attacking move finished off by Heller in the 17th minute.

"The opponent scored with an unmarked volley from 13 metres. We had five, six players 20 metres from the goal - that's no defence."

 

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Mancini: Fiorentina clash over inside 30 minutes

Inter manager Roberto Mancini admitted his side's clash with Fiorentina was over after just 30 minutes as the San Siro outfit lost their 100 per cent Serie A record.

La Viola found themselves 3-0 up and with a man advantage at half-time in Milan after Miranda was sent off for the hosts, with Josip Ilicic opening the scoring prior to Nikola Kalinic netting a brace.

Kalinic then completed his hat-trick in the second-half and Mancini is keen for his side not to dwell on the result despite their poor performance.

"The early goal changed the course of the game, then we conceded the second after [Josip] Ilicic’s shot and the Miranda red card basically ended the game," he told reporters.

"Some matches just pan out that way and you can’t do much about it. We started the match with a 3-5-2 because we wanted to make the most of Perisic down the right. But the game got off to a bad start. There’s not much to say unfortunately.

"With 11 men we could have looked to bring it back, but with one man less everything became more difficult. The match started off the way it did and was over after 30 minutes.

"Well done to Fiorentina, they used the ball well but conceding the goal at the start changed everything.

It’s tough to find your feet again after a bad start like that. We need to not make a big deal out of this and kick on straight away. We’ve lost a match and that’s the end of it.

"We’re only at the start of the league, we’re on top of the table and the opinions of others don’t change my view of the team."

 

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Besiktas 3-2 Fenerbahce: Gomez nets brace in five-goal thriller

Robin van Persie again came off the bench to score for Fenerbahce, but his fourth goal for the club was in vain as Mario Gomez netted a brace to claim a 3-2 win for Besiktas in the Istanbul derby on Sunday.

Former Manchester United and Arsenal star Van Persie has started just five games following his arrival at Fener in the summer, and has aired his frustration at been used primarily as a substitute.

And he again had to settle for a place on the bench on Sunday as Fener went two goals behind within 24 minutes – Simon Kjaer heading into his own net before Gomez nodded home his first.

Dusko Tosic's own goal brought Fener back into proceedings, and Van Persie proved his credentials by restoring parity with a fine finish just four minutes after coming on.

But the visitors' hard work was undone as Gomez rose highest to meet Gokhan Tore's pin-point delivery and claim victory for Besiktas.