..::Football III::..

[Wolverine GTR]

Lyon 0-1 Valencia: Feghouli fires visitors to victory

A brilliant goal from Sofiane Feghouli earned Valencia their first Champions League Group H win as they beat Lyon 1-0.Lyon pressed hard for an equaliser but defeat means they have taken just one point from their first two games following a draw against Gent in their opener.

Home coach Hubert Fournier had declared himself angry with his side’s 3-1 defeat to Bordeaux in their previous Ligue 1 outing and made a number of changes as he sought an improved performance.But Lyon could not convert large spells of possession into goals, and Feghouli pounced on a first-half chance to score with a strike worthy of winning any game.

It was little surprise that the early emphasis was on defence and only Aymen Abdennour managed an effort on goal inside the first 10 minutes, flashing a header just wide from Pablo Piatti’s corner.

Valencia arrived in France having scored just once in their previous three games, and Piatti had a great chance to increase that tally when he struck a first-time shot from close range, only to see it saved by the feet of Anthony Lopes.

Mathieu Valbuena bent a wicked free-kick towards the top corner but Jaume Domenech pulled off a great save at full stretch as Valencia were pegged back, but a second Piatti corner brought another chance for Abdennour, who went even closer as he crashed another header on to the post.

A well-worked move saw Feghouli fire in a shot that clipped the crossbar on its way over, but moments later Piatti broke on the left and teed him up to unleash a fierce shot that flew into the net via Lopes’ hand and the underside of the bar.

Alexandre Lacazette looped a deflected shot onto the crossbar at the other end, and substitute Jordan Ferri then missed a golden chance with the net at his mercy, but an entertaining half ended with the visitors ahead.

Having presumably felt the force of Fournier’s anger at half-time, Lyon came out fired up after the break, immediately peppering Domenech’s goal with shots, and Shkodran Mustafi had to make a brilliant block to keep Ferri’s attempt out.

Corentin Tolisso and Christophe Jallet both fired over the bar from close range as Lyon frantically probed for an equaliser, but Valencia always looked the more composed side, absorbing pressure at the back and breaking swiftly to create chances for a second goal.

The backing of the Lyon fans was relentless and loud, but their heroes seemed in too much of a hurry to deliver a goal, and the neat footwork of Lacazette and the dynamism of Valbuena went to waste as a number of attacks fizzled out without an end product.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Maccabi Tel Aviv 0-2 Dynamo Kiev: Yarmolenko on target as visitors pick up first win

Goals from Andriy Yarmolenko and Junior Moraes secured Dynamo Kiev a comfortable 2-0 win at Maccabi Tel-Aviv as the Ukrainian club maintained their strong start in Group G.

Sergiy Rebrov's men headed to the Sammy Ofer Stadium buoyed by an impressive 2-2 home draw against Porto and were rarely troubled as they chalked up their first group stage away win in seven attempts.

Maccabi, meanwhile, were looking to mark their first home group stage game since 2004 in style, but instead found themselves unable to cope with the visitors' pace on the break.

Although Eden Ben Basat and dangerman Eran Zahavi did go close on several occasions for the hosts, who improved in the second half, the result was never in doubt once Moraes grabbed Kiev's second goal just after the break.

And having lost their opening game 4-0 to Chelsea, it appears that the Israelis' return to the group stages will prove to be a fruitless one.

The home fans were in full voice prior to kick-off, but were stunned into near silence after just four minutes when the visitors took the lead with their first attack of the game.

A fine throughball from Paraguayan midfielder Derlis Gonzalez split the Maccabi defence and, having timed his run to perfection, Yarmolenko calmly stroked the ball past Predrag Rajkovic from just inside the box.

The hosts thought they had levelled things up moments later with a similar move, only to have skipper Zahavi's effort ruled out for offside.

Although Maccabi were enjoying plenty of possession, the Ukrainian side continued to look dangerous on the break, and another sweeping counterattack played in Antunes, only for the defender to fire narrowly over.

Rajkovic's reflexes were tested by Danilo Silva's low effort and a Miguel Veloso snap-shot after another surging run down the right from the lively Yarmolenko.

Maccabi did finally start to ask some questions of the visitors' defence as half-time approached, but Ben Basat squandered their best chance when he got on the end of Eli Dasa's fine cross from the right only to glance his header wastefully wide.

Slavisa Jokanovic's men were left to rue that miss when Kiev stylishly doubled their advantage five minutes after the re-start.

Gonzalez was again the provider, getting away down the left before picking out Moraes who swivelled to get the ball onto his right foot before bending a shot into the top corner of Rajkovic's net.

Zahavi went close with a 20-yard free-kick for Maccabi just short of the hour-mark, but that was about as good as it got for them as an early elimination looms with a double-header against Porto to come, the Portuguese side sit joint top of the group after Tuesday's impressive 2-1 win over Chelsea.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Barcelona 2-1 Bayer Leverkusen: Suarez stunner steals late win for holders

Luis Suarez completed a dramatic late comeback for Barcelona as they beat Bayer Leverkusen 2-1 in the Champions League on Tuesday.

Kyriakos Papadopoulos headed Leverkusen into a deserved lead midway through the first half, and Barca found it hard to break through a well-organised visiting defence.

Neymar struck the post and Sandro - in for the injured Lionel Messi - was denied by a goal-line block but chances were few and far between for the home side, who lost Andres Iniesta to injury in the second half.

But substitute Sergi Roberto pounced in the closing 10 minutes to level the scores and Suarez's thumping finish snatched an unlikely victory for the holders, who move above Leverkusen at the top of the group.

Camp Nou was deafening prior to kick-off - the Uefa anthem greeted with a chorus of boos - but Javier Hernandez almost silenced the home crowd after less than two minutes, forcing Marc-Andre ter Stegen into a smart save at his near post.

Barcelona responded, Ivan Rakitic placing a header straight at Bernd Leno after Neymar's delicate cross before the goalkeeper saved superbly from Sandro after the 20-year-old's brilliant one-two with Suarez.

With the injured Messi watching on, Barca struggled to click going forward and Leverkusen snatched a surprise lead when Papadopoulos flicked home Hakan Calhanoglu's pacey corner, with Ter Stegen caught out of position.

Leverkusen's disciplined shape had Barca - and the home crowd - deeply frustrated and only the quick reflexes of Ter Stegen stopped Karim Bellarabi from doubling the lead from close range after he outsmarted Gerard Pique.

Barca's best chance of the half fell to Sandro, who pounced on a Neymar effort which came off the post only to be denied by a brilliant goal-line block from Papadopoulos.

Hernandez spurned a clear opportunity for a second just after the break when he blazed over from 12 yards when picked out by Bellarabi, and Neymar fizzed a shot wide on the turn.

The Brazil star came close with a free-kick from long-range but Barca were further deflated when Iniesta was forced off with what looked like a hamstring injury on the hour mark.

Suarez's scrambled effort was deflected behind and Pique headed a great chance straight at Leno from the resulting corner, but frustrations began to boil over as Jordi Alba saw yellow for his reaction to a Jonathan Tah challenge.

Just as Leverkusen seemed set for maximum points, Barca found their breakthrough. Suarez's prodded shot from close range was parried by Leno and Sergi Roberto reacted quickest to poke the ball over the line.

And the Spanish champions completed a dramatic turnaround just a minute later as Suarez curled an emphatic effort into the roof of the net from just inside the area after a fine run from Munir El Haddadi.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Bayern Munich 5-0 Dinamo Zagreb: Lewandowski hits treble in five goal win

Robert Lewandowski continued his sparkling form, scoring a hat-trick as Bayern Munich made a mockery of Dinamo Zagreb's 45-match unbeaten run with a 5-0 Champions League rout at the Allianz Arena.

Croatian champions Dinamo had not lost a competitive match since a 1-0 reverse to Astra in the Europea League last November and beat Arsenal in their Group F opener.
But Bayern's gulf in class was evident from the start of Tuesday's contest with Lewandowski once more leading by example by making it 10 goals in his past three outings.

Pep Guardiola's side were rampant in the first half and raced into a 4-0 lead after 28 minutes, Lewandowski tapping in the second after Douglas Costa had opened the scoring.

A goalkeeping gaffe from Eduardo allowed Mario Gotze to get on the scoresheet, before Lewandowski doubled his tally from a Costa corner.

The Poland international then finished a fine move to complete his hat-trick after the break, as Bayern - who have won all seven of their Bundesliga matches this season - warmed up perfectly for Sunday's clash with rivals Borussia Dortmund.

Bayern monopolised possession in the opening stages and it was little surprise when they took the lead in the 13th minute.

Thiago Alcantara sprayed a brilliant ball to Costa on the left flank and the winger drove into the penalty before drilling his shot past the flatfooted Dinamo goalkeeper Eduardo at the near post.

The home fans were on their feet again eight minutes later.

A costly slip from Filip Benkovic allowed Thiago a clear run at goal, and the former Barcelona man showed impressive awareness to present Lewandowski with a tap-in.

Bayern capitalised from another Dinamo error in the 25th minute. Gotze played a neat one-two with Kingsley Coman and his shot looked easy enough for Eduardo to deal with, but the ball squirmed past the keeper.

Things worsened for the visitors when a rampant Bayern scored a third goal in the space of eight minutes.

Lewandowski was allowed a free run across the area and his side-footed shot from Costa's corner hit the underside of the crossbar and was judged to have crossed the line.

The domination continued after the break as Lewandowski grabbed his third in the 55th minute.

The former Dortmund star turned sharply on the edge of the box after collecting another fine Thiago pass before brilliantly lofting his shot past Eduardo.

Lewandowski nearly had a fourth but just failed to make contact with David Alaba's low cross, while Gotze saw an effort rebound off the outside of the left-hand post.

It stayed at five, though, as Bayern made it two wins from two in Group F.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

LEWA pattama form 1kaka inne

​

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Arsenal 2-3 Olympiacos: Ospina blunder helps visitors to surprise win

Substitute Alfred Finnbogason was the match-winner for Olympiacos as his strike condemned Arsenal to a 3-2 defeat at the Emirates Stadium in the Champions League on Tuesday.

Arsene Wenger's side remain pointless in Group F as they had nothing to show for their efforts despite twice equalising as suspect defending and a calamitous David Ospina error helped ensure Olympiacos their first win on English soil.

Theo Walcott was picked to replace the suspended Olivier Giroud and the England international looked to have ensured Arsenal parity at the break, having cancelled out Felipe Pardo's 33rd-minute opener.

However, Ospina inexplicably dropped Kostas Fortounis' corner behind the line five minutes before half-time - the goalkeeper having been selected ahead of regular number one Petr Cech.

Walcott turned provider for Alexis Sanchez to equalise for a second time shortly after the hour but Arsenal were again caught flat-footed as the visitors broke from kick-off, with Finnbogason making his impact off the bench with a well-taken finish from close range.

It leaves Arsenal with an uphill battle already, while the severity of the injury that forced Laurent Koscielny off could add further frustration for Wenger - who will face difficult questions on his goalkeeping selection.

Arsenal began the brighter and showed pace on the counter when Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain found the side-netting inside the penalty area after nine minutes.

The forward was one of five to come in for the hosts alongside Ospina and the Arsenal goalkeeper was called on soon after to collect a dangerous delivery from Fortounis that almost looped in.

Fortounis dragged a shot wide after 21 minutes as Olympiacos grew into the game before taking the lead.The unmarked Pardo collected a corner and guided his shot on target, with a deflection off Oxlade-Chamberlain deceiving a helpless Ospina en route to the far corner.

Walcott levelled within three minutes, latching onto Sanchez's pass and finishing past Roberto Jimenez, who made contact with the effort but failed to keep it out. The Olympiacos goalkeeper should perhaps have done better but Ospina's howler proved the final talking point of an entertaining half.

The Colombian was caught out by an inswinging Fortounis delivery and, having recovered to collect the ball, spilled it behind the line as the goal-line official eventually gave the goal amid protests from the home side.

The hosts' difficulties continued after the break when Koscielny limped off with an apparent hamstring problem following a slide tackle on Pardo before the hour mark.

Following Aaron Ramsey's introduction, Arsenal came close to levelling again, as Mertesacker's effort was saved by Jimenez before Santi Cazorla's follow-up was blocked on the line as the hosts eventually gained reward for their pressure.

Sanchez appeared to have lifted the sullen atmosphere at the Emirates when he glanced home Walcott's cross but slack play once again saw Arsenal slip behind, as Esteban Cambiasso found Pardo, who crossed for Finnbogason to finish.

Despite late pressure from their side, home fans saw Arsenal slip bottom of the group ahead of a clash with Bayern Munich while Marco Silva's men claimed an away win in the Champions League for the first time in two years.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Porto 2-1 Chelsea: Mourinho's woes continue at Dragao

Porto captain Maicon headed a decisive second-half goal to give Porto a 2-1 Champions League win and extend Chelsea's laboured start to the season.

Julen Lopetegui's side were offered encouragement throughout the Group G clash by the defensive frailties that have undermined Chelsea over the past two months and opened the scoring at the Estadio do Dragao through Andre Andre.

Willian – recalled to the starting line-up following his weekend equaliser against Newcastle United, as Jose Mourinho benched Eden Hazard and Nemanja Matic – levelled matters with a brilliant free-kick on the stroke of half-time.

But, as they did at St James' Park on Saturday, Chelsea switched off and Maicon capitalised in the 52nd minute to ensure a miserable return to his old stomping ground for Mourinho.

The margin of victory could have been greater as Danilo headed against the post inside the final 10 minute, while the result moves Porto onto four points alongside Dynamo Kiev – one ahead of Chelsea.

Iker Casillas set a Champions League record by making his 152nd appearance in the competition and the Porto goalkeeper was called into action early on.

Diego Costa, performing at his menacing best in the midst of a domestic suspension, left defenders in his wake down the left and found Cesc Fabregas, only for Casillas to save plunging to his right.

The ex-Real Madrid captain came out on top in another all-Spanish duel in the 14th minute – saving with his feet from Pedro, who charged onto Willian's crisp pass.

Some uncertain Chelsea defending ended with Vincent Aboubakar, who scored both Porto's goals in their opening 2-2 draw at Dynamo Kiev, lashing wildly over.
Full-back Maxi Pereira produced some more wayward shooting for Porto, but the sense of defensive vulnerability surrounding Chelsea was confirmed when they fell behind six minutes before the break.

Yacine Brahimi cut inside from the left past Branislav Ivanovic to draw a brilliant save from Asmir Begovic, who could not keep out Andre's volleyed follow-up.
It was all square from the final, stunning kick of the first-half – Willian fizzing a wonderful free kick over the defensive wall and across a statuesque Casillas.

Costa won the foul for the equaliser and combined with Willian to have a 48th-minute attempt deflected wide before Chelsea fell behind again.

Brahimi skipped around Ivanovic again to win a corner and Maicon peeled off the Chelsea goalline to send a clever back header beyond Begovic at the near post from Ruben Neves' delivery.

There was more rough treatment for Ivanovic at the hands of Brahimi, although the Serbian recovered to make a vital block on his tormentor, before Chelsea failed to fully clear and Neves had a deflected attempt headed away from the goalmouth by Kurt Zouma.Mourinho sent on Hazard in place of John Obi Mikel in the 62nd minute and he was quickly into the action – collecting Pedro's pass and hurdling Maicon's lunging challenge to shoot in to the side netting.

But Chelsea's problems at the other end showed no sign of abating.Begovic kept out a stinging drive by Giannelli Imbula in the 70th minute and the ball barely left the visiting penalty area during a sustained assault that culminated in Brahimi skipping past Ramires and missing out on the goal he deserved.

Ivanovic passed up a headed set-piece opportunity and Danilo went even closer in the 82nd minute, setting up a frantic period of stoppage time where Porto's defence managed to scramble to safety and deny the tireless Costa at the death.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Arsenal & Chelsea kala neh​

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Mourinho blasts Chelsea's 'ridiculous' defensive errors

Jose Mourinho blasted his side's "ridiculous mistakes" after watching Chelsea slip to a 2-1 defeat at Porto in the Champions League.

The Blues' miserable start to the season continued with Andre Andre giving the hosts the lead before Maicon secured the victory after Willian's equaliser.

The defeat is Chelsea's fifth of the season but Mourinho feels that his side played well apart from the errors that allowed Porto to score.

"I think it was a good performance with two ridiculous mistakes. Sometimes you make them and are not punished. We were punished," he told reporters.

"We watch dozens of repetitions of Porto taking corners. We were completely ready for that and in a moment when the game is under control we concede a goal that is ridiculous.

"We had another mistake similar when they hit the post. Apart from that the performance was balanced. The players reacted in a positive way and tried to play in a positive way.

"It's a difficult opponent, a difficult place to play. Champions League brings a different emotion to matches.

"When you have good results and perform well, untouchables, there is a relation with consistency in performances

"When you play a disaster it's easy to make drastic decisions. When you play like today, it's more difficult."

The result leaves Chelsea third in Group G with three points behind both Porto and Dynamo Kiev.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Led by lethal Lewandowski… can anyone stop Bayern Munich?

When the final whistle was blown at the Allianz Arena on Tuesday night, Dinamo Zagreb players did not trudge down the tunnel after a 5-0 thrashing at the hands of Bayern Munich, struggling to keep a lid on their frustration.

Instead, Dinamo players began to walk towards Robert Lewandowski. One by one, they hoped they could nab the shirt of the most prolific striker in European football.

Unlike any normal defeat at the hands of Europe’s best sides, these players knew that they were witnessing history in the making. That they were mere bystanders to a truly great player.

On the night the Polish striker grabbed netted a hat-trick, and in doing so, his 10th goal in his last three games. Wolfsburg were shellshocked last Tuesday, Mainz followed suit on Saturday and tonight Dinamo joined the club.

Lewandowski is in the form of his life and if it can continue then there’s little hope of anyone stopping him or Bayern in the Champions League this season.

In truth, the towering forward has always been exceptional for the Bavarian giants since joining them last summer, yet it seems only now that his manager is coming around to the idea of taking advantage of his clear talents.

Last season Bayern played with inverted wingers and false No.9s. That meant Mario Gotze on the left, Arjen Robben on the right and Thomas Muller wandering around in between. Lewandowski still picked up goals, but was by no means the focal point of attack.

This may have worked in the Bundesliga but when it came down to crunch ties in the Champions League, Bayern once again came undone to a committed and direct Barcelona side.

This season Guardiola has gone back to the drawing board and the results have dramatically improved.

Douglas Costa has come in for the the injured Robben, but instead of cutting inside to shoot and score, the Brazilian seems far more inclined to cross the ball and assist his striker. The former Shakhtar Donetsk winger currently sits on no less than 11 assists in as many games this season.

Similarly, Kingsley Coman has been a revelation since arriving from Juventus on loan this summer. Quick, skilful but most important unselfish on the ball, like Costa, the Frenchman is far more interested in swinging the ball into the six yard box than tucking it into the top corner.

Such talents go against the grain, when considering the modern phenomenon of inverted wingers and inside forwards but they work perfectly well alongside a striker of Lewandowski’s ability.

It may not sound very sexy, but Guardiola’s Bayern side work their way up the pitch effectively, before finding Lewandowski in the box.

And it works. Bayern currently boast a record in the Bundesliga and Champions League of 27 points out of 27 and a goal difference of +28. Where Guardiola used to obsess over innovation on the tactics board - a quality that has earned him criticism from even the highest in Bayern’s hierarchy over the past two years - it seems as though the former Barca boss is now content with a team and system that simply clicks together.

Add to that the current woes of England’s top sides in Europe and the unconvincing displays of Luis Enrique’s Barca side in Group E and you have a Champions League that only seems to have one or two clear forerunners for the competition.

Sure, the likes of PSG, Real Madrid and perhaps even Manchester United may have something to say about such predictions, yet none of these teams posses the aura of perfection that seems to cling to Guardiola’s current team.

Bayern simply win each and every time, and although the German champions have a whole host of talented players it seems as though one continues to ensure they’re always on top.

Lewandowski is the best striker in Europe right now and he may well drag this side all the way to the final in Milan come May next year.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

LEW nam patta​

 

[Wolverine GTR]

'Amazing' Porto deserved Chelsea win, says Lopetegui

Porto coach Julen Lopetegui lauded his "amazing" players following Tuesday's hard-fought 2-1 Champions League win over Chelsea.

The home side edged an entertaining encounter to deny Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho a much-needed win on his return to his former club.

Andre Andre put the hosts ahead only for Willian to equalise with a stunning free-kick in first-half injury-time. Chelsea could only remain on level terms for seven minutes after the restart, though, as captain Maicon nodded home a corner to hand Lopetegui's men their first win in Group G.

"The players' attitude was amazing, spectacular. It was our best performance of the season," Lopetegui told reporters.

"I have to congratulate my team. These three points are totally deserved. It was tough and unfair to go to the dressing room at half-time with a draw, but we reacted well."

The result leaves Porto joint top of Group G with Dynamo Kiev but goalscorer Maicon has urged his side to keep their focus ahead of a double header with bottom side Maccabi Tel Aviv.

"Fortunately, I have been able to score some important goals lately," he told Uefa's official website. "We accomplished our objective for this match, that was to take all three points.

"Now we will celebrate a bit in the dressing room and start thinking of the next match."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Iniesta joins Messi and Rafinha on Barcelona sidelines

Barcelona captain Andres Iniesta has picked up a hamstring injury in his right leg, ruling him out for an unknown length of time to add to the club's fitness woes.

The Spain international suffered the muscle strain on the hour mark at Camp Nou as Barca beat Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen 2-1 with late goals from Sergi Roberto and Luis Suarez following Kyriakos Papadopoulos' first-half strike.

Iniesta limped off to be replaced by Jordi Alba, and the 31-year-old will now join fellow absentees Lionel Messi and Rafinha on the treatment table - both of whom picked up recent injuries.

"The injury to Iniesta is terrible news," head coach Luis Enrique told a post-match press conference. "These are thorns in our side that we have to shake off."

The club's official website confirmed the injury news, stating: "Barcelona have diagnosed the injury suffered by Andres Iniesta during the game against Bayer Leverkusen in which he had to leave the field in the 60th minute."The Barca midfielder has a hamstring injury in his right leg. His recovery will dictate his return to training."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Wenger: I don't have to explain to YOU why I picked Ospina


Arsene Wenger has refused to explain his decision to choose David Ospina over Petr Cech after the Arsenal goalkeeper's blunder in the 3-2 defeat to Olympiacos.

The Colombian dropped the ball over the line to gift the Greek side a 2-1 lead as they went on to win 3-2, condemning the Gunners to a second consecutive Champions League loss.

Wenger, though, defended his choice to pick Ospina and leave Cech on the bench but refused to explain his selection.

"I do not have to sit here and give you an explanation about every decision I make," he told reporters.

"That is always the simple thing. Ospina kept 14 clean sheets in 19 games last season and was fantastic against Tottenham last week. No goalkeeper is mistake-free.

"I make the decisions and selections for the team and I am responsible. I know many things that you don’t know or you ignore. You can’t select a team by taking a poll before the game and taking everyone’s opinion.

"Honestly, I don’t want to go into the conversation about regrets with you."

The result leaves Arsenal bottom of Group F with two games against Bayern Munich, who have won all of their matches in the Bundesliga and Champions League so far next, but Wenger says his side still have a chance.
"It leaves us in a bad position but we are still in it. We have to get a result in our next game against Bayern at home," he added.

"Some aspects of our game were quite good but we lacked quality in our defensive concentration. I believe we had a bit of bad luck as well - they had four shots on target and scored three goals.

"The turning point was at 2-2. We got back in the game and then gave them 3-2 straight away. We feel guilty because we gave easy goals away."

Arsenal suffered a further blow with defender Laurent Koscielny forced off due to injury with Wenger unclear how long he may be out for.

He added: "It looks to be a hamstring. We play many games. We rotate the team and other teams do as well. You can’t play every three days without rotating your players."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Suarez shows he can lead Barcelona in Messi's absence

No Lionel Messi, no problem? Not exactly. Barcelona made extremely hard work of their Champions League clash at home to Bayer Leverkusen on Tuesday night, but for the second time in less than a week, they had Luis Suarez to thank for coming out on top.

Messi limped out of Barca's Liga game at home to Las Palmas on Saturday after only nine minutes and Suarez stepped up to score both goals in a 2-1 win. And after it was confirmed the Argentine attacker will miss up to two months with ligament damage in his left knee, the Uruguayan was there to rescue Barca again in this one.

Things did not start well, however, and Barca could have been behind after only a minute as Marc Andre ter Stegen saved a close-range shot from Javier Hernandez.

After opportunities at either end, Leverkusen took a shock lead. Bad marking from Suarez and Jeremy Mathieu - and poor positioning by Ter Stegen - allowed Kyriakos Papadopoulos to head home from a curling corner to shock the Camp Nou crowd.

A rapid reaction was expected, but it didn't really materialise as the German defence stood strong. Without Messi, Neymar made no real impact in what has been a difficult week for the Brazil forward off the pitch as he faces a tax probe, while Suarez struggled as Barca's midfielders were unable to supply a final ball to their two South Americans.

There was no avalanche after the interval, either, and Leverkusen must have believed in their chances of winning the game as time went by. In the end, it took a scrappy goal from Sergi Roberto to level the scores with 10 minutes left after Bernd Leno had only been able to parry Munir El Haddadi's shot.

The momentum was with Barca, and Munir was instrumental again as the Catalans found the winner, persevering to shake off several defenders on the right-hand side of the area before laying an inviting ball off to Suarez. The former Liverpool forward still had plenty to do, but curled a delicious drive into the top corner from the edge of the box to save the day in Messi's absence.

Having only managed a draw away to Roma in their first game, anything but a win would have been a poor result for Luis Enrique's side in this one - despite missing Messi.

"We are able to turn the game around through faith and confidence more than our good football," the Barca boss said afterwards. "But football is about those things as well."

And he added: "It was a tough night. The second game without our best player and the second win."

That's all that matters really. Messi's loss will be lessened if Barca can keep winning and their next two Champions League games (home and away to BATE Borisov) should prove little problem for the Blaugrana - even though the Belarus side beat Roma 3-2 on Tuesday.

In the meantime, Neymar will be expected to do better than this, while Luis Enrique will be pleased by the influence of Munir and Sergi Roberto as he is unable to field new signings Arda Turan and Aleix Vidal until January due to the club's transfer ban.

With Rafinha sidelined for the rest of the season and Messi out for up to two months, Barca also lost Andres Iniesta to injury on Tuesday as the midfielder limped off in the second half.

It is unclear how long the Spain star will be out, but Luis Enrique said: "Iniesta's injury is terrible news. These are thorns in our side that we have to shake off."

On the plus side, however, Suarez stepped up again when Barca needed him most, the Uruguay striker seemingly thriving when handed additional responsibility.

And with Messi out for the next seven or eight games, that is great news for Barcelona.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

'I saw Ospina a few steps away from his goal' - Fortounis explains Arsenal own goal

Olympiacos midfielder Kostas Fortounis says he purposely went for goal direct from the corner, which David Ospina could only fumble over his own line in Tuesday's 3-2 win over Arsenal in the Champions League.

Following quick-fire strikes from Felipe Pardo and Theo Walcott, Olympiacos' lead was restored in comical fashion as Ospina failed to keep hold of Fortounis' delivery.

Alexis Sanchez got Arsenal back level but Alfred Finnbogason struck soon after to seal the visitors' first win on English soil - with Ospina's error the main topic for discussion afterwards.

The Colombian was selected ahead of usual number one Petr Cech and Fortounis told Uefa's official website: "I saw Ospina a few steps away from his goal and I said to myself: 'Why not try it?'

"I am very happy it turned out well. It is one of the biggest away victories ever for Olympiacos. We played very well, especially in the first half.

"This away win gives us legitimate hope to clinch second spot in the group."

Olympiacos sit second in Group F ahead of back-to-back clashes with Dinamo Zagreb and are well set to challenge for second place behind leaders Bayern Munich.

Coach Marco Silva added: "I am very happy with the result because it was a tough encounter.

"Our players had to dig deep in order to believe and get what they wanted out of the game. We deserved this victory.

"It was important for us to get the opener and then respond quickly after both goals. The key factor today was our endurance."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Record-breaker Casillas accepts blame for Willian goal

Iker Casillas has accepted responsibility for Willian scoring Chelsea's equaliser but is delighted Porto recovered from the blip to win 2-1 in the Champions League group stage clash on Tuesday.

The veteran goalkeeper became the competition's outright all-time appearance holder at the Estadio do Dragao, overtaking Xavi in terms of games played excluding qualifiers for the group stage.

The night started excellently for Casillas and Co. as Andre Andre sent the hosts into the lead and, though Willian's effort levelled the game on the stroke of half-time, Maicon's header early in the second half secured a vital three points for Julen Lopetegui's men.

Casillas, who joined the Portuguese club from Real Madrid in the summer, held his hands up in terms of the Brazilian's rasping free kick and thanked supporters for cheering on Porto to victory over the Premier League champions.

"I could have done more for Willian's goal, but it was difficult to see the ball," he told AS. "However the responsibility is mine. Thankfully the team won.

"The fans have been fantastic and the atmosphere is better every day. That translates into results."

Much was made in the pre-match build-up about the deteriorated relationship between Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho and Casillas from their Real Madrid days, and the shot-stopper claimed their paths did not cross on this occasion.

"I didn't see Mourinho," he added. "I would have shook hands with him as I would anybody."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Simeone excited about facing Atletico old boys in Benfica match

Diego Simeone is looking forward to facing the former Atletico Madrid stars who now turn out for Benfica in Wednesday's Champions League match.

In the form of Raul Jimenez, Pizzi, Silvio Pereira and Eduardo Salvio, the Portuguese side have four ex-Atletico players in their ranks who could be fielded against their old team.

Simeone singled out Jimenez as a particular threat, saying: "Raul Jimenez played only a little for us, but he was an example of professionalism.

"Jimenez is a very dangerous striker. I also wish all the best to Toto Salvio for the friend that he is. He gave everything and worked for our club.

"We wish the best to all our former players.

"It will be a tough match against a team used to winning. The game will require great strength."

The coach then backed under-pressure summer signing Jackson Martinez to hit form, after already confirming his faith in the striker at the weekend.

Martinez has just one goal from seven outings to his name after arriving from Porto, and was substituted after just 45 minutes in Atletico's 1-0 defeat at Villareal in the team's previous outing.

Simeone, though, has urged supporters to be patient.

"Taking time to adapt to a new club is normal," he added. "Jackson will get goals in the coming months."

Los Rojiblancos midfielder Tiago also backed Martinez to come good, saying: "Jackson is learning how to play in our system, which isn't easy for forwards.

"For us the strikers aren't just about goals. All the work they do is very important.

"It is very different to what he did at Porto. Therefore, we need to be patient because he is going to help us a lot."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

UEFA Champions League 2015.09.30 Group Stage Fixtures

UEFA Champions League 2015.09.30 Group Stage Fixtures

Astana Vs Galatasaray

Malmo Vs Real Madrid

Shakhtar Vs PSG

CSKA Vs PSV

Manchester United Vs Wolfsburg

Atletico Madrid Vs Benfica

Borussia Monchengladbach Vs Manchester CIty

Juventus Vs Sevilla​

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Ada Wolfsburg match 1keth loku fight 1kak denna wenawa win karannaada win 1ka godak important

Good luck Manchester United!
​