..::Football III::..

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Manchester United 1-1 Southampton: Late leveller heaps more misery on Moyes

Southampton scrambled in a late equaliser to secure a 1-1 draw and give Manchester United manager David Moyes another headache.

Robin van Persie struck in the 26th minute to end Southampton's run of not conceding in their past five matches in all competitions, but a combination of Dejan Lovren and Adam Lallana bundled home in the 89th-minute to extend his side's unbeaten Premier League run to five matches.

Both teams made two changes from their previous top-flight outings a fortnight ago, with Jonny Evans and Marouane Fellaini replacing Nemanja Vidic and Tom Cleverley for the hosts.

Saints boss Mauricio Pochettino, meanwhile, brought in Luke Shaw and Jay Rodriguez in place of Daniel Fox, omitted altogether, and striker Rickie Lambert, who dropped to the bench.

Artur Boruc made the first save of note in the 11th minute, getting down smartly to deny Van Persie after the striker got on the end of Nani's pass 12 yards from goal.

Midway through the opening period, Adam Lallana robbed Wayne Rooney deep in the United half before feeding Pablo Osvaldo on the edge of the box, but the Italy international's shot was weak and David de Gea gathered comfortably.

A minute later, the visitors were made to rue that miss as Van Persie put United in front.

Adnan Januzaj, celebrating the signing of a new five-year contract, released Rooney with a wonderful pass from deep and, although Boruc rushed from his line to deny the England forward, Van Persie collected the rebound and slotted the ball beyond the covering Lovren.

The momentum was firmly with the home side by this point, and two minutes later Rooney hammered a shot off the crossbar after collecting another Nani pass from the right.

After a quiet period either side of the break, Rooney slotted the ball beyond Boruc after exchanging passes with Van Persie in the 60th minute, only for the assistant referee to correctly raise his flag for offside.

Suddenly the game came to life, Van Persie heading Rooney's corner against the crossbar and, after the ball was hooked back into the box, Nani had a header well saved by Boruc down to his right.

Less than a minute later, the Polish goalkeeper was called into action again, beating away Januzaj's powerful drive from 30 yards before Fellaini blazed the rebound over.

De Gea denied Nathaniel Clyne with four minutes to go, but with just one minute remaining Lovren nodded James Ward-Prowse's corner down into the ground for Lallana to somehow send the ball past the Spanish goalkeeper from a matter of inches.

The result means United have taken just five points from four home league matches this season as their Premier League title defence continues to falter.

 

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Pattai ahhhAniwa dinaganna ona matches draw karagannawa

Play karana widiya dakkhama mata hithuna Shakhtar match 1ke karagattha wage deyak wei kiyala anthimatawadak naha kathakarala.........shik​

 

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Osasuna - Barca 0-0 (FT)

 

[Rovin]

Milan 1 - 0 Udinese '71

 

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Real Madrid 2-0 Malaga: Di Maria & Ronaldo seal Blancos victory

Second-half goals from Angel Di Maria and Cristiano Ronaldo gave Real Madrid a 2-0 victory over Malaga on Saturday, ensuring they keep pace with Barcelona and Atletico Madrid at the top of La Liga.

The Blancos dominated most of the match, and although Ronaldo missed a host of chances he secured the win in second-half stoppage-time as he buried a penalty after Di Maria scored their opener.

Carlo Ancelotti brought in Alvaro Morata and Pepe among five changes to his side, while Gareth Bale was named on the bench after a spell out with a thigh injury.

Malaga also made five alterations from their defeat to Osasuna before the international break, with coach Bernd Schuster receiving a boost as club captain Weligton was able to make his first start of the season following a collarbone problem.

Unsurprisingly, the hosts were the dominant force throughout the first half, but they struggled to find the finishing touch despite creating several good opportunities.

Ronaldo went close twice in the opening 20 minutes as he first struck the crossbar after cutting into the area from the left, and then stroked wide of the goal when one-on-one with Willy Caballero.

Caballero was Malaga's saviour with just under 10 minutes left of the first half as Morata connected with Marcelo's left-wing cross, only for the Argentine goalkeeper to stick out an arm to keep the score level.

Real may have wasted numerous chances in the first period, but their luck changed less than a minute after half-time as they took the lead in fortuitous fashion.

Di Maria cut in from the right and curled a cross into the danger area from a deep position, but Ronaldo could not reach it and the ball bounced past the static Caballero to break the deadlock.

Real continued to carve out chances despite Malaga's resolute defence, and Ronaldo almost got on the end of a corner after Caballero had parried his attempted cross wide.

And Caballero again frustrated Ronaldo with 17 minutes remaining as he saved an excellent free-kick from the Portuguese.

Bale then entered the fray a few moments later before making a telling contribution.

Ronaldo missed two more chances late on but, after Bale was tripped by Weligton in the area, the former Manchester United man stepped up and fired past Caballero to secure the three points.

That is the best game so far in this season

 

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Milan 1-0 Udinese: Brilliant Birsa hands Rossoneri win

Valter Birsa's goal on his return to the side proved enough for Milan as they beat Udinese 1-0 on Saturday at San Siro.
The recalled Slovenian midfielder struck the decisive blow with a wonderful strike midway through the first half to give Massimiliano Allegri's side just their second win in six matches in all competitions.

Allegri made four changes from their last Serie A encounter against Juventus a fortnight ago as Gabriel came in for the injured Christian Abbiati in goal, while Matias Silvestre replaced the suspended Philippe Mexes and there were also places for Birsa and Andrea Poli.

Mario Balotelli missed out with a thigh injury, while Kaka returned to the bench after a month out with a similar problem.

For Udinese, there was just one change from their 2-0 win over Cagliari, with Roberto Pereyra replacing Nicolas Lopez.

In a quiet start, Birsa and Robinho threatened with shots from distance before Birsa opened the scoring midway through the half with a moment of real quality.

Milan won possession on halfway, broke at pace and worked the ball to Robinho, who laid it off on the edge of the box where Birsa was waiting to whip a left-footed shot up and over the dive of Ivan Kelava and into the top corner.

The visitors threatened little in the opening half hour, with Gabriel Silva's 25-yard effort that flew wide of the left-hand post in the 31st minute proving their first real shot on goal.

Dusan Basta had another long-range strike deflected wide five minutes later as Udinese struggled to make any impression on the Milan defence.

Nine minutes after half-time, Antonio Di Natale wasted a good opening after receiving the ball in space on the edge of the box, but his weak effort was comfortably saved by Gabriel.

The goalkeeper had to be at his best 10 minutes later however, diving high to his right and just managing to tip Di Natale's wicked dipping free-kick onto the crossbar and behind for a corner.

Poli almost doubled Milan's lead after jinking his way past two defenders in the 71st minute, but his powerful rising drive was parried behind by Kelava.Substitute M'Baye Niang blazed over when well placed with six minutes remaining but it mattered little as Milan held on to seal the points.

 

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Osasuna 0-0 Barcelona: Blaugrana's 100% record ended

Barcelona dropped points in La Liga for the first time this season as they drew 0-0 with Osasuna at El Sadar on Saturday.
The champions’ form going into the match was remarkable, having won 13 consecutive league matches, but they failed to make the most of their chances in Pamplona.

Cesc Fabregas squandered numerous opportunities and even Lionel Messi could not inspire them to victory after coming off the bench, with the stalemate bringing an end to Barcelona’s record of scoring in 64 league matches in a row.
The hosts ran out 1-0 winners at Malaga before the international break and coach Javi Gracia named a very similar team, with Roberto Torres replacing Emiliano Armenteros as the only alteration.

Gerardo Martino made five changes to his team from the win over Real Valladolid as Carles Puyol made his first league start since March, but Messi had to contend with a place on the bench following a hamstring injury.

In the first quarter of the match chances were few and far between as Barcelona dominated possession, but struggled to break through the resolute Osasuna defence.

Fabregas felt he was entitled to a penalty just after the half-hour mark as he claimed to have been pushed, but in the end the midfielder received a yellow card for attempting to knock Martin Montoya’s cross into the goal with his hand.

In the 39th minute, Pedro pounced on Andres Fernandez’s punched clearance and fired a half-volley towards goal, but Alejandro Arribas made a vital block to keep the score level.

Moments before the break, Marc Bartra broke away from Arribas and managed to connect with an out-swinging corner, but could not keep his header from flying off-target.

Barcelona’s troubles continued for the first 10 minutes of the second period, but as the hour mark approached they created two excellent chances in quick succession.

Montoya burst into the right-hand side of the area and slid a pass to the back post, but Neymar was not able to get on the end of it.

Fabregas then had an even better opportunity, but with just Fernandez to beat he attempted a lob which went horribly wrong and landed straight in the goalkeeper’s gloves.

It was proving to be a bad day in front of goal for Fabregas who was put through on goal again soon after, but this time he blazed well over.

With just over 20 minutes left Martino introduced Messi from the bench, but aside from one opportunity in which he was outmuscled by Arribas in the six-yard box, the Argentine was quiet and could not carry Barca to a win.

 

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West Ham 1-3 Manchester City: Aguero & Silva on target for ruthless visitors

Sergio Aguero scored twice to help Manchester City beat West Ham United 3-1 and claim their first Premier League away win of the season on Saturday.

City had just one point to show from their first three road trips of the current campaign but reversed that trend with a professional performance at Upton Park that lifted them to fourth in the table.

Aguero opened the scoring in the 16th minute with a cool finish and his second-half header looked to have sealed all three points for Manuel Pellegrini's side.

Ricardo Vaz Te pulled a goal back for West Ham with an outrageous bicycle kick but it was not enough as David Silva wrapped up the points for City late on.

The result means the Manchester side have now won 29 of the 31 Premier League matches in which Aguero has scored, with the other two ending in draws.

Pellegrini made five changes to his side, which included an entirely different back four - made up of Micah Richards, Javi Garcia, Matija Nastasic and Gael Clichy - while, unsurprisingly, West Ham were unchanged following their 3-0 win at Tottenham.

After a bright start, City fired a warning shot in the 15th minute when Alvaro Negredo was denied by a superb Winston Reid tackle.

And just a few moments later they had the lead when Fernandinho's seemingly innocuous ball split the defence and was coolly slotted home by Aguero. Negredo's dummy fooled West Ham's defenders and Aguero stole in, scoring with ease.

The Argentine had two more attempts in the following five minutes, only for West Ham goalkeeper Jussi Jaaskelainen to deny him on both occasions.

West Ham's best chance of the first half was disappointingly wasted, as Mark Noble's cross was mis-kicked by Vaz Te, while Yaya Toure forced Jaaskelainen into a good stop on the stroke of half-time.

And they were soon made to pay. The visitors doubled their advantage six minutes after the break as Aguero made a mockery of poor West Ham defending, the Argentina striker nodding home unmarked at the near post from Silva's corner for his first headed Premier League goal.

City's second sparked West Ham into life, though, and goalkeeper Joe Hart had to be alert to deny Mo Diame before Vaz Te gave the hosts a lifeline with a stunning bicycle kick following Ravel Morrison's lofted ball.

City's response was almost immediate as Negredo saw his shot from an acute angle hit the underside of the crossbar and bounce away to safety, while the end-to-end action continued as Diame tested Hart with a powerful effort before Aguero's curling strike was beaten away by Jaaskelainen.

The game was well balanced but, after a lull, City killed the hosts off, with Aguero's backheel allowing Silva the time to curl home the third, completing a welcome win for Pellegrini.

 

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Paris Saint-Germain 4-0 Bastia: Ibrahimovic & Cavani doubles see Parisiens sail to victory

Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Edinson Cavani bagged two goals each to see Paris Saint-Germain ease to victory over Bastia on Saturday, topping Ligue 1 in the process.

Ibrahimovic struck a first-half double - including an outrageous acrobatic effort in the 10th minute - with Cavani added a double of his own having replaced the Sweden international.

Cavani's first was a superb solo effort just after the hour, and he doubled his tally with a late penalty after Lucas Digne had been brought down.

Laurent Blanc made six changes from the side that beat Olympique de Marseille before the international break, with Cavani benched, perhaps with Wednesday's Champions League clash against Anderlecht in mind.

Bastia - who made one change from their previous fixture - appeared to have settled well, however two goals in three minutes put the hosts in complete control.

With 10 minutes played, Hervin Ongenda flicked a cross from the right into the air, and Ibrahimovic sensationally reached behind him to fire the ball into the net off his heel.

Three minutes later, the striker doubled his tally with a simple header from a Lucas Moura free kick. Ibrahimovic drifted away from his marker and had the easy task of heading past Mickael Landreau from five yards out.

Adrien Rabiot had a great opportunity to make it three for PSG, however his shot from long range went straight at Landreau.

Wahbi Khazri created the visitors' best chance of the half in the 27th minute as he delivered a perfect cross for Gianni Bruno, however the striker placed his header over the crossbar.

Ibrahimovic was replaced by Cavani at the break, and he almost added PSG's third eight minutes after coming on.

He peeled away from his marker to meet an Ongenda cross from the left, but headed over the bar from six yards out.

The visitors were slowly began to come back into the game and Boudebouz went close to halving the deficit, however Cavani extended PSG's lead with a solo strike in the 63rd minute.

The Uruguayan received a pass from Jeremy Menez on the left, cut into the penalty area - leaving two defenders on the floor - before going round the goalkeeper and rolling the ball into the net from a tight angle.

Bastia nearly gifted the 26-year-old a second - and PSG a fourth - in the 76th minute as some slack defending from Landreau's goal kick saw Cavani one-on-one with the goalkeeper.

He was unable to convert that chance but with three minutes to play the hosts were awarded a penalty for a foul on Digne by Landreau.

Cavani coolly converted the penalty to secure a comfortable win for the reigning champions.

 

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Kaka emotional after San Siro return

AC Milan midfielder Kaka admitted it was an "emotional experience" pulling on the club's jersey at the San Siro again after featuring in Saturday's 1-0 win against Udinese.

The club icon joined Real Madrid for €65 million in 2009 after nearly 200 appearances for the Rossoneri, but returned to the Milan giants on a free transfer this summer following a torrid time in Spain.

And the 31-year-old believes the opportunity to rejoin his former club has now come full circle, after turning out in front of his adoring crowd once more.

"It was an emotional experience playing again at the San Siro," Kaka remarked to Milan Channel. "I’ve been thinking all day about when I was coming onto the pitch.

"The fans, the welcome… it’s something that I’ll always keep with me. It’s great to know that the fans expect a lot of you. It’s good to hear what you see from outside, it’s very pleasing.

"I spent a month not playing and working on getting back and now I’m back. I’m missing match fitness and I don’t know when I'll be back on form but I hoping to make it as soon as possible.

"I’ll try to help the team in any way I can with my attitude and showing that as a team we can go far."

Another Brazilian making his San Siro bow on Saturday was young goalkeeping prospect Gabriel, who impressed with a mature display and a spectacular save from Antonio Di Natale.

Offering words of encouragement to his compatriot, Kaka said: "Gabriel played well and made a great save from the free kick.

"It’s not easy to come on for Milan at the San Siro but he did well and he has a great future."

The Cruzeiro product is already a senior Brazil international, having previously enjoyed success at the Under-20 World Cup in 2011.

 

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Pellegrini vows to maintain Manchester City's attacking approach


Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini has promised the club's attacking strategy on the road will continue ahead of a testing week.City recorded their first away win of the Premier League season on Saturday as a Sergio Aguero double helped them to a 3-1 triumph at West Ham.

Defeats to Cardiff City and Aston Villa, both by a 3-2 scoreline, earlier in the season had seen Pellegrini's philosophy in away fixtures come under question.
But after another attacking performance – City have scored 10 goals in five matches on their travels in all competition – Pellegrini said the club's supporters should expect more of the same.

"Before this game, we lost two games 3-2. Scoring two goals away in each game is a good average," Pellegrini told Sky Sports."Today we scored three. We continue to try and be an offensive team. I think that this team should always play attacking.

"We were absolutely sure the way we were playing away that we would win. The games we lost against Cardiff and Aston Villa, I think that was [not] the scoreline that the match deserved."Today we did both things. Playing well and winning. Today the team played very well.

"I think we must keep all the good [attacking] things we did in the other games and keep concentrating on defending. That's what we did today."Pellegrini was under no illusions over the importance of the result, with wins from Arsenal and Chelsea earlier in the day heaping the pressure on his squad.

And ahead of a week that will see them travel to Russia for a Champions League fixture against CSKA Moscow on Wednesday before facing Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, Pellegrini hinted at several rotations in his squad.

"Today was very important. Before we started, Chelsea and Arsenal won their games. We must be at maximum, three points away from the leader," he said.
"Next game we play Chelsea away to recover the points. It is never a problem to have good players on the bench."

 

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Allegri backs Matri to end goal drought

AC Milan coach Massimiliano Allegri rushed to Alessandro Matri's defence following their narrow 1-0 win against Udinese on Saturday.

Matri's failure to find the back of the net has stretched to seven Serie A appearances since he rejoined the Rossoneri for €11 million this summer.

Nevertheless, Allegri underlined his faith in the ex-Juventus man, and praised the team for securing a vital victory.

"It’s never easy to play as a centre forward, but he [Matri] fought hard, had a few opportunities and will find a goal soon," the trainer assured reporters after the match.

"It's important he keeps faith, as he has always scored goals in his career. It was also important to have Kaka come in from a physical and psychological view.

"We've conceded 13 goals due to lapses, but today we were solid. The midfield worked well to protect the defence, and [Riccardo] Montolivo did well to intercept some attacks.

"Milan played a good game, and though we suffered at some stages, we deserved victory."

Victory has arrived as a timely boost for the San Siro giants, who host Barcelona in the Champions League on Tuesday.

 

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Galliani expects Balotelli and Abbiati to miss Barcelona

Milan vice-president Adriano Galliani says that Mario Balotelli and Christian Abbiati are unlikely to play against Barcelona on Tuesday.

Both players missed Saturday's 1-0 home win over Udinese, a result that was earned by Valter Birsa's superb 22nd-minute strike.

Balotelli returned from international duty with Italy carrying a thigh problem, despite making a substitute appearance and scoring in the 2-2 draw with Armenia, while Abbiati has a calf strain.And Galliani does not rate either's chances of being involved in the UEFA Champions League encounter in midweek."From what our staff tell us, it will be very difficult for Balotelli and Abbiati to recover in time for Barcelona on Tuesday," he said.

"I have total faith in (Italy national team doctor) professor Enrico Castellacci, so if Italy allowed him (Balotelli) to play then they must have been convinced he was fit.
"People say we have multiple muscular injuries, but that's not true."Only Balotelli and Abbiati are muscular, but most others were fractures and knee operations."

In light of Abbiati's injury, coach Massimiliano Allegri handed a senior debut to 21-year-old goalkeeper Gabriel against Udinese, and he responded with an assured display and a clean sheet."I chose Gabriel because I have a lot of faith in him," said Allegri.

"I evaluated he is not in the Champions League squad, as when we drew it up he had a shoulder injury, so Marco Amelia will have to play on Tuesday against Barcelona.

"Seeing as we get one injury after another, I tried not to risk Amelia.
"Gabriel has great qualities and is a great prospect for the future."

 

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Martino calls for Neymar protection

Barcelona coach Gerardo Martino has criticised referees for letting opponents escape with foul play on Neymar after his side dropped their first points of the season in the 0-0 draw with Osasuna.

The forward has been embroiled in allegations of play-acting since moving to Europe this summer, as Celtic boss Neil Lennon notably struck out at what he perceived as theatrics.

Neymar was again the subject of tight marking during Saturday's stalemate, with Martino believing the hosts' got away with underhand tactics on several occasions.

"The referee again allowed defenders to kick Neymar unpunished," protested the 50-year-old to reporters. "Sometimes they should pay more attention, especially without the ball.

Martino then addressed his side's showing and insisted he was not concerned with the loss of their 100% record.

"I would be worried if I saw a set-back, but I didn't," he continued.

"We normally win such games with the chances we create. I am happy with the performance. We deserved to win and I am calm."

Defending his decision to substitute Xavi when his side was chasing a goal, Martino replied: "Xavi had played the most with the national team [in the recent international break].

"At some point, Xavi and [Andres] Iniesta have to recharge from their minutes with Spain.

"I made the decision to let [Lionel] Messi play 20 minutes to find his rhythm for the next fixtures."

The Catalans were boosted by captain Carles Puyol's return from injury, and the veteran revealed his delight at completing the entire match, though remaining unsatisfied with the draw.

"I feel better every day. I want to contribute as much as I can, both on and off the pitch," the 35-year-old said.

"We’re in good shape and we’re fighting for the same objectives. I’m happy with the way I feel but not with the result.

"We had our chances and controlled the game. We lacked that final pass. Now we’re thinking about the game on Tuesday [against AC Milan]."

Barcelona sit top of the Primera Liga with 25 points.

 

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Mazzarri: Roma can win Serie A

Inter boss Walter Mazzarri has played down the significance of his side's recent defeat to Roma and says the capital club can go all the way in their bid to take Juventus' league crown.

The Nerazzurri were humiliated 3-0 by Rudi Garcia's men on home soil two weeks ago, with the Giallorossi now five points clear at the top with eight wins out of eight.

"It's normal to suffer a little playing against a Roma of that quality," the 52-year-old told reporters ahead of Sunday's clash with Torino. "They look like a team with a top coach. They have every chance of going all the way."

"We lost the game but we didn't play all that badly. Torino have also picked up fewer points than they deserve so far this season. It's going to be another big test for us.

"I'm confident we can put on a good performance. I'd like us to be more clinical and make the most of situations in the final third."

Ricky Alvarez is unavailable for the trip to the Stadio Olimpico, but Mazzarri does not believe under-fire midfielder Fredy Guarin is a suitable replacement in a more advanced position.

"[Mateo] Kovacic is one possibility but I must say it's a shame Alvarez isn't fit," he continued. "In any case I'm confident about whoever comes in to replace Ricky.

"Guarin in the hole? I tried that out [on pre-season tour] in the States. With the attributes he has, he could find it hard receiving the ball in a certain way.

"I wouldn't rule anything out between now and May but it would be wrong to confuse him by giving him a different job to do right now."

 

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Klopp: Dortmund lacking fitness

Borussia Dortmund coach Jurgen Klopp admitted his side are short of match fitness after labouring to a 1-0 win over Hannover on Saturday.Marco Reus' fourth-minute penalty was ultimately enough to see off Mirko Slomka's side at Signal Iduna Park, but otherwise they failed to beat Ron-Robert Zieler in a nervy encounter.

Klopp was without long-term injury victims Ilkay Gundogan (back) Sebastian Kehl (foot) and Lukasz Piszczek (hip), with key defender Mats Hummels suspended for the clash.

And the coach also hinted that the recent international break had resulted in the disjointed performance, with his squad unable to train with each other as a whole for almost a fortnight."The game reflects the problems of the last 13 days," he told the club's official website.

"We played well up until we ran out of steam. Then we stopped playing football, with one reason being the physical shape of the players."Nuri (Sahin) or Marco (Reus) have a training deficit, and for them it was really hard work. But we also let them impose their game on us and played a lot of long balls forward.

"It was a really hard-fought win, but that's okay."One can also see this game as an extra training session, one we missed due to the (international) break."We have to get through it, but it will only make us stronger.

"The fans supported us fantastically. We now have to shake ourselves up and take a deep breath."

 

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Blanc: Ibrahimovic and Cavani goals were beautiful

Paris Saint-Germain coach Laurent Blanc described the doubles scored by Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Edinson Cavani as "beautiful" after watching the striking duo both get their name on the scoresheet twice in the 4-0 win over Bastia.

The reigning Ligue 1 champions ran out comfortable winners on Saturday with the two strikers stealing the headlines with two goals apiece after Cavani replaced Ibrahimovic at half-time.

‘‘What is the best goal from Ibra and Cavani? They are both beautiful,’’ Blanc said to Infosport.

‘‘Both are difficult to score. For Ibra you must be very flexible and for Cavani you should be technically very good."

Concerns have been raised over the ability of the pair to forge a successful partnership and after the pair once again showcased their goalscoring prowess as lone strikers, Blanc insisted they can fire together.

He added: ‘‘I’m sure they can play together. We have to get it right to ensure that they are effective when they play together.’’

The 47-year-old made six changes to his starting line up on the back of the international break and with a Champions League clash against Anderlecht on the horizon next Wednesday.

‘‘We had some suspended players, and the players who came back late from South America, they were tired," said Blanc.

‘‘It’s been fun to see that all of the players work with the same philosophy, although I feel we could still improve and be more effective.’’