..::Football III::..

[Wolverine GTR]

Austria Vienna 0-3 Atletico Madrid: Garcia & Costa sweep aside hosts

Atletico Madrid maintained their perfect start in Champions League Group G with a comfortable 3-0 win over Austria Vienna 3-0 on Tuesday.

Diego Costa, currently the subject of a row between Brazil and Spain over his international eligibility, scored a goal in each half after Raul Garcia had given Diego Simeone's side the lead in the eighth minute.

The result leaves Atletico top of the group with maximum points and with one foot in the round of 16, while Vienna's woes continue, with just one point and no goals to their name as Nenad Bjelica's side struggle in their maiden Champions League campaign.

The hosts made three changes from the weekend's 1-1 draw with Ried as Emir Dilaver, Tomas Jun and Marko Stankovic came in for Marin Leovac, Fabian Koch and Tomas Simkovic.

For Atletico, Miranda, Tiago and Arda Turan replaced Diego Godin, Mario Suarez and David Villa from the 1-0 loss at Espanyol on Saturday, while top scorer Costa featured in the competition for the first time this season after serving a two-match suspension.

The visitors threatened first, Juanfran stinging the palms of Heinz Lindner with a fizzing drive from the corner of the box in the fourth minute.

Atletico took the lead four minutes later as Koke released Filipe Luis on the left-hand side of the box, and he squared for Garcia, who was left with the simple task of tapping home into an empty net from eight yards.

That lead was doubled in the 20th minute by Costa, who broke swiftly from halfway, beat the last defender on the edge of the box and calmly slotted the ball beyond Lindner for his 11th goal of the season.

Costa could have put the result beyond doubt 10 minutes before the break, blazing the ball over from close range following another slick combination between Luis and Koke.

Despite Atletico's domination, Vienna almost found a way back into the game two minutes later, Philipp Hosiner smashing a first-time volley against the crossbar after getting on the end of Florian Mader's raking pass.

Five minutes after the break, Mader flashed a 25-yard drive narrowly over the angle of post and bar as the hosts searched for their first ever Champions League goal.

Atletico ended the game as a contest in the 53rd minute as Costa netted his second of the match. Half-time substitute Emiliano Insua cut the ball back from the left to the striker, who evaded the attentions of a defender and slotted underneath Lindner from 10 yards.

Ten minutes from time, Lindner reacted brilliantly to save Markus Suttner's inadvertent header towards his own goal as Vienna were spared any further punishment on an otherwise miserable night.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Diego Costa niyamai nehPattama form 1kaka inne

 

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UEFA Champions League 2013.10.22 Group Stage Fixtures Results

Arsenal 1 Vs 2 Dortmund

Porto 0 Vs 1 Zenit

Celtic 2 Vs 1 Ajax

Schalke 0 Vs 3 Chelsea

OM 1 Vs 2 Napoli

Austria Wien 0 Vs 3 Atletico Madrid

AC Milan 1 Vs 1 Barcelona

Steaua 1 Vs 1 Basel

 

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UEFA Champions League 2013.10.23 Group Stage Fixtures

UEFA Champions League 2013.10.23 Group Stage Fixtures

Bayer Leverkusen Vs Shakthar

Manchester United Vs Real Sociedad

Galatasaray Vs FC Copenhagen

Real Madrid Vs Juventus

Anderlecht Vs PSG

Benfica Vs Olympiakos

CSKA Vs Manchester City

Bayern Vs Victoria Plzen

​

 

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Arsenal 1-2 Borussia Dortmund: Lewandowski goal downs Gunners

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AC Milan 1-1 Barcelona: Messi strikes to deny Milan

LEWI gana balagena inna 1ka therumak nathi wadak

 

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Real Madrid Vs Juventus

 

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Barca Defense is Awful They just hold the game from the possession and from Mid :/

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Torres wants more goals after Schalke double

Chelsea striker Fernando Torres hopes his double against Schalke on Tuesday will finally get his season going.

The Spanish striker – who netted 21 goals in all competitions last term – has
struggled to make an impression under new manager Jose Mourinho this season.
He entered the Champions League fixture on Tuesday with just two competitive goals this season, which came against Swindon Town in the Capital One Cup and Bayern Munich in the Super Cup final.

But Torres struck twice at the Veltins Arena as Chelsea recorded a 3-0 win that saw them move top of Group E.Torres told Uefa's official website: "I'm delighted with the win and of course my two goals.

"The three points were important after our opening defeat by Basel. We're first in the group now and still have two home games to come, so you could say we're well on track.

"The result doesn't really reflect the flow of the game. It was a lot more even than the scoreline suggests and Schalke had a lot of possession in the first half. They just failed to score. In the end I think it was our individual class that made the difference."

Torres' double will bolster his chances of a starting spot when Chelsea host Manchester City at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Torres form 1kata ena 1ka godak hodaiSpain World cup squad 1kata qualify unoth niyamaiGood luck Torres

Methek Spain International Strikers legen David Villa & Torres combination 1ka thamai matanam successful ma​

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Manchester United game a matter of life or death - Xabi Prieto

Real Sociedad skipper Xabi Prieto believes Wednesday night's clash with Manchester United is a matter of "life or death" for the Liga side.

The Basque outfit have lost their opening two Champions League games to Bayer Leverkusen and Shakhtar Donetsk and find themselves bottom of Group A.

Prieto believes his side desperately need at least a point to kick-start their campaign and that anything less would all but end their hopes of reaching the last 16 in their first year in the competition.

"We are really looking forward to this journey," he said. "Many fans are coming, and I hope we can have something to celebrate together.

"We know they are a huge and scary opponent, but also that if we lose it will be very difficult for us to qualify, so I hope we can play a great game.

"It is almost life or death - if we lose it will be very difficult for us, so we need to get a point at least to stay alive in the Champions League."

 

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Madrid will make Juventus suffer, admits Chiellini

Juventus defender Giorgio Chiellini has warned his team-mates that a tough game awaits against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday evening.

The Serie A champions desperately need a good result in order to keep their chances of reaching the Champions League knockout stages alive after drawing their opening two games, against Copenhagen and Galatasaray.

However, Chiellini realises they face a difficult task to upset Madrid at home.

"Every team that has come to the Bernabeu has been made to suffer, even those that have won," the centre-back told reporters.

"However, we want to be at this level and see how we measure up against these world-class players. Madrid have plenty of champions in every position. We’ll try and limit them, but we know it will be a difficult task."

Chiellini then went on to voice his respect for Cristiano Ronaldo, claiming that the Portugal international's average of over a goal a game for the Blancos speaks for itself.

"Having a player whose goals scored exceed his number of appearances tells you everything you need to know."

Wednesday's match at the Bernabeu is scheduled to kick off at 20:45CET.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Ramsey accepts responsibility for Dortmund defeat

Aaron Ramsey has admitted he made a huge error in Arsenal's 2-1 Champions League defeat by Borussia Dortmund.

The Welshman was caught in possession just outside his own area in the build-up to Henrikh Mkhitaryan's opener for the Bundesliga giants on Tuesday night.

And despite thinking that the Gunners deserved at least a draw, Ramsey conceded he was disappointed in himself for gifting Dortmund a goal.

"A draw would have been a fair result after the way we played in the second half," he told Arsenal's official website.

"I felt like we were in control of the game but then we switched off for 30 seconds, we were in their box and 30 seconds later the ball is in the back of our net.

"I was disappointed as well with the way they scored their first goal, I got caught on the ball and that was disappointing.

"We were a bit slow to start but I thought after about 25 minutes we got into the game, we got our goal and then we took that into the second half."

Ramsey also praised Arsenal's character to come back into the game and insists they will learn from not taking their chances in the second half.

"We were in control of the game, we didn't look like we were going to concede, but then we did. That's what happens [when you switch off].

"We showed good character getting back into game… and we created a few chances in the second half and hit the bar. On another night we may have taken the lead but we have to learn from the way we defended for the second goal."

 

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Chelsea punished Schalke brutally, admits Howedes

Schalke defender Benedikt Howedes has voiced his frustration with his side's 3-0 defeat against Chelsea in Tuesday's Champions League encounter at the Veltins Arena.

The Gelsenkirchen side enjoyed the majority of possession in the Group E game and also had more shots than their opponents, yet were heavily beaten, as they had no response to Fernando Torres' double and Eden Hazard's late goal.

"I am not so much disappointed with the loss, but I am angry more than anything else," Howedes told Goal.

"We were not clever enough in front of goal. Chelsea were only looking to hit us on the counterattack after the break and they brutally punished us.

"We got plenty of chances, but we unfortunately failed to score. Then again, it's no disgrace to lose a game against Chelsea."

Dennis Aogo, meanwhile, felt Schalke's lack of experience cost the Bundesliga outfit dearly.

"We were made to pay for our inexperience," the 26-year-old concluded. "It was by no means ideal that we conceded a goal early in the game and were trailing from there on."

Schalke dropped to second place in the group following their loss to Chelsea, with the two sides now separated by goal difference.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Kaka happy to make sacrifices

AC Milan attacking midfielder Kaka has made it clear that he's happy to make sacrifices for the team, but added that he prefers a central role after he was utilised on the left wing in the 1-1 Champions League draw against Barcelona.

Head coach Massimiliano Allegri opted to use the 31-year-old out wide for tactical reasons, but the Brazilian has stressed that he hopes to return to the middle of the pitch in the future.

"Having played plenty of times against Barcelona, I knew the importance of the flanks. Tactically it needed to be a match of sacrifices," Kaka told reporters.

"The coach knows where I want to play, but every now and again you need to make these sacrifices.

"I still need to find my best form."

The draw keeps Milan second in Group H going into the final three games of the group, two points behind Barcelona.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Evans: Players to blame - not Moyes

Jonny Evans is adamant the Manchester United players are to blame for the club's poor start to the season - and not manager David Moyes.

The Scot has come in for criticism following a torrid start to his tenure as boss after replacing the retired Sir Alex Ferguson during the summer.

But Evans feels the scrutiny of Moyes is very harsh and, after watching videos of Saturday's draw with Southampton, he admits the entire United contingent need to improve on their recent displays.

The onus is on the players to step it up," he told reporters. "We know we haven’t played well enough, both as individuals and as a team. We have to look at ourselves and raise our performances.

“We are disappointed. We have watched parts of the Southampton game back and our performance level wasn’t up to scratch. We are giving the ball away quite sloppily. We want to control games.

“We allowed Southampton to control the game a bit better than we did.”

Moyes, meanwhile, played down concerns that the release of Ferguson's autobiography - and the comments relating to Wayne Rooney within it - might affect the striker's confidence.

“I have no concerns,” said Moyes.

“Wayne is focused on his football. He has been since the first day of pre-season. He is in good form, looking after himself and playing well.

“Alex Ferguson can do what he wishes. He is his own man. Certainly everyone at Old Trafford will love to hear what he can say, certainly the supporters will.

“He is someone with great knowledge so I’m sure everyone will enjoy reading it.”

 

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Xavi: Barcelona lacked something in attack

Xavi feels that Barcelona were lacking something in attack against AC Milan, but believes they still deserved more than a 1-1 draw in Tuesday's Champions League encounter at San Siro

The Catalans fell a goal behind in the ninth minute when Robinho took advantage of some sloppy defending to slot home, before Lionel Messi restored parity halfway through the first half.

Nevertheless, Barcelona failed to add a second and eventually had to settle for one point.

"The only thing missing was the second goal. It’s a shame because we created the chances to win the game. We were lacking something in front of goal," Xavi told reporters.

"We dominated with the exception of the first five minutes. We created a few chances and provided a good account of ourselves.

"It's never easy to play at San Siro, so we can be glad about the point even if we wanted three – I think we deserved them. We are still unbeaten and we are playing well.

"There was good intensity against Milan and we can be satisfied for the level of our performance."

Barcelona top their section with seven points from three games, holding a two-point lead over Milan, whom they host next at Camp Nou.

 

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Carrick set for contract extension

Manchester United will hold contract talks with Michael Carrick in the next fortnight.

Carrick's current deal, worth £85,000 (€100,000) per week, expires next summer but he is keen to end his career at Old Trafford.

United, for their part, are prepared to offer a two-year extension with the option for a further 12 months built in.

The Premier League champions are keen to resolve the immediate future of their midfield cornerstone, but they are not willing to make too long a commitment given that he will be 33 next summer.

Several of Carrick's team-mates, including Nemanja Vidic, Rio Ferdinand, Patrice Evra and Ryan Giggs, are also out of contract at the end of this season.

However, Ferdinand is unlikely to extend his stay and is eyeing a move to MLS, while Evra is set to move back to France.

United will monitor Giggs' fitness in the new year before deciding whether to offer him the chance to compete in a 22nd consecutive Premier League season at Old Trafford.

Adnan Januzaj, whose contract was also set to expire in the summer, penned a big-money, five-year extension on Saturday to put an end to speculation surrounding his future.

 

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'Napoli playing at 75 per cent' - Benitez

Rafa Benitez has claimed that Napoli are still only playing at 75 per cent on the back of their eighth win in 11 matches on Tuesday.

Goals from Jose Callejon and Duvan Zapata saw the Partenopei defeat Olympique de Marseille 2-1 in the Champions League, ensuring Andre Ayew's strike late in the game was just a consolation.

Benitez, whose side lost both of their last two away games heading into the European clash in France, was pleased with his players' reaction, dedication and commitment to his pre-match plan.

"I am satisfied because we won, but it seems easy for me to choose a player like Dries Mertens when he works so hard in training," the ex-Liverpool and Chelsea boss told Sky Sport.

"Duvan Zapata gets better every day and Gonzalo Higuain doesn’t have full match fitness yet, so it was only right to give him a chance.

"We’re at 75 per cent now. The players sacrificed themselves and worked hard all over the pitch. We know that when we work all together, we can achieve something.

"My staff worked well to analyse the opposition and everyone knew the tactical plan. I think that is the key, as if you prepare it on the whiteboard and the players follow those instructions, they know where to be and what to do."

Napoli - who sit third in Group F but level on points with first and second - face a home tie with Marseille in their next European outing, followed by a trip to current leaders Borussia Dortmund before a final clash at the Stadio San Paolo against Arsenal.

"We talked before the game about the group and why this was a fundamental match for us," Benitez added. "We have another two games at home and one away, so we’ll see what happens.

"The team proved this evening it can handle and control this type of test."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Costa: I've decided between Brazil & Spain

Diego Costa says he has chosen which international side he wishes to represent in the future, but suggested he is not permitted to reveal whether it is Brazil or Spain yet.

The Atletico Madrid striker has been in stunning form this season, firing the Rojiblancos to second in La Liga with 10 goals domestically in 2013-14 and adding two more to his tally in Tuesday's 3-0 win over Austria Vienna.

Costa has already featured for the Selecao in friendly fixtures but is eligible to swap to Spanish nationality, something he has expressed an interest in, and the 25-year-old has admitted that a decision has been made but refused to divulge details.

"My decision has been made," he told reporters in Vienna. "But this is not the right time to make it public.

"People who need to know, already know. I have no doubts about what I will do. But I must wait for the right moment.

"If I could say which, I would have done so long ago."