..::Football III::..

[Wolverine GTR]

Barcelona handed Valdes injury blow

Barcelona have been handed an injury blow following the news that goalkeeper Victor Valdes could miss up to four weeks of action.

The 31-year-old replaced Iker Casillas at half-time during Spain's 1-0 defeat to South Africa on Tuesday night but was then carried from the field on 75 minutes after suffering what appeared to be a torn calf muscle.

Valdes - who is set to leave Camp Nou on a free transfer at the end of the current season after opting not to extend his current deal - will undergo a scan in Barcelona on Wednesday.

After the game, the Spanish Football Federation confirmed news of the keepers' impending absence, with doctor Oscar Celada stating: "If the injury is confirmed, he will have to be out for several weeks."

Vicente del Bosque hit out at his Spain side on the back of the defeat in Johannesburg - which came in same city in which they lifted the World Cup back in 2010.

The loss comes after la Roja scraped past Equatorial Guinea with a 2-1 win last week.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Deschamps extends France contract to 2016

France coach Didier Deschamps has extended his contract with the national team until 2016 after wrapping up a spot at the 2014 World Cup.

The new deal comes after a stunning 3-0 win over Ukraine on Tuesday saw les Bleus overcome a 2-0 first-leg defeat to win 3-2 on aggregate and seal their berth in Brazil.

And Deschamps hailed his team’s fighting spirit under pressure, insisting that they are capable of “great things” with the World Cup now firmly on France’s horizon.
"This is the magic of football," he said to TF1. "Four days ago, we were in a bad position but the players were fantastic tonight.

"I didn't have doubts, and we played a huge match and this qualification is very important for French football.

“It's a bit of a tradition that when French teams have their backs against the wall they perform and we had a lot of heart and determination. Now [that] we've qualified, we're capable of some great things."

Mamadou Sakho opened the scoring at Stade de France on 22 minutes, before Karim Benzema doubled France's lead just before half-time. And Oleh Husyev's own goal, with 18 minutes remaining, completed a stunning comeback.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

'World Cup is nothing without me' - Ibrahimovic

Sweden international Zlatan Ibrahimovic has made a startling assertion that the 2014 World Cup will not be worth watching following his side's elimination from the play-offs because he will not be there.

Ibrahimovic could not prevent his side's hopes of making it to Brazil from being dashed despite scoring a double, as Cristiano Ronaldo stole the show with an outstanding hat-trick to win the match for Portugal in the second leg play-off 3-2 (4-2 on aggregate).

The 32-year-old, who admits it might be his last attempt to reach a World Cup, says the major tournament being held next June will not be worth following now that he will not be involved.

"It was probably the last attempt to reach the World Cup with the national team for me. One thing is for sure, a World Cup without me is nothing to watch so it is not worth while to wait for the World Cup," he said to his app Zlatan unplugged.

"Congratulations to Portugal, but both teams deserved to get to the World Cup.

"The disappointment of course is great now that the World Cup in Brazil will remain a dream for the Swedish national team."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

'I don't have anything to prove to anyone' - Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo said he had "nothing to prove to anyone" after firing Portugal to World Cup 2014 with a stunning hat-trick during a 3-2 win over Sweden in the second-leg of their playoff tie.

The Real Madrid star struck thrice in the second half which, added to his goal in the 1-0 first leg win, wrapped up a 4-2 aggregate victory and put him on 47 goals for Portugal, level with Pauleta as the country’s joint-top scorer of all time.

And though Ronaldo was delighted for the Seleccao to seal their passage into the finals, he dismissed the significance of matching Pauleta’s record, instead asserting that his focus was on delivering on the pitch for his team.

“Records are there to be beaten. It was not a priority,” he began to Publico.
“I knew that Portugal needed me. I do not have to prove anything to anyone. I try to do my work and give answers on the pitch.

"I did my job for my team. It is the team who have to be congratulated. We suffered for sure but that is how great teams win things. We retreated a little [when Sweden scored], but then we were better and we played better."

The Portugal-Sweden playoff was touted as a battle for a World Cup spot between two of the world’s best players in Ronaldo and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, and the Paris Saint-Germain striker struck twice in the second leg to briefly put Sweden ahead on the night after the former’s opener.

But though Ronaldo ultimately had the last laugh with two more goals in the last 15 minutes, he moved to quash any hype surrounding his individual rivalry with Ibrahimovic.“I do not compete against Zlatan,” he said to TV4.

“He is a fantastic player and [the] biggest star in Sweden, but I do not compete against him. I play for my team.”

The 28-year-old also took to Twitter after the match to congratulate his team on their achievement in qualifying for next summer’s showpiece, tweeting: “All together we did it! Brazil is waiting for us!”

Portugal join fellow playoff winners France, Greece and Croatia as the final European entrants to the World Cup, while Ronaldo is only 19 caps away from breaking Luis Figo’s landmark of 127 appearances for the national side.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Del Bosque slams Spain display

Spain coach Vicente del Bosque has admitted his side were poor and deserved to lose to South Africa on Tuesday.

The world and European champions suffered a surprise 1-0 reverse at Soccer City in Johannesburg, the scene of their 2010 World Cup final triumph over the Netherlands.

The result follows a narrow 2-1 victory over Equatorial Guinea on Saturday and Del Bosque concededed that la Roja have been well below average.

"It could be [our worst recent performance]," Del Bosque told Spanish television station Cuatro.

"I think we can even say the defeat was well deserved.

"We started well but little by little they started to open us up and we allowed them time to counter attack.

"We came out with good intentions and fought to the end to find an equaliser so I can't complain about the players' attitude.

"They [South Africa] got better as the game went on though."

Bernard Parker scored the only goal of the encounter in the 56th minute, dinking over Spain goalkeeper Victor Valdes, who was forced off with a serious-looking knee injury later in the match.

Del Bosque's men nearly mustered an equaliser, with Raul Albiol only denied by an outstanding Itumeleng Khune save late on, but South Africa held on for a famous win.

The loss was Spain's first since the Confederations Cup final, in which they were defeated 3-0 by hosts Brazil.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Gundogan hopes to fill Khedira void for Germany

Borussia Dortmund midfielder Ilkay Gundogan has lamented the injury to Germany international team-mate Sami Khedira but is hoping to step up in the 26-year-old's place.

Khedira suffered torn knee ligaments in his national side's 1-1 draw with Italy on Friday and is expected to be sidelined for at least six months.

However, Gundogan, who is currently injured with a nerve injury and is not expected to return until after the Bundesliga's winter break, is hopeful he can make an impact in Khedira's absence."I regret very much the injury to Sami. He is not only a colleague, but also a good friend of mine. It’s very sad news,” Gundogan told Bild.

Talking of his own injury woes, the 23-year-old said: "Slowly but surely it is getting better. I've even been doing sprint training.

"Of course, I hope it goes as quickly as possible. But still I am not completely pain free, so I still need treatment.

"It's quite possible that I can get fully fit after the winter break. Of course I want to get back as quickly as possible in the Dortmund team. But Brazil is top priority."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Lindegaard hails 'world-class' Manchester United goalkeeping coach Woods

Manchester United shot-stopper Anders Lindegaard has praised the club’s new goalkeeping coach Chris Woods for the impact he has made since his arrival in the summer.

The 54-year-old, having worked with new Red Devils boss David Moyes at Everton, was brought to Old Trafford as part of the Scot's overhaul of United's backroom staff.

And Lindegaard, who has made just one appearance in the Capital One Cup this term, has dubbed Woods' training sessions as "world-class" and is enjoying working under the former England keeper.

“It has been absolutely world-class,” Lindegaard told the club’s official website.

“I got a really good impression of Chris from the first day. He has got something about him, both as a coach and a human being. He is very calm; he is really invested in himself and what he can do.

“There is not the slightest doubt about what he thinks is right, he does not doubt any of what he does, he just believes in himself 100 per cent. That really shows and it gives us goalkeepers a calmness.

“He is very comfortable as a coach and as a person as well. I really enjoy working with him.”

Lindegaard says there is a relaxed atmosphere amongst the goalkeepers during training, though Woods ensures they focus and work hard when they have to.

He added: “There is a very good training atmosphere, there is plenty of space for joking around and having fun, but when we are in it, we are properly in it.

“His very presence makes you give your all and I am very impressed with him.”

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Moyes is gaining Manchester United players' trust, says Phil Neville

Manchester United first-team coach Phil Neville believes the club's upturn in form is a direct result of the players beginning to trust new manager David Moyes.

The reigning champions made an unspectacular start to life under the former Everton boss, winning just two of their opening six Premier League games and falling to 12th place in the table.

But, after winning four of their last five league outings, including victory over table-toppers Arsenal, Neville says the 50-year-old is stepping out of the shadow of predecessor Sir Alex Ferguson and gaining the trust of the players.

"When you've had one manager who has had such a big influence on a club for 27 years, it was always going to take time for the new manager to bed down his ideas and I think it has taken three or four months," Neville told BBC Sport.

"Now the players are beginning to trust and believe in what the manager is trying to do. He is trying to make them better.

"It was always going to take a bit of time after one man had controlled the club for so long, there was always going to be a transition period."

After initially having been wary of making too many changes to a title-winning squad, Neville believes Moyes is now slowly starting to mould the United side into his own image.

"When you go into the club where they have won the league so many times and they have got so many great players, you don't try and change too much too soon," he added.

"There's not much that needed changing but the boss wanted to stamp his own authority on the team and I think against Arsenal, we saw that. I thought we saw a team that mirrored David Moyes."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Barcelona confirm Ter Stegen & Reina interest

Barcelona vice-president Josep Bartomeu has revealed that the Catalans are in advanced talks to sign a new goalkeeper, confirming that Pepe Reina and Marc-Andre ter Stegen are on their shortlist of candidates.

The Liga champions have long been linked with both the on-loan Napoli shot-stopper and the Borussia Monchengladbach man as they pursue a long-term replacement for Victor Valdes, who is set to depart Catalunya at the end of the season.

"We have been looking for a new goalkeeper since January and are in advanced negotiations to sign someone," Bartomeu told RAC1.

"The plan is to announce who will be our new goalkeeper in January, when Valdes makes his imminent exit official. Ter Stegen and Reina are among the few candidates still on our list.

"We intend to sign just one goalkeeper and not two."

The 31-year-old Reina has a contract with parent club Liverpool until June 2016, but his long-term future at the club remains in doubt after the Reds signed Simon Mignolet during the summer.

Ter Stegen, meanwhile, has a deal with Gladbach until the summer of 2015, but the Bundesliga outfit are keen to hold on to the 21-year-old and have offered him a new and improved contract.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Valdesuth yesterday injured una nehGet well soon Valdes​

 

[rcccc]

Barcelona handed Valdes injury blow

 

[rcccc]

'World Cup is nothing without me' - Ibrahimovic

"Congratulations to Portugal, but both teams deserved to get to the World Cup.

"The disappointment of course is great now that the World Cup in Brazil will remain a dream for the Swedish national team."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

January wala aniwa GK kenek gani wage bro.

 

[rcccc]

Brazil 2-1 Chile: Selecao electric in Toronto

 

[rcccc]

Belgium 2-3 Japan: Wilmots' men defeated again

japan team eka hithuwata wada hodhayi

 

[rcccc]

January wala aniwa GK kenek gani wage bro.

aniwa
reina ganna puluwannam hodhyi

 

[rcccc]

Sweden 2-3 Portugal (agg 2-4): Ronaldo hat-trick puts Ibrahimovic in the shade

congratz

 

[Wolverine GTR]

aniwa
reina ganna puluwannam hodhyi

Ow machan matath hithenne Reina thamai hodama replacement 1ka Valdes ta

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Romania Vs Greece wenuwata Romania Vs Sweden or Greece Vs Sweden set una nam aniwa Sweden athule

 

[rcccc]

Ow machan matath hithenne Reina thamai hodama replacement 1ka Valdes ta

Romania Vs Greece wenuwata Romania Vs Sweden or Greece Vs Sweden set una nam aniwa Sweden athule

aniwa