..::Football III::..

[Wolverine GTR]

Guingamp 0-2 Monaco: Martial and Rodriguez keep Ranieri's men in title hunt

Monaco had Anthony Martial to thank for firing them to a 2-0 win at Guingamp on Saturday.

The newly-promoted outfit remain within two points of reigning Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain at the summit, with the win at Stade du Roudourou their fifth straight victory.

Coach Claudio Ranieri had to make do without star signing Radamel Falcao again, so named Martial in his starting line-up for the striker's fifth appearance of the season.

The striker wasted no time in repaying his trainer's faith, firing Monaco into a fifth-minute lead with a clinical finish past Guy N'dy Assembe after James Rodriguez waltzed through a crowd of defenders.

Guingamp defender Jonathan Martins-Pereira ensured his team faced an uphill task getting back into the match when he received his marching orders for a second bookable offence for handball.

Radriguez made the home side pay soon after when he delivered a pinpoint corner for Layvin Kurzawa to head home and double the lead.

Despite their advantage, the second period proved to be a nervy one for Ranieri's men, as Guingamp threw caution to the wind and attacked Danijel Subasic's goal relentlessly.

Veteran attacker Thibault Giresse came closest to ending the Croatian's run of four consecutive clean sheets via a couple of menacing free-kicks, as well as a shot that came off the post, but the visitors eventually held on to secure a vital win.

Monaco will host Valenciennes next Friday with the aim of catching PSG at the summit, given the French champions welcome third-placed Lille that weekend.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Barcelona 2-1 Villarreal: Neymar lights up Camp Nou

Neymar struck his fourth and fifth goals inside the space of four days as Barcelona saw off Villarreal 2-1 at Camp Nou on Saturday night.

The Brazilian forward – who scored a hat-trick in Barca's 6-1 thrashing of Celtic in the Champions League on Wednesday – starred again for the Catalan giants, who moved three points clear of second-placed Atletico Madrid with victory.

Neymar got the home side going with a 30th minute penalty, converting successfully after a harsh handball decision against Mario.

Villarreal enjoyed good spells and levelled three minutes after the break thanks to captain Mateo Musacchio's header.

Neymar had the last laugh, though, with the 21-year-old tapping in from close range after excellent build-up work by Cesc Fabregas and Alexis Sanchez with 22 minutes to play.

Despite missing Lionel Messi, Victor Valdes and Dani Alves due to injury, Barcelona still fielded a strong side as head coach Gerardo Martino made five changes with Fabregas and Andres Iniesta among them.

Former Blaugrana forward Giovani dos Santos started against his old club, but Villarreal were without key midfield pair Cani and Bruno, missing through injury and suspension respectively.

Barca started brightly and almost took the lead in the sixth minute as Alex Song fired a half-volley against the inside of the post from close range.

Giovani excited with two smart dribbles, but his runs eventually amounted to nothing, before the hosts took the lead in fortunate circumstances on the half-hour mark.

Mario was adjudged to have handled the ball inside his penalty area after Jordi Alba hit a ball straight at him from only a few yards away.

Referee Ignacio Iglesias pointed to the spot and Neymar calmly slotted past Villarreal goalkeeper Sergio Asenjo and into the bottom-left corner.

Asenjo was at his best six minutes before the break, though, saving well to deny Alexis and keep the margin to one goal at half-time.

And Villarreal levelled three minutes into the second half, as skipper Musacchio lost Marc Bartra and powered in a thumping header from Manuel Trigueros' corner.

Barcelona goalkeeper Jose Manuel Pinto got a hand to the effort but could not keep it out and Giovani shot just wide as the visitors pressed for a second.

The Catalan giants were patient in response and it ultimately paid dividends, as five minutes after Asenjo charged off his line to deny Fabregas, Neymar scored again.

A superb Fabregas ball was chested down by Alexis and instead of shooting – which he could have easily done – the Chilean drew the goalkeeper before squaring for Neymar to net.

Iniesta's volley forced a good late save from Asenjo, but two goals were enough for Barcelona, who extended their home winning run to 10 matches.

 

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Win or lose, Barcelona miss Messi, says Martino

Gerardo Martino admitted Barcelona missed Lionel Messi despite Neymar firing the team to a 2-1 victory against Villarreal on Saturday.

The Brazilian opened the scoring from the spot on the half hour mark and netted the winner in the second period after Mateo Musacchio had levelled for the visitors shortly after the break.

But even though the likes of Alexis Sanchez shone in Messi's stead, Martino lamented the absence of his compatriot, who has been ruled out for the remainder of the year through injury.

"Losing or winning, we always miss Messi. He's the best player in the world. With him, we would have played even better today," he told reporters after the match.

"Preparing for the Getafe game without Messi and Neymar [through suspension]? We'll miss the best in the world and one who's among the top five, but we'll have to win anyway."

Martino nevertheless expressed satisfaction that his men played out the win on the same weekend title rivals Real Madrid could only draw against Osasuna.

"The team is getting better. It's almost a shame the winter break is coming. I almost wish they postpone the holidays," the coach continued.

"Following the Super Cup against Atletico Madrid, this is the game I'm most satisfied with because we continued at the levels shown against Cartagena and Celtic.

"This was an important game. I thank the fans for their support today, they were great for the entire game."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Napoli should respect me - Mazzarri

Walter Mazzarri believes he is deserving of a good reception from Napoli fans as he prepares to lead Inter out against his former club on Sunday.

The 52-year-old coached the Partenopei from 2009 until the end of last season, when he decided against extending his contract to take charge at San Siro.

But despite being criticised for his decision to walk out on the club by Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis, Mazzarri believes the supporters should remember the good times they shared together.

"I spent four unforgettable years there. Wonderful years but now I'm thinking about preparing my players, making sure they know what could happen tomorrow," he told reporters.

"I think that intelligent, level-headed people are capable of recognising people's merits and faults.

"At all the clubs where I've worked the fans have appreciated me. Fans have to respect what a person decides to do at the end of a contract."

Inter head into the fixture on the back of three consecutive Serie A draws, but Mazzarri insists his men are still exceeding all expectations.

"We're doing better than the best expectations. We've dropped points along the way but generally speaking we're doing very well," he continued.

"The game will be played in a stadium where the fans have been able to make the difference in the past. I've tried to explain to my players what sort of atmosphere to expect.

"What I say to my players is that we must never be satisfied and always try to go as high as possible, but let's not forget where we started too. Other prestigious clubs have had to start over again at times."

The Nerazzurri presently lie fourth in Serie A, four points behind Sunday's opponents Napoli, who sit in third.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Beating Arsenal not crucial, insists Mourinho

Jose Mourinho insists beating Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium is not crucial to Chelsea's hopes of winning the Premier League title.

The Blues saw off Crystal Palace 2-1 on Saturday to ensure that victory over the Gunners a week on Monday will put them top of the pile for Christmas.

But Mourinho is adamant that even a defeat in north London would not derail his team's title charge.

"It's not important," he told reporters after the Palace win.

"In this league to be top by December or even by end of January is not crucial. This will be open until very, very late. Every game is very hard. The distances open, close, open, close.

"Of course we go there to try to win and with the objective to be top of the league, but if we don't I don't think it's crucial."

Goals from Fernando Torres and Ramires gave Chelsea three points against Tony Pulis' resurgent Eagles, though profligate finishing and a Marouane Chamakh strike led to a nervy finish.

"I was expecting an easy victory and big problems," Mourinho added. "I was ready for both situations.

"I knew that when they have the ball and they need to come up and they need to build it's difficult for them.

"But when they sit in the back compact, together, very well organised by Tony (Pulis) and they wait for the right moment to put the long ball into the box and fight for the first and the second ball, they are dangerous.

"I felt it could go in both directions. You score a goal that kills the opponent for 2-0, 3-1, the game is over and you can go for a different result. But if you don't do that I knew they can give you problems.

"This result could have been 5-1 or 2-2."

Despite emerging on the losing side, Tony Pulis paid tribute to his players for producing a spirited display against the odds at Stamford Bridge.

"The Premier League is such a relentless league and you have games like this one where it's very difficult to get points, but the spirit from players over the past five or six games has been fantastic," he said.

"We were on the back foot in the first half, but in the second half we pushed up a bit and to be in the game for 94 minutes is testament to our commitment and effort.

"When we got it to Chamakh we played some good stuff. He slows it down for us, gets a pass off and gives us time to get up the pitch. (Yannick) Bolasie was a threat down one side, (Jason) Puncheon down the other and Cameron Jerome was smashing.

"The important thing is that the lads keep believing we've got a chance and keep playing with that spirit and commitment."

 

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6-3 win 'not revenge against Arsenal', says Manchester City star Nasri

Former Arsenal star Samir Nasri excelled in Manchester City's 6-3 win over the Gunners on Saturday but insisted that the victory was not a vengeance mission.

The midfielder continues to receive unfavourable treatment from the Arsenal faithful following his £25 million move from the Etihad Stadium in 2011.

The Frenchman starred in City's demolition of their title rivals as goals from Sergio Aguero, Alvaro Negredo, Fernandinho, David Silva and Yaya Toure put Manuel Pellegrini's side to within three points of their visitors in the lunchtime kick-off.

"It's not revenge against Arsenal," Nasri told Goal. "I don't have hard feelings. If I'm here, it's because of them. It's because of the manager and the confidence that they gave me.

"I'm just happy about our performance that we won the game and that we came back to within three points of Arsenal."

City's enthusiasm was dampened somewhat by an injury to their top scorer, Sergio Aguero, who limped off with a calf problem early in the second half. Nasri stated that the full extent of the Argentine's trouble is not yet known and would not speculate on the damage that he suffered.

"I cannot tell you what he has," said the France international. "It's always difficult to say something just after the game. For something like that you need 48 hours to see exactly what the injury is going to be."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Barclays Premier League 2013.12.15 Fixtures

Barclays Premier League 2013.12.15 Fixtures

Aston Villa Vs Manchester United

Norwich City Vs Swansea

Tottenham Vs Liverpool

​

 

[Wolverine GTR]

La Liga 2013.12.15 Fixtures

La Liga 2013.12.15 Fixtures

Almeria Vs Espanyol

Real Sociedad Vs Real Betis

Sevilla Vs Athletic Bilbao

Atletico Madrid Vs Valencia​

 

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Serie A 2013.12.15 Fixtures

Serie A 2013.12.15 Fixtures

Chievo Vs Sampdoria

Fiorentina Vs Bologna

Genoa Vs Atalanta

Lazio Vs Livorno

Parma Vs Cagliari

Udinese Vs Torino

Juventus Vs Sassuolo

Napoli Vs Inter​

 

[unicornx]

Draxler not for sale in January, say Schalke

Schalke have made it clear that midfield star Julian Draxler will not be sold during the January transfer window.

Reports in the German media have suggested the 20-year-old is a firm target for Chelsea, with Kevin de Bruyne touted as a possible makeweight in any potential deal.

However, Schalke general manager Horst Heldt is standing firm in rejecting any possible transfer taking place before the end of the season.

"Julian will play in the second round [of the Champions League]" declared Heldt, after his team secured their place in the last 16 with Wednesday's 2-0 triumph over 10-man Basel.

Draxler, who has also been linked with Arsenal, Manchester United Liverpool in recent months, is reportedly unhappy with being deployed out wide under Jens Keller at Schalke rather than in his preferred No.10 role and fears this could hamper his chances of making Joachim Low's squad for the World Cup.

However, the midfielder has always maintained he would not look to force an exit midway through the season, especially given his €45.5 million release clause does not become active until the end of the season.

The 20-year-old added this week: "Schalke have no intention to sell me and my exit clause only takes effect in the summer. "

Schalke are currently 6th in the German Bundesliga table, seven points adrift of the Champions League places.

Hapooooi.... Moyesge transfer target eka neda

 

[unicornx]

Ancelotti angry with Ramos red

Carlo Ancelotti branded Sergio Ramos' red card in Real Madrid's 2-2 draw with Osasuna on Saturday "difficult to understand".

Oriol Riera headed home to give the Basque hosts an early lead and he doubled the advantage on 39 minutes, before the defender was sent off for the 18th time in his career.

Isco pulled a goal back on the stroke of half-time and Pepe brought Ancelotti's men level with 10 minutes left on the clock moments after Osasuna were also reduced to 10 men.

The Italian coach was baffled by Ramos' red card, but stressed his team showed patches of brilliance and praised their comeback at El Sadar.

"I do not like to talk about refereeing decisions," Ancelotti told reporters. "But it's a difficult decision to understand. The first is not a fault. I don't know, I don't know...

"We lost control after the goal, but the first 20 minutes were very good. It's amazing that the game went to 2-0 and we were reduced to 10 men after starting so well.

"The reaction of the team was very good, though - the team showed a lot of character and attitude not to lose."

Real Madrid sit two points behind Liga leaders Barcelona and second-placed Atletico Madrid following the game, but both sides have a game in hand.

Refa nan pissu Hu****k Too harsh For both sides.....90min clear penalty eka dunne na

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Hapooooi.... Moyesge transfer target eka neda

Habai hoda deal 1kak dunnoth bari wena 1kak naha kiyala hithenawa.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

David Moyes confident of big signings

Manchester United manager David Moyes has vowed to spend big in a bid to turn around the club's fortunes, having already dropped his biggest hint yet that he is ready to have a mass clear-out of players at Old Trafford.According to The Sun, the Scot will be provided with 90 million pounds to spend in the January transfer window.

The newspaper quotes Moyes as saying: "The club have the money and they will spend, there's no question about that. We were very close to a major, major signing back in the summer."It's easy now saying it and we didn't do it but we were really close to a major signing and the club would have definitely shown what they're worth."

United failed in a public pursuit of Barcelona midfielder Cesc Fabregas in the summer, while they tried to bring Cristiano Ronaldo back to Old Trafford.
It was also alleged that the Red Devils attempted to hijack Real Madrid's record move for then-Tottenham winger Gareth Bale.


"The players had chosen other clubs or made their decisions elsewhere," Moyes said. "It wasn't for money, that's for sure."Moyes' only summer signing proved to be 27.5 pound million Marouane Fellaini from former club Everton."The bigger picture is I want players going forward, not just for the next six months," he added. "I'm looking to see if I can get someone who will be with us for the next six or seven years."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Big signings nathuwanam kohomath meh thiyana condition 1ken goda enna baha

Kohomahari kamak naha wachanataya witharak seema une nathnam hodai

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Aston Villa 0-3 Manchester United: Welbeck double gets Moyes' men back on track

Danny Welbeck scored twice as Manchester United beat Aston Villa 3-0 in the Premier League to ease the pressure on manager David Moyes.


Back-to-back defeats against Everton and Newcastle United had left Moyes' men ninth in the table, but they got back on track at Villa Park by securing their first win in five top-flight games.

Welbeck had not scored for over two months and was without a league goal since August, yet the England striker struck twice in the space of three first-half minutes on Sunday.

Tom Cleverley then scored his first Premier League goal for exactly a year early in the second half to end any hopes of a Villa comeback and Darren Fletcher made his first appearance since Boxing Day after recovering from a bowel problem on a morale-boosting afternoon for United.

Last year's champions have now won their last six games against Villa and the latest victory ensures they leapfrog Southampton to move into eighth, 10 points behind leaders Arsenal. Villa have already suffered six home defeats this season.

Fletcher was among the United substitutes and Moyes made four changes to the side that beat Shakhtar Donetsk in midweek as Antonio Valencia, Patrice Evra, Cleverley and Welbeck started. Marc Albrighton made his first Villa start of the season as Paul Lambert also made four alterations.

United were in front after only 15 minutes when Rafael got to the byline and whipped in an inviting cross. Adnan Januzaj headed against the post, but Welbeck slotted in the rebound.

Villa were stunned three minutes later when United doubled their lead. This time Antonio Valencia was the architect as he burst down the right before delivering the ball into the path of the onrushing Welbeck, who slid in to finish clinically from close range.

Valencia played a one-two with Welbeck but was indecisive and failed to get his shot away after 27 minutes.

Soon after, the winger set up Rooney and the England striker flashed a shot wide of the far post.

Welbeck had a great chance to complete his hat-trick after only 33 minutes when he raced clear but dragged his shot wide of the far post.

United were out of sight seven minutes after the break as Rooney played in Cleverley and the midfielder tucked the ball inside the near post with a measured right-foot finish.

Cleverley then showed his value at the other end as he produced a timely block to thwart Andreas Weimann.

Fletcher was given a long-awaited run-out with just over 20 minutes remaining and Welbeck had another chance after 72 minutes, but his lob floated over the crossbar.

David De Gea palmed away Karim El Ahmadi's curling free-kick 14 minutes from time and Cleverley stung Brad Guzan's palms as United saw out a comfortable victory.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Congratulations Manchester United​

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Norwich City 1-1 Swansea City: Hooper stunner saves hosts

Gary Hooper's superb long-range effort secured Norwich City a 1-1 draw against Swansea City at Carrow Road on Sunday.

The former Celtic striker showed neat interplay with Johan Elmander before unleashing a stunning volley that left Swansea goalkeeper Michel Vorm with no chance, and extended Norwich's unbeaten home run in the league to four matches.

Swansea made a bright start and took the lead after 12 minutes when Nathan Dyer latched onto a long ball and calmly lifted his effort over John Ruddy. The winger was then withdrawn in the first half with a suspected fractured ankle.

Norwich finished the half brightly before levelling proceedings in first-half injury time through Hooper's magnificent effort.

The hosts looked the more likely to find a winner in the second half, with centre-half Michael Turner coming closest when his header rebounded off the crossbar.

But neither side could fine the breakthrough as the shares were spoiled, with the point moving Norwich to 14th, while Swansea remained in 10th.

Vorm returned in goal after missing the 1-1 draw with Hull City due to a knee injury, while Norwich were unchanged from the side that beat West Brom 2-0.

Swansea enjoyed the better of the opening exchanges and were rewarded with the opening goal early on when Ashley Williams played a superb long ball that Norwich failed to deal with as Dyer ghosted in and confidently beat Ruddy.

The hosts could have levelled 10 minutes before the break as great tenacity from Hooper saw the striker outmuscle Williams but he fired wide after Vorm reacted quickly to narrow the angle.

The game came to a temporary halt when Dyer was taken off the field on a stretcher in a challenge with Sebastien Bassong, with a potentially lengthy spell on the sidelines awaiting the 26-year-old.

With six minutes of time added on, Norwich pushed for a leveller and Williams had to divert off the line when the ball ricocheted off Jordi Amat.

Chris Hughton's side finally drew level deep into first-half stoppage time, when Steven Whittaker's punt forward was chested down by Elmander and Hooper's spectacular strike from 30 yards was too good for Vorm.

Norwich started the second half in a similar fashion to how they ended the first, and shortly after the break Bassong met Nathan Redmond's driven corner but headed harmlessly wide.

Turner came agonisingly close to netting the winner with a looping header in the 68th minute that bounced back off the bar, before Hooper collected Jonny Howson's pass but was denied by a fine stop from Vorm.

Substitute Wilfried Bony nearly stole a late win for Swansea, who also saw half-hearted claims for a penalty waved away following Bassong's accidental handball, as he forced Ruddy into a diving save to his left.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Juventus 4-0 Sassuolo: Tevez hat-trick restores Bianconeri pride

A Carlos Tevez hat-trick helped Juventus to a 4-0 win over Sassuolo in Turin as Antonio Conte's side bounced back from their Champions League disappointment in style.

The Italian champions went into the game after being eliminated from Europe’s premier club competition by Galatasaray in midweek, but were back to their best to claim their eighth straight Serie A victory.

Tevez was the driving force behind a vibrant attacking display from Antonio Conte's side, with Sassuolo unable to cope with the Argentina striker as he scored his first treble for the club and set up Federico Peluso for the hosts' other goal at Juventus Stadium.

The former Manchester City man opened the scoring with a typically predatory strike on 15 minutes and swung in a perfect set-piece for Peluso to double Juve's advantage shortly before the half-hour mark.

He then ended the game as a contest on the stroke of half-time by rounding Gianluca Pegolo and slotting home, before grabbing his 10th Serie A goal of the season, 22 minutes from time, with another close-range finish.The result moves Juve six points clear of second-placed Roma, who visit Milan on Monday, while newly-promoted Sassuolo remain fourth-bottom.

Juve unsurprisingly dominated the opening exchanges, but had to wait until the quarter-hour mark to break the deadlock.

A free-flowing move ended with Fernando Llorente playing a smart pass to Arturo Vidal, who saw his fierce shot parried away by Pegolo, only for Tevez to react quickest and convert from close range.

The 29-year-old then turned provider for Peluso on 28 minutes, as the left-back met a pinpoint free-kick from the right with a perfect diving header that flew in off the post.And the irrepressible Tevez was at it again just before the break as he raced on to an under-hit backpass to cleverly round Pegolo and tap home his second of the game.

Juve and Tevez picked up where they left off after the break with the forward firing into the side-netting from inside the area, but he did not have to wait long to complete his first hat-trick in Italian football.

Tevez started an incisive move with a pass to Vidal, before the Chile international played it wide for his compatriot Mauricio Isla to swing in a low cross that Tevez placed past the helpless Pegolo at the front post.

With the three points secure, Conte opted to withdraw Tevez and Vidal as Juve closed out the game with ease to make it 17 Serie A home fixtures without defeat.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Tottenham 0-5 Liverpool: Suarez tears sorry Spurs asunder

Liverpool moved back into second in the Premier League, two points behind Arsenal, with a 5-0 thrashing of 10-man Tottenham.

Stand-in captain Luis Suarez scored twice as Liverpool piled extra pressure on Tottenham head coach Andre Villas-Boas with a dominant display.

Suarez, who now has 17 goals from 11 league outings this season, opened the scoring after excellent work from Jordan Henderson, and the midfielder doubled Liverpool's lead just before the break.

An out-of-sorts Tottenham struggled to pose any attacking threat and saw their hopes of a fightback hit by Paulinho's 63rd-minute dismissal for a high tackle on Suarez.

The visitors made the most of their advantage, adding further goals from Jon Flanagan, Suarez and Raheem Sterling.

Liverpool's 10th win of the season sees them leapfrog Everton, Chelsea and Manchester City in the table, while Tottenham remain seventh, eight points off top spot.

The hosts made two changes from their previous Premier League match, with Sandro and Roberto Soldado returning, while Lucas replaced Steven Gerrard (hamstring) in the only alteration to Liverpool's team.

Brendan Rodgers' side began the game well and took the lead in the 19th minute as Suarez punished some lax Tottenham defending.

Henderson dispossessed Michael Dawson inside the penalty area and the ball fell into the path of Suarez, who jinked gloriously past Kyle Walker and fired low under Hugo Lloris.

Tottenham were struggling to create anything and nearly fell two goals behind in the 28th minute as Philippe Coutinho hit the crossbar.

Nacer Chadli and substitute Lewis Holtby, who replaced the injured Sandro, wasted good chances for the hosts before Liverpool claimed a second goal before the break.

Lloris did well to deny Henderson and Suarez in quick succession, but the second save merely provided the England midfielder with a second opportunity, which he accepted with a well-placed volley from 10 yards.

Mamadou Sakho nearly gave Liverpool a great start to the second half as he met a Raheem Sterling cross at the back post, but his header hit the post and Martin Skrtel was unable to convert the rebound.

Despite gaining more possession Tottenham's task was made a lot harder just after the hour as Paulinho saw red for catching Suarez in the chest with a wayward right boot.

Flanagan thundered home his first league goal for the club, lashing into the top-right corner after Henderson's clever backheel had given Suarez the opportunity to cross.

There was still time for Suarez to find the net again with a nonchalant lob and the Uruguayan then set up Sterling for Liverpool's fifth in the 89th minute.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Tottenham pattama kamak neh kanne meh tike