..::Football III::..

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Full Time

Everton 2 Vs 0 Manchester United

Everton Goal(s)

Leighton Baines 28' PEN
Mirallas 43'

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Adath kala thiyenne lassanataCrystal Palace la meeta wada hoda gemak dunna Everton lata last matchday 1kemeh season 1ke 2nd time 1katath Everton lata paraduna neh...shikaduma gane 1ka goal 1kakwath score kalanam duka naha

Europa League qualify play off walatath sorry ma thama wage

Monada welada manda Team 1kata​

 

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Everton 2-0 Manchester United: Baines & Mirallas ensure miserable Goodison Park return for Moyes

David Moyes's return to Everton was an unhappy one as Manchester United lost their Premier League encounter 2-0 after an extremely poor performance.

The Toffees took the lead from the penalty spot through Leighton Baines, a transfer target for the Red Devils last summer, after Phil Jones's clear handball blocked a Romelu Lukaku shot.

Kevin Mirallas doubled their advantage shortly before half-time, slotting home on the counter after being played in by a fantastic delivery from Seamus Coleman, and United could summon no serious effort to get back into the game.

The result keeps Everton a point behind Arsenal in the race for fourth, while United remain seventh, six points adrift of sixth-placed Tottenham.

Steven Naismith, recalled to the side along with James McCarthy, ought to have given Everton the lead in the 22nd minute. Lukaku's knockdown found the Scotland international all alone inside the area but he blazed wildly over the crossbar from just inside the area.

That miss was rendered irrelevant six minutes later, though, as Baines put the hosts in front from the penalty spot. Jones, having lost his footing, stuck out an arm to block Lukaku's shot and, after referee Mark Clattenburg awarded the spot-kick, the full-back sent his effort straight down the middle.

Everton doubled their lead two minutes before the break, Mirallas finishing from a tight angle after being slipped in by Coleman.

Lukaku had the chance to make the game safe in the 62nd minute but the Belgian fired straight at David de Gea after being picked out by a sensational pass from Mirallas on the halfway line.

Naismith spurned another opportunity before being denied by De Gea at full stretch 10 minutes from time.

Former United goalkeeper Tim Howard, fresh from signing a contract extension, was not seriously called into action until three minutes from the end, when he made a superb save from ex-Everton man Wayne Rooney to preserve his clean sheet.

The win, which secured the Toffees' first league double over United for 44 years, provided a welcome tonic for Martinez and his side after the disappointment of Wednesday's surprise 3-2 defeat to Crystal Palace, while the result leaves Moyes with plenty to ponder.

 

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Hull City 0-3 Arsenal: Podolski double tightens Gunners' grip on fourth place

Arsenal stayed on course in the race for Champions League qualification by beating Hull City 3-0 at the KC Stadium on Sunday.

In a dress rehearsal for the FA Cup final between these teams in May, the Gunners were comfortable victors in a physical Premier League encounter, with Lukas Podolski scoring twice.

After Aaron Ramsey finished off a fine attacking move to sweep home half an hour into the game, the German netted once in each half to cap off a solid afternoon's work for Arsene Wenger's men.

Nikica Jelavic and Podolski went close after a quiet opening 15 minutes but both were denied by good saves.

At the other end, Shane Long was guilty of wasting an excellent chance but the visitors made him pay six minutes later. A crisp passing move culminated in Mesut Ozil, back after a hamstring injury, combining with Santi Cazorla to find Ramsey and the Wales international hit the target with a low finish.

Hull went agonisingly close to levelling four minutes later as Jake Livermore picked up a loose ball and unleashed a long-range strike that beat Wojciech Szczesny but struck the post before bouncing to safety.

Arsenal doubled their lead in first-half stoppage time through Podolski, although a cluster of Hull players felt that Jelavic had been fouled by Mikel Arteta in the build-up. The German timed his run into the penalty area perfectly to lash home after Ramsey had cushioned Giroud's cross on his chest.

Wenger's side made it 3-0 nine minutes after the break. Cazorla teed up Ramsey on the edge of the area and the midfielder's effort was saved by Harper with his feet but the ball fell to Podolski and he calmly fired home from seven yards.

The visitors were very nearly gifted a fourth in the 64th minute as Harper misjudged a backpass from James Chester. Giroud blocked the goalkeeper's clearance and struck the crossbar from a tight angle.

Mertesacker was next to go close as he met a 75th-minute free kick from Cazorla but his looping header was just too high.

Ramsey missed a late chance to net his second but it did not matter as Arsenal completed a comfortable win over their FA Cup final opponents and took another step towards securing Champions League football for next season.

 

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Monaco 1-0 Nice: Berbatov keeps slim title hopes alive for Ranieri's men

A solitary strike from Dimitar Berbatov was enough to keep Monaco's narrow title hopes alive with a 1-0 win over Nice.

The Bulgarian's clever finish in the opening stages saw Claudio Ranieri's side move to within seven points of league leaders Paris Saint-Germain and guaranteed a return to European football next season, having played a game more.

It took Monaco just five minutes to break the deadlock, with Berbatov lifting a clever lob over David Ospina for his third goal in Ligue 1 since his January move.

Valere Germain came close to doubling the advantage as he fired a shot off the post after 20 minutes as Monaco continued to pile on the early pressure.

Valentin Eysseric was denied by a smart save from Danijel Subasic, and had a penalty shout for handball waved away by the referee, but they had Ospina to thank for keeping the scores at 1-0 heading into the break as Monaco kept pressing throughout the half.

Nice stepped up their performance in the second half, with Subasic twice called into action to deny an equaliser, denying Didier Digard on 70 minutes before clearing the danger following a corner.

Substitute Nabil Dirrar spurned a chance on the counterattack after some effective link-up play with goalscorer Berbatov, as Monaco looked to close out a match which never fully fired into life.

PSG remain clear leaders and will have a game in hand after playing the Coupe de la Ligue final against Olympique Lyonnais this weekend, while Monaco move nine points clear of third-placed Lille. Nice remain 13th.

 

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Norwich City 2-3 Liverpool: Reds survive scare to edge closer to title

Liverpool put themselves in a commanding position to secure the Premier League title by beating Norwich City 3-2 at Carrow Road.

Raheem Sterling scored the first and last goals - the former an unstoppable 25-yarder within five minutes of kick-off and the latter a slice of well-earned luck when his shot took a deflection over John Ruddy at the end of a long, determined run through the entire home half.

Luis Suarez scored the second in the 11th minute, with Sterling key in the build-up, giving the Reds breathing room to survive a Gary Hooper strike just after the break, for which goalkeeper Simon Mignolet was largely to blame.

The Canaries kept Liverpool scared when Robert Snodgrass bested Jon Flanagan in the air to head home with 13 minutes left but Brendan Rodgers's men beat the nerves and held on for a crucial win, moving five points clear of Chelsea with three games to play.

The visitors' 11th Premier League win in a row - a new club record - puts them firmly in the driving seat for a first title since 1990, while Norwich remain just two points above the relegation zone.

Joe Allen and Lucas Leiva came in for Daniel Sturridge and Jordan Henderson, absent through injury and suspension, with Sterling reprising his role at the tip of a midfield diamond that caused City so many problems in their last outing.

Just as he did against Manuel Pellegrini's team, the in-form teenager gave Liverpool an ideal start by breaking the deadlock in stunning fashion after four minutes. Philippe Coutinho fed Sterling, who dipped inside and drove an unstoppable shot past the helpless Ruddy, with the aid of a slight deflection off Michael Turner, from 25 yards.

The visitors were playing with a verve and swagger that has often been evident during their fantastic run of form and Allen forced Ruddy into a fine save before Suarez, inevitably, got on the scoresheet with his 30th Premier League goal of the season. Flanagan fed Sterling down the left and he rolled a weighted ball across the face of goal for the Uruguayan, who evaded Turner before calmly side-footing past Ruddy from eight yards.

Norwich responded admirably and Hooper was only denied what looked a certain goal by Allen's last-ditch intervention in the area.

Having started the second half on the front foot, Norwich got back into the game nine minutes after the restart when Mignolet made a mess of a cross under pressure from Bradley Johnson and Hooper was on hand to finish from close range.

Sterling quickly restored the visitors' two-goal cushion as he capitalised on Johnson's wayward pass to run at the heart of the Norwich defence before eventually beating Ruddy with a left-footed shot that took a wicked deflection off the retreating Johnson.

Snodgrass's header 13 minutes from time gave a spirited Canaries side an unlikely glimmer of hope but Liverpool held on for a crucial three points as Mignolet kept out a late header from substitute Ricky van Wolfswinkel.

 

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Raheem Sterling patta

 

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Adath kala thiyenne lassanataCrystal Palace la meeta wada hoda gemak dunna Everton lata last matchday 1kemeh season 1ke 2nd time 1katath Everton lata paraduna neh...shikaduma gane 1ka goal 1kakwath score kalanam duka naha

Europa League qualify play off walatath sorry ma thama wage

Monada welada manda Team 1kata​

moyes hariyanne nae ban Everton lath kalin season walata wada hodata perform karanawa moyes giyata passe.
tottenham la 1match ekak hari loss wela M united la next matches okkoma win karanna wenawa Europa league yanna

 

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Barcelona 2-1 Athletic Bilbao: Messi caps Blaugrana comeback to keep title hopes alive

Barcelona were forced to come from behind in a vital 2-1 victory over Athletic Bilbao that keeps their hopes of retaining their Liga crown alive.

With a comparatively small crowd of an estimated 42,000 at Camp Nou, the two sides produced an entertaining encounter and although Aritz Aduriz put the visitors ahead, the Blaugrana ultimately produced the goods when they needed to.

Aduriz broke the deadlock five minutes after the break and Barca looked set to be frustrated for the match's entirety, but they eventually fought back in the final quarter.

Pedro equalised with 18 minutes to go and Messi found the crucial goal just over 60 seconds later from a free kick, which opposing goalkeeper Gorka Iraizoz - who was otherwise impressive - should have done better with.

The win moves Barcelona back to within four points of leaders Atletico Madrid and ended a run of three successive defeats in all competitions, while Athletic's lead ahead of Sevilla in fourth was cut to just three points.

Gerardo Martino acknowledged in the build-up that his debut season in Europe has not been satisfying after the club's Champions League and Copa del Rey challenges dissolved within the space of a week.

Things threatened to get even worse for Martino and Barca in the 11th minute, but Jose Manuel Pinto palmed Aduriz's shot around the post after Alex Song squandered possession in midfield.

That let-off seemed to spark Barca into life and Pedro went close four minutes later, but he could only hit a tame effort straight at Iraizoz following Messi's through-ball with the Argentina star seeing a goal chalked off for offside shortly after.

They were lucky to stay level in the 31st minute, however. The in-form Aduriz saw a spectacular overhead kick come back off the crossbar, before Pinto smartly parried away Markel Susaeta's effort from the rebound.

Barca responded by hitting the bar themselves almost immediately after as Alexis Sanchez skewed a close-range effort on to the goal frame following Adriano's low cross.

Iraizoz was kept busy until the break, but parity remained and Athletic capitalised early on in the second period.

The unconvincing Marc Bartra surrendered possession to Aduriz on the edge of the area and the Spaniard coolly slotted a precise shot into the bottom-right corner for his 16th Liga goal of the season.

Barca finally drew level in the 72nd minute as Pedro quickly shifted his feet to divert Sanchez’s wayward effort past Iraizoz and they took the lead just a few moments later.

Messi finally found his shooting boots from a free kick, placing an effort through the poorly-formed wall and Iraizoz inexcusably let it fly under him.

Messi and substitute Cristian Tello went close to adding a third late on, and Mikel Rico saw a last-gasp shot blocked away for the visitors.

Despite a late flurry, the champions held on to their slender win to close the gap on Atletico, while Athletic’s grip of the final Champions League place slipped ahead of next week’s showdown with Sevilla.

 

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Benfica 2-0 Olhanense: Lima lands Eagles Primeira Liga title

Lima scored a quick-fire double as Benfica reclaimed the Primeira Liga title courtesy of a 2-0 win over Olhanense on Sunday night.

The Estadio da Luz was growing increasingly restless as the Eagles struggled to break down their stubborn opponents - despite dominating both possession and territory.

However, Lima broke Olhanense's resistance just before the hour-mark and struck again just four minutes late to seal Benfica's 33rd Primeira Liga title.

The Eagles had gone into the weekend seven points clear of second-placed Sporting, who cut the gap with a win over Belenenses on Saturday night.

That left Jorge Jesus' men knowing that nothing other than victory against Olhanense would clinch the title with two rounds remaining.

Consequently, the Benfica boss ignored the temptation to rest some star men ahead of Thursday's Europa League semi-final first-leg clash with Juventus and named a strong starting line-up.

He was perhaps made to regret that decision, though, after Toto Salvio was forced off with an apparently serious arm injury, with Lazar Markovic coming on in the in-form winger's place for the start of the second half.

Benfica became increasingly desperate the longer the game wore on but their incessant pressure finally told in the 57th minute when Lima was on hand to convert after Olhanense goalkeeper Vid Belec failed to hold a Nicolas Gaitan strike.The pressure lifted, and Olhanense's resistance belatedly broken, Lima struck again moments later, albeit once again with the help of Belec, who inexplicably allowed the Benfica striker's shot from out wide to squirm under his body.

The nature of the goal mattered not a jot to the home fans, of course, as it kept their beloved Benfica on course for a remarkable quadruple, with Juve to come in the Europa League, and final dates already booked for both the Taca de Portugal and Taca da Liga.Before all that, though, the Eagles took time out to celebrate their first Primeira Liga success in three years and, in the process, pay tribute to club legend Eusebio, who sadly passed earlier this year.

 

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Jesus: Benfica braced for 'unforgettable night' of title celebrations


Benfica boss Jorge Jesus was looking forward to an "unforgettable night" of celebrations after his side claimed the Primeira Liga title on Sunday evening.

The Eagles defeated Olhanense 2-0 at the Estadio da Luz courtesy of a double from Brazilian forward Lima to propel themselves seven points clear of second-placed Sporting with just two rounds of the season remaining.

Jesus was overjoyed with the club's first title triumph in three years and heaped praise on president Luis Filipe Vieira.

"I think it will be an unforgettable night for us," the coach told the Eagles' official website. "This was our major goal and we are all to be congratulated.

"I was confident because I know the value of people working with me. We work with the best and when this happens it is easier to meet the objectives.

"It is the culmination of work by many people who always believed that was possible.

"The president has changed Benfica, not only sportingly, Benfica are now a club with a very strong structure."

With the Portuguese title now in the bag, Benfica must now quickly turn their attention to Thursday's mouth-watering Europa League semi-final first-leg clash with Italian champions Juventus.

 

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Congratulations Benfica!​

 

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Rodgers hails Liverpool resilience in Norwich victory

Brendan Rodgers was full of praise for his Liverpool team after they moved another step closer to the Premier League title on Sunday.

The Northern Irishman saw his side battle to a crucial 3-2 victory at Norwich City, a result that propels them five points clear of Chelsea at the top of the table with just three games remaining.

Liverpool were forced to dig as the Canaries mounted a spirited response, though, and Rodgers was effusive in his praise of his players for their attitude in sealing a vital win.

"(In the first half) we showed great quality - we were nerveless, in our possession and our control," said Rodgers.

"But credit to Norwich, they changed their shape to 4-2-3-1 second half [and] they got a goal, which gave them and the crowd a bit of momentum. From that it was always going to be a tough game for us.

"But we showed everything again - the quality of our play and our positioning in the first half was exceptional.

"Second half, when we had to show the character and resilience and determination; we showed that in bundles."

Liverpool's victory ensures they can finish no lower than third in the Premier League - meaning a return to the Champions League next term is guaranteed after a four-season absence - and Rodgers lauded his squad for the achievement.

"Congratulations to the players," he continued. "At the start of the season everyone thought it would be a struggle for us to get to fourth, so it shows the magnitude of the effort that they've put in."

 

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Benfica crowned champions of Portugal after win over Olhanense

Benfica have been crowned champions of Portugual for the first time in four years courtesy of a 2-0 win over Olhanense.

Second-placed Sporting made the Eagles wait for the title by beating Belenenses on Saturday night, but Jorge Jesus' men recorded a 2-0 win at the Estadio da Luz less than 24 hours to move seven points clear with just two rounds remaining.

It is Benfica's 33rd Primeira Liga title but only their third in the past decade, with Porto having won the last three championships in succession, after establishing themselves as the dominant force in Portugal.

The Eagles could yet secure an historic quadruple this season: they reached the final of the Taca de Portugal on Wednesday with a 3-2 aggregate win over Porto, and have a Taca da Liga semi-final against Luis Castro's men, as well as a Europa League last-four battle with Italian giants Juventus still to come.

 

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Wenger takes blame for Ramsey injury setbacks

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger admits that the club could have done more to prevent Aaron Ramsey's injury on Boxing Day, which left the Welshman out of action for over four months.

After returning to the Gunners' first team in the spring, the midfielder was among the goalscorers as well as being the man of the match as they overcame Hull City 3-0 at the KC Stadium in the Premier League on Sunday.

"Maybe we overplayed him a little bit," said Wenger his post-match press conference. "We should have rested him before he was injured."

The win keeps Arsenal in the driving seat for Champions League football next season but Ramsey's thigh injury struck when they were still top of the table.

Without him, the Gunners have dropped 20 points in the second half of the season and Wenger is left ruing what might have been had the 23-year-old stayed fit.

Also in the Arsenal starting lineup was Mesut Ozil, who had not played since the loss to Bayern Munich in March. The German was also in top form against Hull and, along with Ramsey, earned praise from the manager.

"Ramsey and Ozil give us a cutting edge in the final third - that makes us look much more dangerous," Wenger enthused. "Football is down to the quality of the players and we could see that today.

"The timing of Ozil's passes, the incisiveness of his passing, makes you turn quickly from defence to offence and that is very important."

Arsenal have to play Newcastle, West Brom and Norwich City in league action before the end of the season. The Hull game was, perhaps, the most testing - on paper - of their remaining fixtures and Wenger is satisfied to have overcome Steve Bruce's men.

He continued: "We knew we had to win today. There was much more oil in the engine again. I believe we looked dangerous when we went into their half and took advantage of that.

"If you look at our individual performances all over the pitch, they were good."

Despite Arsenal dropping down the standings in 2014, Wenger believes that chief title candidates Liverpool have had advantages not available to his side.

"Liverpool played very well in the second part of the season and you would not like to take anything away from them," he argued, "but they could only focus on the Premier League. The injuries - the players we missed - plus the schedule we had, it was much more heavy than Liverpool."

Arsenal will face Hull again in the FA Cup final on May 17 at Wembley but Wenger feels that this league game will have no bearing on the outcome of that encounter.

"What is important is that we finish as strong as we can in the Premier League," he insisted. "The FA Cup final will be completely different."

 

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Totti proud of Roma's Champions League return

Talismanic captain Francesco Totti expressed his pride after Roma secured a return to the Champions League.

Radja Nainggolan scored the only goal of the game at Stadio Artemio Franchi on Saturday as Roma beat Fiorentina to open up an unassailable advantage over third-placed Napoli in the Serie A table.

Juventus look set to retain their title with four games remaining, but Totti was nonetheless delighted with Roma's achievement of sealing a spot in Europe's premier club competition.

He told the club's official website: "Fiorentina play good football and are very strong and to beat them at home shows how we continue to improve, step by step, and proves our winning mentality.

"We are very happy to have gotten through to the group stages of the Champions League next year, because that was our goal going into the season and we have done it before the end of April which is a source of both pride and satisfaction."

Roma trail Juve by eight points and have a 14-point lead over Napoli.

 

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Ronaldo: This has been the best season of Modric's career

Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo believes Luka Modric is currently enjoying the best season of his career to date.

The Croatia international struggled for form initially following his move from Tottenham in the summer of 2012, but has become an integral part of Carlo Ancelotti's new 4-3-3 system at Santiago Bernabeu in 2013-14.

Ronaldo, who faced Modric on a handful of occasions during their respective spells in the Premier League, feels the 28-year-old deserves enormous credit for his consistently strong displays for Madrid.

"I've known him for many years from the Premier League. He's showing the best football his my career this season. Not only playing fantastically, but to do so continuously, in Spain, for this club is not easy," he is quoted as saying by Snplus.

"He is one of our key players. He is a modest and humble guy. We get on really well."

Ronaldo is in line to return to action against Bayern Munich this week after coming through training unscathed over the weekend and the 29-year-old admits the enjoyment he gets from playing means he never likes to be sidelined.

"I always want to play. I enjoy it because football is my work and my life's passion," he said.

"More than motivation, it's the enjoyment I get from every game that means it's not so hard to try to be at my best.

"I always try to improve, to achieve my goals and not be defeated. It's not easy to be at this level consistently, but with strength and passion I give my best every day."

Ronaldo is set to lead Portugal in the World Cup this summer and while he admits his side cannot be considered among the favourites in Brazil, he insists they can lay down a marker in their opening clash with Germany.

He continued: "Portugal are not among the favourites, such as Spain, Germany, Argentina. We have no pressure and will concentrate on each game as a path to success. The first game against Germany will indicate what our chances are."