..::Football III::..

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Ranieri set for Monaco talks

Claudio Ranieri expects to meet with the Monaco board this week to discuss his future and the club's plans for next season.

Ranieri has been the subject of reports that he will leave the Ligue 1 outfit in the close-season, but the experienced coach earlier this week stated his intention to stay at Stade Louis II, having secured second place in their first season back in the French top flight.And the 62-year-old is now ready to hold talks with the hierachy at the principality club to establish a plan ahead of next term.

"I think that this week there will be a meeting. Now that we've stitched up second place, things should move more quickly," Ranieri as quoted as saying on the Ligue 1 website.

"The more time that passes, the surer I become of one thing. But I'm keeping that thing to myself for now. The only thing that's for sure is that I will be coach next season."Our plan is in place."

Monaco have enjoyed an impressive season back in Ligue 1, qualifying for the Champions League having splashed the cash on stars including Radamel Falcao, James Rodriguez and Joao Moutinho. Ranieri believes he has the backing of Monaco's board, but is unsure whether they will embark on a similar spending spree in order to compete in Europe.

"I have a contract, and the directors have seen the quality of my work. We've had an excellent league campaign," he continued."I think I've worked very, very well this season. It's not easy to come up from Ligue 2 and have a season like the one we've had.

"I don't know how much money the club wants to invest in new players in the summer but to do well in the Champions League, we'll need to recruit four or five good players.

"If we want to continue emphasising young talent, then that will mean a different strategy. It's up to the president to decide how we move ahead."

 

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Maldini: Verratti is essential to PSG

Former AC Milan defender Paolo Maldini has described Marco Verratti as "essential" to Paris Saint-Germain.Verratti, who has made over 50 appearances since joining the capital outfit from Pescara in 2012, has failed the find the net for the French champions this season and has repeatedly been linked with a move to clubs including Juventus and Real Madrid this term.


Maldini, however, insists that Verratti has contributed greatly to PSG's title defence and has praised him for his positive attitude and technique in a physically-demanding French top flight.

"He is a very young player with a lot of personality," the former Italy international said in an interview with beIN Sport.

"He is playing in a difficult league - especially for him - as Ligue 1 is physically demanding and this is not his greatest asset.

"However with his technique and personality, he is an essential player to a team that wants to win the title."

PSG, who have collected 83 points from 35 games, can seal the Ligue 1 title with victory over Rennes on Wednesday.

 

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Barca will want to beat Atletico - Ancelotti

Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti has insisted that Barcelona will go out to beat Atletico Madrid on the final day of the season.

All three sides are still in the Liga title race, with Diego Simeone's side needing four points from their final two games to win the Primera Division.

Real Madrid need to win their final three games and will be hoping that Barcelona do them a favour when they tackle Atleti at Camp Nou and Ancelotti is certain that the Catalans will not take it easy.

"I'm sure that Barcelona will want to win," he said at a press conference."Barca will give their all against Atletico. They have always played like this and will continue to do so."It was an amazing end to the season because Levante had a very good match against Atletico despite playing for nothing as did Valencia, who were in the same sitution, against us.

"This is good for the league. We will all fight until the final minute. These three games are in our hands and we must win."[Wednesday's game against Valladolid] will be crucial because losing means not winning the league.

"Winning is the only option we have. The advantage is with Atletico because they need four points to become champions. We'll see what happens."Ancelotti also ruled Gareth Bale out of the trip to Valladolid, but expects Cristiano Ronaldo to feature.

"Cristiano is fine, just a little tired. He just took part in training and is available at Valladolid. Carvajal, with slight discomfort, and Bale, who took a knock, are out."

 

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Spain full of respect for Netherlands - Del Bosque

Spain coach Vicente del Bosque has warned his troops that they cannot afford to underestimate the threat posed by Netherlands at the World Cup.

The world and European champions were drawn in the same group as Oranje, whom they beat in the final in the last edition of the tournament, for the competition this summer.

Del Bosque has revealed that he has been watching a lot of Louis van Gaal's side to best prepare his side for their match."We respect the Dutch and the style they use, despite the changes of the past four years," he told NOS.

"That's the team that we have the most watched in the preparation. There are still major players associated with the very best clubs."Del Bosque went on to say that he is not expecting Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid's lengthy Champions League runs to have an adverse on his side."For us, football is beautiful," he added.

"It is an exceptional success and it shows that our clubs are in good shape. I think Atletico have surprised everyone. Only big optimists had thought that they would come this far."

 

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Falcao: I'm thinking about the World Cup

Monaco and Colombia star Radamel Falcao says he is still hopeful of recovering from his knee injury in time for the World Cup.

The former Atletico Madrid man suffered anterior cruciate ligament damage in January, ruling him out for the rest of the principality club's season.However, it has been claimed that he could yet recover in time to feature in Brazil this summer and Falcao is still holding out hope of representing his country.

"The recovery is going well. I'm happy with the progress I've made. It's going better than expected and I hope to continue this way," he told Marca."It takes time. I have other procedures in my recovery when the moment will arrive to decide if I'll be available. I'm thinking of my knee, nothing else. I'm thinking of recovering, everything going well and playing at the World Cup."

Falcao went on to say that he believes a South American team could be more likely to win the title than their European counterparts."Favourites are always in reference to who has won historically, but a team never taken into account always features.

"Because it's played in South America, it might be less complicated for them than the Europeans. But Spain are one of the powers."

 

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Falcao ta World Cup play karanna puluwan wei​

 

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Wayne Bridge announces retirement

Former Chelsea and Manchester City left-back Wayne Bridge has announced his retirement from football.

The 33-year-old had spent the past season with Reading, making 10 appearances in the Championship as the club missed out on a play-off place on the final day of the campaign.

Bridge started his career at Southampton, coming through the ranks before making his England debut in a friendly against the Netherlands in 2003.

A big-money move to Chelsea soon followed where he competed with Ashley Cole for a starting left-back berth.

During a five-and-a-half-year stay at Stamford Bridge the full-back won the Premier League, FA Cup and League Cup before joining City in 2009.

Bridge enjoyed a successful first two years with City, but the arrivals of Aleksandar Kolarov and Gael Clichy saw the player deemed surplus to requirements and subsequently went on loan to West Ham and Sunderland.

Bridge impressed for Brighton last year before joining for Reading on a permanent deal last summer following his release by City.

Overall, Bridge made 36 appearances, scoring once, for England - his last coming in 2009 - and over 300 in the Premier League.

 

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Pochettino set for Southampton contract talks

Southampton will enter talks with Manuel Pochettino over a new contract at the end of the season, according to club chief executive Les Reed.

The 42-year-old has been at the forefront of Tottenham's thoughts ever since they decided to replace current head coachTim Sherwood, with Ajax coach Frank de Boer also a target.

ochettino's failure to comment on a switch to White Hart Lane continues to fuel speculation, but Reed believes any interest is due to the success of the club.

"Mauricio has made it clear as soon as Sunday's game is out of the way we will sit down and continue the discussions we will be having," Reed told BBC Late Kick Off.

"He wanted to achieve the record points total and focus on the games and nothing else.

"This is one of the issues of being successful, everyone is attracting attention.

Reed was also keen to dismiss speculation linking highly rated England duo Adam Lallana and Luke Shaw with a summer move.

Both players were named in this season's Professional Footballers' Association's team of the year and are likely to be named in Roy Hodgson's squad for the World Cup, interesting the likes of Chelsea, Manchester United and Chelsea.

He continued: "It's been very easy because none of it is true, there are no deals and no deals being discussed.

"I'm not saying it's not going to happen, but at the moment nothing is being discussed."

 

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Napoli 3-0 Cagliari: Partenopei follow Coppa victory with clinical display

Napoli followed up their Coppa Italia victory with an easy win over 10-man Cagliari on Tuesday, strolling to a 3-0 victory.

Rafael Benitez's side approached the game in the Stadio San Paolo fresh from Saturday's 3-1 win over Fiorentina in the cup final, but there were no signs of a hangover as Dries Mertens, Goran Pandev and Blerim Dzemaili were on target to ensure they took all three points from a toothless Cagliari.

Napoli were on top throughout the game, with very little fight from their opponents. The home team fired 27 shots towards Marco Silvestri's goal, with Cagliari returning four, only two of which were on target.

The game got off to a bright start with Napoli creating the first real chance of the game, creating much confusion in the Cagliari box as Mertens, Callejon and Pandev had a chance each but the chance soon faded.From then on, however, it was quite slow, as Benitez's men dominated possession without really doing much with it.

The hosts' next opportunity came in 28 minutes when Dzemaili fired towards goal from 25 yards. The movement of the ball in mid-air made it a difficult one for Silvestri to read but he reacted quickly enough to palm it wide. After the resultant corner, Dzemaili took the ball in from the right and fired low to the keeper's left but he got down on time to keep it out.

Despite their dominance, the Partenopei required a penalty to break the deadlock in the 33rd minute as Pandev took on a pass and turned past Daniele Conti but was pulled down by the defender and the referee was quick to point to the spot. Mertens then stepped up to smash it into the bottom corner from 12 yards.

Benitez's side's lead was extended shortly before half-time when Cagliari failed to clear a Marek Hamsik flick and it landed perfectly for Jose Callejon who squared to Pandev and the Macedonian slid in to knock it home from close range.As if things weren't easy enough for Napoli, they soon found themselves with a further advantage as Silvestri was sent off with a straight red card just eight minutes after the restart for bringing Pandev down inside the box. And this time it was Hamsik who took the penalty, but he smashed it off the bar.

As Cagliari attacked in the 57th minute looking to restore some pride, they were duly punished as the home side stole the ball and burst forward with five attackers charging towards their opponents' danger area. Pandev fired the first shot which was saved by Agim Ibraimi but Dzemaili was there to scoop in the rebound.

Substitute Duvan Zapata should have made it 4-0 to Napoli as Hamsik nodded on to Mertens down the left wing who moved it across to the Colombian but a deflection prevented him from steering it in.

 

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Manchester United 3-1 Hull City: Wilson scores twice on dream debut as Vidic bids farewell to Old Trafford

It was a dream debut for Manchester United striker James Wilson as the 18-year-old's double secured a 3-1 Premier League victory over Hull City. he youngster, along with Welsh winger Tom Lawrence, was fielded by Ryan Giggs for his maiden first-team game and made it a memorable one half an hour in when he fired home with a left-footed volley.

The Red Devils extended their lead through Wilson just after the 60-minute mark when he tapped in on the rebound, though the Tigers got a consolation in fine style with Matty Fryatt's long-range stunner only two minutes later.

Old Trafford also had a chance to say goodbye to captain Nemanja Vidic, who came on for one last home game before joining Inter in the summer, while 40-year-old Giggs brought himself on in the second half for what is expected to be his final playing appearance at the ground.

The Welshman had time to supply Robin van Persie with the ammunition for the hosts' third goal, too, the Dutchman's initial effort blocked by Curtis Davies before he buried the rebound. Giggs nearly even buried a fantastic late free kick, though it was well saved by Eldin Jakupovic.

Victory means that United could still overhaul Tottenham and steal sixth spot on the final day of the season, while defeat for Hull extends Steve Bruce's winless run against his old club as a manager to 20 games.

Giggs made eight alterations to the side beaten by Sunderland on Saturday, including blooding the two youngsters, while his former United team-mate, Bruce, also made changes with the upcoming FA Cup final in mind.

Bruce's men were lucky to avoid conceding a penalty when Adnan Januzaj was tackled by Maynor Figueroa and the Honduran defender was in the thick of the action again when Lawrence's 16th-minute shot struck him on its way over the crossbar.

The deadlock was finally broken after 30 minutes without a shot on target by Wilson following a Januzaj free kick. The young striker latched onto a knockdown from Fellaini, the Belgian's first assist of the season, and instinctively volleyed the ball into the bottom corner.

Hull's lacklustre first-half display continued into the second period as United went close to doubling their lead. The effervescent Januzaj found space 25 yards from goal before firing a low shot towards goal that Jakupovic had no problems pushing away for a corner.

United did get a second goal after 61 minutes and again it was Wilson who was on hand to score. After more excellent work from Januzaj and Fellaini seeing an effort saved, the teenager pounced on the loose ball to double his tally.

Substitute Fryatt found the bottom corner two minutes later with a superb curling effort from 25 yards to give Hull hope.

Wilson was then replaced by Van Persie and Giggs also came off the bench, the Welshman making an immediate impact and producing some dazzling wing play that turned back time to the days when he so frequently terrorised defences.

David Meyler had a late chance to snatch a point for the visitors but David de Gea was equal to the task.

And Van Persie punished Meyler's miss late on, the Dutch striker receiving a pass from Giggs before firing past Jakupovic at the second attempt to wrap up a comfortable victory.

The Welshman had time to supply Robin van Persie with the ammunition for the hosts' third goal, too, the Dutchman's initial effort blocked by Curtis Davies before he buried the rebound. Giggs nearly even buried a fantastic late free kick, though it was well saved by Eldin Jakupovic.

Victory means that United could still overhaul Tottenham and steal sixth spot on the final day of the season, while defeat for Hull extends Steve Bruce's winless run against his old club as a manager to 20 games.

Giggs made eight alterations to the side beaten by Sunderland on Saturday, including blooding the two youngsters, while his former United team-mate, Bruce, also made changes with the upcoming FA Cup final in mind.

Bruce's men were lucky to avoid conceding a penalty when Adnan Januzaj was tackled by Maynor Figueroa and the Honduran defender was in the thick of the action again when Lawrence's 16th-minute shot struck him on its way over the crossbar.

The deadlock was finally broken after 30 minutes without a shot on target by Wilson following a Januzaj free kick. The young striker latched onto a knockdown from Fellaini, the Belgian's first assist of the season, and instinctively volleyed the ball into the bottom corner.

Hull's lacklustre first-half display continued into the second period as United went close to doubling their lead. The effervescent Januzaj found space 25 yards from goal before firing a low shot towards goal that Jakupovic had no problems pushing away for a corner.

United did get a second goal after 61 minutes and again it was Wilson who was on hand to score. After more excellent work from Januzaj and Fellaini seeing an effort saved, the teenager pounced on the loose ball to double his tally.

Substitute Fryatt found the bottom corner two minutes later with a superb curling effort from 25 yards to give Hull hope.

Wilson was then replaced by Van Persie and Giggs also came off the bench, the Welshman making an immediate impact and producing some dazzling wing play that turned back time to the days when he so frequently terrorised defences.

David Meyler had a late chance to snatch a point for the visitors but David de Gea was equal to the task.

And Van Persie punished Meyler's miss late on, the Dutch striker receiving a pass from Giggs before firing past Jakupovic at the second attempt to wrap up a comfortable victory.

 

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Thanks for all the Wonderful memories Vidic

Good Bye & Good Luck in Italy!

We Miss You.......

Great Player.....Great Leader.......True Warrior!
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Barclays Premier League 2014.05.07 Fixture

Barclays Premier League 2014.05.07 Fixture

Sunderland Vs WBA

Manchester City Vs Aston Villa

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La Liga 2014.05.07 Fixture

La Liga 2014.05.07 Fixture

Real Valladoid Vs Real Madrid


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Valladolid 1-1 Real Madrid: Osorio equaliser leaves Los Blancos' title hopes in tatters

Real Madrid's Liga title challenge appears all but over after Valladolid snatched a late 1-1 draw at Jose Zorrilla on Wednesday.

At no point did it look like being a straightforward match for Carlo Ancelotti's men - now four points behind leaders Atletico Madrid with two games remaining - as Los Blancos endured a difficult start when Javi Guerra went close before Cristiano Ronaldo was forced off injured with just nine minutes gone.

The 29-year-old's suspected muscle strain could potentially see him ruled out of the Champions League final against Atletico on May 24 and, worryingly for Ancelotti, Madrid looked short of attacking quality without their talisman.

The visitors did, however, take the lead towards the end of the first half as Sergio Ramos took over free-kick duties in Ronaldo's absence and curled a precise effort in from 25 yards, but the visitors looked a shadow of their normal selves in the second period.

Guerra sliced a superb improvised overhead-kick narrowly wide with 23 minutes left, but Humberto Osorio did not make the same mistake five minutes from the end, heading in the equaliser and moving Valladolid out of the bottom three.

Ancelotti suggested in the build-up that there would be more twists and turns to come in the title race and Valladolid almost made that prophecy become reality in just the fifth minute.

Zakarya Bergdich produced a burst of pace on the left flank before crossing into the danger area, but Guerra's glancing header went agonisingly wide of the right-hand post.

The Madrid giants were dealt a major blow three minutes later as Ronaldo was forced off. Ancelotti's men appeared dejected and allowed Valladolid another chance with 18 minutes played, but the off-balance Oscar Garcia blazed over following Antonio Rukavina's cut-back.

Los Blancos eventually came to life and were duly rewarded with the opener after 35 minutes.

Xabi Alonso's clever turn on the edge of the area drew a foul from Victor Perez and Ramos – in place of usual free-kick specialist Ronaldo – curled the resulting set-piece into the roof of the net, despite Jaime's best efforts in goal.

Madrid seemed more willing to invite pressure on themselves at the start of the second period, but Valladolid still struggled to force Iker Casillas into action in his first La Liga start since January 2013.

At the other end, Karim Benzema skewed wide from close range after connecting with Nacho Fernandez's right-wing cross.

Guerra narrowly missed the target with a superb improvised overhead-kick before team-mate Osorio made amends late on, heading Oscar's corner into the net to leave Madrid's title challenge in tatters.

 

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Paris Saint-Germain 1-2 Rennes: Visitors gatecrash Parisiens' title party

Stade Rennais spoiled Paris Saint-Germain's Ligue 1 title party with a stunning 2-1 upset that all but guaranteed their survival on Wednesday.

Monaco's failure to beat Guingamp earlier in the day meant that PSG had already secured a second successive league crown by the time they took to the field.

An electrifying atmosphere at the Parc des Princes was amplified even further when Ezequiel Lavezzi fired Laurent Blanc's side into an early lead after just three minutes.

But quickfire first-half goals from Foued Kadir and Paul-Georges Ntep turned the tide, and despite incessant pressure, as well as the introduction of Zlatan Ibrahimovic on his comeback from injury, PSG were unable to make it a 30th successive home Ligue 1 match without defeat.

Rennes had been the last team to beat PSG in front of their own supporters in the league, when their nine men pulled off a 2-1 win in November 2012.

An identical result for Philippe Montanier's men - their first victory in five league outings - moved them six points clear of third-bottom Sochaux with just two rounds remaining and a vastly superior goal difference.

Ibrahimovic was named on the PSG bench after a month out with a knee injury, and he had just three minutes to watch before the strikers leading the line in his absence combined to break the deadlock.

Edinson Cavani's interception sent Lavezzi through on goal, and the little Argentine slid the ball across Benoit Costil and into the goalkeeper's bottom corner.

PSG continued to attack relentlessly, with Alex heading wide following a corner and Lavezzi slicing the ball wide from inside the box.

Out of nothing, however, Rennes turned a deficit into a lead. First, Kadir controlled the ball neatly and his fierce shot went through the hands of Salvatore Sirigu and into the back of the net. It was the on-loan Algeria international's sixth league goal of the season.

Then 21-year-old Ntep, who has been linked with a move to PSG, swung in a free kick which deceived everybody and dropped into the bottom corner.

PSG almost hit back immediately. Thiago Silva's shot was blocked but the ball fell to his centre-back partner Alex, eight yards out.

The 31-year-old thumped it goalwards but Costil employed lighting reflexes to make a marvellous one-handed save.

PSG began the second half by laying siege to their opponents' goal. Cavani's dink from close range beat Costil but drifted just wide of his post, before Blaise Matuidi stung the goalkeepers hands from distance.

Any bystanders outside the Parc des Princes would have thought PSG had scored after 55 minutes. The deafening roar that went up was, however, for the introduction of Ibrahimovic, who swiftly thrilled his adoring public with some trademark flicks.

Thereafter, Cavani was denied by a courageous Sylvain Armand block and Ibrahimovic headed wide, while Javier Pastore's shot from point-blank range was deflected past the post.

But Rennes held on to confirm another unforgettable night at the Parc des Princes, although there was no dampening the spirits of the jubilant PSG fans as they celebrated the title.

 

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Meh season 1ke anthima tike hithanne nathi dewal thamai wenne​

 

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Manchester City 4-0 Aston Villa: Dzeko double puts Pellegrini's men on brink of title

An Edin Dzeko brace and late strikes from Stevan Jovetic and Yaya Toure gave Manchester City a vital 4-0 win over Aston Villa on Wednesday, leaving them on the verge of winning their second Premier League title.


Having witnessed Liverpool draw 3-3 with Crystal Palace on Monday, City knew a win over Villa would leave their destiny in their own hands heading into the final day of the season.

And they did not waste their opportunity, producing a second-half goal blitz that sees them now with one hand on the trophy as they prepare to host West Ham at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday.

Despite the comfortable scoreline, City were made to work hard in patches against a Villa side who held relegation fears for much of the campaign.

The opening goal only arrived midway through the second half as Dzeko finished off a well-worked team move.

The Bosnia-Herzegovina striker then added a second in the 72nd minute with his 16th Premier League goal of the season before City made it even more comfortable late on.

Stevan Jovetic came off the bench with half an hour to go and made his impact when he passed the ball into the corner for the third, before Yaya Toure - so often the talisman this season - added his own stamp to the scoreline with a fourth in injury time.

Bar a huge swing in goal difference, City now just need a point against West Ham to secure a second title in three years.

City unsurprisingly made the most of the early running, left-back Aleksandar Kolarov - in the side in place of Gael Clichy - forcing Brad Guzan into a near-post save after just five minutes.

Midfielder Toure was then denied by brilliant close-range stop from Guzan seven minutes later before David Silva, starting instead of the injured Sergio Aguero, narrowly missed connecting with a dangerous left-wing cross from Kolarov.

The hosts dominated possession throughout the first half, although Villa were dangerous on the break and could have taken the lead had Andreas Weimann supplied a better finish after racing clear on the counter-attack.

But the best chance of the opening period came in first-half injury time as Samir Nasri turned a James Milner cross wide at the near post from point-blank range.

City's onslaught continued in the second half, Guzan called into action twice in the early stages after the restart.

First, the American kept out Vincent Kompany's acrobatic overhead kick, and then produced an excellent save to prevent Kolarov's curling free-kick from finding the top corner.

However, Guzan was finally beaten in the 64th minute as Dzeko slotted home from Pablo Zabaleta's low ball into the box after Silva had fed the Argentinian with a superb pass down the right channel.

Pellegrini's side continued to flood forward in search of the second goal, and it duly arrived eight minutes later as Dzeko tapped in his second on the rebound after Guzan had saved from Nasri.

Weimann went close to setting up a tense finale with a header that cannoned off the underside of the crossbar late on, but City were out of sight soon after.

They added a third when substitute Jovetic converted from a pull back by Toure a minute from time.

The Ivory Coast international then added further gloss to the scoreline himself by surging clear from inside his own half and powering beyond a helpless Guzan to give City sight of the title.

 

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Sunderland 2-0 West Bromwich Albion: Colback & Borini complete great escape

Goals from Jack Colback and Fabio Borini gave Sunderland a 2-0 win over West Brom to complete their Premier League great escape.

The First-half goals on Wednesday continued Sunderland's "miracle" run - a phrase used by head coach Gus Poyet after Saturday's 1-0 success at Manchester United - as Sunderland avoided the drop with a fourth straight victory.

West Brom, three points clear of the relegation zone, remain within third-bottom Norwich's grasp heading into the final round of fixtures on Sunday, but a huge goal difference swing makes Pepe Mel's team effectively safe from the dreaded trapdoor.

Colback opened the scoring after 13 minutes and Borini made it two just after the half hour with his third goal in his last four games, as West Brom struggled to get going.

West Brom responded with a second-half fightback, but could not breach Sunderland's rearguard to get the point they needed for mathematical safety.

After a cautious opening, with both teams defending deeply, Sunderland - unchanged for the fifth game in a row – created the first opportunity in the seventh minute when Borini found himself in space 30 yards out, and his fierce drive was smartly turned over by Ben Foster in the Albion goal.

It was slack marking that allowed Sunderland to take the lead after 13 minutes. Full-back Marcos Alonso was able to get a cross in unhindered from the left, and Colbeck arrived in front of two hesitant Albion defenders to prod a finish that bounced over Foster for only his third goal of the season.

Sunderland continued to do most of the pressing, with Adam Johnson enjoying a lot of freedom on the right wing.

Johnson's run and whipped cross after 23 minutes caused brief panic in the Albion defence before the ball was nervously hacked clear by Diego Lugano.

But the hosts doubled their lead just after the half hour with a beautifully crafted goal. Sebastian Larsson spotted the run of Borini and found him with a lovely chipped pass that the on-loan Liverpool forward steered neatly beyond the advancing Foster.

The first half ended with Albion creating their first serious opportunity, when a good run by Saido Berahino and curling shot from the edge of the box was pushed away by Vito Mannone at full stretch.

West Brom looked the more lively side after Mel's half-time team talk and Victor Anichebe came within inches of getting on the end of substitute Craig Dawson's low right-wing cross at the back post after 56 minutes.

Two minutes later, Stephane Sessegnon – given a good reception by the home fans on his return to Sunderland - struck a shot narrowly wide from 30 yards as the visitors continued to respond well.

Sessegnon was again the danger man just past the hour mark when his weaving run beat two defenders, but he screwed his left-footed shot wide from 15 yards.

Jozy Altidore, only just on the pitch as a second-half substitute, should have put the game beyond doubt when he stretched to send a shot wide from eight yards with the goal at his mercy, after Colback had found him with a left-wing cross.

A good sweeping move set up Santiago Vergini with 21 minutes remaining on the right-hand side of the box, but his drilled finish went inches wide of the left-hand post.

With both teams trading attacks, the game reached a stalemate as West Brom slipped to back-to-back defeats, while Sunderland celebrated beating the drop.

 

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Monaco 1-1 Guingamp: Atik's late leveller gifts Ligue 1 title to PSG

Monaco gifted the Ligue 1 title to Paris Saint-Germain after being held to a 1-1 draw at home to Guingamp on Wednesday night.

Claudio Ranieri's men knew that nothing less than victory would suffice if they were to keep their feint championships hopes alive - at least until PSG played Stade Rennais later in the evening - and they took the lead through Dimitar Berbatov with 13 minutes remaining.

However, Fatih Atik equalised with just five minutes left to play and even though the visitors then lost Moustapha Diallo to a straight red card moments later, Monaco were unable to force a winner, thus handing the title to PSG.

Monaco had begun the game eight points off top spot, meaning they needed to win and then hope that PSG suffered a shock defeat at home to Rennes.

The latter scenario always looked unlikely but Monaco would have expected to have to seen off Guingamp, who should have been suffering something of a Coupe de France hangover after lifting the trophy at the weekend thanks to a 2-0 win over Rennes.

However, the visitors provided admirably stubborn resistance and Monaco appeared to have run out of ideas until Nabil Dirar made a terrific break down the right flank before driving in towards the box and the lofting the ball into the six-yard area, where Berbatov was waiting to nod home.

It was the Bulgarian's sixth goal in 10 Ligue 1 appearances for Les Rouges et Blancs and looked all but certain to draw Monaco back to within five points of PSG.

However, the Bulgarian was removed from the action on 83 minutes and just over 60 seconds later, Guingamp equalised.

It was a wonderfully-worked goal. Defender Baissama Sankho bounded forward down the right-hand side before picking out Mustapha Yatabare in the area. The Mali forward had has back to goal but he brilliantly laid the ball off first time for the supporting Atik, who instantaneously smashed the ball low past Danijel Subasic in the Monaco goal.

The hosts were stunned, none more so than Jeremy Toulalan, who was flattened by Moustapha Dalla moments later, the Senegalese earning himself a red card for throwing his head recklessly into an aerial challenge with the Monaco midfielder.

However, despite the numerical advantage, Ranieri's troops were unable to fashion any openings in the dying minutes, thus allowing PSG to clinch their second successive Ligue 1 title without kicking a ball.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Berbertov ge performance hodai Monaco walaGodak durata digatama idi Monaco walatama​