..::Football III::..

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Official: Manchester United complete Herrera signing

Manchester United have completed the signing of Athletic Bilbao midfielder Ander Herrera.
The Old Trafford club have confirmed that the 24-year-old has agreed a four-year deal and, in doing so, becomes new manager Louis van Gaal's first signing.

Earlier on Thursday, Athletic announced that the midfielder had paid his buyout clause, paving the way for him to move to England after the Basque club had previously rejected a £29 million offer.

And, having now been announced as a new Manchester United player, Herrera insists he cannot wait to play his first game for the Red Devils. He told the club's official website: "Signing for Manchester United is a dream come true.

"I have played at Old Trafford for Athletic Club in the Uefa Europa League and it was one of the highlights of my career so far. I have joined United to do all I can to help the team reach the club's objectives.

"Having arrived on Tuesday, I'm excited to now be living in Manchester and I can't wait for my first game in United's famous red shirt.

"I will never forget my time with Athletic Club and I'd like to thank the fans and staff for all their support and, above all, wish all my fantastic former team-mates all the best for the future."

United assistant Ryan Giggs added: "Ander is a fantastic young player, with great energy and creativity. We believe him to be one of the brightest young prospects in Spain and I am certain he will be a big hit with the United fans.

"I'm delighted he has made the decision to come to Manchester and play his part in the club's future. I'm looking forward to seeing him in action on our summer tour to America."

 

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Finally!

Congratulations & Good Luck Herrera

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Korea Republic Vs Belgium

Starting Line-ups

Algeria Vs Russia

Starting Line-ups

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hodayimuta case dagenne nathuwa ennama baene

Ow machan meh wage punishment 1kak set wechcha 1ka hodaiaduma tharame danwath hadei nehnathnam ithin meh mistake 1kama repeat wena 1ka witharai wenne

Kalin serawal waladith kiwwata ahawwe nahane
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MAN UTD SIGN ANDER HERRERA !!

http://www.manutd.com/en/News-And-F...=facebook&utm_medium=post&utm_campaign=ManUtd

Ander Herrera: "Signing for Manchester United is a dream come true. I have played at Old Trafford for Athletic Club in the UEFA Europa League and it was one of the highlights of my career so far. I have joined United to do all I can to help the team reach the club's objectives. Having arrived on Tuesday, I’m excited to now be living in Manchester and I can’t wait for my first game in United’s famous red shirt. I will never forget my time with Athletic Club and I’d like to thank the fans and staff for all their support and, above all, wish all my fantastic former team-mates all the best for the future."

Pattama sign 1kak

 

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Full Time

Korea Republic 0 Vs 1 Belgium

Belgium Goal(s)

Vertonghen 78'
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Full Time

Algeria 1 Vs 1 Russia

Algeria Goal(s)

Slimani 60'

Russia Goal(s)

Kokorin 6'


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Belgium & Algeria through to the last 16!
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South Korea 0-1 Belgium: Vertonghen strike seals top spot

Jan Vertonghen fired home late on to seal a 1-0 win for Belgium over South Korea and clinch top spot in Group H.

Coming into the final Group H clash, South Korea needed to beat their European counterparts comfortably in Sao Paulo and hope that Algeria dropped points against Russia in the other fixture.

Russia held Algeria to a 1-1 draw, but Hong Myung-Bo's side were ultimately unable to fulfil their end of the bargain, as Belgium prepare to face United States in the next round on Tuesday.

Both sides struggled to maintain control in the first period, but Thibaut Courtois was forced into action on a couple of occasions.

The Koreans were given a notable advantage towards the end of the first half though, when Steven Defour earned a red card, but they were unable to make the most of the dismissal despite controlling much of the second period.

Ki Sung-Yeung tested Courtois from range and Son Heung-Min rattled the crossbar with a fluke effort, but Belgium grabbed a late winner through Jan Vertonghen and go through with a maximum of nine points, while South Korea head home early.

Marc Wilmots insisted in the build-up that his side would not go easy on their opponents despite only needing a draw.But the 45-year-old made seven changes from the Russia win, with Adnan Januzaj making his first international start.

The Manchester United youngster and Belgium's other attackers were exceptionally quiet in the opening stages, though, as South Korea were routinely invited forward.

Hong's men lacked any creative spark, however, allowing Belgium to gain a foothold and Dries Mertens inexplicably failed to give them the lead in the 25th minute as he blazed over from close range after pouncing on a loose ball.

Korea eventually came to life in the final third after half-an-hour and Courtois was forced into action twice in quick succession.The 22-year-old first denied Ki from distance and, from the resulting corner, he scrambled the ball off the line following a goalmouth melee.

Hong and his team received a significant boost to their chances just before the break as Defour received a straight red card for a callous stamp on Kim Shin-Wook.

With a place in the next round slipping from their grasp, Korea began the second half with renewed determination.Courtois once again saved a long-range Ki attempt in the 51st minute, but the Chelsea goalkeeper had to rely on his crossbar a few moments later, as Son Heung-Min's cross struck the goal frame.

South Korea took the game to Belgium as much as they could, but Wilmots' men finally punished them on the counter-attack with 13 minutes to go.Second-half substitute Divock Origi blasted a ferocious effort at Jung Sung-Ryong and, having failed to push the ball to safety, the goalkeeper was helpless on the rebound as Vertonghen smashed Belgium into the lead.

The Koreans almost levelled in stoppage time, but Courtois did well to stop Lee Keun-Ho's flick at the front post and Belgium subsequently earned a third consecutive World Cup victory - sending them into the last-16 in high spirits.

 

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Lawrenson urges Liverpool to sell banned Suarez

Former Liverpool defender Mark Lawrenson believes the club will now look to sell Luis Suarez after he received a lengthy ban from football.

Suarez has been barred from all football-related activity by Fifa for four months after biting Giorgio Chiellini in Uruguay's 1-0 World Cup win over Italy on Tuesday.

In addition, the striker faces a nine-match international suspension, having previously received sanctions for similar offences when representing Ajax and Liverpool.

Lawrenson feels it is time for the Merseyside club to part company with a player that has reportedly attracted the interest of Real Madrid and Barcelona.

"It's just a case of 'here we go again', isn't it? I don't really think that the punishment fits the crime," Lawrenson told BBC Radio 5 Live.

"How do you explain to your lad who's a football fan exactly what Luis Suarez keeps doing? He is now obviously a persistent offender and I thought actually the ban would have been much harsher.

"What does Liverpool owner John Henry do now? I would think he wants to wash his hands of Luis Suarez.

"Henry will try and get the best possible deal for Liverpool. Somebody will buy him. It is football when all is considered."

However, Lawrenson's former central defensive partner Alan Hansen feels Liverpool can give Suarez one more chance.

"I think the punishment's fair," Hansen added. "Obviously, the worrying thing for any Liverpool supporter was that there was very little or no provocation, and the question is: Will he do it again?

"Liverpool have got to draw a line under this and say: 'One more indiscretion and it's over.'"

 

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Ronaldo: Our best was not good enough

Cristiano Ronaldo acknowledged that Portugal did all they possibly could in their clash with Ghana but it was just not good enough to earn a place in the last 16.

The Seleccao secured a 2-1 win in their final Group G game, with Ronaldo scoring late on to add to a John Boye own goal, while Asamoah Gyan replied with a header.

However, though the Portuguese finished level on points with the United States, they fell short due to an inferior goal difference, something that Ronaldo regretted that they were not able to correct.

"It was a good game," the 29-year-old was quoted by Record. "We needed to win, which was something we could do. We created many chances but could not finish. We had to score three goals and depend on Germany. We weren't able to."

Portugal were unable to match their performance in the 2010 South Africa World Cup, where they were knocked out in second round by Spain, and Ronaldo revealed his frustration at not putting their chances away and taking advantage of the United States' defeat.

"We did our best, but what happened was all that was possible," he continued.
"Judging by the amount of chances, we deserved a little more. We leave with our heads high. We did our best but it was not enough."

 

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Nani: Portugal missed too many chances

Portugal attacker Nani feels his side could easily have beaten Ghana by a bigger margin than 2-1 in Thursday's World Cup encounter.

Paulo Bento's men needed a big win over the African side in order to keep their chances of qualifying for the round of 16 alive, while they also needed Germany to beat USA in the other game in Group G.

Germany kept their side of the bargain by winning 1-0, but Portugal failed to defeat Ghana by a margin big enough to leapfrog Jurgen Klinsmann's men in the table on goal difference.

"We knew that it would be hard to qualify for the next round. We needed five goals and that proved to be too much," Nani told Goal.

"We got a lot of chances to score, but we got only two goals in the end. We have to accept that we're out and move on.

"I think we deserved to progress, but those four goals we conceded against Germany cost us. We were determined to turn things around against Ghana, but it was not enough."

The attacker also briefly discussed the future of head coach Paulo Bento and stressed that the 45-year-old will not leave his job.

"The coach has said that he will not leave. He will not resign. He has done a good job picking the squad for the World Cup. Now we must get back on track."

 

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Germany thrashing 'left a scar' on Portugal - Bento

Paulo Bento has bemoaned Portugal's World Cup exit and pointed to the impact of their opening defeat against Germany as a key reason for their failure.

The Iberians won their final Group G game, with Cristiano Ronaldo scoring a late winner after Asamoah Gyan had cancelled out a John Boye own goal, but a 2-1 victory was not enough to secure passage to the last 16.

Bento expressed his disappointment at his side's inability to progress and put the blame on his players being too heavily affected by losing 4-0 to the Germans."The only thing that can be said is that, in the end, it was a bad result," the 45-year-old told journalists after game.

"We couldn't reach our goal. I think that, after those three games, we got what we deserved."The two teams that qualified [for the round of 16] deserved it. I believe we were too affected by the result of the first match, it left a scar on the team."

Portugal ended their campaign level on points with the United States in Group G but went out courtesy of an inferior goal difference, despite overcoming the Black Stars."The second part of the game today, we weren't so good but I don't think Ghana caused us too much trouble in the first half," he continued.

"We could've had a bigger advantage. But even after the draw, we had chances of having a bigger score. In the end, all we can do now is evaluate what we did wrong and congratulate Germany and the United States."

 

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We should have scored more against the United States - Low

Joachim Low felt Germany should have enjoyed a more comfortable victory over the United States, after they progressed to the last-16 of the World Cup as group winners.

Thomas Muller's second-half strike was the difference between the sides as die Nationalelf secured a spot in the second round, finishing ahead of the second-placed USA in Group G.

Low insisted that he was satisfied with the cohesion his side showed over the course of the game but felt they needed to be more ruthless in attack game uring the gin Recife."We played with good organisation," the 54-year-old told ZDF.

"Until the closing minutes we did not allow the USA any chances. We missed some chances to play the killer pass in the final third. If we would have done that we could have scored two, three more goals.

"I wanted to give Sami Khedira a break. Lukas Podolski was willing, but couldn't really adapt to the game."Thomas Muller has a feeling to know where he must run to [to score a goal]. His wound is closed, he is tough," he added, referring to the head injury the goalscorer sustained against Ghana.

The Germany boss was also quick to praise the work of Jurgen Klinsmann in guiding the unfancied USA out of arguably the toughest group of the tournament.
"In the middle, the Americans were very strong in terms of heading," Low added, reflecting on the Stars and Stripes.

"It is nice for us that Jurgen Klinsmann also made it into the last 16."

 

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Muller: We have big World Cup plans

Thomas Muller says Germany can reflect on a successful performance against the United States, after a 1-0 win saw them top Group G.

The Bayern Munich attacker scored the only goal of Thursday's game in Recife, his fourth of the World Cup so far, as DFB progressed to the last-16 alongside the Stars and Stripes.

Muller conceded that Germany had not found it easy against Jurgen Klinsmann's side but felt that they were the better team and also should be pleased with their improvement as the World Cup goes on.

"We were the clearly superior team from open play, especially at the beginning," the 24-year-old told ZDF."We did very well and then it was not so easy - the Americans dropped back very deep. It was a successful game. Although we only won 1-0 I am happy with it.

"We have done better than against Ghana in our overall play. We have big plans."

Muller's assessment of the game was slightly contradicted by his team-mate Mats Hummels, who stressed that the calibre of opposition should mean that no one should expect Germany to have an easy time."We gave a concentrated, but not a superior performance," the Borussia Dortmund defender added.

"We know that the U.S. are really good - the quality of the teams at the World Cup is too high to talk about easy games."

 

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'Stay proud of Suarez' - Lugano

Uruguay defender Diego Lugano has told Luis Suarez’s family to “stay proud of him” as the Liverpool striker comes to terms with a four-month global ban from football.

The ruling was handed down by Fifa amid a sea of condemnation after Suarez was found guilty of biting Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini in Tuesday’s World Cup clash in Natal.

The Uruguay FA have outlined their intention to appeal and Lugano summed up the squad’s feeling of resentment in a statement on his Facebook site.He wrote: “Indignation, impotence, I think that is what we all feel. We would all like a more just world but that does simply not exist.

“Those who decide will decide, while those that are strong will be strong. They don’t judge us by the same rules. A hug to Luis, who will rise again as he always has done, and especially to his family as families are always the ones that suffer most at these times. Stay proud of him as he deserves it.“As for the team, we won’t stop. We’ll keep going with humility, union, commitment, recognising our errors and with our heads held high.”

Thursday’s verdict included a nine-match international ban for Suarez, which means he will play no further part in the World Cup and could also miss next year’s Copa America.

 

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Gyan becomes leading African goalscorer in World Cup history

Asamoah Gyan has become the leading scorer from an African country in World Cup history after he netted in Ghana’s 2-1 defeat to Portugal in Brasilia.

The striker scored with a header in the 57th minute on Thursday to take his total record to six World Cup goals, overtaking the record of five set by Cameroon’s Roger Milla.

Gyan, 28, had already become the first African to score in three World Cup finals after his strike against Germany in Ghana’s previous Group G fixture.

But the Al Ain forward’s goals were not enough to prevent the Black Stars elimination from the tournament in Brazil.

Ghana, who earlier sent home midfielders Sulley Muntari and Kevin-Prince Boateng for disciplinary reasons, needed to beat Portugal but lost following a late winner from Cristiano Ronaldo.

 

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Suarez could bite again, fears Liverpool legend Hansen

Liverpool legend Alan Hansen fears Luis Suarez could bite again unless he seeks professional psychological help.

The Uruguay international was banned for four months from “all football activity” and suspended for nine international matches by Fifa following the bite on Giorgio Chiellini which effectively ended Suarez’s involvement at the World Cup.

Should Suarez serve his ban in full he will have missed at least 32 matches for his club through suspension in the last two-and-a-half seasons.

Despite that astonishing record, former Liverpool skipper Hansen believes Suarez will be granted one last chance to change his ways by the Anfield club, but feels there is every chance the 27-year-old will fall foul of his suspect temperament again.

He told the BBC: “The worrying thing for Liverpool was that there was no provocation the same as with [Branislav] Ivanovic. Will he do it again [will be a concern]? From a Liverpool perspective they have to draw a line under it and say one more incident and it’s all over.

“If you’ve got the talent and ability that Suarez has got then everyone will be wanting him. I think it’s sad for football and Suarez. After the Ivanovic incident he won the hearts and minds of everyone in the UK by the way he played on the pitch. He was absolutely sensational – we thought this behaviour had ended but here we go again.

“The worrying thing is he might do it again at any conceivable time. You can sort of understand it if people are elbowing him. You’d imagine so [that he’d seek help].”

 

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Ow ithin kiyanna baha...kawadawath hadena kenek newei neh Suarez kiyanneKokatath kiyala mewwa 1kakwath dammanam hodaihamogema safety 1kata hodai neh.

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Algeria 1-1 Russia: Slimani goal puts North Africans through

Algeria did enough to secure a place in the last 16 of the World Cup by holding Russia to a 1-1 draw.

An early header from Alexandr Kokorin gave Fabio Capello's men the initiative, but Islam Slimani struck the decisive blow in the second period as Igor Akinfeev failed to make contact with a cross into the box.

Famously eliminated at the finals in Spain 32 years ago when West Germany and Austria played out a mutually beneficial 1-0 scoreline to send the north African side out, Algeria put the record straight in Curitiba on Thursday.

Coming into the Group H clash, Algeria knew a draw would likely be enough to seal qualification - barring a heavy victory for South Korea over Belgium - whereas Russia required a win to advance.

That result looked to be on the cards when Fabio Capello's men went in front as early as the sixth minute, as Aleksandr Kokorin headed home Dmitri Kombarov's pin-point delivery.

Russia looked comfortable with their advantage until the hour mark, when Igor Akinfeev - who made a horrible mistake in conceding during the 1-1 draw with South Korea - failed to make a connection with Yacine Brahimi's set-piece delivery and Islam Slimani converted from six yards.

Having qualified in second place behind Belgium - who beat South Korea 1-0 - Algeria will now take on Germany in Porto Alegre on Monday in the last 16.
Both sides made one change from their previous outing, Essaid Belkalem replacing Madjid Bougherra for Algeria while Capello called up Aleksandr Kerzhakov in place of Maxim Kanunnikov.

Kokorin, whose place in the starting XI had been the subject of discussion in the build-up to the game, gave Russia a dream start when he rose to head Kombarov's perfect left-wing cross into the top corner.

Russia continued to have the better of the play and Oleg Shatov went close in the 26th minute with a swerving drive from distance that drifted narrowly wide of the right-hand post.Algeria tested Akinfeev for the first time in the 30th minute, the goalkeeper flying high to his left to tip Slimani's header over the crossbar.

Slimani tried his luck with another header two minutes before the interval, but this time his effort lacked power and was comfortably held by Akinfeev.Aleksandr Samedov went close to doubling Russia's tally shortly after the resumption, but Rais M'Bolhi raced from his line to deny the midfielder.

That save proved crucial as, on the hour-mark, Akinfeev came to palm away Brahimi's free-kick but was beaten to the ball by Slimani, who nodded into an empty net.

Kerzhakov tested M'Bolhi 10 minutes later as Russia pressed to regain the lead, but the keeper got down well to his right to smother the well-struck shot.
Although Russia saw a lot of the ball in the final stages, they were unable to breakdown a stubborn defensive line as Algeria celebrated a landmark achievement.