..::Football III::..

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Osvaldo joins Inter as Taider moves to Southampton

Inter have completed the signing of Pablo Daniel Osvaldo from Southampton, with Saphir Taider moving to the Premier League on a season-long loan.

Osvaldo, who spent the latter half of last season with Juventus, has long been expected to join Walter Mazzarri's side as the Nerazzurri look to bolster their attacking options.

The Italy international has now sealed a switch to San Siro for the 2014-15 campaign, with the club retaining the option to make the move permanent in future.

Taider, meanwhile, becomes Southampton's fourth signing of the summer, following the arrivals of Ryan Bertrand, Graziano Pelle and Dusan Tadic as Ronald Koeman continues to rebuild his squad in the wake of a number of sales.

Calum Chambers, Adam Lallana, Dejan Lovren, Rickie Lambert and Adam Lallana have all left the club this summer but Koeman is pressing ahead with reshaping his squad, with Taider joining on the back of a successful World Cup with Algeria.

"It's part of our philosophy for the club to bring in talented young players who like to learn and develop themselves, and that's true of Saphir," Koeman told the club's official website. "First of all, he is a talented football player. He's 22 and has already played for Algeria at the World Cup.

"I've spoken to him about the positions he can play in, and it was a good meeting because he showed me real ambition."

 

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I want to stay at Wolfsburg, insists Gustavo

Luiz Gustavo wants to stay at Wolfsburg, despite rumours linking him with a move to European champions Real Madrid.

The Brazil international signed for Wolfsburg in August 2013 after failing to hold down a regular first-team spot at Bayern Munich.

Gustavo enjoyed an impressive debut campaign for Dieter Hecking's men saw himself retain a starting place in Luiz Felipe Scolari's Brazil World Cup team.

His performances in Germany's top flight have led to rumours that Real may consider a swoop for his services should Sami Khedira depart the Santiago Bernabeu, while he has previously been linked with Barcelona.

However, a transfer away from Wolfsburg does not appear imminent with Gustavo insisting he is happy to continue at the Volkswagen Arena.

Speaking to Kicker, he said: "I am here, I want to keep playing and help the team here."

Wolfsburg are currently in pre-season training and are gearing up for a DFB-Pokal first-round clash with Darmstadt 98 on August 17, before they open their Bundesliga campaign at defending champions Bayern five days later.

 

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ISL all-stars 1-8 Juventus: Llorente hits hat-trick as Allegri's men run riot

Fernando Llorente scored a first-half hat-trick as Juventus thrashed an Indonesian Super League all-stars team 8-1 on Wednesday.

Andrea Pirlo levelled for Juve almost immediately after Srdjan Lopicic had given the hosts a shock early lead in Jakarta.

Spaniard Llorente then took ownership of the game with his quickfire treble and Sebastian Giovinco added a fifth for the Italian champions before the break.

Substitute Kingsley Coman then bagged his first Juve goal in the 66th minute, before Carlos Tevez and Simone Pepe completed the rout for Massimiliano Allegri's men.

The home side surprisingly went ahead in the third minute when Lopicic made the most of slack marking to side-foot home a corner from close range, but Pirlo equalised from the spot from the next attack after Giovinco was tripped in the area.

Llorente then took centre stage and put Juve ahead in the 16th minute by lashing home from just inside the box after a poor defensive header from Zulkifli Syukur, before he extended their advantage soon after when he tapped Stephan Lichtsteiner's centre into an empty net.

The duo combined again for Llorente's third, this time the Spaniard planting a firm header into the bottom right-hand corner from the Swiss' accurate cross.

Giovinco got in on the act on 35 minutes, the diminutive forward drilling a left-foot shot into the far-right corner.

A host of changes saw the tempo slow somewhat after the break, but Juve notched a sixth when Coman turned home substitute Pepe's cross for his maiden Juve strike.

Two minutes later, Juve made it seven when Tevez converted the rebound after Pepe's shot had hit the woodwork.

And Pepe capped a fine run-out off the bench when he latched onto Tevez's throughball and deftly clipped the ball over the advancing keeper in the closing stages.

 

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Manchester United make €10m move for De Jong

Manchester United have made the first move in a bid to sign Netherlands international Nigel de Jong in a €10 million deal, Goal understands.

Having already brought Ander Herrera to the club this summer, manager Louis van Gaal made it clear to United officials that he is happy to work with what he has in the midfield area - at least until his no.1 target, Kevin Strootman, fully recovers from a serious knee injury.

But executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward has been working tirelessly behind the scenes in a bid to strengthen the Dutchman's options and, having identified De Jong as a potential recruit, met with the Milan midfielder's representatives in London on Tuesday.

Those talks are understood to have gone well, with De Jong desperate to link up with Van Gaal.

The Dutchman could now become United's third major summer signing, following on from the arrivals of Herrera and Luke Shaw.

And Van Gaal is understood to have given the move the green light, having worked well with De Jong in his former role as Netherlands coach and in particular at this summer's World Cup.

The 29-year-old was forced out of the second round victory over Mexico early on with a groin problem, but made a remarkable return from injury for the semi-final defeat to Argentina and was singled out for praise by Van Gaal for his contribution during the group stages.

"I don't like singling out players, but Nigel de Jong was inspirational," Van Gaal said after the 3-2 victory over Australia.

United's move for De Jong comes on the back of a prolonged and thus far unsuccessful pursuit of Juventus midfielder Arturo Vidal.

Despite the player and Juventus both going on record to insist a deal with United would not happen, reports of a move continue apace.

The arrival of De Jong, however, would appear to put those links to bed - if a deal can now be successfully concluded with Milan.

 

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De Jong hodaida?anemandaona karana playersla newei neh ganna hadannematanam hithenne De Jong set wena 1kak naha kiyala​

 

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Gundogan reveals World Cup bitterness

Ilkay Gundogan admits he found it tough to watch Germany's World Cup triumph this summer while continuing his recovery from injury.

The 23-year-old has not managed a minute of competitive football since suffering a back injury in Germany's friendly match with Paraguay in August of last year.

The Borussia Dortmund star watched from the sidelines as Joachim Low's side lifted the world title in July following their win over Argentina, and he concedes it was painful to have missed out on the tournament.

"On one hand, it was incredible for those guys. On the other, it was personally bad situation. You know what you could possibly have been doing, possibly been called a world champion," he told Bild.

"In such stupid ways are dreams shattered. Dreams you had as a child are broken - at least, for now."

Gundogan said in the spring his target was to return to action in the early part of the new Bundesliga season, but he claims it would be unwise to set a date for his recovery as he continues light fitness work during pre-season.

"It would be irresponsible to mention a date. Of course I am eager to get back into training. After the operation, we said I hoped to be back playing again in the autumn," he continued.

"I haven't thought about a break in my career. Of course, I wondered if I would ever get back to the form I was in."

The midfielder, who scored in the Champions League final in 2013, also plans to discuss a possible new deal with Dortmund after signing an extension back in April.

"The [previous] contract was only for a year and a half. BVB wanted certainty, so as soon as I'm fit and well, we will sit down and talk about another extension and the future," he added.

 

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Gundogan​

 

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Stoke City 2-0 Real Betis: Bojan scores again for Potters

Bojan Krkic's impressive start to life at Stoke City continued as he scored in a 2-0 win over Real Betis, his first appearance at the Britannia Stadium.

After left-back Erik Pieters had put the Potters ahead against the recently relegated Spanish side, the 23-year-old ended the first half with a flourish, finding the net for the third time in as many appearances with a thunderous strike from the edge of the area.

Betis hit the woodwork twice in the second period but got no further as the hosts recorded their first victory in pre-season at the sixth attempt.

In addition to Bojan, fellow new signings Phil Bardsley and Mame Biram Diouf also started, with Mark Hughes fielding a strong XI that could yet take the field in Stoke's Premier League opener against Aston Villa on August 16.

Betis forward Nono tested Asmir Begovic inside the first minute but Stoke soon settled and saw both Bojan and Diouf threaten prior to Pieters opening the scoring on the half-hour. Following neat build-up play involving Bojan, the ball was worked to Bardsley on the right and his low cross was turned home by his fellow full-back at the far post.

Vincenzo Rennella came close to an equaliser within four minutes, dragging a shot narrowly wide, before Bojan took centre stage on the stroke of the interval. The former Barca man picked up a loose ball and beat a Betis player before letting fly with a venomous strike into the top corner.

Ruben Castro should have halved the visitors' deficit nine minutes after the break but fired wildly over having been left free inside the box.

Bojan and Peter Odemwingie, who was introduced at the start of the second half, then came close to extending Stoke's advantage before Betis struck the post twice in quick succession through Jorge Molina and Cedric Mabwati.

Molina saw another opportunity go begging amid a predictable raft of substitutions, while Bojan was afforded a standing ovation when he came off in the closing stages.

 

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Bojan hoda sign 1kak Stoke lata​

 

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Napoli 1-0 Barcelona: Bravo howler gives Partenopei the win

Claudio Bravo had a Barcelona debut to forget as his mistake resulted in a 1-0 friendly defeat to Napoli at Stade de Geneve on Wednesday.

Having made a spectactular save from a Marek Hamsik header in the first half, the Chilean, who signed from Real Sociedad in June, flapped at a Blerim Dzemaili shot from distance late on to concede the only goal of the game

The strike came against the run of play after Barcelona had dominated possession for much of the encounter in Switzerland, and could harm Bravo's chances of challenging fellow new boy Marc-Andre ter Stegen to be Luis Enrique's first-choice custodian.

Barcelona - without the likes of Lionel Messi and Neymar, who underwent medicals in Spain on Wednesday following their prolonged World Cup campaigns - handed midfielder Ivan Rakitic his first start for the club.Napoli striker Lorenzo Insigne had a glorious chance to take an early lead against the Catalan giants.

Hamsik found the Italy international with a superb ball from the right, but Insigne appeared to be caught in two minds as the ball bounced harmlessly beyond him in the penalty area.

New recruit Bravo was soon called into action as he leapt superbly to his left to tip a looping Hamsik header wide of the post.Despite all their possession, Barcelona's attacking threat was limited throughout the first half against a solid Napoli defensive unit, but Rafael Cabral got down well to deny Munir El Haddadi seven minutes before the break.

The Catalan giants began to turn the screw early in the second period and Pedro came close to opening the scoring on two occasions - first seeing a low drive touched wide by Rafael, and then sending a left-footed effort narrowly past the other post when he should have done better.Both coaches made full use of their benches and by the 75th minute only three players who had started the match remained on the pitch.

One of those players was Bravo, but he was left wishing he had been withdrawn when he let Dzemaili's half-volley slip through his fingers 10 minutes from time.
Rafael got down well moments later to deny Gerard Deulofeu an equaliser from a curling effort, as Barca were unable to come up with an equaliser.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Bravo: Napoli goal was my mistake

Barcelona goalkeeper Claudio Bravo admitted he was to blame for the 1-0 defeat his side suffered to Napoli in a friendly on Wednesday evening.

The Chilean could only flap at a Blerim Dzemaili shot from distance and had to watch it hit the back of the net as the Italian side took the lead with 10 minutes left on the clock.

Bravo has admitted that his concentration dropped in the build up to Dzemaili's effort but stressed that it is normal for goalkeepers to make such errors.

"I was enjoying a comfortable match and the little that I had done was comfortably dealt with," he told reporters after the game.
"The goal was my mistake, definitely a lapse in concentration. You have to learn to live with these things. I haven't had a lot of time to train, but that's no excuse.
"It's not the first time it has happened and there is no goalie who has not made mistakes."

Coach Luis Enrique insisted he will not make too much out of the error and says he doesn't blame Bravo for the defeat.

"He was having a solid game, without doing anything silly. He saved a great chance from them and did well with the ball at his feet," the former Celta boss said.

"We’re not going to analyse anything, other than the fact that if the strikers had converted their chances then probably we wouldn’t be talking about this right now.

 

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Mistakes wena 1ka normal deyak & anith 1ka debut 1ka.So tika dawasak yanakota owwa okkoma hari yaiGood Luck Bravo!​

 

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Beating Barcelona is always good - Benitez

Napoli coach Rafael Benitez was hugely encouraged by his team's performance in a 1-0 victory over Barcelona on Wednesday.

Blerim Dzemaili scored the only goal of the friendly match in Vienna when his powerful half-volley was fumbled by debutant goalkeeper Claudio Bravo 10 minutes from time.

And Benitez, who made 10 second-half substitutions, is pleased with how his team are shaping up ahead of the new season."Winning against Barcelona is always a good result," he told the club's official website. "Now the guys deserve all the compliments.

"But beyond the individuals it is the team performance that I liked. We did very well both offensively and defensively, and this is a nice result after this first phase of work.

"I had important signals in every sense, this means that we are working well and we have to continue like this. "We need to better manage this group and then see if we can improve it."

 

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Bojan form is no surprise, insists Mark Hughes

Stoke City manager Mark Hughes is not surprised by the immediate impact made by high-profile new arrival Bojan Krkic.

The 23-year-old forward, who joined the Potters from Spanish giants Barcelona in July, grabbed his third goal in as many pre-season appearances as Hughes' men recorded a 2-0 home victory over Real Betis.

Bojan's arrival has sparked considerable excitement at the Britannia Stadium and he was afforded a standing ovation by supporters when coming off towards the end of Wednesday's game.

Asked if he had expected the youngster to settle into his new surroundings so smoothly, Hughes told the press: "You find good players are very quickly able to adapt to any environment they are in.

"I think that's what happened with Bojan. He's showing the undoubted ability that everyone knows he's got so we're really looking forward to him having an exceptional season because he has that ability."

Hughes has no doubt that Bojan can flourish in the Premier League and feels that his apparent struggles during spells at Roma, AC Milan and Ajax have been overplayed.

"To be perfectly honest, I didn't think it was [a case of Stoke taking] a chance," added the Welshman.

"Everybody's saying that he had a bad time at Ajax, Milan, Roma, wherever he's been. I think people want to put him in a certain box and say he's struggled for three years; that's not actually the case. He's a good player.

"He's a nice kid as well and he's got a good support around him here, obviously [with ex-Barcelona team-mate] Marc Muniesa and a number of Spanish-speaking players within the group, which initially will help him.

"He wants to learn English as quickly as possible because that will help him further but he's in a good place. He's very happy."

Hughes was pleased with Stoke's overall display against Betis, which saw Erik Pieters open the scoring prior to Bojan finding the net with a thunderous strike from the edge of the area on the stroke of half-time.

"All in all, it was a good workout," the manager enthused. There was some good stuff played. I think we've steadily improved as the summer's gone on."

 

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Mustafi signs for Valencia

Germany international Shkodran Mustafi has completed a move to Valencia from Sampdoria, signing a five year contract, the Spanish club have confirmed.

The defender, who was part of the Germany team which won the World Cup this summer, signed the five year deal on Wednesday and will undergo a medical on Thursday morning before being presented to the media.

A statement on the Spanish club's website read: "Valencia CF have reached an agreement with Sampdoria for the transfer of German international centre-back Shkodran Mustafi.

"The player signed a contract on Wednesday to become a Valencia player until June 30, 2019.

"Mustafi, 22 and a champion with Germany in the World Cup in Brazil, will complete a medical review on Thursday at 9.45 am. Then, at 10.00, the player will be presented to the media."

 

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Neymar could be fit for season opener

Barcelona forward Neymar could be ready for the start of the season after passing a medical on Wednesday.

The Brazil international sustained a fractured vertebra in his country's quarter-final win over Colombia after a robust challenge from Juan Camilo Zuniga.

With initial projections suggesting Neymar could miss up to six weeks of action, the 22-year-old was considered a doubt for Barcelona's league opener against Elche on August 23. However, the club confirmed on Wednesday that Neymar, along with three team-mates who appeared in the World Cup, had passed his medical and would now face "intense training".

A statement from the Catalan giants read: "The four World Cup semi-finalists, Leo Messi, Javier Mascherano, Dani Alves and Neymar, who trained with their colleagues on Tuesday, returned to the club for their medical tests."They all passed with flying colours and are now set for three weeks of intense training in the build-up to the start of official matches in three weeks’ time."

Defender Adriano (abnormal heart rate) is continuing his recovery, while midfielder Xavi and new signing Jeremy Mathieu went through seperate training exercises.

 

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World class Chelsea can win titles this season - Schurrle

Andre Schurrle believes Chelsea are good enough to win titles this season, insisting the squad is full of world class players.

Jose Mourinho has signed Cesc Fabregas, Diego Costa and Filipe Luis this summer, as well as bringing back club legend Didier Drogba to Stamford Bridge.

The Londoners finished third in the Premier League in last season but Schurrle, who played a key role as Germany won the World Cup in the summer, says the team are capable of winning silverware this year if they work hard.

"I'm hoping to achieve what we couldn't last season, which is to win something," he told the club's official website. "That's what it's all about, winning matches and winning trophies.

"We have the squad, we have the players and now we just need to work hard."

Schurrle added of the new recruits: "They're all world-class players. Drogba's back with his club and Fabregas is one of the best players in the world.

"We played against Filipe Luis last season when he was with Atletico [Madrid] and he did very well. I saw Diego Costa's goal against Olimpija Lubljana and it was a great finish so I'm looking forward to playing with all of them, they all have great quality.

"I've had a short break after a hard year but I want to work, I want to get fit," the forward continued. "It will take a bit of time to get going but we have great staff here, a great team and hopefully I'll be fit by the time the season starts."

 

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Chelsea squad 1ka pattaGodak durata Varane wath gani​

 

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Premier League referee Howard Webb retires to take up technical role

Howard Webb has retired from professional refereeing to become the new technical director of Professional Game Match Officials Limited.

The 43-year-old, widely regarded as one of the best referees ever produced in England and highly respected in the world game, brings to an end a 25-year career to be responsible for overseeing the on-field performances of PGMOL match officials.Webb said: “I am very excited to start this new chapter in my career after a wonderfully rewarding 25 years on the pitch.“I have spent over a decade with the best seat in the house for Barclays Premier League matches, been lucky enough to be involved in nine major international tournaments, and taken charge of the UEFA Champions League and FIFA World Cup finals.

“Refereeing has given me so much and I think it’s important that match officials who have had the rewards remain in the game to pass on their knowledge.“I also have much more to learn about the business of refereeing and I believe the best place for me to do that is with PGMOL. We all have a common goal of improving refereeing.”

According to a statement issued by PGMOL on Wednesday, Webb “will work extensively on the successful development programme” which currently provides a pathway for level three referees to join the company’s ‘Select Group’.Former Premier League referee Mike Riley, PGMOL’s general manager, said: “Howard has been the foremost referee of his generation and an inspiration for match officials in this country and around the world.

“His role will strengthen refereeing in this country. Last season we trebled the funding for referee coaching and training and we will continue to invest in match officials from the Premier League down to the contributory leagues.”
Webb began refereeing in 1989 and progressed through the Northern Counties and Football League to become a Select Group official in 2003.Another former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher also paid tribute to Webb’s career.

‘’He is as close to perfection as he could be in modern refereeing. His preparation is so meticulous and because of that you get the result on the pitch.
‘’He may feel now that he’s done everything he can in refereeing and he’s looking now to build another career.Gallagher insisted though that Webb’s contribution to refereeing will still continue.

‘’It’s no different to Ryan Giggs. Ryan Giggs was such an ambassador to Manchester United then moved in at the end of the last season to become a player-manager and is now a member of Louis van Gaal’s team.‘’Howard Webb now sees not so much a retirement but a change of path if you like. His path now is to create the next Howard Webb.’’

He has refereed over 500 Barclays Premier League and Football League matches and officiated in every major domestic final, as well as in nine international tournaments including the 2010 and 2014 FIFA World Cups.
In 2010 Howard became the first referee to take charge of the UEFA Champions League final and the FIFA World Cup final in the same year.In 2011 he was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire for services to football.

Football Association chairman Greg Dyke has also paid tribute to Webb.
Dyke said: "On behalf of The FA, I would like to pay tribute to Howard Webb for a magnificent and unrivalled refereeing career."Howard has taken charge of the biggest games going - not least the 2010 World Cup Final."It is no surprise that he was one of our most important ambassadors for The FA's 150th anniversary celebrations in 2013."

 

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Howard Webb retire wena 1ka aparademama kamathima Ref kenek

Anyway good luck for the new role Webb!
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