..::Football III::..

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Explosions damage Shakhtar stadium

Shakhtar Donetsk have confirmed that part of the Donbass Arena has been damaged after being shelled.


The Ukrainian club confirmed that the north-western side of the stadium was hit by “two powerful explosions” that occurred on Saturday morning.
"On 23 August, at 6:00, two powerful explosions occurred at Donbass Arena,” a press release published on the club’s official website on Saturday read.


“As a result of shelling, there are numerous damages of the northwestern facade of the stadium, communications, equipment and detached building of the energy centre, which is located in the northern part of the Donbass Arena park.


“There are no casualties among the stadium staff.”The news comes one month after six Shakhtar players – Fred, Ismaily, Douglas Costa, Alex Teixeira, Dentinho and Facundo Ferreyra – refused to return to Ukraine because of the current political situation in the country.


The reigning Ukrainian Premier League champions recently revealed that they will not be able to host games at the Donbass Arena because of violent clashes and will instead play their home games in Lviv for the upcoming season.

 

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Balotelli cannot afford to flop at Liverpool, says Raiola

Mario Balotelli's agent Mino Raiola has claimed that his client cannot afford to flop at Liverpool, but is confident the Merseysiders are the right club for the 24-year-old.

The Italy international is poised to complete a €20 million move to Anfield, having said goodbye to his AC Milan team-mates earlier this week.

Balotelli's career has been plagued by controversial incidents, leading to reports that he has had to agree to a behavior clause with the Reds, and Raiola has sounded a warning to the striker that this is his last chance to let his talent do the talking.

"He is not ready to be a leader," he told Corrierre della Sera. "Liverpool have [Steven] Gerrard. Mario will be protected there and will be at his best.

"Now it is up to him. Another flop is not advisable, his age is not an excuse."

Raiola says he has been working on engineering a move for Balotelli for three months, and says he was "always against" the striker returning to Italy following his spell at Manchester City.

"The negotiations have been going on for three months. It's not exactly a scoop," he added. "Liverpool have always been the only English club who negotiated for Mario.

"I never lied to the media. Three days ago there was talk of Liverpool, but no offer. The truth is I've been working on Mario for months; the time had come to divorce from Milan.

"There wasn't any row, incident or change. It's not true that the rapport broke down with Milan. I was always against bringing Mario back to Italy; the pressure, the expectation, the media… playing in Italy is much tougher for him than abroad.

"He insisted that he wanted to go from Manchester City to Milan and between client and agent, the client always decides."

 

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Montella: Fiorentina are chasing another midfielder

Fiorentina coach Vincenzo Montella hopes to sign another midfielder ahead of the new Serie A season.

Montella guided the Florence club to a fourth-placed finish last season and will be eager to improve on that in the 2014-15 campaign.

The former Italy striker has added Marko Marin, Octavio and Josh Brillante to his midfield options since the end of last season, while they have also been chasing Shakhtar Donetsk's Fernando and been linked with Real Madrid's Sami Khedira.

And Montella has confirmed he has designs on strengthening further the squad further before the meeting with Roma on August 30.

"I hope to get David Pizarro back against Roma, while Josh Brillante or Alberto Aquilani can also play in that deep midfield role," Montella said after a 2-0 friendly win over Lucchese on Friday.

"Hopefully someone else can arrive in midfield. It depends on what we are able to do, but the club is taking care of that."

Juan Cuadrado featured in the victory over Lucchese and Montella is satisfied that the sought-after Colombia winger is close to returning to full fitness.

He added: "Cuadrado looked much better than against Arezzo and he's suspended for the first Serie A round, so he has time to improve. After all, he returned late from the World Cup."

Fiorentina face Roma at Stadio Olimpico in their first game of the Serie A season next Saturday.

 

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Neymar has always been incredible - Dodo

Inter defender Dodo claims compatriot Neymar has "always been incredible" as the Barcelona forward battles to regain full fitness.

Neymar is expected to miss Barca's La Liga opener against Elche on Sunday after suffering an ankle injury - just a week after the Brazil international recovered from a fractured vertebra that he sustained during his the World Cup quarter-final against Colombia in July.

Despite having suffered two setbacks in as many months, Dodo – who previously played with Neymar in the Brazil Under-17 squad – is confident the 22-year-old will quickly be back to his best.

"We are childhood friends," Dodo told Gazetta dello Sport.

"At 8 years old, we played futsal together, we were neighbours. He's always been incredible.

"Now, after the accident, I know that he will be fine."

Dodo recently completed a €9million move to Inter from Roma after having been deemed surplus to requirements following Ashley Cole's arrive at the Stadio Olimpico.

The defender, though, thanked Rudi Garcia for giving him opportunities in the first team last season and is now fully focused on restoring Inter's place at the top end of Serie A.

"At Roma, evidently they made other choices," he said. "Garcia? If he had not believed in me, I would not have played so much in red and yellow.

"It was fate that sooner or later I would come here [Inter]. Do not talk about the Scudetto, though. Now we just have to prepare for our first game in Serie A.

"Our dream, however, is to bring Inter back to the top."

 

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Shaqiri frustrated at bench role against Wolfsburg

Xherdan Shaqiri has admitted his disappointment at being returned to the substitutes' bench for Bayern Munich's Bundesliga opener against Wolfsburg.
The 22-year-old arrived in Bavaria from Basel in the summer of 2012, but has struggled to cement his place in the starting line-up due to competition with the likes of Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben.


Shaqiri was named as a substitute for Bayern's 2-1 Bundesliga win over Wolfsburg on Friday before he eventually came on for Mario Gotze in the 62nd minute.And having been handed a starting spot for the DFL-Supercup defeat to Borussia Dortmund, as well as the DFB-Pokal first round against Preussen Munster, he concedes a return to the bench was frustrating.


"The coach has decided it, so you have to accept it," the Switzerland international was quoted as saying by Blick."I have to deal with it and try to impose myself [on the team]. Clearly you're disappointed if you are not in the starting line-up."


His lack of games with the Bavarians has seen Shaqiri linked with a move away from Bayern this summer, with Juventus and Liverpool reportedly keen on recruiting the 22-year-old.Bayern have always maintained the Switzerland star will not be sold and Shaqiri – who has a contract with until June 2016 – was eager to ignore questions about his future.


When asked about whether he would consider a move away from the Bundesliga this summer, Shaqiri replied: "We must not talk about transfers, it has been talked about enough. I only answer questions regarding the game.”

 

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Rakitic: I'm no Xavi

Ivan Rakitic has welcomed comparisons to Barcelona stalwart Xavi but insists it will be difficult for any player to replace the Spain international at Camp Nou.The 26-year-old midfielder joined Barca from Sevilla earlier this summer, with some suggesting that the Croatia international could be the perfect successor to the iconic midfielder.

Despite being linked with a move away from Camp Nou this summer, Xavi has been named captain of the Blaugrana this term after 16 seasons at the club, in which time the 34-year-old has won seven Liga titles and three Champions League crowns.


Rakitic has admitted that, while such comparisons to Xavi are flattering, he is focused on cementing his own name as a fan favourite at the club he "always" wanted to join."It's nice that people are saying that I am the successor of Xavi but I'm Rakitic. Replacements for such a great player like Xavi don't exist," he told Sportske novosti.


"I can't wait to start the Primera [Liga]. We worked a lot [in per-season] and I hope that this will show on the field. Barcelona are powerful again.
"I always wanted to join Barcelona. It was my desire."Rakitic also revealed Lionel Messi has helped him to adjust to life in Catalunya and is confident fellow new signing Luis Suarez will hit the ground running when he returns to action in late October.


"Messi is no different from the others. He is very helpful. He offered me his assistance in finding an apartment or house in Barcelona," Rakitic revealed.
"It's not necessary to say about the qualities of Luis Suarez. It is important that he is with us at every practice."


Barcelona kick off their new league campaign at home to Elche on Sunday.

 

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Griezmann: I'm already gaining confidence at Atletico Madrid

Atletico Madrid forward Antoine Griezmann has admitted he is growing in confidence and is looking forward to the challenges at his new club.


Los Rojiblancos sealed a €25m deal for the France international from Real Sociedad earlier this summer after the 23-year-old helped his nation reach the quarter-finals at the World Cup in Brazil.


Atletico coach Diego Simeone was full of praise for Griezmann, along with the club's other new signings, after they beat fierce rivals Real Madrid in the Supercopa de Espana on Friday.And following the victory at the Vicente Calderon, Griezmann admitted that he was starting to slowly find his feet in the Spanish capital."I'm understanding the game. Little by little, I'm going to gain confidence," Griezmann said.


"Hopefully I can give more. I'm very happy, happy to be at this club."
Griezmann also acknowledged the "incredible" nature of the Atletico fans, which he witnessed during the 1-0 win over Madrid - a result secured by Mario Mandzukic.


"Tonight they [the fans] have shown [how incredible they are] again," he said.
Atletico kick off their title defence when they play their first game of the new Primera Liga season away to Rayo Vallecano on Monday.Despite having lost several key components – including Diego Costa and Filipe Luis – from their title-winning team of last season, Griezmann insists that Atletico are focused on playing well and racking up the wins in a bid to defend their La Liga crown this term.



"We'll see, we have just played two games, now we are quiet with our feet on the ground and moving forwards."

 

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Simeone: Mandzukic has made us stronger

Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone is delighted with the way his summer signings have helped improve the team but refused to rule out more arrivals during this transfer window.

The Rojiblancos have signed a host of players over the past few months, including Mario Mandzukic from Bayern Munich, after losing some of their key components - namely Diego Cost - from their La Liga title-winning squad of last season.

Mandzukic got his Atleti career off to a perfect start when he scored in his side's second-leg Supercopa de Espana clash against rivals Real Madrid at the Vicente Calderon on Friday – a goal that clinched the trophy for Simeone's men.

And following his important strike against the European champions, Simeone was delighted with the impact of Mandzukic and fellow new arrivals Antoine Griezmann and Guilherme Siqueira.

"The new players give me other benefits. They are improving. I have seen an important match of Mandzukic, Griezmann gave us an improvement in the second half, Siqueira had a great game," Simeone said.

"The squad is not closed. Anything can happen.

"There have been at least four changes because Mandzukic is not [Diego] Costa, Griezmann is not [David] Villa, Siqueira is not Filipe [Luis] and we'll see how the team grows without losing the essence."

The Supercopa de Espana win over Real helped, in part, banish the memories of May when Atletico lost the Champions League final to their fierce rivals.

However, Simeone admits that, while his team's latest triumph cannot completely erase the disappointment of losing in Lisbon, the victory has given satisfaction to the Atleti players.

"It's not the same as the Champions League. We live today's game," he said.

"The other time it did not work out, but we are always competitive and that makes us very proud."

Simeone’s men kick off their title defence when they play their first game of the new Primera Liga season away to Rayo Vallecano on Monday.

 

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Berbatov: James was destined for a great club

Monaco forward Dimitar Berbatov says it was always clear that James Rodriguez would end up joining one of the world's biggest clubs.

James joined Real Madrid from Monaco in an €80 million move this summer after impressing during his time in Ligue 1 before lighting up the World Cup.

Berbatov says he knew his former team-mate was bound for a powerhouse club after just a few hours of training with him following his switch to Stade Louis II earlier this year.

"From my first training here, if you understand football, you could see James Rodriguez is a special player," Berbatov said.

"The way he passed the ball, the way he touched the ball. The way he moves on the pitch. You could see the way he was thinking.

"Personally, for me, it was clear that he was going to go to the biggest club. Manchester, Real Madrid, Barcelona, whatever."

Leonardo Jardim's side sit bottom of the French top flight after two losses in as many matches, a far cry from their 2013-14 season - in which they finished second under Claudio Ranieri, and lost only four times for the term.

A 2-1 loss at home to Lorient was followed by a 4-1 thrashing away at Bordeaux but Berbatov insisted his team-mates had worked hard ahead of their trip to unbeaten Nantes on Sunday.

"Obviously it is a bad start. Not the one we expected. The answer is not to worry too much," the Bulgarian said.

"Just keep on working, doing what the coach wants. When the next game comes we need to win. Every team is going to lose, every team is going to win.

"We're going to lose again sometime in the future but I hope it's not going to be on Sunday. We're working hard during the week. Very hard, actually, to correct every mistake we've made in the past two games.

"Hopefully we will do that on Sunday."

Berbatov refused to blame the slow start on the change of coach, claiming players are more than capable of adapting to slight alterations to game style.

"Football is a simple game. Not many things can be different. What difference can it make? You go out there, you play football. One, two touches. Simple," he said.

"You try to win, you try to score more goals than the opposition. There are small things that every coach brings when they go to a new team. Like, you need to press this way or the other way.

"But this is nothing new."

 

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Mourinho: Cech will be allowed to leave Chelsea

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has revealed that Petr Cech will be allowed to leave the club should he wish to find regular first team football.

The Czech Republic international found himself on the bench for the Blues' first Premier League match of the season as Thibaut Courtois was preferred to face Burnley.

Goal understands that Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain are preparing a bid for the 32-year-old, and Mourinho revealed that if Cech is unhappy he should be allowed to depart Stamford Bridge.

"I think if that moment came the hierarchy in my club, the owner and the board – I come after them – Petr deserves to sit with him and to listen to him," he told reporters.

"He deserves everything from this club. But this moment hasn't arrived yet."

Cech is closing in on 450 first team appearances for Chelsea having joined from Rennes in 2004, but has been told by the club to find a new team after falling behind Courtois in the pecking order.

And Mourinho revealed that he is yet to give the goalkeeper an explanation for his decision, though he would be happy to sit down with Cech should he require some further reasoning.

"If I speak with him, tomorrow I have to speak to another one, another one, another one. I've never done this in my career. I don’t have to speak to players about decisions.

"For me, it's the club, the team and then the players. The club is not under my control; the team, yes. So I want the players to see that everything I do is thinking about the team.

"I don't like to be always justifying my decisions to the players. They all know where my office is. If they need an explanation, I never close the door. I'll give one. Petr didn't come to me."

Despite claiming that Cech can leave the club, the former Real Madrid coach has also revealed that he would be happy to play him at any point in the coming season.

Though he concedes the shot-stopper needs to be playing games, he has not ruled out some rotation if Cech remains a Chelsea player.

"Petr has to play, Petr has to play. Obviously, I have no problems playing Petr in any match. It doesn't matter where, which competition.

"I'm so confident playing him. For me, if I decide to make that rotation when we have an accumulation of matches, it’s probably the easiest position to do it.

"We have two of the best three goalkeepers in the world."

 

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Van Gaal: Manchester United may buy more players

Louis van Gaal has hinted that Manchester United could further improve their squad before the summer transfer window closes.

The Red Devils kicked off their season with a shock 2-1 home defeat to Swansea, despite the presence of new signing Ander Herrera from Athletic Bilbao.

Luke Shaw and Marcos Rojo have also been purchased for over €55 million as United look to bounce back from last season's seventh-placed finish but Van Gaal says he has not yet finished his summer recruitment drive.

"You have to buy what can improve your team," the Dutchman told The Telegraph. "That's why I bought Rojo, because he can play here and here [in two positions]. So for us he is very good.

"No, no, we shall buy maybe more players. You never know."

United are interested in Real Madrid winger Angel Di Maria, who was excluded from the club's squad as they were beaten 1-0 by Atletico Madrid in Friday's Supercopa.

Reports suggest a deal worth over €60m is imminent but Van Gaal insists he is keen to further assess every member of his squad before investing further.

"I don't think it is fair for me to come here and fire all the players," he added. "So I give them a fair chance. I think.

"Now [after judging the players] you can say something."

 

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Borussia Dortmund 0-2 Bayer Leverkusen: BVB rocked by record-breaker Bellarabi

Karim Bellarabi scored the fastest goal in Bundesliga history as Bayer Leverkusen secured a shock 2-0 victory at Borussia Dortmund on the opening day of the new season.

The former Germany Under-21 winger took just nine seconds to give Roger Schmidt the lead at Signal Iduna Park, breaking Ulf Kirsten and Giovane Elber's previous record of 11 seconds.

Schmidt could not have wished for a better start to his first Bundesliga game in charge, having joined from Red Bull Salzburg during the close-season and, after taking the early lead, Leverkusen rarely looked like dropping points against last season's runners-up.

Dortmund's lacklustre display was compounded by a lack of fluency in the final third, as Jurgen Klopp's men struggled immensely to craft clear goal-scoring chances.

Entering his seventh season in charge of Dortmund, Klopp had been hoping to celebrate becoming the club's longest-serving coach with a victory and they enjoyed significant late pressure.

But Leverkusen added a second through Kiessling in stoppage time to wrap up a comfortable triumph for the away side.

Klopp spoke highly of Leverkusen in the build-up to the fixture, believing them to be stronger than last season under Schmidt and they went some way to proving him right by taking the lead in record-breaking fashion.

Bellarabi latched on to the ball on the edge of the area and, after poking the ball through Matthias Ginter's legs, fired a shot under Mitchell Langerak - all without a Dortmund player getting a touch on the ball.

The hosts left themselves open at the back as they searched an immediate response and Leverkusen playmaker Hakan Calhanoglu twice looked to capitalise, but he could not work Langerak with two long-range efforts.

Dortmund's incoherence in attack continued to play into the hands of their visitors, who could have doubled their lead in the 33rd minute.

Kiessling did well to knock a looping cross down for Sebastian Boenisch, but the left-back dragged his effort well wide.

Leverkusen continued to impress early in the second period and Bellarabi caused problems again in the 48th minute as his low cross was almost deflected past Langerak.

However, Dortmund grew in confidence as the match entered the final half-hour and a clever move inside the area nearly presented the hosts with a chance, but Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was unable meet Ciro Immobile's cut-back.

The hosts dominated possession in the final stages and they went close to restoring parity, but found Bernd Leno in inspired form.

Ginter met a looping corner with his head, only for Leno to powerfully palm clear before the Germany international denied Aubameyang after a quick free-kick.

And, after Bellarabi had robbed Erik Durm and squared to Kiessling, the strikermade no mistake to secure a fine victory in Schmidt's Bundesliga bow, while Klopp's men begin the campaign in unconvincing fashion and their attempts to keep pace with Bayern Munich already look under threat.

 

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Everton 2-2 Arsenal: Ramsey & Giroud rescue point for Gunners

Late goals from Aaron Ramsey and Olivier Giroud earned Arsenal a 2-2 draw with Everton at Goodison Park on Saturday afternoon.

First-half goals from Seamus Coleman and Steven Naismith had Roberto Martinez's side firmly in command as Arsenal laboured on the back of their midweek Champions League exertions in Turkey against Besiktas.

But Aaron Ramsey bounced back from his red card on Tuesday night to net his third goal in as many domestic appearances this term before half-time substitute Giroud headed home from Nacho Monreal's 90th-minute cross to snatch a point.

Despite scoring on the opening weekend against Leicester City, Aiden McGeady dropped to the Everton bench as Belgium forward Kevin Mirallas earned a starting role.

Arsenal welcomed back Germany World Cup winners Per Mertesacker and Mesut Ozil, while Alexis Sanchez was handed a central striking role for the first time by Arsene Wenger.

Steven Pienaar's early departure through injury appeared to unsettle Everton and a badly misjudged 15th-minute clearance by Coleman saw Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain shoot narrowly wide from the edge of the area.

But Coleman soon settled his and Everton's nerves when he stole in behind Ozil to head home Gareth Barry's sublime 19th-minute cross.

Three minutes later, Naismith flicked on another excellent lofted pass from Barry to send Mirallas bearing down on goal, but he could only stab wide under pressure from Calum Chambers and Arsenal goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny.

Mirallas then grazed the top of the netting with a 35th-minute free-kick before, just as it appeared Arsenal had weathered the storm, Everton doubled their advantage on the stroke of half-time.

Romelu Lukaku sent Mertesacker tumbling and raced towards the visitors' goal, eventually picking the perfect pass for Naismith to produce a measured finish - despite strong suspicions of offside.

Wenger replaced Alexis with Giroud at half-time and the France striker almost made an instant impact, smashing a volley over on the end of Oxlade-Chamberlain's raking pass within a minute of the restart.

Barry continued to orchestrate the play wonderfully for Everton in midfield and Jack Wilshere offered a demonstration of Arsenal's frustrations when he scythed through his one-time England team-mate and was shown a deserved yellow card.

Ramsey played in Giroud to rifle a shot narrowly wide from the edge of the area midway through the second half before the Welsh midfielder drew a sharp stop from Tim Howard as Arsenal sought to launch a final assault.

Santi Cazorla - on for the ineffective WIlshere - injected some clever footwork and an excellent low cross for Ramsey to reduce the arrears with six minutes remaining, clearing the way for Giroud to steal the headlines.

 

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Arsenal lagen hoda comeback draw 1kak​

 

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Crystal Palace 1-3 West Ham: Zarate on target as managerless Eagles well beaten

Managerless Crystal Palace were beaten 3-1 by West Ham as Selhurst Park saw its first action of the Premier League season.

The impressive Mauro Zarate was brought into the starting line-up in the absence of injured captain Kevin Nolan and made the most of his opportunity by firing Sam Allardyce's side in front with a sublime volley in an eye-catching display.

Stewart Downing then produced another fine finish two minutes later to put the visitors in command at half-time in Saturday's London derby and Carlton Cole made sure with a third goal after Marouane Chamakh had given Palace hope by pulling a goal back against one of his former clubs.

Defeat for Palace was yet another setback in a turbulent week that saw them fail to appoint Tony Pulis's successor as manager, with Malky Mackay dropping out of contention after allegations were made of inappropriate text messages exchanged between him and Iain Moody during their time at Cardiff City.

Moody subsequently resigned from his role as sporting director at Palace and the club's hierarchy will need to act fast, on the evidence of this display, which saw West Ham secure their first top-flight win of the season and leave the hosts without a point.

Palace suffered another blow when they lost Joe Ledley to injury in the warm-up, with Stuart O’Keefe replacing him, but they created the first attack of note when Martin Kelly surged into the penalty area and fired over a cross which drew a fine defensive header from Joey O'Brien to thwart the home side.

Zarate was fortunate to escape punishment for a late challenge on O'Keefe and the Argentine forward was then involved in a move which ended with Aaron Cresswell's tame shot being deflected for a corner.

The former Lazio man was causing Palace problems in behind Cole and put the visitors in front with a moment of class 34 minutes in. Stand-in skipper Mark Noble's shot was blocked and the ball looped into the path of Zarate, who beat Julian Speroni with a stunning right-footed volley from 20 yards out.

Things went from bad to worse for Palace two minutes later when Downing picked up the ball wide on the right and cut in unchallenged before bending a measured finish into the far corner from just outside the penalty area to stun the home supporters.

Tomkins should have added a third goal when he rose to meet Downing's corner and headed against the crossbar just after the break.

And West Ham nerves were sent jangling when Chamakh found space 20 yards from goal before driving a right-footed strike just inside Adrian's right post to give Palace a lifeline.

The home side looked vulnerable at the back, though, and were made to pay for some dreadful defending after 62 minutes as they failed to deal with a free-kick looped into the penalty area and Cole was on hand to finish clinically.

Adrian denied substitute Glenn Murray in stoppage time after some great footwork in the box but West Ham comfortably saw out a deserved victory to heap more gloom on Selhurst Park.

 

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Chelsea 2-0 Leicester City: Costa strikes again as Hazard seals victory

Chelsea continued their solid start to the Premier League season with a comfortable 2-0 victory over Leicester City.

In their first home match of the campaign, the Foxes held out in the first half before the Blues' quality told after the interval.

Diego Costa netted a poacher's finish to break the deadlock before Eden Hazard doubled the advantage for Jose Mourinho's side with a fine strike that deflected off Wes Morgan.

Though Jose Mourinho's title hopefuls turned in a dazzling display to beat Burnley 3-1 in their opening fixture, with Costa starring, they found another newly promoted team a far tougher nut to crack on Saturday.

Goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois was every bit as busy as his Leicester counterpart, Kasper Schmeichel, during the opening hour, with David Nugent's failure to capitalise on a 55th-minute opening particularly costly for the visitors.

The hosts pushed forward early on and Cesc Fabregas - who had performed a star turn on his debut at Burnley - played in Costa to set up Andre Schurrle in the eighth minute but the Germany international shot over. Gary Cahill then had a shot blocked when Schmeichel flapped at a 20th-minute corner.

Nevertheless, the visitors made a confident start as Nugent, Jeffrey Schlupp and Riyad Mahrez all asked questions of the Chelsea defence.

Schurrle headed over when a previously low-key Hazard shimmied his way to the byeline, before Mahrez's own nifty footwork left Cesar Azpilicueta in his wake and created enough room for the winger to fire in a rasping 32nd-minute drive that Courtois had to beat away to safety.

The impressive Mahrez was guilty of overplaying as Azpilicueta snuffed out another promising attack and Chelsea responded, with City centre-back Morgan flinging himself forward to divert Costa's 36th-minute strike over the crossbar.

Oscar clipped an 18-yard effort against the the inside of post three minutes after half-time and, as Chelsea kept the ball alive, Ivanovic headed goalwards from Azpilicueta's cross to draw a fine stop from Schmeichel.

Courtois then found himself back in action to keep out Nugent's deflected attempt on the counterattack, although the sight of Schurrle curling a shot over the crossbar underlined Chelsea's continued threat.

Oscar had a 54th-minute penalty claim for handball rejected and, a few seconds later, Ivanovic hammered in a shot from distance to extend Schmeichel once more. Again, though, Courtois was forced to outdo his opposite number, saving superbly after Nugent had raced clear one-on-one only to produce a shot that lacked conviction.

Schmeichel still appeared destined to be the busier of the two, clawing Fabregas's dinked chip behind in the 58th minute before Leicester's resistance was finally broken five minutes later. Oscar sent Ivanovic racing into the City box and he found Costa, who scrambled the ball home under pressure.

Leicester faded as an attacking force thereafter while Chelsea introduced Didier Drogba late on for his second home Premier League bow.

But, despite seeing Hazard jink beyond substitute Marc Albrighton to rifle in a 77th-minute finish in some style, Leicester boss Nigel Pearson was given plenty of reason to be optimistic for the challenges ahead.

Chelsea, meanwhile, already look every bit title challengers.

 

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Swansea 1-0 Burnley: Dyer secures win as dream start continues for Monk's men

A Nathan Dyer goal gave Swansea a 1-0 win over newly-promoted Burnley at the Liberty Stadium on Saturday.

Garry Monk's men kicked off their campaign with a shock 2-1 success at Manchester United last weekend, but had to turn in a resolute second-half display to hold off a battling Burnley side.

The visitors threatened on a couple of occasions early on, but Swansea soon settled and showed great composure in dominating possession.

Nathan Dyer – a former Burnley loanee - deservedly put the home side in front following a darting run down the right in the 23rd minute and Swansea remained in control for the rest of the opening period.

Sean Dyche's Burnley team emerged for the second half with renewed energy, but saw a number of golden opportunities to equalise come and go.

Swansea held firm to claim all three points, while Burnley's search for a first win on their top-flight return goes on.

Both sides were unchanged from the opening weekend of the season, and Scott Arfield, who opened the scoring for Burnley in a 3-1 defeat to Chelsea on Monday, got the first sight of goal inside two minutes, but skewed his effort well wide of the target.

The visitors had to be alert moments later as Swansea broke quickly, Jason Shackell on hand to clear Wilfried Bony's header from a Wayne Routledge cross off the line.

Danny Ings fired narrowly over after being teed up by Lukas Jutkiewicz in the eighth minute and the forward was a central figure again as Burnley worked their way into the Swansea box moments later – goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski eventually thwarting the move.

Gylfi Sigurdsson should have put Swansea in front 18 minutes in, but Tom Heaton got down well to his left to deny the Iceland international's tame close-range effort from another Routledge cross.

But Swansea did break the deadlock five minutes later.

Dyer was given the space to sprint down the right into the Burnley area and, with options to his left, elected to go for goal himself, sneaking the ball inside the right-hand upright via a touch from the outstretched arm of Heaton.

Swansea dominated possession for the remainder of the half, but were unable to stretch their advantage as Sigurdsson volleyed over just before the break.

Burnley began the second half brightly and Ashley Williams had to dive in to deflect a Jutkiewicz strike wide after Jordi Amat's misplaced pass in the Swansea area, before Arfield ballooned an effort over Fabianski's crossbar.

Jutkiewicz eluded the Swansea defence to head agonisingly over the crossbar just after the hour mark as the visitors continued to press, and Fabianski touched wide from a low David Jones effort to keep the hosts in front.

Swansea's best chance of the second half fell to Ki Sung-yueng, but the South Korean was unable to keep his shot down after substitute Bafetimbi Gomis had come within inches of meeting a Jefferson Montero cross from the left.

In the end it did not matter, as Swansea held on for a second Premier League victory of 2014-15.