..::Football III::..

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Conte: Italy not fighting with Juventus

Italy head coach Antonio Conte has insisted that the national set-up are not at war with Juventus over the early withdrawal of defender Giorgio Chiellini.Azzurri team manager Gabriele Oriali hit out at the Serie A champions for recalling Chiellini, whose injury had ruled him out of both matches in the international break but who had been set to stay with the squad.

Juventus defended their decision and questioned Italy's response to their actions, but Conte has opted to end the back-and-forth sniping by stressing that Italy and his former club are trying to get along."With Chiellini has resulted this episode, we will need to use this experience to better handle these situations next time, both on the part of ourselves and on that of Juventus," Conte told reporters on Monday.

"But I am here to unite and not to divide. This is just an incident where there have been misunderstandings but it ends there, because Giorgio was injured and would not have played."Any consequences to this case? With Juve there will be no problems, it is right that is a spirit of collaboration [between clubs and the national team] if we want to achieve something important."

Conte took up the Italy job following the World Cup, having resigned as Juventus coach following three successive Scudetti.Azzurri kick off their Euro 2016 qualification campaign against Norway on Tuesday.

 

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Alcacer: Scoring first Spain goal was wonderful

Paco Alcacer was quick to express his delight after scoring his first goal for Spain in the 5-1 win over Macedonia on Monday.

The Valencia striker found the net in the 17th minute of the Euro 2016 qualifier, firing into an empty net from Juanfran's ball back across goal, doubling Spain's advantage after Sergio Ramos had opened the scoring with a penalty.Macedonia did pull one back thanks to an Agim Ibraimi spot kick, but Sergio Busquets' first goal for Spain and further strikes from the outstanding David Silva and Barcelona forward Pedro made it an easy victory for the reigning European champions.

Alcacer said that his goal, which he dedicated to his late father, was made even more enjoyable by the fact it came in the city of his birth at the home of Valencia's local rivals Levante. "I am very happy with the game. To play here on Levante's pitch in Valencia, my home, and to top it with a goal and a victory, is wonderful," the 21-year-old told TVE.

"This team has a lot of quality and it was only a matter of time before a big win was recorded with good play and goals. There are players with a lot of quality and that has been demonstrated."Of course this is for my father. I remember him every day. He's always with me and I dedicate this important goal."

Spain face away trips to play Slovakia and Luxembourg in Group C during the next international break in October.

 

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Hodgson: England got Swiss rewards

Roy Hodgson believes England fully got what they deserved in their 2-0 Euro 2016 qualifying win over Switzerland on Monday.

The Group E clash at St Jakob Park was billed as England's most difficult challenge in a pool that also includes Estonia, Lithuania, San Marino and Slovenia. And Hodgson's side produced an assured display, with a double from Danny Welbeck putting them firmly in control of Group E.

Welbeck broke the deadlock in the 58th minute, the forward finishing Raheem Sterling's excellent low delivery from the left at the back post.

Gary Cahill made a vital goalline block from Josip Drmic with 20 minutes remaining, and Welbeck made the most of England's reprieve deep into stoppage time, keeping his cool when one-on-one with Yann Sommer after being played in by Rickie Lambert.

Speaking after the game, Hodgson commended his team's performance and felt Welbeck's breakthrough was the key to success.

"I'm just pleased to see the boys play well the way we approached the game from the first minute was exactly what we wanted," he told ITV.

"We got our reward for once, we made hard work of it, there were plenty of chances before Danny's goal but it was a good performance against one of the best teams in the group.

"In the first half they were a bit content to let us dominate and we pressurised the ball well.

"You need that first goal to open people out, then they started to come at us. From then I thought we looked dangerous and we had several chances to aggravate the scoreline before Danny Welbeck's second."

Despite the win, Hodgson insists England can play better, adding: "I still think there are areas we have to improve, you can't expect players playing in their early games or even their debut not to make mistakes.

"There are areas we can work on and we have two years to do that."

 

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Del Bosque: Spain freedom let Silva shine

Spain boss Vicente del Bosque believes that a greater freedom to play his style allowed David Silva to shine as they defeated Macedonia 5-1 on Monday.

The Manchester City attacker was the best player on the field as la Roja bounced back from World Cup 2014 humiliation with a comfortable win in their opening Euro 2016 qualification match, scoring one and playing a large part in three of the other four goals.Del Bosque praised Silva's performance and confessed that Spain no longer command respect the way they did before this summer's tournament in Brazil, but hopes they can change that with more convincing wins.

"Certainly Silva was one of the players who was most prominent tonight," he told reporters. "This was because of the freedom he had."He tried and succeeded to connect with players up front. He has the individual talent to break defences apart.

"We know Spain have lost credibility due to the World Cup and now we have to go and prove ourselves all over again," Del Bosque added."To do that, we have to perform on the pitch, so we're trying to play well while scoring points to reach Euro 2016."

Spain are next in action away from home against Slovakia - second in Group C behind Del Bosque's men after they also won their opening game - on October 9.

 

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Leaving Manchester United is not a step back, insists Nani

Manchester United winger Nani insists that being loaned out to Sporting CP is not a "step back" for his career.

The Portugal international signed a new five-year contract at Old Trafford in September 2013 but, less than a year later, has returned to his former club as part of the deal to that takes Marcos Rojo to the Premier League.

The 27-year-old, however, claims that he chose Sporting over other teams interested in his signature.

"I do not think that it's a step back," Nani told Tutto Mercato. "I had other options but I decided to play at this club. It was my choice."

Nani initially left the Estadio Jose Alvalade for United in 2007 and made over 220 appearances in all competitions for the Red Devils.

But he played only 13 times for the English giants in 2013-14 as they finished seventh under David Moyes.

 

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South Korea 0 Uruguay 1: Stielike watches on as Gimenez strikes

The Uli Stielike era started in defeat for South Korea as Jose Gimenez's second-half header proved enough for Uruguay in a 1-0 win.

The former Germany international was appointed as South Korea's new coach last week, replacing Hong Myung-bo, and looked on from the stands at the Goyang Stadium.

It could not inspire the hosts, though, as Uruguay – playing their first game since a last-16 exit at the World Cup – proved too good.The visitors, missing the suspended Luis Suarez, dominated the first half but failed to score and when they did have the ball in the back of the net in the 62nd minute, Abel Hernandez's effort was disallowed.

South Korea then had a golden chance to take the lead when Ki Sung-yueng's lofted pass found Son Heung-min on his own. But with the goalkeeper to beat, Son could only shoot straight at Martin Silva.Gimenez made the hosts pay with 20 minutes left when he rose above Kim Joo-young to head in Giorgian de Arrascaeta's free-kick.

Gimenez's effort was almost cancelled out by Ki with five minutes to play, but the Swansea City man nodded his effort onto the crossbar.

 

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Mourinho: Van Gaal will succeed at Manchester United

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho expects Louis van Gaal to recover from the poor start to his reign at Manchester United and be a success at Old Trafford.

The Dutchman is still awaiting his first competitive win as United boss since being appointed as David Moyes's successor but has signed the likes of Argentina winger Angel Di Maria and Colombia striker Radamel Falcao as he works to rebuild his squad.

Mourinho, who worked under Van Gaal at Barcelona and cites the Red Devils boss as one of his managerial influences, has no doubts that the 63-year-old will reverse United's fortunes.

"He is one of the best managers in the world so I think he is a man with great experience for the job," Mourinho told Yahoo.

"Manchester United is a big team [and] he is a big manager so I think they will do well together."

By contrast to United, Chelsea have a 100 per cent record from their first three Premier League games and have already netted 11 goals.

Mourinho has adopted a more free-flowing style of play in his second spell at Stamford Bridge, although he warns that it is likely to cost his side points during the campaign.

"It's a direction we tried to establish since the beginning of last season but our squad now is different. We have different qualities now in our players," he added.

"The second season normally is a good season for a manager because you come from one season of work and you can choose a better direction you want to go and we feel comfortable and we feel happy the way we are doing things.

"Are we going to lose matches? Obviously, yes, but in this moment we are getting results and we are enjoying our style of play."

 

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Van Persie: I want to make 2018 World Cup

Netherlands international Robin van Persie is not thinking about retiring from international football and is determined to make it to the 2018 World Cup.The Manchester United attacker has been plagued by injuries throughout his career and some have suggested he might be better off saying farewell to the national team to protect his club career.

The 31-year-old, however, is keen to make it to another World Cup and aims to keep playing until he turns 40."I will do whatever it takes to make it to the 2018 World Cup," Van Persie was quoted as saying by De Volkskrant.

"I am living a calm and relaxed life. That should save me a few years. It's my goal to keep playing at the highest level for as long as possible and being available for the national team is part of that."I am 31 now and I have a little less than nine years to go. I won't be playing for a major club any more at the age of 40, although I do still want to be playing professional football at that age. That's my goal."

Van Persie has made 92 appearances for Netherlands, scoring 47 goals to become his country's all-time leading scorer.

 

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Reus ruled out for a month

Borussia Dortmund have confirmed that Marco Reus will miss approximately four weeks of action after picking up another ankle injury in Germany's 2-1 Euro 2016 qualifying victory over Scotland on Sunday night.

The attacker missed the World Cup due to an injury to his right ankle and following a challenge from Charlie Mulgrew at Signal Iduna Park there were fears that the joint had suffered another serious problem.

Dortmund have, however, indicated that his injury is not as serious as the 25-year-old’s previous issue.

BVB team doctor Markus Braun has suggested that Reus has strained his ligaments and will require four weeks rehabilitation to allow the injury to heal fully.

While it is good news for the Bundesliga runners-up that one of their most valued players will not miss too many fixtures, he has been ruled out of the Champions League clash with Arsenal in little over a week, while he will also likely miss the second fixture versus Anderlecht away from home. Additionally, he could miss as many as five league matches.

Reus now faces a race to be fit for Germany’s next Euro 2016 qualifying matches, which take place against Poland and the Republic of Ireland in mid-October.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Get well soon Reus!​

 

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Javier Hernandez will excel at Real Madrid, says De Gea

Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea is confident that Javier Hernandez will be a hit at Real Madrid.

The Mexico international has swapped Old Trafford for the Santiago Bernabeu on a season-long loan and now faces competition for places against the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema.

Despite this lofty company, De Gea is confident that his colleague will make himself useful to head coach Carlo Ancelotti.

"He is a great person – one of the best people I have met in football," the goalkeeper told Marca of Hernandez.

"He will do very good things in Madrid. He doesn't play very often but he scores a lot of goals."

Hernandez joined United in 2010 from Guadalajara and quickly established himself as a fans' favourite.

He scored 19 goals in 44 appearances in all competitions in 2010-11 as the Red Devils won the Premier League and reached the Champions League final.

Hernandez weighed in with 10 goals in each of the 2011-12 and 2012-13 Premier League seasons but netted just four top-flight goals last term in a campaign that saw him make only six starts.

 

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Atletico can win it all, says Miranda

Atletico Madrid defender Miranda is confident the reigning Spanish champions have what it takes to challenge for several trophies this season.The Vicente Calderon side won La Liga last term, while also reaching the Champions League final and the last four of the Copa del Rey.

They have since lost a number of key players, including top scorer Diego Costa, yet Miranda sees little reason for pessimism, particularly as the Spain striker has been replaced by Mario Mandzukic."I think Atletico can battle to win all of the competitions they are in this season," Miranda told AS.

"We’ll do what we can to bring more silverware to the club. Up until now I’ve been able to be a part of many of the team’s successes and I’m very grateful to the club for that."We are going to try to emulate all of the successes from last season.

"I don’t think we will struggle after the departures of Thibaut Courtois, Diego Costa and Filipe Luis. The club has brought in some great replacements."
Atleti currently sit sixth in La Liga with four points from two games.

 

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Pirlo: I am still available for Italy

Juventus midfielder Andrea Pirlo has come back on his decision to retire from international duty after speaking to Italy coach Antonio Conte.

The 35-year-old had previously suggested that he would say farewell to the national team after the World Cup, but he has now decided different."I have spoken with Antonio Conte and I've told him that I'm available for Italy," Pirlo told reporters.

"It was a difficult decision to take. I had wanted to stop playing for the national side but he took over and he asked me to lend a hand. I am happy to do that and we are hopeful we can achieve great things together."I saw the game against Netherlands (2-0 win) and you could already see Conte's influence."

Pirlo, who missed last week's win over Netherlands due to injury, then went on discuss Juventus' chances in Serie A and their Champions League ambitions and warned that Roma should not be underestimated."In Serie A, Roma are the team we have to fear most.

"We have to do better than last season in the Champions League. I think we have a good chance of making it to the knockout stages."

 

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Van Gaal will come good at Manchester United - Jones

Phil Jones has backed Louis van Gaal's philosophy despite it coming under scrutiny after Manchester United's slow start to the season.

The Dutchman has deployed a 3-5-2 formation, although he is yet to win a competitive match - with the Premier League following up an opening-day loss to Swansea with two draws in the Premier League.

Most notably, United were thrashed 4-0 by MK Dons in the League Cup, but Jones insists their new formation is not the problem.

"I personally enjoy the system," Jones is quoted as saying by Manchester Evening News.

"When everyone is working well together and knows what they should be doing on the pitch then it certainly works and is very difficult for teams to play against.

"I think the more we train and play, the more people understand their role on the pitch."

Jones earned his 12th England cap in their 1-0 friendly win over Norway at Wembley on Wednesday and the former Blackburn Rovers man hopes his club form can assist his international ambitions.

"I hope I can play well for United and, ultimately, nailing down a starting spot [for England] is the aim for anybody that's in the squad," he said.

"Everybody wants to start, but you have to prove yourself first. I hope starting for United under the new manager will help me achieve that.

"I have always said I would like to play at centre-back for both club and country so, hopefully, I can do that."

 

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Benatia: Barcelona & Real Madrid also wanted me

Bayern Munich defender Mehdi Benatia has revealed that Real Madrid and Barcelona were also keen to sign him after Roma decided to sell the defender this summer.

The Morocco international was heavily linked with Premier League sides such as Chelsea and Manchester City throughout the summer transfer window, but he has now revealed that both Clasico clubs also made an approach for him, before he eventually moved to the Allianz Arena for an initial transfer fee of €26 million."Manchester City and Chelsea wanted me, while there were also approaches from Real Madrid and Barcelona," Benatia was quoted as saying by Kicker.

"I discussed my future with Roma sporting director Walter Sabatini. He told me that the club wanted to hold on to me, but that they needed the money from a sale. That annoyed me, because I initially wanted to stay put."But let it be clear, I was happy to join Bayern Munich. I like Munich - even if it's a bit cold here."

The 27-year-old then went on to stress that he doesn't feel any extra pressure because of his €26m pricetag."It doesn't make any difference for me whether I join a club on a free transfer or for a big fee," the centre-half insisted.

 

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International Friendly Fixtures 2014.09.09

International Friendly Fixtures 2014.09.09

Japan Vs Venezuela

Kuwait Vs Bahrain

Brazil Vs Ecuador

China Vs Jordan

Canada Vs Jamaica

Mexico Vs Bolivia

Qatar Vs Peru

Chile Vs Haiti​

 

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European Championship Qualifying Fixtures 2014.09.09

European Championship Qualifying Fixtures 2014.09.09

Group A

Kazakhstan Vs Latvia

Czech Republic Vs Netherlands

Iceland Vs Turkey

Group H

Azerbaijan Vs Bulgaria

Croatia Vs Malta

Norway Vs Italy

Group B

Andorra Vs Wales

Bosnia Vs Cyprus​

 

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Spain 5-1 Macedonia: European champions bounce back from World Cup woes

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[Wolverine GTR]

Reus ayeth injured lu neda

Ow machan Reus ayeth injued1 month miss wei kiyala kiyanne

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[charitha chandi]

ow ban, sira kathawa..!