..::Football III::..

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Age cannot stop Ronaldo, says Valdano

Former Real Madrid director Jorge Valdano believes Cristiano Ronaldo will continue to shine for the club long into his thirties.


The Portugal international will turn 30 in February 2015, yet Valdano has little doubt Ronaldo will continue to be a major force in European football for many more years.


"Normally, age starts playing a role in football as you get older. But Ronaldo is exceptional on all counts, including this," Valdano was quoted as saying by Marca."Cristiano is a tremendous player. He is always looking for perfection and is incredibly ambitious, which only spurs on his team-mates. This is worth a lot, just like all his goals.


"I think Ronaldo is the only player in the world who could play in each position in attack and be dominant regardless of where he plays."The shortest distance between two points is the distance between Ronaldo and the goal..."


Ronaldo has already netted 10 goals in fiva La Liga appearances so far this term, while also scoring once in the Champions League and twice in the European Supercup.

 

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Gundogan nears Dortmund comeback

Borussia Dortmund midfielder Ilkay Gundogan is hopeful of making his comeback from injury after the international break in October.The Germany international has been out of action with a back injury ever since the 4-0 Bundesliga win over Augsburg in August 2013, but he is confident he can return within the next two weeks.


"I feel that I'm edging ever-closer to my former self," Gundogan was quoted as saying by Kicker."My comeback isn't too far away any more. I could be back after the international break.


"I have already pencilled out the entire day and I will thoroughly enjoy my comeback."I felt like a 90-year-old when I had just picked up the injury.
"I never considered the option that I could be forced to retire from football, but it was obviously the worst experience of my career."


Dortmund meet Koln on October 18 in their first game after the international break. They are currently preparing for the Champions League match against Anderlecht, before taking on Hamburg at the weekend.

 

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Arsenal must avenge 6-0 Chelsea loss - Oxlade-Chamberlain

Arsenal have a point to prove against Chelsea next weekend after their 6-0 humiliation last season, according to Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.

The heavy defeat in March ended any hopes Arsenal had of lifting the Premier League title as Arsene Wenger celebrated his 1000th game in charge of the club.

Arsenal head to Chelsea on the back of a 1-1 draw with Tottenham, with Oxlade-Chamberlain netting the equaliser, and the England international believes the squad can take confidence for their unbeaten start.

"We do understand what happened there last season," he told reporters. "Maybe we have got a point to prove there, we know this year we have got to step up in the big games and get some results in them.

"We're really looking forward to that game and I definitely think we can go there with confidence.

"I have belief in my team-mates and we believe in ourselves to be able to go to a place like Chelsea and set the tempo and hopefully take control of the game.

"There will be times in the game, I'm sure, when they have a spell because they are a top team.

"It's two good sides, they are going to have their time, we are going to have ours. We just have to make sure that when we do have our chances we make them count."

Ahead of Sunday's trip Arsenal face Galatasaray in the Champions League at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday.

 

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Mourinho: Costa will play against Sporting AND Arsenal

Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho is expecting to start top scorer Diego Costa against both Sporting on Wednesday and Arsenal at the weekend, despite fears over the Spain international's fitness.

Costa has started life at Stamford Bridge in explosive form, scoring eight goals in seven games in all competitions and racing to the top of the Premier League goalscoring charts.

But Mourinho indicated that the striker is doing "almost nothing" in training due to an ongoing muscle problem, but will risk the former Atletico Madrid man in the Champions League clash in Portugal, despite a meeting with the Gunners being just days away.

"Diego Costa will start (tomorrow's game) and hopefully he plays on Sunday against Arsenal," revealed the Portuguese ahead of his side's Champions League group clash in Lisbon.

Mourinho also confirmed Didier Drogba had not travelled to Portugal and is facing an absence due to injury.

He added: "Didier Drogba will be out for a couple of weeks, he has a problem with his ankle and wasn't able to travel."

Chelsea started their Champions League campaign this season with a 1-1 draw against Schalke at Stamford Bridge.

Meanwhile, Costa has fired the Blues to the top of the Premier League table with eight goals, including one against Aston Villa on Saturday.

"He (Costa) cannot be on top of his game," Mourinho said after the victory. "He's doing almost nothing in training. He's just resting and recovering from the tight muscle he has."

 

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Van Gaal backs Giggs to be next Manchester United manager

Louis van Gaal has backed Ryan Giggs to succeed him as Manchester United manager.

The 40-year-old ended his 24-year playing career earlier this summer to take up a position as the Dutchman’s assistant.

Van Gaal, who gave a speech which lasted nearly seven minutes at a charity tribute dinner to Giggs at Old Trafford last Thursday, hailed the former midfielder’s transition into coaching and claims his new assistant has worked "miracles" in his new backroom role.

Van Gaal’s speech in full…

"I am wandering the streets in the evening because I have to spoil my woman. I am wandering the streets to pick out a restaurant in Manchester and in five metres I can walk and then 'I want a picture of you'. Then I say 'five points out of five matches?'. 'But we have confidence in you'.

"Because it is a great position, also, I have to admit it is not simple but I want to speak to you to give my promise that I shall do my utmost best and I have to say that all the players are doing their utmost best. I am very pleased with the behaviour of my players but I am more pleased with the guest of honour tonight [Giggs].

"I want to explain it. Because I am a popular coach, I put him in the centre of attention tonight but he doesn't need it, he doesn't need it. But I am a coach who has given a lot of trainees in my period of manager training clubs, and in two months I have seen a human being, because I am always seeing not a training coach or a manager or a player, I see the human being. Today I have said in the press conference that we can make errors and we have to train, work and then we shall improve.

"But I have seen a lot of trainees and I have thought that Ryan Giggs is a trainee but he isn't a trainee, he is an exception. I have seen a lot of trainees and I am very happy with him because he has showed already that he can communicate with the group in front of him.

“And I have seen that he can explain what - how do you say in English? - what is the issue of the training session. And he can say it in a different way, which is a miracle because not so many ex-players can do that.

“But not only that, Ryan, you are in my opinion a very nice guy and that's for me the most important thing. Of course I admired Ryan Giggs as a player, maybe much more that you do.

"I do know now I've 'enticed' [provoked] you. I learnt that word off Mr Ryan Giggs. But he is so modest, so normal, and you [Giggs] are a great star. No, no, no, you have to listen. Because he is the star of the evening and really deserves that and I am convinced that you are - how do you call it in English? - 'Ok, this Van Gaal is over, he [Giggs] is the man!'."

 

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San Siro not good enough for AC Milan, says Berlusconi

AC Milan director Barbara Berlusconi has revealed that the Serie A giants are looking into the possibility of moving away from San Siro.


The famous 80,000-capacity stadium, home of both Milan clubs, was opened in 1926 and later named in honour of Giuseppe Meazza, who played for Inter and the Rossoneri.Berlusconi feels it is time for Milan to move forward, though, although she is unsure whether it will be possible.


"San Siro is a marvellous stadium, where the history and the apex of Milan and Inter was reached, but it isn't enough anymore," Berlusconi told Rai 1.
"Stadiums have to provide different services and infrastructure to be open seven days a week, not just on match day."Now in Italy there are so many difficulties. There's little economic support from the state, the region or the council.


"Italy's football is a microcosm of what is happening in the country in general, that of a country that does not want to renew itself."San Siro was last renovated ahead of the 1990 World Cup.

 

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Real Madrid confirm AC Milan friendly and refuse to deny Santiago Bernabeu will be renamed

Real Madrid will play AC Milan in a prestigious friendly in Dubai on December 30, Blancos director of institutional relations Emilio Butragueno has confirmed.

Butragueno was in Dubai on Monday together with Milan legend Franco Baresi to announce and promote the friendly, which will be played at the Dubai Sevens Stadium.

But the former Madrid striker was caught off guard when asked to confirm whether Real Madrid are negotiating a deal with IPIC (International Petroleum Investment Company) to rename their stadium from Santiago Bernabeu to Abu Dhabi Santiago Bernabeu.

A hesitant Butragueno said: "We are here to talk about this game and I think we should focus on that. This is our first game here in Dubai, a great opportunity. That [IPIC - Real Madrid] is a different matter."


Madrid president Florentino Perez unveiled plans for the €400 million renovation of the club's famous home last year and the construction magnate claimed much of the development would be paid for by the sale of naming rights for the ground.


Perez said he was in talks with 10 different companies over the naming rights and it was strongly suggested in the Spanish press this year that IPIC would pay between €450 and €500m over 20 years for the stadium to be known officially as the Abu Dhabi Santiago Bernabeu.


IPIC is an Abu Dhabi-based company owned by the Abu Dhabi government, which itself recently made one of its banks, the National Bank of Abu Dhabi (NBAD), Real Madrid's official banking partner.

 

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Ramsey sidelined for six weeks

 

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Arsenal must avenge 6-0 Chelsea loss - Oxlade-Chamberlain

 

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UEFA Champions League 2014.09.30 Fixtures

UEFA Champions League 2014.09.30 Fixtures

CSKA Vs Bayern

PSG Vs Barcelona

Schalke Vs Maribor

APOEL Vs Ajax

Shakhtar Vs Porto

BATE Vs Athletic Bilbao

Manchester City Vs Roma

Sporting Vs Chelsea

 

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Shakhtar Donetsk 2-2 Porto: Two late Martinez goals give Portuguese point from nowhere

Two last-gasp goals from Jackson Martinez rallied Porto to a stunningly late comeback to secure a 2-2 draw at Shakhtar Donetsk on Tuesday.

Shakhtar looked destined for victory after Luiz Adriano tapped in with five minutes to go to add to the lead given to them earlier in the second half by Alex Teixeira.
However, Porto, who had a Yacine Brahimi first-half penalty saved by Andriy Pyatov, staged a stunning late fightback.They were given a lifeline in the final minute when Yaroslav Rakitskiy was penalised for handball in the box and substitute Martinez tucked in the resulting spot kick.

And Porto claimed the unlikeliest of points when Martinez, who had been introduced in the 65th minute, stole in at the near post to finish Cristian Tello's low cross in the 93rd minute.

The draw extends Porto's unbeaten start to the season and gives them a point to add to the three they earned in the first round of Group H matches, courtesy of their 6-0 home win over BATE.While Porto took full advantage of the numerous chances that came their way against BATE, Julen Lopetegui's men were wasteful in the extreme at Shakhtar on Tuesday until the dying moments.

Perhaps assisted by the fact that this game was played 760 miles away from Shakhtar's Donbass Stadium as a result of the unrest in Ukraine, Porto played with far greater authority than expected for an away side.

This enabled them to create a string of openings, including two in the first 10 minutes, with Vincent Aboubakar pulling an effort wide from 20 yards before Danilo went even closer with a shot of his own from further out, after having nipped in to steal the ball following a misplaced Shakhtar pass.Midway through the half, Porto were given an even better chance to open the scoring when they were awarded a penalty for Oleksandr Kucher's trip on Brahimi.

The Algeria midfielder, who scored a hat-trick against BATE, took the spot kick himself, but placed it at a good height and too close to Pyatov, who dived to his right to palm it away.Porto finished the half by spurning another great chance as Tello ended a marauding run forward with a shot past the far post.

However, the away side gifted Shakhtar the lead after 52 minutes.Oliver Torres dwelt on the ball, allowing Kucher to steal it in the Porto box and draw out Fabiano before playing a square ball to Teixeira for the simplest of finishes into an empty net.

For the remainder of the game, Porto launched a siege on the Shakhtar goal, with Brahimi, Juan Quintero and Martinez all denied by the excellent Pyatov.Porto's chance of claiming anything from the game looked to have gone with five minutes to go when Shakhtar hit them on the break and Adriano tapped home Bernard's pass at the back post.

However, Porto refused to give in and their persistence was rewarded when Rakitskiy handled in the box and Martinez slotted home from the spot before the same player found himself in the perfect place to tap in and rescue a point with the 2-2 draw.

 

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Manchester City 1-1 Roma: Timeless Totti leaves Blues facing uphill struggle

Manchester City are five points off the top of Champions League group E following a 1-1 draw at home to Roma.

The hosts enjoyed a near-perfect start on Tuesday as Sergio Aguero won and converted an early penalty before familiar frailties in Europe's premier competition reared their head once again.

Their defence was rarely allowed to settle as Roma flowed forward and took complete control of midfield, with Miralem Pjanic to the fore.The Bosnia international supplied the ammunition for Francesco Totti to find a 23rd-minute leveller with a brilliant clipped finish, becoming the oldest scorer in Champions League history in the process.

Although Roma failed to recreate their first-half dominance after the break, the draw does far more favours for them in the wake of an opening-day 5-1 victory over CSKA Moscow.The Russian champions are up next for City, who are winless in two outings and yet to score from open play.

As expected, Joe Hart returned in goal for City in place of Willy Caballero after two games on the bench, while there was also a change in goal for Roma as Morgan De Sanctis (groin) failed a late fitness test, meaning Lukasz Skorupski was handed a rare start.

Experienced City centre-back Martin Demichelis replaced Eliaquim Mangala following the latter's shaky showing in Saturday’s 4-2 win over Hull City, facing up a Roma attack featuring Totti, Gervinho and Alessandro Florenzi.

Roma right-back Maicon returned to face his former club and displayed the inauspicious form on show all too often during his season at the Etihad Stadium when he hauled back Aguero to concede a fourth-minute penalty.Aguero coolly converted to set his side on the way, but Maicon almost made amends at the other end when he flashed a venomous strike against the underside of the crossbar, and the Italians quickly set about their rivals.

That close call appeared to rob City of their early poise and Hart was out sharply in the 18th minute after Gervinho had evaded Vincent Kompany, but the equaliser was soon to arrive from a familiar source.Totti spun in behind Kompany to collect a perfectly weighted pass from the excellent Pjanic and lifted a superb finish over Hart, who stumbled as he rushed from his goal.

Roma were fortunate not to concede a second penalty when a prone Kostas Manolas blocked Jesus Navas' cutback with his outstretched arm, but the visitors almost led after 43 minutes when Gervinho raced beyond Gael Clichy and Demichelis to draw a fine save from Hart.James Milner replaced Navas at half-time as Manuel Pellegrini sought to stem Roma's midfield dominance, but Hart was again the goalkeeper in action seven minutes after the restart.

Florenzi's cross struck a flat-footed Demichelis and fell invitingly for Pjanic, with the England keeper spreading himself well to keep the scoreline level.Pjanic then arched a curling 25-yard effort narrowly wide as City laboured, despite Milner injecting energy to proceedings.

City midfielder Fernandinho exchanged passes with Yaya Toure and the recently introduced Frank Lampard to prompt a vital last-ditch challenge from Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa in the 60th minute.Five minutes later Pjanic lashed a shot over from the edge of the area - a moment of wastefulness out of keeping with his all-round display - before Skorupski got down well to his left to stop Lampard continuing a purple patch in front of goal.

David Silva prodded the ball narrowly wide in the third minute of injury time, but City have plenty to do if they are to avoid a third group-stage exit in four seasons.Bayern Munich's 1-0 win in Moscow earlier on Tuesday leaves Pep Guardiola's side on six points, with Roma in second with four points from their first two matches.

 

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Paris Saint-Germain 3-2 Barcelona: Matuidi strike settles classic in French capital

A goal from Blaise Matuidi was ultimately enough for Paris Saint-Germain as they beat Barcelona 3-2 in a Champions League thriller on Tuesday.

The Ligue 1 champions were without talismanic striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic as well as Thiago Silva and Ezequiel Lavezzi, but held off late Barca pressure to end the visitors' unbeaten start to the campaign and dampen an historic occasion for midfielder Xavi.

Coming off the bench to make a record 143rd appearance in the Champions League proper, the former Spain international was on the losing side after defender David Luiz - a target for the Spanish giants in the close-season - showed his quality in the final third with a smart turn and finish to give PSG what proved to be a short-lived lead after 10 minutes.

Lionel Messi was the man to restore parity less than two minutes later in the Group F clash as he swept home Barca's 500th Champions League goal, although PSG were ahead again shortly before the half-hour mark.

After Marc-Andre ter Stegen failed to collect a deep corner, Marco Verratti headed home his first PSG goal, with Blaise Matuidi making it 3-1 early in the second half.

While Neymar's smart finish from inside the area gave Barca hope, PSG had not lost at home in Europe since November 2006 - a record they maintained with some stoic late defending.

When Sergio Busquets lost possession cheaply early on, former Barca man Thiago Motta blazed PSG's first attempt over the crossbar as the hosts began brightly.

That lively opening was rewarded when Luiz brought down Lucas Moura's free kick and rolled the ball past Ter Stegen as Barca conceded the first competitive goal of Luis Enrique's tenure.

PSG's joy was brief, however, as Messi capped off a slick exchange with Andres Iniesta to level and end his run of three Champions League games without a goal - the Argentina star's longest goalless sequence since May 2009.

Edinson Cavani was next to go close - the Uruguayan firing over from distance after bamboozling Jeremy Mathieu - before Neymar could only prod Messi's expertly dinked throughball over the crossbar.

Verratti then took advantage of some questionable goalkeeping from Ter Stegen, heading in Motta's looping corner after 26 minutes.

While Messi came close with a curled free kick, PSG maintained their lead until the break and Cavani threatened soon after the interval as he cut inside Jeremy Mathieu and into a shooting position, only to slip at the vital moment.

PSG's pressure eventually brought a third goal after 54 minutes when Matuidi swept home Gregory van der Wiel's delivery from the right, although, as in the first half, Barca hit back soon after.

Neymar controlled Dani Alves' delivery on his chest and delicately placed the ball past Salvatore Sirigu before Xavi came on to make Champions League history.

Iniesta - making his 100th appearance in the competition - fired over late on and Marquinhos then blocked Jordi Alba's goalbound effort.

Substitute Munir El Haddadi struck the post with a fierce drive, but Barca's search for a point proved in vain as the home side picked up their first win in Europe this term.

 

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Sporting Lisbon 0-1 Chelsea: Matic header gives Blues narrow win

Nemanja Matic's header was enough to hand Chelsea a narrow 1-0 win at Sporting Lisbon and send Jose Mourinho's men to the top of group G in the Champions League.

Matic, who spent three years in Lisbon with Sporting's great rivals, Benfica, before returning to the Blues in January, converted Cesc Fabregas's cross after 34 minutes.

The Serb found the net in a half dominated by the visitors but the home side proved more competitive after the break to leave the result in doubt up until the final whistle.

The result sees Chelsea bounce back from their draw with Schalke at Stamford Bridge on matchday 1, while Sporting, who had previously lost just one of nine home fixtures against English opposition, will rue the end of an unbeaten run at the Estadio Jose Alvalade that stretched to 16 matches in European competition.

Having previously claimed that in-form frontman Diego Costa was incapable of playing multiple matches in a week, Jose Mourinho named the Spain international in his starting XI for the second time in four days, while captain John Terry made his 100th Champions League outing.

Costa was in the thick of the action early on - failing to slip a shot past advancing Sporting goalkeeper Rui Patricio after being sent clean through in the second minute.

It was the visitors who were dictating the early pace but Thibaut Courtois had to be on guard to scoop up a low Jonathan Silva cross from the left when Sporting looked to threaten the Chelsea goal for the first time.

Patricio got down well to deny Andre Schurrle as the Germany forward tried to round the goalkeeper after getting on the end of an Oscar through-ball in the 15th minute before Islam Slimani's downward header at the other end was comfortably held by Courtois.

Schurrle should have done better than skew wide of the left-hand post when Eden Hazard found him with a cut back in the 22nd minute but Matic finally made the breakthrough 12 minutes later. The 26-year-old midfielder peeled off at the back post to meet a Cesc Fabregas free from the left, sending a looping header over a helpless Patricio and into the back of the net.

A push by Filipe Luis on Nani on the edge of the Chelsea box drew the ire of all in green and white five minutes into the second half before Oscar squandered a one-on-one opportunity similar to Costa's early chance.

Sporting certainly looked more alert at the start of the second half - Nani sent an effort into the side netting, while Adrian Silva swerved a volley over the crossbar.

Filipe Luis and Mohamed Salah went close for Chelsea in the closing stages, while a curling strike from Nani whistled narrowly wide, and Mourinho may be concerned by his side's failure to put the match to bed.

However, news of a draw in Group G's other fixture between Schalke and Maribor, along with Costa's ability to last the full 90 minutes, should soon bring a smile back to the face of the Chelsea boss after picking up a valuable three points in his homeland.

 

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BATE 2-1 Athletic Bilbao: Karnitskiy compounds Basque side's poor form

Athletic Bilbao's poor run of form this season continued as they were shocked by BATE in the Champions League on Tuesday, losing 2-1.

The Belarusian champions marked the Borisov Arena's maiden Champions league tie with a stirring performance that went some way to putting right the 6-0 defeat at Porto in Group H.

BATE controlled the first half and roused the passionate home crowd after 19 minutes through Denis Polyakov's close-range strike.

The lively Nikolay Signevich's wonderful volley then hit the post but Aleksandr Karnitskiy's deflected effort doubled the hosts' advantage.

Aritz Aduriz pulled one back just before half-time but BATE looked the more likely to score next, with Signevich going close.

And they maintained their advantage to record a first win in the competition since October 2012, with Bilbao's miserable start to the season continuing.

After a tight opening to the game, the BATE fans were sent into raptures with 19 minutes gone as Maksim Volodko's near-post corner was flicked into the path of the unmarked Polyakov and he volleyed home from close range.

Bilbao have only scored once in their five previous matches and struggled to make inroads in the first half. Even when Benat was allowed to chest the ball down under no pressure, he could only fire wide.

But the hosts were inches away from doubling the advantage as Karnitski's cross was met by a sumptuous Signevich volley on the right that cannoned back off the post with Gorka Iraizoz well beaten.

And they got a well-deserved second after 41 minutes as Signevich fed Karnitskiy, who created space with a neat flick 15 yards out and, though his shot was weak, a wicked deflection off Andoni Iraola wrong-footed Iraizoz as the ball spun in at the near post.

The hosts were all over Bilbao but the Liga side got back in it a minute before half-time as Iker Muniain's wonderful control allowed him to feed Aduriz, and he fired past Sergey Chernik from 12 yards for his fifth goal of the season.

Signevich proved a real handful and could have added to the lead soon after half-time but his precise effort was weak and Iraizoz made the save.

And the hosts almost caught Bilbao sleeping again after 56 minutes when a quick throw-in found Maksim Volodko in the area but he could not hit the target.

Signevich could have wrapped it up 20 minutes from time as Ander Iturraspe was dispossessed but he got the ball stuck under his feet and saw his shot diverted over, with BATE seeing the game out to record a memorable triumph.

 

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APOEL 1-1 Ajax: Manduca ensures the spoils are shared in Cyprus

Ajax were held to their second 1-1 draw of this season's Champions League group stage by APOEL on Tuesday.

The Brazilian made no mistake from 12 yards to secure a share of the spoils, but the Cypriot side had to withstand intense pressure in the closing minutes.

After controlling the early exchanges Frank de Boer's side opened the scoring two minutes before the half-hour mark as Lucas Andersen netted his first European goal.

APOEL were only briefly behind, though, as Manduca converted from the spot three minutes later after Ricardo van Rhijn had been penalised for handball.

Both sides wasted second-half chances to take the lead, with Lasse Schone and Cillian Sheridan guilty of poor finishing.

The draw means Ajax have picked up a point from each of their matches in Group F so far, keeping them ahead of APOEL, who were beaten by Barcelona on matchday one.

After his hat-trick against NAC Breda on Saturday, Kolbeinn Sigthorsson should have netted his first Champions League goal in just the second minute.

Andersen sprayed a pass to the right where the unmarked Davy Klaassen played a first-time pass into the striker, but he fired wide from six yards.

Seven minutes later Ajax produced an almost carbon copy of the earlier move but once again the Iceland international was unable to convert as Klaassen's cross eluded him.

The visitors were controlling possession and in the 28th minute they got their reward as Andersen opened the scoring from the edge of the penalty area.

The Dane played a neat pass into Schone, who returned to the starting line-up following a groin injury. Schone's effort was saved by Urko Pardo but Andersen pounced on the rebound.

Three minutes later the sides were level again, though, as Van Rhijn was adjudged to have handled the ball inside his own area.

A spot-kick was awarded despite Ajax protests and Manduca, in for Tomas De Vincenti, cooly slotted home from 12 yards.

As half-time approached APOEL, having soaked up more Ajax pressure, should have taken the lead but Sheridan was agonisingly short of converting Manduca's cross.

Nine minutes after the break both sides had a chance to take the lead in the space of 30 seconds, but Schone's effort was weak and Sheridan could not divert a header on target at the other end.

APOEL felt they should have had a man advantage on 56 minutes when Cillessen brought down Sheridan outside the area. However, the Netherlands goalkeeper was only booked and Mario Sergio wasted the resulting free kick.

Cillessen then came to Ajax's rescue as he got down brilliantly to keep out a low, 20-yard drive from Mario Sergio.

He very nearly turned provider too as his long ball forward was picked up by Sigthorsson, whose effort was blocked by Pardo.

Sigthorsson's frustrating night in front of goal continued as he saw a looping header land on the top of the goal from Niklas Moisander's free kick.

One of APOEL's rare attacks in the second half nearly resulted in a home victory but substitute De Vicenti was flagged offside, meaning his neat chipped finish did not count.

Ajax should have claimed a winner in stoppage time, but Thulani Serero dragged wide from 18 yards with Pardo out of position.

 

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Schalke 1-1 Maribor: Huntelaar strike saves Slovenian upset

Damjan Bohar put the visitors into a shock lead, but the prolific Dutch striker pounced in the second half to level affairs in Gelsenkirchen Klaas-Jan Huntelaar's second-half strike saved Schalke from an embarrassing Champions League defeat on Tuesday as they were held to a 1-1 draw by underdogs Maribor.

Damjan Bohar, who scored two goals in the qualifying rounds to help Maribor return to the group stage after a 15-year absence, silenced the Veltins Arena crowd following a superb passing move before half-time. Huntelaar then capitalised on a defensive error to equalise, with what was his 24th goal in 31 European appearances for Schalke.However, despite Jens Keller's side's late pressure, the Slovenian champions held on to make it two points from two outings in Group G.

Schalke recovered from their worst start to a season since 1967-68 by recording back-to-back wins over Werder Bremen and arch-rivals Borussia Dortmund, but this setback leaves them having won just one of their last eight Champions League matches.

Schalke talisman Julian Draxler returned from suspension in place of the injured Sidney Sam, while Keller chose to start Tranquillo Barnetta ahead of Max Meyer.
Draxler was involved in creating the game's first chance for Huntelaar, whose firm strike was saved by Jasmin Handanovic, before Maribor almost punished their hosts with a goal reminiscent of David Beckham's celebrated strike for Manchester United against Wimbledon all those years ago.

Noticing Ralf Fahrmann off his line, Dare Vrsic unleashed a shot from inside his own half, which looped over the Schalke goalkeeper but went narrowly over the crossbar.

Schalke had a great opportunity to break the deadlock midway through the half.
Christian Fuchs looked up and produced a fine cross from the left for Kevin-Prince Boateng, who - despite being unmarked at the back post - headed wide.Fahrmann did well to gather a fierce low strike from Marcos Tavares, but he was powerless to stop Maribor going ahead eight minutes before the break.

A slick one-touch passing move freed Mitja Viler down the left and, rather than squaring it across the box for Tavares, he cut a deceptive pass back into the path of Bohar, who fired the ball home from 10 yards.

Schalke levelled 11 minutes after the restart with a gift of a goal.
Viler needlessly passed the ball to Huntelaar on the edge of the box. The 31-year-old cut inside and although Handanovic got a hand to his strike, the goalkeeper was unable to prevent it creeping into the bottom corner.

Handanovic then made a one-handed save to deny Draxler on the hour, before Boateng volleyed wide.Schalke continued to pursue a winner, but Marko Suler made one vital interception to deny substitute Meyer a chance and Barnetta had a volley blocked before the final whistle.

 

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Luis Enrique: Blame me for Barcelona defeat

Barcelona boss Luis Enrique has insisted that he is the one to blame for the club's 3-2 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday.

Lionel Messi and Co. were outplayed for swathes of the match at Parc des Princes, with David Luiz, Marco Verratti and Blaise Matuidi firing the Parisiens to a home victory, easing pressure on under-fire coach Laurent Blanc.

Luis Enrique, who has enjoyed a comparatively simple start since taking over this summer after an unbeaten opening to the 2014-15 campaign, refrained from placing blame on any of his team but accepted that his side failed to handle the occasion as well as their hosts.

"The explanation for our defeat is quite clear," he told reporters. "We were up against a rival who are at the same level as us, and they handled the pressure better than we did.

"Tonight we didn't play as well as we had hoped. We had a few clear chances at the end when we could have equalised. But I cannot say that it's an unfair result although a draw wouldn't have been too unfair either.

"We committed basic mistakes when conducting the ball out of our half and that was what caused the dead ball moves from which PSG scored. It was something we knew could happen.

"Sometimes it's inevitable – it's a catalogue of mistakes. It's not easy to correct but it's an area we are aware of."

When asked specifically about the performances of goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen and his defence, Luis Enrique added: "I don't usually give individual assessments of players' performances. Defeat is down to all of us – and first in the line to blame is me.

"I am the coach and the responsibility is mine. The players had a good attitude tonight, it wasn't our most productive day in terms of our finishing; we will analyse what went wrong and what we did well.

Barca are back in Champions League action on October 21 when they host Ajax at Camp Nou but, before that, will travel to Rayo Vallecano as they look to continue their almost-flawless start to their Liga season.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Porto not winning was an injustice - Lopetegui

Porto coach Julen Lopetegui branded his team's 2-2 draw with Shakhtar Donetsk on Tuesday as an "injustice", despite Jackson Martinez's last-gasp goals only just earning them a draw.

The Portuguese side produced a stunning late fightback to snatch a point in Ukraine, courtesy of two late Martinez strikes after Alex Teixeira and Luiz Adriano had given Shakhtar a 2-0 lead with five minutes to play in the Group H clash.

"I am delighted that my team had such a good game against a side which will be a main rival for knockout stage qualification," he told reporters.

"It would have been a great injustice if we had lost, just as it is a great injustice that we did not get all three points."

Super-sub Martinez scored his first from the penalty spot in the 89th minute, with his second coming three minutes into injury time, but Lopetegui revealed the Colombian forward is not fully fit which is why he was left out of the starting line-up.

"Jackson had some fitness complaints. He was not at 100 per cent and we decided that it would be best to wait until the second half to bring him on," he added.

Porto missed a number of good chances, included another spot-kick from Yacine Brahimi with the score at 0-0 in the first half, and defender Maicon echoed Lopetegui's sentiment that the Portuguese outfit deserved a win.

"I think the fairest result would be a win, but unfortunately we could not get a win," the 26-year-old said. "Still, it's an important point that gives us more confidence for the next games.

"We started well, firm and could have scored the penalty we had in our favour.

"We had two defensive errors that ended up giving goals to Shakhtar, but overall the team has behaved well and let's move on, working to win the next game."

Porto, who are still unbeaten in all competitions this season and have four points from their two Champions League group games this season, face Spanish side Athletic - beaten 2-1 by BATE on Tuesday - in their next match in the competition.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Pellegrini rues poor Manchester City display in Roma draw

Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini bemoaned a below-par showing as his side drew at home with Roma to leave themselves an uphill battle to qualify for the Champions League knockouts.

The Premier League champions looked set to banish the memory of their last-gasp 1-0 defeat at Bayern Munich in the Group E opener as Sergio Aguero converted a fourth-minute penalty but proceeded to be largely outclassed by their technically gifted opponents in the first half, with Francesco Totti's delicate chip - which made the veteran forward the oldest goalscorer in European club football history - the least that the visitors efforts deserved.

One point from two matches leaves City five and three points behind Bayern and Roma, respectively, meaning that victories in back-to-back matches against CSKA Moscow look like a must if they are to avoid a third group-stage exit in four seasons.

"I think that the point, maybe playing at home, is never good but [you] also have to consider that we played against a very strong team in a good moment," Pellegrini told his post-match press conference.

"When the other team scores, it's not just one or two players' problems – [Totti] had too much space in that play. Maybe the movements were not correct but today we didn't play in the way we normally play to score goals.

"In the last 20 minutes it was more similar to the team we see here every week. We must keep fighting for the next 12 points and then we will see who qualifies for the next round.

"It will depend on how we play the next games whether we qualify. One point from six is tough but we're just three points behind Roma. I hope next time, in Russia, we can win then we will see what happens in the other game between Bayern and CSKA. Today was not our day."

There was a marked improvement in City's display after both the half-time introduction of James Milner and Frank Lampard's entrance before the hour, as Roma no longer outnumbered their opponents in midfield.

Nevertheless, Pellegrini refused to blame his selection of two strikers in Aguero and Edin Dzeko, claiming that City's poor ball-retention was more of a problem than his chosen formation.

"We didn't play well in the first half – we started well in the first 25 minutes but then we lost the ball too easily," he said. "In the way we played last game [Saturday's 4-2 win at Hull City], we played very well with two strikers.

"It was not an easy decision to change from the beginning. We play a lot of games against a lot of strong teams this way and we do very well. Maybe today we started losing balls and didn't have enough midfielders to recover it but I don’t think having two strikers on the pitch was the reason we didn’t win.

"The biggest problem was that we missed many easy passes."