..::Football III::..

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Chelsea keeper Courtois set to link up with Belgium squad

Chelsea goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois is set to link up with the Belgium squad on Thursday as his recovery from a head injury is monitored, Goal understands.

The 22-year-old was substituted during the Blues' 2-0 Premier League victory over Arsenal on Sunday after being clattered in a collision with Alexis Sanchez.

Having been bleeding from the ear, Courtois was taken to hospital for examination but Chelsea confirmed on Monday that he had been given the "all clear".

He has been called up to Marc Wilmots' party to face Andorra and Bosnia-Herzegovina and is due for continued observation by the national side's medical staff ahead of Friday’s Euro 2016 qualifier.

Caution is being taken to monitor the former Atletico Madrid loanee regularly in the days following his injury, as is standard practice for such an issue.

Club and country are understood to be keeping in touch about Courtois' condition but Belgium will have the final say over whether or not he takes his place between the posts.

The keeper himself, treated for "a minor cut to his ear", has Tweeted his optimism about his chances of being "back on the pitch soon".

 

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Van Gaal needed time to settle at Manchester United - Kluivert

Patrick Kluivert is not surprised by Manchester United's improved form, but admits Louis van Gaal was always going to take time to settle.

United recorded just one victory from their first six games of the season - including a 4-0 loss to MK Dons and a 5-3 defeat to Leicester City - but have now secured back-to-back wins to move into the top four.

The club spent over €190 million during the summer - with the likes of Angel Di Maria, Luke Shaw and Ander Herrera arriving - and Kluivert feels United can now challenge for the title

"[Van Gaal] came a little bit later from the World Cup and going directly to a new club, with new personnel, new players, it needs time," Kluivert told reporters.

"The last two results were positive and if you have positive results it flows back on the team.

"I think that's the most important thing. So I think the people don't have to be scared that Manchester United is not going to do well.

"City and Chelsea and a few more [teams] have a good squad. They're doing very good at the moment but there's still a long way to go.

"But sure [they] can be a contender to be the champions. It will be very difficult but it's possible."

When pressed on his future, Kluivert - who has been linked with a managerial post in England - said his ambition is now "to be a head coach somewhere".

 

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Barcelona must stay in La Liga, says Benzema

​Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema believes Barcelona must stay in La Liga, regardless of whether Catalunya gains independence from Spain.

The autonomous region is set to vote on independence in a referendum on November 22.Javier Tebas, president of the Liga del Futbol Profesional (LFP) has indicated that 22-time Spanish champions Barca and city rivals Espanyol will be ineligible to play in Spain's footbal system should Catalunya opt to separate from Spain.

But Benzema feels it is imperative that Real's arch rivals remain in the Spanish top flight."We need Barcelona to stay in the league," Benzema told a press conference while on France duty. "That's what football is all about – two great teams like Madrid and Barca playing against each other.

"If they need to leave La Liga then that would be a problem so I hope things stay as they are."Madrid host Barca at the Santiago Bernabeu two weeks on Saturday.

 

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Big clubs need to be defended - Real Madrid vice-president

Big clubs such as Real Madrid need to be protected more as football looks to new ways of maintaining a level playing field, according to one of the Spanish giants' vice-presidents.

Pedro Lopez Jimenez, an executive board member of the European Club Association (ECA) and the third vice-president of Madrid says he is in favour of spreading some of the substantial wealth in football, but that the traditional powerhouses must be defended.

Uefa's Financial Fair Play (FFP) regulations have been introduced in a bid to bring clubs under more financial control, but the initiative has attracted some criticism for continuing the status quo amongst the game's elite.

Yet Jimenez claims it is only right that the bigger outfits reap the benefits of attracting new audiences to the sport.

"There is a need to defend big clubs, because we are not only in the biggest sport in the world, we are in the biggest show business in the world," Jimenez told the Leaders Sport Business Summit in London.

"I agree with the needs for solidarity, but Uefa and Fifa, with their regulatory power, have an egalitarian pulse because they are using our players for all kinds of tournaments and things."

He also defended the spending habits of big clubs, with Real Madrid having themselves revealed a €600 million debt recently.

"We talk about the spending, and probably we are talking in many cases about investing. So really clubs are maybe spending more than they earn, but they are investing in players who are young. And when they are young and do not reach their potential, there are economic consequences.

"We understand that we have to do something for solidarity, but at the end of the day what attracts hundreds of millions of people to the game is the top clubs."

The Real Madrid executive went on to attack Uefa for its treatment of Xabi Alonso after the Champions League final victory against city rivals Atletico Madrid in May.

The midfielder was suspended for the showpiece game and later faced further censure after running onto the field at the final whistle to celebrate with his team-mates.

"[FFP] should not be another way for Uefa to put pressure on clubs. In the past, they have used their power in a nasty way.

"For example, Xabi Alonso ran to celebrate with his friends and they sanctioned him, which is fine. But if you read the document regarding the sanction, it made him look like a friend of Jack the Ripper," added Jimenez.

"But FFP is a process which was done together between the ECA and Uefa, and I am worried that people think Uefa is forcing clubs to behave. No. We decided that system together, so we are as responsible as Uefa for FFP."

 

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Del Bosque tells Costa: Prove Spain doubters wrong

​Spain coach Vicente del Bosque has challenged striker Diego Costa to replicate his prolific domestic form for the European champions.

Costa has been superb in front of goal for Chelsea since joining from Atletico Madrid in July, netting nine times in seven Premier League appearances, but has yet to register for Spain since turning his back on homeland Brazil to represent the European champions, for whom he made his debut in March.The 26-year-old was disappointing as Spain flopped at the World Cup in Brazil and Del Bosque is eager for Costa to make an impact ahead of Euro 2016 Group C qualifiers against Slovakia and Luxembourg.

"Diego has in front of him the challenge to show everyone that we have taken the right decision," Del Bosque told Marca."Maybe we are wrong, and it does happen in football, but I have a lot of confidence in him that he is going to do very well.

"I think that he can be very important for us as I believe in his qualities. He has put his faith in us and we have put ours in him."If I had seen anything that made me doubt him then I would say it."

 

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Costa ge international form 1kanam echchara hari naha so ada match 1ke wada pennuwoth nam patta
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Altidore considering Sunderland exit

Jozy Altidore says he will look to leave Sunderland in the January transfer window if he fails to secure regular first-team football.

The 24-year-old has made only four substitute appearances in the Premier League this season but started in both of the club’s League Cup fixtures and scored in the 2-1 defeat at home to Stoke City in September.

Altidore insists a priority is to remain part of the United States national team and believes that he needs to be given more minutes by Gus Poyet so that he is not overlooked by his country.

"I thought I've done everything I could this season to come in fit, and get as fit as possible with the injury, and try and make an impact when I played," Altidore told reporters.

"[The next] four years, I want to be part of the national team. Jurgen [Klinsmann] makes his messages very clear, and nobody is different.

"If it doesn't turn around, in January then I'll be looking to start elsewhere, and make sure I'm in his plans going forward."

 

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Arsenal star Ozil out for three months with knee injury

Arsenal midfielder Mesut Ozil has been ruled out of action for three months with a knee injury, the Germany national team have announced.

German national team medical staff predict the 25-year-old will be unavailable for "10-12 weeks" due to a ligament tear in his left knee, although Arsenal have since released a statement insisting that the club will make further assessments and that "it is too early to say how long Ozil may be out of action".

Ozil, who has played eight games for the Gunners in all competitions this season, will not undergo surgery for the problem.

He sat out the national side's training session on Wednesday to go for a scan, the results of which have now emerged.

The German joins a lengthy list of players on the treatment table for Arsenal, whose approach to fitness has been a cause for concern in recent years due to repeated injury crises.

Olivier Giroud, Aaron Ramsey, Mikel Arteta and Theo Walcott are among eight players beside Ozil currently unavailable to manager Arsene Wenger.

Arsenal are eighth in the Premier League after seven games, with Ozil having contributed one goal and one assist in the top flight thus far.

 

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European Championship Qualifying Group Stage Fixtures 2014.10.09

European Championship Qualifying Group Stage Fixtures 2014.10.09

Group C

Belarus Vs Ukraine

Macedonia Vs Luxemburg

Slovakia Vs Spain

Group E

England Vs San Marino

Lithuania Vs Estonia

Slovakia Vs Switzerland

Group G

Liechtenstein Vs Montenegro

Moldova Vs Austria

Sweden Vs Russia​

 

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Good Luck Spain!

VAMOS ESPANA​

 

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Arsenal star Ozil out for three months with knee injury

 

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Full Time

Slovakia 2 Vs 1 Spain

Slovakia Goal(s)

Juraj Kucka 17'
Miroslav Stoch 87'

&

Spain Goal(s)

Paco Alcacer 82'


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Spain performance nam hari nahaPasses & moves godak slow

mehema play karalanam baha
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Slovakia 2-1 Spain: Stoch and Kucka give hosts a shock win

Miroslav Stoch's dramatic late winner condemned Spain to a first qualifying loss in eight years as Slovakia earned a shock 2-1 victory.

Reigning European champions Spain had not lost a qualification game since a 2-0 reverse in Sweden back in October 2006, but Stoch's 87th minute header gave Jan Kozak's side all three points in Thursday's Euro 2016 qualifier in Zilina.

Iker Casillas' blunder had allowed Juraj Kucka to put Slovakia 1-0 up at the break, but substitute Paco Alcacer appeared to have spared his captain's blushes with an equaliser eight minutes from time.However, there was to be one last twist when Stoch nodded home Marek Hamsik's excellent delivery at the back post to give Slovakia a memorable win.

Casillas' latest error, which saw him allow Kucka's long-range strike to beat him straight down the middle, is likely to increase the pressure on Spain boss Vicente del Bosque to drop the Real Madrid man in favour of in-form Manchester United stopper David de Gea.

Diego Costa was named in Spain's starting XI despite fears over his ability to play due to a persistent hamstring injury, but he cut an isolated figure in the early stages and Casillas was forced into a stunning one-handed save to deny Robert Mak after 11 minutes.

At the other end Cesc Fabregas and Costa, who have combined so effectively for Chelsea this season, created Spain's first clear-cut effort when the latter glanced a header wide from the former's cross.And that miss was punished in the 17th minute when Slovakia took the lead.

Vladimir Weiss laid a short free-kick to Kucka, whose thunderous 30-yard strike wrong-footed Casillas despite going straight down the middle.Spain finished the half strongly and Andres Iniesta forced a smart stop from the outstanding Matus Kozacik, before the Slovakia keeper made a superb double save to deny Costa and Sergio Busquets.

The visitors showed far more urgency after the break and Fabregas' firm effort produced another top save from Kozacik after good build-up play by Busquests and Juanfran.Costa too seemed livelier, turning sharply in the area and firing a shot low towards to the bottom left-hand corner, but Kozacik was once more up to the task.

But he was finally beaten in the 82nd minute when Alcacer - who came off the bench to replace David Silva - controlled Jordi Alba's delivery and slotted home his second goal in three senior international appearances.

However, just as Spain thought they had done enough to preserve their long unbeaten streak in qualifiers, Stoch converted Hamsik's inch-perfect delivery to send the home fans into delirium.

 

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England 5-0 San Marino: Rooney struggles as Three Lions claim easy win

England secured their second win in as many Euro 2016 qualifying matches as they eventually did enough to put San Marino to the sword.

In a low-key affair in front of a subdued crowd of 55,990 on Thursday, Roy Hodgson's men earned their second win from two Group E fixtures thanks to goals from Phil Jagielka, Wayne Rooney, Danny Welbeck, Andros Townsend and an Alex Della Valle own goal.

Ranked 208th in the world - the joint-lowest nation along with Bhutan - San Marino defended with 11 men behind the ball for large periods of the game, but the ploy failed to prevent them falling to a 60th consecutive defeat.

With just one professional in their ranks, San Marino held out for 25 minutes before Jagielka opened the scoring and Rooney added his 42nd England goal from the penalty spot.

Welbeck then tapped home four minutes after the break for his third of this qualifying campaign after scoring both goals in the 2-0 win over Switzerland last month.

Substitute Townsend added a fourth with 18 minutes to go before Della Valle turned Rooney's cross into his own net to complete the rout, the second time the defender has scored an own goal against England.

England made four changes from the Switzerland clash last time out. Three of those alterations were in defence, including a first start for Calum Chambers, while James Milner replaced Fabian Delph in midfield.

Rooney saw an early free-kick beaten away by Aldo Simoncini before Welbeck's goal-bound effort hit Jagielka and flew wide.

England captain Rooney tested Simoncini with another shot from distance in the 19th minute as the home side continued to probe and the goalkeeper was equal to Raheem Sterling's strike five minutes later.

San Marino's respite was brief, however, as from the resulting corner Simoncini fell over in coming to claim Milner's delivery and Jagielka headed into the empty net.

The visitors mustered their first shot on goal 10 minutes before half-time as Matteo Vitaioli fired wide of the left-hand upright from 25 yards.

Simoncini made an outstanding save shortly before the break, somehow clawing Welbeck's close-range effort over the crossbar, but once again England capitalised on the resulting corner.

As San Marino struggled to clear the ball, Andy Selva was penalised for a high foot on Rooney, who dispatched the spot-kick into the top-right corner.

Hodgson introduced Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain at half-time and the Arsenal man had an immediate impact, charging down a clearance before teeing up club team-mate Welbeck to convert from six yards.

Oxlade-Chamberlain went close twice in quick succession, shooting wide from 25 yards before Simoncini got down well to his right to keep out a glancing header.

Rooney was twice denied by Simoncini before Adam Lallana, another half-time substitute, thought he had scored his first England goal when Oxlade-Chamberlain's shot deflected off him and into the net in the 62nd minute.

After it seemed the goal had initially been given, the effort was ruled out for offside, although replays showed it was Chambers and not Lallana who was beyond the last man as the ball was struck.

Townsend cut in from the right and fired a low shot inside Simoncini's near post to make it 4-0 and Della Valle's unwitting deflection 12 minutes from time rounded off another heavy defeat for the visitors.

Late on, Townsend went close to a second when Cristian Brolli cleared his shot off the line as England continued to go in search of further goals against their beleaguered opponents.

 

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Kozak 'thrilled' after 'precious' win over Spain

Slovakia coach Jan Kozak was understandably elated after his team ended Spain's eight-year unbeaten run in qualifying with a 2-1 win on Thursday.

Miroslav Stoch netted a dramatic late winner to earn Slovakia a 2-1 victory in their Euro 2016 Group C qualifying match and hand Spain their first qualification loss since October 2006 - a run of 36 matches.

Slovakia led 1-0 at half-time courtesy of Juraj Kucka, aided by an Iker Casillas blunder as the Real Madrid goalkeeper failed to get a strong hand to his free-kick effort.

Paco Alcacer came off the bench and appeared to have salvaged a point for Spain with eight minutes remaining, but Stoch nodded home five minutes later as Slovakia stunned the European champions.

And Kozak could not contain his delight after the game."I am thrilled. We put in a fantastic performance in front of a full stadium. I hope we pleased our fans," Kozak said post-game.

"This win is very precious – Spain have not lost a qualifier in eight years. Our players put in a very brave performance."We fought very hard and gave our best, especially at the back.

"All the boys made a fantastic effort and played until the final whistle."People will say Spain underestimated us, but that is not true. We made Spain put maximum effort into the game. They gave us some hard times – [Matus] Kozacik in goal showed his class late in the first half and several times in the second.

"We had players suffering from cramp, but they battled through the pain and made the whole country happy."Slovakia are now three points clear atop Group C, with two wins from two, a position goalscorer Kucka did not expect to be in.

"Our will, heart and fighting spirit decided the game," he said. "They had more possession, for sure, but we fought until the end."We tried to fill the gaps, especially in midfield. We played aggressively – we wanted to win. Of course, there was a little bit of luck involved too."

Kucka added: "I didn't expect six points after two qualifying games. We were in a good mood after the first victory in Ukraine. Now we are extremely happy."

 

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Injuries not an excuse for Wales - Coleman

Chris Coleman insists Wales' injury crisis will not be used as an excuse ahead of Friday's Euro 2016 qualifier with Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Coleman's men head into their Group B encounter with six central midfielders ruled out due to injury, with Wigan Athletic's Emyr Huws the latest player to suffer a setback as he sustained an ankle problem in training, joining the likes of Aaron Ramsey and Joe Allen on the sidelines.

The raft of injuries will only have furthered Wales' underdog status going into the clash at Cardiff City Stadium, but Coleman still has faith in the players remaining in his squad to pull off a result.

"It's bad luck and Huws has gone back to Wigan for a scan. He has swelling around the ankle. It's disappointing but we'll get on with it," Coleman said.

"[The injury crisis] a bit weird. Joe Allen, Ramsey, Lee Evans, Andrew Crofts, David Vaughan and now Emyr. But that's how it is.

"We have players ready and good enough and we're still looking forward to a titanic challenge. It's a great one and whoever we have are good enough to get a result."

Wales captain Ashley Williams echoed Coleman's sentiments and is keen to ensure maximum points against Bosnia-Herzegovina and Cyprus three days later.

"Bosnia are a very good side but the target is nine points after Monday's game with Cyprus," Williams said. "It doesn't always go to plan but that's the pressure we put on ourselves.

"We had an awful start in the last campaign and we were playing catch-up from there - that's why winning in Andorra [last month] was so important, regardless of the performance. I stand by what I said in that I don't think it could have been more difficult in the circumstances.

"But there's an expectation in the camp about the campaign. Before it was about hoping we'd do well, that we might qualify. This is different."

 

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Ancelotti: My PSG tenure full of shouting matches

Carlo Ancelotti claims that his tenure as Paris Saint-Germain boss was full of shouting matches, which led to his departure for Real Madrid.The coach guided PSG to the Ligue 1 title in 2012-13, his second year in charge at Parc des Princes, but departed last summer to replace Jose Mourinho as the Santiago Bernabeu boss.

Ancelotti has now revealed that those in charge behind the scenes at the current French champions - now coached by Laurent Blanc - had lost faith in him and hinted that he became frustrated with the cash-rich club's desire for instant success.
"At the end of the second season, I started to convince myself that something was wrong at PSG," the Italian told So Foot. "We were leading the championship, but I was not convinced that the work we were doing was right."In any case, I had such a complicated relationship with the club's leaders. They no longer believed in me, they wanted immediate results.

"They were eager for instant success, but PSG need to work in the medium and long term. The club should not yet think about winning the Champions League."When I was there, every game we lost resulted in shouting matches."

PSG have endured a tricky start to the season, with their away form causing Blanc's job to be put under pressure, but their Champions League group stage triumph at home to Barcelona prevented the rumoured guillotine lingering over the coach's head from being dropped.

 

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Hodgson: England should have won by more

Roy Hodgson hailed England's desire as they cruised to a routine 5-0 win over San Marino in Thursday's Euro 2016 qualifier, but feels they could have scored more.

England came into the game virtually assured of victory, facing a San Marino side ranked 208th in the world - the joint-lowest nation along with Bhutan.

The visitors were camped in their own half for the majority of the game at Wembley, as Phil Jagielka, Wayne Rooney, Danny Welbeck, Andros Townsend and an Alex Della Valle own goal earned England a second victory from two Group E fixtures.

And Hodgson was especially pleased with how his players fought to regain the ball on the rare occasions that possession was squandered.

"The thing that impressed me the most was when we lost the ball, we had three or four players sprinting back to try and win it back," he told ITV .

"That type of desire in a game where you've wrapped up the game is very commendable.

"It was a job well done. The crowd were fantastic, they've had an enjoyable night and saw a lot of attacking football.

"It could have been more but I can't fault the players. I'm pleased we've got this game behind us, we won it comfortably and added five goals to our tally.

"In the first half of these games when they're getting 10 men behind the ball, that's the time you've got to wear them down and keep plugging away and doing the right things.

"If you do that, it'll open up in the second half and there'll be chances. The way the players approached it was very good. What we learnt was the players have got the ability against teams doing this to do the right thing for 90 minutes."

Jack Wilshere echoed the sentiments of his manager and insists he has no preference between playing in a more advanced position or a deep-lying role in the midfield.

"We did what we had to do," he said. "We knew we were going to win, it's a matter of keeping concentration and keeping going.

"We know once we got it [the first goal] we could get a few. It was a very professional performance. We showed them respect and kept going.

"I'm happy to play either. I enjoy getting forward and I enjoy getting on the ball and starting attacks.

"We didn't play against one of the top nations in the world but we had to do a job and we kept going."

 

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Messi rivalry is a positive thing - Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo sees his rivalry with Lionel Messi as a positive and sees nothing wrong with being compared to the Barcelona attacker.The Clasico rivals have been pitted as opposing world-class forces within Spanish and European football for over half a decade.

Ronaldo has got the better of Messi so far in 2014, having won the Champions League, Copa del Rey and Uefa Super Cup with Real Madrid as well as individual accolades with the Ballon d'Or and the Golden Boot.

"This is part of my life," Ronaldo told World Soccer when asked what his thoughts on the rivalry with Messi are. "It is normal that people compare us. I am used to it. It happened to me at Manchester United and I know how to manage it."We are football colleagues. Outside of football I have no relationship with Messi, but not with other players either. It is a positive rivalry."

The 29-year-old, who shared the Golden Boot with then-Liverpool forward Luis Suarez (now also a Barca player) after scoring 31 goals in La Liga, suggests the last 12 months might just have been the best of his career prize-wise but does not believe his own ability has shot up significantly."Individual prizes are the result of having achieved collective objectives," Ronaldo added. "We had a fantastic season. We won the Champions League, the Copa del Rey and the Uefa Super Cup.

"A trophy like the Golden Boot is the prize for playing well as a team. I will not lie. I really wanted to win it."Maybe it has been the best for collective or individual prizes. But I have been at the same level for the last six or seven years."

Ronaldo will find out who he is up against as he bids to retain the Ballon d'Or he took from Messi in January on October 28. The duo will next come up against each other three days earlier when the Santiago Bernabeu plays host to Luis Enrique's men.