..::Football III::..

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Suarez: I wish I'd come through La Masia

New Barcelona signing Luis Suarez wishes that he had come through the club's academy after their facilities made an impression on him.

The Uruguayan came through the ranks at Nacional before stints with Groningen, Ajax and Liverpool led him to Catalunya this summer.He has yet to make an appearance for the Catalans due to his ban for biting Giorgio Chiellini during the World Cup and has taken time to familiarise himself with his new side's youth set-up.

"I’m impressed and amazed by the facilities, the spaces they have to develop the children in everything, in their studies, their diet and their schedules," he told their official magazine."I was surprised by everything, above all the way the children they have are. I wish I had had the opportunity to develop in this way."

Suarez is due to make his competitive debut for Barcelona on October 25, when his side travel to the Santiago Bernabeu to face Real Madrid.

 

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Strootman back in Roma training

Kevin Strootman returned to training with Roma on Monday as he continues his recovery from a serious knee injury.

The Netherlands midfielder suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament while playing in a Serie A clash against Napoli in March.The injury caused him to miss the remainder of the domestic season, as well as the World Cup in Brazil, but the 24-year-old is now closing in on a return to the first team.

"The big news: @Kevin_strootman is back in training with his team-mates for today's session. Welcome back! #ForzaKevin," the club posted on its official Twitter account, along with a picture of the Dutchman in action.

Manchester United have been linked with a move for Strootman, but Roma have insisted that he is not for sale.

He could face renewed competition for a place in the starting XI upon his return, with Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Adrien Rabiot revealing he is close to sealing a January move to the Stadio Olimpico.

 

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Herrera: Manchester United have the three best strikers in the world

Ander Herrera has hailed Manchester United’s forward line, insisting that the club have the three best strikers in the world at their disposal.

Louis van Gaal recruited Radamel Falcao on a season-long loan deal on transfer deadline day, with the Colombia international joining fellow strikers Robin van Persie and Wayne Rooney at Old Trafford.

Falcao forged a reputation as one of the deadliest strikers in the world during his spells at Atletico Madrid and Monaco, leaving Herrera in awe at the firepower available to Van Gaal, though he remains acutely aware of the need to increase his own goal tally as the season progresses.

"I want to try to score more goals,” Herrera, who has scored twice this season, told United’s official website. “It's very important for the midfielders.

“I like assists as well and I think we have maybe the best three strikers in the world here in Rooney, van Persie and Falcao.

"Juan [Mata], Angel [Di Maria], Adnan [Januzaj], Daley [Blind], Fletch [Darren Fletcher] and me are all going to help them try to score, and if I score of course I'll be very happy.”

Herrera joined United from Athletic Bilbao in the summer and is currently sidelined with a rib injury, though he has expressed his delight at being able to ply his trade in England’s top-flight.

"The Premier League is a great league," he added.

"It's a very quick league, non-stop and great spectacle for the fans. That's good because sometimes in other countries there are more teams that try to keep the ball in their end of the pitch but in the Premier League you will see a lot of goals.

“It's a difficult league, there are tough games against Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool, Spurs, City and Everton; it's a great challenge."

 

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Casillas and De Gea must learn to share - Del Bosque

Spain head coach Vicente del Bosque has told Iker Casillas and David de Gea to get used to changes in the starting line-up.

Casillas - who was roundly criticised for his performance in the shock 2-1 defeat to Slovakia - was dropped in favour of the Manchester United goalkeeper for Sunday's 4-0 win over Luxembourg.Del Bosque maintains either player could yet seize the permanent No.1 spot and says both must adjust to the alterations within the side.

"We had decided to make changes and we have to make sure there is an easy transition. Both can play. They have to get used to the change bit by bit, as much David as Iker," he told reporters.

"We have taken steps forward with this squad. We have over 30 players who could be called up, everything depends on the fitness of each one.

"We have to carry on picking up points and improving the way we play."Diego Costa scored his first international goal as Spain got back to winning ways in comfortable fashion over Luxembourg, but Del Bosque wants more attacking cohesion from his side when on the offensive.

"We should have got forward more and tried to find more rhythm," he said. "In the second half we went out expecting more; it was less attractive but effective.
"We stopped playing a little and the football was slower and not very pretty for the spectators. Our system was very different to the one in the previous match."

 

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Kroos: There's no one better than Ronaldo

Toni Kroos believes there is no better player in world football at present than Cristiano Ronaldo and says the Portuguese has helped him settle into life at Real Madrid.

Kroos has watched Ronaldo score a staggering 17 goals in 11 games this season after joining the European champions from Bayern Munich during the summer.
Despite the wealth of talent within the squad, Kroos insists there is a "family"

atmosphere at the Santiago Bernabeu and that Ronaldo is part of that humble core.
"I know what it means to play in a team with great individual quality," he told Die Welt. "We all respect each other, the spirit is amazing."At the moment, there is no better player than Cristiano. He was one of those who looked out for me at first, he's a really nice guy.

"I was lucky to come from a club with great standards. In Munich, it's more than stepping out on to the field to win - you start the season to win titles. So I didn't have to adapt a lot.

"I enjoy playing in Madrid. Although people may not believe me, it's a family club. I feel that people trust me."Kroos admits he speaks to coach Carlo Ancelotti in English as he adapts to living in Spain but is confident he made the right choice to leave Bayern.

"It's not easy when you don't understand most of your team-mates or half of what the coach is saying," he said."I get bits and pieces, so I know what's going on. When it comes to me and my duties, the coach finds me after the talk and gives them in English.

"I was happy for the chance to do something new, I feel it was the right step. Madrid are a great club and were the challenge I sought after my long and successful Bayern career.

"Madrid, Bayern, Barcelona and Chelsea are the four greats right now. So I just changed one for another."

 

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Iceland 2-0 Netherlands: Oranje crushed by Sigurdsson double

 

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CR has 100M fans on facebook...Its a world record...Congratz CR

 

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Canada 0-1 Colombia: James Rodriguez the hero for Pekerman's men​

Colombia ended their two-game stint in the United States unbeaten after edging Canada 1-0 in an international friendly on Tuesday.

Canada were resilient and compact throughout against a superior Colombia side but they were eventually breached by James Rodriguez with 16 minutes remaining at Red Bull Arena in New Jersey.The Real Madrid star was fouled and collected a quickly taken free-kick before firing the ball into the corner of the net as Colombia made it back-to-back wins in the USA after disposing of El Salvador on Friday.

Five changes were made to the Colombia team that beat El Salvador 3-0 last week, with Cristian Zapata, Camilo Zuniga, Jeison Murillo, Juan Cuadrado and Teo Gutierrez called up by Jose Pekerman.

Adam Straith, Nik Ledgerwood and Pedro Pacheco took to the field as Canada made three changes in the country's first match since accounting for Jamaica 3-1 last month.

Colombia, as expected, dominated proceedings for large periods, though Canada had a penalty turned down early on.After a great ball from Issey Nakajima-Farran, Tosaint Ricketts was bundled down inside the area in the fifth minute but Canada's appeals fell upon deaf ears.

Up the other end, Colombia were unfortunate to be denied a 20th-minute opener.
Captain Radamel Falcao found the back of the net but the flag was raised for offside following a neat one-two between Gutierrez and Rodriguez.Rodriguez came close to breaking the deadlock three minutes before half-time, but Canada goalkeeper Milan Borjan was up to the task, pushing the Real Madrid star's free-kick away for a corner.

Colombia piled on the pressure in the second half, with Zuniga and Gutierrez coming close against an organised Canadian defence.Cuadrado also tried his luck from distance, forcing Borjan into a diving save as his shot dipped towards the bottom corner.

Growing frustrated and with time running out, Rodriguez finally made the breakthrough after 74 minutes, unleashing a powerful shot into the top corner.

 

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USA 1-1 Honduras: Jozy Altidore scores early in disappointing draw for Americans

United States conceded late for the second time in five days to slip to a 1-1 draw with Honduras in an international friendly in Florida.

Maynor Figueroa got his head to Mario Martinez's whipped delivery in the 86th minute to nod in an equaliser for Honduras, cancelling out an opening goal from home-town hero Jozy Altidore for USA.

USA continued their unbeaten run since the World Cup but coach Jurgen Klinsmann was left to rue another late lapse as Figueroa's header mimicked Enner Valencia's 88th-minute equaliser for Ecuador in Friday's friendly in a 1-1 draw in Connecticut.

At the FAU Football Stadium in Boca Raton, Altidore - who grew up in the Florida city - gave the local fans something to cheer about, firing the opener in the 10th minute after some impressive pressing from Mikkel Diskerud.

The Norway-based midfielder won the ball just on the defensive side of halfway and Michael Bradley collected possession before releasing Altidore down the left and the Sunderland striker cut inside before smashing the ball past Donis Escober at the near post.It was Altidore's first goal since he struck a brace versus Nigeria in USA's last friendly before the World Cup.

Honduras struggled to create goal-scoring opportunities in the opening stages of the match but USA's goalkeeper Nick Rimando handed the visitors a chance in the 19th minute, passing straight to Andy Najar, although he could only shoot over the bar from 20 yards.

The rest of the first half petered out but Honduras started the second half brightly with Romell Quioto firing just wide 10 minutes after the break before Victor Bernardez flashed a drive over the bar from a free-kick on the hour mark.With both sides making a raft of changes, the rest of the second half was stop-start but Honduras were slightly stronger and deservedly drew level with four minutes remaining.

Diskerud fouled Marvin Chavez on the visitors' right wing and Martinez fizzed a left-footed cross into the box from the dead-ball situation with Figueroa rising to score from the edge of the six-yard box.

It was an important result for Honduras, as Hernan Medford's men were facing a fourth defeat in six matches since the World Cup before Figueroa bobbed up late.

 

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Germany 1-1 Republic of Ireland: O'Shea denies World Cup winners

John O'Shea marked his 100th cap by snatching a dramatic 1-1 draw for the Republic of Ireland against Germany in Gelsenkirchen on Tuesday.

The world champions, who suffered a chastening 2-0 Group D loss in Poland on Saturday, looked to have put a lethargic first-half display behind them when Toni Kroos netted a 71st-minute opener.

Yet Ireland, buoyed by wins in their opening two qualifiers, stunned their illustrious hosts deep into stoppage time.Jeff Hendrick knocked a searching cross from fellow substitute Wes Hoolahan back across goal and O'Shea showed excellent anticipation to direct the ball low into the bottom-right corner and send the travelling support into raptures.

Ireland are now level with Poland on seven points at the top of the group - three ahead of Germany and Scotland.

The only two changes to the Germany side defeated in Warsaw were enforced as Matthias Ginter and Julian Draxler came in for Christoph Kramer and Andre Schurrle, who were both absent due to injury.Stephen Quinn and Glenn Whelan were paired together in central midfield for Ireland, with Jon Walters providing attacking support to captain Robbie Keane, but the visitors were rarely allowed to leave their own half during the early exchanges.

Left-back Durm had a torrid time against Poland but almost got the experience out of his system after seven minutes through a rasping 30-yard half-volley that thudded against the crossbar.

Fellow full-back Antonio Rudiger should have opened the scoring seven minutes later but headed off-target when Thomas Muller nodded Kroos' floated pass back across goal.It was telling that Germany came closest during the opening period through efforts from defenders as their attacking talent failed to fire effectively - the likes of Kroos, Draxler and Mario Gotze regularly coming up short with the final pass.

Karim Bellarabi was unable to capitalise on an embarrassing mix-up involving Ireland defender Marc Wilson and goalkeeper David Forde before the latter thwarted Draxler in first-half stoppage time to ensure Martin O'Neill's team went in all square.Germany coach Joachim Low responded to the lacklustre opening half with an attacking change, sending on Lukas Podolski for Ginter.

But the Arsenal forward soon lost possession to hand Ireland an opening - Keane and Aiden McGeady combining before Manuel Neuer did well to grasp James McClean's fizzed low cross.

Forde saved sharply in the 53rd minute as Bellarabi stabbed towards his near post on the end of a wonderful cross-field ball from Kroos, who then had the Millwall goalkeeper at full stretch as he hammered goalwards from 25 yards.Muller was unable to turn home when Mats Hummels glanced on the resulting 56th-minute corner as Germany finally turned up the pressure.

Podolski and Gotze both had penalty appeals waved away before Ireland's resistance was finally broken with 19 minutes to play.Substitute Max Kruse found Kroos, who was allowed room by Quinn to drive forward and arrow home a shot via the base of the post.Forde was soon called into action once more to deny Gotze and it proved a vital intervention.

Ireland's chance of grabbing a memorable point appeared to have gone when Durm produced a last-ditch block to keep out Hoolahan, but they poured forward once more and O'Shea would not be denied.

 

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Denmark: 0-1 Portugal: Ronaldo scores at the death

Cristiano Ronaldo's 95th-minute header earned Portugal a dramatic 1-0 Group I Euro 2016 qualifying win in Denmark on Tuesday.Last year's Ballon d'Or winner out-jumped Simon Kjaer to nod in substitute Ricardo Quaresma's cross and give Fernando Santos his first victory as Portugal coach.

Ronaldo had been below-par throughout the Copenhagen clash, perhaps due to a knee niggle that he carried into the contest.

But he showed his star quality with a last-gasp winner that will significantly raise the Portugal spirits that were dented by a 1-0 home loss to Albania in their first qualifier last month.Portugal were the better side in the first half, but Michael Krohn-Dehli came closest to scoring, with the Denmark attacker striking the post from distance.

Denmark defender Nicolai Boilesen had to be taken off on a stretcher in the second half after an errant clearance from team-mate Daniel Agger struck him flush on the side of his head and appeared to knock him out.And there was further pain for Denmark as Ronaldo's late goal - his 18th of the season for club and country and 51st at international level - saw them lose for the first time in their qualifying campaign.

Portugal coach Santos took his place on the bench after being granted an appeal hearing by the Court of Arbitration for Sport that temporarily lifted his eight-match reprimand for abusing match officials at this year's World Cup.Santos, then in charge of Greece, will have liked what he saw early as Portugal kept Denmark goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel busy.

Ronaldo was first to test him in the seventh minute, stinging the palms of the Leicester City man, before Portugal's talisman almost turned provider in a neat one-two with Danny.Danny shot straight at Schmeichel, though, and Ronaldo then screwed wide from an acute angle in the 17th minute.

Denmark had appeals for a spot-kick turned down, despite Eliseu appearing to handle the ball in his own penalty area, while at the other end, Nani spurned three chances in six minutes - the best of which saw him head Ronaldo's firm cross over from close range.

The hosts nearly took the lead completely against the run of play, when in the 34th minute, Krohn-Dehli curled onto the right-hand post - with goalkeeper Rui Patricio beaten - from the edge of the penalty area.Ronaldo should have given Portugal the lead in the 51st minute after Danny unselfishly squared to him.

But the Portugal star took a heavy first touch and then shot into the onrushing Schmeichel.After play resumed following Boilesen's substitution, Krohn-Dehli shot wide for the hosts from the edge of the area.

Both sides struggled for rhythm in the second half and Ronaldo showed his frustration with a late challenge on Pierre Hojbjerg that earned him a yellow card in stoppage time.

Ronaldo's anger quickly turned to joy, though, as he nodded in from four yards to have the last laugh in the Danish capital.

 

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Greece 0-2 Northern Ireland: Ward & Lafferty maintain dream start

Northern Ireland's fairytale start to their Euro 2016 qualification campaign continued with a stunning 2-0 win in Greece on Tuesday.

Jamie Ward and Kyle Lafferty grabbed the goals at Stadio Georgios Karaiskaki as Michael O'Neill's men made it three Group F wins from three, their best start to qualifying for a major tournament.

The contrast between the sides' form coming into the match was stark, with Northern Ireland having beaten Faroe Islands and Hungary while Euro 2004 champions Greece - who reached the last 16 at the recent FIFA World Cup - had picked up just one point from their first two games, against Romania and Finland.

And the pressure felt by new Greece boss Claudio Ranieiri was only added to in the ninth minute as the visitors, brimming with confidence, took the lead.

Ward took the credit, wheeling away in celebration after his effort had struck Loukas Vyntra en route to the corner of the net, before the Ireland man turned provider in the second period for Lafferty to complete a memorable triumph.

Northern Ireland retained their spot at the top the group, with Greece sitting second from bottom, only above the Faroe Islands.

Greece made two alterations to their side, with Georgios Samaras and Kostas Mitroglou coming in for Andreas Samaris and Charalampos Mavrias.

Northern Ireland, whose sole change saw Niall McGinn replaced by Corry Evans, began like a side in good form as they pressed forward.

And that approach brought an opener in the ninth minute when Ward saw a side-footed effort from from Oliver Norwood's corner take a wicked deflection off Vyntra and beat goalkeeper Orestis Karnezis.

A bad night for Vyntra got worse seven minutes later when he was forced off by injury, to be replaced by Kostas Stafylidis.

Having looked nervous at the start, Greece gradually began to grow into the game, with Stefanos Athanasiadis' wild volley their first meaningful effort.

They almost levelled in the 33rd minute when Nikolaos Karelis lobbed a shot over the onrushing Roy Carroll and just wide following fine work from Samaras and Panagiotis Tachtsidis.

But it was Northern Ireland who created the best opportunity over the remainder of the first half, Lafferty brilliantly beating Kostas Manolas before seeing his powerful strike rattle the underside of the crossbar.

The striker made no mistake just after half-time, however, as he finished off a stunning counter-attack.

After Greece had piled on the pressure at the other end, Ward's clearance flew into the path of Lafferty, who brilliantly jinked past Stafylidis and produced a composed finish.

Carroll was pressed into rare action soon afterwards, diving low to his right to keep out Tachtsidis' curler.

However, that effort from range was as good as it got for Greece as they created little over the remainder of the game.

 

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Poland 2-2 Scotland: Naismith on target as Strachan's men pick up point

Scotland secured a 2-2 draw in Poland thanks to goals from Shaun Maloney and Steven Naismith.

Krzysztof Maczynski had put the hosts ahead after just 12 minutes but Gordon Strachan's men were level just six minutes later when Maloney slid home a cross from Ikechi Anya.

Poland responded strongly to the equaliser but were left stunned just before the hour mark as Naismith poked home James Morrison's free kick.

However, Arkadiusz Milik rescued Poland, getting in behind Alan Hutton and firing home past David Marshall to salvage a point for his side.
The result sees Poland remain top of Group D on goal difference ahead of the Republic of Ireland, who drew 1-1 with Germany.

Gordon Strachan made two changes to the Scotland side that earned a hard-fought 1-0 win over Georgia, with Gordon Greer and Steven Whittaker coming in for Grant Hanley and Andrew Robertson, while Ikechi Anya won his race to be fit for the clash.

Poland brought Artur Jedrzejczyk, Waldemar Sobota and Maczynski in for Jakub Wawrzyniak, Maciej Rybus and the injured Tomasz Jedlowiec, and one of those changes paid dividends as the hosts broke the deadlock in the 12th minute.

Maczynski pounced on an Alan Hutton error, as the Scotland defender failed to clear, to send a low effort in off the right-hand post.

That joy was shortlived, however, as Steven Fletcher found Anya with a wonderful angled long ball over the top before the Watford man squared it to Maloney, who guided home from a central position in the penalty area, with marker Lukasz Szukala in no man's land.

Sobota caused alarm in the Scottish defence in the 24th minute when he narrowly failed to get his head to a dangerous cross from the left, but there was considerably less panic at the other end when Fletcher dragged an optimistic effort well wide of the target.

Scotland goalkeeper David Marshall carelessly dashed off his line seven minutes before the break, leaving Whittaker to make a vital interception after Sobota had evaded Hutton to almost tee up Milik for a simple finish.

The home side made a bright start to the second half, with Milik hooking over from an early corner before Scott Brown cut out a Kamil Grosicki cross after the attacker had made a marauding run down the right.

But it was Scotland who made the breakthrough when Naismith diverted Morrison's free-kick just inside the right-hand upright from close-range three minutes before the hour.

Poland continued to look the most threatening after Naismith's strike, with Milik heading onto the roof of the net from a cross, before then seeing a low ball from the left roll agonisingly out of the reach of a poised Robert Lewandowski.

Maloney forced Wojciech Szczesny to push over his crossbar with a powerful effort in the 75th minute, but Milik finally got his reward a minute later.

Played in brilliantly by Jedrzejczyk, the 20-year-old - scorer of Poland's first goal against the Germans on Saturday - sent a sublime first-time left-footed strike beyond a helpless Marshall.

The goalkeeper was alert to the danger soon afterwards when Lewandowski tried his luck from a similar position, before Grzegorz Krychowiak headed narrowly wide from the resulting corner.

Sebastian Mila - who scored the other against Germany - hit the post late on, but Scotland held on for an important and hard-fought point.

 

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Qatar 1-0 Australia: Socceroos slump to loss

A Khalfan Ibrahim goal condemned Australia to a 1-0 defeat against Qatar on Wednesday, leaving Ange Postecoglou with plenty of questions to answer ahead of the 2015 AFC Asian Cup.

The Socceroos, playing their 500th international match, were expected to make amends for their dour 0-0 draw with United Arab Emirates on Saturday.

And although it was a more entertaining contest at Doha's Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Stadium, the men in green and gold again proved unable to breach the opposition's defence, conceding a soft goal to return from two Gulf friendlies empty-handed.

Postecoglou made eight changes to the starting XI that were held by the UAE, centre-back Alex Wilkinson, captain Mile Jedinak and forward Robbie Kruse the only survivors.Mitch Langerak took the gloves from Mat Ryan, as Chris Herd, Nikolai Topor-Stanley and Aziz Behich joined Wilkinson at the back.

Mark Bresciano was deployed slightly ahead of holder Jedinak, with Tommy Oar on the left, James Troisi at No.10 and Tim Cahill up front.

It took just two minutes for some familiar faces to resume their well-established partnership. Bresciano picked out Cahill unmarked at the back post, only for the New York Red Bulls man to power an uncharacteristically weak effort harmlessly into the turf.

Despite dominating possession, the Socceroos had to wait until the 24th minute for another presentable chance to arrive. This time Cahill, winning an aerial challenge inside the area, nodded down to Troisi, who saw the angle for a right-foot curler closed off, before his eventual left-foot strike was well saved by goalkeeper Qasem Burhan.Reading's Adam Federici replaced Langerak at half-time, while Josh Brillante came on for Jedinak. Australia stepped things up early in the second half, although a succession of corners and half-chances failed to really trouble the hosts.

And they were punished for not making more of those opportunities. Khalfan sprang the offside trap to slot a low finish beyond Federici in the 61st minute, Topor-Stanley having narrowly failed to cut out Sebastian Soria's assist.Cahill had a decent chance to level in the 68th minute, turning his man just inside the area before firing a low strike straight at Qasem.

Postecoglou progressively introduced Bernie Ibini, Mathew Leckie, Brad Smith and Ivan Franjic for Kruse, Cahill, Oar and Herd respectively from the hour-mark onwards. But the men in green and gold struggled to recapture the momentum they had built early in the second period, the hosts seeing out the time remaining in relative comfortable to claim the scalp of a regional powerhouse.

 

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Armenia 0-3 France: Remy, Gignac & Griezmann fire Les Bleus to victory

Five years since the day of his last France goal, Andre-Pierre Gignac found the net as Didier Deschamps' men beat Armenia 3-0 on Tuesday.

The Marseille striker, making his first international start since France's elimination from the 2010 World Cup, scored from the penalty spot in a comfortable friendly win in Yerevan for the Euro 2016 hosts.

France dictated proceedings for much of the encounter at the Vazgen Sargsyan Republican Stadium and took the lead after just seven minutes through Gignac's strike partner Loic Remy.

The hosts threatened sporadically, but Gignac made the game safe in the 55th minute by repaying the faith shown in him by Deschamps, who was part of France's team for their last meeting with Armenia in 1999.

Gignac displayed the composure that has seen him net nine Ligue 1 goals for Marseille this term as he found the net in a France shirt for the first time since his strike in a 3-1 win over Austria on October 14, 2009.

Substitute Antoine Griezmann then put the gloss on a strong performance from Deschamps' men, who continue to build towards their home tournament in impressive fashion.

Armenia made a bright start but were soon undone as Remy converted following an excellent France counter-attack.The Chelsea man tapped home from Gignac's cross after the Marseille forward had latched on to a superb ball over the top from Jeremy Mathieu.

Undeterred by their early setback, Armenia responded strongly and were denied an equaliser when attacking midfielder Artem Simonyan's drive was well saved by Steve Mandanda.France's goalkeeper then prevented Marcos Pizzelli from scoring a fine individual goal, although the striker perhaps should have laid the ball off with options to his right and left.

For all Armenia's endeavour, they were fortunate not to fall further behind in the 20th minute. Remy struck Roman Berezovsky's left-hand post after again combining with Gignac and the Marseille man himself was thwarted by Berezovsky nine minutes before the interval.Paul Pogba was brought on for Blaise Matuidi after the break and his introduction paid dividends as he won the penalty that put France in complete control 10 minutes into the second half.

The Juventus midfielder jinked his way towards goal before being felled by Kamo Hovhannisyan, allowing Gignac to step up and send Berezovsky the wrong way with a confident spot-kick.Deschamps' side refused to let up as they pushed for a third, Remy firing narrowly wide following good work from Griezmann and Remy Cabella, before Pogba also went close from a Mathieu Valbuena corner.

France capped off their performance seven minutes from time, Atletico Madrid winger Griezmann springing an offside trap and rounding Berezovsky to slot into an empty net.

 

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South Korea 1-3 Costa Rica: Borges inspires Costa Rica win

Celso Borges scored twice as Costa Rica consigned South Korea to a 3-1 friendly defeat at the Seoul World Cup Stadium on Tuesday.

The AIK midfielder struck in each half with two fine finishes to ensure the World Cup quarter-finalists made it five games without defeat under interim coach Paulo Wanchope.

Lee Dong-gook, the leading scorer in the K. League, cancelled out Costa Rica's opener on the stroke of half-time, but Borges restored the visitors' lead and Oscar Duarte added a third goal with 12 minutes remaining.It was South Korea's first defeat under German coach Uli Stielike, who was confirmed as Hong Myung-bo's successor last month, while Wanchope has masterminded four wins out of five since taking temporary charge.

Borges opened the scoring with a clinical right-footed finish eight minutes before half-time after Bryan Ruiz had headed the ball down into his path.

Lee fired the hosts level in time added on at the end of the first half, getting in front of his marker to convert from close range after Son Heung-min had picked him out.Costa Rica were not to be denied, though, and Borges restored their advantage when he turned in David Ramirez's centre with a cheeky back-heel two minutes after the break.

Duarte then gave the Central American side breathing space when Kim Seung-gyu flapped at a Ruiz corner and the defender made him pay by heading home.
Ki Sung-yueng had a late goal ruled out for offside and there was no way back for Stielike's men.

 

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Hong Kong 0-7 Argentina: Higuain and Messi strike in easy win

A host of fringe Argentina players laid their claim to a spot in Gerardo Martino's plans after waltzing to a 7-0 win over Hong Kong.

Brazil took down a strong Argentina side 2-0 in Beijing at the weekend, but a string of replacements had a comfortable outing against a side placed 163 places below them in the world rankings on Tuesday.

Lionel Messi was among those rested, but his every appearance on the stadium screen was routinely cheered by the fans in attendance at the Hong Kong Stadium, and they got to see half an hour of their hero in fine form after the break.

Nahuel Guzman made his international debut in goal, while defensive pair Facundo Roncaglia and Santiago Vergini were handed their second caps.

Ever Banega - making his first Argentina outing in 11 months - opened the scoring after ponderous home defending, while Gonzalo Higuain and Nico Gaitan also netted before the interval - the Benfica winger capping a fine performance with his first international goal.

Higuain netted again early in the second half to take him joint fifth on Argentina's goalscoring chart - above World Cup-winning pair Leopoldo Luque and Daniel Passarella - with Messi getting in on the act for number five before setting up Gaitan's second and Argentina's sixth.

Messi capped a devastating cameo with the final goal, as the visitors racked up a simple triumph.

Despite Martino changing his entire XI from the Brazil defeat, Argentina quickly found their feet and set up camp around the Hong Kong area.

Javier Pastore spurned a gilt-edged chance 13 minutes in, but Banega managed to net six minutes later, drilling home after goalkeeper Yapp Hung Fai spilled Gaitan's shot and Lee Chi Ho failed to sufficiently clear.

Yapp displayed sharp reflexes to impressively tip Higuain's 30-yard scorcher over the crossbar and the Napoli man saw a neat effort chalked off for fouling Lee.

However, Higuain eventually had his moment three minutes before the break as Leonel Vangioni delivered a wicked cross from the left, which the Napoli man steered across Yapp and in with his head.

There was still time for Gaitan to put his name on the scoresheet, receiving a ball from Banega before stepping inside and lashing the ball home.

The game's three goalscorers worked in perfect tandem to rack up the fourth. Banega's fine throughball released Gaitan in the clear and he drew Yapp from his line before giving Higuain a tap-in.

And shortly after coming on, Messi burst into the box after a neat one-two with Banega to chip calmly over the onrushing Yapp.

Messi was in no mood to coast through his outing and displayed tenacity to keep the ball in on the byline before bypassing the Hong Kong defence with a pass which left Gaitan the simple task of scoring from two yards.

Hong Kong forward Karikari Godfred wasted a one-on-one chance to grab an improbable home goal, but Messi had no such trouble in capping the win by dribbling past four listless defenders and clipping home his 44th Argentina strike.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Japan 0-4 Brazil: Neymar hits four in Selecao rout


A four-goal haul from Neymar helped Brazil to a 4-0 win over Japan on Tuesday as Dunga's strong start to his second spell in charge continued.

Following a disastrous World Cup elimination on home soil under Luiz Felipe Scolari, 1994 World Cup winning captain Dunga has now guided the national side to four consecutive victories without conceding a goal.

Despite Dunga's criticism of the surface at the Singapore Stadium, skipper Neymar impressed throughout - seeing a free-kick hit the post shortly before sending Brazil in front.

Latching on to Diego Tardelli's pass, the lively forward took the ball round Eiji Kawashima before doubling his tally early in the second half when he came out on top in a one-on-one after a delightful through ball from Philippe Coutinho.

Japan - who ensured Javier Aguirre his first victory against Jamaica on Friday - were unable to respond as Neymar added two more late on.

The dominant victory rounds off a positive tour of Asia that saw Brazil clinch the Superclasico de las Americas against Argentina in Beijing on Saturday.

Buoyed by the 2-0 win over their fierce rivals in China, Brazil began brightly but were made to wait until Neymar's free-kick come back off the upright after 16 minutes for their first chance.

The Brazil skipper had seen a half-hearted penalty appeal turned down when he was eased off the ball by Masato Morishige prior to his set-piece striking the woodwork.However, the Barcelona forward found the net shortly after when he timed his run to beat the offside trap and get on the end of Tardelli's pass before rounding Kawashima and calmly finishing.

Neymar continued to threaten - beating Tsukasa Shiotani all ends up only to see his effort drift wide - before Japan had their first sight of goal courtesy of Yu Kobayashi's volleyed effort that sailed over the crossbar after patient build-up down the left.Shinji Okazaki's glanced header drifted wide of Jefferson's left-hand post as Aguirre's men ended the half strongly, despite the absence of playmaker Shinji Kagawa due to a head knock picked up against Jamaica.

However, Neymar's second just two minutes after the interval put the game beyond Japan - substitute Coutinho was the architect with his first real contribution of the game before the captain ran clear and rolled the ball past Kawashima.

Brazil, who gave a first start to Gil in the absence of injured defender David Luiz, then saw experienced midfielder Kaka hit the crossbar with a header as he was denied a first international goal in almost two years.

However, Neymar had his hat-trick when he followed up Coutinho's parried effort before nodding in Kaka's cross to ensure his and Brazil's fourth with nine minutes left on the clock.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Low slams naive Germany after Irish draw

Germany coach Joachim Low felt his team showed naivety to let the Republic of Ireland leave Gelsenkirchen with a 1-1 draw.

The world champions suffered a chastening 2-0 loss in Poland on Saturday but Toni Kroos' 71st-minute strike looked to have got their Group D Euro 2016 qualifying campaign back on track at the Veltins Arena.

But Ireland captain John O'Shea - making his 100th international appearance - secured a share of the spoils for the visitors deep into stoppage time.

Germany will surely return to winning ways when they entertain group minnows Gibraltar in November but Low was left to bemoan a careless approach in the closing moments against Ireland that ultimately extended Germany's post-World Cup malaise to one win in four matches."We are all disappointed," Low told reporters. "In the last minute we were too naive to have long balls only hyped forward, we didn’t hold the ball and lost the balls.

"Overall, it was a difficult game, we had to be patient. In the first half our game was missing width and depth - we have it easy for the Irish to defend. "In the second half we made it better and created more pressure, but unfortunately it did not rewarded us with the second goal.

"We will win against Gibraltar and concentrate all forces. Then we are back next year."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Gignac delighted to end barren France run

​Andre-Pierre Gignac was delighted to have finally proved his goalscoring class after finding the net in France's 3-0 victory over Armenia.

The in-form Marseille striker, who has nine Ligue 1 goals to his name so far this season, earned his first cap in over a year when he came on as a late substitute against Portugal last Saturday.

Gignac was named in the starting XI on Tuesday in Yerevan for the first time since France's elimination from the 2010 World Cup, and he justified coach Didier Deschamps' faith by converting from the penalty spot in the 55th minute.That goal also came five years since his last international strike in a 3-1 victory over Austria, with Loic Remy and Antoine Griezmann also on target at the Vazgen Sargsyan Republican Stadium.

"Personally it feels good," Gignac, 29, told TF1. "It feels good for the team as well.
"Inevitably when you come back after a year's absence, you want to prove yourself. I'm glad to have done it tonight."

France, unlike the rest of Europe, do not have to fight for their place in the 2016 European Championship as they are hosting the tournament.