..::Football III::..

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Garcia: Fortune decided City tie

Rudi Garcia bemoaned Roma’s lack of fortune as their Champions League adventure was ruthlessly ended by Manchester City on Wednesday night.

A win at the Stadio Olimpico would have seen the Giallorosi through to the last 16 – a goalless draw would, in the end, have also sufficed - but, despite a promising start, qualification never looked likely.

City weathered an early Roma storm before going in front on the hour mark thanks to a wonderful Samir Nasri drive. City right-back Pablo Zabaleta made sure of City’s progression from Group E along with Bayern Munich by netting the visitors’ second goal late on.Garcia said: “I have no regrets from this match. It was a final and that was the problem. It was a match in which both teams did good things and only fortune decided the result.

“City are a more experienced team and we have to improve on some things. We have to have even more good players if we want to be at the same level as these big teams.“I feel sorry for my players, we had the chance to qualify but we didn’t.”

The Frenchman was quick to turn his attention to the race for the Italian title, with second-placed Roma visiting Genoa on Sunday hoping to close the three-point gap to leaders Juventus.

He added: “Now we must think about Serie A and I want my players to play a great match on Sunday.

"[The players] have to get through this disappointment. We are in the Europa League but Serie A is a more important competition now.”

 

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Nasri: Manchester City proved we're more than just Aguero & Toure

Sami Nasri says Manchester City have proved that they can cope without Sergio Aguero and Yaya Toure after beating Roma 2-0 in the Stadio Olimpico to progress to the last 16 of the Champions League.

Aguero, the Premier League's top scorer with 14 goals so far this season, is currently sidelined with a knee problem while Toure was suspended for the crucial clash.

However, Manuel Pellegrini's men clinched victory without their two key players. Nasri opened the scoring before Pablo Zabaleta sealed victory late on.

"The performance of the team was amazing. It was important for me to score because after my surgery I took a little bit of time to come back to my full level," he told Sky Sports.

"Yaya [Toure] wasn't there, Kun [Aguero] wasn't there… it was important for us to show that we are a team and we did it tonight."

Goalkeeper Joe Hart played a key role for City, tipping Kostas Manolas' header onto the post with the game still delicately poised at 1-1, and Nasri praised the England international for his part in the victory.

"The manager told us to take our time. The game is 95 minutes. We won our last game against Bayern in the last minute as well," he added.

"We knew we had to be patient and we did it. We scored and we won the game. My strike was important but at 1-0, the save Hart made was amazing and helped us as well."

 

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Luiz: Messi is the best player ever

David Luiz labelled Lionel Messi “the best player ever” after the Barcelona star derailed Paris Saint-Germain’s bid to finish top of Champions League Group F on Wednesday night.

The French titleholders knew a point at Camp Nou would be enough for them to pip Luis Enrique’s men to first place and it seemed that is the least they would get when former Barca striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic put them in front after 15 minutes.

However, Messi equalised four minutes later before a Neymar rocket edged the hosts in front just before half-time. The third member of Barca’s formidable strike force, Luis Suarez, completed the scoring with 13 minutes to go.

“It’s the efficiency that made the difference,” Brazil international Luiz told Canal+. “They were better than us; they have three huge forwards. Messi is fantastic, the best player ever.“Barca also have a smart head coach and other great players.”

The defeat means PSG will now face one of the group winners in the last 16.
Luiz said: “We will now think about the next step. The next game will be difficult. We’ll have to beat everybody to go all the way. In February we could play anyone."

Luiz’s Brazil team-mate Lucas Moura, who volleyed wide with the goal at his mercy with the scores tied at one goal apiece, added: “It was a difficult game, it’s hard to play here. We missed a lot of chances but that’s football.”

 

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UEFA Europa League Group Stage Fixtures 2014.12.11

UEFA Europa League Group Stage Fixtures 2014.12.11

Dnipro Vs Saint-Etienne
Qarabag Vs Internazionale
Borussia M'gladback Vs Zurich
Apollon Vs Villarreal
Club Brugge Vs HJK
København Vs Torino
Partizan Vs Asteras
Besiktas Vs Tottenham Hotspur
Salzburg Vs Astra
Dinamo Zagreb Vs Celtic
PSV Vs Dinamo Moskva
Panathinaikos Vs Estoril
Standard Liege Vs Feyenoord
Sevilla Vs Rijeka
Lille Vs Wolfsburg
Everton Vs Krasnodar
Young Boys Vs Sparta Praha
Napoli Vs Slovan Bratislava
Steaua Vs Dynamo Kyiv
Rio Ave Vs AaB
PAOK Vs Guingamp
Fiorentina Vs Dinamo Minsk
Metalist Vs Lokeren
Legia Warszawa Vs Trabzonspor ​

 

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Galatasaray 1-4 Arsenal: Ramsey wonderstrike inspires Gunners

Ramsey ge goal eka patta

 

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Roma 0-2 Manchester City: Nasri & Zabaleta send visitors through

Congratz M City

 

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Barcelona 3-1 Paris Saint-Germain: Messi, Neymar & Suarez seal top spot for Blaugrana

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Lille 0-3 Wolfsburg: Rodriguez brace seals last-32 progress

Ten-man Wolfsburg clinched the runners-up spot in Europa League Group H as they dispatched Lille 3-0 in France, with Ricardo Rodriguez scoring twice.

Idrissa Gueye header cracked a header off the outside of Diego Benaglio’s near post on seven minutes, but after that the visitors took control.

Kevin de Bruyne and Ivan Perisic combined to wonderful effect on the edge of the box, before the latter cut an intelligent ball towards the penalty spot where Vieirinha was on hand to fire into the bottom right corner just before half-time.

A second yellow card for Joshua Guilavogui then gave the home side a lifeline as the French midfielder was dismissed for a cynical push on Mendes on 55 minutes, leaving Wolfsburg to play out the remainder of the game with 10 men.Despite the numerical disadvantage, the visitors were to find the game’s second goal, too. Rodriguez stepped up confidently to a 25-yard free-kick and curled an imperious effort inside the near post beyond Vincent Enyeama.

On 75 minutes, the hosts were then handed another slice of good fortune when Robin Knoche gave away a penalty following a coming together with substitute Ronny Rodelin, but Origi could only force a great save out of Benaglio.

Wolfsburg then made sure that Lille paid for failing to take advantage as Rodriguez netted his second of the night following a blatant handball from Pape Souare.
A hatful of missed chances was the story of the night for Lille, with Wolfsburg heading into the knockout stages in second place at the expense of Rene Girard’s men.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Sevilla 1-0 Rijeka: Suarez strike not enough to take top spot

Sevilla will be unseeded in the draw for the last-32 of the Europa League despite beating Rijeka 1-0 courtesy of Denis Suarez's 20th minute strike.

Unai Emery’s men only needed a point to secure their place in the next round and, although they emerged victorious at Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan, the reigning champions were not particularly convincing.

Suarez opened the scoring on 20 minutes after receiving a pass from Jose Antonio Reyes, skipping past a couple of challenges and coolly slotting into the bottom-left corner.

A dominant Sevilla side should have doubled their lead just before the break, as the Rijeka defence stepped off Reyes and allowed him an effort on goal from the edge of the area, with Vargic saving his tame shot in unconvincing fashion.

Rijeka were lively at the start of the second half and should have restored parity, but Mato Jajalo inexplicably scuffed wide after Ivan Tomecak made the most of Coke’s rash defending.

The visitors continued to improve as the second half progressed, with Sevilla goalkeeper Beto forced into a couple of crucial saves, first denying Andrej Kramaric and then Zoran Kvrzic as Rijeka piled the pressure on.

Rijeka should have equalised in the 81st minute but Kramaric fluffed his lines with just Beto to beat after good work from Ivancic, as the hosts held on for victory and second spot behind group winners Feyenoord.

 

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Everton 0-1 Krasnodar: Laborde downs much-changed Toffees

Krasnodar ended their Europa League campaign on a high with a 1-0 victory at Group H winners Everton on Thursday.

Roberto Martinez, whose side were already assured of top spot, opted for a youthful line-up and the visitors took full advantage at Goodison Park to record their only win of the group stage.

Marat Izmailov pulled the strings in midfield and set up the game's only goal, cleverly scored by Ricardo Laborde in the 30th minute.

Everton, who named a bench exclusively of teenagers, were at their best when Arouna Kone - leading the line in his first appearance since October last year after overcoming a knee problem - had the ball.

The Ivorian was a regular threat but the hosts - who also gave starts to youngsters Luke Garbutt, Tyias Browning, Ryan Ledson and Conor McAleny - lacked cutting edge and rarely looked like scoring after the first half an hour.

Krasnodar's win lifted them above Lille, who lost 3-0 to German side Wolfsburg, and into third in the group.

Bryan Oviedo - still on the comeback trail from a broken leg - and goalkeeper Joel Robles made rare starts for Everton, while Gareth Barry, suspended for the club's next Premier League match, deputised at centre-back and Steven Pienaar added experience.

Everton's start was far from ideal, though, as winger Christian Atsu - on loan from Chelsea - hobbled off in the eighth minute clutching his hamstring, with England Under-17 international Kieran Dowell on to replace him.

Antolin Alcaraz almost gave the home side the lead in the 10th minute when he nodded Garbutt's corner just wide but the chance failed to awake the crowd from their near-permanent slumber during the match.

Kone stung the palms of Krasnodar goalkeeper Andrey Sinitsyn from 25 yards in the 15th minute before Krasnodar created their first meaningful chance - a powerful Wanderson effort that was well kept out by Robles.

The Russian Premier League outfit grew into the game from there and Izmailov begun to show his class.

Garbutt was Everton's brightest spark down the left and stormed to the byline before his half-cleared delivery allowed Pienaar to try his luck from distance, but again Sinitsyn was equal to the task.

And the visitors made Everton pay for their missed chances when Laborde gave them the lead.

Izmailov played him in with an excellent ball over the top and the scorer got there ahead of the onrushing Robles before turning away from goal, then spinning sharply and catching the goalkeeper unaware at the near post.

It was a smart finish but perhaps Robles should have done better, as Everton headed into the break behind.

Kone seemed desperate for a goal on his return and after an excellent turn, fired straight at Sinitsyn in the 50th minute, while Ragnar Sigurdsson made a smart block to deny Dowell after good build-up work from Oviedo.

Izmailov could have sealed Krasnodar's win in the 72nd minute, but shot inches wide to end an excellent move from the visitors, before Kone nodded a free-kick over.

But Krasnodar's 14 travelling fans - housed in corporate hospitality by Everton - went home happy as the hosts ultimately ran out of answers.

 

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Besiktas 1-0 Tottenham: Spurs lose as the lights go out in Turkey

Besiktas secured a 1-0 win over Tottenham to take top spot in Europa League Group C at their opponents' expense.

Cenk Tosun scored the decisive goal in the 59th minute, hot on the heels of having smashed a shot against the Tottenham crossbar at Istanbul's Ataturk Olmypic Stadium, where floodlight failures caused lengthy delays at either end of the match.

Mauricio Pochettino's visitors had been the better side for much of the contest up until the winning goal, although much-maligned striker Roberto Soldado passed up chances on each side of the lights going out for the first time.

A draw would have been sufficient for Tottenham to emerge as group winners, but the hosts enjoyed the better opportunities after going ahead, with Kerim Frei wasting the pick of them before a second plunge into darkness early in stoppage time halted any potential late rally in its tracks.

The first opening fell Tottenham's way as Nacer Chadli's cross on the end of Moussa Dembele's fine throughball narrowly evaded Soldado.

The first unscheduled interruption arrived a minute later, but the visitors remained the most fluent team following a 16-minute delay.

Soldado scuffed a glorious close-range chance in the 16th minute when Younes Kaboul knocked down a Paulinho free-kick and the Spaniard had a shot blocked by Ersan Gulum after the impressive Dembele picked him out.

In the 25th minute Chadli chipped home, but was denied by the offside flag, before Besiktas winger Olcay Sahan bustled forward and fired a shot over at the second attempt after Kyle Walker - playing a Tottenham first-team game for the first time in nine months following an abdominal problem - blocked his initial effort.

A quiet opening to the second period spung to life in the 58th minute when Tosun pounced on an error from Kaboul to chest down and thrash a venomous 25-yard strike against the crossbar.

That chance unsettled Tottenham and Tosun was celebrating a few moments later as Sahan touched Gokhan Tore's right-wing cross back across goal to leave the forward with a simple finish.

Tosun marked the goal by displaying the shirt of Mustafa Pektemek after his team-mate was hospitalised with a facial injury sustained during the weekend win over Trabzonspor.

Soldado could not convert from a corner as Tottenham sought an instant response and Danny Rose's low drive was saved by home goalkeeper Tolga Zengin.

Besiktas could have given themselves breathing space in the 67th minute when Sahan's flick sent Frei racing clear of the away defence, but the former Fulham midfielder fired into the side-netting.

Slaven Bilic's team continued to threaten further misery for Tottenham as Jose Sosa cut inside Vlad Chiriches to shoot over.

By the time the lights failed again, Tottenham's prospects were already looking dim and Pochettino must reflect on three matches without a goal in all competitions.

 

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Dinamo Zagreb 4-3 Celtic: Bhoys end group stages with thrilling defeat

Celtic were unable to finish their Europa League group stage campaign with a victory after losing 4-3 against Dinamo Zagreb in a thrilling game at Stadion Maksimir this evening.

After a good start to the game in which the hosts looked the most likely of the two sides to score, 19-year-old Marko Pjaca fired Dinamo Zagreb in front with little under quarter-of-an-hour on the clock, but their lead would prove to be short-lived as Kris Commons took advantage of poor defending to head Celtic back into the game just nine minutes later.

Dinamo Zagreb's nervousness at the back then resulted in the visitors going 2-1 ahead on the half-hour mark, with Stefan Scepovic taking advantage of more suspect defending to volley Celtic into the lead from close range after Commons' free kick ricocheted off the crossbar, but this time it was Dinamo Zagreb's turn to quickly level the scoreline, with Pjaca again finding the back of the net with five minutes of the first period left to play.

A frantic start to the second half would prove to deliver two quick-fire goals, with Marcelo Brozovic linking up well with Domagoj Antolic to make it 3-2 just three minutes after the restart, before Pjaca wrapped up his hat-trick with a fantastic 30-yard strike.

There was one goal left in Celtic, however, with Emilio Izaguirre forcing Josip Pivaric into turning the ball into the back of his own net with 10 minutes remaining, but it would prove to be too little too late as Dinamo Zagreb were just about able to hold on to wrap up a well-deserved victory.

The two sides went into tonight's clash with their Europa League fates already sealed, but straight from off it was clear that neither wanted to finish the group stage campaign with a defeat. Dinamo Zagreb, who started the game without a point in any of their last four European clashes, looked the most impressive of the two, and that would prove to be the case in the 14th minute, when Pjaca twist and turned around Adam Matthews before slotting the ball into the back of the net to give the hosts an early lead.

The hosts continued to impress in the immediate aftermath of the goal but were made to pay for sloppy defending just nine minutes later. A Virgil Van Dijk free kick from 25 yards out failed to beat the wall of black shirts camped on the edge of the penalty area but the ball comfortably fell to Commons, who, completely unmarked, was then able to nod it past goalkeeper Eduardo and into the bottom right-hand corner of the net.

Commons would then play an important part in Celtic's second goal just five minutes later, with his rocket of a shot from another free kick in a dangerous position ricocheting off the crossbar before Scepovic, who, like Commons previously, had been left unattended by the sleeping Dinamo Zagreb defence, was able to volley the visitors into the lead.

It would only last 10 minutes, however, as Pjaca, who the Celtic defence struggled to deal with for the majority of the evening, was able to take advantage of sloppy play by Matthews, dispossessing the right-back on the edge of the box before passing the ball into the bottom right-hand corner of the goal.

The start of the second half would prove to be even more hectic than the end of the first, with two goals in quick succession all but wrapping up the victory for the Croatian side. The first came from Brozovic just three minutes after the restart, with the midfielder curling his first-time shot past Craig Gordon from the edge of the penalty area to make it 3-2, before Pjaca wrapped up his hat-trick and extended the hosts' lead even further with a world-class strike from 30 yards out that left Gordon with no chance whatsoever.

Celtic came to life late on in the second half in the wake of the inclusion of Anthony Stokes, and after good play between the substitute and Izaguirre they reduced the deficit to one goal after a great low cross from the Honduran forced Pivaric into turning the ball into the back of his own net to make it 4-3.

The visitors continued to push hard for a late equaliser from then onwards, but the Dinamo Zagreb defence held firm and kept the Celtic front line at bay to wrap up all three points and finish in third place in Group D.

 

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Gladbach 3-0 Zurich: Hrgota at the double to seal top spot

Branimir Hrgota scored twice to help Borussia Monchengladbach to a routine 3-0 win over FC Zurich and clinch top spot in Europa League A

Patrick Herrmann opened the scoring in the first half, before a second-half double from Hrgota secured all three points against a lacklustre Stadtclub.

Gladbach settled into the game quickly, controlling possession and creating chances, with Ibrahima Traore and Cristoph Kramer narrowly missing the target inside the opening 10 minutes.Zurich eventually got a footing in the game, but after failing to test Yann Sommer they fell behind in the 31st minute.

Hrgota’s deflected through-ball fell kindly for Herrmann, and the midfielder rounded David Da Costa before slotting into the empty net.

The Foals continued to dominate and they were denied a second just seven minutes later. Ibrahima Traore, who consistently had the beating of Nico Elvedi, saw his curling left-footed effort come back of the post.After the interval der Stadtclub enjoyed their best spell in possession of the night, but they remained incapable of putting the hosts to the sword.

It cost them dearly, as with 59 minutes on the clock Raffael initiated a one-two with Hrgota, and the striker converted the Brazilian's cutback from the byline at the near post.

The former Zurich forward, Raffael, was denied a goal of his own shortly after by a brilliant stop from Da Costa, but the keeper could do nothing to stop Hrgota scooping the ball over him for the third following a brilliant pass from Granit Xhaka.

With a trip to face Bayer Leverkusen on Sunday on their mind, Favre’s men stepped off the gas and cruised through the remainder of the game, with Zurich powerless to stop their elimination from the competition.

 

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Apollon 0-2 Villarreal: Moreno and Vietto send Spaniards through

Villarreal booked their place in the last-32 of the Europa League after beating Apollon 2-0 on Thursday night.

Goals from Gerard Moreno and Luciano Vietto wrapped up the three points for the Yellow Submarine, as the home side slumped to their fifth consecutive defeat in European competition with a feeble display in front of their own fans.

Moreno gave the visitors the lead on 35 minutes after clipping a fine finish over goalkeeper Hidi having broken the offside trap with a smart run in behind Angelis Angeli.

Just five minutes later, the visitors doubled their advantage, with Jaume Costa linking up well with Moi Gomez to set up Vietto, who fired home from 14 yards out.

In the second half, it was a case of more of the same for the away side. Chances were at an absolute premium for Apollon, while Gabriel Paulista and Chechu Dorado enjoyed a very easy evening at the heart of the Villarreal defence.

A teasing free-kick delivery was the closest that the Cypriot side came to a consolation goal, with Sergio Asenjo doing well to claim a Gaston Sangoy cross under pressure from both Giorgos Merkis and Thuram.

As a result of Borussia Monchengladbach’s victory over Zurich in the other Group A fixture of the night, the Yellow Submarine head through to the next round in second place.

 

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Qarabag 0-0 Inter: Nerazzurri send hosts crashing out

Qarabag were left to rue a last-gasp disallowed goal as they missed out on a place in the Europa League second round thanks to a 0-0 draw with Inter.

With the Azerbaijani side on their way out, Richard Almeida thought he had sent Qarabag into the last 32 when his 93rd-minute strike was deflected in off Inter defender Isaac Donkor.

However, the joyous scenes at the Tofiq Bahramov Stadium in Baku were cut short when Leroy George was adjudged offside - giving Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk a lifeline they duly held onto by beating Saint-Etienne in Group F's other game on Thursday.

Inter already guaranteed their place in the knockout stage by winning the group and Qarabag initially looked to be joining them as they were on course to gain a point.

However, Dnipro saw off Saint-Etienne 1-0 to turn up the heat on Qarabag - seeking to become the first team from Azerbaijan to progress past the group stage of a competition. Instead, Gurban Gurbanov's men slipped to third and will likely look back on what could have been with George appearing to be onside in the midst of a dramatic finale.

The hosts created the first opportunity with a clever double step-over corner routine, but Rashad Sadygov scuffed his shot before Inter's Rene Krhin fired wide at the other end.

It was Qarabag who made much of the early running - Namik Alaskarov the next to go close with the home side controlling possession in the opening stages.
However, goalkeeper Ibrahim Sehic gave coach Gurbanov a scare when he sliced a clearance high into the air just after the 20-minute mark, although Pablo Daniel Osvaldo could not get the loose ball under control.

Ibrahima Mbaye looked likely to edge Inter in front when he was played clear on goal, but an offside flag thwarted his progress before Qarabag's Vuqar Nadirov was forced off injured.Juan Pablo Carrizo was required to keep out George's effort from a tight angle in the final throes of the half as Qarabag went in at the break perhaps bemoaning their lack of cutting edge.

Inter began the second period the brighter, with Federico Bonazzoli taking down Osvaldo's cross before seeing his shot deflected wide.Alaskarov failed to get on the end of Muarem Muarem's teasing delivery from the left as a relatively dour game began to show signs of life.

In a low-key affair, all the drama came at the end as Almeida wheeled away having initially appeared to have made himself the hero with his deflected strike.
The officials were left to field angry complaints from the hosts, however, as Gurbanov's men failed to extend their European campaign into 2015.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Tottenham fined €15k over Partizan pitch invasions

Tottenham have been fined €15,000 by Uefa for the pitch invasions that temporarily suspended last month's Europa League clash with Partizan at White Hart Lane.

The first half was interrupted on three separate occasions when individuals affiliated with a comedy Youtube account ran onto the pitch and attempted to take selfies with Spurs players, with referee Yevhen Aranovskiy deciding to remove the players from the field for around 10 minutes while stewards restored order.

Nathaniel Thompson, 23, Helder Gomes, 22, and Daniel Jarvis, 26, were subsequently arrested and charged by police with pitch invasion, and will appear at Highbury Corner Magistrates’ Court in north London on December 18.

All three men wore shirts bearing the name of a headphone manufacturer who had a merchandising agreement with Tottenham, though the company afterwards said they were "appalled" at the stunt.

Spurs went on to win the match 1-0 and face Besiktas on Thursday hoping to secure their place in the Europa League round of 32 as winners of Group C.

 

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Reus wants to stay at Borussia Dortmund - Watzke

Marco Reus "would love" to stay at Borussia Dortmund, chief executive Hans-Joachim Watzke believes.

Reus has been a major part of Dortmund's success over the past few seasons, but has seen the likes of Mario Gotze and Robert Lewandowski both move to Bundesliga rivals Bayern Munich.

Speculation has been rife that Reus could be the next high-profile player to leave Signal Iduna Park, with rumours circulating that Real Madrid have been given first option on his signature, while Bayern Munich's leading figures have made no secret of their interest in the player.Watzke moved to dismiss such talk last week and has since come out to say that he thinks Reus, currently out injured with an ankle problem, would prefer to stay at Dortmund.

"I believe that fundamentally Marco would love to stay here because he loves the city and he loves Borussia Dortmund," Watzke told Stern magazine."But I'm sure the people who are interested in him moving will provide him with other arguments."

 

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'No Manchester United return for Vidic'

Nemanja Vidic's agent has dismissed speculation that the defender is set to return to Manchester United from Inter.

The former Serbia international moved to San Siro in the summer following nine trophy-laden years at Old Trafford.

Vidic has made 13 appearances in all competitions for Inter so far this season, although he is yet to consistently put in the commanding performances so often seen in his days at United.

Rumours have recently surfaced that the 33-year-old could be in line for a move back to Old Trafford following a host of defensive injuries, but Silvano Martina, the player's representative, has categorically denied such claims.

"Not at all, they are all lies," he told Calciomercato.com. "Vidic has a three-year deal with Inter and will not leave Milan.

"It's almost useless the nonsense that is spread out and I do not see a reason for him to be linked to other teams.

"There has been little respect towards my client from the press.

"As soon as the Nerazzurri lost a few games, the press did not think twice to attack Vidic and point to him as the sole culprit.

"I repeat: he will not leave Inter."

 

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Champions League success in PSG's sights, says Al Khelaifi

Paris Saint-Germain chairman Nasser Al-Khelaifi has faith that his team are en route to Champions League glory - if not this season, then in the near future.

PSG could have gone into the last 16 of the Champions League as top seeds if they had avoided defeat at Camp Nou on Wednesday, but goals from Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez cancelled out Zlatan Ibrahimovic's opener to bump them down to second in Group F behind Barcelona.

Their non-seeded status means that they could face the likes of holders Real Madrid, Pep Guardiola's Bayern Munich, Spanish champions Atletico Madrid or Premier League table-toppers Chelsea in the next round.

Al-Khelaifi acknowledged Laurent Blanc's men have not made it easy on themselves by losing at Barca, but sees no reason to think European glory is beyond their means.

"This is football, we must accept it," he told reporters after the game. "They were very strong and we were not at our best level.

"We are disappointed, of course. We came to win. And I hope this is the last time we lose this season.

"If we want to go far, you have to beat the big teams. We know it will not be easy in the second round. Our realistic goal is always to win the Champions League; perhaps that will not happen this year, but we'll keep trying to win it."

PSG have reached the quarter-finals in the past two seasons only to be knocked out by Barcelona in 2013 and Chelsea in 2014 - both times on away goals. They will find out who they will face in this year's last 16 on Monday.