..::Football III::..

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Returning Alcacer sets sights on Champions League after Elche romp

Paco Alcacer says he is more determined than ever to help fire Valencia back into the Champions League after returning from injury.

The 21-year-old picked up a knee problem last month and was left out of Spain's squad for the international break next week as Vicente del Bosque felt he was short of full match fitness.

Alcacer was in fine form as he made his first start since returning to fitness in Valencia's 4-0 thrashing of Elche on Friday, however, scoring once and seeing two further strikes ruled out for offside as los Che moved to within five points of Barcelona at the top of the table.

The striker says he is fully focused on developing in 2015 as he looks to help third-place Valencia finish the season strongly and seal a return to Europe's top tournament.

"The goal is to get into the Champions League," he told the club's official website.
"My injury has helped me improve as a player, as I have returned more eager than ever after one month out."We are working well and converting our hard work into wins, which is of paramount importance."

Head coach Nuno Espirito Santo was delighted with his side's all-round display as they took another big step towards a top-four finish."In the first half, we came up against an opponent who we knew would be tricky and who were playing well," he said.

"We did a really good job with our pressing and the way we conditioned their game. We could have scored before the first goal.

"Throughout the game we were the better side and the result reflects a lot of time working, not only in this game. I think our natural growth is reflected in this result but hopefully Elche can stay up.

"It is a privilege to have 3,000 Valencianistas out on a Friday night to support us. We can get very excited about the next match against Villarreal."

 

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Blanc urges PSG to improve finishing skills

Laurent Blanc was relieved to see Paris Saint-Germain pick up three points in Friday's 3-1 Ligue 1 victory over Lorient, but was far from satisfied with his side's performance.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic, after a difficult week that saw him launch a rant referee Lionel Jaffredo following last Sunday's 3-2 defeat to Bordeaux and also pick up a one-match ban for his red card in PSG's Champions League encounter at Chelsea, scored a hat-trick at Parc des Princes.

The Sweden captain netted twice from the spot, sandwiching Jordan Ayew's superb leveller in the 67th minute, before rounding off the scoring in injury time to lift PSG top of the table for one day at least ahead of Lyon's game with Nice on Saturday.

PSG should have enjoyed an even more comfortable margin of victory, though, with several chances going begging and head coach Blanc was disappointed with how the Ligue 1 champions laboured to victory.

He told a press conference: "We had 11 chances in this game. Eleven! You tell me there were three goals but two of them were penalties.

"We can't always say the keeper has had a great game, even when that is true. We have to work on that."We had some demons resurface in the defensive areas, especially when we didn't have the ball.

"The three points is the most important thing but I do not think we did all that was necessary to have a simpler game."The encounter against Lorient was PSG's fifth match in the past 17 days, but Blanc is confident his team can cope with the demanding schedule.

"They will recover without problems," he added. "We saw in Bordeaux that they had not fully recovered. It was much better against Lorient."

 

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Atletico Madrid want to sign Cavani, confirms coach

Atletico Madrid are interested in signing Edinson Cavani from Paris Saint-Germain, according to coach Oscar Ortega.

The 28-year-old has been heavily linked with a possible summer switch to the Vicente Calderon in recent weeks, with compatriot and former Atleti striker Diego Forlan claiming he would make a perfect signing.

Cavani has failed to score in his last eight Ligue 1 matches for PSG, including in Friday's 3-1 victory over Lorient, which came courtesy of a Zlatan Ibrahimovic hat-trick.

Ortega, a member of Diego Simeone's coaching team, has now confirmed the Spanish champions would relish the chance to sign the forward.He told Radio 1010: "Yes, there is [interest] and I would love to be able to sign him. For us, and for him, too."

Ortega also hailed the burgeoning understanding between experienced centre-back Diego Godin and young compatriot Jose Gimenez."Diego has had a magnificent year and is one who has maintained the level of last year," said Ortega.

"His performance has been very good and we feel it a lot when he isn't playing.
"Gimenez is our golden boy. We are looking after him because he is a player with tremendous potential."

 

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'Referee' Van Gaal wants cool heads at Anfield

Louis van Gaal has taken on the role of referee in training this week in order to prepare his Manchester United side for the red-hot atmosphere they will face at Liverpool on Sunday.

United travel to Anfield this weekend with just a two-point lead over their arch-rivals in the race for fourth place in the Premier League.

And, having seen Chris Smalling sent off in the Manchester derby against City and Angel Di Maria dismissed in the FA Cup quarter-final loss to Arsenal this season, Van Gaal is keen for his team to keep their emotions in check.

"I have been the referee in the game that we do on the training pitch," Van Gaal told reporters.

"I have whistled in a way that they have to control their aggression for example - to prepare for them for the atmosphere.

"I mentioned that [in training], control of emotions is also a challenge."

United face Liverpool on the back of one their best performances of the season, as they beat Tottenham 3-0 at Old Trafford, but Van Gaal insists that victory will count for little if his side lose at Anfield.

"I think every win is better than losing or a draw," he added. "We played very good in the first half [against Tottenham].

"It was also good to have an evaluation that was positive. It's also good for the players.

"But it says nothing if you lose the next match. The next match is against Liverpool and it's a ground Manchester United has won not a lot at."

 

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Carrick signs one-year Manchester United extension

Manchester United midfielder Michael Carrick has signed a new one-year deal with the club.

The 33-year-old's contract was set to expire this summer but the former West Ham and Tottenham man has penned a deal tying him to the club until 2016.

Carrick has made 17 appearances under Louis van Gaal this season, notably helping United to a 3-0 win over former club Spurs on Sunday.

The Dutchman said: "He is for me my second captain behind Wayne Rooney and he can also read the game as a team player, so that's very important.

"He has also an excellent pass forward. I like, as a manager, passes forward so that's very important for me."

Carrick made his first appearance for Van Gaal in November after starting the season in the treatment room and he only recently returned from a February layoff in the club's 1-0 win at Newcastle two weeks ago.

Carrick celebrated his return to form with a call-up to Roy Hodgson's England squad for the fixtures against Lithuania and Italy at the end of the month.

 

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Congratulations Carrick!​

 

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Falcao has cried over Manchester United troubles, claims former agent

Radamel Falcao's disappointing spell at Manchester United has reduced him to tears, according to his former agent Silvano Espindola.

The Colombia international joined the club on a big-money loan deal from Monaco in September, with United holding the option of signing Falcao permanently at the end of the season should they wish.

However, the former Atletico Madrid striker has scored just four Premier League goals in 18 appearances in 2014-15, and has been heavily criticised for his displays, even turning out for the Under-21 side earlier this month.

Louis van Gaal subsequently denied that he was humiliating Falcao, but Espindola claims that his client is unhappy at Old Trafford and that he has cried over his disappointing spell in England.

"We talk a lot. I'm not going to say that he feels happy because he's not. We've spoken many times and cried together," he told AS Colombia.

"It's not an easy situation because every player wants to play and every goal-scorer wants to score goals, that's normal.

"But, at the moment, he isn't scoring and that's part of his football. He's recovering his best form.

"When we spoke, I told him that this happens to every striker, that he'll get over this poor run. When you don't score, you're going to begin to feel the pressure."

Falcao failed to score for United's development side against Tottenham and Espindola claims the striker expressed his displeasure at playing for the youth side.

"When he was on his way to the ground to play this game with the reserves, he called me," he added.

"We spoke for 20 minutes until he reached the stadium and he told me 'I've never been through something like this, I don't know how to deal with this situation. It feels weird for me'."

 

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Falcao ge performance gana nam Manchester United fan kenek hatiyata godak dukaikochchara hodata peform karamu player kenekda injury 1kata kalin

Anyway gone is gone........Keep trying Falcao!

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Inzaghi: I don't want to make excuses but injuries have hindered Milan

Filippo Inzaghi has taken full responsibility for AC Milan's dismal form but argued that injuries have been a major factor in the club's slide down the Serie A standings.

The Rossoneri went into the winter break with hopes of qualifying for Europe but they have dropped to 10th in the table after a run of two wins from 11 games since the turn of the year.

Consequently, Inzaghi is under intense pressure and expected to be sacked if Milan fail to beat fellow strugglers Cagliari at San Siro on Sunday.

The former Italy international has no problem bearing the brunt of the criticism for the collapse of the Rossoneri's European hopes but he is at pains to point out that unavailability of several key players has held him back.

"I don't want to pass on the blame, I am the coach and I am the first to be responsible," he said. "The only regret is that until January we saw a good Milan side.

"Then, we weren't able to able to give continuity to our project because of the injuries. We are now welcoming back players from injuries and we have to start playing good football again. "There are many reasons why we've had the injuries, we've also asked ourselves many questions, analysing the matches. The injuries have definitely gone hand in hand with our results."

Regarding his future, Inzaghi reiterated that he remains optimistic about his prospects of holding onto his job - despite reports that Milan are already discussing potential successors.

"I hope to stay here," the World Cup winner added. "The club will decide my future by evaluating results I believe in these players," he added."It's an important match for us and we have to restore winning ways. We know we're going to be in for a tough game."

 

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There's more to PSG than Ibrahimovic & Verratti - Luis Enrique

Luis Enrique will not underestimate a Paris Saint-Germain side that will be without suspended duo Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Marco Verratti for the first leg of the Champions League quarter-final.

Ibrahimovic and Verratti received a red and yellow card respectively in the second leg of PSG's last-16 tie at Chelsea, meaning they will miss out against the four-time champions of Europe on April 15.

Losing talisman and former Barca striker Ibrahimovic - who scored a hat-trick against Lorient on Friday - is a huge setback for Laurent Blanc, but Luis Enrique has warned his players against getting complacent.

The Barca coach told the club's official website following Friday's last-eight draw: "The absence of Ibrahimovic and Verratti is important but they have other players who are equally dangerous.

"Having the return leg at home is big. It is important to get a good result in Paris and try to qualify for the semi-finals in front of our fans."They are very dangerous and we have a lot of respect for them."

Barca and PSG, who overcame Premier League clubs Manchester City and Chelsea in the last 16, faced each other in the group stages, when both sides triumphed on home soil.

Luis Enrique added: "We have experience from the group stage, with a win and a defeat. After beating Chelsea they showed they are a strong candidate to win the competition."

 

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PSG face Barcelona and Real Madrid face Atletico - Champions League draw in full​

Real Madrid's worst nightmare was confirmed on Friday when they were drawn in the quarter-finals of the Champions League against bogey side Atletico.​

Carlo Ancelotti's men may be the defending champions - a title earned by beating Atleti 4-1 in last season's final - but they have failed to beat their city rivals in six attempts this season across La Liga, the Copa del Rey and Spanish Supercopa. The most recent clash ended 4-0 in Atletico's favour.​

Madrid will get another chance to record a victory when they meet in the first leg at the Vicente Calderon on April 14. The return at the Bernabeu takes place eight days later.Barcelona will resume hostilities with Paris Saint-Germain after being the first two clubs out of the pot in Nyon.​

The pair met in the group stage with the French champions inflicting a 3-2 defeat on Barca before Luis Enrique's men extracted a degree of revenge by winning 3-1 at Camp Nou.​

Of the three favourites to claim the trophy in Berlin on June 6, Bayern Munich will be the happiest with Friday's outcome.​

Pep Guardiola's men were drawn against Porto, conquerors of Basel in the last round, with midfielder Thomas Muller admitting the draw "could have been worse".Juventus will also fancy their chances of progressing having been paired with Monaco. The principality side survived a second-leg pummelling by Arsenal to scrape into the last eight and will take on a Juve side which is not only running away with Serie A but also proved much too strong for Borussia Dortmund in the last 16.​

Champions League quarter-final draw in full:​

 

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Pattama Draw 1kahoda fight 1kak yaiSpecially PSG Vs Barcelona & Atletico Madrid Vs Real Madrid!

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Napoli face Wolfsburg and Sevilla take on Zenit - Europa League draw in full

Napoli will face Wolfsburg and Sevilla will meet Zenit in the quarter-finals of the Europa League.The Italian side take on Dieter Hecking's men, one of the tournament favourites, for the first time in European competition.

From the beginning of this year's tournament, sides from Russia were not allowed to be drawn aginst sides from Ukraine, for political reasons.

Zenit were drawn first and paired with Sevilla, who are targeting a second consecutive Europa League to add to the back-to-back titles they claimed in 2006 and 2007.

After beating Besiktas in the last-16, Club Brugge, the only unbeaten team in the tournament, will take on Ukrainian side Dnipro, who scraped through on away goals at the expense of Ajax.Dynamo Kiev, who came from behind in their tie to trounce Everton in the second-leg, face Fiorentina, fresh off of a massive win over Roma in the last round of the competition.

The first legs of the quarter-finals will be played on April 16, with the second legs taking place the following week.The final will be played at the National Stadium in Warsaw on May 27.

Europa League quarter-final draw in full:-

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Wolfsburg Vs Napoli!​

 

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Barclays Premier League 2015.03.21 Fixtures

Barclays Premier League 2015.03.21 Fixtures

Manchester City Vs WBA

Aston Villa Vs Swansea

Newcastle United Vs Arsenal

Southampton Vs Burnely

Stoke City Vs Crystal Palace

Tottenham Vs Leicester

West Ham Vs Sunderland

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La Liga 2015.03.21 Fixtures

La Liga 2015.03.21 Fixtures

Atletico Madrid Vs Getafe

Rayo Vallecano Vs Malaga

Levante Vs Celta Vigo

Athletico Bilbao Vs Almeria

Granada Vs Eibar​

 

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Serie A 2015.03.21 Fixtures

Serie A 2015.03.21 Fixtures

Chievo Vs Palermo

AC Milan Vs Cagliari​

 

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AC Milan 3-1 Cagliari: Menez at the double in crucial win

Jeremy Menez eased the pressure on head coach Filippo Inzaghi with two goals in AC Milan's 3-1 victory over relegation-threatened Cagliari in Serie A on Saturday.
The striker netted either side of Philippe Mexes' first of the season on a night that could have seen the end of Inzaghi's reign had the hosts failed to win.

All was not well for Milan, though, who played the game in front of a sparsely populated San Siro after the club's Ultras boycotted the match, displaying banners with the words "Game Over" and "Save Milan" in the Curva Sud.

Initially, Inzaghi's men struggled to find their rhythm, but Menez changed all that with a well-taken opener midway through the first half.Diego Farias pulled Cagliari level early in the second period, only for Mexes to put Milan back in front two minutes later, much to the relief of Inzaghi.

Milan's much-needed victory was assured late on through Menez's controversial penalty, lifting the fallen giants into seventh place and dreaming of a European place.

Cagliari took advantage of Milan's nerves in the opening stages with a positive start and should have been ahead inside five minutes as Marco Sau fired wide from six yards after evading two challenges.Despite a run of seven games without a win, the visitors continued to threaten, with Paul-Jose M'Poku twice denied by some last-ditch defending.

Having failed to make their early pressure pay, Cagliari were punished as Menez broke the deadlock with a stunning 21st-minute effort.

The French forward cut in from the left edge of the penalty area and curled his effort past Zeljko Brkic, before sending a message to those fans staying away from the game by cupping his hand to his ear in celebration.

Menez was Milan's shining light with threatening runs at the Cagliari defence, but it was Marco van Ginkel who went closest to doubling their advantage before the break with a long-range effort that was just over Brkic's crossbar.Zdenek Zeman's side had lost much of their momentum prior to half-time, but improved after the restart and levelled immediately through Farias.

Sau began a swift break with a long ball for the Brazilian to chase, he bamboozled Mexes and calmly slotted past Diego Lopez.Cagliari were not level for long, though, as Mexes made up for his calamitous defending minutes earlier with a well-executed volley from Menez's corner.

Such a frantic start to the second period meant Cagliari were never out of the game and, as the hour approached, Farias went agonisingly close to levelling for a second time with an effort that clipped the crossbar on its way over.

The woodwork saved Milan again to deny substitute Joao Pedro and three minutes later victory was assured as Menez took his tally to 15 goals for the season from a controversial penalty.

Substitute Alessio Cerci was fouled by Luca Ceppitelli on the edge of the penalty area, but referee Paolo Tagliavento stunned the visitors with the award of a spot-kick and Menez made no mistake.

 

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West Ham 1-0 Sunderland: Sakho sickener for Advocaat

Dick Advocaat's first match in charge of Sunderland ended in defeat as Diafra Sakho's late goal sealed victory for West Ham.

Former Netherlands boss Advocaat was appointed as Sunderland's head coach on Tuesday, following Gus Poyet's departure a day earlier, but saw his Premier League debut end in disappointment at Upton Park.

Sakho made the most of slack Sunderland defending in the final minute of normal time on Saturday after the visitors looked to have seen the game out for a draw.

Despite improvements at the back from their 4-0 hammering against Aston Villa last week, Sunderland saw Jermain Defoe waste their best first-half opportunity, while chances were infrequent after the interval.

Advocaat then opted to introduce Adam Johnson after his club suspension was lifted following an arrest on suspicion of sexual activity with a 15-year-old girl.

The winger failed to inspire his side and it was Sakho who had the final say, extending Sunderland's winless league run to seven matches on a day when fellow strugglers Burnley, Leicester City and Aston Villa were all beaten.

Connor Wickham was the first to threaten for Sunderland as he volleyed at Adrian, although Advocaat was then dealt an early blow with the departure of Wes Brown.

The centre-back appeared to hurt his knee when defending a set-piece and, after he was replaced by Santiago Vergini, Defoe spurned a glorious opportunity against his former club.

Clean through on goal following Steven Fletcher's flick-on, Defoe blazed high and wide before Costel Pantilimon was required to keep out strikes from Kevin Nolan and Alex Song either side of the half-hour mark.

Having seen his side labour in the first half, Sam Allardyce opted to replace Matt Jarvis with Carlton Cole at the interval - though it proved to have little impact.

Sakho headed wide of Pantilimon's right-hand post early in the second half, but a lack of quality on show from both sides made for a poor spectacle.

Fouls and stoppages continued to punctuate play, although West Ham felt they should have had a penalty when Nolan was brought down in the area by Vergini.

However, the referee waved away protests, citing an offside flag in the build-up, as West Ham continued to press as they sought to pick up their first league win since mid-January.

Following Johnson's introduction, Sunderland looked livelier - Patrick van Aanholt testing Adrian from distance - although the winger almost gave away a penalty when he appeared to handle Mark Noble's cross.

Allardyce's side ultimately claimed the points when Sakho latched on to Noble's header, steering a shot into the far corner to give Advocaat plenty to mull over as he seeks to keep the club in the division.

 

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Tottenham 4-3 Leicester City: Kane the hat-trick hero in seven-goal thriller

Harry Kane celebrated his first senior England call-up by scoring his maiden Premier League hat-trick as Tottenham beat Leicester City 4-2 in an enthralling encounter at White Hart Lane.

Former Leicester loanee Kane was on Thursday included in Roy Hodgson's squad for the upcoming internationals against Lithuania and Italy, and the England manager was in the stands to watch the striker's latest match-winning contribution on Saturday.

The 21-year-old put Tottenham two goals in front inside 13 minutes with a close-range finish and fortuitous goal that took a huge deflection off Robert Huth.

Leicester's last win came at Tottenham in the FA Cup back in January and they stunned the London club again as Jamie Vardy and Wes Morgan scored either side of half-time to draw Nigel Pearson's strugglers level.

Kane put the home side back in front, though, slotting home from the penalty spot to become the leading scorer in the Premier League with 19 goals and a Jeffrey Schlupp own goal restored Tottenham's two-goal cushion.

David Nugent set up a tense finale by pulling one back in the 90th minute, but Tottenham held on to push bottom side Leicester closer to an immediate return to the Championship.

Mauricio Pochettino was forced to make an early change when goalkeeper Hugo Lloris was carried off after colliding with Kyle Walker when making a last-ditch tackle on Vardy.

Michel Vorm came on to make his Premier League debut for Spurs, who were in front after only six minutes courtesy of yet another goal from Kane.

Leicester were caught out when Andros Townsend's corner was cleverly flicked on by Eric Dier and Kasper Schmeichel - making his first sta rt in 2015 - palmed the ball straight at Kane, who finished from inside the six-yard box.

The visitors posed a threat going forward, but they were two goals down after only 13 minutes in a moment to forget for Huth.

The German defender intervened to cut out Walker's cutback, but his heavy touch fell invitingly for Kane and the man of the moment's scuffed shot hit Huth and looped into the far corner of the net.

Leicester were being opened up far too easily, but Vardy gave Pearson's side a lifeline seven minutes before the break with a fine first-time finish from 12 yards after Nugent picked him out.

Nugent somehow failed to equalise from point-blank range under pressure from Ryan Mason after good work from Ulloa, but Morgan punished Tottenham for some dreadful defending to level five minutes after the break.

The Leicester captain was left unmarked from Matty James' corner and took advantage by stooping to beat Vorm with a powerful header.

Leicester looked the more likely to go on and win the game, but they were behind again after 62 minutes when Nugent was adjudged to have barged over Rose after taking a poor touch and Kane sent Schmeichel the wrong way from the spot to complete his hat-trick.

Tottenham then sealed the points with another stroke of luck when Eriksen went through and his shot was saved by Schmeichel, but hit Schlupp and rolled into the net five minutes from time.

Nugent gave the visitors a glimmer of hope in the last minute, but Tottenham clung on to bounce back from last Sunday's 3-0 defeat at Manchester United.