..::Football III::..

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Pogba tells Barcelona: I might stay at Juventus

Paul Pogba has revealed he is considering ignoring interest from Barcelona to stay at Juventus for the foreseeable future.

The central midfielder, 22, was heavily linked with a Turin departure in the recently closed transfer window, but Juve reportedly rejected Barca's €80 million offer in July.

With a host of other clubs also alleged to be keen on signing Pogba – Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City included – it has become a matter of when the Frenchman will leave Juve, rather than if.

However, Pogba has stressed he is comfortable at the 2015 Champions League finalists and he wants to help turn around Juve's poor start to the season, in which they lost both of their opening Serie A fixtures.

"It was not the right time for me to go, and I could very well remain at Juventus," he told Telefoot. "Right now, I'm still happy to be there. We will finish the season and then we'll see again.

"Has a Barca deal been struck in January? I don't know, for now I'm at Juventus and I'm focused only on them because we haven't started well. As for the rest, we'll see."

 

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Walcott: Can England win Euro 2016? Why not!

Theo Walcott sees no reason why England cannot win Euro 2016 next summer after becoming the first team to qualify for the competition on Saturday.

A routine 6-0 win over San Marino secure Roy Hodgson & Co.'s place in France, with the Arsenal forward scoring twice inside 10 minutes of his introduction as a second-half substitute.

England have failed to reach a semi-final of a major tournament since Euro 1996 and suffered their worst ever showing at a World Cup two years ago, but Walcott has faith in the current crop of players.

"I think this team is getting better and better, and that's what we want to do going into the tournament next year," he told reporters. "We've gone a long way towards that, so I am sure things are going to improve.

"There are big tests for us, but I believe in that dressing room. We are playing in the best league in the world, we're improving every day, the players are playing at the top of their game.

"It'll definitely be a big achievement if we can go far. I am sure that we can. The manager has got that in our system, that he believes in us. The belief is there, the confidence is there, so why not?"

Wayne Rooney's opening penalty saw him draw level with England's top goalscorer Sir Bobby Charlton on 49 goals for his country and Walcott says the captain has similar belief in the Three Lions' younger stars.

Walcott added: "What can you say? Wayne has been doing it for years. It just shows how established he is as an England international and at Manchester United. He's so good in the dressing room, he's a winner.

In training, he always wants to win - never wants to lose. He just wants to improve and improve this team. He has belief in this dressing room that this young talent can actually go on and do something special."

 

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'Rooney can play in midfield for England' - Moyes

David Moyes believes Wayne Rooney could do a job for England in midfield when the time comes for Roy Hodgson to find potent long-term replacements in attack.

The Manchester United striker, handed a senior debut at Everton by Moyes, has led the line for his country for over a decade and on Saturday equalled Bobby Charlton's record of 49 goals for England as Hodgson's men qualified for Euro 2016 by thrashing San Marino 6-0.

At 29, Rooney is likely to remain an integral player for England for several years to come, with Real Sociedad coach Moyes suggesting he could play out of his preferred position to further prolong his international career.

"I could easily see Wayne being a midfield player for a year or two after that [breaking Charlton's record]," Moyes told BBC 5Live's Sportsweek .

"I think he's got that ability. I think when time his legs run out a bit, he's such a good footballer, good passer of the ball, I think he can play in other positions.

"Wayne has got a lot of miles on the clock, but I do think he can go on for a bit longer."

Witnessing Rooney turn burgeoning potential into proven pedigree as he stands on the brink of making history for England fills Moyes with pride, the duo having also worked together during the Scot's ill-fated spell in charge at Old Trafford.

Reflecting on Rooney's England career, Moyes said: "To play 12 years at international football takes some doing because everybody in football wants to be a centre forward and everybody wants to take your place.

"But Wayne has been able to hold everybody off for 12 years, so it's great credit to him.

"I think everybody has been waiting on him breaking the record, to equal it was incredible for him. It really is because Bobby is such a legend, such a figure throughout the country really that for Wayne to get close to Bobby is a great achievement."

 

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'Berahino unlikely to strike' - PFA chief

The head of the Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) expects Saido Berahino to stage a U-turn over his decision to go on strike at West Brom in response to the Premier League club refusing to grant his desire to leave.

Tottenham saw a number of bids rejected for the 22-year-old striker, who handed a transfer request in and then hit out at West Brom chairman Jeremy Peace on deadline day last Tuesday.

Berahino posted on Twitter: "Sad how i cant say exactly how the club has treated me but i can officially say i will never play Jeremy Peace."

West Brom have since granted Berahino extra time off to clear his head and the players' union have since held talks with all parties concerned that PFA chief executive Gordon Taylor is convinced will lead to a positive outcome.

Taylor told BBC 5Live's Sportsweek : "He will be playing.

"We have made contact both with the club and with the player and we are very hopeful the matter will be resolved and will move on."

The Berahino saga is just one example of players becoming unsettled during the opening few weeks of the season as a result of on-going transfer speculation.

David de Gea has not played for Manchester United this season and saw a proposed move to Real Madrid fall apart at the 11th hour on deadline day, while Chelsea's failed pursuit of defender John Stones threatened to turn ugly after Everton rejected tabled bids and a transfer request.

Taylor added: "To have the window still open once the season starts in this day and age has created a lot of frenzied activity and left a lot of good players who should have been on the pitch not playing.

"The likes of David de Gea was probably the finest goalkeeper in the Premier League last season. That turned out wrong. John Stones had to cope because Everton, as is their right, wanted to keep him."

 

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Gotze has my trust even if he doesn't have Bayern's - Low

Joachim Low has insisted Mario Gotze remains an important player in his Germany set-up, irrespective of his struggles at Bayern Munich.

Gotze has entered his third season at the Allianz Arena but is not considered a crucial cog in Pep Guardiola's side – he has started from the bench in two of their three Bundesliga matches so far in 2015-16.

Low believes Gotze has earned his spot in the national team through his performances in last summer's World Cup – including his matchwinning goal in the final – and backed the 23-year-old to make his mark on Bayern's XI.

"I told Mario Gotze he should fight for his place at Bayern," the Germany head coach told reporters on Sunday. "There will always be injuries, there will always be chances.

"In Bayern, there might even be more competition than in our team. As a club coach who has matches every three to four days, you have to look at how the players work together.

"I am sure that Mario will have a lot of games if you check it at the end of the season. I've seen a lot of young players who had a bad patch like Mario had after the World Cup.

"But Mario always gave everything for us. He lives and breathes football 24 hours a day. He is technically good and has a great sense of direction in confined space.

"And Mario scores against strong teams like Brazil or Argentina. That is why I trust him."

Low, who has been in charge of the national team since 2006, also insinuated Borussia Dortmund midfielder Ilkay Gundogan can play a pivotal role in their efforts to win Euro 2016.

"Gundogan played very well against Poland," he said, referencing Friday's 3-1 win over their European Championship qualification rivals. "He gaves us time to breathe by attacking and gave us stability.

"He is almost back in the form he had two years ago and back then he was superb. Looking at the Euro 2016 he is an extremely important player. If he plays like this, it is hard to replace him."

Germany have no fresh injury concerns for Monday's visit to Scotland and Low suggested he will make only “one or two” tinkers to the XI from the Poland clash when they line up at Hampden Park.

With all six teams in Group D to play three more matches, the world champions are top with 16 points, Poland are second with 14, Republic of Ireland third with 12 and Scotland fourth with 11.

The top two automatically qualify for the finals in France next summer, with the third-placed team likely to go into the eight-team play-offs for the last four spots in the continental tournament.

 

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Pedro: Chelsea move will boost Euro 2016 chances

Pedro has no regrets over his decision to leave Barcelona for Chelsea, arguing that the greater game time on offer at Stamford Bridge will boost his hopes of making the Spain squad for Euro 2016.

The 28-year-old winger completed a £19 million (€27m) move to London on August 20 and enjoyed a sensational Premier League debut, scoring one goal and creating another for Diego Costa in a 3-2 win at West Brom.

Chelsea have since lost their last two games, leaving Jose Mourinho's men 13th in the table, eight points behind early pacesetters Manchester City.

However, after seeing little game time at Camp Nou due to the presence of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar in the Barca attack, Pedro is delighted to be playing regularly.

"I am happy with how my time has started at Chelsea," the winger is quoted as saying by Fifa's official website.

"When you have more minutes you can play at a different rhythm with more confidence and a different mentality.

"I am sure the move will be very good for me to play both at Chelsea and with the national team."

Pedro also started for Spain in Saturday's crucial 2-0 victory over Slovakia, which moved Vicente Del Bosque's side to the top of their qualification group for Euro 2016.

Andres Iniesta and Jordi Alba got the goals as La Roja continued their recovery from last year's shock first-round elimination at the World Cup in Brazil and Pedro feels that the team are moving in the right direction again.

"The game yesterday was one of the best playing in our style," he added. "There was a lot of first-touch football and we were always looking to attack against a Slovakia side that hadn't lost a game.

"It is possibly our best game since the World Cup."

 

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Wales 0-0 Israel: Bale & Co. made to wait for Euro 2016 qualification

Wales were made to wait in their bid to secure qualification for next year's European Championship as they were held to a 0-0 draw by Israel at the Cardiff City Stadium.

The home side knew victory would ensure a first appearance at a major competition since the legendary John Charles inspired them to the World Cup in 1958.

However, Wales could not break down a resolute and compact Israel defence, with Gareth Bale – so often the saviour – unable to provide a moment of magic, though he came close with last-gasp strike that had Ofir Marciano at full stretch.

Instead the best chances fell to Aaron Ramsey in the first half when he headed over the crossbar after Andy King's effort had been kept out, while Bale failed to find the target with a free-kick from the edge of the area after the break.

Chris Coleman's men also saw penalty appeals for a handball in the box turned down – while Simon Church's injury-time header was ruled out for offside – and must now wait to see if Belgium's result puts them into the Euros by virtue of a top-two finish, while Israel still harbour qualification ambitions of their own.

Roared on by a vociferous home crowd, Wales began brightly – threatening through Ramsey and King inside the opening 10 minutes.

With Israel often guilty of carelessness in possession, the hosts continued to try to press home their advantage, although Wales struggled to break down a deep visiting defence.

Israel enjoyed rare forays outside their half, but were more than happy to soak up pressure, adding to frustrations on and off the pitch.

With star man Bale often crowded out or isolated, Wales failed to gain reward for their approach before the break.

Seemingly buoyed by their solid first-half display at the back, Israel were composed early in the second half, keeping possession well without forcing clear-cut chances.

It was broadly the same story for Wales before the hour, although Hal Robson-Kanu managed to connect with a David Edwards delivery, with the Reading man only able to divert it over the crossbar.

When Robson-Kanu was brought down on the edge of the area, Bale clipped a free-kick over the target before King's header was well kept out by Marciano inside the final half hour.

It led to another sustained period of pressure from the hosts, with Eitan Tibi perhaps fortunate not concede a penalty when he appeared to handle inside the area.

Bale, who got the winner against Cyprus on Thursday, was almost the hero for the second time in a week, but saw his low shot kept out by the fingertips of Marciano with three minutes remaining.

There was time for one more moment of false hope as Church's close-range header was flagged for offside, cutting celebrations short deep into injury time.

Wales next head to Bosnia-Herzegovina and conclude their campaign at home to Andorra, while Israel will likely need to beat Cyprus and Belgium to make it to France.

 

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Turkey 3-0 Netherlands: Dismal Dutch in danger of missing Euro 2016

Oguzhan Ozyakup dealt a major blow to his country of birth's hopes of qualifying for Euro 2016 as Turkey consigned Netherlands to a stunning 3-0 defeat in Konya to go two points above them in Group A.

Both coaches billed Sunday's crunch clash as a battle for third place - and a play-off spot - after Netherlands were beaten at home by leaders Iceland on Thursday and Turkey could only draw with Latvia.

And it was Fatih Terim's side who rose to the occasion with the backing of a partisan crowd at the Torku Arena, as Zaandam-born former Netherlands youth international Oguzhan headed them in front early on.

Arda Turan was the architect for Ozyakup's first international goal and the Barcelona man doubled Turkey's lead in the first half with a shot that Netherlands goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen made a mess of.

Netherlands had their chances, but were unable to mount a fightback and Burak Yilmaz added a late third goal as Danny Blind's second game in charge ended with another defeat and Turkey now in pole position to secure a play-off spot with two games to play.

Czech Republic sealed their place in next year's tournament in France by beating Latvia on Sunday, while Iceland only need a point again Kazakhstan later in the day to qualify.

Robin van Persie returned to the Netherlands starting line-up as captain with Arjen Robben (thigh) ruled out, while teenage Ajax defender Jairo Riedewald made his international debut.

Sener Ozbayrakli and Oguzhan were recalled by Terim and the latter needed only eight minutes to open the scoring on his first Turkey start for almost a year.

The Besiktas midfielder exchanged passes with Arda before surging clear all too easily and dinking the ball over the advancing Cillessen with a fine finish.

Luciano Narsingh had an opportunity to equalise only six minutes later when Van Persie played him in with a backheel, but Volkan Babacan came out to make the save.

But while Netherlands looked dangerous going forward, they looked susceptible to conceding again and Turkey took advantage of their defensive frailties by scoring a second goal 26 minutes in.

It was a moment to forget for Cillessen, who really ought to have saved Arda's effort at his near post after the Barcelona midfielder surged into the area and shrugged off Daley Blind.

The Ajax goalkeeper did manage to keep out Burak's shot with his legs to deny Turkey a third goal in a first half that left Netherlands stunned.

Stefan de Vrij was replaced by Georginio Wijnaldum at half-time and the Newcastle United midfielder should have scored just three minutes after coming on when he rose unmarked, but made a mess of his header.

Luuk de Jong and Jeffrey Bruma had chances to pull a goal back with headers before any hopes of a Netherlands fightback were dashed when Burak took advantage of more poor defending to turn and fire home a third goal late five minutes from time to add insult to injury for Danny Blind's men.

 

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Netherlands lata wade set wei wage​

 

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Italy 1-0 Bulgaria: De Rossi decisive for Azzurri - despite dismissal

Italy went top of Euro 2016 qualifying Group H as Daniele De Rossi's penalty gave Antonio Conte's side a 1-0 win over Bulgaria in a game that saw both sides finish with 10 men.

The Euro 2012 finalists knew victory in Palermo would take them to the summit of the group following Norway's 2-0 victory against Croatia earlier on Sunday.

And Italy duly dominated from the start, needing just six minutes to open the scoring through De Rossi's twice-taken penalty.

Only the efforts of Bulgaria goalkeeper Bozhidar Mitrev prevented Italy from adding to their lead, but Conte will be without goalscorer De Rossi for their next qualifier in Azerbaijan after his second-half dismissal.

De Rossi and Bulgaria forward Ilian Mitsanski were each shown red cards for their respective roles in a confrontation 10 minutes into the second half.

Despite that incident and an improved second-half showing from Bulgaria, Italy stood firm to go two points clear at the top. By contrast, Ivaylo Petev's men have no chance of qualifying.

Italy went close to taking the lead in the first minute as Graziano Pelle was denied at the far post by a fine save by Bozhidar Mitrev, with Stephan El Shaarawy turning the rebound acrobatically over the crossbar.

But they were gifted the opening goal three minutes later when Antonio Candreva was clipped in the area by Veselin Minev. De Rossi coolly slotted away the subsequent spot-kick, only for referee Sergey Karasev to instruct the midfielder to take it again after players encroached into the area.

The drama did not faze the Roma stalwart, however, as De Rossi went the same way to beat the valiant dive of Mitrev.

Conte's men were almost caught cold in the 18th minute when Mitsanski burst through the heart of the Italy defence, only for his low effort to be turned round the left-hand post by Gianluigi Buffon.

The impressive Pelle headed over from a Marco Verratti free-kick and the Southampton striker was heavily involved again when Mitrev prevented Bulgaria from falling further behind by keeping out Mattia De Sciglio's half-volley.

Marco Parolo went close with deflected efforts either side of half-time, before De Rossi and Mitsanski were given their marching orders.

De Rossi appeared to kick out at Mitsanski for an innocuous but cynical foul and Karasev had no hesitation in brandishing the red card, which he then showed to Mitsanski, who had flung himself to the floor following the Italy man's reaction.

Todor Nedelev then curled narrowly over for Bulgaria and Mitrev produced a fine save to deny El Shaarawy as the two teams took advantage of the extra space on the Stadio Renzo Barbera pitch.

Bulgaria pressed more in the closing stages, but could not find a way through a stout Italy defence, the hosts holding on to take another step towards a place at the finals in France.

 

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Fabregas defends Costa: He's a great striker

Cesc Fabregas has leapt to the defence of the under-fire Diego Costa , hailing his Spain and Chelsea team-mate s "a great striker".

After impressing heavily in Spain with Atletico Madrid, Costa opted to switch national teams from his native Brazil to represent La Roja and was seen as a potential star for the European champions.

However, the striker has flopped in Vicente del Bosque's team so far and Saturday's goalless outing in the 2-0 win over Slovakia means he has now managed to find the back of the net just once in eight games for his adopted nation.

Fabregas, though, has voiced his support for the 26-year-old attacker, arguing that a lot of his good work goes unnoticed.

“Costa is a great striker," he told reporters. "Last season, he scored more than 20 goals and on Saturday he won a penalty to make it 2-0.

"He's good at creating space."

Fabregas also urged former Barcelona colleague Gerard Pique to ignore the Spain fans who once again whistled him on Saturday due to a perceived lack of patriotism.

“Pique must carry on playing, being the best centre-back he can be and giving everything for the team to win the critics over," the midfielder stated. "Time heals everything.”

Spain's victory over Slovakia saw Del Bosque's men draw level with their opponents at the top of Group C but claim first place thanks to a superior head-to-head record.

The pair are just three points clear of Ukraine with three games still to play, but Fabregas is supremely confident that La Roja will claim a place at Euro 2016.

“We're now the leaders and it's likely we'll qualify for the European Championship,” he added.

“We had a great first half against Slovakia and I think we gave a very complete performance.

"The squad is full of top players and hopefully we'll continue to do well."

 

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Van Persie: This is terrible, really awful

Robin van Persie says Netherlands are in a "terrible" position as their Euro 2016 qualification hopes took a massive blow as they lost 3-0 to Turkey on Sunday.

The defeat sees Oranje stuck in fourth place in Group A, two points behind Fatih Terim's men, who occupy the play-off place, with two games remaining.

Even if the Dutch beat Kazakhstan and Czech Republic in their final two games, they are not guaranteed to finish third as Turkey need just four points to hold on to third place.

And Van Persie could not hide his disappointment after the defeat: "You could say that [it hurts], yes," he told NOS. "We no longer have qualification in our own hands.

"It’s terrible. I find that really awful.

"Qualifying is very difficult, but we still have a chance.

"We must continue to fight to the end and win the last two games anyway.”

 

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Blind refuses to resign after Netherlands left on brink of Euro 2016 qualification failure

Danny Blind insists he will not resign as Netherlands coach after a 3-0 loss to Turkey dealt another blow to his side’s hopes of reaching Euro 2016.

The defeat in Konya has left Blind's men fourth in Group A with just two games remaining, while Czech Republic’s win over Latvia on Sunday means Netherlands' only hope of reaching next summer’s finals is to pip Turkey to a spot in the third-place play-offs.

Blind replaced Guus Hiddink as Netherlands coach at the start of July but the 54-year-old has overseen defeats to Group A leaders Iceland and now Turkey, who are two points clear in third place.

When asked if he is planning to resign, Blind replied: ”That thought does not go through my head.

“We made mistakes at the wrong times in the early stages. We had chances, even more than Turkey."

 

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Moyes: I turned down a lot of Premier League clubs

David Moyes has revealed that he turned down "a lot of offers" from Premier League clubs in the summer to remain at Real Sociedad.

The Scot endured a dismal 10-month spell in charge of Manchester United that ended with him being dismissed in April of last year but he has gone a long way towards restoring his reputation since moving to Basque Country in November.

Indeed, Moyes says that he was inundated with offers from English sides after leading Sociedad away from the drop zone and to a creditable 12th-placed finish in La Liga last season but explained that he is happy at the Anoeta.

"I am really enjoying the experience," he told El Diario Vasco. "I have a very good relationship with the club and I am very happy.

"My first experience of La Liga has been positive – the first six or seven months; my wish was to be able to complete a full season, from start to finish, like this one.

"This summer I received a lot of offers to return to the Premier League but I have decided to stay here because I believe in this project and I believe in the players we have – players who I know much better now.

"The pre-season helped me, not just to get to know what the players are about, but also to understand them on a personal level."

Moyes is adamant that Sociedad, who have drawn their opening two fixtures in La Liga, can aim much higher this season, particularly with Asier Illarramendi having rejoined the club from Real Madrid.

"Real Sociedad fans are fantastic; they know that the club is trying to join the other teams who are always in the top part of the table - to get as close to them as possible.

"They understand the club is aiming to do that with operations such as the one that brought me here or the one to bring Illarramendi back; it’s part of a very clear philosophy.

"I really appreciate their support a lot and we are working very hard so that they can feel proud of a team which can compete with anyone, every weekend.

"I know how important the team is in this region – you only have to see the number of blue and white shirts around the city.

"I want to collaborate to form a team with a solid base which can last for several years."

 

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Cyprus 0-1 Belgium: Late Hazard strike dashes Wales hopes...for now

Eden Hazard's late winner against Cyprus spared Belgium's blushes and all but confirmed their place at Euro 2016.

Hazard connected with a Dries Mertens cross to seal a win that puts his side one point behind Group B leaders Wales, who would have secured qualification if Belgium had failed to win.

Marc Wilmots' side, who beat Cyprus 5-0 in Brussels just six months earlier, showed little of the free-flowing football that their star-studded team is capable of, but their quality shined through with Hazard's winner.

In a scrappy game that saw both sides waste good chances, it was Cyprus who impressed the most, holding the side ranked second in the world for much of the game.

The result puts a severe dent in Cyprus' hopes of qualifying and they are now four points behind third-placed Israel with two games left to play, while Belgium need merely beat minnows Andorra next month to secure their spot in France.

In a lively opening to the game, Kevin De Bruyne had the ball in the net after six minutes when he pounced on Marouane Fellaini's blocked shot and slid the ball past Antonis Georgallides, but the linesman's flag was raised and the goal was ruled out for offside.

Christian Benteke should have done better with a chance two minutes later when De Bruyne collected Hazard's superb long ball and sent in a dangerous cross, but the Liverpool striker ballooned his shot high and wide.

A neat Radja Nainggolan one-two with De Bruyne allowed the Roma man to fire in a shot from the edge of the penalty area that was well saved by Georgallides.

Cyprus enjoyed a good spell of first half possession and a well-worked move ended with a Pieros Sotiriou backheel setting up Constantinos Makrides to beat his marker and shoot narrowly wide.

Marious Nicolaou then tested Thibaut Courtois with a low drive from 20 yards that the goalkeeper had to be at full stretch to save.

After a first-half performance that was lackadaisical at times, Belgium coach Wilmots sent on Divock Origi for the disappointing Benteke at half-time.

The visitors went on the attack immediately, with De Bruyne sending a wicked free-kick dipping towards the bottom corner of the net, but Georgallides got down well to palm it around the post.

Origi almost made a unwelcome impact when he slid in dangerously on Nicolaou in the penalty area and was fortunate not to foul the midfielder as the ball ran out for a corner.

Nainggolan then broke at the other end and hooked a shot just wide when he had De Bruyne in yards of space to his right.

As the second half progressed, the better of the shooting chances fell to Cyprus, but neither Makridis nor Soteriou managed to force Courtois to make a serious save as they blazed efforts over the bar.

Georgallides played his part at the other end, punching away a powerful 25-yard drive by Mertens, but his resolve was undone when the same player embarked on a mazy left-wing dribble before playing a perfect low cross that Hazard hammered home with aplomb to seal the win.

 

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Marotta: Cuadrado can emulate Tevez at Juventus

Juventus director general Giuseppe Marotta believes new signing Juan Cuadrado is capable of emulating Carlos Tevez's success in Turin.

Cuadrado joined the Bianconeri on loan from Chelsea before the close of the summer transfer window, after failing dismally to force his way into Jose Mourinho's starting line-up following his January arrival at Stamford Bridge from Fiorentina.

Marotta is now hoping that the Colombian can restore his reputation in much the same manner as Tevez, whose move from Manchester City in 2013 was initially viewed as a gamble but then went on to fire the Old Lady to two successive Serie A titles.

“I do see comparisons between the arrival of Cuadrado and those of Tevez and Andrea Pirlo, as they too were signed amid scepticism and did great things,” the Bianconeri chief told the Corriere dello Sport.

Marotta also expressed his joy at managing to sign Hernanes from rivals Inter just before the summer window closed.

“Hernanes arrived on deadline day because we heard of this opportunity to get the Brazilian and contacted the Nerazzurri directors," he explained.

“They were open to negotiations, despite the fact this operation counted as a loss for Inter’s books.

"The rapport between the clubs has always been good, so rumours Inter didn’t want to sell any players to Juventus were untrue.

“In fact, thanks to selling Hernanes, Inter were perhaps able to buy another couple of players.

“Inter were very active on the market this summer, but we have a core of the squad that brought great success in recent years.

“We’ve got a great squad that won everything last season except the Champions League. It’ll be tough to better the 2014-15 campaign.”

Juve have made a dismal start to their bid for a fifth consecutive Scudetto, with Massimiliano Allegri's men having lost their opening two Serie A fixtures for the first time in history

 

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Conte: Italy not clincal enough

Antonio Conte says Italy must become more clinical in front of goal, despite taking a major step towards qualification for Euro 2016 with a 1-0 win over Bulgaria on Sunday.

Daniele De Rossi gave the Azzurri a sixth-minute lead in Palermo, with the Roma midfielder converting a penalty after Antonio Candreva had been felled in the area.

However, despite dominating the remainder of the half - Italy had 15 shots on goal in the opening half - the hosts failed to add to their advantage and were left hanging on at the death, with Gigi Buffon forced into making an excellent stop in injury time from Georgi Milanov.

Conte was pleased with Buffon's contribution, in what was his 150th appearances for his country, while Marco Verratti also caught the coach's eye.

However, he was reluctant to single out anyone in particular for special praise, particularly as he was more concerned with Italy's lack of a killer instinct.

"I don't want to speak about individuals," he told Rai Uno. "I think Marco is a play on whom we can rely but he must grow.

"Gigi made an important save for us but he's always a guarantee.

"We got six points from two games [after beating Malta 1-0 on Thursday] but I'm a little disappointed that the result remained in the balance given we dominated the game. We deserved more goals.

"We have to be more clinical. We created a lot but didn't take our chances.

"Anyway, there was real commitment so I'm happy."

Italy's victory moves them two points clear of Norway at the top of Group H and three ahead of third-placed Croatia.

 

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Welbeck may not make Euro 2016 - Hodgson

England boss Roy Hodgson fears that Danny Welbeck could miss out on a place in the Euro 2016 squad because of his persistent injury troubles.

The Arsenal striker has been out of action since May with a knee injury and has suffered another set back after undergoing surgery.

The Gunners revealed that Welbeck will be out for even longer now and Hodgson has admitted he is worried about his situation.

“Welbeck bothers me now,” he said. “He has already been out for me since March so that’s over four months already.

"Now I hear it’s going to be another six months, so I can only hope that Danny recovers a bit quicker and hits the ground running.

“I’ve got to make certain there are a few Jamie Vardys and Harry Kanes and Theo Walcotts because we can’t keep going around talking about the ones who aren’t there.

“What we’re trying to develop is a bigger pool of players, to get that up to 30, where we can say: ‘Whatever happens, as long as we can get 23 of this 30, we’ll be OK.’

"Then you would have to be very unlucky if two or three in the same position went down. We don’t need more than 30."

The Three Lions boss also admitted that he is waiting on clarification from Aston Villa youngster Jack Grealish over his international career, with the 19-year-old still to decide if he wants to feature for England or Ireland.

“I’m not 100 per cent certain of what he is waiting for,” Hodgson said. “As far as I am concerned I would like him to come out and say: ‘I’ve thought about it, I’ve got the two possibilities and I’m opting for England’ and then he will be available for selection.

”I’m more than happy to speak to the boy. I’m more than happy to speak to his manager and more than happy to speak to his parents.

"We’ve spoken to him and what we’ve said, quite simply, is that we think he is a very talented footballer. We think he could have a very good international career and we would be more than happy if he chose that career to be England.

"I’m still hoping that’s what he will do but at the same time because of his grandparents he has the opportunity to play for Ireland.

“I made it clear to him: ‘It’s got to be your decision, it’s got to be something you really want to do and that feels right because I certainly don’t want to put you under any undue pressure and I’m not going to resort to artificial means to get you with us and stop you playing elsewhere. I want you to play for England because you want to play for England.’

"It would be nice if he says yes and then he would have a year to see if he could knock one or two of these players off their perch. That would be pleasant but there is no time limit."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

European Championship Qualifying Fixtures 2015.09.07

European Championship Qualifying Fixtures 2015.09.07

Group I

Armenia Vs Denmark

Albania Vs Portugal

Group D

Poland Vs Gibraltar

Republic of Ireland Vs Georgia

Scotland Vs Germany

Group F

Findland Vs Faroe Islands

Nothern Ireland Vs Hungary

Romania Vs Greece​

 

[Wolverine GTR]

International Friendly Fixture 2015.09.07

France Vs Serbia​