..::Football III::..

[Wolverine GTR]

Klopp does a Mourinho and SLAMS the FA


Jurgen Klopp has hit out at the Football Association over their treatment of Liverpool youngster Jordan Rossiter while on international duty, accusing them of handling him "like a horse".

The 18-year-old, who made a brief cameo off the bench against Arsenal in the Premier League earlier this season, picked up a hamstring injury earlier this month after playing three games in six days while on England Under-19 duty.

And Klopp believes that Rossiter was over-played and would not have picked up the injury if he had been managed properly, and intends to let the FA know exactly how he feels.

"It's too much. If you are young maybe you're more resistant but that is not normal," the German coach said ahead of Liverpool's Europa League clash with Rubin Kazan.
"I have to talk to somebody. We are in contact, I didn't want to call somebody at the FA on my first day but this is not okay.

"He has a hamstring and it was because of the match. These young players are our future, if we handle them like horses then they will be horses.

"It's normal in England three games in five days? At Christmas I know, two games in two days!"

Liverpool are currently managing a string of injured players, with Jordan Henderson and Daniel Sturridge both currently sidelined, while Danny Ings and Joe Gomez - the latter also injured while playing for the Three Lions - sustained severe ligament damage.

 

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Muller plots Bayern's Arsenal revenge

Thomas Muller says Bayern Munich will produce an improved performance against Arsenal when they have the benefit of playing in front of their own fans.

Pep Guardiola's men fell to a 2-0 Champions League defeat at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday after conceding late goals from Olivier Giroud and Mesut Ozil.

The win for Arsenal leaves Group F wide open with just three points separating all four sides, although Bayern remain top, level with Olympiacos on six points.

A positive result for Bayern when they welcome the Gunners to Germany on November 4 will put them in a strong position to qualify and Muller is optimistic about his team's chances.

"We lead our group and have a home game," he said. "We know it won't be easy - it is the same team who beat us.

"Only the location changes but we know that we are strong at home. With the fan support we can come away with more points than we did here."

The 2014 World Cup winner feels Bayern had good spells in the match against Arsenal and refused to criticise goalkeeper Manuel Neuer over the mistake which led to Giroud's opener.

Muller continued: "Manuel is confident enough and also I don't blame him. He kept us in the game once or twice and these kinds of situations are never easy.

"Football at this level is never a clear thing. It is always close. We had the game under control, especially in the part of the game where they scored.

"We had chances of our own and the second half was especially good from us. The first 30 minutes also - only the 15 minutes before the break were problematic for us.

"They countered us a couple of times. Arsenal have very good players for counter-attacks, who are very fast and have good techniques.

"All in all we did more right than we did wrong but in sport you can always lose."

Muller, 26, scored twice in Bayern's opening group game against Olympiacos but did not find the target in either of their two subsequent matches.

 

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Ozil: Arsenal answered critics with Bayern win

Mesut Ozil says Arsenal have proved their critics wrong after recording an impressive 2-0 win over Bayern Munich in the Champions League on Tuesday.

Goals from the Germany international and Olivier Giroud look to have resurrected the Gunners’ European campaign that got off to a dismal start with defeats to Olympiacos and Dinamo Zagreb.

The victory against Pep Guardiola’s side, who have won nine straight Bundesliga games, also follows on from consecutive 3-0 wins over Manchester United and Watford, with Arsenal just two points beind leaders Manchester City in the Premier League table.
Ozil, who impressed against both Bayern and Manchester United, says the Gunners have proved they have what to takes to beat the best teams in Europe.

"We have now shown our critics in a very short time twice that we not only compete very well against top teams, but can even defeat them," the 27-year-old told SID.

Despite the win over Bayern, Arsenal remain bottom of Champions League Group F and travel to the Allianz Arena next which Ozil admits will be a tough test.

"I'm just happy that Bayern lost the three points as we have to visit currently, perhaps, the best team in Europe"

 

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Paris Saint-Germain 0-0 Real Madrid: Ronaldo & Zlatan off target as heavyweight clash ends in stalemate

Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid cancelled each other out at Parc des Princes to ensure top spot in Champions League Group A remains very much up for grabs.

Wednesday's clash between the leaders of Ligue 1 and La Liga - who are both unbeaten in all competitions this season - was billed as a potential pool decider, with the teams locked on six points apiece after two games.

But, despite the presence of stellar names such as Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Cristiano Ronaldo, neither PSG or Madrid were able to break the deadlock as the evenly-matched sides traded punches without ever really threatening to land a knockout blow.

Madrid, shorn of the injured Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema, shaded the first half - with Kevin Trapp denying Jese Rodriguez and Ronaldo, twice, before the interval - and PSG were slightly the better team after the break.

But the stalemate means their reverse meeting at the Santiago Bernabeu in two weeks' time takes on extra importance in deciding who wins the group.

Madrid left-back Marcelo ventured forward early on, but his snap-shot from 20 yards failed to trouble the fit-again Trapp in the PSG goal.

PSG settled well thereafter, with Ibrahimovic dropping deep to pull the strings, and Blaise Matuidi tested Keylor Navas with a low drive from the edge of the area in the 11th minute.

But Madrid reasserted themselves and, after a period of sustained pressure, had tentative appeals for a penalty waved away when Isco went down in the area before Toni Kroos dragged a long-range effort wide.

Jese then forced a smart save from Trapp after latching onto a lovely disguised pass from Kroos, and Ronaldo called the German goalkeeper into action around the half-hour mark with two headers as Madrid turned the screw.

Half-time allowed PSG to regroup, and Edinson Cavani went close soon after the restart with an improvised volley off his studs from Thiago Motta's inch-perfect delivery from the left.

PSG coach Laurent Blanc replaced Angel di Maria - ineffective against his former club - and Cavani with Javier Pastore and Lucas Moura around the hour mark in a bid to provide more guile and pace to his attack.

But it was Ronaldo, described by Blanc as a "football alien" in the build-up to the game, who came closest to snatching the elusive opener 20 minutes from time, when he flashed a left-footed shot just wide from Marcelo's pass.

That chance reinvigorated Rafael Benitez's team, but they were unable to penetrate PSG's resolute defence - marshalled superbly by captain Thiago Silva - as the sides were left to settle for a draw.

 

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Malmo 1-0 Shakhtar Donetsk: Rosenberg strike gives Swedes first win

Markus Rosenberg scored the only goal of the game as Malmo picked up their first points in this season's Champions League after defeating Shakhtar Donetsk in Group A.

Rosenberg's first-half effort proved to be the difference between the sides at the Swedbank Stadion, although the winning margin could have been far wider.

Shakhtar dominated for most of the first half, but after conceding were unable to trouble the hosts, who squandered countless chances after the break, including a missed penalty from Nikola Djurdjic.

However, the visitors battled back late on as Alex Teixeira had an effort disallowed for offside and then Taras Stepanenko fired wide from a few yards out.

The result means Shakhtar's chance of qualifying for the knockout stages are extremely slim, while Malmo are third four points behind Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain ahead of the return fixture in a fortnight.

Despite defending for most of the early encounters, Malmo went ahead after 17 minutes.

Pa Momodou Konate skipped past three challenges as he cut in from the left wing before squaring to
Rosenberg, who picked his spot in the left-hand corner for his third goal in the competition this season.

The opener came as a wake-up call to Shakhtar, who had completely dominated possession up to that point.

An incisive cross from Darijo Srna picked out Oleksandr Gladkiy and he took a touch before seeing his shot blocked behind for a corner on 25 minutes.

From the resulting set-piece, Alex Teixeira's strike was handled by Rosenberg, but the strong protests for a penalty were waved away by Greek referee Tasos Sidiropoulos.

Teixeira was involved again a minute later as he managed to cut the ball back in from the goal-line, but his Brazilian counterpart Fred fired wide of the upright as the pressure increased.

Captain Srna then came close with a free-kick from 20 yards out, but it curled just wide of the upright after 37 minutes.

Malmo continued to look dangerous on the counter, though, and Andriy Pyatov made an excellent save to deny Jo Inge Berget from point-blank range, ensuring the visitors went into the break just a goal behind.

Berget came agonisingly close again just after the interval when he was fed by Djurdjic, but the Norwegian's dinked effort bounced just wide.

The influential Berget then won his side a penalty after 55 minutes when he was wrestled to the floor by Srna, who was lucky to escape with just a yellow card.

Djurdjic, however, fluffed his lines from 12 yards as his effort was easily kept out by Pyatov, who sprung to his right to divert the ball wide.

The hosts then hit the woodwork as Vladimir Rodic's low free-kick was missed by everyone in the danger-zone, before flicking off the bottom of the post.

Shakhtar began to battle back into the contest and Teixeira fired the ball home 11 minutes from time, but the effort was ruled out after the initial pass to Eduardo had caught the substitute offside.

In the final stages, a sweeping move down the right saw Srna's cross flicked on by Viktor Kovalenko to Stepanenko, but the midfielder could not get a clean strike away as any hope of a draw was ended.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

CSKA Moscow 1-1 Manchester United: Martial rescues point for Van Gaal's men

Anthony Martial scored his first Champions League goal to seal a 1-1 draw for Manchester United in Wednesday's trip to CSKA Moscow.

Seydou Doumbia put the home side ahead inside quarter of an hour after turning home the rebound from Roman Eremenko's saved penalty, which Martial had conceded after being penalised for handball.

The France international redeemed his error in the second half with a fine headed equaliser – his first career goal in the competition as Van Gaal's men picked up a point.

United dictated possession for the majority, but it was an encounter low on quality, with CSKA diligent in their defensive duties and the visitors too often lethargic on the ball.

Memphis Depay – left out of the starting XI again – was thrown on for the final 10 minutes, but the visitors could not find the winning goal to take them level on points with Wolfsburg at the top of the group.

Martial had an early penalty shout waved away after tumbling under pressure, but the France international was culpable in his own box in the 15th minute, inexplicably raising a hand to block Mario Fernandes' attempt to keep the ball in play.

Eremenko's spot-kick was superbly saved by David de Gea low to his right, but Doumbia pounced on the rebound to put CSKA ahead after a kind deflection off the goalkeeper's legs.

De Gea rescued United on the half-hour mark, tipping Ahmed Musa's curling effort from 30 yards over the crossbar as Louis van Gaal's side played at a remarkably pedestrian pace.

Wayne Rooney's flick goalwards after 33 minutes – their first shot of the match – following Antonio Valencia's cross was blocked by Igor Akinfeev and the England captain curled wide moments later, but United looked short of ideas against CSKA's deep defensive line.

United continued to dominate possession after the break but Rooney's header, from a Ander Herrera cross, into the arms of Akinfeev from close range was their only meaningful chance before the hour mark.

Champions League debutant Jesse Lingard spurned a superb chance to equalise after being played through by Herrera as his low finish towards the far corner was hit tamely, before Eremenko fired straight at De Gea on a rare break forward for the hosts.

Herrera was beginning to dictate matters in the final third and the Spaniard played a crucial role when United finally found an equaliser. His precise ball to Valencia gave the Ecuador international room to cross for Martial, whose excellent glancing header went in off the far post beyond the dive of Akinfeev.

United pushed forward for a winner and Akinfeev reacted well to parry the ball away from substitute Marouane Fellaini after Depay's cross, but CSKA held out for a draw, keeping them level with Van Gaal's side on four points from three games in Group B.

 

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Juventus 0-0 Borussia Monchengladbach: Goalless draw sees Man City close in on Group D leaders

Juventus saw their lead at the top of Champions League Group D reduced to one point as they were held to a 0-0 draw by by Borussia Monchengladbach.

Amid poor Serie A form, the continental competition has generally proven a welcome distraction for last year's beaten finalists, but Massimiliano Allegri's side lacked a cutting edge at the Juventus Stadium in a game of few clear chances.

Monchengladbach's form has been quite the opposite - winning four Bundesliga games in a row under caretaker boss Andre Schubert, while losing to Sevilla and Manchester City in Europe.

Schubert's side remain bottom of the group but are off the mark having coped with Paul Pogba's best efforts and survived strong penalty appeals for a clumsy challenge on Mario Mandzukic in the second half.

Gianluigi Buffon, who shook off a calf problem to start along with fellow injury doubt Mandzukic, had little to deal with as the Italian champions - held 0-0 by Inter on Sunday - saw their advantage slashed thanks to City's 2-1 win against Sevilla.

Schubert named Granit Xhaka in his XI after the Swiss recovered from a knee problem, and an even but uneventful start saw Monchengladbach's Raffael fire wide from the edge of the area eight minutes in.

Juve eventually found their feet midway through the half as Pogba set up Claudio Marchisio, who saw an effort deflected behind before Juan Cuadrado struck a powerful effort over the crossbar.

A Pogba attempt appeared destined for Yann Sommer's goal before a timely Xhaka block - the Frenchman going close from distance again as the match approached the half-hour mark.

The visitors enjoyed their strongest spell shortly before half-time - Ibrahima Traore proving lively on the wing - although Alvaro Dominguez was perhaps fortunate to just get a booking for bringing down Alvaro Morata when almost clean through on goal.

Schubert's men continued on the front foot early in the second half but were reminded of Juve's threat when the hosts broke just short of the hour mark only to see the move break down with a poor Pogba pass in the final third.

Pogba went close again with a free-kick from the edge of the box, well saved by Sommer, before Mandzukic went down in the area under pressure from Dominguez after collecting Sami Khedira's pass - all penalty appeals rejected.

Roberto Pereyra, Paulo Dybala and Simone Zaza replaced Cuadrado, Morata and Mandzukic respectively as Allegri sought to freshen up his forward line, but Juve's attack continued to falter as they drew 0-0 for the second time in four days.

Monchengladbach's hopes of progression remain slim, while Kevin De Bruyne's late winner kept City's hopes of claiming top spot ahead of Juve firmly alive at the midway point of the group stage.

 

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Wolfsburg 2-0 PSV: Dost & Kruse hand Germans control of Group B

Wolfsburg went top of Champions League Group B after recording a comfortable 2-0 victory that extended PSV's miserable record on German soil on the same evening that Manchester United dropped points in Moscow.

After being frustrated in the first half, Die Wolfe flew out of the blocks after the restart and when Josuha Guilavogui's effort was parried away, the prolific Bas Dost was on hand yet again to prod the ball into the back of the net.

Max Kruse then made it two goals in two games as Wolfsburg tightened their grip on the game, glancing a fine header into the far corner after Julian Draxler's initial long-range effort had been palmed away.

PSV had a chance to get back into the game late on when Diego Benaglio wiped out Jurgen Locadia, but the Swiss goalkeeper made amens for his error by saving the resulting spot-kick as the German side eased to victory.

Dieter Hecking will hope the victory marks an upturn in form, having seen his Wolfsburg side end a sequence of four games without a win in their previous outing against Hoffenheim, and now top their Champions League group.

PSV showed little of the quality that saw them defeat Manchester United earlier this season and the Dutch champions have now not won away at a Bundesliga ground in 15 attempts – a record that extends back to 1977.

Wolfsburg surged forward from the first whistle, and Dost would have opened the scoring had Jeffrey Bruma not made a vital block when Guilavogui crossed towards the Dutch striker inside the opening minute.

Daniel Caligiuri’s powerful 20-yard drive drew a good save from Jeroen Zoet as Wolfsburg dominated the early exchanges, before PSV finally sprang to life as Luciano Narsingh began to show his pace and feed crosses to Luuk de Jong.

Having lost just one of their previous five fixtures, PSV looked happy to sit and wait for Wolfsburg to attack, but neither side appeared willing to break forward and risk leaving themselves exposed at the back.

Wolfsburg's best chance of the first half fell to Luiz Gustavo when Caligiuri’s cross found the Brazilian inside the box but his shot on the turn was far too high to test Zoet.

Kruse then had a volley saved by Zoet, before Caligiuri’s through-ball found Dost with plenty of space to run into, but his side-footed shot flew wide.

The first half ended in controversial fashion as PSV had strong calls for handball in the box by Naldo waved away, before Adam Maher sent a header wide of the target from Joshua Brenet’s cross, despite being completely unchallenged.

Within seconds of the restart, Ricardo Rodriguez’s probing cross created a chance for Guilavogui, whose shot was well saved by Zoet, but Dost was alert to the rebound and he enjoyed an easy tap-in to give Wolfsburg the lead.

As the atmosphere at the Volkswagen Arena came to life, the tempo of the game accelerated and, with PSV forced to push forward, Wolfsburg found gaps to exploit.

Their lead was extended when Draxler jinked his way past two defenders and drew a save from Zoet at full stretch, but Caligiuri gathered the rebound and crossed for Kruse to nip in and head home the second.

Andres Guardado had a chance to salvage something for the visitors when Davy Propper sent him clean through, but his sweetly struck shot lacked accuracy.

In the dying moments, PSV won a penalty when Benaglio fouled Locadia, rushing from his line to bring down the striker inside the box, but the Dutchman saw his spot-kick saved as Wolfsburg confidently claimed maximum points.

 

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Galatasaray 2-1 Benfica: Podolski gives hosts comeback win

Galatasaray ended a run of 10 Champions League games without a win as they came from behind to beat Benfica 2-1 at the Turk Telekom Arena.

The Turkish side's last victory in the continental competition came against Juventus in December 2013, with last year's campaign ending without a success.

It looked set to be another tough night for Hamza Hamzaoglu's men when they fell behind after just 74 seconds, with Nicolas Gaitan scoring the fastest Champions League goal of the season.

Galatasaray, though, were unperturbed and they were handed a lifeline in the form of a penalty which Selcuk Inan rifled into the top corner.

The comeback was completed just after the half-hour mark when Lukas Podolski darted into space and slotted a shot beyond Julio Cesar.

There could have been more for the Turkish side in the second half but for a great save from Julio Cesar which denied Umut Bulut and a Wesley Sneijder strike that was deflected onto the post, but two goals proved to be enough for the Group C points.

Benfica got off to an ideal start as some clever work from Jonas on the right drew a foul from Bilal Kisa and his quick free-kick released Gaitan in behind the off-guard defence.

The Argentinian cut inside the challenge of the lunging Aurelien Chedjou before dinking a clever finish over Fernando Muslera inside two minutes.

Galatasaray were clearly stunned but responded positively, with visiting goalkeeper Julio Cesar forced to backpedal and claw Hakan Balta's header behind following a corner from Sneijder in the 16th minute.

Two minutes later, Hamzaoglu's men were awarded a penalty and a way back into the game when Andre Almeida was penalised for blocking Kisa's shot with his hand. Selcuk Inan stepped up and fired the spot-kick into the top corner to restore parity.

Podolski then fired Galatasaray ahead in the 33rd minute, finding space between the defenders to latch onto Chedjou's long pass down the channel before guiding the ball between the legs of Julio Cesar with the outside of his left boot.

Three minutes into the second half, Galatasaray went close to a third when Sneijder's deflected strike from 25 yards came back off the upright with Julio Cesar rooted to the spot.

Hamzaoglu's men continued to look dangerous and in the 51st minute Julio Cesar was forced to display fantastic reflexes once again to stop Bulut from adding a finishing touch to Balta's flick-on.

Benfica soon regained the initiative, though, with Raul Jimenez drilling a 20-yard shot straight at Muslera before Gaitan had an effort blocked on the line by Sabri Sarioglu eight minutes later.

The Portuguese side worked hard to find an equaliser, but substitute Kostas Mitroglou could only find the side netting after Podolski had narrowly missed out on his second of the night for Gala in the 82nd minute.

Chedjou was almost embarrassed in second-half stoppage time, as he flicked a free-kick from Jardel onto the top of his own net, but Benfica still succumbed to their first Group C defeat.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Manchester City 2-1 Sevilla: De Bruyne late show seals dramatic win

Kevin De Bruyne's brilliant stoppage-time strike sealed another come-from-behind 2-1 victory for Manchester City against Sevilla on Wednesday evening, as the Premier League leaders moved to within a point of Group leaders Juventus.

The Europa League holders frustrated and stiffled the hosts inititially, with summer signing Yevhen Konoplyanka opening the scoring on the half-hour mark, stepping onto a pull-back and rifling the ball past Joe Hart.

City refused to let their heads drop, though, and drew level within minutes as the match became even more frantic and end-to-end; superb work from Yaya Toure prompted a goal mouth scramble, with Wilfried Bony's slash at the ball deflecting off defender Adil Rami and into the back of the net.

The match appeared to be heading for a draw until De Bruyne stepped up to show why City forked out £55 million on him, collecting the ball down the right flank and steering a venomous left-footed shot into the bottom corner to seal a dramatic victory.

Having also come from behind to beat Borussia Monchengladbach in similar fashion, Manuel Pellegrini's team now lie second in the standings, a point behind Juventus following their draw with the Bundesliga team, ahead of the return match in Spain.

Ex-Sevilla winger Jesus Navas fired a 25-yard strike over the top-left corner in the eighth minute and City, despite the absence of David Silva, Sergio Aguero and Vincent Kompany, were beginning to establish a rhythm when Bony prodded an effort too close to visiting goalkeeper Sergio Rico.

Fresh from his weekend hat-trick, Raheem Sterling combined smoothly with De Bruyne for the latter to pull a shot wide before City suffered a scare in the 17th minute.

Konoplyanka thudded a free-kick from the right against Joe Hart's near post and the England goalkeeper then got down sharply to keep out Grzegorz Krychowiak's follow-up.

Sevilla were finding plenty of encouragement against an exposed City defence and it was little surprise when the opening goal arrived after half-an-hour.

Ever Banega dispossessed De Bruyne for Vitolo to cross and find Konoplyanka in ample room to thump the ball past Hart.

The home fans might have demonstrated their ongoing antipathy towards Uefa by once again booing the Champions League anthem at kick-off but they urged a response form their team, which arrived six minutes later.

Toure stormed to the byline to find Sterling, who clattered in a shot that Rico could not hold. Bony scrambled goalwards and the unfortunate Rami provided the final touch.

The equaliser did not settle Pellegrini's men, who began the second half in frantic fashion, and they might have fallen behind for a second time when Kevin Gameiro headed Benoit Tremoulinas' left-wing cross over.

Sevilla substitute Michael Krohn-Dehli shot into the side netting as the City defence backed off, before Pellegrini made the ultimately pivotal call to withdraw Bony and place De Bryune as his attacking spearhead.

Toure extended Rico with a stinging drive in the final minute and he then turned provider, leaving De Bruyne to cut inside and dispatch an unerring left-footed finish that sealed a much-needed victory for City, who now have tough trips to Seville and Turin to come.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

De Bruyne set to become a Manchester City great


Kevin De Bruyne is making a case not only to be the signing of the summer but a Manchester City great in the making.

Okay, he's played fewer than 10 games for City since joining from Wolfsburg - and for £54 million, lest we forget - but already he looks a bargain.

His touches are so assured and he always has time and space on the ball - the mark of a great player. When he's in possession, he keeps his head and more often than not does the right thing, and that was perfectly illustrated on Wednesday in the dying seconds when he cut inside and steered a precise effort into the far corner.

With Juventus drawing against Borussia Monchengladbach and with Sevilla away up next, that goal was huge for City, who are now handily placed to qualify for the knockout stages.

It hadn't always looked that way on the night and City have a few concerns going forward but at least, in De Bruyne, they have somebody able to stand up and be counted when needed most.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Van Gaal MUST make Martial his star striker...even if it upsets Rooney


Before Anthony Martial, it is fair to say Manchester United looked fairly lightweight in the striker department.

Wayne Rooney was failing to convince as a target man in the first few weeks of the season, while Javier Hernandez’s fleeting performances had done nothing more than convince Louis van Gaal that he no longer wanted the Mexican at the club. Such was United’s lack of quality and depth in that department, Marouane Fellaini was being talked up by his boss as a possible solution.

Yet just nine games into his United career, Martial is already finding new ways to show why he is the famous old club’s true No.9 in more than just squad number. Van Gaal’s decision to switch the 19-year-old to the left-hand side at Everton on Saturday and against CSKA Moscow on Wednesday night appeared to be a move designed to reinvigorate club captain Rooney.

But Martial’s superbly-taken equaliser in the 1-1 Champions League draw at the Arena Khimki provided the latest evidence in the case for the Frenchman’s permanent return to the central striking role. He guided home a wonderful header from Antonio Valencia’s cut-back when there appeared to be nowhere near enough pace in the delivery for Martial to beat CSKA keeper Igor Akinfeev.
The goal came moments after Wayne Rooney had failed to get anything like the same contact on a much more straight-forward headed chance from an Ander Herrera cross, instead sending his effort straight to Akinfeev. It was the story of the skipper’s day to an extent after another performance in which he very rarely provided the effective leading role that was required of him.

United were sluggish and predictable for large spells of the first half despite bossing possession. When they needed something different in the last third they just didn’t have it, and regularly saw sloppy passes undo most of their better work. Only after Fellaini replaced Bastian Schweinsteiger at the break did they look to play more expansively in the attacking half. The extra forward threat also helped Martial to play with greater freedom.

Martial had shown with four goals in his first four United games that he has exactly the kind of instincts that the three-time European champions had previously been missing in the final third, and he continued to display his attacking qualities even when not finding the scoresheet in the wins against Sunderland and Wolfsburg which followed. As such it came as some surprise when he was shunted to the left side after Memphis Depay’s exclusion at Goodison.
But he showed in Moscow that he is the real deal as a centre-forward and remains United’s best bet as the lone striker. While Rooney hit the target on Saturday on his former stomping ground, he did so with one of three one-on-one opportunities. A conversion rate of much greater than 33 per cent should be expected of a top-class poacher in such situations.

Rooney’s struggles are a hugely debatable topic, but what cannot be doubted is that Martial is a better finisher than his skipper. In the second half on Wednesday, Martial was given licence to drift inside more often from the left as United chased the game and it was almost inevitable that he would be the man to deliver a goal when his side needed it most.

While there are a number of options open to Van Gaal in terms of Rooney – ranging from the No.10 spot to the substitutes’ bench – there should be a simple decision for the Dutchman to make in relation to Martial.

The teenage sensation is United’s standout striker, and should remain their first-choice front man for the foreseeable future.

 

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Ronaldo mobbed by pitch invader

Cristiano Ronaldo failed to score against PSG on Wednesday as Real Madrid were held to a draw by Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League.

But that didn't stop one fan showing his appreciation for the Portugal international during the game.

A pitch invader managed to evade security long enough to share a hug with Ronaldo, before a steward quickly intervened.

It was a tough night for Ronaldo, who failed to score in front of his namesake, the legendary Ronaldo Nazario, who represented Madrid during his illustrious career.

 

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Schneiderlin delighted with Martial impact

Manchester United midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin was satisfied with his side's point away to CSKA Moscow, while saluting Anthony Martial's impact in salvaging a 1-1 draw.

Louis Van Gaal's men had gone behind early on in the Russian capital after Martial gave away a penalty.

But the Frenchman redeemed himself with the equaliser in the second half, converting a fine header to give United a valuable share of the points.

“He did change the dynamic of the game. He didn’t let his head go down because it could happen to anyone, the penalty, and then he scored a great goal," Schneiderlin said of his team-mate to BT Sport.

"After that we pushed on and we gave everything. But we couldn’t score the second goal, which is a shame.”

The Red Devils have started their Champions League group campaign with a win, draw and a loss to sit second behind Wolfsburg on four points.

And Schneiderlin highlighted the importance of taking something away from Moscow after a hard 90 minutes.

“We wanted to win but the most important thing was that we didn’t go away with zero points. So we needed to get what we can, and that’s one point," he explained.

We had possession of the ball, so sometimes on the counter you see teams who have a lot of the ball but they concede on the counter-attack so we needed to be aware after the equaliser that they didn’t score a second one.”

 

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Ramos satisfied with PSG stalemate

Sergio Ramos believes an injury-hit Real Madrid can be pleased with a point after they drew 0-0 with Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday.

Madrid travelled to Parc des Princes for a game billed as a potential Champions League Group A decider, with both sides having taken maximum points from their opening two fixtures.

But an attritional match between two well-matched teams ended in stalemate as both struggled to create clear-cut chances, meaning the reverse fixture at the Santiago Bernabeu takes on extra importance in deciding who qualifies for the knockout stages in top spot.

Madrid were missing several first-team regulars through injury, including Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema, and captain Ramos feels a draw can therefore be regarded as a positive result.

"We leave here happy because we knew how to compete," said the Spain defender.

"Perhaps we lacked a bit of sharpness up front but we leave here happy to have picked up a point from a difficult ground.

"It's obvious that right now we're not at our best because of the players we have out, but we have to look forward."

 

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Pellegrini: De Bruyne the perfect player


Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini hailed Kevin De Bruyne after the Belgian scored a late goal to give his side a dramatic 2-1 Champions League win over Sevilla on Wednesday.

Yevhen Konoplyanka put the visitors ahead at the Etihad Stadium after half an hour, but an own goal from Adil Rami handed City an equaliser before half-time.

The game looked destined to finish as a draw until De Bruyne struck in stoppage time to seal three vital points for City in their quest to reach the Champions League last 16.

And Pellegrini subsequently hailed the attacking midfielder's talents, insisting he has proved to be the ideal signing.

"We bought Kevin that we thought he was a very creative player, he has goals in him, because this team always tries to play attractive and offensive football and for that you need good players," he told BT Sport.
"In all senses he was the perfect player to arrive to our team."
Pellegrini shifted his side's system midway through the second half when he replaced Wilfried Bony with Fernando, but the 62-year-old denied that his tactical change was the key to the result.

"No, I don't think it was tactical. The team has good character," he added after the match. "It was a close game and the two teams played very well, very concentrated.

"That was a very level game but with character we tried to the end and we got the goal.

"In that moment we needed to create chances, in a lot of the second half we didn't and we also didn't have too many other options on the bench, just defensive players. It was the way to play a bit more freely and to get Yaya [Toure] free."

City are now second in Group D, one point behind leaders Juventus.

 

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Atletico Madrid 4-0 Astana: Colchoneros cruise to victory

Atletico Madrid got back to winning ways in the Champions League with a comprehensive 4-0 victory over Astana in Group C.

Goals from Saul Niguez, Jackson Martinez, Oliver Torres and a Denys Dedechko own goal secured all three points for Diego Simeone's side at Vicente Calderon as they put their defeat to Benfica in matchday two firmly behind them.

Having peppered the Astana goal early on it was Saul who finally broke the deadlock with a deft close-range finish, before Martinez ended his eight-game goal drought with the second just before the half hour.

Astana improved after the break and posed more of an attacking threat, but their new outlook was punished by substitute Oliver Torres after a swift Atletico counter-attack.

Fernando Torres twice went close to netting his 100th goal for the club in all competitions late on, but Nenad Eric was on hand to make two crucial saves to deny the striker.

There was nothing the goalkeeper could do about Dedechko's late mishap as Atletico moved top of the group on goal difference at the halfway stage, while Astana remain bottom with a solitary point.

Atletico made a positive start to their second home match of the group with Martinez firing over before Diego Godin twice headed corners from Gabi straight at Eric.

The visiting goalkeeper was much the busier as Antoine Griezmann and Martinez continued to threaten, but he remained defiant until midway through the half when Saul produced an outrageous bit of skill to open the scoring.

After Griezmann had seen a header well saved, Saul executed an elegant backheel inside the six-yard box from the resulting corner.

Martinez doubled their advantage after 28 minutes as he grabbed his first European goal for Atletico, the Colombia international firing low on the turn to beat Eric from 15 yards – albeit with the aid of a deflection off Dedechko.

Atletico's lead could have been even greater at the break but for Eric, who made a superb reflex save to deny Martinez's diving header from Juanfran's pinpoint cross.

Having failed to test Oblak in the opening 45 minutes Astana came out on the front foot after the restart, but Dedechko and Junior Kabananga wasted their best openings.

Slowly Atletico resumed control of proceedings with Saul and Gabi dictating play in the centre of midfield, however clear-cut chances failed to materialise until the hour mark when Yannick Ferreira Carrasco stung the palms of Eric having cut in from the left.

The third goal arrived three minutes later as Oliver Torres capped off a swift break led by Gabi, the substitute lifting the ball over Eric as the goalkeeper looked to narrow the angle.

Oblak then kept Atletico's three-goal advantage in tact two minutes later as he leapt full length to his left to deny Foxi Kethevoama.

Substitutes Angel Correa and Fernando Torres went close to increasing Atletico's advantage late on before Dedechko's woes were compounded, the defender turning a right-wing cross into his own net with two minutes to play.

 

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Jackson Martinez relieved to end Atletico Madrid goal drought

Jackson Martinez hopes to go on a goal scoring run after ending his recent drought as Atletico Madrid cruised to a 4-0 victory over Astana in the Champions League on Wednesday.

The Colombia international had failed to score in his last eight appearances for Diego Simeone's side and had only found the back of the net once since arriving from Porto.

After missing a couple of early chances at Vicente Calderon, the striker finally ended his wait for a goal, firing past Nenad Eric with the aid of a deflection off Denys Dedechko.

Martinez's 29th-minute strike came after Saul Niguez had broken the deadlock, with OIiver Torres and a Dedechko own goal completing the win in Group C.

"All the team are delighted for me, I have worked so hard to help the team out," the striker told beIN Sports. "Scoring was like being liberated, after what had happened in recent matches.

"I stayed calm even though I wasn't scoring, and now I hope to keep on scoring."

Simeone was delighted to see Martinez on the scoresheet after a tough time in front of goal and praised his side for moving top of the group on goal difference.

He added: "Jackson is a vital player for us, he is a striker and so it's always good for him to score.

"I'm happy with the win, because once again we have gone top of a difficult and complex group. I think that the team is growing on an individual level and on.

 

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Di Maria: It was special to face Real Madrid

Angel di Maria was unhappy with his own performance for Paris Saint-Germain against Real Madrid, but said it was "special" to come up against his former club.

Di Maria was withdrawn 67 minutes into Wednesday's 0-0 Champions League draw between his current and ex-employers – a result that leaves top spot in Group A very much in the balance between the sides.

The Argentina star struggled to make an impact as PSG and Madrid largely cancelled each other out, but he enjoyed the occasion and was satisfied with a hard-earned draw.

Di Maria told reporters: "This was a special game for me, as I only left Madrid a little more than a year ago. Facing my old team-mates was special, even if it didn't turn out great for me.

"We had a lot of chances to win the game. We did that against one of the top four teams in Europe. The important thing is that we were able to pick up a point."

PSG midfielder Blaise Matuidi echoed his team-mate's thoughts on the result, but is wary of a Madrid side likely to be boosted by the returns of Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema for next month's reverse fixture at the Santiago Bernabeu.

"We knew it would be a tough match to the best team in Europe," Matuidi said.

"We'll go there to take the first place, but we know it won’t be easy as Real will have players back."

 

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Manchester City 2-1 Sevilla: De Bruyne late show seals dramatic win

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