..::Football III::..

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'Lingard is the English version of Iniesta'

Former Manchester United assistant manager Rene Meulensteen says Jesse Lingard is "the English version of Andres Iniesta".

The 22-year-old has made six appearances in the United first team this season and scored his first goal for the club in the 2-0 win over West Brom.

Lingard was then rewarded for his efforts at club level with his first England call-up for the recent friendlies against France and Spain, though failed to make the field.

Roy Hodgson's decision to hand him international recognition was criticised in some quarters, but his former coach sees similarities between him and one of Barcelona's star men.

"I see him as the English version of Iniesta," Meulensteen told United Review .
"He has still got a long way to go but that is the sort of player I see in him."

 

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'Ronaldo had same problems as Memphis'

Ajax boss Frank de Boer has likened Memphis Depay's early struggles at Manchester United to Cristiano Ronaldo's start to life at Old Trafford.

Memphis joined the club from PSV in the summer and impressed initially, playing a key role as Louis van Gaal’s side ensured their qualification to the Champions League group stages.

However, he fell out of favour after the defeat to Arsenal in October, before returning to the starting line-up for the win over Watford on Saturday where he scored the opening goal.

Ronaldo’s early days at United drew similar observations and De Boer has suggested that Memphis - who wears the club’s famous No.7 shirt - could yet emulate the Portuguese international.

"Cristiano Ronaldo did not directly reach the summit when he [first] came to Manchester United,” he said to De Telegraaf.

“I remember that there was much doubt about whether he would make it.

“He was primarily criticised for his weird antics and mocked as a circus act - but look where he is now."

However, De Boer added that there remains a number of unanswered question marks over Depay when it comes to his mental toughness.“Memphis has the potential to succeed at the very top, but there are still some things to look at,” he added.

"Can he withstand a set-back? Is he prepared to roll up his sleeves when it doesn't come so easy? Is he self-critical?”

 

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Rooney & Martial fit to face PSV

Manchester United have been given a boost ahead of their potentially decisive Champions League group encounter with PSV following the return to training of Wayne Rooney and Anthony Martial.

The England captain missed last weekend’s Premier League victory over Watford through illness while Martial failed to recover from the an ankle injury sustained on international duty with France, but Louis van Gaal has confirmed they are both now ready to play.

Van Gaal was forced to select an experimental forward line that included Jesse Lingard and Memphis Depay for the 2-1 victory at Vicarage Road that temporarily sent his side top of the Premier League table.

United have recovered well from Champions League matchday one defeat in Eindhoven and now lead Group B by a single point from Wednesday's opponents and Wolfsburg.

CSKA Moscow have four points from as many games but still retain an outside shot at qualifying for the knockout stages as the competition enters the final two group-stage games.

Van Gaal will again be without Michael Carrick while Ander Herrera and Phil Jones, who both picked up injuries in the win at Watford, will not be available for selection on Wednesday.

The Dutchman also revealed that Luke Shaw will undergo a scan this week to determine the status of his recovery from a broken leg.

When asked for an update on how long the left-back would be sidelined, Van Gaal said: "I cannot answer because you have to be very cautious with an injury like that.

"It can go very well one week and then very bad in another and he will be months behind. Now he's a little bit fed up with the daily routine, so I give him four days off, but Friday he has a scan which will tell us more about the injury."

 

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De Gea: Memphis will relish PSV test

Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea is confident Memphis Depay will soon be back to his best after a difficult start to life at the club.

The Netherlands winger quickly became an important member of the first team at Old Trafford following his transfer from PSV in the summer, but lost his starting berth after some underwhelming performances.

Depay returned to the starting XI in United's 2-1 win over Watford on Saturday and scored an impressive opening goal in a much improved performance. And De Gea expects more of the same in the weeks to come, starting in the Champions League at home to his former team on Wednesday.

"He has had a tough few weeks and I'm sure he'll soon be back at the top of his game," De Gea told MUTV.

"He's going to bring a lot to the team and I'm sure he'll be really up for playing against his old club.

"We know it will be a difficult game but we need to get the victory and grab the three points."

United were beaten 2-1 in the reverse fixture in September, but have since gone on to climb to first place in Group B with seven points from four games, much to the delight of De Gea.

"We had quite a few chances and I don't think we deserved to lose the first game against PSV. We have the chance to play against them at home and if we can beat them, we are through to the next stage," the Spanish shot-stopper said.

"We know it will be a difficult game but we need to get the victory and grab the three points. We started off with a defeat in the first game, but since then we've steadily been picking up points. A win would put us through to the next stages, so now we're just a small step away from qualification."

 

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Ancelotti: Benzema is the perfect finisher

Former Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti has described Karim Benzema as the "perfect finisher" and "one of the best players in the world."

Benzema has battled injury and off-field problems throughout the 2015-16 season, but the Frenchman has still managed to score six La Liga goals this term.

The 27-year-old, who is embroiled in a sex-tape blackmail case involving international team-mate Mathieu Valbuena, had not played for Madrid since October 4 due to a thigh problem until Saturday's 4-0 loss at home to Barcelona.

Ancelotti was asked about Benzema in an interview with RMC Sport and the former Madrid boss said: "For me, he's a great number nine, a great all-rounder really.

"He can score, he plays a collective game and helps the team to play better. I can't say much more, he's one of the best strikers in the world, the ideal striker for Real Madrid.

"With players like [Cristiano] Ronaldo and [Gareth] Bale, Karim is the perfect finisher. If France want to have any chance of winning Euro 2016, they'll need Karim in their side."

 

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Ibrahimovic: I will retire if I no longer feel good enough

Zlatan Ibrahimovic has yet to make a decision about his future at Paris Saint-Germain but made it clear he will retire once he feels he is no longer good enough to play at the highest level.

The 34-year-old's contract with PSG is due to expire at the end of the season with rumours suggesting he will leave the Ligue 1 champions and move to MLS or retire altogether after playing at Euro 2016 with Sweden.

Ibrahimovic has refused to rule anything out but insisted he alone will make the decision on when to hang up his boots.

"There has been a lot of talk about how this is my last year at Paris Saint-Germain, but only I will decide what will happen," Ibrahimovic said at a news conference.

"I have not decided yet what will happen at the end of the season. I don't know what will happen at this stage.

"I am still enjoying my football and I am happy. So long as I am feeling well, I will continue to play.

"Once I no longer feel good enough and can no longer reach my best level, I will retire.

"I have seen some great players who kept on playing for too long and could no longer show what they could before and I don't want that. But I am still happy now."

Ibrahimovic has netted nine goals in 14 appearances in all competitions for PSG so far this campaign.

 

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BATE 1-1 Bayer Leverkusen: Mehmedi rescues draw for visitors

BATE Borisov held Bayer Leverkusen to a 1-1 Champions League draw, which does little for either side's chances of progressing from Group E but confirms Barcelona's place in the knockout stages.

A shocking error from goalkeeper Bernd Leno allowed Mikhail Gordeichuk to open the scoring with the hosts' first attack of the match.

Javier Hernandez missed a great opportunity to equalise on the stroke of half-time as his run of seven consecutive matches with a goal came to an end in Belarus.

Admir Mehmedi's looping volley levelled the score in the second-half, but the Bundesliga side could not find a winner that would have probably been deserved on the balance of play.

The draw sees both sides remain outside of the top two positions and means holders Barca have qualified for the last 16 before their match with Roma later on Tuesday.

BATE took a shock lead in only the second minute when captain Aleksandr Volodko found Gordeichuk on the left channel and - after Giulio Donati failed to make a challenge – his tame shot rolled straight through the legs of Leno.

Leverkusen dominated possession as they attempted to find a route back into the match, but failed to trouble Sergei Chernik for much of the first half.
A good spell of pressure just before half-time saw Hakan Calhanoglu drag a shot wide from the edge of the area, before Hernandez had a penalty claim turned down for a theatrical fall over the leg of Maksim Zhavnerchik.

The home goalkeeper was then finally called upon to make a crucial save. In-form Hernandez should have scored from six yards after collecting a cutback from Mehmedi, but Chernik got down quickly to make the stop with his legs.

Hernandez was just wide with a long-range effort early in the second half after creating the opportunity for himself with a good solo run, before Karim Bellarabi volleyed straight at Chernik as the visitors continued their momentum from prior to the interval.

Another Bellarabi shot was deflected wide and Mehmedi had an effort that Chernik dealt with comfortably.

The equaliser was coming and it duly arrived on 68 minutes. A Calhanoglu chip picked out Mehmedi and his looping volley found the far corner, even though he may have been trying to cross for Hernandez at the far post.

Leverkusen's play dropped off after the equaliser, however, with Chernik's save from Wendell their only decent effort of note in the closing stages as BATE held on for a point that keeps them a point adrift of the Germans, who have to play Barca on matchday six.

 

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Zenit 2-0 Valencia: Russians maintain perfect Champions League start

Zenit made it five wins from five in the Champions League this season with a 2-0 victory over Valencia at the Petrovsky Stadium on Tuesday.

Oleg Shatov's clever finish handed the Group H leaders the advantage after just 15 minutes and they rarely looked like surrendering it during a diligent display.

Valencia found it tough to maintain possession and chances were few and far between, although Santi Mina did have the ball in the net midway through the second half only to be ruled offside.

A superb team goal, finished by Artem Dzyuba, secured the victory for Andre Villas-Boas' side before Ruben Vezo was sent off for bringing down Shatov as he raced clear on goal in the closing minutes.

The result puts more pressure on Valencia coach Nuno Espirito Santo and gives Gent the chance to leapfrog the Spanish club into second when they take on Lyon.

Valencia, who handed a surprise start to 18-year-old Rafa Mir, enjoyed a strong start but Jose Gaya had to be alert to prevent Domenico Criscito's deflected cross from looping into the far corner.

And it was the Russian champions who grabbed the lead on 15 minutes when Dzyuba prodded the ball through to Shatov who, having just stayed on-side, kept his composure to chip the ball beyond Jaume Domenech and into the corner of the net from close range.

A Mir effort was blocked at the near post by the covering Luis Neto as Valencia began to push for an equaliser, but Axel Witsel spurned a glorious chance to double the lead when he failed to connect properly with Danny's header across goal, although the offside flag was raised to spare his blushes.

Paco Alcacer was kept quiet throughout most of the first half but he headed Sofiane Feghouli's cross wide before snatching horribly at another opening after good work from Andre Gomes just before the break.
Valencia were struggling to find a way through a supremely well-organised Zenit defence, while Hulk's forward runs and dead-ball deliveries proved a constant concern, with Domenech having to react smartly to stop one corner curling into the roof of the net.

Substitute Mina finally found space in behind the back four and slotted well beneath Yury Lodygin, but he was correctly flagged offside after just straying beyond the last man as Gomes slid the ball through.

A Gomes free-kick bobbled dangerously through the six-yard box and the 22-year-old rasped a shot from 30 yards off target, but Nuno's men continued to labour in the attacking third and, on 74 minutes, Zenit produced a superb team goal to seal the win.

Danny found Shatov, who clipped an excellent first-time return pass through the defence and into the Zenit captain's path, allowing him to square selflessly across goal and give Dzyuba a simple tap-in from six yards.

Valencia poured men forward and were left exposed on a subsequent break, and Ruben Vezo was issued a straight red card after his lunging tackle brought down Shatov on the edge of the area with 10 minutes to play, compounding a miserable night in St Petersburg for the visitors.

 

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PSV to unveil 'get well soon Luke Shaw' banner

PSV are planning to unveil a 'get well soon' banner in support of Luke Shaw during Wednesday's Champions League clash with Manchester United.

The 20-year-old has been sidelined since September after he suffered a broken leg in a challenge with PSV's Hector Moreno, who visited the left-back in hospital after United's 2-1 defeat.

Shaw returned to training at the start of October and is continuing his recovery, and supporters from the Dutch champions will pay tribute to the England international at Old Trafford.

 

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Van Persie: No Chelsea or Barcelona contact

Robin van Persie insists there has been no contact from Chelsea or Barcelona following rumours of a move away from Fenerbahce.

The Dutch striker scored his sixth goal of the season as Fener beat Mersin Idmanyurdu on Saturday, having initially struggled to settle in Turkey.And Van Persie stressed his commitment to Fener - currently second in the Super Lig - at a post-match news conference.

"There is a lot of talk about Chelsea and Barcelona but I have received no offers and I am dedicated to Fenerbahce," he said.Van Persie was thought to be frustrated during the early part of his time at Fener, having struggled to hold down a starting berth, but has now started in each of the club's last seven matches in all competititons.

 

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Arsenal 3-0 Dinamo Zagreb: Sanchez & Ozil keep Gunners' Champions League hopes alive

Alexis Sanchez was involved in all three goals as Arsenal kept their hopes of Champions League progression alive with a comfortable 3-0 victory over Dinamo Zagreb at Emirates Stadium on Tuesday night.

Having provided the assist for Mesut Ozil to open the scoring after 29 minutes, Sanchez found the net either side of half-time to wrap up a vital win for the Gunners.

With just one Group F win to their name prior to Tuesday's tie, Arsene Wenger's side needed three points on their home turf to stand any chance of reaching the last 16.

After dominating possession without threatening early on, they eventually opened the scoring when Ozil capped a well-worked attacking move, netting from the side's first shot on target of the game.

Sanchez doubled the advantage 12 minutes from the interval, before rounding goalkeeper Eduardo to complete the scoring in the 69th minute.

The result leaves Arsenal needing a two-goal victory at second-placed Olympiacos - who were thumped 4-0 at Bayern Munich while the Gunners were blitzing Dinamo - to guarantee progression in a fortnight.

Wenger can take heart from his side dominating a team they had lost to in their first match of the latest European campaign, with Mathieu Flamini turning in a steady performance in the injury-enforced absence of Francis Coquelin in midfield and Aaron Ramsey returning from a hamstring problem.

Santi Cazorla scooped over from close range with the first meaningful opportunity of the match before Olivier Giroud saw strong penalty appeals waved away by referee Viktor Kassai and Arsenal found themselves frustrated as Dinamo defended in numbers as the half progressed.

However, Ozil made the vital breakthrough just short of the half-hour mark when he stooped to meet Sanchez's wonderfully flighted cross from the left following a superb sequence of Arsenal passes, heading beyond Eduardo in the Dinamo goal.

Ozil's opener came from Arsenal's first shot on target and the second resulted in a goal, too.

Leonardo Sigali played a clearance straight to the feet of Nacho Monreal and the full-back drove into the penalty area before cutting a pass back for Sanchez to slot home.
Ozil, who has now been involved in 11 Arsenal goals in his last nine appearances, danced through the Dinamo defence only to see his shot touched wide before the half was up, and Eduardo got down well to keep out the German's next effort from the centre of the box.

Cazorla saw an effort pushed away by Eduardo as Arsenal dominated the early stages of the second half and the Brazilian goalkeeper showed great reactions to keep out a deflected Giroud header from a corner.

But Arsenal eventually found their third as Joel Campbell roamed in from the right to play the ball into Sanchez, who coolly negotiated his way around Eduardo to convert from a tight angle.

Petr Cech was briefly called into action as Arsenal frantically attempted to clear from their own six-yard box and El Arbi Hillel Soudani had the ball in the back of the net before the final whistle, but Dinamo were denied a consolation by the offside flag as they crashed out of the competition.

 

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Barcelona 6-1 Roma: Messi nets two on return to starting XI

Lionel Messi scored twice on his return to the Barcelona starting XI as the European champions cruised to a crushing 6-1 victory over Roma and secured top spot in Group E.

Luis Suarez opened the scoring after 15 minutes of the match at Camp Nou on Tuesday and Messi struck three minutes later to put the hosts in complete control.

The game was over as a contest just before half-time when Suarez scored a stunning volley, before Messi, Gerard Pique and Adriano added gloss to the scoreline in the second half.

BATE Borisov's draw with Bayer Leverkusen earlier in the day meant Barca were already sure of a place in the last 16, but their victory means they have wrapped up top spot ahead of their final game against the Bundesliga side.

Despite only having five points from as many games after a harrowing 90 minutes which also saw Edin Dzeko miss a late penalty before then netting a consolation, Roma are still in pole position to qualify in second place.

The Italians now have to better Leverkusen's result against Barca when they play BATE to reach the knockout stage.

After making his return from two months out injured as a substitute in El Clasico, Messi started as captain, with Andres Iniesta on the bench, and could have had a hat-trick within the first 10 minutes.

The Argentina star saw one shot saved by Wojciech Szczesny, had another effort ruled out for offside and then shot just wide after latching on to a brilliant through ball from Sergio Busquets.

Roma had a great chance of their own to take the lead when Dzeko looped a header over a stranded Marc-Andre ter Stegen, but the striker saw his attempt drift just over the crossbar.

Barca went in front when Dani Alves surged down the right to latch on to Neymar's excellent pass and squared for Suarez, who tucked the ball into an empty net at the far post.

It was two for Barca just three minutes later. Messi exchanged two passes with Neymar, Suarez's chip sent the skipper through and he dinked the ball over Szczesny to cap a wonderful move involving the front three.

Barca dominated possession for the rest of the first half and when Neymar's cross was headed out by Seydou Keita, Suarez unleashed a lethal volley into the far corner which had Thomas Vermaelen applauding.

The home side made a fast start after the break, with Szczesny getting up to push Neymar's effort away from the top corner.

Ter Stegen impressively saved a low effort from Iago Falque in a rare Roma foray forward and soon enough Barca had scored two more in quick succession.

On 56 minutes, Neymar and Suarez combined to feed Messi and he squared for Pique – who was still up from a corner – to tap home before the defender was substituted.

The fifth came three minutes later. Neymar found Suarez from the left and the Uruguayan's shot was helped towards goal by Messi. Szczesny did well to save, but the returning star converted the rebound.

A twisting run from Neymar resulted in him curling a shot just off-target as he was denied what would have been a deserved goal, while Maicon was fortunate not to concede a penalty after clipping Suarez as he drove towards goal.

Neymar only had himself to blame for not scoring on 77 minutes after winning a penalty himself but seeing his poorly struck spot-kick saved by Szczesny. Luckily, Adriano was on hand to slam the rebound into the roof of the net.

Ter Stegen then matched Szczesny by denying Dzeko from 12 yards after he had been fouled in the box by Vermaelen, but the striker finally broke his resistance by heading in Lucas Digne's cross late on.

 

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Bayern Munich 4-0 Olympiacos: Guardiola's men clinch first place with easy win

Bayern Munich secured top spot in Group F of the Champions League in emphatic fashion on Tuesday, recording a 4-0 victory over nearest rivals Olympiacos, despite the dismissal of Holger Badstuber.

First-half goals from Douglas Costa, Robert Lewandowski and Thomas Muller meant Pep Guardiola's side had the three points wrapped up inside the first 20 minutes at the Allianz Arena.

The hosts were forced to play the majority of the second half with only 10 men, as Badstuber was sent off after bringing down Olympiacos forward Brown Ideye when he was through on goal.

Yet despite the numerical disadvantage, Bayern added a fourth goal through Kingsley Coman, taking their tally in this season's competition to 17 goals in five matches.

Despite the heavy defeat, Olympiacos still control their own destiny in the battle to reach the knockout stages.

They host Arsenal in the final round of fixtures knowing a draw will be enough to see them advance to the last 16.

Bayern simply thrashed their opponents in the opening quarter, with Costa breaking the deadlock when he slotted home a rebound with his left foot, after visiting goalkeeper Roberto initially parried Jerome Boateng's long-range effort.

Lewandowski doubled the home side's lead eight minutes later, albeit in rather fortuitous circumstances.

Coman's weak shot unwittingly struck the Polish forward, who then reacted quickly to fire the loose ball into the bottom left corner.

A third goal arrived when Arjen Robben's clever header back into the centre of the area allowed an unmarked Muller to tap home.

The only disappointment for Bayern in an opening half they dominated was the loss of Robben to injury. The Dutchman headed straight down the tunnel after being replaced by Joshua Kimmich but Bayern later tweeted his withdrawal was merely precautionary.

Badstuber didn't last the full 90 minutes either, though his departure was due to him being shown a straight red card.
After allowing Ideye to get on the wrong side, the defender compounded his initial error by hauling the former West Brom player to the ground.

Arthur Masuaku curled the resulting free-kick over the bar, and that was about as close as Olympiacos came to scoring while playing 11 against 10.

Bayern, however, had no problems adding to their tally. Coman bravely headed home before colliding with Roberto, leaving the Frenchman with a bloody nose as a reward for his gallantry.

 

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Maccabi Tel-Aviv 0-4 Chelsea: Blues stroll to success in Israel

Goals from Gary Cahill, Willian, Oscar and Kurt Zouma gave Chelsea a comfortable victory over Maccabi Tel-Aviv in Israel on Tuesday.

It was a tale of two centre-backs during the first-half at the Sammy Ofer Stadium where, after Gary Cahill showed fine anticipation to open the scoring, former Chelsea man Tal Ben Haim made the hosts' task even bigger by kicking out at Diego Costa and being sent off on the stroke of the interval.

Despite their numerical disadvantage, Maccabi caused Chelsea some moments of discomfort as a tense Jose Mourinho saw his team's early fluency desert them.

It was left to Willian, one of Chelsea's star performers in their difficult campaign, to lift a customary free-kick over the defensive wall in the 73rd minute and beyond Predrag Rajkovic – the impressive Maccabi goalkeeper who was aggrieved to see Oscar net a powerful header from Baba Rahman's cross four minutes later.

Oscar turned provider for Kurt Zouma, on for injured captain John Terry, to convert a stoppage-time corner to leave Chelsea with consecutive wins to their name for only the second time this season heading into Sunday's Premier League London derby against Tottenham.

Dynamo Kiev's 2-0 win at Porto means a three-way battle for qualification will be played out in the final round of group matches, with pointless Maccabi playing for pride.

Mourinho complained about the playing surface before the match and his team looked uncomfortable during the opening exchanges.

Tal Ben Haim II, the namesake of the home side's soon-to-be villain, delivered a wonderful cross from the right in the second minute that Dor Peretz headed wastefully over from close range.

Oscar and Cesar Azpilicueta were two of four players recalled to Mourinho's starting XI following the weekend win over Norwich City and they combined in the seventh minute – Oscar's backheel side-footed over by the Spain full-back.

That set in motion a period of Chelsea dominance that was rewarded in the 20th minute.

Cahill rose highest to meet Willian's corner and the centre-back reacted sharply after Rajkovic tipped his header onto the post to poke home.

Diego Costa fired an ambitious overhead-kick off target from Azpilicueta's cross before being involved in the flashpoint that saw Maccabi's most experienced campaigner lose his composure entirely.

Ben Haim missed with his initial kick at Costa but a second crude hack earned the defender a deserved red card.

The 10-men had a chance to level amid a scrappy start to the second-half – Eli Dasa racing in behind Chelsea left-back Rahman and forcing Asmir Begovic to save with his chest.

Mourinho displayed clear frustration on the touchline in response to that lapse and the hosts continued to cause unforeseen problems, with Peretz failing to get a decisive touch to Eran Zahavi's 59th-minute free-kick.

Rajkovic produced two stunning reaction saves in quick succession to thwart Hazard and Azpilicueta before Maccabi sprung forward on the break and Begovic produced a similarly superb fingertip stop that denied Zahavi.

A wasteful pass from Hazard drew further ire from Mourinho, who sent on Pedro in place of the playmaker in the 69th minute and there was concern for the manager soon afterward when Terry left the field on a stretcher with an apparent foot problem.

Willian's latest sumptuous dead-ball effort was enough to lift spirits in the visiting dugout and Rahman put an unsure display behind him to deliver a wonderful cross for Oscar to convert.

Zouma then headed home with comparable authority and the victory means Chelsea are level on 10 points with Porto ahead of welcoming the Portuguese giants to Stamford Bridge, with Kiev poised two points further back.

 

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Lyon 1-2 Gent: Hosts eliminated with defeat

Lyon saw their last chance of qualifying for the Champions League last-16 go up in smoke with a 2-1 defeat at home to Gent, which leaves the French side bottom in Group H.

A defeat for Valencia to Zenit in Tuesday's early fixture had kept Lyon's hopes alive, and Jerome Ferri's strike briefly took them within two points of Los Che after seven minutes.

Gent goalkeeper Matz Sels was fortunate not to be sent off for a handball and proceeded to frustrate Lyon for much of the second period, making a string of brilliant saves to keep the scores level.

Lyon dominated the majority of the closing stages but were unable to find the goal that would keep alive their hopes of reaching the knockout stage before their matchday six showdown with Valencia.

And Gent found a crucial winner in the dying seconds of injury time through substitute Kalifa Coulibaly, meaning they leapfrog Nuno Espirito Santo's side into second place ahead of their meeting with runaway group leaders Zenit, while Lyon crash out of Europe altogether.

With just one point from their opening four matches, Lyon were in desperate need of a strong start and they managed just that - albeit in controversial circumstances.

A loose ball broke to Rachid Gezzal on the edge of the area and he slipped it through to Ferri, who calmly side-footed past Sels and into the near bottom corner, though replays indicated he was fractionally offside.

Lyon goalkeeper Anthony Lopes tipped a glancing header by Renato Neto over the crossbar before Sels survived his own moment of controversy, handling Alexandre Lacazette's header outside of the box as the striker was played clean through, though the officials failed to spot it.

Sels denied Lacazette at full stretch moments later before Brecht Dejaegere blazed over from close range at the other end as the match remained wide open, and Gent deservedly drew level in some style on 32 minutes as Milicevic bent a superb free-kick beyond Lopes from 20 yards.

Mathieu Valbuena began to exert an influence over the game and slipped in Rafael da Silva to sting the palms of Sels before fizzing an effort of his own just wide shortly before the break.

Another smart Sels stop denied Valbuena's far-post volley early in the second half and he stood up superbly to parry Ghezzal's drive from the left of the box as Lyon pushed hard for the lead.

Gent began to withdraw into their half in order to preserve the 1-1 scoreline and Lyon threw on Claudio Beauvue and Maxwell Cornet as they sought that crucial second goal.

But they were undone as Coulibaly - introduced in stoppage time to run the clock down - bundled Milicevic's corner home to put the Belgians in charge of their own fate and eliminate Hubert Fournier's side from European competition.

 

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Terry 'a big doubt' for Chelsea's clash with Tottenham

Jose Mourinho has labelled John Terry a "big doubt" for Chelsea's trip to Tottenham on Sunday after the centre-back suffered a foot injury during Tuesday's 4-0 win over Maccabi Tel Aviv.

The Chelsea captain appeared to injure his foot after falling awkwardly in a challenge with Gal Alberman and was replaced by Kurt Zouma in the 72nd minute after leaving the field on a stretcher.

"Of course he is [a doubt]," Mourinho told BT Sport after the match.

"I don’t want to speak without tests when we’re back in London, but I think he’s a big doubt."

Goals from Gary Cahill, Willian, Oscar and Zouma gave Jose Mourinho's side a 4-0 win in Israel.

 

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Bellerin: Arsenal can challenge for the Champions League

Arsenal full-back Hector Bellerin backed the Gunners be a force in the Champions League after helping to keep their challenge alive with a 3-0 win over Dinamo Zagreb on Tuesday.

Mesut Ozil opened the scoring before Alexis Sanchez netted two goals either side of half-time to complete a comfortable victory.

Arsene Wenger's men must now beat Olympiacos by two goals in their last Group F fixture in Greece to guarantee their progression to the last 16, and Bellerin is confident of going a long way in the tournament.

"The team know it was an important day today and we had to turn up," he told BT Sport . "We're going to play for our lives [at Olympiacos] but this was an important test and the team responded very well.

"We've shown all through the season a lot of quality, a lot of creativity and we're defending very solidly. I think we're going to be a team that's going to be up there [at the end of the competition]."

 

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Wenger: I've never seen Ozil in the box so much

Arsene Wenger expressed his delight at Mesut Ozil's new-found attacking confidence after Arsenal's 3-0 Champions League victory over Dinamo Zagreb on Tuesday.

Ozil broke the deadlock at the Emirates Stadium before Alexis Sanchez netted a brace, as Arsenal kept their hopes of qualifying for the last 16 alive.

The duo - along with Joel Campbell - proved a constant menace to the Dinamo defence, with Sanchez having provided the assist for Ozil's opener.

And Wenger singled out the Germany international, who has now been involved in 11 goals in his last nine Arsenal matches, for individual praise after the game.

"He had an outstanding first half, he has got the taste for scoring now," Wenger told BT Sport.

"I've never seen him in the box so many times this season, especially in the last five or six games."

Arsenal now need to beat Olympiacos by at least two goals to guarantee their place in the next round and Wenger believes the make-or-break clash will be a "very interesting game".

"It was a good night because we did the job and played at a high pace," added Wenger.

"We wanted to be in with a chance and now it's down to how we do at Olympiacos.

"It promises to be a very interesting game."

Arsenal, who sit third in Group F heading into the final round of fixtures, are now assured of a place in the Europa League should they fail to deliver in Greece in a fortnight, but Wenger stressed: "That's not the target. Let's give everything to stay in the Champions League."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Messi: It's good to be back for Barcelona

Barcelona star Lionel Messi was delighted to play 90 minutes on his return to the starting XI as his side thrashed Roma 6-1 in the Champions League on Tuesday.

The Argentine, who captained Barca on Tuesday due to Andres Iniesta's absence, scored twice, had another goal disallowed and set one up for Gerard Pique in a fine display upon his first start since Septmber 26.

Messi felt strong on his return to the line-up and urged his team-mates to maintain that level of performance after Roma were put to the sword, as the hosts secured first place in Group E with a game to spare.

"It felt good to play the 90 minutes," he told Uefa. "Little by little I am feeling better. I am happy with the result and to have played 90 minutes. We are happy with how things are going but there is still a long way to go.

"We will try to keep our level up. I am really happy for all the praise I get, but I just want to keep helping the team and hopefully we can reach our objectives at the end of the season."

Messi was on a hat-trick when fellow forward Neymar took – and missed – a late penalty which was converted by Adriano on the rebound."Neymar was the penalty taker and for that reason, he took it today," said Messi.Barcelona are back in action at home to Real Sociedad in La Liga on Saturday.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Wenger tells Arsenal critics: I DO like spending money!

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has laughed off suggestions he doesn’t like spending money as the injury-ravaged Gunners heads towards January in need of reinforcements yet again.

The north Londoners are without a host of players at present, most notably Francis Coquelin who is likely to be sidelined for three months.

Wenger is short on replacements in midfield, with Mikel Arteta turning in a calamitous display against West Brom and Mathieu Flaimini brought in against Dinamo Zagreb.

The Gunners romped to an easy 3-0 win against the Croatian outfit on Tuesday, keeping their Champions League hopes alive, but the post-match talking point remained Arsenal’s current injury predicament – and the decision not to sign a single outfield player in the summer.

When it was suggested to Wenger that he is reluctant to spend money, though, he replied: “My friends don’t think that!

“I’ll invite you out one night and you will see that I like to spend money.”

Arsenal have already been linked with a host of defensive-midfield targets ahead of the January transfer window reopening, with the likes of William Carvalho and Lars Bender all mooted.

Despite their injury problems, the Gunners put in a dominant display against Dinamo, with Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil starring on the night, while Aaron Ramsey made a welcome return from injury.