..::Football IV::..

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OFFICIAL: Luka Modric signs new Real Madrid deal

Luka Modric has signed a new contract with Real Madrid that will keep him at the club until June 2020, the Santiago Bernabeu side have announced.

The Croatia international’s previous deal was due to expire in 2018, but he has now agreed a two-year extension to commit his future to Madrid.

Modric joined the Champions League holders from Tottenham in August 2012 and has since developed into a key figure in the Spanish capital.

The 31-year-old has made 180 appearances in all competitions for Madrid so far, winning two Champions League titles, two UEFA Supercups, the FIFA Club World Cup, Copa del Rey and Supercopa de Espana.

He is currently recovering from a knee injury on which he underwent surgery at the start of October, having picked up the knock in the 2-2 Champions League draw with Borussia Dortmund.

Modric started his professional career with Dinamo Zagreb and also wore the jerseys of Zrinjski Mostar and Inter Zapresic on loan before joining Spurs in 2008.

 

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Real Madrid 5-1 Legia Warsaw: Bale on target as Zidane's men run riot

Real Madrid survived an early scare to comfortably see off Legia Warsaw 5-1 in the Champions League and extend their unbeaten run to 23 games across all competitions.

Madrid made hard work of the contest before Gareth Bale's first Champions League goal since December 2014 opened the scoring, with Vadis Odidja-Ofoe previously hitting the post in one of several early chances.

A Tomasz Jodlowiec own-goal did not dishearten Legia either, as Miroslav Radovic won and scored a penalty to give them a deserved lifeline, but Marco Asensio's first goal in the competition just before the break was a bitter blow.

The visitors struggled to impose themselves thereafter as Madrid became a more compact unit in the second half and they should have fallen even further behind just after the break - Karim Benzema spurning a good chance.

Second-half substitute Lucas Vazquez provided a powerful finish 22 minutes from the end to effectively make the points safe for Zinedine Zidane's men.

Alvaro Morata applied further gloss to the scoreline late on with a coolly taken effort as Madrid took their tally to seven points from three Group F games.

Madrid unsurprisingly dominated possession during the opening exchanges and almost managed an early breakthrough eight minutes in – Gareth Bale scuffing wide from close range following a Ronaldo cross.

Legia looked bright on the counter, though, and went close twice in quick succession, as Thibault Moulin forced Keylor Navas into action and Odidja-Ofoe struck the woodwork after Guilherme's cut-back.

Madrid made them pay for their wastefulness, though, as Bale darted in from the left in the 16th minute and found the bottom-left corner with a fine finish from just inside the box.They swiftly doubled their lead, with Marcelo's 20-yard effort taking a huge deflection off Jodlowiec on its way in.

Legia pulled one back in the 22nd minute, however, as Radovic ran at Danilo and drew a foul from the Brazilian, before coolly dispatching the resulting spot-kick.

But Madrid restored the two-goal advantage eight minutes before the break. Ronaldo collected Danilo's low cross and teed up Asensio, who found the bottom-right corner from the edge of the area.

Madrid should have gone even further ahead in the 49th minute, as Arkadiusz Malarz punched a Toni Kroos corner as far as Benzema, who sent a half-volley straight back at the Legia goalkeeper.

The hosts looked more intent on not allowing the match to become as open as the first half and Legia struggled to find the space to catch Madrid on the break.

Zidane's decision to introduce Morata and Vazquez from the bench just after the hour mark injected a little more life into the second half and within a few moments the pair combined to give Madrid a fourth.Vazquez met Morata's chipped pass into the right side of the area with a strong right-footed strike, but Malarz should have done better.

Morata also got in on the act in the closing stages, as he latched on to Ronaldo's pass and tucked a neat finish inside the near post to round off the rout.

 

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Bayer Leverkusen 0-0 Tottenham: Spurs hold out for a draw against wasteful hosts

Hugo Lloris was Tottenham's hero as they held Bayer Leverkusen to a 0-0 draw at the BayArena in Tuesday's Champions League clash.

The France goalkeeper made a string of second-half saves - the best of which came against Javier Hernandez - to deny the home side a first win against English opposition since 2011 and keep Group E wide open after three matches.

Son Heung-min, making his first appearance against his old club, set up Vincent Janssen for a first-half tap-in that was ruled out for offside, but it was Spurs who looked the more threatening in a scrappy opening 45 minutes.

Roger Schmidt's side came to life after the break only to be kept at bay by the brilliance of Lloris, with the skipper denying Charles Aranguiz and Admir Mehmedi either side of a stunning reaction stop to keep Hernandez's effort from squirming in.

Omer Toprak came close to finding a winner, but Leverkusen were forced to settle for a third draw in as many group games, with Tottenham a point above them in second place behind Monaco.

It took Son just 10 minutes to make an impact on his return to Germany as he raced through the home defence before squaring for Janssen to tap in, only for the offside flag to rescue Leverkusen.

Spurs enjoyed more possession in the first half-hour of a rain-soaked encounter, with Son looking a real threat when cutting in from the left, but Dele Alli wasted the best chance when he headed Kieran Trippier's teasing cross wide of the post.

The game was interrupted too often by niggling fouls and poor passing, but Tottenham almost snatched the lead when Janssen's header came off the crossbar and Erik Lamela's rebound was tipped over by Bernd Leno.

Hernandez should have given Leverkusen the lead three minutes into the second half. Lars Bender's cross picked out the Mexican at the far post, but he side-footed straight at Lloris from point-blank range, and the Spurs keeper reacted superbly to keep the ball from crossing the line.

Lloris palmed away a low free-kick from Aranguiz, before Danny Rose headed a Hernandez half-volley up and over the crossbar, as Mauricio Pochettino began to pace a little more nervously on the touchline.

Mehmedi was the next to be thwarted as Lloris parried away his low drive from 20 yards, before Stefan Kiessling's strike was tipped wide and Toprak headed the resulting corner straight at the grateful goalkeeper, who received a rousing reception from the Spurs faithful at the final whistle.

 

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Lyon 0-1 Juventus: Buffon & Cuadrado instrumental to Bianconeri win

Juan Cuadrado struck a fine winner for 10-men Juventus in Tuesday's 1-0 Champions League win over Lyon after Gianluigi Buffon had pulled off several stunning saves, including a penalty save.

Buffon had made errors in his previous two games for club and country which resulted in goals, but returned to his supreme best at the Parc OL to keep a hard-earned clean sheet.

The 38-year-old spurned Alexandre Lacazette from the penalty spot before producing a reflex save of the highest quality to keep Nabil Fekir's deflected strike out.Mario Lemina was sent off shortly after that stop to tilt the balance of play firmly in the hosts' favour, but again Buffon stood in their way.

And substitute Cuadrado completed the smash and grab in fitting style, slamming home a mesmeric goal worthy of following his captain's fine earlier example.

Victory keeps Massimiliano Allegri's side top of Group H and a win over Lyon at their fortress Juventus Stadium next time out will secure progression to the last 16.With both sides deploying three-man defences, space to attack was at a premium and chances were similarly sparse.

Gonzalo Higuain had Juve's best opportunity of the opening half, latching onto Alex Sandro's throughball, but Anthony Lopes saved easily as the striker blasted goalwards from an acute angle.

Roared on by ceaseless chanting from their home fans, Lyon picked up the pace and had the chance to move ahead when Leonardo Bonucci hauled down Mouctar Diakhaby as a corner arrived, but Buffon spurned Lacazette from the spot low to his left.

Having survived that scare, Juve should have been ahead themselves at the break, but Lopes produced a stunning save to repel Higuain's firm header before Bonucci nodded wide from six yards with the last touch of the first half.

Buffon once again left Lyon baffled just five minutes after the interval, throwing out his right hand to sensationally repel Fekir as Lyon broke away at pace and another counter-attack led to Lemina hauling down the France international and earning a second yellow card.

Corentin Tolisso was next to be denied as he headed towards goal from inside the six-yard box, but that too was not enough to beat a sprawling Buffon.

And then, Juve struck with 14 minutes to play, Cuadrado tricking his way into the right channel and unleashing a rocket into Lopes' top-left corner as the goalkeeper anticipated a cross.

Fittingly, it was Buffon who had the final say, equal to substitute Maxime Gonalons' powerful effort as any detractors were issued a reminder of the great veteran's enduring brilliance.

 

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Dinamo Zagreb 0-1 Sevilla: Nasri strike seals it for Sampaoli's men

Samir Nasri shone for Sevilla as they eased to an ultimately comfortable 1-0 victory over Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League.

Manchester City-loanee Nasri has found a new lease of life since securing his switch to Jorge Sampaoli's side, and his 37th-minute strike proved decisive in Tuesday's tepid Group H encounter.

Ivaylo Petev is Dinamo's third coach of the campaign, and his side were poor throughout, offering little challenge to the Europa League holders in difficult conditions in Zagreb.

Nasri had missed a simple chance midway through the first-half, but made amends when he swept home his third goal for the club at the culmination of a terrific counter-attack.

Sevilla - who face the rampant Atletico Madrid in their next La Liga fixture - looked to double their tally in the second half, though Luciano Vietto's terrible close-range effort was the nearest they came to doing so.

Dinamo went close with a collection of long-range efforts at the other end, but Sevilla held firm to secure a win that means victory in the reverse fixture at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan will send them through to the last 16 providing Juventus replicate their triumph over Lyon. In-form Sevilla dominated the first-half, with only Filip Benkovic's superb last-ditch tackle halting Vitolo's progress towards goal 10 minutes in.

Dinamo goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic – making his Champions League debut - was called into action shortly after, the youngster reacting sharply to prevent Mariano's well-struck volley dipping in.

But Dinamo's task became tougher when captain Domagoj Antolic hobbled off with a knee injury as Sevilla continued to control proceedings.
Sampaoli's side finally carved Dinamo open in the 21st minute, Sergio Escudero teeing up Nasri, but the Frenchman could not find the target from close-range.

However, Nasri atoned for that miss eight minutes before the interval, putting Sevilla ahead with a deft finish after latching onto Mariano's precise cross.

Mariano would have turned provider again on the stroke of half-time had Borna Sosa not stopped his cross from reaching Vitolo, who was well-placed to double Sevilla's lead.Benkovic had to be alert once more shortly after the restart, his fine intervention denying Vietto a simple tap-in from Escudero's delivery.

Atleti-loanee Vietto somehow failed to double Sevilla's tally just prior to the hour-mark, the former Villarreal striker skewing wide from six yards out.

Dinamo managed a rare foray forward with just under 20 minutes remaining, El Arabi Hillel Soudani's deflected strike inching wide of the right-hand upright.

That chance spurred the hosts on - Sosa also trying his luck from range with a blistering effort that whistled just over - but Dinamo could not find a leveller as Sevilla claimed the points in the first ever meeting between the two sides.

 

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Leicester City 1-0 Copenhagen: Mahrez maintains 100 per cent Champions League record

Riyad Mahrez struck a first-half winner for Leicester City in Tuesday's 1-0 Champions League win over Copenhagen at the King Power Stadium.The victory ensures they remain top of their group with the maximum of nine points to leave them on the brink of the knockout stages.

Mahrez, recalled to the starting line-up having begun Saturday's 3-0 Premier League loss to Chelsea on the bench, was in the right place to capitalise on Islam Slimani's header and break the deadlock five minutes before the interval.

His mid-air flick proved enough to secure Claudio Ranieri's side a third straight win in their debut campaign in the competition and they sit five points clear at the top of Group G having yet to concede a goal in Europe.
Leicester - who saw Slimani have a second-half effort incorrectly chalked off for offside - now have one more point in Europe than they do after eight games of their title defence in the Premier League.

Porto beat Club Brugge 2-1 in the pool's other contest and Leicester will now head to Denmark for the return fixture on November 22 knowing a win will secure them a place in the knockout stages.

Copenhagen suffer their first loss in any competition since May 22, their astonishing unbeaten run eventually coming to an end at 23 games and they are now level with Porto on four points.

The visiting supporters caught the eye in Leicester before kick-off by releasing red flares inside the stadium, with their colourful display unlikely to go unnoticed by UEFA.

On the pitch, Copenhagen's players started just as brightly and Federico Santander's effort from a tight angle drew a smart save from the legs of Kasper Schmeichel.

At the other end, Jamie Vardy scuffed an ambitious volley straight at Robin Olsen as he looked to end a goal drought that stretched back to a Premier League fixture against Liverpool on September 10.

Vardy did have an influential role in Leicester breaking the deadlock, though - the England international's deep cross from the left found Slimani at the far post and he nodded back inside for Mahrez, who cleverly turned the ball beyond Olsen from just outside the six-yard box.

Copenhagen almost drew level shortly before half-time when Andreas Cornelius escaped the attention of Robert Huth at a corner, but his flicked header drifted wide of the right post.

The same player also threatened an equaliser early in the second half but, while this time finding the target, his back-heeled flick lacked the required power to get beyond Schmeichel.

Leicester believed they had doubled their advantage in the 67th minute when Slimani scored at the second attempt, the striker having seen his initial effort from Marc Albrighton's cross kept out by a combination of Olsen and the woodwork.The referee's assistant cut short the celebrations by flagging for offside, although replays suggested it was an incorrect call by the official.

The decision would have proved costly were it not for Schmeichel's reflexes, the Denmark international producing a superb save to deny countryman Cornelius from grabbing a late equaliser and preserve his third straight Champions League clean sheet.

 

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Club Brugge 1-2 Porto: Andre Silva penalty snatches win

A fantastic strike from Miguel Layun and Andre Silva's stoppage-time penalty saw Porto earn a dramatic 2-1 win over Club Brugge in the Champions League on Tuesday.

Jelle Vossen had given Brugge a deserved early lead in a first half the Belgian champions dominated, before Layun hammered home an equaliser as Porto grew into the contest after the break at Jan Breydelstadion.

Andre Silva then tucked home the winner from 12 yards out after Claudemir brought down Jesus Corona in the box.The two sides meet again in Portugal next month, with Porto now firmly in the hunt to progress to the knockout stages.

The Primeira Liga side are third in Group G, level on four points with second-placed Copenhagen, with Brugge empty handed in fourth spot. Premier League title-holders Leicester City top the pool with nine points.

Vossen could have given Brugge a surprise early lead, but his eighth-minute snapshot was too close to Iker Casillas. The veteran Porto keeper then had to be alert to palm over a swerving Ricardo van Rhijn free-kick.

Brugge were finally rewarded for their early dominance on 12 minutes, Vossen taking advantage of uncertain Porto defending to slot beyond Casillas for his side's first goal in this season's Champions League.

A neat first touch by Anthony Limbombe left Layun for dead, before squaring for Vossen. His first effort was blocked, but Porto could not clear their lines, leaving the 27-year-old the simplest of finishes from six yards out.

Determined Brugge pressing made life difficult for Porto when in possession, but the away side still wasted several chances to draw level midway through the half.

Otavio could not keep his header down under pressure from the onrushing Ludovic Butelle, before Brugge's keeper palmed away a rasping Hector Herrera drive and stooped low to keep out Ivan Marcano's downward header.

More casual Porto defending almost led to Brugge's second on 35 minutes, but Tomas Pina shot straight at Casillas after intercepting a stray clearance.

Brugge continued in the same vein after the interval, and Ruud Vormer should have extended their advantage but fired inches wide when well placed on the edge of the box.The home side retreated into their half as the game progressed, which gave space for Porto to begin to control the tempo and create chances.

Substitute Yacine Brahimi almost made an instant impact just two minutes after coming off the bench, wriggling free on the edge of the area and stinging Butelle's hands with a rising effort on the hour.Porto's came closer still with 25 minutes to play, Otavio exchanging a delightful one-two with Andre Silva before whistling a drive just wide of his right post.

The away side finally breached Brugge's defence on 68 minutes, when Layun broke the offside trap to run onto a Otavio through ball, before lashing past a helpless Butelle into the top corner from outside the area.

Porto then snatched it right at the death from the spot, referee Paolo Tagliavento awarding the penalty after Claudemir's tired leg clumsily brought down substitute Jesus Corona.

Andre Silva stepped up and coolly converted, sending Butelle the wrong way and cruelly denying Brugge deep into stoppage time.

 

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Sporting 1-2 Borussia Dortmund: Aubameyang and Weigl get BVB back to winning ways

Borussia Dortmund tasted victory for the first time in almost a month as a gripping 2-1 victory over Sporting preserved top spot in Champions League Group F.

Thomas Tuchel's highly touted side wavered in their Bundesliga ambitions either side of the international break, with a defeat to Bayer Leverkusen and a draw against Hertha Berlin leaving them languishing in fifth domestically.

But in the first half at the Estadio Jose Alvalade they relocated the rousing European form that resulted in a thrashing for Legia Warsaw and pegged back Real Madrid earlier in the round-robin phase.

Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang's third goal of the competition settled early nerves and set in motion a dazzling display from Dortmund's star striker.

Julian Weigl's sumptuous first goal for the club doubled Dortmund's advantage but Jorge Jesus' hosts redoubled their efforts after the interval and substitute Bruno Cesar's indirect free-kick set up a thrilling finale, where few could have begrudged them a share of the spoils.

Sporting began in enterprising fashion but Aubameyang gave Tuchel's side a ninth-minute lead with a formidable demonstration of his talents.The pacey forward outstripped Ruben Semedo to latch onto Mario Gotze's ball down the right flank before cutely lobbing Rui Patricio.

Aubameyang almost had cause to repeat his summersault celebration when Rui Patricio clawed his header from Gotze's searching cross out of the bottom left corner.

Bas Dost nodded wide for Sporting in the 29th minute, while Dortmund goalkeeper Roman Burki reacted well to prevent Elias capitalising on Felix Passlack's indecision.Aubameyang glanced past the post from Ousmane Dembele's centre, while Patricio atoned for his own fumble by denying the goalscorer his second.

At the other end, Burki was fortunate referee Damir Skomina ruled Dost blocked his failed attempt to claim a corner, meaning Sebastian Coates clattered meaninglessly into an unguarded net.

Aubameyang then escaped three defenders to thump an effort off target, but Dortmund had a second as the half ticked down from an unfamiliar source.

Weigl stylishly beat William Carvalho and Elias before a moment of hesitation from Semedo allowed the midfielder to rifle into the bottom left-hand corner from 25 yards.

Sporting continued to press after the interval, with Dost providing a thorough workout for the Dortmund centre-back – one of whom erred significantly in the 65th minute.

Marc Bartra's backpass at close quarters meant Burki was forced to handle and, following the obligatory lengthy deliberation, Carvalho touched the ball with the sole of his boot and Bruno Cesar smashed through the massed ranks of yellow on the goalline.

Dost's latest header flew wide moments after Tuchel reshuffled his now creaking defence by replacing Bartra with Lukasz Piszczek.An injury to right-back Matthias Ginter meant the enforced introduction of Sebastian Rode and Burki scrambled to prevent a Dost tap-in with 13 minutes remaining.

Christian Pulisic planted a dipping strike against the Sporting crossbar and it was breathing space Dortmund appeared to need when substitute Andre agonisingly failed to turn in Gelson Martins' strike across goal.

Tuchel's men would ultimately battle through a lengthy period of stoppage time following an injury to full-back Passlack, meaning Sokratis Papastathopoulos was the only member of their starting back four left standing at the final whistle.

 

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CSKA Moscow 1-1 Monaco: Silva denies Traore a winner against parent club

Bernardo Silva denied Lacina Traore the chance to punish his parent club by earning Monaco a late 1-1 draw in their home Champions League clash with CSKA Moscow.

Portugal international Silva found the back of the net in the 87th minute to salvage a point for Leonardo Jardim's team, who staved off defeat in their previous Group E outing against Bayer Leverkusen with a Kamil Glik goal in second-half stoppage time.

On-loan CSKA striker Traore put his permanent owners on the path to their first defeat of the competition when he slotted home the opener in the 34th minute.

Monaco's hopes of a recovery were damaged when Joao Moutinho went off with what appeared to be a thigh injury in the first half, but Silva beat CSKA goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev late on to spare their blushes.

The goal denied Akinfeev a first clean sheet in 40 Champions League outings, a run which stretches all the way back to November 2006.Monaco remain top of a keenly contested Group E on five points, while CSKA stay down at the bottom with two.

After a tepid start to the match, Traore spurned the first chance in the 11th minute, firing over from Aleksei Ionov's right-wing cross under pressure from Danijel Subasic.

CSKA played with greater intensity and, after a tame effort from Zoran Tosic was held by Subasic, they made the breakthrough after the half-hour mark.Tosic was once again the instigator, stepping inside of Jemerson on the right-hand side of the box and curling the ball towards the far post.

Subasic got a hand to the effort, but it fell straight to Traore, who took a touch before slotting home the goal he would have been desperately craving.

Despite having to replace Moutinho with Guido Carrillo in the 41st minute, Monaco were spurred into life and could have been level by half-time.A corner from the left fell kindly for Andrea Raggi 12 yards out, but the right-back lashed his shot straight at Akinfeev.

Monaco controlled possession after the restart, but struggled to find a route through CSKA's well-disciplined defensive lines.

Tiemoue Bakayoko fired over from 25 yards before Valere Germain saw his attempt to turn Thomas Lemar's left-wing cross on target deflected wide by Vasili Berezutski in the 68th minute.

Benjamin Mendy replaced Raggi, but just like the Italian he was thwarted by Akinfeev, the Russian denying him from an acute angle with 18 minutes remaining.

The equaliser finally came just three minutes from time, Silva reacting first to pounce on the loose ball and calmly steer into the net after Akinfeev had denied Carrillo.

 

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'We'll be challenging' - Rooney makes bold Manchester United prediction

Wayne Rooney is confident that Manchester United can mount a Premier League title challenge, stating that Jose Mourinho has pieced together "a fantastic squad".

The Red Devils have gone three campaigns without landing the top-flight crown, with a 20th success secured in Sir Alex Ferguson’s final season at the helm in 2012/13.

David Moyes and Louis van Gaal have failed to bring the good times back to Old Trafford, leading to the managerial baton being passed to Jose Mourinho.

The Portuguese has a proven track record when it comes to establishing domestic dominance and - despite Monday’s 0-0 draw at Liverpool leaving United in seventh spot, five points adrift of table-topping Manchester City – Rooney is adamant that another sustained push for major honours can be pieced together.

“Yeah, I think we’ll be challenging this season,” he said after the Anfield stalemate. “We’ve still got that belief, and it is even stronger after working with this manager and the players over the last few months.

"I think we’ve got a fantastic squad - one that is ready and capable of challenging.”Among those to have been added to the United squad – at some considerable cost – is France international midfielder Paul Pogba.

A former product of the Old Trafford academy system, the 23-year-old returned to England as the most expensive player in world football during the summer transfer window.

He is yet to produce his best back on the Premier League stage, but Rooney is convinced that a world-class talent will come good and prove any doubters wrong.“Paul is a fantastic player. I think he is working hard, and he is doing well,” said the United and England skipper.

“It is a different league to what he’s been used to – he didn't really play last time when he was here, so this is all new. "He is a fantastic player, and he will shine for us this season - of that there is no doubt.”

 

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Rooney: I’m 31 next week, I’ve got a lot of football left

Wayne Rooney has admitted he needs to adjust to no longer being a guaranteed starter after being fielded as a substitute once again by Manchester United in Monday night’s 0-0 draw at Liverpool.

It was the fourth consecutive fixture in which the England international failed to break into Jose Mourinho’s first 11, and the decorated striker was also named on the bench for his country’s World Cup qualifying stalemate with Slovenia last week.

Rooney is tackling an understandable mix of frustration and impatience as he contends with an unfamiliar situation, but he insisted he is far from finished.

When asked post-match at Anfield if there was vexation at not running out from the off regularly, he said: “Yeah, of course. You want to play. I just have to try and do my job for the team, and wait for my chance.

“I like to think I can play every game, but obviously, it's the manger’s decision and I respect that. I will be ready when I’m needed. “I’m 31 next week, I’ve got a lot of football left.”

Rooney doesn’t consider his fight to force his way back into the starting XI for both club and country his greatest challenge, but feels it will require some adaptation. “No [it’s not the biggest test]. I think it’s just football,” the five-time Premier League winner mused.

“I’ve started through all my career, this is a new challenge, it is a new period.“Of course I want to play - I just have to keep working and get into the team. “I’m sure my chances will come, then it is up to me to take them.”

On United’s obstructive approach against Liverpool, Rooney felt his team-mates executed Mourinho’s blueprint near perfectly to thwart the home side's full-throttle football.“It was a game we didn't want to lose; we knew it, the manager knew it, but we also wanted to try and win the game,” he explained, while also noting it will "take time" to fully absorb the 53-year-old's tactics.

“We had a few chances and tried to get a goal, which we couldn’t, but we stuck to the gameplan well.“Obviously, coming to Liverpool is always going to be a difficult game. We know that, and in the end, I think a draw was probably a fair result. To come away with a point is a positive result.

United are now unbeaten in their last five outings, and with a Europa League test at home to Fenerbahce approaching before a top-flight trip to Chelsea and a Manchester derby in the League Cup at Old Trafford, Rooney believes United can create “the start of something special” should they stretch their streak.

“We’ve got some tough games coming up and I thought it was important to come away from home and not lose [at Liverpool] which we didn’t, " he said.

"They had chances where they could have nicked it, so probably the right result. This was the toughest game before the Europa League on Thursday.


"Then we’ve got Chelsea and City. It is good for us to have those games in this period and if we can come out of them with positive results, it can be the start of something for us this season.”

 

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'We expect more from him' - Zidane on Ronaldo's goal struggles against Legia

Zinedine Zidane admitted that he "expects more" from Cristiano Ronaldo after he missed several good chances in a frustrating evening as Real Madrid battered Legia Warsaw 5-1.

Madrid made light work of their visitors despite initially looking a little shaky at the back, with Legia netting their first Champions League goal in 21 years to bring the score back to 2-1.

Zidane's men ultimately had little difficulty in dispatching their opposition, as Gareth Bale, a Tomasz Jodlowiec own-goal, Marco Asensio, Lucas Vazquez and Alvaro Morata did the damage.But there was to be no Ronaldo goal, as he saw numerous opportunities wasted in the second half.

"Everyone wants Cristiano to score three, four, five goals," Zidane told reporters. "He had many chances tonight, [but] he scored on Saturday and will score next weekend.

"We all expect more from Cristiano and he knows that. We want him to score three or four. "There was no goal today but he got two assists and I also like that."Assessing the overall performance, Zidane believes his side have defensive improvements to make."I'm happy with the result, with goals," he added. "It is clear that we can improve.

"Defensively the balance of the team was not perfect sometimes, but our choice was to play offensively. Though we have risked and have given chances to the opposition. "The important thing is to score and win and that's what we have done."

 

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I want to retire at Real Madrid - Pepe

Pepe has told Real Madrid he wishes to sign a new contract and ultimately retire at the Santiago Bernabeu following their 5-1 hammering of Legia Warsaw on Tuesday.

The Portugal defender played the full 90 minutes as the Champions League holders blew away their opposition after a rocky start in Madrid.

And the 33-year-old is adamant he wants to enjoy similar occasions at the Bernabeu for the rest of his career, rather than descend into obscurity elsewhere."I am calm. I want to help Madrid, the club I love," he told Antenna 3. "I am at peace.

"I hope the club call me first to resolve this [contract] situation. I am calm, people in the club know that this is my home. I have already said that I expect to be with Madrid until the last second [of his career].

Marco Asensio was among the goals against Legia, with his first-half strike getting him off the mark in Europe on his Champions League debut and he revealed the wise words bestowed upon him by head coach Zinedine Zidane.

"The coach talked to me and told me I should be calm," he told reporters. "Here we have world class players."He told me to be patient. There are players who have spent many years here and I need to seize the minutes given to me."

 

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UEFA Champions League Group Stages Fixtures 2016.10.19

UEFA Champions League Group Stages Fixtures 2016.10.19

Arsenal Vs Ludogorets

PSG Vs Basel

Napoli Vs Besiktas

Dynamo Kyiv Vs Benfica

Celtic Vs Monchengladbach

Barcelona Vs Manchester City

Rostov Vs Atletico Madrid

Bayern Vs PSV

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Manchester United are "lucky" to have Mourinho thinks Loftus-Cheek

Ruben Loftus-Cheek told Goal back in July that he is sure that Jose Mourinho will turn Manchester United into title contenders - as he prepares to face his former manager in the Premier League on Sunday.

Mourinho gave Loftus-Cheek his Chelsea debut in 2014, in a Champions League fixture against Sporting Lisbon, and the 20-year-old has since gone on to cement his place in Antonio Conte's first-team squad, following the Italian's appointment at Stamford Bridge.

Conte became the club's permanent manager following Mourinho's sacking, with the Blues enduring a wretched 2015-16 campaign, and the Portuguese was appointed United boss in May.

The Red Devils are currently seventh in the Premier League after eight games, but Loftus-Cheek maintains that the Red Devils are fortunate to be managed by Mourinho, and insists that the club will launch a concerted challenge for the title this term.

"I don’t think it will be weird [facing Mourinho]," Loftus-Cheek told Goal . "But obviously he is a great manager and I think Man United are lucky to have him. So even though he is Chelsea, even though he has moved to United, Chelsea fans still love him.

"We are going to try and beat Man United when the time comes. They have always had a good team, Man United have always been up challenging for the title so they could be, [the team to beat] yes."

Mourinho has overseen a major squad reshuffle at Old Trafford, with the likes of Paul Pogba and Zlatan Ibrahimovic joining the club, and Loftus-Cheek has heaped praise on the Sweden international, who has scored four Premier League goals in eight games.

"Zlatan is a great player, isn’t he?" Added Loftus-Cheek. "He's got goals and flair and everything it is exciting for the Premier League to have him."

 

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Ibrahimovic the signing of the season so far - Hargreaves

Owen Hargreaves believes Manchester United striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic has been the signing of the season so far.

The former Sweden international has scored four goals in his eight Premier League apperances since joining the Red Devils on a free transfer in the summer.And Hargreaves argues no new acquisition has had as big an impact as Ibrahimovic.

“The signing of the season by far has been Zlatan Ibrahimovic,” Hargreaves told BT Sport . “To get him on a free transfer – and a player of that quality. I wouldn’t like to know where Manchester United would be without Zlatan Ibrahimovic.”

 

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Not even Pogba and Ibrahimovic are untouchable at United, says Mourinho

Jose Mourinho insists none of his Manchester United stars are untouchable, not even Paul Pogba or Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

The Portuguese famously described the nucleus of his team during his first stint at Chelsea as "untouchable", with the likes of John Terry, Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba starring in that squad.

United forked out a record fee to land Pogba from Juventus in the close-season, while Ibrahimovic arrived as one of the most feared strikers in world football despite being 34 when he signed.

However, Pogba has struggled for form since returning to Old Trafford and Ibrahimovic has failed to score in his past four Premier League matches after netting four in as many top-flight matches to kick off the campaign.And Mourinho says no one is guaranteed a place in his line-up."No [Pogba and Ibrahimovic are not untouchable]," he said ahead of Thursday's Europa League tie against Fenerbahce.

"That was 11 years ago [that Mourinho described some Chelsea players as untouchable], different Premier League, different situation."[Chelsea were] the best team by far, that's a different story.

"Nobody is untouchable now. Untouchable in our team I think has to be the spirit, the commitment, the pride, the commitment to the club, the respect to the fans.
"That has to be untouchable, but not players."Ibrahimovic has just one goal in his past seven appearances for United, that coming in the scrappy 1-0 victory over Zorya in the Europa League.

But Mourinho, who also worked with the Ibrahimovic at Inter, says he "could not be happier" with the impact the Sweden great has made on the squad.

"I'm really happy. He's giving us exactly what we need from him," he added."It's quite beautiful for me to meet him five or six years later and to find the same ambition, passion and desire to play, desire to compete.

"I couldn't be happier. The guy is really fit. He's always ready to play. I couldn't be happier in terms of his influence in the dressing room."Obviously he's somebody that the young guys look at and what they see is great for them."

 

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Time for Mkhitaryan to show best form - Mourinho

Jose Mourinho has warned Henrikh Mkhitaryan that it is time for him to start showing his best form at Manchester United.

The Armenia international arrived at Old Trafford among much fanfare in the close-season having scored 11 goals in 31 Bundesliga appearances during a fine campaign for Borussia Dortmund last term.However, Mkhitaryan is yet to make his stamp on the Premier League with injuries hampering his start to life at United.

The attacking midfielder has not played since the 2-1 defeat to rivals Manchester City on September 10 and was not included in the squad to face Liverpool on Monday despite manager Mourinho confirming he was fit.

Mourinho refused to reveal whether Mkhitaryan will play against Fenerbahce in Thursday's Europa League tie, but expects him to him to now begin displaying his full potential."He was injured and he was injured for quite a long time," said the Portuguese.

"Now he is not injured anymore, he's training with the team without any limitations.
"I cannot confirm that he will play, but now he is fit and it is now time for him to go back to the levels that we know he can achieve."The Fener clash comes just three days after United's turgid goalless draw at Anfield and only three before a trip to Stamford Bridge when Mourinho returns to Chelsea on Sunday.

The 53-year-old gave little away in terms of changes to his starting XI, but did say that England full-back Luke Shaw will play."We will play with a team that has a chance to win and if we do not play with a team that is not good or strong we don't have a chance," he added.

"We have to play with a good team knowing that two days later we have to play in the Premier League."I don't want to give you the team. The only one who plays is Luke Shaw."

Captain Wayne Rooney has not started a game for United since September 21 due to his struggles for form this season and Mourinho would not be drawn on if he will start."Wayne is working well. He's one of the big responsibilities for the atmosphere that the players can breed," he explained."He's positive. We can count on him whether he starts or whether he's on the bench. He will be there."

 

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Bonucci asked to come to Man City, claims Soriano

Juventus defender Leonardo Bonucci called Manchester City during the summer to try to push through a move, says the Premier League club's chief executive Ferran Soriano.

Bonucci impressed during Italy's run to the quarter-finals of Euro 2016 and was regularly linked to City after Etihad Stadium boss Pep Guardiola labelled him "one of my favourite ever players".

Those comments came after Juve faced Guardiola's Bayern Munich last season, with reports the Catalan subsequently made a mega bid for the defender only to be turned down by Juventus.

And Soriano has now claimed that the admiration turned out to be mutual, stating that Bonucci had asked about the possibility of joining City.

"At the moment there are a lot of players that want to play under Pep," he told Barcelona-based radio stadio RAC1. "The Italian central defender Bonucci wants to play for him and he called us."I called the Juventus sporting director [Fabio Paratici] and he told me they didn't want to sell. There ended the story."

One story seemingly set to run and run is the one linking Barca superstar Lionel Messi to City, with Guardiola fielding questions on the issue ahead of the teams meeting at Camp Nou on Wednesday.

The former Barca boss denied claims that City contacted Messi, Neymar, Luis Suarez and Sergio Busquets to sound them out over playing in the Premier League.

Soriano backed up Guardiola's version of events, maintaining City only made enquiries to the club over goalkeepers Marc-Andre Ter Stegen and Claudio Bravo, with the latter now first choice at the Etihad Stadium.

"The natural thing is that Messi ends his sporting career with Barcelona, but if one day he calls us, we'll pick up the phone and we'll immediately open the door [to him]," Soriano said. "But no, we will not call him."City didn't get in contact with any Barca players and we didn't make any offers.

"It's what happened with Cesc [Fabregas] a few years ago. His agent came to us to try and do a deal and we advised Barcelona, although I still saw a front cover saying: 'Soriano after Cesc'.

"There were other times, too, but the relationship with [Barcelona president Josep Maria] Bartomeu is really good."Our relationship with Barca is good. There are agents that call Barca saying they have an offer from City and then [Barca] call us to see if it's true and we deny it."

On Bravo and Ter Stegen, Soriano added: "It was brought to our attention that both want to play every game and weren't happy with the situation."From there we talked with Barca and we asked if they wanted to sell one. Bravo ended up coming."

 

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Van Persie calls Manchester United 'home' ahead of Europa League return

Robin van Persie says returning to Old Trafford to face Manchester United is like coming "home".

The striker left United for Fenerbahce in the summer of 2015 after three seasons with the Red Devils, in which time he won the Premier League title under Sir Alex Ferguson, having previously claimed the FA Cup in eight years with rivals Arsenal.

Overall, Van Persie played almost 300 games for the Gunners and only 105 for United, but still called Old Trafford "home"."It will be a special occasion and a special game for me," he told MUTV.

"I know Manchester United want to be in the Champions League, but it is how it is now and for me it is a very special group in the Europa League. In the last match I had a game against one of my first teams, Feyenoord, and next it's United. I am looking forward to it.

"I am now playing for Fenerbahce and I want to do well for my team but of course it will be special to play ‘at home' [Old Trafford] in a great stadium with great fans against a great team.

"It will be tough for us. United are the favourites, but you never know what will happen. In general, I am looking forward to a nice evening and enjoying the whole experience."