..::Football IV::..

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    Romelu Lukaku equals Everton's all-time Premier League scoring record

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    Romelu Lukaku has tied Everton's all-time Premier League scoring record with his 60th strike for the club.Lukaku netted in the second half of Saturday's 2-0 win over Sunderland at Goodison Park, moving him level with club legend Duncan Ferguson.

    The Belgium international reached the mark much quicker than Ferguson, however. Lukaku needed just 129 Premier League games to score 60 times, whereas Ferguson reached his mark in 239 matches.

    At only 23, Lukaku appears set to far surpass Ferguson's record should he decide to stay with the Toffees beyond this season.
     

    Wolverine GTR

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    Bayern Munich 8-0 Hamburg: Bavarians destroy HSV

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    Robert Lewandowski scored his third hat-trick of the season as Bayern Munich obliterated Hamburg 8-0 to stay five points clear at the top of the Bundesliga.

    The Poland international's treble, coupled with goals from Arturo Vidal, David Alaba, Kingsley Coman and Arjen Robben, gave the champions a seventh emphatic win in a row over Hamburg at the Allianz Arena and maintained the gap over second-place RB Leipzig.The victory was a particularly special one for head coach Carlo Ancelotti, who celebrated his 1,000th game as a head coach with his 591st win.

    Vidal's powerful strike put Bayern ahead before Lewandowski struck twice before half-time, and any hope of a shock comeback from Markus Gisdol's side was ended when he completed his treble nine minutes after the break.

    Alaba added a simple fifth, Coman struck twice within 10 minutes of coming off the bench and Robben fired home in the closing stages, taking a ruthless Bayern's tally to 44 goals in their last seven home games against HSV, who remain third-from-bottom of the Bundesliga table.

    Bayern's attentions now turn to a run of three games within a week at the start of next month, against Schalke, Cologne and Arsenal.

    Vidal received a ticking-off from the referee after conceding four free-kicks in the opening stages, but the Chile international made a much more productive contribution with only 16 minutes played.

    Alaba found Thomas Muller on the edge of the area, who turned the ball into the path of Vidal, and the midfielder blasted in a low strike that Rene Adler could only parry into the bottom corner.

    Adler - making his 250th Bundesliga appearance - made a brilliant point-blank stop to turn a Lewandowski strike onto the crossbar, but the Poland striker could not be stopped from scoring the second on 24 minutes.

    Muller was brought down by Mergim Mavraj's clumsy challenge as he tried to reach Philipp Lahm's cross, allowing Lewandowski to send Adler the wrong way from the resulting penalty.

    Hamburg began to regain some composure but the game was put beyond their reach three minutes before the break, as Lewandowski controlled the ball before firing high into the net from 12 yards out after Adler had saved well from Douglas Costa.

    Michael Gregoritsch's free-kick just after half-time brought the first save from Manuel Neuer, but Adler was called into another spectacular one-handed stop to deny Robben from close range following a swift Bayern break.

    But Hamburg gifted Bayern their fourth - and Lewandowski his hat-trick - on 54 minutes. Gotoku Sakai's failed clearance allowed Robben to backheel the ball into Lewandowski's path, and the striker picked out the bottom-right corner from the edge of the area with an unerring side-footed finish.

    Two minutes later and Bayern had their fifth, Muller unselfishly squaring the ball to Alaba to tap home from six yards after springing the offside trap and beating Adler to the ball.

    Lewandowski and Thiago were taken off, with Ancelotti casting one eye towards next week's DFB-Pokal clash with Schalke, and substitute Coman got on the scoresheet when he raced into the area and prodded the ball beneath Adler following a poor attempted interception from Johan Djourou.


    Coman got a second four minutes later, firing an expert half-volley past the static Adler, and there was enough time for Robben to ensure that Bayern matched their victory of two seasons ago, the Dutchman racing down the right, cutting onto his left foot and placing the ball into the bottom corner in typically stylish fashion.
     

    Wolverine GTR

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    Juventus 2-0 Empoli: Serie A leaders extend advantage

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    Juventus cruised to a 2-0 win over struggling Empoli in Serie A on Saturday to go 10 points clear at the summit and pile the pressure on Roma ahead of their trip to Inter.

    The result was not as comfortable as it should have been given Juve's complete domination, but they eventually made the most of their superiority in the second half and extended their lead at the top of the table, with closest challengers Roma facing a tough journey to San Siro on Sunday.

    Juve unsurprisingly controlled the game from start to finish and could not be accused of failing to create enough chances, but their finishing let them down in what was a wasteful first-half showing.Mario Mandzukic was particularly culpable, as he spurned a host of opportunities and let Empoli off the hook.

    But he was crucial to Juve when they did eventually find the breakthrough in the 52nd minute, with his header inspiring a Lukasz Skorupski own-goal.Alex Sandro wrapped things up with a clever finish 25 minutes from time and Juve comfortably saw out their seventh successive Serie A win.

    The hosts were in charge right from the start in Turin and crafted several opportunities early on, with both strikers guilty of missing the target in the first 10 minutes.

    Gonzalo Higuain spurned their first chance, prodding wide from close range after Mandzukic's knock-down, before the Croatian followed suit, missing the bottom-left corner when latching on to Juan Cuadrado's teasing cross.

    Mandzukic went close again in the 27th minute, meeting Dani Alves' cross from the right and heading past the post after outjumping Vincent Laurini at the back stick.

    The Juve striker was then presented with a glorious chance to make amends for his previous mishaps after half an hour.

    But Mandzukic overcomplicated things by attempting to dribble around Skorupski when picked out by an inch-perfect Higuain pass and the goalkeeper came out on top.Miralem Pjanic then also saw a decent 20-yard effort narrowly miss the right-hand post just before the break.Juve finally broke the deadlock just after the break and Mandzukic was vital.

    The forward's header from Cuadrado's cross struck the underside of the bar, bounced up off the ground and hit the frame of the goal again, before then bouncing off Skorupski and over the line for an own-goal.

    The hosts then essentially put the game beyond Empoli just after the hour mark – Alex Sandro collecting Alves' pass in the left side of the area with his back to goal, before spinning and finding the far bottom corner with a perfectly placed effort.

    Juve continued their search for more goals right until the end, with Higuain forcing Skorupski into action from close range in the final 15 minutes, but Empoli never looked capable of making them rue their missed chances as the home side eased over the finish line.
     

    Wolverine GTR

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    Mata to join Man Utd squad in London after grandfather's funeral


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    Juan Mata will join up with the Manchester United squad in London after attending his grandfather's funeral, Goal can confirm.

    The Red Devils midfielder did not travel with the squad ahead of the EFL Cup final at Wembley on Sunday but will be available for selection against Southampton.

    Concerns had arisen among fans as photos of the team arriving in London did not include Mata and speculation spread the playmaker would not be in the side for the final.

    However, Mata, who has scored nine goals in all competitions for the Red Devils this season, will return in time for the contest.
    United will still be without Henrikh Mkhitaryan for the final, but will have Michael Carrick available for Jose Mourinho while Wayne Rooney will be in the matchday squad.

    The Red Devils are looking to add a second trophy for the season with a victory, having won the Community Shield against Leicester City in August by a 2-1 scoreline.
     

    Wolverine GTR

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    :love::love:
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    Mata wants to extend Manchester United contract


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    Juan Mata wants to prolong his stay at Manchester United as seeks Premier League and Champions League glory.

    Mata arrived at Old Trafford from Chelsea in 2014 and the Spain international has made more than 100 appearances, winning the FA Cup and Community Shield.

    The 28-year-old, who faced an uncertain future in Manchester having been sold by manager Jose Mourinho during the pair's time at Stamford Bridge, is out of contract at the end of 2017-18 and he wants to extend his time at United.

    "I have two years left on my contract and I would like to stay beyond that," Mata said in quotes published by the Mirror and The Sun."I am happy here and obviously since I came we have won the FA Cup, Community Shield and now we have another chance to win a trophy.

    "I am thinking that the fans are amazing here even in the bad moments so I am thinking what happens if we win the Premier League or Champions League in the future years it will be incredible to celebrate them so I have that in my head."
    Mata can add an EFL Cup trophy to his collection if United beat Southampton in Sunday's final at Wembley.
     

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    'Mourinho is a winner' - Cantona backs Man United for success

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    Manchester United great Eric Cantona expects the club to win a number of trophies during Jose Mourinho's time in charge.

    Former Chelsea manager Mourinho will lead United out in the EFL Cup final against Southampton on Sunday, having won the competition three times while at Stamford Bridge.

    And Cantona, who claimed six major honours at Old Trafford, is backing the Portuguese to deliver further success throughout his tenure, starting at Wembley this weekend.

    "I think [United] will win more than one trophy this season and the first one will be [the EFL Cup]," he told the club's website. "Mourinho is a winner - he has won a lot of things and he is a great manager. I think United will win many things.

    "The first one is important, I think. In a club like United, of course, you have the pressure of winning things so, when you win one, you have less pressure. But people ask for more of course, and Mourinho doesn't have any kind of problem with the pressure.

    "He has been around for many years, he has been a manager of many great clubs and has won things with all of them, and improved the team every time, so he will win. They will win [the final], don't worry!"

    Cantona also believes Mourinho has worked to produce a more exciting brand of football since arriving at United."I think [Mourinho] plays more attacking football than he used to play and he tries to understand the expectation all the time [at United]," Cantona added.

    "He is a very intelligent man, very clever, and he has a great sense of humour. I always said that before he came to United. He takes all the pressure on him, he doesn't care about any kind of pressure.

    "He's great psychologically. He takes all the pressure on him so it's less pressure on others and so the players can enjoy [their football]."
     

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    :cool:Cantona: Ibrahimovic is like me

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    Manchester United legend Eric Cantona has praised Zlatan Ibrahimovic for helping nurture the young talent at Old Trafford.

    Ibrahimovic has developed quickly into a key figure at United following his move from Paris Saint-Germain last summer and leads the club's goalscoring charts with 15 goals in 24 Premier League outings.

    The 35-year-old has also been instrumental off the pitch, receiving plenty of plaudits for the way he has helped those younger than him, a quality Cantona thinks he too possessed during his spell at the club.

    "There are two kinds of older players, the ones that do not like the young ones because they want to play and they can destroy them, and the others who will help," Cantona told the club's official website.

    "I remember when I was 17, I played with [Andrzej] Szarmach. He was Polish, he played in two World Cup semi-finals, he was a great player and he helped me so much."I remember this and said to myself when I am older, I will try to do the same, and I am sure Ibrahimovic does the same.

    "He is very helpful for young players because he is a great player with a strong personality, and he is the right older player who wants to help the younger ones. It is very important to have an experienced player who gives examples to the other ones.

    "He is a great player and a strong personality, he played for Milan, he played for Barcelona so he knows all the about the pressure, he understands it and he has proven that he is also a great man."

    Ibrahimovic is set to lead the United attack in Sunday's EFL Cup final against Southampton at Wembley.
     

    Wolverine GTR

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    EFL Cup Final 2017.02.26

    i
    Manchester United Vs Southampton
    i


    Manchester United Starting Line-up

    David De Gea
    Chris Smalling
    Eric Bailly
    Marcos Rojo
    Antonio Valencia
    Juan Mata
    Paul Pogba
    Ander Herrera
    Zlatan Ibrahimovic
    Anthony Martial
    Jesse Lingard


    &

    Southampton Starting Line-up


    Fraser Forster
    Maya Yoshida
    Jack Stephens
    Ryan Bertrand
    Cedric Soares
    Oriol Romeu
    Steven Davis
    James Ward-Prowse
    Manolo Gabbiadini
    Dusan Tadic
    Nathan Redmond
     

    Wolverine GTR

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    2-1 up unath Manchester United play karana widiyanam anthimai:eek:godak slow.miss places passes godai:growl:amdiwata goal 1kath expose wenawa henata.backline 1ka anthimai:angry:mehema giyoth nam nikamma goals concede karai:(2nd half improve wela play kaloth hodai.

    Good luck for the 2nd half Manchester United:love: