..::Football IV::..

[Wolverine GTR]

Ronaldo red card 'absurd', says Pjanic


Miralem Pjanic labelled Cristiano Ronaldo's red card "absurd" after the Juventus star was sent off in his team's Champions League win over Valencia.

Ronaldo was dismissed before the half-hour mark at the Mestalla on Wednesday after a coming together with defender Jeison Murillo.In his first European appearance for the Serie A giants, Ronaldo saw red, but Pjanic netted two penalties – and Dani Parejo missed one for Valencia – to see Juve to their win.

The Bosnia-Herzegovina midfielder felt his side were dominant early and he was shocked by Ronaldo's red card."Football is a strange game. We could have been 4-0 up after the opening period, then came that absurd sending off," Pjanic said, via the club's website.

"It was like the Lyon game [in 2016]. We dug deep and found the spirit we needed to take us all the way to the final. "That’s what we need to do again."

Pjanic isn't the only one to speak out regarding Ronaldo's dismissal, as fellow Juventus star Leonardo Bonucci said the Portuguese star was left "angry" by his dismissal while the former Real Madrid winger's sister came out in his defense as well.

Valencia boss Marcelino also revealed that a tearful Ronaldo insisted he did nothing wrong.Ronaldo will be suspended for Juventus' next Champions League match against Young Boys following Wednesday's dismissal.

Juve and Manchester United, who cruised past Young Boys, are both on three points in Group H.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Ronaldo left ‘angry’ by red card - Bonucci


Cristiano Ronaldo was "angry" after being sent off according to Leonardo Bonucci, while Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri thinks VAR would have avoided the red card.

Ronaldo saw his Juventus Champions League debut cut short to just under a half hour after an incident with Valencia centre-back Jeison Murillo.Murillo and Ronaldo appeared to tangle off the ball, just outside the Valencia area, with the defender going down. Ronaldo then made contact with Murillo’s head, with the forward potentially tugging at the defender’s hair.

As a result, Ronaldo was given a straight red card, which sent him to the turf in shock at first and was followed with the Juventus man being visibly distraught as he left the field.Despite the sending off, Juventus came away with the victory on the strength of two Miralem Pjanic spot-kicks, with the second coming at the expense of Murillo.

After the match, Bonucci disagreed with the referee’s decision, and confirmed Ronaldo’s dismay over the situation, though the defender praised his team for their resiliency.

“As far as I could see, it was a pretty normal clash,” Bonucci told Sky Italia.“Murillo put his hands on Ronaldo first, he reacted, but these things can happen and we must be stronger than everyone and everything.

“Ronaldo was angry, of course. The referee saw what he saw – not very well – and we overcame the obstacles."Juventus manager Allegri indicated he did not think Ronaldo’s actions merited a red card, stating his belief that VAR, which is used in Serie A but not in the Champions League, would have saved his star the early shower.

“I can only say that VAR would’ve helped the referee in this decision,” Allegri said. “Going down to 10 men in the Champions League for an incident like that is disappointing.”

“We risked losing tonight with this and we’ll miss him for the next games too.”Juventus’ next match in the Champions League will be against Young Boys, who lost 3-0 to Manchester United.

Ronaldo will miss the match against Young Boys, and could miss out on Juventus’ visit to Old Trafford as well, as the UEFA disciplinary board will have the option to extend the suspension upon review.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

UEFA Europa League Group Stage Fixtures 2018.09.20

UEFA Europa League Group Stage Fixtures 2018.09.20


Villarreal Vs Rangers
Rapid Wien Vs Spartak Moskva
Sevilla Vs Standard Liege
Akhisarspor Vs Krasnodar
Olympique Mars Vs Eintracht Frankfurt
Lazio Vs Apollon
Rennes Vs Jablonec
Dynamo Kyiv Vs Astana
Besiktas Vs Sarpsborg 08
Genk Vs Malmo
PAOK Vs Chelsea
Vidi Vs BATE
AEK Larnaca Vs Zurich
Ludogorets Vs Bayer Leverkusen
RB Leipzig Vs Salzburg
Celtic Vs Rosenborg
Slavia Praha Vs Bordeaux
Kobenhavn Vs Zenit
Spartak Trnava Vs Anderlecht
Dinamo Zagreb Vs Fenerbahce
Sporting CP Vs Qarabag
Arsenal Vs Vorskla
F91 Dudelange Vs Milan
Olympiakos Piraeus Vs Real Betis ​

 

[RiFTeR]

Ronaldo left ‘angry’ by red card - Bonucci

CL walath VAR nadda? Mama hituwe EPL eke witarai naththe kiyala

 

[RottenCOLT]

oluwata thattuwak ne damme. VAR tibunath wadak na kiyanne okane

Ekane bn dan ulaga match eka witharada nathi wenne.

 

[tclanki]

bmp

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Ronaldo red card shows Champions League needs VAR - Allegri


Juventus boss Massimiliano Allegri endorsed the introduction of VAR to the Champions League following Cristiano Ronaldo's contentious sending off against Valencia.

Ronaldo's first European appearance for his new club ended in tears as he was dismissed inside half an hour of the eventual 2-0 win at Mestalla.The 33-year-old appeared to pull Valencia defender Jeison Murillo's hair in an off-the-ball incident and was shown a straight red by Felix Brych.

Allegri has previously been opposed to the implementation of the technology, arguing it should not be used for subjective decisions.

However, with Ronaldo set to miss next month's home meeting with Young Boys and potentially the subsequent trip to former club Manchester United, the Bianconeri boss adopted a different stance."I can only say that VAR would have helped the referee in this decision," Allegri told reporters.

"It is disappointing because we will lose an important player for at least a match."
Juve, twice finalists in the past four seasons, recovered from the loss of their star off-season signing to bank three valuable points thanks to Miralem Pjanic's twin penalties.Allegri praised his side's composure amid a heated atmosphere.

"We were playing very well until Ronaldo's sending off but we continued to play our football despite that blow and deservedly scored two goals," he said."Playing here was not easy because Valencia attack with this stadium supporting them from the first to the last minute.

"I think the lads did very well, especially because they played good football when we had to do that. We all pulled together as a team when it was the moment to defend these three points."

Juventus sit second in Group H, which also contains Manchester United and Young Boys.Next up for the Serie A champions is a home fixture against the Swiss side, which Ronaldo is set to miss because of a ban, while they will then go to Old Trafford to face United in October 23.

Before worrying about Europe again, though, they have three Serie A fixtures to play, including Frosinone, Bologna and a mouth-watering meeting with Napoli on September 29.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

PAOK 0 Chelsea 1: Willian strikes as Morata misfires

Willian's early goal gave Chelsea a winning start to their Europa League campaign in a 1-0 triumph over PAOK that made it six victories in a row for Maurizio Sarri's men.

The Brazil international's fourth strike in his last five European matches followed a surging run from Ross Barkley, who impressed in Thessaloniki.Chelsea's winning margin should have been far wider, but they were wasteful in front of goal, with Alvaro Morata the main culprit.But it mattered little as the Blues secured three points in what could be the toughest of their away trips in Group L.

Sarri's side quickly set about quietening the vociferous home support and within seven minutes Willian succeeded, his low shot somehow squirming under Alexandros Paschalakis' body.

Morata should have doubled Chelsea's lead soon after, but his problems in front of goal continued as he inexplicably headed wide from six yards.The Spaniard wasted another five chances before the break as Chelsea failed to turn their domination into a healthy lead, Pedro also guilty of spurning a gilt-edged opportunity.

Marcos Alonso and Antonio Rudiger both failed to convert on the hour as Chelsea's control of proceedings continued, the latter unable to tap home from Barkley's front-post flick.Even the introduction of last-season's top scorer Aleksandar Prijovic could not spark PAOK into action, the substitute having to live off scraps as the hosts struggled to make an impact.

Cesc Fabregas made a welcome return from a knee injury midway through the second half, while Morata's frustrating night ended with 10 minutes to play when he was replaced by Olivier Giroud.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Arsenal 4 Vorskla 2: Aubameyang at the double in entertaining triumph

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored a goal in each half as Arsenal eased to a 4-2 win over Vorskla in the Europa League.

The Ukrainian visitors proved stubborn opponents initially, but the result was rarely in doubt from the moment Aubameyang broke the deadlock after 32 minutes.Danny Welbeck was on target early in the second half before Aubameyang doubled his tally and Mesut Ozil came off the bench to get in on the act.

Captain Vladimir Chesnakov gave Vorskla something to shout about with an excellent finish 14 minutes from time and Vyacheslav Sharpar found the net in similar style with the last kick of the game.

Alex Iwobi was Arsenal's liveliest attacking threat during a largely forgettable opening and the Nigeria international's fine cross allowed Aubameyang to slide home at the back post after Henrikh Mkhitaryan drove at Vorskla on the counter-attack.

Lucas Torriera whipped a free-kick into the side netting before Aubameyang darted inside a pair of challenges to curl an effort against the base of the post.By the time Vorskla goalkeeper Bogdan Shust pushed a Mkhitaryan attempt over, the away side were certainly in need of half-time.Upon the restart, Vasyl Sachko's men were unable to stem the tide and Welbeck was on hand to head in Mkhitaryan's 48th-minute centre.

Aubameyang crashed a volley over, but was the beneficiary of Shust's questionable positioning to dispatch Arsenal's third from the edge of the box in the 56th minute – Mkhitaryan again supplying the ammunition.

Stephan Lichtsteiner lifted the ball over the out-rushing Shust for substitute Ozil to grab a fourth in the 74th minute, but the experienced full-back was caught in possession when Chesnakov smashed in an emphatic strike.Arsenal had long settled for winding the clock down by the time Sharpar sent a side-footed effort flying past Bernd Leno.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Dudelange 0 AC Milan 1: Deflected Higuain goal spares Gattuso's blushes

AC Milan got away with producing an underwhelming performance as Gonzalo Higuain's deflected second-half goal secured them a 1-0 win over Luxembourg's Dudelange in their Europa League opener.

Gennaro Gattuso named a strong side that, for most of the first hour, looked incapable of breaking down theoretically hugely inferior opposition, and in the end their winning goal proved highly fortunate.Milan were especially poor in the first half, hardly causing their modest opposition any problems at all at the back, with Dudelange arguably crafting the better opportunities.

But Gattuso's men stepped things up a notch after the break, finding the net - with a little help of a deflection - through Higuain in the 59th minute and that proved to be enough to open their Group F account.
Despite Milan's superior quality on paper, Dudelange actually crafted the better chances in the first half.

David Turpel fired over from Kevin Malget's cut-back in the 32nd minute, before Dominik Stolz followed suit from a tight angle after being released into the left side of the box soon after.Milan eventually went close just before the break, but Mattia Caldara's header went well over despite being unmarked at a corner.

The visitors began the second half with renewed purpose and quickly went close - Joe Frising denying Higuain, who had met Diego Laxalt's cut-back.But Higuain got lucky just before the hour, receiving Samu Castillejo's pass on the edge of the area and finding the net via a hefty deflection.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Villarreal 2 Rangers 2: Arfield and Lafferty steal point for Gerrard's men

Rangers twice battled back from behind to claim an impressive 2-2 Europa League draw at Villarreal.

Carlos Bacca put the LaLiga side in front with a stunning strike after 45 seconds, although they were made to regret missed chances as Scott Arfield found his first Rangers goal midway through the second half.Parity did not last two minutes as Villarreal substitute Gerard Moreno got in on the act, but it was Steven Gerrard celebrating 14 minutes from time when Kyle Lafferty crowned a brilliant team move.

Bacca got a touch fortunate when his attempted flick from Pablo Fornals' pass bounced back to him off Joe Worrall but the Colombia striker's sumptuous finish from 25 yards with the outside of his foot was out of the top drawer.
Rangers goalkeeper Allan McGregor was caught off his line for the opener but kept out a rasping Santi Cazorla drive to ensure Villarreal's advantage remained slim at the break.

McGregor dashed from his area to thwart Karl Toko Ekambi in the 49th minute and saw Bacca slot wide of an unguarded goal.Ekambi then blazed over at the far post after Cazorla and Fornals picked Rangers apart and McGregor saved brilliantly from Ramiro Funes Mori's fierce low strike.

Such resilience was rewarded in the 67th minutes as visiting captain James Tavernier launched a slaloming run into the Villarreal box. Victor Ruiz brought him down but Daniel Candeias was alert to the loose ball and cut in a low cross for Arfield to score.The response was instant as Moreno darted inside Borna Barisic to thrash in at McGregor's near post.

Barisic atoned for his role in that goal by racing on to Glenn Middleton's throughball – the highlight of an excellent cameo from the teenager - to leave Lafferty with a simple finish from his first-time cross.Arfield, Moreno and Bacca all spurned fine chances to snatch the win in a frantic finale.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Belgium and World Cup winners France make FIFA Ranking history


Belgium and World Cup winners France are the first teams to share top spot in the FIFA rankings in the classification's 25-year history.

Roberto Martinez's side, defeated by Les Bleus in the semi-finals at Russia 2018 before claiming third place, overcame Scotland 4-0 in a friendly and won their Nations League debut 3-0 against Iceland earlier this month to join the world champions at the summit.France, meanwhile, were held to a goalless draw by Germany in Munich before beating Netherlands 2-1 in Nations League Group A1.

Both teams find themselves on 1729 ranking points, well ahead of third-placed Brazil. The World Cup quarter-finalists, who feel at the hands of the Belgians in Russia, have 1663 points to their credit, six more than last month.

The only other change in the top 10 saw Denmark, who played an international against Slovakia last month with a team comprised of amateurs and futsal players, slip down one place to 10th, below Spain.After their humiliating group-stage exit at the World Cup, Germany rose a further three positions and now sit 12th.

The biggest movers were Ukraine, who climbed six spots to 29th courtesy of Nations League triumphs over Czech Republic and Slovakia.Meanwhile, Kenya enjoyed the biggest jump in terms of points, moving up 22. Ghana and Slovenia were the big losers this month, each slipped six spots, to 51 and 61 respectively.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Congratulations France & Belgium!

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[Wolverine GTR]

CL walath VAR nadda? Mama hituwe EPL eke witarai naththe kiyala

​

CL ekatawath VAR thibbanam watinawa​

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Ekane bn dan ulaga match eka witharada nathi wenne.

Matches 2kak miss wenawa bronext month Young boys home match ekath godak durata Manchester United return ekath​

 

[RottenCOLT]

Matches 2kak miss wenawa bronext month Young boys home match ekath godak durata Manchester United return ekath​

 

[Wolverine GTR]

'Everyone loves Shaq' – Klopp says Shaqiri's time will come at Liverpool


Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp insisted Xherdan Shaqiri's "time will come" as the attacker waits for his first start at the club.

Shaqiri arrived at Anfield from Stoke City for a reported £13.5 million ($18m) in July, but the Switzerland international is still waiting for a major chance.The 26-year-old has played just 32 minutes for Liverpool this season, with the likes of Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino being relied upon in attack by Klopp.

With Firmino on the bench to start against PSG with an eye injury, Klopp opted for Daniel Sturridge in the starting lineup over Shaqiri, with Sturridge scoring in the 3-2 victory.

But the German praised Shaqiri's impact at the club and said he would eventually get his chance."Very lively, very positive. It's not only from the performances but also as a guy in the dressing room," Klopp said.

"Everyone loves Shaq, that's how it is, without playing plenty of minutes and that is more my mistake than his."He has done everything to play, to be honest. I made different decisions but his time will come, that's for sure.

"I made different decisions but his time will come, that is for sure. We are going to have to use the boys now. They are in good shape. You saw it with Daniel (Sturridge) but Daniel is not the only one scratching the door. They all want to play.

"We have to create something where the boys not only push from the bench but they push with their performance on the field as well. We have to give opportunity - but only if they are in good shape. Then it is my job to decide who will start."

Liverpool have won all six of their matches this season and sit second in the Premier Leagueon goal difference ahead of hosting Southampton on Saturday.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Mourinho: Pogba's World Cup victory has helped United find momentum


Jose Mourinho feels that Paul Pogba’s victorious World Cup campaign has helped Manchester United find momentum following a rocky start to the new Premier League season.Having lost two of their first three games of the new campaign, the Red Devils have rallied since to win three on the trot across all competitions.

Pogba, who has scored four goals in six games since his return following France’s victory in Russia to clinch their first World Cup for two decades, has been key in helping United overturn their initial slump, and his manager believes the 25-year-old is helping his side to benefit from his achievement.

“I think the happiness, the confidence and the self-esteem was what pushed him to play the first match against Leicester almost without training and played a very good match,” Mourinho told his pre-match press conference ahead of United’s game with Wolves on Saturday.“It’s more about the moment and the momentum, like you call it; is very important in the positive and negative way.”

With seven players in his squad who reached the last four at the World Cup – Pogba, Belgium pair Romelu Lukaku and Marouane Fellaini, and the England quartet of Jesse Lingard, Marcus Rashford, Ashley Young and Phil Jones – there were concerns that United’s mixed early start was down to fatigue.But Mourinho has acknowledged that the turn-around in form has created an uplifting atmosphere among his players that he feels has helped them overcome the mental and physical rigours of a busy off-season.

“I think good results and good performances can make you look like a miracle,” the Portuguese added, “But bad results and bad performances, they make you look more tired, more upset, more ugly.

“Football like this. A team that yesterday looked very bad can today look very good [and vice versa]. I think this is more the influence of the moment.”Following their clash against Wolves, United face lower league opposition when they host Derby County in the third round of the Carabao Cup on September 25.They then return to the Premier League with a trip to West Ham on September 29.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

'It's obvious' - Hazard up there with Messi & Ronaldo, says Pedro


Eden Hazard is one of the ‘four best players in the world’, alongside Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar, according to Chelsea team-mate Pedro.The Belgium captain has enjoyed an exceptional start to the season once again, with the Blues sat jointly at the top of the Premier League after five rounds.

Pedro, who arrived at Stamford Bridge in 2015, played with Messi for eight years at Barcelona after coming through the club’s La Masia academy and staunchly believes that Hazard should be held in the same regard as the Argentina international, alongside Juventus striker Ronaldo and PSG forward Neymar.

“It is obvious that he is [one of] the four players that are the best in the world,” the 31-year-old was quoted in the Mirror.“Leo, Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar, Eden.Every year, you look at their numbers - score goals, assists, minutes – to see they play very well.“Maybe in a few years Eden can win the Ballon d’Or because he is a very good player. He is a big star.

“It is great for the us that he is in good form with good confidence. He doesn’t lose the ball, he’s dribbling well, he’s scoring goals. It’s very good for the team. When he plays like this, he is very difficult to stop.“He is a very important player for the team.”

Hazard joined Chelsea from Ligue 1 outfit Lille in 2012 and has won the club’s Player of the Year award on three separate occasions.With the Blues, he has completed a clean sweep of the three major domestic trophies – the Premier League, the FA Cup and the EFL Cup – as well as the Europa League.

On the international stage, he led his country to a best-ever finish at the 2018 World Cup in Russia, reaching the semi-finals and securing third place.Individually, he was also awarded the Silver Ball for the tournament’s second highest goalscorer, behind England’s Harry Kane.

Chelsea face derby rivals West Ham this weekend before back-to-back games with fellow early pacesetters Liverpool, in the Carabao Cup and the Premier League.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

'He's done fantastic work' - Mourinho hails Nuno amid Man Utd links


Jose Mourinho believes fellow Portuguese manager Nuno Espirito Santo is doing "fantastic work" at Wolves as he prepares to face his former player.

Wolves visit Manchester United on Saturday having won their last two Premier League games 1-0 against West Ham and Burnley respectively, although Mourinho's men are also in good form having won three in a row in all competitions.

Last season's Championship winners sit ninth in the Premier League having made eye-catching signings including Portugal internationals Rui Patricio and Joao Moutinho.

Nuno, who has been linked with the United hot seat, played under Mourinho at Porto and the Red Devils manager believes the 44-year-old is doing a fine job at Molineux."Really good. Last season dominant and we all know it's not easy to be dominant in the Championship even if you have the best team," Mourinho told reporters. "And it's not easy to be dominant from the start to the end.

"Strong [transfer] markets, great work. Great adaptation in the Premier League, getting points and performances, not just the points, that makes them feel and everybody feel, including myself, that they are going to have a very stable season."Very far from the problems that a team normally has coming from the Championship.

"When they are players, always some players you have a feeling they can become managers, but even then I didn't think about it at Porto, but 75 per cent of them are now managers."Nuno reached the Premier League level and he reached it by his own merits and credits. He didn't come direct, he came to the Championship.

"He earned the right to be a Premier League manager and he's done fantastic work, the results speak for themselves."Wolves have benefited from close links with Portuguese super-agent Jorge Mendes, who also represents Mourinho.

"I don't speak with him for quite a long time to be honest, but when we speak we don't speak about my job or his job, he's my agent and that's it," Mourinho added.

"But I think the work in Wolves is good, because it's not just about the Portuguese influence with the manager, the staff and players,"It's also about getting the right ones and I think they got good young players and they got also good, experienced, young players."

Diogo Dalot made his Manchester United debut in the defeat of Young Boys in the Champions League but Mourinho wants to introduce the defender slowly to regular first team duties, with Antonio Valencia to return against Wolves.
"I want him in this process of adaption. I want him to play totally fresh so he won't play tomorrow, he's playing Tuesday [against Derby County in the EFL Cup]," Mourinho said of the teenager. "To play for Manchester United is difficult enough for a kid, 19 years old from another country.

"To have an important injury and a surgery is difficult enough, he doesn't need more difficulties from the accumulation of matches."