..::Football IV::..

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Man Utd to wear away kit in FA Cup final

Manchester United will wear their away kit in the FA Cup final against Crystal Palace on May 21, it has been confirmed.

A coin toss was made, due to the club's kits clashing, and United lost, meaning they will wear white, in a repeat of the 1990 final between the two clubs.
United drew with Palace 3-3 on that occasion at Wembley, with the Red Devils going on to win the replay 1-0.

That trophy proved to be the first of Sir Alex Ferguson's incredible 26-year reign and Louis van Gaal will hope to stage a repeat next month.

The Dutchman has come in for criticism for his management thus far this term, with Jose Mourinho heavily tipped to replace him this summer, but may well secure the FA Cup for the first time since 2004.

 

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History repeats!

Kohomahari kamak naha Final 1ka win karanna one​

 

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Atletico Madrid 1-0 Bayern Munich: Saul strike gives Simeone's men the advantage

Saul Niguez scored one of the great Champions League goals to give Atletico Madrid a 1-0 semi-final lead over Bayern Munich after a pulsating first leg at the Vicente Calderon.

Bayern coach Pep Guardiola declared before the match that his decorated spell in Bavaria will be defined by how this European campaign concludes following last-four losses to Real Madrid and Barcelona in the past two seasons. And it could be another tale of misery against teams from his homeland for the Manchester City-bound tactician, who could only look on as Saul crowned his breakthrough season with a sensational solo goal in the 11th minute.Bayern were second best as the tenacious brilliance of Diego Simeone's side held sway in the first half.

The visitors looked to mount a response after the break as David Alaba struck the crossbar from long range, while Fernando Torres was denied by a post as Atletico sought a greater cushion.

Real Madrid's 0-0 draw at Manchester City on Tuesday means a repeat of 2014's all-Madrid final is firmly on the cards.

Guardiola opted to leave Thomas Muller and Franck Ribery on the bench and Bayern began the match with wingers Douglas Costa and Kingsley Coman hugging their touchlines in an attempt to stretch Atletico's compact defensive set-up.

The plan did little to unsettle the hosts during the opening stages as Torres and Antoine Griezmann had shots blocked before Saul marked the occasion in truly great style.

The Spain Under-21 international eased away from Thiago Alcantara in midfield and skipped nimbly through a pair of challenges from Juan Bernat and Xabi Alonso.

That brought Saul into the penalty area, where a step over engineered space inside Alaba to curl a left-footed shot in off the base of Manuel Neuer's right-hand post.
Bayern nearly had an instant response, but centre-back Jose Gimenez atoned for a horribly sliced clearance by diverting Arturo Vidal's header to safety from under the Atletico crossbar.

Costa almost caught out home goalkeeper Jan Oblak by whipping a free-kick from the right into the side-netting, but Bayern were struggling against relentless opponents, who should have doubled their advantage before the half hour mark.

Griezmann raced in behind the visitors' backline, but his control deserted him and Javi Martinez could apply pressure before the France star prodded a shot at Neuer's left boot.Bayern drove Atletico deeper at the start of the second period, although it was a pattern of play with which the Liga side appeared comfortable.

They had a scare in the 54th minute when Alaba almost matched Saul in terms of inspirational excellence – the defender sauntering forward before sending a sumptuous 35-yard strike cannoning onto the frame of the goal.

Centre-back partner Martinez tested Oblak from a corner soon afterwards and Bayern striker Robert Lewandowski created space to lash across the face of goal in the 64th minute.

Guardiola summoned Ribery and Muller either side of Costa lifting Philipp Lahm's raking pass on to the roof of the net and Oblak pushed a trademark rasping drive from Vidal to safety.Almost inevitably, Atletico sprung into action with one of their rapier counter-attacks – Griezmann feeding Torres to shoot against the post with the outside of his right boot.

It was another reminder to Guardiola of the stern task awaiting his side at the Allianz Arena next week.

 

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Saul ge goal 1ka patta​

 

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Chelsea 3-1 Manchester City (agg 4-2): Blues win FA Youth Cup for third time in a row

Chelsea secured a 3-1 win over Manchester City to lift the FA Youth Cup for a third consecutive year.

In a repeat of last season's final, Chelsea once again came out on top after a 1-1 draw in Manchester last week.

The tie remained all square until first-half stoppage time when City goalkeeper Daniel Grimshaw erred in trying to cut out a long ball on the edge of his area and Dujon Sterling was left with a simple finish.

Aaron Nemane, who scored in the first leg for City, had a goal chalked off for offside early in the second period, but Chelsea rarely looked like letting their advantage slip and striker Tammy Abraham's looping 54th-minute header gave them breathing space.

Fikayo Tomori headed a deserved third and, although highly rated 16-year-old Brahim Diaz slotted home a well-taken consolation for City, Jason Wilcox's side were well beaten.

 

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Torres: Win was for Atletico supporters

Fernando Torres dedicated Atletico Madrid's "fantastic" Champions League semi-final first-leg win over Bayern Munich on Wednesday to the club's supporters. Atletico will take a 1-0 advantage into next week's return leg at the Allianz Arena courtesy of Saul Niguez's sensational solo effort in the first half.

Diego Simeone's side put in a typically robust performance to keep a clean sheet against the defending Bundesliga champions at a raucous Vicente Calderon. Torres said the win was for the fans and praised team-mate Saul for his spectacular goal.

"It has been a fantastic night of joy for the Atletico fans," the Spaniard told beIN Sport. "We have to keep suffering, fighting and wrestling against a team that is at a level not many are.

"We want the fans to keep enjoying this, because this is for them. "The result is in our favour after the first leg of the tie and now we go into what's next.

"Saul is spectacular. He had a great first half and scored a golazo. He has left the game playing how we wanted."Torres had a great chance to make it 2-0 with 15 minutes to go, but his effort crashed against the post.

"We could have gone into the return leg with a bigger advantage and that's a shame," he>

 

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Neuer: We have to be awake in Munich

Bayern Munich goalkeeper Manuel Neuer said the side must show more concentration in the return leg of their Champions League semi-final against Atletico Madrid.

The defending Bundesliga champions crashed to a 1-0 defeat in the first leg at the Vicente Calderon on Wednesday courtesy of a solo effort from Saul Niguez.The Spain Under-21 international glided past several Bayern played before curling a perfect shot past Neuer in the first half.

However, Neuer was pleased with Bayern's response after the break and believes they can still make next month's final in Milan."We believe we can make the final, we will give it our all in front of our own supporters," the Germany international said.

"We put in a good performance but in the first half we lacked a bit of courage and aggressiveness. In the second we were much better."It's a pity that we didn't get rewarded in the second half because we tried everything.

"In Munich we have to be very awake."Bayern's Philipp Lahm was equally as disappointed the side could not find a vital away goal.

"It annoys us that we did not score away from home, we had a lot of opportunities," he said."But we have all the options to turn this game around at home."

 

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Guardiola: Don't compare Saul to Messi

Bayern Munich coach Pep Guardiola has warned against comparing Saul Niguez to Lionel Messi after the Atletico Madrid midfielder's heroics in the Champions League.Saul's solo effort helped Atleti to a 1-0 win over the Germans in the first leg of their semi-final on Wednesday.

The run and finish led to comparisons to Barcelona superstar Messi, who has scored numerous goals by gliding past defenders. However, Guardiola said it was best not to compare the 21-year-old to the Argentina captain.

"I don't know him personally but I have a lot of respect for the quality Saul has," he said."But it would be good for him not to compare him with Messi."

Fernando Torres hit the post for Atletico, while David Alaba went closest for Bayern when he struck the crossbar. And Guardiola felt his team deserved a goal at the Vicente Calderon."We have to think about who we are up against. What Saul did can happen," he said.

"We did not get a goal but you play some games and you get nothing when you don't deserve it, today we maybe did deserve one."This is not an excuse, just an argument about what I have seen."

 

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Leicester showing nothing is impossible - Del Piero

Alessandro Del Piero is hoping Leicester City win the Premier League title to show that nothing is impossible in the world of sport.Leicester are on the cusp of winning their first-ever top-flight league title, sitting seven points clear of second-place Tottenham with three games to go.

Their season has been made even more remarkable by the fact they were on the verge of relegation to the Championship just over 12 months ago.

Leicester's exploits have seen them garner support from all corners of the world, including Juventus great Del Piero, who played under manager Claudio Ranieri in his time at Juve.

"Leicester are ever closer to the Premier League title," the 41-year-old Sky Evening News."I really hope it ends the way we all hope it will, because this really is something to tell our grandchildren, it shows that nothing is impossible in sport."

Del Piero was also full of praise for his former team Juve, who claimed a fifth-straight Scudetto title on Monday. "I can’t fail to mention at the end of this extraordinary week what Juventus have done," he added.

"Encased in a single season is everything we experienced when we won the first of these five Scudetti, coming from Serie B through two difficult seasons where we finished seventh in the league."

 

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Juventus will refuse to sell Pogba this summer

Juventus have no plans to sell Paul Pogba this summer, Goal understands.

The club have secured their fifth consecutive Serie A title and Juve’s hierarchy are now planning ahead of the summer transfer window - but the sale of their prized asset is not under consideration.

The France international’s current contract expires in 2019, and Juventus’ general manager, Beppe Marotta, has already insisted that the midfielder, who has made 175 appearances for the club since his arrival from Manchester United in 2012, will not be made available.

“We made a clear decision on Pogba last year,” Marotta told RAI radio earlier in April.

“He is going to be a key element for years to come. He's happy with us, he's grown and he's become a champion, and this is his natural habitat.”

Pogba’s agent, Mino Raiola, hinted in December that the 23-year-old could leave Juve this summer, but his stance now remains consistent with the Serie A champions.

“Juve won't accept anything less than €100 million for his sale and I agree with that, though he is more than happy to remain with the Bianconeri,” Raiola told La Gazzetta dello Sport at the end of March.

“We are even ready to sign a new contract.”

Juve have been keen to clarify Pogba’s position before the end of the season and have already met with Raiola in Turin this month.

Talks have been positive, while Pogba’s excellent relationship with coach Massimiliano Allegri is also a huge factor in convincing the midfielder to reject a move to Europe’s elite.

Juve’s next aim is to win the Champions League and should they achieve that next season, the club would be in a position to turn down a mega-money offer for the midfielder.

 

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Mancini: I made some errors this season

Inter coach Roberto Mancini admits he made some errors this season with the club set to miss out on Champions League qualification.The Nerazzurri are seven points from the top three and a qualifying spot in next season's premier continental competition.

The Italian manager believed he had the squad to challenge for the top places at the beginning of the campaign but admitted some mistakes were made along the way.

"We have taken the right path," Mancini told Premium Sport. "We've always played very good games after the Coppa Italia return match against Juventus."We paid a high price for some mistakes we did. We lost some games which we did not deserve to lose.

"Everyone makes mistakes, but the only thing needed is patience, something that we are really lacking of in Italy."Looking at how we had begun this campaign, I thought we could have battled it out for a Champions League spot, but I made some errors too.

"At the beginning I used to change our system very frequently while now I've been playing the same players for quite a long time."

 

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Moreno: I'm at my best thanks to Klopp

Liverpool full-back Alberto Moreno feels he is approaching career-best form thanks to the faith shown in him by Jurgen Klopp.

The Spaniard was out of favour at the start the season under Brendan Rodgers, but has grown into a regular since Klopp replaced the Northern Irishman in October.

Moreno, who arrived at Anfield from Sevilla in 2014, believes he is in fine fettle ahead of the Europa League semi-final first leg at Villarreal.And the 23-year-old believes that is down to Klopp and the German manager trusting him.

"It was hard at first with Brendan," Moreno said."He didn't seem to count on me much. I trained, I was 100 per cent and didn't play much, but that's now in the past.

"Working with Mr. Klopp, he's put his trust in me and now I'm in one of my best moments as a footballer."Klopp's men face a tricky test against Villarreal at El Madrigal on Thursday and Moreno played down talk they were favourites to reach the final.

"I don't like labelling ourselves as favourites. The four teams in the semi-finals are evenly favourites," he said."Reaching these stages has been very difficult. I don't like seeing ourselves as favourites.

"From now on, anyone can win matches. Of course tomorrow we'll give our best in order to get the win."

 

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Man Utd face battle to sign £70m-rated Aubameyang

Manchester United will face a battle to sign Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang from Borussia Dortmund this summer, Goal understands.

United have been monitoring Aubameyang since Dortmund played Arsenal in the Champions League in 2014, and have stepped up their interest in recent months with the Gabon international enjoying the most productive season of his career.

The 26-year-old has scored 37 goals in 45 games in all competitions so far, alerting United officials who have been working to draw up a list of players capable of making an immediate contribution to the first team.

Aubameyang is said to be happy with life under Thomas Tuchel at Signal Iduna Park, but has told friends he wants to play in each of Europe's top leagues.

Having started his career at AC Milan and represented a number of French clubs before signing for Dortmund, the striker has now set his sights on playing in England and Spain.

But United have been told that it will take £70 million to prise him away from Dortmund, and they are fearful that rival interest from Europe's biggest clubs could also leave them frustrated.

Real Madrid provide the biggest threat to United's hopes, with the Spanish giants keen to freshen up their forward options by bringing the lightening-quick striker to the Santiago Bernabeu.

Madrid's transfer ban has been suspended, allowing them to sign players this summer, and they are willing to pay a premium for Aubameyang.

The striker has also admitted that he promised his grandfather he would one day play for Los Blancos, and is he is keen to play Champions League football next season, something which may not be on offer at Old Trafford.



That may also dash the hopes of Chelsea and Liverpool, who have also made enquiries over the striker's availability in previous weeks, and could discount Arsenal, another interested party, if they slip out of the top four.

Dortmund are also facing up to the possibility of losing Ilkay Gundogan to Manchester City and Mats Hummels to Bayern Munich this summer.

The club have resisted approaches for a number of their most talented players over recent years despite the widespread expectation of a firesale.

Despite losing Mario Gotze and Robert Lewandowski to Bayern Munich in 2013 and 2014, respectively, and with Jurgen Klopp leaving the club last summer, Dortmund have battled to keep hold of Hummels and Marco Reus.

With Gundogan having all but secured his move to the Etihad Stadium, and Hummels giving serious consideration to his future, they will put up a fight to keep Aubameyang.

 

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Clattenburg to referee FA Cup final

Mark Clattenburg has been appointed as referee for the FA Cup final between Manchester United and Crystal Palace.

Despite an illustrious career, the 41-year-old will be officiating his first final in the competition after excelling in the Premier League this term.

Clattenburg has refereed four of United's Premier League matches this season, with the Red Devils yet to lose with him in charge while Palace have not won in any of the three matches he has officiated for them this term.

Speaking to the Football Association's official website, Clattenburg said: "It came out of the blue. These days you get told of what games you're doing by text, but when you see a call coming in from The FA referees’ department you know it's important.

"I think every referee who hasn't refereed the Cup Final works hard every season to hopefully referee one of the most prestigious and important cup finals in the world.

"You set yourself goals at the start of the season, and mine was to referee in The FA Cup Final. It’s an honour and a massive achievement."

The clash at Wembley on May 21 will not be Clattenburg's final appointment of the season, as he has been chosen alongside Martin Atkinson as one of England's two representatives at Euro 2016.

 

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UEFA suspends Sakho for 30 days

UEFA has suspended Liverpool defender Mamadou Sakho for a provisional period of 30 days following a positive drugs test.

A sample submitted by the France international following the club's Europa League fixture with Manchester United on March 17 came back showing traces of a banned substance, believed to be a fat burner.

Sakho had the option to appeal the finding and have a B sample tested, but it was revealed on Wednesday that he had declined to take this option.

UEFA has now elected to suspend the player for a month while an investigation is undertaken.

A release from European football's governing body reads: "Disciplinary proceedings have been instigated against Liverpool FC player Mamadou Sakho, following the UEFA Europa League round of 16 second-leg match between Manchester United FC and Liverpool FC (1-1), played on 17 March.

"The proceedings relate to a violation of the UEFA Anti-Doping Regulations, after the player failed a doping test at the above-mentioned match.

"The player did not request the analysis of the B sample. UEFA has now suspended the player provisionally for 30 days until a final decision is taken by the UEFA Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body.

"The date of the disciplinary hearing will be announced at a later stage."Team-mate Kolo Toure only received a six-month ban for admitting liability to using diet pills while at Manchester City in 2011, with an independent regulatory commission stating: "The player accepted he was at fault and with that concession we agree.

"He was at fault in the limited and perfunctory efforts he made in relation to the water tablets; the checks he made in relation to those tablets were inadequate and fell some way below what it would be reasonable to expect of a professional footballer in these circumstances."

 

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Bilic: I want Manchester United to win the FA Cup

West Ham manager Slaven Bilic says he wants Manchester United to win the FA Cup so his side can secure European football.Bilic's men sit sixth in the Premier League - the final Europa League qualifying spot - and one point ahead of seventh-placed Liverpool with four games to go.

However, victory for Manchester United over Crystal Palace in next month's FA Cup final would see an additional berth allocated to the league, increasing West Ham's chances of continental football.

And therefore Bilic says he will be rooting for United to win their first FA Cup since 2004 next month.

"We are feeling really motivated and good," he told a news conference. "And, of course, we would like to see Manchester United win the FA Cup to give us a cushion as well."Of course everything is in our hands, so we would rather do it ourselves than wait a week after the season and be a Manchester United fan."

A top-four finish is not beyond West Ham, but Bilic concedes the eight-point gap to Arsenal makes Champions League qualification unlikely."Top four is very hard for us, but we didn't approach that subject 10 or eight weeks ago. We are still approaching the same way," added Bilic ahead of Saturday's clash with West Brom.

"We are still approaching each game as it comes, starting with West Brom. We have a full squad and it's a big boost for us."Top six is a target and has been for quite a while. With four games to go, we have a little gap but we can't afford to lose games.

"It's going to be hard with four really tough games and with Liverpool and Southampton there [in seventh and eighth], but we are on a really good run."

 

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Hummels wants to join Bayern Munich


Borussia Dortmund have announced that Mats Hummels has asked to leave the club to join Bayern Munich this summer.

The defender's future at Signal Iduna Park has long been up in the air, with speculation he would request a transfer in the close-season.

And the club have confirmed he has made an official plea to move across the Bundesliga.
"Mats Hummels has informed us of his wish to leave the club in the summer and he wants to join league rivals Bayern Munich," a statement published on the BVB website reads.

Dortmund add that they would only consider selling Hummels to the Bavarians if an offer of "extraordinary value" was made.

At the present time, the statement affirms, there has been no formal offer for the centre-back.

"The club would like to point out that Mats Hummels, as is the case of the rest of the Borussia Dortmund team, has no agreed release clause," Dortmund explain.

"The player is technically tied to Borussia Dortmund until June 30, 2017."

 

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'Ronaldo not planning to have a second child'

Cristiano Ronaldo is not planning to have a second child, according to his mother Dolores Aveiro.

A report in Portuguese tabloid Correio da Manha had claimed that the Real Madrid forward was planning to have another child through a surrogate mother in the United States, but at the launch of her autobiography Madre Coraje in Madrid, Aveiro said: "No, it's a lie.”

Ronaldo’s only son, Cristiano Jr, was born in the United States in 2010, although the identity of the surrogate mother has never been made public.

Ronaldo sparked fresh rumours that he was to be a father for a second time after putting the ball underneath his shirt during whilst celebrating against Celta in March.

 

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Alli banned for the rest of Spurs' season by FA

Tottenham midfielder Dele Alli will miss the rest of the Premier League season after being handed a three-match suspension for violent conduct by the Football Association.The ban relates to an incident between Alli and West Brom's Claudio Yacob during the 26th minute of Monday's 1-1 draw at White Hart Lane.

The clash between the two players was not spotted by the match officials but caught on camera and resulted in England international Alli being charged with violent conduct by the FA.

Alli accepted the charge, although he failed in his attempt to contest the automatic three-match penalty at an Independent Regulatory Commission hearing.

A statement released by the FA on Thursday read: "Dele Alli will serve a three-match suspension with immediate effect after he committed an act of violent conduct which was not seen by the match officials but caught on video.

"The player accepted The FA's charge but contested that the automatic penalty of a three-match suspension would be 'clearly excessive'. "This claim, however, was rejected following an Independent Regulatory Commission hearing today [Thursday 28 April 2016]."

The punishment means Alli will not be available for Tottenham's final three matches of his breakthrough season against Chelsea, Southampton and Newcastle United, with the likelihood that his next competitive action will be for England at Euro 2016.

Mauricio Pochettino's Spurs are seven points behind leaders Leicester City in the table and victory at Manchester United on Sunday would secure the Premier League title for Claudio Ranieri's team.

 

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UEFA Europa League Semi-Final 1st Leg Fixtures 2016.04.28

UEFA Europa League Semi-Final 1st Leg Fixtures 2016.04.28

(In Progress..After 40th minute)

Shaktar 2 Vs 1 Sevilla

Villareal 0 Vs 0 Liverpool

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