..::Football IV::..

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Totti: My son is good - but not as good as me

Roma icon Francesco Totti says his son Cristian is a good footballer - but not as good as he was at that age.The World Cup winner is still turning out for his boyhood club at the age of 40, having scored over 300 career goals.

However, in an interview with Walter Veltroni, the former mayor of Rome, he turned his attentions to his son's footballing talent, adding that he is not a patch on his dad."He's good, he's improved," he said, in quotes reported by Roma's official website. "He was a bit more playful before, just thinking about enjoying himself.

"He does still have a lot of fun; I know what he does with his time. I see a bit of myself in him. He's now showing more desire, more passion. He likes the game."He goes training and goes to play more regularly, and I can see that he likes it.
"He's good, but not as good as his dad when he was young."

However, despite his apparent potential, Totti is undecided as to whether he would like Cristian to follow in his footsteps as a professional."On the one hand yes, but on the other, no," he said.

"I say yes because if he has the desire and passion, then he should do what he wants to. On the other hand, having his surname complicates things."He's already going to tournaments with friends, in Sabaudia and elsewhere. Once he scored 15 goals and won the award for best player. Then you have everyone saying, 'Oh yeah, he's won the prize because he's Totti’s son.'
The story of Klopp's first year at Liverpool

"The fact he's scored 15 goals doesn't count, but having that surname does. It annoys me because when you're talking about young kids, you need to be positive. You shouldn't be jealous or have a negative view on everything."A child enjoys running and kicking the ball. If they are lucky or unlucky enough to be called Totti, it's hardly their fault."

 

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England 2-0 Malta: Sturridge & Alli give Southgate first win

England eased past Malta 2-0 at Wembley thanks to goals from first-half goals Daniel Sturridge and Dele Alli to give interim manager Gareth Southgate his first win as Three Lions boss.

The hosts made light work of their visitors and a home win never looked in doubt once Sturridge provided Liverpool coach Jurgen Klopp with a reminder of his talents as a central striker just before the half-hour mark.

The impressive Jordan Henderson – instrumental in the opener – also inspired England's second as Alli doubled the lead late in the first half.England were less relentless in attack after the break but still looked a threat through Sturridge and debutant Jesse Lingard.

Malta were successful in their attempts at damage limitation, though, and England had to settle for the two-goal cushion, taking them on to six points in Group F.

A pattern of England domination was established right from the start and a theatrical save from Andrew Hogg in the Malta goal was all that prevented the hosts taking an eighth-minute lead – Wayne Rooney's powerful drive forcing him into action.

A hamstring injury to Ryan Bertrand shortly after brought about his exit for Danny Rose, but that did little to upset England's flow.

Hogg again came to Malta's rescue 22 minutes in, as he palmed away Alli's header from a pin-point Henderson cross, but the goalkeeper had little to do with Sturridge's inexplicable miss from the rebound as he thrashed over from close range.The Liverpool striker made amends seven minutes later, though, guiding another fine Henderson delivery into the bottom right-corner with a precise header.

Henderson was again in the thick of it as England scored a second just before the break, bursting into the area and teeing up Alli, who stabbed home after his initial effort was parried straight back to him.England's domination continued in the second half, but they struggled to find a way through a dogged Malta defence.

Lingard looked intent on making a mark on his debut and almost grabbed himself an assist in the 65th minute, feeding Theo Walcott in the area, with Hogg making a smart save to deny the Arsenal man.

And Lingard went close himself a few moments later, sending a low driven effort agonisingly wide of the bottom-right corner after quick thinking from Rooney at a free-kick.

Southgate's men continued their search for a third and almost got it five minutes from time, lively substitute Marcus Rashford teeing up Alli with a teasing cross, but the midfielder sliced over from six yards as the hosts failed to make the score more reflective of their control.

 

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Germany 3-0 Czech Republic: Muller at the double as hosts ease to win

Thomas Muller scored twice as world champions Germany continued their fine start to World Cup qualifying with a 3-0 triumph over Czech Republic in Hamburg.

Joachim Low's men had quickly moved on from their Euro 2016 semi-final disappointment with a win by the same scoreline at Norway in their Group C opener and, as in Oslo, Muller netted a brace.

The Czechs had won on their previous trip to Germany in 2007, but they never looked like repeating the trick after the Bayern Munich forward had the hosts up and running.A number of chances came and went in the first half, with Muller denied while Julian Draxler and Mario Gotze narrowly missed the target.

However, the visitors' resistance was ended shortly after the interval when Toni Kroos struck a second, before Muller added his fourth of the campaign.

Germany now host Northern Ireland, who had previously held Pavel Vrba's outfit, and will hope for a similarly comfortable success on Tuesday.With the hosts making a typically dominant start, they took the lead from their first real opening after 13 minutes.

Gotze made progress down the left, and, although Mesut Ozil swiped and missed a low centre, Muller was lurking on the far side of the box to shoot into the corner via a deflection.

Borussia Dortmund's Gotze was again involved when the next chance arrived, taking down Jerome Boateng's stunning lofted pass to tee up Draxler, who curled just wide.

Germany were really hitting their stride, with Tomas Vaclik saving low from Muller when his defence failed to deal with another long ball.

As Gotze danced between his central posting and a wide left position, he continued to hunt a goal for himself and dinked just past the post after beating the goalkeeper to a neat one-two with Muller.

Joshua Kimmich has been an attacking threat for club and country this season and his smart header prompted a move that passed through Gotze and Draxler before Muller fired over the crossbar.

Vaclik then clawed away Kimmich's cross-cum-shot to somehow keep Czech Republic in the game at half-time.Just four minutes after the restart, though, Germany were two up and cruising to victory.

Kimmich cut inside from the right and laid on a pass for Kroos to step into and steer a low strike inside the near corner, calming his previously frustrated coach.

Unsurprisingly, the hosts were soon chasing a third, with Ozil lifting over via a deflection when he should have given Vaclik no chance from Draxler's throughball.
Muller was smartly closed out as Gotze dummied Jonas Hector's grounded delivery, but an effort at the other end followed and Manuel Neuer was on his toes to beat away Borek Dockal's ferocious drive.But Germany quickly reprised their attacking intent and Hector crossed again for Muller to finish across Vaclik into the net with 25 minutes remaining.

Dockal tried again for the Czechs, blasting wide, and Tomas Sivok had a goal correctly ruled out in the dying seconds, but there had been little doubt where the points were headed ever since Muller's first as Low's side eased to victory.

 

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Southgate does not understand Rooney boos

Interim England manager Gareth Southgate cannot understand why some supporters booed captain Wayne Rooney during Saturday's 2-0 win against Malta at Wembley.Rooney featured in a midfield role, with first-half goals from Daniel Sturridge and Dele Alli helping England maintain their 100 per cent record in Group F.

But criticism of Rooney's performance from the stands left Southgate confused, the manager noting the Manchester United man is "desperate" to represent his country.
"I presented him with a cap in the week for being a record cap holder for his country," Southgate told reporters. "It's fascinating to get an insight into his world, every debate seems to focus on him.

"The criticism of him is at times unfair and he ploughs on and plays with pride and captains his country with pride."I look back to the [John] Terrys, the [Frank] Lampards, the Ashley Coles, they took enormous criticism but they were the guys that kept turning out and putting themselves on the line and others haven't done that and withdrawn from squads.

"Those guys are the ones that are desperate to play for England and I think Wayne is in that category. I don't understand [the boos] but that seems to be the landscape and I have no idea how that's expected to help him."I'm sure they'll look at the number of games and his goalscoring feats for England but I don't understand it."

Southgate added Rooney's influence remains crucial off the field, while explaining his selection in a deeper position was partly so that goalscorer Alli could operate as a number 10.

"We knew we'd have a lot of the ball and dictate the tempo," Southgate said. "I think his experience and leadership has been crucial throughout the week."I wanted to get Dele higher up the pitch for that link between the midfielders and forwards. He got his goal and he'll be disappointed that he didn't get another."

United manager Jose Mourinho has said he still sees Rooney as a striker, although the player himself says he considers himself a midfielder, and Southgate chose not to be drawn on where his captain will feature against Slovenia on Tuesday.
"Jose will have his opinion on what he thinks is right for his team," Southgate said.
"I had to select a team to get a result."

 

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Southgate hails 'outstanding' Lingard after England debut

Gareth Southgate hailed Jesse Lingard's "outstanding" debut after the Manchester United attacker shone as England's interim manager's first match in charge ended in a 2-0 victory against Malta at Wembley.

First-half efforts from Daniel Sturridge and Dele Alli eased England to a straightforward victory, although they could not add more goals to the scoreline despite dominating possession.

Alli in particular was guilty of spurning numerous chances after being handed the No. 10 role, with captain Wayne Rooney deeper in midfield, but it was Lingard who caught Southgate's eye.

"Jesse Lingard had an outstanding debut and looked a real threat," Southgate told ITV. "That's why we wanted to start him."He's got a strong mentality and he's an exciting player. The stage is made for him and he's scored twice at Wembley for United."

Southgate felt some of his players were guilty of reducing their energy levels in the second half with England's next game, in Slovenia on Tuesday, in the back of their minds."I thought in the first half we played well and we could and should have had more goals," Southgate said. "Their goalkeeper made good saves.

"One or two players looked after themselves physically. We made positive changes and missed good chances but given where we were 10 days ago I'm pleased with the result but there is room to improve on the performance."I think players subconsciously know the game is won and we could have made it more comfortable but some of them were thinking about the next game which comes quickly.

"Each game is a different challenge. The next opposition [Slovenia] play a different style and we're away, we look at all those things. We have a couple of injuries to assess and we'll know more in the next few days, but we have good depth to make changes."

Roberto Mancini was pictured at Wembley amid speculation he is a contender to become the next England manager, but Southgate, who has the job for the next three games, is focused on the task in hand.

"My job is to get the results which keep us at the top of the group and we achieved that," he said. "People wanted more and I understand that, but we have to go and get that win.

"I've enjoyed the whole week but we would have liked four or five goals, but Malta had 1-0 defeats to Croatia and Italy in their last qualifying campaign. "The goalkeeper played well and they defended in heavy numbers but we created well and we could have scored more."

 

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Lopetegui happy with Spain's attacking threat

Julen Lopetegui insists he is happy with Spain's effectiveness in attack, despite his side dropping two points against Italy in World Cup qualifying on Thursday.Leading through Vitolo's goal until the 82nd minute, Spain had to settle for a draw in Turin as Daniele De Rossi netted a late penalty.

That result followed an 8-0 success over Liechtenstein and Lopetegui has been impressed with his side's output in the early months of his reign.

"I am satisfied with the number of goals and our effectiveness in creating [chances]," he told a news conference ahead of the clash with Albania on Sunday."We have nine goals from two official games."We are trying to create dangerous situations. To have 13 corners in Italy is a good thing."

Lopetegui will now hope Spain can find the goals to kill of Albania, a side he openly admires."Albania are a great opponent," he continued. "They demonstrated this in the last Euros. We must give our best."It is going to be a very competitive qualifying group. There are two years of matches until the World Cup."

 

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Germany could have won by more, claims Muller

Thomas Muller claims Germany could have scored more in their 3-0 win over Czech Republic, although he was delighted to send the fans home happy.

The world champions were ruthless in blowing away their visitors in Hamburg, with Muller's brace and Toni Kroos' goal earning another three points towards World Cup qualification.

And the Bayern Munich man admitted that his side might have won by a more convincing margin had they not wasted a number of chances."We could have scored more goals, but have nevertheless played a great game," he told RTL.

"We pleased the fans, who made a great atmosphere, so it is even more fun to play for Germany."

Having struggled in front of goal at Euro 2016, Muller has four in two so far in this Group C campaign."When you are not scoring goals, it's just so that you can work hard on yourself and you have to try again," he added.

"There are just unfortunately still defenders and a goalkeeper."Germany face Northern Ireland in their clash on Tuesday, having beaten Michael O'Neill's men 1-0 at the Euros.

 

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Messi knows 'everything' about football - Bauza

Argentina coach Edgardo Bauza was surprised by Lionel Messi's knowledge of football, saying the star knew "everything" about the game.Messi, sidelined with a groin injury, is considered among the game's greats thanks to his stunning displays and achievements with Barcelona.

Bauza, who spoke to Messi before the 29-year-old reversed his international retirement, was stunned by how smart the attacker was.

"What surprised me is how much he knows about football, because he knows everything, about his team-mates, the technical team, about football. He's aware of everything," he told Sport.

"I always thought a player of his standing would have to be a player who knew a lot about football. But he surprised me even more than I thought."Leo knows everything about everything. Nothing escapes him. He has a very important understanding and this helps when one has to communicate their idea."

Without Messi, Argentina were held to a 2-2 draw by Peru and sit fifth on CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying ahead of a meeting with Paraguay.

 

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'Some people think I'm useless' - Hart admits he had to leave Man City

England goalkeeper Joe Hart admits that he would have struggled to win his battle with Pep Guardiola if he had stayed at Manchester City.

Hart was sent out on loan to the Serie A club having fallen down the pecking order under the Catalan coach, who also signed Claudio Bravo from Barcelona.And Hart, who signed for City in 2006, said he felt unlikely to be able to win back his spot had he stayed with the Premier League leaders.

"Football is a game of opinions and some people have a great opinion of me and some people probably think I'm absolutely useless," Hart said, via the Daily Mail."Unfortunately for me, one of the guys' opinions in charge of my club at the time wasn't as strong as it needed to be.

"Some people you struggle to argue with – they've got a lot of strong backing to what they say and what they do. It's hard to please everyone and I learnt quite early that that's never going to happen."

Hart admits he had limited options before leaving City, and is grateful to Torino for the opportunity to play in Italy.The 29-year-old said he had few choices before his switch, but was pleased with the decision he made.

"I wasn't sat there with 25 options. I wasn't," Hart added. "Torino was a really good option for me and it definitely excited me to go to play in Serie A and to play for Torino."That fit, in the situation I was in, was a good decision.

"But it's not about making brave decisions. It was a decision I had to make and was comfortable with. I felt I was capable of doing it and, where my options were, it was the best one for me in my opinion."I had a situation at City where my playing time was going to be limited, full stop, so I had to look elsewhere.

"It was pretty quick. I wasn't given much time so when that opportunity came, I was really, really grateful."

 

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Messi set to return for Deportivo and Man City clashes

Lionel Messi is stepping up his recovery from an adductor injury and is set to feature in some capacity in Barcelona's La Liga game against Deportivo La Coruna after the international break.

The Argentine attacker was injured in the 1-1 draw at home to Atletico Madrid on September 21 and has played no part in his side's last three matches: a 5-0 win at Sporting Gijon, a 2-1 victory away to Borussia Monchengladbach and a 4-3 loss at Celta Vigo last Sunday.

The Catalan club originally annunced that the 29-year-old would be out for around three weeks and in that respect, the break for World Cup qualifiers has come at a good time for the Blaugrana.

While his Argentina team-mates toiled in a 2-2 draw against Peru in Lima on Thursday night, Messi continued his recovery with gym work in Barcelona and posted a picture on his Instagram account on Friday, with the description reading: “Just another day.”

The five-time Ballon d'Or winner was suffering with pain in his left adductor prior to the previous international break and made the problem worse by turning out for Argentina in his comeback game against Uruguay last month, returning ahead of time to Barcelona and missing the World Cup qualifier against Venezuela.

That restricted his movement and in attempting to compensate by placing more weight on his right side, he picked up the new problem - a strain in the adductor of his right thigh - against Atletico.

Barcelona are wary about bringing back the forward too soon, but his progress has been good and all being well, he will feature as a substitute in the Primera Division clash at home to Deportivo on October 15.

"Messi plays it all because he is the best in the world," Barca boss Luis Enrique said after the 7-0 win over Celtic in early September. But the Asturian may have to give his star man more rest to avoid a recurrence of the groin problems in the weeks to come.

"Without Messi, we all lose," Luis Enrique later said. “Football loses. We have to find solutions, knowing that with Messi we’re very strong. We know that we have to win.”

The plan now is for Messi to return for the crunch clash against Manchester City in the Champions League on October 19, but before that, Barca fans can expect a cameo on Saturday versus Depor.

 

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Pjanic: Everybody wants to see Juventus lose

Miralem Pjanic believes Juventus' task of winning a sixth consecutive Serie A title is made tougher by the desperation their rivals have to end the Turin club's dominance.Massimiliano Allegri's men were beaten 2-1 by Inter on matchday three, but are nonetheless already sitting in pole position to successfully defend their title.

They hold a four-point lead over second-placed Napoli, but Pjanic is taking nothing for granted."The most consistent team will win the Scudetto. We have a huge desire to bring home the sixth title in a row. But we all know it will not be easy," Pjanic told La Gazzetta dello Sport.

"We cannot afford to let up. But our goal is to win it. The competition is long and hard. Everybody cannot wait to see Juventus stop winning. It will not be easy for us.

"There are a number of teams that will be challenging us right until the end. Roma and Napoli will definitely be there, but I am also keeping an eye on Inter, who have a lot of great players. "The team is playing well. We sit top of the table in Serie A and in the Champions League. So we are on the right path. Even if there is always room for improvement."

 

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Henderson defends Rooney after boos against Malta

England midfielder Jordan Henderson has defended Wayne Rooney after the captain was booed by supporters at Wembley during Saturday's 2-0 win against Malta.

Rooney played alongside Henderson in a midfield role and was criticised by a section of fans during the game, which interim manager Gareth Southgate said he could not understand.But the Liverpool skipper noted the Manchester United player has come through periods of criticism before and backed his team-mate to shine.

"Wayne's experienced enough to know he has to concentrate on his football," said Henderson after the World Cup qualifying clash."I think he's had criticism for most of his career, like many players have."He deals with it very well. He's our captain and our leader. He's a fantastic player for Manchester United and England.

"I didn't really hear any boos, but we have to deal with it as professional footballers. There is going to be criticism along the way."

Henderson added he can see why fans would be frustrated with England after their disappointing performances at Euro 2016, when they suffered a shock exit to Iceland in the first knockout round.

"We just have to focus on what is important as a team," Henderson said. "That's staying together and winning games."I said during the week the fans had a right to criticise after the way we went out of the Euros. Not only the Euros but in the World Cup as well.

"We've got to take the criticism and we deserve it. But I feel as though they know we are a good team and want us to do well."It's up to us to put in good performances and win games."

 

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Giggs reveals which Man Utd player was a 'nightmare' to coach

Ryan Giggs has claimed that Jesse Lingard was a "nightmare" to coach as a youngster - but for all the right reasons.

The Wales international started studying for his coaching badges midway through his 24-year playing career at Old Trafford, and served as assistant to David Moyes and Louis van Gaal.

Lingard was one of the youngsters Giggs worked with during his studies and he affirmed that his talent was almost overwhelming for a novice trainer. "He can play a number of positions. He’ll give you energy, he’ll score goals, he’s a team player, but now at 23, he’s got to kick on," the Welshman, working as a television pundit, told ITV.

"I coached him when he was 10, and my subject for my A license was coaching a No.10. It was nightmare because he did everything right."Lingard made his competitive debut for United in 2013 and has scored seven times in 46 appearances for the club.

 

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Wales 1-1 Georgia: Dragons pegged back after Bale strike

Wales were caught cold by Tornike Okriashvili's second-half equaliser as they played out a 1-1 draw against Georgia in Sunday's World Cup qualifier in Cardiff.

Gareth Bale headed home his 25th Wales goal in the 10th minute to move within three of Ian Rush's all-time national record as the hosts deservedly led after controlling the first half.

Chris Coleman's men took their foot off the pedal early in the second half, though, and Georgia took full advantage when Okriashvili ghosted in behind a static Wales defence to head home and restore parity.

Things could have been worse for Wales had Levan Mchedlidze not missed a gilt-edged opportunity to steal the win, while Valeri Kazaishvili also rattled the woodwork.

Wales, who have never beaten Georgia, twice let the lead slip in Thursday's 2-2 draw against Austria and another failure to win means they have five points from three Group D matches.Georgia, meanwhile, still face an uphill challenge to qualify for Russia 2018 with Vladimir Weiss' men on one point.

Wales came flying out of the traps and Andy King's teasing right-wing centre was almost met by a sliding Bale.And the hosts' fine start yielded rewards with the opening goal when Bale rose highest to meet Joe Ledley's corner with a thumping header.

Bale continued to prove a menace and he tested Georgia goalkeeper Giorgi Loria with a 25-yard free-kick before miscuing with another header from a Ledley corner.

Georgia had offered little threat in the final third, but Jano Ananidze saw a well-struck free-kick clip the top of the crossbar.Bale stated after the Austria game that his long throw is an added "weapon" to his arsenal and it was a tactic that almost led to a second goal when Sam Vokes headed wide.Wales were handed a warning when Okriashvili dragged an effort wide of the right-hand post from the edge of the box.

Okriashvili made no mistake the next time, though. Kazaishvili crossed deep from the left and the forward was on hand to guide his header past a helpless Wayne Hennessey.The equaliser briefly reinvigorated Wales and Bale dipped a long-range free-kick on the roof of the goal.

But the home side were let off the hook in the 73rd minute. Bale lost possession deep in Georgia's half and a lightning counter-attack led to Mchedlidze going one-on-one with Hennessey, but he wastefully slid his shot wide.

Kazaishvili then almost won the match for Georgia in spectacular fashion, but his rasping drive cannoned back off the underside of the bar.Bale saw another free-kick ripple the side-netting in the closing stages, but Wales had to settle for a point.

 

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Albania 0-2 Spain: Diego Costa and Nolito strike for visitors in easy win

Spain made the most of their complete dominance over Albania on Sunday to cruise to an easy 2-0 World Cup qualifying win in Shkoder.

Julen Lopetegui's men enjoyed similar levels of control at times in Thursday's draw in Italy without taking full advantage, but there was to be no such failure in Albania, as their persistence paid off.Albania were subjected to constant pressure throughout the first half, with Vitolo drawing solid saves from Etrit Berisha on two occasions.

The goalkeeper was culpable for Diego Costa's 55th-minute opener, though, with his poor clearance pounced upon in the build-up to the Chelsea striker's simple finish.Substitute Nolito doubled Spain's lead with a tidy finish shortly after his entry on the hour mark.

A late knee injury forced Sergio Ramos to hobble off, but it had no impact on the end result as Spain took their tally in Group G to seven points from three matches.
Albania showed no signs of intimidation as they got physical with their visitors, but Spain's more intricate approach had them carve through the hosts in the early exchanges.

Thiago slipped a fine reverse pass into the danger area for Costa, who showed great awareness to backheel into Vitolo's path and the Sevilla star forced a crucial stop from Berisha.

Vitolo was at the centre of things again shortly after, as he saw curling 18-yard effort tipped around the post by Berisha after being teed up by Thiago at the end of another well-worked move.

Such was Spain's domination that Ramos became a permanent presence in the final third and his right-wing delivery shortly after the half-hour mark should have brought the breakthrough, but Costa somehow failed to get his head on the pinpoint cross.

The half-time interval did little to upset Spain's flow and they went close early in the second period – David Silva cutting in from the right and sending a low drive just wide of the right-hand post.

Spain then broke the deadlock, with Berisha ensuring all of his hard work in the first half went to waste as he scuffed a clearance as far as Vitolo, who fed Silva into the area and he squared to Costa for an easy finish.

Spain effectively wrapped things up through Nolito in the 63rd minute, with the Manchester City star bundling himself past tired right-back Elseid Hysaj and placing a fine finish into the bottom-right corner.

Albania received a late boost to their chances in the shape of an innocuous knee injury to Ramos, but Spain saw things out in expert fashion to secure all three points without any fuss – the hosts failing to produce a shot on target.

 

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Congratulations Spain!

VAMOS ESPANA​

 

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Macedonia 2-3 Italy: Immobile double saves Azzurri skin

Ciro Immobile came to Italy's rescue with a late double to inflict a cruel 3-2 defeat on a plucky Macedonia side in Sunday's 2018 World Cup qualifier in Skopje.

The Azzurri were in control by half-time with Andrea Belotti marking his first Italy start with a maiden international goal to put them 1-0 up in the Group G clash.

But Macedonia, ranked 133 places below Italy, were brilliant after the break and Ilija Nestorovski - who plays his club football in Italy for Palermo - pounced on Marco Verratti's error to level the scores.Incredibly, the home fans were on their feet celebrating again 142 seconds later when Feran Hasani lashed home from the edge of penalty area.

That left Italy staring down the barrel of a first World Cup or European Championship qualifying defeat in 10 years, but Immobile's cool finish with 15 minutes remaining levelled the scores.

And the Lazio striker salvaged the three points in stoppage time when he headed in Antonio Candreva's cross to break Macedonian hearts.Giampiero Ventura's men have plenty to ponder, but they now travel to Liechtenstein next month with seven points from three games.

The visitors dominated possession in the early stages, but aside from a Candreva goal that was rightly ruled out for offside they had little to show for their efforts.Macedonia almost caught Italy cold when Nestorovski hit a stunning volley on the turn from 25 yards that rebounded off the crossbar.

Italy slowly turned the screw, though, and Candreva's deep right-wing cross was hit first-time by Immobile and saved well at the near post by Martin Bogatinov.And from the resulting corner Italy went in front. Belotti stole a march on his marker to volley home Federico Bernardeschi's delivery from six yards.

Immobile weaved his way into the area and tested Bogatinov at the near post early in the second half, but Macedonia began to cause problems of their own and struck a deserved equaliser in the 57th minute.

Verratti's woeful misplaced pass was pounced upon by Nesterovski, who ran at Leonardo Bonucci before clinically bending his shot into the bottom right-hand corner.

And Macedonia went in front just two minutes later. Bernardeschi was guilty of conceding possession cheaply on this occasion and the hosts launched a lightning counter-attack before Hasani drilled home from the edge of the area.

Veteran goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon then kept Italy in the game with a superb one-handed save from Besart Ibraimi's header.

And it proved crucial with 15 minutes remaining. Verratti played in Candreva down the right and the Inter winger drilled his cross to Immobile, who calmly picked out the bottom-left corner.

Immobile then saw penalty appeals for handball against Kire Ristevski waved away, while he was also denied a spot-kick when he claimed he was tripped in the area.Italy had the ball in the net again through Parolo's header in the closing stages, but he was harshly judged offside.

It mattered little, though, as Immobile leapt high at the back post to head in Candreva's floated cross from the right and spare Italy's blushes.

 

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France will not play for Netherlands draw, insists Deschamps

Didier Deschamps insists his France side will not cautiously aim for a draw as they travel to play Netherlands in World Cup qualifying.The two teams are locked together on four points in a three-way tie at the top of Group A alongside Sweden.

Monday's clash in Amsterdam could be pivotal in the race for the one automatic qualification spot and Deschamps is adamant France are only interested in attacking the game and earning three points."Concerning the result, when I prepare my team for a match, the first goal is to win," he told a news conference.

"We start the game with the target to give everything to win. Nobody can know how it will happen. If the result is draw, we will take this draw."But I will not start the match by saying that we must not lose. We will play with the intention of winning."

France took on Netherlands in March, winning 3-2 with Dimitri Payet starring after nine months out of the side, and Deschamps has enjoyed the West Ham star's continued progression since that performance."I am aware of what Payet is capable of," he said. "He did it with his club, but before [that game] his performances were too irregular with us.

"I can't say that I did not expect his important influence in the team. But it's him, it's his merit."He has this complementarity with other players. It's good if he is efficient in every game."

France go into the game on a high following their 4-1 home win over Bulgaria on Friday.

 

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'We are focused' - Mata says third straight Anfield win would prove United's progress

Manchester United playmaker Juan Mata thinks a third straight Premier League victory at Anfield would prove his side mean business as they attempt to challenge for the title.

Despite losing out to Jurgen Klopp's side over two legs in the Europa League last 16 last season, United won Premier League meetings on Merseyside in March 2015 and January 2016.

Mata scored twice in the first of those meetings and is relishing what he believes will be an impressive spectacle, one which gives Jose Mourinho's team a chance to highlight their progress.

"This has been a different week due to the international break, but it's now over and we are already focused on the Premier League, where we have one of the biggest games of the year: our visit to Anfield Road," he wrote in his personal blog.

"As you know, this is a special game for the Manchester United fans and, in general, one of the greatest clashes of the season in European football. I have been lucky to enjoy it in the past and I can assure you that this is a game like no other. "This time, with both teams in a good moment, I hope we see a spectacular football match.

"We are really looking forward to show what we are capable of, to play well and be competitive. After our last draw, the team wants to play as soon as possible to get the three points, as we did the last two times we played in Anfield in the Premier League, and to confirm that we are on the right track. I really hope so."
Mata was not selected for Spain's squad to play Italy and Albania in their World Cup qualification double-header, but made full use of his time off during the international break to relax back in his homeland.

He added: "This time, the international break allowed me to spend a few days at home, in Asturias. Meeting my grandparents, my parents and my sister, uncles and aunts, friends - and charging batteries with Asturias food - is priceless! I love going back home.

"I was also able to see a game of Real Oviedo. The team is fighting in the Second division in Spain, a difficult competition. They had a good game against Rayo Vallecano and the win keeps a good streak, but this league is very long and you have to be patient.

"Overall, I have had a few fantastic days, but from now on I'm only thinking about training well this week to be at our best in the next game."

 

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'We are focused' - Mata says third straight Anfield win would prove United's progress

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Good Luck Manchester United!​