..::Football IV::..

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Uruguay and Argentina to bid for 2030 World Cup

The President of Uruguay has confirmed his country's intention to host the 2030 World Cup in a joint bid with Argentina.

A return to South America for the competition's centenary edition has long been rumoured, although an official proposal is yet to be filed or agreed. But on Wednesday Tabare Vazquez signalled Uruguay's intention to bring the World Cup back where it all began.

"It is a natural right because the biggest international competition in the world came to life in our country," Vazquez declared.

Uruguay triumphed in the inaugural World Cup with a final win over Argentina in 1930, establishing the nation as football's most potent force following their Olympic Games wins in 1924 and 1928.

The Celeste picked up their second triumph in 1950 over hosts Brazil, while Argentina won the 1978 edition on home soil and repeated the feat in 1986 when Diego Maradona's magic inspired the nation in Mexico.

Vazquez has met with Argentina counterpart Mauricio Macri to lay the groundwork for a possible bid, which could face competition from the likes of Chile, Colombia, England, Australia and New Zealand and Malaysia and Vietnam.

 

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He's not a magician - Advocaat backs Mourinho to succeed

Jose Mourinho will be a success at Manchester United, according to Fenerbahce boss Dick Advocaat, but the Dutchman has warned the Portuguese is "not a magician".

Mourinho has faced criticism after collecting fewer points from his first 10 Premier League games in charge than David Moyes managed in his spell at the club, after United were held 0-0 by Burnley on Saturday.

United have only scored one goal in their last four league games but former Sunderland manager Advocaat, speaking ahead of Thursday's Europa League clash in Turkey, offered support to Mourinho."This man has proved himself in all countries," Advocaat said. "If you see how many prizes he has won it's almost unbelievable - but he's not a magician.

"Quality wise, when you have such players as United it's still difficult to find [the best team]. Is it [Anthony] Martial, [Marcus] Rashford, [Wayne] Rooney? It's quite difficult.

"I'm quite sure they will play for the first place, no doubt about that, and they will start winning games as well. [Zlatan] Ibrahimovic will start scoring goals as well, because that man knows how to score.

"At the moment not everything is going the right way. You see the amount of chances last Saturday, it's unbelievable they didn't score. If you don't create chances that's a different story. There's no reason to be worried about the team and the manager."

Advocaat insists Fenerbahce will not play for a draw against United, despite suffering a 4-1 loss to Mourinho's men at Old Trafford two weeks ago.

"First of all we always go out to win the game," he said. "Playing with that organisation we can stop United, but if we have the opportunity to attack we will. But we play against Manchester United, a great team with great players.

"A home game is different. With the fans behind us we have seen it can help. We always have the adventure to win the game and not to go out to pay for 0-0. But we play against another team."

Robin van Persie scored a consolation goal for Fenerbahce on his return to Old Trafford, but the veteran Dutchman is an injury doubt for Thursday's game.

 

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Mourinho admits Schweinsteiger first-team return 'is an option'

Bastian Schweinsteiger could play again for Manchester United this season, manager Jose Mourinho has said.

The retired Germany international made a surprise return to Monday's first-team training session having previously been frozen out of the senior squad and instructed to train alone by Mourinho.

Defender Luke Shaw said afterwards that it was a huge plus to the squad to have the experienced midfielder return, with United having endured indifferent form this season that has left them eight points adrift of Premier League leaders Manchester City.

Although Schweinsteiger is ineligible for Thursday's Europa League clash with Fenerbahce, Mourinho says he could be called upon should his squad be struck by injuries to key midfield players.

If not, Mourinho is confident that the 32-year-old will boost his chances of finding a new club in January by regaining some additional fitness."We made the decision last Thursday, we informed him last Friday so he joined the team last Monday," said the Portuguese boss.

"It's a decision based on the fact that we're in a period where it's really difficult to train with everybody together.

"In this moment, the next day after we play, the players who played train in a different recovery session so the group becomes 13, 14, and with injuries sometimes 10, 11."The way Bastian was working professionally, every day with the fitness coach, it's a human decision, a professional decision to bring him back to the team.

"He'll be in much better condition in case his future decision is to leave the club. If he stays with us and becomes one more option - and in this moment we have no problems in midfield - but if we do one day then he will be one more option."It's a decision that can be positive for the group, so it's good for us and for him."

 

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Mourinho handed one-match touchline ban & fined by FA

Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has been handed a one-match touchline ban and fined £50,000 by the Football Association for two separate incidents involving referees.

The first charge refers to Mourinho's disparaging comments regarding the assignment of referee Anthony Taylor to officiate the team's 0-0 draw against Liverpool in October.

He had remarked that Manchester-based Taylor would find it "difficult" to referee the game, adding that assigning Taylor to the game had "put pressure" on the official.

The Portuguese then fell afoul of English football's governing body after he was sent off in United's recent clash with Burnley, during which he had verbally abused referee Mark Clattenberg.

Mourinho had not appealed the incident in which he was sent to the stands for protesting Clattenberg's refusal to award his side a penalty for a trip on Matteo Darmian in the box.

And the FA have now published their punishment, ruling that the manager will not be able to lead United against Swansea City at the weekend.

"An Independent Regulatory Commission heard that Mourinho accepted the comments he made on 14 October 2016 constituted improper conduct but denied they brought the game into disrepute, in contravention of Rule E3(1)," a statement on the FA's website stated."The Commission found the disrepute element of the charge proven and as well as being fined, Mourinho was warned as to his future conduct.

"Separate to this, Mourinho will serve an immediate one-match touchline ban after he admitted using abusive and/or insulting words towards a match official and accepted the standard penalty."

 

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Bale sets Real Madrid record for fastest Champions League goal

Gareth Bale's opener for Real Madrid against Legia Warsaw just 57 seconds into their Champions League tie on Wednesday is the club's fastest in the competition.

The Welshman hammered home a stunning volley less than a minute into the clash at Pepsi Arena following a flick-on from Ronaldo.

And Bale had more than one reason other than having netted a potential goal of the campaign candidate as he wrote himself into Madrid's history books.

 

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Juventus 1-1 Lyon: Tolisso strikes late to frustrate hosts

Juventus missed the opportunity to punch their ticket to the Champions League knockout stages as Corentin Tolisso's late header earned Lyon a 1-1 draw in Turin.

Serie A champions Juve knew a win at Juventus Stadium on Wednesday would have been enough to secure a last-16 berth.

All appeared well for Massimiliano Allegri's men when Gonzalo Higuain clinically dispatched a first-half penalty after teenager Mouctar Diakhaby clumsily shoved Stefano Sturaro in the area.

That was Higuain's 100th goal for Italian teams and he missed a gilt-edged opportunity to double his and Juve's tally shortly before the break, while Mario Mandzukic was wasteful on a couple of occasions.

And it ultimately proved costly as Juve were punished for a lacklustre second-half showing when Tolisso met Rachid Ghezzal's late free-kick to earn a share of the spoils.

Juve now have eight points from four matches and will have another opportunity to progress next time out against Group H leaders Sevilla, while Lyon maintain slim hopes with four points from as many games.

Bruno Genesio's men were lively in the opening stages and Gianluigi Buffon - making his 100th Champions League appearance - made a smart save with his legs from Maciej Rybus, who had raced onto a sumptuous Alexandre Lacazette throughball.Juve soon settled and Mandzukic's 25-yard effort drew a smart stop from Anthony Lopes.

And the hosts were gifted the opener in the 13th minute when Diakhaby inexplicably pushed Sturaro in the area, with Higuain smashing the resulting penalty into the bottom-left corner.The goal boosted Juve with Miralem Pjanic dictating their expansive play, while Claudio Marchisio drilled a 25-yard effort that shaved the left post.

It should have been 2-0 five minutes before the break. Mandzukic robbed Emanuel Mammana of possession and slipped in Higuain, who ballooned his effort over with only Lopes to beat.Lyon almost caught Juve cold before the break with Ghezzal dragging an effort wide and Maxime Gonalons heading off target.

But Juve threatened again early in the second half when Leonardo Bonucci's exquisite long pass was nodded down by Pjanic to Mandzukic, who skewed wide with a limp half-volley.

The home side were guilty on a couple of occasions of being wasteful in possession, but Lyon lacked the coolness to capitalise.That became a familiar pattern of a lacklustre second half and Lyon wasted several promising positions.

However, Juve were finally punished six minutes from time. Ghezzal's excellent free-kick delivery from the right flank was met by Tolisso, who ghosted in against some uncharacteristically slack Juve defending to score the first goal the Bianconeri have conceded in this season's competition.

It was almost worse for Juve in injury-time when Andrea Barzagli slipped allowing Sergi Darder to launch a swift counter-attack, but Lacazette saw his effort hit the side-netting under pressure from Barzagli.

 

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Sevilla 4-0 Dinamo Zagreb: Vietto puts Sampaoli's side on verge of knockout stages

Sevilla are on the brink of sealing progress to the knockout stages of the Champions League in style on Wednesday after they hammered Dinamo Zagreb 4-0.

Jorge Sampaoli's men would have secured progression if Juventus had also beaten Lyon, but the French side claimed a commendable 1-1 draw in Turin, forcing Sevilla to remain patient with two matches to go - from which they need a solitary point.

The Europa League holders rarely looked like dropping points against Dinamo and Luciano Vietto's opening goal was just reward for a purposeful start, with Steven N'Zonzi also hitting the frame of the goal beforehand.

Brazilian midfielder Ganso starred in his first start since the 1-1 draw at Eibar on September 17 and was key in two fine moves early in the second period as Sevilla looked to make the most of Petar Stojanovic's dismissal just before the break
Ganso was unsurprisingly involved when Sevilla did finally get a second, with left-back Sergio Escudero providing a cool finish to cap off a great move.

Sevilla added gloss to the scoreline in the final 10 minutes - N'Zonzi and then Wissam Ben Yedder finding the net to secure a comprehensive victory and move on to 10 points from four games, while they continued their run of not conceding in this year's competition.The home side dictated possession right from the start, with the elegant Ganso and N'Zonzi playing key roles.

But Dinamo's deep defence initially proved difficult to breach, as Sevilla struggled to find spaces in behind them in order to exploit the pace of Vietto and Vitolo.

A first chance eventually presented itself in the 22nd minute, though it came via a more direct route, as N'Zonzi met Escudero's left-wing cross, but his header was tipped on to the crossbar by Dominik Livakovic.However, the goalkeeper perhaps should have done better as Sevilla went ahead just after the half-hour mark.

Franco Vazquez delivered a low cross after being released up the left flank by Ganso and Vietto turned his man before firing a shot that Livakovic could only parry into the goal at his near post.Dinamo's task was made even tougher on the stroke of half-time thanks to Stojanovic picking up a second booking for a late tackle on Vitolo.

Sevilla's supremacy only got more convincing in the second half but Ganso could only scuff wide after inspiring a couple of one-twos on the edge of the area and the Brazilian was at the centre of things again shortly after, scooping an exquisite pass into the area for Vitolo, only for the Spain international to see his volley palmed away by Livakovic.

The hosts eventually netted a second in style. Ganso picked out Escudero on the left and the full-back exchanged a give-and-go with Vitolo, before skipping past a defender and clinically finding the bottom-far corner.

Sampaoli's men put the match beyond Dinamo's reach 10 minutes from the end, as N'Zonzi nodded in from a corner before substitute Ben Yedder added a fourth for good measure, firing home from close-range after the ball kindly ricocheted into his path.

 

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FC Copenhagen 0-0 Leicester City: Foxes remain on track for last-16

Leicester City missed the chance to secure a place in the knockout stages as their 100 per cent record in the Champions League came to an end in a drab 0-0 draw with Copenhagen.

Claudio Ranieri's men had visited the Danish capital for their Christmas party last year, but their stunning Premier League title win made this trip a rather more serious affair.And, while the Foxes have struggled to replicate last season's glorious form in domestic action, their European adventure had been seamless prior to this fixture.

Without club-record signing Islam Slimani, though, Leicester's forward line looked blunt as Riyad Mahrez and Jamie Vardy both struggled to stamp their mark on the game.

A bore draw was the outcome, with Copenhagen only occasionally threatening to become the first side to score against the English champions in this competition.
Elsewhere, Porto's 1-0 victory at home to Club Brugge was enough to delay Leicester's progression to the last-16.

Copenhagen had previously failed to score in the first half of a group-stage game this season, and, true to form, there were few chances early on.Federico Santander got up to meet Benjamin Verbic's lofted centre but looped his header wide, before William Kvist rolled a 25-yard effort past the near post.

Leicester captain Wes Morgan then cheaply served up another opening for Santander with a loose touch, but the subsequent tame shot was claimed comfortably by Kasper Schmeichel.

It was one of a number of Leicester errors to encourage the hosts, but Copenhagen were unable to profit as Andreas Cornelius and Santander both fired off target.

The visitors finally found some rhythm before the break, only for Jeffrey Schlupp and former Copenhagen man Daniel Amartey to drag their attempts into the arms of Robin Olsen.

Genuine opportunities were at a premium again after the interval, with Peter Ankersen lashing over the crossbar from the edge of the area - and Mahrez doing likewise at the other end.Vardy optimistically claimed for a penalty to no avail as he tangled with Erik Johansson, and the hosts were soon back on the attack.

Verbic blazed high when running onto Youssef Toutouh's cross, but he came significantly closer from Ludwig Augustinsson's centre. Schmeichel got something on the 22-year-old's close-range flick, though, with Christian Fuchs then on hand to hack clear from on the goal-line.

The game's greatest chance was to come in the final seconds as Cornelius rose to head at goal from Kasper Kusk's delivery, but Schmeichel was there again to brilliantly save in the bottom corner, and Santander sliced the rebound wide.While Leicester held on for a point after a gruelling 90 minutes, results elsewhere kept Ranieri and his side waiting on a place in the next round.

 

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Monaco 3-0 CSKA Moscow: Falcao double extends Group E lead

Radamel Falcao's first Champions League goals for over six years helped Monaco extend their lead at the top of Group E with a comfortable 3-0 win over CSKA Moscow.

Both the Monaco captain and Valere Germain took advantage of some shambolic CSKA defending to score before the Colombia striker - whose previous strike in the tournament came in February 2010 - added a wonderful third before half-time.

The Ligue 1 side are now in pole position to qualify from Group E and hold a two-point lead over Bayer Leverkusen in second before they host Tottenham – who are four points adrift in third - in three weeks.

CSKA had chances of their own, particularly through Carlos Strandberg - who was picked ahead of Lacina Traore against his parent club - but were left to pay the price for a series of mistakes at the back.

Leonid Slutsky's men have now won just one of their last nine games in all competitions and remain rooted to the bottom of the group, with their chances of progression fading fast.

Monaco were gifted the first goal on 12 minutes, as CSKA's backline failed in their attempt to play Germain offside following a half-cleared free-kick, allowing the Monaco forward free run at goal to convert at the second attempt.

It was an opening period littered with defensive errors from both sides and the hosts almost immediately handed back their lead, but Zoran Tosic failed to take advantage of Monaco keeper Danijel Subasic clearing the ball right to him as his effort was saved.CSKA went even closer when Subasic sprawled to deny Carlos Strandberg after he raced behind the Monaco defence.

But it was Monaco who doubled their lead after 28 minutes when an unmarked Falcao slid to bundle in a pinpoint Benjamin Mendy cross at the far post for his first Champions League goal since February 2010.

Skipper Falcao grabbed his second four minutes before the break, finishing a fantastic move that he started by exchanging a lovely one-two with Germain before rolling his marker and firing impressively past Akinfeev.

The 30-year-old started the second half in the same vein as he searched desperately for his hat-trick, but he blazed wide from a powerful Mendy cross, saw another goalbound effort blocked and then fired another opportunity straight at Akinfeev.

Falcao's best opportunity for a third was still to come midway through the second half as he smartly controlled in the area before shooting wide. His substitution with 16 minutes remaining ultimately ended those hopes.

CSKA, meanwhile, had brought on Traore after his goal in last month's 1-1 draw between the two sides, but he could not inspire the visitors to find a way back into the contest.

The game petered out in the latter stages, with the hosts happy to keep ball and see out the emphatic win which takes Leonardo Jardim's men a step closer to the last 16.

 

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Godak kalekata passe Falcao meh wage play karanawa dakke

Congratzzzzzzz Falcao!​

 

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Legia Warsaw 3-3 Real Madrid: Blancos blow brilliant Bale blitz

Real Madrid could only draw 2-2 against Legia Warsaw in the Champions League on Wednesday, surrendering a two-goal lead secured by Gareth Bale's opening-minute blockbuster.The Welshman had got on the scoresheet in the 57th second with Madrid's fastest goal in the Champions League, netting a goal of the season contender from a volley.

Bale then turned provider for Karim Benzema to double the visitors lead, but Legia - playing in an empty stadium - came back strongly in the second half to peg Zinedine Zidane's men back before taking their own lead.

Vadis Odjidja-Ofoe halved the deficit with a wonder strike of his own before the break as Miroslav Radovic equalised on the hour mark, leaving Thibault Moulin to celebrate what he must have thought was Legia's winner in the 83rd minute.But it was not to be, as Mateo Kovacic equalised two minutes later to ensure a thrilling encounter with the spoils shared.

The draw means Madrid are now two points behind Group F leaders Borussia Dortmund and five ahead of Sporting CP. Meanwhile, Legia can no longer progress, but still harbour hope of a Europa League place.

Bale needed little time to make his mark, capitalising after Legia failed to clear their lines by lashing a wondrous volley into the top-right corner.

Madrid unsurprisingly continued to dictate proceedings and Raphael Varane went agonisingly close to making it 2-0 as his header was cleared off the line before Benzema drew a fine save from Arkadiusz Malarz.

Malarz was called into action again when Bale's header from a near-post corner forced the Legia goalkeeper to produce an excellent finger-tip stop, with Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo unable to force home the rebound.Bale then had Malarz scrambling again with a vicious drive from the edge of the area that dipped just over the crossbar.

But the second goal finally arrived in the 35th minute, with Bale involved again as he latched onto Kovacic's clever pass and laid the ball off for Benzema to slot into the bottom-right corner.

However, the two-goal advantage was halved just five minutes later, Odjidja-Ofoe weaving his way to the edge of the area and curling a left-footed strike beyond Keylor Navas.

A bright start to the second half saw a Bale near-post volley kept out by Malarz and Ronaldo fire into the side-netting, with Legia midfielder Guilherme then bending a free-kick narrowly off target at the other end.

But Radovic did make Madrid pay for not extending their lead, finding the net with a low drive from just outside the box after being afforded too much space by the visitors' defence.

Benezma went close to restoring Madrid's advantage as he had an effort deflected narrowly wide by Adam Hlousek before Ronaldo sent a header past the right-hand post.

Ronaldo looked in the mood to settle matters, testing Malarz with a free-kick and looping a header over, but instead it was Moulin who seemed to have clinched an unbelievable result by meeting Aleksandar Prijovic's lay-off with a superb strike with seven minutes left.

There was a final twist in the tale, though, and it came as Kovacic met Dani Carvajal's flick with a confident angled finish, with the woodwork denying Madrid a last-gasp win when Lucas Vazquez rattled the bar.

 

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Tottenham 0-1 Bayer Leverkusen: Kampl strike leaves Spurs reeling

Bayer Leverkusen boosted their hopes of qualifying from Champions League Group E and left Tottenham's campaign in serious trouble as Kevin Kampl's second-half goal gave them a 1-0 away win at Wembley.

Kampl found the net from close range after 65 minutes to earn his side their first win of the European campaign and end a run of five consecutive Champions League draws stretching back to last season.The two teams fought out a 0-0 draw at the BayArena last month and a repeat scoreline looked to be on the cards after a drab first half.

But the game sparked into life after the break, with Christian Eriksen and Kyle Walker both going close for the hosts before Kampl bagged what proved to be the winner at the other end.

Eric Dier came closest to salvaging a point for the Premier League side, but his late free-kick crashed against the bar and substitute Vincent Janssen was unable to force home the rebound.

The victory was enough for the visitors to leapfrog Tottenham in the group standings and to compound a grim night for Mauricio Pochettino's men, who also lost Mousa Dembele to injury.Spurs are now four points behind leaders Monaco and two adrift of Leverkusen with only two games remaining.

The hosts made a nervy start, seemingly unsettled by Leverkusen's hard pressing and speed on the break, but ultimately there was little for either set of fans to get excited about during a largely forgettable first half.Neither side managed to produce a single shot until the 33rd minute when Eriksen's 20-yard strike drew a regulation save from Bernd Leno.

Javier Hernandez saw his goalbound effort deflected wide by Jan Vertonghen just before the break after Julian Brandt's pressure had forced an error from Walker on the edge of his own box.

Tottenham immediately showed a greater sense of urgency at the start of the second half with Dele Alli having a penalty claim waved away after tumbling over Omer Toprak's outstretched leg and the increasingly influential Erikssen firing narrowly wide moments later.

But Leverkusen also looked livelier going forward and Hernandez forced a smart stop from Hugo Lloris after Dier's hesitant defending had put his side in trouble.Walker then capped a surging run into the box by firing a low cross-shot inches wide of the far post, but it was the German side who hit the front.

The effervescent Brandt got away down the left and picked out Charles Aranguiz, but when his shot was partially blocked, the loose ball fell kindly for Kampl to rifle it past Lloris.

Roger Schmidt's men then defended stoutly to retain the lead and with the notable exception of Dier's free-kick, which struck the woodwork from just outside the box, succeeded in soaking up some concerted pressure in the latter stages to leave Spurs with an uphill task.

 

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Borussia Dortmund 1-0 Sporting: Ramos header sends BVB through

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was dropped from Borussia Dortmund's squad but Thomas Tuchel's side secured progression from Champions League Group F regardless with a 1-0 victory over Sporting CP.

Dortmund's top scorer Aubameyang had been set to start Wednesday's clash at Signal Iduna Park but, in a late alteration, the 27-year-old was replaced by Adrian Ramos.

Tuchel cited "internal reasons" as the only explanation for Aubameyang's suspension, but the forward was not missed as Ramos gave Dortmund the advantage early on.

Ramos' header - his first Champions League goal of the season - set the tone for a frantic first half and Jorge Jesus' side pressed hard for a leveller before the impressive Christian Pulisic hit the woodwork.

To Tuchel's annoyance, Dortmund invited the pressure in the second half and the hosts would have been punished had Bryan Ruiz not squandered a gilt-edged chance late on.

The victory moves Dortmund to the top of Group F and seals their qualification for the knockout stages. Sporting, meanwhile, are all-but eliminated, though Real Madrid's draw at Legia Warsaw handed them a lifeline.

Despite Aubameyang's omission, Dortmund started brightly. Pulisic was unlucky not to be awarded a third-minute penalty when he was scythed down by Sebastian Coates, though Sporting had appeals of their own waved away after Marc Bartra had hauled down Luc Castaignos.

Ramos was tasked with leading Dortmund's line in Aubameyang's absence and the Colombian duly vindicated Tuchel's decision when he headed the hosts ahead on 12 minutes.

Pulisic and Mario Gotze were the architects as they combined to supply Matthias Ginter, and Ramos got enough on the defender's inch-perfect cross to beat Rui Patricio.

Gelson Martins twice went close to restoring parity after the half-hour mark, but Roman Burki and then Bartra did well to deny the youngster from close-range.
Still, Dortmund continued to search for a second - Gotze combining excellently with Pulisic - but the latter's point-blank strike rattled off the crossbar.

Tuchel's side should have extended their lead on the stroke of half-time, but Raphael Guerreiro could only fire into the side-netting after bursting in behind Sporting's defence.Martins continued to represent Sporting's greatest threat after the break, but Burki kept out the midfielder's stinging shot five minutes after the restart.

Jesus introduced Adrien Silva with an hour gone and the Portugal midfielder almost levelled proceedings with a venomous strike that whistled just over.Dortmund substitute Andre Schurrle was the next to go close - Patricio scrambling across to tip the former Wolfsburg forward's free-kick wide.

Ruiz had the opportunity to level proceedings with just over 10 minutes remaining, but the Costa Rica playmaker failed to hit the target with his close-range header as Dortmund held firm to book their place in the last 16.

 

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Barcelona respond to Suarez to Man Utd links

Barcelona president Jose Luis Bartomeu has insisted Luis Suarez will not be leaving Camp Nou despite reported interest in the striker from Manchester United.

Jose Mourinho has been linked with an astronomic €150 million bid for the Uruguayan, who lifted the Pichichi award last season as the top scorer in La Liga. But Bartomeu is adamant that his star forward is not going anywhere.

"We read, we listen, we see this news, but of course, our interest in this particular case is that Luis Suarez is happy at Barcelona," the president told Sky Sports. “We are trying to extend his contract with Barcelona and he is one of our big future efforts because he is still young, he has a vision, a lot of ambition.”

Suarez joined Barcelona in 2014 from Liverpool and has scored 94 goals in 111 appearances in all competitions so far.

 

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Leicester break Champions League defensive record

Leicester City may have missed the chance to secure their place in the last-16 of the Champions League in Copenhagen, but they still did enough to break a competition record.

In drawing 0-0 with the Danish champions, the Foxes became the first side in Champions League history to keep clean sheets in their first four matches in the competition.

Only Parma in 1997-98 and Malaga in 2012-13 had previously failed to concede in their opening three games, but their record has now been taken by Claudio Ranieri's miracle workers.

They needed Kasper Schmeichel to be on top form back in his homeland as he pulled off a superb last-minute save to deny Andreas Cornelius from close-range.

 

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Berbatov hints at return to Premier League

Former Tottenham and Manchester United striker Dimitar Berbatov has admitted he would jump at the chance of a return to the Premier League.

The Bulgarian, who is currently a free agent after being released by Greek side PAOK in the summer, revealed he would relish a move to England's top flight.
"When you've played in the Premier League you don't want to play anywhere else," he told Five Live.

"In this stage of my career I know where I am - I would happily play for a team where they use my experience and my knowledge. I can help young players develop and make the team stronger. In the end it's all about helping the team play."

Berbatov, now 35, scored 94 times over an eight-year period in England before leaving Fulham for Monaco in 2014.

 

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Welcome back Berbatov!​

 

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Madrid set unwanted defensive record under Zidane at Legia

Real Madrid conceded three goals for the first time with Zinedine Zidane as their coach when they were held 3-3 by Legia Warsaw in the Champions League on Wednesday.

Los Blancos had roared into a two-goal lead but found themselves losing 3-2 in the second half owing to a fantastic Legia comeback, before Mateo Kovacic salvaged a point.

It will be a point of concern to Zidane that his men let go of their lead so easily, with Keylor Navas now having conceded five goals in just three games.

The stat is particularly worrying given that the Costa Rican only let in three goals in 11 games in the last edition of the Champions League as Madrid went on to win it.

 

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OFFICIAL: Ex-Man Utd coach takes over at Wigan

Former Manchester youth team coach Warren Joyce has left the club to take up the post of manager at Wigan Athletic.Joyce, who had been in charge of the Red Devils' Under-21 and Under-23 teams for the past six years, was confirmed by his new club in a statement on Wednesday.

The likes of Paul Pogba, Ravel Morrison, Jesse Lingard, Marcus Rashford and Adnan Januzaj had progressed from United's youth ranks into the senior set-up.
Joyce is reported to have last been at loggerheads with United's first-team manager Jose Mourinho and his staff over the latter's refusal to let Bastian Schweinsteiger play for the reserves.

The former player has now signed a three-and-a-half year deal tying him to Wigan, with club chairman David Sharpe confident he can take the club forward.

Warren has everything we are looking for,” he said in a club statement. “He is an exceptional coach who has a reputation within the game for being among the very best at bringing through young players, as his record at Manchester United shows."But more than that, he has a winning mentality which transmits to his players and he has achieved great success in his time at United. It’s the perfect combination.

Warren has had several high profile opportunities but wants to move back into management and it is a measure of how highly we rate him that we are making such a long-term commitment.

From the moment we met, it was clear that there was a connection. He is a highly professional, focused and ambitious person and we share the same views regarding the long-term vision for the club.“He comes highly recommended and I am confident that we are appointing an excellent manager.”

Joyce takes over the reins at DW Stadium after previous manager Gary Caldwell was sacked for a poor start to the season that has left the club 22nd in the 24-team Championship.

 

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Zidane criticises Madrid's lack of intensity

Zinedine Zidane bemoaned a lack of intensity from Real Madrid after they let a two-goal lead slip in a 3-3 Champions League draw with Legia Warsaw.

Gareth Bale opened the scoring with Madrid's fastest goal in the Champions League after 57 seconds in a contest played behind closed-doors in Warsaw, netting with a blistering long-range volley, and was involved again as he set up Karim Benzema to make it 2-0.

But Vadis Odjidja-Ofoe pulled one back before half-time, with Miroslav Radovic then levelling matters in the 58th minute and Thibault Moulin completing an incredible turnaround seven minutes from time.

However, Mateo Kovacic rescued a point for Madrid two minutes later, with the visitors denied a victory as Lucas Vazquez rattled the crossbar with the last kick of the game.

The result means Madrid will have to wait to confirm their place in the last 16.Zidane's men trail Group F leaders Borussia Dortmund by two points and are five ahead of third-placed Sporting CP with two games left.

"It was a strange match, and we couldn't do what we wanted to," Zidane told beIN Sports. "We lacked a bit of everything, especially intensity. We lost it and then you can concede. We didn't lose but the feeling is bad. We have plenty to analyse.

"When you go 2-0 up you must think a bit more and be a bit more together as a team. We did not do that, we let them have more space."For sure it is more difficult [to win the group], but it does not change anything for us, we can still finish first and we aim for that."