..::Football IV::..

[Wolverine GTR]

Man City suffer first home reverse after taking the lead since 2009

Manchester City's 3-1 loss to Chelsea in the Premier League on Saturday was their first defeat at home after taking the lead since 2009.

Pep Guardiola's men could not believe their luck when Gary Cahill acrobatically opened the scoring for them before half-time.

However, they were powerless to resist the Blues's fightback in the second half as Diego Costa, Willian and Eden Hazard led an impressive comeback.
It is their first such loss at home since April 2009 when they surrendered a lead against Fulham to lose by the same 3-1 scoreline.

 

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Borussia Dortmund 4-1 Gladbach: Aubameyang double fires hosts back to winning ways

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang netted a double as Borussia Dortmund edged closer to Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich and RB Leipzig with a comprehensive 4-1 victory over Borussia Monchengladbach.

Aubameyang moved three clear of Anthony Modeste in the Bundesliga scoring charts when he slotted in Dortmund's fourth midway through the second half, the culmination of an exquisite move from Thomas Tuchel's side.In a whirlwind start to Saturday's clash at Signal Iduna Park, it had been Gladbach who took the advantage courtesy of Raffael's opener.

Their lead lasted less than a minute, though – Aubameyang hauling Dortmund level before Lukasz Piszczek headed the hosts ahead.

Gladbach did test Dortmund after the restart, but their resolve was broken inside the last half an hour – Ousmane Dembele and Aubameyang capping a sparkling Dortmund performance, the latter netting his 15th top-flight goal of the season.
The result moves Dortmund up into fifth place, six points behind the joint league leaders, while Gladbach have now gone eight league games without a win.

Aubameyang went close as Dortmund started brightly, but the hosts found themselves behind six minutes in, Marc Bartra's clearance falling to Raffael to drill in a strike from the edge of the box.

Gladbach's lead was short-lived, however, as just 59 seconds after falling behind, Dortmund restored parity.Marco Reus, making his first Bundesliga start of the campaign, was the architect with a neat flick to Aubameyang and the Gabon strike duly rounded off the move with a first-time effort that evaded the grasp of Yann Sommer.

And Dortmund wasted no time in completing the turnaround in the 15th minute, Piszczek on hand to nod in from close range after Bartra had helped on Dembele's out-swinging corner.

Reus, who scored 36 goals in 97 Bundesliga appearances for Gladbach, looked set to extend Dortmund's lead on the half-hour mark, only for Nico Elvedi to come to the visitors' rescue with a superb last-ditch challenge – with Matthias Ginter volleying over from the resulting corner.

Dortmund maintained their momentum after the interval and Reus thought he had netted their third when he turned home Piszczek's cross with a clever back-heel, but the Germany winger had strayed offside.

Reus almost cost his side the lead moments later, Raffael able to drive into Dortmund's penalty area after cutting out the forward's pass, but his cross was deflected wide by Sokratis Papastathopoulos.

Dortmund's shaky defence was exposed again from the following corner, with Andreas Christensen able to steal in unmarked, only for the Chelsea loanee to direct his header over.However, Dortmund had their third 64 minutes in, Dembele engineering space for himself in the area before slotting home in composed fashion.

Tuchel's side were not finished there, though, and carved open Gladbach four minutes later – Dembele and Reus combining excellently to set-up Aubameyang, who duly converted from six-yards out.

Dortmund could have added further gloss to their victory late on, with Sommer denying substitute Christian Pulisic from point-blank range, but that that miss mattered little as Tuchel's charges – beaten by Eintracht Frankfurt last time out – returned to winning ways in style.

 

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Crystal Palace 3-0 Southampton: Benteke double sinks Saints

Christian Benteke scored twice as Crystal Palace eased some of the growing pressure on under-fire manager Alan Pardew with a 3-0 Premier League victory over Southampton at Selhurst Park.

Pardew's position has come under scrutiny after the Eagles lost six consecutive top-flight matches, including last week's incredible 5-4 defeat to Swansea City, and they were only outside of the relegation zone on goal difference prior to Saturday's contest.

But Palace were given a huge helping hand against their manager's former club via an uncharacteristic error from Fraser Forster, whose woeful missed kick allowed Benteke to open the scoring with his first goal for the club on home soil in the 33rd minute.Southampton again did not cover themselves in glory for Palace's second just three minutes later as James Tomkins bundled home from a corner.

Claude Puel's side were much improved in the second half with teenager Josh Sims – who scored the winner on his debut against Everton last weekend – going close and Virgil van Dijk seeing a header hit the crossbar.

But Benteke added a third late on to ease any Palace nerves and send his side up to 13th in the table, while an out-of-sorts Saints drop into the bottom half.

There was little to excite either set of supporters in the opening exchanges, although Sofiane Boufal showed a great piece of skill on the edge of the area before seeing a shot blocked by Damien Delaney.

Palace, while more solid at the back, initially struggled going forwards, but Benteke headed wide on the stretch from Wilfried Zaha's right-wing cross.

But two goals in the space of three minutes swung the game in the hosts' favour.
The first was an absolute gift from Forster, who air-kicked Jose Fonte's simple pass allowing Benteke an easy tap-in, before more woeful defending from a Palace corner saw Tomkins scramble over the line from Joe Ledley's flick.

Saints offered little by way of a response, but Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg demonstrated excellent technique with a left-footed volley that just cleared the post on the stroke of half-time.

The visitors missed a great chance to get back into the game after the break when the unmarked Boufal wastefully volleyed over the top from Nathan Redmond's brilliant dinked cross.Saints continued to up the pressure and Sims cut onto his left foot in the area before curling his shot over the crossbar.

Palace's goal lived a charmed life when Shane Long's header was saved at the near post by Wayne Hennessey and from the resulting corner Van Dijk saw a looping header hit the crossbar, with Fonte then volleying wide from eight yards.

And the visitors were made to pay for profligacy when Jason Puncheon kept Ledley's weak shot alive and played across goal for Benteke to tap in from inside the six-yard box.

 

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Sunderland 2-1 Leicester City: Defoe fires Black Cats off the bottom

Sunderland moved off the bottom of the Premier League table thanks to a 2-1 victory over Leicester City at the Stadium of Light.The hosts got back to winning ways thanks to an own goal from Robert Huth and Jermain Defoe's strike as their early-season malaise showed more signs of lifting.

David Moyes' team started positively but had to wait until the 64th minute to open the scoring when substitute Jan Kirchhoff's header ricocheted off Huth and nestled into the back of the net.

Referee Andre Marriner opted against awarding Sunderland what appeared to be a deserved penalty for Danny Simpson's tackle on the adventurous Patrick van Aanholt, but Defoe added their second with an instinctive finish 13 minutes from time.

Leicester managed to pull one back when substitutes Demarai Gray and Shinji Okazaki combined for the Japanese to steer home, but concerns will remain over Jamie Vardy's form after his barren run was extended to 16 matches in all competitions.Sunderland held on for the win but remain in the relegation zone, while Leicester's winless run in the top flight now stands at five matches.

The Stadium of Light crowd was boisterous as Sunderland came flying out of the blocks, Victor Anichebe having a shot deflected wide by Wes Morgan and a mishit effort from Defoe enough to excite the home faithful.

Van Aanholt was positive down Sunderland's left but proved vulnerable to Leicester's counter-attacks, although the visitors' best chances came from set-pieces.

Vardy, however, was unable to make the most of a pair of headed opportunities.
Claudio Ranieri's side grew into the game and Christian Fuchs saw his floated cross from the left wing strike the crossbar in first-half stoppage time.

Kirchhoff replaced Jason Denayer for the second half, while Steven Pienaar was brought off for Sebastian Larsson after a collision with Marc Albrighton at the end of the first half resulted in the South African suffering a head injury.

Leicester remained in the ascendancy but, after Islam Slimani had a shot from six yards blocked by Papy Djilobodji, it was Sunderland who got the opening goal.
Kirchhoff's near-post header from Larsson's corner struck Huth and beat the wrongfooted Ron-Robert Zieler.The hosts were unfortunate not to be awarded a penalty when Simpson sent Van Aanholt down inside the box, though Marriner was unmoved.

Ranieri sent Ahmed Musa and Gray on in the 73rd minute in a bid to spark a recovery, but they quickly fell two behind.Huth blocked Watmore's strike from the left-hand side of the box but the rebound fell to Defoe, who rifled beyond the helpless Zieler.

There was still hope for Leicester when Okazaki, who replaced Slimani, guided Gray's low delivery from the left beyond Jordan Pickford to set up a tense finale.

Watmore was taken off on a stretcher with five minutes remaining and Jordan Pickford produced a brilliant save to deny Morgan following a scramble in the box in the 96th minute.

That ensured Sunderland held on for the victory, with Leicester's next task a trip to Porto for their final Champions League group-stage match.

 

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Barcelona 1-1 Real Madrid: Ramos snatches late point in Clasico

A 90th-minute header from Sergio Ramos saw Real Madrid snatch a 1-1 draw against Barcelona to retain their six-point lead at the top of La Liga after a lacklustre Clasico.

The Spain centre-back turned in a brilliant free-kick from Luka Modric to cancel out Luis Suarez's opener and stretch Madrid's unbeaten run to 33 matches in all competitions.

Suarez nodded in Neymar's free-kick shortly after half-time to put Barca ahead in a cagey contest at Camp Nou, and the home side spurned a number of opportunities to double their advantage before Ramos struck.

Zinedine Zidane's side claimed a 2-1 victory on the same ground last season and looked the more dangerous in a scrappy first half, with Cristiano Ronaldo twice denied by Marc-Andre ter Stegen and Javier Mascherano fortunate not to concede a penalty for a foul on Lucas Vazquez.

In a game in which opportunities were at a premium, Barca eventually found a breakthrough with a simple set-piece, although they were arguably a little fortunate that referee Carlos Clos Gomez did not penalise Suarez for a push in the build-up.

Confidence around Camp Nou had been shaky given Barca's dreadful showing in the draw with Real Sociedad last week, but the crowd made their approval clear as the home side began to control proceedings shortly after Andres Iniesta came off the bench for his first appearance since October.

Neymar and Lionel Messi both missed clear chances to settle the contest and the champions were punished when Ramos – thrown forward as an auxiliary striker late on – salvaged a draw to keep Madrid unbeaten in the league and firmly in control of the title race.

A typically feisty start culminated in a strong shout for a penalty from Madrid being waved away, after Mascherano had bundled over Lucas just inside the area.

Barca's first slick move of the game saw Neymar pick out Sergi Roberto at the far post, with further penalty appeals dismissed despite the full-back's protestations that Ramos had blocked the ball with his upper arm.

Chances were few and far between in the first half hour, with Ronaldo's tame header and a Messi free-kick that was comfortably caught by Keylor Navas the only efforts of note from the Clasico's star duo.

Barca were becoming frustrated as a diligent Madrid kept them at bay without any real difficulty, and Ter Stegen had to be alert twice to deny Ronaldo from 18 yards from two encouraging counter-attacks.

Ronaldo blasted over from a tight angle just after the break, but although Madrid continued to look the more likely, it was Barca who snatched the lead after 53 minutes.

Neymar's free-kick from close to the corner flag was headed low past Navas by Suarez from six yards, with referee Clos Gomez happy to allow the goal to stand despite the visitors appealing for a push from the Uruguay international on Lucas.

The goal and the return of captain Iniesta - a replacement for Ivan Rakitic - galvanised the home side, as they began to take more control of midfield and frustrate Madrid with better spells of possession.

Neymar spurned a glorious opportunity to settle the contest with just over 20 minutes to play as he raced into the penalty area past Dani Carvajal before rifling a shot over the crossbar from 12 yards out, much to the frustrations of coach Luis Enrique.

Iniesta then saw a shot deflected into the side-netting and Messi dragged a promising opening wide from inside the area, before Ronaldo passed up a glorious chance to make it 1-1 with a poor header.

However, Madrid did manage to find the all important breakthrough as Ramos leapt highest to power Modric's free-kick past Ter Stegen to punish the champions.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Montpellier 3-0 PSG: Reigning champions miss the opportunity to go top

Paris Saint-Germain missed the opportunity to climb to the top of Ligue 1 as goals from Paul Lasne, Ellyes Skhiri and Ryad Boudebouz condemned them to a surprise 3-0 defeat at struggling Montpellier.

The hosts went into the game just two points above the relegation zone but took the lead through Lasne's neat chip just before the break, then doubled their advantage early in the second half courtesy of a stunning curler from Skhiri.As PSG laboured, they were undone again by Boudebouz's late solo effort in an uncharacteristically one-sided affair.

Angel Di Maria, Christopher Nkunku and Lucas Moura all went close for the champions, but despite dominating for long periods, they looked largely toothless in front of goal.

Defeat was PSG's third of the season and their first in the league against Montpellier since 2010.

Frederic Hantz's men, meanwhile, produced a sparkling performance - responding to recent criticism from their coach - as they improved upon a poor recent record of just one win from six league games.They were grateful, however, to goalkeeper Laurent Pionnier, who made several fine saves to keep Nkunku, Di Maria and Lucas at bay.

Although dominant in terms of possession, PSG only managed to unpick Montpellier's obdurate, five-man defence once in the first half.Di Maria provided the cross from the right, but Pionnier was equal to Nkunku's header.

The former Real Madrid forward Di Maria then skied a long-range effort over the crossbar and Lucas scuffed a shot wide from the edge of the box on the half-hour mark.

The hosts, meanwhile, took the lead from the only chance they managed to create before the break.

Hilton's long ball was allowed to reach Lasne just inside the box and as Alphonse Areola rushed unnecessarily off his line, the wing-back calmly lobbed him to claim his first goal of the season.

Montpellier doubled their lead in spectacular style three minutes into the second half.

Morgan Sanson showed great persistence to dispossess Marquinhos and then cut the ball cleverly back to the edge of the box, from where the onrushing Skhiri curled a superb shot into the right-hand corner of Areola's net.

PSG mounted an immediate response, but Pionnier did superbly to block a fierce strike from Di Maria and followed that up with another fine save to foil Lucas Moura.

Blaise Matuidi then squandered two decent chances and substitute Hatem Ben Arfa rifled a stinging drive just over the crossbar, as Unai Emery's men chased the game late on.

The final say went to the home side as Boudebouz capped a surging run that began midway inside his own half by crashing a 20-yard shot past Areola with 10 minutes left.

 

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'I don't know if it's a fair result' - Ramos accepts Real Madrid rode their luck against Barcelona

Real Madrid saviour Sergio Ramos suggested that Zinedine Zidane's men did not deserve their 1-1 draw at Barcelona in El Clasico on Saturday.

The hosts looked destined to secure a 1-0 win thanks to Luis Suarez's effort just after the break and went on to spurn a number of opportunities, with Neymar particularly guilty with one miss 20 minutes from the end.But Ramos headed in Luka Modric's free-kick in the 90th minute to secure a draw for the visitors, keeping their six-point advantage at the top of La Liga.

"I don't know if it's a completely fair the result," Ramos admitted. "But it was a great pass from Modric."It was really important to keep playing for a point. We worked hard to get the result.

"It was a very competitive game – both teams wanted possession in the first half and we maybe had more chances [before half-time]."We weren't as efficient as we could have been, but a point is better than nothing and allows us to keep the advantage in the league.

"It was an intense game that we played to our limit and it is a reward for the good work we've been doing since the start of the season."There's a long way to go, but it's better to rely on yourself rather than others."

 

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Zidane equals Mourinho's unbeaten record away as Madrid coach

Real Madrid's 1-1 El Clasico draw against Barcelona on Saturday represented Zinedine Zidane's 17th match unbeaten on the road, seeing him equal Jose Mourinho's record.

The visitors were trailing to Luis Suarez's second-half strike before Sergio Ramos' header in the 90th minute snatched a draw from the jaws of defeat.

And the defender's decisive intervention sees Zidane match the record of one of his predecessors Mourinho, with the Frenchman's side staying six points clear of Barcelona at the top of La Liga.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Juventus 3-1 Atalanta: Reigning champions pull seven points clear

Alex Sandro's spectacular solo effort set the tone for Juventus as Massimiliano Allegri's side returned to winning ways with a resounding 3-1 victory over Serie A's surprise package, Atalanta.

Injury-hit Juve, who slumped to a shock 3-1 defeat to Genoa last time out, raced ahead inside 15 minutes at Juventus Stadium, Brazil defender Alex Sandro powering home a shot from the edge of the area – and then dedicating his strike to the players and staff of Chapecoense following the recent plane-crash tragedy in Colombia.

Atalanta's success this term has been built on their solid defence, but Juve wasted no time in exerting their authority when Daniele Rugani's header doubled their advantage.

The hosts threatened to run riot after the interval, though they did not extend their lead until Mario Mandzukic got in on the act after 63 minutes – the Croatian capping-off a superb individual display with a brilliant header, although Remo Freuler did pull one back for Atalanta in the closing stages.

Juve's victory represents a 13th-successive triumph over Atalanta in the league, and moves the champions, temporarily at least, seven points clear of Roma and Milan.

The hosts' sluggish start cost them against Genoa last week, but it appeared Allegri's side had learnt their lessons from that defeat as they dominated the early stages this time.

Gonzalo Higuain was the first to test Atalanta's defence – which had kept four clean sheets from the previous five Serie A fixtures – goalkeeper Marco Sportiello doing well to deny the Argentina striker.

However, Juve did make their dominance count soon enough, Alex Sandro weaving his way in from the left before thumping into the bottom corner from 20 yards for his first goal of the season.

That strike sparked Juve's attack into full flow, and Higuain would almost certainly have doubled their advantage straight from the restart had it not been for a fantastic last-ditch challenge by Mattia Caldara.

Things did get worse for the visitors a few moments later, though, when slack marking allowed Rugani to steal in unmarked and head home Miralem Pjanic's excellent corner.

Pjanic, revelling in a free role behind Higuain and Mandzukic, went close himself as the half-hour mark approached, Sportiello just managing to tip over the playmaker's dipping free-kick.

For all their control, Juve almost found themselves pegged back prior to the interval, but a series of superb blocks from Mandzukic kept them ahead, as he prevented Jasmin Kurtic from heading in before twice covering for Gianluigi Buffon.Atalanta started the second half brightly, but Andrea Petagna failed to test Buffon from close range in their only meaningful attack.

Juve maintained the pressure, though, and Sportiello was again called into action when Claudio Marchisio tried his luck from 25 yards – Atalanta's shot-stopper getting down sharply to parry the strike wide.

Sportiello could do nothing to deny Mandzukic a deserved goal in the 64th minute, as the former Bayern Munich striker nodded home from another pin-point Pjanic corner.

Atalanta did restore some pride when Freuler slotted in a consolation strike from Marco D'Alessandro's cross, before Mario Lemina hit the post at the other end as the visitors' nine-game unbeaten run in Serie A came to an end.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

West Ham 1-5 Arsenal: Sanchez hat-trick sinks Hammers

Alexis Sanchez scored a 14-minute hat-trick in a frantic finale as Arsenal moved second in the Premier League with a 5-1 victory over struggling West Ham at London Stadium on Saturday.

With Manchester City having lost 3-1 at home to leaders Chelsea, Sanchez ensured Arsenal took their chance to move one point ahead of Pep Guardiola's side in a match that exploded into life in the closing stages, highlighted by a six-minute spell in which four goals were scored.

Arsenal moved ahead when Chile international Sanchez capitalised on an error from Angelo Ogbonna to tee up Mesut Ozil for his eighth strike in all competitions this term – equalling the total he managed in the entire 2015-16 season.

West Ham initially showed signs of improvement after the restart, but Sanchez put the result beyond doubt with two brilliant goals as the match reached a thrilling climax.

Andy Carroll was on target in his first appearance since August when he reacted quickest after Dimitri Payet's free-kick hit the crossbar, but Arsene Wenger's side responded with two more efforts.

After Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain curled home from distance, Sanchez wrapped up his hat-trick and moved joint-top of the Premier League scoring charts by committing Darren Randolph to ground and sending a lovely dinked finish into the back of the net.

The result heaped pressure on Slaven Bilic, whose side suffered an early setback when they were forced into a change when James Collins appeared to sustain a muscular injury in the seventh minute.

Right-back Alvaro Arbeloa's introduction prompted a switch from a back three to a four-man defence, and Nacho Monreal saw a pair of cutback's cleared by last-gasp West Ham defending.

Arsenal continued their push for the opener and, after Shkodran Mustafi's near-post flick-on agonisingly evaded the stretching Laurent Koscielny, they got it through Ozil.

The Germany international was left with the simplest of finishes after Sanchez pounced on Ogbonna's blocked pass to leave Ozil with an empty net to slot into
Bilic's team responded well after the break, but Petr Cech remained largely untested, unlike Randolph who produced a brilliant reaction save to deny substitute Aaron Ramsey before Ozil's acrobatic follow-up was blocked.

Sanchez punished their lack of creativity when he turned Arthur Masuaku on the right-hand side and drilled an excellent right-footed finish past Randolph in the 72nd minute.

A powerful drive into the bottom-left corner from 20 yards saw Sanchez double his tally and put the result beyond doubt with 10 minutes remaining, though there was still time for plenty more action.

Mustafi was booked for a foul on substitute Andre Ayew and Payet's effort from the resultant free-kick came back off the bar, Carroll pouncing to score with a stooping header.Arsenal hit back one minute later through a wonderful curling strike from the edge of the area by Oxlade-Chamberlain and they rapidly enhanced their lead further.

Oxlade-Chamberlain turned provider, releasing Sanchez, who showed sensational composure to hold off Winston Reid and complete the scoring with a deft finish.
Arsenal will slip to third if Liverpool overcome Bournemouth on Sunday, while West Ham now sit just three points off the foot of the table following Sunderland's win at home to Leicester City.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Barclays Premier Fixtures 2016.12.04

Barclays Premier Fixtures 2016.12.04

Bournemouth Vs Liverpool

Everton Vs Manchester United

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[Wolverine GTR]

Good Luck Manchester United!​

 

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LA Liga Fixtures 2016.12.04

LA Liga Fixtures 2016.12.04

Real Betis Vs Celta Vigo

Athletic Bilbao Vs Eibar

Alaves Vs Las Palmas

Sporting Gijon Vs Osasuna

Valencia Vs Malaga​

 

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Serie A Fixtures 2016.12.04

Serie A Fixtures 2016.12.04

AC Milan Vs Crotone

Lazio Vs Roma

Pescara Vs Cagliari

Sampdoria Vs Torino

Sassuolo Vs Empoli

Fiorentina Vs Palermo​

 

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Bundesliga Fixtures 2016.12.04

Bundesliga Fixtures 2016.12.04

Darmstadt Vs Hamburg

Augsburg Vs Frankfurt​

 

[Alucard_SxE]

Unbeaten in La Liga
Unbeaten in 33 consecutive matches in all competiotions
Ramos 75 goals for club & country
Ramos 4th highest scoring defender in la liga history
Zidane eaqualized Murinho's unbeaten away record

And at the top of the table!!
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Half Time

Everton 0 Vs 1 Manchester United

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Full Time

Everton 1 Vs 1 Manchester United

Everton Goal(s)

L.Baines 89'(PEN)

&

Manchester United Goal(s)

Z.Ibrahimovic 42'
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Fellaini kawa dinaganna thibba match 1kaMourinho tath Fellaini gawa ganne nathuwa innama bahaneaparade match 1ka

&

De Geapattama saves set 1kak kala

Good luck for the next match Manchester United!
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[Alucard_SxE]

Fellaini kawa dinaganna thibba match 1ka:angry
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