..::Football IV::..

[Wolverine GTR]

Dortmund star Aubameyang reignites Milan rumours: I would like to return


Borussia Dortmund star Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has reignited speculation over his future by confessing he would like to return to AC Milan.

Aubameyang was reportedly a target for Milan earlier on in the summer, but opted to stay put following a lack of offers, with Chelsea and Liverpool also being credited with an interest.Dortmund chief executive Hans-Joachim Watzke said in July that a deadline for the 28-year-old to leave the club had passed, but the striker seemingly remains open to a move to San Siro.

Asked if he wanted to go to Milan while live streaming on Instagram, Aubameyang said: "I would like to but they are not doing anything [to make it happen]. What can I do?"The comment will be a blow for Dortmund, who have suspended Barcelona target Ousmane Dembele indefinitely after he skipped training without permission amid a bid from the Catalan giants.

Aubameyang represented Milan at youth level but failed to make a senior appearance before leaving the club for Saint-Etienne in 2011.Milan chief executive Marco Fassone has openly admitted the Gabon international is a target for the Serie A club, who have already added the likes of Leonardo Bonucci, Andre Silva and Hakan Calhanoglu in an overhaul of their squad for the 2017-18 campaign.

Aubameyang scored 40 goals in all competitions last season and this month confessed to considering a lucrative switch to China.

He scored twice in a 3-1 pre-season victory over Milan and hit a hat-trick in Dortmund's 4-0 DFB-Pokal win over Rielasingen Arlen on Saturday.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Newcastle United 0 Tottenham 2: Alli and Davies punish Shelvey for petulant red card

Jonjo Shelvey's moment of petulance was punished by Dele Alli and Ben Davies as Tottenham opened their Premier League campaign with a 2-0 win over 10-man Newcastle United at St James' Park.

Newcastle kept Tottenham, who finished runners-up last term, at arm's length during a lacklustre first half, but Shelvey trod on Alli's ankle three minutes into the second period and was shown a straight red card by referee Andre Marriner.

Rafael Benitez's side, who had already lost Paul Dummett and debutant Florian Lejeune to injury, were unable to contain Spurs thereafter, with Alli making the breakthrough when he stretched to volley Christian Eriksen's exquisite delivery into the back of the net.

Davies added Tottenham's second with 20 minutes remaining, finishing a slick move with a composed finish beyond Newcastle goalkeeper Rob Elliot, Eriksen again the provider.


It will be a pleasing result for Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino, who has fielded difficult questions following Tottenham's absence of movement in the transfer market and the explosive comments from Danny Rose in which the left-back hit out at the way the club has been operating.

Harry Kane, last season's Golden Boot winner, could have added more gloss but struck the post late on and his wait for a Premier League goal in August continues.
Benitez, meanwhile, will be hugely frustrated that Newcastle's return to the top flight was spoiled by Shelvey’s peevishness.

Dwight Gayle overcame a hamstring injury to lead the Newcastle line and sliced over the crossbar when presented with an opportunity by Dummett, who soon suffered a similar issue and was forced off after just seven minutes – Jamaal Lascelles his replacement.

Tottenham controlled possession but Gayle threatened in behind and went down in the box under contact from Kyle Walker-Peters, making his Spurs debut at right back with Kyle Walker sold to Manchester City and Kieran Trippier out with an ankle injury, only to see the flag raised for offside.

Spurs lacked ingenuity and Kane was shown a yellow card for scything down Lejeune in a tackle that brought the Frenchman's outing to an early end.Eriksen worked Rob Elliot four minutes before half-time with a dipping, 25-yard drive the goalkeeper saw all the way and was able to hold.

There was drama just three minutes after the restart when Shelvey was dismissed for reacting to Alli kicking the ball away while down on the ground by treading on his ankle.

The game suddenly burst into life, with Gayle forcing Hugo Lloris into a save at his near post, but Newcastle's positive response soon fizzled out.A deflection off Matt Ritchie saw Eriksen's pass loop up for the unmarked Kane inside the box, but Elliot stayed big and blocked his powerful strike in the 51st minute.

Moussa Sissoko was booed as his return to St James' Park ended with Son Heung-min taking his place before the hour mark, and Tottenham soon made their extra man count.Alli lost Lascelles inside the box and guided a lovely ball from the right courtesy of Eriksen across Elliot and into the net.

The England international was involved in Tottenham's second as his flick was guided into the path of Davies by Eriksen, the left-back finishing a slick move with a cool finish.

Alli was booed as he made way for Victor Wanyama in the 82nd minute and Kane was unable to rub salt into Newcastle's wounds when his fierce strike cannoned back off the upright in stoppage time, meaning his August Premier League drought extends to 11 games, but Shelvey's moment of madness had already proved the Magpies' undoing.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Mbappe dropped by Monaco amid intense PSG and Real Madrid transfer speculation.


Kylian Mbappe has been left out of Monaco’s starting XI to face Dijon amid mounting transfer speculation.

Rumours are rife that the 18-year-old forward could make a move to Paris Saint-Germain, following in the footsteps of Neymar, but there has also been interest from Real Madrid and several Premier League sides.On Friday, meanwhile, PSG boss Unai Emery refused to rule out a move for the striker.

Mbappe struggled into the opening match of the season against Toulouse a week ago and went off injured, although there was never any question he would miss the trip to Burgundy.

Nevertheless, the young France international finds himself among the substitutes for the Ligue 1 fixture, with Adama Diakhaby preferred in his stead to feature alongside Radamel Falcao at the forefront of the attack.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Mane making no excuses for Liverpool's draw at Watford


Sadio Mane believes Liverpool deserved to beat Watford but is not making any excuses for his side dropping two Premier League points after Miguel Britos' late equaliser.

Mane had levelled for Liverpool after Stefano Okaka's early opener, with goals from Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah then putting Jurgen Klopp's men 3-2 up at Vicarage Road on Saturday.Britos scrambled home in stoppage-time to snatch a point for the hosts, although Klopp insisted the defender was offside and the goal should not have counted.

But Mane, who scored on the Premier League's opening day for the second season in a row, noted Liverpool's defending had been below-par throughout, although they were without Barcelona target Philippe Coutinho.

"We're disappointed because we deserved to win," Mane told Liverpool's website. "We should have defended better in this kind of game, it's always complicated with long balls."It's the first game of the season and we're going to try to work hard for the next games. No excuses — everybody is fit.

"We're unlucky we didn't get three points because we were looking for that, but the next game we're going to be ready to get three points to make our fans happy."We are all professionals. This can happen in football. With all due respect to Watford, we should have won, we were the better team. But it's football. We'll accept it, forget it and try to be ready for the next game."

Even without Coutinho, the attacking trident of Firmino, Mane and Salah thrived and were all on target, with the Senegal international praising the impact of his attacking colleagues.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

'New players, more quality' - Pochettino outlines hopes for Tottenham transfer window


Mauricio Pochettino wants new players and "more quality" brought in at Tottenham before the end of the transfer window.

Tottenham are the only Premier League club yet to sign a player since the end of the 2016-17 season, while the sale of Kyle Walker to Manchester City has depleted their experienced options at right-back.


Spurs' lack of movement in the market drew strong criticism from left-back Danny Rose, who this week urged the club to bring in players that did you do not "have to Google".Following Tottenham's 2-0 victory over Newcastle United in their Premier League opener on Sunday, Pochettino confirmed he is eager to bolster his ranks.

"The balance is the most important. We need some new players that bring some new energy on the team. It's always important to challenge your best players," he told a post-match news conference."For me we need to sign some new players before the end of the transfer window.It's important to refresh the squad. We need more competition between us.

"We have 10 months ahead of us, we are involved in four competitions that demand a lot of energy and we need more competition, more quality, more players that can help the team to keep the level we want to show in every game."

Tottenham appeared to be struggling at St James' Park until Jonjo Shelvey was shown a straight red card by Andre Marriner for treading on the ankle of Dele Alli.
Newcastle boss Rafael Benitez questioned whether that was more dangerous than Harry Kane's scissor tackle on Florian Lejeune, which resulted in the debutant being withdrawn through injury and was only met with a booking.

Pochettino did not agree, though, and highlighted Matt Ritchie's challenge from behind on Alli too."No I think it's different. I saw the action. With the ball in the middle sometimes you can see, but without the ball or in another side it's completely different," he said.

"It's not fair to say they deserve the same punishment - Harry, Shelvey or Ritchie."
The Tottenham manager praised Alli, whose temperament has previously been question, for keeping his cool following the coming together with Shelvey.

"He was calm. That is important. Remember last season we talked a lot about that. How we need to behave and improve and learn," said Pochettino."He's mature enough now to accept all that happens on the pitch. He's so calm, so brave. He then scored a great goal.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Dijon 1 Monaco 4: Falcao hat-trick fires champions to win as Mbappe watches on

A hat-trick from Radamel Falcao helped Monaco to a 4-1 win away to Dijon and maintained the champions' winning start to the Ligue 1 season.The Colombia striker's treble and a superb finish from Jemerson gave Leonardo Jardim's side a comfortable win, with Wesley Said netting what proved to be a consolation.

Kylian Mbappe returned to the matchday squad after picking up a knock but did not get off the substitutes' bench as his side cruised to two victories from two games.

Monaco began their title defence with a battling 3-2 win over Toulouse but they were in much better control of proceedings on Sunday from the moment Falcao turned home from close range after three minutes following Kamil Glik's header from a corner.

Jemerson made it 2-0 midway through the half with a brilliant bicycle kick from six yards out, before Falcao scored his second and Monaco's third with a deflected effort that looped over goalkeeper Baptiste Reynet and into the top-right corner.

Said handed Dijon a lifeline with a superb piece of control and first-time finish through the legs of Danijel Subasic, but Falcao completed his hat-trick six minutes after the break to kill off any hopes of a comeback, heading in a delivery from Thomas Lemar.


A hat-trick from Radamel Falcao helped Monaco to a 4-1 win away to Dijon and maintained the champions' winning start to the Ligue 1 season.The Colombia striker's treble and a superb finish from Jemerson gave Leonardo Jardim's side a comfortable win, with Wesley Said netting what proved to be a consolation.

Kylian Mbappe returned to the matchday squad after picking up a knock but did not get off the substitutes' bench as his side cruised to two victories from two games.

Monaco began their title defence with a battling 3-2 win over Toulouse but they were in much better control of proceedings on Sunday from the moment Falcao turned home from close range after three minutes following Kamil Glik's header from a corner.

Jemerson made it 2-0 midway through the half with a brilliant bicycle kick from six yards out, before Falcao scored his second and Monaco's third with a deflected effort that looped over goalkeeper Baptiste Reynet and into the top-right corner.
Said handed Dijon a lifeline with a superb piece of control and first-time finish through the legs of Danijel Subasic, but Falcao completed his hat-trick six minutes after the break to kill off any hopes of a comeback, heading in a delivery from Thomas Lemar.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Manchester United 4 West Ham 0: Lukaku delivers on Old Trafford debut

Romelu Lukaku starred on his competitive Old Trafford debut, scoring twice as Manchester United began the 2017-18 campaign with a comfortable 4-0 win over West Ham to lead the early Premier League table.

Lukaku had netted in his first league appearances for both West Brom and Everton and he repeated that feat on Sunday, getting on the end of a Marcus Rashford pass to give the hosts a deserved lead in the 33rd minute.

Nemanja Matic also began to swiftly justify the fee paid by United to reunite the Serbian with his former Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho, impressing throughout at the base of midfield and completing a timely interception to trigger the counter-attack that ended in Lukaku's first goal.The Belgian centre-forward doubled his tally eight minutes into the second half, when he headed home a Henrikh Mkhitaryan free-kick.

Substitute Anthony Martial and midfielder Paul Pogba added gloss to the scoreline by scoring late on, leaving Mourinho and the home faithful cheered by the sight of a dominant display to open the campaign as they seek to challenge for a first league title since 2012-13.

A sustained run of away fixtures to open the campaign for West Ham, a consequence of London Stadium temporarily reverting to its original purpose to host the IAAF World Championships, continues with a trip to Southampton next weekend, when United are also on the road at Swansea City.


Mourinho watched his team dominate possession but struggle to create clear-cut opportunities in the first half, with former Manchester City goalkeeper Joe Hart, making his first Premier League start for West Ham, required to deny Juan Mata in the 18th minute. The Spaniard still managed to cut the ball back to the six-yard box, where Angelo Ogbonna prevented Lukaku from getting a shot away.

The best chance yet arrived in the 27th minute when Pogba's lofted pass forward released Mata into a dangerous position inside the area. The ex-Chelsea and Valencia man could have taken a shot at goal but opted instead to try and square for Lukaku, Ogbonna again completing a good clearance.

There was no denying the Belgium striker six minutes later, though. A Matic interception just inside the United half allowed Rashford to break at pace, the youngster's carefully weighted pass slipping in Lukaku to race in on goal and slam a fierce, first-time finish past Hart and into the back of the net with the help of the post.

West Ham had to wait until first-half injury time to register a shot on target, Edimilson Fernandes shooting straight at David de Gea in a frustrating conclusion to a flowing move involving Andre Ayew and Mark Noble.

They did not threaten again before United made it 2-0, the powerful Lukaku holding off Arthur Masuaku with ease to nod Mkhitaryan's set-piece delivery into the bottom corner of the net, beyond the reach of a helpless Hart, as the Armenia international supplied his first league assist since February.

Lukaku narrowly missed out on a hat-trick just past the hour mark, Pablo Zabaleta, another former City man making his first competitive start for West Ham, required to pull off a desperate block following good work from Rashford down the left and Mkhitaryan's lay-off.

Rashford hit the post with a rasping strike in the 66th minute as United's sustained pressure continued, Daley Blind firing a volley down into the ground and just over the bar with 21 minutes to go. A third appeared inevitable and it arrived when Mkhitaryan slipped Martial in to score in the 87th minute as West Ham fell apart late on.

And Pogba then struck from long range in injury time, perhaps serving notice of his intention to impress after struggling at times to convince in his first season back at Old Trafford last term.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

'It's just the start' - Two-goal hero Lukaku predicts bright Man Utd future


Romelu Lukaku claims that Manchester United's impressive 4-0 victory over West Ham is "just the start" after the Red Devils made a statement of intent in their opening match of the Premier League season.

The striker, signed from Everton for an initial fee of £75 million in July, promptly began to repay that sizeable investment with two goals on his competitive Old Trafford debut, with substitute Anthony Martial and Paul Pogba striking late on to send United to the top of the table at the end of the opening weekend.


It remains to be seen if United, who won the League Cup and the Europa League in Jose Mourinho's first campaign in charge last term, can improve on a sixth-place finish by challenging for the title this time around.

Lukaku, though, is full of confidence in the potential of both the Portuguese boss and his new team-mates. He told Sky Sports: "It's just the start. The manager has a plan, we will try to follow it and hopefully it will take us somewhere."

The striker continued: "To play well in front of such a crowd [is pleasing]. The most important thing was the win. We started well and have to keep working hard
"[I am] just [happy] for the team, when you play for Manchester United the job is to score goals. Everyone created a lot of chances and we scored a lot of goals. "He [Mourinho] wants me to be a leader for team, in training we work really hard, [and] the hard work will pay off."The fans want to see attractive football, that's what we did, the crowd was very pleased."

Matic, another off-season recruit from Chelsea, also impressed at the base of midfield, completing a timely interception to trigger the counter-attack that led to the first goal. "It was a really important game for us to start well and win the three points against a good side," he told Sky Sports.

"They [West Ham] were very compact, but there was more space after the first goal."I am very happy for the team, we started well and will take the three points. [In the] next game we will start with more confidence."

Asked if he has been purchased to allow Paul Pogba, scorer of United's fourth in injury time, to get forward more often, Matic replied: "No, he [Mourinho] said I have to do my job and he [Pogba] has to do his job.

"Not only Pogba [had] a good game, everyone played very well. 4-0 against a good team, we have to continue to work like this, to play like this."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Mourinho: Confidence the key for revitalised Manchester United

Jose Mourinho declared himself a happy man after watching Manchester United take West Ham apart in a 4-0 thumping at Old Trafford on Sunday.Romelu Lukaku marked his Premier League debut for the club with a brace, before Anthony Martial and Paul Pogba added late gloss to the scoreline.


Since Alex Ferguson's retirement in 2013, United have been widely criticised for producing turgid, pedestrian displays devoid of attacking verve under David Moyes and Louis van Gaal and in Mourinho's maiden season in charge.

But they were full of vim and vigour against the Hammers, the pace and power of the likes of Lukaku, Marcus Rashford and substitute Martial proving too much for Slaven Bilic's side, leaving Mourinho satisfied with his side showing signs they are full of confidence.

"The game was difficult, it was open, at 2-0 they had a chance and I don't think the game was a 4-0," Mourinho told Sky Sports. "Then we scored a third and you breathe and relax. The reality of the game was it was always a difficult game for us.

"We didn't start especially well, we started nervous but then we had a quality performance, good personality and the team played with lots of confidence."Even at 2-0 the team was confident and playing football and I'm happy.

"We lost two points against West Ham here [last season] and had lots of similar matches where we dominated but did not score enough goals. Today we did and it's three important points.

"It's about confidence. In the last 20 minutes if they score it's 2-1 and the game is open, you feel the pressure and it would be entertaining but the reality is in the last part of the game, instead of being boring and controlling the game we scored a third goal."

And Mourinho was especially pleased to see Lukaku, after his £75million switch from Everton, follow in the footsteps of a host of other debutants on the Premier League's opening weekend in getting off the mark for their new employers.

"It's always important, new players in new clubs — everybody expects goals from them," he said."It's nice for [Alvaro] Morata to score, nice for Wayne Rooney to score and Lukaku and [Alexandre] Lacazette, it's always nice for that confidence."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Mourinho: Confidence the key for revitalised Manchester United

anyway Team 1ke thawa gaps thiyanawa fill karagannaaluthin Winger kenek + Defender kenek ganna puluwan unoth nam godak hodai

​

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Bilic: West Ham won't forget Manchester United thrashing in a hurry


West Ham boss Slaven Bilic says they will not soon forget their 4-0 opening-day defeat to Manchester United.

Jose Mourinho's side delivered a commanding performance at Old Trafford on Sunday, with Romelu Lukaku scoring twice on his home debut before late goals from Anthony Martial and Paul Pogba.


The visitors were second-best throughout the contest and managed only one shot on target, while a looping Marko Arnautovic header that clipped the crossbar was the closest they came to a goal.Bilic was despondent after the final whistle and admitted that confidence within the team was extremely low.

"We aren't going to forget about this game in a hurry," he said at a brief news conference."We need to analyse it. The first couple of goals we conceded from our mistakes. We were alright until then.

"We are very low at the moment. We need to pick ourselves up and prepare for the second game of the season against Southampton. "It was a very bad result for us. They were much better than us, better with the ball and without the ball."We made big, big mistakes like the first goal. Very deep in the first half, it was promising and then we lost it."

West Ham won their final match of last season away to Burnley but did not manage a victory in any of their pre-season fixtures.Bilic has urged his players not to allow their heads to drop too much before they take on Southampton next weekend.

"It was the first game of the season. We cannot lose confidence," he said. "It was against Man United and we conceded four goals."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Guingamp 0 Paris Saint-Germain 3: Neymar scores and assists Cavani on debut after bizarre Ikoko own goal

Neymar celebrated his Paris Saint-Germain debut in style with a goal and an assist for Edinson Cavani in a 3-0 win over Guingamp.

Having taken a watching brief for PSG's opening-day win over Amiens last weekend, Neymar made his Ligue 1 bow at the Stade de Roudourou on Sunday after his world-record €222million transfer from Barcelona was ratified by the French Football Federation in the week.

The Brazil star took his place on the left-hand side of a front three alongside Cavani and Angel Di Maria and looked lively throughout against opponents who were happy to sit deep and defend in numbers until PSG found a breakthrough thanks to Jordan Ikoko's bizarre own goal.

Right-back Ikoko, a PSG academy graduate, had been the focus of unfamiliar attention in the build-up as the most likely man to directly oppose Neymar but his downfall early in the second period was all of his own making as his mis-directed pass back towards goalkeeper Karl-Johan Johnsson was too strong and crept in via the upright.

Not to be upstaged, Neymar had a more direct influence on PSG's second as his delightful throughball released Cavani to coolly beat Johnsson.And the most expensive footballer on the planet was not done there as he tapped home into an empty net with eight minutes remaining following good work from Cavani.


Inevitably all eyes were on the Brazilian, whose first contribution was to loft an ambitious pass from deep towards the run of Di Maria which proved just too heavy.

Neymar helped carve out the first real chance in the 15th minute, combining neatly with Thiago Motta to free Cavani but Johnsson saved with his legs to deny the Uruguayan.

The first notice of Neymar's threat was served five minutes later as he jinked inside on his right foot before blasting over from 20 yards, and he almost created the opener as his teasing cross was thumped against the angle of post and crossbar by an unmarked Marquinhos.

Cavani stung the palms of Johnsson with a free-kick as PSG continued to dominate before Neymar had half-hearted appeals for a penalty waved away as he went down under minimal contact from Etienne Didot.

It was Didot who fired narrowly off-target early in the second period to remind PSG this was not a one-man show, but the hapless Ikoko soon grabbed the spotlight in farcical circumstances.

Neymar's throughball was cut out and ran to Ikoko but his pass back to Johnsson was heavy and wide of the goalkeeper, who had to stretch with his foot and could not prevent the ball rolling in off the left-hand post.

Cavani wasted two presentable opportunities to double PSG's lead soon afterwards but he did not have to wait long to score his second goal in as many league outings this season as he ran onto Neymar's sumptuous pass and slotted beyond Johnsson.

Another excellent pass from the ex-Barca man deserved better than Di Maria's weak finish straight at the keeper as PSG looked to kill the game off - a feat they duly managed as Cavani returned the favour, teeing up Neymar for a simple finish from six yards to cap a wholly satisfactory debut in fitting fashion.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Juventus 2 Lazio 3: Murgia Lazio's last-gasp hero after Immobile and Dybala doubles

Alessandro Murgia came off the bench to snatch Supercoppa Italiana glory as Lazio secured a breathless 3-2 win over Juventus amid remarkable late drama at the Stadio Olimpico.

The hosts, playing in the showpiece by virtue of their 2-0 loss to Juve in May's Coppa Italia final, appeared to be cruising to victory by the same margin thanks to a double from Ciro Immobile.

The one-time Juventus youngster built upon 23 Serie A goals in his maiden season at Lazio by winning and converting a first-half penalty and expertly dispatching a header nine minutes after the interval.

Juventus offered little sign of mustering a response until Paulo Dybala scored a magnificent free-kick in the 85th minute and the Argentina forward converted from 12 yards in stoppage time after Adam Marusic felled Alex Sandro.

But two other Lazio substitutes would give far more impressive accounts of themselves as Jordan Lukaku stormed down the left flank and allowed Murgia to add a final twist, condemning Juve to a third Supercoppa reverse in the past four seasons.


Juventus laid siege to the Lazio area during the early stages, Thomas Strakosha keeping out Juan Cuadrado's close-range attempt with his legs when he should have had no chance to prevent a goal from Alex Sandro's cutback.

It proved an eventful opening for the Albania goalkeeper, who got down sharply to deny Dybala and Gonzalo Higuain, and Lazio rewarded him by gaining a foothold in the contest.

Giorgio Chiellini – playing without his old ally Leonardo Bonucci in the Juventus defence – made a brilliant last-ditch tackle to thwart Immobile but the same player sprung the Serie A champions' backline in the 31st minute and was brought down by Gianluigi Buffon.The booked veteran goalkeeper guessed correctly but could not get close to Immobile's well-struck effort.

Buffon was soon back in the action as Dusan Basta drilled an effort at him from Sergej Milinkovic-Savic's clever flick before Lucas Leiva sought a rare goal with a fierce long-ranger that was tipped over the bar.

Cuadrado, who was on the receiving end of a robust tackle from Lucas before half-time, saw a shot blocked shortly after the restart but Lazio doubled their lead in the 54th minute.The Juve backline had lost its shape by the time Marco Parolo floated a cross to the far post and Immobile headed back across Buffon and in.

Immobile might have claimed the matchball when Senad Lulic played him through with an hour played but Buffon sprawled effectively at the forward's feet.Miralem Pjanic's radar was unusually awry from a promising free-kick situation and Higuain prodded wide from substitute Douglas Costa's cross as the game entered its final quarter.

Buffon had to turn away a stinging Luis Alberto attempt before Dybala showed Pjanic how it was done from 25 yards.The 23-year-old's viciously swerving strike shattered Lazio's previous calm and Marusic's foul on Alex Sandro was clumsy in the extreme as Dybala converted easily to have seemingly forced extra time.

Sensing their moment slipping by, the hosts released Lukaku to storm down the left flank. Mattia De Sciglio's desperate slide tackle could not contain the Belgian and Murgia steered unerringly past Buffon to spark wild celebrations.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Barcelona 1 Real Madrid 3: Ronaldo hits wondergoal before seeing red in thrilling Supercopa clash

Cristiano Ronaldo scored a stunning winner before being sent off for a dive in Real Madrid's Supercopa de Espana first-leg triumph over Barcelona.

The Portugal star came off the bench to blast home the third goal of the visitors' 3-1 win at Camp Nou but earned a second yellow card for going to ground in the penalty area two minutes later, having earlier been booked for taking his shirt off in celebration.

Zinedine Zidane's side took the lead early in the second half through an own goal from Gerard Pique but Barca levelled thanks to Lionel Messi's penalty, which was won in controversial fashion by Luis Suarez.

Ronaldo put Madrid back ahead with a spectacular strike but was dismissed within two minutes of that goal and risked further punishment when he pushed the referee in the back before departing the field.

Barca pushed for a second equaliser late on but were undone by Marco Asensio's brilliant strike on the break, meaning they have it all to do at the Santiago Bernabeu next Wednesday in the first Supercopa tie between these sides since 2012.


Barca had the upper hand in the early exchanges, with Suarez testing Keylor Navas from just inside the area and Dani Carvajal was perhaps fortunate to escape being penalised for handball when blocking Gerard Deulofeu's cross.

Neither side looked prepared to commit to the attack in a rather tepid first half and Gareth Bale saw the clearest chance saved by Marc-Andre ter Stegen from inside the penalty area following Isco's jinking run.

Pique – who scored the winner when these teams met in the International Champions Cup last month – had been booked for attempting to punch the ball towards goal following a corner in the first half and it was another moment of ignominy for the centre-back that gave Madrid the lead five minutes after the break.

Marcelo ran onto Isco's pass down the left and sent a low cross into box, and Pique steered the ball into his own net on the slide as he attempted to clear it for a corner.

Barca suddenly looked unsteady at the back and it took a brilliant sliding block from Jordi Alba to prevent Carvajal from making it 2-0 after some brilliant work from Karim Benzema.

Valverde introduced Denis Suarez from the bench and the move almost paid off immediately, the midfielder's corner headed goalwards by Luis Suarez only for Navas to make a fine one-handed save.Ronaldo, on in place of Benzema, had a shot blocked behind by Pique and the assistant referee's raised flag denied him when he did find the net following Casemiro's throughball.

The 32-year-old took full advantage of his next chance, though, playing a one-two with Isco to set up a counter-attack before cutting inside Pique and firing into the top-right corner from 20 yards.

Ronaldo was booked for removing his shirt and then stunningly dismissed after being adjudged to have gone to ground too easily in the area under pressure from Samuel Umtiti.

But the incident could not prevent Madrid seizing control of the tie, Asensio rifling home an unstoppable third from the edge of the area to get watching president Florentino Perez onto his feet.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

CR7 dive kala kiyalanam penne nahaath referee wa thallu karapu 1katanam thamai awlak unoth wenne.​

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Barcelona need signings but not because of Supercopa loss, says Busquets


Sergio Busquets admits that Barcelona need to make more signings but insists the necessity has not been increased by their Supercopa de Espana first-leg loss to Real Madrid.

Ernesto Valverde's side were beaten 3-1 by the LaLiga champions at Camp Nou on Sunday in a thrilling encounter that gives Zinedine Zidane's side the advantage in the tie.

Lionel Messi cancelled out Gerard Pique's own goal before substitute Cristiano Ronaldo scored Madrid's second and was then sent off for two bookable offences, the first for removing his shirt in celebration and the second for diving under pressure from Samuel Umtiti.


Marco Asensio struck a brilliant third in the dying minutes to seal a deserved win for the visitors, though, who are now in a commanding position ahead of next Wednesday's return game at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Barca are poised to complete the signing of Paulinho from Guangzhou Evergrande Taobao but, although he would welcome additions to the squad, Busquets does not feel Sunday's result proves that they need to invest more in the transfer market, having lost Neymar to Paris Saint-Germain.

"The team doesn't need signings because of this result," he said, as quoted by Mundo Deportivo. "We need them because you have to renew things." "It's very difficult but we go to the Bernabeu with the intention of coming back. We don't look for excuses."

Barca general manager Pep Segura added that the defeat would not influence their actions in the final two weeks of the transfer window."It's a disappointment for all the fans," he said. "It's a situation in which we have shown in the past that we have the ability to go to the Bernabeu and win.

"A result doesn't determine the planning on the sporting side. In the first half, we gave a very good impression. The own goal from Pique hurt us a lot."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Neymar feels 'more alive than ever' after sparkling PSG bow


Neymar felt vindicated in his decision to leave Barcelona after beginning his Paris Saint-Germain career in sensational fashion with a goal and an assist on his debut on Sunday.

All eyes were on the Brazilian superstar following his world-record €222 million move from Camp Nou but he coped admirably with the pressure as PSG ran out comfortable 3-0 winners at Guingamp to continue their 100 per cent start to the Ligue 1 season.PSG took the lead through Jordan Ikoko's inexplicable own goal, before Neymar laid on the second for Edinson Cavani with a penetrating throughball.


Cavani returned the favour eight minutes from time, setting up his new team-mate for a simple tap-in to round off a wholly satisfying outing for Neymar, who felt he had silenced those who questioned his decision to leave LaLiga."I am very serene. I knew it would be very difficult to leave Barca, but I am very happy to be here," he told Canal+ .

"People think that leaving Barca is to die, but no, it's the opposite: I'm more alive than ever. "I play, I'm very happy, and football is the same. Only the country, the city and the team change, but football is the same.

"I am very happy with the [man of the match] trophy, but the main thing was to win."The team played well, we did a great game, we are very happy with this game and goals, but the most important is the victory."

Neymar felt he had gelled well with his new colleagues, after lining up on the left of a front three alongside Cavani and Angel Di Maria."I already knew he [Cavani] was a great player. I saw him from afar, and now I am with him," Neymar added. "We try to get to know each other better, but the first game was a success.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Costa: Chelsea have treated me like a criminal


Exiled Chelsea star Diego Costa has given a withering assessment of head coach Antonio Conte and accused the Premier League champions of treating him as if he were a "criminal".

Costa was Chelsea's top scorer with 20 goals as they secured a second league title in three years last season but Conte has since informed the Spain international he does not feature in his first-team plans.

The manner of this rejection provides a major flash point in the current stand-off, with Costa claiming Conte dumped him via text message when he was away on international duty in June.


Chelsea maintain the 28-year-old forward has been aware of their plans since January, around the time he was heavily linked with a move to Tianjin Quanjian in the Chinese Super League.

The upshot is Costa going AWOL, back to his hometown of Lagarto in Brazil, where UK newspaper the Daily Mail tracked him down at his family home while watching the Blues' shock 3-2 defeat to Burnley.A return to former club Atletico Madrid remains the desired option for Costa, who is presently racking up fines as he refuses to return to Chelsea and train with the reserves.

"I wouldn't be allowed access to the first-team dressing room and I would have no contact at all with the guys," he explained. "I'm not a criminal! I don’t think it is fair after all I have done to be treated like that."They gave me a week extra off [at the start of pre-season training] but since then it's fines all the way.

"They want me training with the reserves. I am not going to do that. I am not a criminal and I am not in the wrong here. So, if they need to fine me, let them fine me."

Atletico's player registration ban would prevent Costa from playing for them until January but the forward is willing to remain out of action for as long as it takes his Chelsea ordeal to play out.

"I am open to being a year in Brazil without playing, even if Chelsea fine me for a year and don't pay me," he said."I'll come back stronger. If I was in the wrong, I'd go back now and do as they say."My desire is to go to Atletico. I’ve spoken to Chelsea director Marina Granovskaia. I said, 'If the manager doesn't want me, I want to go to Atletico Madrid'.

"I have rejected other offers. They want to sell me to China or other teams. If I'm off, I'm going to the club I want to go to - not the club that's paying the most."Costa claimed to have been on the verge of signing a new contract at Stamford Bridge but accused Conte of "putting the brakes on" and sees no prospect of reconciliation with the Italian, who brought in club-record signing Alvaro Morata as his replacement.

"His ideas are very fixed and clear," Costa said of Conte. "I have seen the sort of person he is. He has his own opinion and that will not change."I respect him as a great coach. He has done a good job and I can see that, but as a person, no. He is not a coach who is very close with his players. He is very distant. He doesn't possess charisma."

As for the infamous text message, that is set to remain on Costa's phone for posterity."There are ways of going about it. You don't do it by text message. You should be honest and direct to someone's face," he added.

"I was angry at the time. Now I am more calm. I have not deleted the message. If people accuse me of lying, I can show them."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Ronaldo could miss up to 12 matches for shove on referee


Cristiano Ronaldo could be suspended for as many as 12 matches after referee Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea included the Real Madrid star's shove in his match report.

After scoring and removing his shirt to earn a yellow card in the Spanish Super Cup first leg against Barcelona, Ronaldo was shown a second yellow card for an alleged dive in the box just minutes later, prompting him to momentarily lose his cool and shove the referee.

Bengoetxea included the altercation in his post-game match report, writing: "Player: Cristiano Ronaldo Dos Santos Aveiro. Once the red card was shown, the player pushed me slightly in a sign of disagreement."

The shove could trigger a ban of up to 12 matches under Article 96 of the Spanish federation's rule book, which deals with "Slight violence towards referees".Article 96 applies to players who "grab, push or shake" a referee in a manner that is "slightly violent", and recommends a suspension of 4-12 matches for the action.

Ronaldo's fate is now in the hands of the Spanish federation's competition committee, who will decide how many games the 32-year-old would be forced to sit out in addition to the one-game ban stemming from his red card.

If Ronaldo gets a total ban of five or more games, it would apply in all Spanish competitions, including La Liga. A suspension of four or less matches would only apply to the Super Cup.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Ronaldo didn't dive and Real Madrid could appeal against red card, says Ramos


Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos says it was wrong to send off Cristiano Ronaldo for a dive in his side's 3-1 Spanish Super Cup first-leg victory over Barcelona.

Ronaldo delivered a remarkable cameo off the bench at Camp Nou, scoring his side's second goal before being booked for taking off his shirt in celebration and then earning a second yellow card after going to ground under pressure from Samuel Umtiti two minutes later.

The 32-year-old pushed referee Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea in the back before heading off the pitch, meaning he could earn a longer suspension that would keep him out of Madrid's opening games of their La Liga title defence.Ramos does not believe his team-mate was deliberately trying to con the officials, however, and suggested that they could appeal against the dismissal.

"He was a long way from me. I think it was a moment of play that unbalanced him and he didn't feign anything," Ramos said after the match, as quoted by AS. "It could be possible to appeal because it left us without a really important player for 10 minutes. We should think it over a little more."

Ramos had earlier been caught up in a confrontation with Luis Suarez after the Barca striker won a penalty for his side by hurdling a challenge from goalkeeper Keylor Navas, who appeared to make very little contact.

"We're at high levels of tension in this type of game," Ramos explained. "For me, it wasn't a penalty. I don't think the referee blows for something if he doesn't see anything, he would have seen it clearly. For me, there was nothing."Lionel Messi cancelled out Gerard Pique's own goal from the resulting spot-kick before stunning goals from Ronaldo and Marco Asensio sealed an impressive win for the visitors.

Ramos was delighted with Asensio and midfielder Mateo Kovacic, who earned plenty of praise for his performance in the absence of the suspended Luka Modric."I'm very happy for Asensio, I congratulate him, he has a natural talent and every time he comes on he makes a difference," Ramos added.

"Kovacic has a very ugly job that isn't seen, and he does it very well."I'm very happy with the game. We're fighting for a trophy and it's an important step."