..::Football IV::..

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Tottenham sign £15m Llorente from Swansea

Tottenham have announced the signing of Fernando Llorente from Swansea City for what Goal understands to be a £15 million fee. The 32-year-old rejected the chance to join Chelsea, who also made a late bid of £15m for the Spanish striker.

He becomes Tottenham's second deadline-day signing, after Serge Aurier signed earlier in the day from PSG. The Spanish striker netted 111 times for Athletic Bilbao where he was brought through from the youth ranks before completing a move to Serie A giants Juventus in 2013.

Llorente joined Swansea last summer and scored 15 goals for the club, helping the Swans to avoid Premier League relegation.He has played 24 times for Spain over the course of his career, scoring seven goals, and was a member of the 2010 World Cup winning team.

The forward becomes Spurs' fifth signing of the summer as the club brought in Aurier, Juan Foyth from Estudiantes, Davinson Sanchez from Ajax and Paulo Gazzaniga from Southampton.

 

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'Closer and closer to leaving!' - Angry Vidal hints at walking away from Chile


Chile star Arturo Vidal appeared to hint at international retirement after his nation's shock loss to Paraguay in World Cup qualifying.Vidal scored a spectacular own goal as Chile slumped to a 3-0 loss in Santiago on Thursday, but they remained fourth in the CONMEBOL standings.

A veteran of 96 internationals, the 30-year-old midfielder later suggested he could quit the national team, writing on Instagram that some would be happy with his departure.


"Now all those people in this country with bad blood should be happy," Vidal wrote."But don't worry, I’m getting closer and closer to leaving!"

Victor Caceres and Richard Ortiz struck in the second half for Paraguay, who sit sixth and just two points behind Chile and Argentina. Despite Vidal and Alexis Sanchez starting, Juan Antonio Pizzi's men struggled to create chances in front of their home fans.

Pizzi lamented his side's performance, saying: "We must look for other ways.
"If you don't score, you will not have the chance to compete against the best teams."

Chile have a chance to respond when they visit Bolivia on Tuesday.

 

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Mexico 1 Panama 0: Hosts secure World Cup place


Mexico booked their spot at the 2018 World Cup after a hard-fought 1-0 win against Panama in CONCACAF qualifying on Friday.Hirving Lozano came off the bench to make the difference at the Estadio Azteca, the substitute's header proving decisive.Mexico, who looked most dangerous on the counter-attack, were deserved winners against a Panama side who rarely threatened.

The result moved Mexico three points clear atop the group in the fifth round of qualifying, and they are guaranteed a top-three finish and place at Russia 2018.
Mexico became the fifth team to qualify for the showpiece tournament, joining Russia, Brazil, Iran and Japan.


Juan Carlos Osorio served the final match of the ban he picked up at the Confederations Cup, but the coach started a strong XI that included Javier Hernandez and Carlos Vela, while Lozano and Giovani dos Santos began on the bench. Winless in five qualifiers, Panama desperately needed at least a point away from home.

After torrential rain prior to kick-off, Mexico started well, but stubborn defending by Panama meant chances were hard to create.The hosts threatened in the 17th minute, Jesus Manuel Corona getting free down the left, but he was unable to find a team-mate with his cross.

Panama had few bright moments in attack, although Guillermo Ochoa did have to make a save from Alberto Quintero, who replaced Erick Davis before the half-hour mark.The opener appeared to be coming for Mexico, and they went close five minutes before half-time.

Vela played a pass into Hernandez on the left side of the area, but the West Ham forward curled his effort just wide.The encounter came to life to begin the second half, Ochoa forced into two saves, stopping a 25-yard Ricardo Buitrago free-kick and Quintero effort.

Mexico had a penalty shout turned down in between those chances, but they took a 53rd-minute lead.Introduced just two minutes earlier, Lozano got on the end of a cross from Corona to head in his fifth international goal.

Mexico pushed for a second, with Panama goalkeeper Jose Calderon making a strong save to keep out a Hector Herrera free-kick in the 69th minute.Javier Aquino wasted a great chance on the counter-attack moments later, and while Panama had their opportunities, Mexico claimed a deserved win.

 

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Buffon 'an alien' and all-time great, says Morata


Gianluigi Buffon is "an alien" and one of the greatest goalkeepers of all time, according to Alvaro Morata.Morata is set to face his former Juventus team-mate on Saturday when Spain host Italy in World Cup qualifying.

The Chelsea forward spent two seasons with Buffon at Juve and said the 39-year-old and Iker Casillas were the best shot-stoppers of all time.

"He's an alien," Morata told El Pais."He and Casillas for me have been the two best goalkeepers in history. It's hard to repeat two guys like that."Even if they don't have the strength or agility they had before, they impose on you one-on-one.

"Buffon always anticipates. After more than 20 years as a professional, he knows the movements and thoughts of the forwards."Another former team-mate Morata praised was Giorgio Chiellini, the star Juve centre-back who will miss Italy's clashes with Spain and Israel due to injury.

Morata described just how difficult it was to get the better of the 33-year-old defender."It's like you're being put in a cage with a gorilla and you have to steal his food," he said.

"I think that the few times I have scored against him have been inside the area. It is impossible to win a one-on-one with Chiellini, or he's holding you."

 

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Malta 0 England 4: Kane at the double as Three Lions enjoy late flurry

Harry Kane scored twice as England earned a flattering 4-0 win at Malta to close on qualification for the 2018 World Cup.

The visitors were frustrated for much of Friday's World Cup qualifying Group F encounter at the WTa' Qali National Stadium against a side that have yet to register a point in the pool.

But Kane made the breakthrough in the 53rd minute with his fourth goal in his past three internationals, providing the finish after Dele Alli's clever square pass had set up his club colleague.

A workmanlike, at times ugly, victory was secured four minutes from time when Ryan Bertrand found the net for his country for the first time, hitting a long-range shot beyond goalkeeper Andrew Hogg.

Substitute Danny Welbeck added a third in injury time before Kane completed the scoring to round off a victory that was not a fair reflection on the home side's determined efforts.

England's highly-paid collection of Premier League stars had struggled to break down a Malta side that had conceded at least two goals in nine of their last 10 World Cup qualifiers.

Still, while the game will not live too long in the memory, the result is all that really mattered for England, who sit two points clear at the summit of Group F ahead of a crucial home clash with nearest rivals Slovakia - who beat Slovenia 1-0 - on Monday.


Interim manager when the teams met last October, Gareth Southgate refused to take the Maltese challenge lightly, Jordan Henderson captaining a strong side that included new Liverpool team-mate Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain on the right wing.

England had laboured to a 2-0 win against Malta nearly a year ago, yet could have matched their meagre goal tally at Wembley inside five minutes of the return fixture in Attard.

Hogg had to be alert to deny Raheem Sterling a shooting opportunity in the opening seconds, while the London-born goalkeeper also showed impressive reactions to turn away a firm header from Kane.

Yet after a such a lively start, England laboured for the remainder of the first half, failing to match the tempo set by the incessant supporters' band inside the ground.
The visitors did have the ball in the net when Phil Jones nodded in a corner from the left, only for the defender's effort to be ruled out following a foul in the crowded area.

Strong in the tackle and stubborn in defence, Malta were rightly applauded off by their supporters at the break. England, in contrast, left the field to a mixture of groans and boos.

Southgate reacted to a tepid first-half performance by introducing Marcus Rashford, the forward replacing the ineffective Sterling on the left flank.Malta were the side to threaten a goal first after the break, though, Andre Schembri firing a low shot close enough for goalkeeper Joe Hart to throw himself to his right, albeit the effort ended up going wide.

However, the breakthrough finally arrived for England courtesy of Tottenham's attacking double act, Alli keeping his composure in a crowded penalty area to allow the supporting Kane to slot low beyond Hogg.England continued to toil, but Bertrand's left-footed drive in the 85th minute squeezed under Hogg to put the game beyond Malta.

There was more to come in injury time, as first Welbeck – who replaced Oxlade-Chamberlain – squeezed in front of Hogg to prod home a third, before Kane smashed home from Rashford's inch-perfect throughball.

 

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PSG confident they will pass FFP tests following Neymar and Mbappe deal


Paris Saint-Germain are "very confident" they will be able to comply fully with UEFA's Financial Fair Play rules after European football's governing body announced a formal investigation into the Ligue 1 club.

Unai Emery's squad has been sensationally bolstered by the arrivals of Brazil superstar Neymar and teenage France striker Kylian Mbappe during the transfer window, which closed for French clubs on Thursday.

Neymar cost a world-record €222million from Barcelona, while Mbappe arrived on a season-long loan from Monaco that will be converted into a permanent deal for €180m.

UEFA announced on Friday that it would investigate PSG, "particularly in light of its recent transfer activity", although the club themselves have expressed surprise at the move.

"Paris Saint-Germain acknowledges the decision of the UEFA Financial Fair Play panel to immediately ensure that the Paris club's accounts are in line with the Fair Play criteria, as of 30 June 2018 for the 2017/2018 season," PSG's statement read.

"The club is surprised [due to] the fact that it has constantly kept the UEFA Financial Fair Play teams informed of the impact of all player operations carried out this summer [and] were obliged to do so.

"The club is very confident in its ability to demonstrate that it will fully comply with Fair Play financial rules for the fiscal year 2017-18."We recalled that we have always operated in total transparency with the European football body, with whom we developed relations of trust for six years, showing our greatest respect for the institution."

PSG went on to detail a three-hour meeting between their deputy managing director Jean-Claude Blanc and "UEFA experts" including FFP chief Andrea Traverso at the organisation's headquarters on August 23 – 20 days after Neymar signed from Barcelona.The club insists "the operations carried out with FC Barcelona and the current one with AS Monaco were in compliance" with FFP rules for the current financial year.

On August 31, PSG sought further guidance from UEFA's FFP team "in order to clarify in a transparent way how the operation with AS Monaco would be integrated as of this season into the club accounts, both in terms of depreciation and payroll, in compliance with French accounting standards and IFRS."PSG identified the acquisitions of Neymar and Mbappe as "a new phase in its project to build a club and a world leading sports franchise."

A combination of increased revenues from sponsorship, merchandising, ticketing, television rights and pre-season tours will be used to help balance the books at PSG, while the club also pointed to "highly significant player assets capable of generating very significant capital gains in the next two market windows (January and June) in 2018."

The statement concluded: "In the interests of dialogue and transparency, the club will continue its exchanges with UEFA in the coming days and will respond, as is usual, to each of the questions of the European body."

PSG were previously punished under FFP rules in May 2014 when the Qatari owned club's sponsorship agreement with the Qatari Tourism Authority was deemed to have an unfair value by UEFA's independent investigation panel.

Along with a €60m fine - reduced to €20m after FFP targets a year on from the punishment were met - PSG had their Champions League squad limited to 21 players in 2014-15 and had spending restrictions imposed.

Clubs must not post losses in excess of €30m over a three-year period under FFP rules and PSG are widely thought to have structured the Mbappe deal with that restriction in mind.

 

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Lemar turned down Arsenal to stay at Monaco, admits Wenger


Thomas Lemar turned down a deadline-day move to Arsenal in favour of staying at Monaco, Arsene Wenger has admitted.

The Gunners were reported to have bid £92 million for the France international on Thursday in a deal that would have paved the way for Alexis Sanchez to join Manchester City.

But Arsenal could not get the transfer over the line and Wenger has now revealed that it was Lemar's decision to remain in the principality."The player has chosen to stay in Monaco," Wenger told beIN Sports."You do not want to talk too much about... you have to respect what happens on the negotiation side.

"I know we live in the era of transparency but at some stage, to respect everybody you have to not talk too much about that."Arsenal subsequently refused to sell Alexis, who has less than one year remaining on his contract and has indicated he will not extend his stay in north London.

Lemar had been linked with Liverpool before Arsenal re-entered the race to sign him after an impressive 2016-17 campaign in Ligue 1 and the Champions League.
Still only 21, Lemar joined Monaco for a small fee from Caen in 2015.

He scored 14 goals in all competitions last season, his second at the club, and played a significant role as they won the French championship and reached the Champions League semi-finals.Monaco subsequently fielded interest in several players on the back of that campaign, with Tiemoue Bakayoko, Benjamin Mendy, Bernardo Silva and Kylian Mbappe all departing.

But Lemar has decided to stay and help Leonardo Jardim's team defend their Ligue 1 title, stating he is "very happy" at the club.

The midfielder was preparing for France's match against the Netherlands while the deadline-day saga went on around him and scored twice in his country's 4-0 win.

 

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Neymar out, Paulinho and Dembele in - Xavi admits Barca could have 'signed better'


Xavi believes Barcelona have strayed from their footballing philosophies and should have “signed better” in recent transfer windows.

The La Liga giants once boasted a side brimming with the world’s top talent, but the Camp Nou icon fears they are now plugging holes with players that are not of the required standard.

Barca were rocked by the record-breaking €222 million sale of Neymar to Paris Saint-Germain this summer, with Paulinho and Ousmane Dembele among those brought in.

Xavi says the club needs to get back to finding “the best”, with greater emphasis placed on the nurturing of hot prospects through the famed La Masia academy system.

The World Cup winner told Marca: "Barca still play really good football but they could have signed better."They've fallen asleep because five or six years ago they had the best players in the world for Barca's system. Now, for that system, they have five or six players: [Andres] Iniesta, [Jordi] Alba, [Lionel] Messi, [Gerard] Pique, Luis Suarez, [Sergio] Busquets.

"But Barca should have 11 for that system. Before, you wouldn't see anyone play and say: 'He'd be good at Barca.' That's because they were already there. They have signed players that don't fit that system."The academy has to be strengthened. If there are doubts, look at what you have in-house. In Barca's best era, at least 60 percent of the players came from the academy."

Barca saw arch-rivals Real Madrid secure domestic and European dominance in 2016-17 as they swept to La Liga and Champions League crowns.Wrestling back the initiative will take time, with Barca opening another new era under Ernesto Valverde, but Xavi believes it is still too early to write them off.He added: "Patience [is needed].

"In the year of our Treble, everyone wanted Luis Enrique out in January. Madrid won I don't know how many games in a row. They seemed invincible, but they lost in Valencia and then again at home and we ended up winning three trophies.

"The beauty of football is that you never know. With [Pep] Guardiola, I had a feeling of superiority on the pitch that I've not felt since, but of the four Champions Leagues that we deserved to win, we only won two.

"Madrid are a winning team at the moment, they have that habit of winning. The feeling is that they're a much more established team and that Barca are beginning a new era, but that doesn't mean to say they can't win La Liga."

Barca opened the new campaign with a Super Cup defeat to Real but have responded to that setback by collecting back-to-back wins in La Liga without conceding a goal.

 

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Perisic frustration but Man Utd boss Mourinho praised by Neville for finding value


Manchester United will be “satisfied” with their summer transfer business despite missing out on Ivan Perisic, says Gary Neville.

The Red Devils avoided the need for a late scramble on deadline day as they were able to get much of their recruitment work done early.Deals for Victor Lindelof, Romelu Lukaku and Nemanja Matic were completed in time for all three to be bedded into the fold before the 2017-18 campaign began.

Another short-term deal has also been agreed with Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Neville believes United are now in good shape and an example to others of how windows can be successfully negotiated.“I think he’ll be satisfied because it was very clear from the beginning he wanted four,” the former Red Devils defender told Sky Sports.

“Jose, to be fair, is usually outstanding in the transfer market and he’s proven it again. “To get Matic, even Lukaku when he signed it was on the edge of [being] too much money, but now you’re thinking it’s good deal.

“They needed a centre-back and they got Lindelof, they’ve got Ibrahimovic back.“I think he wanted Perisic, I think he wanted a wide player but hasn’t got it but he understands ultimately that he can’t get every player he wants.

“I think they got good prices so I think they can be happy, maybe he might have wanted one more, but I think he’ll be happy generally with what’s happened in the summer, particularly when he looks at some of the transfer windows other clubs have had that have been frustrating.”

United’s new boys have helped them to make a flying start to their Premier League title quest, with nine points taken from their opening three fixtures.

Mourinho’s men have also kept clean sheets in each of those outings, while plundering 10 goals at the opposite end of the field to set the early pace.

 

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Lukaku 'knew for a while' that Ibrahimovic return to Man Utd was coming


Romelu Lukaku claims he had known in advance that Manchester United would be putting fresh terms to Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

With the Swede among those released at the end of the 2016-17 campaign, and the 35-year-old recovering from knee surgery, it was suggested that Old Trafford may have seen the last of his enigmatic talents.

Jose Mourinho was, however, happy to keep a close eye on his recovery – as Ibrahimovic spent time at United’s Carrington training base – and eventually saw enough to justify another short-term deal.

News of that agreement came as no surprise to Lukaku, who admits that he was always aware that his £75 million move from Everton would be complemented by the return of another proven frontman.

Lukaku told reporters after netting a hat-trick for Belgium in World Cup qualification on Thursday: "I already knew for a while that Zlatan would sign but I didn't tell anyone."I'm happy. We need his personality."I think Zlatan will bring us a lot. I think he has one mission, and that is to win the Premier League, and we’re going to help him reach his goal."

It remains to be seen whether Lukaku and Ibrahimovic will be used in tandem once the latter is ready for a return to action in January, but Mourinho has hinted that he would be prepared to pair them together and avoid the need to find another striking option in the next transfer window.He said on his high-profile frontmen: "In this moment they can speak on the phone that is all they can do."Not even face-to-face because [Ibrahimovic] is not here.

"I see Zlatan as important for the team. I just say that my squad is better for sure, he is one more option, he is one more striker, he is one more experienced player, he is one more player that can play nine or 10, that can play double strikers or no, there are lots of matches to play.

"If we progress in the Champions League and if we progress in one of the cups, I don’t even say both, if we do that we are going to be in the position where we couldn’t do it only with Lukaku and Rashford, especially if I play both together, because if I play one and the other one is on the bench, okay, but I am playing with both?

"So if I play with both, I need a striker, so probably in January I would be knocking on Ed Woodward’s door asking for a striker for the second part of the season and I don’t need to. I have one of the best in the world."

Lukaku has made a bright start to his time at Old Trafford, with four goals netted in as many competitive appearances to date – including three in three in the Premier League to help the Red Devils set the early pace.

 

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Van Nistelrooy scores on Man Utd return against Barcelona legends

Ruud van Nistelrooy scored as a Manchester United legends team beat their Barcelona counterparts 5-3 on aggregate after a 2-2 draw at Old Trafford.

A star-studded game on Saturday, the proceeds of which will go to the club's foundation, saw Van Nistelrooy, Edwin van der Sar, Dwight Yorke and Louis Saha among the big names to turn out for United.The Barca side contained Edgar Davids, Eric Abidal, Edmilson, Gaizka Mendieta and Patrick Kluivert.

Van Nistelrooy delighted home fans with a trademark penalty, before Danny Webber also netted for United in the first half, with second-half Barca goals from Luis Garcia and Mendieta giving the Catalans a draw on the day.
Former United manager Alex Ferguson was among those in the stands as the two sides held a minute's silence ahead of kick-off to pay their respects to the victims of recent terror attacks in Manchester and Barcelona. United, who were managed on the day by Andy Cole as a replacement for Bryan Robson, won 3-1 in the Camp Nou leg of the tie in June.

 

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Diego Costa may remain at Chelsea - but so does his baggage


Diego Costa remains at Chelsea following the close of the transfer window, but his relationship with the staff at Stamford Bridge remains fractured.

The Spain international will be registered to compete in the Premier League and Champions League but manager Antonio Conte has made clear that he does not want the forward sticking around.

Costa remains unhappy with a text message sent to him by the Italian while he was on international duty in May, stating that he is no longer welcome at the club, although Goal understands that the 28-year-old was previously told that he was considered surplus to requirements.

A long-touted move to Atletico Madrid might not have come to fruition in the summer, but the club from the Spanish capital are still seeking the forward, who is eager to return for a second stint there. Atleti, who are in the midst of a transfer ban and could, therefore, not have registered the player for action until January, refused to meet Chelsea's £40 million valuation.

As things stand, it is unlikely that Costa will feature for the Blues again, and Atleti are hopeful that his transfer value will drop by January as a result.He is a player courted by Diego Simeone for over a year now, with Chelsea having threatened to go to UEFA last summer as they felt the Spanish side overstepped the mark in their pursuit of the attacker.

Costa, who has claimed in one interview that he has been “treated like a criminal” by Chelsea, remains in his hometown of Legarto, Brazil, and has been training alone. His side, however, want him to return to Cobham so they can oversee his work. It is likely, however, that he would work with the Under-23 squad upon his return.

The situation gets messier still as Costa has legal proceedings open against Chelsea for “discrimination” as explained by his lawyer in a statement to the news agency EFE.

It might have been resolved last January, when there was the possibility of the player leaving for Chinese Super League club Tianjin Quanjian, who were prepared to triple his wages and pay £76m for him. However, Chelsea rebuffed that move as they sought the Premier League title, and though it was meant to go through this summer, a new 100 per cent tax on foreign transfers caused the deal to collapse.

 

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Spain 3 Italy 0: Incredible Isco puts 2010 winners on brink of World Cup place

Isco scored a brilliant double as Spain defeated Italy 3-0 to take a huge step towards World Cup qualification.

The Real Madrid star, playing at his home ground of the Santiago Bernabeu, scored both of his goals in the first half as he continued his magnificent individual year for club and country.

Isco opened the scoring with a superb free-kick and made it two with a low effort, moving on to four goals in his last five internationals as Spain impressed after opting not to start with a recognised number nine.

Italy were more threatening after the break but could not find a way past David de Gea, with Spain substitute Alvaro Morata sealing victory late on as the visitors' hopes of reaching Russia suffered a blow.The convincing win sees Spain, who play Liechtenstein on Tuesday, move three points clear of Italy at the top of Group G with only three matches to go.

As well as that advantage, the goal difference of Julen Lopetegui's men is superior by 10, meaning only a dramatic turnaround will see them slip into a play-off spot. Italy are four points ahead of third-placed Albania.


Spain made the breakthrough in the 13th minute after Leonardo Bonucci was booked for a foul on Marco Asensio that ensured he is ruled out of the next qualifier against Israel.

Given Asensio was about to shoot and had a clear path to goal, the AC Milan defender may have been fortunate not to see red from referee Bjorn Kuipers, but Italy were still punished from the resulting free-kick, as Isco stepped up to send a dipping effort past Gianluigi Buffon from 25 yards.

The visitors almost equalised when a deep Matteo Darmian cross from the right was powerfully headed towards goal by Andrea Belotti, only for the Torino striker to be denied by a good reaction save from De Gea.Spain wasted a headed chance of their own at the other end when Gerard Pique could only divert Koke's delivery over from six yards.

But the hosts did double their lead five minutes before half-time, Isco collecting a pass from Andres Iniesta and gliding past Marco Verratti to fire left-footed into the bottom corner from just outside the area.

Italy came out fighting in the second half and De Gea had to save from Verratti with Antonio Candreva making a hash of the rebound, shortly before a stretching Belotti headed over from two yards out after Andrea Barzagli helped a corner into his path.

Asensio sent a bouncing effort just wide from over 30 yards out in response, while Buffon raced out to save from Dani Carvajal after great work from Isco had created the opportunity.With 18 minutes to go, Iniesta came off to a touching standing ovation despite being at the home of Barcelona's arch-rivals, with Morata coming on.

And just five minutes after his arrival, Chelsea's Morata put the result beyond doubt, exchanging a one-two with former Madrid team-mate Sergio Ramos, who charged forward from defence on the counterattack and laid it on a plate for the striker to convert high into the net from close range.De Gea sprung across goal to save Lorenzo Insigne's late strike, while Morata had a second goal ruled out for offside after he headed in David Silva's cross.



Amid a party atmosphere at the Bernabeu, Isco came off in the final moments and received a deserved standing ovation, as David Villa – over three years after his last appearance – came on to make a popular return to the international scene at the age of 35.

 

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Congratulations Spain!

VAMOS ESPANA​

 

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Wales 1 Austria 0: Debutant Woodburn hits stunner to snatch vital victory


Liverpool teenager Ben Woodburn came off the bench to fire Wales to a crucial 1-0 World Cup qualifying win over Austria in Cardiff.

With second-placed Republic of Ireland held 1-1 in Georgia, Wales had the chance to pull within two points of a play-off spot and did just that courtesy of Woodburn's stunning 74th-minute strike.

Chris Coleman had thrown on the teenager for his international debut just five minutes before he hit the goal that sends Wales to within touching distance of second place in Group D.

The hosts were backed by raucous support at Cardiff City Stadium but the result was far from straightforward as Austria, guided by Bayern Munich's David Alaba, looked more likely to break a first-half deadlock.But the surprise Euro 2016 semi-finalists improved after the break to celebrate just their second victory of qualifying and first since the opening matchday.

Coleman left free agent Joe Ledley out of his starting XI but the manager's faith in 17-year-old Woodburn was rewarded, leaving Wales with a golden chance to apply more pressure when they visit Moldova on Tuesday.


All eyes were on Gareth Bale as he returned from suspension and the Real Madrid man sought to make an early impact, but shot harmlessly after driving through the heart of Austria's midfield in the third minute.

Aaron Ramsey fired over from the next opening but it was far from one-way traffic early as David Edwards made an important block on Alaba, before Marko Arnautovic flashed a dangerous ball across the face of goal.

Arnautovic then almost punished Wayne Hennessey for coming off his line in attempting to clear a pass in behind, but the goalkeeper managed to hold up the West Ham attacker before recovering defenders arrived to quell the danger.

Austria were dealt a blow midway through the opening stanza with an injured Sebastian Prodl limping off, the Watford defender replaced by teenager Kevin Danso.

The visitors did still create the best chance of the half when Julian Baumgartlinger threaded an incisive pass through to Arnautovic but, with only Hennessey to beat, the 28-year-old guided his angled attempt over the crossbar.

Bale looked to inject more life into Wales' attack after the restart, forcing Heinz Lindner to dive to his left in order to push away a curling effort from distance.

Ashley Williams was fortunate to escape punishment for shoulder-checking the lively Marcel Sabitzer off the ball as Wales continued to grow into the game, Arsenal midfielder Ramsey fizzing a low effort past the post.

And when Bale was needed for a last-ditch tackle on Martin Harnik, Coleman looked to his bench for attacking support - introducing Hal Robson-Kanu and 17-year-old Woodburn.It was the debutant who produced the necessary magic, punishing Austria for failing to clear their lines with a thumping low drive into the bottom corner.

Skipper Williams denied Arnautovic with goal-line header at the other end while Bale and Robson-Kanu both went close in stoppage time as the home side held on for their biggest result yet in Group D.



Coleman's side will hope to ram home the advantage against lowly Moldova on Tuesday, with Austria returning home to meet Georgia.

 

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Ryan Giggs agrees with Roy Keane, calls transfer market 'ridiculous'


Manchester United icon Ryan Giggs believes the transfer market has become "ridiculous" as he responded to Roy Keane's claim he would be worth £2 billion if he was still playing.

Ex-United winger, coach and assistant manager Giggs backed his former captain's concerns over the transfer fees being paid for average players.

Keane felt his old United team-mates like the Welshman, Ruud van Nistelrooy and David Beckham would be worth 10-figure sums if they were available today and questioned the level of spending on players who are not in the top bracket of global stars, due to the effect the biggest deals have on the rest of the market.

The most recent transfer window saw Jose Mourinho's side splash out an initial £75m for Romelu Lukaku in the biggest Premier League move, while Neymar's €222m switch to Paris Saint-Germain smashed the world record as Ousmane Dembele joined Barcelona in the second biggest move of all time (which was then surpassed by Kylian Mbappe's move to PSG), deals which impacted the tiers of players below.

In response to Keane's £2bn valuation of him, Giggs told WalesOnline: "He's always spoken a lot of sense has Roy! "I don't know about £2 billion but I think Roy's point was that now you're seeing average players go for massive sums.

"You look back at some of the players we played with - what would they be worth now? Ruud van Nistelrooy, unbelievable goalscorer, you're just guaranteed goals every season. "I think that was the point Roy was trying to make and he's right because it's just ridiculous. It doesn't look like stopping, just going up."

And after Keane's praise, Giggs was similarly complimentary about the former United captain."You couldn't buy him because you look around the league and who is like him," said Giggs. "N'Golo Kante's a fantastic player but Roy's better than Kante. He could do everything.

"When he came to United from Nottingham Forest he was an attacking midfielder from box-to-box, getting beyond the centre-forward, scoring goals.

"Then he turned into a midfielder who controlled the tempo and with [Paul] Scholesy was part of a fantastic midfield."

 

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Liverpool demanded €200m for Coutinho, claims Barcelona director


Liverpool demanded €200 million for Philippe Coutinho when Barcelona made a deadline day bid to sign the Brazil forward, according to director Albert Soler.

Barca had made Coutinho one of their top targets after Paris Saint-Germain triggered Neymar's €222m release clause to prise the forward away from the Catalan giants.

But Liverpool rejected a series of bids despite Coutinho reportedly making a transfer request in order to force through a move to Camp Nou.

Coutinho has not played for Liverpool all season due to injury and illness, but he came off the bench and scored in Brazil's World Cup qualifying win over Ecuador on Thursday.

Barcelona subsequently made a late attempt to sign the 25-year-old before the transfer window closed only for Liverpool to request a whopping €200m.

"After weeks of negotiations, yesterday Liverpool asked us for €200m for the player," Soler told a news conference on Saturday. "We will not put the club at risk."We have always worked with the mission not to put at risk the heritage and the viability of the club which is owned by the members.

"The fact that PSG came up with €222m [for Neymar] caused everyone to know that the club had money. When you go to the market and clubs know that you have a lot of money, the requests were exorbitant."Barcelona technical director Robert Fernandez claimed Coutinho made a "big effort" to try to engineer a switch to Camp Nou.

"Liverpool were asking for €200m so logically we didn’t accept that," he said.
"We thank the player, he made a big effort to come here and showed that he wanted to play for us, but the situation ended the way it did and there was nothing else we could do."

Barcelona were able to land France international Ousmane Dembele from Borussia Dortmund in an initial €105m deal, but Paulinho and Nelson Semedo were the only other major arrivals in an underwhelming transfer window for Ernesto Valverde's side.

A reported last-minute move for Argentina star Angel Di Maria failed but Fernandez denied the club is disappointed with their business overall, although he accepted the winger's PSG team-mate Marco Verratti was a target.

"Barcelona have an excellent team and the signings are going to contribute a lot," Fernandez said. "We have been planning the transfers for a long time. We have chosen high level players that will help us. We have a very good team, the team will help us compete.

"Last night we worked on the possibility of doing some deals and it was not possible. We have to work and look for solutions. We have to think about the future.

 

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Noble: Hart not to blame for terrible West Ham start


Mark Noble insists that Joe Hart does not deserve to be blamed for West Ham’s terrible start to the Premier League season.

The England international joined the Hammers from Manchester City earlier this summer on a season-long loan deal, though Slaven Bilic’s side were unable to include a buyout option in the 30-year-old’s contract.

Despite the marquee signing, West Ham have endured a turgid start to the season, losing their opening three games, and conceding 10 goals and scoring just two.However, Noble maintains that Hart cannot be blamed, and has instead backed the goalkeeper to enjoy a successful stay at the London Stadium.

"Joe has had a tough start to his West Ham career, but that's down to the whole team," the West Ham captain told the Daily Mail."He's England's No.1, he's a fantastic goalie and I think he'll stay No.1 for a while yet to come.

"He's a fantastic character. He's played in massive tournaments and won the Premier League so it's always nice to have that experience."We probably haven't protected him as well as we should have done in the first three games, but he's a leader, a great person and hopefully he can start his enjoyment of West Ham from next Monday night."

Manager Bilic is under significant pressure at the Hammers, and Goal understands that his job is currently hanging by a thread.

Monday’s fixture against newly-promoted Huddersfield Town, thus, takes on added significance for the club.

 

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'I was stung by an insect' - Belotti suffers bizarre injury before Spain defeat


Torino striker Andrea Belotti says he suffered an unusual injury on the eve of Italy's 3-0 defeat to Spain in Madrid.

Belotti was one of a number of players whose performance was below par as the Azzurri were resoundingly beaten at the Santiago Bernabeu, courtesy of two goals from Isco and one for Alvaro Morata.The result saw Spain move three points ahead of Giampiero Ventura's side in their World Cup qualifying group with three games to play.


The 23-year-old explained his bizarre injury and went on to defend coach Ventura's decision to play an attacking 4-2-4 formation."I was stung by an insect overnight and my eye puffed up," Belotti said to Rai Sport.

"Our regrets are throughout the entire game. The way we prepared, with a very attacking line-up, was because we wanted to come here and get a result.

"Football is a team game, everyone has to contribute and work both on and off the ball. That is what the coach asks of us and every side in modern football has to defend with 11 men.
"Spain are a very attacking side, yet at times they had 11 men behind the ball. I think this match can be a real education, as we could have done better and unfortunately we didn't, but we can learn from our mistakes."

 

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Man Utd have their mojo back after addressing their greatest deficiency under Mourinho


As Kasper Schmeichel sprung to his right to beat away a penalty from Romelu Lukaku on Saturday, Manchester United supporters could have been forgiven for fearing the worst.

Their side may have burst out of the blocks with back-to-back 4-0 victories, earning them plenty of plaudits, but recent history has offered some harsh lessons when it comes to getting caught up in the emotion of a bright start.Just last season, the Red Devils stumbled their way to a sixth-place finish in the Premier League on the back of 10 draws at Old Trafford.

An inability to kill games off cost United dear, with Jose Mourinho’s side often struggling to break down stubborn resistance – a combination of poor finishing and bad luck conspired against them.

The sight of Lukaku grimacing as he saw his 52nd-minute spot-kick saved against Leicester will have brought painful memories flooding back for the United faithful, with it impossible not to wonder: ‘Is it happening all over again?’Mourinho’s class of 2017-18 are, however, a markedly different animal to that which was tamed far too often last term.

Some 18 minutes after Lukaku failed from 12 yards out, Marcus Rashford turned home from almost the exact same spot – cue relief all round and a second bundled effort from Marouane Fellaini for good measure.

Three wins, nine points, 10 goals and three clean sheets – life is rosy at the Theatre of Dreams once again.

Of course, it can be argued that United’s flying start to the season has been aided by the calibre of opposition they have faced – all in the bottom half of the table – but you can only beat what is put in front of you, and that proved tricky in 2016-17.West Ham and Swansea both took points off the Red Devils last season, but both were swept aside with a minimum of fuss this time around.

That is because United have been able to address the one glaring deficiency which held them back during Mourinho’s debut campaign – their lack of cutting edge.
And, things could have been even better.

Last year, United ended the season with a rather dismal conversion rate of 12.36 per cent – a tally which placed them above just four sides, including all three of those that suffered relegation.

On home soil that figure dipped even lower to 10.7%, but this term it has soared back up to 22.22% while their overall effectiveness in front of goal has risen to 24.39% - the best in the division to date.That is all very positive but, as mentioned, Mourinho knows that there is also the promise of more to come.

Only arch-rivals City have squandered more ‘big chances’ than United’s haul of five this term, while no side has struck the woodwork on more occasions – three times for the Red Devils so far.There is still clearly work to do, but United have found a way of getting the job done – much like they once did under a legendary former boss.

United legend Bryan Robson certainly sees similarities there, with the ex-club captain telling PA Sport: “It always depends on injuries throughout the year, but as far as I am concerned since Sir Alex Ferguson left this is probably the strongest squad that I've seen. We've got pace, we've got power, but we've also got quality players. That helps to try and win titles.”

Talk of top-flight crowns may be a little premature but United have been impressive without being faultless, and that should concern their fellow title hopefuls.

The Red Devils appear to have their mojo back and the rest of the division now need to find a way of reeling them in.