Posts of septembre 2015

Mata shines as United beat Wolfsburg

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Manchester United battled back after conceding a fourth-minute goal to grind out a hard-fought 2-1 victory over VfL Wolfsburg.

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Manchester, England - Manchester United battled back after conceding a fourth-minute goal to grind out a hard-fought 2-1 victory over VfL Wolfsburg at Old Trafford on Wednesday, the English side's first Champions League win of the season.

There was huge pressure on United after they lost to PSV Eindhoven in their opening Group B match two weeks ago and their night got off to the worst start when Daniel Caligiuri opened the scoring for the well-drilled visitors after some poor defending.

United, who came from behind to beat Wolfsburg 2-1 exactly six years ago to the day, followed the same script with Juan Mata equalising with a 34th-minute penalty, while defender Chris Smalling proved to be the unlikely match-winner when he slid in to score his first goal of the season after 53 minutes.

United manager Louis Van Gaal, who said before the match United had to win all of their home games to have any chance of making it through to the last 16, told BT Sport it was a hard-earned victory.

“It was very difficult because they scored (so early) but then we did very well and created a lot of chances, but we didn't finish...

“we were suffering. A lot of players are very tired because of the accumulation of matches, but still, we did not give much away.”

Wolfsburg coach Dieter Hecking said: “We had a good start to the game. Midway through the first half we lost a bit of control and they had the chances to level.”

With CSKA Moscow beating PSV Eindhoven 3-2 in Russia, the four teams are all level after two matches. CSKA Moscow host United and Wolfsburg are at home to PSV in Matchday Three on Oct.21.

United started the match buoyed by going top of the Premier League at the weekend, but they were reeling after Wolfsburg struck to take the lead after a six-pass move.

United were guilty of woeful defending as Antonio Valencia played Caligiuri onside and he picked his spot to beat David De Gea.

Wayne Rooney should have equalised for United after 26 minutes after fine work down the right from Anthony Martial, but the United skipper, who had a poor game in attack, blasted the ball high and wide when it looked easier to find the net.

They drew level when Mata sent goalkeeper Diego Benaglio the wrong way with his penalty after Hungarian referee Viktor Kassai ruled scorer Caligiuri handled in the box.

Mata was instrumental in setting up United's second goal as well, providing the final pass with a creative, backheeled flick that allowed Smalling to slide home his first goal of the season after 53 minutes. – Reuters

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Wenger in the firing line

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger found himself attacked from all sides after his selection decisions backfired spectacularly.

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Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger found himself attacked from all sides on Wednesday after his selection decisions backfired to leave his team facing an embarrassing group-stage exit in the Champions League.

Wenger elected to pick David Ospina instead of first-choice goalkeeper Petr Cech at home to Olympiakos on Tuesday, but the Colombian committed a first-half howler, palming a corner into his own net, as Arsenal lost 3-2 to register a second consecutive Group F defeat.

“OOPSPINA” was the headline in British newspaper the Daily Mirror, while the Daily Express said the former Nice goalkeeper had committed a “calamity” and The Sun said Wenger's men had been “humiliated”.

Wenger claimed afterwards that Cech had been left on the bench due to a “slight (fitness) alert” prior to Saturday's 5-2 win at Leicester City, but Arsenal great Ian Wright said the Frenchman had made a “big mistake”.

“For somebody who's not playing often -- and this is a must-win game -- how can you put Ospina in goal? You've got to question the manager there,” Wright, Arsenal's second-highest all-time goal-scorer, said on BT Sport.

“I think that's a big mistake. Why not start with Petr Cech, simply because of the experience he's got? Because we have to win this game. Arsenal have to win this game.”

Cech, an Â£11 million ($16.7 million, 14.9 million euros) signing from Chelsea, was Wenger's only close-season recruit and the calamitous cost of rotation in the Champions League has revealed serious shortcomings in Arsenal's squad.

Wenger made six changes for the group opener, a 2-1 defeat at unheralded Dinamo Zagreb, and five for Tuesday's game, which saw Olympiakos prevail on English soil for the first time after 12 consecutive defeats.

Arsenal may have shared the back page of The Sun with Chelsea -- beaten 2-1 at Porto -- beneath the banner “EURO TRASH”, but whereas the Premier League champions' trip to Portugal represented their toughest Group G assignment, Arsenal's biggest battles are still to come.

Their next group fixtures are a double-header against Pep Guardiola's formidable Bayern Munich, in-form Robert Lewandowski and all, who eliminated Arsenal in the last 16 in both 2013 and 2014.

Should Arsenal fail to win at least one of those games, they will face elimination at the group stage for the first time since 1998.

“Normally we're out by the quarter-final, last 16,” added Wright. “This time we've got a massive hill to climb.”

Wenger has built his reputation on his success in establishing Arsenal as Champions League perennials, leading them to the competition's group stage 18 times in succession and to the knockout phase for the past 15 seasons.

But their record in recent years has been one of diminishing returns. They were beaten finalists in 2006 and semi-finalists in 2009, but have gone out in the last 16 for the last five seasons in a row.

Paradoxically, Arsenal fared better in the Champions League when Wenger's ability to invest in new players was hindered by the cost of the Emirates Stadium.

Now free to splurge money on global stars like Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez, Arsenal curiously look more vulnerable than ever.

Echoing last season's fatal 3-1 loss at home to Monaco in the last 16, the defeat by Olympiakos highlighted what have become habitual failings for Wenger's men, who have lost six of their last 12 Champions League home games.

Ospina's blunder was the latest in a long line of avoidable individual errors that have hurt Arsenal in Europe, while Alfred Finnbogason's 66th-minute winner arrived just a minute after Sanchez had equalised.

“The Ospina mistake and conceding the third goal like they did is a disaster,” said former Arsenal defender Martin Keown.

“I can't remember a more disappointing European result for Arsenal.”

To compound matters, Arsenal lost Laurent Koscielny to a hamstring injury in the second half, weakening them yet further ahead of Sunday's home game against Premier League leaders Manchester United. – AFP

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Sturridge rested for Merseyside derby

Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge, who scored his first goals of the season last weekend, will be left out of Thursday's Europa League tie against FC Sion, manager Brendan Rodgers said.

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London - Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge, who scored his first goals of the season last weekend, will be left out of Thursday's Europa League tie against FC Sion, manager Brendan Rodgers said on Wednesday.

The aim is to hold him back for Sunday's Merseyside derby at Everton, who are four places above their neighbours. But Rodgers will be happy with England naming him on Thursday for their final Euro 2016 qualifying matches in a week's time.

“He won't be involved in the (Sion) game,” Rodgers told a pre-match news conference. “We'll keep him fresh for the weekend. He's still building his way towards fitness.”

The England striker missed six months of last season in all with calf and thigh injuries and then the first five league matches of the new campaign.

In his second game back last weekend he scored twice against Aston Villa, delighting Rodgers with the way he combined with new signing Danny Ings.

“If we can keep him fit, there's a real good combination there. It was a real threat,” the manager said.

“Our approach to this game will be how it's been in the competition so far. It's an opportunity for players on the fringes,” Rodgers added, confirming that 18-year-old midfielder Jordan Rossiter will feature.

He made his debut in a 1-1 draw with Bordeaux in the opening Group B game. On the same day Sion beat Rubin Kazan 2-1 to top the table.

“It's a game where we're going to need to be patient,” Rodgers said. “Sion sit deep and then play a counter-attacking game.” – Reuters

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Terry absence remains a mystery

John Terry has been sitting impotently on the sidelines for half of the new campaign as Chelsea stutter to one of their worst starts in years.

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London - When Chelsea captain John Terry signed a new one-year contract last May he could hardly have envisaged sitting impotently on the sidelines for half of the new campaign as his beloved club stuttered to one of their worst starts in years.

In the wake of another poor defensive performance by Jose Mourinho's team while losing 2-1 away to Porto in the Champions League on Tuesday, pundits and supporters alike are questioning how long the manager can continue to ignore a player he once described as 'untouchable'.

Before meeting the Portugese club where he made his name, Chelsea's manager was forced to admit that none of his players came into that category now, which he proved by leaving out Player of the Year Eden Hazard, the previously reliable Nemanja Matic, Brazilian midfielder Oscar and Terry.

After playing for every minute of the 38 Premier League games last season, it was the fourth time in five matches that the club captain has been left sitting among the substitutes.

In only the second game of the season he had suffered the ignominy of being taken off at half-time as the defending champions lost 3-0 to Manchester City.

Instead of glamour matches against the likes of Arsenal and Porto, his only appearance recently was in front of barely 10,000 people for a League Cup tie at third-tier Walsall.

For the big games, England international Gary Cahill has been partnered in central defence with the 20 year-old Frenchman Kurt Zouma.

Neither impressed in the two most recent matches against struggling Newcastle United and Porto as Chelsea conceded two goals each time. They have already lost more matches than in the whole of last season.

With right-back Branislav Ivanovic given the captain's armband and looking completely out of sorts, critics are wondering how long it can be before the Terry is recalled.

“What must John Terry think as he watches from the substitutes' bench while Ivanovic seemingly survives error after error, match after match?” asked the Daily Telegraph on Wednesday.

“The reason remains a mystery,” the Daily Mail wrote of Terry's continued absence. “Can they be much worse with Terry at the back? He would bring leadership and organisation at least.”

At 34, it is generally accepted that Terry may have lost a little pace, but many observers believe his vast experience would compensate.

Former Manchester United and England defender Rio Ferdinand, though he has had his differences with Terry in the past, spoke on Sky Sports of Chelsea “lacking leaders”.

Steve McManaman, once of Liverpool and Real Madrid, who was also covering the game, described him as “the ultimate professional” and said there will be games when he is called upon again.

For many Chelsea fans even this Saturday's home game against Southampton would not be soon enough. – Reuters

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Lack of discipline cost Arsenal

Per Mertesacker says Arsenal were punished for a lack of discipline and concentration in their Champions League loss to Olympiakos Piraeus.

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Arsenal were punished for a lack of discipline and concentration in Tuesday's loss to Olympiakos Piraeus in the Champions League and must regroup ahead of the weekend's game against Premier League leaders Manchester United, said defender Per Mertesacker.

Arsenal's hopes of advancing from the Champions League group stage for a 16th straight season are dangling by a thread after their 3-2 defeat to the Greek side.

The Gunners have now lost their opening two group matches for the first time following a 2-1 defeat at Dinamo Zagreb two weeks ago and are bottom of Group F, six points behind leaders Bayern Munich, who they have to play twice.

Arsenal were shaky at the back and goalkeeper David Ospina's awful mistake gifted Olympiakos a 2-1 lead five minutes before the break when he failed to collect an inswinging corner and allowed the ball to drop over the line.

Alexis Sanchez equalised in the second half but the Gunners seemed to switch off after the goal and Alfred Finnbogason put the Greek champions back in front less than a minute later.

“We lacked discipline. Even when you get a goal back don't rush yourself. We need to get behind the ball and play better defensively,” Mertesacker told the club's website (www.arsenal.com).

“Get your discipline back and with possession you get your chances. If we are not disciplined and do not chase the ball we have got no chance.

“We lacked that concentration and it is not understandable why we drifted and did not do the job we are used to doing. That is not acceptable and we will be punished in the Champions League.”

The German international said Arsenal had to regroup in time to host the Premier League leaders on Sunday.

“It will take a couple of days to recover and to think about Manchester United and play in a different competition, which will be a good opportunity to come back to the Emirates and play our football with possession and dynamism,” he said.

Olympiakos, whose 12 previous visits to England since 1965 had all ended in defeat, scored as many goals in the match as they had managed in the last 50 years on English soil.

“It is not an easy task to come here and get three points,” Iceland international Finnbogason said.

“We have had a very, very bad (away) record in Europe up until now and we are very delighted to be rewriting the history of Olympiakos by winning their first game in England,” he added. – Reuters

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United can conquer Europe - LVG

Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal has suggested that they are capable of winning the Champions League.

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The Manchester United manager, Louis van Gaal, who is buoyed by his club going top of the Premier League, has suggested that they are capable of winning the Champions League.

Van Gaal never required much encouragement to issue reminders that he won the trophy in 1995, with Ajax, and at a time when he is making comparisons between Anthony Martial and Patrick Kluivert - his prodigy who played a match-winning role against Milan in that final - said the club, who entertain Wolfsburg tonight, can do it again.

“I think we can, because I've done it,” he said. “It's not [just] quality but it's also luck. For me as a manager when you reach the final you have done fantastic. I think in the Champions League you need to win all your home matches otherwise it will be very difficult.”

His side, who will be without Michael Carrick and Ander Herrera tonight, will need to defend better than they did in the 2-1 away defeat to PSV Eindhoven in their opening match, though Martial's interaction with Juan Mata which has already yielded four goals in five games is fuelling United's optimism.

Europe will create a true sense of whether United's rise in the Premier League is simply a reflection of the indifferent standards of Manchester City, Chelsea and Arsenal, though Wolfsburg ought not to threaten Van Gaal's aspirations. They have started the Bundesliga campaign erratically, with three wins in seven and are nine points off leaders Bayern Munich.

The club - who are without Luis Gustavo - also bring with them the fallout of the VW emissions scandal. They were formed from a Volkswagen workers' sports club in 1945 and are a wholly-owned subsidiary of the stricken car manufacturer, whose financial investment helped them win the Bundesliga title in 2009 and German Cup last season. Analysts are already suggesting the scandal may damage VW's investment and threaten their funding streams.

“When you suffer a big financial hit, you have to look for savings,” the respected Coventry University sports business analyst Simon Chadwick has told the BBC World Service. “Sponsorship is one of the things that gets hit during times of austerity. It has to have an impact on the club. Depending on the size of the financial dent it remains to be seen whether they can sustain the level of expenditure, and therefore the team's performance, that we've seen over recent seasons.”

The club's sporting director Klaus Allofs has moved to reassure concerned fans. “As things stand now, nothing will change,” he said. The former Wolfsburg striker Jonathan Akpoborie is less convinced. “The link is always there. For the players it's not hidden. You know that without Volkswagen the team can't survive, it would crumble,” he has told the BBC.

Van Gaal only has thoughts for himself and his own side. He even held open the prospect of not carrying out his pledge to leave once his contract expires in 2017 - should United bring him a second Champions League trophy, 21 years after his first. “Normally I leave after next year, but nothing in football is normal,” he said. “But I promised my wife to go to our [Portuguese] paradise and it would be hard to break that promise.” – The Independent

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We had bit of ‘bad luck’ - Wenger

Arsene Wenger refused to take the blame for Arsenal's Champions League crisis after his selection gamble backfired against Olympiakos.

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Arsene Wenger refused to take the blame for Arsenal's Champions League crisis after his selection gamble backfired in a humiliating 3-2 defeat against Olympiakos.

Wenger's side had never before lost their opening two Champions League games, but they have imploded twice against Dinamo Zagreb and now Olympiakos to leave their Group F campaign in turmoil.

And it is Wenger's curious decision to make a host of changes for both European fixtures that has played a major role in the defeats which leave Arsenal in danger of failing to qualify for the knockout stages for the first time in 16 years.

After making six changes for the loss in Zagreb earlier this month, Wenger threw caution to the wind again and made another five alterations for Olympiakos's visit to the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday.

Crucially, he opted to leave Petr Cech on the bench and select David Ospina in goal instead and the move went spectacularly wrong as the Colombian's horrendous howler gifted the Greek club their second goal.

Yet Wenger remained defiant when asked if he regretted his failure to send out his strongest team.

“I make the decisions, I pick the team and I'm responsible for it,” Wenger said.

“I know many things that maybe you don't know and you ignore.

“You can't select the team by making a poll before the game.”

Pressed on why he had decided he could do without the experience of former Chelsea star Cech, an increasingly tetchy Wenger refused to accept he had blundered.

“I don't give you why. I don't have to sit here and give you explanations about every decision I make,” he said.

“Cech had a slight (injury) alert before the Leicester game and I didn't want to take a gamble.

“It's not because of that we lost the game.

“Ospina payed 19 games and kept many clean-sheets. Last week at Tottenham he had a fantastic game.

“It (the mistake) could have happened to Cech as well.”

With back to back fixtures against group leaders Bayern Munich coming next, Wenger's team could be eliminated by early November.

But the Gunners boss is convinced they can still nick a win against the Germans and find a way to sneak through.

“It leaves us in a bad positon but we are still in it,” Wenger said.

“We have to think we can deal with Zagreb and Olympiakos and we have to make a result in our next game against Bayern at home. We are not out of it.”

Felipe Pardo opened the scoring before Theo Walcott equalised.

Then Ospina's own goal was followed by an Alexis Sanchez equaliser and just 59 seconds later substitute Alfred Finnbogason bagged the winner.

Even by Arsenal's sloppy defensive standards, this was a new low for Wenger's men, but he was adamant it wasn't the worse European result of his reign.

“No. If you sit on the bench and lose in the Champions League final you will have the answer,” he said.

“I believe some aspects of our game were quite good but we lacked quality in our defensive concentration.

“We had a bit of bad luck as well. They had four shots on targets and scored three goals. That happens once in 100 games in the Champions League.

“We had 65 percent possession but we feel guilty because we gave easy goals away.”

While Wenger cut a frustrated figure, Olympiakos boss Marco Silva was understandably revelling in his club's first ever win in England after 12 consecutive defeats.

“I can't hide that I'm very satisfied. It's something historical for us after all these games and all these losses,” he said.

“Any team that wins here has to know how to suffer and put up with the pressure. That is one of the key features.

“We had to resist and to run a lot when Arsenal are trying to tire you.

“It was important never to be scared and we never stopped believing we could win.” – AFP

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Jose left to rue ‘ridiculous mistakes’

Jose Mourinho lamented Chelsea's defending from set-pieces after they lost 2-1 at Porto in the Champions League.

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Porto, Portugal - Jose Mourinho lamented Chelsea's defending from set-pieces but was otherwise satisfied with his team's display after they suffered a fifth defeat of the season on Tuesday, 2-1 at Porto in the Champions League.

Porto, the club Mourinho led to the Champions League title in 2004, scored in each half through Andre Andre and Maicon while the 2012 winners replied through Willian on the stroke of halftime.

“It was a good performance with two ridiculous mistakes,” the Chelsea manager told reporters. “Sometimes you make those mistakes and you are not punished, we were punished.

“With the second goal it's a ridiculous mistake. We watched dozens of repetitions of Porto taking corners, I thought we were completely ready for that and at a moment when the game was under control and were preparing to make a change we conceded that goal.

“We had another similar mistake when they hit the post. Apart from that I thought we had balance, defensively we had no problems and the defenders played well,” added Mourinho.

“The basic thing in football is a defensive set-play, the ball is there, you know the movements, control the spaces.”

Dynamo Kiev and Porto top Group G with four points from two games. Chelsea are on three while Maccabi Tel Aviv have yet to get off the mark.

The Londoners are also way off the pace in the Premier League and Mourinho has criticised his side at times during a difficult start to the season.

On Tuesday night, however, he refused to “point the finger” of blame at his squad.

“I don't think my players deserve me to be critical of them apart from the two mistakes,” he added.

“It's a difficult opponent and a difficult place to play. The Champions League brings a different emotion to matches, to the crowd and opposing players. I think the team played well.”

Porto's first-half scorer Andre hailed a memorable performance by his side.

“The most important thing is that the team keeps winning, no matter who scores,” said the midfielder.

“I would be equally happy if we won and I was not the one scoring. We are all very happy, we played a great match and now we have to savour this victory.” – Reuters

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Arsenal in danger of early CL exit

Arsenal lost their second successive Champions League game, leaving them bottom of their group after losing to Olympiakos Piraeus.

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London - Arsenal's hopes of advancing from the Champions League group stage for the 16th straight season were left dangling by a thread after they lost an astonishing clash 3-2 to visiting Olympiakos Piraeus on Tuesday.

The Gunners have now lost their opening two group matches for the first time ever following their 2-1 defeat at Dinamo Zagreb two weeks ago and are bottom of Group F, six points behind leaders Bayern Munich, who they have to play twice.

Olympiakos, whose 12 previous visits to England since 1965 all ended in defeat, scored as many goals in this match as they had managed in the last 50 years in England, and have three points along with Dinamo, who were beaten 5-0 at Bayern.

The defeat left Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger in a tetchy mood when he faced the media at the post-match news conference.

His team selection was criticised when they played in Zagreb and he came under renewed questioning after this loss especially about his decision to play No.2 stopper David Ospina instead of first choice Petr Cech. He was unusually curt with his answers.

“I make the decisions and the selections for the team and I am responsible for it. I know many things that maybe you don't know and maybe ignore,” he said.

“You cannot select the team by making a poll before the game and getting everyone's opinion.”

“It leaves us in a bad position but we are still in it,” added Wenger. “We have to think we can beat Zagreb here and Olympiakos away from home and get a result in our next game against Bayern at home, but we are not out of it.”

Olympiakos, who had lost their last five Champions League away games and their last six in all European competition took the lead against the run of play when Felipe Pardo's 32nd minute shot was deflected by Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain past Ospina.

Arsenal were level three minutes later when Theo Walcott scored from a tight angle but Olympiakos went in front again when Ospina mishandled a corner and dropped the ball over his line with the fifth official signalling a goal.

Alexis Sanchez equalised for the hosts with a neat header in the 65th but almost immediately Icelandic substitute Alfred Finnbogason put Olympiakos ahead again.

The visitors carved their way through an unusually shambolic Arsenal defence, disrupted by the loss of Laurent Koscielny who went off with a hamstring injury after 57 minutes.

A key moment came though when Ospina made a calamitous mistake to gift Olympiakos a 2-1 lead five minutes before the break, the keeper failing to collect an inswinging corner when unchallenged and allowing the ball to drop over the line.

“It's always a simple thing to say Ospina should not have played. He played 19 games last season and kept 14 clean sheets and last week at Tottenham he had a fantastic game,” said Wenger.

“No goalkeeper is mistake-free - it could have happened to Petr Cech as well. But I don't have to sit here and give you an explanation of every decision I make. We did not lose the game because of that mistake, that's a farce.”

Ospina's own goal was the third goal in an eight-minute spell after Pardo and Walcott traded goals.

The next arrived when Sanchez headed in Walcott's precise cross in the 65th but a minute later Finnbogason finished off a neat passing move to with what proved to be the winner and left Arsenal with a mountain to climb to reach the last 16 again. – Reuters

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Lewandowski bags another hat-trick

Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski continued his remarkable scoring run with a hat-trick in a 5-0 thrashing of Dinamo Zagreb.

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Munich - Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski continued his remarkable scoring run with a hat-trick in a 5-0 thrashing of Dinamo Zagreb on Tuesday to snap the Croats' 45-game unbeaten run and put the German champions in firm control of Champions League Group F.

In an explosive first half in which Bayern were 4-0 up inside half an hour, the Poland striker, who has notched a staggering 10 goals in their last three matches, including five in nine minutes against VfL Wolfsburg in the Bundesliga, struck twice in seven minutes.

“He is having an amazing run and an unbelievable week behind him,” Bayern captain Philipp Lahm told reporters. “A striker like Lewandowski doesn't need any prodding. He could be even more dangerous than last season.”

Brazilian Douglas Costa had put the hosts ahead with a fine low shot after 13 minutes and Mario Goetze added his second of the campaign before Poland captain Lewandowski chipped keeper Eduardo in the 55th minute for his third goal as Bayern moved to a maximum six points from two matches.

Greek champions Olympiakos stunned Arsenal 3-2 to move into second place level on three points with Zagreb, leaving their hosts bottom without a point.

“I want to congratulate my players for tonight,” Bayern coach Pep Guardiola said. “They had a top performance. With (wingers) Douglas Costa and Kingsley Coman our game is much better. Robert and Thomas (Mueller) have much more space in the middle.

“Now we are off to the Oktoberfest and then we will start thinking about Borussia Dortmund on the weekend,” he added referring to their top-of-the-table Bundesliga clash.

Dinamo, unbeaten in 45 games matches in all competitions before Tuesday and winners at Arsenal in their opening group game, were mere observers as they witnessed Bayern's awe-inspiring display of speed, skill and strength.

Bayern coach Pep Guardiola surprisingly left Thomas Mueller and Xabi Alonso on the bench, playing the talented Joshua Kimmich instead.

The 20-year-old needed three minutes to make his presence felt, although his glancing header sailed narrowly over the bar.

Eduardo came to the rescue a little later, palming a powerful Jerome Boateng drive around the post but could do nothing when Costa charged into the box and caught him off guard from a tight angle.

His 13th-minute goal opened the floodgates and Bayern doubled their lead in the 21st when Thiago Alcantara pounced on a mistake by Filip Benkovic and laid the ball off for Lewandowski, who had no trouble tapping in.

Goetze was then on target after playing a clever one-two with Kingsley Coman in the 25th and Lewandowski flicked in a Costa corner three minutes later with the ball going in off the bar.

The 27-year-old Lewandowski, who also scored twice against Mainz 05 in the Bundesliga on Saturday, completed his treble 10 minutes after the restart with a fine turn and chip after a backheel combination between Costa and Thiago left the Dinamo defence dazed. – Reuters

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Dazzling Porto sink Chelsea

Jose Mourinho fumed on the sidelines as Chelsea suffered at the hands of Porto in a Champions League clash.

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Porto, Portugal - Jose Mourinho suffered a nightmare homecoming as Porto, the club he led to the Champions League title in 2004, inflicted a 2-1 defeat on his woefully out-of-sorts Chelsea side in Group G on Tuesday.

Manager Mourinho sprang a surprise before the game by leaving out Eden Hazard, Nemanja Matic and Oscar and the Londoners went behind after 39 minutes when Yacine Brahimi produced a surging run down the left and Andre Andre scored.

Brazil playmaker Willian equalised with the last move of the first half, curling a delightful free kick into the top corner of the net from 25 metres.

Porto then went back in front seven minutes after the break when Maicon stooped low at the near post to head a left-wing corner past keeper Asmir Begovic.

Diego Costa was agonisingly close to a second goal for Chelsea when his wicked drive from 25 metres hit the underside of the bar and came out.

But Chelsea, who won the Premier League last season but are struggling in 14th place in their domestic championship this term, could have fallen further behind at the Estadio do Dragao.

Porto laid siege to the visitors' goal in the last 20 minutes and Begovic had to be at his best to keep his team in the game.

Penalty claim

Chelsea were denied a late penalty when Diego Costa flicked the ball around Ivan Marcano in the box and the defender deflected it away with his arm.

Overall, though, Porto were deserving winners as they joined Dynamo Kiev at the top of the group with four points from two games. Chelsea are on three while Maccabi Tel Aviv have yet to get off the mark.

Mourinho blamed his team's fifth defeat of the season on two bad moments.

“We watched dozens and dozens of repetitions of Porto taking corners,” he explained. “We were completely ready for that and in a moment when the game is under control we concede a goal that is ridiculous.

“They hit the post from a similar mistake. Apart from that the game was balanced. Two ridiculous moments and we were punished.”

Victory was especially sweet for Porto goalkeeper Iker Casillas as the former Real Madrid stalwart broke fellow Spaniard Xavi's all-time Champions League record by featuring in his 152nd game in the competition.

“That was our best performance of the season,” said Porto coach Julen Lopetegui. “I have to congratulate my team, these three points are totally deserved.

“The players attitude was amazing, spectacular. It was tough and unfair to go to the dressing room at halftime with a draw but we reacted well.”

REUTERS

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Lamela gets Argentina call up

Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Erik Lamela has been called up by Argentina for their opening 2018 World Cup qualifiers.

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Buenos Aires - Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Erik Lamela has been called up by Argentina for their opening 2018 World Cup qualifiers after captain Lionel Messi and Ever Banega withdrew with injuries, the Argentine FA said on Tuesday.

Lamela, who shone in Spurs' 4-1 Premier League win over Manchester City last weekend, has been drafted into the squad named by coach Gerardo Martino last week for South American qualifiers at home to Ecuador on Oct. 8 and away to Paraguay five days later.

Messi has been ruled out for up to two months with left knee ligament damage after being injured playing for Barcelona against Las Palmas on Saturday while Sevilla midfielder Banega is nursing a right knee injury.

Lamela, who was part of the squad that reached the Copa America final in Chile in July, last played for Argentina in their 7-0 rout of Bolivia in a friendly on Sept. 5 on tour in the United States. - Reuters

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United banking on Martial

Anthony Martial has scored four times for Manchester United, helping them to the top of the Premier League. Can he replicate his form in Europe?

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London - Manchester United will bank on the dazzling form of Anthony Martial in Wednesday's Champions League game against VfL Wolfsburg as Louis van Gaal's men look to bounce back from their opening defeat in Group B.

The 19-year-old Frenchman, initially seen as a panic buy on the last day of the transfer window this month, has been a revelation, netting four times since leaving Monaco to help United top the Premier League for the first time in two years.

The Old Trafford club lost their first Champions League match 2-1 to PSV Eindhoven in a game overshadowed by the broken leg suffered by Luke Shaw but have since won 3-2 at Southampton and beaten Sunderland 3-0.

Wayne Rooney scored his first league goal of the campaign against Sunderland and with Martial providing pace and composure up front, Van Gaal's attacking worries are receding.

“He (Martial) is very direct, he is willing to take on players and he is willing to take on that risk,” said United defender Chris Smalling.

“I think, in the final third, it is an area where you can take that risk because you can't take it at the back. He looks a very sharp player.”

Goalkeeper David de Gea has also been in fine form after signing a new contract while Smalling and Daley Blind have formed a solid central defensive pairing and Morgan Schneiderlin and Bastian Schweinsteiger have added experience and craft to the midfield.

“We have improved,” Smalling said. “Last season's start was disastrous and it didn't give us a foothold to be able to challenge for anything.

“We know we have improved in this section of the season and we now have to improve in each other section compared to last season and aim a lot higher.”

Wounded Wolfsburg, who drew 1-1 with Hanover 96 on Saturday after being crushed 5-1 by Bayern Munich last week, are likely to be without midfielders Luiz Gustavo and Vieirinha.

Brazil international Luiz Gustavo was taken off midway through their demolition at Bayern with a knee injury and coach Dieter Hecking says his chances of playing in Manchester “don't look good”.

Portuguese Vieirinha has returned to training after a three-week break caused by a thigh injury but the game at Old Trafford could come too soon for him.

The Wolves, who won their opener against CSKA Moscow, are looking to take control of the group.

“We have worked very hard to get here and experience games like the one at Manchester United,” said captain Diego Benaglio. “So we want to look really good there and we are certainly not going to England just to look at the stadium.” – Reuters

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Rooney denies Fergie’s transfer claims

England captain Wayne Rooney has opened up about his clashes with former Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson.

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London - England captain Wayne Rooney has opened up about his clashes with Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson, how having children calmed him down and why he should not have gone to the 2006 World Cup for a new BBC television film.

Rooney denies that he put in a transfer request just before Ferguson retired in May 2013 but admits that he broached the possibility of leaving the club he had joined from Everton nine years earlier.

“I went in to see him and just said, 'If you are not going to play me, it might be better for me to move on',” Rooney said.

“Then, all of a sudden, it was all over the press that I had put a transfer request in, which I never did.”

Three years earlier Rooney did request a transfer and questioned the club's ambition.

“Wayne let himself down,” former team-mate Gary Neville told the programme of that incident. “Me and Ryan Giggs had a word and he apologised the next day.”

Talking about his international career, the current England captain admits that he should not have agreed to go to the 2006 World Cup under Sven Goran Eriksson after breaking his foot.

“It was touch-and-go as to whether I would be fit,” he said. “And then Sven put me in the squad.

“Looking back, I probably would have sat out the World Cup. It was a big ask to get fit after six weeks out. I was never going to have that match sharpness.”

His performances at two World Cups have been one of the disappointments of Rooney's career, which he suggests may stem from “putting too much pressure on myself”.

Insights into his personal life include an admission that “having children has calmed me down a bit” and that he was determined those children should be born in his native Liverpool rather than Manchester.

Other contributors to the hour-long programme include Cristiano Ronaldo, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard and Ryan Giggs.

It is presented by Gary Lineker, whose 48 goals for England have been beaten only by Bobby Charlton's 49 and now Rooney's 50.

Roony hopes to add to that total when England, who have already qualified for Euro 2016, play their remaining group matches shortly, against Estonia and Lithuania. – Reuters

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Bucs have a plan to counter Al Ahly

Orlando Pirates will take a one goal lead into their Caf Confederation Cup semi-final, second leg tie against Al Ahly.

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Eric Tinkler clearly spoke too early. After his team’s 1-0 Caf Confederation Cup semi-final, first leg defeat of Al Ahly, the Orlando Pirates coach waxed lyrical about Zamalek being the “favourites” to win Africa’s second tier competition.

But it is highly unlikely to be the White Knights the Buccaneers will face in the final should Tinkler’s men overcome Ahly in Suez this weekend. It is rather Tunisia’s Etoile du Sahel, who produced a shock result of epic proportions on Sunday, that Pirates may have to overcome to add a second continental title to their cabinet.

Etoile’s 5-1 mauling of Zamalek was the greatest upset in the competition’s 12-year history and it will take a miracle for the Egyptian double champions to overcome the deficit in the second leg in Cairo on Saturday.

Yet having put four past Pirates in their final group match before the semi-finals, Zamalek will fancy themselves to doing the same against the Tunisian Red Devils. That appears highly unlikely though and no doubt Tinkler will now sing a different tune about an Etoile outfit he seemed to rate below the two Egyptian sides.

“Etoile are a very strong team,” he said on Saturday night. “But they are not a team that’s very offensive. They defend well, hit you on the counter-attack and score a lot from set-pieces.”

Surely a non-offensive team would not have been able to put five against a Zamalek team that were “favourites for this cup”?

But before they can take on the Tunisians, there is the small matter of defending their first leg lead, if not adding to it, so they can overcome an Ahly side that is confident they can turn things around.

“We lost to Zamalek (last Tuesday) and to Orlando tonight because the players were not in a good state. But that’s how football is, even Barcelona lost 4-1 (to Celta Vigo),” said Ahly coach Fathy Mabrouk. “We talked about the importance of holding on to the ball because Orlando can punish you on the wings.

“We learnt from our mistakes and we will do our best in the second match. We have players who can score goals, so that is not going to be a problem for us going forward.”

And while he has no intentions of going to Suez to sit back and try to defend Thamsanqa Gabuza’s strike, Tinkler is hoping to punish Ahly on the break.

“They need to come at us,” he said.

“And when they do that they will leave themselves exposed (at the back). When they come at us we need to capitalise on that and punish them. We had opportunities to do so here on the counter in the second half but we did not use them.”

Perhaps letting his team watch the tape of Etoile’s demolition of Zamalek would help Tinkler explain to his players what it is he expects of them.

In any case, the exercise might come in handy with the Tunisians appearing the most likely opposition for the final. - The Star

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Paulse is carrying Ajax - De Sa

Ajax Cape Town coach Roger De Sa has lauded striker Nathan Paulse who has been on a great run of form for the Urban Warriors.

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Cape Town - Ajax Cape Town coach Roger De Sa has lauded striker Nathan Paulse who has been on a great run of form for the Urban Warriors, scoring in each match played in the last week.

“He is 30-something and getting better and better, this is probably the best he has played in a long time,” said De Sa.

“He is carrying the team, but unfortunately now he is suspended and will miss out on the next game.

Paulse will, however, face a suspension for accumulating too many yellow cards.

De Sa's men gear up for the start of the Telkom Knockout Challenge with the recent pressure they have been under set to continue. The Urban Warriors beat Chiefs 1-0 to lift the 2015 MTN8 trophy last Saturday, thanks to a Paulse strike.

On Wednesday Ajax stumbled to a Mamelodi Sundowns side, determined to bounce back from their recent bad run of form.

Then, finally Ajax hosted Kaizer Chiefs at Cape Town Stadium and although the match ended 1-1, the Urban Warriors drew plenty of positives from the match, especially the fact that talisman Paulse found the back of the net once again.

De Sa expressed his views on the match and how well his men responded after Chiefs dominated the first half.

“In the first half we were a little bit fortunate at times, but in the second half we started to play a little bit more and we created a couple of chances.

“We were a lot better in the second half. When we conceded we were playing pretty well, but it is good to see that we bounced back straight away. I don't think either side wanted to lose at the end, so it was basically just holding on.

“I suppose they had more clear chances than us, but we got better,” added De Sa.

Ajax's next outing is away to Golden Arrows at the King Zwelithini Stadium in the Last 16 of the Telkom Knockout on Saturday (kick-off is at 3.pm). - ANA

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Jose warns under-performing stars

Jose Mourinho has told his under-performing Chelsea players that they have an attitude problem which, if not addressed, will force him to replace them with youngsters.

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Jose Mourinho has told his under-performing Chelsea players that they have an attitude problem which, if not addressed, will force him to replace them with youngsters for the rest of the season.

The Chelsea manager delivered the damning verdict on the ambition of his squad who, after strolling to the Premier League title last year, have taken eight points from seven games this season.

The Portuguese diagnosed a damaging “attitude perspective of some individuals” and challenged them to prove that they are “serial champions” - as he is - rather than happy to sit on their laurels.

Chelsea are away at Porto in the Champions League this evening but the main focus is a run of league form that was, before their last two games, the worst of Mourinho's career. Speaking very frankly about their poor start, he put their inconsistency down to a lack of application from key players.

“At the moment what is happening with us is not that we are not performing,” Mourinho said yesterday morning, “but we are not performing in a continuous way, that is our problem.

“The matches we performed consistently with a consistent attitude were the matches that we won. We don't need to learn how to play football, we need to learn how to be consistent again.”

Assessing the cause of Chelsea's poor form, Mourinho made it very clear he thought the issue was mental, and not a hangover from their delayed start to pre-season. “Physically there is no problem, as we finished against [Manchester] City, Swansea with 10 men, and Newcastle with our team on top of the opponent,” he said. “We have no problem physically. Tactically it is the same. Clearly it's an attitude perspective of some individuals. And when you have individuals with that unstable attitude in terms of motivation, desire and commitment you will pay.”

Although Mourinho said that he was “generally happy and positive”, he added that he “wants more from some players”, as he hopes they embrace the mentality he requires from them. “I look for consistency,” he said. “If not we become a Newcastle. Win today, draw tomorrow, three points here, one point there. When you want to be a big team and you want to win, you have to be consistent in your attitude.”

Mourinho has won eight league championships in his career, retaining the title in Portugal, England and Italy. He challenged his players to show the same ambition in seeking to win the league again.

“There are two sorts of champions,” Mourinho said. “There are champions who win something, and there are lots of them. But there are the other champions who, during their career, win one, two, three, four, five, 10 or 20 titles. In this club we have 25 champions from last year.

“But serial champions in this squad, how many do we have? John Terry, John Obi Mikel, Branislav Ivanovic are serial champions. Almost every season they have something in the pocket. But how many serial champions do we have? That's the point.”

The implication was clear: Mourinho fears not enough of his young players share the mentality of the manager, Terry and Ivanovic. “Last year we were champions, but the point for me is are we serial champions? Of course it is very difficult to win the Premier League every season, but you can be a serial champion in your approach and your attitude. Mentally I can say I am a serial champion.

“I can be five or 10 years without winning a title, but I will still be a serial champion in my approach and my attitude. This is the problem we have at this moment. We have champions, but not serial champions.”

Mourinho warned his players that if they fall out of contention for the Premier League, he will have no hesitation in dropping them for the next generation of young players.

“At this moment we are in an open situation,” he said. “It's difficult to win the Premier League, but possible. It's difficult to win the Champions League, but possible. It's difficult to win the cups, but possible. We're still in an open situation. I explained to the players that when the situation is open I have to do both things - to try and prepare the kids for their future and at the same time to try and bring the best out of the other players, with more stability and experience.

“If the season goes in one direction that it becomes closed, and we can't win, I will go just with the kids. It makes no sense when you have nothing to win to play the older players. I'll play the players we're waiting for instead. I can arrive in a moment where I will look to the kids and say, 'let's go, non-stop'. I am ruthless, but at the moment everything is open.” – The Independent

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Pressure is mounting on Igesund

SuperSport United coach Gordon Igesund may be skating on thin ice.

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SuperSport United coach Gordon Igesund may be skating on thin ice.

Prior to the start of the season, Igesund impressed everyone with his performance in the transfer market. He made good signings with the likes of Dean Furman, Bongani Khumalo, Phumelele Bhengu, Michael Boxall and Isaka Cernac joining the side. The names on Igesund’s roster led many to tip the three-time PSL champions for glory this season.

Even opposition coaches, Mpumalanga Black Aces’ Muhsin Ertugral chief among them, have punted SuperSport as one of the teams that will contest for the Absa Premiership title and other pieces of silverware in the PSL.

However, it has not been all rosy for Igesund and his men. SuperSport have been blowing hot and cold. In fact by their standards, Matsatsantsa a Pitori have been punching below their weight so far this season.

Under the tutelage of Igesund, Matsatsantsa have managed one win. This doesn’t augur well for Igesund, who is one of the most decorated coaches around.

SuperSport have won once, drawn twice and lost four times in league and cup games. That they lost by heavy scores further adds fuel to under-fire Igesund’s woes. Wits hammered them by 3-1 in the MTN8. Chiefs subjected them to 4-1 annihilation and Platinum Stars beat them 3-1. Their other loss was a 1-0 defeat to Wits in the league.

Igesund has more reasons to worry about his future. SuperSport’s strike force is simply not firing, the defence is leaking goals and some fans are unhappy with his efforts so far. There’s also Stuart Baxter, former Chiefs coach, who is on holiday in South Africa ...

Though Baxter has distanced himself from the top job at SuperSport, there’s an indication that some want to see him at helm of the Tshwane side. SuperSport United boss Khulu Sibiya has dismissed links to the man who led Chiefs to the Absa Premiership title last season. However Sibiya has unflinching principles when it comes to the performance of coaches.

“I employ you, I give you tools and I say what more do you want? You say no this is enough, I say deliver. If you don’t deliver, bye-bye. Thank you, it was nice knowing you,” Sibiya has maintained over the years.

In the last 14 years, SuperSport have had three coaches before Igesund – Pitso Mosimane, Gavin Hunt and Cavin Johnson. The latter got sacked while the other two left after sharing 13 years between them at the helm. Sibiya hates to fire the man in charge but circumstances may force him to reconsider.

“That’s how it works. I don’t fire you, you fire yourself. With me, I set the standards, you have asked for this and you got it so deliver. If you don’t deliver, don’t wait for me to fire you, fire yourself. Come and say, you have given me everything but I am sorry I could not deliver.”

With SuperSport on a downward spiral, doubts have been cast over the side’s ability to defend their Telkom Knockout crown.

Igesund has to turn the corner as soon as tomorrow when they start their title defence against Polokwane City at the Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane.

In City they meet an attack-minded side that plays enterprising football with no fear and SuperSport’s defence will have to be at their best. - The Star

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Stern ‘Gladbach test for City

Manchester City face Borussia Moenchengladbach following back-to-back Premier League defeats, and a losing start in the Champions League.

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Berlin - Manchester City already have their backs to the wall when they travel to Borussia Moenchengladbach on Wednesday, with injuries piling up and a losing start to the competition threatening to derail their Champions League campaign.

After starting the English Premier League season with five consecutive wins, a jolting home defeat by Juventus in their Champions League opener was followed by consecutive beatings by West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspur.

Saturday's 4-1 defeat by Tottenham also saw midfield powerhouse Yaya Toure suffer a hamstring injury, while keeper Joe Hart missed that game with an injury and both are doubts for the clash in the Rhineland.

With pressure mounting to stay in the running for a top-two finish in Group D, City's coach Manuel Pellegrini is also likely to be without captain Vincent Kompany who is nursing a calf problem.

“Joe had a problem with his back during the week,” Pellegrini said. “Yaya had some problem with his hamstring, and we don't know (if they will be fit). We must wait..to decide if they are 100 percent.”

With Moenchengladbach hosting their first game in Europe's premier club competition for 37 years, the atmosphere at the Borussia-Park will be daunting for City who badly need a three points to bolster their chances of getting beyond the last 16 of the Champions League for the first time.

Chilean Pellegrini, however, remains confident of City's chances.

“The first season we beat Bayern Munich and lost against Real Madrid in the group stages and qualified with 15 points,” Pellegrini said. “Last year was exactly the same.”

“This season we lost against Juventus here, but we played better than Juventus. We lost just three points. I'm absolutely confident we are going to do it because we did it the last two seasons after losing the first game.”

Gladbach are neither Real Madrid nor Bayern or Juve but the Germans are on a high after two consecutive wins following a terrible start to the season.

In complete contrast to City they lost their opening five Bundesliga games, leading to the resignation of coach Lucien Favre, but interim coach Andre Schubert has since stopped the rot and they will be confident of their first Champions League points after an opening defeat against Sevilla.

Schubert himself has ruled out a long-term commitment but the club's sport's director Max Eberl said: “Andre is doing a fantastic job.”

After a 3-1 defeat of Stuttgart at the weekend, midfielder Granit Xhaka identified the reason for the change in fortune.

“The fun is back because we are playing the type of football that made us so strong in the past,” Xhaka said. – Reuters

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Jose claims Costa ‘witch-hunt’

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho complained about a “witch-hunt” by the footballing authorities against Diego Costa.

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Porto, Portugal - Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho complained about a “witch-hunt” by the footballing authorities against Diego Costa ahead of Tuesday's Champions League Group G match at Porto.

The Spain striker was banned retrospectively for three domestic matches by the English FA after being found guilty of violent conduct in the 2-0 win over Arsenal earlier this month.

Costa was unavailable for Saturday's 2-2 draw at Newcastle United but will be back for Chelsea's Champions League meeting with Mourinho's former club Porto.

Asked by a reporter where his team would be if they had 11 Costas, Mourinho replied: “I think we would lose every game because the desire to suspend him is so big that you wouldn't have enough players to start the game.

“I am happy to only have one and let him play until they decide to suspend him again. There is a witch-hunt going on against him.”

Spain midfielder Cesc Fabregas, addressing the same news conference, agreed.

“[Costa is] frustrated and rightly so,” said Fabregas. “We all know why he is. Some people understand it, some people don't.

“It's very unfair what has happened to him. He's a key player for us...a player who has to score our goals and finish our moves.

“If you want to win this competition you all have to be at the top of your game but you also need your big players to perform, he's one of them for sure,” added Fabregas.

Chelsea won their opening Champions League game of the season, 4-0 at home to Maccabi Tel Aviv, but their form has been poor in the Premier League where the title holders are sixth from bottom.

“Away games in the Champions League are always difficult,” said Mourinho. “They are a big side and want to win but Porto know they will not face a weak team.

“The fact Porto are top of the Portuguese league is totally normal because of the quality of their squad.

“To be untouchable, you have to be consistent. Right now we have fantastic players but football is about today, not yesterday.

“To be untouchable in football, only consistency can give you that status.”

Mourinho refused to be drawn on Porto goalkeeper Iker Casillas, a player he had a strained relationship with during their time together at Real Madrid.

“I know what you're going to ask,” the Portuguese said as he cut off a reporter's question. “I'll salute Casillas tomorrow but there's no point wasting time discussing it.” – Reuters

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Everton rally to sink West Brom

Romelu Lukaku scored twice and set up another goal as Everton clawed their way back against West Bromwich Albion.

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London - Romelu Lukaku scored twice and set up another goal as Everton rallied from two down to sink West Bromwich Albion 3-2 in the Premier League on Monday.

Everton's away victory took their unbeaten run to four games in the league and lifted manager Roberto Martinez's team up to fifth in the table with 12 points from seven games.

“The first half was not too good and at halftime the manager woke us up and the experienced players spoke up,” Lukaku told Sky Sports after his side had trailed 1-0 at the interval.

“I knew the first goal was crucial. I knew that we could win the game.”

West Brom opened the scoring four minutes before halftime at The Hawthorns when James Morrison pounced on a misplaced pass by Gareth Barry and slipped the ball through for Saido Berahino to beat keeper Tim Howard.

Craig Dawson made it 2-0 for Albion nine minutes after the break when he converted an inswinging corner from Chris Brunt with a powerful downward header.

Lukaku, who had a spell on loan at West Brom earlier in his career, started Everton's revival by nodding in a right-wing cross from Gerard Deulofeu in the 55th minute.

The Belgium striker turned provider for the equaliser when he ended a clever dribble outside the box by setting up substitute Arouna Kone for an easy finish.

Lukaku then scrambled the winning goal past keeper Boaz Myhill with six minutes to go following another excellent right-wing cross by Deulofeu.

“We were very disappointed with the first half, we were off, every single individual,” said Martinez.

“Gerard Deulofeu took extra responsibility, he wanted the ball all night and it was a real mature performance.”

West Brom's defeat dropped them one place to 15th on eight points.

“It is really, really disappointing,” said manager Tony Pulis. “We had the game in our hands and we handed it to Everton.

“The first goal killed us, we should have dealt with it. The other two goals are poor goals.”

REUTERS

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Blatter to remain president until February

President Sepp Blatter, under criminal investigation by Swiss authorities, plans to remain in his job until February.

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New York - President Sepp Blatter, under criminal investigation by Swiss authorities, plans to remain in his job until February and told staff at the world soccer governing body on Monday that he had done nothing illegal or improper, Blatter's lawyers said.

An emailed statement from Blatter's personal lawyers, Lorenz Erni of Switzerland and Richard Cullen of the United States, also defended payments that Zurich-based Fifa made to Michel Platini, president of the UEFA soccer confederation, as “valid compensation” for Platini's work as an adviser.

Swiss prosecutors said on Friday they had opened a criminal investigation into Blatter on suspicion of criminal mismanagement and misappropriation of funds. Authorities interrogated Blatter at Fifa headquarters and seized unspecified data from his office.

The prosecutors said Blatter was suspected of a “disloyal payment” of 2 million Swiss francs ($2.05 million) to Platini in 2011 at the expense of Fifa, said to have been for work performed between January 1999 and June 2002.

Blatter told Swiss authorities on Friday that Platini “had a valuable employment relationship with Fifa” as an adviser, Blatter's personal lawyers said.

“He explained to the prosecutors that the payments were valid compensation and nothing more and were properly accounted for within Fifa including the withholding of Social Security contributions,” the lawyers said.

Platini made his own defense of the payments on Monday. The onetime soccer star for France said in a statement that he had not been accused of wrongdoing and that the money was fully declared to authorities in accordance with Swiss law. Platini offered to help Fifa's Ethics Committee to resolve any issues over the payment.

Blatter has said he plans to resign the presidency after an election in February.

He is also being investigated by US prosecutors and the FBI as part of a sweeping probe into allegations of corruption in the world's most popular sport.

Reuters

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‘Frenzy to get me out’ - Rodgers

Liverpool’s manager Brendan Rodgers felt the time was right to highlight the campaign he feels is being waged against him.

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Brendan Rodgers would not name names but that did not dilute his point. Rather than slipping away quietly at the end of a difficult week, his message was clear.

Having been pilloried for much of the past month, with his work being dissected on a daily basis, Liverpool’s manager felt the time was right to remind people of his abilities and, more than anything, highlight the campaign he feels is being waged against him.

‘There has been a frenzy, there is no doubt about it, to get me out of here,’ said Rodgers. ‘There is no question about that. Whether that’s a Liverpool hysteria or big club hysteria I am not so sure. The scrutiny here is obviously greater, for me, than any club.

‘But it is a huge club. As a manager you know that and deal with it. It’s not about proving people wrong. I think I’ve shown in the early stages of my management — without being arrogant — that with a talented group of players I can compete at the top end.

‘There are very short memories in football. The team was eighth when I got here. We built a team to excite people throughout European football that should have won the league. Then all the good work gets forgotten. The focus has not been on what we have missed but to get me out of the club.’

It was some claim, and, given he has had to contend with frequent stories about Jurgen Klopp and Carlo Ancelotti being linked with his position, he was well within his rights to make it. But a frenzy? There have been no banners on the Kop asking for his removal, no chants asking for him to go. Yes, some former players — notably Mark Lawrenson — have said a change should be made but others, like John Barnes, have lent their support.

Rodgers’ point about being deprived of key players is also valid, particularly when you see the difference a fit Daniel Sturridge, scorer of two wonderful goals, made here. He is wrong, though, if he thinks the criticism has come in isolation. There have been a number of results over the past 12 months that have ensured his future has been the subject of much discussion and it will take a sequence of sustained improvement to make the noise subside.

With a trip to Goodison Park next, the focus on Rodgers and Liverpool will not go away but if this outpouring is a sign that he has the bit between the teeth, then it will have served a purpose.

‘I’m fine,’ he insisted. ‘You know what comes from leadership and being a manager and the scrutiny. I’ve never got too carried away when we’ve won, and not too disappointed when we lost. I have a hunger to succeed. There have been a lot of things going against us, but we stick together.’

After James Milner opened the scoring with just over a minute gone it should have been a cruise but Liverpool’s brittle state allowed Villa to get back into the game with two goals from Rudy Gestede, the second a fine header.

‘Collectively we’re not gelling,’ said Villa manager Tim Sherwood. ‘We’re doing it in spasms and it’s not good enough.’ – Daily Mail

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Mourinho left scratching his head

Jose Mourinho says he could have taken off six of his players at half-time in the 2-2 draw at Newcastle.

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Jose Mourinho spoke of his confusion and concern at the end of another troubled afternoon. He admitted he could have taken off six of his players at half-time in the 2-2 draw at Newcastle, such was the woeful nature of a first-half performance he said was the worst he had experienced as manager of Chelsea.

These are crucial times at the club. Mourinho is walking into managerial mortality, where defeat is regular, criticism of your own players standard practice.

It is not his way, but then his team are no longer playing the Mourinho way. They were rocked back for an hour at St James' Park, by which time they trailed Newcastle by two goals and the Premier League leaders by nine points.

The turnabout took inspirational substitutions and the execution of Mourinho's game-changing plan, which brought Ramires' stunning goal in the 79th minute and a free-kick from Willian that beat Tim Krul untouched.

There could have been a winning goal at the very death, when Krul saved from Ramires, but it did not hide the mounting problems the champions of England are facing after three defeats and a draw in their last seven games. Nor did Mourinho.

“Yes, I am very concerned,” he said. “I do not understand it and I do not accept it. I would like to have made more changes than I did but the ones that I did make were enough to improve the whole team. The reason I did not make substitutions at half-time was because I did not know which decisions to make. There were six players I could have taken off. That is how bad we were.”

Chelsea trailed to a fine strike from Ayoze Perez, three minutes before half-time. On the hour Georginio Wijnaldum glanced a header into the far corner of Asmir Begovic's goal from a Perez corner. Mourinho acted then, hauling off Loïc Rémy and Nemanja Matic. Neither player got an acknowledgement from the manager.

Asked afterwards if he was puzzled by the way his side has regressed from its domestic dominance last season, Mourinho said: “Yeah, yeah, but about the game, no. I could perfectly read the game and understand why we were so poor. It is easy to analyse the game and all the items that makes a football game, that is completely clear for me. The reason why we did that, or didn't do that, that's the question mark and I have to understand why.”

To add to Mourinho's confusion and concern came Gary Cahill's refusal to accept there is a crisis of confidence in the Chelsea team.

“There shouldn't be, because we got a good result in the Champions League, we got a good result at Arsenal, so we were building momentum,” the defender said. He added: “We'll take a point because if we'd lost this game it would have been a massive blow to us. Manchester City have lost so we have given up a lot of our lifelines now.”

The late revival at least kept the gap to new leaders Manchester United down to eight points. Diego Costa will not always be absent. In coming weeks Ramires's energy will come from the start and not from the bench.

They might also face opponents with less to prove than Newcastle, who did enough to suggest better days may follow a bleak start to the season.

“After Wednesday, I said we needed to be men and I think that's what we showed,” said goalkeeper Krul.

“The fans reacted to that. It was a shame to throw a two-goal lead away, but you can't complain about a finish like that from Ramires.

“Some strong words were said [after the Capital One Cup defeat by Sheffield Wednesday]. We had some meetings about it. It wasn't good enough. It was far below par. We know that, but at least we showed a reaction. That's the reaction we should have shown two or three weeks ago, but at least that's something to build on.” – The Independent

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Kane hits back at critics

Harry Kane says scoring his first Premier League goal of the season will silence the critics who have tried to saddle him with a “one-season wonder” tag.

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Scoring his first Premier League goal of the season will silence the critics who have tried to saddle him with a “one-season wonder” tag, Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane has said.

The England international broke his season-long drought for his club when he clipped in a rebound after Christian Eriksen's free kick struck the crossbar in their 4-1 drubbing of Manchester City on Saturday.

The 22-year-old Kane was one of the revelations of last season finding the back of the net 31 times but, before the City game, had failed to score in eight appearances in all competitions for Spurs this campaign, leading some pundits and fans to question whether his feats last term were a one-off.

“Maybe I shut up a few people who have been talking over the last few weeks,” Kane was quoted as saying by Sky Sports.

“Only seven games (in the league) and a few people said 'one-season wonder'. People can judge me at the end of the season and we will go from there. I have to stay focused but it is great to score.

“When you score like last season it becomes a drug, and when someone takes it away from you, you want to get it back. You want to score again and it was a good feeling to score again.

“It is frustrating (to be criticised). I kind of use it to get my juices flowing and to prove these people wrong. I have had to prove people wrong throughout my career to get where I am,” he added.

“It is not easy coming through as a youngster but it makes me want to get better and the more people say it, the more I want to prove them wrong.” – Reuters

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Liverpool players rally behind Rodgers

Brendan Rodgers still has the support of the Liverpool dressing room and criticism of the manager has united the squad, midfielders James Milner and Lucas said.

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Brendan Rodgers still has the support of the Liverpool dressing room and criticism of the manager has united the squad, midfielders James Milner and Lucas said after their 3-2 win over Aston Villa eased some pressure on their beleaguered boss.

Rodgers lashed out at his critics after Saturday's game, claiming there was a conspiracy to oust from his job and condemning the “hysteria” over his future after a poor run resulted in managers such as Carlo Ancelotti and Jurgen Klopp being tipped to replace him by sections of the media.

“There is a group of people that don't want me here,” the Northern Irishman told reporters after the Villa win, which sent his side up to seventh in the Premier League table and five points behind leaders Manchester United.

“I am talking about people outside of here. I think it is pretty clear. Sometimes we haven't lost games and the hysteria around it is pretty clear. There is maybe something else going on from behind.”

Milner, who scored Liverpool's first goal and pulled the strings in midfield alongside Lucas during a much-improved performance in which Daniel Sturridge scored for the first time since March, also lashed out at the recent criticism of his team's form and backed Rogers to turn things around.

“A lot of things that have been said are disappointing and frustrating really,” the England international said, quoted by the Liverpool Echo.

“I've been really impressed with the manager. Preparation here is second to none.

“There's people giving criticism from outside the club but I think Manchester City have lost more games than us this season.

“You have to stick together,” the 29-year-old added.

Milner's midfield partner Lucas dedicated the win to his manager.

“We wanted to win for the manager,” the Brazilian said. “We know what has been said about him and we think we showed we are a group of players behind him and trying to make everything right.

“We know the pressure is on him but we wanted to play the way he wants us to play, and I think we did that.” – Reuters

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Pellegrini left raging after defeat

Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini was fuming after his side lost 4-1 to Tottenham at White Hart Lane.

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While Bacary Sagna was earnestly reflecting on Manchester City’s inability to be ‘killers’, Manuel Pellegrini was in another part of White Hart Lane and about to throw a tantrum.

The City manager had been asked about his post-match address to the players when he snapped.

‘What happened, we lost 4-1,’ said Pellegrini. ‘That is the most important thing, I am angry, I am not angry. No more questions? OK.’

He stormed off only to be told he was going the wrong way down the corridor and would have to return past that same group of reporters.

‘If you want to talk about football, we talk about football,’ he said on his way back. ‘But if you want to talk about stupid things then I do not answer stupid things.’

Except it is not stupid to wonder how he would talk to his players after a game like this, which City led through Kevin De Bruyne before being blown away by goals from Eric Dier, Toby Alderweireld, Harry Kane and Erik Lamela.

Physically, City were unpicked by sloppy individual errors and also because they were not intense enough against a young, energetic Spurs team; mentally they appeared to wilt as soon as Tottenham equalised. Form is not on their side and the strain appears to be showing.

City managed 22 shots but scored once here, having also had 27 in the 2-1 defeat by West Ham last week and 13 in the 2-1 loss to Juventus. They have lost three of their last four games and, while not necessarily a cause for a full-scale inquisition, that is a justification for concern.

‘We should have killed the game,’ said Sagna. ‘We conceded that (Dier) goal just before half-time, but it’s not the reason to come back sloppy in the second half.

‘We had to keep some composure and we didn’t have it. We were too nice, we lost too many duels and we have to be killers.

‘Maybe we have shown too much confidence. We have to keep working hard if we want to stay on top. We know we can be champions.’

City were not helped by awful officiating on Saturday but were also undermined by back-line errors. Joe Hart should be fit for Wednesday’s Champions League tie at Borussia Monchengladbach but doubts over Vincent Kompany and Yaya Toure, who came off with a hamstring problem, heighten the worry.

Any anxiety for Kane seems to have evaporated with his first league goal this season. ‘Maybe I shut up a few people,’ he said. ‘When you score like last season it becomes a drug, and when someone takes it away from you, you want to get it back. It was a good feeling to score again.’– Daily Mail

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Pardew restoring his reputation

As a manager sacked three times in four years, Alan Pardew has had plenty to do in restoring his reputation.

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London - As a manager sacked three times in four years and then regularly abused by his next club's supporters, Alan Pardew has had plenty to do in restoring his reputation.

He has achieved that in a matter of months since returning to his first professional club, Crystal Palace, lifting them from the Premier League's bottom three on his arrival in January to a mid-table finish last season and now the top six.

Clean sheets have been rare but by fielding a team blessed with pace Palace have been particularly effective on the counter-attack, which has led to an outstanding away record.

Sunday's 1-0 success at Watford meant that in 12 matches on the road in this calendar year they have won nine times.

It was a first clean sheet of the season, which particularly pleased Pardew.

“The back four were terrific and the goalie,” he told Sky Sports. “They didn't really give Watford much daylight at all.

“It wasn't a classic but sometimes as a manager you want a performance that lifts you and that really lifted me, because the concentration levels were really, really high.”

Pundits agreed that the manager had got his tactics and team selection just right, picking Dwight Gayle as the main striker after a hat-trick in a midweek League Cup tie and using all three of his speedy wingers at some stage to attack Watford's vulnerable fullbacks.

One of those wide players, Wilfried Zaha, won the crucial penalty that Yohan Cabaye converted to win the game.

In a difficult period for Pardew between 2006-10, West Ham United, Charlton Athletic and Southampton all dismissed the former Palace midfielder.

He was therefore an unpopular choice to take charge at Newcastle United, with only five percent voting for him in a poll of the club's supporters.

But after steering them to 12th place, he earned European football as they finished fifth in his first full season.

An eight-year contract followed but spending restrictions imposed by owner Mike Ashley meant the team failed to live up to the raised expectations of demanding fans.

By the end of the 2013-14 season he was receiving regular abuse at matches and a “Sack Pardew” website was set up.

Although Ashley would not dismiss him, it was a convenient opportunity for both men when Palace approached Pardew to take their vacant manager's job at the start of this year.

Delighted to return to the club where he became a hero by scoring the winner in an FA Cup semi-final against Liverpool, Pardew led an immediate revival, winning 10 of the remaining 18 league games. He has built on that improvement this term.

One more remarkable statistic from Pardew's return to Selhurst Park is that of 30 league and cup matches, only one - at home to Newcastle in February - has been drawn.

A healthy proportion of wins from the rest has ensured the rehabilitation of a man now proving his qualities again in one of sport's most demanding professions. – Reuters

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Aces show Maritzburg no mercy

Black Aces showed the struggling Maritzburg United no mercy, thrashing them 4-1 on Sunday.

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Nelspruit – Mpumalanga Black Aces showed no mercy when they demolished the struggling Maritzburg United 4-1 on Sunday afternoon at Kanyamazane Stadium to move to second spot on the Absa Premiership log standings.

A brace by Collins Mbesuma and two goals by Bhongolethu Jayiya and Dennis Masina made life difficult for the visitors who came into the match with a new coach in Clive Barker who was formerly with AmaZayoni.

Coach Muhsin Ertugral’s men were motivated by their 2-1 victory over Lamontville Golden Arrows and their confidence was high as they took the match to their visitors, but couldn’t create chances to trouble the Namibian goalkeeper, Virgil Vries.

However, in the 29th minute Jayiya broke the deadlock and handed the hosts the lead when he received a pass from Tshidiso Tukane finishing with his right foot.

A few minutes later, Ashley Hartog cancelled out Jayiya’s strike when he equalised in the 31st minute following a supply by Deolin Mekoa. But their celebration was short-lived as the in-form Mbesuma took matters to his hands and bagged the second goal for the Witbank-based side in the 34th minute, through a header and once again he was assisted by Tukane.

At half-time, Aces were up 2-1 and the return from the tunnel meant the hosts had to continue with their target of collecting the full three points.

AmaZayoni were awarded a penalty in the 59th minute when Thamsanqa Mkhize unfairly challenged Tukane ,and the Zambian-born forward stepped up to convert from the spot making it 3-1.

In the dying minutes of the encounter, Dennis Masina made it four for the hosts after an assist from the captain Zamuxolo Ngalo to seal their second consecutive league victory.

The loss means Barker’s men will have to go back to the drawing board and they remain placed at position 16 on the log with one point next to their name from six league matches. – Africa News Agency (ANA).

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Pelembe brace puts Celtic in charge

A Helder Pelembe brace helped Celtic beat Tuks 2-0 in Pretoria on Sunday.

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Pretoria – A Helder Pelembe brace helped Bloemfontein Celtic to a 2-0 win over the University of Pretoria in their Premiership match at Tuks Stadium, in Pretoria, on Sunday.

Pelembe was lethal either side of half-time to notch up the two-goal advantage for the visitors, and a stranglehold on the contest they would not relinquish.

Though the hosts eclipsed the number of chances on goal from the visitors by more than double, they could not find the elusive strike in their effort to salvage something from their home fixture.

With the result, Celtic moved up to 13 points from six matches and third place on the log. Tuks, meanwhile, remained on four points from their six outings as they languish in 14th place on the table.

Lyle Lakay took the first corner for Celtic in the 12th minute which found a teammate in a menacing position just inside the area, but the Tuks defence were quick to snuff out the danger as they dispossessed the opposition player.

In the 41st minute, Tuks had a decent chance from range when Getaneh Kebede tried his luck but Patrick Tignyemb in the Celtic goal made a confident save as he smothered the ball.

Less than a minute later, Celtic would score the opener. The Tuks defence were caught ball-watching as Pelembe made un-marked run onto the ball in the area and made no mistake in depositing the ball into an open net and a 1-0 lead.

The opening period saw the home side dominate with 10 shots at goal, but with only five on target. The visitors, in contrast, mustered just two efforts and scored from their only on target attempt.

Pelembe struck again to make it 2-0 and complete his brace with the second half less than 60 seconds old. The Tuks defence failed to clear an attempt in the area, and Pelembe was on hand to out-fox three defenders before finding the back of the net from a tight angle to double his side’s lead.

There would be no further change in score, and Celtic would be well-pleased with their full quota of points away from home.

– ANA

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Sundowns desmolish Cosmos

Sundowns turned in a clinical performance to dispatch Jomo Cosmos 2-0 on Sunday.

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Potchefstroom – Mamelodi Sundowns turned in a clinical performance to dispatch Jomo Cosmos 2-0 in their Premiership match at Olen Park, in Potchefstroom, on Sunday.

With genuine chances during the encounter far from plentiful, it was The Brazilians who dominated possession and territory and ultimately converted two of their few opportunities to wrestle the win.

Keagan Dolly struck midway through the first period, and then completed his brace deep in second-half injury time to wrap up the contest.

The first shot on target for either side fell to Jomo Cosmos in the 17th minute. Running into the area at pace Brice Aka reeled off a sharp strike, but Sundowns keeper Dennis Onyango was alert to the danger as he made the save.

With their first real chance of the encounter, Sundowns were ruthless in taking the lead in the 22nd minute. Themba Zwane whipped in a cross for Dolly whose header had the beating of Cosmos keeper Sherwyn Naicker to make it 1-0 to the visitors.

On the whole, Sundowns would have been pleased to head to break with the advantage as their chances on goal were few in number.

Three minutes after half-time, Sundowns began tearing apart the Cosmos defence as a goalmouth scuffle saw Naicker forced into a double save with the second attempt coming from close range from Katlego Mashego.

Cosmos, had a rare chance of their own in the 58th minute. Without much happening in the midfield, Thabang Monare tried his luck from range and Onyango made a neat save diving to his right.

In the 67th minute, Zwane picked out Anthony Laffor in the Cosmos box but the winger’s fiery attempt was blasted narrowly wide of goal.

Cosmos did have one excellent chance on goal in the 87th minute, but substitute Charlton Mashumba could not find the target with his powerful effort from close range.

With regulation time up, Sundowns carved up the Cosmos back four and Dolly was able to tap the ball into an open net for a 2-0 scoreline. – African News Agency (ANA).

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Pellegrini turns focus to Europe

Manuel Pellegrini switched his focus to Europe on Sunday after his City’s latest Premier League blow.

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London – Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini switched his focus to conquering Europe on Sunday after his side’s Premier League ambitions took another dent at the weekend.

City’s barnstorming start to the English soccer season, producing five straight wins, is in danger of becoming a fading memory after consecutive defeats by West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspur allowed Manchester United to knock them off the top of the table.

Those two defeats were preceded by a jolting home loss to Juventus in City’s Champions League opener, but Pellegrini is convinced the club will recover and soon triumph in Europe’s blue riband competition.

“I am sure that Manchester City will win the Champions League in the future because the whole club works well,” the Chilean was quoted as saying in the Manchester Evening News.

“We are younger than the teams who normally win the Champions League over the last 10 years. Our team has only arrived in the last few years and we are improving every season.”

City’s huge transfer spending to become established as one of the Premier League powerhouses has not translated into any great impact on the European stage. They reached the last 16 of the Champions League in the past two seasons and failed to progress beyond the group stage in the previous two attempts.

While focused on improving that record, Pellegrini says the Champions League should not be prioritised at the expense of getting their domestic form back on track.

“Being champions of Europe must not be an obsession here. Manchester United, in the whole period of Alex Ferguson, when he was the best manager in the club’s history, only won the Champions League twice in 27 years,” Pellegrini said.

– REUTERS

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Messi blow a relief for Leverkusen

Barca’s loss of Lionel Messi will bring relief to Bayer Leverkusen ahead of their Champions tie on Tuesday.

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With Barcelona’s squad already stretched, the loss of talisman Lionel Messi is a major blow but for the Bayer Leverkusen players there will no doubt be sighs of relief ahead of their Champions League tie on Tuesday.

Among the Argentine’s vast list of exploits he became the first player to score five goals in a Champions League match when Barca hammered Leverkusen 7-1 at the Camp Nou in 2012, but the treble winners will have to cope without him for the next two months.

Messi suffered knee ligament damage in Barca’s La Liga victory over Las Palmas on Saturday and they take on Leverkusen in their Champions League Group E clash with limited options to replace him in attack.

The Fifa transfer ban for signing underage players that prevented Barca bringing in reinforcements over the last two transfer windows along with the sale of Pedro to Chelsea and the long term injury for Rafinha has left them with mainly youth players as back-up.

“It is always sad when a player is injured. In the case of Messi it is not necessary for me to say what we all know that he is very important to the team,” Barca coach Luis Enrique told reporters.

“Without Messi we lose a lot of things from our style of play that we will now have to rearrange collectively but I have no doubt that we will overcome this.”

Leverkusen still have to deal with Neymar and Luis Suarez, the other components of an attacking trident that bagged 122 goals last season and Luis Enrique feels the absence can even be an opportunity for the team as a whole to show its value.

“This team will cope fine and will deal with this,” he said. “It is capable of doing so well because it has personality and courage. It can be seen as a test and a stimulus.”

Leverkusen lead Group E having won their first game against BATE Borisov and face Barca on the back of two straight wins in the Bundesliga having overcome Werder Bremen 3-0 on Saturday.

Even without Messi, the Leverkusen players are not underestimating the size of their challenge.

“Barcelona have a lot of top players in their team,” said midfielder Lars Bender.

“Every player dreams of a match like this and although we know the opponents are strong we will still come with our own game plan.” – Reuters

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Bucs have one foot in Cup final

While the Al Ahly win ensures the Bucs have a foot in the Caf final, they know the next one will to take some doing.

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Johannesburg – The celebrations were somewhat muted, Eric Tinkler merely shaking hands with the bench and a few of the players going down on their knees and giving thanks to the one above – and with good reason, too.

For while this victory ensures Pirates have one foot in the Caf Confederation final, they know only too well that getting the second one over the line is going to take some doing.

Keeping a clean sheet in Egypt next weekend will require much more than the good saves Filipe Ovono pulled off here, and the last-ditch tackles that saw the likes of Rooi Mahamutsa and Ayanda Gcaba stop Ahly attacks in their tracks.

In their own backyard, Ahly are unlikely to be as flat as they were in the first half here but will rather force Pirates on to the back-foot as they did in the second stanza – and they will probably do so from the onset.

But having kept the defending champions at bay, Pirates can approach the second leg with some confidence and belief they can overcome the Red Devils in Suez next Sunday.

To do that they need only play with the ferocity and swagger that saw them dominate the first half, but they must add to that a killer instinct in the final third. A little of that here last night and the scoreline could have been much more convincing than the solitary goal advantage they will take to north Africa.

South African teams and ruthlessness, though, are like railway lines – destined never to meet.

At the beginning of the match, you got the impression Pirates totally understood the need to render this semifinal tie a no-contest by the end of the 90 minutes as they began with purposeful attacks.

But that attitude only lasted a quarter of an hour.

Early on, Kermit Erasmus harassed Hany Eldemerdash and quickly Pirates appeared to spot a weakness on the visitors’ right side. And with Thabo Matlaba pushing up, Pirates always looked dangerous when they attacked on the left.

The two then combined for Erasmus to deliver a dangerous ball across the face of goal, but Thamsanqa Gabuza could not connect.

There was no such escape for the visitors on nine minutes, a replica of the earlier move seeing Gabuza simply tap the ball past Ahmed Ekramy into the net for the opening goal.

Ten minutes later, Pirates almost went 2-0 up but Ekramy did well to parry over an Mpho Makola free-kick from the edge of the box after Gabuza was hacked down.

Yet, instead of piling on the pressure in search of a second goal, Pirates went into their shell and this allowed Ahly to dominate from the 20th minute.

While they had initially looked to be a shadow of the side renowned as the continent’s best, Ahly showed some neat touches during this period as they knocked the ball about purposely and punched holes through the Bucs rearguard. They looked particularly dangerous attacking from the wings, the high balls they knocked into the box troubling Pirates.

One of those, on 25 minutes, gave the home side a mighty scare as Abbas Eldawy bumped into Ovono, leaving the Bucs keeper sprawled on the pitch in pain.

Without a natural reserve keeper on the bench, coach Tinkler and everyone associated with the Buccaneers held their collective breath as the medical team treated Ovono for two and a half minutes.

The Equatorial Guinea number one was not badly hurt, though, and was quickly doing a great job keeping Pirates in the lead.

An excellent build-up by Ahly saw Matlaba skinned before Sobhi Ahmed hit a shot that Ovono could only tip on to the upright. The ball ricocheted into play and Ntsikelelo Nyauza did excellently to clear just in time to deny Eldawy a header into the open net.

Expectedly, Ahly returned from the break full of fire and forced Pirates onto the back foot for most of the 45 minutes but failed to make their dominance count.

Abd El Moneim was allowed a free shot on the edge of the box but sent the ball way over without troubling Ovono.

Then Duku Antwi worked his magic to get into the box, but Pirates did well to clear, with Mahamutsa livid at his teammates for allowing the opposition to put the defence under pressure.

Bucs will have to deal with similar pressure in the second leg, but most importantly though, they will need to score to be sure of progression to the final.

Orlando Stadium

Orlando Pirates: (1) 1

Gabuza 9

Al Ahly: 0

– THE SUNDAY INDEPENDENT

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Blatter probe misery for Safa

News that the Swiss are probing Fifa president Sepp Blatter is set to give Safa bosses sleepless nights.

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Johannesburg – News that Swiss prosecutors have opened proceedings against outgoing Fifa president Sepp Blatter after searching his office and seizing data on Friday is expected to give Safa bigwigs Danny Jordaan and Molefi Oliphant sleepless nights.

Swiss prosecutors opened the investigation on suspicion of criminal mismanagement or misappropriation relating to a contract Blatter signed with Caribbean football chief Jack Warner in 2005. The Swiss attorney-general’s office said Blatter was suspected of having signed a contract that was “unfavourable to Fifa” and of having “violated his fiduciary duties and acted against the interest of Fifa”.

He is also suspected to have made a “disloyal payment” to European football chief Michel Platini.

The 79-year-old Blatter, who has led Fifa since 1998, has consistently denied wrongdoing. Fifa says it is co-operating with the investigation.

The Sunday Independent investigation links the contract the prosecutors mention to a deal in which Blatter proposed that Fifa withhold US$10 million from the Jack Warner-headed Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (Concacaf) between 1999 and 2002. Blatter proposed this after establishing that the multimillion-rand João Havelange Centre of Excellence in Macoya, Trinidad, was registered in Warner’s name. This was after an integrity committee had established that US$26m in Concacaf funds had gone to the centre.

Former Fifa president Havelange had promised to fund the centre, just a month before Blatter replaced him as president in June 1998.

This was the period immediately after South Africa lost to Germany in bidding to host the 2006 World Cup.

South Africa submitted its bid document on August 9, 1999 and controversially lost to Germany on July 6, 2000. On August 4 and 5, 2000, the Fifa congress in Zurich adopted the rotation policy, making the 2010 campaign an all-Africa bid. South Africa decided to bid for the 2010 event.

“It is with pleasure that I now inform you that I have found an external solution to convert the loan into a donation,” Havelange wrote to Warner.

Blatter later wrote a letter to Warner that said: “We mutually agreed that US$10m of this would be reimbursable by means of Fifa’s annual contribution to Concacaf of US$2.5m over the four years 1999 to 2002.”

Coincidentally, South Africa made a US$10m donation to support football among the “African diaspora” in the Caribbean two years before it hosted the first Fifa World Cup in Africa.

Sports Minister Fikile Mbalula said the $10m had been to fund the João Havelange Centre of Excellence.

The Sunday Independent has established the $10m could not have been used in 2008 for the building of the centre as it had been in existence for 10 years. The SA Football Association and the Sports Ministry have insisted that the payment was an honest donation.

The Sports Ministry could not be reached for comment. Fifa spokeswoman Delia Fischer said: “We will have no further comment on the matter as it is an active investigation.”