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United will settle for a draw in Moscow

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Manchester United would settle for a point away to CSKA Moscow in their Champions League Group B clash, according to manager Louis van Gaal.

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Moscow - Manchester United would settle for a point away to CSKA Moscow in their Champions League Group B clash on Wednesday, according to manager Louis van Gaal.

United, back in Europe's top club competition after a year's absence have three points from their opening two games, recovering after losing their opener at PSV Eindhoven to beat German club Wolfsburg at Old Trafford.

“I said before the away match against PSV Eindhoven, one point is good. Three points is better but one point is good,” Dutchman Van Gaal told a news conference.

Considering United went on to lose to PSV, putting them immediately under pressure, Van Gaal will hope those words do not come back to bite him.

The squad arrived late on Tuesday after leaving it until the last minute to fly to the Russian capital - scene of their 2008 triumph in the final against Chelsea.

It gives the three-times European champions scant time to get used to conditions at the Arena Khimki, not the Luzhniki Stadium where they beat Chelsea because that is under reconstruction for the 2018 World Cup.

“We trained in Manchester today because of the logistics and the way we have to prepare for matches,” he explained.

“We were told that there would be traffic jams in Moscow so we thought it would be better to train at home on our training ground.

“My preference is to train here, because then the players know the circumstances and where they have to play, but in this case we decided to train in Manchester.”

Despite the game being played in a different stadium, Wayne Rooney said returning to Moscow with United revived special memories, describing the win over Chelsea on penalties as “possibly the greatest moment in my club career.”

“Winning this trophy gives you a desire to win it again. This is a different group of players, but hopefully myself and Michael Carrick, who also won it here, can share our experience and help the others.”

United will be without James Wilson, Ashley Young and Paddy McNair for Wednesday's game.

Winger Young was injured against Arsenal before the international break while 20-year-old defender McNair is still recovering from the abdominal injury he suffered while playing for Northern Ireland.

Striker Wilson is ill and despite training on Tuesday, was left at home by Van Gaal.

All four teams in Group B have three points after two games. – Reuters

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Neuer admits to making a mistake

Goalkeeper Manuel Neuer put his hand up for the mistake which sparked Bayern Munich's 2-0 defeat at Arsenal.

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Germany's goalkeeper Manuel Neuer put his hand up for the mistake which sparked Bayern Munich's 2-0 defeat at Arsenal which breathed life back into the Gunners' Champions League hopes.

Olivier Giroud came off the bench to score Arsenal's opener on Tuesday after Neuer made a hash of dealing with a free-kick with 13 minutes left at the Emirates Stadium.

There had been a slight suspicion of handball for the goal, but the Gunners' Germany midfielder Mesut Ozil then added the killer second with virtually the last kick.

Despite being on the back foot for long periods, Arsene Wenger's side gratefully accepted Neuer's gift after consecutive Group F defeats had left them on the verge of elimination.

“Unfortunately, I made an error so Arsenal took the lead,” admitted Neuer,

“I don't care whether it was a handball by Giroud or not, I know I made the mistake. But life goes on.

“We played quite well, a draw would have been deserved.”

Guardiola refused to pin the blame for defeat on his goalkeeper – “we didn't lose because of Neuer” - but captain Philipp Lahm admitted it was a bitter defeat.

“For the most part we controlled the match well,” said the ex-Germany captain.

“If our build-up play is good our opponents can hardly press - and that's what happened here.

“We had some problems before the break because we were too aggressive.

“The defeat is very, very bitter. We had great chances against a very, very good team, but at the decisive moments we didn't score.”

The defeat was Bayern's first of the season, after 12 straight wins, and tightens things up in the Group F table.

Guardiola's Bavarians remain top by virtue of goal difference from Olympiakos, who enjoyed a 1-0 win at beat Dinamo Zagreb on Tuesday.

Third-placed Arsenal still have little margin for error ahead of their trip to Munich in a fortnight, but they can still make the knockout stages for a 16th successive year. – AFP

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Sterling’s agent’s cheap shot at Rodgers

Raheem Sterling should still be a Liverpool player, according to his agent Aidy Ward.

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Raheem Sterling should still be a Liverpool player and it would have been a ‘dream come true’ for him to work under Jurgen Klopp, according to his agent Aidy Ward.

In an exclusive interview with MailOnline, Ward revealed how the relationship between former Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers and Sterling broke down before the winger’s £49million move to Manchester City last summer.

Ward also accused Rodgers of ‘underhandedness’, adding: ‘I have no issue with anyone but Brendan Rodgers. He had a massive job with massive funds. How did he do? Good coach, but as a manager I didn’t like certain things about how he dealt with Raheem.

‘Fifty per cent of the players would probably tell you Brendan is not a good manager, but he is a good coach.

‘Raheem could have stayed, he should be at Liverpool. In December I said we’ll sign a contract if there is a buy-out clause, which are now common. They said no to that.

‘Then there was an underhandedness, there were sly remarks. In press conferences, Brendan told everyone Raheem would sign — why do that? I knew, Brendan knew and Liverpool knew there was an issue.

‘The new manager probably would have been a great fit for Raheem — passionate, disciplined in the right way, new ideas, not afraid of trying new things. He’s going to get the best out of those players. It could have been a dream come true.’ - Daily Mail

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Wenger chuffed after Bayern win

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger was delighted that his team reproduced their recent outstanding Premier League form against German champions Bayern Munich.

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London - Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger was delighted that his team reproduced their recent outstanding Premier League form to revive their faltering European fortunes with a 2-0 win over Bayern Munich on Tuesday.

The London club have climbed to second behind Manchester City in the Premier League but were struggling in Champions League Group F after losing their opening two matches to Dinamo Zagreb and Olympiakos Piraeus.

For long periods it looked as if they were either going to lose, or at best draw against Bayern, but a 77th-minute header from substitute Olivier Giroud and a stoppage-time second from Germany international Mesut Ozil gave them an unexpected but hugely important victory.

“The team focus and the dynamic was there in the preparation and we have had that for a while now,” said Wenger.

“I said that in the press conference yesterday we were not at our level in the first two games because we were focused on the Premier League.

“But we needed what we show in the Premier League, to beat Bayern tonight.

“It strengthens our belief and the belief of the people around us, our fans, our supporters.

“We won 3-0 against Manchester United, 3-0 against Watford and 2-0 tonight and it's important we have a good balance.

“As long as we are attacking well and defending well and score goals the balance is right.”

Arsenal have revived their chances of qualifying for the last 16 of the competition for the 16th successive season, although they still trail Bayern and Olympiakos by three points.

Olympiakos, who won 3-2 at Arsenal last month, won 1-0 at Zagreb on Tuesday and have six points, along with Bayern. Dinamo and Arsenal both have three points with Arsenal travelling to Bayern for their next match on November 4.

“We had to win the game tonight,” Wenger told reporters, explaining why he gambled on pushing up his defenders for the free kick that led to Giroud's opening goal, which came after a rare mistake from goalkeeper Manuel Neuer.

Asked about their chances of qualifying, he replied: “We need a result at Bayern in our next game, but first let's focus on Everton.”

Midfielder Aaron Ramsey will miss that game at the Emirates on Saturday after pulling a hamstring in the second half.

“He's very down, he told me that the hamstring is a tough one. He's out yes,” Wenger added. – Reuters

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Arrows add to SuperSport’s woes

Golden Arrows continued their impressive start to the season with an away win over SuperSport United at the Lucas Moripe Stadium.

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Pretoria - Golden Arrows continued their impressive start to the season with a 2-1 away win over SuperSport United at the Lucas Moripe Stadium on Tuesday night.

Two first-half goals by Trevor Mathiane and Kuda Mahachi saw Arrows record their third win of the campaign.

Kingston Nkhatha's second-half strike for the home side wasn't enough to save SuperSport from slumping to their fourth defeat of the season.

The home team made a bright start to the match when they had two chances in the first minute of the clash. Winger Thuso Phala's shot was deflected wide, while defender Clayton Daniels's effort from the resulting corner missed the goal to the right.

Arrows have been playing some top football after gaining promotion to the top flight at the end of last season. They play without fear, and when they get forward, they do so in numbers.

Striker Mabhuti Khenyeza had the visitors' first chance of the half from a free kick after he was fouled by Daniels.

However, the former Bafana Bafana striker directed his effort straight at Ronwen Williams in the SuperSport goal.

Three minutes later Mahachi tried his luck, but he also missed to the right of the target.

But Arrows would be rewarded for their endeavour in the 16th minute when Khenyeza set up Mathiane to tuck the ball away with a composed right-footed finish.

SuperSport tried to fight back towards the end of the first half, with Nkhatha going narrowly wide in the 33rd minute.

But Arrows would double their lead two minutes before the break when Khenyeza provided another assist. This time it would be Mahachi who slotted the ball home past Williams.

SuperSport looked like a totally different team after the break following a flat performance in the first half. In first 10 minutes of the second half, the home team's captain Dean Furman saw his shot deflected wide, while Nkhatha had a goal disallowed for offside. Nkhatha would eventually pull one goal back in the 65th minute to make it 2-1 after a lovely assist by his fellow frontman Jeremy Brockie.

Veteran midfielder David Mathebula could have equalised for SuperSport in the 70th minute, but his shot didn't have enough venom to beat Maximilian Mbaevu in the Arrows goal.

Thembela Sikhakhane then almost restored Arrows' two-goal lead a minute later, but Williams managed to punch his effort away. The last 10 minutes of the match was quite an entertaining affair, with both teams creating a few half chances. But in the end Arrows held on for an important away win. - ANA

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Chiefs held by gritty Cosmos

Jomo Cosmos and Kaizer Chiefs were forced to settle for a 0-0 scoreline in their Premiership match at Olen Park Stadium.

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Potchefstroom - Jomo Cosmos and Kaizer Chiefs were forced to settle for a 0-0 scoreline in their Premiership match at Olen Park Stadium, in Potchefstroom, on Tuesday night.

Ezenkosi were the first to attack their visitors when Mxolisi Macuphu saw his shot going wide of Reyaad Pieterse's goals in the opening three minutes. The Amakhosi intensified their probe for an opener as they received a setpiece in the ninth minute.

Defender Tsepo Masilela was unfairly challenged, and Erick Mathoho's header went wide with the Cosmos' keeper beaten. Jomo Sono's men closed down Amakhosi and didn't allow them too much time on the ball and in the 30th minute, Charlton Mashumba hit the side of the net as the ball was deflected wide from a timely intervention by Pieterse.

Nevertheless, Amakhosi were able to find the back of the net with less than three minutes remaining before the interval, but Edward Manqele was adjudged to have been in an offside position leaving both sides goalless at the break.

In the second stanza, Amakhosi were the better side, showcased when Masilela's attempt went inches wide off the far post and after few minutes, Manqele was denied by Sherwyn Naicker after a defence-splitting pass.

Against the run of play, Pieterse denied Mashumba for the second time after unleashing a powerful shot from outside the box. In the dying minutes of the contest, Amakhosi nearly stole the show when substitute Siphelele Mthembu saw his effort off smash into the woodwork.

With just one minute to go, Naicker was saved by the woodwork when he watched Bukenya's shot hurtle into the posts and both sides took one point apiece, Ezenkosi are placed at position 14 with four points while the league defending champions occupy the fifth spot on the log with 11 points. - ANA

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Klopp set for Anfield debut

Anfield's patrons will run the rule over Jurgen Klopp for the first time on Thursday when he supervises his maiden Liverpool home game against Rubin Kazan.

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Anfield's patrons will run the rule over Jurgen Klopp for the first time on Thursday when he supervises his maiden Liverpool home game against Rubin Kazan in the Europa League.

Having grown accustomed to the tactical tweaking and press conference grandstanding of Brendan Rodgers over the last three years, the denizens of Anfield Road are now adjusting to the methods of the gregarious German.

Klopp has dazzled in his early media appearances, but last Saturday he unveiled his blueprint for on-pitch success with a high-pressing, hard-running team display in a 0-0 draw at Tottenham Hotspur.

“I liked what I saw,” former Liverpool stalwart Jamie Carragher said on Sky Sports this week. “Very rarely do you see a manager stamp his authority on a team from day one, but that's what he did.”

Liverpool's players ran a combined 116 kilometres in the game – making them the first team to outrun Spurs this season – and Carragher said: “As soon as they lose the ball, you can see they will keep pressing until they win it back.

“They're organised and you can see that has been worked on in the first two or three days in training.”

Klopp jettisoned Rodgers' back three in favour of a 4-3-2-1 system at White Hart Lane, which saw 20-year-old Belgium international Divock Origi operate as a lone striker.

Injuries have restricted Klopp's options in attack, but he is expected to have Daniel Sturridge back for the visit of Rubin, while Christian Benteke is also closing in on a return to fitness.

Sturridge, who recently returned from a five-month lay-off after hip surgery, hurt his knee in a training-ground clash with Jordon Ibe, but Klopp said his absence at Spurs had been purely precautionary.

“I know Daniel now since one week and for six days he was perfect in training,” said the former Borussia Dortmund coach, whose side host Southampton in the Premier League on Sunday.

The Liverpool manager added: “Everything we did, he was full of power, skills. He was outstanding. It is OK for Daniel (to have missed the game against Tottenham).

“We need Daniel for sure and if we played this game on Thursday, then maybe he would play. No problem. I trust 100 percent this player.”

Klopp's European pedigree – notably a Champions League final appearance with Dortmund in 2013 – was one of the factors in his appointment by Liverpool's owners Fenway Sports Group.

For now he must content himself with the Europa League and despite successive 1-1 draws at Bordeaux and at home to Swiss side FC Sion, Liverpool remain well placed to qualify from Group B.

They are currently second in the group, two points below Sion and a point above Rubin, who lost 2-1 away to Sion before drawing 0-0 at home to Bordeaux.

The team from Kazan in Tatarstan come into the match on the back of a 3-1 home win over FC Ufa in the Russian Premier League, which ended a series of six matches without victory in all competitions.

Former Russia winger Diniyar Bilyaletdinov is particularly looking forward to the trip to Merseyside as he previously spent three years playing for Liverpool's neighbours Everton.

“For me it will be very nice to walk onto the pitch at Anfield,” said the 30-year-old left-footer, nicknamed 'Billy' during his time at Goodison Park.

“We know that the Europa League is not the most important tournament for the English teams, but I expect a tough and interesting match on Thursday.”

Rubin caretaker coach Valery Chaly has a close to full-strength squad to choose from, although Bulgarian midfielder Blagoy Georgiev is a doubt after missing the game against Ufa through injury. – AFP

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Jose slams ref after Kiev draw

Jose Mourinho accused the referee of being “weak and naive” for failing to award Chelsea a penalty in their 0-0 Champions League draw at Dynamo Kiev.

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Kiev - Jose Mourinho accused the referee of being “weak and naive” for failing to award Chelsea a penalty in their 0-0 Champions League draw at Dynamo Kiev on Tuesday.

Mourinho took aim at Slovenian Damir Skomina after he waved play on when Cesc Fabregas was tripped by Serhiy Rybalka in the first half of the Group G stalemate in Kiev.

“The referee was weak and naive with the penalty,” he told BT Sport. “I cannot understand what the official behind the goal does because he doesn't make a clear decision too.”

The comments appeared to be a thinly-veiled barb at Arsene Wenger and the English Football Association after the Arsenal manager used the exact same phrase to describe referee Mike Dean following Chelsea's 2-0 win at Stamford Bridge in September.

Wenger escaped punishment for that outburst while Mourinho was last week fined 50 000 pounds ($77,205) and given a one-match suspended stadium ban for saying referees were afraid to give penalties for his team following a defeat by Southampton.

In the wake of his punishment, Mourinho described the FA fine as a “disgrace”, joking that “afraid costs 50,000 pounds. Weak and naive, you can do it.”

Asked by reporters in Kiev if he was afraid of being punished, he joked: “All right, it was not a penalty. I think the referee was very good but made one mistake.

“The referee in the Scotland rugby game was very good but made one mistake and now the whole of Scotland is crying,” Mourinho added, referring to their defeat by Australia in the World Cup on Sunday.

Tuesday's draw left everything to play for in the group with Porto leading the way on seven points from three games, two clear of Dynamo and three ahead of Chelsea.

Chelsea have the chance to improve their immediate outlook when they host Dynamo in their next outing on Nov. 4.

Kiev coach Serhiy Rebrov, no stranger to English football having played for Tottenham Hotspur, said his hopes of reaching the last 16 have not been dimmed despite drawing their opening home fixtures.

“Home draws against Porto and Chelsea are solid results,” he said. “It is no problem, we will try to collect points in the away games too.

“Our strikers have been silent in the past two games but I hope they will do the talking in the next match.” – Reuters

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Rakitic double sinks BATE

Two goals from Ivan Rakitic gave Barcelona a comfortable victory away to BATE Borisov and consolidated their position at the top of Champions League Group E.

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Minsk, Belarus, - Two goals from Ivan Rakitic gave Barcelona a comfortable 2-0 victory away to BATE Borisov on Tuesday and consolidated their position at the top of Champions League Group E.

Rakitic, who came on following an injury to Sergi Roberto after just 17 minutes, hit a sublime strike into the top corner having been set up by Neymar at the start of the second half.

A livewire Neymar led Barca in the absence of the injured Lionel Messi but while they had plenty of possession they lacked a cutting edge in the first half.

Neymar was again the provider after 64 minutes for Rakitic who sealed the win with a clinical finish past keeper Sergey Chernik.

Barca laid siege to the BATE defence in the opening minutes, starting with a strike from Neymar from the left of the area saved by Chernik.

Luis Suarez had a header tipped over and then Munir El Haddadi, preferred to Sandro Ramirez in attack, should have scored but his shot was too weak and the keeper blocked it.

Barca continued to push forward but too often their final pass was poor while BATE offered little danger at the other end.

Rakitic, who was surprisingly left out with Javier Mascherano starting in midfield, missed a glaring chance when, unmarked, he headed over the crossbar before the break.

He made up for it with his excellent strike on 48 minutes and then clipped the ball over Chernik from close range for his second on the night.

“I was glad to help team and the most important thing was that we got the victory. It is not easy to play here in these conditions and the cold,” Rakitic told reporters.

“I think it was (our most complete game this season) as we were solid at the back and gave away few chances, while in attack we worked hard and maybe just lacked another goal. We are on the right lines.”

Barca have seven points from three games and BATE have three. – Reuters

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Arsenal stun Bayern with late goals

Arsenal have bounced back to defeat Bayern Munich in a frenetic Champions League clash.

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London - Arsenal bounced back off the ropes to land two late sucker-punches and score an unlikely 2-0 win over Bayern Munich after the Germans had dominated an outstanding Champions League match on Tuesday.

Olivier Giroud came off the bench after 74 minutes and headed the opener three minutes later while Mesut Ozil scored with virtually the last kick of the game against his World Cup-winning team mate Manuel Neuer to hand Arsenal a memorable victory.

Their first win in Group F after two defeats rekindled their chances of reaching the last 16 and ended Bayern's run of 12 successive wins in all competitions.

“It was important to reproduce our Premier League form tonight and we did that. We got the balance right between defence and attack,” Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger told reporters.

But for long periods, it looked as if a goalless draw or a Bayern win would be the most likely outcome.

Bayern dominated possession but could not find a way past a superb Arsenal defence in which Laurent Koscielny and Per Mertesacker played superbly and Petr Cech made some important saves.

At the other end, Arsenal had more chances, but never looked like getting the better of Neuer who made one stunning save to deny Theo Walcott from scoring with a header after 34 minutes, but then cost his team dearly when he flapped at Santi Cazorla's 77th minute freekick, allowing Giroud, who had just replaced Walcott, to stoop low and head home.

Ozil scored on a breakaway with virtually the final kick when his shot just crossed the line with Neuer scooping it clear just too late.

The victory means Bayern and Olympiakos have six points apiece, Dinamo Zagreb and Arsenal three each with Arsenal travelling to Munich and Olympiakos at home to Dinamo next.

Bayern, without the injured Arjen Robben, Franck Ribery and Mario Goetze, still had plenty of potency going forward and although Robert Lewandowski, with 15 goals in his last seven games, was kept relatively quiet, they continually forced Arsenal on to the backfoot.

Although there were no goals before the break, both teams produced football of the highest quality with the pace never relenting from the kickoff, which some 300 Bayern fans missed.

They staged a “stay-away” for the first five minutes to protest over the cost of a ticket for the match, but when they took their seats, applause rang around the stadium from both home and visiting supporters.

REUTERS

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Moscow holds fond memories for United

Man United return to the scene of their 2008 Champions League triumph looking for a second away win over CSKA Moscow.

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Moscow - Manchester United return to the scene of their 2008 Champions League triumph looking for a second away win over CSKA Moscow in exactly six years on Wednesday.

United, who won their third crown when they beat Chelsea on penalties at the Luzhniki Stadium in May 2008, returned to the Russian capital on Oct. 21, 2009 and beat CSKA 1-0 with a late goal by Antonio Valencia.

The Red Devils will be looking to repeat that victory at a different venue, the Arena Khimki, as the Luzhniki is under reconstruction for the 2018 World Cup finals.

United will travel to Moscow in good heart after an excellent 3-0 win away to Everton kept them third in the Premier League at the weekend.

Manager Louis van Gaal was delighted with that return to form following a defeat by the same score away to Arsenal in the previous game.

Morgan Schneiderlin, Ander Herrera and Wayne Rooney scored the goals, with Rooney once again playing just behind new young striker Anthony Martial, who has made a fine impression since joining from AS Monaco in the close-season.

“Maybe it is the start of many, many victories. I am not stupid, I won't change too much on Wednesday,” said Van Gaal, who left out fellow Dutchmen Danny Blind and Memphis Depay at the weekend following the Netherlands' failure to qualify for Euro 2016.

While United may have one eye on next Sunday's local derby against Manchester City, they would do well not to underestimate a CSKA side who have been in excellent form domestically as well.

CSKA are unbeaten in their last 19 matches in the Russian Premier League, equaling a club record set in 2001, and beat Ural 3-2 on Saturday to stay five points clear of second placed Lokomotiv Moscow.

However, head coach Leonid Slutskiy has been critical of his team's performance.

“Unfortunately we are unable to fully control the whole match,” said the 44-year-old, who in August also started to coach the Russian national team.

CSKA will be without Bibras Natcho who is suffering from a head injury, but fellow midfielder Roman Eremenko is expected to be fit following a groin strain. Experienced central defender Vasili Berezutski is also expected to return.

Russian international goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev will be hoping for an upturn in fortunes. CSKA's captain is looking to end an unwanted record, having failed to keep a clean sheet in 33 consecutive appearances in the Champions League.

Reuters

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Spurs suffer Chadli blow

Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Nacer Chadli has been ruled out for six weeks after he sustained ankle ligament damage.

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London - Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Nacer Chadli has been ruled out for six weeks after he sustained ankle ligament damage during Saturday's goalless draw against Liverpool, the Premier League club said on their website (http://ift.tt/19tWWDu).

The Belgium international was forced off the field after 11 minutes on Saturday having landed awkwardly inside the Tottenham penalty area.

Chadli joined the growing ranks of Tottenham players on the treatment table, including recent signing Son Heung-min, midfielder Ryan Mason and Nabil Bentaleb.

The 26-year-old Chadli, who has scored one goal in 11 appearances this season, is set to miss the North London derby against Arsenal on November 8 and the clash with champions Chelsea on November 29. – Reuters

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Banyana captain’s Rio joy

Banyana Banyana captain Janine Van Wyk described Banyana’s qualification for the Olympics as a great way to make up for the failure to qualify for the World Cup.

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Banyana Banyana captain Janine Van Wyk described Banyana’s qualification for the Olympics as a great way to make up for the failure to qualify for the World Cup and the best way to see how the squad has progressed.

Speaking after Sunday’s 1-0 defeat of Equatorial Guinea in Bata, Van Wyk, spoke of the disappointment of missing out on the global showpiece in Canada and the elation of making it to the Rio Games.

“Oh yes it does (erase the pain of missing out on the World Cup),” Van Wyk told Safa Media. “This is the next big event that we could have qualified for and we have done it.”

A goal just after the hour-mark by Jermaine Seoposenwe helped Banyana overcome an Equatorial Guinea outfit that they had previously played second fiddle to – Van Wyk and her teammates defying the odds to book a second successive Olym-pic participation after their debut in London 2012.

“In 2008 we played in the final of the African Women’s Championship (AWC) and we lost to them 3-1. We travelled to them in 2012 after beating Nigeria for the very first time and, understandably, our emotions were on a high after that achievement.

“We played Equatorial Guinea two days after and they beat us 4-0, and everyone was asking if we would ever beat them ... So, here we are, we proved everyone wrong. We were strong as a team and we believed in ourselves and we knew we were capable of beating them. We saw in the first leg that we could actually defeat them because we were on top and dominated play. That is exactly what we did in the second leg – we created some chances and could have scored early on. We went really strong at them, and we fought hard ... I am extremely proud of the team.”

Earlier this year, Banyana missed out on World Cup qualification by a whisker – some poor finishing ensuring they finished fourth at the AWC when third would have seen them qualify.

That near miss was the driving force behind their impeccable Olympics qualifying campaign that saw them go unbeaten against Botswana, Gabon, Kenya and Equatorial Guinea.

“This team has put in the time, hard work, effort and sacrifices to qualify for the Olympic Games. We really deserve this reward.

From day one when the coach started with us she said we want to get to the Olympic Games because we missed out on something big – the World Cup – so we also wanted to do it for her.”

Now that they have qualified, Banyana are eager to build on their experience from London.

“As a team we will show how much we have progressed since then. It will be interesting to see and compare the level that we are at competing against some of the best in the world. I believe South Africa has talent and can compete with international teams. We can’t wait to start preparations for Rio”. - The Star

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Guardiola wary of Arsenal

Pep Guardiola has warned his Bayern Munich players to brace themselves for a ferocious test from an Arsenal side fighting for Champions League survival.

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Pep Guardiola has warned his Bayern Munich players to brace themselves for a ferocious test from an Arsenal side fighting for Champions League survival.

Arsene Wenger's side are in severe danger of failing to reach the knockout stages for the first time in 16 years after two dismal defeats.

The Gunners were beaten at Dinamo Zagreb and then suffered the embarrassment of losing at home to Olympiakos, leaving them pointless at the bottom of Group F.

Another loss when Bayern visit the Emirates Stadium would put Arsenal on the verge of a stunning exit and Bayern boss Guardiola expects the hosts to fight like wounded animals on Tuesday.

“For them, they have an advantage because they have to win, when that happens with these kind of players, and the history of this club, they are going to make the best performance possible,” Guardiola told reporters on Monday.

“I don't expect anything other than a fight for the 90 minutes.

“We have to look for another way to compete against them because of the enthusiasm they will have, so we will have to be intelligent and control our game.

“Of course I prefer to come here with six points, but I can imagine my team with zero points and playing in Germany against Arsenal.

“I can imagine the mentality of my team -- we would be an animal, because it is our last chance, you give everything and that will happen with Arsenal, so you have to be prepared.

“We saw what happened with Arsenal against Zagreb and Olympiakos, when no-one expected them (their opponents) to win, and it will be the same for us tomorrow.”

Guardiola's team have won all of their opening nine German league matches - a Bundesliga record - and have also made a 100 percent start to their Champions League campaign.

But Guardiola has no intention of letting his players rest on their laurels.

“There are still 12 points up for grabs, we are not qualified yet and have to fight and against one of the best teams in Europe,” Guardiola added.

“They have great quality and are a very technical team.

“It is very difficult to play against them and find one Arsenal player who does not have quality.” – AFP

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Toure hurt by lack of recognition

Manchester City midfielder Yaya Toure has expressed his disgust at those who are quick to criticise his performances.

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Manchester City midfielder Yaya Toure has expressed his disgust at those who are quick to criticise his performances and admits to being hurt by what he feels is a lack of recognition.

The Ivory Coast captain also claimed that winning trophies and earning a lot of money have not made him any happier as he feels sickened by “lots of bitter people who tried to dirty my name”.

Last season, Toure scored 10 league goals, half his total from the previous campaign, as City failed to defend their title, finishing eight points behind champions Chelsea in second place.

“I have just come out of a season with City where we finished second in the English league, which is the hardest in the world,” Toure told L'Equipe on Tuesday.

Concerning the goal-scoring exploits which helped City win the league the previous season, Toure said: “I scored 26 goals, 20 in the Premier League, and nobody mentioned it. You understand a bit my disgust.

“Here (in England), when it is bad, they stress it; when it's good, they leave that in the dungeon. They have always used their little methods to annoy and alienate me.”

Toure, who joined City from Barcelona in 2010 and has won the Premier League twice and the FA Cup once, says the media should focus more on his trophy haul rather than his pay packet.

“The journalists were talking about my salary and saying that it was a disgrace,” the 32-year-old Ivorian added.

“They asked what I was going to change at City. And so, did you see what happened next? We won nearly everything. In fact, it is recognition that I do not have that hurts me. It is a bit sickening.

“It has hurt me. Everyone thinks I am happy: I have won titles, lots of money, but, no, I am not happy.” – Reuters

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