FOOTBALL VAGANZA

Europa League final ticket sales close

2010-03-22T02:34:00.000-07:00

The deadline has passed for neutral fans outside Germany ordering UEFA Europa League final tickets – with applicants to learn by the end of March whether they have been successful.

General public ticket sales on UEFA.com for the 2010 UEFA Europa League final closed on Friday 19 March – and applicants will receive an email confirming the success or otherwise of their orders by Tuesday 30 March.

All candidates who completed the online application form before the 18.00CET deadline on 19 March will get email notification by 30 March – informing them whether their application for the Hamburg Arena final was successful or not.

The international general public ticket sales ran from midday on Wednesday 24 February exclusively via UEFA.com. Candidates who do not receive notification are first advised to check their spam or junk email.

In any case, ticket applicants will be able to verify the status of their orders by logging into the Ticket Portal – using their log-in information for the original application i.e. email address and password – from Wednesday 31 March, when the portal reopens.

The international general public were entitled to apply for two tickets per person from an allocation of 5,100 for the inaugural final of the UEFA Europa League on Wednesday 12 May (20.45CET kick-off) in the northern German city.

Candidates with any questions about their ticket application can consult the help section in the Ticket Portal.

For further ticketing information, contact the customer service company appointed by the German Football Association (DFB) – by emailing uelfinal2010@hsv.de or by telephoning +49 1805 258 291.

Europa League final ticket sales close

Park plants seal on United success

2010-03-22T02:31:00.000-07:00

Manchester United FC returned to the head of the Premier League with a 2-1 triumph over Liverpool FC, a victory which was made all the sweeter by Chelsea FC's failure to win at Blackburn Rovers FC.
Ji-Sung Park headed the winner as Manchester United FC returned to the Premier League summit with a 2-1 victory over north-west rivals Liverpool FC, before Chelsea FC lost ground by drawing 1-1 at Blackburn Rovers FC.

Arsenal FC's 2-0 win against West Ham United FC had taken the London club top on Saturday evening, but United boosted their chances of a fourth consecutive English crown despite falling behind to a fifth-minute Fernando Torres header. It took Sir Alex Ferguson's charges just seven minutes to equalise, however. Wayne Rooney converted the rebound after his penalty, awarded for Javier Mascherano's challenge on Antonio Valencia, had been saved by Pepe Reina.

The match settled down thereafter, before Park nodded in Darren Fletcher's delivery with an hour gone. Torres had a chance to equalise in the final minute but scuffed his shot, with Yossi Benayoun then heading the loose ball straight at Edwin van der Sar. The result leaves Liverpool four points shy of Tottenham Hotspur FC, occupants of the final UEFA Champions League place, and takes United two clear of Arsenal and four ahead of Chelsea.

Carlo Ancelotti's team, who have a game in hand on their title rivals, looked to be heading for victory when Didier Drogba (6) finished off Nicolas Anelka's cut back for his 22nd league goal of the season. However, the visitors were punished for their failure to build on their lead as El Hadji Diouf headed the equaliser from Michel Salgado's right-wing cross.

Elsewhere, Manchester City FC leapfrogged Liverpool into fifth and are now two points behind Tottenham courtesy of a 2-1 win at UEFA Europa League quarter-finalists Fulham FC. Roque Santa Cruz and Carlos Tévez gave the visitors a two-goal lead in the first half at Craven Cottage before Danny Murphy halved the deficit with a 75th-minute penalty.

Park plants seal on United success

Arsenal stand in Barcelona's way

2010-03-22T02:18:00.000-07:00

In the quarter-finals FC Barcelona face Arsenal FC, Olympique Lyonnais play FC Girondins de Bordeaux, FC Bayern München take on Manchester United FC and FC Internazionale Milano meet PFC CSKA Moskva.

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FC Barcelona will continue their defence of the UEFA Champions League title with a quarter-final against the side they beat to win the competition in 2006, Arsenal FC.

For the first time since 1998/99 six nations were represented in the draw, made by UEFA general secretary Gianni Infantino and the ambassador for the Madrid final, Emilio Butragueño. While Barcelona meet Arsenal over two legs on 30/31 March and 6/7 April, Olympique Lyonnais play French rivals FC Girondins de Bordeaux, FC Bayern München take on Manchester United FC in a replay of the 1999 Camp Nou final and FC Internazionale Milano meet PFC CSKA Moskva.

In the semi-finals, Barcelona or Arsenal will take on Inter or CSKA while the remaining French representatives face Bayern or United. The final will be played at Madrid's Santiago Bernabéu stadium, the first in its new Saturday slot of 22 May, part of a week-long festival that will also encompass the UEFA Women's Champions League final in Getafe two days earlier.

2009/10 UEFA Champions League draw
Quarter-finals: 30/31 March & 6/7 April
1: Olympique Lyonnais (FRA) v FC Girondins de Bordeaux (FRA)
2: FC Bayern München (GER) v Manchester United FC (ENG)
3: Arsenal FC (ENG) v FC Barcelona (ESP, holders)
4: FC Internazionale Milano (ITA) v PFC CSKA Moskva (RUS)
Semi-finals: 20/21 & 27/28 April
1: Winner quarter-final 2 v Winner quarter-final 1
2: Winner quarter-final 4 v Winner quarter-final 3
Final: Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid; 20.45CET, Saturday 22 May
Winner semi-final 1 v Winner semi-final 2

Arsenal stand in Barcelona's way

Fixture (20&21 March 2010)

2010-03-22T02:14:00.000-07:00

England - Premier League

Aston Villa 2 - 2 Wolverhampton W.
(J. Carew 16', 82', J. Craddock 23', J. Milner (o.g.)38')
Everton 2 - 0 Bolton W.
(M. Arteta 72', S. Pienaar 89')
Portsmouth 3 - 2 Hull C.
(T. Smith 37', J. O'Hara 88', N. Kanu 89', C. Folan27',73')
Stoke C. 1 - 2 Tottenham H.
(M. Etherington (pen.) 64', E. Gudjohnsen 46', N. Kranjcar 77')
Sunderland 3 - 1 Birmingham C.
(D. Bent 5', 11', F. Campbell 88', C. Jerome 60')
Wigan Athletic 1 - 0 Burnley
(H. Rodallega 90')
Arsenal 2 - 0 West Ham U.
(Denilson 5', C. Fabregas (pen.) 83')
Manchester U. 2 - 1 Liverpool
(W.Rooney 12',J.Park 60', F.Torres 5')
Fulham 1 - 2 Manchester C.
(D. Murphy (pen) 75', R.S. Cruz 7', C.A. Tevez 36')
Blackburn R. 1 - 1 Chelsea
(E.H. Diouf 70', Drogba 6')

Italy - Serie A

Fiorentina 3 - 0 Genoa
(M.A. Santana 4', . Gilardino (pen.)73', K. Babacar 86')
AS Roma 4 - 2 Udinese
(L. Toni 15', M. Vucinic 24',(pen)66',83', A.D. Natale (pen.)38')
Palermo 1 - 1 Inter Milan
(E. Cavani 24', D. Milito (pen.) 11')
AC Milan 1 - 1 Napoli
(F.Inzaghi 26', H.A. Campagnaro 13')
Atalanta 3 - 0 Livorno
(S. Padoin 13', E.J. Chevanton 50', A.F. Pinto 54')
Bari 1 - 1 Parma
(A. Masiello 85', D. Zenoni 36')
Cagliari 0 - 2 Lazio
(T. Rocchi 4', S. Floccari 37')
Chievo 1 - 1 Catania
(S. Pellisier 64', M.G.M. López (pen.) 74')
Siena 1 - 0 Bologna
(M. Larrondo 10')
Sampdoria 1 - 0 Juventus
(A. Cassano 77')

Spain - Primera Division

Athletic Bilbao 2 - 2 Getafe
(P. Orbaiz 13', F. Llorente (pen.) 80', M.D. Moral 32', S.G.P. Leon 86')
Deportivo LC 0 - 2 Valladolid
(N. Aleman 40', H. Medunjanin 90')
Xerez 2 - 1 Tenerife
(M. Bermejo 7', A.O. Aytham 15', J.F. Nino 49')
Real Madrid 3 - 1 Sporting Gijon
(R.v.d. Vaart 55', X. Alonso 57', G. Higuain 68', D. Barral 55')
Espanyol 2 - 0 Sevilla
(D. Osvaldo 8',60')
Malaga 2 - 0 Villarreal
(N. Baha 64', 84',)
Mallorca 4 - 1 Atletico Madrid
(Victor 10', A. Aduriz 27', L.A. Perea (o.g.)85', M.R. Felipe 90', D. Forlan 25')
Osasuna 1 - 3 Racing Santander
(M. Flano 32', G. Colsa 34', C.F. Salas 50', P.K. Diop 89')
Valencia 2 - 0 Almeria
(J.M. Mata 63', D.J. Silva 70')
Zaragoza 2 - 4 Barcelona
(P.A. Colunga 85',89', L. Messi 5',66',78', Z. Ibrahimovic (pen.)90')

European Cups - Europa League

2010-03-19T03:39:00.000-07:00

Fulham 4 - 1 Juventus
(B.Zamora 9', Z. Gera 39',49', C. Dempsey 82', D. Trezeguet 2')
Marseille 1 - 2 Benfica
(M. Niang 70', M. Pereira 75', D.S.P.J.A. Kardec 90')
Standard Liege 1 - 0 Panathinaikos
(D. Mbokani 45')
Werder Bremen 4 - 4 Valencia
(H. Almeida 26', T. Frings (pen.) 57', M. Marin 62', C. Pizarro 84', D. Villa 3',45',66', J.M. Mata 15')
Anderlecht 4 - 3 Hamburger SV
(M. Suarez (pen.)45', R. Lukaku 45', L.R. Biglia 59', M. Boussoufa 66', J. Boateng 43', M. Jansen 54', M. Petric 75')
Liverpool 3 - 0 Lille
(S. Gerrard (pen.) 9', F. Torres 49', 90')
Sporting Lisbon 2 - 2 Atletico Madrid
(Liedson 19', Polga 45, S. Agüero 3',33')
Wolfsburg 2 - 1 Rubin Kazan
(O. Martins 59', C. Gentner 120', A. Kasaev 22')

Clinical Liverpool punish Lille lapses

2010-03-19T03:36:00.001-07:00

Liverpool FC 3-0 LOSC Lille Métropole (agg: 3-1)
After an early Steven Gerrard penalty, two second-half efforts from Fernando Torres took Liverpool into the last eight.

Liverpool FC's hopes of applying a silver lining to their troubled season are alive after a 3-0 win against LOSC Lille Métropole carried them into the UEFA Europa League quarter-finals.

Steven Gerrard cancelled out Lille's first-leg advantage with an early penalty before Fernando Torres sealed their progress with two second-half strikes.

Liverpool skipper Gerrard said the first goal would be crucial and he delivered it after only eight minutes. Lucas is not known for his dribbling skills but perhaps inspired by the presence at Anfield of Diego Maradona, the Brazilian jinked between two white shirts before going down under a challenge by Adil Rami.

Torres then embarked on a mesmerising run along the byline that ended with a shot deflected behind. With Liverpool on top, more chances followed. Dirk Kuyt failed to squeeze the ball home after Daniel Agger had headed on Gerrard's corner. Kuyt then turned provider, releasing Lucas who shot at Mickaël Landreau, before dinking a cross to Torres who headed wide.

Lille are nicknamed Les Dogues (The Mastiffs) but they were being hounded by Liverpool – typified when Gerrard dispossessed the dawdling Rio Mavuba and found Torres clean through but offside. Still, Lille could have reached half-time level through Eden Hazard, the first-leg match-winner, who saw his shot bounce off Pepe Reina's head after breaking clear via a one-two with Ludovic Obraniak.

Torres, making his first home European start since September, scored Liverpool's second four minutes after the restart. The Spaniard capitalised on Rami's failure to deal with Ryan Babel's long ball, sprinted away from Aurélien Chedjou and finished coolly past Landreau.

Lille coach Rudi García sent on two big strikers, Larsen Touré and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, and the latter gave Liverpool a scare on 73 minutes when he met a free-kick at the far post only to find the roof of the net. Liverpool conceded costly late goals twice in the UEFA Champions League group stage but after a long ball had fallen just behind Aubameyang, Torres dispelled any nerves by sweeping home the rebound after Landreau had foiled Gerrard.

Juve floored by Fulham comeback

2010-03-19T03:31:00.000-07:00

Fulham FC 4-1 Juventus (agg: 5-4)
Clint Dempsey's brilliant late chipped goal crowned a remarkable night for the London side as they earned a place in Friday's quarter-final draw.

Clint Dempsey's brilliant chipped goal three minutes from time completed a remarkable comeback for Fulham FC as they overturned a 3-1 first-leg deficit against Juventus to ensure their UEFA Europa League run continues.

Zoltán Gera scored twice and Bobby Zamora and substitute Dempsey once each as Fulham made the most of Fabio Cannavaro's 27th-minute dismissal to recover from David Trezeguet's early strike and reach the quarter-finals. To make matters worse, Juventus ended their campaign with nine men, first-leg scorer Jonathan Zebina sent off late on for a kick on Damien Duff.

A historic night for Fulham started in terrible fashion when after only two minutes a mix-up in defence allowed Trezeguet to sweep the ball low past goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer. Fulham rallied and were back on level terms seven minutes later when Zamora beat Cannavaro to Paul Konchesky's cross and fired in the equaliser.

Juve had let a three-goal lead slip against AC Siena on Sunday and nerves were jangling when Cannavaro was dismissed midway through the half for pulling back Gera as he burst clear. Zamora's pass had created the opening and his resulting free-kick was only kept out by a superb fingertip stop from third-choice goalkeeper Antonio Chimenti, in for the injured Gianluigi Buffon and Alex Manninger.

Fulham powered forward and Stephen Kelly then Dickson Etuhu hit the woodwork before their pressure paid off on 39 minutes, Gera finishing a flowing move when he tapped in Simon Davies's cross. There was no let-up after the break as Diego handled in the area and Gera dispatched the spot kick on 48 minutes to put Fulham ahead 3-1 and bring the tie level 4-4 on aggregate.
The 39-year-old Chimenti kept Juve in the tie with instinctive saves from Davies, Dempsey and Gera. There was nothing he could do with eight minutes left, however, when Dempsey chipped high over his head and into the far corner from the edge of the area to cap a memorable night for Roy Hodgson's side.
Juve floored by Fulham comeback

Villa hat-trick only half the story

2010-03-19T03:27:00.001-07:00

Werder Bremen 4-4 Valencia CF (agg: 5-5, Valencia on away goals)
A David Villa hat-trick swung the tie in the Spanish side's favour after a remarkable night in Germany.

A David Villa hat-trick earned Valencia CF an astonishing 4-4 draw with Werder Bremen that ensured them a UEFA Europa League quarter-final place courtesy of the away-goals rule.

The two sides settled for a sober 1-1 draw in last week's first leg in Spain, but they produced a stunning return at the Weserstadion. Villa signalled his return from a shoulder problem with a goal in the third minute and Juan Mata struck in the 15th before substitute Hugo Almeida pulled one back for the hosts.

Villa's second on the stroke of half-time looked decisive, only for Bremen captain Torsten Frings to convert a 57th-minute penalty and Marko Marin to hit their third in a stirring comeback. Villa, however, then raced away to fire Valencia's fourth and put his side into Friday's draw, despite Claudio Pizarro's 84th-minute equaliser.

Valencia made light of several absentees through injury and suspension as they took the game to Bremen from the start. David Silva provided assists for all three of their first-half strikes, starting with a pass for Villa following Naldo's weak header. The striker made no mistake with his angled shot past Tim Wiese and neither did Mata after Silva's ball over the top of the Bremen defence. Almeida tapped home Pizarro's cross just four minutes after coming on but there was more to come from Villa with a low shot through the crowd after Silva had brilliantly rescued the ball and provided the perfect pass.

Coming out 3-1 down for the second half, Bremen's task was soon made easier when Valencia substitute Jordi Alba brought down Marin. Frings, who also scored from the spot in the first leg, repeated the feat and five minutes later Marin followed up with a vicious shot from inside the box to make it all square on the night. Villa looked to have ended the drama with his third and Valencia's fourth, but Pizarro's header brought more drama as the visitors held on.
Villa hat-trick only half the story

Del Piero harboursWorld Cup hope

2010-03-18T01:10:00.000-07:00

Alessandro Del Piero is hoping to improve his chances of making Italy's World Cup squad by firing Juventus into the last eight of the Europa League tomorrow.

The Bianconeri go into Thursday night's match against Barclays Premier League side Fulham with a 3-1 lead from the first leg in Turin.

Del Piero was absent from that match but is expected to face the Cottagers tomorrow after scoring twice in Juve's 3-3 draw with Siena on Sunday.

The Juventus striker has not featured for the Azzurri since Euro 2008 and Italy manager Marcello Lippi has not given any indication he will take the striker to South Africa, where Italy will be among the favourites to win the tournament.

That has not put Del Piero off though, and he is keen to send Lippi a message by sealing Fulham's fate at Craven Cottage on Thursday night.

"I'm still very hopeful of making the squad," said the 35-year-old. "I know that Lippi has not chosen the squad yet so there are still chances for me.

"I'm really hopeful about it and I believe that a match like tomorrow gives me a good chance of trying to achieve that."

Juve lost ground in their hunt for a Champions League place by throwing away a 3-0 lead to draw 3-3 with Serie A's bottom side Siena on Sunday.

Del Piero has warned his team-mates that they cannot afford a similar lapse in concentration on Thursday night.

"We analysed that match the day after with the coach and he made several points that we have to work on," said Del Piero.

"There are lots of areas we can improve and the message was clear: we have to learn and take full concentration regardless of results, whether we are losing or not, so we don't have these kinds of results in the future."

Juventus have lost only once since Alberto Zaccheroni took over from Ciro Ferrara as manager in January.

They are still one point behind Palermo in the race for a Champions League place though and Zaccheroni admits he will rest some of his players tomorrow ahead of their match against sixth place Sampdoria on Sunday.

He denies that this means he is taking the competition lightly, however, and braced his side for a tough test against Roy Hodgson's team.

"I respect Fulham more than I fear them but they have performed well in the league so far and have either the fifth or sixth best defence in the Premier League so we have to respect that," the 56-year-old said.

"They have a manager who knows a lot about football and knows how to put a good team on the pitch.

"I also want to stress that we really want to progress in the Europa League. In our position we can't look too far ahead but we really want to get through this tie."

Giorgio Chiellini, Martin Caceres, Claudio Marchisio, Amauri and Michele Paolucci are all injured for tomorrow's match while the man who scored Juve's opener last week - Nicola Legrottaglie - is suspended.

Zaccheroni will have to choose between goalkeepers Antonio Chimenti and Carlo Pinsoglio as he is also without Gianluigi Buffon and Alex Manninger.

Zaccheroni admits he will be taking a massive gamble if he elects to hand 20-year-old Pinsoglio his debut tomorrow.

"You know him better than I do," said Zaccheroni.

"I have never seen him playing in Serie A and I have never seen him in the youth team.

"All I have seen of him has been in training but from what I have seen of him he will have a bright future."
Del Piero harboursWorld Cup hope

BORDEAUX edge past OLYMPIACOS

2010-03-18T01:08:00.000-07:00

Bordeaux booked their place in the Champions League quarter-finals after they survived an unlikely Olympiacos fightback to win 2-1 at the Stade Chaban Delmas on Wednesday night for a 3-1 aggregate victory.

Yoann Gourcuff's superb free-kick gave Bordeaux an early lead and the France midfielder saw another set-piece come back off the frame of the goal as visiting goalkeeper Antonis Nikopolidis struggled to cope with his delivery.

There looked no way back for Olympiacos when Matt Derbyshire was sent off in the 60th minute for two yellow cards in the space of seven minutes.

But substitute Kostas Mitroglou made an instant impression, crashing home a 64th-minute equaliser, and they received a second boost when the hosts' captain Alou Diarra also saw red.

Bordeaux, though, sealed their progress in the 88th minute, Nikopolidis again caught out as Marouane Chamakh headed in at the far post.
BORDEAUX edge past OLYMPIACOS

Remaining eight await quarter-final draw

2010-03-18T01:05:00.000-07:00

FC Barcelona and FC Girondins de Bordeaux's successes on Wednesday completed the lineup for the quarter and semi-final draws which will take place at 12.00CET on Friday in Nyon, Switzerland.
The lineup for the UEFA Champions League quarter and semi-final draws is complete after holders FC Barcelona and FC Girondins de Bordeaux joined Arsenal FC, FC Bayern München, FC Internazionale Milano, Manchester United FC, Olympique Lyonnais and PFC CSKA Moskva in the last eight.

UEFA general secretary Gianni Infantino and the ambassador for the Madrid final, Emilio Butragueño, will make the draws from 12.00CET on Friday at UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland. The pairings will be determined by an open draw in which no teams are seeded and clubs from the same national association can be drawn against each other.

The quarter-finals are played on a home-and–away basis, with the first legs scheduled for 30 and 31 March and the return matches the following week, on 6 and 7 April. The four victorious teams will at this point know their semi-final opponents. The first legs of the last-four ties will be contested on 20 and 21 April, with the second legs on 27 April and 28 April.

An additional draw will define whether the winner of semi-final 1 or the winner of semi-final 2 will be considered, for administrative purposes, the home side in the final, which will take place on Saturday 22 May at Madrid's Santiago Bernabéu stadium (20.45CET kick-off).

Both club competition draws will be transmitted live on UEFA.com and Eurosport. Media representatives wishing to attend are requested to apply via email to accreditations@uefa.ch before 12.00CET on Thursday.
Remaining eight await quarter-final draw

Stuttgart succumb to masterful Messi

2010-03-18T01:02:00.000-07:00

FC Barcelona 4-0 VfB Stuttgart (agg: 5-1)
Lionel Messi scored two and set up another as the holders progressed after inflicting a record-equalling European defeat on Stuttgart.

Holders FC Barcelona cruised into the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals, equalling VfB Stuttgart's record defeat in Europe thanks to two goals from the sublime Lionel Messi.

Josep Guardiola will credit the 4-0 victory to one of his team's best overall display of the season even if Messi scored in each half and helped Pedro Rodríguez register Barça's second. Yet this was a masterclass from the world's best player. Before kick-off Stuttgart coach Christian Gross was asked how to stop Messi. "Don't let him have the ball" was the sensible reply – the German side found the task impossible.

Level at 1-1 after the first leg, Stuttgart had been giving a fine account of themselves before the roof caved in. The visitors were emboldened by their ease of stringing passes together but on 13 minutes were caught on the break when one went astray. Yaya Touré galloped forward, fed Messi and the No10 did the rest, taking Zdravko Kuzmanovic for a walk, then slamming a shot between two defenders and high into Jens Lehmann's top-right corner. The Camp Nou roared; Guardiola sprinted to the touch line and gave instructions to Gerard Piqué. He wanted Andrés Iniesta and Sergio Busquets to switch touchlines, they did and the second goal arrived.

Six quick-fire passes involving the pair, plus Pedro and Messi, ended with the Argentinian international bending the ball into the path of Touré, whose pass was steered in by Pedro. This time the movement and the culmination were so thrilling that even Guardiola danced a little jig on the touch line. Just before the half-hour it could have been 3-0. Touré was relishing his unusual wide role and again broke free on the left, outstripping Stefano Celozzi and sliding a tantalising cross in front of Jens Lehmann – Thierry Henry failed to convert it by a matter of millimetres.

Messi would not be overshadowed for long, however. Stuttgart were more brusque after half-time, trying to suffocate the forward, but he soon found space. Dribbling brilliantly, he sucked in three defenders before squaring for Touré to drive narrowly wide. Messi was unstoppable. On the hour Daniel Alves flicked Pedro's pass to him and, from outside the box, he crashed in his fourth UEFA Champions League goal of the season.

His hat-trick nearly arrived courtesy of an Alves cross in the 66th minute but Messi's header, reminiscent of the one with which he sealed victory in the final against Manchester United FC last May, brought a fine save from Lehmann. The show rolled on as Zlatan Ibrahimovic had a goal ruled out, the goalkeeper again had to save well, from Iniesta this time, and Messi ran half the pitch before clipping wide.

"Si, si, si, nos vamos a Madrid" the Camp Nou faithful roared – looking beyond Friday's draw for the last eight and to the final on 22 May. A great deal of work remains before that, but on this form few would doubt Barça achieving it. The holders underlined those credentials when substitutes Ibrahimovic and Bojan Krkic combined for the fourth in the last minute, the Sweden striker releasing his team-mate for a right-footed finish.
Stuttgart succumb to masterful Messi

European Cups - Champions League

2010-03-17T21:04:00.000-07:00

Barcelona 4 - 0 Stuttgart
(L.messi 13',60', P.Rodriguez 22', b.Krkic 89')
Bordeaux 2 - 1 Olympiakos Piraeus
(Y. Gourcuff 5', M. Chamakh 88', K. Mitroglou 65')

Fixture (16 march 2010)

2010-03-17T01:52:00.000-07:00

England - Premier League

Wigan Athletic 1 - 2 Aston Villa
(G. Caldwell 27', J. McCarthy (o.g.) 25', J. Milner 63')

European Cups - Champions League

Chelsea 0 - 1 Inter Milan
(S.Eto'o 78')
Sevilla 1 - 2 CSKA Moscow
(D. Perotti 41', T. Necid 39', K. Honda 55')

Honda repays Gonzàlez's faith

2010-03-17T01:50:00.001-07:00

Mark Gonzàlez's powers of persuasion proved key as Keisuke Honda's free-kick fired PFC CSKA Moskva into the quarter-finals at Sevilla FC's expense. "I told Honda he had to take it," Gonzàlez said.

Even though PFC CSKA Moskva's historic winning performance against Sevilla FC was fully merited for its tactics, energy and finishing power, it turns out the Russian club will make its debut in Friday's UEFA Champions League quarter-final draw partially through good luck and good judgment.

The enthralling first knockout round tie was balanced nicely at 2-2 on aggregate ten minutes into the second half when Keisuke Honda stepped forward to hit a thunderous free-kick which would provide the winning goal. However only a few seconds before he had been trying to give the opportunity to his strike-partner Tomáš Necid.

The Japanese only joined CSKA from VVV Venlo in the winter transfer market and despite his winning goal in the Russian league at the weekend against FC Amkar Perm he did not feel it was his place to take control. However Chilean winger Mark Gonzàlez stepped in and persuaded Honda he was the man with a cannon in his boot – a decision which was proved spectacularly correct.

"Honda didn't really want to take the kick," Gonzàlez told UEFA.com, grinning at the memory. "He thought Necid should instead, but I told Honda he had to take it because he has a really good strike on him. I managed to convince him, luckily, but even so I could hardly believe it when the goal went in.

"We knew enough from the first leg that it was going to be a hard game. The keys were that we went out not feeling any pressure, any anxiety and that meant we were totally focused on our game plan."

That included playing quickly and intelligently on the counter-attack and CSKA's first goal, made by Honda and scored by Necid was the key example. "Even though Sevilla started well and could have scored I felt the next phase of the game was ours," Gonzàlez continued. "In the second half we went out with renewed effort because we knew how important a second goal would be and we dominated once we got it."

Honda was keen to take blame away from Sevilla keeper Andrés Palop, who appeared to misjudge the 55th-minute free-kick. "I didn't expect to score because I thought the keeper would get it, but the ball was a bit wet and maybe that surprised him. Perhaps I got a bit lucky but a goal is a goal. I took a risk in the transfer to CSKA because there is always a risk in any move – but I think I made the right one."

Final word goes to the hard working Gonzàlez who has a special petition for the draw on Friday. "As a former Liverpool player I'd love to draw Manchester United. CSKA played them in the group stage but I didn't have that opportunity because of injury – it would be nice to face them again because they are great games."
Honda repays Gonzàlez's faith

Eto'o completes job for imperious Inter

2010-03-17T01:43:00.000-07:00

Chelsea FC 0-1 FC Internazionale Milano (agg: 1-3)
José Mourinho enjoyed a happy return to Stamford Bridge as Samuel Eto'o's late goal confirmed the visitors' place in the last eight.

José Mourinho's statement that Stamford Bridge is a happy hunting ground for him was proved right as FC Internazionale Milano celebrated a notable success over his former club and a place in the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals for the first time in four years.

Samuel Eto'o's late goal increased the Italian titleholders' first-leg advantage and inflict Chelsea FC's first home defeat in the competition since February 2006, ending their run of 21 unbeaten games. Eto'o had also scored the winner on that occasion, a 2-1 win for FC Barcelona, when Mourinho was in the home dugout.

To cap a miserable night for the English side, Didier Drogba was ordered off three minutes from time after tangling with Thiago Motta, leaving Mourinho's current club as deserved winners having missed a number of decent second-half opportunities.

Inter's coach was afforded a generous reception by the home crowd who chanted his name before the start. Then it was down to business and the uncompromising nature of the contest was quickly apparent with a number of shuddering tackles.

Mourinho was clearly anxious about Chelsea's left-sided threat, with Yuri Zhirkov eager to push forward in the slipstream of the in-form Florent Malouda, and deployed Eto'o in what was virtually a right midfield role. The first opening came from that flank, Maicon advancing but his rising shot was no threat to Chelsea's third-choice goalkeeper Ross Turnbull.

The flow was being interrupted by a succession of free-kicks, Diego Milito only centimetres away from connecting with Wesley Sneijder's curling delivery from one such set piece. Michael Ballack had earlier gone close for Chelsea, capitalising on Milito's loose ball only to drag his shot beyond the upright.

That proved a rare lapse in the Inter defence, Maicon epitomising their commitment when he threw himself in front of Drogba to make a vital block. Inter responded and when John Terry misjudged Maicon's cross, Eto'o was not quite alert enough and failed to keep his header on target. The half ended with Lucio and Co under sustained pressure, and from Drogba's astute pass Nicolas Anelka had a golden chance to break the deadlock. Júlio César half-blocked his shot and Motta was on hand to tidy up.

A flurry of bookings launched the second half, Motta and Walter Samuel both picking up cautions that rule them out of the quarter-final first leg. The first chance after the break fell to Eto'o following Sneijder's glorious crossfield pass, but the Cameroonian international delayed his shot and the danger passed.

Malouda was becoming increasingly influential and a rasping drive required quick reactions from Júlio César, who turned it aside down by his near post. That near miss preceded one at the other end, Sneijder combining skilfully with Goran Pandev yet again the striker failed to pull the trigger in time, allowing Zhirkov to intervene.

Milito passed up two more openings and Motta headed over when well-placed. Would Inter regret those misses? The answer came in the 78th minute when the previously quiet Eto'o showed his class in getting the wrong side of Branislav Ivanović to fasten onto Sneijder's pass before dispatching his shot inside Turnbull's right-hand post and take Inter into the quarter-finals for the first time since 2005/06.

Eto'o completes job for imperious Inter

MANCINI Rejects AZZURRI Rumours

2010-03-15T01:18:00.000-07:00

Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini has distanced himself from speculation that he could be Italy's next manager.

Mancini is being touted as a contender for the job when Marcello Lippi steps down after this summer's World Cup finals.

However, speaking after Sunday afternoon's 1-1 Premier League draw at Sunderland, the Italian brushed aside the rumours.

He said with a smile: "No. I have said maybe in 10 years.

"I don't know. No. It's not for me now."

MESSI HAT-TRICK Gives BARCA Victory

2010-03-15T01:14:00.000-07:00

Lionel Messi struck a brilliant second half hat-trick to give Barcelona a 3-0 victory over Valencia at the Nou Camp on Sunday night.

Following an evenly-disputed first period in which Valencia gave as good as they got, Messi took centre stage with a spectacular treble.

The winger beat three Valencia players to give Pep Guardiola's side the lead after 56 minutes, before adding two more fine efforts in the closing stages - both set up by substitute Thierry Henry - after the visitors had been reduced to 10 men following the sending-off of Hedwiges Maduro.

Both teams were missing their star strikers for this match.

Barca's Zlatan Ibrahimovic was out through suspension, while Valencia's David Villa failed to recover from a shoulder injury in time.

Ibrahimovic's absence meant a rare start for Bojan Krkic, but the youngster was ineffectual on the left-hand side as Barca struggled to find their rhythm early on.

It was Valencia who got off to the better start and the visitors threatened after just five minutes, when Jordi Alba's bullet header flew just over the bar following Alejandro Dominguez's right-wing cross.

Dominguez, a transfer window signing from Rubin Kazan, had already tasted victory at the Nou Camp this season with the Russian side in the Champions League.

And it looked as if he may do so again as Valencia continued to impress.

Miguel drove a speculative effort well over the crossbar from distance after a Valencia counter-attack had broken down.

And Pablo Hernandez twice tested Victor Valdes from similar positions inside the Barca area.

Valdes was also alert to the danger as he cleared a Dominguez back-post lay-off with his feet from a well-worked Valencia free-kick.

As the half wore on, however, Barca began to discover their usual attacking verve and Guardiola's side ended the half on top.

Messi robbed Angel Dealbert and saw his low shot pushed wide by Cesar Sanchez and Pedro dragged a right-footed effort off-target after he was set up by Xavi.

Guardiola - who was suspended and watched on from the stands - changed things at the interval with the introduction of Henry for the disappointing Bojan.

And the Catalans looked back to their usual selves as the second half got under way with Henry making an instant impact.

The France forward, much-maligned for his off-colour performances this term, set up Messi in a flowing team move which culminated in Cesar Sanchez saving the Argentinian's low shot with the slightest touch from his left shin.

Henry threatened again with a header shortly afterwards, but Cesar saved once more.

Barca were on top now, though, and it seemed only a matter of time before they went ahead.

And so it proved as Messi took possession some 30 yards from goal after 56 minutes, waltzed past three Valencia players and slotted a clinical low shot past Cesar to give Barca the breakthrough.

Three dramatic incidents then occurred in the space of two minutes.

First, Maxwell saw an effort ruled out for offside after Cesar had spilled Xavi's shot.

Straight away at the other end, substitute Nikola Zigic then found himself one-on-one with Valdes, but the Barca keeper stood firm and made the save.

It was a golden opportunity for Valencia and they were left to rue that miss as Maduro - playing as a makeshift central defender - brought down Messi and received a second yellow card a minute later.

Incredibly, Maduro became the seventh Valencia player to see red in seven straight matches, with David Silva, Alexis, Carlos Marchena, Miguel, David Navarro and Ever Banega all receiving their marching orders in the previous six games.

Unai Emery's side had managed to achieve some decent results despite those previous dismissals.

But there was only one winner here.

Former Arsenal forward Henry found Messi with an extraordinary cross-field pass after 81 minutes, which the Argentinian controlled with aplomb, charging into the area and curling a stunning left-footed curler past Cesar to make it two for him - and two for Barca.

And a minute later, Henry, with his back to goal, controlled the ball neatly and flicked a sublime pass onto the advancing Messi, who calmly took his time before sliding the ball underneath Cesar to round off a fantastic victory.
MESSI HAT-TRICK Gives BARCA Victory

SIENA Comeback Jolts JUVE

2010-03-15T01:11:00.000-07:00

Siena launched a stunning second-half fightback to recover from 3-0 down and earn a 3-3 draw as Juventus' disappointing campaign continued at Stadio Olimpico.

Three goals in the opening 10 minutes from Alessandro Del Piero (2) and Antonio Candreva looked to have secured the points for Alberto Zaccheroni's fifth-placed side, who had entered the match on the back of three wins from their last four games.

But former Middlesbrough striker Massimo Maccarone got a goal back for the basement battlers just before the interval before two goals from Abdel Ghezzal, the second from the spot, sealed the most unlikely of comebacks.

The result will boost Siena's hopes of avoiding the drop as it means they are four points adrift of safety having been unbeaten in five Serie A matches.

It would have been ludicrous to predict such an outcome after Juve came out of the blocks in devastating fashion by taking advantage of some poor Siena defending.

There were two minutes on the clock when veteran forward Del Piero grabbed his first goal.

Mohamed Sissoko's shot was saved by Gianluca Curci, but the goalkeeper had no hope of keeping out Del Piero's effort as he lay prone on the ground.

Del Piero then doubled the lead after seven minutes to claim his 300th career goal for the Old Lady.

The goal again came from a rebound after Claudio Marchisio's effort was beaten out by Curci and the ball fell to Del Piero, who struck a spectacular half-volley into the net.

The game appeared to be over as a contest when France international David Trezeguet teed up Candreva for a 10th-minute strike to make it 3-0.

But Siena showed great character to begin their fightback six minutes later through Maccarone.

A lapse in defence by Zdenek Grygera saw the ball reach the striker, who made no mistake with a powerful right-footed effort.

The plucky visitors continued to push forward and came close to closing the deficit further in the 21st minute.

A great cross picked out Francesco Pratali, but his header was cleared off the line by Juve's Felipe Melo.

But Alberto Malesani's side were not to be denied and pulled another goal back shortly after the start of the second half.

Maccarone hit the post after good build-up work, but Ghezzal was on hand to tap in the rebound.

Juve were stunned into action and Del Piero went agonisingly close to his hat-trick, but a magnificent save by Curci saw the goalkeeper claw out his close-range header.

The visitors were by now carving out chances with alarming regularity and it took a superb last-ditch clearance from Fabio Cannavaro, after Marcelo Larrondo's cross, to prevent an equaliser.

Alexandros Tziolis then hit the post for the Robur, but the leveller finally came in the 73rd minute.

Grygera's poor afternoon continued as he fouled Maccarone and the referee pointed to the spot.

And Ghezzal made no mistake to heap further woe on the home side.

SIENA Comeback Jolts JUVE

2010-03-15T01:03:00.000-07:00

England - Premier League

Tottenham H. 3 - 1 Blackburn R.
(J.Defoe 45',R. Pavlyuchenko 55',85')
Birmingham C. 2 - 2 Everton
(C. Jerome 26', C. Gardner 52',V. Anichebe 19',A. Yakubu 22')
Bolton W. 4 - 0 Wigan Athletic
(J. Elmander 10', K. Davies (pen.) 48', F. Muamba 53', M. Taylor 69')
Burnley 1 - 2 Wolverhampton W.
(S. Thompson 73', M. Jarvis 26', C. Carlisle (o.g.)47',)
Chelsea 4 - 1 West Ham U.
(R. Alex 16', D. Drogba 58',90', F. Malauda 77')
Stoke C. 0 - 0 Aston Villa
Hull C. 1 - 2 Arsenal
(A. Arshavin 14', N. Bendtner 90', J. Bullard (pen.) 28)
Manchester U. 3 - 0 Fulham
(W.Rooney 46', 84', D.Berbatov 89')
Sunderland 1 - 1 Manchester C.
(K.Jones 9', A. Johnson 90')

Italy - Serie A

Bologna 1 - 1 Sampdoria
(A. Raggi 90', D. Gastaldello 87')
Genoa 5 - 3 Cagliari
(D.Desena 16'A. D. Conti 41', A. Matri (pen.) 55', Zapater (pen.)36', R. Palacio 39', G. Sculli 43', M. Rossi 45', O. Milanetto 59')
Juventus 3 - 1 Siena
(A.D.Piero 2',7',A. Candreva 10', M. Maccarone 16'A. Ghezzal 46'(pen)68')
Lazio 0 - 2 Bari
(S.B. Almiron 51', E.A.R. Alvarez 64')
Livorno 3 - 3 AS Roma
(C. Lucarelli 9',26', C. Lucarelli 71', S. Perrotta 11', L. Toni, D.Pizarro 27')
Parma 1 - 0 Atalanta
(V. Bojinov 72')
Udinese 3 - 2 Palermo
(A.F. Flores 43',65', K. Asamoah 70', F.H. Simplicio 51', E. Cavani 80')
AC Milan 1 - 0 Chievo
(C. Seedorf 90')

Spain - Primera Division

Getafe 3 - 0 Mallorca
(D.Parejo 32', Miku 80', M.D.Moral (pen)85')
Sporting Gijon 0 - 0 Athletic Bilbao
Sevilla 1 - 1 Deportivo La Coruna
(F.Fazio 21', L.A. Adrian 24')
Almeria 1 - 0 Malaga
(F. Soriano 56')
Racing Santander0 - 0 Zaragoza
Tenerife 4 - 1 Espanyol
(P. Richi 21',J.F. Nino 50',90' A. Alfaro 82',J. Verdu 70')
Villarreal 2 - 0 Xerez
(J. Llorente 32', D. Escudero 90')
Barcelona 3 - 0 Valencia
(L. Messi 56',81',82')
Valladolid 1 - 4 Real Madrid
(R. Albiol (o.g.)58', C. Ronaldo 28', G. Higuain 45',52',65')

Germany - Bundesliga I.

Bochum 1 - 4 Borussia Dortmund
(M. Maltritz (o.g.) 18', M. Zidan 27', L. Barrios 74',77')
Hannover 2 - 1 Eintracht Frankfurt
(L. Andreasen 13', S. Pinto 57', H. Altintop 45')
Hertha BSC 1 - 2 Nurnberg
(T. Gekas 36', A. Bunjaku 61', A. Charisteas 90')
Mainz 1 - 0 1. FC Cologne
(A. Schürrle 56')
Monchengladbach 0 - 4 Wolfsburg
(Z. Misimovic 41', E. Dzeko (pen.)49',80', C. Gentner 58',)
Bayern Munich 2 - 1 Freiburg
(A. Robben 76', 83', C. Makiadi 31')
Hoffenheim 0 - 1 Werder Bremen
(c.Pizarro 80')
Bayer Leverkusen4 - 2 Hamburger SV
(S. Kiessling 22',62'E. Derdiyok 55', G. Castro 84'Z. Roberto 33', D. Rozehnal 83')

AKINFEEV tied down

2010-03-13T00:18:00.000-08:00

Manchester United have been rumoured to be sniffing around CSKA Moscow keeper Igor Akinfeev for a while now, and The Daily Mail reports that the Russian club have spotted those covetous glances and want to tie down their man.

The paper claims the keeper is seen as the successor to Edwin van der Sar at United, and with Akinfeev's current contract running out in December next year, they might've hoped to get him on the cheap.

However, CSKA don't want to lose a prize asset for nowt, which seems rather sensible to us, so they're going to offer him a new deal.

The extension will run until 2014, which will give them a little more room to negotiate when United come in with their seemingly inevitable bid.

United may face competition, with Bayern Munich, Fiorentina and even Arsenal and Chelsea also showing an interest.

AKINFEEV tied down

ROONEY TO REAL?

2010-03-13T00:12:00.000-08:00

When there isn't a lot of gossip around in the English papers, it's always a reasonably safe bet to skip over the Spanish press for a bit of tittle tattle.

And praise be to Sport, the Barcelona-based rumour rag, who come up with a highly spurious belter for us this morning.

They report that, despite having seen 90 minutes worth of evidence on Wednesday night that throwing money at a problem doesn't necessarily work, Florentino Perez will launch a bid for Wayne Rooney in the summer.

No figures are mentioned, but such is Real Madrid's financial incontinence when they see something shiny they like, we're guessing it will be what is known in financial circles as a 'f**kload of cash'.

Obviously, with Sport being a Barca paper, we urge you to treat this with some degree of caution, but what the hey.

TURNBULL Set to face Hammers

2010-03-13T00:08:00.000-08:00

Chelsea have been plunged into a goalkeeping crisis ahead of Tuesday night's Champions League return leg against Jose Mourinho's Inter Milan.
Chelsea lost first-choice goalkeeper Petr Cech with a calf strain in the 2-1 opening leg defeat at the San Siro and deputy Hilario collected an abductor injury during last Sunday's 2-0 FA Cup quarter-final victory over Stoke.

The injuries have left the Blues with just Ross Turnbull and Rhys Taylor available for Sayurday's Premier League clash with West Ham.

The pair are likely to be on duty against Milan in their return last-16 tie as coach Carlo Ancelotti admits it is unlikely Hilario or Cech will have recovered in time to play.

The loss of Hilario is a real blow for Ancelotti as Turnbull has made just two appearances for the club this season.

Turnbull, who joined on a free transfer from Middlesbrough last summer, played in the 4-0 Carling Cup win over Bolton and Chelsea's 2-2 draw with APOEL in this season's Champions League group stage.

"We have a problem with the goalkeepers," admitted Ancelotti. "We don't know if Hilario or Petr are able to play on Tuesday.

"Tomorrow I want to put the best line-up out because it's an important game. We don't have to think about the Inter game.

"We need to win and go back to the top of the table, so I want to put the best players out. But we have problems. Michael Essien, Ashley Cole, and Jose Bosingwa are out. Also Ricardo Carvalho and Hilario is not able to play. So, in goal, Turnbull will play.

"Cech is doing physiotherapy. He did not train on the pitch, so it's very difficult for him to recover for Tuesday.

"Hilario had a problem against Stoke and has not been able to train this week. An Adductor muscle in his groin is the problem. On the bench will go Rhys Taylor, our young goalkeeper from the reserve team.

"I'm not worried. The performance of the team does not rely upon the goalkeeper. I don't want to say we can play without a goalkeeper, because that's an important player for the team, but I have confidence in Turnbull.

"He has not played a lot of games this season but, with the work with our goalkeeping coach, he has improved very well.

"I have no problem about playing Turnbull against Inter Milan."

Chelsea return to Premier League action against London rivals West Ham on Saturday and that means a re-union with Gianfranco Zola.

Zola may never have arrived in the English top flight as a player with Chelsea if Ancelotti had found a way to accommodate the Italian in his Parma side back in 1996.

But Zola found himself played out of position and left for Stamford Bridge where he became a legend.

The Italian has struggled to guide West Ham out of danger at the wrong end of the Barclays Premier but following their recent takeover by David Gold and David Sullivan, things are improving.

West Ham's recent home form had been impressive but their defeat to Bolton last weekend could not have come at a worse time for the Hammers with visits to Chelsea and Arsenal next in line.

"It was not an easy season for Gianfranco because he's had a lot of injuries, but now, after the recovery of Carlton Cole, they have more possibility to finish the season well," said Ancelotti.

"I hope that West Ham stay in the Premier League because I think Zola did a good job this season. A very difficult job, but he didn't lose his confidence or his focus."

But Ancelotti would not be drawn on whether former West Ham midfielder Joe Cole would play against his old club.

Cole's current contract expires in the summer and the England international has yet to agree an extension.

The player's chances of grabbing a place in Fabio Capello's World Cup squad for the finals in South Africa this summer will not be helped by a lack of first team football.

Cole spent the entire game on the bench as Chelsea defeated Stoke in the FA Cup quarter-finals last Sunday and Ancelotti added: "I think that he's keeping a very good mental attitude.

"Also when he's a substitute he doesn't lose his confidence, he doesn't lose his mental attitude to work very hard.

"He's a very important player for us. When he's involved in the squad he has his team-mates to stay focused. I hope he will improve and he can play other important games."

TURNBULL Set to face Hammers

Defeat for 10-MAN INTER

2010-03-13T00:03:00.000-08:00

Catania threw the Serie A title race open and took a giant step towards securing their own future in the top flight by beating 10-man Inter Milan 3-1.

Diego Milito put the Nerazzurri in front in the 54th minute, but Catania refused to accept defeat and Maxi Lopez equalised 20 minutes later.

Sulley Muntari was sent off after only two minutes on the field as he gave away a penalty which was converted by Giuseppe Mascara in the 81st minute.

And Jorge Martinez sealed a deserved and important win for the Rosazzurri in the last minute as Inter showed weaknesses ahead of their trip to Chelsea in the Champions League next week.

Their lead at the top of the table could be cut to just one point if AC Milan beat Chievo on Sunday night, while Catania move eight points clear of the bottom three.

Catania started brightly, taking the game to their guests with a great degree of confidence.

They had an excellent chance to go ahead in the 12th minute when Adrian Ricchiuti found himself alone in front of Julio Cesar, but his shot was saved.

Marco Materazzi got in the way of his goalkeeper as he tried to pounce on the loose ball and a goalmouth scramble ensued in which Catania had several more chances to score before Ciro Capuano's shot from outside the penalty area was blazed over.

Catania failed to make their early dominance count and Inter slowed the play down to suit their own style of play and frustrate the home team.

They had to wait until the 34th minute for their first shot on goal, though, but it was an easy save for Andujar from Wesley Sneijder's angled effort.

Ricchiuti then had another chance with just Julio Cesar to beat, but Lucio threw himself desperately at the ball and managed to do enough to put the Catania midfielder off and even deflect his shot wide.

Inter emerged for the second half with a lot more conviction and they were ahead in the 54th minute when a long ball from Dejan Stankovic cut through the Catania defence and picked out Samuel Eto'o.

He looked up and saw Milito alongside him and gave the Argentinian a simple tap-in to put the Nerazzurri ahead.

Catania responded well, though, and Mascara sent a low free-kick just wide of Julio Cesar's goal in the 58th minute.

They seemed to be tiring and in need of a moment of inspiration, and they got it in the 75th minute with Lopez netting his third goal in Italian football.

He beat Lucio to Martinez's low cross and lifted the ball into the roof of the net from six yards.

The Sicilians suddenly found themselves in the ascendancy and Muntari gifted them the chance to go ahead with probably one of the quickest red cards in Serie A history.

He had been on the field only a few seconds when he was shown a yellow card for a foul on the edge of the penalty area and he deliberately handled the resulting free-kick inside the box to earn a second booking and give Catania a penalty.

Mascara cheekily chipped his spot-kick straight down the middle to send the Stadio Massimino wild.

And they were ripped from their seats again in the final minute when Martinez dribbled past Lucio from the left and slotted the ball past Julio Cesar to seal a remarkable victory for Catania.

Defeat for 10-MAN INTER

FABREGAS Blow for GUNNERS

2010-03-12T02:49:00.000-08:00

Arsenal look set again be without captain Cesc Fabregas (hamstring) for Saturday's Premier League trip to Hull.

Winger Tomas Rosicky faces a fitness test on his groin problem, while Bacary Sagna (ankle) is also a doubt, although veteran defender Sol Campbell is expected to be available after suffering from cramp after the midweek Champions League win over Porto.

Midfielder Alex Song serves the second match of a domestic ban, while centre-back William Gallas (calf) is still sidelined.

Aaron Ramsey (broken leg), Robin van Persie (ankle) and Johan Djourou (knee) are long-term absentees.

HARGREAVES Retrun IN Sight

2010-03-12T02:45:00.000-08:00

Manchester United biss Sir Alex Ferguson insists he is ready to let Owen Hargreaves take the next step on his road to recovery.

Hargreaves was due to play in a reserve team encounter with Manchester City last night and end a near-18 month absence following a double knee operation.

But United officials confirmed on Wednesday night that the England international would not be involved, as it interfered with his training regime.

It seemed a strange explanation. And Ferguson has clarified the situation, pointing out that Hargreaves in fact went to see a specialist for the latest update.

However, as the verdict was positive, Ferguson believes an end to Hargreaves' lengthy spell on the sidelines is in sight.

"Owen went to see a specialist yesterday," said the United boss.

"There is nothing wrong and the idea is for him to play in the next game.

"He has to play in the next game because he is ready to play."

United's reserve side is next due in action on Thursday, when they entertain Burnley at Altrincham's Moss Lane ground.

However, given this week's events, nothing should be taken for granted until the 29-year-old actually makes an appearance.
HARGREAVES Retrun IN Sight

Valencia's Mata Glad to Escape on Terms

2010-03-12T02:40:00.000-08:00

Juan Mata and his Valencia CF team-mates will head to Werder Bremen knowing they could be much worse off than 1-1. "They had chances to kill the tie off completely," said the midfielder.

Valencia CF will head to the Weserstadion next week happy in the knowledge that their 1-1 home draw against Werder Bremen could have been significantly worse – in fact by the players' own admission they could be practically out of the competition.

Juan Mata, who ensured that this is not the case by scoring a second-half equaliser, told UEFA.com that it had been a close shave. "We weren't the real Valencia for part of that match and Werder had chances to kill the tie off completely – thankfully they didn't take them.

"I think their goal knocked us back because we all realised the importance of them getting the away goal. But what I'll take away from the game is how we responded in the second half after Éver Banega's red card. We played well, we created chances and we finished the match with a good feeling about what we had achieved."

Torsten Frings scored Bremen's opener from the penalty spot in the 24th minute, and things improved for the visitors when Banega was dismissed in the 55th minute. Within two minutes the tie was level, although Mata knows there is still plenty of work to be done. "German sides, as we found out again tonight, are always really competitive," he said. "You think that they are out of a game and suddenly they'll hit you with one isolated attack and score. The goal gave us wings and even with ten men we caused them problems, which is something we will all take away from this experience."

The UEFA Europa League's leading scorer, Claudio Pizarro did not add to his eight goals and was one of the men in orange who failed to convert chances to earn Bremen a more significant advantage. "It was a night for the goalkeepers," he said. "We didn't get the goals we deserved because César [Sànchez] played very well, but so did Tim [Wiese]. I guess it was the keepers' turn to shine.

"It's a pity I didn't score because I'd have loved to add to my total but it's even more of a shame that the team didn't get more because we had loads of chances. All the same, we are relaxed about the result. We played very well, particularly in the first half, but we found the going a little more difficult in the second even though we had 11 against ten. Now it's time to finish the job at home."
Valencia's Mata Glad to Escape on Terms

Manninger Calls for More of The Same

2010-03-12T02:12:00.000-08:00

Juventus goalkeeper Alex Manninger told UEFA.com he would like to see his side "start more aggressively more often" after they struck three first-half goals to pile the pressure on Fulham FC.
After seeing Juventus score three times in an eventful first half, Alex Manninger attributed his side's victory over Fulham FC to the speed with which they started the match. "We will have to start more aggressively more often," said the Bianconeri goalkeeper.

Manninger had a relatively quiet evening, with the exception of five frenetic minutes before half-time, when the former Arsenal FC custodian saved from Brede Hangeland, Bobby Zamora and Zoltán Gera. However, after David Trezeguet made it 3-1 on the stroke of half-time, following Nicola Legrottaglie's ninth-minute header, Jonathan Zebina's wonder strike and a deflected Dickson Etuhu reply, Juventus kept the visitors at bay in the second period.

"If you'd have asked me before the game I'd have taken the 3-1 straight away because we know that they are a tough side," Manninger told UEFA.com. "Fulham are a good, organised team and they've had a good Premier League season so we knew it would be hard to score. But we were really up for it and to score three goals is a great advantage for us. We said beforehand that we needed to start more aggressively. That was our strength last year, and that's always been Juve's strength in the past. We need to take the game to our opponents all season and we'll have to do it now to progress."

Juventus contained the Cottagers superbly after the break and despite conceding a goal, Alberto Zaccheroni's side were largely satisfied with their evening's work. "We gave a superb first-half performance and not conceding in the second was really important," Hasan Salihamidžić told UEFA.com. "It would have been even better had we not conceded at all but I'm happy with the result. We are always dangerous from set-pieces, Nicola [Legrottaglie] is really powerful in the air and Jonathan [Zebina] scored an unbelievable goal."

Fulham were left ruing what might have been after reducing the arrears only for Trezeguet to make it 3-1 on the stroke of half-time. "We're disappointed that we conceded two goals from set-plays," Zamora told UEFA.com. "But we created a few chances in the second half, gave them a good game and I don't think the score reflects the performance. They started strongly, got a good goal. It was a bit of a kick in the teeth for us, but we continued to work really hard and stuck it out in the second half and made a few good chances, which on another day could have gone in."

Manninger Calls for More of The Same

Fixture (11 march 2010)

2010-03-11T18:01:00.000-08:00

European Cups - Europa League

Atletico Madrid 0 - 0 Sporting Lisbon
Hamburger SV 3 - 1 Anderlecht
(J.Mathijsen 23', R.v.Nistelrooy 40', D.Jarolim 76')
Lille 1 - 0 Liverpool
(E.Hazard 84')
Rubin Kazan 1 - 1 Wolfsburg
(C.Noboa 29', Z.Misimovic 67')
Benfica 1 - 1 Marseille
(M.Pereira 76', H.B.Arfa 90')
Juventus 3 - 1 Fulham
(N.Legrottaglie 9', J.Zebina 25', D. Trazeguet 45', D.Etuhu 36')
Panathinaikos 1 - 3 Standard Liege
(L.Vyntra 48', A.Witsel 8', M.Jovanovic 16', I.d.camargo 74')
Valencia 1 - 1 Werder Bremen
(J.M.Mata 57', t.Frings9pen) 24')

Zaccheroni full of respect for Fulham

2010-03-11T00:36:00.000-08:00

Alberto Zaccheroni said Juventus are "growing by the day" but warned they will need to be wary of a Fulham FC side reaching new heights under their "wise and experienced coach" Roy Hodgson.

Alberto Zaccheroni believes Juventus are hitting form at the right time as they prepare to meet Fulham FC in the first leg of their round of 16 UEFA Europa League tie.

Juve have won four and drawn three of their eight games since Zaccheroni replaced Ciro Ferrara in January and come into the match buoyed by their weekend win at ACF Fiorentina. "After Saturday's game we are full of confidence," the coach said. "The squad has been growing by the day since my arrival and we're also getting some injured players back. If we show the same character as in the last game, we can be a match for anyone."

Felipe Melo is suspended, Gianluigi Buffon, Amauri and Giorgio Chiellini all have thigh injuries and Claudio Marchisio is doubtful because of a throat infection, but Mauro Camoranesi and Vincenzo Iaquinta have returned to fitness and could start. Having beaten AFC Ajax in the previous round Juventus are aiming high, but Zaccheroni sounded a word of caution. "We know Fulham are tough," he said. "Moreover, on the Fulham bench sits Roy Hodgson, a wise man and an experienced coach. His teams are always well organised and play good football."

Fulham pulled off one of the shocks of the round of 32 when they knocked out holders FC Shakhtar Donetsk but will be underdogs again against the two-time European champions. However, the 62-year-old Hodgson, who led FC Internazionale Milano to the UEFA Cup final in 1997, is just honoured to have a chance to face La Vecchia Signora.

"We are really happy to be here and for us it is a huge reward to play against a team like Juventus," said the Fulham manager, who will be without the suspended Danny Murphy while Clint Dempsey, Andrew Johnson and John Pantsil all miss out with knee injuries. "Luckily, we have had some good results in the Premier League in the last few weeks, so we can focus on Europe without worrying about our league position. We will do our best to continue our fantastic adventure."
Zaccheroni full of respect for Fulham

Pulis Pleased as BURNLEY Ploy Fails

2010-03-11T00:31:00.000-08:00

Stoke manager Tony Pulis could afford a wry smile after Burnley's attempts to curb the threat of Rory Delap's long throws came unstuck.

The Clarets moved the advertising hoardings closer to the pitch at Turf Moor in the hope of taking the edge off the midfielder's missiles.

However, the ploy failed with Delap launching the ball into the area for Mamady Sidibe to flick on and Tuncay to opening the scoring in the 23rd minute.

Burnley, though, hit back in the second half and David Nugent equalised in the 52nd minute in a 1-1 draw following a superb cross from Martin Paterson.

Pulis said: "We noticed what they had done as soon as we came out. We get on with it, it is their club, it's their ground.

"They have to do what they have to do. You take it and get on with it. I don't care where a goal comes from. It is always satisfying scoring.

"Because he was a javelin thrower as well, Rory has that technique obviously down to a treat."

Pulis was pleased with the way the team reacted after the FA Cup defeat by Chelsea.

He said: "We've had a lot of games lately against the bigger clubs and it takes a bit out of you. I thought we started the second half really flat.

"Give Burnley credit they had a right go and had the crowd behind us. We were down to the bare bones.

"We are still wearing nappies when the comes to the Premiership and we won't take any team lightly, certainly not a team near the foot of the league. We are desperate to get 40 points, that's our target."

The point takes Burnley above Hull but they remain in the relegation zone.

Manager Brian Laws has seen his side win only once in nine league games since replacing Owen Coyle but is convinced they can get out of trouble.

He said: "Everyone expects Burnley not to be in the Premier League next year but we believe it. We have goals in us. We just have to keep it tight at the back.

"I will take a lot of things out of the game particularly the second half performance. They bullied us in the first half.

"The players could have felt sorry for themselves but responded magnificently.

"Nugent's goal was terrific, it was great ball in by Paterson. It set the tone and I am disappointed we didn't go on and win the game."

Pulis Pleased as BURNLEY Ploy Fails

Pjanić puts paid to Madrid dreams

2010-03-11T00:27:00.001-08:00

Real Madrid CF 1-1 Olympique Lyonnais (agg: 1-2)
The hosts' hopes of reaching the final at the Santiago Bernabéu home were ended by Miralem Pjanić's 75th-minute strike.

Olympique Lyonnais scuppered Real Madrid CF's dream of reaching the UEFA Champions League final at their Santiago Bernabéu home, Miralem Pjanić's late strike taking the French side into the quarter-finals.

Cristiano Ronaldo had given the home team – who have now fallen at this stage six seasons running – the perfect start as they looked to overturn a 1-0 first-leg deficit, cancelling that out inside six minutes. However, Lyon emerged for the second half transformed and passed up several presentable openings to level on the night. In the 75th minute Pjanić made no mistake, rounding off an incisive move with a thumping finish and Madrid could find no reply.

Manuel Pellegrini had called on Madrid's fans to produce a similar atmosphere to that which propelled Los Merengues to a comeback victory against Sevilla FC at the weekend and the home support duly obliged in the opening stages. The team themselves responded as Ronaldo raced onto Guti's left-footed pass from deep to outpace Cris and slide a low shot through the legs of Hugo Lloris for his seventh goal in the competition this season.

The nine-time European champions streamed forward in search of more, Kaká seeing his effort from the left saved by Lloris and Ronaldo heading over when well placed. Midway through the half the home side came closer still to doubling their lead. Another pass through the heart of the visiting defence from Esteban Granero set Gonzalo Higuaín bearing down on goal and the Argentinian evaded the on-rushing Lloris only to shoot against the inside of the post with the angle closing. Minutes later, the goalkeeper produced a splendid one-handed stop to deny Higuaín again.

Despite being on the back foot for much of the opening period Lyon – who secured draws on their previous two visits here – did manage to threaten the home goal on occasion. Jérémy Toulalan swerved an effort wide while first-leg scorer Jean II Makoun mis-hit his effort from Sidney Govou's centre. Claude Puel nevertheless looked to stem Madrid's attacking flow by introducing Kim Källström and Maxime Gonalons at the break and the latter almost made an immediate impact when he reached Govou's cross only to head over. Encouraged, Lyon pressed further, Govou lashing high and wide when given time and space.

Les Gones were playing with increasing belief and the chances continued to come, the previously quiet Lisandro stinging the fists of Iker Casillas with a dangerous drive from distance. Madrid countered as the quick-footed Ronaldo provided for Kaká to shoot wide but the momentum had already shifted and the visitors took advantage with 15 minutes left. In a slick move, Källström and César Delgado worked the ball in from the left to the feet of Lisandro and the Argentinian's first-time lay-off found Pjanić to blast in at Casillas's near post.

With the previous vociferous home support stunned into silence, Lisandro could have made the night all the sweeter for Lyon had he not sliced wide. The visiting supporters paid little heed, however, as they cheered their team into the last eight for the first time since 2005/06.

Pjanić puts paid to Madrid dreams

Slick United make light work of Milan

2010-03-11T00:21:00.000-08:00

Manchester United FC 4-0 AC Milan (agg: 7-2)
Wayne Rooney was again Milan's undoing, scoring at the start of each half as United advanced to the last eight.

Manchester United FC marched into the last eight of the UEFA Champions League in emphatic fashion with a 4-0 victory against AC Milan.

Leading 3-2 after the first leg, Sir Alex Ferguson's side tightened their grip on the tie with Wayne Rooney's 13th-minute header before extinguishing Milan's hopes altogether after the restart. Rooney again and then Park Ji-Sung and Darren Fletcher scored to round off a 7-2 aggregate triumph.

The Rossoneri had beaten United in the clubs' four previous two-legged European contests, most recently in 2007 when they overturned a 3-2 first-leg deficit with a handsome 3-0 win at San Siro. Yet a similar comeback at Old Trafford always looked a mountainous task and so it proved, Milan having no answer to the pace, power and purpose of the home side.

Sir Alex had called for "an early goal" in his programme notes and his players wasted no time looking for one. Rooney and Nani both threatened with low shots though it was not all one-way traffic in a lively opening period. Klaas Jan Huntelaar's first touch let him down after Thiago Silva's long pass freed him in front of goal but ultimately the first half was a tale of two headers – one scored, the other missed.

First Ronaldinho skimmed the post after Nani unwittingly flicked a Pirlo free-kick into his path. Five minutes later, Rooney was less profligate as he nodded Gary Neville's pinpoint cross into the far corner. That was his seventh successive headed strike, his first-leg double at San Siro included, extending a remarkable sequence from a player who, prior to 2010, had scored only four with his head in his entire club career.

With their early goal United could sit back and absorb Milan's pressure, which they did effectively, the visitors struggling to penetrate a back line featuring Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidić together for the first time in the UEFA Champions League since October. Though Milan had the greater first-half possession United looked just as likely to score. Edwin van der Sar needed two takes to smother an Andrea Pirlo shot but Darren Fletcher was even closer with a shot that missed by a whisker just before the break.

Leonardo sent on Clarence Seedorf at the start of the second half but within 60 seconds, United had their second. Nani's fine pass with the outside of his right foot sent Rooney clear and he beat the advancing Christian Abbiati with the confidence you would expect from a man netting his 30th United goal this season. United made it three on 59 minutes, Paul Scholes's pass picking out Park in space on the right and the winger arrowed a low finish into the far corner.

There were chances for Milan – Huntelaar had missed a free header before Park's goal, while Mathieu Flamini and David Beckham, another substitute, forced saves from Van der Sar. The huge cheer that greeted Beckham's arrival showed Old Trafford was in party mood, and Fletcher's late header from Rafael's cross was the icing on the cake as Milan slumped to a record-equalling UEFA Champions League defeat. For United, a fourth consecutive quarter-final beckons.
Slick United make light work of Milan

Fixture (10 March 2010)

2010-03-10T20:54:00.000-08:00

European Cups - Champions League

Manchester U. 4 - 0 AC Milan
(W.Rooney 13'46',J.Park 59', D.Fletcher 88')
Real Madrid 1 - 0 Lyon
(C.Ronaldo 6',M. Pjanic 75')

England - Premier League

Burnley 0 - 1 Stoke C.
(T.Sanli 23',D.Nugent 52')

Finale Madrid starball takes flight

2010-03-10T02:32:00.000-08:00

The Finale Madrid, match ball for the 2010 UEFA Champions League final, has been launched by adidas with a helping hand from former Spain players Emilio Butragueño and Fernando Hierro.TFamed former Spanish internationals Emilio Butragueño and Fernando Hierro have helped UEFA and adidas to unveil the official match ball for the UEFA Champions League final at the Santiago Bernabéu stadium on 22 May.

The Finale Madrid becomes the tenth in the series of match balls supplied by adidas for the UEFA Champions League final – marking the latest milestone in the sports-apparel manufacturer's partnership with UEFA – and the anniversary issue will make its competitive debut in the climax to the European club season in the Spanish capital.

The design of the Finale Madrid celebrates the ten most recent UEFA Champions League finals, including this season's, with the exclusive motif from each of these showpiece matches being drawn in gold inside one of the characteristic star panels of the ball. The red borders of each star reference the colours of the Spanish flag while the base of the ball is inspired by the white of the city of Madrid – stage for the highly anticipated game on 22 May. The final, which is nearly ten weeks away, will be the first played on a Saturday in the UEFA Champions League era.

Speaking at today's Finale Madrid launch at the Santiago Bernabéu, Butragueño, the 2010 final ambassador and, like his former Spain and Real Madrid CF team-mate Fernando Hierro, a player still synonymous with football in the Spanish capital, said: "It's very important to have a special ball for the biggest game of the season in Europe. The ball incorporates a beautiful design and you can see the logos of the ten finals on it. Playing with it means the players will feel something very unique – it's fantastic. Adidas have been experts for decades in making footballs. We were happy with the ones we played with in our time, but the technology and design have improved immensely."

While its design salutes recent tradition, the new starball embraces innovation too. Under the motto 'design becomes technology', adidas has adjusted the ball to the star-panel design, making the Finale and the UEFA Champions League logo inseparable and, at the same time, providing the truest possible ball flight. The ball's 20 pentagonal panels retain the goose-bump texture of previous editions to guarantee ideal control under all conditions.

David Taylor, CEO of UEFA Events SA, said: "The ball is the most important thing on the pitch, and we needed a special ball for a special final – which we've created. It's the best we've ever seen. I'd go as far as to say it's not really a football, it's more a work of art. I'd like to pay tribute to adidas who have been working for a long time on this project. This represents the tenth final in which UEFA have been collaborating with adidas and, as part of that relationship, the ball incorporates the logos of the ten finals. The game will be played at the Santiago Bernabéu, a true cathedral of football, and it's going to be spectacular."

Finale Madrid starball takes flight

Portsmouth 1 Birmingham 2

2010-03-10T02:28:00.000-08:00

Birmingham gained revenge for their weekend FA Cup exit against Portsmouth after sending the Premier League's bottom club closer to relegation with a 2-1 triumph at Fratton Park.

Despite going down 2-0 on the South Coast last Saturday, two goals from Cameron Jerome gave them the three points.

Substitute Kanu pulled one back in the dying minutes but with Pompey already five points from safety and facing a likely nine-point deduction, this proved of little consolation in their uphill battle for survival.

Portsmouth went into the game with a very attack-minded side, as manager Avram Grant fielded Frederic Piquionne, Aruna Dindane and Danny Webber from the off.

Dindane's pace and movement caused the Blues a few problems on the left early on, while Jamie O'Hara thrived in his free role in midfield.

The Tottenham loanee cut inside from the right beautifully after seven minutes, but his low shot from the edge of the box was comfortably saved by Joe Hart.

Despite looking settled in the opening stages, Pompey's defence began to look nervy and this allowed Jerome to fire the visitors ahead after 16 minutes.

He latched on to Christian Benitez's pass through the home rearguard before slotting the ball coolly to David James' right.

Birmingham had a penalty appeal rightly turned down three minutes later, when Benitez fell under pressure from Hermann Hreidarsson. Referee Mike Jones booked the Blues striker for diving.

Alex McLeish's side nearly doubled their advantage after 26 minutes. Benitez was found by Michel's ball forward and squared for Craig Gardner, whose shot whistled just wide of the target.

Pompey looked far from the assured side which knocked Birmingham out of the FA Cup and Benitez nearly made it two six minutes before the break.

A through ball from Jerome helped the Ecuadorian beat the Pompey offside trap. He rounded James, but his run was halted by a stunning, last-ditch tackle from Hreidarsson.

Birmingham put daylight between themselves and Pompey three minutes later, though, when Benitez back-heeled the ball to Jerome who shot under the diving James.

With things clearly not working for Pompey, Grant brought on Quincy Owusu-Abeyie and Angelos Basinas for the ineffective Marc Wilson and Webber at the interval.

Quincy proved much better at holding up the ball as his pace, power and skill helped Pompey take control of possession at the start of the half.

Piquionne had a golden opportunity to get the home side back into the match just before the hour mark, but failed to connect with a Nadir Belhadj cross from the left.

With Pompey still struggling to find the breakthrough, Grant made another attacking move as Kanu was brought on for Michael Brown.

Scott Dann had a half chance to make it three for Birmingham after 71 minutes, but his strike from Keith Fahey's corner looped high over the bar.

Substitute James McFadden nearly made the points safe after 81 minutes when he turned Pompey defender Tal Ben-Haim, but James was equal to his low effort.

Dindane came agonisingly close to pulling one back when he had a stunning attempt from the left side of the box tipped over by Hart.

But Kanu made no mistake and headed home O'Hara's cross from the right after 90 minutes to set up a nervy finale for the visitors.

But defeat sent them a step closer to the Championship.

Portsmouth 1 Birmingham 2

Sunderland 4 Bolton 0

2010-03-10T02:25:00.000-08:00

Darren Bent chose the perfect moment to score his first hat-trick for Sunderland, with owner Ellis Short on Wearside to check on his investment.

The £10million striker lifted the pressure on the Black Cats and manager Steve Bruce with a well-taken treble which helped lift the club six points clear of the relegation zone and into 13th place in the Barclays Premier League.Bolton were the fall guys on a night when the home side ended their wait for a league win at the 15th attempt, a run which dated back to November 21 last year.

Fraizer Campbell set the ball rolling after just 41 seconds with his first league goal for the club, but Bent took over after the break as he extended his personal tally for the season to 19, to the delight of a crowd of 36,087.

He struck after 64 minutes, from the penalty spot after 74 following defender Sam Ricketts' dismissal for a second bookable offence, and then again two minutes from time, and that for a team which had previously scored just two goals in six games.

Bruce sent his side out determined to give Short something to shout about after chatting briefly with the Texan before kick-off, and he could hardly have been more pleased with their response during the opening 45 minutes.

A Bolton team which had picked up six points from their last two matches against Wolves and West Ham and who arrived on Wearside looking for a third successive Premier League win for the first time since December 2006, was barely allowed a look-in as Sunderland imposed themselves from the off.

There was little sign of the crippling anxiety which has afflicted the Black Cats since they last tasted victory as they took the game to the visitors and threatened to have it won by the break.

They were ahead with less than a minute on the clock when Campbell latched on to Lorik Cana's looping cross and guided it past Jussi Jaaskelainen from point-blank range.

Instantly, the tension which has engulfed the Stadium of Light in recent months was lifted, and as Steed Malbranque, back after being punished for a breach of club discipline, responded with a fleet-footed display in an unaccustomed role on the left wing, there was the promise of more to come.

It perhaps should have been 2-0 with 23 minutes gone when Sunderland broke from a Bolton corner as Malbranque fed Campbell, and he in turn picked out Bent with a fine ball over the top.

Sunderland's leading scorer stepped inside Gretar Steinsson and then guided his shot past Ricketts' desperate lunge on the line, but agonisingly just past the far post.

Kenwyne Jones produced a rasping right-foot drive in the 36th minute which Jaaskelainen had to turn away, then fired just high and wide two minutes later, and the Finn had to keep out Alan Hutton's low drive in the final minute of the half.

Bolton offered little in return with John Mensah handling the muscular Kevin Davies admirably, although Zat Knight might have done better from a tight angle with 27 minutes gone, blazing his effort high and wide.

They mustered perhaps their best attempt of the game to date within three minutes of the restart when Steinsson found himself in an advanced position and drilled a low shot towards the bottom corner, although Hutton was on hand to make an important block.

Ricardo Gardner ballooned a tame shot high and wide and the hosts might have paid when referee Steve Bennett allowed play to continue as Davies and Mensah became embroiled in a wrestling match with 57 minutes gone - but Craig Gordon parried Johan Elmander's shot and Lee Chung-yong was unable to convert the rebound.

However, they took a decisive step towards victory with 64 minutes gone when Cattermole slid Bent in and he outpaced Ricketts before firing past Jaaskelainen.

The game was over 10 minutes later when Ricketts, who had been booked for a first-half foul on Jones, barged Bent to the ground inside the box and was yellow-carded for a second time.

Bent comprehensively beat Jaaskelainen from the spot to seal a precious victory, and his third, a neat finish from Campbell's 88th-minute cross, was just reward for a good night's work.

Sunderland 4 Bolton 0

Robben thunderbolt strikes down Viola

2010-03-10T02:18:00.000-08:00

ACF Fiorentina 3-2 FC Bayern München (agg: 4-4, Bayern win on away goals)Arjen Robben scored a memorable goal midway through the second half to edge a thrilling tie in Florence.
FC Bayern München are through to the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals for the second successive year after Arjen Robben's stunning effort secured a pulsating away-goals win against ACF Fiorentina.

Trailing 2-1 after the first leg, goals from Juan Vargas and Stevan Jovetić had put the Serie A side on course for the last eight of Europe's elite competition for the first time since 1970. Yet Jovetić's 54th-minute effort was merely the start of a frenetic spell which brought four goals in 11 minutes, Robben's word proving final as Bayern, 3-2 losers on the night, went through with a 4-4 aggregate draw.

With all the snow that had hit the region over the last two days it was the wind that played havoc early on, prompting over-hit passes, aerial head tennis and an ambitious 35-metre free-kick by Vargas which curled just over on six minutes. Indeed, the Peruvian international made the best of the early going, twice racing down the left to send over crosses Bayern defended adeptly. But it was when he found a more central position that the deadlock was broken on 28 minutes.

With the visitors back in numbers, Marco Marchionni's shot from distance looked little more than hopeful. Yet Hans-Jörg Butt spilled the bouncing ball, and Vargas held off Daniel Van Buyten to fire high into the net from the angle, turning the aggregate tide the way of the hosts. While Butt was ruing his error opposite number Sébastien Frey was coming to the rescue of the Viola, saving outstandingly from Robben, who hared onto Mark van Bommel's flick, only for Frey to tip his effort over.

Miroslav Klose, on for the injured Mario Gómez, also threatened, but failed to direct his header on target after a fine run cross by Thomas Müller, and Fiorentina took their advantage into half-time. They went close to extending it soon after the restart. Marchionni carved out a clear chance for Alberto Gilardino that the Italian international scuffed with just Butt to beat, and was soon back testing 17-year-old UEFA Champions League debutant David Alaba. This time his cross was met by Jovetić, who fired across Butt to make it 2-0.

Bayern responded well, and levelled the tie through Van Bommel. The midfielder, picked out by Franck Ribéry, rifled low past Frey from 20 metres to silence the Fiorentina faithful. The Viola hit back with a delightful move involving Jovetić and Gilardino, the Montenegrin international reacting first to Gilardino's return header to make it 2-2 on the night. Yet no sooner were they back in control than Robben had wrested it back when he angled a stunning 25-metre strike into the top corner.

After the storm, Bayern's defence brought calm, absorbing the pressure and trying to hit Cesare Prandelli's men on the break through the jet-heeled Ribéry and Robben. Frey was twice called into action, punching away a Bastian Schweinsteiger free-kick and scrambling the ball off the line following a goalmouth scramble. Bayern's place in the 19 March draw was never threatened, although Schweinsteiger will be suspended for the first leg.
Robben thunderbolt strikes down Viola

Bendtner leads Arsenal stroll

2010-03-10T02:10:00.000-08:00

Arsenal FC 5-0 FC Porto (agg: 6-2)
Nicklas Bendtner's hat-trick set the London club on their way, Samir Nasri and Emmanuel Eboué completing a fine victory.
A Nicklas Bendtner hat-trick propelled a dominant Arsenal FC side into the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals as they overwhelmed FC Porto in north London.

Trailing 2-1 from the first leg in Portugal, history was against Arsène Wenger's team, who had overturned a deficit at home only once before in UEFA competition – and that in 1978/79. Bendtner's tenth-minute goal helped settle any nerves, however, and he added a second from close range 15 minutes later, Andrey Arshavin playing a key role in both goals. Samir Nasri's brilliant solo strike in the 63rd minute and a cool finish on the break from substitute Emmanuel Eboué put the result beyond doubt before Bendtner completed his hat-trick from the penalty spot with the final kick of the match.

Arsenal were on the attack from the outset and were quickly rewarded. Nasri's inviting pass sent Arshavin scampering through and, though he was denied by Fucile's tackle with Porto goalkeeper Helton also in close attendance, the ball ran free for Bendtner to pop up among three defenders and prod into an empty net. Arshavin, who had earlier had a header saved by Helton, then continued an inspired display by conjuring up Arsenal's second.

Once more Fucile was inadvertently involved, his weak clearance going straight to the feet of Arsenal's Russian playmaker, who promptly dribbled past two defenders before squaring to give Bendtner the simplest of tap-ins. Porto remained a threat, notably with Hulk's incursions from the right and Falcao's presence in the centre. But the momentum was with the home side, who could easily have had a third when Nasri got behind the Porto defence and found Arshavin who could only balloon over the bar.

Bendtner and Abou Diaby forced sharp saves from Helton as Arsenal looked to end the contest before the interval. Porto may have been glad to hear the half-time whistle, but they re-emerged in more determined fashion, with Cristián Rodríguez replacing Nuno Coelho in the middle. The substitute wasted little time getting involved, his low cross setting up Falcao for a shot which Manuel Almunia only gathered at the second attempt.

Beaten on all bar two of their 15 visits to England, Porto were nevertheless threatening a comeback and it needed Nasri's goal line clearance to keep out Rodríguez's glancing header from a corner. Instead, Arsenal settled the game and the tie with two quick goals. Few this season will match Nasri's strike, the midfielder twisting and turning past three Porto players before slamming a shot in off the far post from a tight angle. Three minutes later, Arshavin completed a hat-trick of assists, galloping away on the break following a Porto corner and feeding Eboué, who rounded Helton before steering in.

The goals ended any lingering Porto hopes but the Gunners continued to pour forward, Bendtner narrowly missing out on a hat-trick when he met Bacary Sagna's cross with a powerful header that flew just wide. The Dane made no mistake a minute into added time, however, slotting in his spot-kick after Eboué had been brought down to complete Arsenal's night and equal Porto's record margin of defeat in Europe.

Bendtner leads Arsenal stroll

Fixture (10 March 2010)

2010-03-10T02:03:00.000-08:00

European Cups - Champions League

Arsenal 5 - 0 FC Porto
(N. Bendtner 10',25',90', S. Nasri 63',E. Eboue 66')
Fiorentina 3 - 2 Bayern Munich
(J.Vargas 28', S.Jotevic 54',64', M.v. Bommel 60', A. Robben 65')

England - Premier League

Portsmouth 1 - 0 Birmingham C.
(C. Jerome 16',42', N. Kanu 90')
Sunderland 4 - 0 Bolton W.
(F. Campbell 1',D. Bent 64',74',88')

ROONEY Fit To Face MILAN

2010-03-09T09:46:00.000-08:00

Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney is fit to face AC Milan in Wednesday night's Champions League showdown.

Rooney had been rated as a major doubt for the second leg of the last-16 clash at Old Trafford after a knee injury ruled him out of Saturday's 1-0 victory over Wolves.

The England international aggravated the problem he sustained after coming off the bench in the Carling Cup final while on duty for Fabio Capello's England in their 3-1 friendly success over Egypt.

Sir Alex Ferguson was unhappy to see his star striker play twice in quick succession on the much-criticised Wembley pitch and hinted before the weekend that his top scorer would not be available to tackle the Serie A side.

But the 28-goal forward, who bagged a brace in the 3-2 success at the San Siro, will return to face Milan.

Rooney was back in training with his team-mates for the first time on Tuesday morning having surprised the medical staff with the speed of his recovery.

Ferguson told a press conference televised by Sky Sports News: "He is fit, I am glad to say that he is fit.

"He has showed a rapid improvement since Saturday morning. He was extremely doubtful, but he is OK."

ROONEY Fit To Face MILAN

Frey champions Fiorentina belief

2010-03-09T04:23:00.000-08:00

Sébastien Frey told UEFA.com that ACF Fiorentina are "fired up and determined" to overturn a 2-1 deficit when they conclude their first knockout round tie against FC Bayern München.

Sébastien Frey hopes his belief that team spirit can trump "great individual players" will be proved right when ACF Fiorentina look to overturn a 2-1 deficit in the second leg of their first knockout round tie against FC Bayern München on Tuesday.

The Viola gave a solid performance at the Fußball Arena München three weeks ago, losing to a late Miroslav Klose goal after playing the final 17 minutes with ten men following Massimo Gobbi's dismissal. Should the Serie A club display the same kind of endeavour on home soil, then their French goalkeeper has no doubt that they can celebrate clinching a place in the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals.

"Bayern have great individual players, but we've got a great team," Frey told UEFA.com. "And we showed that as a team, even when on paper we're supposed to be inferior, we can succeed in seemingly impossible situations. We've proved that, so we've got to try and repeat those sorts of performances, being really compact and united as a team."

Fiorentina illustrated they can make light of even the biggest reputations with five victories on their way to topping Group E, including the famous scalps of Olympique Lyonnais and Liverpool FC. "The one against Liverpool, in Liverpool, is a game that people in Florence really remember," Frey continued.

"Not just because we beat Liverpool [2-1] but because of the performance; it was just a magical evening. It was great and it made us realise that, whatever happens, nothing is impossible in football. We showed that, because we were playing a team that on paper were much stronger than us."

However, the 29-year-old conceded it will be difficult to contain the likes of Arjen Robben and his compatriot, Franck Ribéry. "Bayern are a big team," Frey said. "In the game we've just had over there, Robben was great; he was the one who really came to the fore. He didn't hide at all, but I can't go without mentioning my friend and fellow countryman, Ribéry. He was a different class and needs to be watched the whole time."

Those talents notwithstanding, the away goal scored by Per Krøldrup and the support of the Viola fans leave Frey optimistic about Tuesday's outcome: "It's important to have scored away from home. It gives us faith and hope because if we put in the kind of performance we managed over there, we'll definitely cause them problems.

"We'll also have the benefit of our fans, who for lots of reasons are desperate to see this match, so that could give us a hand too. The fans have always been there this season; they've never abandoned us. We're also fired up and determined to put in a big performance to try and turn it around."

Whatever the outcome, though, Frey considers the Viola's 2009/10 campaign to have been a big success. "This year we seem to have taken a step forward because we've got to the stage we're at now," he said. "So that's already a big victory for Fiorentina. However, we wouldn't be too upset to progress even further."

Frey champions Fiorentina belief

Chiellini to sit out Fulham opener

2010-03-09T04:21:00.000-08:00

Juventus centre-back Giorgio Chiellini will miss only the first leg of their UEFA Europa League round of 16 tie against Fulham FC after a scan revealed that his left thigh injury is less serious than first feared.

Juventus centre-back Giorgio Chiellini will miss the first leg of the Italian club's UEFA Europa League round of 16 tie with Fulham FC on Thursday but could be back for the return in London next week after a scan revealed that his left thigh injury is less serious than first feared.

The 25-year-old suffered the injury during the 2-1 victory at ACF Fiorentina on Saturday, but analysis revealed no serious damage to any muscles. The Italy centre-back, who has contested 25 games in Serie A and six in Europe this term with the Bianconeri, will be out of action for about a week. Nicola Legrottaglie is expected to deputise against Fulham in Turin. "The UEFA Europa League is a great competition and to go all the way would be a great boost for the whole club," said Legrottaglie.

Chiellini to sit out Fulham opener

BECKHAM Excited by MAN UTD Retrun

2010-03-09T04:16:00.000-08:00

David Beckham admits he is excited by the prospect of stepping out at Old Trafford against Manchester United on Wednesday.

The AC Milan midfielder, who is on loan from Los Angeles Galaxy, is set to play on his former club's home patch for the first time since his departure from United in 2003.

Milan trail the English champions 3-2 after their UEFA Champions League last-16 first leg in the San Siro, and face an uphill task if they are going to overcome the deficit at the Theatre of Dreams.

Much has been made of Beckham's return to his old stomping ground, and the England stalwart insists he is excited, not scared.

He told Milan's TV channel: "If I play on Wednesday I won't be frightened but I will be excited because I played in that stadium for many years and I know what it means to be a Manchester United player.

"I know what it means for opponents to play there."

Beckham is fully expecting Wayne Rooney to play in the match, despite the Red Devils frontman being a doubt with a knee problem.

"I'm sure Rooney will play," he added. "I think he's had some problems in the last few days but he had the whole weekend to recover.

"He's a fine player and he'll want to participate in the match. Alex Ferguson will certainly use the best possible formation."

In the build-up to the initial tie between the two clubs, much was said about Beckham's relationship with former manager Sir Alex Ferguson.

However, the 34-year-old has once again moved to quash rumours of any bad feeling.

He remarked: "Alex Ferguson gives a lot of advice to players and he's one of the best football coaches.

"He protected his players but he made me understand when I was making a mistake."

BECKHAM Excited by MAN UTD Retrun

Wigan Dent Reds` Top Four Hopes

2010-03-09T04:13:00.000-08:00

Wigan striker Hugo Rodallega's eighth Barclays Premier League goal of the season put a huge dent in Liverpool's top-four aspirations at the DW Stadium.

The Colombia international volleyed home Emmerson Boyce's 35th-minute cross after Dirk Kuyt had needlessly given away possession close to his own penalty area.

Liverpool showed little of the quality required for a place in the Champions League once Fernando Torres had hit a post in the eighth minute and the Latics were well worth their victory.

It was Wigan's first Premier League win over Liverpool and only their second over one of the so-called 'big four' - the other coming at home to Chelsea earlier this season.

That ended a run of seven league matches without a victory and lifted them four points clear of the relegation zone.

And while it was only sixth-placed Liverpool's second defeat in 11 games it could have done irreparable damage to their chances of finishing fourth as they have now played more games than all of their rivals.

Wigan Dent Reds` Top Four Hopes

C. Ronaldo Confident Of Victory

2010-03-09T04:10:00.001-08:00

Cristiano Ronaldo is confident that Real Madrid, with the help of their fans, will break with recent tradition and progress through to the Champions League quarter-finals at the expense of Lyon this week.

Madrid have fallen at the last-16 stage of the Champions League in each of the last five seasons, and they will need to overturn a 1-0 deficit from the first leg in France to avoid a repeat this year.

Manuel Pellegrini's side were poor at the Stade Gerland, but they have been in fine form domestically and Saturday's thrilling last-gasp 3-2 win over Sevilla saw them replace Barcelona at the top of the Primera Division table.

That also continued Madrid's 100% home record in La Liga with 13 wins out of 13, took their current winning streak to seven games, and means they have scored 13 goals in three outings since their last meeting with Lyon.

A confident Ronaldo, who helped Manchester United conquer Europe in 2008 prior to joining Madrid last summer, said ahead of the visit of Lyon: "The team is in great form, we are playing at home and we can do better than in Lyon, therefore I'm confident we can give a good reponse and that we will get through to the next round.

"We have to go out with a winning mentality and look to score goals.

"We didn't score in the first game, but I hope it will be different on Wednesday.

"We already know about Lyon, there are a physically strong team but now we are playing at home," added the Portugal international, who has urged his side's fans to play their part on Wednesday.

"Against Sevilla they were fantastic. I hope they are the same on Wednesday because that would be key to giving us confidence, to help us play well, and to win.

"With everyone together we have to show Lyon that in the Bernabeu we are in charge.

"We know that it's difficult but it's possible. We are going to do everything from the first minute to the last to get through the tie."

The prospect of winning the club's 10th European Cup title at the Bernabeu is an added incentive for Madrid, with this year's final being staged at their home stadium.

Ronaldo added: "We all know that the Champions League is a dream for this club, who have nine European Cups and want the 10th, as well as playing the final here.

"I'm confident that we can turn the tie around. We are playing in our stadium and in front of our fans. It would be a disappointment if we don't, but I'm sure that we are going to get through."

C. Ronaldo Confident Of Victory

Moratti Frustrated as INTER Drop Points

2010-03-09T04:00:00.000-08:00

Inter Milan president Massimo Moratti was left frustrated by his side's failure to extend their lead at the top of Serie A.

The Nerazzurri were held to a goalless draw by Genoa at the San Siro yesterday, a result which left Inter four points clear of second-placed AC Milan with 11 games remaining.

"Had we won, it would have been two more points," said Moratti.

"We will have to wait and see if in the end this will make a difference.

"But against Genoa, the team didn't start the game with the right character.

"We improved after the restart but you cannot win a game with just a good performance in one half."

Moratti believes his side struggled without Jose Mourinho's guidance.

The Portuguese tactician served the second game of a three-match touchline ban on Sunday and watched the game from the stands.

"It's clear that (Mourinho's) presence on the bench counts," Moratti said. "Mourinho's dynamism is better transmitted directly to his players from the field."

Moratti does not believe his players were already thinking about next week's Champions League return leg at Chelsea.

"I don't think their thoughts of Chelsea could have conditioned the team," said Moratti.

"There are still 10 days to go for that game and I don't think that was the problem."

Inter travel to Sicily to face Catania on Friday before making the journey to London to face Chelsea on March 16.

Moratti Frustrated as INTER Drop Points

Fabregas Could Miss Porto TIie

2010-03-08T01:03:00.000-08:00

Cesc Fabregas is a doubt for Arsenal's Champions League last 16 second leg against Porto.

Fabregas opened the scoring in the Gunners' 3-1 win over Burnley on Saturday but had to be substituted shortly afterwards.

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger: "He has a hamstring problem and how big the damage is we don't know yet because it's too early.

"We have to make a late decision over whether he plays on Tuesday, certainly. It is the same hamstring [he hurt earlier in the season]."

Arsenal must overturn at 2-1 deficit from the first leg against the Portuguese side.

Wenger also hailed the performance of Theo Walcott.

The winger came in for criticism after his performance for England in midweek, but responded with an impressive display and the crucial second goal to put Arsenal back in front after David Nugent's equaliser.

Wenger said: "Theo Walcott gave you the great response you waited for.

"He does what a player has to do - not talk in the newspapers and let your performance talk on the pitch.

"He didn't answer any critics other than with a good performance today and that's what you want from a player. That shows he is mentally strong.

"I was quite sure he would respond with a good performance but you never know, it affects you when you get criticised. The way he answered that at his age is remarkable."

Fabregas Could Miss Porto TIie

The Glad To Be Away Gossip

2010-03-08T00:31:00.000-08:00

Marouane Chamakh's coy hinting and nodding and winking continues apace in The Daily Mirror, with the Moroccan forward basically confirming that he will move to Arsenal in the summer.

That's what the paper thinks anyway, although other reports suggest Liverpool might be the Premier League club that Chamakh is hinting at here:

"I have always wanted to play in the Premier League and any striker wants to meet that challenge and play in the league.

"I am prepared for a move even though I am completely focused on helping my current club. That is more important than my personal situation.

"It is not easy in England but the challenge in my career has always been to learn every day, keep improving and always help my club to success."

The Glad To Be Away Gossip

Fixture (6 & 7 March 2010)

2010-03-07T20:43:00.000-08:00

England - Premier League

Arsenal 3 - 1 Burnley
(C.Fabregas 34', T.Wacott 60', A.Arshavin 90', D.Nugent 50')
West Ham U. 1 - 2 Bolton W.
(Diamanti 88', K.Davies 10', J.Wilshere 16')
Wolverhampton W.0 - 1 Manchester U.
(P.Scholes 73')
Everton 5 - 1 Hull C.
(M. Arteta 17', 39', R. Garcia (o.g.)51',L. Donovan 82',J. Rodwell 86',T. Cairney 32')

Italy - Serie A

Fiorentina 1 - 2 Juventus
(Marchioni 32', Diego 2', Grosso 68')
AS Roma 0 - 0 AC Milan
Atalanta 0 - 0 Udinese
Bari 1 - 0 Chievo
(J.I.Catillo 20')
Bologna 2 - 1 Napoli
(M.Zalayeta 7, M.B.Adailton 12', L.Rinaudo 14')
Cagliari 2 - 2 Catania
(A.Lazzari 9',A. Cossu 73', G.Mascara 31(pen), M.G.M.Lopez 35')
Palermo 1 - 0 Livorno
(F. Miccoli 81')
Sampdoria 2 - 1 Lazio
(S. Guberti 29', G. Pazzini 36', S. Floccari 7')
Siena 1 - 1 Parma
(S. Vergassola 67', J.L. Biabiany 34')
Inter Milan 0 - 0 Genoa

Spain - Primera Division

Deportivo L.C 3 - 1 Tenerife
(J. Rodriguez 33', A. Guardado 55', D.D. Colotto 67',L.J. Hens 18')
Almeria 2 - 2 Barcelona
(C. Domingo 12', Puyol(org) 15', L.messi 42', 66')
Real Madrid 3 - 2 Sevilla
(C. Ronaldo 60', S. Ramos 64', R.v.d. Vaart 90', X. Alonso (o.g.)10', I. Dragutinovic 52')
Espanyol 0 - 0 Villarreal
Malaga 2 - 4 Xerez
(Duda 41', R.L. Valdo 55', Momo (pen.)5',72, L. Gioda 76', F. Orellana 90')
Mallorca 3 - 0 Sporting Gijon
(M.J. Alvarez 13', Victor 76', P. Webo 89')
Osasuna 0 - 0 Getafe
Athletic Bilbao 2 - 0 Valladolid
(Toquero 26' 36')
Zaragoza 1 - 1 Atletico Madrid
(J.Jarosik 7', I.Balde 90')

Germany - Bundesliga I.

1. FC Cologne 1 - 1 Bayern Munich
(L. Podolski 32', B. Schweinsteiger 58')
Eintracht Frankfurt 1 - 4 Schalke
(A. Meier 52', J. Matip 12', B. Howedes 15',I. Rakitic 80', K. Kuranyi 89')
Freiburg 1 - 2 Hannover
(Y. Abdessadki 70', Elson 63', A. Bruggink 73')
Hamburger SV 1 - 0 Hertha BSC
(M. Jansen 40')
Werder Bremen 2 - 2 Stuttgart
(H. Almeida 75', T. Frings (pen)81', P. Pogrebnyak 15', S. Khedira 42')
Wolfsburg 4 - 1 Bochum
(E. Dzeko 60', (pen)79', O. Martins 75', J. Santana 90', P. Freier 28')
Borussia Dortmund 3 - 0 Monchengladbach
(K. Grosskreutz 13', M. Zidan 54'70')
Nurnberg 3 - 2 Bayer Leverkusen
(E.M. Choupo-Moting 42',45',M. Tavares 55', S. Kiessling 66', P. Helmes 73')
Hoffenheim 0 - 1 Mainz
(A. Bance 69')

DONOVAN Not Staying: Galaxy

2010-03-06T00:38:00.000-08:00

Everton are set to be thwarted in their bid to extend the loan spell of Landon Donovan at Goodison Park.

The United States captain has made a huge impact since joining the Merseyside club on a short-term deal in January, and Toffees boss David Moyes revealed earlier today he had explored the possibility of a renewed loan deal.

Donovan is due to return to parent club Los Angeles Galaxy, where he recently signed a new contract, to prepare for the new Major League Soccer season later this month.

Moyes has previously stated any extension to the 10-week loan would be unlikely, and Galaxy coach Bruce Arena underlined that position this evening.

"We're not interested," Arena said in quotes reported on the official Major League Soccer website, www.mlsnet.com.

"Landon will be back here March 15. We're being consistent with everything we've said all along."

That is not the end of the matter, though, with Arena revealing Everton's bid to retain Donovan may yet succeed as a result of threatened industrial action in the MLS.

The American league is currently in talks with its players' union regarding a new labour agreement but, with doubts persisting over the progress of those discussions, there is a chance the start of the new season could be delayed.

The Galaxy are due to begin the new campaign against New England on March 27, but that may be put on hold if no deal is reached, with fresh talks planned for next week.

"Obviously the collective bargaining could change that," Arena said.

"If we didn't have a league going on, we would certainly entertain the idea of allowing Landon to stay there.

"If we have a league, Landon's going to be playing for the Galaxy."

Donovan's move to Everton, which has coincided with an upturn in the team's form, has benefited both club and player.

The 27-year-old has sharpened his game in the Barclays Premier League in a World Cup year while Moyes has found him a good quality short-term solution to some of his squad's injury problems.

The midfielder has added an extra dimension on the right side of Everton's attack and Moyes views the move as a complete success.

The only low point was a bad miss from in front of goal in last week's defeat at Tottenham.

Moyes said: "In the main he has done a really good job for us.

"It is very rare you can bring in someone in January on loan who can make a real difference to you but Landon has.

"He came in when the team was on the up, so that has suited him, but we cannot deny he has done well.

"Landon had to be thrown straight in so we had to find out very quickly if he could do a job or not.

"But I think his manager at LA Galaxy would say the best World Cup preparation for him would be to start in their team.

"They will be keen to get him back so we will have to be respectful of their wishes.

"If we can keep him it would be nice, but if not I totally understand it."

If no new agreement is forthcoming, Sunday's clash with struggling Hull will be Donovan's last at Goodison Park.

Moyes is hoping he can be joined in the team by midfield talisman Tim Cahill, who is battling to overcome a calf injury.

The Australian was initially ruled out for up to three weeks after limping out of the first leg of the Europa League tie against Sporting Lisbon 17 days ago.

"He is getting closer," Moyes said.

"He has not trained yet but there is a chance he might train tomorrow. If he does, that would give him a chance."

Top scorer Louis Saha, however, is still missing with the hamstring injury that kept him out of the trip to Tottenham.

Phil Jagielka, recently returned from a long-term knee injury, could be doubtful with a thigh strain, as could Leon Osman with a foot problem.

Moyes added: "We hope to have roughly the same players we had last week.

"In the main, I hope the majority of them will make it."

All of Everton's international players returned from midweek duty unscathed and Moyes was particularly pleased to see left-back Leighton Baines make his England debut on Wednesday.

The Scot said: "He has deserved it, he has played consistently well for Everton.

"It took him a little while to get started in the side but he was patient and got through, and is now showing his worth."
DONOVAN Not Staying: Galaxy

GUARDIOLA Wants HENRY T0 `REBEL`

2010-03-06T00:34:00.000-08:00

Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola has called for a big improvement from Thierry Henry ahead of Saturday's Primera Division clash at Almeria.

Henry was a key player last season as Barcelona won an historic treble of Primera Division, Copa del Rey and Champions League titles, scoring 26 goals in all competitions.

But the France striker has netted just three times this season and has looked well below his best.

The former Arsenal star has found himself on the bench in most of Barca's recent matches and came in for further criticism in Catalonia this week after allegedly saying in an interview that he was "saving myself for the World Cup".

But Guardiola dismissed those quotes as inaccurate.

"I listened to the question and the answer in French, and it's not what he said," he said.

"No player is going to say 'I'm going to scratch my belly' in order to go to a World Cup."

"That's the price he has to pay for having won everything."

The Barca coach also dismissed talk of a supposed rift between the two.

"Why does there have to be a bad relationship? If he is not playing, perhaps it is because others are more in-form or inspired," he said.

Guardiola also challenged Henry to reproduce his brilliant form from last season.

"I want him to rebel and help us, because the 26 goals form part of the past - we need him to have that ambition that made him one of European football's greats in the last few years," he said.

"I want more from him and he knows that, but in the end it depends on him."

Guardiola is without centre-back Gerard Pique, who is suspended, and must decide between Gabi Milito, Rafa Marquez or Dmitro Chygrynskiy as his replacement.

Seydou Keita and Eric Abidal also miss out, but there is a place in the squad for youngster Jeffren Suarez.

Guardiola will come up against one of his good friends on Saturday.

The former Barca captain has long been an admirer and close friend of Almeria coach Juanma Lillo, and played under the Basque manager in Mexico, at Dorados de Sinaloa.

That was Guardiola's last professional club as a player and it ended in controversial relegation.

Lillo's record as a coach is chequered, but he and Guardiola share the same footballing philosophy.

That means Lillo is certain to opt for a more attacking formation than his predecessor Hugo Sanchez, who took an ultra-defensive Almeria side to the Nou Camp earlier this season.

Lillo has lost just one match since taking over from Sanchez late last year and Almeria are now nine points clear of the relegation zone following impressive victories over Atletico Madrid and Racing Santander in their last two matches.

And Lillo believes his side can compete against Barcelona.

"We're playing well and the feeling is good - we are obliged to compete," he said today.

Lillo believes Andres Iniesta is the best player in a star-studded Barcelona line-up.

"For me he is the best player in the world - the other players express themselves better when he is in the team," he said.

"Xavi is another who constantly improves the playing conditions for his team-mates, while (Lionel) Messi can tear you apart."

Corona is set to miss out again through injury, but Almeria should otherwise be at full-strength.
GUARDIOLA Wants HENRY T0 `REBEL`

Martinez Agent Denies City Approach

2010-03-06T00:27:00.000-08:00

Jorge Martinez's agent insists the Catania striker has not been approached by Manchester City.

Lazio have confirmed their interest in the Uruguay international but Catania's sports chief Pietro Lo Monaco has now claimed that City, Juventus, Fiorentina and Roma made enquiries about Martinez in January.

The 25-year-old, whose Catania contract expires in 2011, joined the club in 2007 and has caught the eye this season with eight goals in 14 games for the Serie A strugglers.

But his agent, Daniel Delgado, insists they do not want to entertain any transfer talk until the end of the season as Martinez is concentrating on keeping Catania in Italy's top flight.

"I don't know anything about Manchester City," Delgado told itasportpress.it.

"We have received many proposals but right now we are not talking about anything because Martinez is playing for survival with Catania and it is not right to talk about the transfer market.

"The survival of the club depends on Jorge - if he is fit then Catania could be saved with games to spare.

"Then, if there will be serious proposals in the summer we'll evaluate the most advantageous one for the boy and for Catania."

Martinez has scored 21 goals in 58 Serie A starts over the last three seasons but Delgado believes his versatility makes him an even more attractive proposition.

"He's played in front of the defence in Uruguay," added his agent.

"His strength is that he can play in five or six different roles. His physical characteristics allow him great ease of adaptation."
Martinez Agent Denies City Approach

JUVE WANT Robin Van Persie in Exchange for MELO

2010-03-05T05:29:00.000-08:00

The somewhat unlikely claim in the Mail is that Juventus will only agree to sell Felipe Melo to Arsenal if Robin van Persie or one of the Gunners' first-choice full backs is offered in part exachage.

To quote their story in a little bit more depth:

'The Gunners boss admits he is still interested in Melo, who he failed to land when the Brazil midfielder left Fiorentina for Juve in a players plus cash deal worth £21million.

'The Turin giants would be open to a deal, but are eyeing at least one of Robin van Persie, Gael Clichy and Bacary Sagna as part of any transfer.

'Wenger is likely to resist a raid for the first-team trio, though in the summer he was willing to offer Fiorentina Emmanuel Eboue as part of a total package worth £18m.'
JUVE WANT Robin Van Persie in Exchange for MELO

COLE Fears For CHELSEA Future?

2010-03-05T05:25:00.000-08:00

The Daily Mail says that 'Joe Cole fears a complete breakdown in his relationship with Roman Abramovich will result in the midfielder leaving Chelsea at the end of the season.'

According to their account of the matter, talks over a new deal have collapsed after 'Cole and his representatives infuriated the Russian with their hardline stance in contract negotiations'.

'Cole has no desire to leave Stamford Bridge after seven largely successful years at the club. But the negotiations stalled over the England winger's demands and there seems little chance of them being revived,' it continues.

Somewhat predictably, Tottenham, because they are under the management of Harry Redknapp, are touted as a possible destination for Cole, 'while there could also be interest from Manchester United, Liverpool and possibly even Manchester City.'
COLE Fears For CHELSEA Future?

Demichelis blow hits Bayern hard

2010-03-05T00:29:00.000-08:00

A double facial fracture will keep defender Martín Demichelis out of FC Bayern München's decisive trip to ACF Fiorentina on 9 March, although there is better news about Daniel Van Buyten.

FC Bayern München will travel to ACF Fiorentina for Tuesday's crunch UEFA Champions League game without Martín Demichelis after the defender broke his cheekbone and upper jaw playing for Argentina against Germany.

Demichelis was caught by Michael Ballack's knee early in the second half of Argentina's 1-0 victory over the hosts at Bayern's Fußball Arena München last night, suffering the double facial injury. The 29-year-old has already undergone surgery and initial estimates are that he faces up to a month on the sidelines.

Tuesday's UEFA Champions League first knockout round second leg at Fiorentina definitely comes too soon for a player who will aim to be back in training in about three weeks' time. However Bayern, who will take a 2-1 lead to Florence, hope to have Demichelis's centre-back partner Daniel Van Buyten available by the weekend – and Saturday's visit to 1. FC Köln – as he is making quicker-than expected progress in recovering from a calf tear.
Demichelis blow hits Bayern hard

Cesc Could Stayat Arsenal

2010-03-04T02:08:00.000-08:00

Prepare yourselves for another summer of Cesc-related speculation, most of it informing you that the wee man will certainly be signing for Barcelona/has signed/is Joan Laporta's new best friend.

However, a beacon in the night for Arsenal fans is a man named Francis Cagigao.

Who he? Well he the man who 'discovered' Fabregas, according to The Daily Mail, who quote him as saying: "All the fuss about Barcelona and Fabregas is simply an invention of the press, to engage in this type of speculation is absurd."

He went on to suggest that, if Cesc wants to play somewhere with lovely passing football, he is already there:

"I think the philosophies of Wenger and Guardiola are similar in shaping what they want on the field."

So there.
CESC COULD STAY AT ARSENAL

City Competition For Higuain

2010-03-04T01:55:00.000-08:00

Quick line picking up on a story from yesterday, when rumours flew that Manchester City were keeping their eye on Gonzalo Higuain, with the Real Madrid striker not keen to stay in Spain should he continue to be paid relative peanuts.

Barcelona-based paper Sport reports that Juventus are also interested in the Argentine, but do suggest that moneybags City wouldn't be put off by his colossal 150 million Euros transfer release fee.

Higuain scored the only goal for Argentina last night, as they beat Germany in Munich.
City Competition For Higuain

Italy experiments prove inconclusive

2010-03-03T20:47:00.000-08:00

Italy 0-0 Cameroon
Untried players and an unusual 3-4-3 formation were tested, but Italy could find no way past a Cameroon side coached by Paul Le Guen.
An experimental Italy side, featuring two debutants, failed to find the net against Paul Le Guen's Cameroon, with a goalless draw in Monaco kicking off the Azzurri's schedule of three friendly games before this summer's FIFA World Cup.

With Marcello Lippi taking a last chance to try out new players before naming his provisional squad for the finals in South Africa, AS Bari defender Leonardo Bonucci and Cagliari Calcio winger Andrea Cossu made their debuts in the starting lineup, with a 3-4-3 formation being deployed. Italy made a slow start, but picked up the pace after the interval, though Cameroon goalkeeper Souleymanou Hamidou – who plays in Turkey for Kayserispor – helped deny the Azzurri victory in their 700th international game.

Giorgio Chiellini had the ball in the net after 14 minutes, but his effort was ruled offside. Antonio Di Natale's right-footed shot from the left was subsequently blocked by Hamidou, as the first half failed to produce many chances. Udinese Calcio striker Di Natale was a menace again after the break, with his powerful strike following a run from the right causing Hamidou significant difficulty, but while he tried his luck again minutes later, his effort was deflected wide. Italy face Mexico and Switzerland in their next friendly fixtures.
Italy experiments prove inconclusive

Spain bring France to heel in Paris

2010-03-03T20:40:00.000-08:00

First-half strikes from David Villa and Sergio Ramos earned the European champions another big scalp at the Stade de France.
France 0-2 Spain
First-half strikes of David Villa and Sergio Ramos earned Vicente del Bosque's Spain another big scalp at the Stade de France, as the European champions geared up ominously for the FIFA World Cup finals.

France, who will also be travelling to South Africa in the summer, were given a warning as Sergio Busquets headed Xabi Alonso's free-kick wide. They were soon a goal behind, though, as David Villa sprung the offside trap in the 21st minute and chased down Andrés Iniesta's low pass before calmly beating Hugo Lloris in the France goal.

The home side had barely mustered a chance before they were 2-0 down, with a Sergio Ramos shot in first-half added time deceiving Lloris thanks to a cruel deflection off Sevilla FC's Julien Escudé, paired with FC Girondins de Bordeaux's Michaël Ciani in a new-look central defence.

Thierry Henry started the game to win his 118th cap, but he was to see little of the ball before or after the break, with Iker Casillas in the Spain goal having experienced a reasonably quiet night before Florent Malouda headed Djibril Cissé's cross against his post 12 minutes from time. Fernando Torres had a couple of chances for Spain, but there was to be no further scoring.
Spain bring France to heel in Paris

Crouch Double Fuels England Revival

2010-03-03T20:28:00.000-08:00

John Terry won over the boo-boys and England recovered from a similarly unpromising start to defeat Egypt 3-1 at Wembley.

On his first appearance for his country since news of the scandal that resulted in him being stripped of the captaincy by Fabio Capello came to light, Terry must have had a slight sense of foreboding.

There were plenty of boos as his name was read out before kick-off.

But the reception was not terrible by any means and by the end, the fans were solidly behind the Chelsea man.

They were also solidly behind England after Capello's men scored three times in the second half, Peter Crouch's brace sandwiching a Shaun Wright-Phillips effort after the African Nations Cup winners went ahead through Mohamed Zidan.

By the time England play again, against Mexico in May, Capello will have named his provisional squad and an expectant nation will begin to dream.

The pitch was an issue, again. Terry slipped to allow Wael Gomaa to bounce a volley goalwards that Robert Green seemed content to let head towards his net as Jermain Defoe was on the line to clear.

Matthew Upson lost his footing to provide Zidan with his scoring opportunity shortly afterwards, the crisp finish equal to something a very similar sounding Frenchman could produce.

It was the pivotal point of a very disappointing opening half-hour, lacking cohesion and fluency.

Their slick passing and movement was beguiling and provided the perfect test ahead of a Group C encounter with Algeria - who qualified at Egypt's expense - in Cape Town on June 18.

But Crouch's introduction for Defoe was the telling one.

Crouch is like Defoe in not being a target man but his size offers a quite different problem for defences.

Gangly and awkward, Crouch has an unerring habit of being in the right place at the right time. He was at the near post when Gareth Barry reacted to Gerrard's through-ball and fired a low cross into the six-yard box, just right for Crouch to steer home.

Rooney had sprung to life too. An audacious overhead kick required excellent technique, even if the referee deemed the approach had been too physical for his liking.

The Manchester United man then cut a shot wide of the far post after darting past more flailing Egyptian defenders.

He ended up leading England from the front too, as Rooney took the armband off Gerrard when the Liverpool man was replaced by James Milner.

It took just two minutes for that double change to produce results as Milner's shot required a flying stop from El Hadary to keep it out, only for the keeper to be totally deceived by the flight of fellow substitute Wright-Phillips' follow-up.

Wright-Phillips turned provider on the Three Lions' next attack to set up a clearly offside Crouch for his second, his 20th goal in 37 games for his country.
CROUCH DOUBLE FUELS ENGLAND REVIVAL

International Friendly

2010-03-03T20:23:00.000-08:00

Germany 0 - 1 Argentina
(G.Higuain 45')
Holland 2 - 1 United States
(D.Kuyt 39', K.J.Huntelaar 73', C.Bocanegra 88')
Italy 0 - 0 Cameroon
France 0 - 2 Spain
(D.Villa 21', S.Ramos 45')
Scotland 1 - 0 Czech Republic
(S.Brown)
Portugal 2 - 0 China
(H.Almeida 36', Liedson 90')
England 3 - 1 Egypt
(P.Crouch 57'80',S.W.Philips 75', M.Zidan 23)

Torres Would Rather Play For Barca

2010-03-03T01:11:00.000-08:00

The Speeding Gossip
TORRES WOULD RATHER PLAY FOR BARCA
Should Liverpool's season dribble out into a trophy-free, Champions League-less disappointment, expect the tabs in the summer to be full of stories promising Fernando Torres will leave Anfield to go to Manchester City, or Chelsea, or - God forbid - Manchester United.

Well, they will be wasting their time, according to the man himself.

Our Spanish isn't what it could be, but we can work out from the newspaper 'Sport' that Torres wouldn't want to move anywhere else in England.

Given his past Real Madrid aren't really an option, so that only leaves one realistic choice, and according to the paper Torres 'wouldn't hesitate' to join Barcelona should he ever leave Liverpool.

Bad, but not as bad as it could be, eh Liverpool fans?
TORRES WOULD RATHER PLAY FOR BARCA

Gerrard Urges England To Be United

2010-03-03T00:50:00.000-08:00

Steven Gerrard believes it is crucial the England squad are united this summer to have any chance of World Cup glory.

Gerrard stressed the need to retain "togetherness and team spirit" in the wake of recent allegations concerning the likes of axed skipper John Terry and defender Ashley Cole.

Fabio Capello spelt out the importance of players behaving in the right manner on and off the pitch ahead of Wednesday night's friendly international with Egypt at Wembley, suggesting the wealth of modern footballers brought with it problems.

"Players have to be an example to the children," said Capello. "For that reason, they have to stay careful at all times and sacrifice something in their lives.

"They are young players, young boys, who are rich boys. This is the problem."

And Gerrard knows an 'all for one, one for all' mentality will be vital with the finals in South Africa only three months away.

He said: "I think it is important for everyone to get on to be successful. We know there are a lot of opinions about this squad from the outside.

"But the most important thing is from the inside we are all one, we are all together and united.

"For us to be successful in the summer, we need to all stick together. We know each other inside out now. We've had enough time under Fabio to realise what the manager wants from us.

"During the last couple of days, the team spirit and togetherness have not been affected. Everyone is united."

Gerrard accepts the need to adhere to Capello's wishes and the need to focus on the future.

He said: "Of course, you can't ignore the headlines because they are on the back pages and front pages, every TV channel, but we've got to forget about it and put it all behind us.

"We've got a massive tournament, the biggest tournament you can play in as a player, coming up.

"It is around the corner and it is important the players don't lose any focus. They should forget about stuff that is being written about players' private lives and focus on the football."

Gerrard admitted: "We totally understand the importance of setting standards and the manager has let us know that again. We understand the responsibilities. We are role models to kids.

"The manager addressed the situation as soon as he saw us on the training pitch on Monday. The message was short and sweet. He told us to focus on the football.

"We've got a big game in a couple of days, and a massive tournament coming up, and he reiterated we've got responsibilities as players on and off the pitch."

The form of Wayne Rooney is giving England cause for optimism ahead of the World Cup and Gerrard believes he will cause problems whether playing as the main spearhead or as the second striker.

He said: "I don't think it matters whether Rooney plays as the centre-forward or just behind. When he is in this kind of form, he is unstoppable wherever he plays but it is nice to have both options.

"We just hope he can maintain his form and fitness right through to the end of the World Cup."
GERRARD URGES ENGLAND TO BE UNITED

Čech voted Czech player of the year

2010-03-03T00:33:00.000-08:00

Petr Čech has been named as the Czech Republic's footballer of the year for 2009, beating off competition from Milan Baroš and Jaroslav Plašil to pick up the award for a third time.

Petr Čech has been voted the Czech Republic's footballer of the year for 2009. The Czech national team goalkeeper braved the calf injury which has sidelined him at Chelsea FC to collect the award at a ceremony in Prague on Monday.

The 27-year-old Čech, who had been similarly honoured in 2005 and 2008, topped the annual poll of coaches, players and journalists to leave Milan Baroš, the Galatasaray AŞ striker, and Jaroslav Plašil, FC Girondins de Bordeaux's French title-winning midfielder, in second and third places. Čech, who lifted the FA Cup with Chelsea last May, tore a calf muscle in his club's 2-1 UEFA Champions League defeat by FC Internazionale Milano last week and will sit out the Czech Republic's friendly international against Scotland in Glasgow on Wednesday, together with the injured Baroš.

František Komňacký, from Czech First League leaders FK Jablonec 97, was named as coach of the year. The young player award went to Adam Hloušek, SK Slavia Praha's 21-year-old forward. AC Sparta Praha defender Tomáš Řepka, formerly of ACF Fiorentina and West Ham United FC and still going strong aged 36, received the trophy for the league's outstanding personality. The late František Veselý, a member of Czechoslovakia's UEFA European Championship-winning squad of 1976 who died last year, was inducted into the Hall of Fame.
Čech voted Czech player of the year

Alves Ready For `BIG` MOVE

2010-03-02T02:00:00.000-08:00

Almeria goalkeeper Diego Alves admits he is hoping to secure a switch to a "big club" in the near future.
The 24-year-old Brazilian is reportedly being courted by a number of top clubs, with Tottenham and Valencia believed to be among them.
Alves has caught the eye in the Spanish top-flight this season term, his second full campaign as Almeria's first-choice shot-stopper.
His valuation is said to have rocketed to £10million on the back of a string of impressive displays, but that is unlikely to distract his growing collection of suitors.
Alves is also widely tipped to make Brazil's World Cup squad this summer, despite being yet to make his senior bow for his country.
He was included in the squad which secured a bronze medal at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, but never made the field.
Alves is determined to become a major player for Brazil, though, and knows a switch to an established European giant would help to strengthen his cause.
"It is my dream to play for a really big club," he said.
"Perhaps now I am in the best form of my life and I dream of making it to the World Cup."

ALVES READY FOR `BIG` MOVE

Hamšík heralded as Slovakia's finest

2010-03-02T01:54:00.000-08:00

SSC Napoli midfielder Marek Hamšík says he hopes "these great moments will continue" having been named Slovakian player of the year after helping his country to their first FIFA World Cup.
Slovakia captain Marek Hamšík has followed in the footsteps of peers such as Liverpool FC defender Martin Škrtel by being named his country's player of the year for 2009.
Hamšík, captain of the national side at the age of 22, celebrated his success at a ceremony in Zilina on Monday. "After our team advanced to the FIFA World Cup in South Africa and my son's birth, this is the third great moment for me in the last few months," he said. "I just hope these great moments continue. Of course, I am happy – I am just 22."

Hamšík's predecessor as Slovakia's No1 footballer, Škrtel, dropped to fourth in the vote, which is organised by the Pravda newspaper in cooperation with the Slovak Football Association (SFZ). VfL Bochum 1848 forward Stanislav Šesták was runner-up, with Legia Warszawa goalkeeper Ján Mucha completing the top three.

In addition to skippering Slovakia to the World Cup this summer, Hamšík has scored 27 goals in 95 games since joining Napoli from Brescia Calcio in the summer of 2007. Slovakia continue their preparations for South Africa with a friendly against Norway in Zilina on Wednesday.

Hamšík heralded as Slovakia's finest

Berbatov central to Bulgaria's hopes

2010-03-02T01:37:00.000-08:00

Bulgaria's record goalscorer, Dimitar Berbatov is proud of his many personal achievements at international level, but success at a major tournament is what he desires more than anything.
After a decade of unprecedented achievement in the 1990s, Bulgaria have struggled to match those accomplishments; something Dimitar Berbatov is looking to change as he targets a place at UEFA EURO 2012. Wednesday's friendly away to final tournament co-hosts Poland may provide a good indicator of how successful he can be.

Berbatov has been a talisman for Bulgaria over recent years, taking the captaincy in 2007 and surging past Hristo Stoichkov and Hristo Bonev as his country's leading goalscorer. Thus far, though, success in a major international tournament has eluded the Manchester United FC forward, something he puts down to a number of factors.

"Because we are a small country – we are not like England, Italy or Brazil – we don't have as many good players," Berbatov told UEFA.com. "And when some players get injured, it's difficult to replace them, but I think we do have some talented young players." While he concedes Bulgaria "always play tough opponents", Berbatov adds there is an intangible element to the team's unsuccessful qualifying campaigns. "Something is always missing; I cannot say what it is."

The 1990s marked a golden period for Bulgarian football as the national team qualified for three straight tournaments, the highlight a fourth-placed finish at the 1994 FIFA World Cup. "People always try to compare sides, in the past, now, and in the future," the 29-year-old said. "It brings pressure on the players as well. Back then it was different, we did have great players. They did something unthinkable and we still live with that memory."

Berbatov does have major tournament experience, but it was a chastening stay in Portugal as Bulgaria lost all three games at UEFA EURO 2004, conceding nine goals and scoring just one. After missing out on this year's World Cup, the national team's next goal is qualifying for Poland and Ukraine in two years' time with Bulgaria drawn in Group G alongside Switzerland, Wales, Montenegro and – the country where Berbatov plies his club trade – England.

With a mixture of experienced old hands and talented youngsters, Berbatov hopes now could be the time Bulgaria regain some of their former glory. "I am looking forward to qualifying for the European Championship. If we can do that, I'll be happy. We will keep on fighting and keep on working until we achieve something."

Although the team may not have hit the heights of their predecessors just yet, Berbatov has led from the front and passed many personal milestones along the way. He has scored 48 goals for Bulgaria, a record he cherishes. "I was very proud with that achievement, because it was an ambition of mine, to be the top goalscorer in history," he said. "I received a letter from the guy who was in first place, Hristo Bonev, and he said he was proud of me."

In January he was also voted Bulgarian Player of the Year a record sixth time, overtaking "the great" Stoichkov in the process and is delighted his "name is going to stay in the history of Bulgaria". "In the past we have had Stoichkov, Bonev, Balakov, Letchkov, Kostadinov, Penev – great, great players." While Berbatov will no doubt be discussed in the same breath on his retirement, the current captain's priority now is to match their success with Bulgaria.
Berbatov central to Bulgaria's hopes

TORRES RELISHING SPAIN TRIP

2010-03-01T18:28:00.000-08:00

Fernando Torres is keen for as much international playing time as possible despite Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez's concerns over his injured striker who has recently returned from a lengthy lay-off.

Benitez will be hopeful Torres returns from Spain duty without picking up any new knocks in the European champions' friendly against France on Wednesday.

Spain coach Vicente Del Bosque has denied falling out with the Liverpool boss after naming Torres in his squad and insists he will monitor the amount of time the forward is on the pitch.

But Torres claims Benitez's worries are of little concern to him.

"Rafa has enough to deal with with what he's got," he told reporters as he arrived at Spain's training camp.

"It's normal that he's thinking about his interests but he knows that all the players want to go to the national team.

"For us it is an honour to be here, to play as much as possible and to return as fit as possible to our teams.

"Luckily I recovered in time. To be in the national squad is a prize for me.

"I have the good fortune that the coach called me up after playing just two games since I recovered."

Torres marked his first start since January 13 with the winning goal in the bruising 2-1 victory over Blackburn at Anfield on Sunday.

The 25-year-old has now scored 13 goals in 17 Barclays Premier League appearances and despite having missed nearly six weeks after a knee operation he is still the club's top scorer.

Torres will be hoping to replicate that form on Wednesday against France, with La Roja wanting to avenge their 3-1 defeat at the hands of Les Bleus which saw them knocked out of the last World Cup.

"I'm tired after playing nearly 90 minutes after two months of not doing so," he said. "But I'm ready for as much as the coach thinks is right.

"These games are always special for Spain. We can't wait to play against them, especially after they knocked us out of the last World Cup.

"We always have it in for them."
TORRES RELISHING SPAIN TRIP

NO ITALY RETURN FOR NESTA

2010-03-01T18:18:00.000-08:00

Italy coach Marcello Lippi has revealed Alessandro Nesta will not be coming out of international retirement.

Nesta made his last appearance for Italy against Georgia in October 2006 before injuries forced him to officially call time on his international career the following August.

There have been widespread calls for his comeback thanks to the AC Milan defender's impressive form this season.

However, Nesta rejected former Azzurri boss Roberto Donadoni's attempts to get him back into the national team and the 33-year-old has given Lippi the same response.

"Nesta told me he doesn't feel like it," he said. "And I believe it's definite.

"I tried to explain to him how much he meant to us, it would have even been a shock, but I respect his choice."

Lippi was more tight-lipped over Amauri's Italy future.

The Brazilian is to finally be awarded Italian citizenship on Wednesday - the very same day as the Azzurri's friendly against Cameroon.

However, Lippi refused to comment on whether that would be too late for the Juventus striker to figure in his World Cup plans.

He said: "I'll talk about it in a few days."
NO ITALY RETURN FOR NESTA

RAMSEY COULD RETURN IN SIX MONTHS

2010-03-01T18:09:00.000-08:00

Aaron Ramsey will be out of action for between six and nine months, according to reports.

The Welshman will not appear again this season after Ryan Shawcross broke his leg in two places during Arsenal's win at Stoke on Saturday but a relatively-optimistic update on his condition has been delivered by The Daily Mirror's John Cross, the Fleet Street journalist who is arguably closest to the North London club.

'Devastated Ramsey has been told his leg break is not as bad as team mate Eduardo suffered two years ago because it was well above the ankle. Medics hope he will play again in between six to nine months,' he reports.

'Ramsey, 19, has had both bones pinned and will now been transferred to London for further surgery and treatment by the same specialists who treated Arsenal striker Eduardo after his leg break two years ago.

'The young Welshman's injury happened further up his leg than Eduardo's horror break and a full recovery is expected.'

Meanwhile, Arsenal striker Nicklas Bendtner has been quoted describing Shawcross's tackle as "out of control, terrible and totally mad."

"To be honest, I don't care about my goal and the win. Aaron is one of my best friends and all my thoughts go to him. It is a totally horrifying injury," said the Dane.

"I was standing right next to Aaron, when it happened, and immediately there was no doubt at all, that he broke his leg. It was a terrible, totally mad tackle from Ryan Shawcross, and he is really smashing hard into Aaron.

"I don't believe, that anybody would try to intentionally to make an injury on another player, a fellow professional, but the way he is going into the tackle is out of control, and that doesn't belong anywhere.

"As far as I saw on the pitch, all the players from both teams were shocked, and so was I, because everyone could see, how awful it was. Thomas (Sorensen) came up to me, and we were both really shocked.

"Afterwards we were told, that Aaron will be out for at least 6-9 months, and I feel, that it is just so sad for him. Aaron is so young.

"I think about, how bad I felt, when I was out for three months with my groin injury, and this is just so much worse for Aaron."

"But now we will go and win the title for Aaron."
RAMSEY COULD RETURN IN SIX MONTHS

PALERMO LEAPFROG JUVE

2010-03-01T00:15:00.000-08:00

Palermo beat Juventus 2-0 in Turin to leapfrog the Bianconeri into fourth in Serie A.

Fabrizio Miccoli opened the scoring for the visitors on the hour mark before Igor Budan came off the bench to double his team's advantage nine minutes from time.

The outcome marked Alberto Zaccheroni's first defeat as coach of Juve and sees his team drop to fifth in the standings, two points behind Palermo, who now hold the last Champions League qualifying spot.

Juve dominated the encounter but their failure to finish their chances cost them dearly.

The hosts went into the game in buoyant mood having reached the last 16 of the Europa League after a 2-1 aggregate win over Ajax.

Bolstered by the return of French forward David Trezeguet from injury, the Bianconeri were determined to clinch their third league win in a row.

Juve enjoyed a strong start and had a chance to break the deadlock early on.

Felipe Melo's header from Diego's cross went over the bar.

At the other end, Juventus goalkeeper Alex Manninger made a fine save from Antonio Nocerino's right-footed strike from the edge of the area.

In the 18th minute, Giorgio Chiellini nodded form Alessandro Del Piero's cross but his effort was cleared by Palermo's defence.

The hosts should have broken the deadlock in the 24th minute.

Trezeguet's powerful header from Chiellini's cross went inches wide of the post, much to the relief of Palermo goalkeeper Salvatore Sirigu.

On the half-hour mark, Antonio Candreva served Del Piero on the edge of the area and his right-footed strike went wide.

Juve continued to press forward and Felipe Melo tried his luck from the distance but his effort went high and wide in what was the last chance of the first half.

The visitors showed more determination after the restart and came close to breaking the deadlock in the 55th minute.

Miccoli fed Javier Pastore inside the area and his right-footed strike towards the far post was met by a fine save from Manninger.

It did not take long for Palermo to break the deadlock.

Fabio Liverani served Miccoli at the edge of the area and his right-footed shot beat Manninger and struck the top right corner.

Juve thought they had equalised three minutes later only for the referee to disallow Fabio Cannavaro's goal for offside.

The hosts twice had the opportunity to restore parity.

Chiellini's bullet strike from 30 yards went just wide of the far post, while shortly after, Del Piero wasted a good chance with his direct free-kick going over the bar.

With 15 minutes remaining, Edison Cavani should have doubled his team's lead.

Cavani got behind Miccoli's great assist but struck high over the bar from 15 yards.

Shortly after, Miccoli wasted another good chance for the Sicilians.

The Italy international did well to control Mattia Cassani's effort but struck wide from inside the area.

With 10 minutes remaining, Palermo coach Delio Rossi brought in Budan in place of Miccoli and the substitute had an immediate impact.

Budan intercepted Zdenek Grygera's back-pass towards Manninger and struck his team's second from close range to kill Juve's chances of a comeback.
PALERMO LEAPFROG JUVE

LATE FLURRY DOWNS VALENCIA

2010-02-28T23:52:00.002-08:00

Atletico Madrid struck three times in the last 11 minutes to clinch a stunning comeback victory over nine-man Valencia in an incident-packed match at the Vicente Calderon.

Third-placed Valencia took the lead through David Silva in the 21st minute in controversial circumstances, before another highly-contentious incident nine minutes later saw Diego Forlan draw Atletico level from the penalty spot.

Valencia lost captain Carlos Marchena to a red card in that incident, but they still managed to hold out against a rampant Atletico for 50 minutes, thanks largely to some brilliant goalkeeping from Cesar Sanchez.

However, Cesar was finally beaten by Sergio Aguero's 79th-minute header and soon after that Valencia suffered another huge blow when they had full-back Miguel sent off.

Atletico hammered home their two-man advantage in the closing stages with more goals from Forlan and Jose Manuel Jurado to inflict only a fourth defeat of the season on Valencia and climb back up to 11th in the table.

Both sides came into the match having progressed through to the last 16 of the Europa League in dramatic fashion on Thursday, Atletico scoring a last-minute goal to knock out Galatasaray and Valencia seeing off Club Brugge after extra time.

It was Atletico who started the better tonight, though, and Forlan twice went close in the opening quarter of an hour before the first big controversy of the match took place in the 20th minute.

Atletico winter Jose Antonio Reyes clearly looked to have been scythed down by Ever Banega inside the box, but referee Alfonso Perez Burrull waved play on.

The home side could not believe it, and their mood quickly deteriorated as Valencia immediately raced down the other end to take the lead.

A good through ball sent Silva clear, and although his first effort was saved by David De Gea, the Spain international re-collected possession, took his time and drilled home a low shot.

Despite that setback Atletico quickly regrouped and almost drew level in the 26th minute when the impressive Reyes hit the near post with a shot from a tight angle.

Four minutes after that came the game's big talking point.

Aguero looked set to bundle his way past Marchena in the area but his progress was stopped illegally as the Valencia defender, whilst lying on his back, stuck out his arm to block the ball.

However, Perez Burrull was not interested, but he soon found himself surrounded by furious Atletico players.

The referee then went to speak to the fourth official on the touchlines and, after a brief discussion, awarded Atletico the spot-kick and showed Marchena a red card.

This time it was Valencia's turn to protest, but it made no difference and Forlan stepped up to drive his penalty down the centre and draw Atletico level.

Atletico failed to make much headway with their numerical advantage before the break, but afterwards it was an almost unceasing onslaught on the Valencia goal.

During that phase, though, visiting goalkeeper Cesar was inspired.

He started off with a fairly routine save from Forlan, before then superbly tipping away Simao Sabrosa's free-kick, possibly with the aid of the post.

The veteran custodian would then go onto deny Aguero three more times and Reyes twice with top-drawer saves.

And when Cesar was beaten in the 68th minute, the off-balance Aguero was unable to keep his shot on target after rounding the former Real Madrid goalkeeper.

It was becoming increasingly frustrating for Atletico, but they finally got the breakthrough they thoroughly deserved in the 77th minute when the unmarked Aguero headed home Simao's free-kick.

There was little doubt who would go onto win the game after that, and matters became even clearer in the 82nd minute when Valencia were reduced to nine men when Miguel was shown a straight red card for his challenge on Juan Valera.

Forlan then made absolutely certain the points would be staying in Madrid four minutes later when he picked up Jurado's through ball and coolly dinked the ball over Cesar to make it 3-1.

Forlan then returned the favour in injury time, passing to Jurado who curled in Atletico's fourth.
LATE FLURRY DOWNS VALENCIA

Fixture (28 Feb 2010)

2010-02-28T23:16:00.000-08:00

England - Premier League

Tottenham H. 2 - 1 Everton
(R.Pavlyychenko 11', L.Modric 28', A.Yakubu 55')
Liverpool 2 - 1 Blackburn R.
(S.Gerrard 20', F.Torres 44', K.Andrews 40'(pen))
Sunderland 0 - 0 Fulham

Italy - Serie A

AC Milan 3 - 1 Atalanta
(A.Pato 30'41', M.Borriello 62', J.A.Valdes 56')
Chievo 2 - 1 Cagliari
(M.A.D.Paula 33',P.M.Granoche 78', D.Astori 51')
Genoa 3 - 4 Bologna
(D.Suazo 8'38', G.Sculli 18',A.Busce 11', M.B.Adailton 28'56'79')
Livorno 1 - 2 Siena
(C.Lucarelli 11', E.Calaio 79', M.Maccarone 90')
Napoli 2 - 2 AS Roma
(G.G.Denis 75',M.Hamsik 90'(pen), J.C.Baptista 59'(pen), M.Vucinic 65'))
Parma 1 - 0 Sampdoria
(C.Zaccardo 54')
Udinese 2 - 3 Inter Milan
(S.Pepe 2', A.D.Natale 52'(pen), M.Balotelli 6', Maicon 21', D.Milito 45')
Juventus 0 - 2 Palermo
(F.Miccoli 60', I.Budan 82')

Spain - Primera Division

Racing Santander0 - 2 Almeria
(F.Soriano 29', A.Crusat 67')
Sporting Gijon 3 - 2 Osasuna
(A.D.L.C.Miguel 17', D.Barral 70', D.Castro 80'(pen), J.Nekounam 38'(pen), K.Vadocz 49,)
Valladolid 1 - 2 Mallorca
(A.Bueno 49', R.G.Rocha 69', M.J.Alvarez 83')
Villarreal 1 - 0 Deportivo La Coruna
(J.Llorente 36')
Xerez 1 - 1 Espanyol
(M.Bermejo 76', P.D.Osvaldo 18')
Sevilla 0 - 0 Athletic Bilbao
Atletico Madrid 4 - 1 Valencia
(D.Forlan 30'(pen)86', S.Aguero 78, J.M.Jurado 90', D.J.Silva 28' )

Germany - Bundesliga I.

Hannover 0 - 1 Wolfsburg
(Z.Misimovic 78')
Bayern Munich 1 - 0 Hamburger SV
(F.Ribery 78')

UDINESE READY FOR INTER TEST

2010-02-28T05:13:00.000-08:00

Udinese defender Cristian Zapata was delighted to get back to winning ways in midweek and is now targeting a second-successive victory when they face Serie A leaders Inter Milan on Sunday.

Pasquale Marino celebrated his return to the bench by steering the Bianconeri to only their second triumph of 2010 on Wednesday as they came from behind to secure a 2-1 victory over Cagliari.

Udinese parted company with coach Gianni De Biasi and placed Marino back in charge last week, just two months after he left the post, and he had an immediate effect.

The Bianconeri crept up to 15th with that result, while they extended their advantage over the drop zone to four points.

As impressive as the result was the manner of their performance and Zapata has urged his team-mates to repeat that against Inter on Sunday.

"We played very well on Wednesday," he told the official club website.

"Jeda's goal after two minutes could have taken our feet from under us, but instead we reacted spectacularly.

"It wasn't easy to take back the match in our hands because we were anxious to recover.

"But in the second half we crushed Cagliari in their half of the pitch and we showed all our desire to win.

"It will definitely be a difficult game against Inter but we will try to impose our game even against the league leaders."

Udinese will be hoping tiredness plays some part in hindering the opposition.

Inter battled to a 2-1 victory in the Champions League in midweek and that was preceded by a gruelling goalless draw against Sampdoria where the Nerazzurri were forced to play 52 minutes with just nine men following the dismissals of both Walter Samuel and Ivan Cordoba.

The centre-half pairing will be suspended tomorrow while Inter also have several other absentees.

However, Zapata knows they have more than enough strength in depth.

He added: "They have at their disposal a squad with such quality that for them it will not be a problem.

"If Samuel is out, Materazzi is ready and if (Esteban) Cambiasso is out (Thiago) Motta and (McDonald) Mariga are ready.

"They will come here even more charged after the Champions League success against Chelsea."

Zapata has earmarked Inter's top goalscorer Diego Milito as the danger man, but is well aware Udinese have their own star attacker.

Antonio Di Natale scored again last week to take his tally to 18 for the season - four more than Milito, his closest challenger to the Capocannoniere title.

"Their strikers are all players who are capable of scoring in any moment," continued the full-back.

"I fear Milito more than any, he is an extraordinary footballer with a great awareness of goal.

"But Di Natale is doing really great and we want to give him a hand so he can score many more goals.

"He's our reference point."

Udinese have been hit by the news that Antonio Floro Flores has not recovered and he joins Gaetano D'Agostino, Christian Obodo and Dusan Basta on the sidelines.

As well as Samuel and Cordoba, Cambiasso and Sulley Muntari are both suspended for Inter, while coach Jose Mourinho will be forced to watch from the stands after the club lost their appeal against his three-match touchline ban.

Inter imposed a media blackout following the news on Friday morning.

The Nerazzurri will also be without injured defensive duo Cristian Chivu and Davide Santon but will be confident of getting a result against Udinese, who haven't beaten them in nearly six years.
UDINESE READY FOR INTER TEST

CAPELLO: TERRY WON`T CAPTAIN AGAIN

2010-02-28T05:05:00.000-08:00

England boss Fabio Capello claims Chelsea defender John Terry is unlikely to ever captain his country again while he's in charge.

Capello sacked Terry as captain of the national team after allegations of an extra-marital affair emerged involving the former partner of Wayne Bridge, Terry's former team-mate at Chelsea.

Terry was snubbed by Bridge in the pre-match handshakes before Manchester City's 4-2 win over Carlo Ancelotti's side at Stamford Bridge, with Capello watching the game from the stands.

And the Italian landed a devastating blow to the 29-year-old's hopes of making a return to the role in future by insisting he will never skipper the team under his reign.

Capello said in the News of the World: "As long as I am England manager, I don't think John Terry will be captain again.

"The problem between John Terry and Wayne Bridge was not good and that is the only reason he is no longer captain.

"I expect my captain to be responsible to children and for the fans. I told him all of this."

Despite the bleak outlook for Terry's attempts to regain the armband, Capello explained the Chelsea captain still had an important role in leading England on the field.

Terry looks set to be Capello's only fully fit member of his preferred back four going into the finals, with Ashley Cole, Glenn Johnson and Rio Ferdinand all struggling with injury problems.

And even though he will not skipper the side, Capello told Terry to continue his role as the team's commander-in-chief at the heart of the defence - and insisted spirit amongst the England players had not been affected despite the saga.

Capello added: "I have asked Terry to be the same as before because he is a leader, but the situation with Bridge was not good. When I spoke with Terry, he understood everything. I know exactly what happened.

"Terry is a leader of men, even without the armband. I hope this is the end of the problem because it is not good for the fans or the players.

"The spirit of the group remains the same. I'm not interested in this problem any more and my only concern now is that the best players are fit."

The controversy led to Bridge withdrawing from the summer's World Cup finals in South Africa, putting a severe dent in Capello's plans.

The 63-year-old was expecting to use Bridge as cover for the left-back role vacated by the injured Ashley Cole, but the defender's withdrawal leaves the England manager with a selection headache.

Stephen Warnock and Leighton Baines have been earmarked to fill in for Cole, although Capello admitted it was a decision he could do without making, saying that Bridge's decision was not in the best interests of the team.

Capello did leave the door open for Bridge to return if chose, however, and with three months left till the start of the tournament insisted that any dispute with Terry could be resolved.

He went on: "I have opened the door for other players and the door is open in the future for Wayne. He knows he can change his mind. He has a different vision to me, but it's Wayne Bridge's life.

"He thinks it's better for him to stay out of the team and he has given us his reasons. It's the decision of the player, not mine. It's the opinion of the player that we are better off without him, but he could have been in the squad without a problem.

"In my opinion the decision was not in the best interests of the squad, but he could be with us next time. I only played in one World Cup and it's not easy to do that."

Capello's comments looked to underline the end of the Bridge-Terry issue following Saturday's meeting between the two sides, but the Italian conceded he had other concerns with team selection.

Chelsea's Joe Cole is struggling to rediscover the form that earned him the left-wing position under Steve McClaren following a long injury lay-off, while Arsenal midfielder Theo Walcott is also being hampered by fitness issues.

Capello delivered a warning to the duo, reiterating his long-held belief that hopefuls of making the 23-man squad must be playing regularly for their clubs.

"I saw the last game Theo played, he was on for 72 minutes and did very well, but he is not in a fantastic moment," said Capello. "He needs to regain confidence because he has lost a lot of balls. He is getting better and better but he needs to play more.

"Cole did not play against Inter (Milan) and it's not a good moment for him. Chelsea prefer Daniel Sturridge at the moment. Cole has problems and he's not the same player I remember."
CAPELLO: TERRY WON`T CAPTAIN AGAIN

WENGER SADDENED BY RAMSEY INJURY

2010-02-27T22:29:00.000-08:00

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger was unable to celebrate his side's vital 3-1 win at Stoke after teenager Aaron Ramsey suffered an horrific injury.

Ramsey was injured in the second half in a tackle with Ryan Shawcross, who was sent off and left the pitch in tears after seeing the extent of Ramsey's injury.

"I'm proud of our game because it was an unbelievable battle from the first minute. We needed to be tough and resilient to win," Wenger said.

"I'm very proud and of course very sad because of what happened. We know it's a bad injury. We have to transfer him to London tonight to see if he needs emergency surgery.

"We don't know how long he will be out but it's certainly long term.

"I'm not very happy with the tackle. We know what we are expecting, a battle everywhere, but we have now lost three players on horrendous tackles and I refuse to believe it's always coincidence.

"I don't believe it when you are hit as many times as we are. I just believe in what I see and when you see a player getting injured like that it's not acceptable. Commitment is right, but that is not right.

"All the questions I get in press conferences about we don't fancy the physical side of it, that's the result."

The game was level at 1-1 when the incident occurred but Arsenal somehow regrouped and scored a late penalty through Cesc Fabregas and an injury-time third from Thomas Vermaelen.

"We could see the team was shocked but this team is very strong mentally and we will do it for Ramsey as well because he deserves it," Wenger added.

Fabregas himself added on Sky Sports 1: "In five years I've seen three of them, Abou (Diaby), Eduardo and now Aaron. What can I say. It's difficult.

"You could say we are not protected enough. We are sometimes victims. I'm not complaining, football is like that.

"There are things that are a little too much but three times in five years is a little bit too much."

As for the rest of the game, Fabregas added: "We learned from when it happened to Eduardo, we lost a lead that day.

"It's very difficult to stand up but we showed character and knew if we won today we still had a lot to say (in the title race)."

WENGER SADDENED BY RAMSEY INJURY

Fixture (27 feb 2010)

2010-02-27T22:15:00.000-08:00

England - Premier League

Chelsea 2 - 4 Manchester C.
(F.Lampard 42'90', C.Tevez 45'76(pen), C.Bellamy 51'87')
Birmingham C. 1 - 0 Wigan Athletic
(J.McFadden 45(pen))
Bolton W. 1 - 0 Wolverhampton W.
(Z.Knight 45')
Burnley 1 - 2 Portsmouth
(M.aterson 31', F.Piquione 25', H.Yebda 76'(pen))
Stoke C. 1 - 3 Arsenal
(D.Pugh 8', N.Bendtner 32'C.Fabregas 90'(pen), T.Vermaelen 90')

Italy - Serie A

Catania 4 - 0 Bari
(A.Ricchiuti 4', E.C. Llama 40', T.Morimoto 81', J.A.B. Martinez 90')
Lazio 0 - 0 Fiorentina
(S.Siviglia 7', Keirrison 90')

Spain - Primera Division

Getafe 0 - 2 Zaragoza
(H.Suazo 3'20')
Tenerife 1 - 5 Real Madrid
(G.P.Ayoze 46', G.Higuain 29'42', Kaka 48', C.Ronaldo 80'(pen), Raul 90')
Barcelona 2 - 1 Malaga
(P.Rodriguez 68', L.Messi 84', R.L.Valdo 81')

Germany - Bundesliga I.

Bochum 0 - 0 Nurnberg
Hertha BSC 0 - 2 Hoffenheim
(D.Ba 35', V.Ibsevic 90')
Mainz 1 - 2 Werder Bremen
(A.Bance 44', T.Borowski 31', S.Prodl 88')
Monchengladbach 1 - 1 Freiburg
(P.Cisse 56', R.Brouwers 72')
Stuttgart 2 - 1 Eintracht Frankfurt
(Cacau 41'45', B.Kohler 39')
Bayer Leverkusen0 - 0 1.FC Cologne

BELLAMY TAKES A SWIPE AT TERRY

2010-02-27T08:13:00.000-08:00

Manchester City striker Craig Bellamy took a swipe at John Terry after his side's 4-2 victory over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.

The build-up to the game had been dominated by the first on-field meeting between Terry and Wayne Bridge following the Chelsea captain's alleged affair with the mother of Bridge's young son.

Bridge made a point of refusing to shake Terry's hand before the match but had the last laugh as two goals each from Carlos Tevez and Bellamy secured a vital win for City as the home side had Juliano Belletti and Michael Ballack sent off.

Bellamy told Sky Sports 1: "You guys (the media) make a lot more of it you know. I know what JT is like and nothing surprises me about it, so I'm not going to comment on that. I think everybody in football knows what the guy is like, but that's off the field.

"On it he's an outstanding player. He's a great captain for Chelsea. It's always going to be difficult when you play him and his team."

The Wales striker admitted the result was a big boost for City's hopes of qualifying for the Champions League

He said: "Today was a big, big result for us because we have come away from the last month, we haven't been playing particularly well and it showed in the first half when we got going with the counter-attack with Carlos up there, especially on his own, which was difficult.

"I thought we got closer to him in the second half and we've got players that can score goals."

City boss Roberto Mancini paid tribute to Bridge's recent performances for the club, and praised the way his team-mates had rallied round him during his personal troubles.

He said: "Wayne Bridge has been playing well and this team has a fantastic spirit and for this reason we won this game.

"It was a difficult game because Chelsea is a fantastic team and has played for many years in the Champions League."
BELLAMY TAKES A SWIPE AT TERRY

CAPELLO HOPES TO TALK BRIDGE ROUND

2010-02-25T21:52:00.001-08:00

Fabio Capello is refusing to close the door on Wayne Bridge's World Cup dream.

Bridge has confirmed that he would not be available for selection for this summer's tournament, claiming his position in the England squad was now "untenable".

The Manchester City defender's decision related to the affair between his former Chelsea team-mate John Terry and Vanessa Perroncel, the mother of his young son.

Bridge cannot contemplate sharing a dressing room with Terry, who is such an integral figure in Capello's squad, even though he has been stripped of the captaincy following his much-publicised indiscretions.

However, Capello will try to talk the defender round before he selects his 23-man squad for this summer's extravaganza.

"I was flying back from Milan when Wayne Bridge announced that he would not be with us for the Egypt match and also in South Africa for the World Cup," said Capello.

"It surprised me, but I respect the decision of all the players.

"But the door is always open for him.

"We have time, there is still three months until I will decide my final squad for South Africa.

"I hope that Wayne Bridge will be with us at the World Cup, but I respect his decision."

On Tuesday in South Africa, Capello expressed confidence that Bridge would be involved against Egypt at Wembley next Wednesday, and would almost certainly play given first-choice left-back Ashley Cole has been ruled out for three months with a broken ankle.

That theory was backed up around the same time in England by Stuart Pearce, a valued member of Capello's coaching team, who claimed Bridge and Terry would set any personal differences aside in the national cause.

Yet, as the time for Capello to announce his latest squad approached, so Bridge's mind has become more focused.

By a strange twist of fate, Bridge is due to meet Terry on a football pitch for the first time since news of the affair became public when Manchester City visit Chelsea on Saturday.

This meeting takes place hours before Capello names that Egypt squad yet there were claims Bridge could not even bear to shake Terry's hand during the traditional pre-match greeting.

Under those circumstances, it was difficult to understand how Bridge could reach any other conclusion than to withdraw, even though it was the scenario Capello was desperate to avoid when he stripped Terry of the captaincy.

By taking such a ruthless step, Capello hoped he could provide proof with tangible evidence that he has taken Terry's indiscretions seriously, while retaining the harmony that is going to be required at the World Cup this summer.

"I have thought long and hard about my position in the England football team in the light of the reporting and events over the last few weeks," said Bridge.

"It has always been an honour to play for England.

"However, after careful thought, I believe my position in the squad is now untenable and potentially divisive.

"Sadly, for the sake of the team and what would be inevitable distractions, I have decided not to put myself forward for selection. I have today informed the management of this decision.

"I wish the team all the best in South Africa."

Stephen Warnock and Leighton Baines are likely to be drafted into Capello's squad for the Egypt game, with fingers now firmly crossed for Cole's recovery.

Compared to Bridge's bombshell, confirmation from Sir Alex Ferguson of Rio Ferdinand's absence from next week's encounter with the African Nations Cup winners creates barely a ripple of interest.

Capello knows he can only take Ferguson on trust when he says the 31-year-old will only be sidelined for a couple of weeks with his latest problem.

Similar statements were made when Ferdinand was forced out of the United line-up in October and it was mid-January before he was fit enough for a recall.

What was once England's strong, world-class central defensive rock is now shaking at the foundations. And if Cole happens to fall as well, there will be no Bridge to aid the rescue.

Wayne Bridge Factfile

1980: Born in Southampton, August 5.

1996: July - Wins a two-year apprenticeship with his home town team.

1998: January - Signs professional terms.

August - As a left-sided midfielder, makes his first-team debut as a substitute on the opening day of the season against Liverpool. He goes on to make 24 appearances in his debut year.

2000-2001: Switched from midfield to left-back, where he is the only outfield player to feature for every minute of every league match.

2001: October - Signs a two-year contract extension amid rumours of a possible £8million bid from Liverpool.

2002: February 13 - makes England debut in the 1-1 friendly draw against Holland. Impresses, but has to come off at half-time with a bruised foot.

June - Plays two matches in England's World Cup campaign, coming on as a substitute in the group matches against Argentina and Nigeria.

2003: July 21 - Southampton confirm Bridge has signed for Chelsea in a £7million deal.

2004: April 7 - Scores an 87th-minute winner as Chelsea knock Arsenal out in a Champions League quarter-final second leg.

Selected in England's squad for Euro 2004 but did not play as Ashley Cole was preferred at left-back.

2005: February 21 - Ruled out for the season after undergoing surgery on a double fracture of his left ankle.

May - Claims a Premier League winner's medal as Jose Mourinho's Chelsea take the title.

2006: January 19 - Joins Fulham on loan for the rest of the 2006-07 season.

June/July - Is part of the England squad at the World Cup in Germany but does not take to the field.

August 31 - The arrival of Ashley Cole from Arsenal pushes Bridge down the Chelsea pecking order.

November 23 - Signs a new four-year contract with the Blues.

2007: May 19 - Plays the full 120 minutes as Chelsea defeat Manchester United 1-0 after extra-time to win the FA Cup in the first competitive match at the new Wembley.

2008: July 15 - Extends his Chelsea deal to the summer of 2012.

2009: January 2 - Moves to Manchester City where he signs a four-and-a-half-year deal for an undisclosed fee.

December - Suffers ankle ligament injury which rules him out for two months.

2010: January 29 - England captain John Terry is at the centre of newspaper allegations he had an affair with Vanessa Perroncel, the former partner of Bridge.

February 6 - Booed in Premier League defeat at Hull, his first competitive match since the stories broke.

February 12 - Ashley Cole ruled out for three months with a broken ankle. Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini says he expects Bridge to answer the World Cup call and fill England's left-back position.

February 25 - Bridge says his position in the England squad is "untenable and potentially divisive" and makes himself unavailable for selection.

CAPELLO HOPES TO TALK BRIDGE ROUND

EVERTON BOW OUT OF EUROPA LEAGUE

2010-02-25T21:47:00.000-08:00

Everton's dreams of Europa League glory this season came to an end as they lost 3-0 at Sporting Lisbon.

Holding a 2-1 advantage going into the second leg, they were given a chasing by a rejuvenated Sporting side.

Second-half goals from Miguel Veloso, Pedro Mendes and susbstitute Matias Fernandez sent the home side through to the last 16.

Sporting midfielder Pedro Mendes felt his side deserved to book a tie with Atletico Madrid in the last 16.

"We needed this win," former Portsmouth and Rangers midfielder Mendes told Five.

"We wanted to progress in this competition. I think we performed really well in the first leg, we were unlucky with the result.

"Today we did what the gaffer asked - patience. We knew we couldn't concede or it would be very tough for us.

"We've been a little unlucky (recently). It's exactly the same in the league here - we've been struggling for results. We needed this performance today."

Everton boss David Moyes felt Sporting were in control virtually from kick-off.

"We didn't play well enough," Moyes told Five. "From the start Sporting got a grip of the game, put us under pressure.

"I thought we'd weathered it before half-time but we never caused them enough problems."
EVERTON BOW OUT OF EUROPA LEAGUE

JUVENTUS BOOK FULHAM TIE

2010-02-25T21:32:00.000-08:00

Juventus are now Italy's only representatives in the Europa League after holding Ajax to a goalless draw at the Stadio Olimpico to complete a 2-1 aggregate victory in the round's most eye-catching tie.

The home side came the closest to breaking the deadlock in the first half when Mohamed Sissoko hit a post as they booked a tie against Fulham in the last 16.

Ajax lacked incision in attack as they failed to trouble Juve goalkeeper Alex Manninger.

Roma were the only other Italian team left in the competition but they are now out after losing 3-2 to Panathinaikos.

Djibril Cisse scored twice for the Greeks, who also won the first leg 3-2, either side of Sotiris Ninis' strike in the final five minutes of the first half.

John Arne Riise and Daniele De Rossi scored Roma's goals and Pana had a man sent off in the last minute, Kostas Katsouranis collecting a second yellow card.

Pana now face Standard Liege, who progressed 3-2 on aggregate after their second leg away to Salzburg also ended in stalemate.

Liverpool's next opponents will be Lille, after Adil Rami's late header saw the French side past Fenerbahce.

Emre Belozoglu's first-half strike would have seen Fener progress on away goals, with the tie locked at 2-2, but Rami popped up four minutes from time to reward Lille's pressure.

Valencia overturned a 1-0 first-leg deficit to see off Club Brugge in extra time.

Juan Mata needed only 13 seconds to level the tie from Luis Miguel's cross, but the Mestalla outfit had to wait a further 96 minutes for Pablo Hernandez's 20-yard winner.

The same player then forced two superb saves from keeper Stijn Stijnen before adding a late third from close range.

Claudio Pizarro's hat-trick earned Werder Bremen a tie with Valencia as a 4-1 win was more than enough to bounce back after losing 1-0 at FC Twente.

Naldo scored the Bundesliga side's other goal, with Luuk de Jong on target for Steve McClaren's side.

Hamburg saw off PSV Eindhoven on away goals after a dramatic finish.

PSV trailed 1-0 from the game in Germany but took the lead courtesy of goals from Ola Toivonen and Balasz Dzsudzsak.

But Mladen Petric and Piotr Trochowski put Hamburg back on top and Danny Koevermans' last-minute header was not enough for the hosts.

Anderlecht are next up for the German side after they produced a superb second-leg display to beat Athletic Bilbao 4-0, and 5-1 on aggregate.

Romelu Lukaku's strike gave them a fourth-minute lead which was extended by Mikel San Jose's own goal, with second-half strikes from Mbark Boussoufa and Jonathan Legear putting the gloss on the result.

Diego Forlan's last-minute winner saw Atletico Madrid past Galatasaray, a 2-1 win on the night sealing a 3-2 aggregate scoreline.

Simao's opener was quickly cancelled out by Kader Keita's header but, after Gala's Caner Erkin was sent off for two bookings within a minute, Jose Antonio Reyes set up Forlan to stave off extra time and settle the tie.

They now face Sporting Lisbon after the Portuguese side knocked out Everton.

Wolfsburg were another German side to enjoy a good night, winning 4-1 to complete a 6-3 aggregate rout of Villarreal.

Edin Dzeko, Christian Gentner and Grafite were on the mark, while Lopez Angel's own goal helped the Wolves on their way. Joan Capdevila scored for the Spanish side.

The reward for the Bundesliga side is a tie with Rubin Kazan after the Russians held Hapoel Tel Aviv to a goalless draw in Israel to preserve their 3-0 first-leg lead

Marseille, who face Benfica in the last 16, beat Copenhagen 3-1 for the second week in succession, Bakari Kone scoring twice after Hatem Ben Arfa had opened the scoring for the evening. Ailton scored Copenhagen's late consolation.
JUVENTUS BOOK FULHAM TIE

Fixture (25 Feb 2010)

2010-02-25T21:26:00.000-08:00

Europa League

Anderlecht 4 - 0 Athletic Bilbao
(R.Lukaku 4', M.S.J.Dominguez(org)28', R.Juhansz 50',J.Legear 68')
AS Roma 2 - 3 Panathinaikos
(J.A.Risse 12', D.D.Rossi 67', D.Cisse(pen)40'45', S.Ninis 43')
Galatasaray 1 - 2 Atletico Madrid
(A.Kieta 66', Simao 63', D.Forlan 90')
Marseille 2 - 0 FC Copenhagen
(H.B Arfa 43', B.Kone 62')
PSV Eindhoven 3 - 2 Hamburger SV
(O.Toivonen 2', B.Dzsudzsak 43', D.Koevermans 90, M.Petric 46', P.Trochowski 79')
Shakhtar Donetsk1 - 1 Fulham
(Jadson 69', B. Hangeland 33')
Unirea Urziceni 1 - 3 Liverpool
(B.Fernandes 19', J.Mascherano 30', R.Babel 41', S.Gerrard 57')
Fenerbahce 1 - 1 Lille
(E.Belozoglu 35', A.Rami 85')
Hapoel Tel Aviv 0 - 0 Rubin Kazan
Juventus 0 - 0 Ajax Amsterdam
RB Salzburg 0 - 0 Standard Liege
Sporting Lisbon 3 - 0 Everto
(M.Veloso 64', Mendes 77', M.Fernandes90')
Valencia 3 - 0 Club Brugge
(Mata 1', P.Hernandes 97'117')
Werder Bremen 4 - 1 FC Twente Enschede
(C.pizarro 15'20'58',naldo27, L.D.Jong 33')
Wolfsburg 4 - 1 Villarreal
(E.Dzeko 10', L.R.Angel(org)15, C.Gentner42', Grafite 64', J.Capdevila 30')

MOURINHO CONFIDENT OF PROGRESSING

2010-02-24T22:18:00.000-08:00

Jose Mourinho's Inter Milan will travel to Stamford Bridge for the second leg of their Champions League tie with Chelsea full of confidence after securing a 2-1 win at the San Siro.

At a stage of the competition when no game is easy - as the results of the eight games confirm with no side leading by more than one goal - a 2-1 home win in the first leg is about as good a result as Mourinho could have hoped for.

"We can go there with a legitimate ambition to go through," he said.

"The most important thing is the result and we are ahead.

"It's not obviously the result which ends the tie, it's not 3-0 or 4-0, but no team is leading by two goals at this stage of the Champions League."

Mourinho will make an emotional return to Stamford Bridge on March 16, but he has no fears about being able to put his own emotions to one side.

"I have to control my emotions and have to be professional like I was today," he said.

"In the tunnel, it is not a normal game for me - and it is not for them either - but when the game starts, it becomes normal for them and for me; they want to win and I want to win.

"At Stamford Bridge, I don't expect anything other than people to be glad to have me back as we worked so well together.

"This time I will go back to a different dressing room, a different dugout and but I know normally Mourinho is lucky at Stamford Bridge."

He was a touch lucky in Milan too, with a first-half penalty not given to Chelsea for a foul on Salomon Kalou in first-half stoppage time.

Despite having 12 attempts on goal, of which six were on target, Chelsea still went in at the break one behind thanks to Diego Milito's third-minute opener.

Kalou's 51st-minute goal gave the Blues hope, but it was short lived as Esteban Cambiasso netted the winner four minutes later, putting Inter in control of the tie.
MOURINHO CONFIDENT OF PROGRESSING

Gonzalez makes Mark for Moscow

2010-02-24T21:45:00.000-08:00

Mark Gonzalez's superb equaliser salvaged a 1-1 draw for CSKA Moscow in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie against Sevilla.
Gonzalez, who joined CSKA last summer from Sevilla's local rivals Real Betis, smashed home an unstoppable 35-yard drive in the 66th minute to cancel out Alvaro Negredo's first-half opener for the Primera Division outfit.

The draw was a fair result in freezing conditions in Russia, where CSKA enjoyed the majority of the few chances that either side created, but were rarely able to test visiting goalkeeper Andres Palop.

Negredo: Celebrates grabbing Sevilla's away goal

After a relatively quiet opening, Sevilla took the lead in the 25th minute through Negredo.
The Real Madrid youth product has not had the best of times recently, scoring an own goal and being sent off in the 2-1 defeat to Real Zaragoza a fortnight ago and then picking up another red card in Saturday's 3-1 win over Real Mallorca.
However, the Spain international enjoyed a happier time of it as he slotted home his first Champions League goal.
Adriano fed the ball out to Jesus Navas on the right, and the quicksilver winger went outside his marker before firing in a perfect low cross that bisected the two CSKA centre-backs and their goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev and allowed Negredo a simple tap-in at the far post.
That was Sevilla's only real chance of the first half, but the Spanish side had few scares at the other end even though CSKA created plenty of attacking platforms.
Japan international Keisuke Honda was looking CSKA's biggest threat and he fired two efforts not far wide from the edge of the box.
Gonzalez sent a spectacular volley wide and Tomas Necid also tried his luck, but Palop was rarely called into action in the opening 45 minutes.
It was a similar story at the start of the second half with CSKA again failing to hit the target, although Honda's deflected header from Milos Krasic's dinked cross only just dropped wide of the far post.
Sevilla did better with their opportunity in the 63rd minute as they at least tested Akinfeev after winning a free-kick in a dangerous position 25 yards out.
Navas rolled the ball behind him to Negredo and his low shot was saved by Akinfeev, albeit somewhat unconvincingly.
Palop had still not had much to do in the game when he was beaten by Gonzalez's stunning strike just after the hour-mark.
Gonzalez has never been a prolific scorer during his career and the Chile international cannot have scored many better goals than this as his long-range effort flew into the far side of the net with Palop barely moving a muscle.
That bolt from the blue was just the boost CSKA would have been hoping for as they were struggling to break down a well-marshalled Sevilla defence.
Leonid Slutsky's men then almost grabbed a late winner to take to the second leg to the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan after Tomas Necid fashioned himself a great opening.
Necid cut inside Federico Fazio and was left with only Palop to beat. However, he was unable to beat the veteran custodian, who stuck out his right foot to deflect Necid's low shot behind for a corner and earn his side the draw.
Gonzalez makes Mark for Moscow

Fixtures (24 Feb 2010)

2010-02-24T21:38:00.000-08:00

European Cups - Champions League

CSKA Moscow 1 - 1 Sevilla
(A. Negredo 25', M. Gonzalez 66')
Inter Milan 2 - 1 Chelsea
(D.Milito 3', Cambiaso 55', Kalau 51')

Italy - Serie A

Fiorentina 1 - 2 AC Milan
(Gilardino 14',Huntelaar 81', Pato 90')
Udinese 2 - 1 Cagliari
(Sanchez 68,, Di Natale 70', Jeda 3')

IBRAHIMOVIC SPARES BARCA BLUSHES

2010-02-23T23:50:00.000-08:00

Zlatan Ibrahimovic's second-half equaliser earned Champions League holders Barcelona a hard-fought draw from the first leg of their last-16 tie against Stuttgart tonight.

Cacau, fresh from his four-goal haul against Cologne at the weekend, gave Stuttgart a deserved half-time lead but Ibrahimovic struck just after the interval to put Barca in the box seat heading into the second leg at the Nou Camp.

Barca were boosted by the return to action of Xavi and Ibrahimovic, who both missed Saturday's 4-0 win over Racing Santander through injury, but neither of them had much chance to shine in the first half.

The home side, who have improved immensely under Christian Gross and had won six of their previous seven games, were determined to take the game to Barca and were rewarded when Cacau broke the deadlock in the 25th minute with a powerful header.

Timo Gebhart's cross from near the touchline was inch-perfect, just clearing Carles Puyol at the far post and allowing Cacau head past the helpless Victor Valdes.

Cacau had a chance to make it 2-0 in the 32nd minute after picking up Pavel Pogrebniak's knock down near the halfway line and sprinting towards the Barca box, but this time Valdes was equal to the Brazil-born German international's effort.

Stuttgart were refusing to let the reigning champions settle and created another opportunity in the 35th minute following good work by on-loan Barca player Alexander Hleb.

Christian Trasch wasted the chance though, slicing his shot well wide from the edge of the area.

Barca's much-vaunted attack were getting little change out of the Stuttgart defence, but from nowhere they almost grabbed an equaliser five minutes before the break.

Lionel Messi, who had been his side's main threat, fired in a shot from 25 yards that looked set to creep in at the far post after only being half stopped by Stuttgart goalkeeper Jens Lehmann.

However, the ball struck the post and rebounded back into the veteran's arms.

A minute later Stuttgart created another opening when Pogrebniak burst past Gerard Pique and Valdes was again called upon to save his side.

Barca fans might have been fearing the worst at the break, but they need not have worried as the Catalan giants looked much more comfortable in the second half.

It took Pep Guardiola's side just seven minutes to get back on level terms thanks to Ibrahimovic.

Pique used his 6ft 3in frame to good effect to nod a high ball down to Ibrahimovic, and although Lehmann blocked his first effort, the Swede slotted home at the second attempt.

Ibrahimovic looked certain to put Barca ahead in the 67th minute after Lehmann had failed to collect a corner, but the former Inter Milan striker's goal-bound shot struck Cristian Molinaro on the line and rebounded over the bar.

Barca were enjoying much more quality possession but Stuttgart were still pushing forward whenever they could and Valdes did well to smother Ciprian Marica's shot at point-blank range.

Barca were also keen to force a winner, but neither side could find a winner in the closing stages.
IBRAHIMOVIC SPARES BARCA BLUSHES

VINTAGE BORDEAUX IN GREEK CRUISE

2010-02-23T23:44:00.000-08:00

Bordeaux put themselves in the driving seat to advance to the quarter-finals of the Champions League after claiming a 1-0 victory in the first leg of their last-16 tie at Olympiacos.

Michael Ciani popped up with the only goal of the game on the stroke of the interval as the Greek side gave themselves a mountain to climb in the second leg on March 17.

The winner was not without a whiff of controversy, however, coming as it did from a controversial free-kick awarded by referee Howard Webb, but that will be of little concern for Bordeaux coach Laurent Blanc who saw his side maintain their unbeaten record in this season's competition.

Olof Mellberg almost opened the scoring for Olympiacos after just four minutes, the defender connecting well with Jesus Datolo's free-kick but unlucky to see his header sail the wrong side of the upright.

Neither did enough to claim the upper hand in the early exchanges but Antonis Nikopolidis' palms were stung after 25 minutes when some neat Bordeaux approach play saw Fernando fire an effort straight at the home custodian.

A collision between Raul Bravo and Ieroklis Stoltidis gifted Bordeaux a chance to bag the opener after 36 minute but Mellberg was on hand to mop up, flicking the ball clear of danger as Yoann Gourcuff looked to pull the trigger.

Two minutes into stoppage time Webb awarded a harsh free-kick against Lomana Lua Lua - who appeared to win the ball cleanly from Benoit Tremoulinas on the left touchline.

Lua Lua was frustrated by the decision, but frustration gave way to anger moments later when Gourcuff whipped in a wicked delivery and centre-half Ciani timed his run to perfection to nod home from six yards.

In the second half the visitors saw an opening to go two goals clear spurned as Ciani headed over when unmarked from a corner kick.

Wendell screwed a shot wide of the target on 80 minutes as the visitors again looked the most likely to add to the scoring, but 60 seconds later Olympiacos went close.

Olympiacos almost snatched an equaliser at the death when more frantic Bordeaux defending saw Fernando hack clear Stoltidis' header off the line
VINTAGE BORDEAUX IN GREEK CRUISE

ON-FIRE ROONEY GIVES CHELSEA WARNING

2010-02-23T23:33:00.000-08:00

Wayne Rooney produced another match-winning performance for Manchester United as he took his tally for the season to 27 by bagging a double against West Ham.

Michael Owen scored for the first time since that hat-trick at Wolfsburg in December as the Red Devils closed to within a point of Barclays Premier League leaders Chelsea.

But Owen's late effort was a mere footnote compared to Rooney's contribution.

The 24-year-old has been set a conservative target of 30 by Sir Alex Ferguson.

At this rate he will eclipse the 42 that helped turn Cristiano Ronaldo into the world's best player two years ago.

Where the Red Devils would be without the striker does not bear thinking about. Little wonder Ferguson once again opted to stick with him against supposedly lesser opposition on home soil when probably, he could do with a rest, however minimal.

The wisdom of the selection was proved just before half-time when Rooney planted his diving header into the corner of Robert Green's goal.

It would be churlish to exclude Dimitar Berbatov and Antonio Valencia from praise given the Bulgarian's excellent crossfield pass and an even better volleyed cross to the far post from the South American.

But Rooney was the man who had shifted into space, Rooney who had to finish. There was never any prospect of him failing.

In a very similar manner to his opener, Rooney found himself in splendid isolation when Berbatov released Valencia with another excellent pass in the build up to the second.

Once again the cross was inviting. Once again Rooney sent it past Green.

For a player of his class, his finishes had been routine.

Owen grabbed the third after an inspired through ball from Paul Scholes.

It was Owen's eighth of the season, only one short of Berbatov's tally.

A long way behind Rooney though. And the gap is going to get wider yet.
ON-FIRE ROONEY GIVES CHELSEA WARNING

Fixtures (23 Feb 2010)

2010-02-23T23:26:00.000-08:00

European Cups - Champions League

Olympiakos Piraeus 0 - 1 Bordeaux
(M.Ciani 45')
Stuttgart 1 - 1 Barcelona
(Cacau 25', Ibrahimovic 52')

European Cups - Europa League

Benfica 4 - 0 Hertha BSC
(P.C. Aimar 25', O. Cardozo 48'62', J. Garcia 59')

England - Premier League

Manchester U. 3 - 0 West Ham U.
(W.Rooney 38'55', M.Owen 80')

Puyol fears resurgent Stuttgart

2010-02-22T18:37:00.000-08:00

Carles Puyol admits Barcelona could struggle if they underestimate in-form Stuttgart in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie.
Barca make the trip to Germany having bounced back from their first league defeat of the season against Atletico Madrid by thumping Racing Santander 4-0 on Saturday night.
That was the Catalan giants' sixth victory in seven league games, but on Tuesday night they will come up against a Stuttgart who are in just as good form.
Stuttgart may still be struggling down in ninth place in the Bundesliga but they too have won six of their last seven and at the weekend thrashed Cologne 5-1 away from home, with Cacau netting four of his side's goals.
When the draw was made back in December, Stuttgart were in the midst of a 10-match winless run in all competitions, but it is a different story now and a wary Puyol said: "They're playing better now and they are a dangerous team.
"If we don't go there focused, we could really have a bad time," added the Barca captainl, who scored one of his side's goals as they beat Stuttgart 2-0 away during the group stages of the 2007/08 Champions League.
Barca have struggled badly with absentees recently and the Champions League holders will again be without Seydou Keita and Eric Abidal for the game.
Key duo Xavi and Dani Alves have at least made the trip to Germany, but neither has yet been given the all-clear to return to action following injuries.
Full-back Alves has been absent for a month due to a calf problem while Xavi picked up a thigh injury during the defeat by Atletico that had been expected to keep the Spain international out for around two weeks.
Striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who was a late withdrawal ahead of Saturday's win over Racing with an ankle problem, has also been included in a 20-man travelling squad in the hope he will be fit to feature.
Stuttgart coach Christian Gross is likely to be without left-back Arthur Boka for both meetings against Barca after he suffered a dislocated shoulder in training prior to the Cologne match that could keep him sidelined for a month.
That was one of the few negatives on what was a memorable weekend for the Bundesliga outfit, which saw striker Cacau make a stunning return from his four-week injury lay-off.
"I was really looking forward to this game after my long break," said Cacau. "And the way the game went makes it particularly beautiful."
Looking ahead to the clash, the Brazilian-born Germany international told Barca TV: "We've got nothing to lose. Barca are favourites and we maybe have a 20 or 30% chance of getting through, but we will be trying to make the most of our opportunities.
"We have to get a good result at home, because when Barca play at home it is very difficult to win. I hope they may be over confident and not commit themselves completely."
Puyol fears resurgent Stuttgart

Cesar a doubt for Blues clash

2010-02-22T18:31:00.000-08:00

Inter Milan keeper Julio Cesar is reportedly a doubt for the Champions League clash with Chelsea after suffering minor injuries in a car crash.
According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, the Brazilian suffered bruising to his face following the incident, which happened when Cesar was driving his Lamborghini near the San Siro.
Although he was not seriously hurt, the 30-year-old missed training on Monday in order to rest.
While the club have moved to ease concerns, the incident calls into question Cesar's involvement at the San Siro on Wednesday as Jose Mourinho faces his former club for the first time since his acrimonious exit from Chelsea in September 2007.
Cesar a doubt for Blues clash

Mourinho Questions Blues Strength

2010-02-22T18:15:00.000-08:00

Inter Milan coach Jose Mourinho has stoked the fire ahead of his side's Champions League last 16 clash with Chelsea by claiming a "strong" team would not have dropped the number of points the Blues have this season.
Carlo Ancelotti's side head into Wednesday's first leg at the San Siro sitting pretty at the top of the Barclays Premier League, four points clear of champions Manchester United with 11 games remaining.

But Mourinho believes his former team are far from invincible, having drawn four and lost four of their 27 league matches under Ancelotti.

Quoted in several national newspapers, the Portuguese said: "The Premier League is never easy - every game normally is difficult.

"But when a team is strong, strong, strong, strong, strong, it doesn't lose so many matches, so many points."

Mourinho, who led Porto to Champions League glory in 2004 and Chelsea to consecutive Premier League titles in 2005 and 2006, is relishing the clash with his old club.

But he is hoping his former players will not take any extra delight in beating his team, should they manage to do so over two legs.

"If a Chelsea player is happier to beat me than to beat another manager I will be very sad," he said.

"I just don't understand that. I can't think there would be any special pleasure from that.

"Just as if I am happier to beat them than to beat another team, then I think they have a reason to be very unhappy with me.

"We're all professionals. I want to win, they want to win.

"Somebody will win, somebody will lose - this we know, this we accept. But there should be nothing more."
Mourinho Questions Blues Strength

Ashley Cole facing Chelsea action after latest scandal

2010-02-21T19:29:00.000-08:00

Chelsea may take disciplinary action against Ashley Cole following further allegations over his private life.

The Premier League leaders insist the latest issues are a private matter for the England international, currently recovering from ankle surgery, but insist that any incidents found to have broken club rules will be dealt with internally.

The allegations in Sunday's newspapers come just 48 hours after Chelsea chief executive Ron Gourlay, acting on behalf of the owner Roman Abramovich, told the players in no uncertain terms that the club would not stand for its image being dragged through the mud any more.

A spokesman for Chelsea said: "This is a private matter for Ashley Cole. Where anything is alleged to have happened on Chelsea FC time, that is an internal club matter and will be dealt with internally."

Asked if Cole would be punished if found guilty of breaking club rules, the spokesman added: "Disciplinary issues are an internal matter and will be dealt with internally."
Ashley Cole facing Chelsea action after latest scandal

Palermo table contract offer to Juventus veteran Cannavaro

2010-02-21T19:01:00.000-08:00

Juventus defender Fabio Cannavaro is interesting Palermo.

Sportsmediaset says Cannavaro's minders have attracted an approach from Palermo about next season.

Palermo president Maurizio Zamparini has tabled an opening round offer of a one-year deal worth €1.2 million.

Cannavaro could arrive as a replacement for Simon Kjaer at Palermo

Palermo table contract offer to Juventus veteran Cannavaro

Six Of The Best For Real Madrid

2010-02-21T18:43:00.000-08:00

A Cristiano Ronaldo-inspired Real Madrid answered their critics following their midweek Champions League defeat at Lyon and eased some of the pressure on coach Manuel Pellegrini with a thumping victory over Villarreal.

Gonzalo Higuain and Kaka both netted braces but it was Ronaldo who caused all the damage with arguably his best display of the season to help Madrid bounce back from their poor showing in Lyon and trim the gap to Primera Division leaders Barcelona back to two points.

Ronaldo scored a brilliant free-kick opener, which he dedicated to the victims of the disaster that has struck his home island of Madeira, and also created goals for Higuain, Kaka and Xabi Alonso as Madrid made it 12 wins out of 12 at the Bernabeu this season.

Marcos Senna and Nilmar pulled goals back for Villarreal but they could not live with Madrid, whose coach Pellegrini will have been especially pleased with the win over his former club as his position has been called into question in the wake of the Lyon defeat.

After a quiet opening, Madrid took control with two set-piece goals in as many minutes.

Ronaldo was the man to break the deadlock in the 18th minute with a magnificent free-kick, sending an unstoppable diagonal shot across Diego Lopez and into the far top corner.

That was the Portugal international's 12th goal in only 14 league appearance, and his celebration included a tribute to Madeira, which has been hit by flash floods that have left at least 40 people dead.

Villarreal were still coming to terms with that thunderbolt when they conceded a second from the penalty spot.

Higuain's heels were clipped by Ivan Marcano as he tried to get on the end of Marcelo's low cross, and referee Cesar Muniz Fernandez immediately pointed to the spot.

The Madrid fans were angry Marcano only got a yellow card for his foul, but they were soon celebrating as Kaka sent Lopez the wrong with the resulting penalty.

Ronaldo missed a chance to make it 3-0 soon after when he side-footed wide from the edge of the box but at that point it did not look like being a costly miss, with Madrid dominating.

However, the mood in the Bernabeu changed in the 30th minute when Senna produced some dead-ball magic of his own to bring Villarreal right back into the game.

That was tough on a Madrid side that had had little to worry about up to then but the hosts responded well and should really have extended their lead, with Ronaldo testing Lopez and Esteban Granero and Kaka both skying decent openings.

Ronaldo also brought another superb save out of former Madrid goalkeeper Lopez just before the break, moments after Iker Casillas had produced similar heroics to keep out Nilmar's deflected cross.

Madrid will have been disappointed not to have been further ahead at the interval but they had to wait only nine minutes of the second half to extend their lead with what was a simple, yet clinical, move.

Alvaro Arbeloa's ball down the right touchline put Ronaldo away and his first-time cross was slotted home by Higuain in the middle.

Ronaldo then set up further good chances for Marcelo and Higuain, but both were missed, before the £80million man was denied one on one by Lopez as Madrid threatened to run riot.

As they did in the first half, though, Villarreal pulled a goal back against the run of play in the 67th minute.

A good move involving Nilmar, Robert Pires and Javi Venta was finished off by the former.

That was only a brief setback for Madrid, though, and they made it 4-2 three minutes later through Higuain.

Ronaldo's pass put Marcelo through on the left and his low cross was slotted home by Higuain.

Ronaldo, almost inevitably, also created the fifth and sixth Madrid goals, slipping in Brazilian ace Kaka to side-foot past Lopez and then winning the penalty that allowed Alonso to seal a comprehensive win with a twice-taken spot-kick late on.
Six Of The Best For Real Madrid

Fixtures (21 Feb 2010)

2010-02-21T18:35:00.000-08:00

England-Premier League
Blackburn R. 3 - 0 Bolton W.
(kalinic 41', J.Robert 73', Givet84')
Aston Villa 5 - 2 Burnley
(A.Young 32', S.Downing56'58', E.Heskey61',Agbonlahor68', S.Fletcher 10',Paterson90')
Fulham 1 - 1 Birmingham C.
(Duff59',Zamora90', Baird(o.g)3')
Manchester C. 0 - 0 Liverpool
Wigan Athletic 0 - 1 Tottenham H.
(Defoe27', R.Pavlyuchenko84',90')

Italy-Calcio
AS Roma 1 - 0 Catania
(M.Vucinic 18')
Atalanta 0 - 1 Chievo
(S.Pellisier44')
Bologna 1 - 2 Juventus
(A.Busce50', Diego5',A.Candreva66')
Cagliari 2 - 0 Parma
(A.Lazzari6', A.Matri39')
Fiorentina 2 - 1 Livorno
(Vargas62',Gilardino78', Rivas36')
Palermo 3 - 1 Lazio
(Hernandez 1', Miccoli28',Nocerino75',Kolarov79)
Siena 0 - 0 Napoli
Bari 0 - 2 AC Milan
(M.Borriello43', Pato69')

Spain - Primera Division
Athletic Bilbao 4 - 1 Tenerife
(F.Llorente18', Toquero23',Iraola54', Gabilando63, Alfaro59,)
Malaga 2 - 1 Espanyol
(Fernando13",N.Obinna75, Ruiz45')
Osasuna 1 - 1 Valladolid
(Medunjanin80')
Zaragoza 1 - 3 Sporting Gijon
(Arizmendi90', Bilic38', Moran63', Barral90')
Almeria 1 - 0 Atletico Madrid
(P.Piatti87')
Real Madrid 6 - 2 Villarreal
(C.ronaldo18',Kaka21'79, G.Higuain54',71, X.Alonso87', Msenna31',Nilmar66')

Germany - Bundesliga I
Freiburg 0 - 3 Hertha BSC
(A.Ramos28', Cicero35'57')
Werder Bremen 2 - 2 Bayer Leverkusen
(C.pizarro34',P.Mertsacker90', Derdiyok29', T.Kroos57')
Wolfsburg 2 - 1 Schalke
(Grafite71'77',Kuranyi 30')

Torres and Gerrard Wanted at City

2010-02-21T03:12:00.000-08:00

The News of the World isn't disappointing this horribly wet morning.

Their backpage lead is the rather eye-catching claim that Manchester City chief executive Garry Cook is intent on signing Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard.

According to the paper, 'There are those at Anfield only too aware of the threat from City, not least to Liverpool's two biggest stars. After the false dawn of Thakskin Shinawatra, the pledges of owner Sheikh Mansour are proving to be no mirage.

'That sends out a compelling message to both Torres and Gerrard - that they may have to re-evaluate their futures in the summer.'

Hmm. But it's the next couple of lines that really stands out:

'It's not even a secret within the City corridors of power that the hierarchy are plotting a £140million double swoop for both Torres and Gerrard this summer.
'City officials are already planning how they can pull off what would be one of the most audacious transfer coups of all time.'

£140m? Could Liverpool to afford to turn that down?
Torres and Gerrard Wanted at City

Fixtures (20 Feb 2010)

2010-02-20T22:23:00.000-08:00

England-Premier League
-Everton 3 - 1 Manchester United
(D. Bilyaletdinov 19', D.Gosling 76', Rodwell 90', Berbatov 16')
-Arsenal 2 - 0 Sunderland
(Bendtner 27', Fabregas 90')
-WestHAm U. 3 - 0 Hull.C
(Behrami 3',C.Cole 59', Faubert 90')
-Wolverhampton 0 - 2 Chelsea
(Drogba 40',67')

Italy-Calcio
-Genoa 3 - 0 Udinese
(R. Acquafresca 30',53', Palacio 64')
-Inter 0 - 0 Sampdoria

Spain - Primera Division
-Deportivo 2 - 1 Xeres
(A.Guardioda 3'. Riki 6', Bermejo 38')
-Barcelona 4 - 0 Racing
(Iniesta 7', Henrry 29', Marquez34', Nascimento 84')
-Mallorca 1 - 3 Sevilla
(Suarez 5', Navas 23', I. Dragutinovic 57', Perotti 62')

Germany - Bundesliga I
-FC Cologne 1 - 5 Stuttgart
(Schorch 44',Cacau 13',31',38',74', Pogrebnyak 70')
-Borussia Dortmund 4 - 1 Hannover
(N. Suboticb 43', M. Eggimann. 59'(Org),N.H. Valdez 77', K. Grosskreutz 88', A. Kone 81')
-Hamburger SV 0 - 0 Eintracht Frankfurt
-Mainz 0 - 0 Bochum
-Nurnberg 1 - 1 Bayern Munich
(Gundogan 54", Muller 38')

Chelsea profit as Everton down United

2010-02-20T10:22:00.000-08:00

The Premier League pendulum swung back towards Chelsea after their 2-0 win at Wolverhampton Wanderers gave them a four-point advantage at the top having seen Manchester United defeated earlier on Saturday. Arsenal, however, cannot be ruled out of the race after a 2-0 win over Sunderland.idier Drogba continues to be Chelsea's talisman and his well-taken double was the difference at Molineux. Chelsea had played a torpid first half but went into the dressing room a goal up at the break after a poacher's finish from a Yuri Zhirkov cross gave the Ivorian his 24th strike of the season.

Wolves' stern challenge continued in the second half but hopes were ended by a piece of typical Drogba strength. In holding off Christophe Berra and keeper Marcus Hahnemann to poke in Chelsea's second, he ended a poor run of away form for the long-time leaders.

Manchester United's recent charge was brought to a juddering halt by a 3-1 loss at Everton in a game that further confirmed Goodison Park as a graveyard of contenders. United, like Chelsea ten days previously, took an early lead through Dimitar Berbatov in the 16th minute only to perish.

But that advantage was wiped out in three minutes by a Diniyar Bilyaletdinov strike that caught Edwin van der Sar flat-footed. Everton's energy eventually told when sub Dan Gosling directed a Steven Pienaar cross into the net with 14 minutes to play and, after Wayne Rooney's goal-bound free-kick had been diverted from danger by Sylvain Distin, another sub, Jack Rodwell, who has been heavily linked with a summer move to United, conjured a solo goal to dent the Red Devils' chances of a fourth consecutive title.

The 2-0 scoreline of Arsenal's defeat of Sunderland belies a story of missed chances for both teams but it was a 27th-minute close-range Niklas Bendtner strike after some admirable Emmanuel Eboue work that gave the nervy home team the lead. Those jitters were only soothed in the last minute when Cesc Fabregas converted a penalty that had been awarded for a foul on him by Fraizer Campbell.

The Gunners are now within two points of Manchester United while Chelsea lie six clear of them, and Arsene Wenger's team would seem to be blessed with a better run of fixtures of the 12 remaining for all three contenders. Sunderland's horror run of form continued and they lie just three points from safety.

West Ham United's recent revival continues and their 3-0 win over Hull City at Upton Park places the Tigers deep in the relegation mire. After Valon Behrami had scored a third-minute opener for the Hammers, manager Phil Brown's task was made harder following Craig Fagan's dismissal for a second bookable offence. Carlton Cole sealed the points with a strike from a narrow angle just before the hour before Julien Faubert scored late on to compound Hull's misery.

The Hammers pulled themselves four points ahead of the drop zone with Hull teetering just a point ahead of 18th- and 19th-placed Bolton and Burnley, who both play on Sunday.
Chelsea profit as Everton down United