Brazilian champions Fluminense have edged towards qualification for the Copa Libertadores quarter-finals, while holders Internacional drew.Two late goals have guided Rio-based club Fluminense to a 3-1 against Paraguayan Clausura winners Libertad, who will host the Brazilians in the second leg next Wednesday.
Striker Rafael Moura headed the Tricolor into the lead in the fourth minute after connecting with Edinho’s flick-on.
Rodolfo Gamarra responded for the away side in the 61st minute, heading past Ricardo Berna after the Fluminense goalkeeper misjudged his attempt to claim a cross.
Fluminense then moved in front in the 73rd minute through midfielder Marquinho, who fired home a shot from outside the penalty area.
Argentine Dario Conca then doubled his side’s lead two minutes later from a free-kick.
Elsewhere, Copa Libertadores holders Internacional of Brazil recorded a 1-1 stalemate at Uruguayan champions Penarol.
Winger Matias Corujo opened the scoring for five-time winners Penarol in the 36th minute after collecting a pass from Argentine Alejandro Martinuccio.
The Uruguayans were lucky not have had Carlos Valdez sent off after the defender brought down Inter striker Leandro Damiao in the box.
The defender received a booking for his troubles instead of an early shower.
The Brazilians pulled a goal back in the 65th minute through fringe Brazil striker Damiao, whose lobbed effort – with the help of a deflection – sailed past stranded Penarol goalkeeper Sebastian Sosa to hand Internacional a valuable away goal.
Internacional host the reverse leg in Brazil next Wednesday.
Arsenal midfielder Abou Diaby has revealed he was fortunate not to suffer a serious injury in a challenge with Bolton Wanderers' Paul Robinson on Saturday.
The Trotters defender caught the Frenchman with a tough tackle that forced him to be substituted during the Gunners' 4-1 triumph at the Emirates Stadium.
Manager Arsene Wenger is already without Theo Walcott, Nicklas Bendtner, Aaron Ramsey and Robin van Persie and Diaby's absence comes as a further blow.
He will miss Wednesday's Champions League opener against Braga and he is delighted he will only miss a couple of games with the ankle knock.
"I will miss our first game in the Champions League but to be honest I am lucky to only miss two or three games, I really thought I would be out for a long time," he said.
"Bolton is a very physical team and to be honest the tackle was a strong one, but it is Premier League football, people are committed, so it is fine for me.
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"I hope the team start the Champions League with a victory, the first game in any competition is always very important."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
Paul Ince has urged Manchester United to move into the transfer market in January, as injuries take hold at Old Trafford. Sir Alex Ferguson has lost Darren Fletcher and Nemanja Vidic for the season in the past week, on top of other long term injuries like Anderson, Rafael and Javier Hernandez.
Elsewhere in the news Luis Suarez’s D-day is fast approaching; Sunderland unable to recall Gyan, while Ashley Cole did not start the fracas at Stamford Bridge.
News
Ashley Cole did not start fracas
Suarez D-day fast approaching
Gyan move ruled out for Sunderland
McCarthy insists Wolves star is not for sale
Manchester United urged to buy in January
Liverpool and Chelsea hopes dashed as Barca rule out sale
Spurs rule out Tevez move as Berlusconi calls on Carlos to choose prestige
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Transfer Talk
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Chelsea keeping tabs on £30m Real ace Higuain as AVB faces striker shortage – Daily Mail
Wolfsburg plot January swoop for Arsenal midfielder – Mirror
Barca strike back over Oriol claim – Sun
Corluka agent admits Spurs defender could make Roma move – TalkSport
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Inter on the Paul as Italian giants court Manchester United youngster Pogba – Daily Mail
Melbourne Victory resuscitated their AFC Champions League hopes with a remarkable 2-1 win over Tianjin Teda on Wednesday.The home side scored two goals in three minutes on the stroke of halftime to secure their first win in Group E and provide interim coach Mehmet Durakovic with his maiden success.
It was a result Durakovic will look back on fondly after Victory trailed 1-0 following Chen Tao’s fantastic solo effort for the Chinese visitors on 37 minutes.
Just seven minutes later Victory dragged themselves back into the contest through a slice of Carlos Hernandez brilliance.
The Costa Rican’s hopeful 35-yard free kick attempt turned into something more substantial when it evaded Tianjin goalkeeper Zhao Yanming into the net.
But much of the credit for the goal must go to Victory captain Adrian Leijer, whose run for the ball caused the Chinese stopper to hesitate at the crucial moment.
Two minutes later, Victory was a goal up after Kevin Muscat slotted home from the penalty spot for his third goal of the campaign.
Muscat was presented with the chance when the lively Kruse was bodychecked by visiting captain Cao Yang inside the box following Archie Thompson’s through ball.
It was redemption for Muscat, who was the guilty offender in the build-up to Tianjin Teda’s goal.
The experienced defender was dispossessed by Chen Tao, who went on a mazy run before unleashing a shot past a despairing Tando Velaphi in the Victory goal.
While the second-half didn’t produce any goals, there was no shortage of entertainment for the 5,683 crowd.
Isaka Cernak spurned Victory’s best chance to kill off the Chinese visitors just four minutes into the second half.
The former North Queensland Fury man was played in by a lovely Kruse cross, but somehow blazed his shot over the top of an empty net when it seemed easier to score.
Speaking of Kruse, the Socceroo international was stretchered off in the dying moments with a suspected knee injury.
Tianjin had the better of the second-half opportunities, particularly late on as they enjoyed a man advantage following Surat Sukha’s 82nd minute dismissal for a second bookable offence.
While they remain bottom of Group E with four points, Victory trails Tianjin by three points following Gamba Osaka’s win over Jeju United.
Gamba triumphed 3-1 over the visiting South Korean side thanks mostly to a brace from Brazilian striker Adriano, who jumped ship from city rivals Cerezo Osaka in the January transfer window.
In Group A, Sepahan’s run of three straight wins came to an end with a 1-0 loss at Al Gharafa, sparked by Ivorian striker Amara Diane’s 19th-minute winner.
Their loss allowed Al Hilal to join them on nine points at the top of the table with a thrilling 3-2 win at Al Jazira.
The hosts led 2-0 at the half-time break following goals from Ali Makbhout and Abdullah Qasem, but Al Hilal rocketed back into the game with a brace to Yasser Al Qahtani and a late winner from Romanian Mirel Radoi.
Shandong Luneng edged closer to progression from Group G with a 5-0 thrashing of Arema Indonesia, one that sees them leap into second on the table ahead of Cerezo Osaka.
Cerezo goalkeeper Kim Jin-Hyeon failed to account for Lee Dong-Gook’s 77th-minute strike as group leaders Jeonbuk Motors ran out 1-0 winners.
Finally, bottom-placed Group C club Piroozi Athletic are all but eliminated following a 3-1 loss at home to Bunyodkor.
Striker Marc-Antoine Fortune is happy to be back at West Bromwich Albion, but insists that he does not regret trying his luck at Celtic.
The 29-year-old spent the second half of the 2008-09 season on loan at The Hawthorns, before opting to join the Bhoys just over a year ago.
However, Fortune returned south of the border before the transfer window slammed shut at the end of last month and is looking forward to a second chance to impress with the Baggies.
He told the Birmingham Mail:"Was I close to staying? We talked at the time but we couldn't find a solution and there were some Premier League clubs and also Celtic, who came in for me.
"I'm a footballer, I like a challenge and went to Celtic, but I never regretted it.
"Celtic were a big club and I played well up there, though I'm glad to come to West Brom.
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"It's good to be back. I had a good time here, with some good memories."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
Another year has passed, and as always football gave us a bit of everything. Sexism, racism, brilliant games, terrible games, and of course The Big Sam on Twitter. It really did have it all.
It was the year of the World Cup fiasco and as always it was the year of Sepp Blatter. The guy who seems to employ the same PR company as Liverpool football club was at it again, batting away accusations of corruption due to the overreaction to the entirely sensible decision to award the World Cup to a country situated in the desert where it’s too hot to go outside much of the year. But don’t worry, FIFA have thought of that. The games will be run over four quarters, in air-conditioned stadiums. In January. The world also reeled from allegations of corruption that went right to the top of FIFA. Other shocking news to emerge was that cats like milk and that night follows day.
Dollops of sexism were the order of the day over at Sky Sports as Richard Keys and Andy Gray fell on their swords, and who can say they have been missed? A female lineswoman was all it took (plus Jamie Redknapp’s sex life) to bring out their true feelings, and off to Talksport they went. Gary Neville made matters worse by annoying Manchester City and Liverpool fans alike by being quite good at punditry and talking in a fair and balanced way. Strange days.
Elsewhere, “my word” said Ray Wilkins. A lot. Sky’s newest co-commentator seemed at peace with the world, seeing joy from a pinged cross into row F, or a slice past the far post, the antithesis of the miserable, joyless Alan Green. Most of the time he wasn’t saying my word he seemed to rely on two other words, namely “young man”. Mine were slightly different. Shut. And up.
There were great games aplenty too of course.
The current season started in an orgy of goals, as on the same day Manchester City won 5-1 at Spurs before neighbours United beat Arsenal 8-2. And then of course City went to Old Trafford and left with a staggering 6-1 victory.
The previous season, we were treated to Newcastle United 4 Arsenal 4 in February – a four-goal comeback from Newcastle, four down in 26 minutes, capped by Cheick Tioté’s equaliser on 87 minutes with Arsenal down to 10 men. Another great game was Tottenham 3 Arsenal 3 in April, with a 5-goal flurry in the 1st half.
Manchester United claimed their 19th league title, sending Liverpool fans into despair. The Champions League was one step too far though as Barcelona showed their class in defeating United comfortably in the final. It was their year once more, as the debate raged as to whether they are the greatest club side of all. Little doubt that Lionel Messi is the greatest player in the world at the moment, though Cristiano Ronaldo’s scoring record continued to reach the stratosphere.
Back in England though, and Manchester City ended a generation of hurt as the blue moon rose with their first trophy in 35 years, a 1-0 victory over Stoke bringing home the FA Cup. Arsenal couldn’t end their barren run, managing to lose the Carling Cup Final to Birmingham, who proceeded to celebrate by getting relegated.
Chelsea had new blood in charge yet again, and it’s been a difficult few months for Andre Villas-Boas. Already out of the title race by Christmas, expect them to react by spending big in the January transfer window. The question is, will Roman Abramovich’s twitchy finger press down on the red button, or will Villas-Boas get longer to force through a revolution? Only time will tell.
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Mario Balotelli spent 2011 on a one-man mission to keep the front and back pages of the newspapers full. When he wasn’t visiting womens’ prisons, he was crashing his car, throwing darts out of windows, burning his house down with fireworks, dumping glamour models, driving round Manchester high-fiving City fans post Derby-wins (in a blue Santa suit), giving money to homeless people, paying for homeless people to stay in the Hilton, handing in bullies to school headmasters and amassing a fine collection of parking tickets (some of these stories may be made up). He wasn’t too bad on the pitch either. Ashley Cole tried to compete, but settled for shooting a student.
A good year too for Harry Redknapp, which will be followed by an uncertain 2012. A storming run in their debut Champions League season has been followed by an excellent first half of the 2011/12 season. Currently the top dogs in London, the nailed-on choice for next England manager seems to be having doubts about the job, but let’s not mention that court case on 23rd January for tax evasion eh?
It wasn’t good for everyone though, with another year for flops. Everywhere you looked, footballers were flopping. The main flopper was undoubtedly Fernando Torres, who even Tim Howard is now catching in the goal-scoring charts. His £50m move to Chelsea has been a disaster for all involved, but the man brought in to replace him at Liverpool for a cool £35m, Andy Carroll, has fared little better. As I watched him labour round the pitch at the Etihad stadium this week, I almost felt sorry for him.
But sadly it was also the year of racism scandals. The biggest domestically came at the end of the year as Luis Suarez was banned for eight games for racist comments made towards Patrice Evra. The row rumbles on as Liverpool refuse to accept their lot, but with John Terry due in court next month, the topic is going to remain in the news, especially after a crowd incident in Liverpool’s FA Cup match v Oldham Athletic. If only everyone had taken Sepp Blatter’s advice and shaken hands at the end of the match – problem solved!
The end of the year also plunged the world of football into deep shock, as Gary Speed took his own life. It was a story that people struggled to comprehend, a man who seemingly had it all, but it turned out didn’t. A reminder, along with the tragic death of Gary Ablett in the New Year, that it is only a game. It will never be more important than life or death. Never had a disputed penalty or a last minute equalizer seemed less important.
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But the year ended with great promise for the months ahead. Two new teams competing for a Premiership title whilst at the other end the promoted teams hold their own. The race for 4th place and Champions League football will be intense. The Championship as ever is hard to call and full of drama and dollops of great football, as are the lower leagues. Fabio Capello will bow out at the European Championships, and the media will once more build up our chances, before the team crash out at the first knockout stage. There are, as always, some exciting times ahead.
The Red Devils look to be hitting some fine form at the right time of the season as they still have a chance of a successful treble winning season. With the seven point lead at the top of the Premier League, Sir Alex Ferguson’s side will look to increase that lead as Arsenal play on Sunday.
But with the 2nd leg of the Champions League game next week, Fergie could look to rest some players for the Chelsea game. They will be without Wayne Rooney whose hat-trick at West Ham has wrapped up some impressive form of late, but his swearing tirade at the live television cameras has resulted in a two-game ban.
With the likes of Dimitar Berbatov to come into his place, United will still be close to full strength against ex-United player Mark Hughes’ Fulham side.
The Cottagers killed off Blackpool 3-0 last weekend and Hughes will look to get one over his old boss at Old Trafford and secure their Premier League status once and for all. However, with Fulham only winning 1 game away from home all season, three points are probably not going to come at Old Trafford.
Whilst Fulham will be fitter having not played in mid-week, United should still prove to be the stronger side, but without the in-form Rooney pulling the strings, it might not be as convincing.
Match Prediction: Man United 1-0 Fulham
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Man United are 6/1 to win 1-0, while without Rooney, they’re 25/1 to fire a blank against Fulham and City!
Everton manager David Moyes was critical of his side's second-half performance after the 1-1 Premier League draw with Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Tim Cahill opened the scoring for the Toffees in the opening period, but Sylvain Ebanks-Blake's effort ensured the points were shared at Goodison Park and it was a result that Moyes was less than happy with.
"First half we were very good, second half not so good," Moyes said.
"Wolves put us under a lot of pressure in the second half, but I think we had a lot more opportunities to score in the second half."
Moyes refused to criticise referee Lee Mason after Adlene Guedioura's crunching tackle on Johnny Heitinga led to Wolves' equaliser.
Guedioura played Kevin Doyle in down the wing, leaving the Irishman to tee up Ebanks-Blake to slot home and Moyes admitted the decision could have gone either way.
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"Some referees give it, some wouldn't," he added. "I don't want to get rid of tackles, I'm happy with tackles in football."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
As reported by Mundo Deportivo, West Ham United are interested in signing Barcelona defender Marlon this summer.
What’s the story?
After Manuel Pellegrini’s arrival as the new manager at the London Stadium, fans are excited and curious about what steps the club will take in the transfer market over the next few months.
Almost every department of the first team needs addressed with goalkeepers, defenders, midfielders and attackers needed if they are to push on and finish higher in the English Premier League next term.
One player that could arrive at the London Stadium is Barcelona defender Marlon, who has most recently spent a season out on loan at Ligue 1 side Nice.
That’s according to Mundo Deportivo, who say that West Ham are interested in signing the player, with the Catalan giants waiting on a bid, eager to sell.
Rated at £7.2m by Transfermarkt, is he a player the Irons should be moving for this summer?
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Would he be a good signing?
At just 22 years of age, Marlon doesn’t have the most experience in the world, but has over 75 appearances for Fluminense, Barcelona and Nice.
As demonstrated by WhoScored, he is very much a ball-playing defender with a shockingly high 94% pass success rate, making an average of 60 passes a match. That passing accuracy is higher than every player in the West Ham squad, playing almost as many long balls as any of the Irons’ defenders.
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Defensively his average tackles and blocks per game stand up to the West Ham defence and the fact he has less clearances is probably due to the fact he finds a teammate more often than not.
That kind of composure and ability to turn defence into attack quickly and accurately could make him a hit at the London Stadium, but he would need to work on his aerial duels, the number of which won are on average far below most of the West Ham squad.
Improvements needed then, but still young, he can improve in the areas he has a deficit and also has the ability to fill in at right-back, making him a worthy choice for West Ham this summer.
The rivalry between Liverpool and Manchester United is one of the fiercest in football, and it is the latter who has been on top in recent years.
However, former United player Phil Neville thinks that the Red Devils are worried about the threat of the Merseyside outfit this season.
The 40-year-old has suggested that the Red Devils are so concerned about Liverpool that they switched up their January transfer plans.
It has been widely reported that Jose Mourinho will sign Alexis Sanchez from Arsenal in the coming days.
Gunners boss Arsene Wenger all but confirmed the news by telling reporters in a press conference on Thursday that a deal is “likely” to happen.
The arrival of the Chile international is sure to boost United, whose initial eight-point advantage over Liverpool in the Premier League table has since dropped to just three.
While speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live, Neville explained what he thinks has motivated United to get the deal done.
“I would have thought maybe a month ago Alexis Sanchez wouldn’t have come on the radar. All of a sudden, every now and again there comes a signing that you have to make, or if he’s available you have to try and make.
“Sanchez, because of the form of Liverpool in particular, I think it’s maybe hurried up the need for someone to come in and, not secure United’s second place, but actually give them a massive, massive boost. I think United will finish in the top four and in second place but the form of Liverpool must be a worry because they’re playing unbelievable at this moment in time.”
Mourinho’s side currently sit second in the table, 12 points adrift of leaders Manchester City.
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