Barcelona
were sensational as they scored four times to destroy Real Madrid and
put their manager, Rafael Benítez, on the verge of getting the sack
Full-time: Real Madrid 0-4 Barcelona ... it’s all over. The home fans are understandably upset, they have
just seen their side comprehensively dismantled by their fiercest
rivals. They wave their white hankies and whistle loudly – the club try
their best to drown this out by turning the full-time music up to 11. It
was not looking good for Rafa before the match and it is looking pretty
awful right about now. Madrid were poor but Barça, in almost every
position, were sensational. It’s a bit churlish to just pick out one
player for a special mention but Iniesta was great – and deserved his
standing ovation from the home fans – as was Bravo and Suárez. The win
sends the Catalan club six points clear at the top of the league and
it’s hard to see anyone stopping them from reclaiming their title. Here’s Sid Lowe’s match report.
That’s all from me tonight. Thanks for all your emails and Tweets and enjoy the rest of your weekend. Bye!
A celebratory group hug from the Barcelona players.
Then off to acknowledge the Barça fans.
90 +1 mins Busquets hauls down Benzema and is awarded a yellow card but that doesn’t matter ...
That’s a little more than a tug on the shirt. 90 mins We are into the two minutes of time added
on. Before that was flagged up by the assistant referee, a decent header
from Ronaldo forced another smart save from Bravo. The Barça keeper has
been very, very good today.
Smart reactions from Claudio Bravo means he still has a clean sheet 89 mins Benzema finally does something for his side,
with his shot being deflected wide for a corner. That comes to nothing
and Barça attack down the left via a scuttling run from Neymar. He cuts
the ball across the box and Munir, in absolute acres inside the box,
somehow manages to send his left-footed shot wide. Piqué – of all
players – was behind him and was furious that Munir did not let it run
for him.
LONDON:
World Player of the Year Cristiano Ronaldo is not clever enough to
become FIFA president one day in the future, he told Reuters on Monday.
The Real Madrid and Portugal forward was in London to attend the
opening of his film 'Ronaldo' along with Alex Ferguson, the former
manager of his old club Manchester United.
"The people who really know me, they are not going to be surprised about the movie," Ronaldo told Reuters.
Real's leading goal-scorer said he had no desire to move into a career
in football administration, particularly the role of president of
governing body FIFA which will be decided in February following huge
controversy over incumbent Sepp Blatter.
"I'm not that smart to be president. I do not worry about that or about what is going to happen in my future," Ronaldo said.
"I think I'm still able to play a few more years of football but in the
future I have other projects that will be more interesting than being
president."
The film, made by the team behind documentaries on racing driver Ayrton
Senna and singer Amy Winehouse, looks at Ronaldo's professional career
and dwells on tender moments with his young son.
"You have a chance to see the real Cristiano," Ronaldo's agent Jorge Mendes said.
Ronaldo, 30, is captain of Portugal who last month secured their place in next year's European Championship in France.
"I will help the team and I will give my best like always and let's see
what happens," he said. "I am looking forward to that."
Wenger reveals why he has been reluctant to spend big.
Arsene Wenger is no stranger to criticism, especially when it comes to his reluctance to delve into the transfer market.
The ‘Arsene Out’ section of the fanbase, led by Piers Morgan, has
tried – and failed – to have the Premier League’s longest-serving
manager axed in the past due to his failure to secure a big-money
striker during the transfer window.
Karim Benzema is the name repeatedly linked with Arsenal when the two
allotted shopping windows are open and every year it fails to
materialise.
A summer of disappointment led to Swansea being the only Premier
League club to spend less than Arsenal during the transfer window.
But for Wenger money is not everything. In a situation where some
managers may feel obliged to splash the cash, Wenger proudly admits that
his lack of spending is down to his pure love for the north London
club:
‘I’ll give myself merit for one thing: I’ve always treated Arsenal as if it belonged to me,’ Wenger told the Mirror. Wenger was recently voted October’s Manager of the Month. (Picture: Action Images/Reuters)
‘I have sometimes been criticised for it — because I am not enough of a spender, not carefree enough.
‘I credit myself for having had the courage to apply my ideas and
fight for them. Aside from that, I can understand why people might not
agree,’ he added.
The Arsenal manager also discussed what spurs him on, what defiantly wills him on to yet another Premier League campaign:
‘My great pride will be to be able to say the day that I leave, that I
am leaving behind a good team, a healthy situation and a club capable
of performing in the future,’ he said.
‘I could have said to myself: “I am here for four or five years, we
win everything.” [Then] I leave and leave the club on the verge of
bankruptcy. For me, consistency at the highest level is the true sign of
great clubs.’
Go on Wayne! (Picture: WWE)
Last time Wayne Rooney was involved in a fight, he ended up on the floor of his kitchen.
But things seem to have gone better for the Manchester United captain
this time around – after he landed one on WWE star Wade Barrett at a
WWE Raw event in Manchester.
Nine months ago, Barrett called Rooney out for diving, and the
wrestler went for the England skipper again on Monday evening by saying
he didn’t want to embarrass him in front of his son – before adding that
Rooney does that himself every time he steps on the pitch.
It’s difficult to tell if this is staged or not, but given that WWE is definitely, 100% real, we’re guessing Rooney meant it…
Got a mean swing on him too…
The Spaniard's overly physical approach was matched by Stoke City as
Jose Mourinho suffered his seventh Premier League defeat of the season
It took less than five minutes for Diego Costa to endear himself to the
Stoke City faithful, with the Spain striker aiming a petulant kick at
Ryan Shawcross after winning a corner. But as has been his way this
season, it was again his goading rather than his goals that was most
prevalent at the Britannia Stadium.
Chelsea’s defensive issues
have been laid bare throughout the campaign, and were again on
Staffordshire as Marko Arnautovic was left free to volley in the winner
for the home side, but it is at the other end of the pitch where their
main problem lies.
Costa was a revelation in his first year at
Stamford Bridge, a powerful forward with unerring finishing ability that
offered a neat contrast to the other outstanding striker in the
division – Sergio Aguero – in his maiden campaign.
All
that is a distant memory now. Instead it seems Costa is being deployed
as a player to unsettle defences rather than unlock them. That may be
Mourinho’s plan for certain matches – see the victory over Arsenal as a
prime example – but it is a flawed one. If Chelsea are to get out of
this mess they first need to work out a way to get their star striker
firing.
In previous weeks those playing directly behind Costa
could have shouldered a decent proportion of the blame, but at Stoke
that was far from the case. The recalled Eden Hazard and – to a lesser
extent – Pedro did enough to suggest they should be given further
run-outs after the international break while Willian remains the one
player in Mourinho’s squad to have shown improvement this term.
But
ahead of them Costa lacks the movement or pace to really hurt defences
as he did for both Chelsea and Atletico Madrid in previous years. Last
season, he seemed to relish the idea of proving those centre-backs who
reacted to his antics that he was more than just a nuisance. Now many
are prepared for his aggressive style and are more inclined to brush it
off and concentrate on defending.
His
attempted runs lack any real direction, and with his history of
hamstring injuries inhibiting him, he has become a far easier man to
mark from open-play. His prowess in the air remains, but at present it
is his only redeeming feature.
His only effort of note at the
Britannia came about when he showed something of the old Costa in
dragging Phillipp Wollscheid wide before striking a shot towards bottom
corner. Unfortunately for him, he came up against a goalkeeper in Jack
Butland, who - along with Petr Cech and David de Gea – the most in-form
goalkeeper the league has to offer.
By the second half, however,
he proved to be a mere passenger in Chelsea’s push for an equaliser, and
had to turn to diving when looking to get past Shawcross and arguing
with both centre-backs in a bid to halt their concentration. It did not
come close to working.
There are a number of players who will
have to take long looks at themselves should Roman Abramovich’s patience
run out with Mourinho and his side’s poor results, with very few
members of the squad having covered themselves in anything close to
glory in the opening months of the season.
But Costa is far more
at fault than most. He is becoming public enemy number one and his
goalscoring exploits of last season are a mere memory. It is time for
him to step up before this Chelsea side inexplicably finds itself
entrenched in a relegation battle no one saw coming.
Abu Dhabi - In
the latest twist of one of boxing's longest-running sagas, Manny
Pacquiao says he wants another crack at Floyd Mayweather before he quits
the ring.
Although Mayweather has
already hung up his gloves, with a 49-0 unbeaten record, this hasn't
stopped his Filipino rival of dreaming of a rematch of the most
lucrative bout in boxing history.
The
36-year-old is hoping for one more fight before he ends his
distinguished career, having been a champion in eight weight divisions,
and he insisted that Mayweather could be his opponent.
Pacquiao's
trainer Freddie Roach suggested this week there may be a repeat of
May's long-awaited mega-millions encounter, but Mayweather has made it
clear on several occasions that he has finished with boxing, and has no
intention of beating Rocky Marciano's record.
"Of course we hear from him many times that he has retired. It's not new for him," Pacquiao said of the American.
He
was dogged by a shoulder problem when he took on Mayweather in Las
Vegas, where he lost unanimously on points to give him a career record
of 57 wins, six defeats and two draws.
Pacquiao said he hoped to announce his next opponent "late next month."
Newcastle
United's Vurnon Anita, left, and AFC Bournemouth's Dan Gosling battle
for the ball during the English Premier League soccer match at the
Vitality Stadium, Bournemouth, England, Saturday Nov. 7, 2015. (John
Walton/PA via AP) UNITED KINGDOM OUT NO SALES NO ARCHIVE
LONDON
- Defending champion Chelsea and absent manager Jose Mourinho returned
to unwanted crisis after the troubled giants lost 1-0 at Stoke in the
English Premier League on Saturday.
Chelsea's third straight
league defeat — its seventh in 12 matches — placed the preseason
favourite 16th in the standings, just three points above the previously
unthinkable relegation zone.
Mourinho missed the away game after
receiving a stadium ban for his behaviour toward match officials in a
2-1 defeat at West Ham in October.
Also, Manchester United ended
its Premier League scoring drought with a 2-0 win over West Bromwich
Albion, while Leicester striker Jamie Vardy scored for the ninth
straight league match in a 2-1 victory against Watford. Newcastle,
meanwhile, moved out of the relegation zone following a 1-0 away win
against Bournemouth.
After a fiercely fought first half, Mark
Hughes' Stoke broke the deadlock when Marko Arnautovic scored with an
acrobatic effort in the 53rd minute.
Chelsea poured forward in
search of an equalizer, and Pedro was denied when his left-footed shot
cannoned back off the post with goalkeeper Jack Butland beaten.
Ultimately,
Chelsea failed to build on renewed optimism following the Champions
League 2-1 win against Dynamo Kyiv midweek, despite Mourinho's name
being frequently chanted by loyal Blues fans at Britannia Stadium.
At
Old Trafford, Jesse Lingard broke the deadlock with his first goal in
United colours, curling an effort beyond West Brom goalkeeper Boaz
Myhill within minutes of the restart.
"I give every player a
chance - always. When you are in my squad I will give you a chance. He
grabbed it with both hands," manager Louis van Gaal said of his scorer.
United
doubled its lead in second-half stoppage time from the penalty spot
after Anthony Martial was felled by Gareth McAuley. The West Brom
defender was shown a straight red card and Juan Mata converted the
resulting spot kick.
The win ended a run of goalless draws for
United after failing to score against Crystal Palace and city rivals Man
City in its last two domestic outings.
Foxes forward Vardy showed
his predatory instincts after netting his 12th goal of the campaign
from the spot to double his side's lead, after Ngolo Kante gave
Leicester the early advantage. Troy Deeney's penalty reduced the deficit
but the home side held on to move up to third in the table.
Vardy
needs to score in one more game to equal Ruud Van Nistelrooy's 12-year
record. The former Manchester United striker set the Premier League
record in 2003, with 10 goals in as many games.
Newcastle
goalkeeper Rob Elliot proved to be Bournemouth's nemesis with saves
throughout. Forward Ayoze Perez gave Newcastle the lead against the run
of play with the half-hour mark fast approaching. He collected Georginio
Wiljnaldum's pass before a strike that bobbled under Adam Federici.
West
Ham was punished by a familiar face, as Everton striker Romelu Lukaku
scored the leveler for the Toffees to cancel out Manuel Lanzini's fine
opener.
Lukaku's goal was his seventh in his last seven appearances against the Hammers.
Elsewhere, there were narrow 1-0 victories for Norwich and Southampton.
Midfielder
Jonny Howson scored his first goal of the season as the Canaries beat
Swansea to end a miserable run at home that had seen it win just once
and lose six of its last eight home games.
Meanwhile, Dusan Tadic's second-half penalty lifted Southampton into seventh while keeping Sunderland in the bottom three.
Ikiwa bado siku kama 60 kuweza kufikia January ya mwaka 2016 wakati
ambao vilabu kadhaa barani Ulaya vitakuwa vikihusishwa kusajili
wachezaji kutokana na kuwa ni wakati ambao dirisha dogo la usajili
litakuwa limefunguliwa, klabu ya Liverpool ya Uingereza tayari imeanza
kunyemelea huduma ya mshambuliaji wa kibrazil Alexandre Pato. Alexandre
Pato ambaye amewahi kuchezea klabu ya AC Milan ya […]
The post Rais wa Corinthians athibitisha Alexandre Pato kuwa sokoni, hii ndio klabu ya Uingereza inayotajwa kumsajili… appeared first on TZA_MillardAyo.
Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo is tired of comparisons
with Barcelona rival Lionel Messi and understands why some people must
dislike his personality or the ways he sees football. Speaking ahead of the release of his personal film
"Ronaldo", the FIFA World Player of the Year told Reuters TV that he is
"not a fake person."
"I have my style, he has his style, his own style," he said of Messi,
his greatest rival. "We have to respect that people compare all the
time. And it is normal, we are compared since we are babies, I
don´t mean me and Messi but all the persons in school. Who is more
clever, who is more fast, it´s normal, it´s part of the life.
"It does not surprise me any more but some times it makes
me tired because it´s always same thing and they still repeat and
repeat, one year, another year, every year."
Critics say the Portugal forward's celebrations sometimes have an air of
arrogance or egoism about them. Added to the fact that Ronaldo is never
shy to show his
muscles or make defiant gestures after scoring. He startled the audience
at this year's World Player of the Year award by bellowing "Sim" (yes)
into the microphone after he was announced as the Balloon d'or 2014
winner.
Asked why people may dislike him, Ronaldo said:
"Maybe the
way I am, my personality, the way I see football. I´m not a fake person.
It´s normal, it´s part of the business. No one can control that,"
Ronaldo's film, due to be released on Nov 9, depicts the striker as a family man and shows how he lives on and off the pitch.
In a separate interview with the BBC, Ronaldo described himself as "unbelievable on the pitch."
"I don't need to say 'I'm in the history of football, I'm a legend'. The numbers say everything," he said.
"I have to say to be in my shoes is not easy. But I'm not
complaining. I just want to say that. I feel happy. All this happens
because of a reason. The reason is I'm unbelievable inside the pitch."
"This is why the people have so much interest on me. So
it's as simple as that. I'm good, I'm happy, I'm motivated all the time.
I'm very professional and I want to carry on like that."
More details are coming out in the Karim Benzema-Mathieu Valbuena sextape blackmail case, and the details are salacious.
To recap, after going into custody on Wednesday, the 28-year-old Real Madrid was kept in jail overnight, and on Thursday he was charged with involvement in the blackmail saga.
As reported byEurosport via the AFP, one source has made the following claims to the news agency:
Karim Benzema has recognised that he intervened with Valbuena at the request of a childhood friend approached by three crooks who had a sextape in their possession.
He said that he agreed with a childhood friend about what he would say in order that his team-mate would negotiate exclusively with him.
Benzema also stands accused of having discussed the matter with his international teammate Valbuena in October when France met up for matches against Armenia and Denmark.
Full-time: Real Madrid 0-4 Barcelona ... it’s all over. The home fans are understandably upset, they have
just seen their side comprehensively dismantled by their fiercest
rivals. They wave their white hankies and whistle loudly – the club try
their best to drown this out by turning the full-time music up to 11. It
was not looking good for Rafa before the match and it is looking pretty
awful right about now. Madrid were poor but Barça, in almost every
position, were sensational. It’s a bit churlish to just pick out one
player for a special mention but Iniesta was great – and deserved his
standing ovation from the home fans – as was Bravo and Suárez. The win
sends the Catalan club six points clear at the top of the league and
it’s hard to see anyone stopping them from reclaiming their title.
A celebratory group hug from the Barcelona players.
That’s a little more than a tug on the shirt. 90 mins We are into the two minutes of time added
on. Before that was flagged up by the assistant referee, a decent header
from Ronaldo forced another smart save from Bravo. The Barça keeper has
been very, very good today.
Smart reactions from Claudio Bravo means he still has a clean sheet 89 mins Benzema finally does something for his side,
with his shot being deflected wide for a corner. That comes to nothing
and Barça attack down the left via a scuttling run from Neymar. He cuts
the ball across the box and Munir, in absolute acres inside the box,
somehow manages to send his left-footed shot wide. Piqué – of all
players – was behind him and was furious that Munir did not let it run
for him.
![Karim Benzema was recorded on a phone call saying hed make Mathieu Valbuena pay for the sextape [M6]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_tutwG8T8EzhadEo5zB0ZqHOrX78sKNY6urM2cv06dC1oydI7jUp2uW3IG7Ln9gxnXqOXUCkUcPPrWjiBwq12ya1F7y5xy9NKehIKFpueYHoIedL0dpJoD1GNCv4GsDG_GlNn23itcA=s0-d "Karim Benzema was recorded on a phone call saying hed make Mathieu Valbuena pay for the sextape [M6]")
