csconstantine.com

* Bayern demolish relegated St Pauli 8-1

* Gomez scores hat trick, Ribery, Robben strike twice each

(adds quotes)

BERLIN, May 7 (Reuters) - Mario Gomez hit a hat-trick as Bayern Munich sealed a spot in next season’s Champions League qualifying round with an 8-1 rout of St Pauli on Saturday which sent the Bundesliga’s bottom club back to the second division.

Leverkusen's Sami Hyypiae,…
AP - Apr 23, 10:42 am EDT

Bundesliga top scorer Gomez took his league goal tally to 27 and Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben scored twice each as Bayern moved up to 62 points, three behind second-placed Bayer Leverkusen who drew 1-1 with Hamburg SV.

Bayern can still finish second to book an automatic group stage spot with a win next week if Leverkusen lose, due to a far better goal difference.

The top two Bundesliga teams gain automatic qualification for the Champions League group stage while the third team will play a qualifying round.

“We can enjoy our third place now,” said interim coach Andries Jonker. “Maybe we will even get the chance to finish higher.”

Fourth-placed Hanover 96 will have to settle for a Europa League spot after losing 2-1 at VfB Stuttgart to drop five points behind Bayern. Mainz 05 will also play in Europe, clinching fifth place with a fine 3-1 win at Schalke 04.

Champions Borussia Dortmund, who secured the title last week, sobered up with a 2-0 defeat to Werder Bremen, who made sure of their Bundesliga spot for next season after climbing to safety and 12th place on 41 points.

Borussia Moenchengladbach scored twice in the final minutes to beat Freiburg by the same score for their third straight win and keep their hopes of staying up alive after moving into the relegation playoff spot.

Eintracht Frankfurt dropped to 17th place following their 2-0 defeat to visitors Cologne with some 150 angry Frankfurt supporters storming briefly onto the pitch at the end of the game and police using tear gas to contain them and keep them away from players and coaching staff.

NO MERCY

Bayern knew they would find little resistance against injury-plagued St Pauli with their coach Holger Stanislawski making his last home appearance at the Millerntor stadium after 18 years as player, vice president and coach to join Hoffenheim.

The Bavarians, however, showed no mercy, taking full advantage of their opponents’ defensive blunders to take a 2-0 lead into the break. Gomez grabbed his second, again from close range seven minutes after the restart, and Dutchman Robben added another two minutes later to put the game beyond the hosts, their relegation fate sealed after about an hour.

Bayern struck another three times in six minutes late in the second half with Robben’s well-struck 12-metre header from a Ribery cross, Gomez and Ribery himself to ensure St Pauli’s highest Bundesliga home defeat.

Leverkusen coach Jupp Heynckes, who will join Bayern at the end of the season, saw his team fall a goal behind after just two minutes when Heiko Westermann tucked it in from close range.

With their automatic Champions League qualification suddenly on the line and “Heynckes out” chants growing louder, Stefan Kiessling rescued a point when he failed to connect fully with a cross inside the box but still wrong-footed Hamburg goalkeeper Frank Rost.

“The early goal rattled us and we did not work well as a team,” said Heynckes.. “Against Freiburg (next week) we will be a completely different team. We have been second for a long time this season and we will still be there after the last game.”

(Writing by Karolos Grohmann, editing by John Mehaffey and Pritha Sarkar; To query or comment on this story email sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)

Agences de presses

Labels: Bayern, champions, league, Qualifying, Reuters

March 1 (Reuters) - English Premier League fixtures (timesGMT).Playing on Tuesday Chelsea v Manchester United (1945)Playing on Saturday Birmingham City v West Bromwich Albion (1245) Arsenal v Sunderland (1500) Bolton Wanderers v Aston Villa (1500) Fulham v Blackburn Rovers (1500) Newcastle United v Everton (1500) West Ham United v Stoke City (1500) Manchester City v Wigan Athletic (1730)Playing on Sunday Liverpool v Manchester United (1330) Wolverhampton Wanderers v Tottenham Hotspur (1600)Playing on Monday Blackpool v Chelsea (2000)(Compiled by Infostrada Sports; Editing by Toby Davis)


Agences de presses

Labels: English, fixtures, league, PREMIER, Reuters

WEMBLEY, England (AP)—Obafemi Martins scored in 89th minute winner after a blunder by goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny and Laurent Koscielny, giving Birmingham a 2-1 victory over Arsenal in the League Cup final for its first trophy since 1963.

Szczesny and Koscielny both went to stop Nikola Zigic’s header in the penalty area and the ball landed at the feet of Martin, who slid it into the net.

“I think it was my second touch,” said Martins, who joined Birmingham on a six-month loan from the Russian club Rubin Kazan last month. “I think this is the easiest goal I’ve ever scored in my career.”

Zigic, at 6-foot-8 the Premier League’s tallest player, had put Birmingham in front with a header in the 28th minute. Robin van Persie of Arsenal evened it 11 minutes later with a volley.

Birmingham won the 1963 League Cup final. Its victory Sunday left Arsenal searching for its first trophy since the 2005 FA Cup.

Birmingham is battling relegation from the Premier League, two points above the drop zone. Arsenal is second behind Manchester United.

“It’s an achievement when you consider who we were up against,” Birmingham manager Alex McLeish said. “We weren’t given a prayer by the pundits and the bookies but we believed today. It was a titanic performance by the players.”

Arsenal has lost three finals since 2005. That lack of success, manager Arsene Wenger said before the match, had placed “a weight on the team.” Wenger hoped the final would show how far his club has matured, but Arsenal was sluggish and struggled to impose itself.

Agences de presses

Labels: Arsenal, beats, Birmingham, final, league

SINGAPORE, Feb 27 (Reuters) - Singapore’s soccer federation understands the financial motivation behind national captain Shahril Ishak and defender Baihakki Khaizan’s decision to play in the breakaway Indonesian league, despite the possibility both could be banned from international duty.

The Indonesian Premier League (LPI) is an independent professional league launched last month without recognition from world governing body FIFA or the Football Association of Indonesia (PSSI), which has banned LPI players from representing their national team.

Ishak and Khaizan resigned from their PSSI-supported Indonesia Super League team Persib Bandung to join Medan Chiefs.

Zainudin Nordin, president of the Football Association of Singapore (FAS), said he understood the players’ desire to maximise their earnings in what could be short careers but their decision came with risks.

“Both players have opted to play in a league which is not sanctioned by the country’s football association,” he said in a statement on Sunday.

“Depending on FIFA’s ruling on the issue, Shahril and Baihakki may find themselves disqualified from playing for Singapore and possibly FIFA-sanctioned Leagues for a significant period of time.

“It would have been an ideal situation if the high salaries are paid by a club properly sanctioned by the Football Association of Indonesia.”

The 19-team LPI, which includes three sides who switched from the ISL, is the brainchild of oil tycoon Arifin Panigoro. It is aimed at improving the level of the game in the country ranked 129th by FIFA and is backed by the country’s sports minister.

The Singapore duo will become the latest names to join the league which has been on a high-profile recruitment drive following the capture of once-capped England international Lee Hendrie last month.

(Writing by Peter Rutherford; Editing by John O’Brien; To query or comment on this story email sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)

Please double-click on the newslink:

for more soccer stories

Agences de presses

Labels: Indonesia, league, rebel, Reuters, Singapore, understands

LONDON (AP)—Javier Hernandez scored twice in a 4-0 victory at Wigan on Saturday, helping first-place Manchester United restore a four-point lead over Arsenal in the Premier League.

The Mexico striker scored off Nani’s low cross after 17 minutes and took a pass from Wayne Rooney in the 74th for his 12th goal of the season. Late goals by Rooney and Fabio da Silva completed the rout.

United now awaits important games against Chelsea and Liverpool.

“To win 4-0 away from home at a place like Wigan is very good. … It’s an acid test going to Chelsea and Liverpool,” United manager Alex Ferguson said.

United has played the same number of games as the rest of the top four. Second-place Arsenal plays in the League Cup final against Birmingham on Sunday when Manchester City hosts Fulham in the league.

Tottenham and Chelsea, who are fourth and fifth, have the weekend off because they were to play the League Cup finalists.

In the race against relegation, Wolverhampton climbed out of last place and the drop zone with a 4-0 victory over Blackpool. The match was overshadowed by the death of former Wolves and Tottenham defender Dean Richards at 36 on Saturday. Richards, who played for the Wolves between 1995 and 2001, died after a long illness.

Victories for Aston Villa and Everton put them five points further ahead of the relegation zone. Villa beat Blackburn 4-1 and Everton defeated Sunderland 2-0. Wigan is now only being kept off the bottom by West Ham, which is two points behind and hosts Liverpool on Sunday.

MADRID (AP)—Lionel Messi scored on a rare header, and Barcelona won 3-0 at Mallorca to open a seven-point lead over second-place Real Madrid in the Spanish league despite missing four regulars.

Barcelona has 68 points and Real Madrid has 61 following a 0-0 draw at Deportivo La Coruna.

Mesi looped the ball over goalkeeper Dudu Aouate in the 38th minute. Messi leads the league with 26 goals, two more than Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo. Of Messi’s 169 goals for Barcelona, this was just his seventh on a header.

David Villa scored in the 57th and Pedro Rodriguez in the 66th. The three Barcelona forwards have combined for 82 goals this season, with Villa and Pedro scoring 20 apiece.

Barcelona was missing midfielder Xavi Hernandez, defender Carles Puyol and goalkeeper Victor Valdes because of injuries and right back Daniel Alves because of yellow card accumulation.

ROME (AP)—Bologna won 2-0 at Juventus in the Italian league behind goals by Marco Di Vaio in the 49th and 66th minutes.

Bologna is 11th with 35 points, while Juventus is seventh with 41 following its second loss in seven days.

First-place AC Milan, which has 55 points, hosts second-place Napoli, which has 52, on Monday. Third-place Inter (50) is at Sampdoria on Sunday.

BERLIN (AP)—Lukas Podolski scored a late goal, giving Cologne a 1-0 win over Freiburg in the Bundesliga. Cologne has won five in a row at home and moves up to 11th place.

Podolski lifted the ball over Oliver Baumann for his 12th goal of season.

Christian Schulz scored in the last minute for Hannover, which won 1-0 at St. Pauli. Hannover moved into third place, but can be overtaken if Bayern Munich beats first-place Borussia Dortmund in the late game.

Mainz won 2-1 at Hoffenheim, Kaiserslautern drew 1-1 with Hamburger SV, and Raul Gonzalez equalized to earn Schalke a 1-1 draw at home to Nuremberg.

PARIS (AP)—Rennes beat Lens 2-0 for its fourth straight win and moved into first place in the French league.

Razak Boukari put Rennes ahead with a powerful shot into the top corner of the net in the 14th minute. Victor Hugo Montano added a second goal in the 70th, beating the offside trap to collect a pass from Jerome Leroy and score with a low shot.

GLASGOW, Scotland (AP)—Hearts was held to a 0-0 draw at Aberdeen, squandering a chance to take second place in the Scottish Premier League.

Hearts is a point behind Rangers, which plays St. Johnstone on Sunday in the first of three games in hand over the third-place club.

First-place Celtic goes to Motherwell on Sunday, eight points ahead of Rangers. Celetic has played two more matches than its Glasgow rival.

Hibernian beat Inverness 2-0 for its fourth straight league win but remains 10th in the 12-team league.

Agences de presses

Labels: defeats, league, PREMIER, United, Wigan

MANCHESTER, England (AP)—Edin Dzeko’s first-half double helped Manchester City to a 3-0 win over Aris, easing the big-spending English club into the last 16 of the Europa League on Thursday.

The January transfer-window signing from Wolfsburg scored in the seventh and 12th minutes of the last-32 second leg to put City 2-0 up on aggregate.

Ivory Coast midfielder Yaya Toure added the third after the break to complete a comfortable home victory.

City, one of the favorites to win Europe’s second-tier competition this season, will play Ukrainian giant Dynamo Kiev in the second knockout round.

City had around 100 million pounds ($161 million) of attacking talent on show at Eastlands, with Dzeko selected alongside Carlos Tevez and Mario Balotelli in an exciting three-pronged forward line.

The trio had too much movement for the Aris defense, although a basic mistake by center back Nikolaos Lazaridis contributed to Dzeko’s opener.

Lazaridis’ miscontrol 40 meters away from his own goal was pounced on by the Bosnia striker, who ran through before drilling a low, angled finish into the far corner.

Dzeko’s second came when he collected a pass from Tevez, cut inside and curled a low shot into the corner from just inside the area.

Dzeko was denied a hat trick when he ran onto a slick throughball by David Silva but was foiled by goalkeeper Michalis Sifakis as he attempted to dribble the ball into the net.

Balotelli struck a shot against the post early in the second half but Toure wrapped up the victory in the 76th with a 25-meter drive that took a slight deflection into the bottom corner.

The only negative on the night for City was an injury to center back Vincent Kompany, who came off in the first half with a hip complaint.

Agences de presses

Labels: eases, Europa, league

Premier League side Liverpool have been struggling to find their best form this season and winning the domestic league title is almost mathematically impossible for manager Kenny Dalglish and his men. Additionally, they are already eliminated from both the FA Cup and the League Cup.

Liverpool still have a chance of lifting a trophy at the end of the season though as they are still in the Europa League, and defender Martin Skrtel is eager to do just that.

"In the last few weeks we've got some good results and that was really important for us, for the players and the club. We just hope we carry on," Skrtel was quoted as saying on the official UEFA website.

"The Europa League is nice for us and a great chance to win a trophy this season. We all have to give our best for a good result in this competition.

"For me it's a great feeling working with Kenny Dalglish because he's a legend at the club – an icon."

Liverpool host Sparta Prague on Thursday in the last 32 after recording a 0-0 draw in the away leg last week.

Follow Goal.com on to get the latest soccer news directly. Check out Goal.com's

Agences de presses

Labels: chance, Europa, Goalcom, Great, league, Liverpool, Martin, Skrtel, Trophy

The top adviser in the European Union's highest court says that consumers are free to use the cheapest decoder available to watch football matches even if it sidesteps exclusive national broadcasting agreements. Advocate General to the Court of Justice Juliane Kokott gave Thursday's advice in a case pitting England's Premier League against companies who import Greek decoders into...

]]>


Agences de presses

Labels: adviser, against, Court, league, Premier

Inter have been warned not to expect an easy game against Bayern Munich in tonight's Champions League encounter as former striker Sandro Mazzola picks out the dangermen.

Mazzola won the European Cup with La Grande Inter twice, and he expects Bayern to test Leonardo's men.

"I expect a difficult game where Inter will have to watch their opponents very carefully as they want revenge following last year," Mazzola told Tuttomercatoweb.com.

"Inter will need to watch Franck Ribery and Bastian Schweinsteiger carefully.

"It's difficult to predict what type of game we will see, but I hope Inter will be determined with the will to win.

"I think Maicon or Dejan Stankovic will be decisive."

Follow Goal.com on to get the latest soccer news directly. Check out Goal.com's

Agences de presses

Labels: against, Bayern, champions, European, Goalcom, Inter, league, Mazzola, Munich, Sandro, Tough, TwoTime, winner

By Iain Rogers

MADRID, Feb 23 (Reuters) - Real Madrid’s 1-1 Champions League draw at Olympique Lyon on Tuesday went some way towards ending their jinx against the French club but the players were frustrated at their failure to secure a decisive victory.

Lyon eliminated the La Liga giants at the same stage last season, Real’s sixth straight failure to make the quarter-finals, and there will no doubt be a few nervous home fans at the Bernabeu for the second leg on March 16.

Before Tuesday, Real’s record at Lyon’s Stade de Gerland was three defeats, no goals scored and six conceded but things seemed to be looking up when former Lyon striker Karim Benzema netted for the Spanish club in the 65th minute.

However, an 83rd-minute equaliser from Bafetimbi Gomis rescued a draw for the home side and left the tie nicely balanced for the second leg at the Bernabeu.

“I come away feeling a little sad,” Real’s Portuguese defender Pepe told reporters.

“We deserved to leave here with a win, unfortunately it wasn’t to be and we have the match at the Bernabeu to get through,” he added.

Real, bidding for a 10th continental title, will be firm favourites to progress given they have won all 19 home games in all competitions since Jose Mourinho took over as coach at the end of last season.

POSITIVE RESULT

Right back Sergio Ramos, whose header against the bar was one of Real’s many chances on Tuesday, said the draw was a positive result.

“You always have to be optimistic and dream about getting through the tie,” he told reporters.

“The return game is at home and in front of our own fans and we have to progress,” the Spain international added.

Ramos acknowledged Lyon had been superior in the early stages of the match.

“We know Olympique and they have a great team,” he said.

“In the first half they moved the ball around better and were more dangerous.

“But the (Real) team knew how to react in the second half. We passed the ball around better and created some clear chances, and there were also the doubts over the penalty.”

Real’s claims for a penalty when the ball appeared to strike Yoann Gourcuff’s arm in the area were waved away by the referee.

“Unfortunately, they (the match officials) didn’t see it,” defender Ricardo Carvalho said. “I don’t understand it because everyone saw that it hit Gourcuff’s elbow.”

(Reporting by Iain Rogers, editing by Ken Ferris

To query or comment on this story email sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)

Agences de presses

Labels: champions, frustrated, league, Reuters

{ John Terry - Chelsea (Getty Images)John Terry has urged his Chelsea team-mates to keep on fighting to ensure they find some consistent form off the back of their comfortable 2-0 Champions League victory over Copenhagen.

After abject performances in recent weeks, and a penalty shoot-out FA Cup exit at the hands of Everton on Saturday, club captain Terry echoed the fighting talk of manager Carlo Ancelotti before the match, and is hopeful that re-capturing the winning feeling could spark a fresh run of form.

The 30-year-old told Sky Sports: “It’s a good lift, obviously winning does that, you can see the buzz in the dressing room but it’s important now we continue this run again this could be the start of it as I said yesterday.

“The manager said we’re still not dead, there are still an awful lot of points to play for and we will keep fighting.”

Terry and his defensive comrades had little to do in a game which Chelsea eased through and the skipper was pleased with how his side executed their plans for the fixture, showering particular praise on the Blues strike force.

Quizzed on his views of the performance, Terry said: “Exactly what we asked for yesterday, I thought we set out our game plan very well, the two up top worked very well and with the pace of the two guys up-front it caused difficulties all night for them.”

Chelsea’s front pairing on the night saw Fernando Torres and Nicolas Anelka lead the line, with the Frenchman grabbing the headlines while the Spaniard came close to breaking his duck on several occasions.

Anelka put Chelsea in-front on 17 minutes and the Blues never looked in threat of losing their lead, only capable of extending it. The Frenchman obliged early in the second period when rounding off a sweet Chelsea move with a crisp drive across the helpless Copenhagen 'keeper.

Commenting on Anelka, Terry added: “Fantastic, it’s difficult for the strikers at the minute because there’s so much competition, but credit to themselves, Didier when he came on as well caused a lot of trouble, they seem to be clicking and working well.

“And obviously it’s always going to take a couple of weeks for the guys to settle in, hopefully this is the start of very good partnerships.”


if (typeof hideMashLogic == 'undefined' || (!hideMashLogic)){ document.write(''); document.write(''); }


Agences de presses

Labels: build, CALLS, champions, Chelsea, Copenhagen, Goalcom, league, Terry, victory

Real Madrid midfielder Mesut Oezil is expecting a tough Round of 16 tie against Olympique Lyonnais in the Champions League, but the German international is confident the Blancos can overcome the French side.

Oezil has revealed the Merengues are keen to reach the Champions League final, which will be played Wembley Stadium in England.

"We all expect the game to be difficult, but we want to win, and we know we can," the 22-year-old told the club's official website. "I expect us to be successful.

"I have been watching their games and they actually worry me as a team. It’s clear they will make things difficult for us, but we want to defeat them.
"The squad thinks about winning titles, but we have to take things slowly and play one game at a time. We have to eliminate Olympique Lyonnais because we want to reach the Wembley Stadium final."

The German international also spoke about his first Champions League goal against Milan during the group stage.

"It was incredible to score my first Champions League goal," he continued. "I didn't care how nice my goal was because it was my first in the European Cup.

"It is always incredible to score, no matter where you are, but it's even more special when you do so at home before the Bernabeu crowd. The stadium makes me feel fantastically well."

Follow Goal.com on to get the latest soccer news directly. Check out Goal.com's

Agences de presses

Labels: champions, final, Goalcom, league, Madrid, Mesut, Oezil, reach

{

However, despite their recent problems, Redknapp insists Carlo Ancelotti’s side remain a threat in the league. “It would be a miracle if we did it,” said Redknapp. “People get carried away thinking Tottenham should be in the Champions League. Why should we be in the Champions League?

“We’d never been in the Champions League before, suddenly we do it and it’s: ‘Oh well, we should do it again.’ Look at Man City and Chelsea. Have a look at their wage bills. Have a look at the money they pay out. Why should we finish above them?

“If you asked me at the start of the year to put my life on who I’d go for [to qualify] – I think City with Tévez, Balotelli. Have a look at the strength they’ve got.

“Man United are nailed on, so are Arsenal. If we make the top four it will be a fantastic achievement for the players but it will be tough.”

Redknapp is without Rafael van der Vaart at Bloomfield Road after the forward damaged a calf in training on Sunday. But it is in defence that Spurs are short with Gareth Bale, Alan Hutton, Vedrun Coruka, Jonathan Woodgate, Ledley King and Younes Kaboul all missing.

William Gallas is likely to have to play at right-back as Spurs look for a fourth straight Premier League win for the first time in 11 months.

For that reason, Redknapp remains cautious, adding: “Finishing above Chelsea this season would never have entered my mind. After 10 games we were all going to give the championship to Chelsea. They were walking away with it so it’s amazing how it’s turned.

“I still expect Chelsea to go on a run. They can still finish second anyway. They’ve got the players there, the strength. It’ll be tight.

“The top four is going to be difficult. But we’re right there at the moment, as we were last year. Even with the European campaign and the injuries we’ve had, we’re still in both competitions. It’s great.”

Spurs face AC Milan in a fortnight 1-0 up and 90 minutes from reaching the quarter-finals of the Champions League. Redknapp said: “I see the Champions League as an amazing bonus, and people forget that. If we can do it two years running it will be great.”

Ian Holloway, the Blackpool manager, lent support to Redknapp’s case to replace Fabio Capello as England manager after Euro 2012. “I would love to see him in that chair,” said Holloway. “He can handle it and he’d get our players to play the way his clubs play – with a great deal of attacking prowess.”

Holloway is still looking for emergency cover for Richard Kingson, his only fit senior goalkeeper. “We’re not able to stack and rack four or five goalkeepers like most other people,” he said.

Agences de presses

Labels: aposmiracleapos, champions, Harry, league, Qualify, Redknapp, Telegraphcouk, Tottenham

NYON, Switzerland (AP)—The most expensive tickets for the Europa League final cost less than the cheapest tickets generally available for the Champions League final.

UEFA’s Category 1 tickets for the Europa League final in Dublin went on sale Monday for ?135 ($185), with all fans able to buy Category 4 seats for ?50 ($68).

UEFA angered fans in England last week by asking for ?175 ($235) for the cheapest tickets available to neutral fans at Wembley Stadium for the Champions League final. Fans of the two finalists can get some seats for ?95 ($130).

The best seats at Wembley cost ?350 ($480) and all tickets are subject to a ?31 ($40) administration fee, which was singled out for criticism by supporters’ groups.

UEFA did not specify what it would charge to handle applications for tickets to see its second-tier competition final.

Europa League prices are lower than for last year’s final played in Hamburg, Germany, which ranged from ?55-?150 with a ?30 fee.

UEFA said last week it set prices according to market prices in the host city.

Ireland’s debt-ridden economy was bailed out last November and unemployment has tripled in the past three years.

The Europa League final is to be played on May 18 at the 51,000-capacity venue formerly known as Lansdowne Road.

Agences de presses

Labels: Europa, final, league, prices

PARIS (AP)—Marseille beat Saint-Etienne 2-1 Saturday in the French league to keep up its title challenge.

The defending champion cut Lille’s lead to three points and provisionally moved up to second in the standings. Lille is at Montpellier on Sunday.

Lucho Gonzalez opened the scoring for the defending champion in the 68th minute after being set up by Andre-Pierre Gignac.

Gignac picked up a groin injury however and was replaced by Jordan Ayew in the 74th. Ayew was denied by Saint-Etienne goalkeeper Jeremie Janot in the 78th but Loic Remy followed up to convert the rebound.

Christophe Landrin scored a consolation goal for Saint-Etienne in stoppage time.

Also Saturday, it was: Brest 2, Monaco 0; Lens 2, Sochaux 3; Caen 2, Valenciennes 2; Auxerre 1, Arles-Avignon 1.

Bordeaux played Lorient later on Saturday.

Agences de presses

Labels: beats, French, league, Marseille, SaintEtienne

ATHENS, Greece (AP)—Olympiakos took a giant step toward winning the Greek title for the 38th time with a 2-1 win over defending champion and archrival Panathinaikos on Saturday in a game that ended in chaotic scenes.

Rafik Djebbour’s injury-time goal sealed the win and put Olympiakos 10 points ahead of its second-place rival with seven rounds left.

The delirious Olympiakos fans charged onto the pitch at the final whistle and Panathinaikos players, already upset by a disallowed goal and the manner of the winner, claimed they were attacked.

Panathinaikos forward Djibril Cisse, one of the players allegedly attacked by the crowd, was so angry he told reporters he would leave Greece in a few months.

“Enough is enough,” Cisse told reporters after the game. “I have taken my decision. You (the reporters) should take advantage of the fact that these will be my last few months in Greece.”

Cisse was upset the referee chalked off Costas Katsouranis’ 81st minute strike for offside, and that Djebbour’s goal was allowed to stand. Panathinaikos players and officials claim Djebbour was in an offside position.

“We won the match. I know it, you know it,” Cisse told reporters.

About 400 Panathinaikos fans gathered outside Panathinaikos’ training facilities east of Athens and gave the players a standing ovation. They pleaded with Cisse to reconsider his decision.

Cisse, the Greek league’s top scorer last season, with 23 goals, and the leading scorer this season with 18, signed a four-year contract with Panathinaikos in 2009, reportedly worth ?2.5 million ($3.4 million) per year.

“It’s a shame, a great shame,” Panathinaikos midfielder Gilberto Silva said. A 2008 signing from Arsenal, Gilberto Silva, a Brazil national team member, is expected to return to his homeland after the season.

Panathinaikos officials were furious at referee Dimitris Kalopoulos.

“This was a clear robbery… They (the Olympiakos fans) hit four of our players, specifically (Cedric) Kante, (Josu) Sarriegi, (Sotiris) Ninis and Cisse. The authorities will be inexcusable if they do not slap Olympiakos with a heavy penalty,” Panathinaikos vice president Dimitris Gontikas said.

A Panathinaikos statement called the game a “sorry shadow puppet theater spectacle.”

Olympiakos president Vangelis Marinakis tried to downplay reports that he had a run-in with Panathinaikos players after the game.

“Get serious, guys, get serious,” he told reporters when asked about it.

“There should be no complaints,” Marinakis, a shipping tycoon, had said earlier. “We are ahead by 10 points (in the standings) and deservedly so.”

Djebbour struck a minute into stoppage time, chesting the ball down and scoring from close range to send the home fans into delirium.

The referee had to pause the game for four minutes as fans lit flares in the stands, causing smoke to billow across the pitch, and when the action resumed, Olympiakos had Vasilis Torossidis sent off for shoving Sebastian Leto.

Leto, a former Olympiakos player who moved to Panathinaikos in 2009, was the main target of the home fans’ ire during the game.

Reports suggested that a group of Panathinaikos players, upset by Torossidis’ treatment of Leto during the game, tried to confront the player afterward in the Olympiakos locker room, but instead ended up in a heated exchange with Marinakis.

Kevin Mirallas had opened the scoring for Olympiakos in the 20th minute before Leto equalized in the 58th.

Olympiakos dominated almost throughout the first half, with 63 percent of possession.

Mirallas opened the scoring in the 20th minute following a carefully orchestrated move from a freekick. The Belgian striker had positioned himself next to the defensive wall and bolted free to receive Ariel Ibagaza’s pass and shoot into the far corner of the goal.

That prompted the first stoppage by the referee as heavy smoke from the Olympiakos fans’ flares covered the pitch.

Leto equalized in the 58th. His curling freekick from near the right sideline was intended as a cross but teammate Josu Sarriegi missed his header, the Olympiakos defense failed to clear and the ball bounced in front of startled goalkeeper Urko Pardo before finding the net.

Panathinaikos thought it had scored a winner in the 81st when Katsouranis put the ball in the net but his effort was ruled out for offside—although replays suggested it was an incorrect decision.

And the visitors’ luck took another turn for the worse in injury time when Jaouad Zairi’s cross bounced off Dudu’s shoulder and into the path of Djebbour who scrambled it home under pressure from Sarriegi.

Also Saturday, Kerkyra won 2-0 at Asteras and host Kavala played to a scoreless draw against last-place Panserraikos.

On Sunday it’s Atromitos vs. Aris, Xanthi vs. Larissa, AEK vs. Panionios and Volos vs. Iraklis. The PAOK vs. Ergotelis game, originally scheduled for Saturday, has been postponed and no new date has been set.

Agences de presses

Labels: beats, Greek, league, Olympiakos, Panathinaikos

Napoli midfielder Marek Hamsik is not downtrodden by the 0-0 draw with Villarreal in the first-leg of their Europa League tie and believes qualification to the last 16 is still up for grabs.

The 23-year-old came on a substitute in the scoreless stalemate at the Stadio San Paolo on Thursday evening, as the Yellow Submarine took a fairly cautious approach.

"Villarreal defended very well, it was difficult to create chances," admitted the Slovakian international to CalcioNapoli24.it.

"I entered the match in progress, but there were no spaces to exploit. That tied us down a bit, but qualification [to the next round] is still open."

The second-leg takes place on February 24 at El Madrigal. Prior to that, Napoli will face Catania in Serie A action on Sunday night.

Follow Goal.com on to get the latest soccer news directly. Check out Goal.com's

Agences de presses

Labels: clash, Europa, Goalcom, Hamsik, league, Marek, Napoli, Qualify, still, Villarreal

{
Please wait while we file your abuse report.Sorry, I could not read the content fromt this page.


Agences de presses

Labels: champions, Chelsea, disaster, Frank, Itaposs, Lampard, league, Metro, Spurs

PRAGUE (AP)—Liverpool was close to reaching the round of 16 of the Europa League by drawing with Sparta Prague 0-0 on Thursday.

The result left Liverpool a clear favorite for the second leg of the round of 32 match at Anfield in a week.

Players of Liverpool and Spart…
AP - Feb 17, 4:19 pm EST

Sparta played its first competitive match since Dec 15 due to the Czech Republic’s winter break, and looked more dangerous, especially in the first half.

Liverpool, badly missing its injured star playmaker and captain Steven Gerrard, had to wait for a decent chance until the 70th minute when right back Glen Johnson, one of the team’s most active players, fooled a couple of Sparta defenders before his curling shot went just wide.

“It was a difficult game,” Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish said. “We rather were more defensive.

“As a manager that was fantastic,” added Dalglish, who was managing Liverpool in Europe for the first time.

He said the team’s performance was influenced by the fact he missed a number of players, including Daniel Agger and Christian Poulsen while Fabio Aurelio had to be replaced by Joe Cole due to an injury in the 37th minute.

Dalglish said it would be “a different game” next week and didn’t ruled out Gerard, Agger and Aurelio could be available.

As a positive sign, Dalglish hailed Cole’s return after a knee problem.

“We have to be patient,” he said. “Joe’s a valuable asset for us.”

Unmarked Sparta midfielder Leony Kweuke came close to earning a win for Sparta but his low drive from inside the area was saved by Liverpool goalkeeper Pepe Reina.

“It was not easy for us because we didn’t play for more than two months,” Sparta coach Josef Chovanec said. “We were trying to do our maximum.

“We may have had better chances but it was defense that dominated the game.”

Early in the second half, Kweuke’s header again went wide. Long-range attempts by Marek Matejovsky and Kamil Vacek then just missed the target.

Sparta’s first decent chance came in the 18th with Manuel Pamic breaking into the area after being released by Abena Biholong and his left-footer forced a diving save by Reina. Pamic blasting the ball over the bar in the 35th.

At that stage, Liverpool’s only answer came through lone striker David Ngog, who had a shot blocked and a header missing the goal a minute before halftime.

The match was briefly suspended about 15 minutes before the end when Sparta fans let off a smoke bomb.

Agences de presses

Labels: draws, Europa, league, Liverpool, Sparta

{ Page last updated at 22:22 GMT, Thursday, 17 February 2011GOALFLASHES AND MAJOR INCIDENTS (all times GMT)document.write(''+'No need to reload page, content below updates automatically. '+'More info'+'')

To get involved use Twitter (via hashtag #BBCFootball ) or text us via 81111 with FOOTBALL before your message. (Not all contributions can be used. Messages will be charged at your standard operator rate.)

2220: OK, that is quite enough from me. Sam Lyon will be with you on Saturday to guide you through that day's football action. Many thanks for all your thoughts and words of wisdom. 2218: Almost time to call it a night as far as this live text is concerned, but I won't be going anywhere before I deliver Chris Whyatt's verdict. Sidewick Raymond on Twitter: "Summary of the Liverpool-Prague game: A tedious series of throw-ins punctuated by some moderately firm backwards passes." 2213: I'm now being told salmon can comfortably exceed more than 20 mph. Speedy. Rangers goalscorer Steven Whittaker:"The tie is still alive for us. We just need to go over there and score and I'm sure we're capable of doing the job." Europa League Jon: "Young Boys - tonight might be the night you finally become men. In the last minute of injury time substitute Emmanuel Mayuka has only gone and sealed a come-from-behind 2-1 win against Zenit St Petersburg." 2217: RANGERS 1-1 SPORTING LISBON
Colin Moffat reports: "That's a sore one for Rangers, losing a goal so late. Increased aggression paid off early in the second half and Steven Whittaker's splendid headed goal put the home side in a strong position but they sat back in the closing stages and were hit by that late sucker-punch. Kyle Lafferty squandered a host of good chances on a night he won't look back on with much fondness." Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher: "We've got to make sure we do the job at Anfield." Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish: "There's a lot of value coming out of the game. It was not a classic. The onus is on the home team to put pressure on us and they did not really do that. On the night 0-0 was probably fair enough." Jez Meyer on Twitter: "Spurs beat Milan, Arsenal beat Barca, Liverpool barely manage a shot on target against Sparta Prague..." Europa League Jon: "Comeback o'clock - Spartak Moscow have only gone and turned a 2-0 deficit into a glorious 3-2 advantage away at Basle, Ananidze grabbing what will surely be the winner in injury time. Not gloating now, are you CSKA fans?" 2200: Hey, they gave us goals. Two of them. 2158: FULL-TIME: Rangers 1-1 Sporting Lisbon 2157: In the final minute of normal time at Rangers Kyle Lafferty has another opportunity from the edge of the area but his shot is straight at Rui Patricio and the goalkeeper beats the ball out once again. Europa League Jon: "Lille - boasting one of Europe's best home records - have shipped two in a minute and are now tied at 2-2 against PSV. Former Aston Villa man Wilfred Bouma got the first, Ola Toivonen completing the comeback seconds later. Porto have also struck late, Freddy Guarin putting them 2-1 up at Sevilla"
2156: Rangers goalscorer Kyle Lafferty races through on goal moments later but his low shot from the edge of the area is kept out by Rui Patricio. 2155: Lets be positive - a clean sheet for Liverpool. 2154: FULL-TIME: Sparta Prague 0-0 Liverpool 2130: Substitute Matias Fernandez evades the Rangers defence to head a right-wing cross into the bottom corner from eight yards. 2153: GOAL Rangers 1-1 Sporting Lisbon Terry Mahoney on Twitter: "Come on, Paul, display one of my tweets so that I don't feel that the last two hours has been entirely wasted." 2151: Three more minutes in Prague. 2150: Somebody has just texted to say that salmon can swim at 14 mph. Which perhaps tells you something about, in particular, entertainment levels in the Liverpool game. With three central defenders on the pitch, Liverpool are just ticking down the clock. 2146: Cracking effort from Sparta's Kamil Vacek, who drills a 20-yard effort narrowly wide as Pepe Reina attempts an athletic save. 2145: Joe Cole corner. Straight out of play. As a moment to epitomise the encounter in Prague I think it serves rather well. 2144: Ok, make sense of this please. Eight minutes left and King Kenny makes a change, lone striker David Ngog comes off, defender Martin Skrtel replaces him. What we have, we hold, perhaps? Europa League Jon: "Rolando - an anagram of a much better player - scored for Porto to put them up against Sevilla only for Freddie Kanoute to equalise seven minutes later. And they'll be doing whatever the opposite of dancing is in the streets of Basle as the Swiss side blow a two-goal lead, Kombarov and Dzyuba scoring to bring Spartak Moscow back level."
2143: Almost flashback time for Liverpool fans as Marek Matejovsky smashes a long-range strike narrowly wide. He once scored against the Reds for Reading. 2140: No major alarms for Rangers since they took the lead. The salmon line, by the way, is of the 'rose like a salmon' type, just to satisfy those of you who asked. 2136: Wow, the fog really seems to have lifted (the home fans and team) in Prague. And we have a chance. Pepe Reina makes a sharp low save to deny Leonard Kweuke with a cracking effort on the turn. 2134: A lot of smoke drifts across the pitch in Prague. And I mean a lot. He has disappeared from view. Like something out of a John Carpenter horror film. I half expect pirates to appear out of the mist. 2134: A goal eh. Just thought I'd dwell on that for a second or two. 2130: Thank you, thank you, thank you. Cracking, fantastic header from Steven Whittaker, who climbs above everybody else, salmon-like, to crash home Vladimir Weiss' corner. 2130: GOAL Rangers 1-0 Sporting Lisbon 2130: Roughly 25 minutes left in both Prague and Glasgow. No goals so far. Right now I would settle for just the one to tell you about. 2125: Not seen too much of Joe Cole so far. Strong defending from Sotiros Kyrgiakos, who pushes the dangerous Vaclav Kadlec off the ball. 2123: I want to tell you something meaningful and exciting - oh, I can. Cracking effort from Sparta striker Leonard Kweuke, who heads narrowly wide from 14 yards. 2122: Wonder what Kenny makes of European club management? 2121: Tight and cagey at Ibrox. Not the best pitch by any stretch of the imagination. Not that it can be used as an excuse for some of the misses. Zain Patel on Twitter: "Just think how bad it must be for Paul Fletcher! He has to watch both games!."
Thanks Zain. I feel kind of responsible. Europa League Jon: "One late first-half goal I failed to mention and it's gone to Basle who now lead Spartak Moscow 2-0 courtesy of Marco Streller's far post header from a 41st minute corner. As you were everywhere else as… hang on just a moment. Young Boys have equalised through Senad Lulic at home to Zenit St Petersburg."
2115: I am going to say this is an effort to provoke some response. The Liverpool match is feeble, dour and poor. Just give us something, anything to clutch on to, to persuade us to stick with you. Yes, OK, so we have had a surfeit of riches this week but just provide one jewel of your own. 2112: Straight from the re-start Kyle Lafferty flicks on a long ball from Richard Foster, Steven Whittaker latches onto it but his low left-footed shot from 15 yards is tipped around the post by Rui Patricio. 2109: Play back under way at Ibrox. BTW, one change I should have mentioned in the Liverpool game - naughty of me not to do so - Joe Cole is on for Fabio Aurelio, who was injured late in the first half. 2107: Play resumes in Prague. Can we do better this half, please? Loyal Royal, via text: "Speaking of familiar faces, Liverpool will be all too familiar with the sight of Marek Matejovski, who was in the Reading squad that knocked Liverpool out of the FA Cup last year." RANGERS 0-0 SPORTING LISBON
Colin Moffat's half-time snap shot: "Sporting have bossed possession in the first 45 minutes against a nervous home defence but the two best chances have fallen to Rangers' lone striker Kyle Lafferty, who headed high and wide on both occasions." Gary and Cameron, via text: "Dear Kenny, we are going to the 2nd leg. Please do not win or lose heavily. 0-0 is good so keep the talk at half-time low key. Thanks Gary & Cameron." 2051: Half-time: Rangers 0-0 Sporting Lisbon Calum McClurkin on Twitter: "Switching over between the Liverpool and Rangers game and I don't know which one is worse. Both equally bad." SPARTA PRAGUE 0-0 LIVERPOOL
Chris Whyatt's half-time snap shot: "Barca-like possession from Liverpool initially but Sparta's penetrative wide men turning the tide." Europa League Jon: "Lille have doubled their advantage against PSV with Tulio de Melo grabbing his fifth goal of the season. FC Basle are also ahead, Alexander Frei scoring for them at home to Spartak Moscow, whose fans will only be further discouraged to learn that CSKA Moscow are a goal up at PAOK Salonika. And Young Boys, who not so long ago were leading AC Milan's midweek conquerors Spurs 3-0 in a Champions League qualifier, are a goal down at home to Zenit St Petersburg. How the worm turns..." 2051: Half-time: Sparta Prague 0-0 Liverpool 2050: Chances started to flow now. Rangers keeper Allan McGregor makes a cracking smothering save after Yannick Djalo dances through the Scottish team's defence. 2048: Best chance so far for Liverpool. David Ngog heads down a corner but Dirk Kuyt cannot quite make contact with a shot on the turn. 2046: Rangers are having a good spell at the moment. Steven Whittaker lifts the ball over the Sporting keeper as Rui Patricio advances off his line but it also clears the crossbar. Ed Morris on Twitter: "I have only just realised how boring football is when Arsenal and Barcelona are not involved." 2044: Not lost it has he, old Repka. I refer, of course, to the aggression and hint of malice. He is booked after tangling with David Ngog, who is unlucky to also find his way into the book. 2042: Finally something of a sight of goal for Liverpool but Sparta close down the largely anonymous David Ngog very quickly and his shot is blocked. 2040: A sweeping move from Rangers ends disappointingly when Kyle Lafferty heads over from close range. Poor. Over in Prague, Marek Matejovsky has a dangerous looking strike blocked. 2038: Liverpool keeper Pepe Reina fails to hold a cross from the right and the loose ball drops to the heavily involved Manuel Pamic, but he shoots wastefully wide. 2035: Half an hour gone in Prague and, disappointingly, there has not really been a clear-cut chance. 2033: Who is that being given a talking to from the ref after nailing an opponent. Oh yeh, Sparta Prague's Tomas Repka. Elliot Sims on Twitter: "Oddly happy to see Lech Poznan get through. Maybe it's because I'm a City fan, but I'm not sure." 2031: Another chance for Sporting, created by another familiar face. Pedro Mendes, once of Tottenham, Portsmouth and Rangers, crosses but Daniel Carrico heads wastefully over. Europa League Jon: "A great start for France's Ligue 1 leaders Lille who take the lead against PSV Eindhoven through Idrissa Gueye. Apparently it's a 20-yard drive from a half-cleared corner - might be worth watching later."
2027: On an evening rich in familiar faces, former Spurs striker Helder Postiga drills a left-foot strike wide for Sporting after creating space with a sharp turn. Ricardo, Preston, via text: "Re Suarez - there's some long uefa rule which basically says you can't play in the same tournament for 2 clubs, or a tournament which your old club is still involved in. Suarez obviously fails under the latter. Pity, get Carroll fit!" 2024: Problems for Rangers. Madjid Bougherra picks up a shoulder injury and it looks as though Rangers will be forced into a change but he is able to continue. 2022:More problems for Liverpool. Martin Abena plays a cracking ball through to Manuel Pamic, whose left-foot strike across goal is palmed clear by Pepe Reina. 2021: Sparta win a corner and the ball is cleared to the 20-yard line. Another disappointing shots follows but it nevertheless is indicative of the fact that Sparta have started to climb into this contest a little. 2020: Rangers threaten to break forward but, oh hold on, there is a distinct lack of support players once a bridgehead is established at the half-way line. 2018: A sight of goal for Sparta, though I don't think Pepe Reina was too concerned as Andrej Keric drilled his strike wide from a tight angle. 2017: Possession, possession, possession. I wonder if the Liverpool players watched events at the Emirates on Wednesday. Europa League Jon: "Alas it looks like the gamblers among you will be going to work tomorrow after all as the all-aways accumulator has come unstuck. Dynamo Kiev did their bit by winning 4-1 at Besiktas, Andriy Shevchenko among the scorers but normality returned elsewhere. Benfica came from behind to beat Stuttgart 2-1, Lech Poznan edged a tight game with Braga 1-0 while the Napoli v Villarreal and BATE Borisov v PSG matches finished tied, 0-0 and 2-2 respectively." 2012: Rangers boss Walter Smith watching his team form up in the stands. No big drama so far although former Chelsea player Maniche drags a shot well wide. Ish Kadodia on Twitter: "Vaclav Kadlec....18 year old for Sparta Prague been in the first team since 2008! Watch out for him..." 2010: Decent start from Liverpool. Dominant indeed. Sotiros Kyrgiakos cannot quite get his head on a free-kick from Fabio Aurelio. 2006: Play has started at Ibrox, Rangers in their normal blue, Sporting in white. No green in sight. 2005: The match has started in Prague, Liverpool in white shirts and black shorts. Johnnyboy, via text: "It's a strange rule that allows Torres to play for Chelsea in the Champions League despite him playing for Liverpool in the Europa League but Ajax started in the Champions League and dropped into the Europa League. So why is Suarez ineligible when he has not played on this competition?" 2001: The Sparta and Liverpool teams working their way out of the tunnel. Rangers and Sporting have yet to quite reach that stage. 2000: Sparta Prague back in action tonight after their winter break. I could do with one of those. I guess there has to be some plus points to living in a country that has very cold winters. Tomas Repka in the Sparta side. Remember him? Europa League Jon: "One 1800 GMT kick-off has finished with Ajax celebrating a 3-0 win against Anderlecht, Danish teenager Christian Eriksen adding to his burgeoning reputation with the second goal. Incidentally, stat fans, that is the third away win on the trot tonight - could there be a multi-millionaire in the making out there?" 1956: Apparently 16-year-old Liverpool striker Raheem Sterling did not make it on to the bench because he had some homework to finish. Not really, but he is on half term and apparently did take some school work with him. Dedication, that's what it takes. 1953: Just a quick line on Liverpool forward Luis Suarez. He is not involved tonight because he is not eligible to play having already played for Ajax in Europe this season. Hope that clears that one up. Bored Serbio, via text: "In some tedious market research focus group in Wimbledon - good luck David Ngog. Deserves the start. Please deliver." Arkwright on Twitter: "Greetings from Poland, Poznan 1 Braga 0, 5 mins to go. The nutters are playing in a snowstorm, but do the home fans care?" Liverpool boss Kenny Dalglish: "It's a great thrill [being back in Europe]. It's been a long time. We're in a competition that doesn't mean a lot to anybody that's not in it. But it means something to us, and we want to do our best. Sparta have got a couple of new signings and they've had a winter break, and this is their first game back. So it'll be a difficult game for us. But we know roughly what to expect." ilan dee on Twitter: "All the talk this week about Raheem Sterling (5 great goals in the youth game!) - shame to see it didn't make the bench." 1945: SPARTA PRAGUE v LIVERPOOL
Chris Whyatt reports: "Liverpool are a totally reinvigorated club now following the second coming of Kenny Dalglish as manager. Remarkably, given his epic exploits as a phenomenal player bewitching the continent's best, King Kenny has never taken charge of the Anfield club on the European stage. Until now. That's as far as it goes for history in tonight's tie with Sparta Prague, who sit second in the Czech league. Tantalisingly, if 16-year-old [and 71 days] Raheem Sterling had featured, he'd have become the club's youngest ever first-team player. Not even on the bench." 1945: Time for a little shameless self-promotion. Around the time Kenny Dalglish returned to Liverpool with the aim of reviving his former club's fortunes, Stockport fans favourite Peter Ward was put in charge of the Hatters. Forget about Europe, his aim is to keep Stockport in the Football League. I spoke to him recently and found out that it isn't proving easy, at all. 1940: RANGERS v SPORTING LISBON
Rangers: McGregor, Foster, Bougherra, Weir, Papac, Whittaker, Edu, Davis, Weiss, Diouf, Lafferty. Subs: Alexander, Fleck, Naismith, Healy, Bartley, Ness, Hutton.
Sporting: Rui Patricio, Joao Pereira, Daniel Carrico, Anderson Polga, Evaldo, Mendes, Maniche, Zapater, Cristiano, Postiga, Djalo. Subs: Tiago, Carlos Saleiro, Fernandez, Andre Santos, Diogo Solomao, Coelho, Vukcevic.
Referee: Manuel Grafe (Germany) 1936: Help needed. Without you this live text is nothing. So, tweet via the hashtag #BBCFootball, ask me a question direct @Paul__Fletcher or text me via 81111 (UK). Thanks in anticipation. Europa League Jon: "Two results to tell you about from the day's early matches and they're good news for anyone going for a five away wins forecast. FC Twente won 2-0 at Rubin Kazan thanks to late strikes from Luuk de Jong and Peter Wisgerhof and will be confident of easing through next week's return leg. And Leverkusen effectively sealed their place in the last 16 with a 4-0 victory at Metalist, Sidney Sam scoring twice in injury time for the side currently second in the Bundesliga." 1934: SPARTA PRAGUE v LIVERPOOL
Sparta Prague: Blazek, Kusnir, Repka, Brabec, Pamic, Keric, Vacek, Kadlec, Matejovsky, Abena, Kweuke. Subs: Zitka, Podany, Sionko, Bondoa, Zeman, Husek, Pekhart.
Liverpool: Reina, Johnson, Carragher, Kyrgiakos, Wilson, Kuyt, Lucas, Maxi, Aurelio, Ngog, Meireles. Subs: Gulacsi, Cole, Pacheco, Jovanovic, Kelly, Coady, Skrtel.
Referee: Florian Meyer (Germany) 1931: RANGERS v SPORTING LISBON
BBC Sport's Colin Moffat reports: "We have a Scottish team in Europe beyond Christmas for the first time since Rangers reached the Uefa Cup final in 2008. With Nikica Jelavic cup-tied and Kenny Miller now plying his trade in Turkey, a lot rests on the angular shoulders of Kyle Lafferty. The Northern Irishman leads the home attack and manager Walter Smith will want El-Hadji Diouf, Vladimir Weiss and Steven Whittaker to drive on and support him. Sporting are struggling on the home front and an early goal for the hosts would be a real test of their mettle. Ibrox isn't a sell-out but we should be in for a noisy night of drama." 1930: Thursday, that can mean only one thing - and I am not talking about Question Time (although that is, I reckon, a pretty good show). It is very much Europa League night, with Liverpool in action at Sparta Prague and Rangers hosting Sporting Lisbon. We are down to the last 32 in this competition, snappily termed the round of 32 by Uefa. I like to call it the approach towards the business end.


Agences de presses

Labels: Europa, happened, league, Sport