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Started by richturk 2017-03-09 at 07:58
richturk
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Posted
2017-03-09 at 07:58
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Barcelona completed the greatest comeback in Champions League history in the most improbable fashion with three goals in the final seven minutes to defeat Paris Saint-Germain 6-1 and earn an incredible 6-5 win on aggregate in their Round of 16 second leg on Wednesday night at the Camp Nou.Neymar scored in the 88th and 90th minutes before Sergi Roberto completed the miracle in the final minute, all coming after an early trio of goals from Barcelona before Edinson Cavani had seemingly earned PSG passage to the quarterfinals with a score just after the hour mark.It will be a match that long lives in Barcelona lore, and assuredly 20 years from now millions will claim they were inside the Camp Nou on what was one of the most magical nights for one of Europe's most storied clubs.To no one's surprise, manager Luis Enrique went with an attack-heavy starting XI. The Asturian's 3-4-3 saw a midfield where Andres Iniesta and Rafinha manned the left and right wings, respectively, while Sergio Busquets and Ivan Rakitic were anchored in the middle. Meanwhile, the presence of three centre-backs in defence meant that right-back Sergi Roberto and left-back Jordi Alba were left to watch from the bench.At times this season the Camp Nou has felt like Sunday mass, but on Wednesday it was the complete opposite. The monstrous stadium was boiling at kick-off and it carried Barcelona to a goal in just the third minute of play. PSG's deep-lying defence dealt very poorly with a bouncing ball in the area and Suarez rose highest to flip a header over PSG goalkeeper Kevin Trapp that crossed the goalline by inches to give Barcelona a 1-0 lead in the match and tighten PSG's aggregate advantage to 4-1.After the initial wobble, PSG managed to push back a bit and Julian Draxler had a shout for a penalty when the ball struck Javier Mascherano's arm on an attempted cross. But overall Unai Emery continued to have his team sitting back and staying compact with two lines of four, reducing Barcelona to speculative efforts from outside.Just when PSG were starting to play their most positive football of the night, another egregious error from their defence gift-wrapped another goal for Barcelona, and suddenly the 4-0 aggregate was cut in half to 4-2. Marquinhos failed to deal with a ball with Iniesta bearing down, and the Spanish midfielder's innocent pass was flubbed by Kurzawa, who deposited the ball into his own net for the goal.PSG played with a higher press to start the second-half in hopes of wrestling back some control, but yet again they were unraveled by a mistake in the back and it led to Barcelona's third score. Iniesta played a short ball for Neymar to run onto but the Brazilian was taken down by the fallen Meunier. After a delay, the linesman indicated to the referee that it was a penalty, and Messi slammed in the spot kick to make it 4-3 on aggregate.Emery's men finally looked to respond and a fine run from Meunier down the right set up Edinson Cavani at the near post, but the Uruguayan banged the shot off the post. With a wave of noise cascading down from the stands, Barcelona were brimming with confidence and the impossible was now just a goal away. Emery was desperate for something positive, so Angel di Maria was brought on for Lucas Moura, and immediately PSG improved.And just after the hour mark the visitors secured the precious away goal when a long ball was hoofed up to Kurzawa, who played a knocked down header to Cavani and this time the former Napoli man connected to make it 3-1 in the match and 5-3 on aggregate.Cavani then could have completely wrapped things up minutes later but was turned away by a fine kick save by Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen.Needing three goals in 25 minutes, Luis Enrique put all of his chips on the table, bringing Arda Turan on for Iniesta and Sergi Roberto for Rafinha, while PSG were content to sit back and wait to expose Barcelona on the counter.Barcelona never gave up and kept pushing even as the minutes ticked away. Neymar offered a glimmer of hope with an exquisite free kick just minutes from full-time that cut the aggregate to 5-4.The Camp Nou sprang to life and a minute later they roared when the referee pointed to the spot when Marquinhos brought down Suarez in the area. Neymar coolly converted the penalty and in the blink of an eye, the aggregate was 5-5.And then, the improbable. 6-5. Deep into stoppage time, with Ter Stegen pushed up into attack, Neymar floated a ball into the area, and the most unlikeliest of heroes, Sergi Roberto, connected with the tip of his boot to re-direct a shot past Trapp and sent the Camp Nou, at least those fans who had not left early, into utter pandemonium in celebration of the greatest comeback in European club history.Barcelona will now look to continue their momentum in La Liga action on Sunday at Deportivo.Match Sheet:6.- FC Barcelona: Ter Stegen; Mascherano, Pique, Umtiti; Busquets, Rakitic (Andre Gomes, min. 84), Iniesta (Turan, min. 65), Rafinha (Sergi Roberto, min. 76); Messi, Suarez, Neymar.1.- Paris Saint-Germain: Trapp; Meunier (Krychowiak, min. 92), Marquinhos, Thiago Silva, Kurzawa; Rabiot, Verratti, Matuidi; Moura (Di Maria, min. 55), Draxler (Aurier, min. 75), Cavani.Goals: 1-0, min. 3: Suarez; 2-0, min. 40: Kurzawa (og); 3-0, min. 50: Messi (p); 3-1, min. 62: Cavani; 4-1, min. 88: Neymar; 5-1, min. 91: Neymar (p); 6-1, min. 95: Sergi RobertoReferee: Deniz Aytekin (Germany)Yellow Cards: Matuidi (Min. 5) for Paris Saint-Germain, Draxler (Min. 14) for Paris Saint-Germain, Pique (Min. 23) for Barcelona, Busquets (Min. 36) for Barcelona, Cavani (Min. 43) for Paris Saint-Germain. Rakitic (Min. 61) for Barcelona, Suarez (Min. 67) for Barcelona, Marquinhos (Min. 88) for Paris Saint-Germain, Verratti (Min. 93) for Paris Saint-GermainStadium: Camp NouAttendance: 96,290 | ||||
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richturk
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2017-03-09 at 07:59
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Luis Enrique: This is for those who believed in the comeback after the 4-0 jubilant scenes all around the Camp Nou showed just how much of an achievement Barcelona's 6-1 win over Paris Saint-Germain was and Luis Enrique made a note against those who had little faith in his side.A 4-0 first leg loss in France had put them on the brink of elimination but Sergi Roberto stepped up to complete the comeback in the 96th minute of the return game."I would like to emphasise those who had the faith when we lost 4-0," he told reporters. "This is dedicated to them because we are not the Harlem Globe Trotters, this is football.""I do not think any of us stopped believing."Looking back, despite their goal, I feel that our performance was impressive, we risked a lot and it was worth it. "These endings sometimes happen in football and today we've felt that."Now with a last-eight draw to look forward to, Luis Enrique admitted that their fellow quarter-finalists are probably a little displeased to see Barcelona in the hat."Surely, our presence in quarter-finals will not suit the other teams very much. All eight of us have the chance to be crowned champions," he noted. |
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richturk
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2017-03-09 at 08:01
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Aubameyang hat-trick leads Dortmund into last eight pierre-Emerick Aubameyang grabbed a hat-trick as Borussia Dortmund crushed Benfica 4-0 on Wednesday to advance to the Champions League quarter-finals 4-1 on aggregate.The Gabon international, who endured a dreadful evening in the 1-0 first leg loss in which he missed a hatful of chances and had a penalty saved, was back at his lethal best.He struck either side of a Christian Pulisic goal and added another late in the game as the German side, European champions in 1997, made the last eight of the competition for the third time in 10 years.It was the third straight match in which Aubameyang scored at least twice as Benfica, aiming to reach the last eight for third time in six seasons, conceded their first goals from open play in more than 700 minutes and ended their seven-game winning run.The hosts, missing injured Mario Goetze and Marco Reus, took only four minutes to bring the tie level with the Bundesliga's leading scorer heading in at the far post after Ousmane Dembele floated in a corner.Benfica needed time to recover and free themselves from the hosts' constant pressing game.They made their first serious foray into the German half after half an hour with Luisao seeing his header saved by keeper Roman Buerki.The 27-year-old Aubameyang was twice denied by keeper Ederson early in the second half but the Brazilian could do nothing when American teenager Pulisic, replacing injured Marco Reus, dinked the ball over the keeper on the hour for his maiden Champions League goal.Aubameyang grabbed his second of the evening and a club record 24th goal in the competition this season only three minutes later and completed a hat-trick from close range in the 85th to kill off the tie.Match Sheet:4 - Borussia Dortmund: Bürki; Piszczek, Sokratis (Ginter, 88), Bartra; Durm, Weigl, Schmelzer; Castro; Dembelé (Kagawa, 81), Pulisic; Aubameyang.0 - Benfica: Ederson; Nelson Semedo, Luisão, Lindelof, Eliseu; Samaris (Zivkovic, 74), Pizzi, André Almeida; Salvio (Jonas, 64), Cervi (Jiménez, 82); Mitroglou.Referee: Martin Atkinson (ENG).Yellow cards: Castro, Samaris, Dembelé, PiszczekGoals: 1-0 (min 4, Aubameyang), 2-0 (Pulisic 59), 3-0 (min 61, Aubameyang), 4-0 (min 85, Aubameyang)Stadium : Signal Iduna Park Attendance: 65.849 |
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tayeb
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2017-03-09 at 16:36
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Wish you to continues..
Best regard
tayeb
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richturk
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Posted
2017-03-11 at 14:27
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Carragher: It broke my heart when Liverpool got rid of Xabi Alonso xabi Alonso's decision to announce his retirement hasn't come as a complete surprise, although the world of football has joined in unison to honour one of the most iconic midfielders of his generation.Former teammate and current pundit Jamie Carragher shared some insight as to what made Xabi Alonso such a special player."Xabi Alonso was Liverpool's pass master and it broke my heart when we got rid of him... the wounds have never healed and the game will miss him," Carragher wrote in The Daily Mail. "The tributes you will have seen show his standing in the game but what I want to do is give you an insight into why Xabi is so revered and how, in some ways, his departure from Liverpool in 2009 was so significant in the club's modern history. It's not a topic I have discussed in great detail before."As for what the ex-Real Madrid man could do on the pitch, Carragher like many others was in awe of his passing ability.His letter continues:"When I think of Xabi, my mind goes back to the first training session he had at Melwood in August 2004. And the same word always leaps out: wow! Rafa Benitez had talked him up before he arrived and immediately you understood.It was the pace he put on a pass and the expert way he delivered a ball that showed him to be a top player. In one of his first games against Norwich, I had never seen a display of passing like it. You knew as a defender if you gave him the ball, it was in the safest hands."Furthermore, Carragher proves understanding as to why Xabi Alonso would want to join Real Madrid, but wishes Liverpool had done more to convince him to stay.Finally, the letter ends with a nice touching tribute from his former teammate and good friend and a hint at what the future may have in store."One thing I will predict with certainty, though, is that once Xabi finishes playing for Bayern Munich - the dream send-off would be the Champions League final in Cardiff on June 3 - he will not be lost to football. He has too much to offer." |
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richturk
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2017-03-11 at 14:28
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Mexican championship weekend games suspended over referee strike mexico's soccer federation said on Friday the matches scheduled for the country's top flight soccer championship this weekend have been suspended due to strike action by referees protesting a disciplinary decision by the body.In a statement with the Mexican soccer league, Liga MX, the federation known as Femexfut said the decision had been made because of the "unilateral" strike announced earlier on Friday by the referees, and that the games would be rescheduled. La Asociación Mexicana de Árbitros unida por una sanción ejemplar para el fútbol, pedimos respeto y no más violencia #AMA#CopaMX#FEMEXFUT ? AMA Árbitros (@AMArbitros) 10 de marzo de 2017 The Mexican referees' association said it would strike in protest at what it saw as excessively lenient punishments handed out to America defender Pablo Aguilar and Toluca forward Enrique Triverio after the two clashed with referees in midweek games.Femexfut gave Aguilar a ten match ban, while Triverio was suspended for eight, but the referees said it was not enough. |
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richturk
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Posted
2017-03-11 at 14:32
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PSG President Al Khelaifi sends a message after embarrassing loss despite the overwhelming 6-1 scoreline and dramatic scenes from Wednesday night, Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al Khelaifi is still fully supporting Unai Emery as coach, although that hasn't stopped him from voicing his criticisms and worrying about the long-term implications for his ambitious sporting project.Truth be told, Emery is without a doubt under pressure, especially given the fact that his team continue to trail in Ligue 1 domestic play aside from getting knocked out of the Champions League."Unai Emery works very hard every day for this team to improve and progress," Al Khelaifi said. "Now we must extract as many lessons as possible from this defeat and react rationally."Emery has all the qualities in which we believe and he has my total support."Nonetheless, some changes and analysis did leave the Spanish coach in a less favourable light."We will discuss changes that need to be made mid-season," he continued. "The strength of a great club is to maintain a cool head and to be united in the difficult moments."The club was not up to the test. You can't help but think that the result could have been different with better refereeing."The French press attacked the players, coach, staff - everyone - for the shocking display, although the PSG boss believes this to be too harsh and unwarrented."Great players don't judge a club based on one performance," he concluded. "They look at the global picture. |
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richturk
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2017-03-11 at 14:33
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German rumours - JUVENTUS in talks with Douglas Costa Unsatisfied with his current course at Bayern Munich, Brazilian international winger/half-forward Douglas Costa (26), according to latest rumours, is in talks with Juventus on a possible summer transfer. Former Shakhtar Donetsk star joined German giants back in summer 2015, and is currently on a deal with them until June 2020. The request on him would be set around 42 million euros. |
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richturk
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2017-03-11 at 14:33
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JUVENTUS - Benatia closer to be bought back from Bayern After the performance offered in last night Serie A Matchday 28 last-minute victory against AC Milan, Moroccan international centre-back Medhi Benatia (29) is getting more and more likely to be bought back from Bayern Munich by Juventus. Former AS Roma player is still tracked by Inter Milan and Spartak Moscow. |
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richturk
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Posted
2017-03-12 at 18:02
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Football's biggest headache the image of Fernando Torres lying prone in a worrying state on the Estadio Riazor turf was a frightening image to anyone who watched it.Torres' concussion has now reopened the debate about the danger of blows to the head in football. Studies have been underway to determine the risks and how best to minimise the dangers that emerge from concussions.In the United States, children below the age of 13 have been banned from heading the ball, until they will have a fully formed brain. The country has also brought greater clarity on the topic of brain injuries in the NFL, where the American Academy of Neurology ruled that at least 40 percent of retired players show signs of traumatic brain injury left over from their playing days.That research came from tests that were conducted on 500 retired players who played in the NFL for a period of at least five years.It also showed that half of ex-players have problems with executive function, 45 percent have problems with learning or memory, 42 percent with concentration and 24 percent with spacial function.At the Universidad Camilo Jose Cela, studies are being carried out to determine the risk in European football at both the professional and amateur youth levels.So far, they have determined that in football, head impact injures are caused by three main factors: collisions with other players as was the case with Torres, with parts of the stadium such as the goalpost or advertising board and finally and most worryingly, with the ball itself. Figures from various studies show that players who head the ball more than 800 times a year have problems with memory loss.The statistics are even more worrying in women's football as women suffer more concussions than men, with the results almost doubled on a sample of 10,000 games."After surveying physios, doctors and coaches, 94 percent of the athletes in the country don't take any tests before the start of the season," said Alvaro Garcia-Romero, a leading researcher in the field."This is a problem because, to analyse the evolution of injuries to the head, they should be compared to previous results and the tests take less than 10 minutes."In recent times, it has become more commonplace to see players wearing protective headgear such as Cristian Chivu, following a collision with Sergio Pellissier, and Petr Cech, after he suffered a similar injury in a challenge with Stephen Hunt.At the end of 2015, the goalkeeper asked to get rid of it as he felt it was causing him problems with hearing and communicating with his defence but doctors forbade it.Carles Puyol, Martin Demichelis, Thiago Silva and John Terry are other prominent names who have been forced to wear protective gear on their heads after injuries to that area.A more serious case was that of Patrick Grange, an American semi-professional footballer who sadly passed away in 2012 after suffering an injury to his skull.According to Garcia-Romero, the way to act with these kind of injuries is clear."The first thing with head problems is to rule out any injury to the neck and then with the help of another person, an airway is opened or the person is placed in a lateral safety position," continued Garcia-Romero."If you play again too soon after it, either in that game or the next one and suffer another blow, it can lead to a macroscopic injury or even death."That is the tragic situation which, Garcia-Romero said, could have came about in the recent fixture between Osasuna and Las Palmas."Berenguer played on for seven minutes after suffering a heavy blow to his head in a collision with David Simon," he stated. "If he had been hit hard during that time he could have suffered a very serious injury."If it was a blow to his head, the injury could have been permanent or even lethal."In those kind of cases, he was insistent that it was then up to the officials to step forward and take action by refusing to allow the player to continue."The players must be aware that what happened to Torres could happen to them," he concluded. |
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