Already qualified Bayern Munich beat CSKA Moscow 3-0 with another dominant performanceWednesday to complete their fifth win in six Champions League Group E games and leave the Russians bottom of the table and out of Europe. . A new-look Bayern side featured teenagers Gianluca Gaudino and Pierre Hojbjerg alongside Bastian Schweinsteiger, making his first start of the season after a lengthy injury absence. . With Xabi Alonso and Arjen Robben on the bench, Bayern, who had secured top spot in Group E with two games to spare, never hit top form. . Thomas Mueller scored his 24th in the comeptition…
Author: David F.
Manuel Pellegrini celebrated Manchester City’s remarkable brinkmanship in securing a Champions League knock-out spot on Wednesday by hailing the champions’ Roman warriors rather than the absent leading players. . The unruffled Chilean, who must have feared a quick exit before his side made a remarkable comeback against Bayern Munich last month, almost made it sound as if City’s 2-0 win at Roma had been merely routine. . Instead, it might actually have secured his job with City’s Middle East paymasters unlikely to have easily accepted another early capitulation in the flagship event. . Yet after all the talk of absent…
Swansea City announced on Monday that they have appealed against goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski’s dismissal during their 3-1 loss at West Ham United in the Premier League on Sunday. . The former Arsenal goalkeeper was sent off in the 68th minute at Upton Park, with the score at 2-1, for racing out of his area and impeding Diafra Sakho as the West Ham substitute bore down on goal. . But Swansea coach Garry Monk complained afterwards that Sakho had used his arm to nudge the ball past Fabianski and argued that the West Ham forward had not been denied a clear…
Manchester United forward Radamel Falcao is “100 percent ready to give everything” according to wife Lorelei Taron who hit back at manager Louis van Gaal’s suggestion that the Colombian is only fit enough to play 20 minutes. . Van Gaal said Falcao must play in the second team before he would be considered to start a game and “was not interested” if the 28-year-old was unhappy with his current role. . “He is not fit enough to start a game yet. He needs to play 45, 60 or even 90 minutes in the second team but I haven’t been able…
Robin van Persie scored twice as Manchester United won 2-1 at Southampton to continue their recent resurgence and climb to third in the Premier League on Monday. . The Dutchman scored in each half as United, who were distinctly second best for much of the game, secured their fifth successive Premier League victory. . Graziano Pelle ended a personal goal drought dating back to October by equalising but Southampton have now lost three successive Premier League games and are without a league victory since a 1-0 victory against struggling Leicester City on November 8. . Manchester United have 28 points,…
Almeria have sacked coach Francisco Rodriguez after Monday’s 5-2 drubbing at Eibar left them winless in La Liga in eight matches and mired in 17th place in the standings. . Team physio Sergio Pardo will take charge of training while the club look for a replacement, Almeria said on their website (www.udalmeriasad.com) on Tuesday. . Rodriguez’s replacement would be appointed in time to take charge of Friday’s La Liga game at home to leaders Real Madrid, they added. . Juan Ignacio Martinez, known in Spain as JIM and a former coach of clubs including Real Valladolid and Levante, was mentioned…
Tottenham Hotspur striker Emmanuel Adebayor has returned home to Togo for personal reasons, the Premier League club said on Friday. . The 30-year-old former Arsenal and Manchester City player has been given permission to take time off, Spurs said on their website (www.tottenhamhotspur.com) . “This is a private matter and so we will not be providing any further comment,” the club added. . Adebayor has made 12 appearances for Tottenham this season and has not played since the November international break when Togo failed to qualify for the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations. . Spurs visit Turkish side Besiktas in…
Nigerian international, John Obi Mikel, got among the goals for English Barclays Premier League club, Chelsea, in what represents his first goal in the Uefa Champions League. . Since joining the London club, Mikel had only scored four goals in the league and Cup competitions in England but the midfielder netted in the 56th minute in Chelsea’s 3-1 win over Sporting Lisbon at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday night. . Interestingly, Chelsea manager, Jose Mourinho, opted to start Mikel as well as Serbian midfielder, Nemanja Matic, who has been the reason the Nigerian has seen limited action with the Blues. .…
Manchester City concluded one of the great Champions League Houdini acts on Wednesday as they qualified for the knockout stages with goals from Samir Nasri and Pablo Zabaleta sinking Roma 2-0 to eliminate the Italians at the Stadio Olimpico. The Frenchman’s 60th-minute thunderbolt, before he laid on a second for the Argentine in the 86th minute, ensured the English champions did not suffer another frustrating early exit in Group E. . City’s great escape into the last 16 seemed unthinkable when they trailed in their penultimate game at home to Bayern Munich with just five minutes remaining before Sergio Aguero…
Adem Ljajic scored deep into injury-time to rescue a point for second-placed AS Roma who had to come from two goals behind and with a man down to earn a 2-2 draw at home to Sassuolo in Serie A on Saturday. . Ljajic had begun the comeback with a 78th minute penalty for a Roma side reduced to 10 men six minutes after the break when midfielder Daniele De Rossi was sent off for a second booking. . Rudi Garcia’s team stayed three points behind leaders and titleholders Juventus, who drew 0-0 at Fiorentina on Friday, after dropping their first…