Rosicky cool over comeback date

Arsenal midfielder Tomas Rosicky said Thursday he was still some way off full fitness after suffering renewed problems to the thigh injury that has kept him sidelined since January.

“My return is still going to take some time,” Rosicky told the CTK news agency.

“Each treatment runs the risk of bringing complications,” the 28-year-old explained.

Rosicky's downbeat bulletin will disappoint his club manager Arsene Wenger who in August said he hoped to have Rosicky back playing by September.

Rosicky has been out of action since leaving the pitch in a FA Cup tie against Newcastle last season.

In Prague the media are speculating whether the injury could in fact trigger a premature end to the player's career.

“Let's hope the career of 'little Mozart' doens't ressemble that of the composer - spectacular but short,” wrote the Dnes daily.

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One in, one out for Bayern Munich

The German champions, Bayer Munich, are getting ready for their clash with title rivals Werder Bremen this Saturday and have received a confidence boost ahead of the mouth-watering match.

According to Bundesliga, Bayern Munich will benefit from the services of French winger Frank Ribery. Ribery has been training intensively in the past few days and declared that he hopes he can “start against Bremen!”

However it is not all good news for Bayern; during Wednesday’s Champions League game against Steaua Bucharest, striker Miroslav Klose had to be substituted because of a thigh injury. It remains unclear whether he will return to fitness in time to face his old club.

[Source: Bundesliga]

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Wilkins returns as Chelsea coach

Ray Wilkins was appointed as Chelsea's new assistant first-team coach on Thursday following Steve Clarke's move to London rivals West Ham.

Former England midfielder Wilkins began his career at Stamford Bridge and, while still a teenager, captained Chelsea as a teenager before moving to Manchester United.

This will be the 52-year-old's second coaching spell with the club, having previously worked under former manager Gianluca Vialli.

Now he will assist Luiz Felipe Scolari after Clarke decided to join up with Gianfranco Zola, another former Chelsea player, at West Ham.

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Spurs, AC Milan need UEFA Cup reprieve

Premier League tailenders Tottenham host Polish unknowns Wisla Krakow in the UEFA Cup on Thursday, with under-fire boss Juande Ramos knowing only a convincing win will appease weary fans.

The London club has got off to a dismal start in England's top flight, with one point from four games, including two home defeats to Sunderland and Monday's 2-1 humbling by Aston Villa.

That performance against Martin O'Neill's men was met with boos from Spurs supporters angry with the departures of Robbie Keane and Dimitar Berbatov and the stalling starts of new stars David Bentley and Luka Modric.

But Darren Bent - whose goal against Chelsea earned Tottenham their only point so far - said the game against Wisla Krakow was an opportunity to get back on a winning streak.

“We need to pull ourselves up from this and just keep going. Even after their second goal, we kept going until the end, but it wasn't meant to be,” Bent told the club's website on Tuesday.

“We've got another game on Thursday to put things right. If it was a case of us not creating chances, then we could start to worry. But we are creating things and we just need to keep believing.

“Europe makes a nice change from the Premier League and we did well in the UEFA Cup last year, so we'll be hoping to go a step further this time. But the league is our bread and butter and we need to start winning.”

Another team desperately in need of a win are Italian giants AC Milan, who take on Switzerland's FC Zurich at home on Thursday.

The seven-time European champions, with superstars Kaka, Ronaldinho and Andriy Shevchenko, lost 2-0 at Genoa on Sunday, a result that leaves them sitting an unbelievable second bottom of Serie A.

Under-pressure Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti would have hoped to avoid a potentially tricky tie against the organised Swiss team, who will stifle their rivals' creative spark.

Milan's general manager Adriano Galliani issued a bald warning to Ancelotti after the club's worst league start since 1986, saying: “He doesn't risk the sack, but he'd better stop losing.”

Ancelotti's task will be made all the worse with news that midfielder Andrea Pirlo has been ruled out of the match with a thigh injury.

A man used to such managerial pressure is former England coach Steve McClaren, whose new Dutch club FC Twente travel to French side Rennes.

The Dutch were taught a lesson by Arsenal in a recent Champions League qualifier, but McClaren only took positive things from the 6-0 aggregate drubbing.

“We got a lot of experience from that game which will make us a better side against Rennes in the UEFA,” he said on Tuesday.

FC Twente stumbled to a 1-1 draw against NEC at the weekend while Rennes were held to a similar result against Le Havre.

Motherwell will also travel to France to play Nancy nursing the bruises from a 4-2 hammering against Scottish Premier League champions Celtic on Saturday.

Former Celtic bete noire, ex-Rangers manager Paul Le Guen, appears to have turned things around at Paris Saint Germain in time for their trip to unheralded Turkish side Kayserispor.

The Paris side - winners of the now defunct Cup Winners Cup in 1996 - have endured a torrid time of late but sit third in the league thanks to a penalty from new boy Mateja Kezman which saw them defeat Nantes on Sunday.

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Chopra thankful for Keane backing

Sunderland striker Michael Chopra publicly expressed his gratitude to manager Roy Keane for giving himself time to sort out his life away from football.

The 24-year-old played for the reserves on Wednesday after a three-game ban imposed for a pre-season sending-off.

Unflattering stories about Chopra's marriage to Heather Swan, who starred in the British television 'reality' show Wags Boutique, appeared in several tabloid newspapers.

But, with the backing of both his wife and Keane, Chopra spent time at the Sporting Chance Clinic in Hampshire, southern England, set up by former England defender Tony Adams.

“I'm playing with a smile on my face again. It's down to me to work hard now and get my place in the team,” he told Sunderland's official website after scoring in the reserves' 2-1 win over Liverpool.

“I had a week away trying to sort myself out, and I'm pleased the gaffer let me do that. I'm grateful to him.”

Now Chopra hopes he can get into Keane's team for Saturday's Premier League north-east derby clash with Middlesbrough at the Stadium of Light.

“I would love to be involved against Boro, but we will see what the gaffer does because he's got good options.

“If he picks me, I will be going on the pitch full of confidence.

“Getting a goal last (Wednesday) night perhaps gives the manager a headache over who he picks and if he turns to me, I would be delighted.”

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Subotic´s stunning start captures Loew´s attention

A string of good performances on his first Bundesliga season and three goals in four games has brought Borussia Dortmund teenager Neven Subotic to the attention of Germany coach Joachim Loew.

The 19-year-old defender made a dramatic league debut in August when he scored Dortmund's third and all-important goal against Bayer Leverkusen to seal a 3-2 win on the first weekend of the new season.

He then scored the only goal in the 1-0 win over Energie Cottbus at the end of August and netted again last weekend as Dortmund came from 3-0 down at home to earn a 3-3 draw with bitter rivals Schalke 04.

The teenager makes his UEFA Cup debut against Udinese Calcio on Thursday.

“It is an absolute dream for me,” said Subotic, who has already tasted international football - but with the United States.

The teenager has walked a long and unusual path to the Bundesliga.

He joined Dortmund on a five-year contract in June this year from second division Mainz for 3.5 million euros (five million US dollars).

Born in the Bosnia and Herzegovinan city of Banja Luka in 1988, Subotic was just five when his parents fled to Schwarzenburg in Germany's Black Forest to escape the civil war in their homeland.

When their residency permit expired in 1999 they moved to the United States, first to Utah then South Carolina before settling in Florida.

Subotic's talent was spotted playing football in a park and he progressed to play for the University of South Florida from 2004 until 2006, before going to Germany and Mainz.

Subotic has played for both the United States Under-17 and Under-20 sides, but has applied for German citizenship and FIFA will rule on his eligibility for die Mannschaft should he qualifiy.

Under FIFA rules, Subotic can currently only play for the US, Bosnia-Herzegovina or Croatia, his country of ethnicity, but the German Football Federation (DFB) - and Loew - are keeping an eye on him.

“We assume he can play for us, because it has not played an A-international for the United States,” DFB media director Harald Stenger told the newspaper Suddeutsche Zeitung.

But Subotic says he is just concentrating on playing well for Dortmund, even if Loew's attentions are flattering.

“I read the coach of the national team has expressed a positive interest in me, but I don't have much to say on the subject,” the teenager told German agency SID.

“I am not even sure myself where I stand in terms of eligibility.”

And as the boyfriend of Germany's Under-20 world pole vault champion Lisa Ryzih, Subotic knows what goes up must come down.

“I know that everyone who shoots up fast, must also come down with a hard bang,” he said.

“I am only 19 years old and no exception to that rule.”

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Anelka finding his form

Nicolas Anelka has struggled to become a favourite with the Chelsea faithful since signing for the West London side this January but with three goals already under his belt this season, it seems that he may be beginning to find his form and the best is yet to come with strike partner Didier Drogba returning from injury.

The Frenchman has made it well known in the past that he prefers to play in a front two pairing and yet despite many appearances for the Blues, has had few opportunities in this desired formation.

Last season, under the management of doomed Avram Grant the striker was played in a wide position with Drogba as the lone forward. Anelka himself was outspoken about this decision and was thought to be unhappy at Chelsea because of this.

However, following the departure of Grant earlier this Summer, the arrival of Scolari has coincided with a upturn in demeanour and with it a chance to test himself at Chelsea in a forward role.

Following his opening day goal against Portsmouth he failed to score in Chelsea’s next two matches but back to back goals against Manchester City – a cool finish from a through ball – and Bordeaux – a predatory tap in from a Belletti shot which cannoned back off the bar - have got him back amongst the goals. And I will probably be betting on Anelka to score against Manchester United this Sunday with his strike-partner back to full fitness.

Drogba is now back to full fitness for this weekend’s Premier League showdown with Manchester United, a game which many believe now will serve as the first real test of Anelka’s ability in a partnership with the Ivorian.

The pair have proven before that they can work together. Grant’s controversial decision to bring on Anelka against Arsenal with his side trailing one-nil sparked an immediate turn around as he set up both of Drogba’s goals which claimed all three Easter Sunday points for Chelsea.

Blues fans will be hoping that the pair can hit form this weekend against United, and it would be interesting to check out the football betting to see if other punters agree that a strike partner will mean even more goals for ‘Le sulk’.

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SAfrica WC2010 will have enough beds: tourism bodies

South African tourism bodies on Thursday said the 2010 World Cup host will have enough beds for visitors after FIFA boss Sepp Blatter said demand could out-strip availability.

“There are graded rooms to spare in South Africa and everybody who comes for the World Cup will find a place to stay easily,” said Moeketsi Mosola, CEO of South African Tourism.

The country has nearly 100,000 graded rooms, mostly around host cities, while FIFA needed 55,000, he said in a joint statement with the Tourism Grading Council of South Africa.

The football body had contracted some 28,000 rooms so far as some establishments chose to market themselves independently of the company services contracted by FIFA, the statement said.

In a four-day visit to South Africa in which he expressed confidence in the hosts, Blatter said there could be a shortage of hotel beds.

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England skip new Four Nations tournament

Ireland, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales - but not England - announced Thursday that their national sides would take part in a new 'Four Associations' tournament in 2011.

The event will be staged in Dublin, with the initial two matches in February and four other fixtures following in May.

Whichever side tops the league table will win the Four Associations Cup.

Significantly, and unlike the old British Home Championship, which was binned in 1984, England are not included in the new competition with the Republic effectively taking their place.

England have rarely been enthusiastic about anything that smacks of a revival of the Home Internationals, which were abandoned following problems with hooliganism, falling attendances for all but the England-Scotland clash, world football's oldest international fixture, and the increasing prominence of the World Cup and European Championships.

“As there are limited international dates for opportunities to play nations from outside Europe, we like to use several dates to play teams from South America, Africa and Asia,” said a spokesman for England's Football Association. “Otherwise the only time we would get to play such countries is restricted to World Cups.

“We have played several fixtures against the home nations since 1999 and our preference is to play one-off games rather than a tournament - if they fit in with the manager's plans.

“Clearly friendly dates - at a premium - are important to the manager as preparation for qualifying matches and tournaments.

“Due to this, we regularly try to select opponents who will help prepare the team for the style we are likely to face.”

Scotland manager George Burley was, however, enthused by the new tournament and said he hoped for more fixtures against England.

“We will have two games and that will be exciting.

“I am sure the people of the Republic will be looking forward to that and the Tartan Army will be out in force.”

Burley added: “We have held preliminary talks with England because we would like to play them.

“Hopefully, in the next couple of years we will be able to arrange a friendly with them but there's nothing at the minute.”

John Delaney, chief executive of the Football Association of Ireland, added: “We are delighted to host the Four Associations tournament.

“This will be the first time Ireland has hosted a senior international tournament and the atmosphere around Dublin will be tremendous, especially with thousands of visiting supporters from Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland expected to travel for the matches.

“The tournament will be a fitting celebration for our fantastic new stadium (Dublin's rebuilt Lansdowne Road) which is on schedule for completion in 2010.”

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Deportivo crash at Brann Bergen

Norwegian side Brann Bergen are close to reaching the next round in the UEFA Cup after a somewhat surprising 2-0 win over Deportivo la Coruña.

Brann haven’t been very successful in the Norwegian league as of late, and failed to get past Olympique de Marseille to make it into the Champions League group phase.

But the Scandinavians showed a completely different performance in their first leg clash with Deportivo on Thursday. Bjarnason put the home side in the lead from the penalty spot in thr 25th minute and Solli doubled the advantage six minutes before the break.

Despite having fielded experienced players as Guardado and Valeron, the Spanish guests couldn’t force a comeback and now face a difficult task in the second leg at Riazor.

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Defoe helps Portsmouth past Vitoria Guimaraes

Portsmouth have one leg in the next round of the UEFA Cup following a 2-0 home win over Portuguese side Vitoria Guimaraes.

Lassana Diarra put Pompey in the lead after 39 minutes, combining with Jermain Defoe before volleying past the goalkeeper.

Both Vitoria and Portsmouth then had chances to score from the penalty spot, but Joao Paulo Fajardo and Defoe failed to do so.

As for Defoe, he made up for that mistake by netting Portsmouth’s second on the hour mark.

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Lincoln saves Galatasaray’s day after Swiss spectacle

A late goal from Lincoln earned Galatasaray a tremendously hard fought win at Swiss side AC Bellinzona.

The Swiss champions had a goal from Lustrinelli cancelled by Harry Kewell, but restored their lead through Sermeter just after the break.

It was then time for Czech striker Milan Baros to stand up, turning the score around with goals in the 52nd and 80th minutes.

But Bellinzona, who had been without the red-carded Diarra since the 60th minute, thought to have secured a draw when La Rocca netted for 3-3 in the 89th minute.

The Turks insisted in leaving Switzerland with a victory in the pocket though, and Lincoln scored to make it 3-4 in added time.

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Bent heads Spurs to victory over Wisla

Tottenham secured a 2-1 win over Polish side Wisla Krakow in the UEFA Cup on Wednesday.

The Londoners needed 33 minutes to take the lead, as David Bentley converted a cross from Aaron Lennon.

But while the home fans celebrated their side’s goal, the Poles reacted with an immediate equaliser from Tomas Jirsak.

Spurs will go into the second leg with a 2-1 advantage though, as Darren Bent headed home from a Fraizer Campbell cross in the 73rd minute.

The win comes at a good moment for Tottenham, who hadn’t won any of their four previous matches this season.

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Napoli celebrate European return with win over Benfica

Napoli have begun their European adventure with a 3-2 win over Benfica Lisbon at Naples’ San Paolo stadium.

The former UEFA Cup winners conceded a goal from Suazo in the 16th minute but Vitale levelled just two minutes later.

And Napoli even managed to take the lead through Denis after another two minutes.

Ten minutes into the second half, it was Maggio to make it 3-1 to the Italian hosts. Luisao did get one back for Benfica in the 59th minute but the Portuguese side failed to score another.

That second goal could prove to be of great importance though, as a 1-0 victory at home would now be enough for Benfica to make it through to the next round.

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MLS’ most valued teams: Galaxy tops the list

Forbes magazine took its first look at soccer franchises, according to the Washington Business Journal, as it classified the MLS team in terms of value.

In their study, the most valued team was the LA Galaxy featuring David Beckham. The former England captain seems to have had his involvement in his team’s surge to the top of the rich list as around 300,000 replica shirts with his name on the back were sold last year, according to the same Washington Business Journal.

The LA Galaxy was valued at $100 million while the top three is rounded off by the two year-old Canadian franchise, Toronto FC (estimated value at $44 million) and the Chicago Fire (worth about $41 million).

The Kansas City Wizards are worth the least, according to the study as they amount to about $22 million.

[Source: Washington Business Journal]

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Ribery awarded 340,000 euros by Swiss court

Bayern Munich's France midfielder Franck Ribery will receive 340,000 euros (487,000 US dollars) from his former agent after a ruling by the Swiss Federal Court in Lausanne on Wednesday.

Germany sports agency SID reported the court upheld an earlier ruling that Ribery, 25, was entitled to cancel a contract with former agent Bruno Heiderscheid just before his transfer from Marseille to Bayern Munich in June 2007.

Luxembourg-based Heiderscheid had complained to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) claiming Ribery broke his contract and should pay him damages.

But the Lausanne-based CAS, the world's highest court of appeal for sport, ruled last April that because of a previous conviction in 2000, Heiderscheid's criminal record meant his contract with Ribery signed in 2005 was null and void.

The hearing was held under French law, which insists agents must have a clean record to hold a sports licence.

The CAS ruled Ribery must be compensated 340,000 euros in fees already paid to the agent.

Although Heiderschied appealed the decision, the Swiss Federal Tribunal upheld the CAS ruling and announced the decision on Wednesday.

Ribery, currently recovering from ankle surgery, was named German footballer of the year for 2007-08 after leading Bayern to the Bundesliga title.

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Hertha consider leaving Berlin´s Olympic stadium

Hertha Berlin are considering quitting the German capital's Olympic Stadium - built by Hitler's architect Albert Speer - and moving to a new arena of their own, said a report here on Thursday.

The Berlin Morgenpost reports the Bundesliga club are looking at plans to build their own stadium with their lease on the Olympic Stadium set to expire in 2017.

“There are no firm plans, but we have the intention of looking at the feasibility of a few ideas,” said Hertha manager Dieter Hoeness.

Renting the Olympic Stadium costs Hertha 4.5 million euros per year (6.5 million US dollars).

“We are looking into the idea of a purpose-built football stadium in Berlin or the surrounding area,” Hoeness added.

Built under Hitler's orders and opened in 1936 to host the Berlin Olympic Games held later that year, the Olympic Stadium was renovated in 2004, at a cost of 282 million euros, to host the 2006 World Cup final.

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Milan put aside league woes to beat Zurich in UEFA Cup

Struggling AC Milan earned their first victory of the season in a 3-1 success over FC Zurich in the UEFA Cup first round, first leg at the San Siro on Thursday night.

It was a welcome boost for under-fire coach Carlo Ancelotti who will now hope his team carry that form into Sunday's visit of Lazio in Serie A.

Goals from Marek Jankulovski, Pato and Marco Borriello gave Milan a three-goal start before Dusan Djuric pulled one back for the woeful visitors.

It was a measure of Milan's ambition in this competition that despite Andrea Pirlo's injry, Ronaldinho, Gianluca Zambrotta and goalkeeper Christian Abiatti were all rested while Alessandro Nesta wasn't even included amongst the list of 25 available players.

Even so, with the likes of Andrei Shevchenko, Kaka, Pato and Clarence Seedorf starting there was more than enough invention and firepower needed to break down the Swiss — on paper at least.

The reality was somewhat different in the first 45 minutes. It was nine minutes from the break before a noteworthy chance was created. Shevchenko broke free in the box and volleyed goalwards but goalkeeper Johnny Leoni tipped it onto the crossbar.

Moments later Zurich had the ball in the net when Florian Stahel headed home a free-kick only for the linesman to bewilderingly wave his flag.

Milan made the most of their reprieve as Kaka released Shevchenko and although Leoni blocked the Ukraine striker's shot, full-back Jankulovski crashed the follow up off Stahel's head and through Leoni's legs — it had been going wide before striking the Zurich defender.

That goal visibly lifted Milan's confidence and in the opening minute of the second period Pato fashioned a chance for Massimo Ambrosini but the Italy midfielder fired high and wide.

Milan had so far enjoyed a comfortable night at the back due to Zurich's complete lack of firepower but their frailty in that department was exposed when French forward Alexandre Alphonse struck the foot of the post with a prod from a long throw on 55 minutes.

Pato, though, settled Milanese nerves a minute later as he rifled a sumptuous free-kick into the top corner to double the Italians' advantage.

Zurich should have pulled a goal back through captain Hannu Tihinen but he put a free header from a corner well over the bar when completely unmarked in the box.

Substitute Borriello rounded things off with a vicious left foot finish from just outside the area 17 minutes from time although Dusan Djuric thrashed a shot from distance every bit as good as Pato's into the top corner to register the Swiss team on the scoresheet.

Seedorf almost scored a last-minute fourth with a close range header but Leoni made a miraculous save with his foot.

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Injured Gago sidelined for a month

Real Madrid manager Bernd Schuster will have to do without Argentinian Fernando Gago for at least four weeks.

Gago tore a muscle in his left knee tendon during the Champions League game with BATE Borisov on Wednesday, and needed replacement after only half an hour.

Schuster had already warned for a serious injury looking at the symptoms, and doctors today confirmed that the midfielder shouldn’t be expected to make a return within a month.

Gago has formed part of Real Madrid’s squad since 2006. Last season, he made a total of 42 appearances for the Spanish champions.

If the prognosis of four weeks is correct, Gago should be back in time for Real Madrid’s Champions League game with Juventus on October 21st.

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Jo brace completes City fightback victory at Omonia

Cash-rich Manchester City needed a brace from Brazilian striker Jo to overcome Cypriot minnows Omonia Nicosia 2-1 in this UEFA Cup first round, first leg tie here on Thursday.

Omonia surprisingly went ahead from Klodian Duro's direct free kick on the edge of the area after 49 minutes but Jo grabbed the headlines with two second-half goals to clinch victory.

Jo levelled the score in the 59th minute with a simple tap in after Elias Charalambous had failed to clear the ball as Sean Wright-Phillips took it off him to set up his team-mate.

The Brazilian secured victory on 72 minutes when, unmarked inside the area, he had time to trap the ball and pick his spot with a low drive into the right-hand corner.

But Cyprus international Efstathios Aloneftis should have scored for Omonia after 62 minutes but his effort from six-yards went the wrong side of the post.

Although Manchester City enjoyed the lion's share of opportunities this was an open game high on entertainment value with the home side not overawed by their much vaunted opponents.

City's flair players started brightly with record signing Robinho and Wright-Phillips at the heart of their team's best attacking moves.

Robinho, all flicks and tricks, had a shot parried by keeper Antonis Georgallides after only two minutes.

The keeper was called into action soon after, this time having to tip a goal-bound Wright-phillips effort around the post.

The visitors created plenty of attacking opportunities as their hosts were also intent on going forward by deploying four strikers.

A great first half chance fell to Jo when he should have tapped into an open net, but missed, from a cross when Stephen Ireland stole the ball on the edge of the area after defender Charalambous dithered on the ball.

But Jo was unlucky not to open the scoring when his shot thumped against the upright after he outsmarted the defence on 41 minutes.

It was then the turn of the industrious Ireland to see his close-range effort bounce off the woodwork just before the interval.

When Jo again hit the goal frame early in the second half, City must have believed they were cursed not to score until a defensive error showed them the way.

The game was billed as a missmatch between Cypriot minnows Omonia and the newly cash-rich club from the Premier League but on the pitch the rich-poor divide was not always visible.

The island's most popular club was spurred on by deafening support from the 18,000 crowd at Nicosia's GSP stadium and substitute Clayton Cruz was denied an equaliser by Joe Hart in the closing seconds.

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Inter to make €12m bid for Silva

Inter will make a €12million bid for Fluminense defender Thiago Silva in the January transfer window, according to Gazzetta dello Sport.

The Nerazzurri boss Jose Mourinho is looking to strengthen his team in January and have already decided on making a move for Silva.

The agent of the highly rated Brazilian defender will travel to Milan this week for talks with Inter director Marco Branca, according to reports.

Silva is keen on a return to Europe, following unsuccessful spells at Dinamo Moscow in 2005 and Porto in 2004.

Silva has also been linked with Real Madrid, Hamburg and Tottenham in recent weeks. It is believed that Inter will face competition from one or more of these clubs in January.

[Source: Gazzetta dello Sport]

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Henry axed by Barcelona

Barcelona's French international Thierry Henry was dropped from the Spanish giants' squad for their league match at home against Racing Santander later Saturday.

Coach Josep Guardiola dropped the 31-year-old French forward and Brazilian defender Sylvinho “for technical reasons” after Saturday's training session, the club said on its Internet site.

Henry was widely criticized by the Catalan press for his poor form during Barcelona's 1-0 defeat at promoted Numancia two weeks ago during the club's opening league game of the season.

He was replaced about half an hour from the end of the match by 18-year-old Spanish international Bojan Krkic.

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No Scots for team GB

The president of the Scottish Football Association, George Peat has said that there is no chance of Scottish players being considered for a GB Olympic football team in 2012.

He told the BBC, “Some people are encouraging it, including the prime minister. But I can tell you there is no intention whatsoever of us becoming part of team Great Britain. We made up our mind from day one that we didn’t want any part of it and we will resist for as long as I’m here.”

Let’s hope Mr Peat leaves soon then!

(Source - BBC)

Schalke give away three-goal lead at Borussia Dortmund

An incredible comeback earned Borussia Dortmund a draw against regional rivals Schalke 04 in the Bundesliga on Saturday.

Peruvian new signing Farfán put Schalke in the lead after twenty minutes had been played in this prestigious derby, and Rafinha added a second goal in the 39th minute.

Westermann’s goal for 0-3 in the 53rd minute should have ended all hopes for the home side, but didn’t.

The comeback began with Subotic scoring for 1-3 in the 67th minute, and Alexander Frei made it 2-3 just three minutes later.

And Borussia would get their reward, as Frei converted a penalty kick with a minute left to play in regular time.

Schalke players could not control their frustration. Pander received yellow cards in the 69th and 73rd minutes, and was joined by Fabian Ernst with a direct red card in the 76th minute.

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Toni´s goals bring Bayern to second, Hamburg go top

Italian World Cup winner Luca Toni's second-half double in Cologne fired defending champions Bayern Munich up to second in the Bundesliga on Saturday as Hamburg took over the lead.

Bayern's Toni headed home from Bastian Schweinsteiger's free-kick in the 53rd minute and showed his finishing touch with a superb strike on the hour mark before Lukas Podolski came off the bench to hit an injury-time goal and seal a 3-0 win at Cologne.

The win shot Bayern up from seventh to second in the table as they warmed-up for their opening Champions League clash on Wednesday night against Steaua Bucharest in Romania with their second consecutive league win.

Having started the day in second position, Hamburg came from 2-0 down against ten-man Bayer Leverkusen to seal a dramatic 3-2 win which put them top.

Hamburg trailed 2-0 early on thanks to goals by Bayer's Tranquillo Barnetta and Patrick Helmes.

But a goal from Hamburg's Peru striker Jose Paolo Guerrero on 36 minutes put the home team back in the game before former Germany defender Manuel Friedrich was sent off for a second yellow card three minutes later.

Hamburg were level on 51 minutes when Croatia striker Ivica Olic equalised before Swiss striker Mladen Petric hit the all-important winner on 72 minutes to put his side top.

Nine-man Schalke 04 lost their heads and their place at the top of the table as they slid down to third after drawing 3-3 with neighbours Borussia Dortmund.

The Royal Blues had two players sent off as Dortmund fought back from 2-0 down at half-time.

Schalke got off to a flying start when Peru striker Jefferson Farfan - making his debut for the Royal Blues - converted a penalty on 20 minutes.

And Brazilian midfielder Rafinha doubled the advantage on 39 minutes when he slotted home a pass from Germany defender Heiko Westermann.

But Dortmund rallied when defender Neven Subotic headed home Alexander Frei's corner kick on 67 minutes and Swiss striker Frei rifled home a shot from his deadly left foot three minutes later to make it 3-2 with 20 minutes left.

Schalke lost their composure as Germany defender Christian Pander was shown a second yellow card on 73 minutes for a bad tackle.

And he was joined four minutes later by fellow defender Fabian Ernst for a reckless tackle and with just a minute left Frei converted a penalty which sealed the dramatic result and put Dortmund fourth in the table.

Werder Bremen picked up their first win of the season with three late goals to seal a 3-0 win at home to Energie Cottbus.

And VfL Wolfsburg scored goals in the first and last minutes to seal a 2-2 draw in the German capital at Hertha Berlin. Also on Saturday, VfB Stuttgart were held to a 0-0 draw at Hoffenheim.

On Sunday, Hanover entertain Borussia Moenchengladbach while Arminia Bielefeld are at VfL Bochum.

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Hodoud climb to top in African Confederation Cup

Harras al-Hodoud of Egypt replaced CS Sfaxien of Tunisia as African Confederation Cup Group A leaders after a 3-1 win in the top-of-the-table clash this weekend.

Unfashionable Harras have six points and Sfaxien four after three matches while Club Africain of Tunisia (one) host InterClube of Angola (three) in the other mini-league fixture on Sunday.

The pool winners qualify for the final in the African equivalent of the European UEFA Cup with Sfaxien attempting to become the first club to successfully defend the title.

Ahmed Eid gave African debutants Hodoud a 14th-minute lead which was quickly extended by Ahmed Abdulghani before Ivorian Blaise Kouassi pulled one goal back midway through the opening half.

Veteran Abdulhamid Bassiouni restored the two-goal advantage six minutes before half-time in the Mediterranean city and Harras survived a second half onslaught with goalkeeper William Mensah outstanding.

The other group comprises Al-Merreikh of Sudan, runners-up to Sfaxien last year, Asante Kotoko of Ghana, 2006 title holders Etoile Sahel of Tunisia and Jeunesse Sportive Kabylie of Algeria.

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Late Wigan goal denies Sunderland away win

sunderland continued their strong away form on Saturday, holding a battling Wigan to a 1-1 draw in a scrappy match that saw home boy Lee Cattermole sent off.

Roy Keane's men, dismal at home so far this season, nearly made it two away wins out of two after last month's defeat of Tottenham, but were thwarted by a late strike from Wigan's top goalscorer Amr Zaki.

Sunderland shaded the earlier possession as former Spurs team-mates Pascal Chimbonda and Steed Malbranque pushed and probed to find weaknesses in Wigan's armour.

They found the chink in the 12th minute, when a speculative Malbranque cross from the left was turned into Wigan's net by hapless defender Titus Bramble.

Former Chelsea stalwart Mario Melchiot and former Sunderland player Kevin Kilbane tried to get Wigan going again, engineering moves which failed to trouble 'keeper Craig Gordon.

Steve Bruce's charges came out strong in the second half as they looked to recover the pizzazz that saw them hammer Hull 5-0 in their last Premier League outing.

On the 47th minute Wigan wideman Kilbane fired an inswinger into the danger zone but Gordon scrambled to punch clear, and veteran Emile Heskey - making his 100th career Premier League appearance - laboured to find an opening.

Sunderland's Frenchman Djibril Cisse had a great chance to double the lead in the 60th minute when he got on the end of a Chimbonda throw-in, but his right-footed shot from 12 yards was dealt with by Chris Kirkland.

A 30-yard piledriver by Wigan's Olivier Kapo in the 68th minute was tipped over by Gordon, and from the resulting corner by Jason Koumas brought out a desperate clearance from Sunderland's El-Hadji Diouf.

Wigan got the breakthrough in the 77th minute when Zaki connected with a Maynor Figueroa cross to steer the ball into Gordon's bottom left-hand corner, for his fifth goal of the season.

But the home side saw red with five minutes to go when Cattermole clattered into Teemu Tainio for his second bookable offense.

Heskey wasted a great chance of winning the match in the third minute of extra time when he fired a 20-yard shot woefully over the crossbar.

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West Brom hand Zola bleak outlook

A late goal by Chris Brunt gave West Brom a 3-2 victory over West Ham on Saturday as Gianfranco Zola was given an idea of the size of the task awaiting him as new Hammers boss.

Zola, who has replaced Alan Curbishley in the West Ham hotseat but watched from the stands as caretaker-boss Kevin Keen took charge at The Hawthorns, saw the Hammers lead 2-1.

But promoted West Brom, who started the day at the foot of the table, stormed back to take the three points and give manager Tony Mowbray his first win of the campaign.

West Brom's James Morrison ghosted in past Matthew Upson in the opening minute to give the hosts the lead.

West Ham pressed hard for the equaliser but were repulsed till Mark Noble - making his 50th Premiership appearance for West Ham - was on hand to tap in following Scott Carson's good save from a header by David di Michele.

The London side carried on playing in their fluid style and were rewarded when Australian defender Lucas Neill gave them the lead as he volleyed home from close range after Upson had headed across goal.

However, their joy was cut short as West Brom equalised from the penalty spot through Roman Bednar after goalkeeper Robert Green had hauled down Leon Barnett.

It was even worse for the Londoners shortly before the end as Brunt was on hand to score with a good strike, turning smartly to fire past Green.

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King´s double piles on the misery for Newcastle

As if losing a manager was not bad enough, Newcastle crashed 2-1 to Premier League newcomers Hull on Saturday to cap one of the most wretched periods in the club's history.

Marlon King's double, his first goals for Hull since completing a loan move from Wigan in August, ensured the Tigers underlined how bad things have become for crisis club Newcastle.

With supporters, enraged by Kevin Keegan's resignation, demonstrating both inside and outside of St James' Park, the managerless Magpies were outclassed by a side who are expected to spend the season embroiled in a relegation battle.

Newcastle's performance was wretched but, as far as the fans were concerned, what was happening on the pitch was of minimal importance compared to what was occurring off it.

Prior to kick-off, more than 3,000 supporters staged a mass demonstration outside the stadium in which they expressed their anger at Keegan's decision to quit.

Keegan, who will not be returning to St James' for a third time despite holding clear-the-air talks with Newcastle owner Mike Ashley on Friday, resigned after the level of boardroom interference become too great for him to tolerate.

The supporters clearly hold Ashley and executive director Dennis Wise responsible for his departure, and chants of “Sack the board” and “We want Ashley out” underlined the divide between the club's owners and its supporters.

Despite reports that fans would boycott the game., a near-capacity crowd confirmed the Toon Army still want to support their club, but the depth of anti-Ashley feeling is unlikely to subside quickly and it is difficult to see how the Magpies' owner can attend matches in the future.

Ashley missed his side's worst performance of the campaign, with Newcastle completely outclassed during a one-sided second half that exposed all of their limitations.

Not, however, that those limitations were obvious from the start. With Spain Under-21 international Xisco making his Newcastle debut after arriving on Tyneside on transfer deadline day, the home side dominated the opening half-hour without making a breakthrough.

Michael Owen went closest to breaking the deadlock, but Hull goalkeeper Boaz Myhill produced a brilliant one-handed save to deny the Newcastle skipper after he glanced on Geremi's free-kick from the middle of the penalty area.

Hull spent most of the first half defending in their own half, but their resilience was rewarded when they were handed an unlikely opportunity from the penalty spot.

Nicky Butt caught Hungarian midfielder Peter Halmosi as he slid into a tackle, and while Shay Given got a hand to King's subsequent spot-kick, he was unable to prevent the ball entering the net off the left-hand post.

Buoyed by their breakthrough, Hull went on to dominate the early stages of the second half, and the visitors duly doubled their lead in the 55th minute.

Craig Fagan's through ball exploited a huge hole in the Newcastle defence, and after turning inside full-back Charles N'Zogbia, King curled a precise finish into the bottom left-hand corner.

Newcastle pulled a goal back with eight minutes left when Xisco tapped home the rebound after N'Zogbia's shot had cannoned against the base of the post.

But the match ended on a fittingly miserable note for the hosts as Danny Guthrie was rightly sent off in stoppage time following a dreadful tackle.

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Fulham newboys see off Bolton

Fulham's newboys combined to give Roy Hodgson's side a third successive victory as they defeated Bolton 2-1 on Saturday.

Zoltan Gera, a pre-season signing from West Bromwich, opened the scoring in the first half and Bobby Zamora, a recent arrival from West Ham, added a second before the break.

Bolton pulled one back through Kevin Davies in the closing stages but it was too late to stop the Cottagers extending their impressive start to the campaign.

Andrew Johnson, a 10 million pounds signing from Everton in the close season, made his debut up front in place of South Korea's Seol Ki-Hyeon and the home side were suitably inspired.

Hungarian winger Gera should have put Fulham ahead inside the opening minute but he skied a corner from eight yards out.

But Gera made amends in the 15th minute. When Zamora crossed from the left, the ball was only cleared to the edge of the area, where Gera lashed a powerful shot past Jussi Jaaskelainen.

Bolton threatened for the first time when Gavin McCann saw his looping shot tipped wide by Mark Schwarzer.

That was as good as it got for Gary Megson's side though. Zamora's low header was well saved by Jaaskelainen, but the former West Ham striker was soon celebrating.

In the 41st minute, he span away from clumsy challenges from Danny Shittu and McCann on the edge of the area and buried a low shot in the bottom right corner.

Simon Davies and Danny Murphy tested Jaaskelainen after the break as Fulham pressed for a third goal.

Bolton manager Gary Megson sent on former Fulham striker Heidar Helguson in a bid to spark his side.

But it was Fulham who continued to look more dangerous. Gera powered a header off the crossbar before Zamora went close with a shot that was deflected wide.

Helguson did play a part in Bolton's 82nd minute as Davies turned in his flick.

Fulham had a chance to end Bolton's revival when Davies raced clear but the Welsh midfielder fired straight at Jaaskelainen.

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Adebayor´s treble fires Gunners

Emmanuel Adebayor hit a hat-trick as Arsenal warmed up for the start of their Champions League campaign by thumping Blackburn 4-0 on Saturday.

The Togo striker had begun the day without a Premier League goal to his name this season but ended it by taking home the match ball as Arsene Wenger's side coasted to victory at Ewood Park.

Arsenal never looked back after Robin van Persie opened the scoring in the eighth minute before an outstanding move led to Adebayor making it 2-0 on the stroke of half time.

Adebayor increased the London club's lead from the penalty spot in the 81st minute and then celebrated his hat-trick in the third minute of stoppage time.

It ensures that Wenger's side travel to Ukraine in good spirits for Wednesday's opening Champions League group game with Dynamo Kiev.

Despite signing a three-month contract on the eve of the game, there was no place for former England and Liverpool striker Robbie Fowler in the Blackburn team as Paul Ince made two changes to the side thumped 4-1 by West Ham on their last appearance on the Premier League stage.

Danny Simpson, on loan from Manchester United, replaced injured Holland defender Andre Ooijer while there was a home debut for Keith Andrews following his move from Milton Keynes Dons last month.

This was the first of three successive away games for Arsenal yet Wenger opted against resting any of his big names ahead of their midweek trip to eastern Europe.

Despite his hat-trick heroics for England three days earlier, Theo Walcott had been widely tipped to start the match on the bench.

But he was promoted to the starting line-up in place of injured French midfielder Samir Nasri.

Walcott had teased and tormented the Croatia defence in Zagreb and the 19-year-old displayed his box of tricks as he teed-up Van Persie to open the scoring in the eighth minute.

He held off a number of challenges before releasing the ball for the Dutch striker to fire beyond Paul Robinson, Van Persie's third goal in his last two Premier League outings.

Van Persie buried a great chance into the side netting after a super 29th minute move involving Brazil midfielder Denilson and Adebayor before lashing a 41st minute effort wide after being picked out by the lively Walcott.

This was not quite a vintage performance by Wenger's side yet the build-up to their second goal at the end of the first half, which sealed Arsenal's first away win of the campaign, was simply breathtaking.

Arsenal's players completed 27 successful passes before the unmarked Adebayor headed home Denilson's cross.

Blackburn had their chances, Roque Santa Cruz and Brett Emerton both going close, but the home side lacked Arsenal's clinical finishing.

Robinson was beaten for the third time after referee Mike Dean pointed to the penalty spot in the closing stages following Stephen Warnock's foul on Emmanuel Eboue, Adebayor doing the rest.

With Arsenal in complete control, Wenger gave Jack Wilshere his moment in the spotlight. Aged 16 years and 256 days, Wilshere becomes the youngest player in Premier League history after replacing van Persie in the 83rd minute.

And the youngster was able to celebrate with his team-mates as man-of-the-match Adebayor completed the rout deep into stoppage time with a close range finish.

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Defoe ends Pompey home drought with late double

Jermain Defoe snatched a late winner to fire Portsmouth to a 2-1 victory against Middlesbrough at Fratton Park on Saturday.

England forward Defoe scored two second-half goals to complete an impressive fightback after in-form striker Mido had given Middlesbrough the lead.

Pompey's fightback catapulted Harry Redknapp's team seven places up the Premier League table to ninth.

Middlesbrough came into the game oozing confidence after their impressive start to the season, while Portsmouth were looking to register their first home win in six months.

It took only four minutes for the visitors to carve out a glorious opportunity as a Didier Digard cross evaded Sol Campbell, but Brazil striker Afonso Alves fluffed his shot with the goal gaping.

In contrast, Redknapp has seen his players endure a tough start to the campaign but they didn't appear to be affected, playing their own part in a vibrant opening to the game.

England striker Peter Crouch was causing the visiting defenders plenty of problems with his height and touch while international team-mate Defoe was probing with his movement and pace.

Stand-in goalkeeper Ross Turnbull made a smart save to deny Defoe and kept the visitors on terms.

Pompey were beginning to look the more threatening as their passing settled down, so it was slightly against the run of play when Mido fired the visitors into a 24th minute lead.

Former Heerenveen striker Alves capitalised on a mix-up between defenders Younes Kaboul and Arnold Mvuemba to put Mido in the clear.

The former Tottenham man kept a cool head and finished neatly to claim his third goal in four Premier League games.

The goal appeared to take the wind out of the home team's sails as they laboured to get themselves back on terms, often stringing together good passing moves but failing with the final ball.

When eventually Lassana Diarra did put a good cross into the penalty area Turnbull managed to clear at full stretch as Crouch and Senegal midfielder Papa Bouba-Diop lurked menacingly.

Redknapp took action at half-time to turn the course of the game, bringing on Nadir Belhadj and Nigeria winger John Utaka for Kaboul and Diop.

The change had the desired effect as immediately the home team started to apply pressure.

Diminuitive striker Defoe won a free-kick in a dangerous area but his scuffed effort caught the wall and midfielder Sean Davis failed to convert the ricochet.

Eventually, Defoe converted the pressure into a goal as Pompey ended a drought of four home games without a goal.

Lanky forward Crouch supplied an inviting pass into the penalty area which Defoe struck early to beat Turnbull at his near post to claim his 100th league goal.

The livewire striker was wreaking havock in the 'Boro box and came agonisingly close to giving his team the lead but somehow his cross-shot dribbled wide of the post after hitting defender Justin Hoyte.

Man of the match Defoe finally broke the visitor's resistance in the 86th minute, collecting a Glenn Johnson flick-on before turning and hooking home to seal a win which the home fans hope will kick-start their stuttering season.

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Chelsea turn on the style to spoil City´s big day

Robinho marked his Manchester City debut with a goal but it was Luiz Felipe Scolari's Chelsea who ran out 3-1 winners in the so-called 'clash of the cash' on Saturday.

The Brazilian playmaker couldn't have scripted a better start to life in the Premier League when he fired City ahead after just 13 minutes against the side he had been expected to join from Real Madrid.

But Scolari's men quickly dampened the euphoric mood at Eastlands, levelling through Ricardo Carvalho before goals from Frank Lampard and Nicolas Anelka underlined how far City must go if they are to break into the top four.

The late sending off of John Terry for a foul on Jo blemished Chelsea's performance and ruled him out of next Sunday's showdown against Manchester United, but Scolari headed back to London knowing his side had restated their claims in title race.

For City manager Mark Hughes, this clash gave a powerful reminder that notwithstanding Robinho's goal and his outstanding all round display, he has plenty of work to do before he can fulfil the ambition of City's new United Arab Emirates-based owners to win the Champions League within four years.

This was City's first game since the dramatic events on transfer deadline day when the announcement of a planned takeover by the Abu Dhabi United Group was immediately followed by big money bids for a clutch of star players including Robinho and Dimitar Berbatov.

A 32 million pounds British record bid was enough to hijack Robinho's planned move to Stamford Bridge, although City's new-found millions couldn't prevent Berbatov joining neighbours Manchester United.

And in the intervening twelve days there has been a rash of announcements and declarations about how the club's new owners with spend whatever it takes to amass a squad of top quality players to rival the best in the world.

Hughes has been unable to disguise his enthusiasm for the project that has been entrusted to him but has also been wise enough to preach caution.

And there was plenty of evidence in this 90-minute master-class by Chelsea for the City manager to use as he attempts to inject a dose of reality into the heightened sense of optimism enveloping the club and its supporters.

Some of those supporters turned up for the game in Arab head-dresses and Brazil shirts and the party spirit was fuelled by City's high-tempo start that culminated with Robinho's opening goal.

Carvalho clumsily fouled Jo on the edge of the area and Robinho stepped up to loop the ball over the defensive wall and beyond a flat-footed Peter Cech.

The Portugal defender made up for his error just three minutes later when Terry's goal-bound header was blocked by team-mate Joe Cole and Carvalho reacted well to volley home the equaliser.

That was enough to dampen down the home side and Chelsea began to take control with Florent Malouda twice going close with headers.

But Chelsea were ahead eight minutes after the break when Lampard rounded off a sweeping move with a clinical finish and Anelka hit the third in the 70th minute against his former club.

Terry's 77th minute dismissal fired City hopes but Hughes was left with the undeniable feeling his work in progress has some way to go.

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Benzema late goal completes Lyon fightback

A Karim Benzema penalty four minutes into injury time earned Lyon, two goals down after 20 minutes against Nice, a 3-2 home victory to give them provisional top spot in the French football league.

Loic Remy and Habib Bamogo had put Nice two goals ahead after the first 20 minutes, though goals from Juninho four minutes before the break and with a quarter hour to go, brought the reigning seven-times champions level before Benzema's late strike.

Marseille will grab top spot however should they win at Bordeaux in Saturday's late game.

Monaco had a 2-0 home victory at home to Lorient and thanked new South Korean summer recruit Park Chu-Young for scoring one goal and setting up the other at the Louis II stadium.

Park was one of Monaco's three signings right at the end of the transfer window from FC Seoul.

Monaco also signed Switzerland international and former Lyon defender Patrick Muller on a two-year deal and Nigerian defensive midfielder Sani Kaita from Sparta Rotterdam for three seasons.

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New faces but same old story for Barcelona

Pep Guardiola continues to wait for his first league win in charge of Barcelona after his title hopefuls threw two vital points away in a 1-1 home draw with Racing Santander on Saturday.

Argentine winger Lionel Messi converted a 70th-minute penalty but Barca failed to take advantage with Jonathan Pereira equalising six minutes later to deny the hosts victory.

One point from six is a woeful start for Guardiola who will expect better when Barcelona start their Champions League tilt on Tuesday with a home match against Sporting Lisbon.

Atletico Madrid are also in Champions League action on Tuesday at PSV Eindhoven - their first game in the competition since the 1996/97 season - but their preparations were spoiled by a 2-1 defeat at ten-man Valladolid.

Atletico stay top of the table on goal difference but Sevilla can replace them at the summit with victory over Sporting Gijon in Saturday's late match.

Guardiola was clearly unhappy with the opening 1-0 defeat by Numancia and showed he is not afraid to make big decisions by dropping French international Thierry Henry.

Bojan Krkic, Andres Iniesta and Messi all started on the substitutes bench - probably due to their international exertions - making way for the lesser known Sergi Busquets, 20, and 21-year-old striker Pedro “Pedrito” Rodriguez.

Gerard Pique, recruited from Manchester United in the summer, also made his debut in defence.

Daniel Alves came agonisingly close to his first Barcelona goal with his chip hitting the crossbar in the first minute of the second period.

But substitute Messi - recently criticised by his hero Diego Maradona for being too greedy - broke the deadlock with a spot-kick.

However, Pereira restored parity deflecting in a drilled free-kick to prompt jeers at Camp Nou.

Atletico Madrid paid the price for the international break with Uruguayan Diego Forlan unavailable after arriving back late from the World Cup qualifiers.

Central defender Jonny Heitinga was also injured on international duty with the Netherlands forcing Mexican manager Javier Aguirre to ring the changes.

Valladolid took full advantage of the makeshift side scoring after just three minutes through Vivar Dorado.

On 21 minutes Valladolid had Pedro Lopez sent off for two cautionable offences but the hosts still went two goals up seven minutes later through a penalty.

Substitute Kun Aguero pulled one back but Valladolid bravely held on.

On Sunday, champions Real Madrid go in search of their first win of the campaign against new boys Numancia at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Real lost 2-1 at Deportivo La Coruna a fortnight ago and come up against a Nuamancia team full of confidence after beating Barcelona.

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Jinxed Roma defeat shatters Champions League build-up

AS Roma's build-up to their opening Champions League clash suffered a setback on Saturday when they crashed 3-1 at Palermo in Serie A.

The defeat, coming on the back of a 1-1 draw with Napoli two weeks ago, was the worst preparation for Tuesday's European clash against Romania's Cluj.

Roma took the lead through Julio Baptista after just eight minutes following a flowing move, but they eventually paid a heavy price for being without injured skipper Francesco Totti and striker Mirko Vucinic who pulled out with a back injury just before kick-off.

They were also without Philippe Mexes, Juan and Simone Perrotta and then lost Daniele De Rossi with a neck injury later in the game.

Palermo, with new coach Davide Ballardini having replaced Stefano Colantuono, levelled through a Fabrizio Miccoli drive in the 20th minute after being set-up by Brazilian midfielder Fabio Simplicio.

Miccoli added a second for Palermo in the 56th minute with Edison Cavani scoring the third in the 72nd minute.

“We played below our capabilities at some times, while in others we did quite well without converting the chances,” said Roma coach Luciano Spalletti.

“There is little to complain about, as we lost by a clear margin in terms of the result, but that did not reflect what I saw in the match overall.”

Later Saturday, champions Inter Milan welcome Catania to the San Siro

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PSV secure minimal win, Feyenoord convince against Volendam

PSV Eindhoven held on to a narrow lead to earn a win over Sparta Rotterdam, while Feyenoord easily defeated FC Volendam for their virst victory of the season.

The only goal of the match at Eindhoven’s Philips stadium was scored by Ibrahim Affelay in the 58th minute, Up til then, Sparta had been giving PSV some serious troubles and refused to simply give up versus the defending champions.

Feyenoord’s win over Volendam was much more convincing. Volendam defenders forced the referee to call for two penalties in the first half, both converted by Dane Jon Dahl Tomasson.

Biseswar went on to score Feyenoord’s third and fourth goal in the second half, and veteran Mols netted the home side’s 5th in added time.

On Sunday, Ajax will be looking for their first points of the season against Roda JC in Amsterdam.

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Fergie ready to turn to Ronaldo after Anfield agony

Sir Alex Ferguson is ready to turn to Cristiano Ronaldo to fire Manchester United back into the Premier League title race after seeing his team lose Nemanja Vidic and Michael Carrick in a 2-1 defeat at Liverpool.

A Wes Brown own goal and late strike from Ryan Babel overturned Carlos Tevez's third minute opener to hand Liverpool their first league victory over United for four years.

United were out-fought and out-thought by a Liverpool team without both Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres and both injured midfielder Carrick and Vidic, who was shown a late red card, are now set to miss the trip to Chelsea next Sunday.

But Portuguese winger Ronaldo, who has yet to play for United since openly courting a move to Real Madrid, is on course to return against the Londonders after two months on the sidelines following ankle surgery.

Ferguson said: “Ronaldo is training now, he's with the first team and he's aiming to be a substitute at Chelsea on September 21. He's come on leaps and bounds.

“I think we mentioned a couple of weeks ago he was making rapid progress in terms of overcoming the injury problem he had and the training he's been doing with the physios and Tony Strudwick the fitness coach.

“He's been making great strides in the direction towards first-team football.”

United sorely need the 23-year-old to return following their pale display at Anfield that leaves them facing problems in their bid to retain the league title.

Ferguson admitted that his team's performance was way below expectations.

“When you score after three minutes, you should be consolidating that, but we never won a tackle and you have to hand it to Liverpool,” Ferguson said.

“When you have bad days, the big thing is to get something from them, but we conceded two goals that were absolute shockers. People will say that it is some Conference team defending when they see us on television. It was shocking stuff.

“The first was a really scabby goal to lose. Liverpool have had a bit of fortune with both goals, but they have deserved their luck, you can't deny that.

“They won every tackle and we just didn't respond to it. With our great record here, Liverpool raised their game an extra level.”

Vidic's sending off for two bookings rules him out of the Chelsea clash and Carrick is now set to miss both the Champions League meeting with Villarreal and the trip to Stamford Bridge after damaging his ankle against Liverpool.

Ferguson added: “We don't think that Michael's injury is too serious and we don't think it is broken. He has had an x-ray on it and we will investigate it further over the weekend and then see where we go. But I wouldn't think that he'll be available on Wednesday.

“Vida certainly led with his elbow, but all defenders lead with their elbow nowadays. (Jamie) Carragher leads with his elbow all the time, but he never gets a free-kick given against him.”

Carragher, who captain Liverpool in the absence of Gerrard, admitted that beating United has given Liverpool a massive confidence boost.

He said: “For too long, we have been off the pace against the likes of United and Chelsea, but this win gives us some breathing space over United.

“It has put us top of the league for while, and that is where a club like Liverpool should be. It can only give us confidence when you beat the best side in Europe.”

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Wenger admits he almost axed hero Walcott

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger admitted after his side's stunning 4-0 win at Blackburn that he almost left Theo Walcott out of the team following the teenager's heroics for England.

Emmanuel Adebayor claimed the headlines with a superb hat-trick at Ewood Park on Saturday, but the contribution of Walcott was every bit as significant as rampant Arsenal swept Blackburn aside with a breathtaking display.

Walcott had been crowned a national hero after scoring a hat-trick during England's 4-1 World Cup qualifying victory over Croatia in Zagreb on Wednesday.

With Arsenal launching their Champions League group campaing in Ukraine against Dynamo Kiev next Wednesday, Wenger wanted to rest 19-year-old Walcott.

But an injury to French star Samir Nasri, coupled with Wenger's reluctance to thrust Nicklas Bendtner into the action, forced the Arsenal manager to use the teenage flyer.

His decision paid off as Walcott produced another eye-catching performance.

“I was thinking about leaving Walcott out, but I thought I'd play him because I wanted to give Nicklas Bendtner a rest,” said Wenger.

“The problem when you score three goals for the national team is that everyone expects you to score three again. We know he can be dangerous, but we have to let him develop.”

With Adebayor is devastating form, Arsenal were far too good for Blackburn.

Togo international striker Adebayor had arrived at Ewood Park without a Premier League goal to his name this season.

He left east Lancashire with the match ball after scoring twice in the last nine minutes to add to his first half effort.

Walcott had teased and tormented the Croatia defence in Zagreb and he repeated his box of tricks as he teed-up Robin van Persie to open the scoring in the eighth minute.

He held off a number of challenges before releasing the ball for the Dutch striker to fire beyond Paul Robinson.

This was not quite a vintage performance by Wenger's side yet the build-up to their second goal at the end of the first half, which sealed Arsenal's first away win of the campaign, was breathtaking.

Arsenal's players completed 27 successful passes before the unmarked Adebayor headed home Denilson's cross.

Blackburn had their chances, Roque Santa Cruz and Brett Emerton both going close, but the home side lacked Arsenal's clinical finishing.

Robinson was beaten for the third time after referee Mike Dean pointed to the penalty spot in the closing stages following Stephen Warnock's foul on Emmanuel Eboue, Adebayor doing the rest.

With Arsenal in complete control, Wenger gave Jack Wilshere his moment in the spotlight.

Aged 16 years and 256 days, Wilshere became one of the youngest players in Premier League history after replacing Van Persie in the 83rd minute.

And the teenager was able to celebrate with his team-mates on the pitch as man-of-the-match Adebayor completed the rout deep into stoppage time with a close range finish.

Blackburn have slumped to fourth bottom in the table after conceding 11 goals in Paul Ince's first four games in charge.

But Ince is refusing to panic.

“I don't bother with the table at this stage of the season,” he said. “It's still early days and there is a long way to go.

“The goal just before half time killed us. It was a lack of concentration and suicidal defending.

“I felt sorry for our keeper Paul Robinson because he hasn't done anything wrong and he's conceded eight goals in two games.”

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Cristiano says that he does not want to move to local rivals Manchester City

Move speculation continues to follow Manchester Uniteds Cristiano Ronaldo.

The Portuguese and Manchester Uniteds winger said yesterday that he had no intention of crossing over to closest rivals Manchester City.

The new Abu Dhabi United Group have expressed a willingness to pay ₤135 million for the player.

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Club versus Country? I know which one I prefer.

It’s a proper weekend of football again, thank goodness.

Last weekend was disastrous. International weekend. I hate them. No Premiership or Championship football. No decent games to watch on television. Last weekend was so wet in England that the game for the team I coach was called off due to a waterlogged pitch, my youngest son’s game was also postponed and my eldest son couldn’t play in his team’s game because he was injured.

I had a football free weekend and that can’t be right in September! I didn’t know what to do with myself. I almost ended up having to go shopping for goodness sake!

The fact that I hate international week so much proves conclusively to me that when it comes to club versus country debate I know that I sit firmly on the side of club.

It isn’t that I hate watching England or that I am not patriotic. I cried into my pint when we failed to qualify for Euro 2008 and I get just as irrationally optimistic about our chances in tournaments that we do qualify for as the next man.

It has to be said that watching England play tends to come somewhere between watching paint dry and watching the Antiques Roadshow on television for me in the excitement stakes, but it is still a game of football and I care about the outcome.

It is just that a typical Saturday for me involves all the excitement of not just the games involving the teams I care about but all of the other games as well. There are all the television programmes showing the goals and highlights and there is the fascination of analysing the league tables afterwards.

It is an all consuming passion that fills almost every waking hour. On international weekend there is none of that. There is just one game to watch that rarely inspires or entertains in the way that club games do.

Football is a game that is great to watch whether you have an interest in the teams playing or not. Obviously, watching your own team is the height of the enjoyment (other than England) but it is possible to thoroughly enjoy a game between two sides who mean nothing to you.

Often, on a Sunday afternoon I will sit down to watch the live game on Sky television with an anticipation and excitement that is way out line with what a game between Middlesbrough and Stoke City should invoke in anyone!

I can watch lower league games and absolutely love them. I can even watch non-league football and get engrossed in the whole thing. Despite that, when I watch international football, I rarely enjoy it anywhere near as much.

Presumably, by definition, the quality of international football is the highest standard we can see anywhere. Therefore, to a football fan it should be the very pinnacle of the game. It should be the best thing we can watch.

So why isn’t it?

Well, Liverpool’s Jamie Carragher may have given us the answer last week when he said that he felt defeat for Liverpool much more than he ever felt defeat for England. My initial reaction was one of horror to what he said as I believe that players should be prepared to do anything for their country and representing them should be the proudest thing in their lives. Then I realised that watching them is nowhere near as enjoyable as watching club games.

There is no day to day involvement with the national side. If your club lose a game on a Saturday there is often a game a few days later where that memory can be erased and optimism can be re-ignited. With the national side, it can be months before there is a chance to erase a poor performance or build on a good one.

With club football you can meet the players at open days, read all about them on the club website and feel a part of the whole thing. At international level, none of those things are possible.

Also, of course, at international level you have to cheer and support players who on a week to week basis you can’t stand. It must be difficult for Liverpool or Everton fans to support Wayne Rooney or Manchester United fans to get fully behind Steve Gerrard.

I don’t know if things are the same in other countries but can Real Madrid fans celebrate fully when a Barcelona player scores the winning goal for Spain? Do Inter fans celebrate the brilliance of Milan players in the Italian side?

I’m glad that there is no international football for a while. I’m glad we can get back to normal. I’m glad that I can have a football filled weekend. Unlike last week, I’m really excited that it is Saturday again.

http://www.soccernews.com/

Third time lucky as I head to the Camp Nou?

I can’t write today about anything that has happened in the football world over the past couple of days because I have been away from my computer. I have not been in England at all and indeed, as you are reading this, I am in the wonderful city of Barcelona.

I’m away with a couple of friends, so if you are reading this in the morning I am probably feeling pretty awful and hung over and if you are reading this after lunch, I am probably completely drunk. That is what we English are like when we go abroad as I’m sure you know!

One of the things we are doing whilst we are in Barcelona is going to tonight’s game between Barcelona and Racing Santander at the Camp Nou. I don’t think it would be possible for me to be more excited!

I have only seen one other game live in La Liga when I went with one of my sons to see Real Madrid take on Atletico Madrid at the Bernabau. Despite that game being a wonderful experience and being absolutely knocked out by the sight of the Bernabau, the game was a dull, drab and excruciatingly boring 0-0 draw. I’m hoping for better tonight!

I have brought some signing on forms for Wilton Town, the team I coach, in case we see any players in the game who we like the look of and might try to persuade to come to England to play in the Wiltshire League division two. I wonder if I could get the committee of the club to pay for the tickets on the basis that I am on a scouting trip!

I’ve heard that Barcelona have got one or two decent players but I’m not sure they’d be good enough to force their way into the first team at Wilton! I’ll see when we watch them play.

Last year, the same group of friends went on a short trip to Alicante. We had tickets to watch Barcelona play at Levante. The game was originally on the Sunday night but must have been changed because of the television. Unfortunately nobody told us and we found out when the game came on the television in the bar we were in in Alicante on the Saturday evening!

We won’t be stupid enough to make the same mistake again this year. Will we? In fact, if any group of people could be stupid enough it would be us!

I have been looking forward to the game since we got the tickets a few weeks ago. It will be great to be in the Camp Nou and watch the world famous Barcelona side play. I have watched Manchester United at Old Trafford, Real Madrid at the Bernabau and Watford at Vicarage Road. It will be fascinating to compare the teams, atmosphere and grounds of those four great clubs.

During the coming week I will write about my experiences before, during and after the game and share with you what I find. I just hope we don’t turn up at the ground on the wrong night!

In Andy Greeves’ excellent preview of the La Liga season on this site a short while ago he predicted that Barcelona would win the title this season and that Racing Santander would achieve mid-table respectability.

Barcelona were hurt by their eighteen point deficit to Real Madrid last year and have bought in several new faces. Racing had a great finish last season in sixth place, but they have lost their manager and one or two players and look considerably less strong this time around.

The game should really be a mismatch but things very rarely work out like that.

In their first games before the international break, Racing Santander earned a creditable 1-1 draw at home to Sevilla whereas Barcelona inexplicably lost 1-0 at newly promoted C.D. Numancia. Racing were completely outplayed by their visitors who had more than twice as many attempts on goal and over 60% of the possession, but Racing showed great character to come away with a point. At Numancia, Barcelona had plenty of chances but couldn’t take any of them.

After that disastrous start, Pep Guardiola will be desperate for his team to produce a performance in front of their home fans.

I hope they do and I hope that Racing produce the performance of their lives. A 5-4 scoreline would be ideal as I try to make up for a 0-0 draw and missing the game all together on my previous trips to the country!

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Newcastle surprise move for Premier League manager?

According to the Daily Mirror, managerless Newcastle have made new Blackburn boss Paul Ince their number one target.

The story seems unlikely as Ince has only been at Blackburn, and the top level of the game, since the summer. Having just concluded all his transfer dealings and installed his backroom staff, it is hard to envisage Ince moving on again.

Mike Ashley, who according to the Daily Express, will take up his seat in the directors box on Saturday rather than standing in with the fans as usual, is believed to be determined to have someone in place before the weekend.

I can’t believe that Paul Ince would be interested in accepting the challenge.

(Source - Daily Mirror)

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FC Dallas take positives from Club America friendly

FC Dallas have struggled since beating Toronto FC at the beginning of August, as they have tied one and lost three of their last four games. Now, with seven MLS games to go until play-off time, FC Dallas are in dire need of a confidence boost to propel the team into a play-off spot.

According to their coach, Schellas Hyndman, their win in the friendly game against Club America has provided just that.

“This team needs winning. This team needs positive feedback. This team needs to feel good about itself. This team needs hardware. When we sit down and evaluate this, I think we’ll see we had a lot of people who had very good games,” said Hyndman, according to the Star Telegram.

With tough games away to DC United and Chicago Fire coming up, this will have been a most welcome boost for FC Dallas.

[Source: Star Telegram]

Ethiopia kicked out of World Cup

Ethiopia were kicked out of the World Cup by FIFA on Friday after the long-running power struggle within the game in the African nation failed to be resolved.

FIFA, the sport’s world governing body, said that all four matches played by Ethiopia to date in African zone Group 8, as well as the results of those matches, are now cancelled.

The group now comprises three teams - Morocco, Mauritania and Rwanda. Ethiopia had won two matches in the group and had garnered six points.

“The Bureau of the Organising Committee for the FIFA World Cup has decided to exclude the Ethiopian Football Federation (EFF) from the preliminary competition with immediate effect,” said a statement.

“The FIFA Emergency Committee suspended the EFF on 29 July 2008 due to the non-compliance of the EFF with the roadmap agreed in February 2008 by FIFA, the African Football Confederation (CAF) and the EFF in order to normalise the situation of the federation.”

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Henry, Anelka launch French football revival against Serbia

Thierry Henry and Nicolas Anelka struck a goal apiece to help secure a crucial 2-1 victory for France over Serbia in their second Group 7 match of qualifying for the 2010 World Cup here on Wednesday.

Barcelona striker Henry opened the scoring in the 55th minute with second-half substitute Anelka producing a fine solo effort to grab France's second just after the hour.

Serbia scored inside the last quarter hour when Branislav Ivanovic rose to head home from a corner.

After a stunning 3-1 defeat to Austria last weekend, France and their enigmatic coach Raymond Domenech have been under huge pressure to win the hearts and minds of fans, especially in the wake of crashing out of the Euro 2008 at the group stage.

The French flair which has accompanied 'Les Bleus' in previous tournaments was conspicuously amiss but the look on Domenech's face could not betray his feeling of relief.

“The players reacted well to the challenge set for them,” admitted the 56-year-old, who admitted on Tuesday he was relieved the guillotine was not still in use given the calls for his head since the Austria defeat.

“The quality of football was there and looks promising for the future.

“I think the players and the spectators tonight had a good rapport.”

Henry, scorer of France's only goal at the Euro finals earlier this year, admitted that the result was more important than the performance.

“It was crucial above all else to get the three points this evening, which we achieved,” said the Barcelona striker.

“However, we should be judged on the pitch and not on paper.”

Serbian coach Radomir Antic said there had been two clear handballs which were not punished but admitted that Anelka's pace had posed them serious problems in the second-half.

“We played really well for the first half-an-hour,” confessed the former Atletico Madrid coach.

“However, we played less well at the end of the match. Anelka's speed caused us problems from the moment he entered the fray.”

France went in for the half time interval with some tweaking to do after failing to capitalise on several first half chances, while revealing a few cracks in their already shaky defence.

After a nervous opening 10 minutes Lyon striker Karim Benzema promptly fluffed a great chance to score after a nice one-two with Henry, who then forced Serbia keeper Vladimir Stojkovic into evasive action after heading a looping cross towards goal.

Pacy defender Gael Clichy then did well on the left flank but his rapid-fire cross into the box, where three forwards were loitering, went begging when Govou fluffed a first-time effort.

At the other end, the outstretched hand of France keeper Steve Mandanda bravely grabbed the ball from near the feet of Marko Pantelic after a threatening pass from Bosko Jankovic.

Four minutes later Manchester United defender Nemanja Vidic got a free header from a corner but saw his effort go high and wide.

Anelka replaced Benzema at half time but it was Henry who brought an end to the whistles and jeers beginning to permeate the stadium at the start of the second period.

Govou did well to draw a few defenders around him just inside the area before side-footing the ball to Henry who then beat Stojkovic with a shot from the outside of his right boot to claim France's 100th goal at the Stade.

Anelka then sent the hosts into raptures when he held off a two-man defensive challenge barely 10 minutes later to wrong-foot the Serbian keeper with a low drive into the corner.

Serbia upped the tempo in the closing stages, and their goal was wholly deserved, Ivanovic rising well amid the French defence to head the ball down and up into the net beyond Mandanda from a corner.

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Del Piero could move abroad

Juventus skipper Alessandro Del Piero has revealed he could be playing abroad before he decides to retire.

“If I had just been thinking about money I wouldn’t have signed the contract renewal,” Del Piero told Sportsweek.

“I did consider leaving Juve on a couple of occasions but these temptations didn’t last long. But this will be my final team, at least in Italy.”

The “Golden Boy” was early in his career strongly linked with a move to Premiership giants Manchester United.

Del Piero also commented on his injury problems in 1998, when the 33-year-old forward suffered a injury that almost ended his career.

He said: “The worst moment of my career was when I was injured in Udine in October 1998.

“However, the death of my father and his battle against illness reminded me that in life there are tough situations, much tougher than football.”

[Source: Sportsweek]

Atletico without Forlan and Heitinga for Valladolid clash

Both Uruguayan Diego Forlan and Dutchman Johnny Heitinga are out of Atlético Madrid’s upcoming clash with Real Valladolid.

Forlan’s flight back from South America experienced a delay and the former Villarreal player did not return back in time to make the trip to Valladolid.

Heitinga meanwhile, suffered a knee injury during Holland’s match with FYR Macedonia on Wednesday. He did finish that game, but only because there were no more substitutions left to use.

In form Argentinian Sergio Aguero did return in time from his national side, and should form part of Atleti’s team for their second Primera Division clash of the season.

http://www.soccernews.com

HERACLES STAGE FIGHTBACK

Bas Dost's second-half strike earned a 2-2 draw for Heracles Almelo as Heerenveen let a two-goal lead slip at the Abe Lenstra Stadion on Friday.

Danijel Pranjic opened the scoring for the home side after five minutes and notched his second just eight minutes later as Trond Sollied's men made an explosive start to the game.

Jan Wuytens reduced the deficit on the stroke of half time to give the Almelo side hope, before Dost equalised in the 66th minute to ensure both sides remain unbeaten this season.

Pranjic broke the deadlock with the first attack of the match. Heracles failed to clear the ball and the ball fell to the Croatia midfielder, who drilled it under the advancing goalkeeper Martin Pieckenhagen.

The Friesland side doubled their advantage in the 13th minute when Roy Beerens crossed for Pranjic, who slotted home from close range after his initial header was parried by Pieckenhagen.

Heerenveen should have put the game beyond doubt after 31 minutes, but Tarik Elyounoussi missed an empty net after Beeren's shot had forced a fine save from the impressive Heracles stopper.

The visitors were under pressure and defender Michael Dinsdag struck the crossbar a minute later with a powerful 20-yard effort.

Heracles found a way back into the game through Wuytens in first-half stoppage time. The former Belgium under-19 international reacted quickest to a goalmouth scramble and fired the ball into the roof of the net to give Gert Heerkes' men hope.

Sebastian Steur created the equaliser after 66 minutes when his low cross from the left eluded the Heerenveen back line and Dost was on hand to slot home at the far post.

Pranjic came close to completing his hat-trick with four minutes remaining, but his 20-yard free-kick was saved by Pieckenhagen.

The home side piled forward in search of the winner and Pranjic's header in the 93rd minute flew towards the top-right corner, only for defender Tim Breukers to head the ball to safety and earn his side an unlikely draw.

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