Soccer World in English

Gorosito named new Almeria coach

2010-11-25T08:00:00.000-08:00

Nestor Gorosito has been named new coach of Almeria.

The Argentine succeeds Juan Manuel Lillo, who was sacked in the aftermath of their 8-0 thrashing by Barcelona.

Gorosito was in charge of Xerez last season.

Almeria president Alfonso Garcia turned to Gorosito after receiving knockbacks from Marcelino and Diego Simeone.

Score Roundup 23/11/10

2010-11-24T08:58:00.000-08:00

Uefa Champions League :

Group E

AS Roma(Ita) 3 Bayern Munich(Ger) 2

Roma captain Francesco Totti capped a magnificent comeback with a late penalty as the Italians stunned Bayern Munich at the Stadio Olimpico in tonight's Group E Champions League showdown.

FC Basel(Swi) 1 CFR Cluj-Napoca(Rom) 0

Frederico Almerares scored the only goal to keep Basle's hopes of qualification from Champions League Group E alive.

Group F

Spartak Moscow(Rus) 0 Marseille(Fra) 3

Marseille cruised into the last 16 of the Champions League with an unexpectedly straightforward victory over Spartak Moscow at the Luzhniki Stadium.

Chelsea(Eng) 2 Zilina(Svk) 1

Chelsea fought back against MSK Zilina to preserve their 100% record in the Champions League and ease the pressure on under-fire boss Carlo Ancelotti thanks to second-half goals from Daniel Sturridge and Florent Malouda.

Group G

AJ Auxerre(Fra) 0 AC Milan(Ita) 2

AC Milan secured their qualification from Champions League Group G with victory in a lacklustre encounter in Burgundy tonight.

Ajax Amsterdam(Hol) 0 Real Madrid(Spa) 4

Cristiano Ronaldo struck a brace as already-qualified Real Madrid guaranteed themselves top spot in Group G after convincingly seeing off Ajax, whose own hopes of joining the Spanish side in the last 16 of the Champions League are now over.

Group H

Sporting Braga(Por) 2 Arsenal(Eng) 0

Arsenal suffered a shock 2-0 Champions League defeat to Braga at Estadio Municipal.

Parizan Belgrade(Ser) 0 Shakhtar Donetsk(Ukr) 3

Shakhtar Donetsk scored three second-half goals to brush aside Partizan Belgrade and virtually assure progression from Group H

English League One :

AFC Bournemouth 2 Yeovil Town 0

Newly-capped Northern Ireland international striker Josh McQuoid scored with a stunning 20-yard shot as Bournemouth cruised to a comfortable 2-0 win over Yeovil.

Carlisle United 1 Rochdale 1

A second-half penalty by skipper Gary Jones gave Rochdale a deserved 1-1 draw against a Carlisle side reduced to 10 men for the last 28 minutes.

Charlton Athletic 1 Bristol Rovers 1

Paul Benson salvaged a 1-1 draw for Charlton and denied Bristol Rovers a first win at The Valley since 1958.

Colchester United 0 Brentford 2

Brentford secured their fourth successive league away win after sealing a battling 2-0 success at promotion-chasing Colchester.

Huddersfield Town 4 Milton Keynes Dons 1

Two classy second-half goals from striker Jordan Rhodes put Huddersfield on the way to a morale-boosting 4-1 win over MK Dons.

Notts County 1 Swindon Town 0

Lee Hughes' goal two minutes from time earned Paul Ince his first three points as Notts County manager in a 1-0 win over Swindon.

Oldham Athletic 3 Exeter City 3

Exeter staged a dramatic comeback to snatch a draw with three goals in the last 13 minutes in a 3-3 thriller at Oldham.

Peterborough United 2 Leyton Orient 2

Peterborough striker Aaron Mclean went from hero to villain by seeing a stoppage-time penalty saved in the 2-2 draw at home to Leyton Orient.

Plymouth Argyle 2 Dagenham & Redbridge 1

Plymouth ended their four-match losing streak with a 2-1 League One win over struggling Dagenham.

Sheffield Wednesday 3 Walsall 0

Sheffield Wednesday put their off-field woes behind them as goals from Darren Potter, Mark Beevers and Clinton Morrison secured a comfortable 3-0 home win over Walsall.

Southampton 0 Brighton & Hove Albion 0

Kelvin Davis was the hero for Southampton as his penalty save from Chris Wood held leaders Brighton to a goalless draw at St Mary's.

Tranmere Rovers 0 Hartlepool United 1

Tranmere goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi scored an own goal 13 minutes from time to hand Hartlepool a 1-0 victory at Prenton Park.

English League Two :

Barnet 1 Gillingham 2

Gillingham came from behind to beat Barnet 2-1 thanks to goals from Peterborough loanees Chris Whelpdale and Charlie Lee.

Bradford City 1 Accrington Stanley 1

On-loan striker Jason Price salvaged a point for Bradford with his first goal for the club in a 1-1 draw with Accrington which ended Bradford's run of three successive League and Cup defeats.

Burton Albion 1 Aldershot Town 2

Aldershot striker Wade Small scored twice in 10 minutes to send Burton crashing to their second home defeat in four days and give the Shots a 2-1 win.

Chesterfield 1 Oxford United 2

Chesterfield crashed to a second straight home defeat as Oxford staged a fightback to end a five game losing run with a 2-1 win.

Lincoln City 0 Bury 5

Bury showed their promotion credentials with a classy performance to end Lincoln's three match winning run with an emphatic 5-0 win at Sincil Bank.

Macclesfield Town 0 Cheltenham Town 2

Classy Cheltenham extended their unbeaten run to six games as they snuffed out Macclesfield's first-half threat with two clinical strikes in a 2-0 win.

Rotherham United 2 northampton Town 2

Rotherham had to settle for another disappointing home draw after throwing away a two-goal lead to finish up 2-2 against Northampton.

Shrewsbury Town 4 Hereford United 0

Mark Wright`s hat-trick ensured that Shrewsbury boss Graham Turner enjoyed his first reunion with former club Hereford as Town strolled to a 4-0 victory.

Stevenage 1 Southend United 1

Substitute Barry Corr rescued a point for Southend with a late equaliser in a 1-1 draw at Stevenage.

Stockport County 0 Port Vale 5

Port Vale extended their unbeaten run to 11 games after cruising past 10-man Stockport 5-0 at Edgeley Park.

Wycombe Wanderers 1 Torquay United 3

Two terrific goals by midfielder Nicky Wroe helped Torquay to a deserved 3-1 win over Wycombe at Adams Park.

Score Roundup 22/11/10

2010-11-23T08:00:00.000-08:00

English Premier League :

Sunderland 2 Everton 2

Mikel Arteta denied teenager Danny Welbeck the headlines as Everton snatched a late equaliser at Sunderland.

Spanish Premier Division :

Getafe 1 Real Zaragoza 0

The pressure remains on Getafe boss Michel after his side had to come from behind to earn a point at home to 10-man basement dwellers Real Zaragoza.

Score Roundup 21/11/10

2010-11-22T08:00:00.000-08:00

English Premier League :

Blackburn Rovers 2 Aston Villa 0

Blackburn Rovers new owners had plenty to cheer as a brace from Morten Gamst Pedersen ensured they made a winning start against Aston Villa.

Fulham 1 Manchester City 4

Carlos Tevez showed old boss Mark Hughes no mercy at Craven Cottage as Manchester City romped to a victory that saw them close to within three points of the Premier League summit.

Spanish Primera Division :

Deportivo La Coruna 3 Malaga 0

Deportivo La Coruna continued their climb up the Primera Division standings with a convincing victory over a Malaga side who slumped to their first defeat under new coach Manuel Pellegrini.

Espanyol 3 Hercules 0

Espanyol preserved their perfect home record in the Primera Division this season with a win over 10-man Hercules to move back into the top four after 12 rounds of the championship.

Levante 3 Racing Santander 1

Felipe Caicedo struck twice as Levante comfortably beat Racing Santander 3-1 in the Primera Division this evening to move out of the relegation zone and end their miserable four-match losing streak.

Osasuna 1 Sporting Gijon 0

Sporting Gijon's miserable away form continued after they lost to Shojaei Massoud's second-half strike at Osasuna.

Sevilla 1 Mallorca 2

Pierre Webo struck a last-minute winner to help Real Mallorca consign former coach Gregorio Manzano and his Sevilla side to a 2-1 defeat at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan.

Real Sociedad 2 Atletico Madrid 4

Atletico Madrid were indebted to their formidable strike duo of Sergio Aguero and Diego Forlan as they hit back from a half-time deficit to win 4-2 at Real Sociedad.

Italian Serie A :

Genoa 0 Juventus 2

Juventus moved up to third in Serie A thanks to a 2-0 win at Genoa today.

Brescia 1 Cagliari 2

Cagliari climbed away from the Serie A relegation zone with a 2-1 win over fellow strugglers Brescia.

Catania 1 Bari 0

Christian Terlizzi's late goal gave 10-man Catania victory at home to bottom side Bari today.

Cesena 1 Palermo 2

Cesena remain in trouble at the foot of the Serie A table after falling to a home defeat against Palermo.

Chievo 2 Internazionale 1

Samuel Eto'o may find himself in trouble after he was filmed headbutting Chievo defender Bostjan Cesar as the defending champions suffered their second successive defeat to heap more pressure on manager Rafael Benitez.

Lecce 2 Sampdoria 3

Sampdoria edged an unlikely classic as Giampaolo Pazzini provided the goal touch they have been missing with a hat-trick to end Lecce's unbeaten start to the season at Stadio Via del Mare.

Parma 1 Lazio 1

Lazio lost ground on Serie A leaders AC Milan after being held to a 1-1 draw at Parma.

Napoli 4 Bologna 1

Two goals from Marek Hamsik guided Napoli to an emphatic victory against Bologna to move up to third in Serie A.

German Bundesliga :

VfB Stuttgart 0 FC Cologne 1

Lukas Podolski's late penalty gave Cologne a crucial victory in the fight against relegation, winning at Stuttgart to move out of last place and go level on points with their opponents.

St Pauli 1 VfL Wolfsburg 1

St Pauli and Wolfsburg fought out a draw in a tough battle in Hamburg with the result hardly helping either team in the Bundesliga.

French Ligue 1 :

Arles 2 Bordeaux 4

Arles remain cut adrift at the bottom of Ligue 1 after suffering their fifth home defeat of the season to Bordeaux.

Lille 2 AS Monaco 1

Lille went to the top of the Ligue 1 table after Ludovic Obraniak's second-half goal guided them to a win over Monaco.

Lens 1 Lyon 3

Lyon scored three second-half goals to come from behind and beat Lens 3-1.

Kanga Akale had given Lens the lead on the counter-attack, but Lyon turned things around after the break to pick up their sixth win of the season.

Major League Soccer Cup Final :

Colorado Rapids 2 FC Dallas 1

A dramatic extra-time goal handed Colorado Rapids a 2-1 win over FC Dallas in the MLS Cup, giving the Rapids their first title at Toronto's BMO Field.

Score Roundup 20/11/10

2010-11-21T08:02:00.000-08:00

English Premier League :

Arsenal 2 Tottenham Hotspur 3

Arsenal blew the chance to go top of the Premier League as Tottenham fought back from 2-0 down to record a remarkable first victory at Emirates Stadium with a 3-2 win.

Birmingham City 1 Chelsea 0

Birmingham keeper Ben Foster produced a superb performance as leaders Chelsea suffered successive Barclays Premier League defeats for the first time in more than four years.

Blackpool 2 Wolverhampton Wanderers 1

Luke Varney and Marlon Harewood piled on the pressure for Wolves by firing Blackpool to victory in front of Prince William on Saturday afternoon.

Bolton Wanderers 5 Newcastle United 1

Kevin Nolan's big return to Bolton turned sour in spectacular fashion as he gave away an early penalty and could do nothing to prevent his old club soaring to the dizzy heights of fourth in the Barclays Premier League with a sensational 5-1 win.

Manchester United 2 Wigan Athletic 0

Wayne Rooney made it a perfect day for Manchester United as Sir Alex Ferguson's side took full advantage of their title rivals' misfortunes.

West Bromwich Albion 0 Stoke City 3

Stoke netted three times in the second half at West Brom to extend their winning run in the Premier League.

Liverpool 3 West Ham United 0

It was hardly a proper test of being able to cope without Steven Gerrard but Liverpool did more than enough to dispose of a woeful West Ham at Anfield.

English League Championship :

Barnsley 1 Portsmouth 0

Adam Hammill once again showed why so many Premier League teams are chasing his signature after his excellent first-half strike earned Barnsley a 1-0 win over Portsmouth.

Bristol City 2 Leicester City 0

Bristol City eased their relegation concerns and ended Leicester City's four match unbeaten run with a well-earned npower Championship win over Leicester.

Cardiff City 0 Nottingham Forest 2

Lewis McGugan scored his ninth goal of the season to help Nottingham Forest to a 2-0 victory at npower Championship rivals Cardiff.

Coventry City 1 Burnley 0

Coventry ended a run of three successive defeats courtesy of Michael Doyle's first goal since February last year as Burnley's away problems continued with a 1-0 defeat.

Derby County 3 Scunthorpe United 2

A controversial penalty helped 10-man Derby record six successive home victories for the first time at Pride Park as they defeated Scunthorpe 3-2.

Doncaster Rovers 1 Swansea City 1

Angel Rangel grabbed a last-gasp equaliser on his 150th appearance for Swansea as his side claimed a scarcely-deserved 1-1 draw at Doncaster.

Hull City 1 Ipswich Town 0

Robert Koren provided the game's only moment of quality as his superb finish handed Hull a vital 1-0 victory over Ipswich in an otherwise dour npower Championship clash at the KC Stadium.

Middlesbrough 0 Millwall 1

A debut goal from on-loan Southampton midfielder Jason Puncheon secured a 1-0 away win for Millwall over Middlesbrough - their first victory in five npower Championship matches - to leave the hosts in the relegation zone.

Norwich City 1 Leeds United 1

Leon Barnett's second-half header rescued a deserved draw for Norwich as their npower Championship clash with Leeds ended 1-1.

Queens Park Rangers 3 Preston North End 1

Two trademark strikes from Adel Taarabt fired QPR back to the top of the npower Championship as they beat Preston 3-1, leaving the visitors marooned on the bottom.

Watford 1 Reading 1

Noel Hunt continued his fine run of form but Reading were held to a third consecutive npower Championship draw as their clash with Watford finished 1-1 at Vicarage Road.

Sheffield United 3 Crystal Palace 2

Two late goals secured Sheffield United a 3-2 win over Crystal Palace in an eventful npower Championship game at Bramall Lane that also featured two red cards and three penalties.

English League One :

Brighton & Hove Albion 2 Bristol Rovers 2

A dramatic stoppage-time own-goal by defender Marcos Painter gave Bristol Rovers a deserved 2-2 draw against League One leaders Brighton at Withdean Stadium.

Charlton Athletic 3 Yeovil Town 2

Charlton edged a five-goal thriller 3-2 against Yeovil at The Valley as both sides finished with 10-men.

Colchester United 3 Hartlepool United 2

A controversial late penalty from Ian Henderson gave Colchester a dramatic 3-2 win over Hartlepool.

Dagenham & Redbridge 0 Oldham Athletic 1

A second-half goal from winger Aiden White was enough to earn Oldham a 1-0 win at Dagenham.

Huddersfield Town 0 Exeter City 1

Richard Duffy's header secured a 1-0 win for Exeter as Huddersfield failed to live up to the demands of ambitious chairman Dean Hoyle.

Leyton Orient 2 AFC Bournemouth 2

Jonathan Tehoue stepped off the bench to salvage a 2-2 draw for Leyton Orient against Bournemouth.

Milton Keynes Dons 1 Sheffield Wednesday 4

Neil Mellor scored a hat-trick of headers as Sheffield Wednesday claimed an emphatic 4-1 win over MK Dons.

Notts County 0 Tranmere Rovers 1

Enoch Showunmi grabbed the only goal as Tranmere piled on the misery for Notts County with a 1-0 win.

Plymouth Argyle 1 Brentford 2

Brentford deservedly won their League One basement clash at Plymouth 2-1.

Rochdale 3 Swindon Town 3

Rochdale skipper Gary Jones rescued a point with an 86th-minute equaliser in a dramatic 3-3 draw against Swindon.

Southampton 4 Peterborough United 1

Southampton underlined their promotion credentials by leapfrogging Peterborough with a comprehensive 4-1 in at the end of a miserable week for Peterborough.

Walsall 2 Carlisle United 1

Two goals from midfielder Matt Richards saw bottom of the table Walsall come from behind to beat promotion chasing Carlisle 2-1 at the Banks's stadium.

English League Two :

Accrington Stanley 1 Stevenage 0

Sean McConville fired home his sixth goal of the season to give Accrington their first win in seven league games as they beat Stevenage 1-0.

Aldershot Town 0 Chesterfield 2

Danny Whitaker's masterclass ensured Chesterfield remain top of League Two with a convincing 2-0 victory at Aldershot.

Barnet 4 Northampton Town 1

Steve Kabba struck twice as Barnet came from behind to hammer 10-man Northampton 4-1 and climb off the bottom of the Football League.

Bradford City 0 Macclesfield Town 1

A superb strike from Ross Draper enabled Macclesfield to extend their unbeaten run to six matches with a 1-0 win at Bradford City.

Cheltenham Town 1 Morecambe 1

Morecambe fought back to salvage a vital point as a late Phil Jevons penalty gave them a 1-1 draw at Cheltenham.

Crewe Alexandra 0 Rotherham United 1

Crewe defender Adam Dugdale scored an own goal on his home debut as Rotherham survived missing a penalty to move into fourth spot with a 1-0 win at Gresty Road.

Lincoln City 3 Hereford United 1

Lincoln secured a third consecutive win with a vital 3-1 victory over relegation rivals Hereford.

Oxford United 0 Gillingham 1

Cody McDonald's first-half winner brought Gillingham their first away win in 18 months with a 1-0 victory at Oxford.

Port Vale 2 Wycombe Wanderers 1

Two goals by defender John McCombe gave Port Vale a 2-1 win over Wycombe as Vale moved back into second place in the table.

Shrewsbury Town 1 Southend United 1

Injury-hit Southend earned a point at Shrewsbury as a fine angled volley from Anthony Grant three minutes from time sealed a 1-1 draw.

Stockport County 1 Torquay United 1

Substitute Greg Tansey rescued a point for Stockport at home to Torquay as he lashed home a cracking goal just three minutes after coming on to seal a 1-1 draw.

Spanish Primera Division :

Villarreal 1 Valencia 1

Villarreal fought back to win a point after going behind to regional rivals Valencia this evening, but saw their perfect home record in the Primera Division this season brought to an end by Unai Emery's defensive-minded side.

Almeria 0 Barcelona 8

Lionel Messi struck a hat-trick and Bojan Krkic bagged a brace as Barcelona strolled to an incredible 8-0 victory at lowly Almeria in the Primera Division tonight.

Real Madrid 5 Athletic Bilbao 1

Cristiano Ronaldo scored a hat-trick as Real Madrid ensured they will start next week's showdown with arch-rivals Barcelona in top spot after seeing off battling Athletic Bilbao at the Bernabeu.

Italian Serie A :

AS Roma 2 Udinese 0

Roma moved up to third in Serie A thanks to a win over Udinese, although they ended the game with just 10 men.

AC Milan 1 Fiorentina 0

A goal from Zlatan Ibrahimovic was enough to take AC Milan four points clear at the top of Serie A thanks to a 1-0 win over Fiorentina.

German Bundesliga :

Borussia Monchengladbach 2 Mainz 3

Substitute Sami Allagui scored two goals in the final 14 minute as Mainz broke out of their slump to come back for a win at Borussia Monchengladbach.

Eintracht Frankfurt 0 TSG Hoffenheim 4

Vedad Ibisevic struck twice inside two minutes as Hoffenheim cruised to a road victory over Eintracht Frankfurt, who saw their seven-game unbeaten run ended in the most dramatic of fashions.

Hannover 96 3 Hamburg SV 2

Hannover came from behind to win 3-2.

Nurnberg 1 Kaiserslautern 3

Struggling Kaiserslautern produced a stunning first-half performance against Nurnberg to push themselves away from the Bundesliga's bottom three.

SC Freiburg 1 Borussia Dortmund 2

Borussia Dortmund came from behind to beat Freiburg 2-1 to stay top of the table.

Schalke 04 4 Werder Bremen 0

Raul scored a hat-trick as Schalke collected their second straight home victory and continued their march up the Bundesliga table by thrashing a struggling Werder Bremen side.

Bayer Leverkusen 1 Bayern Munich 1

Both Bayer Leverkusen and Bayern Munich lost further ground on the runaway league Bundesliga leaders Borussia Dortmund as they shared the spoils at the BayArena this evening.

French Ligue 1 :

AS Nancy 2 Valenciennes 0

Nancy leapfrogged Valenciennes in the Ligue 1 table with a one-sided win at the Stade Marcel Picot.

Paris St Germain 2 Caen 1

Paris St Germain moved to the top of Ligue 1 with a victory over Caen.

Sochaux 2 Lorient 0

Sochaux maintained their impressive record at the Stade Auguste Bonal, with goals from Modibo Maiga and Brown Ideye giving them victory over mid-table rivals Lorient.

St Etienne 1 AJ Auxerre 1

Loic Perrin's second half goal earned St Etienne a point at home to Auxerre.

Stade Rennes 2 Brest 1

Rennes removed Brest from top spot in Ligue 1 and jumped into second with a 2-1 victory in the Breton derby.

Toulouse 0 Marseille 1

A goal by Andre Ayew three minutes from time guided Marseille to victory at Toulouse as they overcame a missed penalty to move into third in Ligue 1.

Nice 0 Montpeiller 1

A goal eight minutes from time by Olivier Giroud guided Montpellier to the top of Ligue 1 as they claimed their seventh win of the season.

Almeria sack Lillo after Barcelona humbling

2010-11-21T08:00:00.000-08:00

Almeria have sacked coach Juan Manuel Lillo following their 8-0 humiliation by Barcelona.

The loss left Almeria rooted in the bottom three of the Primera Division with just one win and nine points from their opening 12 games.

Lillo did recently guide Almeria into the last 16 of the Copa del Rey, though, his side beating La Liga rivals Real Sociedad home and away to record a 5-3 aggregate victory.

Score Roundup 19/11/10

2010-11-20T08:00:00.000-08:00

English League Two :

Burton Albion 1 Bury 3

Alan Knill's Bury outgunned Burton 3-1 at the Pirelli Stadium to record their fifth successive away victory and move second in the npower League Two table for a night at least.

Score Roundup 18/11/10

2010-11-19T08:38:00.000-08:00

English FA Cup 1st Round Replay :

Ebbsfleet United(NL) 2 AFC Wimbledon(NL) 3

Sammy Moore was AFC Wimbledon's saviour as he struck in the last minute of extra time to earn a 3-2 victory, end Ebbsfleet's FA Cup dreams and set up a second round tie against League Two side Stevenage.

Pires signs short term deal with Villa

2010-11-19T08:04:00.000-08:00

Robert Pires has returned to the Premier League after signing a six month deal with Aston Villa.

The former Arsenal man becomes Villa boss Gerard Houllier's first signing.

The 37-year-old has been a free agent since his release by Villarreal in the summer and had been training with the Gunners for the past two months.

Pires, a World Cup winner with France in 1998, agreed to the deal after passing a medical at Bodymoor Heath.

He could come into contention to play some part in Sunday's Premier League clash at Blackburn.

Pires told Aston Villa TV: "I can't wait to play and put on that new shirt. It is very exciting.

"I am very happy to join Aston Villa because it's a big club in England. I am also thrilled to have the chance of working with Gerard Houllier. I know him.

"I had a good opportunity two months ago to train with Arsenal. Thanks to Arsene Wenger for that.

"Now this move represents a new opportunity and a new challenge for me. I am very happy to start.

"I can't wait to put that shirt on and play for Aston Villa. I am proud to play for Villa and to the fans, I'd like to say 'See you soon at Villa Park'."

He won two Premier League titles and three FA Cups with Arsenal, as well as Euro 2000 with France.

Assistant manager Gary McAllister welcomed the opportunity of working with Pires and believes his sheer presence will have a positive effect on the whole squad.

McAllister said: "He is a proven winner. It gets thrown around a lot these days when people say they are a winner but he is a genuine article.

"He's a European champion and he has won the World Cup as well. He has vast experience and was a fantastic player in the Premier League for Arsenal.

"People thought he was coming to the end of his career but he went to Villarreal and did well there for several seasons.

"For all the younger players...what a tremendous addition. The younger players can only learn from watching a guy like Robert on the training field.

"He will gain respect but I am sure Robert Pires isn't coming here just to be a player that everyone is going to stand back and admire.

"He will want to gain the respect of the fact that he is still competitive and still able to do a job at this level."

Arsenal plan January bid for PSG defender Sakho

2010-11-19T08:03:00.000-08:00

Arsenal hope to trump rivals by making a January offer for PSG defender Mamadou Sakho.

The 20 year-old is off contract in June and being chased by the Gunners, AC Milan and Juventus.

While Milan and Juve would prefer to discuss a Bosman move with Sakho, TMW says Arsenal are in the process of making an £8 million offer for the defender.

PSG are expected to cash in, with the board all but giving up hope of securing Sakho's signature to a new deal.

Birmingham go for Fulham fullback Pantsil

2010-11-19T08:02:00.000-08:00

Birmingham City boss Alex McLeish is chasing Fulham fullback John Pantsil.

The Mirror says Pantsil's deal is running out at Craven Cottage and McLeish may be able to pick him up in a bargain deal as he looks to strengthen that part of his squad.

The Blues chief has turned to Pantsil after pulling back for a move to land Crystal Palace youngster Nathaniel Clyne. He could get the African star from Fulham for around £500,000.

Pantsil, who joined West Ham when he first came to England, wants to carry on in the Premier League and is willing to go to St Andrew's to fight for a first-team place.

Man City ready to splash out for Espanyol defender Victor Ruiz

2010-11-19T08:01:00.000-08:00

Manchester City are set to swoop for Espanyol defender Victor Ruiz.

The Sun says Roberto Mancini is ready to start spending again by matching the £7million release clause for Espanyol's Ruiz.

The centre-back, 21, has become one of the most sought-after defenders in La Liga after a string of eye-catching displays for Espanyol and Spain's Under-21 side.

His form attracted the interest of Napoli in the summer but their £4.5m bid fell way short of Espanyol's valuation.

But, according to reports in Spain, City scouts have been tracking Ruiz since the start of the season and are ready to launch a bid in January.

Zaragoza oust Gay, set to appoint Aguirre

2010-11-19T08:00:00.000-08:00

Real Zaragoza have parted company with coach Jose Aurelio Gay and are set to name former Mexico boss Javier Aguirre as his replacement, the Primera Division club have announced.

Gay leaves Zaragoza with the club rooted to the bottom of La Liga after picking up just one win and seven points from their opening 11 games, with his final match in charge being last Sunday's 2-1 home defeat to Sevilla.

Zaragoza were also knocked out of the Copa del Rey after losing on away goals to Segunda Division Real Betis at the last-32 stage.

Aguirre was coach of Mexico before spending four seasons in charge of Osasuna from 2002-06, during which time he led the small Pamplona-based club to a fourth-placed finish in his final year and a spot in the Champions League.

He also guided Osasuna to their first-ever Copa del Rey final in 2005, which they lost to Real Betis 2-1 after extra time.

Aguirre then took charge of Atletico for two-and-a-half years, leading the club to a seventh-placed finish in his first campaign and fourth spot in his second - earning the club a place in the Champions League for the first time in over a decade - before parting company with the Rojiblancos in February 2009.

Aguirre then returned to his former position as coach of Mexico, who he led into the second round at this summer's World Cup before suffering a 3-1 defeat to Argentina.

Score Roundup 17/11/10

2010-11-18T08:00:00.000-08:00

Euro 2012 Qualifying:

Group E

Finland 8 San Marino 0

Mikael Forssell helped himself to a hat-trick as Finland picked up their first points of their European Championship qualifying campaign in style with a convincing win over fellow Group E strugglers San Marino.

Group F

Croatia 3 Malta 0

Two goals from Nico Kranjcar and another from substitute Nikola Kalinic moved Croatia to the top of European Championship qualifying Group F with victory over Malta.

International Friendly :

Hong Kong 0 Paraguay 7

Roque Santa Cruz scored twice as Paraguay crushed Hong Kong in a friendly encounter today.

Oman 0 Belarus 4

Oman suffered a hammering at the hands of Belarus in today's international friendly at Al Seeb stadium.

Argentina 1 Brazil 0

Lionel Messi struck a superb stoppage-time winner to give Argentina their first victory over Brazil since June 2005.

Netherlands 1 Turkey 0

Klaas Jan Huntelaar scored the only goal as Holland defeated Turkey in a friendly international in Amsterdam.

Romania 1 Italy 1

An own goal from Ciprian Marica handed Italy a deserved draw in friendly international against Romania in Austria.

South Africa 0 USA 1

Juan Agudelo became the youngest U.S. player to score in the modern era, giving the Americans a 1-0 victory over South Africa on Wednesday that allowed them to avoid finishing the year with a losing record.

Sweden 0 Germany 0

Sweden and Germany ground out a yawn-inducing draw in tonight's friendly in Gothenburg.

Ireland 1 Norway 2

Morten Gamst Pedersen ruined Shay Given's big night as Norway came from behind to snatch victory at the Aviva Stadium.

Northern Ireland 1 Morocco 1

A late penalty from Rory Patterson spared Northern Ireland goalkeeper Alan Blayney's blushes in a low-key friendly against Morocco tonight.

England 1 France 2

Fabio Capello opened a door on the future for England - and the fans did not like what they saw as the Three Lions were jeered off after defeat to France at Wembley.

Aside from Andy Carroll, who did as well as he could with such little service, and the ever-dependable Steven Gerrard, there were few straws for England to grasp until substitute Peter Crouch did what he does best within seconds of his arrival.

Portugal 4 Spain 0

Portugal gained a measure of revenge for their World Cup exit at the hands of Spain by inflicting a heavy defeat on their Iberian neighbours in tonight's friendly in Lisbon.

English FA Cup 1st Round Replay :

Luton Town(NL) 4 Corby Town(NL) 2

Taiwo Atieno scored twice as Luton eased into the second round of the FA Cup with a straightforward 4-2 win over 10-man Corby Town.

York City(NL) 3 Rotherham United(L2) 0

Michael Rankine scored twice as York blitzed Rotherham with three unanswered second-half goals to send them crashing out of the FA Cup.

Score Roundup 16/11/10

2010-11-17T08:10:00.000-08:00

International Friendly :

Scotland 3 Faroe Islands 0

Craig Levein's makeshift Scotland side cruised to an easy victory over the Faroe Islands in their friendly international at Pittodrie.

English FA Cup 1st Round Replay :

Aldershot Town(L2) 1 Brentford(L1) 0

Wade Small`s early goal was enough to help Aldershot upset League One Brentford 1-0 and book a trip to Dover in round two of the FA Cup.

Charlton Athletic(L1) 1 Barnet(L2) 0

Kyel Reid`s goal was the difference as Charlton edged into the FA Cup second round with a 1-0 win over Barnet at The Valley.

Huddersfield Town(L1) 2 Cambridge United(NL) 1

Fit-again winger Gary Roberts scored one and made the other in stoppage time as Huddersfield mounted an unlikely FA Cup comeback to beat minnows Cambridge 2-1 in a first-round replay at the Galpharm Stadium.

Leyton Orient(L1) 3 Dagenham & Redbridge(L1) 2

Two goals from veteran striker Scott McGleish put Leyton Orient on their way to a 3-2 FA Cup first-round replay over rivals Dagenham.

Milton Keynes Dons(L1) 1 Stevenage(L2) 1 (Stevenage win 7-6 on pens)

Mathias Doumbe missed the decisive spot-kick as MK Dons crashed out of the FA Cup after losing their first-round replay to Stevenage 7-6 on penalties.

Peterborough United(L1) 4 Stockport County(L2) 1

Peterborough secured a smooth passage into the FA Cup second round with a 4-1 first-round replay win over Stockport.

Port Vale(L2) 4 Dartford(NL) 0

Port Vale coasted to an FA Cup second round home date against Accrington after an easy 5-0 replay victory over Blue Square South League outfit Dartford.

Southend United(L2) 2 Macclesfield Town(L2) 2 (Macclesfield win 5-3 on pens)

Macclesfield ended their Roots Hall hoodoo by beating Southend United 5-3 on penalties in an eventful FA Cup first round replay.

Vauxhall Motors(NL) Hartlepool United(L1) 1

Substitute James Brown earned Hartlepool United a spot in the second round of the FA Cup and a home tie with Yeovil as they finally saw off plucky Vauxhall Motors in a 1-0 win.

Walsall(L1) 2 Fleetwood Town(NL) 0

Two smartly taken goals by on-loan striker Reuben Reid saw Walsall safely through to the second round of the FA Cup and a trip to Torquay after a 2-0 win over Fleetwood.

Woking(NL) 0 Brighton & Hove Albion(L1) 0 (Brighton win 3-0 on pens)

Cristian Baz hit the winning spot-kick for League One leaders Brighton as they finally saw off non-league Woking after a 2-2 draw in their FA Cup first round replay.

Cardiff’s Bothroyd attracting Chelsea interest

2010-11-17T08:06:00.001-08:00

Cardiff City striker Jay Bothroyd is being linked with a move to league leaders Chelsea.

The 28-year old has grabbed all the headlines this week after being called up for the England squad and suddenly there is plenty of interest in his services.

The Blues have joined the likes of Liverpool, Fulham, Aston Villa, Everton and even old club Arsenal who have shown curiosity in the Championship’s leading goalscorer.

West Brom keen on Bordeaux’s Plasil

2010-11-17T08:06:00.000-08:00

Reports suggest that West Bromwich Albion boss Roberto Di Matteo will pursue Bordeaux midfielder Jaroslav Plasil in January.

The 28-year old Czech international has been with the French club since the start of the 2009/10 season when he signed from Spain’s Osasuna and now Di Matteo is hoping he will move on from Stade Chaban Delmas and join him at The Hawthorns.

Plasil is likely to cost the Baggies around £2million but Di Matteo is keen to strengthen his midfield for the second half of the Premier League season.

Ipswich’s Keane monitoring Arsenal’s Emmanuel-Thomas

2010-11-17T08:05:00.000-08:00

Ipswich Town boss Roy Keane is trying to pull off a major coup by bringing in highly-rated Arsenal youngster Jay Emmanuel-Thomas on loan.

The 19-year old scored twice in the Gunners’ reserves 4-1 win over Everton last week and was watched by Ipswich scout Steve McCall.

Reports suggests that Keane is a fan of the England youth international who has already been out on loan in recent times, enjoying stints with Blackpool and Doncaster Rovers last season.

QPR are also believed to be interested in Emmanuel-Thomas but it seems as though Keane is determined to get him across to Portman Road in January.

Donadoni replaces Bisoli at struggling Cagliari

2010-11-17T08:04:00.000-08:00

Cagliari have parted company with head coach Pierpaolo Bisoli after a run of four defeats in six games, with former Italy boss Roberto Donadoni replacing him at the Rossoblu helm.

Bisoli, 43, took charge of the Sardinians this summer after guiding Cesena to a historic promotion to Italy's top flight.

But Cagliari's 1-0 loss to Genoa on Sunday saw the club drop to 17th in the Serie A table with 11 points from 12 games and the club have now turned to Donadoni - who has been out of work since being sacked by Napoli last season - to turn their season around.

A club statement confirmed: "Cagliari Calcio and Pierpaolo Bisoli have reached an agreement to end their working relationship. Unfortunately, in football you depend on results and many times you are forced to take decisions that contrast with human feelings.

"Bisoli is and will always be a great coach. From this adventure he can leave with his head held high because of the technical and human characteristics that he has.''

Bisoli is the third Serie A coach to be dismissed this season following that of Franco Colomba of Bologna and Gian Piero Gasperini of Genoa.

Roma ace De Rossi back on agenda for Real Madrid president Florentino

2010-11-17T08:01:00.000-08:00

AS Roma ace Daniele de Rossi is being tracked by Real Madrid.

AS says Real president Florentino Perez is aware of Roma's financial worries and is ready to pounce for De Rossi should they show a willingness to sell.

Real midfield pair Lassana Diarra and Fernando Gago are expected to move on in January, so leaving an opening for De Rossi to fill.

The 27 year-old has been a personal target for Perez since his previous reign in charge.

A bid of €40 million has been mentioned for the January transfer window.

Cagliari announce Bisoli departure

2010-11-17T08:00:00.000-08:00

Cagliari have announced the departure of coach Pierpaolo Bisoli.

Bisoli has paid for a disappointing first-half of the season at Cagliari.

In a statement last night, president Massimo Cellino insisted the decision was no reflection of Bisoli's coaching ability, but that the club needed to act to arrest their form slide.

An early candidate to fill the vacant position is former Italy and Napoli boss Roberto Donadoni.

Villa have cash to tempt Man Utd into parting with Carrick

2010-11-16T08:04:00.000-08:00

Manchester United midfielder Michael Carrick is a January target for Aston Villa.

The People says Villa boss Gerard Houllier will be handed a stunning transfer kitty by Aston Villa owner Randy Lerner – with up to £30million to spend in the January transfer window.

Carrick has been on the radar for weeks and is the Frenchman's top target for the winter transfer window.

Newcastle eyeing Cardiff sensation Bothroyd

2010-11-16T08:03:00.000-08:00

Newcastle United are eyeing Cardiff City striker Jay Bothroyd.

The Sunday Sun says the former Arsenal, Charlton and Wolves hitman is the Championship’s top scorer with 11 goals and has been linked with Birmingham and Liverpool. But Newcastle are also monitoring his status with a view to pouncing if he doesn’t agree a new deal with the Bluebirds.

A big striker with pace who is also good in the air, Bothroyd would provide something different for a Toon squad short of options below Andy Carroll and Shola Ameobi.

Man City keen to include Santa Cruz in bid for Wolfsburg striker Dzeko

2010-11-16T08:02:00.000-08:00

Manchester City are ready to make a cash plus player offer for Wolfsburg striker Edin Dzeko.

The Bosnia international is City's top target for the January market with manager Roberto Mancini admitting they over-rely on Carlos Tevez for goals.

With Roque Santa Cruz wanting away, City are willing to include the Paraguay international in their offer for Dzeko.

City are returning to the negotiating table after being quoted £50 million for the Bosnian in the summer.

Prandelli names experimental Italy squad for friendly

2010-11-16T08:01:00.000-08:00

Italy coach Cesare Prandelli has named an experimental squad for their friendly against Romania.

Prandelli is taking this opportunity to experiment with his squad for Wednesday’s match in Klagenfurt.

Cristian Ledesma is the one who stands out, as the Lazio midfielder is from Argentina and has made himself available for the Azzurri.

He joins fellow Oriundi Mauro Camoranesi and Amauri in recently accepting a switch to the Nazionale.

The team will come together at the Coverciano training ground on Monday morning.

Goalkeepers: Mirante (Parma), Sirigu (Palermo), Viviano (Bologna);

Defenders: Astori (Cagliari), Balzaretti (Palermo), Bonucci (Juventus), Cassani (Palermo), Criscito (Genoa), Gastaldello (Sampdoria), Ranocchia (Genoa), Santon (Inter);

Midfielders: Aquilani (Juventus), De Rossi (Roma), Diamanti (Brescia), Ledesma (Lazio), Marchisio (Juventus), Mauri (Lazio), Pirlo (Milan);

Forwards: Balotelli (Manchester City), Gilardino (Fiorentina), Pazzini (Sampdoria), Quagliarella (Juventus), Rossi (Villarreal)

Ex-Italy coach Lippi linked with Ukraine job

2010-11-16T08:00:00.000-08:00

Former Italy coach Marcello Lippi is being linked with the Ukraine job.

Lippi could be going to Euro 2012 as Coach of hosts Ukraine.

The 2006 World Cup winner has been at a loose end since the disastrous tournament with Italy in South Africa over the summer.

He has said he is ready to return to work and had been linked with the benches at Roma, Juventus and Milan.

Score Roundup 14/11/10

2010-11-15T08:00:00.000-08:00

English Premier League :

Everton 1 Arsenal 2

Goals from Bacary Sagna and Cesc Fabregas proved decisive as Arsenal held off an Everton fightback to claim second place in the Premier League with a 2-1 win.

Chelsea 0 Sunderland 3

Goals from Nedum Onuoha, Asamoah Gyan and Danny Welbeck gave Sunderland a deserved 3-0 victory over Premier League leaders Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

English League Championship :

Swansea City 1 Middlesbough 0

Scott Sinclair claimed a late winner as Swansea eventually made their dominance pay at Liberty Stadium.

Spanish Primera Division :

Hercules 2 Real Sociedad 1

Hercules' two marquee signings were both on target as they got the better of Real Sociedad 2-1 at Jose Rico Perez.

Malaga 1 Levante 0

Manuel Pellegrini continued his winning start as new coach of Malaga after guiding the Andalusian side to a hard-fought 1-0 victory over fellow strugglers Levante in his league debut.

Mallorca 0 Deportivo La Coruna 0

Recovering Deportivo La Coruna stretched their unbeaten run to five league and cup matches after recording a creditable draw at Real Mallorca.

Racing Santander 0 Espanyol 0

Espanyol rode their luck to pick up a hard-earned point following a goalless draw at Racing Santander.

Real Zaragoza 1 Sevilla 2

Alvaro Negredo grabbed a late winner as 10-man Sevilla enhanced their top-four claims at Real Zaragoza this afternoon.

Sporting Gijon 0 Real Madrid 1

Gonzalo Higuain struck a late winner as Real Madrid returned to the top of the Primera Division with a hard-fought 1-0 win over Sporting Gijon.

Valencia 2 Getafe 0

Valencia picked up their first Primera Division win in five games courtesy of a comprehensive dismissal of Getafe at the Mestalla.

Italian Serie A :

Lazio 2 Napoli 0

Lazio moved back to the top of Serie A thanks to a 2-0 win over Napoli.

Bari 0 Parma 1

Bari's plight at the foot of Serie A worsened as they missed a penalty and were made to pay as Antonio Candreva's goal won all three points for Parma.

Bologna 1 Brescia 0

Bologna climbed out of the relegation zone with Marco Di Vaio's second-half goal dropping Brescia into the bottom three this afternoon.

Cagliari 0 Genoa 1

Davide Ballardini extended his perfect record as coach of Genoa to two games thanks to a fortunate win at Cagliari.

Palermo 3 Catania 1

A hat-trick by Javier Pastore saw Palermo win the Sicilian derby with Catania and move into seventh place in Serie A.

Sampdoria 0 Chievo 0

Sampdoria were unable to break down a resolute Chievo defence as their poor run in Serie A continued this afternoon.

Udinese 4 Lecce 0

Antonio Di Natale scored a first-half hat-trick to fire Udinese to a comprehensive victory over Lecce this afternoon.

Internazionale 0 AC Milan 1

AC Milan returned to the top of Serie A with victory over city rivals Inter in the 275th Derby della Madonnina at the San Siro.

A penalty from former Inter striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic in the fifth minute was enough to decide a game which Milan ended with 10 men after Ignazio Abate was sent off on the hour mark.

The result takes Milan back to the top of the table above Lazio and leaves Inter six points adrift in fifth.

German Bundesliga :

TSG Hoffenheim 0 SC Freiburg 1

Papiss Demba Cisse scored in injury time to push Freiburg into fourth place with a hard-earned victory at Hoffenheim.

Bayern Munich 3 Nurnberg 0

Bayern Munich climbed above local rivals Nurnberg into sixth in the Bundesliga with victory in a one-sided Bavarian derby.

French Ligue 1 :

AJ Auxerre 2 Stade Rennes 1

Rennes succumbed to a late goal from Julien Quercia as Auxerre claimed the win which prevented their opponents from returning to the top of Ligue 1.

Lorient 1 Paris St Germain 1

A goal two minutes into injury time from Nene helped Paris St Germain to rescue a point at mid-table Lorient.

Lyon 1 Nice 0

A first-half goal from Jeremy Pied proved enough for Lyon as they held off the challenge of Nice to continue their climb up the Ligue 1 standings.

Major League Soccer :

Western Conference Final

Los Angeles Galaxy 0 FC Dallas 3

For at least one game, FC Dallas' David Ferreira was a most valuable player.

Ferreira had a goal and an assist to lead FC Dallas into MLS Cup 2010 with a 3-0 victory over the Los Angeles Galaxy in the Western Conference final Sunday night.

Score Roundup 13/11/10

2010-11-14T08:00:00.000-08:00

English Premier League :

Aston Villa 2 Manchester United 2

Manchester United launched a stunning comeback to rescue a point through goals by Federico Macheda and Nemanja Vidic after Aston Villa looked set for their first home win over the Red Devils in 15 years.

Manchester City 0 Birmingham City 0

Roberto Mancini felt the full weight of frustration as his Manchester City side were booed off after their second goalless draw in four days at Eastlands.

Newcastle United 0 Fulham 0

Newcastle striker Andy Carroll was denied an eighth goal of the season by a stunning save from Mark Schwarzer as Fulham fought their way to a point at St James' Park.

Tottenham Hotspur 4 Blackburn Rovers 2

Tottenham cruised to their first league win in five games thanks to another impressive performance from two-goal Gareth Bale.

West Ham United 0 Blackpool 0

Bottom club West Ham were again frustrated as Blackpool's all-changed XI held them to a goalless draw at Upton Park.

Wigan Athletic 1 West Bromwich Albion 0

Victor Moses stepped off the bench to help secure Wigan's first win in six Premier League games and ease their relegation nerves in the process.

Wolverhampton Wanderers 2 Bolton Wanderers 3

Bolton survived a late comeback by Wolves to take all three points from a thrilling contest at Molineux.

Stoke City 2 Liverpool 0

Liverpool's stuttering mini-revival petered out in dismal fashion as they lost 2-0 to Stoke at the Britannia Stadium.

English League Championship :

Burnley 3 Watford 2

Burnley ended their winless run in style with a thrilling 3-2 victory over npower Championship promotion rivals Watford.

Crystal Palace 2 Coventry City 0

Darren Ambrose scored twice to haul Crystal Palace off the foot of the npower Championship table with a 2-0 victory over Coventry.

Ipswich Town 1 Barnsley 3

Roy Keane endured a miserable afternoon as Barnsley romped to a comfortable 3-1 npower Championship win at Portman Road.

Leeds United 3 Bristol City 1

Super-sub Luciano Becchio plundered a second-half hat-trick as Leeds climbed back into a play-off spot with a 3-1 defeat of Bristol City.

Leicester City 2 Derby County 0

Leicester eased their relegation worries in the npower Championship and ended Derby's three-match winning run as they claimed a comfortable 2-0 victory in the east midlands derby.

Millwall 0 Sheffield United 1

Sheffield United moved out of the npower Championship relegation zone after Andy Reid's first goal for the club gave them a 1-0 win at Millwall.

Nottingham Forest 0 Queens Park Rangers 0

QPR's unbeaten record was maintained at the City Ground but Neil Warnock's promotion chasers were held to their seventh draw in nine outings by Nottingham Forest, with the match ending 0-0.

Portsmouth 2 Doncaster Rovers 3

David Healy's superb drive helped Doncaster secure an enthralling 3-2 victory over 10-man Portsmouth at Fratton Park.

Scunthorpe United 2 Cardiff City 4

Jay Bothroyd inspired Cardiff to a 4-2 victory at Scunthorpe to hand Fabio Capello a timely reminder of his quality just hours before the England boss names his squad for Wednesday's friendly against France.

Reading 3 Norwich City 3

Norwich were left to rue the harsh sending-off of captain Grant Holt as Reading staged a stirring comeback to draw 3-3 in an enthralling npower Championship encounter.

English League One :

AFC Bournemouth 3 Walsall 0

Josh McQuoid made it two hat-tricks in the space of a week as Bournemouth dispatched bottom side Walsall 3-0.

Brentford 0 Milton Keynes Dons 2

MK Dons secured their first away win since the opening day of the season with a 2-0 success at Brentford.

Bristol Rovers 0 Leyton Orient 3

Leyton Orient cruised to a comfortable 3-0 win over 10-man Bristol Rovers.

Carlisle United 3 Southampton 2

Carlisle produced their best performance of the season to beat Southampton 3-2 at Brunton Park.

Exeter City 3 Notts County 1

Exeter ended a run of three straight league defeats with a 3-1 victory over Notts County at St James Park.

Hartlepool United 3 Brighton & Hove Albion 1

Leaders Brighton suffered a 3-1 humbling at Hartlepool as their lead at the top was cut to six points.

Oldham Athletic 1 Huddersfield Town 0

High-flying Huddersfield were brought down to earth as Oldham grabbed a deserved 1-0 win.

Peterborough United 1 Charlton Athletic 5

Charlton ignited their promotion bid by roaring into second following a 5-1 drubbing of Peterborough.

Sheffield Wednesday 2 Rochdale 0

Second-half goals from Giles Coke and Clinton Morrison gave Sheffield Wednesday a 2-0 win over Rochdale for their third straight victory.

Swindon Town 2 Colchester United 0

Charlie Austin's seventh goal of the season lifted Swindon clear of the relegation zone with a 2-1 win over Colchester.

Tranmere Rovers 1 Plymouth Argyle 0

A stunning goal from teenager Dale Jennings was enough to earn Tranmere a 1-0 win over Plymouth.

Yeovil Town 1 Dagenham & Redbridge 3

Yeovil's habit of giving away late goals again proved expensive as Dagenham won a crucial relegation battle 3-1.

English League Two :

Bury 0 Stockport County 1

Stockport stunned high-flying hosts Bury thanks to an early strike from Wes Fletcher which clinched a 1-0 victory at Gigg Lane.

Chesterfield 1 Burton Albion 2

Chesterfield lost their unbeaten home league record as Burton celebrated their first away win of the season, triumphing 2-1 at the b2net Stadium.

Gilligham 1 Crewe Alexandra 3

Shaun Miller struck late on to clinch victory as Crewe sent struggling 10-man Gillingham further into the mire with a 3-1 win at Priestfield.

Hereford United 1 Cheltenham Town 1

Cheltenham fought back to claim a 1-1 draw against local rivals Hereford at Edgar Street.

Macclesfield Town 2 Aldershot Town 0

Confident Macclesfield moved into the top half of the table thanks to their fourth successive home League Two victory, triumphing 2-0 over Aldershot.

Morecambe 1 Lincoln City 2

Two goals in five second-half minutes gave Lincoln a much-needed 2-1 win at injury-hit Morecambe.

Northampton Town 0 Port Vale 0

Ten-man Northampton hung on to take a point against high-flying Port Vale in a goalless draw at Sixfields.

Rotherham United 2 Oxford United 1

Rotherham finally got back to winning ways after five games without success courtesy of a 2-1 triumph at home to Oxford.

Southend United 1 Accrington Stanley 1

Accrington`s eight-month wait for an away league win continues after they drew 1-1 at Southend.

Stevenage 1 Shrewsbury Town 1

Honours were shared at Broadhall Way as Stevenage and Shrewsbury produced an entertaining 1-1 draw.

Torquay United 1 Barnet 1

Torquay's three-match winning run was ended by a battling Barnet side who claimed a 1-1 draw at Plainmoor.

Wycombe Wanderers 1 Bradford City 0

Kevin Betsy netted the only goal of the game to clinch a 1-0 victory for Wycombe and deny 10-man Bradford on manager Peter Taylor`s return to Adams Park.

Spanish Primera Division :

Athletic Bilbao 1 Almeria 0

Athletic Bilbao had two players sent off and missed a penalty but still ran out 1-0 winners over struggling Almeria thanks to star striker Fernando Llorente.

Atletico Madrid 3 Osasuna 0

Diego Forlan brought an end to his goal drought in fine style to help Atletico Madrid record a comfortable 3-0 victory over 10-man Osasuna at the Vicente Calderon.

Barcelona 3 Villarreal 1

Lionel Messi struck twice as Barcelona overcame an unjust offside decision to beat Villarreal 3-1 at the Nou Camp and move provisionally above fierce rivals Real Madrid - who play Sporting Gijon on Sunday - at the top of the Primera Division table after 11 matches.

Italian Serie A :

Fiorentina 1 Cesena 0

Fiorentina moved up to ninth in Serie A thanks to a narrow win over struggling Cesena at the Stadio Artemio Franchi.

Juventus 1 AS Roma 1

Juventus and Roma shared the spoils and the plaudits in a lively 1-1 draw at the Stadio Olimpico tonight.

German Bundesliga :

FC Cologne 0 Borussia Monchengladbach 4

Raul Bobadilla scored twice as Borussia Monchengladbach beat local rivals Cologne to move off the bottom of the Bundesliga and leave their opponents propping up the table.

Kaiserslautern 3 VfB Stuttgart 3

Kaiserslautern came back from a three-goal deficit in the second half with three goals in 20 minutes to snatch a draw at home to Stuttgart.

St Pauli 0 Bayer Leverkusen 1

A late goal from Renato Augusto earned Bayer Leverkusen a narrow win at St Pauli to consolidate third place in the Bundesliga.

VfL Wolfsburg 2 Schalke 04 2

Bundsliga underachievers Wolfsburg and Schalke shared the spoils with a dramatic 2-2 draw at the VW-Arena today.

Werder Bremen 0 Eintracht Frankfurt 0

Werder Bremen and Eintracht Frankfurt had to settle for a point apiece after a goalless draw in the Bundesliga today.

Mainz 0 Hannover 96 1

Mainz relinquished second spot in the Bundesliga after a 1-0 defeat at home to 10-man Hannover tonight.

French Ligue 1 :

AS Monaco 0 Arles 0

Arles remain cut adrift at the bottom of Ligue 1 after playing out a goalless draw with fellow strugglers Monaco.

Bordeaux 2 AS Nancy 1

Nancy dropped into the Ligue 1 relegation zone after Bordeaux snatched a highly controversial last-minute winner.

Brest 1 Sochaux 1

Brest held onto top spot in Ligue 1 despite being held by spirited Sochaux tonight.

Marseille 1 Lens 1

Defending champions Marseille lost ground in this season's Ligue 1 title race as they were held by improving Lens at the Stade Velodrome.

Montpellier 1 Toulouse 0

Montpellier edged out Toulouse tonight to maintain their challenge at the top of the Ligue 1 table.

Caen 2 Lille 5

Moussa Sow's first-half hat-trick set free-scoring Lille on their way to victory at the Stade Michel-d'Ornano tonight.

Major League Soccer :

Eastern Conference Final

Colorado Rapids 1 San Jose Earthquakes 0

Kimura scored in the 43rd minute and the Rapids beat the San Jose Earthquakes 1-0 in chilly conditions Saturday night to advance to the MLS Cup.

Score Roundup 12/11/10

2010-11-13T08:00:00.000-08:00

English League Championship :

Preston North End 0 Hull City 2

Richard Garcia scored one goal and made the other to hoist Hull out of the npower Championship relegation zone with a 2-0 victory that piled the pressure on Preston boss Darren Ferguson.

German Bundesliga :

Borussia Dortmund 2 Hamburg SV 0

Borussia Dortmund pulled further clear at the top of the Bundesliga as two second-half goals saw off Hamburg.

Score Roundup 11/11/10

2010-11-12T08:11:00.000-08:00

Italian Serie A :

Parma 1 Sampdoria 0

Parma emerged from the fog at the Stadio Tardini with their first Serie A win since August 29 thanks to a 1-0 victory over Sampdoria.

Wilkins leave Chelsea in surprise announcement

2010-11-12T08:00:00.000-08:00

Assistant manager Ray Wilkins has left Chelsea after not being offered a new deal.

Wilkins' contract was up for renewal but having not been offered fresh terms he has left the Barclays Premier League champions with immediate effect.

Chelsea chief executive Ron Gourlay said: "On behalf of everyone at the club I would like to thank Ray for everything he has done for Chelsea Football Club.

"We all wish him well for the future."

Wilkins was on the bench for Wednesday night's 1-0 win over Fulham but will now be seeking new employers.

The former England midfielder rejoined Chelsea's coaching staff for a second time in 2008 to work under Luiz Felipe Scolari and was asked to take over as boss on a caretaker basis when the Brazilian was sacked in February 2009.

He stayed at the club when Guus Hiddink came in until the end of the season and also remained when Carlo Ancelotti was named boss ahead of the 2009/10 season.

Score Roundup 10/11/10

2010-11-11T08:10:00.000-08:00

English Premier League :

Aston Villa 3 Blackpool 2

James Collins grabbed an 89th-minute winner to finally see off gutsy Blackpool and end Aston Villa's five-match winless run in the Premier League.

Chelsea 1 Fulham 0

Michael Essien's first-half header was enough to give 10-man Chelsea victory over west London rivals Fulham and keep them top of the Premier League table.

Newcastle United 1 Blackburn Rovers 2

Substitute Jason Roberts brought Newcastle's winning run to a shuddering halt to hand Blackburn boss Sam Allardyce victory on his return to St James' Park.

West Ham United 2 West Bromwich Albion 2

West Ham were once again left frustrated and remain bottom of the Premier League as they were held to a 2-2 draw by West Brom at Upton Park.

Wigan Athletic 1 Liverpool 1

Liverpool's four-match winning run was halted by a lively Wigan at the DW Stadium as Roy Hodgson's side faded badly after taking an early lead.

Wolverhampton Wanderers 0 Arsenal 2

Two-goal Marouane Chamakh got Arsenal back on the winning trail with a 2-0 success against gallant Wolves at Molineux.

Everton 1 Bolton Wanderers 1

Jermaine Beckford hit a brilliant late equaliser as 10-man Everton snatched a point in a 1-1 draw against Bolton.

Manchester City 0 Manchester United 0

A Manchester derby that promised so much delivered precious little as City and United ground out a goalless stalemate at Eastlands.

English League Championship :

Leicester City 2 Sheffield United 2

Mark Yeates went from hero to villain for Sheffield United as Leicester rescued a 2-2 draw in controversial fashion at the Walkers Stadium.

Swansea City 0 Bristol City 1

Jon Stead's fifth-minute goal was enough to help Bristol City end Swansea's unbeaten home record and climb out of the npower Championship relegation zone with a 1-0 victory at the Liberty Stadium.

Reading 1 Cardiff City 1

Jay Bothroyd's controversial equaliser rescued a 1-1 draw for Cardiff and denied a brave Reading outfit all three points.

Italian Serie A :

AC Milan 3 Palermo 1

Alexandre Pato got his fifth goal in seven games as AC Milan went top of the Serie A table as previous leaders Lazio suffered a shock 1-0 defeat at Cesena.

AS Roma 3 Fiorentina 2

Roma claimed their third straight win in Serie A with a 3-2 home triumph over Fiorentina tonight.

Brescia 1 Juventus 1

Veteran Alessandro del Piero was unable to celebrate his birthday with a goal as Juventus were held to a 1-1 draw at Brescia.

Cagliari 0 Napoli 1

A stoppage-time goal from Ezequiel Lavezzi saw Napoli snatch a narrow victory at Cagliari which moves them up to third in Serie A.

Catania 1 Udinese 0

Catania claimed their first win since September 22 by edging past Udinese at the Stadio Angelo Massimino tonight thanks to Maxi Lopez's goal on the hour mark.

Cesena 1 Lazio 0

Lazio lost top spot in Serie A this evening as they succumbed to a late goal at lowly Cesena.

Cheivo 0 Bari 0

Bari dragged themselves off the bottom of the Serie A table as they picked up a point in a drab goalless draw at Chievo tonight.

Genoa 1 Bologna 0

Davide Ballardini's tenure as Genoa coach started with success as the Rossoblu won their first Serie A game since October 3.

Lecce 1 Internazionale 1

Lecce denied Inter Milan a first win in November with a late equaliser at Via del Mare tonight.

Villa line up Lyon ace Gomis as Carew replacement

2010-11-11T08:01:00.000-08:00

Olympique Lyon star Bafetimbi Gomis is a target for Aston Villa.

The Daily Star says Villa boss Gerard Houllier has earmarked France striker Gomis as the man he wants to replace Carew.

Carew and new manager Houllier had a blazing row at Aston Villa’s training ground on Monday.

In response to Houllier’s comments that Carew must earn a new contract, the giant Norwegian striker attacked his boss for a lack of respect and refused to back down from his remarks during a showdown meeting.

Carew now looks set to move in the January transfer window or when his current deal expires in the summer. And Houllier is plotting an £9.5m move for powerful 6ft 1ins Lyon forward Gomis, who has been dubbed the ‘New Didier Drogba’ in France.

Malaga go for ex-Sampdoria defender Bottinelli

2010-11-11T08:00:00.000-08:00

Malaga are eyeing San Lorenzo defender Jonathan Bottinelli.

The former Sampdoria stopper is regarded highly by new Malaga coach Manuel Pellegrini.

A return to Europe is now being considered by Bottinelli ahead of the January market.

San Lorenzo rate the defender in the €4 million class.

Score Roundup 09/11/10

2010-11-10T08:04:00.000-08:00

English Premier League :

Stoke City 3 Birmingham City 2

Stoke survived another impressive comeback by Birmingham to bring their losing run to an end in a dramatic game at the Britannia Stadium.

Tottenham Hotspur 1 Sunderland 1

They may be taking the Champions League by storm, but Tottenham face a real battle to qualify for next year's competition after extending their winless run in the Premier League to four games.

English League Championship :

Burnley 1 Doncaster Rovers 1

Burnley are now without a win in four npower Championship games after being forced to share the spoils with a determined Doncaster side in a 1-1 draw at Turf Moor.

Ipswich Town 0 Derby County 2

Kris Commons scored twice to take his tally for the season to nine as in-form Derby cemented fourth place in the npower Championship with an impressive 2-0 victory at Ipswich.

Leeds United 2 Hull City 2

Bradley Johnson's late own goal clinched 10-man Hull an unlikely point in a 2-2 draw against their Yorkshire rivals and denied Leeds a first home win in four npower Championship matches.

Millwall 1 Norwich City 1

John Marquis marked his full debut with an injury-time equaliser to prevent Millwall from crashing to their fourth league defeat in five matches following a 1-1 draw with Norwich.

Nottingham Forest 2 Coventry City 1

Chris Cohen's fortunate strike gave Nottingham Forest a much-needed 2-1 win to damage the npower Championship promotion hopes of midlands rivals Coventry.

Portsmouth 1 Queens Park Rangers 1

Liam Lawrence turned from hero to villain as Portsmouth were held to a 1-1 draw by QPR.

Preston North End 1 Barnsley 2

Darren Ferguson's woes continued as substitute Garry O'Connor struck a late winner for Barnsley in a 2-1 victory to increase Preston's relegation fears.

Scunthorpe United 0 Middlesbrough 2

Middlesbrough are beginning to show the green shoots of recovery under Tony Mowbray after registering their first npower Championship away win of the season with a 2-0 success at Scunthorpe.

Crystal Palace 3 Watford 2

Owen Garvan's quickfire double lifted some of the gloom at the npower Championship's bottom club Crystal Palace as they edged a five-goal thriller with Watford.

Inter Milan ready to pounce for Roma midfielder Brighi

2010-11-10T08:00:00.000-08:00

Inter Milan are interested in AS Roma midfielder Matteo Brighi.

Inter coach Rafa Benitez is desperate for midfield reinforcements ahead of January's winter market.

Brighi is on Inter's radar, particularly with the midfielder unsettled at Roma over the lack of action he's seen this season.

Inter sports chief Marco Branca has been a long-term admirer of Brighi and will attempt to bring him to Milan in January.

Score Roundup 08/11/10

2010-11-09T08:10:00.000-08:00

Spanish Primera Division :

Sevilla 2 Valencia 0

Sevilla climbed up to sixth spot in the Primera Division standings after seeing off ten-man Valencia 2-0 at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan.

Preston keeper Lonergan in Man City sights

2010-11-09T08:04:00.000-08:00

Preston North End goalkeeper Andy Lonergan is a target for Manchester City.

The People says City are ready to move for Preston keeper Lonergan – as they look for an understudy for Joe Hart.

City have short-listed Lonergan for the January market.

Man City, Arsenal chasing Blackpool keeper Gilks

2010-11-09T08:03:00.001-08:00

Manchester City are ready to compete for Blackpool goalkeeper Matt Gilks.

The People says City are ready to move for Scotland keeper Gilks – as they look for an understudy for Joe Hart.

Arsenal and Rangers have also been linked with the Blackpool keeper, who is off contract in June.

Chelsea, Man Utd lead January race for Blackburn defender Jones

2010-11-09T08:03:00.000-08:00

Blackburn Rovers face a major battle keeping hold of defender Phil Jones.

The Sun says Jones is wanted by the Premier League top four in January.

Chelsea, Arsenal and both Manchester United and Manchester City have watched £10million-rated Blackburn defender Jones - dubbed the new John Terry.

Fenerbahce chasing Bolton striker Elmander

2010-11-09T08:02:00.000-08:00

Fenerbahce are chasing Bolton Wanderers striker Johan Elmander.

The Mirror says Elmander is a free transfer at the end of the season when his current deal expires and Wanderers chief Owen Coyle may have to listen to bids for him in January.

Bolton's record buy is having his best run of form under Coyle and has scored five times after looking a broken man under the previous regime.

Coyle wants him to stay - on reduced terms as he trims the wage bill - and Russians Spartak Moscow are also on his trail along with a couple of Premier League sides.

Bolton would want £3million for Elmander in January, a fee the Turks and Russians may pay. And Coyle could only let him go if he had cash for a replacement.

Everton ponder January offer for Ajax contract rebel Emanuelson

2010-11-09T08:01:00.001-08:00

Ajax star Urby Emanuelson is a January target for Everton.

The 24-year-old can play at left back or in midfield and his versatility has made David Moyes take notice.

Emanuelson is off contract in June and refuses to open talks over a new deal.

Ajax are keen to offload him this winter and will listen to offers around £4m.

Man Utd, Liverpool target Diarra again frozen out at Real Madrid

2010-11-09T08:01:00.000-08:00

Lassana Diarra was again frozen out by Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho for yesterday's derby victory over Atletico.

The France midfielder was also axed for last week's Champions League draw at AC Milan.

Diarra failed to even make the bench yesterday, with Mourinho preferring teenager Sergio Canales and Esteban Granero in his stead.

Manchester United, Liverpool and Everton are among Premier League clubs monitoring Diarra's situation in Madrid.

Drogba and Eto'o lead African award shortlist

2010-11-09T08:00:00.000-08:00

This year's African Footballer of the Year award shortlist has three Premier League players, but there is no place for Emmanuel Adebayor, Yaya Toure or Michael Essien.

Chelsea pair Didier Drogba and Salomon Kalou, as well as FIFA Ballon d'Or nominee Asamoah Gyan make the ten-man list, with Inter Milan forward Samuel Eto'o favourite to land the award after he won the Treble with the Nerazzurri last season.

Gyan is one of three Ghanaians who impressed so much at the World Cup, alongside ex-Portsmouth midfielder Kevin-Prince Boateng and Marseille's Andre Ayew, who has been attracting interest from some of Europe's elite.

Shortlist for African Footballer of the Year:

Ahmed Hassan (Egypt and Al-Ahly)
Andre Ayew (Ghana and Marseille)
Kevin-Prince Boateng (Ghana and AC Milan )
Madjid Bougherra (Algeria and Rangers)
Didier Drogba (Ivory Coast and Chelsea)
Samuel Eto'o (Cameroon and Inter Milan)
Mohamed 'Gedo' Nagy (Egypt and Al-Ahly)
Asamoah Gyan (Ghana and Sunderland)
Salomon Kalou (Ivory Coast and Chelsea)
Seydou Keita (Mali and Barcelona)

Score Roundup 07/11/10

2010-11-08T08:10:00.000-08:00

English FA Cup 1st Round :

Southport(NL) 2 Sheffield Wednesday(L1) 5

Southport's big day was ruined by a ruthless display of finishing from Sheffield Wednesday as an amazing second-half flurry of goals saw the game end 5-2 to the League One side.

Burton Albion(L2) 1 Oxford United(L2) 0

A late goal by substitute Aaron Webster clinched Burton a 1-0 win against Oxford and a second round tie at home to League Two rivals Chesterfield.

English Premier League :

Arsenal 0 Newcastle United 1

Andy Carroll made headlines for the right reasons as his goal gave Newcastle a shock 1-0 win over title-chasing Arsenal at Emirates Stadium.

West Bromwich Albion 0 Manchester City 2

Mario Balotelli netted twice before being sent off as Manchester City secured a 2-0 win at West Brom to ease the pressure on their manager Roberto Mancini.

Liverpool 2 Chelsea 0

Fernando Torres produced a striker's masterclass to score twice as Liverpool inflicted only a second defeat of the season on Premier League leaders Chelsea.

English League Championship :

Cardiff City 0 Swansea City 1

Marvin Emnes struck with 15 minutes remaining to inflict Cardiff's first home defeat of the season as bitter rivals Swansea enhanced their promotion credentials with a deserved Championship victory.

Spanish Primera Division :

Almeria 1 Sporting Gijon 1

Sporting Gijon picked up just their second point of the season away from home with Nacho Novo's second-half strike earning them a share of the spoils in a 1-1 draw at Almeria.

Levante 1 Deportivo La Coruna 2

Deportivo La Coruna beat Levante 2-1 to secure a second straight Primera Division win and move out of the bottom three after 10 rounds of league matches.

Osasuna 3 Hercules 0

Osasuna stormed to a comprehensive 3-0 win at home to promoted side Hercules in a one-sided match at the Reyno de Navarra.

Real Zaragoza 3 Mallorca 2

Fernandez Gabi scored a 95th-minute penalty to earn struggling Real Zaragoza a precious 3-2 win that moves them off the bottom of the table on goal difference.

Villarreal 4 Athletic Bilbao 1

Villarreal showed off their title credentials with a 4-1 thrashing of Athletic Bilbao.

Getafe 1 Barcelona 3

Gerard Pique was sent off as Barcelona claimed a 3-1 win at Getafe in the Primera Division to maintain their perfect away record.

Real Madrid 2 Atletico Madrid 0

Real Madrid powered on at the top of the Primera Division standings after continuing their overwhelming dominance of local rivals Atletico this evening.

Italian Serie A :

Fiorentina 1 Chievo 0

Fiorentina leapt into the top half of the Serie A table thanks to a hard-fought win over Chievo at the Stadio Artemio Franchi.

Bari 2 AC Milan 3

AC Milan kept up the pressure on Serie A leaders Lazio with a hard-earned 3-2 win away to Bari as Massimo Ambrosini, Mathieu Flamini and Alexandre Pato got the goals.

Juventus 3 Cesena 1

Alessandro del Piero was on target again as Juventus came from behind to beat Cesena and register back-to-back league wins.

Lazio 0 AS Roma 2

Marco Borriello and Mirko Vucinic each converted second-half penalties as Roma won the Eternal City derby against Serie A leaders Lazio this afternoon.

Napoli 2 Parma 0

Napoli shook off their European disappointment as an Edinson Cavani double sank Parma.

Sampdoria 0 Catania 0

Sampdoria could not break down a disciplined Catania side and had to settle for a point at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris with a 0-0 draw.

Udinese 1 Cagliari 1

Cagliari put the brakes on Udinese's four-game winning streak at the Stadio Friuli today.

Palermo 1 Genoa 0

Palermo broke into the top 10 in Serie A tonight thanks to a win over Genoa at the Stadio Renzo Barbera.

German Bundesliga :

Hannover 96 0 Borussia Dortmund 4

Borussia Dortmund continue to top the table with a 4-0 win over Hannover.

Bayer Leverkusen 3 Kaiserslautern 1

VfB Stuttgart 6 Werder Bremen 0

Stuttgart hit Werder Bremen for six to move out of the Bundesliga's bottom three in style at the Mercedes-Benz Arena.

French Ligue 1 :

AS Nancy 0 AS Monaco 4

Monaco capitalised on some good fortune to seal an emphastic Ligue 1 win at Nancy, with all the goals in the second half.

Lens 2 Montpellier 0

Struggling Lens shrugged off reports of dressing-room bust-ups and picked up a vital win as two first-half goals were enough to see off Montpellier.

Lille 3 Brest 1

Ligue 1 leaders Brest suffered a 3-1 defeat at Lille as Moussa Sow, Gervinho and Eden Hazard were on target for the home side.

Nice 2 Toulouse 0

Toulouse missed the chance to move level on points with Ligue 1 leaders Brest this evening after falling to a disappointing defeat at Nice.

Paris St Germain 2 Marseille 1

Paris St Germain moved above arch-rivals Marseille in the Ligue 1 table after winning this contest at the Parc des Princes.

Major League Soccer :

Western Conference Semi Final 2nd Leg

Los Angeles Galaxy 2 Seattle Sounders 1 (3-1 on agg)

David Beckham's delivery from the set piece proved telling as he provided goals for Edson Buddle and Omar Gonzales to send Los Angeles Galaxy through to the Major League Soccer Western Conference final with a 2-1 win over Seattle Sounders on Sunday.

Bardsley signs new Sunderland contract

2010-11-08T08:08:00.000-08:00

Phil Bardsley has re-signed with Sunderland on a three-and-a-half-year deal.

The 25-year old Scotland international had been in talks for a number of weeks and is now relieved that he has shored up his future with the Black Cats.

“I'm delighted to be able to stay," he told the club's official website.

"Talks have been ongoing over the last couple of weeks and I'm really pleased to be here for the next three and a half years.

"It's a club which I enjoy being at, I love living up here, the lads and everything about being here. Being part of the manager's plans is great and I'm enjoying my football."

FA Cup Second Round Draw

2010-11-08T08:07:00.000-08:00

Dependent on first round replays, AFC Wimbledon and the MK Dons could meet in the next round of the FA Cup.

AFC Wimbledon set themselves up in 2002 in response to Wimbledon's move to Milton Keynes.

Another club created due to fan disenchantment, FC United of Manchester, will travel to Brighton or Woking after their dramatic win over Rochdale on Friday.

2nd Round Draw

Sheffield Wednesday v Northampton
Burton/Oxford v Chesterfield
Cambridge/Huddersfield v Macclesfield/Southend
AFC Wimbledon/Ebbsfleet v Stevenage/MK Dons
Hartlepool/Vauxhall Motors v Yeovil
Bury v Stockport/Peterborough
Notts County v Bournemouth
Droylsden v Dagenham & Redbridge/Leyton Orient
Crawley Town v Swindon Town
Brighton/Woking v FC United of Manchester
Southampton v Cheltenham
Torquay v Fleetwood Town/Walsall
Barnet/Charlton v Corby Town/Luton
Colchester v Swindon Supermarine
Hereford v Lincoln
Dartford/Port Vale v Accrington
Wycombe v Chelmsford City
Carlisle v Tamworth
Dover v Brentford/Aldershot
Darlington v York

Ties to be played on the weekend of November 27/28.

Tottenham preparing £20M package for Villa ace Young

2010-11-08T08:06:00.000-08:00

Tottenham are preparing a bid for Aston Villa winger Ashley Young.

The Daily Star Sunday says Spurs are lining up a cash-plus-player package worth £20million for unsettled Aston Villa ace Young.

Spurs boss Harry Redknapp will offer either Niko Kranjcar or David Bentley plus £10m in an effort to tempt Villa into selling their England winger.

And the deal could happen in January if ambitious Spurs get into the Champions League knockout stages.

Chelsea, Man Utd watching Tottenham reject El Hamdaoui

2010-11-08T08:05:00.000-08:00

Ajax striker Mounir El Hamdaoui is interesting Chelsea.

The Mirror says he has been grabbing the headlines this season with 13 goals already, while strike-partner Luis Suarez not scored in seven games.

The Moroccan’s form has alerted Chelsea, Manchester United and Manchester City, who are all interested in bringing him back to the Premier League.

El Hamdaoui, 26, spent a forgettable season at Spurs in 2005, but is now rated at £17.5milion and has been compared to Dutch legend Dennis Bergkamp.

Chelsea to slap in £15M bid for Newcastle striker Carroll

2010-11-08T08:04:00.000-08:00

Chelsea are preparing a bid for Newcastle United striker Andy Carroll.

The Sunday Express says Chelsea are lining up Carroll as the £15million replacement for Didier Drogba.

Manager Carlo Ancelotti could even make his move in the January transfer market – aware that some of Chelsea’s Premier League title rivals are watching the 21-year-old, who may win a place in England’s squad for the forthcoming friendly against France.

Carroll has impressed Ancelotti with his physical attributes and improved footballing skills. Once raw and rangy, he has been transformed by Newcastle into a dangerous striker.

Ancelotti knows that 32-year- old Drogba can’t continue to terrorise defences for too many seasons more, so he will try to prise Carroll away from a reluctant Newcastle.

Bentley, Kranjcar to be made available at Tottenham

2010-11-08T08:03:00.000-08:00

David Bentley and Niko Kranjcar could go from Tottenham in January sales.

The Mail on Sunday says the Spurs pair will be allowed to leave in January to provide funds for new talent.

Chairman Daniel Levy has given his approval despite knowing he will take a huge loss on Bentley, signed for £15million from Blackburn just two years ago.

Fulham are likely to be interested in Bentley, while Newcastle and Aston Villa have been linked with Croatian Kranjcar.

Man Utd fullback Evra eyeing Real Madrid move

2010-11-08T08:02:00.000-08:00

Manchester United fullback Patrice Evra is eyeing a move to Real Madrid.

The Mirror says Evra reportedly wants to join Real Madrid in the summer.

The French full-back is currently in talks with Old Trafford chiefs about extending his current contract, which ends in June 2012.

However, a club source allegedly claims that Evra would also like to move to Spain at the end of the season, and is willing to sign a new deal in order to maximise his re-sale value.

“Patrice originally wanted to leave in January but now he is happy to sign a new contract and leave at the end of the season,” said a United source. “He is concerned about where the club are heading and is attracted by the possibility of playing for Real, a club he really admires.”

“Evra was the most angry when Rooney said he was going to leave and criticised the quality of the squad but that doesn’t mean he swears blind loyalty to Manchester United.

"Like any player, he wants what is best for himself and his family and sees Real Madrid as the perfect move.”

Man Utd, Liverpool alerted as Cahill admits considering Bolton future

2010-11-08T08:01:00.000-08:00

Bolton Wanderers defender Gary Cahill is eyeing a big club move away.

Despite the progress made under Bolton boss Owen Coyle, Cahill admits he would love to secure a big-money move up the Premier League ladder.

Cahill, 24, said: “I am an ambitious lad who wants to play at the top of my game. Who knows what the future holds?

“At this minute I am concentrating on playing well for Bolton but hopefully, I will play for a top club one day.”

Those comments will alert Manchester United, Liverpool and Spurs, who are all monitoring the former Aston Villa centre-half.

Cahill, who is valued at around £10million, added: “It’s flattering that teams are looking at you but you have to keep performing well.”

Inter Milan's Samuel out for the season

2010-11-08T08:00:00.000-08:00

Inter Milan have announced defender Walter Samuel has suffered a serious knee injury in the 1-1 draw with Brescia.

It was immediately clear that 32-year-old Samuel had a very serious injury, as he knocked knees with Andrea Caracciolo to push his leg backwards.

“The tests have found a serious rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament and collateral ligament in the right knee,” read a statement on the official club website.

“Over the next few days we will plan the reconstructive surgery.”

Samuel’s season is effectively over, as he suffered a similar setback in 2007 that kept him out for nine months, but that was in his left knee.

Score Roundup 06/11/10

2010-11-07T08:55:00.000-08:00

English FA Cup 1st Round :

Harrow Borough(NL) 0 Chesterfield(L2) 2

Two goals in the last 15 minutes from Chesterfield earned them a 2-0 win and crushed Harrow Borough's FA Cup dreams after the non-league side had threatened to cause an upset.

Accrington Stanley(L2) 3 Oldham Athletic(L1) 2

Two goals in the last 15 minutes from Chesterfield earned them a 2-0 win and crushed Harrow Borough's FA Cup dreams after the non-league side had threatened to cause an upset.

AFC Bournemouth(L1) 5 Tranmere Rovers(L1) 3

Josh McQuoid was the star for Bournemouth as his hat-trick helped the Cherries overcome a stubborn Tranmere 5-3 in the FA Cup first round at Dean Court.

AFC Wimbledon(NL) 0 Ebbsfleet United(NL) 0

AFC Wimbledon winger Christian Jolley had a day to forget as ten-man Dons were held to a goalless draw in the FA Cup first round by Ebbsfleet, who were also a player down.

Barnet(L2) 0 Charlton Athletic(L1) 0

League One promotion candidates Charlton could only muster a goalless draw with the Football League's bottom-placed club Barnet in the FA Cup first round.

Brentford(L1) 1 Aldershot Town(L2) 1

Toothless Brentford face an FA Cup replay with Aldershot after failing to kill off their League Two visitors despite creating a string of chances.

Brigton & Hove Albion(L1) 0 Woking(NL) 0

League One leaders Brighton face an FA Cup replay at Blue Square Bet South Division side Woking after the Cards forced a highly creditable 0-0 draw at Withdean.

Bury(L2) 2 Exeter City(L1) 0

Bury upset League One Exeter as they made FA Cup progress thanks to a well-deserved 2-0 victory.

Carlisle United(L1) 6 Tipton United(NL) 0

Tipton may have made history with their first FA Cup first round appearance in 62 years but that was where the dream ended as they were thumped 6-0 at Carlisle.

Chelmsford(NL) 3 Hendon(NL) 2

Sam Higgins was Chelmsford's FA Cup hero again as the 10-man Blue Square Bet South outfit avoided a potential banana skin against Hendon with a 3-2 win.

Cheltenham Town(L2) 1 Morecambe(L2) 0

Top scorer Wes Thomas returned from a month-long absence to fire the Robins into the second round of the FA Cup with a 1-0 win over Morecambe.

Colchester United(L1) 4 Bradford City(L2) 3

A brace from David Mooney helped Colchester see off Bradford in a thrilling FA Cup tie which ended 4-3.

Corby Town(NL) 1 Luton Town(NL) 1

A late Matthew Barnes-Homer equaliser earned Luton a deserved replay and denied Corby Town an unlikely win in 1-1 draw in the FA Cup.

Dagenham & Redbridge(L1) 1 Leyton Orient(L1) 1

Neighbours Dagenham and Leyton Orient will meet again in an FA Cup replay after a full-blooded London derby ended in a draw.

Darlington(NL) 2 Bristol Rovers(L1) 1

Gary Smith was the hero as Darlington upset League One Bristol Rovers 2-1.

Both sides scored inside four first-half minutes with Darlington's Michael Brough bagging his first goal for the club after a quarter of an hour.

Brough drove home from 20 yards after good work down the right by winger Chris Moore.

But the Pirates pegged their Blue Square Premier hosts back with dangerman Will Hoskins curling home a low free-kick after being fouled by Liam Hatch.

Dartford(NL) 1 Port Vale(L2) 1

John McCombe scrambled home a late equaliser to deny Conference South outfit Dartford a place in the second round of the FA Cup and spare Port Vale's blushes in a 1-1 draw.

Fleetwood Town(NL) 1 Walsall(L1) 1

Substitute Jamie Mullan earned non-league Fleetwood a 1-1 draw against 10-man Walsall.

Forest Green Rovers(NL) 0 Northampton Town(L2) 3

Ruthless Northampton ensured there was no FA Cup fairytale for Forest Green this season as they cruised to a 3-0 win.

Rovers, who have reached the third round in the last two campaigns, were beaten by John Johnson's spectacular strike and further goals from Steve Guinan and Michael Jacobs.

Gillingham(L2) 0 Dover Athletic(NL) 2

Adam Birchall inspired Dover Athletic to a famous FA Cup upset as the Blue Square South side stunned Kent neighbours Gillingham 2-0 at Priestfield.

Birchall scored the opener and had a hand in the second as former Dover boss Andy Hessenthaler's League Two side went crashing out.

Guiseley(NL) 0 Crawley Town(NL) 5

Danny Hall's first goal for Crawley helped the Blue Square Premier leaders to a 5-0 win over Guiseley.

Hartlepool United(L1) 0 Vauxhall Motors(NL) 0

Vauxhall Motors performed heroically as they earned a memorable goalless draw at Hartlepool.

There are 74 places between the Conference North side and their League One opponents but it counted for little and the teams must replay a week on Tuesday.

Havant & Waterlooville(NL) 0 Droylsden(NL) 2

Havant & Waterlooville fans can forget about any FA Cup heroics against the likes of Liverpool for another year as Droylsden grabbed a deserved 2-0 victory at West Leigh Park.

Hayes & Yeading(NL) 1 Wycombe Wanderers(L2) 2

Veteran midfielder Gareth Ainsworth spared Wycombe's blushes as his late winner sank non-league Hayes & Yeading 2-1.

Hereford United(L2) 5 Hythe Town(NL) 1

Hereford swept the challenge of non-league Hythe aside with a comprehensive 5-1 win.

Lincoln City(L2) 1 Nuneaton(NL) 0

Albert Jarrett broke non-league Nuneaton's hearts with an 89th-minute free-kick to secure a 1-0 win for Lincoln.

Macclesfield Town(L2) 2 Southend United(L2) 2

Both League Two side fought to a draw and replay is on.

Mansfield Town(NL) 0 Torquay United(L2) 1

Elliot Benyon snatched a late winner to see Torquay through to the second round 1-0 against non-league side Mansfield.

Notts County(L1) 2 Gateshead(NL) 0

Paul Ince picked up his first win as Notts County manager as the Magpies edged past gutsy non-league Gateshead 2-0 in the FA Cup first round.

Plymouth Argyle(L1) 0 Swindon Town(L1) 4

Swindon eased through the FA Cup first round with a thumping 4-0 win at 10-man Plymouth.

Rotherham United(L2) 0 York City(NL) 0

Another disappointing display from Rotherham means they have to do it all again after a goalless draw at home to York in the FA Cup.

Rushden & Diamonds(NL) 0 Yeovil Town(L1) 1

Andy Williams' controversial late goal put Yeovil into the second round of the FA Cup for the first time in five years after a 1-0 win at Rushden & Diamonds.

Southampton(L1) 2 Shrewsbury Town(L2) 0

David Connolly came off the bench to spare Southampton's blushes and send them into the second round of the FA Cup with a hard fought 2-0 victory over Shrewsbury.

Stevenage(L2) 0 Milton Keynes Dons(L1) 0

Stevenage and the MK Dons must try again after a disappointing goalless draw at Broadhall Way.

Stockport County(L2) 1 Peterborough United(L1) 1

Stockport belied their recent form to force an FA Cup replay against League One high-flyers Peterborough United after a 1-1 draw.

Swindon Supermarine(NL) 2 Eastwood Town(NL) 1

Southern League Premier Swindon Supermarine chalked up another famous scalp as they beat Eastwood Town 2-1 to move into the second round of the FA Cup.

Tamworth(NL) 2 Crewe Alexandra(L2) 1

Alex Rodman's first-half strike and Danny Thomas' stunner helped Blue Square Bet Premier Tamworth stun Crewe with a 2-1 FA Cup win at the Lamb Ground.

Cambridge United(NL) 0 Huddersfield Town(L1) 0

Cambridge grabbed a well-earned replay after a 0-0 draw against League One high-flyers Huddersfield at the Abbey Stadium.

English Premier League:

Bolton Wanderers 4 Tottenham Hotspur 2

Tottenham, conquerors of Champions League holders Inter Milan in midweek, had to settle for second best at the Reebok Stadium despite a rousing comeback.

Birmingham City 2 West Ham United 2

Former Birmingham co-owner David Sullivan was denied victory on his return to St Andrews as his current club West Ham surrendered a two-goal lead.

Blackburn Rovers 2 Wigan Athletic 1

Blackburn substitute Jason Roberts atoned for the error which had cost his side dear against Chelsea last weekend with a cool 66th-minute finish to seal the points at Ewood Park.

Blackpool 2 Everton 2

Blackpool's Marlon Harewood was denied a late winner as the Barclays Premier League newcomers fought out a thrilling draw with Everton today.

Fulham 1 Aston Villa 1

Fulham centre-half Brede Hangeland earned Fulham a point with a last-gasp equaliser at Craven Cottage.

Manchester United 2 Wolverhampton Wanderers 1

Park Ji-sung struck a stoppage time winner to give Sir Alex Ferguson a perfect 24th anniversary present as Manchester United manager.

Sunderland 2 Stoke City 0

Record-signing Asamoah Gyan paid off a sizeable instalment of his £13 million-plus fee with a match-winning double for Sunderland against 10-man Stoke.

English League Championship :

Barnsley 0 Leicester City 2

Leicester claimed their fourth win in six npower Championship outings after Angelo Miguel Vitor's first goal for the club and a late Andy King strike were enough to see off an abject Barnsley 2-0.

Bristol City 1 Preston North End 1

A Billy Jones own goal rescued a point for Bristol City against fellow npower Championship strugglers Preston.

Coventry City 2 Leeds United 3

Robert Snodgrass stole the show as Leeds recorded back-to-back wins with a thrilling 3-2 success at Coventry.

Doncaster Rovers 2 Millwall 1

David Healy enjoyed a dream debut as his second-half winner fired Doncaster to a 2-1 victory over npower Championship rivals Millwall.

Hull City 0 Scunthorpe United 1

Michael O'Connor snatched an 89th-minute winner to give Scunthorpe their first league success over Humber derby rivals Hull in over seven years.

Middlesbrough 2 Crystal Palace 1

Patrick McCarthy's late own goal proved decisive as Tony Mowbray secured his first win as Middlesbrough manager seeing off Crystal Palace 2-1.

Norwich City 2 Burnley 2

Andrew Crofts netted an injury-time equaliser - and was then sent off - as Norwich denied Burnley their first away win of the season with a 2-2 draw.

Queens Park Rangers 3 Reading 1

Adel Taarabt led QPR to victory over Reading and back to the top of the Championship despite playing the entire second half with 10 men.

Sheffield United 1 Ipswich Town 2

First half strikes from Tamas Priskin and Gareth McAuley lifted Ipswich's promotion hopes with a 2-1 win but deepened Sheffield United's woes.

Watford 1 Nottingham Forest 1

Lewis McGugan again showed his golden touch in front of goal as Nottingham Forest claimed a point in the npower Championship at Watford.

Derby County 2 Portsmouth 0

In-form Derby made it five consecutive victories at Pride Park to move up to fourth in the npower Championship table with a 2-0 victory against Portsmouth.

Spanish Primera Division :

Real Sociedad 1 Racing Santander 0

Real Sociedad recorded their third successive Primera Division win after seeing off Racing Santander 1-0 at Anoeta.

Summer signing Joseba Llorente netted the only goal in the seventh minute as promoted Sociedad followed up their victories over Deportivo La Coruna and Malaga with another three-point haul.

Espanyol 1 Malaga 0

Javi Marquez's stunning early strike continued Espanyol`s perfect home record as struggling Malaga, with new coach Manuel Pellegrini watching on from the stands, slumped to their seventh defeat in 10 games this season.

Italian Serie A :

Bologna 2 Lecce 0

Bologna left it late to take all three points from their Serie A encounter with Lecce at the Stadio Dall'Ara and move out of the relegation zone.

Internazionale 1 Brescia 1

A controversial penalty rescued Inter Milan from their second defeat of the week as they salvaged a 1-1 draw against struggling Brescia at the San Siro.

German Bundesliga :

Borussia Monchengladbach 3 Bayern Munich 3

Borussia Monchengladbach and Bayern Munich shared six goals in a thriller at the Borussia Park Stadion.

Eintracht Frankfurt 3 VfL Wolfsburg 1

Theofanis Gekas scored twice as Eintracht Frankfurt continued their march up the Bundesliga table with a home victory over Wolfsburg.

Hamburg SV 2 TSG Hoffenheim 1

Mladen Petric's late goal gave Hamburg a crucial home victory over Hoffenheim to remain in a tight race behind the top two in the Bundesliga.

Nurnberg 3 FC Cologne 1

Nurnberg continued their strong start to the season with an impressive victory at home over Cologne, extending their winning streak to three games.

SC Freiburg 1 Mainz 0

Mainz lost 1-0 away to Freiburg.

French Ligue 1 :

Arles 3 Caen 2

Kaba Diawara scored twice, the second from the penalty spot, as Arles recorded their first win of the Ligue 1 season with a narrow victory over Caen.

Bordeaux 1 Valenciennes 1

A late goal from Moussa Maazou spared Bordeaux's blushes on home soil as they snatched a point against Valenciennes tonight.

Sochaux 1 AJ Auxerre 1

Modibo Maiga scored nine minutes from time to rescue a point for Sochaux at home to Auxerre.

St Etienne 1 Lorient 2

St Etienne's push for the top of the Ligue 1 table suffered a setback as they fell to a surprise home defeat against Lorient.

Stade Rennes 1 Lyon 1

Rennes missed the chance to go top of Ligue 1 tonight as they were held to a draw by Lyon.

Major League Soccer :

Eastern Conference Semi Final 2nd Leg :

Columbus Crew 2 Colorado Rapids 1 (2-2 on Agg,Rapids win 5-4 on pens)

Colorado advanced to the Eastern Conference final after Brian Carroll's penalty kick at the end of the fifth round sailed over the goal, giving the Rapids the win.

Western Conference Semi Final 2nd Leg :

Real Salt Lake 1 FC Dallas 1 (2-3 on Agg)

Dax McCarty scored in the 13th minute and FC Dallas hung on for a 1-1 tie to eliminate defending MLS Cup champion Real Salt Lake from the playoffs on Saturday night.

Score Roundup 05/11/10

2010-11-06T08:38:00.000-07:00

English FA Cup 1st Round :

Rochdale(L1) 2 FC United of Manchester(NL) 3

FC United of Manchester pulled off a major shock in the FA Cup with a controversial 94th minute goal to beat Rochdale 3-2 in a thrilling first round tie.

German Bundesliga :

Schalke 04 3 St Pauli 0

Spanish striker Raul scored his first Bundesliga goals in six weeks as Schalke registered their first home win of the season with a convincing victory over St Pauli.

Samson Siasia named new coach of Nigeria

2010-11-06T08:35:00.000-07:00

Former Nigeria striker Samson Siasia has been named the new coach of the national team and will take over the running of the side in December.

Siasia led the Under-20 side to the FIFA U-20 World Cup final in 2005 (where they were undone by Lionel Messi's Argentina) and also took Nigeria to the final of the 2008 Olympic Games (where they were beaten again by Argentina). He was chosen ahead of Stephen Keshi by the Nigeria Football Federation's technical committee.

On Thursday, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) issued a statement explaining why they chose Siasia over the former Mali coach. "After careful deliberation, the NFF has accepted the recommendation of the technical committee that Samson Siasia be appointed as head coach of the Super Eagles," it read. "Importantly, this is subject to a contract to be executed in a couple of days."

NFF Secretary General, Emmanuel Ikpeme added: "He was the obvious choice based on his performance at the interview," he said.

Nigeria have been looking to replace Lars Lagerback after he failed to get them out of the group stages at the World Cup. Lagerback reportedly earned nearly a million dollars for just over five months' work, but was released soon after returning from South Africa.

One of Siasia's immediate tasks will be to qualify the Super Eagles for the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations tournament in Libya, as the side currently lies second behind Guinea in Group B.

Malaga appointed Pellegrini as coach

2010-11-06T08:29:00.000-07:00

Former Villareal and Real Madrid coach Manuel Pellegrini has joined La Liga strugglers Malaga after they sacked Jesualdo Ferreira earlier in the week.

Pellegrini somewhat inevitably made way for Jose Mourinho at the Bernabeu in the summer after just one season with Real, where he lost the league to Barcelona by three points despite a record haul of 96 points.

He had a terrific five-year spell at Villareal, steering them to the Champions League semi-finals in 2006 and finishing a club-record second in La Liga in one of a string of top-seven placings.

His signing is therefore something of a coup for Malaga, who currently languish in the bottom three having registered just two victories in nine matches.

Pellegrini has signed a three-year deal with the option to extend for a fourth season.

"Malaga Football Club and Manuel Luis Pellegrini have reached an agreement whereby the Chilean becomes the new coach of the jellyfish," said a club statement.

Aquilani hoping to make Juventus move permanent

2010-11-06T08:24:00.000-07:00

Alberto Aquilani is happy to remain at Juventus having made an exceptional start to life back in Italy, according to his agent.

Aquilani, who spent a seven-year spell with AS Roma, joined the Bianconeri from Liverpool in the summer with the option of making the move a permanent one at the season's end.

After recapturing some of his best form in the first nine matches of the Italian season, the midfielder is more than happy to remain at Juventus, according to his agent Franco Zavaglia.

"Aquilani is doing very well, which is clear to everybody," his agent told tuttosport. "At the moment Juventus have not made a move to sign the player from Liverpool. To date, Juventus haven't shown anything on this front, but it is still too early to talk about these things.

"Alberto is happy in Turin and his coach,Luigi Del Neri is happy with the impact Alberto has made at Juventus".

West Brom's Olsson out of action for six weeks

2010-11-06T08:20:00.000-07:00

West Brom defender Jonas Olsson is facing up to six weeks out of action with an Achilles injury, as manager Roberto Di Matteo confirmed the club's vice-captain could be sidelined until mid December.

It is a big setback for the Baggies as Olsson has been a key figure in their fine start to the campaign in the Premier League.

Di Matteo admitted: ''With Jonas, we're looking at a longer injury - rather than a few weeks. I would like to keep it down to weeks, but it won't be two weeks. It will definitely be around the five or six-week mark.

''It's an injury that can improve dramatically but he's not going to be back within two weeks, that's for sure.''

Leading scorer Peter Odemwingie could be in contention to return in Sunday's home clash against Manchester City after being sidelined for a month with a knee problem.

Odemwingie, on target four times this season, has returned to training but midfielder James Morrison remains doubtful with his knee setback.

Di Matteo said: ''Peter has joined in with us so we will have to see how he reacts.

''With James Morrison, it's touch and go with his knee, but, if it's not Sunday, then hopefully he will be available for the next game. It's assessment on a daily basis with him.''

Score Roundup 04/11/10

2010-11-05T08:38:00.000-07:00

UEFA Europa League :

Group A

Juventus (Ita) 0 SV Salzburg (Aus) 0

Juventus were held to a goalless draw by Europa League Group A basement team Salzburg in Turin.

The Italians were the better team in the first half but were denied by some fine saves from Gerhard Tremmel.

Lech Poznan (Pol) 3 Manchester City (Eng) 1

Two late goals from Lech Poznan condemned faltering Manchester City to a third straight defeat - 3-1 - and increased the pressure on manager Roberto Mancini.

Group B

Bayer Leverkusen (Ger) 1 Aris Salonika (Gre) 0

Leverkusen took a big step to reaching the knockout stages of the Europa League by collecting a home win against Aris.

After the two teams played a scoreless draw in game day three in Greece, Arturo Vidal scored the only goal of the game in the 90th minute to secure a win for the Germans.

Rosenborg (Nor) 1 Atletico Madrid (Spa) 2

Tiago struck a sensational late winner to earn Europa League holders Atletico Madrid a hard-fought win over Rosenborg that lifts Quique Sanchez Flores' men up to second spot in Group B.

Group C

KAA Gent (Bel) 3 Sporting Lisbon (Por) 1

Gent gained revenge over 10-man Sporting Lisbon for last month's Europa League thrashing with a 3-1 victory in Group C.

Levski Sofia (Bul) 2 Lille (Fra) 2

An unfortunate own goal from substitute Ivo Ivanov rescued a 2-2 draw for Lille in their Europa League clash at Levski Sofia and ensured the French side remain in the runners-up spot in Group C.

Group D

Club Brugge (Bel) 0 Dinamo Zagreb (Cro) 2

Second-half goals from Brazilian midfielder Sammir and Igor Biscan helped Dinamo Zagreb to a 2-0 victory over Club Brugge at the Jan Breydel Stadion.

PAOK Salonika (Gre) 1 Villarreal (Spa) 0

Villarreal dropped from first place to third in Europa League Group D after a 1-0 defeat to PAOK in Greece.

Vieirinha scored the game's only goal, a header from the 5ft 8in Portuguese winger in the 70th minute, as PAOK edged out opponents who beat them 1-0 in Spain in the last round of matches.

Group E

BATE Borisov (Blr) 3 Sheriff Tiraspol (Mol) 1

BATE Borisov sealed their place in the knockout stages of a European competition for the first time with a 3-1 home win over FC Sheriff.

Dynamo Kiev (Ukr) 2 AZ Alkmaar (Hol) 0

Artem Milevskiy was the hero as Dynamo Kiev gave their hopes of reaching the last 32 of the Europa League a huge lift thanks to a convincing 2-0 victory over lacklustre AZ Alkmaar.

Group F

CSKA Moscow (Rus) 3 Palermo (Ita) 1

Three goals in seven spectacular minutes saw CSKA Moscow come from behind to beat 10-man Palermo 3-1 and secure their Europa League last-32 place.

Lausanne Sports (Swi) 1 Sparta Prague (Cze) 3

Wilfried Bony scored twice as Sparta Prague hit back from behind to beat Lausanne 3-1 in Switzerland and move to the brink of qualifying for the Europa League group stages.

Group G

AEK Athens (Gre) 1 Anderlecht (Bel) 1

AEK Athens and Anderlecht played out a frustrating 1-1 draw in Europa League Group G to each pick up a point that does little to improve their chances of reaching the knockout phase

Hajduk Split (Cro) 2 Zenit St Petersburg (Rus) 3

Zenit St Petersburg clung onto their 100% record in Europa League Group G with a narrow 3-2 victory at Hajduk Split which also ensured their place in the last 32 of the competition.

Group H

Getafe (Spa) 0 VfB Stuttgart (Ger) 3

Stuttgart may be stuttering domestically but they booked their place in the Europa League knockout phase with two matches to spare by extending their 100% record in Group H to four games with a 3-0 victory in Getafe.

Odense BK (Den) 2 Young Boys (Swi) 0

At the fourth time of asking Odense got off the mark in their Europa League campaign as Hans Henrik Andreason struck twice to sink Young Boys in a 2-0 win.

Group I

PSV Eindhoven (Hol) 3 Debrecen (Hun) 0

PSV Eindhoven moved to the brink of qualifying for the last 32 of the Europa League following a comfortable 3-0 home win over pointless Debrecen.

Sampdoria (Ita) 0 FC Metalist Kharkiv (Ukr) 0

Sampdoria were once again left frustrated by Metalist Kharkiv, whose disciplined defence held firm to earn a goalless draw in tonight's Europa League Group I match in Genoa.

Group J

Paris St Germain (Fra) 0 Borussia Dortmund (Ger) 0

Paris St Germain and Borussia Dortmund remain in contention to reach the knockout stages of the Europa League after a scoreless draw in Paris in Group J.

Sevilla (Spa) 4 Karpaty Lviv (Ukr) 0

Sevilla powered their way to the top of Europa League Group J after thrashing Karpaty Lviv 4-0.

The Ukranians' already slim hopes of reaching the knockout stages are now over after they crashed to their fourth successive defeat.

Group K

Liverpool (Eng) 3 Napoli (Ita) 1

Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard came to his side's aid once again as his late hat-trick inspired the side to a 3-1 Europa League victory against Napoli which highlighted the gulf in class within the squad.

Steaua Bucharest (Rom) 3 FC Utrecht (Hol) 1

Steaua Bucharest moved from bottom to second in Group K of the Europa League with a 3-1 victory over FC Utrecht.

Group L

FC Porto (Por) 1 Besiktas (Tur) 1

Porto failed to maintain their 100% Europa League record as they were held to a 1-1 draw in an entertaining clash with Besiktas.

Rapid Vienna (Aus) 1 CSKA Sofia (Bul) 2

Brazilian midfielder Marquinhos finally got CSKA Sofia's Europa League campaign up and running after striking a 64th-minute winner to sink Rapid Vienna 2-1 in Group L.

Major League Soccer :

Eastern Conference Semi Final 2ng Leg

New York Red Bulls 1 San Jose Earthquakes 3

The San Jose Earthquakes advanced to the MLS Eastern Conference final as they secured a 3-2 aggregate victory courtesy of a dramatic 3-1 win at the New York Red Bulls.

Frei to quit international football

2010-11-05T08:31:00.000-07:00

Switzerland captain Alex Frei has announced he is retiring from international football at the end of the season, claiming fierce criticism of his recent performances made up his mind.

FC Basle striker Frei, Switzerland's record goalscorer with 40 in 81 games, will be available for his country for the final time in their Euro 2012 qualifier against England at Wembley next June.

He talked extensively with his family and colleagues, and with Basle and Switzerland, before making his decision, according to a statement on the Swiss FA's official website.

"In my decision I took into account the numerous positive wishes, requests and pieces of advice of all those people who encouraged me to continue my international career," he said. "Equally, I bore in mind and took seriously the signals of those groups who recently have made no secret of their opinion that their time in the national team is over."

Frei added he was announcing his decision early so as not to leave the team in the lurch and give coach Ottmar Hitzfeld plenty of time to prepare for his retirement.

Hitzfeld said: "I am very sorry about Alex's plans to retire from the national team at the end of the season, because we will be losing one of the most experienced and successful performers of recent years and the most prolific Swiss striker of all time.

"On the other hand I respect Alex's decision. It was anything but easy for him to make this decision."

Bayern confirm Lahm is to sign a new contract

2010-11-05T08:25:00.000-07:00

Philipp Lahm has agreed to extend his contract with Bayern Munich until 2016, according to the club's chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge.

The full back, who joined the club as a 12-year-old in 1995, signed a new three-year contract to end speculation about his future in 2009 and, with just over 18 months left to run on his current deal, he is now going to commit his future to the record German champions until the age of 32.

"We have agreed on a new contract until 2016 with Philipp Lahm and it will be signed in the coming days,'' Rummenigge told Bild.

With Lahm due to sign on the dotted line in the coming days, Bayern will now turn their attention to convincing another of their home-grown talents Bastian Schweinsteiger to do likewise.

The Germany international's current contract is also due to expire in 2012 and many of Europe's top clubs are already showing an interest in the midfielder. Should he not sign a new deal by next summer, Bayern may be obliged to listen to offers for the 26-year-old or risk losing him on a free transfer 12 months later.

Real midfielder De la Red retires due to heart problem

2010-11-05T08:21:00.000-07:00

Real Madrid midfielder Ruben de la Red has been forced to retire from professional football after failing to overcome the heart problems that have prevented him from playing for two years.

De la Red, 25, collapsed during a Copa del Rey tie against Real Union in October 2008 and was diagnosed with a heart problem. He missed the entirety of the 2009-10 season as Real sought to find a solution, but after extensive exams, he was advised against returning to the pitch.

Spain has suffered the loss of two high profile players - Antonio Puerta and Dani Jarque - to heart conditions in recent seasons and player and club decided against risking a return to first-team football.

De la Red will remain within the Real Madrid set-up as a youth coach, retaining his links with the club where he graduated as an academy player.

"Today is a day that represents the change of life of Ruben de la Red," he said. "I have ended my playing career and now doors have opened for another life. The club has offered me, someone very young, the opportunity to stay tied to football and I will not waste it.

"I'll learn my role as a coach and give everything, as I did as a player. I have infinite gratitude to the club for giving me this opportunity, and to the fans that supported me and the doctors that treated me. I hope that football will remain part of my life for a long time.

"I want to start giving my support to all those athletes who have suffered like me, who have had their dreams cut short sooner than expected. Doctors recommended to me that I should not return to the shirt of Real Madrid. A problem in my heart compels me to retire, but my heart still beats for Real Madrid."

Former Real coach Vanderlei Luxemburgo first promoted the midfielder to the senior squad in 2005 and he made his debut in September of the same year, when replacing Raul in a game against Athletic Bilbao.

Real sold De la Red to Getafe in the summer of 2007, but included an option to re-sign the player and took up that option 12 months later after his brilliant performances away from the Bernabeu.

De la Red signed for Real prior to Euro 2008, where he was a member of the Spain squad that won the competition under Luis Aragones. He scored in a 2-1 win over Greece in the group stages.

Villa blow as Emile Heskey requires knee surgery

2010-11-05T08:16:00.000-07:00

Aston Villa's top scorer Emile Heskey has been ruled out for up to a month after sustaining a medial meniscus tear in his right knee during training.

Heskey suffered the injury on Wednesday and will require surgery to correct the knee problem. Villa estimate he will be absent for between three or four weeks, meaning Heskey could miss up to five Premier League games and the Carling Cup quarter-final tie against rivals Birmingham City on December 1.

The striker has enjoyed a resurgence of form under Gerard Houllier, who also managed him to good effect at Liverpool, and has scored three goals in six games under the Frenchman.

Upson could be sold in January, amid contract row

2010-11-05T08:10:00.000-07:00

West Ham captain Matthew Upson could be set to leave the club for a small fee in January after negotiations over a new deal stalled.

Upson is available on a free transfer in the summer but will not extend his £60,000-a-week deal at Upton Park and looks set depart for pastures new, with Liverpool and Tottenham monitoring the situation.

However, the club are keen to recoup some of the £6 million that they spent on him in January 2007 and are looking at a quick sale.

"Matt Upson has been made a fabulous offer, and he might struggle to get more elsewhere, but time will tell," a source close to the club told ESPNsoccernet. ''Clearly, given the circumstances, there is a chance he'll go for a reasonable fee in January.''

Ideally, West Ham want their star to stay, but Upson has rejected, so far, all overtures to extend his contract. Liverpool failed in the summer with a £9 million bid, illustrating how much new manager Roy Hodgson covets the centre-back.

Sunderland striker Healy joins Doncaster on loan

2010-11-05T08:06:00.000-07:00

Northern Ireland's all-time record goalscorer David Healy has moved on loan from Sunderland to Doncaster Rovers.

Healy, 31, has not made a single appearance for Sunderland this season and drops down to the Championship in an effort to enjoy regular first-team football.

Doncaster have captured the striker on loan for one month and he has already linked up with the club ahead of Saturday's game against Millwall.

Healy has scored just twice in 21 appearances for Sunderland and spent a spell on loan at Ipswich last season, scoring once in 12 games.

His patchy form at club level is in contrast to his international performances as Healy boasts 35 goals in 84 games for his country.

Score Roundup 03/11/10

2010-11-04T08:40:00.000-07:00

UEFA Champions League :

Group E

CFR Cluj-Napoca (Rom) 0 Bayern Munich (Ger) 4

Bayern Munich made it four wins from four Champions League games with a comfortable victory over Cluj that booked their place in the next round.

FC Basel (Swi) 2 AS Roma (Ita) 3

Roma moved up to second in Group E of the Champions League with a hard-fought victory over Basle.

Group F

Chelsea (Eng) 4 Spartak Moscow (Rus) 1

Chelsea qualified for the knockout stage of the Champions League with a second-half demolition of Spartak Moscow at Stamford Bridge.

MSK Zilina (Svk) 0 Marseille (Fra) 7

Marseille dragged themselves back into contention to reach the knockout phase of the Champions League with an emphatic victory over Slovakian champions MSK Zilina.

Group G

AC Milan (Ita) 2 Real Madrid (Spa) 2

Substitute Pedro Leon struck an injury-time equaliser against AC Milan to send Real Madrid through to the last 16 of the Champions League and preserve the Spanish club`s unbeaten record under coach Jose Mourinho.

Aj Auxerre (Fra) 2 Ajax Amsterdam (Hol) 1

Auxerre stole a march in the race to progress from Champions League Group G as Steven Langil's strike seven minutes from time gave them victory over Ajax.

Group H

Partizan Belgrade (Ser) 0 Sporting Braga (Por) 1

Braga kept alive their hopes of reaching the knockout stages with their first ever Champions League away win at Partizan Belgrade.

Shakhtar Donetsk (Ukr) 2 Arsenal (Eng) 1

Eduardo returned to haunt his old club as Shakhtar Donetsk fought back from a goal down to beat Arsenal 2-1 in tonight's Champions League Group H clash at Donbass Arena.

Batista named new Argentina boss

2010-11-04T08:37:00.000-07:00

Sergio Batista has been named the permanent successor to Diego Maradona as Argentina head coach.

Batista, 47, has been acting as caretaker following Maradona's departure after the World Cup, and oversaw victories over Republic of Ireland and Spain as well as a defeat to Japan.

He has been given a contract to the end of qualification for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, which would be extended should they qualify for the tournament, and will lead the side during next year's Copa America in Argentina.

"I'm very happy and I thank Julio (Grondona, AFA president) and the officials," Batista said. "This is a big responsibility. I'm looking forward to carrying on working the way we've been doing and working towards our aims.

"This is the best for me. Now I'll think only of working hard.

"I had faith on myself. When you take up a coaching role at a team, you set yourself goals and the biggest one is the national team. Maybe I reached this quite early, but I don't want to waste this chance. The biggest goal is getting to the World Cup and winning it."

Batista, who led Argentina's Under-23 side to the 2008 Beijing Olympics, has also announced his squad for the friendly against Brazil in Qatar on November 17.

Anderlecht midfielder Lucas Biglia, 24, receives his first call-up, while Manchester City duo Carlos Tevez and Pablo Zabaleta are included.

Argentina squad: Sergio Romero (AZ Alkmaar), Mariano Andujar (Catania); Gabriel Milito (Barcelona), Walter Samuel (Inter Milan), Javier Zanetti (Inter Milan), Nicolas Burdisso (Roma), Martin Demichelis (Bayern Munich), Nicolas Pareja (Spartak Moscow), Pablo Zabaleta (Manchester City), Gabriel Heinze (Marseille); Mario Bolatti (Fiorentina), Lucas Biglia (Anderlecht), Ever Banega (Valencia), Javier Mascherano (Barcelona), Javier Pastore (Palermo), Andres D'Alessandro (Internacional), Jose Sosa (Napoli), Angel Di Maria (Real Madrid); Gonzalo Higuain (Real Madrid), Lionel Messi (Barcelona), Sergio Aguero (Atletico Madrid), Diego Milito (Inter Milan), Ezequiel Lavezzi (Napoli), Carlos Tevez (Manchester City), Nicolas Gaitan (Benfica).

Klinsmann accepts advisory role with Toronto FC

2010-11-04T08:32:00.000-07:00

Former Germany coach Jurgen Klinsmann has been appointed as a consultant with Major League Soccer club Toronto FC.

Klinsmann, also a former Bayern Munich boss, will help the MLS side with their restructuring in the wake of Mo Johnston's firing in September. Johnston, who first joined the club in 2006, had been working as director of soccer and his departure has prompted an internal overhaul which Klinsmann will help oversee.

"We're honoured to work with a football icon like Jurgen and to have access to his wealth of experience and expertise to evaluate our current operations and support our team's development,'' said Tom Anselmi, executive vice-president and chief operating officer of the club's owners, Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment.

Klinsmann, who scored 47 goals in 108 appearances for Germany, will work with interim director of soccer Earl Cochrane and assistant general manager Jim Brennan.

"Jurgen's knowledge of the game and track record of international success, combined with Earl and Jim's experience will allow us to objectively look at everything from players to people to processes and conduct a comprehensive search for new leadership,'' Anselmi added.

Toronto finished sixth out of eight clubs in the MLS Eastern Conference.

Fiorentina blow as Frey out for six months

2010-11-04T08:30:00.000-07:00

Fiorentina have suffered a huge blow with goalkeeper Sebastien Frey ruled out for up to six months with a knee injury.

Frey, 30, was hurt in training on Tuesday and underwent tests which confirmed the club's worst fears. Summer signing Artur Boruc will now take Frey's place in Fiorentina's starting XI.

A statement from the club read: ''The tests done have shown damage to the anterior cruciate ligament. The player will need to undergo surgery.

''The time for a complete recovery will vary between four and six months, depending on the surgery he will need.''

Frey's injury is another blow for Fiorentina, who are already without star striker Stefan Jovetic for six months.

Hamburg dealt Van Nistelrooy adductor injury blow

2010-11-04T08:21:00.000-07:00

Hamburg have confirmed that Ruud van Nistelrooy has torn an adductor muscle, with the former Real Madrid striker now facing up to a month on the sidelines.

Van Nistelrooy, who swapped the Bernabeu for the Bundesliga this January, suffered the injury in training on Tuesday and a scan on Wednesday revealed the full extent of the damage.

The Netherlands striker has impressed since arriving at the club and was even recalled to the Dutch national team in August after a two-year international exile.

He appears certain to miss Hamburg's upcoming league matches against Hoffenheim and Dortmund, while games against Hannover and then Stuttgart on November 27 may also come too soon.

After starting the season with seven goals in five games, Van Nistelrooy has been experiencing a drought of late and has failed to score in Hamburg's past five games.

Ibanez ban overturned

2010-11-04T08:18:00.000-07:00

West Brom defender Pablo Ibanez has won his appeal against the red card he picked up in Monday's 2-1 defeat to Blackpool.

The Football Association confirmed that Ibanez's claim for wrongful dismissal had been upheld by an independent regulatory commission and his one-match ban has been withdrawn with immediate effect. He will now be available for Sunday's game against Manchester City.

The Spaniard was dismissed by referee Michael Oliver in the 11th minute at Bloomfield Road after he was adjudged to have brought down Blackpool striker DJ Campbell inside the area.

The official deemed Ibanez to have denied Campbell an obvious goalscoring opportunity, a verdict the Baggies disputed after viewing the incident from various television angles.

West Brom finished the game with nine men after Gonzalo Jara was also dismissed for a lunge on Luke Varney shortly before the half-hour mark.

Liverpool role for director of football Comolli

2010-11-04T08:12:00.000-07:00

Former Tottenham director of football Damien Comolli has joined Liverpool to oversee their recruitment drive with the job title 'director of football strategy'.

Comolli, who was responsible for the signing of Gareth Bale while at Spurs, was criticised during his time at White Hart Lane over the quality of some of his purchases and clashed with then-manager Martin Jol, who complained several players had been signed without his permission.

With Tottenham performing poorly in 2008-09, Comolli again took the flak and was dismissed in October 2008, along with manager Juande Ramos, and joined Saint-Etienne as sporting director.

A statement on the Liverpool website read: ''New England Sports Ventures (NESV) and Liverpool FC are pleased to announce the appointment of Damien Comolli as Director of Football Strategy for Liverpool FC.''

NESV Principal Owner John Henry told the site: "Damien has a proven track-record of identifying exciting young footballing talent and we are delighted that he has agreed to join Liverpool. Working closely with Roy Hodgson and the coaching staff, I know he will make a valuable contribution to strengthening the club and the squad as we move forward.

"Today's announcement is just the first step in creating a leadership group and structure designed to develop, enhance and implement our long-term philosophy of scouting, recruitment, player development and all of the other aspects necessary to build and sustain a club able to consistently compete at the highest level in European football.

"We intend to be bold and innovative. We will not rest until we have restored Liverpool Football Club to the greatness Liverpool fans expect."

Roy Hodgson added: "I am looking forward to working with Damien whom I have known for many years. We are engaged in an exciting project here and he will bring a lot to the table. We all want to see moves to strengthen the squad and support player development over the next few years. John Henry and I are totally united in delivering on that ambition."

Comolli said: "I am delighted to be joining Liverpool and look forward to working with John and Roy. I think we all realise there is a big job ahead, but we all share the vision that John has for rebuilding the club and bringing back the success that the supporters deserve."

Score Roundup 02/11/10

2010-11-03T09:02:00.000-07:00

UEFA Champions League :

Group A

Tottenham Hotspur (Eng) 3 Internazionale (Ita) 1

Tottenham tonight completed their remarkable renaissance as a European force by producing a stunning display of attacking football to beat Champions League holders Inter Milan.

Werder Bremen (Ger) 0 Twente Enschede (Hol) 2

FC Twente kept alive their faint Champions League hopes with a crucial win away to ten-man Werder Bremen.

Group B

Benfica (Por) 4 Lyon (Fra) 3

Lyon scored three late goals but missed their chance to reach the last 16 with games to spare as Benfica boosted their own hopes of progressing from Group B.

Hapoel Tel Aviv (Isr) 0 Schalke 04 (Ger) 0

Hapoel Tel Aviv recorded their first ever point in the Champions League - but Bloomfield was rarely lit up on a lacklustre European night.

Group C

Bursaspor (Tur) 0 Manchester United (Eng) 3

Manchester United shrugged off the loss of star man Nani to claim a very impressive Champions League win over Bursaspor.

Second-half goals from Darren Fletcher, Gabriel Obertan and Bebe extended United's unbeaten record in all competitions to 23 and ensured they only require a draw against Rangers at Ibrox on November 24 to claim their customary place in the knockout phase with a game to spare.

Valencia (Spa) 3 Glasgow Rangers (Sco) 0

Rangers suffered their first defeat in the Champions League this season as Roberto Soldado grabbed a double to hand Valencia victory at the Mestalla.

Group D

Rubin Kazan (Rus) 0 Panathinaikos (Gre) 0

Rubin Kazan and Panathinaikos saw their hopes of qualifying for the Champions League knock-out stage recede further with a goalless draw in Russia.

FC Copenhagen (Den) 1 Barcelona (Spa) 1

Barcelona will have to wait to book their spot in the last 16 of the Champions League after being held by FC Copenhagen at the Parken Stadion this evening.

English League One :

Brentford 1 AFC Bournemouth 1

Substitute Lewis Grabban ended Brentford's penalty jinx with a second-half strike to earn his side a 1-1 draw with high-flying Bournemouth.

Brighton & Hove Albion 3 Exeter City 0

Ashley Barnes followed up his two goals against Peterborough on Saturday with another brace as table-topping Brighton stretched their unbeaten run to 12 games with a 3-0 win over Exeter.

Carlisle United 2 Tranmere Rovers 0

Carlisle grabbed their first victory in four thanks to goals either side of half-time from James Berrett and Peter Murphy which sealed a 2-0 win over Tranmere.

Colchester United 3 Leyton Orient 2

Colchester overturned a two-goal deficit to beat Leyton Orient 3-2 and make it three wins on the bounce.

Hartlepool United 0 Notts County 0 (Abandon)

Notts County's League One clash at Hartlepool has been abandoned due to the bad weather.

Milton Keynes Don 3 Yeovil Town 2

Peter Leven's last-gasp penalty handed MK Dons a 3-2 victory over Yeovil in a pulsating clash at stadium:mk.

Plymouth Argyle 3 Bristol Rovers 1

Plymouth's leading scorer Bradley Wright-Phillips took his tally to 10 goals in 10 games with goals in the 77th and 90th minutes in a 3-1 home win over Bristol Rovers.

Rochdale 0 Oldham Athletic 0 (Abandon)

Game abandon because of bad weather.

Sheffield Wednesday 0 Huddersfield Town 2

First-half goals from Graham Carey and Anthony Pilkington gave high-flying Huddersfield a 2-0 victory over Sheffield Wednesday in the Yorkshire derby at Hillsborough.

Southampton 4 Dagenham & Redbridge 0

Southampton moved into the top six for the first time this season with a 4-0 drubbing of Dagenham and Redbridge at St Mary's Stadium.

Swindon Town 0 Charlton Athletic 3

Charlton stepped up their promotion bid with a 3-0 win at Swindon as goals from Johnnie Jackson, Joe Anyinsah and Paul Benson lifted the Londoners into fifth place.

Walsall 1 Peterborough United 3

Peterborough boosted their promotion hopes with a hard-fought 3-1 win at bottom club Walsall.

English League Two :

Barnet 0 Stevenage 3

John Mousinho scored twice as Stevenage piled on the misery for bottom-club Barnet with a 3-0 victory in the Hertfordshire derby at Underhill.

Burton Albion 0 Port Vale 0

Burton battled to a share of the points against Port Vale as a fast and furious Staffordshire derby ended goalless.

Bury 0 Bradford City 1

Resurgent Bradford hung on in atrocious conditions to beat Bury 1-0 and secure a fourth win in their last five games.

Cheltenham Town 1 Southend United 0 (Abandon)

Cheltenham`s home game against Southend was abandoned due to floodlight failure.

The lights went out at Whaddon Road in the 66th minute with the Robins leading 1-0 at the time courtesy of JJ Melligan`s goal.

Chesterfield 5 Accrington Stanley 2

Two goals apiece from Craig Davies and Danny Whitaker and another from Jack Lester saw Chesterfield extend their lead at the top of the table to three points with a 5-2 home win over Accrington.

Crewe Alexandra 1 Shrewsbury Town 2

Mark Wright struck his second goal of the game in injury-time to give Shrewsbury a 2-1 win at Crewe.

Gillingham 0 Wycombe Wanderers 2

Gareth Ainsworth's first-half strike helped Wycombe extend their unbeaten away record with a comfortable 2-0 win against struggling Gillingham.

Hereford United 2 Aldershot Town 2

Wade Small struck a dramatic late goal to earn Aldershot a 2-2 draw against Hereford.

Lincoln City 0 Northampton Town 2

Steve Tilson is still searching for his first win as Lincoln manager after Northampton secured a 2-0 victory at Sincil Bank.

Morecambe 5 Stockport County 0

Phil Jevons netted a hat-trick as Morecambe inflicted a second consecutive 5-0 defeat on Stockport.

Oxford United 0 Torquay United 2

Billy Kee's late strike followed up Damian Batt's own goal as Torquay secured a 1-0 victory despite playing with 10 men for 73 minutes.

Rotherham United 1 Macclesfield Town 1

Adam Le Fondre struck his 13th league goal of the season as Rotherham salvaged a 1-1 draw against Macclesfield.

French Ligue 1 :

AS Monaco 2 Bordeaux 2

Bordeaux's faltering season continued after they were held to an away draw by 10-man Monaco.

Afshin Ghotbi to quit as Iran national coach

2010-11-03T08:56:00.000-07:00

Iran manager Afshin Ghotbi says that he will leave his post after the 2011 Asian Cup in January, with rumours that Frank Rijkaard could take over quashed by the Iran Football Federation.

Iran have been drawn along with defending champions Iraq, DPR Korea and the UAE in the competition, which begins in January, but Ghotbi's failure to lead his side to the 2010 World Cup in South Africa sees the boss keen for a change.

"In the past few weeks, we've seen some old discussions about my position in Iran national team which can hurt our condition's equilibrium," Ghotbi said. "It's while we are approaching the 2011 Asian Cup and we need to focus on the tournament.

"Hopefully, all Iranian people, media and sport officials support the team with 60 days remaining to the Asian Cup... all of us must try to exhilarate the Iranians. As you see, we changed our style in the past year to adjust with modern football.

"I've verbally told the Iranian football officials that I would rather leave the team. I hope that another coach will replace me in the deserved team.''

Iran Football Federation president Ali Kaffashian has meanwhile dismissed suggestions that former Barcelona and Galatasaray manager Frank Rijkaard will succeed Ghotbi, claiming: "I have not heard anything about that."

PSG release misfiring Kezman from contract

2010-11-03T08:51:00.000-07:00

Paris St Germain have terminated the contract of former Serbia striker Mateja Kezman, who has managed just five goals in two years since he signed from Turkish side Fenerbahce.

Kezman's contract was due to expire next summer but both parties have agreed to end the much-travelled striker's deal ahead of schedule.

The former Chelsea and PSV Eindhoven frontman had made just two substitute appearances for PSG this term having spent last season on loan at Russian outfit Zenit Saint Petersburg.

"Paris St Germain and Mateja Kezman has reached an agreement today to terminate the player's contract,'' read a statement on the club's official website.

"The club wishes to thank Mateja for his professionalism during his time in the colours of Paris. We wish him every success for the rest of his career.''

Kezman managed just five goals in 25 league appearances for PSG since first signing on loan from Fenerbahce in 2008. He joined the French club on a permanent deal a year later but failed to establish himself as a first-team regular.

His recent struggles are a far cry from his early career, which saw him score prolifically in his homeland for FK Partizan prior to a hugely successful spell in the Eredivisie with PSV Eindhoven, where he hit 105 goals in 122 league appearances.

Kezman's Dutch exploits attracted the attention of Chelsea, who he joined in a £5.3 million deal in 2004. He failed shine in the Premier League, however, and left the London club after one season to join Atletico Madrid.

Wilshere signs new 'long-term' contract with Arsenal

2010-11-02T08:29:00.000-07:00

Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere has been rewarded for his remarkable progress this season with a new "long-term" contract at Emirates Stadium.Wilshere, 18, has secured a prominent role in the Arsenal starting line-up and also became the tenth youngest player to represent England when appearing as a substitute in a friendly win over Hungary in August.

The midfielder is the youngest player to represent Arsenal in league and European competition and Arsene Wenger has welcomed news that the versatile player has pledged his future to the Gunners.

"It's such great news that Jack has committed his long-term future to the club," Wenger told the club's official website. "Jack is a fantastic footballer with a huge amount of potential, and we have all seen with his performances so far that he is a very gifted player, who could be an extremely influential player at the top level of the game.

"At still only 18 years of age, there is still so much more to come from him and we're all excited by the fact that Jack Wilshere will be an Arsenal player for years to come."

Wilshere made his first impression for the first team during the Emirates Cup of 2008 and, after being handed Gilberto Silva's No. 19 shirt at the age of just 16, scored his first goal for Arsenal in a Carling Cup tire against Sheffield United in September of the same year.

However, it was a loan spell at Bolton last season that saw Wilshere become a familiar face in the Premier League and he has built on that experience with his form in the early part of the 2010-11 season, leading to England recognition.

Wilshere said: "Arsenal Football Club has been like a second home for me and my family since I was nine years old. To be offered a new contract means everything to me.

"At this point in my career, when I'm only 18 years old and still learning so much about the game and myself, this is the perfect club, the perfect team-mates, the perfect fans, the perfect backroom staff and most importantly, the perfect manager to help continue that.

"I've got a long way to go before I can become the player I dream of becoming and I'm sure I'll keep making the odd mistake, but it is a massive help for me having a special manager like Arsene Wenger and so many quality team-mates and the unbelievable Arsenal fans around me. I believe there is a lot more to come from me.

"I've been at the club for almost ten years already, so I would like to thank everyone that has been part of getting me this far, especially people like Liam Brady, Roy Massey and all his staff at the Hale End Academy. Also Neil Banfield, Steve Bould, academy coach Steve Leonard, academy scout Bob Arber, assistant head of youth development David Court, all the backroom staff, Arsene Wenger, all my team-mates and, of course, my family."

Redknapp facing disciplinary action for his outburst in the match against Man United at Old Trafford

2010-11-02T08:25:00.000-07:00

Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp could be heading for a date with the Football Association's disciplinary panel after his reaction to Manchester United's controversial second goal at Old Trafford on Saturday.

Nani had a penalty appeal turned down after bursting into the Tottenham box and was seen handling the ball while on lying on the turf. But while goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes lined up what he believed to be a free-kick, the United man stole in front of the Brazilian and prodded into a vacant net.

A lengthy discussion between linesman Simon Beck and referee Mark Clattenburg followed, with the official later awarding the goal having never blown for a free-kick.

Redknapp blasted: "What a farcical way to finish a game. It's a handball, he's deliberately handled it and it should have been a booking. It was a scandalous decision and the referee has made a mess of it all.''

Redknapp added in the Sun: "Clattenburg has made a right cock-up and he knows it himself. I know he's said to people he should have blown his whistle and given a free kick."

But while Redknapp waits to see if the FA take a dim view of his outburst, United counterpart Sir Alex Ferguson was content to take three points after Nani had added to Nemanja Vidic's first-half opener.

Ferguson said: "It was bizarre. No-one knew at the time what was wrong. One minute the goalkeeper had the ball in his hands and next it's in his net. Nani looked back and looked at the referee and the referee said play on, so what can he do but put the ball in the net? You can look at the referee and look at the linesmen and blame them, but the goalkeeper should know better. He's an experienced goalkeeper. I thought he made a mess of it.''

Score Roundup 01/11/10

2010-11-02T08:20:00.000-07:00

English Premier League :

Blackpool 2 West Bromwich Albion 1

Blackpool claimed their first home Premier League win with a 2-1 victory over promoted rivals West Brom, who were reduced to nine men in the opening half hour.

Spanish Primera Division :

Mallorca 2 Levante 1

Substitute Pierre Webo headed home a late winner to earn Real Mallorca a comeback 2-1 victory over Levante at the Estadi Iberostar.

Score Roundup 31/10/10

2010-11-01T08:59:00.000-07:00

English Premier League :

Aston Villa 0 Birmingham City 0

Birmingham were on the wrong end of more penalty controversy as they earned a share of the spoils in the derby clash at Aston Villa.

Newcastle United 5 Sunderland 1

Captain Kevin Nolan plundered a derby hat-trick to hand manager Chris Hughton the perfect ending to an eventful week as Newcastle routed Sunderland.

Bolton Wanderers 0 Liverpool 1

Maxi Rodriguez struck a late winner at Bolton as relieved Liverpool finally climbed out of the Barclays Premier League relegation zone.

Scottish Premier League :

Heart of Midlothian 0 Kilmarnock 3

Kilmarnock struck twice in three second-half minutes to end their four-game losing streak in emphatic style at Hearts.

Spanish Primera League :

Deportivo La Coruna 3 Espanyol 0

Deportivo La Coruna eased the pressure on coach Miguel Angel Lotina by beating Espanyol 3-0 to secure their first Primera Division win of the season.

Malaga 1 Real Sociedad 2

Malaga were left to rue Apono's penalty miss as they remained without a point in five home matches this season after a 2-1 loss to Real Sociedad.

Racing Santander 4 Osasuna 1

Racing Santander produced their best performance of the Primera Division season to thrash Osasuna and move out of the bottom three.

Sporting Gijon 1 Villarreal 1

Giuseppe Rossi struck a last-gasp penalty to salvage a point for 10-man Villarreal in a 1-1 draw at Sporting Gijon.

Atletico Madrid 1 Almeria 1

Atletico Madrid endured a frustrating evening as they missed the chance to climb into the top five after being held to a 1-1 draw at home to lowly Almeria.

Athletic Bilbao 3 Getafe 0

Athletic Bilbao maintained their strong home form with a resounding 3-0 Primera Division victory over Getafe.

Italian Serie A :

Palermo 0 Lazio 1

Ten-man Lazio extended their lead at the top of Serie A with a smash-and-grab win over Palermo at the Stadio Renzo Barbera.

Bari 0 Udinese 2

Udinese continued their climb up the Serie A standings with victory at a Bari side who are free-falling in the opposite direction.

Brescia 0 Napoli 1

Napoli moved up to fourth place in Serie A thanks to Ezequiel Lavezzi's late winner at Brescia.

Cagliari 2 Bologna 0

Cagliari struck twice in the second half to beat Bologna and climb out of the Serie A relegation zone.

Cesena 0 Sampdoria 1

Sampdoria grabbed a last-gasp 1-0 victory over Cesena at the Stadio Dino Manuzzi to move onto the fringes of the top four in Serie A.

Parma 0 Chievo Verona 0

Parma climbed out of the Serie A relegation zone with a goalless home draw against Chievo in a game which saw both sides reduced to 10 men.

Catania 0 Fiorentina 0

Controversial striker Adrian Mutu returned to the Fiorentina line-up for the first time since completing a nine-month doping ban but could not inspire his side to victory in a frustrating encounter at Catania.

German Bundesliga :

Mainz 0 Borussia Dortmund 2

Borussia Dortmund returned to the Bundesliga summit thanks to victory over Mainz in the top-of-the-table clash at the Bruchwegstadion.

TSG Hoffenheim 4 Hannover 96 0

Gylfi Sigurdsson scored a brace to help Hoffenheim to beat Hannover 4-0 to stay third in the Bundesliga.

French Ligue 1 :

Valenciennes 1 Lille 1

Two goals in 60 seconds inside the final four minutes ensured the Ligue 1 encounter between Valenciennes and Lille ended honours even.

Montpellier 1 Paris St Germain 1

Montpellier passed up the chance to climb to second in the Ligue 1 standings as they were held to a home draw by Paris St Germain

Score Roundup 30/10/10

2010-10-31T09:47:00.000-07:00

English Premier League :

Arsenal 1 West Ham United 0

Alex Song's late header gave Premier League title chasers Arsenal a narrow victory over West Ham to deny the bottom club a deserved point at Emirates Stadium.

Blackburn Rovers 1 Chelsea 2

Branislav Ivanovic nodded home a late winner for Barclays Premier League leaders Chelsea as Blackburn squandered a golden chance to upset the odds at Ewood Park.

Everton 1 Stoke City 0

Ayegbeni Yakubu struck his first goal since April to maintain Everton's Premier League revival at the expense of Stoke.

Fulham 2 Wigan Athletic 0

Clint Dempsey struck twice as Fulham avoided a third successive Premier League defeat to rocket up the table.

Wolverhampton Wanderers 2 Manchester City 1

David Edwards scored his first goal for 14 months to earn Wolves a shock win over Manchester City and boost their Premier League survival hopes.

City went ahead through Emmanuel Adebayor's penalty and dominated the early part of the match.

But Wolves equalised through Nenad Milijas and then Edwards earned Mick McCarthy's side their first victory since the opening day of the campaign.

Manchester United 2 Tottenham Hotspur 0

A controversial late goal from Nani and a first-half header by Manchester United captain Nemanja Vidic ensured Tottenham's 21-year wait for victory at Old Trafford continued.

English League Championship :

Cardiff City 3 Norwich City 1

Cardiff replaced long-time leaders QPR at the the top of the Championship following a comfortable 3-1 victory.

Crystal Palace 0 Swansea City 3

Swansea kept the pressure on the Championship pacesetters ahead of next weekend's much-anticipated derby with Cardiff with a comfortable 3-0 win at Crystal Palace.

Derby County 4 Watford 1

Derby produced a clinical all-round performance to claim a comprehensive 4-1 victory over Watford.

After a poor start to the season, the Rams have been rampant in recent weeks and they claimed their fifth league win in seven npower Championship games as goals from John Brayford and Shefki Kuqi added to Tomasz Cywka's double.

Ipswich Town 2 Millwall 0

A goal apiece from Jason Scotland and Grant Leadbitter earned Ipswich a comfortable 2-0 home win over Millwall in the npower Championship.

Leicester City 1 Preston North End 0

Leicester claimed a narrow 1-0 victory over fellow strugglers Preston in a forgettable npower Championship clash at the Walkers Stadium.

Middlesbrough 1 Bristol City 2

Tony Mowbray was unable to enjoy a fairytale return to management with Middlesbrough as his new charges slumped to their fourth defeat in as many league games, 2-1 to Bristol City.

Portsmouth 2 Nottingham Forest 1

Portsmouth extended their unbeaten run to seven games as they narrowly overcame Nottingham Forest 2-1.

Pompey confirmed the sale of the club to businessmen Balram Chainrai, Levi Kushnir and Deepak Chainrai last week and the players rewarded their new owners with all three points.

Queens Park Rangers 1 Burnley 1

Graham Alexander was back on the spot as Burnley knocked QPR off their perch at the top of the Championship.

Reading 4 Doncaster Rovers 3

Simon Church hit a late winner as Reading fought back from 3-1 down to claim a stunning Championship win at home to Doncaster.

Scunthorpe United 1 Leeds United 4

Jonny Howson produced the ultimate captain's contribution as his second-half, 15-minute hat-trick helped Leeds cruise to a 4-1 win at Scunthorpe.

Sheffield United 0 Coventry City 1

Gary McSheffrey's first-half header was enough to condemn Sheffield United to another home defeat and lift Coventry up to fourth place in the npower Championship courtesy of a 1-0 win.

Barnsley 1 Hull City 1

Kevin Kilbane scored his first league goal of the season to earn Hull a deserved 1-1 draw from their npower Championship clash against Barnsley at Oakwell.

English League One :

AFC Bournemouth 1 Colchester United 2

A goal in each half by Tommy Williams and substitute Ian Henderson shattered Bournemouth's unbeaten home record and enhanced Colchester's own promotion ambitions with a 2-0 win.

Bristol Rovers 1 Carlisle United 1

A brilliant injury-time penalty save from Mikkel Andersen denied Carlisle a dramatic victory in a 1-1 draw.

Charlton Athletic 1 Sheffield Wednesday 0

Scott Wagstaff's first-half goal earned Charlton all three points against Sheffield Wednesday at The Valley.

Dagenham & Redbridge 1 Hartlepool United 1

Mark Arber scored a 95th minute own goal to give Hartlepool a deserved point at Dagenham in a 1-1 draw.

Exeter City 2 Brentford 4

Brentford ended Exeter's unbeaten home record with an impressive 4-2 victory at St James' Park.

Huddersfield Town 1 Walsall 0

Winger Anthony Pilkington scored his sixth goal in five games as 10-man Huddersfield condemned struggling Walsall to another defeat. Pilkington, who seemed to have little on when he collected a loose ball in midfield on 35 minutes, romped forward and belted a 30-yard strike past keeper James Walker.

Leyton Orient 2 Rochdale 1

Leyton Orient came from behind to earn three valuable points with their fourth home win of the season from an entertaining 2-1 win against adventurous Rochdale.

Notts County 1 Southampton 3

Paul Ince's tenure as Notts County manager began in a 3-1 defeat as Southampton came from behind to claim all three points at Meadow Lane.

Oldham Athletic 4 Plymouth Argyle 2

Oldham beat 9 men Plymouth at home.

Peterborough United 0 Brighton & Hove Albion 3

Table-topping Brighton cruised past 10-man Peterborough 3-0 in a battle of the League One big guns.

Tranmere Rovers 4 Milton Keynes Dons 2

Tranmere chalked up a second home win of the season with a frantic 4-2 win over MK Dons where both sides ended the game with 10 men.

Yeovil Town 3 Swindon Town 3

Two goals in the last five minutes rescued Swindon from what seemed a certain defeat as they earned a 3-3 draw in a pulsating game.

English League Two :

Accrington Stanley 2 Cheltenham Town 4

Cheltenham moved into the play-off places with a comfortable 4-2 win at Accrington.

Aldershot Town 1 Bury 3

Bury winger Michael Jones scored twice as the Shakers came from behind to beat nine-man Aldershot 3-1.

Bradford City 5 Oxford United 0

Bradford scored five goals and three players were sent off in an extraordinary second half at Valley Parade as Oxford were thumped 5-0.

Macclesfield Town 2 Burton Albion 1

Algerian midfielder Hamza Bencherif bagged a brace to beat Burton 2-1.

Northampton Town 2 Gillingham 1

Leon McKenzie was spot on to end Northampton's run of five straight defeats in a 2-1 win at home to Gillingham.

Port Vale 2 Crewe Alexandra 1

Port Vale won a pulsating local derby 2-1 with 10 men to register their first victory in five games and inflict Crewe's first defeat in 12 matches.

Shrewsbury Town 2 Barnet 1

Goalkeeping errors by Jake Cole gifted Shrewsbury two goals in three minutes as Barnet were beaten 2-1.

Southend United 1 Rotherham United 0

Southend halted their three-match losing streak in a 1-0 win over Rotherham thanks to an early goal from striker Blair Sturrock.

Stevenage 0 Chesterfield 0

Chesterfield remain on top of the League Two table after securing a creditable 0-0 draw at Stevenage.

Stockport County 0 Hereford United 5

Hereford moved off the bottom of the Football League with an emphatic 5-0 victory at Stockport.

Torquay United 3 Morecambe 1

Torquay top scorer Elliot Benyon's double sandwiched a super strike from on-loan QPR winger Romone Rose as Torquay ended a nine-match wait for a League Two win by beating nine-man Morecambe 3-1.

Wycombe Wanderers 2 Lincoln City 2

Ben Hutchinson was the Lincoln savour as the Imps shared the points on the road for the first time this season in a 2-2 draw at Wycombe.

Scottish Premier League :

St Johnstone 0 Celtic 3

A Niall McGinn double helped take Celtic level on points with Clydesdale Bank Premier League leaders Rangers in a comfortable win over St Johnstone at McDiarmid Park.

Dundee United 1 Hibernian 0

David Goodwillie netted an 87th-minute winner as Dundee United ended a run of three straight losses with a 1-0 Clydesdale Bank Premier League victory over hapless Hibernian.

Motherwell 0 Hamilton Academical 1

Nigel Hasselbaink's 15th-minute goal was enough to give Hamilton a Lanarkshire derby win at Fir Park but once again a controversial refereeing decision was the main talking point of a Clydesdale Bank Premier League game.

Rangers 1 Inverness Caledonian Thistle 1

Rangers' 100% record in the Clydesdale Bank Premier League came to an end at the hands of Inverness Caledonian Thistle as they earned a draw at Ibrox.

St Mirren 2 Aberdeen 1

Jure Travner scored an injury-time winner to give St Mirren a long-awaited victory over Aberdeen in the Clydesdale Bank Scottish Premier League.

Spanish Primera Division :

Valencia 1 Real Zaragoza 1

Maurizio Lanzaro scored at both ends as bottom club Real Zaragoza held high-flying Valencia to a creditable 1-1 draw at the Mestalla, despite being reduced to 10 men for the fourth successive league game.

Hercules 1 Real Madrid 3

Cristiano Ronaldo struck two late goals and had a hand in the other as Real Madrid fought back from an early deficit to down giant-killers Hercules and ensure Jose Mourinho's in-form side remain top of the Primera Division standings.

Barcelona 5 Sevilla 0

Lionel Messi and David Villa bagged two goals apiece as Barcelona cruised to an impressive 5-0 win at home to 10-man Sevilla at the Nou Camp to stay within a point of leaders Real Madrid.

Italian Serie A :

AS Roma 2 Lecce 0

Roma moved into the top half of Serie A on the back of a convincing victory over Lecce which was overshadowed by a red card for Francesco Totti.

AC Milan 1 Juventus 2

Juventus joined the race for the Serie A title by narrowing the gap on third-placed AC Milan to two points with a win at the San Siro.

German Bundesliga :

FC Cologne 3 Hamburg SV 2

Milivoje Novakovic had been banished to the bench by former Cologne coach Zvonimir Soldo, but scored a hat-trick in his first Bundesliga game under interim coach Frank Schaefer as Cologne beat Hamburg.

Kaiserslautern 3 Borussia Monchengladbach 0

Kaiserslautern snapped a five-game losing streak in convincing fashion with a home win over Borussia Monchengladbach.

St Pauli 1 Eintracht Frankfurt 3

Theofanis Gekas continued his fine goalscoring form with a crucial brace as Eintracht Frankfurt recorded an impressive away win at St Pauli.

VfL Wolfsburg 2 VfB Stuttgart 0

Wolfsburg picked up a crucial victory at home to Stuttgart to boost their bid to move back up the Bundesliga table.

Werder Bremen 2 Nurnberg 3

Ilkay Gundogan scored twice as Nurnberg continued their strong season with victory at Werder Bremen.

Schalke 04 0 Bayer Leverkusen 1

Sidney Sam's second half goal pushed Bayer Leverkusen into third place in the Bundesliga with an away victory over Schalke, whose nightmare season continues.

French Ligue 1 :

AJ Auxerre 2 Nice 0

Valter Birsa and Benoit Pedretti scored to give Auxerre the lift they were looking for at the expense of Nice.

Brest 2 St Etienne 0

Newly-promoted Brest surged to the top of the Ligue 1 table after they scored twice in the final 15 minutes to down fellow high-flyers St Etienne.

Caen 2 AS Nancy Lorraine 3

Nancy came from behind to record a hugely creditable away win against Caen.

Lorient 2 Arles 0

Second-half goals from Kevin Gameiro and Lynel Kitambala gave Lorient three points at the expense of rock bottom Ligue 1 side Arles.

Lyon 2 Sochaux 1

Lyon bounced back from their Coupe de la Ligue exit in midweek with a home win over struggling Sochaux.

Toulouse 1 Lens 1

Lens produced a battling display to claim a draw at Toulouse and a put a little more distance between themselves and the foot of the Ligue 1 table.

Ronaldinho recalled by Brazil

2010-10-30T08:43:00.000-07:00

Brazil coach Mano Menezes has handed Ronaldinho a recall to the national side ahead of next month's friendly against Argentina.

Ronaldinho, currently at AC Milan, missed out on a place in the 2010 World Cup squad after failing to convince previous boss Dunga, but Menezes has ended the player's 18-month international exile.

"He is a player in good form in a position we need," Menezes said. "We want to see the Ronaldinho who was admired as one of the best in the world."

Santos starlet Neymar, considered to be a key part of the new-look side, also makes his return. Neymar had been left out of the squad that took on Iran and Ukraine in October due to disciplinary problems.

Brazil squad to face Argentina in Doha on November 17:

Goalkeepers: Victor (Gremio) Jeferson (Botafogo), Neto (Atletico-PR).

Defenders: Daniel Alves (Barcelona), Rafael (Manchester United), Adriano Correa (Barcelona), Andre Santos (Fenerbahce), Thiago Silva (Milan), David Luiz (Benfica), Alex Costa (Chelsea), Rever (Atletico-MG).

Midfielders: Lucas (Liverpool), Ramires (Chelsea), Sandro (Tottenham), Jucilei (Corinthians), Douglas (Gremio), Philippe Coutinho (Inter), Ronaldinho (AC Milan), Elias (Corinthians).

Forwards: Robinho (AC Milan), Alexandre Pato (AC Milan), Andre (Dinamo Kiev), Neymar (Santos).

Gremio win sends Fluminense three clear

2010-10-30T08:42:00.000-07:00

Fluminense are three points clear at the top of Brazil's Campeonato after a 2-0 home win over mid-table Gremio.

Dario Conca got both goals which came after 19 and 81 minutes.

Marcos Santana gave Atletico Goianiense the lead against Ceara with a goal after 25 minutes but the visitors earned a draw when Michel netted with 15 minutes left.

Joao Miranda secured victory for Sao Paulo who won 2-1 against Atletico Paranaense.

Ricardo Oliveira gave Sao Paulo the lead, Joffre Guerron equalised before Miranda netted the winner.

UEFA awards 3-0 win to Italy after Serbia trouble

2010-10-30T08:38:00.000-07:00

UEFA has awarded Italy with a 3-0 victory after their Euro 2012 qualifier against Serbia in Genoa was abandoned due to crowd trouble. Serbia will also have to play their next two home games behind closed doors.

The game on October 12 was delayed for 35 minutes following crowd trouble and when it finally did start, the referee called off proceedings after only seven minutes when Serbian supporters hurled flares onto the pitch and in the direction of Italian fans.

Serbian supporters were also filmed attempting to smash Perspex barriers at Stadio Luigi Ferrari and cutting through protective nets separating them from the pitch.

The Italian Football Federation (FIGC) has said in a statement that UEFA has awarded a 3-0 win to Italy and imposed further sanctions on Serbia, though this has not yet been confirmed officially by UEFA.

Italy have also incurred a suspended one-match stadium ban, according to the FIGC.

A statement from the governing body detailed "a 3-0 victory in favour of Italy and two games behind closed doors for Serbia, of which one is conditional. Italy have been given a conditional one game behind closed doors.

"This is the decision of the disciplinary commission of UEFA which met today [Friday] in Nyon, based on the abandonment of the game between Italy and Serbia on October 12 in Genoa following the crowd unrest by Serbian fans."

Serbia have been fined €120,000 and Italy €100,000. Serbian fans will also not be allowed to buy tickets for their national team's away games. Both federations have six days to appeal against the decision.

The news means the Azzurri will be three points clear in Group C after four matches. Serbia are second bottom, above Faroe Islands, with four points from four games.

Moritz Leitner to join Dortmund in January

2010-10-30T08:34:00.000-07:00

Borussia Dortmund have completed the signing of coveted midfielder Moritz Leitner from 1860 Munich for an undisclosed fee.

Leitner, 17, will officially make the move when the market reopens on January 1, but he will remain with the second division club on loan until the end of the season.

The youngster, who has signed a four-and-a-half-year contract with the Bundesliga high-flyers, had also been linked with a move to Bayer Leverkusen and Bayern Munich after impressing in the second division in this, his first season as a professional.

"I am proud that Borussia Dortmund have faith in me making the step up to the Bundesliga,'' Leitner said. "For me, I now have to justify this faith. At the moment, though, it is important for me to develop step by step here with the Lions.''

The Munich side are currently struggling financially, which is why they have been forced to listen to offers for their talented midfielder.

"I am glad that I can support the Lions in this difficult time and give something back to the club which gave me a home and an education,'' said Leitner.

Miki Stevic, 1860's director of sport, was also satisfied with the deal he had struck with Dortmund.

"They really wanted to integrate Moritz into their Bundesliga squad from the coming winter break and we are glad that we have been able to agree on acceptable terms for the transfer and that Moritz can end the season with us,'' he said.

"Moritz is without a doubt one of the biggest talents in his age group. His confident way of playing football has quickly aroused the interest of several Bundesliga clubs.''

Score Roundup 29/10/10

2010-10-30T08:26:00.000-07:00

Italian Serie A :

Genoa 0 Internazionale 1

A fortuitous goal from Sulley Muntari took Inter Milan up to second in Serie A thanks to a 1-0 win at Genoa.

The Ghana midfielder came on early in the game as a replacement for the injured Esteban Cambiasso and his seemingly harmless shot deep into first-half stoppage time skidded past Genoa goalkeeper Eduardo.

German Bundesliga :

Bayern Munich 4 Freiburg 2

Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich continued building towards top form with a convincing win over Freiburg that Toni Kroos capped with a stunning strike from 25 yards.

After a woeful start to the campaign, Bayern are beginning to find their feet and are now unbeaten in five matches across three competitions.

Carling Cup Quarter Final Draw

2010-10-30T07:45:00.000-07:00

Holders Manchester United will continue their defence of the Carling Cup with a trip to West Ham in the quarter-finals.

In the tie of the round, second city rivals Birmingham and Aston Villa have been drawn to meet at St Andrew's.

Arsenal are bidding to win their first piece of silverware since 2005 and they welcome Wigan to the Emirates Stadium.

Championship side Ipswich, the only non-Premier League club remaining, are rewarded for their win over Northampton with a home tie against West Brom.

Arsenal, who beat Newcastle 4-0 in round four, were first out of the hat and they will entertain Wigan, 2-0 winners against Swansea, in a repeat of their fourth-round encounter in 2008.

A youthful Gunners side triumphed 3-0 on that occasion, but three seasons earlier the Latics came out on top over two legs to reach the first major final in their history.

Wigan were beaten by Manchester United in the showpiece and Sir Alex Ferguson's men, who battled to a 3-2 win against Wolves on Tuesday, will look to take a step closer to Wembley once more when they travel to Upton Park.

West Ham claimed an extra-time victory over Stoke to reach this stage but they are currently bottom of the Premier League and have a poor recent record against United - losing each of their last six meetings, with just one goal scored and 17 conceded.

For Birmingham, who edged past Brentford on penalties, and Aston Villa it is a chance to renew their fierce local rivalry after this Sunday's Premier League meeting.

Villa, 2-1 extra-time winners over Burnley, have won each of the last six derbies and four of the six League Cup matches between the pair.

Following their 4-1 win at Leicester, a trip to Portman Road awaits for 1966 winners West Brom.

Ipswich are struggling in the Championship but they proved too strong for Northampton in the fourth round and will be keen to reach a first League Cup semi-final since 2001.

Quarter-finals draw:

Arsenal v Wigan
Birmingham v Aston Villa
West Ham v Manchester United
Ipswich v West Brom

Barcelona's Pinto banned for 2 match in UCL

2010-10-30T05:29:00.000-07:00

Barcelona goalkeeper Jose Manuel Pinto has been banned for two games by UEFA after the governing body found him guilty of "gross unsporting conduct" when whistling to halt an attack from FC Copenhagen.