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Soccer Recap: Wigan relegated after loss to Arsenal – EPL

May 15, 2013 By Admin

95e7eaea42e19b8c0ee310f9824f8367 Soccer Recap: Wigan relegated after loss to Arsenal – EPL
Jean Beausejour, left, and Shaun Maloney of Wigan Athletic prepare to kick off after conceding a third goal against Arsenal. (Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)

(PhatzRadio / CBC Sports) — Wigan is going to be relegated to the League Championship, while Arsenal seemingly is heading back to the Champions League.

Drained after winning the FA Cup for the first time on Saturday, Wigan crashed back to earth with a 4-1 loss at Arsenal on Tuesday to be relegated after eight seasons in the Premier League.

“The FA Cup is an achievement we will never lose as a club. It is our first silverware, but it is a real shame it happens in the same season as relegation,” Wigan manager Roberto Martinez said. “You don’t normally get teams good enough to win the cup going down.”

In fact, it has never happened to an FA Cup winner in the same season.

Meanwhile, Arsenal reclaimed fourth place to sit a point above Tottenham going into the final round of matches on Sunday.

Manchester City, in its first game since Roberto Mancini was fired, swept to a 2-0 victory at already-relegated Reading to secure second spot after having already conceded its league title to Manchester United.

Mancini’s final match in charge of City was the surprise 1-0 loss to Wigan at Wembley Stadium.

Now Wigan is going from the highest point in its 81-year history to one of its lowest.

“It’s not one of the things to be too sad about — it’s the opposite,” Martinez said. “It’s time to look back — to have eight seasons at this level is incredible … it’s time to be proud of what we’ve done in eight seasons and the culmination with the FA Cup.”

Wigan conceded after just 11 minutes, with Lukas Podolski heading home from Santi Cazorla’s corner, but levelled just before half time from Shaun Maloney’s free kick.

Wigan posed a threat at the start of the second half but was denied by goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny before Arsenal became a more ruthless attacking unit.

Theo Walcott nudged Arsenal in front in the 63rd minute from Cazorla’s cross and Podolski clipped in another five minutes later.

Aaron Ramsey completed Wigan’s misery in the 71st.

“We have conceded far too many goals,” Martinez reflected on the season. “Going forward we have been magnificent, I think it’s been our best season in terms of performances, but the injuries in the back line are something I have never seen before.

“To have four, five, even six players missing in the back line and our keeper affected with injury – our captain Antolin Alcaraz, Ivan Ramis out for the season, Ben Watson with a broken leg, (Jean) Beausejour, (Maynor) Figueroa.

“We have to have so many different partnerships and keep changing, and that caused us problems.”

Arsenal, having made its worst start to a season since Arsene Wenger took charge in 1996, now looks like heading back into the Champions League going into Sunday’s finale at Newcastle.

“It is all open, but it depends on our result,” Wenger said. “Even third place is not out of sight if we win the game.

“I am confident because we have experience, we play for a long time under massive pressure and we have always found the solutions with the problems that we have faced.”

City’s final match against Norwich will come at the end of a week of difficult week for City, which is now preparing to appoint Mancini’s replacement before resuming the search for silverware next season.

It was a routine victory in Reading for interim manager Brian Kidd.

A slick routine from a corner between Gareth Barry, David Silva and James Milner led to the ball being played across for Sergio Aguero to powerfully strike into the net in the 40th.

The win was wrapped up in the 88th by Edin Dzeko after Silva slipped the ball through the substitute.

“It’s all credit to the players— they are the ones who have had to put up with stuff off the pitch,” Kidd said. “I am pleased for them because it would have been a travesty if we hadn’t finished second.

Reading and Wigan are joining Queens Park Rangers back in the second tier next season.

b6da6a3f3170ed16a061881d4ac9a3f9 Soccer Recap: Wigan relegated after loss to Arsenal – EPL

Lionel Messi to miss 3 weeks with leg injury

(PhatzRadio / CBC Sports) — FC Barcelona says Lionel Messi will be sidelined for up to three weeks after re-aggravating his right hamstring strain, an injury that has hampered his ability to play over the past six weeks.

The club says tests performed Tuesday revealed the muscle strain.

Messi first injured his hamstring on April 2 in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-finals against Paris Saint-Germain and re-aggravated the injury in Sunday’s 2-1 win at Atletico Madrid.

Messi was making his first league start since the injury, but he left the field in the 68th minute after Barcelona had made all three substitutions and was trailing 1-0.

The team rallied without him.

Soccer Tuesday’s Results

England – Premier League
FT Arsenal 4 – 1 Wigan
FT Reading 0 – 2 Manchester City

Germany – Regionalliga Nordost
FT Torgelower SV Greif 2 – 1 Germania Halberstadt
FT Plauen 2 – 1 ZFC Meuselwitz

Germany – Regionalliga Südwest
FT FSV Frankfurt II 2 – 2 Hessen Kassel
FT Homburg 3 – 3 Bayern Alzenau
FT SC Idar-Oberstein 3 – 1 Mannheim
FT SC Pfullendorf 1 – 0 Ulm
FT Wormatia Worms 1 – 2 Koblenz

France – Coupe De France
FT Troyes 1 – 2 Bordeaux

Soccer Recap: Wigan relegated after loss to Arsenal – EPL is a post from: PhatzRadio.com

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Soccer: Wigan hopes to upset the odds in its first FA Cup final by beating holder Manchester City

May 11, 2013 By Admin Leave a Comment

aafcec5bfeea8dc4cfbec1474326017f Soccer: Wigan hopes to upset the odds in its first FA Cup final by beating holder Manchester City

(PhatzRadio / AP) — LONDON – The FA Cup final on Saturday features two teams apparently heading in different directions. There’s Manchester City, confirmed for another season in the ritzy Champions League.

And Wigan, happy to forget for one day an impending fall into anonymity in the League Championship.

Wigan, three points from avoiding relegation in the English Premier League with two games to go, still believes it can stay up.

In its pursuit for survival, Wigan says the FA Cup has been a driving force, and not a distraction.

And in reaching the final for the first time, it’s driven to pull off an almighty upset of the five-time cup champions at Wembley.

“There’s no question of which we would rather have in terms of the FA Cup and Premier League survival, because we want both,” Wigan midfielder James McArthur said.

“We’re able to concentrate on the FA Cup and Premier League separately and, if anything, the cup has been a positive to our Premier League form because it has built up winning rhythms which will hopefully happen again.”

The pitch at Wembley is notoriously heavy and Wigan will hope the experience does not leave its players physically and mentally drained before tough league matches against Arsenal, only three days later, and Aston Villa, on the last day of the season.

Despite its heavy underdog status, Wigan goes into the final drawing encouragement from its recent league fixture against City, when it was unfortunate to lose 1-0 to a goal in the last 10 minutes.

City is also aware of its opponent’s love of surprises. Wigan is well known for its tendency to upset the odds, beating the likes of Tottenham, Arsenal and Chelsea in recent seasons.

“We all know Manchester City are the major favourites and rightly so,” Wigan manager Roberto Martinez said. “But there are many examples of major upsets in the past. It can happen but we will have to be perfect.”

Wigan will also bring an emotional element to its biggest ever match through club chairman Dave Whelan, who will lead the team onto the field, 53 years after his own FA Cup final appearance for Blackburn ended with a broken leg and a 4-0 defeat.

Whelan bought Wigan in 2005 and his injection of funds has been integral to the club’s rise. A little over a decade ago, Wigan was bottom of the fourth tier in English football. It surged up the divisions and has remained in the Premier League for seven consecutive seasons.

“The emotional side of the game is down to our chairman,” Martinez said. “His attachment to this competition is quite rare.

“He ended that final in 1960 with a feeling of unfinished business so we are all excited about the prospect of him being able to lead the team out and complete the circle in this competition.”

City is making its 10th appearance in the final, and looking for a second triumph in three seasons after beating Stoke 1-0 in 2011.

There’s added motivation for City, in that having surrendered the Premier League title to Manchester United with more than a month to play, it can still capture silverware for a third straight year.

“Every single time it is something very special,” City captain Vincent Kompany said. “You shouldn’t take these kinds of games for granted, they don’t always keep coming.

“It is unbelievable for us to do it again, and for the fans it is unbelievable as well. We have to be respectful of every trophy we can get. If we win this one it will be massive for the club and something to cherish.”

Soccer: Wigan hopes to upset the odds in its first FA Cup final by beating holder Manchester City is a post from: PhatzRadio.com

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Soccer Recap: Wigan’s survival hopes take a hit – EPL, Serie A and Tuesday’s Results

May 8, 2013 By Admin

8d58bc28da59cd7b9aeab97c96e054a9 Soccer Recap: Wigan’s survival hopes take a hit – EPL, Serie A and Tuesday’s Results

(PhatzRadio / CBC Sports) — Wigan twice squandered the lead to slump to a costly 3-2 home loss to Swansea on Tuesday and stay rooted in the Premier League’s relegation zone with just two games left.

The league’s perennial escapologist, Wigan would have clambered out of the bottom three with a win but defensive howlers led to Swansea striker Itay Shechter making it 2-2 in the 59th minute and Dwight Tiendalli grabbing a scrappy winner in the 76th.

Wigan is three points from safety with games to come against Arsenal away and Aston Villa at home. It has escaped relegation on the final day in three of the last six seasons but this could be a step too far.

“We have done it before and we can do it again — we can go anywhere in the Premier League and get the points,” Wigan manager Roberto Martinez said.

The hosts had twice taken the lead at DW Stadium, through Roger Espinoza with the last kick of the first half and then James McCarthy in the 53rd, cancelling out Angel Rangel’s equalizer three minutes earlier.

Newcastle, Norwich and Sunderland, who are all three points clear of Wigan, as well as a host of other clubs above them will have breathed a big sigh of relief when referee Kevin Friend blew for full time after nine minutes of injury time following a serious-looking injury to Swansea goalkeeper Michel Vorm. The Netherlands international was carried off on a stretcher late on after clashing with teammate Ben Davies in an aerial collision but Swansea manager Michael Laudrup said Vorm wasn’t seriously injured.

Wigan has an FA Cup final to look forward to against Manchester City on Saturday but survival in England’s lucrative top division is always the priority. The Latics could yet need to beat Arsenal on Tuesday to have a chance of staying in the Premier League for a ninth straight season.

“There are still many twists and turns,” Martinez said. “Obviously today was a fantastic opportunity … but it doesn’t change the fact we have to fight for every single point.”

“Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” blared out around DW Stadium as the players warmed up, and fans heartily sang “I’m A Believer” as the match kicked off. They know in these parts that Wigan’s season doesn’t really get going until April — while nerves are jangling across much of the Premier League heading into the final week of the campaign, Martinez and his players are usually at home in this pressurized environment.

Not here.

Tension got the better of them in an end-to-end second half marked by careless passing and defensive errors, allowing Swansea to come away with all three points when it looked dead and buried at halftime after a lacklustre display and Espinoza’s volleyed goal in stoppage time.

“It’s frustrating the way the match developed,” Martinez said. “You have to accept we shot ourselves in the foot.”

Espinoza is new to this relegation scrap having only arrived from MLS side Sporting Kansas City on free transfer in January but briefly made himself a hero to supporters by planting a low shot in at the near post after Vorm could only punch a deep cross out to the edge of the penalty area.

Swansea has lost its way since capturing the League Cup in February, winning just one of nine games with its top-flight status basically secured. And without injured top scorer Michu, the Welsh team should have been there for the taking.

However, Wigan started the second half sloppily and conceded an equalizer when Wayne Routledge span his marker and curled a lofted pass out to Rangel, who met it with an angled volley which flew in off the far post.

That at least served to wake the hosts up and within three minutes they were level with a goal made in Scotland, with McCarthy running onto a pass from fellow national-team player Gary Caldwell and driving a low shot into the net.

More hesitancy in the Wigan defence contributed to Swansea’s second equalizer, though. Caldwell’s lazy ball out was seized upon by Pablo Hernandez and the Spanish winger fed Shechter, who curled a low, left-footed shot into the corner from the edge of the area.

In a nervy final half-hour, Vorm saved brilliantly from Caldwell’s fierce header before Shaun Maloney and James McArthur got in each other’s way trying to deal with a cross and Tiendalli swept in from close range.

Even worse for Wigan, Ronnie Stam came off with a suspected broken leg — adding to the team’s injury problems ahead of the cup final.

Roma’s Europa League hopes diminish: Serie A

(PhatzRadio / CBC Sports) — Roma’s European hopes were dented as a late goal saw it lose 1-0 at home to lowly Chievo Verona in Serie A on Tuesday.

Cyril Thereau volleyed home a perfect cross from Boukary Drame with one of the visitors’ only chances.

Roma, which had snatched a last-gasp win away at Fiorentina at the weekend, dominated but struggled to carve out scoring opportunities.

Its best chance came in the 53rd minute when Francesco Totti’s fierce 20-yard effort was deflected onto the crossbar.

Chievo goalkeeper Cristian Puggioni pulled off several saves to deny Mattia Destro, Totti and Pablo Daniel Osvaldo among others.

Roma remained provisionally fifth but can be leapfrogged by Udinese, which plays Palermo on Wednesday, while Lazio can draw level on points if it beats Inter Milan.

Chievo is now certain of avoiding relegation.

“We had an idea on how to approach the match, but did not pursue the ideas throughout the game,” said interim coach Aurelio Andreazzoli. “In the first half we were stuttering in our build-up and should’ve tried to finish the game much earlier. In the final minute, we had this goal against the run of play.

“We didn’t suffer much at the back, but we knew that Chievo were dangerous on the counter.”

Tuesday’s Soccer Results

England – Premier League
FT Manchester City 1 – 0 West Bromwich Albion
FT Wigan 2 – 3 Swansea

Italy – Serie A
FT Roma 0 – 1 Chievo

Germany – 3. Liga
FT Borussia Dortmund II 4 – 3 RW Erfurt

France – Championnat National
FT Rouen 3 – 2 CA Bastia

Soccer Recap: Wigan’s survival hopes take a hit – EPL, Serie A and Tuesday’s Results is a post from: PhatzRadio.com

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Soccer Recap: Man City beats West Ham in Premier League action / Friday’s Results

April 27, 2013 By Admin

834f0137a084e1d5cc13babaadf0918c Soccer Recap: Man City beats West Ham in Premier League action / Friday’s Results
Manchester City striker Carlos Tevez tackles West Ham United defender James Collins during the English Premier League football match between Manchester City and West Ham United.(Photo: Lindsey Parnaby, AFP/Getty Images)

Story Highlights

Man City strengthens hold on second place in EPL with 2-1 win over West Ham
Sergio Aguero put City ahead in 28th minute, set-up came from Samir Nasri
West Ham has secured 10th, as well as its position of staying up

MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Manchester City responded to the disappointment at conceding the Premier League title to Manchester United by beating West Ham 2-1 on Saturday to strengthen its grip on second place.

Sergio Aguero put City ahead in the 28th minute after being set up by Samir Nasri, who cut through the West Ham defense by playing a one-two with David Silva.

Yaya Toure curled the winner into the top corner of the net in the 83rd after also being teed up by Nasri.

City goalkeeper Joe Hart made a mistake in stoppage time while appearing to struggle with a back injury, letting Andy Carroll’s shot squirmed through his legs.

“We had the control of the game, we dominated for 90 minutes — we were unlucky to concede that goal at the end,” City defender Pablo Zabaleta said. “We should defend better but it’s three points. We need to keep going.”

City has an eight-point cushion over Arsenal, with the focus now winning the FA Cup next month against Wigan next month.

“We have probably been a bit inconsistent this year, not like last season, and probably that has cost us the title,” Zabaleta said. “But we are working to improve, keep winning trophies and we have the cup final at Wembley.

“It is always special to win that competition as well, so we’ll try to come back stronger next year and try to win the title back.”

West Ham remained 10th and is virtually assured of staying up.

“I was just concerned about the players over respecting the opposition in the first half and having plenty of possession but just giving it straight back and sitting in,” West Ham manager Sam Allardyce said. “We had to improve on that from the very start of that second half, and we got in their final third and we persisted to do that throughout the whole of the game.

”But as our problem has been all season, as we know, is creating chances and not enough goals scored.”

Friday’s Soccer Results

England – Championship
FT Leicester 1 – 2 Watford

Italy – Serie B
FT Modena 2 – 1 Sassuolo

Spain – Liga BBVA
FT Rayo Vallecano 2 – 2 Osasuna

Spain – Liga Adelante
FT Mirandes 2 – 0 Sabadell
FT Santander 1 – 2 Barcelona B

Germany – Bundesliga
FT Greuther Furth 2 – 3 Hannover 96

Germany – 2. Bundesliga
FT Ingolstadt 0 – 1 Braunschweig
FT Sandhausen 0 – 1 Bochum
FT Union Berlin 1 – 0 Regensburg

Germany – 3. Liga
FT Karlsruhe 4 – 1 Chemnitz
FT Kick. Offenbach 0 – 2 Darmstadt

France – Ligue 1
FT Lille 3 – 3 Sochaux

France – Ligue 2
FT Auxerre 0 – 0 Chateauroux
FT Clermont Foot 0 – 2 GFCO Ajaccio
FT Istres 2 – 0 Guingamp
FT Laval 1 – 1 Lens
FT Le Mans 0 – 0 Arles-Avignon
FT Nimes 3 – 0 Angers
FT Niort 0 – 1 Nantes
FT Tours 1 – 2 Le Havre

France – Championnat National
FT Amiens 0 – 1 Frejus Saint Raphael
FT CA Bastia 2 – 1 Vannes
FT Cherbourg 1 – 0 Le Poire Sur Vie
FT Colmar 1 – 2 Creteil
FT Orléans 2 – 0 Boulogne
FT Paris FC 0 – 2 Metz
FT Red Star 2 – 1 Quevilly
FT Rouen 4 – 0 Luzenac

Soccer Recap: Man City beats West Ham in Premier League action / Friday’s Results is a post from: PhatzRadio.com

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Soccer Recap: Man United swats away another threat to its hegemony as Man City goes way of Arsenal, Chelsea

April 23, 2013 By Admin

125236a6fea0830581d90309f86e0b29 Soccer Recap: Man United swats away another threat to its hegemony as Man City goes way of Arsenal, Chelsea

(PhatzRadio / AP) — MANCHESTER, England – Fuelled by money from the Middle East, Manchester City was supposed to have ushered in a new period of dominance in English football last season after capturing its first league title in nearly half a century.

Manchester United had other ideas.

Just like Arsenal and Chelsea previously, City has discovered to its cost that United loves nothing more than hitting back when its hegemony is challenged.

The noisy neighbours — as Alex Ferguson likes to call City — have been well and truly quietened.

To many, this isn’t a vintage United team compared to the swashbuckling treble-winning side of 1998-99 and the Cristiano Ronaldo-led line-up from 2007-08. Too many players — Wayne Rooney, Nemanja Vidic, Antonio Valencia, Paul Scholes, Ashley Young among them — have struggled this season, critics say. It’s been more grit than glamor.

The statistics say otherwise.

The title-clinching 3-0 win over Aston Villa on Monday kept the team on course for the highest points tally in history of English topflight football, beating Chelsea’s haul of 95 from 2004-05. That will be secured if United wins its final four games.

It has also won more games (27) by this stage of the season than any other team in the 21 seasons of the Premier League.

“Nostalgia plays tricks on people’s minds,” Ferguson said after clinching a 13th Premier League title at United. “You do it yourself. You say, ‘Things were not the same when I was a boy’ but it is nostalgia.

“We have, what, 84 points? And at this stage of the season, we have never done that. That pedestal is there.”

For Ferguson, it’s always simply been about winning. Nothing more, nothing less. And for that, he has Robin van Persie — more than anyone else — to thank.

After losing the league title to City on goal difference in an extraordinary end to last season, Ferguson made signing a top-class striker a priority.

Van Persie had long been one of Ferguson’s targets, even more so after finishing the last campaign as the Premier League’s top scorer with Arsenal. Problem was, he was also on City’s radar.

Only days before the first game of the season, the Netherlands international chose red over blue after a lengthy phone call between Ferguson and Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger.

That 24 million pounds ($36 million) couldn’t have been better spent by United. The hat trick against Villa took him to a league-high 24 goals this campaign.

“Sometimes you find the last piece of the jigsaw,” Ferguson has said, comparing Van Persie’s arrival to the impact United great Eric Cantona had on the team when the Frenchman joined in 1993.

After the title-clinching win against Villa, Ferguson added: “He has made a fantastic contribution to our season. He’s in his mature years and winning the league tonight meant the world to him.”

None of United’s rivals could live with the pace set by the leaders, although Chelsea gave it a good go in the first few months by arguably playing the best football of the season.

In the end, the sheer number of games Chelsea played in its first season as European champion was partially to blame for the end of its title bid. The firing of Roberto Di Matteo as manager in November didn’t help either.

Without Van Persie’s goals, Arsenal was never going to mount a serious challenge. So it was left to City to provide a rival for United, but a 3-2 home loss in the derby in December left Ferguson’s side six points clear. That cushion then just grew and grew as City faltered.

United has reacted to the challenge set out by Ferguson by sitting as easily the highest scorers in the league, with 78 goals after 34 games.

City, so free-scoring last season, has the best defensive record in the league but has just 59 goals so far.

“It’s been our problem this year,” Mancini said after the 3-2 loss at Tottenham on Sunday. “When we had a chance, we did not score — it is the mirror of our season.”

A City tweet Monday read: “Congratulations to Manchester United on winning the Barclays Premier League title for 2012-13.”

It could have been so different had Van Persie opted to move to the Etihad Stadium last August.

As it was, he went with his heart and the Premier League title is back in its usual place — at Old Trafford.

Soccer Results

England – Premier League
FT Manchester United 3 – 0 Aston Villa

International – Setanta Sports Cup
FT Cork City 2 – 2 Shamrock Rovers
FT Sligo Rovers 1 – 0 Drogheda United

Italy – Serie B
FT Ascoli 0 – 1 Padova
FT Verona 4 – 2 Brescia

Spain – Liga BBVA
FT Celta Vigo 2 – 1 Zaragoza

Germany – 2. Bundesliga
FT Duisburg 1 – 1 FC Cologne

France – Ligue 2
FT Monaco 4 – 0 Clermont Foot

Gomez set to start against Barca in Champs League

MUNICH (AP) Mario Gomez has been waiting patiently for his opportunity. It may come in one of the biggest games of the season.

Gomez is expected to return to Bayern Munich’s starting lineup against Barcelona for the first leg of Champions League semifinals on Tuesday after spending most of the season playing as back-up to Mario Mandzukic.

Mandzukic is suspended for the game and Gomez is the logical choice to step in.

Gomez was injured at the start of the season, and newcomer Mandzukic used his chance to establish himself in the starting 11 and relegate Germany’s top striker to the bench.

Gomez took his fate stoically, refraining from his usual grumbling despite being Bayern’s highest scoring striker during the previous two Bundesliga seasons with 54 goals in total.

Mandzukic was brought to the club after Bayern lost the Champions League final to Chelsea at home and club president Uli Hoeness suggested Gomez might just not be good enough. While the player scored a lot of goals, Bayern failed to win a single title in two seasons.

Gomez scored 12 goals last season in the Champions League, two fewer than Lionel Messi, and was instrumental in getting Bayern to the final.

“Mario Gomez has a scoring rate like perhaps Gerd Mueller,” Bayern coach Jupp Heynckes said Monday.

Heynckes said he is pleased to have “two top strikers” for the match, referring also to Peru veteran Claudio Pizarro who is expected to start on the bench.

In the build-up to the match, Heynckes has given Gomez more playing time and he scored six goals in the past three games, including a hat trick in a six-minute span after coming on as a late substitute.

Gomez is eager to get as much playing time as possible ahead of the World Cup next year in Brazil. Germany coach Joachim Loew already has experimented with a “false No. 9″ system, a formation that doesn’t include a true striker.

Gomez might also need to make a case for himself at Bayern, which reportedly is interested in signing Borussia Dortmund striker Robert Lewandowski.

As a boy, Gomez had posters of Barcelona on his bedroom walls. The son of a Spanish father and German mother, Gomez was a fan. Now, he could help end their hopes of reaching the final.

Soccer Recap: Man United swats away another threat to its hegemony as Man City goes way of Arsenal, Chelsea is a post from: PhatzRadio.com

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Soccer Recap: Man United’s title charge stalled by draw at West Ham / EPL, and Italian Cup semis

April 18, 2013 By Admin

(PhatzRadio / CBC Sports) — There is little doubt Manchester United will collect a record-extending 20th English league title, although the coronation will be delayed.

The Premier League leaders had to twice come from behind to draw 2-2 at West Ham on Wednesday as second-place Manchester City beat Wigan 1-0 to cut the gap to 13 points.

Thanks to Robin van Persie grabbing the second equalizer at Upton Park, United only needs to collect six points from last five matches to take the trophy off its neighbour.

“We’ve got a nice cushion with our lead,” United manager Alex Ferguson said. “But we don’t want to make any mistakes.”

Chelsea, meanwhile, rose to third after captain John Terry scored twice in a 3-0 victory at Fulham. Arsenal is a point back in fourth with a game in hand in the last Champions League qualification spot.

It’s the race for the top four that is providing the intrigue in the closing weeks of the season, with the fight for the title long since over.

United has enough points to ensure a record of only one win in three matches hasn’t made an impact in the standings.

Ricardo Vaz Te put West Ham in front in the 16th minute, completing a counterattack that Mohamed Diame started by charging with the ball from inside his own half before releasing Matt Jarvis on the left flank.

After reaching the byline, Jarvis centred the ball for Carroll to connect with a downward header and Vaz Te to find the final touch, nodding into the net from close range.

But United levelled 15 minutes later after Shinji Kagawa worked his way down the left flank and knocked the ball back to Antonio Valencia, who had the simple task of tapping in his first goal for a year.

West Ham regained the lead in the 55th when Vaz Te flicked the ball to Guy Demel, whose pass allowed Diame to turn and lose his marker before curling the ball into the net.

Van Persie came close twice before pulling United level again in the 77th, sending the rebound into the net after Kagawa’s strike came off both posts.

West Ham manager Sam Allardyce thought Van Persie was offside.

“Andy Carroll has a shot two minutes in and his flag went straight up, so I don’t know what’s going on,” Allardyce said. “This has taken a famous victory away from us today. To draw this game by a default goal from Manchester United is difficult to swallow.

“A fantastic performance by the team — they get rubbished for some of the football they play, and that’s a disgrace as well.”

In Manchester, City’s only goal came when Carlos Tevez weaved his way into the penalty area and unleashed a shot into the roof of the net in the 83rd.

“Fantastic goal, he played really well,” City manager Roberto Mancini said. “He fights.”

Wigan is still fighting for Premier League survival. City’s opponents in the FA Cup final next month are three points from safety having played a game fewer than Aston Villa.

“We didn’t take the chances, it is as simple as that,” Wigan manager Roberto Martinez said. “I thought we were magnificent from start to finish.”

At Craven Cottage, Terry scored twice but the opener from fellow defender David Luiz eclipsed it for quality.

Eden Hazard squared to Luiz, who took a touch before sending the ball swerving into the net on the half-hour from 35 metres.

Terry headed in his first before halftime from Juan Mata’s cross, and the captain found the net again in the 71st, helping Fernando Torres’ header from Mata’s corner find the target.

But the 32-year-old Terry, an unused substitute in Sunday’s FA Cup semifinal loss to City, could find himself back on the bench for Sunday’s trip to manager Rafa Benitez’s former club, Liverpool.

“I’m really pleased with his performance but at the end of the day the team has to be winning,” Benitez said.

“We have been playing two games a week for four or five months, so it’s not easy keeping the players focused, concentrated and not tired.”

Roma rallies over Inter Milan in Italian Cup semis

(PhatzRadio / CBC Sports) — Roma came from behind to win 3-2 at Inter Milan in the second leg of the Italian Cup semifinals on Wednesday to set up a capital derby final against Lazio.

Mattia Destro, who spent time in Inter’s youth ranks, scored twice for Roma before a stunning long-range lob from teammate Vasilis Torosidis helped their team progress 5-3 on aggregate.

“I really wanted to play and score, I had been out for three months,” Destro said. “Now there’s a really important final ahead of us. It means so much to us and we really want to win it.”

“It was (Inter’s) decision not to keep me and that’s fine.”

Jonathan, who only started after Esteban Cambiasso was injured in the warm-up, gave Inter the lead in the 22nd minute by combining with Ricky Alvarez and Tommaso Rocchi for a well-worked goal.

Ricky Alvarez pulled one back for Inter 10 minutes from time.

Inter was without Antonio Cassano, Rodrigo Palacio, Diego Milito, Walter Gargano, Yuto Nagatomo and Dejan Stankovic due to injury, while Alvaro Pereira and Fredy Guarin were suspended.

It was Inter’s fourth loss in five matches.

The hosts started well, however, and was on course to progress to the final on away goals after Jonathan played a one-two first with Alvarez and then a backheeled version with Tommaso Rocchi before firing into the bottom left corner.

Roma had been struggling to carve out any real opportunities until Inter goalkeeper Samir Handanovic pulled off brilliant saves to deny Mattia Destro and Alessandro Florenzi at the end of the first half.

Destro levelled 10 minutes after the interval, beating the offside trap to run onto Erik Lamela’s pass and lift the ball over the onrushing Handanovic.

He doubled his tally in the 69th, running in unmarked to tap Federico Balzaretti’s low cross into an empty net.

Torosidis secured Roma’s place in the final five minutes later, bursting down the right flank before volleying into the far top corner from outside the area.

Alvarez’s shot was deflected past goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg to give Inter some faint, but ultimately futile, hope.

Soccer Recap: Man United’s title charge stalled by draw at West Ham / EPL, and Italian Cup semis is a post from: PhatzRadio.com

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Soccer Recap: Man City beats Chelsea to advance to FA Cup final / Man U wins again, seven points away from title

April 15, 2013 By Admin

(Sergio Aguero scored the deciding second goal just two minutes after halftime, in the 47th minute. Clive Rose – The FA/Getty Images)

(PhatzRadio / AP) — Goals from Samir Nasri and Sergio Aguero sent Manchester City into an FA Cup final against Wigan Athletic after they beat holders Chelsea 2-1 at Wembley on Sunday.

The 2011 winners will return on May 11 after they held off a strong fightback from a Chelsea side playing their sixth game in 16 days.

Frenchman Nasri gave City, who also beat Chelsea to win the season-opening Community Shield, a lead they more than deserved when he fired home after 35 minutes and Argentine Aguero headed a second two minutes into the second half.

Demba Ba’s acrobatic volley on 65 minutes inspired a Chelsea revival but City held their nerve.

Premier League strugglers Wigan overcame Championship (second division) Millwall 2-0 at Wembley on Saturday in a match marred by fighting among the London club’s supporters.

City set the tone for a dominant opening half when Petr Cech clawed away Aguero’s early effort from close range and Chelsea, with only two days full rest after their Europa League trip to Moscow, soaked up almost continual pressure.

Vincent Kompany’s goalline header to stop Eden Hazard from scoring did get City off the hook and they made the most of the letoff and went ahead when Chelsea, not for the first time, allowed Yaya Toure to run at them.

The Ivorian, the dominant figure in midfield for City, played a precise pass to Aguero’s feet and his layoff bobbled off Cesar Azpilicueta and fell for Nasri to lash home.

Kompany should have added a second from a lightning attack but City rammed home their supremacy two minutes after the break when Aguero met Gareth Barry’s cross with a looping header that went in off the post.

Chelsea, FA Cup winners in four of the last six seasons, got a lifeline when Ba turned to fire home after substitute Fernando Torres, seconds after coming on, had unsettled City’s backline enough to force a messy clearance.

It was the first goal City have conceded in the competition and a only smart block from keeper Costel Pantilimon denied Senegal forward Ba an equaliser.

Chelsea pressed strongly in the closing stages but now only have the Europa League for a chance of silverware this season.

(Robin van Persie scored on a penalty in the 66th minute to snap his streak of ten games without a goal. Julian Finney/Getty Images)

Man U wins again, seven points away from title

STOKE, England (AP) — Robin van Persie ended his two-month goal drought to wrap up Manchester United’s 2-0 win over Stoke on Sunday, restoring the leaders’ 15-point cushion and inching them closer to the Premier League title.

The Netherlands striker had gone 10 United matches without scoring before slamming home a 66th-minute penalty – his 20th goal of the campaign – to add to midfielder Michael Carrick’s opening goal from close range in the fourth minute.

By successfully recovering from the derby defeat to Manchester City on Monday, United needs only seven more points from its last six matches to clinch a 20th English championship. That would also require second-place City winning all seven of its remaining games.

Van Persie is likely to win a maiden title in his first season at Old Trafford, and he has arguably done more than anyone to help rip the trophy from City’s grasp. However, his goals – if not his impressive performances – had dried up of late and he was in the midst of his driest spell in nine years in English football.

The relief on his face was understandable then, as he sprinted down the touchline after slotting the spot kick past Asmir Begovic and headed straight for Alex Ferguson. The manager has kept faith in the Dutchman, who lifted him up after a hug and then high-fived teammates.

It was just as happy a day for Wayne Rooney, who was given a rare start in central midfield by Ferguson and gave a masterful display, controlling play with class, poise and a wonderful range of passing.

In fairness, Rooney was given an easy ride by the hosts, whose famed physical approach was distinctly lacking on a bitterly cold and windy afternoon in the midlands. Their midfield was toyed with and they offered precious little in attack, leaving under-fire manager Tony Pulis with plenty to ponder in the forthcoming relegation battle.

Having regressed in the league in each of its past three seasons, Stoke has dropped to fifth from bottom and remains just three points from the relegation zone. With only one win in its last 14 matches, Stoke has the worst record in the league in 2013.

While Rooney was the standout player, at least in a one-sided first half, it was his central-midfield partner who put United ahead with a rare goal.

It was a scrappy one, with Van Persie’s inswinging corner causing all sorts of mayhem. Stoke failed to clear and the ball bobbled toward Carrick, who stabbed a low finish beyond Begovic’s despairing dive for United’s 100th goal of the season in all competitions.

Rooney curled a free kick just past the post, Van Persie’s audacious effort from 50 yards drifted wide while Stoke’s attacks continued to peter out. United center backs Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic will never have had a more comfortable half at Britannia Stadium.

Playing against the wind in the second half didn’t halt United’s momentum, and Van Persie will be disappointed he didn’t test Begovic when he was played through out wide by Javier Hernandez.

Jonathan Walters hooked a shot over and Charlie Adam brought an easy save out of United goalkeeper David de Gea as Stoke finally began to show signs of attacking intent near the hour mark.

But Van Persie soon ended any hopes of a comeback, picking himself up after being tripped by Ryan Shawcross in the 65th and drilling a low penalty into the right corner. It was his first goal since United’s second in a 2-0 win over Everton on Feb. 10 – and he let Ferguson know about it.

Soccer Recap: Man City beats Chelsea to advance to FA Cup final / Man U wins again, seven points away from title is a post from: PhatzRadio.com

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Soccer Recap: City cools down United in Manchester derby / EPL and Serie A

April 9, 2013 By Admin

f8b5c6273e39991bc0cd453357edf34c Soccer Recap: City cools down United in Manchester derby / EPL and Serie A
Sergio Aguero of Manchester City scores his team’s second goal against Manchester United at Old Trafford on Monday. (Alex Livesey/Getty Images)

(PhatzRadio / CBC Sports) — Manchester City delayed the surrender of its Premier League title to Manchester United on Monday, beating the runaway leaders 2-1 in a frenetic derby thanks to substitute Sergio Aguero’s stunning late goal.

The Argentina striker slalomed through United’s defence and arrowed a finish high into the net in the 78th minute, cutting second-place City’s deficit to 12 points with seven rounds remaining.

The result ended United’s 4 1/2-month unbeaten run in the league and will retrieve some local pride for the champions. It surely came too late, though, to have any effect on the destination of the title.

‘If you look at the history of this club, we always make things difficult for ourselves.’— Manchester united manager Alex Ferguson

“We showed we deserved to stay closer to the title but it is finished,” said City manager Roberto Mancini, sticking to the stance he has adopted for the past three weeks.

The balance of power remains in the red corner of Manchester for the time being, but Mancini will feel his team put down a marker for next season.

Controlling possession for long periods with its extra man in midfield, City gave United an uncomfortable evening at Old Trafford. It was nothing like the 6-1 drubbing City delivered at the same stadium last season but this win was just about deserved.

“A derby is always a special game for us and to be able to win is massive,” City captain Vincent Kompany said. “I do believe the way we finish this season will have an impact on how we do next season. This is a good win to have under our belt and we will take it into the next season.”

Kompany scored the winner in last season’s April meeting between the two rivals, continuing City’s last-gasp charge to a first title in 44 years, but it was his own goal here that looked to have denied his team victory.

The Belgium centre back inadvertently deflected in Phil Jones’ bundled header from Robin van Persie’s devilish in-swinging free kick in the 58th minute, cancelling out James Milner’s 51st-minute opener for City that took a slight ricochet off the knee of Jones.

Either side could have won it in an end-to-end final half hour, but it was Aguero who made the difference with a goal that had echoes of his title-winning strike in the final seconds of last season.

“There were lots of plus signs. Our form is good, I have no complaints. If you look at the whole thing, it’s not a bad day for us in terms of the performance level,” said Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson in an upbeat assessment of his team. “You don’t want to lose a derby game, but we’re OK.”

The alarm bells may not be ringing just yet but Van Persie’s goal drought extended to 10 matches, Wayne Rooney was again nowhere near his best and United’s midfield was over-run at times. Since the heartbreaking loss to Real Madrid in the Champions League last 16, United have lost two games (also at Chelsea in an FA Cup quarterfinal replay) and only beaten relegation-threatened Reading and Sunderland 1-0.

From a position of marching to the title, United may yet stumble to the line.

“If you look at the history of this club, we always make things difficult for ourselves,” Ferguson said.

The Manchester derby has become the biggest match in England — and one the world’s most-watched fixtures — in recent years, and the pace and intensity of the teams’ play was frightening at time, especially in the first half.

“It is easy to see why these were the best two teams in the country; the evidence was there tonight,” said Ferguson, who had been seeking his 900th win as United manager in all competitions.

It was City which had more composure, although it needed a slice of fortune to open the scoring.

Carlos Tevez was standing in an offside position and looked to be blocking David De Gea’s line of sight when Milner’s deflected shot wrong-footed the United goalkeeper and nestled into the corner. It was the first goal United had conceded in the league in 678 minutes.

City’s lead was brief thanks to Kompany’s intervention but Aguero, starting on the bench after recent injury problems, had the final say. Introduced as a 71st-minute substitute for the ineffective Samir Nasri, the nippy striker collected Yaya Toure’s short pass before embarking on a mazy dribble that ended with a unstoppable finish inside De Gea’s near post.

“We wanted to come here and put in a performance,” man-of-the-match Milner said, “and I think we did that.”

5505eb5b4c42d4157417909e6e4fcf20 Soccer Recap: City cools down United in Manchester derby / EPL and Serie A
Lazio’s Hernanes, right, celebrates after scoring against Roma on Monday. (Giampiero Sposito/Reuters)

Lazio settles for draw with Roma: Serie A

(PhatzRadio / CBC Sports) — Brazil playmaker Hernanes put Lazio ahead but later missed a penalty in a 1-1 draw with Roma in the city derby Monday that left both clubs still battling for Europa League spots.

Hernanes also fouled Miralem Pjanic to give away a penalty for Roma in the 56th minute that was converted by 36-year-old captain Francesco Totti.

Hernanes scored in the 16th with a spectacular effort from 25 metres (yards), but missed a penalty wide in the 48th.

Lazio ended the match with 10 men after Giuseppe Biava picked up his second yellow card in the 69th.

The draw, which broke a run of three straight derby wins for Lazio, left Lazio in fifth place, one point behind Fiorentina. Roma is three points further back in seventh.

The match was marred by violent clashes outside the Stadio Olimpico before kickoff, with at least four fans stabbed and an ambulance attacked.

Lazio controlled most of the first half and Hernanes’ shot into the top left corner was a thing of beauty, leaving goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg with no chance.

Roma finally started to attack in first-half added time, and Lazio goalkeeper Federico Marchetti had to stretch out to punch away a dangerous shot from Totti just before the halftime whistle.

Three minutes into the second half, Roma defender Marquinhos handled inside the area. But Hernanes, who had been perfect from the penalty spot previously this season, uncharacteristically placed a soft shot wide of the target.

The miss energized Roma, which lost limping midfielder Daniele De Rossi for Mattia Destro in the 53rd. Three minutes later, Hernanes fouled Pjanic to set up Totti’s penalty.

It was Totti’s 12th goal this season and 227th of his Serie A career, moving him within 47 of Silvio Piola’s all-time record. Last month, Totti passed Swedish great Gunnar Nordahl to sit second on the all-time list.

It was also Totti’s ninth career goal in the Serie A derby, tying him for the record with Dino Da Costa and Marco Delvecchio. Da Costa has 11 derby goals, including Italian Cup matches.

“This is the greatest record,” Totti said. “I wanted this one more than all the others.”

Totti had another chance in the 64th with a low free kick, after which Alessandro Florenzi missed two rebounds.

Five minutes later, Lazio lost Biava.

Lazio striker Miroslav Klose, making his first start after a long injury layoff, made little impact.

“Unfortunately we threw away the first half — we just weren’t able to get into the match,” Totti said. “But the second half went better and the important thing was that we didn’t lose.”

Soccer Recap: City cools down United in Manchester derby / EPL and Serie A is a post from: PhatzRadio.com

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Soccer Recap: Chelsea beats Sunderland, reclaims 3rd place / EPL, La Liga, Serie A and Weekend Results

April 8, 2013 By Admin

a15a07c0d132ae0d2412bf6b1979f2b3 Soccer Recap: Chelsea beats Sunderland, reclaims 3rd place / EPL, La Liga, Serie A and Weekend Results
Chelsea is now back ahead of Tottenham on goal difference after its London rival drew 2-2 with Everton and dropped to fourth. (Alastair Grant/Associated Press)

(PhatzRadio / CBCSports) — Chelsea seized on Tottenham’s slip-up in the Premier League to reclaim third place with a 2-1 victory over Sunderland that handed Paolo Di Canio a losing start as manager.

Chelsea was playing its fourth game in nine days but still had enough energy to come from behind, with Branislav Ivanovic netting the winner after both sides scored an own goal.

Chelsea is now back ahead of Tottenham on goal difference after its London rival drew 2-2 with Everton and dropped to fourth.

A superior goal difference is also keeping Sunderland out of the relegation zone ahead of Wigan, which drew 1-1 at Queens Park Rangers.

QPR led through Loic Remy’s 85th-minute goal but Shaun Maloney equalized with a free kick in stoppage time to leave the London club a point above bottom-place Reading but still seven adrift of Wigan and Sunderland.

With the season entering its final weeks, Manchester United can effectively wrap up the title on Monday with a victory in the Manchester derby that would put the leaders 18 points ahead of Manchester City.

But the footballing action has been overshadowed in the last week by the reaction to Di Canio being handed his first Premier League management job.

Immediately after replacing the fired Martin O’Neill last Sunday, Sunderland vice chairman David Miliband — a former British foreign secretary — quit in protest at Di Canio’s “past politics statements.”

Further condemnation followed as Di Canio’s past fascist sympathies were publicly questioned, but he took until Wednesday to formally say he does not “support the ideology of fascism.”

When asked after Sunday’s match about the criticism, Di Canio responded: “If I have to answer every comment it’s difficult. As a person you don’t change, but you become an adult, you become a manager.”

The Sunderland job is Di Canio’s second in management after a stint at third-tier English club Swindon.

The task handed to him by Sunderland owner Ellis Short is to keep Sunderland in the topflight. The mission got off to a good start on the stroke of halftime when Chelsea defender Cesar Azpilicueta hooked the ball into his own net after John O’Shea flicked on Adam Johnson’s corner.

But Sunderland collapsed inside 10 minutes of the second half.

Two minutes after the break, substitute Fernando Torres charged down the left flank and squared to Oscar, whose shot was blocked by Simon Mignolet and the ball spun off Matthew Kilgallon’s leg and drifted over the line.

Chelsea’s second was also slightly fortunate, with Ivanovic appearing to be unaware the ball was heading to him from David Luiz when he turned the ball into the net.

Chelsea’s sixth straight win in all competitions ensured Benitez continues to escape the abuse he faced after replacing Roberto Di Matteo in November.

“The feeling is that everybody has realized we have to stick together — we have to support the team,” Benitez said. “That is the best way.”

It was helped by Tottenham, without the injured Gareth Bale, throwing away the lead against Everton.

Emmanuel Adebayor put Tottenham ahead inside the first minute at White Hart Lane, turning Jan Vertonghen’s cross into the net.

Phil Jagielka headed Everton level in the 15th and Kevin Mirallas skipped through the Tottenham defence before putting the visitors in front at the start of the second half.

But Gylfi Sigurdsson rescued a point for Tottenham in the 87th, reacting quickest after Adebayor hit the post.

While Tottenham is two points ahead of fifth-place Arsenal having played an extra game, Everton is a further four points adrift in sixth.

Liverpool is three points behind its Merseyside rival after drawing 0-0 with West Ham, which is six points clear of danger.

QPR’s survival bid looked to have been boosted when Remy scored a sublime goal despite Harry Redknapp’s side down to 10 men since Bobby Zamora was sent off in the 21st for a clumsy high challenge on Jordi Gomez.

But Maloney levelled in the fourth minute of stoppage time, sending his free kick over the wall and past Julio Cesar.

Newcastle also scored in the final moments to move five points clear of Wigan and Sunderland with a 1-0 victory over Fulham.

Papiss Cisse slotted home a pass from Yohan Cabaye in the third minute of added time.

3653454cdfdcbc9606315f2edc45836e Soccer Recap: Chelsea beats Sunderland, reclaims 3rd place / EPL, La Liga, Serie A and Weekend Results
Atletico midfielder Mario Suarez received his second booking in the 72nd minute, and defender Diego Godin followed suit in stoppage time. (Pedro Armestre/Getty Images)

Atletico Madrid draws at Getafe: La Liga

(PhatzRadio / CBC Sports) — Nine-man Atletico Madrid sputtered to a 0-0 draw at Getafe Sunday in the Spanish league, as Diego Simeone’s team fell further adrift of Real Madrid in their fight for a second-place finish.

Atletico has only one win in its last five games and failed to match Madrid’s victory from Saturday to fall four points behind the defending champions. Barcelona is cruising to the title 13 points clear.

“The league is long and our rivals are starting the find the way to neutralize us,” said Simeone. “Perhaps we had more clarity to our play in other moments.”

After a rough first half plagued by fouls and void of scoring chances, Getafe forward Abdelaziz Barrada went closest three minutes after the break when he managed to draw a diving save from goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois.

Atletico midfielder Mario Suarez received his second booking in the 72nd minute, and defender Diego Godin followed suit in stoppage time.

Elsewhere, Jonas’ stoppage-time goal gave Valencia a 2-1 victory over 10-man Valladolid, while Rayo Vallecano and Espanyol both eased to 2-0 away wins.

Valladolid looked set to get a hard-earned away draw after rallying to level with 10 men until Jonathan Viera picked out Jonas striding to the first post to send his cross into the far corner with a bouncing header.

The Brazilian forward’s last-gasp goal moved Valencia up into fifth place, two points behind fourth-place Real Sociedad and Spain’s last Champions League spot.

The lucrative berth to play in Europe’s top-tier competitions next season is important for all teams, but even more so for the heavily indebted Valencia whose president Manuel Llorente quit on Friday amid ongoing financial turmoil at the club.

Valencia coach Ernesto Valverde downplayed the institutional upheaval at the club.

“Now there is a small power vacuum, but we, I insist, are already thinking of the next game against Espanyol,” he said.

Valencia took the lead in the 39th when Valladolid defender Mikel Balenziaga turned Tino Costa’s corner kick into his own net. And the hosts appeared set to go up 2-0 after Henrique Sereno was sent off with his second yellow card for fouling Roberto Soldado in the area.

But goalkeeper Dani Hernandez saved Soldado’s resulting penalty in the 57th, and forward Oscar Gonzalez volleyed in Valladolid’s 71st-minute equalizer from a cross by Antonio Rukavina.

Rayo beat relegation-threatened Celta Vigo with goals by Francisco “Piti” Medina and Andrija Delibasic.

Piti used a clever flick with the back of his heel to turn Alhassane “Lass” Bangoura’s pass into the net for his 13th goal of the season in the 14th.

Celta improved in the second half but failed to threaten Rayo’s goal, and Delibasic tapped in Jose Casado’s cross to secure all three points in the 83rd.

Rayo’s first away win in six games kept it in the fight for a Europa League spot.

Rayo coach Paco Jemez called his team’s season so far “extraordinary” for a cash-strapped club that had to sell Miguel “Michu” Perez last summer and was expected to struggle to stay up.

“You can always improve and aspire to do things that nobody has done before,” Jemez said. “We have to fight until the end. (Europa League) is within our reach.”

Celta has taken just one point from the past five games and is three points from safety with eight rounds to play.

Espanyol won 2-0 at Osasuna after Ghana forward Wakaso Mubarak went on at halftime to set up one goal and score another.

After Sergio Garcia had forced Osasuna goalkeeper Andres Fernandez to push his strike onto the crossbar, Espanyol broke through in the 51st when Hector Moreno headed in Wakaso’s out-swinging corner.

Wakaso sealed the victory with Osasuna searching for the equalizer in stoppage time when he went past Fernandez outside the area and floated the ball home from a tight angle.

Espanyol’s second straight away win lifted it mid-table, while Osasuna’s home losing streak reached three games.

“This is an important step,” said Espanyol coach Javier Aguirre, who took over the Barcelona-based team midseason with it in last place. “Of course it is good haul to now be 13 points clear, but there are still eight rounds left.”

Barcelona routed Mallorca 5-0 on Saturday without the injured Lionel Messi, while Madrid thrashed Levante 5-1, Real Sociedad beat Malaga 4-2, and Deportivo La Coruna edged Real Zaragoza 3-2.

Real Betis rolled to a 5-1 win at Granada on Friday. Sevilla hosts Athletic Bilbao Monday.

51c448f02c077a6ad5cece33d73ae86f Soccer Recap: Chelsea beats Sunderland, reclaims 3rd place / EPL, La Liga, Serie A and Weekend Results
(The Rossoneri remain unbeaten in the Italian league since Mario Balotelli’s arrival in January. (Claudio Villa/Getty Images)

AC Milan tops Fiorentina: Serie A

(PhatzRadio / CBC Sports) — AC Milan squandered a two-goal lead over 10-man Fiorentina and settled for a 2-2 draw Sunday that ended its four-match winning streak in Serie A.

In an entertaining match between the third- and fourth-placed clubs, midfielder Riccardo Montolivo put Milan ahead against his former squad when Fiorentina midfielder David Pizarro gave up the ball in the 14th minute, leaving him with only the goalkeeper to beat.

After Fiorentina defender Nenad Tomovic was shown a questionable red card in the 39th, Montolivo provided the cross which Mathieu Flamini redirected for Milan’s second goal in the 62nd.

However, Fiorentina struck back with two penalties.

First, Adem Ljajic was fouled by Antonio Nocerino and converted from the spot in the 66th. Then Juan Cuadrado was tripped by Milan’s 20-year-old left back Mattia Di Sciglio and Pizarro converted to draw Fiorentina level in the 73rd.

Milan had outscored the opposition 8-0 in its last four matches. Still, the Rossoneri remain unbeaten in the Italian league since Mario Balotelli’s arrival in January.

Milan moved within one point of second-place Napoli, which was hosting Genoa later.

Fiorentina remained six points behind Milan in fourth, and just two ahead of Inter Milan and Lazio, which were also still to play.

On Saturday, Serie A leader Juventus beat 10-man Pescara 2-1 ahead of Wednesday’s return leg against Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarterfinals.

The Rome derby between Lazio and Roma is on Monday.

EPL, La Liga, Serie A and Weekend Results

Champions League – Round of 16 March 6

FT Juventus 2 – 0 Celtic
FT Paris Saint Germain 1 – 1 Valencia

March 12

FT Barcelona 4 – 0 AC Milan
FT Schalke 04 2 – 3 Galatasaray

March 13

FT Bayern Munich 0 – 2 Arsenal
FT Malaga 2 – 0 FC Porto

Champions League – Group A December 4, 2012

FT Dinamo Zagreb 1 – 1 Dynamo Kiev
FT Paris Saint Germain 2 – 1 FC Porto

Champions League – Group B December 4, 2012

FT Montpellier 1 – 1 Schalke 04
FT Olympiakos 2 – 1 Arsenal

Champions League – Group C December 4, 2012

FT AC Milan 0 – 1 Zenit Petersburg
FT Malaga 2 – 2 Anderlecht

Champions League – Group D December 4, 2012

FT Borussia Dortmund 1 – 0 Manchester City
FT Real Madrid 4 – 1 Ajax

Champions League – Group E December 5, 2012

FT Chelsea 6 – 1 FC Nordsjælland
FT Shakhtar Donetsk 0 – 1 Juventus

Champions League – Group F December 5, 2012

FT Bayern Munich 4 – 1 BATE Borisov
FT Lille 0 – 1 Valencia

Champions League – Group G December 5, 2012

FT Barcelona 0 – 0 Benfica
FT Celtic 2 – 1 Spartak Moscow

Champions League – Group H December 5, 2012

FT Braga 1 – 2 Galatasaray
FT Manchester United 0 – 1 CFR Cluj

Champions League – Qualifying Round August 22, 2012

FT AEL Limassol 2 – 1 Anderlecht
FT BATE Borisov 2 – 0 Ironi Kiryat Shmona
FT Braga 1 – 1 Udinese
FT Dinamo Zagreb 2 – 1 Maribor
FT Malaga 2 – 0 Panathinaikos

August 28, 2012

FT Anderlecht 2 – 0 AEL Limassol
FT Ironi Kiryat Shmona 1 – 1 BATE Borisov
FT Maribor 0 – 1 Dinamo Zagreb
FT Panathinaikos 0 – 0 Malaga
AET Udinese 1 – 1 Braga *

August 29, 2012

FT CFR Cluj 1 – 0 Basel
FT Celtic 2 – 0 Helsingborg
FT Dynamo Kiev 1 – 2 Borussia Monchengladbach
FT Fenerbahce 1 – 1 Spartak Moscow
AET Lille 2 – 0 FC Copenhagen

Europa League – Round of 16 March 7

FT Basel 2 – 0 Zenit Petersburg
FT Benfica 1 – 0 Bordeaux
FT Levante 0 – 0 Rubin Kazan
FT Tottenham 3 – 0 Inter

March 14

AET Rubin Kazan 2 – 0 Levante
FT Zenit Petersburg 1 – 0 Basel
AET Inter 4 – 1 Tottenham
FT Bordeaux 2 – 3 Benfica
FT Chelsea 3 – 1 Steaua Bucuresti
FT Fenerbahce 1 – 1 Viktoria Plzen
FT Lazio 3 – 1 VfB Stuttgart
FT Newcastle United 1 – 0 Anzhi Makhachkala

Europa League – Round of 32 February 14

FT Atletico Madrid 0 – 2 Rubin Kazan
FT Basel 2 – 0 Dnipro
FT Borussia Monchengladbach 3 – 3 Lazio
FT Inter 2 – 0 CFR Cluj
FT Newcastle United 0 – 0 Metalist Kharkiv
FT Tottenham 2 – 1 Lyon
FT VfB Stuttgart 1 – 1 Genk

February 21

FT Rubin Kazan 0 – 1 Atletico Madrid
FT CFR Cluj 0 – 3 Inter
FT Dnipro 1 – 1 Basel
FT Genk 0 – 2 VfB Stuttgart
FT Lazio 2 – 0 Borussia Monchengladbach
FT Lyon 1 – 1 Tottenham
FT Metalist Kharkiv 0 – 1 Newcastle United
FT Benfica 2 – 1 Bayer Leverkusen
FT Bordeaux 1 – 0 Dynamo Kiev
FT Chelsea 1 – 1 Sparta Prague
FT Fenerbahce 1 – 0 BATE Borisov
FT Hannover 96 1 – 1 Anzhi Makhachkala
FT Liverpool 3 – 1 Zenit Petersburg
FT Olympiakos 0 – 1 Levante
AET Steaua Bucuresti * 2 – 0 Ajax

Italy – Serie A April 6

FT Juventus 2 – 1 Pescara
FT Bologna 2 – 2 Torino

April 7

FT Fiorentina 2 – 2 AC Milan
FT Catania 0 – 0 Cagliari
FT Sampdoria 1 – 3 Palermo
FT Siena 0 – 0 Parma
FT Udinese 3 – 1 Chievo
FT Inter 3 – 4 Atalanta
FT SSC Napoli 2 – 0 Genoa

April 8

14:45 Roma ? – ? Lazio

Italy – Serie B April 5

FT Reggina 1 – 0 Bari

April 6

FT Brescia 2 – 1 Cesena
FT Empoli 0 – 0 Crotone
FT Livorno 3 – 0 Ascoli
FT Modena 1 – 0 Pro Vercelli
FT Novara 3 – 2 Sassuolo
FT Spezia 2 – 1 Grosseto
FT Verona 2 – 1 Ternana
FT Vicenza 1 – 2 Cittadella
FT Virtus Lanciano 1 – 1 Juve Stabia

Soccer Recap: Chelsea beats Sunderland, reclaims 3rd place / EPL, La Liga, Serie A and Weekend Results is a post from: PhatzRadio.com