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Liverpool forward Luis Suarez, centre, appears to handle the ball in the lead up to his goal against Mansfield on Sunday. (Andrew Yates/AFP/Getty Images)

(PhatzRadio / CBC Sports) — Luis Suarez became embroiled in a new handball controversy on Sunday when he scored Liverpool’s winner in a 2-1 victory to oust non-league club Mansfield from the third round of the FA Cup.

After Daniel Sturridge put Liverpool ahead with a goal on debut in the first half, Suarez extended the lead in the 59th minute by bringing the ball down with his hand before kicking it into the net.

Despite Suarez looking uncomfortable after scoring, appearing to expect the goal to be ruled out, it was awarded and proved to be decisive following Matt Green’s later strike for Mansfield.

“There’s no doubt it was handball but the referee and the officials ruled it wasn’t deliberate,” Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers said. “I spoke to the fourth official when it was given because I couldn’t see and he said it was (handball), so I can only assume they thought it wasn’t deliberate.”

And Rodgers said it wasn’t up to Suarez to ask the referee to rule his goal out.

“It’s up to the officials to decide that,” Rodgers said. “That’s why they get paid as officials.”

The goal revived memories of the incident that overshadowed the Uruguay striker’s 2010 World Cup campaign. In that instance, he deliberately handled on the goal line to block Ghana from scoring and was sent off. Ghana missed the subsequent penalty, sparking celebrations by Suarez on the sideline, and Uruguay advanced to the semifinals.

While the Ghanaians were furious with Suarez, Mansfield was more accepting.

“I’d like to give the benefit of the doubt and say it’s a reaction,” manager Paul Cox said, adding: “If it had gone in the other end and one of our players had done it I think we’d have accepted it … I don’t think you can call him a cheat.”

Thick skin

But in the closing stages of the match, Mansfield fans were chanting “cheat” at Suarez, whose reputation in England took a hit in 2011 when he received an eight-match ban for racially abusing an opponent.

“He has a thick skin. He’s had it throughout his career and his life in this country as a football player,” Rodgers said. “That’s part of his life. He deals with it remarkably well and now supporters recognize him for his qualities, which is the most important thing.”

Before Suarez’s handball, Sturridge looked like being the Liverpool player to grab the headlines.

Sturridge scored seven minutes into his first game since joining from Chelsea, the England striker racing onto Jonjo Shelvey’s through ball before slotting it into the net.

“It was a great debut with a great goal, you can see he has that bit of pace to get in behind,” Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher said.

Liverpool couldn’t extend its lead against fifth-tier opposition until Suarez’s contentious goal, and it was a nervy conclusion after Green powered in a late goal for Mansfield from Lee Beevers’ cutback

Liverpool will play at third-tier club Oldham in the fourth round.

In Sunday’s other FA Cup game, Arsenal threw away a winning position at Liberty Stadium to draw 2-2 with Premier League rival Swansea following a late goal flurry.

Former Arsenal defender Kyle Bartley had the best chance of the first half for Swansea when he headed against the crossbar, and the match only came to life after the break when the intensity increased from both teams.

It was Swansea substitute Michu who broke the deadlock after barely a minute on the pitch.

The Spaniard headed the ball past Laurent Koscielny and charged forward before slotting the ball past goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny.

Arsenal came close to levelling when Olivier Giroud headed wide, but the goal did come in the 81st after Swansea failed to clear Theo Walcott’s corner.

Bacary Sagna headed on to Laurent Koscielny, who knocked the ball through to Lukas Podolski and the Germany forward fired past goalkeeper Michel Vorm.

The visitors went in front inside two minutes after slick buildup saw Kieran Gibbs pass to Mikel Arteta, who returned the ball to the defender to blast into the net.

“Kieran Gibbs had an outstanding game,” Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said. “He gets better and better. When you see this kind of game, it’s very positive.”

But Arsenal held on to its lead for less than four minutes, with Danny Graham scoring after Kemy Agustien’s corner wasn’t headed away successfully by Podolski.

“We should have won this game … we lacked a little bit (of) calmness and focus,” Wenger said. “It’s frustrating to concede a goal just like that on a corner where we couldn’t clear the ball before the corner.”

In the fourth round, Swansea or Arsenal will play at Brighton, the second-tier side which ousted Newcastle on Saturday.

Messi of Barcelona, centre, duels for the ball with Simao Sabrosa, left, and Victor Sanchez of Espanyol during their match Sunday. (David Ramos/Getty Images)

La Liga: Cristiano Ronaldo scores twice in 3 minutes for Madrid

(PhatzRadio / CBC Sports) — Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo both scored to help their teams win in the Spanish league on Sunday, a day before the two stars and Andres Iniesta vie for the FIFA Ballon d’Or prize.

Messi scored for an eighth straight Spanish league game by converting a penalty in Barcelona’s 4-0 thrashing of crosstown rival Espanyol, while Ronaldo netted twice in a three-minute span to give 10-man Real Madrid a hard-fought 4-3 victory over Real Sociedad.

Messi, who finished 2012 with a record 91 goals, is the favourite to win the Ballon d’Or for an unprecedented fourth time. Ronaldo collected the award in 2008. Messi’s teammate, Iniesta, has never won football’s highest individual honour.

“Andres would love to win it, just like Leo,” said Barcelona forward Pedro Rodriguez, who scored twice. “I hope one of them wins it.”

Ronaldo’s double likely saved coach Jose Mourinho from considerably more scathing criticism after his decision to drop goalkeeper Iker Casillas almost backfired for a second straight game, with Madrid barely overcoming Xabi Prieto’s hat trick.

Despite a fan and media backlash after last round’s loss, Mourinho again started rarely used Adan Garrido. But the ‘keeper was sent off after giving away an early penalty, forcing the introduction of Casillas.

The crowd at Santiago Bernabeu stadium voiced its displeasure with Mourinho by jeering the coach’s name when it was announced before the game and cheering for their beloved Casillas.

Mourinho said he wasn’t bothered by the boos.

“Perfect. They can whistle at me if they want and then support the team,” Mourinho said. “I think the jeers are for dropping Casillas, and I think that they are because we are far from our objectives in the league. I accept them both.”

Benzema delivers

Madrid’s fans, however, couldn’t have asked for a better start just two minutes in when Sociedad’s unbalanced defence left Karim Benzema unmarked to receive Khedira’s pass and score with ease.

Madrid’s lead didn’t last long and it again appeared to show that Mourinho’s choice in goal was misguided.

Adan was overwhelmed last round when he conceded three goals in the loss at Malaga, and he was shown to be out of his depth at home as well.

He made a poor pass that Carlos Vela intercepted, and then charged out and fouled the Mexico forward in his box. The referee didn’t hesitate to show him a direct red card, creating the dramatic situation of Casillas being called off the bench to defend the penalty attempt.

The crowd chanted “Iker! Iker!” as the Spanish international jogged on, refusing to take the captain’s armband from Ronaldo. But there were no heroics as Prieto coolly stroked in the spot kick to equalize in the ninth minute.

“I told Adan before this match and the Malaga match that the jeers he might hear were for me, not for him,” said Mourinho. “There’s been a lack of respect for Adan.”

Despite being short a man, Madrid pressed forward and deservedly went in front in the 35th through Sami Khedira’s crafty back-heeled flip to redirect a cross between the posts.

Prieto beat Casillas to restore parity at 2-2 five minutes later, but Ronaldo gave Madrid control of the match in the 68th when Benzema stole the ball and played the Portugal winger in behind the defence to score.

Ronaldo then earned a free kick on the left corner of the area and blasted the ball over goalkeeper Claudio Bravo in the 70th.

Prieto appeared to give Sociedad late hope when he scored inside the far post in the 76th, but Sociedad never threatened again after Daniel Estrada was booked for a second time, leaving the visitors with 10 men for the final 10 minutes.

Barcelona on a roll

Barcelona continued its record start with 17 wins and a draw to maintain its 16-point lead over third-place Madrid.

Second-place Atletico Madrid, meanwhile, fell 11 points behind Barcelona after conceding an 87th-minute equalizer at Mallorca for a 1-1 draw. Raul Garcia put Atletico ahead in the 73rd, but Kevin Garcia levelled after a defensive lapse to split the points.

Barcelona coach Tito Vilanova returned to the touchline for the first time since undergoing throat surgery to remove a second tumour in two years on Dec. 20.

Barcelona dominated Espanyol from the start at Camp Nou stadium and made quick work of the relegation-threatened side after Xavi Hernandez scored in the 10th from a pass by Iniesta.

Pedro then volleyed in a cross from Cesc Fabregas in the 15th before chipping in Sergio Busquets’ perfectly weighted pass in the 27th.

Two minutes later, Messi scored from a spot kick after Fabregas had been fouled by goalkeeper Kiko Casillas in the area. The loss was Espanyol’s first in five games under new coach Javier Aguirre.

Last season, Messi set a league record with 50 goals. He already has 27 before the season’s midway point. Atletico striker Radamel Falcao is next with 17th, followed by Ronaldo’s 16.

Earlier, Celta Vigo downed Valladolid 3-1.

Contenders Juventus, Inter and Fiorentina fall: Serie A

Serie A leader Juventus was beaten 2-1 at home by 10-man Sampdoria and two other title contenders also lost Sunday, as the big Italian clubs struggled to get back into full gear after the holiday break.

Italy forward Antonio Di Natale scored twice to help Udinese beat 10-man Inter Milan 3-0, and Fiorentina lost 2-0 to Pescara for its first home defeat of the season.

Meanwhile, Edinson Cavani was on form and scored a hat trick as third-place Napoli beat Roma 4-1 in the late match. With 16 goals this season, the Uruguay forward moved two past Stephen El Shaarawy of AC Milan to top the league scoring chart.

AC Milan also struggled before beating Siena 2-0 with two second-half goals.

Juventus still leads with 44 points. Lazio, which beat Cagliari 2-1 Saturday, is next with 39 points, followed by Napoli — which was penalized two points for match-fixing — with 37 and Inter and Fiorentina with 35 each.

Milan is seventh with 30 points.

In other matches, it was: Parma 2, Palermo 1; Chievo Verona 1, Atalanta 0; and Genoa 2, Bologna 0.

Juventus went all of last season unbeaten but has now lost four times this campaign — and twice at home.

Sebastian Giovinco gave Juventus the lead with a penalty in the 24th and it looked like it would be easy for the Turin power after Sampdoria defender Gaetano Berardi picked up his second yellow card in the 31st.

But Mauro Icardi then scored twice for the visitors.

‘We’re not martians’

In the 53rd, Icardi finished off a counterattack with a long, angled shot that goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon should have done a better job at stopping.

In the 69th, Icardi scored again from a similar position, this time using a powerful rising shot that skimmed over Buffon’s outstretched hands.

“I’m upset because my mistake cost us three points,” Buffon said.

Juventus midfielder Claudio Marchisio bruised his right knee and could be out two to three weeks.

“It wasn’t a performance we’ll want to remember,” Juventus coach Antonio Conte said. “We’re not Martians, and considering injuries and players not in great condition we’re going to have to grit our teeth some more.”

Juve had a chance to equalize but forward Mirko Vucinic’s shot in the 73rd hit the crossbar and then bounced down just in front of the goal.

“Maybe Juve didn’t have its best day,” Genoa coach Delio Rossi acknowledged. “They didn’t have their usual will to win.”

Rossi, who recently replaced Ciro Ferrara as Sampdoria’s coach, noted he was glad he didn’t let Icardi go home to Argentina to play with his national under-20 squad.

Icardi also scored a key goal against Genoa in a derby earlier this season.

“Icardi is a kid with a lot of talent. I would have been stupid to send him to the South American tournament,” Rossi said. “I think playing here is better exposure.”

In Udine, Di Natale put the hosts ahead in the 63rd by finishing off a swift counterattack as Inter’s defence struggled to keep up.

Two minutes later, Inter defender Juan picked up his second yellow card, and Colombia forward Luis Muriel doubled the lead in the 75th with a similar score.

Di Natale added another in the 79th from the centre of the area — his 12th of the season — as defenders Walter Samuel and Esteban Cambiasso again couldn’t intervene.

The referee made a key decision in the 25th by showing Inter striker Rodrigo Palacio a yellow card for diving inside the area, while Inter argued for a penalty and a last-man foul on defender Maurizio Domizzi, which would have left Udinese with 10 men.

“To me it was a penalty,” Inter manager Andrea Stramaccioni said. “There was contact.”

Di Natale hit the crossbar with a blistering 40-meter (yard) free kick in the 27th, and Inter defender Jonathan wasted a great chance created by Antonio Cassano when he hit the post in the 50th.

Palacio also had a couple chances before Di Natale’s opening goal.

Inter remained winless on the road since beating Juventus on Nov. 3, while Udinese has lost only once at home this season.

Meeting Giuseppe

In Florence, Fiorentina introduced newly signed forward Giuseppe Rossi to the crowd before the match. However, Rossi won’t be able to play until February or March as he returns from multiple knee injuries, and it was evident that Fiorentina needs his goalscoring ability.

Fiorentina dominated the first half but could not find the target through Luca Toni, Alberto Aquilani or Stevan Jovetic.

Brazilian forward Jonathas scored with a header for Pescara in the 57th and Swedish forward Mervan Celik doubled the visitors’ lead in added time.

In Naples, Cavani put the hosts ahead four minutes in after taking a through ball from Goran Pandev and shooting in off the arm of Roma goalkeeper Mauro Goicoechea. It was a similar start to the second half, with Cavani again hitting the target in the 48th from the centre of the area.

Cavani struck again with a header following a corner in the 70th, Pablo Osvaldo pulled one back for Roma two minutes later, and Christian Maggio restored Napoli’s three-goal lead in the 90th.

Roma ended with 10 men after Miralem Pjanic picked up his second yellow in the 74th.

Earlier at the San Siro, Milan took the lead with a header from Bojan Krkic in the 67th following a cross from Kevin-Prince Boateng, who sparked Milan’s walkoff in the face of racist chants during a midweek friendly.

Giampaolo Pazzini added a penalty for Milan in the 85th.

Before kickoff, Milan wore anti-racism shirts.

In Parma, Amauri scored the winner in the third minute of added time.

Also, Adrian Stoian scored in the 37th for Chievo; and Marco Borriello scored both of Genoa’s goals.

Soccer Recap: Luis Suarez ‘handball’ earns Liverpool win in FA Cup – EPL, La Liga and Serie A is a post from: PhatzRadio.com

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