Daily Archives: February 2, 2014

Η Βαλένθια νίκησε με 3-2 την Μπαρτσελόνα μέσα στο “Καμπ Νόου” και δίνει ευκαιρία σε Ατλέτικο και Ρεάλ να την προσπεράσουν

Έκανε μάλιστα ανατροπή με τα τέρματα των Ντάνι Παρέχο στο 44′ και τον Πάμπλο Πιάτι στο 48′, καθώς είχε βρεθεί να χάνει από το τέρμα του Αλέξις Σάντσες από το 7′.

Ο Λιονέλ Μέσι με εκτέλεση πέναλτι στο 54′ ισοφάρισε σε 2-2, με το πρώτο του γκολ στο πρωτάθλημα μετά από 8 αγωνιστικές χωρίς τέρμα, αλλά στο 59′ ο Πάκο Αλκάθερ έκανε το 2-3 και χάρισε το μεγάλο “διπλό” στις “νυχτερίδες”.

Αυτή ήταν η δεύτερη ήττα των “μπλαουγκράνα” φέτος στο πρωτάθλημα, καθώς έχουν χάσει από την Μπιλμπάο στο “Σαν Μαμές”, ενώ στα τελευταία 4 ματς πρωταθλήματος έχουν μόνο μία νίκη!

Το αήττητο στην έδρα της η “Μπάρτσα” το κρατούσε 21 μήνες, καθώς τελευταία φορά είχε ηττηθεί από την Ρεάλ (1-2) στις 21 Απριλίου 2012.

Πηγή:sport24.gr

Shock win: Valencia celebrate after scoring their third goal through Alcacer on 58 minutes

Barcelona’s run of 31 games unbeaten in the league at home came to an end on Saturday when they were beaten 3-2 by Valencia.

Having won their last 26 domestic matches at the Camp Nou they paid the price for squandering first half chances and allowing defensive frailties to be exposed.

Manchester City coach Manuel Pellegrini might be watching this game a few times between now and February 18 – it contained so many of the weaknesses he will hope to expose when the two meet in the Champions League this month.

As well as conceding three Barcelona  also suffered their first sending off of the season with Jordi Alba  dismissed against his former club.

And they cannot complain about refereeing decision in a game where they  were thrown a second half lifeline by a generous penalty against Ricardo Costa.

Barça should never have needed lifelines after dominating the first half.

The players gathered in the centre-circle for the minutes  silence for Luis Aragones before kick-off with four of Barcelona’s  starters having been part of the squad he coached to the European  Championship in 2008.

And  one of those, Xavi, posed the first threat with a corner that Sergi  Busquets headed over. Valencia keeper Diego Alves came out bravely to  stop Alexis connecting with a long ball out from the back. And then  saved again from the Chilean who this time was in an offside position.

On seven minutes the Champions took the lead. The ball fizzed around the  Valencia penalty area and when a wall pass between Fabregas and Pedro  ran to Messi he played it out to Alexis at the back post and from the  tightest of angles he scored over Diego Alves into the roof of the net.

Pique then went off to change his boots after slipping on the wet surface and was not allowed back on at the next stoppage to whistles from home  supporters. It seemed the referee would provide more opposition to  Barcelona than Valencia.

Messi had a shot saved by Diego Alves and then apologised to Jordi Alba who  he should have passed to. Another shot from Messi was turned away for a  corner and from Xavi’s kick Alves shot wide from distance.

Mathieu, who was linked with Barcelona in the summer, then gave the ball  straight to Messi who played it to Xavi. The midfielder picked out Pedro and from his pass to Messi, Diego Alves had to save again. But Barça  could not make their dominance pay and suffered for their squandered  chances.

Valencia first  threatened from a corner which Valdes came for and got nowhere near only for Ricardo Costa to somehow head wide of the empty goal.

Barcelona were then caught three against five at the back when Busquets failed to win the ball in midfield. Dani Parejo surged through and, after  exchanging passes with Feghouli, scored past Valdes.

Three minutes into the second half and Barça were behind; with their weakness in the air exposed. Barragan’s cross was flicked on by Paco Alcacer for Piatti who outjumped Alves to score – Piatti and Alcacer are probably  La Liga’s smallest strikers. The Catalans will have to improve against  Alvaro Negredo and Edin Dzeko.

The lead lasted all of six minutes thanks to Messi and referee Pedro Perez  Montero who pointed to the spot after the ball hit Costa on what  appeared to be the shoulder. Messi ruthlessly hammered home the penalty  into the roof of Diego Alves’ net.

Any thoughts that that might end Valencia’s resistance disappeared when  they scored next. Feghouli got to the byline after Busquets was beaten in  the tackle and his cross found Alcacer who shot past Valdes unmarked.

Barcelona  brought on Andres Iniesta for Xavi and Valencia keeper Diego Alves was  almost caught out trying to dribble around Busquets but Valencia were  holding out and looking very dangerous on the break.

Barcelona’s attempts to get back in the game were dealt another blow when a  deliberate foul from Jordi Alba to block a counter attack earned him his second yellow. That made the difficult impossible though there was  still time for Messi to shoot just wide from the edge of the six-yard  box after Iniesta’s backheel.

‘It wasn’t a penalty,’ said Valencia manager Antonio Pizzi of the kick awarded against Costa. ‘It hit his shoulder. But in the end it did not affect the result.’

Barcelona coach Tata Martino said: ‘If you look at the first half an hour of the game it is very hard to explain the way the match turned. We made mistakes and losses of concentration and they took full advantage.’

Barcelona have now taken just five points in last four games and for the first time in 107 games Messi knows what it is like to score in the Camp Nou and still lose the game. Barcelona could be third by Sunday night if Atletico Madrid beat Real Sociedad and Real Madrid beat Athletic Bilbao.

source: dailymail.co.uk

Liverpool’s deal for Dnipro and Ukraine attacker Yevhen Konoplyanka fell through late on transfer deadline day.

The Reds agreed a deal with the player, who was keen on the move, but Dnipro’s owner did not sign the paperwork.

The 24-year-old, valued at £15m, emerged as the Reds’ main January target after Basel’s Mohamed Salah instead chose to join Chelsea for £11m.

Boss Brendan Rodgers told the club website:  “I’m very optimistic with the group I still have.”

The Northern Irishman admitted he “would like to have strengthened” but said failing to sign Konoplyanka was not “because of a lack of work by the football club”.

“There are lots of people who have worked tirelessly to identify and find the right types of players,” added Rodgers, whose team are fourth in the Premier League.

“If you look at the position that we’re in with 15 games to go, we have shown consistently that we have the squad to compete.

“If we can keep those players fit, and maximise the availability for the rest of the season, we can have a great chance to have a really good finish.”

Konoplyanka, who has 35 caps, scored at Wembley in a 1-1 draw against England in September 2012.

The forward, who can play wide on the left or up front, has scored 25 goals in 125 league games for Dnipro.

source: bbc.co.uk

Charlie Adam’s double strike gave Stoke their first league win over Manchester United since 1984 on a miserable afternoon for the champions.

United started with Juan Mata, Robin van Persie and Wayne Rooney for the first time but fell behind when Adam’s free-kick flew in off Michael Carrick.

Van Persie levelled with a neat finish just after half-time.

But Adam immediately restored Stoke’s lead in spectacular style with a fierce 25-yard strike into the top corner.

The closest United came to an equaliser was Rooney’s injury-time free-kick, which was brilliantly tipped on to the post by Asmir Begovic before Stoke cleared their lines.

With his three best attacking players lining up together for the first time, this was supposed to be the start of a bright new era for United and their manager David Moyes, but instead it became an all-too familiar nightmare that will further dent their hopes of a top-four finish.

Moyes suffered his eighth Premier League defeat in 24 games in a match that he will remember for horrific weather conditions and injuries to both his starting centre-backs, Jonny Evans and Phil Jones.

Wins for West Ham and Sunderland had seen the Potters slip into the bottom three before kick-off but Stoke did not perform like a team who had taken one point from their previous six games.

The fierce wind that swirled round the Britannia Stadium made it difficult for both teams to settle but, just when United had forced their first sustained spell of pressure, Adam struck to put his side in front.

There was a lot of luck about his first goal, his 30-yard shot cannoning off Carrick and looping into the opposite corner past a stranded David De Gea.

Things got worse for Moyes when Jones fell awkwardly after a clash with Jon Walters and had to be carried off.

The United boss had already moved Chris Smalling back into the middle of his defence when Evans was injured, and his lack of defensive options meant Carrick had to drop into the back four.

Moyes had little choice but to adopt an attacking approach to get back into the game and that paid off seconds after the interval when Mata teed up Van Persie, giving the Spaniard his second assist in two games for United.

But the visitors were only level for five minutes, and there was no fortune about Adam’s second strike, which flew past a startled De Gea with the help of the wind.

By now the game was wide open, with United pressing hard but seeing Stoke create the best chances on the break, and Marko Arnautovic curled a shot wide for the home side before substitute Oussama Assaidi volleyed over.

United piled on the pressure in the closing stages, flinging a series of crosses into the Stoke area, and with seven minutes of injury time to be played, they had hope.

But Rooney’s curling shot was clawed to safety by Begovic and Stoke held out, ending a run of 11 defeats and one draw against United in the Premier League with a famous victory.