REAL MADRID 1 - 0 ATLETICO MADRID [CHAMPIONS LEAGUE]

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FIORENTINA 2-0 DYNAMO KIEV (AGG 3-1)

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Saturday 28 February 2015

West Ham 1 - 3 Crystal Palace [Premier League]


Crystal Palace secured a fifth consecutive away
win as Alan Pardew enjoyed a 3-1 Premier League
victory over former club West Ham.
Alan Pardew enjoyed his latest return to Upton Park
as Crystal Palace made it five away wins in a row
with a 3-1 Premier League victory against West
Ham.
Palace have won all five of their matches on the
road since Pardew took the helm, with Saturday’s
triumph – completed with 10 men on the field as
Glenn Murray was dismissed – giving his charges a
comfortable advantage over the bottom three.
When Pardew took Newcastle United to West Ham
back in October, Aaron Cresswell’s goal proved
decisive – but the defender had a very different
impact this time around.
In attempting to clear a tame Murray header from
Jason Puncheon’s corner, Cresswell succeeded
only in sending the ball spinning into his own net on
the stroke of half-time.
Sam Allardyce may lament the fact that the striker
– one of four Palace changes – had five minutes
earlier escaped a possible red card when, having
already been booked, he clumsily fouled Cheikhou
Kouyate.
Allardyce’s mood will have darkened significantly
just six minutes into the second half when his side
failed to defend another Puncheon corner, with Scott
Dann profiting to head home from close range.
The match as a contest was over in the 63nd
minute when Murray steered a diving header past
Adrian, with Puncheon again the provider, while the
Palace striker did eventually get his marching
orders for a foul on Winston Reid.
Enner Valencia reduced the deficit with a superb
late strike, but Palace exacted revenge for August’s
3-1 home loss against West Ham.

posted from Bloggeroid

Marseille 2 - 3 Caen [Ligue 1]



Marseille threw away a two-goal lead to lose 3-2 at
home to Caen – missing the chance to move within
a point of Ligue 1 leaders Lyon.
Nicolas Benezet’s stunning late winner gave Caen a
come-from-behind 3-2 victory at Ligue 1 title
challengers Marseille on Friday.
Marcelo Bielsa’s team – who had given up winning
positions to draw their last two league games 2-2 –
looked on course for a comfortable win when
Andre-Pierre Gignac came off the bench to put
them two to the good just after the hour mark.
Victory would have lifted Marseille to within a point
of table-topping Lyon, but Caen had other ideas, as
Nicolas Seube and Emiliano Sala drew them level
within seven minutes of Gignac’s goal.
And substitute Benezet was on hand to complete a
remarkable comeback three minutes from time, as
he cut in from the left and rifled an unstoppable
drive beyond Steve Mandanda and into the far top
corner.
Caen were 2-0 down with just two minutes
remaining at champions Paris Saint-Germain a
fortnight ago – and Patrice Garande’s in-form side
once again displayed their powers of recovery to
deny Bielsa a vital three points.
Marseille had a golden opportunity to take the lead
after just three minutes, but Michy Batshuayi had
a penalty saved by Remy Vercoutre after he had
been fouled in the box by Alaeddine Yahia.
Buoyed by Vercoutre’s save, Caen twice went close
as first Emmanuel Imorou had an effort cleared off
the line, before Sala had an excellent shot tipped
onto the bar by Mandanda.
But it was Marseille who broke the deadlock in
first-half injury time, when Andre Ayew converted
the rebound after Vercoutre had saved Dimitri
Payet’s shot.
Sala was again unfortunate not to find the net early
in the second half when Benjamin Mendy cleared
his close-range shot off the line, and he was
punished for that bad miss when Gignac found the
net just four minutes after replacing Batshuayi.
Caen refused to buckle, though, and drew
themselves level within seven minutes through
Seube and Sala.
And there was to be one more twist in the tale,
as Benezet earned the visitors a sensational victory
with a goal worthy of winning any game.


posted from Bloggeroid

Bayern Munich 4 - 1 Cologne [Bundesliga]

Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich moved 11
points clear at the top of the table with a routine 4-1
win over Cologne on Friday.
Bayern Munich extended their lead at the top of the
Bundesliga to 11 points with a
comfortable 4-1 victory over Cologne at the Allianz
Arena.
Pep Guardiola’s side had thumped Hamburg 8-0
and thrashed Paderborn 6-0 in their last two league
outings, and it looked as though Cologne were on
course for a similarly heavy defeat on Friday when
Bayern went two up inside 10 minutes.
Bastian Schweinsteiger headed in from a corner in
the third minute before Franck Ribery struck a fine
individual effort, and Cologne fans could have been
forgiven for fearing the worst.

However, the side with the second best away
record in the league – behind only Bayern – rallied
and halved the deficit through Anthony Ujah’s
header in first-half stoppage time.
Ujah had a golden chance to equalise shortly before
the hour, but Manuel Neuer produced a fine save to
preserve Bayern’s lead, and the hosts pulled two
goals clear again with Arjen Robben’s header
midway through the second period.


As Cologne pressed to get back into the game, they
left themselves open at the back and Robert
Lewandowski added a fourth with 15 minutes
remaining to cap yet another dominant performance
from the German champions.
Bayern applied early pressure and were in front
inside three minutes as Schweinsteiger – back in
the side as one of two changes – rose
unchallenged to power in Robben’s left-wing
corner.
And Bayern did not have to wait long to make it
two, as Ribery cut in from the left hand side and
arrowed a low shot into the bottom left-hand corner
from the edge of the box.
Another rout appeared to be on the cards but, on the
stroke of half-time, Cologne pulled one back as Ujah
leapt to head home Matthias Lehmann’s right-wing
cross.

posted from Bloggeroid

Friday 27 February 2015

Everton 3 - 1 Young Boys [Europa League]



Romelu Lukaku was Everton’s inspiration again on
Thursday, scoring twice in the 3-1 win over Young
Boys to seal UEFA Europa League progress.
Young Boys were again unable to cope with Romelu
Lukaku on Thursday as the Belgian scored twice in
Everton’s 3-1 win at Goodison Park to help ensure
a last-16 place in the UEFA Europa League.


Lukaku scored a hat-trick in the 4-1 first-leg
victory at the Stade de Suisse, and added two more
at Goodison Park to fend off an early fightback from
the Swiss side and seal progression.
Young Boys reduced the three-goal deficit with
Sekou Sanogo’s 13th-minute opener but a two-goal
salvo from Romelu Lukaku inside half an hour took
any glimmer of hope away from the Swiss side.
Kevin Mirallas added a third before the interval –
before Lukaku was given a breather early in the
second half ahead of Sunday’s Premier League
clash with Arsenal.
Even without Lukaku to deal with, Uli Forte’s side
were unable to make any headway as they are left
to focus on their Swiss Super League title challenge
after a convincing defeat over the two legs.
Roberto Martinez and Everton will look forward to
their first European last-16 tie since 2008, having
progressed shortly after rivals Liverpool were sent
out of the same competition on penalties against
Besiktas.



Despite trailing by three goals in the tie, Young Boys
began well against an Everton side showing five
changes from Sunday’s 2-2 draw with Leicester
City.
Forte’s men came into the game after a 4-2 win
over Swiss champions Basel and were given hope
when Sanogo prodded home from close range amid
questionable goalkeeping from Tim Howard and
Everton’s offside appeals.
After Rapha Nuzzolo fired an effort at goal, Milan
Vilotic got a touch with his head and, when Howard
fumbled, Sanogo was on hand to nudge in the
opener.
Scott Sutter – one of five to come in from the win
against Basel – crashed Gonzalo Zarate’s corner
off the crossbar but the visitors’ momentum was
curtailed when Marco Wolfli upended Steven
Naismith in the area.
Lukaku’s backheel caused the initial danger and the
Belgium international took his Europa League tally to
five from the spot before volleying home Luke
Garbutt’s cross from the left five minutes later.
When Mirallas slotted Darron Gibson’s pass beyond
Wolfli, the game was put further beyond Young
Boys’ reach with Lukaku replaced by Arouna Kone
shortly after the break.
With the tie all but over, and Everton’s focal point
Lukaku given the remainder of the game off,
chances dried up as Martinez introduced Muhamed
Besic for James McCarthy in midfield,
For all Young Boys’ tidiness on the ball, they offered
a limited attacking threat, while Everton came
closest to a fourth when Kone struck the post late
on before Leon Osman’s header was disallowed
due to a foul from the substitute on Vilotic.

posted from Bloggeroid

Besiktas 1 - 0 Liverpool [Europa League]



Besiktas reached the last 16 of the UEFA Europa
League with a 5-4 penalty shootout victory over
Liverpool in Istanbul on Thursday.
Dejan Lovren missed the decisive penalty as
Besiktas beat Liverpool 5-4 on spot-kicks to
advance to the last 16 of the UEFA Europa League.
Liverpool famously have previous when it comes to
shootouts at the Ataturk Stadium, having won the
Champions League on penalties at the same ground
a decade ago.
But their luck was out on this occasion, as Lovren
blazed over from 12 yards with the last kick before
sudden death.

Penalties arrived after a tense 120 minutes in
Istanbul, with Tolgay Arslan’s fine strike 18 minutes
from the end of normal time cancelling out Mario
Balotelli’s first-leg goal to level the tie at 1-1.
Demba Ba – Liverpool’s nemesis in last season’s
doomed Premier League title bid – should have sent
Besiktas through in stoppage time, but the former
Chelsea man crashed against the crossbar from six
yards.
There were few signs of nerves through the
shootout as the first nine kicks were netted, but
Lovren’s wild effort ensured lightning would not
strike twice for Liverpool 10 years on from their
dramatic victory over Milan.
Besiktas were subdued in the early going,
seemingly inhibited – rather than inspired – by the
fervent atmosphere created by their fans as
Liverpool comfortably kept their first-leg lead intact.
Slaven Bilic’s side began the match on the front
foot, but the first attempt on goal came from
Liverpool’s Raheem Sterling 20 minutes in.
Alberto Moreno latched on to a clever flick from
Balotelli – making his first start since November –
down the left before pulling back to Sterling, whose
effort from 20 yards was palmed away by Cenk
Gonen.
Daniel Sturridge and Moreno then tested Gonen in
quick succession just after the half-hour mark as
Liverpool warmed to their task and quietened the
vociferous Besiktas faithful.
But Besiktas’ players and fans were re-energised
by the interval, and Bilic’s men got their just reward
for a much-improved display when substitute
Arslan curled a superb left-footed shot beyond
Simon Mignolet after good work from Gokhan Tore
and Ba.
The hosts continued pressing, but Liverpool just
about held firm to force extra time – thanks to Ba
missing a golden chance to settle matters inside 90
minutes.
Besiktas remained on top through the extra period,
Ba again going close only for Mignolet to stand firm
at his near post.
However, the Senegal striker’s misses would not to
prove costly, as Lovren followed up a string of well-
placed efforts by launching the 10th penalty of the
ensuing shootout high and wide.

posted from Bloggeroid

Fiorentina 2 - 0 Tottenham Hotspur [Europa League]



Fiorentina moved into the last 16 of the UEFA
Europa League on Thursday after a 2-0 win over
Tottenham in Florence.
Goals from Mario Gomez and Mohamed Salah
ensured Fiorentina a 2-0 win over Tottenham and a
place in the UEFA Europa League’s last 16 on
Thursday.
With the tie marginally in Fiorentina’s favour after a
1-1 draw at White Hart Lane last week,
Pochettino’s side were made to pay the price for
their inability to score in Florence.
Had Roberto Soldado not underhit a pass to Nacer
Chadli with just Neto in their way during a quick
first-half break, the Premier League side may have
been able to get on top in the tie.
However, Gomez’s calm finish nine minutes into the
second half gave the hosts a platform before Jan
Vertonghen afforded Chelsea loanee Salah a golden
opportunity to double the lead 19 minutes from time.
After the Belgian failed to shepherd the ball to Hugo
Lloris, Salah stole in and poked the ball home to
effectively end the tie and see Vincenzo Montella’s
side into the next round.
Pochettino – who named leading scorer Harry Kane
on the bench – will hope his side can make amends
for a lacklustre showing when they take on Chelsea
in Sunday’s League Cup final at Wembley.
Milan Badelj was one of four players brought into
Fiorentina’s squad from the first leg, and the
midfielder fired the first effort of the game just wide
of Lloris’ left-hand post four minutes in.
Fiorentina’s returning goalkeeper Neto – playing his
first game since December 21 after a contract
dispute – was then called on to gather Erik
Lamela’s long-range drive before a trio of attacks
from the hosts were cut short by an offside flag.
Prior to Matias Fernandez’s injury-enforced
withdrawal, Spurs gradually began to exert
themselves and should have led when Soldado
burst through on goal following a well-timed Lamela
pass.
However, the Spaniard seemed caught in two minds
when one-on-one with Chadli alongside him,
allowing Neto to extinguish the best chance of the
opening half-hour.
And Soldado’s woeful error was punished nine
minutes after the interval as Gomez latched on to
Badelj’s pass and tucked the ball under the
onrushing Lloris.
With the German’s strike piling the pressure on
Spurs to get an away goal, Pochettino opted to
introduce Kane and winger Andros Townsend off
the bench.
While the pair were at the forefront of the visitors’
late yet insufficient pressure, Spurs’ fate was
sealed when Salah seized on Vertonghen’s error to
double Fiorentina’s advantage.
It leaves Montella looking forward to the last-16
draw, while Pochettino and Spurs must refocus
ahead of the Sunday’s showpiece.


posted from Bloggeroid

Inter Milan 1 - 0 Celtic [Europa League]



Inter advanced to the last 16 of the UEFA Europa
League as Fredy Guarin’s stunning goal earned
them a 1-0 (4-3 agg) win over 10-man Celtic .
Fredy Guarin’s superb late goal was enough to see
Inter through to the last 16 of the UEFA Europa
League with a 4-3 aggregate success over 10-man
Celtic.
The two sides played out an enthralling 3-3 draw in
the first leg at Parkhead last week and, although
Thursday’s fixture at San Siro lacked that goalmouth
action, the two sides still produced an entertaining
affair.
Celtic saw defender Virgil van Dijk dismissed for
receiving two cautions in the first half – the first of
which seemed somewhat harsh.
From that point on, Inter were well on top and only
some last-ditch defending and a fine goalkeeping
display from Craig Gordon kept the scores level
until Guarin produced something special in the
88th minute.
The Colombian picked up a pass from Davide
Santon and arrowed a shot into the top corner from
just outside the area.
The win extends Inter’s unbeaten home run in
the competition to 11 matches, stretching back to
August 2012, while Celtic’s focus will now return to
clinching a domestic treble.
Celtic had the first genuine chance in the seventh
minute when Gary Mackay-Steven bore down on
goal, but goalkeeper Juan Pablo Carrizo spread
himself well to smother the shot.
The visitors thought they should have had a penalty
seven minutes later when Armstrong went down
under a challenge from Santon, but Kruzliak waved
away their protests.
Inter responded strongly and almost took the lead in
the 19th minute when Santon’s shot was just out of
reach of a sliding Mauro Icardi.
Celtic were then dealt a major blow nine minutes
prior to the interval as Van Dijk – perhaps harshly
booked for an earlier foul on Rodrigo Palacio – was
shown a second yellow for pulling back Icardi.
Seemingly buoyed by their man advantage, Inter
twice went close to moving ahead when Xherdan
Shaqiri was kept out by a fine block from Jason
Denayer, before Gordon saved smartly with his legs
from Danilo D’Ambrosio’s rebound.
Palacio ought to have put the hosts ahead four
minutes into the second half, but blazed over after a
clever pass from Guarin.


posted from Bloggeroid

Bayer Leverkusen 1 - 0 Atletico Madrid [Champions League]


Bayer Leverkusen seized the first-leg initiative with
a 1-0 goal win over Aletico Madrid in Wednesday’s
UEFA Champions League last-16 tie.
Hakan Calhanoglu gave Bayer Leverkusen a 1-0
first-leg victory over 2014 beaten finalists Atletico
Madrid in the UEFA Champions League last 16 on
Wednesday.
The Turkey international’s second-half strike
proved enough to separate the sides at the
BayArena, with Karim Bellarabi instrumental in the
build up.
Leverkusen threatened in the opening half with Emir
Spahic being denied on two occasions, but they
were grateful to Bernd Leno for making two late
saves to keep the score level.
Following a goalless first 45 minutes the game was
finally brought to life just before the hour,
Calhanoglu converting with a powerful angled finish.
Even the introduction of Fernando Torres could not
inspire Atletico – who saw Tiago sent off late on –
as they failed to score for a second successive
Champions League game.
Roger Schmidt’s side will take a narrow advantage
to Spain for the second leg on March 17, knowing
another clean sheet will see them through to the
quarter-finals.
Leverkusen came out of the blocks quickly,
dominating possession, but were unable to find a
way through before half-time, Lars Bender wasting
the first opening in the seventh minute.
Bellarabi led a swift counter-attack for the hosts,
but, when the ball found Bender he dragged his
effort wide from the edge of the area.
The visitors were grateful to Mario Mandzukic five
minutes later as he cleared Spahic’s effort off the
line after the Bosnia defender had diverted
Wendell’s shot towards goal.
Spahic’s attempts to score a first Champions
League goal continued as the half hour approached,
with his long-range strike cannoning back off
Moya’s crossbar.
Atleti had been quiet in the final third inside the
opening 40 minutes, but Leno needed to be alert to
make two saves before the break.
Having pushed away Arda Turan’s lob before
Antoine Griezmann could head home, the
goalkeeper made a superb reaction save in
stoppage time to keep Tiago’s acrobatic volley out.
The deadlock was final broken in the 57th minute as
Calhanoglu collected a sumptuous backheel from
Bellarabi, before lashing the ball high into Moya’s
net.
Calhanoglu nearly had a second after 71 minutes,
the forward’s long-range free-kick taking a
deflection, but Moya was able to adjust and make
the save.
As the game opened up in the final 20 minutes both
sides had chances to score, with Torres – on for
Turan just past the hour – putting the ball into the
net in the 75th minute, only for referee Pavel
Kralovec to rule it out.
Atletico finished the game, which saw nine bookings
in total, with 10 men when Tiago was shown a
second yellow for a foul on Bellarabi.
His dismissal added to the Liga side’s frustrations
as they suffered their first Champions League
defeat since the opening group game.

!

posted from Bloggeroid

Arsenal 1 - 3 Monaco [Champions League]


Arsenal have it all to do in their UEFA Champions
League last-16 tie with Monaco as they succumbed
to a 3-1 defeat on Wednesday.
Arsene Wenger endured a miserable reunion
against former club Monaco as the Ligue 1
side secured a deserved 3-1 first-leg lead in
Wednesday’s UEFA Champions
League last-16 tie at the Emirates Stadium.
Wenger, who won the French title and the Coupe de
France in a seven-year spell at Monaco, saw his
current charges put to the sword as Yannick
Ferreira-Carrasco’s late strike put Arsenal on the
brink of elimination.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain had given the hosts hope
when he curled home a strike deep into stoppage
time to make it 2-1, but fellow substitute Ferreira-
Carrasco restored Monaco’s two-goal lead on a
dark outing for Wenger’s men.
Having survived an early Arsenal onslaught in the
sides’ first competitive meeting, Monaco led at the
break thanks to Geoffrey Kondogbia’s rather
fortuitous strike, which deflected in off Per
Mertesacker.
Leonardo Jardim’s men doubled their advantage
seven minutes after the interval as former
Tottenham striker Berbatov finished off a swift
break to put the visitors well in control.
Oxlade-Chamberlain looked to have had the final
say when he pulled one back with an impressive
strike, but Monaco, missing Jeremy Toulalan,
Ricardo Carvalho and Layvin Kurzawa from the
starting XI, were not finished.
Ferreira-Carrasco’s 94th-minute goal deepened
Arsenal’s woes further and leaves Wenger’s side in
need of a minor miracle at the Stade Louis II in
three weeks’ time, with their limp attacking display
pointing to a fifth consecutive last-16 exit.
Monaco conceded just once as they topped Group
C, but were under pressure early on as Danny
Welbeck was among those to threaten Danijel
Subasic’s goal with an effort that was narrowly off
target.


The Bulgarian made no mistake in giving Monaco a
two-goal lead – much to the home fans’
consternation – as Wenger’s men continued to
waste chances, with Sanchez’s effort saved by
Subasic before Olivier Giroud fired over with the
goal at his mercy.
Subasic saved well from substitute Theo Walcott
after the hour and Welbeck’s follow-up deflected off
the England international before Oxlade-
Chamberlain curled home a loose ball.
If Arsenal thought they had grabbed hold of a
lifeline, it was quickly ripped from their grasp
as Ferreira-Carrasco raced away to fire past
Ospina and put the visitors in the driving seat ahead
of next month’s return meeting

posted from Bloggeroid

Juventus 2 - 1 Borussia Dortmund [Champions League]

Carlos Tevez and Alvaro Morata got the goals as
Juventus beat Borussia Dortmund 2-1 in the UEFA
Champions League on Tuesday.
Juventus will take a narrow advantage into the
second leg of their UEFA Champions League last-16
clash with Borussia Dortmund following a 2-1
victory in Turin.
This was the first meeting between the teams since
the 1997 final, which Dortmund won 3-1 to snatch
the trophy from then defending champions Juve, but
it was the Serie A outfit who dictated play for the
most part on Tuesday.
Carlos Tevez pounced on some clumsy goalkeeping
from Roman Weidenfeller to give Juve a deserved
lead in the 13th minute, and it was another
defensive mishap that led to Dortmund’s equaliser
five minutes later.
Marco Reus stole in to penalise a Giorgio Chiellini
stumble with a composed finish, but Alvaro Morata
struck two minutes from the break to earn Juve a
narrow advantage heading into the return leg in
three weeks’ time.

Marco Reus stole in to penalise a Giorgio Chiellini
stumble with a composed finish, but Alvaro Morata
struck two minutes from the break to earn Juve a
narrow advantage heading into the return leg in
three weeks’ time.
The result means Juve have now gone 47 games
unbeaten at home in all competitions – last tasting
defeat to Dortmund’s Bundesliga rivals Bayern
Munich in April 2013.
Ciro Immobile returned from illness to lead the
Dortmund line against his former club and fired an
early warning signal when a shot from distance
strayed just off target.
The visitors also boasted Reus and Pierre-Emerick
Aubameyang as part of a menacing attacking line-
up, while Juve brought in fresh defensive legs in the
shape of Patrice Evra and Stephan Lichtsteiner –
promoted from the bench following Friday’s 2-1
Serie A victory over Atalanta.
It was the hosts who broke the deadlock after 13
minutes.
Morata – added to the Juve attack along with Arturo
Vidal – had the beating of his man on the left of the
penalty area, and goalkeeper Weidenfeller could
only push the Spaniard’s low cross into the path of
a grateful Tevez for a simple finish.

posted from Bloggeroid

Manchester City 1 - 2 Barcelona [Champions League]

Luis Suarez scored twice and Gael Clichy was sent
off before Lionel Messi missed a penalty in
Barcelona’s 2-1 win at Manchester City.
Luis Suarez’s first-half double put Barcelona on
course for the quarter-finals of the UEFA
Champions League, but Joe Hart saved a last-gasp
Lionel Messi penalty to keep Manchester City in the
last-16 tie as the Catalan giants won 2-1 at the
Etihad Stadium.
Barca beat the Premier League champions 4-1 on
aggregate in the round of 16 last year and Suarez’s
first brace for the club ensured they are strong
favourites to knock Manuel Pellegrini’s side out
again 12 months later.
City were unable to cope with Luis Enrique’s men in
the first half and could have been further behind as
the attacking trio of Messi, Neymar and Suarez
caused all sorts of problems.
Sergio Aguero pulled a goal back in a second half in
which City gave a far better account of themselves,
but a fightback looked unlikely when Gael Clichy
was sent off for a second bookable offence.
Messi could have given City an even bigger
mountain to climb when he won a penalty into the
final minute of stoppage time, only for Hart to
deny the Argentina forward with a fine save.
City will welcome the influential Yaya Toure back for
the return game against his former club on March
18, but they have it all to do as they attempt to reach
the last eight of the Champions League for the first
time.
The recalled Martin Demichelis was sent off for a
professional foul on Messi at the Etihad Stadium last
season, but the defender denied his Argentina
team-mate with a fine tackle after Neymar had
foxed Pablo Zabaleta and delivered a fine pass.
Suarez fired just wide of the near post as City
struggled to cope with Barca’s rapid passing and
movement. However, the Uruguay striker was
not denied an opening goal after 16 minutes.
Messi was as at his brilliant best and, when Vincent
Kompany could only head the mercurial forward’s
cross against Suarez, the former Liverpool man
fired home with his left foot before the Belgium
captain had time to react.
Edin Dzeko headed just wide when City made a rare
foray forward before Barca doubled their lead after
30 minutes and once again it was Suarez applying
the finish.
City were unable to stop Messi as he surged
forward at pace and laid the ball off for Jordi Alba,
who showed great composure to bide his time
before delivering a cross for the onrushing Suarez
to tuck in from close range.


posted from Bloggeroid