English Football Association (FA)
general secretary Alex Horne
believes the Premier League will
approve the introduction of
goal-line technology from next
season at a meeting this week. Horne told the BBC he thought
the equipment was always an
"ideal piece of technology to
allow into the game" ahead of
the Premier League clubs
meeting on Thursday. "I'm expecting it to go through
at that meeting," Horne said on
Tuesday. The FA want technology to be
officially introduced at the pre-
season Community Shield fixture
after lobbying for its inclusion
for some time, sanctioning its
testing at an England v Belgium international friendly last June. Wembley and the 20 Premier
League stadiums would have the
equipment installed should it be
approved. Last week, world governing body
Fifa chose German-based
GoalControl as the official goal-
line technology provider for the
Confederations Cup in Brazil in
June. "Technology that says 'yes, the
ball has crossed the line' and lets
the referee know makes an
awful lot of sense to me," Horne
added. "Particularly where it's a knock-
out situation, incorrect decisions
have less opportunity to even
themselves out over a season." Goal-line technology was used at
the Club World Cup in Japan at
the end of last year.
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
Everton withot Neville next season
Former England international
defender Phil Neville will leave
Everton at the end of the
season after eight years at the
club, he announced on Tuesday. The versatile 36-year-old, who
joined Everton from Manchester
United in 2005, said he wanted
to continue playing football at
the highest level. "It's been an honour to play for
and captain Everton Football
Club," Neville said in a statement
published on the club website,
www.evertonfc.com. "I've thoroughly enjoyed my time
on Merseyside and will leave with
immense pride. I would like to
thank the manager, chairman, all
of the staff and the players at
Everton for their continued support during my time at the
club. "I'd also like to pay a special
thanks to the fans, who have
been amazing over the past
eight years and Everton will
always have a place in my heart. "I want to continue to play at
the top level as long as I
physically can, and will be
weighing up my options before
making a decision on my next
move. I'll now be doing everything I can to help Everton
finish as high up the league table
as possible." It had already been announced
that Neville will take up a role
with the England Under-21 back-
room staff for the European
Championships in Israel in June. Neville's elder brother, Gary,
retired from football in 2011 and
currently combines work as a
television pundit with a coaching
role for the England senior team.
defender Phil Neville will leave
Everton at the end of the
season after eight years at the
club, he announced on Tuesday. The versatile 36-year-old, who
joined Everton from Manchester
United in 2005, said he wanted
to continue playing football at
the highest level. "It's been an honour to play for
and captain Everton Football
Club," Neville said in a statement
published on the club website,
www.evertonfc.com. "I've thoroughly enjoyed my time
on Merseyside and will leave with
immense pride. I would like to
thank the manager, chairman, all
of the staff and the players at
Everton for their continued support during my time at the
club. "I'd also like to pay a special
thanks to the fans, who have
been amazing over the past
eight years and Everton will
always have a place in my heart. "I want to continue to play at
the top level as long as I
physically can, and will be
weighing up my options before
making a decision on my next
move. I'll now be doing everything I can to help Everton
finish as high up the league table
as possible." It had already been announced
that Neville will take up a role
with the England Under-21 back-
room staff for the European
Championships in Israel in June. Neville's elder brother, Gary,
retired from football in 2011 and
currently combines work as a
television pundit with a coaching
role for the England senior team.
Europa league second leg Newcastle vs Benfica
Newcastle manager Alan Pardew believes his side are fully
capable of turning
their Europa League quarter- final clash against Benfica on its head in Thursday's second leg. The Magpies will require at least
two goals to progress having
suffered a 3-1 defeat in Portugal
last week, but will be backed by a
partisan crowd at St James' Park. And Pardew is confident the
Tyneside outfit can pull it off
should they keep themselves in
the tie until the final 20 minutes. He told ThePress Association: "We
just need to get ourselves in a
good position. If we can get a goal
with 20 minutes to go, we can do
it - that's the agenda for me. "Our fans need to understand on
Thursday, in the quarter-final of
the Europa League, that if we go
gung-ho looking for two quick
goals, we are just going to get
killed. "They [Benfica] have got real
quality on the break. We have got
to be very intelligent and we
have got to be patient."
capable of turning
their Europa League quarter- final clash against Benfica on its head in Thursday's second leg. The Magpies will require at least
two goals to progress having
suffered a 3-1 defeat in Portugal
last week, but will be backed by a
partisan crowd at St James' Park. And Pardew is confident the
Tyneside outfit can pull it off
should they keep themselves in
the tie until the final 20 minutes. He told ThePress Association: "We
just need to get ourselves in a
good position. If we can get a goal
with 20 minutes to go, we can do
it - that's the agenda for me. "Our fans need to understand on
Thursday, in the quarter-final of
the Europa League, that if we go
gung-ho looking for two quick
goals, we are just going to get
killed. "They [Benfica] have got real
quality on the break. We have got
to be very intelligent and we
have got to be patient."
Vicent kompany in racism
Greater
Manchester Police
are to investigate
claims that Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany was racially abused
following Monday
evening's win over Manchester
United. Abusive comments were allegedly
heard during the Belgian's post- match interview alongside James
Milner for Sky Sports in the aftermath of City's 2-1 victory at
Old Trafford. The footage in question has now
been handed to the police despite
neither Kompany or his club
lodging an official complaint
regarding the matter. A police statement read: "Greater
Manchester police have not
received a complaint about racist
abuse directed towards any
players following last night's
fixture, however we have now been made aware of this footage
by the Manchester Evening News. "The force will work with both
clubs and review any footage to
investigate the incident." The incident marks the second
Manchester derby controversy
this season, after United
defender Rio Ferdinand was
struck by a coin following Robin
van Persie's late winner at the Etihad Stadium in December.
Manchester Police
are to investigate
claims that Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany was racially abused
following Monday
evening's win over Manchester
United. Abusive comments were allegedly
heard during the Belgian's post- match interview alongside James
Milner for Sky Sports in the aftermath of City's 2-1 victory at
Old Trafford. The footage in question has now
been handed to the police despite
neither Kompany or his club
lodging an official complaint
regarding the matter. A police statement read: "Greater
Manchester police have not
received a complaint about racist
abuse directed towards any
players following last night's
fixture, however we have now been made aware of this footage
by the Manchester Evening News. "The force will work with both
clubs and review any footage to
investigate the incident." The incident marks the second
Manchester derby controversy
this season, after United
defender Rio Ferdinand was
struck by a coin following Robin
van Persie's late winner at the Etihad Stadium in December.
Juventus in munich clash
JUVENTUS
"Buffon Bonucci,Barzagli, Chiellini Padoin, Pogba, Pirlo, Marchisio, Peluso Vucinic, Quagliarella"
BAYERN MUNICH
"Neuer Lahm, Van Buyten, Dante, Alaba Martinez, Schweinsteiger
Robben, Muller, Ribery Mandzukic"
Juventus will be without Stephan
Lichtsteiner and Arturo Vidal for
the second leg clash in Turin
following their first-leg bookings,
as the Bianconeri look to
overturn a 2-0 deficit against newly-crowned German champions
Bayern Munich. The bulk of the Old Lady's
starting XI were rested at the
weekend which means there could
be up to seven changes to the
side that beat Pescara 2-1.
Gianluigi Buffon should return, while Andrea Barzagli and Giorgio
Chiellini are welcomed back from
their domestic suspensions,
meaning the back four that has
served Juve so well this season
will be unchanged. Federico Peluso is likely to start
ahead of Ghanaian Kwadwo
Asamoah, who has suffered
indifferent form since returning
from the Africa Cup of Nations.
Simone Padoin could fill the right wing-back slot while Paul Pogba is
in contention to start in place of
the suspended Vidal. Mirko Vucinic has fully recovered
from illness but Sebastian Giovinco
will miss the match after being
stretchered off on Saturday,
leaving Fabio Quagliarella and
Alessandro Matri to battle it out for the remaining place upfront. Javi Martinez is available again for
Bayern after being suspended for
the first leg, but Toni Kroos
injured his adductor in Munich
which means there is likely to be
a reshuffle in attack, with Arjen Robben wide on the right, Thomas
Muller drifting inside to occupy
the No.10 role and Franck Ribery
wide left. Mario Mandzukic was rested
against Frankfurt at the weekend
but he is likely to start again
against Antonio Conte's men.
"Buffon Bonucci,Barzagli, Chiellini Padoin, Pogba, Pirlo, Marchisio, Peluso Vucinic, Quagliarella"
BAYERN MUNICH
"Neuer Lahm, Van Buyten, Dante, Alaba Martinez, Schweinsteiger
Robben, Muller, Ribery Mandzukic"
Juventus will be without Stephan
Lichtsteiner and Arturo Vidal for
the second leg clash in Turin
following their first-leg bookings,
as the Bianconeri look to
overturn a 2-0 deficit against newly-crowned German champions
Bayern Munich. The bulk of the Old Lady's
starting XI were rested at the
weekend which means there could
be up to seven changes to the
side that beat Pescara 2-1.
Gianluigi Buffon should return, while Andrea Barzagli and Giorgio
Chiellini are welcomed back from
their domestic suspensions,
meaning the back four that has
served Juve so well this season
will be unchanged. Federico Peluso is likely to start
ahead of Ghanaian Kwadwo
Asamoah, who has suffered
indifferent form since returning
from the Africa Cup of Nations.
Simone Padoin could fill the right wing-back slot while Paul Pogba is
in contention to start in place of
the suspended Vidal. Mirko Vucinic has fully recovered
from illness but Sebastian Giovinco
will miss the match after being
stretchered off on Saturday,
leaving Fabio Quagliarella and
Alessandro Matri to battle it out for the remaining place upfront. Javi Martinez is available again for
Bayern after being suspended for
the first leg, but Toni Kroos
injured his adductor in Munich
which means there is likely to be
a reshuffle in attack, with Arjen Robben wide on the right, Thomas
Muller drifting inside to occupy
the No.10 role and Franck Ribery
wide left. Mario Mandzukic was rested
against Frankfurt at the weekend
but he is likely to start again
against Antonio Conte's men.
Borussia Dortmund or Derby country on the way to semi final
Borussia Dortmund booked their
space in the final
four of the
Champions League
with a miraculous
3-2 win over Malaga at the Signal Iduna Park. BVB failed to make
their dominance count at La Roselada last week
and it looked to be a recurring
theme when Joaquin put Manuel
Pellegrini's ahead, but Robert
Lewandowski equalised before the
break. Eliseu looked to have broken BVB hearts with a late
goal but two stoppage-time
strikes courtesy of Marco Reus
and Felipe Santana ensured an
unbelievable comeback. With the tie so delicately balanced
from the first leg, such a
conservative approach to the
early stages from both teams
was somewhat predictable. As the minutes ticked by the
hosts became more adventurous
and in the 16th minute
Lewandowski got his first chance
to shoot at goal. He elected for
an audacious 25-yard chip from Mario Gotze's pass but his
overcooked attempt floated over
the stranded Willy Caballero's goal. Los Boquerones had struggled to
string a meaningful attack
together but in the 25th minute
when they silenced the Signal
Iduna Park. Julio Baptista pounced on a poor
clearance from Felipe Santana and
his pass foundJoaquin. After a tight give-and-go with Isco, the
31-year-old cut inside onto his
left foot and sent a low shot past
Roman Weidenfeller to net a huge
away goal. Apprehension and frustration
began to spread around the
stadium but their worries were
eased five minutes before half
time. Reus flicked Gotze's pass
beautifully into the path of Lewandowski who rounded Willy and slotted the ball into the
empty net to finish off a superb
team move. Joaquin was gifted a free header
in the last action of the first half
which Weidenfeller comfortably
held and the start of the second
half offered similarly enticing
opportunities for both sides. Lewandowski was unable to guide
his shot past Willy after some
more quick, crisp interplay with
Gotze and minutes later the
Weidenfeller managed to get a
strong hand to the ball to keep Joaquin's header. Malaga continued to squeeze the
play and force the Bundesliga side
into sending the long ball up from
the back. However, when Sergio
Sanchez failed to deal with one
such pass Gotze could not find the from a glorious position in the
53rd minute. The organisation of Pellegrini's
defence was exemplary and after
Dortmund had a goal ruled out
correctly for offside, Duda's
thunderous effort almost added
to the disappointment of the home fans. The heroics of Malaga goalkeeper
Willy were a huge reason that the
first leg ended goalless and the
Argentine was at it again in the
closing stages, denying both Reus
and Gotze from close range The home fans' misery looked to
have been compounded in the
82nd minute as a swift break
from the visitors ended with
second-half substituteEliseu sweeping home from close range. Yet there was still time for one of
the most dramatic comebacks in
Champions League history, which Reus began as he slotted home following a long ball in the 91st
minute. Two minutes later the turnaround
was complete and the stadium
went from despair to unbridled
jubilation.
Following a cross from the left a
scramble in the area was put to an end whenSantana swept the ball into the net from one yard
out. Somehow Dortmund, who will be
joined in the semi-finals by Real
Madrid, managed to keep their
unbeaten home record in the
tournament intact as their
victory ended Malaga's fairytale run.
space in the final
four of the
Champions League
with a miraculous
3-2 win over Malaga at the Signal Iduna Park. BVB failed to make
their dominance count at La Roselada last week
and it looked to be a recurring
theme when Joaquin put Manuel
Pellegrini's ahead, but Robert
Lewandowski equalised before the
break. Eliseu looked to have broken BVB hearts with a late
goal but two stoppage-time
strikes courtesy of Marco Reus
and Felipe Santana ensured an
unbelievable comeback. With the tie so delicately balanced
from the first leg, such a
conservative approach to the
early stages from both teams
was somewhat predictable. As the minutes ticked by the
hosts became more adventurous
and in the 16th minute
Lewandowski got his first chance
to shoot at goal. He elected for
an audacious 25-yard chip from Mario Gotze's pass but his
overcooked attempt floated over
the stranded Willy Caballero's goal. Los Boquerones had struggled to
string a meaningful attack
together but in the 25th minute
when they silenced the Signal
Iduna Park. Julio Baptista pounced on a poor
clearance from Felipe Santana and
his pass foundJoaquin. After a tight give-and-go with Isco, the
31-year-old cut inside onto his
left foot and sent a low shot past
Roman Weidenfeller to net a huge
away goal. Apprehension and frustration
began to spread around the
stadium but their worries were
eased five minutes before half
time. Reus flicked Gotze's pass
beautifully into the path of Lewandowski who rounded Willy and slotted the ball into the
empty net to finish off a superb
team move. Joaquin was gifted a free header
in the last action of the first half
which Weidenfeller comfortably
held and the start of the second
half offered similarly enticing
opportunities for both sides. Lewandowski was unable to guide
his shot past Willy after some
more quick, crisp interplay with
Gotze and minutes later the
Weidenfeller managed to get a
strong hand to the ball to keep Joaquin's header. Malaga continued to squeeze the
play and force the Bundesliga side
into sending the long ball up from
the back. However, when Sergio
Sanchez failed to deal with one
such pass Gotze could not find the from a glorious position in the
53rd minute. The organisation of Pellegrini's
defence was exemplary and after
Dortmund had a goal ruled out
correctly for offside, Duda's
thunderous effort almost added
to the disappointment of the home fans. The heroics of Malaga goalkeeper
Willy were a huge reason that the
first leg ended goalless and the
Argentine was at it again in the
closing stages, denying both Reus
and Gotze from close range The home fans' misery looked to
have been compounded in the
82nd minute as a swift break
from the visitors ended with
second-half substituteEliseu sweeping home from close range. Yet there was still time for one of
the most dramatic comebacks in
Champions League history, which Reus began as he slotted home following a long ball in the 91st
minute. Two minutes later the turnaround
was complete and the stadium
went from despair to unbridled
jubilation.
Following a cross from the left a
scramble in the area was put to an end whenSantana swept the ball into the net from one yard
out. Somehow Dortmund, who will be
joined in the semi-finals by Real
Madrid, managed to keep their
unbeaten home record in the
tournament intact as their
victory ended Malaga's fairytale run.
Real madrid qualify to semi final Uefa champions league
Real Madrid were made to sweat in
Istanbul but held
on for a 3-2
defeat away to Galatasaray, a result which
nevertheless
assured their
passage into the
last four of the Champions League with a 5-3
victory on aggregate. The Spanish side looked set to
cruise through when Cristiano
Ronaldo opened up a four-goal
aggregate lead in the opening
minutes, but a timid response by
the visitors encouraged the Turkish giants to chase the
impossible, which they almost
achieved as Emmanuel Eboue,
Wesley Sneijder and Didier Drogba
hit in the second half. Ronaldo
finally ended their hopes with a late goal that sealed victory. Virtually assured of a place in the
Champions League semi-finals
thanks to a dominant 3-0 win in
the Santiago Bernabeu, Real
Madrid nevertheless began the
second leg in belligerent fashion, pushing forward immediately in
search of a goal. Angel Di Maria was almost the
man to provide it in the first
minute of play, picking up a loose
ball after Fernando Muslera's
rushed clearance outside the
area. The Argentine went for the net, but with Galatasaray
defenders scampering back he
saw the effort fall just the wrong
side of the post. Away fans, however, did not have
to wait long, as after just seven
minutes of play the Merengue got
the strike that would surely put
the tie beyond the faintest of
doubts. An overlapping Sami Khedira streaked past on the
right-hand side, and put a teasing
ball into the middle. As the Turkish
backline failed to react, Cristiano Ronaldo was on hand to tap home, recording his 49th
Champions League goal and
drawing level with the legendary
Alfredo Di Stefano in the historical
charts. Despite that early blow,
Galatasaray held their heads high,
dominating possession against
Jose Mourinho's men and
attempting to match their rivals.
Didier Drogba was the target of much of the Turks' attacking play,
but was let down by poor service
and his own fading reflexes, and
struggled to make an impact.
Madrid sat back and were
content to allow their opponents to do the running, while on the
counter-attack they remained a
frightening force. This potency on the break was
demonstrated when Di Maria went
within a hair's breadth of adding
a second. The midfielder latched
to a wonderful flick from Ronaldo
to break free on the left, and looked destined to put his name
on the board. He did not count on
the heroics of Muslera, however.
The goalkeeper pulled off a
breathtaking fingertip save to
keep Angel out, and ensure that the gap would not widen as the
two sides went in for the break. The Turkish side continued their
unlikely pursuit in the second half,
and were rewarded with their
first goal of the tie 57 minutes in
- and it was one worth waiting
for. A speculative ball across the Madrid area was not picked up by
anyone, which allowedEmmanuel Eboue to meet it just on the edge
of the area. The right-back had
been disappointing during the
opening hour, but atoned with a
stunning power shot which left
Lopez no chance to save, and put Galatasaray on the board.
Istanbul but held
on for a 3-2
defeat away to Galatasaray, a result which
nevertheless
assured their
passage into the
last four of the Champions League with a 5-3
victory on aggregate. The Spanish side looked set to
cruise through when Cristiano
Ronaldo opened up a four-goal
aggregate lead in the opening
minutes, but a timid response by
the visitors encouraged the Turkish giants to chase the
impossible, which they almost
achieved as Emmanuel Eboue,
Wesley Sneijder and Didier Drogba
hit in the second half. Ronaldo
finally ended their hopes with a late goal that sealed victory. Virtually assured of a place in the
Champions League semi-finals
thanks to a dominant 3-0 win in
the Santiago Bernabeu, Real
Madrid nevertheless began the
second leg in belligerent fashion, pushing forward immediately in
search of a goal. Angel Di Maria was almost the
man to provide it in the first
minute of play, picking up a loose
ball after Fernando Muslera's
rushed clearance outside the
area. The Argentine went for the net, but with Galatasaray
defenders scampering back he
saw the effort fall just the wrong
side of the post. Away fans, however, did not have
to wait long, as after just seven
minutes of play the Merengue got
the strike that would surely put
the tie beyond the faintest of
doubts. An overlapping Sami Khedira streaked past on the
right-hand side, and put a teasing
ball into the middle. As the Turkish
backline failed to react, Cristiano Ronaldo was on hand to tap home, recording his 49th
Champions League goal and
drawing level with the legendary
Alfredo Di Stefano in the historical
charts. Despite that early blow,
Galatasaray held their heads high,
dominating possession against
Jose Mourinho's men and
attempting to match their rivals.
Didier Drogba was the target of much of the Turks' attacking play,
but was let down by poor service
and his own fading reflexes, and
struggled to make an impact.
Madrid sat back and were
content to allow their opponents to do the running, while on the
counter-attack they remained a
frightening force. This potency on the break was
demonstrated when Di Maria went
within a hair's breadth of adding
a second. The midfielder latched
to a wonderful flick from Ronaldo
to break free on the left, and looked destined to put his name
on the board. He did not count on
the heroics of Muslera, however.
The goalkeeper pulled off a
breathtaking fingertip save to
keep Angel out, and ensure that the gap would not widen as the
two sides went in for the break. The Turkish side continued their
unlikely pursuit in the second half,
and were rewarded with their
first goal of the tie 57 minutes in
- and it was one worth waiting
for. A speculative ball across the Madrid area was not picked up by
anyone, which allowedEmmanuel Eboue to meet it just on the edge
of the area. The right-back had
been disappointing during the
opening hour, but atoned with a
stunning power shot which left
Lopez no chance to save, and put Galatasaray on the board.
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