FIFA allows Egypt to host World Cup playoff in Cairo

Egypt, trailing 6-1 from the first leg, have been cleared by FIFA to host the World Cup playoff return match against Ghana in Cairo despite safety concerns.

The Ghana FA had urged soccer's ruling body to find "a safe and secure venue" on neutral territory for the Nov. 19 game following recent violence in the Egyptian capital.

However, FIFA on Wednesday confirmed Cairo as the venue after a visit by inspectors and a demand that Egypt provide security guarantees, it said in a letter to both countries released by the Ghana FA.

The winners of the playoff will qualify for next year's World Cup in Brazil.

FIFA said the Confederation of African Football's decision to stage the Champions League final at Cairo's Air Defence Stadium on Nov. 10 shows the situation in Egypt is getting "back to normal".

Egypt will allow fans to watch both games after previously banishing big matches to a small stadium in El Gouna on the Red Sea coast and away from major urban areas.

The second leg of the African Champions League final is between Al Ahli of Egypt and the South African club Orlando Pirates and will follow the first match in Soweto on Saturday.

Arsenal's Gnabry signs new contract

  Arsenal forward Serge Gnabry has signed a new long-term contract with the Premier League leaders, the club said on Monday.

The 18-year-old Germany youth international signed his first professional contract in mid-2012, and has made four league appearances, scoring in the 2-1 victory over Swansea City in September.

"He has technical ability, he has power, he has pace, he has finishing quality and he can give a final ball," Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger told the club's website (www.arsenal.com).

"He's a powerful offensive player and I believe that he will be a great player for Arsenal Football Club."

The length of the contract was not disclosed.

FC Barcelona vs Real Madrid (2:1) Highlights 26.10.2013

Barcelona v Real Madrid 1-0 ( Neymar goal vs Real Madrid 19′)
Barca vs Real Madrid 2-0 ( Alexis Sanchez chip v Real Madrid 78′)
Barcelona vs Real Madrid 2-1 ( Jese goal v Barca 90+1′)
Barcelona v Real Madrid 2013 attendance:- 98,761 ( Referee- Undiano)
FCB starting lineup vs Real Madrid 2013:- Valdes, Alves, Adriano, Pique, Mascherano, Fabregas, Iniesta, Xavi, Busquets, Messi, Neymar
Real Madrid starting XI v Barca El Classico 2013:- Lopez, Ramos, Pepe, Carvajal, Marcelo, Modric, Varane, Khedira, Bale, Di Maria, Ronaldo

&&

Barcelona vs. Real Madrid 26.10.2013 La Liga Clasico

 

1. Who will win?
Match will be a draw. The game will be played carefully as a loss could mean a huge boost on the opposition's morale. Barcelona started the season a lot better but Real Madrid has gained some momentum after the win against Málaga -the performance was quite good- while Barcelona is not playing as well as they were before.

2. Who is Real Madrid's key player... aside from Cristiano? It depends on what kind of game is being played, but to me Luka Modric is the one midfielder that holds the key for Real Madrid. It's obvious that Bale should step it up soon but we haven't seen him yet because of the injuries he's had. Therefore, I expect Modric to start the match at the Camp Nou in Isco's place and contribute big. He doesn't have a big body but his defensive positioning is good and his skills as a playmakerare obviously there. I wasn't too convinced on him as a signing last season but his 2013 has been remarkable. He's a great player.

3. What will be Barcelona's weakest point Madrid will attempt to exploit?Real Madrid will obviously try to harm Barcelona's transition defense. And Ancelotti has the right players to do that. Yes, this Real Madrid is not as good as Mourinho's one when it comes to counterattack, but Di María/Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo should be something Barcelona fans should be afraid of considering Martino's defensive line. I expect a big counterattacking lineup by Ancelotti (no Isco, as I said before).

4. What will be Real's strongest point they must capitalize on?Pace on the offensive line and through balls. While Özil was a big player to perform that way, Modric is also a good passer. If Ronaldo, Di María or Bale find the open space behind Busquets' back, the defensive line will be in a lot of danger. And of course, the team need to wear Xavi & Iniesta down with intensity by Illarramendi, Modric and Khedira.

5. Who will shine more, Gareth Bale or Neymar?Neymar should. I mean, if Bale shines more than Neymar after not starting a match since the 2-2 draw against Villarreal in the 4th week of La Liga, that would be a huge disappointment. Believe or not, I think Neymar is a great player. He's not living up to expectations just yet (same happens with Bale) as I expected him to be a much more efficient scorer. Still, it's not easy to play alongside Messi. Neymar was used to get a lot of touches with Santos and he's not receiving the ball as much now. Neymar will surely start the match, and I don't expect Bale to do that considering how well and fit Di María is right now.

6. What are the key matchups?Three big matchups come to mind. 1-Arbeloa-Neymar: Arbeloa has always played well against Barcelona but he struggled against Brazil during the Confe Cup. I expect Di María to help him a lot. 2-Illarramendi-Messi: Xabi Alonso was a great defensive asset against Messi, but he will not be available. It will be hard for Illarra to play that well. 3-Di María/Bale-Adriano: With no Jordi Alba, Barcelona will have a hard time trying to stop Real's right wing. Yes, Adriano is a good player (better than some give him credit for), but he will surely struggle against those two players if Real Madrid manage to find them. You would also have the Cristiano Ronaldo-Alves+Piqué, of course, but that's not a new matchup that I wanted to highlight.

can you Watch match here link

 

Ribery shines as holders Bayern ease to victory

Bayern Munich's Franck Ribery dazzled on his return from injury, scoring twice as the holders demolished Viktoria Plzen 5-0 in the Champions League on Wednesday and edged closer to the knockout stage with three wins out of three Group D games.

Bayern, whose last encounter with Plzen was back in 1971 and a 7-1 aggregate win, set a frantic early pace and European footballer of the year Ribery gave them a deserved 25th-minute lead with a spot kick.

David Alaba doubled it 12 minutes later with a low drive and Ribery got another with a superb chip in the second half. Bastian Schweinsteiger added a goal three minutes later and Mario Goetze completed the scoring in stoppage time.

The result gave leaders Bayern nine points, three ahead of Manchester City, who beat CSKA Moscow 2-1. Plzen are bottom of the table having lost their three games.

It was always going to be a one-side affair with the entire Plzen team worth about as much as Bayern midfielder Xherdan Shaqiri and the hosts made their intentions clear from the start.

Plzen keeper Matus Kozacik twice let the ball slip through his hands in the opening minutes as Bayern pressed for an early goal.

Arjen Robben almost got it but his sliding effort went just wide in the sixth minute with the Czechs in complete disarray.

Kozacik was kept busy and did well to save shots from Ribery and Alaba as the Bavarian onslaught continued.

Ribery, who set a German record after having not been on the losing side for Bayern in 39 games, gave them a well-deserved lead with a penalty after Robben was brought down in the box.

Alaba scored with a fine solo effort and a shot from just inside the box in the 37th as Bayern played cat-and-mouse with the bottom-placed Czechs.

Two quickfire goals from Ribery, with a superb chip, and Schweinsteiger's fine turn in the box, followed in the second half and substitute Goetze sealed the win from close range to end a nightmare evening for the Czechs.

Galatasaray vs FC Copenhagen 3-1 Highlights 23.10.2013 uefa champions league

Galatasaray registered a win against Copenhagen in the match of UEFA Champions League. Galatasaray vs Copenhagen match ended with 3-1 scoreline in UEFA Champions League 2013.

Galatasaray vs Copenhagen 3-1 Highlights Video Clips UEFA Champions League 2013


Full Time Score : Galatasaray 3-1 Copenhagen.

Galatasaray 3-1 Copenhagen Goals

Galatasaray vs Copenhagen 1-0 (Melo scored goal vs Copenhagen)

Galatasaray vs Copenhagen 2-0 (Sneijder scored goal vs Copenhagen)

Galatasaray vs Copenhagen 3-0 (Drogba goal vs Copenhagen)

Galatasaray vs Copenhagen 3-1 (Claudemir goal vs Galatasaray)

Rampant Ronaldo rattles double as Real down Juve

Cristiano Ronaldo continued his blistering start to Real Madrid's Champions League campaign when he struck twice in a 2-1 win at home to 10-man Juventus on Tuesday that put Real firmly in charge of Group B.

The Portuguese forward's double took his goal tally in Europe's elite club competition to seven in three appearances this season, his first coming when he rounded Juve goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon and finished superbly from a tight angle in the fourth minute at the Bernabeu.

Spain forward Fernando Llorente levelled for the visitors in the 22nd minute before the referee ruled Giorgio Chiellini had impeded Sergio Ramos in the penalty area at a freekick and Ronaldo put away the 29th-minute spot kick.

Italy centre back Chiellini had a night to forget as he was shown a straight red card three minutes into the second half when he checked Ronaldo's run down the right with a flailing arm and Juve hardly threatened Real's goal for the rest of the game.

Real top the group with a perfect nine points with three games to play, with Galatasaray in second on four points after they thumped bottom-placed FC Copenhagen 3-1 in Istanbul.

Juve are third on two points and the Italian champions are in real danger of failing to make the last 16 with their next game at home to Real looming on Nov. 5.

Ronaldo's brace lifted him above former Real and Manchester United striker Ruud van Nistelrooy into third on the all-time list of Champions League top scorers with 57 goals, with only Barcelona forward Lionel Messi and Raul, another ex-Real forward, ahead of him.

The 28-year-old Ronaldo is only the second player in the history of Europe's elite club competition to hit seven in his team's opening three games after AC Milan's Filippo Inzaghi.

There was no place for record signing Gareth Bale in the Real starting lineup, with coach Carlo Ancelotti opting to deploy Angel Di Maria despite Bale's return to action after injury as a second-half substitute against Malaga at the weekend.

The 100 million-euro ($138 million) Wales winger replaced Karim Benzema with just over 20 minutes left but failed to make much of an impact.

France striker Benzema turned in another disappointing performance, fluffing one chance on the hour when he was right in front of an empty goal, and was roundly whistled by the impatient Real fans.

Messi goal gives Barcelona draw at AC Milan

 A Lionel Messi strike in his first start since injury kept Barcelona two points clear at the top of Group H after drawing 1-1 at AC Milan in the Champions League on Tuesday.

The Argentine struck in the 23rd minute with a fine finish to a breakaway move to cancel out Robinho's stylish ninth minute opener, which came during a frantic opening period of pressure from the home side.

Barcelona moved up to seven points, with unbeaten Milan in second spot on five, two ahead of Celtic who beat Ajax 2-1 in Glasgow.

Milan came racing out of the blocks, putting pressure on Barca's backline and a defensive error led to Robinho's goal.

The Brazilian beat the away side's dithering defenders to a high ball, and after exchanging passes with countryman Kaka, slid a simple finish past Victor Valdes.

The home side rarely looked troubled in the opening period, but found themselves back to square one 14 minutes later after giving the ball away sloppily to Andres Iniesta.

"The lads played an excellent match, we gave little away but still created a few good chances. Pity about the (Barca) goal, we were punished for a mistake," Milan coach Massimiliano Allegri told reporters.

The Spain midfielder slipped in Messi on the right, who after cutting inside drilled low to level the scores just as he looked to have lost his footing.

Barca dominated the second half against a tired Milan, but despite a couple of good chances couldn't make the most of their possession and had to settle for a point.

"We lost two points... because we created more goal chances and for this reason we deserved a victory," said Barcelona's coach Gerardo Martino.

"It's not easy to play with so many players spread across yuour opponents' midfield."

Ac Milan Vs Barcelona 1-1 2013 Goals & Highlights (22-10-2013) (Robinho,...

UEFA Champions League live coverage

AC Milan 1-1 Barcelona (FT)

Scorers: Robinho, 8' (1-0), Leo Messi, 23' (1-1)


Lineups:

AC Milan: Amelia; Abate, Zapata, Mexes, Constant; Montolivo, De Jong, Muntari; Birsa (Poli), Kaka (Emanuelson), Robinho (Balotelli).

Barcelona: Valdes, Alves, Pique, Mascherano, Adriano, Busquets, Xavi, Iniesta, Alexis Sanchez (Cesc), Messi, Neymar (Pedro).

Hulk breaks Porto hearts as Zenit win on his return

 

 Brazil forward Hulk broke the hearts of his former club's supporters when he set up Aleksandr Kerzhakov's late winner for Zenit St Petersburg in a 1-0 Champions League win at Porto on Tuesday.

The home team made it hard for themselves when Hector Herrera was sent off in the sixth minute. It was the quickest dismissal in the history of the competition for a player receiving two yellow cards.

Zenit have four points from three games in Group G, five behind runaway leaders Atletico Madrid who beat Austria Vienna 3-0. Porto are third with three points and Vienna have one.

All eyes at the Dragao stadium were on the burly Hulk who was back at the club where he spent four memorable years, and he received a hero's welcome.

Hulk had promised not to celebrate if Zenit scored and he kept his word after setting up substitute Kerzhakov for a fine header in the 86th minute.

Napoli beat Marseille in style to stay on course

 

Two superb goals earned Napoli a 2-1 win at Olympique Marseille on Tuesday that put the French team on the brink of elimination and the Italians back on course for a last-16 spot.

Jose Callejon and Duvan Zapata finished off excellent teamwork in style in the 42nd and 67th minutes to give Napoli six points from three matches, level with Arsenal and Borussia Dortmund. Marseille are bottom after three defeats.

Marseille reduced the arrears through Andre Ayew in the 86th minute but never came to terms with the astonishing pace of Belgium winger Dries Mertens.

"The coach told us that they had lost a lot of games lately so we had to put them under pressure early on," Mertens told Canal Plus. "Once we get the ball back, we are fast in front of goal, that's one of our qualities.

"Six points for everyone - too bad Dortmund won - but we now have two matches out of three at home." Napoli play host to Marseille in their next match.

Ayew said: "Once again we're disappointed. We just have to keep our mouths shut and get back to work. Now the most important thing is the league." Marseille have lost their last four games in all competitions.

Elie Baup's side came close early in the first half when Benoit Cheyrou's deflection off Jeremy Morel went just wide but that was about all the home side had to show for themselves.

Mertens, with his delicate turns and speed, proved a permanent threat to the Marseille defence.

In the 34th minute, at the end of a sharp counter-attack, Gonzalo Higuain missed a sitter, shooting wide despite being alone in front of goalkeeper Steve Mandanda.

Eight minutes later, midfielder Callejon opened the scoring following a superb defence-splitting pass from Higuain. The Spaniard chested the ball down and fired a half-volley past Mandanda as Napoli were rewarded for their domination.

Mertens flicked the ball into the path of the second-half substitute Zapata with a cunning back heel and the Colombian striker curled a shot into the top corner from 20 metres to put the visitors 2-0 up.

Striker Andre-Pierre Gignac was nowhere to be seen and was replaced in the 77th minute by Jordan Ayew. But it was the Ghana international's brother Andre who found the back of the net with a 20-metre half-volley to ease Marseille's pain.

One blot on Napoli's night was that seven of their fans were arrested by police for clashing with Marseille supporters. Several were slightly injured, police reported.

Messi goal gives Barcelona draw at AC Milan

 

 A Lionel Messi strike in his first start since injury kept Barcelona two points clear at the top of Group H after drawing 1-1 at AC Milan in the Champions League on Tuesday.

The Argentine struck in the 23rd minute with a fine finish to a breakaway move to cancel out Robinho's stylish ninth minute opener, which came during a frantic opening period of pressure from the home side.

Barcelona moved up to seven points, with unbeaten Milan in second spot on five, two ahead of Celtic who beat Ajax 2-1 in Glasgow.

Milan came racing out of the blocks, putting pressure on Barca's backline and a defensive error led to Robinho's goal.

The Brazilian beat the away side's dithering defenders to a high ball, and after exchanging passes with countryman Kaka, slid a simple finish past Victor Valdes.

The home side rarely looked troubled in the opening period, but found themselves back to square one 14 minutes later after giving the ball away sloppily to Andres Iniesta.

"The lads played an excellent match, we gave little away but still created a few good chances. Pity about the (Barca) goal, we were punished for a mistake," Milan coach Massimiliano Allegri told reporters.

The Spain midfielder slipped in Messi on the right, who after cutting inside drilled low to level the scores just as he looked to have lost his footing.

Barca dominated the second half against a tired Milan, but despite a couple of good chances couldn't make the most of their possession and had to settle for a point.

"We lost two points... because we created more goal chances and for this reason we deserved a victory," said Barcelona's coach Gerardo Martino.

"It's not easy to play with so many players spread across yuour opponents' midfield."

Ahli win shootout to reach African Champions League final

 

 Holders Al Ahli won a penalty shootout 7-6 to beat Coton Sport of Cameroon on Sunday and go into next month's African Champions League final.

A 1-1 draw in the second leg of their semi-final in El Gouna meant the two clubs had ended 2-2 on aggregate after a similar score in the first leg two weeks ago.

Ahli remain on course to retain their title and extend their record number of successes in the continent's top club competition when they meet Orlando Pirates of South Africa in the two-legged final next month.

Abdullah Al Saied scored after three minutes to give the Egyptian club the perfect start, leaping above two defenders to head home a sweeping cross from Sayed Moawad in one of the first attacks of the game on a bumpy and dusty pitch in the Red Sea resort.

Ahli, who rested three internationals involved in Egypt's 6-1 loss to Ghana in Tuesday's World Cup qualifying play-off, had several chances to extend the lead in the opening half-hour but Coton Sport got a well-deserved equaliser in the 65th minute.

A sweeping move down the left ended with a cross that allowed Alexis Yougouda to score his seventh goal of the campaign, sliding home the ball from close range.

In the shootout, Mohamed Aboutrika missed the first kick for Ahli but his team mates scored from the next seven. The decisive miss came from Jacques Haman.

The match was played behind closed doors because of a spectator ban for Ahli following recent crowd violence. Their coach Mohamed Youssef was also banished to the stands after being sent off during the first leg in Garoua two weeks ago.

Ahli have won seven previous Champions League titles, making them African football's most successful club.

Monaco let two-goal lead slip at Sochaux

 

Monaco trailed Ligue 1 leaders Paris St Germain by two points after they wasted a two-goal lead in a disappointing 2-2 draw at lowly Sochaux on Sunday.

Yannick Ferreira Carrasco had put Claudio Ranieri's side 2-0 up after 10 minutes, but Sochaux, in coach Herve Renard's first game in charge, fought back after the break with goals by Cedric Bakambu and Joseph Lopy.

Monaco have 22 points from 10 games to PSG's 24 after the French champions hammered Bastia 4-0 at home on Saturday.

Sochaux, who had lost six of their nine opening games in Ligue 1, remained second from bottom on six points.

Monaco got off to a great start, with Ferreira latching on to a Marcel Tisserand cross in the fifth minute and doubling the tally five minutes later by firing past Simon Pouplin after intercepting a poor back pass by Carlao.

Monaco were without France defender Eric Abidal, who pulled out following a thigh injury scare during warm up.

"It's nothing serious," Abidal told BeIN Sport.

"I had that pain yesterday and we did not want to take any risk. I'd rather lose three days than three weeks."

Sochaux stepped up a gear after the interval and striker Bakambu reduced the arrears with a powerful header 11 minutes into the second half.

Thirteen minutes later, Lopy equalised with a header at the far post from Rafael Dias's corner kick.

Late arrival Vidal fined and benched by Juve

 

Juventus midfielder Arturo Vidal was dropped by coach Antonio Conte on Sunday and is also likely to be fined after returning late from a World Cup qualifier with Chile.

The midfielder, arguably Juve's most influential player after Andrea Pirlo and goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon, returned on Saturday afternoon, blaming missed flights and a strike at an unidentified airport.

"The rules are there and have to be respected," Juventus director Giuseppe Marotta told reporters. "We have spoken to him and he will certainly be fined.

"It's right that Conte has taken this decision."

Vidal was left on the bench for the start of the Serie A match at Fiorentina and brought on in the 76th minute of Juve's 4-2 defeat.

Haas shows no signs of slowing down as he trumps Haase

 

Tommy Haas kept alive his slim chances of qualifying for next month's ATP World Tour Finals when he edged past near namesake Robin Haase 6-3 4-6 6-4 to lift his 15th career title at the Vienna Open on Sunday.

The 35-year-old German won his second trophy of the season after triumphing in Munich in May.

"This victory is really something special," the world number 12, who also won in Vienna 12 years ago, told reporters. "You don't win tournaments too often and this year I've won in my two favourite cities."

Haas, whose career seemed all but over after he suffered a series of shoulder, elbow and hip injuries, is certainly relishing all the unexpected success he has enjoyed in recent months.

"If you'd seen me 3-1/2 years ago ... I was really asking myself if it made sense to continue," Haas said. "I have been paying a lot of attention to my fitness and nutrition and I am always looking to improve my tennis."

Haas's never-say-die attitude certainly helped him out of a hole when he trailed Dutchman Haase 4-2 in the final set.

A Haase double fault gave him the break back in the next game and from then on there was no stopping the German, who completed the win when Haase flicked a backhand long.

Haas, currently 12th in the ATP Race, only has an outside chance of making it to next month's eight-man season finale at London's O2 Arena.

Rafa Nadal, Novak Djokovic, David Ferrer and Juan Martin Del Potro have qualified for the tournament and Wimbledon champion Andy Murray has pulled out following back surgery.

Tomas Berdych, Stanislas Wawrinka, Roger Federer, Richard Gasquet, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Milos Raonic and longshot Haas are in a battle to secure the remaining four spots.

Dimitrov upsets Ferrer to win maiden tour title

          

Bulgaria's Grigor Dimitrov won his first ATP tour title by fighting back to upset Spanish top seed David Ferrer 2-6 6-3 6-4 in the final of the Stockholm Open on Sunday.

Ferrer, bidding for his third title of the year, got off to a flying start by winning the first set comfortably as both players' serves faltered.

Dimitrov broke late in the second to force a decider and then staved off two break points that would have put him 4-2 down in the third before battling his way to victory against this year's French Open finalist.

"Even if I would have lost the match, the most important thing was to test myself to the limits and try to control what I can. This was icing on the cake," the 22-year-old said on the ATP website

Townsend on target as Spurs beat Villa

 

Andros Townsend kept the spotlight firmly trained on him by netting his first Premier League goal in Tottenham Hotspur's 2-0 victory over Aston Villa on Sunday.

The 22-year-old, who signed a four-year deal with Spurs on Friday having scored on his England debut the previous week before finding himself at the centre of a racism furore, put his side ahead in the 31st minute with a cross that found the net.

Roberto Soldado doubled the advantage on 69 minutes after a sublime touch from Paulinho set up the Spanish forward for a neat finish.

The match was marred just after Townsend's opener when a linesman was hit in the back by a flare thrown from the crowd at Villa Park. He was able to continue but a blue cloud of smoke lingered for some time.

Victory lifted Spurs to fifth in the standings with 16 points from eight games, level with fourth-placed Manchester City. Arsenal are top on 19 with Chelsea and Liverpool two points behind.

"It's been one of the best few weeks of my life," Townsend told Sky Sports. "The main thing today was getting back to winning ways after the result against West Ham and I think the second-half performance showed what we are all about."

Catania fire coach Maran, bring in De Canio

                     

                                  

Rolando Maran, who led Catania through one of their best seasons last term, became the third Serie A coaching victim of the campaign when he was fired on Sunday.

The club immediately named Luigi De Canio as his replacement.

Maran was dismissed one day after the Sicilians lost 2-1 to Cagliari, leaving them with five points from eight games.

"The club thanks (Maran) for the work he has developed and wishes him all the best in his career," Catania said on their website. (www.ilcalciocatania.it).

The 50-year-old took over before the start of last season and led them to an impressive eighth, equalling their best-ever finish.

De Canio's last coaching job was at Genoa last year, where he was sacked after six months. He has coached around a dozen clubs in Italy as well as English side Queen's Park Rangers.

Cagliari replaced Ivo Pulga with Diego Lopez before the season started and Genoa fired Fabio Liverani after seven matches.

Russia coach Capello expects 'big problems' in Brazil

 

 Russia coach Fabio Capello says marathon plane trips, crammed airports and rapid temperature changes will cause serious problems at the World Cup finals in Brazil next year.

"(I expect) a lot of problems, big problems with the transport and playing in different conditions," Capello told reporters during a Champions League Trophy Tour in Sofia on Friday. "You'll need to travel a lot."

Brazil will become the fifth country to host the World Cup twice after Mexico, Italy, France and Germany. The 1950 finals also took place in Brazil.

"It's also cold in the south and it's really warm in the north," added the 67-year-old Italian. "I don't know how they decided that you can play in the north and then play in the south only a few days later."

Last month, the world players' union FIFPro said players had already suffered the effects of the intense heat at this year's Confederation Cup, especially at the Fortaleza semi-final between Italy and Spain which went to extra time.

Some matches are scheduled to kick off at 1300 local time in tropical venues.

"I spoke to the Italian and Spanish players after the semi-final and they said it was impossible to play extra time in that heat, and it was a late afternoon kickoff," FIFPro secretary general Theo van Seggelen said.

Brazilian airports are notoriously packed and have stuggled to cope with air traffic growth which Capello sees as a big concern for the travelling supporters during the 32-team finals.

"The competition is so exciting but it'll be difficult for the fans to follow it because the airports are not so big and I think this will be a big problem," the former England manager, who replaced Dick Advocaat as Russia coach following the team's poor showing at Euro 2012, said.

The Russians, who have not qualified for the World Cup since 2002, clinched a place in the next year's tournament after finishing top in Group F, one point ahead of Portugal. Russia will host the 2018 finals.

It will be the fifth time the World Cup finals have been staged in South America after Uruguay in 1930, Chile in 1962 and Argentina in 1978.

This year, FIFA said it wanted the centenary World Cup in 2030 to be jointly staged by Uruguay and Argentina, who met in the final of the inaugural tournament.

West Ham vs Manchester City 1:3 Highlights premiere league

Premier League: West Ham United FC vs Manchester City FC 1:3. Goal highlights

 

Wenger has silenced Arsenal critics - Bergkamp

                                                                

Manager Arsene Wenger has silenced his critics with Arsenal's rip-roaring start to the season, club great Dennis Bergkamp said on Friday.

After losing their opening Premier League match 3-1 at home to Aston Villa, the north Londoners have been revitalised by the signing of Germany playmaker Mesut Ozil and are unbeaten in the 11 matches they have played in all competitions since.

The Premier League leaders are without a trophy since 2005 but ex-Arsenal striker Bergkamp believes they can end that barren run by winning the title in May.

"He (Wenger) has silenced the critics a little bit although you never know what will happen in the season," the former Netherlands international told talkSPORT radio.

"For now they're doing really well. They bought a terrific player in Mesut Ozil. It's going well at the minute.

"It's still early days of course but they're now going into November, a month where Arsenal are known for having problems. If they are still up at the top of the league in January or February I think they've got a good (title) chance."

Bergkamp joined Arsenal from Inter Milan in 1995, playing 423 times for the club in 11 years and scoring 120 goals.

He won the league on three occasions and the FA Cup four times and was a key part of the club's undefeated league season in 2003-04.

Having been a part of Wenger's golden era, Bergkamp says the criticism the Frenchman received in the close season was unjustified.

"I was really surprised by the stick Wenger got this summer," he added.

"Looking back over the last six or seven years where there weren't any trophies it was disappointing. But can you blame just him? I don't think so," said Bergkamp who is now on the coaching staff at Ajax Amsterdam.

"He's a manager who wants to win trophies. He wants to be successful. He's not doing it on purpose."

Arsenal, who lead Liverpool on goals scored at the top of the table, host Norwich City on Saturday.

Bergkamp said he would like to work for the north London club again in the future.

"I would love to go to England some time, preferably Arsenal," he said in a separate interview with Sky Sports television.

"But I don't see myself as a head coach or manager. I see myself as part of a coaching team."

Kovac aims to get Croatia back on World Cup track

 

Croatia coach Niko Kovac urged his players to regain their 'lost focus' after he signed a contract on Thursday to manage the team until the end of the their Euro 2016 campaign.

Former international midfielder Kovac, who replaced the sacked Igor Stimac, impressed at the helm of the Under-21 side with four wins out of four at the start of their Euro 2015 qualifiers.

His first priority will be to help Croatia qualify for next year's World Cup finals in Brazil after they barely clinched a playoff berth.

"Our immediate task is to reassure the players that they have the quality to get there and we have to make an objective assessment why we had a sharp dip in form in the home straight," Kovac told a news conference.

"They are all top players and the problem is in their heads, as they seem to have drifted and lost their focus when the going got tough," said the 42-year-old stalwart, who scored 14 goals in 83 international appearances.

Croatia, who were level with eventual group winners Belgium halfway through the campaign under Stimac, took only one point from their last four games and limped across the finish line to reach next month's two-legged playoffs as one of the eight best runners-up from nine groups.

Croatia are one of the four seeded teams in the playoffs and Kovac is unlikely to make sweeping changes for the Nov 15 and 19 doubleheader. They will face either France, Sweden, Romania or Iceland, with the draw taking place in Zurich on Monday.

But he will be determined to eradicate the glaring chinks in the armour which saw Croatia lose both games against Scotland and their home match against Belgium after scraping a 1-1 draw at neighbours Serbia.

"We have to put things right tactically and I will explain to the players how I see football and what they need to do in a short time-frame to make sure we are in top form for the playoffs," Kovac said.

"I will visit as many of them as possible in the meantime to see that their minds are in the right place."

The Croatians will be at home in the return leg and Kovac appealed for their fans, who only half-filled the Maksimir Stadium in Zagreb for last Friday's 2-1 loss to Belgium, to throng the ground in the decisive battle.

"I am convinced the fans have not abandoned us and they need to show up in numbers for the playoff because the pressure will be enormous no matter who we play and the lads will need all the support they can get."

Gyan double helps Ghana to 6-1 playoff lead over Egypt

 

 Asamoah Gyan scored twice as Ghana moved closer to a third successive World Cup appearance with an emphatic 6-1 win over Egypt in their African playoff first leg in Kumasi on Tuesday.

An own goal from Wael Gomaa, a powerful header from Abdul Majeed Waris, a Sulley Muntari penalty and a late effort from substitute Christian Atsu left Egypt facing more World Cup disappointment.

A contentious penalty allowed Mohamed Aboutrika to register a consolation goal just before half-time, but Egypt will need a major turnaround in the second leg on Nov. 19 if they are to qualify for the World Cup finals for the first time since 1990.

Gyan, who had his first effort on goal inside 11 seconds, opened the scoring after five minutes, shooting home from a narrow angle.

The lead was doubled in the 22nd minute when Michael Essien went on a mazy run, dribbling into the area before being challenged by Egypt captain Gomaa, who managed only to deflect the ball into his own net.

Essien, having played just once for Chelsea this season, produced a dominant midfield showing over the 90 minutes.

Egypt were awarded their penalty four minutes before half-time when Mohamed Salah was bundled down, though the decision from Moroccan referee Bouchaib Al Ahrach was generous.

Aboutrika converted but Ghana restored their two-goal advantage a minute before the break with Waris's powerful header from Muntari's free kick.

Muntari's cross set up Gyan for the fourth in the 53rd minute before the AC Milan midfielder converted from the spot after Waris was brought down by Egypt's substitute goalkeeper, Ahmed Al Shennawi.

Atsu's shot from outside the penalty area capped a one-sided occasion.

Ghana reached the quarter-finals of the previous World Cup, in South Africa. Egypt have missed out on the past five finals despite winning an unmatched four African Nations Cup titles in the same period.

Late Ramsey leveller mutes Belgium celebrations

 

 Belgium ended their campaign on a muted note on Tuesday as a late strike by Aaron Ramsey secured a 1-1 draw for Wales, dampening home celebrations to mark the country's qualification for a first World Cup in 12 years.

After already booking their ticket to Brazil with Friday's 2-1 win in Croatia, the Group A winners threatened only sporadically for the first hour against a well-organised Welsh defence.

It took until the 64th minute for Kevin De Bruyne to break the deadlock, latching on to a pass from Romelu Lukaku and drilling the ball into the far left corner.

Belgium had chances to increase their lead through Kevin Mirallas and Lukaku but with two minutes left, Ramsey, in prolific scoring form for Arsenal in the Premier League this season, took a pass from Craig Bellamy to prod beyond Belgian keeper Thibaut Courtois.

The match, attended by Belgian King Philip and with a concert at halftime, was virtually sterile for the first 35 minutes, with just a single shot on goal from Lukaku.

The game sprang into life in the final minutes before the break as Belgium laid siege to the Wales penalty area with Toby Alderweireld's striking the crossbar.

Wales, with Bellamy playing his final international, pressed slightly further forward before Belgium brought on midfielder Eden Hazard to add extra bite to their attack.

Tuesday's draw should keep Belgium in sixth spot in FIFA's world rankings, meaning they will go to the World Cup as one of the eight seeded teams and see them avoid big guns like hosts Brazil and world champions Spain.

Belgium were ranked 53rd in the world when qualification began last September.

Wales finished the campaign with only Macedonia below them in the six-team group, but a bit of history was made on Tuesday when late substitute Harry Wilson became the nation's youngest player at 16 years and 207 days.

The Liverpool Academy midfielder beat the world's most expensive player Gareth Bale's record by 108 days.

Germany's Schweinsteiger wins 100th cap against Sweden

 Germany midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger earned his 100th cap on Tuesday in his team's 5-3 World Cup qualifying win over Sweden on Tuesday to join an exclusive club of German footballers.

The 29-year-old holding midfielder, described by Germany coach Joachim Loew as the team's brain, won his first cap in 2004 as part of a "wild youngsters" generation along with fellow centurions Philipp Lahm and Lukas Podolski.

"It is always great to have lots of goals but 5-3 was a bit strange (for a 100th international)," Schweinsteiger, who has returned to action recently after an ankle injury during the summer, told reporters.

"For me it is just good to be moving well. I did not have a good pre-season preparation and it is not easy but I am trying to get back to the old form. I still need to work on it.".

Since his 2004 debut, Schweinsteiger has notched 23 goals for Germany. On Tuesday he became the 10th German to notch at least 100 international caps, joining the likes of Lothar Matthaeus (150 caps), Franz Beckenbauer and Juergen Klinsmann.

"Dear Basti, I am happy to be able to respond to your special congratulations to my 100th cap just a few weeks later with the same level of respect and with a genuine, written 'God bless you!'," Germany captain Lahm wrote in Bild newspaper on Tuesday.

"A World Cup title would of course be the ideal fit...Let us go after this goal together, starting with a win against Sweden this evening."

Having moved from the flank into his favoured holding midfield position some four years ago, the Bayern Munich man has matured into a natural leader for club and country, helping Germany book their spot at next year's World Cup in Brazil.

Now sporting greying temples instead of his once trademark bleached spiky hair, Schweinsteiger looks on track for his third straight World Cup.

With three-time winners Germany through to their 16th consecutive World Cup, a feat equalled by Brazil only, Schweinsteiger could not have hoped for a bigger stage in his latest attempt to land the first major trophy for Germany since 1996.

Bosnia join Spain, England and Russia at World Cup

 

First-timers Bosnia joined holders Spain, England and Russia in grabbing Europe's remaining automatic spots for the 2014 World Cup finals on Tuesday as the last round of group matches ended in joy, despair and shattered nerves.

Fireworks lit the skies across Bosnia as they celebrated qualifying for their first major tournament as an independent nation, while bigger European names like France, Portugal and Greece were consigned to the playoffs.

There was heartbreak for Denmark, who pummelled Malta 6-0 to finish second behind Italy in Group B but were the unlucky team to miss out on the playoff spots available for the eight best runners-up from the nine European groups.

Iceland kept alive their hopes of reaching their first finals when a 1-1 draw in Norway ensured they finished second behind Group E winners Switzerland to put them in the hat for next week's draw for November's two-legged ties.

The other countries who also get another chance to snap up a ticket to Brazil are Romania, Ukraine, Sweden and Croatia.

World and European champions Spain secured top spot in Group I with a 2-0 win at home to Georgia thanks to goals from Alvaro Negredo and Juan Mata, finishing three points ahead of the French who beat Finland 3-0.

France, who have complained the seeding system for the playoffs is unfair, look unlikely to be seeded for the draw because of their world ranking which means they could face a tricky clash with another big footballing nation.

England breathed a sigh of relief when Steven Gerrard scored in the 88th minute against Poland to seal a 2-0 win after his side had held a slender lead from Wayne Rooney's opener while Group H rivals Ukraine racked up eight goals against San Marino in the forlorn hope of any slip-up at Wembley.

World Cup 2018 hosts Russia, who needed to avoid a heavy defeat in Azerbaijan to guarantee top spot in Group F ahead of Portugal, did just that as they were held 1-1 in Baku.

Fabio Capello's side gave Portugal, who were comfortably ahead against Luxembourg, a glimmer of hope after conceding in the 90th having led through Roman Shirokov's 15th-minute opener.

It meant that despite goals from Silvestre Varela, Nani and Helder Postiga giving Portugal a 3-0 win at home to bottom side Luxembourg, they finished a point behind Russia and will have to make do with a playoff place.

Rooney and Gerrard send England to World Cup

 

Wayne Rooney and Steven Gerrard scored to send England to the World Cup finals with a 2-0 victory over Poland on Tuesday that gave them top spot in qualifying Group H on a thrilling and nervy night at Wembley.

Rooney's 41st-minute breakthrough was brilliantly created and executed after a patient England build-up gathered pace when Leighton Baines crossed for the Manchester United striker, who nodded the ball down and wide of keeper Wojciech Szczesny.

The match was played on a knife-edge as anything other than a win would have consigned England to a potentially difficult two-legged playoff tie, with group rivals Ukraine cruising to an easy win over San Marino.

But midfielder Gerrard sparked English celebrations in the 88th minute when he burst into the area, cut inside and poked the ball past Szczesny.

England, unbeaten in their qualifying campaign, finish top of the section with 22 points, with Ukraine, who go into the playoffs, second on 21.

"They had a couple of breaks but we played some great stuff, especially in the first half, and getting that goal gave us the belief and confidence we could go and win it," Rooney told ITV.

"It was the same as the Montenegro game (on Friday) - a big part of our preparation was to be patient, and we fully deserved to win.

"We've always remained positive and had a belief about ourselves and we've gone out and shown tonight we are a good team. We have some fantastic young players in the team and some experience with Steve, Frank (Lampard) and myself, so it's a good blend."

Gerrard was equally pleased but also sounded a note of caution. "We started really well but the big lesson from tonight, in the second half, is that we have to play better against better teams," he said.

"But we showed that when it gets tough we don't concede goals. We know there's a great togetherness in the squad, we fight for each other and, under tremendous pressure, we've shown we can perform."

No joy for Armenia as Italy rally for Naples draw

 

Italy ended Armenia's hopes of progressing to next year's World Cup with a 2-2 draw in their final Group B qualifier in Naples on Tuesday.

Armenia twice went in front but they were pegged back by a first international goal from Alessandro Florenzi and a Mario Balotelli strike.

Italy booked their ticket to the finals in Brazil by topping the group while Armenia finished second from bottom after starting the day with an outside chance of claiming second spot and a place in next month's playoffs.

"We started really badly with an embarrassing opening 20 minutes. Then we raised the tempo and from then on played quite well," Italy coach Cesare Prandelli told Rai Sport.

"Unfortunately we conceded from a corner that we gifted them and came close to throwing everything away (but) I saw players who never gave up and that was a positive sign."

Spartak Moscow striker Yura Movsisyan capitalised on a sloppy start from the hosts to give Armenia a fourth-minute lead after Alberto Aquilani had given the ball away cheaply in front of his own penalty area.

Italy slowly took a grip of the game and in the 24th minute Napoli forward Lorenzo Insigne, playing on his home ground, clipped a perfect cross for Florenzi to head in.

Henrikh Mkhitaryan put Armenia back in front when he rose above a sleepy defence at a 70th-minute corner to head powerfully past Federico Marchetti.

Balotelli equalised six minutes later when he raced on to a perfect through pass from Andrea Pirlo to score in stylish fashion.

The AC Milan striker then almost grabbed a wonder goal in stoppage time, shooting just wide after charging almost the entire length of the field and taking on the Armenia defence on his own.

Romania head for playoffs after Marica downs Estonia

 

Ciprian Marica scored twice to help Romania secure a World Cup playoff spot with a 2-0 victory over Estonia in their final qualifier at the National Arena in Bucharest on Tuesday.

Coach Victor Piturca's men finished second in Group D with 19 points, nine points behind unbeaten Netherlands who ended Turkey's hopes of making the playoffs with a 2-0 win in Istanbul.

Romania, who have not reached the World Cup finals since 1998, missed a golden opportunity to open the scoring midway through the first half when Bogdan Stancu blasted his shot from close range over the bar.

A few minutes later, Stancu was brought down in the penalty area by Estonia defender Mikk Reintam and Marica converted from the spot for his 23rd international goal.

Marica almost doubled Romania's lead after 36 minutes but keeper Sergei Pareiko did well to parry his firm header and Gheorghe Bucur's shot from the edge of the area went narrowly wide five minutes before the break.

Romania's dominance continued in the second half but they had to wait until the 81st minute to make the game safe when Marica gave Pareiko no chance with a brilliant header from a precise right-wing cross from Alexandru Matel.

"We are happy, we did something important," Piturca told GSPTV. "The team deserve 10 plus for tonight's game.

"It's very good for this generation and it would be fantastic if we qualify for Brazil. But even if we don't, it's good that I brought some new players to the team."

Piturca was full of praise for the Netherlands and their coach Louis van Gaal for ending Turkey's hopes of making the playoffs.

"Van Gaal is a great coach, I thank him for what he did. I never thought for a moment that this match couldn't be played on the field.

Marica said every footballer dreamed of playing in the World Cup finals.

"I don't think about our next opponent yet," he said. "I know it will be hard but I also know and I feel that the Romanian fans love us and they'll be at the stadium to support us again."

Ukraine face playoffs despite thrashing San Marino 8-0

Ukraine must negotiate the playoffs next month after finishing second in Group H behind England despite an 8-0 rout of a San Marino side who finished with nine men in their final World Cup qualifier on Tuesday.

Marko Devic struck a hat-trick for Ukraine but the easy win left them one point off top spot with 21 points from 10 matches after England beat Poland 2-0 at Wembley.

They will hope it is fourth time lucky in their two-legged playoff tie for a place at the 2014 tournament in Brazil having failed to reach the finals that way in three previous attempts.

The draw for the playoffs is on Oct. 21 in Zurich.

Yevgen Seleznov gave Ukraine an early lead with a penalty after 13 minutes and Serbia-born striker Marko Devic doubled the advantage by firing low into the far corner three minutes later.

Seleznov struck again in the 19th before Devic headed home their fourth goal after 51 minutes, with both goals laid on by Ruslan Rotan who provided perfect crosses from the left.

Andriy Yarmolenko rifled home a fifth with a left-foot shot into the far corner four minutes later.

Devic then grabbed his hat-trick from the penalty spot two minutes later after San Marino defender Marco Palazzi brought him down and was sent off.

Roman Bezus scored in the 66th only a minute after coming off the bench and defender Vitaliy Mandzyuk headed home their eighth goal from a corner just before the final whistle with San Marino having Alessandro Della Valle sent off late on.

The final result saw Ukraine finish only one goal short of their record 9-0 victory away to San Marino last month.

Spain Under-21 striker Vazquez in Swansea loan move

  Forward Alvaro Vazquez, who played a role in Spain's European Under-21 Championship title triumph in June, has left La Liga club Getafe for English Premier League Swansea City on a season-long loan subject to international clearance.

"He is a little different to the strikers we have and has the characteristics we have been looking for," coach Michael Laudrup told the club website (www.swanseacity.net) on Monday. "He will give us a different option."

Vazquez, 22, made his La Liga debut for Espanyol against Real Madrid in September 2010.

He joined Getafe a year ago and has scored 14 goals in 89 top-flight appearances in Spain.