International Soccer - General Discussion

SERIE A MATCHDAY 1 :
Saturday Late Afternoon Match :

Chievo Verona 0 - Juventus 1
Goal : 6' Biraghi C o.g.)

Congratulations to SC Paderborn to your first victory in the first german league,the Bundesliga!
Welcome to the league!

Chelsea has agreed terms with AC Milan for striker Fernando Torres to join the Serie A club in a two-year loan deal.
The Premier League club and Milan announced the agreement on their websites Friday, adding that ''the move is now subject to Fernando agreeing personal terms with AC Milan and passing a medical examination.''
The deal was announced a few hours after Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho had raised the prospect of Torres leaving before the transfer window closes, saying that the 30-year-old Spain striker may be ready to ''try a new life, a new club, probably a new league.''

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Manchester United sign Ajax’s Daley Blind for $18m. [hidden image - please register]

It´s every season the same for Ajax. Good players leaving,and they become some money to survive.
The club is sound, but the results in Champions league will not be the best again.

Midfielder Andrea Pirlo has been the driving force behind Juventus' success in recent years, but the Bianconeri will have to begin the Serie A season without the Italian star.
According to Tancredi Palmeri of beIN Sports, the 35-year-old veteran is expected to be out for a month:
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Goalkeeper Manuel Almunia to retire after medical reveals heart problem.
Manuel Almunia is expected to announce his retirement after a heart condition that can cause sudden death was detected at a routine medical. The former Arsenal goalkeeper was close to joining Cagliari earlier this month as a free agent having played the past two years at Watford. However, The Serie A club abandoned the signing of the 37-year-old after an examination revealed a heart problem.
“I can confirm that Manuel Almunia failed a medical due to a heart condition,” said Cagliari’s spokesman Alessandro Steri. “Further tests done have revealed he is suffering from an apical hypertrophic cardiomyopathy [HCM].”
The Professional Footballers’ Association confirmed Almunia will not play again. The PFA stated on Twitter: “Manuel Almunia has had to retire after being diagnosed with a heart condition. All at the PFA wish him well for the future.
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Bayern Munich complete two-year deal for Xabi Alonso.
German champions Bayern Munich have completed the transfer of former World Cup winner Xabi Alonso from Real Madrid on a two-year deal as they seek to boost their midfield options following a string of injuries.
Spain’s two-time European champion Alonso, who also won last season’s Champions League with Real, will hold a final news conference in Madrid later on Friday to bid farewell to the club and fans.
It is now done,” Bayern said in a statement. “On Friday, Bayern and Real Madrid agreed on the transfer and signed the contracts.”
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Esteban Cambiasso completes move to Leicester as manager Nigel Pearson snaps up former Inter Milan star.
The midfielder had been without a club since being released by the Italian giants over the summer, ending a decade-long spell at the club in which he helped Inter win several trophies.
But the Foxes announced in a statement on Thursday evening: 'Leicester City Football Club is delighted to announce the signing of Esteban Cambiasso on a one-year deal.'
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Boca Juniors fire coach Carlos Bianchi.
Carlos Bianchi was fired as Boca Juniors coach a day after the team lost for the third time in four games in the Argentine league.
Boca president Daniel Angelici made the announcement Thursday, saying it was "painful to rescind the contract" of the most successful coach in the club's history.
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Juventus defender Frederik Sorensen set to join Hellas Verona on loan.
Hellas Verona have closed the deal for Sorensen. The meeting with Juventus just ended: the defender joins on loan with €4M option to buy. Sorensen will stay in Italy, he'll play in Verona.
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Juventus’ Rosseti officially joins Atalanta on a two-year loan.
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UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE 2014 / 2015 MATCHDAY 1 SCHEDULE :

Group A : Olympiakos FC vs Club Atletico de Madrid
JUVENTUS vs Malmo FF

Group B : Liverpool FC vs PFC Ludogorets 1945
Real Madrid CF vs FC Basel 1893

Group C : AS Monaco FC vs Bayer 04 Leverkusen
SL Benfica vs Football Club Zenit

Group D : Galatasaray A.S. vs RSC Anderlecht
Borussia Dortmund vs Arsenal FC

Group E : AS ROMA vs PFC CSKA Moskva
FC Bayern München vs Manchester City FC

Group F : FC Barcelona vs Apoel FC
AFC Ajax vs Paris Saint-Germain

Group G : Chelsea FC vs FC Schalke 04
NK Maribor vs Sporting Clube de Portugal

Group H : FC Porto vs FC Bate Borisov
Athletic Club vs FC Shakhtar Donetsk

Groups A, B, C & D will play on Tuesday, September 16th
Groups E, F, G & H will play on Wednesday, September 17th

UEFA EUROPA LEAGUE 2014 / 2015 DRAW :

Group A : Villarreal CF - VfL Borussia Moenchengladbach - FC Zurich - Apollon Limassol FC
Matchday 1 : VfL Borussia Moenchengladbach vs Villarreal CF & Apollon Limassol FC vs FC Zurich

Group B : FC Kobenhavn - Club Brugge KV - TORINO FC - HJK Helsinki
Matchday 1 : Club Brugge KV vs TORINO FC & FC Kobenhavn vs HJK Helsinki

Group C : Tottenham Hotspur FC - Besiktas JK - FK Partizan - Asteras Tripolis FC
Matchday 1 : FK Partizan vs Tottenham Hotspur FC & Besiktas JK vs Asteras Tripolis FC

Group D : FC Salzburg - Celtic FC - GNK Dinamo Zagreb - FC Astra Giurgiu
Matchday 1 : FC Salzburg vs Celtic FC & GNK Dinamo Zagreb vs FC Astra Giurgiu

Group E : PSV Eindhoven - Panathinaikos FC - Estoril Praia - FC Dinamo Moskva
Matchday 1 : PSV Eindhoven vs Estoril Praia & Panathinaikos FC vs FC Dinamo Moskva

Group F : FC INTERNAZIONALE MILANO - FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk - AS Saint-Etienne - Qarabag FK
Matchday 1 : FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk vs FC INTERNAZIONALE MILANO & Qarabag vs AS Saint-Etienne

Group G : Sevilla FC - R. Standard de Liege - Feyenoord - HNK Rijeka
Matchday 1 : R. Standard de Liege vs HNK Rijeka & Sevilla FC vs Feyenoord

Group H : LOSC Lille - VfL Wolfsburg - Everton FC - FC Krasnodar
Matchday 1 : LOSC Lille vs FC Krasnodar & Everton FC vs VfL Wolfsburg

Group I : SSC NAPOLI - AC Sparta Praha - BSC Young Boys - SK Slovan Bratislava
Matchday 1 : BSC Young Boys vs SK Slovan Bratislava & SSC NAPOLI vs AC Sparta Praha

Group J : FC Dinamo Kyiv - FC Steaua Bucuresti - Rio Ave FC - Aalborg BK
Matchday 1 : FC Steaua Bucuresti vs Aalborg BK & Rio Ave FC vs FC Dinamo Kyiv

Group K : ACF FIORENTINA - PAOK FC - EA Guingamp - FC Dinamo Minsk
Matchday 1 : PAOK FC vs FC Dinamo Minsk & ACF FIORENTINA vs EA Guingamp

Group L : FC Metalist Kharkiv - Trabzonspor AS - Legia Warszawa - KSC Lokeren EV
Matchday 1 : FC Metalist Kharkiv vs Trabzonspor AS & Legia Warszawa vs KSC Lokeren EV

MATCHDAY 1 : September 18th
MATCHDAY 6 : December 11th
FINAL : May 27th 2015 in Warszawa

EUROPA LEAGUE PLAY-OFFS RETURN MATCHES :

Lokomotiv Moskva 1 - Apollon Limassol 4 (1-1) - Qualified : Apollon Limassol 5-2 on aggregate
Krasnodar 3 - Real Sociedad 0 (0-1) - Qualified : Krasnodar 3-1 on aggregate
Metalist Karkhiv 1 - Ruch 0 AFTER EXTRA TIME, 0-0 AFTER 90' - (0-0) - Qualified : Metalist Kharkiv 1-0 on aggregate
Neftci Baku 1 - Partizan 2 (2-3) - Qualified : Partizan 5-3 on aggregate
Omonia Nicosia 1 - Dinamo Moskva 2 (2-2) - Qualified : Dinamo Moskva 4-3 on aggregate
PAOK Saloniki 4 - Zimbru Chisinau 0 (0-1) - Qualified : PAOK Saloniki 5-1 on aggregate
Astra 0 - Olympique Lyonnais 1 (2-1) - Qualified : Astra for away goals, 2-2 on aggregate
FK Rostov 0 - Trabzonspor 0 (0-2) - Qualified : Trabzonspor 2-0 on aggregate
Hajduk Split 0 - Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk 0 (1-2) - Qualified : Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk 2-1 on aggregate
Sportul Tiraspol 0 - Rijeka 3 (0-1) - Qualified : Rijeka 4-0 on aggregate
Soligorsk 0 - PSV Eindhoven 2 (0-1) - Qualified : PSV Eindhoven 3-0 on aggregate
Maccabi Tel Aviv 3 - Asteras Tripolis 1 (0-2) - Qualified : Asteras Tripolis for away goal, 3-3 on aggregate
Twente Enschede 1 - Qarabag 1 (0-0) - Qualified : Qarabag for away goal, 1-1 on aggregate
Feyenoord 4 - Zorya 3 (1-1) - Qualified : Feyenoord 5-4 on aggregate
Midtjylland 1 - Panathinaikos 2 (1-4) - Qualified : Panathinaikos 2-6 on aggregate
Debrecen 0 - Young Boys 0 (1-3) - Qualified : Young Boys 3-1 on aggregate
Rapid Wien 3 - HJK Helsinki 3 (1-2) - Qualified : HJK Helsinki 5-4 on aggregate
Sparta Praha 3 - Zwolle 1 (1-1) - Qualified : Sparta Praha 4-2 on aggregate
Saint Etienne 4 - Karabukspor 3 AFTER PENALTIES, 1-0 AFTER EXTRA TIME - (0-1) - Qualified : Saint Etienne
TORINO 1 - RNK Split 0 (0-0) - Qualified : TORINO 1-0 on aggregate
Zurich 1 - Trnava 1 (3-1) - Qualified : Zurich 4-2 on aggregate
Hull City 2 - Lokeren 1 (0-1) - Qualified : Lokeren for away goal, 2-2 on aggregate
INTERNAZIONALE 6 - Stjarnan 0 (3-0) - Qualified : INTERNAZIONALE 9-0 on aggregate
Borussia Moenchengladbach 7 - Sarajevo 0 (3-2) - Qualified : Borussia Moenchengladbach 10-2 on aggregate
Nacional 2 - Dinamo Minsk 3 (0-2) - Qualified : Dinamo Minsk 5-2 on aggregate
Tottenham 3 - AEL Limassol 0 (2-1) - Qualified : Tottenham 5-1 on aggregate
Villarreal 4 - FC Astana 0 (3-0) - Qualified : Villarreal 7-0 on aggregate
Club Brugge 1 - Grasshoppers 0 (2-1) - Qualified : Club Brugge 3-1 on aggregate
Dinamo Zagreb 2 - Petrolul 1 (3-1) - Qualified : Dinamo Zagreb 5-2 on aggregate
Legia Warszaw 2 - Aktobe 0 (1-0) - Qualified : Legia Warszaw 3-0 on aggregate
Rio Ave 1 - Elfsborg 0 (1-2) - Qualified : Rio Ave for away goal, 2-2 on aggregate

EUROPA LEAGUE DRAW : Tomorrow h. 13 CET in Monaco

NEWS : Wayne Rooney is the new England captain : "I thought many days about it" said coach Roy Hodgson
"but it was an obvious choice, he deserves it for his experience and his self-sacrifice"

Cristiano Ronaldo won today the "Best Player in Europe 2013/2014", an award given by the journalists of the 54 European Federations.
Second place for Neuer and third for Robben.

Marco Van Basten is forced to leave the bench of AZ Alkmaar for physical problems.
The Dutch club said Van Basten won't be leading the team next saturday against FC Dodrecht, without specifying why and when he
will be back.

UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE 2014/2015 DRAW :

Group A : Club Atletico de Madrid - JUVENTUS - Olympiakos FC - Malmo FF.

Group B : Real Madrid CF - FC Basel 1893 - Liverpool FC - PFC Ludogorets 1945.

Group C : SL Benfica - Football Club Zenit - Bayer 04 Leverkusen - AS Monaco FC.

Group D : Arsenal FC - Borussia Dortmund - Galatasaray A. S. - RSC Anderlecht.

Group E : FC Bayern Munchen - Manchester City FC - PFC CSKA Moskva - AS ROMA.

Group F : FC Barcelona - Paris Saint-Germain - AFC Ajax - Apoel FC.

Group G : Chelsea FC - FC Schalke 04 - Sporting Clube de Portugal - NK Maribor.

Group H : FC Porto - FC Shakhtar Donetsk - Athletic Club - FC Bate Borisov.

MATCHDAY 1 : September 16th & 17th.
MATCHDAY 6 : December 9th & 10th.
FINAL : June 6th 2015 in Berlin.

Del Piero set for Delhi Dynamos.
Alessandro Del Piero has reportedly agreed to join Delhi Dynamos, but could go on to MLS in January.
According to Sky Sport Italia, Del Piero has decided to join Delhi Dynamos in the new Indian Super League.
However, the stay might be short-lived, as the League ends in January and he’d be in time to make another move to an American club.
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Xabi Alonso Announces Retirement from Spanish National Team.
In a move that can hardly be described a surprise, Real Madrid's Xabi Alonso announced on Wednesday that he will be retiring from the Spanish national football team.
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Tottenham sign Federico Fazio for £8m on four-year deal.
Federico Fazio has agreed a four-year deal to join Tottenham Hotspur and plug the hole left by captain Michael Dawson's move to Hull City.
Spurs have clinched the £8 million signing of central defender Fazio from Sevilla, with 30-year-old Dawson heading to Hull in a deal worth £6m
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Crystal Palace: Neil Warnock named as new manager.
Crystal Palace have appointed former boss Neil Warnock as their new manager.
The 65-year-old, who was at Palace between 2007 and 2010, has signed a two-year deal after being chosen ahead of ex-West Brom boss Steve Clarke.
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Faouzi Ghoulam suffered a broken arm in Napoli's defeat to Champions League opponents Athletic Bilbao.
Athletic won last night's second-leg 3-1 to reach the group phase.
Ghoulam went off during the second half when an awkward fall saw him land on his left arm.
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Brazilian central defender Cleber Janderson Pereira Reis has signed a three-year deal with Bundesliga club Hamburg from Corinthians, the German club announced on Wednesday.
The deal, estimated at 3 million euros ($A4.50 million), was rubber stamped after the 23-year-old passed his medical.
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CHAMPIONS LEAGUE PLAY-OFFS RETURN MATCHES :

Athletic Club 3 - SSC NAPOLI 1 (1-1)
Goals : 47' Hamsik (N), 61', 69' Aritz Aduriz (A), 74' Ibai Gomez (A)
Athletic Club wins 4-2 on aggregate and is qualified for Champions League Group Stage
NAPOLI is qualified for Europa League Group Stage

Arsenal FC 1 - Besiktas JK 0 (0-0)
Goal : 45' + 1' Alexis Sanchez
Arsenal FC wins 1-0 on aggregate and is qualified for Champions League Group Stage
Besiktas JK is qualified for Europa League Group Stage

PFC Ludogorets 1945 6 - FC Steaua Bucuresti 5 AFTER PENALTIES 1-0 AFTER EXTRA - TIME (0-1)
Goal : 90' Wanderson
PFC Ludogorets 1945 is qualified for Champions League Group Stage
FC Steaua Bucarest is qualified for Europa League Group Stage

Malmo FF 3 - FC Salzburg 0 (1-2)
Goals : 11' (pen.), 84' Rosenberg, 19' Eriksson
Malmo FF wins 4-2 on aggregate and is qualified for Champions League Group Stage
FC Salzburg is qualified for Europa League Group Stage

Bayer 04 Leverkusen 4 - F. C. Kobenavhn 0 (3-2)
Goals : 2' Son Heung-Min, 7' Calhanoglu, 31' (pen.), 65' Kiessling
Bayer 04 Leverkusen wins 7-2 on aggregate and is qualified for Champions League Group Stage
F. C. Kobenavhn is qualified for Europa League Group Stage

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE GROUP STAGE DRAW : Tomorrow h. 18 CET in Montecarlo.

Greece international Kostas Manolas has joined Roma on a €13 million ($17 million) transfer from Olympiakos, as coach Rudi Garcia looks to strengthen his worrisome defense before Serie A starts this weekend.
Roma said Tuesday it had signed the center back to a five-year contract.
Manolas is an immediate replacement for Morocco defender Mehdi Benatia, whom Roma sold to Bayern Munich in a deal reported at €26 million ($34 million), also on Tuesday.

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Barcelona: Initial agreement for Douglas Pereira.
The deal will cost Barça four million Euros with performance variables of another one and a half million based on games blocks. Douglas will sign a five year deal.
The deal will cost Barça four million Euros with performance variables of another one and a half million based on games blocks.
Douglas will travel to Barcelona for a medical at the end of this week, when he will also put pen to paper on a five year deal and be officially presented as the Club’s latest summer signing.
The 24-year-old Douglas is a pacey right wing back who after three seasons, 75 appearances and five goals for his home town club of Goiás signed for Sao Paolo in 2012 .
Over the last three seasons, Douglas has played 95 matches for Sao Paolo and scored four goals.
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Olivier Giroud out for 3 months.
Arsenal striker Olivier Giroud is out for 3 months with a broken foot which he suffered during the club’s Premier League fixture with Everton last weekend.
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Andres Guardado joins PSV Eindhoven on loan.
Mexican international Andres Guardado has departed Valencia for PSV Eindhoven on a one-year loan.
Guardado will wear the number 18 shirt for his new club.
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England - Capital One Cup

Unbelievable.
Tragic.

Milton Keynes Dons 4 - 0 Manchester United
1 - 0 William Grigg
2 - 0 William Grigg
3 - 0 Benik Afobe
4 - 0 Benik Afobe

Louis van Gaal's miserable start to life as Manchester United boss continued with a massive cup shock at the hands of League One MK Dons.
After a defeat by Swansea on the opening day of the Premier League season and Saturday's draw at Sunderland, Van Gaal's reign at Old Trafford will come under even further scrutiny after this lifeless display.
Will Grigg scored after a Jonny Evans mistake and then chested in a second after the break.
Benik Afobe, on loan from Arsenal, added two of his own to complete an embarrassing rout for the Premier League giants.
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