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Atletico get back to winning ways

Madrid giants Atletico Madrid got their season back on track by thumping RCD Espanyol 4-0 at the Vicente Calderon on Sunday.

Europe’s much-coveted striker Sergio Aguero was the star of the show, scoring two and making two, for strike partner Diego Forlan and Maxi Rodriguez, as the hosts claimed just their second win of an underwhelming season so far.

The young Argentinian, who this week insisted he has no intention of quitting the Rojiblancos in the January transfer window, ran Espanyol ragged with the visitors’ frustration manifesting itself in the late dismissal of Facundo Roncaglia.

Atletico started brightly, Simao Sabrosa firing over the bar after 10 minutes.

The hosts were dominating possession but creating little. That changed in the 22nd minute, however, when they came within inches of taking a deserved lead.

Aguero cut the ball back from the left and Jose Reyes flashed in a shot which brought a smart, parried save out of Carlos Kameni. The rebound also fell to Reyes but the former Sevilla, Arsenal and Real Madrid star’s follow-up was deflected on to the post by the Cameroon goalkeeper.

The home side finally made the breakthrough five minutes later.

Aguero cut in from the right, played a neat one-two with Reyes and, before he could square it across the box, was challenged from the side by Moises Hurtado. Hurtado’s intervention cut out the advancing Kameni and the ball fell nicely for Forlan to stab home from 12 yards.

The Uruguayan ought to have made it 2-0 just before the half-hour mark. Tomas Ujfalusi whipped in a wonderful cross from the right but Forlan could only head wide from eight yards with Kameni woefully out of position.

The impressive Reyes could have scored two minutes before half-time but shot wide from close range.

Atletico also dominated the start of the second half and they added a second 17 minutes in.

Reyes was fouled by Shunsuke Nakamura and, from 25 yards out, Aguero curled a right-footed free-kick around the wall and inside Kameni’s near post.

Espanyol finally responded and began to emerge as an attacking force.

They had a number of corners but failed to seriously trouble home keeper Sergio Asenjo, with their best effort a low, driven effort from Ferran Coro which was simple for Asenjo to gather on his knees.

The visitors’ pressure eventually petered out and their hopes of taking anything back to Barcelona were effectively dashed when centre-half Roncaglia was sent off.

Already on a yellow card, the Argentinian, on loan from Boca Juniors, needlessly barged Aguero over when the striker was running away from goal and received his second booking.

From the ensuing free-kick, Aguero made it 3-0. Simao curled it in and, after Espanyol failed to clear, Aguero was on hand to stab home at the second attempt after his first shot had hit the post and trickled across the line.

With the pressure finally lifted, Atletico completed the rout with two minutes to go. The irrepressible Aguero burst down the left, using his pace and power to get away from his markers before crossing for Maxi to tap in at the far post.

Abhimanyu Rajput

Tags: aguero, atletico madrid, Barcelona, cameroon, carlos kameni, close range, Coro, diego forlan, Europe, free kick, half hour, insid, Jose, jose reyes, MADRID, maxi rodriguez, moises, rcd espanyol, real madrid, Reyes, Sergio Aguero, Sergio Asenjo, SEVILLA, shunsuke nakamura, Simao, simao sabrosa, star of the show, tomas ujfalusi, uruguayan, Vicente Calderon, wonderful cross

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Double-up Arshavin leads Arsenal to victory

Russian international Andrey Arshavin came off the bench to score twice as Arsenal beat Atletico Madrid 2-1 in the Emirates Cup on Saturday.

All three goals came in the last five minutes.

Cesc Fabregas lofted the ball over to the back post from the right, where Arshavin arrived to volley past Sergio Asenjo.

However, German Pacheco then beat the offside trap to slot in an equaliser with just two minutes left.

In one final twist, Arshavin latched onto a poor backward clearing header from Tomas Ujfalusi to slot the ball in from the tightest of angles.

Arsenal welcomed back Czech winger Tomas Rosicky, who had been out of action for some 18 months with a string of niggling injuries, and his return was a welcome boost for manager Arsene Wenger following the loss of Samir Nasri to a broken leg.

The Spanish side, who started with former Gunner Jose Antonio Reyes in attack and were captained by ex-Manchester United forward Diego Forlan, could yet face Wenger’s men again in competitive action next month in the Champions League play-off.

Earlier, Rangers defeated Paris St Germain 1-0 thanks to a 75th-minute goal from defender Madjid Bougherra.

“I am pleased we did not concede a goal and I am happy with the performance,” said Rangers boss Walter Smith.

“Our goalkeeper (Neil Alexander) did not have a great deal to do but you could also put that down to Paris St Germain not having the sharpness in front of goal.

“The game on Sunday (against Arsenal) will be an interesting one to see how we stand up to that test.”

Smith was boosted by the return of Kevin Thomson who is stepping up his rehabilitation from a cruciate knee injury.

The midfielder suffered ligament damage last November and was not expected to return before this September.

The 24-year-old came on as a second-half substitute and Smith hopes Thomson he will be ready for a full 90 minutes before the end of this month.

“Kevin is back,” said Smith. “But we have to take a little bit of care with him.

“It is part of his rehabilitation that we only want him to do a specific amount of minutes in games.

“But he is on target and hopefully we will have him available for a full 90 minutes before the end of August.”

Paris St Germain coach Antoine Kombouare was disappointed with his team’s lacklustre showing.

“I am not happy because I don’t like to lose,” said Kombouare.

“The team was not really passionate and didn’t show any aggression. They worked hard and we were good in our organisation. But we could not score any goals.”

LONDON (AFP)

Tags: andrey arshavin, Antoine Kombouare, asenjo, Diego, diego forlan, emirates, final twist, Germain, germain 1, Gunner Jose Antonio Reyes, jose antonio reyes, Kevin, kevin thomson, ligament damage, london, madjid bougherra, MADRID, madrid 2, manager arsene wenger, nasri, neil alexander, niggling injuries, offside trap, PARIS, paris st germain, russian international, Samir Nasri, spanish side, tomas rosicky, tomas ujfalusi, walter smith

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Purge in Czech team after tabloid scandal

PRAGUE (AFP) – Czech football was left reeling on Wednesday after the sacking not only of under-performing coach Petr Rada but also six senior players for allegedly cavorting with prostitutes after a World Cup qualifier last week.

Photographs of the players in company with several girls were published in two Czech tabloids after the Czech Republic’s 2-1 home loss to Slovakia on April 1.

The scandal added to an upset caused by a lacklustre 0-0 away draw with Slovenia and the loss to the Slovaks, after which Rada fell out of favour with both media and fans.

The association, which fired the entire national team management, has not named a replacement for the 50-year-old Rada, who has won only two out of eight games since replacing Karel Bruckner after Euro 2008.

It said it might know more after the next meeting on April 28.

The sacked players are Atletico Madrid defender Tomas Ujfalusi, Galatasaray striker Milan Baros, West Ham defender Radoslav Kovac, Frankfurt striker Martin Fenin, Reading midfielder Marek Matejovsky and Sochaux striker Vaclav Sverkos.

The decision does not necessarily mean a lifetime ban for the players — it will be up to the new coach to decide on their nomination in the future, the association said.

But Ujfalusi, who replaced injured Arsenal midfielder Tomas Rosicky as the Czech Republic captain, is unlikely to reappear after he said late on Tuesday he would end his international career over the scandal.

The 31-year-old said in a statement from his agent on the CTK news agency: “I give up playing for the national team based on the current situation in the Czech Football Association and in Czech media.

“It is the result of the situation after the latest qualifying matches,” said Ujfalusi, who scored two goals in 78 matches for the national team and appeared at the 2004 and 2008 European championships and at the 2006 World Cup.

Last week’s loss to Slovakia all but doused Czech hopes of topping Group Three of the 2010 World Cup qualification.

The team, fourth in its group and trailing leaders Northern Ireland by five points and Slovakia by four, is next facing Slovakia in Bratislava on September 5 in the qualification.

Early into the association meeting on Wednesday, former Manchester United, Benfica and Lazio winger Karel Poborsky stepped down as the team’s technical director.

He told journalists he was “enraged by the (players’) party as well.”

“And captain Ujfalusi’s decision to end his international career is unfortunate,” Poborsky added.

AC Milan defender Marek Jankulovski, enraged by being mentioned as one of the players at the party which then proved untrue, said he was also contemplating quitting international football.

Tags: atletico madrid, benfica, Bratislava, captain Ujfalusi, ctk news, czech football association, czech media, czech republic, euro 2008, FRANKFURT, galatasaray, international career, karel bruckner, kovac, lazio, lifetime ban, MADRID, Manchester, Marek Jankulovski, Marek Matejovsky, Martin Fenin, milan baros, Northern Ireland, Petr Rada, PRAGUE, Radoslav Kovac, team management, tomas rosicky, tomas ujfalusi, vaclav sverkos, west ham, World Cup, world cup qualification, world cup qualifier

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Buoyant Betis eye Barca scalp

MADRID (AFP) – Barcelona’s ‘bestia negra’ or bogey opponent, Real Betis, aim to end the 21-game unbeaten league run of the league leaders on Saturday with Pep Guardiola’s side preparing for a testing trip to Seville.

Barcelona have won ten games on the trot and dropped just seven points all season.

But Betis have held the Indian sign over them in recent seasons and all Barca fans will remember last season when Betis came from 2-0 down to win 3-2 and all but end Barca’s hopes of wrestling the title from Real Madrid.

This season Barcelona are in control of their own destiny but will be wary of a Betis side on a high after defeating derby rivals Sevilla 2-1 last time out.

It was the first time Betis had won at Sevilla in 13 years and new signing Ricardo Oliveira, a nine million euro purchase from Real Zaragoza, believes they are also capable of turning over the runaway leaders, who sit 12 points ahead of Real.

"The all powerful Barca are coming to play us and they are the favourites but we have home advantage and if we play with intelligence and belief we can upset them," said Oliveira. "How many years had it been since Betis won at Sevilla? We have broken that jinx and we can beat Barcelona too."

Real have collected a maximum 21 points from their last seven matches but are still not any closer to Barca and were jeered by their home fans who didn’t think much of the slender 1-0 win over Racing Santander last weekend.

There is certainly unrest in his camp and Dutch forward Klaas-Jan Huntelaar had to come out in the press this week to deny he wanted to leave the club.

Huntelaar was signed by former coach Bernd Schuster from Ajax for around 20 million euros but has been used sparingly and has yet to score his first goal for the club, although he scored for the Netherlands in Wednesday’s 1-1 draw with Tunisia.

"I don’t want to leave Madrid," vowed Huntelaar. "Of course you are not happy when you play a quarter of an hour. However, I have to be patient and wait for my opportunity."

Atletico Madrid’s recently-installed manager Abel Resino hopes to build on a winning start by downing derby rivals Getafe at the Vicente Calderon on Sunday.

Results went Atletico’s way last weekend – with Champions League rivals Sevilla and Valencia both losing – and Atletico are now just two points off the top four.

"When you change coach it is all new and we have to adapt," explained Atletico defender Tomas Ujfalusi. "A new coach always brings something different. At the moment we are working on the defence although you can’t change everything in a week."

The two giants of Spanish football Barca and Real are streaking ahead at the top and it now looks like a four-way duel for the final two Champions League berths with Sevilla, nine points behind Real, Villarreal, Valencia and Atletico in the frame.

Promoted Malaga are just two points off the top four after an incredible first half of the season but qualifying for Europe’s premier competition would be nothing short of a miracle.

Valencia, beaten by lowly Osasuna last time out, host the dangerous Malaga on Saturday night and will look to Spanish international striker David Villa for inspiration.

Villa became the first Spanish player to score in six successive internationals following his goal in Spain’s comfortable 2-0 friendly win over England on Wednesday that extended their unbeaten run to 29 games.

Sevilla have found goals hard to come by – of the top ten teams only Deportivo La Coruna have scored less – and travel to Espanyol on Sunday with the aim of forgetting the painful Betis defeat.

Fixtures

Saturday

Deportivo La Coruna v Osasuna, Real Betis v Barcelona, Valencia v Malaga

Sunday

Almeria v Valladolid, Athletic Bilbao v Recreativo Huelva, Sporting Gijon v Real Madrid, Racing Santander v Villarreal, Numancia v Real Mallorca, Espanyol v Sevilla, Atletico Madrid v Getafe

Written by: AFP

Tags: 13 years, Abel Resino, Ajax, Atletico, Barcelona, Bernd Schuster, bestia, Bilbao, bogey, DAVID VILLA, England, Europe, former coach, home advantage, home fans, Jan Huntelaar, jinx, klaas jan huntelaar, la coruna, LA Liga, league leaders, MADRID, Malaga, negra, oppo, own destiny, pep guardiola, real madrid, real zaragoza, Ricardo Oliveira, santander, schuster, seven points, SEVILLA, seville, Spain, the Netherlands, tomas ujfalusi, Tunisia, unrest, Valencia, valladolid, Vicente Calderon, win 3

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Messi hattrick gives Barcelona handsome win over Atletico

MADRID (AFP) – Argentine forward Lionel Messi scored three times to give Barcelona a 3-1 away win over Atletico Madrid in the Spanish Cup’s last 16 first leg on Tuesday.Messi, who was rested for Barcelona’s 3-1 win over Real Mallorca in the league on Saturday, raced up the right wing towards the area, slipped a pass to Daniel Alves who back-heeled to him.The 21-year-old then used his left foot to send the ball past Atletico’s French keeper Gregory Coupet in the 11th minute as Argentina’s new national coach Diego Maradona watched from the stands.Messi scored again in the 58th minute with a penalty kick into the bottom left corner that sent Coupet scrambling in the other direction.His third goal came just 11 minutes from the final whistle with a clip with his left foot into an empty net after receiving the ball from Spanish international Andres Iniesta.Czech defender Tomas Ujfalusi contributed Atletico’s only goal of the match in the 69th minute as he nodded the ball into the net after Portuguese winger Simao Sabrosa had swung in the corner.The Madrid side quickly became frustrated at Barcelona’s domination of the game and racked up three yellow cards in a five-minute period as the end of the first-half neared.Simao got a yellow card in the 37th minute for pushing Messi, followed two minutes later by Simao’s compatriot Maniche who got carded for tripping Iniesta. Left back Mariano Pernia got a yellow card in the 41st minute for tripping Alves.Barcelona, who have won the Cup a record 24 times, were without injured Carles Puyol, Rafael Marquez and Aleksandr Hleb, and they rested Victor Valdes, Xavi and Samuel Eto’o, the top scorer in the Spanish league this season.Atletico’s Argentine striker Sergio "Kun" Aguero was out due to a sore throat and fever.There are five more first legs on Wednesday including holders Valencia’s trip to face Racing Santander and the 2007 winners Sevilla’s match at home to Deportivo Coruna.The second legs take place on Jan 14 and 15.

Written by: AFP

Tags: AFP, aleksandr hleb, Andres Iniesta, Argentina, Argentine, atletico madrid, Barcelona, carles puyol, daniel alves, diego maradona, gregory coupet, keeper, LA Liga, leg, Lionel, lionel messi, MADRID, Mariano, mariano pernia, national coach, pass, racing santander, rafael marquez, real mallorca, samuel eto, samuel eto o, Sergio, SEVILLA, Simao, simao sabrosa, spanish cup, spanish league, tomas ujfalusi, top scorer, Valencia, victor valdes, yellow cards

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