Benzema header sinks Espanyol to put Real in charge

Real Madrid continued their winning start to the new year with Karim Benzema giving them a 1-0 victory in their King's Cup quarter-final first-leg tie away to Espanyol on Tuesday.Benzema's goal meant Real have come out on top in each of their six games since Christmas, a burst of form that has seen them close the gap to just one point behind Barcelona and Atletico Madrid at the top of La Liga.Espanyol have a good record against Real in the cup...

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Monaco win at Toulouse to maintain pressure on PSG

Youngsters Layvin Kurzawa and substitute Lucas Ocampos scored to help Monaco move within two points of Ligue 1 leaders Paris St Germain in a 2-0 win at midtable Toulouse on Sunday.Kurzawa opened the scoring from close range in the 36th minute and Ocampos sealed the victory with a splendid overhead kick two minutes from time as Monaco moved up to 45 points from 21 games.Champions Paris St Germain can re-establish their five-point advantage if they...

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Messi strikes twice but Neymar injured in Barca cup win

Quicksilver Lionel Messi hit a double as Barcelona beat Getafe 2-0 and qualified 6-0 on aggregate for the King's Cup quarter-finals but they lost Neymar to injury midway through the first half.Messi and Neymar were returning to the starting lineup but the Brazil forward lasted less than 25 minutes as he twisted his ankle turning awkwardly by the touchline and was taken away on a stretcher.It was Argentina captain Messi's first start since he injured...

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Milan sack Allegri, Seedorf favoured as replacement

AC Milan coach Massimiliano Allegri was fired on Monday following a series of dismal results for the seven-times European champions.Italian media said Milan, languishing 11th in Serie A, were poised to gamble on their former midfielder Clarence Seedorf as his replacement even though the Dutchman has no previous coaching experience.Reports said Seedorf, currently playing for Brazilian club Botafogo, would arrive in Italy on Thursday although the...

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Ronaldo wins World Player of the Year for second time

Portugal and Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo was named the world's best footballer for the second time on Monday, preventing his great rival Lionel Messi from winning the award for a fifth year in a row.Argentine Messi, hampered by uncharacteristic injury problems at Barcelona late in the year, and Frenchman Franck Ribery of Bayern Munich were the other candidates for the prize, officially known as the FIFA Ballon d'Or."Thank you to everyone,...

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Man City go top after controversial Newcastle win

Manchester City went top of the Premier League after securing a controversial 2-0 win at Newcastle United on Sunday with an early Edin Dzeko goal and a stoppage time effort from Alvaro Negredo.Newcastle were incensed that a stunning volley from Ivorian international midfielder Cheick Tiote was disallowed by referee Mike Jones after 34 minutes when the hosts trailed 1-0.Tiote smashed the ball home with a swerving 20-metre left-foot shot, but, as...

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Florenzi overhead kick sets up Roma win

 Alessandro Florenzi's perfectly-executed bicycle kick inspired second-placed AS Roma to a 4-0 win over Genoa in Serie A on Sunday although it did them little good as rampant leaders Juventus won their 11th league game in a row.The defending champions survived a difficult opening half hour and had goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon to thank as they came from behind to win 4-1 at Cagliari.Cagliari forward Mauricio Pinilla scored and was later sent...

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Honours even between leaders Barca and Atletico

Title rivals Barcelona and Atletico Madrid stayed locked together at the top of La Liga after they played out an intense 0-0 draw with few genuine chances at the Calderon on Saturday.Not even the introduction of Barca's fit-again World Player of the Year Lionel Messi at halftime or Brazil forward Neymar with just over 20 minutes left could break the deadlock and both teams have 50 points at the halfway stage of the campaign."They are a very,...

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Defoe begins long goodbye from Spurs with typical goal

England striker Jermain Defoe began his long goodbye from Tottenham Hotspur with his first Premier League goal of the season as the home side recovered from a poor first half to beat Crystal Palace 2-0 on Saturday.Defoe, Spurs' fifth highest all-time scorer with 143 goals, will be joining MLS side Toronto FC in March in a six million pounds ($9.89 million) deal and scored in the 72nd minute to guarantee all three points at White Hart Lane.Tottenham...

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Title hopefuls Monaco held at lowly Montpellier

Monaco missed a chance to move level on points with Ligue 1 leaders Paris St Germain when they were held to a 1-1 draw by strugglers Montpellier on Friday.Layvin Kurzawa's opener for the visitors after the break was cancelled out by Montpellier's on-loan AC Milan forward M'Baye Niang, who followed up to score on his league debut after his penalty was saved by Danijel Subasic midway through the half.Monaco stayed second in the standings with 42...

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Dedicated Walcott will come back stronger, says Wenger

Theo Walcott's mental strength and dedication will help him come back stronger from the knee injury that has ended his season and ruled him out of the World Cup, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said on Thursday."Theo is handling it as well as you can when you have had such a shock because he's mentally strong, he's very balanced as a person and he can put it into perspective," Wenger told the club website (www.arsenal.com)."We know that he will...

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Defoe to leave Tottenham for Toronto - reports

Tottenham Hotspur striker Jermain Defoe is poised to sign for Major League Soccer side Toronto FC, British and Canadian media reported on Wednesday.The MLS club posted messages on their website and Twitter warning fans to expect "a bloody big deal" on Monday.British newspaper the Guardian and Canada's Toronto Star said the 31-year-old Defoe would be loaned back to Tottenham until March 1 before the start of the MLS season on March 15.Defoe, whose former Tottenham team mate Ryan Nelsen is head coach at Toronto, has made few Premier League starts...

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City crush woeful West Ham in League Cup semi

 Alvaro Negredo grabbed a hat-trick as Manchester City crushed West Ham United 6-0 in their League Cup semi-final first leg on Wednesday in another body blow for the beleaguered London club.City effectively sealed their place in the final at Wembley with another one-sided demonstration of their attacking potency, Edin Dzeko with two and Yaya Toure joining Negredo on the scoresheet.It was the second time in four days that West Ham have conceded more than five goals after they were knocked out of the FA Cup 5-0 by second tier Nottingham Forest...

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Totti jeered, De Rossi off in dismal night for Roma stalwarts

Francesco Totti was left with on egg on his face after his attempts to wind up Juventus backfired and Daniele De Rossi was sent off for another loss of temper on a dismal night for AS Roma's stalwarts on Sunday.Roma captain Totti, in a remarkable 22nd season at his only club, had to endure a deafening chorus of jeers from the Juventus stadium when he was substituted in the 72nd minute after an ineffectual display in his side's 3-0 defeat.Totti set up an early chance for Adem Ljajic with an excellent through ball, but after that made little headway...

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City down to 10 men but hang on for replay

Premier League title favourites Manchester City were reduced to 10 men on Saturday as they survived a torrid examination of their class by lower league Blackburn Rovers in a feisty 1-1 draw in the FA Cup third round.City, unexpectedly beaten by Wigan Athletic in last season's FA Cup final, went ahead with a 45th minute goal by Spanish striker Alvaro Negredo, but Championship side Blackburn levelled 10 minutes later through a similar close-range...

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Southampton forward Osvaldo banned for three matches

Southampton forward Dani Osvaldo will miss the Premier League club's next three games after the FA found him guilty of violent conduct on Friday.The Argentine-born Italian was involved in a touchline fracas in stoppage time during the 1-1 draw at Newcastle United last month, having already been substituted.As well as a three-match ban, Osvaldo was fined 40,000 pounds ($65,800) for his part in the incident which also saw Newcastle coach Andy Woodman...

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Arsenal grab late victory, City and Chelsea win

Late goals from Nicklas Bendtner and Theo Walcott spared Arsenal's blushes and kept them top of the Premier League in a 2-0 victory over Cardiff City as title rivals Manchester City and Chelsea also won on Wednesday.The conclusion of the congested festive schedule saw a tired display by the Londoners who looked set to draw a blank for the second straight home game before Bendtner bundled home in the 88th minute and Walcott wrapped up the points...

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Swansea City - Manchester City, 01.01.2014 premiere league

Swansea City welcome the hottest team in the league to Wales Wednesday when Manchester City visits Liberty Stadium. The Swans currently sit comfortably in 11th place but have been in horrendous form, going winless in their last 5 league games (6 in all competitions). Michu's return was supposed to see Michael Laudrup's side regain their saavy ways, but another injury sent the Spanish striker back to the sidelines for another couple months. However,...

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Southampton FC - Chelsea FC 01.01.2013 premiere league

Southampton flirted with the top 4 for a while but have since returned to their respective spot in the mid-table places. Jay Rodriguez-who has been in scintillating form of late-and an excellent defence have led the Saints to a comfortable 9th place. The Saints have been inconsistent in their matches against the top 8 teams-defeating Liverpool and drawing against Man U, Man City, and Newcastle while losing to Chelsea, Arsenal, Tottenham, and Everton....

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