Issue Twelve – 28th August 2012 - WORLD FOOTBALL WEEKLY

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Page 5 – NEWS: Iniesta invests in old clubNEWS HEADLINES pg. 3-5TRANSFER ROUND-UP pg. 6WORLD CUP WATCH: ANTIGUA pg. 7CHAMPIONS LEAGUE pg. 8EUROPA LEAGUE pg. 9BELGIUM: JUPILER LEAGUE pg. 10ENGLAND: PREMIER LEAGUE pg. 11FRANCE: LIGUE 1 pg. 12GERMANY: BUNDESLIGA pg. 13ITALY: SERIE A pg. 14MALTA: PREMIER LEAGUE pg. 15NETHERLANDS: EREDIVISIE pg. 16RUSSIA: PREMIER LEAGUE pg. 17SCOTLAND: SPL pg. 18SPAIN: SUPERCOPA pg. 19SPAIN: PRIMERA DIVISION pg. 20UKRAINE: PREMIER LEAGUE pg. 21ARGENTINA: INICIAL pg. 22BRAZIL: BRASILEIRÃO pg. 23MEXICO: LIGA MX pg. 24USA: MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER pg. 25S. AFRICA: PREMIER LEAGUE pg. 26Page 17 – NETHERLANDS: Ajax smash five past NAC BredaPage 22 – SPAIN: Falcao hat-trick downs Bilbao- 2 -

ENGLANDENGLANDROONEYFOROUTFOURWEEKSAS Hugo Rodallega’s studstore through Wayne Rooney’sthigh last Saturday Sir AlexFerguson’s current headachebegan to relieve itself, albeitonly for the amount of time ittakes the England striker’swounds to heal.Having added Robin van Persie to his extensivearsenal of striking options the ManchesterUnited manager has now forced Rooney’sposition as the team’s first-choice striker intoquestion. There is no doubting that havingfought so hard and spending so much on a 29-year-old centre forward coming off the mostprolific season of his career, Ferguson is notabout to ask the Dutchman to play a morewithdrawn role nor is he going to shift VanPersie to the flanks where United are swellingwith competition.Against Everton in the opening game of theseason Rooney looked isolated and frustratedat times, which is to be expected after hislethargic time in the England camp during theEuros which seems to have drained the formout of him as it did after the World Cup in2010.Already Shinji Nagawa has staked his claim forthe second striker or ‘in the hole’ player thatmany expected Rooney to occupy just behindVan Persie. The Japanese attacking midfielderhas immediately provided Manchester Unitedwith a probing edge that they badly lacked lastseason – in fact it could be argued that whatFerguson needed was a controlling midfieldercapable of dominating from box-to-box tocomplement his wide options and front menrather than Van Persie.So now Rooney faces up to six weeks out whilehis thing muscle recovers from the gash whichnot only cut straight down to the bone, butrequired the player to undergo a generalanaesthetic as surgeons repaired the damage.While Rooney rehabs it is likely that Van Persieshall continue to make the most of the serviceUnited can provide through Antonio Valencia,Ashley Young and Nani in the wider areas whileTom Cleverly, Michael Carrick and Nagawa lookpoised to become the central column ofmidfield which can use dominant possession toexpose their opponents.Should the team be humming in this 4-1-3-1-1formation – Ferguson has always favoured onestriker in Europe for the past decade – thenRooney may have to adapt to find a role in theteam. This has not always been an issue for theLiverpudlian, who has had to play second fiddleto Cristiano Ronaldo in the past while one ofthe main issues surrounding his decision tobreak off contract talks two years ago was thatthe club were not signing enough big-nameplayers. Now the reality is the high-profile starsare arriving, thriving providing competition forhis place.So where will this leave the most gifted Englishman of his generation? History tells us twothings regarding Rooney’s form. That he takesalmost a month to return to form after aninjury and that barring last season’sastonishing return of nine goals in his firstseven for the then Premier League champions,he is a notoriously slow starter to the season.In 2010/11 Rooney returned just six goals fromhis first 17 games in red, in 09/10 hecontributed eight from his 16, preceded byonly five out of 18 in 08/09 and when Unitedwon the treble he began with seven from 17.So now he may have to accept that a deeplyingposition, possibly even as far back ascentral midfield should the Kagawa-RvPtandem flourish up at the top end of the pitch.Rooney possesses the kind of engine thatUnited have not been able to replace since RoyKeane’s departure, despite his aggression histackling is better than most attacking playersand his touch, vision and ability to play cuttingpasses are often overshadowed by thespectacular goal-scoring side of his play.The idea of Rooney driving the red half ofManchester from the centre of the pitch maybe a mouth-watering prospect for United fansgiven the amount of attacking talent he wouldbe surrounded by but how England managerRoy Hodgson would view it is quite anotherargument.Nonetheless, Ferguson managed to juggleAndy Cole, Dwight Yorke, Ole Gunnar Solksjaerand Teddy Sheringham to great effect in 1999while his last Champions League winning teamwas spearheaded by his deployment ofRooney, Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez as anattacking trio.Having hunted Van Persie since the early daysof summer you can be assured Ferguson had aplan that included both the former Arsenal starand Rooney, but for now only time will tell uswhat that will be.Adam RedmondWriter – Irish Daily MailTwitter @AdamRedmond- 3 -

SPAINLUKA FINALLY GETS REAL MOVECroatian midfielder Luka Modric eventually puts finishing touchesto move from Tottenham Hotspur to La Liga giants Real Madrid.After struggling to overcome Getafe on Sunday, Real Madrid finally closed a deal for playmaker LukaModric from Tottenham on Monday to close a summer-long transfer saga. Modric passed his routinemedical before being presented to a small gathering at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium where hesigned a contract to conclude the deal that came at a reported cost of €35M to Madrid. He has signeda five-year contract."Finally this happened and I am relieved," Modric told a news conference. "It's the biggest challenge ofmy footballing career and I'm sure I will succeed. I have everything I need here, best coach in the world,best players, and I just need to enjoy everything and play my football."Sunday's 2-1 loss at Getafe — which confirmed the club's worst start since 1973 — appears to havespurred Madrid into ending the drawn-out chase by securing a player it hopes can help kickstart itsseason. The Spanish giant did not release financial terms of the deal. "It's not important how you startthe league, it's important how you finish," said Modric, who added that he is ready to play Wednesdayagainst Barcelona despite having only trained apart from Tottenham's team for the past month as theclub negotiated his exit. "There is no hard feelings from my side, and I think it's the same fromTottenham. This is just a new page in my life."The 26-year-old Modric made 160 appearances for the North London club, scoring 17 goals, sincejoining in 2008 from Dinamo Zagreb for a fee of €21M. Modric has scored eight goals from 57appearances with the Croatian national team. "Luka has been a terrific player for us, whilst wepreferred not to part with him, we are pleased that it is to Real Madrid," said Spurs chairman DanielLevy, who managed to keep Modric last season despite strong interest from Chelsea.Modric's arrival also signals a possible exit for Madrid midfielder Kaka with only a few days remainingbefore the transfer window closes at midnight Aug. 31. AC Milan is reportedly interested in taking theBrazilian back to the San Siro. Modric will likely train with his new teammates for the first time laterMonday with a possible debut coming in the return leg of the Spanish Super Cup against Barcelona.Madrid trails 3-2 going into the game at the Bernabeu."Of course I would like to play, it's the biggest game in world football," Modric said. "The coach willdecide where he wants to use me. I'm happy wherever he puts me." Madrid has lost two straight gamessince opening the Spanish league season with a draw. They are already five points adrift of title rivalsBarcelona in the standings after just two league games.Will BurnsTwitter @WillBurns6NEWS SHORTSSOUTH AMERICA: Santander hasextended its presence in South Americanfootball by agreeing a three-year deal tobecome the title sponsor of the RecopaSudamericana competition. The SouthAmerican Football Confederation(CONMEBOL) announced the deal aheadof Wednesday’s first leg of the 2012tournament, which pits the winner of theCopa Libertadores against the victor ofthe Copa Sudamericana. Santanderalready holds the title sponsorship of theCopa Libertadores, South America’sleading club competition, whileBridgestone holds the rights to the CopaSudamericana.INDIA: The All India Football Federation’s(AIFF) marketing partner, IMG-Reliance,on Thursday presented its latest plans totransform the game in the country,including an international-standardcentre of excellence and theredevelopment of stadiums. IMG-Reliance’s presentation of the ‘road mapfor Indian football’ is the latest measureaimed at boosting the development offootball in India, with the companycurrently engaged in a 15-yearagreement with the AIFF to improve,popularise and promote the game fromthe grassroots to the professional level.An IMG-Reliance official told the IANSnews agency that an academy will besituated at the Indian PetrochemicalsCorporation (IPCL) Sports Complex inBaroda, Gujarat.SPAIN: Atletico Madrid coach DiegoSimeone hailed Radamel Falcao'sperformance as "almost perfect" afterthe Colombia international struck a hattrickin the 4-0 La Liga thrashing ofAthletic Bilbao. Falcao scored 36 goals inall competitions for Atletico last seasonfollowing his move from FC Porto and the26-year-old picked up where he left offwith a starring performance in LosRojiblancos' second league game of thenew campaign. Simeone said:"Falcao had an extraordinary game,almost perfect." Falcao, who has nowscored seven times in three matchesagainst Athletic, including two in theEuropa League final, said on his club'swebsite: "It was a great night in which Iscored three goals. I could have had morebut I'm happy with the three.- 4 -

SPAINLOCALBOYCOMESGOOD...AGAINBarcelona starAndres Iniesta hasonce again steppedin to avert crisis athis boyhood club,Albacete Balompie.Back in December 2011, it wasannounced that the double-Euro and World Cup winning star had bought around €500,000 worth of shares in the club in adesperate attempt to stabilize the clubs financial position.And now, with the new season looming, the club how achieved a major coup – snaring Iniesta’s ownwine-making operations as there new kit sponsor. The clubs new shirt was revealed this week, andincludes the simple logo of “Bodega Iniesta”. Club President Rafael Candel stated that Andres Iniesta“represents values such as humility, humanity, simplicity and professionalism” and called the deal oneof the best he has made in his time at the club.Back in 2010/11, the team had been relegated to Segunda B, Spain’s 3 rd tier. They were struggling tomake ends meet and the money injected by Iniesta went some way to providing stability and helpedthe club to consolidate last season. As a result of this buyout Iniesta’s father, Jose Antonio, joined theboard of the club which is known for its unusual nickname - “A Clockwork Cheese”. He has been inplace to oversee his son’s investment in his favoured club from his childhood.Andres was born in thetown of Fuentealbillaand was delighted to beon the books of the clubhe admired. He spenttwo seasons there, from1994 to 1996, until hewas spotted byBarcelona scouts at theage of 12. He has sincegone on to win everyhonour in the game, andwill forever beremembered as the manwho scored to gift Spainits first ever World Cuptriumph in 2010.However, he has never lost his love for his old club, and his actions have gone some way to making surethat it exists for future generations.Andrew DavidsonTwitter @El_Andrew_UnoWORLD CUP NEWSMACEDONIA: Cedomir Janevski has beennamed as their new national coach toreplace former Wales and Real Madridboss John Toshack who stepped downafter just a year in charge. Janevski, 51,will take over the squad just weeks beforethe start of the qualifying campaign. "It isa great honour for me, but also a hugeresponsibility," the former internationaldefender told reporters. Janevski has sofar coached Olympiakos, Serbia's Red StarBelgrade and Cyprus's Enosis NeonParalimni. Macedonia competes withCroatia, Serbia, Belgium, Scotland andWales in Group A.ARGENTINA: Head coach AlejandroSabella has called up injured ManchesterCity striker Sergio Aguero for qualifiersagainst Paraguay and Peru next month.Aguero sustained a knee injury in City'sopening Premier League match againstSouthampton on Sunday and his club donot expect him back on duty until afterthe international break. City managerRoberto Mancini has earmarked Aguerofor a comeback at Stoke City on 15thSeptember. Argentina play at homeagainst Paraguay on 7th September andthen travel to face Peru on 11thSeptember. In a further surprise step,Sabella has handed a first call-up to 28-year-old Palmeiras striker Hernan Barcos.The squad announced is Mariano Andujar(Catania), Sergio Romero (Sampdoria);Hugo Campagnaro (Napoli), FedericoFernandez (Napoli), Pablo Zabaleta(Manchester City), Ezequiel Garay(Benfica), Marcos Rojo (Sporting Lisbon),Fabricio Coloccini (Newcastle); JavierMascherano (Barcelona), Angel Di Maria(Real Madrid), Fernando Gago (Valencia),Enzo Perez (Benfica), Jose Sosa (Metalist),Pablo Guinazu (Internacional); LionelMessi (Barcelona), Gonzalo Higuain (RealMadrid), Rodrigo Palacio (Inter Milan),Sergio Aguero (Manchester City), EzequielLavezzi (Paris St Germain), Hernan Barcos(Palmeiras).PANAMA: After their excellent start tothe third phase of CONCACAFqualifying, Panama have their sights seton the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil andwhat would be a historic first appearanceat FIFA’s flagship event. And theirconfidence is well founded, with LosCanaleros yet to concede in Group C,where they lead the way with six pointsfrom two games, one of which was amorale-boosting away win against SouthAfrica 2010 qualifiers Honduras.- 5 -

CASSANOANDPAZZINI SWAPInter Milan have completed thesigning of Italy forward AntonioCassano on a two-year contract.AC Milan striker GiampaoloPazzini has moved in the oppositedirection as part of the deal,which involves an undisclosed feegoing to the Rossoneri.A statement on Inter’s official website read:“The Nerazzurri have signed the Bari-born striker ona permanent deal from Milan. He has signed a twoyearcontract which runs until June 2014.” The Italyinternational missed a large part of last season afterundergoing emergency heart surgery having suffereda stroke in October.Inter issued another official statement which read:“Inter can confirm the permanent transfer ofGiampaolo Pazzini to Milan. Pazzini, who scored 19goals in 60 appearances for the Nerazzurri, leaveswith the best wishes of everyone at the club.”Inter president Massimo Moratti was quoted assaying: “Signing Cassano is an interesting move. Ihope he can do well. He’s an interesting player and Ihope he’ll be useful. We’ll be very happy if Cassanobrings his enthusiasm with him.”CHELSEA ATTHE DOUBLEThe Blues sealed the £7M capture ofSpanish right-back Cesar Azpilicueta,22, from Marseille and finalised the£9M transfer of Wigan’s Nigerianwinger Victor Moses.The 30-year-old began his career withhometown club Bari before making a name forhimself at Roma. He then became only thesecond-ever Italian player to sign for Real Madridbefore returning to Italy with Sampdoria,originally on loan, in 2007.Cassano’s successful spell at the Stadio LuigiFerraris preceded a move to the San Siro in 2011.“Finally I am at the team I have alwayssupported,” the former Roma and Real Madridplayer said in a statement.Meanwhile, Inter have also completed thetransfer of Napoli’s Uruguayan midfielder WalterGargano on an initial loan deal. Two years ago,the Uruguay international signed a contractextension to remain with the Partenopei until2015, but yesterday he revealed a move northwas imminent.The European champions admitted in astatement that Moses’ display against themlast week had impressed and he wasunveiled before Saturday’s Newcastle match.The Moses deal takes Chelsea’s spending justpast 80m — owner Roman Abramovich’sbiggest outlay in a single transfer windowsince he sanctioned a £112m spree in 2003,his first summer in charge.Azpilicueta, who has represented Spain atseveral youth levels and played at theOlympic Games this summer, missedMarseille's Europa League qualifier againstFC Sheriff on Thursday night as he travelledto London to complete the deal withChelsea.The 28-year-old said: “I’m moving to a greatclub. Inter have wanted me for a while and so Iwill do my best to repay the club.” If theanticipated loan deal goes through, at anestimated cost of €1.25M, Gargano will line upbehind Cassano.The Uruguayan continued: “The competitionfor places is a beautiful thing. Everyone has toplay their best at all times. Cassano is achampion and a great personality.”Gargano made over 163 appearances forNapoli since joining from Danubio in 2007. Headded: “I will be Neapolitan for the rest of mylife. Two of my children were born there andthe city will always be in my heart. I’m sorry, itwas great playing for Napoli but this is a newadventure for me.”Will BurnsTwitter @WillBurns6"César Azpilicueta transfer to Chelsea's isofficial. The Spanish defender has signed withthe Champions of Europe 2012," the Marseillestatement said.Azpilicueta made the last of his 69 appearancesfor Marseille in last weekend's 2-0 victoryagainst Sochaux.He joined the French club in 2010 from La Ligaside Osasuna, and although he suffered aserious knee injury in his first season on theMediterranean coast, he went on to establishhimself as the club's first-choice right-back.Will BurnsTwitter @WillBurns6- 6 -

With the World Cup 2014 qualifiers fast approaching here’s Nathan Carr of Caribbean Football profiling Antigua...SPOTLIGHT ON ANTIGUASometimes mercurial, often spirited. The Antiguannational football team is currently enduring atransitional period which has seen an increase in sportparticipation on the island, a sudden rise in the FIFAworld rankings and of course a credible on-goingjourney in the third round of the World Cup qualifying.It’s all go.An island, home to around 80,000 people, perceived tobe a production line for some of the best cricketers as itis cricket that usually takes centre stage. And notnecessarily football. However, there is an – albeit small- evolution starting to occur with more and morepeople starting to get into football. And a large reasonfor this is down to the fact the national side is currentlyexcelling.As you know, the qualifying stages for the upcoming2014 World Cup, which will be held in Brazil, arecurrently taking place and Antigua have doneremarkably well to still even be in with a shout ofprogressing past the third round – which is still takingplace. Having seen out some tough fixtures in earlyJune, where they were beaten in the Group A opener byregional powerhouses United States and then able tosalvage a point against rivals Jamaica – September isjust as equally tough.Much could be taken from the match against the States,though. Despite defeat, Antiguan forward Peter Byerswas still able to get on the score sheet and it was achance to showcase their development to a globalaudience as American sports channels Fox Sports andESPN were showing the tie live. The pace and tempo atwhich the game was played will only help Antigua toadapt, and this is significant as tournaments such as theCaribbean Cup and Gold Cup loom.The World Cup qualifiers resume on 7th September andthe Benna Boys will travel to the Estadio Mateo Floresto face Guatemala before taking a four-day break andthen hosting them in the reverse fixture. It’s a shamethat they have to play away in the first leg, as theenvironment will be unfamiliar and Guatemala will beconfident with the home backing. It’s important Antiguatake points from the two games, though, as they are yetto taste victory and if progression is going to be turnedinto reality, a solid performance must be put in.But in all honesty, the team should be playing with nofear. After all, they are underdogs. And manager TomCurtis knows that his squad have done so well to getthis far. Let’s not kid ourselves; it’s a tiny island thatlacks sufficient resources and enough seriousinvestment to really get football off the grounddomestically and on the international stage.A nation constantly overshadowed by the dominance ofneighbours Jamaica and Trinidad & Tobago. But maybenot for much longer. And we must also heap praise onthe supporters back home who have been magnificentamid the fact Antigua have never qualified for a WorldCup. But at the rate at which the side is developing –who is to say that a place at a World Cup isn’tachievable?But success and admirers have been coming thick andfast, not least for the impressive results but also for thenew-look system installed by Curtis. He has been ableto lure Reading star Mikele Leigertwood andNottingham Forest striker Dexter Blackstock to thesetup and it’s proved beneficial as the chore andfluency of the team has significantly strengthened.Leigertwood offers a dynamism that was clearly lackingbefore, and some much-need experience. He’s thelynchpin and heartbeat of the midfield, able to operateas a deep lying midfielder or drop in as a defender.Whereas Blackstock, meanwhile, is a fantastic additionto supplement old guard Byers. He can run defendersragged with his pace and is a threat in the air. Both ofthem started the match against the United States aswell, and they were arguably the stand out players.Curtis has been fortunate that he’s been able to callupon the services of players who originate from theisland – and there could well be more newcomers as faras the rule continues to apply.Having said that, players such as central defenderMarvin McCoy, 35-year-old skipper George Dublin andtricky number nine Stefan Smith have all beeninfluential characters in the recent rise. It would beunfair to overlook them. It’s a far more expansivesystem that Curtis has deployed, and having watchedthe match against the States there was plenty of widthand this meant the full-backs could push on and exploitthe space behind. Byers, who came off the bench toscore the goal, was able to get behind the backlinethrough this and against lesser quality teams moregoals could be scored.But away from the World Cup, Antigua have also seen astep up in the recently updated FIFA World Rankings.They sit in 100 th place, with their best ever positioncoming in November 2011 in 83 rd . It’s a highlyrespectable position and one that sees them ahead ofthe likes of other Caribbean nations such as St Kitts &Nevis, Dominican Republic and Bermuda.It’s now no secret that the Benna Boys are improving onall fronts, and with the instalment of some new keyplayers, current success in the World Cup qualifyingcampaign and new-look position in the world rankings –you’d be foolish to cast a shadow over the Antigua andBarbuda national team. Ignore them at your own peril.Nathan CarrTwitter @caribbeanftblwww.thehomeofcaribbeanfootball.wordpress.com- 7 -

QUALIFYING PLAYOFF – FIRST LEGDANES SHOCK LILLE, KIEV UPSET GLADBACHSpartak Moscow will take a slender 2-1 lead to Fenerbahçe next Wednesday in their second leg of theChampions League playoffs. The first goal of the match came on the hour mark when a surging run and lowcross from Dmitri Kombarov was met by Emmanuel Emenike who managed to get in behind the Fenerbahcedefence. The equaliser came after what seemed a hopeless ball from Selcuk Sahin into the Spartak box endedup being knocked down by Moussa Sow to allow Dirk Kuyt to bang into an empty net after Andriy Dikan gotlost attempting to deal with the initial delivery from Sahin. Four minutes later, Aiden McGeady’s corner wassmashed home by Kombarov who produced a special bit of technique to ensure the home side went toIstanbul with some kind of advantage.Neal Doyle (Twitter @NealDoyle34 & @RussiaNT_LIVE)An own goal by summer signing Luuk de Jong left Borussia Mönchengladbach with a mountainous task torescue their European hopes in next week's decider. Luck deserted the Dutchman as his outstretchedattempted clearance turned Miguel Veloso's set piece into his own net with nine minutes remaining of whathad been a closely-contested match. A first-half double had set the visitors on their way, captain TarasMikhalik's long-range deflected 28th-minute goal cancelling out Alexander Ring's early opener for the hostsbefore the powerful winger Andriy Yarmolenko capped a razor-sharp breakaway with a stylish finish.Will Burns (Twitter @WillBurns6)FULL RESULTSTuesday 21st AugustSpartak Moscow (RUS) 2-1 Fenerbahçe (TUR)Borussia Monchengladbach (GER) 1-3 Dynamo Kiev (UKR)København (DEN) 1-0 Lille (FRA)FC Basel (SWI) 1-2 CFR Cluj (ROM)Helsingborg (SWE) 0-2 Celtic (SCO)Wednesday 22nd AugustBATE (BLR) 2-0 Hapoel Kiryat Shmona FC (ISR)AEL Limassol FC (CYP) 2-1 Anderlecht (BEL)Dinamo Zagreb (CRO) 2-1 Maribor (SVN)Braga (POR) 1-1 Udinese (ITA)Malaga (ESP) 2-0 Panathinaikos (GRE)FC Copenhagen took a huge step towards the group stages with a 1-0 victory at home over LOSC Lille from theFrench Ligue 1. César Santin gave the home side a much needed lead in the 38th minute on which he headedCopenhagen in front after some nifty play just outside the penalty area. Lille, who recently started theircampaign, have only played two matches before this playoff game which were showing especially in the finalthird of the pitch.Claus Røndbjerg-Christensen (Twitter @DanishFooty)Senelagese striker Modou Sougou scored twice in five second-half minutes as Romanian side CFR Cluj foughtback to earn an invaluable victory at FC Basel of Switzerland. Trailing at half-time to MarcoStreller's wonderful volley, the visitors staged a rally after the restart. Sougou led the charge, levelling in the66th minute and securing a valuable win on 77 minutes ahead of next Wednesday's return.Will Burns (Twitter @WillBurns6)A goal in each half from Kris Commons and Giorgos Samaras rewarded Scottish champions Celtic for adisciplined display at Helsingborgs as The Hoops claimed a valuable advantage in their tie. Neil Lennon's sidetook the lead in the second minute thanks to Commons' volley and while Helsingborg had the better of thematch thereafter, it took the woodwork to deny Joe Ledley's header and keep them in touch. The Swedishchampions were undone again when Greek striker Samaras nodded in a 75th-minute corner.Will Burns (Twitter @WillBurns6)Two goals from Vitali Rodionov put Belarussian side BATE Borisov in pole position to qualify for the groupstage for the third time in five years at the expense of Israel’s Hapoel Kiryat Shmona. The winger scored ineach half of the play-off first leg to cap a fine solo display against a spirited Israeli side who were weakened bythe dismissal of Dušan Matović midway through the second half. Competition debutants Hapoel face an uphillstruggle to become only the fourth Israeli side to reach the group stage when the teams meet again nextWednesday.Will Burns (Twitter @WillBurns6)AEL Limassol eked out a narrow advantage against RSC Anderlecht. APOEL Nicosia had defied the odds lastseason to set a new precedent for Cypriot success in Europe. Perhaps taking inspiration from their domesticrivals, AEL went about their task with great application and took the lead courtesy of Dosa Júnior's 34thminuteheader. Dieudonné Mbokani's equaliser 17 minutes after the break pegged them back, but tenminutes later a shot from substitute Rui Miguel went in off goalkeeper Silvio Proto to give AEL a lead to taketo Belgium.Will Burns (Twitter @WillBurns6)Milan Badelj found redemption on his final appearance at the Stadion Maksimir as he atoned for his first-halfown goal with a late winner for Dinamo Zagreb against NK Maribor. The 23-year-old leaves for Hamburger SVwhen his club's qualifying campaign culminates next Tuesday in Slovenia, and was set for a miserable farewellwhen he put into his own net on 39 minutes. The strike cancelled out Duje Čop's neat early finish, but withtime running out and Dinamo pressure building, Badelj drove the ball in to give the home fans a preciousparting gift.Will Burns (Twitter @WillBurns6)PLAYOFFS – SECOND LEG FIXTURESTuesday 28th AugustHapoel Kiryat Shmona FC (ISR) vs. BATE (BLR)Anderlecht (BEL) vs. AEL Limassol FC (CYP)Maribor (SVN) vs. Dinamo Zagreb (CRO)Udinese (ITA) vs. Braga (POR)Panathinaikos (GRE) vs. Malaga (ESP)Wednesday 22nd AugustFenerbahçe (TUR) vs. Spartak Moscow (RUS)Dynamo Kiev (UKR) vs. Borussia Monchengladbach (GER)Lille (FRA) vs. København (DEN)CFR Cluj (ROM) vs. FC Basel (SWI)Celtic (SCO) vs. Helsingborg (SWE)An absolutely outstanding 68 th minute equaliser by Braga’s Ismaily kept the Portuguese side well and truly inthe hunt for the Champions’ League group stages against Serie A side Udinese. Braga began very brightly andstatistically were on top all game having 60% possession and twice as many shots on target as Udinese. It wasUdinese, though, who took the lead in the 23 rd minute. A free kick from the right was whipped in by AntonioDi Natale and defender Basta rose at the far post to head home, sending the travelling fans wild. Ismaily’sincredible 68 th left footed strike - from well over 30 yards - drew Braga level. The Portuguese side pushed for awinner but it was to no avail with the game finishing 1-1.Ally Poole (Twitter @Ally_Poole)The financially troubled Málaga are dreaming of a first appearance in the group stage and it is closer torealisation after a dominant display against Panathinaikos earned a two-goal cushion to take to Greece.Seemingly unaffected by the summer departure of several players who were instrumental in helping the teamto a fourth-placed Liga finish last term, Los Boquerones attacked former coach Jesualdo Ferreira's sidethroughout. They were rewarded by first-half goals from Martín Demichelis (pictured right) and Eliseu.Will Burns (Twitter @WillBurns6)- 8 -

QUALIFYING PLAYOFF – FIRST LEGFULL RESULTSWednesday 22nd August 2012Stuttgart (GER) 2-0 Dinamo Moscow (RUS)BILBAO SHOW SIX-APPEAL IN HELSINKILast year’s Europa League finalists Athletic Bilbao played with their hearts out when they crushed HJKHelsinki in a massive 6-0 win in the first leg of their playoff at San Mames. Goals from Inigo Perez, AndoniIraola and a brace each from Aritz Aduriz Zubeldia and Susaeta were enough to see off the Finnish outfitas Athletic put one foot firmly into the competition. The Basque side took a three-goal lead into thebreak. Zubeldia and Susaeta both added to their tally in the second half before Iraola added a sixth lateon. The return leg is Thursday at the Sonera Stadium in Helsinki, Finland.Liverpool scraped a 1-0 win over Heart of Midlothian in Edinburgh. Brendan Rodgers’ side needed anown-goal from Andy Webster with 12 minutes remaining at Tynecastle to see off Hearts in the absence ofseveral first-team regulars, including England forward Andy Carroll — persistently linked with a return toNewcastle. Carroll, nursing a sore hamstring, was not even on the bench as coach Brendan Rodgersfielded Fabio Borini and Raheem Sterling in attack. The Reds also left out Steven Gerrard, Luis Suarez,Martin Skrtel and Glen Johnson.Other Premier League side, Newcastle United were playing in Europe for the first time in five years, butcoach Alan Pardew made nine changes from the side that beat Tottenham Hotspur in their openingPremier League match last weekend to give fringe players some game time. The new faces includedAdam Campbell, a second-half substitute who became the Magpies’ youngest European debutant at 17years, 236 days — 64 days younger than former favourite Andy Carroll when he played in Palermo, Italy,in 2006. Another getting a rare game was former first choice goalkeeper Steve Harper, who at 37 washanded a start with Dutch international Tim Krul giving way. Harper was unable to keep a clean sheet asGerman striker Denis Epstein gave the hosts the lead on 24 minutes, before Ryan Taylor fired home afree-kick in first-half stoppage-time to give Newcastle a good chance of reaching the group stage with thehome leg to come.Thursday 23rd August 2012Anzhi Makhachkala (RUS) 1-0 AZ Alkmaar (NED)Neftçi (AZE) 1-1 APOEL Nicosia (CYP)Tromso (NOR 3-2 Partizan Belgrade (SRB)Ekranas (LTU) 0-2 Steaua Bucharest (ROM)Slovan Liberec (CZE) 2-2 Dnipro (UKR)AIK (SWE) 0-1 CSKA Moscow (RUS)Legia Warsaw (POL) 1-1 Rosenborg (NOR)Atromitos (GRE) 1-1 Newcastle United (ENG)Molde (NOR) 2-0 Heerenveen (NED)Sheriff (MDA) 1-2 Marseille (FRA)Bursaspor (TUR) 3-1 FC Twente (NED)Dinamo Bucharest (ROM) 0-2 Metalist Kharkiv (UKR)Luzern (SUI) 2-1 Genk (BEL)Trabzonspor (TUR) 0-0 Videoton (HUN)Dudelange (LUX) 1-3 Hapoel Tel-Aviv (ISR)Feyenoord (NED) 2-2 Sparta Prague (CZE)Midtjylland (DEN) 0-3 Young Boys (SWI)Debrecen (HUN) 0-3 Club Brugge (BEL)Lokeren (BEL) 2-1 Vitoria Plzen (CZE)PAOK (GRE) 2-1 Rapid Wien (AUT)Vaslui (NED) 0-2 Inter Milan (ITA)Hearts (SCO) 0-1 Liverpool (ENG)Slask (POL) 3-5 Hannover 96 (GER)Motherwell (SCO) 0-2 Levante (ESP)Crvena Zvezda (SRB) 0-0 Bordeaux (FRA)Athletic Bilbao (ESP) 6-0 HJK Helsinki (FIN)Maritimo (POR) 1-0 Dila (GEO)Mura (SVN) 0-2 Lazio (ITA)Horsens (DEN) 1-1 Sporting Lisbon (POR)Zeta (MNE) 0-5 PSV Eindhoven (NED)Eredivisie’s PSV cruised to a hammering 5-0 win over FK Zeta on Montenegro at Stadion Podgorica. Itwas the second 5-0 win within four days for the Eindhoven club as they defeated Roda JC at the PhilipsStadion last Saturday. PSV got off to a dream start with an early goal in just over 80 seconds. KevinStrootman played in Dries Mertens with a quickly taken free kick. The Belgian international sent in aninviting cross for Ola Toivonen (pictured right) to head home the opening goal. Toivonen is now PSV´s alltimeleading scorer in European matches. The Swede took his tally to eleven goals, breaking the recordset by Luc Nilis. Toivonen, Marc Van Bommel and Tim Matavz had chances for PSV, who dominated firsthalfproceedings completely. Playing their passing game, they enjoyed the bulk of possession and lookedthe more threatening but failed to capitalise on their dominance in the first half. A physically strong FKZeta side played long balls but hardly provided a threat to the PSV goal. Matavz and Toivonen, amongother players, had chances after the break, but PSV failed to score their second goal and kill off the game.FK Zeta worked hard but lacked the technical skills to impress the visitors. PSV finally doubled their leadwith fifteen minutes remaining, when Matavz found the back of the net with a clever lob. Three minuteslater, Kevin Strootman scored the third goal of the evening, following nice link-up play by Matavz andToivonen. FK Zeta were outplayed in the closing stages. Matavz had the assist for Lens´ goal, scored in the83rd minute and captain Van Bommel had the final word. The return leg at the Philips Stadion takes placeon Thursday.Will BurnsTwitter @WillBurns6- 9 -

BELGIAN JUPILER PRO LEAGUE – WEEK FIVERESULTSSaturday 25th AugustOH Leuven 1-1 AnderlechtBeerschot 2-0 Sporting CharleroiKortrijk 2-1 Waasland-BeverenCercle Brugge 0-3 LierseSunday 26th AugustStandard Liege 3-2 MechelenGenk 2-0 Zulte-WaregemGent 2-1 LokerenMons 1-3 Club BruggeCLUB BRUGGE GO TOP AS ANDERLECHT TAKE ITEASYWith European games meaning that several clubs are playing three times a week and often in hightemperatures, both Anderlecht and Club Brugge fielded ‘weak sides’ in the Jupiler League, with differingresults. Anderlecht went to Leuven and came away with a point; with Club Brugge taking three points fromtheir visit to Mons, the Jupiler League now has Georges Leekens’ boys alone at the top.Both clubs have too many players on their books and both coaches probably felt – for differing reasons –that this was a good time to introduce new faces. Anderlecht played a virtual reserve team at Leuven(ahead of the crucial Champions League game) but the team still had enough talent to win: Dennis Praet,Fernando Canesin, Roland Juhasz, Sacha Kljestan, Tom De Sutter. The game should have been over by halftime but the champions didn’t take their chances and a Sacha Iakovenko goal was leveled by Ghanaian IbouSavaneh – now the league’s top scorer. Milan Jovanovic played, as he’s suspended for the ChampionsLeague playoff game tomorrow, and missed a guilt-edged chance to give Anderlecht the points towards theend of the game.Club Brugge also left several of their regular first team out of the side to play Mons, including Lior Refaelov.They were helped by the referee who dismissed Mons defender Jeremy Sapina for no apparent reason –the same player was sent off against Anderlecht last week. Mons held on until the hour but faded againstthe extra numbers.Standard Liege won again and moved into the top three. Dutch coach Ron Jans seems to be finding his feetand Les Rouches have now scored 12 goals in three games. Against KV Mechelen, Yoni Buyens was much inevidence against his old club, as were French duo William Vainqueur and Frederic Bulot. Young ImohEzekiel scored again.LEAGUE STANDINGSTEAM P W D L PTS1 Club Brugge 5 4 1 0 132 Anderlecht 5 3 2 0 113 Standard 5 3 1 1 104 Gent 5 3 1 1 105 Zulte Waregem 5 3 1 1 106 Genk 5 2 3 0 97 Lokeren 5 2 1 2 78 Kortrijk 5 2 1 2 79 Lierse 5 1 3 1 610 OH Leuven 5 1 3 1 611 Mons 5 1 2 2 512 KV Mechelen 5 1 2 2 513 Beerschot 5 1 1 3 414 Charleroi 5 1 0 4 315 Cercle Brugge 5 0 1 4 116 Waasland-Beveren 5 0 1 4 1FIXTURESSaturday 1st SeptemberMechelen vs. BeerschotSporting Charleroi vs. GentZulte-Waregem vs. MonsLierse vs. OH LeuvenWaasland-Beveren vs. Cercle BruggeSunday 2nd SeptemberClub Brugge vs. Standard LiegeAnderlecht vs. GenkLokeren vs. KortrijkHans Van der Bruggen was excellent and had a foot in both of Gent’s goals in the 2-1 victory over Lokeren.Gent went down to 10 men after 20 minutes when Rodgers Kola was rightly dismissed for a two-footedtackle. Lokeren deserved a point though as they hit the post three times; South African midfielder AyandaPatosi again came on for Lokeren and made a big impression. Berndt Thijs was back to steady the ship forGent.Zulte Waregem lost for the first time this season at Genk, where Jelle Vossen got on the score sheet.Neither side played particularly well and Christian Benteke (pictured right) should have put away at leastone of his chances. Charleroi, Waasland-Beveren and Cercle Brugge all lost; to Beerschot, Kortrijk and Lierserespectively, and could be in for a hard season.Next weekend, Standard got to league leaders Club Brugge and Anderlecht are at home to Racing Genk.John ChapmanTwitter @BelgoFoot- 10 -

BARLCAYS PREMIER LEAGUE - WEEK TWOEDEN SENDS HAZARD WARNINGEden Hazard (pictured right) continued his excellent start to hisChelsea career in two games in which he showed his brilliance. Henow has one goal and four assist from his first three games andmakes this Chelsea team tick. A midweek game against Reading,rearranged as Chelsea are in Super Cup action this upcomingweekend, was the second of three games in six days for The Blues.Things were not plain sailing though, Hazard won an early penaltywhich was converted by Frank Lampard, and then the Chelseawobble occurred. Pavel Pogrebnyak headed in to level then PetrCech spilt the ball into his net from a weak Danny Guthrie freekick.Gary Cahill scored before a moment of controversy allowedChelsea to take the lead. The ball was played into FernandoTorres who was clearly off-side, he scored and the goal stood.Branislav Ivanović wrapped up the points for Chelsea late in thegame.The next team to cross Hazard’s path was Newcastle United. TheMagpies, possibly drained from playing in Greece just 48 hoursearlier, were lacklustre and did not prove much of a challenge forChelsea. Vurnon Anita brought Fernando Torres down in the box, and up stepped Hazard to score his firstgoal in English football. Torres completed the scoring for Chelsea on the stroke of half time with a goodfinish, Hazard setting the chance up yet again.Swansea recorded a good 3-0 home win against West Ham. Jussi Jääskeläinen was at fault for Swansea’sfirst, diverting Angel Rangel’s cross squirm under his body, and James Collins will try and forget givingJääskeläinen a short pass which allowed Michu in to score the second. Danny Graham scored the third.Everton took the plaudits away at Aston Villa, winning 3-1 in the process. Steven Pienaar scoring an earlygoal with a 20-yard curler before Marouane Fellaini scored with a bullet header, his second of the week.Nikica Jelavic turned neatly and put the ball past Aston Villa Goalkeeper Shay Given just before the break.Everton were simply stunning, and tearing holes in the Aston Villa defence seemingly at will. After thebreak, Everton started to ease off the gas, with the game won, allowing Villa to get more of a hold on thegame. Villa were reduced to 10 men in the second half, Ciaran Clark getting a straight red for bringingJelavic down. Karim El Ahmadi scored 15 minutes from time, but it was nothing but a consolation.Both Robin van Persie and Shinji Kagawa opened up their accounts for Manchester United against Fulham.Fulham however took the lead early, Damien Duff scored after Bryan Ruiz rolled a free kick to him insidethe first three minutes. The Red Devils picked themselves up and dominated for the rest of the half. VanPersie slotted home in spectacular style from a Patrice Evra cross to level the game, before Shinji Kagawaswept home from a corner that was not cleared. Rafael nodded in for Manchester United’s third. KeeperDavid De Gea played the ball off Vidic for Fulham’s second. The game was marred by an injury to substituteWayne Rooney, who suffered a four inch cut on his thigh, which required surgery.Norwich completely changed their back line following last week’s five goal thrashing off Fulham. Thisinitially paid off, Simeon Jackson scoring from an Anthony Pilkington cross. Norwich will have a sense ofinjustice about QPR’s goal. Referee Mark Clattenberg gave a somewhat harsh penalty against whenSebastian Bassong felled Djibril Cisse with the slightest of touches. Cisse stepped up and missed theresulting penalty, keeper John Ruddy tipping the ball onto the post, before Bobby Zamora scored therebound. Subsequent replays showed Zamora was well inside the box when the penalty was struck.Wigan started life without Victor Moses, who has now completed a move to Chelsea, beating Southampton2-0. Franco di Santo rifling the ball into the roof of the net, before Arouna Kone robbed Jose Fonte near thehalf way line before slotting past keeper Kelvin Davis. Southampton had opportunities to get back into thegame; however an inspired performance from Ali Al-Habsi kept them at bay.West Brom denied Spurs boss Andre Villa-Boas a first win with a goal deep into injury time. Spursdominated the match but were wasteful in front of goal, and they should have been more than one up bythe time Albion equalised. Benoit Assou-Ekotto scored with a deflected shot 15 minutes from time howeverJames Morrison levelled in injury time.RESULTSWednesday 22nd AugustChelsea 3-2 ReadingSaturday 25th AugustSwansea City 3-0 West Ham UnitedAston Villa 1-3 EvertonManchester United 3-2 FulhamNorwich City 1-1 QPRSouthampton 0-2 Wigan AthleticSunderland P-P ReadingTottenham Hotspur 1-1 West Bromwich AlbionChelsea 2-0 Newcastle UnitedSunday 26th AugustStoke City 0-0 ArsenalLiverpool 2-2 Manchester CityLEAGUE STANDINGSTEAM P W D L PTS1 Chelsea 3 3 0 0 92 Swansea 2 2 0 0 63 Everton 2 2 0 0 64 West Brom 2 1 1 0 45 Man City 2 1 1 0 46 Fulham 2 1 0 1 37 Man United 2 1 0 1 38 Wigan 2 1 0 1 39 Newcastle 2 1 0 1 310 West Ham 2 1 0 1 311 Stoke 2 0 2 0 212 Arsenal 2 0 2 0 213 Sunderland 1 0 1 0 114 Tottenham 2 0 1 1 115 Reading 2 0 1 1 116 Liverpool 2 0 1 1 117 Norwich 2 0 1 1 118 QPR 2 0 1 1 119 Southampton 2 0 0 2 020 Aston VIlla 2 0 0 2 0FIXTURESSaturday 1st SeptemberWest Ham United vs. FulhamSwansea City vs. SunderlandTottenham Hotspur vs. Norwich CityWest Bromwich Albion vs. EvertonWigan Athletic vs. Stoke CityManchester City vs. Queens Park RangersSunday 2nd SeptemberLiverpool vs. ArsenalNewcastle United vs. Aston VillaSouthampton vs. Manchester UnitedSunderland’s game at home to Reading on Saturday was postponed, with a water logged pitch to blame.On Sunday, Stoke entertained Arsenal and the fans were treated to a drab 0-0 draw. Arsenal probablyshaded the game, and certainly enjoyed more possession, however they failed to create any clear cutchances, and Gervinho and new signing Lukas Podolski were lacklustre. One particular good note was newsigning Santi Cazorla, he was a constant threat to the Stoke side, and looked very lively.Champions Manchester City travelled to Liverpool and they came away with a point in a 2-2 draw,something they barely deserved. The Reds took the lead through a powerful header from Martin Skrtelbefore Yaya Toure levelled the game. Luis Suarez put Liverpool ahead once again through a neat free-kickwhich was given for a handball against Jack Rodwell. Skrtel went from hero to villain in the dying minutes ofthe match, giving the ball directly to Carlos Tevez (pictured right) who made no mistake putting the ballpast Pepe Reina. A positive note for Brendan Rodgers was the performance of Joe Allen and youngsterRaheem Sterling. Both were lively all game, and Sterling in particular gave the City defence problems allgame with his direct running.Andy PowellTwitter @Andy5Powell- 11 -

FRENCH LIGUE 1 - WEEK THREEPSG CANNOT NOT BUY A WINIt was another sensational weekend of French football as Ligue 1 once again delivered with 25 goals andfive red cards.Evian ended Lyon’s 100% winning start as both teams had to settle for a share of the points. Cédric Barbosaopened the scoring for the hosts with a fine strike. The veteran midfielder smartly controlled the ball on hischest before firing home an opener. OL went in search of an equaliser and eventually Evian cracked.Substitute Michel Bastos levelled the scores with a well struck free-kick 10 minutes before the final whistle.Nice and Lille finished 2-2 in what was a very exciting affair. Dimitri Payet opened the scoring for Lille with apowerful low strike before Nemanja Pejcinovic levelled on the stroke of half time with a close range volley.Lille were on the ropes and after the interval and Nice took the lead as Eric Bauthéac finished after a wellworked move. But Lille responded as Djibril Sidibé held off the challenge of Didier Digard before firingthrough the legs of Delle to earn the away side a deserved point.Toulouse continued their good start to the season as they edged past Nancy. Moussa Sissoko combinedwell with Daniel Braaten before firing home an angled shot to put the away side In front. And things wentfrom bad to worse for the home side as André Luiz was issued a straight red card for a dangerous tackle fiveminutes after the break. Despite a numerical disadvantage the home side showed no signs of giving up asthey went in search of an equaliser. Jeff Louis came close with a stooping header before SebastienPuygrenier rattled the bar with a powerful header, but it was not to be for Nancy as Toulouse held on forthe win to continue their unbeaten start to the season.A late own goal gifted Reims their first three points of the season as Sochaux remain cemented to the footof the table. Sébastien Corchia received two yellow cards in seven minutes resulting in the French defenderheading for an early bath. The Sochaux defender’s second yellow resulted in Reims being handed a penaltykick but Khamel Ghilas failed to find a way past Pierrick Cros who saved low to his right. For 90 minutes theaway side held on resiliently but finally cracked in injury time as Sloan Privat diverted the ball past his owngoalkeeper following Johan Romare's fizzing free-kick.Lorient came from behind twice to snatch a point. Troyes took the lead with just three minutes on the clockas Benjamin Nivet caught out Fabien Audard with his cross-cum-shot which sailed over the stranded keeperto give the hosts the lead. 15 minutes later and the game was level as Maxime Barthelmé struck animpressive equaliser from 25 yards out. After the interval Troyes again took the lead, this time MounirObbadi beat the Lorient offside trap before neatly finishing to restore the home teams lead. But with 30minutes left on the clock Yann Jouffre was fouled by Granddi Ngoyi in the penalty area and ArnoldMvuemba converted from the spot to level the match.Valenciennes recorded their second win of the campaign as they convincingly beat Ajaccio 3-0. Samassaopened the scoring with a fine header after 15 minutes before Ajaccio captain Jean-Baptiste Pierazzireceived a straight red card for a dangerous tackle on Gaël Danic. Loris Nery doubled the home sides leadafter a winding run and calm finish leaving Ajaccio facing an uphill struggle. And in the dyeing minutesAjaccio’s bad luck continued as David Oberhauser scored an unfortunate own goal, the substitutegoalkeeper could do nothing to prevent the goal as the ball wickedly rebounded off the post onto his backand into the net, a game to forget for Ajaccio.Rennes edged past Bastia in a five goal thriller to secure their first points of the season. Romain Allesandriniopened the scoring after evading the challenge of Gaël Angoula before slotting past Novaes in the Bastiagoal. But their lead did not last long as François Marque tapped home Jérôme Rothen’s corner. MevlutErding’s defence splitting pass was then fired home by Pitroipa putting the home side back in front. Afterthe break Ilan protested a yellow card and comically received a second leaving Bastia a goal and a mandown with 35 minutes to play. Despite only having ten men, Bastia were galvanised by the dismissal andequalised 15 minutes from time as Sylvain Marchal headed home a Wahbi Khazri free-kick. DeservedlyRennes snatched the win as Erding nodded the ball over Novaes from the edge of the box to secure allthree points.Marseille recorded their third successive win of the campaign with a 1-0 victory over championsMontpellier. André-Pierre Gignac scored the only goal of the game after the French striker jinked his waypast several defenders before slotting the ball past Jourdren to score the winner.Saint-Etienne cruised to victory as they fired four past a poor Brest outfit. Aubameyang (pictured right)tapped home an opener before Hamouma doubled the lead after the ball rebounded off the post. Half waythrough the second half the home side put the game to rest as they scored twice in two minutes. FirstGuilavogui smashed home a close range effort before Aubameyang doubled his tally with a fine volley toend the rout.Big spending PSG could not buy a win as Bordeuax frustrated Ancelotti’s men with a stout defensive displayas both teams played out a goalless draw. With the money spent Ancelotti knows the start to the season isfar from acceptable, the pressure Is well and truly on.Callum DunnTwitter @CallumDunnWebsite - http://route1football.wordpress.comRESULTSFriday 24th AugustEvian TG 1-1 LyonSaturday 25th AugustNice 2-2 LilleNancy 0-1 ToulouseTroyes 2-2 LorientReims 1-0 SochauxRennes 3-2 BastiaValenciennes 3-0 AjaccioSunday 26th AugustSaint-Etienne 4-0 BrestMontpellier 0-1 MarseillePSG 0-0 BordeauxLEAGUE TABLETEAM P W D L PTS1 Olympique Marseille 3 3 0 0 92 Olympique Lyonnais 3 2 0 0 73 Valenciennes 3 2 0 0 74 Bordeaux 3 2 0 0 75 Toulouse 3 1 1 0 76 Bastia 3 1 1 0 67 Lorient 3 1 1 0 58 Lille 3 1 1 0 59 Nancy 3 1 1 0 410 Saint-Etienne 3 1 1 0 311 PSG 3 0 1 0 312 Rennes 3 0 1 0 313 Reims 3 0 1 1 314 Brest 3 0 1 1 315 Nice 3 0 0 2 216 Ajaccio 3 0 0 2 217 Evian 3 0 0 2 118 Montpellier 3 0 0 2 119 Troyes 3 0 0 2 120 Sochaux 3 0 0 2 0FIXTURESSaturday 1st SeptemberLyon vs. ValenciennesAjaccio vs. Evian TGLorient vs. NancySochaux vs. MontpellierBastia vs. Saint-EtienneToulouse vs. ReimsSunday 2nd SeptemberBordeaux vs. NiceOlympique Marseille vs. RennesLille vs. Paris Saint-Germain- 12 -

GERMAN BUNDESLIGA - WEEK ONEDORTMUND RESUMES PLAYChampions Borussia Dortmund got the season underway athome to Werder Bremen on Friday night in what was a rerun ofthe first ever Bundesliga fixture 50 years ago. It took Dortmundonly ten minutes to take the lead when new signing MarcoReus (pictured right) slotted home after some good play fromJakub Blaszczykowski. Bremen was dangerous throughout thehalf and Dortmund was grateful to see a volley from MarkoArnautovic come back off the post to keep the scores level athalf time. Mats Hummels came close to extending Dortmund’slead with a header but it was Bremen new boy Theodor GebreSelassie who appeared to have spoilt the party for Dortmundwhen he glanced home a header to equalise after 75 minutes.Almost immediately Dortmund brought on Mario Gotze and itwas the substitute that managed to grab the winner with nineminutes to go. The goal came after some neat interplaybetween Polish duo Blaszczykowski and Robert Lewandowski.Bundesliga debutants Greuther Furth played host to BayernMunich and they received a reminder about how tough it willbe in the top flight this season. Munich dominated the game from start to finish. In the first half theydominated possession but it wasn’t until the 43 rd minute that they took the lead when Thomas Mullershot into the net from close range after a corner wasn’t cleared properly by the Furth defence. Thesecond half followed a similar pattern and it was Mario Mandzukic, scoring on his league debut, whodoubled the lead, nodding home after Arjen Robben’s shot was saved by Furth keeper Max Grun. Theresult was wrapped up on 78 minutes when a Robben cross was deflected over keeper Grun.Last season’s surprise package Borussia Monchengladbach started their campaign with a 2-1 win overHoffenheim at Borussia Park. Gladbach dominated the first half although it took a set piece to break thedeadlock. A free kick by Juan Arango was met by Mike Hanke and he headed home the opening goal on33 minutes. Hoffenheim equalised through Brazilian Roberto Firmino on 66 minutes after Marc-AndreTer Stegen could only parry a shot from Eren Derdiyok. However Gladbach were able to claim a first daywin, when on 79 minutes, Arango scored direct from a free kick with a goal that was fit to win any game.Fortuna Dusseldorf got off to an excellent start to life back in the top flight with a 2-0 win away toAugsburg. The first half passed off almost incident free and wasn’t until midway through the second halfthat the breakthrough came. Substitute and Dusseldorf new signing Dani Schahin scored on 68 minuteswith a shot from the edge of the penalty area to give the away side the lead. Schahin got his andDusseldorf’s second on 79 minutes when he shot home into the top corner from inside the penalty area.Nuremburg were 1-0 winners away to Hamburg on Saturday. Nuremburg created the better of theopportunities in the first half with goalkeeper Rene Adler keeping the hosts in the game with saves fromAlexander Esswein and Tim Klose. In the second half Nuremburg created several good opportunitiesbefore they took the lead on 68minutes when Hanno Balitsch scored from close range after a headerfrom Per Nilsson and hit the bar. This stung Hamburg into life and they nearly levelled the scores whenHeiko Westermann had a header brilliantly saved by Raphael Schafer and then right at the end MarcelJansen hit the bar with a header when he should have done better.Freiburg and Mainz drew 1-1. After a quiet first half it was Freiburg who took the lead after 49 minuteswhen new signing Max Kruse scored after some neat play by Karim Guede. The lead lasted only 16minutes however as the visitors equalised when Julian Schuster fouled Nicolai Müller in the penalty areaand Andreas Ivanschitz scored the resultant penalty to share the spoils.Stuttgart lost at home to Wolfsburg 1-0 in a game that didn’t spring into life until the last few minutes.After 87 minutes Emanuel Pogatetz brought down Bosnian international Vedad Ibišević, however theBosnian saw his penalty saved by Wolfsburg keeper Diego Benaglio. To make matters worse for Ibisevicand his side with time almost up the visitors went down the other end of the field and new signing BasDost headed home the winner from 6 yards out.Eintracht Frankfurt marked their return to the top flight with a 2-1 home win over Bayer Leverkusen. Thevisitors took the lead on 30 minutes through Stefan Kießling when he slotted home into an empty netafter Frankfurt keeper Kevin Trapp had dropped a shot by Karim Bellarabi. The hosts came out at thestart of the second half fired up and soon got the equaliser that there play deserved. Stefan Aignerscored after Takashi Inui had seen his effort saved by keeper Bernd Leno. Then with eight minutesremaining, and with the game looking likely to end in a draw, Frankfurt grabbed a winner through MartinLanig who headed home a cross from Stefano Celozzi.RESULTSFriday 24th AugustBorussia Dortmund 2-1 Werder BremenSaturday 25th AugustBorussia Monchengladbach 2 -1 HoffenheimFreiburg 1-1 Mainz 05Augsburg 0-2 Fortuna DusseldorfHamburger SV 0-1 NurnbergGreuther Furth 0-3 Bayern MunichEintracht Frankfurt 2-1 Bayer LeverkusenStuttgart 0-1 WolfsburgSunday 26th AugustHannover 96 2-2 Schalke 04LEAGUE STANDINGSTEAM P W D L PTS1 Bayern Munich 1 1 0 0 32 Fortuna Dusseldorf 1 1 0 0 33 Borussia Dortmund 1 1 0 0 34 Monchengladbach 1 1 0 0 35 Eintracht Frankfurt 1 1 0 0 36 Nuremburg 1 1 0 0 37 Wolfsburg 1 1 0 0 38 Schalke 1 0 1 0 19 Hannover 1 0 1 0 110 Mainz 1 0 1 0 111 Freiburg 1 0 1 0 112 Hoffenheim 1 0 0 1 013 Bayer Leverkusen 1 0 0 1 014 Werder Bremen 1 0 0 1 015 Hamburg 1 0 0 1 016 Stuttgart 1 0 0 1 017 Augsburg 1 0 0 1 018 Greuther Furth 1 0 0 1 0FIXTURESFriday 31st AugustMainz 05 vs. Greuther FurthSaturday 1st SeptemberSchalke 04 vs. AugsburgBayer Leverkusen vs. FreiburgWerder Bremen vs. Hamburger SVNurnberg vs. Borussia DortmundHoffenheim vs. Eintracht FrankfurtFortuna Dusseldorf vs. Borussia MonchengladbachSunday 2nd SeptemberWolfsburg vs. Hannover 96Bayern Munich vs. StuttgartThe final game of the weekend same Hannover and Schalke play out an exciting 2-2 draw. Hannover tookthe lead on 43 minutes when new boy Felipe headed home a Christian Pander free kick. However early inthe second half there was a complete turnaround as Schalke scored two goals in the space of 12 minutes.First Klaas-Jan Huntelaar shot home from the edge of the penalty area on 52 minutes and then LewisHoltby headed home from six yards out following a cross by Jermaine Jones. The hosts pushed forwardlooking for an equaliser and it duly came with ten minutes remaining when Adrian Nikci (pictured right)levelled the scores.Andrew WaiteTwitter @TerryWaite- 13 -

SERIE A TIM - WEEK ONEJUVENTUS’ COMFORTABLE WIN OVERSHADOWEDBY SHOCK DEFEATS FOR UDINESE AND AC MILANUdinese suffered a shock defeat away at Fiorentina thanks largely to the goalscoring exploits of StevanJovetic. It was Udinese, though, who took the lead in the 28 th minute. Muriel slipped the ball through toMaicosuel in the box and the Brazillian finished comfortably giving them the lead. Udinese, who haveseen a huge number of players depart and join the club this summer, seemed not to have gelled on thefirst Saturday of the Serie A season. Fiorentina equalised in the 67 th minute however, when Jovetic’s leftfooted strike took a huge deflection and looped over Udinese keeper Brkic into the back of the net. And itwas Jovetic on target again for the Viola with the winner in stoppage time. Alberto Aquilani’s incredible40 yard pass found Jovetic on the edge of the box, but the striker still had a lot to do. A great touchallowed Jovetic to perform a stepover before curling the ball into the bottom left corner of the goal tograb the win for Fiorentina.Despite being without the suspended Antonio Conte on the touchline, Juventus were still able to gaintheir first win of the Serie A season in their first game, at home to Parma. 10 minutes before the breakJuventus had their first chance to go ahead. The referee adjudged Parma keeper Antonio Mirante to havebrought down Juve defender Lichtsteiner, yet the Goalkeeper redeemed himself when he saved ArturoVidal’s penalty. Juventus’ breakthrough came just 9 minutes into the second half when new signingKwadwo Asamoah strove into the box, got to the by-line, and crossed for Lichtsteiner to tap in from onlyfour yards out. Juventus’ second goal came just 4 minutes later; it was a controversial goal though.Andrea Pirlo, sporting a new beard, struck a free kick along the ground from the right hand side, anddespite protests from the Parma players the referee said the ball had crossed the line, giving Juventus a2-0 lead that they maintained until the end.Sampdoria scored a famous victory on Sunday when they beat AC Milan at the San Siro. At a half emptySan Siro Sampdoria snuck a win against Milan, who were still reeling from losing so many influentialplayers this summer. Robinho had a number of chances for AC, yet in all honesty they didn’t reallythreaten that much. This meant just 1 goal could decide the game, and it was Sampdoria – back in thetop flight this year – who got that goal. In the 58 th minute Andrea Costa powered home a header from acorner to give Sampdoria what turned out to be the eventual winner.Lazio started off their campaign well with a 1-0 win away at Atalanta. The Eagle’s only goal came 17minutes in after a neat interchange. Miroslav Klose played in Stefano Mauri on the left and the Italiancrossed low into the centre of the box. Midfielder Hernanes burst onto the scene to (just about) bundlethe ball home. Hernanes played well the whole game and always looked lively, so the goal was reallywhat he deserved for all his efforts for Lazio.Luckily for Napoli, Edinson Cavani missing a penalty just before half time didn’t prove costly as theystrolled to a 3-0 win at Palermo. In the last minute of first half stoppage time Marek Hamsik rifled homefrom the corner of the box to give Napoli the lead. Their second goal came with 10 minutes left; ChristianMaggio finished emphatically from 15 yards after he latched on to a long ball. Then the icing was well andtruly put on the proverbial cake when a superb counter attack gave Eduardo Vargas space to cross to anunmarked Cavani who nodded home from practically on the line. Napoli could well go far in this season’stitle race, particularly if their forwards continue to perform so well.Chievo battled hard to grab their first win of the season against a slightly lacklustre Bologna. The openinggoal came after 65 minutes when Cruzado crossed from the left for Sergio Pelissier to bullet a header intothe top corner from the near post. Chievo doubled their advantage with 11 minutes left. A well workedfree kick saw Sequeira Luciano square his free kick to the Peruvian Cruzado who drilled his low shothome. Bologna’s Perez was sent off late on for a despicable tackle on Chievo talisman Pelisser.Zdenek Zeman’s first game in charge of Roma was an entertaining one, yet it didn’t produce the resultthat the Stadio Olimpico faithful would have wanted. The Sicilians took the lead in the 28 th minute whena free kick fell to left back Marchese, who curled the ball delightfully past Stekelenburg. Zeman’s mencame out fighting in the 2 nd half and equalised in impressive style. Danielle De Rossi dinked a fabulousball into Pablo Osvaldo who performed a magnificent overhead kick to score. Halfway into the 2 nd halfCatania’s Alejandro Gomez was played in down the left hand side and the winger smashed the ball hometo give the Sicilians the lead once again. Roma needed something special to salvage something out of thegame and that is exactly what they got. Debutant Nicolas Lopez scored a goal he will never forget, flickingthe ball over a defender before volleying home to equalise for Roma with just 2 minutes of stoppage timeleft. The Romans’ defensive problems were exposed again though when in the last minute Castro nearlywon it for Catania.Newly promoted Pescara got a taste of what life will be like in Serie A when they were beatencomprehensively by Inter. Milito turned and crossed low in the 17 th minute for Wesley Sneijder to taphome. Milito then turned goalscorer when Antonio Cassano’s square ball left him with nothing to doexcept tuck the ball home. The points were secured with 10 minutes left when Milito again crossed low,and this time it was Coutinho who prodded home to score.There was a win for Genoa at home to Cagliari. Despite an early penalty miss there were goals for Merkeland new signing Immobile to give Genoa the win. The only other game of the weekend was a 0-0 drawbetween Siena and Torino, a point they were probably both quite content with.RESULTSSaturday 25th AugustFiorentina 2-1 UdineseJuventus 2-0 ParmaSunday 26th AugustMilan 0-1 SampdoriaAtalanta 0-1 LazioChievo 2-0 BolognaGenoa 2-0 CagliariPalermo 0-3 NapoliPescara 0-3 Inter MilanRoma 2-2 CataniaSiena 0-0 TorinoLEAGUE STANDINGSTEAM P W D L PTS1 Inter 1 1 0 0 32 Napoli 1 1 0 0 33 Chievo 1 1 0 0 34 Genoa 1 1 0 0 35 Juventus 1 1 0 0 36 Fiorentina 1 1 0 0 37 Lazio 1 1 0 0 38 Sampdoria 1 1 0 0 29 Catania 1 0 1 0 110 Roma 1 0 1 0 111 Torino 1 0 1 0 012 Udinese 1 0 0 1 013 AC Milan 1 0 0 1 014 Bologna 1 0 0 1 015 Cagliari 1 0 0 1 016 Parma 1 0 0 1 017 Palermo 1 0 0 1 018 Pescara 1 0 0 1 019 Atalanta 1 0 0 1 -220 Siena 1 0 1 0 -5FIXTURESSaturday 1st SeptemberTorino vs. PescaraBologna vs. MilanSunday 2nd SeptemberUdinese vs. JuventusCagliari vs. GenoaInter Milan vs. RomaLazio vs. PalermoNapoli vs. FiorentinaParma vs. ChievoSampdoria vs. SienaAlly PooleTwitter @Ally_Poole- 14 -

MALTESE PREMIER LEAGUE - WEEK TWORESULTSFriday 24th AugustTarxien Rainbows 2-3 Sliema WanderersFloriana 1-1 Hamrun SpartansSaturday 25th AugustMelita 3-3 Rabat AjaxQormi 2-4 HiberniansSunday 26th AugustMosta 1-3 VallettaBalzan 1-2 BirkirkaraRAINBOWS FADE AS SLIEMA GRAB LAST GASPVICTORYWeek two of the Bank of Valletta Premier League got off to a thrilling start on Friday night, as Sliemaearned an incredible win against Tarxien Rainbows. In a pulsating encounter, Tarxien’s Brazilian forwardDanilo opened the scoring with a 20 th minute header, and doubled his tally for the season just 6 minuteslater – again nodding home, this time assisted by an inch perfect cross from Luiz Romulo De Castro.However, a cool finish from Ciantar five minutes before the break gave Wanderers some hope. Thesecond half was a frantic affair, with Tarxien’s first-half hero Danilo given a chance for his hat-trick but hemanaged to put a 50 th minute penalty wide, raising Sliema’s spirits enough for El Ghaouti to rattle thewoodwork.Both teams pushed for a vital goal, and Sliema again had luck on their side when Danilo, proving thatfootball is indeed a game of two halves, was given a second booking for diving and headed to thechanging rooms. The Wanderers determined to make the advantage count, and finally in the 90 th minutethey were rewarded - Omar El Ghaouti again the man to watch when he powerfully struck past Cassar inthe Rainbows’ goal.And relief soon turned to outright joy, as debutant Paltermio Barbetti found himself in space out wide,and curled an impressive effort into the far corner deep into injury time. A 3-2 win leaves Sliemaundefeated, but expelled Tarxien to the foot of the table overnight.Champions Valletta also found themselves in a goal-fest on Sunday night, as they raced into a 3-0 lead,before conceding just before the break against Mosta. The score remained the same in the secondperiod, giving the unbeaten capital team a 3-1 victory and all three points. Michael Mifsud again got theopening goal, and also provided an assist for Man of the Match Steve Borg.Elsewhere, there were more goals to be had on Saturday night, as new boys Melita came agonisinglyclose to earning their first ever top flight win. A back and forth game, saw the promoted team 3-2 upwith eight minutes left to play, thanks in part to a brace from Spanish attacker Armaro Negrin. However,it was not to be as fellow newcomers Rabat held on, and Manwel Moral Fuster struck seconds from theend to earn the Magpies a point.Floriana were lucky to take a point from their game against Hamrun Spartans in Friday’s second game – amistake from Spartans keeper Andrea Cassar in the 79 th minute gifting Ryan Darman in the equaliser andleaving both teams looking for their first wins of the season.Marcelo Dias continued his impressive start to his career with Hibernians – notching another goal andearning himself the Man of the Match award to add to his two opening game goals. For the second weekrunning, Hibs went into the break with a 3-0 lead, and ended up eventual 4-2 winners over a lacklustreQormi side.LEAGUE STANDINGSTEAM P W D L PTS1 Birkirkara 2 2 0 0 62 Hibernians 2 2 0 0 63 Valletta 2 2 0 0 64 Sliema Wanderers 2 1 1 0 45 Qormi 2 1 0 1 36 Hamrun Spartans 2 0 2 0 27 Floriana 2 0 2 0 28 Balzan 2 0 1 1 19 Rabat Ajax 2 0 1 1 110 Melita 2 0 1 1 111 Tarxien Rainbows 2 0 0 2 012 Mosta 2 0 0 2 0FIXTURESFriday 31st AugustBirkikara vs. Rabat AjaxSliema Wanderers vs. MostaSaturday 1st SeptemberHibernians vs. MelitaValletta vs. QormiSunday 2nd SeptemberHamrun Spartans vs. Tarxien RainbowsBalzan vs. FlorianaAnd finally, in Sunday’s early game, Birkikara maintained their 100% record against a determined Balzanside – seeing off a late charge from the club to take a 2-1 victory. They now sit top of the table, on goaldifference, tied on 6 points with Hibs and Valetta.In transfer news from the isle this week, former Valletta star Ouseni Zongo returned to the league withMosta. The 28 year old Burkino Faso player has signed a one year deal, and made his debut as asubstitute against his former club on Sunday night.Andrew DavidsonTwitter @El_Andrew_Uno- 15 -

DUTCH EREDIVISIE - WEEK THREEYOUNG AJAXTHRASH BREDARKC kept up their impressive startto the season with their secondwin, stealing three points againstRoda JC in a rather turgidencounter in which neither sidecould build any momentumthroughout the game as bothgoalkeepers went untested for themajority of the 90 minutes. It was Robert Braber who netted the only goal of the game in the second-half,just moments after he struck the bar. Defender Ard van Peppen whipped the ball in from the right flank forBraber who was able to head past Filip Kurto.VVV Venlo and ADO Den Haag were involved in a six goal thriller as the visitors ran out 4-2 winners at DeKoel. VVV let slip a one goal lead gifted to them by Marcel Seip when he slid in to meet Maya Yoshida’sheader and divert over the line. Tjaronn Chery put one through Niki Maenpaa’s legs before Jern Toornstrasmashed into the top corner to finish off a lovely team move. The Venlo side reduced the deficit to one goalwhen Uche Nwofor teed it up for Ismo Vorstermans to volley in before Chery killed the game off with hisside’s fourth goal.A late goal from Darryl Lachman earned Zwolle a draw against Utrecht on Saturday evening. The hostsdominated the match as Zwolle looked nothing like the attacking, attractive team they were in the first twogames this season. Utrecht took the lead on the stroke of half-time when Joey van den Berg’s suicide ballback to his goalkeeper was caught by Edouard Duplan, who took it past Leon ter Wielen and slotted intothe net. The visitors began to attack late in the game as they went in search of an equaliser and managed tolevel the score with seven minutes remaining when Rochdi Achenteh’s fantastic corner was met byLachman who headed home.Ajax smashed five goals past NAC Breda without reply in the Amsterdam ArenA, taking the lead inside twominutes through Siem de Jong as he strolled through the visitors’ defence before lifting it over Jelle tenRouwelaar. Debutant Niklas Moisander doubled the lead ten minutes later as he shrugged off his marker tohead a Christian Eriksen header into the back of the net. Tobias Sana (pictured above) scored Ajax’s thirdgoal and his third of the season when finished off Gregory van der Wiel’s cross. Thulani Serero inflictedfurther damage on NAC as he took Sana’s through ball in his stride before lobbing the keeper. A 25 yardscreamer from De Jong capped off a fantastic performance from Ajax.Marco van Basten is still winless in the league as Heerenveen coach as the Frisian club and GertjanVerbeek’s AZ played out the first 0-0 draw of the season in the Eredivisie. Rajiv van la Parra and AlfredFinnbogason both came close for the visitors and AZ had two penalty claims dismissed in quick successionwhen Jozy Altidore was thought to have been brought down in the box and then a shot struck the arm ofArnold Kruiswijk. The Alkmaar side went down to ten men Johann Gudmundsson was dismissed for a tackleon Marten de Roon late in the game but Van Basten’s men failed to capitalise on the advantage.A Jonathan Reis brace secured three points for Vitesse against Willem II on Sunday as they picked up theirsecond win of the campaign. The Arnhem side felt they should have been given a penalty early in the gamewhen Wilfried Bony went down in the box but the referee dismissed the shouts from the visitors’ bench. Itwas Reis who put Vitesse ahead from 25 yards. The 23-year-old doubled his side’s lead when he slottedpast David Meul from the edge of the box.Steve McClaren’s Twente remain top of the league with three wins out of three as they beat NEC 3-1. LucCastaignos scored his first goal for the Tukkers when Dusan Tadic cut back for the former Inter man to fireinto the net. Dmitry Bulykin also opened his account with the Enschede club when Tadic crossed in to himto head into the net. Twente were awarded a penalty when NEC goalkeeper Gabor Babos brought downLeroy Fer in the box and the young midfielder stepped up to convert the spot-kick to make it 3-0. EvanderSno got a consolation goal for the home team when he advanced unopposed from his own half and blastedpast Nikolay Mihaylov from outside the box.RESULTSFriday 24th AugustRKC Waalwijk 1-0 Roda JCSaturday 25th AugustFC Utrecht 1-1 PEC ZwolleVVV-Venlo 2-4 ADO Den HaagAjax 5-0 NAC BredaSunday 26th AugustAZ Alkmaar 0-0 HeerenveenHeracles 1-2 FeyenoordWillem II 0-2 VitesseNEC Nijmegen 1-3 FC TwenteFC Groningen 0-3 PSV EindhovenLEAGUE TABLETEAM P W D L PTS1 FC Twente 3 3 0 0 92 Ajax 3 2 1 0 73 Vitesse 3 2 1 0 74 RKC Waalwijk 3 2 1 0 75 Feyenoord 3 2 1 0 76 PSV 3 2 0 1 67 ADO Den Haag 3 1 2 0 58 AZ 3 1 2 0 59 Utrecht 3 1 1 1 410 NEC Nijmegen 3 1 0 2 311 PEC Zwolle 3 0 2 1 212 Willem II 3 0 2 1 213 Heerenveen 3 0 2 1 214 Heracles Almelo 3 0 1 2 115 VVV-Venlo 3 0 1 2 116 Groningen 3 0 1 2 117 NAC Breda 3 0 1 2 118 Roda JC 3 0 1 2 1FIXTURESFriday 31st AugustADO Den Haag vs. FC GroningenSaturday 1st SeptemberRoda JC vs. Willem IIPEC Zwolle vs. NECRKC Waalwijk vs. HeraclesNAC Breda vs. FC UtrechtSunday 2nd SeptemberVitesse vs. FeyenoordFC Twente vs. VVV-VenloPSV Eindhoven vs. AZ AlkmaarHeerenveen vs. AjaxGoals from Darryl Janmaat and Lex Immers (pictured right) secured three points for Feyenoord, despiteLerin Duarte pulling one back for Heracles. Ronald Koeman’s side took the lead inside the first five minuteswhen Janmaat slotted past Remko Pasveer after a Ruben Schaken cross found him in the box. Immersincreased the lead when Schaken latched onto his long pass and tore down the right-wing before passingback to the former ADO Den Haag who tucked it into the net. Duarte cut Feyenoord’s lead in half early inthe second half as Heracles looked to rescue a point but the Rotterdam club managed to hold onto theirlead.PSV were by far the better team against Groningen as they ran out 3-1 winners with goals from AtibaHutchinson, Dries Mertens and Memphis Depay. Tim Matavz and Jetro WIllems both had opportunities toput Dick Advocaat’s side in the lead inside the first ten minutes but the pair missed the target. TheEindhoven side went a goal to the good in the opening half, taking Mertens’ through ball in his stride andchipping over Luciano Da Silva. Mertens scored his first goal of the season as he tucked into the bottomcorner from the edge of the danger area. Depay then secured the win for PSV with a fantastic run whichsaw him take it past three defenders before calmly placing it in. Mitchell Schet was able to net aconsolation for the home side when he cut in from the right flank and blasted into the top corner late in thegame.- 16 -Peter McVitieTwitter @PeterMcVitie

RUSSIAN PREMIER LEAGUE - WEEK SIXRUBIN STUNCHAMPIONS IN ST.PETERSBURGAfter last weeks narrow defeat in Moscowat the hands of Spartak, Kurban Berdyevasked his Rubin Kazan side to respond witha ‘brave’ performance at Zenit. TheChampions went into this match havingfailed only to win one of their opening fivematches, last weeks draw at Anzhi. The firsthalf saw Rubin take a physical approach inorder to stop the home side becomingdominant. However Zenit managed to makethe breakthrough on twenty-five minuteswhen Vladimir Bystrov’s looped cross was met at the back post by Viktor Faizulin who managed to nodhome despite Kerzhakov jumping infront of him. With that goal brought a different approach from theaway side who decided the only way they were going to get back into the match was to take the game toZenit. This pressure paid off early in the second half when Nicolas Lombaerts clumsy attempt at a clearancebrought down Alexander Ryazantsev just inside the penalty area. This left Bibras Natcho to convert the spotkick which means he has now scored penalties in successive matches. The goal for Rubin gave them a newfound confidence and if it wasn’t for Malafeev in the Zenit goal, Rubin could have secured the match withplenty of time remaining. The winner came just after the hour mark and to use a cliché, ‘it was a goalworthy of winning any match’. It was a ball out to the left from Pablo Orbaiz which Roman Eremenko withthe freedom of St. Petersburg. The Finnish international continued to run towards the byline until he cutinside and released a banana shot from thirty yards which left the impressive Malafeev no chance.Elsewhere this week, Dan Petrescu took charge of Dinamo for the first time domestically. It was a toughassignment for the struggling Dinamiki at Slaven Bilic’s Lokomotiv. They started this match brightly andHungarian Balasz Dzsudzsák who would have a great influence on the outcome provided the opener fornewly capped Russian international, Andriy Kokorin after twelve minutes. The home side responded byquickening the tempo and forcing pressure onto what has been an unsure Dinamo defence. BrazilianMaicon got the home side level after heading in from Alexandr Samedov’s free kick. Kokorin turnedprovider for Dzsudzsák for Dinamo’s second goal. The Hungarian got past some questionable positioningfrom Eschenko and beat Dario Kresic at his near post. This was the first of three goals in ten minutes whichwould decide the outcome of the match. It was another Samedov set piece which provided the secondequaliser for Lokomotiv. This time it was Dame N’Doye who met the perfect delivery. The winner came justtwo minutes later when more fine wide play from Dzsudzsák led to Christian Noboa heading in the winnerto give Dinamo their first points of the season.Terek Grozny have made a great start to the new campaign, dropping point in only two matches so far. Thisrun continued with an impressive comeback at home to Champions League hopefuls Spartak. It was theaway side who took the lead through ex-Boca man Juan Insaurralde with a thumping header from a corner.The equaliser for Terek came with ten minutes remaining when Utsiev’s cutback was met by Lebedenko onthe edge of the box. The Russian forward managed to just squeeze it past Andriy Dikan at the near post.The winner came in injury time courtesy of a powering header from Antonio Ferreira.CSKA made easy work of Krylya Sovetov at Arena Khimki. Goals from Cauna and Tosic in the first halfensured Slutsky’s men didn’t have to work too hard to secure the three points. Ahmed Musa who has saidhe wants to play up front whilst Doumbia and Necid are out scored the third with five minutes remainingafter good work from Mark Gonzalez.Two pieces of inspired magic from Samuel Eto’o (pictured right) in three minutes late in the second halfsecured the three points for Anzhi in what proved a tough encounter against Mordovia Saransk whichended 4-2. Match winner vs AZ in midweek, Lacina Traore was once again in the goals getting the opener.He then set up Eto’o late on to secure the points for Hiddink’s men.Kuban’ Krasnodar and Volga played out a crazy match on Monday. The home side were 4-0 up just afterhalf time and it was only when the match was all but over that Volga managed a fightback of sorts. A braceeach for Pizzelli and Balde ensured the points for Kuban’ who continue to be inconsistent winning andlosing three each of their opening matches.Miodrag Božović’s Rostov managed their first victory of the new campaign with a 3-1 win over Alaniya. Thiswas despite a first minute goal from Danilo Neco. It was Jan Holenda with a hat-trick which did a job for thehome side and ensured Rostov moved out of the relegation places.Amkar Perm’ and Krasnodar played out an eventful 2-2 draw. Yuri Movsisyan continued his impressive startto the season with a brace within five minutes of the first half for Krasnodar. Trubachev’s men soon hit backwith goals from Burmistrov and Ryabokobylenko which gave both sides equal shares from the match.RESULTSSaturday 25th AugustLokomotiv Moscow 2-3 Dinamo MoscowZenit St. Petersburg 1-2 Rubin KazanTerek Grozny 2-1 Spartak MoscowRostov 3-1 AlaniyaSunday 26th AugustAmkar Perm 2-2 KrasnodarCSKA Moscow 3-0 Krylya SovetovAnzhi Makhachkala 4-2 Mordovia SaranskMonday 27th AugustKuban’ Krasnodar 6-2 VolgaLEAGUE STANDINGSTEAM P W D L PTS1 Zenit 6 4 1 1 132 Terek 6 4 1 1 133 Spartak 6 4 0 2 124 CSKA 6 4 0 2 125 Rubin Kazan 6 4 0 2 126 Anzhi 6 3 2 1 117 Lokomotiv 6 3 1 2 108 Kuban’ Krasnodar 6 3 0 3 99 Krasnodar 6 2 2 2 810 Amkar Perm’ 6 2 2 2 811 Alaniya 6 2 1 3 712 Krylya Sovetov 6 2 1 3 713 Rostov 6 1 2 3 514 Mordovia Saransk 6 1 1 4 415 Volga 6 1 0 5 316 Dinamo 6 1 0 5 3FIXTURESFriday 31st AugustMordovia Saransk vs. Zenit St. PetersburgSaturday 1st SeptemberAlaniya vs. Amkar PermVolga vs. RostovRubin Kazan vs. Terek GroznySunday 2nd SeptemberKrasnodar vs. CSKA MoscowKrylya Sovetov vs. Anzhi MakhachkalaLokomotiv Moscow vs. Spartak MoscowNeal DoyleTwitter @NealDoyle34 & @RussiaNT_LIVE- 17 -

CLYDESDALE BANK SCOTTISH PREMIER LEAGUE - WEEK FOURRESULTSSaturday 25th AugustInverness CT 2-4 CelticHibernian 2-0 St. JohnstoneKilmarnock 3-1 Dundee UnitedDundee 0-1 Ross CountySunday 26th AugustMotherwell 1-1 St. MirrenAberdeen 0-0 HeartsOH WATT A FEELING!Saturday’s early kick-off saw Celtic travel to the Highlands to take on Inverness Caledonian Thistle. Celticwere without long term absentees Joe Ledley, Anthony Stokes and Beram Kayal while Neil Lennon chose torest Thomas Rogne, Giorgios Samaras, Kris Commons and captain Scott Brown who are all carrying knocksahead of Tuesday’s visit of Helsingborgs in the Champions League qualifiers. This meant starts foryoungsters Tony Watt (pictured above) and Filip Twardzik both of whom performed very well as Celtic ranout 4-2 winners. It was Tony Watt’s first start for the club and he made it count scoring two goals, whilstVictor Wanyama and Charlie Mulgrew also got on the scoresheet. Late slackness allowed Ross Draper a latebrace, taking the shine off what was otherwise a very dominant performance from Celtic.In the 3 o’clock kick-offs, Dundee took on Ross County in the battle of the promoted sides. The match sawFirst Division champions Ross County take their first ever win in the SPL thanks to a Richard Brittain penalty18 minutes from time after Neil McGregor fouled Mark Corcoran. Dundee, who were promoted whenRangers were demoted to Division 3, handed debuts to former Hibernian and Kilmarnock striker Colin Nishand Celtic loanee Lewis Toshney as an 85 th minute sub but it wasn’t enough to prevent a third defeat of theseason.Hibernian made it back to back wins with a 2-0 victory of St Johnstone. Hibs were quiet in the first half butScotland U21 international captain Paul Hanlon put the Hibees ahead at the break. Hibernan made the leadcount in the second half and made it two through Eoin Doyle as St Johnstone simply couldn’t cope.Hibernian seem to be slowly turning their poor form from last season around while St Johnstone, whomade it to the Europa League qualifying position last season, continuea poor start to the season.LEAGUE STANDINGSTEAM P W D L PTS1 Celtic 3 2 1 0 72 Hibernian 4 2 1 1 73 Dundee United 3 2 0 1 64 Hearts 4 1 3 0 65 Motherwell 4 1 3 0 66 Ross County 4 1 3 0 67 St Mirren 4 1 2 1 58 Kilmarnock 4 1 2 1 59 Aberdeen 4 1 2 1 510 Inverness CT 4 0 3 1 311 St Johnstone 4 0 1 3 112 Dundee 4 0 1 3 1FIXTURESSaturday 1st SeptemberAberdeen vs. St. MirrenCeltic vs. HibernianRoss County vs. KilmarnockSt. Johnstone vs. Dundee UnitedSunday 2nd SeptemberMotherwell vs. Inverness CTHearts vs. DundeeKilmarnock brought Dundee Utd crashing down with a 3-1 win at Rugby Park. Dundee Utd spirits were highafter winning both of their opening games. A win would have seen Dundee Utd take first from Celtichowever, they failed to capitalize. Kilmarnock quickly took the lead two minutes after half time through adebut goal for Rory McKenzie. Former Real Madrid youngster Borja Perez made it 2-0 three minutes laterafter converting a penalty then Jude Winchester capped off an excellent 10 minutes for Killie, grabbing hissecond goal for the club. Jon Daly grabbed a late consolation for United but it wasn’t enough.Sunday brought us two draws, Motherwell 1-1 St Mirren and Aberdeen 0-0 Hearts. Motherwell vs StMirren was the better of the two matches. Ex St Mirren striker Michael Higdon (pictured right) opened thescoring two minutes in. That was his third goal in Motherwell vs St Mirren matches, his first for St Mirrenthe other two for Motherwell. Shaun Hutchinson received his second red card in successive games, havingnever had a red card previous to that in his career. Three points would have taken ‘Well top but young StMirren striker Thomas Reilly had other ideas, equalising in injury time.Aberdeen vs Hearts on the other hand was a rather drab affair. Neither side created many chanceshowever Scott Vernon saw a shot crash of the bar for Aberdeen and Hearts’ Andy Driver had the chance tosteal all three points but his shot ricocheted off the post deep in injury time. Hearts manager John McGlynnwill be the more satisfied of the two managers as the draw saw his young Hearts squad maintain anunbeaten start to the season.Scott GoodwinTwitter @Scott_Goodwin- 18 -

SUPERCOPA DE ESPAÑA – FIRST LEGBARCELONAPedro 56Messi 70PXavi 78Thursday 23rd AugustCamp Nou, Barcelona3-2 REAL MADRIDH.T0-0Ronaldo 55di Maria 85CARDSMascherano 45 Xabi Alonso 11Arbeloa 44Albiol 51TEAMSBARCELONA: Valdes, Adriano, Dani Alves,Pique, Iniesta, Mascherano, Xavi (Fabregas83), Busquets, Alexis (Tello 72), Messi,Pedro (Jordi Alba 87)REAL MADRID: Casillas, Albiol, Arbeloa,Fabio Coentrao, Sergio Ramos, Callejon (diMaria 66), Özil (Marcelo 82), Khedira, XabiAlonso, Ronaldo, Benzema (Higuain 61)VALDES GIFTS MADRID A REAL LIFELINEA mistake by Barcelona goalkeeper Victor Valdes handed Real Madrid some Supercopa de España salvationon Thursday evening regardless of slipping to a 3-2 first leg defeat at the Camp Nou.With his team 3-1 ahead, and pressing for a fourth goal, Valdes was trapped inside his own penalty area ashe tried to dribble the ball clear only to be dispossessed by substitute Angel Di Maria who scored into anopen goal. Pedro, Lionel Messi and Xavi had earlier scored second-half goals to give Barca a convincing leadafter Cristiano Ronaldo had put Madrid ahead on 55 minutes.Madrid went into the game without the injured Pepe as well as Nuri Sahin (now on loan at Liverpool),Ricardo Carvalho and Kaka who are all expected to leave before the transfer window shuts on September1st. Vilanova opted for Alexis Sanchez and Pedro Rodriguez to assist Messi. While Barca did begin to controlpossession, it took until the 17th minute for the game’s first real action when Gerard Pique tried his luckfrom long range but failed to hit the target. Two minutes later Messi found Dani Alves with a delightful ballin space on the right and when he received the return pass his left-footed shot just missed the goal. It wasMessi again on 29 minutes who reacted quicker than the Madrid defence to find the space to hit a drivethat went just wide of Iker Casillas’s goal. Iker Casillas was then finally called into action to divert over thebar a Pedro drive. Alexis Sanchez was finding some space down the right side for Barcelona and wasunfortunate with a claim for a penalty when it appeared that Sergio Ramos had felled the Chilean on 39minutes.The interval came and went and the game continued in the same pattern until the 55th minute whenRonaldo out leaped Sergio Busquets to head home a Mesut Özil corner. Barca’s reaction was immediateand they were level within two minutes when a raking pass from Javier Mascherano found Pedro who hitthe target. Messi then went on a mazy run and released Dani Alves who forced a diving save from Casillas.The game had opened up and Mourinho switched Benzema for Gonzalo Higuain but it was Barca whocontinued to create more meaningful opportunities. On 69 minutes, Andres Iniesta provoked a clumsychallenge from Sergio Ramos in the area with a quick drag-back of the ball and Messi converted theresulting penalty. Nine minutes later Iniesta was again the instigator when he threaded a pass through theMadrid defence to give Xavi the easiest of chances for Barca’s third goal.Barca were denied the chance to make it 4-1 when Casillas pulled off a magnificent save to again thwartMessi, whose effort from point-blank range was smothered instinctively by the Spain goalkeeper. Instead,Madrid broke away and made it 3-2. Failing to clear Adriano’s routine back pass, Valdes opted to take atouch and dribble around Di Maria, who stole possession and turned the ball into the empty net. It was afarcical end to an enthralling second half in Barcelona that Real Madrid with more than a glimmer of hopeof winning their sixth Supercopa when the second leg is played at the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday.Will BurnsTwitter @WillBurns6- 19 -

SPANISH PRIMERA DIVISIÓN - WEEK TWORESULTSSaturday 25th AugustReal Sociedad 2-1 Celta VigoReal Betis 1-2 Rayo VallecanoEspanyol 1-0 Real ZaragozaMalaga 1-1 MallorcaGETAFE PROVIDE REAL SHOCK AS BARCA LEADReal Madrid are still in search for their first win of the season as Getafe took all three points at theColiseum Alfonso Perez on Saturday. Their terrible start to defend the title looked to change as GonzaloHiguain gave Mourinho’s men the lead twenty-seven minutes in, but Juan Valera’s equaliser came just afterthe half-time whistle. The reigning champions found themselves exposed at the back and Getafe made themost of it, Abdelaziz shocked the nation with a goal against a Real Madrid side which was dominantthroughout. Despite the pressure and onslaught in the final ten minutes, Getafe survived to gain a famousthree points.Lionel Messi proved crucial again as Barcelona turned around a 1-0 defesit against Osasuna at Estaio Reynode Navarra. Roland Lamah scampered down the left to whip in a cross towards Joseba Llorente at the farpost, who gets behind Jordi Alba to tuck away a side-foot volley, giving Osasuna a shock lead. It took Barcauntil the seventy-sixth minute to equalise, Messi started and finished the attack which was helped by thereferee who effectively won possession for the away side. The ball found its way out to the right to Pedro,and then found Alexis, who found Messi to slide the ball in from close range. Osasuna’s captain, FranciscoPunal was sent off after protesting the decision to award Barca’s goal moments later. The dismisal didn’thelp the home side as Messi gave Barca the lead three minutes later, Jordi Alba rolled the ball in from theleft and the World Player of the Year swept it into the bottom corner first-time, a beautiful finish whichgave Barcelona the victory.Nuevo Los Carmenes hosted the Andalusian derby as Granada drew 1-1 with Sevilla on Saturday evening, agame which saw Los Palanganas’ goalkeeper Diego Lopez sent off after half an hour in. Andres Palop thensaved Guillherme Siqueira’s penalty, but Mikel Rico gave his side the lead by knocking in the rebound. Thevisitors responded with an Alvaro Negredo header just before the interval, and neither side could break thedeadlock in the second half.Despite Valencia’s creditable draw away at Real Madrid, they failed to build on the opening result whenplaying their first game of the season at the Mestalla. Newly-promoted Deportivo La Coruna fought for adraw in spite of the home side taking the lead, Soldado netted on the 11th and again on the 28 th minutebefore Aguilar pulled one back for Jose Oltra’s men. Valencia were soon regained with their two-goal leadmoments later as Feghouli made it 3-1. La Liga new-boys Deportivo pulled it back to 3-2 as Aguilar scoredhis second of the game. Pizzi completed the maraculous turn-around with fifteen minutes to spare for theaway side as they earned a valuable point against a side who finished third last season.Real Sociedad earned their first three points against Celta de Vigo as they beat the Paco Herrera’s men 2-1at the Anoeta. Goals from Antoine Agirretxe sealed the victory despite Enrique de Lucas giving the homeside the lead.Real Betis’s enfatic victory over Bilbao last week was soon forgotten as they fell 2-1 losers at home againstReal Vallecano. The visitors took the lead through Piti in the second minute, but Jorge Molina equalisedimmediately for the home side. Betis controlled the opening of the second half, but the visitors got thewinner on the hour mark when Lass Bangoura teed up Leo to rifle low past Fabricio in the Betis goal.Espanyol secured their first win of the season as Zaragoza remain without a point from their opening twogames, the goal to give the home side the win arrived just before half time as Vasquez scored late in thesecond half.Newly-promoted Real Valladolid continued their 100% start to the season by defeating 10-man Levante atthe Estadio Nuevo Jose Zorrilla. Victor Perez converted from the penalty spot after 38 minutes. The hosts'lead was increased to two soon after the break, however, when Perez was again presented with theopportunity from 12 yards following Pape Diop's foul on Omar Ramos. Valladolid became one of only threeteams with a maximum six points and lie second behind Barcelona but ahead of Rayo Vallecano.Sunday 26th AugustOsasuna 1-2 BarcelonaGetafe 2-1 Real MadridGranada 1-1 SevillaValencia 3-3 Deportivo la CorunaMonday 27th AugustReal Valladolid 1-1 LevanteAtlético Madrid 4-0 Athletic BilbaoLEAGUE STANDINGSTEAM P W D L PTS1 FC Barcelona 2 2 0 0 62 Real Valladolid 2 2 0 0 63 Rayo Vallecano 2 2 0 0 64 Atletico Madrid 2 1 1 0 45 Deportivo La Coruna 2 1 1 0 46 Real Mallorca 2 1 1 0 47 Sevilla 2 1 1 0 48 Malaga 2 1 1 0 49 Real Betis 2 1 0 1 310 Getafe 2 1 0 1 311 Real Zaragoza 2 1 0 1 312 Real Sociedad 2 1 0 1 313 Valencia 2 0 2 0 214 Real Madrird 2 0 1 1 115 Granada 2 0 1 1 116 Levante 2 0 1 1 117 Espanyol 2 0 0 2 018 Celta Vigo 2 0 0 2 019 Osasuna 2 0 0 2 020 Athletic Bilbao 2 0 0 2 0FIXTURESSaturday 1st SeptemberCelta Vigo vs. OsasunaReal Zaragoza vs. MalagaDeportivo la Coruna vs. GetafeMallorca vs. Real SociedadSunday 2nd SeptemberRayo Vallecano vs. SevillaAthletic Bilbao vs. Real ValladolidLevante vs. EspanyolReal Madrid vs. GranadaBarcelona vs. ValenciaMonday 3rd SeptemberReal Betis vs. Atletico MadridIn Monday’s action, Radamel Falcao gave Atlético Madrid an emphatic victory over Athletic Bilbao after hissuperb hat-trick and a goal from Thiago put the Basque club in even more trouble. Malaga and Mallorcashared the spoils in a 1-1 draw at Estadio La Rosaleda. Juanmi cancelled out Mallorca’s opener courtesy ofHemed.Josh HarrisTwitter @SouthamptonJosh- 20 -

UKRAINIAN PREMIER LEAGUE - WEEK SEVENSHAKHTAR IN ACLASS OFTHEIR OWNShakhtar Donetsk preservedtheir 100% record with a 3-0demolishing of Karpaty Lviv onSunday night to remain at thetop of the table. Dentinho putthe home side ahead in the 32 ndminute with a diving header,and Luiz Adriano doubled theiradvantage in the 39 th with afine strike from the edge of the 18 yard box. Just two minutes later Henrikh Mkhitaryan scored his 11 th goalof the season to put Shakhtar 3-0 up and effectively seal the three points before half time. In just nine firsthalf minutes Shakhtar were able to step up the pressure and put three goals past helpless Karpaty keeperMartin Bogatinov. Their stats thus far: 21 out of a possible 21 points, 26 goals scored, 3 goals against, and aplus 23 goal difference. Shakhtar has dominated Ukrainian football for the past three seasons, and oncurrent form they look like a good bet to win their fourth successive title.Dynamo, Shakhtar’s main rivals, have struggled at times this season but have managed to stay within threepoints of the league leaders. On Saturday Dynamo tempoarily drew level with Shakhtar at the top of thetable with a 2-0 home victory over Chornomorets Odessa. Dynamo’s shopping spree in the transfer marketthis summer has given manager Yuri Syomin a bit of a headache when it comes to squad selection, and herewe saw winger Andriy Yarmolenko surprisingly left on the bench. The home side were coming off animpressive 3-1 away victory over Borussia Monchengladbach in the Champions League qualifiying roundthat puts them on the brink of qualification to the group stage, and against Chornomorets they assertedtheir superiority quickly. They went ahead through Ninkovic on 23 minutes, and star striker Ideye Brownmade it 2-0 in 72 nd . It wasn’t the strongest opposition, but it was a confidence boosting victory for Dynamoa week before the hugely important Ukrainian Clasico next weekend against Shakhtar Donetsk.After some early season struggles Metalist Kharkiv have returned to winning ways and are fresh off a 2-0away victory over Romanian side Dinamo Bucharest in Europa League qualifiers. Metalist were playing athome against Kryvbas, who had have had an impressive start to the season and before the match sat just asingle point behind their more illustrious opponents. Metalist went ahead after 13 minutes; VolodymyrLysenko was brought down in the box, and Xavier converted the penalty to put the home side ahead. Twosecond half goals in the space of three minutes from Marlos and Edmar secured the three points; Kryvbas’slone goal in the 81 st was just a consolation strike.Dnipro Dniproetrovsk kept up their perfect home record with a 2-1 victory over Volyn Lutsk. DanijelSubotic put the visitors in front after 20 minutes, but Dnipro got the equalizer just three minutes later.Ruslan Rotan’s through ball found Nikola Kalinic, who found himself in a one-on-one situation with thekeeper and finished easily to make it 1-1. On loan midfielder Oleksandr Aliyev then put Dnipro ahead justtwo minutes after the interval, and they never relinquished the league after that. Dnirpo remain in thirdplace and are just a point behind second place Dynamo, but manager Juande Ramos has expressed concernover the lack of depth in the squad. With just 15 players on the teamsheet for this match, it is clear thatDnipro need reinforcements if they are to fight on two fronts this season.Zorya and Vorskla drew 1-1 on Friday’s only match. Ilya Halyuza converted a first half penalty to put Zoryaahead, but Vorskla equalized through the promising national team striker Roman Bezus in the 79 th minuteto escape with a point. Zorya are stuck in 5 th place with the gap between them and 4 th spot Metalistincreasing, while Vorskla remain at 13 th position.Illichivets’ 2-0 home victory over Hoverla leaves the visitors on zero points from seven matches and alreadyseven points from safety. Hrechyshkin and Fedotov both scored for the home side, who jump four spots upto 12 th .Metalurh Zaporizhya have also emerged as early contenders for relegation after a 1-2 defeat at home toMetalurh Donetsk. Zaporizhya sit just a point ahead of Hoverla at the wrong end of the table. Ghazaryanput the away side ahead and Moraes doubled their advantage, and altough the home side pulled a goalback they could not find an equalizer. Metalurh Donetsk move up from 14 th to 9 th .Tavriya drew 1-1 at home against Arsenal Kiev. Nazarenko missed a penalty for the home side while theywere up 1-0, and Arsenal scored on the ensuing counter, so Tavriya will be be disappointed to have let thethree points slip away.RESULTSFriday 24th AugustZorya 1-1 VorsklaSaturday 25th AugustIllichivets 2-0 Hoverla-ZakarpattiaDynamo Kiev 2-0 ChornomoretsSunday 26th AugustMetalurh Zaporizhya 1-2 Metalurh DonetskDnipro Dnipropetrovsk 2-1 VolynShakhtar Donetsk 3-0 KarpatyMetalist 3-1 KryvbasTavriya 1-1 Arsenal KievLEAGUE STANDINGSTEAM P W D L PTS1 Shakhtar Donetsk 7 7 0 0 212 Dynamo Kiev 7 6 0 1 183 Dnipro 7 5 2 0 174 Metalist 7 4 2 1 145 Zorya 7 3 2 2 116 Arsenal Kiev 7 3 2 2 117 Kryvbas 7 3 1 3 108 Illichivets 7 3 0 4 99 Metalurh Donetsk 7 2 2 3 810 Tavriya 7 2 2 3 811 Volyn 7 2 2 3 812 Karpaty 7 2 2 3 813 Vorskla 7 2 1 4 714 Chornomorets 7 2 1 4 715 Metalurh Z 7 0 1 6 116 Hoverla 7 0 0 7 0FIXTURESFriday 31st AugustHoverla-Zakarpattia vs. TavriyaSaturday 1st SeptemberKryvbas vs. IllichivetsKarpaty vs. Metalurh DonetskChoronomorets vs. ZoryaSunday 2nd SeptemberVorskia vs. Dnipro DnipropetrovskVolyn vs. MetalistShakhtar Donetsk vs. Dynamo KievArsenal Kiev vs. Metalurh ZaporizhyaVadim FurmanovTwitter @Passive_Offside- 21 -

PRIMERA DIVISIŐN TORNEO INICIAL – WEEK FOURTOOTHLESS INDEPENDIENTE PART COMPANY WITHDIAZIndependiente’s miserable start to the season continued with a 2-0 loss at home to Arsenal. Fresh from apromising 3-3 draw away to Boca in the midweek Copa Sudamericana game, Los Diablos Rojos were leveluntil a late capitulation saw them throw away the points. 10 minutes from time Arsenal centre backLisandro Lopez appeared on the right wing and produced a dangerous low cross that a sliding EduardoTuzzio could only turn into his own net. Things got worse as Fabian Vargas was sent off for a second yellowand in the last minute of injury time Dario Benedetto tucked home Emiliano Zelaya’s inviting cross. Theresult meant that Cristian Diaz became the first managerial casualty of the season with Tolo Gallegoexpected to take the reins of an Independiente side yet to score in the league.A late Diego Ftacla equaliser gave Tigre their first point of the season in a dramatic 2-2 draw with All Boys.Ivan Borghello bagged his third of the season to put the hosts ahead after 10 minutes, heading in fromGrana’s deep cross, but Tigre pegged one back through a headed Martin Galmarini goal. Mauro Matosrestored All Boys lead with a lovely header from Morel’s corner and they seemed on course for their firstvictory of the season but Diego Ftacla – with his 2nd of the season - fired home Ruben Botta’s pull back todraw the game.A youthful looking Boca side made hard work of beating a Union side that ended the game with only 9 men.Veteran Rolando Schiavi opened the scoring when he powered in a header following lovely skill LeandroParedes. The 18-year-old beat a man to get to the byline before perfectly picking out the centre-back whohad stayed forward from the corner. Things got worse for the Santafesinos when Pablo Bruna was redcarded for Union just after the half hour mark but they were given a lifeline when Nicolas Correa headed infrom Uruguayan compatriot Braian Aleman’s corner to equalise. Mauro Maidana also saw red as Unionwere forced to play out the final 20 with just 9 men. But Boca found a late winner, Paredes once more thearchitect, chesting down and firing a shot against the bar from a tight angle which then fell to the feet ofNico Blandi who couldn’t miss from 2 yards out. Regrettably, the victory was soured by reports of shootingsbetween two of Boca’s warring Barra Bravas factions before the game, with 5 injured including MauroMartin, boss of La Doce, who was shot in the stomach and is now in a ‘critical but stable’ condition.A somewhat surprise victory for Argentinos Juniors but the brakes on Godoy Cruz’s promising start to theseason. An own goal from Mauro Obolo gave los Bichos Colorados the lead midway through the first halfbefore the lead was doubled by Leonel Nuñez, expertly lofting the ball over a stranded Nelson Ibañez.Debutant Diego Sevillano grabbed a late consolation goal but Argentinos held on to claim their first win ofthe campaign.A late Quilmes equaliser rescued a point against Rafaela and ensured they remain unbeaten after 4 rounds.Veteran midfielder Ivan Juarez capped off a lovely passing move to open the scoring for la Crema but withalmost the last kick of the game an unmarked Facundo Diz turned in Cristian Insaurralde’s cross to equalise.Belgrano and Newell’s cancelled each other out in a fairly uneventful 0-0 draw on Sunday. Maxi Rodriguezreturned for Newell’s but couldn’t inspire his side to victory. Both remain unbeaten after four games.Lanus and Racing played out a 1-1 draw on Sunday. Gonzalo Castillejos won a penalty for the hosts andpicked himself up to score his first goal for Lanus just before half time. Ricky Centurion combined well tofind Gabriel Hauche who swept home the equaliser before el Demonio’s game ended early after a red cardjust before the final whistle.Velez returned to winning ways with a comprehensive 3-0 victory over a hapless San Martin. Talenteddefender Gino Peruzzi, playing in a more advanced role, got the scoring underway after latching on toFrancisco Cerro’s lovely pass. Cerro himself scored shortly after the break when the San Martin defenceonly half cleared Lucas Pratto’s cross and the midfielder was able to fire in from the edge of the area.Federico Insua wrapped the game up with a nice finish from Jonathan Copete’s composed cut back.In a game that promised much but delivered little, the clasico between River and San Lorenzo endedgoalless on Sunday night. River slightly had better opportunities and Franco Jara hit the bar for San Lorenzobut ultimately neither side could find a breakthrough.Colon built on their fine midweek 3-1 victory over Racing in the Copa Sudamericana, beating Estudiantes 2-1 in the final game of the week. Maxi Caire gave Colon an unmerited first half lead but Guido Carrilloequalised, capping a fine incisive team move for the teenager’s second of the term. An Ivan Moreno yFabianesi penalty five minutes from time gave Colon the victory, putting them top of the table after fourrounds.RESULTSSaturday 25th AugustAll Boys 2-2 TigreUnion Santa Fe 1-2 Boca JuniorsArgentinos Jrs 2-1 Godoy CruzIndependiente 0-2 ArsenalSunday 26th AugustAtletico Rafaela 1-1 QuilmesBelgrano 0-0 Newell’s Old BoysLanus 1-1 Racing ClubSan Martin (SJ) 0-3 Velez SarsfieldRiver Plate 0-0 San LorenzoMonday 27th AugustEstudiantes 1-2 ColonINICIAL STANDINGSTEAM P W D L PTS1 Colon 4 3 1 0 102 Boca Jnrs 4 3 0 1 93 Quilmes 4 2 2 0 84 Racing Club 4 2 2 0 85 Arsenal 4 2 2 0 86 Newell’s Old Boys 4 2 2 0 87 Velez 4 2 1 1 78 River Plate 4 2 1 1 79 Godoy Cruz 4 2 1 1 710 Belgrano 4 1 3 0 611 Estudiantes 4 2 0 2 612 San Lorenzo 4 1 2 1 513 Lanus 4 1 1 2 414 Argentinos Jnrs 4 1 1 2 415 All Boys 4 0 3 1 316 Atletico Rafaela 4 0 3 1 317 Independiente 4 0 2 2 218 Tigre 4 0 1 3 119 Union Santa Fe 4 0 0 4 020 San Martin (SJ) 4 0 0 4 0FIXTURESFriday 31st AugustAll Boys vs. Union Sante FeSaturday 1st SeptemberVelez Sarsfield vs. BelgranoArsenal vs. LanusNewells Old Boys vs. EstudiantesSunday 2nd SeptemberRacing Club vs. San Martin (SJ)Godoy Cruz vs. IndependienteBoca Juniors vs. Atletico RafaelaColon vs. River PlateMonday 3rd SeptemberTigre vs. San LorenzoQuilmes vs. Argentinos JrsTom RobinsonTwitter @TomRobbo89- 22 -

BRASILEIRÃO SÉRIE A - ROUND NINETEENRESULTSSaturday 25th AugustVasco da Gama 1-2 FluminensePalmeiras 1-2 SantosSunday 26th AugustPonte Preta 2-1 PortuguesaBotafogo 0-0 FlamengoCorinthians 1-2 Sao PauloInternacional 0-1 GremioFigueirense 3-1 CoritibaCruzeiro 2-2 Atletico MineiroSport Recife 0-0 NauticoBahia 1-1 Atletico-GOMINIERO STILL TOP... BUT JUSTOn Saturday, Fluminense temporarily joined Atlético Mineiro level on points at the top of the standingsafter defeating their local rivals Vasco 2-1 at the Engenhão. The first goal came in the 71st minute, ThiagoNeves smashed home an acrobatically left foot volley from a Wagner cross. Flu lost their lead just a minutelater when defender Gum accidently converted Juninho's cross into his own net. Fortunately for Gum,Thiago Neves grabbed his second goal four minutes from time, curling home a free-kick to give Flu the win.Flu are now unbeaten in their last seven games and look a real threat to Atletico Mineiro’ early charge tothe title.Santos have climbed up the table after beating their cross-town rivals Palmeiras 2-1 in an excellent awaywin. The home team took the lead through Correa's 40th minute strike, a wonderfully placed right-footdrive from the edge of the box. The lead was short-lived as Neymar smashed in a long range free kick justthree minutes later. Neymar was not finished and hit the winner just after the hour mark, the Olympicsilver-medallist placed a weak shot past Palmeiras goalkeeper Bruno.In Sunday’s action, Ronaldinho scored a classic individual goal but Atletico Mineiro had to settle for a pointin a tempestuous clash with Cruzeiro. Hosts Cruzeiro secured a 2-2 draw when Mateus scored in the 12thminute of stoppage time in a match in which the referee showed three red cards and nine yellows. Cruzeirowent ahead when Wallyson slid in for a close-range opener in the 17th minute, but Leonardo Silva hit a fineequaliser just before half-time - a left-footed strike into the top-left corner from 15 yards. Thereferee dismissed Cruzeiro's Leandro Guerreiro and Atletico's Bernard as they argued, having earlierbooked both. Play resumed and Atletico had Pierre sent off in the 89th minute. But former Barcelonaforward Ronaldinho looked to have won it for the nine men in the 90th minute when he produced a vintagerun from inside his own half before sidefooting a calm finish into the right corner. Yet the match was farfrom over and Mateus turned in a low cross in the dying stages to salvage a point. Atletico nudge a pointahead of Fluminense at the top of the table with their point, while Cruzeiro lie eighth.Gremio climbed to third with a 1-0 win at Internacional, courtesy of Elano's eighth-minute goal. LuisFabiano scored both for Sao Paulo in a 2-1 victory away to Corinthians, who had led through Emerson'searly effort.Bottom-of-the-table Figueirense beat Coritiba 3-1 thanks to a hat-trick from Aloisio who scored after 22, 26and 53 minutes. Anderson Aquino netted in the 33rd minute for Coritiba, who had Everton Ribeiro sent offafter 66 minutes.Bahia drew 1-1 at home against Atletico Goianense, a ninth-minute goal from Fabinho cancelled out by thevisitors' Diogo Campos with seven minutes left. Botafogo drew 0-0 with Flamengo, as did Sport Recife withNautico Refice.Will BurnsTwitter @WillBurns6SÉRIE A STANDINGSTEAM P W D L PTS1 Atletico-MG 18 13 4 1 432 Fluminense 19 12 6 1 423 Gremio 19 12 1 6 374 Vasco 19 10 5 4 355 Sao Paulo 19 10 1 8 316 Internacional 19 8 7 4 317 Botafogo 19 8 4 7 288 Cruzeiro 19 8 4 7 289 Flamengo 18 7 5 6 2610 Santos 19 6 8 5 2611 Nautico 19 7 3 9 2412 Corinthians 19 6 6 7 2413 Ponte Preta 19 6 5 8 2314 Portuguesa 19 5 7 7 2215 Coritiba 19 5 4 10 1916 Bahia 19 3 8 8 1717 Palmeiras 19 4 4 11 1618 Atletico-GO 19 3 7 9 1619 Sport Recife 19 3 6 10 1520 Figueirense 19 3 5 11 14FIXTURESWednesday 29th AugustSantos vs. BahiaCoritiba vs. InternacionalThursday 30th AugustAtletico Miniero vs. Ponte PretaPortuguesa vs. PalmeirasNautico vs. FigueirenseFluminese vs. CorinthiansGremio vs. Vasco da GamaAtletico-GO vs. CruzeiroFriday 31st AugustFlamengo vs. Sport RecifeSao Paulo vs. BotafogoSaturday 1st SeptemberPalmeiras vs. GremioFigueirense vs. FluminenseSunday 2nd SeptemberVasco da Gama vs. PortuguesaCorinthians vs. Atletico MineiroInternacional vs. FlamengoSport Recife vs. SantosBahia vs. Sao PauloBotafogo vs. CoritibaCruzeiro vs. NauticoPonte Preta vs. Atletico-GO- 23 -

MEXICAN PRIMERA DIVISION APERTURA – WEEK SIXRESULTSSaturday 25th AugustJaguares 2-1 QueretaroClub Leon 1-3 MoreliaSunday 26th AugustAmerica 0-1 TijuanaPachuca 0-0 Santos LagunaTigres UANL 1-1 TolucaPuebla 0-0 San LuisPumas UNAM 0-1 Cruz AzulTOLUCA AND TIJUANA GO CLEAR AT THE TOPTijuana stunned Am erica to steal the points at Estadio Azteca and propel themselves into second place asthey capitalised on the top sides faltering. Toluca’s perfect start was ended by Tigres UNAM whilst ClubLeon also fell to a deafeat at the hands of Morelia. Chiapas grabbed their first victory of the season as theycondemned Queretaro to their fifth defeat in six whilst champions Santos could only manage a goallessdraw away at Pachuca.Cristian Pellerano (pictured above) was the hero as his wonder strike just before half time handed Tijuanavictory over America. The visitor’s, buoyed by last weekend’s victory over UANL Tigres, gained victory withthe only goal of the game on 41 minutes. Pellerano found himself on the end of a chipped pass, beforesetting himself to volley into the top right hand corner from 30 yards, leaving Hugo Gonzalez in the Americagoal with no chance. Aguilas had chances to pull themselves level but with Paul Aguilar seeing red withfifteen minutes remaining their chances of a drew were distinguished.Toluca saw their 100% record ended as Tigres UNAM earned a share of the spoils at Estadio Universitaro.Rangy midfielder Lucas Silva opened the scoring for the away side, his 25 yard drive finding the top lefthand corner after just seven minutes. However the lead did not last long, as Tigres captain Lucas Lobosfound space to nod home just four minutes later to level the scores and give both sides a point.Club Leon were left shell-shocked as Morelia inflicted them with their second defeat of the season thisweekend, Joao Rojas opening the scoring after 17 minutes as Joao Rojas tapped home a Rodrigo Salinascross from close range. The hosts’ had a goal disallowed before Morelia made it two. Joel Huiqui being leftto nod home from 10 yards out. Mateos Britos gave Leon hope just after the break as he finished off a goodteam move from six yards, but the visiting side made the game safe with just over 10 minutes to go whenEdgar Hernandez let Rojas’s tame effort through his legs to gift Morelia the win.Chiapas recorded their first victory of the new season as Franco Arizala scored a dramatic last minutewinner which left Queretaro firmly rooted to the bottom of the Apertura. It was the bottom side who tookthe lead on the hour, as a defensive mix-up allowed Mitchel Oviedo to tap into an empty net and left themwith only half an hour to hold on for victory. It was not to be though, as Luis Gabriel Rey held off his man tofire into the left hand corner from 18 yards, and as Arizala smashed in a last minute cross which wasdeflected into his own net by Efrain Cortes.Guadalajara surrendered a half time lead at home as Humberto Suazo hit a quick fire double to snatch thepoints at Estadio Omnilife. Rafael Marquez had given his side the lead, finding the right hand corner to sendthe home faithful wild. However, after Suazo had drawn Monterrey level just before the hour by beatingthe offside trap to slot home, the striker netted the winner just five minutes later. With Chivas throwingmen forward in search of an equaliser, the visitor’s broke and found Suazo on the right side of the box andhe made no mistake by firing into the top corner with sublime precision.Cruz Azul propelled themselves into fourth spot with an away victory at Pumas UNAM. Mariano Pavonenotched the only goal of the game with just over 20 minutes remaining. The 30 year old was left free tohead home at the far post from Pablo Barrera’s cross. Puebla recorded their first victory of the season asDiego De Buen’s third minute goal led them to victory over San Luis Potosi. The only goal of the game cameearly on, after San Luis Potosi half cleared from a corner, Jorge Gastelum found De Buen who bent homethe winner into the net from 25 yards.Monday 27th AugustGuadalajara 1-2 MonterreyAtlante 1-0 AtlasSTANDINGSTEAM P W D L PTS1 Toluca 6 5 1 0 162 Tijuana 6 4 1 1 133 Morelia 6 3 3 0 124 Cruz Azul 6 3 3 0 125 Club Leon 6 3 1 2 106 America 6 2 3 1 97 UANL Tigres 6 2 3 1 98 Atlante 6 2 3 1 99 Monterrey 6 2 3 1 910 Santos Laguna 6 2 2 2 811 Atlas 6 1 4 1 712 Pumas UNAM 6 2 1 3 713 Pachuca 6 1 3 2 614 Guadalajara 6 1 2 3 515 Chiapas 6 1 1 4 416 Puebla 6 1 1 4 417 San Luis Potosi 6 0 2 4 218 Queretaro 6 0 1 5 1FIXTURESFriday 31st AugustTijuana vs. JaguaresSaturday 1st SeptemberMorelia vs. Pumas UNAMCruz Azul vs. PachucaQueretaro vs. AtlanteSunday 2nd SeptemberSantos Laguna vs. Tigres UANLMonterrey vs. AtlasSan Luis vs. Club LeonToluca vs. AmericaGuadalajara vs. PueblaIn the last game of the weekend, Osvaldo Martinez (pictured right) netted to snare three points for Atlanteover Atlas. Both sides had tested the respective goalkeeper’s early on, but after playing a neat one-twowith Esteban Paredes, Martinez composed himself before calmly lobbing the ball over Miguel Pinto in theAtlas goal which gave his side their second victory this season.Current champions Santos Laguna continue to falter as the Apertura begins to take shape. Both sidessquandered chances for victory with Rodolfo Costa and Oswaldo Sanchez both in fine form to deny theopposing strikers. Pachuca held on for their third draw of the campaign which left Santos languishing inmid-table.Paul AbrahamsTwitter @Abes89- 24 -

MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER - WEEK TWENTY-FIVESAN JOSE AND KANSAS CITY HOLD STRONGIn the unpredictable world of the MLS, it gets better every week. It was yet another week full ofcontroversy, great goals and super football. This week saw Seattle Sounders climb above Real Salt Lake to2 nd in the Western Conference, Sporting Kansas City claimed to spot for another week in the EasternConference, but it’s getting incredibly tight with only 7 points separating them and 5 th placed D.C United.Again Toronto and Portland Timbers occupy the last place in each division.The action kicked off with a fixture between Columbus Crew and Toronto, resulting in a 2-1 home win forthe Crew. The home side took the lead early on through Eddie Gaven, who’s shot appeared to of took adeflection and wrong-footed Freddy Hall, earning Gaven his 6 th goal of the campaign. The lead was thenextended by Federico Higuain, who struck his firs goal in the MLS. Luis Silva pulled one back for Toronto,but it only turned out to be a consolation.D.C United are now only 1 point behind 4 th placed Chicago Fire after they ran out 4-2 winners in the matchbetween the two. Dwayne De Rosario opened the scoring in the 18 th minute, he is now 1 goal away fromreaching 100 career goals. Fire then equalised courtesy of a strike from Dan Paladini, before Lianard Pajoyre-established United’s lead on the stroke of half-time. Brandon McDonald added to the lead with a loopingheader and shortly after Gonzalo Segares reduced the defecit. But Long Tan grabbed a fourth for D.CUnited late in the game to wrap up the win.Philadelphia Union and Real Salt Lake played out a stalemate at NBSCN, leading to Salt Lake slipping to 3 rdin the Western Conference and failing even further behind San Jose Earthquakes.D.C United followed up their win over Chicago Fire with a 3-0 defeat at the hands of Montreal Impact. Agoal from Marco Di Vaio and a double from Patrice Bernier clinched a 3-0 win for Impact.Columbus Crew recorded their 10 th win of the season and what a great way to do it, a narrow 4-3 victoryover New England Revolution. The visitors took the lead in the 16 th minute, a screamer from Ryan Guy.Almost straight after, it was 2-0 Jerry Bengtson beating the offside trap and netting. A stunning free-kickfrom Federico Higuain gave Crew a chance of getting something out of the game and that was followed upby an equaliser from Jairo Arrieta and another from Higuain, putting Crew infront. The scoreline reached 3-3 in the 81 st minute when Lee Nguyen levelled from the spot. And with 5 minutes remaining Crew found awinner, Arrieta grabbing his second of the game and earning his side a crucial victory.Houston Dynamo continue to do their best to close the gap on Red Bulls and Kansas City, but it was a caseof two points dropped against Toronto.Dynamo were on course for the 3 points when Will Bruin put theminfront, but Terry Dunfield cancelled out the striker late on, for a share of the points.Portland Timbers are now just 2 points off Colorado Rapids, after they claimed a 2-1 win over VancouverWhitecaps. Timbers put their 8 match losing streak to bed thanks to the contributions of Darlington Nagbeand Frank Songo’o, Songo’o scored the crucial goal in the 54 th minute, after Scottish striker Kenny Millerhad put Whitecaps level.The game of the week had to be handed to Chivas USA and Seattle Sounders, who served up 8 goals in athrilling match. Freddy Montero was on fire for Sounders, bagging himself a hat-trick, Brad Evans andSamuel Ochoa helped themselves to a goal each and an own goal from Ante Jazic, put Sounders indreamland as they scored 6 and thrashed their opponents. Juan Agudelo scored one from the spot forwhilst the score was 3-0, with Miller Bolanos making it 3-2, there was hope that Chivas could salvage apoint. It wasn’t to be as Sounders were just outstanding, they will push Earthquakes all the way at the topnow.San Jose still remain on top by 7 points due to their 4-1 drubbing of Colorado Rapids. Simon Dawkins andAlan Gordon grabbed two goals each as Earthquakes played some super football, showing why there arestill top by some margin. Tyron Marshall scored a header when it was 2-0 for Rapids, who are been closelychased by Portland Timbers.Even without Skipper Landon Donovan, LA Galaxy still managed a routine 2-0 win over the ever improvingFC Dallas. Juninho came up with the goods in the 66 th minute, giving Galaxy the lead, and it was extendedby Todd Duinvant in the 84 th minute, the win sees Galaxy go 3 points ahead of Vancouver.The penultimate game of the week featured the top two in the Eastern Conference, as Red Bulls and KansasCity locked horns at Livestrong Sporting Park. Kei Kamara acted as the hero and the villain in the samegame, scoring at both ends for a 1-1 draw, keeping Kansas on top for another week.Josh LawlessTwitter @BackOfTheNetJLWebsite - www.backofthenetfootball.webs.comRESULTSThursday 23rd AugustColumbus Crew 2-1 Toronto FCDC United 4-2 Chicago FireSaturday 25th AugustPhiladelphia Union 0-0 Real Salt LakeMontreal Impact 3-0 DC UnitedSunday 26th AugustColumbus Crew 4-3 New England RevolutionHouston Dynamo 1-1 Toronto FCPortland Timbers 2-1 Vancouver WhitecapsChivas USA 2-6 Seattle SoundersSan Jose Earthquakes 4-1 Colorado RapidsMonday 27th AugustLA Galaxy 2-0 FC DallasSporting Kansas City 1-1 New York Red BullsTABLESEASTERN CONFERENCETEAM P W D L PTS1 Sporting KC 26 14 5 7 472 NY Red Bulls 26 13 6 7 453 Houston 26 11 9 6 424 Chicago Fire 25 12 5 8 415 D.C United 25 12 4 9 406 Montreal 28 12 3 13 397 Columbus 24 10 6 8 368 Philadelphia 23 7 4 12 259 New England 25 6 5 14 2310 Toronto FC 26 5 6 15 21WESTERN CONFERENCETEAM P W D L PTS1 San Jose 26 15 5 6 502 Seattle 25 12 6 17 433 Real Salt Lake 27 13 4 10 424 LA Galaxy 27 12 4 11 405 Vancouver 27 10 7 10 376 FC Dallas 27 8 8 12 327 Chivas USA 23 7 6 10 278 Colorado 26 8 2 16 269 Timbers 25 6 6 13 24FIXTURESThursday 30th AugustDC United vs. New York Red BullsNew England Revolution vs. Chivas USAPhiladelphia Union vs. Columbus CrewSaturday 1st SeptemberPortland Timbers vs. Colorado RapidsSunday 2nd SeptemberNew England Revolution vs. Philadelphia UnionColumbs Crew vs. Montreal ImpactSporting Kansas City vs. Toronto FCReal Salt Lake vs. DC UnitedLA Galaxy vs. Vancouver WhitecapsMonday 3rd SeptemberChicago Fire vs. Houston DynamoFC Dallas vs. Seattle SoundersSan Jose Earthquakes vs. Chivas USA- 25 -

SOUTH AFRICAN PREMIER SOCCER LEAGUE - WEEK TWOCHIEFS,STATE STARSLEAD THEWAYThe season may have onlyjust begun, but after theconclusion of the secondround of fixtures, the twoteams at the top of the tablehave opened up a two-pointlead over the chasing packimmediately below them.Kaizer Chiefs’ 100% start tothe season is to be expected,and the Glamour Boys, under the management of Scottish coach Stuart Baxter, will hope to be in the title racecome the end of the season. Chiefs followed up their 6-0 opening day demolition of AmaZulu with anothervictory on Wednesday night, beating Mamelodi Sundowns 2-1. Both teams had struggled to break thedeadlock in a tight affair before all three goals were scored in the space of 8 minutes, Chiefs opening thescoring through Siyabonga Nkosi on 52 minutes and doubling their lead via Kingston Nkatha on 58, before anown goal from goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune on the hour gave Mamelodi hope. Although the visitorspredictably launched everything at their opponents in a desperate bid to level the scores late on, Chiefs heldfirm to record their second win of the season.Joining Baxter’s boys at the top of the tree are unfancied Free State Stars, who have finished mid-table in thepast three seasons. Although the fixture computer has been kind to Steve Komphela’s side – pitting themagainst two teams predicted to struggle in their opening games – Stars have impressed by showing efficiencyin front of goal and a tight defence. They beat PSL newbies Chippa United 2-1 on Tuesday thanks to an 88 thminute winner from Moeketsi Mvula – the striker’s first ever goal in the South African top flight.Though Chippa have been unlucky not to have picked up any points in their first two games – they wereforced to play without any foreigners in their opening fixture due to paperwork problems – coach ManqobaMngqithi will be looking to get some points on board before heads start to drop and a lack of PSL experiencetakes its toll.The league’s other newly-promoted side, Pretoria University, have made a much more successful start totheir first PSL campaign, surging to fifth in the table after a 1-0 win at Golden Arrows. Mpho Maruping’s 37 thminute header was enough to clinch the points on Wednesday, Arrows’ attack and pressure combatted by adetermined Tuks defence.The pick of the games between Kaizer Chiefs’ potential title-chasing competitors saw last season’s championsOrlando Pirates travel to 2010 winners SuperSport United. The two sides had played out to a goalless draw inthe MTN8 Cup semi-final just three days previously, and incredibly they had to settle for a second 0-0stalemate in the space of four days after Wednesday night’s game.SuperSport began the better of the two teams but could not make their dominance count, with ThabisoNkoana and George Muleka both missing first-half chances. Although Pirates gradually worked their way backinto the game, they too failed to find the net, Mpho Makola coming closest with a free-kick that crashedagainst the crossbar. SuperSport will be aggrieved not to have taken the lead in the first half, but in the finalstages of the game Gavin Hunt’s men had to defend for their lives to escape with one point, let alone three –goalkeeper Ronwen Williams was injured in a 70 th minute collision with burly Pirates striker Collins Mbesuma(making his first league start for the visitors) and had to be replaced, back-up goalkeeper Rowen Fernandezmaking a vital stop to deny Thulasizwe Mbuyane in the 92 nd minute.Elsewhere, Maritzburg United beat strugglers AmaZulu 2-0 thanks to a second-half double from CuthbertMalajila, while Moroka Swallows recovered from their opening day blues to record a 3-1 win against AjaxCape Town – but scored all three goals in the last nine minutes after trailing for much of the second half.Bloemfontein Celtic inflicted a 2-1 defeat on Platinum Stars after a thrilling opening 15 minutes that sawvisiting forward Benson Mhlongo cancel out Siyabonga Nontshinga’s 5 th minute opener.Finally, Wits University held Black Leopards to a 2-2 draw at the BidVest Stadium. Leopards took the leadthrough Nkosiyabo Xabane early on, but two goals for the hosts in the space of seven minutes just beforehalf-time turned the game on its head. Leopards deservedly levelled the scores on 58 minutes when RodneyRamagalela (pictured right) fired home to earn a point.RESULTSTuesday 21st AugustMaritzburg United 2-0 AmaZuluChippa United 1-2 Free State StarsWednesday 22nd AugustWits University 2-2 Black LeopardsBloemfontein Celtic 2-1 Platinum StarsGolden Arrows 0-1 Pretoria UniversityKaizer Chiefs 2-1 Mamelodi SundownsMoroka Swallows 3-1 Ajax Cape TownSuperSport United 0-0 Orlando PiratesLEAGUE TABLETEAM P W D L PTS1 Kaizer Chiefs 2 2 0 0 62 Free State Stars 2 2 0 0 63 Black Leopards 2 1 1 0 44 Orlando Pirates 2 1 1 0 45 Pretoria University 2 1 1 0 46 Maritzburg United 2 1 1 0 47 Platinum Stars 2 1 0 1 38 Mamelodi Sundowns 2 1 0 1 39 Bloemfontein Celtic 2 1 0 1 310 Moroka Swallows 2 1 0 1 311 SuperSport United 2 0 2 0 212 Ajax Cape Town 2 0 1 0 113 Wits University 2 0 1 0 114 Chippa United 2 0 0 2 015 Golden Arrows 2 0 0 2 016 AmaZulu 2 0 0 2 0FIXTURESFriday 31st AugustAjax Cape Town vs. Platinum StarsSaturday 1st SeptemberFree State Stars vs. Kaizer ChiefsPretoria University vs. SuperSport UnitedAmaZulu vs. Golden ArrowsWits University vs. Blomfontein CelticOrlando Pirates vs. Moroka SwallowsSunday 2nd SeptemberBlack Leopards vs. Chippa UnitedMamlodi Sundowns vs. Maritzburg UnitedDan RawleyTwitter @EFCTUFC1995- 26 -

Paul AbrahamsTwitter @Abes89John ChapmanTwitter @BelgoFootwww.belgofoot.beNeal DoyleTwitter @NealDoyle34Vadim FurmanovTwitter @PassiveOffsideJosh HarrisTwitter @SouthamptonJoshAlly PooleTwitter@Ally_Poole & @HeskeyStatsEDITORWill BurnsTwitter @WillBurns6CONTRIBUTING STAFFNathan CarrTwitter @caribbeanftblThehomeofcaribbeanfootball.wordpress.comAndrew DavidsonTwitter @El_Andrew_UnoCallum DunnTwitter @CallumDunnhttp://route1football.wordpress.comScott GoodwinTwitter @Scott_GoodwinJosh LawlessTwitter @BackOfTheNetJLwww.backofthenetfootball.webs.comAndy PowellTwitter@Andy5PowellFollow us on Twitter@WorldFBWeeklyAnd visit us atwww.worldfootballweekly.wordpress.comDan RawleyTwitter @efctufc1995Website – www.drawley.wordpress.comTom RobinsonTwitter @TomRobbo89Andrew WaiteTwitter @TerryWaiteAdam RedmondTwitter @AdamRedmondOleksandr SeredaTwitter @Sereda_Alexhttp://ukrainianfootball1894.blogspot.comThis edition ofcouldnot be possible without the following people, please check themout on Twitter or hit their website/blogs.MESSI STATSTwitter @MessiStatswww.MessiStats.com© 2012 WORLD FOOTBALL WEEKLY.All Rights Reserved.Any reproduction, republication,redistribution and/or modification of anycontent is prohibited without our priorwritten consent.- 27 -

Issue Twelve – 28th August 2012 - WORLD FOOTBALL WEEKLY

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