Football: Tottenham hit back to beat Olympiakos in Mourinho's home bow

LONDON - Jose Mourinho's first home game as Tottenham Hotspur manager suffered a shocking start but ended happily as Harry Kane's record-breaking double helped his side come from behind to beat Olympiakos Piraeus 4-2 to reach the Champions League last 16 on Tuesday.

The unexpected arrival of the celebrated Portuguese former Chelsea boss after Mauricio Pochettino, who took Spurs to last season's Champions League final, has caused much head-scratching amongst the Spurs faithful.

A 3-2 Premier League win at West Ham United on Saturday won over some of the sceptics but when goals by Youssef El Arabi and Ruben Sabedo put Olympiakos, bottom of Group B, 2-0 up inside 20 minutes, Spurs fans were stunned into silence.

Mourinho's first decisive act, sending on playmaker Christian Eriksen for defensive midfielder Eric Dier after 29 minutes, changed the flow and Dele Alli's tap-in on the stroke of halftime proved crucial.

Tottenham looked a different side after the break and Kane struck twice, either side of Serge Aurier's thumping effort, to take his Champions League tally to 20 in a record 24 games -- beating the 26 it took Alessandro Del Piero to reach the mark.

Victory meant Tottenham are guaranteed to finish runners-up in the group to Bayern Munich who they face in a fortnight.

Mourinho, who won the competition with Porto and Inter Milan, shook hands with each of his players and applauded the fans who applauded back, if not singing his name.

"It was a disappointing start, we know we didn't come out with any energy," Kane said. "They got the early goal and then got the second and it was uphill from there.

"The goal just before halftime changed the momentum. We knew we couldn't play any worse than we did in the first half."

There was no fanfare for Mourinho as he took his place in the technical area before kickoff.

But the challenge he faces at Tottenham immediately became apparent as they began in the sloppy fashion that has been a hallmark of their season so far.

Olympiakos were far more lively and took the lead in the fifth minute when Danny Rose's attempted clearance was gathered by El Arabi and the Moroccan cut in from the right before fizzing a low drive from 25 metres past Paulo Gazzaniga.

The hosts responded with Son Heung-min's glancing header producing a fine save from Jose Sa.

However, Olympiakos continued to cause trouble in the Spurs defence. The hosts needed a last-ditch tackle by Davinson Sanchez to deny Daniel Podence after he broke clear.

But it got worse for Spurs in the 19th minute when Portuguese centre back Sabedo poked home from a corner.

Mourinho shrugged his shoulders at his assistants and soon hauled off Dier, although there were other candidates, such was the hosts' lacklustre start.

Had Olympiakos, roared on by a huge and noisy following, reached halftime ahead it would have been tough for Spurs, but when Yassine Meriah swung and missed at a clearance Alli had the simplest task to reduce the deficit.

Five minutes after halftime, Tottenham were level. A quick throw-in by Aurier released Lucas Moura and he cut the ball back for Kane to fire home.

Suddenly Spurs were rampant and they went ahead in the 73rd minute when Aurier connected sweetly to thrash home a right-footed volley from an angle.

Kane sealed the points five minutes later when he headed in Eriksen's dangerous delivery -- his 23rd goal in 23 games in all competitions for club and country this season. 

(Reporting by Martyn Herman Editing by Christian Radnedge)

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Liverpool, Man City stroll; United held on Fergie return

LONDON - Liverpool maintained their finest start to any season, earning a sixth straight Premier League win 3-0 over Southampton as Manchester City returned to form with a dazzling 5-0 win at Cardiff City on Saturday.

On an afternoon when Manchester United welcomed former manager Alex Ferguson back to Old Trafford only for Wolverhampton Wanderers to spoil the party with a 1-1 draw, United's deadliest rivals continued to set a burning pace.

Liverpool had never before won their first seven games in all competitions in any season but they marked Juergen Klopp's 600th match as a manager by surpassing their 1961-62 season record when they won their first six.

A Wesley Hoedt own goal, Joel Matip's header and Mohamed Salah's poached rebound settled the game by halftime as the feelgood factor sweeping Anfield continued after the midweek Champions League triumph over Paris St Germain.

It left Klopp smiling on his landmark day.

"Winning seven in a row is cool but challenges will get tougher and tougher," he said.

"It's taken me 18 years to manage 600 games and another 18 would mean I'll be 69! So, hopefully I'm still healthy."

Champions Man City put their shock home Champions League defeat by Olympique Lyonnais behind them, rebounding with a crushing win at Cardiff kicked off by Sergio Aguero's opener on his 300th appearance for the club.

The Argentine celebrated his signing of a one-year contract extension with his 205th City goal just after the half-hour, opening the floodgates for further strikes before the break from Bernardo Silva and Ilkay Gundogan.

Record signing Riyad Mahrez added his first two for City after the break.

The league favourites' convincing wins see Liverpool lead the table on a maximum 18 points from six games with unbeaten City still pursuing hard on 16.

Chelsea, third on 15, have the chance on Sunday to join Liverpool with a perfect start to the campaign on 18 points if they win at West Ham United while Watford's 1-1 draw at Fulham in the early game kept them fourth on 13.

TRYING WEEK

In the day's late game, goals from Harry Kane, from the penalty spot, and substitute Erik Lamela earned Tottenham Hotspur a nervy 2-1 win at Brighton & Hove Albion, pushing Spurs into fifth on 12 points at the end of a trying week.

Ferguson, the patriarch of Old Trafford, received a standing ovation as he took his seat in the stands for the first time since he underwent emergency surgery after a brain haemorrhage in May.

United looked poised to welcome him back with a win as Brazilian Fred scored his first goal for the club since his move from Shakhtar Donetsk but Jose Mourinho was left frustrated again after a recent resurgence with Joao Moutinho deservedly equalising soon after halftime.

United are losing touch with the leaders, now eight points behind Liverpool in sixth place, with midfielder Marouane Fellaini conceding: "Everyone is disappointed...After that it will be difficult to close the gap."

Mourinho gave a withering verdict on United's approach.

"I think Wolves deserved it. They play like I like to play which is like the World Cup final," he said.

"That is the attitude I like my teams to have in every match. We didn't have that. They did. That attitude made a difference."

Aleksandar Mitrovic joined Eden Hazard on five goals as the Premier League's top scorer when the Serb's second-half equaliser for Fulham checked Watford's best start to a top-flight campaign after Andre Gray's 90-second opener.

At the other end of the table, Burnley hauled themselves off the bottom with their first win of the season, 4-0 over Bournemouth to interrupt the Cherries' fine campaign, with goals from Matej Vydra, Aaron Lennon and a double from Ashley Barnes.

Cardiff, Huddersfield Town, beaten 3-1 at Leicester City after taking an early lead, and Newcastle United, who drew 0-0 at Crystal Palace, prop up the league on two points. 

(Reporting by Ian Chadband, Editing by Ed Osmond)

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2018 FIFA World Cup: Kane strikes late to give England 2-1 win over Tunisia

VOLGOGRAD, Russia - England captain Harry Kane scored twice including a stoppage-time winner as he led his side to a last-gasp 2-1 win over Tunisia in their opening World Cup match on Monday.

Kane stooped at the far post to turn in a header in the 91st minute just when it looked like England were going to extend their disappointing run in World Cup tournaments.

Kane had put England ahead in the 11th minute of the Group G game when Tunisia keeper Mouez Hassen could only palm a strong header by John Stones on to the foot of the striker.

England promised to launch their campaign with attacking football and they tore into Tunisia before and after Kane's opener, creating a string of chances only to be let down by a lack of composure in front of goal.

They paid the price when the North Africans were awarded a penalty before the break.

England defender Kyle Walker swung an arm behind him and caught Fakhreddine Ben Youssef in the face and Colombia referee Wilmar Roldan pointed to the spot.

Ferjani Sassi, after appearing to whisper a prayer to himself, scored low to the right of England keeper Jordan Pickford to equalise.

After the break, England struggled to maintain the intensity of the opening period and Tunisia looked more comfortable as they contained their opponents' attack until Kane's winner.

From a Kieran Trippier corner, a glancing header from Harry Maguire found Kane at the back post and he cleverly nodded home to give England a winning start.

The result means Belgium top Group G on goal difference after a 3-0 over World Cup debutants Panama earlier on Monday. 

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EPL: Kane at the double as Spurs rout Everton

LONDON - Harry Kane continued his rich scoring streak by netting twice in Tottenham Hotspur's 4-0 win over Everton at Wembley as Mauricio Pochettino's side made up ground on third-placed Chelsea who shared a goalless draw with 10-man Leicester City.

For a while, it looked as if Kane might be outshone by his team mate Son Heung-min, who scored in a home game for the fifth successive time.

Then Kane took over to net in the 47th and 59th minutes to take his season's league tally to 20, the fourth consecutive campaign he has reached the landmark.

Christian Eriksen rounded off a cleverly worked team move, again featuring Son, for Spurs' fourth as Everton crashed to their heaviest defeat under Sam Allardyce, who gave a debut to 27 million pound ($37 million) new signing Cenk Tosun.

With three of the top four not playing, fifth-placed Tottenham moved level with Liverpool on 44 points, three behind Chelsea. Antonio Conte's side missed the chance to go second as Leicester hung on for a draw at Stamford Bridge despite the 68th-minute dismissal of Ben Chilwell.

It was the third successive game in all competitions that Chelsea failed to score, with striker Alvaro Morata looking frustrated and short of confidence.

Manager Conte believes they are paying the price for playing seven games in three weeks, with no let-up in prospect as they contest four competitions. "I think I saw a lot of very tired players," Conte said.

Elsewhere, there were more controversial refereeing decisions as English football continued to debate whether the video assistant referee (VAR) system, which was tested in some cup games last week, would benefit the Premier League.

The first flashpoint occurred at Vicarage Road where TV replays revealed Watford's Abdoulaye Doucoure bundled the ball over the line with his right hand in the 2-2 draw with Southampton.

A seventh Premier League defeat in eight games had looked likely for Marco Silva's side after James Ward-Prowse scored twice but Andre Gray set up a thrilling finale before Doucoure's contribution led to furious Southampton protests.

"We can do nothing now," said Southampton manager Mauricio Pellegrino diplomatically. However, Watford striker Troy Deeney admitted that had the VAR system been in operation "we probably wouldn't have got it".

At Newcastle United, bottom side Swansea City believed they were unlucky not to be awarded a penalty when Mohamed Diame appeared to handle the ball.

Swansea manager Carlos Carvalhal said: My assistant says that it's a very clear penalty and a red card also, but what can we do? Nothing, only talk about this. This is one of the situations VAR will in the future say clear penalty – it will be clear."

HAPPY HAMMERS 

There was nothing controversial about West Ham United's 4-1 destruction of Huddersfield Town, a victory that puts the Hammers 11th in the table.

When David Moyes took over as West Ham manager many observers questioned his ability to get the team scoring again. But the Scot has proved all the doubters wrong with the London side scoring 12 goals from his past five league games in charge.

A Manuel Lanzini double plus strikes from Mark Noble and the impressive Marko Arnautovic gave the visitors a comfortable victory that took them above Huddersfield, for whom Joe Lolley scored and new 14 million pound ($19.2 million) signing Alex Pritchard came on as a substitute.

The win was Moyes' 200th in the Premier League, a landmark reached by only three other managers.

At Selhurst Park, Crystal Palace's revival under Roy Hodgson continued with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Burnley which moved them five points above the relegation zone.

Alan Pardew was another manager breathing easier after West Bromwich Albion beat Brighton & Hove Albion 2-0 to record their first win in 21 league games and his first in nine as their manager.

Both Albion goals came via headers from Chris Brunt corners, with Jonny Evans and Craig Dawson rising above Brighton's defence.

($1 = 0.7283 pounds) (Reporting by Neil Robinson; Editing by Christian Radnedge)

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City, Liverpool deny Arsenal Champions League slot on final day

LONDON - Manchester City and Liverpool claimed the last two Champions League qualifying spots with comfortable wins on Sunday that meant Arsene Wenger's Arsenal missed out on Europe's elite club competition for the first time in 20 years.

The big guns blew away the rest on the final day of the Premier League season -- City thrashing Watford 5-0 and Liverpool beating relegated Middlesbrough 3-0 -- to leave the top six places exactly as they had been at the start of play.

That meant Arsenal failed to qualify for Champions League football for the first time since Wenger became manager in 1996.

Despite beating Everton 3-1 with only 10 men -- defender Laurent Koscielny was sent off and will miss the FA Cup final against champions Chelsea on Saturday -- Wenger's team were left stranded in fifth position as Manchester City and Liverpool finished in the top four behind Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur.

Latest media reports have indicated that Wenger will sign a new contract whatever the result at Wembley Stadium, in the face of disillusionment with his stewardship by many Arsenal fans.

"We were playing in a hostile environment," the Frenchman told reporters of his side's difficult mid-season period.

"The players came back stronger in the last two months and I'm very proud of them for doing that.

"One thing you cannot question is my love for this club. I've turned down every club in the world to stay here."

GOAL FEAST

On a day full of goals -- 37 in the 10 matches -- Tottenham led the way with a 7-1 thumping of hosts Hull City four days after winning 6-1 away to dethroned champions Leicester City.

England striker Harry Kane scored his second hat-trick of the week to finish as the clear winner of the Golden Boot with 29 goals from only 30 games.

"Finishing the season with seven goals in two games is perfect, hopefully I can continue it at the start of next season," he said.

Pep Guardiola's City knocked in five at Watford to give departing home manager Walter Mazzarri a miserable send-off.

The win kept the Manchester side two points ahead of Liverpool, whose comfortable success at home to Middlesbrough earned them a place in the Champions League playoff round.

Disappointed Arsenal could point out that their total of 75 points was more than they achieved in finishing runners-up last season and would normally have put them in the top four.

It emphasised how the top clubs have pulled away from the rest, with a gap of 15 points between Everton in seventh place and Southampton in eighth. There was a similar gap between fourth-placed Liverpool and their Merseyside rivals.

CHELSEA CELEBRATE

Chelsea's 93 points was the second highest total since the Premier League began in 1992 and they became the first Premier League team to register 30 victories in one season. They finished seven points ahead of second-placed Spurs.

Antonio Conte's side were presented with the trophy after beating bottom club Sunderland 5-1 at Stamford Bridge, where departing club captain John Terry made an emotional farewell speech to the crowd.

"Today is one of the most difficult days of my life," he said.

Sixth-placed Manchester United beat Crystal Palace 2-0 after resting several players ahead of Wednesday's Europa League final against Ajax Amsterdam in Stockholm.

The struggles of old rivals Arsenal and United this season meant it was the first time both sides had finished outside the first four places in the top flight since the 1978-79 campaign.

United's Josh Harrop, 21, scored the opening goal against Palace on his league debut while 16-year-old substitute Angel Gomes became the youngest player to feature for the Old Trafford club in the Premier League era.

Leicester City failed to secure the win they needed at home to Bournemouth for a place in the top half of the table, the 1-1 draw ending their poor defense of the title in 12th position.

(Reporting by Steve Tongue; Editing by Ken Ferris)

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FOOTBALL: Rooney will make Euros but may not start, says Hodgson

England manager Roy Hodgson is confident captain Wayne Rooney will save him from a selection dilemma by making a full recovery from injury in time for Euro 2016 but said the striker would not necessarily be an automatic starter.

Rooney, England's record goalscorer, has been out since Feb. 13 with a knee ligament problem and although he was scheduled to return at the start of April a setback then ruled him out for another month.

Questions have been raised in the media over whether the 30-year-old Manchester United forward will be fit by the time Hodgson names his provisional squad on May 12 but the manager played down fears his captain could miss the tournament.

"I'm confident he'll get fit and I won't have a situation where I have the dilemma of May 12 arriving and him not being 100 percent fit but knowing he could make it by the time the tournament starts," Hodgson told British media.

With a wealth of forward options at his disposal, the 68-year-old said even a fully fit Rooney was not guaranteed a starting spot for the June 10-July 10 tournament.

"I've never said he's is an automatic starter. I've never said anyone is. Does he have a good chance with his track record, ability and experience? Of course he does," Hodgson added.

"But that doesn't necessarily mean he will be in the lineup. He might not have recovered to the best of his ability, or we might want to use different players or play in a different way.

"If I think others are better or the right men to play in a particular way, he will accept that because he's a footballer, our leader and our captain. If he's fit, he'll go. But not as an automatic starter."

Hodgson has called up Premier League joint-top scorers Jamie Vardy and Harry Kane, the fit-again Daniel Sturridge, and Arsenal's Theo Walcott and Danny Welbeck for friendlies against world champions Germany in Berlin on March 26 and the Netherlands at Wembley three days later. (Reporting by Simon Jennings in Bengaluru, editing by Nick Mulvenney)

Camoranesi sacked as coach of Argentina's Tigre

Former Italy World Cup winner Mauro Camoranesi became the eighth coach to lose his job in the Argentina top flight this season when he was sacked by first division Tigre on Thursday.

The decision came after Tigre lost 2-1 at home to Huracan on Wednesday, leaving them in 12th place in Zone B of the championship with five points from seven matches.

"After a meeting with the board, Mauro Camoranesi is no longer trainer of Tigre's first team," read a message on the club's Twitter account.

The Argentine-born former Juventus winger cut his coaching teeth with Mexican second division side Coras de Tepic in 2014/15 before taking charge at Tigre this year.

Among the coaches who have lost their jobs in the first six weeks of the championship are Rodolfo Arruabarrena of Boca Juniors, Lucas Bernardi of Newell's Old Boys and Pedro Troglio of Gimnasia.

The 30-team championship is divided into two zones of 15 with those finishing top of their zones meeting in the final on May 29. (Reporting by Rex Gowar; Editing by Nick Mulvenney)

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FOOTBALL: Arsenal dumped out of FA Cup, PSG clinch Ligue 1 title

Holders Arsenal dumped out of FA Cup by clinical Watford

Jamie McGeever, Reuters

Holders Arsenal were knocked out of the FA Cup with a 2-1 home defeat by Watford in the quarter-finals on Sunday ending their quest to win the trophy for the third straight season and increasing the pressure on manager Arsene Wenger.

Goals from Odion Ighalo and Adlene Guedioura after the break put Watford in control while a late strike from Danny Welbeck was all the hosts could muster despite several chances, leaving them set to end the season without any silverware.

Arsenal were aiming to become the first side since Blackburn Rovers in the 1880s to win the Cup for three years in a row but instead they slumped to a third consecutive home defeat in all competitions for the first time since November 2002.

Having to overhaul a 2-0 deficit at European champions Barcelona in their Champions League last 16 return leg next week and standing eight points behind Premier League leaders Leicester City with only nine games left, the FA Cup was Arsenal's most realistic chance of a trophy this season.

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Martial keeps United's hopes alive after Payet masterpiece

Reuters

Manchester United striker Anthony Martial kept their FA Cup hopes alive when he struck eight minutes from time to salvage a 1-1 draw with West Ham United in Sunday's quarter-final tie at Old Trafford.

West Ham playmaker Dimitri Payet looked to be sending the 11-times Cup winners tumbling out of the competition with a wondrous, curling free kick in the 68th minute.

But with time running out, United's young French starlet Martial hooked Ander Herrera's cross back into the net from the narrowest of angles.

United will now have a replay at what will be the last Cup tie to be staged at West Ham's Boleyn Ground in the Londoners' final season there before they move to the Olympic Stadium.

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PSG demolish Troyes 9-0 to clinch Ligue 1 title

Reuters

Four goals from Zlatan Ibrahimovic spurred Paris St Germain to their fourth successive Ligue 1 title with a 9-0 rout of Troyes, becoming the first team to win the championship after 30 matches.

Ibrahimovic's sensational nine-minute hat-trick at the start of the second half followed goals from Edinson Cavani, Javier Pastore and Adrien Rabiot. Matthieu Saunier's own goal and further strikes by Cavani and Ibrahimovic completed the biggest away victory in Ligue 1 history.

PSG moved up to 77 points, 25 clear of second-place Monaco, winning the league with eight games still to play.

The championship is the sixth in the club's history and the fastest-ever Ligue 1 victory, breaking the record set by Gerard Houllier's Olympique Lyonnais in 2007, who won the title after 33 matches.

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Dortmund ease past Mainz as fan dies in stands

Reuters

Borussia Dortmund scored in each half to ease past Mainz 05 2-0 on Sunday and stay five points off leaders Bayern Munich with eight matches left in the season.

The Ruhr valley club were never troubled in the game, overshadowed by the death of a fan in the tribunes from an apparent heart attack, and should have scored more goals were it not for Mainz's Loris Karius.

The keeper single-handedly kept the scoreline low, denying Dortmund on more than six occasions with a string of outstanding saves as fans kept quiet, stunned by the sudden death among them.

Dortmund said a second fan had also suffered a heart attack but was resuscitated and in a stable condition in hospital.

"During the game there was a tragic incident where two people had to be resuscitated. One person did not make it," Dortmund said in a brief statement. "We are filled with grief and our thoughts are with the families."

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"Unbelievable" Kane boosts Spurs' title push with double

Reuters

Harry Kane was hailed as "unbelievable" after the England striker's 21st and 22nd goals of the season inspired Tottenham Hotspur to a routine win at hapless Aston Villa on Sunday that boosted their Premier League title ambitions.

Kane ended Villa's resistance in the space of three minutes either side of halftime, taking his tally to 18 goals in his last 20 league appearances, assisted on each occasion by a superb delivery from Dele Alli.

Kane's double left a delighted Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino to enthuse in an interview with BBC: "Harry Kane is an unbelievable guy who works hard for the team. I am very pleased for him."

The victory for Spurs consigned bottom-placed Villa to a 20th league defeat of the season while Pochettino's side moved just two points behind leaders Leicester City at the top of the table.

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Third-placed Real grab last-gasp winner at Las Palmas

Reuters
Real Madrid's Casemiro headed a late winner to earn a barely deserved 2-1 victory at Las Palmas in La Liga on Sunday as they moved back within four points of second-placed Atletico Madrid.

Casemiro nodded home from a corner two minutes after the home side's Willian Jose struck in the 87th to equalise after a misplaced pass from Madrid substitute Mateo Kovacic.

Sergio Ramos's flicked header had given Real the lead in the 24th against a determined Las Palmas, who had won their previous three league games to move clear of the relegation zone.

Third-placed Real are 10 points clear of Villarreal, who lost 4-2 at Sevilla in a game between fourth and fifth, but are 12 points off leaders Barcelona who beat Getafe 6-0 on Saturday.

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