Rooney hails Man U momentum

LONDON -- Manchester United captain Wayne Rooney believes new manager Jose Mourinho's methods are already bearing fruit ahead of his side's Premier League trip to Hull City on Saturday.

United have won their two opening games, against Bournemouth and Southampton, and go into the weekend level on points with Manchester City, Chelsea and, unexpectedly, Hull at the head of the table.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic has scored four goals in three games and with world-record returnee Paul Pogba impressing in the 2-0 win over Southampton, Rooney feels United have hit the ground running.

"We, as players, have to adapt to what the manager wants us to do in our preparations throughout the week and, on match-days, we try to take the game plan of the manager onto the pitch," he told MUTV.

"It's what we've tried to do and, fortunately, we've started the season well. We've prepared well this week so we're hoping that continues.

"The signings we've made this season have been really good signings. They've settled in really quickly and you've seen the impact they've had on the pitch already."

While City, United and Chelsea's presence in the top four gives the lead places in the Premier League standings a familiar look, Hull's strong start to the season has surprised everyone.

After Steve Bruce quit as manager and Hull were left with only 13 senior players, the East Yorkshire club were installed as the bookmakers' favorites to go down.

But they defied the odds to stun champions Leicester City 2-1 on the season's opening day and followed that up with a 2-0 success at Swansea City.

One of Bruce's principle reasons for leaving was frustration over the club's lack of transfer activity and caretaker coach Mike Phelan says there will be no new faces on show at the KCOM Stadium on Saturday.

"It's the same old, same old," said Phelan, who spent 20 years at United as a player, coach and assistant manager under Alex Ferguson.

"Nobody has yet come into the building. We haven't signed any new players. We are in talks with two or three new players.

"We've set our stall out and are pursuing interests, but at the moment nothing has been delivered."

KLOPP'S SPURS RETURN

The identity of the man between the posts for Manchester City will be a hot topic once again on Sunday when Pep Guardiola's side welcome West Ham United to the Etihad Stadium.

Claudio Bravo has completed his move from Barcelona for a reported initial fee of 13.75 million pounds ($18.2 million, 16.1 million euros).

But with the Chile international having only just arrived, Guardiola is expected to restore Willy Caballero to his starting XI, which means Joe Hart will drop to the bench.

Hart was hailed by City's fans during Wednesday's 1-0 Champions League win over Steaua Bucharest, but with youngster Angus Gunn also pushing for a place, Guardiola cannot even guarantee him a spot on the bench.

"If all four stay here, the best solution is for everybody to be involved in our idea," Guardiola said.

"They are going to be in rotation, part of that. So (if) Joe, Willy and Angus stay, then it won't be the same one who is always on the bench."

Chelsea will look to pursue their renaissance under former Juventus and Italy manager Antonio Conte when they entertain Burnley at Stamford Bridge.

Burnley stunned Liverpool 2-0 at Turf Moor last weekend, despite seeing less than 20 percent of the ball, only to then crash to a woeful League Cup exit at fourth-tier Accrington Stanley.

At White Hart Lane, Tottenham Hotspur host Liverpool in a clash between two clubs hoping to gatecrash the Manchester duopoly at the top of the table.

"Both teams have consistency in the squad. There are of course new players, but not too many changes," said Jurgen Klopp, whose tenure as Liverpool manager began with a 0-0 draw at Spurs last October.

"It will be exciting what will happen there."

Arsenal, meanwhile, visit Watford.

Arsene Wenger's men remain without a win after two games, but fans have been placated by moves for Germany defender Shkodran Mustafi and Spanish striker Lucas Perez.

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Winning start for Mourinho, Liverpool edge Arsenal

LONDON, United Kingdom -- Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored as Manchester United defeated Bournemouth 3-1 in Jose Mourinho's first Premier League game as manager on Sunday, while Liverpool edged Arsenal in a 4-3 thriller.

Juan Mata and captain Wayne Rooney were also on target at Bournemouth as United recorded a straightforward win that left them top of the table after the season's opening weekend.

Philippe Coutinho scored twice as Liverpool recovered from falling behind to Theo Walcott's goal at the Emirates Stadium, with Adam Lallana and Sadio Mane also on target for Jurgen Klopp's men.

"Eric Cantona was here at the best moment in his career. This guy is more than a player," Mourinho said of Ibrahimovic, who opened his United account with a low drive from 25 yards.

Ibrahimovic, a free signing from Paris Saint-Germain, has now scored on his debuts in the Premier League, Serie A, La Liga, Ligue 1 and the Champions League.

"For the next two seasons I think he can be phenomenal for the team and the Premier League," Mourinho added.

Ibrahimovic, 34, said: "It's important to start good. Being new to the league is not easy. Everything is new for me: my team-mates, the clubs, the environment. I just play my game."

The charismatic Swedish star was handed a competitive full debut at Bournemouth's Vitality Stadium along with fellow new signing Eric Bailly.

United's 89 million pounds (105 million euros, $116 million) record signing Paul Pogba was unavailable due to suspension.

Mata, controversially brought on and then taken off by Mourinho during the 2-1 Community Shield win over Leicester City last weekend, started on the right flank in place of Jesse Lingard.

United's starting XI bristled with attacking menace, but it took a calamitous blunder by defender Simon Francis for the visitors to take the lead in the 40th minute.

His woefully under-hit back-pass gave Mata a free run on goal and although Artur Boruc saved the Spaniard's shot, the ball rebounded off Francis and into Mata's path, giving him an easy tap-in.

Rooney made it 2-0 just before the hour, heading home Anthony Martial's mishit volley from six yards.

- Emirates goal-fest -

Ibrahimovic opened his Premier League account in style five minutes later, steering a shot into the bottom-left corner from range.

On the touchline Mourinho celebrated effusively and Bournemouth's consolation, a rasping shot into the top-right corner by Adam Smith, could not take the smile off his face.

"We dominated the early stages, but you can't gift Manchester United goals, which we did," said Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe.

Spectators at the Emirates Stadium were treated to a goal-fest as Arsene Wenger's injury-depleted Arsenal were beaten at home in their opening league fixture for the third time in four years.

Injuries to Per Mertesacker and Gabriel, plus Laurent Koscielny's lack of match fitness, obliged Wenger to deploy Calum Chambers and new signing Rob Holding in an inexperienced centre-back pairing.

The hosts also lost Aaron Ramsey and Alex Iwobi to injury in the second half.

Having previously seen his penalty pushed away by Simon Mignolet, Walcott atoned by drilling Arsenal into a 31st-minute lead.

But Coutinho equalised with a glorious free-kick in first-half stoppage time before making it 3-1 with a neat volley after Georginio Wijnaldum had teed up Lallana to put Liverpool ahead.

Mane, a close-season signing from Southampton, added a fourth for Liverpool with a slaloming run down the right followed by an emphatic left-foot finish.

Boos rained down from the Emirates stands and despite substitute Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Chambers replying for the hosts, Liverpool closed out their first away win over Arsenal since 2011.

"Scoring four goals is wonderful. Conceding three is the opposite of emotions," Klopp told journalists.

"It was hard work, but we deserved to win at the end."

Wenger said: "We played a very good first half and were unlucky to concede a goal just before half-time because the free-kick was very harsh. After that we paid for a lack of experience."

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Iceland stun England as Euro dream continues

NICE, France - Iceland pulled off one of the biggest shocks in European Championship history when they stunned abject England 2-1 on Monday, leading Roy Hodgson to quit and sending the tiny nation into a quarter-final against hosts France.

Although the soccer pedigrees of the two countries could not be more different, Iceland looked the better team in just about every aspect of the game and fully deserved to extend their dream run on their first tournament appearance.

After falling behind to a fourth-minute Wayne Rooney penalty they levelled almost immediately through Ragnar Sigurdsson and struck again in the 18th with a shot by Kolbeinn Sigthorsson.

A ponderous England never looked remotely capable of finding a way back into the game and even at the end when they were reduced to launching long balls into the box, Iceland dealt with everything comfortably.

"It feels fantastic to come here as an underdog and perform in this way," said Iceland joint-coach Lars Lagerback, who also claimed two wins and four draws against England in his days as Sweden manager.

Pundits were quick to rank England's defeat alongside that against the amateurs of the United States in the 1950 World Cup but such a judgement conveniently overlooks the progress the Icelanders have made in recent seasons, not least in beating the Netherlands home and away to get to France in the first place.

It also fails to take into account England's miserable European Championship record, where they have won only one knockout match, on penalties at home to Spain in 1996.

Hodgson, who steered the team to 10 straight wins in qualifying, duly became the latest in a long line of England managers to fall on his sword after a failure to get to the business end when it really matters.

"Now is the time for someone else to oversee the progress of a hungry and extremely talented group of players," Hodgson said, reading a prepared statement.

"They have done fantastically, and done everything asked of them," he added in a bizarre account of yet another failure to perform at a major tournament.

Hodgson, 68, then refused to take further questions

SHORT LEAD

It all looked so different for England at the start when Raheem Sterling was hauled down by keeper Hannes Halldorsson, allowing Rooney to smash them ahead from the penalty spot on his 115th appearance, matching David Beckham's outfield record.

The lead lasted less than two minutes, though, as Iceland, scored via an Aron Gunnarsson long throw, just as they had predicted. It was flicked on by Kari Arnason to an unmarked Ragnar Sigurdsson to sweep home.

If England's defending was bad for that goal it was disastrous for the second as Iceland were allowed time and space on the edge of the box to set up Sigthorsson for a low shot that Joe Hart should have saved but merely took the power off as it rolled over the line.

England looked shell-shocked and spent the rest of the half struggling to make any inroads, their front men and attacking midfielders static, and were booed off by their own fans.

England threw on midfielder Jack Wilshere for the second half and then striker Jamie Vardy but the team's passing was awful and their movement sluggish.

Harry Kane, the Premier League's leading scorer last season, summed up the poor quality on show when he took three free kicks and launched each one high into the stands without a team mate even close to connecting with the ball.

The final whistle produced extraordinary scenes as the entire Iceland squad and coaches sprinted to the corner of the pitch to celebrate ecstatically with their fans.

They can now look forward to facing France with the prize for the winner being a semi-final against Germany or Italy.

"Everyone started to run towards the fans so I did that too and then I flipped out completely," said Ragnar Sigurdsson.

"This is the biggest thing everyone in the squad has experienced. I don't know how big it is, but it's damn big."

In contrast England's players sank to the turf in despair, with a deluge of jeers, boos and whistles raining down from the fans all around them, finally being encouraged to leave the pitch to a chant of "You're not fit to wear the shirt."

(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: Ronaldo breaks Roma resistance, Messi makes history

Ronaldo breaks Roma resistance as Real win 2-0

Reuters

Cristiano Ronaldo scored his 12th Champions League goal of the season with a superb strike into the top corner as Real Madrid took a firm grip on their last-16 tie against AS Roma with a 2-0 first leg win on Wednesday.

The record 10 times European champions took the game to Roma, but were frustrated in the first half as the hosts kept men behind the ball, while looking to catch Real out on the break.

Ronaldo, however, ended their resistance just before the hour mark.

He audaciously controlled a fine pass from Marcelo on the left edge of the box, before unleashing a powerful, curling shot that deflected off Alessandro Florenzi and looped over keeper Wojciech Szczesny into the net.

Substitute Jese added the Spanish team's second four minutes from fulltime with a solo run into the box and shot across the face of goal that flew inside the far post.

Wolves at the door of last 16 after Draxler double

Reuters

Julian Draxler scored twice as VfL Wolfsburg took a big step towards reaching the quarter-finals of the Champions League with a 3-2 victory over Gent in the first leg of their last-16 tie on Wednesday.

Draxler, who joined from Schalke 04 at the start of the season, struck in the 44th minute after a classy dribble took him past midfielder Thomas Foket before he exchanged passes with Vierinha and tucked the ball beyond keeper Matz Sels.

Gent began the second half much improved, pushing for an equaliser, but Draxler netted again in the 54th minute as he capitalised on one of many errant passes by the home defence.

Max Kruse made it 3-0 with a close-range volley and came close to adding a fourth goal when his shot rebounded off the post.

Sven Kums sparked a late rally by Gent after capping a fine run in the 80th minute by delivering a right-foot drive that beat Koen Casteels at the far post.

Substitute Kalifa Coulibaly then gave Gent hope for next month's second leg when he converted a left-wing cross with a stooping near-post header in the 89th minute.

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Messi makes history as Barca open big lead

Reuters
Lionel Messi became the first player to notch 300 La Liga goals as his double blast powered Barcelona to a 3-1 win at Sporting Gijon that sent them six points clear at the top of the table on Wednesday.

"To have Messi is a privilege," coach Luis Enrique told reporters. "We are where we wanted to be."

Luis Suarez missed a second-half penalty but made amends soon after by scoring the third goal to take his tally in all competitions to 40 this season.

The match at El Molinon was originally due to be played in December but had to be switched because of Barca's involvement in the Club World Cup in Japan.

Barca now have 60 points from 24 matches, six more than second-placed Atletico Madrid and seven ahead of Real Madrid.

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Mobiles banned from FIFA voting booths to ensure secrecy

Brian Homewood, Reuters

Mobile phones and cameras will be banned from polling booths at next week's FIFA presidential election to ensure each vote remains secret, one of the candidates said on Wednesday.

Frenchman Jerome Champagne said he raised the issue with the electoral committee because he was concerned some voters had come under pressure to photograph their ballot papers to prove they had taken part.

FIFA's 209 member national associations (FAs) each hold one vote. Five candidates are standing to replace outgoing president Sepp Blatter, banned for eight years amid a widening graft scandal that has shaken world soccer's ruling body.

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Man United's Rooney faces spell out with knee injury

Reuters

Manchester United captain Wayne Rooney has suffered a knee injury and faces a spell on the sidelines, manager Louis van Gaal said on Wednesday.

The 30-year-old was left out of the 18-man squad that travelled to face FC Midtjylland in the Europa League on Thursday and Van Gaal explained why after arriving in Denmark.

"We have 13 players injured and Wayne is one of them," the Dutchman told MUTV.

"He has a knee problem so we have to wait and see. He scores a lot of goals so he is very important for us. We know that but we have to cope with that."

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FIFA sanctions Beckenbauer over World Cup bidding probe

Agence France-Presse

FIFA's ethics committee on Wednesday sanctioned German football legend Franz Beckenbauer with a warning and a light fine for failing to cooperate with a probe into the bidding for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.

The investigation into the controversial decisions to award the two tournaments to Russia (2018) and Qatar (2022) culminated in the now famous 2014 report authored by former US prosecutor Michael Garcia, which FIFA has so far not released, citing procedural reasons.

Beckenbauer "failed to cooperate" with the investigation, "despite repeated requests for his assistance," an ethics committee statement said.

The information sought from Beckenbauer included "requests to provide information during an in-person interview and in response to written questions presented in both English and German," the statement added.

FIFA judges issued a warning to Beckenbauer and fined him 7,000 Swiss francs ($7,000, 6,350 euros).

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PREMIER LEAGUE: Arsenal draw to go top, United win at Liverpool

LONDON - Arsenal ended Leicester City's brief stay at the top of the Premier League on Sunday despite being held to a 0-0 draw at Stoke City after Manchester United's Wayne Rooney struck late for a 1-0 win at Liverpool.

Arsenal, despite a raft of injuries, moved ahead of Leicester, who drew 1-1 at Aston Villa on Saturday. Both teams have 44 points from 22 matches but the London side's goal difference is three better than the Foxes.

Manchester City are a point behind the leading pair after they beat Crystal Palace 4-0 on Saturday, while Tottenham Hotspur complete the top four with 39 points following their 4-1 home win over Sunderland also on Saturday.

Manchester United are next on 37 points, moving up one place after Rooney's 78th minute volley gave them victory at arch-rivals Liverpool in a drab north-west derby which improved slightly after the break following a poor first half.

Rooney struck after a header by Marouane Fellaini rebounded straight to him off the bar with the United skipper giving keeper Simon Mignolet no chance with his ferocious strike.

Arsenal, ravaged by injuries and without in-form playmaker Mesut Ozil, their latest casualty with a slight foot problem, on Sunday, have not won at Stoke for six years but came close to ending that run with three excellent attempts.

However, they could not find a way past young England international keeper Jack Butland who made important saves from Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Olivier Giroud, twice.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, who has seen his side beaten three times at Stoke in the last five seasons, said he was pleased with a point after dropping two to a last-minute equaliser in a 3-3 draw at Liverpool on Wednesday.

"We have had two very physical games in four days away from home. Stoke wanted to surprise us and made it very physical from the start and we had to fight," he told Sky Sports.

Arsenal keeper Petr Cech, the Man of the Match, was far busier in the second half, denying Marko Arnautovic twice, Bojan Krkic and Joselu as Stoke poured forward looking for a third successive home league win over the Gunners.

Stoke remain seventh with 33 points.

DRAB DERBY

Most of the build-up on Sunday was focused on the Liverpool versus United clash, hailed by the media as the biggest rivalry in English soccer between two clubs who have won 38 domestic league titles between them.

In reality, though, it lacked all the intensity of games in the past when both were challenging for the title or top four places with the defeat leaving Liverpool trailing in ninth place, eight points behind the Champions League spots.

"I didn't see too many chances for Manchester United and we didn't take ours. Of course it is frustrating," Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp told the BBC.

"We lost in a derby against Manchester United so I can't be very positive at this moment so soon after the game."

United manager Louis van Gaal added: "We have made a good start in 2016, to beat Liverpool for the second time in a row is marvellous, it gives a big boost for the players and the fans so I hope we shall continue with winning.

"That is why we are here, to win our games and at the end of the season to be in the first three positions in the league."

Rooney's winner was his 176th league goal for United, a record for a player for one club in the Premier League era, following his 15 league goals for Everton at the start of his career.

His United total has eclipsed the previous record of 175 set by Thierry Henry for Arsenal in his two spells in north London between 1999 and 2012.

(Reporting by Mike Collett; Editing by Ken Ferris)

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Stoke expose Van Gaal, Long dents Arsenal bid

LONDON -- Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal's future was plunged into serious doubt on Saturday as his side lost at Stoke City, while title-chasing Arsenal crashed to a demoralising 4-0 defeat at Southampton.

Manchester United's Wayne Rooney in action with Stoke's Bojan Krkic. Photo by Darren Staples, Livepic/Reuters.

United have now gone seven games without victory in all competitions -- their worst run since 1989-90 -- and speculation is rife that Van Gaal will pay for their slump with his job.

He had described the match as "must-win", but his side were deservedly beaten 2-0 at a windswept Britannia Stadium after Bojan Krkic punished a Memphis Depay error to open the scoring in the 19th minute before Marko Arnautovic slammed home a brilliant second goal seven minutes later.

Asked if he felt he still had the support of the United board, Van Gaal said: "You will have to wait and see, but I think so. I feel the support of everybody in the club."

He added: "It's more difficult because I'm also part of the four matches (in succession) that we have lost."

Van Gaal's side slipped to sixth in the table, three points below the Champions League places, with Stoke, managed by former United striker Mark Hughes, now three points behind them in 11th place.

After a highly eventful Boxing Day program, Leicester City remained top despite a 1-0 loss at Liverpool after Arsenal failed to exploit their slip-up by capitulating at Southampton.

Cuco Martina broke the deadlock for Southampton in the 19th minute with a jaw-dropping 30-yard shot that swerved inside the left-hand post.

Shane Long struck twice in the second half, either side of a 69th-minute Jose Fonte header, as Ronald Koeman's side ended a five-game winless streak in fine style.

- City back on track -

 "We lost too many challenges today. They were sharper than us," Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger told BT Sport.

"The title is down to consistency to fight in every single game and produce a performance. Today was a very physical game and we didn't play well enough."

The result, Arsenal's fourth defeat of the campaign, brought Wenger's side spiralling to earth after their 2-1 win over Manchester City last Monday and kept Leicester two points clear at the summit.

Leicester fell to their first away defeat of the campaign, and second in total, after substitute Christian Benteke slid home Roberto Firmino's 63rd-minute cut-back to earn Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp a first win in four league games.

"We started to play too late," said Leicester manager Claudio Ranieri, whose side host third-place Manchester City on Tuesday.

"Liverpool pushed from the beginning and for this reason they deserved to win."

Manchester City reignited their title challenge by bouncing back from defeat at Arsenal with a breezy 4-1 win over second-bottom Sunderland that left them three points below Leicester.

Raheem Sterling, Yaya Toure and Wilfried Bony scored inside the first 22 minutes to put City in control, with Kevin De Bruyne adding a fourth before Fabio Borini replied for Sam Allardyce's side.

But it was not all positive news for City manager Manuel Pellegrini, with Bony skying a late penalty and, more worryingly, skipper Vincent Kompany limping off just eight minutes after coming on following eight games out with a calf injury.

"The only pity was Vincent Kompany's injury," Pellegrini said. "It is a calf. It is difficult to understand."

- Costa brace -

Tottenham Hotspur tightened their grip on fourth place by overcoming Norwich City 3-0 at White Hart Lane, where Harry Kane scored twice -- the first a penalty -- and Tom Carroll also found the target.

Diego Costa netted twice as Guus Hiddink began his second spell as Chelsea interim manager with a 2-2 draw at home to Watford, Oscar missing a late penalty that would have given the champions all three points.

Troy Deeney, with a penalty, and Odion Ighalo put Watford 2-1 ahead after Costa had given Chelsea a 32nd-minute lead, but the Spain striker equalized in the 65th minute from Willian's pass.

Oscar had a chance to give Chelsea victory when substitute Eden Hazard was fouled by Valon Behrami, but the Brazilian slipped as he took his penalty and sent the ball looping into the crowd. Chelsea remain 15th.

"At the end it is a fair result," said Hiddink, who will be without Costa through suspension for Monday's trip to United.

"But we had some chances and it was a pity Oscar slipped for the penalty."

Elsewhere, Crystal Palace rose one place to fifth after drawing 0-0 at Bournemouth.

Managerless Swansea City escaped the relegation zone as Ki Sung-Yueng's ninth-minute tap-in saw off West Bromwich Albion, while bottom club Aston Villa drew 1-1 at home to West Ham United.

Swansea's win dropped Newcastle United into the bottom three and they remained there as Tom Cleverley's 93rd-minute header earned Everton a last-gasp 1-0 win at St James' Park.

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France, England to unite in song and solidarity

LONDON -- A communal rendition of the French national anthem will provide the emotional centre-point as France play England at Wembley on Tuesday four days on from the devastating Paris attacks.

The stadium's bars will shut five minutes before kick-off to encourage fans to observe tributes that will include a minute's silence, the laying of flowers by team captains Wayne Rooney and Hugo Lloris and the singing of 'La Marseillaise', which England's fans have been urged to join in with.

Breaking with convention, the French anthem will be played second, with the hymn's lyrics shown on the stadium's big screens, in order to create a stand-alone moment of solidarity during which the 129 people who died in the carnage that struck the French capital last Friday will be remembered.

"We will sing that together and share in that moment," said France goalkeeper Lloris, who plays for London club Tottenham Hotspur.

"It will be sung by a great number of English people as well, which will make it stronger.

"This game is a good opportunity to represent the French nation. The French nation is more important than French football tomorrow (Tuesday)."

While British authorities have received no specific intelligence about any planned attacks, armed police will be deployed around the stadium to reassure an expected crowd of around 80,000 that will include Prince William as well as 1,400 travelling supporters.

Fans have been urged to arrive early as security checks are expected to take longer than usual, with the bags of every single person in attendance due to be searched.

Paris's Stade de France was targeted by suicide bombers during Friday's attacks, leaving four people dead including three attackers, but the Football Association said that tickets for Tuesday's game had sold at a healthy rate in the days since. Only around 100 tickets have been returned.

The FA has confirmed that the giant arch over Wembley will continue to be lit in the red, white and blue of the French Tricolor, while France's motto -- 'Liberte, Egalite, Fraternite' -- will be shown on screens outside the ground.

The match itself promises to be a curious spectacle, with players on both sides having admitted that it will be difficult, if not impossible, to focus on football so soon after Friday's horrors, which also left over 350 people injured.

- 'Night of togetherness' -
But all are mindful that the event will serve as a powerful show of unity, echoing FA chief executive Martin Glenn's declaration that "the eyes of the world" will be on Wembley.

"I'm happy the game's on," said Rooney, who is due to return to England's starting XI after starting Friday's 2-0 loss to Spain on the bench.

"It shows France wants to show these terrorists they're standing strong against them, and we have to support that.

"Tomorrow (Tuesday) will be a great night of togetherness for everyone to see, for the terrorists to see the world will go on and stand against them."

Friday's attacks claimed by Islamic State touched the France squad particularly closely. The cousin of France midfielder Lassana Diarra, Asta Diakite, was among those killed, while the sister of forward Antoine Griezmann escaped unhurt from the assault on the Bataclan concert hall.

France coach Didier Deschamps praised Diarra's decision to remain with the squad despite the fact the Marseille midfielder was "hurting to the bone".

"We can't forget," an emotional Deschamps told his pre-game press conference.

"We've had two days to get over this immense sadness. Today we're here and our energy has to be focused on preparing for this match with as much dignity and solemnity as possible."

Rooney added: "Sometimes, when bad things happen, football is the place where you feel more comfortable. Their players might take that into consideration."

Euro 2016 hosts France are seeking to record a sixth successive win, following their impressive 2-0 defeat of world champions Germany, while Roy Hodgson's England are hoping to return to winning ways after their 15-game unbeaten run was ended by Spain in Alicante.

Michael Carrick, Fabian Delph and Jamie Vardy have withdrawn from England's squad due to injury, with Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Ryan Mason and uncapped Manchester United winger Jesse Lingard drafted in.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

FOOTBALL: Chelsea players back Mourinho, Real and City advance

All behind Mourinho: Chelsea captain Terry

Ian WINROW, Agence France-Presse

John Terry insists the players must shoulder the blame for Chelsea’s disastrous start to the campaign and is adamant the dressing room is fully behind under-fire manager Jose Mourinho.

The Chelsea captain believes the responsibility for ending the club’s dismal start to the season lies with the players.

And he dismissed claims some players were no longer willing to fight for Mourinho as ridiculous, including weekend reports one unnamed player had said he would rather lose a game than win for the manager.

Terry, who will lead the side into the Champions League group game with Dinamo Kiev, said: “We've not played well enough, and we take that on the shoulders. We know where we are in the league and the Champions League group, and we know what we need to do to get out of it. That relies on us, as players, not the manager.

“It's going to take a dressing room that stays together, sticks together. What we've seen in the last two or three days, ridiculous stories about what's happening within the club and the dressing room.

“I can assure you the players are 100 percent behind the manager. We are together. Anyone who has been at the last three or four games can see the way we're playing is turning. Together is the most important thing: that we stay together in that dressing room."

 Man City ease past Sevilla, into last 16

Kieran CANNING, Agence France-Presse

Manchester City secured their place in the last 16 of the Champions League with two games to spare with a hugely impressive 3-1 win at Sevilla on Tuesday.

Early goals from Raheem Sterling and Fernandinho put the visitors in command.

Benoit Tremoulinas pulled a goal back for Sevilla, but Wilfried Bony restored City's two-goal cushion before half-time.

Borussia Moenchengladbach's 1-1 draw with Juventus in the other game in the group means City cannot now be caught by the Germans, or Sevilla due to their superior head-to-head record.

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 Unlikely hero Nacho takes Madrid into last 16

Agence France-Presse

First-half substitute Nacho was the unlikely hero with the only goal of the game as Real Madrid beat Paris Saint-Germain 1-0 on Tuesday to seal their place in the Champions League last 16.

The defender had only been on the field for two minutes as an emergency left-back in place of the injured Marcelo when he took advantage of a defensive mix-up in the 35th minute to slot past stranded PSG goalkeeper Kevin Trapp and score the only goal of the game at the Santiago Bernabeu.

The result allowed Rafael Benitez's side to become one of the first teams to guarantee their place in the knockout rounds as they maintained their unbeaten record this season and inflicted a first defeat on PSG since Barcelona eliminated the French champions from this competition in April.

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 Rooney ends Man Utd goal drought to down CSKA

Tom WILLIAMS, Agence France-Presse

Wayne Rooney ended Manchester United's goal drought with a 79th-minute winner as his side overcame CSKA Moscow 1-0 on Tuesday to close on the Champions League knockout phase.

United were on course to record a fourth consecutive goalless draw for the first time in their history as their scoreless run ticked into its 404th minute when under-fire skipper Rooney met Jesse Lingard's cushioned pass with a thumping header in front of the Stretford End.

Moments earlier, Chris Smalling had produced a goal-line clearance to thwart Seydou Doumbia and the two decisive moments contributed to a much-needed win that sent Louis van Gaal's side to the top of Group B with two games to play.

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Ex-Brazil soccer chief pleads not guilty in U.S. after extradition

Brenna Hughes Neghaiwi and Nate Raymond, Reuters

Former Brazilian soccer chief Jose Maria Marin pleaded not guilty to bribery charges in a U.S. court after being extradited on Tuesday from Switzerland in the corruption case that shook world soccer's governing body FIFA.

Marin, 83, who headed Brazil's preparations to host the 2014 World Cup while president of the Brazilian Football Confederation, had bail set at $15 million and a judge ordered him placed under house arrest.

He entered his plea through an interpreter before U.S. District Judge Raymond Dearie in Brooklyn, New York hours after arriving on a flight from Zurich, where police arrested him in May. Marin had agreed last week to the extradition.

Marin was among seven officials from global soccer body FIFA who were arrested after being indicted on U.S. charges, an affair that has scandalized the administration of the world's most popular sport and upset powerful commercial sponsors.


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FOOTBALL: City and United draw, Liverpool held

Man City top after bore draw, Klopp still awaits win

Steve Tongue, Reuters

Manchester City returned to the top of the Premier League after a 0-0 draw with Manchester United on Sunday but the much-hyped meeting proved far less eventful than the day's other derby.

Man City have 22 points from 10 games, the same as Arsenal, while United are in fourth place with 20 points.

United manager Louis van Gaal claimed his team had "controlled the game" at Old Trafford but it was only in the last few minutes of a dismal game that they looked like scoring.

Jesse Lingard hit the bar from a clever chip by Anthony Martial and Chris Smalling forced Joe Hart into his one significant save.

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Suarez treble gives Barca comeback win over Eibar

Reuters

Barcelona needed Luis Suarez to be at his clinical best with a hat-trick in a 3-1 comeback win at home to modest Eibar on Sunday which put the champions level on 21 points with arch-rivals Real Madrid at the top of La Liga.

Atletico Madrid, the only other team apart from Spain's Big Two to win the league in more than a decade, stayed firmly in the hunt when Yannick Carrasco scored the pick of the goals in a 2-1 victory at home to Valencia.

Real, who host Barca in the first of the season's two La Liga 'Clasicos' on Nov. 21, lead on goal difference with nine matches played after they secured a nervy 3-1 win at 10-man Celta Vigo on Saturday.

Atletico, the 2014 champions, are third on 19 points, one ahead of fourth-placed Celta, who are a point clear of Villarreal in fifth after they drew 0-0 at promoted Las Palmas on Sunday.

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Klopp denied first win, says Liverpool lack belief

Reuters

Juergen Klopp said his Liverpool side lacked self-belief after they were held 1-1 at home by Southampton in the Premier League on Sunday, leaving the German coach still without a win from his three games in charge.

Christian Benteke's majestic 77th-minute header looked like giving Liverpool the win, but Sadio Mane equalised for the visitors to frustrate the Anfield crowd.

Klopp's arrival, following the sacking of Brendan Rodgers, was greeted with great expectation but three consecutive draws have served as a reality check.

"There was still 10 minutes to go when Southampton equalised," Klopp told reporters. "We didn't give up physically, it's not that we stopped our game physically, but we didn't believe any more that we could turn the game around."

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Olympiakos equal club record with eighth win in a row

Graham Wood, Reuters

Spanish defender Alberto Botia was twice on target as Olympiakos Piraeus equalled a 39-year-old club record by chalking up their eighth league win in a row with a 2-1 success at Atromitos on Sunday.

Marco Silva's Greek league leaders have been in unstoppable form since the start of the season, and their 100 percent record was maintained courtesy of Botia's double.

After heading home a 59th-minute corner, Botia escaped the hosts' defenders again four minutes later to head a second.

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PSG march past St Etienne, Marseille end winless streak

Reuters

Paris St Germain extended their lead at the top of Ligue 1 after a routine 4-1 win over St Etienne on Sunday, while Marseille ended a seven-game winless streak with a 2-1 triumph at Lille.

Monaco won 1-0 away at Reims and Olympique Lyonnais overcame Toulouse 3-0 at home on Friday.

With second-placed Angers only managing a 0-0 home draw against Guingamp on Saturday, reigning champions PSG went seven points clear at the top of the table.

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FOOTBALL WRAP: Ronaldo sets new record, United and City win

Record Ronaldo goal helps put Real top of La Liga

Real Madrid opened a two-point lead over Villarreal at the top of La Liga when Cristiano Ronaldo set a club scoring record in a 3-0 stroll at home to Levante on Saturday.

Marcelo fired Real ahead in the 27th minute at the Bernabeu when he exchanged passes with Ronaldo and blasted the ball past Ruben in the Levante goal.

Ronaldo made it 2-0 three minutes later when he cracked a long-range effort into the corner, his 324th Real goal putting him one clear of former Spain striker Raul.

It ended a rare four-match goal drought in Spain's top flight for the Portugal captain, his joint-worst run since he joined Real in 2009. -- Reuters

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Barca's four-goal Neymar coy on secret of success

Neymar was delighted after netting his first four-goal haul, including two penalties, for Barcelona on Saturday but the Brazil forward was not about to give away any clues to the secret of his success.

It was one of the 23-year-old's best performances since joining Barca in 2013 as the Spanish and European champions fought back from 1-0 down to beat a spirited Rayo Vallecano 5-2 at the Nou Camp.

After they fell behind in the 15th minute, Neymar won and converted a pair of spot kicks and added two more goals in the second period before teeing up Luis Suarez to score a fifth for the home side late on.

He is the first Barca player other than Lionel Messi to score four in a match since Samuel Eto'o in 2008 and his eight goals in La Liga this term are helping offset the impact of Messi's absence through injury. -- Reuters

Goals rained in for Manchester City and Manchester United but Juergen Klopp's first game as Liverpool manager was solid rather than spectacular as they drew 0-0 at Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League on Saturday.

Raheem Sterling's hat-trick and a Wilfried Bony double helped leaders City to a 5-1 home win against Bournemouth while a few miles down the motorway United thumped Everton 3-0 with Wayne Rooney scoring his first away league goal for 11 months.

City have a two-point lead over United and Arsenal, who moved up to second with a 3-0 win at Watford. West Ham United, who won 3-1 at Crystal Palace, are a further two points adrift.

Liverpool's sixth draw in seven matches in all competitions left them down in 10th place but there was reason for optimism for Klopp who replaced the sacked Brendan Rodgers this month. -- Martyn Herman, Reuters

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Unstoppable Bayern beat Werder for record league start

Bayern Munich edged past struggling Werder Bremen 1-0 on Saturday courtesy of Thomas Mueller's first half goal to set a Bundesliga record for the best start to a season with their ninth consecutive victory.

Germany international Mueller, in sensational form this season, was left unmarked in the box to latch onto a superb Thiago Alcantara chip and tap in from close range in the 23rd minute for his ninth league goal as Bayern improved the record they had set themselves in the 2012/13 season.

Unbeaten Bayern, who did not need to hit top form and eased off late in the game granting Werder more space, have a maximum 27 points, seven more than second-placed Borussia Dortmund, who won 2-0 at Mainz 05 on Friday. Bayern face Arsenal in the Champions League on Tuesday. --Reuters

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Mourinho lauds Chelsea discipline after win without Hazard

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho said the struggling English champions will stick to their back-to-basics approach after a hard-fought 2-0 win over Aston Villa on Saturday in which Eden Hazard started on the bench.

He added that the Belgium winger, Chelsea's stand-out player in last season's title-winning team, was among the substitutes as part of a revamp to end his side's miserable run of form.

"I left out Hazard because we are conceding lots of goals, we need to defend better, we need our midfield players to be just in the central area of the pitch," Mourinho told reporters.

"When, for example, a central midfielder has to be worried about providing cover to one of the sides, it's like a blanket, you pull this side, you have your feet in the cold, you know?"

Hazard, the Premier League's player of the year last season, had previously started every league game for Chelsea this season but only came on as an 83rd minute substitute on Saturday.

By then, the game was effectively over, thanks to a first-half goal by Spain striker Diego Costa and a 53rd minute own-goal by Alan Hutton who deflected in a strike by Costa. -- William Schomberg, Reuters

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Rooney hopes for 'special' Wembley moment

LONDON -- Having matched Bobby Charlton's England goal-scoring record against San Marino, Wayne Rooney plans to set a new mark in front of a home crowd against Switzerland at Wembley on Tuesday.

Rooney's penalty opener in Saturday's 6-0 win in San Marino, which secured a place at Euro 2016, was his 49th international goal and left him needing one more to become the first England player to reach a half-century.

Substituted mid-way through the second half in Serravalle, Rooney believes it will be more fitting if he breaks the record at Wembley, but admits that it is trophies, rather than personal milestones, that fire him.

"It would have been nice tonight (Saturday) as well, but to do it at Wembley would be a lot more special and hopefully on Tuesday I can do that," the Manchester United striker said.

"It was my 106th game and as much as I love playing for England and scoring goals, there would be nothing better than being successful with England and that's all any player wants to do.

"I'm sure the other lads are no different. It's the ultimate goal and if I don't, I'll be disappointed.

"Hopefully the young players in the future can, but it's the ultimate goal for me and that's what I want to do -– be successful with England."

Euro 2016 will be Rooney's sixth major championship with England and he knows that time is running out for him to atone for a litany of tournament disappointments by getting his hands on an international trophy.

The England captain will be 30 by the time England travel to France, but he fully intends to play on until the 2018 World Cup in Russia and potentially beyond.

"I still feel fine," he said. "I think I can go to Russia and then see how I feel, but that's not something I'm thinking about."

- Hodgson wants 'headaches' -

Manager Roy Hodgson wants his team to make sure of top spot in Group E -- a draw on Tuesday will suffice -- so that he can use England's remaining qualifiers against Estonia and Lithuania in October to experiment.

"Hopefully, one point on Tuesday night and we will have won the group as well," said Hodgson, whose side have won all six group games since beating Switzerland 2-0 in Basel in their first match.

"That would be nice to do that because, quite frankly, I don't think we would lose to Estonia and Lithuania with players like (Ross) Barkley, (Jonjo) Shelvey, (Nathaniel) Clyne, (Jamie) Vardy etc.

"It would be nice for me to say: 'Look, get out there, I'm trusting you, give me a few headaches because I'm resting these ones who have been playing all the time.' It would be a nice headache."

Hodgson praised Swansea City midfielder Shelvey for his display against San Marino, but said that Rooney's United team-mate Michael Carrick would take over in the midfield holding role against Switzerland.

In a previous job, Hodgson led Switzerland to the World Cup finals in 1994 -- the first time they had reached the tournament since 1966 -- and the country he once called home is hoping he might do them another favour.

Switzerland's qualification hopes looked in serious jeopardy after they fell 2-0 down at home to Slovenia on Saturday, but a stirring late fightback yielded a remarkable 3-2 victory that means they can secure at least a play-off place by winning at Wembley.

"We had a bit of luck, but we deserved to win," said coach Vladimir Petkovic, whose side prevailed courtesy of three goals in 14 minutes from Valentin Stocker and substitute Josip Drmic, whose brace included a 94th-minute winner.

"We said that, as a team, we wanted to stay together and be positive. I'm really proud of the team. It's not every day you manage to do something like this."

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