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International
Thursday, August 21, 2014
Sp rt
Atletico’s Garcia earns Super Cup draw at Real Madrid Reuters
BARCELONA - Atletico Madrid’s Raul Garcia netted a late equaliser to earn a 1-1 draw at Real Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup first leg on Tuesday after substitute James Rodriguez had opened the scoring with 10 minutes left.
AP Photo/Daniel Ochoa de Olza
Real Madrid’s James Rodriguez from Colombia duels for the ball with Atletico Madrid’s Joao Miranda from Brazil, left, during a Spanish Super Cup soccer match at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid, Spain, Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2014.
Associated Press
Colombian Rodriguez, who came on for the injured Cristiano Ronaldo at halftime, thought he had won the game when he slotted the ball into the net but there was still time for Garcia to head home two minutes from time. Ronaldo was having a quiet game before going off at the break as a precaution due to a pain his left leg. There was little of the flair that saw Real beat Sevilla in European Super Cup a week ago and, although there were several new names in the Atletico side from last season, they maintained the same solidity that saw them win La Liga. Atletico host Real in the return leg at the Calderon on Friday where they will be seeking revenge for their defeat in the Champions League final by their
city rivals. “There is everything to play for now. I got the goal but it could have been anyone in the team. We now have another match at home and the chance of lifting a trophy,” Garcia told reporters. Real midfielder Xabi Alonso said Atletico were favourites. “They were compact and very difficult to play against. We did our best,” he told reporters. “We have to go now to their stadium and score a goal which puts them in the driving seat.” Real started with new signing Toni Kroos in midfield but another new face Rodriguez was on the bench having failed to make much of an impression against Sevilla. Angel Di Maria, who has been strongly linked to a move away
before the end of the transfer window, was another on the bench and there wasn’t even a place in the squad for Sami Khedira who is also set to leave. Real enjoyed plenty of possession but the visitors had the first shots on target in quick succession after 10 minutes from Mario Mandzukic and Garcia which keeper Iker Casillas dealt with comfortably. Bale made some dangerous runs down the right but lacked an end product while Ronaldo saw little of the ball before going off. In the second half there were few chances before Rodriguez knocked home a loose ball in the area but in the dying minutes Garcia stretched to nod in from a corner.
FIFA, Russia relations hit rough spot
GENEVA — Relations between FIFA and its next World Cup host, Russia, are under strain. Two major issues have flared since July 13, when Russian state President Vladimir Putin sat next to FIFA President Sepp Blatter at the World Cup final in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: Control of Crimean football clubs and expensive new stadiums for FIFA’s flagship tournament. Attempts by the Russian football authorities to integrate three clubs from Crimea this season — without consent from Ukraine — have escalated tensions between the two countries’ football federations, which are both members of FIFA and UEFA. Though the game’s world and European governing bodies have reason to at least warn the Russian Football Union of disciplinary action, neither has taken that step. Blatter’s view that the Putinbacked, $20 billion World Cup project of 12 stadiums would be better with 10 met with a pushback
on Tuesday from Vitaly Mutko, Russia’s sports minister and an elected member of FIFA’s executive committee — which is chaired by Blatter. It followed a weekend meeting between Blatter, a regular visitor to Russia, and Putin, who speaks the FIFA leader’s native German fluently.
FIFA said in a brief statement that their talks in Sochi, which were not announced in advance, concerned “business related to” the 2018 World Cup. The three-paragraph FIFA release did not specify if Blatter and Putin discussed the current stalemate in football politics over Crimean clubs.
Blatter reiterated that the Crimea matter “should be overseen by” UEFA, according to FIFA’s account of the Russian trip, which included talks with Mutko and organizing committee CEO Alexey Sorokin. FIFA’s diplomacy with Russia seems restrained compared with its typically strict enforcement of rules that prohibit government interfer-
Brazil goalkeeper Julio Cesar joins Benfica
Associated Press
AP Photo/Keystone, Anthony Anex
FIFA President, Sepp Blatter, speaks during a press conference in Ulrichen, Switzerland, Saturday, Aug. 9, 2014.
ence in how football federations manage their affairs. In other cases, FIFA has publicly set deadlines for national governments or courts to withdraw their threats or rulings. If not, FIFA suspends a country’s teams and officials from international matches and meetings until football order is restored.
LISBON — Benfica announced Tuesday that it has signed Brazil goalkeeper Julio Cesar from English Premier League club Queens Park Rangers on a two-year deal. The 34-year-old Cesar had been on loan to Toronto FC in Major League Soccer since February after playing only occasionally under Rangers coach Harry Redknapp. Cesar, who conceded nine goals in seven matches with Toronto, re-
turned to Rangers on July 25. He played in all of Brazil’s World Cup matches and made two vital saves during a penalty shootout win against Chile in the second round. He joined the London club from Inter Milan on a four-year deal in 2012. The remaining two years of his contract were canceled by mutual consent. Rangers earned its return to the Premier League in May, a year after being relegated.
International
Thursday, August 21, 2014
9
Suarez adds bite but Barca hopes hinge on defence
Reuters
BARCELONA - Barcelona have added Luis Suarez to their starstudded forward line but it could be their defensive reinforcements that make the difference as they look to win back the La Liga title. The club’s first trophyless season in six years has sparked an overhaul with new coach Luis Enrique bringing in fresh faces for many positions ahead of the La Liga campaign that kicks off on Saturday. All eyes will be on Suarez, signed from Liverpool for a fee reported to be 81 million euros ($107.90 mil-
lion), when he finally makes his competitive bow for Barca at the end of October, after he was handed a four-month ban for biting at the World Cup. The prospect of him lining up with Neymar and Lionel Messi in attack is mouthwatering, yet the club’s title hopes are likely to depend on them shoring up a rearguard that looked vulnerable at key times last season. The backline has been neglected in recent years with close-season recruits Jeremy Mathieu and Thomas Vermaelen the first centre backs to be signed since Dmytro Chygrynskiy in 2009. The club had
previously attempted to paper over the cracks by converting midfielders into centre backs, with the idea being that they would be comfortable in possession and bring the ball out of defence. The combative Argentine Javier Mascherano has done relatively well in this role, despite his lack of height, but Sergio Busquets and Alex Song have also been tried out in the position with little success. Barca have now added strength and depth to their defence but there are still question marks over the signings of Mathieu and Vermaelen ahead of the Catalans’ curtain-raiser
against Elche on Sunday. The club paid 20 million euros ($26.64 million) for the 30-year old Mathieu while Vermaelen arrives at the Nou Camp with a poor injury record, having fallen down the pecking order at former club Arsenal. Goalkeepers Claudio Bravo and Marc-Andre ter Stegen, signed to replace Victor Valdes, would appear to be sound investments. Barca Basics
Barca struggled to adapt last season to the new tactical ideas introduced by coach Gerardo Martino, who resigned after one campaign in charge. They have gone back to basics with Luis Enrique whose teams play the club’s typical short passing football. “We will play the attacking style that has caught the imagination of millions of people around the world but we also need to defend,” Luis Enrique told a news conference in Barcelona. “We have an incredibly talented squad. My work and that of my staff is to find a system that fits. We will
look at all possibilities and consider the qualities of the players. “Basically, the three forwards will play centrally but at times they will vary this and a lot will depend on the approach of the opponent. We will do different things. “The team is prepared physically but as regards the football I would have liked two months more as we have a new coach, seven or eight new signings and youth players coming in.” Luis Enrique coached the Barca B (youth) team for three seasons until 2011 and is keen to give the young players a chance. Eighteen-year-old forward Munir El Haddadi has shone during pre-season and is pushing for a chance in attack. “It will depend on his performances if he is in the first team. I think he has done well and it is clear he has a lot of quality,” said Luis Enrique. “It is the same with the other youth players. I am always saying it is great to have young players like we have that have plenty of drive and ambition.”
Argentina name 20 World Cup players for Germany friendly
Reuters AP Photo/Manu Fernandez
FC Barcelona’s Luis Suarez, from Uruguay, holds his new shirt during a press conference of his presentation at the Camp Nou in Barcelona, Spain, Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2014.
Veteran trio left out of Nigeria squad Reuters
LAGOS - The international careers of Shola Ameobi, Peter
Odemwingie and Joseph Yobo looked to be at an end on Wednesday as Nigeria left the veteran trio out of their squad for next month’s
Squad: Goalkeepers : Chigozie Agbim (Gombe United), Austin Ejide (Hapoel Beer Sheva), Vincent Enyeama (Lille) Defenders : Efe Ambrose (Celtic), Elderson Echiejile (Monaco), Azubuike Egwuekwe (Warri Wolves), Kunle Odunlami (Sunshine Stars), Godfrey Oboabona (Caykur Rizespor), Kenneth Omeruo (Middlesbrough), Juwon Oshaniwa (Ashdod) Midfielders : Omatsone Aluko (Hull City), Ramon Azeez (Almeira), Nosa Igiebor (Real Betis), Joel Obi (Inter Milan), John Mikel Obi (Chelsea), Ogenyi Onazi (Lazio), Forwards : Emmanuel Emenike (Fenerbahce), Ahmed Musa (CSKA Moscow), Uche Nwofor (Heerenveen), Chinedu Obasi (Schalke 04), Nnamdi Oduamadi (Varese), Christian Osagona (Enugu Rangers), Gbolahan Salami (Warri Wolves) (Reporting by Mark Gleeson in Johannesburg; Editing by John O’Brien)
African Nations Cup qualifiers. They played for Nigeria at the World Cup but are among eight players from the 23-man squad that went to Brazil, where they reached the second round, who have been dropped. Also left out is Victor Moses, who joined Odemwingie at Stoke City in the last days. Instead, Nigeria recalled Schalke forward Chinedu Obasi and Spainbased midfielder Nosa Igiebor for the Group A qualifying matches against Congo on Sept. 6 and South Africa on Sept. 10. Fullback Elderson Echiejile, who missed the World Cup because of injury, has also been picked but exactly who named the 23-man squad was not revealed by the Nigerian Football Federation as coach Stephen Keshi has yet to sign a promised contract renewal, local reports said.
BUENOS AIRES - Argentina coach Gerardo Martino was true to his word and named predecessor Alejandro Sabella’s World Cup players on Tuesday for next month’s friendly against Germany in Duesseldorf. Martino’s squad list posted on the Argentine FA website (www. afa.org.ar) has 20 European-based players, all part of the squad that lost the World Cup final 1-0 to the Germans at the Maracana in Rio de Janeiro last month.
The only players missing are the three home-based players in the 23-man tournament squad, midfielder Fernando Gago, goalkeeper Agustin Orion of Boca Juniors and Newell’s Old Boys winger Maxi Rodriguez. The AFA said: “This list is subject to other inclusions or modifications.” Martino may complete his squad for the Sept. 3 friendly with the trio or decide against depriving Boca and Newell’s of their players in the build-up to first division matches that weekend.
Squad: Goalkeepers : Sergio Romero (Sampdoria), Mariano Andujar (Napoli) Defenders : Pablo Zabaleta (Manchester City), Federico Fernandez (Napoli), Ezequiel Garay (Zenit St Petersburg), Marcos Rojo (Manchester United), Hugo Campagnaro (Inter Milan), Martin Demichelis (Manchester City), Jose Basanta (Fiorentina) Midfielders : Javier Mascherano (Barcelona), Lucas Biglia (Lazio), Ricardo Alvarez (Inter Milan), Augusto Fernandez (Celta Vigo), Angel Di Maria (Real Madrid), Enzo Perez (Benfica) Forwards : Lionel Messi (Barcelona), Gonzalo Higuain (Napoli), Sergio Aguero (Manchester City), Rodrigo Palacio (Inter Milan), Ezequiel Lavezzi (Paris St Germain).