Capital One Cup q/final draw

Bradford will host Arsenal in the
Capital One Cup quarter-finals
while Leeds have been handed a
home tie against Chelsea.
Elsewhere, Swansea host
Middlesbrough and Aston Villa
travel to Norwich.
Chelsea were handed a trip to old
rivals Leeds as a reward for their
comeback win over Manchester
United on Wednesday night.
Roberto Di Matteo's side claimed a
5-4 extra-time victory over the Red
Devils after forcing the additional
period courtesy of Eden Hazard's
last-gasp penalty.
The Blues' trip to Elland Road will
excite both sets of fans, while Ken
Bates - former owner of Chelsea and
currently in the process of selling
Leeds - will be another interested
observer.
Neil Warnock's side have already
dispensed with two top-flight
opponents in the competition,
knocking out Everton 2-1 and
Southampton 3-0 - both on home
turf.
Chelsea boss Di Matteo told Sky
Sports: "Playing away is always
difficult and Leeds and Chelsea
have a bit of history there as well.
"It will be an interesting game."
The lowest-ranked side still in the
hat, League Two outfit Bradford
have been dealt a tough draw
against Arsenal but at least have
the benefit of home advantage.

Liverpool 1-3 Swansea

Liverpool's defence of the League Cup
came to an end as Brendan Rodgers
suffered an unhappy reunion with
Swansea City in a 3-1 fourth round
defeat at Anfield.
The Merseysiders had won the
competition last season under Kenny
Dalglish to end a six-year trophy
drought but the Scot was then sacked
in the summer and Rodgers was
recruited from Swansea.
It was speculated whether the Welsh
club would struggle without their
former boss, who guided them to 11th
place in the Premier League in their
debut campaign after winning the
Championship play-off final in the
previous term.
But, despite a little wobble, Michael
Laudrup has continued much of the
good work and a win at Anfield, which
came through Chico, Nathan Dyer and
Jonathan de Guzman, while Luis
Suarez headed a consolation, and a
Capital One Cup quarter-final tie at
home to Middlesbrough is another
positive.
Liverpool dominated the opening 10
minutes but failed to test Swansea
goalkeeper Gerhard Tremmel, with Joe
Cole, who was starting his first game
since August among nine changes
from the Merseyside derby, seeing a
scuffed long-range shot deflect for a
corner.
Swansea posed their first threat after
quarter-of-an-hour but Dyer failed to
control when behind the home
defence after Jamie Carragher had
misjudged a long ball.
Laudrup had made just four changes
to the team who started last
weekend's defeat by Manchester City
and it showed in a game which
followed a similar pattern to that at the
Etihad Stadium, where Swansea's
confidence grew as the first half
progressed.
As the half-hour mark arrived,
Liverpool were having to chase the ball
and were surrendering territory before
being fortunate to see De Guzman chip
over the crossbar after the hosts had
been caught on the counter-attack.
The warnings had been there for
Liverpool and so it was no surprise
Rodgers' team fell behind in the 34th
minute when Chico, Laudrup's
£2million July signing from Real
Mallorca, headed his first goal for his
club from De Guzman's right-sided
corner.
Having lacked a cutting edge in the first
45 minutes, Liverpool sent on star men
Suarez and captain Steven Gerrard at
half-time as substitute replacements
for ineffective teenager Samed Yesil
and Cole.
The changes gave Rodgers' men a
greater presence and Gerrard saw
Tremmel tip a 25-yard effort on to a
post before Stewart Downing made a
hash of the follow-up in a mess which
epitomised the £20million former
Aston Villa winger's troubled Anfield
career.
But Swansea got their second in the
72nd minute, when Dyer tapped in
Pablo Hernandez's low cross, and
although Suarez's 76th minute header
gave Liverpool motivation, De Guzman
made sure of the win after another
break in injury time.

Norwich 2-1 Tottenham

Norwich City scored twice in the final
six minutes to claim a dramatic 2-1
victory over Spurs in the Capital One
Cup fourth round.
Gareth Bale's second goal in as many
games looked to have secured Spurs'
progress at Carrow Road, but a late
own goal by Jan Vertonghen and
Simeon Jackson strike put the Canaries
in front with three minutes remaining.
The visitors were awarded a penalty at
the death when Marc Tierney felled
Kyle Walker, but goalkeeper Mark Bunn
capped off a superb performance by
saving Clint Dempsey's penalty.
Such late fireworks looked unlikely
after a forgettable first half, where both
teams struggled for fluency after
making a host of changes.
Spurs were the most threatening, Bale
central and Dempsey seeing a couple
of shots saved by Bunn.
Norwich's best chance of the half fell to
Steve Morison on 12 minutes when he
met Robert Snodgrass' corner, but
Hugo Lloris saved his header.
Bunn' heroics ensured Norwich went
in level at the break and he continued
that form with fantastic stops from
Bale and Falque.
However, the 27-year-old was given no
chance on 65 minutes when Bale broke
the deadlock with a low drive.
Norwich threw on Grant Holt as they
chased an equaliser, but it came from
another source when Tettey's shot
deflected in off Vertonghen.
Holt had a hand in the winner though,
Lloris failing to deal with his header
which allowed Jackson to pounce, and
Bunn denied Dempsey from the spot
to snatch a last-gasp victory.

Chelsea 5-4 Manchester United (aet)

Chelsea came from behind to reach
the last eight of the Capital One Cup
with a pulsating 5-4 extra-time victory
over Manchester United at Stamford
Bridge.
Just four days after suffering their first
Premier League defeat of the season at
the hands of the same opposition -
when the Reds edged a five-goal
thriller - the Blues enjoyed a measure
of revenge following another goalfest
in west London.
However, the Blues had to come from
behind three times and needed a last-
gasp Eden Hazard penalty to take the
match into overtime.
United were gifted an opening goal on
21 minutes when Oriol Romeu was
robbed by Anderson who set up Ryan
Giggs to fire a low curling left foot
strike beyond the reach of keeper Petr
Cech.
Yet the Blues were level from the
penalty spot eight minutes later:
Alexander Buttner tripped Victor Moses
and David Luiz smashed the ball into
the bottom left-hand corner of the net
although keeper Anders Lindegaard
managed to get a hand on it.
Javier Hernandez was at his predatory
best to fire United back in front two
minutes before half-time.
After Anderson pounced on a Luiz
mistake, the Brazilian spotted
Hernandez who raced clear of the
home defence before slipping the ball
past an advancing Cech.
Chelsea were level for a second time
seven minutes after the break when
Juan Mata's corner was crisply headed
home by Gary Cahill.
However, Nani superbly chipped
United back in front just before the
hour mark after playing a quick one-
two with Anderson - who collected his
third assist of the night.
And with 93 minutes on the clock, a
clumsy Scott Wootton bundled over
Ramires in the box and Hazard cooly
slotted home Chelsea's second penalty
of the evening to take the tie into extra-
time.
Wooton was also at fault when Chelsea
went ahead for the first time just seven
minutes into extra-time.
The youngster's weak mis-directed
header back to his keeper was
gratefully gobbled up by Daniel
Sturridge who made amends for his
previous misses to fire Chelsea 4-3
ahead.
And four minutes from the end of
extra time, Hazard set up Ramires who
rounded Lindegaard to slip the ball
into an empty net and put Chelsea 5-3
ahead.
There was still time for Giggs to score
the ninth goal of the evening from the
penalty spot, following a foul by Cesar
Azpilicueta on Hernandez in the 119th
minute, yet it came too late to save the
visitors as the Blues made it through to
the quarter-finals of a competition they
used to call the League Cup.

Arsen al in epic cup comeback

Theo Walcott scored a hat-trick as
Arsenal produced an incredible
comeback in what was probably the
most remarkable game in the history of
the League Cup to win 7-5 after extra
time at Reading.
A Jason Roberts volley, Laurent
Koscielny's own goal, Mikele
Leigertwood's strike and Noel Hunt's
header inside the opening 37 minutes
at the Madejski Stadium appeared to
be sending former Gunner Brian
McDermott's Reading into the quarter-
finals of the Capital One Cup.
But a truly astonishing Arsenal
turnaround came as Walcott started
and finished, with the final kick of
normal time, a stunning fightback at
4-4 with goals either side of headers
from substitute Olivier Giroud and
Koscielny.
Forgotten man Marouane Chamakh
then looked like he had won the tie in
extra time but, with the additional half-
an-hour almost complete, Pavel
Pogrebnyak delivered yet another
grand twist with an equaliser at 5-5.
Reading, though, suffered the final
heartbreak as first Walcott and then
Chamakh settled the 12-goal epic to
leave Wenger looking bemused and
McDermott inconsolable in the
respective dugouts.
It appeared as if it was going to be a
most recent stumble from Arsenal,
who have been trophyless for seven
years, after a nervy win over Queens
Park Rangers in the Premier League on
Saturday had seemingly only papered
over their cracked confidence of
defeats by Norwich City and Schalke
and a controversial AGM.
It was an explosive start, which should
have offered a clue of what was to
come, and soon Arsenal were behind
as Roberts shook off his marker,
Koscielny, inside the six-yard box to
slide and meet Hal Robson-Kanu's
12th minute cross.
Wenger's team were rocking as they
continued to make a wretched, error-
strewn beginning and they found
themselves two goals down in the 18th
minute, when Koscielny's nightmare
first half continued by poking a Garath
McCleary cross into his own net.
Things were to get worse for the
visitors just two minutes later, with
Chamakh, who was making his first
start for Arsenal since January among
11 first-team changes, giving the ball
away and goalkeeper Damian Martinez
making a mess of Leigertwood's soft
shot.
But still Arsenal's first-half misery was
not complete and in the 38th minute,
from another McCleary cross, Hunt's
header made it 4-0 to leave some
visiting fans seemingly heading for the
exits.
Arsenal, though, rescued some hope
on the stroke of half-time, when
Walcott dinked a finish over Adam
Federici and the goal proved to be a
turning point in a historic night which
saw Wenger's unchanged 11 players
emerge for the second half as if they
were a different team.
In the 62nd minute, Giroud entered
the fray and instantly added to the
impetus by expertly heading into the
back of the net just two minutes later
as Reading began to show the nerves
of a squad who sit without a win in the
Premier League relegation zone.
Koscielny's 89th minute header from a
corner then had McDermott's side
really twitching at 4-3 and it proved too
much for them to handle, with Walcott
scrambling an effort just over the line
with the last kick of six minutes added
time to set up an extra half-an-hour.
Extra time was therefore required after
a quite sensational and, given Arsenal's
ineptitude in the first half, totally
unpredicted comeback, which gave the
visitors the momentum at a time when
Reading, who have never beaten their
London opponents in any competition,
were crumbling.
In the 103rd minute, Chamakh proved
to be one of the heroes when hitting
an effort from range past the
despairing Federici but Pogrebnyak's
116th minute header seemingly set up
a penalty shoot-out.
Arsenal had other ideas and Walcott
ensured he would keep the match-ball
when finishing a Koscielny and Andrey
Arshavin-led counter-attack before
Chamakh ended any doubts by
lobbing in the final goal of the night to
secure a breathless 7-5 result.

Richards out for four months

Manchester City defender Micah
Richards has had knee surgery after he
was injured against Swansea on
Saturday and he could be out for up to
four months.
The 24-year-old picked up the injury
towards the end of City's narrow 1-0
victory, pulling up and holding onto his
knee without any other players close
by.
He was stretchered from the field while
wearing an oxygen mask and the
England international ended up having
an operation to mend a torn knee
cartilage.
The unfortunate Richards had only
returned to action at the start of
October, after picking up a heel injury
while on duty for Team GB at the
London Olympics.
Richards said: "The positive thing is
that the injury has been repaired so
the knee will be as good as new.
"I have a brace on it and I am using
crutches. I can't do anything at all for
the next four to six weeks and I am
probably looking at 12-16 weeks before
I am back in action.
"I knew straight away that it was quite
a bad injury. The knee locked and I
couldn't straighten it.
"I suppose it could have been even
worse and not repairable, so I am
being positive. Injuries are part and
parcel of the job but, with this coming
on top of the other one, I do feel a
little hard done to!
"I will be working as hard as I can to
get back as quickly as I can and I thank
all the fans who have sent their best
wishes."

Super Falcons white jerseys stolen in transit

Nigeria women national team,
the Super Falcons, arrived in
Equatorial Guinea for the 8th
African Women Championship
finals to discover the loss of a
whole
carton of their white jerseys, a
statement by the Nigeria
Football Federation (NFF) media
officer, Ademola Olajire, said on
Monday.
According to the statement, the
Nigerian contingent to the
tournament were treated poorly
on arrival at the tiny west-central
African country.
Quoting NFF’s Director of
Competitions, Dr. Mohammed
Sanusi, the statement said: “We
arrived in Malabo to poor
treatment, had to found a way
to connect to Bata, were rushed
into a low-quality hotel and then
discovered, after changing hotel,
that a whole carton of white
jerseys meant for the team had
got missing on transit.”
Sanusi, who spoke after the
Super Falcons 2-1 victory for
Cameroon at the Nkoantoma
Stadium, said the team was
determined to win gold at the
competition.
The Falcons scored first through
midfielder Onyinyechi
Ohadugha before the
Cameroonians equalized
through a controversial penalty
kick.
Perpetua Nkwocha, four-time
African Woman Player of the
Year and top scorer at the last
edition of the competition in
South Africa two years ago,
scored a diving header in the
89th minute that sealed the
three points for the Cup
holders.

Micah Richards possibly out for eight weeks with knee injury

Micah Richards will be out for six
to eight weeks after tearing a
cartilage in his knee during
Manchester City's 1-0 win over
Swansea City on Saturday
evening.
Richards required oxygen on the
pitch after appearing to twist the
knee unchallenged when turning
to clear a cross in the 84th minute
of the match at the Etihad
Stadium, with the length of the
treatment he required
contributing to the match's record
12 minutes of added time.
Richards had missed the opening
of City's season due to an ankle
injury he incurred playing for
Great Britain during the London
2012 Olympics. It capped a bad
week for the defender, who was
reprimanded by Roberto Mancini,
the City manager, for publicly
questioning his defensive tactics
during the team's 3-1 Champions
League group defeat at Ajax last
Wednesday.

Messi Receives Golden Shoe Award As Shortlisted Players For FIFA Ballon D’Or Is Released

Barcelona ace, Lionel Messi has been handed the
Golden Shoe Award. The Barcelona man picked
up the award on Monday, recognition for scoring
the most goals in Europe’s domestic leagues last
season – Messi, 25, set a Spanish League record
by nettinging 50 goals in 2011-2012, beating Real
Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo by four goals.
Messi dedicated his latest accolade to his
teammates, saying ‘it is a prize for scoring goals,
but without my teammates I couldn’t have
scored them.’
He has now won the coveted award three
seasons in a row – 2009, 2010, 2011.
In a related development, the shortlist of players
for this year’s FIFA Ballon D’Or award has been
revealed with Barcelona and Real Madrid
dominating the list, with no fewer than eleven
players shortlisted.
National team coaches and captain, as well as
selected journalists, will now cast their votes with
a final shortlist of three unveiled on November
29.
The winner will be announced at the FIFA Gala in
Zurich on January 7 next year.
Likewise, Chelsea’s Champions League winner
Roberto Di Matteo, Manchester United boss Sir
Alex Ferguson and Man City gaffer Roberto
Mancini feature on the 10-strong FIFA Coach of
the Year shortlist.
The other managers shortlisted are Vicente Del
Bosque (Spain), Pep Guardiola (Barcelona), Jupp
Heynckes (Bayern Munich), Jurgen Klopp
(Borussia Dortmund), Joachim Loew (Germany),
Jose Mourinho (Real Madrid) and Cesare
Prandelli (Italy).
THE FULL BALLON D’OR SHORTLIST
Sergio Agüero (Argentina & Manchester City)
Mario Balotelli (Italy & Manchester City)
Karim Benzema (France & Real Madrid)
Gianluigi Buffon (Italy & Juventus)
Sergio Busquets (Spain & Barcelona)
Iker Casillas (Spain & Real Madrid)
Didier Drogba (Ivory Coast, Chelsea & Shanghai
Shenhua)
Radamel Falcao (Colombia & Atlético Madrid)
Zlatan Ibrahimović (Sweden, AC Milan & Paris St
Germain)
Andrés Iniesta (Spain & Barcelona)
Lionel Messi (Argentina & Barcelona)
Manuel Neuer (Germany & Bayern Munich)
Neymar (Brazil & Santos)
Mesut Özil (Germany, Real Madrid)
Gerard Piqué (Spain & Barcelona)
Andrea Pirlo (Italy & Juventus)
Sergio Ramos (Spain & Real Madrid)
Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal & Real Madrid)
Wayne Rooney (England & Manchester United)
Yaya Toure (Ivory Coast & Manchester City)
Robin van Persie (Holland, Arsenal & Manchester
United)
Xabi Alonso (Spain & Real Madrid)
Xavi Hernández (Spain & Barcelona)

AWC 2012: Falcons fulfil promise of thrashing Cameroon

Perpetual Nkwocha made sure that
promise was met when she scored
the sealing goal very late into the
second half to see the French
speaking country that ensured the
Falcons miss the to the London
Olympics as Falcons lost 4-3 on
penalties after aggregate scores
stood at 3-3.
Substitute Ngozi Okobi brought life
to Nigeria attack and her pull-out
found the durable Perpetua
Nkwocha at far post to connect home
with a diving header in the 90th
minute to seal a hard-earned victory
for the African champions.
It was the Super Falcons all the way
from the blow of the start whistle
with impressive moves as they
dominated and took the lead at the
tail end of the first half thanks to an
Onyinyechi Ohagugha canon from 20
yards.
Though, it wasn’t all smooth sail
going into the clash which held
today in Equitorial Guinea as the
water-logged pitch adversely
affected the standard of play
culminating into so many chances to
be wasted by both sides, also
denying the players to show their
full potentials on pitch.
On resumption of the second half as
if some dressing room talk down
was handed to the Cameroonians,
Indomitable Lioness of Cameroon
fought back and that paid off as
they drew level in the 53rd minute
with a penalty converted by skipper
Patience Mani after a Nigerian
defender committed an
infringement inside the box.
Before then the Super Falcons had a
chance to double their lead through
Stella Mbachu’s 19-yard shot which
hit the crossbar in the 49th minute.
After their equalizer, the game sort
of changed in favour of the
Cameroonians as they dominated the
better part of second half and would
have taken the lead through a
rebound which Louni fired wide
unfortunately in front of an open
net.
Meanwhile, hosts Equatorial Guinea
beat South Africa 1-0 on Sunday.
Channelstv

Bologna 1-3 Inter: In-form Nerazzurri make it five wins in a row

Inter stretched their Serie A winning
run to five matches as they showed
their clinical side to beat Bologna 3-1
and move above Napoli and Lazio into
second in the standings.
Goals from Andrea Ranocchia and
Esteban Cambiasso sandwiched Diego
Milito's effort as the Argentine marked
his 100th league appearance for the
San Siro outfit with his fourth goal of
the campaign.
Nicolo Cherubin had given Bologna
hope with his header midway through
the second half but the home side
were ultimately punished for being so
wasteful in front of goal during an
entertaining encounter.
The Rossoblu almost opened the
scoring inside two minutes as
Alessandro Diamanti's low free-kick
from all of 30 yards went just the
wrong side of Samir Handanovic's left-
hand post.
Stefano Pioli's team continued to have
the better of the opening stages, and
Alberto Gilardino should have done
better with a close-range volley after
Tiberio Guarante's reverse pass, but
the Italy international sliced his effort
wide.
Diamanti looked dangerous whenever
he got on the ball, and he threatened
the Inter goal again but his powerful
shot from the edge of the box flashed
wide.
The Rossoblu were employing a shoot
on sight policy, and Guarente was the
next man to try his luck from range,
but his powerful drive was too high to
trouble Handanovic.
Despite being on the back foot for the
opening 20 minutes, Inter should
have gone in front when Ranocchia
found himself in space around eight
yards from goal from a corner, but
the defender could only direct his
header wide.
Bologna failed to learn their lesson
five minutes later as Ranocchia got
above his marker at the back post
from Cambiasso's free kick, and the
24-year-old defender made no
mistake second time round as he
headed across goal into the bottom
corner, leaving Federico Agliardi with
no chance.
Milito went close to doubling the
Nerazzurri's lead soon after when his
powerful effort was turned away by
Agliardi, but that proved to be the
final chance of note of the opening 45
minutes as both sides struggled to
find the killer pass in the final third.
Bologna were again quicker out the
traps after the break, and they almost
drew level after just 30 seconds of the
second period as Gilardino's deft back
heel found Manolo Gabbiadini on the
edge of the box, but his low shot
skidded wide.
Despite having to do a lot of
defending, Inter looked dangerous on
the break, and they doubled their lead
after a sweeping move ended in
Rodrigo Palacio beating two home
defenders before squaring for Milito
to slot into an empty net.
Many teams would have folded after
falling two goals behind, but the hosts
looked to get back into the match and
Gilardino was unlucky to see his
spectacular volley turned round the
post by a diving Handanovic.
The Serie A strugglers did eventually
get their goal from the resulting
corner as Cherubin beat the Inter
goalkeeper to the ball and headed in
from Diamanti's searching cross.
The fightback lasted all of five minutes,
though, as Miltio and Palacio again
combined to find Cambiasso free
inside the box and the Argentine
made no mistake as he chipped
Agliardi to restore the two-goal
advantage for Andrea Stramaccioni's
team.
The flurry of goals had sprung the
game into life and Bologna almost hit
back immediately as Diamanti's cross
was palmed away from under his own
crossbar by Handanovic.
With time running down, the home
side continued to search for a way
back into the match and Diamanti
again demostrated his ability from a
dead ball as his free kick was well
caught by Handanovic.
The 2010 Champions League winners
almost added a fourth late on as Yuto
Nagamoto forced Agliardi into a smart
save whilst Cambiasso put the
rebound over the bar. As it was,
though, they had already done
enough to rack up another victory,
which keeps the pressure on leaders
Juventus.

Bayern Munich 1-2 Bayer Lekerkusen: Late own-goal ends the Bavarians' winning streak

Bayern Munich saw their run of eight
straight Bundesliga games come to an
end when they lost 2-1 to Bayer
Leverkusen at the Allianz Arena on
Sunday.
Stefan Kiessling got a breakaway goal
for the visitors just before half-time,
but Mario Mandzukic equalised for
the dominant hosts with 12 minutes
left to play. However, with die Roten
pressing for a winner, Sidney Sam's
header was diverted past Manuel
Neuer by the unfortunate Jerome
Boateng.
The Bavarians were the ones to start
the game on top. Within two minutes
of kick-off, Toni Kroos sprayed a ball
to Thomas Muller on the right wing,
and the Germany winger wasted no
time in sending in a crisp cross that
Bastian Schweinsteiger tried, in vain,
to divert into the net.
Soon after, David Alaba picked out
Schweinsteiger, who found himself
crowded out by Stefan Reinartz
before he could get away a shot,
before the Bayern vice-captain sent in
a cross to Muller, who headed wide.
Holger Badstuber was the next player
to centre the ball, and Mario
Mandzukic forced a great reaction
save from Bernd Leno, who got down
well to parry it, and Alaba was inches
away from diverting the ball into the
net.
It seemed to be a matter of time
before the hosts took the lead, but
they were perhaps unlucky to avoid
falling behind when a Kiessling effort
from a set piece was ruled out for a
dubious foul on Dante by Philipp
Wollscheid.
Leverkusen were heartened by the
incident, and would have taken the
lead on 32 minutes, were it not for a
fantastic touch by Neuer who diverted
a Dani Carvajal cross away from
Kiessling's head.
At the other end, some fine
combination play from Muller and
Mandzukic released Kroos in the box,
but the 22-year-old fired straight at
Leno from close range, before
Schweinsteiger's powerful drive from
25 yards was diverted wide by the
young keeper.
Eventually, though, Bayern's
wastefulness came back to haunt
them. Leverkusen counterattacked
superbly, and Simon Rolfes released
Andre Schurrle, who pulled it across
the face of goal for Kiessling, who
tapped home.
Seconds before the interval, the lead
was almost doubled, only for the
hosts' blushes to be spared by a
dubious offside decision against the
goalscorer.
After the break, Bayern needed to take
back the impetus. Heynckes
introduced Xherdan Shaqiri in the
place of Holger Badstuber, and the
Swiss youngster almost made an
immediate impact, picking out Kroos,
who sent a shot wide via a deflection.
Leno got down fantastically to tip a
stinging shot from Jerome Boateng
around the post, before chipping the
ball into Muller, who headed wide
under pressure from Wollscheid.
Arjen Robben came on after an hour
in the place of Luiz Gustavo, but
within seconds, Bayern almost fell two
behind, only for Kiessling to head an
inviting cross into the ground, and
straight at Neuer, who then made a
decent stop from Gonzalo Castro.
Shaqiri came close to grabbing an
equaliser soon after with a 25-yard
effort which Leno did well to parry,
before the former Basel man picked
up a booking for a cynical dive in the
area which was rightly punished.
Robben played a well-weighted ball to
send Mandzukic clear, only for
Wollscheid to make a brilliant block to
stop the Croatian from getting a sight
of goal, and Toprak soon followed
suit to deny Muller.
Time was running out for the
Bavarians to get back into the match,
and Leverkusen's stern defence
showed no signs of subsiding, until
the 77th minute. Claudio Pizarro,
fresh on as a substitute, played in
Mandzukic, who headed into the net
with Leno stranded.
Within seconds, they were within
inches of turning the game on its
head entirely. Pizarro drove a cross-
shot across the face of goal, it struck
the bewildered Mandzukic, and
bounced agonisingly off the post.
The hosts pressed for a winner, but
four minutes from time, they were left
reeling. Carvajal sent in another great
cross from the right, Sidney Sam got
his head to it, and it struck the
unfortunate Jerome Boateng in the
face and trickled past Neuer.
Manuel Neuer had a hand in setting
up a 93rd minute chance for
Mandzukic who headed across the
woodwork, but it was all too late. The
Allianz Arena had been stunned:
Bayern's unbeaten record had come
to an end, and Leverkusen had
claimed their first away win against
Bayern for over 20 years.

Chelsea 2-3 Man Utd

Chelsea were beaten for the first time
in this season's Premier League as two
red cards ushered Manchester United
to a 3-2 win in west London.
Two goals down inside 12 minutes, the
leaders fought their way off the ropes
to level through Juan Mata (44) and
Ramires (53) and were looking likelier
winners until Branislav Ivanovic was
sent off on the hour.
But a second red card for Fernando
Torres meant the end of any genuine
attacking ambition, and substitute
Javier Hernandez bundled a
contentious winner (75) to haul United
within a point of the leaders and give
them a first league success at Stamford
Bridge since 2002.
Despite the result there was plenty in
Chelsea's performance to reinforce
their credentials as real title
challengers, though they were
handicapped by a haphazard start as
United's £24m man Robin van Persie
made one goal and scored another.
United's defence was under scrutiny
before the game following another
porous display against Braga in
midweek, but it was a home back four
missing John Terry which was exposed
during the opening exchanges as
Ashley Cole was repeatedly isolated
and David Luiz too often in a different
district to Gary Cahill.
Ashley Young strolled into a gaping
hole between the centre-halves to feed
Wayne Rooney, and when his cut-back
was met by a firm first-time van Persie
shot the ball hit a post, cannoned off
Luiz and bobbled beyond Petr Cech.
Van Persie's movement in the box for
the opener was bright enough, but it
was an identical checked run which
caught out Cahill soon afterwards and
this time the striker's right-footed
effort from Antonio Valencia's low
centre beat Cech by itself.
Luiz was slow to close down Valencia
and continued to unsettle home
supporters at the back, but it was the
Brazilian's free-kick which forced David
De Gea into the first of several feet-first
saves and sparked an improvement in
Chelsea's performance.
Jonny Evans miscued a clearance
against a post, De Gea denying Cahill
from the corner which followed, and
the goalkeeper then used his right
hand to claw out a Torres header from
his near post.
A goal was coming and Mata's precise
free-kick left his compatriot little
chance before Ramires rose above
Tom Cleverley to head a second-half
equaliser.
In between the two De Gea's feet
denied Mata a second, and Eden
Hazard then went close as Chelsea
threatened to become the first side in
Premier League history to topple
United from 2-0 down.
But Ivanovic saw red for clipping a
clean-through Young and Torres
followed for a second booking -
referee Mark Clattenburg deciding he
dived unnecessarily over Evans' lunge.
Chelsea were left hanging on and the
task proved too much as Cech kept out
van Persie only for Hernandez -
loitering in what appeared an offside
position - to turn in Rafael da Silva's
follow-up.

Southampton 1-2 Tottenham

Tottenham piled the pressure on
Southampton boss Nigel Adkins with a
hard-fought 2-1 victory at St Mary's.
The hosts showed early sparkle before
first-half goals from Gareth Bale -
returning to haunt his former club -
and Clint Dempsey put the visitors in
control.
Jay Rodriguez responded after the
break but it wasn't enough to prevent
the hosts suffering their seventh defeat
of the season whilst Spurs are back in
the top four.
Despite their early intent, Nigel Adkins'
men almost became architects of their
own downfall when Maya Yoshida's
mistimed header fell to Aaron Lennon
but the England winger fired wide.
It was Welsh international Bale, playing
for the first time since the birth of his
child, who soon made amends,
planting a firm header beyond Artur
Boruc following Tom Huddlestone's
cross (15).
The visitors sensed an opportunity to
score a second and it came when
Jermain Defoe beat Boruc, before Jose
Fonte's clearance allowed Dempsey to
tap in.
The home side emerged after the
break with renewed promise, lively
forward Jason Puncheon leading the
charge with a booming volley before
Yoshida headed wide after Brad Friedel
failed to handle Danny Fox's delivery.
Already reinvigorated, the introduction
of Emmanuel Mayuka breathed new
life into Saints and they were rewarded
on 66 minutes courtesy of Rodriguez.
Fonte was the architect, his cute back-
heel from Adam Lallana's corner falling
to the former Burnley striker, who
rifled the ball home from close range.
Southampton pressed relentlessly for a
second but Rodriguez fired off target
and William Gallas recovered brilliantly
to block Rickie Lambert's effort.

Everton 2-2 Liverpool

Everton remain six points clear of
Liverpool after they fought back from
2-0 down to claim a point in a
combative Merseyside derby.
Leighton Baines' own goal and Luis
Suarez's header were cancelled out by
Leon Osman and Steven Naismith in a
helter-skelter opening half, with
Suarez's injury-time disallowed effort
adding late controversy.
Kevin Mirallas created early danger
when he weaved his way down the
inside-left channel but Martin Skrtel
was on hand to cut out his driven
cross.
Moments later Jose Enrique skipped
free down the left and his delivery
found its way to Suarez, whose drilled
cross-shot flew in off the back of
Baines' leg (14).
If Suarez's celebratory swan dive in
front of the home bench angered the
Everton faithful, their mood darkened
further when the Uruguayan stole in to
glance home a header from Steven
Gerrard's free-kick (20).
Osman (22) gave the home side an
instant lift as Brad Jones' weak punch
fell perfectly for the Everton midfielder
to slot home from 18 yards, courtesy
of a slight deflection off Joe Allen.
Suarez was threatening at the other
end while Jones was again
unconvincing dealing with a high ball
under pressure as both defences
looked bereft of confidence.
The Liverpool keeper was helpless
when Naismith timed his run perfectly
to meet Marouane Fellaini's clipped
cross to claim the equaliser with his
first goal for Everton (35).
Andre Wisdom's cross just eluded
Suarez but Raheem Sterling then
produced a horrendous shank when
clean through on Tim Howard.
The Everton keeper parried Gerrard's
long-range free-kick while Nikica Jelavic,
who had struggled all afternoon,
planted a free header wide.
A prone Phil Jagielka denied Gerrard a
late winner while Baines had to be
alert to deny a darting Suarez as ill-will
trumped skill in a niggly final quarter.
Suarez thought he had won it deep in
added time as he latched onto
Sebastian Coates' knockdown, but his
flicked finish was ruled out for a
debatable offside decision.

Newcastle 2-1 West Brom

Papiss Cisse's lucky injury-time winner
secured a 2-1 victory for Newcastle
against unlucky West Bromwich Albion.
It was a desperate way to finish for the
visitors who after being outplayed in
the first half, were dominant for large
periods after the break and were close
to securing the spoils before the late
drama.
After Romelu Lukaku cancelled out
Demba Ba's opener, the Baggies
looked the only team likely to strike
again, only for substitute Cisse to
deflect home a shot with his back and
bag only Newcastle's second win in
eight league games.
Considering how bright West Brom
were in the second half, it was a
surprisingly lacklustre and error-ridden
start by Steve Clarke's outfit who came
to St James' Park hunting a victory that
would have hoisted them to fourth.
But being able to recall big-hitters
keeper Tim Krul, Ba and captain
Fabricio Coloccini after being rested for
Thursday's Europa League venture, it
was the Magpies who looked initially
hungry and sprightly.
Ba, Shola Ameobi and Hatem Ben Arfa
were causing havoc in the opening
exchanges and the hosts could easily
have been three goals to the good
within 20 minutes.
First Ba nodded Ameobi's cross
shockingly high and wide from five
yards, Ameobi then headed straight to
Ben Foster and the keeper was again
on red alert, pushing away Davide
Santon's low shot.
Finally, the Baggies spurted into life and
on-loan striker Lukaku was through on
goal from Graham Dorrans' through
ball, only for Krul to stand strong and
palm to safety.
It was all-out attack for both teams in a
breathless final 15 minutes of the half
and it was the Newcastle faithful who
were celebrating, yet again from Ba's
clinical shooting boots.
A long punt by Krul was flicked on by
Ameobi and after centre-back Gareth
McAuley's poor header, Ba pounced to
thump the ball home for his seventh
goal in nine league matches.
With just two away league goals this
season, the joint-lowest in the Premier
League, West Brom had the perfect
chance to boost their tally before the
break, but again the hesitant Lukaku
could not beat Krul when clean
through.
The urgency and menace gathered
momentum in the second half for the
visitors and they deservedly drew level
(55), with Lukaku making amends for
his profligacy, nodding in Zoltan Gera's
teasing cross at the back post.
Sloppy in possession and dragged
around by their revitalised opponents,
Newcastle threw on Gabriel Obertan
and Cisse, but West Brom were sniffing
the win and substitute Shane Long
twice went close.
But with the game drawing to a close,
it was left for Cisse to grab the
headlines as the ball bobbled off his
back past the helpless Foster from
substitute Sammy Ameobi's long-range
shot.

Vettel dominates Indian GP

Championship leader Sebastian Vettel
produced another commanding
performance to lead all the way and
win the Indian Grand Prix in imperious
fashion.
But his title rival Fernando Alonso also
produced a fine drive, moving up from
fifth on the grid to finish second and
limit his losses to seven points.
However, Vettel now has a 13 point
lead with just three races to go, his
comprehensive victory at the hazy
Buddh International Circuit giving him
four wins in a row for the first time in
his career.
The German won last year's inaugural
Indian Grand Prix and, having started
on pole, he got off to a great start in
his repeat bid, leading Red Bull team
mate Mark Webber by over a second
after lap one.
Operating on a one-stop strategy,
Vettel gradually extended his
advantage to around the 10-second
mark and, although sparks sprayed out
from underneath his car in the closing
laps, that proved to be a false alarm.
The 25-year-old cruised over the line
just over nine seconds clear of Alonso,
becoming the first man since Jenson
Button in 2009 to win four races in a
row, and he is now firmly on course
for a third consecutive drivers'
championship.
Since inheriting the lead from Lewis
Hamilton in Singapore on lap 23, Vettel
has led for every single lap and his
running total of 206 is just 58 short of
the all-time record.
His nearest rival Alonso launched a
superb charge at the start of the race,
getting past Lewis Hamilton on lap one
after an exciting duel between himself
and the McLaren drivers, and then
using his DRS to pass Jenson Button
on lap four.
And he made up another place on lap
48 of the 60, powering past Webber
when the Australian began to suffer
from a loss of KERS boost.
That gave Hamilton hope of a podium
place and he closed the gap on
Webber too but the Red Bull man held
him off by 0.7 of a second to finish
third, while Jenson Button had a fairly
uneventful race, despite clocking the
fastest lap of the day, and came home
in fifth.

Ashley Cole and Frank Lampard could leave Chelsea - Di Matteo

Chelsea manager Roberto Di Matteo
fears the club could effectively lose
its England stars Ashley Cole and
Frank Lampard in January.
The pair will be free to sign pre-contract
agreements with rival clubs in the new
year if they do not agree new deals
ahead of their current contracts
expiring in the summer.
Di Matteo admitted he was worried but
said: "That's the world of football.
"That's how you live in this world, in
this industry."
He added: "We had the same last
season with some players and, at the
end of the day, we all have to be
professional and try to do our best,
even though maybe the contract is not
sorted out."
Didier Drogba and Salomon Kalou both
left the club last summer after they
were unable to agree new deals with
Chelsea.
On 31-year-old left-back Cole, who has
won 99 caps for England, Di Matteo
said: "He's a fit boy. He can play every
game, so he still has many years in
front of him.
"My point is that I would like him to stay
here and be here with us."
Midfielder Lampard, 34, has scored 188
goals in more than 600 appearances
for the Blues since signing from West
Ham for £11m in 2001.
Speaking ahead of his side's Premier
League meeting with Manchester United
on Sunday, Di Matteo also confirmed
John Mikel Obi was in talks over a new
contract.

Wigan win excites Martinez

Roberto Martinez claimed this was the
start of Wigan's season after seeing his
side beat West Ham 2-1 at the DW
Stadium.
Goals from Ivan Ramis and James
McArthur gave Wigan a deserved two-
goal lead before James Tomkins pulled
one back late on.
Asked if it was a relief to get a first
home win of the season, Martinez said:
"More than a relief I thought it was an
excitement.
"That was just a period of getting us as
strong as we can and adapting to new
things that we've been doing this
season.
"Today I was pleased we were able to
have time to prepare the team and not
an international break. I know they
distract everyone but for us they are a
disaster.
"Today's performance is a
combination of all the good things and
we got a complete performance.
"The most pleasing aspect was the
manner we dealt with the attacking
threat of West Ham.
"You always know they are going to
cause problems and I was really
pleased with the composure we
showed in the last minute to close it
out.
"I'm extremely pleased with a well-
deserved three points and now is
probably the start of our season."

Roger Federer sets up Basel final against Juan Martin Del Potro

World number one Roger Federer
beat Paul-Henri Mathieu 7-5 6-4 to
reach the final of the Swiss Indoors in
Basel.
Federer, a five-time winner of the event,
will play Juan Martin del Potro in
Sunday's final after the second seed
beat Richard Gasquet 6-2 6-2.
Del Potro won in Vienna last week and
his only loss on indoor hard courts this
season came against Federer in the
Rotterdam final in February.
Federer is chasing his sixth title in seven
years in his hometown event.
Sunday's final is a rematch of the epic
Olympic semi-final at Wimbledon in
August, when Federer won the decisive
third set 19-17.
Federer has a 13-2 career record
against Del Potro, though one of the
Argentine's victories came in the 2009
US Open final.
"It was almost perfect today," said Del
Potro, who has beaten Gasquet in five
of their six meetings, including three
times in 2012.
"I was very pleased with my serve. But I
still have work to do, I had two double-
faults in the second set. If I want to win
the title, I can't have that."
Federer said: "I'm excited to see how he
is going to come out and play.
"We have had a couple of tough ones,
at the French Open and particularly at
the Olympics. I had a really hard time
breaking his serve. The margins are
extremely small."

Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova set for WTA final

Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova
will face each other in the final of the
WTA Championships in Istanbul.
Williams, the American world number
three, booked her place in Sunday's
final with an emphatic 6-2 6-1 win over
Agnieszka Radwanska in 61 minutes.
Sharapova, the world number two from
Russia, had to work much harder
before overpowering world number
one Victoria Azarenka 6-4 6-2 in her
semi-final.
The match featured a sixth game in the
second set that lasted 15 minutes.
Sharapova served two double-faults
but finally broke Azarenka's resistance
after nine deuces to take a 5-1 lead.
Azarenka, who had secured the year-
end top ranking the day before with her
win over Li Na, seemed to be hindered
by a strained right thigh and was
unable to prevent her opponent's
victory.
"I have lost to Victoria a few times so I
was happy to get the chance to play
against her," said Sharapova, who went
into the match having lost to the
Belarusian four times out of five this
year.
"Against the world number one, you
have to run down every ball. She's
number one for a reason so I had to be
ready for every shot.
"It will be a difficult match against
Serena. She's been on fire, she's the
one to beat."
Sharapova, the French Open champion,
will now seek to win her second WTA
Championship title, having also won it
in 2004.
But the French Open champion will face
a tough task in the final, with Williams
having won her last 12 matches against
top-four players.
Williams, who has won six WTA titles
this year - including the Olympics, US
Open and Wimbledon - came into the
day's first semi-final having not
dropped a set, while Radwanska had
played in two three-set matches.
The 23-year-old world number four,
whose match against Sara Errani on
Friday was the longest in the
tournament's history at three hours
and 29 minutes, looked more fatigued
as the contest wore on.
The Pole, runner-up to Williams at
Wimbledon, was broken three times in
each set as the 15-time major
champion secured her 47th win out of
her last 49 matches.
"Those last two matches really killed
me," said Radwanska. "I really wanted
to run, but my legs didn't.
"I was trying, but Serena played too
fast. I couldn't do anything."
Williams, 31, was sympathetic to the
Pole's predicament, saying: "I just told
her it was awesome that she played so
well and played through another match
after playing a good eight hours. It was
really inspiring for me."

MotoGP: Jorge Lorenzo cruises to title as Stoner wins Australian GP

Jorge Lorenzo secured his second
MotoGP world championship as he
finished second in the Australian GP.
Australian Casey Stoner won at Phillip
Island for the sixth year in a row, but
Repsol Honda team-mate Dani Pedrosa
crashed out of the lead.
Pedrosa, who needed to finish ahead of
fellow Spaniard Lorenzo to keep the
title race alive going into the final race of
the season, crashed on lap two.
Briton Cal Crutchlow claimed third, his
second podium finish of the season.
Yamaha rider Lorenzo, who first won
the title in 2010, started the race with a
23-point advantage over Pedrosa and
was as good as handed the title when
Pedrosa crashed out.
Stoner, who retires at the end of the
season, had been dominant from first
practice on Friday and was able to
cruise to a his fifth victory of the season.
"This moment is so sweet for me,"
Lorenzo told BBC Sport. "I've been very
patient and concentrating hard for so
long and now the title has come.
"I was nervous in the last few laps. I
almost crashed in turn two but I
brought it home."
Stoner started from pole position but
was passed going into the first turn by
Lorenzo and Pedrosa.
Pedrosa hit the front at turn five and
Stoner moved into second at the end of
the first lap.
The title was all but settled in dramatic
fashion as Pedrosa ran wide into Honda
corner and lost the front end of his
bike.
Pedrosa, who attempted to rejoin the
race but had to retire, told BBC Sport: "I
was trying hard to win. Sometimes it
goes your way, sometimes it doesn't."
Earlier, Marc Marquez, who is replacing
Stoner at Repsol Honda next year,
sealed the Moto2 title with a third-place
finish.
Pol Espargaro took the race win, with
Australian Anthony West second and
Briton Scott Redding fourth.
New champion Sandro Cortese won the
Moto3 race, with British rider Danny
Kent in fifth.
Australian MotoGP results:
1. Casey Stoner (Aus) Repsol Honda -
41 minutes 1.324 seconds
2. Jorge Lorenzo (Spa) Yamaha -
41:10.547
3. Cal Crutchlow (GB) Tech 3 Yamaha -
41:15.894
4. Andrea Dovizioso (Ita) Tech 3
Yamaha - 41:24.627
5. Alvaro Bautista (Spa) Gresini Honda -
41:24.756
6. Stefan Bradl (Ger) LCR Honda -
41:24.791
7. Valentino Rossi (Ita) Ducati -
41:38.437
8. Nicky Hayden (USA) Ducati -
41:39.711
9. Karel Abraham (Cze) Cardion Ducati -
41:53.937
10. Aleix Espargaro (Spa) Aspar ART -
42:01.623

Begiristain joins Man City

Manchester City have appointed
former Barcelona technical director
Txiki Begiristain as director of football
in a restructuring which sees Brian
Marwood now in charge of the Football
Academy.
Marwood had previously been
responsible for signing players, but his
transfer dealings had been criticised by
manager Roberto Mancini over the
past two summers.
Begiristain will report to City's chief
executive Ferran Soriano - who worked
with him at Barcelona.
Begiristain is a former winger Real
Sociedad, Barcelona and Deportivo
winger who won 22 caps for Spain.
He ended his playing career in the J-
League at the Urawa Red Diamonds,
before spending seven years at the
Nou Camp as Director of Football.

Wilshere happy to be back

Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere was
delighted to get 70 minutes under his
belt to mark the end of a 'long journey'
back from injury.
The 20-year-old featured for the
Gunners for the first time since May
2011 as they beat QPR 1-0 at Emirates
Stadium on Saturday, having spent 17
months on the sidelines with ankle and
knee problems.
Despite his long lay-off, Wilshere was a
star performer for Arsene Wenger's
side, earning the man-of-the-match
award with a composed display in
midfield.
The England international was glad to
be back in front of a home crowd,
having been greeted with a warm
reception on his return.
He told Sky Sports : "It was great to get
a first 70 minutes in front of an
Emirates crowd. It's been a long
journey but I'm back now.
"The Arsenal fans have always been
great to me. I hope they continue to be
great to me in the future."
Wilshere added of his display: "That's
my game, I can't lose that. It's what's
got me here today.
"I need to keep doing that and working
hard in training to get back to the level
I know I can be."

Arsenal sneak late victory

Arsenal left it late to lift the air of
mutiny among the home support with
an unconvincing 1-0 victory over QPR.
Jack Wilshere's promising return from
17 months out looked likely to count
for little until Stephane Mbia's red card
invited a late assault which yielded
Mikel Arteta's bundled winner (84).
And after a week which brought back-
to-back defeats and a barracking for
Arsene Wenger and his board at the
club's AGM, Arteta's intervention
provided a desperately needed morale
boost.
It was also enough to keep QPR
bottom and without a win, denying
Mark Hughes' side a deserved point
which their discipline appeared certain
to bring until Mbia's rash kick at
Thomas Vermaelen left them a man
short.
In the chaotic climax that followed
Arsenal might have had a handful but
for Julio Cesar, while Esteban Granero
and Jamie Mackie both missed one-on-
one opportunities to rescue the draw.
When the dust settles Wenger will
reflect on an afternoon which did little
to support his theory that Arsenal can
challenge for the title, though there
was encouragement in the shape of
Wilshere's return.
The England midfielder had been
pencilled in for Tuesday's Capital One
Cup tie at Reading, and his inclusion
had a hint of expediency given
Wenger's pressing need for a
performance to silence the Emirates'
harsher regulars.
The 20-year-old did not disappoint his
manager, coming close to a first-half
opener with a drop of the shoulder
and low 20-yard shot, while Cesar was
equally edgy dealing with Olivier
Giroud's ambitious drive.
The goalkeeper was beaten altogether
by an Aaron Ramsey header, but the
midfielder's looping attempt from
Bacary Sagna's cross cannoned to
safety off the top of the crossbar.
Rangers slowly emerged as an
attacking force and, after weathering a
fraught second-half spell when Bobby
Zamora came close to an own goal
and Granero was fortunate to stay on,
only a linesman's offside flag denied
Junior Hoilett.
Wilshere succumbed to fatigue as
Wenger threw on Theo Walcott, and
the substitute's right-wing centre broke
for Santi Cazorla, who fired wastefully
high from the penalty spot.
That appeared that, but Mbia's
mindlessness beckoned Arsenal on
and when Cesar parried Giroud's
header Arteta - loitering in what looked
like an offside position - forced in the
rebound at the second time of asking.
Cazorla and Ramsey threatened to end
the argument but it was Rangers who
finished the stronger, Granero skewing
wide on the stretch and Mackie firing
too close to Vito Mannone.

Norwich rally to deny Lambert

Paul Lambert was denied victory over
his former club as Michael Turner
rescued a deserved 1-1 draw for
Norwich at 10-man Aston Villa.
Christian Benteke (27) had set the
hosts on their way to a first league win
in five but Villa were finally made to pay
for Joe Bennett's second-half dismissal
and Turner's finish (79) was just
reward for City's subsequent
dominance.
Lambert had played down his
continuing legal dispute with the
Carrow Road club in the build-up but
it was hard to believe that this, for him,
was just another game: this missed
opportunity will grate.
Tension there may have been in his
dugout but it was sure in evidence on
the pitch for both sides - just two wins
between them so far - as the early play
was pockmarked by loose balls and
careless passes.
Benteke looped an early header
towards John Ruddy's goal and Brett
Holman found the target, but Norwich
had the space and the intent to attack a
defence deep and vulnerable-looking.
Ron Vlaar's nudge on Elliott Bennett in
the box might well have had
consequences (17) but the first key
moment came soon after at the other
end when Grant Holt poked into Wes
Hoolahan's path, only for Brad Guzan
to stop the goalbound clip with his left
leg (22).
The opener came then against the run
of play but Villa cannot be picky these
days and when Benteke controlled Joe
Bennett's cross and gently curled
beyond a stranded Ruddy, the relief
was audible.
Norwich had been given a jolt and
might have got another soon after the
restart had Ruddy not pushed a
Benteke header to safety but Joe
Bennett's sending-off (52) - a push on
Elliott Bennett yielding a second yellow
- gave them unexpected impetus.
Guzan pushed away one Hoolahan
shot, then another, before Robert
Snodgrass came on - superfluous
defender Elliott Bennett the man to
make way - to add further attacking
weight and saw a fierce volley well
blocked.
Villa finally deployed Darren Bent at the
expense of their goalscorer but he
remained on the periphery as his
team-mates tried to combat chaos in
their box, Vlaar's block denying
Snodgrass what surely seemed the
equaliser.
Instead parity came from the resulting
corner, Hoolahan affording Turner a
header that drifted tantalisingly
towards the far post and crossed the
line via the goalframe.
This was professional as well as
personal for Lambert - a chance to still
the dissenting voices after Villa's worst
start to a season in more than 25 years
- but he and his side exited to boos,
just one win in 19 now to their names.
Norwich fans gleefully chanted 'there's
only one Chris Hughton' but their new
man too has work to do, their side just
three points off the drop zone.

Lacklustre City edge Swansea

Manchester City emerged from a
European hangover to maintain their
unbeaten league record with a 1-0
defeat of Swansea at the Etihad.
Second-best for 45 minutes as a
subdued home support took stock of
their side's Champions League
troubles, City improved after half-time
and took the points thanks to a Carlos
Tevez goal (61).
The Argentine's first in nine games
delivered just a second win in five
home games, and the impression
remains that Roberto Mancini's
champions are some way from hitting
last season's stride despite sitting just
a point off top spot.
And there was further discomfort for
the manager when Micah Richards
followed Swansea goalkeeper Michel
Vorm in departing on a stretcher with
what appeared a serious injury.
Mancini went with four at the back
after his brief flirtation with three
centre-backs at Ajax brought a baffled
response, but City's defenders looked
ill-at-ease even in their favoured 4-4-2
formation.
The visitors made the better chances,
and only some uncharacteristically
hesitant finishing from Michu
prevented the home side paying for
the kind of careless defending which
characterised the midweek defeat in
Holland.
Twice before the break Richards got
round from right-back in the nick of
time to cover his wayward colleagues,
and twice more Michu found it all too
easy to latch on to through balls from
midfield.
Sadly for the Spaniard his emphatic
finish past Joe Hart was ruled out for
offside, and when Ki Sung-Yueng sent
him away again a heavy touch allowed
Hart to intervene.
Swansea had not kept a clean sheet
since the season's second weekend,
but it took City 38 minutes to muster
anything like a shot on target and even
then Tevez's low effort was easy for
Vorm.
Michu again picked out Hart with a
headed chance after the break, but
Mancini's half-time rocket had an effect
and Tevez's next attempt was
altogether more successful as his
dipping 20-yarder defeated Vorm's
dive.
The keeper's awkward landing ended
his involvement, and Richards then
went down clutching his knee -
worryingly, with no opponent in the
vicinity.
Lengthy treatment for both left
Swansea 12 minutes to find an
equaliser at the end of the Premier
League's longest game, but it was
Mario Balotelli who came closest to a
second goal with the last kick.

Norwich rally to deny Lambert

Paul Lambert was denied victory over
his former club as Michael Turner
rescued a deserved 1-1 draw for
Norwich at 10-man Aston Villa.
Christian Benteke (27) had set the
hosts on their way to a first league win
in five but Villa were finally made to pay
for Joe Bennett's second-half dismissal
and Turner's finish (79) was just
reward for City's subsequent
dominance.
Lambert had played down his
continuing legal dispute with the
Carrow Road club in the build-up but
it was hard to believe that this, for him,
was just another game: this missed
opportunity will grate.
Tension there may have been in his
dugout but it was sure in evidence on
the pitch for both sides - just two wins
between them so far - as the early play
was pockmarked by loose balls and
careless passes.
Benteke looped an early header
towards John Ruddy's goal and Brett
Holman found the target, but Norwich
had the space and the intent to attack a
defence deep and vulnerable-looking.
Ron Vlaar's nudge on Elliott Bennett in
the box might well have had
consequences (17) but the first key
moment came soon after at the other
end when Grant Holt poked into Wes
Hoolahan's path, only for Brad Guzan
to stop the goalbound clip with his left
leg (22).
The opener came then against the run
of play but Villa cannot be picky these
days and when Benteke controlled Joe
Bennett's cross and gently curled
beyond a stranded Ruddy, the relief
was audible.
Norwich had been given a jolt and
might have got another soon after the
restart had Ruddy not pushed a
Benteke header to safety but Joe
Bennett's sending-off (52) - a push on
Elliott Bennett yielding a second yellow
- gave them unexpected impetus.
Guzan pushed away one Hoolahan
shot, then another, before Robert
Snodgrass came on - superfluous
defender Elliott Bennett the man to
make way - to add further attacking
weight and saw a fierce volley well
blocked.
Villa finally deployed Darren Bent at the
expense of their goalscorer but he
remained on the periphery as his
team-mates tried to combat chaos in
their box, Vlaar's block denying
Snodgrass what surely seemed the
equaliser.
Instead parity came from the resulting
corner, Hoolahan affording Turner a
header that drifted tantalisingly
towards the far post and crossed the
line via the goalframe.
This was professional as well as
personal for Lambert - a chance to still
the dissenting voices after Villa's worst
start to a season in more than 25 years
- but he and his side exited to boos,
just one win in 19 now to their names.
Norwich fans gleefully chanted 'there's
only one Chris Hughton' but their new
man too has work to do, their side just
three points off the drop zone.

Robson-Kanu rescues Reading

Substitute Hal Robson-Kanu struck a
late leveller to grab struggling Reading
a dramatic 3-3 draw with Fulham at the
Madejski Stadium.
Fulham seemed sure to take the points
with a minute left courtesy of Dimitar
Berbatov's expert finish, but Robson-
Kanu bundled home at the death to
ensure a draw.
Brian McDermott's hosts - without a
Premier League win this season - were
bright early on and would have led but
for Pavel Pogrebnyak heading
wastefully wide from three yards out.
At the other end, Berbatov began to
drop slightly deeper to link up play,
and the Bulgarian had flown a warning
shot over from 25 yards by the time he
teed up for Mahamadou Diarra to do
the same.
In the event, it was Mikele Leigertwood
who found the net first - the midfielder
striding onto Jobi McAnuff's lay-off and
flying a sweet drive into the top corner
from 20 yards.
Damien Duff wasted an inviting chance
to equalise just before the break when
he sent Kieran Richardson's cut-back
wide of goal, and Jason Roberts nearly
punished his folly early in the second
period when his effort was smothered
by Mark Schwarzer.
But on the hour, substitute Bryan Ruiz
announced himself with a stunning 20-
yard strike that gave Alex McCarthy no
chance - and Fulham continued to look
the more threatening as Berbatov
dragged into the side-netting.
Home fans fell silent with 13 minutes
left when Chris Baird nodded home
John Arne Riise's corner from close-
range - but three goals in the final five
minutes meant proceedings were far
from over.
Garath McCleary, also on as a
substitute, benefited from Roberts'
miscontrol to convert from eight yards
with an assured finish, only for the
Cottagers to surge ahead again when
Berbatov bent home beautifully in the
88th minute.
But with the clock ticking into injury
time, Nicky Shorey whipped a free-kick
to the far post and as the visiting
defence struggled to hack the ball
clear, Robson-Kanu popped up to
force home from two yards and bag a
morale-boosting point.

Wigan off the mark at home

Wigan won at home in the Premier
League for the first time this season
with a 2-1 victory over West Ham.
Ivan Ramis volleyed the hosts into an
eighth-minute lead and James
McArthur profited from a loose ball
two minutes after the break to earn the
Latics a first win since their 4-1 League
Cup rout of the same opponents a
month ago.
Sam Allardyce's side had made their
best start for 13 years but with their
muscular approach all-too predictable,
the win that would have propelled
them fourth never looked likely.
It was typical, Allardyce will no doubt
muse, that Ramis - a man he tried to
sign in the summer - did the early
damage but his own side's cutting
edge was in scant supply and James
Tomkins' late header was a mere
consolation.
Wigan had set the early tempo, Arouna
Kone a common denominator in West
Ham worries but the breakthrough
came from an unlikelier source and so
sweetly did Ramis meet Jean
Beausejour's corner, there were surely
gasps amid the cheers.
The defender might have undone his
fine work with a blatant check on
Mohamed Diame in a dangerous area
but Mark Noble curled harmlessly
against the wall.
An Andy Carroll flick gave ex-Newcastle
team-mate Kevin Nolan a sniff, while
another knockdown afforded James
Collins an effort on goal, scuffed
though it was.
But the visitors' best chance to restore
parity came from the left flank, Matt
Jarvis's inswinging cross only narrowly
evading the right boot of Yossi
Benayoun (32).
Wigan had ample further chances of
their own, Beausejour and James
McCarthy denied from range, but
breathing space came and was timely,
McArthur drilling home Shaun
Maloney's lay-off two minutes after the
restart.
Allardyce called for the fresh legs of
Modibo Maiga but the striker's first
touch was a shot dragged horribly
wide and when a deep cross dropped
into Carroll's path soon after, the big
forward swiped at air.
Carlton Cole and Gary O'Neil entered
the fray as Allardyce tinkered again in
search of late reward but Nolan saw
his shot blocked, Cole his header loop
high and shoulders sagged.
Gary Caldwell stood firm in the home
rearguard as West Ham got desperate
but a late Tomkins volley came back off
the bar, rendering his looping header
seconds later (90+3) a footnote.

Sunderland held at Britannia

Sunderland are still searching for their
first Premier League away win after
they were held to a hard-fought 0-0
draw by Stoke.
Martin O'Neill's men twice appealed
for a penalty in the second half, but
Stoke could have snatched it in the
dying stages as Peter Crouch was
denied by Simon Mignolet.
Both sides struggled to settle at a
blustery Britannia and Michael Kightly
spurned an early opening for Stoke
with a mishit cross, while Sunderland's
Craig Gardner could not pick out Jack
Colback with a low centre.
The Potters' prowess from set-pieces is
no secret and Mignolet was forced to
punch away Charlie Adam's curling
free-kick before he got down well to
save Ryan Shawcross' follow up effort.
Kightly tried to add spark to Stoke with
a run and shot that was headed
behind by Carlos Cuellar and the
Sunderland defender was soon in
action at the other end, nodding wide
from Sebastian Larsson's free-kick.
The Black Cats were coping well with
the hosts' aerial threat and Mignolet
again elected to punch clear when
Adam's cross took a wicked deflection.
Stoke soon suffered a setback in the
second half as Marc Wilson was
stretchered off with a nasty looking
injury and their reshuffled defence was
almost breached when Adam Johnson
fired narrowly over from long-range.
Sunderland were playing with more
attacking purpose and they appealed in
vain for a penalty when Colback
crashed into Shawcross in the box.
But the Black Cats were given brief
cause for concern when Geoff
Cameron broke into the box and
picked out Adam, who failed to trouble
Mignolet with a chipped effort.
A scrappy contest finally came to life in
the closing stages and Sunderland's
shouts for a spot-kick were again
shunned by referee Mark Halsey after
Stephen Fletcher's drive hit Huth's arm.
It was then Stoke's turn to push for a
breakthrough as Huth's close-range
header drew a reaction save from
Mignolet.
And the Potters nearly pinched it in
stoppage-time when Mignolet rushed
out to claw the ball away from Crouch
before Kightly scuffed wide.

Vettel top again in India

Sebastian Vettel was the pacesetter once again in third
practice ahead of qualifying at the Indian Grand Prix on
Saturday.
The defending World Champion and current leader
continued to show an ominous turn of pace at the Buddh
International Circuit, lapping the 5.125km track in a time
of one minute 25.842 seconds.
That time was set on the hard tyre fairly early in the
session. Jenson Button led the chase of drivers on the
faster soft compound Pirelli, but he could only move
0.192s off Vettel's pace.
Red Bull team-mate Mark Webber was third quickest
ahead of Lewis Hamilton. Like Vettel, Hamilton did not
improve on the soft tyre but with McLaren second and
fourth on the timesheets, it suggests they may have
improved their single-lap pace compared with Friday.
It was a more muted session for Ferrari, though.
Fernando Alonso managed the seventh fastest time,
behind the Williams of Bruno Senna, with team-mate
Felipe Massa 11th.
Alonso and Massa lapped in close company during the
hour offering the suggestion that, as at Monza, they may
even try slipstreaming on the track's two long straights
during qualifying in an attempt to minimise the expected
performance loss to their main rivals.
Elsewhere, Kimi Raikkonen was fifth for Lotus while Nico
Hulkenberg (Force India), Michael Schumacher
(Mercedes) and Romain Grosjean completed the top 10.
Hulkenberg's team-mate Paul di Resta was 14th.

Mata aims to dominate United

Chelsea playmaker Juan Mata feels
Sunday's game with Manchester United
is already a vital game in the title race.
The Premier League leaders host
United at Stamford Bridge after losing
to Shakhtar Donetsk in the UEFA
Champions League in midweek but
Mata remains confident of an
influential victory.
"This type of match is worth more than
three points," Mata told SkySports.com.
"This could influence the title because
it is key to defeat Manchester United
on Sunday.
"The team is shocked by the defeat in
Donetsk but now is the moment to
bring joy back to the fans. I am
convinced that the defeat in Ukraine
was an accident. We are still in a good
position for us to qualify."
He added: "United are always a hard
rival that never concedes chances on
the field. We are prepared for the
battle."
The 24-year-old Spain international
believes the Blues are a better team
this season and is already looking to
inflict a psychological blow to United's
title hopes that could prove significant
in May.
"Chelsea have made an excellent start
in the Premier League," said the former
Valencia man. "I see the team having a
better chance of winning the title than
last season.
"How do you win against Manchester
United? With our style of play and
domination of the ball. The onus is on
Chelsea and this is the danger because
I do not believe that United will come
on the field and go all-out attack.
"Since my arrival in English football I
have noticed that those matches are
specials. Mentally the defeated team
are affected and we want to increase
the gap between us and United.
"This Chelsea team have things very
clear. We desire to be champions of
the Premier League."

Fergie anxious to limit gap

Sir Alex Ferguson is determined not to
allow Chelsea to open up a gap on his
Manchester United team.
United take on the Premier League
leaders at Stamford Bridge on Sunday
and after already losing to Tottenham
and Everton this season Ferguson is
keen to keep up the pressure on one
of the three teams he thinks can win
the title.
"We don't want a gap to open," said
Ferguson. "This could be a league
where you will suffer if you lose bad
ones.
"We couldn't afford to lose the
Tottenham one the way we did. If we
get any more of that we will be in
trouble. There are lot of big games still
to come of course and I think it will be
close.
"But Chelsea, City and ourselves are
creating that little gap from the rest and
whilst I cannot be dead certain, I
would be surprised if one of us didn't
win it. Chelsea are undefeated, which
gives you an idea of the level of
consistency they have produced."
With Chelsea and City both losing their
UEFA Champions League matches in
midweek it has been suggested that
being able to focus on the Premier
League could be a significant
advantage in the spring.
But Ferguson believes fighting on all
fronts is always the best way to be
successful.
"It is never a good thing to lose a game
of football," he added. "If you are
knocked out of the Champions League
it would not be a good thing. If you
were knocked out of Europe
completely it would be even worse.
"We are better when we are playing in
all the competitions. I much prefer
that."

Berlusconi jailed for fraud

AC Milan owner and former Italy Prime
Minister Silvio Berlusconi has been
sentenced to jail for tax evasion.
A four-year sentence has been
reduced to one year due to a 2006
amnesty law aimed at reducing prison
overcrowding.
Berlusconi, 76, is expected to appeal
against the sentence - the first he has
been given after a number of previous
trials and inquiries found in his favour -
and is unlikely to go to prison due to
his age, the lengthy appeals process
and statute of limitations
The media tycoon, who has also been
barred from holding public office for
three years, was not in the courtroom
for the verdict on the case which stems
from dealings in his Mediaset business
empire.
The prosecution had claimed
Berlusconi - and 10 other defendants -
had bought television rights for US
films through a series of offshore
companies, before falsely declaring the
payments in order to avoid taxes.
Berlusconi was Italy's longest-serving
post-war Prime Minister, but he
resigned last November over his
country's debt crisis.
He remained AC Milan's president and
owner, as well as Italy's richest man. It
is not clear yet what the consequences
of Berlusconi's sentence will be for the
Rossoneri.

Rio offered West Ham return

West Ham United manager Sam
Allardyce has offered Rio Ferdinand a
route back to Upton Park.
The 33-year-old defender is in the last
year of his current deal at Manchester
United, although Sir Alex Ferguson has
confirmed he would like him to stay at
Old Trafford.
However, Allardyce has now confirmed
that the door is open for Ferdinand to
return to the club where he began his
career and played over 150 games
before leaving for Leeds United in
2000.
"If it's at the end of the season and he
hasn't got a new contract and he is
released by Manchester United, then
we would be interested," said
Allardyce.
"If he wants to live back in London
eventually, which is where he comes
from, which you know quite a few
players want to do when they come to
the end of their careers, that is an
advantage for us.
"It depends entirely on Rio or which
other clubs might be interested in
him."

Mancini unfazed by criticism

Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini
has hit back at question marks raised
over his tactical decisions.
The Italian's decision to switch
formation drew criticism after the
English champions plummeted to the
foot of their Champions League group
with a 3-1 defeat in Amsterdam on
Wednesday.
City defender Micah Richards claimed
in the aftermath that the players were
confused having been asked to change
to a back three during the game,
stating it was "not something that
we've worked on a lot" and that "the
players prefer a 4-4-2."
But Mancini said: "If you are a top
player, it's not important which system
you use. If you don't understand, you
can't play for a top team.
"I don't want to speak about Micah
because I don't think he said this. He
answered questions. It's not
important. I understand you should
write about this, but for me it's not
important what Micah said after the
game.
"We work every day and all the players
know the system. When you are on the
bench and 2-1 away, the manager
should do something from the bench.
We wanted to play more offensively
and we conceded a third because of a
mistake."

Kagawa injury rocks United

Manchester United midfielder Shinji
Kagawa has been ruled out for three
to four weeks by a knee injury.
The Japan star, 23, twisted awkwardly
during Tuesday's thrilling 3-2
comeback win over Braga in the
Champions League and subsequent
scans have confirmed damage to the
ligaments.
Kagawa has made an encouraging
start to life at Old Trafford since signing
from Borussia Dortmund over the
summer in a deal set to rise to £17m,
and his absence is likely to result in
Tom Cleverley starting further forward
in Sunday's clash with Chelsea.
Better news for Red Devils boss Sir Alex
Ferguson comes in the forms of Chris
Smalling and Phil Jones, who will
return to training next week having
finally overcome a broken metatarsal
and knee trouble respectively.
Meanwhile, Ferguson has backed
defender Rio Ferdinand over his joint
statement with brother Anton on the
continuing row over racism in football.
The Scot said: "I was pleased he did
that, him and his brother. Awareness is
rising, the problem isn't going to go
away but I think the FA need to work
harder especially with UEFA. But for
now we need to be concentrating on
football."

Lance Armstrong: Bradley Wiggins fears American may never confess

Tour de France winner Bradley
Wiggins believes Lance Armstrong
may never confess to doping because
he is "stubborn" and has "too much
to lose".
Wiggins said Armstrong should come
clean to prevent further damage to
cycling's tarnished image.
Armstrong has been stripped of seven
Tour de France titles and banned for life
for doping offences.
Wiggins said: "You realise as you grow
up that Father Christmas doesn't exist.
That was always the case with Lance."
A United States Anti-Doping Agency
(Usada) report called the American a
"serial" cheat who led "the most
sophisticated, professionalised and
successful doping programme that
sport has ever seen".
Armstrong has kept quiet since Usada's
report was published earlier this
month.
Asked whether Armstrong should
confess, Wiggins told BBC Sport: "I think
so yeah, yeah, definitely.
"But everyone knows he's a stubborn
man. He has too much to lose, but the
evidence speaks for itself. [It] looks
overwhelming.
"There's a lot of anger. It's a shame
cycling has being dragged through this
again. It had to come out.
"Us riders here now - and I think I speak
for all of us - we're the ones picking the
pieces up and having to convince
people the sport has changed.
"It's difficult to convince people
because of the precedent that's been
set and I haven't got the answer, other
than to do what I'm doing."
Wiggins's fellow Briton Mark Cavendish
described revelations about Armstrong
as "frustrating", but insisted cycling is
one of the cleanest sports.
"If you've done something, confess," he
said. "That anyone can damage the
sport I love right now, it's frustrating."
Despite evidence of widespread
systematic doping in the past,
Cavendish maintains that cycling only
appears to have more dopers because
the testing is much more stringent than
in other sports and insisted there are
cheats in "every walk of life".
He told BBC Sport's Matt Slater: "There
are cheats in entertainment, journalists
cheat, every single sport has cheats.
"If you put the effort into catching them
and you have a structure that does
things properly, you're going to catch a
cheat.
"It doesn't happen in other sports, not
because they are clean, but because it's
not got the structure cycling has. In my
eyes, cycling is the cleanest sport."
Cavendish said he respected those such
as Great Britain team-mate David Millar
who have openly discussed their
doping and therefore played a part in
trying to clean up the sport.
"I've worked with David Millar,"
Cavendish said. "This guy's remorseful.
He's repented."
He also praised others, including his
former HTC-Highroad team manager
Rolf Aldag, who admitted to doping
during his time as a rider.
"These guys care about the sport," he
said. "They ruin their reputation to
move the sport on, but other people
care more about themselves."
In his candid interview with BBC Sport,
Cavendish also said he felt let down by
Team Sky, arguing he was misled by the
British-based team into believing they
would compete for the green jersey -
awarded to the rider with the most
points, usually won by sprinters - in
tours.
The Manx sprinter, 27, said he joined
Team Sky in 2011 believing he would be
able to battle it out for the green jersey
in the Tour de France points
competition, but ended up taking a
back seat as team-mate Wiggins
secured overall victory and the yellow
jersey.
"I wouldn't have gone to Sky in the first
place if they had said you're not going
to win the green next year," Cavendish
said.
"If I wanted to go just for green, I
wouldn't have gone to Sky anyway, but
we had this idea of yellow and green
and that it was two British riders on a
British team backed by British sponsors.
"That was a big thing for me. I'm a
patriotic lad."
Cavendish said Sky's decision not to go
for green "kind of threw what my whole
career is about into turmoil", but said
he would not rule out a return to the
Dave Brailsford-led team in the future.
"The best thing I did was go [leave
Sky]," added the 2011 world road race
champion, who will ride for Omega
Pharma-QuickStep in 2013.
"I wanted to stay friends. I wouldn't rule
out ever going back, but that's up to
them. I had a wicked time and was part
of history."

Champions League round-up: Dortmund beat Real Madrid

Borussia Dortmund top Champions
League Group D after an impressive
2-1 victory over Spanish champions
Real Madrid.
Robert Lewandowski's opening goal for
the German side was quickly cancelled
out by Cristiano Ronaldo but Marcel
Schmelzer gave Dortmund the win.
Porto and Malaga extended their 100%
win record in this season's competition
to top their respective groups.
Porto beat Dynamo Kiev 3-2 in Group A
while Malaga secured a 1-0 home win
over AC Milan in Group C.
It was an another impressive victory for
Malaga, who missed a 45th-minute
penalty before beating the seven-time
European champions.
Joaquin Sanchez was the guilty man,
hammering his spot-kick against the
crossbar after Kevin Constant had
brought down Jesus Gamez.
But Sanchez made amends midway
through the second half when he fired
Manuel Iturra's lob pass past
goalkeeper Marco Amelia from a tight
angle.
The Italian side remain second in Group
C, after Zenit St Petersburg beat
Anderlecht 1-0, Alexander Kerzhakov
scoring from the spot following Milan
Jovanovic's foul on Alexander Anyukov.
Porto led three times against Dynamo
Kiev at the Estadio do Dragao, with
Jackson Martinez's strike 12 minutes
from time proving decisive.
Before that, Silvestre Varela had
pounced on Lucho Gonzalez's cut-back
to give the 2004 champions the lead,
which was cancelled out by Oleg
Gusev's close-range header.
Porto, intent on maintaining their best
European start since the 1999-2000
season, regained the initiative when
Colombian Martinez collected James
Rodriguez's through-ball and rounded
Yevgen Khacheridy before shooting
past visiting keeper Alexander
Shovkovskiy.
Brown Ideye put Dynamo back level
with a shot that deflected in off home
player Helton but Porto would not be
denied as Martinez grabbed his second
of the game to claim the points.
Paris St Germain are second in Group
A, three points behind Porto, after
goals from Zlatan Ibrahimovic - his 12th
of the season for club and country -
and Jeremy Menez gave them a 2-0 win
at Dinamo Zagreb.
In Dortmund, Jurgen Klopp's side
ensured Real Madrid's shocking record
on German soil continued.
The Spanish side have suffered 17
defeats in 24 games in the country, with
their sole win coming 12 years ago.
They looked to have given themselves a
chance of claiming something from the
game when Ronaldo lifted the ball over
keeper Roman Weidenfeller and into
the net to equalise barely two minutes
after Lewandowski had fired the home
side ahead.
But Borussia were the more positive
side and were rewarded when
Schmelzer fired home from the edge of
the area on 64 minutes.
"It feels overwhelming. It was a
sensational evening, and you can only
imagine something like this in your
wildest dreams," said Dortmund coach
Jurgen Klopp.
Madrid boss Jose Mourinho said: "It
was a strange match. Neither team was
better, but it was an incredibly difficult
game.
"They were very organised and
defended very well. Dortmund deserved
the victory, but we had our chances to
win the game."
Group B is much tighter now following
Arsenal's home defeat by Schalke and
Olympiakos's last-gasp victory at
Montpellier.
Kostas Mitroglou's injury-time strike
gave the Greeks their first points in this
season's competition after Vasilis
Torosidis had equalised Gaetan
Charbonnier's opener for the home
side.
Olympiakos are now three points
behind second-placed Arsenal, who
trail leaders Schalke by a point.
Montpellier are bottom with one point.