timesofmalta.com

Arsenal grab CLeague spot ahead of Spurs

Mon, 20 May 2013 00:15:00 +0200

Arsenal claimed the final Champions League spot at the expense of their arch rivals Tottenham Hotspur on the last day of the Premier League season yesterday with a 1-0 win at Newcastle United. Defender Laurent Koscielny put visitors Arsenal ahead in the 52nd minute to secure fourth place with 73 points, one point ahead of fifth-placed Spurs who mustered a late goal from Gareth Bale to beat Sunderland 1-0 at White Hart Lane. Chelsea sealed third place on 75 points with a 2-1 win at home to Everton. Manchester United had already been crowned champions and their attention was on giving retiring manager Alex Ferguson a send-off to remember but as the goals rained in they could not give him a win as they drew 5-5 at West Bromwich Albion. Last year’s champions Manchester City finished 11 points behind United in second after a 3-2 defeat at home to Norwich City. With first and second place decided some time ago and all three relegation spots already determined, the burning issue of the day centred on who would grab the final top-four place. Discounting the highly improbable mathematical possibilities, it boiled down to a battle between north London’s big foes Arsenal and...

Mancini deserved more time – Keegan

Mon, 20 May 2013 00:14:00 +0200

Former Manchester City manager Kevin Keegan was surprised by the timing of Roberto Mancini’s sacking. Keegan, who managed City between 2001 and 2005, admitted the club had failed to build on the success of winning the Premier League and said that was not entirely Mancini’s fault. A year to the day that City won a thrilling final-day game against QPR to pip rivals Manchester United to the title, Mancini was told his services were no longer required. Keegan told BBC Radio 5 Live’s Sportsweek programme: “(It’s) surprising if you look at the length of time, but if you look at what’s happening in football now (it’s) not surprising at all. “It was a season where they (the club and the manager) didn’t build on the last season. They did not make any progress and, in fact, they took a step backwards.” Keegan felt City should have gone on to more success after Mancini added the Premier League title to the FA Cup and Community Shield. “They made a mistake in that they didn’t strengthen the side in the right way having won something. The signings this season have been poor and that’s what cost them.” Keegan felt claims that falling out with City’s players had cost Mancini his job were a...

Milan secure CLeague play-off spot with late goals

Mon, 20 May 2013 00:13:00 +0200

Milan dramatically snatched a Champions League play-off spot last night after scoring twice in the last 10 minutes to beat relegated Siena 2-1, the first of them a hugely controversial Mario Balotelli penalty. Seven-times European champions Milan, needing a win to clinch third place, fell behind to a 25th minute goal by Claudio Terzi. Milan suffered another blow on 68 minutes when Massimo Ambrosini was sent off for a second bookable offence but, two minutes later, Siena were also reduced to 10 men after Christian Terlizzi was dismissed, also for two yellow cards. Massimiliano Allegri’s team looked unlikely to score until Balotelli went down in the area and Milan were awarded a penalty which he converted in the 84th minute. Three minutes later, Philippe Mexes scored the winner following a free-kick which Siena were also angry about. Milan finished third on 72 points, two ahead of Fiorentina who thumped Pescara 5-1. Vincenzo Montella’s side saw off their relegated hosts with ease thanks to a hat-trick from Adem Ljajic and goals from Stevan Jovetic and Matias Fernandez. Marco Vittiglio scored a consolation for the hosts, but there was no consoling Fiorentina at the final whistle as...

St Andrew’s close in on Barbosa

Mon, 20 May 2013 00:12:00 +0200

Brazilian midfielder William Barbosa is expected to leave Valletta as he’s in advanced talks to take over as player-coach of Division One club St Andrew’s. Sources told Times of Malta that St Andrew’s are very keen on securing the services of Barbosa as they are confident that he has the talent and experience to fulfil the dual role of player and coach. St Andrew’s, who finished fifth in the Division One league, have been looking for a new coach after Wayne Attard stepped down at the end of the season. Attard is being linked with a post in the Malta FA youth sector. Barbosa’s second, and probably final, season with Valletta came to an end on Saturday after the Citizens were knocked out of the FA Trophy following a 3-2 defeat to Hibernians in the semi-finals. The 34-year-old Brazilian, regarded as one of the best foreign players in the Premier League, was instrumental in Valletta’s title success last season but was unable to make the same impact this term as the Whites struggled for consistency.

In Scotland

Mon, 20 May 2013 00:11:00 +0200

Premier LeagueDundee Utd 0 - Celtic 4Ross County 1 - Inverness 0St Johnstone 2 Motherwell 0 Final standings P W D L F A Pts Celtic 38 24 7 7 92 35 79 Motherwell 38 18 9 11 67 51 63 St Johnstone 38 14 14 10 45 44 56 Inverness 38 13 15 10 64 60 54 Ross County 38 13 14 11 47 48 53 Dundee Utd 38 11 14 13 51 62 47 Hibernian 38 13 12 13 49 52 51 Aberdeen 38 11 15 12 41 43 48 Kilmarnock 38 11 12 15 52 53 45 Hearts 38 11 11 16 40 49 44 St Mirren 38 9 14 15 47 60 41 FC Dundee 38 7 9 22 28 66 30 Division OnePlay-offs final second legDunfermline 1 - Alloa 0 (Alloa win 3-1 on aggregate) Division TwoPlay-offs final second legPeterhead 0 - East Fife 1 (East Fife win 1-0 on aggregate)

Football results

Mon, 20 May 2013 00:10:00 +0200

Primera LigaLevante vs Rayo Vallecano 2-3; Deportivo vs Espanyol 2-0; R. Zaragoza vs A. Bilbao 1-2; Barcelona vs R. Valladolid 2-1; Sevilla vs R. Sociedad 1-2. Today (22.00): R. Mallorca vs R. Betis. Leading standings: Barcelona 94; R. Madrid 81; A. Madrid 72; R. Sociedad, Valencia 62; Malaga 54; R. Betis 52; R. Vallecano 49. Ligue 1Nice vs Lyon 1-1. Leading standings: PSG 80; Marseille 70; Lyon 64; St Etienne 62; Nice, Lille 61.

Emotional swansong for Beckham

Mon, 20 May 2013 00:09:00 +0200

A capacity crowd chanting his name, the Eiffel Tower in the background: even by his own glamorous standards, David Beckham got a special send-off on Saturday night as he headed into retirement with another title in the bag. “Tonight was a nice way to go out, in front of my family and in front of the capacity crowd who were excited because we won the league,” the 38-year-old former England captain told reporters after his 10th and probably final Ligule 1 appearance. “The celebrations were incredible so it’s a nice way to walk off the pitch,” he added, having wiped away a few tears when he was substituted in the 81st minute of a 3-1 win against Stade Brest at the Parc des Princes. “It started 20 minutes before, the emotion started kicking in; it was hard to run, let alone kick a ball,” said Beckham who was made captain for the game. “It was an emotional night, to see the reaction of the players, to see the reaction of the fans when I came off was special. “I did feel good (physically) but I know it’s the right time,” added Beckham, the only English player to have won league titles in four countries – England, Spain, United States and France. PSG, who sealed their first league title...

Ancelotti wants to leave PSG says Leonardo

Mon, 20 May 2013 00:08:00 +0200

Reported Real Madrid target Carlo Ancelotti has asked to be released from his contract at Paris St Germain, according to sporting director Leonardo. The Italian coach has just led big-spending PSG to their first Ligue 1 title in 19 years, as well as a Champions League quarter-final. But in a meeting with Leo-nardo and chairman Nasser al-Khelaifi yesterday, Ancelotti told the pair he wishes to leave “for Madrid”, said Leonardo. A vacancy is expected to materialise at Real Madrid this summer, with speculation continuing to link their coach Jose Mourinho with a return to his former club Chelsea. Leonardo told L’Equipe: “Carlo has asked to leave for Real Madrid but we want him to stay. No decision has been taken, we listened to Carlo and we will have to see. The priority is still that he stays. We have not contacted any other coaches.” Ancelotti has been granted near unlimited spending power by Al-Khelaifi and his Qatar Sports Investments consortium, which allowed him to build a new attacking line-up around Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Ezequiel Lavezzi and Javier Pastore last summer. Despite that, Ancelotti may feel a move to the Bernabeu would offer him a better chance to achieve Champions...

Football news

Mon, 20 May 2013 00:07:00 +0200

France left-back Gael Clichy has signed a new four-year contract with Manchester City that will keep him at the English Premier League team until 2017. “I’m really happy to have agreed a new deal and I’m already looking forward to next season,” Clichy told the club’s website. “Things didn’t go the way we wanted this year but we’ll come back stronger next season and learn from this experience,” he said of City’s second-place finish. Clichy, 27, joined City from Arsenal for £7m in July 2011. Trouble mars Belgrade derby Fan violence outside Partizan’s stadium overshadowed a tepid Belgrade derby that the league leaders won 1-0 against Red Star on Saturday thanks to a stunning late free-kick from Milos Jojic. More than 90 fans were arrested before the match after Partizan’s team bus was pelted with rocks when approaching the stadium and rival supporters also fought running battles on Belgrade’s outskirts, Serbian police said in a statement. “The incidents, including a few minor scuffles, resulted in the arrest of 92 individuals, three of whom were juveniles,” it said. Hummels in doubt for final Borussia Dortmund centre-back Mats Hummels could miss the Champions League final after...

Sporting briefs

Mon, 20 May 2013 00:06:00 +0200

Porto: Porto clinched their 27th Portuguese league title with a 2-0 away win against Pacos de Ferreira yesterday. Argentine playmaker Lucho Gonzalez fired in from the spot after 23 minutes and Colombia’s Jackson Martinez extended the lead in the second half to give Porto a third consecutive title. Second-placed Benfica beat Moreirense at home but ended the season one point behind the champions. Porto have now won 14 out of the last 20 championships. Twente: Late goals from Felipe Gutierrez and Nacer Chadli earned Twente Enschede a 3-2 win over Groningen yesterday, securing a 4-2 aggregate victory and a place in the Dutch play-off final for a Europa League berth. Twente will host Utrecht, who beat Heerenveen 3-1 on aggregate, on Thursday with the return next Sunday. Anderlecht: Anderlecht played out a 1-1 draw with nearest challengers Zulte-Waregem yesterday to clinch their 32nd Belgian league title. The hosts came into the Pro League decider with a two-point cushion at the summit and knowing they only needed to avoid defeat to be sure of wrapping up top spot in the championship play-off. Boca Juniors: Boca Juniors ended a record worst run of 12 successive league matches without a...

City livid as Paolites have final word in tetchy clash

Kevin Azzopardi, National Stadium — Sun, 19 May 2013 00:15:00 +0200

Valletta 2Toure 45+ pen; Briffa 90;Hibernians 3Failla 38, 45; Edison 66; This tetchy, engrossing semi-final encapsulated Valletta’s rollercoaster season. It had everything, five goals, two penalties and three red cards but at the end of 90 scintillating minutes, the Valletta players and fans left the stadium feeling dejected and cursing their ill-luck. Driven on by the inspirational Ryan Fenech, Valletta had been the brighter side for much of the first half, storming into Hibernians whose self-belief and confidence looked to have been irreparably damaged by their upset to Birkirkara in the title decider the previous week. The FA Trophy represented the only hope of silverware for these two contenders but, for much of the opening 37 minutes, Valletta showed more hunger and desire to reach the final only for their efforts to be undone by a lapse in concentration at the back and the ensuing incidents in three minutes of sheer madness. Jason Lee Vandelannoite and goalkeeper Manuel Bartolo were banished to the stands by referee Clayton Pisani for different offences and the erstwhile low-key Hibs made the most of their luck by taking the lead, Clayton Failla stroking the ball home after...

The goodbyes keep on coming

James Calvert — Sun, 19 May 2013 00:14:00 +0200

I don’t think I can remember a season where so many football legends have decided to walk away from the game at the same time. Players and managers retire every season. Of course they do. But you wouldn’t normally expect more than one or two big names to depart each year. However, this season it feels like they are queuing up to get out of the sport. Sir Alex Ferguson is obviously top of the list. His decision to abdicate his Old Trafford throne after 27 years in charge of United sent shockwaves through the game. Slightly less shocking, but equally significant, were the announcements that three of England’s greatest players of their generation – Paul Scholes, Jamie Carragher and Michael Owen – would be hanging up their boots. The contribution this trio has made to the English game over the past 15 years or so has been immense. Then, just as we were coming to terms with those four farewells, a fifth and equally dramatic name was added to the list: David Beckham. To be fair, this was not entirely unexpected. Beckham is 38 and, despite his brilliant fitness levels, time was inevitably going to catch up with him sooner or later. But the very fact that he is bowing out while playing...

Arsenal and Spurs battle for fourth in Premier League finale

Sonia Oxley — Sun, 19 May 2013 00:13:00 +0200

Tottenham Hotspur hope to turn the tables on bitter rivals Arsenal on the final day of the Premier League season today by snatching a top-four finish at their expense. With Manchester United crowned champions, Manchester City guaranteed second spot and all three relegation victims already decided, the focus this afternoon is on the Champions League places with Chelsea on 72 points, Arsenal on 70 and Spurs on 69. Third place earns automatic passage to the group stage of Europe’s elite club competition, while fourth place means a ticket to the third qualifying round. Fifth means heartbreak and the Europa League, an all too familiar outcome for Spurs. Last year Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal side snatched third on the last day of the season with Spurs ending up fourth, their misery compounded by the fact they missed out on the Champions League as Chelsea took the final English spot as European champions. If that was hard to stomach, it was more so – literally – in 2006 when Spurs players were hit with food poisoning before their game with West Ham United where if they had won they would have secured fourth place. They lost and Arsenal overtook them to take the Champions League berth. This...

Atletico stun Real to win cup

Sun, 19 May 2013 00:12:00 +0200

Atletico Madrid stunned city rivals Real to win their 10th King’s Cup when Joao Miranda’s extra-time header secured a 2-1 comeback win in an action-packed and ill-tempered clash at the Bernabeu late Friday in which Real coach Jose Mourinho and Cristiano Ronaldo were both sent off. Atletico’s jubilant fans spilled onto the streets of the Spanish capital to celebrate their first victory over their bitter city rivals in 14 years, while the Real faithful were left to reflect on a season without major silverware and the possible departure of Mourinho at the end of the campaign. Ronaldo, who was shown a straight red card after he kicked out at Atletico captain Gabi in the second half of extra-time, apparently catching him in the face, nodded Real ahead in the 14th minute. Diego Costa levelled 10 minutes before the break and after Mourinho was dismissed for furiously protesting a referee’s decision with around 15 minutes of regular time left, Miranda glanced a 99th-minute header past Diego Lopez to secure a first win against Real since 1999. The match, in which Real hit the post three times, descended into chaos near the end when a mass brawl between substitutes and technical staff...

This was my worst season – Mourinho

Sun, 19 May 2013 00:11:00 +0200

A King’s Cup final defeat against Atletico Madrid capped the worst season of Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho’s career, the Portuguese said yesterday after the 2-1 loss left him without a major title this season. Widely expected to move on at the end of the campaign and linked with a return to Chelsea, a grim-faced Mourinho gave little away about his future but said Real, the world’s richest club by income, had suffered a “disastrous” season, with only a Spanish Super Cup added to the trophy cabinet. The extra-time defeat to city rivals Atletico, all the more painful as it came at Real’s Bernabeu stadium and included the dismissal of Mourinho from the bench in the second half, followed defeat to Borussia Dortmund in the semi-finals of the Champions League. They also failed to defend their La Liga crown, with Barcelona wrapping up a fourth title in five years last weekend. “My career has been over many years not just one year,” Mourinho told a post-match news conference, adding that At-letico had not deserved to win the final. “This is the worst season of my career with a title which is not sufficient for me or for a club like Real,” the Portuguese said. “That means it’s a bad...

Milan look to seal third place with Siena win

Sun, 19 May 2013 00:10:00 +0200

Milan head coach Massimiliano Allegri shrugged off rumours linking him with a move away from the San Siro stadium by insisting he is fully focused on beating Siena today. Victory at the Stadio Artemio Franchi would guarantee the Rossoneri Champions League football, but fourth-placed Fiorentina are ready to capitalise on any slip-up when they visit relegated Pescara. Reports in Italy suggest Allegri could call time on his three-year tenure in Milan but the Tuscan would not lend credence to such hearsay. He said: “We want to end the season on a high note and we want to finish third to qualify for the Champions League. “The players have trained well all week and everyone concerned with the club deserves to be in the Champions League. The fans have really got behind us and there is plenty of enthusiasm within the club. “We have two points more than Fiorentina and it is just a pity that one of us will not qualify for the Champions League because they have had a good season. “I am fully focused on the match against Siena so speaking about my future does not serve anyone.” Midfielder Sulley Muntari serves a suspension following his bizarre red card against Roma last week, while Nigel De...

Vilanova to undergo further treatment

Sun, 19 May 2013 00:09:00 +0200

Barcelona coach Tito Vilanova will return to New York next week for more treatment for throat cancer, the La Liga champions said yesterday. Vilanova, 44, will receive a “pioneering treatment” that was “proving particularly effective”, Barca said without giving further details. “It was originally planned for this summer but as Barca has now clinched the league title it has been advanced to next week,” the Catalan club added. Barca captain Carles Puyol will be presented with the league trophy after today’s match at home to Real Valladolid, the club’s fourth title in five years. Vilanova told a news conference yesterday he and his players were targeting Real Madrid’s record of 100 points set last season, which they can equal if they win their remaining three matches. They host Valladolid today, play at city rivals Espanyol next weekend before Malaga’s visit on the final matchday of the campaign. “We have 91 points, which is already a lot,” Vilanova said. “We have the chance to get 100 and we will play to win in the three matches left.”

Elche back in Spain’s top flight

Sun, 19 May 2013 00:08:00 +0200

Elche were promoted to the Spanish first division after a 24-year absence when third-placed Alcorcon could only manage a 1-1 draw at Barcelona B yesterday. Alicante-based Elche, who play in green and white, last featured in La Liga in the 1988-89 season and spent seven terms in the third tier of Spanish soccer in the 1990s.

Senior stars backing new manager Moyes – Giggs

Sun, 19 May 2013 00:07:00 +0200

Ryan Giggs says new Manchester United manager David Moyes can count of the support of the club’s senior players when he begins the daunting task of replacing Alex Ferguson at Old Trafford. The Scot will bow out at the end of the season after picking up 38 trophies during his 27-year stint at United, to be replaced by Moyes who will leave Everton after 11 years at Goodison Park. And Giggs believes replacing Ferguson could be just as intimidating as the challenge his current boss faced when he replaced Ron Atkinson in November 1986. “Maybe it is,” Giggs told re-porters yesterday. “But we have a really good bunch of lads in the dressing room and, whenever the manager needs help, the more experienced players will help. That has been the norm, ever since I have been in the club. “What David Moyes is coming into is a good atmosphere, a really good bunch of lads, very good players and a really strong squad, so it is a strong position to be in. But the downside is that you have to follow the most successful manager that has ever lived. “Managers usually go into clubs when things aren’t going great, but this team isn’t on a downward spiral, so I don’t know if that makes it harder or easier...

Hoffenheim live another day

Sun, 19 May 2013 00:06:00 +0200

Fortuna Dusseldorf were relegated from the Bundesliga yesterday as Hoffenheim and Augsburg staged final-day escape acts. Dusseldorf went down 3-0 at Hanover to finish the season second bottom of the table, with their two relegation rivals both ending their campaigns with victories. Mame Diouf put Hanover ahead and Didier Ya Konan put the result beyond doubt with a second-half double. The visitors could not muster any sort of response as their fifth straight defeat, and eighth in 10 league games, condemned them to an immediate return to the second tier. Hoffenheim, who started the day two points behind Dusseldorf, scored two late goals to win 2-1 at Champions League finalists Borussia Dortmund and make the relegation play-offs. Things looked bleak for the visitors when Robert Lewandowski put them behind after six minutes, but Sejad Salihovic equalised with a penalty in the 77th minute. Three minutes later Dortmund goalkeeper Roman Weidenfeller saw red for bringing down Sven Schipplock when he was through on goal and, with no more substitutions left, winger Kevin Gross-kreutz went in goal for the resulting penalty. Salihovic took it again, and scored again, to complete the comeback.