Spanish La Liga Roundup(4/10/07 - 5/10/07)

Real Madrid extended their lead at the top of the table to two points after a 2-0 victory over Recreativo Huelva. Bernd Schuster's side had the better of the first half, with Van Nistelrooy in particular going close a couple of times, although Casillas also had to make a couple of important saves to keep the scores level at the break. Robben hit the post after the restart, and Van Nistelrooy finally opened the scoring after Raúl set him up later in the second half. There were some nervous moments though before Higuaín ran on to Guti's pass to put the game beyond Recre's reach in the dying minutes.

Barcelona are up to second after a 3-0 win over Atlético Madrid. Frank Rijkaard's side were two up early on, Deco opening the scoring on the quarter hour mark after Abbiati spilled a Messi cross into his path, and Messi picking up a return pass from Ronaldinho to make it two a few minutes later. And it was virtually one way traffic until Xavi got on the end of a cross from substitute Giovani to score a third goal in the last minute.

Villarreal drop to third though after losing 3-2 at Osasuna. Rossi gave Pellegrini's side a momentary lead, but a Javi Venta own goal and a strike by Dady turned the scoreline around. Godin levelled the scores once again before the break, but a spectacular shot from Javi García ten minutes from the end gave the Pamplona based side the three points, even though they ended with nine men after Josetxo and Ricardo were sent off near the end.

Mallorca came back from two down to beat Getafe 4-2, the second time in a row they have done so in the San Moix stadium. Sousa opened the scoring for the visitors in second minute, and added an impressive second just a couple of minutes in to the second half. But Ibagaza got one back with a hotly disputed penalty, and although Pereyra was sent off, two from Arango and another from Ramis left the Madrid based side further down in the drop zone.

Zaragoza bounced back from their midweek elimination from the UEFA cup, beating bottom club Levante 3-0 to move level with Atlético and Mallorca in the top half of the table. All the goals came in the second half, Sergio García starting things off after Diego Milito put him through, and Oliveira coming on to score two more later on.

Sevilla suffered their fourth league defeat of the season though, losing 0-1 to a Deportivo side who started the weekend in the bottom three. Verdú hit the post for the visitors early on, but otherwise the Andalusians had the better chances. However Riki got what was to prove the only goal after Guardado set him up midway through the second half.

Athletic Bilbao have yet to win at the San Mamés stadium this season, and they were held to a 1-1 draw this weekend by newcomers Almería. Etxeberría put the Basque side ahead on the half hour mark, his first goal at home in three and a half years. But Del Horno was sent off later in the first half for a hard tackle on Bruno, and Felipe Melo saved a point when he headed in Corona's corner after the restart.

Murcia and Betis cancelled each other out in a 0-0 draw, a result which keeps both in mid-table. The best chances in an otherwise dull match came in the first half, Caffa firing a free kick against the crossbar and Baiano replying with a shot which Ricardo turned on to the post.

Finally Racing Santander beat Valladolid 2-0 in the last game of the evening, taking the Cantabrians up to ninth and leaving their opponents in the drop zone. Both goals came from Racing's new signings after the break, Smolarek getting the first and Tchite making it two in the final minute. Llorente was sent off for the visitors right at the end. (07.10.07)

Valencia's run of five league wins in a row came to an end when they were beaten 1-2 by Espanyol. Baraja headed the home side into the lead in the fifth minute from Villa's corner, but Riera, celebrating his call up for Spain, equalised a quarter of an hour later. And Luis García ran on to Valdo's long pass to beat Hildebrand near the end and take his side up to fifth, now only two points behind their opponents

Barclays Weekend Review( 4/10/07 - 5/10/07)

Manchester United 4-0 Wigan Athletic

Carlos Tevez opened United's account eight minutes into the second period, before Cristiano Ronaldo netted a double and Wayne Rooney wrapped up the scoring. The Red Devils' sixth straight league win did come at a price with the loss through injury of Louis Saha before the match and Nemanja Vidic and John O'Shea during it.

Aston Villa 1-0 West Ham United

A first-half free-kick from Craig Gardner was enough to secure victory for Martin O'Neill's men at Villa Park. Gardner, who scored from a set-piece against Tottenham Hotspur on Monday, found the back of Robert Green's net with the aid of a deflection off Danny Gabbidon. West Ham striker Dean Ashton injured his knee in the match, and may be doubtful for England's upcoming Euro 2008 qualifiers.

Arsenal 3-2 Sunderland

The Gunners returned to the top of the table with this win. The hosts had raced ahead through a brilliant free-kick from Robin van Persie and Philippe Senderos' close-range effort before the Black Cats pulled a goal back through Ross Wallace. The visitors were then level after the break when Kenwyne Jones headed in - only for van Persie to grab victory 10 minutes from time. Sunderland defender Paul McShane was sent off in stoppage time for clattering into Alexander Hleb.

Reading 1-0 Derby County

Kevin Doyle's second-half header helped Steve Coppell's men to their third win of the season. The defeat leaves Derby rooted to the bottom of the table, while Reading climb away from the relegation zone. Coppell will hope that striker Doyle can continue to refind the form he was in last season.

Liverpool 2-2 Tottenham Hotspur

Liverpool needed a late Fernando Torres header to earn a draw at Anfield. Andriy Voronin had put the Reds ahead but goals from Robbie Keane either side of half-time looked like earning Spurs a rare win at Anfield. The Londoners are one spot above the relegation zone after the draw.

Newcastle United 3-2 Everton

Michael Owen came off the bench to score what turned out to be the winner in this match. Nicky Butt gave the home side the lead before half-time, but Andrew Johnson equalised with his first goal of the season after half-time. A flurry of late goals saw Emre put Newcastle back in front and Owen make it 3-1 before Shay Given's own goal.

Bolton Wanderers 0-1 Chelsea

Chelsea earned a valuable three points at the Reebok Stadium against Bolton. With Didier Drogba suspended, manager Avram Grant watched another striker, Salomon Kalou, score the only goal of the match before half-time. Bolton remain in the relegation zone with a trip to Arsenal next up.

Manchester City 3-1 Middlesbrough

Elano backed up his impressive performance against Newcastle last weekend with two goals in this match. He scored back-to-back goals after a Chris Riggott own-goal had given City a 10th minute lead. Ben Hutchinson scored a late consolation for Boro.

Blackburn Rovers 2-1 Birmingham City

Blackburn put their Uefa Cup exit at the hands of Larissa behind them with this win. David Bentley put them into the lead and a penalty from Benni McCarthy made it 2-0. Cameron Jerome reduced the arrears but Steve Bruce's men could not find an equaliser.

Fulham 0-2 Portsmouth

An impressive second-half display from Pompey was enough to see off Lawrie Sanchez's Fulham at Craven Cottage. The in-form Benjani put Pompey into the lead and Hermann Hreidarsson made it 2-0. Harry Redknapp's side go up to fifth off the back of this comfortable victory, while Fulham drop into the relegation zone.

Spanish La Liga Roundup(29/9/07 - 30/9/07)

Real Madrid held on to top spot with a 0-1 win over city neighbours Getafe on Sunday evening. The home side were unlucky not to take the lead before the break, Manu hitting the post and Casillas making a couple of important saves, and they had more chances before Sergio Ramos turned in Robben's cross for the only goal of the game.

Villarreal stay in second place after a 1-0 win over Athletic Bilbao, Fuentes heading the winner from Senna's cross in the second half. And Valencia are still third after they beat Recreativo 0-1, an early goal from David Villa enough to take the three points.

Atlético Madrid are only a point outside of the top four though after they beat Osasuna 2-0, their fourth win in a row. Raúl García opened the scoring against his old side, and Agüero wrapped things up late on. And Espanyol are sixth after a 1-0 victory over Deportivo, Tamudo scoring on the stroke of half time to leave the Galicians down in the bottom three.

It was a day for single goal victories though, with Racing Santander also winning 0-1 at Almería with a strike from Garay. There were more goals in the other two games though, Betis beating Mallorca 3-0 for their first win of the season, and Murcia winning 1-4 at Valladolid, who played for over an hour with nine men after Cifuentes and Butelle were sent off.

Barcelona moved to the top of the table pending Sunday's games after hammering bottom club Levante 1-4. Frank Rijkaard's side dominated throughout, with Messi twice setting up Henry to give the visitors a two goal lead at the break. Three minutes after the restart Henry picked up a deflected Deco pass to complete his hat-trick, and two minutes later Messi himself made it four. With one eye on Tuesday's Champions League game, Rijkaard rested key players, and Riganó hit the post before Viquiera finally scored from the penalty spot later on.

Earlier in the evening Zaragoza beat Sevilla 2-0 to move ahead of their opponents in the table. Virtually all the chances in the first half fell to the visitors, and Kone somehow missed the target again after cutting past three players just a minute after the restart. But substitute D'Alessandro beat César with a well struck free kick minutes later, and Sergio García added a second near the end to make it four defeats in a row for the Andalusians. (29.09.07)

Barclays Weekend Review( 29/9/07 - 1/10/07)

Everton 2-0 Middlesbrough
Everton kept their first clean sheet of the season in this victory. Defender Joleon Lescott gave the Toffees a first-half lead with his third Barclays Premier League goal of the season and Steven Pienaar doubled the advantage in the second-half with his first goal for the club.

Birmingham City 0-1 Manchester United
Cristiano Ronaldo's second-half strike handed Sir Alex Ferguson's men a precious away win. The victory kept them second in the table.

Chelsea 0-0 Fulham
Both sides had their chances at Stamford Bridge, but the Blues slipped seven points off leaders Arsenal with this draw. To make matters worse, captain John Terry fractured his cheekbone and Didier Drogba was sent-off for a second bookable offence in the second-half.

Manchester City 3-1 Newcastle United
Obafemi Martins gave the visitors the lead on the half-hour mark, only for Martin Petrov to equalise for City ten minutes later. Emile Mpenza netted after the break and Elano made sure of the points with a free-kick late on.

Derby County 1-1 Bolton Wanderers
Kenny Miller gave the home side a 19th minute lead but Nicolas Anelka equalised for Wanderers on the half-hour mark to take his Barclays Premier League goal tally to five.

Portsmouth 7-4 Reading
Portsmouth ran out winners in an amazing 11-goal match at Fratton Park. Benjani Mwaruwari struck a hat-trick, with Hermann Hreidarsson, Nico Kranjcar, Sean Davis and Sulley Muntari (penalty) scoring the others. Stephen Hunt, Dave Kitson, Shane Long and Nicky Shorey (penalty) scored for the visitors.

Sunderland 1-2 Blackburn Rovers
Two goals in three second-half minutes from David Bentley and Roque Santa Cruz handed Blackburn Rovers this away win. Grant Leadbitter scored late on for the home side.

Wigan Athletic 0-1 Liverpool
A second-half goal from Yossi Benayoun kept Liverpool in touch with leaders Arsenal.

West Ham United 0-1 Arsenal
Robin van Persie's first-half effort was enough to beat Alan Curbishley's West Ham United at Upton Park.

Shevchenko seeks unity

Andriy Shevchenko has called on his Chelsea team-mates to unite under new manager Avram Grant.

The Israeli was swiftly appointed as Jose Mourinho's successor after previously filling the role as director of football at Stamford Bridge.The close relationship between Grant, Shevchenko and Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich has been rumoured to be a factor behind Mourinho's exit.

Big changes

However, Shevchenko - who has yet to impress since his big money move from Milan last summer - insists his relationship with Grant is no different to any other player at Chelsea."I know him (Grant) as director of football with the team, like every player," said Shevchenko. "He tries now as a manager and every player has the same relationship."It's a difficult moment for the club, the players, the team, because of big changes in the house, so it's a moment for the players to stick together and do our best for the club."

Hiddink

Meanwhile, Guus Hiddink's agent has rubbished speculation the Dutchman is set to quit his role as manager of Russia in order to take charge at Chelsea.Hiddink has been linked with the Blues hot seat, but Hiddink's representative Cees van Nieuwenhuizen insists the 60-year-old is happy with Russia."Where he is right now and his age, it is of more interest to him to work with a national team," Van Nieuwenhuizen told the BBC."I think that's what he likes to do instead of being in the pressure cooker of the Premier League

Carling Cup Round Up(25/9/07 & 26/9/07)

A brilliant hat-trick from Liverpool striker Fernando Torres gave the Reds a 4-2 Carling Cup win at Reading.

Yossi Benayoun had put Liverpool in front, but Bobby Convey levelled the scores with a volley from Nicky Shorey's corner.Liverpool regained their lead through Torres but Reading equalised once more when John Halls stabbed home another Shorey flag kick.Torres put his side 3-2 up before netting another to complete his treble with four minutes left and add some gloss

Arsenal sealed their passage to the next round with a 2-0 win against Newcastle United at the Emirates Stadium.

Nicklas Bendtner opened the scoring for the Gunners, heading Armand Traore's cross past Shay Given, before Brazil star Denilson doubled the advantage with a 25-yard screamer.

Manchester City left it late to dispose of Championship outfit Norwich City at Eastlands.

Striker Georgios Samaras grabbed a last-minute winner in his first appearance of the campaign as City scraped through having yet to concede a goal at home this season

Portsmouth made it to the last 16 as striker David Nugent converted Pedro Mendes' cross for what proved to be the winning goal away to Burnley.

Premier league rounnd up

Manchester United heaped more misery on Chelsea, while Newcastle and Portsmouth both won and Bolton held Spurs.

It has been an indifferent week for Chelsea following Jose Mourinho's departure and it has ended with defeat at Old Trafford.

The Blues were hindered for much of the match with John Obi Mikel harshly seeing red in the first half for catching Patrice Evra.

Carlos Tevez opened his United account to give the home side a half-time lead with Louis Saha's disputed late penalty wrapping up a 2-0 success.

Elsewhere, Michael Owen limped off injured during Newcastle's 3-1 win over West Ham at St James' Park.

Mark Viduka helped himself to a brace to help Newcastle to victory, but Owen's injury marred the home side's success.

The home side got off to a flying start when Viduka headed home Charles N'Zogbia's cross after just three minutes.

West Ham refused to lie down and drew level on 32 minutes with Dean Ashton netting his second goal in as many games with a clinical volleyed finish.

Viduka restored Newcastle's lead four minutes before the break when he bundled home N'Zogbia's cross.

Owen gave Sam Allardyce an injury scare on 51 minutes when he was forced off with a recurrence of the groin injury he picked up at Derby last Monday.

Newcastle made the game safe on 76 minutes when the impressive N'Zogbia scored from close range after being picked out in the box by Obafemi Martins.

Martins really should have added a fourth late on when he rounded Robert Green, but the Nigerian hit his shot into the side-netting with the goal at his mercy.

Bolton moved off the bottom of the table with a 1-1 draw at home to Tottenham in the battle of two under-fire managers.

Sammy Lee and Martin Jol both went into the game under pressure after disappointing starts to the season and both men will be happy to have avoided defeat at The Reebok Stadium.

Robbie Keane gave Tottenham the lead on 34 minutes when he fired home from close range after Jussi Jaaskelainen saved Jermaine Jenas' initial effort.

The lead proved short-lived as Ivan Campo marked his first start of the season with the equaliser just five minutes later with a towering header.

Neither side could find a winner in the second half as both teams had to settle for a point.

Aston Villa moved into the top half of the table with a 2-0 win over Everton at Villa Park.

John Carew got Villa off and running on 14 minutes when he fired home his first goal of the season.

Gabriel Agbonlahor grabbed the second goal on the hour when he brilliantly took down Scott Carson's long punt upfield and slotted the ball under Stefan Wessels.

Portsmouth ended Blackburn's unbeaten start to the Premier League season with an impressive 1-0 win at Ewood Park.

Kanu netted the only goal of the game on 25 minutes to help Portsmouth to their first away win in the League since Boxing Day.

Blackburn rarely threatened David James in the visitors' goal as they fell to their second defeat in four days.

Euro Qualifiers Updates

In the same group, Arsenal's Eduardo Da Silva helped Croatia reinforce their position as leaders as he netted in their 6-0 thrashing of Andorra.Two goals in two minutes from Tottenham Hotspur hit-man Dimitar Berbatov saw Bulgaria beat Luxembourg 3-0. Aston Villa midfielder Stilian Petrov nabbed the third from the penalty spot.

Everton striker James McFadden fired Scotland to top spot in Group B. His 64th minute strike secured a shock 1-0 victory over France at the Parc des Princes.A Craig Bellamy brace helped Wales to a 5-2 victory in Slovakia. Two goals in quick succession from the West Ham United man put his side firmly in front and an injury-time goal from Fulham's Simon Davies added to the fine away victory.There was late heartbreak for Northern Ireland as a Keith Gillespie own-goal sent them to a 2-1 defeat in Iceland. Fulham's David Healey had equalised for Nigel Worthington's men in the 72nd minute from the penalty-spot, before Gillespie's injury-time error.

Scotland beat France 1-0 for the second time in Euro 2008 qualifying to take top spot in Group B.

Having already claimed victory against Les Bleus at Hampden Park earlier in the campaign, the Scots would have been happy with a point in Paris.

But James McFadden's superb strike in the 64th minute secured a famous win for Alex McLeish's side.

Scotland's defence stood firm to keep out Nicolas Anelka, Franck Ribery et al in the second-half to ensure all three points.

Comfortable win for England

Two goals from Michael Owen took his England tally to 40 as he helped England to a 3-0 win over Russia at Wembley.Click here to see the video>

Owen netted in the seventh and 31st minutes to become only the fourth player, after Jimmy Greaves, Sir Bobby Charlton and Gary Lineker to score 40 times for England.Rio Ferdinand completed the rout six minutes from time leaving England in second spot in Group E two points clear of Russia ahead of next month's return meeting in Moscow.The result completed a marvellous few days for England boss Steve McClaren men, who followed up Saturday's win over Israel with an even more emphatic display against Guus Hiddink's men.Again Owen grabbed the limelight with his first half brace but Gareth Barry and Emile Heskey again rewarded McClaren for the faith he placed in them with outstanding contributions on a great night at Wembley.McClaren surprised no-one by sticking with same side which brushed aside Israel on Saturday.England took a deserved lead after seven minutes when Owen neatly controlled Barry's right wing cross and coolly slotted home via the upright.
Heskey and Shaun Wright-Phillips had chances to extend the lead before Owen rifled home his second past Vaitcheslav Malafeev after Heskey's flick on.In between Russia thought they had an equaliser when Konstantin Zyryanov turned and fired beyond Paul Robinson, but Swedish referee Martin Hansson disallowed the goal for handball when replays clearly showed the ball had come off the striker's chest.Russia looked menacing after the break and Dmitry Sychev twice went close.Robinson was also forced to turn away a 15 yard drive from Diniyar Bilyaletdinov.But England weathered the storm and Rio Ferdinand rubbed salt into the visitors' wounds late on when he added a third.

Hero Cycles 29th Federation Cup

Kingfisher East Bengal defeated Mohun Bagan 3-2 in the first Semi Finals of Hero Cycles 29th Federation Cup played under flood lights at Guru Nanak Stadium ,Ludhiana today.They will play the winners of Wednesday’s second semi final between Mahindra United and Dempo SC ,Goa.The Finals will be played on 15th Sep 07.
The scorers for East Bengal were Surukumar Singh(25th min) ,Ashim Bishwas(35th min),Dipendu Bishwas(46th min) and those on target for Mohun Bagan were Bhaichung Bhutia (11th min) ,Jose Barretto(71st min)