Messi, Barcelona rout Real Sociedad

Barcelona forward Lionel Messi is congratulated after scoring against Real Sociedad.

 

Barcelona forward David Villa played his first competitive match on Sunday since breaking his leg last December as Tito Vilanova's squad defeated Real Sociedad 5-1 Sunday night.
Villa, who missed the second half of last season and Euro 2012 after breaking his leg in December, netted after appearing as a late substitute to complete the win as Barca showed it was business as usual despite this summer's departure of record-breaking coach Pep Guardiola.
Earlier, during a frenetic start which saw four goals scored in the opening 16 minutes, Barca charged into a 3-1 lead with Carles Puyol - who also missed Spain's triumphant Euro 2012 campaign through injury - notching the first.
Sociedad briefly drew level when Gonzalo Castro netted but Messi then struck twice in five minutes to put the home side two goals clear.
Pedro Rodriguez then added a fourth before the break before Villa climbed off the bench to also get his name on the score-sheet as Vilanova's men made an impressive start to their Primera Division campaign.
Perhaps boosted by Real Madrid's 1-1 home draw with Valencia earlier in the evening, Barca - who saw their three-year reign as Spanish champions ended by Jose Mourinho's side last season - came flying out of the blocks and needed just four minutes to take the lead when Puyol powerfully headed home Xavi's corner.
That was the ideal start for Barca but they were lucky to still be ahead 60 seconds later as Sociedad forward Antoine Griezmann narrowly missed turning in a cross at full stretch.
However, Barca failed to heed that warning as five minutes later the visitors drew level as Castro latched onto a Asier Illarramendi through-ball before beating Victor Valdes with a rising shot at his near post.
Any chance of a Sociedad upset was banished within seven minutes, though, as Barca star Messi worked his magic.
The Argentina ace, who scored an astonishing 73 goals last season, put the hosts back in front with a shot from inside the area and he made it 3-1 with a close-range finish after his initial effort had been deflected out to Cristian Tello on the left, with the winger bundling a cross back into the danger area.

Messi was denied a hattrick by the feet of visiting goalkeeper Claudio Bravo in the 36th minute before Griezmann tried his luck with an audacious long-range lob that the back-peddling Valdes tipped over.
If that had gone in it could have put a different complexion on the match, but the contest was put to bed four minutes later when Pedro made it 4-1 with a half-volley at the far post following another Tello cross.
There was just one more goal after the break, but it was a notable one as Villa's name finally appeared on the score-sheet after an absence of eight months.
Spain's record goalscorer replaced Pedro in the 75th minute for his first competitive appearance since suffering his injury, and within nine minutes of his arrival he found the back of the net with a perfect left-footed finish from Andres Iniesta's cut-back.

Real Madrid stumbles in league opener

Sergio Ramos gestures during Real Madrid's opening day La Liga draw to Valencia.

Real Madrid stumbled to a 1-1 draw at home against Valencia in the opening match of its Spanish league title defense on Sunday.
Madrid appeared set to pick up where it had left off last season when Gonzalo Higuain scored in the 10th minute, but Jonas leveled for Valencia in the 42nd to give coach Mauricio Pellegrino a hard-earned draw on his debut.
Madrid appeared set to pick up where it had left off last season when Gonzalo Higuain scored in the 10th minute, but Jonas leveled for Valencia in the 42nd to give coach Mauricio Pellegrino a hard-earned draw on his debut.
Cristiano Ronaldo, who set a club record with 46 league goals last season, was uncharacteristically subdued and failed to manage a shot on goal.
''We knew it was going to be tough because Valencia has played well here before,'' said Madrid defender Raul Albiol, who formerly played for Valencia. ''We have to stay positive and look forward.''
Madrid dictated the pace early on and Higuain, starting ahead of Karim Benzema, soon put his team ahead.
Higuain scored on the third attempt after goalkeeper Diego Alves made back-to-back saves to deny the Argentina striker. International teammate Angel di Maria lofted a pass behind Valencia's passive defense, Higuain pulled it in and blasted the second rebound into the back of the net.
Just when Valencia appeared clueless in attack, Brazil forward Jonas leveled for the visitors with a header, beating three Madrid players to Tino Costa's in-swinging free kick. Madrid goalkeeper Iker Casillas and defender Pepe collided in an attempt to reach the ball, with both lying prone on the pitch for a few moments before restarting play with both looking groggy. Albiol replaced Pepe at halftime.

RUMOR REDUX

Which big name stars could be on the move this summer? Find out with the latest Rumor Redux.

Jonas' goal was Valencia's first in its last five league visits to Santiago Bernabeu stadium.
The score level, Valencia regained its composure and succeeded in slowing down a Madrid attack that last season set a league scoring record with 121 goals.
Madrid coach Jose Mourinho sent on Benzema for midfielder Lass Diarra, looking to spark his team with 30 minutes to go.
Higuain and Di Maria almost linked up again in the 65th when Di Maria lobbed a perfectly placed ball to his teammate, only to see Higuain's header hit the crossbar.
That miss was as close as the champions came to scoring again with Valencia defending well down the stretch.

Russian government dash out cars to Olympic medalists

Besides fame and glory, this year’s Russian Olympic medalists are getting a handsome cash prize and a new luxury car.
The Russian Olympians Foundation, financed by 15 of the nation’s wealthiest businesspeople, presented the Audi sedans to the medalists on Wednesday.
After a closed ceremony in the Kremlin hosted by President Vladimir Putin, the athletes ventured onto the Red Square where 129 black Audis, accompanied by 129 hired drivers were waiting on the cobblestone slope behind St. Basil’s Cathedral.
The Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko mingled with the athletes and their trainers.
Then the cordon was opened and the athletes percolated through the lot, each claiming a car.
Gold medal winners received Audi A8s, which sells for $120,000. Silver medalists got A7s ($75,000), and bronze medalists got A6s ($50,000).
The foundation’s executive director, Alexander Katushev, said the cars were acquired at a ”Significant discount”
He added that elite athletes deserve elite cars.
“A fine athlete in a crappy car is like a beautiful girl who cusses. The exterior doesn’t match the interior, and this won’t do,” he added.
In addition to the cars, the fund is giving cash prizes to the medalists: 4 million rubles ($125,000) for gold, 2.5 million rubles for silver, and 1.7 million rubles for bronze.
According to some of the athletes, getting cars and cash prizes didn’t motivate them to win.
Volleyball player Alexei Obmochayev rifled through his car’s glove compartment. He took out the manual to look up the car’s horsepower.
His teammate, Alexander Volkov, carefully folded his towering, 210-centimeter frame into the back seat of one car. “Plenty of room here,” he said, hunching forward awkwardly.
One by one, the athletes were driven away by the hired drivers, with the exception of several wrestlers, who insisted on getting behind the wheel.
Gymnast Alina Makarenko, 17, will only be sitting shotgun for the foreseeable future — she doesn’t have a driver’s license. Makarenko said her mother would drive the A8 until she received one.
“I think if they had been Russian cars, nobody would have shown up,” said pole vaulter Yelena Isinbayeva, who won bronze after taking home gold in the last two Olympics.
The Russian Olympians Foundation includes Russia’s richest man, Alisher Usmanov, as well as tycoons Roman Abramovich, Viktor Vekselberg and Oleg Deripaska.
The nation finished fourth in the total medals count, with 82, including 24 golds, 26 silvers and 32 bronzes.

Manchester City 3 Southampton 2: Tale of two Cities as Saints try to write the script

The trophy count may slowly be building — it is now three in the last 15 months — but the DNA remains unchanged.

This was supposed to be a gentle reintroduction to the Barclays  Premier League for last season’s champions, Manchester City.
Instead this game could have been lifted from the pages of several books about this club’s colourful history that have appeared on the market over the summer.

In it goes... Samir Nasri rescued Manchester City with a late strike to make it 3-2

Matchwinner: Samir Nasri (centre) celebrates scoring the winning goal for Manchester City

MATCH FACTS

Man City: Hart, Zabaleta, Kompany, Lescott, Clichy, Silva (Balotelli 72), Rodwell, Toure, Nasri, Aguero (Dzeko 14), Tevez (Kolarov 87)
Subs not used: Pantilimon, Milner, Savic, De Jong
Goals: Tevez 40, Dzeko 72, Nasri 80
Booked: Nasri
Southampton: Kelvin Davis, Clyne, Fonte, Hooiveld, Fox, Ward-Prowse (Steven Davis 65), Lallana, Schneiderlin, Puncheon (Sharp 86), Rodriguez (Lambert 55), Do Prado
Subs not used: Gazzaniga, Richardson, Shaw, Seaborne
Goals: Lambert 59, Davis 68
Booked: Fox, Schneiderlin
Referee: Howard Webb (S Yorkshire)
Att: 46,190

As dramatic as it was unpredictable, this match briefly pointed City in the direction of a rather embarrassing opening to their Premier League season.
Ultimately, it ended in a breathless victory for Roberto Mancini’s team and the Italian will only hope that the defence of the title won with the final kick of last season will be rather more serene from this point on.
Before we take stock of some of City’s failings yesterday — and there were several — it would be wrong to overlook the contribution of Nigel Adkins’ impressive  Southampton team.
Swansea came to the Etihad  Stadium as newly promoted  cannon fodder on the opening weekend last season and were swept away by four clear goals.
Yesterday this never looked likely to happen to the team from the south coast.
Trailing to a Carlos Tevez goal scored late in the opening half, Southampton didn’t panic and broke in devastating fashion to score twice in 10 minutes through substitutes Rickie Lambert and Steven Davis midway through the second period.
Briefly, City were staring down the barrel of a defeat to overshadow any of the embarrassments that befell the likes of Liverpool, Queens Park Rangers and Norwich on the opening day. A defeat here and there would have been a modicum of pressure on them ahead of next weekend’s visit to Anfield.
Ultimately, they rallied with  purpose and direction and that is to their credit. Unlike last May’s victory over QPR, City’s comeback was completed with 10 minutes to spare and goals from Edin Dzeko — hitherto hopeless — and Samir Nasri — superb throughout — were enough to clinch the points.

Blow: Southampton's Nathaniel Clyne (left) slides in on Manchester City's Sergio Aguero

 

Afterwards Mancini admitted that his team’s defending had been ‘poor’ and the general performance merely ‘so-so’. He also suggested that he was ‘worried’ about the knee injury suffered in the opening exchanges by Sergio Aguero.

It was, on the whole, that kind of day for City and certainly the early injury to Aguero set the tone.
There was nothing wrong with the tackle by Southampton right back Nathaniel Clyne in the eighth minute. Aguero’s knee clearly twisted as he fell, although a scan last night hinted that Mancini will not need to get busy in the transfer market.
Perhaps unsettled by that, City struggled to get going against a Southampton team who, with goalscorers Lambert and Billy Sharp left on the bench, were understandably designed to frustrate.
Even the award of a 16th-minute penalty for a foul on Tevez by Jos Hooiveld wasn’t enough to settle City down, David Silva taking a dreadfully weak kick that Kelvin Davis saved with some comfort.

Agony: Aguero writhes around on the ground after hurting his knee (above) before being stretchered off

What they need in the window...

Manchester City: Ideally, still need a holding midfielder who would enable Yaya Toure to be released further up the field, a quick and direct winger and, if possible, a ball-playing central defender.
Southampton: Nigel Adkins’ team impressed but had a 17-year-old debutant in centre midfield so a bit more experience in that key area may help as the season progresses.

As was to be expected, City enjoyed most of the possession and Nasri excelled from the start. Tevez was dangerous, too, but elsewhere there was only mediocrity. Silva looked short of fitness and Dzeko — on as Aguero’s replacement — was lethargic and awkward.
Five minutes before the interval, City did at last score. Nasri’s pass over the Southampton defence was superb and Tevez’s near-post finish with his right foot assured. A goal ahead, City looked to kill the game and with finishing of anything approaching Premier League standard they would have done.
Instead, Dzeko failed to apply a definitive touch to Nasri’s cross, Gael Clichy then bundled a Yaya Toure ball over the bar from close range while Silva steered a knock-down from Nasri on to the bar and over when it looked as though he would score with his eyes closed.

Fluffed his lines: David Silva missed a chance to put his side in front when he saw his penalty saved

In front: Carlos Tevez fires the ball past Kelvin Davis to open the scoring for City against Southampton

All these chances came and went in the first 10 minutes of the second half. Soon after, City’s profligacy was punished.
Southampton — growing in  confidence — broke rapidly and, when substitute Lambert’s pass towards Guly Do Prado came back to him off City defender Joleon  Lescott, he stroked the ball beautifully beyond Joe Hart with his right instep to draw the visitors level.
Lambert has worked hard to reach this level, briefly working in a beetroot factory after being released by Blackpool 10 years ago.
He was the guy who put the lid on the jars. Here he was in the Premier League for the first time, though, and the nature of his finish suggests he will not be out of place.
If Southampton were surprised to be level they didn’t show it.

Jumping for joy: Tevez celebrates scoring City's opener as the champions begin the defence of their title

Minutes later they broke from defending a corner to profit from a poor pass by City debutant Jack Rodwell and, when the ball broke to Davis, he applied a finish equally as admirable as Lambert’s to sweep the ball across Hart and into the same corner.
Just as it was in their title decider against QPR 97 days earlier, City found themselves shaking their heads in disbelief. How had this happened?
This time, though, the response was swift.

New boy: Jack Rodwell made his Manchester City debut against Southampton

Party time: Southampton celebrate Rickie Lambert's equaliser against Manchester City

Contrasting fortunes: Rodwell (left) rues his mistake as Steven Davis celebrates putting Southampton in front

Dzeko swept in a loose ball after some bagatelle from a corner in the 72nd minute and, eight minutes later, Nasri finished expertly after a  Clichy cross was only half cleared.
As Mancini acknowledged, City will have to be a little better than this. You can be sure they will be.

Level pegging: Edin Dzeko slams the ball home to score City's equaliser (above) and then peels away (below)

Wigan 0 Chelsea 2: It's all too easy for Eden as Blues get off to flyer

Someone at Chelsea ought to have a word with Eden Hazard this week and tell him that life in English football won’t always be this easy.

Certainly not based on what their £32million summer signing achieved in less than seven minutes at the DW Stadium on Sunday.
After that, Wigan woke up and more than made a game of it. But if you give the champions of Europe a two-goal headstart there is usually only one outcome, and so it proved here.

Off to a flyer: Chelsea made a winning start to their season against Wigan at the DW Stadium

MATCH FACTS

Wigan: Al Habsi, Alcaraz, Caldwell, Ramis, Boyce, McCarthy, McArthur (Watson 80), Figueroa, Maloney (Gomez 49), Di Santo (Kone 67), Moses.
Subs not used: Pollitt, Jones, Crusat, Boselli.
Booked: Caldwell, McArthur
Chelsea: Cech, Ivanovic, Luiz, Terry, Cole, Lampard, Mikel, Eden Hazard (Oscar 64), Mata (Meireles 82), Bertrand, Torres.
Subs not used: Turnbull, Essien, Ferreira, Sturridge, Cahill.
Goals: Ivanovic 2, Lampard 7 pen.
Booked: Luiz, Lampard.
Referee: Mike Jones (Cheshire)
Attendance: 19,738

Hazard set up Branislav Ivanovic for the first goal and won the penalty for Frank Lampard to claim the  second. As first impressions go, it was quite a way to make a Premier League debut.
Wigan’s response was to kick the Belgium star. Frequently. Hazard will not feel like he has had an easy ride when he gets up this morning and inspects the back of his legs.
It will be by no means the last time his opponents resort to such measures because Hazard is certainly a handful.
Playing alongside Juan Mata and tucked in behind Fernando Torres, his speed of movement and thought were simply too much for Wigan at times. He has that low centre of gravity and explosive burst of pace which has been the trademark of so many great players over the years.
At one point midway through the first half, Hazard pushed the ball past James McArthur on the touchline and was round him so quickly he was away before the youngster even had a chance to turn around.
He could have played the whole game but Roberto Di Matteo decided 64 minutes was enough and replaced him with another new signing, Oscar, the £25m Brazilian.
‘I brought in another guy who’s not bad himself,’ said the Chelsea boss afterwards.
However, sensing that Hazard was less than impressed to be leaving the stage, Di Matteo grabbed him as he left the pitch and had an encouraging word in his ear.

Bran the man: Ivanovic fires the Bluues in front in just the second minute

 

Hazard’s water bottle went flying on his way back to the bench but it was a rare moment of clumsiness on his part rather than an act of petulance.

While he could sit back and reflect on an impressive debut, it was at the expense of Wigan debutant Ivan Ramis. There was one minute and 40 seconds on the clock when Mata fed Lampard and he played the ball into Hazard inside the centre circle.
Ramis raced in to intercept, but Hazard turned him with ease and played a raking 40-yard pass that caught Maynor Figueroa out of position and left Ivanovic galloping free on goal.
The Chelsea defender, cleared to play following his red card in the Community Shield, almost stumbled but steadied himself before drilling the ball inside Ali Al-Habsi’s left post.
Ramis had been doubtful with a hamstring strain before the match and looked slightly off the pace again when Chelsea added a second shortly afterwards.

Down he goes: Hazard is upended in the box and Lampard converts the resulting penalty (below)

IN FOCUS, by Dominic King

Roberto Martinez: Courted by Liverpool and Aston Villa during the summer but made no reference to nearly leaving in his programme notes.

David Moyes: The Everton manager never wastes a chance to take in a game when his own side are not playing.

Roberto Di Matteo: Likely to be a high-pressure season for the Italian who showed little emotion after either of Chelsea’s goals.

Arouna Kone: The Ivorian with distinctive bleach blond hair was given a hero’s welcome as he made his Wigan debut as a substitute.

Hazard teased the Wigan defence on the edge of the box and, having resisted Figueroa’s attempts to muscle him off the ball, he was sent tumbling by a clumsy challenge from the big Spanish defender.
It was an easy decision for referee Mike Jones to give — ‘spot on’, according to Roberto Martinez — and Lampard made no mistake.
After waiting all summer for the big kick-off, Wigan were suddenly kicking off for the third time in seven minutes.
‘We were ruled by our hearts not our heads,’ said Martinez. ‘Sometimes you can get away with that and still have a big say in the game. Against a team like Chelsea they will punish you massively.’
The Wigan boss was proud of his players for not capitulating and they certainly did not lack fight. Gary Caldwell was the first name in the referee’s book for a brutal tackle on Hazard, and McCarthy could easily have followed when he hacked down Chelsea’s star man.

Mixed emotions: Torres endured a tough day while Hazard was the star of the show

What they need in the window...

Wigan: Conor Sammon’s imminent £1.2million move to Derby and the expected departure of Victor Moses mean Roberto Martinez is still in the market for a right-sided forward.
Chelsea: Even if Roberto Di Matteo signs Moses, he wants a right back (Marseille’s Cesar Azpilicueta), a striker (Bayer Leverkusen’s Andre Schurrle) and another creative midfielder.

But this one was following a familiar script. Chelsea have not been beaten on the opening day since 1998, while only once in their eight Premier League seasons have Wigan kicked off with a victory.
Wigan dominated for long periods without creating too many chances. Victor Moses fired in a fierce effort from a tight angle wide out on the right which brought a smart save from Petr Cech and a witty chant from the Chelsea fans who hope he will complete an £8.5m move to Stamford Bridge before the end of the transfer window. ‘Victor Moses, we’ll see you next week,’ they sang.
Cech had to be on his toes to keep out Franco Di Santo’s effort, although the Wigan striker will rue taking the ball wide after  Figueroa’s pass had been helped into his path by David Luiz’s attempted interception.

Title contenders: Chelsea have made a number of additions this summer to play alongside their established stars

Title contenders: Chelsea have made a number of additions this summer to play alongside their established stars

Substitutes Jordi Gomez and Arouna Kone went close with  spectacular efforts in the last 10 minutes but Chelsea could just as easily have increased their lead — not least when Torres raced clear and nudged the ball past Al-Habsi, only to see Ramis clear off the line.
It was the nearest Torres came to a goal as he began to emerge from Didier Drogba’s shadow with a low-key performance. He will certainly have to do better than this, but that’s for another day.
Chelsea — and Hazard — are up and running.