Real Madrid 2 Barcelona 1 (agg 4-4, Real win on away goals): Jose's men are Super kings

Real Madrid secured their first Spanish Super Cup since 2008 on away goals after a narrow victory over arch rivals Barcelona in Wednesday's second leg at the Bernabeu.
The hosts had failed to win in their last seven home meetings with Barca but went about ending that record early on with goals in the first 20 minutes from Gonzalo Higuain and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Trophy hunters: Pepe (L) and Cristiano Ronaldo

Super kings: Real Madrid celebrate

Real deal: Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates victory

The visitors were then reduced to 10 men as Adriano was shown a straight red card for denying Ronaldo a clear goalscoring opportunity, but they regained their composure and were brought back into the game by a stunning free-kick from Lionel Messi just before half-time.
Chances continued to come at both ends after the break but Real failed to make their man advantage count and were nearly made to pay as Messi shot just inches wide deep into stoppage time.
Real had failed to win any of their previous three games this season but they did not seem like a side lacking in confidence as they stormed out of the traps early on.

Sharp shooter: Real Madrid striker Gonzalo Higuain scores the opening goal

Higuain should have opened the scoring on seven minutes when his low effort across Victor Valdes was well blocked by the keeper, but the Argentinian was gifted his goal only two minutes later by compatriot Javier Mascherano as the Barca defender misjudged a long ball forward from Pepe and allowed Higuain to run through and this time finish low beyond Valdes.
And it was two just nine minutes later as Ronaldo pounced on an error this time by Gerard Pique. The Portuguese brilliantly back-flicked the ball into his path and, despite a poor second touch, his powerful shot rebounded in off Valdes' body.
The chances continued to come for Real as Valdes again denied Higuain from a narrow angle before Pepe had a header controversially ruled out for a push on Mascherano.

Hit man: Cristiano Ronaldo scores Real's second goal

Part of Barca's disorganisation at the back could possibly be put down to a late change in the starting line-up as the injured Dani Alves had to be replaced by Jordi Alba with Adriano moving to right-back, and the Brazilian's torrid evening only lasted 27 minutes as he hauled down Ronaldo when he seemed set to break free on Valdes once more.
After another unsettling five-minute period for the Catalans, new coach Tito Vilanova eventually introduced Martin Montoya for Alexis Sanchez and a return to four at the back seemed to offer the visitors some comfort as they began to make an impression on the game.
Montoya was inches away from converting a vicious low cross from Andres Iniesta before Messi did eventually halve the deficit moments before the interval with an incredible swerving free-kick from 30 yards.
Ronaldo nearly responded with a long-range effort himself that flew just past and Angel Di Maria also shot narrowly wide as Madrid ended the half threatening a third.

Who else? Barcelona's Lionel Messi scores with a freekick

However, at the start of the second period, it was Barca's tiki-taka that began to dictate play as the pace of the game dropped markedly.
Pedro very nearly scored a carbon copy of his goal in the first leg as Mascherano's perfectly weighted pass saw him through on goal but his prodded finish did not have enough power to get through Iker Casillas' legs and the Spain captain collected at the second attempt.
Sami Khedira then nearly restored Real's two-goal cushion but was denied by another fine Valdes save at the end of a brilliant run.

Hand off: Real Madrid's Jose Mourinho and Barcelona coach Tito Vilanova

Barca remained dangerous, though, and another brilliant piece of play from Messi released Alba through on goal, but he just over-ran the ball as he rounded Casillas and was eventually crowded out.
Higuain should have given Real breathing space with 11 minutes remaining but he hit the outside of the post with only Valdes to beat and that miss nearly cost his side as Barca came desperately close to equalising in stoppage time.
Firstly, Montoya was denied by a solid save from Casillas before Messi seemed destined to hand Barca the cup as he found space on his favoured left side just outside the area but the ball slipped just wide and Real clung on for their first Super Cup title in four years.

Mikel, Osaze turn down invitation from Keshi

The Super Eagle Coach, Stephen Keshi on Wednesday said that the duo of Mikel John Obi and Osaze Odewingie have refused to make themselves available for the national team.

Keshi, who disclosed this while, speaking with journalists during a press briefing at the Bolton White Hotel in Abuja, said that the Osaze refused to pick his calls as he tried to inform him of the direction of the team and the role he would be required to play.
“People say I have problems with my players but that is not true. Mikel and I always talk. Osaze is the one I have not spoken to in a while, three weeks now or so”.
“Osaze, I called, he didn’t pick …called again, he didn’t pick. I sent a text and he replied the text promising that he will call me the next day. But he didn’t call. So, I guess he’s not in the mood to play for Nigeria and I’m not ready to push.”
“Mikel and I spoke and I told him, listen I want you to come but you will have to give me hundred percent.”
But he said after consulting his doctors in Chelsea, Mikel declined his invitation with the excuse that he wouldn’t play on an artificial turf.
“Three days later, he said ‘coach I’m not sure I can make it because of the turf.”
Keshi however, said he already have a good team in place that can produce result for the country.
He expressed confidence in the home-based players while also noting that the invited foreign-based stars improve the team.

Rangers’ striker Ofoedu abandons club

Foster Chime the media officer of Enugu Rangers confirmed that Chikeluba Ofoedu has followed in the footsteps of James Okwuosa in seeking greener pastures abroad in the game of football as the Enugu Rangers top scorer Ofoedu has gone abroad for trials without permission, and the management of the club are livid with anger over this.
Information reaching the club states that the striker is believed to be in Turkey with a yet to be known club in the country, all this in the midst of Rangers final NPL game in the season against Sharks this weekend which will either make or mar the club’s position on the league table as league winners or not.
Ofoedu was signed from Enugu-based amateur side UNTH FC at the beginning of the season, and has gone on to become one of the biggest revelations in the league, having scored 12 goals so far and contributed several assists.
The player had previously been linked with a move to Norwegian giants Rosenberg and despite impressing during trials, the move stalled for undisclosed reasons.
Rangers still have a chance of winning the league even though their destiny are no longer in their hands,they however will be hoping to win the game against Sharks by a large score line while hoping their fellow title contenders Kano Pillars and Lobi Stars lose away to both Sunshine Stars and Kaduna United respectively.
A while ago, the captain of Rangers, James Okwuosa, abandoned Rangers during their Federation Cup quest to go on trials in South Africa, and despite earlier threats issued by the management of Rangers to sanction the player, he was eventually ‘rewarded’ with a lucrative three year deal with Ajax Cape Town.
This disciplinary laxity on the part of the management of Rangers now seems to be creating a domino effect of the Okwuosa situation, which may have ‘inspired’ Ofoedu to defy the club, irrespective of their seemingly empty threats to sanction the player.
Expectedly, the club have again threatened to sanction the player by stating that the balance of his sign on fees and other entitlements for the season will be withheld until the player gives them a reasonable explanation for his action.
Fans of the club will no doubt be waiting the see how this new episode of a sad drama will play out.

Fiorentina to end Berbatov's nightmare as striker jets out to Italy to complete £4.5m move

Fiorentina hope to finalise a £4.5million move for Manchester United's Dimitar Berbatov.
Berbatov flew to Italy on Wednesday to complete the move to the Serie A club, a source close to the Bulgarian revealed.
'Fiorentina have agreed personal terms with Dimitar and they'll announce the deal very soon,' the source said, adding the transfer was subject to Berbatov passing a medical.

Italy calling: Dimitar Berbatov (left) is set to join Serie A side Fiorentina

 

His agent Emil Dantchev also confirmed: 'His future will be decided over the next few days.'

Berbatov, who became United's most expensive player when he joined from Tottenham Hotspur in 2008 for £30.75m, had reached an agreement with the Serie A club on a two-year contract with an option for a further year.

The 31-year-old was the Premier League's joint-top scorer in the 2010-11 season with 20 goals but has struggled to hold down a place in Sir Alex Ferguson's starting line-up since and was keen to revive his career in another top European league.

Ferguson made it clear it was probably time for Berbatov, who is Bulgaria's all-time leading scorer with 48 goals, to look for a move when he signed Dutch striker Robin Van Persie from Arsenal prior to the start of the Premier League season.

Out of favour: Berbatov has struggled to hold down a regular first-team place over the last two seasons

If the deal is completed, Berbatov will become the fourth Bulgarian in Serie A after defender Nikolay Iliev and strikers Hristo Stoichkov and Valeri Bojinov, who played for Fiorentina between 2005 and 2007.

Football experts in Bulgaria believe the transfer could also lead to Berbatov ending his self-imposed international exile.

Earlier this year, Berbatov, who quit the national team in 2010, said he would be open to an approach from coach Luboslav Penev after he moved to a club where he could play regularly.
Meanwhile, Molde boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is keen to take United striker Josh King on loan.

Liverpool must be in Champions League... and I'll help get them there, roars Sahin

New Liverpool midfielder Nuri Sahin has his sights set on helping the club break back into the Barclays Premier League top four this term.
The 23-year-old's season-long loan move from Real Madrid was confirmed by the Reds on Saturday and he was in the stands at Anfield the next day to watch his new side draw 2-2 with league champions Manchester City.
With Liverpool putting in their most encouraging performance yet since Brendan Rodgers' appointment as manager in the summer, Sahin was impressed by what he saw in that game and the Turkey international feels a top-four spot should be the target for the Merseysiders in 2012-13.

Plenty to say: Nuri Sahin speaks during a press conference at Liverpool's Melwood training ground

'If you watch the game against Manchester City, you see that the style the team is playing is very good and of course, Liverpool has to play in the Champions League,' Sahin said. 'A big club like Liverpool has to play every year in the Champions League and we will do everything to get in the top four.
'Also there is the FA Cup, League Cup and Europa League, and with the potential we have here, we can do some good things.'

 

Liverpool, who could only manage a disappointing eighth-placed finish last season, brought in Rodgers after he achieved success at Swansea with a dynamic football philosophy.

It is a style of play the club's owners hope he can make work for the Reds and one Sahin believes he is well suited to.
'The project with Liverpool and Brendan Rodgers is the best for my situation I think - that is why I am here,' he said. 'I think the style I play is the same as how the manager wants the team to play.
'I have settled in very well and I hope it will be the same on the pitch and that we will have a great season.'

The long and the shirt of it: Reds boss Brendan Rodgers pipped Arsenal to Sahin's signature

Real pedigree: Turkey international midfielder Sahin is on a season-long loan from Madrid

Sahin was strongly linked with Arsenal before making the switch to Liverpool, but he is in no doubt that he has made the right decision.
'Everything people told me about Liverpool is there, what I see now,' said Sahin, who has revealed Real's ex-Reds midfielder Xabi Alonso urged him to make the move. 'It is a very big club with a huge history and I think I have made the right choice.'
Sahin joined Real last summer after catching the eye during a successful spell with German side Borussia Dortmund, with whom he won the Bundesliga title in 2010-11.
Once again he was a member of a championship-winning squad in 2011-12 as Real claimed the Primera Division crown, but Sahin suffered with injuries and with there also being plenty of competition in midfield at the Spanish club, in the end, his involvement amounted to only a handful of first-team appearances.
This term, he is hoping to be far more a part of the action.

Old pals: Sahin revealed former Reds favourite Xabi Alonso urged him to join the Anfield club

'This is very important for me after the injury I got last year,' Sahin said. 'We became champions at Real Madrid, but I didn't play so many games, so for me it was important to come to a club where I had the chance to play at the highest level.
'I think in this case Liverpool is the best club for me right now.'
Asked about the prospect of him making a permanent transfer to Anfield, Sahin said: 'In football you never know.
'I am here for this season and then you never know what will be happening in a few months.
'I am looking forward to playing this year here and after, we will see.'

Chelsea must target a treble of trophies after flying start, roars new boy Hazard

Eden Hazard has started life at Chelsea with bang and is already urging his new team-mates to target a treble of trophies in his first season at Stamford Bridge.
The Belgium playmaker has Barclays Premier League defences quaking in their boots after just three games for the Blues following his £32million move from Lille this summer, having scored once and set up five more goals in his side's ascent to the top of the embryonic league table.
Roberto Di Matteo's European champions have already picked up the Community Shield this season and will be fighting for domestic honours in the Premier League, FA Cup and Capital One Cup, as well as competition across the globe in the Champions League, Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup.

Off the mark: Eden Hazard scored his maiden Chelsea goal against Newcastle

Hazard, 21, sees no reason to grow complacent after such a good start and admits he thinks picking up three of those trophies is a realistic aim for Chelsea this year.
'At Chelsea you have to win every game. The objective is win, win, win. This season I think there are seven trophies to play for,' he told The Sun.
'We played the first one against Manchester City in the Community Shield. If we get two or three from the remaining six that will be great.

 

'Big clubs, whether it’s Chelsea or Manchester, are formatted to win.'

Hazard also revealed he is happy with life in England following his move from France this summer.
'I’ve adapted very well to life in London,' he said. 'You’re always a bit overawed when you arrive at a club with so many big names.
'But then you tell yourself "They are people like me with two arms and two legs". Of course, I have respect for the players who are already here but it is down to me to tread my own path.

Roaring success: Hazard (left) has inspired Chelsea to the top of the league table

'I had already changed countries when I went from Belgium to France, so I had made a similar step before.
'The game goes a bit quicker here, the reaction times are maybe a bit shorter, the challenges are stronger and the fans live for football, which is what I needed to feel.'
And Hazard admits that performing a rap went a long way to breaking the ice with his new team-mates.
'Like in every club, there’s an initiation song,' he explained. 'I sang a French rap song for them and made then laugh a lot, which is the main thing.

Going down a treat: The Belgium playmaker is making friends fast at Chelsea

Hazard’s 19-year-old brother Thorgan has joined him on the books at Chelsea, and the older sibling joked that there is a reason why rich footballing talent runs in the family.
According to Eden, the Hazard brothers were dropped into magic potion when they were kids - just like cartoon hero Obelix from the Asterix books.
'It’s like Asterix and Obelix. All of us fell in the magic potion when we were younger — our dad and uncles also played football,' said Hazard.
'It’s good, it means we talk a lot about football in the household.'

Look who's back: Drogba returns to Chelsea amid Shanghai Shenhua crisis

Former Chelsea star Didier Drogba returned to his old club on Tuesday amid mounting speculation the Ivorian could make a swift return to the Barclays Premier League.
Drogba's visit to Chelsea's Cobham training ground came after it emerged he and former Blues team-mate Nicolas Anelka could be sold by China's Shanghai Shenhua due to an escalating equity stake row among shareholders.
Chairman Zhu Jun, who holds a 28.5 per cent stake, would only pay his share of the club's daily costs if his demands for greater control were not met.

Look who's back: Drogba met up with his former team-mates sparking reports of a return to Chelsea

 

Zhu currently controls the club along with five state-owned enterprises after becoming a shareholder in 2007.
The agreement was that if he invested £15million over two years, his stake would increase to more than 70 per cent.
Local media say Zhu has ploughed more than £60m into the club in the past five-and-a-half years, while the state-owned companies had spent nothing. The transfer of shares stalled in 2009 and again last year.

'It is annoying and has had a bad effect on many of our tasks,' a club official said. 'The biggest problem is that the operation and financing work of the club cannot be carried out normally.

'The equity stakes issue has become the biggest bottleneck for the development of Shenhua.'

If unresolved, Zhu, who has been signing all the cheques, could decide to cough up just 28.5 per cent of the club's expenditure, potentially affecting player salaries.
Colombian Giovanni Moreno missed the match against Shandong Luneng at the weekend amid speculation Shenhua had fallen short on his transfer fee with Argentina's Racing Club.

End of the road: Nicolas Anelka and Didier Drogba could be forced of China

The futures of Drogba and Anelka could be in the balance if Shenhua fail to make their salary payments. Both earn close to £250,000 a week.
Despite investing heavily in big-name foreign players, Shenhua sit 10th in the 16-team Chinese Super League on 27 points from 23 matches. Leaders Guangzhou Evergrande are on 47 points.