FA Cup - Fernando Torres finally scores ... and he scores 2 goals today!

Chelsea 5-2 Leicester City

Torres fires twice to break goal drought as hosts ease through to FA Cup semi-finals

Blues keep up their 100 per cent record under Roberto Di Matteo with an assured performance against the Championship side as the troubled Spaniard finally scores

Fernando Torres finally re-found his scoring touch as Chelsea comfortably beat Leicester City 5-2 at Stamford Bridge to progress to the semi-finals of the FA Cup.

Gary Cahill and Salomon Kalou gave the Blues a half-time lead before the troubled Spaniard netted either side of Jermaine Beckford's clinical finish.

Late on, a wonder goal from Ben Marshall and a Raul Meireles tap-in gave the game an impressive scoreline.

Roberto Di Matteo made seven changes to his Chelsea side after Wednesday's extra-time victory over Napoli. Petr Cech, Branislav Ivanovic, Daniel Sturridge and Juan Mata were retained with Torres starting up front.

Leicester made just one change to their line-up from the Championship game against Birmingham in mid-week, Paul Konchesky returning at left back after a suspension.

The Foxes made a positive start, Beckford finding space on the edge of the box and curling an effort just wide of the far post.

Chelsea took the lead, however, as Cahill rose highest to meet a Mata corner and power a header home. 

The 26-year-old then revealed a t-shirt as he celebrated with a message dedicated to former Bolton team-mate Fabrice Muamba, as the midfielder continues to recover in hospital after collapsing at White Hart Lane on Saturday.

The home side continued to press forward, Sturridge twisting and turning his way towards goal before feeding Mata, who saw a bundled effort hacked off the line by Konchesky.

And the pressure told as the Blues launched up the field on the counter attack, Torres taking the ball down the right flank before squaring to Kalou who took a touch before calmly slotting past Kasper Schmeichel.

Sturridge was looking lively, magnificently trapping a high ball before dinking an effort just wide, with Torres disappointed that he wasn't given a chance to end his monumental goal drought.

The Spaniard seemed in determined mood, planting a header at Schmeichel before the Dane had to react superbly to tip his fierce 20-yard effort away.

But the Championship side kept their heads up, and Neil Danns forced Cech to make a good save with a driven shot before Paul Gallagher's long-range effort was deflected away by Cahill.

The former Blackburn winger was then substituted after failing to shake off a knee injury and replaced by Lee Peltier as the half meandered to a close, the home fans giving their team a rapturous reception on the half-time whistle.

The Blues made a change of their own at the start of the second period, Mata given a rest ahead of Wednesday's clash with Manchester City, Florent Malouda his replacement.

The Frenchman stretched Schmeichel with an effort from distance before Sturridge again showed a frustrating lack of teamwork, opting to shoot from an angle with others better placed, in an otherwise quiet opening to the half.

Leicester's travelling fans had been in superb voice throughout the match and were almost rewarded for their support as Lloyd Dyer struck wide after a surging run.

The Premier League side's quality came through, however, Kalou set off down the right before cutting the ball to Torres, who found the net for the first time in nearly 26 hours of football as the home crowd erupted in celebration.

The Spaniard almost took a London buses approach to scoring as he rifled an effort over just moments later before Sturridge stretched to meet a cross from Ryan Bertrand but saw his header drift wide.

The Foxes had continued to push forward and finally got a goal, Neil Danns hit the post from 25 yards and the ball rebounded to Beckford who was on hand to tuck in from close range.

As the away support sensed an unlikely comeback, the Blues regained their three-goal cushion thanks to Torres who did manage a second, bursting ahead of Sol Bamba to nod in a Meireles corner.

Marshall had been brought on as a late sub and scored the game's best goal, picking up the ball in midfield and unleashing a thunderbolt from 35 yards.

But it was the hosts who had the final say as Torres turned provider to Meireles, squaring when well placed to shoot for the Portuguese midfielder to slam home.

The win sees Chelsea through to the semi-finals, where they will be making their 10th trip to the new Wembley since its 2007 reopening.

Source: goal.com

Premier League - Wolves vs Man Utd

Wolves 0-5 Manchester United

Chicharito double wraps up dominant win as champions extend Premier League advantage

The Mexican grabbed a brace to cap off a dominant performance after Jonny Evans, Antonio Valencia and Danny Welbeck had all but sealed three points in the first half

 

Manchester United raced four points clear at the top of the Premier League and sent a desperately poor Wolves side to the bottom of the table following a 5-0 thrashing at Molineux.

United were already a goal to the good after Jonny Evans opened the scoring when Ronald Zubar was sent off for a second yellow card shortly before the end of the first half.

Antonio Valencia and Danny Welbeck made it 3-0 with a quickfire double before the break and Javier Hernandez's second-half brace put a gloss on a dominant performance which has put further pressure on title rivals Manchester City to beat Chelsea on Wednesday evening.

Wolves had held their own until Zubar's red card but were woeful thereafter. Terry Connor's team have now suffered three consecutive defeats and find their place in the top flight under serious threat.

Jamie O'Hara was missing from the Wolves squad, with Kevin Foley replacing him in midfield. David Davis retained his place in the side after making his debut in the 2-0 loss to Blackburn Rovers.

Sir Alex Ferguson made two changes to the Manchester United side that beat West Brom to go top of the Premier League last weekend. Valencia, who made his first start since February, replaced Ashley Young out wide, while Rafael came in for Phil Jones at right-back.

The two reintroduced faces combined to create the first real chance of the match in the ninth minute. Valencia wriggled into space in the inside right channel and slipped a through ball into the path of Rafael, who had dashed into the penalty area. The Brazilian slid a low pass across goal that just evaded Hernandez and Welbeck in the six-yard box.

The fact Wolves seemed to have weathered the early storm when they conceded the opening goal in the 21st minute will have made it even more difficult for Connor to take. Wayne Rooney's corner from the left was centred at the back post by Michael Carrick, and Evans was on hand to steer the ball beyond Wayne Hennessey for his first Manchester United goal.

Steven Fletcher had headed narrowly wide shortly before Evans' opener and Wolves did not look overwhelmed by United, although David De Gea remained largely untested. But the hosts were the architects of their own downfall when Zubar followed up a late challenge on Rooney with a similarly mistimed slide on Welbeck that earned him a second yellow card.

It did not take Manchester United long to seal the deal. First, Rooney initiated a devastating counter-attack following a Wolves corner by chipping a pass into the path of Valencia, who raided down the right wing. The Ecuador international had Welbeck for company when he reached the penalty area but didn't need him as he thumped his finish across Hennessey.

Minutes later Valencia was more generous when, receiving a wonderful pass from Carrick near the touchline, he was left with the simple task of rolling a low cross into the feet of Welbeck. The 21-year-old was left totally unmarked after dropping into space ten yards out and sent a first-time finish into the bottom corner.

This match, then, was not much of a contest heading into the second half. After Hennessey had palmed away Rooney's shot the resulting corner was played out to Rafael. The right-back picked out an entirely unmarked Hernandez, who nodded in from close range.

The goal was not a significant one given that the outcome of this match had long been decided but the nature of it will have Connor questioning exactly what impact he is capable of having on this team that has such a high relegation threat looming over them.

The next blow was more to do with the quality of the Manchester United attack. Valencia broke into the box after playing a superb one-two with Welbeck, who flicked a pass back in to the winger's path. He smartly ignored the congested goalmouth and stood up a cross that Hernandez lashed home at the back post.

Just before the fifth goal Michael Kightly had been introduced for the home side and he did, to his credit, have some impact. First, the winger tested De Gea from the edge of the box before delivering a free-kick from the right that somehow wasn't bundled in by an orange shirt.

Only a good save from Hennessey prevented Welbeck from making it six as United strolled to an easy three points and piled the pressure on title rivals Manchester City, who now face immediate pressure to bounce back from their defeat at Swansea last Sunday and close the gap at the top to a single point.

Source: goal.com

Bundesliga Report

Hertha Berlin 0-6 Bayern Munich

Robben nets hat-trick as Bavarians run rampant

The Dutchman led the way with three goals as the Bundesliga record champions followed up recent 7-1 and 7-0 triumphs with another dominant display

 

Bayern Munich maintained their irresistible form as they hammered Hertha Berlin 6-0 at the Olympiastadion, and in doing so reduced their deficit to Bundesliga leaders Dortmund back to just five points. Their prolificacy saw the Bavarian giants increase their tally to 20 goals scored in the last three competitive games.

Thomas Muller opened the flodgates in under nine minutes, and Arjen Robben doubled the visitors' lead moments later. Following a foul against Muller, the Dutchman completed his double from the penalty spot, and the Bavarians were in full control with a three-goal advantage.

In the second half, Robben and Mario Gomez each scored from the spot, and Toni Kroos added another from open play to complete a comprehensive rout.

While the visitors were without doubt the better side in the opening stages, Hertha will be disappointed not to have been awarded a penalty after David Alaba made contact with Nikita Rukavytsya inside the box.

Seconds later, Franck Ribery stormed up the left flank and sent a low cross to Muller, who finished with aplomb.

The scorer turned provider shortly thereafter as he won the ball in midfield before slipping the it through to Robben, who sprinted into the box before beating Thomas Kraft with a thunderous finish.

The irresistible Muller was then felled by Christoph Janker after being released on goal, and Robben stepped up to the penalty spot to make it 3-0. The Dutchman along with Muller and Gomez, all had clear chances to score before half-time, but were unable to convert.

The hosts saw little of the ball, but were not without opportunities to pull themselves back into the game. Raffael capitalised on a weak back pass from Alaba to find a path into the box, but fired wide whent it was only 2-0. 

After Hertha went down a third goal, ex-Bayern man Christian Lell found Adrian Ramos available for a free header, but the Colombian missed the target.

Ramos again won a header on 38 minutes, and after a deflection, Toni Kroos cleared off the line. Not for lack of effort, Hertha entered the interval facing a steep uphill battle.

Bayern stormed out of the gate in the second half, and made it 5-0 within the opening moments. Substitute Alfredo Morales wrestled down Ribery to concede a penalty on 49 minutes, and Gomez finished past back-up keeper Sascha Burchert, who had replaced Kraft at half-time.

Janker's nightmarish evening continued two minutes later, as his loose touch conceded possession to Robben, who had a pass tipped away by Burchert, but straight to Kroos, who volleyed home from close range.

Morales' evening later went from bad to worse as he conceded another penalty to Ribery, after which time Robben completed his hat-trick.

Following the withdrawals of Ribery, Muller and Robben, the Bayern attack lost their bite. However, Luiz Gustavo almost got his name on the scoresheet late on after taking Kroos' clever chip off his chest. However, Burchert did well to come off his line and block the Brazilian's finish.

After a rather pedestrian closing spell, referee Tobias Welz blew the final whistle, sealing an emphatic win for Bayern, which brings Jupp Heynckes' side back to within five points of leaders Dortmund. Hertha sink to 17th and are three points away from safety.

Borussia Dortmund 1-0 Werder Bremen

Kagawa strike puts hosts eight points clear as BVB break club record for undefeated streak

The hosts were in total control and could have won by a far greater margin yet the single goal was enough to guide them to a record-breaking win on Saturday afternoon

 

Borussia Dortmund brushed aside the challenge of Werder Bremen at Signal-Iduna-Park with a 1-0 win, creating a new club record of 20 games without defeat.

The Bundesliga leaders were far more dominant than the scoreline suggests with Roman Weidenfeller having little to do between the posts as a Shinji Kagawa strike was enough to secure victory.

Dortmund stormed into the lead after just eight minutes as they countered from a Bremen corner. A cross from the left found Ilkay Gundogan at the back post and he unselfishly squared the ball back across goal for Kagawa to knock in a simple goal on his birthday.

The hosts almost grabbed a second four minutes later as Bremen allowed Jakub Blaszczykowski space to run into on the left but his shot was deflected wide agonisingly wide of the post.

Dortmund continued to pepper Sebastian Mielitz goal with shots but the visitors managed to work Weidenfeller in a rare foray forward. With 21 minutes gone Mehmet Ekici’s shot from distance was spilled by the keeper but he managed to recover the ball as no one followed the effort in.

BVB heeded the warning and three minutes later they came close to adding to the score. Gundogan found Kagawa once again and the Japanese took one touch before firing from the edge of the box but Mielitz got down well and turned the effort onto the post.

The frame of Mielitz goal was struck once again in the 35th minute as Sebastian Kehl saw his header beat the keeper but bounce of the bar and down onto the line before being cleared away.

Dortmund continued to dominate yet the second goal remained elusive. Ten minutes after the restart Lukas Piszczek’s cross fell to Kagawa but the Japanese sliced his effort the wrong side of the post.

BVB were relentless and shortly after Piszczek surged forward from defence and fired wide, Gundogan saw his effort from 25 metres saved by Mielitz. The ball almost fell for Blaszczykowski to tap in but Lukas Schmitz was on hand to clear the danger.

Bremen rarely had an opportunity to get forward as Dortmund held on for the win that sends them provisionally eight points clear of Bayern Munich who face Hertha Berlin on Saturday evening, while Thomas Schaaf's men remain in sixth place.

Source: goal.com

Sevilla vs Barcelona Report

Sevilla 0-2 Barcelona

Xavi and Messi on target as Pep Guardiola's men stay in title race

Pep Guardiola's side earned a fairly straightforward victory away from home as the reigning champions continue their fight to defend the Liga title they won last season

 

Barcelona cruised to a comfortable 2-0 win against Sevilla at the Sanchez Pizjuan on Saturday to provisionally reduce Real Madrid's lead at the summit of La Liga to seven points.

Xavi opened the scoring for Pep Guardiola's side with a well-struck free kick before Lionel Messi's sumptuous finish added a second for the reigning champions, who had the result wrapped up by the interval.

Before kick-off, both sets of fans and players in the stadium sent their well wishes to Eric Abidal, who is set to undergo a liver transplant. Once the football began, it was the visitors who made the brighter start to proceedings and nearly opened the scoring on eight minutes thanks to a fortunate deflection. Adriano made his way towards the Sevilla goal before trying his luck from the edge of the box. His shot deflected off the leg of Emir Spahic before rebounding off the top of the crossbar, much to the relief of Andres Palop.

Four minutes later a clever Messi pass picked out Pedro in space as he ran through on goal. However, the attacker tried to be too clever with his finish, hitting the ball with the outside of his foot as the goalkeeper made a smart save.

The Blaugrana made their early dominance count when they grabbed a deserved opener on 18 minutes. After being awarded a free kick just outside the box, Xavi duly stepped up to curl the ball over the wall and into the top corner of the net despite Palop's best efforts to keep it out. It was the experienced midfielder's ninth Liga goal of the season.

Guardiola's men doubled their lead on 25 minutes through a moment of Messi magic; the Argentine's 51st competitive goal this term for Barca. The 24-year-old played a clever one-two with Andres Iniesta before nutmegging Spahic and lifting the ball over the keeper with deadly precision.

However, despite the Catalans controlling play in the opening half hour, Sevilla sprung into life and nearly pulled a goal back on 33 minutes following some poor defending from Gerard Pique. The former Manchester United defender failed to deal with Jesus Navas' speculative cross as Manu del Moral sneaked in behind him to power his header against the crossbar.

In first-half stoppage time Sevilla had Palop to thank for keeping them in the game. After some great build-up play, Messi slid the ball to Cesc Fabregas who saw his shot from 15 yards out blocked at point-blank range by the veteran glovesman.

The Andalusians continued to miss decent opportunities in the second period with Manu again the guilty party on 65 minutes. Navas whipped an inviting ball towards the back post but the forward could only watch on as he slid it wide of the target, much to the relief of the visiting defence.

The Blaugrana could have put the result beyond doubt on 73 minutes when Messi found Iniesta with a precise through ball. The Spain International looked to have committed the keeper but could only dink his shot wide, while Messi also had a late strike disallowed for offside as his side comfortably held on for the three points.

Barcelona return to league action on Tuesday evening when they entertain Granada while Sevilla will hope to bounce back from defeat on Thursday away against Racing Santander.

Source: goal.com

Tonight Real Madrid vs Malaga.

...

Serie A matches March 17

Parma 0 - 2 AC Milan

Italy: Serie A leader AC Milan beats Parma

 

Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored his fifth goal in three matches as Serie A leader AC Milan looked sharp in a 2-0 win over Parma on Saturday to warm up for its Champions League quarterfinal with Barcelona.

Ibrahimovic put Milan ahead in the 17th minute with a penalty at Parma's Tardini Stadium and Dutch midfielder Urby Emanuelson doubled the lead in the 55th after completing an end-to-end sequence.

Milan remained four points clear of Juventus, which routed 10-man Fiorentina 5-0 with goals from Mirko Vucinic, Arturo Vidal, Claudio Marchisio, Andrea Pirlo and Simone Padoin.

Parma remained in a tie for 16th with Cagliari, six points clear of the relegation zone, and Fiorentina is only one point above Parma.

In Friday's Champions League draw, Milan was paired with European champion Barcelona. The first leg will be in Milan on March 28, with the second leg in Spain on April 3.

Before then, Milan visits Juventus in the Italian Cup semifinals Tuesday, then could face another stiff test against Roma next weekend.

In Parma, Milan president and former Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi made a rare appearance at an away match and he wasn't disappointed.

"When Berlusconi comes it's always a good sign," Milan manager Massimiliano Allegri said. "When he's here we want to do even better than we usually do."

After Parma threatened early with Sebastian Giovinco and Chilean midfielder Jaime Valdes, Parma defender Cristian Zaccardo was given a yellow card for a hand ball on a shot from Emanuelson.

Ibrahimovic coolly converted the spot kick for his league-leading 20th goal of the season, with five of those goals coming since the Sweden international returned from a three-match ban for slapping Napoli defender Salvatore Aronica in the face.

Milan had another chance in the 20th but Emanuelson somehow couldn't find the target from two meters (yards) following a rebound of a free kick from Ibrahimovic.

Milan defender Thiago Silva headed off the crossbar in the 42nd and Parma goalkeeper Antonio Mirante had to charge forward to disrupt Ibrahimovic seconds later.

Ibrahimovic had another chance blocked by Mirante in the 52nd and Emanuelson scored his second goal of the season three minutes later, dribbling by several defenders and Mirante before finding the empty net.

Milan goalkeeper Christian Abbiati preserved the shutout with a series of tough saves in the closing minutes.

Veteran Milan midfielder Gennaro Gattuso came on for the final minutes for his first action in six months, since being diagnosed with myasthenia, an autoimmune neuromuscular disease that affected his left eye.

In Florence, Juve's intentions were clear from the start when Vucinic hit the post in the sixth. The Montenegro striker then found the target in the 15th with a precise shot from within the penalty area.

Fiorentina was reduced to 10 men in the 20th when Alessio Cerci was sent off for kicking Paolo De Ceglie, after De Ceglie had taken a swipe at him.

In the 27th, Vidal took a pass from the in-form Vucinic and scored off his own rebound.

Vucinic also provided the pass for a header from Italy midfielder Marchisio that made it 3-0 in the 54th, and Pirlo scored with a sliding effort in the 67th.

Padoin added a close-range goal in the 72nd.

Copyright 2012 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Source: SI.com

Fiorentina 0 - 5 Juventus

Five-star Bianconeri thrash 10-man hosts to end run of four successive draws
A 21st minute red card to Cerci made it all too easy for the Turin outfit, who romped to a five-goal victory that moves them to within four points of Milan at the top of the table

 

Juventus dismantled Fiorentina at the Stadio Artemio Franchi as a resounding 5-0 victory maintained their push for the Serie A title after putting an end to a sequence of four consecutive league draws.

Mirko Vucinic opened the scoring just after a quarter of an hour, but the real turning point in the match was the dismissal of Alessio Cerci, who saw red for a petulant kick on Martin Caceres after 21 minutes. 

The hosts never recovered from the numerical disadvantage, and further goals from Artuo Vidal, Claudio Marchisio, Andrea Pirlo and Simone Padoin rounded off the emphatic win for Antonio Conte's men, who close the gap at the top of the table on AC Milan to four points.

Juventus nearly stormed into the lead after only six minutes of play. Vucinic’s shot from the edge of the area rebounded off the base of the post, and Alessandro Matri's follow up was volleyed high and wide.

However, 10 minutes later, Vucinic would make no mistake as he fired the visitors into the lead. A brilliant short passing move found the Montenegrin in space at the top of the box, and his curled effort flew in with Artur Bouc rooted to the spot.

Juventus took full advantage of their numerical superiority from 21 minutes onwards following Cerci's dismissal as they doubled their lead just before the half-hour mark. Andrea Pirlo’s near post corner was held up fantastically by Vucinic, who set up Vidal for a strike on goal. The Chilean’s initial effort was saved, but he wasted little time in slotting the rebound home.

It was one way traffic thereafter, as Juve had little trouble in maintaining pressure in the attacking third. Fiorentina were perhaps relieved to see the half time whistle blow as they were struggling to keep the visitors at bay.

However, the Viola regrouped and renewed their focus after the break and controlled play at the start of the second half. Nevertheless, it was Juventus who went closest to scoring again in the 52nd minute when Matri teed up Vucinic for a strike from outside the box which flashed just wide.

Moments later, Juventus grabbed their third. Marchisio was both the architect and the finisher, spraying the ball wide to Vucinic, continuing his run into the box and heading home the Montenegrin’s cross from point blank range.

With an hour gone, Andrea Lazzari sent a powerful shot that seemed to be destined for the back of the net, but a fingertip stop from Gianluigi Buffon diverted the shot onto the post.

Juventus added another goal not long after when a sumptuous through-ball by Vucinic was tracked by Pirlo, who dinked his shot impudently over Boruc and into the back of the net.

Fiorentina were floored after the fourth goal, and found themselves further behind in the 72nd minute. Pirlo’s long range effort took a deflection right into the path of substitute Padoin, who, with his first touch of the match, side-footed home with aplomb.

The remainder of the contest was played out by the visitors with consummate ease, never looking troubled as they closed the match at their own pace.

The result sees Juventus reduce the deficit on Milan at the top of the table to four points with 10 games remaining. Fiorentina meanwhile sink to 16th place, seven points above the relegation zone.

Source: goal.com

BREAKING NEWS: Muamba colapses with heart attack during a football match

Muamba rushed to hospital after collapsing on the pitch during Bolton's FA Cup quarter-final against Tottenham

Midfielder collapsed unchallenged in the first half at White Hart Lane before medical staff swiftly attempted to revive him using mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and a defibrillator

 

Fabrice Muamba was rushed to hospital after collapsing on the pitch during Bolton's FA Cup sixth-round tie against Tottenham at White Hart Lane.

The midfielder fell to the ground unchallenged in the 42nd minute of the first half before paramedics promptly rushed onto the pitch to provide mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and use a defibrillator in attempts to revive him.

As the 23-year-old was stretchered off down the tunnel, referee Howard Webb called both teams off the pitch. The game was later abandoned.

Players surrounding Muamba looked distraught, while Bolton chairman Phil Gartside rushed from the stands to the sidelines.

A Bolton spokesman at the ground confirmed: “Fabrice Muamba has been taken to hospital following his collapse but we will not be releasing any further information at this stage.”

Source: goal.com

Europa League - Quarter - Finals

Europa League Quarter - Finals