Lionel Messi called the Ref a Motherf***er in Barcelona win at Celta Vigo (Video)

Lionel Messi’s potty mouth was recorded on Spanish TV over the weekend.

Barcelona maintained their four point lead over Real Madrid, as Luis Enrique’s side picked up a 1-0 win away at Celta Vigo on Sunday night.

On the same day that Cristiano Ronaldo scored five times against Granada, Messi failed to get on the scoresheet in the away win.

In one post match compilation of Messi’s performance at Celta, the Argentine was portrayed as a frustrated figure as the referee repeatedly ignored his claims for fouls.

At one free-kick Messi mouthed “Siempre lo mismo!” (‘always the same’) three times at the ref, while on another occasion Messi barked “La concha de tu madre! Hijo de puta!” (‘Mother f****r. Son of a bitch’).

Real Madrid in pursuit for Raheem Sterling

According to reports: European champions Real Madrid are keeping tabs on Liverpool superstar Raheem Sterling ahead of a potential summer move for the winger.

Sterling has so far refused to commit his long-term future to the Reds and fears are rising that he may look for an exit route from Anfield. The England international turned down a mammoth £100,00-a-week contract from Brendan Rodgers’ side and his reluctance to pen a new deal has seen the likes of Chelsea and Arsenal linked with a move for the 20-year-old.

According to the Daily Mail, Real Madrid are ready to register an interest in Sterling, with club legend Zinedine Zidane admitting that Los Blancos are showing an interest in a number of high-profile youngsters to bolster their squad.

Madrid will likely have to fork out £50million should they wish to make their interest in the forward concrete, but any potential transfer bid could spark a bidding war with a number of Premier League clubs.

Ahead of FIFA U-20 World cup: Flying Eagles line up preview

Ahead of tomorrow’s official release of the Flying Eagles 35 man provisional list of players, who are expected to battle it out for 21 places in Nigeria’s final squad for the World Youth Championship set to be held in New Zealand, we unveil The Team.

Nigeria has already beat the deadline of submission as the list was prepared in Senegal shortly after the final match of the Africa Youth Championship. But despite submitting it to FIFA on April 1st, the Nigeria Football Federation withheld the names from the public.

Flying Eagles Provisional List For World U-20 WORLD CUP 2015

Goalkeepers: Joshua Enaholo, Dele Alampasu, Olorunleke Ojo, Adamu Abubakar

Defenders: Wilfred Ndidi, Zahradeen Bello, Abdulganiyu Saheed, Izu Omego, Mustapha Abullahi, Samuel Okon, Mustapha Mohammed,

Midfielders: Obinna Nwobodo,Ifeanyi Matthew,Ifeanyi Ifeanyi,Akinjide Idowu,Abdullahi Alfa,Bernard Bulbwa,Kelechi Nwakali,Kingsley Sokari,Bashir Monsur,Adebayo Ademiloye.

Forwards: Isacc Success, Moses Simon, Chidera Ezeh, Ikechukwu Gabriel, Saviour Godwin, Wasiu Jimoh, Musa Yahaya, Kelechi Iheanacho, Christian Pyagbara, Taiwo Awoniyi, Ibrahim Alhassan, Usman Sale, Saddam Billy Auta

Tuesday Soccer Prediction

Time	Match	Tip	odd	Result
15.30 16.00 16.00 13.15	fiorentina             vs   juventus  aston villa           vs    qpr  Monaco                    vs   montpellier  Charlton                vs   fulham	2   1  1h   1	2.30 2.15 3.14 2.50

                            Total odds  38.8

Soccer banker of the day

9/4/2015

Time	Match	Tip	odd	Result
21.00	VILLAREAL  VS  ESPANYOL	2	7.50	WON

7/4/2015

Time	Match	Tip	odd	Result
17.45	fiorentina  VS  Juventus	2	2.30	WON

According to cross comparison by fussball.wetpoint

Direct Comparison of the Matches for Fiorentina and Juventus related
the recent Games and their Results of both Teams against common opponents.

02/11/14	Sampdoria - Fiorentina	Serie A	3 : 1  (2 : 1) (1 : 0)
14/12/14	Juventus - Sampdoria	Serie A	1 : 1  (1 : 0) (0 : 1)
29/10/14	Fiorentina - Udinese	Serie A	3 : 0  (1 : 0) (2 : 0)
13/09/14	Juventus - Udinese	Serie A	2 : 0  (1 : 0) (1 : 0)
30/08/14	AS Roma - Fiorentina	Serie A	2 : 0  (1 : 0) (1 : 0)
05/10/14	Juventus - AS Roma	Serie A	3 : 2  (2 : 2) (1 : 0)
26/10/14	AC Milan - Fiorentina	Serie A	1 : 1  (1 : 0) (0 : 1)
20/09/14	AC Milan - Juventus	Serie A	0 : 1  (0 : 0) (0 : 1)
19/10/14	Fiorentina - Lazio	Serie A	0 : 2  (0 : 1) (0 : 1)
22/11/14	Lazio - Juventus	Serie A	0 : 3  (0 : 1) (0 : 2)
05/10/14	Fiorentina - Inter	Serie A	3 : 0  (2 : 0) (1 : 0)
06/01/15	Juventus - Inter	Serie A	1 : 1  (1 : 0) (0 : 1)
28/09/14	Torino - Fiorentina	Serie A	1 : 1  (0 : 0) (1 : 1)
30/11/14	Juventus - Torino	Serie A	2 : 1  (1 : 1) (1 : 0)
24/09/14	Fiorentina - Sassuolo	Serie A	0 : 0  (0 : 0) (0 : 0)
18/10/14	Sassuolo - Juventus	Serie A	1 : 1  (1 : 1) (0 : 0)
21/09/14	Atalanta - Fiorentina	Serie A	0 : 1  (0 : 0) (0 : 1)
27/09/14	Atalanta - Juventus	Serie A	0 : 3  (0 : 1) (0 : 2)
14/09/14	Fiorentina - Genoa	Serie A	0 : 0  (0 : 0) (0 : 0)
29/10/14	Genoa - Juventus	Serie A	1 : 0  (0 : 0) (1 : 0)
18/01/15	Chievo - Fiorentina	Serie A	1 : 2  (0 : 1) (1 : 1)
30/08/14	Chievo - Juventus	Serie A	0 : 1  (0 : 1) (0 : 0)
Team Fiorentina won 56 % of the Games against common opponents and the Team Juventus won up to today 78 % of these Games. Based upon the cross comparison there is related Tips Predictions a higher superiority for the Soccer Team Juventus.

Head to head

Coppa Italia (Italy)
05/03/15, 20:45	Juventus - Fiorentina	1 : 2  (1 : 1) (0 : 1)	1. Round
10/01/06, 21:05	Juventus - Fiorentina	4 : 1  (3 : 0) (1 : 1)	4. Round
01/12/05, 21:05	Fiorentina - Juventus	2 : 2  (1 : 0) (1 : 2)	4. Round
Serie A (Italy)
05/12/14, 20:50	Fiorentina - Juventus	0 : 0  (0 : 0) (0 : 0)	38. Gameday
09/03/14, 12:30	Juventus - Fiorentina	1 : 0  (1 : 0) (0 : 0)	26. Gameday
20/10/13, 15:00	Fiorentina - Juventus	4 : 2  (0 : 2) (4 : 0)	8. Gameday
09/02/13, 18:00	Juventus - Fiorentina	2 : 0  (2 : 0) (0 : 0)	23. Gameday
25/09/12, 20:45	Fiorentina - Juventus	0 : 0  (0 : 0) (0 : 0)	5. Gameday
17/03/12, 20:45	Fiorentina - Juventus	0 : 5  (0 : 2) (0 : 3)	27. Gameday
25/10/11, 20:45	Juventus - Fiorentina	2 : 1  (1 : 0) (1 : 1)	9. Gameday
17/04/11, 15:00	Fiorentina - Juventus	0 : 0  (0 : 0) (0 : 0)	33. Gameday
27/11/10, 20:45	Juventus - Fiorentina	1 : 1  (0 : 1) (1 : 0)	14. Gameday
06/03/10, 18:00	Fiorentina - Juventus	1 : 2  (1 : 1) (0 : 1)	26. Gameday
17/10/09, 18:00	Juventus - Fiorentina	1 : 1  (1 : 1) (0 : 0)	7. Gameday
24/01/09, 20:30	Juventus - Fiorentina	1 : 0  (1 : 0) (0 : 0)	20. Gameday
31/08/08, 20:30	Fiorentina - Juventus	1 : 1  (0 : 1) (1 : 0)	1. Gameday
02/03/08, 15:00	Juventus - Fiorentina	2 : 3  (1 : 1) (1 : 2)	26. Gameday
07/10/07, 15:00	Fiorentina - Juventus	1 : 1  (0 : 1) (1 : 0)	7. Gameday
09/04/06, 20:30	Juventus - Fiorentina	1 : 1  (0 : 0) (1 : 1)	33. Gameday
04/12/05, 15:00	Fiorentina - Juventus	1 : 2  (1 : 1) (0 : 1)	14. Gameday
09/04/05, 20:30	Fiorentina - Juventus	3 : 3  (2 : 1) (1 : 2)	30. Gameday
European League Round 1/16 (UEFA)
20/03/14, 19:00	Fiorentina - Juventus	0 : 1  (0 : 0) (0 : 1)
13/03/14, 21:05	Juventus - Fiorentina	1 : 1  (1 : 0) (0 : 1)

Turkey suspends League after Fenerbache bus attack

The Turkish Football Federation have suspended Super Lig and domestic cup matches for a week in the wake of a shooting attack on Fenerbahce's team bus.

Arsenal in good position to seal £34.5m Gonzalo Higuain transfer

Arsenal is said to be at the top of signing Napoli striker after reports shows that the Italian striker is likely to qiuit the club.

The Italian star, who came close to signing with the Gunners after he left Real Madrid in 2013, is now ready to quit the club if they fail to qualify for Champions league.

The striker told Napoli he has no intentions of being with the club to play European league next season if they fail to end in the top three position.

Liverpool have been heavily linked with Higuain from the past, but their defeat to Arsenal over the weekend has handed the Gunners more chances for transfer talks.

Arsene Wenger’s forward line looks settled with Olivier Giroud, Danny Welbeck and Alexis Sanchez, but Higuain would add superstar quality.

He would likely cost £34.5million to sign – a bargain considering he’s scored 30 goals in 60 matches at Napoli.

Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
2005–2007	River Plate	35	(15)
2007–2013	Real Madrid	190	(107)
2013–	Napoli	60	(30

Manchester United to ditch Robin van Persie, want Edinson Cavani transfer

Manchester United are looking to sign Edinson Cavani as they prepare to let Robin van Persie leave.

United are currently assessing their striker options for next season and the Daily Mirror says doubts have emerged over Van Persie’s future.

The Red Devils are apparently fed up with his poor injury record and will now listen to offers for his services.

Paris Saint Germain striker Cavani is seen as the ideal replacement, with United keen to get the forward signed up after his row with Laurent Blanc.

Cavani is rated at £40.4million.

Inter Milan desperate to sign Yaya Toure

Manchester City star Yaya Toure has been linked to a transfer to Inter Milan after Javier Zanetti show how desperate they are to sign the midfield player.

Narazzurri boss Roberto Mancini has made no secret of his desire to be reunited with the 31-year-old Ivorian in the summer.

Mancini signed Toure during his time in charge of City, where they went on to win the Premier League, FA Cup and Community Shield together.

The former Barcelona ace was heavily linked with a move to local rivals Manchester United last summer

However, Zanetti insists Inter will do all they can to lure Toure to the San Siro.

The club's vice-president said on the speculation: "He's a world-class player. We are talking about a great champion who Mancini knows well.

"We must respect certain parameters but we will do everything possible to make him happy within those parameters."

Yaya Toure accused by Jamie Carragher of ducking out of Puncheon free-kick after City loss

    Puncheon takes the free kick that dent the hopes of Manchester City title challenge

According to dailymail.co.uk: Yaya Toure was accused by Jamie Carragher of ducking out of the way of Jason Puncheon's free-kick which killed off Manchester City's hopes of salvaging something from Selhurst Park.

Toure was part of a five-man wall when Puncheon stepped up to double Crystal Palace's lead, but Sportsmail columnist Carragher feels the City midfielder did not do enough to stop the winner.

'That's not acceptable when you go into a wall,' Carragher said on Monday Night Football. 'The rest of them are desperate to be hit with the ball in the face and it's poor from Yaya Toure.

                           Yaya Toure ducking out of the way of Puncheon free-kick 

Crystal Palace dent Manchester City title hope challenge

Crystal Palace put a huge dent in Manchester City's hopes of retaining their Barclays Premier League title with a 2-1 win at Selhurst Park on Monday night.

Goals either side of half-time from Glenn Murray - his fifth in as many matches - and Jason Puncheon sealed all three points for Palace, with Yaya Toure's thumping late drive proving scant consolation for the champions.

Manuel Pellegrini's side now sit nine points adrift of Chelsea having played a match more, and they head into Sunday's derby with Manchester United in fourth and a point behind their rivals having lost three of their last five league fixtures.

Martin Kelly for Pape Souare was the hosts' only change from their 2-1 win at Stoke City last time out, and it was the former Liverpool defender's dangerous cross in the second minute that Wilfried Zaha hit over from close range.

City responded strongly to that early scare and pinned Palace back with a period of constant pressure. David Silva twice brought smart saves out of Julian Speroni, while Sergio Aguero struck the base of the left-hand post.

Aguero stabbed over as City continued to dominate but then, against the run of play, Palace took the lead in the 34th minute.

Dann got on the end of Joe Ledley's flick and, after his effort was saved by Hart, the ball ran kindly for Murray to tap home from two yards.

Palace doubled their lead three minutes after the restart when Puncheon sent a superb 20-yard free-kick over the wall and into the bottom-right corner, leaving Hart with no chance.

James McArthur did brilliantly to clear another Fernandinho effort over the bar as the visitors piled on the pressure, and Toure's superb left-footed strike from 20 yards raised hopes of a comeback.

City substitute Samir Nasri and Toure both went close with deflected efforts late on but they could not find the equaliser as Palace's resurgence under Alan Pardew continued.

Wilfred Bony doubtful for Sunday's derby

Wilfried Bony has given Manchester City a major injury scare.

Bony has missed tonight's trip to Crystal Palace after turning an ankle in training on Sunday.

Mirror Sport understands the £28m striker now faces a race to be fit for the Manchester derby at Old Trafford next Sunday.

That is a major blow for City as they desperately try to clinch a place in the top four.

Angel Di Maria linked with transfer talk with Manchester city

Manchester City are reported to be considering a move for Manchester United attacker Angel di Maria, who only arrived at Old Trafford last summer in a British record transfer deal.

This information comes from Duncan Castles in the Sunday Times who claims City director of football Txiki Begiristain has ‘held discussions’ regarding an approach for Di Maria, although it is unclear with whom these talks are supposed to have taken place.

It would be difficult to fathom United considering selling Di Maria, who cost £58.7 million last August, but this link to City seems to suggest there has been some encouragement, perhaps from the player’s camp.

Di Maria has certainly not provided the type of impact United had hoped for but it would still seem rather unlikely that Louis van Gaal would sanction his departure after just only one season with the club.

The 27-year-old has struggled with both injury and consistency this term but has still managed to register 10 Premier League assists, and provided the cross for Wayne Rooney to score in the weekend victory over Aston Villa.

Crystal Palace vs Manchester City- Team News, Line-ups, Tactics& Predictions

Team News & Tactical Brief

Crystal Palace

Crystal Palace’s appointment of Alan Pardew mid-season has turned out to be a wonder stroke for the club. Prior to his appointment, the team had won just three of 20 games but since early January, Palace have doubled their victories in half the time. 19 points out of a possible 30 will certainly vindicate his decision to leave Newcastle, who after their loss to Sunderland, are a place below Palace in the table, and a point behind. The goal for Pardew will be to collect as many points till the end of the season and finish as high as possible and sneaking into the top half of the table and finishing there will prove to be a very successful season.

Alan Pardew has no fresh injury concerns ahead of Monday’s late kick-off against Manchester City. Mile Jedinak will be out as he is serving a ban, while Marouane Chamakh, Fraizer Campbell and Jordon Mutch remain sidelined.

A win over Manchester City will mean Palace will win three league games in a row for the first time this season. Even though it will be a tough ask, considering Manchester City’s remarkable record against Palace – Manchester City have won the last five Premier League meetings, and recorded seven victories in a row in all competitions – the home team will be inspired to do well and try and blow a dent to City’s hopes of having a comfortable end to the season.

For the home side to do well in the game, they will have to ensure City are not given space to exploit as David Silva can weave his magic if he’s given even the slightest opportunity. Pardew will be relying on Glenn Murray, who has done well recently and scored four goals in his last four games

Possible starting lineup (4-2-3-1): Speroni, Ward, Dann, Delaney, Souare, Ledley, McArthur, Zaha, Puncheon, Bolasie, Murray.

Manchester City

Manchester City’s hopes of finishing second or being the only direct title competitors to Chelsea cannot be realized after Arsenal and Manchester United have come into spectacular form and are poised to compete with Pellegrini’s team right till the end. It is going to be a matter of pride for the Citizens to want to finish in the second place, as Chelsea looks more than comfortable to see themselves out till the end. It isn’t going to be easy since Wenger’s Arsenal and van Gaal’s Manchester United are both in confident, upbeat mood. A win against Palace is all the more important to ensure that City remain in command and also go with confidence to Old Trafford next weekend.

As far as injuries as concerned, City look to be boosted by the return of Yaya Toure who missed City’s victory over West Brom a fortnight ago with an Achilles injury, but has since played for Ivory Coast and is fit. James Milner, who looks set to depart in the summer, is also expected to be available despite being troubled by a knee injury in recent weeks.

Despite their good recent record against Crystal Palace in recent times, City need to be vary of the home team as Pellegrini’s men have shown on many instances this season that they don’t perform well against lower oppositions, as was recently illustrated against Burnley.

For City to come out on top, Sergio Aguero and David Silva will have to do well along with others like Bony, Nasri and Navas. Aguero has three goals and three assists in the last five games but the Argentinean has been far from his best this season. There is a reason why people believe that for City to perform a miracle in the league at the business end of the season, Aguero will have to be at his lethal best.

Possible starting lineup (4-2-2-2) Hart; Zabaleta, Kompany, Mangala, Clichy; Silva Fernando, Toure, Nasri; Bony, Aguero

Match Stats

• Manchester City could lose three consecutive away matches in the Premier League for the first time in four years.
• City have only won four of their last 10 league fixtures (W4, D3, L3). They have earned four points fewer than Palace over that period.
• Crystal Palace have gained a league-high 18 points from losing positions this season prior to the latest round of matches.
• After scoring one goal in 19 Premier League games, Glenn Murray has scored four in his last four.

Players to watch out for:

Glenn Murray (Crystal Palace); Sergio Aguero (Manchester City)

Match Prediction:

Crystal palace 0  Manchester City 2

Any objections please feel free to comment below.

Manchester united have improved since November - Van Gaal

Man United were playing well at the Etihad but Chris Smalling‘s red card meant they were fighting against it from that point onwards and United’s efforts ultimately ended in vain as the game finished 1-0 to City.

However, United head into the derby this weekend in great form having won their previous five Premier League games and van Gaal is confident his team have evolved and improved since November.

“It was another Manchester United [last November], I believe,” van Gaal said after the Aston Villa game.


“That was more in the start of the process and now we are in the end of the process.

“Now we have developed the team. I think also the confidence of our players is very high at the moment but also our performances show that, so it’s not the same Manchester United.”

Even in November, United were actually the better team at the Etihad, in spite of Smalling’s red card, but there is certainly far more confidence among fans heading into this derby game.

Liverpool away is the toughest match of the season yet United put in their most dominant performance, so a home game against a City side going through indifferent form is not as daunting a prospect.

That being said, you can’t underestimate the intensity of a derby and form usually counts for nothing as Liverpool showed at Anfield but after a few years of dreading the derby knowing City were the better side, this game has an altogether different feel about it leading up to kick-off.

United know they have what it takes to come away with three points and if they can execute a game plan as well as they did at Anfield, City will struggle to get into the game.

Enyimba crashes out of CAF Champions league

Nigerian teams are out of the 2015 edition of the CAF Champions league after Enyimba’s 2-0 loss to Smouha FC of Egypt in Alexandria on Sunday.

Kano Pillars were ousted on Saturday by Morocco’s Moghreb Tetouan despite their 2-1 win at the Sani Abacha stadium in Kano, and Enyimba, a former Champions League winner, could not also pull through.

The Nigeria Football Federation, NFF, General Secretary, Mohammed Sanusi, who was at the match venue, as well as Enyimba FC chairman, Felix Anyansi-Agwu, however, expressed indignation at the manner of refereeing.

“The officiating was highly questionable. No wonder the Smouha FC officials refused to allow any recording of the game. This is bad for African football,” Sanusi said at the final whistle.

Anyansi-Agwu, also member of the NFF Executive Committee, wondered what could have been had his People’s Elephant been able to hold out for the last six minutes.

“My players gave their all, but poor officiating did not help our case and was quite bad in the final minutes,” he lamented.

Having won the first leg 1-0 in Aba, Enyimba needed to tighten up the rear and looked to be on the road to success with only six minutes to go, but then conceded two late goals to exit Africa’s most prestigious club competition.

Four-time champions, TP Mazembe of Democratic Republic of Congo, reached the second round with a 3-1 defeat of Mamelodi Sundowns of South Africa in Lubumbashi, edging the fixture 3-2.

Ghanaians Asante Kotoko, African champions in 1970 and 1983, were downed 2-1 in Kumasi by MC El Eulma of Algeria, after both teams tied 0-0 in North Africa.

Sanga Balende of DR Congo and AC Leopards of Congo-Brazzaville also progressed at the expense of Cotonsport Garoua and Gor Mahia respectively.

Nigeria drawn against Burkina Faso in CHAN 2016 qualifiers

The home-based Super Eagles team have been handed a seemingly fair draw as they seek qualification for the Orange African Nations Championship, CHAN,​ Rwanda 2016.

They were pitched alongside Burkina Faso in the draws conducted on Sunday, April 5, 2015.

Sunday’s draw was done based on the zonal representation of the National Associations affiliated to CAF and Nigeria was seeded in Zone West B which also houses fellow West African Countries, Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, Niger , Burkina Faso and Togo.

The first leg games in the respective groups are expected to be played in the weekend of October 16-18 while the second leg games comes up a fortnight later between  October 23-25 2015,

The winners of the three fixtures in the zone will join the twelve others that would emerge from the other groups  including the host Rwanda to complete a roster of 16 teams.

Now going into its 4th edition, Nigeria has only qualified for the CHAN tournament just once;  at the last edition held in South Africa where the home-based Eagles finished third. 

The CHAN tournament is designed exclusively for footballers playing in their domestic leagues.

The first edition was held in 2009 in Cote d’Ivoire with DR Congo emerging as champions. The second edition held in 2011 in Sudan had Tunisia as winners whilst Libya won the third edition in 2014 in South Africa.

Pellegrini wants reinforcement

Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini has already started planning for next season by stating he wants to sign high-profile reinforcements.

City - fourth in the table heading into Monday's trip to Crystal Palace - appear destined to relinquish their Premier League crown as Chelsea top the standings by nine points ahead of Pellegrini's men with eight matches remaining.

Pellegrini faces an uncertain future with City set for a trophy-less season after bowing out of the UEFA Champions League last month.

But the Chilean boss provided an insight into how City will approach the transfer window at the end of the 2014-15 campaign.

"It is the way of thinking that big teams need to sign a big player. It is very difficult to do it every year, but every two years you must do it," said Pellegrini, whose side can reclaim second spot with victory at Selhurst Park.

"I'm not just talking about Manchester City. You see Real Madrid, Manchester United, Chelsea, Barcelona and Bayern Munich – all the big clubs – they all do it. It is important to have big names.

"I don't want to talk about plans for next season because we have to finish this season. It is very important the way we finish this season before we analyse all the players. So it is not the right moment to talk about it."

Luis Enrique praises Barcelona fortitude

The Catalan giants came into the clash at Balaidos having seen bitter rivals Real Madrid cut their lead at the top of the table to one point with a 9-1 demolition of Granada.

Celta had beaten Barca 1-0 in the reverse fixture back in November, but this time it was Luis Enrique who got the better of his former club as Jeremy Mathieu nodded in Xavi's free-kick in the 73rd minute.

It was a crucial goal on the back of a less-than impressive Barca performance, but the coach praised his players for grinding out the victory.

"It has cost a lot," he said. "We believe that they are important points because of the difficulty [of the game].

"To win this way reinforces the squad and prepares us for what's left."

Matchwinner Mathieu added: "It was a difficult game, but sometimes matches are won with small details.

"Sometimes you have to suffer, but the three points are the most important thing."

Almeria fires coach Martinez

Almeria have fired Juan Ignacio Martinez after a seven-match winless run put their La Liga status in jeopardy.

Martinez was dismissed on Sunday in the wake of a 4-1 home loss to the 15th-placed Levante.

The heavy defeat saw Almeria drop into the relegation zone with just nine matches of the season remaining.

The club's hierarchy reacted swiftly, removing Martinez from his post and replacing him with first-team coach Miguel Rivera.

Almeria also sacked Francisco in December in a poor season for the club.

Rivera's first task will be lifting morale ahead of a tough trip to Liga leaders Barcelona on Wednesday.

Record-breaker ´Kazu´ scores in Japan at age of 48

Veteran striker Kazuyoshi Miura extended his remarkable record as the oldest scorer in the Japanese league when he nodded home for Yokohama at the age of 48 on Sunday.

The former Japan international was on target after 14 minutes of his side's 3-2 defeat to Jubilo Iwata in the second-tier J2 League clash, one month and 10 days after his 48th birthday.

The forward - known as 'Kazu' - already held the record, having last scored in November 2013.

"I managed to get a good jump on the ball," he told the Kyodo News agency.

City won't give up - Hart

Chelsea have been warned by Joe Hart they face a challenge for the Premier League title, with champions Manchester City preparing a late resurgence.

City - fourth in the table ahead of Monday's trip to Crystal Palace - face an uphill battle in their bid to retain their crown after falling nine points behind leaders Chelsea with eight matches remaining.

Manuel Pellegrini's men have lost two of their last four league matches - against Liverpool and Burnley.

But City goalkeeper Hart has not given up hopes of lifting back-to-back titles, pointing to City's late surge last term, which saw the club edge Liverpool for top spot after winning their five remaining fixtures.

"We will never give up. It's kind of how we do it. We like to do it a different way," Hart said.

"We've not necessarily reached the standard week in, week out that we wanted to, but the beauty of football is that you get another chance – and that starts on Monday.

"We've proved it and the fans have proved it. That is one thing that is part of Manchester City, which we've taken with us from the olden days. We'll never give up while anything is possible."

Hart added: "We'll go for it. We know that the way we won the league the first time [in 2012] set a DNA.

"We have definitely moved on as a team since then. That was a massive achievement, but now we expect it of ourselves.

"We have been disappointed at certain times this season, but there are eight games to go and we'll give it all we've got.

"We've got some massive games - eight big games to reach a level that we need to reach.

"We've not necessarily done that all season, but we feel we are in the right place now.

"We have a lot of rest time and there are no excuses. Everyone is fit and ready to go.

Fenerbahce call for league suspension after bus attack

Fenerbahce have called for the Super Lig to be immediately suspended after their team bus was attacked by a gunman.

Several shots were fired at the front of the club's bus after Saturday's 5-1 win at Rizespor and the driver was subsequently rushed to hospital with facial injuries, though he appeared conscious in photos and videos posted online.

The club were quick to condemn the attack, while Super Lig officials also spoke out about the incident while confirming an investigation will be launched.

Ahead of an emergency meeting scheduled for Monday, a Fener statement on Sunday suggested exactly what measures should be taken.

"We believe that, as long as this attack is not solved in a way that satisfies Fenerbahce and public opinion, a suspension of the championship is inevitable," the Istanbul club posted.

       

"Blood ran and football was silenced. Finding and punishing the culprits is of vital importance for Fenerbahce."

The incident occurred as Fener's team bus drove through Trabzon and local club Trabzonspor also issued a statement on the attack.

"It is impossible to describe this," club official Yakup Aslan told Hurriyet. 

"As a club, we are not going to let this incident slide. We will do whatever it takes to ensure that this person or people are caught and handed over."

Mourinho: Costa out for at least two weeks

Jose Mourinho expects Diego Costa to be out for at least a fortnight after the Chelsea striker suffered a recurrence of a hamstring injury in the 2-1 Premier League win over Stoke City.

Mourinho named Costa on the substitutes' bench and stated ahead of Saturday's game at Stamford Bridge that it would be a "gamble" to play the Spain international.

The Chelsea boss brought Costa on at half-time after Charlie Adam had cancelled out Eden Hazard's penalty with a sensational strike from his own half just before the break.

Costa lasted only 11 minutes before he pulled up again and it was left to Loic Remy to score the winner for a second game in a row, sending Chelsea seven points clear at the top of the table.

Mourinho admitted it was a risk to bring Costa on, but has no regrets and laid no blame at the door of his medical department.

He told Sky Sports: "If my medical department decides to take four weeks to recover Diego this would not happen, but in football we need risks. I risk sometimes, as a manager in a result I don't like.

"We played more offensive and if the opponent scores I don't kill myself for that.

"But in all the scans they did two days ago the muscle was clear, the image was clear and the player trained twice 100 per cent, when he did much more than he did today.

"We put him in dozens of actions and the result was correct. My medical department is fantastic so there is no problem. Next week plays Remy and (Didier) Drogba, we wait for Costa again. For sure with that injury it will be a couple of weeks minimum."

Mourinho was pleased with the persistence shown by his side in a victory which kept them on course to win the title.

He added: "The most important thing is the three points. The importance is obvious, we started the game needing six wins and one draw [to be assured of finishing top of the table] and now we need five wins and one draw. It was difficult and deserved.

"We controlled the game and had the ball in the first half, tried to penetrate through a well-organised defence, we try and try and finally scored a goal with a great combination.